The influence of nest predation on mating strategies under polygyny

The mating status of an advertising male is one important factorfor female assessment. In species where already-mated malestry to attract additional females at some distance from theirmate, mating status may be difficult to assess. Limitationsin the time available to breed and a decrease in reproductivesuccess over the breeding season could make the costs outweighthe benefits of a time-consuming mate assessment process, whichautomatically postpones the onset of breeding. Time and energyconstraints will then limit the behavioral options for femalesin search of breeding opportunities, and females would suffera cost when assessing male mating status. Female choice maythen be better understood by analyzing the behavioral optionsfor females; the success of a strategy in which costly assessmentsare avoided and females choose mates indiscriminately, disregardingmating status ("fast" strategy), could be compared to the successof a strategy in which females carefully try to assess matingstatus ("coy" strategy). Nest predation should be included insuch an analysis because it influences the amount of male assistancefemales of polygynous males receive, as nest predation for onlyone of a polygynous male's two females leads to more male assistancefor the other female. In this study, I compare the outcome ofa "fast" strategy with that of a "coy" strategy under differentrates of nest predation. Although high probabilities of becominga mate of a polygynous male associated with a fitness reductiondecrease the relative success of a "fast" strategy, simulationsshow that high rates of nest predation considerably lower thedifference in the outcome of the two strategies. Therefore,the cost of assessing mating status must be relatively smallto be economical.     

Some general points in estimating heterogeneity variance with the DerSimonian-Laird estimator

In this paper we consider estimating heterogeneity variance with the DerSimonian-Laird (DSL) estimator as typically used in meta-analysis. In its general form the DSL estimator requires inverse population-averaged study-specific variances as weights, in which case the estimator is unbiased. It has become common practice, however, to use estimates of the study-specific variances instead of their population-averaged versions. This can lead to considerable bias. Simulations illustrate these findings.     

The potential for nitrification and nitrate uptake in the rhizosphere of wetland plants: a modelling study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: It has recently found that lowland rice grown hydroponically is exceptionally efficient in absorbing NO3-, raising the possibility that rice and other wetland plants growing in flooded soil may absorb significant amounts of NO3- formed by nitrification of NH4+ in the rhizosphere. This is important because (a) this NO3- is otherwise lost through denitrification in the soil bulk; and (b) plant growth and yield are generally improved when plants absorb their nitrogen as a mixture of NO3- and NH4+ compared with growth on either N source on its own. A mathematical model is developed here with which to assess the extent of NO3- absorption from the rhizosphere by wetland plants growing in flooded soil, considering the important plant and soil processes operating. METHODS: The model considers rates of O2 transport away from an individual root and simultaneous O2 consumption in microbial and non-microbial processes; transport of NH4+ towards the root and its consumption in nitrification and uptake at the root surface; and transport of NO3- formed from NH4+ towards the root and its consumption in denitrification and uptake by the root. The sensitivity of the model's predictions to its input parameters is tested over the range of conditions in which wetland plants grow. KEY RESULTS: The model calculations show that substantial quantities of NO3- can be produced in the rhizosphere of wetland plants through nitrification and taken up by the roots under field conditions. The rates of NO3- uptake can be comparable with those of NH4+. The model also shows that rates of denitrification and subsequent loss of N from the soil remain small even where NO3- production and uptake are considerable. CONCLUSIONS: Nitrate uptake by wetland plants may be far more important than thought hitherto. This has implications for managing wetland soils and water, as discussed in this paper.     

