Vol. 9(1), 2016 ISSN 1675 – 5650

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Vol. 9(1), 2016 ISSN 1675 – 5650 Vol. 9(1), 2016 ISSN 1675 – 5650 MALAYSIAN COCOA JOURNAL ------------------------------------------------------------ Advisor Datin Norhaini Udin Vice Advisor Dr. Ramle Kasin Editor Dr. Rosmin Kasran Editorial Committee Dr. Alias Awang Dr. Ahmad Kamil Mohd Jaaffar Dr. Douglas Furtek Dr. Fisal Ahmad Dr. Hii Ching Lik Dr. Rozita Osman Dr. Samuel Yap Kian Chee Dr. Tan Chia Lock Dr. Zainal Baharum En. Mohamed Yusof Ishak Hjh. Winoryantie Sulaiman Pn. Harnie Harun Pn. Suzannah Sharif Published by MALAYSIAN COCOA BOARD 5-7th Floor, Wisma SEDCO Lorong Plaza Wawasan, Off Coastal Highway 88999 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia ©All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from Malaysian Cocoa Board CONTENTS ASSESSMENT OF SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS POTENTIAL OF ELITE MALAYSIAN Theobroma cacao CLONES 1 Siti Norhana, M. A., Haikal Eman, A., Ahmad Kamil, M. J. and Kasran, R. THE EFFECT OF ASCORBIC ACID IN THE MATURATION OF COCOA SOMATIC EMBRYOS 5 Norasekin, T. and Ducos, J.P. IMPROVEMENTS OF Theobroma cacao ACCLIMATIZATION TO EX VITRO ENVIRONMENT 11 Nik Aziz, N. I., Jasli, M., Misak, E., Abdul Asui, N. and Kasran, R. DEVELOPMENT OF SNP GENOTYPING ASSAYS IN COCOA POD BORER USING REAL-TIME PCR Kasran, R., Roslina, M.S., David, A., Nuraziawati, M.Y., Navies, M.., Mellisa, G., Fahmi, W. and 19 Larry, C. IDENTIFICATION OF THE POTENTIAL RESISTANCE GENES IN Theobroma cacao TO COCOA POD BORER INSECT (Conopomorpha cramerella) IN RELATION TO HOST- PATHOGEN INTERACTION USING RNA-SEQ TECHNOLOGY 40 Roslina, M.S., David, A., Anisah, S., Navies, M., Kasran, R., K., Mellisa, G.,Fahmi, W. and Larry, C. DNA FINGERPRINTING OF THE MALAYSIAN COCOA GERMPLASM COLLECTION USING MICROSATELLITE MARKERS 50 Lea, J. and Haya, R. EVALUATION OF CLONAL MATERIALS IN MALAYSIAN COCOA BOARD, CRDC MADAI SABAH 59 Aizat, J., Nuraziawati, M.Y., Azlan, S. and Haya, R. ANALYSIS OF COCOA YIELD COMPONENTS IN RELATION TO ITS YIELD Tan, C.L. and Ling, A.S.C. 64 PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF CACAO SEEDLINGS SUPPLEMENTED WITH MINERALS USING FOLIAR APPLICATION 71 Tee, Y.K., Bailey, B.A., Ali, S.S., Strem, M.D., Elson, M. and Baligar, V.C. THE EFFICIENCY OF CACAO SPECIFIC COMPOUND FERTILIZER ON CACAO PRODUCTIONS 79 Helmi, S., Rozita.O.., Haya. R., Ling, A.S.C.and Halim, H. UNRAVELLING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN LEPIDOPTERAN SODIUM CHANNEL AND NEUROTOXIN PEPTIDE: A STRUCTURAL INSIGHT 86 Rahman, M. Z. A. , Jainuddin, H. and Kasran, R. TOXICITY STUDIES OF Bacillus thuringiensis TO COCOA POD BORER LARVA AND ADULT MOTH 97 Tan, C.L., Navies, M. and Anisah, S. CAFFEINE TOXICITY TEST ON COCOA POD BORER ADULT MOTH Anisah, S. 103 EVALUATION OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR COCOA POD BORER IN COCOA ECOSYSTEM 108 Saripah, B. and Alias, A. ESTIMATING BLACK POD DISEASE PROGRESS RATE USING THE AREA UNDER DISEASE PROGRESS CURVE (AUDPC) FOR DIFFERENT COCOA CLONES IN LABORATORY CONDITION 121 Ling, A.S.C., Ahmad Kamil, M.J., Chong, K.P. and Ho, C.M. PLANT GROWTH HORMONES PRODUCED BY ENDOPHYTIC Bacillus subtilis STRAIN LKM-BK ISOLATED FROM COCOA Ishak, Z., Mohd Iswadi, M.K., Russman Nizam, A.H., Ahmad Kamil, M.J., Ernie Eileen, R.R., Wan 127 Syaidatul, A. and Ainon, H. EFFECTIVENESS OF SYSTEMIC FUNGICIDE (TEBUCONAZOLE) IN CONTROLLING VASCULAR STREAK DIEBACK (VSD) ON