Refine
Has Fulltext
- yes (134)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (134)
Year of publication
- 2022 (134) (remove)
Document Type
- Journal article (108)
- Doctoral Thesis (21)
- Preprint (2)
- Report (2)
- Book (1)
Keywords
- biodiversity (7)
- land use (6)
- climate (4)
- Biodiversität (3)
- SARS-CoV-2 (3)
- USP28 (3)
- cancer (3)
- circadian clock (3)
- ecosystem services (3)
- metabarcoding (3)
- national park (3)
- natural disturbance (3)
- pollination (3)
- recombination (3)
- Ökologie (3)
- DNA damage (2)
- Germany (2)
- Herbivory (2)
- Microscopy (2)
- Scarabaeidae (2)
- Trypanosoma (2)
- active zone (2)
- altitudinal gradients (2)
- arthropods (2)
- bats (2)
- caloric restriction (2)
- cisplatin (2)
- climate change (2)
- cuticular hydrocarbons (2)
- cytokinins (2)
- dSTORM (2)
- ecosystem function (2)
- evolution (2)
- foraging (2)
- forest management (2)
- functional diversity (2)
- insect monitoring (2)
- mass spectrometry (2)
- meiosis (2)
- microclimate (2)
- mutation (2)
- navigation (2)
- neuroanatomy (2)
- neuroethology (2)
- nutrition (2)
- octopamine (2)
- paraspeckles (2)
- phylogeny (2)
- synaptonemal complex (2)
- thermogenesis (2)
- 18S (1)
- 2-DG (1)
- 2-deoxy-D-glucose (1)
- 3D lung tumor tissue models (1)
- 3D tissue model (1)
- 5-methylcytosine (1)
- ACKR4 (1)
- AI (1)
- AIModules (1)
- AKT (1)
- APEX2 (1)
- ATG7 (1)
- ATM (1)
- Acid Sphingomyelinase (1)
- Ackerschmalwand (1)
- Adaptive Optics (1)
- Adaptive Optik (1)
- Agriculture intensification (1)
- Air pollution (1)
- AldoA (1)
- Alps (1)
- Apis dorsata (1)
- Arabidopsis thaliana (1)
- Arten-Energy-Theory (1)
- Aureobasidium pullulans (1)
- BETA-Diversität (1)
- BETA-Multifunktionalität (1)
- Bartak (1)
- Bee abundance (1)
- Bee assemblages (1)
- Bee species richness (1)
- Bialowieza (1)
- Biodiversity conservation (1)
- Borkenkäfer (1)
- Brassicogethes spp. (1)
- CA3 (1)
- CD95 (1)
- COVID-19 (1)
- COVID-19 pandemic (1)
- CPF (1)
- CRC (1)
- CRY evolution (1)
- CX5461 (1)
- Carabid beetles (1)
- Cataglyphis (1)
- Chl (1)
- Chlamydia (1)
- Chlamydia trachomatis (1)
- Chromatinremodeling (1)
- Chromatinremodelling (1)
- Cisplatin (1)
- Co-occurrence matrix (1)
- Complexes (1)
- Cushing (1)
- DNA (1)
- DNA helicase (1)
- DNA replication (1)
- DNA storage (1)
- DNA-PK (1)
- DNA-Reparatur (1)
- DNA-repair (1)
- DNS-Doppelstrangbruch (1)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (1)
- Diversität (1)
- Drosophila melanogaster (1)
- EMT (1)
- Ecology (1)
- Ecosystem services (1)
- Einzelmolekülmikroskopie (1)
- Elektronenmikroskopie (1)
- Endothelial cells (1)
- Endothelzelle (1)
- Erythrozyt (1)
- Expansion Microscopy (1)
- FAAP100 (1)
- FLIMbee (1)
- Fanconi-Anämie (1)
- Fluoreszenz (1)
- Fluoreszenzlebensdauer-Mikroskopie (1)
- Fluoreszenzmikroskopie (1)
- Forschungsstation Fabrikschleichach (1)
- G-protein-coupled receptors (1)
- GPCR (1)
- Genotoxizität (1)
- Geomagnetic Field (1)
- German Research Foundation (1)
- Glioblastom (1)
- Government research funding (1)
- Growth (1)
- H7N9 influenza virus (1)
- HDBSCAN (1)
- HGPS (1)
- HHV-6A (1)
- HPV (1)
- Hb-Jet (1)
- Herbivore (1)
- Herpesvirus (1)
- Histone (1)
- Histones (1)
- Human land use (1)
- Höhengradient (1)
- IGFBP2 (1)
- IR (1)
- ITS2 (1)
- Japankärpfling (1)
- Jena Experiment (1)
- KRAS biomarker signatures (1)
- Kilimandscharo (1)
- Klimaänderung (1)
- Kompass (1)
- Konfokale Mikroskopie (1)
- L929 (1)
- LAMN (1)
- LC/MS (1)
- LC–HRESIMS (1)
- Landnutzung (1)
- Landnutzungsgradient (1)
- Landsat (1)
- Learning & Memory (1)
- Learning Walk (1)
- LiDAR (1)
- Livestock grazing (1)
- Lymantria dispar (1)
- MIZ1 (1)
- MMP-1 (1)
- MTH1 (1)
- MTL30 (1)
- MYC (1)
- Malaise trap (1)
- Mc4r (1)
- Medaka (1)
- Medaka fish (1)
- MiMIC (1)
- Mikroskopie (1)
- Molekularbiologie (1)
- Monoklonaler Antikörper (1)
- Mrap2 (1)
- Mustervergleich (1)
- NDVI (1)
- NEAT1 (1)
- NONO (1)
- NSCLC (1)
- Nahrungserwerb (1)
- Nanopartikel (1)
- National Science Foundation (1)
- Nationalpark (1)
- Natural pest control (1)
- Navigation (1)
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae (1)
- Neuroethologie (1)
- Neuroethology (1)
- Olea (1)
- Opsin (1)
- Orthoptera (1)
- Ozone (1)
- PI3K (1)
- PSMA (1)
- PTEN (1)
- Patch-clamp (1)
- Pattern Matching (1)
- Pest management (1)
- Pfam domain (1)
- Plant (1)
- Plant-insect interactions (1)
- Plant-pollinator interactions (1)
- Plasma membrane repair (1)
- Pollination (1)
- Pollination services (1)
- Pollinator (1)
- Polyethism (1)
- Predation (1)
- Proteine (1)
- Prädation (1)
- Puberty (1)
- Pubertät (1)
- R0 (1)
- RBM8A (1)
- RIM1α (1)
- RNA interference (1)
- RNA secondary structure (1)
- RNA sequencing (1)
