Local grassland restoration affects insect communities

1. It is hypothesised that ecological restoration in grasslands can induce an alternative stable state shift in vegetation. The change in vegetation influences insect community assemblages and allows for greater functional redundancy in pollination and refuge for native insect species. 2. Insect community assemblages at eight coastal California grassland sites were evaluated. Half of these sites had undergone restoration through active revegetation of native grassland flora and half were non‐restored. Insects were collected from Lupinus bicolor (Fabaceae) within 2 × 2‐m² plots in spring 2017. Lupinus bicolor is a common native species that is used in California restoration projects, and home and state landscaping projects. 3. Ordination demonstrated that insect community assemblages were different between restored and non‐restored sites. These differences were seen in insect functional groups as well as taxa‐specific differences and were found to be driven by environmental characteristics such as non‐native forb cover. 4. Functional redundancy of herbivores decreased at restored sites, while pollinators became more redundant compared with non‐restored sites. The assemblages of the common species found at restoration sites contained more native insects than those found at non‐restored sites, including species such as Bombus vosnesenskii. 5. Local grassland restoration has the potential to induce an alternative stable state change and affect insect community assemblages. Additionally, it was found that grassland restoration can be a potential conservation tool to provide refugia for bumblebees (Bombus), but additional studies are required to fully understand its broader applicability.     

水稻端粒酶活性定量分析研究

摘要：端粒酶活性直接与细胞的分生能力、生活力、生命力有着密不可分的关系, 因此对其活性测定有着重要意义。本文参照人类端粒酶体外检测的原理和方法,设计了特别的先导引物和反向引物,采用不同的退火温度将PCR循环分成两步进行,再结合DNA凝胶电泳成像定量分析系统,以模式植物水稻为研究对象,对端粒酶活性定量检测方法和反应条件进行了探索。结果显示,水稻端粒酶活性的最佳反应条件为：温度19℃,反应时间13分钟,总蛋白浓度0.28μg/μl,与人端粒酶最佳反应条件有明显差异,建立了一种有效测定植物端粒酶活性的定量检测方法。应用该方法对6个水稻品种的根、幼叶及幼穗三个不同组织器官的端粒酶活性进行了定量测定,结果显示幼穗最高,其次为幼叶,根最弱。说明植物端粒酶活性与细胞、组织的生活力有着密切关系。     

The Impact of the Weed Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata on Coastal Leaf Litter Invertebrates

In coastal areas of Australia, there are extensive infestations of the environmental weed Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata (bitou bush). This study looked at the impact of long-term infestations on the abundance and assemblage composition of leaf litter invertebrates. Assemblages were compared in weed infested and native shrublands along the New South Wales coastline over 12 months. The total abundance was not significantly reduced in the weedy habitat but the abundance of mites, thrips, spiders, ants, and centipedes was reduced at many sites. The invertebrate assemblages also differed between habitats, with the C. monilifera supporting a lower diversity of beetles. However, the millipedes, amphipods, earthworms, pseudoscorpions and isopods appeared to respond positively to the invasion, occurring in higher abundance and detected more frequently in the weedy areas. This has been partially attributed to a change in microclimate within the C. monilifera infestations. It is generally moister and darker, which these invertebrates tend to prefer. Secondly, C. monilifera produces less leaf litter of higher quality, and possibly higher palatability than the native sclerophyllous vegetation, which may encourage species that consume litter.     

Telomeres,senescence, and hematopoietic stem cells

The replicative lifespan of normal somatic cells is restricted by the erosion of telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of linear chromosomes. The loss of telomeres induces antiproliferative signals that eventually lead to cellular senescence. The enzyme complex telomerase can maintain telomeres, but its expression is confined to highly proliferative cells such as stem cells and tumor cells. The immense regenerative capacity of the hematopoietic system is provided by a distinct type of adult stem cell: hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Although blood cells have to be produced continuously throughout life, the HSC pool seems not to be spared by aging processes. Indeed, limited expression of telomerase is not sufficient to prevent telomere shortening in these cells, which is thought ultimately to limit their proliferative capacity. In this review, we discuss the relevance of telomere maintenance for the hematopoietic stem cell compartment and consider potential functions of telomerase in this context. We also present possible clinical applications of telomere manipulation in HSCs and new insights affecting the aging of the hematopoietic stem cell pool and replicative exhaustion. This work was supported by European Community Grant LSHC-CT-2004-502943 (MOL CANCER MED).     

Aggregation of Lepidostomatidae in small mesh size litter-bags: implication to the leaf litter decomposition process

Invertebrate colonization during leaf litter decomposition was studied at the 2nd order of Yanase River, Iruma city, Saitama, Japan from November 13, 2002 to May 20, 2003. Two different mesh sizes (1 and 5 mm) of litter-bags were used to evaluate the decomposition of leaf litter of Sakura (Prunus lannesiana), bags were placed equally in riffle (water flow velocity: 0.2–0.6 m s⁻¹) and pool (water flow velocity: 0.04–0.06 m s⁻¹). Mass loss and invertebrates in the litter-bags were monitored at interval between 1 and 3 weeks, and the invertebrates were classified based on their functional feeding group. Among the invertebrates found inside the litter-bags, the case-bearing shredder Lepidostomatidae was the most dominant invertebrates and they were the early colonizer that appeared about 3 months after the litter-bags immersion. In absence or low number of leaf-shredders, the decomposition rates in 1 and 5 mm litter mesh bags followed the exponential (or first-order) decay kinetic (R ²: 0.72–0.92). However, the presence of a large number of leaf-shredders in 1 mm litter-bags caused an acceleration of decomposition process; that even resulted faster mass loss than the loss from the 5 mm mesh bags placed in riffle area (0.030 day⁻¹ vs. 0.011 day⁻¹). Our results shows the importance of using different mesh sizes of litter-bags in decomposition study, which is applicable to the experiment in lotic or lentic ecosystem. Using smaller mesh size of litter-bags can provide information on how significant the effect of detritus feeders on the decomposition process, while the bigger mesh size can represent better the natural decomposition process when a large number detritus feeders is present in the smaller mesh size of litter-bags.     

