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Latter Species (latter + species)
Selected AbstractsThe anatomy of the palatoquadrate in the Lower Triassic Proterosuchus fergusi (Reptilia, Archosauromorpha) and its morphological transformation within the archosauriform cladeACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 3 2009Jozef Klembara Abstract The anatomy of the palatoquadrate ossifications of the Lower Triassic archosauromorph Proterosuchus fergusi from South Africa is described. It consists of two ossifications, the epipterygoid and the quadrate, which were joined by cartilage in life. The margins of the cartilage are clearly indicated by ridges and grooves on the dorsal surface of the pterygoid. The epipterygoid ossification consists of two structures: the anteroposteriorly expanded basal portion and, dorsally from it, an extending, slender, ascending process. From the anterior margin of the basal portion of the epipterygoid, a plate-like structure, herein called the lamina epipterygoidea anteromedialis, extends anteromedially to form the anterolateral wall of the cavum epiptericum. Comparisons with the similarly constructed embryonal and adult epipterygoid components of Sphenodon punctatus show that the anteromedial lamina of the epipterygoid of P. fergusi is an additional component of the epipterygoid of this species and that this lamina is absent in the former species. However, a structure in a topologically similar position to the anteromedial lamina of the epipterygoid of P. fergusi is present in the palatoquadrate of Alligator mississippiensis. In the latter species, the structure is called the lamina palatoquadrati anterior; it ossifies in membrane and forms the dorsolateral cover of the huge trigeminal ganglion. It is hypothesized here that the anteromedial lamina of the epipterygoid of P. fergusi and the anterior lamina of the palatoquadrate of A. mississippiensis are most probably homologous structures and are present in both the basal and one of the crown taxa of the archosauromorph clade, respectively. [source] Is there a higher risk for herbivore outhreaks after cold mast years?ECOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2000An analysis of two plant/herbivore series from southern Norway Historical data on two plant-herbivore interactions from southern Norway were used to test the hypothesis that the degree of herbivore outbreaks in post-mast years is negatively related to summer temperatures in the mast year, because plants are more depressed after a high seed production if temperatures and thus the photosynthetic activity is low. The plant species were the sessile oak Quercus petraea and the bilberry Vaceinium myrtillus. For the former species post-mast years were identified from reports given by the local forest authorities for the period 1930,48, and from acorn export curves for the period 1949,98, For the latter species, post-mast years were identified mainly from bilberry export curves for the period 1920,31, from game reports for the period 1932,78. and from diary notes for the period 1979,87. The herbivore species used were the green oak leaf roller moth Tortrix viridana and the capercaillie Tetrao urogallus. Eight moth outbreaks on oak forests were reported by the forest authorities in the period 1930,98, and they all started in a post-mast year of the sessile oak. There were however also eleven post-mast years without moth outbreaks. According to game reports, observations and autumn counts, all increases in the autumn population size of capercaillie during 1920 88 occurred in or after a year with high bilberry production. Among i8 post-mast years, there were seven with strong increase, seven with slight or moderate increase, and four with no increase. For both herbivore species, post-mast years with marked population increases had significantly lower summer temperatures in the preceding (mast) year than had post-mast years with no or slight increases. For moth populations there also was a negative effect of high temperatures in April, possibly because moth eggs tend to hatch too early relative lo budburst if spring temperatures are high. For the capercaillie, high amount of precipitation in June , July seemed to have some negative impact on the autumn population sizes, as also found in previous studies. [source] Development of Issoria lathonia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) on zinc-accumulating and nonaccumulating Viola species (Violaceae)ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2007Nausicaa Noret Abstract The larvae of Issoria lathonia L. feed in natural conditions on several Viola spp., among which are the zinc-accumulating Viola calaminaria (Gingins) Lej. and the nonmetal-accumulating Viola tricolor L. To examine how I. lathonia caterpillars cope with the naturally high foliar zinc concentration of V. calaminaria, we compared the growth of caterpillars reared on leaves varying in zinc concentration. Larvae were fed in controlled conditions with V. calaminaria and V. tricolor grown on noncontaminated soil (i.e., two low-Zn diets) and with V. calaminaria grown on zinc-enriched soil (i.e., one high-Zn diet). Larvae had a higher growth rate when fed with noncontaminated V. calaminaria compared to zinc-enriched V. calaminaria, suggesting that zinc slows down larval growth. However, larvae consumed more leaves of zinc-enriched V. calaminaria (+45%; estimated from fecal mass) compared with noncontaminated V. calaminaria, suggesting that zinc accumulation would not be advantageous to plants. Caterpillars reared on high-zinc leaves regulate their internal zinc concentration through excretion of highly metal-concentrated feces. When kinetics of growth on both low-zinc diets were compared, it appeared that larval development was faster on noncontaminated V. calaminaria than on V. tricolor. This suggests that more nutrients or less feeding inhibitors in V. calaminaria account for fastest growth. Developmental rates on V. tricolor and on zinc-enriched V. calaminaria were similar, despite the high leaf zinc concentration of the latter species. Together with the abundance of V. calaminaria on calamine soils, this may explain why the largest populations of I. lathonia develop on V. calaminaria in Belgium. [source] A cocaine insensitive chimeric insect serotonin transporter reveals domains critical for cocaine interactionFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 