渔游蛇精子的超微结构

扫描电镜观察表明,渔游蛇（Ｎａｔｒｉｘ Ｐｉｓｃａｔｅｒ）精子总长度约１１０μｍ,分为头和尾两部分;头部呈前稍尖的细长圆柱形,略变曲,约长８．５μｍ,直径以经约０．６μｍ。尾部又分４段：颈段、中段、主段和末段;其与从不同之处是中段较长,约７３μｍ,占精子总长度的２／３多;线料体型鞘由近５００圈超过５０００个线粒体构成;透射电镜揭示了头部顶体体覆疬于核前约１／２;尾部颈段的结构较复杂,包括连接片的踝     

Spermatozoa and spermatogenesis in a monoplacophoran mollusc,Laevipilina antarctica: ultrastructure and comparison with other Mollusca

Ultrastructural features of spermatozoa and spermatogenesis are described for the first time in a monoplacophoran and compared with data for other conchiferan molluses. Spermatozoa of Laevipilina antarctica Warén and Hain, 1992, are of the structurally simple, aquasperm type, featuring a conical acrosome, a compact nucleus with lacunae, a short midpiece and a single flagellum. The acrosomal vesicle shows an electron-dense inner zone, and a basal invagination (subacrosomal space) contains granular material but no axial rod. The nucleus exhibits a shallow indentation apically which contains subacrosomal material, and five (sometimes four) indentations posteriorly which partially accommodate the five (rarely four) midpiece mitochondria. Two centrioles are present, the distal connected to the annulus by satellite fibres and acting as a basal body for the flagellum (axoneme probably 9+2 structure). Spermatogonia, characterized by an oblong nucleus and one or two nucleoli, line the basal membrane of the testis wall; spermatids of varying stages of maturity occupy the remainder of the testis. Acrosome and flagellum production is already well advanced in spermatids and probably commences at the spermatocyte stage. Cytoplasmic bridges occur in all developmental stages, most visibly in spermatids. The spermatid chromatin condenses in large tracts, leaving electron-lucent lacunae. Mitochondria collect posteriorly and form, presumably by fusion, the five (or four) larger, spherical mitochondria which gather around the centrioles.     

Sperm ultrastructure of the giant clam Tridacna maxima (Tridacnidae: Bivalvia: Mollusca) from the Great Barrier Reef

Using transmission electron microscopy, spermatozoa from a member of the Tridacnidae, or giant clams, are described for the first time and compared with spermatozoa of other bivalves, especially other heterodonts. The acrosomal vesicle of Tridacna maxima (Röding, 1798) is short (0.37?μm), blunt-conical, and exhibits a prominent basal ring. A narrow apical elaboration of the nucleus, the nuclear peg, projects deep into the basal invagination of the acrosomal vesicle. Aside from this specialization, the nucleus is a solid elongate-cylindrical structure (7.66?μm) that exhibits several small irregular lacunae. Four or occasionally three round-ovate mitochondria surround a pair of orthogonally-arranged, triplet-substructure centrioles. The proximal centriole is connected to a small indentation of the nuclear base by a thin layer of granular pericentriolar material, whereas the distal centriole is anchored to the plasma membrane by nine terminally-forked satellite fibres. The 9?+?2 pattern axoneme of the tail is continuous with the distal centriole. Comparison with other bivalves indicates a very close relationship between tridacnids and cardiids based on sperm ultrastructure. Specifically, the presence of a nuclear peg links Tridacna spp. with the cardiid genus Cerastoderma, but further information on the many unstudied genera is required to test the exact nature of this relationship. The sperm ultrastructure provides additional support for the recently proposed hypothesis that the Tridacnidae may be no more than a specialized subfamily of the Cardiidae.     

