No ontogenetic shift in the realised trophic niche but in Batesian mimicry in an ant-eating spider.

In predators an ontogenetic trophic shift includes change from small to large prey of several different taxa. In myrmecophagous predators that are also mimics of ants, the ontogenetic trophic shift should be accompanied by a parallel mimetic change. Our aim was to test whether ant-eating jumping spider, Mexcala elegans, is myrmecomorphic throughout their ontogenetic development, and whether there is an ontogenetic shift in realised trophic niche and their mimetic models. We performed field observations on the association of Mexcala with ant species and investigated the natural prey of the ontogenetic classes by means of molecular methods. Then we measured the mimetic similarity of ontogenetic morphs to putative mimetic models. We found Mexcala is an inaccurate mimic of ants both in the juvenile and adult stages. During ontogenesis it shifts mimetic models. The mimetic similarity was rather superficial, so an average bird predator should distinguish spiders from ants based on colouration. The realised trophic niche was narrow, composed mainly of ants of different species. There was no significant difference in the prey composition between ontogenetic stages. Females were more stenophagous than juveniles. We conclude that Mexcala is an ant-eating specialist that reduces its prey spectrum and shifts ant models during ontogenesis.

Comparative analysis of the macronutrient content of Central European ants (Formicidae): implications for ant-eating predators.

Prey nutrient quality determines predator performance. Polyphagous predators can address nutritional challenges by targeting prey with specific nutrient composition, but prey-specialised predators (e.g., ant-eaters), must obtain all nutrients from limited array of prey. Analysis of published data on prey specificity of European ant-eating spiders showed that some feed only on one ant genus, while others feed on several genera. Spiders feeding on several ant genera can possibly balance nutrient intake by selecting different ant prey. But monophagous species must extract all prey from a single prey species and can only vary nutrient intake by feeding on specific body parts. Most ant-eating spider species are catching Formica, Lasius and Messor ants, suggesting that these are most profitable ant species. We evaluated the nutritional content of a variety of 16 Central European ant species belonging to 11 genera and four subfamilies. We found that the nutritional composition, namely the amount of carbon, nitrogen and lipids, of European ants is heterogeneous. The largest variation in the amount of carbon and lipids was among ant subfamilies and species, while the largest variation in nitrogen was among ant genera. The largest amount of carbon and nitrogen was typical for Myrmicinae and the largest amount of lipids were typical for Formicinae. Within ants, the relative amounts of lipids were significantly higher in the gaster while the contents of carbon and nitrogen were highest in foreparts. Ant species did not cluster in the ordination space according to their taxonomic relationship or trophic strategy.

Prey-race drives differentiation of biotypes in ant-eating spiders.

1. Disruptive natural selection resulting from specialization on different hosts is recognized as one of the most important driving forces in the diversification of herbivores and parasites. It has been proposed that a similar mechanism could apply to carnivorous predators too, although the evidence is still lacking. 2. Here, we show that the differentiation of biotypes of specialized ant-eating spiders of the genus Zodarion has probably been induced by prey-shifting. We focused on two forms of one species Z. styliferum from the Iberian Peninsula that presumably represent ecological races. We conducted geographic, ecological, venom-oriented, reproductive and genetic divergence analysis among multiple populations collected at a number of sites across Portugal and Madeira. 3. Geographic analysis revealed that the two forms occur in mosaic sympatry. Each form was found to associate in nature with a different ant species in a different habitat. Specifically, the styliferum form hunted predominantly Messor ants, and the extraneum form hunted mainly Camponotus ants. Laboratory experiments revealed that the two forms exhibit a significant preference for attacking focal ants, demonstrating higher paralysis efficiency, and also show different venom composition. Cross-mating of the two forms was significantly less likely than between pairs of the same form, suggesting moderate assortative mating. Phylogenetic analyses indicate low genetic differentiation of the two forms and parallel-repeated evolution of biotypes. 4. Adaptive prey-shifting correlated with habitat preference are at present the most valid explanations for biotype formation in Zodarion. The speciation of ant-eating Zodarion spiders thus appears to follow a scenario similar to that of host-shifting in parasites and herbivores.

Temperature preference and respiration of acaridid mites.

