METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 10 2009
S. Wirick
Sections were analyzed using a scanning transmission X-ray microscope (SXTM) and carbon X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra were collected. We compared the carbon XANES spectra of these Wild 2 samples with a database of spectra on thirty-four interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and with several meteorites. Two of the particles analyzed are iron sulfides and there is evidence that an aliphatic compound associated with these particles can survive high temperatures. An iron sulfide from an IDP demonstrates the same phenomenon. Another, mostly carbon free containing particle radiation damaged, something we have not observed in any IDPs we have analyzed or any indigenous organic matter from the carbonaceous meteorites, Tagish Lake, Orgueil, Bells and Murchison. The carbonaceous material associated with this particle showed no mass loss during the initial analysis but chemically changed over a period of two months. The carbon XANES spectra of the other four particles varied more than spectra from IDPs and indigenous organic matter from meteorites. Comparison of the carbon XANES spectra from these particles with 1. the carbon XANES spectra from thirty-four IDPs (<15 micron in size) and 2. the carbon XANES spectra from carbonaceous material from the Tagish Lake, Orgueil, Bells, and Murchison meteorites show that 81P/Wild 2 carbon XANES spectra are more similar to IDP carbon XANES spectra then to the carbon XANES spectra of meteorites. [source]

Chemical identification of comet 81P/Wild 2 dust after interacting with molten silica aerogel

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 8 2009
Frans J. M. Rietmeijer
The elements in this aerogel background were assimilated in non-vesicular and vesicular glass with the numerous nanometer Fe-Ni-S compound inclusions. After correction for the background values, the chemical data show that this piece of comet Wild 2 dust was probably an aggregate of small (<500 nm) amorphous ferromagnesiosilica grains with many tiny Fe,Ni-sulfide inclusions plus small Ca-poor pyroxene grains. This distinctive Fe- and CI-normalized element distribution pattern is found in several Stardust allocations. It appears to be a common feature in glasses of quenched aerogel melts but its exact nature is yet to be established. [source]

ASYMMETRY IN STRUCTURAL DEFENSES: INSIGHTS INTO SELECTIVE PREDATION IN THE WILD

EVOLUTION, Issue 9 2003
C. A. Bergstrom
Abstract Assessment of geographical patterns in fluctuating asymmetry (small, random differences between sides of bilateral characters) among populations shows promise as a tool to resolve the relative biomechanical importance of traits, in addition to being a possible indicator of habitat quality. We used 115 endemic freshwater populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia, Canada, to explore the degree of concordance between geographical variation of asymmetry in a predator defense structure (bony lateral plates) and geographical variation in several indirect measures of predation regime as well as several abiotic habitat variables. We found a geographical cline in the population frequency of lateral plate asymmetries, with reduced asymmetry in the southern clear-water regions of the archipelago characterized by long reaction distances and greater chance of capture by predators, and elevated asymmetry in the northern stained-water regions with poor visibility and low chances of capture. Lateral plate asymmetry was strongly correlated with expression of several defensive armor traits, including total plate numbers among populations, mean cross-sectional diameter of stickleback with the dorsal and pelvic spines erect, and mean degree of overlap between the plates and spine supports. There were no significant correlations between frequency of asymmetric fish and any of our abiotic habitat variables. Stickleback with structural plate asymmetries had fewer trout-induced scars than symmetric fish in the significant majority of populations, and there was a decrease in structural plate asymmetry with age in stained-water habitats, suggesting that trout predators may be selectively removing asymmetric fish in some lakes. This study provides evidence that geographical variation in developmental stability of threespine stickleback, as seen in the frequencies of asymmetry, reflects differences among populations in the importance of structural defenses to fitness rather than differences in habitat quality, and that asymmetry may be a target of selection by predators in wild populations. [source]

EVOLUTION OF TEMPORAL ISOLATION IN THE WILD: GENETIC DIVERGENCE IN TIMING OF MIGRATION AND BREEDING BY INTRODUCED CHINOOK SALMON POPULATIONS

EVOLUTION, Issue 4 2000
Thomas P. Quinn
Abstract. The timing of migration and breeding are key life-history traits; they are not only adaptations of populations to their environments, but can serve to increase reproductive isolation, facilitating further divergence among populations. As part of a study of divergence of chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, populations, established in New Zealand from a common source in the early 1900s, we tested the hypotheses that the timing of migration and breeding are under genetic control and that the populations genetically differ in these traits despite phenotypic overlap in timing in the wild. Representatives of families from two populations were collected within a day or two of each other, reared in a common environment, and then released to sea from each of two different rivers, while other family representatives were retained in fresh water to maturity. The date of maturation of fish held in fresh water and the dates of return from the ocean and maturation of fish released to sea all showed significant differences between the two populations and among families within populations. The very high heritabilities and genetic correlations estimated for migration and maturation date indicated that these traits would respond rapidly to selection. Combined with the results of related studies on these chinook salmon populations, it appears that spawning time may not only evolve during the initial phases of divergence, but it may play an important role in accelerating divergence in other traits. [source]

ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION OF SALVIA VERBENACA L. GROWING WILD IN TUNISIA

JOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2010
MOUNA BEN TAARIT
ABSTRACT The essential oil of aerial parts of Salvia verbenaca L., collected in three different locations in Tunisia, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC,mass spectrometry. The oil yields of dried plants (w/w) were 0.09, 0.10 and 0.12% in Sabelet Ben Ammar, Sers and Somaa, respectively. Seventy-seven compounds were identified. The monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes had the highest contributions. The major constituents in Sabelet Ben Ammar were viridiflorol (21.8%), camphene (17.6%), methyl eugenol (9.4%) and ,-caryophyllene (7.1%), while those of essential oil collected from Somaa, were tricyclene (18.8%), nonane (10.3%), methyl eugenol (7.7%) and terpinolene (7.3%). In samples collected from Sers, essential oil consists mainly of (Z)-,-ocimene (29.5%), ,-phellandrene (8.2%), ,-thujone (7.9%) and ,-pinene (5.5%). PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS In this study, it has been found that the oils of wild-growing Salvia verbenaca L. in Tunisia are rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenes and monoterpene hydrocarbons with great economical values. The plant family Labiatae contains several species with potential therapeutic activity due to their essential oils. Pharmacology, pharmaceutical botany, medical and clinical microbiology, phytopathology and food preservation are some fields in which essential oils can be applied. Many Salvia spp. are used as herbal tea and for food flavoring, as well as in cosmetics, perfumery and the pharmaceutical industry. It has shown that essential oil of S. verbenaca have strong antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory activities and peripheral analgesic properties. [source]

Song Learning in Wild and Domesticated Strains of White-Rumped Munia, Lonchura striata, Compared by Cross-Fostering Procedures: Domestication Increases Song Variability by Decreasing Strain-Specific Bias

ETHOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
Miki Takahasi
Song diversity results from the interactions between natural selection, sexual selection, and individual learning. To understand song diversity, all three factors must be considered collectively, not separately. Bengalese Finches were domesticated about 250 yr ago. Their courtship songs have become different from their ancestor, the White-rumped Munia. Bengalese Finches sing songs with complex note-to-note transition patterns and with acoustically diverse song notes while White-rumped Munias sing songs with fixed note sequence and mostly broad band song notes. Bengalese Finches were selected for domestication based on their good parenting ability, not their songs, but this artificial selection has nonetheless affected their songs. To test whether divergence occurred not only in the song phenotypes but also in the genetic basis for predisposition of strain specific song learning, we conducted a cross-fostering experiment between Bengalese Finches and White-rumped Munias. In both strains, song learning was affected by rearing condition: the acoustical feature and transition patterns followed those of the foster fathers. However, the accuracy of song learning differed between the wild and the domesticated strains: sharing of song note between sons and tutors in Finches was not very accurate regardless of the tutor, while Munias were highly accurate in copying Munia songs but often omitted song elements from Finch fathers. These results suggest that White-rumped Munias are strongly constrained to learn their own strain's song, and that this constraint was relaxed in the Bengalese Finch by domestication. [source]

Persistence of Alarm-Call Behaviour in the Absence of Predators: A Comparison Between Wild and Captive-Born Meerkats (Suricata Suricatta)

ETHOLOGY, Issue 11 2007
Linda I. Hollén
Performing correct anti-predator behaviour is crucial for prey to survive. But, are such abilities lost in species or populations living in predator-free environments? How individuals respond to the loss of predators has been shown to depend on factors such as the degree to which anti-predator behaviour relies on experience, the type of cues evoking the behaviour, the cost of expressing the behaviour and the number of generations under which relaxed selection has taken place. Here we investigated whether captive-born populations of meerkats (Suricata suricatta) used the same repertoire of alarm calls previously documented in wild populations and whether captive animals, as wild ones, could recognize potential predators through olfactory cues. We found that all alarm calls that have been documented in the wild also occurred in captivity and were given in broadly similar contexts. Furthermore, without prior experience of odours from predators, captive meerkats seemed to distinguish between faeces of potential predators (carnivores) and non-predators (herbivores). Despite slight structural differences, the alarm calls given in response to the faeces largely resembled those recorded in similar contexts in the wild. These results from captive populations suggest that direct, physical interaction with predators is not necessary for meerkats to perform correct anti-predator behaviour in terms of alarm-call usage and olfactory predator recognition. Such behaviour may have been retained in captivity because relatively little experience seems necessary for correct performance in the wild and/or because of the recency of relaxed selection on these populations. [source]

