Polyploidy events are believed to be responsible for increasing the size of plant organs and enhancing tolerance to environmental stresses. Autotetraploid Paulownia australis plants exhibit superior traits compared with their diploid progenitors. Although some transcriptomics studies have been performed and some relevant genes have been revealed, the molecular and biological mechanisms regulati...

We experimentally investigated the interactions between two parasites known to manipulate their host's phenotype, the trematodes Acanthoparyphium sp. and Curtuteria australis, which infect the cockle Austrovenus stutchburyi. The larval stages of both species encyst within the tissue of the bivalve's muscular foot, with a preference for the tip of the foot. As more individuals accumulate at that...

Several human diseases including, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegenerative and hepatic diseases are related to destructive effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Antioxidants may provide a possible solution to this problem.This study was carried out to investigate the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Celtis australis on CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in mice.  The antioxidant activity...

Rickettsiae actively escape from vacuoles and replicate free in the cytoplasm of host cells, where inflammasomes survey the invading pathogens. In the present study, we investigated the interactions of Rickettsia australis with the inflammasome in both mouse and human macrophages. R. australis induced a significant level of IL-1β secretion by human macrophages, which was significantly reduced u...

Compared with non-invasive species, invasive plant species may benefit from certain advantageous traits, for example, higher photosynthesis capacity and resource/energy-use efficiency. These traits can be preadapted prior to introduction, but can also be acquired through evolution following introduction to the new range. Disentangling the origins of these advantageous traits is a fundamental an...

The common reed, Phragmites australis, is a highly aggressive species that outcompetes native species on shorelines, wetlands and roadways across the Great Lakes Basin. Prior to my analysis glyphosate and imazapyr (Habitat 7) herbicides were applied to more than 600 acres at selected sites along the west shore of lower Green Bay. I explored alternative secondary control treatments for increasin...

Eighteen patients involved in a localized outbreak of leptospirosis were subjected to a serological follow-up study over a 5-year period. Four distinct sets of sera from all patients and a fifth sample obtained from 10 of them were examined by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for demonstration of leptospiral antibodies. The test was carried out by using live leptospires from reference s...

Experimental studies to determine the nature of ecological interactions between invasive and native species are necessary for conserving and restoring native species in impacted habitats. Theory predicts that species boundaries along environmental gradients are determined by physical factors in stressful environments and by competitive ability in benign environments, but little is known about t...

In the recent article, “Managing Invasive Aquatic Plants in a Changing System: Strategic Consideration of Ecosystem Services,” Hershner and Havens (2008) reject the need to manage certain aquatic plant invaders. The authors claim that Phragmites australis invasion is acceptable because it provides three ecosystem services: habitat, soil stabilization, and nutrient uptake and retention. We stron...