Selective recovery of Zn2+ from waste slag from a metal-processing plant by the microscopic fungus Verticillium marquandii

The successful use of hay extract medium for growth of Verticillium marquandii in the presence of toxic black slag, resulted in selective and efficient Zn²⁺ recovery. An alkaline black waste slag originating from short rotary furnace, contained Zn²⁺ and Pb²⁺ (20% and 3.5%, respectively) in a form of compounds only slightly soluble in water. After 90 h of the culturing in bioreactor on hay extract medium with starch (50 g l^–1) and black waste (5 g l^–1) supplements, 80% of zinc and 0.5% of lead were bound by the mycelium. The pH value of the culture medium played a crucial role for limitation of the waste inhibitory effect on mycelium growth and for heavy metal recovery by the fungus.     

刺槐上分离的花生矮化病毒的研究

刺槐花叶病是我国北方刺槐（Ｒｏｂｉｎｉａｐｓｅｕｄｏａｃａｃｉａ）常见病害。１９８７～１９９５年对河南、河北、山东和北京部分地区刺槐进行调查,刺槐花叶病发病率为４％～８７．５％。该病害主要特征是：叶片出现浅绿与绿色相间带有疱疹的花叶症状,叶缘波状扭...     

Non-target grasshoppers as indicators of the side-effects of chemical locust control in the Karoo, South Africa

In most locust or grasshopper control programmes, the proximate aim is to suppress grasshopper numbers. However, in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa, only the brown locust (Locustana pardalina) has significant pest status. Non-target grasshoppers form a conspicuous and important part of the Karoo ecosystem, many being endemic. Grasshopper diversity was monitored in treated and untreated plots (0.25 ha) to establish the impact of spraying. Grasshopper abundance was significantly reduced one day after treatment. Vagile species recovered by immigration from the surrounding areas following the breakdown of chemical residues. Endemic apterous bushhoppers with low vagility recovered the following season after rainfall triggered hatching. Grasshopper numbers hatching in treated plots were significantly lower than in untreated plots the following summer season because of a reduction in the number of individuals in the preceding generation. However, species composition was similar to untreated plots and this reduction is unlikely to have significant, long-term biological effects in such small treated areas (0.25 ha being usual for hopper band control). The rate of recovery of grasshoppers, particularly bushhoppers, was linked to rainfall indicating that the timing of control relative to rainfall is important. Grasshopper assemblages are potentially useful indicators of the effect of chemical locust control in the Karoo.     

Effects of the venom of the solitary wasp Philanthus triangulum F. on glutamate uptake in the nerve endings of locust muscles—A high resolution autoradiographic study

Using electron microscope autoradiography it was shown that the glutamate uptake in both glia cells and axon in the synaptic region of locust muscles was reduced to ca. 50% under the influence of the venom of the solitary wasp Philanthus triangulum F. However, the ratio of the glutamate accumulation in the glia and the nerves remained identical. Implications are discussed in relation to known postsynaptic effects of the venom of Philanthus triangulum F.     

Singing behavior and singing functions of black‐crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis) at Mt. Wuliang,central Yunnan,China

We used data on loud duetted and solo songs collected from one habituated polygynous group of black‐crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis) on Mt. Wuliang, Yunnan, to test several hypotheses about the functions of these songs. The major functions proposed for loud gibbon songs include resource defense, mate defense, pairbonding, group cohesion and mate attraction. Duet bouts are generally initiated by adult males, who select the highest trees near to ridges or on steep slopes as singing trees. Such trees facilitate voice transmission and inter‐group communication. Singing trees tended to be located near important food patches and sleeping sites, which supports the resource defense hypothesis. The adult male and two adult females always sang interactively, alternating male phrases with the females' stereotyped great calls, to produce the duets, and females rarely produced great calls if they were more than 30 m from the male. The two females usually produced great calls synchronously during the duet, especially when they were close together. These features support both the mate defense and pairbonding hypotheses. The number of great calls and their degree of synchrony transmit information about spatial relationships and possibly pairbond strength to members to neighboring groups and floating animals. During or after the duet bouts, the adult females and juvenile moved toward to the adult male; and group members maintained a close spatial relationship, which supports the group cohesion hypothesis. Other incidents observed suggest a mate competition role for duets. The adult male always sang when the females started duetting with the subadult male. The subadult male sang solo bouts, but they were not more frequent or longer than bouts initiated by the adult male. Although mate attraction is the likely function of subadult solos, it was not convincingly demonstrated. In conclusion, all hypotheses concerning the function of singing are supported by at least some of the data, and none can be excluded. Am. J. Primatol. 71:539–547, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

不同波长黑光灯对椰子木蛾的诱集效果

为评估不同波长黑光灯对椰子木蛾的诱集效果,在海南省万宁市兴隆镇设置试验点,利用8种不同波长的黑光灯进行诱集试验。结果显示:椰子木蛾对365 nm和368 nm的波长敏感,诱虫总量显著多于其它波长的黑光灯;365 nm黑光灯诱捕椰子木蛾雄虫最多,368 nm黑光灯诱捕椰子木蛾雌虫最多,均显著大于其它黑光灯诱集到的雌雄虫数量。23∶00-2∶00为最适宜诱捕椰子木蛾时段。为利用黑光灯监测椰子木蛾提供了基础依据。     

A modified protein assay from microgram to low nanogram levels in dilute samples

In this article, we present a modified and improved protein assay that was previously described as “amidoschwarz assay” by Schaffner and Weissmann [13]. Our improved protein assay is user-friendly and 30–40 times more sensitive than the earlier method. The assay was developed into three formats (macro-, micro-, and nanoassay) with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) as protein precipitating agent, measuring up to 96 samples. The macro and micro formats of this assay require a single reagent staining with amido black of protein dots bound to nitrocellulose membrane with lowest protein measurements to 1 and 0.1 μg, respectively. On the other hand, the nanoassay, with combination staining of amido black followed by colloidal gold, can extend the detection limit to 2.5 ng of protein. Protein concentrations were determined by densitometry and/or spectrophotometry. This assay is compatible with many ionic and non-ionic detergents. This improved protein assay provides an additional choice to researchers in measuring total protein concentration accurately in dilute biological samples as low as 0.125 μg/ml prior to their biochemical analysis such as in comparative proteomics.     

LESS IS MORE: SELECTIVE ADVANTAGES CAN EXPLAIN THE PREVALENT LOSS OF BIOSYNTHETIC GENES IN BACTERIA

Bacteria that have adapted to nutrient‐rich, stable environments are typically characterized by reduced genomes. The loss of biosynthetic genes frequently renders these lineages auxotroph, hinging their survival on an environmental uptake of certain metabolites. The evolutionary forces that drive this genome degradation, however, remain elusive. Our analysis of 949 metabolic networks revealed auxotrophies are likely highly prevalent in both symbiotic and free‐living bacteria. To unravel whether selective advantages can account for the rampant loss of anabolic genes, we systematically determined the fitness consequences that result from deleting conditionally essential biosynthetic genes from the genomes of Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baylyi in the presence of the focal nutrient. Pairwise competition experiments with each of 20 mutants auxotrophic for different amino acids, vitamins, and nucleobases against the prototrophic wild type unveiled a pronounced, concentration‐dependent growth advantage of around 13% for virtually all mutants tested. Individually deleting different genes from the same biosynthesis pathway entailed gene‐specific fitness consequences and loss of the same biosynthetic genes from the genomes of E. coli and A. baylyi differentially affected the fitness of the resulting auxotrophic mutants. Taken together, our findings suggest adaptive benefits could drive the loss of conditionally essential biosynthetic genes.