bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intrathecal Injection of Hepatocyte Growth Factor Gene-modified Marrow Stromal Cells Attenuates Neurologic Injury Induced by Transient Spinal Cord Ischemia in Rabbits
Authors: Shi Enyi , Jiang Xiaojing , Wang Lingling , Akuzawa Satoshi , Nakajima Yoshiki , Kazui Teruhisa 
Published: October 2010

Background
Our previous studies showed that transfer of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene or transplantation of marrow stromal cells (MSCs) remarkably attenuated neurologic injuries after spinal cord ischemia. We sought to investigate a novel neuroprotective strategy of transplantation of human HGF gene-modified MSCs on ischemic spinal cords.

Methods
Human HGF gene was transferred into MSCs in vitro. The HGF gene-modified MSCs were transplanted by means of intrathecal injection. Two days later, spinal cord ischemia was induced by occlusion of the infrarenal aorta with a balloon catheter for 40 or 50 min. Hind-limb motor function was assessed during a 14-day recovery period with Tarlov criteria, and then histologic examination was performed.

Results
Human HGF was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid from 2 to 16 days after transplantation of HGF gene-modified MSCs. Compared with the controls, transplantation of HGF gene-modified MSCs or MSCs alone significantly improved the Tarlov scores 1, 2, 7, and 14 days after spinal cord ischemia of 40 or 50 min (P < 0.01, respectively) and increased the number of intact motor neurons in the lumbar spinal cord (P < 0.01, respectively). When the ischemic period was extended to 50 min, the Tarlov scores and the number of intact motor neurons of rabbits transplanted with HGF gene-modified MSCs were markedly higher than those of the rabbits transplanted with MSCs only (P < 0.05, respectively).

Conclusions
Transplantation of HGF gene-modified MSCs induces powerful neuroprotection on spinal cords against ischemia-reperfusion injury and is more therapeutically efficient than transplantation of MSCs only.
The direct and indirect effects of guppies: implications for life‐history evolution in Rivulus hartii
Authors: Walsh Matthew R. , Fraser Douglas F. , Bassar Ronald D. , Reznick David N. 
Published: October 2010

Summary 1. Ecological factors that alter mortality rates, such as predation, can cause evolutionary change. However, in addition to killing prey, predators can reduce prey abundance and increase food to survivors. Such indirect effects may also cause evolution. Predictions from theory that models how life histories evolve in response to increased mortality rates often change when they include indirect effects. Thus, indirect effects need to be evaluated to couple theory with natural systems. 2. Trinidadian killifish, Rivulus hartii, are found in communities with and without guppies Poecilia reticulata. Rivulus densities decline when guppies are present, which may be due to competitive or predatory interactions with guppies that increase Rivulus mortality rates. We previously showed that Rivulus from sites with guppies begin reproduction earlier and have increased reproductive allotment compared to Rivulus from sites with just Rivulus. Such divergence is inconsistent with theory that considers changes in juvenile mortality alone, but is consistent with theory that incorporates indirect effects. Here, we explored the mechanism of divergence with mark–recapture studies that compared the population biology of Rivulus between communities that are and are not sympatric with guppies. 3. Rivulus were 50% less abundant when guppies were present but guppies were not associated with increased adult mortality rates. Related experiments show that the declines in density are likely due to guppy predation on young Rivulus. Guppies do not appear to negatively impact Rivulus growth via competition. Rivulus with guppies grow >3× faster than Rivulus from sites upstream, above waterfalls that exclude guppies. If guppies competed with Rivulus for resources, then we would instead expect to see their presence be associated with a decline in Rivulus growth rates. When Rivulus were transplanted from above to below this barrier, their growth accelerated to match the residents. This response instead argues that the differences in growth are mediated by an environmental factor, likely lower population densities, which allow Rivulus from sites with guppies to grow faster. 4. These results imply that an indirect effect of guppy predation on young Rivulus, which is the presumed agent of selection, improves the fit of empirical findings with theoretical predictions.
The ecology and evolution of induced resistance against herbivores
Authors: Karban Richard 
Published: October 2010

