Distribution of an asymmetrical copepod, Hatschekia plectropomi, on the gills of Plectropomus leopardus

Hatschekia plectropomi, an ectoparasitic copepod found on the gills, infected Plectropomus leopardus from Heron Island Reef with 100% prevalence (n = 32) and a mean +/- S.E. infection intensity of 131.9 +/- 22.1. The distribution of 4222 adult female parasites across 32 individual host fish was investigated at several organizational levels ranging from the level of holobranch pairs to that of individual filaments. Parasites demonstrated a site preference for the two central holobranchs (2 and 3). Along the lengths of hemibranchs, filaments near the dorsal and ventral ends and those in the proximity of the bend region were rarely occupied. The probability of coming into contact with a suitable attachment site and the ability to withstand ventilation forces at that site were proposed as the major factors affecting distribution. Two H. plectropomi morphotypes were identified based on the direction of body curvature. Regardless of morphotype, 99.9% of individuals were attached such that the convex side of the body was oriented towards the oncoming ventilating water currents. Further, 93.3% of individuals attached to the posterior faces of filaments, leading to a predictable pattern of attachment for this species. It is suggested that the direction of body curvature develops in response to the direction of the ventilating water currents. (c) 2006 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Onset of the Henry constant for supercritical adsorption into carbonaceous porous materials

The Henry constant is commonly used as a measure of how strong an adsorbate is attracted towards a solid surface and is regarded as one of the fundamental parameters in adsorption studies. Having a sound basis in thermodynamics, the Henry Law is often used as a criterion to evaluate the validity of adsorption isotherm equations. However, the application of the Henry Law for microporous materials, especially microporous activated carbon, remains questionable. It is the aim of this paper to examine the Henry Law behavior of supercritical adsorbates in carbonaceous pores of different sizes, and to define the conditions for the Henry Law to be applicable for carbonaceous adsorbents.

Transpecific microsatellites for hard pines M. Shepherd, M. Cross, T. Maguire, M. Dieters, C. Williams, R. Henry

Microsatellites are difficult to recover from large plant genomes so cross-specific utilisation is an important source of markers. Fifty micro satellites were tested for cross-specific amplification and polymorphism to two New World hard pine species, slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii) and Caribbean pine (R caribaea var. hondurensis). Twenty-nine (58%) markers amplified in both hard pine species, and 23 of these 29 were polymorphic. Soft pine (subgenus Strobus) microsatellite markers did amplify, but none were polymorphic. Pinus elliottii var. elliottii and R caribaea var. hondurensis showed mutational changes in the flanking regions and the repeat motif that were informative for Pinus spp. phylogenetic relationships. Most allele length variation could be attributed to variability in repeat unit number. There was no evidence for ascertainment bias.

Characterization of highly conserved microsatellite loci in Araucaria cunninghamii and related species

Ten microsatellite loci are described in Araucaria cunninghamii, the first reported in the Araucariaceae. Eight were tested in sections Eutacta and Bunya, which diverged more than 200 MYA, and to the sister genus Agathis. Specific amplification products within the expected size range were obtained for six to eight loci in section Eutacta (depending on species), five loci in section Bunya and three. loci in Agathis. Two of the loci (CRCAc1 and CRCAc2, both GA repeats) produced specific amplification products in all taxa, with orthology confirmed by sequence analysis. The repeats were perfect in all taxa. The flanking sequences were extremely conserved, with sequence divergence of 0% to 2.0% within Araucaria species and 2.9% to 7.5% between Araucaria and Agathis. These microsatellites represent some of the most conserved microsatellite loci reported in plants. This may be due to a low evolutionary rate in Araucariaceae genome or the loci may be closely associated with highly conserved, unreported genes.

James W. Gerard: His image of imperial Germany, 1913-1918

The subject of this study was a typical, if in some respects well qualified, U.S. ambassadorial appointee for his time, the early twentieth century: an attorney, judge, and politician who served competently in his one diplomatic assignment, in Berlin, before returning to private life.—Ed.