Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occurrence of three genotypic clusters of Bemisia tabaci and the rapid spread of the B biotype in south India

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), is generally considered to have originated from the Indian subcontinent, although little information has so far been collected on the molecular diversity of populations present in this region. The genetic diversity of B. tabaci populations from Karnataka State, south India was analysed using the random amplified polymorphic DNA‐polymerase chain reaction (RAPD‐PCR) technique and partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) gene sequences (689 bases) of 22 selected samples. A total of 108 whitefly samples analysed by RAPD‐PCR produced 89 polymorphic bands, and cluster analyses grouped them according to their geographic origin into ‘north’ and ‘south’ Karnataka. Phylogenetic analysis of mtCOI gene sequences with reference B. tabaci sequences from other Asian countries divided them into three genotypic clusters. Each cluster was supported with high bootstrap values (82–100%) and the individuals belonging to each cluster shared high nucleotide identities (up to 100%). This indicated at least three distinct genotypes, apparently indigenous to India, which are also present in China, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand. These coexist with the B biotype, which was first reported in India in 1999, and has since spread rapidly to other states in south India. The B biotype was more common than the indigenous B. tabaci, in locations where it had been present for more than 2 years. This is reminiscent of the situation in the Americas during the early 1990s, where the B biotype replaced existing biotypes and caused unprecedented losses to agriculture.
Fatty acids in honeybee-collected pollens from six endemic Western Australian eucalypts and the possible significance to the Western Australian beekeeping industry

Western Australian eucalypt pollens in this research have low levels of lipid (0.59-1.9%) when compared with many other plant species that have evolved alongside the European honeybee. Eucalypt-pollen lipid was dominant in linoleic acid (35.7-48%). The six other major fatty acids that were present in the lipid were myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linolenic and arachidic acids. Linoleic acid was dominant in eucalypt pollen at average concentrations of 2.77-5.81 mg/g pollen. These results could be of significance to the Australian beekeeping industry in refining disease-management strategies in the light that other researchers have found that 2 economically damaging bee diseases (EFB and AFB) are inhibited by certain concentrations of the acid. Redgum- or marri (Corymbia calophylla)-pollen lipid was also dominated by 2 other known antibacterial fatty acids: myristic (0.25 mg/g pollen) and linolenic (1.06 mg/g pollen), when compared with the other eucalypts studied.
Tansley Review No. 70 Signal transduction during fertilization in algae and vascular plants

summary Fertilization involves interaction between two gametes and exchange of genetic information. In addition, information is transferred which results in triggering of the particular cellular and developmental responses of the organism. This review considers the cellular signals involved during different stages of gamete interactions in plants, including gamete attraction, recognition, fusion, zygotic activation and development. A wide range of signalling mechanisms can be seen to operate during fertilization, reflecting both the diversity of systems bringing gametes together and the different cellular responses to fertilization throughout the plant kingdom. Moreover, signals involved in triggering early development following gamete fusion appear to differ significantly even between species showing at least superficially similar cellular responses. Much of our current understanding comes from studies of a few easily accessible systems though recent developments in gamete isolation, in vitro fertilization and embryo culture should increase the scope for studies of signalling mechanisms in vascular plants.
SIZE OF THE VOMERONASAL NEUROEPITHELIUM IN TWO SPECIES OF MICROTUS WITH DIFFERING LEVELS OF PATERNAL BEHAVIOR

