Analyses of spatial patterns and population processes of clonal plants

The nonrandom spatial structure of terrestrial plants is formed by ecological interactions and reproduction with a limited dispersal range, and in turn this may strongly affect population dynamics and population genetics. The traditional method of modelling in population ecology is either to neglect spatial pattern (e.g. in transition matrix models) or to do straightforward computer simulation. We review here three analytical mothods to deal with plant populations in a lattice-structured habitat, which propagate both by seeds that scatter over the whole habitat and by vegetative reproduction (producing runners, rhizomes, etc.) to neighboring vacant sites. [1]Dynamics of global and local densities: Dynamical equations of population density considering nearest-neighbor correlation (spatial clumping) are developed as the joint dynamics of global average density and local density (comparable to mean crowding) based onpair approximation. If there is a linear trade-off between seed production and vegetative reproduction, the equilibrium abundance of the population may be maximized by engaging both means of reproduction. This result is accurately predicted by the pair approximation method, but not by mean-field approximation (neglect of spatial structure). [2]Cluster size distributions: Using global and local densities obtained by pair approximation, we predicted cluster size distribution, i.e. the number of clusters of occupied sites of various sizes. [3]Clonal identity probability decreasing with distance: Multi-locus measurement of allozymes or other neutral molecular markers tells us whether or not a given pair of individuals belong to the same clone. From the pattern of clonal identity probability decreasing with the distance between ramets, we can estimate the relative importance of two modes of reproduction: vegetative propagation and sexual seed production.     

Excess carotenoids disturb prospective cell-to-cell recognition system in mating responses ofPhycomyces blakesleeanus

Carotenogenic mutants ofPhycomyces, which accumulate excess β-carotene or its intermediates, always failed in zygospore development. No improvement occurred when such mutants were mated together with a helper wild type of the same mating type against the wild type of the opposite mating type. Addition of excess synthesized pheromone, trisporin B, also failed to improve the zygospore development, though the mating response was significantly activated in the early stages and abundant zygophores were formed. Exceptional acceleration of the zygospore development under these experimental conditions occurred in a regulatory albino mutant (carA), which does not accumulate excess intermediate carotenoids. Chemically- or genetically-induced ovarproduction of β-carotene or lycopene also inhibited the zygospore development. These results imply that the zygospore development ofPhycomyces is maximal when the intracellular amount of β-carotene is optimal (=wild type), and that pheromones act mainly in the early stages of mating, while other factors such as the cell-to-cell recognition system may also be involved in the later stages. Intracellular accumulation of excess β-carotene or its intermediates probably disturb such later-stage factors.     

Molecular Evolution of the Duplicated Amy Locus in the Drosophila Melanogaster Species Subgroup: Concerted Evolution Only in the Coding Region and an Excess of Nonsynonymous Substitutions in Speciation

From the analysis of restriction maps of the Amy region in eight sibling species belonging to the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup, we herein show that the patterns of duplication of the Amy gene are almost the same in all species. This indicates that duplication occurred before speciation within this species subgroup. From the nucleotide sequence data, we show a strong within-species similarity between the duplicated loci in the Amy coding region. This is in contrast to a strong similarity in the 5' and 3' flanking regions within each locus (proximal or distal) throughout the species subgroup. This means that concerted evolution occurred only in the Amy coding region and that differentiated evolution between the duplication occurred in the flanking regions. Moreover, when comparing the species, we also found a significant excess of nonsynonymous substitutions. In particular, all the fixed substitutions specific to D. erecta were found to be nonsynonymous. We thus conclude that adaptive protein evolution occurred in the lineage of D. erecta that is a ``specialist' species for host plants and probably also occurs in the process of speciation in general.     