The Nature of Transnational Networks: Wild and Complex

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 2 2006
STEVEN J. LUX
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Effective size of populations with unequal sex ratio and variation in mating success

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS, Issue 5 2002
T. Nomura
Summary To estimate the effective size (Ne) of populations with unequal sex ratio, a well-known formula, Ne=4NmNf/(Nm + Nf), has been frequently used, where Nm and Nf are the numbers of male and female parents, respectively. In this paper, the formula was examined under typical mating systems in animals. It was shown that the formula holds only when there are no variations in the numbers of mates (mating success) of parents of each sex. More appropriate equations were developed by accounting for the variation in mating success. It was found that for animal populations with harem mating system, an equation Ne=4NmNf/(2Nm+Nf) gives a more accurate estimate than the well-known formula. The effective population sizes of several wild, experimental and domestic animals are estimated by applying the derived equations to the published demographic and ecological data. Zusammenfassung Effektive Größe von Populationen mit ungleichem Geschlechterverhältnis und Variation im Anpaarungserfolg Zur Schätzung der effektiven Populationsgröße (Ne) mit ungleichem Geschlechterverhältnis, wurde häufig die allgemein bekannte Formel Ne=4NmNf/(Nm + Nf) verwendet, wobei Nm und Nf die Anzahl männlicher und weiblicher Eltern bezeichnen. In diesem Artikel wurde diese Formel unter verschiedenen Anpaarungssystemen überprüft. Es wurde gezeigt, daß die Formel nur zutrifft, wenn die Anzahl der angepaarten Tiere (Anpaarungserfolg) in jedem Geschlecht nicht variieren. Es wurden genauere Gleichungen entwickelt, die den Anpaarungserfolg mitberücksichtigen. Für Tierpopulationen mit Harempaarung wurde die Gleichung Ne=4NmNf/(2Nm + Nf) als genauerer Schätzer als die allgemein bekannte Formel gefunden. Die effektive Populationsgröße mehrerer Wild-, Versuchs- und Haustierpopulationen wurden mittels der abgeleiteten Gleichung und demographischen und ökologischen Daten geschätzt. [source]

FTC Goes Wild Over Whole Foods Merger

JOURNAL OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 2 2008
Robert W. Rouse
Despite a credit crunch in 2007, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has continued at a rapid pace. The two primary regulatory agencies that evaluate proposed mergers,the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),issued a guidelines commentary in 2006. It gave us vital insight on how the DOJ and FTC evaluate mergers. The authors review the commentary and show how it worked in the case of one recent acquisition,where the FTC and DOJ disagreed. The authors then discuss how companies can avoid the M&A mistakes of the past. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

120 Exploration of Morphological Variation Within the Genus Pediastrum Meyen 1829 (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta)

JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2003
H. A. McManus
Monographic works on the green algal genus, Pediastrum Meyen 1829 (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta), have described species, varieties and forms based on such characteristics as the size and shape of the marginal cells, pattern of cell wall sculpturing and extent of cell wall sculpturing. Depending on the author, the number of taxa assigned to the genus Pediastrum varies. Due to the lack of quantitative value to these characteristics, it has been difficult for other researchers to assign appropriate taxonomy to wild isolates. A molecular phylogeny including multiple strains from both culture collections and wild samples confirms relationships found by previous molecular studies on fewer taxa, in which the family Hydrodictyaceae forms a monophyletic group within the Sphaeropleales, and that the genera Hydrodictyon and Sorastrum are derived from Pediastrum. Hydrodicyton forms a monophyletic clade and consists of three species, H. reticulatum, H. africanum, and H. patenaeforme. Multiple isolates of H. reticulatum reveal little genetic variation between different geographic localities. Inclusion of wild isolates permits a more thorough exploration of morphological variation within the genus Pediastrum, and what characters may be taxonomically informative, particularly in the species P. boryanum and P. duplex. Wild isolates sampled from different areas also offers information regarding geographic variation and potential morphological convergence. [source]

