Tiny Eggs Research Articles

Cutting without a Knife: A Slice-Selective 2D 1H-13C HSQC NMR Sequence for the Analysis of Inhomogeneous Samples.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful technique with applications ranging from small molecule structure elucidation to metabolomics studies of living organisms. Typically, solution-state NMR requires a homogeneous liquid, and the whole sample is analyzed as a single entity. While adequate for homogeneous samples, such an approach is limited if the composition varies as would be the case in samples that are naturally heterogeneous or layered. In complex samples such as living organisms, magnetic susceptibility distortions lead to broad 1H line shapes, and thus, the additional spectral dispersion afforded by 2D heteronuclear experiments is often required for metabolite discrimination. Here, a novel, slice-selective 2D, 1H-13C heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) sequence was developed that exclusively employs shaped pulses such that only spins in the desired volume are perturbed. In turn, this permits multiple volumes in the tube to be studied during a single relaxation delay, increasing sensitivity and throughput. The approach is first demonstrated on standards and then used to isolate specific sample/sensor elements from a microcoil array and finally study slices within a living earthworm, allowing metabolite changes to be discerned with feeding. Overall, slice-selective NMR is demonstrated to have significant potential for the study of layered and other inhomogeneous samples of varying complexity. In particular, its ability to select subelements is an important step toward developing microcoil receive-only arrays to study environmental toxicity in tiny eggs, cells, and neonates, whereas localization in larger living species could help better correlate toxin-induced biochemical responses to the physical localities or organs involved.

A Comparative Account of External Sculpture of the Eggs of Two Tiger-Moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lepidoptera) from India

This study aimed to update the taxonomic data of two tiger moths which were earlier based upon the taxonomic characteristics of adult specimens only like male and female genitalic features. This study is an attempt to prove that the ultrastructural characteristics of the egg chorion of these tiger moth species are also important and they can be used in early taxonomic identifications of these species based on egg characteristics as they are also found to be species-specific. A scanning electron microscope was used to inspect, characterize and depict eggs of two species referable to Spilarctia Butler and Cladarctia Koda of the Erebidae family. The descriptions and comparative morphological analyses of the eggshells of Spilarctia multiguttata (Walker) and Cladarctia quadriramosa (Kollar) were compiled to present the structural complexity of these tiny eggs and depict the distinct patterns of structural features including the central micropylar pit, micropylar rosette, number of micropyles and aeropyles. The SEM analysis revealed their unique architecture which allows for unrestricted exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide while limiting water loss because of the presence of minute air pores all over the chorion. From the results, it is evident that the ultrastructural egg chorion characters are of great taxonomic value at specific as well as generic levels and these types of investigations must be amplified to improve and escalate the morphological personation of tiger moths.

Inventory on the family Trigonalidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera)

What little is known about the biology of the Trigonalidae Family indicates a remarkably unlikely life story: in nearly every known species, females place thousands of tiny eggs, either "squeezing" them around the edges or injecting them inside the leaves. The egg must then be consumed by a caterpillar. Once inside the caterpillar, the trigonalid egg hatches and attacks any other parasitoid larvae (including its siblings) on the caterpillar, or waits until the caterpillar is killed and fed to a wasp larva, which then attacks. The aim of this manuscript was to carry out an inventory of the Family Trigonalidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) related to its biogeography, bioecology, habitat, geographic distribution, taxonomy, life cycle, phenology and taxonomic and conceptual aspects of the Family, Subfamilies and Species. For this, a bibliographic survey of Trigonalidae was carried out in the years 1905 to 2021. Only complete articles published in scientific journals and expanded abstracts presented in national and international scientific events were considered. Data were also obtained from platforms such as: Academia.edu, Frontiers, Qeios, Pubmed, Biological Abstract, Publons, Dialnet, World, Wide Science, Springer, RefSeek, Microsoft Academic, Science and ERIC.

