Antidepressant-like effect of essential oil isolated from Toona ciliata Roem. var. yunnanensis.

PubMed

Duan, Dongmei; Chen, Liping; Yang, Xiuyan; Tu, Ya; Jiao, Shuang

2015-04-01

Depressive order is one of the most common psychiatric diseases, and Toona ciliata Roem. var. yunnanensis has shown many bioactivities in folk medicine. This study was designed to investigate the antidepressant-like effect of essential oil isolated from T. ciliata Roem. var. yunnanensis. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the compositions of essential oil. The immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST), tail suspending test (TST), and open field test (OFT) were used to evaluate the antidepressive effects of essential oil. Furthermore, chronic mild stress (CMS) rats were established, and contents of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the brain were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-electron capture detector (HPLC-ECD). Western blotting was performed to investigate the effects of essential oil on the expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein in rats' brain. The GC-MS analysis showed that the main components of essential oil were estragole (6.16 %), β-elemene (24.91 %), β-cubebene (14.29 %), and γ-elemene (8.05 %). The results from the FST and TST demonstrated that the immobility time could be significantly reduced by essential oil (10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg), without accompanying changes in ambulation when assessed in the OFT. Additionally, the contents of DA, NE, 5-HT, and BDNF in the hippocampus of CMS rats could be increased by treatment with essential oil at doses of 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg. All these results suggested that essential oil could be considered as a new candidate for curing depressive disorders.

An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Washington County Mississippi

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Field explorations have yielded 257 species new to Washington County, Mississippi and Calandrinia ciliata (Ruiz & Pav.) DC. and Ruellia nudiflora (Engelm. & Gray) Urban new to the state. An annotated list of 796 taxa for Washington County is provided and excludes 62 species that were reported from ...

Potential for Psorophora columbiae and Psorophora ciliata mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) to transmit Rift Valley fever virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) continues to pose a threat to much of the world. Unlike many arboviruses, numerous mosquito species have been associated with RVFV in nature, and many species have been demonstrated as competent vectors in the laboratory. In this study, we evaluated two field-collect...

Installation Restoration Program Records Search for McClellan Air Force Base, California.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

waterweed (Elodea spp.), button snakeroot (Eryngium aristulatum), quillwort (Isoetes howellii), water purslane (Ludwigia palustris), pillwort...persicaria Curly dock Rumex crispus Portulacaceae Purslane family Red maids Calandrinia ciliata Miner’s lettuce Montia perfoliata Common purslane Portulaca...marine and continental sedimentary rock which contains saline or brackish water. These rocks are impermeable and form the bottom of the basin, with

Bergenin Content and Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Bergenia Extracts. .

PubMed

Hendrychová, Helena; Martin, Jan; Tůmová, Lenka; Kočevar-Glavač, Nina

2015-07-01

Our research was focused on the evaluation of bergenin content and free radical scavenging activity of extracts prepared from three different species of Bergenia - B. crassifolia (L.) Fritsch., B. ciliata (Haw.) Sternb. and B. x ornata Stein. collected during different seasons. Using an HPLC method, the highest total amount of bergenin was revealed in the leaves of B. x ornata and B. crassifolia (4.9 - 5.1 mg x g(-1)). Free radical scavenging power was determined by two methods--FRAP and NADH. The best free radical scavengers were B. crassifolia (FRAP: 6.7 - 15.9 mg GAE. 100g(-1); NADH: 20.3 - 50.9%) and B. ornata (FRAP: 13.7 - 15.2 mg GAE. 100g(-1); NADH: 29.3 - 31.1%). The lowest content of bergenin and the weakest radical scavenger was B. ciliata (bergenin: 3.1 mg x g(-1); FRAP: 5.5 - 11.0 mg GAE.100g(-1); NADH: 23.2 - 25.6%). The presence of a large percentage of bergenin is responsible for the radical scavenging activity, as shown by the results from the FRAP and NADH assays. Significant, positive correlation was found between bergenin content and radical scavenging activity in both methods.

Ecological interpretations of the leaf anatomy of amphibious species of Aeschynomene L. (Leguminosae - Papilionoideae).

PubMed

Leme, F M; Scremin-Dias, E

2014-02-01

We present the leaf anatomy of seven amphibious species of Aeschynomene L. (Papilionoideae, Leguminosae), interpreting their structures and ecological functions, and also, providing information on which their taxonomy can be based, especially of morphologically similar species. We evaluated Aeschynomene americana, A. ciliata, A. evenia, A. denticulata, A. fluminensis, A. rudis and A. sensitiva. The anatomy corroborates the separation of the series Americanae, Fluminenses, Indicae and Sensitivae, with the shape of the petiole, types of trichomes and quantity of vascular units in the petiole as main characteristics to delimit the species. The petiole shape varies from cylindric in A. americana, A. sensitiva and A. fluminensis, to triangular in A. evenia and quadrangular in A. rudis, A. denticulata and A. ciliata. We observed four types of trichomes: hydathode trichome, long conic trichome, short conic trichome and bulb-based trichome. The hydathode trichome was the most common, except for A. americana and A. fluminensis. Species with higher affinity with water share similar adaptive characteristics, including hydathode trichomes described for the first time for the genus. This article adds unseen descriptions for the genus and on the adaptation factors of the amphibious species.

Benthic and Sedimentologic Studies on the Charleston Harbor Ocean Disposal Area, Charleston Harbor Deepening Project.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-08-01

Nolella stipate 1 Phylum S ipuncula Sipunculid (undet.) 14 Phylum Echiura Echiurid (undet.) 1 Phylum-. Annelida Hvdroides dianthus 27 Sabellaria...undet.) LEr-idomotus subievi.s Sab)ellaria \\’ulgaris HIvdroides dianthus 9 lu- Mloliusca * Polinices duplicatus0 Modiclus mocilolus squarnosus...tenuis Microporella ciliata Schizoporella cornuta Phvlum Annelida H-vdroides dianthus Sabelliaria x’ulgaris 41Ph’iu MToi 7lusca Creoidula olana Phylum

In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Helicobacter Activities of Eryngium foetidum (Apiaceae), Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae), and Galinsoga ciliata (Asteraceae) against Helicobacter pylori.

PubMed

Kouitcheu Mabeku, Laure Brigitte; Eyoum Bille, Bertrand; Nguepi, Eveline

2016-01-01

This study was performed to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of extracts of Bidens pilosa, Galinsoga ciliata, and Eryngium foetidum against 6 clinical strains of Helicobacter pylori in vitro and in vivo. Broth microdilution method was used in vitro. In vivo, Swiss mice were inoculated with H. pylori and divided into 5 groups; the control group received the vehicle and the four others received 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg of methanol extract of Eryngium foetidum and ciprofloxacin (500 mg/kg) for 7 days, respectively. Helicobacter pylori colonization and number of colonies in gastric biopsies culture were assessed on days 1 and 7 after treatment. The lowest MIC value (64 μg/mL) and the best spectrum of bactericidal effect (MBC/MIC = 1) were obtained with the methanol extract of Eryngium foetidum. The number of H. pylori infected animals was 17% (plant-extract) and 0% (ciprofloxacin) compared to 100% for the infected untreated group. Plant-extract (381.9 ± 239.5 CFU) and ciprofloxacin (248 ± 153.2 CFU) significantly reduced bacterial load in gastric mucosa compared to untreated, inoculated mice (14350 ± 690 CFU). Conclusion. The present data provided evidence that methanol extract of Eryngium foetidum could be a rich source of metabolites with antimicrobial activity to fight Helicobacter pylori infections.

Antimicrobial and Antiradical Activity of Extracts Obtained from Leaves of Five Species of the Genus Bergenia: Identification of Antimicrobial Compounds.

PubMed

Żbikowska, Beata; Franiczek, Roman; Sowa, Alina; Połukord, Grażyna; Krzyżanowska, Barbara; Sroka, Zbigniew

2017-09-01

An important focus of modern medicine is the search for new substances and strategies to combat infectious diseases, which present an increasing threat due to the growth of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Another problem concerns free radicals, which in excess can cause several serious diseases. An alternative to chemical synthesis of antimicrobial and antiradical compounds is to find active substances in plant raw materials. We prepared extracts from leaves of five species of the genus Bergenia: B. purpurascens, B. cordifolia, B. ligulata, B. crassifolia, and B. ciliata. Antimicrobial and antiradical features of extracts and raw materials were assessed, and the quantities of phenolic compounds were determined. We also evaluated, using high-performance liquid chromatography, the amounts of arbutin and hydroquinone, compounds related to antimicrobial activity of these raw materials. The strongest antiradical properties were shown by leaves of B. crassifolia and B. cordifolia, the lowest by leaves of B. ciliata. The antiradical activity of extracts showed a strong positive correlation with the amount of phenols. All raw materials have significant antimicrobial properties. Among them, the ethyl acetate extracts were the most active. Antimicrobial activity very weakly correlated with the amount of arbutin, but correlated very strongly with the contents of both hydroquinone and phenolic compounds. Additional experiments using artificially prepared mixtures of phenolic compounds and hydroquinone allowed us to conclude that the most active antimicrobial substance is hydroquinone.

Capturing chloroplast variation for molecular ecology studies: a simple next generation sequencing approach applied to a rainforest tree

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background With high quantity and quality data production and low cost, next generation sequencing has the potential to provide new opportunities for plant phylogeographic studies on single and multiple species. Here we present an approach for in silicio chloroplast DNA assembly and single nucleotide polymorphism detection from short-read shotgun sequencing. The approach is simple and effective and can be implemented using standard bioinformatic tools. Results The chloroplast genome of Toona ciliata (Meliaceae), 159,514 base pairs long, was assembled from shotgun sequencing on the Illumina platform using de novo assembly of contigs. To evaluate its practicality, value and quality, we compared the short read assembly with an assembly completed using 454 data obtained after chloroplast DNA isolation. Sanger sequence verifications indicated that the Illumina dataset outperformed the longer read 454 data. Pooling of several individuals during preparation of the shotgun library enabled detection of informative chloroplast SNP markers. Following validation, we used the identified SNPs for a preliminary phylogeographic study of T. ciliata in Australia and to confirm low diversity across the distribution. Conclusions Our approach provides a simple method for construction of whole chloroplast genomes from shotgun sequencing of whole genomic DNA using short-read data and no available closely related reference genome (e.g. from the same species or genus). The high coverage of Illumina sequence data also renders this method appropriate for multiplexing and SNP discovery and therefore a useful approach for landscape level studies of evolutionary ecology. PMID:23497206

Response to artificial drying until drought-induced death in different elevation populations of a high-mountain plant.

