------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 22:06:16 EST From: CSubject: Evolution news (3 items) Content: 1. Evidence appears strong to bolster concept of co-evolution 2. Pudue study "How did life begin?" 3. Gobi Desert fossils: New insight into early mammalian evolution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.admin.uiuc.edu/NB/98.12/biotip.html News from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign December 1998 EVIDENCE APPEARS STRONG TO BOLSTER CONCEPT OF CO-EVOLUTION, SCIENTISTS SAY CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Are insects always just pests, or do they play a co-evolutionary role with the plants they eat? According to a chemical analysis of parsnip webworms and wild parsnips in the Midwest, pests and plants can and do adjust to each other to survive. The idea of co-evolution is not new, but it is far from universally accepted. In 1964, Paul R. Ehrlich, now president of Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology, and Peter H. Raven, now director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and botany professor at Washington University in St. Louis, founded the study of co-evolution. They defined it as the process of reciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species. They noted that plants produce chemicals that are toxic to insects, and that insects produce mechanisms to detoxify many plant defenses. However, while most scientists accept the notion that insects must adapt to their host plants, some have debated whether plants tailor their toxins specifically against insects. With the help of museum specimens of parsnip plants, including some that predate the webworms' post-1900 entry into the Midwest, University of Illinois entomologists May R. Berenbaum and Arthur R. Zangerl say they have strong evidence for both sides of the adaptation scenario. They published their findings in the Nov. 10 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Today's webworms and parsnips in Minnesota and in northern and central Illinois have adapted to each other, the scientists report. Webworms feed on the reproductive structures of parsnips, so resistance to the insect is vital to parsnip survival. At each site, levels in the plants of four defensive compounds, called furanocoumarins, match remarkably to the levels of detoxification enzymes in the insects. "If 30 percent of the plants have a particular chemical phenotype, then roughly 30 percent of the insects have the phenotype that permits them to live on those plants," Zangerl said. "You see quite a balancing act. This occurred to a remarkable degree in three of the four populations that we observed." To strengthen their case, the researchers examined pre-1900 museum specimens kept by the U. of I. Herbarium. They found that the furanocoumarin compound sphondin produced in high levels in today's parsnips was produced in low quantities or not at all in the museum specimens. It is sphondin, they found, that the webworms have a hard time metabolizing. "They have no genetic variation to be able to metabolize it," Berenbaum said. "People have a hard time accepting the idea that plant traits represent a response to insect-caused damage. They assume that insects are minor annoyances to plants, like fleas on a dog, rather than major selective forces. We feel our data say that the evolutionary responses are reciprocal between these interacting species. This work also indicates how quickly plants can respond genetically to insect-caused damage." CONTACT: Jim Barlow, Life Sciences Editor (217) 333-5802 E-mail: b-james3@uiuc.edu News Bureau University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 807 S. Wright St., Suite 520 East Champaign, IL 61820-6219 (217) 333-1085 fax (217) 244-0161 e-mail: uinews@uiuc.edu =============================================================== =============================================================== http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/pur-sbnliq.html PURDUE STUDY BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO QUESTION OF HOW LIFE BEGAN 3 DECEMBER 1998 Contact: Susan Gaidos susan_gaidos@uns.purdue.edu 765-494-2081 Purdue University NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Copies of the journal article in Nature are available from Purdue's News Service, 765-494-2096. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A Purdue University study shows that proteins may have played a leading role in the origin of life. Scientists, looking for clues as to how life began at a molecular level, have long considered nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, as the star players due to their rare ability to replicate themselves and adapt to changes. But Purdue University scientist Jean Chmielewski has developed a system made up of four peptides -- the building blocks for proteins -- that can replicate itself and is capable of adapting to changes in the environment. The findings, published in the Dec. 3 issue of the scientific journal Nature, expand the scientific view of how life began. "This system is the first to show that a peptide-based system has the ability to replicate in novel and adaptive ways," Chmielewski says. Scientists have long searched for the simplest self-replicating systems as clues to how life may have begun, Chmielewski says. "The molecules of choice for a long time were molecules like DNA and RNA, because they are known to replicate in living organisms," she says. "The possibility of other self-replicating molecules had also been considered, though until recent years there were no other molecules that were known to be able to reproduce themselves." In the past 20 years, scientists have found that some other nucleotide-based molecules can replicate themselves. Two years ago, a study published by researchers at Scripps Research Institute showed that some peptides, or pieces of small proteins, also can self replicate. However, these molecules fell short of DNA and RNA's ability to cross replicate, a feat that allows the nucleic acids to replicate through the use of complimentary molecules. "Self replication would