Vapor-condensed phase processes in the early solar system

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010
Lawrence GROSSMAN
Many refractory inclusions in CM2 chondrites contain a relatively SiO2 -poor assemblage (spinel, hibonite, grossite, perovskite, corundum) that represents a high-temperature stage of condensation, and some may be pristine condensates that escaped later melting. Compact Type A and Type B refractory inclusions, consisting of spinel, melilite, perovskite, Ca-rich clinopyroxene ± anorthite, in CV3 chondrites are more SiO2 -rich and equilibrated with the solar nebular gas at a slightly lower temperature. Textures of many of these objects indicate that they underwent melting after condensation, crystallizing into the same phase assemblage as their precursors. The Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio of their pyroxene indicates that this process occurred in a gas whose oxygen fugacity () was approximately 8.5 log units below that of the iron-wüstite buffer, making them the only objects in chondrites known to have formed in a system whose composition was close to that of the sun. Relative to CI chondrites, these inclusions are uniformly enriched in a group of elements (e.g., Ca, REE, Zr, Ta, Ir) that are chemically diverse except for their high condensation temperatures in a system of solar composition. The enrichment factor, 17.5, can be interpreted to mean that these objects represent either the first 5.7 wt% of the condensable matter to condense during nebular cooling or the residue after vaporization of 94.3% of a CI chondrite precursor. The Mg and Si isotopic compositions of Types A and B inclusions are mass-fractionated by up to 10 and 4 ,/amu, respectively. When interpreted in terms of Rayleigh fractionation during evaporation of Mg and Si from the inclusions while they were molten, the isotopic compositions imply that up to 60% of the Mg and up to 25% of the Si were evaporated, and that approximately 80% of the enrichment in refractory (CaO+Al2O3) relative to more volatile (MgO+SiO2) in the average inclusion is due to initial condensation and approximately 20% due to subsequent evaporation. The mineralogical composition, including the Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio of the pyroxene, in Inti, a particle sampled from Comet Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft, is nearly identical to that of a Type B inclusion, indicating that comets contain not only the lowest-temperature condensates in the form of ices but the highest-temperature condensates as well. The FeO/(FeO+MgO) ratios of olivine and pyroxene in the matrix and chondrules of carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites are too high to be made in a system of solar composition, requiring s only 1 or 2 log units below iron-wüstite, more than 105 times higher than that of a solar gas. Various ways have been devised to generate cosmic gases sufficiently oxidizing to stabilize significant FeO in olivine at temperatures above those where Fe-Mg interdiffusion in olivine ceases. One is by vertical settling of dust toward the nebular midplane, enriching a region in dust relative to gas. Because dust is enriched in oxygen compared to carbon and hydrogen relative to solar composition, a higher results from total vaporization of the region, but the factor by which theoretical models have so far enriched the dust is 10 times too low. Another is by transporting icy bodies from the outer part of the nebula into the hot, inner part where vaporization of water ice occurs. Not only does this method fail to make the needed by a factor of 30,1000 but it also ignores simultaneous evaporation of carbon-bearing ices that would make the even lower. [source]

Stardust glass: Indigenous and modified comet Wild 2 particles

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 11 2009
Frans J. M. Rietmeijer
Glass is used here to include all types of amorphous materials that could be either indigenous or modified comet Wild 2 grains, and all amorphous phases in chondritic aggregate interplanetary dust particles (IDPs). The answer is that it probably does, but very little is known of their compositions to allow a definitive answer to be given. There is no evidence among the collected comet dust for interstellar glass with embedded metals and sulfides. There is, however, ample evidence for melting of the smallest, sub-micrometer comet particles of nanometer-scale grains similar to those in the matrix of chondritic aggregate IDPs, including pyrrhotite. Massive patches of Mg-SiO, Al-SiO, or Ca-Si-O glass are incorporated in the familiar, vesicular Si-rich glass are melted Wild 2 silicates. Magnesiosilica glass has a deep metastable eutectic smectite-dehydroxylate composition. It indicates that very high temperatures well above the liquidus temperatures of forsterite were achieved very rapidly and were followed but ultra-rapid quenching. This predictable and systematic response is not limited to Mg-silicates, and recognizing this phenomenon among massive glass will provide a means to complete the reconstruction of this comet's original minerals, as well as constrain the physiochemical environment created during aerogel melting and evaporation. [source]

Organic matter from comet 81P/Wild 2, IDPs, and carbonaceous meteorites; similarities and differences

Chemical identification of comet 81P/Wild 2 dust after interacting with molten silica aerogel

Dust from comet Wild 2: Interpreting particle size, shape, structure, and composition from impact features on the Stardust aluminum foils

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1-2 2008
A. T. Kearsley
By comparison to laboratory shots of known particle dimensions and density, using the same velocity and incidence geometry as the Stardust Wild 2 encounter, we can derive size and mass of the cometary dust grains. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of foil samples (both flown on the mission and impacted in the laboratory) we have recognized a range of impact feature shapes from which we interpret particle density and internal structure. We have documented composition of crater residues, including stoichiometric material in 3 of 7 larger craters, by energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Wild 2 dust grains include coarse (>10 ,m) mafic silicate grains, some dominated by a single mineral species of density around 3,4 g cm,3 (such as olivine). Other grains were porous, low-density aggregates from a few nanometers to 100 ,m, with an overall density that may be lower than 1 g cm,3, containing mixtures of silicates and sulfides and possibly both alkali-rich and mafic glass. The mineral assemblage is very similar to the most common species reported from aerogel tracks. In one large aggregate crater, the combined diverse residue composition is similar to CI chondrites. The foils are a unique collecting substrate, revealing that the most abundant Wild 2 dust grains were of sub-micrometer size and of complex internal structure. Impact residues in Stardust foil craters will be a valuable resource for future analyses of cometary dust. [source]

