scholarly journals Nocturnal scent in a ‘bird-fig’: a cue to attract bats as additional dispersers?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon P. Ripperger ◽  
Saskia Rehse ◽  
Stefanie Wacker ◽  
Elisabeth K. V. Kalko ◽  
Stefan Schulz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Cues ◽  
Fruit Traits ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Bird Dispersal ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Olfactory Signal ◽  
Keystone Resource

AbstractThe plant genus Ficus is a keystone resource in tropical ecoystems. One of the unique features of figs is the diversity of fruit traits, which in many cases match their various dispersers, the so-called fruit syndromes. The classic example of this is the strong phenotypic differences found between figs with bat and bird dispersers (color, size, and presentation). The ‘bird-fig’ Ficus colubrinae represents an exception to this trend since it attracts the small frugivorous bat species Ectophylla alba at night, but during the day attracts bird visitors. Here we investigate the mechanism by which this ‘bird-fig’ attracts bats despite its fruit traits, which should appeal solely to birds. We performed feeding experiments with Ectophylla alba to assess the role of fruit scent in the detection of ripe fruits. Ectophylla alba was capable of finding ripe figs by scent alone under exclusion of other sensory cues. This suggests that scent is the main foraging cue for Ectophylla alba. Analyses of odor bouquets from the bat- and bird-dispersal phases (i.e. day and night) differed significantly in their composition of volatiles. The combination of these two findings raises the question whether E. alba and F. colubrinae resemble a co-adaptation that enables a phenotypically classic ‘bird-fig’ to attract bat dispersers by an olfactory signal at night thus maximizing dispersal.

The role of fruit traits on the germination of Mesosphaerum suaveolens and Cantinoa americana (Lamiaceae), two pesticidal plant species

2022 ◽  
Vol 295 ◽  
pp. 110839
Author(s):  
Pablo Gómez Barreiro ◽  
Efisio Mattana ◽  
David Coleshill ◽  
Elena Castillo-Lorenzo ◽  
Sidi Sanogo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Fruit Traits

scholarly journals LuxS-dependent AI-2 production is not involved in global regulation of natural product biosynthesis inPhotorhabdusandXenorhabdus

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje K. Heinrich ◽  
Merle Hirschmann ◽  
Nick Neubacher ◽  
Helge B. Bode
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory System ◽  
Regulatory Rna ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Global Regulators ◽  
Autoinducer 2 ◽  
Small Regulatory Rna ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
Different Strains

The Gram-negative bacteriaPhotorhabdusandXenorhabdusare known to produce a variety of different natural products (NP). These compounds play different roles since the bacteria live in symbiosis with nematodes and are pathogenic to insect larvae in the soil. Thus, a fine tuned regulatory system controlling NP biosynthesis is indispensable. Global regulators such as Hfq, Lrp, LeuO and HexA have been shown to influence NP production ofPhotorhabdusandXenorhabdus. Additionally, photopyrones as quorum sensing (QS) signals were demonstrated to be involved in the regulation of NP production inPhotorhabdus.In this study, we investigated the role of another possible QS signal, autoinducer-2 (AI-2), in regulation of NP production. The AI-2 synthase (LuxS) is widely distributed within the bacterial kingdom and has a dual role as a part of the activated methyl cycle pathway, as well as being responsible for AI-2 precursor production. We deletedluxSin three different entomopathogenic bacteria and compared NP levels in the mutant strains to the wild type (WT) but observed no difference to the WT strains. Furthermore, the absence of the small regulatory RNAmicA, which is encoded directly upstream ofluxS, did not influence NP levels. Phenotypic differences between theP. luminescens luxSdeletion mutant and an earlier describedluxSdeficient strain ofP. luminescenssuggested that two phenotypically different strains have evolved in different laboratories.

scholarly journals The role of sucrose and sensory systems in fruit selection and consumption ofAteles geoffroyiin Yucatan, Mexico

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Pablo-Rodríguez ◽  
Laura Teresa Hernández-Salazar ◽  
Filippo Aureli ◽  
Colleen M. Schaffner
Keyword(s):  
Sucrose Concentration ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Spider Monkeys ◽  
Sensory Cues ◽  
Sense Of Smell ◽  
Fruit Samples ◽  
The Senses ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Unripe Fruits

Abstract:Our aim was to evaluate the role of sucrose and the role of smell, taste and touch in the selection and consumption of fruit in wild spider monkeys. We recorded the feeding bouts of 14 adults for 9 mo in the Otoch Ma’ax Yetel Kooh Reserve, Punta Laguna, Yucatan, Mexico. For each of 2346 inspections on fruits of six species the consumption or rejection and the use of touch, smell and taste was recorded. Ten fruit samples (five ripe and five unripe) from each species were collected and the sucrose concentration was determined with a refractometer. As expected, sucrose concentrations were higher in ripe than unripe fruits. The difference in sucrose concentration between ripe and unripe fruits was positively associated with the proportion of inspections on ripe fruits and the proportion of consumed ripe fruits. Furthermore, the senses of touch and taste were used more often when fruits were ripe, whereas the sense of smell was used more often when fruits were unripe. The results suggest that sensory cues and sucrose concentration play important roles in fruit selection in spider monkeys.

