scholarly journals Characterization of Relict Communities For Monitoring Park Ecosystems in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Author(s):  
Jack Butler ◽  
Jerrold Dodd

Grazing by domestic livestock is authorized on the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and occurs on about 80% of the NRA lands. Concern over competing land uses has generated considerable interest in the direct and indirect effects of grazing on community structure and function (Kleiner and Harper 1972, 1977, Loope 1977, Jefferies and Klopatek 1987). The primary objectives of this study are to: (1) identify and evaluate the abiotic and biotic factors influencing the stucture and species composition of relict and grazed pinyon­juniper, black brush ricegrass, and ricegrass grassland communities, and (2) select, refine and validate a system that can be used to field monitor condition and trend of relict and grazed communities.

Author(s):  
Jack Butler ◽  
Brian Bich ◽  
Cheryl Schmidt

Grazing by domestic livestock is authorized in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and continues on about 80 percent of the park. Concern over competing land uses has generated considerable interest in the direct and indirect effects of grazing on vegetation, small mammal, and avian community structure and function. The primary objectives of this study are: 1. to identify and evaluate the abiotic and biotic factors influencing the structure and species composition of relict and grazed pinyon-juniper and blackbrush/lndian ricegrass communities, and 2. to select, refine and validate a system that can be used to field monitor condition and trend of relict and grazed communities. It is the goal of this project to develop a method of qualitatively assessing and monitoring community condition and trend using a combination of quantitative community attributes which are sensitive to grazing by domestic livestock; and which can be easily implemented and interpreted within the management objectives of GCNRA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Marius Bredon ◽  
Elisabeth Depuydt ◽  
Lucas Brisson ◽  
Laurent Moulin ◽  
Ciriac Charles ◽  
...  

The crucial role of microbes in the evolution, development, health, and ecological interactions of multicellular organisms is now widely recognized in the holobiont concept. However, the structure and stability of microbiota are highly dependent on abiotic and biotic factors, especially in the gut, which can be colonized by transient bacteria depending on the host’s diet. We studied these impacts by manipulating the digestive microbiota of the detritivore Armadillidium vulgare and analyzing the consequences on its structure and function. Hosts were exposed to initial starvation and then were fed diets that varied the different components of lignocellulose. A total of 72 digestive microbiota were analyzed according to the type of the diet (standard or enriched in cellulose, lignin, or hemicellulose) and the period following dysbiosis. The results showed that microbiota from the hepatopancreas were very stable and resilient, while the most diverse and labile over time were found in the hindgut. Dysbiosis and selective diets may have affected the host fitness by altering the structure of the microbiota and its predicted functions. Overall, these modifications can therefore have effects not only on the holobiont, but also on the “eco-holobiont” conceptualization of macroorganisms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (37) ◽  
pp. 18445-18454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan K. Itakura ◽  
Kher Xing Chan ◽  
Nicky Atkinson ◽  
Leif Pallesen ◽  
Lianyong Wang ◽  
...  

A phase-separated, liquid-like organelle called the pyrenoid mediates CO2fixation in the chloroplasts of nearly all eukaryotic algae. While most algae have 1 pyrenoid per chloroplast, here we describe a mutant in the model algaChlamydomonasthat has on average 10 pyrenoids per chloroplast. Characterization of the mutant leads us to propose a model where multiple pyrenoids are favored by an increase in the surface area of the starch sheath that surrounds and binds to the liquid-like pyrenoid matrix. We find that the mutant’s phenotypes are due to disruption of a gene, which we call StArch Granules Abnormal 1 (SAGA1) because starch sheath granules, or plates, in mutants lacking SAGA1 are more elongated and thinner than those of wild type. SAGA1 contains a starch binding motif, suggesting that it may directly regulate starch sheath morphology. SAGA1 localizes to multiple puncta and streaks in the pyrenoid and physically interacts with the small and large subunits of the carbon-fixing enzyme Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase), a major component of the liquid-like pyrenoid matrix. Our findings suggest a biophysical mechanism by which starch sheath morphology affects pyrenoid number and CO2-concentrating mechanism function, advancing our understanding of the structure and function of this biogeochemically important organelle. More broadly, we propose that the number of phase-separated organelles can be regulated by imposing constraints on their surface area.


FEBS Letters ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 566 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 234-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
José R. Bayascas ◽  
Vı́ctor J. Yuste ◽  
Carme Solé ◽  
Isabel Sánchez-López ◽  
Miquel F. Segura ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.E. Naas ◽  
A.K. MacKenzie ◽  
B. Dalhus ◽  
V.G.H. Eijsink ◽  
P.B. Pope

Abstract Previous gene-centric analysis of a cow rumen metagenome revealed the first potentially cellulolytic polysaccharide utilization locus, of which the main catalytic enzyme (AC2aCel5A) was identified as a glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 5 endo-cellulase. Here we present the 1.8 Å three-dimensional structure of AC2aCel5A and characterization of its enzymatic activities. The enzyme possesses the archetypical (β/α)8-barrel found throughout the GH5 family and contains the two strictly conserved catalytic glutamates located at the C-terminal ends of β-strands 4 and 7. The enzyme is active on insoluble cellulose and acts exclusively on linear β-(1,4)-linked glucans. Co-crystallization of a catalytically inactive mutant with substrate yielded a 2.4 Å structure showing cellotriose bound in the −3 to −1 subsites. Additional electron density was observed between Trp178 and Trp254, two residues that form a hydrophobic “clamp”, potentially interacting with sugars at the +1 and +2 subsites. The enzyme’s active-site cleft was narrower compared to the closest structural relatives, which in contrast to AC2aCel5A, are also active on xylans, mannans and/or xyloglucans. Interestingly, the structure and function of this enzyme seem adapted to less-substituted substrates such as cellulose, presumably due to the insufficient space to accommodate the side-chains of branched glucans in the active-site cleft.


1996 ◽  
Vol 58 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 15-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Klingensmith ◽  
Y. Yang ◽  
J.D. Axelrod ◽  
D.R. Beier ◽  
N. Perrimon ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 398 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-235
Author(s):  
Thomas Marcellino ◽  
Vasundara Srinivasan

Abstract ABC exporters are highly dynamic membrane proteins that span a huge spectrum of different conformations. A detailed integrated approach of cellular, biochemical and biophysical characterization of these ‘open’, ‘closed’ and other intermediate states is central to understanding their function. Almost 40 years after the discovery of the first ABC transporter, thanks to the enormous development in methodologies, a picture is slowly emerging to visualize how these fascinating molecules transport their substrates. This mini review summarizes some of the biophysical tools that have made a major impact in understanding the function of the ABC exporters.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document