Spermatozoon structure of some North American prosobranchs from the families Lottiidae (Patellogastropoda) and Fissurellidae (Archaeogastropoda)

The spermatozoa of four species of the patellogastropod family Lottiidae (Lottia pelta, L. digitalis, L. strigatella, Tectura scutum) and one species of the archaeogastropod family Fissurellidae (Diodora aspera) were examined in 1990 using transmission electron microscopy. All have primitive or ect-aquasperm, typical of invertebrates using external fertilization. Sperm of the lottiid limpets are characterized by a 5 to 9 m-long head composed of a conical acrosome which constitutes >50% of the head length, and a cylindrical nucleus. The acrosome of all species of lottiids is differentiated internally, and has a posterior invagination 0.9 to 1 m in depth, into which an elongate acrosomal lobe protrudes. Between the posterior acrosomal lobe and the nucleus, the subacrosomal material is aggregated as a fibrous column. The midpiece of the sperm has a ring of 4 to 5 spherical mitochondria of 0.6 m diam, posterior to which is a collar of cytoplasm 1 m long, which sheaths the anterior portion of the axoneme. The size and morphology of the acrosome and large cytoplasmic collar clearly distinguish the spermatozoa of the Lottiidae from other families of Patellogastropoda. The sperm of D. aspera (Fissurellidae) is typical of the family of archaeogastropod; the head has a length to breadth ratio of 4:1, and the cylindrical nucleus is capped by a small acrosome, <25% of the total head length, which is deeply invaginated.     

Euspermatozoa and paraspermatozoa in the trochoid gastropodZalipais laseroni (Trochoidea: Skeneidae)

Pronounced sperm dimorphism is reported for the first time in the prosobranch order Vetigastropoda. Using transmission electron microscopy, it is demonstrated thatZalipais laseroni Kershaw (Trochoidea: Skeneidae) produces uniflagellate euspermatozoa (eupyrene, fertile sperm) and multiflagellate paraspermatozoa (oligopyrene, infertile sperm). Euspermatozoa show the following features: (1) a conical acrosomal vesicle; (2) a long tubular, helically coiled nucleus; (3) a short midpiece (mitochondrial sleeve surrounding a 3µm-long electron-dense rod); (4) a chambered body (? fused centrioles) continuous with the dense rod of the midpiece; (5) a flagellum (characterized by an electron-dense sheath surrounding and partly obscuring the central pair of tubules). Paraspermatozoa are composed of an elongate head (lacking an acrosomal complex), a short midpiece (centriolar rods interspersed with mitochondria), and a posterior tuft of flagella. The head consists of a rodshaped anterior body and a condensed nuclear remnant — the latter lodged in a shallow invagination of the anterior body. Multiple flagella are attached via centriolar rods to a layer of dense material lining the nuclear remnant membrane. During paraspermatozoan development, the nucleus partially degenerates, then condenses, while the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), apparently assisted by the Golgi complex, is responsible for production of numerous, electron-dense secretory vesicles. These vesicles subsequently fuse to form the elongate, anterior body of the head region. The ability of at least one line of trochoid gastropods to produce an oligopyrene, multiaxonemal paraspermatozoon, suggests that the Caenogastropoda (with this feature) might have been derived from the Vetigastropoda rather than from any other archaeogastropod source.     

Acrosome differentiation and the acrosome reaction in ascidian spermatozoa:<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Ascidiella aspersa</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Ascidia mentula</Emphasis> with some implications for tunicate phylogeny

The spermatozoa of both Ascidiella aspersa and Ascidia mentula have architectural features characteristic of ascidian spermatozoa that have previously been described. They have an elongated head (7 µm long for A. aspersa and 4 µm long for A. mentula), a single mitochondrion that is applied laterally to the nucleus and lacks a midpiece. The acrosome of A. aspersa spermatozoa is a flattened vesicle, about 200 nm×100 nm×40 nm (length, width and height). The acrosome of A. mentula spermatozoa consists of multiple vesicles; they are about 50 nm×50 nm×40 nm (length, width and height). During spermiogenesis in both species, several proacrosomal vesicles (50–70 nm in diameter) appear in a blister at the future apex of the spermatid. In A. aspersa, these vesicles fuse with each other to form a single acrosomal vesicle, while in A. mentula these vesicles do not fuse with each other, and form multiple acrosomal vesicles. In A. aspersa spermatozoa, calcium ionophore A23187 induces the acrosome reaction in which membrane fusion between the acrosomal apical membrane and the overlying sperm plasma membrane occurs along the peripheral margin of the acrosome, resulting in the release of a hybrid, membrane-bound, small vesicle. In A. mentula, multiple acrosomal vesicles disappear by releasing small vesicles after treatment with the calcium ionophore A23187; this also appears to be an acrosome reaction. This paper discusses the way in which acrosome structure and function may have changed during the evolution of the Tunicata.Communicated by T. Ikeda, Hakodate     

