Complex floral traits shape pollinator attraction to ornamental plants.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ornamental flowering plant species are often used in managed greenspaces to attract and support pollinator populations. In natural systems, selection by pollinators is hypothesized to result in convergent multimodal floral phenotypes that are more attractive to specific pollinator taxa. In contrast, ornamental cultivars are bred via artificial selection by humans, and exhibit diverse and distinct phenotypes. Despite their prevalence in managed habitats, the influence of cultivar phenotypic variation on plant attractiveness to pollinator taxa is not well resolved. METHODS: We used a combination of field and behavioural assays to evaluate how variation in floral visual, chemical and nutritional traits impacted overall attractiveness and visitation by pollinator taxonomic groups and bee species to 25 cultivars of five herbaceous perennial ornamental plant genera. KEY RESULTS: Despite significant phenotypic variation, cultivars tended to attract a broad range of pollinator species. Nonetheless, at the level of insect order (bee, fly, butterfly, beetle), attraction was generally modulated by traits consistent with the pollination syndrome hypothesis. At the level of bee species, the relative influence of traits on visitation varied across plant genera, with some floral phenotypes leading to a broadening of the visitor community, and others leading to exclusion of visitation by certain bee species. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate how pollinator choice is mediated by complex multimodal floral signals. Importantly, the traits that had the greatest and most consistent effect on regulating pollinator attraction were those that are commonly selected for in cultivar development. Though variation among cultivars in floral traits may limit the pollinator community by excluding certain species, it may also encourage interactions with generalist taxa to support pollinator diversity in managed landscapes.

Measuring Plant Attractiveness to Pollinators: Methods and Considerations.

Global pollinator declines have fostered increased public interest in creating pollinator-friendly gardens in human-managed landscapes. Indeed, studies on urban pollinator communities suggest that flower-rich greenspaces can serve as promising sites for conservation. Ornamental flowers, which are readily available at most commercial garden centers, are ubiquitous in these landscapes. These varieties are often non-native and highly bred, and their utility to pollinators is complex. In this study, we used observational data and citizen science to develop a methods framework that will assist stakeholders in the floriculture industry to incorporate metrics of pollinator health into existing breeding and evaluation protocols. The results of this study support how plant attractiveness to pollinators is often dependent on variables such as climate and plant phenology, which should be considered when developing an assessment tool. Furthermore, we found that some cultivars were consistently attractive across all observations while for other cultivars, pollinator visitation was apparently conditional. We determine using multiple statistical tests that 10 min is a sufficient length of time for observation of most plant types to broadly estimate three measures of plant attractiveness: visitor abundance, primary visitors attracted, and cultivar rank attractiveness, without sacrificing efficiency or accuracy. Additionally, we demonstrate that properly trained non-expert observers can collect accurate observational data, and our results suggest that protocols may be designed to maximize consistency across diverse data collectors.

Herbaceous perennial ornamental plants can support complex pollinator communities.

Human-designed landscapes can host diverse pollinator communities, and the availability of floral resources is central to supporting insect biodiversity in highly modified environments. However, some urban landscapes have relatively few pollinator-attractive plant species and management in urban environments rarely considers the function of these plants in generating and supporting a stable ecological community. Evaluations of 25 cultivars within five commercially popular herbaceous perennial ornamental plant genera (Agastache, Echinacea, Nepeta, Rudbeckia, and Salvia) revealed variation in the total and proportional abundance of visitors attracted. These varieties supported multiple pollinator functional groups, however bees were the primary visitors to in this system. Cultivars were assessed according to their function within a plant-pollinator network. Comparisons of artificial networks created with the six most attractive and six least attractive cultivars demonstrated that a planting scheme using the most attractive cultivars would attract nearly four times as many bee species, including several specialists and rare species. Plant diversity in the landscape was correlated with abundance and diversity of pollinator visitors, demonstrating that community context shapes a plant's relative attractiveness to pollinators. We conclude that herbaceous perennial cultivars can support an abundance and diversity of pollinator visitors, however, planting schemes should take into consideration the effects of cultivar, landscape plant diversity, floral phenology, floral area, and contribution to a stable ecological community.

Cortical astrocytes regulate ethanol consumption and intoxication in mice.