- RNAPOL1 (1)
- Repetitive Exposition (1)
- Ribosomal protein gene (1)
- SF3 helicase (1)
- SMLM (1)
- SSI (1)
- STED-Mikroskopie (1)
- STORM (1)
- SV pool (1)
- Savannah ecosystems (1)
- Schwertkärpfling (1)
- Schädlingsbekämpfung (1)
- Sentinel-1 (1)
- Sentinel-2 (1)
- Sinapis arvensis (1)
- Single Molecule Localization Microscopy (1)
- Squamous cell carcinoma (1)
- Staphylococcus (1)
- Staphylococcus aureus (1)
- Synapse (1)
- Säugetiere (1)
- T-cell epitope (1)
- TCSPC (1)
- TGF-β (1)
- TH1579 (1)
- TH588 (1)
- TNF-α (1)
- Tanzania (1)
- Taufliege (1)
- Townes (1)
- Transkription (1)
- Trigona fuscipennis (1)
- Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (1)
- Unc-13 (1)
- Usher syndrome (1)
- Ustilago maydis (1)
- V1–V9 (1)
- V4 (1)
- V7/V8 (1)
- Variants (1)
- WNT (1)
- Waldökosystem (1)
- Xiphophorus (1)
- Y chromosome degeneration (1)
- Y14 (1)
- Zellmigration (1)
- Zersetzer (1)
- ZfKD (1)
- Zytotoxizität (1)
- achiasmatic (1)
- acid sphingomyelinase (1)
- acoustic stream (1)
- activity (1)
- acute brain slices (1)
- adaptation (1)
- adrenal surgery (1)
- adrenalectomia (1)
- adrenocortical adenocarcinoma (1)
- aerobiology (1)
- aging (1)
- agri-environment scheme (1)
- agriculture (1)
- agroecology (1)
- agroforestry (1)
- aldolase A (1)
- allergens (1)
- allergy (1)
- allometry (1)
- alpine plants (1)
- amino acid (1)
- amino acid restriction (1)
- animal behaviour (1)
- anion channel (1)
- apis mellifera (1)
- appendectomy (1)
- appendicitis (1)
- appendix (1)
- area‐concentrated search (1)
- arthropod predators (1)
- ash dieback (1)
- associative learning (1)
- autophagy (1)
- bacterial meningitis (1)
- bark beetle disturbance (1)
- bee abundance (1)
- bee body size (1)
- bee decline (1)
- bee pollination (1)
- bee species richness (1)
- beech forests (1)
- beetle communities (1)
- beetles (1)
- behavioral experiments (1)
- beta diversity (1)
- beta-multifunctionality (1)
- binding pocket (1)
- biodiversity exploratories (1)
- biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship (1)
- bioinformatics (1)
- biological activities (1)
- biomimetic tissue models (1)
- bioorthogonal labeling (1)
- biosonar (1)
- birds (1)
- body size (1)
- boolean in silico models (1)
- brain endothelial cells (1)
- bumblebees (1)
- buparlisib (1)
- c-MYC (1)
- c-Myc (1)
- cancer diagnosis (1)
- cancer dissemination (1)
- canopy herbivory (1)
- cardioactive factor (1)
- cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) (1)
- caspase-3 (1)
- cell death (1)
- cell membrane model (1)
- cellular reprogramming (1)
- central complex (1)
- ceramidase (1)
- ceramide (1)
- ceramides (1)
- chalcidoid wasps (1)
- channelrhodopsin (1)
- chemical communication (1)
- chemical mimicry (1)
- chromatin (1)
- chrysididae (1)
- circadian clock neurons (1)
- climate changes (1)
- climatic factors (1)
- climatic gradients (1)
- clock network (1)
- co-culture (1)
- co-expression coefficient (1)
- cocoa (1)
- coexistence (1)
- cold stress (1)
- coleoptera (1)
- colon resection (1)
- colorectal cancer (1)
- combined retinal dystrophy (1)
- community structure (1)
- comparative sequence analysis (1)
- competition (1)
- complication (1)
- compressed sensing (1)
- conservation (1)
- conservation biology (1)
- contact inhibition (1)
- conventional laparoscopic appendectomy (1)
- coprophagous beetles (1)
- coral reef ecosystem (1)
- coral reef resilience (1)
- cosmology (1)
- cost-effectiveness (1)
- crossing-over (1)
- cryo-electron microscopy (1)
- cryptochrome (1)
- cryptochrome/photolyase family (1)
- crystallization (1)
- deadwood (1)
- deadwood enrichment (1)
- decentralized control (1)
- decision-making (1)
- decomposition (1)
- deep learning (1)
- defoliation severity (1)
- desiccation resistance (1)
- diet breadth (1)
- distance-decay function (1)
- distance‐based specialization index (1)
- disturbance extent (1)
- disturbance severity (1)
- diversity (1)
- diversity gradients (1)
- diversity–disturbance relationship (1)
- dorsal clock neurons (1)
- drug resistance (1)
- dung beetle (1)
- ecology (1)
- ecosystem functioning (1)
- ecosystem service (1)
- electron tomography (1)
- elevation (1)
- elevation gradient (1)
- elevational diversity patterns (1)
- elevational gradient (1)
- emergent gravity (1)
- energy restriction (1)
- entomology (1)
- environmental monitoring (1)
- epidemiology (1)
- epitope prediction (1)
- estrogens (1)
- evolutionary arms race (1)
- ex vivo (1)
- experiment (1)
- feeding (1)
- flight control (1)
- floral larceny (1)
- flower morphology (1)
- flower visitors (1)
- flowering grassland plants (1)
- fluoxetine (1)
- fly pollination (1)
- flybow (1)
- food safety (1)
- forage resources (1)