Synthesis, cytotoxicity and human telomerase inhibition activities of a series of 1,2-heteroannelated anthraquinones and anthra[1,2-d]imidazole-6,11-dione homologues

A series of 1,2-heteroannelated anthraquinones and anthra[1,2-d]imidazole-6,11-dione tetracyclic analogues with different side chain were prepared using an various synthetic route via acylation, cyclization, condensation, and intramolecular heterocyclization. Tetracyclic system containing alkyl and aryl, aromatic and heterocyclic, linear and cyclic, polar and apolar, and basic and acids residues were incorporated. They were evaluated for their effects on telomerase activity, hTERT expression, cell proliferations, and in vitro cytotoxicity against NCI’s 60 cell line human tumor screen. Compounds 4, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, and 26 were selected by the NCI for one dose screening program and further studies on 4, 23 and 25 where the curves cross these lines represent the interpolated values to cause 50% growth inhibition (GI₅₀), total growth inhibition (TGI) and 50% cell killing (LC₅₀), respectively. Further studies did not reveal any compound that showed potent and significant on telomerase inhibitory activity and hTERT repressing ability. Comparative testing of these compounds in the NCI’s screen revealed varying levels of potency and differential cytotoxicity, apparently related to the unsaturation levels in and substitution patterns on the core ring system. It appeared that addition of a fourth planar aromatic system to a tricyclic chromophore might enhances potent cytotoxic agents, at a level equivalent to a second side chain in one of the tricyclic series. Although the exact mechanism of how this pharmacophore contributes to its activity is still unclear, however, the group in the extended arm of the tetracyclic system might contribute to proper binding to the residues within the grove of G-quadruplex structure.     

山东平邑盆地古新世孢粉组合及其古气候意义

本文对山东平邑盆地卞桥镇国泰庄西ZK101井卞桥组二段的21块井壁岩芯样品进行分析,在其中5块样品中发现了大量保存较好的孢粉和一些淡水藻类化石,总计60属2亚属63种及部分未定种。据此建立了一个孢粉组合,即Pterisisporites-Ephedripites-Ulmaceae组合。该组合以凤尾蕨科和麻黄科花粉占优势,榆科有一定含量为其主要特征,并通过对一些重要分子的地质时代分布及与邻区相关孢粉组合进行对比,确定了其时代为古新世,同时讨论了该孢粉植物群所反映的古气候特点。     

Impacts of grazing and burning on spider assemblages in dry eucalypt forests of north‐eastern New South Wales,Australia

Abstract In the dry eucalypt forests of north‐eastern New South Wales, Australia, cattle grazing occurs at low intensities and is accompanied by frequent low‐intensity burning. This study investigated the combined effects of this management practice on the ground‐dwelling and arboreal (low vegetation) spider assemblages. Spiders were sampled at 49 sites representing a range of grazing intensities, using pitfall trapping, litter extraction and sweep sampling. A total of 237 spider morphospecies from 37 families were collected using this composite sampling strategy. The abundance, richness, composition and structure of spider assemblages in grazed and ungrazed forest sites were compared and related to a range of environmental variables. Spider assemblages responded to a range of environmental factors at the landscape, habitat and microhabitat scales. Forest type, spatial relationships and habitat variability at the site scale were more important in determining spider assemblages than localized low‐intensity grazing and burning. However, it is possible that a threshold intensity of grazing may exist, above which spiders respond to grazing and burning. Although low‐intensity grazing and burning may not affect spider assemblages below a threshold stocking rate, that stocking rate has yet to be established.     

Longitudinal data on telomere length in leukocytes from newborn baboons support a marked drop in stem cell turnover around 1 year of age

Stem cells of various tissues are typically defined as multipotent cells with 'self-renewal' properties. Despite the increasing interest in stem cells, surprisingly little is known about the number of times stem cells can or do divide over a lifetime. Based on telomere-length measurements of hematopoietic cells, we previously proposed that the self-renewal capacity of hematopoietic stem cells is limited by progressive telomere attrition and that such cells divide very rapidly during the first year of life. Recent studies of patients with aplastic anemia resulting from inherited mutations in telomerase genes support the notion that the replicative potential of hematopoietic stem cells is directly related to telomere length, which is indirectly related to telomerase levels. To revisit conclusions about stem cell turnover based on cross-sectional studies of telomere length, we performed a longitudinal study of telomere length in leukocytes from newborn baboons. All four individual animals studied showed a rapid decline in telomere length (approximately 2-3 kb) in granulocytes and lymphocytes in the first year after birth. After 50-70 weeks the telomere length appeared to stabilize in all cell types. These observations suggest that hematopoietic stem cells, after an initial phase of rapid expansion, switch at around 1 year of age to a different functional mode characterized by a markedly decreased turnover rate.