COCOA SEEDLINGS 134 Suhaida, S., Shari Fuddin, S. and Alias, A. INHIBITION ABILITY OF COCOA POD EXTRACT ON TYROSINASE ACTIVITY Azila, A.K., Nur Azilah, A. and Azrina, A. 139 THE EFFECTS OF PHYSIOCHEMICAL ACTIVATION ON ADSORPTION CAPACITY, POROSITY AND SURFACE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS OF COCOA (Theobroma cacao) NIB – BASED ACTIVATED CARBON 151 Khairul Adli, N., Fisal, A., Mohd Azmier, A.and Mohd Sukri, H. HUMAN CHEEK SKIN TEXTURE IMPROVEMENT BY COCOA BEAN EXTRACT INCORPORATED IN A COSMETIC FORMULATION 160 Norliza, A.W., Russly, A.R., Puziah, H., Amin, I. and Shuhaimi, M. BIOACTIVITY-GUIDED FRACTIONATION OF POTENT ANTI-CANCER PROPERTIES FROM NON-EDIBLE TISSUES OF Theobroma cacao 170 Zainal, B., Abdah M. A., Taufiq Yap Y. H., Roslida A. H., Mohd Redzuan, S. and Kasran, R. DISINTEGRATION OF COCOA POWDER TABLET Samuel, Y.K.C., Chin, H.H., Sarini, H. and Arief Huzaimi, M.Y. 181 SHELF-LIFE STUDY OF Lactobacillus fermentum IN PROBIOTIC CHOCOLATE Rosmawati, M.S., Abdul Rahim, A.M. and Kasran, R. 187 MALAYSIAN RENAISSANCE COCOA: QUANTIFICATION OF FLAVANOLS AND METHYLXANTINES IN SELECTED MALAYSIAN COCOA CLONES 193 Azhar, M. and Kasran, R. Malaysian Cocoa Journal 2016, Vol. 9 No. 1 ASSESSMENT OF SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS POTENTIAL OF ELITE MALAYSIAN Theobroma cacao L. CLONES Siti Norhana, M. A.1, Haikal Eman, A.1, Ahmad Kamil, M. J.2 and Kasran, R.1 1Malaysian Cocoa Board, Cocoa Biotechnology Research Centre, Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park, 88460 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia 2 Cocoa Research & Development Centre Kota Samarahan, Malaysian Cocoa Board, Lot 248, Block 14, Daerah Muara Tuang, Bahagian Samarahan, Locked Bag 3131, 93450, Kuching, Sarawak. Malaysian Cocoa Journal 9(1): 1-4 (2016) ABSTRACT - Somatic embryogenesis provides an efficient in vitro clonal propagation method to propagate elite clones rapidly for research and production. Due to the high heterozygosity nature of most cocoa clones, adjustment on the concentration of nutrients in the culture medium is necessary to increase the efficiency of embryogenic response of the local cocoa clones in Malaysia. Screening of 16 elite Malaysian cocoa clones from Class I and II using both patented and modified Nestle induction medium was carried out. Induction of somatic embryogenesis from floral staminodes of cocoa was studied with respect to primary somatic embryogenesis potential. The result showed five clones that were previously less responsive started to produce primary somatic embryos consistently between four to eight weeks after culture initiation on modified induction medium supplemented with 1mg/L Myo-inositol and 6.25mg/L L- Glutamine. Compared to the patented medium, the use of much lower concentration of Myo-inositol and L- Glutamine (100X and 40X lower, respectively) in the induction medium could reduce the time for somatic embryo production by half and able to stimulate higher frequency of embryogenesis in selected clones. The percentage of primary somatic embryos observed after eight weeks on the modified medium range from 5% to 43.3%. The study is currently concentrating on establishing highly embryonic calli stock and mass propagating secondary somatic embryos for embryo conversion trials. Keywords: Somatic embryogenesis, Primary somatic embryos, Theobroma cacao, Myo-inositol, Glutamine INTRODUCTION of two compounds in the induction medium, myo-inositol and