- foragers (1)
- forest (1)
- forest communities (1)
- forest conservation (1)
- forest conversion (1)
- forest proximity (1)
- fusion (1)
- fusion and fission (1)
- gefitinib (1)
- gene expression (1)
- gene expression networks (1)
- gene regulation (1)
- genetic screen (1)
- genome-wide screen (1)
- geriatric (1)
- global change (1)
- global warming (1)
- glucose restriction (1)
- glycolytic flux control (1)
- grassland (1)
- guard cell (1)
- guild constancy (1)
- gypsy moth (1)
- habitat types (1)
- halophyte (1)
- hand pollination (1)
- hawkmoth (1)
- health effects (1)
- hearing impairment (1)
- helicase (1)
- hemibrain (1)
- hemolysin (1)
- hepatotoxicity (1)
- herbivores (1)
- heterochromatin (1)
- high-pressure freezing (1)
- hill numbers (1)
- hippocampal mossy fiber bouton (1)
- histones (1)
- honeybee (1)
- honeybees (1)
- host discrimination (1)
- host selection (1)
- human breast (1)
- human skin (1)
- humane mesenchymale Stammzellen (1)
- hymenoptera (1)
- immune-informatics (1)
- immunohistochemistry (1)
- in vitro (1)
- in vivo (1)
- inclusion of nature in one’s self (1)
- indicator species (1)
- individual‐based model (1)
- indoor dust (1)
- induced pluripotent stem cells (1)
- induction (1)
- insect (1)
- insect brain (1)
- insect communities (1)
- insect decline (1)
- insect disturbance (1)
- insect-fungus symbiosis (1)
- insecticidal knockdown (1)
- insects (1)
- interaction networks (1)
- intermediate disturbance hypothesis (1)
- intermediate host (1)
- inter‐tegular distance (1)
- intestinal control (1)
- intra-annual time-series (1)
- intrinsic metabolism (1)
- invasion (1)
- ion channel (1)
- juvenile hormone (1)
- kinetin (1)
- kisspeptin/galanin/spexin signalling (1)
- landmark (1)
- landmark panorama (1)
- landscape diversity (1)
- landscape ecology (1)
- larval and pupal development (1)
- latency (1)
- learning (1)
- learning and memory (1)
- left hemicolectomy (1)
- lepidoptera (1)
- leptomeningeal cells (1)
- life-history traits (1)
- light-gated proteins (1)
- light‐gated (1)
- liposome (1)
- liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (1)
- local adaptation (1)
- local cues (1)
- localization microscopy (1)
- long non-coding RNA (1)
- long-term outcome (1)
- low carb (1)
- low-grade mucinous neoplasm (1)
- luciferase (1)
- lung cancer (1)
- lymphotoxicity (1)
- magnetic compass (1)
- major environmental values (1)
- mammalian system (1)
- mean annual temperature (1)
- membrane potential (1)
- meningeal blood-csf barrier (1)
- metabolic network model (1)
- metabolism and growth (1)
- metabolomics (1)
- metagenomics (1)
- metapopulation (1)
- metastasis (1)
- metastasis-directed therapy (1)
- methionine (1)
- methionine restriction (1)
- miR-30 (1)
- miRNA processing (1)
- microbiomes (1)
- microscopy (1)
- migration (1)
- mitochondria (1)
- molecular docking (1)
- molecular mobility (1)
- monoclonal antibodies (1)
- monoklonale Antikörper (1)
- mortality (1)
- mountain ecology (1)
- mountain ecosystems (1)
- multiple linear regression (1)
- nanoarchitecture (1)
- nanocellulose (1)
- nanoparticle (1)
- nanotoxicology (1)
- natural pest control (1)
- naturalistic stimuli (1)
- nature conservation (1)
- nectar macronutrients (1)
- neisseria meningitidis (1)
- neophyte trees (1)
- nest site selection (1)
- nesting (1)
- network analysis (1)
- neural coding (1)
- neuraminidase (1)
- neuroblastoma – diagnosis (1)
- neuropeptide signalling (1)
- neuropeptides (1)
- niche (1)
- nitrogen uptake (1)
- non-sense mutations (1)
- northern Tanzania (1)
- nucleic acid motifs (1)
- nucleolus (1)
- nucleosomes (1)
- numerical cognition (1)
- nurse bees (1)
- octogenerians (1)
- octopamine receptors (1)
- oilseed rape (1)
- oligorecurrence (1)
- olive (1)
- omics (1)
- oogenesis (1)
- optic flow (1)
- orientation (1)
- origin (1)
- orthopoxvirus (1)
- outcome (1)
- ovarian cancer (1)
- overfishing (1)
- oxidative stress (1)
- p53 (1)
- paleoecology (1)
- palynology (1)
- pancreatic cancer (1)
- pangolin (1)
- panorama (1)
- parthenogenesis (1)
- partial least square regression (1)
- particulate matter (1)
- path integration (1)
- pediatric (1)
- perfusion culture (1)
- peritoneal metastasis (1)
- pest control (1)
- phage (1)
- phase transition (1)
- phenotype (1)
- pheromone trail (1)
- philanthidae (1)
- phlorizin (1)
- phosphoglycolate phosphatase (1)
- photolyase (1)
- phototropin (1)
- phytohormones (1)
- plant guilds (1)
- plant richness (1)
- plant system (1)
- plant–insect interactions (1)
- plant–pollinator interactions (1)
- polar ion transport (1)
- pollen (1)
- pollen nutrients (1)
- pollination network (1)
- pollination services (1)
- pollinator (1)
- pollinator decline (1)
