Biological Sciences articles list

A zoonotic disease is an infectious disease caused by pathogens such as bacteria, virus, rickettsia, fungi, parasite or prion that has been transmitted from an animal, especially a vertebrate to human beings. Usually, the first infected human transmits the infectious agent to other humans very rapidly; it is one of the important concerns of zoonoses. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently list the Emerging infectious diseases (EID) of epidemic issues in their research and development blueprint as COVID-19 (Corona viruses), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola and Marburg viruses (Filovirus), Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever (Nairo virus), Lassa Fever (Lassa virus), Nipah (Henipa virus ), Rift Valley fever (Phlebo virus) and Zika (Flavi virus). Due to the deadly pandemics facing by the globe, it is essential to understand the way of transmission of emerging viruses, its mode of infection and important measures to eliminate or control them from the world is essential. However, mankind overcomes so many deadly viruses with the help of scientific knowledge, through vaccination, new therapies, drugs etc. Nowadays, viral zoonoses like rabies (Lyssa virus) are 100% preventable through vaccination and medication even though, humans face lots of new threats especially emerging zoonosis diseases like Covid19. This review summarized the major zoonotic viruses affecting human beings, their source, pathogenicity and its important ways to overcome the transmission of microbes from animal to humankind.

Dr. SARANYA DEVI K

The space-time dynamics of chlorophyll a concentration and seawater excess viscosity has been investigated in the hydrographically contrasting inshore and offshore water masses of the eastern English Channel. This was done during the phytoplankton spring bloom dominated by Phaeocystis globosa before and after the very large-scale formation of foam induced by an increase in wind-driven turbulence and the related wave breakings. The results suggest that the dynamics of chlorophyll a concentration and seawater excess viscosity are differentially controlled by the formation of foam through the intensity of the spring bloom and wind-generated turbulence.

Irma Kesaulya

This study examines the first occurrence of non-toxic dinoflagellate blooming of Gonyaulax polygramma and Chaetoceros sp in Ambon Bay that occurred for almost three weeks in January 2019 and it caused the watercolor became red brown. The objective of this study was to identified phytoplankton species and their abundance that cause red tide in the Inner Ambon bay. Phytoplankton samples were collected, temperature, salinity and Secchi depth were measured simultaneously on the 11th and 21st January 2019 (nortwest monsoon) at fifteen sampling stations in Inner Ambon Bay. The results show that the maximum abundance of G. polygramma, Chaetoceros affinis, C. danicus and C. decipiens were found in the greatest concentration up to 20×109, 9.0x106, 5.8x106 and 3.8x105 cells.L-1, respectively. They were found either in the form of a single cell or in chains. The very high abundance of cells of those species made the waters become red brown but there was no reports of fish killed during this red tide phenomena. This is the first time report of blooming phytoplankton Gonyaulax polygramma, Chaetoceros affinis, C. danicus and C. decipiens occurred in Ambon bay during the dry season where the recorded waters temperature and salinity ranged from 30-32ºC and 29-33 psu, respectively and the secchi depths ranged from 2 to 6m. These results show this is the first report of the red tide phenomena in the Inner Ambon bay during the dry season and it occurred for a long period caused by combination of the high abundance of G. polygramma Stein, Chaetoceros affinis, C. danicus and C. decipiens.

Irma Kesaulya

Texas bays and estuaries experience salinity fluctuations (e.g., droughts, reduced freshwater inflows and hurricanes) caused by natural weather and climate change. This could have impacts on red drum Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus) early life stages beacause red drum spend their early life stage at the shallow bays and estuarine waters of Texas Bay. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the impact of high salinity concentrations on the survival, growth and development of red drum eggs and larvae. Red drum brood stocks were collected from wild stocks throughout the lower Texas coast and were held in hatchery tanks (13,250 L) until spawning. The water quality conditions were maintained at a salinity of 38ppt and seawater temperature of 25°C. The red drum eggs were hatched at a wide range of salinity treatments (28-48ppt). Egg hatch-out rates and larvae growth were reduced at the lowest (28ppt) and highest (48ppt) salinity treatments. Hypersalinity (≥ 40ppt) and a temperature of 25ºC affected the hatching success of red drum eggs. The percentage of egg hatching success and length of larvae were reduced in both lower (28ppt) and/or hypersalinity (48ppt). This study shows that red drum eggs can hatch within a wide range of salinities with best hatch-out and growth rates occurring between 33 – 43ppt. It also suggests that climate change that produces global warming can keep the increasing environmental salinity of the Texas bay which might have an impact on the development of the early stages of the red drum in their natural environment.

