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An individual's choices are shaped by its experience, a fundamental property of behavior important to understanding complex processes. Learning and memory are observed across many taxa and can drive behaviors, including foraging behavior. To explore the conditions under which memory provides an advantage, we present a continuous-space, continuous-time model of animal movement that incorporates learning and memory. Using simulation models, we evaluate the benefit memory provides across several types of landscapes with variable-quality resources and compare the memory model within a nested hierarchy of simpler models (behavioral switching and random walk). We find that memory almost always leads to improved foraging success, but that this effect is most marked in landscapes containing sparse, contiguous patches of high-value resources that regenerate relatively fast and are located in an otherwise devoid landscape. In these cases, there is a large payoff for finding a resource patch, due to size, value, or locational difficulty. While memory-informed search is difficult to differentiate from other factors using solely movement data, our results suggest that disproportionate spatial use of higher value areas, higher consumption rates, and consumption variability all point to memory influencing the movement direction of animals in certain ecosystems.
In most habitats, vegetation provides the main structure of the environment. This complexity can facilitate biodiversity and ecosystem services. Therefore, measures of vegetation structure can serve as indicators in ecosystem management. However, many structural measures are laborious and require expert knowledge. Here, we used consistent and convenient measures to assess vegetation structure over an exceptionally broad elevation gradient of 866–4550m above sea level at Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Additionally, we compared (human)-modified habitats, including maize fields, traditionally managed home gardens, grasslands, commercial coffee farms and logged and burned forests with natural habitats along this elevation gradient. We distinguished vertical and horizontal vegetation structure to account for habitat complexity and heterogeneity. Vertical vegetation structure (assessed as number, width and density of vegetation layers, maximum canopy height, leaf area index and vegetation cover) displayed a unimodal elevation pattern, peaking at intermediate elevations in montane forests, whereas horizontal structure (assessed as coefficient of variation of number, width and density of vegetation layers, maximum canopy height, leaf area index and vegetation cover) was lowest at intermediate altitudes. Overall, vertical structure was consistently lower in modified than in natural habitat types, whereas horizontal structure was inconsistently different in modified than in natural habitat types, depending on the specific structural measure and habitat type. Our study shows how vertical and horizontal vegetation structure can be assessed efficiently in various habitat types in tropical mountain regions, and we suggest to apply this as a tool for informing future biodiversity and ecosystem service studies.
Aging of biological systems is accompanied by degeneration of mitochondrial functions. Different pathways are active to counteract the processes which lead to mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial dynamics, the fission and fusion of mitochondria, is one of these quality control pathways. Mitophagy, the controlled degradation of mitochondria, is another one. Here we show that these pathways are linked. A double deletion mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in which two essential components of the fission and fusion machinery, Dnm1 and Mgm1, are simultaneously ablated, contain wild-type like filamentous mitochondria, but are characterized by impaired respiration, an increased sensitivity to different stressors, increased mitochondrial protein carbonylation, and a decrease in mitophagy and replicative lifespan. These data show that a balanced mitochondrial dynamics and not a filamentous mitochondrial morphotype per se is the key for a long lifespan and demonstrate a cross-talk between two different mitochondrial quality control pathways.
