Tree ring anatomy indices of Pinus tabuliformis revealed the shifted dominant climate factor influencing potential hydraulic function in western Qinling Mountains

Trees can adjust xylem anatomical structure related with potential hydraulic functions to cope with climate variability. We therefore need a better understanding of how climate variability constrains wood anatomy and tree radial growth. Pinus tabuliformis dominates natural forests and plantations over the western Qinling Mountains, which is one of the ecologically vulnerable areas in China. Here, we investigated the response of P. tabuliformis tree-ring anatomical structure to climate variability by applying wood anatomy analysis, and evaluated the influences of anatomical traits on potential hydraulic functions and the climate significance of intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs). We found that with the increasing temperature from spring to summer, the negative effect of temperature on the formation and enlargement of earlywood and transition-wood tracheids was gradually enhanced. However, spring precipitation not only had a direct and positive influence on the formation of earlywood, but also had a delaying impact on the transition-wood cell enlargement. Besides, the smaller earlywood tracheid size of P. tabuliformis could be a substantially characteristic reflecting spring drought. The contribution of lumen diameter on conduit wall reinforcement was dominated in earlywood, while the contribution of cell wall thickness was greater than that of lumen diameter in latewood. The different contributions of anatomical traits on conduit wall reinforcement would further affect the response of potential hydraulic function to climate. IADFs of P. tabuliformis could be a potential indicator to reflect the abnormal summer precipitation events in the western Qinling Mountains. IADFs with strong and weak intensity indicated years with high and low rates of change in mid-summer precipitation, respectively. Future warmer and drier climate in the western Qinling Mountains will likely result in the production of smaller tracheids to ensure hydraulic safety, which means the stronger drought resistant of P. tabuliformis in the future. In this study, we linked the xylem anatomy and potential hydraulics functions with intra-seasonal climate variability in the context of climate warming and drying, and proposed some xylem anatomical indices reflecting potential drought events.     

Orientation and ingestion rates of larval Anopheles albimanus in response to floating particles

Response of fourth-instar larvae of Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann (Diptera: Culicidae) to food and inert particles floating at the water surface was studied. In a choice test, larvae aggregated at powdered organic materials (blood meal, liver powder alfalfa flour and wheat flour) but not at inert materials (kaolin, chalk or charcoal). Larvae responded positively to proteins as well as some carbohydrates, but not to cellulose. Retention of larvae at food sources found by random locomotion was found to be responsible for larval aggregation. Larvae ingested food particles 6–9 times faster than insert particles. The significance of Anopheline feeding behavior in the development of formulations of stomach toxins (bacterial agents) used in larval control is discussed.

---

Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Studie befasst sich mit Verhaltensreaktionen von Anopheles albimanus Viertlarven auf an der Wasseroberfläche schwimmende Partikel. Verteilung und Orientierung der Larven wurde in einer Wahlapparatur quantifiziert. Nach Auftrag von Alfalfamehl, Weizenmehl, Stärke, Blutmehl, Leberpulver und Fischmehl wurde Aggregation der Larven in den beköderten Fächern der Apparatur beobachtet. Sowohl Proteine (Casein) als auch einige Kohlehydrate (Amylose, Amylopectin) lösten Aggregationen der Larven aus. Im Unterschied dazu führte Auftrag von Kreide, Kaolin, Polyaethylenpulver, Talcum oder Cellulose nicht zu Aggregationen. Zur Beschreibung der Entstehung larvaler Aggregationen bei Futterstoffen wurden die Schwimmbewegungen der Larven in Anwesenheit von Weizenmehl als Ködersubstanz quantifiziert. Da keine Attraktion der Larven im Sinne einer gerichteten Schwimmbewegung beobachtet werden konnte, wird geschlussfolgert, dass sofortige Beendung der Suchaktivität der Larven bei zufällig gefundenen Futterquellen für die beobachteten Aggregationen bei organischen Substanzen verantwortlich ist.Die Fressraten der Larven bei Angebot verschiedener Substanzen im Überschuss wurde bestimmt. Larven fülten drei von insgesamt sechs Darmabschnitten innerhalb von 15–30 min bei Angebot von Futtersubstanzen, während die Füllung von nur zwei Darmabschnitten mit inerten Materialien erst nach 90–120 min zu beobachten war. Die Resultate werden in Bezug auf wasseroberflächengebundene Formulierungen von Frassgiften diskutiert. Inerte Trägersubstanzen werden wahrscheinlich wesentlich langsamer aufgenommen als Futtersubstanzen. Da An. albimanus Larven nicht von Futterquellen angezogen werden, ist eine rasche und wirksame Giftaufnahme besonders dann zu erwarten, wenn die gesamte Oberfläche der Brutgewässer mit toxinhaltigen Trägerpartikeln bedeckt werden kann.

