| 1. |
- Lyytikäinen-Saarenmaa, P, et al.
(author)
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Monitoring the European pine sawfly with pheromone traps in maturing Scots pine stands
- 2006
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In: Agricultural and Forest Entomology. - : Wiley. - 1461-9555 .- 1461-9563. ; 8:1, s. 7-15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 1. During 1989-93, field studies were conducted in Finland to develop a method based on pheromone traps to monitor and forecast population levels of the European pine sawfly (Neodiprion sertifer Geoffr.) and tree defoliation. 2. Three traps per site were baited with 100 μg of the N. sertifer sex pheromone, the acetate ester of (2S,3S,7S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-pentadecanol (diprionol), in maturing pine stands in southern and central Finland. In addition, three different dosages (1, 10 and 100 μg) of the pheromone were tested in 1991-92. 3. The highest number of males was observed in traps baited with the highest dose. On average, there was a 10-fold increase in trap catch between lure doses. 4. Density of overwintering eggs was used to evaluate the effectiveness of pheromone traps in predicting sawfly populations. The proportion of healthy overwintering eggs was determined each year. A model based on the number of current shoots on sample trees, diameter at breast height and tree height was formulated to estimate eggs per hectare. 5. Linear regression analysis produced high coefficients of determination between number of males in traps and density of total eggs in the subsequent generation, when populations were at peak densities. The relationships were not significant for low population densities. The results indicate a risk of moderate defoliation when the seasonal trap catch is 800-1000 males per trap or higher.
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| 2. |
- Nieberding, Caroline. M., et al.
(author)
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The Male Sex pheromone of the Butterfly Bicyclus anynana : Towards an Evolutionary Analysis
- 2008
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 3:7, s. e2751-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Female sex pheromones attracting mating partners over long distances are a major determinant of reproductive isolation and speciation in Lepidoptera. Males can also produce sex pheromones but their study, particularly in butterflies, has received little attention. A detailed comparison of sex pheromones in male butterflies with those of female moths would reveal patterns of conservation versus novelty in the associated behaviours, biosynthetic pathways, compounds, scent-releasing structures and receiving systems. Here we assess whether the African butterfly Bicyclus anynana, for which genetic, genomic, phylogenetic, ecological and ethological tools are available, represents a relevant model to contribute to such comparative studies.Methodology/Principal Findings: Using a multidisciplinary approach, we determined the chemical composition of the male sex pheromone (MSP) in the African butterfly B. anynana, and demonstrated its behavioural activity. First, we identified three compounds forming the presumptive MSP, namely (Z)-9-tetradecenol (Z9-14:OH), hexadecanal (16:Ald) and 6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-ol (6,10,14-trime-15-2-ol), and produced by the male secondary sexual structures, the androconia. Second, we described the male courtship sequence and found that males with artificially reduced amounts of MSP have a reduced mating success in semi-field conditions. Finally, we could restore the mating success of these males by perfuming them with the synthetic MSP.Conclusions/Significance: This study provides one of the first integrative analyses of a MSP in butterflies. The toolkit it has developed will enable the investigation of the type of information about male quality that is conveyed by the MSP in intraspecific communication. Interestingly, the chemical structure of B. anynana MSP is similar to some sex pheromones of female moths making a direct comparison of pheromone biosynthesis between male butterflies and female moths relevant to future research. Such a comparison will in turn contribute to understanding the evolution of sex pheromone production and reception in butterflies.
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| 3. |
- Wågberg, Thomas, et al.
(author)
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Selective synthesis of the C3v-isomer of C60H18
- 2005
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In: Organic Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1523-7060 .- 1523-7052. ; 7:25, s. 5557-60
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- C60H18 has been produced by hydrogenation of C-60 at 100 bar H-2 pressure and 673 K for 10 h. We have investigated the crude material without any purification by use of H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, and IR spectroscopy and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. We show that the crude material consists of 95% of the C-3v isomer of C60H18.
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| 4. |
- Barta, Z, et al.
(author)
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Annual routines of non-migratory birds: optimal moult strategies
- 2006
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In: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 112:3, s. 580-593
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a periodically changing environment it is important for animals to properly time the major events of their life in order to maximise their lifetime fitness. For a non-migratory bird the timing of breeding and moult are thought to be the most crucial. We develop a state-dependent optimal annual routine model that incorporates explicit density dependence in the food supply. In the model the birds' decisions depend on the time of year, their energy reserves, breeding status, experience, and the quality of two types of feathers (outer and inner primaries). Our model predicts that, under a seasonal environment, feathers with large effects on flight ability, higher abrasion rate and lower energetic cost of moult should be moulted closer to the winter (i.e. later) than those with the opposite attributes. Therefore, we argue that the sequence of moult may be an adaptive response to the problem of optimal timing of moult of differing feathers within the same feather tract. The model also predicts that environmental seasonality greatly affects optimal annual routines. Under high seasonality birds breed first then immediately moult, whereas under low seasonality an alternation occurs between breeding and moulting some of the feathers in one year and having a complete moult but no breeding in the other year. Increasing food abundance has a similar effect.