Bird’s Nest Fungi: Charismatic Mushrooms in Your Garden

The “bird’s nest” fungi (Nidulariaceae) are charismatic mushrooms that look like small nests containing multiple tiny eggs. Because the ecological role of bird’s nest fungi is to decompose wood, they are extremely common in disturbed areas with plant debris and mulch, such as trails and backyard gardens. These fungi tend to grow in large clusters, so it is common to see ten to a hundred of these “nests” at once. Bird’s nest fungi are not considered dangerous to plants, animals, or humans. This new 3-page publication of the UF/IFAS Plant Pathology Department was written by Nattapol Kraisitudomsook and Matthew E. Smith.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp361

Steringophorus merretti n. sp. (Digenea: Fellodistomidae) from the deep-sea fish Cataetyx laticeps Koefoed (Ophidiiformes: Bythitidae) from the Goban Spur, Northeastern Atlantic Ocean

A new species of deep-sea digenean, Steringophorus merretti n. sp., is described from the bythitid fish Cataetyx laticeps in deep waters of the Goban Spur, Northeastern Atlantic. It is distinguishable from other described members of the genus by its tiny eggs and large cirrus-sac. A phylogenetic tree, based on 28S rDNA sequences, indicates that this species is embedded within a clade of deep-sea species and is sister to the eurybathic species S. thulini Bray & Gibson, 1980. Steringotrema robertpoulini Pérez-Ponce de León, Anglade & Randhawa, 2018 falls within the Steringophorus Odhner, 1905 clade. In view of this the morphological and biological characteristics of species of Steringophorus and Steringotrema are discussed.

Smallest known raptor tracks suggest microraptorine activity in lakeshore setting

Ongoing studies of a multiple track-bearing horizons from massive excavations in the Jinju Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of South Korea have yielded a remarkable diversity of avian, non-avian dinosaur, pterosaur, crocodilian and mammal tracks, many very small and well preserved. Here we report diminutive, didactyl tracks (~1.0 cm long) assigned to a new dromaeosaurid ichnogenus Dromaeosauriformipes, which resembles the larger, but still quite small, ichnogenus Dromaeosauripus, also from the same formation only 30 km away. These diminutive tracks are consistent with the foot size of smaller dromaeosaurid taxa like Early Cretaceous Microraptor from China, and may represent diminutive species or juveniles of larger species. The association of tracks with lakeshore sediments is consistent with the evidence that Microraptor was a fish eater. Two trackways and isolated tracks indicate variable trackmaker gaits and speeds. If oviparous, as assumed for most non-avian dinosaur neonates, the trackmakers must have hatched from tiny eggs. Previous studies of the Korean Cretaceous indicate the presence of other diminutive (~1.0 cm long) theropod tracks (Minisauripus). Such occurrences strongly suggest that small tracks attributed to juveniles, or very small tetrapod species, are more common than previously supposed especially where suitable preservation conditions prevailed.

The shark-tuna dichotomy: why tuna lay tiny eggs but sharks produce large offspring.

Teleosts such as tunas and billfish lay millions of tiny eggs weighing on the order of 0.001 g, whereas chondrichthyes such as sharks and rays produce a few eggs or live offspring weighing about 2% of adult body mass, as much as 10 000 g in some species. Why are the strategies so extreme, and why are intermediate ones absent? Building on previous work, we show quantitatively how offspring size reflects the relationship between growth and death rates. We construct fitness contours as functions of offspring size and number, and show how these can be derived from juvenile growth and survivorship curves. Convex contours, corresponding to Pearl Type 1 and 2 survivorship curves, select for extremes, either miniscule or large offspring; concave contours select for offspring of intermediate size. Of particular interest are what we call critical straight-line fitness contours, corresponding to log-linear Pearl Type 3 survivorship curves, which separate regimes that select for opposite optimal offspring sizes.

Life-history constraints on the success of the many small eggs reproductive strategy

The reproductive strategy of most fishes is to produce a large number of tiny eggs, leading to a huge difference between egg size and asymptotic body size. The viability of this strategy is examined by calculating the life-time reproductive success R 0 as a function of the asymptotic body size. A simple criterion for the optimality of producing small eggs is found, depending on the rate of predation relative to the specific rate of consumption. Secondly it is shown that the success of the reproductive strategy is increasing with asymptotic body size. Finally the existence of both upper and lower limits on the allowed asymptotic sizes is demonstrated. A metabolic upper limit to asymptotic body size for all higher animals is derived.

