Linking local to global properties in branching modular networks: gorgonian coral colonies

Branching growth is present both in plants and animals, either marine or terrestrial. Although cellular and other modular levels of organization in plants and animals have evolved through different molecular and physiological mechanisms, several aspects of their branching modular system and morphology are similar. We studied vessel organization and colony integration, in order to comprehend underlying relationships between different structural components in a gorgonian coral network. The theoretical formalism was validated in the gorgonian coral Eunicea mammosa (Plexauridae, Octocorallia) in Belize. As in vascular plants, these colonial animals create a complex network of connections among modular branches integrated in stem canals downstream toward the base. A new formalism is proposed for describing gorgonian branching. A global property of a colony is for instance the size of its base or its weight whereas a local property is the size of branch in a particular place of the colony. However, a global property is not the simple addition of local modular properties, as the case of stem canals in the colony base. Theoretically, the process of branching is tightly intertwined with the internal network organization. The colony network centralization is driven by a linear relationship between the total number of branches and the stem canals at the base of the colony. If stem canals play important roles in the transport of nutrients throughout the colony and the biomechanical support from the base up to the tips, we can assume that there is an underlying association between the number of stem canals at the base and the number of for example, terminal branches. These associations may provide new findings that extend our understanding of the functional organization of tree-like networks in octocorals and their vascular systems. The idea that the external components of a tree-like plant network are directly correlated and connected down to the main trunk seems to be analogous in an animal system.     

Influence of nutrients in the feeding ecology of seagrass (Posidonia oceanica L.) consumers: a stable isotopes approach

Nitrogen inputs to coastal environments can considerably alter the abundance of primary producers. However, how herbivores modify their trophic signatures and adjust to changes in food resource conditions remains controversial. Here, we assess the effect of nutrient availability on the diet shifts of the two main Mediterranean herbivores, the Sparid fish Sarpa salpa L. and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk.) that feed mostly on the seagrass Posidonia oceanica L. (Delile), epiphytes and benthic macroalgae. To do this, we (1) investigate the patterns of isotopic composition (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures) of the two herbivores and their potential food sources in three areas of contrasting nutrient conditions and, (2) we assess the diet shift along this nutrient gradient by estimating the isotopic nutrient enrichment (i.e., the contribution of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures in consumers’ tissues relative to potential food sources). Food web signatures of δ¹³C were similar among the three study sites, and no patterns of δ¹³C shift were observed in their diets. In contrast, there was a consistent increase in N contents and δ¹⁵N along the nutrient gradient for all primary producers and their consumers. The rate of δ¹⁵N enrichment was also clearly distinctive between the two herbivores: in P. lividus it increased by 61% along the nutrient gradient, while in S. salpa it remained constant. Our results suggest that sea urchins behave as facultative omnivores and feed on vegetable or mixed diets depending on the trophic status of the system. It is unclear, however, if this modification is behavioral or the consequence of mere changes in the availability of food items, as animal epiphytes (e.g., hydrozoans, bryozoans and ascidians) can also became more abundant on seagrass leaves under increased nutrient conditions. In contrast, adult fish appear to feed on vegetal material independent of nutrient availability in the ecosystem.     

Distinctive types of leaf tissue damage influence nutrient supply to growing tissues within seagrass shoots

Herbivory is now recognized as an important structuring agent in seagrass meadows but the attack pattern and tissue damage of consumers are highly variable. Nutritional preferences of herbivores and/or easy access to resources may cause differences in biomass loss among tissues that damage the plant in functionally distinctive ways. The two main Mediterranean herbivores, the fish Sarpa salpa (L.) and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk.), remove higher amounts of intermediate and external shoot leaves, respectively. To test whether this selective feeding can have different consequences on the allocation patterns of nutrient within plants, we simulated the effect of both herbivores by clipping external and intermediate leaves (plus unclipped controls) of Posidonia oceanica (L.) and we measured plant tolerance in terms of shoot growth and leaf nutrient supply to new tissue using isotopic markers. As expected, control treatments displayed high carbon and nutrient supply from external leaves (83% of the total ¹⁵N and 84% of the total ¹³C incorporated by the shoot). When subjected to clipping, the remaining leaves enhanced carbon and nitrogen supply compared with the control by 16% of N and 36% of C—in the intermediate clipping—and by over 100% of N and 200% of C—in the external clipping—to compensate for the nutrient lost. However, only in the case of fish herbivory (intermediate clipping), enhanced supply alone was able to fully compensate for the nutrient losses. In contrast, this mechanism is not completely effective when external leaves are clipped (urchin herbivory). Yet, the consequences of this nutrient loss under sea urchin herbivory are not apparent from the nutrient content of the new tissue, suggesting that there are other sources of nitrogen income (uptake or reallocation from rhizomes). Our study does not only confirm the tolerance of P. oceanica to herbivory, but also constitutes the first evidence of leaf-specific, compensatory nutrient supply in seagrasses.     

