Precise Installation of Diazo-Tagged Side-Chains on Proteins to Enable In Vitro and In-Cell Site-Specific Labeling.

The chemistry of diazo compounds has generated a huge breadth of applications in the field of organic synthesis. Their versatility combined with their tunable reactivity, stability, and chemoselectivity makes diazo compounds desirable reagents for chemical biologists. Here, we describe a method for the precise installation of diazo handles on proteins and antibodies in a mild and specific approach. Subsequent 1,3-cycloaddition reactions with strained alkynes enable both bioimaging through an in-cell "click" reaction and probing of the cysteine proteome in cell lysates. The selectivity and efficiency of these processes makes these suitable reagents for chemical biology studies

The golden native drone fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) is an effective hybrid carrot pollinator that lives within Australian crop agroecosystems

1. Native insect flower visitors can be important contributors to crop pollination, yet little is known of their pollination abilities and the resources (habitat) they need to be supported within crop agroecosystems. 2. Here, we compared the abundance and pollination abilities of the golden drone fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) to the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) in hybrid carrot crop fields known to produce variable seed yields in regional New South Wales, Australia. We further observed the egg-laying behaviours of female golden drone flies at a commercial berry orchard to provide insight into the habitat needs of this species. 3. In hybrid carrot crop fields, golden drone flies were far less abundant flower visitors than European honey bees" however, these flies deposited more carrot pollen grains on average (8.21±3.04SE) onto carrot flowers than European honey bees (3.45±1.06SE). Both insects also deposited pollen onto a similar number of carrot flowers (pollinated) per visit (about 2 out of 18). 4. Golden drone flies were observed laying eggs within masses of discarded red raspberry plant roots and soil (root balls) at a commercial berry orchard. The natural habitat utilised by these flies, as well as their egg-laying behaviours, were described for the first time. 5. Our results indicate that golden drone flies are effective pollinators of hybrid carrot crop plants. The habitat that these flies utilised to lay eggs (discarded plants and water) is cheap and commonly found in crop agroecosystems. Therefore, we recommend placing this low-cost habitat within, or nearby, crop fields as a potential management practice to support the lifecycle needs of golden drone flies and other non-bee pollinators

The taxation exemption of Canadian Indians as governments and individuals: How does this compare with Australia and New Zealand?

This paper contributes to the emerging scholarship on the issue of Indigenous peoples and taxation, an area that has been neglected to date, through comparing the experiences in three nations. It argues that the use of legislation to exempt First Nations peoples from taxation in Canada in certain situations, and alternative approaches in New Zealand, provide models against which this nascent area can develop in Australia. The paper explores the Canadian approaches regarding Indian reserves, both exempting activities from mainstream tax regimes and accommodating taxation by Indian governments in their own right as well as the different strategy invoked in New Zealand. The more nuanced approaches to taxation of Indigenous peoples in both countries contrast with the Australian situation, where the focus in Indigenous rights has been on land rights, recognition of which has been subject to judicial inertia and political whim over the past decade. The concept of a ‘charitable’ organization is discussed as an alternative method for minimizing the tax burden: this approach has the further requirement that it must be in the public interest or the interest of an appreciable sector of the community. While charities also have limitations, they may be relied upon as a means of reducing tax liability for community benefit purposes such as economic development, health and education. </jats:p

Observations of nectarivorous birds and potential biological control agents in berry orchards

Abstract We observed the brown honeyeater, Lichmera indistincta, visiting blueberry orchards in eastern Australia. L. indistincta is considered to be a nectarivorous bird, feeding almost entirely on nectar. However, we report observations of this species as both a nectarivore and insectivore in blueberry crops and as an insectivore in raspberry crops. Brown honeyeaters may be acting as biological control agents when feeding on leaf‐roller caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in blueberry orchards and on brown blowflies (Calliphora stygia) in raspberry orchards. Although most blueberry growing regions use managed honey bees as the main pollinator, more studies on the complex tritrophic interactions occurring in these crops are needed to better understand the costs and benefits of different farm management practices upon alternative pollinators

The brown honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) is an effective pollinator in Australian blueberry orchards

Abstract The brown honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) is a common bird species in Australia and is a pollinator of many native plant species but there are no records demonstrating evidence of effective pollination by honeyeaters in commercial cropping systems. We observed L. indistincta visiting rabbiteye blueberry flowers at a commercial berry orchard on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales and evaluated their capacity to transfer pollen. We did this by bagging flowers to prevent visitation prior to anthesis; after anthesis, we unbagged the flowers and waited for L. indistincta visits. After a single visit, we collected the stigma and mounted it on a slide to evaluate stigmatic pollen load. We observed the birds visiting blueberry flowers and foraging on nectar. We also found that L. indistincta deposited similar amounts of pollen to other common insect pollinator species, such as honeybees and stingless bees. As the commercial berry orchard blocks are surrounded by diverse remnant vegetation, we hypothesize that the vegetation is likely providing habitat for these birds. Our results indicate that berry growers with management practices that protect and support remnant vegetation surrounding blueberry orchard blocks may benefit from higher blueberry pollination services by supporting diverse pollinators within fields

Pollen deposition by brown honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) in Australian blueberry orchards - dataset

Pollen deposition data after a single visit by brown honeyeater to blueberry flowers.</p

Observations of birds foraging in blueberry orchards and perched on cages containing brown blowflies

Spreadsheet 1: Number of instances insectivorous or nectarivorous birds were seen perched on cages containing brown blowflies, Calliphoria stygia (Fabricius 1781), within one raspberry block of a commercial berry farm in Dirty Creek, New South Wales, AU, between 6 – 16 June 2021. The number of observational hours spent on the farm varied daily depending on the weather. Observations were not collected while raining or in temperatures below 10°C. Spreadsheet 2: Number of instances Lichmera indistincta (Brown honeyeater), Zosterops lateralis (silvereye), and Myzomela sanguineolenta (scarlet honeyeater) birds were seen foraging within blueberry blocks of a commercial berry farm in Dirty Creek, New South Wales, AU. Observations of M. sanguineolenta occurred occasionally in 2016, and from September until October 2020 observations of L. indidstincta and Z. lateralis were made. The number of observational hours spent on the farm varied daily depending on the weather. Observations were not collected while raining or in temperatures below 10°C. Time: morning 7:00h to 12:00h; afternoon 13:00h to 16:00h. NA = not possible to detect the foraging behaviour.  </p