Effects of predatory risk and resource renewal on the timing of foraging activity in a gerbil community

The foraging decisions of animals are often influenced by risk of predation and by the renewal of resources. For example, seed-eating gerbils on sand dunes in the Negev Desert of Israel prefer to forage in the bush microhabitat and during darker hours due to risk of predation. Also, daily renewal of seed resource patches and timing of nightly foraging activity in a depleting environment play important roles in species coexistence. We examined how these factors influence the timing of gerbil foraging by quantifying foraging activity in seed resource patches that we experimentally renewed hourly during the night. As in previous work, gerbils showed strong preference for the safe bush microhabitat and foraged less in response to high levels of illumination from natural moon light and from artificial sources. We demonstrate here for the first time that gerbils also responded to temporal and spatial heterogeneity in predatory risk through their timing of activity over the course of each night. Typically, gerbils concentrated their activity early in the night, but this changed with moon phase and in response to added illumination. These results can be understood in terms of the nature of patch exploitation by gerbils and the role played by the marginal value of energy in determining the cost of predation. They further show the dynamic nature of gerbil foraging decisions, with animals altering foraging efforts in response to time, microhabital, moon phase, illumination, and resource availability.     

Involvement of putrescine in the inductive rooting phase of poplar shoots raised in vitro

Micropropagated poplar shoots rooted 100% on a rooting medium (A) containing NAA, but they did not root in the absence of auxin (NA). Putrescine, but not spermidine and spermine, promoted rooting up to 42% when added to the NA medium. Cyclohexylamine (CHA), an inhibitor of spermine synthase, also promoted (up to 36%) rooting in the absence of auxin. The inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis DFMA (α-difluoromethylarginine) and DFMO (α-difluoromethylomithine), aminoguanidine (AG) and methylglyoxal-bis-guanylhydrazone (MGBG), inhibited rooting when applied in the presence of auxin and had no effect in its absence.
The rooting inductive phase (in the presence of auxin) was determined by periodical transfer of shoots from A to NA medium, and by changes in peroxidase activity, to be 7 h. Putrescine (not spermidine and spermine) accumulated to a maximum during the inductive phase. Both putrescine and CHA promoted rooting on NA medium when applied during the first 7 h. In contrast DFMA and AG inhibited rooting during this period. The results point to the involvement of putrescine and its Δ¹-pyrroline pathway, in the inductive phase of rooting in poplar shoots.     

Behaviour of cyclic bank voles under risk of mustelid predation: do females avoid copulations?

Mustelid odours have been shown to suppress breeding in captive bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) from cyclic populations (Ylönen 1989; Ylönen and Ronkainen 1994). The mechanism behind the suppression is unknown. Based on a series of behavioural trials and breeding experiments with pairs of bank voles in breeding condition, we suggest that the primary cause for breeding suppression is a change in female mating behaviour. Experimental female-male pairs (n=34) exposed to mustelid odour decreased their general activity compared to control pairs (n=34). When encountering males in behavioural trials, females exposed to stoat odour were more aggressive and actively avoided precopulatory behaviours of males. No copulations were observed in experimental pairs compared to five in control pairs during the behavioural trials. Males actively approached females in general but male behaviour did not change under exposure to mustelid odours. We suggest that females are more vulnerable to mustelid predators than males and therefore actively avoid copulations in the (indirect) presence of mustelids. As well as this behavioural response, internal abortive mechanisms (cf. Bruce 1959) could play a role in the observed breeding suppression.     

Responses to water stress of apoplastic water fraction and bulk modulus of elasticity in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genotypes of contrasting capacity for osmotic adjustment

The responses to water stress of the bulk modulus of elasticity () and the apoplastic water fraction were examined using six sunflower cultivars of differing capacity for osmotic adjustment (OA). Water stress did not affect the partitioning of water between apoplastic (ca. 20%) and symplastic fractions in leaves which expanded during the exposure to stress in any genotype. Hence, no genotype-linked effects on either the buffering of cell water status during stress or on the estimates of bulk leaf osmotic potential could be expected. Genotypes differed in the degree of change in (estimated from pressure/volume [P/V] curves) and OA (estimated using both ln RWC/ ln o plots and P/V curves) induced by exposure to stress. In three genotypes increased significantly (p=0.05) as a consequence of stress, in another three change were small. OA was the only attribute of the three examined that could have contributed to turgor maintenance under stress. There was a strong negative association between leaf expansion and degree of OA across genotypes (r=–0.91) and a strong positive one between OA and (r=0.94). However all genotypes evidenced some degree of OA. These results are consistent with part of the genotype differences in OA being attributable to variations in leaf expansion during exposure to stress.     

