Utilization of Seed Reserves and Currently Produced Photosynthates by Embryonic Tissues of Pine Seedlings

The importance of seed reserves for growth of Pinus resinosaAit. during and shortly after seed germination was studied undercontrolled conditions. Tissues in the resting embryo were notcompletely differentiated. Many small, presumably reserve particleswere present in the embryo in addition to reserves in the megagametophyte.During seed germination, procambia in the embryo first differentiatedprotophloem 2 days after seeds were sown. The radicle beganto emerge from the seed coat at 5 days, at which time initialxylem formation was observed. Also, at approximately the sametime, primordia of primary needles were forming in the peripheralzone of the apex. Elements of the photosynthetic apparatus,including stomata and mesophyll with chloroplasts, were differentiatedfirst in the hypocotyl and then in cotyledons between 5 and8 days after seeds were sown. Photosynthetic rates of youngseedlings were correlated with rates of cotyledon expansion.During early developmental stages, reserve particles in megagametophytecells and embryo cells gradually disappeared. Surgical removalof megagametophytes at various stages of seed germination resultedin subsequent growth inhibition of the hypocotyl-radicle axis,with early removal of cotyledons suppressing most growth. Growthof primary needles appeared to be influenced indirectly by megagametophytereserves, probably by changes in amount of photosynthetic tissue.The embryo alone possessed capacity to differentiate such tissuesas primary needle primordia, stomata, and primary and secondaryvascular systems. Megagametophyte reserves appeared to contributeto growth of embryonic tissues only after the embryo itselfinitiated growth. Both current photosynthesis of seedlings andseed reserves contributed importantly to seedling development.     

Guilt by Association: The Culture of Accusation and the American Anthropological Association's Investigation of Darkness in El Dorado

The American Anthropological Association's investigation of the charges in Darkness in El Dorado (Tierney 2000) found that the late James Neel and Napoleon Chagnon harmed the Yanomami in the course of their research in Venezuela and Brazil, and that Chagnon had violated the ethics code of the association. The association's inquiry contravened its own policy prohibiting ethics adjudications and was structured not by the standards of an objective investigation but by aspects of contemporary anthropology. Moralized approaches to information and postmodern rejection of objectivity mark the language and methods of the inquiry. The investigating task force did not observe reasonable standards of evidence, the targets of the investigation were not represented, and task force members were compromised by conflicts of interest. The investigation and its collateral activities reflect a culture of accusation and an anthropology uncertain of its ethical or scientific stature.     

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF DEPRESSION: DO WE HAVE ANY SOLID EVIDENCE OF INTEREST TO CLINICIANS?

Due to the clinical and etiological heterogeneity of major depressive disorder, it has been difficult to elucidate its pathophysiology. Current neurobiological theories with the most valid empirical foundation and the highest clinical relevance are reviewed with respect to their strengths and weaknesses. The selected theories are based on studies investigating psychosocial stress and stress hormones, neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), neurocircuitry, neurotrophic factors, and circadian rhythms. Because all theories of depression apply to only some types of depressed patients but not others, and because depressive pathophysiology may vary considerably across the course of illness, the current extant knowledge argues against a unified hypothesis of depression. As a consequence, antidepressant treatments, including psychological and biological approaches, should be tailored for individual patients and disease states. Individual depression hypotheses based on neurobiological knowledge are discussed in terms of their interest to both clinicians in daily practice and clinical researchers developing novel therapies.     

The sedimentation of amyloplasts in living statocytes of the dandelion flower stalk

Abstract The sedimentation of amyloplasts in inverted statocytes of the flower stalk of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber) was followed using light microscopy. Much variety in sedimentation pattern was evident with complete sedimentation occurring in as little as 3–4 min to as much as a few h and individual amyloplasts showing barely perceptible sedimentation or sedimenting at speeds of up to 40 μm min^?1. It was also apparent that amyloplasts were subjected to considerable movement after they had sedimented. Large vacuoles and cytoplasmic streaming in statocytes were confirmed and are considered to greatly influence amy-loplast sedimentation pattern. The implications of these observations for the starch-statolith hypothesis of geotropism are discussed.     

Potential for passive internal dispersal: eggs of an aquatic leaf beetle survive passage through the digestive system of mallards

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