scholarly journals Use of visual and olfactory sensory cues by an apex predator in deciduous forests

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 488-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riley R. Lawson ◽  
Dillon T. Fogarty ◽  
Scott R. Loss
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Apex Predator ◽  
Sensory Cues ◽  
Predator Detection ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Predator Foraging ◽  
Sensory Mechanisms

Predator–prey interactions influence behaviors and life-history evolution for both predator and prey species and also have implications for biodiversity conservation. A fundamental goal of ecology is to clarify mechanisms underlying predator–prey interactions and dynamics. To investigate the role of predator sensory mechanisms in predator–prey interactions, specifically in predator detection of prey, we experimentally evaluated importance of visual and olfactory cues for an apex predator, the coyote (Canis latrans Say, 1823). Unlike similar studies, we examined use of sensory cues in a field setting. We used trail cameras and four replicated treatments — visual only, olfactory only, visual and olfactory combined, and a control — to quantify coyote visitation rates in North American deciduous forests during fall 2016. Coyote visitation was greatest for olfactory-only and visual-only cues, followed by the combined olfactory–visual cue; all cues attracted more coyotes than the control (i.e., olfactory = visual > olfactory–visual > control). Our results suggest this apex predator uses both olfactory and visual cues while foraging for prey. These findings from a field study of free-roaming coyotes increase understanding of predator foraging behavior, predator–prey interactions, and sensory ecology. Our study also suggests future directions for field evaluations of the role of different sensory mechanisms in predator foraging and prey concealment behaviors.

scholarly journals Inhibition of Cisplatin-Induced Lipid Catabolism and Weight Loss by Ghrelin in Male Mice

Endocrinology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 154 (9) ◽  
pp. 3118-3129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose M. Garcia ◽  
Thomas Scherer ◽  
Ji-an Chen ◽  
Bobby Guillory ◽  
Anriada Nassif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Caloric Intake ◽  
Fat Loss ◽  
Lipid Catabolism ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Muscle Pair ◽  
Involuntary Weight Loss

Cachexia, defined as an involuntary weight loss ≥5%, is a serious and dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy that decreases survival in cancer patients. Alterations in lipid metabolism are thought to cause the lipodystrophy commonly associated with cachexia. Ghrelin has been proposed to ameliorate the alterations in lipid metabolism due to its orexigenic and anabolic properties. However, the mechanisms of action through which ghrelin could potentially ameliorate chemotherapy-associated cachexia have not been elucidated. The objectives of this study were to identify mechanisms by which the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin alters lipid metabolism and to establish the role of ghrelin in reversing cachexia. Cisplatin-induced weight and fat loss were prevented by ghrelin. Cisplatin increased markers of lipolysis in white adipose tissue (WAT) and of β-oxidation in liver and WAT and suppressed lipogenesis in liver, WAT, and muscle. Ghrelin prevented the imbalance between lipolysis, β-oxidation, and lipogenesis in WAT and muscle. Pair-feeding experiments demonstrated that the effects of cisplatin and ghrelin on lipogenesis, but not on lipolysis and β-oxidation, were due to a reduction in food intake. Thus, ghrelin prevents cisplatin-induced weight and fat loss by restoring adipose tissue functionality. An increase in caloric intake further enhances the anabolic effects of ghrelin.

Monozygotic Twins Display Different Minor Histocompatibility Antigens.

Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 4324-4324
Author(s):  
Miroslaw Markiewicz ◽  
Urszula Siekiera ◽  
Monika Dzierzak Mietla ◽  
Agnieszka Karolczyk ◽  
Tomasz Kruzel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Hematological Malignancies ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Monozygotic Twins ◽  
Genotypic Diversity ◽  
Histocompatibility Antigens ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Minor Histocompatibility Antigens ◽  
Genes Encoding

Abstract Abstract 4324 Introduction Albeit it is generally presumed that monozygotic twins are genetically identical and that phenotypic differences between twins are mainly due to environmental factors, large-scale variation in copy number of DNA segments recently evidenced by Bruder et al. (AJHG, 2008) showed presence of genotypic diversity in monozygotic twins. The rationale of this study was to test whether monozygotic twins display disparities of minor Histocompatibility antigens (mHags) which may play role in syngenic HCT. We and others have previously shown that mHags constitute an important immunogenetic factor influencing immune responses following transplantation from HLA-matched allogeneic donors. Patients and Methods mHags HA-1, HA-2, HA-3, HA-8, HB-1, ACC-1, ACC-2, HwA-9, HwA-10, UGT2B17, HY genotypes were defined with use of Dynal AllSet kits by PCR-SSP method in secured DNA samples from 3 monozygotic twins pairs aged 34, 24 and 28, who underwent syngenic allo-HCTs due to different hematological malignancies (NHL, CML, AML) in the Department of Hematology and BMT in Katowice, Poland in years 2000-2004. Results In 2 out of 3 syngenic pairs we have found differences in genes encoding mHags: different allele of EB-1 was present in one pair (NHL) (recipient HH, donor HY), and two different alleles of HwA-9 (RR, RG) and HwA-10 (**, R*) were present in second pair (CML). No differences in mHags were observed in the third pair (AML). Conclusions Our results question the long-standing belief that monozygotic twins are genetically identical and open up a possibility to further study the role of disparate mHags in disease and transplantation. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals Nα-terminal acetylation of proteins by NatA and NatB serves distinct physiological roles in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike A. Friedrich ◽  
Mostafa Zedan ◽  
Bernd Hessling ◽  
Kai Fenzl ◽  
Ludovic Gillet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Ribosomal Proteins ◽  
Protein Modification ◽  
Protein Quality ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
General Role ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Genes Encoding

