Flying over water: how “On bird species diversity” influenced aquatic ecology

Habitat complexity has long been known to influence animal community structure by increasing the number of available habitats. Fifty years have passed since MacArthur brothers published the seminal paper “On bird species diversity”, which revolutionized studies of habitat structure. This paper first evidenced and quantified the relationship between species diversity (birds) and habitat structural complexity (the number of stratified layers of landscape vegetation). In this article, we aim to pay homage to R. H. MacArthur’s contribution and to briefly analyze the citation history and influence of “On bird species diversity”, focusing primarily on aquatic studies. We searched for all papers that cited “On bird species diversity” on Thomson Reuters (ISI—Web of Knowledge) and analyzed them for temporal citation trends. In addition, considering only aquatic papers, we explored whether and how habitat complexity was measured, as well as the ecological organization level, attributes of organisms, taxonomic groups and study design (observational or experimental). “On bird species diversity” citations increased over time, but this paper was less cited by limnologists compared to terrestrial and marine scientists. The majority of investigations in aquatic ecosystems quantified habitat complexity, but few used mathematical modeling. The high number of citations, which continues to increase, shows the great influence of “On bird species diversity” on ecological studies and typifies it as a classic in the ecological literature. However, the low citation frequency found in papers devoted to freshwater ecosystems indicates that limnologists in general neglect this original contribution in studies of habitat complexity.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> plantlet production of the endangered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinguicula vulgaris</Emphasis>

This study describes the development of a micropropagation protocol for Pinguicula vulgaris using cultures initiated from in vitro produced seedlings. P. vulgaris is a carnivorous plant with a northern, disjunctly circumpolar distribution and specific habitat requirements, and is hence becoming increasingly rare. Shoot proliferation was significantly influenced by Murashige and Skoog (MS) macronutrient concentration, showing higher proliferation rates in 1/4MS, but was not affected by the addition of 0.1 mg/L 6-benzyladenine (BA) or zeatin (Zea). The best medium for propagating P. vulgaris was plant growth regulator (PGR) free ¼MS. An average of 7.62 new shoots per initial explant could be obtained after 8 weeks of culture, of which over 79% produced roots during proliferation. Moreover, rooting percentages of 100% were obtained for the initial explants in all the tested media, including media without PGRs. The plantlets were successfully acclimatized to ex vitro conditions, exhibiting normal development.     

Serum-free culture of an embryonic cell line from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bombyx mori</Emphasis> and reinforcement of susceptibility of a recombinant BmNPV by cooling

We established the first continuous cell line that uses a serum-free culture from the embryo of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), designated as NIAS-Bm-Ke17. This cell line was serially subcultured in the SH-Ke-117 medium. The cells adhere weakly to the culture flask, and most cells have an oval shape. The cell line was subcultured 154 times, and the population doubling time is 83.67 ± 5.22 h. Random amplification of polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction with a tenmar single primer for discrimination of insect cell lines recognized the NIAS-Bm-Ke1 cell line as B. mori. This cell line does not support the growth of the B. mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) in the absence of the heat-inactivated hemolymph of B. mori. However, the heat-inactivated hemolymph in 1% volume of the medium supported a high level of susceptibility to BmNPV. In addition, the cooling treatment of the cells at 2.5°C also enhanced the susceptibility. We report a new serum-free culture system of the B. mori cell line for the baculovirus expression vector system.     

Glycation in diabetic nephropathy

The kidney is an extremely complex organ with broad ranging functions in the body, including but not restricted to waste excretion, ion and water balance, maintenance of blood pressure, glucose homeostasis, generation of erythropoietin and activation of vitamin D. With diabetes, many of these integral processes are interrupted via a combination of haemodynamic and metabolic changes including increases in the accumulation of proteins modified by advanced glycation, known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Indeed, hyperglycaemia and the redox imbalances seen with diabetes are each independent accelerants for the production of AGEs, which synergistically combine in this disorder. In addition, as kidney function declines, characterised by a loss of glomerular filtration, the excretion of AGEs is decreased, possibly exacerbating renal injury by further elevating the body’s tissue and circulating AGE pool. Therefore, it has become apparent that decreasing the accumulation of AGEs or interrupting their downstream effects on the kidney, are desirable therapeutic targets for the treatment of diabetic renal disease.     

Effects of spatial scale and sample size in GPS-based species distribution models: are the best models trivial for red deer management?