Photorhabdus are highly effective insect pathogenic bacteria that exist in a mutualistic relationship with Heterorhabditid nematodes. Unlike other members of the genus, Photorhabdus asymbiotica can also infect humans. Most Photorhabdus cannot replicate above 34°C, limiting their host-range to poikilothermic invertebrates. In contrast, P. asymbiotica must necessarily be able to replicate at 37°C or above. Many well-studied mammalian pathogens use the elevated temperature of their host as a signal to regulate the necessary changes in gene expression required for infection. Here we use RNA-seq, proteomics and phenotype microarrays to examine temperature dependent differences in transcription, translation and phenotype of P. asymbiotica at 28°C versus 37°C, relevant to the insect or human hosts respectively. Our findings reveal relatively few temperature dependant differences in gene expression. There is however a striking difference in metabolism at 37°C, with a significant reduction in the range of carbon and nitrogen sources that otherwise support respiration at 28°C. We propose that the key adaptation that enables P. asymbiotica to infect humans is to aggressively acquire amino acids, peptides and other nutrients from the human host, employing a so called “nutritional virulence” strategy. This would simultaneously cripple the host immune response while providing nutrients sufficient for reproduction. This might explain the severity of ulcerated lesions observed in clinical cases of Photorhabdosis. Furthermore, while P. asymbiotica can invade mammalian cells they must also resist immediate killing by humoral immunity components in serum. We observed an increase in the production of the insect Phenol-oxidase inhibitor Rhabduscin normally deployed to inhibit the melanisation immune cascade. Crucially we demonstrated this molecule also facilitates protection against killing by the alternative human complement pathway.
The metabolome of any live cell consists of several hundred, if not thousands of different molecules at any given moment, be it a relatively small bacterial cell or a whole multicellular organism. Although there are continuous attempts to differentiate between primary and secondary metabolites, the borders often blur in the eye of almost perfect interconvertability of all such matter. With chemistry and physics dominating this domain of biology it is an interdisciplinary endeavor to tackle the questions surrounding the workings of the metabolic pathways involved, searching for answers that ultimately help us to better understand life and find solutions to problems that affect us humans. One area of biochemistry that serves as a formidable example of the intertwined primary and secondary metabolic pathways are fatty acids, essential components of bacterial membranes, sources of energy and carbon but also important building blocks of several natural products. The second area to be mentioned is the metabolism of amino acids, the basic components of proteins and enzymes, which also serve as precursors to a diverse set of metabolites with many biological purposes.
This work focuses on these two areas of biochemistry, as several intermediates of their metabolism serve as building blocks for complex secondary metabolites whence many interesting and bioactive natural products are derived. The powerful and relatively novel tool of click-chemistry is employed to track azide-labeled precursors of primary and secondary metabolism in various bacterial strains to observe biochemistry at work and adds to the knowledge gained through other methods. The methods presented in this work serve the observation of fatty acid biosynthesis, degradation, modification and transport through direct ligation of azido fatty acids with cyclooctynes on one hand, leading to a revision of fatty acid transport in general. On the other hand a cleavable azide-reactive resin is devised to generally track the fate of azidated compounds through the myriads of metabolic pathways offered by entomopathogenic bacteria possessing a rich secondary metabolism. The resulting findings led to the identification of several antimicrobial peptides, amides and other compounds of which many had remained so far undetected in the strains that underwent investigation, underlining the worth of this method for future metabolomic research and beyond.
Termites are important ecosystem engineers of the savanna biome, with the large mounds of fungus-cultivating termites being sources of habitat heterogeneity and structural complexity in African savanna landscapes. Studies from different localities throughout Africa have shown that termite mounds have a strong influence of diversity and composition of plant communities. However, most research has been conducted only at the local scale, and integrating knowledge across Africa is hampered by different methodology of studies and differing environmental context. Little is known about the variation in vegetation composition on termite mounds compared to the surrounding savanna at the regional scale and at the landscape scale, and the main determinants of plant communities on mounds are yet to be ascertained.
This thesis aimes at better understanding the influence of termite mounds on vegetation compared to the surrounding savanna across spatial scales. Three research projects analyse vegetation data and soil data from paired mound and savanna plots in West Africa. The first project examines the influence of termite-induced heterogeneity on plant diversity and vegetation composition at a regional scale, following a bioclimatic gradient from the Sahel of Burkina Faso to the Sudanian vegetation zone in North Benin. The second Project analysed variation of vegetation on and off mounds at the landscape scale in Pendjari National Park, North Benin. The third is a monitoring study over the course of two years, exploring dynamics of juvenile woody plant communities on mounds and in the surrounding savanna at a local scale. The thesis thus provides the first comparative quantitative analysis across scales of mound and savanna vegetation and the drivers of the mound–savanna difference in vegetation.
