The control of larval colour in Phlogophora meticulosa L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and some of its consequences

The larvae of many Lepidoptera of the family Noctuidae have both green and brown forms. This trait had never been studied in depth. (Chapter 1) Larvae of Phlogophora meticulosa exhibit considerable colour variation. A method was developed to score larval colour. (Chapter 2) Eight colour types were defined, these being named "early green", "3rd instar green", and the main colour types "green, olive, brown, plain yellow, yellow-green and yellow-brown". Larval colour in the 1st, 2nd and sometimes 3rd instars is determined by foodplant colour. The seven colour types found in the late in stars, (3rd instar green is replaced by the green main colour type in subsequent instars), are controlled by five unlinked major genes which have a total of eleven alleles. The system involves a complex arrangement of dominance and epistatic effects. (Chapter 3) The change from foodplant to genetic control of larval colour is correlated with a change from a positive to a negative phototactic response. (Chapter 4) Study of allelic and phenotypic frequencies in wild populations has indicated that the genetic polymorphism is balanced from year to year, although the frequencies of some alleles show seasonal variation. (Chapter 5) Tests to determine the nature of the selective forces, which maintain the polymorphism, have indicated that choice of mate is random. Heterozygote advantage is implicated in the maintenance of at least two of the genes. (Chapter 6) Selection due to viral infection and parasitism both affect the maintenance of at least one gene, and beetle and small mammal predation may also do so. (Chapter 7) Experiments on the effects of bird predation have uncovered a complicated system of bird-larval morph relationships. (Chapter 8) Arguments are put forward to explain the switch from foodplant to genetic control of colour, and to explain the lack of linkage between the five major genes controlling larval colour. The relative importance of the selective agencies scrutinised is considered. It is suggested that bird predation is extremely important in the maintenance of the genetic system. The degree to which larval morphs are exposed to differential predation by birds is determined by the cryptic qualities of the larvae, and, because birds select apostatically to some extent, their abundance. Further lines of research are suggested. (Chapter 9)<p

EU Development of High Heat Flux Components

The development of plasma facing components for next step fusion devices in Europe is strongly focused to ITER. Here a wide spectrum of different design options for the divertor target and the first wall have been investigated with tungsten, CFC, and beryllium armor. Electron beam simulation experiments have been used to determine the performance of high heat flux components under ITER specific thermal loads. Beside thermal fatigue loads with power density levels up to 20MWm(-2), off normal events are a serious concern for the lifetime of plasma facing components. These phenomena are expected to occur on a time scale of a few milliseconds (plasma disruptions) or several hundred milliseconds (vertical displacement events) and have been identified as a major source for the production of neutron activated metallic or tritium enriched carbon dust which is of serious importance from a safety point of view. The irradiation induced material degradation is another critical concern for future D-T-burning fusion devices. In ITER the integrated neutron fluence to the first wall and the divertor armour will remain in the order of I dpa and 0.7 dpa, respectively. This value is low compared to future commercial fusion reactors; nevertheless, a non-negligible degradation of the materials has been detected, both for mechanical and thermal properties, in particular for the thermal conductivity of carbon based materials. Beside the degradation of individual material properties, the high heat flux performance of actively cooled plasma facing components has been investigated under ITER specific thermal and neutron loads

Cooperative Evaluation of Western Hemisphere Grassland Germplasm in Inner Mongolia, PRC

Replicated studies were established jointly by Chinese and American scientists in central Inner Mongolia. Both Asian and North American plant materials were included. Results of the Chinese plots show USA saline-tolerant species have potential to assist the Chinese with saline soil reclamation. On saline sites, USA cultivars rated the best stands and had the highest yields. Generally, Chinese desert steppe species outperformed USA upland entries with the Chinese legumes establishing the best stands and producing the most biomass

Cooperative Evaluation of Western Hemisphere Grassland Germplasm in Inner Mongolia, PRC

Replicated studies were established jointly by Chinese and American scientists in central Inner Mongolia. Both Asian and North American plant materials were included. Results of the Chinese plots show USA saline-tolerant species have potential to assist the Chinese with saline soil reclamation. On saline sites, USA cultivars rated the best stands and had the highest yields. Generally, Chinese desert steppe species outperformed USA upland entries with the Chinese legumes establishing the best stands and producing the most biomass

Intergenomic Arms Races: Detection of a Nuclear Rescue Gene of Male-Killing in a Ladybird