Abstract Recent studies have suggested that the relatively large size of the vomeronasal neuroepithelium (VNNE) in the male mammal may be related inversely to the amount of parental care contributed. We tested this hypothesis using 2 species of Microtus that differ in reproductive strategies and in level of care of the offspring. We studied the nasal tissues of 8 male meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and 8 male prairie voles (M. ochrogaster), captured between June and August, 1998. The heads were prepared histologically for serial sectioning at 10–16 μm, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Sections were examined by light microscopy, and the VNNE was quantified for each specimen using a computer 3-dimensional reconstruction technique. Receptor cells also were quantified with a Leica photomicroscope using an ocular grid calibrated by a stage micrometer. No (P > 0.05) differences occurred between species for length or volume of the VNNE when expressed as absolute measures or as ratios of somatic measures. No (P > 0.05) differences occurred in receptor population between species. Although testicular weight seemed to show a positive allometric relationship with body size, no such association was seen for VNNE measurements. Our results do not support the hypothesis that VNNE size is associated negatively with the level of parental care by male voles. Multiple factors may influence size of the VNNE in wild Microtus, which likely include an interaction of the genome, behavior, and environment.
Endo-β-mannanase and β-mannosidase activities in rice grains during and following germination, and the influence of gibberellin and abscisic acid

Grains of indica rice (Oryza sativa cv. Peiza 67) exhibit an increase in endo-β-mannanase activity, mostly after the completion of germination. According to tissue blots, the initial increase occurs in association with the embryo, and possibly the scutellum, although the largest sustained increase in activity is in the peripheral regions of the endosperm. The aleurone layer, being the only living region of the endosperm, is presumably the site of synthesis and secretion of the enzyme into the non-living, starch-laden region. β-Mannosidase activity is low throughout germination and subsequent seedling growth, particularly in the endosperm regions. Its activity profile does not mimic that of endo-β-mannanase. In the intact grain, gibberellin (GA) causes a relatively small increase in endo-β-mannanase activity, while abscisic acid (ABA) causes a large decrease; this inhibition is overcome to a considerable extent when GA is supplied along with ABA. β-Mannosidase activity is little affected by either GA or ABA. Embryoless half-grains imbibed in water exhibit only a small increase in endo-β-mannanase activity with time of imbibition, showing the necessity for a stimulus from the embryo for this to occur. Incubating half-grains in the presence of GA results in a large increase in enzyme activity; ABA reduces the amount of activity compared to the water controls. GA is capable of reversing the inhibitory effect of ABA with respect to endo-β-mannanase activity. As in the intact grains, β-mannosidase activity in the half-grains is unaffected by either GA or ABA. It is concluded that the major site for the production of endo-β-mannanase activity is the aleurone layer, and this event is influenced by the presence of the embryo; in the absence of the latter, the increase in enzyme activity is stimulated by GA. β-Mannosidase activity is low throughout germination and post-germination, it is not influenced by GA and ABA, and thus its activity is not regulated in a coordinated manner with that of endo-β-mannanase.
EFFECT OF RHIZOBIUM INOCULATION AND PHOSPHORUS APPLICATION ON NATIVE TEXAS LEGUMES GROWN IN LOCAL SOIL

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effects of Rhizobium inoculation and addition of phosphorus to soil on the productivity and quality of the Texas range legumes Desmanthus illinoiensis (Michx.) MacMill. ex B.L. Rob. & Fernald, Desmanthus velutinus Scheele, Desmanthus virgatus (L.) Willd. , and Neptunia lutea (Leavenw.) Benth. Phosphorus (P) fertilization was applied at 0, 40, 80, and 120 kg P ha−1 in Experiment 1 with half the pots also receiving D522-1/2 (a Desmanthus isolate). Experiment 2 consisted only the Desmanthus species and tested four different inoculant treatments (uninoculated control, inoculated with commercial cowpea Rhizobia, D522-1/2 from Desmanthus isolates, and L1145, a Leucaena isolate). Two soil treatments were used in Experiment 2, gamma radiation sterilized and unsterilized soil, to determine whether introduced Rhizobia were as effective as native populations. Shoot dry matter (DM) yield, root DM weight, and shoot nitrogen (N) and P concentration increased with increasing P application levels up to 80 kg P ha−1. Rhizobium strain D522-1/2 was an effective inoculant for all legumes when applied in combination with P fertilizer (Experiment 1). In sterilized P-deficient soil (Experiment 2), inoculation improved the parameters measured. In unsterilized soil, however, only D522-1/2 and L1145 improved shoot nitrogen concentration while the cowpea Rhizobium strain was detrimental in the case of D. velutinus. The low concentration of available soil P and the scarcity of active Rhizobium in the soil might be the cause of the slow establishment of native legume species in disturbed soils without native Rhizobia populations.
Effect of East Asian aerosol enrichment on microbial community composition in the South China Sea

