Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plant Regeneration of Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) via Organogenesis

Twoperiwinkle cultivars, Pacific Coral (P1) and SunstormRose (P2), were used for development of a plant regeneration system. Leaf and internodal explants collected from in vitro plants were plated onto woody plant medium (WPM) using a factorial arrangement of 6-benzyladeine (BA) and 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Shoots were successfully regenerated. Shoot production from leaf tissues was minimal for all cultivars, whereas internodal tissues showed variable rates of regeneration depending on the hormone combination. Cultivar P1 showed the maximum regeneration rate (73.3%) when internodal explants, 4 to 6 mm in length, were placed on WPM containing 5 mM BA and 5 mM NAA. Cultivar P2 showed a regeneration rate of 56.7% with a combination of 20 mM BA and 10 mM NAA. Shoot regeneration rate increased as the internodal explant size increased for P2; however, the regeneration rate decreased when the explant size was greater than 7 mm for P1. The shoot regeneration rate decreased as the period of the dark treatment of internodal explants increased in both P1 and P2. The antibiotics carbenicillin (Carb) and cefotaxime (Cef) had little effect on shoot regener- ation. There was a slightly higher rate observed for P1 when Cef was added into the medium, whereas P2 showed a decrease with the addition of Cef. Carb showed no significant effect on shoot regeneration for both cultivars. Addition of both Carb and Cef to the medium slightly inhibited shoot regeneration.
Impacts of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) predation on commercially important sea cucumbers (Parastichopus californicus) in southeast Alaska

Sea cucumbers (Parastichopus californicus), which are an important commercial, subsistence, and ecological resource, are negatively affected by an expanding sea otter (Enhydra lutris) population in southeast Alaska. A few hundred sea otters were reintroduced into southeast Alaska in the late 1960s after their extirpation during the 18th and 19th century fur trade. In the ensuing decades after recolonization, the sea otter population grew exponentially in number and distribution, and sea cucumbers declined in density in areas with otters, suggesting an inverse relationship between sea otter numbers and sea cucumber density. We evaluated the interaction and effects of sea otters on sea cucumbers using sea otter foraging observations, sea otter population survey data, and sea cucumber density data. Our results indicate that sea cucumber density declined with and without sea otter presence and that the extent of the decline depends on the duration and magnitude of sea otter presence, with 100% decline in area.
Development, Life Cycle, Ultrastructure and Phylogenetic Position of Pasteuria ramosa Metchnikoff 1888: Rediscovery of an Obligate Endoparasite of Daphnia magna Straus

The development, life cycle, ultrastructure and phylogenetic position of an obligate, spore-forming endoparasite of Daphnia magna Straus is described. The microparasite was found in the body cavity of three Daphnia species (D. magna, D. pulex and D. longispina) collected in England and Russia during 1992-1994 and maintained in artificial culture by co-cultivation with D. magna. Transmission of the endoparasite occurred horizontally through waterborne spores released from the remains of dead infected hosts. Progeny of infected hosts were never infected, indicating that vertical transmission does not occur. Egg production by infected mothers ceased soon after infection and death ensued after 46 days ( $\pm $ 7 standard error) at 20 degrees C. Phase contrast light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy of the infection process showed the endoparasite to have a polymorphic life cycle beginning with the appearance of branched `cauliflower-like' rosettes and ended with the development of single, oval endospores, nippled at one end and with complex internal structure. Endospore formation resembled that found in endosporeforming bacteria. Morphologically the parasite has strong resemblance to the Pasteuria ramosa that Metchnikoff isolated from D. magna and D. pulex in Ukraine and described in 1888. Identification of this parasite has been an enduring puzzle since Metchnikoff. The previously confused phylogenetic position of P. ramosa (it has been classified as bacterium, yeast and protozoa) was resolved by sequencing the 16S rDNA molecule. Fluorescent in situ hybridizations confirmed that the 16S rDNA sequence obtained from the spores within the D. magna body cavity originated from the endoparasite. Maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony analysis showed that P. ramosa belongs to the low G+C Gram positive branch of the eubacteria and resides within a clade containing Bacillus tusciae, Alicyclobacillus cycloheptanicus and A. acidocaldarius as its nearest neighbours. These results confirm suggestions that this parasite is a bacterium and refute its previous tentative placement based on its morphological complexity among the Actinomycetales.
Extensive chromosome number variation in Aster ageratoides var. pendulus (Asteraceae)

