Body size,litter size,timing of reproduction,and juvenile survival in the Unita ground squirrel,Spermophilus armatus

The timing of reproduction affected litter size, offspring mass, and offspring survival in the Uinta ground squirrel, Spermophilus armatus, in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Survival of juvenile females to yearling age varied negatively with date of weaning and positively with individual offspring mass. At the same time, juveniles weaned early in the season were lighter, and juveniles weaned later in the season were heavier. The coefficient of variation for juvenile body mass, originally measured at weaning, significantly decreased by the time juveniles entered hibernation, indicating that individuals weaned early and light caught up in body mass to individuals weaned later and heavier. From the perspective of the mother's investment in the litter, litter size (corrected for mother's mass) decreased with later wcaning dates, while the relationship of weaning date to litter mass (corrected for mother's mass) was significant in only one year. Maternal allocation of resources in litters changed over the season so that mothers produced many, small offspring early in the season, and fewer, large offspring late in the season.     

Effects of social conditions on Juvenile Hormone mediated reproductive development in Bombus terrestris workers

Abstract. During the annual life cycle of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris (L.) colony, there is a stage characterized by worker reproduction in the presence of the queen. It has been proposed that this is a result of a decrease in queen inhibition. This hypothesis was examined by studying the effects of queens taken from colonies at different stages of development on several aspects of worker physiology and behaviour: rates of Juvenile Hormone (JH) release in vitro , ovary development, and behaviour associated with reproduction. After optimizing and validating the radiochemical assay for JH release for bumble bee workers, we found that queenless workers had significantly more developed ovaries and higher rates of release of JH than did queenright workers, confirming and extending previous findings that suggest that bumblebee ovarian development is under JH control. Mated queens, separated from their colony and brood, can have the same inhibitory effect on the reproductive development of callow workers. In contrast, workers confined with virgin queens or in queenless groups demonstrated a significantly higher rate of release of JH, overt aggression and threatening behaviours. However, there were no differences in rates of release of JH between workers confined in groups in the laboratory with queens taken from colonies either before or after the onset of worker reproduction. Furthermore, overt aggression and threatening behaviours were similar and low in both types of groups. These results gave no support to the hypothesis that a decrease in queen inhibition is associated with the onset of worker reproduction. We also show that young workers reared in colonies either before or after worker reproduction occurs, or in queenless colonies, all demonstrated similar, low rates of release of JH. These results suggest that older workers may inhibit the corpora allata of younger workers in queenless colonies.     

Molecular evolution of pteridophytes and their relationship to seed plants: Evidence from complete 18S rRNA gene sequences

Complete 18S ribosomal RNA sequence data from representatives of all extant pteridophyte lineages together with RNA sequences from different seed plants were used to infer a molecular phylogeny of vascular plants that included all major land plant lineages. The molecular data indicate that lycopsids are monophyletic and are the earliest diverging group within the vascular land plants, whereasPsilotum nudum is more closely related to the seed plants than to other pteridophyte lineages. The phylogenetic trees based on maximum likelihood, parsimony and distance analyses show substantial agreement with the evolutionary relationships of land plants as interpreted from the fossil record.     

Accumulated effect of elevated ultraviolet-B radiation over multiple generations of the arid-environment annual Dimorphotheca sinuata DC. (Asteraceae)

Two D. sinuata populations, established from the same seed batch, were cultured concurrently under ambient (2.5–8.9 kj m^?2 d^?1) and enhanced (4.7–11.4 kj m^?2 d^?1) ultraviolet-B radiation for two consecutive generations. The two populations, designated low- and high-UV-B cultivars, were each grown for an additional generation under both UV-B fluences at different alignments. Differences in plant performance were examined between UV-B treatments (immediate UV-B effects), cultivars (accumulated UV-B effects), alignments and their interactions. Accumulated UV-B had a greater effect on plant performance than immediate UV-B. The former induced earlier reproductive effort, substantial (up to 35%) reductions in dry mass (stems, leaves and reproductive organs), decreased stem and inflorescence production, and diminished steady-state fluorescence yields, chlorophyll a concentrations, pollen tube growth and germination of seeds set. The latter caused only diminished non-photochemical quenching, reduced chlorophyll a, soluble sugar and starch concentrations, decreased pollen germination, and increased carotenoid contents. Interactions between UV-B fluence level and alignment occurred for all measured dry mass parameters, leaf area, photosynthetic pigment and soluble sugar concentrations, and germination success of seeds set. These results indicate altered DNA integrity rather than an indirect UV-B effect of photomorphogenic origin.     

