A meiotic DNA polymerase [DNA nucleotidyltransferase (DNA-directed), EC 2.7.7.7], which likely has a role in meiotic DNA repair, was isolated from a mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. The purified fraction displays three bands in SDS/PAGE, at molecular masses of 72 kDa, 65 kDa and 36 kDa. Optimal activity is at pH 7.0-8.0 in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+ and 50 mM KCl and at 28-30 degrees C, which is the...

Mitotic sister-chromatid cohesion (SCC) is known to depend in part on conserved proteins called adherins, which although necessary for SCC are not themselves localized between sister chromatids. We have examined mitotic DNA-repair and meiotic chromosome behavior in the Coprinus cinereus adherin mutant rad9-1. Genetic pathway analysis established that Rad9 functions in an Mre11-dependent pathway...

Interspecific competition plays an important role in structuring ecological communities and generating patterns of phenotypic diversification. In the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia, strong interspecific competition between P. cinereus and P. shenandoah shapes the geographic distributions of these species and relegates P. shenandoah to sub-optimal habitat. However, while many Plethodon salaman...

HANKEN, J . 1983. High incidence of limb skeletal variants in a peripheral population of the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus (Amphibia: Plethodontidae), from Nova Scotia. Can. J . 2001. 61: 1925193 1. A single population of Plethodon cinereus from northwestern Nova Scotia shows a high incidence of limb skeletal variants, which is exceptional for this morphologically conservative speci...

The flow of energy within an ecosystem can be considered either top-down, where predators influence consumers, or bottom-up, where producers influence consumers. Plethodon cinereus (Red-backed Salamander) is a terrestrial keystone predator who feeds on invertebrates within the ecosystem. We investigated the impact of the removal of P. cinereus on the detritivore food web in an upland deciduous ...

Studying on Agaricales fungi collected from different parts of Mashhad and its suburbs (Khorasan province), 23 species were identificed. Among these, 18 species, namely, Lepiota cristata, Tricholoma sulphureum, Flammulina velutipes, Armillaria mellea, Pleurotus ostratus, Conocybe lactea, Agrocybe cylindracea, Mycena galopus, Psilocybe crobulus, Hypholoma   fasciculare, Agaricus bitorquis, Pholi...

1. The competitive interactions of closely related species have long been considered important determinants of community composition and a major cause of phenotypic diversification. However, while patterns such as character displacement are well documented, less is known about how local adaptation influences diversifying selection from interspecific competition. 2. We examined body size and hea...

Organisms may reduce the risk of predation by responding to chemical cues from predators. Recent research shows that many species vary their antipredator response depending on the diet of the predator. We examined the responses of three plethodontid species of salamander (Plethodon cinereus,Eurycea bislineata, and Desmognathus ochrophaeus) to chemical cues from a shared snake predator (Thamnoph...