Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Evolution of Phenotypic Plasticity in Plants

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an individual organism to alter its physiology/morphology in response to changes in environmental conditions. This ability is particularly important in plants, whose sessile life-style requires them to deal with ambient conditions. This review focuses on issues related to the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in plants-factors responsible for differences in plasticity between populations or species (e.g. selection, drift), the presence of plasticity variation among taxa, the relationship between character correlations and character plasticities, and the assessment of the ecological role of phenotypic plasticity. In addition, a section is provided to introduce methods and problems of analyzing data from plasticity experiments. As a general rule, references are provided as an entrance to the literature and do not represent an exhaustive list. Bradshaw's review (20) remains the best introduction to the subject; this review is intended to complement his, not to replace it. The notion that plants respond morphologically to changes in their environment has a long tradition. Work by Turesson (139), Clausen et al (27), and others (see 20 for review) firmly documented the nature and extent of phenotypic responses to varied environments. Classic examples such as sun vs shade leaves (143), heterophylly (29, 30, 35), environmental control of cleistogamy (153), and the responses to herbivory (58, 84), mowing (147), and competition (140) all represent cases of phenotypic plasticity. These and other good examples support the notion that plastic responses are adaptive. Note, however, that the definition of phenotypic plasticity does not imply that such responses are necessarily adaptive. Plant response to an environmental
Glycopolymers from Saccharomyces Cerevisiae BIM Y-195 with Unusual Immunochemical Properties: Isolation, Structural Identification and Prediction of Their Role in Pathogenesis/Treatment of Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases

Molecular mimicry in the broad sense is structural, functional or immunologic similarity between unrelated macromolecules (Oldstone, 1998). In biomedical studies this phenomenon is discussed as the most proven mechanism of triggering/prevention of autoimmune diseases (Kivity et al., 2009). In this paper, we isolate and structurally identify the yeast biopolymers (BPs) that selectively bind human autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin (Tg) (anti-TPO and anti-Tg, respectively), e.g . immunologically mimic thyroid antigens. The BPs, viz. , BP anti-TPO and BP anti-Tg , were isolated from the soluble fraction of S. cerevisiae BIM Y-195 by affinity chromatography with anti-TPO or anti-Tg, respectively. Both affinity eluates, AE anti-TPO and AE anti-Tg , showed functional activity characteristic of BP anti-TPO and BP anti-Tg , viz , ability ( i) to distinquish anti-TPO (anti-Tg) from other IgG and ( ii ) to compete with TPO (Tg) for binding of anti-TPO (anti-Tg) in ELISA tests. The semi-preparative size exclusion chromatography of AE anti-TPO and AE anti-Tg with detection by refractometer gave a 5000-7000 Da fractions containing pure BP anti-TPO and BP anti-Tg , respectively, according to ELISA data. Analysis by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy including 1 H, 1 H COSY and 1 H, 13 C HSQC experiments indicated that both substances are linear α-1, 6-glucans.
Characterization of Rhizobium isolated from root nodules of Trifolium alexandrinum.

Strains of root nodulating bacteria were isolated from root nodules of Trifolium alexandrinum growing widely in different agroclimatic regions of Dehradun. After authentication test, 85 isolates those nodulate host plant along with one standard strain Rhizoboium trifolii (MTCC 905) were selected. The isolates were further subjected to morphological, biochemical and physiological characterization to ascertain their taxonomic position. Antibiotic resistance pattern of all isolates was also evaluated against thirteen antibiotics. Most of the isolates exhibited highest resistance to streptomycin and least with tetracycline. On the basis of morphological, biochemical and physiological characters and their comparison with standard strain R. trifolii (MTCC 905) most of the characteristics were found similar to the standard strain.
Fate of photosynthetically-fixed carbon in soybean crops measured using 13C labelling after long-term fertilization of Phaeozem soils in Northeast China.

A good understanding of the fate of photosynthetically-fixed carbon (C) in the plant-soil system following fertilization is crucial to manage agricultural soils. The objective of this study was to analyse the allocation of C fixed by soybean and its response to long-term fertilization. We conducted a 13 C pulse labelling experiment, using soybean grown in Phaeozem (PH) soils (FAO) under five fertilization treatments: inorganic fertilization (NPK, NP, NK), inorganic and organic fertilization (NPKM) and no fertilization (CK) as control. The 13 C pulse labelling was conducted at full pod (R 4 ) stage. Results showed that fertilization always increased C accumulation in the biomass of soybean plants, with the highest C content measured in the NPKM treatment (35%) and lower values observed in NP, NK and CK than in the NPK treatment. The net C fixed after labelling varied between 8.6 and 21.4 mg 13 C per plant with maximal values observed in the NPKM treatment. More than 4/5 of the fixed 13 C was found in shoots at day 0. The label was exported from shoots to roots with 53.3% remaining in shoots and 7.5% measured in roots at day 7 after labelling. The percent of net fixed C incorporated into soils was also affected by fertilization. Compared to CK, the incorporation of 13 C into soils was 24.4, 14.8, 18.2 and 50.8 % in NP, NK, NPK and NPKM treatments, respectively. The net accumulation of labelled C in soils changed with fertilization from 160 to 564 kg ha -1 C season -1 . This indicates that
Using New Gas Exchange Methods to Estimate Mesophyll Conductance and Non-stomatal Inhibition of Photosynthesis Caused by Water Deficits

