Cyclic peptides and depsipeptides from cyanobacteria: A review

An elaborate array of structurally-novel and biologically-active cyclic peptides and depsipeptides are found in blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). Several of these compounds possess structures that are similar to those of natural products from marine invertebrates. Most of these cyclic peptides and depsipeptides, such as the microcystins and the lyngbyatoxins, will probably only be useful as biochemical research tools. A few, however, have the potential for development into useful commercial products. For example, cryptophycin-1, a novel inhibitor of microtubule assembly fromNostoc sp GSV 224, shows impressive activity against a broad spectrum of solid tumors implanted in mice, including multidrug-resistant ones, and majusculamide C, a microfilament-depolymerizing agent fromLyngbya majuscula, shows potent fungicidal activity and may have use in the treatment of resistant fungal-induced diseases of domestic plants and agricultural crops.     

浙江海岛盐生植被研究Ⅱ──天然植被类型及开发利用

天然盐生植被是海岛盐生植被的主体,类型丰富,分布广泛,在海岛植被的研究及开发利用中占据重要地位。目前,天然盐生植被的分类尚无统一标准与系统。本文根据作者1990～1993年在浙江海岛用样方法(Ｈ.ＶｏｎＰｏｓｔ,1851;陈彦卓,1965)测定的样地数据,参照《中国植被》的分类方法,根据群落的外貌与结构、生态地理、动态和种类组成等特征进行分类,其中对群系级单位侧重于种类组成,并采用建群植物的重要值(Ｊ.Ｔ.ＣｕｒｔｉｓａｎｄＲ.Ｐ.ＭｃＩｎｔｏｓｈ,1951)作为分类的定量指标。据此,浙江海岛天然盐生植被可划分为3个植被型、8个群系组、18…     

豆田刺吸类害虫、天敌自然种群消长规律及其群落结构的研究

在豆田群落中,常见的天敌昆虫及有益生物为12科13种,它们对寄主均有很强的选择性．小花蝽是大豆蚜的主要天敌,系优势种,其次是龟纹瓢虫．大青叶蝉的主要天敌是蜘蛛类,三突花蛛和草间小黑蛛为优势种．在长期不施用农药的环境下,天敌自然种群对控制害虫发生危害的作用明显．经数学分析,建立了12个数学模型,进一步揭示了两种刺吸类害虫与其天敌之间的关系;天敌种群消长、害虫种群消长与时间变动的关系．尤其通过对豆田群落生物的多样性、稳定性动态分析,表明豆田群落在8月9日至8月29日多样性指数和稳定性指数最大;同时亦表明豆田群落的多样性指数愈高,群落的稳定性愈强．     

Fitness effects of sex ratio response to host quality and size in the parasitoid wasp Spalangia cameroni

The parasitoid wasp Spalangia cameroni oviposited a greaterproportion of daughters in stable fly pupae than in house flypupae, even when I controlled for stable flies being smallerthan house flies. Sex ratio manipulation in response to hostquality has been modeled as being adaptive through an effectof host quality on the size and hence offspring production ofdaughters. 5. cameronis response to host species may insteadbe adaptive through an effect on larval survivorship, the developmenttime of daughters, and the size of sons. There was greater survivalof daughters than sons on stable flies. Controlling for hostsize, I found that development time of daughters was about 2%less on stable flies than on house flies. The decrease in developmenttime corresponds to a 2% increase in fitness as estimated byr, the intrinsic rate of increase, and is equivalent to abouta 9% increase in offspring production. Sons were about 2% largerfrom house flies than stable flies, which may increase offspringproduction by up to 3%. Host species had no consistent effecton size of daughters or development time of sons. In additionto the response to host species, mothers oviposited a greaterproportion of daughters in larger stable fly hosts. Whetherthis behavior is adaptive is unclear. Although offspring werelarger when they developed on larger stable flies, the rateof increase was less for daughters dian for sons. Effects ofstable fly size on offspring development time were negligible.     

The Influence of Genotype and Environment on the Physiological and Metabolic Diversity ofFusarium compactum

Talbot, N. J., Vincent, P., and Wildman, H. G. 1996. The influence of genotype and environment on the physiological and metabolic diversity ofFusarium compactum. Fungal Genetics and Biology20,254–267. Fungal species produce a large variety of secondary metabolites which are of considerable interest to the pharmaceutical industry. It is clear that the secondary metabolite production of a species varies significantly in strains from different geographic locations and from different habitats. The influence of genotype and environment on metabolite production is, however, poorly understood. In this study we examined the influence of genotypic variability, physiological variability, environmental location, and habitat on metabolite production byFusarium compactum.Isolates of the fungus from two geographic locations and two distinct habitat types were examined for growth on 95 different carbon sources, and genotypic variability was determined using RAPDs and rDNA–RFLP analysis. In a blind test secondary metabolite production was assessed using HPLC profiles of methanolic cell extracts. A number of correlations were observed between genotypic groupings, as determined using parsimony, and specific metabolite production. Similar correlations were also observed with physiological groups although genotypic analysis proved to be a more sensitive predictor of metabolite variability. The data suggest a complex relationship between environment, genotype, and metabolite production but highlight the use of genetic screening as a means of optimizing the chances of identifying a wide range of metabolites from a given species.     

