Aristolactamas fenólicas de hojas y tallos de Aristolochia chilensis

Tres aristolactamas fenólicas aristolactama AII(3), velutinam(4) y  piperolactama A(5), se identificaron en hojas y tallos de Aristolochia chilensis Bridges ex  Lindl. Las estructuras de estos compuestos se determinaron por combinación de CLAE-DAD, CG-EM y experimentos de RMN

Pregnancy rate in dairy cows treated with human chorionic gonadotropin five days after insemination

This study tested whether the administration of hCG five days after insemination increased progesterone concentration and pregnancy rate (PR) in dairy cows. A total of 989 lactating Holstein cows with different parity and number of prior services wereused. Cows were inseminated after overt estrus or at a fixed-time. Five days post-insemination, cows were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: hCG (n=482), which received 3500 IU of hCG by intramuscular injection; and the control group (n=507), which did not receive any treatment. Pregnancy was diagnosed by ultrasound on day 30 post-insemination, and gestation was confirmed on day 60 post-insemination by rectal palpation. In 15 cows from each treatment group, plasma progesterone concentration was determined on days 5, 11, and 15 post-insemination. Pregnancy rate was analysed using logistic regression. Variations in progesterone concentration between treatments were tested by ANOVA for repeated measurements. Progesterone concentration was higher on days 11 and 15 in cows treated with hCG, compared to the control group (P<0.05). Treatment with hCG increased pregnancy rate (47.5 vs. 37.4%. Odds ratio 1.3; P<0.05). No interaction was observed between treatment and body condition, prior services, milk production, parity, or insemination type (overt estrus or fixed time). Treatment with hCG did not reduce pregnancy losses between day 30 and 60 post-insemination (P>0.1). We conclude that injection of hCG five days after insemination increased progesterone concentration and pregnancy rate in dairy cows

The influence of glacial melt and retreat on the nutritional condition of the bivalve Nuculana inaequisculpta (Protobranchia: Nuculanidae) in the West Antarctic Peninsula

Due to climate change, numerous ice bodies have been lost in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). As a consequence, deglaciation is expected to impact the marine environment and its biota at physiological and ecosystem levels. Nuculana inaequisculpta is a marine bivalve widely distributed around Antarctica that plays an important role for ecosystem functioning. Considering that N. inaequisculpta inhabits coastal areas under effect of glacial melt and retreat, impacts on its nutritional condition are expected due to alterations on its physiology and food availability. To test this hypothesis, biochemical composition (lipids, proteins, and fatty acids) and energy content were measured in individuals of N. inaequisculpta collected in a fjord at different distances to the retreating glacier in the WAP. Oceanographic parameters of the top and bottom-water layers (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a) were measured to investigate how the environment changes along the fjord. Results showed that surface oceanographic parameters displayed a lower temperature and dissolved oxygen, but a higher salinity and chlorophyll-a content at nearest compared to farthest sites to the glacier. In contrast, a lower temperature and chlorophyll-a, and a higher salinity and dissolved oxygen was measured in the bottom-water layer toward the glacier. N. inaequisculpta had a higher amount of lipids (17.42 ± 3.24 vs. 12.16 ± 3.46%), protein (24.34 ± 6.12 vs. 21.05 ± 2.46%) and energy content (50.57 ± 6.97 J vs. 39.14 ± 5.80 J) in the farthest compared to the nearest site to the glacier. No differences were found in total fatty acids among all sites. It seems likely that lower individual fitness related to proximity to the glacier would not be related to nutritional quality of sediment food, but rather to food quantity

Cell surface receptor kinase FERONIA linked to nutrient sensor TORC1 signaling controls root hair growth at low temperature in Arabidopsis thaliana

Root hairs (RH) are excellent model systems for studying cell size regulation since they elongate several hundred-fold their original size. Their growth is determined both by intrinsic and environmental signals. Although nutrients availability in the soil are key factors for a sustained plant growth, the molecular mechanisms underlying their perception and downstream signaling pathways remains unclear. Here, we identified that a low temperature triggers a strong RH cell elongation response involving the cell surface receptor kinase FERONIA (FER) and nutrient sensor TORC1 pathway. We found that FER is required to perceive limited nutrients availability caused by low temperature, to interacts with and activate TORC1-downstream components to trigger RH growth. Nitrates perceived and transported by NRT1.1 were found to mimic this growth response at low temperature. Our findings reveal a new molecular mechanism by which a central hub composed by FER-TORC1 controls RH cell elongation under low temperature.Fil: Martinez Pacheco, Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Song, Limei. Hunan University; ChinaFil: Berdion Gabarain, Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Peralta, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Urzúa Lehuedé, Tomás. Universidad Andrés Bello; ChileFil: Ibeas, Miguel Ángel. Universidad Andrés Bello; ChileFil: Zhu, Sirui. Hunan University; ChinaFil: Shen, Yanan. Hunan University; ChinaFil: Yu, Feng. Hunan University; ChinaFil: Estevez, Jose Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad Andrés Bello; Chil

