Fish predation and reduction in body size in a Cladoceran population: palaeoecological evidence

SUMMARY. 1 We studied the recent history (1852-1982) of Lake Pyhä-järvi, south-west Finland, using both cladoceran microfossils and independent historical data. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of introduced planktivorous whitefish Coregonus lavaretus s.1. on zooplankton, especially on the main prey species Bosmina coregoni Baird s.str.
2. A size-frequency analysis of carapace remains preserved in the sediments clearly shows a size shift in a Bosmina coregoni population. The carapace length of B. coregoni decreased by 11.0% after the introduction of the size-selective planktivorous whitefish, indicating a parallel body-size reduction.
3.During the study period no changes could be found in the carapace length of Chydorus sphaericus O. F. Müller, which was not preyed upon.     

Dipeptides and Amino Acids as Nitrogen Sources for the Callus of Atropa belladonna

Morphactin ester applied as a bark band to stems of Monterey pine seedlings (Pinus radiata D. Don) at first stimulated and then inhibited the rate of stem elongation over a 20-day period. The inhibition was caused by a direct action of morphactin on the shoot rather than by indirect action on the root system. ¹⁴C labelled morphactin applied to the bark accumulated in the shoot apices and the amount accumulated could be related to the inhibition of growth. More than 70% of labelled material isolated from roots and shoot apices was in the form of a metabolite similar to the carboxylic acid derivative of the morphactin ester. A preparation of ¹⁴C labelled acid derivative applied to the bark was translocated to the shoot apex and to the roots and inhibited stem elongation.     

Effects of temperature and sediment properties on benthic CO2 production in an oligotrophic boreal lake

1. Temperature and many other physical and chemical factors affecting CO₂ production in lake sediments vary significantly both seasonally and spatially. The effects of temperature and sediment properties on benthic CO₂ production were studied in in situ and in vitro experiments in the boreal oligotrophic Lake Pääjärvi, southern Finland. 2. In in situ experiments, temperature of the water overlying the shallow littoral sediment varied seasonally between 0.5 and 15.7 °C, but in deep water (≥20 m) the range was only 1.1–6.6 °C. The same exponential model (r² = 0.70) described the temperature dependence at 1.2, 10 and 20 m depths. At 2.5 and 5 m depths, however, the slopes of the two regression models (r² = 0.94) were identical but the intercept values were different. Sediment properties (wet, dry, mineral and organic mass) varied seasonally and with depth, but they did not explain a significantly larger proportion of variation in the CO₂ output rate than temperature. 3. In in vitro experiments, there was a clear and uniform exponential dependence of CO₂ production on temperature, with a 2.7‐fold increase per 10 °C temperature rise. The temperature response (slope of regression) was always the same, but the basic value of CO₂ production (intercept) varied, indicating that other factors also contributed to the benthic CO₂ output rate. 4. The annual CO₂ production of the sediment in Lake Pääjärvi averaged 62 g CO₂ m^?2, the shallow littoral at 0–3 m depth releasing 114 g CO₂ m^?2 and deep profundal (>15 m) 30 g CO₂ m^?2. On the whole lake basis, the shallow littoral at 0–3 m depth accounted for 53% and the sediment area in contact with the summer epilimnion (down to a depth c. 10 m) 75% of the estimated total annual CO₂ output of the lake sediment, respectively. Of the annual production, 83% was released during the spring and summer. 5. Using the temperature‐CO₂ production equations and climate change scenarios we estimated that climatic warming might increase littoral benthic CO₂ production in summer by nearly 30% from the period 1961–90 to the period 2071–2100.     

Population genetics of the black ant Formica lemani (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Colony kin structure and spatial population structure were studied in multiple populations of the ant Formica lemani , using allozymes and DNA microsatellites. Average genetic relatedness between nestmate workers varied little between populations ( r  = 0.51–0.76), indicating that the average colony kin structure was relatively simple. Worker genotypes could not be explained with a single breeding pair in all nests, however, and the distribution of relatedness estimates across nests was bimodal, suggesting that single- and multi-queen colonies co-occur. We studied spatial population structure in a successional boreal forest system, which is a mixture of different aged habitats. Newly clear-cut open habitat patches are quickly colonized by F. lemani , where it is able to persist for a limited number of generations. Newly-founded populations showed signs of a founder effect and spatial substructuring, whereas older populations were more homogenous. This suggests that new populations are founded by a limited number of colonizers arriving from more than one source. Genetic differentiation among local populations was minor, indicating strong migration between them. There were, however, indications of both isolation by distance and populations becoming more isolated as habitat patches grew older.  © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2009, 97 , 247–258.     

Does ionic strength affect the configuration of aquatic humic substances,as indicated by gel filtration?

SUMMARY. 1. The effect of ionic strength on the configuration of aquatic humic substances was studied by gel filtration and dialysis of water from small. Finnish forest lakes of varying colour.
2. Sephadex gel filtration of water from the most humic lake gave similar elution profiles of UV absorbance and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Gel filtration of unconcentrated samples from all three lakes under natural conditions of ionic strength (I = 1.7 × 10⁻⁴) and pH (5.5–6.0) gave similar fractionation of humic substances, despite their widely differing colour (30–350 mg Pt l⁻¹) and DOC (5–25mg C l⁻¹).
3. Increasing the ionic strength by two orders of magnitude caused considerable retardation on the Sephadex columns of the humic substances, suggesting a decrease in their molecular size and/or shape.
4. Dialysis experiments strongly indicated that ionic strength-induced changes in the configuration of the aquatic humic substances are indeed real. Hence it is probable that the elution behaviour of aquatic humic substances on Sephadex gels has previously been wrongly attributed to ionic strength-dependent interactions between the gel and the humic substances.     