Evolution of the LINE-like I element in the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup

LINE-like retrotransposons, the so-called I elements, control the system of I-R (inducer-reactive) hybrid dysgenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. I elements are present in many Drosophila species. It has been suggested that active, complete I elements, located at different sites on the chromosomes, invaded natural populations of D. melanogaster recently (1920–1970). But old strains lacking active I elements have only defective I elements located in the chromocenter. We have cloned I elements from D. melanogaster and the melanogaster subgroup. In D. melanogaster, the nucleotide sequences of chromocentral I elements differed from those on chromosome arms by as much as 7%. All the I elements of D. mauritiana and D. sechellia are more closely related to the chromosomal I elements of D. melanogaster than to the chromocentral I elements in any species. No sequence difference was observed in the surveyed region between two chromosomal I elements isolated from D. melanogaster and one from D. simulans. These findings strongly support the idea that the defective chromocentral I elements of D. melanogaster originated before the species diverged and the chromosomal I elements were eliminated. The chromosomal I elements reinvaded natural populations of D. melanogaster recently, and were possibly introduced from D. simulans by horizontal transmission.     

The molecular analysis ofbrown eye color mutations isolated from geographically discrete populations ofDrosophila melanogaster

A large proportion of spontaneous mutations inDrosophila melanogaster strains of laboratory origin are associated with insertions of mobile DNA elements. As a first step toward determining whether spontaneous laboratory mutations are predictive for mutational events occurring in the wild, recessivebrown (bw) eye color mutants were isolated. By inbreeding the progeny of wild-caughtDrosophila melanogaster females,bw mutations were isolated from seven separate geographic sites distributed among Japan, California, Siberia and Hungary. Among a total of 14 mutations studied, no case of transposon mutagenesis was found. At least 4 mutations are associated with small deletions in thebw gene. The remainder are inseparable from wild-typebw by Southern analysis and are presumed to be basepair changes or very small indels. Although only two spontaneousbw mutants of laboratory origin have been analyzed molecularly, one is a mobile element insertion.     

Evolution of Pulmonate Gastropod Mitochondrial Genomes: Comparisons of Gene Organizations of Euhadra, Cepaea and Albinaria and Implications of Unusual Trna Secondary Structures

Complete gene organizations of the mitochondrial genomes of three pulmonate gastropods, Euhadra herklotsi, Cepaea nemoralis and Albinaria coerulea, permit comparisons of their gene organizations. Euhadra and Cepaea are classified in the same superfamily, Helicoidea, yet they show several differences in the order of tRNA and protein coding genes. Albinaria is distantly related to the other two genera but shares the same gene order in one part of its mitochondrial genome with Euhadra and in another part with Cepaea. Despite their small size (14.1-14.5 kbp), these snail mtDNAs encode 13 protein genes, two rRNA genes and at least 22 tRNA genes. These genomes exhibit several unusual or unique features compared to other published metazoan mitochondrial genomes, including those of other molluscs. Several tRNAs predicted from the DNA sequences possess bizarre structures lacking either the T stem or the D stem, similar to the situation seen in nematode mt-tRNAs. The acceptor stems of many tRNAs show a considerable number of mismatched basepairs, indicating that the RNA editing process recently demonstrated in Euhadra is widespread in the pulmonate gastropods. Strong selection acting on mitochondrial genomes of these animals would have resulted in frequent occurrence of the mismatched basepairs in regions of overlapping genes.     

Physical effects of negative air ions in a wet sauna

 The physical effects of negative air ions on humans were determined in an experimental sauna room equipped with an ionizer. Thirteen healthy persons took a wet sauna bath (dry bulb temperature 42° C, relative humidity 100%, 10 min exposure) with or without negative air ions. The subjects were not told when they were being exposed to negative air ions. There were no differences in the moods of these persons or changes in their blood pressures between the two saunas. The surface temperatures of the foreheads, hands, and legs in the sauna with negative ions were significantly higher than those in the sauna without ions. The pulse rates and sweat produced in the sauna with ions were singificantly higher than those in the sauna without ions. The results suggest that negative ions may amplify the effects on humans of the sauna. Received: 31 March 1995 / Revised: 25 July 1995 / Accepted: 26 July 1996     

Detection of dilute antigen in large sample volumes using antibody-coated polyester cloth

Summary A model antibody, goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody, was adsorbed onto a disk of polyester cloth and then fixed into a column apparatus. The macroporosity of the cloth allowed rapid immunoconcentration of a model antigen, rabbit IgG, by passing a large volume of the dilute antigen through the antibody-coated cloth. Such immunoconcentration permitted detection of the dilute antigen which otherwise would have gone undetected.