No description available.

Environmental variation is ubiquitous in natural systems. The genetic and physiological mechanisms governing population-level responses to this variation will impact the process of speciation and the capacity for populations to persist in a changing climate. Until recently, population-level responses to environmental selection remained largely unexplored in marine systems due to the historical assumption that the inherently dispersive nature of most marine taxa would preclude their ability to specialize to local environments. This dissertation represents the first investigation of population-level responses to environmental variation in a Caribbean reef-building coral. This research integrates ecological, physiological, genetic and genomic methods to (1) determine patterns of local adaptation in the Florida Keys, (2) identify stressors driving adaptive responses, (3) distinguish the physiological and genetic mechanisms underlying coral adaptation and (4) assess the potential for future adaptation in the common reef-building coral Porites astreoides. Results demonstrate that corals adapt and/or acclimatize to their local habitat and that this specialization incurs fitness costs. Temperature differences between reefs likely play a selective role in differentiating inshore and offshore coral populations. Genetic and gene expression differences indicate that coral hosts play a substantial role in driving these population-level differences. Inshore corals exhibit greater gene expression plasticity, which may be involved in stabilizing physiological responses to temperature fluctuations experienced at inshore reefs. In addition, naïve juvenile coral recruits from inshore reefs exhibit a growth rate advantage over offshore recruits under elevated temperature treatment, suggesting that thermotolerance differences observed in adult populations could continue to evolve in response to climate change. Taken together these results provide novel insight into the drivers of reef decline in the Florida Keys and the role of the host in coral adaptation capacity. / text

Rates and energy equivalents of consumption (C), egestion+ excretion (FU) , assimilation (A), respiration (R) and production (P) were measured in two groups of Sceloporus olivaceus: 1) a laboratory group acclimated at four seasonally encountered temperatures (15, 20, 25 and 30°C) ; and 2) four acclimatization groups collected at different seasons when ambient temperatures corresponded to 15, 20, 25 and 30°C.

No description available.

Abstract not available

Most advice for improving physiological strain in the heat includes maintaining hydration using long-term acclimation protocols (>10 days). Therefore, the major aims of this thesis were to examine; (i) effectiveness of short term (5-day) heat acclimation (STHA) with moderately and highly trained athletes; (ii) fluid regulatory strain has a thermally-independent role in heat adaptation; and, (iii) impact of STHA on a marker of thermotolerancè (inducible heat shock protein 70; HSP70). Ten moderately trained males completed heat acclimation (Acc) under controlled hyperthermia (rectal temperature 38.5�C) for 90-min on five consecutive days (T[a] = 40�C, 60% RH), on two occasions separated by a five-week washout, in a cross-over design. One Acc was undertaken with euhydration (fluid replenishment; EUH) and one with dehydration (no fluid intake; DEH) during daily Acc bouts. Participants completed an exercising heat stress test (HST) one week before, then on the 2nd day after Acc for both regimes. HST involved cycling at 40% PPO for 90 min (T[a] = 35�C, 60% RH), 10 min rest and a ramp protocol (2% PPO each 30 s) to volitional fatigue. HSTs were further completed 1, 2, and 3 wks after Acc to track the acclimation decay. On a later occasion eight highly trained male rowers were heat acclimated under the same protocol but with DEH acclimation only and a rowing-specific HST (2000 m rowing performance test). Plasma volume (PV) at rest and cardiac output (Q̇) during HSTs were measured using CO and CO₂ rebreathing, respectively. A number of plasma constituents were measured: PV, AVP, aldosterone, HSP70, total protein, albumin, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻ and osmolality. Short term heat acclimation resulted in physiological adaptation and enhanced exercise capacity for moderately trained participants. Compared to EUH permissive DEH during Acc bouts conferred larger acclimation-induced increases in resting PV by 4.1% (95%CI: -1.5 to 9.8%; p=0.06), Q̇[F]. (4.2: 0.7 to 7.8 mlmin⁻� 100 ml⁻�; p0.009), FVC (0.06: 0.02 to 0.10 ml 100ml Tissue⁻�mmHg⁻�; p=0.006), end-exercise V[s] (45.9: 3.6 to 84.4 mL; p=0.02) and decreased end-exercise f[c] by 17% (19: -29 to 9 b�min⁻�; p=0.08). Cardiovascular adaptations except PV persisted for one wk, but not two wks after Acc indicating that cardiovascular-related benefits from STHA may not be mediated by hypervolaemic responses per se. The highly trained athletes had functional heat adaptations of similar magnitude to lesser fitness-adapted participants across DEH acclimation, including resting PV expansion (4.5: 0.7 to 8.3%) and increased performance (-4.0: -6.3 to 0.6[s]; p=0.02). Plasma total protein-corrected HSP70 concentration increased from rest to end-exercise across acclimation (p=0.001). There was a greater change from rest to end-exercise on day one versus day five Acc (p=0.05), indicating a reduced stress-induced increase and a protective adaptive change. There were weak to moderate relationships between hydration indices in dynamic circumstances indicating that there is no single measure to accurately assess hydration status. In conclusion, short-term (5-day) heat acclimation was effective with adaptations more pronounced after fluid regulatory strain from a dehydration acclimation regime. Similar findings were found using highly trained and lesser- fitness adapted participants. Thermotolerance was increased by dehydration acclimation.