occur if proteins interact with peptide fragments to create an identical copy of themselves," Chmielewski says. "For example, protein AB might interact with peptide A and peptide B and then catalyze to form a new AB protein. In cross replication, the proteins would interact with peptide fragments that are complimentary to it, forming a new type of molecule, she says. For example, protein CD might also interact with peptide A and peptide B to form a AB proteins. "These cross-replicating molecules are the types of molecules that actually have the potential for building life," Chmielewski says. "It is believed that within a living cell, virtually no substance catalyzes its own formation, so you when you talk about a theoretical system that can create life, you want a chemical system in which both self replication and cross replication occurs." In the most recent round of experiments, the Scripps group recently developed a system using three peptides that could self replicate and cross replicate through four different chemical reactions. Chmielewski and her group set out to see if they could produce a more complex peptide-based replicating system. Her group designed a system using four peptides that was capable of carrying out 11 different chemical reactions -- a system almost three times more complex than the Scripps system. Four peptide fragments, called E1, E2, K1 and K2, were used as the feedstock to produce four proteins, namely E1E2, K1K2, E1K2 and K1E2. The study showed that the four proteins replicated themselves through self replication -- acting as templates for their own formation -- and also used a total of seven cross replication pathways to produce additional new copies. "This is the most complex replicating system of its kind to date" Chmielewski says. "This work clearly demonstrates that peptides should be considered in discussions over the nature of the molecular origins of life". In addition, Chmielewski's group showed that changes to the environment of the reaction had a profound effect on the types of peptides that could be formed. "If you put the four peptides together, you have the potential to form all of the products, but we can modify the environment of the reaction, such as pH or salt concentration, and only a single molecule can replicate itself and the rest are lost," Chmielewski says. This ability to survive and reproduce in the face of environmental changes is the basis of Darwinian selection, and it might have allowed for the evolution of early life forms over time, she adds. "It is interesting when we imagine that perhaps, in a very early system, only certain molecules were used in the formation of life and others were left behind," Chmielewski says. Though her study may help expand the current view of how life formed on Earth, Chmielewski notes that the answers may never be known. "There is no real way to prove any of this or travel back in time to see how life started," she says. "All we can do is show that various other kinds of molecules are capable of replicating in various ways, and these molecules may have played a role in creating life." ### ABSTRACT: Selective Amplification via Auto- and Cross-Catalysis in a Replicating Peptide System Jean Chmielewski, Shao Yao, Indraneel Ghosh, Reena Zutshi The successful replication of chemical entities such as DNA and RNA is essential for the transfer of information to succeeding generations. Self replicating chemical systems of nucleotide-based molecules, adenineKemp's triacid conjugates and peptides, have been successfully designed. A living cell, however, is a collective autocatalytic system in which virtually no molecule catalyzes its own production. Therefore, the development of a system in which not only autocatalysis, but also crosscatalysis, can occur is currently a subject of intensive studies. We describe here the first four-component peptide-based system that is capable of both auto- and cross- catalysis. Furthermore, we have selectively amplified one or more of the products by changing the environmental conditions, such as pH or salt concentration, within the reaction. ################################################################### http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/amnh_nfgc.htmll DISCOVERY OF NEW FOSSILS IN GOBI DESERT OF MONGOLIA PROVIDES IMPORTANT INSIGHT INTO EARLY MAMMAL EVOLUTION 2 Dec 1998 Contact: Elizabeth Chapman/ Karen de Seve chapman@amnh.org/ kdeseve@amnh.org 212-769-5800 American Museum of Natural History December 3, 1998-A team of scientists announced today in the journal Nature the discovery of new specimens of an early relative of marsupials called Deltatheridium that provide unprecedented insight into the evolutionary split that eventually led to the rise of today's marsupials and placental mammals. The fossils were uncovered at Ukhaa Tolgod, one of the world's richest fossil sites, during the joint American Museum of Natural History/Mongolian Academy of Sciences expedition to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, in Central Asia. The physical features observed in the new fossils allow scientists to define for the first time which characteristics are unique to the marsupial lineage, and allow them to draw a comprehensive family tree for both this group and our own progenitors, the placental mammals. Marsupials, the group of mammals that includes opossums, kangaroos, and koalas, represent one of the three major branches of mammals living today. The other two branches are monotremes, which include the bizarre egg-laying duck-billed platypus, and placentals, which include most of the mammals familiar to us today, among them, humans. While scientists know that the fossil record for marsupials and their relatives stretches into the Mesozoic Era, known as the Age of the Dinosaurs, unraveling their evolutionary history has proved controversial because only very fragmentary fossils of this group have been found. The two newly discovered Deltatheridium specimens, which are approximately 80 million years old, help fill critical gaps in the earliest stages of mammalian evolutionary history. The first of the new