Local structuring factors of invertebrate communities in ephemeral freshwater rock pools and the influence of more permanent water bodies in the region

We used three isolated clusters of small ephemeral rock pools on a sandstone flat in Utah to test the importance of local structuring processes on aquatic invertebrate communities. In the three clusters we characterized all ephemeral rock pools (total: 27) for their morphometry, and monitored their water quality, hydrology and community assemblage during a full hydrocycle. In each cluster we also sampled a set of more permanent interconnected freshwater systems positioned in a wash, draining the water from each cluster of rock pools. This design allowed additional testing for the potential role of more permanent water bodies in the region as source populations for the active dispersers and the effect on the community structure in the rock pools. Species richness and community composition in the rock pools correlated with level of permanence and the ammonia concentration. The length of the rock pool inundation cycle shaped community structure, most probably by inhibiting colonization by some taxa (e.g. tadpoles and insect larvae) through developmental constraints. The gradient in ammonia concentrations probably reflects differences in primary production. The more permanent water bodies in each wash differed both environmentally and in community composition from the connected set of rock pools. A limited set of active dispersers was observed in the rock pools. Our findings indicate that aquatic invertebrate communities in the ephemeral rock pools are mainly structured through habitat permanence, possibly linked with biotic interactions and primary production. Handling editor: S. I. Dodson     

用SELEX技术筛选环孢霉素A适体

目的：运用指数富集的配体系统进化（SELEX）技术筛选并鉴定环孢霉素A（CsA）特异性适体。方法：合成全长78个核苷酸中间含35个随机序列的随机单链DNA（ssDNA）文库,通过SELEX方法,以CsA为靶标、磁珠为筛选介质,利用生物素-链亲和素-辣根过氧化物酶系统检测每轮ssDNA文库与CsA的亲和力,筛选针对CsA的适体,将最后一轮筛选产物克隆测序,并运用相关软件进行一级结构和二级结构分析。结果：经过10轮筛选,ssDNA文库与CsA的亲和力呈上升趋势,随机挑选的19个克隆适体根据一级结构的同源性可分为5个家族,二级结构预测以茎环（发夹）为主。结论：通过改良SELEX方法筛选得到了CsA特异性的适体。     

Linking stream habitats and spider distribution: spatial variations in trophic transfer across a forest–stream boundary

In headwater streams, many aquatic insects rely on terrestrial detritus, while their emergence from streams often subsidizes riparian generalist predators. However, spatial variations in such reciprocal trophic linkages remain poorly understood. The present study, conducted in a northern Japanese stream and the surrounding forest, showed that pool–riffle structure brought about heterogeneous distributions of detritus deposits and benthic aquatic insects. The resulting variations in aquatic insect emergence influenced the distributions of riparian web-building spiders. Pools with slow current stored greater amounts of detritus than riffles, allowing more benthic aquatic insects to develop in pools. The greater larval biomass in pools and greater tendency for riffle insects to drift into pools at metamorphosis resulted in an emergence rate of aquatic insects from pools that was some four to five times greater than from riffles. In the riparian forest, web-building spiders (Tetragnathidae and Linyphiidae) were distributed in accordance with the emergence rates of aquatic insects, upon which both spider groups heavily depended. Consequently, the riparian strips bordering pools had a density of tetragnathid spiders that was twice as high as that of the riparian strips adjacent to riffles. Moreover, although limitations of vegetation structure prevented the aggregation of linyphiid spiders around pools, linyphiid density normalized by shrub density was higher in habitats adjacent to pools than those adjacent to riffles. The results indicated that stream geomorphology, which affects the storage of terrestrial organic material and the export of such material to riparian forests via aquatic insect emergence, plays a role in determining the strength of terrestrial–aquatic linkages in headwater ecosystems.     