Honeybee glucose oxidase—its expression in honeybee workers and comparative analyses of its content and H2O2-mediated antibacterial activity in natural honeys

Antibacterial properties of honey largely depend on the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), which is generated by glucose oxidase (GOX)-mediated conversion of glucose in diluted honey. However, honeys exhibit considerable variation in their antibacterial activity. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the mechanism behind the variation in this activity and in the H₂O₂ content in honeys associated with the role of GOX in this process. Immunoblots and in situ hybridization analyses demonstrated that gox is solely expressed in the hypopharyngeal glands of worker bees performing various tasks and not in other glands or tissues. Real-time PCR with reference genes selected for worker heads shows that the gox expression progressively increases with ageing of the youngest bees and nurses and reached the highest values in processor bees. Immunoblot analysis of honey samples revealed that GOX is a regular honey component but its content significantly varied among honeys. Neither botanical source nor geographical origin of honeys affected the level of GOX suggesting that some other factors such as honeybee nutrition and/or genetic/epigenetic factors may take part in the observed variation. A strong correlation was found between the content of GOX and the level of generated H₂O₂ in honeys except honeydew honeys. Total antibacterial activity of most honey samples against Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate significantly correlated with the H₂O₂ content. These results demonstrate that the level of GOX can significantly affect the total antibacterial activity of honey. They also support an idea that breeding of novel honeybee lines expressing higher amounts of GOX could help to increase the antibacterial efficacy of the hypopharyngeal gland secretion that could have positive influence on a resistance of colonies against bacterial pathogens.     

Development of a new model for the simulation of N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O emissions: a case-study on wheat cropping systems under humid Mediterranean climate

Improving the quantification of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural land has become an issue of major concern due to its strong contribution to the greenhouse effect and to the fact that N₂O is now the most significant ozone-depleting emission to the atmosphere. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a new field-scale, simple and empirical model that simulates monthly nitrogen (N) flows in cropping systems based on site characteristics and management practices. We explored its sensitivity for a Basque region of Spain growing winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under humid Mediterranean conditions to varied weather conditions and different scenarios of: (i) fertiliser rates, (ii) soil texture, (iii) organic/mineral fertilisation, (iv) slurry injection/no injection and (v) tillage/no tillage. The model showed sensitivity to most of the changes in the tested parameters. On average, simulated N₂O emissions decreased: (i) with the decrease in N fertiliser rates, (ii) in lighter textured soils, (iii) with organic fertilisation, (iv) after non-injecting slurry and (v) under no-tillage. The model showed that it could be useful to simulate some of the potential trade-offs that may occur after implementation of specific N pollution mitigation measures (e.g. trade-offs in crop productivity and ammonia (NH₃) volatilisation after implementation of measures that target a reduction in N₂O emissions). In a validation exercise, simulated and measured yield and soil moisture showed reasonable agreement. Although the model showed discrepancies for monthly-averaged N₂O fluxes, the peak after fertilisation application was reasonably well simulated. These results and the simplicity and user-friendliness of the model suggest that its structure is appropriate and, if properly calibrated for different soil types and weather conditions, it could be a useful model to be used in carbon footprint studies or to develop site-specific emission factors for current or future climatic scenarios.     

Overview of Traditional and Environmental Factors Related to Bone Health

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bone mass in adulthood depends on growth and mineralization acquired during childhood and adolescence. It is well known that these stages of life are...     

Removal of formaldehyde, methanol, dimethylether and carbon monoxide from waste gases of synthetic resin-producing industries

The removal of mixtures of gas-phase pollutants released from formaldehyde- and formaldehyde resin-producing industries was studied in different bioreactor systems. The waste gases contained formaldehyde, methanol, dimethylether and carbon monoxide. The use of a hybrid two-stage bioreactor, composed of a biotrickling filter and a conventional biofilter connected in series, led to very high elimination capacities and removal efficiencies close to 100% for overall pollutant loads exceeding 600g m(-3)h(-1). The presence of low concentrations of dimethylether in the gaseous mixture did not have a significant effect on the removal of formaldehyde or methanol under our operating conditions, although moderate concentrations of these compounds did negatively affect the biodegradation of dimethylether. When a mixture of all four compounds, at concentrations around 100, 100, 50 and 50mg m(-3) for formaldehyde, methanol, carbon monoxide and dimethylether, respectively, was fed to a conventional biofilter, removal efficiencies higher than 80% were obtained for the first three pollutants at empty bed retention time values above 30s. On the other hand, dimethylether was removed to a lower extent, although its reduced environmental impact allows to conclude that these results were satisfactory.     

Chronic exposure to lead acetate promotes changes in the alveolar bone of rats: microstructural and physical–chemical characterization

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - There are a few data relating to the effects of lead (Pb) exposure on the alveolar bone, which has very distinct morphophysiological characteristics...     

Bayesian multi-species N-mixture models for unmarked animal communities

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - We propose an extension of the N-mixture model that enables the estimation of abundances of multiple species as well as the correlations between them. Our...