Divergent ecology of sympatric clones of the asexual gecko,Lepidodactylus lugubris

We report differences in the thermal biology, elevational, temporal and geographic distributions of sympatric clones of the widespread asexual house gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris. The two most common L. lugubris clones in Fiji, clones 2NA and 2NB, differ significantly in preferred temperature as measured in a laboratory heat gradient, but were similar in critical thermal maximum and minimum. Significant differences were found in the relative frequency of clones 2NA, 2NB, and a third Fijian clone, clone 3NB, at seven sites along an elevational gradient in Fiji. Clone 2NB was not collected at sites above 235 m, consistent with its higher preferred temperature, whereas clone 2NA was captured as high as 835 m. Clone 3NB was extremely rare at sealevel (1% of all individuals at three sites below 100 m), but predominated at the two highest-elevation sites (42% and 100%). Clones 2NA and 2NB did not differ significantly in their activity time or ambient activity temperature at low-elevation sites. Clone 3NB however, was active on significantly cooler nights at two of those sites. These significant inter-clonal differences in spatial and temporal distribution should allow a more complete utilization of resources by the assemblage of clones than by any single clonal genotype, and may promote coexistence of clones at a within-island and within-site scale. Clone 2NA, which is the most common clone in Fiji and has the broadest elevational distribution, also has the widest geographic distribution. It was the predominant clone at 27 of 34 sites surveyed in nine Pacific archipelagoes. This suggests that the ecological attributes that favor this clone in Fiji also favor it elsewhere in the Pacific despite differing environmental conditions and clonal composition in those areas.     

Preadult competition between Drosophila subobscura and Drosophila pseudoobscura

The Palaearctic species Drosophila subobscura has recently colonized a large area of North America where it coexists with Drosophila pseudoobscura. The viability and developmental rate of these species were studied at 13 d?C, 18d?C and 23 d?C and at densities of 10, 50, 100 and 200 eggs per vial. The two species were differently affected by density and temperature in the ranges studied. Both intra- and interspecific cultures showed that D. pseudoobscura was best adapted to 23 d?C, where it was clearly the dominant species. On the other hand, at 18 d?C and especially at 13 d?C, although D. subobscura was less viable than D. pseudoobscura, its developmental time was shorter, which may give advantage to this species. Results reported here agree with the observed distribution of these species in North America.     

Scrape cytology in the diagnosis of Paget's disease of the breast

Eczema of the nipple is an important symptom presenting to the general surgeon in the out-patient department. the diagnosis of Paget's disease of the nipple has traditionally been made by incision biopsy necessitating at least a local anaesthetic. We present 14 patients with nipple skin change, in whom the technique of scrape cytology was used to identify patients with Paget's disease. In our series eight cases of Paget's disease were successfully identified by scrape cytology with no false negatives or positives. We suggest that this is a quick, easy, non-invasive method of screening eczema of the nipple in the out-patient clinic.     

Reflections on biosystems motivating supramolecular engineering

Some goals of bioelectronics—interfacing biology and electronics — are the understanding of supramolecular bioprocesses and the construction of supramolecular devices. The principles for the design and fabrication of machineries with functional components of molecular size are inspired by reflecting on biosystems, and it seems important to consider such principles. We first discuss attempts to construct supramolecular machines, and then we consider the bacterial reaction centre as an example where supramolecular engineering helps to elucidate a bioprocess. We then discuss possible mechanisms leading to the emergence of life-like systems in the light of the basic principles used to design supramolecular devices. Finally, we reflect on prospects in molecular engineering inspired by studying the emergence of life-like systems.