Cytological, Immunocytochemical and Ultrastructural Study of the Adenohypophyseal Pars Distalis of the Kid (Capra hircus): The TSH cell

The structure and ultrastructure of the adenohypophyseal pars distalis in kids of the Murciano-granadiana breed (18 males and 12 females), aged 2-3 months and with an average carcass weight of 8 kg has been studied. Techniques of staining (Tetrachrome Herlant's, and Cleveland-Wolfe) and histochemistry (PAS, PAS-OG and BA-PAS-OG) contrasted with immunolabelling (PAP) have been used. In addition an ultrastructural study has been made and nucleus and cytoplasm, secretory granules, mitochondria and lysosomes have been measured with a semiautomatic image analyzer (IBAS-1). TSH cells are found in sagittal section in the anterior area and in an antero-caudodorsal band, and transversally in the ventral and medial region; they are 6% and their average size is 14.15 microns. Ultrastructurally they are a single cellular type with spherical granules whose size is 195 nm in males and 149 in females; these granules are characterized by a clear halo and a variable electronic density. The rough endoplasmic reticulum is found as slightly enlarged vesicles with a homogeneous and moderately electro-dense content or in concentric stratifications.     

Morphogenesis in leaf and single-cell cultures of mature Juniperus oxycedrus

Single cells were mechanically isolated from leaf-derived callus of mature Juniperus oxycedrus L. These cells divided and gave rise to callus when plated on medium containing growth regulators. Best plating efficiency was obtained on a modified Schenk and Hildebrandt medium supplemented with 0.6 micro M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 100 mg l(-1) casein hydrolyzate. Although single-cell-derived callus showed poor morphogenic potential, both adventitious shoots and embryogenic tissues differentiated from the callus. We also achieved induction of somatic embryogenesis in leaf explants of mature J. oxycedrus trees cultured in the presence of 6.0 or 10.0 micro M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or picloram. Frequency of embryogenic callus ranged from 6 to 18%; however, under the culture conditions tested, isolated embryos failed to develop into plants.     

Individual efficiency for the use of feed resources in rabbits

A Bayesian procedure, which allows consideration of the individual variation in the feed resource allocation pattern, is described and implemented in 2 sire lines of rabbit (Caldes and R). The procedure is based on a hierarchical Bayesian scheme, where the first stage of the model consists of a multiple regression model of feed intake on metabolic BW and BW gain. In a second stage, an animal model was assumed including batch, parity order, litter size, and common environmental litter effects. Animals were reared during the fattening period (from weaning at 32 d of age to 60 d of age) in individual cages on an experimental farm, and were fed ad libitum with a commercial diet. Body weight (g) and cumulative feed intake (g) were recorded weekly. Individual BW gain (g) and average BW (ABW, g) were calculated from these data for each 7-d period. Metabolic BW (g(0.75)) was estimated as ABW(0.75). The number of animals actually measured was 444 and 445 in the Caldes and R lines, respectively. Marginal posterior distributions of the genetic parameters were obtained by Gibbs sampling. Posterior means (posterior SD) for heritabilities for partial coefficients of regression of feed intake on metabolic BW and feed intake on BW gain were estimated to be 0.35 (0.17) and 0.40 (0.17), respectively, in the Caldes line and 0.26 (0.19) and 0.27 (0.14), respectively, in line R. The estimated posterior means (posterior SD) for the proportion of the phenotypic variance due to common litter environmental effects of the same coefficients of regression were respectively, 0.39 (0.14) and 0.28 (0.13) in the Caldes line and 0.44 (0.22) and 0.49 (0.14) in line R. These results suggest that efficiency of use of feed resources could be improved by including these coefficients in an index of selection.     

Changes in the herbicide sensitivity and competitive ability of Abutilon theophrasti over 28 years: Implications for hormesis and weed evolution

BACKGROUND

The potential of weed species to respond to selection forces affecting the evolution of weedy traits such as competitive ability is poorly understood. This research characterized evolutionary growth changes in a single Abutilon theophrasti Medik. population comparing multiple generations collected from 1988 to 2016. A competition study was performed to understand changes in competitive ability, and a herbicide dose–response study was carried out to assess changes in sensitivity to acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides and glyphosate over time.

RESULTS

When grown in monoculture, A. theophrasti biomass production per plant increased steadily across year-lines while leaf number decreased. In replacement experiments, A. theophrasti plants from newer year-lines were more competitive and produced more biomass and leaf area than the oldest year-line. No clear differences in sensitivity to imazamox were observed among year-lines. However, starting in 1995, this A. theophrasti population exhibited a progressive increase in growth in response to a sublethal dose of glyphosate (52 g a.e. ha⁻¹), with the 2009 and 2016 year-lines having more than 50% higher biomass than the nontreated control.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that weeds can rapidly evolve increased competitive ability. Furthermore, the results indicate the possibility of changes in glyphosate hormesis over time. These results highlight the importance of the role that rapid (i.e., subdecadal) evolution of growth traits might have on the sustainability of weed management strategies. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Extracellular Polymeric Substances Produced by the Thermophilic Cyanobacterium Gloeocapsa gelatinosa: Characterization and Assessment of Their Antioxidant and Metal-Chelating Activities