Pre-introductory risk assessment studies of Gonatocerus ashmeadi (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) for use as a classical biological control agent against Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in the Society Islands of French Polynesia

Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (=H. coagulata [Say]) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) invaded French Polynesia in 1999. A classical biological control program against H. vitripennis was initiated in 2004 aiming to introduce the exotic egg parasitoid Gonatocerus ashmeadi (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) to the Society Islands archipelago. Prior to any release, two risks were assessed: (a) continued uncontrolled H. vitripennis spread and proliferation in French Polynesia, and (b) non-target impacts by G. ashmeadi on indigenous French Polynesian cicadellids. The primary risk of H. vitripennis is its potential to vector the lethal plant bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa. While the presence of X. fastidiosa in French Polynesia has not yet been demonstrated, the presence of uncontrolled H. vitripennis greatly elevates the risk of a disease outbreak and thus represents a major threat for numerous plant species. Assessing the risk of G. ashmeadi introduction for native cicadellids first required an inventory of the Cicadellidae of the Society Islands, resulting in at least 14 cicadellid species (nine not previously recorded). The risk to these species of attack by G. ashmeadi was assessed using four criteria: (1) their phylogenetic relationships to known hosts of G. ashmeadi, and their similarity in (2) body size, (3) egg laying biology, and (4) ecology. All indigenous cicadellid species found were considered to be at low risk of attack because they differed greatly from all known hosts for G. ashmeadi: (1) none of the indigenous species are in the tribe Proconiini, (2) all were very small and, when possible to determine, (3) lay tiny single eggs, which (4) are deposited on the undersides of leaves of trees. These results persuaded the French Polynesian Government that the benefits of establishing G. ashmeadi for H. vitripennis control outweighed the serious potential risks associated with either delaying release or not releasing G. ashmeadi in French Polynesia. Releases of G. ashmeadi in Tahiti began in May 2005.

MICROENCAPSULATION OF PIGMENTS, ENZYMES, AND CELLS: A FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGICAL TOOL

The energetics of polyelectrolyte conformation at d ifferently polarized interfaces is discussed. Microencapsulation techniques (gel, dro plet, emulsion, dehydration methods) are presented. Microcapsules of carotenoids are presented. THEORETICAL ASPECTS Food Biotechnology has to provide methods to offer the consumer foods of high quality: sound, durable, and preserving taste and c olor over a certain time, and simultaneously to be economically affordable. In recent years tech nologies have been transferred to food technology which has been developed in pharmaceutical technology. Starting from macroencapsulation (tablets) the technology extende d to microencapsulation, i.e. molecular aggregates in the dimension of micrometers are entr apped into intoxic polymer shells (usually biopolymers) which are designed to release the drug at the right place at the right time. Microencapsulation applied to food requires the kno wledge of some basic biophysical and biochemical knowledge which helps to choose the suited method and materials among the many published techniques and commercial offers. Mechanically and chemically the capsule material and the entrapped food component must fit to each other. Microencapsulation is not only used to entrap food components but it is also used to establish effective conditions to prepare or to preserve food or to concentrate food compounds. Pigments, enzymes and cells often are the matter to be entrapped for that. The encapsulation material usually are biopolymers. A big variety of biopolymers is in use . Many of them since years have been used as thickeners. As an example, tomato ketchup must have rheological properties which gives it a high consistency when applied to food bu t a low one when coming under shear stress as it happens in the mouth. This is achieved with the addition of the biopolymers xanthan or various carrageenans. To adjust rheologi c properties of food generally macromolecules, polymers, polyelecrolytes and colloidal particles are used. Nature showed us how microencapsulation works and how effective it is with respect to the human sensorial system. The tasty substances of kaviar are entrapped in the small fish eggs of the sturgeon and are released when the tiny eggs break under the shear stress in the mouth. Vilgis (1) showed that the Kaviar principle we can simulate experimentally. How is that possible? Let us look to the physics of polyel ectrolytes. These are chainlike molecules which at various sites along the chain bear one kin d of electrical charges, either positive or negative, let's say negative ones for demonstration . The polymers are macro-ions which are soluble in water. In solution they assume a more st retched conformation as the negative charges repulse each other. If you add a salt, e.g. sodium chloride, the negative polymer charges are shielded by the sodium-ion of the disso ciated salt, and the stretching effect is compensated proportional to the salt concentration. If you, instead of monovalent ions add

PCR diagnosis of infections with different species of Opisthorchiidae using a rapid clean-up procedure for stool samples and specific primers

Infections with the opisthorchiid liver flukes Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini, and Opisthorchis felineus cause serious health problems in endemic areas of Southeast Asia and countries of the former Soviet Union. Chronic infections--even with low worm burdens--may lead to the development of fatal cholangiocarcinoma and related symptoms. A more sensitive diagnosis is needed since the tiny eggs of the worms are often not seen in microscopic examinations of stool samples, especially in patients with low infections. This communication reports a rapid cleanup procedure for human stool samples, which enables reliable identification of DNA by polymerase chain reaction from few eggs of opisthorchiid flukes in fecal samples.