Astrocytes are fundamental building blocks of the central nervous system. Their dysfunction has been implicated in many psychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorder, yet our understanding of their functional role in ethanol intoxication and consumption is very limited. Astrocytes regulate behavior through multiple intracellular signaling pathways, including G-protein coupled-receptor (GPCR)-mediated calcium signals. To test the hypothesis that GPCR-induced calcium signaling is also involved in the behavioral effects of ethanol, we expressed astrocyte-specific excitatory DREADDs in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of mice. Activating Gq-GPCR signaling in PFC astrocytes increased drinking in ethanol-naïve mice, but not in mice with a history of ethanol drinking. In contrast, reducing calcium signaling with an astrocyte-specific calcium extruder reduced ethanol intake. Cortical astrocyte calcium signaling also altered the acute stimulatory and sedative-hypnotic effects of ethanol. Astrocyte-specific Gq-DREADD activation increased both the locomotor-activating effects of low dose ethanol and the sedative-hypnotic effects of a high dose, while reduced astrocyte calcium signaling diminished sensitivity to the hypnotic effects. In addition, we found that adenosine A1 receptors were required for astrocyte calcium activation to increase ethanol sedation. These results support integral roles for PFC astrocytes in the behavioral actions of ethanol that are due, at least in part, to adenosine receptor activation.

More Than Meets the Eye? The Role of Annual Ornamental Flowers in Supporting Pollinators.

Ornamental flowers are commonly planted in urban and suburban areas to provide foraging resources for pollinator populations. However, their role in supporting broad pollinator biodiversity is not well established as previous studies have been conducted in urban landscapes with pollinator communities that are distinct from those in natural systems. We observed pollinator visitation patterns to five ornamental annual plant genera and their cultivars over multiple years at two semi-natural sites in Pennsylvania to understand their potential for supporting diverse pollinator communities. There was significant variation in visitor abundance and diversity by season and year for many annual ornamental cultivars. Within some genera, cultivars had similar visitor abundance, diversity, and main visitor taxa, while cultivars in other genera varied greatly in these measures. We observed only polylectic (pollen generalist) bee species visiting annual ornamentals, despite the presence of oligolectic (pollen specialist) bee species in the background population. We conclude that the attractiveness of annual ornamental plants likely depends on both cultivar characteristics and environmental context. While their role in supporting complex pollinator populations is limited both based on the number of and dietary breadth of the species they support, ornamental plants may nonetheless provide long-lasting supplemental foraging resources for the generalist pollinator communities characteristic of urban and suburban environments.

Nectar Fluorescence under Ultraviolet Irradiation.

Nectar, which fluoresces in the visible and absorbs in the ultraviolet spectrum when irradiated by ultraviolet light, occurs in many bee-pollinated plants. It is suggested that these characteristics function as direct visual cues by which bees can evaluate the quantities of nectar available. Thus, they assume an important role in pollination of the flowers and foraging efficiency of beers.

Far-infrared hydrogen lasers in the peculiar star MWC 349A.

Far-infrared hydrogen recombination lines H15 alpha (169.4 micrometers), H12 alpha (88.8 micrometers), and H10 alpha (52.5 micrometers) were detected in the peculiar luminous star MWC 349A from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. Here it is shown that at least H15 alpha is strongly amplified, with the probable amplification factor being greater than or about equal to 10(3) and a brightness temperature that is greater than or about equal to 10(7) kelvin. The other two lines also show signs of amplification, although to a lesser degree. Beyond H10 alpha the amplification apparently vanishes. The newly detected amplified lines fall into the laser wavelength domain. These lasers, as well as the previously detected hydrogen masers, may originate in the photoionized circumstellar disk of MWC 349A and constrain the disk's physics and structure.

Permeability to ions of bovine retinal disk membrane vesicles in the bleached state.

