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This study reveals the diet of pike-perch from two habitats within the Tersko-Caspian region. The feeding habits of pike-perch in the Sulak and Terek rivers and Tersko-Caspian region were investigated based on 354 specimens sampled monthly from a commercial catch in 2019. Their diet consisted of different prey, with fish representing the most important prey group (up to 90%). Rutilus caspicus dominated with a frequency of occurrence of 20.5, and Aspius aspius, Perca fluviatilis, and Chondrostoma oxyrhynchum, had 13, 9.5, and 8.3%. In the earlier ages 1+ and 2+, zooplankton dominated, followed by mysids and chironomids, which continues into the older ages but at decreasing rates. Analysis of monthly variations in stomach fullness indicated that feeding intensity fluctuated in time, with the highest values in March–April, and lowest in September and November. It was found that the diet of pike-perch in the western Caspian changed considerably from season to season. They begin to actively feed after wintering and before, or even during, spawning period. The spectrum of the diet of Sander lucioperca includes more than 20 elements, mainly juveniles of commercially valuable fish. This fish is characterized by a relatively low ontogenetic diet diversity and flexibility, which makes it sensitive to environmental changes, including anthropogenically induced ones. This fish partially compensates for this disadvantage with its lifestyle, namely, its active foraging movements and migrations from fresh water to salt water and back, following its prey species.

This study attempts to assemble and summarize existing information in order to build a general representation of the trophic interactions within the shallow coastal ecosystem of Sri Lanka. A multispecific ecosystem-based approach on trophic relationships and their possible variations was performed using ECOPATH. Thirty-nine functional groups were considered representing all trophic levels in the food web. Time-dynamic simulation was carried out using the ECOSIM routine to evaluate the impact of the 1998 El Nino event on key functional groups. Results show that the time needed for any impacted functional group to recover to its initial abundance increased with the trophic level. Two time-series data sets derived from commercial catch and effort statistics were used for validation of ECOSIM results. The El Nino simulation results validated by the time-series data confirmed the ability of the proposed multispecies model to describe the sudden environmental changes. Possible impacts due to increase of fishing effort were also simulated by separately considering frequently used fishing gears. The analysis revealed that small-mesh gillnet fishery operates independently from the other existing developing fisheries in the same area and can be managed accordingly. Fishing-effort simulations suggest that the increase of fishing intensity by small-mesh gillnets would contribute to the decline of small pelagic catch. This was also found to influence the overall catch. The present level of exploitation of small pelagic fishery resources does not seem sustainable. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract Chemical analysis of extracts from cultures of the plant pathogenic fungus Cytospora sp. strain CCTU A309 collected in Iran led to the isolation of two previously unreported heptanedioic acid derivatives namely (2R,3S) 2-hydroxy-3-phenyl-4-oxoheptanedioic acid (1) and (2S,3S) 2-hydroxy-3-phenyl-4-oxoheptanedioic acid (2) as diastereomers, four previously undescribed prenylated p-terphenyl quinones 3–6 in addition to five known metabolites. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis and high-resolution mass spectrometry. For metabolites 1 and 2, the absolute configurations at C-2 were deduced from comparison of the 1H NMR difference of their (S)- and (R)-phenylglycine methyl ester derivatives while the relative configurations were tentatively assigned by a J-based analysis and confirmed by comparison of 13C chemical shifts to literature data. The isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxic, antimicrobial (including biofilm inhibition), antiviral, and nematicidal activities. While only moderate antimicrobial effects were observed, the terphenyl quinone derivatives 3–6 and leucomelone (10) exhibited significant cytotoxicity against the mouse fibroblast L929 and cervix carcinoma KB-3-1 cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 2.4 to 26 μg/mL. Furthermore, metabolites 4–6 showed interesting antiviral activity against hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The Palenque, a black community in rural Colombia, have an oral history of fugitive African slaves founding a free village near Cartagena in the seventeenth century. Recently, linguists have identified some 200 words in regular use that originate in a Kikongo language, with Yombe, mainly spoken in the Congo region, being the most likely source. The non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome (NRY) and mitochondrial DNA were analysed to establish whether there was greater similarity between present-day members of the Palenque and Yombe than between the Palenque and 42 other African groups (for all individuals,n= 2799) from which forced slaves might have been taken. NRY data are consistent with the linguistic evidence that Yombe is the most likely group from which the original male settlers of Palenque came. Mitochondrial DNA data suggested substantial maternal sub-Saharan African ancestry and a strong founder effect but did not associate Palenque with any particular African group. In addition, based on cultural data including inhabitants' claims of linguistic differences, it has been hypothesized that the two districts of the village (Abajo and Arriba) have different origins, with Arriba founded by men originating in Congo and Abajo by those born in Colombia. Although significant genetic structuring distinguished the two from each other, no supporting evidence for this hypothesis was found.