TOF-SIMS analysis of cometary matter in Stardust aerogel tracks

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1-2 2008
Thomas Stephan
While single grains >1 ,m are highly variable in their chemical composition, nanometer-scale material found in the wall of one track has within a factor of 1.22 bulk CI chondritic element ratios relative to Fe for Na, Mg, A1, Ti, Cr, Mn, and Co. Compared to CI, a depletion in Ca by a factor of four and an enrichment in Ni by a factor of two was observed. These results seem to confirm recent reports of a CI-like bulk composition of Wild 2. The analysis of organic compounds in aerogel samples is complicated by the presence of contaminants in the capture medium. However, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that could possibly be attributed to the comet were observed. [source]

Bulk mineralogy and three-dimensional structures of individual Stardust particles deduced from synchrotron X-ray diffraction and microtomography analysis

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1-2 2008
Tomoki Nakamura
The analyses were performed at synchrotron facilities, KEK and SPring-8 in Japan. Twenty-eight particles from 5 to 25 ,m in size, including 25 particles from Track 35 and 3 particles from Track 44, were first analyzed by X-ray diffraction and then 4 out of 28 particles were analyzed by X-ray tomography. All particles are classified into two groups based on silicate crystallinity: crystalline type and amorphous-rich type. The abundance of the former is approximately 10% of the particles investigated. Crystalline type shows very sharp reflections of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene, while amorphous-rich type shows no or very weak silicate reflections, suggesting that silicates are mostly amorphous. Broad reflections of Fe sulfides and Fe silicides are detected from most of amorphous-rich type particles. Subsequent tomography analysis revealed that the crystalline type is non-porous material consisting of coarse silicate crystals larger than 1 ,m in size, while the amorphous-rich type is very porous aggregates with amorphous silicates and small Fe sulfide and Fe metallic grains. All characteristics of amorphous-rich type particles indicate that most of them are melted and rapidly solidified during capture in the silica aerogel. On the other hand, the crystalline type is indigenous cometary particle formed through high-temperature heating episodes that have taken place prior to formation of comet Wild 2. One of the crystalline-type particles (C2054,0,35,6,0) consists of Mg-rich olivine, pyroxene, and kamacite and exhibits porphyritic or poikilitic texture very similar to chondrules. [source]

Detection of cometary amines in samples returned by Stardust

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1-2 2008
Daniel P. Glavin
A suite of amino acids and amines including glycine, L-alanine, ,-alanine (BALA), ,-amino- n -butyric acid (GABA), ,-amino- n -caproic acid (EACA), ethanolamine (MEA), methylamine (MA), and ethylamine (EA) were identified in acid-hydrolyzed, hot-water extracts of these Stardust materials above background levels. With the exception of MA and EA, all other primary amines detected in comet-exposed aerogel fragments C2054,4 and C2086,1 were also present in the flight aerogel witness tile that was not exposed to the comet, indicating that most amines are terrestrial in origin. The enhanced relative abundances of MA and EA in comet-exposed aerogel compared to controls, coupled with MA to EA ratios (C2054,4: 1.0 ± 0.2; C2086,1: 1.8 ± 0.2) that are distinct from preflight aerogels (E243,13C and E243,13F: 7 ± 3), suggest that these volatile amines were captured from comet Wild 2. MA and EA were present predominantly in an acid-hydrolyzable bound form in the aerogel, rather than as free primary amines, which is consistent with laboratory analyses of cometary ice analog materials. It is possible that Wild 2 MA and EA were formed on energetically processed icy grains containing ammonia and approximately equal abundances of methane and ethane. The presence of cometary amines in Stardust material supports the hypothesis that comets were an important source of prebiotic organic carbon and nitrogen on the early Earth. [source]

Patents Gone Wild: An Ethical Examination and Legal Analysis of Tax-Related and Tax Strategy Patents

AMERICAN BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009
Wade M. Chumney
First page of article [source]

Metabolomic analysis of host plant resistance to thrips in wild and cultivated tomatoes,

