Additive apportioning of lepidopteran and coleopteran species diversity across spatial and temporal scales in a cool–temperate deciduous forest in Japan

Abstract.  1. Forest entomofauna retain high diversity, and examining beta diversity, or species turnover, among assemblages in a forest community is vital to elucidate the source of this diversity.
2. Under the DIVERSITAS in Western Pacific and Asia–International Biodiversity Observation Year (DIWPA–IBOY) project for simultaneously documenting biodiversity throughout the Western Pacific and Asian Region, 892 lepidopteran species (51 742 specimens) and 355 coleopteran species (11 633 specimens) were collected in 2001 by light traps in a cool–temperate forest in northern Japan.
3. This study evaluated the beta diversity of lepidopteran and coleopteran communities by ecological categories (i.e. trap location, forest strata, sampling days, and months), and assessed the habitat preferences of lepidopteran and coleopteran species.
4.  anova -like additive apportioning models were used to quantify the beta diversity among the categories. The models simultaneously provide assessments of whether species distributions are biased in favour of particular habitats.
5. Significantly high beta diversity was observed among months for both Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. The category of months corresponded fairly well to the number of specialist species detected in the category, although a remarkably large number of significant specialists in Coleoptera were observed on strata.
6. The high beta diversity and number of specialist species among strata in both communities indicate that stratification between canopy and ground, and seasonal variation, played major roles in species composition and the rich entomofauna in the forest. Highly mobile adults were influenced by the vertical spatial scale, as previously suggested for larvae.     

Morphological difference and reproductive isolation: morphometries in the millipede Parafontaria tonominea and its allied forms

Thin-plate spline and other multivariate statistical methods were used to examine the variation in genital morphology and body size in 74 populations of the millipede Parafontaria tonominea and its allied forms in central Japan. Although the study populations included nine sympatric pairs of two reproductively isolated forms, the variations in genital morphology and body size observed were continuous across the study group. Analyses of the sympatric pairs using bootstrapping revealed that the degree of morphological difference between sympatric populations varied considerably from pair to pair. These results demonstrate that the degree of difference in genital morphology and body size may not correspond with the establishment of reproductive isolation. Significant correlation in the pattern of geographic variation was observed for many combinations of morphological components. However, it was not possible to detect a significant correlation between morphology and geographic distance in many of the morphological components studied. This study suggests that the incorporation of genital characters in classification should be done carefully, particularly for animal groups with low vagility, such as millipedes.     

Phytochemical studies on tobacco alkaloids XIV. The occurrence and properties of putrescine N-methyltransferase in tobacco roots

Putrescine N-methyltransferase, a new enzyme catalyzing theformation of N-methylputrescine from putrescine and S-adenosyl-L-methioninewas found in roots of tobacco plants. The enzyme was purified30-fold from crude extracts of tobacco roots. NMethylputrescinewas identified as the reaction product by comparison with theauthentic compound. The enzyme had a pH optimum between pH 8and 9, and a molecular weight of about 60,000, as determinedby gel filtration. Km values for putrescine and 5-adenosyl-L-methioninewere 4.0 x 10^–4 M and 1.1 x 10^–4 M, respectively.Enzyme activity was inhibited by N-chloromercuribenzoate andAg⁺. No cofactors were required. Of the various substrates tested,only putrescine served as a methyl acceptor. The enzyme waslocalized exclusively in the roots and its activity was greadyenhanced by decapitation. The presence of putrescine N-methyltransferase in tobacco rootsstrongly suggests that N-methylputrescine participates as anintermediate in nicotine biosynthesis. (Received March 2, 1971; )     

Roles of Head-Activation and Head-Inhibition Potentials in Pattern Formation of Hydra: Analysis of a Multi-Headed Mutant Strain

