Search results for "class"
showing 10 items of 38174 documents
Sugiyamaella mastotermitis sp. nov. and Papiliotrema odontotermitis f.a., sp. nov. from the gut of the termites Mastotermes darwiniensis and Odontote…
2016
Two novel yeast species were isolated from the guts of two different termite species. A new member of the genus Sugiyamaella was isolated from the hindgut and nest material of the lower Australian termite Mastotermes darwiniensis. The second novel yeast species, isolated from the higher termite Odontotermes obesus, was identified as a member of the genus Papiliotrema. Both yeast species were able to hydrolyse xylan, methylumbelliferyl β-xylobiose and methylumbelliferyl β-xylotriose. The ability to debranch different hemicellulose side chains and growth without the addition of external vitamins was observed. A symbiotic role of the novel yeast species is indicated, especially in respect to x…
Characterization of two groups of Spodoptera exigua Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) C-type lectins and insights into their role in defense against th…
2018
Insect innate immunity relies on numerous soluble and membrane-bound receptors, named pattern recognition proteins (PRPs), which enable the insect to recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns. C-type lectins are among the best-studied PRPs and constitute the most diverse family of animal lectins. Here we have characterized two groups of Spodoptera exigua C-type lectins that differ in their phylogeny, domain architecture, and expression pattern. One group includes C-type lectins with similar characteristics to other lepidopteran lectins, and a second group includes bracoviral-related lectins (bracovirus-like lectins, Se-BLLs) recently acquired by horizontal gene transfer. Subsequently…
Daphnia invest in sexual reproduction when its relative costs are reduced
2018
The timing of sex in facultatively sexual organisms is critical to fitness, due to the differing demographic consequences of sexual versus asexual reproduction. In addition to the costs of sex itself, an association of sex with the production of dormant life stages also influences the optimal use of sex, especially in environments where resting eggs are essential to survive unfavourable conditions. Here we document population dynamics and the occurrence of sexual reproduction in natural populations of Daphnia magna across their growing season. The frequency of sexually reproducing females and males increased with population density and with decreasing asexual clutch sizes. The frequency of…
Laccases of Botrytis cinerea
2017
Phenolic compounds significantly affect the color, odor and taste of wine. Due to their presumptive beneficial impact on human health, polyphenols in red wine have gained increasing public and scientific interest. Wine phenols are extremely sensitive to oxygen and are easily converted to brownish oxidation products accompanied by loss of nutritive values of the wine. Enzymatic oxidation takes place under the influence of polyphenoloxidases including tyrosinases and laccases. The latter are produced by the phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea and enter the must with contaminated berries. Although uncontrolled action of Botrytis-laccase has a dramatic impact on wine quality, the oxidative …
Genetic variation in plasticity of life-history traits between Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) populations exposed to contrasting thermal regimes
2016
We employed common-garden experiments to test for genetic variation in responses of larval life-history traits to temperature between two populations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L., 1758) that naturally experience contrasting thermal environments during early life due to spatial and temporal differences in spawning. Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence cod larvae experienced faster growth in warmer water and low, uniform survival across all experimental temperatures (3, 7, 11 °C), consistent with previous studies on this spring-spawning population. In contrast, larvae from fall-spawning Southwestern Scotian Shelf cod collected near Sambro, Nova Scotia, lacked plasticity for growth but experienc…
Dynamics of Monoterpene Formation in Spike Lavender Plants
2017
The metabolic cross-talk between the mevalonate (MVA) and the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways was analyzed in spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia Med) on the basis of 13CO2-labelling experiments using wildtype and transgenic plants overexpressing the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR), the first and key enzyme of the MVA pathway. The plants were labelled in the presence of 13CO2 in a gas chamber for controlled pulse and chase periods of time. GC/MS and NMR analysis of 1,8-cineole and camphor, the major monoterpenes present in their essential oil, indicated that the C5-precursors, isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) of both monoterpenes …
The long journey of Orthotrichum shevockii (Orthotrichaceae, Bryopsida): From California to Macaronesia
2019
Biogeography, systematics and taxonomy are complementary scientific disciplines. To understand a species' origin, migration routes, distribution and evolutionary history, it is first necessary to establish its taxonomic boundaries. Here, we use an integrative approach that takes advantage of complementary disciplines to resolve an intriguing scientific question. Populations of an unknown moss found in the Canary Islands (Tenerife Island) resembled two different Californian endemic species: Orthotrichum shevockii and O. kellmanii. To determine whether this moss belongs to either of these species and, if so, to explain its presence on this distant oceanic island, we combined the evaluation of…
Training experiments with Bombus terrestris and Apis mellifera on artificial ‘ Salvia ’ flowers
2016
Abstract Many bee flowers demand physical force from their pollinators. An example is Salvia with lever-like anthers restricting access to nectar. Though the needed force is generally low, it is largely unknown how far even low forces affect flower preference and foraging behaviour of bees. In the present paper, we introduce a method to measure the response of bees to a force mechanism. We explain the construction of artificial flowers mimicking the lever mechanism of a Salvia flower and the procedure to train honeybees and bumblebees to the models. We document the behaviour of the bees on models without barriers and on those with low forces aiming at the same time to determine the bees’ se…
Líquenes y hongos liquenícolas de la Serranía de Ronda (Málaga-Cádiz), sur de España
2017
As a result of a field trip organised by the Spanish Lichen Society in Serranía de Ronda, south Spain, a catalogue of 360 taxa is presented (336 lichens, 24 lichenicolous fungi). The list includes three new records for the Iberian Peninsula: Arthonia paretinaria, Micarea myriocarpa and Niesslia keissleri, 51new ones for the Autonomous Andalusian Community, and three and 81 new ones for the province of Cádiz and of Málaga, respectively. After these results, the total updated number of the province of Málaga rises to 556 lichens and lichenicolous fungi. The best represented lichen genus is Cladonia (18) with the most species, unlike Lecanora (15), Pertusaria (12), Physconia (12) and Collema (…
Co-infection with iflaviruses influences the insecticidal properties of Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus occlusion bodies: Implication…
2017
Biological insecticides based on Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) can efficiently control S. exigua larvae on field and greenhouse crops in many parts of the world. Spanish wild populations and laboratory colonies of S. exigua are infected by two iflaviruses (SeIV-1 and SeIV-2). Here we evaluated the effect of iflavirus co-infection on the insecticidal characteristics of SeMNPV occlusion bodies (OBs). Overall, iflavirus co-inoculation consistently reduced median lethal concentrations (LC50) for SeMNPV OBs compared to larvae infected with SeMNPV alone. However, the speed of kill of SeMNPV was similar in the presence or absence of the iflaviruses. A reduction of the we…