- pollinator diversity (1)
- positive selection (1)
- postoperative inflammation (1)
- poxvirus (1)
- predictive modeling (1)
- presynaptic (1)
- presynaptic homeostasis (1)
- pristine forests (1)
- progeria (1)
- proliferation (1)
- prostate cancer (1)
- protein chip (1)
- prototheca (1)
- proximity labeling (1)
- proximity ligation (1)
- quantity discrimination (1)
- qubit (1)
- quinoa (1)
- radial (1)
- radiotherapy (1)
- range limits (1)
- recreation (1)
- remote sensing (1)
- replication stress (1)
- reproductive toxicity (1)
- resource selection (1)
- ribosome (1)
- ribosome biogenesis (1)
- robotic surgery (1)
- rove beetle (1)
- sFLIM (1)
- salt tolerance (1)
- salvage radiotherapy (1)
- saproxylic (1)
- saproxylic beetles (1)
- secondary structure (1)
- semantic segmentation (1)
- sex chromosomes (1)
- sex linked pigmentation pattern (1)
- sex pheromones (1)
- sex-determining genes. (1)
- sexual antagonistic genes (1)
- sexual development dysgenesis (1)
- sexual dimorphism (1)
- shade cover (1)
- single-electron transistors (1)
- single-port appendectomy (1)
- sleep (1)
- sleep/activity (1)
- smallholder agriculture (1)
- solitary bees (1)
- sown flower field age and size (1)
- space-for-time approach (1)
- spatial scales (1)
- spatially structured population (1)
- species community composition (1)
- species richness (1)
- species-energy-theory (1)
- spiders (1)
- squamous tumors (1)
- stalk cell (1)
- stem cells (1)
- stemness (1)
- stress (1)
- structure prediction (1)
- study design (1)
- sun exposure (1)
- super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (1)
- surgery (1)
- surgical site infection (1)
- swarming (1)
- synaptic proteins (1)
- synaptic ultrastructure (1)
- synaptische Proteine (1)
- targeted combination therapy (1)
- task allocation (1)
- temperate forests (1)
- temperature (1)
- temperature gradient (1)
- temporal range (1)
- testosterone (1)
- therapy (1)
- threshold indicator taxa analysis (1)
- trans-tango (1)
- transcriptional control (1)
- transcriptome (1)
- transcriptomes (1)
- transcriptomic response (1)
- transmission (1)
- transportome (1)
- trans‐Tango (1)
- trap selectivity (1)
- tree species (1)
- triglycerides (1)
- tropical ecology (1)
- type I interferon (1)
- undernourishment (1)
- undersampling (1)
- unified theories (1)
- urban (1)
- urban ecology (1)
- variable regions (1)
- variations in genome (1)
- vemurafenib (1)
- vertical stratification (1)
- virtual docking (1)
- virulence (1)
- virus reactivation (1)
- vision (1)
- volume (1)
- volume regulation (1)
- water (1)
- well-being (1)
- wild honeybees (1)
- woodinhabiting-fungi (1)
- wound (1)
- wound infection (1)
- zinc oxid (1)
- zygomorphy (1)
- ΔNp63 (1)
- α‐diversity (1)
- β‐diversity (1)
Institute
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (134) (remove)
Sonstige beteiligte Institutionen
- Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (1)
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (1)
- Institut für Tierökologie und Tropenbiologie (1)
- Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (1)
- Mildred-Scheel-Nachwuchszentrum (1)
- Technische Universität Dresden (1)
- Technische Universität München (1)
- Universität Bayreuth (1)
- Universität Duisburg-Essen, Institut für Molekularbiologie, AG Becker-Flegler (1)
- Universität Göttingen (1)
To safely navigate their environment, flying insects rely on visual cues, such as optic flow. Which cues insects can extract from their environment depends closely on the spatial and temporal response properties of their visual system. These in turn can vary between individuals that differ in body size. How optic flow-based flight control depends on the spatial structure of visual cues, and how this relationship scales with body size, has previously been investigated in insects with apposition compound eyes. Here, we characterised the visual flight control response limits and their relationship to body size in an insect with superposition compound eyes: the hummingbird hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum. We used the hawkmoths' centring response in a flight tunnel as a readout for their reception of translational optic flow stimuli of different spatial frequencies. We show that their responses cut off at different spatial frequencies when translational optic flow was presented on either one, or both tunnel walls. Combined with differences in flight speed, this suggests that their flight control was primarily limited by their temporal rather than spatial resolution. We also observed strong individual differences in flight performance, but no correlation between the spatial response cutoffs and body or eye size.
