scholarly journals The Threshold Elemental Ratio of an ectotherm decreases then increases with rising temperature

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Ruiz ◽  
Apostolos-Manuel Koussoroplis ◽  
Michael Danger ◽  
Jean-Pierre Aguer ◽  
Nicole Morel-Desrosiers ◽  
...  

AbstractEarth is currently facing unprecedented global changes, hurrying scientists to provide predictive tools to explore the futures responses of ecosystems. Among those changes, temperature increase and alterations of nutrient availabilities largely drive consumer performances, yet their interactive effect remains poorly understood. Here we investigate how the dietary C:P ratio that optimizes consumer growth (TERC:P: Threshold Elemental Ratio) changes along temperature gradients by combining a TERC:P model and growth experiments on the model organism Daphnia magna. Both lines of evidence show that the TERC:P responds to temperature in an U-shaped fashion. This shape reconciles previous contradictive observations into a common framework, thereby improving our capacity to forecast the combined effects of nutrient cycle and climatic alterations on ectotherms.

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Czuprynski

AbstractListeria monocytogenesis amongst the most intriguing and well studied of the pathogenic bacteria. However, the understanding and perspective one has ofL. monocytogenesdepends to a large extent on the microbiological issues with which one is faced as a part of your professional duties. The focus of the veterinary clinician or investigator is likely to be foremost on the neurologic (circling disease) and reproductive diseasesL. monocytogenescauses. To the food microbiologist, the principal concern is to prevent introduction ofL. monocytogenesinto food products, or to identify its presence and prevent its multiplication to numbers of organisms that are likely to pose a substantial risk to humans who ingest the product. To the cellular immunologist, listeriosis represents a robust murine model that helped to elucidate many important concepts in innate and adaptive immunity, andL. monocytogenesis a potential vector for delivery of novel vaccines. To the student of molecular pathogenesis,L. monocytogenesis a powerful and well-characterized model organism for studying the cellular microbiology of an intracellular pathogen. In this brief overview, I will attempt to highlight some of the classical observations, and contemporary insights, onL. monocytogenesand listeriosis, and integrate these perspectives into a common framework. By so doing, I hope to provide those with one perspective on listeriosis with an appreciation of the broad array of problems and issues faced by those who focus on some other aspect ofL. monocytogenesand its pathogenesis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadanobu Nakayama

<p>Inland waters including rivers, lakes, and groundwater are suggested to act as a transport pathway for water and dissolved substances, and play some role in continental biogeochemical cycling (Cole et al., 2007; Battin et al., 2009). Quantifying the physical and chemical connections between land and associated fresh and coastal waters is critical for understanding the dynamics of carbon cycle in aquatic ecosystems. Recently, process-based National Integrated Catchment-based Eco-hydrology (NICE) model (Nakayama and Watanabe, 2004) was developed to couple with various biogeochemical cycle models in biosphere, aquatic ecosystems, and carbon weathering, etc. in global major river basins (NICE-BGC) (Nakayama, 2017; Nakayama and Pelletier, 2018). NICE-BGC also included the feedback between soil organic content and overland carbon fluxes, and succeeded to simulate inter-annual variations of carbon cycle in a terrestrial-aquatic continuum greatly affected by the extreme weather patterns (Nakayama, 2020). To evaluate global changes in the carbon cycle due to anthropogenic factors, such as application of fertilizer and manure, in major rivers including 130 tidal estuaries over an 18-year period (1998-2015), the present study expanded NICE-BGC to estuary in land and ocean margins where it is generally considered to be net heterotrophic ecosystems and show significant supersaturation of CO<sub>2</sub> (Frankignoulle et al., 1998; Regnier et al., 2013). The new model used Dirichlet boundary condition at the downstream of global major rivers by using some variables (water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrient, alkalinity, and pH, etc.) in coastal ocean. The simulated result showed that total nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes in overland flow were found to increase with nutrient application. In contrast, total suspended sediment decreased in some regions because the vegetation was able to expand to cover the ground, resulting in less erosion. NICE-BGC simulated the difference in carbon budget in major rivers with and without nutrient application. Generally, CO<sub>2</sub> degassing above water decreased and particulate organic carbon (POC) increased in most rivers through variations in carbon budget, reflecting various hydrologic and biogeochemical conditions. The simulated result also showed that the estuarine carbon cycle was sensitive to intense anthropogenic disturbances reflected by nutrient load, seawater temperature, increases in sea level, and ocean acidification. Extension of previous studies only by categorizing MARCATS segment numbers showed that the estimated total CO<sub>2</sub> flux from the world’s estuaries was 0.14 Pg C/yr. The simulation generally showed that incorporation of the nutrient cycle into the terrestrial-aquatic-estuarine continuum improved estimates of net land flux and carbon budget in inland waters, thus emphasizing that the effect of estuarine inland water should be explicitly included in the global carbon model to minimize the range of uncertainty.</p>


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Pfau ◽  
Nils Christian ◽  
Shyam K. Masakapalli ◽  
Lee J. Sweetlove ◽  
Mark G. Poolman ◽  
...  

