Apparent Mutualism Between Verticordia nitens and V-Aurea (Myrtaceae) and Their Oil-Ingesting Bee Pollinators (Hymenoptera, Colletidae)

1993 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 369 ◽  
Author(s):  
TF Houston ◽  
BB Lamont ◽  
S Radford ◽  
SG Errington
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Solitary Bee ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Obligate Mutualism

The prominently-displayed flowers of Verticordia nitens and V. aurea are unattractive to most insect pollinators and yet apparently serve as the sole source of pollen and nectar for two species of solitary bee. Euryglossa (Euhesma) morrisoni forages exclusively on V. nitens and E. (E.) aureophila forages exclusively on V. aurea. These bees carry much pollen on their bodies and appear solely responsible for seed set of 9-31% of ovules, with negligible seed set by V. nitens in the absence of E. morrisoni. Each anther of both Verticordia species releases pollen in copious amounts of oil (pollenkitt) beneath a hood-like appendage which terminates in a spout. Female bees ingest the pollen-oil mixture by touching the appendages with their glossae, and nectar by lapping the floor of the hypanthium. Most of the oils are isopentyl esters of the fatty acids, palmitic, stearic, arachidic (the major component of V. nitens) and behenic (the major component of V. aurea). These oils, as well as significant amounts of glucose, fructose and proline, are also present in the crop of E. morrisoni. The ability ofE. morrisoni and E. aureophila to remove and utilise pollen, oil and nectar from the flowers, their effectiveness as sole pollinators, and flower colour mimicry by E. morrisoni, together suggest an obligate mutualism between these bees and their Verticordia hosts.

The voluntary intake of acetate by dairy cows given ammonium salts of short-chain fatty acids in their drinking water

1968 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Jackson ◽  
J. Hodgson ◽  
J. A. F. Rook
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Water Intake ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Ammonium Salts ◽  
Short Chain ◽  
Chain Fatty Acids

A solution of ammonium salts of a mixture of short-chain fatty acids (mainly acetic acid) was added to the sole source of drinking water of 10 lactating Jersey cows. There was considerable variation in the concentration of salts tolerated without depression in water intake. Some animals refused solution offered at a concentration of 0·5% (w/w) whereas one animal accepted solution at a concentration of 8% (w/w) and had a mean daily intake of salts equivalent to 836 g acetic acid.2. Adjustment of the pH of the drinking solution to 6·5–7·5 increased the tolerance to the salts solution of animals which showed a low tolerance to the unadjusted solution. A mean daily intake equivalent to 480 g acetic acid was achieved without a significant depression of water intake. Replacement of 50 % of the ammonium ions by calcium increased the intake of salts by some cows but two out of eight refused the solution at a concentration of 0·5% (w/w).3. The addition of saccharine, vanilla or aniseed to a solution of the ammonium salts gave little or no improvement in acetate intake but sodium cyclamate, ethyl acetate or molasses reduced the variability between animals in their tolerance to the solution and increased the mean intake of salts. With an addition of molasses, which gave the most marked response, there was a mean daily intake of salts equivalent to 495±26 g acetic acid.

Effect of coflowering Mimulus ringens on phenotypic selection on floral traits of gynodioecious Lobelia siphilitica

Botany ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (11) ◽  
pp. 745-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Wassink ◽  
Christina M. Caruso
Keyword(s):  
Seed Set ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Phenotypic Selection ◽  
Character Displacement ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Competition For Pollination ◽  
Mimulus Ringens ◽  
Potential Competitor ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Presence And Absence

Although interspecific competition for pollination is hypothesized to result in divergence in floral traits (i.e., character displacement), few studies have tested whether selection on these traits differs in the presence and absence of a competitor for pollination. We measured phenotypic selection on floral traits of Lobelia siphilitica L. growing in the presence and absence of Mimulus ringens L., a potential competitor for pollination. Because L. siphilitica is gynodioecious, we estimated selection separately for female and hermaphrodite plants. The presence of M. ringens did not decrease seed set of L. siphilitica. However, the presence of M. ringens did affect selection on daily display size of female L. siphilitica; there was significant selection for smaller daily displays in the absence of M. ringens, but nonsignificant selection for larger displays in the presence of M. ringens. In addition, selection on flower colour did not differ in the presence and absence of M. ringens, but did differ between female and hermaphrodite L. siphilitica. Consequently, our results suggest that the evolution of floral traits in L. siphilitica, but not the evolution of sexual dimorphism in these traits, can be affected by interactions for pollination with M. ringens.

scholarly journals Pollination ecology of the Australian cycad Lepidozamia peroffskyana (Zamiaceae)

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 333 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Hall ◽  
Gimme H. Walter ◽  
Dana M. Bergstrom ◽  
Peter Machin
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Receptive Female ◽  
Pollen Load ◽  
Global Diversity ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Male Cones ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

