Corticosterone treatment has no effect on reproductive hormones or aggressive behavior in free-living male tree sparrows, Spizella arborea

We examined the effect of corticosterone on plasma levels of reproductive hormones (testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and luteinizing hormone) and territorial defense behavior in male tree sparrows, Spizella arborea. Birds receiving Silastic implants filled with corticosterone (B) had significantly higher plasma levels of B than control birds, which received empty implants, and exhibited pectoral muscle wastage and a decrease in body mass. We evaluated the hormonal and agonistic responses of the two implanted groups of birds using a simulated territorial intrusion (STI) 2 to 4 days after they were implanted. Corticosterone-treated and control birds did not differ in their circulating levels of reproductive hormones or in their behavioral responses to STI (latency to respond to intrusion, number of songs, and closest approach to a decoy and tape recording). Unlike previous studies of north temperate passerines, high physiological levels of exogenous B had no effect either on circulating levels of reproductive hormones or on territorial behaviors associated with breeding. Nonetheless, untreated tree sparrows do mount a robust adrenocortical response, having a two- to fourfold increase in plasma B levels during a 1-h period of capture. Thus, adrenocortical responsiveness is maintained in these birds, but elevated levels of glucocorticoids do not suppress reproductive hormones or associated behaviors. We believe that this hormonal and behavioral refractoriness to glucocorticoids-or uncoupling of the stress response from the reproductive axis-may be advantageous for species having extreme temporal constraints on their breeding schedules.     

Dynamics of food availability, body condition and physiological stress response in breeding Black-legged Kittiwakes

1. The seasonal dynamics of body condition (BC), circulating corticosterone levels (baseline, BL) and the adrenocortical response to acute stress (SR) were examined in long-lived Black-legged Kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla , breeding at Duck (food-poor colony) and Gull (food-rich colony) Islands in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska. It was tested whether the dynamics of corticosterone levels reflect a seasonal change in bird physiological condition due to reproduction and/or variation in foraging conditions.
2. BC declined seasonally, and the decline was more pronounced in birds at the food-poor colony. BL and SR levels of corticosterone rose steadily through the reproductive season, and BL levels were significantly higher in birds on Duck Island compared with those on Gull Island. During the egg-laying and chick-rearing stages, birds had lower SR on Duck Island than on Gull Island.
3. The results suggest that, in addition to a seasonal change in bird physiology during reproduction, local ecological factors such as food availability affect circulating levels of corticosterone and adrenal response to acute stress.     

Androgen‐metabolizing enzymes show region‐specific changes across the breeding season in the brain of a wild songbird

The Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) is an arctic‐breeding songbird that shows rapid behavioral changes during a short breeding season. Changes in plasma testosterone (T) in the spring are correlated with singing but not territorial aggression in males. Also, T treatment increases song but not aggression in this species. In contrast, in temperate‐zone breeders, song and aggression are highly correlated, and both increase after T treatment. We asked whether regional or temporal differences in androgen‐metabolizing enzymes in the longspur brain explain hormone‐behavior patterns in this species. We measured the activities of aromatase, 5α‐reductase and 5β‐reductase in free‐living longspur males. Aromatase and 5α‐reductase convert T into the active steroids 17β‐estradiol (E₂) and 5α‐dihydrotestosterone (5α‐DHT), respectively. 5β‐Reductase deactivates T via conversion to 5β‐DHT, an inactive steroid. We examined seven brain regions at three stages in the breeding season. Overall, aromatase activity was high in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and ventromedial telencephalon (containing nucleus taeniae, the avian homologue to the amygdala). 5β‐Reductase activity was high throughout the telencephalon. Activities of all three enzymes changed over time in a region‐specific manner. In particular, aromatase activity in the rostral hypothalamus was decreased late in the breeding season, which may explain why T treatment at this time does not increase aggression. Changes in 5β‐reductase do not explain the effects of plasma T on aggressive behavior. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 41: 176–188, 1999     

Retracing the routes of introduction of invasive species: the case of the Sirex noctilio woodwasp

