Sexual dimorphism in limb long bones of the German Shepherd Dog

The study of sexual dimorphism in dog anatomy, especially with regard to skeletal elements, has received little attention. The present work focuses on elements of the canine stylo- and zeugopodium, less documented than the skull or pelvis in the literature. In order to identify only sex-dependent effects, we analysed a single breed: the German Shepherd Dog. Data come from 25 dogs, with a balanced sex ratio (12 males and 13 females). Four skeletal elements of the forelimb and hindlimb (humerus, radius, femur, tibia) were each measured using seven linear morphometric variables. Univariate and multivariate analyses were then performed on these 28 variables. For all measurements, males are on average larger than females, with a mean sexual dimorphism ratio of 1.07. Sexual dimorphism is significant for 92.8% of the variables. Except of femoral measurements, diaphyseal values show the highest grade of sexual dimorphism. The mean level of disparity is higher in the forelimb (1.08) than in the hindlimb (1.05). A significant dimorphism is shown for the first component of principal component analyses conducted on each skeletal element, and for the second component with humerus measurements. Discriminant functions for sex identification give success rates included between 82% for the radius and 93% for the femur, the latter providing the highest reported score for sex identification in dogs from any skeletal element. These complementary statistic methods highlight a more dimorphic forelimb in size and a more dimorphic hindlimb in shape.     

Experimental evolution of reduced sex ratio adjustment under local mate competition

Theory predicts that local mate competition (LMC) favors the evolution of female-biased sex ratios. Empirical support of this prediction is indirect and comes from comparative studies or from studies showing that individuals can adjust their offspring sex ratio in response to varying LMC intensities. Replicate lines from a population of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae were selected under three LMC intensities for up to 54 generations. Within each selection regime, the final sex ratio matched theoretical predictions. Furthermore, the ability of individuals to adjust their offspring sex ratio diminished in females evolving under strict LMC, but not in females evolving under relaxed LMC levels. These results provide direct experimental evidence for the evolutionary process by which LMC modifies sex-allocation strategies and suggest that evolution under strict and constant LMC may lead to a loss of phenotypic plasticity.     

Flavonols and anthocyanins of bush butter, Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H.J. Lam, fruit. changes in their composition during ripening

Dacryodes edulis is a multipurpose tree presently undergoing domestication in central Africa and the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea, the fruits of which are a good source of essential fatty acids. Polyphenols were characterized in the skin zone and in the pulp of bush butter [Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H.J. Lam] fruits at different stages of ripeness, from unripe to soft fruits. Total polyphenols, assayed according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method, accounted for 3.0-4.2 mg/g of fresh skin, corresponding to 18.6-21.6 mg/g of defatted dry skin, higher concentrations than in the pulp, with 1.1-1.4 mg/g of fresh weight, corresponding to 5.4-12.3 mg/g of defatted dry weight. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography revealed the presence of flavonols and anthocyanins. Flavonols appeared to be the main class, with quercitrin as the main individual compound, and the highest concentrations occurred in the skin zone. Hyperin, isoquercitrin, isorhamnetin rhamnoside, and isorhamnetin hexoside were also present in relatively high amounts. Petunidin, cyanidin, and peonidin hexosides were identified by mass spectrometry. In the course of ripening, the total polyphenols as well as the major flavonols increased slightly between unripe and preripe stages and then declined gradually as ripening progressed. Anthocyanin profiles also showed a substantial change during ripening, concomitant with the color change from pink to purple.     

Composition of phenolic compounds in a Portuguese pear (Pyrus communis L. var. S. Bartolomeu) and changes after sun-drying

The composition of phenolic compounds of a Portuguese pear cultivar (Pyrus communis L. var. S. Bartolomeu) was determined by HPLC after thioacidolysis. The average concentration of phenolic compounds in pear harvested at commercial maturity stage was 3.7 g per kg of fresh pulp. Procyanidins were the predominant phenolics (96%), with a mean degree of polymerization (mDP) of 13-44; hydroxycinnamic acids (2%), arbutin (0.8%), and catechins (0.7%) were also present. The most abundant monomer in the procyanidin structures was (-)-epicatechin (99%), which was found as extension and terminal units; (+)-catechin (1%) was found only as a terminal unit. Sun-drying of these pears caused a decrease of 64% (on a dry pulp basis) in the total amount of native phenolic compounds. Hydroxycinnamic acids and procyanidins showed the largest decrease; the B2 procyanidin was not found at all in the sun-dried pear. Less affected were arbutin and catechins. In the sun-dried pear, the procyanidins with high mDP became unextractable in the solvents used.     