Fine structure of spermatids and sperm of Dolioletta gegenbauri and Doliolum nationalis (Tunicata: Thaliacea): implications for tunicate phylogeny

In Dolioletta gegenbauri and Doliolum nationalis, collected in 1987 in the bay of Villefranche-sur-mer (French Mediterranean Sea), spermiogenesis is essentially the same. Early spermatids have a round head, a flagellum arising from a single centriole with short microtubules at 45° to its base, several mitochondria, and an acrosome 50 nm thick and 250 nm long with its long axis parallel to the plasma membrane. The acrosomal contents are dense, with a central denser plate. The nuclear envelope next to the acrosome is thickened and concave. In elongating nuclei, strands of chromatin become oriented parallel to the length of the nucleus and then twist helically. Although the mitochondria surround the nucleus, they remain relatively short and do not fuse into a single mitochondrion as in sperm of other tunicates. In very late doliolid spermatids, the acrosome undergoes exocytosis, and exposes fibrous material that stays associated with the tip of the sperm; no acrosomal tubule forms. Exocytosis at this stage may be triggered by fixation. If so, exocytosis probably occurs naturally at some time before fusion of sperm and egg. Sperm have elongate heads (1 m×10 m), with the anterior two-thirds of the nucleus surrounded by mitochondria. Spermiogenesis in doliolids, compared to that in other tunicates, is most like that in solitary members of the class Ascidiacea, except that in the latter the sperm mitochondria fuse and the acrosome appears incapable of exocytosis. In contrast, previous work has shown that salps (class Thaliacea) and colonial didemnid ascidians have an acrosomeless sperm with a spiral mitochondrion, while the class Appendicularia has a sperm with a midpiece, a compact head and an acrosome capable of exocytosis and acrosomal tubule formation. By outgroup comparison with echinoderms and acraniates, appendicularian sperm are plesiomorphic within the Tunicata. Thus, gamete morphology indicates that (1) solitary ascidians and doliolids had a common ancestor, (2) the popular idea that doliolids gave rise to appendicularians is incorrect, and (3) the Thaliacea are polyphyletic, doliolids having arisen very early from the ascidian lineage and salps having arisen later.     

Spermiogenesis and spermatozoa in the relict bivalve genus Neotrigonia: relevance to trigonioid relationships,particularly Unionoidea

Spermiogenesis and spermatozoa in the relict trigonioid genus Neotrigonia are examined ultrastructurally. Mature Neotrigonia spp. spermatozoa exhibit the following features: (1) a blunt-conical nucleus; (2) an acrosomal complex composed of discoidal vesicles (9 to 15) arranged as a thin layer over the nuclear apex; (3) five (rarely four) spherical mitochondria positioned in depressions at the base of the nucleus; (4) proximal and distal centrioles (surrounded by the mitochondria); (5) a satellite complex anchoring the distal centriole and flagellum to the plasma membrane; and (6) a single flagellum. Spermatozoa of unionoids examined to date (Unionidae and Hyriidae only) exhibit similar features, including a nucleus with a blunt apex capped by a thin acrosomal complex (showing up to three vesicles). Among the Bivalvia, only Neotrigonia spp. and unionoid sperm possess an acrosomal complex composed of multiple vesicles. These data suggest that the Trigonioidea and Unionoidea are phylogenetically linked, but further work particularly on primitive unionoids is required to determine if this relationship is one of common ancestry or whether the Unionoidea have in fact been derived from the Trigonioidea.     

