Differences in the trophic ecology of micronekton driven by diel vertical migration.

Many species of micronekton perform diel vertical migrations (DVMs), which ultimately contributes to carbon export to the deep sea. However, not all micronekton species perform DVM, and the nonmigrators, which are often understudied, have different energetic requirements that might be reflected in their trophic ecology. We analyze bulk tissue and whole animal stable nitrogen isotopic compositions (δ 15N values) of micronekton species collected seasonally between 0 and 1250 m depth to explore differences in the trophic ecology of vertically migrating and nonmigrating micronekton in the central North Pacific. Nonmigrating species exhibit depth-related increases in δ 15N values mirroring their main prey, zooplankton. Higher variance in δ 15N values of bathypelagic species points to the increasing reliance of deeper dwelling micronekton on microbially reworked, very small suspended particles. Migrators have higher δ 15N values than nonmigrators inhabiting the epipelagic zone, suggesting the consumption of material during the day at depth, not only at night when they migrate closer to the surface. Migrating species also appear to eat larger prey and exhibit a higher range of variation in δ 15N values seasonally than nonmigrators, likely because of their higher energy needs. The dependence on material at depth enriched in 15N relative to surface particles is higher in migratory fish that ascend only to the lower epipelagic zone. Our results confirm that stark differences in the food habits and dietary sources of micronekton species are driven by vertical migrations

Multiple mating in the ant Cataglyphis cursor: testing the sperm limitation and the diploid male load hypotheses

Abstract.: Multiple mating (i.e., polyandry) by queens in social Hymenoptera is expected to weaken social cohesion since it lowers within-colony relatedness, and hence, indirect fitness benefits from kin selection. Yet, there are many species where queens mate multiply. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the evolution and maintenance of polyandry. Here,we investigated the ‘sperm limitation' and the ‘diploid male load' hypotheses in the ant Cataglyphis cursor. Genetic analyses of mother-offspring combinations showed that queens mate with up to 8 males, with an effective mating frequency of 3.79. Significant paternity skew (unequal contribution of the fathers) was detected in 1 out of 5 colonies. The amount of sperm stored in the spermatheca was not correlated with the queen mating frequency, and males carry on average enough sperm in their seminal vesicles to fill one queen's spermatheca. Analyses of the nuclear DNA-content of males also revealed that all were haploid. These results suggest that the ‘sperm limitation' and the ‘diploid male load' hypotheses are unlikely to account for the queen mating frequency reported in this ant. In light of our results and the life-history traits of C. cursor, we discuss alternative hypotheses to account for the adaptive significance of multiple mating by queens in this specie

Predicting essential components of signal transduction networks: a dynamic model of guard cell abscisic acid signaling

Plants both lose water and take in carbon dioxide through microscopic stomatal pores, each of which is regulated by a surrounding pair of guard cells. During drought, the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) inhibits stomatal opening and promotes stomatal closure, thereby promoting water conservation. Here we synthesize experimental results into a consistent guard cell signal transduction network for ABA-induced stomatal closure, and develop a dynamic model of this process. Our model captures the regulation of more than forty identified network components, and accords well with previous experimental results at both the pathway and whole cell physiological level. Our analysis reveals the novel predictions that the disruption of membrane depolarizability, anion efflux, actin cytoskeleton reorganization, cytosolic pH increase, the phosphatidic acid pathway or of K+ efflux through slowly activating K+ channels at the plasma membrane lead to the strongest reduction in ABA responsiveness. Initial experimental analysis assessing ABA-induced stomatal closure in the presence of cytosolic pH clamp imposed by the weak acid butyrate is consistent with model prediction. Our method can be readily applied to other biological signaling networks to identify key regulatory components in systems where quantitative information is limited.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

STAT5A expression in swiss 3T3 cells promotes adipogenesis in vivo in an athymic mice model system

Many studies from our laboratories and others have shown that STAT5 expression and activity are increased during adipogenesis of murine and human adipocytes. Ectopic expression of STAT5A in fibroblasts or preadipocytes can confer or enhance adipogenesis. To determine whether STAT5A also plays a role in adipogenesis in vivo, we injected athymic mice with Swiss 3T3 cells expressing an empty pBABE retrovirus, Swiss cells expressing a pBABE retrovirus-containing STAT5A, or 3T3-F442A preadipocytes. Athymic mice injected with either 3T3-F442A cells or Swiss 3T3 cells expressing STAT5A resulted in fat pad formation at the site of injection. However, mice injected with Swiss cells containing the parent retroviral vector did not have any observable fat pads. An analysis of the ectopic fat pads obtained from the Swiss 3T3 STAT5A mice revealed abundant expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) and adiponectin. The protein levels of both of these fat cell markers were comparable to expression levels in epididymal fat pads. These results demonstrate that STAT5A can promote adipogenesis in vivo in this model system which supports a role of this transcription factor in adipocyte development in the whole animal. © 2011 The Obesity Society

