USE OF BLUE LAKE AS AN INDICATOR OF BACTERIAL PENETRATION INTO EGGS

Blue Lake, an insoluble dye, was evaluated as an indicator of potential bacterial penetration into eggs. Various groups of eggs (fresh-laid; commercial; water-washed) were dipped in 0.25% (w/v) Blue Lake in 0.1% Triton X-100 solution for 2 min and incubated at room temperature up to 1 ± 24 h. Penetration was detected by counting the blue dots on shell membranes after breaking the eggs. Commercial eggs allowed the easiest penetration. All commercial eggs showed blue dots even at 2 min incubation and the average count reached 111/egg at 1 h. Water-washed eggs allowed much less penetration than commercial eggs and the counts of blue dots on those eggs were 10/egg at 2 min and 22 at 1 h. Fresh-laid eggs did not allow any penetration up to 24 h. Above results corresponded very well with the penetration study with Salmonella enteritidis and also with the morphological study of eggshell surfaces using electron microscopy where fresh-laid eggs had intact cuticle layers, but commercial eggs did not. Thus, Blue Lake dye might be used as a rapid indicator of bacterial penetration through eggshells.     

Ridge, I. (ed) Plants

This book for students new to plant biology emphasizes the functionalside of plant life. Although the topic is large, Irene Ridgeand her five co-writers (Mary Bell, Hilary Denny, Jeremy Roberts,Sue Downs and Phil Parker) have kept the size down to a lengththat is well suited to the study desk rather than the coffeetable. Careful reading of this thoughtfully prepared text byany reasonably diligent student should establish a sound butflexible framework on which to base future years of botanicallearning. The book distils many of the essentials but stillleaves the reader feeling in touch     

Effect of pea bacterial blight (Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi) on the yield of spring sown combining peas (Pisum sativum)

Field trials to examine the effect of pea bacterial blight (Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi) (Psp) on the yield of combining peas were carried out at five sites (HRI Wellesbourne, ADAS Rosemaund, ADAS Terrington, PGRO, SASA East Craigs) in the UK in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Healthy seed, cv. Solara, and seed naturally infected with Psp Race 2 was sown in large plots (c. 200 m²) in the open or under nets to prevent bird damage by pigeons. Despite relatively low disease severity levels (< 15% leaf area) and separation by at least 12 m of cv. Consort (resistant to Race 2) between plots there was considerable spread of disease into plots sown with healthy seed. Regression analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between yield and disease. Of the disease measurements examined, disease severity on the leaves (stipules) at growth stage 208 was found to be the best predictor of yield. A model containing environmental and bird damage terms, in addition to disease, suggested that a yield loss of 0.98 t/ha would be expected for a disease severity score of 1, equivalent to 5% leaf area affected, at growth stage 208.     

Studies in Stomatal Behaviour: VII. EFFECTS OF ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS UPON STOMATAL MOVEMENT--A TEST OF WILLIAMS'S HYPOTHESIS OF STOMATAL MECHANISM

An experiment was carried out to investigate stomatal responsesin wheat to four ‘closing treatments’, viz. highcarbon dioxide concentration, darkness, dry air and nil, eachgiven under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Thus theeffect of lack of oxygen on the closing (or opening) tendencywas estimated. Changes in calculated from resistance porometer readings were used as data and reasonsare given for thinking this is the best available measure forinvestigating stomatal dynamics in wheat. Williams's hypothesisdemands that lack of oxygen should cause stomatal opening orprevent closure; the present experiment shows that anaerobicconditions significantly increase the closing tendency when‘closing treatments’ are first applied. There isalso some suggestion that oxygen-lack itself tends to causeclosure in the absence of any other ‘closing treatment’.Williams's hypothesis in its original form is thus disproved(for wheat) but the present results would be consistent withan ‘active’ uptake of water by the guard cells contributingto stomatal opening. A nearly significant interaction betweencarbon dioxide and oxygen suggests that under anaerobic conditionsa ‘closing substance’ may perhaps be formed, forexample, by the union of some intermediate in glycolysis withcarbon dioxide.     

Experimental Studies of the Relation between Carbon Assimilation and Stomatal Movement: II. The Use of the Resistance Porometer in estimating Stomatal Aperture and Diffusive Resistance

Two purely physical sources of error in the ‘resistanceporometer’ as ordinarily used are considered to be ofappreciable importance, viz. that due to the flow through theleaf being augmented with water vapour which is removed againby a drying agent before the air passes through the standardcapillary, and that due to the leaf temperature differing fromthe capillary temperature. In a bad case the total error mightamount to 10 or 15 per cent. of the ‘leaf resistance’. Modifications to deal with these sources of error and with themore important errors due to the responses of the enclosed stomatato variations in CO₂ supply are described.     

PCR‐RFLP markers detect 29 mitochondrial haplotypes in Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus)

We developed five polymerase chain reaction‐based markers that detect variation in the mitochondrial genome of the Pacific lamprey, Entosphenus tridentatus, across most of its range. Two gene fragments (ND2 and ND5) were amplified and digested with three and two restriction enzymes, respectively, detecting sequence variation at 18 sites (ND2 = 13; ND5 = 5) and yielding 29 composite haplotypes among 1246 lampreys. These sequence‐based markers will be useful in a range of phylogeographical and population genetic studies.     

Factors Controlling the Abundance and Size Distribution of the Phototrophic Ciliate Myrionecta rubra in Open Waters of the North Atlantic

ABSTRACT. Myrionecta rubra, a ubiquitous planktonic ciliate, has received much attention due to its wide distribution, occurrence as a red tide organism, and unusual cryptophyte endosymbiont. Although well studied in coastal waters, M. rubra is poorly examined in the open ocean. In the Irminger Basin, North Atlantic, the abundance of M. rubra was 0–5 cells/ml, which is low compared with that found in coastal areas. Distinct patchiness (100 km) was revealed by geostatistical analysis. Multiple regression indicated there was little relationship between M. rubra abundance and a number of environmental factors, with the exception of temperature and phytoplankton biomass, which influenced abundance in the spring. We also improve on studies that indicate distinct size classes of M. rubra; we statistically recognise four significantly distinct width classes (5–16, 12–23, 18–27, 21–33 μm), which decrease in abundance with increasing size. A multinomial logistic regression revealed the main variable correlated with this size distribution was ambient nitrate concentration. Finally, we propose a hypothesis for the distribution of sizes, involving nutrients, feeding, and dividing of the endosymbiont.