Systematics within Gyps vultures: a clade at risk

Background  

Populations of the Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) have declined by over 95% within the past decade. This decline is largely due to incidental consumption of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory veterinary pharmaceutical diclofenac, commonly used to treat domestic livestock. The conservation status of other Gyps vultures in southern Asia is also of immediate concern, given the lack of knowledge regarding status of their populations and the continuing existence of taxonomic uncertainties. In this study, we assess phylogenetic relationships for all recognized species and the majority of subspecies within the genus Gyps. The continuing veterinary use of diclofenac is an unknown but potential risk to related species with similar feeding habits to Gyps bengalensis. Therefore, an accurate assessment of the phylogenetic relationships among Gyps vultures should aid in their conservation by clarifying taxonomic uncertainties, and enabling inference of their respective relatedness to susceptible G. bengalensis.     

Histochemical Localization of Calcium Oxalate Crystals in Starch Grains of Yams (Dioscorea)

The bulbils and/or tubers of seven species of yams (Dioscorea)were examined for crystal content using light microscopy andhistochemistry. Calcium oxalate crystals in the form of raphide bundles werelocalized in the parenchymatous tissues. Within starch grains,crystals of various shapes and sizes were observed. The variationin shape and sizes of the intra-amylar crystals could be exploitedfor taxonomic purposes. Calcium oxalate crystals appear to serve a storage functionin these starch grains. Yams, Dioscorea, raphides, oxalate crystals, histochemistry     

Zooplankton associations in Zimbabwe

The specific composition and diversity of the zooplankton in 18 impoundments in Zimbabwe were analysed on the basis of samples taken in July and August 1983. All the lakes lay at altitudes over 1200 m, with the highest at 2270 m.
Thirty species of Rotifera and 20 species of Crustacea were identified, but the mean numbers of species per lake were 5·7 rotifers and 4·5 crustaceans. Some records represent considerable extensions of known ranges. Daphnia laevis was the most widespread and frequently dominant crustacean, while among the rotifers Keratella cochlearis was most frequently dominant, particularly in the lakes at the upper part of the altitudinal range.
Ordination and cluster analysis of the associations revealed a group of lakes with closely interrelated similarities which could be attributed to their lying on tributaries of the same river system and receiving trout from the same hatchery. These analyses also picked out the lowest locality as the most divergent and the one showing the most typically tropical zooplankton association. Although all the lakes were well within the tropics, their altitudes seem to have excluded some of the widespread tropical African zooplankters.
The possibility that these associations could be formed by random colonization is discussed and dismissed.
The momentary species composition of these Zimbabwean zooplankton associations was similar to that given by Pennak (1957) for the world average, although the mean number of species of Copepoda was significantly lower than the world average. Comparisons with data from Brazil and Lake Maggiore indicate the need for a further geographical analysis.
A comparative study of the species diversity in impoundments of different sizes indicates that, over several orders of magnitude of area, the number of species of Ciadocera and Copepoda shows a small increase, but the number of species of Rotifera shows a much larger and more variable increase.     

Virus Specific RNA in Cells transformed by RNA Tumour Viruses

Virus specific RNA comprises 5% of the nuclear RNA and 0.5–1.0% of the cytoplasmic RNA of cells transformed by murine sarcoma viruses. Even cryptically transformed cells which possess no detectable virus or viral proteins synthesize detectable amounts of viral RNA.     

Inhibitors of the RNA and DNA Dependent Polymerase Activities of RNA Tumour Viruses

RNA viruses of several animal leukaemias and sarcomas possess what seems so far to be a unique enzyme—an RNA dependent DNA polymerase^1–6. Specific inhibitors of the viral enzyme will not only be useful in the analysis of its possible role in neoplasia, but might provide drugs for leukaemia and cancer therapy.     

Patterns of divergence during evolution of alpha 1-proteinase inhibitors in mammals

alpha 1-Proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1-PI), a member of the serine proteinase inhibitor superfamily, has a primary role in controlling neutrophil elastase activity within the mammalian circulation. Several studies have indicated that the reactive center region of alpha 1-PI, the amino acid sequence of which is critical to recognition of and binding to target proteinases, is highly divergent within and among species. This appears to be a consequence of accelerated rates of evolution that may have been driven by positive Darwinian selection. In order to examine this and other features of alpha 1-PI evolution in more detail, we have isolated and sequenced cDNAs representing alpha 1- PI mRNAs of the mouse species Mus saxicola and Mus minutoides and have compared these with a number of other mammalian alpha 1-PI mRNAs. Relative to other mammalian mRNAs, the extent of nonsynonymous substitution is generally high throughout the alpha 1-PI mRNA molecule, indicating greater overall rates of amino acid substitution. Within and among mouse species, the 5'-half of the mRNA, but not the 3'-half, has been homogenized by concerted evolution. Finally, the reactive center is under diversifying or positive Darwinian selection in murid rodents (rats, mice) and guinea pigs yet is under purifying selection in primates and artiodactyls. The significance of these findings to alpha 1-PI function and the possible selective forces driving evolution of serpins in general are discussed.