At the beginning of their foraging careers, Cataglyphis desert ants calibrate their compass systems and learn the visual panorama surrounding the nest entrance. For that, they perform well-structured initial learning walks. During rotational body movements (pirouettes), naïve ants (novices) gaze back to the nest entrance to memorize their way back to the nest. To align their gaze directions, they rely on the geomagnetic field as a compass cue. In contrast, experienced ants (foragers) use celestial compass cues for path integration during food search. If the panorama at the nest entrance is changed, foragers perform re-learning walks prior to heading out on new foraging excursions. Here, we show that initial learning walks and re-learning walks are structurally different. During re-learning walks, foragers circle around the nest entrance before leaving the nest area to search for food. During pirouettes, they do not gaze back to the nest entrance. In addition, foragers do not use the magnetic field as a compass cue to align their gaze directions during re-learning walk pirouettes. Nevertheless, magnetic alterations during re-learning walks under manipulated panoramic conditions induce changes in nest-directed views indicating that foragers are still magnetosensitive in a cue conflict situation.
Breast cancer etiology is associated with both proliferation and DNA damage induced by estrogens. Breast cancer risk factors (BCRF) such as body mass index (BMI), smoking, and intake of estrogen-active drugs were recently shown to influence intratissue estrogen levels. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of BCRF on estrogen-induced proliferation and DNA damage in 41 well-characterized breast glandular tissues derived from women without breast cancer. Influence of intramammary estrogen levels and BCRF on estrogen receptor (ESR) activation, ESR-related proliferation (indicated by levels of marker transcripts), oxidative stress (indicated by levels of GCLC transcript and oxidative derivatives of cholesterol), and levels of transcripts encoding enzymes involved in estrogen biotransformation was identified by multiple linear regression models. Metabolic fluxes to adducts of estrogens with DNA (E-DNA) were assessed by a metabolic network model (MNM) which was validated by comparison of calculated fluxes with data on methoxylated and glucuronidated estrogens determined by GC- and UHPLC-MS/MS. Intratissue estrogen levels significantly influenced ESR activation and fluxes to E-DNA within the MNM. Likewise, all BCRF directly and/or indirectly influenced ESR activation, proliferation, and key flux constraints influencing E-DNA (i.e., levels of estrogens, CYP1B1, SULT1A1, SULT1A2, and GSTP1). However, no unambiguous total effect of BCRF on proliferation became apparent. Furthermore, BMI was the only BCRF to indeed influence fluxes to E-DNA (via congruent adverse influence on levels of estrogens, CYP1B1 and SULT1A2).
Anthropogenic activities are causing air pollution. Amongst air pollutants, tropospheric ozone is a major threat to human health and ecosystem functioning. In this dissertation, I present three studies that aimed at increasing our knowledge on how plant exposure to ozone affects its reproduction and its interactions with insect herbivores and pollinators.
For this purpose, a new fumigation system was built and placed in a greenhouse. The annual plant Sinapis arvensis (wild mustard) was used as the model plant.
Plants were exposed to either 0 ppb (control) or 120 ppb of ozone, for variable amounts of time and at different points of their life cycle. After fumigation, plants were exposed to herbivores or pollinators in the greenhouse, or to both groups of insects in the field.
My research shows that ozone affected reproductive performance differently, depending on the timing of exposure: plants exposed at earlier ages had their reproductive fitness increased, while plants exposed later in their life cycle showed a tendency for reduced reproductive fitness. Plant phenology was a key factor influencing reproductive fitness: ozone accelerated flowering and increased the number of flowers produced by plants exposed at early ages, while plants exposed to ozone at later ages tended to have fewer flowers. On the other hand, the ozone-mediated changes in plant-insect interactions had little impact on plant reproductive success.
The strongest effect of ozone on plant-pollinator interactions was the change in the number of flower visits received per plant, which was strongly linked to the number of open flowers. This means that, as a rule, exposure of plants to ozone early in the life cycle resulted in a higher number of pollinator visits, while exposure later in the life cycle resulted in fewer flower visits by potential pollinators. An exception was observed: the higher number of visits performed by large syrphid flies to young ozone-exposed plants than to the respective control plants went beyond the increase in the number of open flowers in those plants. Also, honeybees spent more time per flower in plants exposed to ozone than on control plants, while other pollinators spent similar amounts of time in control and ozone-exposed plants. This guild-dependent preference for ozone-exposed plants may be due to species-specific preferences related to changes in the quality and quantity of floral rewards.
In the field, ozone-exposed plants showed only a tendency for increased colonization by sucking herbivores and slightly more damage by chewing herbivores than control plants. On the other hand, in the greenhouse experiment, Pieris brassicae butterflies preferred control plants over ozone-exposed plants as oviposition sites. Eggs laid on ozone-exposed plants took longer to hatch, but the chances of survival were higher. Caterpillars performed better in control plants than in ozone-exposed plants, particularly when the temperature was high.
Most of the described effects were dependent on the duration and timing of the ozone exposure and the observed temperature, with the strongest effects being observed for longer exposures and higher temperatures. Furthermore, the timing of exposure altered the direction of the effects.