Abstract Many older bridges are constructed with structural systems consisting of a non-composite concrete deck over steel girders. A potentially economical method for strengthening these bridges is to develop composite action by attaching the existing concrete deck to the steel beams using post-installed shear connectors comprised of adhesive anchors. Because fatigue is one of the main concerns in designing bridges, investigating the fatigue properties of these post-installed shear connectors is crucial. Although the fatigue life of post-installed shear connectors has been explored through direct-shear tests, the actual fatigue performance of post-installed shear connectors in large-scale beam tests has not been extensively studied and may differ from component tests. The current paper describes the results of large-scale beam experiments on the fatigue performance of post-installed shear connectors. The results of this research indicate that adhesive anchor post-installed shear connectors have much better fatigue performance in beam tests compared to the previously reported fatigue test results based on direct-shear tests.

The conservation of biodiversity-and the vital ecosystem services it generates-is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, yet the field faces drastic funding cuts as society realigns its priorities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we argue that diverting attention from conservation would, however, increase the risk of further global health crises because the emergence of novel infectious diseases is partially driven by global environmental change. As the discrepancy between conservation needs and society's willingness to pay for them grows, conservation will have to evolve to stay relevant in the age global change-induced human infectious disease. International audience

Regarding the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections in recent years, many studies have been conducted on antimicrobial peptides as an alternative drug. Unfortunately, there are fewer studies on marine antimicrobial peptides than other living organisms. In this study, Tilapia Piscidin 4 (TP4), one of the most efficient marine antimicrobial peptides that have been introduced so far, produced using the Pichia pastoris GS115 expression system. The TP4 sequence was first cloned to the pPIC9 vector and then transformed to the Pichia pastoris to integrate into the genome. The best expression conditions were obtained in a minimal protein-lacking medium of BMM, 1.5% methanol, pH of 6, and the time of 48 hours. Subsequently, the antimicrobial activity of the recombinant TP4 was evaluated on 12 gram-negative and 5 gram-positive common bacterial pathogens including sensitive and antibiotic-resistant strains and showed the widespectrum activity. The TP4 antimicrobial peptide can be used as a competitive candidate for antibiotics in the post-antibiotic era due to the broad-spectrum antibacterial effects. The production of TP4 by the explained method in this study was a low-cost process and could pave the way for future studies and therapeutic applications.

Abstract The hermaphroditic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the primary model systems in biology since the 1970s, but only within the last two decades has this nematode also become a useful model for experimental evolution. Here, we outline the goals and major foci of experimental evolution with C. elegans and related species, such as C. briggsae and C. remanei, by discussing the principles of experimental design, and highlighting the strengths and limitations of Caenorhabditis as model systems. We then review three exemplars of Caenorhabditis experimental evolution studies, underlining representative evolution experiments that have addressed the: (1) maintenance of genetic variation; (2) role of natural selection during transitions from outcrossing to selfing, as well as the maintenance of mixed breeding modes during evolution; and (3) evolution of phenotypic plasticity and its role in adaptation to variable environments, including host–pathogen coevolution. We conclude by suggesting some future directions for which experimental evolution with Caenorhabditis would be particularly informative.