Rapid plant trait evolution can alter coastal wetland resilience to sea level rise.

Rapid evolution remains a largely unrecognized factor in models that forecast the fate of ecosystems under scenarios of global change. In this work, we quantified the roles of heritable variation in plant traits and of trait evolution in explaining variability in forecasts of the state of coastal wetland ecosystems. A common garden study of genotypes of the dominant sedge Schoenoplectus americanus, "resurrected" from time-stratified seed banks, revealed that heritable variation and evolution explained key ecosystem attributes such as the allocation and distribution of belowground biomass. Incorporating heritable trait variation and evolution into an ecosystem model altered predictions of carbon accumulation and soil surface accretion (a determinant of marsh resilience to sea level rise), demonstrating the importance of accounting for evolutionary processes when forecasting ecosystem dynamics.

The characterization of the Phlebotomus papatasi transcriptome.

As important vectors of human disease, phlebotomine sand flies are of global significance to human health, transmitting several emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The most devastating of the sand fly transmitted infections are the leishmaniases, causing significant mortality and morbidity in both the Old and New World. Here we present the first global transcriptome analysis of the Old World vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis, Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) and compare this transcriptome to that of the New World vector of visceral leishmaniasis, Lutzomyia longipalpis. A normalized cDNA library was constructed using pooled mRNA from Phlebotomus papatasi larvae, pupae, adult males and females fed sugar, blood, or blood infected with Leishmania major. A total of 47 615 generated sequences was cleaned and assembled into 17 120 unique transcripts. Of the assembled sequences, 50% (8837 sequences) were classified using Gene Ontology (GO) terms. This collection of transcripts is comprehensive, as demonstrated by the high number of different GO categories. An in-depth analysis revealed 245 sequences with putative homology to proteins involved in blood and sugar digestion, immune response and peritrophic matrix formation. Twelve of the novel genes, including one trypsin, two peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRP) and nine chymotrypsins, have a higher expression level during larval stages. Two novel chymotrypsins and one novel PGRP are abundantly expressed upon blood feeding. This study will greatly improve the available genomic resources for P. papatasi and will provide essential information for annotation of the full genome.

Widespread divergence between incipient Anopheles gambiae species revealed by whole genome sequences.

The Afrotropical mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto, a major vector of malaria, is currently undergoing speciation into the M and S molecular forms. These forms have diverged in larval ecology and reproductive behavior through unknown genetic mechanisms, despite considerable levels of hybridization. Previous genome-wide scans using gene-based microarrays uncovered divergence between M and S that was largely confined to gene-poor pericentromeric regions, prompting a speciation-with-ongoing-gene-flow model that implicated only about 3% of the genome near centromeres in the speciation process. Here, based on the complete M and S genome sequences, we report widespread and heterogeneous genomic divergence inconsistent with appreciable levels of interform gene flow, suggesting a more advanced speciation process and greater challenges to identify genes critical to initiating that process.

An American Board of Orthodontics case report: an adult nonsurgical patient whose treatment required combined dental disciplines.

This is a case report of a 27-year-old, white woman who had a Class II, Division 2 malocclusion with 100% overbite and mild skeletal mandibular retrognathia. Missing teeth were the maxillary right canine, second premolar, and second molar; the maxillary left canine and second molar; the mandibular left first premolar and second molar; the mandibular right first premolar and second molar. The maxillary first premolars were used as canines and the molars were in an Angle Class I relationship at the end of 31 months of treatment. Bonded lingual retainers were placed: a maxillary lateral incisor-to-lateral incisor, a mandibular canine-to-canine, and a maxillary Hawley retainer. Later, a fixed restoration to replace the maxillary right second premolar was completed. Included are 3-year posttreatment records.