Search results for "rain"

Effects of transgenic expression of Brevibacterium linens methionine gamma lyase (MGL) on accumulation of Tylenchulus semipenetrans and key aminoacid…

2017

Key message Carrizo transgenic plants overexpressing methionine-gamma-lyase produced dimethyl sulfide. The transgenic plants displayed more resistance to nematode attacks (Tylenculus semipenetrans) and may represent an innovative strategy for nematode control. Abstract Tylenchulus semipenetrans is a nematode pest of many citrus varieties that causes extensive damage to commercial crops worldwide. Carrizo citrange vr. (Citrus sinensis L. Usb × Poncirus trifoliate L. Raf) plants overexpressing Brevibacterium linens methionine-gamma-lyase (BlMGL) produced the sulfur volatile compound dimethyl sulfide (DMS). The aim of this work was to determine if transgenic citrus plants expressing BlMGL show…

2019

Parents can influence offspring dispersal through breeding site selection, competition, or by directly moving their offspring during parental care. Many animals move their young, but the potential role of this behavior in dispersal has rarely been investigated. Neotropical poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are well known for shuttling their tadpoles from land to water, but the associated movements have rarely been quantified and the potential function of tadpole transport in dispersal has not been addressed. We used miniature radio-transmitters to track the movements of two poison frog species during tadpole transport, and surveyed pool availability in the study area. We found that parental male…

Exposure to environmental radionuclides is associated with altered metabolic and immunity pathways in a wild rodent

2019

Wildlife inhabiting environments contaminated by radionuclides face putative detrimental effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, with biomarkers such as an increase in DNA damage and/or oxidative stress commonly associated with radiation exposure. To examine the effects of exposure to radiation on gene expression in wildlife, we conducted a de novo RNA sequencing study of liver and spleen tissues from a rodent, the bank vole Myodes glareolus. Bank voles were collected from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), where animals were exposed to elevated levels of radionuclides, and from uncontaminated areas near Kyiv, Ukraine. Counter to expectations, we did not observe a strong DNA damage resp…

Spoilage potential of Brettanomyces bruxellensis strains isolated from Italian wines

2018

Abstract Brettanomyces bruxellensis is an important wine spoilage agent. In this study a population of Brettanomyces strains isolated from Italian wines was thoroughly investigated to evaluate adaptability to wine conditions and spoilage potential. The presumptive isolates of Brettanomyces were identified at species level with 26S rRNA gene sequencing and species-specific PCR, and subsequently subjected to analysis of intra-species variability through the study of intron splice sites (ISS-PCR). Although, some strains were tracked in wines from different regions, extensive genetic biodiversity was observed within the B. bruxellensis population investigated. All strains were evaluated for the…

Need for speed : short lifespan selects for increased learning ability

2019

AbstractIt is generally assumed that an investment into cognitive abilities and their associated cost is particularly beneficial for long-lived species, as a prolonged lifespan allows to recoup the initial investment. However, ephemeral organisms possess astonishing cognitive abilities too. Invertebrates, for example, are capable of simple associative learning, reversal learning, and planning. How can this discrepancy between theory and evidence be explained? Using a simulation, we show that short lives can actually select for an increase in learning abilities. The rationale behind this is that when learning is needed to exploit otherwise inaccessible resources, one needs to learn fast in o…

Shoaling with infected conspecifics does not improve resistance to trematode infection

2018

Group‐living animals can gain protection against parasitic infections through social contacts with previously infected conspecifics (social immunization). Recent research suggests that such protective effects can be induced through visual or chemical cues released by infected individuals, resulting in anticipatory immune upregulation among group members. Here, we study cue‐induced social resistance in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss exposed to a trematode parasite, the eye‐fluke Diplostomum pseudospathaceum. We established groups of naïve individuals (receivers) that were paired with previously infected individuals (donors) at different ratios of donors to receivers and at different time …

Shimia thalassica sp. nov., and reclassification of Pseudopelagicola gijangensis as Shimia gijangensis comb. nov., and Thalassobius activus as Cognat…

2019

Strain CECT 7735T, a marine Gram-reaction negative, aerobic, non-motile bacterium, was isolated from coastal seawater in Valencia, Spain. Strain CECT 7735T is chemoorganotrophic, mesophilic, slightly halophilic, grows at 15–28 °C but not at 4 or 37 °C, requires seawater for growth and grows up to 6 % salinity. The major cellular fatty acid is summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c). The G+C content of the genome is 55.7 mol%. Comparative analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence shows the strain is affiliated to the family Rhodobacteraceae , in the class Alphaproteobacteria , with highest similarities to Phaeobacter species (97.0–97.5 %), Shimia species (96.5–97.3 %) and Pseudopelagico…

Characterization of a β-glucosidase isolated from an alpeorujo strain of Candida adriatica

2017

ABSTRACTA β-glucosidase-producing strain, Candida adriatica CECT13142, was isolated from olive oil wastes (alpeorujo) and identified by PCR/restriction fragment length polymorphism of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer and sequence analysis of the D1/D2 region of the 26S rRNA gene techniques. The enzyme was purified by sequential chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-100. The relative molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be 50 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The hydrolytic activity of the β-glucosidase had an optimum pH of 8.2 and an optimum temperature of 40°C. The enzyme displayed high substrate specificity and high catalytic efficiency (Km 0.85 mM, Vmax 12.5 U/g of cells) for p-nit…

Positive density-dependent growth supports costs sharing hypothesis and population density sensing in a manipulative parasite.

2017

SUMMARYParasites manipulate their hosts’ phenotype to increase their own fitness. Like any evolutionary adaptation, parasitic manipulations should be costly. Though it is difficult to measure costs of the manipulation directly, they can be evaluated using an indirect approach. For instance, theory suggests that as the parasite infrapopulation grows, the investment of individual parasites in host manipulation decreases, because of cost sharing. Another assumption is that in environments where manipulation does not pay off for the parasite, it can decrease its investment in the manipulation to save resources. We experimentally infected rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss with the immature larva…

Use of waggle dance information in honey bees is linked to gene expression in the antennae, but not in the brain.

2021

AbstractCommunication is essential for social animals, but deciding how to utilize information provided by conspecifics is a complex process that depends on environmental and intrinsic factors. Honey bees use a unique form of communication, the waggle dance, to inform nestmates about the location of food sources. However, as in many other animals, experienced individuals often ignore this social information and prefer to rely on prior experiences, i.e. private information. The neurosensory factors that drive the decision to use social information are not yet understood. Here we test whether the decision to use social dance information or private information is linked to gene expression diff…