Experiments carried out to investigate the reproductive ecology of the Australian cycad Lepidozamia peroffskyana (Regal, Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Mosc. 1857, 1: 184) revealed that this species is pollinated exclusively by host-specific Tranes weevils (Pascoe 1875). The weevils carry out their life cycle within the tissues of the male cones but also visit the female cones in large numbers. Female cones from which insects (but not wind) was excluded had a pollination rate that was essentially zero. In contrast, female cones from which wind (but not insects) were excluded had a pollination rate comparable with naturally pollinated cones. Assessment of Tranes weevil pollen load indicated that they are effective pollen-carriers. No other potential insect pollinators were observed on cones of L. peroffskyana. Sampling of airborne loads of cycad pollen indicated that wind-dispersed grains were not consistently recorded beyond a 2-m radius surrounding pollen-shedding male cones. The airborne load of cycad pollen in the vicinity of pollination-receptive female cones was minimal, and the spatial distribution of the coning population indicated that receptive female cones did not usually occur close enough to pollen-shedding male cones for airborne transfer of pollen to explain observed natural rates of seed set. These multiple lines of evidence suggest that wind–once considered the only pollination vector for cycads and other gymnosperms–plays only a minimal role in the pollination of L. peroffskyana, if any at all. The global diversity of insects associated with cycads suggests that some lineages of pollinating beetles may have been associated with cycad cones since Mesozoic times.

scholarly journals THE EFFECT OF LIPIDS AND SERUM ALBUMIN ON BACTERIAL GROWTH

1947 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
René J. Dubos
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Serum Albumin ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Long Chain Fatty Acids ◽  
Microbial Species ◽  
Long Chain ◽  
Chain Fatty Acids

Long chain fatty acids have been found to exhibit both inhibitory and stimulatory effects on the growth of tubercle bacilli and of a certain unidentified micrococcus culture. The toxicity of the fatty acids was much reduced or abolished by (a) esterification, even when the resulting product was a water-soluble ester, and (b) addition of crystalline serum albumin to the culture medium; other proteins tested were inactive in this respect. Marked growth stimulation of the microorganisms studied was obtained when certain long chain fatty acids were added to the culture medium in the form of their water-soluble esters, or in admixture with adequate amounts of serum albumin. Abundant growth of the micrococcus resulted from the addition of oleic, linoleic, linolenic, or arachidonic acid (0.0001 to 0.001 per cent) to a mineral medium containing glucose as sole source of carbon; in the case of this microbial species, none of the other substances tested could substitute for these unsaturated fatty acids. Enhancement of growth of tubercle bacilli was obtained by adding to the medium 0.001 to 0.01 per cent of a variety of fatty acids (saturated or unsaturated) even in the absence of glucose or of any other readily available carbon compound. These results suggest that long chain fatty acids can affect the growth of different microbial species through different metabolic channels and that, in order to study the mechanism of these metabolic and growth reactions, it is essential to use the fatty acids under conditions where they cannot manifest their toxic properties.

scholarly journals Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) Production from Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) from Organic Wastes by Pseudomonas oleovorans

Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 287
Author(s):  
Mujidat O. Aremu ◽  
Mofoluwake M. Ishola ◽  
Mohammad J. Taherzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Volatile Fatty Acids ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Organic Wastes ◽  
Chicken Manure ◽  
Isomerization Reaction ◽  
Pseudomonas Oleovorans ◽  
Potato Peels ◽  
Thermal Stability Of

This study aimed to investigate the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a biodegradable polymer from organic wastes by Pseudomonas oleovorans. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from acidogenic fermentations of chicken manure (VFAs-CM) and potato peels (VFAs-PP), rich in organic matter majorly acetic (49.9%), butyric (15%) and propionic acids (11.1%) were utilized as substrates for microbial processes. During 72 h of cultivations, samples were withdrawn at intervals and analyzed for cell growth parameters, PHAs accumulation and polymeric properties. The highest biopolymer accumulation (0.39 g PHAs/g DCW) was achieved at 48 h of cultivation from medium containing VFAs-PP as the sole source of carbon. On characterization, the produced biopolymers were shown to be semi-crystalline of carbonyl C=O group. Additionally, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the produced biopolymers demonstrated the capability to withstand thermal degradation above prescribed temperatures at which cross-linking isomerization reaction occurs, which is a vital property denoting the thermal stability of biopolymer.

scholarly journals Potential for mcl-PHA production from nonanoic and azelaic acids

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Gillis ◽  
Kenton Ko ◽  
Juliana A. Ramsay ◽  
Bruce A. Ramsay
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Oleic Acid ◽  
Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Pha Synthase ◽  
High Oleic ◽  
Medium Chain Length ◽  
Pha Production