Soil water deficits remain one of the most important factors reducing the yield of crop plants and may become even more limiting with changes in the global climate and competition for fresh water resources. Soil water deficits reduceplantgrowthpartlybyreducingphotosynthesis.However,itremainsunclearhowimportantnon-stomatalfactors are in limiting photosynthesis under moderate water stress and whether rising atmospheric carbon dioxide may alter which processes limit photosynthesis under water stress. The conductance to CO2 from the substomatal air space to the site of carboxylation inside chloroplasts in C3 plants is now termed mesophyll conductance. Because of the competition between CO2 and O2 for RuBisco, the carbon dioxide concentration at the chloroplast can be estimated from the O2 sensitivity of photosynthesis, providing a new method of estimating mesophyll conductance. It has also recently been realized that partial stomatal closure resulting from water stress can often be reversed by exposing leaves to low CO2. This provides a new means of assessing the non-stomatal component of the inhibition of photosynthesis by water stress. These methods were applied to four C3 species and revealed that mesophyll conductance decreased substantially with water stress in two of the four species and that reopening of stomata did not eliminate the reduction in photosynthesis caused by moderate water stress at either the current ambient or elevated CO2 concentrations.
Inhibition of Topoisomerase IIα Expression by Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Is Abrogated by the Papillomavirus E7 Protein

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) protects normal cells from etoposide-induced cell death, yet the mechanism has remained speculative. Studies have shown that etoposide modifies the activity of the topoisomerase IIα (topo IIα) enzyme, thereby causing DNA damage and inducing cell death. Expression of topo IIα is necessary for etoposide-induced cell death, and peak expression of topo IIα normally occurs during the G2 phase of the cell cycle. We predicted that by arresting growth in the G1 phase, TGF-β1 would prevent the induction of topo IIα expression that normally occurs subsequent to the G1-S transition, thereby protecting cells from etoposide-induced cell death. Accordingly, we hypothesized that the inhibition of topo IIα expression by TGF-β1 would be dependent on the ability of TGF-β1 to arrest cell cycle progression in G1. Using mink lung epithelial cells (Mv1Lu), we found that TGF-β1 decreases topo IIα mRNA expression, and the decrease occurs as cells begin to accumulate in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Topo IIα protein expression decreases subsequent to the fall in mRNA expression. In contrast, topo IIα expression is not affected by TGF-β1 in cells that fail to undergo G1 arrest because of inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRb) by the papillomavirus type 16 E7 protein. Our studies suggest that inhibition of topo IIα by TGF-β1 is the principal mechanism that protects mink lung epithelial cells (Mv1Lu) from etoposide-induced toxicity. Furthermore, the inhibition of topo IIα protein expression by TGF-β1 is dependent on pRb-mediated cell cycle arrest, suggesting that TGF-β1 will not reduce the sensitivity of pRb-deficient cancers to etoposide.
Mycoflora of soybean leaves, pods, and seeds in Mississippi

Fifty-six fungal taxa, 10 of which were previously unreported from soybean, were isolated from soybean leaves, pods, or seeds periodically sampled during two growing seasons. Incidence of fungi varied annually owing in part to differences in rainfall. Some of the more frequently isolated fungi, in order of prevalence, were Alternaria alternata, Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae, and Phorna spp. (from leaves); D. phaseolorum var. sojae, A. alternata, and Fusarium spp. (from pods); and Fusarium spp. , D. phaseolorum var. sojae, and A. alternata (from seeds). Frequency of occurrence of the more prevalent fungi usually increased in plant tissues throughout the sampling period while other fungi often decreased in frequency. Incidence of some fungi was related to the spatial distribution of plant organs from which they were isolated.
Plants and photosynthesis: peer assessment to help students learn

