A Dutch Nationwide Bariatric Quality Registry: DATO.

PubMed

Poelemeijer, Youri Q M; Liem, Ronald S L; Nienhuijs, Simon W

2017-12-22

In the Netherlands, the number of bariatric procedures increased exponentially in the 90s. To ensure and improve the quality of bariatric surgery, the nationwide Dutch Audit for Treatment of Obesity (DATO) was established in 2014. The audit was coordinated by the Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing (DICA). This article provides a review of the aforementioned process in establishing a nationwide registry in the Netherlands. In collaboration with the DATO's scientific committee and other stakeholders, an annual list of several external quality indicators was formulated. This list consists of volume, process, and outcome indicators. In addition to the annual external indicators, the database permits individual hospitals to analyze their own data. The dashboard provides several standardized reports and detailed quality indicators, which are updated on a weekly base. Since the start, all 18 Dutch bariatric centers participated in the nationwide audit. A total of 21,941 cases were registered between 2015 and 2016. By 2016, the required variables were registered in 94.3% of all cases. A severe complicated course was seen in 2.87%, and mortality in 0.05% in 2016. The first-year follow-up shows a > 20% TWL in 86.1% of the registered cases. The DATO has become rapidly a mature registry. The well-organized structure of the national audit institution DICA and governmental funding were essential. However, most important were the bariatric teams themselves. The authors believe reporting the results from the registry has already contributed to more knowledge and acceptance by other health care providers.

A large inversion in the linear chromosome of Streptomyces griseus caused by replicative transposition of a new Tn3 family transposon.

PubMed

Murata, M; Uchida, T; Yang, Y; Lezhava, A; Kinashi, H

2011-04-01

We have comprehensively analyzed the linear chromosomes of Streptomyces griseus mutants constructed and kept in our laboratory. During this study, macrorestriction analysis of AseI and DraI fragments of mutant 402-2 suggested a large chromosomal inversion. The junctions of chromosomal inversion were cloned and sequenced and compared with the corresponding target sequences in the parent strain 2247. Consequently, a transposon-involved mechanism was revealed. Namely, a transposon originally located at the left target site was replicatively transposed to the right target site in an inverted direction, which generated a second copy and at the same time caused a 2.5-Mb chromosomal inversion. The involved transposon named TnSGR was grouped into a new subfamily of the resolvase-encoding Tn3 family transposons based on its gene organization. At the end, terminal diversity of S. griseus chromosomes is discussed by comparing the sequences of strains 2247 and IFO13350.

Coevolution of antibiotic production and counter-resistance in soil bacteria.

PubMed

Laskaris, Paris; Tolba, Sahar; Calvo-Bado, Leo; Wellington, Elizabeth M; Wellington, Liz

2010-03-01

We present evidence for the coexistence and coevolution of antibiotic resistance and biosynthesis genes in soil bacteria. The distribution of the streptomycin (strA) and viomycin (vph) resistance genes was examined in Streptomyces isolates. strA and vph were found either within a biosynthetic gene cluster or independently. Streptomyces griseus strains possessing the streptomycin cluster formed part of a clonal complex. All S. griseus strains possessing solely strA belonged to two clades; both were closely related to the streptomycin producers. Other more distantly related S. griseus strains did not contain strA. S. griseus strains with only vph also formed two clades, but they were more distantly related to the producers and to one another. The expression of the strA gene was constitutive in a resistance-only strain whereas streptomycin producers showed peak strA expression in late log phase that correlates with the switch on of streptomycin biosynthesis. While there is evidence that antibiotics have diverse roles in nature, our data clearly support the coevolution of resistance in the presence of antibiotic biosynthetic capability within closely related soil dwelling bacteria. This reinforces the view that, for some antibiotics at least, the primary role is one of antibiosis during competition in soil for resources.

Depression of streptomycin production by Streptomyces griseus at elevated growth temperature: studies using gene fusions.

PubMed

Deeble, V J; Lindley, H K; Fazeli, M R; Cove, J H; Baumberg, S

1995-10-01

Streptomyces griseus ATCC 12475 fails to produce streptomycin when grown at 34 degrees C or above, although growth is appreciable up to at least 37 degrees C. This depression of streptomycin production at elevated growth temperature is manifest equally in liquid and on solid, and with complex and minimal, media. We report studies with gene fusions of the reporter genes aph or xyIE to restriction fragments containing the streptomycin biosynthesis promoter PstrB1. aph constructs were in high, and xyIE constructs in low, copy number vectors. Two strB1 promoter fragments were used, one requiring activation by the pathway-specific activator StrR of S. griseus, the other reportedly activator independent. PstrB1 expression in the aph constructs in S. griseus and in S. lividans was significantly reduced at 37 degrees C compared to 30 degrees C. Some of this reduction could be explained by lower plasmid copy number at the higher temperature, but strR-dependent expression was clearly temperature controlled. Using the xyIE reporter system, the temperature dependence of PstrB1 expression was confirmed but, surprisingly, the strR dependence of the two promoter fragments differed from that observed in the multicopy aph constructs. These data identify a temperature-dependent promoter which may contribute to the depressive effect of elevated growth temperature on streptomycin production.

L-Asparaginase from Streptomyces griseus NIOT-VKMA29: optimization of process variables using factorial designs and molecular characterization of L-asparaginase gene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meena, Balakrishnan; Anburajan, Lawrance; Sathish, Thadikamala; Vijaya Raghavan, Rangamaran; Dharani, Gopal; Valsalan Vinithkumar, Nambali; Kirubagaran, Ramalingam

2015-07-01

Marine actinobacteria are known to be a rich source for novel metabolites with diverse biological activities. In this study, a potential extracellular L-asparaginase was characterised from the Streptomyces griseus NIOT-VKMA29. Box-Behnken based optimization was used to determine the culture medium components to enhance the L-asparaginase production. pH, starch, yeast extract and L-asparagine has a direct correlation for enzyme production with a maximum yield of 56.78 IU mL-1. A verification experiment was performed to validate the experiment and more than 99% validity was established. L-Asparaginase biosynthesis gene (ansA) from Streptomyces griseus NIOT-VKMA29 was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli M15 and the enzyme production was increased threefold (123 IU mL-1) over the native strain. The ansA gene sequences reported in this study encloses several base substitutions with that of reported sequences in GenBank, resulting in altered amino acid sequences of the translated protein.

Transmission beam characteristics of a Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus).

PubMed

Smith, Adam B; Kloepper, Laura N; Yang, Wei-Cheng; Huang, Wan-Hsiu; Jen, I-Fan; Rideout, Brendan P; Nachtigall, Paul E

2016-01-01

The echolocation system of the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) remains poorly studied compared to other odontocete species. In this study, echolocation signals were recorded from a stationary Risso's dolphin with an array of 16 hydrophones and the two-dimensional beam shape was explored using frequency-dependent amplitude plots. Click source parameters were similar to those already described for this species. Centroid frequency of click signals increased with increasing sound pressure level, while the beamwidth decreased with increasing center frequency. Analysis revealed primarily single-lobed, and occasionally vertically dual-lobed, beam shapes. Overall beam directivity was found to be greater than that of the harbor porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, and a false killer whale. The relationship between frequency content, beam directivity, and head size for this Risso's dolphin deviated from the trend described for other species. These are the first reported measurements of echolocation beam shape and directivity in G. griseus.

U.S. EPA, Pesticide Product Label, RL 2 DUST CONTAINS CO-RAL, 03/02/1987

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2011-04-21

... rul .. · orT dato 1. ';1:i~ oi'r1' ('atiar. ;-'. r ti.Cf' r:'·-3 I"~"rt."Ij ranI"! C"''''i"1! "!lr:,.,t i (~:'J i!1 ,.,r;' 'ct j Vf" ,~, :u;mi t:t('.4 u.,r( r "';, ~i'· n"' ... r,...( I)!",' ...

Cloning, sequencing, and analysis of the griseusin polyketide synthase gene cluster from Streptomyces griseus.

PubMed Central

Yu, T W; Bibb, M J; Revill, W P; Hopwood, D A

1994-01-01

A fragment of DNA was cloned from the Streptomyces griseus K-63 genome by using genes (act) for the actinorhodin polyketide synthase (PKS) of Streptomyces coelicolor as a probe. Sequencing of a 5.4-kb segment of the cloned DNA revealed a set of five gris open reading frames (ORFs), corresponding to the act PKS genes, in the following order: ORF1 for a ketosynthase, ORF2 for a chain length-determining factor, ORF3 for an acyl carrier protein, ORF5 for a ketoreductase, and ORF4 for a cyclase-dehydrase. Replacement of the gris genes with a marker gene in the S. griseus genome by using a single-stranded suicide vector propagated in Escherichia coli resulted in loss of the ability to produce griseusins A and B, showing that the five gris genes do indeed encode the type II griseusin PKS. These genes, encoding a PKS that is programmed differently from those for other aromatic PKSs so far available, will provide further valuable material for analysis of the programming mechanism by the construction and analysis of strains carrying hybrid PKS. Images PMID:8169211

A ribonuclease from the wild mushroom Boletus griseus.

PubMed

Wang, Hexiang; Ng, T B

2006-10-01

A ribonuclease (RNase) with a molecular mass of 29 kDa and cospecific for poly A and poly U was isolated from fruiting bodies of the mushroom Boletus griseus. Its N-terminal sequence exhibited some similarity to those of RNases from the mushrooms Irpex lacteus and Lentinus edodes. The RNase was adsorbed on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose, Q-Sepharose, and Affi-gel blue gel and was unadsorbed on CM-cellulose. The enzyme exhibited a temperature optimum between 60 and 70 degrees C and a pH optimum at 3.5.

Translations on Narcotics and Dangerous Drug No. 273

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-11-26

at Fair Park here at 5 a.m. on March 27, last year. The court’s president, Encik Annuar Bin Dato Zainal Abidin, sentenced him to five years’ jail...and six strokes of the rotan on each charge. The sentences are however to run concurrently. In passing sentence, Encik Annuar said that Yong had

United States Pacific Command (USPACOM)

Science.gov Websites

sailors from the Royal Malaysian Navy during an office call with Vice Adm. Dato' Syed Zahiruddin Putra Bin Osman, commander of the Eastern Fleet of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Sawyers is visiting Kota Kinabalu to Malaysian Navy during an office call KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (May 23, 2018) - Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer

A Look at Psychometrics in the Netherlands.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hambleton, Ronald K.; Swaminathan, H.

Comments are made on the review papers presented by six Dutch psychometricians: Ivo Molenaar, Wim van der Linden, Ed Roskam, Arnold Van den Wollenberg, Gideon Mellenbergh, and Dato de Gruijter. Molenaar has embraced a pragmatic viewpoint on Bayesian methods, using both empirical and pure approaches to solve educational research problems. Molenaar…

Higher Education and Social Commitment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nasution, S.; Virasai, Banphot, Eds.

The proceedings of the Regional Institute of Higher Education and Development's seminar and the meaning and implications of social commitment in higher education are reported. The welcoming address (S. Nasution) and the opening address (Y. B. Dato' Murad bin Mohd. Noor) welcome the participants and set the tone for the discussions to follow. The…

Wielding the Military Shield and the Civilian Sword: Norwegian Civil-Military Interagency Cooperation in Afghanistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-11

and Mads A. Andersen, “SV: Vi boer sette dato for uttrekning fra Afghanistan” [SV: We should set a date for pulling out of Afghanistan], Verdens Gang......Norwegian context, the research had to be based on other sources. The obvious solution to the problem was to interview professionals with practical

Selected Manpower Statistics, FY-56

DTIC Science & Technology

1957-01-24

Ouard V Air Pore« Raaorra 19*6 30 JUDO 19*7 30 JOM 1948 30 Juno 1949 30 JUM 19j0 30 JUM 31 Dao 1991 30 JOM 31 Doe 1952 30 JUM 31 Doe ff...aetltro duty for roeorro training purpoaoa. Includoi "InactlT»" national Guard. Army for 30 JUDO 1950 to dato Air Porco for 30 June 1951 through

Cucullanus pargi sp. n. (Nematoda: Cucullanidae) from the grey snapper Lutjanus griseus off the southern coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico.

PubMed

González-Solís, David; Tuz-Paredes, Vielka M; Quintal-Loria, Miguel A

2007-09-01

A new nematode species, Cucullanus pargi sp. n., is described from the intestine and pyloric caeca of the grey snapper, Lutjanus griseus (Linnaeus), off the southern Quintana Roo coast, Mexico. This species shows similar morphological features as cucullanids occurring in marine and brackish-water fishes; however, it differs from all other species in the length of spicules, arrangement and number of caudal papillae, position of the excretory pore and deirids. Cucullanus pargi is the third species of this genus described from fishes in Mexico and the second one from Mexican marine fishes.

A Branch Point of Streptomyces Sulfur Amino Acid Metabolism Controls the Production of Albomycin

PubMed Central

Kulkarni, Aditya; Zeng, Yu; Zhou, Wei; Van Lanen, Steven; Zhang, Weiwen

2015-01-01

Albomycin (ABM), also known as grisein, is a sulfur-containing metabolite produced by Streptomyces griseus ATCC 700974. Genes predicted to be involved in the biosynthesis of ABM and ABM-like molecules are found in the genomes of other actinomycetes. ABM has potent antibacterial activity, and as a result, many attempts have been made to develop ABM into a drug since the last century. Although the productivity of S. griseus can be increased with random mutagenesis methods, understanding of Streptomyces sulfur amino acid (SAA) metabolism, which supplies a precursor for ABM biosynthesis, could lead to improved and stable production. We previously characterized the gene cluster (abm) in the genome-sequenced S. griseus strain and proposed that the sulfur atom of ABM is derived from either cysteine (Cys) or homocysteine (Hcy). The gene product, AbmD, appears to be an important link between primary and secondary sulfur metabolic pathways. Here, we show that propargylglycine or iron supplementation in growth media increased ABM production by significantly changing the relative concentrations of intracellular Cys and Hcy. An SAA metabolic network of S. griseus was constructed. Pathways toward increasing Hcy were shown to positively impact ABM production. The abmD gene and five genes that increased the Hcy/Cys ratio were assembled downstream of hrdBp promoter sequences and integrated into the chromosome for overexpression. The ABM titer of one engineered strain, SCAK3, in a chemically defined medium was consistently improved to levels ∼400% of the wild type. Finally, we analyzed the production and growth of SCAK3 in shake flasks for further process development. PMID:26519385

Genetic segregation in a high-yielding streptomycin-producing strain of Streptomyces griseus.

PubMed

Roth, M; Schwalenberg, B; Reiche, R; Noack, D; Geuther, R; Eritt, I

1982-01-01

The streptomycin-producing Streptomyces griseus HP spontaneously segregated non-reverting derivatives with altered phenotypes. Clones characterized by increased spore formation and decreased streptomycin production were found. Two other types of derivatives were defective in aerial mycelium and streptomycin formation as well, but differed in the capacity to synthesize a yellow pigment. These derivatives were examined with respect to further properties. The stability of S. griseus HP was investigated in relation to conditions of continuous culture. Both at 26 and 30 degrees C, under glycerol and NH4Cl limitation a rapid segregation and enrichment of streptomycin-non-producing derivatives occurred. At 34 degrees C and glycerol limitation segregation began only after about 35 generations of continuous culture. In NH4Cl-limited chemostats the original strain was stable during 80 generations. In the course of the continuous culture experiments it was shown that the onset of genetic segregation within mycelia can be detected before it becomes obvious in colonies grown from the mycelia. This was achieved by fractionation of the mycelia by protoplast formation and subsequent plating on regeneration medium allowing colony growth and differentiation.

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in maricultured fish, Lates calcarifer (Barramudi), Lutjanus campechanus (red snapper) and Lutjanus griseus (grey snapper).

PubMed

Nasyitah Sobihah, Nasri; Ahmad Zaharin, Aris; Khairul Nizam, Mohammad; Ley Juen, Looi; Kyoung-Woong, Kim

2018-04-01

Mariculture fish contains a rich source of protein, but some species may bioaccumulate high levels of heavy metals, making them unsafe for consumption. This study aims to identify heavy metal concentration in Lates calcarifer (Barramudi), Lutjanus campechanus (Red snapper) and Lutjanus griseus (Grey snapper). Three species of mariculture fish, namely, L. calcarifer, L. campechanus and L. griseus were collected for analyses of heavy metals. The concentration of heavy metal (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se, and Zn) was determined using inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The distribution of heavy metals mean concentration in muscle is Zn > Fe > As > Se > Cr > Cu > Mn > Pb > Ni > Cd for L. calcarifer, Fe > Zn > Cr > As > Ni > Mn > Se > Cu > Pb > Cd for L. campechanus and Fe > Zn > Cr > Ni > Se > Cu > As > Mn > Pb > Cd for L. griseus. Among all of the species under investigation, the highest concentration of Fe was found in the muscle tissue of L. campechanus (19.985 ± 1.773 mg kg -1 ) and liver tissue of L. griseus (58.248 ± 8.736 mg kg -1 ). Meanwhile, L. calcarifer has the lowest concentration of Cd in both muscle (0.007 ± 0.004 mg kg -1 ) and liver tissue (0.027 ± 0.016 mg kg -1 ). The heavy metal concentration in muscle tissue is below the permissible limit guidelines stipulated by the Food & Agriculture Organization, 1983 and Malaysia Food Act, 1983. The concentration of heavy metals varies significantly among fish species and tissues. L. campechanus was found to have a higher ability to accumulate heavy metals as compared to the other two species (p < .00). Among all the studied fish, liver tissue has a higher concentration of heavy metals compared to muscle tissue (p < .05). The findings from this study can serve as baseline information for future monitoring and risk assessment studies. Periodic monitoring of heavy metal concentration in mariculture fish must be performed to prevent acute and chronic food intoxication. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lemur responses to edge effects in the Vohibola III classified forest, Madagascar.

PubMed

Lehman, Shawn M; Rajaonson, Andry; Day, Sabine

2006-03-01

Forest edges are dynamic zones characterized by the penetration (to varying depths and intensities) of conditions from the surrounding environment (matrix) into the forest interior. Although edge effects influence many tropical organisms, they have not been studied directly in primates. Edge effects are particularly relevant to lemurs because of the highly fragmented forest landscapes found in Madagascar. In this study, data are presented regarding how the densities of six lemur species (Avahi laniger, Cheirogaleus major, Eulemur rubriventer, Hapalemur griseus griseus, Microcebus rufus, and Propithecus diadema edwardsi) varied between six 500-m interior transects and six 500-m edge transects in the Vohibola III Classified Forest in SE Madagascar. Diurnal (n = 433) and nocturnal (n = 128) lemur surveys were conducted during June-October 2003 and May-November 2004. A. laniger, E. rubriventer, and H. g. griseus exhibited a neutral edge response (no differences in densities between habitats). M. rufus and P. d. edwardsi had a positive edge response (higher densities in edge habitats), which may be related to edge-related variations in food abundance and quality. Positive edge responses by M. rufus and P. d. edwardsi may ultimately be detrimental due to edge-related anthropogenic factors (e.g., hunting by local people). The negative edge response exhibited by C. major (lower densities in edge habitats) may result from heightened ambient temperatures that inhibit torpor in edge habitats.

Thermal characteristics of a residential house in a new township in Johor Bahru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Y. Y.; Lee, Y. H.; Mohammad, S.; Shek, P. N.; Ma, C. K.

2017-11-01

As one of the densest population occurred in Johor Bahru, development of a new township become necessary in order to cater this growth. Rapid urbanization is a factor of degradation of environmental quality which may increase surrounded temperature through urban heat island (UHI) phenomena. Therefore, this paper is investigating thermal comfort for a new township, Bandar Dato Onn in Johor Bahru, in order to understand the thermal characteristics of a new township and for further mitigation of UHI phenomena. Surface temperature, ambient temperature and relative humidity have been collected from a terrace house of Bandar Dato Onn. Thermal characteristics with the features of time lag and decrement factors were discussed based on the collected data. The time lag of 5 to 8 hours and the decrement factors of 0.02 to 0.06 were recorded during a five-day measurement. It was concluded that human thermal comfort may not be achieved as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system needed for bedroom and living room. Passive energy design is suggested to be included in the house in order to have human thermal comfort while reducing the electricity consumption towards sustainable future.

Natural Brucella infection in Argentine wild foxes*

PubMed Central

Szyfres, B.; Tomé, J. González

1966-01-01

In the course of an investigation in 1962-64 into the natural occurrence of brucellosis among grey foxes in Argentina, agglutination tests were performed on 728 sera of the foxes Dusicyon gymnocercus antiquus and D. griseus griseus, captured in the provinces of Buenos Aires and Rio Negro. Agglutination titres of from 1:25 to 1:800 were found in 173 (23.8%) of the foxes tested, 11.3% having titres of 1:100 or more. In bacteriological testing, eight cultures of Brucella abortus, biotype 1, were obtained. Discussing their findings, the authors point out that it cannot be stated definitely whether Brucella is naturally shed by foxes or to what extent infected foxes contribute to the dissemination of brucellosis. PMID:5296540

50 CFR 216.172 - Permissible methods of taking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...). (L) Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)—2485 (an average of 497 annually). (M) Melon-headed whale... (Tursiops truncatus), Pygmy and Dwarf sperm whales (Kogia breviceps and sima), Melon-headed whale...

Karyotype morphology suggests that the Nyctibius griseus (Gmelin, 1789) carries an ancestral ZW-chromosome pair to the order Caprimulgiformes (Aves)

PubMed Central

Nieto, Leonardo Martin; Kretschmer, Rafael; Ledesma, Mario Angel; Garnero, Analía Del Valle; Gunski, Ricardo José

2012-01-01

Abstract Studies of karyotypes have been revealing important information on the taxonomic relationships and evolutionary patterns in various groups of birds. However, the order Caprimulgiformes is one of the least known in terms of its cytotaxonomy. So far, there are no cytogenetic data in the literature on birds belonging to 3 of 5 families of this order -Nyctibiidae, Steatornithidae and Aegothelidae. For this reason, the aim of our study was to describe the karyotype of Nyctibius griseus (Gmelin, 1789) (Aves, Nyctibiidae, Caprimulgiformes) and contribute with new data that could help to clarify the evolutionary relationships in this group. Bone marrow was cultured directly to obtain material for the chromosome study. C-banding was used to visualize the constitutive heterochromatin and Ag-NOR-banding to reveal nucleolus organizer regions. The diploid number observed was 2n=86±. Using sequential Giemsa/C-banding staining, we determined that the W chromosome was entirely C-band positive with the two most prominent markers in the interstitial and distal regions of the long arm. The nucleolus organizer regions showed a typical location in a pair of microchromosomes that exhibited Ag-NOR.The results obtained for Nyctibius griseus suggest that, of all the species studied in the references cited, it has the most ancestral sex chromosome composition of the order Caprimulgiformes. PMID:24260678

A new combination and a new species of onchobothriid tapeworm (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea: Onchobothriidae) from triakid sharks.

PubMed

Kurashima, Akira; Shimizu, Toshiya; Mano, Nobuhiro; Ogawa, Kazuo; Fujita, Toshihiko

2014-05-01

A new combination and a new species of onchobothriid tapeworm are described from triakid sharks. We found Platybothrium xiamenensis Wang & Yang, 2001 and Erudituncus musteli (Yamaguti, 1952) from Hemitriakis japanica (Müller & Henle). Based on the morphology of the hooks P. xiamenensis is transferred to the genus Erudituncus Healy, Scholz & Caira, 2001. The specimens studied by us differ from the original description in the number of proglottids and testes and in the size of the cirrus-sac. However, we consider them conspecific with E. xiamenensis due to the consistent hook morphology and laciniations in both descriptions and believe the differences reflect intraspecific variation. The type-host of E. xiamenensis was reported as Mustelus griseus Pietschmann. However, in the present study, this parasite was found only in H. japanica and never in M. griseus although many specimens of the latter host were examined. This suggests that the type-host in the original description has probably been misidentified. We found another undescribed species in M. griseus, Calliobothrium shirozame n. sp., which is distinguished from the congeners by having a unique combination of the number of laciniations: four in the cephalic peduncle, six in the immature proglottids and four in the mature proglottids.

Calibration, Verification and Application of a Two-Dimensional Flow Model.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other athorized documents. The contents of this... report are not to be used for advertising, publication. or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official 6hdorsement...or approval of the use of such commercial products. Unclassified SECURITY CLASSIFICATION o THIS PAGE ("O~en Dato Ene_ _ _ REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE AD

New records of truffle fungi (Basidiomycetes) from Turkey

Treesearch

Aziz Turkoglu; Michael Angelo Castellano

2013-01-01

We report the first records of 5 truffle taxa in Turkey: Gymnomyces xanthosporus (Hawker) A.H.Sm., Hymenogaster griseus Vittad., Hymenogaster olivaceous Vittad., Hymenogaster thwaitesii Berk. & Broome, and Hymenogaster vulgaris Tul. & C.Tul. We also report a new...

Appreciation and Determination of the Hydrodynamic Qualities of Seaplanes

DTIC Science & Technology

1947-05-17

satisfqctory handling on the ~ atar , — Tincyclso provida maans i’o:comperati~e evaluations “ofdifYeront seaplanes and direct correlations between model...Washington, D. C. PUBLISHED BY: (Same) SAH May 47 ABSTRACT: DOC OAM. Unclass. _yjL English _2A_ ATI- 12970 (None) TN-1290 (Same) f...MOtCT HO. TN-1290 PUBLISHED BY: (Same) ruaawtto AS1HCT KO. DATO May 󈧳 DOC OJU1. Unclass. coumar U.S. i. NOUAM English FAOB 54 numuTiOKS

Simulation of an Air Cushion Vehicle

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-03-01

Massachusetts 02139 ! DDC Niov 219T March 1977 Final Report for Period January 1975 - December 1976 DOD DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT Approved for public...or in ,art is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government. II II JI UNCLASSI FIED SECURITY CLASSIFICATiON OF TIlS PAGE flWhen Dato...overflow Floating point fault Decimal arithmetic fault Watch Dog timer runout 186 NAVTRAEQUIPCEN 75-C-0057- 1 PROGRAM ENi\\TRY Initial Program - LOAD Inhibit

50 CFR 216.172 - Permissible methods of taking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...). (L) Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)—2485 (an average of 497 annually). (M) Melon-headed whale... (Tursiops truncatus), Pygmy and Dwarf sperm whales (Kogia breviceps and sima), Melon-headed whale...

U.S. Leading from Behind in Libya? Thoughts for NATO before the Chicago Summit

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-25

degli anni 1990, la linea di base della tecnologia e business divenne inglese. Paesi come la Francia abbandonarono la loro resistenza e ha ceduto...bene." 20 I social media su internet e il progresso della tecnologia smart phone ha dato vita a un linguaggio comune delle informazioni 24/7. Un...appello rivolto su NATO Review del Vice Segretario generale aggiunto per gli armamenti, e coordinatore della tecnologia per l‘antiterrorismo

Circularized Chromosome with a Large Palindromic Structure in Streptomyces griseus Mutants

PubMed Central

Uchida, Tetsuya; Ishihara, Naoto; Zenitani, Hiroyuki; Hiratsu, Keiichiro; Kinashi, Haruyasu

2004-01-01

Streptomyces linear chromosomes display various types of rearrangements after telomere deletion, including circularization, arm replacement, and amplification. We analyzed the new chromosomal deletion mutants Streptomyces griseus 301-22-L and 301-22-M. In these mutants, chromosomal arm replacement resulted in long terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) at both ends; different sizes were deleted again and recombined inside the TIRs, resulting in a circular chromosome with an extremely large palindrome. Short palindromic sequences were found in parent strain 2247, and these sequences might have played a role in the formation of this unique structure. Dynamic structural changes of Streptomyces linear chromosomes shown by this and previous studies revealed extraordinary strategies of members of this genus to keep a functional chromosome, even if it is linear or circular. PMID:15150216

Security Options for Malaysia in the 1990s.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-08

Malaysia Plan, p. 195. 2 0 Statement by Malaysia’s Deputy Defence Minister, Dato Abang Abu Bakar quoted by The New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur: 13 March...Malaysia has a constitutional monarchy 4or& of government. The Yang Dipertuan Agong (King) is chosen every 5 years from among the Sultans (rulers) of...and Dutch spheres of influence. The Pangkor Treaty of 1874 between the British and the Sultan of Perak marked the beginning of British colonial rule

Seed morphology and variation in the genus Pachycereus (Cactaceae).

PubMed

Arias, Salvador; Terrazas, Teresa

2004-08-01

Seeds of 13 Pachycereus species and two Stenocereus species that have been suggested as closely related were examined with the scanning electron microscope. Quantitative features were evaluated using multivariate analysis in order to identify characters that distinguish them. Several species groups were recognized on the basis of 16 qualitative characters. All species studied are keeled. Stenocereus aragonii and S. eichlamii share with most Pachycereus species large size, glossy appearance, and a flat relief on periclinal cells in the lateral region. Pachycereus gatesii and P. schottii are unique in having the smallest seeds and a deeply impressed hilum-micropylar region. P. hollianus does not exhibit micro-relief on periclinal walls in the lateral region, and P. fulviceps has no expanded testa border. Multivariate analysis showed that four characters, length, breadth, hilum-micropylar region length, and angle, made the greatest contribution to distinguishing among species groups. More than 80% of P. fulviceps, P. hollianus, P. tepamo, P. weberi, and S. eichlamii seeds could be classified correctly using four seed features and the percentage was even higher using just two or three features for P. gatesii, P. grandis, P. militaris, P. pringlei, and P. schottii. Testa appearance, testa cell-pattern, and position relative to the rim of the hilum-micropylar region were found to be potentially informative and should be combined with other sources of data in future phylogenetic analyses.

A new species of Dentiphilometra (Nematoda: Philometridae) from the musculature of the gray snapper Lutjanus griseus (osteichthyes) off the Caribbean coast of Mexico.

PubMed

González-Solís, David; Moravec, Frantisek; Paredes, Vielka M Tuz

2007-10-01

A new nematode, Dentiphilometra lutjani n. sp. (Philometridae), is described from gravid females (the male is unknown) collected from the body musculature of the marine perciform fish gray snapper, Lutjanus griseus (Lutjanidae), from the Bay of Chetumal and southern coast of Quintana Roo, off the Caribbean coast of Mexico. The new species differs from the only other congener, Dentiphilometra monopteri, from the swamp eel Monopterus albus in China, mainly in the body length of gravid female (15.40-53.21 mm), the shape of the posterior body end (not markedly narrowed, with low caudal projections), the esophageal gland (maximum width near its posterior end), and the length (344-483 microm) of larvae from the uterus; both species also differ in their host types (marine perciform fish vs. freshwater swamp eel) and geographical distribution (Mexico vs. China).

Datasets of Odontocete Sounds Annotated for Developing Automatic Detection Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

for each of the following species: 1. Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville’s beaked whale) 2. Steno bredanensis (rough-toothed dolphin) 3...39 files, 70200s total Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) AUTEC (NUWC): 10 files; 17100s total Rough-toothed Dolphins ( Steno bredanensis

Managing diversity: Domestication and gene flow in Stenocereus stellatus Riccob. (Cactaceae) in Mexico

PubMed Central

Cruse-Sanders, Jennifer M; Parker, Kathleen C; Friar, Elizabeth A; Huang, Daisie I; Mashayekhi, Saeideh; Prince, Linda M; Otero-Arnaiz, Adriana; Casas, Alejandro

2013-01-01

Microsatellite markers (N = 5) were developed for analysis of genetic variation in 15 populations of the columnar cactus Stenocereus stellatus, managed under traditional agriculture practices in central Mexico. Microsatellite diversity was analyzed within and among populations, between geographic regions, and among population management types to provide detailed insight into historical gene flow rates and population dynamics associated with domestication. Our results corroborate a greater diversity in populations managed by farmers compared with wild ones (HE = 0.64 vs. 0.55), but with regional variation between populations among regions. Although farmers propagated S. stellatus vegetatively in home gardens to diversify their stock, asexual recruitment also occurred naturally in populations where more marginal conditions have limited sexual recruitment, resulting in lower genetic diversity. Therefore, a clear-cut relationship between the occurrence of asexual recruitment and genetic diversity was not evident. Two managed populations adjacent to towns were identified as major sources of gene movement in each sampled region, with significant migration to distant as well as nearby populations. Coupled with the absence of significant bottlenecks, this suggests a mechanism for promoting genetic diversity in managed populations through long distance gene exchange. Cultivation of S. stellatus in close proximity to wild populations has led to complex patterns of genetic variation across the landscape that reflects the interaction of natural and cultural processes. As molecular markers become available for nontraditional crops and novel analysis techniques allow us to detect and evaluate patterns of genetic diversity, genetic studies provide valuable insights into managing crop genetic resources into the future against a backdrop of global change. Traditional agriculture systems play an important role in maintaining genetic diversity for plant species. PMID:23762520

Development of a Prototype Contingency Plan Suitable for Use by FEMA (federal Emergency Management Agency) in Coordinating the Wartime Allocation of Health Manpower between the Military and Civilian Sectors

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-30

UNCLASSIFIED SECl’IKTY CLASm;IFICATION OF THIS PAGE (When Dato Entered) REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE READ ISTRUCTONSBEFORE COMPLETING FORM 1. REPORT...Civilian Health Manpower Requirements Data ... .................. 4.6 4.3.5 Civilian Health Manpower Supply Data . . 4.7 4.4 Gata Base Creation and...reaeral *agencies involved. What is required is the development of adequate data bases for the civilian sector health manpower supply and requirements

Malaysia’s Participation in a United Nations Standing Force: A Question of National Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-31

Armed Forces Defence College and during a key note address at the National Security Conference, Malaysian Defense Minister, Dato’ Najib Tun Razak ...Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 197-198. 9Speech by Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak , “Regional Insecurity: Preparing For Low to High...Resolution 15, No.2, (1971) Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak . “Executive Interview.” Asian Defence Journal (October 2001): 14-16. General Tan Sri Dato

Pleiotropic role of the Sco1/SenC family copper chaperone in the physiology of Streptomyces

PubMed Central

Fujimoto, Masahiro; Yamada, Akio; Kurosawa, Junpei; Kawata, Akihiro; Beppu, Teruhiko; Takano, Hideaki; Ueda, Kenji

2012-01-01

Summary Antibiotic production and cell differentiation in Streptomyces is stimulated by micromolar levels of Cu2+. Here, we knocked out the Sco1/SenC family copper chaperone (ScoC) encoded in the conserved gene cluster ‘sco’ (the S treptomycescopper utilization) in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) and S. griseus. It is known that the Sco1/SenC family incorporates Cu2+ into the active centre of cytochrome oxidase (cox). The knockout caused a marked delay in antibiotic production and aerial mycelium formation on solid medium, temporal pH decline in glucose‐containing liquid medium, and significant reduction of cox activity in S. coelicolor. The scoC mutant produced two‐ to threefold higher cellular mass of the wild type exhibiting a marked cox activity in liquid medium supplied with 10 µM CuSO4, suggesting that ScoC is involved in not only the construction but also the deactivation of cox. The scoC mutant was defective in the monoamine oxidase activity responsible for cell aggregation and sedimentation. These features were similarly observed with regard to the scoC mutant of S. griseus. The scoC mutant of S. griseus was also defective in the extracellular activity oxidizing N,N′‐dimethyl‐p‐phenylenediamine sulfate. Addition of 10 µM CuSO4 repressed the activity of the conserved promoter preceding scoA and caused phenylalanine auxotrophy in some Streptomyces spp. probably because of the repression of pheA; pheA encodes prephenate dehydratase, which is located at the 3′ terminus of the putative operon structure. Overall, the evidence indicates that Sco is crucial for the utilization of copper under a low‐copper condition and for the activation of the multiple Cu2+‐containing oxidases that play divergent roles in the complex physiology of Streptomyces. PMID:22117562

The sequence and X-ray structure of the trypsin from Fusarium oxysporum.

PubMed

Rypniewski, W R; Hastrup, S; Betzel, C; Dauter, M; Dauter, Z; Papendorf, G; Branner, S; Wilson, K S

1993-06-01

The trypsin from Fusarium oxysporum is equally homologous to trypsins from Streptomyces griseus, Streptomyces erythraeus and to bovine trypsin. A DFP (diisopropylfluorophosphate) inhibited form of the enzyme has been crystallized from 1.4 M Na2SO4, buffered with citrate at pH 5.0-5.5. The crystals belong to space group P2(1) with cell parameters a = 33.43 A, b = 67.65 A, c = 39.85 A and beta = 107.6 degrees. There is one protein molecule in the asymmetric unit. X-ray diffraction data to a resolution of 1.8 A were collected on film using synchrotron radiation. The structure was solved by molecular replacement using models of bovine and S. griseus trypsins and refined to an R-factor of 0.141. The overall fold is similar to other trypsins, with some insertions and deletions. There is no evidence of the divalent cation binding sites seen in other trypsins. The covalently bound inhibitor molecule is clearly visible.

Seed removal in a tropical North American desert: an evaluation of pre- and post-dispersal seed removal in Stenocereus stellatus.

PubMed

Álvarez-Espino, R; Ríos-Casanova, L; Godínez-Álvarez, H

2017-05-01

To determine seed removal influence on seed populations, we need to quantify pre- and post-dispersal seed removal. Several studies have quantified seed removal in temperate American deserts, but few studies have been performed in tropical deserts. These studies have only quantified pre- or post-dispersal seed removal, thus underestimating the influence of seed removal. We evaluated pre- and post-dispersal seed removal in the columnar cactus Stenocereus stellatus in a Mexican tropical desert. We performed selective exclosure experiments to estimate percentage of seeds removed by ants, birds and rodents during the pre- and post-dispersal phases. We also conducted field samplings to estimate abundance of the most common seed removers. Birds (10-28%) removed a higher percentage of seeds than ants (2%) and rodents (1-4%) during pre-dispersal seed removal. Melanerpes hypopolius was probably the main bird removing seeds from fruits. Ants (62-64%) removed a higher percentage of seeds than birds (34-38%) and rodents (16-30%) during post-dispersal seed removal. Pogonomyrmex barbatus was probably the main ant removing seeds from soil. Birds and ants are the main pre- and post-dispersal seed removers in S. stellatus, respectively. Further studies in other S. stellatus populations and plants with different life forms and fruit types will contribute to evaluate seed removal in tropical American deserts. © 2016 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Pyemotes johnmoseri (Khaustov)(Acari: Pyemotidae) as a parasitoid of Xylophagous insects from Aydin, Turkey

Treesearch

Tbrahim Cakmak; Tulin Aksit; Sultan Cobanoglu

2006-01-01

Pyemotes johnmoseri (Khaustov) (Acari: Pyemotidae) was collected from Hypoborus ficus (Erichson) and Hesperophanes griseus Fab. (Col.: Cerambycidae) in fig (Ficus carica cv Calymirna) orchards in Aydin, Turkey during 2003-2004. We describe and illustrate the male and female of P. ...

Biofiltration technology for the removal of toluene from polluted air using Streptomyces griseus.

PubMed

Mohamed, Elham F; Awad, Gamal; Andriantsiferana, Caroline; El-Diwany, Ahmed I

2016-01-01

Biofiltration technology has been recognized as a promising biotechnology for treating the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in polluted air. This study aims to investigate the performance of a biofiltration system of Streptomyces griseus sp. DSM-40759 immobilized on activated carbon (PICA S23) towards the adsorption and degradation of toluene vapour as well as to regenerate the activated carbon in situ. The batch studies were performed using nutrient agar medium and basal salt medium (BSM) for microbial growth. Initially the pre-cultures were incubated at a temperature of 28°C on a rotary shaker at 150 rpm. After two days, the strain S. griseus DSM-40759 was immobilized on a known weight of activated carbon (12 g). The results of biofilter performance showed three different stages with a quick adsorption phase with approximately 95% of toluene removal after 70 min, a slow biotransformation phase by immobilized cells. In the later, the removal efficiency decreased significantly with the extension of time and reached 60% during this stage. Moreover, a final quick removal phase by the immobilized cells had an average removal efficiency of toluene around 95% after 500 min. The toluene degradation was found to be more than 84% after the second cycle and the biofilter was still capable of removing additional toluene. Thus, the results demonstrated the feasibility and reusability of a new biofilter system for toluene removal as well as extending the activated carbon's capacity and this could be a potential solution to reuse the activated carbon in industrial application.

Phylogenetic revision of Minyomerus Horn, 1876 sec. Jansen & Franz, 2015 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) using taxonomic concept annotations and alignments

PubMed Central

Jansen, M. Andrew; Franz, Nico M.

2015-01-01

Abstract This contribution adopts the taxonomic concept annotation and alignment approach. Accordingly, and where indicated, previous and newly inferred meanings of taxonomic names are individuated according to one specific source. Articulations among these concepts and pairwise, logically consistent alignments of original and revisionary classifications are also provided, in addition to conventional nomenclatural provenance information. A phylogenetic revision of the broad-nosed weevil genera Minyomerus Horn, 1876 sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982), and Piscatopus Sleeper, 1960 sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982) (Curculionidae [non-focal]: Entiminae [non-focal]: Tanymecini [non-focal]) is presented. Prior to this study, Minyomerus sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982) contained seven species, whereas the monotypic Piscatopus sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982) was comprised solely of Piscatopus griseus Sleeper, 1960 sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982). We thoroughly redescribe these recognized species-level entities and furthermore describe ten species as new to science: Minyomerus bulbifrons sec. Jansen & Franz (2015) (henceforth: [JF2015]), sp. n., Minyomerus aeriballux [JF2015], sp. n., Minyomerus cracens [JF2015], sp. n., Minyomerus gravivultus [JF2015], sp. n., Minyomerus imberbus [JF2015], sp. n., Minyomerus reburrus [JF2015], sp. n., Minyomerus politus [JF2015], sp. n., Minyomerus puticulatus [JF2015], sp. n., Minyomerus rutellirostris [JF2015], sp. n., and Minyomerus trisetosus [JF2015], sp. n. A cladistic analysis using 46 morphological characters of 22 terminal taxa (5/17 outgroup/ingroup) yielded a single most-parsimonious cladogram (L = 82, CI = 65, RI = 82). The analysis strongly supports the monophyly of Minyomerus [JF2015] with eight unreversed synapomorphies, and places Piscatopus griseus sec. O’Brien & Wibmer (1982) within the genus as sister to Minyomerus rutellirostris [JF2015]. Accordingly, Piscatopus sec. Sleeper (1960), syn. n. is changed to junior synonymy of Minyomerus [JF2015], and its sole member Piscatopus griseus sec. Sleeper (1960) is moved to Minyomerus [JF2015] as Minyomerus griseus [JF2015], comb. n. In addition, the formerly designated type Minyomerus innocuus Horn, 1876 sec. Pierce (1913), syn. n. is changed to junior synonymy of Minyomerus microps (Say, 1831) [JF2015] which has priority. The genus is widespread throughout western North America, ranging from Canada to Mexico and Baja California. Apparent patterns of interspecific diversity of exterior and genitalic morphology, varying host plant ranges, overlapping and widely extending species distributions, suggest an early origin for Minyomerus [JF2015], with a diversification that likely followed the development of North American desert biomes. Three species in the genus – i.e., Minyomerus languidus Horn, 1876 [JF2015], Minyomerus microps [JF2015], and Minyomerus trisetosus [JF2015] – are putatively considered parthenogenetic. PMID:26692791

Tularemia without lesions in grey tree squirrels: A diagnostic challenge

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fifteen cases of Francisella tularenesis infection (tularemia) were identified in western grey (Sciurus griseus) and eastern grey (Sciurus carolinesis) squirrels submitted to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory between 2008 and 2011. All of the squirrels originated in Washington stat...