PubMed

García-Fernández, Alfredo; Iriondo, Jose M; Bartels, Dorothea; Escudero, Adrián

2013-01-01

Climate change is imposing warmer and more arid conditions on high-mountain Mediterranean pastures. The severity of these conditions is more intense in lower elevation populations and may be critical for their survival. In this context, we asked whether local adaptation plays an important role in the response of these populations to climate change, and if so, what mechanisms are involved. Previous works, involving reciprocal sowings suggested the existence of local adaptation in lower elevation populations of Silene ciliata, a perennial representative of high-mountain Mediterranean pastures. To determine if this local advantage is due to better adaptation to more intense water stress conditions, an experiment was conducted in which S. ciliata plants from three populations located at different elevations (Low, Intermediate and High) were subjected to severe artificial water stress. Results showed that plants from the Low population had greater tolerance to water stress than plants from the High population in the earliest stages of water shortage. Furthermore, responses of proteins to specific antibodies related to drought were evaluated. Two representative late-embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins known to play a role in water stress tolerance were expressed throughout the drought treatment in plants from the three populations, with some pattern differences among individuals within populations. This study detected slight evidence of local adaptation to water stress in populations from different elevations. © 2012 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

First Record of Psorophora albipes in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

PubMed

Chan-Chable, Rahuel J; Ortega-Morales, Aldo I; Martínez-Arce, Arely

2016-09-01

In Mexico the Psorophora genus includes 24 species divided into 3 subgenera: Grabhamia, Janthinosoma, and Psorophora. Some species occur in the Nearctic region of the country (northern Mexico), whereas other species occur in the Neotropical region (southern Mexico), and a few species occur in both regions. In Quintana Roo, Mexico, 7 species have been previously recorded: Ps. confinnis s.s., Ps. champerico, Ps. cyanescens, Ps. ferox, Ps. lutzii, Ps. ciliata, and Ps. lineata. In October 2013, 24 females of Ps. albipes were collected using CDC light traps. This is the first record of this species in Quintana Roo.

Essential Oils from the Medicinal Herbs Upregulate Dopamine Transporter in Rat Pheochromocytoma Cells.

PubMed

Choi, Min Sun; Choi, Bang-sub; Kim, Sang Heon; Pak, Sok Cheon; Jang, Chul Ho; Chin, Young-Won; Kim, Young-Mi; Kim, Dong-il; Jeon, Songhee; Koo, Byung-Soo

2015-10-01

The dopamine transporter (DAT) protein, a component of the dopamine system, undergoes adaptive neurobiological changes from drug abuse. Prevention of relapse and reduction of withdrawal symptoms are still the major limitations in the current pharmacological treatments of drug addiction. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of essential oils extracted from Elsholtzia ciliata, Shinchim, Angelicae gigantis Radix, and Eugenia caryophyllata, well-known traditional Korean medicines for addiction, on the modulation of dopamine system in amphetamine-treated cells and to explore the possible mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect. The potential cytotoxic effect of essential oils was evaluated in PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells using cell viability assays. Quantification of DAT, p-CREB, p-MAPK, and p-Akt was done by immunoblotting. DAT was significantly reduced in cells treated with 50 μM of amphetamine in a time-dependent manner. No significant toxicity of essential oils from Elsholtzia ciliata and Shinchim was observed at doses of 10, 25, and 50 μg/mL. However, essential oils from A. gigantis Radix at a dose of 100 μg/mL and E. caryophyllata at doses of 50 and 100 μg/mL showed cytotoxicity. Treatment with GBR 12909, a highly selective DAT inhibitor, significantly increased DAT expression compared with that of amphetamine only by enhancing phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and Akt. In addition, essential oils effectively induced hyperphosphorylation of cyclic-AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), MAPK, and Akt, which resulted in DAT upregulation. Our study implies that the essential oils may rehabilitate brain dopamine function through increased DAT availability in abstinent former drug users.

Molecular characterization and distribution of a 145-bp tandem repeat family in the genus Populus.

PubMed

Rajagopal, J; Das, S; Khurana, D K; Srivastava, P S; Lakshmikumaran, M

1999-10-01

This report aims to describe the identification and molecular characterization of a 145-bp tandem repeat family that accounts for nearly 1.5% of the Populus genome. Three members of this repeat family were cloned and sequenced from Populus deltoides and P. ciliata. The dimers of the repeat were sequenced in order to confirm the head-to-tail organization of the repeat. Hybridization-based analysis using the 145-bp tandem repeat as a probe on genomic DNA gave rise to ladder patterns which were identified to be a result of methylation and (or) sequence heterogeneity. Analysis of the methylation pattern of the repeat family using methylation-sensitive isoschizomers revealed variable methylation of the C residues and lack of methylation of the A residues. Sequence comparisons between the monomers revealed a high degree of sequence divergence that ranged between 6% and 11% in P. deltoides and between 4.2% and 8.3% in P. ciliata. This indicated the presence of sub-families within the 145-bp tandem family of repeats. Divergence was mainly due to the accumulation of point mutations and was concentrated in the central region of the repeat. The 145-bp tandem repeat family did not show significant homology to known tandem repeats from plants. A short stretch of 36 bp was found to show homology of 66.7% to a centromeric repeat from Chironomus plumosus. Dot-blot analysis and Southern hybridization data revealed the presence of the repeat family in 13 of the 14 Populus species examined. The absence of the 145-bp repeat from P. euphratica suggested that this species is relatively distant from other members of the genus, which correlates with taxonomic classifications. The widespread occurrence of the tandem family in the genus indicated that this family may be of ancient origin.

Simultaneous Quantification of Syringic Acid and Kaempferol in Extracts of Bergenia Species Using Validated High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic-Densitometric Method.

PubMed

Srivastava, Nishi; Srivastava, Amit; Srivastava, Sharad; Rawat, Ajay Kumar Singh; Khan, Abdul Rahman

2016-03-01

A rapid, sensitive, selective and robust quantitative densitometric high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method was developed and validated for separation and quantification of syringic acid (SYA) and kaempferol (KML) in the hydrolyzed extracts of Bergenia ciliata and Bergenia stracheyi. The separation was performed on silica gel 60F254 high-performance thin-layer chromatography plates using toluene : ethyl acetate : formic acid (5 : 4: 1, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The quantification of SYA and KML was carried out using a densitometric reflection/absorption mode at 290 nm. A dense spot of SYA and KML appeared on the developed plate at a retention factor value of 0.61 ± 0.02 and 0.70 ± 0.01. A precise and accurate quantification was performed using linear regression analysis by plotting the peak area vs concentration 100-600 ng/band (correlation coefficient: r = 0.997, regression coefficient: R(2) = 0.996) for SYA and 100-600 ng/band (correlation coefficient: r = 0.995, regression coefficient: R(2) = 0.991) for KML. The developed method was validated in terms of accuracy, recovery and inter- and intraday study as per International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of SYA and KML were determined, respectively, as 91.63, 142.26 and 277.67, 431.09 ng. The statistical data analysis showed that the method is reproducible and selective for the estimation of SYA and KML in extracts of B. ciliata and B. stracheyi. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Toxicity of Secondary Metabolites from Meliaceae Against Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

PubMed

Giongo, A M M; Vendramim, J D; Freitas, S D L; Silva, M F G F

2016-12-01

The study was carried out to evaluate the bioactivity of secondary metabolites from Trichilia pallida, Trichilia pallens, and Toona ciliata against fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) larvae. The studied compounds included (+/-)-catechins, a triglyceride, and cedrelone isolated from T. ciliata branches, fruits, and stems, respectively; dammaradienol isolated from T. pallida leaves; and scopoletin isolated from T. pallens branches. The compounds' activity was evaluated through ingestion and topic treatment. Treated artificial diet was offered to first instar larvae to evaluate ingestion effect, while an application on the dorsal thoracic region of third instar larvae was used to evaluate the topic effect. Mortality was assessed daily, and larval weight was recorded after 7 days for ingestion and 5 days for topic application. Scopoletin and triglyceride caused low mortality rates and reduction in larval weight by ingestion, (+/-)-catechins caused larval weight reduction by ingestion, and scopoletin reduced survival by topic treatment. The most effective compound was cedrelone that affected larval survival and development mainly by ingestion. The estimated LC 50 , LC 90 , and EC 50 for cedrelone were 0.0365, 0.0659, and 0.0095%, respectively. Further, cedrelone-treated corn leaf discs were offered to fourth instar larvae during 16 h in choice and no-choice tests. The deterrence indexes obtained in the choice tests were 23.5 and 36.3% at concentrations of 0.0365 and 0.0659, respectively. Consumption of cedrelone-treated leaf discs at the concentration of 0.0659% was lower compared to the control in the no-choice test. Thus, cedrelone caused lethal and sublethal effects and phagodeterrence on S. frugiperda and should be further studied.

Elsholtzia ciliata (Thunb.) Hylander attenuates renal inflammation and interstitial fibrosis via regulation of TGF-ß and Smad3 expression on unilateral ureteral obstruction rat model.

