A predictive model for freshwater bioassessment (Mondego River,Portugal)

We sampled macroinvertebrates at 75 locations in the Mondego river catchment, Central Portugal, and developed a predictive model for water quality assessment of this basin, based on the Reference Condition Approach. Sampling was done from June to September 2001. Fifty-five sites were identified as “Reference sites” and 20 sites were used as “Test sites” to test the model. At each site we also measured 40 habitat variables to characterize water physics and chemistry, habitat type, land use, stream hydrology and geographic location. Macroinvertebrates were generally identified to species or genus level; a total of 207 taxa were found. By Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering and analysis of species contribution to similarities percentage (SIMPER), two groups of reference sites were established. Using Discriminant Analysis (stepwise forward), four variables correctly predicted 78% of the reference sites to the appropriate group: stream order, pool quality, substrate quality and current velocity. Test sites’ environmental quality was established from their relative distance to reference sites, in MDS ordination space, using a series of bands (BEAST methodology). The model performed well at upstream sites, but at downstream sites it was compromised by the lack of reference sites. As with the English RIVPACS predictive model, the Mondego model should be continually improved with the addition of new reference sites. The adaptation of the Mondego model methodology to the Water Framework Directive is possible and would consist mainly of the integration of the WFD typology and increasing the number of ellipses that define quality bands. Handling editor: K. Martens     

A phylogenetic analysis of species in the Bufo crucifer group (Anura: Bufonidae), based on indolealkylamines and proteins from skin secretions

This research tested the utility of two classes of skin secretion compounds to the phylogeny of the Bufo crucifer group. Skin secretions from specimens of nine populations of B. crucifer group were obtained and submitted to qualitative analysis. We observed a clear difference in the composition of the skin secretion molecules obtained from the species of Bufo studied. Fifty-nine molecules, 16 indolealkylamines and 43 proteins, were used as characters, and 39 of these were parsimonious informative. The tree topology of the skin secretion combined data showed areas of congruence and conflict when compared to an mtDNA phylogeny of the B. crucifer group. We used the Templeton test to evaluate the heterogeneity between the skin secretion and mtDNA data. Although not recommended, we performed a combined analysis with the two partitions. The skin secretion characters from the species of Bufo studied have phylogenetic signal. These data are indicative, at least as a preliminary study, of the phylogenetic relationships among the B. crucifer group taxa.     

Fine root distribution of trees and understory in mature stands of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) on dry and humid sites

Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) is the main tree cropping species in the Landes of Gascogne forest range in south western France. Soils are nutrient poor, sandy podzosols and site fertility is determined essentially by organic matter content and depth of water table, which is known to limit root growth. We hypothesised, with an ultimate goal of constructing a nutrient uptake model applicable to this region, that the organic top horizons together with the depth of the water table should be the most important parameters related to fine root distribution and presence of associated mycorrhiza. To test this hypothesis, we compared two adult Pinus pinaster stands, contrasting in depth of water table and soil fertility and evaluated fine roots (diameter ≤2 mm) of understory species and fine roots and ectomycorrhizal morphotypes of Pinus pinaster down to 1.2 m, using a soil corer approach. Total fine root biomass of Pinus pinaster was not significantly different between both sites (3.6 and 4.5 t ha⁻¹ for the humid, respectively, dry site), but root distribution was significantly shallower and root diameter increased more with depth at the humid site, presumably due to more adverse soil conditions as related to the presence of a hardpan, higher amount of aluminium oxides and / or anoxia. Fine roots of Pinus pinaster represented only about 30% of total fine root biomass and 15% of total fine root length, suggesting that the understory species cannot be ignored with regards to competition for mineral nutrients and water. A comparison of the ectomycorrhizal morphotypes showed that the humid site could be characterised by a very large proportion of contact exploration types, thought to be more relevant in accessing organic nutrient sources, whereas the dry site had a significantly higher proportion of both long-distance and short-distance exploration types, the latter of which was thought to be more resistant to short-term drought periods. These results partly confirm our hypothesis on root distribution as related to the presence of soil mineral nutrients (i.e. in organic matter), point out the potential role of understory plant species and ectomycorrhizal symbiosis and are a valuable step in building a site-specific nutrient uptake model.     

Isaria cretacea van Beyma

Riassunto E' una breve nota descrittiva diIsaria cretacea van Beyma isolata da terreno di bosco ad Eucalipto.Trattasi di un Ifomicete non ancora segnalato presente in Italia e forse non ancora rinvenuto nel terreno.E' specie auxo-eterotrofa e presenta attività antagonista verso altre specie di funghi.