Comparative ecotoxicity of potential biofuels to water flea (Daphnia magna), zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) V79 cells.

PubMed

Heger, Sebastian; Du, Miaomiao; Bauer, Kevin; Schäffer, Andreas; Hollert, Henner

2018-08-01

The ecotoxicity of two biofuel candidates (1‑octanol and 2‑butanone) was investigated by an integrative test strategy using three bioassays: the acute immobilisation test with water flea (D. magna), the fish embryo acute toxicity test with zebrafish (Danio rerio) and the in vitro micronucleus assay with Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) V79 cells. The median effective concentration (EC 50 ) values were 14.9±0.66mgL -1 for 1‑octanol, and 2152.1±44.6mgL -1 for 2‑butanone in the D. magna test. Both 1‑octanol and 2‑butanone caused teratogenic and lethal effects on zebrafish embryos, while exposure to 1‑octanol significantly induced these effects at concentrations ≥2.0mgL -1 . These results indicate that 1‑octanol exert much higher ecotoxicity than 2‑butanone to D. magna and zebrafish embryos. Moreover, both 1‑octanol and 2‑butanone did not cause significant genotoxic effects, while their metabolites significantly induced micronuclei in V79 cells. The present study proposed an integrative test approach to evaluate the potential ecotoxicity of biofuels using simple, quick and inexpensive bioassays. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic Localization and Molecular Characterization of the nonS Gene Required for Macrotetrolide Biosynthesis in Streptomyces griseus DSM40695

PubMed Central

Smith, Wyatt C.; Xiang, Longkuan; Shen, Ben

2000-01-01

The macrotetrolides are a family of cyclic polyethers derived from tetramerization, in a stereospecific fashion, of the enantiomeric nonactic acid (NA) and its homologs. Isotope labeling experiments established that NA is of polyketide origin, and biochemical investigations demonstrated that 2-methyl-6,8-dihydroxynon-2E-enoic acid can be converted into NA by a cell-free preparation from Streptomyces lividans that expresses nonS. These results lead to the hypothesis that macrotetrolide biosynthesis involves a pair of enantiospecific polyketide pathways. In this work, a 55-kb contiguous DNA region was cloned from Streptomyces griseus DSM40695, a 6.3-kb fragment of which was sequenced to reveal five open reading frames, including the previously reported nonR and nonS genes. Inactivation of nonS in vivo completely abolished macrotetrolide production. Complementation of the nonS mutant by the expression of nonS in trans fully restored its macrotetrolide production ability, with a distribution of individual macrotetrolides similar to that for the wild-type producer. In contrast, fermentation of the nonS mutant in the presence of exogenous (±)-NA resulted in the production of nonactin, monactin, and dinactin but not in the production of trinactin and tetranactin. These results prove the direct involvement of nonS in macrotetrolide biosynthesis. The difference in macrotetrolide production between in vivo complementation of the nonS mutant by the plasmid-borne nonS gene and fermentation of the nonS mutant in the presence of exogenously added (±)-NA suggests that NonS catalyzes the formation of (−)-NA and its homologs, supporting the existence of a pair of enantiospecific polyketide pathways for macrotetrolide biosynthesis in S. griseus. The latter should provide a model that can be used to study the mechanism by which polyketide synthase controls stereochemistry during polyketide biosynthesis. PMID:10858335

Growth and reproductive characteristics of the columnar cactus Stenocereus queretaroensis and their relationships with environmental factors and colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizae.

PubMed

Pimienta-Barrios, Eulogio; Pimienta-Barrios, Enrique; Salas-Galván, Mariá Eugenia; Zañudo-Hernandez, Julia; Nobel, Park S

2002-06-01

Three natural populations of pitayo (Stenocereus queretaroensis (Weber) Buxbaum), a columnar arborescent cactus, were studied in their subtropical environments in western Mexico. All of the sites were characterized by shallow, nutrient-poor soils. Percentage of colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi, stem growth, fruit mass, and percentage germination were greater in S. queretaroensis at Autlan, Jalisco (AJ) than at Zacoalco de Torres, Jalisco (ZTJ) or Santa Rosa, Zacatecas (SRZ). The onset of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizae during the middle of the summer wet period preceded increases in stem extension rate and stem phosphorus concentration. Based on previous studies of effects of environmental factors on photosynthesis, climatic conditions were more favorable for photosynthesis at AJ than at SRZ and ZTJ, as indicated by the amount of summer rainfall, the amount of light, and the moderate air temperatures that prevailed during the fall and winter seasons. There was a significant positive correlation between stem growth and percentage of total root length colonized by arbuscules of AM fungi for S. queretaroensis at SRZ and AJ, but not at ZTJ. A negative significant correlation was observed between stem growth and maximal and minimal air temperatures at the three study sites. Stem growth was positively related to rainfall only at SRZ, and light was statistically related to stem growth only at ZTJ. Among sites, S. queretaroensis at AJ had the highest carbon gain and greatest AM colonization, creating physiological conditions that led to the highest stem growth, fruit mass and percentage of seed germination.

Cloning of an avilamycin biosynthetic gene cluster from Streptomyces viridochromogenes Tü57.

PubMed Central

Gaisser, S; Trefzer, A; Stockert, S; Kirschning, A; Bechthold, A

1997-01-01

A 65-kb region of DNA from Streptomyces viridochromogenes Tü57, containing genes encoding proteins involved in the biosynthesis of avilamycins, was isolated. The DNA sequence of a 6.4-kb fragment from this region revealed four open reading frames (ORF1 to ORF4), three of which are fully contained within the sequenced fragment. The deduced amino acid sequence of AviM, encoded by ORF2, shows 37% identity to a 6-methylsalicylic acid synthase from Penicillium patulum. Cultures of S. lividans TK24 and S. coelicolor CH999 containing plasmids with ORF2 on a 5.5-kb PstI fragment were able to produce orsellinic acid, an unreduced version of 6-methylsalicylic acid. The amino acid sequence encoded by ORF3 (AviD) is 62% identical to that of StrD, a dTDP-glucose synthase from S. griseus. The deduced amino acid sequence of AviE, encoded by ORF4, shows 55% identity to a dTDP-glucose dehydratase (StrE) from S. griseus. Gene insertional inactivation experiments of aviE abolished avilamycin production, indicating the involvement of aviE in the biosynthesis of avilamycins. PMID:9335272

Evolution under domestication: ongoing artificial selection and divergence of wild and managed Stenocereus pruinosus (Cactaceae) populations in the Tehuacan Valley, Mexico.

PubMed

Parra, Fabiola; Casas, Alejandro; Peñaloza-Ramírez, Juan Manuel; Cortés-Palomec, Aurea C; Rocha-Ramírez, Víctor; González-Rodríguez, Antonio

2010-09-01

The Tehuacán Valley in Mexico is a principal area of plant domestication in Mesoamerica. There, artificial selection is currently practised on nearly 120 native plant species with coexisting wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations, providing an excellent setting for studying ongoing mechanisms of evolution under domestication. One of these species is the columnar cactus Stenocereus pruinosus, in which we studied how artificial selection is operating through traditional management and whether it has determined morphological and genetic divergence between wild and managed populations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 households of three villages to investigate motives and mechanisms of artificial selection. Management effects were studied by comparing variation patterns of 14 morphological characters and population genetics (four microsatellite loci) of 264 plants from nine wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations. Variation in fruit characters was recognized by most people, and was the principal target of artificial selection directed to favour larger and sweeter fruits with thinner or thicker peel, fewer spines and pulp colours other than red. Artificial selection operates in agroforestry systems favouring abundance (through not felling plants and planting branches) of the preferred phenotypes, and acts more intensely in household gardens. Significant morphological divergence between wild and managed populations was observed in fruit characters and plant vigour. On average, genetic diversity in silvicultural populations (H(E) = 0.743) was higher than in wild (H(E) = 0.726) and cultivated (H(E) = 0.700) populations. Most of the genetic variation (90.58 %) occurred within populations. High gene flow (Nm(FST) > 2) was identified among almost all populations studied, but was slightly limited by mountains among wild populations, and by artificial selection among wild and managed populations. Traditional management of S. pruinosus involves artificial selection, which, despite the high levels of gene flow, has promoted morphological divergence and moderate genetic structure between wild and managed populations, while conserving genetic diversity.

A new contribution to the knowledge of Neotropical Eumeninae (Hymenoptera, Vespidae).

PubMed

Ferreira, Wellington D; Grandinete, Yuri C; Lopes, Rogério B; Hermes, Marcel G

2015-07-02

A new species, Pirhosigma sulcata Ferreira & Hermes, sp. nov. is described from the Brazilian Amazon; the male of Pararhaphidoglossa gibbiventris Giordani Soika, 1978 is described for the first time. Pseudodynerus carpenteri Hermes & Melo, 2008 is newly recorded from Brazil. New collecting data are reported for Pseudodynerus griseus (Fox, 1902) and P. subapicalis (Fox, 1902).

Purification and characterization of an antioxidant glycoprotein from the hydrolysate of Mustelus griseus.

PubMed

Li, Zhongrui; Wang, Bin; Chi, Changfeng; Gong, Yandan; Tang, Jiajia; Luo, Hongyu

2013-01-01

An antioxidant glycoprotein (Fraction AIV-2) with molecular weight of 27.2 kDa was purified from the ethanol-soluble protein hydrolysate of Mustelus griseus muscle. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of Fraction AIV-2 reached up to 96.73±2.33% and was higher than that of ascorbic acid at the concentration of 5.0mg/mL. Total protein and carbohydrate contents of Fraction AIV-2 were 62.65±0.63% and 33.49±1.60%, respectively. Seventeen amino acids were identified in Fraction AIV-2, most of which are serine. GC-MS analysis showed that Fraction AIV-2 was composed of fucose, arabinose, galactose, glucose and mannose with the ratio of 1.00:1.53:7.27:9.07:2.09. The FT-IR spectrum of Fraction AIV-2 showed typical characteristics of polysaccharide and protein. For Fraction AIV-2, the changes of ultraviolet absorption curve, amino acid composition after the β-elimination reaction and its deglycosylation with the treatment of N-glycosidase F suggested that both O-glycosidic and N-glycosidic bonds were involved in the polysaccharide and protein moieties. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

50 CFR 217.172 - Permissible methods of taking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... dolphin (Grampus griseus)—100 (an average of 20 annually). (vi) Killer whale (Orcinus orca)—100 (an... right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)—120 (an average of 24 annually). (ii) Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)—145 (an average of 29 annually). (iii) Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)—390 (an average of 78...

50 CFR 217.172 - Permissible methods of taking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... dolphin (Grampus griseus)—100 (an average of 20 annually). (vi) Killer whale (Orcinus orca)—100 (an... right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)—120 (an average of 24 annually). (ii) Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)—145 (an average of 29 annually). (iii) Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)—390 (an average of 78...

Effect of habitat disturbance on pollination biology of the columnar cactus Stenocereus quevedonis at landscape-level in central Mexico.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Oseguera, A G; Casas, A; Herrerías-Diego, Y; Pérez-Negrón, E

2013-05-01

Stenocereus quevedonis ('pitire') is a columnar cactus endemic to central Mexico, grown for its edible fruit. Phenology, pollination biology and behaviour of flower visitors of this species were compared in six conserved and disturbed sites, hypothesising that: (i) pitire pollination is self-incompatible, requiring animal vectors; (ii) higher incidence of radiation on plants in cleared forest may lead to a higher number of flowers per pitire plant and longer blooming season, and disturbing and differential spatial availability of flower resources may determine differential attraction of pollinators to conserved and disturbed areas; (iii) if pitire pollination system is specialised, reproductive success would decrease with pollinator scarcity, or other species may substitute for main pollinators. In all sites, pitire reproduction started in January, flowering peak occurring in April, anthesis duration was 15 h and predominantly nocturnal (9 h), pollen was released at 23:00 h, nectar was produced throughout anthesis, and breeding system was self-incompatible. Flower production per plant was similar in disturbed and conserved sites, but flower availability was higher (because of higher tree density) and longer in disturbed sites. Pollination is nocturnal, the most frequent legitimate pollinator being the bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae; diurnal pollination is rare but possible, carried out by bee species. Fruit and seed set in control and nocturnal pollination treatments at disturbed sites were higher than in conserved sites. Frequency of L. yerbabuenae visits was similar among site types, but more visits of complementary nocturnal and diurnal pollinators were recorded in disturbed sites, which could explain differences in reproductive success. © 2012 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Actinomycetales from Corn

PubMed Central

Lyons, A. J.; Pridham, T. G.; Rogers, R. F.

1975-01-01

Mesophilic Actinomycetales were isolated from whole corn, brewer's grits, and break flour received from three different mills. In addition, strains were isolated from high-moisture (27%) field corn; high-moisture, silo-stored corn (untreated); and high-moisture corn treated with ammonia, ammonium isobutyrate, or propionic-acetic acid. According to standard techniques, 139 strains were extensively characterized and 207 additional strains were partially characterized. On the basis of these characterizations, the streptomycete strains were identified by both the systems of Pridham et al. and Hütter because these systems are rapid and accurate. In general, only Streptomyces griseus (Krainsky) Waksman and Henrici was isolated from high-moisture whole corn (treated or untreated) except from grain exposed to ammonium isobutyrate. Strains isolated from high-moisture corn subjected to that treatment represented both S. griseus and S. albus (Rossi Doria) Waksman and Henrici. The strains isolated from corn and corn products from the three mills were identified with a number of streptomycete species. Of all Actinomycetales isolated, only three were not streptomycetes—two from brewer's grits and one from break flour. Images PMID:803819

Lack of A-factor production induces the expression of nutrient scavenging and stress-related proteins in Streptomyces griseus.

PubMed

Birkó, Zsuzsanna; Swiatek, Magdalena; Szájli, Emília; Medzihradszky, Katalin F; Vijgenboom, Erik; Penyige, András; Keseru, Judit; van Wezel, Gilles P; Biró, Sándor

2009-10-01

The small gamma-butyrolactone A-factor is an important autoregulatory signaling molecule for the soil-inhabiting streptomycetes. Starvation is a major trigger for development, and nutrients are provided by degradation of the vegetative mycelium via a process of programmed cell death, reusing proteins, nucleic acids, and cell wall material. The A-factor regulon includes many extracellular hydrolases. Here we show via proteomics analysis that many nutrient-scavenging and stress-related proteins were overexpressed in an A-factor non-producing mutant of Streptomyces griseus B-2682. Transcript analysis showed that this is primarily due to differential transcription of the target genes during early development. The targets include proteins relating to nutrient stress and environmental stress and an orthologue of the Bacillus sporulation control protein Spo0M. The enhanced expression of these proteins underlines the stress that is generated by the absence of A-factor. Wild-type developmental gene expression was restored to the A-factor non-producing mutant by the signaling protein Factor C in line with our earlier observation that Factor C triggers A-factor production.

VII Workshop Italiano sulla fisica pp a LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LHCpp2016 è la settima edizione dell'incontro nazionale sulla fisica p-p a LHC. Questa serie di incontri è nata a Pisa nel 2003 con lo scopo di stimolare lo scambio di idee tra le comunità sperimentali di ATLAS, CMS e LHCB e la comunità teorica. Caratteristica fondamentale di questi incontri è la preparazione di larga parte dei talk in collaborazione tra i vari esperimenti e la comunità teorica. Largo spazio nella preparazione e presentazione dei talk viene dato ai giovani ricercatori. In questa settima edizione, che si tiene di nuovo a Pisa, vogliamo concentrare l'attenzione sulle potenzialità di scoperta offerte dai dati raccolti durante il runII di LHC.

Unsupervised Learning (Clustering) of Odontocete Echolocation Clicks

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

of their bandwidth. Results on Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), and Cuvier’s beaked...acoustic encounters to see which ones appeared to be closely related to one another. We noted that some of the Pacific white-sided and Risso’s dolphin ...should be clusterable. The group of odontocetes that we cannot label reliably by their acoustic features, primarily common dolphins (Delphinus spp

Biology and management of the western gray squirrel and Oregon white oak woodlands: with emphasis on the Puget Trough.

Treesearch

L.A. Ryan; A.B. Carey

1995-01-01

The western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus Ord, 1818) has been accorded "threatened species" status by the state of Washington. populations are small, scattered, and declining primarily due to the loss and fragmentation of suitable habitat. Western gray squirrels are closely associated with Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana...

Protease-catalysed Direct Asymmetric Mannich Reaction in Organic Solvent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Yang; Li, Ling-Po; He, Yan-Hong; Guan, Zhi

2012-10-01

We reported the first enzyme-catalysed, direct, three-component asymmetric Mannich reaction using protease type XIV from Streptomyces griseus (SGP) in acetonitrile. Yields of up to 92% with enantioselectivities of up to 88% e.e. and diastereoselectivities of up to 92:8 (syn:anti) were achieved under the optimised conditions. This enzyme's catalytic promiscuity expands the application of this biocatalyst and provides a potential alternative method for asymmetric Mannich reactions.

Estimation of intestinal protein digestibility of protein supplements for ruminants using a three-step enzymatic in vitro procedure.

PubMed

Hippenstiel, Friederike; Kivitz, Andre; Benninghoff, Jens; Südekum, Karl-Heinz

2015-01-01

This study included 33 samples with main focus on unprotected or rumen-protected rapeseed and soybean feedstuffs, which were analysed using an enzymatic in vitro procedure (EIVP) in order to determine intestinal crude protein (CP) digestibility (IPD) of ruminally undegraded CP. The EIVP involved the sequential digestion of samples with a protease from Streptomyces griseus, pepsin-HCl and pancreatin. Briefly, the EIVP started with determination of true protein. Feeds were incubated for 18 h in a buffer solution at a constant ratio (41 U/g) of S. griseus protease activity to feed true protein. The dried residues were incubated in pepsin-HCl solution for 1 h, and residues from this step were incubated in pancreatin solution for 24 h. Results appeared to have lower IPD dimensions than literature data of previous studies. In addition, a negative correlation became apparent between acid detergent fibre and IPD, as well as a positive correlation between CP, true protein and IPD. The EIVP in its current, strictly standardised form can be applied to develop a database that can be used for protein evaluation systems for establishing tabular values of IPD. Nevertheless, future studies may be hindered since sufficient reference values, i.e. in vivo data, are completely missing.

Detection and molecular characterization of filamentous actinobacteria and thermoactinomycetes present in water-damaged building materials.

PubMed

Suihko, M-L; Priha, O; Alakomi, H-L; Thompson, P; Mälarstig, B; Stott, R; Richardson, M

2009-06-01

In this study the dominant filamentous actinobacteria occurring in water-damaged building materials were detected by culture and characterized by automated ribotyping and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Fifty-two samples were taken from 20 water-damaged houses in four different countries. A total of 122 bacterial isolates were analyzed. Actinobacteria or thermoactinomycetes were present in 48% of the samples. The dominant genus was Streptomyces (58% of isolates), followed by Thermoactinomyces (23%), Laceyella (14%), Nocardiopsis (3%), Pseudonocardia (1%) and Saccharomonospora (1%). The most frequently detected species was the thermophilic Thermoactinomyces vulgaris (14 samples/4 countries). The most common streptomycetes were closely related to the heterogeneous species Streptomyces microflavus (7/2) or Streptomyces griseus (6/2). Automated ribotyping was a rapid tool for reliable characterization of these isolates. The spores of thermoactinomycetes and toxic substances of Nocardiopsis species and S. griseus may constitute a risk for human health. Harmful microbes in indoor environments are a cause of public concern. To develop rapid and simple-to-use molecular biological methods to detect the presence of harmful actinobacterial species in water-damaged buildings more information about their occurrence in those materials is needed, which this study provides.

Observations on Abundance of Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks, Hexanchus griseus, in an Urban Waterway in Puget Sound, 2003-2005

PubMed Central

Griffing, Denise; Larson, Shawn; Hollander, Joel; Carpenter, Tim; Christiansen, Jeff; Doss, Charles

2014-01-01

The bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus, is a widely distributed but poorly understood large, apex predator. Anecdotal reports of diver-shark encounters in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s in the Pacific Northwest stimulated interest in the normally deep-dwelling shark and its presence in the shallow waters of Puget Sound. Analysis of underwater video documenting sharks at the Seattle Aquarium’s sixgill research site in Elliott Bay and mark-resight techniques were used to answer research questions about abundance and seasonality. Seasonal changes in relative abundance in Puget Sound from 2003–2005 are reported here. At the Seattle Aquarium study site, 45 sixgills were tagged with modified Floy visual marker tags, along with an estimated 197 observations of untagged sharks plus 31 returning tagged sharks, for a total of 273 sixgill observations recorded. A mark-resight statistical model based on analysis of underwater video estimated a range of abundance from a high of 98 sharks seen in July of 2004 to a low of 32 sharks seen in March of 2004. Both analyses found sixgills significantly more abundant in the summer months at the Seattle Aquarium’s research station. PMID:24475229

Observations on abundance of bluntnose sixgill sharks, Hexanchus griseus, in an urban waterway in Puget Sound, 2003-2005.

PubMed

Griffing, Denise; Larson, Shawn; Hollander, Joel; Carpenter, Tim; Christiansen, Jeff; Doss, Charles

2014-01-01

The bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus, is a widely distributed but poorly understood large, apex predator. Anecdotal reports of diver-shark encounters in the late 1990's and early 2000's in the Pacific Northwest stimulated interest in the normally deep-dwelling shark and its presence in the shallow waters of Puget Sound. Analysis of underwater video documenting sharks at the Seattle Aquarium's sixgill research site in Elliott Bay and mark-resight techniques were used to answer research questions about abundance and seasonality. Seasonal changes in relative abundance in Puget Sound from 2003-2005 are reported here. At the Seattle Aquarium study site, 45 sixgills were tagged with modified Floy visual marker tags, along with an estimated 197 observations of untagged sharks plus 31 returning tagged sharks, for a total of 273 sixgill observations recorded. A mark-resight statistical model based on analysis of underwater video estimated a range of abundance from a high of 98 sharks seen in July of 2004 to a low of 32 sharks seen in March of 2004. Both analyses found sixgills significantly more abundant in the summer months at the Seattle Aquarium's research station.

Proposals for revival of Streptomyces setonii and reclassification of S. fimicarius as a later synonym of S. setonii and S. albovinaceus as a later synonym of S. globisporus based on combined 16S rRNA-gyrB gene analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The 16S rRNA and gyrB genes of 22 Streptomyces species belonging to the Streptomyces griseus cluster were sequenced, and their taxonomic positions were re-evaluated. For correct analysis, all of the publicly available sequences of the species were collected and compared with those obtained in this s...

Seasonality of fecal androgen and glucocorticoid metabolite excretion in male goral (Naemorhedus griseus) in Thailand.

PubMed

Khonmee, Jaruwan; Brown, Janine L; Rojanasthien, Suvichai; Thumasanukul, Dissakul; Kongphoemphun, Adisorn; Siriaroonrat, Boripat; Tipkantha, Wanlaya; Punyapornwithaya, Veerasak; Thitaram, Chatchote

2014-04-01

There is no information on the endocrinology of Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus), a high priority species for captive breeding and reintroduction in Thailand. This study characterized fecal androgen and glucocorticoid metabolites in male goral at Omkoi Wildlife Sanctuary to investigate seasonal relationships. Fecal samples were collected 3 days/week for 1 year from eight adult males. Mean androgen metabolite concentrations were greater (P<0.05) during the rainy season (289.82±9.18ng/g) and winter (224.09±11.97ng/g) compared to the summer (195.48±8.23ng/g), and were related to breeding activity. A similar pattern was observed for glucocorticoid concentrations (22.10±0.72ng/g compared to 21.98±0.98ng/g compared to 15.30±0.48ng/g), respectively, and this resulted in a positive correlation between the two hormones (P<0.05). There also were positive correlations between fecal androgen metabolite concentrations and temperature (P<0.05) and day length (P<0.05). In summary, this is the first study to assess endocrine function in male goral, and results showed seasonal variation in testicular and adrenal steroidogenic function, with greater activity in the rainy season and winter. Given that resources for captive male goral are consistent throughout the year, reproduction may be regulated primarily by photoperiod in this species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acute kidney injury following rhabdomyolysis and sepsis after non-poisonous desert monitor bite.

PubMed

Gupta, Poonam; Verma, Pradeep Kumar

2017-10-01

The desert monitor, Varanus griseus , is a species of desert monitor lizard found in North-Western India. They are believed to be non-poisonous. We report a case of Indian desert monitor bite leading to acute renal failure following rhabdomyolysis and severe sepsis. Prompt diagnosis and treatment resulted in the favourable outcome. This is author's intent to highlight the complication that may occur after Indian desert monitor bite.

The Malaysian Orthopaedic Association humanitarian mission to Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Sharaf, I; Saw, A; Hyzan, Y; Sivananthan, K S

2005-07-01

The tsunami which occurred off the west coast of North Sumatra on December 26, 2004 devastated the coastal areas of North Sumatra, South-West Thailand, South-East India and Sri Lanka killing more than a quarter of a million people. The destruction was enormous with many coastal villages destroyed. The other countries affected were Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Bangladesh, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and the Seychelles. In January 2005, volunteers went in weekly rotation to Banda Aceh in collaboration with Global Peace Mission. These were Dr Hyzan Yusof, Dr Suryasmi Duski, Dr Sharaf Ibrahim, Dr Saw Aik, Dr Kamariah Nor and Dr Nor Azlin. In Banda Aceh, the surgical procedures that we could do were limited to external fixation of open fractures and debriding infected wounds at the Indonesian Red Crescent field hospital. In February, a team comprising Dato Dr K S Sivananthan, Dr T Kumar and Dr S Vasan spent a week in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, Dato Sivananthan and his team were able to perform elective orthopaedic operations in Dr Poonambalam Memorial Hospital. We appealed for national and international aid and received support from local hospitals and the orthopaedic industry. International aid bound for Banda Aceh arrived in Kuala Lumpur from the Philippine Orthopaedic Association, the Chiba Children's Hospital in Japan and the Chinese Orthopaedic Association. The COA donated 1.5 tons of orthopaedic equipments. A special handing over ceremony from the COA to the Indonesian Orthopaedic Association was held in Putrajaya in March. Malaysia Airlines flew in the donated equipment to Kuala Lumpur while the onward flight to Aceh was provided by the Royal Malaysian Air Force. In April, Dr Saw Aik and Dr Yong Su Mei joined the Tsu-Chi International Medical Association for volunteer services on Batam Island, Indonesia. The MOA acknowledges the many individuals and organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, for their contributions in the humanitarian efforts.

Evolution under domestication: ongoing artificial selection and divergence of wild and managed Stenocereus pruinosus (Cactaceae) populations in the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico

PubMed Central

Parra, Fabiola; Casas, Alejandro; Peñaloza-Ramírez, Juan Manuel; Cortés-Palomec, Aurea C.; Rocha-Ramírez, Víctor; González-Rodríguez, Antonio

2010-01-01

Background and Aims The Tehuacán Valley in Mexico is a principal area of plant domestication in Mesoamerica. There, artificial selection is currently practised on nearly 120 native plant species with coexisting wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations, providing an excellent setting for studying ongoing mechanisms of evolution under domestication. One of these species is the columnar cactus Stenocereus pruinosus, in which we studied how artificial selection is operating through traditional management and whether it has determined morphological and genetic divergence between wild and managed populations. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 households of three villages to investigate motives and mechanisms of artificial selection. Management effects were studied by comparing variation patterns of 14 morphological characters and population genetics (four microsatellite loci) of 264 plants from nine wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations. Key Results Variation in fruit characters was recognized by most people, and was the principal target of artificial selection directed to favour larger and sweeter fruits with thinner or thicker peel, fewer spines and pulp colours others than red. Artificial selection operates in agroforestry systems favouring abundance (through not felling plants and planting branches) of the preferred phenotypes, and acts more intensely in household gardens. Significant morphological divergence between wild and managed populations was observed in fruit characters and plant vigour. On average, genetic diversity in silvicultural populations (HE = 0·743) was higher than in wild (HE = 0·726) and cultivated (HE = 0·700) populations. Most of the genetic variation (90·58 %) occurred within populations. High gene flow (NmFST > 2) was identified among almost all populations studied, but was slightly limited by mountains among wild populations, and by artificial selection among wild and managed populations. Conclusions Traditional management of S. pruinosus involves artificial selection, which, despite the high levels of gene flow, has promoted morphological divergence and moderate genetic structure between wild and managed populations, while conserving genetic diversity. PMID:20729372

Social organization of the Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis).

PubMed

Mutschler, T; Nievergelt, C M; Feistner, A T

2000-01-01

Knowledge of the social organization of lemurs is still limited for most species. Where there is sufficient information, it has been shown that lemur social organization differs in essential points from that of other primates. In the field study reported here, demographic structure and life-history processes were investigated in order to characterize the social organization of the Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis). Data were obtained through captures and observations. Alaotran gentle lemurs were found in small groups of up to nine individuals. Although most groups contained just one breeding female, a substantial proportion of groups (35%) had two breeding females. Therefore, Alaotran gentle lemurs cannot be classed as being organized in monogamous family groups. An extended birth season was found, and groups with two breeding females had significantly higher breeding output per adult than groups with a single adult female. Limited data suggest that females emigrate from their natal group while still subadult, whereas males can stay in the natal group until they are fully grown and disperse as adults. Variability in group composition, significantly higher reproductive output per adult in groups with two breeding females, and delayed dispersal of males suggest that Alaotran gentle lemurs pursue a resource-defense mating strategy, rather than a female-defense mating strategy. The suggestion that extant social lemurs may have evolved from a monogamous system, could explain the differences between lemur social systems and those of other primates.

Echolocation in the Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philips, Jennifer D.; Nachtigall, Paul E.; Au, Whitlow W. L.; Pawloski, Jeffrey L.; Roitblat, Herbert L.

2003-01-01

The Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is an exclusively cephalopod-consuming delphinid with a distinctive vertical indentation along its forehead. To investigate whether or not the species echolocates, a female Risso's dolphin was trained to discriminate an aluminum cylinder from a nylon sphere (experiment 1) or an aluminum sphere (experiment 2) while wearing eyecups and free swimming in an open-water pen in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The dolphin completed the task with little difficulty despite being blindfolded. Clicks emitted by the dolphin were acquired at average amplitudes of 192.6 dB re 1 μPa, with estimated sources levels up to 216 dB re 1 μPa-1 m. Clicks were acquired with peak frequencies as high as 104.7 kHz (Mfp=47.9 kHz), center frequencies as high as 85.7 kHz (Mf0=56.5 kHz), 3-dB bandwidths up to 94.1 kHz (MBW=39.7 kHz), and root-mean-square bandwidths up to 32.8 kHz (MRMS=23.3 kHz). Click durations were between 40 and 70 μs. The data establish that the Risso's dolphin echolocates, and that, aside from slightly lower amplitudes and frequencies, the clicks emitted by the dolphin were similar to those emitted by other echolocating odontocetes. The particular acoustic and behavioral findings in the study are discussed with respect to the possible direction of the sonar transmission beam of the species.

Echolocation in the Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus.

PubMed

Philips, Jennifer D; Nachtigall, Paul E; Au, Whitlow W L; Pawloski, Jeffrey L; Roitblat, Herbert L

2003-01-01

The Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is an exclusively cephalopod-consuming delphinid with a distinctive vertical indentation along its forehead. To investigate whether or not the species echolocates, a female Risso's dolphin was trained to discriminate an aluminum cylinder from a nylon sphere (experiment 1) or an aluminum sphere (experiment 2) while wearing eyecups and free swimming in an open-water pen in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The dolphin completed the task with little difficulty despite being blindfolded. Clicks emitted by the dolphin were acquired at average amplitudes of 192.6 dB re 1 microPa, with estimated sources levels up to 216 dB re 1 microPa-1 m. Clicks were acquired with peak frequencies as high as 104.7 kHz (Mf(p) = 47.9 kHz), center frequencies as high as 85.7 kHz (Mf(0) = 56.5 kHz), 3-dB bandwidths up to 94.1 kHz (M(BW) = 39.7 kHz), and root-mean-square bandwidths up to 32.8 kHz (M(RMS) = 23.3 kHz). Click durations were between 40 and 70 micros. The data establish that the Risso's dolphin echolocates, and that, aside from slightly lower amplitudes and frequencies, the clicks emitted by the dolphin were similar to those emitted by other echolocating odontocetes. The particular acoustic and behavioral findings in the study are discussed with respect to the possible direction of the sonar transmission beam of the species.

Landscape management and domestication of Stenocereus pruinosus (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán Valley: human guided selection and gene flow.

PubMed

Parra, Fabiola; Blancas, José Juan; Casas, Alejandro

2012-08-14

Use of plant resources and ecosystems practiced by indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica commonly involves domestication of plant populations and landscapes. Our study analyzed interactions of coexisting wild and managed populations of the pitaya Stenocereus pruinosus, a columnar cactus used for its edible fruit occurring in natural forests, silviculturally managed in milpa agroforestry systems, and agriculturally managed in homegardens of the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico. We aimed at analyzing criteria of artificial selection and their consequences on phenotypic diversity and differentiation, as well as documenting management of propagules at landscape level and their possible contribution to gene flow among populations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to 83 households of the region to document perception of variation, criteria of artificial selection, and patterns of moving propagules among wild and managed populations. Morphological variation of trees from nine wild, silviculturally and agriculturally managed populations was analyzed for 37 characters through univariate and multivariate statistical methods. In addition, indexes of morphological diversity (MD) per population and phenotypic differentiation (PD) among populations were calculated using character states and frequencies. People recognized 15 pitaya varieties based on their pulp color, fruit size, form, flavor, and thorniness. On average, in wild populations we recorded one variety per population, in silviculturally managed populations 1.58 ± 0.77 varieties per parcel, and in agriculturally managed populations 2.19 ± 1.12 varieties per homegarden. Farmers select in favor of sweet flavor (71% of households interviewed) and pulp color (46%) mainly red, orange and yellow. Artificial selection is practiced in homegardens and 65% of people interviewed also do it in agroforestry systems. People obtain fruit and branches from different population types and move propagules from one another. Multivariate analyses showed morphological differentiation of wild and agriculturally managed populations, mainly due to differences in reproductive characters; however, the phenotypic differentiation indexes were relatively low among all populations studied. Morphological diversity of S. pruinosus (average MD = 0.600) is higher than in other columnar cacti species previously analyzed. Artificial selection in favor of high quality fruit promotes morphological variation and divergence because of the continual replacement of plant material propagated and introduction of propagules from other villages and regions. This process is counteracted by high gene flow influenced by natural factors (pollinators and seed dispersers) but also by human management (movement of propagules among populations), all of which determines relatively low phenotypic differentiation among populations. Conservation of genetic resources of S. pruinosus should be based on the traditional forms of germplasm management by local people.

Molecular assessment of the phylogeny and biogeography of a recently diversified endemic group of South American canids (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae)

PubMed Central

Tchaicka, Ligia; de Freitas, Thales Renato Ochotorena; Bager, Alex; Vidal, Stela Luengos; Lucherini, Mauro; Iriarte, Agustín; Novaro, Andres; Geffen, Eli; Garcez, Fabricio Silva; Johnson, Warren E.; Wayne, Robert K.; Eizirik, Eduardo

2016-01-01

Abstract To investigate the evolution and biogeography of an endemic group of South American foxes, we examined mitochondrial DNA control region sequences for 118 individuals belonging to all six extant species of the genus Lycalopex. Phylogenetic and molecular dating analyses supported the inference that this genus has undergone a very recent and rapid radiation, stemming from a common ancestor that lived ca. 1 million years ago. The Brazilian endemic L. vetulus was supported as the most basal species in this genus, whereas the most internal group is comprised by the recently diverged (ca. 350,000 years ago) Andean/Patagonian species L. griseus and L. culpaeus. We discuss the inferred phylogenetic relationships and divergence times in the context of the current geographic distributions of these species, and the likely effects of Pleistocene climatic changes on the biogeography of this group. Furthermore, a remarkable finding was the identification of multiple individuals classified as L. gymnocercus bearing mtDNA haplotypes clearly belonging to L. griseus, sampled in regions where the latter is not known to occur. At a minimum, this result implies the need to clarify the present-day geographic distribution of each of these fox species, while it may also indicate an ongoing hybridization process between them. Future testing of this hypothesis with in-depth analyses of these populations is thus a priority for understanding the history, evolutionary dynamics and present-day composition of this endemic Neotropical genus. PMID:27560989

Landscape management and domestication of Stenocereus pruinosus (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán Valley: human guided selection and gene flow

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Use of plant resources and ecosystems practiced by indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica commonly involves domestication of plant populations and landscapes. Our study analyzed interactions of coexisting wild and managed populations of the pitaya Stenocereus pruinosus, a columnar cactus used for its edible fruit occurring in natural forests, silviculturally managed in milpa agroforestry systems, and agriculturally managed in homegardens of the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico. We aimed at analyzing criteria of artificial selection and their consequences on phenotypic diversity and differentiation, as well as documenting management of propagules at landscape level and their possible contribution to gene flow among populations. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted to 83 households of the region to document perception of variation, criteria of artificial selection, and patterns of moving propagules among wild and managed populations. Morphological variation of trees from nine wild, silviculturally and agriculturally managed populations was analyzed for 37 characters through univariate and multivariate statistical methods. In addition, indexes of morphological diversity (MD) per population and phenotypic differentiation (PD) among populations were calculated using character states and frequencies. Results People recognized 15 pitaya varieties based on their pulp color, fruit size, form, flavor, and thorniness. On average, in wild populations we recorded one variety per population, in silviculturally managed populations 1.58 ± 0.77 varieties per parcel, and in agriculturally managed populations 2.19 ± 1.12 varieties per homegarden. Farmers select in favor of sweet flavor (71% of households interviewed) and pulp color (46%) mainly red, orange and yellow. Artificial selection is practiced in homegardens and 65% of people interviewed also do it in agroforestry systems. People obtain fruit and branches from different population types and move propagules from one another. Multivariate analyses showed morphological differentiation of wild and agriculturally managed populations, mainly due to differences in reproductive characters; however, the phenotypic differentiation indexes were relatively low among all populations studied. Morphological diversity of S. pruinosus (average MD = 0.600) is higher than in other columnar cacti species previously analyzed. Conclusions Artificial selection in favor of high quality fruit promotes morphological variation and divergence because of the continual replacement of plant material propagated and introduction of propagules from other villages and regions. This process is counteracted by high gene flow influenced by natural factors (pollinators and seed dispersers) but also by human management (movement of propagules among populations), all of which determines relatively low phenotypic differentiation among populations. Conservation of genetic resources of S. pruinosus should be based on the traditional forms of germplasm management by local people. PMID:22891978

Molecular assessment of the phylogeny and biogeography of a recently diversified endemic group of South American canids (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae).

PubMed

Tchaicka, Ligia; Freitas, Thales Renato Ochotorena de; Bager, Alex; Vidal, Stela Luengos; Lucherini, Mauro; Iriarte, Agustín; Novaro, Andres; Geffen, Eli; Garcez, Fabricio Silva; Johnson, Warren E; Wayne, Robert K; Eizirik, Eduardo

2016-01-01

To investigate the evolution and biogeography of an endemic group of South American foxes, we examined mitochondrial DNA control region sequences for 118 individuals belonging to all six extant species of the genus Lycalopex. Phylogenetic and molecular dating analyses supported the inference that this genus has undergone a very recent and rapid radiation, stemming from a common ancestor that lived ca. 1 million years ago. The Brazilian endemic L. vetulus was supported as the most basal species in this genus, whereas the most internal group is comprised by the recently diverged (ca. 350,000 years ago) Andean/Patagonian species L. griseus and L. culpaeus. We discuss the inferred phylogenetic relationships and divergence times in the context of the current geographic distributions of these species, and the likely effects of Pleistocene climatic changes on the biogeography of this group. Furthermore, a remarkable finding was the identification of multiple individuals classified as L. gymnocercus bearing mtDNA haplotypes clearly belonging to L. griseus, sampled in regions where the latter is not known to occur. At a minimum, this result implies the need to clarify the present-day geographic distribution of each of these fox species, while it may also indicate an ongoing hybridization process between them. Future testing of this hypothesis with in-depth analyses of these populations is thus a priority for understanding the history, evolutionary dynamics and present-day composition of this endemic Neotropical genus.