The permeability of the bleached disk membrane of retinal rod outer segments to univalent and divalent ions is studied by light scattering. The membranes are isolated from frozen dark-adapted bovine retinae, swollen into spherical vesicles in a hypotonic medium and bleached in dilute suspension and their size is determined by elastic and quasi-elastic light scatterings. Various electrolytes are then added to the suspending medium in order to examine their osmotic activity relative to the vesicles deformation characteristics. By following the deformation behavior of the membrane vesicles by elastic light scattering in terms of the oblate ellipsoidal shell model, the osmotic activity of a given electrolyte is qualitatively deduced and thereby the permeability of the membrane to the electrolyte is ranked in reference to a chosen standard, i.e., sucrose. By this method, we show that the permeabilities to Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ are all alike, and those to halides (F-, Cl-, Br-, I-), nitrate and phosphates (HPO4(2-)/H2PO4-) are similar. Acetate, however, is about 3-times more permeative, while sulfate is less permeative than the other anions by about the same factor. The viability of our method is checked with use of an ionophore, lasolocid (X-537A), by establishing partial recovery from the osmotic deformation through the suppression of the cation osmotic effect. Ion-induced aggregation and pH-dependent size and shape changes are both found to be insignificant.

Antiallergic activity of tetracyclic derivatives of quinoline-2-carboxylic acids. 1.

Substitution of 1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-2-carboxylic acid by acetyl, benzoyl, and phenylsulfonyl substituents was found to enhance activity in the rat passive cutaneous anaphylaxis assay. A further increase in activity, to equipotency with DSCG, was achieved by incorporation of the 8-benzoyl moiety into a tetracyclic structure to give 1,4-dihydro-4,11(1H,11H)-dioxoindeno[1,2-h]quinoline-2-carboxylic acid (20). In contrast, the reverse isomer 19 was found to have little activity.

Antiallergic activity of tetracyclic derivatives of quinoline-2-carboxylic acid. 2. Some benzothienoquinolinecarboxylic acids.

Some benzothienoquinolinecarboxylic acids were synthesized and tested in the rat passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) assay as potential antiallergic agents. Many of the compounds showed activity comparable to that shown by disodium cromoglycate (DSFG); two of them, 1,4-dihydro-4,6,6-trioxo-5-chloro[1]benzothieno[2,3-g]quinoline-2-carboxylic acid and 1,4-dihydro-1,7-dioxo[1]benzothieno[3,2-f]quinoline-3-carboxylic acid, showed potency approximately eightfold greater than that of DSCG in the PCA assay.

Inhibition of rat passive cutaneous anaphylaxis by 3-(tetrazol-5-yl)quinolines.

Quinoline-3-carboxylic acid (3) was found to have weak oral activity in the rat passive cutaneous (PCA) assay. In an effort to increase activity, the synthesis of structurally related compounds was initiated. This led to substituted 3-(tetrazol-5-yl)quinolines, some of which are equal in potency, when given orally, to doxantrazole. Further work resulted in the synthesis of 4-oxoquinolines, one of which, 8-chloro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-3-(tetrazol-5-yl)quinoline (132), is 33-fold more active than disodium cromoglycate (ip) and 32-fold more active than doxantrazole (po).

Accuracy of frozen-section diagnosis in salivary gland lesions.

A retrospective study is presented comparing the results of 462 frozen-section analyses of surgically extirpated salivary gland tumors with the permanent-section results. The overall agreement between frozen- and permanent-section analyses was 95.7%. A separate review of the last 47 months of this 32-year study revealed an accuracy rate of 98.8%. Frozen-section diagnosis of salivary gland tumors has been reliable and clinically valuable in our practice.

Lymphoma presenting as a salivary gland mass.

A retrospective review of 36 cases of lymphoma presenting as a salivary gland mass was conducted over a 34-year period. A significant increase in the occurrence of lymphoma was noted in proportion to other salivary gland tumors (P less than 0.01, chi 2 analysis: 1954-1972, 11 of 714 (1.5%); 1973-1979, 9 of 201 (4.5%); 1980-1987, 16 of 265 (6.0%). The mean age was 61 years, sex distribution was equal, and 75% occurred in the parotid. Only 42% presented with signs or symptoms other than a painless mass. Glandular excision was done in early stages of the disease while biopsy was done at later stages. Frozen section analysis was accurate in all but one case and was useful in determining if biopsy were adequate. All patients were definitively treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Several instructive points are apparent. Any patient presenting with an isolated salivary gland mass can have a lymphoma. There has, in fact, been a significantly increasing proportion of salivary gland lymphoma among the various salivary gland tumors in our patient population. In contrast to other salivary gland tumors, surgery is reserved for diagnosis and not for treatment. A lymph node biopsy may be sufficient to establish a diagnosis, in which case, glandular excision is unnecessary. Most of the patients presented with an asymptomatic isolated salivary gland mass. The presence of adjacent adenopathy, a rubbery feel to the mass, and the intraoperative appearance were the most suggestive signs of lymphoma. Frozen section analysis is helpful in determining the appropriate extent of surgery and is recommended.

