Monte Verde: seaweed, food, medicine, and the peopling of South America

The identification of human artifacts at the early archaeological site of Monte Verde in southern Chile has raised questions of when and how people reached the tip of South America without leaving much other evidence in the New World. Remains of nine species of marine algae were recovered from hearths and other features at Monte Verde II, an upper occupational layer, and were directly dated between 14,220 and 13,980 calendar years before the present ( approximately 12,310 and 12,290 carbon-14 years ago). These findings support the archaeological interpretation of the site and indicate that the site's inhabitants used seaweed from distant beaches and estuarine environments for food and medicine. These data are consistent with the ideas that an early settlement of South America was along the Pacific coast and that seaweeds were important to the diet and health of early humans in the Americas.     

Convergence of developmental mutants into a single tomato model system: 'Micro-Tom' as an effective toolkit for plant development research

Background

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plant is both an economically important food crop and an ideal dicot model to investigate various physiological phenomena not possible in Arabidopsis thaliana. Due to the great diversity of tomato cultivars used by the research community, it is often difficult to reliably compare phenotypes. The lack of tomato developmental mutants in a single genetic background prevents the stacking of mutations to facilitate analysis of double and multiple mutants, often required for elucidating developmental pathways.

Results

We took advantage of the small size and rapid life cycle of the tomato cultivar Micro-Tom (MT) to create near-isogenic lines (NILs) by introgressing a suite of hormonal and photomorphogenetic mutations (altered sensitivity or endogenous levels of auxin, ethylene, abscisic acid, gibberellin, brassinosteroid, and light response) into this genetic background. To demonstrate the usefulness of this collection, we compared developmental traits between the produced NILs. All expected mutant phenotypes were expressed in the NILs. We also created NILs harboring the wild type alleles for dwarf, self-pruning and uniform fruit, which are mutations characteristic of MT. This amplified both the applications of the mutant collection presented here and of MT as a genetic model system.

Conclusions

The community resource presented here is a useful toolkit for plant research, particularly for future studies in plant development, which will require the simultaneous observation of the effect of various hormones, signaling pathways and crosstalk.     

Volatile compounds of Psidium salutare (H.B.K.) Berg. fruit

Volatile compounds were isolated from Psidium salutare fruits by simultaneous steam distillation-solvent extraction according to the Likens-Nickerson procedure. Compounds were identified by capillary GC and GC-MS. One hundred and fifty compounds were identified in the aroma concentrate, from which limonene, myrcene, and alpha-pinene were found to be the major constituents in the fruit.     

Implementing Atmospheric Fate in Regulatory Risk Assessment of Pesticides: (How) Can It Be Done?

Atmospheric fate of pesticides and their possible effects in ecosystems beyond the immediate surrounding of the application site are not actively considered in currently used regulatory risk assessment schemes. Concern with respect to atmospheric transport and subsequent deposition of pesticides in non-target areas is however growing. In this article the results of discussions on the possibilities of implementing atmospheric fate in regulatory risk assessment are presented. It is concluded that implementing atmospheric fate in regulatory risk assessment schemes is possible and that, from a scientific point of view, these schemes should distinguish between pesticides on the basis of both their possibility/probability to reach non-target areas and on their toxicity. This implies that application of the precautionary principle or use of intrinsic pesticide properties alone is not considered justifiable. It is recommended that the risk assessment scheme should follow a tiered approach. The first tier should be entered only if the existing regulatory risk assessment procedure, including a local PEC:PNEC calculation, has been passed and involves a test for the pesticide's total atmospheric emission potential, i.e. its potential for becoming airborne during and after application. The second tier, which is only entered if the total emission potential is higher than a certain trigger value, should consist of a PEC:PNEC calculation for regional off-site areas (10-50 km) (tier 2A). If the pesticide's atmospheric transport potential is expected to exceed a certain value, the PEC:PNEC ratio should also be calculated for more remote areas (>1000 km) (tier 2B).     