SummaryN-terminal (Nt)-acetylation is a highly prevalent co-translational protein modification in eukaryotes, catalyzed by at least five Nt-acetyltransferases (Nat) with differing specificities. Nt-acetylation has been implicated in protein quality control but its broad biological significance remains elusive. We investigated the roles of the two major Nats of S. cerevisiae, NatA and NatB, by performing transcriptome, translatome and proteome profiling of natAΔ and natBΔ mutants. Our results do not support a general role of Nt-acetylation in protein degradation but reveal an unexpected range of Nat-specific phenotypes. NatA is implicated in systemic adaptation control, as natAΔ mutants display altered expression of transposons, sub-telomeric genes, pheromone response genes and nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial ribosomal proteins. NatB predominantly affects protein folding, as natBΔ mutants accumulate protein aggregates, induce stress responses and display reduced fitness in absence of the ribosome-associated chaperone Ssb. These phenotypic differences indicate that controlling Nat activities may serve to elicit distinct cellular responses.

scholarly journals Rat ultrasonic vocalizations and novelty-induced social and non-social investigation behavior in a seminatural environment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrek Heinla ◽  
Xi Chu ◽  
Anders Agmo ◽  
Eelke Snoeren
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Behaviors ◽  
Ultrasonic Vocalizations ◽  
Sensory Cues ◽  
Social Investigation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Transfer Of Information

Although rats are known to emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), it remains unclear whether these calls serve an auditory communication purpose. For USVs to be part of communication, the vocal signals will need to be a transfer of information between two or more conspecifics, and with the possibility to induce changes in the behavior of the recipient. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the role of USVs in rats' social and non-social investigation strategies when introduced into a large novel environment with unfamiliar conspecifics. We quantified a wide range of social and non-social behaviors in the seminatural environment, which could be affected by subtle signals, including USVs. We found that during the first hour in the seminatural environment the ability to vocalize did not affect how quickly rats met each other, their overall social investigation behavior, their passive social behavior nor their aggressive behavior. Furthermore, the non-social exploratory behaviors and behaviors reflecting anxiety/stress-like states were also unaffected. These results demonstrated that a disability to vocalize did not result in significant disadvantages (or changes) compared to intact conspecifics regarding social and non-social behaviors. This suggests that other (multi)sensory cues are more relevant in social interactions than USVs.

scholarly journals Ecological studies of polyploidy in the 100 years following its discovery

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1648) ◽  
pp. 20130352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Ramsey ◽  
Tara S. Ramsey
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Genome Duplication ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Ecological Context ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Cytogenetic Studies

Polyploidy is a mutation with profound phenotypic consequences and thus hypothesized to have transformative effects in plant ecology. This is most often considered in the context of geographical and environmental distributions—as achieved from divergence of physiological and life-history traits—but may also include species interactions and biological invasion. This paper presents a historical overview of hypotheses and empirical data regarding the ecology of polyploids. Early researchers of polyploidy (1910s–1930s) were geneticists by training but nonetheless savvy to its phenotypic effects, and speculated on the importance of genome duplication to adaptation and crop improvement. Cytogenetic studies in the 1930s–1950s indicated that polyploids are larger (sturdier foliage, thicker stems and taller stature) than diploids while cytogeographic surveys suggested that polyploids and diploids have allopatric or parapatric distributions. Although autopolyploidy was initially regarded as common, influential writings by North American botanists in the 1940s and 1950s argued for the principle role of allopolyploidy; according to this view, genome duplication was significant for providing a broader canvas for hybridization rather than for its phenotypic effects per se . The emphasis on allopolyploidy had a chilling effect on nascent ecological work, in part due to taxonomic challenges posed by interspecific hybridization. Nonetheless, biosystematic efforts over the next few decades (1950s–1970s) laid the foundation for ecological research by documenting cytotype distributions and identifying phenotypic correlates of polyploidy. Rigorous investigation of polyploid ecology was achieved in the 1980s and 1990s by population biologists who leveraged flow cytometry for comparative work in autopolyploid complexes. These efforts revealed multi-faceted ecological and phenotypic differences, some of which may be direct consequences of genome duplication. Several classical hypotheses about the ecology of polyploids remain untested, however, and allopolyploidy—regarded by most botanists as the primary mode of genome duplication—is largely unstudied in an ecological context.

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