Local Mangrove Planting in the Philippines: Are Fisherfolk and Fishpond Owners Effective Restorationists?

Local fisherfolk and fishpond owners have been practicing “restoration” of mangrove forests in some parts of the Philippines for decades, well before governments and non‐government organizations began to promote the activity as a conservation tool. This paper examines ecological characteristics of these mangrove plantations and compares them to natural mangroves in the same areas. Mangrove planters were interviewed and plantation and natural mangrove forests were surveyed to measure forest structure, composition and regeneration. Compared with natural forests, mangrove plantations were characterized by high densities of small stems, shorter and narrower canopies, and fewer species. For both economic and ecological reasons, the vast majority of people dispersed and planted only Rhizophora mucronata/stylosa and, furthermore, they often thinned other species out of planted areas. There was remarkably little subsequent recruitment of other, nonplanted mangrove species into plantations up to 50 and 60 years of age. This pattern held across a diversity of sites, including plantations that had not been selectively cut or weeded. Important ecological and economic benefits result from local mangrove planting, but catalyzing diverse forest regeneration—at least in the short to medium term—is not one of them. The lesson: if you want to restore diverse mangrove forests, you have to plant diverse mangrove forests.     

Stress-elicited changes in amino acid levels of hemolymph of Aplysia californica

The effects of stress produced by noxious cutaneous stimulation on the concentration of 18 amino acids in the hemolymph of Aplysia californica were examined. The concentration of alanine and glutamate increased in response to stress and remained elevated for at least 6 h. The total amino acid concentration in the hemolymph did not change significantly in response to stress. It is concluded that stress evokes an increase in circulating alanine and glutamate levels. These factors may then act in a paracrine, endocrine, or neuroendocrine manner to modify stress-associated behaviors.Abbreviations AA amino acids(s) - bw body weight - SEM standard error of the mean - SW sea water     

Basement membrane and vascular remodelling in smokers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study

Background

Little is known about airway remodelling in bronchial biopsies (BB) in smokers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted an initial pilot study comparing BB from COPD patients with nonsmoking controls. This pilot study suggested the presence of reticular basement membrane (Rbm) fragmentation and altered vessel distribution in COPD.

Methods

To determine whether Rbm fragmentation and altered vessel distribution in BB were specific for COPD we designed a cross-sectional study and stained BB from 19 current smokers and 14 ex-smokers with mild to moderate COPD and compared these to 15 current smokers with normal lung function and 17 healthy and nonsmoking subjects.

Results

Thickness of the Rbm was not significantly different between groups; although in COPD this parameter was quite variable. The Rbm showed fragmentation and splitting in both current smoking groups and ex-smoker COPD compared with healthy nonsmokers (p < 0.02); smoking and COPD seemed to have additive effects. Rbm fragmentation correlated with smoking history in COPD but not with age. There were more vessels in the Rbm and fewer vessels in the lamina propria in current smokers compared to healthy nonsmokers (p < 0.05). The number of vessels staining for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the Rbm was higher in both current smoker groups and ex-smoker COPD compared to healthy nonsmokers (p < 0.004). In current smoker COPD VEGF vessel staining correlated with FEV1% predicted (r = 0.61, p < 0.02).

Conclusions

Airway remodelling in smokers and mild to moderate COPD is associated with fragmentation of the Rbm and altered distribution of vessels in the airway wall. Rbm fragmentation was also present to as great an extent in ex-smokers with COPD. These characteristics may have potential physiological consequences.     

Models of the Transmembrane Domains of the Yeast Mitochondrial CitrateTransport Protein

We have used cysteine scanning, hydropathy analysis and molecular modeling to construct four possible models of the transmembrane helical domains of the yeast mitochondrial citrate transport protein. Models 1 and 2 invoke the formation of a translocation pathway by the six membrane-spanning alpha-helical domains that comprise each citrate transport protein monomer. Thus the homodimeric CTP (the functional form of the CTP) would contain two separate translocation pathways. Models 3 and 4 explore a novel way in which dimerization might take place, in which transmembrane domain 3 would form part of the dimer interface. This would lead to the formation of two seven-helix translocation pathways within the transporter dimer. Importantly, these studies have led to the construction of the first detailed structural models for any of the mitochondrial anion transport proteins, a family of proteins which is essential to cellular bioenergetics. Furthermore, these models suggest numerous experiments which can be carried out to further elucidate the structure of the translocation pathway through the membrane.     

Urbanization,sedimentation, and the homogenization of fish assemblages in the Etowah River Basin,USA

We tested the hypothesis that urbanization alters stream sediment regimes and homogenizes fish assemblages in 30 sub-basins of the Etowah River. Sediment variables included average particle size (mean phi) of the stream bed, percent fines (<2 mm) in riffles, and baseflow turbidity (NTU). Homogenization was quantified as ratios of endemic to cosmopolitan species richness (E_r:C_r) and abundance (E_a:C_a). High NTU and fine stream beds were associated with homogenized assemblages (i.e., lower E:C ratios). Mean phi and NTU were significantly correlated with E:C ratios (r = –0.74 to –0.76) and, when combined using multiple regression, accounted for 73% of the variance in ratios. Stream slope strongly covaried with mean phi (r = –0.92) and percent fines in riffles (r = –0.79), but multiple regression models showed that urbanized sites had finer beds and riffles than predicted by slope alone. Urban land cover was the primary predictor of NTU (r ² = 0.42) and, combined with slope in multiple regression, explained 51% of the variance in NTU. Our results indicate that stream slope is a background variable predicting particle size and E:C ratios in these streams. Urbanization disrupts these relationships by transforming clear streams with coarse beds into turbid streams with finer beds. These conditions favor cosmopolitan species, ultimately homogenizing fish assemblages. Bed texture was linked to urbanization; however, NTU was the best indicator of urban impacts because it was statistically independent from slope.     

Bacterial and eukaryotic systems collide in the three Rs of Methanococcus

Methanococcus maripaludis S2 is a methanogenic archaeon with a well-developed genetic system. Its mesophilic nature offers a simple system in which to perform complementation using bacterial and eukaryotic genes. Although information-processing systems in archaea are generally more similar to those in eukaryotes than those in bacteria, the order Methanococcales has a unique complement of DNA replication proteins, with multiple MCM (minichromosome maintenance) proteins and no obvious originbinding protein. A search for homologues of recombination and repair proteins in M. maripaludis has revealed a mixture of bacterial, eukaryotic and some archaeal-specific homologues. Some repair pathways appear to be completely absent, but it is possible that archaeal-specific proteins could carry out these functions. The replication, recombination and repair systems in M. maripaludis are an interesting mixture of eukaryotic and bacterial homologues and could provide a system for uncovering novel interactions between proteins from different domains of life.     

The identification and optimisation of novel and selective diamide neuropeptide Y Y2 receptor antagonists

A novel small molecule NPY Y2 antagonist (3) identified from high throughput screening is described. A subsequent SAR study and optimisation programme based around this molecule is also described, leading to the identification of potent and soluble pyridyl analogue 36.