Role of the larval feeding morphology and digestive enzyme activity in the early development of the polychaete Boccardia wellingtonensis

In marine invertebrates, the modes of development at early stages are related to the type and capacity of larval feeding to achieve growth. Therefore, studying the factors that determine larval feeding strategies can help to understand the diversity of life histories and evolution of marine invertebrates. The polychaete Boccardia wellingtonensis is a poecilogonous species that encapsulates and incubates its offspring. This species produces two types of larvae: (1) larvae that do not feed within the capsule and hatch as planktotrophic larvae (indirect development), and (2) adelphophagic larvae that feed on nurse eggs and other larvae inside the capsule to hatch as advanced larvae or juveniles (direct development). Otherwise, the larval types are indistinguishable at the same stage of development. The non-apparent morphological differences between both types of larvae suggest that other factors are influencing their feeding behavior. This work studied the potential role of the activity of 19 digestive enzymes on the different feeding capacities of planktotrophic and adelphophagic larvae of B. wellingtonensis. Also, differences in larval feeding structures and the larval capacity to feed from intracapsular fluid were evaluated by electron and fluorescence microscopy. Results showed that both types of larvae present similar feeding structures and had the capacity to ingest intracapsular fluid protein. Adelphophagic larvae showed overall the highest activities of digestive enzymes. Significant differences between larval types were observed in nine enzymes related to the use of internal and external nutritional sources. Given that larval feeding is closely related to larval development in species with encapsulation, this work supports that the study of the digestive enzymatic machinery of larvae may contribute to understanding the evolution of developmental modes

Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassa

Parasites can alter the reproductive performance of their hosts, and to avoid or mitigate the resulting fitness loss, hosts may increase their current reproductive output to compensate for the future loss due to the parasitic infection. Fecundity compensation can be exploited by parasites for their own transmission (exploitation of host compensatory responses by parasites). However, this phenomenon has rarely been reported in second intermediate hosts of trematodes and its mechanisms and consequences largely unexplored. Along the east coast of the South Pacific, the second intermediate host, the mollusk Fissurella crassa, has been observed to display higher muscular foot, greater shell length and weight, and a higher gonadosomatic index when parasitized by metacercariaes of Proctoeces humboldti compared to non-parasitized hosts. In this study, we examined the histology, biochemistry (glucose, lipids, and proteins), and levels of sex hormones (estradiol and progesterone) in both parasitized and non-parasitized female individuals of F. crassa. Our findings revealed that the gonad of parasitized limpets had a higher density of oocytes, but these had a smaller individual area. Additionally, the gonadal tissue of parasitized limpets exhibited lower glucose content but higher lipid content. Notably, the levels of progesterone increased with parasite intensity. These results suggest that F. crassa possesses the ability to compensate for the negative effects of parasites by increasing the number of oocytes through biochemical and hormonal mechanisms. Our study contributes to the limited research on the impact of metacercariae on the reproduction of second intermediate hosts. Furthermore, we discuss how these changes in parasitized limpets could benefit parasite transmission

Interpopulational differences in the nutritional condition of Aequiyoldia eightsii (Protobranchia: Nuculanidae) during austral summer at the Western Antarctic Peninsula

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a hotspot for environmental change and has a strong environmental gradient from North to South. Here, for the first time we used adult individuals of the bivalve Aequiyoldia eightsii to evaluate large-scale spatial variation in the biochemical composition (measured as lipid, protein and fatty acids) and energy content, as a proxy for nutritional condition, of three populations along the WAP: O’Higgins Research Station in the north (63.3°S), Yelcho Research Station in mid-WAP (64.9°S) and Rothera Research Station further south (67.6°S). The results reveal significantly higher quantities of lipids (L), proteins (P), energy (E) and total fatty acids (FA) in the northern population (O’Higgins) (L: 8.33 ± 1.32%; P: 22.34 ± 3.16%; E: 171.53 ± 17.70 Joules; FA: 16.33 ± 0.98 mg g) than in the mid-WAP population (Yelcho) (L: 6.23 ± 0.84%; P: 18.63 ± 1.17%; E: 136.67 ± 7.08 Joules; FA: 10.93 ± 0.63 mg g) and southern population (Rothera) (L: 4.60 ± 0.51%; P: 13.11 ± 0.98%; E: 98.37 ± 5.67 Joules; FA: 7.58 ± 0.48 mg g). We hypothesize these differences in the nutritional condition could be related to a number of biological and environmental characteristics. Our results can be interpreted as a consequence of differences in phenology at each location; differences in somatic and gametogenic growth rhythms. Contrasting environmental conditions throughout the WAP such as seawater temperature, quantity and quality of food from both planktonic and sediment sources, likely have an effect on the metabolism and nutritional intake of this species