Irma Kesaulya

Ambon Bay consists of the inner Ambon Bay (IAB) and the outer Ambon Bay (OAB) and they are separated by the shallow sill (12 m) Galala-Rumah Tiga. The topography of the bay makes it unique and causes the exchange of water mass between those two parts of the bay does not follow the daily tidal cycle. The aim of this study was to analyze the vertical and horizontal temperature and chlorophyll-a distribution in order to know the water circulation in Ambon Bay. This study was carried out during the monsoon, in November 2018. The CTD was used to measure in situ temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration. The data were analyzed by using Surfer and ODV programs. The results show that the temperature of the surface water (0-5 m) of Ambon Bay was 29.2℃. In depth 15-40 m, temperature was different between the IAB (27.7-28.2℃) and OAB (29,2-28.7℃). Chlorophyll-a concentration was found higher in the IAB than in OAB in all depths. In the depth >12 m, chlorophyll-a in the IAB was 1 mg/m3 compared to its concentration in OAB only 0.3 mg/m3. As a conclusion, the sill in Ambon bay causes unique circulation of water mass between IAB and OAB based on the analysis of temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration distribution.

Irma Kesaulya

Migratory behaviour in Littorina scabra (Linne 1758) was studied in a mangrove ecosystem and observations were made in their natural habitat or in situ observation in Tanjung Tiram, Ambon. Migratory speed and pattern of L. scabra of different sizes (small and large) particularly in mangrove Sonneratia alba were observed throughout of the February 19th to March 11th, 2019 during the day and night on incoming or outgoing tides and these are usually a 3 hours (270 minutes) observation. Marked snails were used to track the position to investigate their migratory direction and speed during advancing and receding tides. Those organisms migrate up and down the trees following the tidal cycles. This study indicates that small size organisms which live on leaves, branches or trunks move faster than the big organisms and they move faster during the incoming tide than outgoing tide. For a big size L. scabra, they move slower during the incoming tide than the outgoing tide. This behaviour indicates that they move faster to avoid immersion during incoming tide than during the outgoing tide when they move slower because they are searching for food. The migration trials showed different patterns for all sizes of L. scabra and this pattern seems to be influenced by the area of surface they occupy such as leaves, branches or trunks. They tend to move forward in one direction (almost straight line) when they are on a small surface such as trunks and on the larger surface such as leaves and braches most L. scabra of all sizes make different trial patterns such zig-zag.

Irma Kesaulya

Biological information processing networks rely on allosteric protein switches that dynamically interconvert biological signals. Construction of their artificial analogues is a central goal of synthetic biology and bioengineering. Receptor domain insertion is one of the leading methods for constructing chimeric protein switches. Here we present an in vitro expression-based platform for the analysis of chimeric protein libraries for which traditional cell survival or cytometric high throughput assays are not applicable. We utilise this platform to screen a focused library of chimeras between PQQ-glucose dehydrogenase and calmodulin. Using this approach, we identified 50 chimeras (approximately 23% of the library) that were activated by calmodulin-binding peptides. We analysed performance parameters of the active chimeras and demonstrated that their dynamic range and response times are anticorrelated, pointing to the existence of an inherent thermodynamic trade-off. We show that the structure of the ligand peptide affects both the response and activation kinetics of the biosensors suggesting that the structure of a ligand:receptor complex can influence the chimera's activation pathway. In order to understand the extent of structural changes in the reporter protein induced by the receptor domains, we have analysed one of the chimeric molecules by CD spectroscopy and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. We concluded that subtle ligand-induced changes in the receptor domain propagated into the GDH domain and affected residues important for substrate and cofactor binding. Finally, we used one of the identified chimeras to construct a two-component rapamycin biosensor and demonstrated that core switch optimisation translated into improved biosensor performance.

