Growth and senescence of Medicago truncatula cultured cells are associated with characteristic mitochondrial morphology

Here mitochondrial morphology and dynamics were investigated in Medicago truncatula cell-suspension cultures during growth and senescence. Cell biology techniques were used to measure cell growth and death in culture. Mitochondrial morphology was investigated in vivo using a membrane potential sensor probe coupled with confocal microscopy. Expression of a senescence-associated gene (MtSAG) was evaluated in different cell-growth phases. Mitochondria appeared as numerous, punctuate organelles in cells at the beginning of the subculture cycle, while interconnected networks were observed in actively growing cells. In senescent cells, giant mitochondria were associated with dying cells. The release of cytochrome c from mitochondria was detected in different growth phases of cultured cells. Studies on plant cell cultures allowed us to identify physiological and molecular markers of senescence and cell death, and to associate distinct mitochondrial morphology with cells under different physiological conditions.     

Phylogeography of the Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

The Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus is widely distributed in temperate to subtropical regions of the Palaearctic realm. Populations of Common Pheasant have been classified into five subspecies groups based on morphological variations in male plumage. Previous phylogeographical studies have focused on limited sets of subspecies groups in the eastern Palaearctic and knowledge on subspecies in the western Palaearctic region is still poor. In this study, we undertake the first comprehensive analysis of subspecies from all five defined subspecies groups across the entire Palaearctic region. Two mitochondrial (CYTB and CR) and two nuclear (HMG and SPI) loci were used to investigate genetic relationships of these subspecies groups and to infer their dispersal routes. Our results revealed that the subspecies elegans, with its range in northwestern Yunnan, China, was in the basal position among 17 studied subspecies, supporting a previous hypothesis that the Common Pheasant most probably originated in forests in southeastern China. Subspecies in the western Palaearctic region nested within the most subspecies‐rich torquatus group (‘Grey‐rumped Pheasants’), indicating that the torquatus group is not a clade but instead forms a gradation with other subspecies and subspecies groups. Our dating analysis suggested that the initial divergence among populations of Common Pheasant originated around 3.4 Mya with subsequent dispersal into the Western Palaearctic region during the Late Pliocene–Lower Pleistocene approximately 2.5–1.8 Mya. We propose two possible east‐to‐west colonization routes for the Common Pheasant and suggest conservation implications for some regional subspecies. Overall, this study demonstrates the lack of concordance between morphology‐based subspecies delimitation and their genetic relationships. This is likely to be a consequence of initial isolation due to historical vicariance followed by population admixture due to recent range expansion of Common Pheasant in the western Palaearctic region.     

Yarrowia lipolytica lipase production enhanced by increased air pressure

Aims: To study the cellular growth and morphology of Yarrowia lipolytica W29 and its lipase and protease production under increased air pressures. Methods and Results: Batch cultures of the yeast were conducted in a pressurized bioreactor at 4 and 8 bar of air pressure and the cellular behaviour was compared with cultures at atmospheric pressure. No inhibition of cellular growth was observed by the increase of pressure. Moreover, the improvement of the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) from the gas to the culture medium by pressurization enhanced the extracellular lipase activity from 96·6 U l^?1 at 1 bar to 533·5 U l^?1 at 8 bar. The extracellular protease activity was reduced by the air pressure increase, thereby eliciting further lipase productivity. Cell morphology was slightly affected by pressure, particularly at 8 bar, where cells kept the predominant oval form but decreased in size. Conclusions: OTR improvement by total air pressure rise up to 8 bar in a bioreactor can be applied to the enhancement of lipase production by Y. lipolytica. Significance and Impact of the Study: Hyperbaric bioreactors can be successfully applied for yeast cells cultivation, particularly in high‐density cultures used for enzymes production, preventing oxygen limitation and consequently increasing overall productivity.     

Growth and development of Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) in the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae): effect of host age

The tiny parasitoid wasp, Encarsia formosa, has been used successfully to control greenhouse whiteflies (GHWFs) in greenhouses in many countries throughout the world. Therefore, there has been considerable interest in developing methods for artificially rearing this wasp. However, little information is available concerning the regulation of its development including the host-parasitoid interactions that are required for the parasitoid to complete its life cycle. Here we confirm that parasitoid developmental rates differ significantly based upon the host instar parasitized. Development was faster when 3rd and 4th instar GHWFs were offered for parasitization than when 1st or 2nd instars were used. Our results show that it is primarily the embryo and the first two parasitoid instars that exhibit prolonged developmental times when 1st and 2nd instar whiteflies are parasitized. Although percent emergence was not affected by host age at the time of parasitization, adult longevity as well as adult emergence pattern varied greatly depending upon the instar parasitized. When 3rd and 4th instar GHWFs were selected for oviposition, adult wasps lived significantly longer than when 1st or 2nd instars were used; also, there was a sharp emergence peak on the 2nd day after emergence was first observed (reduced or absent when 1st or 2nd instar GHWFs were parasitized) and the emergence period was reduced from between 8 and 11 days to 5 days. In general, the younger the host instar parasitized, the less synchronous was parasitoid development. Previous reports that E. formosa will not molt to the 2nd instar until the host has reached its 4th instar were not confirmed. When 1st instar host nymphs were parasitized, 2nd instar parasitoids were detected in 3rd instar hosts. Importantly, however, no matter which instar was parasitized, the parasitoid never molted to its last instar until the host had reached Stage 5 of its last instar, a stage in which host pharate adult formation has been initiated. It appears, then, that a condition(s) associated with host pharate adult formation is required for the parasitoid's final larval molt. Results reported here should facilitate the development of in vitro rearing systems for E. formosa.     

