Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PREDATION RISK AFFECTS RELATIVE STRENGTH OF TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP IMPACTS ON INSECT HERBIVORES

Elucidating the relative strength of top-down and bottom-up forces in com- munities of phytophagus insects has been a major historical focus. Current consensus is that both forces play a role, but it is poorly known if these forces act differently on herbivores in the same assemblage and what factors underlie this variation. Using manipulative ex- periments with an assemblage of sap-feeding phytophagous insects (six species of plant- hoppers, leafhoppers, and heteropteran bugs) inhabiting intertidal Spartina marshes, we examined the association between herbivore behavior, risk of predation, and ultimately the relative impact of top-down (wolf spider predation) and bottom-up (host-plant nutrition) factors on the population density of each sap-feeding herbivore. A factorial experiment on open Spartina islets in the field (two levels of plant nutrition crossed with two levels of spider predation) showed that bottom-up and top-down manip- ulations differentially affected the various sap-feeders. Overall, bottom-up effects domi- nated in this sap-feeder community, whereby the density of all six sap-feeders increased when the nitrogen content of Spartina was elevated. By contrast, wolf-spider addition significantly suppressed populations of only the Prokelisia species and had little impact on the other four sap-feeder species in the community. Functional-response experiments and behavioral studies revealed that certain species ( Prokelisia planthoppers) were at much higher risk of attack by wolf spiders than other sap-feeders in the assemblage and that risk of predation was associated with a species' particular ''escape/defensive behavior. '' More- over, risk of spider predation was roughly linked to the strength of top-down impacts in the field, because species with ineffective escape behaviors and a high risk of spider attack (Prokelisia planthoppers) were the only sap-feeders whose populations were suppressed by spider predation in the field. Thus, specific behavioral characteristics of the sap-feeders on Spartina influenced risk of predation and the relative strength of top-down and bottom-up impacts on their population dynamics. Notably, all herbivores in this system were positively influenced by elevated plant nutrition, only the common sap-feeder species (Prokelisia planthoppers) were adversely affected by spider predation, and it was the rarer sap-feeders in the assemblage that were least impacted by predation. These results call into question the overall pervasiveness of top-down forces and underscore the primacy of basal resources in structuring this com- munity of phytophagous insects.
Interactions between Jasmonates and Abscisic Acid in Apple Fruit, and Stimulative Effect of Jasmonates on Anthocyanin Accumulation

The interactions between jasmonates [jasmonic acid (JA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA)] and abscisic acid (ABA) were investigated in 'Tsugaru' apple (Malus pumila Mill. var. domestica Schneid.). In Exp. 1, discs from pulp excised 93 days after full bloom (DAFB)(preclimacteric), 112 DAFB (climacteric), and 133 DAFB (postclimacteric) were collected and placed in petri dishes containing a solution of 0.4 M mannitol with a combination of MeJA, ABA, and aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG). Jasmonates, ABA, and ethylene levels in the discs were measured at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hr after the initiation of treatment. At the climacteric and postclimacteric stages, the ABA treatment increased endogenous JA concentration and decreased it when combined with AVG. This result suggests that ethylene may be related to the induction of endogenous JA by ABA. MeJA treatment decreased endogenous ABA concentration from 93 to 133 DAFB, whereas AVG had no influence. This result also demonstrates that jasmonates may influence endogenous ABA synthesis independently from ethylene. In Exp. 2 when discs with skins from the apple pulp samples from preclimacteric, climacteric, and postclimacteric stages were excised, cultured for 7 days under light on B5 media containing MeJA, and the combination of MeJA and AVG was investigated, MeJA and MeJA combined with AVG stimulated greater anthocyanin accumulation in both sampling stages compared to the untreated control ; the combination of MeJA and AVG resulted in a lower concentration of anthocyanin than that of only MeJA at the preclimacteric and postclimacteric stages. Therefore, in most cases, jasmonates may be related to anthocyanin formation in apples in the presence and absence of ethylene.
Assessment of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induced sac fry mortality in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from different regions of the Great Lakes