Aster ageratoides var. pendulus, a recently described taxon, is endemic to Mt Hupingshan of north-western Hunan, China. Field observations and collections were made from the only known population. Root-tip squashes were used to determine the chromosome numbers of 96 plants and 61 seedlings from the achenes of eight sample plants. The results show that var. pedulus is a swarm of 30 cytotypes with nearly continuous chromosome numbers from 2n = 60 to 2n = 92. Chromosome numbers of 61 seedlings vary from 2n = 61 to 2n = 91, belonging to 18 cytotypes. The chromosome number variation of var. pendulus is highly unusual not only in the A. ageratoides polyploid complex but also in angiosperms. Such an enormous continuous variation of chromosome numbers could have arisen by the combined effect of hybridization, recent origin and high levels of polyploidy. (C) 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 165, 378-387.
Feeding and Growth of Larval Pacific Lamprey Reared in Captivity

AbstractPacific Lampreys Entosphenus tridentatus are declining in the Columbia River basin as well as in much of their broader range. To mitigate for reductions in abundance, strategies such as hatchery propagation and captive rearing of lamprey larvae are currently being considered. We conducted a series of experiments using captive larval Pacific Lampreys at Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery to investigate the effect of different food types and different food concentrations on the growth of larvae. In our first experiment, we evaluated the growth of larvae (TL range, 59–145 mm) given four different food types (algae, leaves, yeast–larval fish food, and salmon carcass analogs) and a control group that was not fed. Assimilation of food types was evaluated by tracking unique stable isotope signatures of δ13C and δ15N within larval tissues. Results from experiment 1 indicated that lampreys fed a diet of salmon carcass analog or algae had positive growth (up to 0.16 mm/d and 42% proportional change in lengt.
A novel type of oxygenolytic ring cleavage: 2,4-oxygenation and decarbonylation of 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine and 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinoline

The utilization of quinaldine (2-methylquinoline) by Arthrobacter sp. Ru61a proceeds via 1H-4-oxoquinaldine, 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine, and N-acetyl-anthranilic acid. By analogy, 1H-4-oxoquinoline is degraded by Pseudomonas putida 33/1 via 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinoline and N-formylanthranilic acid. Using the purified enzymes from both organisms, the mode of N-heterocyclic ring cleavage was investigated. The conversions of 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine and 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinoline to N-acetyl- and N-formylanthranilic acid, respectively, were both accompanied by the release of carbon monoxide. The enzyme-catalysed transformations were performed in an [18O]O2 atmosphere and resulted in the incorporation of two oxygen atoms into the respective products, N-acetyl- and N-formylanthranilic acid, indicating an oxygenolytic attack at C-2 and C-4 of both 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine and 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinolone.
An application of common principal component analysis to cranial morphometry of Microtus californicus and M. ochrogaster (Mammalia, Rodentia): further remarks