PubMed

Kim, Tae-Won; Kim, Young-Jung; Seo, Chang-Seob; Kim, Hyun-Tae; Park, Se-Ra; Lee, Mee-Young; Jung, Ju-Young

2016-04-15

Renal interstitial fibrosis is characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix, which leads to end-stage renal failure. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of Elsholtzia ciliata (Thunb.) Hylander ethanol extract (ECE) on renal interstitial fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). After quantitative analysis of ECE using the high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) method, an in vitro study was performed to assess the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of ECE, using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), respectively. For in vivo study, all male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (n=10/group), except for those in the control group, underwent UUO. The rats were orally treated with water (control), captopril (positive control, 200 mg/kg), and ECE (300 and 500 mg/kg) for 14 days. In ECE, luteolin and rosmarinic acid were relatively abundant among the other flavonoids and phenolic acids. ECE treatment ameliorated LPS-induced overexpression of nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 and improved oxidative stress in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, ECE treatment suppressed TGF-ß-induced α-smooth muscle actin and matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression in human renal mesangial cells. In the UUO model, 14 consecutive days of ECE treatment improved UUO-induced renal damage and attenuated histopathological alterations and interstitial fibrosis. Moreover, the renal expression of TNF-α, TGF-ß, and Smad 3 were inhibited by ECE treatment. Taken together, the effects of ECE may be mediated by blocking the activation of TGF-ß and inflammatory cytokines, leading subsequently to degradation of the ECM accumulation pathway. Based on these findings, ECE might serve as an improved treatment strategy for renal fibrotic disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The Moss Flora of Akdağ Mountain (Amasya, Turkey)

PubMed Central

Canli, Kerem; Çetin, Barbaros

2014-01-01

The moss flora of Akdağ Mountain (Amasya, Turkey) was investigated. At the result of identifications of 1500 moss specimens, collected from the research area, 178 taxa belonging to 69 genera and 26 families were determined. Among them, 94 taxa are new for A3 grid square according to the Turkey grid system which was adopted by Henderson. The location data of Grimmia crinitoleucophaea Cardot and Barbula enderesii Garov. are the first records for Turkey, and Encalypta spathulata Müll. Hal., Schistidium dupretii (Thér.) W. A. Weber, Weissia condensa var. armata (Thér. & Trab.) M. J. Cano, Ros & J. Guerra, Tortella bambergeri (Schimp.), Barbula enderesii Garov., Hedwigia ciliata var. leucophaea Bruch & Schimp., and Campyliadelphus elodes (Lindb.) Kanda are recorded for the second time to the byroflora of Turkey. PMID:25587573

[Dynamics of microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen during foliar litter decomposition under artificial forest gap in Pinus massoniana plantation.

PubMed

Zhang, Ming Jin; Chen, Liang Hua; Zhang, Jian; Yang, Wan Qin; Liu, Hua; Li, Xun; Zhang, Yan

2016-03-01

Nowadays large areas of plantations have caused serious ecological problems such as soil degradation and biodiversity decline. Artificial tending thinning and construction of mixed forest are frequently used ways when we manage plantations. To understand the effect of this operation mode on nutrient cycle of plantation ecosystem, we detected the dynamics of microbial bio-mass carbon and nitrogen during foliar litter decomposition of Pinus massoniana and Toona ciliate in seven types of gap in different sizes (G 1 : 100 m 2 , G 2 : 225 m 2 , G 3 : 400 m 2 , G 4 : 625 m 2 , G 5 : 900 m 2 , G 6 : 1225 m 2 , G 7 : 1600 m 2 ) of 42-year-old P. massoniana plantations in a hilly area of the upper Yang-tze River. The results showed that small and medium-sized forest gaps(G 1 -G 5 ) were more advantageous for the increment of microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in the process of foliar litter decomposition. Along with the foliar litter decomposition during the experiment (360 d), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) in P. massoniana foliar litter and MBN in T. ciliata foliar litter first increased and then decreased, and respectively reached the maxima 9.87, 0.22 and 0.80 g·kg -1 on the 180 th d. But the peak (44.40 g·kg -1 ) of MBC in T. ciliata foliar litter appeared on the 90 th d. Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in T. ciliate was significantly higher than that of P. massoniana during foliar litter decomposition. Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in foliar litter was not only significantly associated with average daily temperature and the water content of foliar litter, but also closely related to the change of the quality of litter. Therefore, in the thinning, forest gap size could be controlled in the range of from 100 to 900 m 2 to facilitate the increase of microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in the process of foliar litter decomposition, accelerate the decomposition of foliar litter and improve soil fertility of plantations.

Food resources, distribution and seasonal variations in ranging in lion-tailed macaques, Macaca silenus in the Western Ghats, India.

PubMed

Erinjery, Joseph J; Kavana, T S; Singh, Mewa

2015-01-01

The distribution and availability of food was examined to see how it influenced ranging patterns and sleeping site selection in a group of lion-tailed macaques. The home range and core area were 130.48 ha (95% kernel) and 26.68 ha (50% kernel) respectively. The lion-tailed macaques had a longer day range, had a greater number of sleeping sites and used more core areas in the summer as compared to the monsoon and the post-monsoon seasons. The ranging patterns and sleeping site use were influenced by the major food resources used in a particular season. The ranging was mainly influenced by Artocarpus heterophyllus in monsoon, Cullenia exarillata and Toona ciliata in post- monsoon, and Artocarpus heterophyllus and Ficus amplissima in summer. The distribution of these four plant species is, therefore, critical to ranging, and thus to conservation of the lion-tailed macaque.

Defense function of pigment granules in the ciliate Blepharisma japonicum against two predatory protists, Amoeba proteus (Rhizopodea) and Climacostomum virens (Ciliata).

PubMed

Terazima, Masayo Noda; Harumoto, Terue

2004-08-01

The defense function of pigment granules in the red ciliate Blepharisma japonicum against two predatory protists, Amoeba proteus and Climacostomum virens, was investigated by (1) comparing normally-pigmented and albino mutant cells of B. japonicum as the prey of these predators and (2) comparing resistance of the predators to blepharismin, the toxic pigment contained in the pigment granules of B. japonicum. Normally pigmented cells which contained more blepharismin than albino cells were less vulnerable to A. proteus than albino cells, but not to C. virens. C. virens was more resistant than A. proteus to the lethal effect of blepharismin. The results indicate that pigment granules of B. japonicum function as defense organelles against A. proteus but not against C. virens and suggest that successful defense against a predator depends on the susceptibility of the predator to blepharismin.

Polynucleobacter bacteria in the brackish-water species Euplotes harpa (Ciliata Hypotrichia).

PubMed

Vannini, Claudia; Petroni, Giulio; Verni, Franco; Rosati, Giovanna

2005-01-01

We have found a Polynucleobacter bacterium in the cytoplasm of Euplotes harpa, a species living in a brackish-water habitat, with a cirral pattern not corresponding to that of the freshwater Euplotes species known to harbor this type of bacteria. The symbiont has been found in three strains of the species, obtained by clonal cultures from ciliates collected in different geographic regions. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of this bacterium identifies it as a member of the beta-proteobacterial genus Polynucleobacter. This sequence shares a high similarity value (98.4-98.5%) with P. necessarius, the type species of the genus, and is associated with 16S rRNA gene sequences of environmental clones and bacterial strains included in the Polynucleobacter cluster (>95%). An oligonucleotide probe was designed to corroborate the assignment of the retrieved sequence to the symbiont and to detect similar bacteria rapidly. Antibiotic experiments showed that the elimination of the bacteria stops the reproductive cycle in E. harpa, as has been shown for the freshwater Euplotes species.

In Vitro Conservation of Twenty-Three Overexploited Medicinal Plants Belonging to the Indian Sub Continent

PubMed Central

Verma, Priyanka; Mathur, Ajay Kumar; Jain, Sheetal Prasad; Mathur, Archana

2012-01-01

Twenty-three pharmaceutically important plants, namely, Elaeocarpus spharicus, Rheum emodi, Indigofera tinctoria, Picrorrhiza kurroa, Bergenia ciliata, Lavandula officinalis, Valeriana wallichii, Coleus forskohlii, Gentiana kurroo, Saussurea lappa, Stevia rebaudiana, Acorus calamus, Pyrethrum cinerariaefolium, Aloe vera, Bacopa monnieri, Salvia sclarea, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Swertia cordata, Psoralea corylifolia, Jurinea mollis, Ocimum sanctum, Paris polyphylla, and Papaver somniferum, which are at the verge of being endangered due to their overexploitation and collection from the wild, were successfully established in vitro. Collections were made from the different biodiversity zones of India including Western Himalaya, Northeast Himalaya, Gangetic plain, Western Ghats, Semiarid Zone, and Central Highlands. Aseptic cultures were raised at the morphogenic level of callus, suspension, axillary shoot, multiple shoot, and rooted plants. Synseeds were also produced from highly proliferating shoot cultures of Bacopa monnieri, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Stevia rebaudiana, Valeriana wallichii, Gentiana kurroo, Lavandula officinalis, and Papaver somniferum. In vitro flowering was observed in Papaver somniferum, Psoralea corylifolia, and Ocimum sanctum shoots cultures. Out of 23 plants, 18 plants were successfully hardened under glasshouse conditions. PMID:22593711

Ciliary propulsion of objects in tubes: wall drag on swimming Tetrahymena (Ciliata) in the presence of mucin and other long-chain polymers.

PubMed

Winet, H

1976-04-01

The lubrication effect of three long-chain polymers - mucin, methylcellulose and Ficoll - on ciliary propulsion in tubes is measured by plotting the relative velocities of swimming cilitates as a function of the tube bore diameter. Mucin shows the most unequivocal lubrication, which is found at concentrations between 0% and 9.1% (w/v). This observation, coupled with viscometric measurements which show that ciliary tip shear rates are sufficient to solate mucin, serve as the groundwork for a model of mucin lubrication which explains the optimized lubrication behaviour of thixotropic gelating polymers as an expression of the response to shear by the various stages of polymer clustering during the gelatin process. In addition to the lubricative effect, another wall drag reduction effect by mucin was measured in the clearance region beyond the lubrication layer. This apparent viscosity reduction is optimized in the concentration range between I.7% and 4.I% mucin and may also be explained in terms of the properties of gel clustering.

