Alkalization of larval mosquito midgut and the role of carbonic anhydrase in different species of mosquitoes

April 18, 2010 By biotech-source.com Leave a Comment

Product Description
This digital document is a journal article from Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part C, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
We have previously demonstrated the involvement of carbonic anhydrase (CA) in the alkalization mechanism of the Aedes aegypti larval midgut. In this study, we used Hansson’s histochemistry to examine the distribution of the enzyme in the midgut of six different species of mosquito larvae (Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex nigripalpus, Ochlerotatus taeniorhynchus, Anopheles quadrimaculatus). Additionally, we quantitated CA content in the gastric caeca, anterior and posterior midgut of fourth instar larvae from these species using the ^1^8O isotope exchange method coupled to mass spectrometry. We also tested the effect of CA inhibitors such as methazolamide and acetazolamide in the alkalization of the midgut for these species. Our results indicate that CA is present in the larval midgut of the species studied and that it appears to be associated with the posterior midgut and gastric caeca in some species and with the anterior midgut in others. CA inhibitors appear to have a profound effect on the alkalization mechanism of the midgut with lethal consequences for most of the species tested.

Order from Amazon –> Alkalization of larval mosquito midgut and the role of carbonic anhydrase in different species of mosquitoes

Filed Under: Biochemistry Books Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spatial patterns of variation in the composition and structure of nematode communities in relation to different microhabitats: a case study of Quercus … article from: Soil Biology and Biochemistry]

April 14, 2010 By biotech-source.com Leave a Comment

Product Description
This digital document is a journal article from Soil Biology and Biochemistry, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Variability in the spatial distribution of nematode communities in relation to the structural heterogeneity of the environment was studied in nine different microhabitats within a relatively small area of a natural oak forest in Bulgaria. Maturity and diversity indices, trophic structure and the distribution of colonizer-persister groups were applied to analyze the quality of substrate and ecological processes involved from a functional point of view. Two main groups of nematode communities, below- and above-ground, were distinguished in terms of the location of the microhabitats. Our results indicated a higher percentage similarity between nematode communities inhabiting microhabitats with a higher resemblance in substrate structure, and abiotic and biotic conditions than between microhabitats with more dissimilar microenvironmental conditions. The application of Detrended Correspondence Analysis helped to reveal two ecological gradients. The first one was from microhabitats characterized by smaller fluctuations in microclimatic conditions and nutrient supply to microhabitats with more adverse abiotic conditions and dynamics of food resources. Along this gradient from below- to above-ground microhabitats, the proportion of general opportunists (cp 2 taxa) increased, whereas the diversity, MI and the proportions of persisters (cp (3-5) taxa), decreased. Along the second gradient a gradual decrease in the decomposition rate within above-ground microhabitats was revealed, which was indicated by the proportion of enrichment opportunists (cp 1 taxa). The nematode communities of decaying wood had the most specific cp groups’ distribution characterized by a high proportion of enrichment opportunists (colonizers). Each microhabitat has developed nematode communities with a characteristic trophic structure that was related to the relative importance of primary production and decomposition processes occurring within the microhabitat. The nematode communities of mosses growing on soil, stones and tree trunks had similar trophic structure dominated by bacterial-feeding nematode taxa. Our results supported the role of nematode communities as potential indicators of environmental conditions.

Order from Amazon –> Spatial patterns of variation in the composition and structure of nematode communities in relation to different microhabitats: a case study of Quercus … article from: Soil Biology and Biochemistry]

Filed Under: Biochemistry Books Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bioremedial potential of fenamiphos and chlorpyrifos degrading isolates: Influence of different environmental conditions

April 14, 2010 By biotech-source.com Leave a Comment

Product Description
This digital document is a journal article from Soil Biology and Biochemistry, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Previously isolated bacterial strains for chlorpyrifos and fenamiphos degradation were used to examine their potential as bioremedial agents in soils and water containing pesticide residues. Both, chlorpyrifos-degrading Enterobacter sp and fenamiphos-degrading consortium rapidly degraded pesticides when inoculated into natural and sterile water and soils. Degradation rate was slower in lower pH soils in comparison with natural and alkaline soils. Soil organic matter had no impact on pesticide degrading ability of isolates. Soil moisture <40% of maximum water-holding capacity slowed down degradation rate. The bacterial isolates were able to rapidly degrade fenamiphos and chlorpyrifos between 15 and 35^oC but their degradation ability was sharply reduced at 5 and 50^oC. Both groups of bacterial systems were also able to remove a range of pesticide degradation. An inoculum density of 10^4 cellsg^-^1 of soil was required for initiating rapid growth and degradation. Ageing of pesticide in soils prior to inoculation produced contrasting results. Ageing of fenamiphos had no impact on subsequent degradation by the inoculated consortium. However, degradation of chlorpyrifos by Enterobacter sp after aging resulted in persistence of ~10% of pesticide in soil matrix. Higher K"o"c value of chlorpyrifos may have resulted in a lack of bioavailability of a smaller percentage of chlorpyrifos to degrading bacteria. Overall, this paper confirms bioremedial potential of a fenamiphos degrading consortium and a chlorpyrifos degrading bacterium under different soil and water characteristics.