     

De novo organogenesis and plant regeneration in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pongamia pinnata</Emphasis>, oil producing tree legume

Role of Thidiazuron (TDZ) in inducing adventitious organogenesis in Pongamia was studied. TDZ at different concentrations (0, 0.45, 2.27, 4.54, 6.71, 9.08, 11.35, 13.12 and 22.71 μM) were used for induction of caulogenic bud formation in deembryonated cotyledon explants. Each cotyledon was cut into three segments and identified as proximal, middle and distal. Duration of TDZ exposure, influence of the segment and orientation of the explant were studied. TDZ at 11.35 μM concentration was optimum for the induction of shoots and rapid elongation. Shoots induced at higher concentration elongated after several passages in growth regulator free medium, thereby extending the period of differentiation. Exposure of the explant for 20 days yielded more number of buds than 10 days. Proximal segment of the cotyledon was more responsive. Contact of abaxial surface in the medium was more effective and generated more buds than the adaxial side. Buds differentiated and elongated on transfer to MS basal medium for 8–12 passages of 15 days each. Rooting and elongation of shoots was achieved in charcoal supplemented half-strength MS medium. Rooted plantlets survived on transfer to sand soil mixture. The plants were hardened and transferred to green house. This is the first report on in vitro regeneration of Pongamia pinnata via adventitious organogenesis using TDZ. This protocol may find application in studies in genetic transformation, isolation of somaclonal variants and in induction of mutants. It also provides a system to study the inhibitory role of TDZ on shoot differentiation.     

Spatial distribution and mortality process ofAnoplophora malasiaca (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) eggs in citrus groves

The study was carried out in two (A and B) citrus groves to clarify the spatial distribution patterns of eggs and larvae, and to analyse the mortality process of eggs. From the analysis by using the mean density and the mean crowding, it was clarified that the distributions of eggs were contagious and that larvae were more contagiously distributed than eggs. The τ and z indices showed that the operation of egg mortality was inversely density-dependent in both groves, and that the degree of inverse density-dependence was greater in A than in B grove. The spatial correlations between the emergence holes and the eggs or larvae in each tree, which were analysed by using ω index, showed that the distributions were more overlapping between the emergence holes and the larvae than the eggs. As the result of dividing trees into several groups according to the number of emergence holes, it was clarified that the survival rates of eggs were positively correlated with the number of emergence holes. In conclusion, inversely density-dependent mortality process was considered to be caused by lower mortality rates of eggs in the trees with more emergence holes. Especially in A grove, because the trees with more emergence holes were larger in diameter and more egg oviposition, the inversely density-dependent mortality process was considered to be detected more conspicuously than in B grove.     

Fine-tuning of the Hsc70-based Human Protein Disaggregase Machinery by the Distinctive C-terminal Extension of Apg2

Apg2, one of the three cytosolic Hsp110 chaperones in humans, supports reactivation of unordered and ordered protein aggregates by Hsc70 (HspA8). Together with DnaJB1, Apg2 serves to nucleate Hsc70 molecules into sites where productive entropic pulling forces can be developed. During aggregate reactivation, Apg2 performs as a specialized nucleotide exchange factor, but the origin of its specialization is poorly defined. Here we report on the role of the distinctive C-terminal extension present in Apg2 and other metazoan homologs. We found that the first part of this Apg2 subdomain, with propensity to adopt α-helical structure, interacts with the nucleotide binding domain of Hsc70 in a nucleotide-dependent manner, contributing significantly to the stability of the Hsc70:Apg2 complex. Moreover, the second intrinsically disordered segment of Apg2 C-terminal extension plays an important role as a downregulator of nucleotide exchange. An NMR analysis showed that the interaction with Hsc70 nucleotide binding domain modifies the chemical environment of residues located in important functional sites such as the interface between lobe I and II and the nucleotide binding site. Our data indicate that Apg2 C-terminal extension is a fine-tuner of human Hsc70 activity that optimizes the substrate remodeling ability of the chaperone system.     

Critical note on the application of the “two-third” spline

The “two-third spline” (2/3S) is a frequently applied method to detrend tree-ring series. It fits a spline with a 50% frequency cutoff at a frequency equal to two-thirds of each sample length in a dataset. It was introduced to ensure a minimum loss of low-frequency variance, which is resolvable during the detrending of ring-width series.In this paper I show potential problems that arise when rusing this method. The 2/3S runs counter the strengths of using a digital filter to detrend – i.e. one is giving up full control over the frequency-removing characteristics of the growth curve and each individual time series retains a different amount of low frequency. Thus, the 2/3S is less suitable for reconstructing climate or to compare environmental impacts on tree growth between groups – both of which comprise the majority of dendrochronological analyses – as it will likely introduce a temporal frequency bias. Within a long chronology it will result in decreasing power to resolve low frequencies towards present in a living-only trees setting, especially when the youngest segment lengths are 100 years and shorter, and more generally during the period where the chronology is constructed from samples with shorter segment lengths compared to the period with longer segment lengths. The frequency bias will also significantly impact regression slopes and correlation coefficients, possibly distorting analyses investigating multiple groups with different mean segment lengths. Highlighting these potential biases, I recommend the community to not use this method on an individual basis but rather to use a fixed spline stiffness for all samples based on the n% criterion (n = 67) of e.g. the mean segment length of the entire dataset.     

