Differences in Effects of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids on Five Generalist Insect Herbivore Species

The evolution of the diversity in plant secondary compounds is often thought to be driven by insect herbivores, although there is little empirical evidence for this assumption. To investigate whether generalist insect herbivores could play a role in the evolution of the diversity of related compounds, we examined if (1) related compounds differ in their effects on generalists, (2) there is a synergistic effect among compounds, and (3) effects of related compounds differed among insect species. The effects of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) were tested on five generalist insect herbivore species of several genera using artificial diets or neutral substrates to which PAs were added. We found evidence that structurally related PAs differed in their effects to the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis, the aphid Myzus persicae, and the locust Locusta migratoria. The individual PAs had no effect on Spodoptera exigua and Mamestra brassicae caterpillars. For S. exigua, we found indications for synergistic deterrent effects of PAs in PA mixtures. The relative effects of PAs differed between insect species. The PA senkirkine had the strongest effect on the thrips, but had no effect at all on the aphids. Our results show that generalist herbivores could potentially play a role in the evolution and maintenance of the diversity of PA

Perceived Roles and Responsibilities of Secondary School Principals and School Resource Officers towards School Security

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the perceptions of Tennessee’s high school principals and school resource officers as to their roles and responsibilities during a school security crisis. Four thematic elements are discussed as existing among principals and school resource officers. Those thematic elements include relationships, school environment, roles, and obstacles between both groups. Previous research has examined an array of school security issues, but few have delved into this specific topic. Such knowledge is essential for the citizenry to maximize efforts of protecting students attending public schools

Infection by a foliar endophyte elicits novel arabidopside-based plant defence reactions in its host, Cirsium arvense

Endophytic fungi live asymptomatically within plants. They are usually regarded as non-pathogenic or even mutualistic, but whether plants respond antagonistically to their presence remains unclear, particularly in the little-studied associations between endophytes and nong-raminoid herbaceous plants. We investigated the effects of the endophyte Chaetomium cochlioides on leaf chemistry in Cirsium arvense. Plants were sprayed with spores; leaf material from both subsequent new growth and the sprayed leaves was analysed 2 wk later. Infection frequency was 91% and63% for sprayed and new growth, respectively, indicating that C. cochlioides rapidly infects new foliage. Metabolomic analyses revealed marked changes in leaf chemistry with infection, especially in new growth. Changes in several novel oxylipin metabolites were detected, including arabi-dopsides reported here for the first time in a plant species other than Arabidopsis thaliana,and a jasmonate-containing galactolipid. The production of these metabolites in response to endophyte presence, particularly in newly infected foliage, suggests that endophytes elicit similar chemical responses in plants to those usually produced following wounding, herbivory and pathogen invasion. Whether en-dophytes benefit their hosts may depend on a complex series of chemically mediated interactions between the plant, the endophyte, other microbial colonists and natural enemies

Ideal object - Empirical object. A sublimated vision of functionalism in Mart Stam

[EN] The Modern Movement was an intricate interweaving of opinions that drives us to think that the different ways of approaching modern principles were independent paths which converged. So on the one hand we have the pseudo-scientific functionalism and on the other, the route closer to humanist or sociological visions. The example of the Dutch architect Mart Stam, who died 30 years ago, helps us to understand how these visions were often hybrid. Thus, through their proposals we can understand how behind a seemingly rigid and deterministic structure lies a reading that transcends the instrumental use of the structure itself, until it becomes a pure emblem of modernity[ES] El Movimiento Moderno supuso un intrincado cruce de voces que conduce a pensar que las diferentes vías de aproximación a los postulados modernos confluyeron por caminos independientes. Así tenemos por un lado la del funcionalismo pseudo-científico y por el otro, la vía más próxima a visiones humanistas o sociológicas. El ejemplo del arquitecto holandés Mart Stam, del que este año se cumplen 30 años de su muerte, nos ayuda a entender como esas visiones fueron a menudo híbridas. Así, a través de sus propuestas, podremos entender cómo detrás de un uso aparentemente rígido y determinista de la estructura subyace una lectura que trasciende el propio uso instrumental de la misma hasta convertirse en puro emblema de la modernidad.López Martín, P. (2016). Objeto Ideal - Objeto Empírico. La visión sublimada del funcionalismo en Mart Stam. EN BLANCO. Revista de Arquitectura. 8(21):84-90. doi:10.4995/eb.2016.6373SWORD8490821FRAMPTON, Kenneth. Historia crítica de la arquitectura moderna. (8ªed) Barcelona: Gustavo-Gili SA, 1996.GROPIUS, Walter. La nueva arquitectura y la Bauhaus. Barcelona: Lumen, 1996.H.C.L, Jaffé. De Stijl 1917-1931. The Dutch contribution to modern art. Massachusets: Balknup Press. 1986, p.72.NEUMEYER, Fritz. Mies van der Rohe. La palabra sin artificio, reflexiones sobre arquitectura 1922/1968. Madrid: El Croquis Editorial. 1995.ZOETBROOD, Ronald. Jan Duiker en het sanatorium Zonnestraal. Amsterdam: Van Gennep. 1984Garcia, R . Espacio y regularidad. Aspectos de la obra de Mart Stam. En: Anales de Arquitectura, Universidad de Valladolid, 1996, no. 7, pp. 60-71.Macel, O. La linea continua del sedersi. En: Rassegna, 1991, no. 47, pp. 50-60.Möller, W. Mart Stam o la rappresentazione della nuova architettura. En: Rassegna, 1991, no. 47, pp. 15-23.Stam, M. "Wettbewerbsentwurt für ein Bureauhaus am Knie" [1922] (B. Proyecto para concurso de oficinas, am Knie'). En: ABC, 1926, no 3, pp. 3.Stam, M. y Schmidt, H . "ABC forcet die Diktatur der Maschine" (ABC reclama la dictadura de lamáquina). En: ABC, 1927/1928, no. 4, pp. 1, 2