Phosphorus transformations in the epilimnion of humic lakes: abiotic interactions between dissolved humic materials and phosphate

SUMMARY. 1. Sephadex gel filtration of filtered water from small, Finnish forest lakes demonstrated abiotic movement of ³³P from added PO₄ to two higher molecular weight fractions. This movement was most pronounced in waters with high humic content which also had high iron content. The two fractions which took up ¹³P had nominal molecular weights of > 100,000 and 10,000-20,000.
2. An equilibrium existed between free PO₄ and the two fractions. However, one fraction, at least, appeared to exist in two phases, with one phase in rapid equilibrium with free PO₄ but the other in only slow equilibrium.
3. Additions of ferric iron up to 1 mg Fe l⁻¹ to the filtered lake water stimulated movement from free PO₄, provided high concentrations of humic materials were present. In the absence of humic materials even 0.1 mg Fe 1⁻¹ would precipitate all added ³³PO₄.
4. The high molecular weight P was only partially reactive with standard molybdate reagents. Exposure of the high molecular weight P to sunlight caused a small release of PO₄ under the experimental conditions employed.
5. Possible implications for biological phosphorus demand of such sequestration of free PO₄ by humic materials in combination with iron are discussed.     

Hypolimnetic phosphorus retrieval by diel vertical migrations of lake phytoplankton

SUMMARY. I. Movement of ³³P from hypolimnion to epilimnion in a small, dystrophic lake was investigated using small-diameter experimental tubes enclosing thermally stratified water columns. This approach was made possible by the extremely sharp stratification found in such lakes, in which the euphotic zone closely coincides with the epilimnion.
2. The vertical distribution of inorganic phosphorus in the lake showed a sharp increase across the thermocline so that enhanced concentrations were available to phytoplankton just below the thermocline. Inorganic nitrogen concentrations did not show such a marked relation to thermal stratification.
3. One abundant motile alga ( Cryptomonas marssonii ) showed striking and regular vertical migrations in the lake, moving below the thermocline at night and returning to the surface waters in early morning. These migrations took cells across a 10°C temperature gradient. Non-motile phytoplankton showed constant vertical distributions.
4. In the experimental tubes an upward movement of phosphorus took place from hypolimnion to epilimnion which was only attributable to transport by phytoplankton cells undertaking active vertical migrations. No equivalent movement of phosphorus occurred in control tubes from which algae were absent.
5. The possible significance of such nutrient retrieval is discussed with reference to plankton phosphorus budgets and competition between phytoplankton species.     

Post-emergence migration of stoneflies (Plecoptera) into the nearby forest

Abstract. 1. The post-emergence lateral migration of both sexes of eight stonefly species was examined in a dystrophic, fourth-order forest river in eastern Finland.
2. For this purpose, 7351 stonefly adults were collected with eighteen trunk funnels positioned in rows of six at distances of approximately 1, 15 and 60 m from the river. A further 1880 adults were also caught from the vegetation of the bank zone by sweep netting and with slit traps.
3. The species could be grouped into two types with respect to migration distance: Isoperla difformis, I.grammatica and Leuctra fusca tended to stay in the bank area, whereas Nemoura flexuosa, N.avicularis, Amphinemura borealis, L.hippopus and N.cinerea tended to disperse into the forest, so that the majority were found some distance away from the shore.
4. The males of the leuctrids, N.flexuosa and N.cinerea migrated farther than the females.
5. The sex ratio was significantly biased in all species except N.flexuosa. The isoperlids, leuctrids and A.borealis showed a significant predominance of females in the trunk funnel catches, but males were significantly dominant in N.avicularis and N.cinerea. The material caught by other methods reversed the ratio for I.difformis and N.avicularis. Comparison of the sex ratios of the species with other reports revealed marked variation and deviation from unity, much of which could be attributed to bias introduced by the sampling methods.
6. Lateral migration seems to be the first phase in the colonization cycle, although the latter as such was not studied here. Adults of Euholognatha species migrate farther than those of Systellognatha, a difference of which may be due to their ability to feed as adults.     

Statistical Distribution of Stomatal Apertures of Vicia faba and Hordeum vulgare and the Spannungsphase of Stomatal Opening

Plants of Vicia faba and Hordeum vulgare were grown in growthboxes with 7 mW cm^–2 PAR, 14 h day/10 h night, at 22/20°C. Stomata of attached leaves were measured under controlledconditions by means of an optical microscope and the distributionfunctions of the widths of pores were established. For Viciafaba they appeared to be symmetrical bell-shaped functions.In the process of stomatal opening or closure the shape of thedistribution remained constant, its maximum sliding left andright along the aperture axis. This result has been interpretedto mean that increments or decrements of apertures were equalfor all stomata independent of their individual apertures. Theconclusion has been drawn that the ‘driving force’is evenly distributed, equal for all stomata, and varies withinwider limits than is possible for stomatal apertures. Stomatalopening is limited by the closed state from below and by ananatomically possible maximum aperture from above.