Effects of self-fertilisation and other factors on the early development of the scallop Pecten maximus

Adult Pecten maximus (L.) were dredged off north-east Anglesey, Wales, UK, during 1981. A 2×5 factorial mating was carried out involving self- and cross-fertilisation and the use of stripped spermatozoa. Assessments of yield, normality, and larval size were made at the D larva stage and larval size and mortality were measured after a fortnight's growth of the veligers. Underlying genetic variation was evident at all stages, with egg and sperm generally having a significant interactive effect. Cultures sired with stripped spermatozoa had fewer larvae, with more abnormality, grew slower and suffered higher mortality than most other cultures. Larvae from selfed cultures grew significantly slower than all other larvae. Data from past larval cultures also show that selfed larvae have a reduced growth rate. it is suggested that stripped spermatozoa may interfere with egg and sperm interaction at fertilisation, thus reducing the viability of larvae. On the other hand, the poor growth rate of selfed larvae is probably due to overall reduced heterozygosity compared to outbred larvae.     

Dorippids are Heterotremata: Evidence from ultrastructure of the spermatozoa ofNeodorippe astuta (Dorippidae) andPortunus pelagicus (Portunidae) Brachyura: Decapoda

Ultrastructural comparison between the sperm of the dorippid crabNeodorippe astuta (Fabricius, 1793) and the portunidPortunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1766) from Queensland, Australia, supports placement of dorippids with portunids and their relatives in the heterotreme section of the Eubrachyura (the Heterotremata - Thoracotremata or the Oxyrhyncha - Cancridea - Brachygnatha assemblage) and not withRanina ranina (in the Archaeobrachyura or the Oxystomata). Similarities between spermatozoa ofN. astuta and ofP. pelagicus (and other Eubrachyura) andR. ranina include: the large spherical, multi-layered, capsule-bound acrosome vesicle; the electron-dense operculum capping the vesicle; an invaginated core, or perforatorium; concentric zonation of the contents of the vesicle; a layer of cytoplasm, between the acrosome vesicle and the nucleus, which contains mitochondria (mostly degenerating) and lattice-like lamellar complexes or membrane remnants; a diffuse nucleus which is bounded externally by a combined nuclear and plasma membrane and cups the scanty cytoplasm and the large acrosome vesicle; and lateral arms into which the chromatin extends. Characteristic eubrachyuran features of theN. astuta sperm absent fromR. ranina are the long perforatorium (short and conical with a unique subacrosomal chamber inR. ranina) extending almost to the operculum; presence in the perforatorium of longitudinally arranged convoluted tubules; a zone of acrosomal rays forming the outer part of an inner dense zone; the presence of a thickened ring surrounding the basal part of the perforatorium; and, basally, two centrioles (absent fromR. ranina but also from some eubrachyurans). The sperm ofN. astuta is more similar to that ofP. pelagicus than to that of other investigated Brachyura. A heterotreme status ofN. astuta is thus unequivocally supported. Both species lack the posterior median process seen in the nucleus of majids andR. ranina.     

Reducing the environmental impact of coal-washing practice in Australia

All Australian coal for export is washed — that is, the low-grade high-ash material is separated out and disposed of at the washery site. The coarse rejects are generally placed in embankments and the tailings are pumped into settling ponds. These methods of waste disposal can create environmental problems. In addition, they represent a significant energy loss, because about one-third of the waste material is combustible and is thus a potentially valuable source of energy. Laboratory studies at the CSIRO Division of Fossil Fuels at North Ryde, New South Wales, have shown that energy can be successfully recovered from washery wastes by the process of fluidized-bed combustion. A pilot fluidized-bed combustor, with a capacity of 2 tonnes/hour, is undergoing prolonged trial at the Clutha washery near Camden, New South Wales, in a joint project between the Joint Coal Board and CSIRO. The results from the pilot plant tests have provided the basis for a conceptual design and feasibility study for a full-scale tailings treatment plant. This study has indicated that fluidized-bed combustion:

1. offers an environmentally attractive and economically competitive alternative to the disposal of tailings in settling ponds, and
2. can be used to generate large quantities of energy from the wastes, reducing the energy lost in coal washing from around 16% to 6% of the coal mined.