Hemochromatosis in Salers Cattle

Two 2-year-old Salers cattle from different herds raised on pasture were evaluated for retarded growth and diarrhea. Increase of liver enzyme activities and prolonged sulfobromophothalein (BSP) half life (T1/2) indicated liver disease with impaired liver function. Histopathologic examination of liver biopsies revealed a micronodular cirrhosis with marked deposition of hemosiderin in hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, and arterioles. Transferrin saturation (TS) and liver iron content were markedly increased, consistent with a diagnosis of hemochromatosis. Both animals were euthanatized due to deterioration in their condition. Necropsy findings included hepatomegaly and hemosiderin accumulation in the liver, lymph nodes, pancreas, spleen, thyroid, kidney, brain and other glandular tissue. Continued surveillance of the second herd (serum iron, total iron binding capacity [TIBC], unsaturated iron binding capacity [UIBC], and TS), identified a heifer as a hemochromatosis suspect in a subsequent generation. Liver biopsies from that animal revealed the same histopathologic changes as the previous 2 animals, and similar increases in liver iron content (8,700 ppm, normal range 45 to 300 ppm). The 3 affected cattle were all products of line breeding programs and shared a common ancestor. The absence of dietary iron loading in conjunction with the histopathologic and metabolic findings were consistent with a diagnosis of primary hemochromatosis. The reported disease is similar to idiopathic hemochromatosis in human beings in which there is a hereditary defect in iron metabolism.     

Cross-sectional study on prevalence of Trypanosoma evansi infection in domestic ruminants in an endemic area of the Canary Islands (Spain)

Trypanosoma evansi is the most widely spread of the pathogenic African trypanosomes of animals. The disease (surra) was first diagnosed in the Canary Islands in a dromedary camel in 1997; thus, a control plan was implemented achieving the eventual eradication of T. evansi from most of the infected areas in the Archipelago. However, a little area remains still infected despite the use of the same control measures. To evaluate possible reservoirs in the area a representative sample of domestic ruminants was examined by serological, parasitological and molecular tests. Of a total of 1228 ruminants assessed, 61 (5%) were serologically positive (7 cattle, 21 goats, 33 sheep), but T. evansi could be demonstrated in none of them. According to FreeCalc assessment, cattle and goat populations would be free from disease; however, the results from sheep are not adequate to conclude that the population would be free from disease. As a conclusion, surveillance must be exercised on ruminant farms in the surroundings of the infected area in order to evaluate the possible extension of the disease and their potential role as reservoirs of T. evansi.     

Contrasting time-scale effects of land-use legacy on species richness,diversity and composition in Mediterranean scrubland communities

Context

It is known that land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes affect plant community assembly for decades. However, both the short- and the long-term effects of contrasting LULC change pathways on this assembly are seldom explored.

Objectives

To assess how LULC change pathways affect woody plant community parameters (i.e. species richness, diversity and evenness) and species’ presence and abundance, compared with environmental factors and neutral processes.

Methods

The study was performed in Mediterranean limestone scrublands in NE Spain. Cover of each woody species was recorded in 150 scrubland plots belonging to five LULC change pathways along the past century, identified using land-cover maps and fieldwork. For each plot, total woody and herbaceous vegetation cover, local environmental variables and geographical position were recorded. Effects of these pathways and factors on plant community parameters and on species presence and abundance were assessed, considering spatial effects potentially associated to neutral processes.

Results

Species richness and diversity were associated with LULC change pathways and elevation, while evenness was only associated with this last. Pathways and environmental variables explained similar variance in both species’ presence and cover. In general, while community parameters were affected by recent-past (1956) use, species presence and abundance were associated with far-past (pre-1900) cropping. No relevant spatial effect was detected for any studied factor.

Conclusions

Historical LULC changes and current environmental factors drive local-scale community assembly in Mediterranean scrublands to an equal extent, while contrasting time-scale effects are found at community and species level. Neutral, dispersal-based processes are found to be non-relevant.