Cagla Ergun Ayva

The aim of the present study was to explore the nature of visual representations in biology textbooks across five educational boards across Asia through quantitative and qualitative content analysis. Descriptive statistics was used during the quantitative analysis. Qualitative content analysis involved a deductive approach where visuals in these textbooks were examined and categorized into different categories based on a newly developed typology and taxonomy of visual representation (coding scheme). Under this newly developed typology and taxonomy (coding scheme), visuals in biology textbooks can be categorized into 19 different categories. The findings of the study summarized the characteristics of visual representation usage in these textbooks in terms of their prevalence, distributional differences and trends. Through this study, a new perspective on the taxonomy and classification of visual representations, especially for biology textbooks, has been proposed. Biology teachers and textbook authors can gain insights through the findings of the study. Subjects: General Science; Biology; Secondary Education

Dr T Premalatha

Background and Objective: Endophytic bacteria can protect host plants by producing secondary metabolites and also improve host plant growth by various mechanisms. This unique character makes a special role in, using endophytic bacteria in sustainable agriculture. The study aims to isolate endophytic bacteria from Azadirachta indica (neem) leaf and screened for their biocontrol and plant growth-promoting properties. Materials and Methods: Totally 13 endophytic bacteria isolated from neem leaf and it was tested for their in-vitro antifungal activities against Rhizoctonia solani. A total of 3 isolates (N1B, N4B and N5B) were selected on the broad antifungal activity (50%, 56%, 75% mycelial inhibition). Among different solvents used for the extraction of secondary metabolites from endophytic bacteria, only ethyl acetate extract of N5B showed maximum zone of inhibition in well diffusion method against fungal pathogen. Results: The GC-MS analysis of ethyl acetate extracts of N5B exhibited 14 compounds with antifungal activity, such as Dimethoxyglycerol docosyl ether, Pentadecanoic acid, Oleic acid etc. Selected 3 endophytic isolates were identified up to molecular level using 16S rRNA sequencing and it was identified as Bacillus haynesii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The identified isolates were used for nursery experiments based on their strong in-vitro antifungal and PGP activities such as P, K, and Zn solubilization, N fixation, IAA, HCN and EPS production. Conclusion: The tested bacterial isolates significantly decreased disease severity in rice, infected with R. solani and increased plant biomass when compared with un-inoculated control. Our findings suggested above mentioned 3 bacterial species may be promising candidates as a biocontrol agent to confer resistance to sheath blight disease of rice.

Dr. SARANYA DEVI K

A survey was conducted to screen the presences of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella from broiler chicken meat brought from local retail shops situated at Kozhinjampara, Palakkad, Kerala. Based on the morphological and biochemical characterization, a total of 15 Salmonella sp were isolated. Among 15 isolates, five (S7, S8, S10, S12, S14) isolates exhibited 100% resistance to all tested antibiotics and only one isolate S9 shows sensitivity to maximum antibiotics tested. In the study, garlic extract was tested against antibiotic-resistant isolates and it exhibited maximum inhibition against S12 isolate (30mm) and minimum inhibition against S8 isolate (22mm). The analyses of the garlic extract by GC-MS confirmed that the major components of garlic having antimicrobial activity. The result specified that garlic extract was found to be effective in controlling antibiotic resistance Salmonella species from broiler chicken meat. Therefore, incorporating garlic products in poultry feeds will help reduce antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microbes which causes drastic infections in human beings.

