Competitive Interactions between Invasive Nile Tilapia and Native Fish: The Potential for Altered Trophic Exchange and Modification of Food Webs

Recent studies have highlighted both the positive and negative impacts of species invasions. Most of these studies have been conducted on either immobile invasive plants or sessile fauna found at the base of food webs. Fewer studies have examined the impacts of vagile invasive consumers on native competitors. This is an issue of some importance given the controlling influence that consumers have on lower order plants and animals. Here, we present results of laboratory experiments designed to assess the impacts of unintended aquaculture releases of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), in estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico, on the functionally similar redspotted sunfish (Lepomis miniatus). Laboratory choice tests showed that tilapia prefer the same structured habitat that native sunfish prefer. In subsequent interspecific competition experiments, agonistic tilapia displaced sunfish from their preferred structured habitats. When a piscivore (largemouth bass) was present in the tank with both species, the survival of sunfish decreased. Based on these findings, if left unchecked, we predict that the proliferation of tilapia (and perhaps other aggressive aquaculture fishes) will have important detrimental effects on the structure of native food webs in shallow, structured coastal habitats. While it is likely that the impacts of higher trophic level invasive competitors will vary among species, these results show that consequences of unintended releases of invasive higher order consumers can be important

Plant ABC proteins - a unified nomenclature and updated inventory

The ABC superfamily comprises both membrane-bound transporters and soluble proteins involved in a broad range of processes, many of which are of considerable agricultural, biotechnological and medical potential. Completion of the Arabidopsis and rice genome sequences has revealed a particularly large and diverse complement of plant ABC proteins in comparison with other organisms. Forward and reverse genetics, together with heterologous expression, have uncovered many novel roles for plant ABC proteins, but this progress has been accompanied by a confusing proliferation of names for plant ABC genes and their products. A consolidated nomenclature will provide much-needed clarity and a framework for future research.X11330sciescopu

Features of the educational process among foreign students in the first year of study

В статті наведено особливості викладання навчальних дисциплін у студентів-іноземців І-го року навчання із урахуванням рівня їх базової мовної підготовки. Окрема увага приділяється питанням виховного процесу серед цієї категорії студентів. В статье представлены особенности преподавания учебных дисциплин у иностранных студентов первого года обучения с учётом уровня их базовой языковой подготовки. Отдельное внимание отводится вопросу воспитательного процесса у этой категории студентов.The article discusses the features of teaching foreign students of the first year of study, taking into account the level of their basic language training. Special attention is paid to the educational process of students in this category