Species distribution models (SDMs) are popular in conservation and management of a wide array of taxa. Often parameterized with coarse GIS-based environmental maps, they perform well in macro-ecological settings but it is debated if the models can predict distribution within broadly suitable “known” habitats of interest to local managers. We parameterized SDMs with GIS-derived environmental variables and location data from 82 GPS-collared female red deer (Cervus elaphus) from two study areas in Norway. Candidate GLM models were fitted to address the effect of spatial scale (landscape vs. home range), sample size, and transferability between study areas, with respect to predictability (AUC) and explained variance (Generalized R ² and deviance). The landscape level SDM captured variation in deer distribution well and performed best on all diagnostic measures of model quality, caused mainly by a trivial effect of avoidance of non-habitat (barren mountains). The home range level SDMs were far less predictable and explained comparatively little variation in space use. Landscape scale models stabilized at the low sample size of 5–10 individuals and were highly transferrable between study areas implying a low degree of individual variation in habitat selection at this scale. It is important to have realistic expectations of SDMs derived from digital elevation models and coarse habitat maps. They do perform well in highlighting potential habitat on a landscape scale, but often miss nuances necessary to predict more fine-scaled distribution of wildlife populations. Currently, there seems to be a trade-off between model quality and usefulness in local management.     

Co-transformation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Panax</Emphasis> major ginsenosides Rb<Subscript>1</Subscript> and Rg<Subscript>1</Subscript> to minor ginsenosides C–K and F<Subscript>1</Subscript> by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cladosporium cladosporioides</Emphasis>

Rb₁ and Rg₁ are the major ginsenosides in protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol. Their content in ginsenosides was 23.8 and 17.6%, respectively. A total of 22 isolates of β-glucosidase producing microorganisms were isolated from the soil of a ginseng field using Esculin-R2A agar. Among these isolates, the strain GH21 showed the strongest activities to convert ginsenoside Rb₁ and Rg₁ to minor ginsenosides compound-K and F₁, respectively. Ginsenosides Rb₁ and Rg₁ bioconversion rates were 74.2 and 89.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the results demonstrated that the ginsenoside Rg₁ could change the biotransformation pathway of ginsenoside Rb₁ by inhibiting the formation of the intermediate metabolite gypenoside-XVII. GH21 was identified as a Cladosporium cladosporioides species based on the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rRNA gene sequences constructed phylogenetic trees.     

Application of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based technology for authentication of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Catharanthus roseus</Emphasis> (L.) G. Don

In this study, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based molecular marker was developed for authentication of Catharanthus roseus, a medicinal plant. Samples of this plant were collected from different geographical locations in India. Random amplified polymorphic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis of collected samples was carried out with 25 random primers. A 610-bp DNA fragment, common to all accessions, was eluted, cloned, and sequenced. Four LAMP primers were designed on the basis of sequence of 610 bp DNA fragment. LAMP reaction, containing 10× Bst DNA polymerase reaction buffer, Bst DNA polymerase, four in-house designed primers, dNTPs, MgSO₄, and betaine, was incubated at 65°C for 1 h. The resulting amplicon was visualized by adding SYBR Green I to the reaction tube. The data showed confirmatory results. Since the assay method is simple, sensitive, and cost-effective, it is a feasible method for identifying and authentication of C. roseus.     

Non-enzymatic antioxidative defence in drought-stressed mulberry (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Morus indica</Emphasis> L.) genotypes

The present study investigated drought-induced responses of non-enzymatic antioxidants in four diverse mulberry genotypes (Morus indica L. S-36, M-5, MR-2 and V-1). Inside the glasshouse, potted plants were subjected to four water regimes for 75 days: (a) control: pots maintained at 100% pot water holding capacity (PC) (b) low water stress: 75% PC (c) medium water stress: 50% PC and (d) high water stress: 25% PC. Photosynthetic leaf gas exchange and non-enzymatic antioxidants including α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid (AA), glutathione, proline and total carotenoids were measured in leaves at regular intervals. Amongst all, V-1 was relatively drought tolerant and showed exceeded accumulation of α-tocopherol and AA-glutathione pool in association with higher carotenoids and proline contents. Susceptible S-36, M-5 and MR-2 could not induce any significant up-regulation in AA-glutathione pool leading to endogenous loss of α-tocopherol and more lipid peroxidation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) like hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and superoxide (O₂ ^{· ?}) showed apparent accumulation in water-stressed leaves and significantly contributed to lipid peroxidation in susceptible genotypes when compared to V-1. Our study demonstrated that proline, AA and glutathione were the major non-enzymatic antioxidants in mulberry with α-tocopherol and carotenoids as good additional indicators for drought stress tolerance. These non-enzymatic antioxidants can cumulatively render effective protection against oxidative damage and can be considered as reliable markers for screening drought-tolerant mulberry genotypes.