Hyppolyte leptocerus Heller 1863

Hyppolyte leptocerus (Heller, 1863) (Figs 1 B– 7) Zoea I. Size. TL= 1.33–1.36 mm; CL = 0.49–0.51 mm. Carapace (Figs. 2 A,B). Eyes sessile, with a single minute median tubercle. Rostrum long, directed slightly downward, exceeding the anterior margin of scaphocerite. Pterygostomial spine present with 2 small spines posteriorly. Supraorbital spines absent. Antennule (Fig. 2 C). Peduncle unsegmented, without setae. Inner flagellum (endopod) represented by a long plumose seta; outer flagellum unsegmented with 4 terminal aesthetascs. Antenna (Fig. 2 D). Birramous, peduncle (protopod) with a distal spine on inner magin. Endopod slender unsegmented, slightly more than ½ length of exopod and with 6 spines on inner side. Exopod (scaphocerite) 3 -segmented with 10 (5, 1, 4) plumose setae, plus 1 short simple seta on the distal segment. Mandible (Fig 2 E, F). Asymmetrical; incisor and molar processes differentiated. Mandibular palp absent. Left mandible with lacinia mobilis near incisor process. Rigth mandible with 2 teeth between incisor and molar processes. Maxillule (Fig. 2 G). Coxal endite with 7 setae and basial endite with 7 spinous setae. Endopod unsegmented, with 5 terminal setae. Outer plumose seta (exopodal seta) present. Maxilla (Fig. 2 H). Coxa bilobed, with 7–8 + 3–4 setae. Basial endite bilobed with 5 + 4 setae. Endopod unsegmented and bilobed with 3 + 5 setae. Exopod (scaphognathite) with 5 marginal plumose setae. First maxilliped (Fig, 3 A). Coxa and basis with 5 and 12 setae on inner margin respectively. Endopod 4 -segmented, with 3, 1, 2, 4 (1 + 3) setae. Exopod incompletely 3 -segmented with 4 long plumose natatory setae (one subterminal and 3 terminal). Second maxilliped (Fig. 3 B). Coxa and basis with one and 8 setae on inner margin respectively. Endopod 4 - segmented, with 3, 2, 2, 5 (1 + 4) setae. Exopod incompletely segmented with 5 long plumose natatory setae (2 subterminal and 3 terminal). Third maxilliped (Fig. 3 C). Protopod with 2 inner setae. Endopod 4 -segmented, with 1, 0, 2, 4 (1 + 3) seate. Exopod incompletely segmented with 5 long plumose natatory setae (2 subterminal and 3 terminal). Pereiopods. Absent. Pleon (Figs. 2 A, B). Five somites plus telson, without pleopods and uropods. Pair of posterolateral spines on somite 5. Anal papilla present. Telson (Figs. 2 A,B, 3 D). Triangular with a shallow median cleft posteriorly and 7 + 7 setae of different sizes, two outer pairs of setae feathered only on their inner side. Minute spinules present on posterior margin. Zoea II. Size. TL= 1.55–1.57 mm; CL= 0.55–0.60 μm Carapace (Figs. 4 A, B). Eyes stalked. Antennule (Fig. 4 C). Peduncle incompletely segmented, with 2 distal setae on basal segment. Distal segment with 4 setae. Antenna (Fig. 4 D). Scaphocerite with tendency to lose segmentation. Otherwise unchanged. Mandible. Unchanged Maxillule (Fig. 4 E). Unchanged. Maxilla (Fig. 4 F). Coxa bilobed, with 8 + 4 setae. Basial endite bilobed with 5 + 5 setae. Exopod (scaphognathite) with 7 plumose marginal setae. First maxilliped (Fig. 5 A). Basis with 14 setae on inner margin. Exopod with one subterminal and 4 terminal long plumose natatory setae. Second maxilliped (Fig. 5 B). Endopod 5 -segmented, with 2, 2, 0, 2, 6 (1 + 5) setae. Exopod with 2 subterminal and 4 terminal long plumose natatory setae. Third maxilliped (Fig. 5 C). Protopod (basis) with 3 inner setae. Endopod 5 -segmented, with 1, 1, 0, 2, 5 (1 + 4) seate. Exopod with 2 subterminal and 4 terminal long plumose natatory setae Pereiopods. First pereiopod present as a bud. Pleon (Figs. 4 A, B). Unchanged. Telson (Figs. 4 A,B, 5 D). Posterior margin with 8 + 8 setae of different sizes. Outer pair of setae feathered only on their inner side. Zoea III. Size. TL= 1.70–2.00 mm; CL = 0.65–0.70 mm. Carapace (Figs. 6 A, B, C). Anteroventral margin with 3 small spines posteriorly to pterygostomial spine. Antennule (Fig. 6 D). Peduncle 3 -segmented. Proximal segment bearing a small lateral spine and without setae; second segment with 3 + 2 setae; distal segment with 5 setae. Flagellum with 2 aesthetascs and one seta. Antenna (Fig. 6 E). Exopod (scaphocerite) unsegmented, with a distolateral spine. Maxillule (Fig. 6 F). Basial endites with 8 setae. Maxilla (Fig. 6 G). Coxa bilobed, with 10 + 4 setae. Basial endite bilobed with 6 + 7 setae. Exopod (scaphognathite) with 10 plumose marginal setae. First maxilliped (Fig. 7 A). Basis with 15 setae on inner margin. Endopod 4 -segmented, with 3, 1, 3, 4 setae. Second maxilliped (Fig. 7 B). Endopod 5 -segmented, with 2, 1, 0, 2, 6 (1 + 5) setae. Third maxilliped (Fig. 7 C). Unchanged. First pereiopod (Fig. 7 D). Birramous. Endopod unsegmented and non-chelated with 3 distal setae. Exopod with 2 subterminal and 4 terminal setae. Second and third pereiopods. Present as a bud. Pleon (Figs. 6 A, B). 6 -segmented. Sixth pleonite with a posterolateral spine. Telson (Fig. 6 A,B, 7 E). Separate from pleonite 6. Uropods (Fig. 7 F). Birramous, exopod with 7 plumose setae. Endopod shorter than exopod with 2 distal simple setae.Published as part of Guerao, Guillermo, Hernández, Esteban & Urzúa, Ángel, 2011, Early zoeal development of the shrimp Hippolyte leptocerus (Decapoda, Caridea, Hippolytidae), pp. 53-65 in Zootaxa 2988 on pages 54-62, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20485

