Radioactive elements on Mercury's surface from MESSENGER: implications for the planet's formation and evolution     

Peplowski PN  Evans LG  Hauck SA  McCoy TJ  Boynton WV  Gillis-Davis JJ  Ebel DS  Goldsten JO  Hamara DK  Lawrence DJ  McNutt RL  Nittler LR  Solomon SC  Rhodes EA  Sprague AL  Starr RD  Stockstill-Cahill KR 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,333(6051):1850-1852

The MESSENGER Gamma-Ray Spectrometer measured the average surface abundances of the radioactive elements potassium (K, 1150 ± 220 parts per million), thorium (Th, 220 ± 60 parts per billion), and uranium (U, 90 ± 20 parts per billion) in Mercury's northern hemisphere. The abundance of the moderately volatile element K, relative to Th and U, is inconsistent with physical models for the formation of Mercury requiring extreme heating of the planet or its precursor materials, and supports formation from volatile-containing material comparable to chondritic meteorites. Abundances of K, Th, and U indicate that internal heat production has declined substantially since Mercury's formation, consistent with widespread volcanism shortly after the end of late heavy bombardment 3.8 billion years ago and limited, isolated volcanic activity since.  相似文献   

Isotopic signature of N(2)O produced by marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea     

Santoro AE  Buchwald C  McIlvin MR  Casciotti KL 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,333(6047):1282-1285

The ocean is an important global source of nitrous oxide (N(2)O), a greenhouse gas that contributes to stratospheric ozone destruction. Bacterial nitrification and denitrification are thought to be the primary sources of marine N(2)O, but the isotopic signatures of N(2)O produced by these processes are not consistent with the marine contribution to the global N(2)O budget. Based on enrichment cultures, we report that archaeal ammonia oxidation also produces N(2)O. Natural-abundance stable isotope measurements indicate that the produced N(2)O had bulk δ(15)N and δ(18)O values higher than observed for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria but similar to the δ(15)N and δ(18)O values attributed to the oceanic N(2)O source to the atmosphere. Our results suggest that ammonia-oxidizing archaea may be largely responsible for the oceanic N(2)O source.  相似文献   

Single-cell mass cytometry of differential immune and drug responses across a human hematopoietic continuum     

Bendall SC  Simonds EF  Qiu P  Amir el-AD  Krutzik PO  Finck R  Bruggner RV  Melamed R  Trejo A  Ornatsky OI  Balderas RS  Plevritis SK  Sachs K  Pe'er D  Tanner SD  Nolan GP 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,332(6030):687-696

Flow cytometry is an essential tool for dissecting the functional complexity of hematopoiesis. We used single-cell "mass cytometry" to examine healthy human bone marrow, measuring 34 parameters simultaneously in single cells (binding of 31 antibodies, viability, DNA content, and relative cell size). The signaling behavior of cell subsets spanning a defined hematopoietic hierarchy was monitored with 18 simultaneous markers of functional signaling states perturbed by a set of ex vivo stimuli and inhibitors. The data set allowed for an algorithmically driven assembly of related cell types defined by surface antigen expression, providing a superimposable map of cell signaling responses in combination with drug inhibition. Visualized in this manner, the analysis revealed previously unappreciated instances of both precise signaling responses that were bounded within conventionally defined cell subsets and more continuous phosphorylation responses that crossed cell population boundaries in unexpected manners yet tracked closely with cellular phenotype. Collectively, such single-cell analyses provide system-wide views of immune signaling in healthy human hematopoiesis, against which drug action and disease can be compared for mechanistic studies and pharmacologic intervention.  相似文献   

Conserved eukaryotic fusogens can fuse viral envelopes to cells     

Avinoam O  Fridman K  Valansi C  Abutbul I  Zeev-Ben-Mordehai T  Maurer UE  Sapir A  Danino D  Grünewald K  White JM  Podbilewicz B 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,332(6029):589-592