     

Spermatozoan ultrastructure and spermatogenesis in aplousobranch ascidians,with some phylogenetic considerations

Spermatozoa and some stages of spermatogenesis were studied for four species of aplousobranch ascidians. Spermatozoa of Clavelina lepadiformis (Müller) (family Clavelinidae) are plesiomorphous in that they have apical acrosomal vesicles and a moderately elongated, cylindrical nucleus. The elongated mitochondrion is twisted ea. 11/2 times around the nucleus. In their ultrastructural morphology, C. lepadiformis sperm conform in some respects to the least-derived ascidian sperm, those of the phlebobranch ascidian Ciona intestinalis L.; however, the sperm of Clavelina lepadiformis have two apomorphies not shared with those of Ciona sp.: (1) the mitochondrion of Clavelina lepadiformis is long and spiralled along the entire nucleus rather than being comparatively compact and not at all helical; (2) the mitochondrial cristae are elongated parallel to the long axis of the nucleus, whereas in Ciona sp. sperm the cristae are unmodified. In Distaplia sp., Aplidium sp. and Synoicum pulmonaria (Ellis and Solander) the spermatozoa are more derived and consist of a proximal cylindrical and a distal corkscrew-like part. The mitochondrion in Distaplia sp. and Aplidium sp. contains electron-dense material and extends in a long thread around the nucleus. In S. pulmonaria the mitochondrion surrounds the anterior part of the nucleus in mature spermatozoa, and an elongated, dense structure displaying fine striation is enclosed in the mitochondrion in late spermatids. The sperm ultrastructural morphology observed in this study is consistent with the majority view that clavelinids are closest to the ancestral ascidian but is also consistent with other conclusions, particularly that the Cionidae are closest to the stem ascidian.     

Morphology of the reproductive system and spermatozoa of Mesodasys adenotubulatus (Gastrotricha: Macrodasyida)

Mesodasys adenotubulatus Hummon, Todaro and Tongiorgi 1993 is a simultaneous hermaphrodite. Two club-shaped testes extend along the sides of the anterior intestine and show spermatogenetic stages maturing in a caudo-cephalic and centripetal direction. Sperm ducts join together dorsally to the intestine before opening into a pear-like caudal organ. An unpaired, dorsal ovary lies anteriorly to the confluence of sperm ducts. Oocytes mature in a caudo-cephalic direction; no oviduct nor female pore is present. The spermatozoa are fusiform, with a very short tail. The anterior end of the sperm is a small, conic hood which corresponds to the acrosome. The following, spindle-shaped corkscrew region contains a nuclear helix surrounding a central axis made of a single, giant mitochondrion. The 9+2 axoneme is enclosed by a bilayered, obliquely striated cylinder only in the proximal tract. The morphology of the reproductive system and spermatozoa of Mesodasys species is discussed, and the hypothesis of hypodermic impregnation in this genus is supported. Received: 20 November 1998 / Accepted: 6 July 1999     

Spermatogenesis,sperm storage and comparative sperm morphology in nine species of Capitella,Capitomastus and Capitellides (Polychaeta: Capitellidae)

Light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to describe spermatogenesis and the morphology of mature sperm and sperm storage organs in five sibling species of Capitella, three species in the related genus Capitomastus, and one species in the genus Capitellides. These capitellids lack a well-developed testis, but young males have a few specialized regions of the peritoneum in the eighth setiger, where germ cells proliferate and spermatogonia are released into the coelom, and spermiogenesis is completed. Mature sperm are stored in the central regions of paired genital ducts (coelomoducts), which lie between the seventh and eighth setigers. The cells forming the walls of the coelomostome and central region of the duct are ciliated and have large glycogen deposits. The lumenal borders have extensive microvilli and there is evidence that they secrete glycogen-containing materials into the duct. All species have modified primitive sperm with a conical acrosome, elongated nucleus, and long middle piece extending along the proximal portion of the flagellum. A single ring-shaped mitochondrion encircles the centriolar region of the middle piece and the cytoplasm is filled with glycogen. The sperm of all nine species differ significantly in the lengths of their middle pieces, acrosomes and especially in their nuclear lengths. The nuclear lengths have a twofold range among the sibling species of Capitella and Capitomastus. Subtle differences in the shape and volume of the acrosomal vesicle and acrosomal space characteristic of the Capitella sibling species seem to correlate with a basic division of these species into those with diploid chromosome numbers of 20 or 26. Spermiogenesis, the number of sperm produced, and the method of sperm storage are appropriate for efficient sperm utilization in fertilization. No evidence indicates that spermatophores are formed and transferred between individuals and the method of sperm transfer is not understood. The differences in the dimensions and acrosome morphology of mature sperm, and the previously demonstrated specializations in the egg envelopes in the Capitella sibling species, are characteristic features of the reproductive isolation that exists among these capitellid species.     

