Eucampia Index as an indicator of the Late Pleistocene oscillations of the winter sea-ice extent at the ODP Leg 119 Site 745B at the Kerguelen Plateau

A new paleoenvironmental proxy, Eucampia Index, was used to trace the Late Pleistocene oscillations of winter ice extent at ODP Leg 119, Site 745B (59° 35.71 S and 85° 51.60 E) on the Kerguelen Plateau. The index is calculated as the ratio of winter terminal to intercalary valves of the diatom Eucampia antarctica sensu lato. During the early Brunhes the winter sea-ice edge was positioned south from Site 745. It started expanding northward, closer to the site location soon after 0.4 Ma and progressed in a manner of a several wide oscillations. For approximately the last 0.1 Ma the winter sea-ice edge oscillated less and retained similar range of oscillations. The ice edge oscillated in periods which correspond closely to that of Milankovitch oscillations of Earth obliquity, although the significance of individual periods appears to vary in time.     

Reproductive patterns in annual legume species on an aridity gradient

Reproductive patterns are analysed in annual legumes of west Asia, and their relationships to increasing aridity determined by multivariate analysis. Dormancy, seed size, dispersal and fecundity are shown to be partially substitutable in terms of their effect on survival and population growth.The range of patterns show greatest diversity under mesic conditions in coastal, mediterranean areas with high winter rainfall, low incidence of frost and long growing season. Increasing aridity leads to increasing reproductive homogeneity, in which a subset of patterns-those composed of high levels of seed dormancy, high seed to pod ratios, restricted dispersal capabilities and early flowering-become predominant. These findings corroborate earlier theoretical and empirical evidence concerning desert annuals.The majority of widespread species are shown to possess arid-type patterns. This exerts considerable influence on both the type and degree of ecotypic differentiation within species. The only feature that responds consistently to climatic change is flowering time, particularly among species characterized by high seed dormancy. In the few widespread species that do not display arid-type characteristics, ecotypic differentiation appears more frequently in a larger suite of traits.The unequal environmental demands made on species showing different levels of dormancy (e.g. variation in length of growing season from year to year and place to place) leads to strong asymmetries governing the relationships between reproduction and ecological amplitude. In this respect arid-type strategists with high seed dormancy appear to have greater chances of expansion than others. This has implications when choosing pasture legumes to improve mediterranean grasslands.     

Survey and analysis of commercial cellulase preparations suitable for biomass conversion to ethanol

Commercial cellulase enzymes have been used in the food, detergent, and textile industries, and are potentially effective for processing biomass feedstocks. A survey was undertaken to identify major manufacturers/distributors of cellulases in the USA and to evaluate 13 representative commercial preparations for enzyme activity, protein concentration, and chemical composition. Samples were subjected to activity measurements using filter paper, carboxymethylcellulose, cellobiose, and p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside as substrates. To ascertain the microbial origin of the commercial preparations, Western blots utilizing monoclonal antibodies specific for Trichoderma reesei CBH I and Aspergillus niger β-d-glucosidase were developed. Eleven of the cellulases tested were of T. reesei or T. viride origin and two were from A. niger.     

Glucose regulates pancreatic preprosomatostatin I expression

Rainbow trout were used as a model system to evaluate the role of glucose in regulating the expression of preprosomatostatin I. Glucose increased pancreatic levels of preprosomatostatin I mRNA in vivo, in concert with elevated plasma somatostatin levels, and in vitro. Glucose-stimulated expression of preprosomatostatin I mRNA required the uptake, phosphorylation, and subsequent metabolism of the sugar in pancreatic islets. These results suggest that glucose modulates both the production and release of somatostatin.     

Survey and analysis of commercial cellulase preparations suitable for biomass conversion to ethanol

Commercial cellulase enzymes have been used in the food, detergent, and textile industries, and are potentially effective for processing biomass feedstocks. A survey was undertaken to identify major manufacturers/distributors of cellulases in the USA and to evaluate 13 representative commercial preparations for enzyme activity, protein concentration, and chemical composition. Samples were subjected to activity measurements using filter paper, carboxymethylcellulose, cellobiose, and p-nitrophenyl--d-glucopyranoside as substrates. To ascertain the microbial origin of the commercial preparations, Western blots utilizing monoclonal antibodies specific for Trichoderma reesei CBH I and Aspergillus niger -d-glucosidase were developed. Eleven of the cellulases tested were of T. reesei or T. viride origin and two were from A. niger.     