The Ecology of Al-Samaliah Island, U.A.E.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahran, M. A.; Al-Ansari, F. M.

1999-08-01

Al-Samaliah Island is one of the inshore islands of U.A.E. located at about 12 km north-east of Abu Dhabi in the Arabian Gulf. It has a flat undulating surface with neither sand dunes nor rocky hills. Its sandy soil is generally salt-affected with variable percentages of salts. The vegetation of Al-Samaliah Island is essentially halophytic and may be categorized as: seagrasses, mangal and littoral saltmarsh types. The main species include: Cymodocea ciliata, Halophila spp. and Halodula univervis (seagrasses), some algae, Avicennia marina (mangrove), Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Seidlitzia rosmarinus, and Suaeda vermiculata (salt marsh). Other halophytes commonly present are: Anabasis setifera, Halocnemum strobilaeum, Halopeplis perfoliata, Salsola imbricata and Zygophyllum gatarense in addition to two annuals: Schangenia aegyptiaca and Zygophyllum simplex. Phoenix dactylifera is cultivated in local areas covered with sandy sheets. Between the date palm trees there is a thin growth of Cyperus conglomeratus. Some plant species have been analysed chemically to determine their main constituents. The relationships between the environmental factors and the plant life of the islands are discussed.

A new ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography method for the determination of antioxidant flavonol aglycones in six Lysimachia species.

PubMed

Tóth, Anita; Végh, Krisztina; Alberti, Ágnes; Béni, Szabolcs; Kéry, Ágnes

2016-10-01

UPLC-DAD method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of free flavonol aglycones (kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin) after acidic hydrolysis in six Lysimachia species. Quantitative analyses showed that the amounts of various flavonol aglycones were significantly different in Lysimachia vulgaris, Lysimachia nummularia, Lysimachia punctata, Lysimachia christinae, Lysimachia ciliata and Lysimachia clethroides. The L. clethroides sample was found to be the richest in kaempferol (25.77 ± 1.29 μg/mg extract) and quercetin (97.67 ± 4.61 μg/mg extract), while the L. nummularia sample contained the highest amount of myricetin (20.79 ± 1.00 μg/mg extract). The antioxidant capacity of hydrolysed extracts was evaluated using in vitro DPPH(•) (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS(•+) [2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)] decolourisation tests. The observed radical scavenging capacities of the extracts showed a relationship with the measured flavonol aglycone content and composition. The acidic treatment resulted in an increased free radical scavenging activity compared to the untreated methanol extract.

A field study using the fungicide benomyl to investigate the effect of mycorrhizal fungi on plant fitness.

PubMed

Carey, Peter D; Fitter, Alastair H; Watkinson, Andrew R

1992-07-01

The effect of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) on the fecundity ofVulpia ciliata ssp.ambigua was investigated at two field sites in eastern England by applying the fungicide benomyl to reduce VAM infection. The application of benomyl at the two sites produced very different results. At one site the application of the fungicide reduced the fecundity of plants whereas at the other fecundity was increased. At the first site the reduction in fecundity was linked to a significant reduction in VAM infection on the sprayed plants. The mechanism of the benefit associated with the VAM infection is however unclear: there was no treatment effect on morphology or on phosphorus inflow. At the second site, where fecundity was increased, there was only a negligible amount of VAM infection amongst the unsprayed plants and it is suggested that the increase in fecundity with the application of benomyl may have resulted from a reduction in infection by other, presumably pathogenic, fungi. The value of VAM fungi to the host plant may therefore not be restricted to physiological benefits. They may also provide protection to the plant by competing for space with other species of pathogenic fungi.

Seasonal changes in Sphagnum peatland testate amoeba communities along a hydrological gradient.

PubMed

Marcisz, Katarzyna; Lamentowicz, Lukasz; Słowińska, Sandra; Słowiński, Michał; Muszak, Witold; Lamentowicz, Mariusz

2014-10-01

Testate amoebae are an abundant and functionally important group of protists in peatlands, but little is known about the seasonal patterns of their communities. We investigated the relationships between testate amoeba diversity and community structure and water table depth and light conditions (shading vs. insolation) in a Sphagnum peatland in Northern Poland (Linje mire) in spring and summer 2010. We monitored the water table at five sites across the peatland and collected Sphagnum samples in lawn and hummock micro-sites around each piezometer, in spring (3 May) and mid-summer (6 August) 2010. Water table differed significantly between micro-sites and seasons (Kruskal-Wallis test, p=0.001). The community structure of testate amoebae differed significantly between spring and summer in both hummock and lawn micro-sites. We recorded a small, but significant drop in Shannon diversity, between spring and summer (1.76 vs. 1.72). Strongest correlations were found between testate amoeba communities and water table lowering and light conditions. The relative abundance of mixotrophic species Hyalosphenia papilio, Archerella flavum and of Euglypha ciliata was higher in the summer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Temporal changes of a macrobenthic assemblage in harsh lagoon sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Como, Serena; Magni, Paolo

2009-08-01

An opportunistic macrobenthic assemblage was studied from 2001 to 2003 in a central area of the Cabras lagoon (western Sardinia, Italy), known to be affected by environmental disturbances (i.e. organic over-enrichment of sediments, and episodic events of hypoxia/anoxia and sulphide development). We identified recurrent seasonal changes in this macrobenthic assemblage, with a general impoverishment in summer and a recovery in winter/spring. The nereids Neanthes succinea and Hediste diversicolor were found to replace the spionid Polydora ciliata as the most dominant species in the summer for 3 consecutive years. Occasional, unsynchronized appearances of small-sized deposit feeders, such as Tubificidae, Capitella cf. capitata, chironomid larvae and Hydrobia spp., were observed in winter/spring. We suggest that these changes are driven by the interplay of environmental conditions (worse in summer) with numerous biotic factors. This includes different tolerance levels of taxa to low oxygen concentrations and sulphides, variability in larval supply and post-larval transport, as well as competition for space and food between and within different functional groups, and facilitation through animal bioturbation and sediment reoxidation. A conceptual model is proposed to demonstrate how environmental conditions and biotic interactions may control the benthic assemblage in such a harsh lagoon environment.

Phytotoxicity of triterpenes and limonoids from the Rutaceae and Meliaceae. 5α,6β,8α,12α-Tetrahydro-28-norisotoonafolin--a potent phytotoxin from Toona ciliata.

PubMed

Nebo, Liliane; Varela, Rosa M; Molinillo, José M G; Severino, Vanessa G P; Sarria, André L F; Cazal, Cristiane M; Fernandes, Maria Fátima das Graças; Fernandes, João B; Macías, Francisco A

2015-01-01

Limonoids and triterpenes are the largest groups of secondary metabolites and have notable biological activities. Meliaceae and Rutaceae are known for their high diversity of metabolites, including limonoids, and are distinguished from other families due to the frequent occurrence of such compounds. The increased interest in crop protection associated with the diverse bioactivity of these compounds has made these families attractive in the search for new allelopathic compounds. In the study reported here we evaluated the bioactivity profiles of four triterpenes (1-4) and six limonoids (5-10) from Meliaceae and Rutaceae. The compounds were assessed in a wheat coleoptile bioassay and those that had the highest activities were tested on the standard target species Lepidinum sativum (cress), Lactuca sativa (lettuce), Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) and Allium cepa (onion). Limonoids showed phytotoxic activity and 5α,6β,8α, 12α- tetrahydro-28-norisotoonafolin (10) and gedunin (5) were the most active, with bioactivity levels similar to, and in some cases better than, those of the commercial herbicide Logran. The results indicate that these products could also be allelochemicals involved in the ecological interactions of these plant species.

Polychaetes of an artificial reef in the central mediterranean sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gravina, M. F.; Ardizzone, G. D.; Belluscio, A.

1989-02-01

The development of a polychaete community over five years on a man-made reef was analyzed. The reef was composed of 280 concrete blocks (2 × 2 × 2 m) and located in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy) 1.5 miles offshore and 12-14 m deep. Sixty-three species were collected—serpulids, nereids and cirratulids being the most abundant families. Ordination by Principal Components Analysis (PCA) technique showed three main stages in the colonization process: a pioneer phase, when mainly serpulids ( Pomatoceros triqueter, P. lamarckii, Hydroides pseuduncinata) occurred; a second phase, characterized by mussel ( Mytilus galloprovincialis) dominance and a more differentiated community structure with a lot of new species especially recurring on hard bottom ( Serpula concharum, H. dianthus, Ceratonereis costae); and a third phase, with an alteration of the substratum through soft deposits and the polychaete community characterized by also the occurrence of soft bottom species ( Heteromastus filiformis, Polydora ciliata, Dorvillea rubrovittata). From the trophic point of view, the structure of the community changed from dominance by filter feeders (97%) to a more differentiated situation with abundant detritic feeders ( c. 20%). The rates of immigration and extinction and the colonization curve showed that an actual stable steady-state was not reached.

Shifts in water availability mediate plant-pollinator interactions.

PubMed

Gallagher, M Kate; Campbell, Diane R

2017-07-01

Altered precipitation patterns associated with anthropogenic climate change are expected to have many effects on plants and insect pollinators, but it is unknown if effects on pollination are mediated by changes in water availability. We tested the hypothesis that impacts of climate on plant-pollinator interactions operate through changes in water availability, and specifically that such effects occur through alteration of floral attractants. We manipulated water availability in two naturally occurring Mertensia ciliata (Boraginaceae) populations using water addition, water reduction and control plots and measured effects on vegetative and floral traits, pollinator visitation and seed set. While most floral trait values, including corolla size and nectar, increased linearly with increasing water availability, in this bumblebee-pollinated species, pollinator visitation peaked at intermediate water levels. Visitation also peaked at an intermediate corolla length, while its relationship to corolla width varied across sites. Seed set, however, increased linearly with water. These results demonstrate the potential for changes in water availability to impact plant-pollinator interactions through pollinator responses to differences in floral attractants, and that the effects of water on pollinator visitation can be nonlinear. Plant responses to changes in resource availability may be an important mechanism by which climate change will affect species interactions. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Reduced fecundity in small populations of the rare plant Gentianopsis ciliate (Gentianaceae)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kery, M.; Matthies, D.

