Very small-sized shoots of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, defined as “bonsai” shoots, were found in areas with most intense CO2 emissions and low pH associated four vents systems off Panarea island (Aeolian Archipelago, Sicily, Southern Tyrrhenian Sea). Bonsai sampled September 2021 October 2022: Bottaro crater (8 m depth), Camp 7 (16 21 m), Black Point (20 m) Hot/Cold Points (1...

Morphology of three species of the cladoceran genus Camptocercus Baird, 1843 (Anomopoda: Chydoridae), North Asian C. streletskayae Smirnov, 1998, Australian C. australis Sars, 1896 and Neotropical C. dadayi Stingelin, 1913, is investigated. Revealed data confirm a high level of morphological diversity within the genus. C. australis and C. dadayi belong to the uncinatus-clade of the genus, while...

Bacteria that produce inhibitory compounds on the surface of marine algae are thought to contribute to the defense of the host plant against colonization of fouling organisms. However, the number of bacterial cells necessary to defend against fouling on the plant surface is not known. Pseudoalteromonas tunicata and Phaeobacter sp. strain 2.10 (formerly Roseobacter gallaeciensis) are marine bact...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Studies on the effects of sub- and/or supraoptimal temperatures on growth and phosphorus (P) nutrition of perennial herbaceous species at growth-limiting P availability are few, and the impacts of temperature on rhizosphere carboxylate dynamics are not known for any species. METHODS The effect of three day/night temperature regimes (low, 20/13 °C; medium, 27/20 °C; and hig...

Current views on Agnathan phylogeny favor the hypothesis that the genera of holarctic lampreys belong to a single family (Petromyzontidae) and form an interrelated progression in which Petromyzon is near to Ichthomyzon at the base of the phylogenetic tree and Lampetra is the most derived. A stock similar to that of contemporary Ichthomyzon is considered to have given rise to the southern hemisp...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The typical rootless linear shoots of aquatic carnivorous plants exhibit clear, steep polarity associated with very rapid apical shoot growth. The aim of this study was to determine how auxin and cytokinin contents are related to polarity and shoot growth in such plants. METHODS The main auxin and cytokinin metabolites in separated shoot segments and turions of two carnivo...

Due to its strong immune stimulatory effects through TLR9, CpG-containing oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN) have been tested in multiple clinical trials as vaccine adjuvant for infectious diseases and cancer. However, immune suppression induced by systemic administration of CpGs has been reported recently. In this study, we evaluated the impact of CpGs in an acute rickettsiosis model. We found th...

The high variability in reproductive performance of North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis compared to southern right whales Eubalaena australis may reflect differences in lipid reserves. Amplitude-mode ultrasound was used to measure the thickness of right whale integument (epidermis and blubber, herein referred to as blubber thickness) in E. glacialis in the Bay of Fundy, Canada for 5...

Cuscuta chinensis and Cuscuta australis, the two botanical sources of the Chinese herbal medicine Tu-Si-Zi, were distinguished from each other based on qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. By HPLC‑DAD‑MS, a total of 36 compounds were characterized from these two Cuscuta species, including 14 flavonoids, 17 quinic acid derivatives, and 5 lignans. In addition, HPLC‑UV was applied to de...

Several species of social bees exhibit population-level lateralization in learning odors and recalling olfactory memories. Honeybees Apis mellifera and Australian social stingless bees Trigona carbonaria and Austroplebeia australis are better able to recall shortand long-term memory through the right and left antenna respectively, whereas non-social mason bees Osmia rufa are not lateralized in ...