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| 5. |
- Barta, Zoltan, et al.
(author)
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Optimal moult strategies in migratory birds
- 2008
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In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 1471-2970 .- 0962-8436. ; 363:1490, s. 211-229
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Avian migration, which involves billions of birds flying vast distances, is known to influence all aspects of avian life. Here we investigate how birds fit moult into an annual cycle determined by the need to migrate. Large variation exists in moulting patterns in relation to migration: for instance, moult can occur after breeding in the summer or after arrival in the wintering quarters. Here we use an optimal annual routine model to investigate why this variation exists. The modelled bird's decisions depend on the time of year, its energy reserves, breeding status, experience, flight feather quality and location. Our results suggest that the temporal and spatial variations in food are an important influence on a migratory bird's annual cycle. Summer moult occurs when food has a high peak on the breeding site in the summer, but it is less seasonal elsewhere. Winter moult occurs if there is a short period of high food availability in summer and a strong winter peak at different locations (i.e. the food is very seasonal but in opposite phase on these areas). This finding might explain why only long-distance migrants have a winter moult.
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| 6. |
- Hedenström, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Migration speed and scheduling of annual events by migrating birds in relation to climate change
- 2007
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In: Climate Research. - : Inter-Research Science Center. - 1616-1572 .- 0936-577X. ; 35:1-2, s. 79-91
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Empirical evidence for changed timing of migration in birds is emerging from both American and Euro-African migration systems. These changes are usually interpreted as a consequence of changes in climate. Responses in timing of migration and breeding may differ among species, and the adaptive significance is not well understood. There is a lack of theoretical understanding about time-shifts in life-history events due to climatic changes. In the present paper, we use 2 separate modelling approaches to investigate the effects of climate change on migration. We first use a simple model of flight speed and foraging to explore which factors may influence migration speed and stopover itinerary. Our second approach derives predictions based on an annual routine model, where behavioural strategies regarding timing of migration, breeding, moult and number of breeding attempts are modelled in an environment comprising 4 locations (breeding and wintering sites and 2 stopover sites). This approach takes account of interrelationships between behaviours and seasons as a step towards realistic modelling of migratory connectivity. Departure from the wintering site is advanced in relation to the advancement of spring if the moult is in summer, but not so for species with a winter moult, while arrival at the breeding site is advanced for both moult scenarios. Timing of breeding and number of successful broods were also affected by spring advancement, while start of moult is relatively unaffected by climate change. These optimal solutions under the modelled set of parameters are discussed with respect to current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying seasonal timing in birds.
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| 7. |
- Lentink, D, et al.
(author)
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How swifts control their glide performance with morphing wings
- 2007
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 446:7139, s. 1082-1085
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Gliding birds continually change the shape and size of their wings(1-6), presumably to exploit the profound effect of wing morphology on aerodynamic performance(7-9). That birds should adjust wing sweep to suit glide speed has been predicted qualitatively by analytical glide models(2,10), which extrapolated the wing's performance envelope from aerodynamic theory. Here we describe the aerodynamic and structural performance of actual swift wings, as measured in a wind tunnel, and on this basis build a semiempirical glide model. By measuring inside and outside swifts' behavioural envelope, we show that choosing the most suitable sweep can halve sink speed or triple turning rate. Extended wings are superior for slow glides and turns; swept wings are superior for fast glides and turns. This superiority is due to better aerodynamic performance - with the exception of fast turns. Swept wings are less effective at generating lift while turning at high speeds, but can bear the extreme loads. Finally, our glide model predicts that cost-effective gliding occurs at speeds of 8 - 10 m s(-1), whereas agility-related figures of merit peak at 15 - 25 m s(-1). In fact, swifts spend the night ('roost') in flight at 8 - 10 m s(-1) ( ref. 11), thus our model can explain this choice for a resting behaviour(11,12). Morphing not only adjusts birds' wing performance to the task at hand, but could also control the flight of future aircraft(7).
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| 8. |
- Sabbani, Sunil, et al.
