Short-term variations in catches of the pea moth,Cydia nigricana, in interacting pheromone traps

Short-term variations in the relative catch in each of two or three interacting pheromone traps for the pea moth,Cydia nigricana (F.), were investigated for traps aligned along the wind. The proportional catch in each trap varied widely, although the mean values accorded with previous estimates. Over consecutive short intervals during a single trapping period the proportion caught in the centre trap of a three-trap line was constant. The proportion caught in the upwind trap of two-and three-trap lines showed trends in time. These trends differed between trapping periods, but two lines of traps operated simultaneously gave similar results to each other. It is suggested that these results, which are predicted by a model based on various components of moth orientation behaviour, are caused by changes in systematic behavioural processes, not random effects. Possible mechanisms are discussed.

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Variations à court terme des captures deCydia nigricana dans des pièges à phéromones en interaction

Résumé Des données antérieures concernant les interactions entre des pièges à phéromone alignés le long du vent ont été utilisées pour déduire les caractéristiques du comportement d'orientation deC. nigricana. Ces données ont été introduites dans un modèle de simulation quantitative qui prédisait que quand les captures totales sur une ligne ont été regroupées sur une période globale de piégage, la proportion capturée dans chaque piège devrait aussi avoir des valeurs moyennes semblables, mais varie plus largement que précédemment indiqué. Les simulations concernant des intervalles consécutifs beaucoup plus courts pendant la même période de piégage ont suggéré une forme spécifique de cette variation.Cette note signale des variations à court terme dans la proportion capturée au piège qui confirment ces prédictions. Nous montrons que sur des intervalles consécutifs brefs pendant une simple période de piégage, la proportion capturée dans le piège central d'une ligne de 3 pièges est contstante, bien que sa valeur change suivant les périodes de piégage. La proportion capturée dans le piège face au vent de 2 ou 3 lignes de pièges suit cette tendance dans le temps, ce qui est généralement bien représenté avec des courbes simples. Ces tendances changent suivant les périodes de piégage, mais des lignes de pièges fonctionnant simultanément fournissaient des résultats similaires. On suggère que ces résultats sont dus à des changements dans des processus comportementaux systématiques et non à des effects aléatoires. Les mécanismes possibles sont discutés.

     

Synthesis of charged amphipathic nitroxide lipid spin labels and an example of their application in membrane studies

The synthesis of a series of amphipathic nitroxide lipid spin labels is reported. Thus, 12-proxylhexadecanol has been converted into the versatile fatty acid spin label 14-proxylstearic acid. This substance was used to prepare 14-proxylstearyltrimethylammonium methanesulfonate, a positively charged label, and 14-proxylstearylmethyl phosphate sodium salt, a negatively charged label. Also prepared in the doxyl series were quaternary ammonium salts derived from 16-doxyl- and 7-doxylstearic acid. The positively charged and negatively charged proxyl labels were used in a preliminary experiment to investigate the role of charge in their interaction with reconstituted cytochrome oxidase. The average binding affinity of the negatively charged label is approximately 2-fold higher than that of the positively charged label at pH 7.4. At pH 5.5 the average relative affinity for negatively charged label is about 3.5-fold higher than that of positively charged label, suggesting that the ionizable group(s) on the protein can interact with the lipid headgroup.     

Effects of proteins on phospholipid vesicle aggregation and lipid vesicle-monolayer interactions

The effects of proteins on divalent cation-induced phospholipid vesicle aggregation and phospholipid vesicle-monolayer membrane interactions (fusion) were examined. Glycophorin (from human erythrocytes) suppressed the membrane interactions more than N-2 protein (from human brain myelin) when these proteins were incorporated into acidic phospholipid vesicle membranes. The threshold concentrations of divalent cations which induced vesicle aggregation were increased by protein incorporation, and the rate of vesicle aggregation was reduced. A similar inhibitory effect by the proteins, incorporated into lipid vesicle membranes, was observed for Ca²⁺-induced lipid vesicle-monolayer interactions. However, when these proteins were incorporated only in the acidic phospholipid monolayers, the interaction (fusion) of the lipid vesicle-monolayer membranes, induced by divalent cations, was not appreciably altered by the presence of the proteins.In contrast to these two proteins, the presence of synexin in the solution did enhance the Ca²⁺-induced aggregation of phosphatidylserine vesicles, but did not seem to affect the degree of Ca²⁺-induced fusion between phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine (1:1) and phosphatidylserine vesicles and monolayer membranes.     