East Asian aerosol has been regarded as an increasingly important nutrient source in the Northwest Pacific region due to intensifying human activities in the last decades. However, its effects on bacterial communities, an important component of the marine microbial food web and biogeochemical cycles, have been little studied. In our study, two types of aerosol enrichment microcosm experiments were conducted in the oligotrophic South China Sea by adding the aerosol initially or daily. Our results showed that the potential stimulus of bacteria by aerosol enrichment was likely masked by a more intense grazing pressure in these treatments. Distinct responses of various bacterial phylogenetic groups, including Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, were revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. High aerosol addition resulted in a decrease in autotrophic picocyanobacteria abundance, but no significant composition change was observed. Such responses of microbial abundance and composition could be directly triggered by the input of aerosol-derived organic or inorganic components and further shaped by the changes in the phytoplankton community structure or differentiated mortality loss caused by enhanced protist grazing, which may have implications for oceanic carbon dynamics under future scenarios of increasing atmospheric deposition.
Consumo e digestibilidade aparente total dos nutrientes, produção e composição do leite de vacas alimentadas com dietas contendo diferentes fontes de proteína

Twelve Holstein lactating dairy cows were blocked by days in milk and randomly assigned to three replicated 4 x 4 Latin square to evaluate the effect of different protein sources on intake, nutrient digestibility, and milk production and composition. A basal corn silage diet (60% of the total dry matter) was fed plus one of the following proteins sources (dry matter basis): soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal with 38% of crude protein (CSM38), cottonseed meal with 28% of crude protein (CSM28), or soybean meal plus 5% of urea/ammonium sulfate (SBMU). Intakes of dry matter (DMI) and organic matter (OMI) did not differ among diets but intake of total digestible nutrients (TDN) was greatest on the SBM diet. The digestibility coefficients (DC) of DM and OM were lower on CSM38, CSM28, and SBMU diets when compared to the SBM diet. Milk yield (MY), 3.5% fat corrected milk, and milk fat content and yield all were not affected by feeding different protein sources to lactating dairy cows. However, feed and nitrogen efficiencies and milk protein content and yield were lower in the CSM diets than on diets supplemented with SBM. It can be concluded that milk yield was maintained when cows were fed SBMU or CSM38 in diets with forage (corn silage) to concentrate ratio of 60:40.
Reproduction of channel x channel, channel x blue, and blue x blue catfish as influenced by morphological characteristics and behavior

ii Acknowledgements.v List of tables.ix List of figures.xiv Introduction.1 Literature Review.8 Natural spawning of channel catfish.8 Natural spawning of blue catfish.11 Hybridization of fish in natural environment.13 Literature cited.24 Methods and Materials.33 Experimental broodstock.34 External appearances.34 External body measurements.35 Induced spawning.35 Aquaria management.36 Body proportions, still photo and video evaluations.38 Data analysis.40
Leaf Survivals of Tree Species in Deciduous Broad‐Leaved Forests1)

Abstract Leaf survival patterns of tall trees, small trees and shrubs were surveyed in temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests in northern Japan. Leaves of tall trees which constitute the crown layer of the forest emerge simultaneously in spring as a flush and also fall simultaneously in autumn. This was considered to be a “competitive type” of leaf survival strategy. Species which invade open sites near rivers show a “succeeding type” of leaf-emergence and leaf-fall. Their leaf longevities are short. They are pioneer strategists and are assumed to use abundant resources luxuriously by shedding older low-efficient leaves and producing new, high-efficient leaves. Intermediate between the two is a type considered to be adapted to light gaps in forests. Leaf longevities of species in forest understorys where shade stress prevails were long. To prolong leaf longevity is the method to utilize limited resource efficiently. Three strategies based on the two axes of stress and disturbance were applied to the leaf survival patterns of trees. Environmental conditions around a tree change with height growth of the tree. Leaf survival patterns also change with the development of trees. A three-dimensional graph model which expresses such changes as a function of tree-height is presented. Mean longevities of leaves compared between 1-year-old seedlings and adults revealed that differences between the two were larger in “intermediate type” species than for succeeding or flush type species.
Effects of water stress on photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and photoinhibition in wheat plants

