RESUMEN
This article documents the public availability of (i) microbiomes in diet and gut of larvae from the dipteran Dilophus febrilis using massive parallel sequencing, (ii) SNP and SSR discovery and characterization in the transcriptome of the Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus, L) and (iii) assembled transcriptome for an endangered, endemic Iberian cyprinid fish (Squalius pyrenaicus).
Asunto(s)
Cyprinidae/genética , Dípteros/microbiología , Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Marcadores Genéticos , Perciformes/genética , Transcriptoma , Animales , Repeticiones de Microsatélite , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido SimpleRESUMEN
In glacier forelands spiders constitute a large proportion of the invertebrate community. Therefore, it is important to be able to determine the species that can be found in these areas. Linyphiid and theridiid spider identification is currently not possible in juvenile specimens using traditional morphological based methods, however, a large proportion of the population in these areas are usually juveniles. Molecular methods permit identification of species at different life stages, making juvenile identification possible. In this study we tested a molecular tool to identify the 10 most common species of Linyphiidae and Theridiidae found in three glacier foreland communities of the Austrian Alps. Two multiplex PCR systems were developed and over 90% of the 753 field-collected spiders were identified successfully. The species targeted were found to be common in all three valleys during the summer of 2010. A comparison between the molecular and morphological data showed that although there was a slight difference in the results, the overall outcome was the same independently of the identification method used. We believe the quick and reliable identification of the spiders via the multiplex PCR assays developed here will aid the study of these families in Alpine habitats.
Asunto(s)
Arañas/genética , Animales , Proteínas de Artrópodos/genética , Austria , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/genética , Cubierta de Hielo , Tipificación Molecular , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa Multiplex , Análisis de Secuencia de ADNRESUMEN
We tested whether experimental summer drought affects the transfer of recently photosynthesized carbon from plants to soil mesofauna in a subalpine meadow. From day one after (13)CO(2) pulse-labelling of the plant canopy, roots, collembolans and mites were enriched in δ(13)C in control, but not in drought plots. However, as the difference in δ(13)C between roots and soil animals was not affected by the drought treatment, we conclude that drought affects the tight linkage between photosynthesis and soil mesofauna primarily via functional responses of plants rather than via changes in the mesofauna.
RESUMEN
On alpine pastureland the decline in large-bodied earthworm numbers and biomass after abandonment of management might be the result of a shift from highly palatable grass litter to poorly digestible leaf litter of dwarf shrubs. To test this hypothesis, we analysed nitrogen, phosphorous and total phenolic contents of fresh and aged litter of eight commonly occuring alpine plant species and compared consumption rates of these food sources in a controlled feeding experiment with Lumbricus rubellus (Lumbricidae). Furthermore, we analysed the microbial community structure of aged litter materials to check for a relationship between the microbial characteristics of the different plant litter types and the food choice of earthworms. Plant litters differed significantly in their chemical composition, earthworms, however, showed no preference for any litter species, but generally rejected fresh litter material. Microbial community structures of the litter types were significantly different, but we could find no evidence for selective feeding of L. rubellus. We conclude that L. rubellus is a widespread, adaptable ubiquist, which is able to feed on a variety of food sources differing in quality and palatability, as long as they have been exposed to wheathering.