Nutrient enrichment stimulates herbivory and alters epibiont assemblages at the edge but not inside subtidal macroalgal forests

Nutrient enrichment is a major threat to subtidal macroalgal forests. Several studies have shown that nutrient inputs can enhance the ability of opportunistic algal species to acquire space freed by disturbance, at the expense of architecturally complex species that form forests. However, competition between canopy- and turf-forming macroalgae is not limited to the aftermath of disturbance. Canopy-forming macroalgae can provide suitable substratum for diverse epibiont assemblages, including both algae (epiphytes) and sessile invertebrates (epizoans). Despite evidence of enhanced epiphyte loading under eutrophic conditions, few experimental studies have assessed how nutrient enrichment influences the structure of epibiont assemblages on canopy-forming macroalgae at the edge versus inside forests. In oligotrophic waters of the NW Mediterranean, we experimentally tested the hypothesis that nutrient-driven proliferation of opportunistic epiphytic algae would affect the performance of the fucoid, Carpodesmia brachycarpa, and reduce the richness and abundance of the epizoan species they support. We predicted negative effects of nutrient enrichment to be greater at the edge than inside forests and on thalli that had recovered in cleared areas than on those within undisturbed canopy stands. Nutrient enrichment did not affect the photosynthetic efficiency and reproductive output of C. brachycarpa. By contrast, it enhanced herbivore consumption and decreased the cover and diversity of epizoans at forest edges, likely by stimulating the foraging activity of Arbacia lixula, the most abundant sea urchin in adjacent encrusting coralline barrens. Fertilization of areas inside forests had no effect on either C. brachycarpa or epibiont assemblages. Finally, nutrient enrichment effects did not vary between cleared and undisturbed areas. Our results show that moderate nutrient enrichment of oligotrophic waters does not necessarily cause the proliferation of epiphytes and, hence, a strengthening of their competitive effects on canopy-forming macroalgae. Nevertheless, enhanced herbivory damage to fertilized thalli at forest edges suggests that fragmentation could reduce the resilience of macroalgal forests and associated epibiont assemblages to nutrient enrichment.

Lichens Diversity of Gawilgarh fort, Amravati district, Maharashtra, India

An enumerations of 27 species of lichens belonging to 21 genera and 12 families from Gawilgarh fort situated in Melghat forest, Amravati district, Maharashtra are provided. The rock inhabiting lichens exhibits their maximum diversity in the area represented by the occurrence of 21 species belonging to 16 genera followed by 05 species belonging to 05 genera on bark and Collema pulcellum Ach., is common in both on bark and rock. The local rocks and boulders are used for the constructions of Gawilgarh fort which provide suitable substratum for rock inhibiting lichens in the study area. It is interesting to note that only thirteen species of lichens have effective biodeterioration activity having the presence of secondary metabolites and closely attached to the substratum. This is the first report on lichens diversity of Gawilgarh fort of Melghat forest and will be a base line data for further studies.

Lichens Diversity of Gawilgarh fort, Amravati district, Maharashtra, India

An enumerations of 27 species of lichens belonging to 21 genera and 12 families from Gawilgarh fort situated in Melghat forest, Amravati district, Maharashtra are provided. The rock inhabiting lichens exhibits their maximum diversity in the area represented by the occurrence of 21 species belonging to 16 genera followed by 05 species belonging to 05 genera on bark and Collema pulcellum Ach., is common in both on bark and rock. The local rocks and boulders are used for the constructions of Gawilgarh fort which provide suitable substratum for rock inhibiting lichens in the study area. It is interesting to note that only thirteen species of lichens have effective biodeterioration activity having the presence of secondary metabolites and closely attached to the substratum. This is the first report on lichens diversity of Gawilgarh fort of Melghat forest and will be a base line data for further studies.

Gravity with torsion in non-conservative Maxwell-like gauge approach

In this work, we take into consideration a generalization of Gauge Theories based on the analysis of the structural characteristics of Maxwell theory, which can be considered as the prototype of such kind of theories (Maxwell-like). Such class of theories is based on few principles related to different orders of commutators between covariant derivatives. Their physical meaning is very simple, and lies in stating that the local transformations of a suitable substratum (the space-time or a particular phase space) and the imposed constraints define a “compensative mechanism” or the “interaction” we want to characterize. After a mathematical introduction, we apply this approach to a modified theory of gravity, in which the algebra of operators of covariant derivatives leads to an additional term in the equation of motion associated with the non-conservation of the energy–momentum tensor. This offers the possibility to include, without ad hoc physical assumptions and directly from the formalism, new forms of coupling between matter and energy and the expression of the mixing between gravity and torsion.