16 2002Sumandeep K. Sandhu Serotonin transporters are key target sites for clinical drugs and psychostimulants, such as fluoxetine and cocaine. Molecular cloning of a serotonin transporter from the central nervous system of the insect Manduca sexta enabled us to define domains that affect antagonist action, particularly cocaine. This insect serotonin transporter transiently expressed in CV-1 monkey kidney cells exhibits saturable, high affinity Na+ and Cl, dependent serotonin uptake, with estimated Km and Vmax values of 436 ± 19 nm and 3.8 ± 0.6 × 10,18 mol·cell·min,1, respectively. The Manduca high affinity Na+/Cl, dependent transporter shares 53% and 74% amino acid identity with the human and fruit fly serotonin transporters, respectively. However, in contrast to serotonin transporters from these two latter species, the Manduca transporter is inhibited poorly by fluoxetine (IC50 = 1.23 µm) and cocaine (IC50 = 12.89 µm). To delineate domains and residues that could play a role in cocaine interaction, the human serotonin transporter was mutated to incorporate unique amino acid substitutions, detected in the Manduca homologue. We identified a domain in extracellular loop 2 (amino acids 148,152), which, when inserted into the human transporter, results in decreased cocaine sensitivity of the latter (IC50 = 1.54 µm). We also constructed a number of chimeras between the human and Manduca serotonin transporters (hSERT and MasSERT, respectively). The chimera, hSERT1,146/MasSERT106,587, which involved N-terminal swaps including transmembrane domains (TMDs) 1 and 2, was remarkably insensitive to cocaine (IC50 = 180 µm) compared to the human (IC50 = 0.431 µm) and Manduca serotonin transporters. The chimera MasSERT1,67/hSERT109,630, which involved only the TMD1 swap, showed greater sensitivity to cocaine (IC50 = 0.225 µm) than the human transporter. Both chimeras showed twofold higher serotonin transport affinity compared to human and Manduca serotonin transporters. Our results show TMD1 and TMD2 affect the apparent substrate transport and antagonist sensitivity by possibly providing unique conformations to the transporter. The availability of these chimeras facilitates elucidation of specific amino acids involved in interactions with cocaine. [source] Combined measurements of egg fatty acids and stable isotopes as indicators of feeding ecology in lake-dwelling birdsFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 9 2009FRANCISCO RAMÍREZ Summary 1.,We examined whether egg fatty acid (FA) profiles and stable isotopes (SIA) could be used in a comparative way to infer the diet of two aquatic bird species with contrasting feeding habits: a surface forager, the pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus), and a pursuit-diving forager, the little cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger), at Haleji Lake (Pakistan). 2.,The species differed markedly in the overall percentage of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Moreover, among jacanas, two groups of birds had relatively high or low concentrations of long-chain essential PUFAs (such as 18:2 n-6 and 20:4 n-6), suggesting differing contributions from animal prey and plant material. 3.,These trophic differences were corroborated by ,15N values which indicated both a higher trophic position in cormorants relative to jacanas, and differences in trophic position for the two groups of jacanas. In this latter species ,13C values in both groups also pointed to differing diets, involving mainly grazing plants or a contribution from animal resources (aquatic invertebrates or insects). 4.,Both lower values of ,13C and higher percentages of 18:1 n-7 detected in little cormorants may indicate the influence of the anoxic water, typical of a freshwater system densely covered by macrophytes. 5.,These results indicate how both biomarkers offer complementary information in studies of feeding ecology, refining interpretations of trophic pathways which are usually based on FA or SIA alone. Comparisons of FA profiles and SIA among species also proved to be a reliable approach for inferring the diet of species for which information is scarce or contradictory, as is the case for the pheasant-tailed jacana. [source] New P-ligands: The aromaticity and reactivity of 2,4,6-trialkylphenylphospholesHETEROATOM CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2005György Keglevich A further member of 2,4,6-trialkyl-phenyl-phos-pholes, the ditertbutylmethylphenyl derivative (1c) was characterized by Bird index and by the sum of angles at the phosphorus atom to describe the flattening of the P-pyramid. Both numbers suggested a slight aromaticity. The reaction of arylphospholes with phosphorus tribromide was extended to phosphole 1c leading this occasion, after further steps, to the mixture of 3- and 2-substituted products (3c-1 and 3c-2, respectively). A triisopropylphenyl-2H -phosphole (4) formed by sigmatropic rearrangement was utilized in the preparation of new 1-phosphanorbornene derivatives, such as sulfide 6 and hemi-oxides 8-1 and 8-2. Further oxidation of the latter species (8-1 and 8-2) led to the decomposition of the dimeric structure (11). 4 could also be trapped by benzaldehyde to afford the oxaphosphanorbornene (10) as one diastereomer. Finally, the reversible formation of 2H -phosphole 4 from 1H -phosphole 1a at 150°C was proved. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 16:104,222, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20077 [source] Reactivity of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) toward the sulfate radical (SO4,)INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL KINETICS, Issue 9 2001Ch. George Rate constants for a series of alcohols, ethers, and esters toward the sulfate radical (SO4,) have been directly determined using a laser photolysis set-up in which the radical was produced by the photodissociation of peroxodisulfate anions. The sulfate radical concentration was monitored by following its optical absorption by means of time resolved spectroscopy techniques. At room temperature the following rate constants were derived: methanol ((1.6 ± 0.2) × 107 M,1 s,1); ethanol ((7.8 ± 1.2) × 107 M,1 s,1); tert -butanol ((8.9 ± 0.3) × 105 M,1 s,1); diethyl ether ((1.8 ± 0.1) × 108 M,1 s,1); MTBE ((3.13 ± 0.02) × 107 M,1 s,1); tetrahydrofuran (THF) ((2.3 ± 0.2) × 108 M,1 s,1); hydrated