Greater than 65% of canola and high-oleic soy oil fatty acids is oleic acid, which is readily converted to nonanoic (NA) and azelaic (AzA) acids by ozonolysis. NA is an excellent substrate for medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) production but AzA has few uses. Pseudomonas citronellolis DSM 50332 and Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 17400, both able to produce mcl-PHA from fatty acids and to grow on AzA as the sole source of carbon and energy, were assessed for the accumulation of mcl-PHA from AzA and NA. In N-limited shake flasks using NA, P. citronellolis produced 32% of its dry biomass as mcl-PHA containing 78% 3-hydroxynonanoate with 22% 3-hydroxyheptanoate. Pseudomonas fluorescens produced only 2% PHA. N-limited P. citronellolis on AzA produced 20% dry weight PHA containing 75% 3-hydroxydecanoate and 25% 3-hydroxyoctanoate, indicative of de novo synthesis. Although selective pressure, including β-oxidation inhibition, under well-controlled (chemostat) conditions was applied to P. citronellolis, no side-chain carboxyl groups were detected. It was concluded that one or more of FabG and PhaJ or the PHA synthase cannot catalyze reactions involving ω-carboxy substrates. However, a process based on oleic acid could be established if Pseudomonas putida was engineered to grow on AzA.

scholarly journals The establishment of a new ecological guild of pollinating insects on sub-Antarctic South Georgia

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 508-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Convey ◽  
R.S. Key ◽  
R.J.D. Key
Keyword(s):  
Functional Group ◽  
Soil Fauna ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Calliphora Vicina ◽  
Ecological Role ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Pollinating Insects

AbstractWe report the establishment of two representatives of a new ecological functional group on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia - pollinating insects - in the form of the hoverfly Eristalis croceimaculata Jacobs (Diptera, Syrphidae) and the blowfly Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Calliphoridae). The floricolous adults of these two species provide a new ecological role, pollination, in the ecosystems of this island. The activity of their respectively saprophogous or necrophagous larvae will also augment that of the native insect and microarthropod soil fauna. We discuss the potential new synergy between this functional group and that of a number of established non-native plants, reliant on insect pollinators for successful seed-set and hence dispersal, that are currently of persistent status with very limited local distributions.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids in cultured cardiomyocytes: effect on physiology and beta-adrenoceptor function

1992 ◽  
Vol 262 (2) ◽  
pp. H451-H456 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Courtois ◽  
S. Khatami ◽  
E. Fantini ◽  
P. Athias ◽  
P. Mielle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Adrenergic Stimulation ◽  
Cardiac Muscle Cells ◽  
Receptor System ◽  
Beta Adrenoceptor ◽  
Culture Cells ◽  
Synthetic Media

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of the membrane fatty acid composition on the basal electrical and contractile activities and the response to beta-adrenergic stimulation of rat cardiac muscle cells in culture. Cells were grown for 3 days in a conventional serum culture medium and then incubated for 24 h in synthetic media containing either n-6 or n-3 as the sole source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The n-6/n-3 ratio in the phospholipids was 0.9 in the n-3 cells and 13.1 in the n-6 cells compared with 6.3 in controls cells. Such modifications did not alter action potentials and the main parameters related to contraction, although shortening was slightly accelerated in the n-6 cells. On the other hand, the positive chronotropic effect induced by isoproterenol was more pronounced (P less than 0.01) in n-3 cells than in n-6 cells. In addition, isoproterenol caused a decrease in contraction duration and in shortening and relaxation time that was less pronounced in n-6 than in control cells (P less than 0.01, P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.05, respectively). These results suggest that the PUFA balance in the phospholipids may contribute to modulate the cardiac adrenergic receptor system but not the membrane properties related to electro-mechanical functions.

scholarly journals The microbiome affects liver sphingolipids and plasma fatty acids in a murine model of the Western diet based on soybean oil

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara C. Di Rienzi ◽  
Elizabeth L. Johnson ◽  
Jillian L. Waters ◽  
Elizabeth A. Kennedy ◽  
Juliet Jacobson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Soybean Oil ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Microbial Colonization ◽  
High Linoleic Acid ◽  
Diet Induced Obesity ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Colonization Status

AbstractStudies in mice using germfree animals as controls for microbial colonization have shown that the gut microbiome mediates diet-induced obesity. Such studies use diets rich in saturated fat, however, Western diets in the USA are enriched in soybean oil, composed of unsaturated fatty acids (FAs), either linoleic or oleic acid. Here we addressed whether the microbiome is a variable in fat metabolism in mice on a soybean oil diet. We used conventionally-raised, low-germ, and germfree mice fed for 10 weeks diets either high (HF) or low (LF) in high-linoleic-acid soybean oil as the sole source of fat. All mice, including germfree, gained relative fat weight and consumed more calories on the HF versus LF soybean oil diet. Plasma fatty acid levels were generally dependent on diet, with microbial colonization status affecting iso-C18:0, C20:3n-6, C14:0, and C15:0 levels. Colonization status, but not diet, impacted levels of liver sphingolipids including ceramides, sphingomyelins, and sphinganine. Our results confirm that absorbed fatty acids are mainly a reflection of the diet, and show that microbial colonization influences liver sphingolipid pools.

scholarly journals Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Reference to Seed Set of Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2131-2144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manju Devi ◽  
Harish Kumar Sharma ◽  
Raj K. Thakur ◽  
Satish K. Bhardwaj ◽  
Kiran Rana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brassica Juncea ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Insect Pollinators
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