AbstractGenome-scale metabolic network models can be used for various analyses including the prediction of metabolic responses to changes in the environment. Legumes are well known for their rhizobial symbiosis that introduces nitrogen into the global nutrient cycle. Here, we describe a fully compartmentalised, mass and charge-balanced, genome-scale model of the clover Medicago truncatula, which has been adopted as a model organism for legumes. We employed flux balance analysis to demonstrate that the network is capable of producing biomass (amino acids, nucleotides, lipids, cell wall) in experimentally observed proportions, during day and night. By connecting the plant model to a model of its rhizobial symbiont, Sinorhizobium meliloti, we were able to investigate the effects of the symbiosis on metabolic fluxes and plant growth and could demonstrate how oxygen availability influences metabolic exchanges between plant and symbiont, thus elucidating potential benefits of amino acid cycling. We thus provide a modelling framework, in which the interlinked metabolism of plants and nodules can be studied from a theoretical perspective.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Jie He ◽  
Quanhou Dai ◽  
Fengwei Xu ◽  
Youjin Yan ◽  
Xudong Peng

Plantations play a vital role in the global nutrient cycle because they have large stocks of soil macronutrients. However, the impacts of plantations on soil macronutrient stocks combined with stand age and soil physicochemical properties have not been well quantified. We compared soil macronutrient stocks at soil depths of 0−20 and 20−40 cm across a 7-, 14-, 25-, and 30-year chronosequence of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) plantations. The results showed that the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) stocks first increased and then decreased with stand age. The highest N and P stocks were observed in the 14-year-old plantation, and the 25-year-old plantation displayed the highest K stock. The C, N, and P stocks declined with increasing soil depth across all sites, whereas the reverse trend was found in the K stock. Carbon stocks were highest for all plantations, followed by the K, N, and P stocks. Plantation soils exhibited a higher C:P ratio and a lower P:K ratio at various soil depths. The dominant controlling factors for the soil macronutrient stocks varied significantly at different stand ages and soil depths according to statistical analysis. For the total soil system, the C stock was affected by the available nutrients, organic matter, and stoichiometry; the available nutrients and organic matter were the determinant factors of the N and P stocks. Aggregate stability could be the primary parameter affecting the K stock. Organic matter explained most of the variation in soil macronutrient stocks, followed by the P:K ratio and available K. Collectively, our results suggest that the response of soil macronutrient stocks to stand age and soil depth will be dependent on different soil physicochemical properties, and P and K may be important limiting factors in Masson pine plantation ecosystems.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan M.F. Shepherdson ◽  
Tina Netzker ◽  
Yordan Stoyanov ◽  
Marie A. Elliot

Exploration is a recently discovered mode of growth and behaviour exhibited by some Streptomyces species that is distinct from their classical sporulating life cycle. While much has been uncovered regarding initiating environmental conditions and the phenotypic outcomes of exploratory growth, how this process is coordinated at a genetic level remains unclear. We used RNA-sequencing to survey global changes in the transcriptional profile of exploring cultures over time in the model organism Streptomyces venezuelae. Transcriptomic analyses revealed widespread changes in gene expression impacting diverse cellular functions. Investigations into differentially expressed regulatory elements revealed specific groups of regulatory factors to be impacted, including the expression of several extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors, second messenger signalling pathways, and members of the whiB-like (wbl) family of transcription factors. Dramatic changes were observed among primary metabolic pathways, especially among respiration-associated genes and the oxidative stress response; enzyme assays confirmed that exploring cultures exhibit an enhanced oxidative stress response compared with classically growing cultures. Changes in expression of the glycerol catabolic genes in S. venezuelae led to the discovery that glycerol supplementation of the growth medium promotes a dramatic acceleration of exploration. This effect appears to be unique to glycerol as an alternative carbon source and this response is broadly conserved across other exploration-competent species.


Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
BALINT Z. KACSOH ◽  
JULIANNA BOZLER ◽  
TODD A. SCHLENKE

SUMMARYThe melanotic encapsulation response mounted by Drosophila melanogaster against macroparasites, which is based on haemocyte binding to foreign objects, is poorly characterized relative to its humoral immune response against microbes, and appears to be variable across insect lineages. The genus Zaprionus is a diverse clade of flies embedded within the genus Drosophila. Here we characterize the immune response of Zaprionus indianus against endoparasitoid wasp eggs, which elicit the melanotic encapsulation response in D. melanogaster. We find that Z. indianus is highly resistant to diverse wasp species. Although Z. indianus mounts the canonical melanotic encapsulation response against some wasps, it can also potentially fight off wasp infection using two other mechanisms: encapsulation without melanization and a non-cellular form of wasp killing. Zaprionus indianus produces a large number of haemocytes including nematocytes, which are large fusiform haemocytes absent in D. melanogaster, but which we found in several other species in the subgenus Drosophila. Several lines of evidence suggest these nematocytes are involved in anti-wasp immunity in Z. indianus and in particular in the encapsulation of wasp eggs. Altogether, our data show that the canonical anti-wasp immune response and haemocyte make-up of the model organism D. melanogaster vary across the genus Drosophila.


Author(s):  
Lisa Rother ◽  
Nadine Kraft ◽  
Dylan B. Smith ◽  
Basil el Jundi ◽  
Richard J. Gill ◽  
...  

AbstractIn recent years, bumblebees have become a prominent insect model organism for a variety of biological disciplines, particularly to investigate learning behaviors as well as visual performance. Understanding these behaviors and their underlying neurobiological principles requires a clear understanding of brain anatomy. Furthermore, to be able to compare neuronal branching patterns across individuals, a common framework is required, which has led to the development of 3D standard brain atlases in most of the neurobiological insect model species. Yet, no bumblebee 3D standard brain atlas has been generated. Here we present a brain atlas for the buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scans as a source for the raw data sets, rather than traditional confocal microscopy, to produce the first ever micro-CT-based insect brain atlas. We illustrate the advantages of the micro-CT technique, namely, identical native resolution in the three cardinal planes and 3D structure being better preserved. Our Bombus terrestris brain atlas consists of 30 neuropils reconstructed from ten individual worker bees, with micro-CT allowing us to segment neuropils completely intact, including the lamina, which is a tissue structure often damaged when dissecting for immunolabeling. Our brain atlas can serve as a platform to facilitate future neuroscience studies in bumblebees and illustrates the advantages of micro-CT for specific applications in insect neuroanatomy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-82
Author(s):  
Rashi Miglani ◽  
Satpal Singh Bisht

Abstract Earthworms are important organisms in soil communities and are known for sustaining the life of the soil. They are used as a model organism in environmental risk assessment of chemicals and soil toxicology. Soil provides physical and nutritive support to agriculture system by regulating biogeochemical cycles, nutrient cycle, waste degradation, organic matter degradation etc. The biggest threat to soil health are pesticides and synthetic chemicals including fertilizers. Earthworms are most severely hit by these xenobiotic compounds leading to a sizeable reduction of their population and adversely affecting soil fertility. Earthworms are incredible soil organisms playing a crucial role in maintaining soil health. Pesticides used in crop management are known to be most over-purchased and irrationally used soil toxicants, simultaneously, used insecticides contribute to a quantum of damage to earthworms and other non-target organisms. LC50 and LD50 studies revealed that earthworms are highly susceptible to insecticides causing immobility, rigidity and also show a significant effect on biomass reduction, growth and reproduction by disrupting various physiological activities leading to loss of earthworm population and soil biodiversity.


Author(s):  
David S. Brooks ◽  
Kumar Vishal ◽  
Simranjot Bawa ◽  
Adrienne Alder ◽  
Erika R. Geisbrecht

Muscle atrophy, or a decline in muscle protein mass, is a significant problem in the aging population and in numerous disease states. Unraveling molecular signals that trigger and promote atrophy may lead to a better understanding of treatment options; however, there is no single cause of atrophy identified to date. To gain insight into this problem, we chose to investigate changes in protein profiles during muscle atrophy in Manduca sexta and Drosophila melanogaster. The use of insect models provides an interesting parallel to probe atrophic mechanisms since these organisms undergo a normal developmental atrophy process during the pupal transition stage. Leveraging the inherent advantages of each model organism, we first defined protein signature changes during Manduca intersegmental muscle (ISM) atrophy and then used genetic approaches to confirm their functional importance in the Drosophila dorsal internal oblique muscles (DIOMs). Our data reveal an upregulation of proteasome and peptidase components and a general downregulation of proteins that regulate actin filament formation. Surprisingly, thick filament proteins that comprise the A band are increased in abundance, providing support for the ordered destruction of myofibrillar components during developmental atrophy. We also uncover the actin filament regulator Ciboulot (Cib) as a novel regulator of muscle atrophy. These insights provide a framework towards a better understanding of global changes that occur during atrophy and may lead to eventual therapeutic targets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talya Sadeh

Abstract According to Bastin et al.’s integrative memory model, familiarity may be attributed to both entity representations and relational representations. However, the model does not specify what triggers familiarity for relational representations. I argue that fluency is a key player in the attribution of familiarity regardless of the type of representation. Two lines of evidence are reviewed in support of my claim.


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