2004-01-01

Habitat destruction is the main cause for the biodiversity crisis. Surviving populations are often fragmented, i.e., small and isolated from each other. Reproduction of plants in small populations is often reduced, and this has been attributed to inbreeding depression, reduced attractiveness for pollinators, and reduced habitat quality in small populations. Here we present data on the effects of fragmentation on the rare, self-compatible perennial herb Gentianopsis ciliata (Gentianaceae), a species with very small and presumably well-dispersed seeds. We studied the relationship between population size, plant size, and the number of flowers produced in 63 populations from 1996-1998. In one of the years, leaf and flower size and the number of seeds produced per fruit was studied in a subset of 25 populations. Plant size, flower size, and the number of seeds per fruit and per plant increased with population size, whereas leaf length and the number of flowers per plant did not. The effects of population size on reproduction and on flower size remained significant if the effects were adjusted for differences in plant size, indicating that they could not be explained by differences in habitat quality. The strongly reduced reproduction in small populations may be due to pollination limitation, while the reduced flower size could indicate genetic effects.

Study of in vitro antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of selected Saharan plants.

PubMed

Palici, Ionut F; Liktor-Busa, Erika; Zupkó, István; Touzard, Blaise; Chaieb, Mohamed; Urbán, Edit; Hohmann, Judit

2015-12-01

The aim of the present study was the evaluation of the antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of selected Saharan species, which are applied in the traditional medicine but not studied thoroughly from chemical and pharmacological point of view. The studied plants, namely Anthyllis henoniana, Centropodia forskalii, Cornulaca monacantha, Ephedra alata var. alenda, Euphorbia guyoniana, Helianthemum confertum, Henophyton deserti, Moltkiopsis ciliata and Spartidium saharae were collected from remote areas of North Africa, especially from the Tunisian region of Sahara. After drying and applying the appropriate extraction methods, the plant extracts were tested in antimicrobial screening assay, performed on 19 Gram-positive and -negative strains of microbes. The inhibition zones produced by plant extracts were determined by disc-diffusion method. Remarkable antibacterial activities were exhibited by extracts of Ephedra alata var. alenda and Helianthemum confertum against B. subtilis, M. catarrhalis and methicillin-resistant and non-resistant S. aureus. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of these two species were also determined. Antiproliferative effects of the extracts were evaluated against 4 human adherent cell lines (HeLa, A431, A2780 and MCF7). Notable cell growth inhibition was found for extract of Helianthemum confertum and Euphorbia guyoniana. Our results provided data for selection of some plant species for further detailed pharmacological and phytochemical examinations.

Reduced fecundity in small populations of the rare plant Gentianopsis ciliate (Gentianaceae)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robbins, C.S.

1983-01-01

Habitat destruction is the main cause for the biodiversity crisis. Surviving populations are often fragmented, i.e., small and isolated from each other. Reproduction of plants in small populations is often reduced, and this has been attributed to inbreeding depression, reduced attractiveness for pollinators, and reduced habitat quality in small populations. Here we present data on the effects of fragmentation on the rare, self-compatible perennial herb Gentianopsis ciliata (Gentianaceae), a species with very small and presumably well-dispersed seeds. We studied the relationship between population size, plant size, and the number of flowers produced in 63 populations from 1996-1998. In one of the years, leaf and flower size and the number of seeds produced per fruit was studied in a subset of 25 populations. Plant size, flower size, and the number of seeds per fruit and per plant increased with population size, whereas leaf length and the number of flowers per plant did not. The effects of population size on reproduction and on flower size remained significant if the effects were adjusted for differences in plant size, indicating that they could not be explained by differences in habitat quality. The strongly reduced reproduction in small populations may be due to pollination limitation, while the reduced flower size could indicate genetic effects.

Kudoa prunusi n. sp. (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) from the brain of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844) cultured in Japan.

PubMed

Meng, F; Yokoyama, H; Shirakashi, S; Grabner, D; Ogawa, K; Ishimaru, K; Sawada, Y; Murata, O

2011-01-01

Kudoa prunusi n. sp. (Myxozoa; Multivalvulida) is described from the brain of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis cultured in Japan. Numerous white cysts, up to 0.5mm in size, were found on and in the brain. Spores having typically five spore valves and five polar capsules resembled a five-petal cherry blossom in apical view and were conical shape with a round bottom in side view. Average spore size was 9.63 (8.5-10.3) μm in width and 7.50 (6.7-8.6) μm in length. The spore dimensions of K. prunusi overlapped with those of Kudoa yasunagai ex Sillago ciliata having five to six spore valves, but they were clearly distinct in spore shape, 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA sequences (0.3% and 1.7% differences, respectively). Phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA revealed that K. prunusi grouped with the brain-infecting multivalvulid species, K. yasunagai, K. chaetodoni, K. lethrini and K. neurophila, rather than five-valved Kudoa spp. Combined with morphological, molecular and biological differences, K. prunusi was proven to be a new species. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The genus Manota Williston (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) in Peruvian Amazonia, with description of sixteen new species and notes on local species richness.

PubMed

Hippa, Heikki; Kurina, Olavi; Sääksjärvi, Ilari E

2017-02-21

A comprehensive study of material of the worldwide fungus gnat genus Manota Williston, sampled from the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve in Peruvian Amazonia, was conducted. The following 16 species are described as new: M. aligera sp. n., M. aristoseta sp. n., M. calva sp. n., M. ciliata sp. n., M. exigua sp. n., M. digitata sp. n., M. flabellata sp. n., M. iquitosensis sp. n., M. limulata sp. n., M. micella sp. n., M. minutula sp. n., M. nuda sp. n., M. parvula sp. n., M. pauloides sp. n., M. pustulosa sp. n. and M. serrulata sp. n. In addition, the following 16 species are recorded: M. acuminata Jaschhof & Hippa, 2005, M. acutistylus Jaschhof & Hippa, 2005, M. anfracta Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. appendiculata Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. aristata Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. bisulca Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. diversiseta Jaschhof & Hippa, 2005, M. iota Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. micula Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. papillosa Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. paula Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. penicillata Jaschhof & Hippa, 2005, M. pisinna Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. quantula Hippa & Kurina, 2013, M. spinosa Jaschhof & Hippa, 2005 and M. virgata Hippa & Kurina, 2013. Altogether 67 species of Manota are now known from the Neotropical region.

Local Adaptation Enhances Seedling Recruitment Along an Altitudinal Gradient in a High Mountain Mediterranean Plant

PubMed Central

Giménez-Benavides, Luis; Escudero, Adrián; Iriondo, José M.

2007-01-01

Background and Aims Germination and seedling establishment, which are critical stages in the regeneration process of plant populations, may be subjected to natural selection and adaptive evolution. The aims of this work were to assess the main limitations on offspring performance of Silene ciliata, a high mountain Mediterranean plant, and to test whether local adaptation at small spatial scales has a significant effect on the success of establishment. Methods Reciprocal sowing experiments were carried out among three populations of the species to test for evidence of local adaptation on seedling emergence, survival and size. Studied populations were located at the southernmost margin of the species' range, along the local elevation gradient that leads to a drought stress gradient. Key Results Drought stress in summer was the main cause of seedling mortality even though germination mainly occurred immediately after snowmelt to make the best use of soil moisture. The results support the hypothesis that species perform better at the centre of their altitudinal range than at the boundaries. Evidence was also found of local adaptation in seedling survival and growth along the whole gradient. Conclusions The local adaptation acting on seedling emergence and survival favours the persistence of remnant populations on the altitudinal and latitudinal margins of mountain species. In a global warming context, such processes may help to counteract the contraction of this species' ranges and the consequent loss of habitat area. PMID:17307775

Adaptive response of trivial activated sludge towards toxic effect of oNP, PCP and combination oNP/PCP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Topalova, Y.; Dimkov, R.; Kozuharov, D.

1999-01-01

The reaction of the real aerobic activated sludge taken from the Sofia Waste Water Treatment Plant (SWWTP) and treated with the xenobiotics pentachlorphenol (PCP) (0.16 mMol), ortho-nitrophenol (oNP) (0.58 mMol) and with a combination of PCP (0.08 mMol), oNP (0.29 mMol) has been investigated in a model detoxification process. The adaptive changes are studied in the microbial structure level and at the level of changes in the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the macro-organisms in the activated sludge (consuments of 1 and 2 level). The presence of several different taxonomic groups has been shown by other researchers to be essentialmore » in the detoxification process. The quantitative changes in these taxonomic and physiological groups of micro-organisms are studied. The number of micro-organisms from Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and the bacteria from the xenobiotic-catabolizing complex considerably increased with the individual and the combined effect of the xenobiotics oNP, PCP and oNP PCP. At the same time the toxic shock leads to a remarkable reduction of NH[sub 3] releasing, nitrifying bacteria and those from family Enterobacteriaceae. It is ascertained that the number of Ciliata, Flagellata apochromata, Oligochaeta and Rotatoria is strongly decreased in the series of samples treated with xenobiotics. The leading role of micro-organisms in the real detoxification of hazardous pollutants was experimentally confirmed by research.« less

Honeybee (Apis cerana) foraging responses to the toxic honey of Tripterygium hypoglaucum (Celastraceae): changing threshold of nectar acceptability.