Trophic Relationships and Habitat Preferences of Delphinids from the Southeastern Brazilian Coast Determined by Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Composition

PubMed Central

Bisi, Tatiana Lemos; Dorneles, Paulo Renato; Lailson-Brito, José; Lepoint, Gilles; Azevedo, Alexandre de Freitas; Flach, Leonardo; Malm, Olaf; Das, Krishna

2013-01-01

To investigate the foraging habitats of delphinids in southeastern Brazil, we analyzed stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes in muscle samples of the following 10 delphinid species: Sotalia guianensis, Stenella frontalis, Tursiops truncatus, Steno bredanensis, Pseudorca crassidens, Delphinus sp., Lagenodelphis hosei, Stenella attenuata, Stenella longirostris and Grampus griseus. We also compared the δ13C and δ15N values among four populations of S. guianensis. Variation in carbon isotope results from coast to ocean indicated that there was a significant decrease in δ13C values from estuarine dolphins to oceanic species. S. guianensis from Guanabara Bay had the highest mean δ13C value, while oceanic species showed significantly lower δ13C values. The highest δ15N values were observed for P. crassidens and T. truncatus, suggesting that these species occupy the highest trophic position among the delphinids studied here. The oceanic species S. attenuata, G. griseus and L. hosei had the lowest δ15N values. Stable isotope analysis showed that the three populations of S. guianensis in coastal bays had different δ13C values, but similar δ15N results. Guiana dolphins from Sepetiba and Ilha Grande bays had different foraging habitat, with specimens from Ilha Grande showing more negative δ13C values. This study provides further information on the feeding ecology of delphinids occurring in southeastern Brazil, with evidence of distinctive foraging habitats and the occupation of different ecological niches by these species in the study area. PMID:24358155

Endo-parasite fauna of rodents caught in five wet markets in Kuala Lumpur and its potential zoonotic implications.

PubMed

Paramasvaran, S; Sani, R A; Hassan, L; Hanjeet, K; Krishnasamy, M; John, J; Santhana, R; Sumarni, M G; Lim, K H

2009-04-01

Rodents were collected from five wet markets (Chow Kit, Dato Keramat, Setapak, Jinjang and Kepong) in Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory between March to April 2006. Ninety seven rats were trapped using wire traps measuring 29 x 22 x 50 cm baited with fruits, coconuts, dried fish or sweet potatoes. A total of 17 different species of parasites were identified from three species of rats out of which 11 (65%) were identified to be zoonotic. The helminths identified from the urban rats were nematodes- Capillaria hepatica, Gongylonema neoplasticum, Heterakis spumosa, Heterakis sp., Masterphorus muris, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Physolaptera sp., Pterogodermatis sp., Rictularia tani and Syphacia muris; cestodes- Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis sabnema, Hymenolepis sp., Raillietina sp. and Taenia taeniaeformis, and acanthocephalan- Moniliformis moniliformis. The following parasites are of potential medical importance: C. hepatica, G. neoplasticum, R. tani, S. muris, H. diminuta, H. nana, Raillietina sp. and T. taeniaeformis.

Unexpected Positive Buoyancy in Deep Sea Sharks, Hexanchus griseus, and a Echinorhinus cookei

PubMed Central

Nakamura, Itsumi; Meyer, Carl G.; Sato, Katsufumi

2015-01-01

We do not expect non air-breathing aquatic animals to exhibit positive buoyancy. Sharks, for example, rely on oil-filled livers instead of gas-filled swim bladders to increase their buoyancy, but are nonetheless ubiquitously regarded as either negatively or neutrally buoyant. Deep-sea sharks have particularly large, oil-filled livers, and are believed to be neutrally buoyant in their natural habitat, but this has never been confirmed. To empirically determine the buoyancy status of two species of deep-sea sharks (bluntnose sixgill sharks, Hexanchus griseus, and a prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei) in their natural habitat, we used accelerometer-magnetometer data loggers to measure their swimming performance. Both species of deep-sea sharks showed similar diel vertical migrations: they swam at depths of 200–300 m at night and deeper than 500 m during the day. Ambient water temperature was around 15°C at 200–300 m but below 7°C at depths greater than 500 m. During vertical movements, all deep-sea sharks showed higher swimming efforts during descent than ascent to maintain a given swimming speed, and were able to glide uphill for extended periods (several minutes), indicating that these deep-sea sharks are in fact positively buoyant in their natural habitats. This positive buoyancy may adaptive for stealthy hunting (i.e. upward gliding to surprise prey from underneath) or may facilitate evening upward migrations when muscle temperatures are coolest, and swimming most sluggish, after spending the day in deep, cold water. Positive buoyancy could potentially be widespread in fish conducting daily vertical migration in deep-sea habitats. PMID:26061525

Insights using a molecular approach into the life cycle of a tapeworm infecting great white sharks.

PubMed

Randhawa, Haseeb S

2011-04-01

The great white shark Carcharodon carcharias Linnaeus, 1758 is a versatile and fierce predator (and responsible for many shark attacks on humans). This apex predator feeds on a wide range of organisms including teleosts, other elasmobranchs, cephalopods, pinnipeds, and cetaceans. Although much is known about its diet, no trophic links have been empirically identified as being involved in the transmission of its tapeworm parasites. Recently, the use of molecular tools combined with phylogenetics has proven useful to identify larval and immature stages of marine tapeworms; utilization of the technique has been increasing rapidly. However, the usefulness of this approach remains limited by the availability of molecular data. Here, I employed gene sequence data from the D2 region of the large subunit of ribosomal DNA to link adults of the tapeworm Clistobothrium carcharodoni Dailey and Vogelbein, 1990 (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea) to larvae for which sequence data for this gene are available. The sequences from the adult tapeworms were genetically identical (0% sequence divergence) to those available on GenBank for "SP" 'small' Scolex pleuronectis recovered from the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) and Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus). This study is the first to provide empirical evidence linking the trophic interaction between great white sharks and cetaceans as a definitive route for the successful transmission of a tetraphyllidean tapeworm. Using the intensity of infection data from this shark and from cetaceans as proxies for the extent of predation, I estimate that this individual shark would have consumed between 9 to 83 G. griseus , fresh, dead, or both, in its lifetime.

Identification and cloning of a type III polyketide synthase required for diffusible pigment biosynthesis in Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

PubMed

Cortés, Jesús; Velasco, Javier; Foster, Graham; Blackaby, Andrew P; Rudd, Brian A M; Wilkinson, Barrie

2002-06-01

The soluble, diffusible red-brown pigment produced by a Saccharopolyspora erythraea "red variant" has been shown to contain glycosylated and polymerized derivatives of 2,5,7-trihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (flaviolin). Flaviolin is a spontaneous oxidation product of 1,3,6,8-tetrahydroxynaphthalene (THN), which is biosynthesized in bacteria by a chalcone synthase-like (CS-like) type III polyketide synthase (PKS). A fragment of the gene responsible for THN biosynthesis in S. erythraea E_8-7 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using degenerate primers based on conserved regions of known plant CS and bacterial CS-like genes. From the isolated fragment, a suicide vector was prepared, which was subsequently used to disrupt the red-brown pigment-producing (rpp) locus in S. erythraea, generating a mutant that displayed an albino phenotype. Chromosomal DNA from the albino mutant was subsequently used in a vector-recapture protocol to isolate a plasmid that contained an insert spanning the entire rpp locus. Sequencing of the insert revealed that the disrupted open reading frame (ORF) encodes a CS-like protein displaying 69% sequence identity to the rppA gene of Streptomyces griseus. The S. griseus rppA gene encodes RppA, the first characterized bacterial CS-like protein, which is sufficient in vitro for the synthesis of THN from malonyl-CoA. The rppA disruption mutant and rppA sequence provided a means by which to address the mechanism of diffusible pigment biosynthesis, as well as to investigate any link between this and the modulation of erythromycin A titre, which has been observed for S. erythraea variants.

Unexpected Positive Buoyancy in Deep Sea Sharks, Hexanchus griseus, and a Echinorhinus cookei.

PubMed

Nakamura, Itsumi; Meyer, Carl G; Sato, Katsufumi

2015-01-01

We do not expect non air-breathing aquatic animals to exhibit positive buoyancy. Sharks, for example, rely on oil-filled livers instead of gas-filled swim bladders to increase their buoyancy, but are nonetheless ubiquitously regarded as either negatively or neutrally buoyant. Deep-sea sharks have particularly large, oil-filled livers, and are believed to be neutrally buoyant in their natural habitat, but this has never been confirmed. To empirically determine the buoyancy status of two species of deep-sea sharks (bluntnose sixgill sharks, Hexanchus griseus, and a prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei) in their natural habitat, we used accelerometer-magnetometer data loggers to measure their swimming performance. Both species of deep-sea sharks showed similar diel vertical migrations: they swam at depths of 200-300 m at night and deeper than 500 m during the day. Ambient water temperature was around 15°C at 200-300 m but below 7°C at depths greater than 500 m. During vertical movements, all deep-sea sharks showed higher swimming efforts during descent than ascent to maintain a given swimming speed, and were able to glide uphill for extended periods (several minutes), indicating that these deep-sea sharks are in fact positively buoyant in their natural habitats. This positive buoyancy may adaptive for stealthy hunting (i.e. upward gliding to surprise prey from underneath) or may facilitate evening upward migrations when muscle temperatures are coolest, and swimming most sluggish, after spending the day in deep, cold water. Positive buoyancy could potentially be widespread in fish conducting daily vertical migration in deep-sea habitats.

Edge effects and their influence on lemur density and distribution in Southeast Madagascar.

PubMed

Lehman, Shawn M; Rajaonson, Andry; Day, Sabine

2006-02-01

Edge effects are caused by the penetration of abiotic and biotic conditions from the matrix into forest interiors. Although edge effects influence the biogeography of many tropical organisms, they have not been studied directly in primates. Edge effects are particularly relevant to lemurs due to the loss of 80-90% of forests in Madagascar. In this study, data are presented on how biotic edge effects influenced the distribution and density of lemurs in the Vohibola III Classified Forest in southeastern Madagascar. In total, 415 lemur surveys were conducted during June-October 2003 and May-September 2004 along six 1,250-m transects that ran perpendicular to the forest edge. Data were also collected on lemur food trees along the six transects (density, height, diameter at breast height, area, volume, and distance to forest edge). Four nocturnal species (Avahi laniger, Cheirogaleus major, Lepilemur microdon, and Microcebus rufus) and four diurnal species (Eulemur rubriventer, Eulemur fulvus rufus, Hapalemur grisesus griseus, and Propithecus diadema edwardsi) were sighted during surveys. Regression analyses of lemur densities as a function of distance to forest edge provided edge tolerances for A. laniger (edge-tolerant), M. rufus (edge-tolerant), E. rubriventer (edge-tolerant or omnipresent), and H. g. griseus (omnipresent). The density and distribution of M. rufus and their foods trees were correlated. Edge-related variations in food quality and predation pressures may also be influencing lemurs in Vohibola III. Tolerance for edge effects may explain, in part, how lemurs have survived extreme habitat loss and forest fragmentation in southeastern Madagascar.

Discrimination of fast click-series produced by tagged Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) for echolocation or communication.

PubMed

Arranz, P; DeRuiter, S L; Stimpert, A K; Neves, S; Friedlaender, A S; Goldbogen, J A; Visser, F; Calambokidis, J; Southall, B L; Tyack, P L

2016-09-15

Early studies that categorized odontocete pulsed sounds had few means of discriminating signals used for biosonar-based foraging from those used for communication. This capability to identify the function of sounds is important for understanding and interpreting behavior; it is also essential for monitoring and mitigating potential disturbance from human activities. Archival tags were placed on free-ranging Grampus griseus to quantify and discriminate between pulsed sounds used for echolocation-based foraging and those used for communication. Two types of rapid click-series pulsed sounds, buzzes and burst pulses, were identified as produced by the tagged dolphins and classified using a Gaussian mixture model based on their duration, association with jerk (i.e. rapid change of acceleration) and temporal association with click trains. Buzzes followed regular echolocation clicks and coincided with a strong jerk signal from accelerometers on the tag. They consisted of series averaging 359±210 clicks (mean±s.d.) with an increasing repetition rate and relatively low amplitude. Burst pulses consisted of relatively short click series averaging 45±54 clicks with decreasing repetition rate and longer inter-click interval that were less likely to be associated with regular echolocation and the jerk signal. These results suggest that the longer, relatively lower amplitude, jerk-associated buzzes are used in this species to capture prey, mostly during the bottom phase of foraging dives, as seen in other odontocetes. In contrast, the shorter, isolated burst pulses that are generally emitted by the dolphins while at or near the surface are used outside of a direct, known foraging context. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

The use of marine reserves in evaluating the dive fishery for the warty sea cucumber, Parastichopus parvimensis in California, U.S.A

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schroeder, S.C.; Reed, D.C.; Kushner, D.J.; Estes, J.A.; Ono, D.S.

2001-01-01

In this paper we describe an instance of unusual, agonistic behavior in a flock of migrant Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus) . We compare this behavior to that of other flocks feeding at the same time at other locations in the same estuary and then present evidence suggesting that this behavior resulted from the patchy distribution of the probable foraging resource of this flock, eggs of the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). We propose that an extremely patchy resource has increased the agonistic behavior within the flock by increasing the variation in foraging success among individuals.

[Morphology of gametes in sea urchins from Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan].

PubMed

Drozdov, A L; Vinnikova, V V

2010-01-01

The fine structure of the gametes in six sea urchin species of the Sea of Japan was studied. The spermatozoons in Strongylocentrotus nudus, S. intermedius, Echinocardium cordatum, Scaphechinus mirabilis, Sc. grizeus and Echinarachnius parma are species-specific. The conical head and symmetrically disposed ring-shape mitochondrion are common to regular sea urchin sperm cells. S. nudus is characterized by the bulb-shaped head of the zoosperm; S. intermedius, by a bullet-shaped one. The zoosperm spearhead and small amount of postacrosome material are common to irregular sea urchins; the sperm width: length ratio varies for different species, with the highest for Sc. mirabilis. The zoosperm of Sc. griseus is characterized by two lipid drops in the cell center. Asymmetrical mitochondrion disposal is usual for E. parma. Actin filaments are found in the postacrosome material in the zoosperm of cordiform sea urchins. The differences in the fine structure of zoosperm in eurybiont species Ech. cordatum inhabiting the Sea of Japan and coastal areas of the Northeast Atlantic may bear record to the complex existence of species Ech. cordatum. The fine structure of zoosperm is unique for each of the studied families, Strongylocentrotidae, Scutellidae, and Loveniidae. The eggs of all the species are characterized by vitelline and tremelloid membranes. The vitelline membrane is formed by cytoplasm protrusions; the area between them is filled with fubrillary material. The tremelloid membrane is formed by fubrillary material associated with apical parts of microvilli of the vitelline membrane. The irregular sea urchins Sc. griseus, Sc. mirabilis and E. parma are characterized by chromatophores situated in the tremelloid membrane, with the highest abundance in Sc. mirabilis.

Streptomyces griseus streptomycin phosphotransferase: expression of its gene in Escherichia coli and sequence homology with other antibiotic phosphotransferases and with eukaryotic protein kinases.

PubMed

Lim, C K; Smith, M C; Petty, J; Baumberg, S; Wootton, J C

1989-12-01

The aphD gene of Streptomyces griseus, encoding a streptomycin 6-phosphotransferase (SPH), was sub-cloned in the pBR322-based expression vector pRK9 (which contains the Serratia marcescens trp promoter) with selection for expression of streptomycin resistance in Escherichia coli. Two hybrid plasmids, pCKL631 and pCKL711, were isolated which conferred resistance. Both contained a approximately 2 kbp fragment already suspected to include aphD. The properties of in vitro deletion derivatives of these plasmids were consistent with the presumed location of aphD. In vitro deletion of a sequence including most of the trp promoter largely, but not quite completely, abolished the ability of the plasmid to confer streptomycin resistance, confirming that expression was indeed principally from the trp promoter. A polypeptide of approximately 34.5 kDa was present in minicells containing plasmids that conferred streptomycin resistance, but was absent when the plasmids contained in vitro deletions removing streptomycin resistance. Part of the fragment was sequenced and an open reading frame corresponding to aphD identified. A computer-assisted comparison of the deduced SPH sequence with those of other antibiotic phosphotransferases suggested a common structure A-B-C-D-E, where B and D were conserved between all sequences compared while A, C and E divided between the streptomycin and hygromycin B phosphotransferases on one hand and kanamycin/neomycin ones on the other. A composite sequence data base was searched for homologues to consensus matrices constructed from five approximately 12-residue subsequences within blocks B and D. For one subsequence, corresponding to the N-terminal portion of block D, those sequences from the database that yielded the highest homology scores comprised almost entirely either antibiotic phosphotransferases or eukaryotic protein kinases. Possible evolutionary implications of this homology, previously described by other groups, are discussed.

Gender, season and management affect fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in captive goral (Naemorhedus griseus) in Thailand.

PubMed

Khonmee, Jaruwan; Brown, Janine L; Rojanasthien, Suvichai; Aunsusin, Anurut; Thumasanukul, Dissakul; Kongphoemphun, Adisorn; Siriaroonrat, Boripat; Tipkantha, Wanlaya; Punyapornwithaya, Veerasak; Thitaram, Chatchote

2014-01-01

Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus) are a threatened species in Thailand and the focus of captive breeding for possible reintroduction. However, little is known of their biology or what factors in the captive environment affect welfare. Our objective was to determine the impact of gender, season, and management on goral adrenal activity. We hypothesized that differences in fecal glucocorticoid concentrations would be related to animal density. Fecal samples were collected 3 days/week for 1 year from 63 individuals (n = 32 males, 31 females) at two facilities that house the majority of goral in Thailand: Omkoi Wildlife Sanctuary (Omkoi), an off-exhibit breeding center that houses goral in individual pens (16 pens; n = 8 males, 8 females) and in small family groups (8 pens; n = 8 males, 8 females); and the Chiang Mai Night Safari (NS), a zoo that maintains 31 goral (n = 17 males, 14 females) in one large pen. Glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations were higher in male than female goral at Omkoi throughout the year, and there was a seasonal effect on adrenal activity (p<0.05). Goral at Omkoi and NS were used to test the effect of animal density on fecal glucocorticoid excretion of goral housed in similar-sized enclosures. Overall, the highest levels were found at NS (n = 31 adults/pen; 27 m2 per animal) compared to Omkoi (n = 2 adults/pen; 400 m2 per animal) (p<0.05). Overall findings support our hypothesis that animal density and aspects of the captive environment impact adrenal steroid activity in captive goral. In addition, gender and season also had significant effects on glucocorticoid metabolite production. Potential stressors pertaining to the welfare of this species were identified, which will guide future efforts to improve management and create self-sustaining and healthy populations of this threatened species.

Gender, Season and Management Affect Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Concentrations in Captive Goral (Naemorhedus griseus) in Thailand

PubMed Central

Khonmee, Jaruwan; Brown, Janine L.; Rojanasthien, Suvichai; Aunsusin, Anurut; Thumasanukul, Dissakul; Kongphoemphun, Adisorn; Siriaroonrat, Boripat; Tipkantha, Wanlaya; Punyapornwithaya, Veerasak; Thitaram, Chatchote

2014-01-01

Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus) are a threatened species in Thailand and the focus of captive breeding for possible reintroduction. However, little is known of their biology or what factors in the captive environment affect welfare. Our objective was to determine the impact of gender, season, and management on goral adrenal activity. We hypothesized that differences in fecal glucocorticoid concentrations would be related to animal density. Fecal samples were collected 3 days/week for 1 year from 63 individuals (n = 32 males, 31 females) at two facilities that house the majority of goral in Thailand: Omkoi Wildlife Sanctuary (Omkoi), an off-exhibit breeding center that houses goral in individual pens (16 pens; n = 8 males, 8 females) and in small family groups (8 pens; n = 8 males, 8 females); and the Chiang Mai Night Safari (NS), a zoo that maintains 31 goral (n = 17 males, 14 females) in one large pen. Glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations were higher in male than female goral at Omkoi throughout the year, and there was a seasonal effect on adrenal activity (p<0.05). Goral at Omkoi and NS were used to test the effect of animal density on fecal glucocorticoid excretion of goral housed in similar-sized enclosures. Overall, the highest levels were found at NS (n = 31 adults/pen; 27 m2 per animal) compared to Omkoi (n = 2 adults/pen; 400 m2 per animal) (p<0.05). Overall findings support our hypothesis that animal density and aspects of the captive environment impact adrenal steroid activity in captive goral. In addition, gender and season also had significant effects on glucocorticoid metabolite production. Potential stressors pertaining to the welfare of this species were identified, which will guide future efforts to improve management and create self-sustaining and healthy populations of this threatened species. PMID:24637886

Malaysia collaborates with the new york academy of sciences to develop an innovation-based economy.

PubMed

Wahome, Michel; Rubinstein, Ellis

2011-07-01

If Malaysia is to become a high-income country by 2020, it will have to transform into a knowledge-based, innovation economy. This goal will be achieved by developing an atmosphere conducive to experimentation and entrepreneurship at home; while reaching out to partners across the globe. One of Malaysia's newest partnerships is with the New York Academy of Sciences. The Academy has expertise in innovation and higher education and a long history of promoting science, education, and science-based solutions through a global network of scientists, industry-leaders, and policy-makers. Malaysia's Prime Minister, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, leveraged the Academy's network to convene a science, technology, and innovation advisory council. This council would provide practical guidance to establish Malaysia as an innovation-based economy. Three initial focus areas, namely palm-oil biomass utilisation, establishment of smart communities, and capacity building in science and engineering, were established to meet short-term and long-term targets.

Assessment of ovarian activity in captive goral (Naemorhedus griseus) using noninvasive fecal steroid monitoring.

PubMed

Khonmee, Jaruwan; Brown, Janine L; Taya, Kazuyoshi; Rojanasthien, Suvichai; Punyapornwithaya, Veerasak; Thumasanukul, Dissakul; Kongphoemphun, Adisorn; Siriaroonrat, Boripat; Tipkantha, Wanlaya; Pongpiachan, Petai; Thitaram, Chatchote

2014-10-15

To date, there is no information on gonadal steroidogenic activity of female goral (Naemorhedus griseus), a threatened species of Thailand. Captive goral populations have been established to produce animals for ex situ conservation and reintroduction, but as yet none are self-sustaining. The objectives of the present study were to (1) determine the influence of season on ovarian steriodogenic function; and (2) examine the relationship between gonadal hormone excretion and sexual behaviors throughout the year. Fecal samples were collected 5 to 7 days/wk for 15 months from 8 adult females housed at Omkoi Wildlife Breeding Center in Thailand and analyzed for ovarian steroid metabolites using validated enzyme immunoassays. Observations of sexual behaviors and mating were conducted each morning for 30 min/session. Based on fecal estrogen and progestagen metabolite concentrations, the overall estrous cycle length was about 21 days, with a 2- to 3-day follicular phase and an 18- to 20-day luteal phase. Sexual behaviors, most notably tail-up, increased for 2 to 3 days during the time estrogens were elevated during mating. Fecal progestagens were elevated during luteal phases and increased further during gestation, which lasted approximately 7 months. The lactation period was 5 months, and females were anestrus for 2 to 5 of those months, with the exception of one that cycled continuously throughout. Two females conceived around 2 months postpartum and so were pregnant during lactation. Birth records over the past 21 years indicated young are born throughout the year. This combined with the hormonal data suggests that female gorals are not strongly seasonal, at least in captivity, although there was considerable variation among females in estrogen and progestagen patterns. In conclusion, fecal steroid metabolite monitoring is an effective means of assessing ovarian function in this species and will be a useful tool for breeding management and planned development of assisted reproductive techniques such as artificial insemination and embryo transfer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Taxonomy and Biogeography without frontiers - WhatsApp, Facebook and smartphone digital photography let citizen scientists in more remote localities step out of the dark.

PubMed

Suprayitno, Nano; Narakusumo, Raden Pramesa; von Rintelen, Thomas; Hendrich, Lars; Balke, Michael

2017-01-01

Taxonomy and biogeography can benefit from citizen scientists. The use of social networking and open access cooperative publishing can easily connect naturalists even in more remote areas with in-country scientists and institutions, as well as those abroad. This enables taxonomic efforts without frontiers and at the same time adequate benefit sharing measures. We present new distribution and habitat data for diving beetles of Bali island, Indonesia, as a proof of concept. The species Hydaticus luczonicus Aubé, 1838 and Eretes griseus (Fabricius, 1781) are reported from Bali for the first time. The total number of Dytiscidae species known from Bali is now 34.

Regeneration of roots from callus reveals stability of the developmental program for determinate root growth in Sonoran Desert Cactaceae.

PubMed

Shishkova, Svetlana; García-Mendoza, Edith; Castillo-Díaz, Vicente; Moreno, Norma E; Arellano, Jesús; Dubrovsky, Joseph G

2007-05-01

In some Sonoran Desert Cactaceae the primary root has a determinate root growth: the cells of the root apical meristem undergo only a few cell division cycles and then differentiate. The determinate growth of primary roots in Cactaceae was found in plants cultivated under various growth conditions, and could not be reverted by any treatment tested. The mechanisms involved in root meristem maintenance and determinate root growth in plants remain poorly understood. In this study, we have shown that roots regenerated from the callus of two Cactaceae species, Stenocereus gummosus and Ferocactus peninsulae, have a determinate growth pattern, similar to that of the primary root. To demonstrate this, a protocol for root regeneration from callus was established. The determinate growth pattern of roots regenerated from callus suggests that the program of root development is very stable in these species. These findings will permit future analysis of the role of certain Cactaceae genes in the determinate pattern of root growth via the regeneration of transgenic roots from transformed calli.

Feeding Behavior of Subadult Sixgill Sharks (Hexanchus griseus) at a Bait Station

PubMed Central

McNeil, Bryan; Lowry, Dayv; Larson, Shawn; Griffing, Denise

2016-01-01

This is the first in-situ study of feeding behaviors exhibited by bluntnose sixgill sharks. Bait was placed beneath the Seattle Aquarium pier situated on the waterfront in Elliott Bay, Puget Sound, Washington at 20m of water depth. Cameras and lights were placed around the bait box to record sixgill shark presence and behavior while feeding. Analysis of feeding behavior revealed that sixgills utilize a bite comparable to many other elasmobranchs and aquatic vertebrates, have the ability to protrude their upper jaw, change their feeding behavior based on the situation, and employ sawing and lateral tearing during manipulation. The versatility of their feeding mechanism and the ability of sixgills to change their capture and food manipulation behaviors may have contributed to the species’ worldwide distribution and evolutionary success. PMID:27243237

Projecting Range Limits with Coupled Thermal Tolerance - Climate Change Models: An Example Based on Gray Snapper (Lutjanus griseus) along the U.S. East Coast

PubMed Central

Hare, Jonathan A.; Wuenschel, Mark J.; Kimball, Matthew E.

2012-01-01

We couple a species range limit hypothesis with the output of an ensemble of general circulation models to project the poleward range limit of gray snapper. Using laboratory-derived thermal limits and statistical downscaling from IPCC AR4 general circulation models, we project that gray snapper will shift northwards; the magnitude of this shift is dependent on the magnitude of climate change. We also evaluate the uncertainty in our projection and find that statistical uncertainty associated with the experimentally-derived thermal limits is the largest contributor (∼ 65%) to overall quantified uncertainty. This finding argues for more experimental work aimed at understanding and parameterizing the effects of climate change and variability on marine species. PMID:23284974

Effects of geolocation archival tags on reproduction and adult body mass of sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, J.; Scott, D.; McKechnie, S.; Blackwell, G.; Shaffer, S.A.; Moller, H.

2009-01-01

We attached 11 g (1.4% body-mass equivalent) global location sensing (GLS) archival tag packages to tarsi of 25 breeding sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus, titi) on Whenua Hou (Codfish Island), New Zealand during the chick-rearing period in 2005. Compared with chicks reared by non-handled adults that did not carry tags, deployment of tags on one or both adult parents ultimately resulted in 35% reduction in chick body mass and significantly reduced chick skeletal size preceding fledging (19 April). However, body mass between chick groups was not significantly different after controlling for skeletal size. Effects on chicks were more pronounced in six pairs where both parents carried tags. Chick mass was negatively related to the duration that adults carried tags. In this study, none of the chicks reared by pairs where both parents were tagged, 54% of chicks reared by pairs where one parent was tagged, and 83% of chicks reared by non-handled and non-tagged parents achieved a previously determined pre-fledging mass threshold (564 g; Sagar & Horning 1998). Body mass of adults carrying tags and returning from transequatorial migration the following year were 4% lighter on average than non-tagged birds, but this difference was not statistically significant. Reduced mass among chicks reared by adults carrying tags during the chick-provisioning period indicated that adults altered "normal" provisioning behaviours to maintain their own body condition at the expense of their chicks. Population-level information derived from telemetry studies can reveal important habitat-linked behaviours, unique aspects of seabird foraging behaviours, and migration ecology. Information for some species (e.g., overlap with fisheries) can aid conservation and marine ecosystem management. We advise caution, however, when interpreting certain data related to adult provisioning behaviours (e.g., time spent foraging, provisioning rates, etc.). If effects on individuals are of concern, we suggest shorter-term deployments, smaller and lighter tags, and alternative attachment techniques, especially when investigating threatened or endangered species. ?? The Royal Society of New Zealand 2009.

Taxonomy and Biogeography without frontiers – WhatsApp, Facebook and smartphone digital photography let citizen scientists in more remote localities step out of the dark

PubMed Central

Suprayitno, Nano; Narakusumo, Raden Pramesa; von Rintelen, Thomas; Hendrich, Lars

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Taxonomy and biogeography can benefit from citizen scientists. The use of social networking and open access cooperative publishing can easily connect naturalists even in more remote areas with in-country scientists and institutions, as well as those abroad. This enables taxonomic efforts without frontiers and at the same time adequate benefit sharing measures. New information We present new distribution and habitat data for diving beetles of Bali island, Indonesia, as a proof of concept. The species Hydaticus luczonicus Aubé, 1838 and Eretes griseus (Fabricius, 1781) are reported from Bali for the first time. The total number of Dytiscidae species known from Bali is now 34. PMID:29104436

First record of interspecific breeding of Least Bell's Vireo and White-eyed Vireo

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blundell, Melissa A.; Kus, Barbara E.

2011-01-01

We provide the first known documentation of a male Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) breeding with a female White-eyed Vireo (V. griseus) and the first report of a White-eyed Vireo breeding in California at the San Luis Rey River, Oceanside, San Diego County. We discovered the pair building a nest on 12 May 2010. The female laid four eggs, and the pair successfully raised and fledged four nestlings. We collected DNA samples from each nestling and the female during the nestling stage and banded them with a numbered federal leg band for future identification. We obtained detailed nest measurements after fledging and monitored the territory for further nesting attempts. No additional nesting attempts were detected.

Characterisation of Streptomyces spp. isolated from water-damaged buildings.

PubMed

Suutari, Merja; Rönkä, Elina; Lignell, Ulla; Rintala, Helena; Nevalainen, Aino

2002-01-01

Abstract Saprophytic Streptomyces spp. common in soil and producing biologically active compounds have been related to abnormal microbial growth in buildings where occupants may have health problems. We characterised 11 randomly selected water-damaged building isolates. The 16S rDNA sequence similarity was over 95.4% between strains so that seven, three, and one sequences had greater than 99.8, 99.7 and 99.7% similarity with those of Streptomyces griseus ATCC 10137 (Y15501), Streptomyces albidoflavus DSM 40455(T) (Z76676), and Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) (Y00411), respectively. Although differences in morphology, pigmentation, fatty acids, biological activity and pH tolerance indicated that strains did not necessarily match with three single phenotypes, they all appeared to belong to two or three branches of Streptomyces spp. most common environmental isolates.

Isolation of antimicrobial producing Actinobacteria from soil samples.

PubMed

Elbendary, Afaf Ahmed; Hessain, Ashgan Mohamed; El-Hariri, Mahmoud Darderi; Seida, Ahmed Adel; Moussa, Ihab Mohamed; Mubarak, Ayman Salem; Kabli, Saleh A; Hemeg, Hassan A; El Jakee, Jakeen Kamal

2018-01-01

Emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria has made the search for novel bioactive compounds from natural and unexplored habitats a necessity. Actinobacteria have important bioactive substances. The present study investigated antimicrobial activity of Actinobacteria isolated from soil samples of Egypt. One hundred samples were collected from agricultural farming soil of different governorates. Twelve isolates have produced activity against the tested microorganisms ( S. aureus , Bacillus cereus , E. coli , K. pneumoniae , P. aeruginosa , S. Typhi, C. albicans , A. niger and A. flavus ). By VITEK 2 system version: 07.01 the 12 isolates were identified as Kocuria kristinae , Kocuria rosea , Streptomyces griseus , Streptomyces flaveolus and Actinobacteria . Using ethyl acetate extraction method the isolates culture's supernatants were tested by diffusion method against indicator microorganisms. These results indicate that Actinobacteria isolated from Egypt farms could be sources of antimicrobial bioactive substances.

[The effect of enzymatic treatment using proteases on properties of persistent sodium current in CA1 pyramidal neurons of rat hippocampus].

PubMed

Lun'ko, O O; Isaiev, D S; Maxymiuk, O P; Kryshtal', O O; Isaieva, O V

2014-01-01

We investigated the effect of proteases, widely used for neuron isolation in electrophysiological studies, on the amplitude and kinetic characteristics of persistent sodium current (I(NaP)) in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. Properties of I(NaP) were studied on neurons isolated by mechanical treatment (control group) and by mechanical and enzymatic treatment using pronase E (from Streptomyces griseus) or protease type XXIII (from Aspergillus oryzae). We show that in neurons isolated with pronase E kinetic of activation and density of I(NaP) was unaltered. Enzymatic treatment with protease type XXIII did not alter I(NaP) activation but result in significant decrease in I(NaP) density. Our data indicates that enzymatic treatment using pronase E for neuron isolation is preferable for investigation of I(NaP).

Extensive gene tree discordance and hemiplasy shaped the genomes of North American columnar cacti.

PubMed

Copetti, Dario; Búrquez, Alberto; Bustamante, Enriquena; Charboneau, Joseph L M; Childs, Kevin L; Eguiarte, Luis E; Lee, Seunghee; Liu, Tiffany L; McMahon, Michelle M; Whiteman, Noah K; Wing, Rod A; Wojciechowski, Martin F; Sanderson, Michael J

2017-11-07

Few clades of plants have proven as difficult to classify as cacti. One explanation may be an unusually high level of convergent and parallel evolution (homoplasy). To evaluate support for this phylogenetic hypothesis at the molecular level, we sequenced the genomes of four cacti in the especially problematic tribe Pachycereeae, which contains most of the large columnar cacti of Mexico and adjacent areas, including the iconic saguaro cactus ( Carnegiea gigantea ) of the Sonoran Desert. We assembled a high-coverage draft genome for saguaro and lower coverage genomes for three other genera of tribe Pachycereeae ( Pachycereus , Lophocereus , and Stenocereus ) and a more distant outgroup cactus, Pereskia We used these to construct 4,436 orthologous gene alignments. Species tree inference consistently returned the same phylogeny, but gene tree discordance was high: 37% of gene trees having at least 90% bootstrap support conflicted with the species tree. Evidently, discordance is a product of long generation times and moderately large effective population sizes, leading to extensive incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). In the best supported gene trees, 58% of apparent homoplasy at amino sites in the species tree is due to gene tree-species tree discordance rather than parallel substitutions in the gene trees themselves, a phenomenon termed "hemiplasy." The high rate of genomic hemiplasy may contribute to apparent parallelisms in phenotypic traits, which could confound understanding of species relationships and character evolution in cacti. Published under the PNAS license.

Discovery and characterization of heme enzymes from unsequenced bacteria: application to microbial lignin degradation.

PubMed

Brown, Margaret E; Walker, Mark C; Nakashige, Toshiki G; Iavarone, Anthony T; Chang, Michelle C Y

2011-11-16

Bacteria and other living organisms offer a potentially unlimited resource for the discovery of new chemical catalysts, but many interesting reaction phenotypes observed at the whole organism level remain difficult to elucidate down to the molecular level. A key challenge in the discovery process is the identification of discrete molecular players involved in complex biological transformations because multiple cryptic genetic components often work in concert to elicit an overall chemical phenotype. We now report a rapid pipeline for the discovery of new enzymes of interest from unsequenced bacterial hosts based on laboratory-scale methods for the de novo assembly of bacterial genome sequences using short reads. We have applied this approach to the biomass-degrading soil bacterium Amycolatopsis sp. 75iv2 ATCC 39116 (formerly Streptomyces setonii and S. griseus 75vi2) to discover and biochemically characterize two new heme proteins comprising the most abundant members of the extracellular oxidative system under lignin-reactive growth conditions.

Behavioral Response of Reef Fish and Green Sea Turtles to Midfrequency Sonar.

PubMed

Watwood, Stephanie L; Iafrate, Joseph D; Reyier, Eric A; Redfoot, William E

2016-01-01

There is growing concern over the potential effects of high-intensity sonar on wild fish populations and commercial fisheries. Acoustic telemetry was employed to measure the movements of free-ranging reef fish and sea turtles in Port Canaveral, FL, in response to routine submarine sonar testing. Twenty-five sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus), 28 gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus), and 29 green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) were tagged, with movements monitored for a period of up to 4 months using an array of passive acoustic receivers. Baseline residency was examined for fish and sea turtles before, during, and after the test event. No mortality of tagged fish or sea turtles was evident from the sonar test event. There was a significant increase in the daily residency index for both sheepshead and gray snapper at the testing wharf subsequent to the event. No broad-scale movement from the study site was observed during or immediately after the test.

Modelling tooth–prey interactions in sharks: the importance of dynamic testing

PubMed Central

Farina, Stacy C.; Brash, Jeffrey; Summers, Adam P.

2016-01-01

The shape of shark teeth varies among species, but traditional testing protocols have revealed no predictive relationship between shark tooth morphology and performance. We developed a dynamic testing device to quantify cutting performance of teeth. We mimicked head-shaking behaviour in feeding large sharks by attaching teeth to the blade of a reciprocating power saw fixed in a custom-built frame. We tested three tooth types at biologically relevant speeds and found differences in tooth cutting ability and wear. Teeth from the bluntnose sixgill (Hexanchus griseus) showed poor cutting ability compared with tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), sandbar (Carcharhinus plumbeus) and silky (C. falciformis) sharks, but they also showed no wear with repeated use. Some shark teeth are very sharp at the expense of quickly dulling, while others are less sharp but dull more slowly. This demonstrates that dynamic testing is vital to understanding the performance of shark teeth. PMID:27853592

Extensive gene tree discordance and hemiplasy shaped the genomes of North American columnar cacti

PubMed Central

Búrquez, Alberto; Bustamante, Enriquena; Charboneau, Joseph L. M.; Childs, Kevin L.; Eguiarte, Luis E.; Lee, Seunghee; Liu, Tiffany L.; McMahon, Michelle M.; Whiteman, Noah K.; Wing, Rod A.; Wojciechowski, Martin F.; Sanderson, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Few clades of plants have proven as difficult to classify as cacti. One explanation may be an unusually high level of convergent and parallel evolution (homoplasy). To evaluate support for this phylogenetic hypothesis at the molecular level, we sequenced the genomes of four cacti in the especially problematic tribe Pachycereeae, which contains most of the large columnar cacti of Mexico and adjacent areas, including the iconic saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) of the Sonoran Desert. We assembled a high-coverage draft genome for saguaro and lower coverage genomes for three other genera of tribe Pachycereeae (Pachycereus, Lophocereus, and Stenocereus) and a more distant outgroup cactus, Pereskia. We used these to construct 4,436 orthologous gene alignments. Species tree inference consistently returned the same phylogeny, but gene tree discordance was high: 37% of gene trees having at least 90% bootstrap support conflicted with the species tree. Evidently, discordance is a product of long generation times and moderately large effective population sizes, leading to extensive incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). In the best supported gene trees, 58% of apparent homoplasy at amino sites in the species tree is due to gene tree-species tree discordance rather than parallel substitutions in the gene trees themselves, a phenomenon termed “hemiplasy.” The high rate of genomic hemiplasy may contribute to apparent parallelisms in phenotypic traits, which could confound understanding of species relationships and character evolution in cacti. PMID:29078296

Residency of Reef Fish During Pile Driving Within a Shallow Pierside Environment.

PubMed

Iafrate, Joseph D; Watwood, Stephanie L; Reyier, Eric A; Gilchrest, Matthew; Crocker, Steven E

2016-01-01

The potential effects of pile driving on fish populations and commercial fisheries have received significant attention given the prevalence of construction occurring in coastal habitats throughout the world. In this study, we used acoustic telemetry to assess the movement and survival of free-ranging reef fish in Port Canaveral, FL, in response to 35 days of pile driving at an existing wharf complex. The site fidelity and behavior of 15 sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) and 10 gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) were determined before, during, and after pile driving. No obvious signs of mortality or injury to tagged fish were evident from the data. There was a significant decline in the residency index for mangrove snapper at the construction wharf after pile driving compared with the baseline, although this may be influenced by natural movements of this species in the study area rather than a direct response to pile driving.

Sequencing Cyclic Peptides by Multistage Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Mohimani, Hosein; Yang, Yu-Liang; Liu, Wei-Ting; Hsieh, Pei-Wen; Dorrestein, Pieter C.; Pevzner, Pavel A.

2012-01-01

Some of the most effective antibiotics (e.g., Vancomycin and Daptomycin) are cyclic peptides produced by non-ribosomal biosynthetic pathways. While hundreds of biomedically important cyclic peptides have been sequenced, the computational techniques for sequencing cyclic peptides are still in their infancy. Previous methods for sequencing peptide antibiotics and other cyclic peptides are based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, and require large amount (miligrams) of purified materials that, for most compounds, are not possible to obtain. Recently, development of mass spectrometry based methods has provided some hope for accurate sequencing of cyclic peptides using picograms of materials. In this paper we develop a method for sequencing of cyclic peptides by multistage mass spectrometry, and show its advantages over single stage mass spectrometry. The method is tested on known and new cyclic peptides from Bacillus brevis, Dianthus superbus and Streptomyces griseus, as well as a new family of cyclic peptides produced by marine bacteria. PMID:21751357

Secondary structure and phylogeny of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus 5S rRNAs.