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2010
Mohammad Mirnezhad
Abstract Introduction , Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) are among the most serious crop pests worldwide. Control of thrips mainly depends on pesticides, excessive use of which leads to human health risks and environmental contamination. As an alternative, we study host plant resistance to thrips. Objective , To apply nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) metabolomics to study host plant resistance to thrips in wild and cultivated tomatoes. Methodology , Ten wild species and 10 cultivated tomato lines were compared. Five replicates of each species and lines were used for a thrips bioassay while another five replicates were used for the metabolomic analysis. The three most resistant and susceptible wild species, and cultivated lines, as identified by the thrips bioassay, were used for the metabolomics, performed by 1H NMR spectroscopy followed by principal component analysis. Results , Wild and cultivated tomatoes differed significantly in thrips resistance. Only wild tomatoes were thrips-resistant, among which Lycopersicon pennellii and L. hirsutum exhibited the lowest thrips damage. Their 1H NMR-based metabolomic profiles were significantly different from those of thrips-susceptible tomatoes. Thrips-resistant tomatoes contained acylsugars, which are known for their negative effect on herbivores. Conclusion , The identification of acylsugars as a resistance factor for thrips in tomato proves that NMR-based metabolomics an important tool to study plant defences, providing fundamental information for the development and realisation of herbivore resistance breeding programmes in agricultural crops. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Hunger for the Wild: America's Obsession with the Untamed West , By Michael L. Johnson

THE HISTORIAN, Issue 1 2009
W. Paul Reeve
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Mud crab pen culture: replacement of fish feed requirement and impacts on mangrove community structure

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 8 2010
Jurgenne H Primavera
Abstract Brackishwater pond culture has been a major factor in mangrove loss in Southeast Asia, hence, the need to develop environment-friendly technologies such as mud crab Scylla (Portunidae) culture in mangrove pens exists. This study evaluated the effects of mud crab netpen systems in central Philippines on mangrove macroflora, and the replacement of dietary fish with low-cost pellets. Wild or hatchery-sourced Scylla olivacea and Scylla serrata were stocked at 0.5,0.8 m,2 in 167,200 m2 nylon netpens (2.3 cm stretched mesh) in Avicennia -dominated mangrove habitats. The feeding treatments were: (A) Zarraga: (1) no feeding (natural productivity), (2) no feeding for 1 month+supplementary feeding, (3) fish biomass and (4) low-cost pellets, and (B) Batan: (1) fish biomass and (2) pellets+fish biomass. Feeds were given ad libitum twice daily. Growth and survival rates of S. olivacea in Zarraga pens were not significantly different among treatments, although crabs fed fish biomass had the highest survival, body weight and production. Similarly, growth and survival of S. serrata were not significantly different between the Batan treatments. Economic analysis of the latter gave a 38.5% return on investment (ROI) and 2.6 years payback period (PP) for pellets+fish biomass treatment compared with 27.5% ROI and 3.6 years PP for fish alone. Sensitivity analysis showed an improved economic performance of the pellets+fish biomass treatment by increasing the survival rate. Evaluation of mangrove community structure showed that crab culture reduced species diversity, numbers and biomass of seedlings and saplings, but not of mangrove trees. Therefore, mud crab pen culture is recommended for mangrove sites with mature trees, but not seedlings and saplings, and low-cost pellets can reduce dependence on fish biomass. [source]

Mercury comparisons between farmed and wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.)

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 10 2009
L B Jardine
Abstract Wild and farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) were collected to assess changes in mercury with size in wild vs. farmed fish. Mercury concentrations were compared with Health Canada and United States Environmental Protection Agency consumption guidelines. Lipid dilution of mercury was examined by comparing lipid-extracted (LE) and non-lipid-extracted (NLE) flesh samples in both farmed and wild fish. Mercury concentrations in the flesh and liver of farmed salmon were significantly lower than concentrations in wild salmon of similar fork length (P<0.001), possibly due to growth dilution in rapidly growing farmed fish. Mercury concentrations were higher in LE tissue compared with NLE (P<0.05), suggesting lipid dilution of mercury in farmed fish with a high lipid content. Farmed cod, which do not grow more rapidly than wild cod, did not have significantly different flesh and liver concentrations compared with wild cod of similar fork length (P>0.05). Between species of farmed fish, cod had significantly higher mercury concentrations than salmon (P<0.05), but neither farmed nor wild salmon mercury concentrations exceeded federal consumption guidelines. These results suggest that rapid growth rates and a high lipid content may play important roles in regulating concentrations of contaminants such as mercury. [source]

Intraspecific vicariant history and the evolution of adaptive morphological diversity in a fish species (Osmerus mordax)

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2009
MARIE-FRANCE BARRETTE
Vicariant geographic isolation and resource partitioning have long been independently identified as processes contributing to the morphological divergence of closely-related species. However, little is known about the extent to which vicariant history influences the adaptive ecological divergence associated with resource partitioning and trophic specialization within species. The present study thus quantified the contribution of vicariant historical genetic divergence to the adaptive contemporary morphological divergence of intraspecific feeding specialists in the Rainbow smelt (Pisces: Osmerus mordax). This species is characterized by the polyphyletic origin of two lacustrine feeding specialists originating in two intraspecific lineages associated with independent glacial refuges. The historical genetic segregation was initiated approximately 350 000 years ago, whereas the lacustrine trophic segregation arose within the past 10 000 years. Wild caught lacustrine smelt populations were grouped a priori based on known historical genetic identities (Acadian and Atlantic mitochondrial DNA clades) and contemporary feeding specializations (microphageous and macrophageous morphotypes). The present study demonstrated that independent suites of correlated morphological traits are associated with either vicariant history or contemporary feeding specializations. Second, functionally-similar feeding specialists exhibit distinct morphologies resulting largely from vicariant historical processes. Although, the evolutionary processes producing historical phenotypes remains unknown, the results obtained demonstrate how adaptive radiation associated with ecological resource partitioning and feeding specializations can be strongly influenced by intraspecific phenotypic diversification resulting from relatively recent vicariant histories. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 140,151. [source]

Conserving What and for Whom?