We welcome Dr Thorpe's interesting discussion (Thorpe, 1988), and we would like to take this opportunity to clarify some points. Both MGPCA (multiple group principal component analysis) and CPCA (common principal component analysis) serve essentially the same purpose, namely estimation of principal components simultaneously in several groups, based on the assumption of equality of principal component directions across groups, while eigenvalues may differ between groups. However, CPCA has the distinct advantage that this assumption can actually be tested, using the (CPC) statistic. In analyses involving more than two variables, it is usually difficult to decide, without a formal test, whether or not the assumption of common directions of principal components is reasonable. There is also a conceptual difficulty with MGPCA. In statistical terms, both methods assume that: (a) a certain set of parameters (namely those determining the eigenvectors) are common to all groups (b) there are sets of parameters (namely p eigenvalues per group) which are specific to each group. CPCA sets up a model that reflects this structure and estimates the parameters accordingly. MGPCA, on the other hand, ignores part (b), at least temporarily, by pooling the variance-covariance matrices and extracting eigenvectors from the single pooled matrix. This may lead to reasonable results, but there is no guarantee that it will indeed do so. The reader may find a more familiar analog in the fitting of regression lines when data are in groups. If it is assumed that all regression lines are parallel, one should set up an appropriate model based on a single slope parameter common to all groups, and groupwise intercepts. One should then estimate the parameters of this model, and not simply apply a technique which is appropriate in the one-group case only.
The influence of local environment and population origin on some reproductive traits of Nardus stricta (Poaceae) in the Scottish Highlands

Abstract Nardus stricta L is widespread in species-poor grassland on acidic soils throughout Scotland. Its wide altitudinal, latitudinal and longitudinal range enables a study of how plant reproductive performance is influenced by variation in the climatic environment. The aim of this study was to establish whether any such changes in reproductive performance are attributable to direct environmental effects or to genetic differentiation between populations. The investigation involved field observations, germination tests with seeds of diverse provenance, and the transplantation of tillers sourced from low (<500 m) and high (>900 m) altitudes into planting sites located at low and at high altitude. Geographic variation in fecundity was evident, with seed germinability declining markedly with increasing altitude and oceanicity of origin. Reciprocal transplantation showed that the number of flowering spikes, spike maturation, seed germinability, and seed production per plant were all strongly influenced by the growing environment. Transplantation also showed that plants were adapted to their altitude of origin in that they exhibited significant home-site advantages. Hence, at the low-altitude planting site, the fecundity of transplants from low altitude greatly exceeded that of those from high altitude. At the high-altitude site, the high-altitude transplants flowered better and matured earlier than did their low-altitude counterparts. Yet their fecundity did not differ because infertility was prevalent in the plants sourced from high altitude. This, coupled with the established agamospermy of N. stricta, suggests that gene exchange in high-altitude populations may be very restricted, thus constraining the plant’s ability to adapt to environmental change.
A Female-Produced Sex Pheromone Component and Attractant for Males in the Armyworm Moth, Pseudaletia unipuncta

The compound (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-yl acetate has been found in abdominal tip extracts and in effluvium from females of the common armyworm moth, Pseudaletia unipuncta (Haworth). This compound attracted male P. unipuncta moths into traps when red rubber septa impregnated with 100–300μg of the acetate were used as lures. Observations of flight behavior in a wind tunnel revealed the optimum dose of the synthetic acetate on filter paper to be between 50–100 ng, with higher and lower loadings resulting in shorter average flight times toward the baits. Duration of flightwith 50 ng of the synthetic acetate was comparable to that observed with a similar amount of the natural acetate. None of the (E)-11-isomer was detected among the female-produced materials, nor were any other 16-carbon acetate positional isomers detected.
Study the Effect of Ethanol Extract of Achillea, Green Tea and Ajowan on Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Objective: Infections are increasing caused by antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa day by day. For this reason, many researchers have tried to find new compounds as alternative antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of yarrow extract, green tea and Ajowan on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods: Extraction of Achillea, green tea and Ajowan was done with rotary. For this study, 12 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from patients in the city of Zabol. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of the plant extract of Achillea, green tea and Ajowan was determined in different concentrations by dilution on bacteria with plate method. Results: Results from plant extracts showed the highest MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of green tea extract was concentration of 2.5 milligrams per milliliter for Pseudomonas aeruginosa that 8 strains were inhibited at this concentration. Also, The highest inhibitory concentration (MIC) of achiella extract against strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 5 milligrams per milliliter that four strains were inhibited at this concentration, the lowest concentration of inhibitor was 62 milligrams per milliliter. Discussion: This study showed that Achiella, green tea and Ajowan have antibacterial effect against strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, the clinical use of these plants require more and wider research.
Translocation and early post‐release demography of endangered Laysan teal