Selective nonoperative management of patients referred with abnormal mammograms.

Screening mammography provides a means of detecting clinically occult breast carcinoma, but the question of whether all abnormal mammograms require biopsy remains unanswered. We retrospectively reviewed records of 214 women referred over an 8-year period for abnormal mammograms. They were selectively assigned to biopsy or mammographic follow-up based on specific mammographic criteria. Of 114 women initially observed mammographically, 2 were later found by biopsy to have carcinoma. Initial assignment to mammographic observation delayed the recommendation for biopsy 3 and 12 months, respectively, in these patients, but no effect on outcome was documented. Because they have benign lesions by clinical and mammographic criteria, 102 women (53%) have been spared biopsy; they continue to be monitored closely. We believe these data support the use of a selective approach to biopsy based on specific mammographic criteria.

Monoclonal antibodies for coagglutination of Streptococcus suis type 1.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were sought that would identify Streptococcus suis. Spleen cells from Balb/c mice immunized with formalin-killed S. suis were fused with the murine cell-line SP-2/0. Hybridomas positive for S. suis were identified by a solid-phase radioimmunoassay with a mixture of all available serotypes of S. suis. On further screening with individual serotypes of S. suis (Types 1, 2, 1/2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 12) and other related and unrelated bacteria, a hybridoma specific for Type 1 was identified. Another hybridoma was positive for all serotypes of S. suis. S. suis Type 1-specific MAbs in the form of ascites fluid was used in coagglutination test. Agglutination with S. suis Type 1 was observed within 45 s, while there was no reaction with other serotypes of S. suis or other bacteria, during the 5-min observation period. A library of type-specific MAbs should help in rapid and accurate serotyping of S. suis isolates.

Distributions of Sensitivities to Three Sterol Demethylation Inhibitor Fungicides Among Populations of Uncinula necator Sensitive and Resistant to Triadimefon.

ABSTRACT Single-conidial isolates of Uncinula necator from (i) a population representing two vineyards with no previous exposure to sterol demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides ("unexposed," n = 77) and (ii) a population representing two vineyards in which powdery mildew was poorly controlled by triadimefon after prolonged DMI use ("selected," n = 82) were assayed to determine distributions of sensitivities to the DMI fungicides triadimenol (the active form of triadimefon), myclobutanil, and fenarimol. Median 50% effective dose (ED(50)) values (micrograms per milliliter) in the selected versus unexposed populations were 0.06 versus 1.9 for triadimenol, 0.03 versus 0.23 for myclobutanil, and 0.03 versus 0.07 for fenarimol, respectively. Isolates were grouped into sensitivity classes according to their ED(50) values, and those from the selected population were categorized as resistant if the frequency of their sensitivity class had increased significantly relative to levels found in the unexposed population (ED(50) values exceeding 0.56, 0.18, and 0.18 mug/ml for triadimenol, myclobutanil, and fenarimol, respectively). Of the 76 isolates defined as resistant to triadimenol, 64% were classified as cross-resistant to myclobutanil, 18% were classified as cross-resistant to fenarimol, and 17% were classified as resistant to all three fungicides; 25% of the isolates classified as resistant to myclobutanil also were classified as resistant to fenarimol. Similar cross-resistance relationships were revealed when all isolates were examined by regressing log ED(50) values for each fungicide against those for the remaining two fungicides to determine the correlation coefficients (e.g., r = 0.85 for triadimenol versus myclobutanil and 0.56 for triadimenol versus fenarimol). The restricted levels of cross-resistance indicated by these data, particularly between fenarimol and the other two fungicides, is in sharp contrast to the high levels of cross-resistance among DMIs reported for some other pathogens and has significant implications with respect to programs for managing grapevine powdery mildew and DMI resistance.

Communication of the coronary sinus with both atria.

The coronary sinus of a healthy 18-year-old man who died of a skull fracture was found to communicate with both the right and left atria. The anomaly can function as an atrial septal defect; thus, it needs recognition in the treatment of a patient with an interatrial shunt with an apparently normal right atrium.