formaldehyde ((1.4 ± 0.2) × 107 M,1 s,1); hydrated glyoxal ((2.4 ± 0.2) × 107 M,1 s,1); dimethyl malonate (CH3OC(O)CH2C(O)OCH3) ((1.28 ± 0.02) × 106 M,1 s,1); and dimethyl succinate (CH3OC(O)CH2CH2C(O)OCH3) ((1.37 ± 0.08) × 106 M,1 s,1) where the errors represent 2,. For the two latter species, we also measured the temperature dependence of the corresponding rate constants. A correlation of these kinetics with the bond dissociation energy is also presented and discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 539,547, 2001 [source] Sex and age influence intestinal parasite burden in three boreal grouse speciesJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2006Marja Isomursu Parasite infections are often more common in male vertebrates than in females. Sexual selection leading to dimorphism can cause sexual differences in immune defence, behaviour or body size. Possible proximate explanations for male bias in parasitism are the immunosuppressive effect of male sex hormones and the large body size of males which increases the likelihood of being parasitized. To evaluate these hypotheses, we studied the prevalence and abundance of intestinal helminth parasites in three boreal grouse species, the capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, the black grouse Tetrao tetrix, and the hazel grouse Bonasa bonasia. The first two are sexually dimorphic polygynous species while the latter species is sexually monomorphic and monogamous. We found a male-bias in the prevalence and abundance of the nematode Ascaridia compar. The bias was most pronounced in the polygynous black grouse and capercaillie. In the monogamous hazel grouse, there was a slight male-bias in occurrence of ascarids, but no bias in abundance. In juvenile grouse, the male-bias was larger than in adult grouse. No sexual bias was found in regard to the cestodes (Skrjabinia cesticillus, Paroniella urogalli and Hymenolepis spp.). However, age was a factor in cestode prevalence: juvenile grouse were more commonly infected than adults. Differences in growth rates and body size are potential factors that may lead to male-biased parasitism in these grouse species, and their impact requires further studies. [source] Solvent effects on glycine II.JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2004Water-assisted tautomerization Abstract The water-assisted tautomerization of glycine has been investigated at the B3LYP/6-31+G** level using supermolecules containing up to six water molecules as well as considering a 1:1 glycine,water complex embedded in a continuum. The conformations of the tautomers in this mechanism do not display an intramolecular H bond, instead the functional groups are bridged by a water molecule. The replacement of the intramolecular H bond by the bridging water reduces the polarity of the NH bond in the zwitterion and increases that of the OH bond in the neutral, stabilizing the zwitterion. Both the charge transfer effects and electrostatic interactions stabilize the nonintramolecularly H-bonded zwitterion conformer over the intramolecularly hydrogen bonded one. The nonintramolecularly H-bonded neutral is favored only by charge transfer effects. Although there is no strong evidence whether the intramolecularly hydrogen bonded or non hydrogen bonded structures are favored in the bulk solution represented as a dielectric continuum, it is likely that the latter species are more stable. The free energy of activation of the water-assisted mechanism is higher than the intramolecular proton transfer channel. However, when the presumably higher conformational energy of the zwitterion reacting in the intramolecular mechanism is taken into account, both mechanisms are observed to compete. The various conformers of the neutral glycine may form via multiple proton transfer reactions through several water molecules instead of a conformational rearrangement. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 25: 690,703, 2004 [source] Myxobolus erythrophthalmi sp. n. and Myxobolus shaharomae sp. n. (Myxozoa: Myxobolidae) from the internal organs of rudd, Scardinius erythrophthalmus (L.), and bleak, Alburnus alburnus (L.)JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES, Issue 3 2009K Molnár Abstract During a survey of myxosporean parasites of cyprinid fish in Hungary, infections caused by unknown Myxobolus spp. were found in the internal organs of rudd, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, and bleak, Alburnus alburnus. Small plasmodia developed in blood vessels of the kidney, liver, testes and intestinal wall. The parasites were studied on the basis of spore morphology and by histological and molecular methods. In most cases, plasmodia were surrounded by host tissue without a host reaction; however, in advanced cases, a connective tissue capsule was seen around plasmodia. Spores collected from the two fish species differed from each other and from the known Myxobolus spp. both in their morphology and 18S rDNA sequences. The two species, described as M. erythrophthalmi sp. n. from rudd and M. shaharomae sp. n. from bleak, are characterized by a specific histotropism to blood vessels, while the organ specificity involves the kidney and for the latter species, most internal organs. [source] On the purity of 2-[ortho -anilinyl]-1,3-benzoxazole derived from 2H -3,1-benzoxazine-2,4(1H)dione (isatoic anhydride) [1,2],JOURNAL OF HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2010Karen M. Button The Lewis acid catalyzed synthesis and chromatographic purification of isatoic anhydride-derived 2-(2,-anilinyl)-1,3-benzoxazole (2) can result in the co-isolation of 2 and a light pink colored impurity (<5%). This latter species has been identified (NMR, single crystal X-ray diffraction, mp) as 2,-hydroxy-2-aminobenzanilide (3), which represents a predictable intermediate in the formation of 2. Compound 3 crystallizes in an orthorhombic crystal system of space group P212121 with four molecules in the unit cell (, = , = , = 90°; a = 6.715 (2) Å, b = 12.100 (4) Å, c = 13.321 (4) Å; V = 1082.2 (6) Å3). Pure 2 is characterized as a colorless, high-melting solid; unlike the dark colored oil that is isolated if 2 contains traces of 3. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2010). [source] Competition between vectors of Chagas disease, Triatoma infestans and T. sordida: effects on fecundity and mortalityMEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2004E. B. Oscherov Abstract., Interspecific competition between two species of triatomine bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), vectors of Chagas disease, was assessed for 16 months through comparative fecundity and mortality of experimental populations in chicken nests, maintained indoors with ambient conditions. Triatoma sordida (Stål), the secondary vector in north-eastern Argentina, was compared with Triatoma infestans (Klug) the more widespread domestic vector in the southern cone of South America. Both species populations originated from females collected in 1995 from the community of Empedrado, Corrientes, Argentina. Three population units were monitored: T. infestans alone, T. sordida alone and both species together in equal proportions. Each population started with six male and six female adults, 116 eggs, and nymphal instars I to V numbering 82, 48, 16, 11 and 19, respectively. Numbers and weight of individual bugs were recorded monthly (August 1995 to December 1996). The pure populations of T. infestans and T. sordida showed temporal changes in abundance, rising in summer and falling in winter, similar to the typical trends under normal field conditions. In the mixed population, however, T. sordida fell to extinction after 6 months, whereas T. infestans reached similar abundance to the pure (control) population. For each nymphal instar of T. sordida, the mean body weight was significantly less and mortality rate was higher in the mixed population compared to the pure population, but there were no significant differences of adult longevity or fecundity between the pure and mixed populations of T. sordida. The apparent competitive displacement of T. sordida by T. infestans was attributed to the latter species having better ability to obtain bloodmeals. This might explain the rarity of mixed populations where these two species occur in sympatry. [source] Insecticide resistance spectra and resistance mechanisms in populations of Japanese encephalitis vector mosquitoes, Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Cx. gelidus, in Sri LankaMEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2000S. H. P. P. Karunaratne Summary Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles and Cx. gelidus Theobald (Diptera: Culicidae), both vectors of Japanese encephalitis, were collected in 1984 and 1998 from two disease endemic localities in Sri Lanka: Anaradhapura and Kandy. Using wild-caught adult mosquitoes from light traps, log dosage-probit mortality curves for insecticide bioassays were obtained for three insecticides: malathion (organophosphate), propoxur (carbamate) and permethrin (pyrethroid). LD50 values showed that, in 1998, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was ,100-fold more resistant to malathion and 10-fold more resistant to propoxur than was Cx. gelidus. This difference was attributed to Cx. tritaeniorhynchus breeding mostly in irrigated rice paddy fields, where it would have been exposed to pesticide selection pressure, whereas Cx. gelidus breeds in other types of aquatic habitats less prone to pesticide applications. Resistance in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus increased between 1984 and 1998, whereas Cx. gelidus remained predominantly susceptible. Propoxur inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity (the target site of organophosphates and carbamates) indicated that in 1998, frequencies of insensitive AChE-based resistance were 9% in Cx. gelidus and 2,23% in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, whereas in 1984 this resistance mechanism was detected only in 2% of the latter species from Anaradhapura. The AChE inhibition coefficient (ki) with propoxur was 1.86 ± 0.24 × 105 m,1 min,1 for Cx. tritaeniorhynchus from Anaradhapura in 1998. Both species were tested for activity levels of detoxifying glutathione S-trans- ferases (GSTs) and malathion-specific as well as general carboxylesterases. High activities of GSTs and carboxylesterases were detected in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus but not Cx. gelidus. Malathion-specific carboxylesterase was absent from both species. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis resolved two elevated general carboxylesterases, CtrEst,1 and CtrEst,1, from Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and none from Cx. gelidus. CtrEst,1 was the most intensely staining band. Gel inhibition experiments showed that both elevated esterases were inhibited by organophosphates and carbamates but not by pyrethroids. The major elevated esterase CtrEst,1 was partially purified (15-fold) by sequential Q-Sepharose and phenyl Sepharose column chromatography. The bimolecular rate constant (ka) and the deacylation rate constant (k3) for the malaoxon/ enzyme interaction were 9.9 ± 1.1 × 103 m,1 min,1 and 3.5 ± 0.05 × 10,4m,1 min,1, respectively, demonstrating that the role of this enzyme in organophosphorus insecticide resistance is sequestration. [source] Cross-species testing of 27 pre-existing microsatellites in Podarcis gaigeae and Podarcis hispanica (Squamata: Lacertidae)MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 6 2008ANNA RUNEMARK Abstract We tested 27 microsatellite loci for cross-species amplification in the lacertids Podarcis gaigeae and Podarcis hispanica. We detected 11 and 15 polymorphic loci in the former and the latter species, respectively. In a larger sample of individuals from a single population of each species, the number of alleles ranged from five to 23 in 10 of the polymorphic loci in P. gaigeae, and between four and 13 in nine of polymorphic loci in P. hispanica. Two locus deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in P. hispanica. Between 11 and 16 of the 27 loci also amplified successfully in three other Podarcis species. [source] Origin and function of the two major tail proteins of bacteriophage SPP1MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Isabelle Auzat Summary The majority of bacteriophages have a long non-contractile tail (Siphoviridae) that serves as a conduit for viral DNA traffic from the phage capsid to the host cell at the beginning of infection. The 160-nm-long tail tube of Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SPP1 is shown to be composed of two major tail proteins (MTPs), gp17.1 and gp17.1*, at a ratio of about 3:1. They share