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Summary The present note deals briefly withIsaria cretacea van Beyma, isolated from Eucaliptus soil. The fungus is a Hyphomycete whose presence in Italy was never noticed before and perhaps it is the first time the it is found in soil. ThisIsaria is an auxo-heterotrophic species and shows a certain antagonistic activity against some fungi.

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Resumo O presente trabalho é uma nota breve descritiva deIsaria cretacea van Beyma, isolada de terreno de um bosque de Eucaliptos. Tratase de um Ifomicete cuja presença na Italia não foi ainda assinalada e talvez seja a primeira vez que é isolada de terreno.E' uma especie auxo-heterotrofica e apresenta uma certa atividade antagonista sobre outros fungos.

     

Winged leaf-cutting ants on nuptial flights used as transport by Attacobius spiders for dispersal

Abstract.  1. Sexuals of a leaf-cutting ant, Atta bisphaerica Forel, left their nest for nuptial flights in October to December.
2. When leaving a nest, 53 of the 479 winged sexuals (or alates) observed (11.1%) carried up to three inquiline spiders of Attacobius luederwaldti .
3. Spiders exclusively selected winged sexuals, not workers, and preferred females, indicating their expectation of the stronger flight ability of females. Neither these sexuals nor workers that appeared out of the nest on flight days attempted to remove or attack spiders on the body of alates.
4. New qucens landing from their nuptial flight did not carry spiders, indicating that the spiders had left the ants in the sky to be dispersed by wind.
5. No spiders were found in more than 100 incipient nests, which were estimated to be 2–3 months old. This suggests that the spiders jumped off the alate during mid-flight and dispersed on the wind to inhabit larger nests.     

Microheterogeneity of lentil seedling (Lens culinaris) amine oxidase

Purified lentil seedling amino oxidase (LSAO) is homogeneous in the analytical ultracentrifuge, but shows heterogeneity in gel-filtration HPLC and in PAGE. Two components were obtained from HPLC and PAGE, but at least 6-7 subforms were seen by electrofocusing techniques. The chromatographic and electrophoretic forms are not interconvertible, indicating the presence of covalent differences. The electrophoretic pattern, but not the chromatographic pattern, is modified by treating the enzyme with a pool of glycohydrolases. The copper-free enzyme shows the same type of heterogeneity as the native enzyme, this ruling out the possibility that some subforms were due to the presence of apoenzyme.     

Mouse DNA methylase. Intracellular location and degradation

DNA methylase extracted with low salt from mouse Krebs II ascites cell nuclei has been degraded stepwise by trypsin treatment. Degradation, accompanied by a limited reduction in size of the native enzyme, leads to the progressive introduction of several nicks so that, eventually, fragments of 14, 18, 24 and 28 kD are released on denaturation. This illustrates the domain structure of the enzyme. In contrast to ascites cell nuclear extracts, preparations from liver nuclei are already nicked and the major from of the enzyme contains a 100 kD fragment though the native molecular weight is unchanged. Newborn mouse liver contains more undegraded enzyme that is mostly firmly-bound within the nucleus. Trypsin treatment increases the de novo activity of the enzyme and prevents its aggregation in the absence of salt, even in the presence of high concentrations of native DNA.     

Captopril inhibits ouabain-sensitive Na+/K+-ATPase

Captopril has been reported to inhibit ouabain-sensitive Na+/K+-ATPase activity in erythrocyte membrane fragments. We investigated the effect of captopril on two physiological measures of Na+/K+ pump activity: 22Na+ efflux from human erythrocytes and K+-induced relaxation of rat tail artery segments. Captopril inhibited 22Na+ efflux from erythrocytes in a concentration-dependent fashion, with 50% inhibition of total 22Na+ efflux at a concentration of 4.8 X 10(-3) M. The inhibition produced by captopril (5 X 10(-3) M) and ouabain (10(-4) M) was not greater than that produced by ouabain alone (65.3 vs. 66.9%, respectively), and captopril inhibited 50% of ouabain-sensitive 22Na+ efflux at a concentration of 2.0 X 10(-3) M. Inhibition by captopril of ouabain-sensitive 22Na efflux was not explained by changes in intracellular sodium concentration, inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme or a sulfhydryl effect. Utilizing rat tail arteries pre-contracted with norepinephrine (NE) or serotonin (5HT) in K+-free solutions, we demonstrated dose-related inhibition of K+-induced relaxation by captopril (10(-6) to 10(-4) M). Concentrations above 10(-4) M did not significantly inhibit K+-induced relaxation but did decrease contractile responses to NE, although not to 5HT. Inhibition of K+-induced relaxation by captopril was not affected by saralasin, teprotide or indomethacin. We conclude that captopril can inhibit membrane Na+/K+-ATPase in intact red blood cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. The mechanism of pump suppression is uncertain, but inhibition of ATPase should be considered when high concentrations of captopril are employed in physiological studies.