(author)
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Diastereoselective Schenck Ene Reaction of Singlet Oxygen with Chiral AllylicAlcohols; Access to Enantiomerically Pure 1,2,4-Trioxanes
- 2009
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In: Tetrahedron. - : Elsevier BV. - 0040-4020 .- 1464-5416. ; 65:41, s. 8531-8537
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A series of antimalarial chiral 1,2,4-trioxanes (1–8) were synthesised in high enantiomeric purities. Enantioselective addition of R2Zn reagent to 3-methyl-2-butenal catalysed by (+)-MIB or (−)-MIB yielded both the enantiomers of the chiral allylic alcohols 9–11 (90–98% ee), which were subjected to diastereoselective photooxygenation in the presence of tetraphenylporphine (TPP) to obtain (R,R)-threo- or (S,S)-threo-β-hydroperoxy alcohols (12–14). Reaction of β-hydroperoxy alcohols (12–14) with different cyclic ketones produced optically active trioxanes 1–8.
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| 9. |
- Takahashi Schmidt, Junko, et al.
(author)
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KORRIGAN1 and its Aspen Homolog PttCel9A1 Decrease Cellulose Crystallinity in Arabidopsis Stems
- 2009
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In: Plant and Cell Physiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0032-0781 .- 1471-9053. ; 50:6, s. 1099-1115
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- KORRIGAN1 (KOR1) is a membrane-bound cellulase implicated in cellulose biosynthesis. PttCel9A1 from hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. tremuloides Michx.) has high sequence similarity to KOR1 and we demonstrate here that it complements kor1-1 mutants, indicating that it is a KOR1 ortholog. We investigated the function of PttCel9A1/KOR1 in Arabidopsis secondary growth using transgenic lines expressing 35S::PttCel9A1 and the KOR1 mutant line irx2-2. The presence of elevated levels of PttCel9A1/KOR1 in secondary walls of 35S::PttCel9A1 lines was confirmed by in muro visualization of cellulase activity. Compared with the wild type, 35S::PttCel9A1 lines had higher trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)-hydrolyzable glucan contents, similar Updegraff cellulose contents and lower cellulose crystallinity indices, as determined by C-13 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. irx2-2 mutants had wild-type TFA-hydrolyzable glucan contents, but reduced Updegraff cellulose contents and higher than wild-type cellulose crystallinity indices. The data support the hypothesis that PttCel9A1/KOR1 activity is present in cell walls, where it facilitates cellulose biosynthesis in a way that increases the amount of non-crystalline cellulose.
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| 10. |
- Uusitalo, H., et al.
(author)
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Improved systemic safety and risk-benefit ratio of topical 0.1% timolol hydrogel compared with 0.5% timolol aqueous solution in the treatment of glaucoma
- 2006
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In: Graefe's Archives for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0721-832X .- 1435-702X. ; 244:11, s. 1491-1496
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of the study was to compare the systemic safety and risk-benefit ratio of 0.1% timolol hydrogel and 0.5% aqueous timolol eye drops in the treatment of glaucoma. An 8-week randomised, double-blind, cross-over, multicentre study. A total of 25 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, exfoliation glaucoma, or ocular hypertension was enrolled. After completing a wash-out period, patients were randomly chosen to receive either 0.1% timolol hydrogel once daily or 0.5% aqueous timolol eye drops twice daily. Intraocular pressure and heart rate during rest and exercise, head-up tilt test results, spirometry readings, and plasma concentrations of timolol were recorded. The risk-benefit ratio was determined by calculating the ratio between several heart rate endpoints and the change in intraocular pressure (IOP). The mean drug-induced change in the peak heart rate during exercise was -13.5 beats/min (SD 7.6) in the 0.5% aqueous timolol group and -5.1 beats/min (SD 6.7) in the 0.1% timolol hydrogel group (P < 0.001; 95% CI 4.06-12.18). There was no significant difference in the IOP-reducing efficacy between these compounds. The risk-benefit ratio was significantly improved when 0.1% timolol hydrogel was used, compared with 0.5% aqueous timolol in the exercise test. In the head-up tilt test the risk-benefit ratio was significantly improved at rest (P < 0.05), at 1 min (P < 0.05) and at 5 min (P < 0.001) after patients had received 0.1% timolol hydrogel. There were, however, no differences in spirometry readings. After patients had been treated with 0.1% timolol hydrogel, plasma concentrations of timolol were 1/6 (at peak) and 1/50 (at trough) of those of 0.5% aqueous timolol. Drug-induced changes in the peak heart rate, and head-up tilt test results as well as plasma concentrations of timolol, were significantly more pronounced after treatment with 0.5% aqueous timolol than with 0.1% timolol hydrogel. Because of the statistically similar IOP-reducing efficacy of these formulations the risk-benefit ratio was significantly improved when patients used 0.1% timolol hydrogel instead of 0.5% aqueous timolol.
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