Field experiments on seed dispersal by wind in ten umbelliferous species (Apiaceae)

This report presents data from experiments on seed dispersal by wind for ten species of the family Apiaceae. Seed shadows were obtained in the field under natural conditions, using wind speeds between four and ten m/s. The flight of individual seeds was followed by eye, and seed shadows were acquired, with median distances varying from 0.7 to 3.1 m between species. Multiple regression models of wind speed and seed weight on dispersal distance were significant for six out of ten species; wind speed had significant effects in seven cases, but seed weight only once. A good correlation between mean terminal falling velocity of the seeds of a species and median dispersal distance, indicates the promising explanatory power that individual terminal velocity data might have on dispersal distance, together with wind speed and turbulence. The theory that seeds that seem to be adapted to wind dispersal travel much longer distances than seeds that have no adaptation was tested. Flattened and winged seeds were indeed found to be transported further by wind, but not much further. Moreover, the species with wind-adapted seeds were also taller, being an alternative explanation since their seeds experienced higher wind speeds at these greater heights. Furthermore, flattened and winged seeds were disseminated from ripe umbels at lower wind speeds in the laboratory. This means that the observed difference in dispersal distance would have been smaller when species specific thresholds for wind speed were incorporated in the field experiments. We argue therefore, that seed morphology is not always the best predictor in classifying species in groups with distinctly different dispersal ability.     

Mammal disparity decreases during the Cretaceous angiosperm radiation

Fossil discoveries over the past 30 years have radically transformed traditional views of Mesozoic mammal evolution. In addition, recent research provides a more detailed account of the Cretaceous diversification of flowering plants. Here, we examine patterns of morphological disparity and functional morphology associated with diet in early mammals. Two analyses were performed: (i) an examination of diversity based on functional dental type rather than higher-level taxonomy, and (ii) a morphometric analysis of jaws, which made use of modern analogues, to assess changes in mammalian morphological and dietary disparity. Results demonstrate a decline in diversity of molar types during the mid-Cretaceous as abundances of triconodonts, symmetrodonts, docodonts and eupantotherians diminished. Multituberculates experience a turnover in functional molar types during the mid-Cretaceous and a shift towards plant-dominated diets during the late Late Cretaceous. Although therians undergo a taxonomic expansion coinciding with the angiosperm radiation, they display small body sizes and a low level of morphological disparity, suggesting an evolutionary shift favouring small insectivores. It is concluded that during the mid-Cretaceous, the period of rapid angiosperm radiation, mammals experienced both a decrease in morphological disparity and a functional shift in dietary morphology that were probably related to changing ecosystems.     

Muscular anatomy of a whipspider, Phrynus longipes (Pocock) (Arachnida: Amblypygi), and its evolutionary significance

Skeletal muscles in the whipspider Phrynus longipes are surveyed and compared with those of other chelicerates to clarify the evolutionary morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the arachnids. Representatives of 115 muscle groups are described and illustrated, and their possible functions are proposed. Principal results of this analysis include new functional models for the operation of the pharyngeal and sternocoxal mechanisms in Amblypygi and a greatly expanded list of apparently unique synapomorphies supporting the monophyly of Pedipalpi (= Amblypygi, Schizomida, Thelyphonida).     

Development,morphology and ultrastructure of the branchial crown of Fabricia stellaris (Müller, 1774) (Polychaeta: Sabellida: Fabriciinae)

Randel, N. and Bick, A. 2011. Development, morphology and ultrastructure of the branchial crown of Fabricia stellaris (Müller, 1774) (Polychaeta: Sabellida: Fabriciinae). —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 93 : 409–421. Sabellidae and Serpulidae are well‐known tube‐building polychaetes with a distinctive and often spectacularly colourful branchial crown. Morphological investigations suggest that these taxa form the monophyletic clade Sabellida, with the adelphotaxa Sabellidae and Serpulidae, but the relationship between these taxa remains ambiguous. Molecular investigations have indicated that the Fabriciinae, major taxon of Sabellidae, belongs to Serpulidae, thereby making Sabellidae paraphyletic; however, morphological characters are absent to support this result. We investigate the development, anatomy and ultrastructure of the branchial crown of Fabricia stellaris (Müller, 1774), describing morphological characteristics useful not only for constructing morphological phylogenies but also for understanding the evolution of the branchial crown. The morphology of the radioles and pinnules does not differ from each other. The supporting tissue of the branchial crown consists of myoepithelial cells and a solid extracellular matrix (ECM). Both ciliated and non‐ciliated cells form the epidermal layer; ciliated cells shape the food groove. Most important is the result that radioles and pinnules within Sabellida may not be homologous, because the morphology and the branching of radioles and pinnules are completely different between Sabellinae, Fabriciinae and Serpulidae. The terms ‘primary branch’ for radioles and ‘secondary branch’ for pinnules are proposed for Fabriciinae. The phylogeny of the Sabellida is discussed.     

Pefabloc – A sulfonyl fluoride serine protease inhibitor blocks induction of Diptericin in Drosophila l(2)mbn cells

Abstract Insects protect themselves against microbial infection by an efficient innate immune system that is activated by recognition of invariant microbial surface molecules. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster the presence of bacteria is associated with expression of antimicrobial peptides in host immune‐competent tissues. Host receptors detect infection and relay the signal to mount the appropriate immune response. In Drosophila hemocyte‐like l(2)mbn cells pre‐infection treatment with Pefabloc, a commonly used serine protease inhibitor, induced two major effects: it blocked expression of the antibacterial peptide Diptericin in response to live Gram‐negative bacteria and bacterial surface molecules (crude lipopolysaccharide contaminated by peptidoglycans) and it induced morphological changes.