Response of a carnivorous plant to simulated herbivory

Studies addressing the impact of herbivory in carnivorous plants are scarce, despite loss of tissue being expected to be costly, as leaves are involved in both energy and nutrient acquisition. We evaluated the effect of simulated herbivory in a population of the carnivorous plant Pinguicula moranensis. We predicted an overall negative impact of herbivory by reducing growth, flowering probability and survivorship. Specifically, we expected that the increase in the negative effect should be related to the amount of leaf area removed. We performed simulated herbivory in plants growing in situ (2015) and ex situ (greenhouse, 2016) using a paper punch (herbivory ranging from 0 to 50%). In the ex-situ experiment, we also tested the effect of availability of resources by implementing a prey addition trial where half of the plants were supplemented with prey (one fruit fly per week). In both experiments, our hypothesis was not supported, as growth, flowering probability and survivorship were not influenced by herbivory treatments. Plants subjected to prey addition did not show higher performance than plants deprived of prey, contradicting our prediction that availability of resources could ameliorate the effect of herbivory. Overall, the lack of differences in performance between undamaged (control) and damaged plants indicate an unexpected short-term ability of P. moranensis to tolerate herbivory, even at high levels of damage.

Vacuolar Myopathy Associated to CACNA1S Mutation as a Rare Cause of Late-Onset Limb-Girdle Myopathy: A Case Report

Late-onset limb-girdle myopathies pose a diagnostic challenge. The most common etiologies are inflammatory, followed by genetic and metabolic. Rare cases include limb-girdle dystrophies and permanent myopathies (vacuolar), such as those associated with hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP). We present the case of a 59-year-old male who initiated with episodic acute severe weakness when he was 11, during which serum potassium levels of <2.5 meq/L were revealed during workup. Potassium reposition reversed these episodes. They occurred every three to five years, and the last episode was five years prior to the current illness. When he was 58, he presented progressive pelvic girdle weakness. On examination, he presented decreased strength in the iliopsoas and quadriceps. The laboratory results showed mildly elevated creatine kinase. Muscle biopsy revealed a vacuolar myopathy, and genetic testing identified a pathogenic variant in the CACNA1S gene, locus 1q32.1 [c.3716G> A (p.Arg1239His), heterozygous state].

Reproductive ecology of the carnivorous plant Pinguicula moranensis (Lentibulariaceae)

The interaction of plants with pollinators can be a determinant of their reproductive fitness. However, information about the pollination biology of carnivorous plants is scarce. To increase knowledge of reproductive ecology of carnivorous plants we focused on Pinguicula moranensis. Specifically, based on the presence of large, zygomorphic and spurred flowers, we predicted higher reproductive fitness in cross-pollinated than in self-pollinated flowers. Within a plot of 51 m² we characterised the reproductive phenology, including flower lifespan and stigmatic receptivity. We identified pollinators and their movement patterns within the plot. Breeding system was experimentally evaluated using hand-pollination (i.e. autonomous, self- and cross-pollination). Flowers of P. moranensis were visited by long-tongued pollinators, mainly members of the Lepidoptera. Hand-pollination experiments confirmed our prediction and suggest that flower traits might favour cross-pollination. We mainly discuss the implications of the patchy distribution of plants and behaviour of pollinators on gene movement in this plant species, as pollination between genetically related individuals could be occurring.