Caenorhabditis elegans proteins AFF-1 and EFF-1 [C. elegans fusion family (CeFF) proteins] are essential for developmental cell-to-cell fusion and can merge insect cells. To study the structure and function of AFF-1, we constructed vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) displaying AFF-1 on the viral envelope, substituting the native fusogen VSV glycoprotein. Electron microscopy and tomography revealed that AFF-1 formed distinct supercomplexes resembling pentameric and hexameric "flowers" on pseudoviruses. Viruses carrying AFF-1 infected mammalian cells only when CeFFs were on the target cell surface. Furthermore, we identified fusion family (FF) proteins within and beyond nematodes, and divergent members from the human parasitic nematode Trichinella spiralis and the chordate Branchiostoma floridae could also fuse mammalian cells. Thus, FF proteins are part of an ancient family of cellular fusogens that can promote fusion when expressed on a viral particle.  相似文献   

Ecology. Better science needed for restoration in the Gulf of Mexico     

Bjorndal KA  Bowen BW  Chaloupka M  Crowder LB  Heppell SS  Jones CM  Lutcavage ME  Policansky D  Solow AR  Witherington BE 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,331(6017):537-538

  相似文献   

Genome sequence of the PCE-dechlorinating bacterium Dehalococcoides ethenogenes     

Seshadri R  Adrian L  Fouts DE  Eisen JA  Phillippy AM  Methe BA  Ward NL  Nelson WC  Deboy RT  Khouri HM  Kolonay JF  Dodson RJ  Daugherty SC  Brinkac LM  Sullivan SA  Madupu R  Nelson KE  Kang KH  Impraim M  Tran K  Robinson JM  Forberger HA  Fraser CM  Zinder SH  Heidelberg JF 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2005,307(5706):105-108

  相似文献   

Impact of land-use type and harvesting on population structure of a non-timber forest product-providing tree in a semi-arid savanna, West Africa     

Katharina Schumann  Rüdiger Wittig  Adjima Thiombiano  Ute Becker  Karen Hahn 《Biological conservation》2011,144(9):2369-2376

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) strongly contribute to livelihood security in the semi-arid tropics. Main factors determining the populations of NTFP-providing species are human activities. This study examined the impact of land-use, combined with rates and patterns of debarking and chopping on a NTFP-providing tree (Anogeissus leiocarpa) in Burkina Faso. We compared stands in a protected area (W National Park) with those of its surrounding communal area (fallows, croplands) in order to (i) obtain an indication on the status of the population, (ii) assess its harvesting tolerance, (iii) estimate the sustainability of present management, and (iv) derive which additional management strategies may foster its conservation. Our results reveal that the stands of A. leiocarpa are in healthy states in fallows and in the park. In croplands, the absence of saplings gives evidence of a declining population. Nearly all individuals of A. leiocarpa were harvested in croplands and fallows, while the number of harvested individuals in the park was negligible. Intensity of debarking and chopping was tree size-specific. The sprouting ability significantly increased with higher chopping intensity. We conclude that despite the land-use impact and the intense harvesting, stands of A. leiocarpa are still well preserved due to the species life history (fast growing and high sprouting) and due to indirect positive influences of human activities by providing better environmental conditions for its recruitment. Thus, the population of A. leiocarpa is not at risk to over-harvesting and land-use even though it is not protected.  相似文献   

Factors related to the distribution and prevalence of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Rana cascadae and other amphibians in the Klamath Mountains     

Jonah Piovia-Scott  Karen L. Pope  Sharon P. Lawler  Esther M. Cole  Janet E. Foley 《Biological conservation》2011,144(12):2913-2921