PubMed

Tan, K; Guo, Y H; Nicolson, S W; Radloff, S E; Song, Q S; Hepburn, H R

2007-12-01

To investigate honeybee foraging responses to toxic nectar, honey was collected from Apis cerana colonies in the Yaoan county of Yunnan Province, China, during June, when flowers of Tripterygium hypoglaucum were the main nectar source available. Pollen analysis confirmed the origin of the honey, and high-performance liquid chromatography showed the prominent component triptolide to be present at a concentration of 0.61 mug/g +/- 0.11 SD. In cage tests that used young adult worker bees, significantly more of those provided with a diet of T. hypoglaucum honey mixed with sugar powder (1:1) died within 6 d (68.3%) compared to control groups provided with normal honey mixed with sugar powder (15.8%). Honeybees were trained to visit feeders that contained honey of T. hypoglaucum (toxic honey) as the test group and honey of Vicia sativa or Elsholtzia ciliata as control groups (all honeys diluted 1:3 with water). Bees preferred the feeders with normal honey to those with toxic honey, as shown by significantly higher visiting frequencies and longer imbibition times. However, when the feeder of normal honey was removed, leaving only honey of T. hypoglaucum, the foraging bees returned to the toxic honey after a few seconds of hesitation, and both visiting frequency and imbibition time increased to values previously recorded for normal honey. Toxic honey thus became acceptable to the bees in the absence of other nectar sources.

Evaluation of the In Vitro Antiplasmodial, Antileishmanial, and Antitrypanosomal Activity of Medicinal Plants Used in Saudi and Yemeni Traditional Medicine

PubMed Central

Mothana, Ramzi A.; Al-Musayeib, Nawal M.; Al-Ajmi, Mohamed F.; Cos, Paul; Maes, Louis

2014-01-01

The antiplasmodial, antileishmanial, and antitrypanosomal activity of twenty-five medicinal plants distributed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen was evaluated. The plants were extracted with methanol and screened in vitro against erythrocytic schizonts of Plasmodium falciparum, intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania infantum and Trypanosoma cruzi, and free trypomastigotes of T. brucei. To assess selectivity, cytotoxicity was determined on MRC-5 cells. Criteria for activity were an IC50 < 10 μg/mL and high selectivity (SI). Seven plants showed interesting antiprotozoal activity in one or more models. Extracts of Caralluma penicillata and Acalypha ciliata showed fairly good activity against P. falciparum with IC50 of 6.7 and 10.8 μg/mL and adequate selectivity (SI > 9.6 and >5.9). Interesting activity against L. infantum was obtained with Verbascum bottae (IC50 of 3.2 μg/mL, SI 10.2) and Solanum glabratum (IC50 8.1 μg/mL, SI 3.4). The extracts of C. penicillata, Leucas virgata, Loranthus regularis, and V. bottae exhibited moderate activity against T. brucei (IC50 8.5, 8.1, 8.3, and 2.3 μg/mL; SI > 7.6, 7.7, 4.3, and >14.1). These results partly support the traditional use of some of the selected medicinal plants and warrant further investigations into the putative active constituents. PMID:24963330

Legacy of historic ozone exposure on plant community and food web structure.

PubMed

Martínez-Ghersa, M Alejandra; Menéndez, Analía I; Gundel, Pedro E; Folcia, Ana M; Romero, Ana M; Landesmann, Jennifer B; Ventura, Laura; Ghersa, Claudio M

2017-01-01

Information on whole community responses is needed to predict direction and magnitude of changes in plant and animal abundance under global changes. This study quantifies the effect of past ozone exposure on a weed community structure and arthropod colonization. We used the soil seed bank resulting from a long-term ozone exposure to reestablish the plant community under a new low-pollution environment. Two separate experiments using the same original soil seed bank were conducted. Plant and arthropod richness and species abundance was assessed during two years. We predicted that exposure to episodic high concentrations of ozone during a series of growing cycles would result in plant assemblies with lower diversity (lower species richness and higher dominance), due to an increase in dominance of the stress tolerant species and the elimination of the ozone-sensitive species. As a consequence, arthropod-plant interactions would also be changed. Species richness of the recruited plant communities from different exposure histories was similar (≈ 15). However, the relative abundance of the dominant species varied according to history of exposure, with two annual species dominating ozone enriched plots (90 ppb: Spergula arvensis, and 120 ppb: Calandrinia ciliata). Being consistent both years, the proportion of carnivore species was significantly higher in plots with history of higher ozone concentration (≈3.4 and ≈7.7 fold higher in 90 ppb and 120 ppb plots, respectively). Our study provides evidence that, past history of pollution might be as relevant as management practices in structuring agroecosystems, since we show that an increase in tropospheric ozone may influence biotic communities even years after the exposure.

Identification and functional characterization of an uncharacterized antimicrobial peptide from a ciliate Paramecium caudatum.

PubMed

Cui, Pengfei; Dong, Yuan; Li, Zhijian; Zhang, Yubo; Zhang, Shicui

2016-07-01

The global ever-growing concerns about multi-drug resistant (MDR) microbes leads to urgent demands for exploration of new antibiotics including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Here we demonstrated that a cDNA from Ciliata Paramecium caudatum, designated Pcamp1, coded for a protein with features characteristic of AMPs, which is not homologous to any AMPs currently known. Both the C-terminal 91 amino acid residues of PcAMP1, cPcAMP1, expressed in Escherichia coli and the C-terminal 26 amino acid residues (predicted mature AMP), cPcAMP1/26, synthesized, underwent a coil-to-helix transition in the presence of TFE, SDS or DPC. Functional assays revealed that cPcAMP1 and cPcAMP1/26 were both able to kill Aeromonas hydrophila and Staphylococcus aureus. ELISA showed that cPcAMP1 and cPcAMP1/26 were able to bind to microbe-associated molecular pattern molecules LPS and LTA, which was further corroborated by the observations that cPcAMP1 could deposit onto the bacterial membranes. Importantly, both cPcAMP1 and cPcAMP1/26 were able to induce bacterial membrane permeabilization and depolarization, and to increase intracellular ROS levels. Additionally, cPcAMP1 and cPcAMP1/26 were not cytotoxic to mammalian cells. Taken together, our results show that PcAMP1 is a potential AMP with a membrane selectivity towards bacterial cells, which renders it a promising template for the design of novel peptide antibiotics against MDR microbes. It also shows that use of signal conserved sequence of AMPs can be an effective tool to identify potential AMPs across different animal classes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of taste and solitary chemoreceptor cell systems.

PubMed

Finger, T E

1997-01-01

Vertebrates possess four distinct chemosensory systems distinguishable on the basis of structure, innervation and utilization: olfaction, taste, solitary chemoreceptor cells (SCC) and the common chemical sense (free nerve endings). Of these, taste and the SCC sense rely on secondary receptor cells situated in the epidermis and synapsing on sensory nerve fibers innervating them near their base. The SCC sense occurs in anamniote aquatic craniates, including hagfish, and may be used for feeding or predator avoidance. The sense of taste occurs only in vertebrates and is always utilized for feeding. The SCC system achieves a high degree of specialization in two teleosts: sea robins (Prionotus) and rocklings (Ciliata). In sea robins, SCCs are abundant on the three anterior fin rays of the pectoral fin which are free of fin webbing and are used in active exploration of the substrate. Behavioral and physiological studies show that this SCC system responds to feeding cues and drives feeding behavior. It is connected centrally like a somatosensory system. In contrast, the specialized SCC system of rocklings occurs on the anterior dorsal fin which actively samples the surrounding water. This system responds to mucus substances and may serve as a predator detector. The SCC system in rocklings is connected centrally like a gustatory system. Taste buds contain multiple receptor cell types, including a serotonergic Merkel-like cell. Taste receptor cells respond to nutritionally relevant substances. Due to similarities between SCCs and one type of taste receptor cell, the suggestion is made that taste buds may be compound sensory organs that include some cells related to SCCs and others related to cutaneous Merkel cells. The lack of taste buds in hagfish and their presence in all vertebrates may indicate that the phylogenetic development of taste buds coincided with the elaboration of head structures at the craniate-vertebrate transition.

Epiphytic invertebrate patterns in coastal lakes along a gradient of salinity and water exchange with the sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obolewski, Krystian; Bąkowska, Martyna

2017-10-01

The species composition and abundance of epiphytic fauna inhabiting common reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.) was performed in five coastal lakes in Słowiński National Park (southern Baltic coast in northern Poland). The lakes represent a salinity gradient (from freshwater to β-oligohaline waters) and four types of coastal lakes: (1) lagoon, L (Lake Łebsko, seawater enters it permanently); (2) coastal lake with periodically brackish water, CLB (Lake Gardno); (3) freshwater costal lake, CLF (Lake Smołdzińskie); and (4) coastal dune lakes, CLD (Dołgie Wielkie and Dołgie Małe). Using statistical ordination techniques, we found that the structure of epiphytic fauna (microinvertebrates and macroinvertebrates) is determined primarily by hydrological connectivity (water exchange) with the sea. Canonical Correspondence Analysis, coupled with variance partitioning, showed that hydrological connectivity accounted for 24% of the variation in the invertebrate community, followed by physico-chemical (19%) and trophic (8%) factors. Our results indicate that the assemblages of Ciliata-libera and Cnidaria are characteristic for L (β-oligohaline), Rotifera, Suctoria, Chaetogaster sp., Gastropoda and Trichoptera are characteristic for CLB (limnetic/β-oligohaline), but no taxonomic groups are characteristic for CLF and CLD (both limnetic). The index of multivariate dispersion showed a decreasing trend with the increasing lake isolation from the open sea, except for CLD. However, in terms of the structure of epiphytic fauna, Multi-Response Permutation Procedures showed that CLD significantly differed only from CLB. Our results suggest that the identified characteristic taxonomic groups of plant-associated macroinvertebrates have a high potential to be used as bioindicators of salinity and water exchange with the sea, due to their sensitivity to environmental stress.