Synthesizing across scales, its results confirm that termite mounds strongly contribute to savanna plant diversity, even though mounds are not generally more species rich than the surrounding savanna. Variation in mound vegetation is much higher along climatic and soil gradients than previously acknowledged. Mound vegetation differs from the surrounding savanna in the whole study area and in each sampled savanna type, with the strongest differences occurring at the most humid study sites. A large proportion of the differences between mound and savanna vegetation is explained by clay enrichment and related soil factors, such as cation concentrations. Plants on mounds thus benefit from favourable soil conditions, including higher fertility and higher water availability, which is also mirrored by the higher abundance and basal area of juvenile woody plants found on mounds. The variation in mound vegetation between study sites across scales results in part from local differences in soil composition and from climatic differences that influence the regional distribution of species. Different sets of characteristic mound species are identified in each project. Specific plant families and traits like succulency, lianescence, and adaptations to zoochory are found to be overrepresented in mound communities.
In addition to the findings in this thesis, remaining parts of the variation in mound vegetation between study sites could likely be explained by investigating further factors. Specifically, mound vegetation depends on habitat context, which includes available species pools, spatial distribution of mounds, biotic interactions with dispersers and herbivores, fire, and also anthropogenic influence. The high proportion of species with adaptations to zoochory found on mounds, for example, indicates that animal dispersers should be of particular importance for vegetation on termite mounds. Herbivory and fire regime, which are known to contribute to the diversity and community composition of the mound–savanna system, also show strong local variation, not least because of anthropogenic influence.
In conclusion, termite mounds play a crucial role in maintaining heterogeneity and plant diversity in the savanna across scales. Ecosystem services provided by termites, especially considering long-term effects on soil fertility and ecosystem resilience, are most likely undervalued. Mounds should be considered in management plans from local to regional, transnational scales as a matter of course, accompanied by further research on the role of termite mounds in savanna ecology on a longer temporal scale. The research presented here thus provides a basis for future studies on termite mound vegetation that should specifically consider the biotic and abiotic context of the mound–savanna system.
Background. There is growing public and scientific concern about the occurrence of anthropogenic chemicals in the aquatic environment. Surface and groundwater serve as main drinking water resource. Especially in metropolitan areas these water reservoirs are impacted by organic pollutants predominantly originating from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. The impact of wastewater derived anthropogenic chemicals is therefore related to environmental and human health concerns. In order to lower the potential environmental and human health risk from wastewater associated pollutants, strategies for enhanced pollutant removal are applicable in a medium-term perspective. Ozonation and powdered activated carbon treatment are the two advanced wastewater treatment technologies, which are technically mature as well as economically feasible for the application in large-scale wastewater treatment plants. While powdered activated carbon removes substances by adsorption, ozonation degrades a parent compound into oxidation products. Most of the available research has been done at lab-scale while onsite ecotoxicity tests and chemical analyses are rare.
Objectives. For a comparative evaluation of advanced wastewater treatments' potential to alter toxicity, a broad spectrum of ecotoxicological data need to be collected. The focus has been set on three major objectives: A) Evaluation of the endocrine activity; B) Evaluation of the unspecific toxicity; C) Evaluation of genotoxicity and mutagenicity.
Methods. The advanced treatment methods, ozonation and powdered activated carbon treatment of secondary wastewater effluents, – each equipped with subsequent sand filtration as additional post treatment step – were ecotoxico-logically characterized at a pilot-scale WWTP. For process control the elimination of 35 selected pharmaceuticals was identified by chemical analyses using HPLC-MS/MS.