An understanding of the genetic regulation of low-temperature (LT) tolerance is a prerequisite for the development of cold tolerant cultivars for high stress regions. The objectives of this study were to determine if LT tolerance genes are developmentally regulated. Low-temperature response curves were determined for spring wheat and barley genotypes grown at 4°C under 8 hour (h) short day (SD) and 20 h long day (LD) photoperiods for various acclimation periods up to 112 days. Final leaf number (FLN) and growth of shoot apex was used to determine the stage of phenological development. Expression of LT tolerance genes was determined by LT50. A delay in transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase in SD sensitive, non-hardy AC Minto spring wheat and highly SD sensitive Dicktoo barley grown under SD resulted in an increased level and/or longer retention of expression of LT tolerance genes. In vernalization requiring winter genotypes photoperiod response of SD sensitive winter barley and wheat genotypes was reflected in the level of expression of LT tolerance genes beginning in the early stages of vernalization and plant development. A delay in transition to the vegetative stage allowed LT acclimation to continue to colder temperatures under SD compared to LD conditions in photoperiod sensitive genotypes. To determine the interrelationships between the developmental stages and LT gene expression, winter wheat genotypes were LT acclimated at 4°C under SD and LD from 0 to 112 d. Also, three de-acclimation (20C) and re-acclimation cycles were used beginning before and after vegetative/reproductive transition. Development of the SD de-acclimated plants was greatly delayed compared to LD plants as determined by shoot apex development, and this delay was reflected in the ability of SD plants to re-acclimate to much lower temperatures. Results indicated that expression of LT tolerance genes is governed by developmental regimes and plants in the vegetative phase have a much greater ability to LT acclimate than plants in the reproductive phase. These results support the hypothesis that level and duration of expression of LT tolerance genes determine the degree of LT tolerance and that LT tolerance genes are developmentally regulated.

The objectives of this study were to develop an in vitro direct adventitious bud induction and an organogenic callus induction and shoot regeneration system via floral organ segments culture for bromeliads, moreover, explore the effect of auxin on plantlet elongation of Guzmania. And further, apply the above micropropagation system to physical and chemical methods to induce somaclonal variances of bromeliad plantlets in vitro for mutation breeding. The explant sources of bromeliads and the components of culture medium were studied to develop a micropropagation system for bromeliads. The results indicated that the 1/3MS basal medium supplemented with a combination of 1.0 mg l-1 BA + 0.5-1.0 mg l-1 NAA, or a combination of 3.0 mg l-1 BA + 0.5 mg l-1 NAA, showed the highest frequency of direct initiation of adventitious buds derived from shoot apex and lateral bud explants of Aechmea fulgens var. fulgens and Guzmania 'Focus'. The best results of adventitious buds induction of the both species were found in the lower lateral bud explants, at 47.5% and 35%, respectively. In addition, the adventitious buds began to form on day 16 after the G. 'Focus' decapitated plantlets had been cultured in medium supplemented with 3.0 mg l-1 BA + 0.5 mg l-1 NAA. However, this phenomenon did not occur in case of undecapitated explants, where only protruding nodules appeared. Petal- and ovary-derived calli of A. fasciata and G. 'Hilda' were induced on 1/2MS basal medium supplemented with 1.0-1.5 mg l-1 2,4-D in combination with 1.0 or 0.5 mg l-1 NAA. Organogenic calli were cultured on medium with 1.0 mg l-1 NAA and 0.5 mg l-1 TDZ could be induced to differentiate and regenerate the adventitious buds. Furthermore, the number of adventitious buds proliferating at the base of the plantlets derived from G. 'Hilda' floral organs, cultured in media with different concentrations of IAA, IBA, NAA, and 8-azaadenine, was only 1-2 adventitious buds individually. This result shows that auxin can indeed suppress cytokinin-effects. The influence on plantlet elongation was greatest in the treatments using 0.5 mg l-1 NAA and 1.0 mg l-1 NAA. After 4 months culture, plantlets grew to 5.73 and 5.62 cm in height, that was 2.22 and 1.95 cm higher than the control, respectively. Plantlets of A. fasciata hardened under the middle (50 £gmol m-2s-1) light intensity condition had a higher survival rate, 95%, than that hardened at a low light intensity (1 £gmol m-2s-1; 17.5%). The maximum number of newly developing roots, up to 4.15 per shoot, was also observed at the same light intensity treatment. During transplantation, plantlets growing in coir fiber showed the best results in terms of plant growth within 6 months ex vitro culture. The average length of the plantlets was 22.0 cm, and an average of 19.3 leaves per plantlet was achieved. When calli of G. 'Hilda' treated by sodium azide, the survival rate was 0%. The survival rate of decapitated plantlet explants treated with 0.5 mM sodium azide for 60 minutes was 51.3%, about half-lethal dose. In addition to the survival rates of decapitated plantlet explants of A. fasciata, G. 'Hilda', G. 'Cherry', G. 'Luna' and G. 'Focus' irradiated by £^-ray showed 74.2-100% with the exception of the G. 'Focus' irradiated by 15 Gy, which dropped to 45.0%. At present, mutant plantlets showed a great deal of chimeras in leaf and were transplanted to potting media.

Not available / text

Membrane proteins specific to cold acclimation were studied in alfalfa (Medicago falcata L. cv Anik) seedlings and cell cultures. They were identified following separation on polyacrylamide gels and localized as far as possible to specific membranes by fractionation on continuous sucrose gradient and analysis of marker enzyme assays. / With cold acclimation, certain membrane proteins from seedlings showed subtle changes (mainly increases) in their steady-state amount and in their net synthesis rate. Most of these changes were in proteins with molecular weights below 100 kDa and were associated with light fractions of the sucrose gradient, favoring a Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum or tonoplast location for the proteins. Preliminary work done on membrane proteins from cell cultures showed more pronounced changes with cold acclimation. Most of the changes were in proteins with molecular weights below 100 kDa and were associated with heavy fractions of the sucrose gradient. Since they are easier to harvest and to manipulate, cell cultures appear to be the better system to use in future studies.