TY  - JOUR
A1  - Wendt, Martin
A1  - Senftleben, Nele
A1  - Gros, Patrick
A1  - Schmitt, Thomas
T1  - Coping with environmental extremes
BT  - population ecology and behavioural adaptation of Erebia pronoe, an Alpine butterfly species
JF  - Insects : open access journal
N2  - Simple Summary:& nbsp;High alpine meadows are home to numerous endemic butterfly species. A combination of climate change and changes in agricultural practices has led to a severe decline in many species. A seemingly unaffected representative of this habitat is Erebia pronoe. We studied the behaviour, resource use and population structure of this species to explain its resilience and estimate its future survival potential. This species shows pronounced protandry in combination with serial eclosion. Males were significantly more active and mobile and were also caught significantly more often than females, resulting in a pronounced shift in sex ratio in the predicted population structure. The adults use a wide range of nectar plants and establish homeranges in areas of high habitat quality. Thus, Erebia pronoe adults use a wide array of resources combined with a slight specialisation to avoid niche overlap with closely related species. The resulting ecological flexibility seems to be an adaptation to unpredictable environmental conditions, which should be the result of a long-lasting adaptation process. Moreover, the combination of opportunism and modest specialisation should also be a good basis for coping with future changes caused by climate and land-use change.</p> <br /> <br></p> <br /> A mark-recapture study of the nominotypical Erebia pronoe in the Alps was conducted to survey its ecological demands and characteristics. Population structure analysis revealed a combination of protandry (one-week earlier eclosion of males) and serial eclosion. Significant differences between both sexes were found in population density (males: 580/ha & PLUSMN; 37 SE; females: 241/ha & PLUSMN; 66 SE), sex-ratio (2.4) and behaviour (57.7 vs. 11.9% flying). Both sexes used a wide range of nectar plants (Asteraceae, 77.3%; Dipsacaceae, 12.3%; Gentianaceae, 9.7%). The use of nectar plants shows a non-specific spectrum, which, however, completely avoids overlap with the locally co-occurring species Erebia nivalis. Movement patterns show the establishment of homeranges, which significantly limits the migration potential. Due to its broad ecological niche, E. pronoe will probably be able to react plastically to the consequences of climate change. The formation of high population densities, the unconcerned endangerment status, the unspecific resource spectrum and the sedentary character of the species make E. pronoe a potential indicator of the quality and general resource occurrence of alpine rupicolous grasslands.
KW  - mark-release-recapture
KW  - movement patterns
KW  - opportunistic behaviour
KW  - partial protandry
KW  - population demography
Y1  - 2021
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12100896
SN  - 2075-4450
VL  - 12
IS  - 10
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Werchmeister, Rebecka Maria Larsen
A1  - Tang, Jing
A1  - Xiao, Xinxin
A1  - Wollenberger, Ulla
A1  - Hjuler, Hans Aage
A1  - Ulstrup, Jens
A1  - Zhang, Jingdong
T1  - Three-Dimensional Bioelectrodes Utilizing Graphene Based Bioink
JF  - Journal of The Electrochemical Society
N2  - Enzyme immobilization using nanomaterials offers new approaches to enhanced bioelectrochemical performance and is essential for the preparation of bioelectrodes with high reproducibility and low cost. In this report, we describe the development of new three-dimensional (3D) bioelectrodes by immobilizing a "bioink" of glucose oxidase (GOD) in a matrix of reduced graphene oxides (RGOs), polyethylenimine (PEI), and ferrocene carboxylic acid (FcCOOH) on carbon paper (CP). CP with 3D interwoven carbon fibers serves as a solid porous and electronically conducting skeleton, providing large surface areas and space for loading the bioink and diffusion of substrate molecules, respectively. RGO enhances contact between the GOD-matrix and CP, maintaining high conductivity. The composition of the bioink has been systematically optimized. The GOD bioelectrodes show linearly increasing electrocatalytic oxidation current toward glucose concentration up to 48 mM. A hybrid enzymatic biofuel cell equipped with the GOD bioelectrode as a bioanode and a platinum cathode furthermore registers a maximum power density of 5.1 mu W cm(-2) and an open circuit voltage of 0.40 V at 25 degrees C. The new method reported of preparing a bioelectrode by drop-casting the bioink onto the substrate electrode is facile and versatile, with the potential of application also for other enzymatic bioelectrodes.