The endocrine activity ((anti-)estrogenic, (anti-)androgenic, dioxin-like activity)) was characterized by yeast-based in vitro bioassays and cytotoxicity by cell based assays. Genotoxicity and mutagenicity was assessed using umuC'assay and Ames assay, respectively. All in vitro assays were performed using extracts of the wastewater samples. In vivo toxicity was assessed with the fish early life stage test with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Ozonation was additionally assessed at a full-scale WWTP with in-vitro tests on endocrine activity and cytotoxicity and in vivo toxicity tests using five aquatic model organisms: Lemna minor, Daphnia magna, Chironomus riparius, Lumbriculus variegatus, Potamopyrgus antipodarum.
Results. In conventional activated sludge treated effluents the residual estrogenicity, antiandrogenicity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonistic activity and cytotoxicity were considerably reduced while antiestrogenicity was increased by both advanced treatment technologies. Ozonation led to an increase in genotoxic effects detected with Ames assay and with single cell gel electrophoresis of rainbow trout erythrocytes. Furthermore, mortality of rainbow trout was increased and reproduction of L. variegatus was decreased. Sand filtration lessened the genotoxic effects and adjusted reproduction of L. variegatus and mortality of rainbow trout to a similar level as conventional treatment.
Conclusions. This work demonstrates that conventional activated sludge treatment induces in vitro and in vivo toxicity. Advanced wastewater treatment combined with subsequent sand filtration can reduce in vitro and in vivo toxicity. An observed increase of endocrine activity after advanced wastewater treatment is an indication for different removal efficiencies of chemicals causing agonistic or antagonistic activity, respectively. Ozonation of wastewater generates ecotoxicity, which is largely removed by subsequent sand filtration. After a comprehensive investigation and after assurance of the removal of adverse effects, advanced treatment technologies could have beneficial effects on the ecological quality of the receiving water.
Die Endometriose ist eine gynäkologische Erkrankung, bei der epitheliale und stromale Zellen des Endometriums Läsionen außerhalb des Uterus bilden, die in ihrem Aufbau dem Endometrium gleichen. Diese Läsionen, sowie deren zyklische Proliferation, führen zu Schmerzen bei betroffenen Frauen. In isolierten, invasiven Epithelzellen (EEC145T) einer Endometriose-Läsion konnte die Expression von Shrew-1 gezeigt werden. Auch in anderen zellulären Zusammenhängen fördert die Expression von Shrew-1 den invasiven Phänotyp. Shrew-1 ist ein Transmembranprotein, das in Epithelzellen mit den Adhärenzverbindungen assoziiert ist und Interaktionen mit β-Catenin und E-Cadherin eingeht. In MCF7-Zellen fördert die Expression von Shrew-1 die EGF-induzierte Internalisierung von E-Cadherin, welche zur Verminderung der Zell-Zell-Adhäsion führt. In 12Z- und HT1080-Zellen konnte eine Interaktion mit CD147 gezeigt werden. CD147 fördert die Aktivität von MMPs und in Shrew-1-überexprimierenden HT1080-Zellen konnte eine erhöhte Aktivität der MMP9 gezeigt werden. Shrew-1 wirkt somit auf die Invasivität von Zellen und ist gleichzeitig Teil der Adhärenzverbindung. Aus diesem Grund wird Shrew-1 eine modulatorische Rolle in diesem Kontext zugeschrieben.
In immunhistologischen Färbungen von Shrew-1 und E-Cadherin konnte in Adenomyose-Läsionen eine inverse Expression der beiden Proteine in einigen epithelialen Zellen gezeigt werden, die im Endometrium nicht detektiert werden konnten. In den epithelialen Endometriose-Zelllinien 12Z und 49Z, die kein E-Cadherin exprimieren und äquivalent zu der Zelllinie EEC145T sind, führte die Herunterregulation von Shrew-1 (Shrew-1 KD) zur Reexpression von E-Cadherin. E-Cadherin ist in den 12Z Shrew-1 KD-Zellen an der Plasmamembran lokalisiert und interagiert mit β-Catenin, wodurch seine Assoziation mit den Adhärenzverbindungen wahrscheinlich ist. Die Herunterregulation von Shrew-1 führt zu einer verminderten Motilität und Invasivität der 12Z-Zellen, wobei die reduzierte Invasivität nicht alleine auf die Reexpression von E-Cadherin zurückgeführt werden kann. Es ist zu vermuten, dass das verminderte invasive Verhalten mit der ausbleibenden Interaktion von Shrew-1 mit CD147 zusammenhängt, welches die Aktivität von MMPs fördert.