Dr. SARANYA DEVI K

Plants produce a diverse range of bioactive compounds making them rich source of different types of medicines. The plants are mostly cultivated for decoration and to enhance the appearance of houses, gardens, road sides, and also for commercial purposes such as floral decorations in form of bouquet. They are also source of fragrant oils for perfume making and cosmetic. However only very few of these plant species have found to be used in medicine and little or no literature exit on their chemical and biological activities. Araucaria columnaris is an ornamental plant, commonly known as Christmas tree, belonging to the family Araucariaceae. Plant resin was used for the present study, antibacterial activity and GC-MS analysis of Araucaria columnaris resin was carried out. The resin was subjected to solvent extraction using decreasing polarity solvents (aqueous, methanol, ethyl acetate and benzene). TLC profiling of all the extracts gives an idea about the presence of various phytochemicals and its fractions were checked for antibacterial activity against major clinical pathogens. It was found that fraction 4 (F4) of methanolic extact showed maximum zone of inhibition against Gram positive organisms. This fraction was subjected to GC-MS analysis; the result revealed the presence of a board range of many medicinal compounds and antioxidant activity of resin of Araucaria columnaris were identified.

Dr. SARANYA DEVI K

Salinity is a major environmental stress which has been studied extensively and has its impact on agriculture in the past, present and future. The global importance of salt affected soils can be explained by their wide distribution on all continents covering about 10% of the total land surface. At present, there are nearly 954 million ha of saline soils on earth’s surface. It is extremely difficult to quantify the social and economic costs of salt prone land and water resources. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a group of bacteria that actively colonize plant roots and increase plant growth and yield. They play an important role within the interaction between soil and plant. As plants grow on marginal soils such as saline soils, the importance of the rhizobacteria increases as they mobilize nutrients and provide tolerance ability to the plants. In the present study, an attempt was made and isolated 51 PGPR isolates (Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria–18; Azotobacter spp.-16 and Azospirillum spp.-17) from different salt affected areas in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. All the isolates were screened for their efficacy against different sodium salts namely sodium chloride, sodium citrate and sodium sulphate. It was observed that the absorbance of the culture broth grown in salt stress to sodium chloride decreased with increasing concentration of the salt. Similarly decrease in growth pattern in terms of the absorbance was also observed in salt stress to sodium citrate and sodium sulphate.

Dr. SARANYA DEVI K

The soil samples were collected from Melia dubia plantations in two different locations in Tamil Nadu. A total of twenty five actinomycetes isolates were isolated and they were screened for melanin pigment production using different culture media. Only two isolates were able to produce melanin pigment under in vitro study and one isolate showed positive reaction to L-tyrosine substrate. Based on morphological and bio-chemical characters the isolate was identified as Streptomyces sp. The DNA of the isolate was isolated and its 16S rDNA gene was amplified and sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis of Streptomyces puniciscabiei was carried out.

Dr. SARANYA DEVI K

An attempt was made for screening of salt tolerant against sodium chloride (NaCl) salt and growth promotion efficacy of eight different phosphate solubilizing bacterial (PSB) isolates under in vitro conditions. An efficient isolate which exhibited maximum phosphate solubilization, salt tolerant, Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) production and root colonization potential in maximum concentration of NaCl (7%) was identified as Bacillus cereus based on 16S rRNA sequencing. It was recorded that highest phosphate solubilization in 7% NaCl concentration (70% and 374 μg/mL) in agar plate and broth assay respectively. IAA production was observed to be decreased when salt concentration increases, the isolate showed significant amount of IAA in normal culture media without amendment of NaCl (74.94 μg/mL) and at 7% gradual decrease of IAA production was observed (30 μg/mL). Maximum colonization of isolate in the roots of Zea mays was also observed in the study.