     

Canine visceral leishmaniasis: comparison of in vitro leishmanicidal activity of marbofloxacin, meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate

The control of canine leishmaniasis largely depends on the success of treatment. Drugs currently available to treat this disease are toxic and partially effective. The curative effect of marbofloxacin, a third-generation fluoroquinolone developed for veterinarian individual treatment, was evaluated in vitro in the presence of Leishmania infantum promastigotes and dog-monocyte-derived macrophages; meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate were used as comparative treatments. We observed that the killing of Leishmania promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes by marbofloxacin was dose-dependent. We demonstrated that successful treatment of canine infected macrophages for 48 h was possible with 500 microg/ml of marbofloxacin. Leishmanicidal activity acted through a TNF-alpha and nitric oxide pathway and correlated with the generation of nitric oxide (NO(2)) production by monocytes derived macrophages from infected (23+/-5 microM) or healthy (21+/-6 microM) dogs, in comparison with NO(2) concentration in infected/non-treated macrophages (< 3 microM, P<0.01). This significant induced parasiticidal effect correlated with extensive elimination of amastigotes by macrophages derived from infected (11+/-5) and healthy dogs (6+/-2), when compared to infected/non-treated macrophages (530+/-105 and 472+/-86 amastigotes, respectively, P< 0.01). Marbofloxacin was shown to be non-toxic at 500 microg/ml in vitro and no cell apoptosis was observed. The molecule was able to induce a parasitic process after significant elimination of amastigotes in leishmania-infected dog macrophages. We propose that marbofloxacin, compared to standard chemotherapeutic agents (meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate), could be an effective and pragmatic oral route alternative to treat canine leishmaniasis.     

Phenotypic diversity and evolution of farmer varieties of bread wheat on organic farms in Europe

The contribution of farmers to the creation and maintenance of genetic diversity is beginning to receive more recognition in developed countries. Although the use of landraces and historic varieties has largely disappeared in countries with industrialized agricultural systems and formal seed markets, certain varieties with particular cultural significance have been continuously cultivated by farmers and other varieties have been preserved ex situ in genebanks. Recently, associations of organic farmers have become involved in the conservation and use of landraces and historic varieties (called farmer varieties in this article) because these varieties possess agronomic and quality traits that they have not found in modern varieties. In this study, eight farmer varieties of bread wheat from Europe selected by participating farmers were evaluated in on-farm trials during 3 years of cultivation. Each variety was grown on each farm, and phenotypic changes in each variety were measured the third year in a replicated split-plot trial on each farm comparing the version of each variety the farmer had multiplied to a sample of each variety from the region of origin. All varieties, including the two modern pureline varieties used as checks, showed statistically significant phenotypic changes over 3 years of multiplication. However, the magnitude of these changes was moderate and did not call into question varietal identity or distinctness. In addition, some traits of putative agronomic and adaptive importance, such as grain weight per spike and thousand kernel weight, did not respond positively to natural selection (environmental conditions and management practices) which suggests the necessity of farmer selection to maintain and improve varietal performance.     

Multiple domestications of the Mesoamerican gene pool of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.): evidence from chloroplast DNA sequences

The Mesoamerican (MA) gene pool of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) is widely distributed from northern Mexico to northern Argentina in its wild forms and from the southern United States to the east coast of Brazil in its domesticated forms. This broad distribution and lack of wild accessions of the MA gene pool in many areas of its natural distribution has impeded determining its center of domestication and establishing whether it has a single or multiple centers. To answer these questions, we evaluated 262 accessions of P. lunatus using two intergenic spacers of chloroplast DNA: atpB-rbcL and trnL-trnF. The data were analyzed using a maximum likelihood tree (ML), a haplotype network and two estimators of genetic differentiation (N _ST and G _ST). Nucleotide diversity (π) and haplotype (Hd) were quantified to estimate the percentage of reduction in genetic diversity (%r) as a founder effect. The ML tree and haplotype network indicated the existence of three groups (AI, MI and MII), which was supported by the high values of N _ST (0.61–0.80). Values for %r were high (58.67–60.83 %). Existence of Mesoamerican and Andean gene pools was confirmed, with two genetically and geographically distinct groups (MI and MII) within the MA gene pool. We present the first evidence for multiple origins of domestication for the MA gene pool. For MI, we propose western central Mexico as the domestication area and between Guatemala and Costa Rica for MII. We observed a founder effect in the MA gene pool as a result of domestication.