La concentration naturelle exprimee en equivalents de toxicite (ET) de la TCDD dans les oeufs de touladi (Salvelinus namaycush) (determines a partir des facteurs caracteristiques aux poissons d'equivalence de la toxicite des dibenzo-p-dioxines et dibenzofuranes polychlores (PCDD et PCDF) ainsi que des biphenyles polychlores (BPC), etait plus elevee a deux stations du lac Ontario qu'au lac Superieur et dans une ecloserie (10,5-10,9 contre 0,3 et 0,05 pg ET/g d'oeufs). Malgre la contamination plus marquee des oeufs du lac Ontario, la mortalite des alevins vesicules etait uniformement faible peu importe la provenance des oeufs. Cette constatation est conforme au fait que la concentration exprimee en equivalents de toxicite (ET) de la TCDD dans tous les oeufs est inferieure a la concentration sans effet nocif observe (NOAEL) de cette substance (soit 34 pg TCDD/g d'oeufs) determinee en termes de mortalite des alevins vesicules du touladi du lac Superieur. Le taux de mortalite d'alevins vesicules issus d'oeufs exposes a la [ 3 H]TCDD au laboratoire et conserves a une temperature de 8 ou de 8-3-8°C, etait similaire. Peu importe l'origine des oeufs, la mortalite causee par la [ 3 H]TCDD chez les alevins vesicules etait associee a la maladie du sac bleu; celle-ci n'etait pas soumise a l'influence de la temperature de l'eau. Cette mortalite correspondait a une CL 50 comparable, soit de 42-72 pg [ 3 H]TCDD/g d'oeufs. Ainsi, la mortalite reduite des alevins vesicules issus d'oeufs pondus par des genitrices sauvages du lac Ontario n'est pas attribuable a une reaction peu marqee a la TCDD, mais plutot au fait que la concentration des equivalents de toxicite est inferieure a la NOAEL de la TCDD mesuree par la mortalite des alevins vesicules.
Do ants feed plants? A 15N labelling study of nitrogen fluxes from ants to plants in the mutualism of Pheidole and Piper

1 Nutrient fluxes play a significant role in the interaction of myrmecophytic plants and their symbiotic ants. There is a clear flux from plants to ants via nectar or food bodies but nutrient fluxes from ants to plants are less obvious. 2 We report on a nitrogen flux from ants to plants in the association between Pheidole bicornis (Formicidae‐Myrmicinae) and two myrmecophytic Piper species (P. fimbriulatum and P. obliquum, Piperaceae). Pulse experiments were performed by feeding ants with 15N‐labelled glycine supplied in sucrose solution. Workers passed ingested label on to other ants and the brood by trophallaxis. 3 The distribution of label within the colony showed highest incorporation rates in larvae and in the working caste, while the reproductive caste received only a small amount of the 15N‐labelled food. 4 Nutrient transfer from ants to plants occurred remarkably fast. Within 6 days, up to 25% of the nitrogen ingested by the ants was incorporated by the plants. 5 However, ant distribution within P. fimbriulatum plants did not correlate with the intra‐plant uptake pattern of 15N, and ant‐mediated nitrogen uptake by myrmecophytic P. fimbriulatum accounted for less than 1% of the plants’ above‐ground nitrogen demand.
Acoustical communication and the mating system of the Australian whistling moth Hecatesia exultans (Noctuidae: Agaristinae)

Males of the Australian whistling moth Hecatesia exultans produce ultrasonic acoustical signals while perched on low vegetation. Some males call more or less continuously for several hours during midday with individuals occupying the same general calling area for up to several weeks. The nearest neighbour of calling males is typically 15 to 25m distant, at the outer edge of the estimated range at which neighbours can detect each other's ultrasonic signals. Calling male intruders occasionally enter an occupied territory, resulting in aerial clashes with nearly continuous signalling by both combatants. Males respond to playback of taped signals by flying toward the speaker and sometimes by calling while perched on or near the speaker. Females sometimes visit calling males, with copulation following very soon after the female alights on vegetation near the male's perch. Males increase the rate of sound production by about 11% when presented with moving pinned specimens or paper models of conspecifics. These observations and experiments indicate that males use ultrasound as long-distance communication signals designed to attract sexually receptive females and to establish territorial residency in competition with other males.
Interactive effects of herbivory and sand burial on growth of a tropical dune plant, Ipomoea pes‐caprae