El problema de los subespacios invariantes

El Prof. Carl Pearcy, de la Universidad de Michigan en Ann Arbor, visitó la Escuela de Matemática en noviembre de 1983, y ofreció un minicurso de tres sesiones sobre el problema de los subespacios invariantes. Dicho problema pide averiguar si un operador acotado sobre un espacio de Banach posee un subespacio cerrado no trivial invariante. El Dr. Pearcy era un experto en esta rama del análisis funcional. Estas notas del minicurso, tomados por Joseph Várilly, circularon como manuscrito mecanografiado durante varios años.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Matemátic

Detection of a Light Echo from the Otherwise Normal SN 2007af

We present the discovery of a light echo from SN 2007af, a normal Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) in NGC 5584. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images taken three years post explosion reveal two separate echoes; an outer echo and extended central region, which we propose as an unresolved inner echo. Multiple images were obtained in the F160W, F350LP, F555W, and F814W using the Wide Field Camera 3. If the outer echo is produced by an interstellar dust sheet perpendicular to the line of sight, it is located ~800 pc in front of the SN. The dust for the inner echo is 0.45 pc < d < 90 pc away from the SN. The inner echo color is consistent with typical interstellar dust wavelength-dependent scattering cross-sections, while the outer echo color does not match the predictions. Both dust sheets, if in the foreground, are optically thin for scattering, with the outer echo sheet thickness consistent with the inferred extinction from peak brightness. Whether the inner echo is from interstellar or circumstellar dust is ambiguous. Overall, the echo characteristics are quite similar to previously observed SN Ia echoes.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, 7 table

The ocean ecology of salmon in the Northeast Pacific Ocean : an abridged history

Research on the ecology of salmon in the northeast Pacific Ocean began in the early 20th century. Charles Gilbert and Willis Rich demonstrated the basis for the stock concept and were instrumental in changing common misconceptions of the times. Later in the 1900s, research endeavors, primarily under the auspices of the International North Pacific Fisheries Commission, led to important studies on the distribution and migration of maturing salmon on the high seas. Research on the early juvenile period was initiated later, especially after the 1982-1983 El Niño clearly showed the limits of the ocean's carrying capacity along the west coast of the United States. There is now good evidence for both intra- and interspecific competition among salmon in the open ocean and for correlations between variable physical environments, such as El Ninos and regime shifts, and survival of salmon during early ocean life. How mortality rates are affected by physical forcing, food availability, predation, and food web structure and how these effects will be modified by climate change and global warming are all major challenges for the future

Arabidopsis mutants reveal that short- and long-term thermotolerance have different requirements for trienoic fatty acids

The photosynthetic thylakoid has the highest level of lipid unsaturation of any membrane. In Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown at 22°C, approximately 70% of the thylakoid fatty acids are trienoic – they have three double bonds. In Arabidopsis, and other species, the levels of trienoic fatty acids decline substantially at higher temperatures. Several genetic studies indicate that reduced unsaturation improves photosynthetic function and plant survival at high temperatures. Here, these studies are extended using the Arabidopsis triple mutant, fad3-2 fad7-2 fad8 that contains no detectable trienoic fatty acids. In the short-term, fluorescence analyses and electron-transport assays indicated that photosynthetic functions in this mutant are more thermotolerant than the wild type. However, long-term photosynthesis, growth, and survival of plants were all compromised in the triple mutant at high temperature. The fad3-2 fad7-2 fad8 mutant is deficient in jasmonate synthesis and this hormone has been shown to mediate some aspects of thermotolerance; however, additional experiments demonstrated that a lack of jasmonate was not a major factor in the death of triple-mutant plants at high temperature. The results indicate that long-term thermotolerance requires a basal level of trienoic fatty acids. Thus, the success of genetic and molecular approaches to increase thermotolerance by reducing membrane unsaturation will be limited by countervailing effects that compromise essential plant functions at elevated temperatures

On mappings preserving the sharp and star orders

The present paper is devoted to the study of linear maps preserving certain relations, such as the sharp partial order and the star partial order in semisimple Banach algebras and C*-algebras.The first author is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, D.G.I. project no. MTM2011-23843, and Junta de Andaluc´ıa grant FQM375. The second author is also supported by a Plan Propio de Investigaci´on grant from University of Almer´ıa, and Junta de Andaluc´ıa grant FQM 3737. The third author is partially supported by FEDER Funds through “Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade – COMPETE” and by Portuguese Funds through FCT - “Funda¸c˜ao para a Ciˆencia e a Tecnologia”, within the project PEst-OE/MAT/UI0013/2014