Spirochetes from termite hindguts and freshwater sediments possessed homologs of a nitrogenase gene (nifH) and exhibited nitrogenase activity, a previously unrecognized metabolic capability in spirochetes. Fixation of 15-dinitrogen was demonstrated with termite gut Treponema ZAS-9 and free-living Spirochaeta aurantia. Homologs of nifH were also present in human oral and bovine ruminal treponeme...

Using an aMnity adsorbent prepared from L-fucose and starch, a lectin was isolated from fruit bedies of an ascomycete mushroom, IVdlelastiza ch teri. The lectin was found to cross-react with antiserum against Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL), that had been obtained £ rom another ascomycete mushroom. The N-termina] amino acid sequence was analyzed, and among 20 residues 12 were the same as AAL. The...

Sticky viscous prey capture threads retain insects that strike araneoid orb-webs. The threads' two axial fibers support a series of glue droplets, each featuring a core of adhesive viscoelastic glycoprotein covered by an aqueous solution. After sticking, the glue extends, summing the adhesion of multiple droplets, and dissipates some of the energy of a struggling prey. As a day progresses, thre...

Most previous studies considering intraspecific differences in bat echolocation call frequency among geographic groups have related this to morphological features not directly involved in producing the characteristics of the emitted signal. We related a pattern of intraspecific call differences to the size of nasal chambers (estimated from radiographs of museum specimens), expecting chamber dim...