The expected climate change provides ideal conditions for further increases in tropospheric ozone concentrations, therefore for stronger effects on plants and plant-insect interactions. Acceleration of flowering caused by plant exposure to ozone may put plant-pollinator interactions at risk by promoting desynchronization between plant and pollinator activities. Reduced performance of caterpillars feeding on ozone-exposed plants may weaken herbivore populations. On the other hand, the increased plant reproduction that results from exposing young plants to ozone may be a source of good news in the field of horticulture, when similar results would be achieved in high-value crops. However, plant response to ozone is highly species-specific. In fact, Sinapis arvensis is considered a weed and the advantage conferred by ozone exposure may increase its competitiveness, with negative consequences for crops or plant communities in general. Overall, plant exposure to ozone might constitute a threat for the balance of natural and agro-ecosystems.
Zinkoxid-Nanopartikel (ZnO-NP) finden in vielen Produkten des täglichen Verbrauchs Verwendung. Daten über die toxikologischen Eigenschaften von ZnO-NP werden kontrovers diskutiert. Die menschliche Haut ist in Bezug auf die ZnO-NP Exposition das wichtigste Kontakt-Organ. Intakte Haut stellt eine suffiziente Barriere gegenüber NP dar. Bei defekter Haut ist ein Kontakt zu den proliferierenden Stammzellen möglich, sodass diese als wichtiges toxikologische Ziel für NP darstellen. Das Ziel dieser Dissertation war die Bewertung der genotoxischen und zytotoxischen Effekte an humanen mesenchymalen Stammzellen (hMSC) durch niedrig dosierte ZnO-NP nach 24 stündiger Exposition, repetitiven Expositionen und im Langzeitversuch bis zu 6 Wochen. Zytotoxische Wirkungen von ZnO-NP wurden mit 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromid-Test (MTT) gemessen. Darüber hinaus wurde die Genotoxizität durch den Comet-Assay bewertet. Zur Langzeitbeobachtung bis zu 6 Wochen wurde die Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie (TEM) verwendet. Zytotoxizität nach 24-stündiger ZnO-NP-Exposition war ab einer Konzentration von 50 µg/ml nachweisbar. Genotoxizität konnten bereits bei Konzentrationen von 1 und 10 µg/ml ZnO-NP beschrieben werden. Wiederholte Exposition verstärkte die Zyto-, aber nicht die Genotoxizität. Eine intrazelluläre NP-Akkumulation mit Penetration der Zellorganelle wurde bei einer Exposition bis zu 6 Wochen beobachtet. Die Ergebnisse deuten auf zytotoxische und genotoxisches Effekte von ZnO-NP hin. Bereits geringe Dosen von ZnO-NP können bei wiederholter Exposition toxische Wirkungen hervorrufen sowie eine langfristige Zellakkumulation. Diese Daten sollten bei der Verwendung von ZnO-NP an geschädigter Haut berücksichtigt werden.
Protothecosis is an infectious disease caused by organisms currently classified within the green algal genus Prototheca. The disease can manifest as cutaneous lesions, olecranon bursitis or disseminated or systemic infections in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients. Concerning diagnostics, taxonomic validity is important. Prototheca, closely related to the Chlorella species complex, is known to be polyphyletic, branching with Auxenochlorella and Helicosporidium. The phylogeny of Prototheca was discussed and revisited several times in the last decade; new species have been described. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and partial mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) sequence data. In this work we use Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) as well as 18S rDNA data. However, for the first time, we reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of Prototheca using primary sequence and RNA secondary structure information simultaneously, a concept shown to increase robustness and accuracy of phylogenetic tree estimation. Using encoded sequence-structure data, Neighbor-Joining, Maximum-Parsimony and Maximum-Likelihood methods yielded well-supported trees in agreement with other trees calculated on rDNA; but differ in several aspects from trees using cytb as a phylogenetic marker. ITS2 secondary structures of Prototheca sequences are in agreement with the well-known common core structure of eukaryotes but show unusual differences in their helix lengths. An elongation of the fourth helix of some species seems to have occurred independently in the course of evolution.
Usher syndrome, the most prevalent cause of combined hereditary vision and hearing impairment, is clinically and genetically heterogeneous. Moreover, several conditions with phenotypes overlapping Usher syndrome have been described. This makes the molecular diagnosis of hereditary deaf-blindness challenging. Here, we performed exome sequencing and analysis on 7 Mexican and 52 Iranian probands with combined retinal degeneration and hearing impairment (without intellectual disability). Clinical assessment involved ophthalmological examination and hearing loss questionnaire. Usher syndrome, most frequently due to biallelic variants in MYO7A (USH1B in 16 probands), USH2A (17 probands), and ADGRV1 (USH2C in 7 probands), was diagnosed in 44 of 59 (75%) unrelated probands. Almost half of the identified variants were novel. Nine of 59 (15%) probands displayed other genetic entities with dual sensory impairment, including Alström syndrome (3 patients), cone-rod dystrophy and hearing loss 1 (2 probands), and Heimler syndrome (1 patient). Unexpected findings included one proband each with Scheie syndrome, coenzyme Q10 deficiency, and pseudoxanthoma elasticum. In four probands, including three Usher cases, dual sensory impairment was either modified/aggravated or caused by variants in distinct genes associated with retinal degeneration and/or hearing loss. The overall diagnostic yield of whole exome analysis in our deaf-blind cohort was 92%. Two (3%) probands were partially solved and only 3 (5%) remained without any molecular diagnosis. In many cases, the molecular diagnosis is important to guide genetic counseling, to support prognostic outcomes and decisions with currently available and evolving treatment modalities.