Order from Amazon --> Bioremedial potential of fenamiphos and chlorpyrifos degrading isolates: Influence of different environmental conditions

Filed Under: Biochemistry Books Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Changes of lignin phenols and neutral sugars in different soil types of a high-elevation forest ecosystem 25 years after forest dieback

April 13, 2010 By biotech-source.com Leave a Comment

Product Description
This digital document is a journal article from Soil Biology and Biochemistry, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Long-term effects of forest disturbance 25yr ago on lignin and non-cellulosic polysaccharide pools in an unmanaged high-elevation Norway spruce (Picea abies L. [Karst.]) forest were investigated by comparing three dieback sites with three adjacent control sites with non-infested spruce on identical soils. Samples were taken from the forest floor and the mineral soil; one Ah horizon sample per site was physically fractionated into density and particle size fractions. Additionally, changes in the above- and belowground input of lignin and non-cellulosic polysaccharides after forest dieback were quantified. Lignin and its degree of structural alteration in plant and soil samples were assessed by CuO oxidation and subsequent analysis of the lignin phenols. Non-cellulosic polysaccharides were determined after hydrolysis with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), derivatisation of their neutral sugar monomers by reduction to alditols, and subsequent acetylation. The total plant-derived input of lignin and non-cellulosic polysaccharides to the soil was similar for the dieback and the control sites. The chemical composition of the input has changed considerably after forest dieback, as shown by significantly higher syringyl/vanillyl (S/V) ratios and significantly lower (galactose+mannose)/(arabinose+xylose) (GM/AX) ratios. This indicates a changed plant input and a higher contribution of microbial sugars. Contents of lignin phenols in the forest floor and coarse particle size fractions of the A horizons were significantly smaller at the dieback sites (p<0.01). Moreover, larger acid-to-aldehyde ratios of vanillyl units (Ac/Al)"v indicated an increased degree of lignin phenol alteration. Also contents of neutral sugars were significantly (p<0.01) smaller in the forest floor, but not in the A horizons of the dieback sites. The GM/AX mass ratios as well as the (rhamnose+fucose)/(arabinose+xylose) (RF/AX) ratios in the forest floor and coarse particle size fractions of the mineral topsoil were significantly (p<0.01) larger after forest dieback, indicating a larger relative contribution of microbial sugars. In general, the lignin phenol and neutral sugar pools of all three soil types exhibited similar response patterns to the changed site conditions. Our results demonstrate that the lignin and neutral sugar pools of humic topsoil horizons are highly sensitive to forest disturbances. However, the two compounds show different patterns in the mineral soil, with the major neutral sugar pool being stabilized against changes whereas the lignin phenol pool decreases significantly.

Order from Amazon --> Changes of lignin phenols and neutral sugars in different soil types of a high-elevation forest ecosystem 25 years after forest dieback

Filed Under: Biochemistry Books Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Soil microbial dynamics and genetic diversity in soil under monoculture wheat grown in different long-term management systems

April 12, 2010 By biotech-source.com Leave a Comment

Product Description
This digital document is a journal article from Soil Biology and Biochemistry, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Organic matter incorporation into soil can increase nutrient availability to plants but it can affect soil microbial communities. These in turn influence soil fertility and plant growth. Soil biochemical and microbiological properties are indicators of soil quality, but there is still no consensus as to how these should be used. Recent developments in molecular biology have provided new tools to obtain a view of the whole microbial community. The long-term impact of crop residue management on the microbial biomass, and on the activity and community structure of soil bacteria was evaluated in a clay soil of Southern Italy, where a monoculture of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) was grown in semiarid conditions, and burning or incorporation of post harvest plant residues were typical practices. The role of N-mineral fertilization, simultaneously with the ploughing in of crop residues and during the plant growth cycle was also investigated. Total bacterial counts of viable cells, biomass C, ATP content of soil microorganisms, genetic fingerprinting of the total eubacterial community and of ammonia oxidizers were evaluated. Burning and incorporation did not affect microbial biomass C, ATP content, and total bacterial counts of viable cells although statistically relevant changes were detected among rhizosphere and bulk soil samples regardless of the crop residue management used. Molecular fingerprinting confirmed that: no significant change in the composition and diversity of total bacteria, as well as of ammonia oxidizers was induced by the crop residue managements; that soil bacteria were more sensitive to N fertilizer application during the plant growth cycle; and that rhizosphere soil samples were significantly different from those of the bulk soil. As microbiological and genetic factors related to soil fertility were not affected significantly, the long-term incorporation of crop residues, under the field conditions investigated, is a sustainable practice to manage post-harvest residues.

Order from Amazon –> Soil microbial dynamics and genetic diversity in soil under monoculture wheat grown in different long-term management systems

Filed Under: Biochemistry Books Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts