Crypsis in a heterogeneous environment: relationships between changeable polymorphic colour patterns and behaviour in a galaxiid fish

1. The ability to achieve optimal camouflage varies between microhabitats in heterogeneous environments, potentially restricting individuals to a single habitat or imposing a compromise on crypsis to match several habitats. However, animals may exhibit morphological and behavioural attributes that enhance crypsis in different habitats. 2. We used an undescribed fish species, Galaxias‘nebula’, to investigate two objectives. First, we examined two potential methods of enhancing crypsis: change in colour pattern and selection of a suitable background. Second, we characterised the colour pattern of this unstudied fish and assessed its capacity for crypsis. 3. No background selection was apparent but the area of dark pigment expressed varied between backgrounds, which may negate the requirement to be choosy about habitats. The capacity to change colour and selection of a background that maximises crypsis are most likely separate, non‐mutually exclusive strategies. 4. Galaxias‘nebula’ exhibits polymorphic, non‐interchangeable colour patterns that have elements of both background pattern matching and disruptive colouration. This, coupled with habitat characteristics, suggests a combination of generalist and specialist strategies of habitat use. The fish’s camouflage strategy and air‐breathing ability may be key to survival under increasing pressure from habitat degradation and invasive predators.     

Association of the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 with faecal pollution in water environments in Hanoi,Vietnam

Colistin is one of the antibiotics of last resort for human health. However, the dissemination of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 is of great concern globally. In the One Health framework, the environment is an important component for managing antimicrobial resistance. However, little information is available concerning the prevalence of mcr-1 in water environments. We aimed to reveal the prevalence of mcr-1 in different water environments in Hanoi, Vietnam. Quantitative PCR was applied to detect mcr-1 in four urban drainages receiving untreated domestic wastewater, three rivers, five lakes and two groundwater samples. Urban drainages contained higher concentrations of mcr-1, suggesting that urban residents carry the gene. The class 1 integron-integrase gene was identified as a good surrogate of antibiotic resistance genes including mcr-1. A significant correlation was found between the levels of mcr-1 and the human-specific cross-assembly phage, which is an indicator of human faecal pollution. These results indicated that the primary source of mcr-1 in urban water environments is human faeces, which is consistent with the fact that most domestic wastewater is untreated in Hanoi. The control of untreated wastewater is critical for alleviating the spread of mcr-1 in water environments in Vietnam.     

Lysine Succinylation of VBS Contributes to Sclerotia Development and Aflatoxin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus

Aspergillus flavus is a common saprophytic and pathogenic fungus, and its secondary metabolic pathways are one of the most highly characterized owing to its aflatoxin (AF) metabolite affecting global economic crops and human health. Different natural environments can cause significant variations in AF synthesis. Succinylation was recently identified as one of the most critical regulatory post-translational modifications affecting metabolic pathways. It is primarily reported in human cells and bacteria with few studies on fungi. Proteomic quantification of lysine succinylation (Ksuc) exploring its potential involvement in secondary metabolism regulation (including AF production) has not been performed under natural conditions in A. flavus. In this study, a quantification method was performed based on tandem mass tag labeling and antibody-based affinity enrichment of succinylated peptides via high accuracy nano-liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to explore the succinylation mechanism affecting the pathogenicity of naturally isolated A. flavus strains with varying toxin production. Altogether, 1240 Ksuc sites in 768 proteins were identified with 1103 sites in 685 proteins quantified. Comparing succinylated protein levels between high and low AF-producing A. flavus strains, bioinformatics analysis indicated that most succinylated proteins located in the AF biosynthetic pathway were downregulated, which directly affected AF synthesis. Versicolorin B synthase is a key catalytic enzyme for heterochrome B synthesis during AF synthesis. Site-directed mutagenesis and biochemical studies revealed that versicolorin B synthase succinylation is an important regulatory mechanism affecting sclerotia development and AF biosynthesis in A. flavus. In summary, our quantitative study of the lysine succinylome in high/low AF-producing strains revealed the role of Ksuc in regulating AF biosynthesis. We revealed novel insights into the metabolism of AF biosynthesis using naturally isolated A. flavus strains and identified a rich source of metabolism-related enzymes regulated by succinylation.     

Regional environments, life-history patterns, and habitat use of spirostreptid millipedes in arid regions

Among diplopods with desert populations, only three species of Spirostreptida have been studied in an ecological context. The present review compares regional environments, life-history patterns, and uses of habitat by Orlhoporus ornatus (Girard) from southwestern North America, Archispirostreptus tumuliporus judaicus (Attems) from the eastern Mediterranean seaboard, and Harpagophora nigra (Attems) from southwestern Africa. Published and unpublished studies are used to explore evidence for convergence among these species, as opposed to traits adapting them to physical aspects of given regions or habitats. Unlike A. t. judaicus, O. ornatus and H. nigra are relatively restricted to arid habitats, although populations of all three species experience a variety of rainfall regimes and regional topographies. Where studied, O. ornatus and H. nigra hibernate during the long, often cool or cold dry season; they forage following warm-season rains. A. t. judaicus , in contrast, forages during its long, warm dry season and hibernates in the cool, wet winter. Populations from the Judaean and Negev deserts differ from those inhabiting a mesic habitat (Megiddo) closer to the coast in regard to rates of development, seasonal activity and seasonal water balance. Convergence in the form of well-developed desiccation resistance characterizes the two strictly desert species. All three species, together with other subtropical millipedes exposed to long dry seasons, are convergent with respect to patterns of diel surface activity and use of shelter. However species- and habitat-specific life-history features such as the seasonal timing of dormancy and emergence tend to mask convergence at the habitat level. Hence, the independent evolution of the three species with desert populations has resulted in life histories and habitat use that combine a moderate amount of convergence with considerable opportunistic adaptation to regional and local conditions.     