Characterization of the mutant lytic state in lambda expression systems

The two propagative phases of bacteriophage lambda, lysogeny and lysis, can be used in concert to enhance productivity of recombinant expression systems. Lambda vectors carrying mutations to prevent both cell lysis and lambda DNA packaging in the lytic state have been shown to yield 100% stability of the product gene in lysogeny and to produce up to 15% of total cell protein as product beta-galactosidase in a mutant lytic state.(14) Despite these mutations, partial lysis of the culture was observed following induction of the cells from a lysogenic phase into the lytic state. To understand better the phage-host cell interactions and to investigate the possible cause(s) of lysis in these highly productive expression systems, we have made a detailed study of the suppressor-free system JM105(NM1070). We have found high levels of product (15% of total cell protein as beta-glactosidase) to be due chiefly to a high-copy number of lambda DNA in the mutant lytic state. There is partial lysis of the culture even in this suppressor-free system caused by a low-level natural suppression of the amber mutation in gene S of NM1070, resulting in accumulation of lambda endolysin. We have also monitored changes in cell growth and morphology upon induction of the lysogen. There is a slight increase in cell number that follows a linear relationship with time and a 25-fold increase in cell volume during recombinat protein production in the mutant lytic state.     

Response of predatory mites with different rearing histories to volatiles of uninfested plants

The behavioural response of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis to volatiles from several host plants of its prey, spider mites in the genus Tetranychus, was investigated in a Y-tube olfactometer. A positive response to volatiles from tomato leaves and Lima bean leaves was recorded, whereas no response was observed to volatiles from cucumber leaves, or leaves of Solanum luteum and Solanum dulcamara.Different results were obtained for predators that differed in rearing history. Predators that were reared on spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) on Lima bean leaves did respond to volatiles from Lima bean leaves, while predators that had been reared on the same spider mite species but with cucumber as host plant did not respond to Lima bean leaf volatiles. This effect is compared with the effect of rearing history on the response of P. persimilis to volatile allelochemicals of prey-infested plant leaves.     

Regional variation in fish predation intensity: a historical perspective in the Gulf of Maine

Summary Regional variation in the intensity of fish predation on tethered brittle stars and crabs was measured at 30–33 m depths in the rocky subtidal zone at seven sites representing coastal and offshore regions of the Gulf of Maine, USA. Analysis of covariance comparing the slopes of brittle star survivorship curves followed by multiple comparisons tests revealed five groupings of sites, with significantly greater predation rates in the two offshore than in the three coastal groups. Brittle stars tethered at the three offshore sites were consumed primarily by cod, Gadus morhua, with 60–100% prey mortality occuring in 2.5 h. In striking contrast, only 6–28% of brittle star prey was consumed in the same amount of time at the four coastal sites, which were dominated by cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus. In several coastal trials, a majority of brittle star prey remained after 24 h. The pattern of higher predation offshore held for rock crabs as well with only 2.7% of tethered crabs consumed (n=36) at coastal sites versus 57.8% of crabs (n=64) consumed at offshore sites. Another important predatory fish, the wolffish, Anarhichas lupus, consumed more tethered crabs than brittle stars. Videos and time-lapse movies indicated that cod and wolffish were significantly more abundant at offshore than at coastal sites. Three hundred years of fishing pressure in New England has severely depleted stocks of at least one important benthic predator, the cod, in coastal waters. We speculate that this human-induced predator removal has lowered predation pressure on crabs and other large mobile epibenthos in deep coastal communities. Transect data indicate that coastal sites with few cod support significantly higher densities of crabs than offshore sites with abundant cod.     