PubMed Central

Dekio, S; Yamasaki, R; Jidoi, J; Hori, H; Osawa, S

1984-01-01

Nucleotide sequences of 5S rRNAs from four bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus Smith (diffuse), Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 14990, Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341 and Micrococcus luteus ATCC 4698, were determined. The secondary structural models of S. aureus and S. epidermidis sequences showed characteristics of the gram-positive bacterial 5S rRNA (116-N type [H. Hori and S. Osawa, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76:381-385, 1979]). Those of M. luteus ATCC 9341 and M. luteus ATCC 4698 together with that of Streptomyces griseus (A. Simoncsits, Nucleic Acids Res. 8:4111-4124, 1980) showed intermediary characteristics between the gram-positive and gram-negative (120-N type [H. Hori and S. Osawa, 1979]) 5S rRNAs. This and previous studies revealed that there exist at least three major groups of eubacteria having distinct 5S rRNA and belonging to different stems in the 5S rRNA phylogenic tree. PMID:6735981

Engineering Protein Allostery: 1.05 Å Resolution Structure and Enzymatic Properties of a Na[superscript +]-activated Trypsin

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

Page, Michael J.; Carrell, Christopher J.; Di Cera, Enrico

2008-05-28

Some trypsin-like proteases are endowed with Na{sup +}-dependent allosteric enhancement of catalytic activity, but this important mechanism has been difficult to engineer in other members of the family. Replacement of 19 amino acids in Streptomyces griseus trypsin targeting the active site and the Na{sup +}-binding site were found necessary to generate efficient Na{sup +} activation. Remarkably, this property was linked to the acquisition of a new substrate selectivity profile similar to that of factor Xa, a Na{sup -} activated protease involved in blood coagulation. The X-ray crystal structure of the mutant trypsin solved to 1.05 {angstrom} resolution defines the engineeredmore » Na{sup +} site and active site loops in unprecedented detail. The results demonstrate that trypsin can be engineered into an efficient allosteric protease, and that Na+ activation is interwoven with substrate selectivity in the trypsin scaffold.« less

A new framework for integrated climate finance and inclusive responses to sustainable development in Malaysia

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

Ibrahim, Kamarulazizi; Shabudin, Ahmad Firdaus Ahmad; Chacko Koshy, Kanayathu

With Malaysia's commitment to both mitigation and adaptation, the 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change in Paris, 2015, will be both an opportunity to showcase best practices and a forum to promote international ownership of climate challenge before it becomes a catastrophe. Our experience with weather extremes is that the best time to intervene is at the risk level via prevention and preparedness, compared to any wait-and-see approach. As the Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, elaborated during the recent 11th Malaysia Plan presentation to the parliament, ‘suchmore » an approach has to be seen as part of adopting green growth and increasing our commitment to long-term sustainability’. Malaysia is also aware that this requires policy support, technological interventions and financial commitment. It is for this reason the Malaysia's pledge at the Copenhagen COP-15 was to reduce its carbon emission by 40% from 2005 levels by 2020, subject to technology transfer and financial support by developed countries. Having achieved a 33% reduction in the last five years, Malaysia is convinced that it can reach the 40% target following an inclusive partnership framework for action.« less

Gebrauch von Komplementärmedizin bei Patienten mit metastasierendem Melanom unter Therapie mit Ipilimumab innerhalb einer klinischen Studie.

PubMed

Huebner, Jutta; Mohr, Peter; Simon, Jan-Christoph; Fluck, Michael; Berking, Carola; Zimmer, Lisa; Loquai, Carmen

2016-05-01

In Deutschland wenden 40-90 % aller Krebspatienten Methoden der komplementären and alternativen Medizin (KAM) an. Bis dato gibt es kein Datenmaterial zum Einsatz der KAM bei Melanompatienten. Das Ziel unserer Studie war es, Daten über den Gebrauch, die Informationsquellen und Ziele von Patienten mit metastasierendem Melanom zu erfassen. Einhundertsechsundfünfzig Patienten aus 25 Studienzentren nahmen an der DecOG-MM-PAL Multibasket Studie teil. Die beteiligten Personen wurden auch gebeten, an einer Nebenstudie teilzunehmen, die ihren Gebrauch von KAM erfassen sollte. Dazu wurde während der Behandlung ein standardisierter Fragebogen zu genau festgelegten Zeitpunkten ausgeteilt. Insgesamt gingen 55 Fragebögen von 32 (21 %) Melanompatienten ein. Von diesen gaben 17 (53 %) ein Interesse an KAM an, und sieben (22 %) machten von KAM Gebrauch. Die Hauptinformationsquellen (31 %) waren Familienmitglieder und Freunde, gefolgt von Ärzten (19 %). Die Hauptgründe für die Anwendung von KAM waren die Stärkung des Immunsystems (41 %) und des Körpers (34 %). Nahrungsergänzungsmittel (Vitamine und Spurenelemente) wurden am häufigsten angewendet (28 %). Eine relativ hohe Anzahl an Patienten mit metastasierendem Melanom machte trotz Teilnahme an einer klinischen Studie von KAM Gebrauch. Wechselwirkungen könnten durch biologisch basierte KAM auftreten, und hier besonders bei immunmodulierenden KAM- Strategien. Um Risiken zu vermeiden, sollte die Kommunikation zwischen den Ärzten und den Patienten verbessert werden. © 2016 Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft (DDG). Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Population Genetic Structure of a Widespread Bat-Pollinated Columnar Cactus

PubMed Central

Bustamante, Enriquena; Búrquez, Alberto; Scheinvar, Enrique; Eguiarte, Luis Enrique

2016-01-01

Bats are the main pollinators and seed dispersers of Stenocereus thurberi, a xenogamous columnar cactus of northwestern Mexico and a good model to illustrate spatial dynamics of gene flow in long-lived species. Previous studies in this cactus showed differences among populations in the type and abundance of pollinators, and in the timing of flowering and fruiting. In this study we analyzed genetic variability and population differentiation among populations. We used three primers of ISSR to analyze within and among populations genetic variation from eight widely separated populations of S. thurberi in Sonora, Mexico. Sixty-six out of 99 of the ISSR bands (P = 66.7%) were polymorphic. Total heterozygosity for all populations sampled revealed high genetic diversity (Hsp = 0.207, HBT = 0.224). The AMOVA showed that most of the genetic variation was within populations (80.5%). At the species level, estimates of population differentiation, θ = 0.175 and θB = 0.194, indicated moderate gene flow among populations. The absence of a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances indicated little isolation by geographic distance. The large genetic variation and diversity found in S. thurberi is consistent with its open reproductive system and the high mobility of bats, a major pollinator. However, small changes in number or kind of pollinators and seed dispersal agents, in the directionality of migratory routes, and/or in the timing of flowering and fruiting among populations, can critically affect gene flow dynamics. PMID:27015281

Population Genetic Structure of a Widespread Bat-Pollinated Columnar Cactus.

PubMed

Bustamante, Enriquena; Búrquez, Alberto; Scheinvar, Enrique; Eguiarte, Luis Enrique

2016-01-01

Bats are the main pollinators and seed dispersers of Stenocereus thurberi, a xenogamous columnar cactus of northwestern Mexico and a good model to illustrate spatial dynamics of gene flow in long-lived species. Previous studies in this cactus showed differences among populations in the type and abundance of pollinators, and in the timing of flowering and fruiting. In this study we analyzed genetic variability and population differentiation among populations. We used three primers of ISSR to analyze within and among populations genetic variation from eight widely separated populations of S. thurberi in Sonora, Mexico. Sixty-six out of 99 of the ISSR bands (P = 66.7%) were polymorphic. Total heterozygosity for all populations sampled revealed high genetic diversity (Hsp = 0.207, HBT = 0.224). The AMOVA showed that most of the genetic variation was within populations (80.5%). At the species level, estimates of population differentiation, θ = 0.175 and θB = 0.194, indicated moderate gene flow among populations. The absence of a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances indicated little isolation by geographic distance. The large genetic variation and diversity found in S. thurberi is consistent with its open reproductive system and the high mobility of bats, a major pollinator. However, small changes in number or kind of pollinators and seed dispersal agents, in the directionality of migratory routes, and/or in the timing of flowering and fruiting among populations, can critically affect gene flow dynamics.

Low-temperature tolerance and cold hardening of cacti

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

Nobel, P.S.

Reduced uptake by the chlorenchyma cells of cacti of a stain (neutral red) was used as an indicator of low-temperature damage resulting from cooling stems in the laboratory. Necrosis set in a few degrees below the temperature at which the fraction of cells accumulating stain was reduced by 50%. Coryphantha vivipara, Opuntia polyacantha, and Pediocactus simpsonii, which range to over 300 m altitude in southern Wyoming, were quite cold tolerant. Relationships among tissue cold sensitivity, morphological features which protect the stems from low temperatures, and the occurrence of species in progressively colder regions were investigated. Differences in tissue cold sensitivitymore » accounted for the approx. = 600 m higher elevational limit of Coryphantha vivipara var. rosea compared to the morphologically similar var. deserti in southern Nevada. In contrast, morphological differences alone could adequately explain the relative northern limits of the columnar cacti Carnegiea gigantea vs Stenocereus gummosus and the barrel cacti Ferocactus acanthodes vs. F. wislizenii in the southwestern United States, as previously indicated using a computer model. Cold hardening in response to decreasing day/night air temperatures was observed for 10 species. A decrease from 50/sup 0//40/sup 0/ to 10/sup 0//0/sup 0/ lowered by 4/sup 0/ the temperature at which the fraction of the chlorenchyma cells taking up stain was reduced 50% for both D. rhodacantha and T. candicans, with a half-time for the shift of approx. = 3 d. The tolerance of subzero temperatures and the ability to cold harden allow cacti to range into regions with considerable wintertime freezing.« less

Metal Contents, Bioaccumulation, and Health Risk Assessment in Wild Edible Boletaceae Mushrooms.

PubMed

Sun, Liping; Chang, Weidan; Bao, Changjun; Zhuang, Yongliang

2017-06-01

Eight wild edible Boletaceae mushrooms (227 samples) and their soils were collected from 40 locations, Yunnan province, China. Four essential metals (Fe, Mg, Zn, and Cu) and 2 toxic metals (Pb and Cd) were determined. The results showed that Boletaceae mushrooms have abundance of 4 essential metals. The highest Pb mean value was 0.70 mg/kg DW, lower than legal limits, but Cd contents significantly exceeded legal limits. Generally, bioconcentration factor (BCF) indicated that Zn and Cu were easily bioaccumulated by mushrooms. However, the BCF Cd of Boletus griseus reached to 6.40. Target hazard quotients showed Cd was the main risk metal in Boletaceae mushrooms. The metal compositional variability and the similarity of metal contents were further determined by principal component analysis. Regression model analysis indicated that Cd contents in mushrooms were positively correlated with soil Cd contents, and negatively correlated with soil pH, except for the samples of Boletus bicolor. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Losses of seabirds in gill nets in the North Pacific

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeGange, Anthony R.; Day, Robert H.; Takekawa, Jean E.; Mendenhall, Vivian M.; Vermeer, Kees; Briggs, K.T.; Morgan, K.H.; Siegel-Causey, D.

1993-01-01

Existing knowledge on high-seas and coastal gillnet fisheries known to kill seabirds in the North Pacific is summarized. Recent estimates suggest that high-seas gillnet fisheries may have taken more than 500,000 seabirds in 1990. The majority of birds taken in those fisheries were Sooty Puffinus griseus or Short-tailed P. tenuirostris shearwaters. A recent analysis of impacts of those fisheries suggests that both shearwater populations may be declining slightly, although overall populations remain large. Impacts on seabirds of gillnet fishing in coastal waters are poorly known, except in California. Incidental mortality of seabirds in coastal gillnet fisheries may be adding additional stress to populations already compromised by habitat destruction and oil spills. Local populations of Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus, Common Murres Uria aalge, and Japanese Murrelets Synthliboramphus wumizusume may be particularly vulnerable to coastal gillnet fisheries. United National General Assembly Resolution 44/225 called for a moratorium on high-seas gillnet fishing by 30 June 1992. Japan has complied and Korea and Taiwan will comply with the moratorium.

Tissue concentrations of four Taiwanese toothed cetaceans indicating the silver and cadmium pollution in the western Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

Chen, Meng-Hsien; Zhuang, Ming-Feng; Chou, Lien-Siang; Liu, Jean-Yi; Shih, Chieh-Chih; Chen, Chiee-Young

2017-11-30

Muscle, lung, kidney and liver tissues of 45 bycatch and stranded cetaceans, including 14 Grampus griseus (Gg), 7 Kogia simus (Ks), 10 Lagenodelphis hosei (Lh), and 14 Stenella attenuata (Sa), were collected in the waters off Taiwan from 1994 to 1995, and from 2001 to 2012. Baseline concentrations (in μgg -1 dry weight) of the cetaceans were lung (<0.05)=muscle (<0.05)

PREFACE: The 3rd ISESCO International Workshop and Conference On Nanotechnology 2012 (IWCN2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umar, Akrajas Ali; Yahaya, Muhammad; Mat Salleh, Muhamad

2013-04-01

The ISESCO Conference on Nanomaterials and Applications (IWCN2012) is one of a series of nanotechnology seminars organized by ISESCO, Malaysian Solid State Science and Technology Society (MASS), the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. IWCN2012 is the third seminar, following IWCN2007 and IWCN2010, held in the Universiti Kebangsaaan Malaysia, Bangi Malaysia from 5-7 December 2012. The conference was attended by more than 250 participants from 15 countries, including 150 students. The conference and workshop provided a forum for researchers and students, policymakers and other professionals especially from the ISESCO Member States to exchange information, enhance understanding and more importantly to engage in the development of new nanoscience and nanotechnology research in multidisciplinary areas in physics, chemistry and biology. Together with the conference, the third Meeting of the ISESCO Expert Panel on Nanotechnology was held to chart the future activities in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in ISESCO member countries. The objective of the conference is to communicate and discuss recent progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology research and its potential applications in future economic growth. The main focus for the present activity is on energy and environment. The conference received 105 papers in total and 50 of them were selected to be considered for publication in Journal of Physics: Conference Series. However, finally, after undergoing vigorous and thorough revisions by respected editors and reviewers in the fields, 29 papers were accepted. This volume covers the follwing topics: Nanomaterials Synthesis and Characterization Nanomaterials for Energy and Catalysis Nanoelectronics, Sensors and MEMS Devices Nanophotonics We are indebted to all the keynote speakers, invited speakers, participant and authors for their contribution to this event. Their contribution has led to the success of this conference. We are also very grateful for the time, effort and unwavering support dedicated by all the referees. Their tireless work has helped guarantee the high scientific level of this series. Many thanks are also addressed to the ISESCO, COMSATS, MASS, UKM and FST for their financial support. Logistics support provided by IMEN and MNA is also much appreciated. We realized that this volume would never have materialized without the hard work of Ms Siti Khatijah Md Saad who helped the editorial secretariat in many ways communicating with the authors and reviewers and checking and typesetting the papers in the final stage. Finally, great appreciation is addressed to all who have worked hard and given support ensuring that the conference was a success. Editors Associate Professor Dr Akrajas Ali Umar Professor Dr Muhamad Mat Salleh Professor Dato' Dr Muhammad Yahaya IWCN 2012 Organizing Committee International Advisory Board Professor Dato' Dr Muhammad Yahaya (UKM, Malaysia) Dr Faiq Bilal (ISESCO, Morocco) Professor Dr Michael Graetzel (Switzerland) Professor Dr Muhamad Rasat (Malaysia) Prof Dr Masbah R T Siregar (Indonesia) Associate Professor Dr Munetaka Oyama (Japan) Professor Dr Ismat Shah (USA) Professor Dr Muhamad Mat Salleh (Malaysia) Chairman Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Kassim Co-Chairman Dr Mohammad Hafizuddin Haji Jumali Secretary Dr Lorna Jeffry Minggu Treasurer Dr Sharina Abu Hanifah Committee Members Associate Professor Dr Mohd Azmi Abd Hamid Associate Professor Dr Akrajas Ali Umar Dr Zahari Ibarahim Dr Rozidawati Awang Dr Farah Hannan Anuar Secretariat Dr Khuzaimah Mohd Firdauz Ismail Izura Izzuddin Nor Huwaida Janil Jamil Siti Khatijah Md Saad Noor Razinah Rahmat Mark Lee Wun Fui Ng Kim Hang Lee Thian Khoon Law Kung Pui Choong Yan Yi

Retransformation of marker-free potato for enhanced resistance against fungal pathogens by pyramiding chitinase and wasabi defensin genes.

PubMed

Khan, Raham Sher; Darwish, Nader Ahmed; Khattak, Bushra; Ntui, Valentine Otang; Kong, Kynet; Shimomae, Kazuki; Nakamura, Ikuo; Mii, Masahiro

2014-09-01

Multi-auto-transformation vector system has been one of the strategies to produce marker-free transgenic plants without using selective chemicals and plant growth regulators and thus facilitating transgene stacking. In the study reported here, retransformation was carried out in marker-free transgenic potato CV. May Queen containing ChiC gene (isolated from Streptomyces griseus strain HUT 6037) with wasabi defensin (WD) gene (isolated from Wasabia japonica) to pyramid the two disease resistant genes. Molecular analyses of the developed shoots confirmed the existence of both the genes of interest (ChiC and WD) in transgenic plants. Co-expression of the genes was confirmed by RT-PCR, northern blot, and western blot analyses. Disease resistance assay of in vitro plants showed that the transgenic lines co-expressing both the ChiC and WD genes had higher resistance against the fungal pathogens, Fusarium oxysporum (Fusarium wilt) and Alternaria solani (early blight) compared to the non-transformed control and the transgenic lines expressing either of the ChiC or WD genes. The disease resistance potential of the transgenic plants could be increased by transgene stacking or multiple transformations.

Static inflation and deflation pressure–volume curves from excised lungs of marine mammals

PubMed Central

Fahlman, Andreas; Loring, Stephen H.; Ferrigno, Massimo; Moore, Colby; Early, Greg; Niemeyer, Misty; Lentell, Betty; Wenzel, Frederic; Joy, Ruth; Moore, Michael J.

2011-01-01

SUMMARY Excised lungs from eight marine mammal species [harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), gray seal (Halichoerus grypush), Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) and harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)] were used to determine the minimum air volume of the relaxed lung (MAV, N=15), the elastic properties (pressure–volume curves, N=24) of the respiratory system and the total lung capacity (TLC). Our data indicate that mass-specific TLC (sTLC, l kg–1) does not differ between species or groups (odontocete vs phocid) and agree with that estimated (TLCest) from body mass (Mb) by applying the equation: TLCest=0.135 Mb0.92. Measured MAV was on average 7% of TLC, with a range from 0 to 16%. The pressure–volume curves were similar among species on inflation but diverged during deflation in phocids in comparison with odontocetes. These differences provide a structural basis for observed species differences in the depth at which lungs collapse and gas exchange ceases. PMID:22031747

Effect of pH on simultaneous saccharification and isomerization by glucoamylase and glucose isomerase.

PubMed

Mishra, Abha; Debnath Das, Meera

2002-01-01

pH and temperature play critical roles in multistep enzymatic conversions. In such conversions, the optimal pH for individual steps differs greatly. In this article, we describe the production of glucoamylase (from Aspergillus oryzae MTCC152 in solid-state fermentation) and glucose isomerase (from Streptomyces griseus NCIM2020 in submerged fermentation), used in industries for producing high-fructose syrup. Optimum pH for glucoamylase was found to be 5.0. For glucose isomerase, the optimum pH ranged between 7.0 and 8.5, depending on the type of buffer used. Optimum temperature for glucoamylase and glucose isomerase was 50 and 60 degrees C, respectively. When both the enzymatic conversions were performed simultaneously at a compromised pH of 6.5, both the enzymes showed lowered activity. We also studied the kinetics at different pHs, which allows the two-step reaction to take place simultaneously. This was done by separating two steps by a thin layer of urease. Ammonia generated by the hydrolysis of urea consumed the hydrogen ions, thereby allowing optimal activity of glucose isomerase at an acidic pH of 5.0.

Evolutionary Relations of Hexanchiformes Deep-Sea Sharks Elucidated by Whole Mitochondrial Genome Sequences

PubMed Central

Tanaka, Keiko; Tomita, Taketeru; Suzuki, Shingo; Hosomichi, Kazuyoshi; Sano, Kazumi; Doi, Hiroyuki; Kono, Azumi; Inoko, Hidetoshi; Kulski, Jerzy K.; Tanaka, Sho

2013-01-01

Hexanchiformes is regarded as a monophyletic taxon, but the morphological and genetic relationships between the five extant species within the order are still uncertain. In this study, we determined the whole mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of seven sharks including representatives of the five Hexanchiformes, one squaliform, and one carcharhiniform and inferred the phylogenetic relationships among those species and 12 other Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fishes) species for which the complete mitogenome is available. The monophyly of Hexanchiformes and its close relation with all other Squaliformes sharks were strongly supported by likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of 13,749 aligned nucleotides of 13 protein coding genes and two rRNA genes that were derived from the whole mDNA sequences of the 19 species. The phylogeny suggested that Hexanchiformes is in the superorder Squalomorphi, Chlamydoselachus anguineus (frilled shark) is the sister species to all other Hexanchiformes, and the relations within Hexanchiformes are well resolved as Chlamydoselachus, (Notorynchus, (Heptranchias, (Hexanchus griseus, H. nakamurai))). Based on our phylogeny, we discussed evolutionary scenarios of the jaw suspension mechanism and gill slit numbers that are significant features in the sharks. PMID:24089661

Low temperature tolerance and cold hardening of cacti

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

Nobel, P.S.

Reduced uptake by the chlorenchyma cells of cacti of a stain (neutral red) was used as an indicator of low-temperature damage resulting from cooling stems in the laboratory. Necrosis set in a few degrees below the temperature at which the fraction of cells accumulating stain was reduced by 50%. Coryphantha vivipara, Opuntia polyacantha, and Pediocactus simpsonii, which range to over 3000 m altitude in southern Wyoming, were quite cold tolerant (50% inhibition of staining occurred from -17/sup 0/ to -20/sup 0/C), while O. bigelovii and O. ramosissima, which are restricted to much warmer habitats, were not very cold tolerant (50%more » inhibition from -4/sup 0/ to -7/sup 0/). Relationships among tissue cold sensitivity, morphological features which protect the stems from low temperatures, and the occurrence of species in progressively colder regions were investigated. Differences in tissue cold sensitivity accounted for the =600 m higher elevational limit of Coryphantha vivipara var. rosea compared to the morphologically similar var. deserti in southern Nevada. In contrast, morphological differences alone could adequately explain the relative northern limits of the columnar cacti Carnegiea gigantea vs. Stenocereus gummosus and the barrel cacti Ferocactus acanthodes vs. F. wislizenii in the southwestern United States, as previously indicated using a computer model. Differences in both morphology and tissue cold sensitivity apparently influenced the relative northern ranges of Lophocereus schottii with respect to the other columnar cacti and F. covillei with respect to the other barrel cacti, as well as the relative elevational range of Denmoza rhodacantha with respect to Trichocereus candicans in northcentral Argentina. Cold hardening in response to decreasing day/night air temperatures was observed for 10 species.« less

Prion search and cellular prion protein expression in stranded dolphins.

PubMed

Di Guardo, G; Cocumelli, C; Meoli, R; Barbaro, K; Terracciano, G; Di Francesco, C E; Mazzariol, S; Eleni, C

2012-01-01

The recent description of a prion disease (PD) case in a free-ranging bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) prompted us to carry out an extensive search for the disease-associated isoform (PrPSc) of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) in the brain and in a range of lymphoid tissues from 23 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), 5 bottlenose dolphins and 2 Risso s dolphins (Grampus griseus) found stranded between 2007 and 2012 along the Italian coastline. Three striped dolphins and one bottlenose dolphin showed microscopic lesions of encephalitis, with no evidence of spongiform brain lesions being detected in any of the 30 free-ranging cetaceans investigated herein. Nevertheless, we could still observe a prominent PrPC immunoreactivity in the brain as well as in lymphoid tissues from these dolphins. Although immunohistochemical and Western blot investigations yielded negative results for PrPSc deposition in all tissues from the dolphins under study, the reported occurrence of a spontaneous PD case in a wild dolphin is an intriguing issue and a matter of concern for both prion biology and intra/inter-species transmissibility, as well as for cetacean conservation medicine.

A Simple and Efficient Method of Slow Freezing for Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

PubMed

Imaizumi, Keitaro; Iha, Momoe; Nishishita, Naoki; Kawamata, Shin; Nishikawa, Shinichi; Akuta, Teruo

2016-01-01

Protocols available for the cryopreservation of human embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are very inefficient and laborious compared to those for the cryopreservation of murine ES/iPS cells or other general cell lines. While the vitrification method may be adequate when working with small numbers of human ES/iPS cells, it requires special skills and is unsuitable when working with large cell numbers. Here, we describe a simple and efficient method for the cryopreservation of hES/hiPS cells that is based on a conventional slow freezing method that uses a combination of Pronase/EDTA for Stem™ and CP-5E™ [final concentrations: 6 % hydroxyethyl starch, 5 % DMSO, and 5 % ethylene glycol in saline]. CP-5E™ is highly effective for the cryopreservation of small cell clumps produced by hES/hiPS colony detachment in the presence of Pronase and EDTA (Pronase/EDTA for Stem™, a formulation containing multiple digestive enzymes from Streptomyces griseus). This novel method would be quite useful for large-scale hES/iPS cell banking for use in clinical applications.

PubMed

Ferrer Gómez, Mercedes; García Zafra, María Victoria; Cuenca Sánchez, Juan Ramón; Sánchez Romera, Juan Francisco; Aranda García, Ana; Rausell Rausell, Víctor José; Hernández Martínez, Antonio Miguel

2016-09-20

Introducción: en Murcia, y hasta 2010, la administración de la nutrición enteral domiciliaria (NED) dictaba cumplir la regulación marcada en cuanto a los facultativos con competencias para su prescripción.Objetivos: examinar aspectos esenciales de este recurso en el periodo 2007-2010, características de la muestra y evolución del coste, así como perspectivas de futuro.Métodos: estudio del perfil de la población NED en un área de salud específica. Selección de recetas facturadas de productos NED en el conjunto de la Región, clasificación por tipos y análisis de la evolución en importe y en envases para el periodo 2007-2010.Resultados: respecto al perfil de la muestra del Área I de Salud de la Región, la patología, vía de administración y tipo de nutrición más frecuentes resultaron, respectivamente, la enfermedad neurológica, la vía oral y la nutrición no específica. Por otro lado, el gasto sanitario en productos dietoterápicos, en el Servicio Murciano de Salud, aumentó alrededor del 50% entre los años 2007 y 2010. Tanto en envases como en importe, Murcia se sitúa por encima de la media nacional.Conclusiones: el perfil de la muestra no coincide con trabajos publicados en otras regiones. Este dato, junto a la posición de Murcia en gasto dietoterápico, y su evidente tendencia al alza en los años analizados, hace evidente la necesidad de medidas que mejoren la calidad de la NED en la Región de Murcia y, en caso de ser posible, conseguir alcanzar valores nacionales en relación con el consumo medio y el gasto.

Endogenous Nod-Factor-Like Signal Molecules Promote Early Somatic Embryo Development in Norway Spruce1

PubMed Central

Dyachok, Julia V.; Wiweger, Malgorzata; Kenne, Lennart; von Arnold, Sara

2002-01-01

Embryogenic cultures of Norway spruce (Picea abies) are composed of pro-embryogenic masses (PEMs) and somatic embryos of various developmental stages. Auxin is important for PEM formation and proliferation. In this report we show that depletion of auxin blocks PEM development and causes large-scale cell death. Extracts of the media conditioned by embryogenic cultures stimulate development of PEM aggregates in auxin-deficient cultures. Partial characterization of the conditioning factor shows that it is a lipophilic, low-molecular-weight molecule, which is sensitive to chitinase and contains GlcNAc residues. On the basis of this information, we propose that the factor is a lipophilic chitin oligosaccharide (LCO). The amount of LCO correlates to the developmental stages of PEMs and embryos, with the highest level in the media conditioned by developmentally blocked cultures. LCO is not present in nonembryogenic cultures. Cell death, induced by withdrawal of auxin, is suppressed by extra supply of endogenous LCO or Nod factor from Rhizobium sp. NGR234. The effect can be mimicked by a chitotetraose or chitinase from Streptomyces griseus. Taken together, our data suggest that endogenous LCO acts as a signal molecule stimulating PEM and early embryo development in Norway spruce. PMID:11842156

The geographic selection mosaic for ponderosa pine and crossbills: a tale of two squirrels.

PubMed

Parchman, Thomas L; Benkman, Craig W

2008-02-01

Recent research demonstrates how the occurrence of a preemptive competitor (Tamiasciurus) gives rise to a geographic mosaic of coevolution for crossbills (Loxia) and conifers. We extend these studies by examining ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), which produces more variable annual seed crops than the conifers in previous studies and often cooccurs with tree squirrels in the genus Sciurus that are less specialized than Tamiasciurus on conifer seed. We found no evidence of seed defenses evolving in response to selection exerted by S. aberti, which was apparently overwhelmed by selection resulting from inner bark feeding that caused many developing cones to be destroyed. In the absence of S. aberti, defenses directed at crossbills increased, favoring larger-billed crossbills and causing stronger reciprocal selection between crossbills and ponderosa pine. However, crossbill nomadism in response to cone crop fluctuations prevents localized reciprocal adaptation by crossbills. In contrast, evolution in response to S. griseus has incidentally defended cones against crossbills, limiting the geographic range of the interaction between crossbills and ponderosa pine. Our results suggest that annual resource variation does not prevent competitors from shaping selection mosaics, although such fluctuations likely prevent fine-scale geographic differentiation in predators that are nomadic in response to resource variability.

Marine fisheries declines viewed upside down: human impacts on consumer-driven nutrient recycling.

PubMed

Layman, Craig A; Allgeier, Jacob E; Rosemond, Amy D; Dahlgren, Craig P; Yeager, Lauren A

2011-03-01

We quantified how two human impacts (overfishing and habitat fragmentation) in nearshore marine ecosystems may affect ecosystem function by altering the role of fish as nutrient vectors. We empirically quantified size-specific excretion rates of one of the most abundant fishes (gray snapper, Lutjanus griseus) in The Bahamas and combined these with surveys of fish abundance to estimate population-level excretion rates. The study was conducted across gradients of two human disturbances: overfishing and ecosystem fragmentation (estuaries bisected by roads), to evaluate how each could result in reduced population-level nutrient cycling by consumers. Mean estimated N and P excretion rates for gray snapper populations were on average 456% and 541% higher, respectively, in unfished sites. Ecosystem fragmentation resulted in significant reductions of recycling rates by snapper, with degree of creek fragmentation explaining 86% and 72% of the variance in estimated excretion for dissolved N and P, respectively. Additionally, we used nutrient limitation assays and primary producer nutrient content to provide a simple example of how marine fishery declines may affect primary production. This study provides an initial step toward integrating marine fishery declines and consumer-driven nutrient recycling to more fully understand the implications of human impacts in marine ecosystems.

Environmental traditional knowledge in a natural protected area as the basis for management and conservation policies.

PubMed

Pío-León, Juan Fernando; Delgado-Vargas, Francisco; Murillo-Amador, Bernardo; León-de-la-Luz, José Luís; Vega-Aviña, Rito; Nieto-Garibay, Alejandra; Córdoba-Matson, Miguel; Ortega-Rubio, Alfredo

2017-10-01

Ethnobotany is an adequate tool to identify the most import wild edible plants used by local people and to develop strategies for its sustainable use and policy making. This research records the wild edible plants used by the inhabitants of the Sierra la Laguna Biosphere Reserve, in Mexico, and identified priority species for sustainable development. The employed quantitative approach included the application of a food-oriented index named Food Significance Index (FSI), which integrated cultural, agricultural and food parameters; moreover, it used multivariate analysis to identify priority edible species for use and/or conservation. Fifty taxa were identified as the most important wild edible plants in the reserve, integrated into five priority groups. Foods in priority group 1 had the highest culinary diversity by grouping three fruits (Ficus petiolaris, Stenocereus thurberi, and Cyrtocarpa edulis), one almond-like seed (Cnidoscolus maculatus), one vegetable (Matelea cordifolia), and one condiment (Capsicum annuum). Priority groups 2-5 were selective for one or two types of food, such as fruits, teas, or seeds. Since group 1 was the most diverse, the FSI and the employed strategy permitted to identify the priority wild edible plant species with the highest potential for food security. The selected six species should be included in the future management program of the reserve as the priority wild edible plants to develop strategies for conservation, sustainable use, and improvement of the local population income. General policies to manage the selected six species are outlined. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prey preferences among the community of deep-diving odontocetes from the Bay of Biscay, Northeast Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spitz, Jérôme; Cherel, Yves; Bertin, Stéphane; Kiszka, Jeremy; Dewez, Alexandre; Ridoux, Vincent

2011-03-01

Long-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala melas), Risso's dolphins ( Grampus griseus), melon-headed whales ( Peponocephala electra), Cuvier's beaked whales ( Ziphius cavirostris), Sowerby's beaked whales ( Mesoplodon bidens), northern bottlenose whales ( Hyperoodon ampullatus), sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus), dwarf sperm whales ( Kogia sima) and pygmy sperm whales ( Kogia breviceps) make up the large community of deep-diving odontocetes occurring off the Bay of Biscay, northeast Atlantic. The ecology of these toothed cetaceans is poorly documented worldwide. The present study described their prey preferences from stomach content analysis and showed resource partitioning within the assemblage. The majority of the species appeared to be mostly teutophageous. Fish was an important food source only for the Sowerby's beaked whale and, to a lesser extent, for the long-finned pilot whale. In terms of foraging habitats inferred from prey composition, either pelagic oceanic or demersal neritic habitats were exploited by toothed whales in the Bay of Biscay, with only the long-finned pilot whale foraging in the two habitats. Finally, with more than 14,000 identified cephalopods from 39 species, the present study highlighted also the poorly known deep-sea cephalopod community off the Bay of Biscay using top predators as biological samplers.

Differences in foraging activity of deep sea diving odontocetes in the Ligurian Sea as determined by passive acoustic recorders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giorli, Giacomo; Au, Whitlow W. L.; Neuheimer, Anna

2016-01-01

Characterizing the trophic roles of deep-diving odontocete species and how they vary in space and time is challenged by our ability to observe foraging behavior. Though sampling methods are limited, foraging activity of deep-diving odontocetes can be monitored by recording their biosonar emissions. Daily occurrence of echolocation clicks was monitored acoustically for five months (July-December 2011) in the Ligurian Sea (Mediterranean Sea) using five passive acoustic recorders. Detected odontocetes included Cuvier's beaked whales (Zipuhius cavirostris), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus), and long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas). The results indicated that the foraging strategies varied significantly over time, with sperm whales switching to nocturnal foraging in late September whereas Risso's dolphins and pilot whales foraged mainly at night throughout the sampling period. In the study area, winter nights are about five hours longer than summer nights and an analysis showed that pilot whales and Risso's dolphins adjusted their foraging activity with the length of the night, foraging longer during the longer winter nights. This is the first study to show that marine mammals exhibit diurnal foraging patterns closely correlated to sunrise and sunset.

Object permanence in lemurs.

PubMed

Deppe, Anja M; Wright, Patricia C; Szelistowski, William A

2009-03-01

Object permanence, the ability to mentally represent objects that have disappeared from view, should be advantageous to animals in their interaction with the natural world. The objective of this study was to examine whether lemurs possess object permanence. Thirteen adult subjects representing four species of diurnal lemur (Eulemur fulvus rufus, Eulemur mongoz, Lemur catta and Hapalemur griseus) were presented with seven standard Piagetian visible and invisible object displacement tests, plus one single visible test where the subject had to wait predetermined times before allowed to search, and two invisible tests where each hiding place was made visually unique. In all visible tests lemurs were able to find an object that had been in clear view before being hidden. However, when lemurs were not allowed to search for up to 25-s, performance declined with increasing time-delay. Subjects did not outperform chance on any invisible displacements regardless of whether hiding places were visually uniform or unique, therefore the upper limit of object permanence observed was Stage 5b. Lemur species in this study eat stationary foods and are not subject to stalking predators, thus Stage 5 object permanence is probably sufficient to solve most problems encountered in the wild.

Determinate primary root growth as an adaptation to aridity in Cactaceae: towards an understanding of the evolution and genetic control of the trait.

PubMed

Shishkova, Svetlana; Las Peñas, María Laura; Napsucialy-Mendivil, Selene; Matvienko, Marta; Kozik, Alex; Montiel, Jesús; Patiño, Anallely; Dubrovsky, Joseph G

2013-07-01

Species of Cactaceae are well adapted to arid habitats. Determinate growth of the primary root, which involves early and complete root apical meristem (RAM) exhaustion and differentiation of cells at the root tip, has been reported for some Cactoideae species as a root adaptation to aridity. In this study, the primary root growth patterns of Cactaceae taxa from diverse habitats are classified as being determinate or indeterminate, and the molecular mechanisms underlying RAM maintenance in Cactaceae are explored. Genes that were induced in the primary root of Stenocereus gummosus before RAM exhaustion are identified. Primary root growth was analysed in Cactaceae seedlings cultivated in vertically oriented Petri dishes. Differentially expressed transcripts were identified after reverse northern blots of clones from a suppression subtractive hybridization cDNA library. All species analysed from six tribes of the Cactoideae subfamily that inhabit arid and semi-arid regions exhibited determinate primary root growth. However, species from the Hylocereeae tribe, which inhabit mesic regions, exhibited mostly indeterminate primary root growth. Preliminary results suggest that seedlings of members of the Opuntioideae subfamily have mostly determinate primary root growth, whereas those of the Maihuenioideae and Pereskioideae subfamilies have mostly indeterminate primary root growth. Seven selected transcripts encoding homologues of heat stress transcription factor B4, histone deacetylase, fibrillarin, phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase, cytochrome P450 and gibberellin-regulated protein were upregulated in S. gummosus root tips during the initial growth phase. Primary root growth in Cactoideae species matches their environment. The data imply that determinate growth of the primary root became fixed after separation of the Cactiodeae/Opuntioideae and Maihuenioideae/Pereskioideae lineages, and that the genetic regulation of RAM maintenance and its loss in Cactaceae is orchestrated by genes involved in the regulation of gene expression, signalling, and redox and hormonal responses.

Geographic identification of Boletus mushrooms by data fusion of FT-IR and UV spectroscopies combined with multivariate statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Sen; Li, Tao; Li, JieQing; Liu, HongGao; Wang, YuanZhong

2018-06-01

Boletus griseus and Boletus edulis are two well-known wild-grown edible mushrooms which have high nutrition, delicious flavor and high economic value distributing in Yunnan Province. In this study, a rapid method using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopies coupled with data fusion was established for the discrimination of Boletus mushrooms from seven different geographical origins with pattern recognition method. Initially, the spectra of 332 mushroom samples obtained from the two spectroscopic techniques were analyzed individually and then the classification performance based on data fusion strategy was investigated. Meanwhile, the latent variables (LVs) of FT-IR and UV spectra were extracted by partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and two datasets were concatenated into a new matrix for data fusion. Then, the fusion matrix was further analyzed by support vector machine (SVM). Compared with single spectroscopic technique, data fusion strategy can improve the classification performance effectively. In particular, the accuracy of correct classification of SVM model in training and test sets were 99.10% and 100.00%, respectively. The results demonstrated that data fusion of FT-IR and UV spectra can provide higher synergic effect for the discrimination of different geographical origins of Boletus mushrooms, which may be benefit for further authentication and quality assessment of edible mushrooms.

Spatial variation of deep diving odontocetes' occurrence around a canyon region in the Ligurian Sea as measured with acoustic techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giorli, Giacomo; Neuheimer, Anna; Au, Whitlow

2016-10-01

Understanding the distribution of animals is of paramount importance for management and conservation, especially for species that are impacted by anthropogenic threats. In the case of marine mammals there has been a growing concern about the impact of human-made noise, in particular for beaked whales and other deep diving odontocetes. Foraging (measured via echolocation clicks at depth) was studied for Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) and Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) using three passive acoustics recorders moored to the bottom of the ocean in a canyon area in the Ligurian Sea between July and December 2011. A Generalized Linear Model was used to test whether foraging was influenced by location and day of the year, including the possibility of interactions between predictors. Contrary to previous studies conducted by visual surveys in this area, all species were detected at all locations, suggesting habitat overlapping. However, significant differences were found in the occurrence of each species at different locations. Beaked and sperm whales foraged significantly more in the northern and western locations, while long-finned pilot whales and Risso's dolphins hunted more in the northern and eastern location.

Biosynthetic Potential-Based Strain Prioritization for Natural Product Discovery: A Showcase for Diterpenoid-Producing Actinomycetes

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Natural products remain the best sources of drugs and drug leads and serve as outstanding small-molecule probes to dissect fundamental biological processes. A great challenge for the natural product community is to discover novel natural products efficiently and cost effectively. Here we report the development of a practical method to survey biosynthetic potential in microorganisms, thereby identifying the most promising strains and prioritizing them for natural product discovery. Central to our approach is the innovative preparation, by a two-tiered PCR method, of a pool of pathway-specific probes, thereby allowing the survey of all variants of the biosynthetic machineries for the targeted class of natural products. The utility of the method was demonstrated by surveying 100 strains, randomly selected from our actinomycete collection, for their biosynthetic potential of four classes of natural products, aromatic polyketides, reduced polyketides, nonribosomal peptides, and diterpenoids, identifying 16 talented strains. One of the talented strains, Streptomyces griseus CB00830, was finally chosen to showcase the discovery of the targeted classes of natural products, resulting in the isolation of three diterpenoids, six nonribosomal peptides and related metabolites, and three polyketides. Variations of this method should be applicable to the discovery of other classes of natural products. PMID:24484381

Combinación de Valores de Longitud del Día (LOD) según ventanas de frecuencia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, L. I.; Arias, E. F.; Gambis, D.

El concepto de solución combinada se sustenta en el hecho de que las diferentes series temporales de datos derivadas a partir de distintas técnicas de la Geodesia Espacial son muy disimiles entre si. Las principales diferencias, fácilmente detectables, entre las distintas series son: diferente intervalo de muestreo, extensión temporal y calidad. Los datos cubren un período reciente de 27 meses (julio 96-oct. 98). Se utilizaron estimaciones de la longitud del día (LOD) originadas en 10 centros operativos del IERS (International Earth Rotation Service) a partir de las técnicas GPS (Global Positioning System) y SLR (Satellite Laser Ranging). La serie temporal combinada así obtenida se comparó con la solución EOP (Parámetros de la Orientación Terrestre) combinada multi-técnica derivada por el IERS (C04). El comportamiento del ruido en LOD para todas las técnicas mostró ser dependiente de la frecuencia (Vondrak, 1998). Por esto, las series dato se dividieron en ventanas de frecuencia, luego de haberles removido bies y tendencias. Luego, se asignaron diferentes factores de peso a cada ventana discriminando por técnicas. Finalmente estas soluciones parcialmente combinadas se mezclaron para obtener la solución combinada final. Sabemos que la mejor solución combinada tendrá una precisión menor que la precisión de las series temporales de datos que la originaron. Aun así, la importancia de una serie combinada confiable de EOP, esto es, de una precisión aceptable y libre de sistematismos evidentes, radica en la necesidad de una base de datos EOP de referencia para el estudio de fenómenos geofísicos que motivan variaciones en la rotación terrestre.