In an attempt to reduce the high extinction risk inherent to small island populations, we translocated wild Laysan teal Anas laysanensis to a portion of its presumed prehistoric range. Most avian translocations lack the strategic post‐release monitoring needed to assess early population establishment or failure. Therefore, we monitored the survival and reproduction of all founders, and their first‐generation offspring using radio telemetry for 2 years after the first release. Forty‐two Laysan teal were sourced directly from the only extant population on Laysan Island and transported 2 days by ship to Midway Atoll. All birds survived the translocation with nutritional and veterinary support, and spent between 4 and 14 days in captivity. Post‐release survival of 42 founders was 0.857 (95% CI 0.86–0.99) during 2004–2006 or annualized 0.92 (95% CI 0.83–0.98). Seventeen of 18 founding hens attempted nesting in the first two breeding seasons. Fledgling success was 0.57 (95% CI 0.55–0.60) in 2005 and 0.63 (95% CI 0.62–0.64) in 2006. The effective founding female population (Ne) was 13. We applied these initial demographic rates to model population growth. The nascent population size increased to >100 after only 2 years post‐release (λ=1.73). If this growth rate continues, the size of the Midway population could surpass the source population before 2010.
Broad‐scale variation of fungal‐endophyte incidence in temperate grasses

The strength of many interactions between plants and other organisms changes across regional gradients. For example, the relevance of plant‐herbivore interactions increases with primary production. Likewise, biotic interactions collectively become more intense from the poles to the equator. Yet, the regional variation of the interaction between grasses and systemic fungal endophytes, which provide resistance to biotic and abiotic environmental factors (i.e. herbivory and drought), is poorly understood. We compiled 1008 records of the incidence level of fungal endophytes (Epichloë, Ascomycetes: Clavicipitaceae) on wild populations of 48 cool season grasses, encompassing 10 biomes across a broad latitudinal expanse and primary production gradient. Symbiosis incidence was analysed as a function of mean primary production, precipitation, temperature and latitude of each site, which in turn were obtained from climatic and satellital sources. Across a 30‐fold variation of mean primary production, average symbiosis incidence increased from 20% to 70%. The pattern became stronger when the analysis was restricted to the single grass genus Festuca, which accounted for half of the total data. The number of grass populations showing no symbiosis incidence (0%) decreased as primary production increased, whereas those with 100% of incidence increased. Primary production at the regional scale was negatively correlated with latitude but positively with mean annual temperature and precipitation. Symbiosis incidence was similarly correlated with latitude and temperature, and it was not with mean annual precipitation. Synthesis. Different descriptors of this grass‐fungus symbiosis show that average incidence in wild populations world‐wide increases with mean primary production. As at large spatial scales herbivory and temperature increase and aridity decreases with primary production, our results suggest that, at broad‐scales, these biotic and abiotic factors may be important drivers of the symbiosis success.
Interactive effects of sedimentation and microtopography on the abundance of subtidal turf-forming algae