BIOTROPICA, Issue 5 2007
Why Conservation Should Help Meet Basic Human Needs in the Tropics
ABSTRACT For hundreds of millions of people, biodiversity is about eating, staying healthy, and finding shelter. Meeting these people's basic needs should receive greater priority in the conservation agenda. Wild and semi-wild plants and animals contribute significantly to nutrition, health care, income, and culture in developing countries, and the poorest and most vulnerable people often rely on those resources most. Depleting those resources or making them inaccessible can impoverish these people even further. ,Pro-poor conservation',that is, conservation that aims to support poor people,explicitly seeks to address basic human needs. Such an emphasis has many potential synergies with more conventional conservation goals. Nonetheless, pro-poor conservation requires a distinct attitude to gauging conservation outcomes and a different approach to conservation science. Biologists can make a vital contribution. RESUMEN Para cientos de millones de personas biodiversidad significa comer, cuidar su salud y alojarse. Satisfacer las necesidades básicas de esa agenda debería de recibir mayor prioridad en la agenda de conservación. Plantas y animales silvestres y semi-domesticadas contribuyen de forma significativa a la alimentación, salud, ingresos y cultura en los países en desarrollo, y suele ser la gente más pobre y vulnerable quienes dependen más de esos recursos. La degradación de esos recursos o la pérdida de acceso a los mismos pueden empobrecer a esta gente aún más. La "conservación pro-pobre," o sea la conservación que tiene como fin apoyar a la gente pobre, buscar de forma explícita satisfacer a las necesidades humanas básicas. Este enfoque tiene mucho potencial para generar sinergias con las metas más convencionales de conservación. Sin embargo, la conservación pro-pobre requiere de formas distintas de medir los resultados de la conservación y de un acercamiento distinto a lo que es la ciencia de la conservación. Los biológicos pueden hacer una contribución fundamental en ese sentido. RÉSUMÉ Pour des millions de pauvres, la biodiversité est avant tout une affaire d'alimentation, de santé et de sécurité. Satisfaire les besoins primordiaux de ces populations devrait devenir la priorité des programmes de conservation. Les plantes et animaux sauvages -ou semi domestiqués- contribuent de manière déterminante à l'alimentation, à la santé, aux revenus et à la culture dans les pays en développement. Les populations les plus pauvres et vulnérables sont également celles qui dépendent le plus de ces ressources. En réduire la disponibilité ou l'accès ne peut que les appauvrir davantage. Une conservation favorable aux pauvres se doit de répondre aux besoins humains fondamentaux. Une telle conception de la conservation présente de multiples synergies avec ses objectifs plus conventionnels. Mais avant tout, une conservation favorable aux pauvres réclame un état d'esprit particulier pour en mesurer les résultats, et suppose une approche scientifique spécifique. En cela, les biologistes ont un rôle déterminant à jouer. ABSTRAK, Bagi ratusan dari jutaan manusia, keanekaragaman hayati merupakan sumber makanan, kesehatan dan tempat berlindung. Pemenuhan kebutuhan dasar mereka ini seharusnya mendapatkan prioritas lebih besar dalam agenda konservasi. Di negara-negara yang sedang berkembang, hewan dan tumbuhan liar memiliki kontribusi nyata terhadap nutrisi, kesehatan, penghasilan serta kebudayaan masyarakatnya. Masyarakat miskin dan lemah seringkali sangat menggantungkan hidupnya pada sumber daya tersebut sehingga degradasi atau hambatan akses terhadap sumber daya tersebut akan memperburuk keadaan mereka. Konservasi "pro-miskin" - yakni konservasi yang bertujuan mendukung masyarakat miskin - secara eksplisit berupaya memusatkan perhatian pada kebutuhan manusia yang paling mendasar. Penekanan semacam itu mempunyai banyak keselarasan dengan tujuan-tujuan konservasi yang lebih konvensional. Namun demikian, konservasi pro-miskin memerlukan sikap yang berbeda dalam mengukur hasil-hasil konservasi, dan pendekatan yang berbeda terhadap pengetahuan konservasi. Dalam hal ini, para ahli biologi dapat memberikan kontribusi yang sangat penting. [source]