Smelly feet are not always a bad thing: the relationship between cyprid footprint protein and the barnacle settlement pheromone

A critical phase in the life cycle of sessile benthic marine invertebrates is locating a suitable substratum for settlement. For barnacles, it is the lecithotrophic cypris larva that makes this plankto–benthic transition. In exploring possible substrata for settlement, the cyprid leaves behind ‘footprints’ of a proteinaceous secretion that reportedly functions as a temporary adhesive, and also acts as a secondary cue in larval–larval interactions at settlement. Here, we show that two polyclonal antibodies raised against peptides localized at the N- and C-terminal regions of the adult settlement cue—the settlement-inducing protein complex (SIPC)—could both detect ‘temporary adhesive’ indicating that the SIPC is either a component of this secretion or that they are the same protein.

Post-Fire Colonization of a Mediterranean Forest Stand by Epiphytic Lichens

The post-fire colonization of a Quercus ilex forest by epiphytic lichens has been studied in Catalonia (NE Spain), eleven years after a fire. Specific richness and lichen biomass have been studied separately on Quercus ilex, Erica arborea, Rosmarinus officinalis. and Cistus albidus, to reveal possible differences among phorophytes in facilitating lichen establishment. Shrubs play an important role in colonization by common species whereas the stools of Quercus ilex offer a suitable substratum for rarer species. Cistus albidus, with the highest lichen diversity and 98·2% of the total biomass of macrolichens, is the most suitable phorophyte for lichen establishment.

Early interactions, adhesion, and establishment of the infection court by Erysiphe graminis

The establishment of a fungal pathogen on the surface of its host is essential to the success of the infection process. For many fungi, establishment on the host is an active process that may depend on recognition of the host surface through chemical or topographic signals. Events that allow for establishment may be considered to represent the "preparation of the infection court" by the pathogen. This sometimes involves the adhesion of the pathogen to the host and possibly the alteration of the host's surface topography or chemistry. Adhesion is often presumed to be a single, chemically mediated event associated with germ tube or appressorium formation. However, adhesion of ungerminated propagules may also occur, and evidence suggests that it is mediated by the release of adhesive materials directly from the propagule upon contact with a suitable substratum. Fungi may require either a hydrophobic or a hydrophilic surface to initiate the infection process. The barley powdery mildew pathogen, Erysiphe graminis, requires a hydrophilic surface for appressorium formation, yet the barley leaf is extremely hydrophobic. The problem is resolved by the release of an exudate from conidia that makes the hydrophobic leaf surface hydrophilic. In contrast, Colletotrichum graminicola requires a hydrophobic surface for the initiation of its infection process. Ungerminated conidia of this fungus release materials that allow for the rapid adhesion of conidia, which ensures that germination and appressorium formation occur, initiating the infection process. For both fungi, these events happen well in advance of germination and establish the pathogen at the site of the infection court. Key words: adhesion, cuticle, cutinase, surface hydrophobicity, infection process.

Attachment and maintenance of adult rabbit cardiac myocytes in primary cell culture

The present observations demonstrate that quiescent calcium-tolerant adult rabbit cardiac myocytes can be isolated by collagenase-hyaluronidase perfusion and maintained in primary culture for at least 2 wk. Culturing large numbers of myocytes requires that the freshly isolated cells be attached to a suitable substratum such as laminin, type IV collagen, or fetal bovine serum. The cultured myocytes retain their rod-like morphology for approximately 7 days before gradually spreading into a flattened conformation by 14 days. During the 1st wk of culture, contaminating interstitial cells rapidly proliferate, making cultures unsuitable for long-term study. Pure myocyte populations can be established and maintained if freshly isolated cells are cultured in the presence of cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C, 10 microM). This antimetabolite does not appear to adversely affect high-energy phosphates, since ATP and creatine phosphate (CrP) content of the myocytes is maintained at levels normally found in biopsy samples of rabbit myocardium. These results illustrate that an energetically stable population of adult cardiac myocytes can be maintained in primary culture in sufficient numbers to make them useful for future investigations of myocyte function.