1. This study examined the effects of insect herbivory, sand burial, and the interactive effects of these factors, on the growth of beach morning glory, Ipomoea pes‐caprae, a common tropical dune plant. Levels of herbivory and sand burial were manipulated on individual shoots, and effects on stem growth, leaf production, and production of adventitious roots and axillary branches by nodes were examined.
Pathogenicity of Vibrio harveyi to salmonids

Out of 19 Vibrio harveyi isolates obtained from a diversity of hosts and geographical locations, 14 were pathogenic to rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), and Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. , with mortalities of up to 100% following intraperitoneal injections of 106 cells fish−1. The extracellular products (ECPs) of only five pathogenic isolates were harmful to fish. Both pathogenic and non-pathogenic cultures produced ECPs containing caseinase, gelatinase, phospholipase, lipase and haemolysins. Vibrio harveyi VIB 645, which was the most pathogenic isolate, produced ECPs with a maximal effect on salmonids from preparations obtained by using cellophane overlays on tryptone soya agar supplemented with 1% (w/v) sodium chloride with incubation at 28 °C for 24 h. This preparation contained the highest titre of haemolytic activity to Atlantic salmon (1:256) and rainbow trout (1:32) erythrocytes.
Annelids and Nematodes as Sentinels of Environmental Pollution

Worms like polychaetes, oligochaetes, and nematodes, have been widely used in studies of aquatic and soil pollution. Several ecotoxicological characteristics make these animals suitable for use as a biomonitor, including the fact that these organisms live in close contact with sediments. Also important is that they posses little mobility, which could be useful in biomonitoring programs since it can reflect local environmental problems. Several toxicological aspects are reviewed in these zoological groups, including their antioxidant responses and detoxifying mechanisms of heavy metals. Interestingly, the nematodes and oligochaetes species show induction of proteins different from the well-known metallothionein, including cysteine-rich proteins, and phytochelatins, this last group until recently believed to be present only in plants and fungi.
Histologia geral dos intestinos do Caiman crocodilus yacare (Daudin, 1802) (Crocodilia: Reptilia)

General histology of small intestine (duodenum and jejunum) and the large intestine (colon and cloaca) of C. c. yacare (Daudin, 1802) Crocodilia-Reptilia. A comparative description is made of the histology of the small and large intestine of C. c. yacare. In all segments mucosa, submucosa, muscularis and serosa tunics were observed. The duodenum as very long villi, wich are well-developed and attached together to form irregular transverse ridges, covered with simple columnar epithelium with marginal and goblet cells. In the jejunum, the villi are shorter and less frequent. The colon as few folds, covered with the same epithelium; the lamina propria contains straight tubular glands with absortive cells, goblet and Paneth cells. The cloaca is very complex, with three well-defined regions: coprodeum, urodeum and proctodeum. In the coprodeum, the wall is folded, less muscular and the thin mucosa is covered by an epithelium with a few basal cells and mucosal cells. The urodeum as an additional external muscular tunic, with striated muscle fibers and a stritifield cylindrical epithelium with goblet cells. The proctodeum includes the free part of the penis in the male and, laterally, the ducts of a pair of holocrine cloacal glands. Near the opening of the ducts, the epithelium changes to a squamous keratinized type.
Microwave-assisted rapid synthesis of poly(glycerol-sebacate) elastomers.

Poly(glycerol-sebacate) (PGS) was introduced a decade ago as a potential material for soft tissue repair. All of the proposed copolymerization reactions in the literature include a two-stage (prepolymerization and curing) synthesis where the reaction times can take as long as several days. This study, on the other hand, proposes a new route that eliminates these disadvantages and enables a rapid synthesis of PGS elastomers via microwave-assisted prepolymerization in minutes instead of days. No purge gas, catalyst or vacuum is needed in the first prepolymerization step. The curing stage was carried out at 150 °C for 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours. The glass transition temperature (Tg) and melting temperatures for the glycerol and sebacic acid fragments (Tm1 and Tm2 ) of these PGS elastomers were found as -35.61 °C, -15.82 °C, and 61.70 °C, respectively. The Young's modulus and tensile strength values were found as 0.50 ± 0.02 MPa and 0.27 ± 0.06 MPa, respectively.
TREE MORTALITY AND GROWTH IN 11 SYMPATRIC MACARANGA SPECIES IN BORNEO