The Accidental German, and: Glucose Self-Monitoring, and: Sombreros

The Accidental German Now she shakes lots of hands, drinks coffee from matching cups and saucers recites the Lord's Prayer in German measures in centimeters and grams. She listens to questions about her former home: Why are there so many guns? So many hamburgers? She refuses to scrub her windows and front steps until they're clean enough to lick (a sin). She lights candles at every meal, says good morning, [End Page 97] good evening, good day. Why are there so many fat people? So many skyscrapers? She boards the train each morning with her crumbling briefcase, watches the Rhine muscle its way through the vineyards, gets sentimental for Methodist Churches, rodeo queens and motel ice machines. Why are Americans so shallow? So friendly? The Accidental German watches church spires of her current horizon needle their way into the fog. She's a breathing souvenir here, someone's piece of American apple pie brought back to the Fatherland for flavoring. Back to the Fatherland for spice. Glucose Self-Monitoring A stabbing in miniature, it is, a tiny crime, my own blood parceled drop by drop and set [End Page 98] on the flickering tongue of this machine. It is the spout-punching of trees for syrup new and smooth and sweeter than nature ever intended. It is Sleeping Beauty's curse and fascination. It is the dipstick measuring of oil from the Buick's throat, the necessary maintenance. It is every vampire movie ever made. Hand, my martyr without lips, my quiet cow. I'll milk your fingertips for all they're worth. For what they're worth. Something like a harvest, it is, a tiny crime. Sombreros So it's Ecuador this time. On its back the post card disappears behind your tiny eggs of fountain ink. After seven years you still misspell my name. [End Page 99] The address, though, is correct. It is this side, this paragraph of your voice I slap against the cool gold of the freezer compartment. Magnet-trapped you are, suspended. I leave you talking into the humming coils, the freon bloodstream the cell where ice cubes, popsicles, chopped broccoli and breakfast sausage sleep against their shaggy wall of frost. And the other side - the front? That's what I'd rather see. It looks out at me from between the whirlpool symbol and aerobics schedule. It's a lovely Leo Matiz photo: black, white, and woolly grays. There is a woman surrounded by gleaming sombreros laid across the earth in rows like sun-bleached tea cups with saucer-brims. In a Disney movie they would pop up, chink-chink together and sing. They would walk, with brilliant noodle legs and cartoon ponchos. They would walk away from the woman who wove them and brought them to the raked dirt stall. They would walk away, swaying, up the sun-scarred road to Quito.

Evolution of placental specializations in viviparous African and South American lizards.

Phylogenetic information offers an important resource in analyses of reproductive diversity, including interpretations of fetal membrane evolution. In this paper, we draw upon ongoing studies of South American and African lizards to consider the value of combining phylogenetic and reproductive evidence in the construction of evolutionary interpretations. South American lizards of the genus Mabuya exhibit several reproductive specializations that are convergent on those of eutherian mammals, including viviparity, long gestation periods, ovulation of tiny eggs, and placental supply of the nutrients for development. Studies of placental morphology and development indicate that New World Mabuya share several other derived features, including chorionic areolae and a "Type IV" epitheliochorial placenta with a villous, mesometrial placentome. Some characteristics of these lizards are shared by two African skinks, M. ivensii and Eumecia anchietae, including minuscule eggs, placentotrophy, an absorptive chorioallantois, and features of the yolk sac. Available evidence is consistent with two explanations: (1) placentotrophy originated in Africa, predating a trans-Atlantic colonization by Mabuya of the New World; and (2) placentotrophy arose two or three separate times among these closely related skinks. As illustrated by analysis of these animals, not only can data on fetal membrane morphology yield phylogenetic information, but phylogenetic evidence in turn provides a valuable way to reconstruct the evolution of fetal membranes in a biogeographic context. When appropriately interpreted, morphological and phylogenetic evidence can be combined to yield robust evolutionary conclusions that avoid the pitfalls of circular reasoning.

Specializations of the chorioallantoic placenta in the Brazilian scincid lizard, Mabuya heathi: a new placental morphotype for reptiles.