L-glutamine, with respect to Somatic embryogenesis as an alternative for mass primary somatic embryogenesis potential were propagation of elite Theobroma cacao clones has investigated. been well studied for years. It provides an efficient in vitro clonal propagation method to This study involved 16 Malaysian cocoa propagate elite clones rapidly for research and clones from Class I and Class II. These cocoa production. The main advantages of this method clones were previously classified into four classes include the possibility of rapidly generating - Class I, II, II and IV - based on their asexually propagated uniform plants of high adaptability to a wide range of Malaysian agro- genetic value, and the clonal production of climatic conditions, yield potential, pod and bean orthotropic plants with normal dimorphic characteristics, tolerant level to major pest and architecture and taproot formation (Maximova et diseases and possession of high butter content al., 2002). and good flavor (MCB, 2012). Class I clones are generally suitable for planting throughout Due to the high heterozygosity nature of Malaysia with good yield potential (>2.5 most cocoa clones, their degrees of response ton/ha/year) and tolerant to major pest and towards culture media treatments varied. In order diseases, while Class II clones are suitable for to increase the efficiency of embryogenic planting in selective areas (such as inland soil) response of each clone, it is necessary to modify with good yield potential, moderately tolerant to the concentration of the nutrients in the culture. major diseases and possess good pod and bean In this study, the effects of various concentrations quality (MCB, 2012). 1 Malaysian Cocoa Journal 2016, Vol. 9 No. 1 This study aimed to assess the somatic medium contained macro-nutrients DKW, micro- embryogenesis potential of elite Malaysian cocoa nutrients DKW, vitamins DKW, glucose 1 g/l, clones from Class I and II, using both Nestle sucrose 30 g/l, Phytagel (Sigma), pH5.7. patented induction medium as well as modified version of the same medium. Induction of The experiment was carried out in somatic embryogenesis was studied with respect triplicate. 20 explants were cultured per clone per to primary somatic embryogenesis potential. replicate. The average percentage of somatic embryos produced, representing the total number of somatic embryos per total number of explant, MATERIALS AND METHODS was determined eight weeks after the culture initiation. The earliest time taken to produce Staminodes from unopened cocoa flower buds primary somatic embryo from initial culture for (age 2-4 weeks) were used as explants. Samples each clone was also recorded. However, due to were obtained from bud grafted, field and seasonal availability of flowers, the experiments glasshouse-grown clonal plants at Centre for carried out on the patented and modified medium Cocoa Biotechnology Research, Kota Kinabalu were not able to be carried out side by side, hence Industrial Park, Sabah, Malaysia. done on different dates. Unopened cocoa flower buds were washed with tap water and surface-sterilized RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS using 10% commercial bleach (5.25% (v/v) sodium hypochlorite) for 20 min followed by Using the patented Nestle induction media, the three rinses for five min each in sterile reverse mean percentage of somatic embryos produced osmosis water. Following dissection, staminodes ranged from 8.33 to 18.33 (Table 1).