Understanding the evolutionary histories of invasive species is critical to adopt appropriate management strategies, but this process can be exceedingly complex to unravel. As illustrated in this study of the worldwide invasion of the woodwasp Sirex noctilio, population genetic analyses using coalescent‐based scenario testing together with Bayesian clustering and historical records provide opportunities to address this problem. The pest spread from its native Eurasian range to the Southern Hemisphere in the 1900s and recently to Northern America, where it poses economic and potentially ecological threats to planted and native Pinus spp. To investigate the origins and pathways of invasion, samples from five continents were analysed using microsatellite and sequence data. The results of clustering analysis and scenario testing suggest that the invasion history is much more complex than previously believed, with most of the populations being admixtures resulting from independent introductions from Europe and subsequent spread among the invaded areas. Clustering analyses revealed two major source gene pools, one of which the scenario testing suggests is an as yet unsampled source. Results also shed light on the microevolutionary processes occurring during introductions, and showed that only few specimens gave rise to some of the populations. Analyses of microsatellites using clustering and scenario testing considered against historical data drastically altered our understanding of the invasion history of S. noctilio and will have important implications for the strategies employed to fight its spread. This study illustrates the value of combining clustering and ABC methods in a comprehensive framework to dissect the complex patterns of spread of global invaders.     

Plasmids in Leuconostoc oenos

A new procedure was used to isolate 11 plasmids from eight Leuconostoc oenos strains. Plasmid DNA was not detected in 34 other strains of this species. Plasmid sizes ranged from 2.47 to 4.61 kilobase pairs. This is the first report of extrachromosomal elements in L. oenos.     

Genetic analysis of growth, morphology and pathogenicity in the F(1) progeny of an interspecific cross between Fusarium circinatum and Fusarium subglutinans

Fusarium circinatum and Fusarium subglutinans are two distinct species in the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex. A genetic linkage map produced from an interspecific cross between these species was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with variation in mycelial growth and morphology of colony margins (CMs) in the 94 F(1) progeny. Mycelial growth was assessed by measuring culture size at 25°C and 30°C, while CM morphology was characterized in the parents and assessed in their F(1) progeny. In order to test the pathogenicity of the progeny, Pinus patula seedlings were inoculated and lesion lengths were measured after 3weeks. Seven putative QTLs were associated with mycelial growth, three for growth at 25°C and four at 30°C. One highly significant QTL (P<0.001) was present at both growth temperatures. For CM morphology, a QTL was identified at the same position (P<0.001) as the QTL responsible for growth at the two temperatures. The putative QTLs accounted for 45 and 41% of the total mycelial growth variation at 25°C and 30°C, respectively, and for 21% of the variation in CM morphology. Only one of the 94 F(1) progeny was pathogenic on P. patula seedlings. This observation could be explained by the genetic constitution of this F(1) isolate, namely that ～96% of its genome originated from the F. circinatum parent. This F(1) individual also grew significantly faster at 25°C than the F. circinatum parent (P<0.05), as well as more rapidly than the average growth for the remaining 93 F(1) progeny (P<0.05). However, no association was found between mycelial growth and pathogenicity at 25°C. The highly significant QTL associated with growth at two temperatures, suggests that this is a principal genomic region involved in mycelial growth at both temperatures, and that the same region is also responsible for CM morphology.     

Reversible oxidative modification as a mechanism for regulating retroviral protease dimerization and activation

Human immunodeficiency virus protease activity can be regulated by reversible oxidation of a sulfur-containing amino acid at the dimer interface. We show here that oxidation of this amino acid in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease prevents dimer formation. Moreover, we show that human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 protease can be similarly regulated through reversible glutathionylation of its two conserved cysteine residues. Based on the known three-dimensional structures and multiple sequence alignments of retroviral proteases, it is predicted that the majority of retroviral proteases have sulfur-containing amino acids at the dimer interface. The regulation of protease activity by the modification of a sulfur-containing amino acid at the dimer interface may be a conserved mechanism among the majority of retroviruses.