The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which causes the disease chytridiomycosis, has been associated with declines and extinctions of montane amphibians worldwide. To gain insight into factors affecting its distribution and prevalence we focus on the amphibian community of the Klamath Mountains in northwest California. The Cascades frog (Rana cascadae), one of the most common amphibians in these mountains, experienced increased mortality as a result of Bd exposure in laboratory trials and has experienced recent, dramatic declines in other parts of California. We surveyed 112 sites in the Klamaths, all of which supported R. cascadae between 1999 and 2002, for amphibians and Bd to (1) determine the distribution of Bd, (2) evaluate changes in the distribution of R. cascadae, and (3) assess associations between potential biotic and abiotic drivers and Bd infection. Bd was widely distributed in the Klamath Mountains – we detected the pathogen at 64% of sites. R. cascadae was found at 79% of sites, and was often infected with Bd. These results suggest that Bd has not caused dramatic declines in R. cascadae in the Klamaths in recent years. Subadult R. cascadae had a higher Bd prevalence than other R. cascadae life stages (subadults: 36%, adults: 25%, metamorphs: 4%, larvae: 1%), and while the probability of infection decreased over the season for adults, it did not for subadults, suggesting that subadults may be more vulnerable to chytridiomycosis than other R. cascadae life stages. Bd prevalence in R. cascadae was highest early in the season at high-elevation sites, which may indicate that populations inhabiting high elevation sites may have a greater risk of being affected by chytridiomycosis. Three other common amphibian species also tested positive for Bd: Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla), western toad (Anaxyrus boreas), and rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa).  相似文献   

Influence of agricultural soils on the growth and reproduction of the bio-indicator Folsomia candida     

Karen Lindsey Nelson  Gilles Boiteau  Rick Daniel Peters 《Pedobiologia》2011,54(2):79-86

Soil organisms have been recommended as bio-indicators of soil quality due to their sensitivity to anthropogenic influences and their high degree of site-specificity. The objectives of this study were to determine if the relationship between the soil Collembola, Folsomia candida, and forest soil could be extended to other soils and, if not, to determine the relationship between its life parameters and soils from the different phases of an agricultural rotation sequence. A comparison of growth, reproduction and survival of 1 day old neonates and 10 day old juveniles subjected to a series of different soils (composted manure, pasture soil, forest soil, sand alone, and sand supplemented with yeast) established that the association between F. candida and forest soil quality cannot be automatically transferred to soils from other ecosystems. The test also showed that neonate (1 d) individuals were more sensitive to the different soil treatments than 10 d old juveniles and should be used in future tests. On this basis, neonate F. candida individuals were used to determine if the species could be employed to characterize the agricultural soils from the different phases of an organic or conventional rotation sequence. Results demonstrated that changes in body growth and reproduction constituted suitable criteria to characterize the soil quality of these different phases. The research required to develop these results as a standard bio-indicator test of agricultural soil quality is discussed.  相似文献   

Long-term plant growth legacies overwhelm short-term plant growth effects on soil microbial community structure     

Andrew Kulmatiski  Karen H. Beard 《Soil biology & biochemistry》2011,43(4):823-830

Plant-soil feedbacks are gaining attention for their ability to determine plant community development. Plant-soil feedback models and research assume that plant-soil interactions occur within days to weeks, yet, little is known about how quickly and to what extent plants change soil community composition. We grew a dominant native plant (Pseudoroegneria spicata) and a dominant non-native plant (Centaurea diffusa) separately in both native- and non-native-cultivated field soils to test if these species could overcome soil legacies and create new soil communities in the short-term. Soil community composition before and after plant growth was assessed in bulk and rhizosphere soils using phospholipid fatty acid analyses. Nematode abundance and mycorrhizal colonization were also measured following plant growth. Field-collected, native-cultivated soils showed greater bacterial, Gram (−), fungal, and arbuscular mycorrhizal PLFA abundance and greater PLFA diversity than field-collected, non-native-cultivated soils. Both plant species grew larger in native- than non-native-cultivated soils, but neither plant affected microbial composition in the bulk or rhizosphere soils after two months. Plants also failed to change nematode abundance or mycorrhizal colonization. Plants, therefore, appear able to create microbial legacies that affect subsequent plant growth, but contrary to common assumptions, the species in this study are likely to require years to create these legacies. Our results are consistent with other studies that demonstrate long-term legacies in soil microbial communities and suggest that the development of plant-soil feedbacks should be viewed in this longer-term context.  相似文献