Detecting local adaptation in widespread grassland species – the importance of scale and local plant community

1 Adaptation of plant populations to local environments has been shown in many species but local adaptation is not always apparent and spatial scales of differentiation are not well known. In a reciprocal transplant experiment we tested whether: (i) three widespread grassland species are locally adapted at a European scale; (ii) detection of local adaptation depends on competition with the local plant community; and (iii) local differentiation between neighbouring populations from contrasting habitats can be stronger than differentiation at a European scale.2 Seeds of Holcus lanatus, Lotus corniculatus and Plantago lanceolata from a Swiss, Czech and UK population were sown in a reciprocal transplant experiment at fields that exhibit environmental conditions similar to the source sites. Seedling emergence, survival, growth and reproduction were recorded for two consecutive years.3 The effect of competition was tested by comparing individuals in weeded monocultures with plants sown together with species from the local grassland community. To compare large-scale vs. small-scale differentiation, a neighbouring population from a contrasting habitat (wet-dry contrast) was compared with the 'home' and 'foreign' populations.4 In P. lanceolata and H. lanatus, a significant home-site advantage was detected in fitness-related traits, thus indicating local adaptation. In L. corniculatus, an overall superiority of one provenance was found.5 The detection of local adaptation depended on competition with the local plant community. In the absence of competition the home-site advantage was underestimated in P. lanceolata and overestimated in H. lanatus.6 A significant population differentiation between contrasting local habitats was found. In some traits, this small-scale was greater than large-scale differentiation between countries.7 Our results indicate that local adaptation in real plant communities cannot necessarily be predicted from plants grown in weeded monocultures and that tests on the relationship between fitness and geographical distance have to account for habitat-dependent small-scale differentiation. Considering the strong small-scale differentiation, a local provenance from a different habitat may not be the best choice in ecological restoration if distant populations from a more similar habitat are available

New Fluorescent Proteins from the Sea

The focus of this PhD project is to find a new fluorescent protein (FP) with spectral properties different from the ones already discovered, mainly in the red, far-red part of the spectrum. In this region, less light is scattered, absorbed and re-emitted by endogenous biomolecules, which makes it particularly interesting. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) being the first FP isolated in the hydrozoa Aequoria victoria, many other GFPs were isolated in this clade as well as in Anthozoa, Arthropoda and Cephalochordata. Also, new FPs have been characterized in Vertebrata, namely UnaG and Sandercyanin, with features completely different from GFPs; UnaG being a fatty-acid-binding protein and Sandercyanin a lipocalin. This work has been undertaken by several means; Long Term Ecological Research station (LTERMareChiara) sampling in the gulf of Naples by assessing the epifluorescent and spectral properties of zooplanktons and thanks to bioinformatics tools exploring TARA database. Many clades of zooplanktons have been examined throughout the PhD project with a focus on Annelid also with the sampling that was carried out on the seaside. The spectral properties of the zooplanktons were assessed scrupulously by confocal microscopy, as a test response to chlorophyll was able to rule out positive organisms and a test to UV excitation and visible light spectra allowed identifying species with red, far-red fluorescent emission patterns. The exploration of available transcriptomes, genomes and TARA eukaryotic database by blastp search has been performed using different classes of reference proteins UnaG, Sandercyanin and 14 GFPs from four different groups. No similarity from the protein alignments were found with UnaG and Sandercyanin whereas the alignments resulted in the findings of GFP chromophores in 25 hits sequences from which we produced a phylogenetic tree

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids as oviposition stimulants for the cinnabar moth, Tyria jacobaeae

Plant science