Recommended publications
  • Dna Sequence Data Indicates the Polyphyl Y of the Family Ctenidae (Araneae )
    1993. The Journal of Arachnology 21 :194–201 DNA SEQUENCE DATA INDICATES THE POLYPHYL Y OF THE FAMILY CTENIDAE (ARANEAE ) Kathrin C . Huber', Thomas S . Haider2, Manfred W . Miiller2, Bernhard A . Huber' , Rudolf J. Schweyen2, and Friedrich G . Barth' : 'Institut fair Zoologie, Althanstr . 14; 1090 Wien; and 2lnstitut fur Mikrobiologie and Genetik; Dr. Bohrgasse 9 ; 1030 Wien (Vienna), Austria . ABSTRACT. Mitochondrial DNA fragments comprising more than 400 bases of the 16S rDNA from nine spider species have been sequenced: Cupiennius salei, C. getazi, C. coccineus and Phoneutria boliviensis (Ctenidae), Pisaura mirabilis, Dolomedes fimbriatus (Pisauridae), Pardosa agrestis (Lycosidae), Clubiona pallidula (Clubi- onidae) and Ryuthela nishihirai (syn. Heptathela nishihirai; Heptathelidae: Mesothelae). Sequence divergence ranges from 3–4% among Cupiennius species and up to 36% in pairwise comparisons of the more distantly related spider DNAs. Maximally parsimonious gene trees based on these sequences indicate that Phoneutri a and Cupiennius are the most distantly related species of the examined Lycosoidea . The monophyly of the family Ctenidae is therefore doubted ; and a revision of the family, which should include DNA-data, is needed . Cupiennius salei (Ctenidae) is one of the most get a high copy number of the DNA segment of extensively studied species of spiders (see Lach - interest. The PCR depends on the availability of muth et al. 1985). The phylogeny of the Ctenidae , oligonucleotides that specifically bind to the a mainly South and Central American family, i s flanking sequences of this DNA segment. These poorly understood ; and systematists propose oligonucleotides serve as primers for a polymer- highly contradicting views on its classification ization reaction that copies the segment in vitro.
    [Show full text]
  • Psalmopoeus Cambridgei (Trinidad Chevron Tarantula)
    UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Ecology Psalmopoeus cambridgei (Trinidad Chevron Tarantula) Order: Araneae (Spiders) Class: Arachnida (Spiders and Scorpions) Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods) Fig. 1. Trinidad chevron tarantula, Psalmopoeus cambridgei. [http://www.exoreptiles.com/my/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1127, downloaded 30 April 2015] TRAITS. A large spider, maximum size 11-14cm across the legs, with chevrons (V-shaped marks) on the abdomen (Fig. 1). Males are either grey or brown in colour, and females vary from green to brown with red or orange markings on the legs (Wikipedia, 2013). The Trinidad chevron tarantula is hairy in appearance, has eight legs, and its body is divided into two parts, the cephalothorax and the abdomen which are connected by a pedicel that looks like a narrow stalk (Fig. 2). The cephalothorax has eight legs plus a pair of smaller leg-like appendages (pedipalps) used to catch prey; in males these have palpal bulbs attached to the ends for holding sperm (Fig. 3). The mouth has chelicerae with fangs at the ends and swollen bases that house the venom glands, and there are eight small eyes (Foelix, 2010). However, even with eight eyes the Trinidad chevron tarantula can hardly see and so depends mostly on touch, smell, and taste to find its way. There are organs on their feet to detect changes in the environment and special type of hair on their legs and pedipalps for taste. The second part, the abdomen attached to a narrow waist, can UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Ecology expand and contract to accommodate food and eggs; two pairs of spinnerets are located at the end of the abdomen (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Potent Neuroprotection After Stroke Afforded by a Double-Knot Spider-Venom Peptide That Inhibits Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 1A
    Potent neuroprotection after stroke afforded by a double-knot spider-venom peptide that inhibits acid-sensing ion channel 1a Irène R. Chassagnona, Claudia A. McCarthyb,c, Yanni K.-Y. China, Sandy S. Pinedaa, Angelo Keramidasd, Mehdi Moblie, Vi Phamb,c, T. Michael De Silvab,c, Joseph W. Lynchd, Robert E. Widdopb,c, Lachlan D. Rasha,f,1, and Glenn F. Kinga,1 aInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; bBiomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; cDepartment of Pharmacology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; dQueensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; eCentre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; and fSchool of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia Edited by Solomon H. Snyder, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, and approved February 6, 2017 (received for review September 1, 2016) Stroke is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, yet there are extracellular pH that occurs during cerebral ischemia. ASIC1a is the no drugs available to protect the brain from stroke-induced neuronal primary acid sensor in mammalian brain (9, 10) and a key mediator of injury. Acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is the primary acid sensor stroke-induced neuronal damage. Genetic ablation of ASIC1a reduces in mammalian brain and a key mediator of acidosis-induced neuronal infarct size by ∼60% after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion damage following cerebral ischemia. Genetic ablation and selective (MCAO) in mice (7), whereas pharmacologic blockade with modestly pharmacologic inhibition of ASIC1a reduces neuronal death follow- potent ASIC1a inhibitors, such as amiloride (7) and nonsteroidal anti- ing ischemic stroke in rodents.
