Competition,predation and flow rate as mediators of direct and indirect effects in a stream food chain

Using semi-natural stream channels, we estimated the effects of competition and predation exerted by juvenile and adult exotic rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) on the diel activity pattern of juvenile native Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), a secondary consumer. We also evaluated the direct and indirect effects of competition, predation and abiotic factors (water depth and velocity) on the growth rate of salmon, the biomass of invertebrate grazers (primary consumers) and the biomass of periphytic algae (primary producers; chlorophyll a). The presence of chemical cues emanating from adult predatory trout reduced the daily activity of juvenile Atlantic salmon. In contrast, competition imposed by juvenile rainbow trout forced Atlantic salmon to be more active during the day, even if adult rainbow trout were also present. We found no effect of either competition or of predatory cues on the growth rate of Atlantic salmon, and no evidence of indirect effects on either the biomass of invertebrates or the biomass of chlorophyll a. In contrast, we demonstrated that this food chain (fish--invertebrate grazers--periphytic algae) was under the control of a critical abiotic factor, the water velocity, and of bottom-up processes. We concluded that the exotic species directly increases the risk of predation of the native Atlantic salmon, but behavioral compensation probably limits the effects on growth rate. The competition and predation imposed by the invaders had no indirect effects on lower trophic levels. Top-down effects may have been mitigated by the dominant influence of water velocity controlling all components of the food chain and by elevated levels of primary production.     

Tracing carbon flow in an arctic marine food web using fatty acid-stable isotope analysis

Global warming and the loss of sea ice threaten to alter patterns of productivity in arctic marine ecosystems because of a likely decline in primary productivity by sea ice algae. Estimates of the contribution of ice algae to total primary production range widely, from just 3 to >50%, and the importance of ice algae to higher trophic levels remains unknown. To help answer this question, we investigated a novel approach to food web studies by combining the two established methods of stable isotope analysis and fatty acid (FA) analysis--we determined the C isotopic composition of individual diatom FA and traced these biomarkers in consumers. Samples were collected near Barrow, Alaska and included ice algae, pelagic phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish, seabirds, pinnipeds and cetaceans. Ice algae and pelagic phytoplankton had distinctive overall FA signatures and clear differences in delta(13)C for two specific diatom FA biomarkers: 16:4n-1 (-24.0+/-2.4 and -30.7+/-0.8 per thousand, respectively) and 20:5n-3 (-18.3+/-2.0 and -26.9+/-0.7 per thousand, respectively). Nearly all delta(13)C values of these two FA in consumers fell between the two stable isotopic end members. A mass balance equation indicated that FA material derived from ice algae, compared to pelagic diatoms, averaged 71% (44-107%) in consumers based on delta(13)C values of 16:4n-1, but only 24% (0-61%) based on 20:5n-3. Our estimates derived from 16:4n-1, which is produced only by diatoms, probably best represented the contribution of ice algae relative to pelagic diatoms. However, many types of algae produce 20:5n-3, so the lower value derived from it likely represented a more realistic estimate of the proportion of ice algae material relative to all other types of phytoplankton. These preliminary results demonstrate the potential value of compound-specific isotope analysis of marine lipids to trace C flow through marine food webs and provide a foundation for future work.     

86株A群链球菌耐药性检测与分析

目的探讨A群链球菌对多种抗生素的耐药性,更好地指导临床用药。方法收集本院2005年度检出的39株和2006年度检出的47株A群链球菌的药物敏感试验结果,使用X^2检验比较A群链球菌耐药率。结果2006年度和上一年度相比A群链球菌对红霉素、克林霉素、阿齐霉素的耐药率增高显著（P〈0．05）,而对氯霉素、四环素的耐药性无明显改变（P〉0．05）,未发现耐万古霉素、青霉素、头孢吡肟、头孢噻肟的菌株。结论加强对A群链球菌耐药性检测及调查分析,对指导临床用药有重要意义。     

A组人轮状病毒全基因组克隆和基因型分析

运用基因克隆和重组技术,从一急性胃肠炎患儿样品中克隆到一株轮状病毒（RV）全基因组cDNA。核苷酸序列测定结果表明,该株RV基因组11条RNA共含有18613个核苷酸（3302bp—751bp）,编码5791个氨基酸。全基因组研究结果表明,该株RV（TB-Chen）为A组,II亚组,基因型为G2P[4]/NSP4[A]。这是首个A组人RV全基因组研究结果的报道,对研究和开发RV疫苗具有积极的意义。     

Divalent metal ions promote the formation of the 5'-splice site recognition complex in a self-splicing group II intron

Group II introns are ribozymes occurring in genes of plants, fungi, lower eukaryotes, and bacteria. These large RNA molecular machines, ranging in length from 400 to 2500 nucleotides, are able to catalyze their own excision from pre-mRNA, as well as to reinsert themselves into RNA or sometimes even DNA. The intronic domain 1 contains two sequences (exon binding sites 1 and 2, EBS1 and EBS2) that pair with their complementary regions at the 3′-end of the 5′-exon (intron binding sites 1 and 2, IBS1 and IBS2) such defining the 5′-splice site. The correct recognition of the 5′-splice site stands at the beginning of the two steps of splicing and is thus crucial for catalysis. It is known that metal ions play an important role in folding and catalysis of ribozymes in general. Here, we characterize the specific metal ion requirements for the formation of the 5′-splice site recognition complex from the mitochondrial yeast group II intron Sc.ai5γ. Circular dichroism studies reveal that the formation of the EBS1 · IBS1 duplex does not necessarily require divalent metal ions, as large amounts of monovalent metal ions also promote the duplex, albeit at a 5000 times higher concentration. Nevertheless, micromolar amounts of divalent metal ions, e.g. Mg²⁺ or Cd²⁺, strongly promote the formation of the 5′-splice site. These observations illustrate that a high charge density independent of the nature of the ion is needed for binding EBS1 to IBS1, but divalent metal ions are presumably the better players.     