Cyanobacteria, particularly thermophilic strains, represent an important potential source of EPSs, harboring structural complexity that predicts diverse and specific bioactive potential. The thermophilic cyanobacteria Gloeocapsa gelatinosa, isolated from a natural hot source in Ain Echfa (Tunisia), was cultivated in a cylindrical reactor, and the production of biomass and EPSs was investigated. Results revealed that the strain is amongst the most efficient EPSs producers (0.89 g L⁻¹) and that EPSs production was not correlated with the growth phase. EPSs were sulfated heteropolysaccharides containing carbohydrates (70%) based on nine different monosaccharides, mainly mannose (22%), and with the presence of two uronic acids. EPSs were formed by two polymers moieties with a molecular weight of 598.3 ± 7.2 and 67.2 ± 4.4 kDa. They are thermostable in temperatures exceeding 100 °C and have an anionic nature (zeta potential of −40 ± 2 mV). Atomic force microscopy showed that EPSs formed multimodal lumps with 88 nm maximum height. EPSs presented high water holding capacity (70.29 ± 2.36%) and solubility index (97.43 ± 1.24%), and a strong bivalent metal sorption capacity especially for Cu²⁺ (91.20 ± 1.25%) and Fe²⁺ (75.51 ± 0.71%). The antioxidant activity of G. gelatinosa EPSs was investigated using four methods: the β-carotene-bleaching activity, DPPH assays, iron-reducing activity, and metal-chelating activity. EPS has shown high potential as free radicals’ scavenger, with an IC₅₀ on DPPH (0.2 g L⁻¹) three-fold lower than ascorbic acid (0.6 g L ⁻¹) and as a metal chelating activity (IC₅₀ = 0.4 g L⁻¹) significantly lower than EDTA. The obtained results allow further exploration of the thermophilic G. gelatinosa for several biotechnological and industrial applications.     

Comparison of three types of adhesives in attaching coral transplants to clam shell substrates

• 1. Nubbins from 12 coral species were transplanted onto dead giant clam shells at three sites in a lagoon near Bolinao, north‐western Philippines. Transplants were attached using three types of adhesives: cyanoacrylate glue (SG), epoxy putty (EP) and marine epoxy (ME) and were monitored over five months for detachment, in situ mortality and natural self‐attachment by tissue growth.
• 2. Corals attached with SG showed a significantly higher rate of detachment (logrank test) than those attached with either EP or ME (P<0.001 in each case). Also, those attached with EP showed a higher rate of detachment than corals attached with ME (logrank=6.46, P<0.05).
• 3. ANOVA (P>0.05) and survival analysis (logrank=2.85, P>0.05) showed no among‐adhesives differences in in situ mortality. Among the species used, Porites cylindrica, Pavona frondifera, Heliopora coerulea and Porites rus had the highest survivorship with 82%, 80%, 76% and 73%, respectively, of nubbins alive at the end of the experiment and also displayed the highest cumulative rates of self‐attachment. Species with the lowest survival rates included Acropora muricata and four pocilloporids.
• 4. Although there was no significant difference in the number of self‐attaching transplants among the adhesives, corals transplanted using ME and EP self‐attached earlier than those transplanted using SG (logrank=11.19, P<0.01).
• 5. Results from this study highlight the importance of selecting the appropriate means of attaching corals to substrates and carefully considering species‐specific traits of candidate corals for transplantation.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of weather variables and season on sporulation of Phytophthora pluvialis and Phytophthora kernoviae

Phytophthora pluvialis and Phytophthora kernoviae are the causal agents of important needle diseases on Pinus radiata in New Zealand. Little is known about the epidemiology of the diseases, making the development of control strategies challenging. To investigate the seasonality and climatic drivers of sporulation, inoculum traps, consisting of pine fascicles floating on water in plastic containers, were exchanged fortnightly at five sites in P. radiata plantations between February 2012 and December 2014. Sections of needle baits were plated onto selective media and growth of Phytophthora pluvialis and P. kernoviae recorded. To explore the generalizability of these data, they were compared to detection data for both pathogens from the New Zealand Forest Health Database (NZFHDB). Further, equivalent analyses on infection of Rhododendron ponticum by P. kernoviae in Cornwall, UK allowed the comparison of the epidemiology of P. kernoviae across different host systems and environments. In New Zealand, inoculum of P. pluvialis and P. kernoviae was detected between January–December and March–November, respectively. Inoculum of both species peaked in abundance in late winter. The probability of detecting P. pluvialis and P. kernoviae was greater at lower temperatures, while the probability of detecting P. pluvialis also increased during periods of wet weather. Similar patterns were observed in NZFHDB data. However, the seasonal pattern of infection by P. kernoviae in the UK was the opposite of that seen for sporulation in New Zealand. Phytophthora kernoviae was likely limited by warmer and drier summers in New Zealand, but by colder winter weather in the UK. These results emphasize the importance of considering both environmental drivers and thresholds in improving our understanding of pathogen epidemiology.