Summary 1. Induced resistance is now widely accepted as a potent and widespread ecological force although several pieces of the story remain very poorly known. Theory predicts that induced defences should be favoured in variable environments especially when plants can use cues to reliably predict future conditions; however, this idea has not been seriously evaluated for plants. 2. Theory also predicts that plastic, induced defences should be favoured over permanent, constitutive defences if defences are costly and not always needed. This hypothesis has received considerable attention and limited support; resource allocation costs have been difficult to detect although ecological costs of defence may be more common. Recently, priming has emerged as a mechanism that may further reduce costs. Primed plants do not immediately produce the gene products associated with induced resistance but later respond more rapidly and strongly to severe or repeated attacks. It remains to be determined how common priming is. 3. Much of what we know about induced resistance is from the herbivore’s point of view. Induced resistance will be beneficial from the plant’s point of view if herbivores avoid induced plants, but the behavioural responses of herbivores to induced plant variation are still poorly studied. 4. Recent progress in understanding the detailed spatial and temporal extent of induced resistance has improved our appreciation of the phenomenon. Although some induced responses are systemic throughout entire plant individuals, many others have been found to be localized to damaged tissues. Plant vascular architecture and transpiration rates greatly constrain the distribution of vascular cues. Some plants rely on volatile cues that are active over relatively short distances and may be subject to eavesdropping by other plants, herbivores, and carnivores. Similarly, the temporal duration of induced responses may have important consequences on effectiveness although limited information is available concerning lag times before induction and relaxation times following induction. 5. Limited spatial and temporal scales of induced responses make plants more variable from the herbivore’s point of view. Recent work suggests that plant heterogeneity may be difficult for herbivores to cope with although this hypothesis awaits further empirical testing.
Egg size and food abundance interactively affect juvenile growth and behaviour
Authors: Segers Francisca H.I.D. , Taborsky Barbara 
Published: October 2010

Summary1. Comparative evidence from several animal taxa suggests that juveniles hatching from larger eggs have fitness benefits when growing up in a harsh environment, whereas under benign conditions egg size should be of less importance. However, the physiological and behavioural mechanisms responsible for these context‐dependent fitness differences are as yet poorly understood.2. We studied the interactions between the phenotype of developing offspring and their environment in the mouthbrooding cichlidSimochromis pleurospilus.We hand‐raised young from large and small eggs, and measured their initial body size and burst swimming speed. Thereafter we raised half of each egg‐size class on high and half on low food ration and followed their growth trajectories and behavioural development until the age of 12 weeks.3. We found that larger eggs gave rise to larger young that had a higher burst swimming speed. Food ration greatly influenced long‐term growth, while egg size predominantly affected fish size during the first 2 weeks of life. However, large egg size caused a size advantage of juveniles persisting throughout the experimental period.4. Egg size and food ration interactively affected the hiding and foraging behaviour of young. In the low‐food treatment, individuals from small eggs spent less time in shelter and showed a higher commitment to foraging than individuals from large eggs. In a natural setting, this should markedly increase predation risk of young originating from small eggs, particularly in poor environments. In contrast, when food was plentiful juveniles behaved similarly, irrespective of egg size.5. Our results show that egg size affects juvenile growth trajectories and behaviour differently in different environments. While it is well‐established that a large egg size raises offspring fitness particularly in harsh environments, our study suggests that this advantage arises through risk‐averse behaviour being tightly linked to offspring size.
Effect of defoliation frequency and cutting height on growth, dry‐matter yield and nutritive value of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum (L.) Schumach)
Authors: Tessema Z. K. , Mihret J. , Solomon M. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractGrowth characteristics, dry‐matter (DM) yield, chemical components and in vitro dry‐matter digestibility (IVDMD) of Napier grass were studied in a randomized complete block design with three replications at Haramaya University, Ethiopia. The treatments were three defoliation frequencies (60, 90 and 120 d after Napier grass establishment) and five cutting heights (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 cm above ground level). Except for leaf‐to‐stem ratio, all growth characteristics increased with decreasing frequency of defoliation. Similarly, DM yield of Napier grass increased as the frequency of defoliation decreased. Total ash, crude protein (CP), hemicellulose and IVDMD contents of Napier grass increased with increasing frequency of defoliation, whereas DM, acid detergent fibre, acid detergent lignin and cellulose contents increased with a decrease in defoliation frequency. In contrast, cutting heights had no significant effect on most chemical components and IVDMD contents, although total ash and CP decreased as the height of cutting increased. The CP yield per cut and per day was highest at an intermediate defoliation frequency. The results of this study indicated that Napier grass could be categorized under medium‐ to high‐quality herbage if defoliated at 90 d after establishment in the mid and highlands of Ethiopia.
Phenology as a basis for management of exotic annual plants in desert invasions
Authors: Marushia Robin G. , Cadotte Marc W. , Holt Jodie S. 
Published: October 2010

Summary 1. Exotic annual plants are an increasingly important ecological issue and new, creative approaches to management are required. In desert ecosystems of the southwestern USA, the forbs Brassica tournefortii, Erodium cicutarium and Schismus spp. dominate and alter native annual communities. Hand weeding B. tournefortii is currently the most common control method employed, but weeding is inadequate and expensive for managing large‐scale invasions. New methods must be developed to conserve and restore desert ecosystems. 2. Exotic annuals in desert systems have rapid germination and phenology compared to natives, indicating that a window for selective control of exotic annuals may occur immediately after exotic seedling emergence. We tested the role of timing in control methods by comparing a cotyledon‐stage glyphosate application to a bolting‐stage application and to hand weeding B. tournefortii, plus an untreated check. Treatments were tested at two sites dominated by either exotic or native annuals and followed for 2 years; early application was repeated the second year. Cover and richness were evaluated during seedling and peak flowering stages underneath and between shrubs. 3. Early glyphosate application did not affect native cover, but did reduce exotic cover. Late herbicide negatively impacted both exotics and natives. Natives had little positive response, and then only through hand weeding under shrubs, but the same treatment caused an increase in the exotic E. cicutarium. 4.
Synthesis and applications. The rapid phenology of exotic annuals may be exploited to control exotics while minimizing impacts on native plants in desert communities. This approach may be useful for other invasions in other ecosystems by species with rapid, early germination, or may act as a supplement to improve the efficacy of existing management regimes.
Dynamics and pathways of autotrophic and heterotrophic soil CO2 efflux revealed by forest girdling
Authors: Subke Jens‐Arne , Voke Naomi R. , Leronni Vincenzo , Garnett Mark H. , Ineson Phil 
Published: October 2010

Summary 1. Quantifying pathways and temporal dynamics of carbon (C) flux between plants and soil is critical to our understanding of the long‐term fate of C stored in soils. The potential priming of old organic matter decomposition by fresh C input from plants means that the impact of environmental changes on the interactions between plant C allocation and soil C storage need to be better understood. We used forest girdling to investigate the partitioning of total soil CO2 efflux (RS) into autotrophic (RA) and heterotrophic (RH) flux components and their interaction with litter decomposition. 2. The reduction in RS in girdled plots stabilized within two weeks at 65% of control plot values, indicating that RS is dominated by RH, and that only a small pool of available non‐structural C remains in roots in late summer to sustain rhizosphere metabolic processes. RA contributions declined from 35% late in the growing season to about 25% in winter. 3. Our results indicate that actual root respiration (RR) and respiration by ectyomycorrhizas and other rhizospheric organisms (RM) contribute c. 50% each to RA between September and early November. During winter, RA remained significantly greater than zero despite frequent sub‐zero air temperatures, with RM being a dominant component of RA during this period. 4. Forest girdling significantly increased the age of C in soil‐respired CO2, consistent with the removal of contemporary C derived from RA. Partitioning of soil CO2 efflux on the basis of 14C results shows good agreement with the flux reduction observed between girdled and control plots. 5. Litter bag incubations indicate a promoting influence of an intact C supply to the rhizosphere on decomposition, indicating a positive rhizosphere priming effect. 6. Synthesis: Our results demonstrate significant contribution of mycorrhizas and other rhizosphere organisms to RS, and suggest a direct link between an intact rhizosphere and litter decomposition dynamics. These results highlight the tight coupling between autotroph activity and soil decomposition processes in forest soils, and add to the growing body of evidence that plant and soil processes cannot be treated separately.
Response of individual components of reproductive phenology to growing season length in a monocarpic herb
Authors: Haggerty Brian P. , Galloway Laura F. 
Published: October 2010

