Cruoriella rhodoliths from shallow-water back reef environments in La Parguera, Puerto Rico (Caribbean Sea)

The occurrence of shallow-water (0.9 to 1.3 m) rhodoliths in back reef environments in southwest Puerto Rico is reported. The rhodoliths were generally cylindrical, discoidal or irregular in shape with an average longest dimension of 7.2 cm. They occurred at a maximum density of 524 m⁻². The rhodoliths were composed of mostly coral nuclei with concentric laminations of aragonite-producing Cruoriella armorica (Peyssonneliaceae, Rhodophyta). Maximum Cruoriella accretion around coral nuclei was 30 mm although accretions of 1 to 20 mm were more common. Based on measurements of Cruoriella accretion, these shallow water rhodoliths are estimated to have minimum ages of 12 to 24 years. It is further estimated that approximately 2% of the rhodoliths are turned over daily. Accepted: 1 October 1999     

Human Discrimination of the Angular Velocity of the Vertical Movement of an Acoustic Image in Opposite Directions

The discrimination of the angular velocity of ventrodorsal and dorsoventral movement of an acoustic image was studied in nine test subjects. The experiments were performed using an apparent movement produced by consecutive activation of loudspeakers located along an arc in the vertical plane. The differential thresholds were measured by the minimum increment method. As the velocity of an acoustic image movement in opposite directions increased, the values of its mean absolute differential thresholds increased monotonically. Regression lines plotted by linear approximation of these values did not differ significantly.     

Isolation of a heat-stable maize endosperm ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase variant

Heat stress reduces maize yield and several lines of evidence suggest that the heat lability of maize endosperm ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) contributes to this yield loss. AGPase catalyzes a rate-limiting step in starch synthesis. Herein, we present a novel maize endosperm AGPase small subunit variant, termed BT2-TI that harbors a single amino acid change of residue 462 from threonine to isoleucine. The mutant was isolated by random mutagenesis and heterologous expression in a bacterial system. BT2-TI exhibits enhanced heat stability compared to wildtype maize endosperm AGPase.The TI mutation was placed into another heat-stable small subunit variant, MP. MP is composed of sequences from the maize endosperm and the potato tuber small subunit. The MP-TI small subunit variant exhibited greater heat stability than did MP. Characterization of heat stability as well as kinetic and allosteric properties suggests that MP-TI may lead to increased starch yield when expressed in monocot endosperms.     

Genetics of mosquitoes

Beginning in the mid-1950s, much progress has been made in studying various aspects of the genetics of mosquitoes, particularly involving several species of three principal genera,Aedes, Culex andAnopheles, that transmit important human diseases. Here I discuss selected areas of research involving formal genetics; genome structure, organization and evolution at the interspecific and intraspecific level; and evolutionary genetics of theAedes scutellaris group. Information and insights gained from in-depth analyses of these areas, particularly transmission genetics, cytogenetics and genetics of chromosomal rearrangements, and of mutagen-induced sexual sterility, have proved invaluable for the development of the theory and evaluation of feasibility of genetic control of natural populations. As a result, mosquitoes represent some of the best studied taxa at various levels of genetic organization. Recent developments in molecular genetics offer exciting possibilities for extension of these concepts.     

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers in the blowflies Lucilia illustris and Lucilia sericata

Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for blowflies for use in studies of genetic differentiation in wild populations of Lucilia illustris, to detect the possible occurrence of bottlenecks and to study changes in genetic variation in laboratory populations of Lucilia sericata following artificial bottlenecks. In this preliminary study it was revealed that heterozygosity was lower than expected in wild populations and genetic variation had been lost in the laboratory population despite being kept at a large size.     

Presymptomatic visualization of plant-virus interactions by thermography.

Salicylic acid (SA), produced by plants as a signal in defense against pathogens, induces metabolic heating mediated by alternative respiration in flowers of thermogenic plants, and, when exogenously applied, increases leaf temperature in nonthermogenic plants. We have postulated that the latter phenomenon would be detectable when SA is synthesized locally in plant leaves. Here, resistance to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was monitored thermographically before any disease symptoms became visible on tobacco leaves. Spots of elevated temperature that were confined to the place of infection increased in intensity from 8 h before the onset of visible cell death, and remained detectable as a halo around the ongoing necrosis. Salicylic acid accumulates during the prenecrotic phase in TMV-infected tobacco and is known to induce stomatal closure in certain species. We show that the time course of SA accumulation correlates with the evolution of both localized thermal effect and stomatal closure. Since the contribution of leaf respiration is marginal, we concluded that the thermal effect results predominantly from localized, SA-induced stomatal closure. The presymptomatic temperature increase could be of general significance in incompatible plant-pathogen interactions.