Demography of source—sink populations and the evolution of ecological niches

Summary The demography of populations living in variable environments is an important factor molding the evolution of ecological niches, for it determines the relative strength of selection pressures on adaptations to different habitats. Here I consider a coarse-grained environment consisting of two habitat types and investigate how the selection pressure on reproductive success in different habitats depends on their quality and frequency and the dispersal pattern. The results suggest that selection on adaptations to optimal habitats will usually be stronger than on adaptations to poor habitats and the ecological niche will thus tend to be an evolutionarily conservative character. It is because under the habitat choice or limited dispersal that seem to prevail in natural populations, more individuals encounter the better habitat than would be expected solely on the basis of its relative area. This bias results in reduced selection pressure on reproductive success in the poorer habitat. With habitat choice or limited dispersal, selection pressure on reproductive success in the poorer habitat may exceed that on reproductive success in the better habitat only if the poorer habitat is much more frequent in the environment than the better habitat and the difference in their quality is not large.     

Rainfall and flowering synchrony in a tropical shrub: Variable selection on the flowering time ofErythroxylum havanense

Summary We tested the adaptive significance of flowering synchrony by means of a quantitative analysis of selection and by flowering induction experiments with the deciduous shrubErythroxylum havanense. Temporal schedules of flower and fruit production were determined for a local population (in three sites) in a Mexican seasonal forest for 2 years (1987–1988). The consequences of natural variation in flowering time (flowering initiation day) on maternal reproductive success (fecundity) were evaluated. We observed high levels of inter- and intraindividual flowering synchrony in 1987, but not in 1988 and this contrast was related to differences in rainfall patterns between the two years. A significant proportion (15.4%) of the phenotypic variation in flowering initiation day was accounted for by environmental variance. The expression of phenotypic variance of flowering time and, consequently, the opportunity for selection to act, are controlled by annual variation in rainfall. Despite the between-year difference in flowering synchrony, we detected a relatively intense directional selection on flowering initiation day in both years, but selection coefficients were of opposite sign (standardized directional gradients were –0.326 and 0.333 for 1987 and 1988, respectively). For both years there was a significant relationship between individual relative fitness and the number of neighbouring flowering plants in a given day, suggesting positive frequency-dependent selection.     

Seasonal variation in growth, mortality and fat stores of roach and perch in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland

The annual cycle for roach ( Rutilus rutilus ) and perch ( Perca fluviatilis ) in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland can be divided into warm 'growing' and cold 'non-growing' seasons. Summer water temperatures declined between 1991–1993, as did the sizes of 0+ fish of both species. Small overwinter increases in length occurred after poor summers due, in roach, to size-selective mortality. Fat content was size-dependent and increased over the summer in both species. All sizes of roach but only small perch lost fat overwinter. Dead roach collected towards the end of the 1992/3 winter had significantly less fat than live individuals. The allocation of energy to growth (and ultimately reproduction) and to fat (and overwinter survival) was modelled as a tradeoff, assuming that fat has twice the energy density of protein and using observed summer and winter changes in body composition. The predicted allocation optima were close to observed values but, for roach, this entailed a substantial survivorship cost.     

PERSPECTIVE: DARWIN,PROGRESS, AND ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES

Darwin's concept of progress was an economic one, with the accumulation of adaptations having a strong analogy to technological innovations. This interpretation makes it easier to understand his differences with Lamarck and others whose views he considered metaphysically objectionable. It also clarifies his relationship to Malthus and such features of his theory as the episodic nature of evolutionary change. His position is consistent with modern theories of biotic invasions and long-term evolutionary trends. It also accords well with current efforts to produce a synthesis between biology and economics.     

Sustainability,equity, and natural resource development in Northwest Siberia and Arctic Alaska

Today, the search for new energy sources continues unabated throughout the North. At the same time, scientists are increasingly concerned over the degradation of the Arctic and sub-Arctic environment stemming from fossil fuel and other large-scale energy projects already underway. Similar apprehensions are expressed by indigenous peoples who have often suffered from the impact of such development. While the most dramatic evidence of environmental devastation and social disruption is found in the Russian North, serious problems are by no means confined to that area alone. Nor are these negative effects necessarily limited to the borders of the country in which they originated. Indeed, the deleterious environmental impact of our global industrial economy has become sufficiently profound that social analysts are beginning to ask whether development strategies that cause such harm to the Arctic and sub-Arctic region should continue; and if not, what should replace them. This article addresses these issues as they relate to questions of sustainability, equity, political empowerment, and human rights in northwest Siberia and northern North America.