Summary 1. Climate change is causing the growing season to expand and many plants are flowering earlier. However we know less about whether other components of reproductive phenology are altered or whether these changes in phenology are adaptive. 2. We evaluated reproductive phenology and fitness components for populations of Campanulastrum americanum sampled across an elevation gradient and reciprocally transplanted into common gardens at high and low elevations. 3. The low‐elevation planting site had an expanded growing season that induced the advance of bolting, flowering, average flower date, and time to fruit maturity relative to the high‐elevation site for transplants. With the exception of flowering initiation, each successive stage of reproduction was advanced more than the previous one, resulting in a compressed phenology in the warmer environment. 4. In contrast, populations from low elevation had a longer reproductive cycle when grown at both sites, with each phenological component extended relative to populations from high elevation. Fruit production indicated populations were locally adapted to elevation, suggesting these differences in phenology are adaptive. 5. Selection on phenological characters was stronger on transplants in the expanded low‐elevation growing season, favouring delayed bolting and advanced flowering. Plastic response to the longer growing season was adaptive for flowering time but maladaptive for bolt initiation. 6. Synthesis. The compressed reproductive phenology favoured in the expanded growing season expected under climate change will largely be achieved with adaptive plasticity of individual phenological traits. Traits under selection in the longer growing season were genetically differentiated between populations that currently differ in growing season length, suggesting evolutionary malleability and likely modification of reproductive phenology in response to climate change.
Expression and localization of MCsialec, a sialic acid‐specific lectin in the marine bivalve Manila clam, Ruditapes philppinarum
Authors: Adhya M , Choi K‐S , Yu Y , Cho M 
Published: October 2010

AbstractA novel sialic acid‐specific lectin (MCsialec) was detected from an expressed sequenced tag (EST) sequence from Manila clam haemocytes infected with Perkinsus olseni. The cDNA of the lectin was cloned using gene‐specific primers based on a previously determined EST and characterized. The full‐length cDNA of MCsialec is 603 bp in length and encodes a polypeptide of 200 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 21.928 kDa. Sequence alignment and protein motif analyses showed that MCsialec shares identity with sialic acid‐specific invertebrate lectins from Cepaea hortensis, Helix pomatia and Haliotis discus discus. The lectin was expressed in Escherichia coli M15 cells and purified using a Ni‐NTA His‐binding resin matrix for antibody production. The presence of the lectin in various tissues of Perkinsus‐infected and uninfected Manila clams was analysed by both PCR and immunohistochemical localization assays. MCsialec was detected in each tissue of the clams; however, upon infection, the level of expression of the lectin increased in each tissue. Vibrio tapetis infection also induced high‐level expression of MCsialec in the haemocytes. These data suggest that MCsialec plays a crucial role in the immune system of the Manila clam during pathogenic infection.
Discovering the Brazilian bat fauna: a task for two centuries?
Authors: BERNARD Enrico , AGUIAR Ludmilla M. S. , MACHADO Ricardo B. 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT

Brazil is the second most bat species‐rich country in the world, but the available information on the occurrence and distribution of bat species in Brazil is still heterogeneous and fragmented.
We review the occurrence and distribution of bat species in Brazil, analyse the spatial performance of inventories conducted to date and identify knowledge gaps. We also identify the main factors contributing to the recent increase in the knowledge of the Brazilian bat fauna, and make suggestions for maintaining this momentum into the near future.
We plotted record coordinates on a map, grouped them in 0.5 degrees of latitude × 0.5 degrees of longitude grid cells, and analysed records for each of the five terrestrial biomes in Brazil, and for the 1439 priority polygons for the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity.
We identified 5502 formal bat records in Brazil, indicating that less than 10% of the country is minimally surveyed, and that for nearly 60% of Brazil there is not a single record of bat species. Record coverage varies from 79% in the Atlantic Forest to 24% in Amazonia, but none of the Brazilian biomes is well surveyed for bats. Bat species have been recorded in only 15% of the priority areas for Brazilian biodiversity conservation.
If the current rate of recording bats in empty grid cells (10% every 4 years) was maintained, it would take 33 years for all cells to have a single record. If the current rate of recording ≥20 species in a grid cell (0.8% per year) was maintained, it would take 200 years for the bat fauna of Brazil to be minimally surveyed. Alarmingly, most of the data‐poor areas are at the expansion frontiers of the agro‐business, near the surrounding deforestation fronts.
We make recommendations for scientific research on bats in Brazil, to ensure the conservation of this ecologically important taxon.
Multiple hybridization events between Drosophila simulans and Drosophila mauritiana are supported by mtDNA introgression
Authors: NUNES MARIA D. S. , OROZCO‐TER WENGEL PABLO , KREISSL MICHAELA , SCHLÖTTERER CHRISTIAN 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe study of speciation has advanced considerably in the last decades because of the increased application of molecular tools. In particular, the quantification of gene flow between recently diverged species could be addressed. Drosophila simulans and Drosophila mauritiana diverged, probably allopatrically, from a common ancestor approximately 250 000 years ago. However, these species share one mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype indicative of a recent episode of introgression. To study the extent of gene flow between these species, we took advantage of a large sample of D. mauritiana and employed a range of different markers, i.e. nuclear and mitochondrial sequences, and microsatellites. This allowed us to detect two new mtDNA haplotypes (MAU3 and MAU4). These haplotypes diverged quite recently from haplotypes of the siII group present in cosmopolitan populations of D. simulans. The mean divergence time of the most diverged haplotype (MAU4) is approximately 127 000 years, which is more than 100 000 years before the assumed speciation time. Interestingly, we also found some evidence for gene flow at the nuclear level because an excess of putatively neutral loci shows significantly reduced differentiation between D. simulans and D. mauritiana. Our results suggest that these species are exchanging genes more frequently than previously thought.
Plio‐Pleistocene history of West African Sudanian savanna and the phylogeography of the Praomys daltoni complex (Rodentia): the environment/geography/genetic interplay
Authors: BRYJA J. , GRANJON L. , DOBIGNY G. , PATZENHAUEROVÁ H. , KONEČNÝ A. , DUPLANTIER J. M. , GAUTHIER P. , COLYN M. , DURNEZ L. , LALIS A. , NICOLAS V. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractRodents of the Praomys daltoni complex are typical inhabitants of the Sudanian savanna ecosystem in western Africa and represent a suitable model for testing the effects of Quaternary climatic oscillations on extant genetic variation patterns. Phylogeographical analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences (cytochrome b) across the distribution range of the complex revealed several well‐defined clades that do not support the division of the clade into the two species currently recognized on the basis of morphology, i.e. P. daltoni (Thomas, 1892) and Praomys derooi (Van der Straeten & Verheyen 1978). The observed genetic structure fits the refuge hypothesis, suggesting that only a small number of populations repeatedly survived in distinct forest‐savanna mosaic blocks during the arid phases of the Pleistocene, and then expanded again during moister periods. West African rivers may also have contributed to genetic differentiation, especially by forming barriers after secondary contact of expanding populations. The combination of three types of genetic markers (mtDNA sequences, microsatellite loci, cytogenetic data) provides evidence for the presence of up to three lineages, which most probably represent distinct biological species. Furthermore, incongruence between nuclear and mtDNA markers in some individuals unambiguously points towards a past introgression event. Our results highlight the importance of combining different molecular markers for an accurate interpretation of genetic data.