Loss of intraspecific aggression in the success of a widespread invasive social insect

Despite the innumerable ecological problems and large economic costs associated with biological invasions, the proximate causes of invasion success are often poorly understood. Here, evidence is provided that reduced intraspecific aggression and the concomitant abandonment of territorial behavior unique to introduced populations of the Argentine ant contribute to the elevated population densities directly responsible for its widespread success as an invader. In the laboratory, nonaggressive pairs of colonies experienced lower mortality and greater foraging activity relative to aggressive pairs. These differences translated into higher rates of resource retrieval, greater brood production, and larger worker populations.     

Simple, rapid, and inexpensive cleanup method for quantitation of aflatoxins in important agricultural products by HPLC

A chemical cleanup procedure for low-level quantitative determination of aflatoxins in major economically important agricultural commodities using HPLC has been developed. Aflatoxins were extracted from a ground sample with MeOH/H2O (80:20, v/v), and after a cleanup step on a minicolumn packed with Florisil, aflatoxins were quantified by HPLC equipped with a C18 column, a photochemical reactor, and a fluorescence detector. Water/MeOH (63:37, v/v) served as the mobile phase. Recoveries of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 from peanuts spiked at 5, 1.7, 5, and 1.7 ng/g were 89.5+/-2.2, 94.7+/-2.5, 90.4+/-1.0, and 98.2+/-1.1, respectively (mean+/-SD, %, n=3). Similar recoveries, precision, and accuracy were achieved for corn, brown and white rice, cottonseed, almonds, Brazil nuts, pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnuts. The quantitation limits for aflatoxins in peanuts were 50 pg/g for aflatoxin B1 and 17 pg/g for aflatoxin B2. The minimal cost of the minicolumn allows for substantial savings compared with available commercial aflatoxin cleanup devices.     

Strong increase of foliar inulin occurs in transgenic lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L.) overexpressing the Asparagine Synthetase A gene from Escherichia coli

Transgenic lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. 'Cortina') lines expressing the asparagine synthetase A gene from Escherichia coli were produced to alter the plant nitrogen status and eventually enhance growth. The relative molecular abundance of water-soluble metabolites was measured by 1H NMR in transgenic and conventional plants at early developmental stages and grown under the same conditions. NMR metabolic profiles assessed that a transgenic line and the wild-type counterpart shared the same compounds, but it also revealed side effects on the carbon metabolism following genetic modification. Concerning the nitrogen status, the amino acid content did not vary significantly, except for glutamic acid and gamma-aminobutyric acid, which diminished in the transgenics. As for the carbon metabolism, in transgenic leaves the contents of sucrose, glucose, and fructose decreased, whereas that of inulin increased up to 30 times, accompanied by the alteration of most Krebs's cycle organic acids and the rise of tartaric acid compared to nontransformed controls. Lettuce leaf inulins consisted of short oligomeric chains made of one glucose unit bound to two/four fructose units. Inulins are beneficial for human health, and they are extracted from plants and commercialized as long-chain types, whereas the short forms are synthesized chemically. Hence, lettuce genotypes with high content of foliar short-chain inulin represent useful materials for breeding strategies and a potential source for low molecular weight inulin.     

Biological and molecular characterization of a novel carmovirus isolated from angelonia

ABSTRACT A new carmovirus was isolated from Angelonia plants (Angelonia angustifolia), with flower break and mild foliar symptoms, grown in the United States and Israel. The virus, for which the name Angelonia flower break virus (AnFBV) is proposed, has isometric particles, approximately 30 nm in diameter. The experimental host range was limited to Nicotiana species, Schizanthus pinnatus, Myosotis sylvatica, Phlox drummondii, and Digitalis purpurea. Virions were isolated from systemically infected N. benthamiana leaves, and directly from naturally infected Angelonia leaves, using typical carmovirus protocols. Koch's postulates were completed by mechanical inoculation of uninfected Angelonia seedlings with purified virions. Isometric particles were observed in leaf dips and virion preparations from both Angelonia and N. benthamiana, and in thin sections of Angelonia flower tissue by electron microscopy. In sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of dissociated purified virus preparations, a major protein component with a molecular mass of 38 kDa was observed. Virion preparations were used to produce virus-specific polyclonal antisera in both Israel and the United States. The antisera did not react with Pelargonium flower break virus (PFBV), Carnation mottle virus (CarMV), or Saguaro cactus virus (SgCV) by either enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or immunoblotting. In reciprocal tests, antisera against PFBV, CarMV, and SgCV reacted only with the homologous viruses. The complete nucleotide sequence of a Florida isolate of AnFBV and the coat protein (CP) gene sequences of Israeli and Maryland isolates were determined. The genomic RNA is 3,964 nucleotides and contains four open reading frames arranged in a manner typical of carmoviruses. The AnFBV CP is most closely related to PFBV, whereas the AnFBV replicase is most closely related to PFBV, CarMV, and SgCV. Particle morphology, serological properties, genome organization, and phylogenetic analysis are all consistent with assignment of AnFBV to the genus Carmovirus.     

High-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of truffles (Tuber aestivum vittadini)

A high-field NMR technique was used to analyze aqueous and organic extracts of truffles (Tuber aestivum vittadini) to characterize their chemical composition. Water-soluble metabolites belonging to different classes such as sugars, polyols, amino acids, and organic acids were almost completely assigned by means of one- and two-dimensional experiments (1H-1H COSY, TOCSY, 1H-13C HSQC, 1H-13C HMBC, and 1H-31P HMBC). The 1H spectral assignment of the cell membrane components such as lipids, sterols, and fatty acids extracted in organic solvents was also performed.     

High-3He Plume Origin and Temporal-Spatial Evolution of the Siberian Flood Basalts

An olivine nephelinite from the lower part of a thick alkalic ultrabasic and mafic sequence of volcanic rocks of the northeastern part of the Siberian flood basalt province (SFBP) yielded a (40)Ar/(39)Ar plateau age of 253.3 +/- 2.6 million years, distinctly older than the main tholeiitic pulse of the SFBP at 250.0 million years. Olivine phenocrysts of this rock showed (3)He/(4)He ratios up to 12.7 times the atmospheric ratio; these values suggest a lower mantle plume origin. The neodymium and strontium isotopes, rare earth element concentration patterns, and cerium/lead ratios of the associated rocks were also consistent with their derivation from a near-chondritic, primitive plume. Geochemical data from the 250-million-year-old volcanic rocks higher up in the sequence indicate interaction of this high-(3)He SFBP plume with a suboceanic-type upper mantle beneath Siberia.