Tree form in a mixed dipterocarp forest in Indonesian Borneo

The form of tropical trees was studied with reference to the production structure of the component individuals of a tropical rain forest stand in Sebulu, East Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo, since the production structure as a physical or bio-economical basis of tree form still remains obscure in tropical rain forests. The pipe model theory successfully explained the crown shapes of different trees, and its parameter, designated as specific pipe length, suggested an increase in the cost of leaf mass growth with an increase in crown size. A mathematical model consisting of exponential functions of aboveground height was applied for describing stem form, and its properties were examined through changes in its coefficients and by adopting an assumption of the geometrical similarity of individual stem form as a criterion for comparing differences in stem form among individual trees. Furthermore, the cost of buttersses was discussed using the relation between bole- and buttress weight calculated from the mathematical model.     

Aggregation of 27 oral bacteria by human whole saliva

Twenty-seven oral strains of the genera Actinomyces (5), Bacteroides (3), and Streptococcus (19) were tested for aggregation by human whole saliva, as well as the effect of culture medium, Ca-ions, and bacteria concentration thereupon. Of the media tested, GF-broth gave rise to less interference by autoaggregation or higher aggregation titers than BHI and TSB, and was used throughout this study. In most cases, Ca-ions (1 mM) only enhanced the rate of induced aggregation, whereas raising the bacteria concentration increased the rate of both induce- and autoaggregation. The final titers, ranging from 1–64, were hardly affected by these parameters, except those of S. rattus HG 59 and S. mutans HG 199, which were respectively increased and decreased by Ca-ions. Saliva-induced aggregation was observed for 21 strains of A. viscosus, A. naeslundii, A. israelii, B. gingivalis, B. intermedius, S. cricetus, S. mutans, S. rattus, S. sanguis, and S. sobrinus, mostly within 15 min to 3 h. Seventeen of these strains also showed autoaggregation, usually well after the onset of induced aggregation. Any potential induced aggregation of B. gingivalis HG 91 was always masked by autoaggregation, as well as that of the S. mutans strains under a particular set of conditions. The aggregation rate and titer varied considerably in a mutually unrelated and strain-dependent way. These microtiterplate data were matched by the 5 spectrophotometric patterns observed for saliva-bacterial interaction, which moreover, gave the better differentiation between induced and autoaggregation. In conclusion, most strains tested can show rapid saliva-induced aggregation in a strain-dependent way, yet strongly affected by the experimental conditions and interference from autoaggregation.     

Aggregation of littoral macrobenthic species: some theoretical and practical considerations

The spatial pattern of macrozoobenthos in an intertidal area was studied. Four commonly used measures of aggregation, the V/m ratio, k of the negative binomial distribution, the indices of Lloyd and b of the Taylor power function, were calculated and compared for 13 species based on 176 samples. It is argued that, contrary to common practice, the b value of the Taylor power function should not be used without the value of a, since it only measures how aggregation changes with density. The parameter k of the NBD is found to be an unreliable index of aggregation and the indices of Lloyd are difficult to interpret as well. There is very good agreement between the results of the V/m ratio and the b value of the Taylor power function. Only three species are distributed randomly, all others being aggregated. The consequences on the accuracy of sampling is discussed and it is concluded that 5 samples of 176 cm² give an accuracy of 50% for the common species.     

Roles of proteins in cation/membrane interactions of isolated rat cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles

To ascertain the roles of the membrane proteins in cation/sarcolemmal membrane binding, isolated rat cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles were extensively treated with Protease (S. aureus strain V.8). SDS-gel electrophoresis, protein and phosphate analysis confirmed that at least 20–22% of the protein, but none of the phospholipid, was solubilized by this procedure, and that the remaining membrane proteins were extensively hydrolyzed into small fragments. The cation binding properties of the treated vesicles were then examined by analyzing their aggregation behavior. The results demonstrate that this procedure had no effect on the selectivity series for di- and trivalent cation binding, or the divalent cation-induced aggregation behavior of the sarcolemmal vesicles at different pHs, indicating that proteins are probably not involved in these interactions and cannot be the low affinity cation binding sites previously observed [21, 22]. It did, however, change the pH at which protons induced sarcolemmal vesicle aggregation, suggesting a possible role for proteins in these processes. Protease treatment also modified the effects of fluorescamine labelling on divalent cation-induced vesicle aggregation, indicating that the NH, groups being labelled with fluorescamine are located on the sarcolemmal proteins. Together, these results support the hypothesis that di- and trivalent cation binding to the sarcolemmal membrane is largely determined by lipid/lipid and/or lipid/carbohydrate interactions within the plane of the sarcolemmal membrane, and that membrane proteins may exert an influence on these interactions, but only under very specialized conditions.Abbreviations MES 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid - MOPS 3-(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid - HEPES N-2-Hydroxyethylpiperizine-N-2- ethanesulfonic acid - CHES 2(N-Cyclohexylamino) ethanesulfonic acid - DTT DL-Dithiothreitol - PMSF Phenylmethyl-sulfonyl fluoride