a common amino-terminus, but the latter species has ,10 kDa more than gp17.1. A CCC.UAA sequence with overlapping proline codons at the 3, end of gene 17.1 drives a programmed translational frameshift to another open reading frame. The recoding event generates gp17.1*. Phages carrying exclusively gp17.1 or gp17.1* are viable, but tails are structurally distinct. gp17.1 and the carboxyl-terminus of gp17.1* have a distinct evolutionary history correlating with different functions: the polypeptide sequence identical in the two proteins is responsible for assembly of the tail tube while the additional module of gp17.1* shields the structure exterior exposed to the environment. The carboxyl-terminal extension is an elaboration present in some tailed bacteriophages. Different extensions were found to combine in a mosaic fashion with the MTP essential module in a subset of Siphoviridae genomes. [source] Research note: Salinity tolerance of Arctic kelps from SpitsbergenPHYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2007Ulf Karsten SUMMARY The effect of hypo- and hypersaline treatments on the effective quantum yield of photosystem II was comparatively studied with a pulse amplitude modulated fluorometer (PAM) in the brown algal species Alaria esculenta, Fucus distichus, Laminaria digitata, Laminaria solidungula, Saccharina latissima (formerly Laminaria saccharina) and Saccorhiza dermatodea collected in the Arctic Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen). While the euryhaline F. distichus was not affected at all by salinities ranging from 5 to 60 psu, A. esculenta, S. latissima and L. solidungula exhibited under hyposaline conditions strong loss of pigments (bleaching) or even high mortality reflecting stenohaline features. In contrast to the latter species, L. digitata and S. dermatodea survived all salinities, but showed reduced photosynthetic activities at the lowest and highest salt treatments and hence, can be characterized as stenohaline-euryhaline organisms. The data are discussed in terms of vertical zonation (eulittoral versus sublittoral habitat), in terms of interactive effects with other abiotic factors such as temperature and in terms of the species-specific acclimation potential. [source] Comparative dynamics of gestalt odour formation in two ant species Camponotus fellah and Aphaenogaster senilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)PHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Alain Lenoir Abstract. Ant colonies experience continuous shifts in worker populations, which may affect odour composition in the nest. A major question regarding the dynamics of gestalt formation is that of the speed at which the scent of a new individual will be incorporated into the gestalt. It is predicted from the gestalt model of colony odour that workers have to exchange recognition cues continuously to maintain themselves within the gestalt and become well integrated within their colony. Using radioactive tracers the rates of transfer were measured between a labelled donor ant and one or 10 recipient ants, as a close approximation to the within-nest situation. The labelled hydrocarbons were first transferred to a small number of individuals and progressively to all the individuals of the group so that the distribution of hydrocarbon transfer rate approached a normal distribution. Furthermore, in Camponotus fellah Dalla Torre, which performs trophallaxis, homogeneity was reached more rapidly than in Aphaenogaster senilis Mayr, which does not show this behaviour. In the latter species, the gestalt seems to be maintained mainly by allogrooming. These experiments were accompanied by behavioural observations to ascertain the respective importance of trophallaxis and allogrooming in the behavioural time-budget of the ants. In A. senilis, allogrooming was more frequent than in ants that trophallax, which corroborates the role of allogrooming in the establishment of the gestalt in this species. [source] A new species of Pliopithecus Gervais, 1849 (Primates: Pliopithecidae) from the Middle Miocene (MN8) of Abocador de Can Mata (els Hostalets de Pierola, Catalonia, Spain)AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2010David M. Alba Abstract Pliopithecus (Pliopithecus) canmatensis sp. nov. is described from several Late Aragonian localities from Abocador de Can Mata (ACM) in els Hostalets de Pierola (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Catalonia, Spain), spanning from ,11.7 to 11.6 Ma (C5r.3r subchron), and being correlated to the MN8 (reference locality La Grive L3). The ACM remains display a pliopithecine dental morphology with well-developed pliopithecine triangles on M/2 and M/3. This, together with other occlusal details, negates an attribution to the subgenus Epipliopithecus. Although slightly smaller, the ACM remains are most similar in size to comparable elements of P. piveteaui and P. antiquus. Several occlusal details (such as the greater development of the buccal cingulid in lower molars) and dental proportions (M/3 much longer than M/2), however, indicate greater similarities with P. antiquus from Sansan and La Grive. The ACM remains, however, differ from P. antiquus in dental proportions as well as occlusal morphology of the lower molars (including the less peripheral position of the protoconid and more medial position of the hypoconulid, the more mesial position of the buccal cuspids as compared to the lingual ones, the narrower but distinct mesial fovea, the higher trigonid, and the more extensive buccal cingulid, among others). These differences justify a taxonomic distinction at the species level of the ACM pliopithecid remains with respect to P. antiquus. Previous pliopithecid findings from the Vallès-Penedès Basin, previously attributed to P. antiquus, are neither attributable to the latter species nor to the newly erected one. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Relationship Between Cephalic Scales and Bones in Lizards: A Preliminary Microtomographic Survey on Three Lacertid SpeciesTHE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010David Costantini Abstract In the last two decades, there has been a great deal of interest in the morphology and anatomy of the lizard skull in an ecological and evolutionary perspective. However, the relationship between variations in many key anatomical features remains largely unknown. Using microtomography and geometric morphometrics, we examined the relationship between bones and scales associated with the parietal foramen in the three lizards species most common in the Italian peninsula: Podarcis muralis, P. sicula, and Lacerta bilineata. The imprints of the scales are clearly recognizable on the outer bone surface, and this may suggest a structural interaction between these elements. The temporal osteoderms are visible in the larger males and in the larger females of L. bilineata, but they are absent in the smaller specimens of L. bilineata and in all Podarcis specimens. Two parallel rows of pterygoid teeth are present in all the specimens of L. bilineata and are absent in the smaller male of L. bilineata and in both Podarcis species. Cheek osteoderms occurred only in the largest specimens of our sample (i.e., large L. bilineata), being possibly related to hyperostotic processes and densitometric thresholds more than to phylogeny. Minor differences may be also associated with the form of the parietal foramen. In absolute terms the parietal foramen tends to be largest in L. bilineata but in relation to skull length the foramen tends to be larger in P. muralis. In this latter species the foramen is also more elongated. In all three species the fronto-parietal suture occupies a similar location relatively to the scale spatial organization. A shared allometric pattern shows that the main vault enlargement can be localised at the areas anterior to the fronto-parietal suture, providing further information on the possible morphogenetic dynamics associated with the interaction between scales and bones around this structure. Anat Rec, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A conservation trade-off?AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 5 2007Interspecific differences in seahorse responses to experimental changes in fishing effort Abstract 1.A 2-year experimental seining programme and underwater visual censuses were undertaken to quantify the direct effects of active demersal fishing on the population structure and relative abundance of two sympatric seahorse species of conservation concern: the European long-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus Cuvier 1829 and the short-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus hippocampus L. The influence of habitat preference on population-level responses to changes in habitat structure following a reduction in fishing effort was also investigated. 2.It was predicted that the benthic habitat would be more structurally complex after fishing ceased and that seahorse densities would increase in response to reduced fishing mortality. Furthermore, it was predicted that the magnitude of the increase in density would be greater for H. guttulatus than for H. hippocampus, because the former species prefers complex vegetated habitats while the latter species uses sparsely vegetated habitats. 3.As predicted, the amount of habitat cover increased significantly when seining ceased, primarily through increases in the abundance of drifting macroalgae and unattached invertebrates. Despite similarities in life histories, the two seahorse species responded differently in terms of magnitude and direction to reduced fishing effort: the abundance of H. guttulatus increased significantly while H. hippocampus decreased in abundance. 4.Results suggest that active demersal fishing may influence the magnitude and direction of the responses of benthic marine fishes to exploitation through its impacts on habitat structure. An increase in habitat cover appeared to favour higher densities of H. guttulatus when seining effort was reduced. By contrast, repeated seining, which maintained less complex habitats, appeared to favour greater abundances of H. hippocampus. 5.Given differences in habitat preference among benthic marine fishes subject to incidental capture in fisheries, simultaneous attempts to manage populations of sympatric species may require complementary strategies that support the persistence of diverse habitat types. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Courtship dances in the flies of the genus lispe (Diptera: Muscidae): From the fly's viewpointARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2006Leonid Frantsevich Abstract Two predatory fly species, Lispe consanguinea Loew, 1858 and L. tentaculata DeGeer, 1776, inhabit the supralittoral zone at the shore of a fresh-water reservoir. Both species look alike and possess similar "badges," reflective concave silvery scales on the face. Flies occupy different lek habitats. Males of the first species patrol the bare wet sand on the beach just above the surf. Males of the second species reside on the more textured heaps of algae and stones. Courtship and aggressive behaviour of males was video-recorded and analysed frame by frame. Visual stimuli provided by the conspecific partner were computed in the body-fixed space of a fly observer. Males of L. consanguinea perform long pedestrian dances of pendulating circular arcs (frequency 2 s,1, median radius 2.5 cm, linear velocity 0.130 m/s). Right and left side runs are equally probable. Circular runs are interrupted by standby intervals of average duration 0.35 s. The female views the male as a target covering 2 by 2 ommatidia, moving abruptly with the angular velocity over 200 °/s in a horizontal direction down the path of about 50° till the next standpoint. Dancing is evenly distributed around the female. On the contrary, the male fixates the image of the female within the narrow front sector (median ±10°); the target in his view has 6,7 times less angular velocity and angular span of oscillations, and its image in profile overlays 6,8 by 2 ommatidia. If the female walks, the male combines tracking with voluntary circular dances. Rival males circle about one another at a distance shorter than 15 mm, but not in close contact. Males of L. tentaculata are capable of similar circular courting dances, but do so rarely. Usually they try to mount any partner immediately. In the latter species, male combat consists of fierce wrestling. Flies of both species often walk sideward and observe the partner not in front but at the side. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 62:26,42, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Combining geometric morphometrics and pattern recognition to identify interspecific patterns of skull variation: case study in sympatric Argentinian species of the genus Calomys (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 2 2008PEDRO CORDEIRO-ESTRELA Sympatric species of vesper mice Calomys laucha and Calomys musculinus are difficult to discriminate, especially in natural history collections where they are identified by external body measurements and cranial characteristics. Accurate identification of these two species can be important because only one of them, C. musculinus, is a Junin virus reservoir, the aetiological agent of the Argentine Hemorragic Fever. Research has focused into the development of molecular techniques to unambiguously identify these species. We apply statistical procedures from the field of pattern recognition to three-dimensional geometric morphometric data based on skull landmarks to identify sympatric species C. laucha, C. musculinus and Calomys venustus. Pattern recognition techniques correctly identified the three species without any prior information on specimen identity. By contrast to expectations, C. venustus differed from the other two species mainly on the basis of shape and not by its centroid size. The main sources of difference between C. laucha and C. musculinus were of shape, specifically localized at the landmarks defined by: (1) the sutures between the premaxillaries, the nasals and the frontals; (2) the sutures between the parietals, the frontals and the squamosals; and (3) the suture between the parietals and the interparietal. Nevertheless, allometries dominate the patterns of interspecific variation between these latter species and may partly explain past identification difficulties. Morphological evolution is discussed. The need for objective methods to define phenotypic clusters is highlighted with respect to the need for fast and precise biodiversity assessments. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 94, 365,378. [source] Reproductive strategies in some arctic Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae), with emphasis on the narrow endemic S. svalbardensis and its parental speciesBOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2001CHRISTIAN BROCHMANN Arctic saxifrages show conspicuous reproductive and chromosomal variation. We examined sexual and asexual traits in 43 phytotron-cultivated Svalbard populations of nine species, including the endemic, supposedly entirely asexual and aneupolyploid S. svalbardensis and its parental species, S. cernua and S. rivularis. All species were self-compatible hermaphrodites with low pollen/ovule ratios, including the strongly protandrous S. cernua, which previously has been reported as self-incompatible with an androdioecious mating system. Spontaneous selfing resulted in considerable seed set in several species and a few seeds in S. svalbardensis and S. cernua; hand-selfing and cross-pollination often increased seed set in the two latter species. Self-fertilized seeds of S. svalbardensis and S. cernua were viable and developed into normal, vigorous plants. Saxifraga rivularis and its close relative S. hyperborea were strongly autogamous. The bulbil-reproducing S. svalbardensis and S. cernua showed extreme variation in fertility, probably because of frequent aneuploidy. Many plants of S. cernua were fully fertile, suggesting that although natural seed set rarely has been observed, sexual reproduction is frequent enough to maintain its previously reported high levels of clonal diversity. Some plants of S. svalbardensis were also fairly fertile. This species may have considerable evolutionary potential; sexual events can lead to increasingly fertile genets with euploid chromosome numbers. [source] Morphological and embryological characters of three middle Asian Allium L. species (Alliaceae)BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2001OZODBEK A. ASHURMETOV Morphological and embryological characters of the xerophilous species Allium crystallinum Vved., A. filidens Regel, and A. fritschii Khassanov et Yengalycheva (Allium subg. Allium) were compared. The morphology of flowers, the rate of development of male and female embryonic structures and correlations with bud dimensions were studied. The overall similarity of the embryonic processes and structures underlines the close taxonomic relationship of the species investigated as concluded from morphological and anatomical characters. However, several differences in embryological characters between A. filidens and A. fritschii confirm the separation of the latter species at species level. [source] Theoretical Exploration of the Oxidative Properties of a [(trenMe1)CuO2]+ Adduct Relevant to Copper Monooxygenase Enzymes: Insights into Competitive Dehydrogenation versus Hydroxylation Reaction PathwaysCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 21 2008Aurélien de, Lande Dr. Abstract Singlet and triplet H-transfer reaction paths from CH and NH bonds were examined by means of DFT and spin-flip TD-DFT computations on the [(trenMe1)CuO2]+ adduct. The singlet energy surfaces allow its evolution towards H2O2 and an imine species. Whereas NH cleavage appears to be a radical process, CH rupture results in a carbocation intermediate stabilized by an adjacent N atom and an electrostatic interaction with the [CuIOOH] metal core. Upon injection of an additional electron, the latter species straightforwardly forms a hydroxylated product. Based on these computational results, a new mechanistic description of the reactivity of copper monooxygenases is proposed. [source] Luminescent Excited-State Intramolecular Proton-Transfer (ESIPT) Dyes Based on 4-Alkyne-Functionalized [2,2,-Bipyridine]-3,3,-diol DyesCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 14 2008Gilles Ulrich Dr. Abstract Functionalized 6,6,-dimethyl-3,3,-dihydroxy-2,2,-bipyridine dyes (BP(OH)2) exhibit relatively intense fluorescence from the relaxed excited state formed by excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). Bromo functionalization of (BP(OH)2) species followed by palladium(0)-catalyzed reactions allows the connection (via alkyne tethers) of functional groups, such as the singlet-emitter diazaboraindacene (bodipy) group or a chelating module (terpyridine; terpy). The X-ray structure of the terpy-based compound confirms the planarity of the 3,3,-dihydroxy-bipyridine unit. The new dyes exhibit relatively intense emission on the nanosecond timescale when in