An endochitinase gene expressed at high levels in the stylar transmitting tissue of tomatoes

A gene (pMON9617; Chi2;1) identified by screening a tomato pistil cDNA library has been found to encode a protein similar in sequence to class II chitinases. Using a baculovirus expression system we show that the Chi2;1 protein is an active endochitinase. The Chi2;1 protein is most similar in sequence to a previously described stylar chitinase (SK2) isolated from potato. Both proteins lack the diagnostic N-terminal cysteine-rich regions and the C-terminal vacuolar targeting signals of class I chitinases and appear to define a novel type of class II endochitinases associated with flowers. Chi2;1 is expressed predominantly in floral organs and its expression within these organs is temporally regulated. The highest level of expression is found in the transmitting tissue of the style where Chi2;1 mRNA begins to accumulate just prior to anthesis. In vegetative tissue, low levels of Chi2;1 mRNA were detected, and these levels did not increase in response to wounding or treatment with ethephon. mRNA from Chi2;1 orthologs was not detected in most other angiosperms tested, even including some members of the Solanaceae, and it is therefore unlikely that Chi2;1 is essential for stylar function. A fragment containing 1.4 kilobase pairs of 5-flanking DNA from the Chi2;1 gene was shown to drive high-level expression of an attached reporter gene in the styles of transgenic tomatoes. This fragment has utility for engineering expression of other coding regions in styles.     

Promoter regions of cysteine endopeptidase genes from legumes confer germination-specific expression in transgenic tobacco seeds

Cysteine endopeptidases, SH-EP from Vigna mungo and EP-C1 from Phaseolus vulgaris, act to degrade seed storage protein during seed germination. Using transgenic tobacco plants, expression of SH-EP and promoter activity of the EP-C1 gene were analyzed in transgenic tobacco plants. The promoters of the two genes in tobacco seeds showed germination-specific activation, although post-translational processing of SH-EP and regulatory regions of promoter of the gene for EP-C1 were found to differ between leguminous seeds and transgenic tobacco seeds.     

Bacterial expression of an active class Ib chitinase from Castanea sativa cotyledons

Ch3, an endochitinase of 32 kDa present in Castanea sativa cotyledons, showed in vitro antifungal properties when assayed against Trichoderma viride. The characterization of a cDNA clone corresponding to this protein indicated that Ch3 is a class Ib endochitinase that is synthesized as a preprotein with a signal sequence preceding the mature polypeptide. Bacterial expression of mature Ch3 fused to the leader peptide of the periplasmic protein ompT resulted in active Ch3 enzyme. A plate assay was adapted for semi-quantitative determination of chitinase activity secreted from cultured bacteria, which should facilitate the identification of mutants with altered capacity to hydrolyse chitin.     

The presence of inhibitors of the reproduction of Varroa jacobsoni Oud. (Gamasida: Varroidae) in infested cells

The mite Varroa jacobsoni was reared in artificial gelatin cells under laboratory conditions and the possible presence of factors inhibiting Varroa reproduction was studied. In cells infested with three mites, the mean offspring per female was reduced to 75% of that in singly infested cells. When gelatin cells were used for two successive rearing cycles, both the proportion of reproducing females and the offspring per reproducing female were significantly lower in cells that had contained an infested larva during the first rearing cycle than in those with an uninfested larva. The mean reduction of the offspring per female was 48%; this suggests that inhibitors of the reproduction are released into infested cells. Treatment of gelatin cells with the hexane extract of cells in which an infested bee pupa had developed caused a 21% reduction in the mean offspring per female, with a difference close to the significance level (p=0.07).     

Lack of association of bovine MHC class I alleles with carcass and reproductive traits

The present study was carried out to examine whether a relationship between bovine major histocompatibility complex (BoLA) class I alleles and carcass traits or reproductive performance exists in Braunvieh and Fleckvieh A1 (artificial insemination) bulls. The influence of BoLA class I (BOLA-A) alleles on deregressed breeding values for net growth rate, carcass index and thigh volume was assessed in Braunvieh crosses and Fleckvieh bulls with a gene substitution model. The reproductive traits: non-return rate and interval between first and last insemination of daughters (female fertility), as well as non-return rate of inseminated cows (male fertility), were only investigated in Fleckvieh animals. No influence of the BOLA-A region on the traits evaluated could be demonstrated. An improper, i.e. less restrictive analysis would have led to spurious results.     

The effect of ethylene, octanoic acid and a plant-derived smoke extract on the germination of light-sensitive lettuce seeds

The effects of an aqueous plant-derived smoke extract, octanoic acid and ethylene on germination of light-sensitive Grand Rapids lettuce seeds were investigated. The smoke extract brought about a concentration dependent increase in germination and a complete inhibition of germination at high concentrations. Octanoic acid could not induce germination. Ethylene at concentrations over 5 L L^–1 increased lettuce seed germination, but not to the same degree as smoke. Aqueous smoke in combination with ethylene showed a synergistic effect on germination at suboptimal smoke concentrations. At high smoke concentrations the effect of ethylene was almost completely inhibited. Octanoic acid in combination with ethylene brought about a higher level of germination than with ethylene alone, but only at the highest concentration of octanoic acid tested (1 mM). Standardized hexane and dichloromethane-partitioned smoke extracts and octanoic acid were subjected to TLC separation. The R _f -fractions in the smoke lanes showing activity in the lettuce seed bioassay did not correspond to the R _f -value of octanoic acid. As aqueous smoke can withstand autoclaving and can be separated by TLC and HPLC without loosing activity it is unlikely that the activity of aqueous smoke is linked to ethylene. It thus appears that the active compound in smoke is neither octanoic acid nor ethylene.Abbreviations TLC thin layer chromatography - HPLC High performance liquid chromatography