Ephemeroptera,Plecoptera, and Trichoptera on Isle Royale National Park,USA, compared to mainland species pool and size distribution

Extensive sampling for aquatic insects was conducted in the orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies), and Trichoptera (caddisflies) (EPT) of Isle Royale National Park (ISRO), Michigan, United States of America, during summer 2013. The island was ice covered until 8,000 to 10,000 years ago and is isolated by 22–70 km distance from the mainland. Two hypotheses were examined: that ISRO EPT richness would be much reduced from the mainland, and that the species colonizing ISRO would be of smaller size than mainland, adults presumably using updrafts to bridge the distance from mainland sources. Data sets were developed for known mainland EPT species and size for those species. The first hypothesis was confirmed with the mainland species pool consisting of 417 EPT, while ISRO is known to support 73 species. Richness of EPT is directly related to the number of specimens examined. Small streams supported five EPT species, while 15–25 species were found in larger streams. Lakeshores had intermediate diversity. The second hypothesis was substantiated for stoneflies, but not for mayflies or caddisflies. Stoneflies apparently are poorer fliers than either of the other two orders.     

Short-term Nitrogen Fixation by Legume Seedlings and Resprouts After Fire in Mediterranean Old-fields

Fires may greatly alter the N budget of a plant community. During fire nitrogen is lost to the atmosphere. Although high light availability after fire promotes N₂-fixation, the presumably high soil N availability could limit N₂-fixation activity. The latter limitation might be particularly acute in legume seedlings compared with resprouts, which have immediate access to belowground stored carbon. We wished to learn whether early post-fire conditions were conducive to N₂-fixation in leguminous seedlings and resprouts in two types of grassland and in a shrubland and whether seedlings and resprouts incurred different amounts of N₂-fixation after fire. We set 18 experimental fires in early autumn on 6 plots, subsequently labelling 6 subplots (2 × 2 m²) in each community with ¹⁵NH₄⁺-N (99 atom % excess). For 9 post-fire months we measured net N mineralisation in the top 5 cm of soil and we calculated the fraction of legume N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) in seedlings and resprouts. We used two independent estimates of the amounts of N derived from non-atmospheric sources in potentially N₂-fixing plants: mean soil pool abundance and the ¹⁵N-enrichment of non-legumes. Despite substantial soil net N mineralisation in all burned community types (about 2.6 g Nm⁻² during the first nine months after fire), the %Ndfa of various legume species was 52–99%. Legumes from both grasslands showed slightly higher N₂-fixation values than shrubland legumes. As grassland legumes grew in more belowground dense communities than shrubland legumes, we suggest that higher competition for soil resources in well established grass-resprouting communities may enhance the rate of N₂-fixation after fire. In contrast to our hypothesis, legume seedlings and resprouts from the three plant communities studied, had similar %Ndfa and apparently acquired most of their N from the atmosphere rather than from the soil.     

Detection and risk assessment of adenoviruses in swimming pool water

AIMS: The role of swimming pool water as a source of human adenovirus (HAd) infection has previously been demonstrated. In this study, the risk of infection of HAds detected in a survey of swimming pool water from two indoor and one outdoor swimming pools over a period of 1 year was assessed. METHODS AND RESULTS: The HAds were concentrated from 1 l grab samples of swimming pool water using a silicon dioxide-based method. The extracted HAd DNA was amplified by means of a nested PCR method. Adenoviruses were detected in four of 26 samples (15.4%) from the indoor swimming pool A, eight of 38 samples (21.1%) from the indoor swimming pool B and three of 28 samples (10.7%) from the outdoor swimming pool C. Application of these results in an exponential risk assessment model indicated a daily risk of infection of 2.61 x 10(-3) for swimming pool A, 3.69 x 10(-3) for swimming pool B and 1.92 x 10(-3) for swimming pool C assuming a daily consumption of 30 ml of swimming pool water. CONCLUSIONS: No acceptable (tolerable) risk of infection has yet been recommended for swimming pool water. However, the quality of swimming pool water is generally expected to be similar to that of drinking water. One infection per 10 000 consumers per year has been recommended for drinking water. The risk of HAd infections calculated for the swimming pool water under investigation exceeded this acceptable risk. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The finding that swimming pool water which conforms to generally accepted specifications for treatment, disinfection and indicator organisms constituted a risk of HAd infection, has implications for the swimming pool industry. The formulation of acceptable (tolerable) risks of infection for swimming pool water may be essential. Specifications will, therefore, have to be formulated to ensure that swimming pool water conforms to the acceptable risk of infection.     