Da Shrew-1 eine direkte Interaktion mit β-Catenin eingehen kann, ist es möglich, dass die Herunterregulation von Shrew-1 zu Veränderungen in der Lokalisation von β-Catenin und weiteren Proteinen, die mit den Adhärenzverbindungen assoziiert sind (p120 Catenin und Aktin), führen. Dies konnte jedoch nicht beobachtet werden. Eine verstärkte Lokalisation von Vinculin an den Enden von Aktin-Stressfasern sowohl in Zellausstülpungen als auch an Zell-Zell-Kontakten konnte in 12Z-Zellen nach der Herunterregulation von Shrew-1 beobachtet werden. Dies könnte eine Folge der E-Cadherin-Reexpression oder entscheidend für die Lokalisation von E-Cadherin an der Membran sein.
Die Reexpression von E-Cadherin, die in den 12Z Shrew-1 KD-Zellen auf mRNA- und Protein-Ebene nachgewiesen werden kann, erfolgt in den 12Z-Zellen vermutlich hauptsächlich über Veränderungen von Histon-Acetylierungen, da die Behandlung mit dem HDAC-Inhibitor TSA die Expression von E-Cadherin in den 12Z-Zellen induziert. Eine verstärkte H3K9-Acetylierung am CDH1-Promotor konnte in ChIP-Analysen in den 12Z Shrew-1 KD-Zellen gezeigt werden. Die gesteigerte Acetylierung resultiert vermutlich aus der verminderten Assoziation von HDAC1 und HDAC2 mit dem CDH1-Promotor in diesen Zellen. Eine Beteiligung der Repressoren Snail, Slug, Twist und ZEB1 an der Reexpression von E-Cadherin in den 12Z Shrew-1 KD-Zellen konnte nicht gezeigt werden. Ebenso scheinen Veränderungen am Methylierungsstatus des CDH1-Promotors nach der Herunterregulation von Shrew-1 nicht zu erfolgen.
TSA induziert auch in weiteren epithelialen Endometriose-Zelllinien (10Z und 49Z) die Expression von E-Cadherin. In stromalen Zellen führt hingegen weder TSA noch die Herunterregulation von Shrew-1 zur Expression von E-Cadherin (17B, 18B und 22B). Dies weist darauf hin, dass die Herunterregulation von Shrew-1 über die Veränderungen von Histon-Acetylierungen wirkt und dass dieser Mechanismus in epithelialen Endometriose-Zellen entscheidend ist. In den stromalen Zellen muss die Expression von E-Cadherin über einen anderen und/oder weitere Mechanismen blockiert sein.
Auch der Wnt-Signalweg scheint an der Reexpression von E-Cadherin in 12Z-Zellen beteiligt zu sein. Die Inhibierung der GSK3β (LiCl und SB216763) führt zur Expression von geringen Mengen an E-Cadherin. In 12Z Shrew-1 KD-Zellen führt die Stabilisierung von Axin (XAV939) zur verminderten Expression von E-Cadherin. Dies lässt darauf schließen, dass Shrew-1 auch einen Einfluss auf den Wnt-Signalweg hat, was vor allem durch dessen Interaktion mit β-Catenin wahrscheinlich ist.
