Using growth analysis to interpret competition between a C3 and a C4 annual under ambient and elevated CO2

Summary Detailed growth analysis in conjunction with information on leaf display and nitrogen uptake was used to interpret competition between Abutilon theophrasti, a C₃ annual, and Amaranthus retroflexus, a C₄ annual, under ambient (350 l l^-1) and two levels of elevated (500 and 700 l l^-1) CO₂. Plants were grown both individually and in competition with each other. Competition caused a reduction in growth in both species, but for different reasons. In Abutilon, decreases in leaf area ratio (LAR) were responsible, whereas decreased unit leaf rate (ULR) was involved in the case of Amaranthus. Mean canopy height was lower in Amaranthus than Abutilon which may explain the low ULR of Amaranthus in competition. The decrease in LAR of Abutilon was associated with an increase in root/shoot ratio implying that Abutilon was limited by competition for below ground resources. The root/shoot ratio of Amaranthus actually decreased with competition, and Amaranthus had a much higher rate of nitrogen uptake per unit of root than did Abutilon. These latter results suggest that Amaranthus was better able to compete for below ground resources than Abutilon. Although the growth of both species was reduced by competition, generally speaking, the growth of Amaranthus was reduced to a greater extent than that of Abutilon. Regression analysis suggests that the success of Abutilon in competition was due to its larger starting capital (seed size) which gave it an early advantage over Amaranthus. Elevated CO₂ had a positive effect upon biomass in Amaranthus, and to a lesser extent, Abutilon. These effects were limited to the early part of the experiment in the case of the individually grown plants, however. Only Amaranthus exhibited a significant increase in relative growth rate (RGR). In spite of the transitory effect of CO₂ upon size in individually grown plants, level of CO₂ did effect final biomass of competitively grown plants. Abutilon grown in competition with Amaranthus had a greater final biomass than Amaranthus at ambient CO₂ levels, but this difference disappeared to a large extent at elevated CO₂. The high RGR of Amaranthus at elevated CO₂ levels allowed it to overcome the difference in initial size between the two species.This study was supported by a grant from the US Department of Energy     

The response of murine intestinal crypts to short-range promethium-147 beta irradiation: deductions concerning clonogenic cell numbers and positions

An exteriorized loop of mouse intestine was exposed to 147Pm low-energy electrons, where the dose rate decreased by a factor of 5 from the base of the crypt to the top of the proliferative zone. A crypt survival curve was obtained, expressed in terms of exposure time. The shape of the curve was interpreted in terms of survival parameters for colony-forming cells (clonogens) derived using 137Cs gamma rays and the depth-dose curve measured for 147Pm electrons. It is concluded that the shape of the crypt survival curve using 147Pm electrons is inconsistent with the notion of either the presence of a large number of clonogens or a small number near the top of the proliferative zone. A computer fitting procedure showed that the best agreement between predicted and observed curves was achieved with 2.7 +/- 0.5 clonogens at cell position 5.6 +/- 0.6, in the putative stem-cell zone.     

Endothelioma cells expressing the polyoma middle T oncogene induce hemangiomas by host cell recruitment

Mouse endothelioma cells expressing the polyoma middle T oncogene induced hemangiomas in a variety of species such as mice, rats, chicks, and quails. In embryos and newborn mice the hemangiomas expanded within 10-18 hr of injection, disrupting the vasculature and causing the death of the animal. In contrast, the hemangiomas formed a stable structure reminiscent of benign human hemangiomas in adult mice within 5 days. Analysis of the cells comprising the hemangioma revealed that over 95% of the endothelial cells were host derived. No induction of host cell proliferation was detected, and no endothelial mitogens were secreted by the endothelioma cells in vitro. The maintenance of the hemangioma appeared to require the continuous presence of endothelioma cells. The results indicate that these endothelioma cells act as a potent stimulating agent in the rapid formation of hemangiomas by recruiting nonproliferating host endothelial cells.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of isolated structural domains of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase

The structural integrity and substrate binding properties of the two genetically engineered domains of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase were investigated using one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. Both domains were found to fold with regions of native-like structure, with the N-domain showing greater conformational flexibility than the C-domain. The 'basic patch' region of the N-domain is, however, clearly perturbed by removal of the C-domain. This is most likely due to the absence of stabilizing interactions between the C-terminal peptide (including alpha-helices XIII and XIV) and the N-domain. The C-domain is able to bind nucleotide with an affinity only three times less than that of the native protein.     