The thermal preferences in a grain mass and respiration at various temperatures in mites (Acari: Acarididae) of medical and economical importance [Acarus siro (L. 1758), Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes 1961, Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank 1871), and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank 1781)] were studied under laboratory conditions. Based on the distribution of mites in wheat, Triticum aestivum L., grain along a thermal gradient from 10 to 40 degrees C, L. destructor, D. farinae, and A. siro were classified as eurythermic and T. putrescentiae as stenothermic. The lowest preferred temperature was found for D. farinae (28 degrees C), followed by A. siro (28.5 degrees C), L. destructor (29.5 degrees C), and T. putrescentiae (31.5 degrees C). The relationship between the respiration rate and the temperature was similar for all four mite species. The highest respiration was found in the range from 31 to 33 degrees C. This is approximately 2 degrees C higher than the preferred temperature of these species. The lower temperature threshold of respiration ranged from 1 to 5 degrees C and the upper threshold ranged from 45 to 48 degrees C. Acclimatization of A. siro to temperature regimes of 5, 15, and 35 degrees C resulted in thermal preferences between 9 and 12 degrees C, 9 and 20 degrees C, and 28 and 35 degrees C, respectively. The respiration rate of acclimatized specimens increased with the temperature, reaching a maximum at 29.0 degrees C for mites acclimatized at 5 and 15 degrees C and a maximum at 33.7 degrees C for those acclimatized at 30 degrees C.

Predation activity of two winter-active spiders (Araneae: Anyphaenidae, Philodromidae).

Anyphaena accentuata and Philodromus spp. are cold adapted and winter-active spider species. Their predation activity was investigated at constant temperatures between -4 and 30°C. The lower temperature threshold for Anyphaena was -3.7°C, while that of Philodromus was -1.2°C. At 1°C the latency to capture and prey consumption was significantly shorter in Anyphaena than in Philodromus. The capture rate increased with temperature and was maximal at 15°C in Anyphaena and at 30°C in Philodromus. At 30°C, the latency to the capture was significantly shorter in Philodromus than in Anyphaena whose mortality significantly increased.

Isolation and activity of Xenorhabdus antimicrobial compounds against the plant pathogens Erwinia amylovora and Phytophthora nicotianae.

AIMS: Broad-spectrum antibiotics produced by symbiotic bacteria [entomopathogenic bacterium (EPB)] of entomopathogenic nematodes keep monoxenic conditions in insect cadavers in soil. This study evaluated antibiotics produced by EPB for their potential to control plant pathogenic bacteria and oomycetes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Entomopathogenic bacterium produce antibiotics effective against the fire blight bacterium Erwinia amylovora, including streptomycin resistant strains, and were as effective in phytotron experiments as kasugamycin or streptomycin. Xenorhabdus budapestensis and X. szentirmaii antibiotics inhibited colony formation and mycelial growth of Phytophthora nicotianae. From X. budapestensis, an arginine-rich fraction (bicornutin) was adsorbed by Amberlite((R)) XAD 1180, and eluted with methanol : 1 n HCI (99 : 1). Bicornutin inactivated zoospores, and inhibited germination and colony formation of cystospores at <<25 ppm. An UV-active molecule (bicornutin-A, MW = 826), separated by HPLC and thin-layer chromatography, was identified as a novel hexa-peptide : RLRRRX. CONCLUSIONS: Xenorhabdus budapestensis produces metabolites with strong antibacterial and cytotoxic activity. Individual compounds can be isolated, identified and patented, but their full antimicrobial potential may be multiplied by synergic interactions. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Active compounds of two new Xenorhabdus species might control plant diseases caused by pathogens of great importance to agriculture such as Erw. amylovora and P. nicotianae.

Dietary and prey-capture adaptations by which Zodarion germanicum, an ant-eating spider (Araneae: Zodariidae), specialises on the Formicinae.

There has been considerable recent interest in the biology of spiders that specialise on ants as prey, but previous studies have tended to envisage the level of adaptation as being to ants as a group. In this paper, we provide evidence that Zodarion germanicum is a spider that has dietary and venom adaptations by which it targets a particular subset of ants, the subfamily Formicinae. We reared spiders from first instar in the laboratory on three different diets: formicine ants only, myrmicine ants only and mixed (both formicine and myrmicine ants). Fitness-related life-history parameters were determined, and we found that the spiders on the formicine-only diet lived longer and grew at a faster rate. Lipid, carbon and nitrogen compositions of ants were analysed, but we found no evidence of formicines differing from myrmicines in macro-nutrient content. This suggests that effects on longevity and growth depended on more specific nutrients or on compounds the prey uses for defence. We investigated how efficient Z. germanicum was at paralysing different ants and our findings suggest that the spider's venom is especially effective against formicines. Taken together, our findings suggest that Z. germanicum has evolved specialisation at the level of targeting a particular ant subfamily, the Formicinae.

