Search results for "Systematics"
showing 10 items of 6702 documents
How does environmental variation translate into biological processes?
2001
Birth and death rates, as so many other biological processes, are usually not linearly related to environmental variation. Common examples of non-linear response forms include unimodal ‘‘optimum-type’’ responses and various saturating responses. These responses filter the signal coming from the environment to a corresponding biological process. We explored how different types of environmental signal may be transformed to a biological process. We were interested in the effect of the filter on modulation of (1) the variance of the signal, on (2) the variance-covariance structure between the signal and the filtered signal, and on (3) the match between the power spectra of the signal and the fi…
Sexual selection on male body size and assortative pairing in Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda): field surveys and laboratory experiments
2004
Variation in size-assortative pairing was studied in relation to sexual selection on male body size in the amphipod Gammarus pulex, using both transverse and longitudinal surveys of natural populations. In addition, the influence of male–male competition on size-assortative pairing was tested in the laboratory. In both surveys, the intensity of sexual selection was positive and significant for male body size but not for females, and size-assortative pairing was positive and significant. The magnitude of size-assortative pairing, however, varied significantly between populations. The magnitude of size-assortative pairing was positively correlated with the intensity of sexual selection on mal…
Collision with and avoidance of obstacles by blind cave fish Anoptichthys jordani (Characidae).
1985
Blind Mexican cave fish (Anoptichthys jordani) were released into unknown surroundings and their swimming tracks were recorded. During the first 24 h in a new tank, i.e., in unfamiliar environments, the average swimming velocity of the fish was higher than during the remaining time in the tank. Collision with obstacles was recorded by an electrical contact detection method. Single frame analysis of video-recordings revealed that collision can be correlated with tail movements when the fish is close to an obstacle, whereas avoidance correlates with gliding during approach to an obstacle. These behavior patterns are discussed in the context of the flow field hypothesis and inhibition of the l…
Cops and robbers: putative evolution of copper oxygen-binding proteins.
2000
Two closely related copper proteins, phenoloxidase and haemocyanin, are known to be involved in different physiological functions such as the primary immune response and oxygen transport. Although the proteins differ structurally, they have the same active site by which dioxygen is bound. Recent results reveal that haemocyanin also exhibits phenoloxidase activity. A scenario is proposed for the evolutionary relationships among copper oxygen-binding proteins (COPs).
Flow field, swimming velocity and boundary layer: parameters which affect the stimulus for the lateral line organ in blind fish
1988
The data presented support the hypothesis that the flow field supplies the stimulus to the lateral line organ (LLO) in blind cave fish (Anoptichthys jordani). Two basic predictions from the theoretical analysis of the flow field were confirmed: (i) individual blind cave fish prefer particular swimming velocities, (ii) the velocity preferred depends on the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the fish, i.e. the smaller the CSA the higher the swimming velocity. This relationship was found also in experimentally blinded fish of other species. Furthermore, when placed in unfamiliar surroundings, blind cave fish swim at higher velocities than in familiar surroundings for a certain habituation period. T…
Hypoxia induces a complex response of globin expression in zebrafish (Danio rerio).
2006
SUMMARY Unlike most mammals, many fish species live and survive in environments with low or changing levels of oxygen. Respiratory proteins like hemoglobin or myoglobin bind or store oxygen, thus enhancing its availability to the respiratory chain in the mitochondria. Here we investigate by means of quantitative real-time PCR the changes of hemoglobin, myoglobin, neuroglobin,cytoglobin and globin X mRNA in zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to mild (PO2=∼8.6 kPa) or severe(PO2=∼4.1 kPa) hypoxia. Neuroglobin and myoglobin protein levels were investigated by western blotting. Whereas mild hypoxia caused only minor changes of mRNA levels, strong hypoxia enhanced mRNA levels of the control genes (…
Biosilicification of loricate choanoflagellate: organic composition of the nanotubular siliceous costal strips of Stephanoeca diplocostata.
2010
SUMMARY Loricate choanoflagellates (unicellular, eukaryotic flagellates; phylum Choanozoa) synthesize a basket-like siliceous lorica reinforced by costal strips (diameter of approximately 100 nm and length of 3 μm). In the present study, the composition of these siliceous costal strips is described, using Stephanoeca diplocostata as a model. Analyses by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), coupled with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), indicate that the costal strips comprise inorganic and organic components. The organic, proteinaceous scaffold contained one major polypeptide of mass 14 kDa that reacted with wheat germ agglutinin. Polyclonal antibodies were raised that allowed …
6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase from frog skeletal muscle: purification, kinetics and immunological properties.
1993
Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is the most potent activator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase, a key regulatory enzyme of glycolysis in animal tissues. This study was prompted by the finding that the content of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in frog skeletal muscle was dramatically increased at the initiation of exercise and was closely correlated with the glycolytic flux during exercise. 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, the enzyme system catalyzing the synthesis and degradation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, was purified from frog (Rana esculenta) skeletal muscle and its properties were compared with those of the rat muscle type enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli using recombinant DN…
Identification of the Weevil immune genes and their expression in the bacteriome tissue
2008
Abstract Background Persistent infections with mutualistic intracellular bacteria (endosymbionts) are well represented in insects and are considered to be a driving force in evolution. However, while pathogenic relationships have been well studied over the last decades very little is known about the recognition of the endosymbionts by the host immune system and the mechanism that limits their infection to the bacteria-bearing host tissue (the bacteriome). Results To study bacteriome immune specificity, we first identified immune-relevant genes of the weevil Sitophilus zeamais by using suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) and then analyzed their full-length coding sequences obtained b…
ATP distribution and localization of mitochondria in Suberites domuncula (Olivi 1792) tissue
2011
SUMMARY The metabolic energy state of sponge tissue in vivo is largely unknown. Quantitative bioluminescence-based imaging was used to analyze the ATP distribution of Suberites domuncula (Olivi 1792) tissue, in relation to differences between the cortex and the medulla. This method provides a quantitative picture of the ATP distribution closely reflecting the in vivo situation. The obtained data suggest that the highest ATP content occurs around channels in the sponge medulla. HPLC reverse-phase C-18, used for measurement of ATP content, established a value of 1.62 μmol ATP g–1 dry mass in sponge medulla, as opposed to 0.04 μmol ATP g–1 dry mass in the cortex, thus indicating a specific and…