Interspecific differences in tree performance due to variation in resource availability are expected to influence the structure and dynamics of tropical forest communities. Patterns of mortality and growth over 32 mo in 11 species of Macaranga were analyzed to investigate factors influencing tree spatial distributions and the dynamics of early successional communities. Tree performance was assessed in relation to variation in light levels, soil texture, and tree ontogeny. Rates of mortality and growth varied by over an order of magnitude among species. Species common in high-light microsites had higher mortality and growth rates. Higher low-light mortality for these species reflected lower shade tolerances, supporting the view that shade tolerance involves a trade-off between high-light growth and low-light mortality. Logistic and multiple regressions were used to test for independent effects of tree size and microenvironment on performance in the 11 species. Mortality and growth were significantly related to tree size in nine and eight species, respectively. Higher mortality and lower growth rates for juvenile trees were common. Despite positive correlations between light availability and tree size, mortality rates increased in three species, and growth rates decreased in four species at larger tree sizes. This pattern was particularly strong in smaller statured shade-intolerant species and may reflect changes in biomass allocation following reproductive onset. Declines in growth at larger tree sizes for only some species resulted in changes in species' performance rankings through succession. Low-light mortality rates were strongly correlated with species' distributions in the forest with respect to light levels, whereas biases in distributions with respect to soil texture were not supported by differential mortality. For all trees pooled and in several species, growth showed a threshold response to light levels, being light-limited in low light but not in high light. Across all light levels, soil texture significantly influenced growth in six species. Five species and all trees pooled had significantly lower growth on the more nutrient-poor and potentially drought-prone sandy soils. The dynamics of Macaranga-dominated early successional communities are strongly influenced by soil resource and light availability, coupled with species-specific ontogenetic trajectories of performance.
The large‐scale production of protein from leaf extracts

Juice from fresh, pulped, leaves is freed from most of the starch grains, fibre and detritus and coagulated quickly with steam. The protein coagulum is filtered off, washed with water at pH 4 and pressed into blocks with 30–40% dry matter. In this form it keeps under refrigeration. Texture, colour and nutritive value of the final product are determined by the conditions of drying. The precautions needed during drying, especially freeze-drying, are described. The products are fairly stable at room temperature but lipids have to be removed before the protein will keep permanently. The conditions for doing this by acetone extraction are described. The composition of the protein and the uses to which it can be put are described briefly.
Lebesgue's Measure Problem and Zermelo's Axiom of Choice: The Mathematical Effects of a Philosophical Dispute a

During the early years of the twentieth century there arose an intriguing historical contradiction. This was not a contradiction within mathematics per se. such as was furnished during the same period by Russell’s paradox, Burali-Forti’s paradox, and the paradox of the largest cardinal. Rather, it was a contradiction between the expressed philosophy of a group of mathematicians and the type of mathematics that they developed. The contradiction was so fundamental that, if these mathematicians had understood it properly, their philosophical beliefs would have forced them to reject their life’s work. At the very least, they would have had to recast it in a form that would destroy its usefulness to the mainstream of twentieth-century mathematics. In order to understand this contradiction and its effects on the subsequent development of mathematics, we must first consider how Georg Cantor’s set theory influenced French analysis late in the nineteenth century. In 1870 Cantor began to publish his findings on trigonometric series and, in particular, on what are now called their sets of uniqueness (i.e., sets on which a real function can be represented by a unique trigonometric series). Little by little, this research led him to introduce his infinite ordinal and cardinal numbers as well as various concepts in point-set topology. Yet his ideas had a negligible impact on French mathematics until 1883 when Costa Mittag-Leffler, editor of the new Swedish journal Acta Mathematica, printed French translations of several of Cantor’s articles. * At the same time Cantor published in Acta a new but related paper [ 1883k], written in French. The introduction of Cantor’s ideas into France was largely due to two brothers, Jules and Paul Tannery. In the Bulletin des sciences mathtmatiques et astronomiques, whose audience consisted primarily of mathematicians, Jules Tannery [ 18841 favorably reviewed both the French translations of
A benign bone-forming tumour (osteoma) on the skull of a fossil balaenopterid whale from the Pliocene of Chile