Parameter estimation techniques for interaction and redistribution models: a predator-prey example

Summary The use of parameter estimation techniques for partial differential equations is illustrated using a predatorprey model. Whereas ecologists have often estimated parameters in models, they have not previously been able to do so for models that describe interactions in heterogeneous environments. The techniques we describe for partial differential equations will be generally useful for models of interacting species in spatially complex environments and for models that include the movement of organisms. We demonstrate our methods using field data from a ladybird beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) and aphid (Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum) interaction. Our parameter estimation algorithms can be employed to identify models that explain better than 80% of the observed variance in aphid and ladybird densities. Such parameter estimation techniques can bridge the gap between detail-rich experimental studies and abstract mathematical models. By relating the particular bestfit models identified from our experimental data to other information on Coccinella behavior, we conclude that a term describing local taxis of ladybirds towards prey (aphids in this case) is needed in the model.     

A general principle for the allocation of limited resources

Summary A marginal fitness theorem is derived for the allocation of a limited resource among alternative activities that have effects on the fitness of an individual. The marginal advantage theorem states that at the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS), the marginal gains from increasing each of the allocations (expressed as partial derivatives of the fitness advantage of a rare mutant) are equal. The theorem is true for all proportional allocations (a + b + c + ...=j), regardless of the number of allocations, the nature of the response curves describing the direct effects of the allocations [f(a), etc.], or the way the effects of different allocations combine into fitness. The theorem is extended to size-number compromises and packaging strategies. The marginal advantage theorem is used to derive general theorems about the marginal effects of allocations [f (a), etc.] at the ESS and matching rules concerned with the total fitness to cost ratios of allocations at the ESS. The marginal advantage theorem is applicable to diverse allocation strategies, and provides a method for obtaining ESS allocations for any number of allocations and their components.     

Environmental control of phytoplankton productivity in turbulent turbid systems

Factors affecting phytoplankton productivity are analysed in turbid systems, such as shallow lakes and rivers. When resuspension from the sediment or loading from the catchment significantly increases inorganic (non-algal) turbidity and hence light attenuation potentials for high production are not realised. Energy available for phytoplankton growth is strongly regulated by underwater light availability which depends on the critical mixing depth, fluctuating light intensities and algal circulation patterns. Higher production rates in shallow waters are often compensated by greater algal respiration due to higher water temperatures when compared to deeper lakes.Total daily integral production of turbulent, turbid environments can be predicted from a combination of easily measured variables such as maximum photosynthetic rates, algal biomass, surface irradiance and some measure of underwater light attenuation.     

Rhodospirillum sodomense,sp. nov., a Dead Sea rhodospirillum species

A new species of halophilic anoxygenic purple bacteria of the genus Rhodospirillum is described. The new organism, isolated from water/sediment of the Dead Sea, was vibrio-shaped and an obligate halophile. Growth was best at 12% NaCl, with only weak growth occurring at 6% or 21% NaCl. Growth occurred at Mg²⁺ concentrations up to 1 M but optimal growth was obtained at 0.05–0.1 M Mg²⁺. Bromide was well tolerated as an alternative anion to chloride. The new organism is an obligate phototroph, growing photoheterotrophically in media containing yeast extract and acetate or a few other organic compounds. Growth of the Dead Sea Rhodospirillum species under optimal culture conditions was slow (minimum t_d 20 h). Cells contained bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids of the spirilloxanthin series and mass cultures were pink in color. Absorption spectra revealed the presence of a B875 (light-harvesting I) but no B800/B850 (light-harvesting II) photopigment complex. The new organism shares a number of properties with the previously described halophilic phototrophic bacterium Rhodospirillum salinarum and was shown to be related to this phototroph by 16S rRNA sequencing. However, because of its salinity requirements, photosynthetic properties, and isolation from the Dead Sea, the new phototroph is proposed as a new species of the genus Rhodospirillum, R. sodomense.     

中国优质水果资源的分布与适宜生态环境

根据农业部在80年代两次组织评选出的全国189个优质水果产地的生态环境资料,用微型电子计算机系统建立数据库,统计分析柑桔、苹果和梨优质产品的构成比例、产区分布地域及其适宜的环境指标和主栽品种的生态适应性,为果树良种区域化栽培与选育提供依据。     

The maintenance of genetic diversity under host–parasite coevolution in finite,structured populations

As a corollary to the Red Queen hypothesis, host–parasite coevolution has been hypothesized to maintain genetic variation in both species. Recent theoretical work, however, suggests that reciprocal natural selection alone is insufficient to maintain variation at individual loci. As highlighted by our brief review of the theoretical literature, models of host–parasite coevolution often vary along multiple axes (e.g. inclusion of ecological feedbacks or abiotic selection mosaics), complicating a comprehensive understanding of the effects of interacting evolutionary processes on diversity. Here we develop a series of comparable models to explore the effect of interactions between spatial structures and antagonistic coevolution on genetic diversity. Using a matching alleles model in finite populations connected by migration, we find that, in contrast to panmictic populations, coevolution in a spatially structured environment can maintain genetic variation relative to neutral expectations with migration alone. These results demonstrate that geographic structure is essential for understanding the effect of coevolution on biological diversity.