Legacy of historic ozone exposure on plant community and food web structure

PubMed Central

Menéndez, Analía I.; Gundel, Pedro E.; Folcia, Ana M.; Romero, Ana M.; Landesmann, Jennifer B.; Ventura, Laura; Ghersa, Claudio M.

2017-01-01

Information on whole community responses is needed to predict direction and magnitude of changes in plant and animal abundance under global changes. This study quantifies the effect of past ozone exposure on a weed community structure and arthropod colonization. We used the soil seed bank resulting from a long-term ozone exposure to reestablish the plant community under a new low-pollution environment. Two separate experiments using the same original soil seed bank were conducted. Plant and arthropod richness and species abundance was assessed during two years. We predicted that exposure to episodic high concentrations of ozone during a series of growing cycles would result in plant assemblies with lower diversity (lower species richness and higher dominance), due to an increase in dominance of the stress tolerant species and the elimination of the ozone-sensitive species. As a consequence, arthropod-plant interactions would also be changed. Species richness of the recruited plant communities from different exposure histories was similar (≈ 15). However, the relative abundance of the dominant species varied according to history of exposure, with two annual species dominating ozone enriched plots (90 ppb: Spergula arvensis, and 120 ppb: Calandrinia ciliata). Being consistent both years, the proportion of carnivore species was significantly higher in plots with history of higher ozone concentration (≈3.4 and ≈7.7 fold higher in 90 ppb and 120 ppb plots, respectively). Our study provides evidence that, past history of pollution might be as relevant as management practices in structuring agroecosystems, since we show that an increase in tropospheric ozone may influence biotic communities even years after the exposure. PMID:28796821

Medicinal plants, traditional medicine, markets and management in far-west Nepal.

PubMed

Kunwar, Ripu M; Mahat, Laxmi; Acharya, Ram P; Bussmann, Rainer W

2013-04-12

Modern therapeutic medicine is historically based on indigenous therapies and ethnopharmacological uses, which have become recognized tools in the search for new sources of pharmaceuticals. Globalization of herbal medicine along with uncontrolled exploitative practices and lack of concerted conservation efforts, have pushed many of Nepal's medicinal plants to the verge of extinction. Sustainable utilization and management of medicinal plants, based on traditional knowledge, is therefore necessary. After establishing verbal informed consent with participating communities, five field surveys, roughly 20 days in duration, were carried out. In all, 176 schedules were surveyed, and 52 participants were consulted through focus group discussions and informal meetings. Altogether, 24 key informants were surveyed to verify and validate the data. A total of 252 individuals, representing non-timber forest product (NTFP) collectors, cultivators, traders, traditional healers (Baidhya), community members, etc. participated in study. Medicinal plants were free-listed and their vernacular names and folk uses were collected, recorded, and applied to assess agreement among respondents about traditional medicines, markets and management. Within the study area, medicinal herbs were the main ingredients of traditional therapies, and they were considered a main lifeline and frequently were the first choice. About 55% plants were ethnomedicinal, and about 37% of ethnomedicinal plants possessed the highest informant consensus value (0.86-1.00). Use of Cordyceps sinensis as an aphrodisiac, Berberis asiatica for eye problems, Bergenia ciliata for disintegration of calculi, Sapindus mukorossi for dandruff, and Zanthoxylum armatum for toothache were the most frequently mentioned. These species possess potential for pharmacology. Medicinal plants are inseparable from local livelihoods because they have long been collected, consumed, and managed through local customs and knowledge. Management of traditional therapies is urged, because the therapies are empirically and knowledge based, often culturally inherited and important to pharmacology and local livelihoods. However, traditional therapies are currently being eroded due to changing lifestyles, perceptions, social transformations, and acculturation.

Herbaceous Legume Encroachment Reduces Grass Productivity and Density in Arid Rangelands.

PubMed

Wagner, Thomas C; Hane, Susanne; Joubert, Dave F; Fischer, Christina

2016-01-01

Worldwide savannas and arid grasslands are mainly used for livestock grazing, providing livelihood to over a billion people. While normally dominated by perennial C4 grasses, these rangelands are increasingly affected by the massive spread of native, mainly woody legumes. The consequences are often a repression of grass cover and productivity, leading to a reduced carrying capacity. While such encroachment by woody plants has been extensively researched, studies on similar processes involving herbaceous species are rare. We studied the impact of a sustained and massive spread of the native herbaceous legume Crotalaria podocarpa in Namibia's escarpment region on the locally dominant fodder grasses Stipagrostis ciliata and Stipagrostis uniplumis. We measured tussock densities, biomass production of individual tussocks and tussock dormancy state of Stipagrostis on ten 10 m x 10 m plots affected and ten similarly-sized plots unaffected by C. podocarpa over eight consecutive years and under different seasonal rainfalls and estimated the potential relative productivity of the land. We found the percentage of active Stipagrostis tussocks and the biomass production of individual tussocks to increase asymptotically with higher seasonal rainfall reaching a maximum around 300 mm while the land's relative productivity under average local rainfall conditions reached only 40% of its potential. Crotalaria podocarpa encroachment had no effect on the proportion of productive grass tussocks, but reduced he productivity of individual Stipagrostis tussocks by a third. This effect of C. podocarpa on grass productivity was immediate and direct and was not compensated for by above-average rainfall. Besides this immediate effect, over time, the density of grass tussocks declined by more than 50% in areas encroached by C. podocarpa further and lastingly reducing the lands carrying capacity. The effects of C. podocarpa on grass productivity hereby resemble those of woody encroachers. Therefore, against the background of global change, the spread of herbaceous legumes and the underlying patterns needs to be further investigated to develop adequate counter measures for a sustainable land use.

A biodegradation study of forest biomass by Aspergillus niger F7: correlation between enzymatic activity, hydrolytic percentage and biodegradation index

PubMed Central

Sharma, Nivedita; Kaushal, Richa; Gupta, Rakesh; Kumar, Sanjeev

2012-01-01

Aspergillus niger F7 isolated from soil was found to be the potent producer of cellulase and xylanase. The residue of forest species Toona ciliata, Celtris australis, Cedrus deodara and Pinus roxburghii was selected as substrate for biodegradation study due to its easy availability and wide use in industry. It was subjected to alkali (sodium hydroxide) treatment for enhancing its degradation. Biodegradation of forest waste by hydrolytic enzymes (cellulase and xylanase) secreted by A. niger under solid state fermentation (SSF) was explored. SSF of pretreated forest biomass was found to be superior over untreated forest biomass. Highest extracellular enzyme activity of 2201±23.91 U/g by A. niger was shown in pretreated C. australis wood resulting in 6.72±0.20 percent hydrolysis and 6.99±0.23 biodegradation index (BI). The lowest BI of 1.40±0.08 was observed in untreated saw dust of C. deodara having the least enzyme activity of 238±1.36 U/g of dry matter. Biodegradation of forest biomass under SSF was increased many folds when moistening agent i.e. tap water had been replaced with modified basal salt media (BSM). In BSM mediated degradation of forest waste with A. niger, extracellular enzyme activity was increased up to 4089±67.11 U/g of dry matter in turn resulting in higher BI of 15.4±0.41 and percent hydrolysis of 19.38±0.81 in pretreated C. australis wood. A. niger exhibited higher enzyme activity on pretreated biomass when moistened with modified BSM in this study. Statistically a positive correlation has been drawn between these three factors i.e. enzyme activity, BI and percent hydrolysis of forest biomass thus proving their direct relationship with each other. PMID:24031853

Medicinal plants, traditional medicine, markets and management in far-west Nepal

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Modern therapeutic medicine is historically based on indigenous therapies and ethnopharmacological uses, which have become recognized tools in the search for new sources of pharmaceuticals. Globalization of herbal medicine along with uncontrolled exploitative practices and lack of concerted conservation efforts, have pushed many of Nepal's medicinal plants to the verge of extinction. Sustainable utilization and management of medicinal plants, based on traditional knowledge, is therefore necessary. Methods After establishing verbal informed consent with participating communities, five field surveys, roughly 20 days in duration, were carried out. In all, 176 schedules were surveyed, and 52 participants were consulted through focus group discussions and informal meetings. Altogether, 24 key informants were surveyed to verify and validate the data. A total of 252 individuals, representing non-timber forest product (NTFP) collectors, cultivators, traders, traditional healers (Baidhya), community members, etc. participated in study. Medicinal plants were free-listed and their vernacular names and folk uses were collected, recorded, and applied to assess agreement among respondents about traditional medicines, markets and management. Results Within the study area, medicinal herbs were the main ingredients of traditional therapies, and they were considered a main lifeline and frequently were the first choice. About 55% plants were ethnomedicinal, and about 37% of ethnomedicinal plants possessed the highest informant consensus value (0.86–1.00). Use of Cordyceps sinensis as an aphrodisiac, Berberis asiatica for eye problems, Bergenia ciliata for disintegration of calculi, Sapindus mukorossi for dandruff, and Zanthoxylum armatum for toothache were the most frequently mentioned. These species possess potential for pharmacology. Conclusion Medicinal plants are inseparable from local livelihoods because they have long been collected, consumed, and managed through local customs and knowledge. Management of traditional therapies is urged, because the therapies are empirically and knowledge based, often culturally inherited and important to pharmacology and local livelihoods. However, traditional therapies are currently being eroded due to changing lifestyles, perceptions, social transformations, and acculturation. PMID:23587109

Soluble inorganic tissue phosphorus and calcicole-calcifuge behaviour of plants.