Probabilistic seismic hazard assessments of Sabah, east Malaysia: accounting for local earthquake activity near Ranau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalil, Amin E.; Abir, Ismail A.; Ginsos, Hanteh; Abdel Hafiez, Hesham E.; Khan, Sohail

2018-02-01

Sabah state in eastern Malaysia, unlike most of the other Malaysian states, is characterized by common seismological activity; generally an earthquake of moderate magnitude is experienced at an interval of roughly every 20 years, originating mainly from two major sources, either a local source (e.g. Ranau and Lahad Dato) or a regional source (e.g. Kalimantan and South Philippines subductions). The seismicity map of Sabah shows the presence of two zones of distinctive seismicity, these zones are near Ranau (near Kota Kinabalu) and Lahad Datu in the southeast of Sabah. The seismicity record of Ranau begins in 1991, according to the international seismicity bulletins (e.g. United States Geological Survey and the International Seismological Center), and this short record is not sufficient for seismic source characterization. Fortunately, active Quaternary fault systems are delineated in the area. Henceforth, the seismicity of the area is thus determined as line sources referring to these faults. Two main fault systems are believed to be the source of such activities; namely, the Mensaban fault zone and the Crocker fault zone in addition to some other faults in their vicinity. Seismic hazard assessments became a very important and needed study for the extensive developing projects in Sabah especially with the presence of earthquake activities. Probabilistic seismic hazard assessments are adopted for the present work since it can provide the probability of various ground motion levels during expected from future large earthquakes. The output results are presented in terms of spectral acceleration curves and uniform hazard curves for periods of 500, 1000 and 2500 years. Since this is the first time that a complete hazard study has been done for the area, the output will be a base and standard for any future strategic plans in the area.

Differentiations of Chitin Content and Surface Morphologies of Chitins Extracted from Male and Female Grasshopper Species

PubMed Central

Kaya, Murat; Lelešius, Evaldas; Nagrockaitė, Radvilė; Sargin, Idris; Arslan, Gulsin; Mol, Abbas; Baran, Talat; Can, Esra; Bitim, Betul

2015-01-01

In this study, we used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis (EA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate chitin structure isolated from both sexes of four grasshopper species. FT-IR, EA, XRD, and TGA showed that the chitin was in the alpha form. With respect to gender, two main differences were observed. First, we observed that the quantity of chitin was greater in males than in females and the dry weight of chitin between species ranged from 4.71% to 11.84%. Second, using SEM, we observed that the male chitin surface structure contained 25 – 90nm wide nanofibers and 90 – 250 nm nanopores, while no pores or nanofibers were observed in the chitin surface structure of the majority of females (nanofibers were observed only in M. desertus females). In contrast, the elemental analysis, thermal properties, and crystalline index values for chitin were similar in males and females. Also, we carried out enzymatic digestion of the isolated chitins using commercial chitinase from Streptomyces griseus. We observed that there were no big differences in digestion rate of the chitins from both sexes and commercial chitin. The digestion rates were for grasshoppers’ chitins; 88.45–95.48% and for commercial chitin; 94.95%. PMID:25635814

Two clusters of ciguatera fish poisoning in Paris, France, related to tropical fish imported from the French Caribbean by travelers.

PubMed

Epelboin, Loïc; Pérignon, Alice; Hossen, Virginie; Vincent, Renaud; Krys, Sophie; Caumes, Eric

2014-01-01

Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is a food-borne illness due to the consumption of reef fish containing pathogenic toxins. CFP is endemic to tropical areas and may be described in travelers in non-endemic areas. We describe two clusters of autochthonous cases of CFP in Paris, France. They were related to two fish caught in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) and consumed in Paris after being air-transported in a cooler. In both cases, fish flesh was analyzed and the presence of ciguatoxins by mouse bioassay (MBA) was confirmed. The first cluster involved eight individuals among whom five presented gastrointestinal symptoms and four presented neurological symptoms after consuming barracuda flesh (Sphyraena barracuda). The second cluster involved a couple who consumed a grey snapper (Lutjanus griseus). Most of them consulted at different emergency departments in the region of Paris. CFP may be seen in non-traveler patients outside endemic countries resulting from imported species of fish. Thus, CFP may be undiagnosed as physicians are not aware of this tropical disease outside endemic countries. The detection of ciguatoxins by MBA in the French National Reference Laboratory is useful in the confirmation of the diagnosis. © 2014 International Society of Travel Medicine.

Metazoan parasites from odontocetes off New Zealand: new records.

PubMed

Lehnert, Kristina; Randhawa, Haseeb; Poulin, Robert

2017-10-01

Information about the parasite fauna of spectacled porpoises and cetaceans from New Zealand waters in general is scarce. This study takes advantage of material archived in collections of the Otago Museum in Dunedin and Massey University in Auckland, sampled from cetacean species found stranded along the New Zealand coastline between 2007 and 2014. Parasites from seven species of cetaceans (spectacled porpoise, Phocoena dioptrica (n = 2 individuals examined); pygmy sperm whale (n = 1); long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas (n = 1); Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus (n = 1); short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis (n = 7); striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba (n = 3) and dusky dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus (n = 2)) from the respiratory and gastro-intestinal tract, cranial sinus, liver, urogenital and mammary tract, fascia and blubber were investigated. Ten parasite species were identified, belonging to the Nematoda (Stenurus minor, Stenurus globicephalae, Halocercus sp. (Pseudaliidae), Anisakis sp. (Anisakidae), Crassicauda sp. (Crassicaudidae)), Cestoda (Phyllobothrium delphini and Monorygma grimaldii (Phyllobothriidae)), Trematoda (Brachicladium palliata and Brachicladium delphini (Brachicladiidae)) and Crustacea (Scutocyamus antipodensis (Cyamidae)). Some of the parasite species encountered comprises new records for their host. Although the material was not sampled within a systematic parasitological survey, the findings contain valuable new information about the parasite fauna of rare, vagile and vulnerable marine wildlife from a remote oceanic environment.

Protocotyle euzetmaillardi n. sp. (Monogenea: Hexabothriidae) from the bigeye sixgill shark Hexanchus nakamurai Teng (Elasmobranchii: Hexanchidae) off New Caledonia.

PubMed

Justine, Jean-Lou

2011-01-01

Protocotyle euzetmaillardi n. sp. is described from the gills of the sixgill shark Hexanchus nakamurai Teng caught in deep-sea off New Caledonia, South Pacific. The new species is compared with the two other species of the genus (both from the only other species in this shark genus, H. griseus (Bonn.)), namely P. grisea (Cerfontaine, 1899) Euzet & Maillard, 1974, redescribed from vouchers, and P. taschenbergi (Maillard & Oliver, 1966) Euzet & Maillard, 1974, redescribed from its type-specimens. The anatomy of the reproductive system is detailed; all three species have a characteristic oötype with longitudinal cells ('ootype côtelé' of Euzet & Maillard). The following unique combination of characters differentiates the new species from its two congeners: posterior lobe of seminal vesicle absent, diverticulum of oviduct present and small body size. Furthermore, its tubular ovary does not include a region with sperm, which is present in both of the other species, and its eggs have only one filament, whereas eggs in the uterus have one or two filaments in P. grisea and one filament in P. taschenbergi. The latter features differ from existing diagnoses of Protocotyle, in which eggs with two filaments and the presence of a tubular ovary dilated with sperm are key characteristics.

Comparative histological study of the mammalian facial nucleus.

PubMed

Furutani, Rui; Sugita, Shoei

2008-04-01

We performed comparative Nissl, Klüver-Barrera and Golgi staining studies of the mammalian facial nucleus to classify the morphologically distinct subdivisions and the neuronal types in the rat, rabbit, ferret, Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata), pig, horse, Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The medial subnucleus was observed in all examined species; however, that of the Risso's and bottlenose dolphins was a poorly-developed structure comprised of scattered neurons. The medial subnuclei of terrestrial mammals were well-developed cytoarchitectonic structures, usually a rounded column comprised of densely clustered neurons. Intermediate and lateral subnuclei were found in all studied mammals, with differences in columnar shape and neuronal types from species to species. The dorsolateral subnucleus was detected in all mammals but the Japanese monkey, whose facial neurons converged into the intermediate subnucleus. The dorsolateral subnuclei of the two dolphin species studied were expanded subdivisions comprised of densely clustered cells. The ventromedial subnuclei of the ferret, pig, and horse were richly-developed columns comprised of large multipolar neurons. Pig and horse facial nuclei contained another ventral cluster, the ventrolateral subnucleus. The facial nuclei of the Japanese monkey and the bottlenose dolphin were similar in their ventral subnuclear organization. Our findings show species-specific subnuclear organization and distribution patterns of distinct types of neurons within morphological discrete subdivisions, reflecting functional differences.

Statistical power to detect change in a mangrove shoreline fish community adjacent to a nuclear power plant.

PubMed

Dolan, T E; Lynch, P D; Karazsia, J L; Serafy, J E

2016-03-01

An expansion is underway of a nuclear power plant on the shoreline of Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA. While the precise effects of its construction and operation are unknown, impacts on surrounding marine habitats and biota are considered by experts to be likely. The objective of the present study was to determine the adequacy of an ongoing monitoring survey of fish communities associated with mangrove habitats directly adjacent to the power plant to detect fish community changes, should they occur, at three spatial scales. Using seasonally resolved data recorded during 532 fish surveys over an 8-year period, power analyses were performed for four mangrove fish metrics (fish diversity, fish density, and the occurrence of two ecologically important fish species: gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) and goldspotted killifish (Floridichthys carpio). Results indicated that the monitoring program at current sampling intensity allows for detection of <33% changes in fish density and diversity metrics in both the wet and the dry season in the two larger study areas. Sampling effort was found to be insufficient in either season to detect changes at this level (<33%) in species-specific occurrence metrics for the two fish species examined. The option of supplementing ongoing, biological monitoring programs for improved, focused change detection deserves consideration from both ecological and cost-benefit perspectives.

Preliminary Observations of Population Genetics and Relatedness of the Broadnose Sevengill Shark, Notorynchus cepedianus, in Two Northeast Pacific Estuaries

PubMed Central

Larson, Shawn; Farrer, Debbie; Lowry, Dayv; Ebert, David A.

2015-01-01

The broadnose sevengill shark, Notorynchus cepedianus, a common coastal species in the eastern North Pacific, was sampled during routine capture and tagging operations conducted from 2005–2012. One hundred and thirty three biopsy samples were taken during these research operations in Willapa Bay, Washington and in San Francisco Bay, California. Genotypic data from seven polymorphic microsatellites (derived from the related sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus) were used to describe N. cepedianus genetic diversity, population structure and relatedness. Diversity within N. cepedianus was found to be low to moderate with an average observed heterozygosity of 0.41, expected heterozygosity of 0.53, and an average of 5.1 alleles per microsatellite locus. There was no evidence of a recent population bottleneck based on genetic data. Analyses of genetic differences between the two sampled estuaries suggest two distinct populations with some genetic mixing of sharks sampled during 2005–2006. Relatedness within sampled populations was high, with percent relatedness among sharks caught in the same area indicating 42.30% first-order relative relationships (full or half siblings). Estuary-specific familial relationships suggest that management of N. cepedianus on the U.S. West Coast should incorporate stock-specific management goals to conserve this ecologically important predator. PMID:26052706

Shark Interactions With Directed and Incidental Fisheries in the Northeast Pacific Ocean: Historic and Current Encounters, and Challenges for Shark Conservation.

PubMed

King, Jackie; McFarlane, Gordon A; Gertseva, Vladlena; Gasper, Jason; Matson, Sean; Tribuzio, Cindy A

For over 100 years, sharks have been encountered, as either directed catch or incidental catch, in commercial fisheries throughout the Northeast Pacific Ocean. A long-standing directed fishery for North Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi) has occurred and dominated shark landings and discards. Other fisheries, mainly for shark livers, have historically targeted species including Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus) and Tope Shark (Galeorhinus galeus). While incidental catches of numerous species have occurred historically, only recently have these encounters been reliably enumerated in commercial and recreational fisheries. In this chapter we present shark catch statistics (directed and incidental) for commercial and recreational fisheries from Canadian waters (off British Columbia), southern US waters (off California, Oregon, and Washington), and northern US waters (off Alaska). In total, 17 species of sharks have collectively been encountered in these waters. Fishery encounters present conservation challenges for shark management, namely, the need for accurate catch statistics, stock delineation, life history parameter estimates, and improved assessments methods for population status and trends. Improvements in management and conservation of shark populations will only come with the further development of sound science-based fishery management practices for both targeted and incidental shark fisheries. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Variation in acoustic behavior of delphinids in the Pacific Ocean based on school size and species composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rankin, Shannon; Barlow, Jay

2005-04-01

Variation in acoustic behavior based on school size and species composition was examined for surveys in the eastern tropical Pacific (2000), along the U.S. West Coast (2001), and in the U.S. EEZ surrounding Hawaii (2002). Sounds were monitored using a towed hydrophone array, and vocal schools were defined as those producing any combination of whistles, burst pulses, and/or echolocation clicks. Delphinid schools containing mixed species were consistently more vocal than single species schools. Vocal schools of Stenella attenuata, S. longirostris, Delphinus delphis, and Lissodelphis borealis were significantly larger than non-vocal schools. Vocal schools of Tursiops truncatus and Grampus griseus were somewhat larger than non-vocal schools, although this relationship was not significant. There was no relationship between group size and vocal activity for S. coeruleoalba, Steno bredanensis, and Globicephala spp. For species without a strong group size effect, all but T. truncatus were more vocal in the Hawaiian waters. The ability to use acoustic techniques in dolphin population estimation depends on their effectiveness in consistently detecting dolphin schools. This study suggests that small single-species schools of S. attenuata, S. longirostris, D. delphis, and L. borealis are more likely to be missed during acoustic monitoring in these regions.

A chitin-like component in Aedes aegypti eggshells, eggs and ovaries.

PubMed

Moreira, Mônica F; Dos Santos, Amanda S; Marotta, Humberto R; Mansur, Juliana F; Ramos, Isabela B; Machado, Ednildo A; Souza, Gustavo H M F; Eberlin, Marcos N; Kaiser, Carlos R; Kramer, Karl J; Muthukrishnan, Subbaratnam; Vasconcellos, Ana Maria H

2007-12-01

An insoluble white substance was prepared from extracts of eggshells of Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito and dengue vector. Its infrared and proton NMR spectra were similar to that of standard commercial chitin. This putative chitin-like material, also obtained from ovaries, newly laid and dark eggs, was hydrolyzed in acid and a major product was identified by HPLC to be glucosamine. The eggshell acid hydrolysate was also analyzed by ESI-MS and an ion identical to a glucosamine monoprotonated species was detected. The presence of chitin was also analyzed during different developmental stages of the ovary using a fluorescent microscopy technique and probes specific for chitin. The results showed that a chitin-like material accumulates in oocytes during oogenesis. Streptomyces griseus chitinase pre-treatment of oocytes greatly reduced the chitin-derived fluorescence. Chitinase activity was detected in newborn larvae and eggs prior to hatching. Feeding experiments indicated that the chitin synthesis inhibitor lufenuron inhibited chitin synthesis, either when mosquitoes were allowed to feed directly on lufenuron-treated chickens or when an artificial feeding system was used. Lufenuron inhibited egg hatch, larval development and reduced mosquito viability. These data demonstrate for the first time that (1) a chitin-like material is present in A. aegypti eggs, ovaries and eggshells; (2) a chitin synthesis inhibitor can be used to inhibit mosquito oogenesis; and (3) chitin synthesis inhibitors have potential for controlling mosquito populations.

Acoustic effects of the ATOC signal (75 Hz, 195 dB) on dolphins and whales.

PubMed

Au, W W; Nachtigall, P E; Pawloski, J L

1997-05-01

The Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) program of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, will broadcast a low-frequency 75-Hz phase modulated acoustic signal over ocean basins in order to study ocean temperatures on a global scale and examine the effects of global warming. One of the major concerns is the possible effect of the ATOC signal on marine life, especially on dolphins and whales. In order to address this issue, the hearing sensitivity of a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) and a Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) to the ATOC sound was measured behaviorally. A staircase procedure with the signal levels being changed in 1-dB steps was used to measure the animals' threshold to the actual ATOC coded signal. The results indicate that small odontocetes such as the Pseudorca and Grampus swimming directly above the ATOC source will not hear the signal unless they dive to a depth of approximately 400 m. A sound propagation analysis suggests that the sound-pressure level at ranges greater than 0.5 km will be less than 130 dB for depths down to about 500 m. Several species of baleen whales produce sounds much greater than 170-180 dB. With the ATOC source on the axis of the deep sound channel (greater than 800 m), the ATOC signal will probably have minimal physical and physiological effects on cetaceans.

The Rakiura Titi Islands Restoration Project: community action to eradicate Rattus rattus and Rattus exulans for ecological restoration and cultural wellbeing

USGS Publications Warehouse

McClelland, P.J; Coote,; Trow,; Hutchins,; Nevins, HannahRose M.; Adams, Josh; Newman, J.; Moller, H.; Veitch, C.R.; Clout, Mike N.; Towns, D. R.

2011-01-01

In 2003, a non-profit group, Ka Mate Nga Kiore, was set up to oversee the restoration of four Maori-owned islands off the south coast of Stewart Island, New Zealand. The first step in the restoration was to eradicate ship rats (Rattus rattus) from three islands and Pacific rats (R. exulans) from another. The eradication was funded by the Command Oil Spill Trustee Council which managed the mitigation money from an oil spill off the Californian coast in 1998. The funding was coordinated via Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, a non-profit USA group primarily involved in seabird research and restoration. The project was primarily to benefit sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus) and to sustain a culturally important customary harvest of their chicks by Rakiura Maori. However, like all island eradications, a wide range of other species also benefited from the removal of rats. The New Zealand Department of Conservation provided technical advice and assistance for the planning and implementation of the eradication programme. This paper describes how, with appropriate funding, community and technical support, rodent eradications can be achieved on private islands. In this case, a range of institutions and individuals joined to achieve a common goal that highlighted a significant international conservation action. We urge that more international and local-community-led restoration projects be initiated in the future.

Biosynthesis of optically pure chiral alcohols by a substrate coupled and biphasic system with a short-chain dehydrogenase from Streptomyces griseus.

PubMed

Tan, Zhuotao; Ma, Hongmin; Li, Qing; Pu, Lingling; Cao, Yang; Qu, Xudong; Zhu, Chenjie; Ying, Hanjie

2016-11-01

The increasing demand for biocatalysts in synthesizing enantiomerically pure chiral alcohols results from the outstanding characteristics of enzymes in reaction, economic, ecological issues. Many carbonyl reductases for producing chiral alcohols have been reported but there is still a lack of good catalytic efficacies. Herein, five carbonyl reductases from different Streptomyces were discovered by the strategy of genome mining. These reductases were overexpressed, and we chose SgCR for further study as it owned better enzyme activity. This protein was purified to apparent homogeneity, and its amino acid sequence was analyzed in comparison with that of the reported SDRs. The biocatalytic properties of SgCR were investigated, and this enzyme was confirmed to have the ability to convert various prochiral ketones into highly optically active alcohols. SgCR exhibited the highest activity towards ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate (COBE) and the corresponding product ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate ((S)-CHBE) was obtained with high yield and excellent e.e. value by optimizing the biphasic system. Eventually, using isopropanol as the co-substrate for NADH recycling in the substrate-coupled reaction, the yield and enantioselectivity of (S)-CHBE were obtained at the values of 90% and 99%, respectively. These results indicate that SgCR is a promising boicatalyst for the synthesis of chiral alcohols in industry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adrenocortical responses to offspring-directed threats in two open-nesting birds.

PubMed

Butler, Luke K; Bisson, Isabelle-Anne; Hayden, Timothy J; Wikelski, Martin; Romero, L Michael

2009-07-01

Dependent young are often easy targets for predators, so for many parent vertebrates, responding to offspring-directed threats is a fundamental part of reproduction. We tested the parental adrenocortical response of the endangered black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla) and the common white-eyed vireo (V. griseus) to acute and chronic threats to their offspring. Like many open-nesting birds, our study species experience high offspring mortality. Parents responded behaviorally to a predator decoy or human 1-2m from their nests, but, in contrast to similar studies of cavity-nesting birds, neither these acute threats nor chronic offspring-directed threats altered plasma corticosterone concentrations of parents. Although parents in this study showed no corticosterone response to offspring-directed threats, they always increased corticosterone concentrations in response to capture. To explain these results, we propose that parents perceive their risk of nest-associated death differently depending on nest type, with cavity-nesting adults perceiving greater risk to themselves than open-nesters that can readily detect and escape from offspring-directed threats. Our results agree with previous studies suggesting that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a major physiological mechanism for coping with threats to survival, probably plays no role in coping with threats to offspring when risks to parents and offspring are not correlated. We extend that paradigm by demonstrating that nest style may influence how adults perceive the correlation between offspring-directed and self-directed threats.

Building hierarchical models of avian distributions for the State of Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howell, J.E.; Peterson, J.T.; Conroy, M.J.

2008-01-01

To predict the distributions of breeding birds in the state of Georgia, USA, we built hierarchical models consisting of 4 levels of nested mapping units of decreasing area: 90,000 ha, 3,600 ha, 144 ha, and 5.76 ha. We used the Partners in Flight database of point counts to generate presence and absence data at locations across the state of Georgia for 9 avian species: Acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens), brownheaded nuthatch (Sitta pusilla), Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), prairie warbler (Dendroica discolor), yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyxus americanus), white-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus), and wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). At each location, we estimated hierarchical-level-specific habitat measurements using the Georgia GAP Analysis18 class land cover and other Geographic Information System sources. We created candidate, species-specific occupancy models based on previously reported relationships, and fit these using Markov chain Monte Carlo procedures implemented in OpenBugs. We then created a confidence model set for each species based on Akaike's Information Criterion. We found hierarchical habitat relationships for all species. Three-fold cross-validation estimates of model accuracy indicated an average overall correct classification rate of 60.5%. Comparisons with existing Georgia GAP Analysis models indicated that our models were more accurate overall. Our results provide guidance to wildlife scientists and managers seeking predict avian occurrence as a function of local and landscape-level habitat attributes.

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

Qasim, Mohammad A., E-mail: qasimm@ipfw.edu; Song, Jikui; Markley, John L.

Research highlights: {yields} Large pK shifts in ionizable groups when buried in the protein interior. {yields} Substrate dependent shifts in pH optimum for serine proteases. {yields} Lys side chain is a stronger acid in serine protease S{sub 1} pocket than Asp side chain. -- Abstract: Enzymatic hydrolysis of the synthetic substrate succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Xxx-pNA (where Xxx = Leu, Asp or Lys) catalyzed by bovine chymotrypsin (CHYM) or Streptomyces griseus protease B (SGPB) has been studied at different pH values in the pH range 3-11. The pH optima for substrates having Leu, Asp, and Lys have been found to be 7.5-8.0, 5.5-6.0, andmore » {approx}10, respectively. At the normally reported pH optimum (pH 7-8) of CHYM and SGPB, the substrate with Leu at the reactive site is more than 25,000-fold more reactive than that with Asp. However, when fully protonated, Asp is nearly as good a substrate as Leu. The pK values of the side chains of Asp and Lys in the hydrophobic S{sub 1} pocket of CHYM and SGPB have been calculated from pH-dependent hydrolysis data and have been found to be about 9 for Asp and 7.4 and 9.7 for Lys for CHYM and SGPB, respectively. The results presented in this communication suggest a possible application of CHYM like enzymes in cleaving peptide bonds contributed by acidic amino acids between pH 5 and 6.« less

The genus Apodrosus Marshall, 1922 in Cuba (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae, Polydrusini)

PubMed Central

Anderson, Robert S.; Zhang, Guanyang

2017-01-01

Abstract The genus Apodrosus Marshall is newly recorded for, and revised for Cuba. Nine new species are recognized as follows: Apodrosus alberti (type locality, Granma, Parque Nacional Pico Turquino), A. alternatus (type locality, Guantánamo, El Yunque), A. franklyni (type locality, Cienfuegos, Parque Nacional Pico San Juan), A. griseus (type locality, Santiago de Cuba, Siboney-Jutici Ecological Reserve), A. mensurensis (type locality, Holguin, Parque Nacional La Mensura-Piloto), A. pseudoalternatus (type locality, Matanzas, Varahicacos), A. beckeli (type locality, Guantánamo, 8 km W. Imias), A. sandersoni (type locality, Guantánamo, Loma Lafarola), and A. zayasi (type locality, Cienfuegos, Parque Nacional Pico San Juan). A key for their identification, descriptions, summaries of natural history information and data on distributions are presented. A molecular phylogeny based on 11 species of Apodrosus from Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico is reconstructed. A sister group relationship between Polydrusus and Apodrosus is recovered with a limited sampling of the former genus. The monophyly of Apodrosus is recovered with strong support. Cuban Apodrosus are not monophyletic. Five of the six sampled Cuban species form a clade, sister to an undescribed Apodrosus species from the Dominican Republic; and, Apodrosus alternatus is sister to A. quisqueyanus Girón & Franz, 2010, a species from the Dominican Republic. Biogeographic implications for Cuban species are discussed in light of the phylogeny. PMID:28769710

Evaluation of antagonistic and plant growth promoting activities of chitinolytic endophytic actinomycetes associated with medicinal plants against Sclerotium rolfsii in chickpea.

PubMed

Singh, S P; Gaur, R

2016-08-01

To evaluate the potential of chitinolytic endophytic Actinomycetes isolated from medicinal plants in order to diminish the collar rot infestation induced by Sclerotium rolfsii in chickpea. Sixty-eight chitinolytic endophytic Actinomycetes were recovered from various medicinal plants and evaluated for their chitinase activity. Among these isolates, 12 were screened for their plant growth promoting abilities and antagonistic potential against Sc. rolfsii. Further, these isolates were validated in vivo for their ability to protect chickpea against Sc. rolfsii infestation under greenhouse conditions. The isolates significantly (P < 0·05) increased the biomass (1·2-2·0 fold) and reduced plant mortality (42-75%) of chickpea. On the basis of 16S rDNA profiling, the selected antagonistic strains were identified as Streptomyces diastaticus, Streptomyces fradiae, Streptomyces olivochromogenes, Streptomyces collinus, Streptomyces ossamyceticus and Streptomyces griseus. This study is the first report of the isolation of endophytic Actinomycetes from various medicinal plants having antagonistic and plant growth promoting abilities. The isolated species showed potential for controlling collar rot disease on chickpea and could be useful in integrated control against diverse soil borne plant pathogens. Our investigation suggests that endophytic Actinomycetes associated with medicinal plants can be used as bioinoculants for developing safe, efficacious and environment-friendly biocontrol strategies in the near future. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Geographic identification of Boletus mushrooms by data fusion of FT-IR and UV spectroscopies combined with multivariate statistical analysis.

PubMed

Yao, Sen; Li, Tao; Li, JieQing; Liu, HongGao; Wang, YuanZhong

2018-06-05

Boletus griseus and Boletus edulis are two well-known wild-grown edible mushrooms which have high nutrition, delicious flavor and high economic value distributing in Yunnan Province. In this study, a rapid method using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopies coupled with data fusion was established for the discrimination of Boletus mushrooms from seven different geographical origins with pattern recognition method. Initially, the spectra of 332 mushroom samples obtained from the two spectroscopic techniques were analyzed individually and then the classification performance based on data fusion strategy was investigated. Meanwhile, the latent variables (LVs) of FT-IR and UV spectra were extracted by partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and two datasets were concatenated into a new matrix for data fusion. Then, the fusion matrix was further analyzed by support vector machine (SVM). Compared with single spectroscopic technique, data fusion strategy can improve the classification performance effectively. In particular, the accuracy of correct classification of SVM model in training and test sets were 99.10% and 100.00%, respectively. The results demonstrated that data fusion of FT-IR and UV spectra can provide higher synergic effect for the discrimination of different geographical origins of Boletus mushrooms, which may be benefit for further authentication and quality assessment of edible mushrooms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel and highly sensitive sybr® green real-time pcr for poxvirus detection in odontocete cetaceans.

PubMed

Sacristán, Carlos; Luiz Catão-Dias, José; Ewbank, Ana Carolina; Machado, Eduardo Ferreira; Neves, Elena; Santos-Neto, Elitieri Batista; Azevedo, Alexandre; Laison-Brito, José; De Castilho, Pedro Volkmer; Daura-Jorge, Fábio Gonçalves; Simões-Lopes, Paulo César; Carballo, Matilde; García-Párraga, Daniel; Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno, José; Esperón, Fernando

2018-06-08

Poxviruses are emerging pathogens in cetaceans, temporarily named 'Cetaceanpoxvirus' (CePV, family Poxviridae), classified into two main lineages: CePV-1 in odontocetes and CePV-2 in mysticetes. Only a few studies performed the molecular detection of CePVs, based on DNA-polymerase gene and/or DNA-topoisomerase I gene amplification. Herein we describe a new real-time PCR assay based on SYBR ® Green and a new primer set to detect a 150 bp fragment of CePV DNA-polymerase gene, also effective for conventional PCR detection. The novel real-time PCR was able to detect 5 up to 5 × 10 6 copies per reaction of a cloned positive control. Both novel PCR methods were 1000 to 100,000-fold more sensitive than those previously described in the literature. Samples of characteristic poxvirus skin lesions ('tattoo') from one Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), two striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and two Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) were all positive to both our novel real time- and conventional PCR methods, even though three of these animals (a Risso's dolphin, a striped dolphin, and a Guiana dolphin) were previously negative to the conventional PCRs previously available. To our knowledge, this is the first real-time PCR detection method for Cetaceanpoxvirus, a much more sensitive tool for the detection of CePV-1 infections. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inter-habitat variation in density and size composition of reef fishes from the Cuban Northwestern shelf.

PubMed

Aguilar, Consuelo; González-Sansón, Gaspar; Cabrera, Yureidy; Ruiz, Alexei; Curry, R Allen

2014-06-01

Movement and exchange of individuals among habitats is critical for the dynamics and success of reef fish populations. Size segregation among habitats could be taken as evidence for habitat connectivity, and this would be a first step to formulate hypotheses about ontogenetic inter-habitat migrations. The primary goal of our research was to find evidence of inter-habitat differences in size distributions and density of reef fish species that can be classified a priori as habitat-shifters in an extensive (-600km2) Caribbean shelf area in NW Cuba. We sampled the fish assemblage of selected species using visual census (stationary and transect methods) in 20 stations (sites) located in mangrove roots, patch reefs, inner zone of the crest and fore reef (12-16m depth). In each site, we performed ten censuses for every habitat type in June and September 2009. A total of 11 507 individuals of 34 species were counted in a total of 400 censuses. We found significant differences in densities and size compositions among reef and mangrove habitats, supporting the species-specific use of coastal habitats. Adults were found in all habitats. Reef habitats, mainly patch reefs, seem to be most important for juvenile fish of most species. Mangroves were especially important for two species of snappers (Lutjanus apodus and L. griseus), providing habitat for juveniles. These species also displayed well defined gradients in length composition across the shelf.

Low-molecular-weight thiols in streptomycetes and their potential role as antioxidants.

PubMed Central

Newton, G L; Fahey, R C; Cohen, G; Aharonowitz, Y

1993-01-01

The intracellular low-molecular-weight thiols present in five gram-positive Streptomyces species and one Flavobacterium species were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography after fluorescence labeling with monobromobimane. Bacteria were chosen to include penicillin and cephalosporin beta-lactam producers and nonproducers. No significant amount of glutathione was found in any of the streptomycetes. Major intracellular thiols in all strains examined were cysteine, coenzyme A, sulfide, thiosulfate, and an unknown thiol designated U17. Those streptomycetes that make beta-lactam antibiotics also produce significant amounts of delta-(L-alpha-aminoadipyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (ACV), a key intermediate in their biosynthesis. In Streptomyces clavuligerus, a potent producer of beta-lactams, the level of ACV was low during the early phase of growth and increased rapidly toward the end of exponential growth, paralleling that of antibiotic production. These and other observations indicate that ACV does not function as a protective thiol in streptomycetes. U17 may have this role since it was the major thiol in all streptomycetes and appeared to occur at levels about 10-fold higher than those of the other thiols measured, including ACV. Purification and amino acid analysis of U17 indicated that it contains cysteine and an unusual amine that is not one of the common amino acids. This thiol is identical to an unknown thiol found previously in Micrococcus roseus and Streptomyces griseus. A high level of ergothioneine was found in Streptomyces lactamdurans, and several unidentified thiols were detected in this and other streptomycetes. PMID:8478335

Nitrogen fractionation of certain conventional- and lesser-known by-products for ruminants.

PubMed

Mahesh, M S; Thakur, Sudarshan S; Kumar, Rohit; Malik, Tariq A; Gami, Rajkumar

2017-06-01

Dietary proteins for ruminants are fractionated according to solubility, degradability and digestibility. In the present experiment, 11 vegetable protein meals and cakes used in ruminant nutrition were included with a main focus on determining various nitrogen (N) fractions in vitro . Total N (N × 6.25) content varied from 22.98% (mahua cake) to 65.16% (maize gluten meal), respectively. Guar meal korma contained the lowest and rice gluten meal had the highest acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN; N × 6.25). Borate-phosphate insoluble N (BIN, N × 6.25) and Streptomyces griseus protease insoluble N (PIN; N × 6.25) were higher ( P  < 0.01) in maize gluten meal than in other feeds, whereas groundnut cake and sunflower cake had lower ( P  < 0.01) BIN, and PIN, respectively. Available N, calculated with the assumption that ADIN is indigestible, was maximum in guar meal korma and minimum in rice gluten meal. Furthermore, rapid and slowly degradable N (N × 6.25) was found to be higher ( P  < 0.01) in groundnut cake and coconut cake, respectively. Intestinal digestion of rumen undegradable protein, expressed as percent of PIN, was maximum in guar meal korma and minimum in rice gluten meal. It was concluded that vegetable protein meals differed considerably in N fractions, and therefore, a selective inclusion of particular ingredient is needed to achieve desired level of N fractions to aid precision N rationing for an improved production performance of ruminants.

Laminar and cytoarchitectonic features of the cerebral cortex in the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

PubMed

Furutani, Rui

2008-09-01

The present investigation carried out Nissl, Klüver-Barrera, and Golgi studies of the cerebral cortex in three distinct genera of oceanic dolphins (Risso's dolphin, striped dolphin and bottlenose dolphin) to identify and classify cortical laminar and cytoarchitectonic structures in four distinct functional areas, including primary motor (M1), primary sensory (S1), primary visual (V1), and primary auditory (A1) cortices. The laminar and cytoarchitectonic organization of each of these cortical areas was similar among the three dolphin species. M1 was visualized as five-layer structure that included the molecular layer (layer I), external granular layer (layer II), external pyramidal layer (layer III), internal pyramidal layer (layer V), and fusiform layer (layer VI). The internal granular layer was absent. The cetacean sensory-related cortical areas S1, V1, and A1 were also found to have a five-layer organization comprising layers I, II, III, V and VI. In particular, A1 was characterized by the broadest layer I, layer II and developed band of pyramidal neurons in layers III (sublayers IIIa, IIIb and IIIc) and V. The patch organization consisting of the layer IIIb-pyramidal neurons was detected in the S1 and V1, but not in A1. The laminar patterns of V1 and S1 were similar, but the cytoarchitectonic structures of the two areas were different. V1 was characterized by a broader layer II than that of S1, and also contained the specialized pyramidal and multipolar stellate neurons in layers III and V.

Determinate primary root growth as an adaptation to aridity in Cactaceae: towards an understanding of the evolution and genetic control of the trait

PubMed Central

Shishkova, Svetlana; Las Peñas, María Laura; Napsucialy-Mendivil, Selene; Matvienko, Marta; Kozik, Alex; Montiel, Jesús; Patiño, Anallely; Dubrovsky, Joseph G.

2013-01-01

Background and Aims Species of Cactaceae are well adapted to arid habitats. Determinate growth of the primary root, which involves early and complete root apical meristem (RAM) exhaustion and differentiation of cells at the root tip, has been reported for some Cactoideae species as a root adaptation to aridity. In this study, the primary root growth patterns of Cactaceae taxa from diverse habitats are classified as being determinate or indeterminate, and the molecular mechanisms underlying RAM maintenance in Cactaceae are explored. Genes that were induced in the primary root of Stenocereus gummosus before RAM exhaustion are identified. Methods Primary root growth was analysed in Cactaceae seedlings cultivated in vertically oriented Petri dishes. Differentially expressed transcripts were identified after reverse northern blots of clones from a suppression subtractive hybridization cDNA library. Key Results All species analysed from six tribes of the Cactoideae subfamily that inhabit arid and semi-arid regions exhibited determinate primary root growth. However, species from the Hylocereeae tribe, which inhabit mesic regions, exhibited mostly indeterminate primary root growth. Preliminary results suggest that seedlings of members of the Opuntioideae subfamily have mostly determinate primary root growth, whereas those of the Maihuenioideae and Pereskioideae subfamilies have mostly indeterminate primary root growth. Seven selected transcripts encoding homologues of heat stress transcription factor B4, histone deacetylase, fibrillarin, phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase, cytochrome P450 and gibberellin-regulated protein were upregulated in S. gummosus root tips during the initial growth phase. Conclusions Primary root growth in Cactoideae species matches their environment. The data imply that determinate growth of the primary root became fixed after separation of the Cactiodeae/Opuntioideae and Maihuenioideae/Pereskioideae lineages, and that the genetic regulation of RAM maintenance and its loss in Cactaceae is orchestrated by genes involved in the regulation of gene expression, signalling, and redox and hormonal responses. PMID:23666887

A novel o-aminophenol oxidase responsible for formation of the phenoxazinone chromophore of grixazone.

PubMed

Suzuki, Hirokazu; Furusho, Yasuhide; Higashi, Tatsuichiro; Ohnishi, Yasuo; Horinouchi, Sueharu

2006-01-13

Grixazone contains a phenoxazinone chromophore and is a secondary metabolite produced by Streptomyces griseus. In the grixazone biosynthesis gene cluster, griF (encoding a tyrosinase homolog) and griE (encoding a protein similar to copper chaperons for tyrosinases) are encoded. An expression study of GriE and GriF in Escherichia coli showed that GriE activated GriF by transferring copper ions to GriF, as has been observed for a Streptomyces melanogenesis system in which the MelC1 copper chaperon transfers copper ions to MelC2 tyrosinase. In contrast with tyrosinases, GriF showed no monophenolase activity, although it oxidized various o-aminophenols as preferable substrates rather than catechol-type substrates. Deletion of the griEF locus on the chromosome resulted in accumulation of 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (3,4-AHBAL) and its acetylated compound, 3-acetylamino-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde. GriF oxidized 3,4-AHBAL to yield an o-quinone imine derivative, which was then non-enzymatically coupled with another molecule of the o-quinone imine to form a phenoxazinone. The coexistence of N-acetylcysteine in the in vitro oxidation of 3,4-AH-BAL by GriF resulted in the formation of grixazone A, suggesting that the -SH group of N-acetylcysteine is conjugated to the o-quinone imine formed from 3,4-AHBAL and that the conjugate is presumably coupled with another molecule of the o-quinone imine. GriF is thus a novel o-aminophenol oxidase that is responsible for the formation of the phenoxazinone chromophore in the grixazone biosynthetic pathway.

Shearwater Foraging in the Southern Ocean: The Roles of Prey Availability and Winds

PubMed Central

Raymond, Ben; Shaffer, Scott A.; Sokolov, Serguei; Woehler, Eric J.; Costa, Daniel P.; Einoder, Luke; Hindell, Mark; Hosie, Graham; Pinkerton, Matt; Sagar, Paul M.; Scott, Darren; Smith, Adam; Thompson, David R.; Vertigan, Caitlin; Weimerskirch, Henri

2010-01-01

Background Sooty (Puffinus griseus) and short-tailed (P. tenuirostris) shearwaters are abundant seabirds that range widely across global oceans. Understanding the foraging ecology of these species in the Southern Ocean is important for monitoring and ecosystem conservation and management. Methodology/Principal Findings Tracking data from sooty and short-tailed shearwaters from three regions of New Zealand and Australia were combined with at-sea observations of shearwaters in the Southern Ocean, physical oceanography, near-surface copepod distributions, pelagic trawl data, and synoptic near-surface winds. Shearwaters from all three regions foraged in the Polar Front zone, and showed particular overlap in the region around 140°E. Short-tailed shearwaters from South Australia also foraged in Antarctic waters south of the Polar Front. The spatial distribution of shearwater foraging effort in the Polar Front zone was matched by patterns in large-scale upwelling, primary production, and abundances of copepods and myctophid fish. Oceanic winds were found to be broad determinants of foraging distribution, and of the flight paths taken by the birds on long foraging trips to Antarctic waters. Conclusions/Significance The shearwaters displayed foraging site fidelity and overlap of foraging habitat between species and populations that may enhance their utility as indicators of Southern Ocean ecosystems. The results highlight the importance of upwellings due to interactions of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current with large-scale bottom topography, and the corresponding localised increases in the productivity of the Polar Front ecosystem. PMID:20532034

Impact of forest type and management strategy on avian densities in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twedt, D.J.; Wilson, R.R.; Henne-Kerr, J.L.; Hamilton, R.B.