A revision of Calvoa Hook. f. (Melastomataceae)

BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 2 2001
ESTRELA FIGUEIREDO FLS
A revision of the genus Calvoa Hook. f. (Melastomataceae) is presented. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) and Cluster Analyses (UPGMA) were performed to elucidate three cases of difficult species delimitation and infraspecific variation, with the following results. (1) The separation between C. crassinoda Hook. f. and C. grandifolia Cogn. was clear in the results obtained with both methods. (2) The group of the West-Central African species Calvoa angolensis A. Fern. & R. Fern., C. calliantha Jacq.-Fél., C. monticola A. Chev., C. pulcherrima Gilg ex Engl., C. sapinii De Wild., C. seretii De Wild., C. sinuata Hook. f. and C. subquinquenervia De Wild, proved difficult to resolve with either analysis, but the Cluster Analysis produced results which are more consistent with the identification of the specimens. (3) Neither of the two analyses supported the recognition of infraspecific categories in Calvoa orientalis Taub. Eighteen species are recognized in the genus. The new species Calvoa Jacques-felixii E. Figueiredo is described and the new combination Calvoa seretii subsp. wildemaniana (Exell) E. Figueiredo is made. Four lectotypes are designated. The conservation status of some taxa is discussed. Six species are considered rare and possibly under threat. [source]

Quantitative Comparison of Ginsenosides and Polyacetylenes in Wild and Cultivated American Ginseng

CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 4 2010
Jing-Rong Wang
Abstract Quantitative comparison of seven ginsenosides in wild and cultivated American ginseng revealed that the Rg1/Rd ratio presented a significantly large difference between cultivated and type-I (one of the defined chemotypes) wild American ginseng, facilitating this ratio as a characteristic marker for differentiating these two groups. Similarly, the ratio (Rg1+Re)/Rd, and the ratio of protopanaxatriol (PPT)-type ginsenosides to protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type ginsenosides showed a large difference between these two groups. On the other hand, type-II wild samples were found to have high Rg1/Rb1 and Rg1/Re ratios and low panaxydol/panaxynol ratio, which is entirely different from Type-I American ginseng, but is very similar to that of Asian ginseng. This not only suggests that the chemotype should be taken into consideration properly when using these parameters for differentiating American and Asian ginseng, but also indicates that type-II wild American ginseng may have distinct pharmacological activities and therapeutic effects. [source]

Glycoalkaloids as Biomarkers for Recognition of Cultivated, Wild, and Somatic Hybrids of Potato

CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 4 2009
Salvatore Savarese
Abstract Cultivated and wild potato species synthesize a wide variety of steroidal glycoalkaloids (GAs). During breeding programs, species genomes are often put together through either sexual or somatic hybridization. Therefore, the determination of the GA composition of hybrids is very important in that it may affect either human consumption, or resistance to pathogen and pests. Here, we report the results of GA analysis performed on wild Solanum bulbocastanum, haploids of cultivated potato S. tuberosum and their interspecific somatic hybrids. GAs were extracted from tubers and analyzed by HPLC. HPLC Profile of S. tuberosum haploids showed, as expected, the presence of , -solanine and , -chaconine. The profile of S. bulbocastanum extract showed lack of , -solanine and , -chaconine, and the presence of four GAs. The GA pattern of the somatic hybrids was the sum of their parents' profile. This represents a noteworthy tool for their unequivocal recognition. Interestingly, two hybrids produced not only GAs of both parents but also new compounds to be further investigated. This provided evidence that somatic hybridization induced the synthesis of new metabolites. The nature of the probable unidentified GAs associated to S. bulbocastanum and its somatic hybrids was ascertained by chemical degradation and spectroscopic analysis of their aglycones and sugar moieties. Our results suggest their close relation with GAs of both wild and cultivated potato species. [source]

Exploring the Nutritional Potential of Wild and Underutilized Legumes

COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, Issue 4 2009
Rajeev Bhat
ABSTRACT:, Providing safe, nutritious, and wholesome food for poor and undernourished populations has been a major challenge for the developing world. Acute shortage, unreliable supply, and elevated costs of protein-rich foods of animal origin in the developing and underdeveloped countries have resulted in the search for inexpensive and reliable alternative sources of protein of plant origin. Some of the wild and underutilized legumes (such as,Canavalia, Mucuna, and,Sesbania, for example) have been investigated and found to possess rich nutraceutical value. However, the greatest impediment to utilizing these legumes is the presence of antinutrients, which could be successfully removed or deactivated by employing certain processing methods (cooking, dry heat treatments, germination, irradiation, among others). This review focuses on providing the details on some of the wild and underutilized legumes that might have high potential to be used as human food and animal feed, along with providing information for overcoming the malnutrition-associated problems and also for future commercial exploitation such as a source of nutraceuticals, for new food formulations, biofortification, and in product development. [source]