			Home About us Contact

Developing Offspring (developing + offspring)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

Fathers, fruits and photosynthesis: pollen donor effects on fruit photosynthesis in wild parsnip

ECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 11 2003
Arthur R. Zangerl
Abstract Chlorophyll is frequently present in plant reproductive tissues and indicates that photosynthesis is occurring in these parts. Photosynthesis by a reproductive organ can contribute as much as 65% to its own growth. Given the advantages that increased photosynthetic rates might have on development of individual seeds competing for resources, selection can be expected to favour the ability of offspring to influence photosynthetic rates of the tissues surrounding them. We report in this study the first evidence that the pollen genotype can influence the rate of photosynthesis in the fruit tissues surrounding the developing offspring. Using a novel chlorophyll fluorescence imaging instrument to quantify quantum efficiency of photosystem II, we found significant differences in photosynthetic rates among fruits in wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa L, associated with different pollen genotypes. [source]

Evolution of a novel function: nutritive milk in the viviparous cockroach, Diploptera punctata

EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2004
Anna Williford
Summary Cockroach species show different degrees of maternal contribution to the developing offspring. In this study, we identify a multigene family that encodes water-soluble proteins that are a major component of nutritive "Milk" in the cockroach, Diploptera punctata. This gene family is associated with the evolution of a new trait, viviparity, in which the offspring receive nutrition during the gestation period. Twenty-five distinct Milk complementary DNAs were cloned and partially characterized. These complementary DNAs encode 22 distinct Milk peptides, each of length 171 amino acids, including a 16-amino acid signal peptide sequence. Southern blot analysis confirms the presence of multiple copies of Milk genes in D. punctata. Northern analysis indicates tissue- and stage-specific Milk gene expression. Examination of the deduced amino acid sequences identifies the presence of structurally conserved regions diagnostic of the lipocalin protein family. The shared exon/intron structure of one of the Milk loci with lipocalin genes further supports a close evolutionary relationship between these sequences. [source]

Grass snakes exploit anthropogenic heat sources to overcome distributional limits imposed by oviparity

FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
Kristin Löwenborg
Summary 1.,A lack of warm nest-sites prevents oviparous reptile species from reproducing in cool climates; such areas are dominated by viviparous species because sun-seeking pregnant females can maintain high temperatures for their developing offspring. 2.,Our field and laboratory studies show that one oviparous species (the grass snake, Natrix natrix) escapes this cold-climate constraint (and hence, extends much further north in Europe than do other oviparous taxa) by ovipositing in a thermally distinctive man-made microhabitat (manure heaps on farms). 3.,In the field, temperatures inside manure heaps averaged 30·7 °C, much higher than compost heaps (20·6 °C) or potential natural nest-sites under logs and rocks (15·5 °C). 4.,In the laboratory, higher incubation temperatures not only hastened hatching, but also increased hatching success and modified the body sizes, colours, and locomotor abilities of hatchlings. Incubation temperatures typical of manure heaps (rather than alternative nest-sites) resulted in larger, faster offspring that hatched earlier in the season. 5.,Thus, anthropogenic activities have generated potential nest-sites offering thermal regimes not naturally available in the region; and grass snakes have exploited that opportunity to escape the thermal limits that restrict geographic distributions of other oviparous reptile taxa. [source]

Neonatal Alcohol-Induced Region-Dependent Changes in Rat Brain Neurochemistry Measured by High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2008
Shonagh K. O'Leary-Moore
Background:, Maternal drinking during pregnancy can lead to a range of deleterious outcomes in the developing offspring that have been collectively termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). There is interest and recognized value in using non-invasive neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to characterize, respectively, structural and biochemical alterations in individuals with FASDs. To date, however, results with MRS have been inconsistent regarding the degree and/or nature of abnormalities. Methods:, High-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) proton (1H) MRS is an ex vivo neuroimaging technique that can acquire spectra in small punches of intact tissue, providing clinically relevant neurochemical information about discrete brain regions. In this study, HR-MAS 1H MRS was used to examine regional neurochemistry in frontal cortex, striatum, hippocampus, and cerebellum of young rats previously exposed to ethanol as neonates. Key neurochemicals of interest included N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), glutamate, GABA, glutamine, creatine, choline and myo -inositol. Results:, Daily neonatal alcohol exposure from postnatal day 4 (PN4) through PN9 significantly reduced levels of NAA and taurine in the cerebellum and striatum, and induced sex-dependent reductions in cerebellar glutamate when measured on PN16. In addition, myo -inositol was significantly increased in cerebellum. The frontal cortex and hippocampus were virtually unaffected by this neonatal alcohol exposure. Conclusion:, Results of this research may have implications for understanding the underlying neurobiology associated with FASDs and aid in testing treatments in the future. Ongoing studies are assessing the developmental persistence of and/or maturational recovery from these changes. [source]