    [Show full text]
  • Pet Health and Happiness Is Our Primary Concern
    Pet Health and Happiness Is Our Primary Concern CONCISE CARE SHEETS PINK-TOES find more caresheets at nwzoo.com/care AND TREE SPIDERS INTRO QUICK TIPS PSALMOPOEUS The tropics of the New World or Americas are home to many popular The Trinidad Chevron (Psalmopoeus tree-dwelling tarantulas. These include a wide variety of “Pink-toes” of the » 76-82°F with a drop in tem- cambridgei] and Venezuelan Suntiger (P. genus Avicularia, the closely related Antilles “pink-toe” or tree tarantula perature at night (72-76ºF) irminia) are the best known members of (Caribena versicolor), the lightning-fast and agile Tapinauchenius and » Requires 70-80% humidity, a genus popular with tarantula keepers. a handful of species of Psalmopoeus like the Venezuelan Suntiger and but also good ventilation. Both are fairly large (P. cambridgei can Trinidad Chevron. » Most species will eat a reach a legspan of seven inches) and variety of arthropods and make exceptional display subjects for These tarantulas are found in a variety of subtropical and tropical habitats, small vertebrates yet thrive the spacious vertically-oriented forest but their general care is similar enough to cover them all in a single care on roaches or crickets in terrarium. Psalmopoeus tarantulas are sheet. Optimal captive husbandry is focused on providing warm, humid captivity. very hardy and often more forgiving of air in an enclosure that allows for sufficient ventilation. It is a balancing drier conditions than other New World act of sorts, but the conscientious and cautious keeper soon learns to err arboreal tarantulas. Both the Chevron on the side of good airflow as it is easier to add moisture than to correct and Suntiger appreciate a couple of layers of vertical cork bark slabs to overly damp or stagnant conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Tarantulas and Social Spiders
    Tarantulas and Social Spiders: A Tale of Sex and Silk by Jonathan Bull BSc (Hons) MSc ICL Thesis Presented to the Institute of Biology of The University of Nottingham in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Nottingham May 2012 DEDICATION To my parents… …because they both said to dedicate it to the other… I dedicate it to both ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Sara Goodacre for her guidance and support. I am also hugely endebted to Dr Keith Spriggs who became my mentor in the field of RNA and without whom my understanding of the field would have been but a fraction of what it is now. Particular thanks go to Professor John Brookfield, an expert in the field of biological statistics and data retrieval. Likewise with Dr Susan Liddell for her proteomics assistance, a truly remarkable individual on par with Professor Brookfield in being able to simplify even the most complex techniques and analyses. Finally, I would really like to thank Janet Beccaloni for her time and resources at the Natural History Museum, London, permitting me access to the collections therein; ten years on and still a delight. Finally, amongst the greats, Alexander ‘Sasha’ Kondrashov… a true inspiration. I would also like to express my gratitude to those who, although may not have directly contributed, should not be forgotten due to their continued assistance and considerate nature: Dr Chris Wade (five straight hours of help was not uncommon!), Sue Buxton (direct to my bench creepy crawlies), Sheila Keeble (ventures and cleans where others dare not), Alice Young (read/checked my thesis and overcame her arachnophobia!) and all those in the Centre for Biomolecular Sciences.