1999-01-01

Avian territory densities were determined from 20 Breeding Bird Censuses in mature (>30 years) bottomland hardwood stand: and 18 Breeding Bird Censuses in young (6-9 years old) cottonwood (Populas deltoides) plantations in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Avian species richness, diversity, and territory density were greater (p 0.05). Even so, detrended correspondence analysis based on avian territory densities readily segregated forest types and silvicultural treatments. Timber harvest within bottomland hardwood stands resulted in a shift in bird communities toward those found in cottonwood stands by increasing the densities of early-successional species such as Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens), and Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas). Conversely, regenerating cottonwood stands from root sprouts, rather than planting stem cuttings, resulted in a shift in bird communities toward those found in bottomland hardwood stands by increasing densities of species such as White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) and Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). Tree species diversity, angular canopy cover, and midstory density were positively associated with bird species assemblages in bottomland hardwood stands, whereas vegetation density at ground level was positively associated with bird communities in cottonwood plantations. Conversion of agricultural fields to short-rotation cottonwood plantations results in increased breeding bird populations by adding up to 140 additional territories 40 ha-1. Even so, relative conservation values, derive, from indicator species analysis and Partners in Flight concern scores, suggest that mature bottomland hardwood forests are twice as 'valuable' for bird conservation as are cottonwood plantations.

Ecogeographical Variation in Skull Shape of South-American Canids: Abiotic or Biotic Processes?

PubMed

de Moura Bubadué, Jamile; Cáceres, Nilton; Dos Santos Carvalho, Renan; Meloro, Carlo

Species morphological changes can be mutually influenced by environmental or biotic factors, such as competition. South American canids represent a quite recent radiation of taxa that evolved forms very disparate in phenotype, ecology and behaviour. Today, in the central part of South America there is one dominant large species (the maned wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus ) that directly influence sympatric smaller taxa via interspecific killing. Further south, three species of similar sized foxes ( Lycalopex spp.) share the same habitats. Such unique combination of taxa and geographic distribution makes South American dogs an ideal group to test for the simultaneous impact of climate and competition on phenotypic variation. Using geometric morphometrics, we quantified skull size and shape of 431 specimens belonging to the eight extant South American canid species: Atelocynus microtis , Cerdocyon thous , Ch. brachyurus , Lycalopex culpaeus , L. griseus , L. gymnocercus , L. vetulus and Speothos venaticus . South American canids are significantly different in both skull size and shape. The hypercarnivorous bush dog is mostly distinct in shape from all the other taxa while a degree of overlap in shape-but not size-occurs between species of the genus Lycalopex . Both climate and competition impacts interspecific morphological variation. We identified climatic adaptations as the main driving force of diversification for the South American canids. Competition has a lower degree of impact on their skull morphology although it might have played a role in the past, when canid community was richer in morphotypes.

Characteristics of hearing and echolocation in under-studied odontocete species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Adam B.

All odontoctes (toothed whales and dolphins) studied to date have been shown to echolocate. They use sound as their primary means for foraging, navigation, and communication with conspecifics and are thus considered acoustic specialists. However, the vast majority of what is known about odontocete acoustic systems comes from only a handful of the 76 recognized extant species. The research presented in this dissertation investigated basic characteristics of odontocete hearing and echolocation, including auditory temporal resolution, auditory pathways, directional hearing, and transmission beam characteristics, in individuals of five different odontocete species that are understudied. Modulation rate transfer functions were measured from formerly stranded individuals of four different species (Stenella longirostris, Feresa attenuata, Globicephala melas, Mesoplodon densirostris) using non-invasive auditory evoked potential methods. All individuals showed acute auditory temporal resolution that was comparable to other studied odontocete species. Using the same electrophysiological methods, auditory pathways and directional hearing were investigated in a Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) using both localized and far-field acoustic stimuli. The dolphin's hearing showed significant, frequency dependent asymmetry to localized sound presented on the right and left sides of its head. The dolphin also showed acute, but mostly symmetrical, directional auditory sensitivity to sounds presented in the far-field. Furthermore, characteristics of the echolocation transmission beam of this same individual Risso's dolphin were measured using a 16 element hydrophone array. The dolphin exhibited both single and dual lobed beam shapes that were more directional than similar measurements from a bottlenose dolphin, harbor porpoise, and false killer whale.

Combining Breeding Bird Survey and distance sampling to estimate density of migrant and breeding birds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Somershoe, S.G.; Twedt, D.J.; Reid, B.

2006-01-01

We combined Breeding Bird Survey point count protocol and distance sampling to survey spring migrant and breeding birds in Vicksburg National Military Park on 33 days between March and June of 2003 and 2004. For 26 of 106 detected species, we used program DISTANCE to estimate detection probabilities and densities from 660 3-min point counts in which detections were recorded within four distance annuli. For most species, estimates of detection probability, and thereby density estimates, were improved through incorporation of the proportion of forest cover at point count locations as a covariate. Our results suggest Breeding Bird Surveys would benefit from the use of distance sampling and a quantitative characterization of habitat at point count locations. During spring migration, we estimated that the most common migrant species accounted for a population of 5000-9000 birds in Vicksburg National Military Park (636 ha). Species with average populations of 300 individuals during migration were: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea), Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus), Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), and Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula). Of 56 species that bred in Vicksburg National Military Park, we estimated that the most common 18 species accounted for 8150 individuals. The six most abundant breeding species, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), and Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), accounted for 5800 individuals.

Niche dynamics of shorebirds in Delaware Bay: Foraging behavior, habitat choice and migration timing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novcic, Ivana

2016-08-01

Niche differentiation through resource partitioning is seen as one of the most important mechanisms of diversity maintenance contributing to stable coexistence of different species within communities. In this study, I examined whether four species of migrating shorebirds, dunlins (Calidris alpina), semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla), least sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) and short-billed dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus), segregate by time of passage, habitat use and foraging behavior at their major stopover in Delaware Bay during spring migration. I tested the prediction that most of the separation between morphologically similar species will be achieved by differential migration timing. Despite the high level of overlap along observed niche dimensions, this study demonstrates a certain level of ecological separation between migrating shorebirds. The results of analyses suggest that differential timing of spring migration might be the most important dimension along which shorebird species segregate while at stopover in Delaware Bay. Besides differences in time of passage, species exhibited differences in habitat use, particularly least sandpipers that foraged in vegetated areas of tidal marshes more frequently than other species, as well as short-billed dowitchers that foraged in deeper water more often than small sandpipers did. Partitioning along foraging techniques was less prominent than segregation along temporal or microhabitat dimensions. Such ranking of niche dimensions emphasizes significance of temporal segregation of migratory species - separation of species by time of passage may reduce the opportunity for interspecific aggressive encounters, which in turn can have positive effects on birds' time and energy budget during stopover period.

Comparison of Free Total Amino Acid Compositions and Their Functional Classifications in 13 Wild Edible Mushrooms.

PubMed

Sun, Liping; Liu, Qiuming; Bao, Changjun; Fan, Jian

2017-02-24

Thirteen popular wild edible mushroom species in Yunnan Province, Boletus bicolor , Boletus speciosus , Boletus sinicus , Boletus craspedius , Boletus griseus , Boletus ornatipes , Xerocomus , Suillus placidus , Boletinus pinetorus , Tricholoma terreum , Tricholomopsis lividipileata , Termitomyces microcarpus , and Amanita hemibapha , were analyzed for their free amino acid compositions by online pre-column derivazation reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis. Twenty free amino acids, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glycine, alanine, praline, cysteine, valine, methionine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, histidine, threonine, asparagines, glutamine, arginine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, were determined. The total free amino acid (TAA) contents ranged from 1462.6 mg/100 g in B. craspedius to 13,106.2 mg/100 g in T. microcarpus . The different species showed distinct free amino acid profiles. The ratio of total essential amino acids (EAA) to TAA was 0.13-0.41. All of the analyzed species showed high contents of hydrophobic amino acids, at 33%-54% of TAA. Alanine, cysteine, glutamine, and glutamic acid were among the most abundant amino acids present in all species. The results showed that the analyzed mushrooms possessed significant free amino acid contents, which may be important compounds contributing to the typical mushroom taste, nutritional value, and potent antioxidant properties of these wild edible mushrooms. Furthermore, the principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the accumulative variance contribution rate of the first four principal components reached 94.39%. Cluster analysis revealed EAA composition and content might be an important parameter to separate the mushroom species, and T. microcarpus and A. hemibapha showed remarkable EAA content among the 13 species.

Laminar and cytoarchitectonic features of the cerebral cortex in the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

PubMed Central

Furutani, Rui

2008-01-01

The present investigation carried out Nissl, Klüver-Barrera, and Golgi studies of the cerebral cortex in three distinct genera of oceanic dolphins (Risso's dolphin, striped dolphin and bottlenose dolphin) to identify and classify cortical laminar and cytoarchitectonic structures in four distinct functional areas, including primary motor (M1), primary sensory (S1), primary visual (V1), and primary auditory (A1) cortices. The laminar and cytoarchitectonic organization of each of these cortical areas was similar among the three dolphin species. M1 was visualized as five-layer structure that included the molecular layer (layer I), external granular layer (layer II), external pyramidal layer (layer III), internal pyramidal layer (layer V), and fusiform layer (layer VI). The internal granular layer was absent. The cetacean sensory-related cortical areas S1, V1, and A1 were also found to have a five-layer organization comprising layers I, II, III, V and VI. In particular, A1 was characterized by the broadest layer I, layer II and developed band of pyramidal neurons in layers III (sublayers IIIa, IIIb and IIIc) and V. The patch organization consisting of the layer IIIb-pyramidal neurons was detected in the S1 and V1, but not in A1. The laminar patterns of V1 and S1 were similar, but the cytoarchitectonic structures of the two areas were different. V1 was characterized by a broader layer II than that of S1, and also contained the specialized pyramidal and multipolar stellate neurons in layers III and V. PMID:18625031

Message from Vice-Chancellor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasir Ibrahim, Daing

2013-12-01

Salam Malaysia! First and foremost, I want to thank all 2nd International Conference on Mechanical Engineering Research (ICMER 2013) organisers for inviting me to address and officiate this conference. This 2nd ICMER 2013 provides a platform to bring together not only researchers, postgraduate students but also industrial people. With this platform, ICMER will embark on a whole process of making new discoveries and then translating them into products and services for the marketplace and this is only made possible with people like all of you. I would like to congratulate the ICMER 2013 organisers for the achievement of collecting 208 papers for this conference. Submissions received from 17 local universities, 7 industrial companies and 9 different countries is a great achievement for UMP. I am very happy to welcome all of you from Malaysia, Iran, Turkey, Japan, India, Australia, Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh to this conference. As one of Malaysia's Public Universities, UMP's main challenge is to remain competitive and relevant by offering high quality technical academic programmes and research activities, focusing on its niche areas. New knowledge and findings cannot be generated without any research and development (R&D) activities. These efforts will undoubtedly generate lots of interesting results and new knowledge either bring further commercialisation activities. The Malaysian government has invested a huge sum of Ringgits in R&D over the years. Therefore, UMP must produce more quality researchers and graduates to ensure Malaysia reaps the returns from these investments vice versa of progressive economic growth for the country. UMP's 2011-2015 Strategic Plan determines to strengthen and sustained its financial support by allocating research grants and industry collaboration and consultations through its business and commercial unit. On behalf of UMP, I would like to express my appreciation to all committee members of ICMER 2013 from Faculty of Mechanical Engineering for their hardwork and relentless effort. Without their commitment and contributions, this event would not been possible and successfully delivered at this time. I wish you all a fruitful discourse. Thank you. Professor Dato' Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim Vice-Chancellor, Universiti Malaysia Pahang

Model determination in a case of heterogeneity of variance using sampling techniques.

PubMed

Varona, L; Moreno, C; Garcia-Cortes, L A; Altarriba, J

1997-01-12

A sampling determination procedure has been described in a case of heterogeneity of variance. The procedure makes use of the predictive distributions of each data given the rest of the data and the structure of the assumed model. The computation of these predictive distributions is carried out using a Gibbs Sampling procedure. The final criterion to compare between models is the Mean Square Error between the expectation of predictive distributions and real data. The procedure has been applied to a data set of weight at 210 days in the Spanish Pirenaica beef cattle breed. Three proposed models have been compared: (a) Single Trait Animal Model; (b) Heterogeneous Variance Animal Model; and (c) Multiple Trait Animal Model. After applying the procedure, the most adjusted model was the Heterogeneous Variance Animal Model. This result is probably due to a compromise between the complexity of the model and the amount of available information. The estimated heritabilities under the preferred model have been 0.489 ± 0.076 for males and 0.331 ± 0.082 for females. RESUMEN: Contraste de modelos en un caso de heterogeneidad de varianzas usando métodos de muestreo Se ha descrito un método de contraste de modelos mediante técnicas de muestreo en un caso de heterogeneidad de varianza entre sexos. El procedimiento utiliza las distribucviones predictivas de cada dato, dado el resto de datos y la estructura del modelo. El criterio para coparar modelos es el error cuadrático medio entre la esperanza de las distribuciones predictivas y los datos reales. El procedimiento se ha aplicado en datos de peso a los 210 días en la raza bovina Pirenaica. Se han propuesto tres posibles modelos: (a) Modelo Animal Unicaracter; (b) Modelo Animal con Varianzas Heterogéneas; (c) Modelo Animal Multicaracter. El modelo mejor ajustado fue el Modelo Animal con Varianzas Heterogéneas. Este resultado es probablemente debido a un compromiso entre la complejidad del modelo y la cantidad de datos disponibles. Las heredabilidades estimadas bajo el modelo preferido han sido 0,489 ± 0,076 en los machos y 0,331 ± 0,082 en las hembras. 1997 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Isolation, biochemical and molecular identification of Nocardia species among TB suspects in northeastern, Tanzania; a forgotten or neglected threat?

PubMed

Hoza, Abubakar S; Mfinanga, Sayoki G S; Moser, Irmgard; König, Brigitte

2017-06-08

Pulmonary nocardiosis mimic pulmonary tuberculosis in most clinical and radiological manifestations. In Tanzania, where tuberculosis is one of the major public health threat clinical impact of nocardiosis as the cause of the human disease remains unknown. The objective of the present study was to isolate and identify Nocardia isolates recovered from TB suspects in Northeastern, Tanzania by using biochemical and molecular methods. The study involved 744 sputum samples collected from 372 TB suspects from four periphery diagnostic centers in Northeastern, Tanzania. Twenty patients were diagnosed as having presumptively Nocardia infections based on microscopic, cultural characteristics and biomèrieux ID 32C Yeast Identification system and confirmed using 16S rRNA and hsp65 gene specific primers for Nocardia species and sequencing. Biochemically, the majority of the isolates were N. asteroides (n = 8/20, 40%), N. brasiliensis (n = 4/20, 20%), N. farcinica (n = 3/20, 15%), N. nova (n = 1/20, 5%). Other aerobic actinomycetales included Streptomyces cyanescens (n = 2/20, 10%), Streptomyces griseus, Actinomadura madurae each (n = 1/20, 5%). Results of 16S rRNA and hsp65 sequencing were concordant in 15/17 (88. 2%) isolates and discordant in 2/17 (11.8%) isolates. Majority of the isolates belonged to N. cyriacigeorgica and N. farcinica, four (23.5%) each. Our findings suggest that Nocardia species may be an important cause of pulmonary nocardiosis that is underdiagnosed or ignored. This underscores needs to consider pulmonary nocardiosis as a differential diagnosis when there is a failure of anti-TB therapy and as a possible cause of human infections.

Bacterial versus fungal laccase: potential for micropollutant degradation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Relatively high concentrations of micropollutants in municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents underscore the necessity to develop additional treatment steps prior to discharge of treated wastewater. Microorganisms that produce unspecific oxidative enzymes such as laccases are a potential means to improve biodegradation of these compounds. Four strains of the bacterial genus Streptomyces (S. cyaneus, S. ipomoea, S. griseus and S. psammoticus) and the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor were studied for their ability to produce active extracellular laccase in biologically treated wastewater with different carbon sources. Among the Streptomyces strains evaluated, only S. cyaneus produced extracellular laccase with sufficient activity to envisage its potential use in WWTPs. Laccase activity produced by T. versicolor was more than 20 times greater, the highest activity being observed with ash branches as the sole carbon source. The laccase preparation of S. cyaneus (abbreviated LSc) and commercial laccase from T. versicolor (LTv) were further compared in terms of their activity at different pH and temperatures, their stability, their substrate range, and their micropollutant oxidation efficiency. LSc and LTv showed highest activities under acidic conditions (around pH 3 to 5), but LTv was active over wider pH and temperature ranges than LSc, especially at near-neutral pH and between 10 and 25°C (typical conditions found in WWTPs). LTv was also less affected by pH inactivation. Both laccase preparations oxidized the three micropollutants tested, bisphenol A, diclofenac and mefenamic acid, with faster degradation kinetics observed for LTv. Overall, T. versicolor appeared to be the better candidate to remove micropollutants from wastewater in a dedicated post-treatment step. PMID:24152339

Seasonal and ontogenetic changes in movement patterns of sixgill sharks.

PubMed

Andrews, Kelly S; Williams, Greg D; Levin, Phillip S

2010-09-08

Understanding movement patterns is fundamental to population and conservation biology. The way an animal moves through its environment influences the dynamics of local populations and will determine how susceptible it is to natural or anthropogenic perturbations. It is of particular interest to understand the patterns of movement for species which are susceptible to human activities (e.g. fishing), or that exert a large influence on community structure, such as sharks. We monitored the patterns of movement of 34 sixgill sharks Hexanchus griseus using two large-scale acoustic arrays inside and outside Puget Sound, Washington, USA. Sixgill sharks were residents in Puget Sound for up to at least four years before making large movements out of the estuary. Within Puget Sound, sixgills inhabited sites for several weeks at a time and returned to the same sites annually. Across four years, sixgills had consistent seasonal movements in which they moved to the north from winter to spring and moved to the south from summer to fall. Just prior to leaving Puget Sound, sixgills altered their behavior and moved twice as fast among sites. Nineteen of the thirty-four sixgills were detected leaving Puget Sound for the outer coast. Three of these sharks returned to Puget Sound. For most large marine predators, we have a limited understanding of how they move through their environment, and this clouds our ability to successfully manage their populations and their communities. With detailed movement information, such as that being uncovered with acoustic monitoring, we can begin to quantify the spatial and temporal impacts of large predators within the framework of their ecosystems.

Foods, trophic relationships, and migration of Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters associated with squid and large-mesh driftnet fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gould, Patrick J.; Ostrom, Peggy H.; Walker, William

2000-01-01

We salvaged dead birds from high seas driftnets in the Central North Pacific Ocean during a study of the impact of high seas driftnet fishing on marine ecosystems. Digestive tract contents and stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in breast muscles of these birds were analyzed to assess the effect of driftnets on the trophic relationships of marine birds. The diets of Sooty (Puffinus griseus) and Short-tailed (P. tenuirostris) Shearwaters associated with high seas driftnets in the transitional region of the North Pacific Ocean overlap broadly. The principal differences between them include 1) Sooties prey more heavily on immature stages of invertebrates, especially the barnacle Lepas fascicularis than do Short-tails, 2) Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) are the primary fish taken by Sooties while lanternfish (Myctophidae) are the primary fish taken by Short-tails, and 3) Sooties take a wider variety of prey than do Short-tails. During the last years of extensive high seas driftnet fishing (early 1990's), both shearwaters augmented their diets with about 15% offal and discards from fishing vessels. Values for stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in breast muscle tissues (δ15N and δ15C) indicate the extent and timing of movements of Sooty Shearwaters: including arrival of migrants from the south Pacific (April-May), east to west movement from the eastern Pacific (May-June), and west to east movement from Japan (August-September). Fall migrant Sooties were not detected. The only movements of Short-tails that we detected were a few south-bound migrants in September-November.

Acoustic effects of the ATOC signal (75 Hz, 195 dB) on dolphins and whales

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

Au, W.W.; Nachtigall, P.E.; Pawloski, J.L.

1997-05-01

The Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) program of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, will broadcast a low-frequency 75-Hz phase modulated acoustic signal over ocean basins in order to study ocean temperatures on a global scale and examine the effects of global warming. One of the major concerns is the possible effect of the ATOC signal on marine life, especially on dolphins and whales. In order to address this issue, the hearing sensitivity of a false killer whale ({ital Pseudorca crassidens}) and a Risso{close_quote}s dolphin ({ital Grampus griseus}) to the ATOC sound wasmore » measured behaviorally. A staircase procedure with the signal levels being changed in 1-dB steps was used to measure the animals{close_quote} threshold to the actual ATOC coded signal. The results indicate that small odontocetes such as the {ital Pseudorca} and {ital Grampus} swimming directly above the ATOC source will not hear the signal unless they dive to a depth of approximately 400 m. A sound propagation analysis suggests that the sound-pressure level at ranges greater than 0.5 km will be less than 130 dB for depths down to about 500 m. Several species of baleen whales produce sounds much greater than 170{endash}180 dB. With the ATOC source on the axis of the deep sound channel (greater than 800 m), the ATOC signal will probably have minimal physical and physiological effects on cetaceans. {copyright} {ital 1997 Acoustical Society of America.}« less

Functional modulation of a protein folding landscape via side-chain distortion

PubMed Central

Kelch, Brian A.; Salimi, Neema L.; Agard, David A.

2012-01-01

Ultrahigh-resolution (< 1.0 Å) structures have revealed unprecedented and unexpected details of molecular geometry, such as the deformation of aromatic rings from planarity. However, the functional utility of such energetically costly strain is unknown. The 0.83 Å structure of α-lytic protease (αLP) indicated that residues surrounding a conserved Phe side-chain dictate a rotamer which results in a ∼6° distortion along the side-chain, estimated to cost 4 kcal/mol. By contrast, in the closely related protease Streptomyces griseus Protease B (SGPB), the equivalent Phe adopts a different rotamer and is undistorted. Here, we report that the αLP Phe side-chain distortion is both functional and conserved in proteases with large pro regions. Sequence analysis of the αLP serine protease family reveals a bifurcation separating those sequences expected to induce distortion and those that would not, which correlates with the extent of kinetic stability. Structural and folding kinetics analyses of family members suggest that distortion of this side-chain plays a role in increasing kinetic stability within the αLP family members that use a large Pro region. Additionally, structural and kinetic folding studies of mutants demonstrate that strain alters the folding free energy landscape by destabilizing the transition state (TS) relative to the native state (N). Although side-chain distortion comes at a cost of foldability, it suppresses the rate of unfolding, thereby enhancing kinetic stability and increasing protein longevity under harsh extracellular conditions. This ability of a structural distortion to enhance function is unlikely to be unique to αLP family members and may be relevant in other proteins exhibiting side-chain distortions. PMID:22635267

Nesting success of birds in different silvicultural treatments in southeastern U.S. Pine Forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barber, D.R.; Martin, T.E.; Melchiors, M.A.; Thill, R.E.; Wigley, T.B.

2001-01-01

We examined nesting success and levels of nest predation and cowbird parasitism among five different silvicultural treatments: regenerating (3-6 years old), mid-rotation (12-15 years old), and thinned (17-23 years old) pine plantations, single-tree selection, and late-rotation pine-hardwood stands in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas from 1993 to 1995. We monitored 1674 nests. Differences in daily mortality and daily predation rate among two or more treatments were found for 4 and 3 of 12 species, respectively. These differences were lost following Bonferroni adjustments, but thinned stands had higher levels of predation than single-tree selection stands when predation levels were averaged across species. Daily predation rates were positively correlated with the relative abundance of birds, suggesting that nest predators respond to prey availability (i.e., nests) in a density-dependent manner. The relative abundance of cowbirds differed among treatments, with the highest densities in regenerating, thinned, and single-tree selection stands. Field Sparrows (Spizella pusilla) and Yellow-breasted Chats (Icteria virens) experienced higher levels of parasitism in thinned than regenerating plantations, whereas White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus) experienced higher parasitism in regenerating plantations than in mid-rotation or thinned plantations. Several shrub-nesting and 1 ground-nesting species had lower nesting success in thinned and regenerating plantations than has been reported in previously published studies. Thus, some seral stages of even-aged management may provide low-quality nesting habitat for several early-successional bird species. In contrast, many species nesting in mid-rotation and single-tree selection stands had nesting success similar to or greater than that found in previous studies, suggesting that some silvicultural treatments, when embedded in a largely forested landscape, may provide suitable habitat for forest land birds without affecting their reproductive success.

Cycloheximide: No Ordinary Bitter Stimulus

PubMed Central

Hettinger, Thomas P.; Formaker, Bradley K.; Frank, Marion E.

2007-01-01

Cycloheximide (CyX), a toxic antibiotic with a unique chemical structure generated by the actinomycete, Streptomyces griseus, has emerged as a primary focus of studies on mammalian bitter taste. Rats and mice avoid it at concentrations well below the thresholds for most bitter stimuli and T2R G-protein-coupled receptors specific for CyX with appropriate sensitivity are identified for those species. Like mouse and rat, golden hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus, also detected and rejected micromolar levels of CyX, although 1 mM CyX failed to activate the hamster chorda tympani nerve. Hamsters showed an initial tolerance for 500 μM CyX, but after that, avoidance of CyX dramatically increased, plasticity not reported for rat or mouse. As the hamster lineage branches well before division of the mouse-rat lineage in evolutionary time, differences between hamster and mouse-rat reactions to CyX are not surprising. Furthermore, unlike hamster LiCl-induced learned aversions, the induced CyX aversion neither specifically nor robustly generalized to other non-ionic bitter stimuli; and unlike adverse reactions to other chemosensory stimuli, aversions to CyX were not mollified by adding a sweetener. Thus, CyX is unlike other bitter stimuli. The gene for the high-affinity CyX receptor is a member of a cluster of 5 orthologous T2R genes that are likely rodent specific; this “CyX clade” is found in the mouse, rat and probably hamster, but not in the human or rabbit genome. The rodent CyX-T2R interaction may be one of multiple lineage-specific stimulus-receptor interactions reflecting a response to a particular environmental toxin. The combination of T2R multiplicity, species divergence and gene duplication results in diverse ligands for multiple species-specific T2R receptors, which confounds definition of ‘bitter’ stimuli across species. PMID:17400304

Comparative anatomy of the foramen ovale in the hearts of cetaceans

PubMed Central

Macdonald, Alastair A; Carr, Peter A; Currie, Richard J W

2007-01-01

The structure of the cardiac foramen ovale from 17 species representing six cetacean families, the Monodontidae, Phocoenidae, Delphinidae, Ziphiidae, Balaenidae and the Balaenopteridae, was studied using the scanning electron microscope. Eight white whale fetuses (Delphinapterus leucas) and a narwhal fetus (Monodon monoceros) represented the Monodontidae; one fetal and nine neonatal harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and a finless porpoise fetus (Neophocoena phocoenoides) represented the Phocoenidae; two white-beaked dolphin fetuses (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), four fetal and one neonatal Atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus), a Risso's dolphin fetus (Grampus griseus), two common bottle-nosed dolphin neonates (Tursiops truncatus), a female short-beaked common dolphin fetus (Delphinus delphis), four killer whale fetuses (Orcinus orca) and two long-finned pilot whale fetuses (Globicephala melas) represented the Delphinidae; two northern bottlenose whale fetuses (Hyperoodon ampullatus) represented the Ziphiidae; one bowhead whale fetus (Balaena mysticetus) represented the Balaenidae and five Common minke whale fetuses (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), one blue whale fetus (Balaenoptera musculus), nine fin whale fetuses (Balaenoptera physalus) and four humpback whale fetuses (Megaptera novaeangliae) represented the Balaenopteridae. The hearts of an additional two incompletely identified toothed and four baleen whale fetuses were also studied. In each species the fold of tissue derived from the cardiac septum primum and subtended by the foramen ovale had the appearance of a short tunnel or sleeve which was fenestrated at its distal end. In the toothed whales the tissue fold was tunnel-shaped with the interatrial septum as the floor whereas in baleen whales it was more sleeve-like. In toothed whales thin threads extended from the fold to insert into the interatrial septum whereas a network of threads covered the distal end of the sleeve in the baleen whales. Similar structures were present in the corresponding cardiac tissues of neonatal Hippopotamidae. PMID:17532800

First Autonomous Recording of in situ Dissolved Oxygen from Free-ranging Fish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coffey, D.; Holland, K.

2016-02-01

Biologging technology has enhanced our understanding of the ecology of marine animals and has been central to identifying how oceanographic conditions drive patterns in their distribution and behavior. Among these environmental influences, there is increasing recognition of the impact of dissolved oxygen on the distribution of marine animals. Understanding of the impact of oxygen on vertical and horizontal movements would be advanced by contemporaneous in situ measurements of dissolved oxygen from animal-borne sensors instead of relying on environmental data that may not have appropriate spatial or temporal resolution. Here we demonstrate the capabilities of dissolved oxygen pop-up satellite archival tags (DO-PATs) by presenting the results from calibration experiments and trial deployments of two prototype tags on bluntnose sixgill sharks (Hexanchus griseus). The DO-PATs provided fast, accurate, and stable measurements in calibration trials and demonstrated high correlation with vertical profiles obtained via traditional ship-borne oceanographic instruments. Deployments on bluntnose sixgill sharks recorded oxygen saturations as low as 9.4% and effectively captured the oceanography of the region when compared with World Ocean Atlas 2013 values. This is the first study to use an animal-borne device to autonomously measure and record in situ dissolved oxygen saturation from non-air-breathing marine animals. The DO-PATs maintained consistency over time and yielded measurements equivalent to industry standards for environmental sampling. Acquiring contemporaneous in situ measurements of dissolved oxygen saturation alongside temperature and depth data will greatly improve our ability to investigate the spatial ecology of marine animals and make informed predictions of the impacts of global climate change. The information returned from DO-PATs is relevant not only to the study of the ecology of marine animals but will also become a useful new tool for investigating the physical structure of the oceans.

Increasing the hydrolysis constant of the reactive site upon introduction of an engineered Cys¹⁴-Cys³⁹ bond into the ovomucoid third domain from silver pheasant.

PubMed

Hemmi, Hikaru; Kumazaki, Takashi; Kojima, Shuichi; Yoshida, Takuya; Ohkubo, Tadayasu; Yokosawa, Hideyoshi; Miura, Kin-Ichiro; Kobayashi, Yuji

2011-08-01

P14C/N39C is the disulfide variant of the ovomucoid third domain from silver pheasant (OMSVP3) introducing an engineered Cys¹⁴-Cys³⁹ bond near the reactive site on the basis of the sequence homology between OMSVP3 and ascidian trypsin inhibitor. This variant exhibits a narrower inhibitory specificity. We have examined the effects of introducing a Cys¹⁴-Cys³⁹ bond into the flexible N-terminal loop of OMSVP3 on the thermodynamics of the reactive site peptide bond hydrolysis, as well as the thermal stability of reactive site intact inhibitors. P14C/N39C can be selectively cleaved by Streptomyces griseus protease B at the reactive site of OMSVP3 to form a reactive site modified inhibitor. The conversion rate of intact to modified P14C/N39C is much faster than that for wild type under any pH condition. The pH-independent hydrolysis constant (K(hyd) °) is estimated to be approximately 5.5 for P14C/N39C, which is higher than the value of 1.6 for natural OMSVP3. The reactive site modified form of P14C/N39C is thermodynamically more stable than the intact one. Thermal denaturation experiments using intact inhibitors show that the temperature at the midpoint of unfolding at pH 2.0 is 59 °C for P14C/N39C and 58 °C for wild type. There have been no examples, except P14C/N39C, where introducing an engineered disulfide causes a significant increase in K(hyd) °, but has no effect on the thermal stability. The site-specific disulfide introduction into the flexible N-terminal loop of natural Kazal-type inhibitors would be useful to further characterize the thermodynamics of the reactive site peptide bond hydrolysis. Copyright © 2011 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Importance of Mangroves, Seagrass Beds and the Shallow Coral Reef as a Nursery for Important Coral Reef Fishes, Using a Visual Census Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagelkerken, I.; van der Velde, G.; Gorissen, M. W.; Meijer, G. J.; Van't Hof, T.; den Hartog, C.

2000-07-01

The nursery function of various biotopes for coral reef fishes was investigated on Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. Length and abundance of 16 commercially important reef fish species were determined by means of visual censuses during the day in six different biotopes: mangrove prop-roots ( Rhizophora mangle) and seagrass beds ( Thalassia testudinum) in Lac Bay, and four depth zones on the coral reef (0 to 3 m, 3 to 5 m, 10 to 15 m and 15 to 20 m). The mangroves, seagrass beds and shallow coral reef (0 to 3 m) appeared to be the main nursery biotopes for the juveniles of the selected species. Mutual comparison between biotopes showed that the seagrass beds were the most important nursery biotope for juvenile Haemulon flavolineatum, H. sciurus, Ocyurus chrysurus, Acanthurus chirurgus and Sparisoma viride, the mangroves for juvenile Lutjanus apodus, L. griseus, Sphyraena barracuda and Chaetodon capistratus, and the shallow coral reef for juvenile H. chrysargyreum, L. mahogoni , A. bahianus and Abudefduf saxatilis. Juvenile Acanthurus coeruleus utilized all six biotopes, while juvenile H. carbonarium and Anisotremus surinamensis were not observed in any of the six biotopes. Although fishes showed a clear preference for a specific nursery biotope, most fish species utilized multiple nursery biotopes simultaneously. The almost complete absence of juveniles on the deeper reef zones indicates the high dependence of juveniles on the shallow water biotopes as a nursery. For most fish species an (partial) ontogenetic shift was observed at a particular life stage from their (shallow) nursery biotopes to the (deeper) coral reef. Cluster analyses showed that closely related species within the families Haemulidae, Lutjanidae and Acanthuridae, and the different size classes within species in most cases had a spatial separation in biotope utilization.

The influence of topographic and dynamic cyclic variables on the distribution of small cetaceans in a shallow coastal system.

PubMed

de Boer, Marijke N; Simmonds, Mark P; Reijnders, Peter J H; Aarts, Geert

2014-01-01

The influence of topographic and temporal variables on cetacean distribution at a fine-scale is still poorly understood. To study the spatial and temporal distribution of harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena and the poorly known Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus we carried out land-based observations from Bardsey Island (Wales, UK) in summer (2001-2007). Using Kernel analysis and Generalized Additive Models it was shown that porpoises and Risso's appeared to be linked to topographic and dynamic cyclic variables with both species using different core areas (dolphins to the West and porpoises to the East off Bardsey). Depth, slope and aspect and a low variation in current speed (for Risso's) were important in explaining the patchy distributions for both species. The prime temporal conditions in these shallow coastal systems were related to the tidal cycle (Low Water Slack and the flood phase), lunar cycle (a few days following the neap tidal phase), diel cycle (afternoons) and seasonal cycle (peaking in August) but differed between species on a temporary but predictable basis. The measure of tidal stratification was shown to be important. Coastal waters generally show a stronger stratification particularly during neap tides upon which the phytoplankton biomass at the surface rises reaching its maximum about 2-3 days after neap tide. It appeared that porpoises occurred in those areas where stratification is maximised and Risso's preferred more mixed waters. This fine-scale study provided a temporal insight into spatial distribution of two species that single studies conducted over broader scales (tens or hundreds of kilometers) do not achieve. Understanding which topographic and cyclic variables drive the patchy distribution of porpoises and Risso's in a Headland/Island system may form the initial basis for identifying potentially critical habitats for these species.

Characterization of bafilomycin biosynthesis in Kitasatospora setae KM-6054 and comparative analysis of gene clusters in Actinomycetales microorganisms.

PubMed

Nara, Ayako; Hashimoto, Takuya; Komatsu, Mamoru; Nishiyama, Makoto; Kuzuyama, Tomohisa; Ikeda, Haruo

2017-05-01

Bafilomycins A 1 , C 1 and B 1 (setamycin) produced by Kitasatospora setae KM-6054 belong to the plecomacrolide family, which exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, antineoplastic and immunosuppressive activities. An analysis of gene clusters from K. setae KM-6054 governing the biosynthesis of bafilomycins revealed that it contains five large open reading frames (ORFs) encoding the multifunctional polypeptides of bafilomycin polyketide synthases (PKSs). These clustered PKS genes, which are responsible for bafilomycin biosynthesis, together encode 11 homologous sets of enzyme activities, each catalyzing a specific round of polyketide chain elongation. The region contains an additional 13 ORFs spanning a distance of 73 287 bp, some of which encode polypeptides governing other key steps in bafilomycin biosynthesis. Five ORFs, BfmB, BfmC, BfmD, BfmE and BfmF, were involved in the formation of methoxymalonyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP). Two possible regulatory genes, bfmR and bfmH, were found downstream of the above genes. A gene-knockout analysis revealed that BfmR was only a transcriptional regulator for the transcription of bafilomycin biosynthetic genes. Two genes, bfmI and bfmJ, were found downstream of bfmH. An analysis of these gene-disruption mutants in addition to an enzymatic analysis of BfmI and BfmJ revealed that BfmJ activated fumarate and BfmI functioned as a catalyst to form a fumaryl ester at the C21 hydroxyl residue of bafilomycin A 1 . A comparative analysis of bafilomycin gene clusters in K. setae KM-6054, Streptomyces lohii JCM 14114 and Streptomyces griseus DSM 2608 revealed that each ORF of both gene clusters in two Streptomyces strains were quite similar to each other. However, each ORF of gene cluster in K. setae KM-6054 was of lower similarity to that of corresponding ORF in the two Streptomyces species.

Effects of Pile Driving on the Residency and Movement of Tagged Reef Fish

PubMed Central

Iafrate, Joseph D.; Watwood, Stephanie L.; Reyier, Eric A.; Scheidt, Douglas M.; Dossot, Georges A.; Crocker, Steven E.

2016-01-01

The potential effects of pile driving on fish populations and commercial fisheries have received significant attention given the prevalence of pile driving occurring in coastal habitats throughout the world. Behavioral impacts of sound generated from these activities on fish typically have a greater area of influence than physical injury, and may therefore adversely affect a greater portion of the local population. This study used acoustic telemetry to assess the movement, residency, and survival of 15 sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) and 10 grey snapper (Lutjanus griseus) in Port Canaveral, Florida, USA, in response to 35 days of pile driving at a wharf complex. No obvious signs of mortality or injury to tagged fish were evident from the data. Received sound pressure levels from pile strikes on the interior of the wharf, where reef fish primarily occur, were on average 152–157 dB re 1 μPa (peak). No significant decrease in sheepshead daytime residency was observed during pile driving within the central portion of the wharf and area of highest sound exposure, and no major indicators of displacement from the exposure wharf with the onset of pile driving were observed. There was evidence of potential displacement from the exposure wharf that coincided with the start of pile driving observed for 2 out of 4 grey snapper, along with a decrease in daytime residency for a subset of this species with high site fidelity prior to the event. Results indicate that snapper may be more likely to depart an area of pile driving disturbance more readily than sheepshead, but were less at risk for behavioral impact given the lower site fidelity of this species. PMID:27880786

The role of the white-eyed vireo in the dispersal of bersera fruit on the Yucatan Peninsula

USGS Publications Warehouse

Greenberg, R.; Foster, M.S.; Marquez-Valdelamar, L.

1995-01-01

White-eyed vireos (Vireo griseus) winter in the forests and secondary growth of the Yucatan Peninsula where Bursera simaruba (Burseraceae) is an abundant tree Twenty-five per cent of all white-eyed vireos observed foraging visited Bursera trees In addition, presence and abundance of territorial white-eyed vireos in small forest patches were correlated with the size of the Bursera crop Vireos were the most reliable dispersers of Bursera seeds These birds visited 32 of 35 trees observed for at least three hours. They accounted for approximately half of all bird visits, and two-thirds of the seeds dispersed. Most of the other species rarely visited (<5% of visits) or failed to remove seeds from the tree. Peculiarities of phenology and fruit structure may contribute to the tendency of Bursera to be dispersed by relatively few species The capsules of Bursera fruits do not open when the fruit ripens; birds apparently locate ripe fruit using visual cues, although these are few In addition, only a small portion of the crop ripens daily over a 7- or 8-month period. The vireo-Bursera simaruba relationship, found regionally on the Yucatan Peninsula, may result from the prolonged fruit ripening period (October-March), the relatively depauperate frugivore community and the relatively high density of small Bursera trees in the hurricane-disturbed dry forests. Small trees at all times, and all trees from October to February, depend upon territorial vireos for continuous, highly efficient local dispersal of a small number of fruits In March and April residual fruits ripen rapidly and synchronously, attracting a greater variety of visitors for broad spectrum dispersal during a period of food scarcity. Thus, Bursera has an unusual two-phase phenological pattern, perhaps alternately to take advantage of both specialized and opportunistic dispersers.

Diversity of Two-Domain Laccase-Like Multicopper Oxidase Genes in Streptomyces spp.: Identification of Genes Potentially Involved in Extracellular Activities and Lignocellulose Degradation during Composting of Agricultural Waste

PubMed Central

Lu, Lunhui; Zhang, Jiachao; Chen, Anwei; Chen, Ming; Jiang, Min; Yuan, Yujie; Wu, Haipeng; Lai, Mingyong; He, Yibin

2014-01-01

Traditional three-domain fungal and bacterial laccases have been extensively studied for their significance in various biotechnological applications. Growing molecular evidence points to a wide occurrence of more recently recognized two-domain laccase-like multicopper oxidase (LMCO) genes in Streptomyces spp. However, the current knowledge about their ecological role and distribution in natural or artificial ecosystems is insufficient. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity and composition of Streptomyces two-domain LMCO genes in agricultural waste composting, which will contribute to the understanding of the ecological function of Streptomyces two-domain LMCOs with potential extracellular activity and ligninolytic capacity. A new specific PCR primer pair was designed to target the two conserved copper binding regions of Streptomyces two-domain LMCO genes. The obtained sequences mainly clustered with Streptomyces coelicolor, Streptomyces violaceusniger, and Streptomyces griseus. Gene libraries retrieved from six composting samples revealed high diversity and a rapid succession of Streptomyces two-domain LMCO genes during composting. The obtained sequence types cluster in 8 distinct clades, most of which are homologous with Streptomyces two-domain LMCO genes, but the sequences of clades III and VIII do not match with any reference sequence of known streptomycetes. Both lignocellulose degradation rates and phenol oxidase activity at pH 8.0 in the composting process were found to be positively associated with the abundance of Streptomyces two-domain LMCO genes. These observations provide important clues that Streptomyces two-domain LMCOs are potentially involved in bacterial extracellular phenol oxidase activities and lignocellulose breakdown during agricultural waste composting. PMID:24657870

Evaluation of neophobia and its potential impact upon predator control techniques: a study on two sympatric foxes in southern Patagonia.

