Geographic variation in jungle cat (Felis chaus Schreber, 1777) (Mammalia,Carnivora, Felidae) body size: is competition responsible?

There is a striking difference in body size of jungle cats ( Felis chaus ) in the west and the east of their distribution, with Israeli cats being 43% heavier than Indian cats. We tested the hypothesis that increasing competition from other small felids towards the east is responsible for the difference in body size. We measured jungle cat skulls for eight cranial and dental variables and related these to independent variables such as species richness (local and regional), latitude, longitude, temperature, and precipitation. Data from a narrow band between latitudes 24.0°N and 33.9°N, where Bergmann's rule was largely not observed, showed that the western population (≤ 50.0°E longitude) of jungle cats is larger than the eastern (> 60.0°E longitude) population with the size difference being most evident in the upper carnassials (P⁴L). Species richness at the regional level showed a significant negative relation to P⁴L. An even spacing in condylobasal length for a small-cat guild from India through null model analysis indicated the occurrence of character displacement. The results support the hypothesis that competition is responsible for geographical variation in jungle cat body size in the region where Bergmann's rule does not apply. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 92 , 163–172.     

Taxonomy of wild pigs (Sus) of the Philippines

Native wild pigs of the Philippines are now in grave danger of extinction. Study of available material indicates that three species are present: Sundaland Sus barbatus on Palawan, and two endemic species, Sus philippensis (with three subspecies, one of them here described as new) on Luzon, Mindanao, Basilan, Leyte, Samar, Catanduanes and Mindoro, and Sus cebifroms on Negros, debit and Panay. Specimens from Jolo. Masbale and Bohol presently remain unallocated to species, and may reflect the occurrence of hybridization.     

A MINIATURIZED ENRICHMENT SEROLOGY METHOD FOR RAPID DETECTION of SALMONELLA FROM POULTRY MEAT and REARING FARMS ENVIRONMENT

A miniaturization of the enrichment serology method for the detection of Salmonella was improved in order to make the technique more reliable, cheaper, and faster. the miniaturized method ("Micromethod") was compared to the Sperber and Deibel's method ("Macromethod") and with a classical isolation method; 1062 samples including 700 rearing farms environment samples, 247 poultry meat samples, and 115 nonfat dry milk samples were analyzed. Specificity of both enrichment serology methods was about 92–99.4%. Sensitivity of Micromethod was better than that of the Macromethod for the environmental samples (86.8 and 74.1%, respectively) and the poultry meat samples (87.5 and 77.5%, respectively) but was the same for the nonfat dry milk samples (82.5%). the costs of both methods were respectively 0.43 US $ for the Macromethod and 0.20 US $ for the Micromethod. This "Micromethod" could be proposed for the screening of Salmonella positive batches in the food industries.     

Microbial enzyme activities as indicators of organic matter processing rates in a Lake Erie coastal wetland

1. Particulate organic material (POM) is an important source of energy and nutrients in aquatic ecosystems. The decomposition of this material is typically studied using the litter bag technique. However, this method has inherent limitations that can preclude the estimation of in situ decomposition rates, especially for fine particles. In this study, we tried to circumvent these limitations through the use of enzymatic decomposition models (EDMs), which relate mass loss rates to lignocellulase activities. With this approach, we investigated the in situ processing of three size ranges of detritus in a Typha wetland. 2. Litter was collected, dried and sorted into three size ranges [coarse (C) > 4, medium (M) 0.5–4 and fine (F) 0.063–0.5 mm] and placed in litter bags that were attached to the sediment surface at two sites in a Typha wetland in May 1994. Over a 7-month period, litter bags were collected and analysed for mass loss and the activities of six extracellular enzymes involved in the degradation of lignocellulose. In situ POM was collected concurrently, sorted into the same three size ranges and assayed for the same suite of enzymes. Additional cores were taken for the determination of organic matter standing stocks and particle size distribution. 3. Mean mass loss rates for CPOM, MPOM and FPOM were -0.139, -0.073 and -0.053% day^?1, respectively. Only CPOM rates were significantly different between sites. For CPOM and FPOM there were strong linear relationships between mass loss and cumulative enzyme activities; the mass loss data for MPOM were erratic and precluded the development of reliable enzyme models. EDMs for CPOM and FPOM were constructed from regressions relating mass loss to average cumulative lignocellulase activity, and used to estimate instantaneous in situ decomposition rates. These rates varied by site and throughout the year but averaged -0.204 and -0.045% day^?1, respectively. Based upon measurements of OM standing stock and particle size distributions, POM processing rates of 1100–1400 g m² yr^?1 were calculated. These rates are near the upper end of the range for net annual production in Typha wetlands, suggesting that there is little net accumulation of POM. 4. Despite some problems, the EDM method has the potential to facilitate studies of detrital dynamics in large, heterogeneous systems.     