    [Show full text]
  • Husbandry Manual for Exotic Tarantulas
    Husbandry Manual for Exotic Tarantulas Order: Araneae Family: Theraphosidae Author: Nathan Psaila Date: 13 October 2005 Sydney Institute of TAFE, Ultimo Course: Zookeeping Cert. III 5867 Lecturer: Graeme Phipps Table of Contents Introduction 6 1 Taxonomy 7 1.1 Nomenclature 7 1.2 Common Names 7 2 Natural History 9 2.1 Basic Anatomy 10 2.2 Mass & Basic Body Measurements 14 2.3 Sexual Dimorphism 15 2.4 Distribution & Habitat 16 2.5 Conservation Status 17 2.6 Diet in the Wild 17 2.7 Longevity 18 3 Housing Requirements 20 3.1 Exhibit/Holding Area Design 20 3.2 Enclosure Design 21 3.3 Spatial Requirements 22 3.4 Temperature Requirements 22 3.4.1 Temperature Problems 23 3.5 Humidity Requirements 24 3.5.1 Humidity Problems 27 3.6 Substrate 29 3.7 Enclosure Furnishings 30 3.8 Lighting 31 4 General Husbandry 32 4.1 Hygiene and Cleaning 32 4.1.1 Cleaning Procedures 33 2 4.2 Record Keeping 35 4.3 Methods of Identification 35 4.4 Routine Data Collection 36 5 Feeding Requirements 37 5.1 Captive Diet 37 5.2 Supplements 38 5.3 Presentation of Food 38 6 Handling and Transport 41 6.1 Timing of Capture and handling 41 6.2 Catching Equipment 41 6.3 Capture and Restraint Techniques 41 6.4 Weighing and Examination 44 6.5 Transport Requirements 44 6.5.1 Box Design 44 6.5.2 Furnishings 44 6.5.3 Water and Food 45 6.5.4 Release from Box 45 7 Health Requirements 46 7.1 Daily Health Checks 46 7.2 Detailed Physical Examination 47 7.3 Chemical Restraint 47 7.4 Routine Treatments 48 7.5 Known Health Problems 48 7.5.1 Dehydration 48 7.5.2 Punctures and Lesions 48 7.5.3
    [Show full text]
  • Araneae (Spider) Photos
    Araneae (Spider) Photos Araneae (Spiders) About Information on: Spider Photos of Links to WWW Spiders Spiders of North America Relationships Spider Groups Spider Resources -- An Identification Manual About Spiders As in the other arachnid orders, appendage specialization is very important in the evolution of spiders. In spiders the five pairs of appendages of the prosoma (one of the two main body sections) that follow the chelicerae are the pedipalps followed by four pairs of walking legs. The pedipalps are modified to serve as mating organs by mature male spiders. These modifications are often very complicated and differences in their structure are important characteristics used by araneologists in the classification of spiders. Pedipalps in female spiders are structurally much simpler and are used for sensing, manipulating food and sometimes in locomotion. It is relatively easy to tell mature or nearly mature males from female spiders (at least in most groups) by looking at the pedipalps -- in females they look like functional but small legs while in males the ends tend to be enlarged, often greatly so. In young spiders these differences are not evident. There are also appendages on the opisthosoma (the rear body section, the one with no walking legs) the best known being the spinnerets. In the first spiders there were four pairs of spinnerets. Living spiders may have four e.g., (liphistiomorph spiders) or three pairs (e.g., mygalomorph and ecribellate araneomorphs) or three paris of spinnerets and a silk spinning plate called a cribellum (the earliest and many extant araneomorph spiders). Spinnerets' history as appendages is suggested in part by their being projections away from the opisthosoma and the fact that they may retain muscles for movement Much of the success of spiders traces directly to their extensive use of silk and poison.
    [Show full text]
  • AAS 1999 Annual Meeting Abstracts
    AAS 1999 Annual Meeting Abstracts Oral and Poster Presentations 1999 AAS Annual Meeting Univ. of the West Indies St. Augustine, Trinidad THERIDIID SYSTEMATICS: A PRELIMINARY MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS Ingi Agnarsson, Miquel A. Arnedo, Rosie Gillespie, Jonathan Coddington, & Gustavo Hormiga The family Theridiidae (cob-web spiders) is one of the largest spider families, comprising over 2000 described species in 73 genera and exhibiting extreme diversity in morphology, ecology and behavior. Theridiids are unique in including many cooperative or quasisocial species, a behavior otherwise very rare in arachnids. Theridiids include some very familiar species, such as the common house spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum) and the widow spiders (Latrodectus spp.). Despite their relatively high profile, systematic work on the family has so far been limited to the inclusion of a few of its members in family level phylogenetic analyses. We present the first cladistic analysis of a wide selection of theridiid genera based on molecular and morphological data. Apart from presenting a higher level phylogenetic hypothesis of theridiid interrelations, we address questions such as their sister relationship with nesticids, the monophyly and placement of the putative theridiid subfamily Hadrotarsinae, and the evolution of several morphological traits. CANNIBALISM AS A FACTOR REGULATING POPULATION DENSITY IN THE WOLF SPIDER PARDOSA MILVINA (ARANEAE, LYCOSIDAE) Robert Balfour, Sean E. Walker & Ann L. Rypstra Cannibalism has been suggested as a factor that can regulate population density in wolf spiders. We used a series of laboratory and field experiments to determine if cannibalism occurs in Pardosa milvina and if it is density dependent. Field collected Pardosa were paired in laboratory arenas in order to measure the level of aggression.