This study investigates how peer assessment can help students to learn about photosynthesis in a ‘high attaining’, year nine class in a UK 11-18 comprehensive school. There is limited research on how peer assessment can influence the learning of ‘high attaining students’; most existing research focuses on how formative assessment can benefit learning and self-esteem in low-attaining students or those with learning disabilities (Black and Wiliam, 1998a). A conceptually demanding topic like photosynthesis provides an excellent context to examine how peer assessment can impact on the learning of high attaining students. Analysis of data derived from questionnaires, individual interviews and conventional tests suggested that (1) a six week multi-component peer assessment intervention can have an impact on students' learning, and (2) some of the effect on learning may be linked to the way in which peer assessment enhanced students' own understanding of the role they play in their learning, and hence their autonomy in learning.
The impact of fox control on the relative abundance of forest mammals in East Gippsland, Victoria

Predation by European red foxes is believed to be the major cause of the extinction and decline of a large number of native medium-sized terrestrial mammals in Australia. We examined the impact of poisoning of foxes on the relative abundance of a group of medium-sized mammals in an experiment conducted in three large forest blocks in south-eastern Australia. The blocks consisted of paired sites, as follows: one site where poison baiting was used to control foxes (treatment site) and one where foxes were not controlled (non-treatment site). At all six sites, the population responses of a range of mammals were measured, and compared between treatment and non-treatment sites. The relative fox abundance, as indexed by bait-take, declined during the course of the study at treatment sites and to a lesser extent at non-treatment sites. The decline in bait-take at non-treatment sites was most likely due to treatment sites acting as ecological traps, so that reduced intra-specific competition attracted foxes from non-treatment to treatment sites, where they were subsequently poisoned. There was a significant treatment effect for the abundances of total mammals, long-nosed potoroos, southern brown bandicoots and common brushtail possums, with higher abundances at treatment sites than at non-treatment sites. Common ringtail possums increased in abundance during the course of the study, with no significant difference between treatment and non-treatment sites. There was no significant effect of time or treatment on the abundance of long-nosed bandicoots. The increase in the abundance of native mammals at treatment sites was most likely due to a lower predation pressure by foxes brought about by fox control, and the smaller increase in abundance in non-treatment blocks was likely due to the ecological-trap effect because of fox baiting at treatment sites. The present study demonstrated that broad-scale fox control can lead to increases in the abundance of native mammals in forested habitats, without recourse to aerial baiting or fences. The study also demonstrated that the influence of fox control on the fox abundance can extend well beyond the perimeter of the area baited.
Field studies on the growth and development of winter wheat

SUMMARY The effects of variety, plant density and time of N application on the yield and yield components of winter wheat were investigated in factorial experiments during 1977–8 and 1978–9, at Sutton Bonington. Armada produced substantially fewer vegetative tillers/m2 but the number of ears/m2, from anthesis onwards, was similar to that of Maris Huntsman. The effects of the time of N application on tiller production and survival differed between the 2 years and may have been related to the amount of residual N in the soil. A linear relationship was found between the number of tillers/m2 which died and the maximum number of tillers/m2. Kador produced a lower grain yield than Armada or Maris Huntsman, owing to a combination of lower ratio of grain D.M. to total above-ground D.M. (harvest index) and lower total dry-matter production. Armada produced a higher grain yield than Maris Huntsman in response to earlier application of N. Grain yield was less variable when final plant densities were greater than 200/m2. Grain yield was not particularly well related to individual yield components but showed a good linear relationship with number of grains/m2. Grain yield was also linearly related to total dry-matter production, with treatment effects on harvest index being relatively small. The results indicate that factors which influenced crop growth during grain site development were relatively more important than the factors affecting subsequent grain filling.
Phylogeny of Berosini (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae, Hydrophilinae) based on larval and adult characters, and evolutionary scenarios related to habitat shift in larvae

Abstract A phylogenetic analysis of Berosini including 15 taxa, 11 of them belonging to Berosini (ingroup), was performed. Of the 58 characters used, 32 derive from the larval stages, and 26 from the adult stage. Two well‐supported clades are recognized, one comprising Hemiosus and Berosus, and the other comprising Derallus, Regimbartia and Allocotocerus. Several larval evolutionary trends are discussed: shifts to benthic and cryptic habits, morphological modifications and adaptations related to these habits, and morphological changes of the clypeolabrum and head appendages. A comparative table for the larval stages of the five genera is included.
Factors controlling crustacean zooplankton species richness in Neotropical lakes

Study of the mechanisms regulating species richness in aquatic systems is essentialfor understanding the functioning and conservation of these environments,especially in the Neotropics, given the lack of relevant information. In 15 lakes inthree geographical regions in South America, we studied the effects of lake size,the concentration of chlorophyll a, the variety of photosynthetic pigments and thetemporal stability of the habitat on crustacean zooplankton richness. Lake size andconcentration of chlorophyll a did not show a signiﬁcant relationship with crus-tacean species richness. However, the degree of temporal ﬂuctuation in habitatconditions and the variety of photosynthetic pigments explained 83% of theobserved differences in species richness between habitats. These results show thatthe richness of Neotropical crustacean zooplankton depends mainly on the nega-tive relationship with temporal variability of the habitat and, to a lesser extent, onthe positive relationship with the variation in resource diversity. Therefore, ourresults show the importance that possible impacts generating environmentalinstability could have on the species richness of Neotropical aquatic crustaceans.KEYWORDS: species richness regulation; temporal ﬂuctuation; richness;disturbance
Plasticity of the red hourglass in female western black widow spiders (Latrodectus hesperus): Urban ecological variation, condition-dependence, and adaptive function