Early zoeal development of the shrimp Hippolyte leptocerus(Decapoda, Caridea, Hippolytidae)

The morphology of the first three zoeal stages of Hippolyte leptocerus (Heller, 1863) are described and illustrated in detail from laboratory-hatched material. The ovigerous females were collected on the Alfacs Bay, Ebro Delta, Spain (Western Mediterranean). The early larval stages (ZI, ZII, ZIII) showed the anterolateral margin of carapace with denticulations, a median tubercle behind rostrum, scaphocerite segmented distally (only ZI and ZII), exopodal seta at the maxillule and pleonite 5 with a pair of dorsolateral spines. The morphology of the first three zoeal stages of H. leptocerus is typical of species with an extended larval development. Morphological characteristics of the genus Hippolyte are discussed

Contrasting nursery habitats promote variations in the bioenergetic condition of juvenile female red squat lobsters (Pleuroncodes monodon) of the Southern Pacific Ocean

The red squat lobster Pleuroncodes monodon is an important fishery resource in the Humboldt Current System (HCS). This decapod is exploited in two fishing units: (a) the northern fishing unit (NFU, from 26°S to 30°S) and (b) the southern fishing unit (SFU, from 32°S to 37°S), each of which have an adjacent nursery area that is the source of recruits to replace the exploited adult populations (in the NFU: off the coast of Coquimbo (28°S) and in the SFU: off the coast of Concepción (36°S)). Marked spatial differences in the environmental conditions of the NFU and SFU, and the biogeographic break that exists between these nursery areas (30°S) may promote changes in the bioenergetic condition of new P. monodon juveniles. To evaluate this, we analyzed the bioenergetic condition (measured as: body mass, lipids, proteins, glucose, and energy) of new juvenile females in the main nursery areas off the Chilean coast. The juvenile females from the SFU showed a higher body mass than those from the NFU. Consistently, the juvenile females from the SFU had a higher content of lipids, proteins, and glucose than those from the NFU, indicative of higher energy contents and a higher lipid/protein ratio in the south compared to the north. Considering the current overexploitation of this fishery resource in the HCS, it is essential to understand how the bioenergetic condition of juvenile females of P. monodon may vary in nursery areas at different latitudes in order to generate sustainable fishery management policies with an ecological approach, designed specifically to each fishing unit. Furthermore, identifying the latitudinal variations of these biochemical compounds in P. monodon juveniles can elucidate the geographic origin of red squat lobsters that present a ”better bioenergetic condition” in the HCS, which may significantly benefit sustainable fishing certification processes