Dr. SARANYA DEVI K

cASUARINA EQUSITIFOLA IS A FAST GROWING EVERGREEN TREE GROWN BY FARMERS UNDER AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN tAMILNADU state of Southern India

Dr. SARANYA DEVI K

Cardiovascular diseases represent a formidable global health challenge, standing as the foremost cause of both mortality and morbidity. Atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction, as primary contributors to this epidemiological burden, underscore the urgent need for effective therapeutic interventions with minimal side effects. Natural compounds derived from plants have emerged as promising candidates, given their enhanced efficacy and reduced adverse effects. Phytochemicals, in particular, have garnered attention for their potential as alternative therapeutic agents. This review delves into the cardioprotective potential of pinocembrin (5,7-Dihydroxy flavanone), a compound extracted from various plants and honey. Renowned for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, pinocembrin demonstrates significant cardioprotective effects through the modulation of diverse signaling pathways. Atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction entail intricate cellular mechanisms involving oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, cellular remodeling, and programmed cell death. Pinocembrin, by targeting key factors within these pathways, exhibits cardioprotective actions. While existing research underscores its effectiveness, further investigations are warranted to elucidate the impact of pinocembrin on additional cardiovascular conditions and explore novel molecular targets, thus paving the way for future advancements in therapeutic interventions.

Brinda Elangovan

Fresh water crab was exposed in fluoride water at 96h the rate of oxygen uptake was higher in gills followed by hepatopancreas and muscle. On exposure to fluoride water, tissue respiratory rates decreased, effect on gill tissue appeared to be more pronounced than other tissues under the study. The rate of oxygen uptake in male was higher tha control animal. Rate of oxygen consumption showed a significant decrease in both sexes with increase in duration of exposure to fluoride.

.Vijay Digambar Suryawanshi

The rate of oxygen consumption was measured in mercury chloride treated freshwater fish, cyprinus carpio for 96h and compared to control group. The present investigation showed that average oxygen rate was decreased in all treated animal as compared to controlled group. Behavioural changes was also recorded in both concentration. The behavioural alterations observed like surfacing, erratic movement, increased mucous secretion, decreased opercular movement and loss of balance. The present study revealed that, mortality rate increased with increases in concentration.

.Vijay Digambar Suryawanshi

The core of the current study is to find out a different source of diet that stimulates better growth rate and low-cost feed for commercial fish milkfish Chanos chanos. This study was to assess the impact of partial replacement of fish meal by soybean meal in the diet of juvenile milkfish, Chanos chanos (initial weight 25 ± 0.6 g). The juveniles were fed with two types of isonitrogenous diets (40% crude protein). Plant protein source diet (D1) comprised of soybean meal 45% and 10% fish meal, while animal protein source diet (D2) contained fish meal 25% and soybean meal 30%. The trial was conducted with two replications for 60 days. Fish juveniles (10 each) were stocked in outdoor fiberglass seawater tanks (5000 Liters). Results revealed that final weight gain (WG), and specific growth rate (SGR) were significantly lower in fish fed D2 diet. Fish fed D1 had better feed efficiency, weight gain (21.88 ± 1.9 g), and SGR (1.05 ± 0.3), while D2 had a lower growth rate, WG (18.71 ± 2.3 g) and SGR (0.93 ± 0.2). The maximum growth rate found on plant diet which is significantly higher weight gain than D2. In D2 feed conversion ratio (0.54 ± 0.21) was significantly higher (P≤0.05). Condition factor among both treatments did not differ significantly (P≥0.05). The survival rate remained constant (100%) in both treatments. Based on the obtained results, it is recommended that 45% soybean meal with addition of 10% fishmeal (40% protein) is more effective than 30% soybean meal with addition of 25% fish meal to the omnivorous milkfish for aquaculture.

Imtiaz Kashani

In the article first assesses the potential distribution in Eurasia of Neodiprion abietis (Harris, 1841) first time assessed. The species id a widely distributed in North America fir and spruce defoliator, intercepted in 2016 in the Netherlands. Analysis of the literature data on the known distribution and host plants of the species is given. Insufficient data for ecological modeling is shown, which causes a high degree of uncertainty in assessment of potential range. The results of modeling the potential range of the species using several algorithms are presented. The reliability of the obtained models and the importance of bio-climatic environmental variables for species distribution are assessed.

Svedbergopen