scholarly journals Mason Wasps in our backyard

Blue Jay ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 8-10
Author(s):  
Teresa Dolman
Keyword(s):  
Solitary Bees ◽  
Mutualistic Relationship ◽  
Spring Emergence

An attempt to attract solitary bees to bee boxes placed in our back yard resulted instead in the attraction of the solitary mason wasp Ancistrocerus antilope to the boxes. Over a four-year period more boxes were added, more wasps took up residence, and observations were made of the spring emergence and mating of the wasps, and especially of the provisioning of brood cells by the females. The mutualistic relationship between the wasp and the mites it carries was noted.

scholarly journals Bacteriophages as drivers of bacterial virulence and their potential for biotechnological exploitation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaat Schroven ◽  
Abram Aertsen ◽  
Rob Lavigne
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Bacterial Virulence ◽  
Arms Race ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Vaccine Candidates ◽  
Cargo Proteins ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Mutualistic Relationship

ABSTRACT Bacteria-infecting viruses (phages) and their hosts maintain an ancient and complex relationship. Bacterial predation by lytic phages drives an ongoing phage-host arms race, whereas temperate phages initiate mutualistic relationships with their hosts upon lysogenization as prophages. In human pathogens, these prophages impact bacterial virulence in distinct ways: by secretion of phage-encoded toxins, modulation of the bacterial envelope, mediation of bacterial infectivity and the control of bacterial cell regulation. This review builds the argument that virulence-influencing prophages hold extensive, unexplored potential for biotechnology. More specifically, it highlights the development potential of novel therapies against infectious diseases, to address the current antibiotic resistance crisis. First, designer bacteriophages may serve to deliver genes encoding cargo proteins which repress bacterial virulence. Secondly, one may develop small molecules mimicking phage-derived proteins targeting central regulators of bacterial virulence. Thirdly, bacteria equipped with phage-derived synthetic circuits which modulate key virulence factors could serve as vaccine candidates to prevent bacterial infections. The development and exploitation of such antibacterial strategies will depend on the discovery of other prophage-derived, virulence control mechanisms and, more generally, on the dissection of the mutualistic relationship between temperate phages and bacteria, as well as on continuing developments in the synthetic biology field.

scholarly journals Diarrhea Predominant-Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D): Effects of Different Nutritional Patterns on Intestinal Dysbiosis and Symptoms

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1506
Author(s):  
Annamaria Altomare ◽  
Claudia Di Rosa ◽  
Elena Imperia ◽  
Sara Emerenziani ◽  
Michele Cicala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Irritable Bowel Syndrome ◽  
Intestinal Microbiota ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disorder ◽  
Additional Energy ◽  
Nutritional Advice ◽  
Intestinal Dysbiosis ◽  
Gi Symptoms ◽  
Mutualistic Relationship ◽  
Irritable Bowel ◽  
Fodmap Diet

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain associated with defecation or a change in bowel habits. Gut microbiota, which acts as a real organ with well-defined functions, is in a mutualistic relationship with the host, harvesting additional energy and nutrients from the diet and protecting the host from pathogens; specific alterations in its composition seem to play a crucial role in IBS pathophysiology. It is well known that diet can significantly modulate the intestinal microbiota profile but it is less known how different nutritional approach effective in IBS patients, such as the low-FODMAP diet, could be responsible of intestinal microbiota changes, thus influencing the presence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The aim of this review was to explore the effects of different nutritional protocols (e.g., traditional nutritional advice, low-FODMAP diet, gluten-free diet, etc.) on IBS-D symptoms and on intestinal microbiota variations in both IBS-D patients and healthy subjects. To date, an ideal nutritional protocol does not exist for IBS-D patients but it seems crucial to consider the effect of the different nutritional approaches on the intestinal microbiota composition to better define an efficient strategy to manage this functional disorder.

Effect of climatic conditions on the annual activity and hibernation cycle of Richardson's ground squirrels and Columbian ground squirrels

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail R. Michener
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Active Season ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Annual Activity ◽  
The Times ◽  
Columbian Ground Squirrels ◽  
Spring Emergence ◽  
Species Ecology

In 1975 and 1976 the times of spring emergence, breeding, and entry into hibernation were compared for Spermophilus richardsonii and S. columbianus in an area of sympatry in the foothills of the southern Alberta Rocky Mountains. Both species emerged earlier in 1976, which had a warmer than normal spring, than in 1975, which had a cooler than normal spring. In both years S. richardsonii emerged earlier than S. columbianus and remained active longer. Juvenile S. richardsonii entered hibernation when 17–20 weeks old whereas juvenile S. columbianus were 10–11 weeks old. Yearling S. richardsonii bred, whereas yearling S. columbianus did not. Breeding success affected the time of entry into hibernation but not the time of emergence from hibernation in the next spring. A possible relationship between the periodic arousals during hibernation and the emergence pattern of squirrels in spring is discussed. The significance of flexibility of spring emergence, length of the active season, and age at breeding to survival and species ecology is considered.

scholarly journals Distribution and predictors of wing shape and size variability in three sister species of solitary bees

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. e0173109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Dellicour ◽  
Maxence Gerard ◽  
Jérôme G. Prunier ◽  
Alexandre Dewulf ◽  
Michael Kuhlmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solitary Bees ◽  
Wing Shape ◽  
Sister Species ◽  
Size Variability ◽  
Shape And Size

scholarly journals Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation and the Challenges to Its Extension to Nonlegumes

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (13) ◽  
pp. 3698-3710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Mus ◽  
Matthew B. Crook ◽  
Kevin Garcia ◽  
Amaya Garcia Costas ◽  
Barney A. Geddes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Symbiotic Relationships ◽  
Mutualistic Relationship ◽  
Interest In Research ◽  
Biological Nitrogen ◽  
Developed World

ABSTRACTAccess to fixed or available forms of nitrogen limits the productivity of crop plants and thus food production. Nitrogenous fertilizer production currently represents a significant expense for the efficient growth of various crops in the developed world. There are significant potential gains to be had from reducing dependence on nitrogenous fertilizers in agriculture in the developed world and in developing countries, and there is significant interest in research on biological nitrogen fixation and prospects for increasing its importance in an agricultural setting. Biological nitrogen fixation is the conversion of atmospheric N2to NH3, a form that can be used by plants. However, the process is restricted to bacteria and archaea and does not occur in eukaryotes. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is part of a mutualistic relationship in which plants provide a niche and fixed carbon to bacteria in exchange for fixed nitrogen. This process is restricted mainly to legumes in agricultural systems, and there is considerable interest in exploring whether similar symbioses can be developed in nonlegumes, which produce the bulk of human food. We are at a juncture at which the fundamental understanding of biological nitrogen fixation has matured to a level that we can think about engineering symbiotic relationships using synthetic biology approaches. This minireview highlights the fundamental advances in our understanding of biological nitrogen fixation in the context of a blueprint for expanding symbiotic nitrogen fixation to a greater diversity of crop plants through synthetic biology.

Mutualistic relationship between the amphipod Stenula nordmanni (Stephensen, 1931) and the nephtheid coral Gersemia rubiformis (Ehrenberg, 1834)

Symbiosis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Caulier ◽  
Jean-François Hamel ◽  
Edward A. Hendrycks ◽  
Kathleen E. Conlan ◽  
Annie Mercier
Keyword(s):  
Mutualistic Relationship
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