Hampe, O. , Witzmann, F. & Asbach, P., 2014. A benign bone-forming tumour (osteoma) on the skull of a fossil balaenopterid whale from the Pliocene of Chile. Alcheringa 38, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311–5518. A pathology of the fossil baleen whale ‘Megaptera’ hubachi from the early Pliocene of Chile is described. It is a bony outgrowth on the left side of the supraoccipital, which is interpreted as a benign bone-forming tumour (osteoma). This diagnosis is based on X-ray imaging and CT scans of the abnormal bone, revealing a homogeneously dense internal structure with no evidence for lytic areas. The osteoma described here in ‘Megaptera’ hubachi is the first unequivocal evidence of a bone tumour in a cetacean, fossil or extant. Oliver Hampe [oliver.hampe@mfn-berlin.de] and Florian Witzmann [florian.witzmann@mfn-berlin.de], Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany; Patrick Asbach [patrick.asbach@charite.de], Institut für Radiologie, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany. Received 28.8. 2013, revised 7.11. 2013, accepted 12.11. 2013.
Red squirrel conservation: The assessment of a reintroduction experiment

Abstract The methods used to assess a red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris reintroduction experiment at Parco Groane, northern Italy, are described. Population size at the removal site was estimated (c. 2400 squirrels) using drey counts, to evaluate the effect of removing animals for reintroduction. Suitability of the release site was investigated in two ways: (1) beforehand, by comparing tree seed abundance with that at the removal site, (2) retrospectively, by comparing drey‐site choice between removal and release site. Increase and dispersion of the reintroduced population were monitored using drey counts and searching for species‐specific feeding signs. Although only eight squirrels could be released (four males, four females), the experiment was successful and by 1996 all wooded habitats at Parco Groane were inhabited by squirrels.
Residual toxicity of some insecticides on groundnut to the first and third instar larvae of Spodoptera litura F. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract A field trial was laid out with eight insecticides on groundnut at Padappai in Tamil Nadu. Toxicity of these insecticides to the first and third instar larvae of Spodoptera litura was evaluated as (i) immediate toxicity on the basis of mortality of larvae in 24 hours on groundnut leaves carrying fresh dry film of insecticide and (ii) residual toxicity by comparing the mortality data of the larvae released on 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11 days old residues. Cypermethrin was found superior in both aspects against the two instars of S. litura followed closely by deltamethrin and fenvalerate. Endosulfan and triazophos were more effective against first instar larvae compared to the third instar larvae. The order of toxicity based on LT50 values estimated for the third instar larvae was cypermethrin > deltamethrin > fenvalerate > endosulfan > triazophos > quinalphos > carbaryl > phosalone.
Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers in Tsaiya Duck

An enrichment library of GATA-repeats from genomic DNA was constructed in this study to isolate and characterize microsatellite loci in Tsaiya duck (Anas platyrhynchos). Thirty-three microsatellite markers were developed and used to detect polymorphisms in 30 Tsaiya ducks. A total of 177 alleles were observed and all loci except APT022 were polymorphic. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 9 with an average of 5.5 per microsatellite locus. The observed and expected heterozygosity of these polymorphic markers ranged from 0.07 to 0.93 with an average number of 0.60 and 0.10 to 0.86 with an average number of 0.61, respectively. Among the polymorphic markers, the observed heterozygosities of 23 loci were higher than 0.50 (69.70%). The polymorphism information content (PIC) in the 32 loci ranged from 0.09 to 0.83 with an average of 0.57. Seven of the 33 duck microsatellite loci had orthologs in the chicken genome, but only APT004 had a similar core repeat to chickens. These microsatellite markers will be useful in constructing a genetic linkage map for the duck and a comparative mapping with the chicken can also provide a valuable tool for studies related to biodiversity and population genetics in this duck species.