Territoriality: the example of the White Rhinoceros

The concept of territoriality needs review in the light of recent mammalian studies. Intensive behavioural observations were carried out on the white rhinoceros in Zululand, South Africa, and results on social organisation are summarised. Territoriality is exhibited by certain adult males and has the following features: (i) mutually exclusive ranges of 1-2 km2; (ii) a dominant assertiveness in interactions within the territory; (iii) specialised scent marking techniques using dung and urine; (iv) exclusive participation in reproduction. Territories may be shared with one or more subsidiary bulls. Territoriality in the white rhino may be characterised as a space-correlated dominance relationship with the function of ordering reproductive competition among males. It plays no significant role in population regulation. These conclusions are extended to other territorial ungulates. Methodological criteria for territoriality are suggested. Evidence is needed on (i) differing social classes; (ii) range utilisation patterns; (iii) spatial features of dominance relationships

Probing the (H3-H4)(2) histone tetramer structure using pulsed EPR spectroscopy combined with site-directed spin labelling

The (H3-H4)2 histone tetramer forms the central core of nucleosomes and, as such, plays a prominent role in assembly, disassembly and positioning of nucleosomes. Despite its fundamental role in chromatin, the tetramer has received little structural investigation. Here, through the use of pulsed electron-electron double resonance spectroscopy coupled with site-directed spin labelling, we survey the structure of the tetramer in solution. We find that tetramer is structurally more heterogeneous on its own than when sequestered in the octamer or nucleosome. In particular, while the central region including the H3-H3′ interface retains a structure similar to that observed in nucleosomes, other regions such as the H3 αN helix display increased structural heterogeneity. Flexibility of the H3 αN helix in the free tetramer also illustrates the potential for post-translational modifications to alter the structure of this region and mediate interactions with histone chaperones. The approach described here promises to prove a powerful system for investigating the structure of additional assemblies of histones with other important factors in chromatin assembly/fluidity

Consumer-Resource Dynamics: Quantity, Quality, and Allocation

CITATION: Getz, W. M. & Owen-Smith, N. 2011. Consumer-resource dynamics : quantity, quality, and allocation. PLoS ONE, 6(1): e14539, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014539.The original publication is available at http://journals.plos.org/plosoneBackground: The dominant paradigm for modeling the complexities of interacting populations and food webs is a system of coupled ordinary differential equations in which the state of each species, population, or functional trophic group is represented by an aggregated numbers-density or biomass-density variable. Here, using the metaphysiological approach to model consumer-resource interactions, we formulate a two-state paradigm that represents each population or group in a food web in terms of both its quantity and quality. Methodology and Principal Findings: The formulation includes an allocation function controlling the relative proportion of extracted resources to increasing quantity versus elevating quality. Since lower quality individuals senesce more rapidly than higher quality individuals, an optimal allocation proportion exists and we derive an expression for how this proportion depends on population parameters that determine the senescence rate, the per-capita mortality rate, and the effects of these rates on the dynamics of the quality variable. We demonstrate that oscillations do not arise in our model from quantity-quality interactions alone, but require consumer-resource interactions across trophic levels that can be stabilized through judicious resource allocation strategies. Analysis and simulations provide compelling arguments for the necessity of populations to evolve quality-related dynamics in the form of maternal effects, storage or other appropriate structures. They also indicate that resource allocation switching between investments in abundance versus quality provide a powerful mechanism for promoting the stability of consumer-resource interactions in seasonally forcing environments. Conclusions/Significance: Our simulations show that physiological inefficiencies associated with this switching can be favored by selection due to the diminished exposure of inefficient consumers to strong oscillations associated with the wellknown paradox of enrichment. Also our results demonstrate how allocation switching can explain observed growth patterns in experimental microbial cultures and discuss how our formulation can address questions that cannot be answered using the quantity-only paradigms that currently predominate. © 2011 Getz, Owen-Smith.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0014539Publisher's versio

The histone chaperones Nap1 and Vps75 bind histones H3 and H4 in a tetrameric conformation

Histone chaperones physically interact with histones to direct proper assembly and disassembly of nucleosomes regulating diverse nuclear processes such as DNA replication, promoter remodeling, transcription elongation, DNA damage, and histone variant exchange. Currently, the best-characterized chaperone-histone interaction is that between the ubiquitous chaperone Asf1 and a dimer of H3 and H4. Nucleosome assembly proteins (Nap proteins) represent a distinct class of histone chaperone. Using pulsed electron double resonance (PELDOR) measurements and protein crosslinking, we show that two members of this class, Nap1 and Vps75, bind histones in the tetrameric conformation also observed when they are sequestered within the nucleosome. Furthermore, H3 and H4 trapped in their tetrameric state can be used as substrates in nucleosome assembly and chaperone-mediated lysine acetylation. This alternate mode of histone interaction provides a potential means of maintaining the integrity of the histone tetramer during cycles of nucleosome reassembly

Metrology for Ammonia in Ambient Air – concept and first results of the EMRP project MetNH3

Dans le cadre du Programme de Recherche Européen en Métrologie (EMRP), un projet de trois ans a débuté en juin 2014 avec l’objectif d’améliorer la compréhension et la traçabilité métrologique des mesures d’ammoniac (NH3) ambient, dans le domaine 0.5 - 500 nmol/mol. Les trois tâches principales de ce projet sont 1) d’améliorer l’exactitude et la stabilité de mélanges de gaz de référence statiques et dynamiques, 2) de développer un étalon de transfert optique et 3) d’établir un lien entre les standards métrologiques de haute précision et les mesures de terrain. Les résultats attendus de ce projet vont améliorer l’exactitude et la fiabilité des estimations d’émissions et ainsi aider à l’évaluation de l’efficacité des mesures de réduction d’émission prescrites par les réglementations internationales. Dans cette publication nous décrivons le concept, les objectifs et les premiers résultats du projet

A Mathematical Model of Black Rhino Translocation Strategy

A deterministic mathematical model of the black rhino population in South Africa will be discussed. The model is constructed by dividing the black rhino population into multiple patches. The impact of human intervention on different translocation strategies is incorporated into the model. It is shown that, when implemented correctly, translocation can accelerate the growth rate of the total black rhino population. Equilibrium points are shown with their local stability criteria

Abundance and guild structure of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) in communally grazed and protected savanna

This study was conducted to determine how savanna grass sward modifications caused by heavy grazing pressure influenced the abundance and guild structure of grasshoppers. Heavily grazed communal land was compared with a lightly grazed area and a mowed airstrip, in adjacent protected land, in the Mpumalanga lowveld, South Africa. Plant species composition, height, aerial cover and greenness of grass in the herbaceous stratum were measured in representative sites. Total grasshopper abundance and relative abundance of grasshopper species were also assessed in each site. Grasshoppers were assigned to feeding and habitat functional groups for comparison among the three areas. The heavily grazed area, characterised by short vegetation and low aerial cover, high greenness of grass, and high frequency of forbs, was inhabited by grasshopper species associated with bare ground or short and/or sparse grass, that were non-graminivorous or soft grass feeders. The lightly grazed area, characterised by tall vegetation and high aerial cover, low greenness of grass, and low frequency of forbs, was inhabited by grasshopper species associated with long and/or thick grass, that were mixed feeders or tough grass feeders. The mowed area, characterised by short vegetation and low aerial cover, low greenness of grass, and low frequency of forbs, exhibited lower grasshopper abundance, species richness, and diversity than either of the grazed areas