specimens is an adult with a nearly complete skull, jaws, and arm bones; the second is a juvenile with virtually complete jaws, various skull bones, and several additional bones from its body. Deltatheridium was an opossum-like mammal with very sharp molars and long canines, suggesting it may have been a carnivore. With a skull almost two inches long, Deltatheridium was a relative giant in the Lilliputian world of Mesozoic mammals. Its diet probably included lizards and other early mammals. One of the specimens was preserved with a crushed fragment of a mammal skull ( since broken remains are very rare at Uhkaa Tolgod, it is possible that the mammal was the Deltatheridium's last meal. The location of Deltatheridium in Central Asia suggests that modern marsupials, which today are most diverse in South America and Australia, may have arisen from a lineage that actually originated in Asia. Before the current discovery, scientists debated whether Deltatheridium should be placed in the placental lineage or the marsupial lineage. Study of the new fossils reveals unequivocally that Deltatheridium is an early relative of marsupials, and in fact is one of the earilest marsupial relatives ever discovered. Some of the features Deltatheridium shares with modern-day marsupials include a large bony process at the back of the jaw for the attachment of chewing muscles and a distinct pattern of openings in the skull to accommodate blood circulation, but it lacked many other features that arose in modern marsupials. The juvenile specimen found at Ukhaa Tolgod is particularly important because it died when its adult teeth were just beginning to emerge, so the sequence in which the teeth grew can be observed. Analysis of the teeth of the juvenile Deltatheridium provides one of the strongest links between this animal and modern marsupials unlike any other group of mammals, marsupials replace only one tooth after birth, the last premolar. The juvenile specimen shows this same highly distinctive tooth replacement pattern. Authors on the December 3 Nature paper are: Guillermo W. Rougier, assistant professor at the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology at the University of Louisville, who is also a research associate in the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History; John R. Wible, Section of Mammals at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, who is also a research associate in the American Museum of Natural History's Department of Mammalogy; and Michael J. Novacek, Curator in the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Jaffe Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Eppley Foundation, the Mercedes-Benz Corporation, the James Carter Memorial Fund, and the Frick Laboratory Endowment of the American Museum of Natural History. ### For more information or to obtain visuals, please contact Elizabeth Chapman 212-769-5762, or Karen de Seve, 212-496-3411 at the American Museum of Natural History. ### ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 22:44:35 EST From: C Subject: GL: Penguins in trouble http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/1998/12/120498/penguin.asp World's penguins are in peril, study finds Friday, December 4, 1998 Researchers look to penguin populations as indicator species that reflects the health of our oceans and, in a larger sense, our planet. Penguin researchers from around the world are meeting today in Boston and the news they bring isn't good -- there has been an alarming decline among many of the world's penguin populations. A number of conservation groups pooled their resources to produce a report that says nine penguin species should now be endangered or vulnerable and two more species to be near threatened. Previously, only five of the total 17 penguin species were considered threatened. The report was released today by penguin biologists representing the IUCN -- The World Conservation Union and the New England Aquarium. Researchers look to penguin populations as indicator species that reflect the health of our oceans and, in a larger sense, our planet. The fact that many penguin species can no longer sustain their populations suggests a sick planet, the report says. Penguins are being battered on all sides -- threatened by oil spills, habitat destruction, the overfishing of their food supplies and even the weather. The rising sea surface temperatures caused by El Nio are creating problems for certain penguin populations. In busy shipping areas, oil spills damage penguins' feathers, causing them to lose their insulating, water-repellent quality. The penguin may freeze or starve if it can't swim to catch food. Also, ever-increasing coastal use and development often invades penguin nesting areas, displacing breeding adults and sometimes leading to chick mortality. Two of the threatened species, Humboldt and Galapagos, have been strongly affected by the unusual water currents caused by El Nio. El Nio's warmer waters displace or kill the fish these penguins eat. There was a 70 percent decrease in the breeding population of both these species following the 1982-1983 El Nio episode and the current El Nio weather pattern is causing a similar disturbance. Of all species of penguins on the planet, only those in the Antarctic do not seem to be facing immediate and documented declines in populations. The Antarctic region is closely regulated and managed, both environmentally and economically. However, penguins in this region are also adversely affected by fishing and tourism. Their numbers have not dropped significantly enough to warrant listing as endangered or vulnerable. Antarctic species need continued diligent watching and management to maintain their populations. Following the Third International Penguin Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, a Penguin Conservation and Assessment Management Plan workshop was held in September 1996. Thirty-seven penguin experts from 10 countries participated in the event, which was hosted by the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of the IUCN, and sponsored by Sea World Inc. and the New England Aquarium. It's been two years since that workshop, and the final report is what is being released today. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 22:12:10 EST From: C Subject: Product Diversity vs. Biodiversity [Note: this is a satire.] ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- WASHINGTON, DC--According to an EPA study conducted in conjunction with the U.N. Task Force On Global Developmental Impact, consumer-product diversity now exceeds biodiversity. According to the study, for the first time in history, the rich array of consumer products available in malls and supermarkets surpasses the number of living species populating the planet. "Last year's introduction of Dentyne Ice Cinnamint gum, right on the heels of the extinction of the Carolina tufted hen, put product diversity on top for the first time," study chair Donald Hargrove said. "Today, the Procter & Gamble subphylum alone outnumbers insects two to one." The sharp rise in consumer-product diversity--with more than 200 million new purchasing options generated since 1993--comes as welcome news for those upset over the dwindling number of plant and animal species. "As more and more species fall victim to extinction, we face a grave crisis of decreased diversity, not only in America but across the globe," Hargrove said. "But the good news is, these losses in biodiversity are more than offset by a corresponding rise in consumer-product diversity. Though flora and fauna are dwindling, the spectrum of goods available to consumers is wider than at any time in planetary history. And that's something we can all be happy about." Scientists are calling the current decrease in biodiversity one of the worst episodes of mass extinction in the Earth's history. The rate at which species are currently vanishing approaches that of the "K-T Event" that ended the Age of Dinosaurs 65 million years ago and resulted in a loss of 76 percent of the world's species. The current era of biodiversity depletion, however, is unique in that it is the first mass extinction to occur in conjunction with an expanding industrial society, and thus, the first in which consumer-product availability can function as a "balancing factor" to help keep global diversity thriving. "Any healthy system needs diversification in order to flourish, University of Chicago biologist Jonathan Grogan said. "Any complex system, whether we are talking about the Amazon Rainforest or the Mall of America, needs a rich array of species/products if it is to survive. That is why, in light of the crumbling global ecosystem, it is increasingly vital that we foster the diversification of the global marketplace by buying the widest range of consumer products possible." According to Grogan, because of the interdependent nature of systems like the Amazon Rainforest and the Mall of America, the disappearance of any one species/product can lead to the disappearance of countless others. "The extinction of the Borneo hooded tern was an indirect result of the disappearance of the native species of sea snails upon which it fed," Grogan said. "This kind of vicious cycle, once begun, is impossible to contain. Fortunately, though, the process can function the same way in reverse: The successful introduction of a new item can lead to additional items later on. For example, the proliferation of Love My Carpet-brand carpet cleaner in hall closets across America would not have been possible without the introduction of the affordable, easy-to-use Hoover 5.0 upright vacuum cleaner. And thus, the cycle of life goes on." According to science writer David Quammen, much of the rise in consumer- product diversity is a direct result of the decrease in biodiversity. "When a species vanishes, the world loses not only that species, but the wide range of highly specialized physical and biochemical functions that species served. These ecological losses necessitate the creation of new, synthetic products capable of serving the same functions," Quammen said. "So, for example, when we lose a strain of microbe that filters the water we drink, we compensate by developing the amazing Brita water filter, with its patented filtration technology. When we lose a plant in the jungles of Indonesia whose berry bears an extremely rare nutrient, we develop in its place fruity, fun-to-eat Flintstones chewable vitamin supplements." Read the EPA report: "The planet Earth stands on the brink of one of the most devastating global extinctions in history. By the year 2040, nearly two-thirds of all current species will be extinct. Rainforest habitats that were once lush canopies of life, sustaining millions of highly specialized and interdependent species of plants and animals, have been reduced by upwards of 95 percent in some areas. Thankfully, however, retail outlets which, as little as 50 years ago, were the domain of only a handful of basic staple goods, have evolved into lush, highly developed supermarkets and department stores with a nearly limitless abundance of consumer goods." Environmental and business leaders cheered the report's optimistic findings, but they warn that consumers still have their work cut out for them. "As our ecological resources continue to disappear, we must all do our part," Quaker Oats CEO Reuben McCall said. "That means diligent, conscientious commitment to increased consumption of new products. If these products are not bought, nobody will manufacture them. And if this were to happen, the damage to the precious diversity of our consumer landscape would be disastrous." Andy MacKinnon B.C. Ministry of Forests, Research Branch 3rd Floor, 712 Yates Street Victoria, B.C. V8W 1L4 phone: (250-) 387-6536 fax: (250-) 387-0046 e-mail: andy.mackinnon@gems1.gov.bc.ca -- "Mitch is gone but not forgotten." *Jon Kohl************************************************* * Prog. Manager-Honduras * * Nature Guide Training Program * * RARE Center for Tropical Conservation * * Apartado 674, La Ceiba, Atlantida, Honduras * * Telephone/fax (504) 443-0329 and (504) 443-3824 * * General Info: www.rarecenter.org, rare@rarecenter.org * **********************************************************