Urbanization is an excellent example of human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC). Urban habitats are characterized by habitat loss, invasion by exotic species, pollution, and climate change. Certain taxa termed „urban exploiters‟ thrive in the wake of human disturbance and can out-compete other species, resulting in decreased biodiversity. Phenotypic plasticity may be the mechanism by which urban exploiters are able to dominate in urban habitats. For example, color displays can be highly plastic and fluctuate with foraging success and environmental variation. The Western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) is a superabundant urban pest species. Urban widow subpopulations can be up to thirty times denser than subpopulations in the surrounding Sonoran desert. Adult female L. hesperus possess a brightly colored red hourglass on their abdomen, which is speculated to function as a conspicuous warning signal to enemies. To identify the effects of urbanization on black widow subpopulation ecology, body condition, and hourglass coloration, I conducted a field study where we monitored these variables in urban black widow subpopulations over the course of a breeding season. I found significant spatial variation across eight urban subpopulations in population ecology (i.e. population density, nearest neighbor distance, and web substrate), body condition, and hourglass coloration. Additionally, I found that hourglass saturation and brightness 2 declined in individuals as the breeding season progressed. Body condition was a reliable predictor of hourglass size, but there were no distinct correlations between body condition and hourglass coloration among aggregations. Rather, the spectral qualities of the hourglass were correlated with the amount of impervious ground cover, prey abundance, and web substrate. Thus, my findings offer support for the contention that urbanization creates spatial heterogeneity and characterize the hourglass as a plastic color trait, capable of fluctuating with foraging success and variation in environmental factors unique to urban habitats.
GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION OF POPULATIONS BELONGING TO THE BULINUS TRUNCATUS/TROPICUS COMPLEX (GASTROPODA: PLANORBIDAE) IN SOUTH WESTERN ZIMBABWE

Aquatic snails from south western Zimbabwe belonging to the Bulinus truncatus/tropicus complex vary widely in shell form suggesting that more than one taxon could be present. This possibility was investigated by making observations on snail samples from 13 populations from the Plumtree area, in respect of allozyme variation (5 polymorphic loci), shell morphology (9 variables), copulatory organ and chromosome number. Comparative data were obtained from snails from north western Zimbabwe identified definitely as B. tropicus. Analysis of the genetic structure revealed a high degree of polymorphism (P) ranging from 0.29-0.80 among populations from Plumtree and expected heterozygosity (Hc) from 0.02-0.22. No enzymatic diagnostic loci were found which could differentiate the different morphs or populations and discriminant function analysis on the morphological data showed an overlap of morphs among populations. Snails analyzed for chromosome number were all diploid (2n = 36). Snails exposed to Schistosoma haematobium miracidia were all refractory. This information supports the view of a single species, B. tropicus, which is differentiated due to migration barriers and where environmental variables might be implicated in the morphometric divergence.
Bioremediation of a petroleum-hydrocarbon polluted agricultural soil at different levels of water application in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

A combination of field cells was used in experiments involving biostimulation with agricultural fertilizers to evaluate the bioremediation of a crude oil polluted agricultural soil at different levels of soil water. Petroleum pollution of an agricultural soil was simulated on the field by pouring crude oil on the cells from perforated cans. Remediation options involving the introduction of mineral fertilizers and periodic application of different amounts of water to the contaminated soils were then utilized for treatment. Laboratory analysis of soil characteristics showed an increase in the total heterotrophic bacterial (THB) counts and a corresponding reduction in soil organic carbon and total hydrocarbon content (THC) at the end of the six-week remediation period. The percentage of THC reduction ranged from 44% to 90% in the five treatment cells. The control site, which received no treatment, revealed no significant hydrocarbon loss (3%) within the study period. The results of the total heterotrophic bacterial (THB) counts revealed that petroleum-degrading bacteria responded to variations in soil water level during their metabolic activity; this corroborated with the correlation analysis between percent of THC reduction and time across the treatment cells, which indicated significance at 5% probability level thus highlighting the position that different soil moisture levels induces marked differences in biodegradation rates as remediation period increases. This implies that the level of water in the soil is a major factor that affect biodegradation rate and hence attention has to be given to the control of the moisture level in the soil to optimum, in order to achieve an accelerated biological clean up of petroleum polluted agricultural soils in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.