Widespread occurrence of a covalent linkage between xyloglucan and acidic polysaccharides in suspension-cultured angiosperm cells

* BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Covalent linkages between xyloglucan and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) have been reported in the primary cell walls of cultured Rosa cells and may contribute to wall architecture. This study investigated whether this chemical feature is general to angiosperms or whether Rosa is unusual. * METHODS: Xyloglucan was alkali-extracted from the walls of l-[1-3H]arabinose-fed suspension-cultured cells of Arabidopsis, sycamore, rose, tomato, spinach, maize and barley. The polysaccharide was precipitated with 50 % ethanol and subjected to anion-exchange chromatography in 8 m urea. Eluted fractions were Driselase-digested, yielding [3H]isoprimeverose (diagnostic of [3H]xyloglucan). The Arabidopsis cells were also fed [6-14C]glucuronic acid, and radiolabelled pectins were extracted with ammonium oxalate. * KEY RESULTS: [3H]Xyloglucan was detected in acidic (galacturonate-containing) as well as non-anionic polysaccharide fractions. The proportion of the [3H]isoprimeverose units that were in anionic fractions was: Arabidopsis, 45 %; sycamore, 60 %; rose, 44 %; tomato, 75 %; spinach, 70 %; maize, 50 %; barley, 70 %. In Arabidopsis cultures fed d-[6-(14)C]glucuronate, 20 % of the (galacturonate-14C)-labelled pectins were found to hydrogen-bond to cellulose, a characteristic normally restricted to hemicelluloses such as xyloglucan. * CONCLUSIONS: Alkali-stable, anionic complexes of xyloglucan (reported in the case of Rosa to be xyloglucan-RG-I covalent complexes) are widespread in the cell walls of angiosperms, including gramineous monocots.     

Determinants for nasal trigeminal detection of volatile organic compounds

We explored the influence of methodological and chemical parameters on the detection of nasal chemesthesis (i.e., trigeminal stimulation) evoked by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To avoid odor biases, chemesthesis was probed via nasal pungency detection in anosmics and via nasal localization (i.e., lateralization) in normosmics, in both cases using forced-choice procedures. In the experiments with anosmics, 12 neat VOCs were selected based on previous reports of lack of chemesthetic response. Although none of the VOCs reached 100% detection, detectability and confidence of detection were higher when using a glass vessel system adapted with nosepieces to fit the nostrils tightly than when using wide-mouth glass jars. Half the stimuli were detected well above chance and half were not. When the latter were tested again after being heated to 37 degrees C, that is, body temperature (from room temperature, 23 degrees C), to increase their vapor concentration, only one, octane, significantly increased its detectability. Chemesthesis gauged with normosmics mirrored that with anosmics. Gas chromatography measurements showed that, even at 23 degrees C, the saturated vapor concentrations of the undetected stimuli, except vanillin, were well above the respective calculated nasal pungency threshold (NPT) from an equation that, in the past, had accurately described and predicted NPTs. We conclude that, except for octane and perhaps vanillin, the failure of the other four VOCs to precipitate nasal chemesthesis rests on a chemical-structural limitation, for example, the molecules lack a key property to fit a receptor pocket, rather than on a concentration limitation, for example, the vapor concentration is too low to reach a threshold value.     

Cyclic nucleotide signaling mediates an odorant-suppressible chloride conductance in lobster olfactory receptor neurons

We have previously shown that lobster olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) express an odorant-suppressible Cl(-) conductance that modulates the output of the cells. Here, we develop a more complete pharmacological profile of this conductance, showing it is blockable by the Cl(-) channel blockers DIDS, 9-AC and flufenamic acid, but not by niflumic acid. We then show that a conductance with this pharmacological profile is mediated by cyclic nucleotide signaling. These findings further our understanding of the cellular mechanisms through which odorants can modulate the output of lobster ORNs.     

Building a tree of knowledge: analysis of bitter molecules

A phylogenetic-like tree of structural fragments has been constructed to extract useful insights from a structural database of bitter molecules. The tree of structural fragments summarizes the substructural groups present in the molecules from the bitter database. These structural fragments are compared with a large number of random molecules to highlight substructures specific to bitter molecules. This organization of the structures enabled the detection of structure-activity relationships for the bitter molecules through the construction of R-tables. Key structural groups, able to distinguish between bitter and random molecules, were identified through an analysis of the tree. This information can be used to further understand which structural components are involved in producing a bitter taste.