SYNOPSIS. Lateral grafting of tissue was used to compare therelative head-activation and head-inhibition potentials of differentHydra strains. A small piece of tissue taken from one polyp,when grafted to another polyp, induces formation of a head structurewhen the relative head-activation potential of the donor tissueis sufficiently (i.e., more than some threshold value) higherthan the relative head-inhibition potential of the recipienttissue. It was found that a multi-headed mutant strain (mh-1),which produces many extra heads along its body column, has significantlyhigher head-activation and significantly lower head-inhibitionpotentials than the standard wild-type strain. This suggeststhat these potentials play important roles in hydra morphogenesis,and that an imbalance between the two potentials is responsiblefor the developmental abnormality of mh-1. The significanceof this finding is discussed in light of the "positional information"model proposed by Wolpert and his associates and the "lateralinhibition" model proposed by Gierer and Meinhardt.     

kakusan: a computer program to automate the selection of a nucleotide substitution model and the configuration of a mixed model on multilocus data

The application of different substitution models to each gene (a.k.a. mixed model) should be considered in model‐based phylogenetic analysis of multigene sequences. However, a single molecular evolution model is still usually applied. There are no computer programs able to conduct model selection for multiple loci at the same time, though several recently developed types of software for phylogenetic inference can handle mixed model. Here, I have developed computer software named ‘kakusan’ that enables us to solve the above problems. Major running steps are briefly described, and an analysis of results with kakusan is compared to that obtained with other program.     

Aptychi microstructure in Late Cretaceous Ancyloceratina (Ammonoidea)

The microstructure of aptychi (bivalved calcareous coverings on lower jaws) of three genera of Late Cretaceous Ancyloceratina, Baculites, Polyptychoceras and Jeletzkytes is described for the first time on the basis of well-preserved and in situ material from the Western Interior of the USA and Hokkaido, Japan. Optical and scanning electron microscope observations of aptychi on polished median and cross-sections reveal some variation in their relative size, shape and microstructure among the three genera. The aptychus of Baculites is composed of two calcitic layers: one with tilted lamellae and the other one with horizontal lamellae, whereas those of Polyptychoceras and Jeletzkytes consist of a thin layer with horizontal lamellae. Comparison with aptychi (e.g. Laevaptychus) of Jurassic Ammonitina shows that the aptychi of Ancyloceratina differ from those of Jurassic Ammonitina in the smaller number of layers and the absence of a sponge-like structure. We propose for the first time growth models for a sponge-like aptychus of Jurassic Ammonitina and the lamellar aptychus of Cretaceous Ancyloceratina. The remarkable microstructural variation of aptychi observed in Mesozoic Ammonoidea is probably related to the diversity of their modes of feeding and the secondary function of the lower jaws as opercula.     

Genetic Analysis of Developmental Mechanisms in Hydra. XV. Nematocyte Differentiation in Strains with Altered Developmental Gradients*

Nematocyte differentiation from the interstitial stem cells in hydra occurs non-uniformly along the body column. The relative ratios of the 4 nematocyte types produced vary gradually from head to foot along the body axis (Bode and Smith, 1977). To find out whether this regional variation in nematocyte differentiation along the body column is related to the gradients of the head-activation and head-inhibition potentials, nematocyte differentiation patterns were examined in strains which have significantly different developmental gradients along their body columns. Five strains of hydra, including a wild-type, two mutant strains and two chimeric (mutnt/wild-type) strains, were investigated. It was found that the regional variations in the nematocyte differentiation were similar in all the strains examined, and that no significant differences of the variation existed that could be attributed to the differences of the developmental gradients in these strains. This suggests that nematocyte differentiation is strongly affected by the axial position along the body column, but that the gradients of the morphogenetic potentials involved in head formation are not involved in this effect. Instead, some other parameter(s) of axial position not directly associated with these gradients must be responsible for the positional effect on nematocyte differentiation.     

Studies on chlorophyllase of Chlorella protothecoides II. Formation of atypical chlorophyllide a

When chlorophyll a was incubated with a preparation of chlorophyllaseextracted with Triton X-100 from methanol-acetone powder ofChlorella protothecoides, the substrate was changed to chlorophyllidea, and subsequently to an atypical form of chlorophyllide a.The formation of an atypical form of chlorophyllide was notdetected in the reaction with chlorophyll b as substrate, norin the reaction with another preparation of chlorophyllase extractedfrom the algal cells. (Received August 18, 1969; )