    [Show full text]
  • Discovery and Characterization of Nav Modulatory Venom Peptides
    Discovery and characterization of NaV modulatory venom peptides Joshua Seth Wingerd B.Sc. of Molecular Biology A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2013 Institute for Molecular Biosciences Abstract Voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV) are integral membrane proteins that are responsible for the increase in sodium permeability that initiates and propagates the rising phase of action potentials, carrying electrical signals along nerve fibers and through excitable cells. NaV channels play a diverse role in neurophysiology and neurotransmission, as well as serving as molecular targets for several groups of neurotoxins that bind to different receptor sites and alter voltage-dependent activation, inactivation and conductance. There are nine NaV channel isoforms so far discovered, each of which display distinct functional profiles and tissue-specific expression patterns. The modulation of specific isoforms for therapeutic purposes has become an important research objective for the treatment of conductance diseases exhibiting phenotypes of chronic pain, epilepsy, myotonia, seizure, and cardiac arrhythmia. However, because of the high sequence similarity and structural homology between NaV channel isoforms, many current therapeutics that target NaV channels – the vast majority of which are small molecules – lack specificity between isoforms, or even other voltage-gated ion channels. The current push for greater selectivity while maintaining a relevant degree of potency has led the focus away from small molecules and towards the discovery and development of peptidic ligands for therapeutic use. Venom derived peptides have proven to be naturally potent and selective bioactive molecules, exhibiting inherent secondary structures that add stability through the formation of disulfide bonds.
    [Show full text]
  • Gil Ylc Me Sjrp Par.Pdf (846.1Kb)
    RESSALVA Atendendo solicitação do(a) autor(a), o texto completo desta dissertação será disponibilizado somente a partir de 22/02/2020. Yeimy Lizeth Cifuentes Gil Revisão taxonômica e análise cladística dos gêneros de tarântulas arborícolas Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1985 e Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871 (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Aviculariinae). São José do Rio Preto 2018 Yeimy Lizeth Cifuentes Gil Revisão taxonômica e análise cladística dos gêneros de tarântulas arborícolas Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1985 e Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871 (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Aviculariinae). Dissertação apresentada como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do título de Mestre em Biologia Animal, junto ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, do Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas da Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Câmpus de São José do Rio Preto. Orientador: Prof. Dr. Rogério Bertani. São José do Rio Preto 2018 Gil, Yeimy Lizeth Cifuentes Revisão taxonômica e análise cladística dos gêneros de tarântulas arborícolas Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1985 e Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871 (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Aviculariinae) / Yeimy Lizeth Cifuentes Gil. -- São José do Rio Preto, 2018 132 f. : il. Orientador: Rogério Bertani Dissertação (mestrado) – Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas 1. Ecologia animal. 2. Aranha. 3. Biologia – Classificação. I. Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio deMesquita Filho". Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas. II. Título.
    [Show full text]
  • Trinidad and Tobago, 2017-2022
    National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Trinidad and Tobago, 2017-2022 1 National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Trinidad and Tobago, 2017-2022 Table of Contents Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 2 ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................................. 4 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................. 5 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................ 11 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 12 2. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 15 2.2 Value of biodiversity to T&T ............................................................................................ 15 2.2.1 Ecosystem Services ..................................................................................................... 16 Terrestrial ............................................................................................................................................ 16 2.2.2 Tourism ..........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Spider Webs As Edna Tool for Biodiversity Assessment of Life's
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.18.209999; this version posted July 19, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. Spider webs as eDNA tool for biodiversity assessment of life’s domains Matjaž Gregorič1*, Denis Kutnjak2, Katarina Bačnik2,3, Cene Gostinčar4,5, Anja Pecman2, Maja Ravnikar2, Matjaž Kuntner1,6,7,8 1Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Novi trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 2Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 3Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 4Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva ulica 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 5Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, BGI-Qingdao, Qingdao 266555, China 6Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 7Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th and Constitution, NW, Washington, DC 20560-0105, USA 8Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, 368 Youyi Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430062, China *Corresponding author: Matjaž Gregorič, [email protected], [email protected]. 1 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.18.209999; this version posted July 19, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.
    [Show full text]