Effects of water stress on photosynthesis, PS II photochemistry and photoinhibition were investigated in wheat plants (Tritium aestivum L.). To separate water stress effects from photoinhibition, water stress was imposed at low irradiance (180 µmol m-2 s-1). When water stress developed gradually, net CO2 assimilation rate and leaf stomatal conductance decreased significantly. However, water stress had no effects on the PS II photochemistry in dark-adapted leaves. There were no significant changes in the maximal efficiency of PS II photochemistry and no apparent damages in PS II reaction centre, its oxidising and acceptor sides, or its antennae system. However, PS II photochemistry in light-adapted leaves was modified in water-stressed plants. This was shown by the decrease in the efficiency of excitation energy capture by open PS II reaction centres and the quantum yield of PS II electron transport and a significant increase in non-photochemical quenching. In addition, water stress increased the susceptibility to photoinhibition. The extent of photoinhibition became more pronounced as water stress increased. It was found that water-stressed plants exhibited a much greater accumulation of the QB-non-reducing PS II reaction centres and a smaller increase in non- photochemical quenching during photoinhibition. Such changes might be responsible for the increased susceptibility to photoinhibition.
Cloning and Expression of a cDNA Encoding an Insoluble Matrix Protein in the Gastroliths of a Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii

Abstract In the crayfish Procambarus clarkii, the gastroliths are formed as a paired structure in the stomach during the premolt period, and contain calcium carbonate and a small amount of an organic matrix. In this investigation, a cDNA encoding an insoluble matrix protein was isolated from P. clarkii. The open reading frame encoded 505 amino acid residues including two unique repeated sequences. The N-terminal half of the amino acid sequence, which included 10-amino-acid repeats, exhibited a high degree of similarity to that of involucrin, a protein synthesized in human keratinocytes. Northern blot analysis revealed that mRNA encoding the matrix protein is specifically expressed in the gastrolith discs during the premolt period in which the gastroliths formed. In the gastrolith discs, levels of expression of this mRNA correlated increases in weights of the gastroliths concomitant with their formation. Organ culture of the gastrolith discs suggested that expression of mRNA in the discs is induced by molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone. These results reinforced the relationship between the matrix protein and formation of the gastroliths. Functional analysis showed that the protein inhibits calcium carbonate crystallization in a solution system, suggesting that the protein plays a role in the calcification of the gastroliths.
Epitheliocystis disease in red sea bream Pagrus major and induced hybrid, red sea bream Pagrus major (?) × black sea bream Acanthopagrus schlegeli (?), cultured in Korea

The present study is the first confirmed report of an epitheliocystis in fish cultured in Korea. The prevalence of disease was 100% in red sea bream and 10% in hybrids. The diameter of the cysts ranged from 12 to 75 µm. All the cysts exhibited the same amorphous appearance under the light microscope. Cysts contained prokaryotic organisms; three morphological forms of pathogens were distinguished: primary long cells, intermediate cells, and vacuolated small cells. The received data also have affirmed that two developmental cycles of epitheliocystis organisms occur in Pagrus major.
Aged pesticide residues are detrimental to agrobiont spiders (Araneae)