Sperm quantity and quality effects on fertilization success in a highly promiscuous passerine, the tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor

Sperm competition is widespread among animal taxa and considered a major force in sperm evolution. Recent comparative studies have indicated that sperm competition selects for high sperm production capacity and long and fast-swimming spermatozoa across species. Here, we examine the role of sperm quantity and quality for fertilization success of individual males in a Canadian population of tree swallows Tachycineta bicolor, a socially monogamous, but highly promiscuous passerine. Male fertilization success (the sum of withinpair and extrapair young) was significantly associated with the size of the cloacal protuberance (a proxy for sperm quantity), but not with sperm size or in vitro sperm swimming speed. In a multivariate analysis, both cloacal protuberance volume and relative sperm midpiece size (i.e. high mitochondrial loading) had significant effects on male fertilization success. However, relative sperm midpiece size was not associated with fertilization success in a simple regression. Further, both cloacal protuberance volume and relative midpiece size had significant effects on sperm velocity, both in simple regressions and in a multivariate analysis. The finding that males with large relative midpiece size had both higher fertilization success and faster swimming sperm, suggests an indirect link between sperm morphology and male fertility mediated through sperm velocity. In conclusion, both quantitative and qualitative sperm traits seem to affect male fertilization success in tree swallows.     

Ultrastructure of sperm and spermathecae in Micromaldane spp. (Polychaeta: Capitellida: Maldanidae)

Assessing the possibility that external fertilization has re-evolved requires the study of monophyletic groups that exhibit various reproductive methods. Maldanid polychaetes show a range of reproductive mechanisms, though previous studies of reproduction have hitherto been restricted to larger species with external fertilization. Micromaldane pamelae Rouse and M. nutricula Rouse are small, gonochoristic maldanids that brood directly developing larvae. Both species have sperm with elongate nuclei and an acrosome extending down each side of the anterior end of the nucleus. A true midpiece is absent; two mitochondria extend along the posterior region of the nucleus. Spermatids develop synchronously in large clusters connected by a cytophore. In M. pamelae sperm are released into the water as spermatozeugmata. These are comprised of clusters of sperm with their tails oriented to the centre and the sperm heads facing outwards. Females of M. pamelae and M. nutricula bear pairs of spermathecae ventrally (M. pamelae three pairs, between setigers 10 and 11, 11 and 12 and 12 and 13 and M. nutricula two pairs, between setigers 10 and 11 and setigers 11 and 12). The blind sacs are epidermal invaginations bound closely together. The entrance to each spermatheca may only be 1 to 2 m across with each spermatheca holding several hundred sperm. This represents the first detailed study of spermathecae in the Capitellida. The occurrence and structure of spermathecae and spermatozeugmata in other groups are discussed and compared with Micromaldane spp. Comparisons are made with non-polychaetes with the purpose of discussing functional aspects of reproductive mechanisms in marine metazoans in general. Elongate sperm nuclei are associated with sperm storage and/or large egg size. The lack of an elongate sperm midpiece may be an indicator of having to swim in water but does not contraindicate sperm storage. Spermatozeugmata may serve as an indication of sperm storage and brooding of larvae. Speculations on the phylogenetic significance of these reproductive features are limited by the fact that supposedly modified (i.e., derived) states may reflect functional/structura, constraints of small body size.     

Dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide: so similar yet so different in evoking biological responses in saprophilous flies

Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) are used by saprophilous insects to locate breeding sites (decaying organic matter), and by brood-site deceptive flowers to attract such insects. However, little is known about the relative importance of these two compounds in eliciting electrophysiological and behavioral responses in the insects. Here, we compared the relative attractiveness of DMDS and DMTS to saprophilous flies in field choice experiments and tested whether potential differences in field responses can be explained by differences in electrophysiological antennal responses to these compounds. Field experiments revealed that the attractiveness of a mixture of these compounds is due to DMTS alone. This result was confirmed by electroantennographic recordings in which flies of four tested species of Calliphoridae (Lucilia sericata, L. caesar, Calliphora vicina, Protocalliphora azurea) and one Muscidae (Musca domestica) respond clearly to DMTS, but not to DMDS. In house flies, however, DMTS elicited electrophysiological responses only, not reflected in behavioral assays. Despite the fact that DMTS and DMDS exhibit similar chemical structures, both the electroantennographic and field responses from saprophilous flies to these two compounds strongly differed. Our study suggests that oligosulfide-responsive saprophilous flies rely on DMTS and not DMDS for finding appropriate breeding sites and that DMTS and not DMDS could act as a key mediator for pollinator attraction in brood-site deceptive plants.     

Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid on the settlement of larvae of the black chiton Katharina tunicata

Laboratory-cultured larvae of the black chiton Katharina tunicata (Wood), collected from central California in May and June of 1979 and 1980, settled preferentially on the encrusting coralline alga Lithothamnium sp. Metamorphosis, which involves the loss of the prototrochal ciliary band, occurred within a period of 2.5 h after larvae began crawling upon the alga. In response to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at a concentration of 10^-6 M, the lecithotrophic trochophore larvae ceased swimming and settled rapidly. Developmental metamorphosis did not follow settlement in the absence of encrusting coralline alga. However, when both GABA and Lithothamnium sp. were present, larval metamorphosis occurred within 2 h of settlement. Significantly different rates of settlement exist for sibling larvae of different ages; 12 d-old larvae responded more rapily and in greater numbers to treatment with GABA than 10 d-old larvae. Differences in settling rates are attributed to the onset of metamorphic competence.     

Lipids and fatty acid composition of particulate matter in the North Atlantic: importance of spatial heterogeneity,season and community structure

Lipid class profiles and total fatty acid composition of particulate matter were studied in the northeast Atlantic during the spring bloom and fall. Eddies of known physical and chemical properties were sampled at different depths. HPLC pigment data were used to characterize the phytoplankton communities. In spring, a dominance of prymnesiophytes was recorded at all depths, while in fall prochlorophytes dominated near the surface and prymnesiophytes only at deep chlorophyll maximum. Lipid classes included triglycerides, sterols, glycolipids and phospholipids. A differential relationship between phytoplankton abundance and lipid accumulation was observed: spring lipid concentrations were positively related to phytoplankton biomass, while fall particulate lipid did not show any relationship. The main feature was a northward increase in lipid concentrations unrelated to the mesoscale hydrological structures. Polar lipids dominated over neutral acyl-glycerols with phospholipids dominating over glycolipids in spring, while glycolipids dominated in fall. This resulted from different nutrient availability with a dominance of flagellates associated with mesotrophy in spring and of picophytoplankton associated with oligotrophy in fall. In terms of fatty acids, factorial correspondence analyses illustrate the influence of seasonally changing assemblages: (1) in spring, the main source of variability was the bloom with an opposition between bloom sites characterized by n-3 and n-6 PUFA, and more detrital deep samples characterized by saturated, monoenoic and branched acids; (2) fall fatty acid profiles were similar at all depths and very close to those observed for spring deep samples. Comparison of pigment and fatty acids using redundancy analysis suggested that pelagophytes were linked to saturated and branched acids. It also showed that prymnesiophytes and prochlorophytes were significantly associated with n-6 and n-3 PUFA. The spring period illustrated the complexity of these relationships with dinoflagellates and prymnesiophytes linked with n-3 PUFA, diatoms linked with palmitoleic and myristic acids, and pelagophytes linked with n-6 PUFA and higher-chain-length monoenes.     

Investigations of carotenoids in some fauna of the Adriatic Sea. II. Anemonia sulcata and Actinia equina (Coelenterata: Anthozoa)

Investigations have been carried out on the carotenoids in Anemonia sulcata (Pennant) and Actinia equina (L.) (Coelenterata: Anthozoa) from the Adriatic Sea. The presence of the carotenoids was determined by means of columnar and thin-layer chromatography. The following carotenoids were found: Anemonia sulcata: β-carotene, lutein-like (epoxy and free) and astaxanthin; Actinia equina: α-carotene, β-carotene, actinioerythrin, lutein-like (?) and astaxanthin (ester and free).