Infectious speciation revisited: impact of symbiont-depletion on female fitness and mating behavior of Drosophila paulistorum

The neotropical Drosophila paulistorum superspecies, consisting of at least six geographically overlapping but reproductively isolated semispecies, has been the object of extensive research since at least 1955, when it was initially trapped mid-evolution in flagrant statu nascendi. In this classic system females express strong premating isolation patterns against mates belonging to any other semispecies, and yet uncharacterized microbial reproductive tract symbionts were described triggering hybrid inviability and male sterility. Based on theoretical models and limited experimental data, prime candidates fostering symbiont-driven speciation in arthropods are intracellular bacteria belonging to the genus Wolbachia. They are maternally inherited symbionts of many arthropods capable of manipulating host reproductive biology for their own benefits. However, it is an ongoing debate as to whether or not reproductive symbionts are capable of driving host speciation in nature and if so, to what extent. Here we have reevaluated this classic case of infectious speciation by means of present day molecular approaches and artificial symbiont depletion experiments. We have isolated the α-proteobacteria Wolbachia as the maternally transmitted core endosymbionts of all D. paulistorum semispecies that have coevolved towards obligate mutualism with their respective native hosts. In hybrids, however, these mutualists transform into pathogens by overreplication causing embryonic inviability and male sterility. We show that experimental reduction in native Wolbachia titer causes alterations in sex ratio, fecundity, and mate discrimination. Our results indicate that formerly designated Mycoplasma-like organisms are most likely Wolbachia that have evolved by becoming essential mutualistic symbionts in their respective natural hosts; they have the potential to trigger pre- and postmating isolation. Furthermore, in light of our new findings, we revisit the concept of infectious speciation and discuss potential mechanisms that can restrict or promote symbiont-induced speciation at post- and prezygotic levels in nature and under artificial laboratory conditions.     

Diatoms from two macro-tidal mudflats in Chignecto Bay,Upper Bay of Fundy,New Brunswick,Canada

Mudflat research is dispersed among several fields (ecology, sedimentology), each with its own focus and methodology. Consequently, although the volume of mudflat literature is considerable, our understanding of mudflat ecology remains fragmented. For example, little is known about the structure of microbial communities outside Western Europe. Here we present the first North American specific composition and densities of live mudflat diatoms and relate them to properties of their environment on two closely located flats. The two flats (Daniel’s and Buck’s) were similar until the mid–1980s. After this time the biological and sedimentary environment on Buck’s Flats began to change and resulted in a precipitous decline of the keystone invertebrate Corophium volutator (Pallas). The specific diatom composition on each of the two flats examined was still very similar. Tychoplanktonic diatoms were numerically dominant on both flats. The flats differed significantly in the relative contribution of epipelic diatoms, which were about an order of magnitude greater on Buck’s Flats. CCA analysis suggests that very few of these species exist within their optimal habitat. Some of the differences appeared small, but were statistically and biologically significant. Daniel’s Flats sediments had a 30% larger mean grain size, less water and organic carbon compared to Buck’s Flats sediments. Buck’s Flats had more variable depths of the oxygenated layer, often with anoxic inclusions throughout. Daniel’s Flats supported more C. volutator, while Buck’s Flats contained greater densities of diatoms. The importance of preserving environmental conditions (sedimentary and biotic) prevailing on flats such as Danielȁ9s Flat in order to foster populations of Corophium at a level necessary to support foraging migratory shorebirds is also discussed.     

Characteristics of the Drosophila paulistorum Male Sterility Agent in a Secondary Host, Ephestia kuehniella

Crosses among the six semispecies of Drosophila paulistorum produce sterile male hybrids. This sterility is caused by an agent which has characteristics of a microorganism. It is pathogenic in a secondary host, the larvae of the Mediterranean meal moth, Ephestia kuehniella, and can be serially passaged in Ephestia, where it is lethal. The agent was passaged back into D. paulistorum, where it induced sterility in males of a semispecies different from that of origin of the agent. Infectious particles were obtained from an extract of infected Ephestia by ultracentrifugation in a sucrose-Ficoll-metrizamide gradient. Both crude and purified extracts were lyophilized and stored indefinitely without loss of killing power. The agent was destroyed by low pH, lipid solvents, ultraviolet light, and exposure to a temperature of 56°C for 30 min. It appeared to be sensitive to tetracycline and insensitive to penicillin, suggesting that the agent is not a virus, but more likely a cell wall-deficient bacterium or mycoplasma-like organism.