Neurotensin immunoreactivity in the central nucleus of the rat amygdala: an ultrastructural approach

Neurotensin (NT) was demonstrated in the central nucleus of the rat amygdala (CNA) using a modification of the avidin-biotin complex immunohistochemical technique. Electron-dense reaction product (particles were 15-25 nm in diameter) was localized in perikarya, dendrites, axons, and axon terminals. It was found also associated with profiles of rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, microtubules, and small agranular as well as large granular vesicles. In distal dendrites, the reaction product was associated with microtubules, vesicles, and postsynaptic densities. Axon terminals of three types formed synaptic contracts with NT-immunoreactive neurons in the CNA: one was characterized by numerous round or oval agranular vesicles, the second by numerous pleomorphic vesicles, and the third by agranular vesicles that were loosely distributed and pleomorphic. All three types formed symmetric axosomatic and asymmetric axodendritic contacts. NT-immunoreactive axon terminals containing small round agranular vesicles stood out clearly from the intermingling profiles of immunonegative structures. We found numerous glomeruli, each consisting of a central NT-immunoreactive dendrite surrounded by all three types of axon terminals. We observed that some NT-immunoreactive terminals formed symmetric axoaxonal contacts with each other, providing evidence for the presence of local NT-to-NT circuits, whereas many others synapsed with axon terminals devoid of NT immunoreactivity.     

Changes in the lipogenic response to feeding of liver, white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue during the development of obesity in the gold-thioglucose-injected mouse.

Lipogenic response to feeding was measured in vivo in liver, epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) and interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT), during the development of obesity in gold-thioglucose (GTG)-injected mice. The fatty acid synthesis after a meal was higher in all tissues of GTG-treated mice on a total-tissue basis, but the magnitude of this increase varied, depending on the tissue and the time after the initiation of obesity. Lipogenesis in BAT from GTG mice was double that of control mice for the first 2 weeks, but subsequently decreased to near control values. In WAT, lipogenesis after feeding was highest 2-4 weeks after GTG injection, and in liver, lipid synthesis in fed obese mice was greatest at 7-12 weeks after the induction of obesity. The post-prandial insulin concentration was increased after 2 weeks of obesity, and serum glucose concentration was higher in fed obese mice after 4 weeks. These results indicate that increased lipogenesis in GTG-injected mice may be due to an increase in insulin concentration after feeding and that insulin resistance (assessed by lipogenic response to insulin release) is apparent in BAT before WAT and liver.     

A class of linear spectral models and analyses for the study of longitudinal data

Longitudinal data can always be represented by a time series with a deterministic trend and randomly correlated residuals, the latter of which do not usually form a stationary process. The class of linear spectral models is a basis for the exploratory analysis of these data. The theory and techniques of factor analysis provide a means by which one component of the residual series can be separated from an error series, and then partitioned into a sum of randomly scaled metameters that characterize the sample paths of the residuals. These metameters, together with linear modelling techniques, are then used to partition the nonrandom trend into a determined component, which is associated with the sample paths of the residuals, and an independent inherent component. Linear spectral models are assumption-free and represent both random and nonrandom trends with fewer terms than any other mixed-effects linear model. Data on body-weight growth of juvenile mice are used in this paper to illustrate the application of linear spectral models, through a relatively sophisticated exploratory analysis.