Many species of arthropod are infected by deleterious inherited micro-organisms. Typically these micro-organisms are inherited maternally. Consequently, some, particularly bacteria of the genus Wolbachia, employ a variety of strategies that favour female over male hosts. These strategies include feminisation, induction of parthenogenesis and male-killing. These strategies result in female biased sex ratios in host populations, which lead to selection for host factors that promote male production. In addition, the intra-genomic conflict produced by the difference in transmission of these cytoplasmic endosymbionts and nuclear factors will impose a pressure favouring nuclear factors that suppress the effects of the symbiont. During investigations of the diversity of male-killing bacteria in ladybirds (Coccinellidae), unexpected patterns of vertical transmission of a newly discovered male-killing taxon were observed in the ladybird Cheilomenes sexmaculata. Initial analysis suggested that the expression of the bacterial male-killing trait varies according to the male(s) a female has mated with. By swapping males between females, a male influence on the expression of the male-killing trait was confirmed. Experiments were then performed to determine the nature of the interaction. These studies showed that a single dominant allele, which rescues male progeny of infected females from the pathological effect of the male-killer, exists in this species. The gene shows typical Mendelian autosomal inheritance and is expressed irrespective of the parent from which it is inherited. Presence of the rescue gene in either parent does not significantly affect the inheritance of the symbiont. We conclude that C. sexmaculata is host to a male-killing γ-proteobacterium. Further, this beetle is polymorphic for a nuclear gene, the dominant allele of which rescues infected males from the pathogenic effects of the male-killing agent. These findings represent the first reported case of a nuclear suppressor of male-killing in a ladybird. They are considered in regard to sex ratio and intra-genomic conflict theories, and models of the evolutionary dynamics and distribution of inherited symbionts

Factor XI/ADAMTS13 complexes are quantitatively insignificant in human plasma

Reportedly, complexes between factor XI and ADAMTS13 are detected with a commercial ADAMTS13/FXI ELISA kit in plasma and are decreased in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Using this kit, control and TTP patient plasma contained varying amounts of signal (25-670% of a reference plasma) but no signal was observed for mixtures of recombinant enzymes, suggesting little interaction. ADAMTS13/FXI complexes were undetectable by immunoprecipitation or gel filtration chromatography in control plasma or mixtures of recombinant proteins. These results suggest that ADAMTS13/FXI complexes are insignificant in plasma and unlikely to affect the function of either protein during normal hemostasis or in TTP

Stage‐dependent responses to emergent habitat heterogeneity: consequences for a predatory insect population in a coffee agroecosystem

Interactions among members of biological communities can create spatial patterns that effectively generate habitat heterogeneity for other members in the community, and this heterogeneity might be crucial for their persistence. For example, stage‐dependent vulnerability of a predatory lady beetle to aggression of the ant, Azteca instabilis, creates two habitat types that are utilized differently by the immature and adult life stages of the beetle. Due to a mutualistic association between A. instabilis and the hemipteran Coccus viridis – which is A. orbigera main prey in the area – only plants around ant nests have high C. viridis populations. Here, we report on a series of surveys at three different scales aimed at detecting how the presence and clustered distribution of ant nests affect the distribution of the different life stages of this predatory lady beetle in a coffee farm in Chiapas, Mexico. Both beetle adults and larvae were more abundant in areas with ant nests, but adults were restricted to the peripheries of highest ant activity and outside the reach of coffee bushes containing the highest densities of lady beetle larvae. The abundance of adult beetles located around trees with ants increased with the size of the ant nest clusters but the relationship is not significant for larvae. Thus, we suggest that A. orbigera undergoes an ontogenetic niche shift, not through shifting prey species, but through stage‐specific vulnerability differences against a competitor that renders areas of abundant prey populations inaccessible for adults but not for larvae. Together with evidence presented elsewhere, this study shows how an important predator is not only dependent on the existence of two qualitatively distinct habitat types, but also on the spatial distribution of these habitats. We suggest that this dependency arises due to the different responses that the predator's life stages have to this emergent spatial pattern. Interactions among members of biological communities can create spatial patterns that effectively generate habitat heterogeneity for other members in the community and this heterogeneity might be crucial for their persistence. Here we report how a voracious predatory ladybeetle in a coffee farm in Chiapas, Mexico undergoes an ontogenetic niche shift, not through shifting prey species, but through stage‐specific vulnerability differences against a competitor that renders areas of abundant prey populations inaccessible for adults but not for larvae. Our study suggests that the resulting spatial separation of resources may be crucial for the predator population persistence.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108324/1/ece31161.pd