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0261916jes
SN  - 0013-4651
SN  - 1945-7111
VL  - 166
IS  - 16
SP  - G170
EP  - G177
PB  - The Electrochemical Society
CY  - Pennington
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Werger, Luise
A1  - Bergmann, Joana
A1  - Weber, Ewald
A1  - Heinze, Johannes
T1  - Wind intensity affects fine root morphological traits with consequences for plant-soil feedback effects
JF  - Annals of Botany Plants
N2  - Wind influences the development, architecture and morphology of plant roots and may modify subsequent interactions between plants and soil (plant–soil feedbacks—PSFs). However, information on wind effects on fine root morphology is scarce and the extent to which wind changes plant–soil interactions remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of two wind intensity levels by manipulating surrounding vegetation height in a grassland PSF field experiment. We grew four common plant species (two grasses and two non-leguminous forbs) with soil biota either previously conditioned by these or other species and tested the effect of wind on root:shoot ratio, fine root morphological traits as well as the outcome for PSFs. Wind intensity did not affect biomass allocation (i.e. root:shoot ratio) in any species. However, fine-root morphology of all species changed under high wind intensity. High wind intensity increased specific root length and surface area and decreased root tissue density, especially in the two grasses. Similarly, the direction of PSFs changed under high wind intensity in all four species, but differences in biomass production on the different soils between high and low wind intensity were marginal and most pronounced when comparing grasses with forbs. Because soils did not differ in plant-available nor total nutrient content, the results suggest that wind-induced changes in root morphology have the potential to influence plant–soil interactions. Linking wind-induced changes in fine-root morphology to effects on PSF improves our understanding of plant–soil interactions under changing environmental conditions.
KW  - Wind
KW  - root traits
KW  - root morphology
KW  - specific root length
KW  - plant–soil feedback
Y1  - 2020
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plaa050
SN  - 2041-2851
VL  - 12
IS  - 5
PB  - Oxford University Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Werner, Deljana
A1  - Behrsing, Olaf
A1  - Scharte, Gudrun
A1  - Woller, Jochen
A1  - Steup, Martin
A1  - Micheel, Burkhard
T1  - Monoclonal anti-diuron antibodies prevent inhibition of photosynthesis by diuron
Y1  - 2002
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Wernet, Philippe
A1  - Kunnus, Kristjan
A1  - Schreck, Simon
A1  - Quevedo, Wilson
A1  - Kurian, Reshmi
A1  - Techert, Simone
A1  - de Groot, Frank M. F.
A1  - Odelius, Michael
A1  - Föhlisch, Alexander
T1  - Dissecting local atomic and intermolecular interactions of transition-metal ions in solution with selective X-ray spectroscopy
JF  - The journal of physical chemistry letters
N2  - Determining covalent and charge-transfer contributions to bonding in solution has remained an experimental challenge. Here, the quenching of fluorescence decay channels as expressed in dips in the L-edge X-ray spectra of solvated 3d transition-metal ions and complexes was reported as a probe. With a full set of experimental and theoretical ab initio L-edge X-ray spectra of aqueous Cr3+, including resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, we address covalency and charge transfer for this prototypical transition-metal ion in solution. We dissect local atomic effects from intermolecular interactions and quantify X-ray optical effects. We find no evidence for the asserted ultrafast charge transfer to the solvent and show that the dips are readily explained by X-ray optical effects and local atomic state dependence of the fluorescence yield. Instead, we find, besides ionic interactions, a covalent contribution to the bonding in the aqueous complex of ligand-to-metal charge-transfer character.
Y1  - 2012
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1021/jz301486u
SN  - 1948-7185
VL  - 3
IS  - 23
SP  - 3448
EP  - 3453
PB  - American Chemical Society
CY  - Washington
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Westbury, Michael V.
A1  - Baleka, Sina Isabelle
A1  - Barlow, Axel
A1  - Hartmann, Stefanie
A1  - Paijmans, Johanna L. A.
A1  - Kramarz, Alejandro
A1  - Forasiepi, Analia M.
A1  - Bond, Mariano
A1  - Gelfo, Javier N.
A1  - Reguero, Marcelo A.
A1  - Lopez-Mendoza, Patricio
A1  - Taglioretti, Matias
A1  - Scaglia, Fernando
A1  - Rinderknecht, Andres
A1  - Jones, Washington
A1  - Mena, Francisco
A1  - Billet, Guillaume
A1  - de Muizon, Christian
A1  - Luis Aguilar, Jose
A1  - MacPhee, Ross D. E.
A1  - Hofreiter, Michael
T1  - A mitogenomic timetree for Darwin’s enigmatic South American mammal  Macrauchenia patachonica
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - The unusual mix of morphological traits displayed by extinct South American native ungulates (SANUs) confounded both Charles Darwin, who first discovered them, and Richard Owen, who tried to resolve their relationships. Here we report an almost complete mitochondrial genome for the litoptern Macrauchenia. Our dated phylogenetic tree places Macrauchenia as sister to Perissodactyla, but close to the radiation of major lineages within Laurasiatheria. This position is consistent with a divergence estimate of B66Ma (95% credibility interval, 56.64-77.83 Ma) obtained for the split between Macrauchenia and other Panperissodactyla. Combined with their morphological distinctiveness, this evidence supports the positioning of Litopterna (possibly in company with other SANU groups) as a separate order within Laurasiatheria. We also show that, when using strict criteria, extinct taxa marked by deep divergence times and a lack of close living relatives may still be amenable to palaeogenomic analysis through iterative mapping against more distant relatives.