Contamination of soil with Toxocara eggs in urban (Prague) and rural areas in the Czech Republic.

Contamination of soil with feline and canine ascarid eggs in public parks, backyards and sand pits in Prague, Czech Republic was investigated in this work. Soil samples from shelters and rural areas were also collected. The comparison of soil from different areas (urban, rural, backyards and shelters) exhibited significant difference (chi(2)=32.16, d.f.=3 and p<0.0001). The highest rate of contamination (45%) was found in backyards inhabited by feral cats. The eggs of Toxocara spp. were found in 20.4% of parks, 10% of shelters and 5% of rural samples. Mean egg density per sample from Prague parks was 6.2 eggs/100g of soil. In 126 composite samples from children's and pits, the prevalence of Toxocara eggs was 11.90%. The number of eggs in positive samples varied from 2 to 22 (per 100g). A high proportion (46.9%) of eggs was fully embryonated. There was no difference between the sand pits with or without formal exclusion of dogs (chi(2)=0.6, d.f.=1 and p<0.0001).

The prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs from Prague, rural areas, and shelters of the Czech Republic.

The prevalence of intestinal parasites was evaluated by examination of dog faecal samples in the Prague city centre, agricultural areas, and two shelters. The overall prevalence of parasites (i.e., protozoa and helminths, mentioned below) in Prague was 17.6%. Toxocara canis was the most common parasite, and was recovered from 6.2% of dogs, followed by Cystoisospora spp. (2.4%), Cryptosporidium spp. (1.4%), Trichuris sp. (1.1%), Taenia-type (1.0%), Giardia spp. (0.1%), Toxascaris sp. (0.9%), Dipylidium sp. (0.7%), Sarcocystis spp. (0.6%), Capillaria spp. (0.6%), Neospora/Hammondia spp. (0.5%), Ancylostoma sp. (0.4%), Uncinaria sp. (0.4%), and Spirocerca sp. (0.2%). The prevalence of infections with helminths and protozoans in two animal shelters in Prague was examined at the dog's admittance ir reception to the shelters and during housing. T. canis eggs (6.5%), Cystoisospora (4.4%), and Giardia (3.3%) cysts were the most prevalent. Significant increases in the prevalence of some parasites were found after a stay in the shelter. Giardia spp. showed an 11-fold increase in prevalence of dogs placed in the shelters for a longer time; Cryptosporidium spp. had a 7-fold increase, Capillaria spp. a 5-fold, Spirocerca sp., Neospora/Hammondia spp., and Cystoisospora spp. a 4-fold increase over dogs examined at the time of admittance to the shelter (p<0.01). Dog in rural areas were infected significantly more frequently (p<0.01) than those in Prague. In 540 faecal samples from rural areas, the overall prevalence of parasites (i.e., protozoa and helminths mentioned below) was 41.7%. The prevalence of T. canis was 13.7%, followed by Cystoisospora spp. (8.0%), Taenia spp. (3.5%), Sarcocystis spp. (3.0%), Giardia spp. (2.2%), Cryptosporidium spp. (2.0%), Trichuris sp. (1.7%), Toxascaris sp. (1.7%), Dipylidium sp. (1.3%), Neospora/Hammondia spp. (1.3%), Spirocerca sp. (1.1%), Uncinaria sp. (0.9%), Ancylostoma sp. (0.7%), and Capillaria spp. (0.6%). Examinations of dogs in urban and rural areas showed, with the exception of Trichuris sp. in Prague, a higher occurrence of nematode infection in autumn, notably T. canis (chi2>8.3, d.f.=3, p<0.04).

A Neu differentiation factor (NDF) domain essential for proliferation and alterations in morphology of colonic epithelial cells in vitro.

The Neu Differentiation Factors (NDFs, also termed "heregulins") are a family of proteins that were first isolated as ligands for the HER2 (ergB2, or p185neu) receptor protein tyrosine kinase. Here we show that NDF acts to stimulate the proliferation and alter the cellular morphology of colonic epithelial cells in culture. Dramatic NDF-induced changes in cellular morphology were noted in the colonic epithelial cell line, LIM 1215. In addition, the expression of specific cell proteins, such as carcinoembryonic antigen and integrin beta 4, was induced in LIM 1215 cells by NDF. These effects were more pronounced with the beta isoform than with the alpha isoform of NDF. The EGF-homology domain of NDF beta was sufficient to stimulate the proliferation and alteration in cell morphology. The use of chemically synthesized chimeric NDF alpha and NDF beta proteins enabled use to identify a region of seven amino acids in the EGF-homology domain of NDF beta that is required for both activities. These in vitro experiments suggest that NDF may act as a regulator of growth and differentiation of colonic epithelial cells in vivo.

