Basin-scale coherence in phenology of shrimps and phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Climate change could lead to mismatches between the reproductive cycles of marine organisms and their planktonic food. We tested this hypothesis by comparing shrimp (Pandalus borealis) egg hatching times and satellite-derived phytoplankton bloom dynamics throughout the North Atlantic. At large spatial and long temporal (10 years or longer) scales, hatching was correlated with the timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom. Annual egg development and hatching times were determined locally by bottom water temperature. We conclude that different populations of P. borealis have adapted to local temperatures and bloom timing, matching egg hatching to food availability under average conditions. This strategy is vulnerable to interannual oceanographic variability and long-term climatic changes.

Chloroplast and nuclear gene sequences indicate late Pennsylvanian time for the last common ancestor of extant seed plants.

We have estimated the time for the last common ancestor of extant seed plants by using molecular clocks constructed from the sequences of the chloroplastic gene coding for the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) and the nuclear gene coding for the small subunit of rRNA (Rrn18). Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequences indicated that the earliest divergence of extant seed plants is likely represented by a split between conifer-cycad and angiosperm lineages. Relative-rate tests were used to assess homogeneity of substitution rates among lineages, and annual angiosperms were found to evolve at a faster rate than other taxa for rbcL and, thus, these sequences were excluded from construction of molecular clocks. Five distinct molecular clocks were calibrated using substitution rates for the two genes and four divergence times based on fossil and published molecular clock estimates. The five estimated times for the last common ancestor of extant seed plants were in agreement with one another, with an average of 285 million years and a range of 275-290 million years. This implies a substantially more recent ancestor of all extant seed plants than suggested by some theories of plant evolution.

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships between birches and alders using ITS, 18S rRNA and rbcL gene sequences.

The Betuleae is one of the two Betulaceae tribes and contains two genera, the actinorhizal genus Alnus and the nonactinorhizal genus Betula. To elucidate the phylogenetic relationships within the tribe and compare the relative amounts of genetic diversity between the genera Alnus and Betula, rbcL and 18S rRNA gene sequences as well as rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) sequences were obtained and compared. In rbcL and 18S rRNA, several substitutions were detected between Alnus and Betula but no variation was observed within Alnus. Minimal length variation was observed among ITS sequences. The numbers of substitutions per site for ITS were, on average, close to 10 times those estimated for 18S between Alnus and Betula. In ITS, numbers of substitutions were, on average, more than twice as large between genera than within genera. Phylogenies from ITS sequences were estimated using neighbor-joining analysis of substitution rates, maximum likelihood and parsimony methods. Each of the two genera appeared monophyletic, which was supported by high bootstrap estimates. Relationships among the three sections of Betula analyzed were also better resolved than those among the three subgenera of Alnus analyzed. Phylogenies estimated from ITS sequences suggested a relatively recent diversification of each genus, in agreement with fossil data.

Sequence of 18S rDNA of actinorhizal Alnus glutinosa (Betulaceae).

The small subunit ribosomal DNA for a woody actinorhizal, Alnus glutinosa, was isolated by the PCR method. Amplification products were cloned into the Bluescript SK- vector. Full sequence, 1698 bp, was obtained with NS1 to NS8 primers. Sequence alignments were made by UWGCG sequence data analysis computer programs. 18S rDNA sequence of A. glutinosa was compared to analogous segments of four other angiosperms, tomato, rice, maize and soybean. Sequence homologies are discussed and application for the technique is suggested.

Developmentally regulated late mRNAs in the encystment of Physarum polycephalum plasmodia.

Physarum polycephalum plasmodia survive adverse conditions by transforming into encysted cells called spherules. In this work we analysed the developmentally regulated mRNAs from the late stages of spherulation. A cDNA library was constructed and four abundant mRNAs were identified. One of the mRNAs was present in trace amounts in early spherules, while the other three were found only in late spherules. A cDNA clone for one of the late spherulation specific mRNAs was sequenced. It codes for a 332-amino-acid protein that did not show significant similarities with any known protein. Since the mRNA for this protein accumulates during spherulation, the protein was called spherulin 4. This protein has many features of a plasma membrane protein; it contains a signal peptide and a long hydrophobic region, which could serve as a transmembrane anchor. Another interesting feature is the presence of seven consecutive glycine residues in the N-terminal region. This is even more remarkable since the protein is not rich in glycine.