Effect of age,sex, and mutual interaction on the locomotor behavior of Orchestia gammarellus in the supralittoral zone of Ghar El Melh lagoon (Bizerte,Tunisia)

Freshly collected individuals of Orchestia gammarellus from the supralittoral zone of Ghar El Melh lagoon (Northern of Tunisia) were housed in spring in a controlled-environment cabinet. Locomotor activity rhythm of this species was recorded in spring, at a constant temperature of 18 ± 0.5 °C. In the first experiment, juveniles and adults specimens were kept under light-dark cycle in phase with the natural diel cycle. In the two other experiments (males/females and mixed/unmixed groups), individuals of O. gammarellus were maintained under constant darkness. According to double-plotted actograms, waveforms and periodogram analysis, results revealed different locomotor pattern. However, locomotor rhythm of juveniles was more stable than adults. Also, the locomotor activity rhythm of groups was more defined than that of the isolated individuals. Moreover, the activity of mixed groups as well as unmixed groups was more pronounced than the activity of the isolated individuals. Furthermore, results showed no significant difference between locomotor rhythm pattern of males and females of this species.     

Locomotor behaviour in males,females and groups of Orchestia montagui (Amphipoda,Talitridae) in the supralittoral zone of Bizerte lagoon

Locomotor activity rhythm of Orchestia montagui was investigated under constant darkness in a population collected in spring from the supralittoral zone of Bizerte lagoon (northern region of Tunisia) at Menzel Jmil in spring. This rhythm was recorded in individual and groups of animal by infrared actography every 20 min by multichannel data loggers, at a constant temperature of 18 ± 0.5 °C. According to double-plotted actograms, wave forms and periodogram analysis, results revealed different locomotor pattern. However, locomotor activity rhythm of males was more stable than females. Furthermore, the mortality was statistically higher in unmixed groups than in mixed groups.     

Locomotor activity patterns of two sympatric species Orchestia montagui and Orchestia gammarellus (Crustacea,Amphipoda)

Freshly adult individuals of two sympatric species, Orchestia gammarellus and Orchestia montagui, collected in spring from the supralittoral zone of Bizerte lagoon (Northern of Tunisia) at Menzel Jemil, were housed in a controlled environment cabinet. Locomotor activity rhythm was recorded in isolated individuals and groups by infrared actograph every 20 min by a data-logger, at a constant temperature of 18 ± 0.5 °C under constant darkness. According to double-plotted actograms and waveform curves, results showed the presence of two different locomotor patterns; in fact, individuals of O. gammarellus concentrated their activity during the hours of subjective night, whereas O. montagui were active during the subjective night and beyond the subjective dawn. Furthermore, whatever the species studied, periodogram analysis indicated a distinct circadian pattern of activity. Moreover, whatever the experiment condition is, the most clearly defined rhythms were found in O. gammarellus. In contrary to O. gammarellus, the group effect on the locomotor rhythm parameters seems to be less marked in O. montagui. On the other hand, a highly inter-individual variability was observed in the activity time for these two species and especially for O. montagui groups.     

Genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of tunisian isoniazid-resistant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycobacterium tuberculosis</Emphasis> strains

Forty three isoniazid (INH)-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were characterized on the basis of the most common INH associated mutations, katG315 and mabA −15C→T, and phenotypic properties (i.e. MIC of INH, resistance associated pattern, and catalase activity). Typing for resistance mutations was performed by Multiplex Allele-Specific PCR and sequencing reaction. Mutations at either codon were detected in 67.5% of isolates: katG315 in 37.2, mabA −15C→T in 27.9 and both of them in 2.4%, respectively. katG sequencing showed a G insertion at codon 325 detected in 2 strains and leading to amino acid change T326D which has not been previously reported. Distribution of each mutation, among the investigated strains, showed that katG S315T was associated with multiple-drug profile, high-level INH resistance and loss or decreased catalase activity; whereas the mabA −15C→T was more prevalent in mono-INH resistant isolates, but it was not only associated with a low-level INH resistance. It seems that determination of catalase activity aids in the detection of isolates for which MICs are high and could, in conjunction with molecular methods, provide rapid detection of most clinical INH-resistant strains.     

Locomotor activity pattern in pairs of the subsocial desert isopod Hemilepistus reaumurii

Locomotor activity rhythm of fresh adult of H. reaumurii was recorded in pairs with ovigerous and with non-ovigerous females. According to double-plotted actograms and waveform curves, results showed the presence of different locomotor patterns. In fact, locomotor profiles of pairs with ovigerous females were mainly bimodal whatever the recording conditions, whereas locomotor patterns were trimodal in pairs with non-ovigerous females. Results showed also that locomotor activity rhythm was more stable in the presence of the synchronizer (nLD cycle) than in constant darkness whatever the recording type. Moreover, the most important stability of the locomotor rhythm was observed under constant darkness and individuals were more active in pairs with ovigerous females than in pairs with non-ovigerous females.     

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the terrestrial isopod Porcellionides pruinosus in the vicinity of Gabes-Ghannouch industrial complex

Abstract

The current study reports the effects of heavy metals issued from the emissions of phosphate and their bioaccumulation in the soils, leaf litter, and the terrestrial isopod Porcellionides pruinosus in the vicinity of Gabes-Ghannouch industrial complex. Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu concentrations were measured in soils, leaf litter, and P. pruinosus individuals, collected from four stations located at different distances from the factory. Results showed that heavy metal concentrations in soils varied from one site to another and did not reflect those measured in individuals. In contrast, a positive correlation was found between the isopods’ body length and the distance from the pollution source, revealing the isopod sensitivity to the soil metal concentrations. The bioaccumulation factor was calculated using soil and leaf litter as a solid support with the aim of ordering the metal accumulation in P. pruinosus for each site. Overall, P. pruinosus could be defined as a macroconcentrator of Cd, Zn, and Cu (BAF?>?2) and as a deconcentrator of Pb (BAF?<?1).