Biogeographic comparisons of marine algal polyphenolics: evidence against a latitudinal trend

Summary Marine allelochemicals generally are present in greater quantity and diversity in tropical than in temperate regions. Marine algal polyphenolics have been reported as an apparent exception to this biogeographic trend, with literature values for phenolic concentrations significantly higher in temperate than in tropical brown algae. In contrast, our results, the first reported for Caribbean brown algae (orders Dictyotales and Fucales), show that many species have high phenolic levels. In addition, both our study and previous studies with north temperate and tropical species demonstrate that there is marked variation in algal phenolic levels within species from different locations. We conclude that high phenolic concentrations occur in species from both temperate and tropical regions, indicating that latitude alone is not a reasonable predictor of plant phenolic concentrations.     

Distribution and complementarity of hydropathy in multisubunit proteins

A survey of 40 multisubunit proteins and 2 protein-protein complexes was performed to assay quantitatively the distribution of hydropathy among the exterior surface, interior, contact surface, and noncontact exterior surface of the isolated subunits. We suggest a useful way to present this distribution by using a "hydropathy level diagram." Additionally, we have devised a function called "hydropathy complementarity" to quantitate the degree to which interacting surfaces have matching hydropathy distributions. Our survey revealed the following patterns: (1) The difference in hydropathy between the interior and exterior of subunits is a fairly invariant quantity. (2) On average, the hydropathy of the contact surface is higher than that of the exterior surface, but is not greater than that of the protein as a whole. There was variation, however, among the proteins. In some instances, the contact surface was more hydrophilic than the noncontact exterior, and in a few cases the contact surface was as hydrophobic as the protein interior. (3) The average interface manifests significant hydropathy complementarity, signifying that proteins interact by placing hydrophobic centers of one surface against hydrophobic centers of the other surface, and by similarly matching hydrophilic centers. As a measure of recognition and specificity, hydropathy complementarity could be a useful tool for predicting correct docking of interacting proteins. We suggest that high hydropathy complementarity is associated with static inflexible interactions. (4) We have found that some subunits that bind predominantly through hydrophilic forces, such as hydrogen bonds, ionic pairs, and water and metal bridges, are involved in dynamic quaternary organization and allostery.     

An in vitro model for cell-cell interactions

Summary Heterotypic cell-cell interactions appear to be involved in the control of development and function in a wide variety of tissues. In the vasculature, endothelial cells and mural cells (smooth muscle cells or pericytes) make frequent contacts, suggesting a role for intercellular interactions in the regulation of vascular growth and function. We have previously grown endothelial cells and mural cells together in mixed cultures and found that heterocellular contact led to endothelial growth inhibition. However, this mixed culture system does not lend itself to the examination of the effects of contact on the phenotype of the individual cell types. We have therefore developed a co-culture system in which cells can be co-cultured across a porous membrane, permitting intercellular contact while maintaining pure cell populations. Co-culture of endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells across membranes with pore sizes of 0.02, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8μm maintained the two cell types as homogeneous populations, whereas smooth muscle cells migrated across the membrane through pores of 2.0μm. Vascular cell co-culture across membranes with 0.8-μm pores resulted the inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation and the generation of conditioned media which inhibited endothelial cell growth. The arrangement of the cells in this co-culture system mimics thein vivo orientation of vascular cells in which mural cells are separated from the abluminal surface of the endothelium by a fenestrated internal elastic lamina or basement membrane. Because this co-culture system maintains separable populations of cells in contact or close proximity allowing for biochemical and molecular analyses of pure populations, it should prove useful for the study of cell-cell interactions in a variety of systems.     

A contribution to the biology ofBangasternus fausti [Col.: Curculionidae], a potential biological control agent of diffuse knapweed,Centaurea diffusa,and its effect on the host plant

The biology of the weevilBangasternus fausti (Reitter), the larvae of which live in the flowerheads ofCentaurea diffusa (De Lamarck) and some relatedCentaurea spp., was studied in the field and in the laboratory in northern Greece and in the laboratory in Rome, Italy. The species is univoltine and overwinters as adults. Under laboratory conditions adults lived up to 90 days and up to 359 eggs were deposited by a single female (n=18). The maximum number of eggs laid by a female per day was 12 and the maximum number of days a female laid eggs was 73. Generally, there is only one larva per seedhead. One-hundred percent seed destruction was recorded in 18.7% of 502 field collected seedheads, each with oneB. fausti egg. The average mortality of the species, from egg to adult, was 94.4% in the field during 1988 (n=200) and 95.8% during 1987 (n=502).