PubMed

Zohlen, Angelika; Tyler, Germund

2004-09-01

Natural and semi-natural, non-fertilized calcareous soils are consistently low in soluble and easily exchangeable phosphate. An over-utilization, or possibly an immobilization, of inorganic P in the tissues of calcifuge plants may take place, if such plants are forced to grow on a calcareous soil, though this has not been experimentally demonstrated. The objectives of this study are, therefore, to elucidate if calcifuge plants, when forced to develop on a calcareous soil, not only have lower total P (Ptot) concentrations in their leaves than calcicole plants grown on such soil, but also a lower proportion of Ptot as water-soluble, inorganic phosphate. Such differences may be of importance in understanding the calcicole-calcifuge behaviour of plants. Plants of five calcicole and five calcifuge herbs and three calcicole and three calcifuge grasses were cultivated in a glasshouse on a moderately acid Cambisol and a calcareous Rendzic Leptosol using seeds of wild populations from southern Sweden. The calcifuges were: Corynephorus canescens, Deschampsia flexuosa, Holcus mollis, Digitalis purpurea, Lychnis viscaria, Rumex acetosella, Scleranthus annuus and Silene rupestris. The calcicoles were: Melica ciliata, Phleum phleoides, Sesleria caerulea, Arabis hirsuta, Sanguisorba minor, Scabiosa columbaria, Silene uniflora ssp. petraea and Veronica spicata. At harvest, calcifuges had much lower leaf tissue concentrations of Ptot and Pi than calcicoles when grown on the calcareous soil, and biomass production of the calcifuges was poor on this soil. Moreover, the calcifuge herbs had, on average, a lower proportion of their Ptot as Pi than had the calcicole herbs. The calcifuge herbs were also unable to avoid excessive uptake of Ca from the calcareous soil. The calcifuge grasses maintained a similar proportion of Ptot as Pi as the calcicole grasses, but their growth was still poor on the calcareous soil. On calcareous soil, very little Pi in the tissues of calcifuge herbs is, at any time, available for use in various physiological functions. This is of importance to their photosynthesis, growth, competition and final survival on such soils.

Hiding and feeding in floating seaweed: Floating seaweed clumps as possible refuges or feeding grounds for fishes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandendriessche, Sofie; Messiaen, Marlies; O'Flynn, Sarah; Vincx, Magda; Degraer, Steven

2007-02-01

Floating seaweed is considered to be an important habitat for juvenile fishes due to the provision of food, shelter, a visual orientation point and passive transport. The importance of the presence of the highly dynamical seaweed clumps from the North Sea to juvenile neustonic fishes was investigated by analysing both neuston samples (without seaweed) and seaweed samples concerning fish community structure, and length-frequency distributions and feeding habits of five associated fish species. While the neustonic fish community was mainly seasonally structured, the seaweed-associated fish community was more complex: the response of the associated fish species to environmental variables was species specific and probably influenced by species interactions, resulting in a large multivariate distance between the samples dominated by Chelon labrosus and the samples dominated by Cyclopterus lumpus, Trachurus trachurus and Ciliata mustela. The results of the stomach analysis confirmed that C. lumpus is a weedpatch specialist that has a close spatial affinity with the seaweed and feeds intensively on the seaweed-associated invertebrate fauna. Similarly, C. mustela juveniles also fed on the seaweed fauna, but in a more opportunistic way. The shape of the size-frequency distribution suggested enhanced growth when associated with floating seaweed. Chelon labrosus and T. trachurus juveniles were generally large in seaweed samples, but large individuals were also encountered in the neuston. The proportion of associated invertebrate fauna in their diet was of minor importance, compared to the proportions in C. lumpus. Individuals of Syngnathus rostellatus mainly fed on planktonic invertebrates but had a discontinuous size-frequency distribution, suggesting that some of the syngnathids were carried with the seaweed upon detachment and stayed associated. Floating seaweeds can therefore be regarded as ephemeral habitats shared between several fish species (mainly juveniles) that use them for different reasons and with varying intensity.

An electron microscope study of the contractile vacuole in Tokophrya infusionum.

PubMed

RUDZINSKA, M A

1958-03-25

Contractile vacuoles are organelles that collect fluid from the cytoplasm and expel it to the outside. After each discharge (systole), they appear again and expand (diastole). They are widely distributed among Protozoa, and have been found also in some fresh water algae, sponges, and recently in some blood cells of the frog, guinea pig, and man. In spite of the extensive work on the contractile vacuole, very little is known concerning its mode of operation. An electron microscope study of a suctorian Tokophrya infusionum provided an opportunity to study thin sections of contractile vacuoles, and in these some structures were found which could be part of a mechanism for the systolic and diastolic motions the organelle displays. In Tokophrya, as in Suctoria and Ciliata in general, the contractile vacuole has a permanent canal connecting it with the outside. The canal appears to have a very elaborate structure and is composed of three parts: (1) a pore; (2) a channel; and (3) a narrow tubule located in a papilla protruding into the cavity of the contractile vacuole. Whereas the pore and channel have fixed dimensions and are permanently widely open, the tubule has a changeable diameter. At diastole it is so narrow (about 25 to 30 mmicro in diameter) that it could be regarded as closed, while at systole it is widely open. It is assumed that the change in diameter is due to the contraction of numerous fine fibrils (about 180 A thick) which are radially disposed around the canal in form of a truncated cone, with its tip at the channel, and its base at the vacuolar membrane. It seems most probable that the broadening of the tubule results in discharge of the content of the contractile vacuole. In the vicinity of the very thin limiting vacuolar membrane, small vesicles and canaliculi of the endoplasmic reticulum, very small dense particles, and mitochondria may be found. In addition, rows of closely packed vesicles are present in this region, and in other parts of the cytoplasm. It is suggested that they might represent dictyosome-like bodies, responsible for withdrawing fluids from the cytoplasm and then conveying them to the contractile vacuole, contributing to its expansion at diastole.

Novel P450nor Gene Detection Assay Used To Characterize the Prevalence and Diversity of Soil Fungal Denitrifiers.

PubMed

Novinscak, Amy; Goyer, Claudia; Zebarth, Bernie J; Burton, David L; Chantigny, Martin H; Filion, Martin

2016-08-01

Denitrifying fungi produce nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas, as they generally lack the ability to convert N2O to dinitrogen. Contrary to the case for bacterial denitrifiers, the prevalence and diversity of denitrifying fungi found in the environment are not well characterized. In this study, denitrifying fungi were isolated from various soil ecosystems, and novel PCR primers targeting the P450nor gene, encoding the enzyme responsible for the conversion of nitric oxide to N2O, were developed, validated, and used to study the diversity of cultivable fungal denitrifiers. This PCR assay was also used to detect P450nor genes directly from environmental soil samples. Fungal denitrification capabilities were further validated using an N2O gas detection assay and a PCR assay targeting the nirK gene. A collection of 492 facultative anaerobic fungi was isolated from 15 soil ecosystems and taxonomically identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer sequence. Twenty-seven fungal denitrifiers belonging to 10 genera had the P450nor and the nirK genes and produced N2O from nitrite. N2O production is reported in strains not commonly known as denitrifiers, such as Byssochlamys nivea, Volutella ciliata, Chloridium spp., and Trichocladium spp. The prevalence of fungal denitrifiers did not follow a soil ecosystem distribution; however, a higher diversity was observed in compost and agricultural soils. The phylogenetic trees constructed using partial P450nor and nirK gene sequences revealed that both genes clustered taxonomically closely related strains together. A PCR assay targeting the P450nor gene involved in fungal denitrification was developed and validated. The newly developed P450nor primers were used on fungal DNA extracted from a collection of fungi isolated from various soil environments and on DNA directly extracted from soil. The results indicated that approximatively 25% of all isolated fungi possessed this gene and were able to convert nitrite to N2O. All soil samples from which denitrifying fungi were isolated also tested positive for the presence of P450nor The P450nor gene detection assay was reliable in detecting a large diversity of fungal denitrifiers. Due to the lack of homology existing between P450nor and bacterial denitrification genes, it is expected that this assay will become a tool of choice for studying fungal denitrifiers. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Ethnomedicinal uses of plants in the treatment of paediatric geohelminth infections in Kalat district of Northern Balochistan, Pakistan.

PubMed

Bibi, Tahira; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Edwards, Sarah E; Tareen, Niaz Mohammad; Jabeen, Rukhsana; Abdullah, Irum

2016-05-13

Infection by intestinal parasitic worms (soil-transmitted helminths or geohelminths) is prevalent in many parts of the world, and poses a particular health risk to children. This paper presents findings from a preliminary study with the primary aim to document indigenous knowledge about the use of herbal medicines in the treatment of intestinal worm infections in children among the local communities of Kalat district of northern Balochistan, Pakistan. Ethnomedicinal data were collected through a triangulation approach, that included participant-observation and rapid appraisal methods. Prior-informed consent (PIC) was obtained from participants before conducting structured and semi-structured interviews and delivering an open ended questionnaire. A total of 94 participants, including 28 men (of whom 7 were traditional healers), and 66 women of four different age groups were interviewed. Results were analyzed using quantitative indices of Use Value citations (UVC) and Disease-Consensus Index (DCI). Fewer men than women agreed to be interviewed, thus overall women in the area appeared to have more ethnomedicinal knowledge. The majority of study participants belonged to the older age group (>55 years). A total of 49 plant species, belonging to 47 genera, distributed in 30 families were reported. The families Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were most frequently represented, with four species each. Trees were the most common life form, with seeds the most frequently cited plant part used (29%). Nearly a third (31%) of plant-based remedies reported in the treatment of intestinal worms were administered as a decoction. The highest UVC and DCI was reported for the species Ferula assa-foetida sL. (UVC 0.51, DCI 0.46). This study provides previously unreported data on the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of geohelminth infections in children of Kalat. Eight species, Acacia modesta Wall., Asparagus capitatus Baker, Microcephala lamellata (Bunge) Pobed., Nepeta praetervisa Rech.f., Plantago ciliata Desf., Pistacia atlantica Desf., Seriphidium quettense (Podlech) Y.R.Ling and Thymus linearis Benth. are reported here as anthelmintics for the first time. Detailed studies on the anthelmintic activity of chemical constituents of these species are lacking from existing literature. Further phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicity studies are required in order to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these newly reported anthelmintic species. These plants may provide a source of novel anthelmintic drug leads, which are urgently required due to the problem of global anthelmintic resistance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.