Group I introns and gnra tetraloops: remnants of ‘The RNA world’?

GNRA tetraloops, found in high frequency in natural RNAs, make loop-receptor interactions, stabilizing the tertiary structure of Group I introns, a class of small RNAs. Analyzing 230 Group I introns, to study the distribution and sequence pattern of the GNRA tetraloops, we suggest that these features reflect the ancestral nature of these catalytic molecules, in a prebiotic RNA world. The adenosine rich GNRA tetraloops would have interacted with each other through long range RNA-RNA interactions to form higher order structures forming potential sites that render the propensity for the short RNAs to bind to metal ions from the prebiotic pool, aiding them to act as metalloenzymes.     

Müller Glia as an Active Compartment Modulating Nervous Activity in the Vertebrate Retina: Neurotransmitters and Trophic Factors

Müller cells represent the main type of glia present in the retina interacting with most, if not all neurons in this tissue. Müller cells have been claimed to function as optic fibers in the retina delivering light to photoreceptors with minimal distortion and low loss [Franze et al (2007) Proc Natl Acad Sci 104:8287–8292]. Most of the mediators found in the brain are also detected in the retinal tissue, and glia cells are active players in the synthesis, release, signaling and uptake of major mediators of synaptic function. Müller glia trophic factors may regulate many different aspects of neuronal circuitry during synaptogenesis, differentiation, neuroprotection and survival of photoreceptors, Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) and other targets in the retina. Here we review the role of several transmitters and trophic factors that participate in the neuron-glia loop in the retina. Special issue article in honor of Dr. Ricardo Tapia.     

Food habits of fishes in the surf zone of a sandy beach at Sanrimatsubara, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

To clarify the feeding habits of fishes in surf zones, the gut contents of 19 fish species collected in the surf zone of a sandy beach at Sanrimatsubara, western Japan, were examined. Ontogenetic changes in food preference were recognized in seven species (Mugil cephalus cephalus, Lateolabrax latus, Sillago japonica, Paralichthys olivaceus, Paraplagusia japonica, Takifugu poecilonotus, and Takifugu niphobles). A cluster analysis based on dietary overlaps showed that the surf zone fish assemblage comprised six trophic groups (zooplankton, benthic and epiphytic crustacean, detritus, polychaete, fish, and insect feeders). Of these, the most abundant trophic group was zooplankton feeders, along with benthic and epiphytic crustacean feeders.     

Pico- and nanoplankton dynamics during bloom initiation of Aureococcus in a Long Island, NY bay

The entire microbial plankton community was quantified on a weekly basis April through June of 2000 in Quantuck Bay as part of an ongoing study to identify factors contributing to the initiation of blooms of Aureococcus anophagefferens (brown tide) in Long Island, NY bays. We used flow cytometry, imaging cytometry, fluorescent antibody cell counts, and traditional visual cell counting to quantify the picophytoplankton, heterotrophic bacteria, nanophytoplankton, heterotrophic protists, and microplankton prior to, and during the initiation of a brown tide bloom. Cells passing through a 5 μm mesh dominated the total chlorophyll concentration (>80%) for most of the spring study period. The A. anophagefferens bloom occurred in the context of a larger pico/nanophytoplankton bloom where A. anophagefferens accounted for only 30% of the total cell count when it was at its maximum concentration of 4.8 × 10⁵ mL⁻¹. Levels of dissolved organic nitrogen were enriched during the bloom peak relative to pre-bloom levels and heterotrophic bacteria also bloomed, reaching abundances over 10⁷ mL⁻¹. A trophic cascade within the heterotrophic protist community may have occurred, coinciding with the A. anophagefferens bloom. Before the onset of the bloom, larger grazers increased in abundance, while the next smaller trophic level of grazers were diminished. These smaller grazers were the likely water column predators of A. anophagefferens, and the brown tide bloom initiated when they were depleted. These results suggest that this bloom initiated due to interactions with other pico/nano algae and release from grazing pressure through a trophic cascade.     

Opposing organizing forces of deposit-feeding marine communities

We contend that a range of phenomena characterizing temperate deposit-feeding communities in low-energy environments is strongly organized by two principal opposing forces: (1) spatially localized inputs of detritus or new recruits, leading to a mosaic of initial patches, with subsequent impacts on spatio-temporal variation of species with limited mobility; and (2) the impact of mobile consumers, which move to spatially localized resources and thereby exert major controls over comparatively larger spatial scales. Surface deposit feeders react differently from deep feeders, in terms of spatio-temporal population change. The two opposing community control forces, combined with responses of deposit feeder functional groups, have potentially different effects on community structure. Mobile consumers, often acting as keystone species, may move to localized patches created by the bottom-up force of food input or by localized recruitment of prey. Their mobility, combined with predicted optimal foraging behavior, would usually produce a spatially homogenizing force, leading to reduced spatial variation in community composition. By contrast, spatially localized inputs of resources, if dominant, would always lead to strong spatial heterogeneity. Dominance of complex space–time variation in detrital enrichment would lead to strong spatio-temporal complexity in macrofauna if the response of recruiting larvae and rapidly growing small invertebrate populations was immediate and keyed to localized food input. The ability of mobile consumers to locate detritus, combined with the spatial distribution and overall input rate of detritus, should determine the balance of surface and deep-feeding deposit feeders. The opposing force approach can be applied to communities generally.