ALBERT

Notes: Carbon transport across the plasma membrane, and carbon fixation were measured in perfused Chara internodal cells. These parameters were measured in external media of pH 5·5 and pH 8·5, where CO2 and HCO3- are, respectively, the predominant carbon species in both light and dark conditions. Cells perfused with medium containing ATP could utilize both CO2 and HCO3- from the external medium in the light. Photosynthetic carbon fixation activity was always higher at pH 5·5 than at pH 8·5. When cells were perfused either with medium containing hexokinase and 2-deoxyglucose to deplete ATP from the cytosol (HK medium) or with medium containing vanadate, a specific inhibitor of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase (V medium), photosynthetic carbon fixation was strongly inhibited at both pH 5·5 and 8·5. Perfusion of cells with medium containing pyruvate kinase and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to maximally activate the H+-ATPase (PK medium), stimulated the photosynthetic carbon fixation activities. Oxygen evolution of isolated chloroplasts and the carbon fixation of cells supplied 14C intracellularly were not inhibited by perfusion media containing either hexokinase and 2-deoxyglucose or vanadate. The results indicate that Chara cells possess CO2 and HCO3- transport systems energized by ATP and sensitive to vanadate in the light. In the dark, intact cells also fix carbon. By contrast, in cells perfused with medium containing ATP, no carbon fixation was detected in 1 mol m -3 total dissolved inorganic carbon (TDIC) at pH 8·5. By increasing TDIC to 10 mol m-3, dark fixation became detectable, although it was still lower than that of intact cells at 1mol m-3 TDIC. Addition of PEP or PEP and PEP carboxylase to the perfusion media significantly increased the dark-carbon fixation. Perfusion with vanadate had no effect on the dark-carbon fixation.

Notes: The feeding ecology of whitefish, Coregonus, larvae in oligotrophic Lake Sarnen and eutrophic Lake Hallwil is presented, taking into consideration the size of the prey ingested in relation to the mouth size of larvae and to the availability of zooplankton.When larvae grow from 10 to 16 mm their mouth width increases from 500 to 1000 μm while their gape height, with the mouth open at 45 and 90°, increases from 200 to 400 μm and from 400 to 700 μm, respectively, whichever lake is considered.The differences found in the mean prey width between the two lakes arise in part from the composition of diets, and in part from differences in size of the available prey organisms. Whatever the origin of the larvae and the taxon we consider, larvae seem to ingest the most abundant prey size without selecting the biggest ones available even if, from a mechanical point of view, they would be able to ingest them.Taking into account the generally low density of zooplankton in the uppermost layer of the lake, we conclude that whitefish larvae eat in the manner such as to decrease the cost of prey capture, in terms of energy and time, by choosing the more abundant prey available.

Notes: The remanent magnetization of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic carbonates from the Tibetan Sedimentary Series (TSS) of the Manang area north of the Annapurna Range (north central Nepal) has been investigated. the TSS forms part of the tectonic unit between the Indian-Eurasian plate boundary in the north and the Main Central Thrust (MCT) in the south.Apart from a present field direction, three remanence components have been separated: a normal polarity, post-folding remanence (negative fold test) is carried by pyrrhotite (the core corrected mean direction for five sites with 47 specimens from Silurian/Devonian rocks is decl. = 312.9°, incl. = 58.3°α95= 17.6°, K= 19.8). the origin of this component is not understood.A more precisely determined, reversed polarity, post-folding remanence (99 per cent negative fold test) is also carried by pyrrhotite (the core corrected mean direction for 12 sites with 229 specimens from Carboniferous/Triassic rocks is decl. = 196.4°, incl. = -65.9°, α95= 3.2°, k = 183).One site of Lower Carinan age shows—in addition to the pyrrhotite component— a second, stable remanence direction carried by magnetite. the fold test is 99 per cent positive and there is a high probability that the remanence is of detrital origin (the bedding corrected direction for one site with 40 specimens is decl. =334.3°, incl. = -54.1°, α95= 4.2°, k = 30.2, palaeolatitude 34.6°S).The direction of the magnetite component coincides with other Triassic palaeodirection data from the literature and the inclination suggests a palaeoposition of the TSS at the northern margin of India at this time. the northern extent of India in the Triassic cannot be reconstructed from the data because of the strong anticlockwise rotation (48°) of stable India since this time.The inclination of the reverse polarity pyrrhotite component is 19° steeper than expected from the maximum northern position of the area. This suggests a regional northward tilt along the MCT which is supported by steep inclinations found in other areas.Declination data for the reverse polarity pyrrhotite component and for the magnetite component deviate clockwise from expected values for the area by 23°-34° (calculated from the Indian APWP). Utilizing Klootwijk, Conaghan & Powell's (1985) rotational underthrusting model, the minimum magnitude of continental underthrusting between the TSS and stable India at the longitude of central Nepal (84°E) has been calculated from the declination of our reverse polarity pyrrhotite component. A possible range of 520–1100 km results from consideration of different tectonic models.