Determining uptake of 'non-labile' soil cadmium by Thlaspi caerulescens using isotopic dilution techniques

We assessed the ability of several populations of the metal-hyperaccumulator species, Thlaspi caerulescens , to mobilize non-labile cadmium in soils historically contaminated by Pb/Zn mine spoil or sewage sludge. Radio- labile Cd was determined chemically as an ' E -value', [Cd _E ], and biologically as an ' L -value', [Cd _L ]. For comparison, chloride-extractable Cd, [Cd_chlor], was also determined using 1 M CaCl₂ as a single-step soil extractant. Values of [Cd _L ] were measured for six populations of T. caerulescens that varied substantially in their ability to assimilate soil Cd, and a non-accumulator species with a similar growth habit, Lepidium heterophyllum . Seeds were sown in soil spiked with ¹⁰⁹Cd and grown for 9–12 wk in a controlled environment room. Values of [Cd _L ] were determined from the specific activity of ¹⁰⁹Cd and concentration of Cd in the plant leaves. For the six soils studied, [Cd _E ] ranged from 4.9 to 49% of total soil Cd [Cd_T]. Values of [Cd _L ] were, in general, in close agreement with both [Cd _E ] and [Cd_chlor] and substantially less than [Cd_T]. However, [Cd _L ] showed no correlation with the concentration of Cd in plant tissue, [Cd_shoot]. This suggests that, in the soils studied, T. caerulescens did not mobilize non-labile soil Cd by producing root exudates or altering rhizosphere pH. The results imply that there may be significant restrictions to metal bioavailability, even to hyperaccumulator species, in heavily contaminated soils in which a large proportion of the metal may be present in 'non-labile' forms.     

Inheritance and expression of introduced DNA in transgenic onion plants (Allium cepa)

Transgenic onion plants (Allium cepa) containing the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35s promoter (CaMV35s) and gfp gene construct encoding the visual green fluorescent reporter protein from pBINm gfp ER and the CaMV35s‐bar gene construct encoding resistance to the herbicide phosphinothricin from pCAMBlA3301 were produced by Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. These plants weregrown to maturity and selfed in order to determine the expression and inheritance of the transgenes. CaMV35s regulation in onion, as observed by GFP expression, was essentially constitutive, and profiles of regulation were typical of those observed in dicotyledonous plants. Inhibition of CaMV35s regulated gene expression was only observed in one transformant. Both the expression of GFP and tolerance to phosphinothricin appeared to be inherited in a Mendelian fashion. Levels of expression in F1 offspring varied, presumably due to environmental and genetic factors. However, it appeared that copy number did strongly influence GFP protein production and expression. In the majority of plants there were no obvious detrimental phenotypic effects caused by the transgene, the integration event, or Somaclonal variation due to the need to perform tissue culture.     

Localized, Cold-Induced Inhibition of Translocation in Mycelia and Strands of Serpula lacrimans

Thompson, W., Brownlee, C, Jennings, D. H. and Mortimer, A.M. 1987. Localized, cold-induce inhibition of translocationin mycelia and strands of Serpula lacrimans. —J. exp.Bot. 38: 889–899 The effect has been investigated of localized low temperatureon translocation of ³²P across myceliui of Serpula lacrimansusing two gas-flow detectors capable of recording radioactivitycontinuously. When the temperature of a band of mycelium wasreduced to 0 ? C, radioactivity ceased to accumulai and in factdeclined under the detector (number 2) separated from the sourceof radioactivity by tr cold-treated mycelium. In the myceliumbeneath the other detector (number 1), closest to the sourceradioactivity, the rate of accumulation of radioactivity increased.When the temperature was raised t 20 ?C, radioactivity beganto accumulate in the mycelium under detector 2 and, apart froma sma fluctuation, continued to accumulate at a uniform rate.In the mycelium under detector 1, the accumulation of radioactivitystopped for a short time but then recommenced at a rate similarto thi found at 0 ?C. In other experiments the distributionof radioactivity (¹⁴C) throughout the myceliui was measuredat the end in homogenized samples. In these experiments a bandof mycelium we subjected to 0 ?C or to 20 ?C for the whole experimentalperiod, or only after the mycelium had bee translocating radioactivityalready for 16 h. These experiments showed that the changesin the rate of accumulation of ³²P in living mycelium underthe two gas flow detectors used for in situ measurements werenot due to a reversal of the flow of translocation. The resultsare consistent with an hypothesis that a turgor-driven massflow of solution is the mechanism for translocation in thisfungus and are considered in relation to the results of similarexperiments on phloem translocation in higher plants. Key words: Serpula lacrimans, mycelium, translocation, low-temperature, phloem transport