Terrestrische Säugetiere werden von unterschiedlichen Parasiten als Wirte genutzt. Dabei kann ihre Parasitenfauna je nach Art, Lebensweise, Verbreitung, Gesundheitszustand und Reproduktionsstatus des Wirts abweichen. Ein weiterer bestimmender Faktor, ist der Einfluss des Menschen in Form von Regulierungsmaßnahmen und Schaffung urbaner Lebensräume. Domestizierte Haustiere bzw. Nutztiere weisen daher in der Regel andere Parasiten auf als ihre wildlebenden Artgenossen. Gleichzeitig können sich sowohl Wildtiere als auch domestizierte Tiere und Menschen gegenseitig Parasitenarten teilen und wechselseitig aufeinander übertragen. Daraus resultierende Krankheiten werden als Zoonosen bezeichnet.
Insbesondere Fledermäuse (Unterordnung Microchiroptera) zeigen weltweit eine enorme Parasitendiversität, die noch weitgehend unerforscht ist. Ebenfalls Forschungsbedarf besteht für die Sandfloh-Gattung Tunga in Süd- und Mittelamerika in Hinblick auf ihr Wirtsspektrum, welches auch Menschen einschließt. Die Art Tunga penetrans und zahlreiche weitere Parasitenarten, parasitieren gleichzeitig auch bei Hunden. Daher stellen diese Wirte eine direkte Gesundheitsgefahr für Menschen in ihrer unmittelbaren Umgebung dar.
Die vorliegende Dissertation ist in kumulativer Form zusammengefasst und beinhaltet drei Einzelpublikationen sowie einen Reviewartikel.
Ziel war es, die Parasitendiversität von Hunden aus urbanen tropischen Gebieten und die Parasitendiversität des Großen Ameisenbären (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) mit Hilfe morphologischer und molekularbiologischer Methoden zu analysieren. Die jeweiligen Parasitenfaunen wurden in Hinblick auf die soziale bzw. solitäre Lebensweise der beiden Wirtsarten verglichen und ihr zoonotisches Potenzial bewertet.
Ein weiteres Ziel war die Zusammenfassung der Ektoparasitennachweise süd- und mittelamerikanischer Microchiroptera und für die europäischen Arten der Fledermaus-Gattung Myotis (hier Endo- und Ektoparasiten) auf Basis der verfügbaren Literatur. Des Weiteren sollten eigene Parasitennachweise aus Bolivien bzw. Deutschland erfolgen. Für die Nachweise aus Deutschland wurden M. myotis untersucht, deren Artzugehörigkeit vorher bestimmt wurde. Zusätzlich wurden diese Individuen auf humanpathogene Lyssaviren untersucht.
Die Nachweise erfolgten über molekularbiologische und morphologische Methoden.
Acinetobacter baumannii virulence is mediated by the concerted action of three phospholipases D
(2015)
Acinetobacter baumannii causes a broad range of opportunistic infections in humans. Its success as an emerging pathogen is due to a combination of increasing antibiotic resistance, environmental persistence and adaptation to the human host. To date very little is known about the molecular basis of the latter. Here we demonstrate that A. baumannii can use phosphatidylcholine, an integral part of human cell membranes, as sole carbon and energy source. We report on the identification of three phospholipases belonging to the PLD superfamily. PLD1 and PLD2 appear restricted to the bacteria and display the general features of bacterial phospholipases D. They possess two PLDc_2 PFAM domains each encompassing the HxKx4Dx6GS/GGxN (HKD) motif necessary for forming the catalytic core. The third candidate, PLD3, is found in bacteria as well as in eukaryotes and harbours only one PLDc_2 PFAM domain and one conserved HKD motif, which however do not overlap. Employing a markerless mutagenesis system for A. baumannii ATCC 19606T, we generated a full set of PLD knock-out mutants. Galleria mellonella infection studies as well as invasion experiments using A549 human lung epithelial cells revealed that the three PLDs act in a concerted manner as virulence factors and are playing an important role in host cell invasion.