Chromosome assignments of the human TNF p55 and p75 receptor genes.

At least two different receptor molecules have been described that are capable of binding tumor necrosis factor alpha, a cytokine that plays an important role in inflammation and antitumor activity. Comparative analyses at the nucleotide sequence level suggest that these receptors are members of a newly defined protein family that also includes human and rat nerve growth factor receptors. In this study, we determine the chromosome assignments of the human TNF alpha receptor genes, one of which may have evolved as part of a conserved Hox locus-containing chromosome segment.

Glial fibrillary acid protein, an astrocytic-specific marker, maps to human chromosome 17.

The murine glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) gene is located on chromosome 11 in close proximity to the genes encoding transforming protein p53 (Trp53) and myeloperoxidase (Mpo). Both Trp53 and Mpo have been mapped to human chromosome 17, but the chromosomal assignment of human GFAP has not been previously determined. In this report, we have amplified a cDNA fragment encoding a portion of GFAP from human brain and have used this probe to screen a mouse x human somatic cell hybrid panel. The results show that a human-specific GFAP species of approx 3.7 kb maps to one of these lines, TMS5, which contains chromosome 17 as its only human chromosome. On the basis of these data we speculate that there may be evolutionary relatedness between GFAP and other genes that map to both murine chromosome 11 and human chromosome 17.

Deposits of amyloid beta protein in the central nervous system of transgenic mice.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by widespread deposition of amyloid in the central nervous system. The 4-kilodalton amyloid beta protein is derived from a larger amyloid precursor protein and forms amyloid deposits in the brain by an unknown pathological mechanism. Except for aged nonhuman primates, there is no animal model for Alzheimer's disease. Transgenic mice expressing amyloid beta protein in the brain could provide such a model. To investigate this possibility, the 4-kilodalton human amyloid beta protein was expressed under the control of the promoter of the human amyloid precursor protein in two lines of transgenic mice. Amyloid beta protein accumulated in the dendrites of some but not all hippocampal neurons in 1-year-old transgenic mice. Aggregates of the amyloid beta protein formed amyloid-like fibrils that are similar in appearance to those in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Arginine vasopressin promotes growth of rat glomerular mesangial cells in culture.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) binds specifically to vascular smooth muscle-like mesangial cells (MCs) and affects contraction. We tested whether this peptide also modulates growth behavior of rat MCs in early subculture (passage 2-5). Subconfluent, serum-starved MCs were exposed to AVP (10(-10)-10(-6) M) in the presence or absence of insulin (5 micrograms/ml). To assess DNA replication, MC uptake of [3H]thymidine (24-h pulse) was determined on days 1, 2, and 3. AVP alone averaged a 1.97-fold increase in DNA synthesis at 24 h, whereas the mean stimulatory effects of AVP at 48 and 72 h were 7.21- and 5.42-fold, respectively. MCs exposed simultaneously to AVP and insulin showed potentiation of the mitogenic response to AVP alone. The V1-receptor antagonist [1-(beta-mercapto-beta,beta-cyclopentamethylene proprionic acid), 2-(O-methyl-Tyr)-Arg]vasopressin (PMP) inhibited only AVP-induced promotion of MC growth (maximal inhibition of -78.3%). The phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) acutely stimulated MC proliferation but did not add to the AVP effect. Preincubation of MCs with 600 nM of TPA for 48 h significantly inhibited AVP-induced mitogenesis (-87.2%). By use of fura-2, intracellular calcium (Cai) was assessed by spectrofluorometry. The addition of AVP (10(-12)-10(-6) M) led to a rapid, transient, dose-dependent increase in Cai of 154-383%, respectively. The AVP-induced increase in Cai was greatly inhibited by 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid 8-(diethylamino)octyl ester hydrochloride (TMB-8) (10(-8)-10(-6) M), an inhibitor of Cai release (-23.9 to -72.1%), and it was blunted by the atrial natriuretic peptide AP-28 (-38.3%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)