Summary
Chapters I & II: General Introduction & General Methods
Agriculture is confronted with a rampant loss of biodiversity potentially eroding ecosystem service potentials and adding up to other stressors like climate change or the consequences of land-use change and intensive management. To counter this ‘biodiversity crisis’, agri-environment schemes (AES) have been introduced as part of ecological intensification efforts. These AES combine special management regimes with the establishment of tailored habitats to create refuges for biodiversity in agricultural landscapes and thus ensure biodiversity mediated ecosystem services such as pest control. However, little is known about how well different AES habitats fulfil this purpose and whether they benefit ecosystem services in adjacent crop fields. Here I investigated how effective different AES habitats are for restoring biodiversity in different agricultural landscapes (Chapter V) and whether they benefit natural pest control in adjacent oilseed rape (Chapter VI) and winter cereal fields (Chapter VII). I recorded biodiversity and pest control potentials using a variety of different methods (Chapters II, V, VI & VII). Moreover, I validated the methodology I used to assess predator assemblages and predation rates (Chapters III & IV).
Chapter III: How to record ground dwelling predators?
Testing methodology is critical as it ensures scientific standards and trustworthy results. Pitfall traps are widely used to record ground dwelling predators, but little is known about how different trap types affect catches. I compared different types of pitfall traps that had been used in previous studies in respect to resulting carabid beetle assemblages. While barrier traps collected more species and deliver more complete species inventories, conventional simple pitfall traps provide reliable results with comparatively little handling effort. Placing several simple pitfall traps in the field can compensate the difference while still saving handling effort.
Chapter IV: How to record predation rates?
A plethora of methods has been proposed and used for recording predation rates, but these have rarely been validated before use. I assessed whether a novel approach to record predation, the use of sentinel prey cards with glued on aphids, delivers realistic results. I compared different sampling efforts and showed that obtained predation rates were similar and could be linked to predator (carabid beetle) densities and body-sizes (a proxy often used for food intake rates). Thus, the method delivers reliable and meaningful predation rates.
Chapter V: Do AES habitats benefit multi-taxa biodiversity?
The main goal of AES is the conservation of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. I investigated how effectively AES habitats with different temporal continuity fulfil this goal in differently structured landscapes. The different AES habitats investigated had variable effects on local biodiversity. Temporal continuity of AES habitats was the most important predictor with older, more temporally continuous habitats harbouring higher overall biodiversity and different species assemblages in most taxonomic groups than younger AES habitats. Results however varied among taxonomic groups and natural enemies were equally supported by younger habitats. Semi-natural habitats in the surrounding landscape and AES habitat size were of minor importance for local biodiversity and had limited effects. This stresses that newly established AES habitats alone cannot restore farmland biodiversity. Both AES habitats as well as more continuous semi-natural habitats synergistically increase overall biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.
Chapter VI: The effects of AES habitats on predators in adjacent oilseed rape fields
Apart from biodiversity conservation, ensuring ecosystem service delivery in agricultural landscapes is a crucial goal of AES. I therefore investigated the effects of adjacent AES habitats on ground dwelling predator assemblages in oilseed rape fields. I found clear distance decay effects from the field edges into the field centres on both richness and densities of ground dwelling predators. Direct effects of adjacent AES habitats on assemblages in oilseed rape fields however were limited and only visible in functional traits of carabid beetle assemblages. Adjacent AES habitats doubled the proportion of predatory carabid beetles indicating a beneficial role for pest control. My results show that pest control potentials are largest close to the field edges and beneficial effects are comparably short ranged.
Chapter VII: The effects of AES habitats on pest control in adjacent cereal fields
Whether distance functions and potential effects of AES habitats are universal across crops is unknown. Therefore, I assessed distance functions of predators, pests, predation rates and yields after crop rotation in winter cereals using the same study design as in the previous year. Resulting distance functions were not uniform and differed from those found in oilseed rape in the previous year, indicating that the interactions between certain adjacent habitats vary with habitat and crop types. Distance functions of cereal-leaf beetles (important cereal pests) and parasitoid wasps were moreover modulated by semi-natural habitat proportion in the surrounding landscapes. Field edges buffered assemblage changes in carabid beetle assemblages over crop rotation confirming their important function as refuges for natural enemies. My results emphasize the beneficial role of field edges for pest control potentials. These findings back the calls for smaller field sizes and more diverse, more heterogeneously structured agricultural landscapes.
Chapter VIII: General Discussion
Countering biodiversity loss and ensuring ecosystem service provision in agricultural landscapes is intricate and requires strategic planning and restructuring of these landscapes. I showed that agricultural landscapes could benefit maximally from (i) a mixture of AES habitats and semi-natural habitats to support high levels of overall biodiversity and from (ii) smaller continuously managed agricultural areas (i.e. smaller field sizes or the insertion of AES elements within large fields) to maximize natural pest control potentials in crop fields. I propose a mosaic of younger AES habitats and semi-natural habitats to support ecosystem service providers and increase edge density for ecosystem service spillover into adjacent crops. The optimal extent and density of this network as well as the location in which AES and semi-natural habitats interact most beneficially with adjacent crops need further investigation. My results provide a further step towards more sustainable agricultural landscapes that simultaneously allow biodiversity to persist and maintain agricultural production under the framework of ecological intensification.