fluid solution, in the solid state at 298,K, and in rigid glasses at 77,K. In some cases, the excitation wavelength luminescence was observed and attributed to 1),inefficiency of the ESIPT process in particular compounds when not enough vibrational energy is introduced in the Franck,Condon state, which is populated by direct light excitation or 2),the presence of an additional excited state that deactivates to the ground state without undergoing the ESIPT process. For some selected species, the effect of the addition of zinc salts on the absorption and luminescence spectra was investigated. In particular, significant fluorescence changes were observed as a consequence of probable consecutive formation of a 1:1 and 1:2 molecular ratio of ligand/zinc adducts owing to coordination of ZnII ions by the bipyridyldiol moieties, except when an additional terpyridine subunit is present. In fact, this latter species preferentially coordinates to the ZnII ion in a 1:1 molecular ratio and further inhibits ZnII interaction. In the hybrid Bodipy/BP(OH)2 species, complete energy transfer from the BP(OH)2 to the bodipy fluorophore occurs, leading to exclusive emission from the lowest-lying bodipy subunit. Des composés colorés à base de 6,6,-dimethyl-3,3,-dihydroxy-2,2,-bipyridine (BP(OH)2) ont été synthétisés et présentent une fluorescence relativement intense issue de la relaxation d,un état excité provenant d,un transfert de proton dans l,état excité (ESIPT). La bromation de dérivés (BP(OH)2) suivie d,un couplage croisé catalysé par du Pd0sous-ligandé permet de connecter (par l,intermédiaire de pont alcyne) des groupes fonctionnels comme un groupe émetteur singulet de type boradiazaindacène (Bodipy) ou un module chélatant universel (une terpyridine). Une structure par diffraction aux rayons X a été obtenu avec le dérivé terpyridine, celle ci confirme la planéité de l,unité 3,3,-dihydroxy-bipyridine. Les nouveaux fluorophores possèdent une émission relativement intense avec une durée de vie de l,ordre de la nanoseconde, en solution et à l,état solide à 298,K ainsi que dans un verre à 77,K. Dans certain cas, la luminescence dépend de la longueur d,onde d,excitation, ce phénomène est attribué à (i) l,inefficacité du processus ESIPT, quand trop peu d,énergie vibrationnelle est introduite dans l,état Franck-Condon peuplé directement par la lumière d,excitation (ii) la présence d,un état excité supplémentaire qui désactive l,état fondamental sans passer par un processus ESIPT. Pour certains composés, l,effet de l,addition de sels de Zinc sur les spectres d,absorption et d,émission a été étudié : en particulier, des changements significatifs de fluorescence ont été observés, probablement due à la formation consécutive de complexes ligand/zinc de st,chiométrie 1:1 et 1:2, provenant de la coordination des cations ZnIIpar l,unité bipyridyl-diol, sauf quand une fonction terpyridine est présente. En fait, dans cette dernière espèce le zinc est préférentiellement coordiné par la terpyridine dans un ratio 1:1, et toute coordination supplémentaire de Zinc semble inhibée. Dans le composé hybride Bodipy/BP(OH)2,un transfert d,énergie quantitatif est observé du BP(OH)2vers le fluorophore Bodipy, entraînant une émission exclusive de la sous-unité Bodipy. Composti basati sulla subunità 6,6,-dimetil-3,3,-dididrossi-2,2,-bipiridina (BP(OH)2), variamente funzionalizzati, presentano fluorescenza relativamente intensa da stati eccitati formati attraverso trasferimento protonico nello stato eccitato (ESIPT). Bromo-funzionalizzazione dei composti di tipo BP(OH)2, seguita da reazioni catalizzate da Pd(0), permettono di connettere (con legame alchinico) gruppi funzionali quali il diazaboroindacene (Bodipy) o un modulo chelante (terpiridina) al frammento BP(OH)2. La struttura ai raggi X del composto contenente la terpiridina conferma la planarità dell,unità 3,3,-diidrossi-bipiridina. Le nuove specie presentano intensa emissione nella scala dei nanosecondi, in soluzione fluida ed allo stato solido a 298,K ed in matrice rigida a 77,K. In alcuni casi, la luminescenza dipende dalla lunghezza d,onda di eccitazione: questo fenomeno è attribuito a (i) inefficienza del processo ESIPT, quando non sufficiente energia vibrazionale è introdotta nello stato Franck-Condon a seguito di eccitazione luminosa o (ii) alla presenza di uno stato eccitato addizionale che si disattiva allo stato fondamentale senza passare dallo stato eccitato prodotto attraverso il meccanismo ESIPT. Per composti selezionati è stato anche studiato l,effetto della presenza di sali di zinco sulle proprietà di assorbimento elettronico e di luminescenza: significativi cambiamenti della fluorescenza sono stati osservati, come conseguenza della consecutiva formazione di addotti 1:1 e 1:2 (rapporto molare BP(OH)2/zinco), dovuta alla coordinazione di cationi di ZnIIda parte del bipiridil-diolo, che si verifica in tutti i casi studiati tranne in presenza di una subunità terpiridinica. In quest,ultimo caso, infatti, si forma soltanto l,addotto 1:1, e ulteriore coordinazione di cationi di ZnIIappare inibita. Nella specie ibrida Bodipy/BP(OH)2si verifica un completo trasferimento di energia elettronica dal BP(OH)2 al Bodipy, che porta ad emissione esclusivamente dalla subunità Bodipy, a piû bassa energia. [source] Chemical Bonding of Fullerene and Fluorinated Fullerene on Bare and Hydrogenated DiamondCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 9 2008Ti Ouyang Abstract We investigate the interface between a C60 fullerite film, C60F36, and diamond (100) by using core-level photoemission spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). We show that C60 can be covalently bonded to reconstructed C(100)-2×1 and that the bonded interface is sufficiently robust to exhibit characteristic C60 redox peaks in solution. The bare diamond surface can be passivated against oxidation and hydrogenation by covalently bound C60. However, C60F36 is not as stable as C60 and desorbs below 300,°C (the latter species being stable up to 500,°C on the diamond surface). Neither C60 fullerite nor C60F36 form reactive interfaces on the hydrogenated surface,they both desorb below 300,°C. The surface transfer doping process of hydrogenated diamond by C60F36 is the most evident one among all the adsorbate systems studied (with a coverage-dependent band bending induced by C60F36). [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||