Habitat associations of pool-breeding amphibians in eastern Massachusetts,USA

There is a pressing need to develop a sound conservation strategy for pool-breeding amphibians, which includes gaining a better understanding of the habitat and landscape-scale characteristics associated with populations. To investigate relationships between amphibian species richness and characteristics of breeding pools and surrounding landscapes, we surveyed 85 pools in eastern Massachusetts (USA) in 1996 and 1997. A total of 11 species was detected, with most pools having 2–5 species. Pools were typically small, 77.6% were <0.2 ha, but most pools (72%) had hydroperiods that persisted at least into August in most years. Based on linear regression analyses, species richness was positively associated with three within-pool variables (pool surface area, hydroperiod, and the amount of emergent vegetation), and a landscape-level variable (presence of another breeding pool within 1 km), while one within-pool variable (tree canopy cover) exhibited a significant negative association with species richness. These within-pool habitat variables and connectivity to other breeding pools are important characteristics to consider when attempting to identify breeding sites that could provide core habitat in conservation reserves designed for the conservation of pool-breeding amphibian species richness. Conservation reserves for pool-breeding amphibian populations should include pool complexes functioning as habitat for metapopulations. Core pool habitats within such reserves should be large (0.5–1.0 ha), with seasonal hydroperiods that persist into August or that dry in some years, and with sufficient emergent vegetation to provide diverse microhabitats and refugia.     

Conserving pool-breeding amphibians in human-dominated landscapes through local implementation of Best Development Practices

Seasonal forest pools in the northeastern USA are unique ecosystems whose functions are intimately associated with adjacent upland habitats. This connection, coupled with their small size and ephemeral surface water, has made conservation of pool resources challenging. Seasonal pools provide optimal breeding habitat for animals adapted to temporary waters including ambystomatid salamanders (Ambystoma spp.), wood frogs (Rana sylvatica LeConte), and some invertebrates and plants. To date, wetland conservation efforts have been primarily limited to 2 pathways: land use regulation and preservation. Although both of these pathways have the potential to conserve some pool resources, they are often insufficient to maintain an array of pools in the landscape that support local population dynamics of amphibians. We propose a third pathway – local land-use planning – that can complement regulatory and preservation efforts. This suite of strategies, embodied in our Best Development Practices (BDPs), recognizes that not all pools will be conserved; local governances will need to develop priorities for conservation. The BDPs encourage local governances to (1) proactively identify their pool resources, (2) rank those pools according to their relative ecological value, and (3) establish management procedures and apply recommended guidelines in accordance with the relative rankings. We recommend that pools be ranked using biological criteria (e.g., presence of listed species, presence of breeding species, and egg mass abundance) and on the availability and quality of adjacent terrestrial habitat. We recommend 3 management zones: the pool depression, the pool envelope (i.e., land within 30 m of the pool), and the critical terrestrial habitat (i.e., 30–230 m from the pool). Residential, industrial, and commercial development, which may compromise pool habitat (e.g., through building and road construction, site clearing, stormwater management, and lighting), should follow the recommended guidelines presented in Appendix 1 of this paper. Planning at the watershed level, using such tools as overlay zones, wetland ordinances, and easements, should lead to more effective, long-term management of, at a minimum, the most ecologically important seasonal forest pool resources and will provide developers with clear development guidelines. This process is already being successfully implemented in a number of New England towns.     

Structure and Function of the Hair Cell Ribbon Synapse

Faithful information transfer at the hair cell afferent synapse requires synaptic transmission to be both reliable and temporally precise. The release of neurotransmitter must exhibit both rapid on and off kinetics to accurately follow acoustic stimuli with a periodicity of 1 ms or less. To ensure such remarkable temporal fidelity, the cochlear hair cell afferent synapse undoubtedly relies on unique cellular and molecular specializations. While the electron microscopy hallmark of the hair cell afferent synapse — the electron-dense synaptic ribbon or synaptic body — has been recognized for decades, dissection of the synapse’s molecular make-up has only just begun. Recent cell physiology studies have added important insights into the synaptic mechanisms underlying fidelity and reliability of sound coding. The presence of the synaptic ribbon links afferent synapses of cochlear and vestibular hair cells to photoreceptors and bipolar neurons of the retina. This review focuses on major advances in understanding the hair cell afferent synapse molecular anatomy and function that have been achieved during the past years.