Spiders are among the most abundant arthropods in agroecosystems, playing an important role as natural enemies of various pests. In this study we evaluated residual activity of selected pesticides on the mortality and behaviour of four spider species (Dictyna uncinata, Pardosa palustris, Philodromus cespitum and Theridion impressum). We used three pesticides: a herbicide Command (clomazone), and insecticides Decis (deltamethrin) and Nurelle (chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin). Mortality was recorded after exposure of spiders to fresh (2‐h), 5, 10, 15 and 20‐day‐old residues. For each residue mortality was evaluated after 24–72 h. Residual effect differed between preparations and, in some cases, between spiders. All of the Nurelle residues (fresh to 20‐day‐old) caused 100% mortality in all spider species. Residues of Command were rather harmless (causing <20% mortality) to all spider species as the herbicide activity declined with age. Residues of Decis had species‐specific effects as the mortality varied between 0 and 90%. In Dictyna the mortality gradually declined with the age of residues, while in Pardosa the mortality increased. In Philodromus and Theridion the mortality declined up to 10‐day‐old residues and then increased so that 20‐day‐old residues caused almost as high mortality as the new ones. Exposure to pesticide residues immediately affected the movement of Pardosa spiders. Residues of Decis and Nurelle decreased spider locomotion, while those of Command increased locomotion in comparison with the control. In another experiment, we studied repellence of fresh pesticide residues to Pardosa spiders. In comparison with the control, spiders stayed a similar time on the surface treated with Command, but four times less on Decis and nine times less on Nurelle‐treated surfaces, respectively. In conclusion, aged insecticide residues possess a high activity and can cause long‐term decline in the abundance and prolonged behavioural disturbance of spiders in agroecosystems.
Fossorial life does not constrain diet selection in the amphisbaenian Trogonophis wiegmanni

Morphological adaptations of amphisbaenians for a fossorial life constrain their ecological demands in a greater way than for epigeal reptiles. Studies on the diet of amphisbaenians suggest that most species are generalists, although others seem more selective. However, there is no information on the diet preferences of almost any species because most studies did not evaluate the availability of prey in the environment. We analysed the spring diet selection of a population of the amphisbaenian Trogonophis wiegmanni from the Chafarinas Islands, in North Africa. We specifically examined diet estimated from faecal material collected from live amphisbaenians and compared diet with the availability of invertebrates in the soil. Results indicate that the diet of T. wiegmanni amphisbaenians consists of some of the types of invertebrates that are more commonly found under rocks used by amphisbaenians, such as insect larvae, snails, isopods, beetles and ants. This diet could be initially considered generalist, and probably opportunistic. However, the comparison of proportions of prey types in the diet and those available in the habitat revealed that T. wiegmanni does not eat prey at random, but selects some particular prey types (insect larvae and pupae and, surprisingly, snails), while others (ants and isopods) are consumed less than expected by their abundance. We did not found differences between sexes or age classes in diet composition. We discuss how diet preferences could be due to selection of the more profitable or easily captured prey. There are many aspects of the feeding and foraging biology of amphisbaenians that remain unknown and further studies are clearly needed.
Shoot Length Distribution and Its Relation to Yield of Alternate-bearing Pistachio Trees

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. Pistacia vera, shoot extension, shoot growth, branching, bud abscission, biennial bearing, masting ABSTRACT. Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is known to strongly exhibit alternate bearing. Over 19,500 individual shoots were measured on eight alternate bearing 'Kerman' pistachio trees on P. atlantica Desf. rootstock. Average length of "on" year (5.4 cm) and "off" year new shoots (5.6 cm) were not significantly different. New shoot length distribution was skewed toward the shorter length categories, with a mode of 2 and 4 cm in "on" and "off" trees respectively. These results contrast with previous studies which have shown that "on" year new shoots of pistachio are much longer than "off" year new shoots. There were about twice as many "on" year new shoots in the 18 to 30 cm class as compared to "off" new shoots, and fruiting wood length was associated positively with fruit number. However, ≈80% of tree yield occurred on fruiting wood that was 30 cm in length may be important in establishing vegetative buds in a position above the main tree crown for canopy expansion during the following "off" year.