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15951
SN  - 2041-1723
VL  - 8
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Westbury, Michael V.
A1  - Dalerumb, Fredrik
A1  - Noren, Karin
A1  - Hofreiter, Michael
T1  - Complete mitochondrial genome of a bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis), along with phylogenetic considerations
JF  - Mitochondrial DNA. Part B
N2  - The bat-eared fox, Otocyon megalotis, is the only member of its genus and is thought to occupy a basal position within the dog family. These factors can lead to challenges in complete mitochondrial reconstructions and accurate phylogenetic positioning. Here, we present the first complete mitochondrial genome of the bat-eared fox recovered using shotgun sequencing and iterative mapping to three distantly related species. Phylogenetic analyses placed the bat-eared fox basal in the Canidae family within the clade including true foxes (Vulpes) and the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes) with high support values. This position is in good agreement with previously published results based on short fragments of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, therefore adding more support to the basal positioning of the bat-eared fox within Canidae.
KW  - Phylogenetics
KW  - mitochondria
KW  - iterative mapping
KW  - Canidae
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2017.1331325
SN  - 2380-2359
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
SP  - 298
EP  - 299
PB  - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Westbury, Michael V.
A1  - Hartmann, Stefanie
A1  - Barlow, Axel
A1  - Wiesel, Ingrid
A1  - Leo, Viyanna
A1  - Welch, Rebecca
A1  - Parker, Daniel M.
A1  - Sicks, Florian
A1  - Ludwig, Arne
A1  - Dalen, Love
A1  - Hofreiter, Michael
T1  - Extended and continuous decline in effective population size results in low genomic diversity in the world's rarest hyena species, the brown hyena
JF  - Molecular biology and evolution
N2  - Hyenas (family Hyaenidae), as the sister group to cats (family Felidae), represent a deeply diverging branch within the cat-like carnivores (Feliformia). With an estimated population size of <10,000 individuals worldwide, the brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) represents the rarest of the four extant hyena species and has been listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Here, we report a high-coverage genome from a captive bred brown hyena and both mitochondrial and low-coverage nuclear genomes of 14 wild-caught brown hyena individuals from across southern Africa. We find that brown hyena harbor extremely low genetic diversity on both the mitochondrial and nuclear level, most likely resulting from a continuous and ongoing decline in effective population size that started similar to 1 Ma and dramatically accelerated towards the end of the Pleistocene. Despite the strikingly low genetic diversity, we find no evidence of inbreeding within the captive bred individual and reveal phylogeographic structure, suggesting the existence of several potential subpopulations within the species.
KW  - evolution
KW  - hyena
KW  - genomics
KW  - population genomics
KW  - diversity
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy037
SN  - 0737-4038
SN  - 1537-1719
VL  - 35
IS  - 5
SP  - 1225
EP  - 1237
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Westbury, Michael V.
A1  - Prost, Stefan
A1  - Seelenfreund, Andrea
A1  - Ramirez, Jose-Miguel
A1  - Matisoo-Smith, Elizabeth A.
A1  - Knapp, Michael
T1  - First complete mitochondrial genome data from ancient South American camelids - The mystery of the chilihueques from Isla Mocha (Chile)
JF  - Scientific reports
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep38708
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 6
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Wettstein, Christoph
A1  - Kano, Kenji
A1  - Schaefer, Daniel
A1  - Wollenberger, Ursula
A1  - Lisdat, Fred
T1  - Interaction of Flavin-Dependent Fructose Dehydrogenase with Cytochrome c as Basis for the Construction of Biomacromolecular Architectures on Electrodes
JF  - Analytical chemistry
N2  - The creation of electron transfer (ET) chains based on the defined arrangement of enzymes and redox proteins on electrode surfaces represents an interesting approach within the field of bioelectrocatalysis. In this study, we investigated the ET reaction of the flavin-dependent enzyme fructose dehydrogenase (FDH) with the redox protein cytochrome c (cyt c). Two different pH optima were found for the reaction in acidic and neutral solutions. When cyt c was adsorbed on an electrode surface while the enzyme remained in solution, ET proceeded efficiently in media of neutral pH. Interprotein ET was also observed in acidic media; however, it appeared to be less efficient. These findings suggest that two different ET pathways between the enzyme and cyt c may occur. Moreover, cyt c and FDH were immobilized in multiple layers on an electrode surface by means of another biomacromolecule: DNA (double stranded) using the layer -by -layer technique. The biprotein multilayer architecture showed a catalytic response in dependence on the fructose concentration, indicating that the ET reaction between both proteins is feasible even in the immobilized state. The electrode showed a defined response to fructose and a good storage stability. Our results contribute to the better understanding of the ET reaction between FDH and cyt c and provide the basis for the creation of all-biomolecule based fructose sensors the sensitivity of which can be controlled by the layer preparation.
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.6b00815
SN  - 0003-2700
SN  - 1520-6882
VL  - 88
SP  - 6382
EP  - 6389
PB  - American Chemical Society
CY  - Washington
ER  -