Forests are multi-functional system, which have to fulfil different objectives at the same time. The main functions include the production of wood, storage of carbon, the promotion of biological diversity and the provision of recreational space. Yet, global forests are affected by large and intense natural disturbances, like bark beetle infestations. While natural disturbances threaten wood production and are perceived as ‘catastrophe’ diminishing recreational value, biodiversity can benefit from the disturbance-induced changes in forest structures. This trade-off poses a dilemma to managers of bark beetle affected stands, particularly in protected areas designated to both nature conservation and recreation. Forest landscapes need a sustainable management concept aligning these different objectives. In order to support this goal with scientific knowledge, the aim of this work is to analyse ecological and social effects along a gradient of different disturbance severities. In this context, I studied the effects of a disturbance severity gradient on the diversity of different taxonomic groups including vascular plants, mosses, lichens, fungi, arthropods and birds in five national parks in Central Europe. To analyse the recreational value of the landscape I conducted visitor surveys in the same study areas in which the biodiversity surveys were performed. To analyse possible psychological or demographic effects on preferences for certain disturbance intensities, an additional online survey was carried out.
Die Fanconi-Anämie (FA) ist eine seltene, heterogene Erbkrankheit. Sie weist ein sehr variables klinisches Erscheinungsbild auf, das sich aus angeborenen Fehlbildungen, hämatologischen Funktionsstörungen, einem erhöhten Risiko für Tumorentwicklung und endokrinen Pathologien zusammensetzt. Die Erkrankung zählt zu den genomischen Instabilitätssyndromen, welche durch eine fehlerhafte DNA-Schadensreparatur gekennzeichnet sind. Bei der FA zeigt sich dies vor allem in einer charakteristischen Hypersensitivität gegenüber DNA-quervernetzenden Substanzen (z. B. Mitomycin C, Cisplatin). Der zelluläre FA-Phänotyp zeichnet sich durch eine erhöhte Chromosomenbrüchigkeit und einen Zellzyklusarrest in der G2-Phase aus. Diese Charakteristika sind bereits spontan vorhanden und werden durch Induktion mit DNA-quervernetzenden Substanzen verstärkt. Der Gendefekt ist dabei in einem der 22 bekannten FA-Gene (FANCA, -B, -C, -D1, -D2, -E, -F, -G, -I, -J, -L, -M, -N, -O, -P, -Q, -R, -S, -T, -U, -V, -W) oder in noch unbekannten FA-Genen zu finden. Die FA-Gendefekte werden mit Ausnahme von FANCR (dominant-negative de novo Mutationen) und FANCB (X-chromosomal) autosomal rezessiv vererbt. Die FA-Genprodukte bilden zusammen mit weiteren Proteinen den FA/BRCA-Signalweg. Das Schlüsselereignis dieses Signalwegs stellt die Monoubiquitinierung von FANCD2 und FANCI (ID2-Komplex) dar. Ausgehend davon lässt sich zwischen upstream- und downstream-gelegenen FA-Proteinen unterscheiden. Letztere sind direkt an der DNA-Schadensreparatur beteiligt. Zu den upstream-gelegenen Proteinen zählt der FA-Kernkomplex, der sich aus bekannten FA-Proteinen und aus FA-assoziierten-Proteinen (FAAPs) zusammensetzt und für die Monoubiquitinierung des ID2-Komplexes verantwortlich ist. Für FAAPs wurden bisher keine pathogenen humanen Mutationen beschrieben. Zu diesen Proteinen gehört auch FAAP100, das mit FANCB und FANCL innerhalb des FA-Kernkomplexes den Subkomplex LBP100 bildet.
Durch die vorliegende Arbeit wurde eine nähere Charakterisierung dieses Proteins erreicht. In einer Amnion-Zelllinie konnte eine homozygote Missense-Mutation identifiziert werden. Der Fetus zeigte einen typischen FA-Phänotyp und auch seine Zellen wiesen charakteristische FA-Merkmale auf. Der zelluläre Phänotyp ließ sich durch FAAP100WT komplementieren, sodass die Pathogenität der Mutation bewiesen war. Unterstützend dazu wurden mithilfe des CRISPR/Cas9-Systems weitere FAAP100-defiziente Zelllinien generiert. Diese zeigten ebenfalls einen typischen FA-Phänotyp, welcher sich durch FAAP100WT komplementieren ließ. Die in vitro-Modelle dienten als Grundlage dafür, die Funktion des FA-Kernkomplexes im Allgemeinen und die des Subkomplexes LBP100 im Besonderen besser zu verstehen. Dabei kann nur durch intaktes FAAP100 das LBP100-Modul gebildet und dieses an die DNA-Schadensstelle transportiert werden. Dort leistet FAAP100 einen essentiellen Beitrag für den FANCD2-Monoubiquitinierungsprozess und somit für die Aktivierung der FA-abhängigen DNA-Schadensreparatur. Um die Funktion von FAAP100 auch in vivo zu untersuchen, wurde ein Faap100-/--Mausmodell generiert, das einen mit anderen FA-Mausmodellen vergleichbaren, relativ schweren FA-Phänotyp aufwies. Aufgrund der Ergebnisse lässt sich FAAP100 als neues FA-Gen klassifizieren. Zudem wurde die Rolle des Subkomplexes LBP100 innerhalb des FA-Kernkomplexes weiter aufgeklärt. Beides trägt zu einem besseren Verständnis des FA/BRCA-Signalweges bei. Ein weiterer Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Charakterisierung von FAAP100138, einer bisher nicht validierten Isoform von FAAP100. Durch dieses Protein konnte der zelluläre FA-Phänotyp von FAAP100-defizienten Zelllinien nicht komplementiert werden, jedoch wurden Hinweise auf einen dominant-negativen Effekt von FAAP100138 auf den FA/BRCA-Signalweg gefunden. Dies könnte zu der Erklärung beitragen, warum und wie der Signalweg, beispielsweise in bestimmtem Gewebearten, herunterreguliert wird. Zudem wäre eine Verwendung in der Krebstherapie denkbar.