Characterization of Brassica nigra chromosomes and of blackleg resistance in B. napus–B. nigra addition lines

Brassica napus-B. nigra addition lines were previously created using the variety ‘Darmor’ as the oilseed rape genetic background. Two isozyme loci and 46 RAPD markers were added on five different B. nigra chromosomes. The oilseed rape variety used was highly susceptible to blackleg at the cotyledon stage and only the addition of chromosome 4 gave the same level of blackleg resistance as B. nigra. This resistance was efficient whatever the isolates used. A significant effect on the development of stem canker under field conditions was observed only for the line carrying chromosome 4 which was more resistant than the susceptible control. The potential effects of two other chromosomes have to be confirmed. F1 hybrids obtained by crosses between two highly susceptible lines and the monosomic addition line carrying chromosome 4 were examined under field conditions. No effect of the oilseed rape genetic background on the expression of resistance was detected. The introduction of this resistance and mapping of the gene(s) into oilseed rape varieties are discussed.     

Brassilexin accumulation and resistance to Leptosphaeria maculans in Brassica spp. and progeny of an interspecific cross B. juncea × B. napus

Summary Resistance to Leptosphaeria maculans was assessed in Brassica napus, B. juncea, B. carinata, B. nigra and progeny issuing from an interspecific cross B. napus × B. juncea, using a cotyledon-inoculation test. In these individual plants, brassilexin accumulation was determined following an abiotic, non-specific, elicitation. All the tested B. napus cultivars were highly susceptible to the parasite and weakly accumulated brassilexin. In contrast, B. juncea, B. carinata, and B. nigra usually displayed a hypersensitive response to the inoculation and accumulated more brassilexin than B. napus. The same correlation between resistance to L. maculans and phytoalexin accumulation was observed in the interspecific hybrid progeny. The cotyledon-inoculation test allowed the discrimination of plants displaying a hypersensitive response to the inoculation from those highly sensitive to the parasite, but intermediate disease severity classes were not usually representative of resistance or susceptibility. In this respect, brassilexin determination allowed differentiation, within a set of plants presenting an intermediate response to the pathogen, of plants with a high (B. juncea-like), and with a weak (B. napus-like) ability to accumulate brassilexin.Abbreviations IHP interspecific hybrid progeny - JR B. juncea-type complete resistance to blackleg (Roy, 1984) - W&D test cotyledon-inoculation test as described by Williams & Delwiche (1979)     

Sensitivity to habitat fragmentation across European landscapes in three temperate forest herbs

Landscape Ecology - Evidence for effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the viability of temperate forest herb populations in agricultural landscapes is so far based on population genetic...     

Biology of the gametes of some teleost species

Our knowledge of the biology of fish gametes is still limited. Up to now research was short-term, aiming at solving practical questions connected with gamete storage and artificial insemination. More information on gamete biology is now available and has been summarized in this minireview.In vivo storage of gametes in the genital tract after ovulation or spermiation may be influenced by the osmotic environmentvia changes in the ionic composition of the companion fluid. There is great inter-individual variability in gamete survival bothin vivo andin vitro. Mechanisms involved in the initiation of trout sperm motility have been analysed; after dilution in water or NaCl solution (125 mM) at pH > 7, Ca⁺⁺ entry due to changes in membrane potential have been observed. The involvement of cAMP and protein phosphorylation has been reported. The morphological, physical and biochemical changes in eggs that have been studied after fertilization and the corticol reaction lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of polyspermy blockage.     

Influence of the apetalous character in rape (Brassica napus) on the foraging behaviour of honeybees (Apis mellifera)

In order to establish whether commercial hybrid seed production between apetalous and apetalous rapeseed lines could be developed through insect cross-pollination, observations were made to compare the foraging behaviour of honeybees on both flower types with regard to their attractiveness. Number of flowers/m² and nectar volumes, considered as important attractive factors, did not differ between the two lines but nectar sugar composition was slightly different. Honeybee density was significantly higher on the apetalous line when their foraging activity was rather high. Honeybees showed a considerable constancy to each flower type. Passages between both types were not very frequent. Nectar foraging behaviour, observed under cages, differed with the floral morphology. On the apetalous flowers, honeybees visited the two inner nectaries by crawling over the anthers and the stigma, while on the apetalous ones they often inserted their tongues between the sepals, thus having less contact with the reproductive organs. From these results, the honeybee efficiency in cross-pollination between petalous and apetalous lines appears to be reduced.     

First chemical synthesis and in vitro characterization of the potential human metabolites 5-o-feruloylquinic acid 4'-sulfate and 4'-O-glucuronide

Feruloylquinic acids are a major class of biologically active phenolic antioxidants in coffee beans, but their metabolic fate is poorly understood. The present study investigated the phase II metabolism of feruloylquinic acids with selected human sulfotransferases (SULT1A1 and SULT1E1) and uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronosyltransferases (UGT1A1 and UGT1A9). For unequivocal metabolite identification, the chemical synthesis of two potential human metabolites of 5-O-feruloylquinic acid, the 4'-sulfated and 4'-O-glucuronidated conjugates, has been performed for the first time. Following incubation with human SULT1A1 or SULT1E1, formation of 5-O-feruloylquinic acid 4'-O-sulfate was confirmed by matching its HPLC and MS data with those of the authentic standard. On the other hand, no glucuronide conjugates were detected after incubation with human uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronosyltransferases. These results suggest that sulfation can take place on the ferulic acid moiety of feruloylquinic acids and may be a major metabolic pathway for feruloylquinic acids in humans.