PubMed

Travaini, Alejandro; Vassallo, Aldo Iván; García, Germán Oscar; Echeverría, Alejandra Isabel; Zapata, Sonia Cristina; Nielsen, Sigrid

2013-01-01

An alternative approach to increase the efficiency of predator control and selectivity is to consider the natural behavioural repertoire of the target species and how such behaviours may increase their vulnerability. Neophobia, or the hesitancy to approach a novel food item, object, or place, is an important factor influencing the investigative behaviour of animals, and its incorporation to predator control techniques may help to reduce losses of livestock to predators. In this study, we simultaneously evaluated the existence and intensity of neophobic responses in two sympatric fox species, the Culpeo (Pseudalopex culpaeus) and the Grey (P. griseus) foxes in southern Patagonia, Argentina. For this purpose, we used bait stations to compare fox behavioural responses in the absence (pre-treatment), presence (treatment) and removal (post-treatment) of a novel stimulus, which consisted of an orange PVC-traffic cone. Both fox species showed a neophobic response: bait-station visitation rates decreased (P=0.005 and P=0.048, for Culpeo and Grey foxes, respectively) in the presence of the novel object. The intensity of the response differed between species being higher for Culpeo foxes (approximately 80% of reduction in visitation rate during treatment for Culpeo foxes vs. 10% for Grey foxes). However, the bait-station visitation pattern after novel object removal indicated that animals probably increased exploration of the station. The high level of neophobia achieved by the Culpeo fox, together with an increase in post-treatment site exploration, suggests that behavioural manipulations (reduction of neophobia and its consequent increase in risk taking) could improve selective and efficient fox control in rural areas where livestock production is a major economic activity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seasonal and Ontogenetic Changes in Movement Patterns of Sixgill Sharks

PubMed Central

Andrews, Kelly S.; Williams, Greg D.; Levin, Phillip S.

2010-01-01

Background Understanding movement patterns is fundamental to population and conservation biology. The way an animal moves through its environment influences the dynamics of local populations and will determine how susceptible it is to natural or anthropogenic perturbations. It is of particular interest to understand the patterns of movement for species which are susceptible to human activities (e.g. fishing), or that exert a large influence on community structure, such as sharks. Methodology/Principal Findings We monitored the patterns of movement of 34 sixgill sharks Hexanchus griseus using two large-scale acoustic arrays inside and outside Puget Sound, Washington, USA. Sixgill sharks were residents in Puget Sound for up to at least four years before making large movements out of the estuary. Within Puget Sound, sixgills inhabited sites for several weeks at a time and returned to the same sites annually. Across four years, sixgills had consistent seasonal movements in which they moved to the north from winter to spring and moved to the south from summer to fall. Just prior to leaving Puget Sound, sixgills altered their behavior and moved twice as fast among sites. Nineteen of the thirty-four sixgills were detected leaving Puget Sound for the outer coast. Three of these sharks returned to Puget Sound. Conclusions/Significance For most large marine predators, we have a limited understanding of how they move through their environment, and this clouds our ability to successfully manage their populations and their communities. With detailed movement information, such as that being uncovered with acoustic monitoring, we can begin to quantify the spatial and temporal impacts of large predators within the framework of their ecosystems. PMID:20838617

Sequence analysis of dolphin ferritin H and L subunits and possible iron-dependent translational control of dolphin ferritin gene

PubMed Central

Takaesu, Azusa; Watanabe, Kiyotaka; Takai, Shinji; Sasaki, Yukako; Orino, Koichi

2008-01-01

Background Iron-storage protein, ferritin plays a central role in iron metabolism. Ferritin has dual function to store iron and segregate iron for protection of iron-catalyzed reactive oxygen species. Tissue ferritin is composed of two kinds of subunits (H: heavy chain or heart-type subunit; L: light chain or liver-type subunit). Ferritin gene expression is controlled at translational level in iron-dependent manner or at transcriptional level in iron-independent manner. However, sequencing analysis of marine mammalian ferritin subunits has not yet been performed fully. The purpose of this study is to reveal cDNA-derived amino acid sequences of cetacean ferritin H and L subunits, and demonstrate the possibility of expression of these subunits, especially H subunit, by iron. Methods Sequence analyses of cetacean ferritin H and L subunits were performed by direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fragments from cDNAs generated via reverse transcription-PCR of leukocyte total RNA prepared from blood samples of six different dolphin species (Pseudorca crassidens, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens, Grampus griseus, Globicephala macrorhynchus, Tursiops truncatus, and Delphinapterus leucas). The putative iron-responsive element sequence in the 5'-untranslated region of the six different dolphin species was revealed by direct sequencing of PCR fragments obtained using leukocyte genomic DNA. Results Dolphin H and L subunits consist of 182 and 174 amino acids, respectively, and amino acid sequence identities of ferritin subunits among these dolphins are highly conserved (H: 99–100%, (99→98) ; L: 98–100%). The conserved 28 bp IRE sequence was located -144 bp upstream from the initiation codon in the six different dolphin species. Conclusion These results indicate that six different dolphin species have conserved ferritin sequences, and suggest that these genes are iron-dependently expressed. PMID:18954429

Dolphins in a Scaled-Down Mediterranean: The Gulf of Corinth's Odontocetes.

PubMed

Bearzi, G; Bonizzoni, S; Santostasi, N L; Furey, N B; Eddy, L; Valavanis, V D; Gimenez, O

The Gulf of Corinth is a 2400-km 2 semi-enclosed inland system (a mediterraneus) in central Greece. Its continental shelf areas, steep bottom relief, and waters up to 500-900m deep offer suitable habitat to neritic and pelagic species. We used photographic capture-recapture, distribution modelling, and direct observations to investigate the abundance, status, habitat preferences, movements, and group size of four odontocete species regularly observed in the Gulf, based on five years (2011-2015) of survey effort from small boats. Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) are more abundant (1324 individuals, 95%CI 1158-1515) than was determined from previous estimates. Striped dolphins appear to be confined to the Gulf, where they favour deep and oligotrophic waters, and were encountered in single-species and mixed-species groups. Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) (22 individuals, 95%CI 16-31), individuals with intermediate pigmentation (possibly striped/common dolphin hybrids) (55, 95%CI 36-83), and a single Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) were only encountered in mixed-species groups with striped dolphins. Short-beaked common dolphins constitute a discrete conservation unit (subpopulation), and based on the current estimate, would qualify as Critically Endangered according to International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) (39 animals, 95%CI 33-47) occur in single-species groups; they prefer continental shelf waters and areas near fish farms in the northern sector, and several animals appear to move into and out of the Gulf. Additionally, we contribute records of marine fauna and an assessment of the fishing fleet operating in the Gulf. Our study shows that the importance of this vulnerable marine environment has been underestimated, and management action must be taken to mitigate human impact and ensure long-term protection. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Ordination of breeding birds in relation to environmental gradients in three southeastern United States floodplain forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wakeley, J.S.; Guilfoyle, M.P.; Antrobus, T.J.; Fischer, R.A.; Barrow, W.C.; Hamel, P.B.

2007-01-01

We used an ordination approach to identify factors important to the organization of breeding bird communities in three floodplains: Cache River, Arkansas (AR), Iatt Creek, Louisiana (LA), and the Coosawhatchie River, South Carolina (SC), USA. We used 5-min point counts to sample birds in each study area each spring from 1995 to 1998, and measured ground-surface elevations and a suite of other habitat variables to investigate bird distributions and community characteristics in relation to important environmental gradients. In both AR and SC, the average number of Neotropical migrant species detected was lowest in semipermanently flooded Nyssa aquatica Linnaeus habitats and greatest in the highest elevation floodplain zone. Melanerpes carolinus Linnaeus, Protonotaria citrea Boddaert, Quiscalus quiscula Linnaeus, and other species were more abundant in N. aquatica habitats, whereas Wilsonia citrina Boddaert, Oporornis formosus Wilson, Vireo griseus Boddaert, and others were more abundant in drier floodplain zones. In LA, there were no significant differences in community metrics or bird species abundances among forest types. Canonical correspondence analyses revealed that structural development of understory vegetation was the most important factor affecting bird distributions in all three study areas; however, potential causes of these structural gradients differed. In AR and SC, differences in habitat structure were related to the hydrologic gradient, as indexed by ground-surface elevation. In LA, structural variations were related mainly to the frequency of canopy gaps. Thus, bird communities in all three areas appeared to be organized primarily in response to repeated localized disturbance. Our results suggest that regular disturbance due to flooding plays an important role in structuring breeding bird communities in floodplains subject to prolonged inundation, whereas other agents of disturbance (e.g., canopy gaps) may be more important in headwater systems subject to only short-duration flooding. Management for avian community integrity in these systems should strive to maintain forest zonation and natural disturbance regimes. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Modeling Nonresident Seabird Foraging Distributions to Inform Ocean Zoning in Central California.

PubMed

Studwell, Anna J; Hines, Ellen; Elliott, Meredith L; Howar, Julie; Holzman, Barbara; Nur, Nadav; Jahncke, Jaime

2017-01-01

Seabird aggregations at sea have been shown to be associated with concentrations of prey. Previous research identified Central California as a highly used foraging area for seabirds, with locally breeding seabirds foraging close to their colonies on Southeast Farallon Island. Herein, we focus on nonresident (i.e. non-locally breeding) seabird species off of Central California. We hypothesized that high-use foraging areas for nonresident seabirds would be influenced by oceanographic and bathymetric factors and that spatial and temporal distributions would be similar within planktivorous and generalist foraging guilds but would differ between them. With data collected by the Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies (ACCESS) partnership during cruises between April and October from 2004-2013, we developed generalized linear models to identify high-use foraging areas for each of six nonresident seabird species. The four generalist species are Phoebastria nigripes (black-footed albatross), Ardenna griseus (sooty shearwater), Ardenna creatopus (pink-footed shearwater), and Fulmarus glacialis (northern fulmar). The two planktivorous species are Phalaropus lobatus (red-necked phalarope) and Phalaropus fulicarius (red phalarope). Sea surface temperature was significant for generalist species and sea surface salinity was important for planktivorous species. The distance to the 200-m isobath was significant in five of six models, Pacific Decadal Oscillation with a 3-month lag in four models, and sea surface fluorescence, the distance to Cordell Bank, and depth in three models. We did not find statistically significant differences between distributions of individual seabird species within a foraging guild or between guilds, with the exception of the sooty shearwater. Model results for a multi-use seabird foraging area highlighted the continental shelf break, particularly within the vicinity of Cordell Bank, as the highest use areas as did Marxan prioritization. Our research methods can be implemented elsewhere to identify critical habitat that needs protection as human development pressures continue to expand to the ocean.

Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Cetaceans in the Subtropical Southwestern Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf and Slope

PubMed Central

Di Tullio, Juliana Couto; Gandra, Tiago B. R.; Zerbini, Alexandre N.; Secchi, Eduardo R.

2016-01-01

Temporal and spatial patterns of cetacean diversity and distribution were investigated through eight ship-based surveys carried out during spring and autumn between 2009 and 2014 on the outer continental shelf (~150m) and slope (1500m) off southeastern and southern Brazil (~23°S to ~34°S). The survey area was divided into southeast and south areas according to their oceanographic characteristics. Twenty-one species were observed in 503 sightings. The overall number of species was similar between the two areas, though it was higher in the spring in the south area. Five species were dominant and diversity varied more seasonally than spatially. ANOVA and kernel analyses showed that overall cetacean densities were higher in spring compared to autumn. Physeter macrocephalus, the most frequent species, concentrated throughout the south area at depths over 1000m in both seasons. Despite the overlapped occurrence at a broader scale, small delphinids presented latitudinal and in-offshore gradients as well as seasonal variation in distribution patterns, which could indicate habitat partitioning between some species. Delphinus delphis was only recorded in the south and its density decreased in areas where the presence of Stenella frontalis increased, mainly beyond the 250m isobath. Densities of S. longirostris and S. attenuata increased in lower latitudes and beyond the shelf break. The large delphinids Tursiops truncatus and Globicephala melas formed mixed groups in many occasions and were observed along the study area around depths of 500m. Grampus griseus was twice as frequent in the south area and densities increased in waters deeper than 600m. As expected, densities of both small and large migratory whales were higher during spring, over the continental slope, in the southeast area. The results presented here provided strong evidence on the importance of the outer continental shelf and slope to a diverse community of cetaceans occurring in the subtropical Southwestern Atlantic. PMID:27243455

Composition of Glycosaminoglycans in Elasmobranchs including Several Deep-Sea Sharks: Identification of Chondroitin/Dermatan Sulfate from the Dried Fins of Isurus oxyrinchus and Prionace glauca

PubMed Central

Higashi, Kyohei; Takeuchi, Yoshiki; Mukuno, Ann; Tomitori, Hideyuki; Miya, Masaki; Linhardt, Robert J.; Toida, Toshihiko

2015-01-01

Shark fin, used as a food, is a rich source of glycosaminoglyans (GAGs), acidic polysaccharides having important biological activities, suggesting their nutraceutical and pharmaceutical application. A comprehensive survey of GAGs derived from the fin was performed on 11 elasmobranchs, including several deep sea sharks. Chondroitin sulfate (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA) were found in Isurus oxyrinchus, Prionace glauca, Scyliorhinus torazame, Deania calcea, Chlamydoselachus anguineus, Mitsukurina owatoni, Mustelus griseus and Dasyatis akajei, respectively. CS was only found from Chimaera phantasma, Dalatias licha, and Odontaspis ferox, respectively. Characteristic disaccharide units of most of the CS were comprised of C- and D-type units. Interestingly, substantial amount of CS/dermatan sulfate (DS) was found in the dried fin (without skin and cartilage) of Isurus oxyrinchus and Prionace glauca. 1H-NMR analysis showed that the composition of glucuronic acid (GlcA) and iduronic acid (IdoA) in shark CS/DS was 41.2% and 58.8% (Isurus oxyrinchus), 36.1% and 63.9% (Prionace glauca), respectively. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of this CS/DS consisted of E-, B- and D-type units. Shark CS/DS stimulated neurite outgrowth of hippocampal neurons at a similar level as DS derived from invertebrate species. Midkine and pleiotrophin interact strongly with CS/DS from Isurus oxyrinchus and Prionace glauca, affording Kd values of 1.07 nM, 6.25 nM and 1.70 nM, 1.88 nM, respectively. These results strongly suggest that the IdoA-rich domain of CS/DS is required for neurite outgrowth activity. A detailed examination of oligosaccharide residues, produced by chondroitinase ACII digestion, suggested that the IdoA and B-type units as well as A- and C-type units were found in clusters in shark CS/DS. In addition, it was discovered that the contents of B-type units in these IdoA-rich domain increased in a length dependent manner, while C- and D-type units were located particularly in the immediate vicinity of the IdoA-rich domain. PMID:25803296

Management of Protected Areas and Its Effect on an Ecosystem Function: Removal of Prosopis flexuosa Seeds by Mammals in Argentinian Drylands.

PubMed

Campos, Claudia M; Campos, Valeria E; Miguel, Florencia; Cona, Mónica I

The ecological function of animal seed dispersal depends on species interactions and can be affected by drivers such as the management interventions applied to protected areas. This study was conducted in two protected areas in the Monte Desert: a fenced reserve with grazing exclusion and absence of large native mammals (the Man and Biosphere Ñacuñán Reserve; FR) and an unfenced reserve with low densities of large native and domestic animals (Ischigualasto Park; UFR). The study focuses on Prosopis flexuosa seed removal by different functional mammal groups: "seed predators", "scatter-hoarders", and "opportunistic frugivores". Under both interventions, the relative contribution to seed removal by different functional mammal groups was assessed, as well as how these groups respond to habitat heterogeneity (i.e. vegetation structure) at different spatial scales. Camera traps were used to identify mammal species removing P. flexuosa seeds and to quantify seed removal; remote sensing data helped analyze habitat heterogeneity. In the FR, the major fruit removers were a seed predator (Graomys griseoflavus) and a scatter-hoarder (Microcavia asutralis). In the UFR, the main seed removers were the opportunistic frugivores (Lycalopex griseus and Dolichotis patagonum), who removed more seeds than the seed predator in the FR. The FR shows higher habitat homogeneity than the UFR, and functional groups respond differently to habitat heterogeneity at different spatial scales. In the FR, because large herbivores are locally extinct (e.g. Lama guanicoe) and domestic herbivores are excluded, important functions of large herbivores are missing, such as the maintenance of habitat heterogeneity, which provides habitats for medium-sized opportunistic frugivores with consequent improvement of quality and quantity of seed dispersal services. In the UFR, with low densities of large herbivores, probably one important ecosystem function this group performs is to increase habitat heterogeneity, allowing for the activity of medium-sized mammals who, behaving as opportunistic frugivores, did the most significant seed removal.

Management of Protected Areas and Its Effect on an Ecosystem Function: Removal of Prosopis flexuosa Seeds by Mammals in Argentinian Drylands

PubMed Central

Campos, Valeria E.; Miguel, Florencia; Cona, Mónica I.

2016-01-01

The ecological function of animal seed dispersal depends on species interactions and can be affected by drivers such as the management interventions applied to protected areas. This study was conducted in two protected areas in the Monte Desert: a fenced reserve with grazing exclusion and absence of large native mammals (the Man and Biosphere Ñacuñán Reserve; FR) and an unfenced reserve with low densities of large native and domestic animals (Ischigualasto Park; UFR). The study focuses on Prosopis flexuosa seed removal by different functional mammal groups: “seed predators”, “scatter-hoarders”, and “opportunistic frugivores”. Under both interventions, the relative contribution to seed removal by different functional mammal groups was assessed, as well as how these groups respond to habitat heterogeneity (i.e. vegetation structure) at different spatial scales. Camera traps were used to identify mammal species removing P. flexuosa seeds and to quantify seed removal; remote sensing data helped analyze habitat heterogeneity. In the FR, the major fruit removers were a seed predator (Graomys griseoflavus) and a scatter-hoarder (Microcavia asutralis). In the UFR, the main seed removers were the opportunistic frugivores (Lycalopex griseus and Dolichotis patagonum), who removed more seeds than the seed predator in the FR. The FR shows higher habitat homogeneity than the UFR, and functional groups respond differently to habitat heterogeneity at different spatial scales. In the FR, because large herbivores are locally extinct (e.g. Lama guanicoe) and domestic herbivores are excluded, important functions of large herbivores are missing, such as the maintenance of habitat heterogeneity, which provides habitats for medium-sized opportunistic frugivores with consequent improvement of quality and quantity of seed dispersal services. In the UFR, with low densities of large herbivores, probably one important ecosystem function this group performs is to increase habitat heterogeneity, allowing for the activity of medium-sized mammals who, behaving as opportunistic frugivores, did the most significant seed removal. PMID:27655222

Landscape and vegetation effects on avian reproduction on bottomland forest restorations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twedt, Daniel J.; Somershoe, Scott G.; Hazler, Kirsten R.; Cooper, Robert J.

2010-01-01

Forest restoration has been undertaken on >200,000 ha of agricultural land in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA, during the past few decades. Decisions on where and how to restore bottomland forests are complex and dependent upon landowner objectives, but for conservation of silvicolous (forest-dwelling) birds, ecologists have espoused restoration through planting a diverse mix of densely spaced seedlings that includes fast-growing species. Application of this planting strategy on agricultural tracts that are adjacent to extant forest or within landscapes that are predominately forested has been advocated to increase forest area and enhance forested landscapes, thereby benefiting area-sensitive, silvicolous birds. We measured support for these hypothesized benefits through assessments of densities of breeding birds and reproductive success of 9 species on 36 bottomland forest restoration sites. Densities of thamnic (shrub-scrub dwelling) and silvicolous birds, such as yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens), indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), and white-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus) were positively associated with 1) taller trees, 2) greater stem densities, and 3) a greater proportion of forest within the landscape, whereas densities of birds associated with grasslands, such as dickcissel (Spiza americana) and red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), were negatively associated with these variables. Vegetation structure, habitat edge, and temporal effects had greater influence on nest success than did landscape effects. Taller trees, increased density of woody stems, greater vegetation density, and more forest within the landscape were often associated with greater nest success. Nest success of grassland birds was positively related to distance from forest edge but, for thamnic birds, success was greater near edges. Moreover, nest success and estimated fecundity of thamnic species suggested their populations are self-sustaining on forest restoration sites, whereas these sites are likely population sinks for grassland and open-woodland species. We recommend restoration strategies that promote rapid development of dense forest stands within largely forested landscapes to recruit breeding populations of thamnic and silvicolous birds that have reproductive success sufficient to sustain their populations.

Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Cetaceans in the Subtropical Southwestern Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf and Slope.

PubMed

Di Tullio, Juliana Couto; Gandra, Tiago B R; Zerbini, Alexandre N; Secchi, Eduardo R

2016-01-01

Temporal and spatial patterns of cetacean diversity and distribution were investigated through eight ship-based surveys carried out during spring and autumn between 2009 and 2014 on the outer continental shelf (~150m) and slope (1500m) off southeastern and southern Brazil (~23°S to ~34°S). The survey area was divided into southeast and south areas according to their oceanographic characteristics. Twenty-one species were observed in 503 sightings. The overall number of species was similar between the two areas, though it was higher in the spring in the south area. Five species were dominant and diversity varied more seasonally than spatially. ANOVA and kernel analyses showed that overall cetacean densities were higher in spring compared to autumn. Physeter macrocephalus, the most frequent species, concentrated throughout the south area at depths over 1000m in both seasons. Despite the overlapped occurrence at a broader scale, small delphinids presented latitudinal and in-offshore gradients as well as seasonal variation in distribution patterns, which could indicate habitat partitioning between some species. Delphinus delphis was only recorded in the south and its density decreased in areas where the presence of Stenella frontalis increased, mainly beyond the 250m isobath. Densities of S. longirostris and S. attenuata increased in lower latitudes and beyond the shelf break. The large delphinids Tursiops truncatus and Globicephala melas formed mixed groups in many occasions and were observed along the study area around depths of 500m. Grampus griseus was twice as frequent in the south area and densities increased in waters deeper than 600m. As expected, densities of both small and large migratory whales were higher during spring, over the continental slope, in the southeast area. The results presented here provided strong evidence on the importance of the outer continental shelf and slope to a diverse community of cetaceans occurring in the subtropical Southwestern Atlantic.

A Column Experiment To Determine Black Shale Degradation And Colonization By Means of δ13C and 14C Analysis Of Phospholipid Fatty Acids And DNA Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seifert, A.; Gleixner, G.

2008-12-01

We investigated the degradation of black shale organic matter by microbial communities. We inoculated two columns respectively, with the fungi Schizophyllum commune, the gram-positive bacterium Pseudomonas putida and the gram-negative bacteria Streptomyces griseus and Streptomyces chartreusis. These microorganisms are known to degrade a wide variety of organic macromolecules. Additionally, we had two sets of control columns. To one set the same nutrient solution was added as to the inoculated columns and to the other set only sterile deionised water was supplied. All columns contained 1.5 kg of freshly crushed not autoclaved black shale material with a particle size of 0.63-2 mm. The columns were incubated at 28° C and 60% humidity in the dark. The aim was to investigate, which microorganisms live on black shales and if these microorganisms are able to degrade ancient organic matter. We used compound specific stable isotope measurement techniques and compound specific 14C-dating methods. After 183 days PLFAs were extracted from the columns to investigate the microbial community, furthermore we extracted on one hand total-DNA of column material and on the other hand DNA from pure cultures isolates which grew on Kinks-agar B, Starch-casein-nitrate-agar (SCN) and on complete-yeast-medium-agar (CYM). According to the PLFA analysis bacteria dominated in the columns, whereas in pure cultures more fungi were isolated. A principal component analysis revealed differences between the columns in accordance with the inoculation, but it seems that the inoculated microorganisms were replaced by the natural population. For AMS measurements palmitic acid (C 16:0) was re-isolated from total-PLFA-extract with a preparative fraction collector (PFC). Preliminary results of the study revealed that microorganisms are able to degrade black shale material and that PLFA analysis are useful methods to be combined with analysis of stable isotope and 14C measurements to study microbial degradation processes.

Las ideologias, las ciencias naturales y sus implicaciones en la educacion cientifica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lozada Roldan, Sandra

Este estudio ausculto las concepciones epistemologicas de los docentes de ciencia del nivel secundario con relacion a las ideologias y las ciencias naturales. Tambien examino las posiciones de los docentes ante asuntos publicos relacionados a la ciencia. Para propositos de este estudio se diseno y se valido el cuestionario con el cual se obtuvieron los resultados. La investigacion es de tipo cuantitativa y se utilizo como diseno la encuesta. El cuestionario se administro en varias actividades de desarrollo profesional para maestros de ciencia. Un total de 78 maestros del nivel secundario respondieron el cuestionario. Para analizar los datos obtenidos se utilizaron estadisticas descriptivas como la distribucion de frecuencia y el porciento. Ademas se establecieron codigos y categorias para describir las posiciones de los maestros ante asuntos publicos relacionados a la ciencia. Los analisis demostraron que entre los docentes participantes de este estudio prevalecen ciertas concepciones epistemologicas adecuadas acerca de las ciencias naturales, a la luz de la literatura consultada. Entre estas concepciones se destacan las siguientes: a) la filosofia materialista de las ciencias naturales, b) la naturaleza tentativa y constructivista del conocimiento cientifico, c) el uso de una metodologia que garantiza cierto grado de objetividad y con el que se justifican y validan los enunciados cientificos y d) la funcion instrumental del conocimiento cientifico. Sin embargo, entre los docentes participantes de este estudio prevalecen ciertas concepciones epistemologicas erroneas acerca de las ciencias naturales, a la luz de la literatura consultada. Entre estas concepciones se destacan las siguientes: a) tendencia inductivista en el que las teorias cientificas comienzan con observaciones que establecen generalizaciones, b) secuencia jerarquica de la metodologia cientifica. Ademas, entre los docentes participantes de este estudio prevalecen concepciones epistemologicas adecuadas acerca de las ideologias, a la luz de la literatura consultada. Entre estas concepciones se destacan las siguientes: a) la funcion de las ideologias y b) la ausencia de validez ante el conocimiento cientifico. Sin embargo, en cuanto a considerar las ciencias naturales como una ideologia mas conocida como cientificismo, no hubo consistencia en las respuestas de los participantes por lo que no es posible afirmarlo o negarlo. Los hallazgos tambien revelaron que entre los docentes participantes hubo posiciones a favor y en contra para las dos situaciones sobre asuntos publicos relacionados a la ciencia que se presentaron. Estas posiciones fueron justificadas con argumentos cientificos y argumentos ideologicos, entre estos, los morales y los economicos. Con este dato se puede afirmar el uso de las ideologias en asuntos publicos relacionados a la ciencia.

Novel marine actinobacteria from emerald Andaman & Nicobar Islands: a prospective source for industrial and pharmaceutical byproducts.

PubMed

Meena, Balakrishnan; Rajan, Lawrance Anbu; Vinithkumar, Nambali Valsalan; Kirubagaran, Ramalingam

2013-06-22

Andaman and Nicobar Islands situated in the eastern part of Bay of Bengal are one of the distinguished biodiversity hotspot. Even though number of studies carried out on the marine flora and fauna, the studies on actinobacteria from Andaman and Nicobar Islands are meager. The aim of the present study was to screen the actinobacteria for their characterization and identify the potential sources for industrial and pharmaceutical byproducts. A total of 26 actinobacterial strains were isolated from the marine sediments collected from various sites of Port Blair Bay where no collection has been characterized previously. Isolates were categorized under the genera: Saccharopolyspora, Streptomyces, Nocardiopsis, Streptoverticillium, Microtetraspora, Actinopolyspora, Actinokineospora and Dactylosporangium. Majority of the isolates were found to produce industrially important enzymes such as amylase, protease, gelatinase, lipase, DNase, cellulase, urease and phosphatase, and also exhibited substantial antibacterial activity against human pathogens. 77% of isolates exhibited significant hemolytic activity. Among 26 isolates, three strains (NIOT-VKKMA02, NIOT-VKKMA22 and NIOT-VKKMA26) were found to generate appreciable extent of surfactant, amylase, cellulase and protease enzyme. NIOT-VKKMA02 produced surfactant using kerosene as carbon source and emulsified upto E(24)-63.6%. Moreover, NIOT-VKKMA02, NIOT-VKKMA22 and NIOT-VKKMA26 synthesized 13.27 U/ml, 9.85 U/ml and 8.03 U/ml amylase; 7.75 U/ml, 5.01 U/ml and 2.08 U/ml of cellulase and 11.34 U/ml, 6.89 U/ml and 3.51 U/ml of protease enzyme, respectively. High diversity of marine actinobacteria was isolated and characterized in this work including undescribed species and species not previously reported from emerald Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including Streptomyces griseus, Streptomyces venezuelae and Saccharopolyspora salina. The enhanced salt, pH and temperature tolerance of the actinobacterial isolates along with their capacity to secrete commercially valuable primary and secondary metabolites emerges as an attractive feature of these organisms. These results are reported for the first time from these emerald Islands and expand the scope to functionally characterize novel marine actinobacteria and their metabolites for the potential novel molecules of commercial interest.

Novel marine actinobacteria from emerald Andaman & Nicobar Islands: a prospective source for industrial and pharmaceutical byproducts

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Andaman and Nicobar Islands situated in the eastern part of Bay of Bengal are one of the distinguished biodiversity hotspot. Even though number of studies carried out on the marine flora and fauna, the studies on actinobacteria from Andaman and Nicobar Islands are meager. The aim of the present study was to screen the actinobacteria for their characterization and identify the potential sources for industrial and pharmaceutical byproducts. Results A total of 26 actinobacterial strains were isolated from the marine sediments collected from various sites of Port Blair Bay where no collection has been characterized previously. Isolates were categorized under the genera: Saccharopolyspora, Streptomyces, Nocardiopsis, Streptoverticillium, Microtetraspora, Actinopolyspora, Actinokineospora and Dactylosporangium. Majority of the isolates were found to produce industrially important enzymes such as amylase, protease, gelatinase, lipase, DNase, cellulase, urease and phosphatase, and also exhibited substantial antibacterial activity against human pathogens. 77% of isolates exhibited significant hemolytic activity. Among 26 isolates, three strains (NIOT-VKKMA02, NIOT-VKKMA22 and NIOT-VKKMA26) were found to generate appreciable extent of surfactant, amylase, cellulase and protease enzyme. NIOT-VKKMA02 produced surfactant using kerosene as carbon source and emulsified upto E24–63.6%. Moreover, NIOT-VKKMA02, NIOT-VKKMA22 and NIOT-VKKMA26 synthesized 13.27 U/ml, 9.85 U/ml and 8.03 U/ml amylase; 7.75 U/ml, 5.01 U/ml and 2.08 U/ml of cellulase and 11.34 U/ml, 6.89 U/ml and 3.51 U/ml of protease enzyme, respectively. Conclusions High diversity of marine actinobacteria was isolated and characterized in this work including undescribed species and species not previously reported from emerald Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including Streptomyces griseus, Streptomyces venezuelae and Saccharopolyspora salina. The enhanced salt, pH and temperature tolerance of the actinobacterial isolates along with their capacity to secrete commercially valuable primary and secondary metabolites emerges as an attractive feature of these organisms. These results are reported for the first time from these emerald Islands and expand the scope to functionally characterize novel marine actinobacteria and their metabolites for the potential novel molecules of commercial interest. PMID:23800234

By the Light of the Moon: North Pacific Dolphins Optimize Foraging with the Lunar Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonis, Anne Elizabeth

The influence of the lunar cycle on dolphin foraging behavior was investigated in the productive, southern California Current Ecosystem and the oligotrophic Hawaiian Archipelago. Passive acoustic recordings from 2009 to 2015 were analyzed to document the presence of echolocation from four dolphin species that demonstrate distinct foraging preferences and diving abilities. Visual observations of dolphins, cloud coverage, commercial landings of market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) and acoustic backscatter of fish were also considered in the Southern California Bight. The temporal variability of echolocation is described from daily to annual timescales, with emphasis on the lunar cycle as an established behavioral driver for potential dolphin prey. For dolphins that foraged at night, the presence of echolocation was reduced during nights of the full moon and during times of night that the moon was present in the night sky. In the Southern California Bight, echolocation activity was reduced for both shallow- diving common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and deeper-diving Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) during times of increased illumination. Seasonal differences in acoustic behavior for both species suggest a geographic shift in dolphin populations, shoaling scattering layers or prey switching behavior during warm months, whereby dolphins target prey that do not vertically migrate. In the Hawaiian Archipelago, deep-diving short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and shallow-diving false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) also showed reduced echolocation behavior during periods of increased lunar illumination. In contrast to nocturnal foraging in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, false killer whales in the main Hawaiian Islands mainly foraged during the day and the lunar cycle showed little influence on their nocturnal acoustic behavior. Different temporal patterns in false killer whale acoustic behavior between the main and northwestern Hawaiian Islands can likely be attributed to the presence of distinct populations or social clusters with dissimilar foraging strategies. Consistent observations of reduced acoustic activity during times of increased lunar illumination show that the lunar cycle is an important predictor for nocturnal dolphin foraging behavior. The result of this research advances the scientific understanding of how dolphins optimize their foraging behavior in response to the changing distribution and abundance of their prey.

Bio-Physical Coupling of Seabirds and Prey with a Dynamic River Plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, E. M.; Horne, J. K.; Zamon, J. E.; Adams, J.

2016-02-01

Freshwater plumes and plume density fronts are important regions of bio-physical coupling. On the west coast of North America, discharge from the Columbia River into the northern California Current creates a large, dynamic plume and multiple plume fronts. These nutrient-rich, productive waters fuel primary and secondary production, supporting a wide variety of small pelagic prey fish, large populations of Pacific salmon, seabirds, and marine mammals. To determine the influence of the Columbia River plume on marine predators, we analyzed at-sea seabird counts, in situ environmental data, surface trawl densities of prey fish, and acoustic backscatter measurements collected from research vessels in May and June 2010-2012. Concurrent distribution patterns of satellite-tagged sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) and common murres (Uria aalge) were compared with seabird counts from ship surveys. To evaluate plume use by satellite-tagged birds, daily surface salinity values from SELFE hindcast models were extracted at each tag location. Both seabird species occurred in plume waters disproportionate to the total surveyed area, concentrating in the river plume when river flow and plume volume decreased. Murres were consistently within 20 km of the geographic mean center of the river plume. In contrast, shearwaters consistently occurred 100 km to the north of the plume center, where high densities of prey fish occur. Although acoustically detected prey also occurred in greater densities within the plume when volume decreased, surface catches of prey in the plume did not vary with changing plume conditions. Geographic indices of colocation (GIC) were low between murres and prey species caught in surface trawls, whereas GICs were >0.5 between shearwaters and prey species including squid (Loligo opalescens), juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and coho (O. kisutch) salmon. We conclude that the river plume and associated fronts are identifiable, predictable, and persistent physical features that foraging seabirds track to maximize prey encounter rates. Given projected changes in flow regimes related to climate change, our results suggest that seabird use of the river plume may have significant impacts on anadromous salmonid species, which use the plume to migrate to the ocean.

[Spatio-temporal variation of the ichthyofauna in Xel-Ha, Mexican Caribbean Marine Park and its relationship to physico-chemical parameters].

PubMed

Aldana Moreno, Alejandro; Montero Muñoz, Jorge; Aldana Aranda, Dalila

2016-12-01

Xel-Ha is a private marine park where the extraction of flora and fauna is not allowed. Here, reef fish are one of the main touristic attractions, but there are no published surveys focused on fish community in this site. In this study we analyzed the spatio-temporal variation of the fish community in different areas of the marine park Xel-Há. Abundance and richness were estimated during one-year period (2012-2013); visual censuses using fixed transects of 100x5 m each distributed in 21 transects along five sites were established in different zones: “Bocana”, “Center”, “North branch”, “Cave” and “River”, including the inlet mouth to the sea, brackish mangrove channels and a zone with freshwater influence. To characterize the fish community, we used species richness, abundance, diversity, and density compared among zones and climatic seasons (rain, “norths” and dry). The similarity among zones and seasons was estimated using a multidimensional scaling analysis. The replacement on the species composition among seasons and sites was realized based on the presence-absence of fish. The influence of physicochemical variables such as temperature, salinity and dissolve oxygen concentration in the fish community was estimated by a principal component analysis. A total of 22 641 individuals were recorded corresponding to sixty-three species over the year. Abundance was higher during the windy season (locally named “norths”) with 7 991 organisms. The most representative species according with abundance and frequency of occurrence were: Haemulon sciurus, H. flavolineatum, Lutjanus griseus, Acanthurus coeruleus, Abudefduf saxatilis, and Gerres cinereus. Diversity increased from the rainy to the dry season; species richness and diversity was lower in “River” than other sites in Xel-Ha. Most species (54 %) species were residents through the year. Four non-shared species were observed during the rainy season and three in dry season. Dissolved oxygen was the most influential variable on the fish community composition among zones. Xel-Ha houses nearly 20 % of fish biodiversity reported for the mexican Caribbean, and the predominance of juveniles of several species confirms its role as a nursery area.

Response and Resiliency of Wildlife and Vegetation to Large-Scale Wildfires and Climate Change in the North Cascades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartowitz, K.; Morrison, P.; Romain-Bondi, K.; Smith, C. W.; Warne, L.; McGill, D.

2016-12-01

Changing climatic patterns have affected the western US in a variety of ways: decreases in precipitation and snowpack, earlier spring snowmelt, and increased lightning strikes have created a drier, more fire-prone system, despite variability in these characteristics. Wildfires are a natural phenomenon, but have been suppressed for much of the past century. Effects of this evolving fire regime on native vegetation and wildlife are not well understood. Increased frequency and intensity of fires coupled with subsequent drought and extreme heat may inhibit or alter recovery of native ecosystems. We are currently investigating how a mega-fire has affected presence of western gray squirrels (Sciurus griseus, WGS) in the North Cascades, and the mortality, survival, and recovery of vegetation following these fires and extreme drought. The Methow Valley in WA experienced a record-breaking wildfire in 2014, which disturbed nearly 50% of priority habitat of the North Cascades population of WGS. WGS were studied at the same pre and post-fire plots. WGS were present at over half of the post-burn plots (58%). There was a significant difference in the number of WGS hair samples collected in different levels of remaining vegetation: the most in moderate, few in low, and none in high. Vegetation recovery was assessed through field data, and a chronosequence of satellite images and aerial photography. 75% of the 2014 fire burned non-forested vegetation. Ponderosa pine forests comprised the rest. The forests experienced about 70% initial mortality. Recovery of the forest appears slower than in the shrub-steppe. First year seedling survival was poor due to an extremely hot, dry summer, while second year survival appears higher due to a cool, moist spring and summer. One year after a large, multi-severity fire we found WGS may be more resilient to disturbance such as fires than previously thought. Future studies of WGS will help elucidate long-term response to large-scale fires, and aid in management of the state-threatened species. The combination of severe fire and extreme heat/drought may result in shifts from shrub-steppe to grass/forb communities, as well as range contraction of ponderosa pine forests. The study reveals the importance of subsequent climatic conditions on vegetation recovery after a fire.

Top-down and bottom-up factors affecting seabird population trends in the California current system (1985-2006)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ainley, David G.; David Hyrenbach, K.

2010-03-01

To characterize the environmental factors affecting seabird population trends in the central portion of the California current system (CCS), we analyzed standardized vessel-based surveys collected during the late spring (May-June) upwelling season over 22 yr (1985-2006). We tested the working hypothesis that population trends are related to species-specific foraging ecology, and predicted that temporal variation in population size should be most extreme in diving species with higher energy expenditure during foraging. We related variation in individual species abundance (number km -2) to seasonally lagged (late winter, early spring, late spring) and concurrent ocean conditions, and to long-term trends (using a proxy variable: year) during a multi-decadal period of major fluctuations in the El Niño-Southern oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). We considered both remote (Multivariate ENSO Index, PDO) and local (coastal upwelling indices and sea-surface temperature) environmental variables as proxies for ocean productivity and prey availability. We also related seabird trends to those of potentially major trophic competitors, humpback ( Megaptera novaeangliae) and blue ( Balaenoptera musculus) whales, which increased in number 4-5-fold midway during our study. Cyclical oscillations in seabird abundance were apparent in the black-footed albatross ( Phoebastria nigripes), and decreasing trends were documented for ashy storm-petrel ( Oceanodroma homochroa), pigeon guillemot ( Cepphus columbus), rhinoceros auklet ( Cerorhinca monocerata), Cassin’s auklet ( Ptychoramphus aleuticus), and western gull ( Larus occidentalis); the sooty shearwater ( Puffinus griseus), exhibited a marked decline before signs of recovery at the end of the study period. The abundance of nine other focal species varied with ocean conditions, but without decadal or long-term trends. Six of these species have the largest global populations in the CCS, and four are highly energetic, diving foragers. Furthermore, three of the diving species trends were negatively correlated with the abundance of humpback whales in the study area, a direct competitor for the same prey. Therefore, on the basis of literature reviewed, we hypothesize that the seabirds were affected by the decreasing carrying capacity of the CCS, over-exploitation of some prey stocks and interference competition from the previously exploited, but now increasing, baleen whale populations. Overall, our study highlights the complexity of the ecological factors driving seabird population trends in the highly variable and rapidly changing CCS ecosystem.

Marine bird aggregations associated with the tidally-driven plume and plume fronts of the Columbia River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamon, Jeannette E.; Phillips, Elizabeth M.; Guy, Troy J.

2014-09-01

Freshwater discharge from large rivers into the coastal ocean creates tidally-driven frontal systems known to enhance mixing, primary production, and secondary production. Many authors suggest that tidal plume fronts increase energy flow to fish-eating predators by attracting planktivorous fishes to feed on plankton aggregated by the fronts. However, few studies of plume fronts directly examine piscivorous predator response to plume fronts. Our work examined densities of piscivorous seabirds relative to the plume region and plume fronts of the Columbia River, USA. Common murres (Uria aalge) and sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) composed 83% of all birds detected on mesoscale surveys of the Washington and Oregon coasts (June 2003-2006), and 91.3% of all birds detected on fine scale surveys of the plume region less than 40 km from the river mouth (May 2003 and 2006). Mesoscale comparisons showed consistently more predators in the central plume area compared to the surrounding marine area (murres: 10.1-21.5 vs. 3.4-8.2 birds km-2; shearwaters: 24.2-75.1 vs. 11.8-25.9 birds km-2). Fine scale comparisons showed that murre density in 2003 and shearwater density in both 2003 and 2006 were significantly elevated in the tidal plume region composed of the most recently discharged river water. Murres tended to be more abundant on the north face of the plume. In May 2003, more murres and shearwaters were found within 3 km of the front on any given transect, although maximum bird density was not necessarily found in the same location as the front itself. Predator density on a given transect was not correlated with frontal strength in either year. The high bird densities we observed associated with the tidal plume demonstrate that the turbid Columbia River plume does not necessarily provide fish with refuge from visual predators. Bird predation in the plume region may therefore impact early marine survival of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), which must migrate through the tidal plume and plume front to enter the ocean. Because murres and shearwaters eat primarily planktivorous fish such as the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), aggregation of these birds in the plume supports the hypothesis that it is the plume region as a whole, and not just the plume fronts, which enhances trophic transfer to piscivorous predators via planktivorous fishes.

Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus, a new species of sweetlips (Perciformes:
Haemulidae) from northern Australia and the resurrection of P. unicolor (Macleay, 1883), species previously confused with P. schotaf (Forsskål, 1775).

PubMed

Johnson, Jeffrey W; Wilmer, Jessica Worthington

2015-07-14

Two distinct haemulid fishes from Australia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago respectively have long been confused with Plectorhinchus schotaf (Forsskål, 1775). Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus sp. nov. is described from 17 specimens collected off western and far northern Australia, between the Monte Bello Islands, Western Australia and Torres Strait, Queensland. It has also been confirmed outside this range by photographs taken at Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, and at Claremont Isles and Lizard Island, Queensland. The new species is unique among the genus in having a combination of dorsal-fin rays XII, 18-20, lateral-line scales 56-61, gill rakers 7-9 on the upper limb and 18-20 on the lower limb of the first arch, nostrils minute, and fresh colouration in adults including body uniformly grey, cheek, opercles and posterior margin of the opercular membrane uniformly blue-grey, and rim of orbit and upper edge of maxilla dusky yellow. In contrast to its closest congeners, the juveniles have a distinctive pattern of narrow creamish-white to pale grey stripes on a dark grey to chocolate brown background on the head and body, and oblique dark stripes progressing with growth to spots on the caudal fin. Plectorhinchus unicolor (Macleay, 1883) from Japan to northern Australia is resurrected from the synonomy of P. schotaf and redescribed on the basis of the holotype and 24 non-type specimens. Plectorhinchus unicolor is most similar to P. schotaf, but can be distinguished by fresh colouration, modal dorsal and pectoral-fin ray counts and DNA barcoding. Plectorhinchus schotaf appears to be restricted to the region from southeast Africa to the Arabian Sea, including the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Plectorhinchus griseus (Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1830) from Indian and Sri Lankan Seas has previously been treated as a junior synonym of P. schotaf, but in accordance with Smith (1962), is here confirmed as a valid species, readily distinguished from the latter by a concavity in the lateral profile of the snout in adults, deep body and high soft dorsal-fin ray count. Comparison of the CO1 genetic marker utilised in DNA barcoding also resulted in significant genetic divergences between the new species, P. unicolor and their closest sampled congeners. Some behavioural observations are also presented for the species treated, including aggressive interactions between individuals of the new species, the likes of which have not previously been recorded among species of Plectorhinchus.

Affinity and specificity of serine endopeptidase-protein inhibitor interactions. Empirical free energy calculations based on X-ray crystallographic structures.

PubMed

Krystek, S; Stouch, T; Novotny, J

1993-12-05

An empirical function was used to calculate free energy change (delta G) of complex formation between the following inhibitors and enzymes: Kunitz inhibitor (BPTI) with trypsin, trypsinogen and kallikrein; turkey ovomucoid 3rd domain (OMTKY3) with alpha-chymotrypsin and the Streptomyces griseus protease B; the potato chymotrypsin inhibitor with the protease B; and the barely chymotrypsin inhibitor and eglin-c with subtilisin and thermitase. Using X-ray coordinates of the nine complexes, we estimated the contributions that hydrophobic effect, electrostatic interactions and side-chain conformational entropy make towards the stability of the complexes. The calculated delta G values showed good agreement with the experimentally measured ones, the only exception being the kallikrein/BPTI complex whose X-ray structure was solved at an exceptionally low pH. In complexes with different enzymes, the same inhibitor residues contributed identically towards complex formation (delta G(residue) Spearman rank correlation coefficient 0.7 to 1.0). The most productive enzyme-contacting residues in OMTKY3, eglin-c, and the chymotrypsin inhibitors were found in analogous positions on their respective binding loops; thus, our calculations identified a functional (energetic) motif that parallels the well-known structural similarity of the binding loops. The delta G values calculated for BPTI complexed with trypsin (-21.7 kcal) and trypsinogen (-23.4 kcal) were similar and close to the experimental delta G value of the trypsin/BPTI complex (-18.1 kcal), lending support to the suggestion that the 10(7) difference in the observed stabilities (KA) of these two complexes reflects the energetic cost of conformational changes induced in trypsinogen during the pre-equilibrium stages of complex formation. In almost all of the complexes studied, the stabilization free energy contributed by the inhibitors was larger than that donated by the enzymes. In the trypsin-BPTI complex, the calculated delta G contribution of the amino group from the BPTI residue Lys15 (9.7 kcal) was somewhat higher than that arrived at in experiments with semisynthetic inhibitor analogs (7.5 kcal). In OMTKY3, different binding loop residues are known to affect differently the binding (delta delta G) to alpha-chymotrypsin and protease B; a good qualitative agreement was found between the calculated delta G(residue) estimates and the experimental delta delta G data (correlation coefficient 0.7). Large variations were observed in local surface complementarity and related interfacial volume in the two OMTKY3 complexes (by 20 to 60% for some side-chains).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Analysis of the discrepancies identified during medication reconciliation on patient admission in cardiology units: a descriptive study.

PubMed

Lombardi, Natália Fracaro; Mendes, Antonio Eduardo Matoso; Lucchetta, Rosa Camila; Reis, Wálleri Christini Torelli; Fávero, Maria Luiza Drechsel; Correr, Cassyano Januário

2016-08-15

this observational study aimed to describe the discrepancies identified during medication reconciliation on patient admission to cardiology units in a large hospital. the medication history of patients was collected within 48 hours after admission, and intentional and unintentional discrepancies were classified as omission, duplication, dose, frequency, timing, and route of drug administration. most of the patients evaluated were women (58.0%) with a mean age of 59 years, and 75.5% of the patients had a Charlson comorbidity index score between 1 and 3. Of the 117 discrepancies found, 50.4% were unintentional. Of these, 61.0% involved omission, 18.6% involved dosage, 18.6% involved timing, and 1.7% involved the route of drug administration. this study revealed a high prevalence of discrepancies, most of which were related to omissions, and 50% were unintentional. These results reveal the number of drugs that are not reincorporated into the treatment of patients, which can have important clinical consequences. este estudo observacional teve como objetivo descrever discrepâncias encontradas na realização de conciliação medicamentosa de pacientes admitidos em unidades de cardiologia de um hospital de grande porte. a história de medicação dos pacientes foi coletada dentro de 48h após a admissão, e as discrepâncias, identificadas como intencionais ou não intencionais, foram classificadas como de: omissão, duplicidade, dose, frequência, intervalo e via. a maioria dos pacientes incluídos pertençia ao sexo feminino (58,0%), com idade média de 59 anos, e com índice de comorbidades de Charlson entre 1 e 3 (75,5% dos casos). Das 117 discrepâncias encontradas, 50,4% foram não intencionais. Dessas, 61,0% foram de omissão, 18,6% de dose, 18,6% de intervalo e 1,7% de via de administração. o estudo mostra a alta prevalência de discrepâncias, principalmente de omissão, sendo quase metade não intencionais. Esse dado remete ao número de medicamentos que não são reincorporados ao tratamento dos pacientes, podendo repercutir em consequências clínicas importantes. este estudio observacional tuvo como objetivo describir discrepancias encontradas en la realización de la conciliación medicamentosa de pacientes admitidos en unidades de cardiología de un hospital de gran porte. la historia de medicación de los pacientes fue recolectada dentro de 48h después de la admisión, y las discrepancias, identificadas como intencionales o no intencionales, fueron clasificadas como: omisión, duplicidad, dosis, frecuencia, intervalo y vía. la mayoría de los pacientes incluidos pertenecía al sexo femenino (58,0%), con edad promedio de 59 años, y con índice de comorbilidad de Charlson entre 1 y 3 (75,5% de los casos). De las 117 discrepancias encontradas, 50,4% fueron no intencionales. De estas, 61,0% fueron de omisión, 18,6% de dosis, 18,6% de intervalo y 1,7% de vía de administración. el estudio muestra la alta prevalencia de discrepancias, principalmente de omisión, siendo casi mitad de ellas no intencionales. Ese dato nos indica el número de medicamentos que no son reincorporados al tratamiento de los pacientes, lo que puede repercutir en consecuencias clínicas importantes.

At-sea distribution and abundance of seabirds off southern California: A 20-year comparison

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mason, J.W.; McChesney, G.J.; McIver, W.R.; Carter, H.R.; Takekawa, John Y.; Golightly, R.T.; Ackerman, Joshua T.; Orthmeyer, D.L.; Perry, W.M.; Yee, J.L.; Pierson, M.O.; McCrary, M.D.

2007-01-01

We conducted aerial at-sea and coastal surveys to examine the distribution and abundance of seabirds off southern California, from Cambria, California, to the Mexican border. From May 1999-January 2002, we flew 102 d, covered >54,640 km of transect lines, and conducted nine complete surveys of southern California in January, May, and September. We identified 54 species comprising 12 families and counted >135,000 individuals. Seabird densities were greater along island and mainland coastlines than at sea and were usually greatest in January surveys. Densities were greatest at sea near the northern Channel Islands in January and north of Point Conception in May, and lowest in the southwestern portion of the Southern California Bight in all survey months. On coastal transects, seabird densities were greatest along central and southern portions of the mainland coastline from Point Arguello to Mexico. We estimated that 981,000 ?? 144,000 (x?? ?? SE) seabirds occurred in the study area in January, 862,000 ?? 95,000 in May, and 762,000 ?? 72,000 in September. California Gulls (Larus californicus), Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis), and Cassin's Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) were most abundant in January surveys at sea, whereas Sooty and Short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus griseus and P. tenuirostris), phalaropes (Phalaropus spp.), and Western Gulls (Larus. occidentalis) were most abundant in May and September surveys. On coastal transects, California Gulls, Western Grebes, Western Gulls, and Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) were most abundant in January; Western Grebes, Western Gulls, Surf Scoters, and Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) were most abundant in May; and Sooty Shearwaters, Short-tailed Shearwaters, Western Gulls, Western Grebes, Brown Pelicans, and Heermann's Gulls (Larus heermanni) were most abundant in September. Compared to historical seabird densities collected in the same area two decades ago (1975-1978 and 1980-1983), abundance was lower by 14% in January, 57% in May, and 42% in September. Common Murres (Uria aalge, ???75% in each season), Sooty Shearwaters (55% in May, 27% in September), and Bonaparte's Gulls (L. Philadelphia, ???95% in each season) had lower densities. Conversely, Brown Pelicans (167% overall), Xantus's Murrelets (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus; 125% overall), Cassin's Auklets (100% overall), Ashy Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma homochroa, 450% overall) and Western Gulls (55% in May), and Brandt's Cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus, 450% in September) had greater densities. Our results indicate that seabird abundance has declined off the southern California coast in the past two decades, and these declines may be warning signs of environmental degradation in the region or effects of larger forces such as climate change.

Shorebird roost-site selection at two temporal scales: Is human disturbance a factor?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peters, K.A.; Otis, D.L.

2007-01-01

1. Roost-site selection in shorebirds is governed by ambient factors, including environmental conditions and human disturbance. Determination of the extent to which these factors affect roost use and the associated implications for shorebird habitat protection is important for conservation strategies and informed management of human recreational use of these habitats. Shorebird conservation as a whole is a high priority world-wide because a large proportion of shorebird species is in decline. However, little is understood about the consistency of roost use by different species, what conditions affect species-specific roost-site selection, and at what spatial and temporal scales conditions influence selection. 2. We studied high-tide roost-site selection by eight species of non-breeding shorebirds on a critically important stopover and wintering refuge. We calculated spatial and temporal variability in roost use for each species based on counts and consistency of incidence. We then examined roost-site selection in relation to structural, environmental and human disturbance factors, and how this varied across spatial and temporal scales. 3. Most roosts were used less than 50% of the time, although larger roosts were used more consistently. This varied among species, with red knot Calidris canutus tending to concentrate at a few roosts and American oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus, dowitcher Limnodromus griseus and Limnodromus scolopaceus and ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres more diffusely distributed among roosts. 4. At an annual scale, the principal factors affecting shorebird presence at roosts were roost length (size), local region, substrate and aspect. The extent and direction of these effects varied among species. Among years, red knots avoided roosts that had high average boat activity within 1000 m, but disturbance did not appear to be a factor for other species. 5. Daily roost use was influenced primarily by wind speed and the ability of roosts to provide shelter from the wind. Only dowitchers appeared to track daily disturbance, avoiding prospective roosts when boat activity within 100 m was high. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our findings emphasize the need to consider species-specific differences in temporal- and spatial-scale effects of roost-site selection factors, including human disturbance, when employing conservation measures for shorebirds. We suggest that conservation management should aim to provide a wide range of potential roosts (both natural and artificial) that could be used under different wind conditions and that are within reasonable travelling distance of preferred feeding areas. Roost use is often highly variable, and monitoring efforts must take this into account before making inferences about changes in use or selection of roost sites. ?? 2006 The Authors.

Seasonal relationships between birds and arthropods in bottomland forest canopy gaps.

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

Bowen, Liessa, Thomas

2004-12-31

Bowen, Liessa, Thomas. 2004. Seasonal relationships between birds and arthropods in bottomland forest canopy gaps. PhD Dissertation. North Carolina State University. Raleigh, North Carolina. 98pp. I investigated the influence of arthropod availability and vegetation structure on avian habitat use at the center, edge, and adjacent to forest canopy gaps in 2001 and 2002. I used mist-netting and plot counts to estimate abundance of birds using three sizes (0.13, 0.26, and 0.5 ha) of 7-8 year old group-selection timber harvest openings during four seasons (spring migration, breeding, post-breeding, and fall migration) in a bottomland hardwood forest in the Upper Coastal Plainmore » of South Carolina. I used foliage clipping, Malaise trapping, and pitfall trapping to determine arthropod abundance within each habitat, and I used a warm water crop-flush on captured birds to gather information about arthropods eaten. I observed more birds, including forest interior species, forest-edge spedge species, and several individual species, in early-successional canopy gap and gap-edge habitats than in surrounding mature forest during all seasons. I found a significant interaction between season and habitat type for several groups and individual species, suggesting a seasonal shift in habitat use. Captures of all birds, insectivorous birds, foliage- gleaners, ground-gleaners, aerial salliers, Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus), and Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens) were positively correlated with understory vegetation density during two or more seasons. I found relationships between insectivorous birds and leaf-dwelling Lepidoptera, insectivorous birds and ground-dwelling arthropods, foliage-gleaning birds and foliage-dwelling arthropods, and aerial salliers and flying arthropods, as well as between individual bird species and arthropods. Relationships were inconsistent, however, with many species being negatively correlated with arthropod abundance. Coleopteran, Lepidopteran, and Aranid prey items represented the greatest proportions of crop-flush samples during all seasons. Proportional consumption of Coleopteran and Hemipteran prey items was higher than their proportional availability, and consumption of Aranid and Hymenopteran prey items was lower than their proportional availability during all seasons. Individual bird species and guilds consistently consumed similar proportions of certain groups of arthropods from spring through fall migration, with no apparent seasonal shift in diet composition. My research suggests that many species of birds selectively choose mid-successional gap and gap-edge habitat over surrounding mature forest during the non-breeding season, and the creation of small canopy gaps within a mature forest may increase local bird species richness. It is less obvious how arthropod availability affects bird habitat use across seasons. A structurally diverse mosaic of habitat types, including regenerating canopy gaps within a mature forest, may provide valuable habitat for birds and a variety of arthropod prey items across multiple seasons.« less

Stage of lactation and corresponding diets affect in situ protein degradation by dairy cows.

PubMed

Schadt, I; Mertens, D R; Van Soest, P J; Azzaro, G; Licitra, G

2014-12-01

The influence of stage of lactation and corresponding diets on rates of protein degradation (kd) is largely unstudied. Study objectives were to measure and compare in situ ruminal kd of crude protein (CP) and estimate rumen CP escape (rumen-undegradable protein; RUP) of selected feeds by cows at 3 stages of lactation fed corresponding diets, and to determine the incubation times needed in an enzymatic in vitro procedure, using 0.2 units of Streptomyces griseus protease per percent of true CP, that predicted in situ RUP. Residue CP was measured after in situ fermentation for 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 h of 5 protein sources and 3 total mixed rations, which were fed to the in situ cows. Two nonlactating (dry) cows and 2 cows each at 190 (mid) and 90 (peak) days of lactation were used. Each pair of cows was offered free-choice diets that differed in composition to meet their corresponding nutrient requirements. Diets had decreasing proportions of forages and contained (dry matter basis) 11.9, 15.1 and 16.4% CP and 54.3, 40.3 and 35.3% neutral detergent fiber, for dry, mid, and peak TMR (TMR1, TMR2, and TMR3), respectively. Intakes were 10.3, 21.4, and 23.8kg of dry matter/d, respectively. Kinetic CP fractions (extractable, potentially degradable, undegradable, or slowly degradable) were unaffected by treatment. Lag time and kd varied among feeds. The kd was faster for all feeds (0.136/h) when incubated in dry-TMR1 cows compared with mid-TMR2 (0.097/h) or peak-TMR3 (0.098/h) cows, and no differences in lag time were detected. Calculated RUP, using estimated passage rates for each cow based on intake, differed between dry-TMR1 (0.382) and mid-TMR2 (0.559) or peak-TMR3 (0.626) cows, with a tendency for mid-TMR2 to be different from peak-TMR3. Using the average kd and lag time obtained from dry-TMR1 to calculate RUP for mid-TMR2 and peak-TMR3 cows using their passage rates reduced RUP values by 6.3 and 9.5 percentage units, respectively. Except for that of herring meal, in vitro residue CP at 6, 12, and 48h of enzymatic hydrolysis was correlated (r=0.90) with in situ RUP of peak-TMR3, mid-TMR2, and dry-TMR1, respectively. Although confounded within treatments, stage of lactation, diet, and intake appeared to affect CP degradation parameters and RUP. Using kd from nonlactating cows, or the RUP calculated from them, may bias diet evaluation or ration formulation for lactating cows. In addition, enzymatic in vitro predictions of RUP should be measured using incubation times that are appropriate for lactating cows. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Joint conference of iMEC 2015 (2nd International Manufacturing Engineering Conference & APCOMS 2015 (3rd Asia-Pacific Conference on Manufacturing Systems)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2016-02-01

The iMEC 2015 is the second International Manufacturing Engineering Conference organized by the Faculty of Manufacturing, Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), held from 12-14th November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with a theme "Materials, Manufacturing and Systems for Tomorrow". For the first time, iMEC is organized together with 3rd Asia- Pacific Conference on Manufacturing System (APCOMS 2015) which owned by Fakulti Teknologi Industri, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia. This is an extended collaboration between UMP and ITB to intensify knowledge sharing and experiences between higher learning institutions. This conference (iMEC & APCOMS 2015) is a platform for knowledge exchange and the growth of ideas, particularly in manufacturing engineering. The conference aims to bring researchers, academics, scientists, students, engineers and practitioners from around the world together to present their latest findings, ideas, developments and applications related to manufacturing engineering and other related research areas. With rapid advancements in manufacturing engineering, iMEC is an appropriate medium for the associated community to keep pace with the changes. In 2015, the conference theme is “Materials, Manufacturing and Systems for Tomorrow” which reflects the acceleration of knowledge and technology in global manufacturing. The papers in these proceedings are examples of the work presented at the conference. They represent the tip of the iceberg, as the conference attracted over 200 abstracts from Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Turkey and Morocco and 151 full papers were accepted in these proceedings. The conference was run in four parallel sessions with 160 presenters sharing their latest finding in the areas of manufacturing process, systems, advanced materials and automation. The first keynote presentation was given by Prof. B. S. Murthy (IIT, Madras) on "Nanomaterials with Exceptional Properties Synthesized through Top Down Approach”, which was warmly welcomed by an eager and highly motivated audience. The second keynote speaker was Prof. Ir. Dradjad Irianto (ITB, Indonesia) on “Collaborative Manufacturing for Small-medium Enterprises”. The organizers are very grateful to them for supporting the conference and sharing their latest research results with the conference participants. The conference organizers would like to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to the honorary chairman Prof. Dato, Dr. Daing Nasir Ibrahim and Prof. Dr. Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff and organizing committee members of iMEC2015, Assoc. Prof. Dr. A.K. Prasada Rao (chairman), Dr. Ing. Mohd Azmir Mohd Azhari (co-chairman), and all committee members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Razlan Yusoff, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ismed Iskandar, Dr Noraini Mohd Razali, Dr Muhammed Nafis Osman Zahid, Dr Noor Mazni Ismail, Dr Izwan Ismail, Dr Zamzuri Hamedon, Dr Faiz Mohd Turan, Ms Suraya Sulaiman and secretariat Miss Zuryaty, Mrs Wan Norshihah, Mr. Mohd Khairulnazri and Mr Rafilah and also a million thanks to the steering committee from APCOMS Prof. Dr. Kadarsyah Suryadi, Prof. Dr. Bermawi, P. Iskandar, Prof. Dr. Abdul Hakim Halim, Prof. Dr. Dradjad Irianto, Dr. TMA Ari Samadhi, Ir. I Made Dana Tangkas and APCOMS organizing committee Prof. Dr. Abdul Hakim Halim (chair), Dr. Rachmawati Wangsaputra (co-chair) and other committee members Dr. Iwan Inrawan Wiratmadja, Dr. Anas Ma'ruf, Dr. Sukoyo and Dr. Wisnu Aribowo. The editorial board are indebted to all of the reviewers who were willing to spend their precious time in reviewing the papers. Thanks also to all who contributed direct or indirectly in making this conference a success, especially Mr. Mohd Khairulnazri in helping the editors complete the proceedings. Dr. Zamzuri Hamedon Editor in-chief iMEC & APCOMS 2015 Associate Editors 1. Assoc. Prof. Dr. A.K. Prasada Rao 2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Razlan Yusoff 3. Dr. Ing. Mohd Azmir Mohd Azhari 4. Dr. Muhammed Nafis Osman Zahid 5. Dr. Faiz Mohd Turan

Estimation of groundwater recharge using the chloride mass-balance method, Pingtung Plain, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ting, Cheh-Shyh; Kerh, Tienfuan; Liao, Chiu-Jung

Due to rapid economic growth in the Pingtung Plain of Taiwan, the use of groundwater resources has changed dramatically. Over-pumping of the groundwater reservoir, which lowers hydraulic heads in the aquifers, is not only affecting the coastal area negatively but has serious consequences for agriculture throughout the plain. In order to determine the safe yield of the aquifer underlying the plain, a reliable estimate of groundwater recharge is desirable. In the present study, for the first time, the chloride mass-balance method is adopted to estimate groundwater recharge in the plain. Four sites in the central part were chosen to facilitate the estimations using the ion-chromatograph and Thiessen polygon-weighting methods. Based on the measured and calculated results, in all sites, including the mountain and river boundaries, recharge to the groundwater is probably 15% of the annual rainfall, excluding recharge from additional irrigation water. This information can improve the accuracy of future groundwater-simulation and management models in the plain. Résumé Du fait de la croissance économique rapide de la plaine de Pingtung à Taiwan, l'utilisation des ressources en eau souterraine s'est considérablement modifié. La surexploitation des aquifères, qui a abaissé le niveau des nappes, n'affecte pas seulement la région côtière, mais a de sérieuses répercutions sur l'agriculture dans toute la plaine. Afin de déterminer les ressources renouvelables de l'aquifère sous la plaine, une estimation précise de la recharge de la nappe est nécessaire. Dans cette étude, le taux de recharge de la nappe a d'abord été estimé au moyen d'un bilan de matière de chlorure. Quatre sites de la partie centrale ont été sélectionnés pour réaliser ces estimations, à l'aide d'un chromatographe ionique et de la méthode des polygones de Thiessen. A partir des résultats mesurés et calculés, à chaque site, et en prenant comme limites les montagnes et les rivières, la recharge de la nappe a étéévaluée à environ 15% des précipitations annuelles, sans tenir compte de la recharge par le retour d'irrigation. Ce résultat doit permettre de tester la précision de la simulation de nappe qui va être faite, ainsi que les modèles de gestion de la plaine. Resumen Debido al rápido crecimiento económico de la zona de la Llanura de Pingtung, Taiwan, el uso de los recursos de agua subterránea ha cambiado radicalmente. La sobreexplotación, con el consiguiente descenso de los niveles piezométricos en los acuíferos, no sólo afecta las áreas costeras, sino que está teniendo consecuencias importantes para la agricultura de la zona. Para determinar la extracción sostenible en el acuífero, es deseable una buena estimación de la recarga. En este estudio se adopta por primera vez el método de balance de cloruros para estimar la recarga en el llano. Se seleccionaron cuatro puntos en la parte central para facilitar las estimaciones mediante los métodos de cromatógrafo iónico y de polígonos de Thiessen. A partir de los resultados medidos y calculados en toda la zona, e incluyendo los contornos de montañas y ríos, la recarga subterránea es de cerca del 15% de la precipitación anual, excluyendo la recarga que se produce por riego adicional. Este dato permitirá mejorar la precisión de los modelos de simulación de flujo y de gestión que se realizarán en el futuro.

Message from Vice Chancellor, UMP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasir Ibrahim, Daing

2012-09-01

Assalamualaikumwarahmatullahiwabarakatuh and Salam i Malaysia First and foremost, I want to thank the International Conference Mechanical Engineering Research (ICMER) organisers for inviting me to address and officiate at this conference. It is a privilege and an honour for me on this momentous occasion to grace the ceremony. The ICMER provides a platform to bring together not only researchers but also postgraduate students in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Biomechanical Engineering, Material Engineering and Industrial Engineering. With this platform, ICMER will embark on a whole process of making new discoveries and then translating them into products and services for the marketplace; this is only made possible by people like all of you. It might be only a starting point but with hard work and perseverance I am sure you will succeed with flying colours. As one of Malaysia's Public Universities, UMP's main challenge is to remain competitive and relevant by offering high quality technical academic programmes and research activities, focusing on its niche areas. New knowledge and findings cannot be generated without research and development (R&D) therefore, Malaysia has had substantial investment in research and development facilities. These efforts will undoubtedly generate lots of interesting results and new knowledge as either further investigation or commercial activities. Therefore, researchers like you must see this as the generator of new knowledge to extend your research outcomes from laboratory experiments to the marketplace and towards commercialisation. Naybe this doesn't appear significant in the short term but it may make a tremendous impact in the future. The Malaysian government has invested a huge sum of Ringgits in R&D over the years. Therefore, public universities such as UMP must produce more quality researchers and graduates to ensure Malaysia reaps the returns from these investments and consequently progressive economic growth for the country. Commensurate with these efforts, the results of research must be commercialised effectively. That is why our 2nd KRA UMP's 2011-2015 Strategic Plan determines that we strengthen and sustain its financial support by allocating research grants and industry collaboration and consultations through its business and commercialisation unit. Commercialisation of research outcomes doesn't happen naturally. It may need many man-hours and effort to be invested rather than just purchasing new tools and equipment for laboratories. Moreover, it would be unfortunate if many research results remain in the form of technical publications and scientific journals rather than actual products. These may of course be valuable in their own right but the impact on society and economies must be the main agenda and one of the objectives of the research. The process of taking technology from laboratories to the marketplace will face challenges and pitfalls. In that case we as researchers must be responsible and willing to create a supportive environment for those who undertake this risky business of commercialising R&D especially for innovative entrepreneurship that carries out a new technological approach out from the laboratories to high-tech ventures. We have achieved many accolades from numerous competitors since we first embarked on our journey to make R&D activities play a more significant role in the economy in Malaysia. Therefore, we must keep up the pace of this journey and maintain our investment in R&D despite facing the unfavourable global financial situation because ultimately we must to remain a top and competitive player in the global economy. This can be done by continuing to produce high quality research and technology which will set a milestone in transforming our economy. On behalf of UMP, I would like to express my appreciation to the all the committee members from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Automotive Engineering Centre for their hard work and relentless effort. Without their commitment and contributions, this event would not have been possible at this time. And with that, thank you again and wassalam. YH Profesor Dato' Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim Vice Chancellor Universiti Malaysia Pahang

A prototype sensor system for the early detection of microbially linked spoilage in stored wheat grain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Lacy Costello, B. P. J.; Ewen, R. J.; Gunson, H.; Ratcliffe, N. M.; Sivanand, P. S.; Spencer-Phillips, P. T. N.

2003-04-01

Sensors based on composites of metal oxides were fabricated and tested extensively under high-humidity and high-flow conditions with exposure to vapours reported to increase in the headspace of wheat grain (Triticum aestivum cv Hereward) colonized by fungi. The sensors that exhibited high sensitivity to target vapours combined with high stability were selected for inclusion into a four-sensor array prototype system. A sampling protocol aligned to parallel gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and human olfactory assessment studies was established for use with the sensor system. The sensor system was utilized to assess irradiated wheat samples that had been conditioned to 25% moisture content and inoculated with pathogens known to cause spoilage of grain in storage. These included the fungi Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium vulpinum, Penicillium verrucosum, Fusarium culmorum, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus and the actinomycete, Streptomyces griseus. The sensor system successfully tracked the progress of the infections from a very early stage and the results were compared with human olfactory assessment panels run concurrently. A series of dilution studies were undertaken using previously infected grain mixed with sound grain, to improve the sensitivity and maximize the differentiation of the sensor system. An optimum set of conditions including incubation temperature, incubation time, sampling time, and flow rate were ascertained utilizing this method. The sensor system differentiated samples of sound grain from samples of sound grain with 1% (w/w) fungus infected grain added. Following laboratory trials, the prototype sensor system was evaluated in a commercial wheat grain intake facility. Thresholds calculated from laboratory tests were used to differentiate between sound and infected samples (classified by intake laboratory technicians) collected routinely from trucks delivering grain for use in food manufacture. All samples identified as having an odour-related problem by the intake laboratory gave a total system output above the set threshold and were therefore rejected by the prototype system. A number of samples passed by the intake laboratory were rejected by the prototype system, resulting in what appeared to be false positive results. However, the thresholds were selected on the basis of a limited number of samples and may need to be adjusted to minimize false positives. The output from the sensor system was also compared with moisture content values for the wheat (where available) to demonstrate that the system was not simply measuring differences in moisture. A separate study (carried out at the intake facility) assessed 37 newly harvested wheat samples of different varieties and from different geographic locations within the UK. These samples were analysed by the sensor system, using the same thresholds as before. Six samples rejected by the system were then assessed by the wheat intake laboratory, where only one sample was rejected. This rejected sample had given the highest output when exposed to the sensor system. The commercial trial highlighted the promise of this prototype for the detection of spoilage in wheat grain and a larger trial should ascertain the reliability and long-term stability of the device and therefore confirm its usefulness to the industry.

New Curculionoidea (Coleoptera) records for Canada

PubMed Central

Douglas, Hume; Bouchard, Patrice; Anderson, Robert S.; de Tonnancour, Pierre; Vigneault, Robert; Webster, Reginald P.

2013-01-01

Abstract The following species of Curculionoidea are recorded from Canada for the first time, in ten cases also representing new records at the generic level: Ischnopterapion (Ischnopterapion) loti (Kirby, 1808); Stenopterapion meliloti (Kirby, 1808) (both Brentidae); Atrichonotus taeniatulus (Berg, 1881); Barinus cribricollis (LeConte, 1876); Caulophilus dubius (Horn, 1873); Cionus scrophulariae (Linnaeus, 1758); Cryptorhynchus tristis LeConte, 1876; Cylindrocopturus furnissi Buchanan, 1940; Cylindrocopturus quercus (Say, 1832); Desmoglyptus crenatus (LeConte, 1876); Pnigodes setosus LeConte, 1876; Pseudopentarthrum parvicollis (Casey, 1892); Sibariops confinis (LeConte, 1876); Sibariops confusus (Boheman, 1836); Smicronyx griseus LeConte, 1876; Smicronyx lineolatus Casey, 1892; Euwallacea validus (Eichhoff, 1875); Hylocurus rudis (LeConte, 1876); Lymantor alaskanus Wood, 1978; Phloeotribus scabricollis (Hopkins, 1916); Scolytus oregoni Blackman, 1934; Xyleborus celsus Eichhoff, 1868; Xyleborus ferrugineus (Fabricius, 1801); Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky, 1866) (all Curculionidae). In addition the following species were recorded for the first time from these provinces and territories: Yukon – Dendroctonus simplex LeConte, 1868; Phloetribus piceae Swaine, 1911 (both Curculionidae); Northwest Territories – Loborhynchapion cyanitinctum (Fall, 1927) (Brentidae); Nunavut – Dendroctonus simplex LeConte, 1868 (Curculionidae); Alberta – Anthonomus tectus LeConte, 1876; Promecotarsus densus Casey, 1892; Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, 1902; Hylastes macer LeConte, 1868; Rhyncolus knowltoni (Thatcher, 1940); Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov Tjan-Shansky, 1902 (all Curculionidae); Saskatchewan – Phloeotribus liminaris (Harris, 1852); Rhyncolus knowltoni (Thatcher, 1940); Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov Tjan-Shansky, 1902 (all Curculionidae); Manitoba – Cosmobaris scolopacea Germar, 1819; Listronotus maculicollis (Kirby, 1837); Listronotus punctiger LeConte, 1876; Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov Tjan-Shansky, 1902; Tyloderma foveolatum (Say, 1832); (all Curculionidae); Ontario – Trichapion nigrum (Herbst, 1797); Nanophyes marmoratus marmoratus (Goeze, 1777) (both Brentidae); Asperosoma echinatum (Fall, 1917); Micracis suturalis LeConte, 1868; Orchestes alni (Linnaeus, 1758); Phloeosinus pini Swaine, 1915; Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov Tjan-Shansky, 1902; Xyleborinus attenuatus (Blandford, 1894) (all Curculionidae); Quebec – Trigonorhinus alternatus (Say, 1826); Trigonorhinus tomentosus tomentosus (Say, 1826) (both Anthribidae); Trichapion nigrum (Herbst, 1797); Trichapion porcatum (Boheman, 1839); Nanophyes marmoratus marmoratus (Goeze, 1777) (all Brentidae); Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, 1952 (Brachyceridae); Acalles carinatus LeConte, 1876; Ampeloglypter ampelopsis (Riley, 1869); Anthonomus rufipes LeConte, 1876; Anthonomus suturalis LeConte, 1824; Ceutorhynchus hamiltoni Dietz, 1896; Curculio pardalis (Chittenden, 1908); Cyrtepistomus castaneus (Roelofs, 1873); Larinus planus (Fabricius, 1792); Mecinus janthinus (Germar, 1821); Microhyus setiger LeConte, 1876; Microplontus campestris (Gyllenhal, 1837); Orchestes alni (Linnaeus, 1758); Otiorhynchus ligustici (Linnaeus, 1758); Rhinusa neta (Germar, 1821); Trichobaris trinotata (Say, 1832); Tychius liljebladi Blatchley, 1916; Xyleborinus attenuatus (Blandford, 1894); Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, 1868 (all Curculionidae); Sphenophorus incongruus Chittenden, 1905 (Dryophthoridae); New Brunswick – Euparius paganus Gyllenhal, 1833; Allandrus populi Pierce, 1930; Gonotropis dorsalis (Thunberg, 1796); Euxenus punctatus LeConte, 1876 (all Anthribidae); Loborhynchapion cyanitinctum (Fall, 1927) (Brentidae); Pseudanthonomus seriesetosus Dietz, 1891; Curculio sulcatulus (Casey, 1897); Lignyodes bischoffi (Blatchley, 1916); Lignyodes horridulus (Casey, 1892); Dietzella zimmermanni (Gyllenhal, 1837); Parenthis vestitus Dietz, 1896; Pelenomus squamosus LeConte, 1876; Psomus armatus Dietz, 1891; Rhyncolus macrops Buchanan, 1946; Magdalis inconspicua Horn, 1873; Magdalis salicis Horn, 1873 (all Curculionidae); Nova Scotia – Dryocoetes autographus (Ratzeburg, 1837); Ips perroti Swaine, 1915; Xyleborinus attenuatus (Blandford, 1894) (all Curculionidae); Prince Edward Island – Dryocoetes caryi Hopkins, 1915 (Curculionidae); Newfoundland – Scolytus piceae (Swaine, 1910) (Curculionidae). Published records of Dendroctonus simplex LeConte, 1868 from Northwest Territories should be reassigned to Nunavut, leaving no documented record for NWT. Collection data are provided for eight provincial and national records published without further information previously. PMID:23794927

Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): aerial seabird and marine mammal surveys off northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011-2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, Josh; Felis, Jonathan J.; Mason, John W.; Takekawa, John Y.

2014-01-01

Marine birds and mammals comprise an important community of meso- and upper-trophic-level predators within the northern California Current System (NCCS). The NCCS is located within one of the world’s four major eastern boundary currents and is characterized by an abundant and diverse marine ecosystem fuelled seasonally by wind-driven upwelling which supplies nutrient-rich water to abundant phytoplankton inhabiting the surface euphotic zone. The oceanographic conditions throughout the NCCS fluctuate according to well-described seasonal, inter-annual, and decadal cycles. Such oceanographic variability can influence patterns in the distribution, abundance, and habitat use among marine birds and mammals. Although there are an increasing number of studies documenting distributions and abundances among birds and mammals in various portions of the NCCS, there have been no comprehensive, large-scale, multi-seasonal surveys completed throughout this region since the early 1980s (off northern California; Briggs et al. 1987) and early 1990s (off Oregon and Washington; Bonnell et al. 1992, Briggs et al. 1992, Green et al. 1992). During 2011 and 2012, we completed the Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA) which included replicated surveys over the continental shelfslope from shore to the 2000-meter (m) isobath along 32 broad-scale transects from Fort Bragg, California (39° N) through Grays Harbor, Washington (47° N). Additionally, surveys at a finer scale were conducted over the continental shelf within six designated Focal Areas: Fort Bragg, CA; Eureka, CA; Siltcoos Bank, OR; Newport, OR; Nehalem Bank, OR; and Grays Harbor, WA. We completed a total of 26,752 km of standardized, low-elevation aerial survey effort across three bathymetric domains: inner-shelf waters ( Overall, we recorded 15,403 sightings of 59,466 individual marine birds (12 families, 54 species). During winter, seven species groupings comprised >90% of the total number of birds counted (19,033) with Common Murres (Uria aalge) representing the majority of individuals counted (70.4% of total). The remaining six most abundant taxa included: Surf/White-winged Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata/M. fusca; 4.8% of total), Herring/Thayer’s Gulls (Larus argentatus/L. thayeri; 3.8% of total), Cassin’s Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus; 3.8% of total), Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens; 3.7% of total), Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla; 2.0% of total), and Western Gulls (Larus occidentalis; 1.9% of total). During summer, five species comprised >95% of the total number of birds counted (17,063) with the majority comprised of Common Murres (54.1% of total) and Sooty Shearwaters (Puffinus griseus; 34.4% of total). The remaining most abundant three taxa included: Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma furcata; 3.3% of total), Western Gulls (2.1% of total), and Leach’s Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa; 1.1% of total). During fall, nine species comprised >85% of the total number of birds counted (23,376) with the majority comprised of Common Murres (50.0% of total) and Sooty Shearwaters (10.5% of total). The remaining seven taxa included Cassin’s Auklets (5.2% of total), Surf/White-winged Scoters (5.1% of total), Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels (3.8% of total), Red/Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicarius/P. lobatus; 3.2% of total), California Gulls (Larus californicus; 3.1% of total), Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis; 2.7% of total), and Sabine’s Gulls (Xema sabini; 2.2% of total). Throughout the entire PaCSEA survey area, average densities (± SE) at sea for all marine birds combined were similar between fall (23.7 ± 1.9 birds km-2) and winter (24.0 ± 1.9 birds km-2) and least during summer (16.3 ± 2.2 birds km-2). Marine bird densities at sea varied according to bathymetric domain and season. Throughout the entire PaCSEA study area average densities (± SE) for all marine birds combined were greatest over the inner-shelf domain (-2) and similar during winter (37.4 ± 4.6 birds km-2) and summer (37.5 ± 6.4 birds km-2). Within the outer-shelf domain (100 – 200-m depth), average densities for all marine birds combined were greatest during winter (34.6 ± 4.2 birds km-2), lesser during fall (16.2 ± 1.7 birds km-2), and least during summer (6.9 ± 1.1 birds km-2). Within the farthest offshore waters over the continental slope domain (200 – 2000-m depth) average densities for all marine birds combined were greatest during fall (10.0 ± 2.2 birds km-2) and winter (9.3 ± 1.5 birds km-2), and lesser during summer (6.2 ± 1.4 birds km-2). We observed 16 cetacean species and five pinniped species. Among the Mysticeti (baleen whales), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) were most frequently observed (114 sightings of 264 individuals) during summer and fall mostly over the outer-shelf and slope waters, however, individuals were also seen within the Siltcoos, Nehalem, Fort Bragg, and Eureka Focal Areas. We recorded 11 Odontoceti (toothed whale) species. Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were the most frequently sighted (164 sightings of 270 individuals). Harbor porpoises were present year-round and most frequently sighted within the inner-shelf domain throughout the entire study area in all seasons. Harbor porpoises occurred in all six Focal Areas, with noteworthy aggregations within the Eureka, Siltcoos, and Grays Harbor Focal Areas. We recorded 246 sightings of 375 individual pinnipeds (5 species). California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) were the most frequently sighted and were present year-round with slightly more sightings recorded during the fall. California sea lions showed a decreasing frequency of sightings and relative abundance with distance from shore across the bathymetric domains surveyed, being most frequently observed over the inner-shelf. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), and northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) were observed occasionally during all seasons with harbor seals occurring nearshore (usually within 10 km of the coast) and northern fur seals almost exclusively beyond the shelf break (> 200-m depth), especially during winter off Oregon and Washington. Northern (Steller’s) sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) were uncommonly sighted during winter and fall.