Abstract We quantified the percentage cover of turf-forming algae among locations spanning > 1000 km of continuous South Australian coastline and found that they formed one of the most extensive subtidal habitats on reefs devoid of macroalgae. We then experimentally tested the hypothesis that sediment deposition and microtopography of substratum interact to control turf alga abundance (percentage cover and biomass). Both microtopography (topographically simple and complex) and sedimentation (natural and reduced) were manipulated orthogonally to test their independent and interactive effects on subtidal turf-forming algae. This field experiment demonstrated that reduced rates of sedimentation have positive effects on the percentage cover and biomass of turf-forming algae (Feldmannia spp.) and that a very small increase in topographic complexity (microtopography) can have large positive effects (> 36% increase) on the biomass of turf-forming algae under conditions of reduced sedimentation. These results support new models that suggest differences in microtopography may account for observed variation in the effects of sedimentation on the abundance of turf-forming algae. Importantly, heavy rates of sediment deposition can negate the positive effects of greater topographic complexity at fine spatial scales (i.e. microtopography). These results raise serious concerns about gaps in our knowledge of the effects of sedimentation on turf-forming algae and its consequences for current declines in the diversity and cover of algae in disturbed coastal habitats.
Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Two Endangered Endemic Species of the Canarian Laurel Forest: Dorycnium spectabile (Fabaceae) and Isoplexis chalcantha (Scrophulariaceae)

We used random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to assess the levels and structuring of genetic variation in the Canarian laurel forest endangered endemics Dorycnium spectabile (Fabaceae) and Isoplexis chalcantha (Scrophulariaceae). Amplification of seven primers in the only two extant populations of each species resulted in 28 (D. spectabile) and 32 (I. chalcantha) markers that exhibited a polymorphism of 78% and 100%, respectively. The estimates of population subdivision show that ca. 75% and 25% of the total genetic variability of both species is explained by the within‐ and between‐population components, respectively. Our favored hypothesis to explain the high levels of genetic variation detected in both endemics is that they originated from multiple introductions of continental ancestors. The recent fragmentation and degradation of the Canarian laurel forest probably brought about a severe reduction of interpopulation gene flow in both species that might have disrupted the genetic cohesion of once more widespread geographic ranges. Intrapopulation spatial autocorrelation analyses indicate that the genetic variability of D. spectabile and I. chalcantha is structured in family clumps whose maintenance and enhancement is best explained by assortive mating and short‐range seed dispersal capabilities. Because of the extreme vulnerability of these two endemics and their high levels of interpopulation genetic differentiation, we recommend protecting all their natural areas of occurrence and avoiding mixing individuals from different populations. Patch size estimates derived from spatial autocorrelation were used to suggest seed collection strategies that minimize the probability of sampling genetically similar individuals.
Reflectances from four wheat residue cover densities as influenced by three soil backgrounds

It is important to know quantity of crop residue on the soil surface to maintain or to improve soil physical and chemical properties and to assess the soil's susceptibility to erosion. Our objective was to use remote sensing techniques to examine the potential for remotely differentiating among wheat residue quantities and bare soils. We used three soils of the northern Great Plains (Williams loam [fine-loamy, mixed Typic Argiboroll], Vanda Clay [fine-silty, mixed calcareous, frigid Ustic Torriorthents], and Lambert silt loam [finesilty, mixed calcareous, frigid Typic Ustorthents]) that had either dry or wet surfaces and 0, 33, 66, and 100% wheat residues covering the soil surfaces (.)
Distinct seawater and freshwater types of chloride cells in killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus

Physiological and morphological differences between killifish adapted to seawater (SW) and fresh water (FW) were examined with special reference to chloride cells. There was no difference in plasma osmolality between SW- and FW-adapted fish, reflecting their euryhalinity. A rich population of chloride cells was detected in whole-mount preparations of the gills and opercular membrane from SW- and FW-adapted fish. There was no difference between SW- and FW-adapted fish in gill Na+,K+-ATPase activity or oxygen-consumption rates. The gill chloride cells were located mostly in a flat region of the afferent-vascular edge of the filaments. In both tissues, the cells were larger in FW- than in SW-adapted fish. The apical membrane of chloride cells was invaginated to form a pit in SW-adapted fish, whereas it was flat or showed projections and was equipped with microvilli in FW-adapted fish. Chloride cells often interdigitated with neighboring accessory cells in SW-adapted fish, forming multicellular complexes. In .