9 research outputs found
Latitude does not influence cavity entrance orientation of South American avian excavators
In the Northern Hemisphere, several avian cavity excavators (e.g., woodpeckers) orient their cavities increasingly toward the equator as latitude increases (i.e., farther north), and it is proposed that they do so to take advantage of incident solar radiation at their nests. If latitude is a key driver of cavity orientations globally, this pattern should extend to the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we test the prediction that cavities are oriented increasingly northward at higher (i.e., colder) latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere and describe the preferred entrance direction(s) of 1501 cavities excavated by 25 avian species (n = 22 Picidae, 2 Trogonidae, 1 Furnariidae) across 12 terrestrial ecoregions (15°S ? 55°S) in South America. We used Bayesian projected normal mixed-effects models for circular data to examine the influence of latitude, and potential confounding factors, on cavity orientation. Also, a probability model selection procedure was used to simultaneously examine multiple orientation hypotheses in each ecoregion, to explore underlying cavity-orientation patterns. Contrary to predictions, and patterns from the Northern Hemisphere, birds did not orient their cavities more toward the equator with increasing latitude, suggesting that latitude may not be an important underlying selective force shaping excavation behavior in South America. Moreover, unimodal cavity-entrance orientations were not frequent among the ecoregions analyzed (infour ecoregions), whereas bimodal (in five ecoregions) or uniform (in three ecoregions) werealso common, although many of these patterns were not very sharp. Our results highlight the need to include data from under-studied biotas and regions to improve inferences at macroecology scales. Furthermore, we suggest a re-analysis of Northern Hemisphere cavity orientation patterns using a multimodel approach, and a more comprehensive assessment of the role of environmental factors as drivers of cavity orientation at different spatial scales in both hemispheres.Fil: Ojeda, Valeria Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Schaaf, Alejandro Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Altamirano, Tatiana Edith. University of British Columbia; CanadĂĄFil: Bonaparte, Eugenia Bianca. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Bragagnolo, Laura Araceli. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Chazarreta, L.. SecretarĂa de Ambiente y Desarrallo Sustentable de la NaciĂłn; ArgentinaFil: Cockle, Kristina Louise. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Dias, R.. Universidade do BrasĂlia; BrasilFil: Di Sallo, Facundo Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Ibarra, T.. Pontificia Universidad CatĂłlica de Chile; ChileFil: Ippi, Silvina Graciela. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Jauregui, Adrian. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Ărea ZoologĂa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Jimenez, Jaime E.. Universidad de Magallanes; ChileFil: Lammertink, J. Martjan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical. Instituto de BiologĂa Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, F.. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa; ArgentinaFil: Nuñez Montellano, Maria Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; ArgentinaFil: de la Peña, MartĂn. No especifĂca;Fil: Rivera, Luis Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Vivanco, Constanza Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: SantillĂĄn, Miguel. Museo de Historia Natural de La Pampa; ArgentinaFil: Soto, G.. Cornell University; Estados UnidosFil: Vergara, P.. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Politi, Natalia. University of North Texas; Estados Unido
Tidal effects on short-term mesozooplankton distribution in small channels of a temperate-turbid estuary, Southwestern Atlantic
The fruit of competition: seed dispersal by Magellanic Woodpeckers in the threatened Valdivian Rainforest
Role of Ferredoxin and Flavodoxins in Bacillus subtilis Fatty Acid Desaturation âż
The Bacillus subtilis acyl lipid desaturase (Î5-Des) is an iron-dependent integral membrane protein able to selectively introduce double bonds into long-chain fatty acids. In the last decade since its discovery, the molecular mechanism of Î5-Des expression has been studied extensively. However, the mechanism of desaturation, which must rely on unknown bacterial proteins for electron transfer, has not yet been explored. The B. subtilis genome encodes three proteins that can act as potential electron donors of Î5-Des, ferredoxin (Fer) and two flavodoxins (Flds) (YkuN and YkuP), which are encoded by the ykuNOP operon. Here we report that the disruption of either the fer gene or the ykuNOP operon decreases the desaturation of palmitic acid by âŒ30%. Nevertheless, a fer ykuNOP mutant abolished the desaturation reaction almost completely. Our results establish Fer and the two Flds as redox partners for Î5-Des and suggest that the Fer and Fld proteins could function physiologically in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in B. subtilis. Although Flds have extensively been described as partners in a number of redox processes, this is the first report describing their role as electron donors in the fatty acid desaturation reaction