New World skinks of the genus Mabuya exhibit a unique form of viviparity that involves ovulation of tiny (1 mm) eggs and provision of virtually all of the nutrients for embryonic development by placental means. Studies of the Brazilian species M. heathi reveal that the chorioallantoic placenta is unlike those reported in any other squamate genus and exhibits striking specializations for maternal-fetal nutrient transfer. The uterine lining is intimately apposed to the chorioallantois, with no trace of an intervening shell membrane or of epithelial erosion; thus, the placenta is epitheliochorial. The uterus exhibits multicellular glands that secrete organic material into the uterine lumen. Opposite the openings of these glands, the chorion develops areolae, invaginated pits that are lined by absorptive, columnar epithelium. A single, mesometrial placentome develops, formed by radially oriented uterine folds that project into a deep invagination of the chorion. Uterine epithelium of the placentome appears to be syncytial and secretory and overlies a rich vascular supply. The apposed chorionic epithelium is absorptive in morphology and contains giant binucleated cells that bear microvilli. Several specializations of the placental membranes of M. heathi are found among eutherian mammals, signifying evolutionary convergence that extends to histological and cytological levels. The chorioallantoic placenta of M. heathi and its relatives warrants recognition as a new morphotype for reptiles, defined here as the "Type IV" placenta. This is the first new type of chorioallantoic placenta to be defined formally for reptiles in over half a century.

Why are there no really big bony fishes? A point-of-view on maximum body size in teleosts and elasmobranchs

The most massive teleost, the ocean sunfish(Mola mola), is an order of magnitude smaller than the largest cartilaginous fish,the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), and issignificantly smaller than several other extantelasmobranch species. Possible reasons for this discrepancy in maximum size include:anatomical, physiological, ecological, and life-history/ontogenetic constraints. Weexamined life-history traits and growth ratesas the most likely constraints on maximum teleostsize. For pelagic fishes there appear to be two life-history strategies: producing few,large, live young or many, tiny eggs. We propose that this dichotomy is an evolutionaryvestige of the freshwater origins of teleosts, and is the basis of the limitation onmaximal body size in teleosts.

A star is born

Different species of a genus of starfish found on Australia's temperate east coast vary widely in their mode of reproduction. Some produce tiny eggs that develop into free-swimming larvae before becoming tiny, bottom-dwelling starfish; others have larger eggs that develop directly into starfish. Some have brood care; others cast their eggs into the sea. A study of some of these starfish, and members of a closely related genus, involved constructing a phylogeny based on mitochondrial DNA sequences, and tracing on it the different reproductive modes. The upshot gives a snapshot of how development is moulded by evolution, in the form of a kind of Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for biological stars.

Octopods: Nude ammonoids that survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary mass extinction

Certain ammonoids changed the mode of coiling or the growth angle of their last body chamber, constricted the terminal aperture, or developed apertural processes, which restricted all life functions. The modified terminal body chamber of macroconchs apparently functioned as a floating egg case for a single breeding phase. The young that hatched from tiny eggs fed on the enclosed female corpse. This same breeding strategy is executed by the extant octopod Argonauta . As a nude cephalopod, the sexually mature female secretes an egg case, which resembles Cretaceous ammonites, for the tiny eggs. The remarkable similarity in mode of breeding between Argonauta and ammonoids with modified terminal body chambers suggests that the ancestral argonautid was a nude ammonoid. Other octopods, which lay large, yolk-rich eggs attached onto substrates, likewise originate from ancestral nude ammonoids, which, however, did not breed in a floating egg case. Nude ammonoids crossed the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, as did the genuine coleoids comprising rudimentary endoskeletons.

Ets oncogene-related gene Elg functions in Drosophila oogenesis.

Members of the ets gene family encode transcription factors that regulate the expression of a variety of cellular and viral genes including several protooncogenes. We have utilized Drosophila to elucidate the in vivo function of one family member. We show by complementation rescue and sequence analysis that the female sterile mutant tiny eggs (tne) is an allele of the Drosophila Ets-related gene Elg (also called D-elg). The mutation of a highly conserved tyrosine residue in the ETS DNA-binding domain of the Elg gene product demonstrates that normal gene function is required for proper follicle cell migration, chorion formation, and nurse cell-chromosome decondensation during Drosophila oogenesis.

The biology of Daraba laisalis (Wlk) formerly called Sceliodes laisalis (Wlk) (Pyralidae, Lepidoptera), an egg fruit borer

The very tiny eggs of Daraba laisalis are often laid hidden between the body of egg fruits and its persistent sepals. After 4–5 days nearly all eggs hatch. The first instar caterpillar enters an egg fruit within 30 min of hatching, spends 8–15 days within it at a temperature of 24–32°C and r.h. 73–96%; it comes out a much bigger caterpillar to pupate in any convenient but hidden place near the egg fruit. The development of larva and pupa to adult and the morphology of the first and last instar larvae, the pupa and the adult are described. Behavioural peculiarities, longevity and predators of larvae are also mentioned.