Acetoin is a key odor for resource location in the giant robber crab .

The terrestrial and omnivorous robber crab inhabits islands of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The animals live solitarily but occasionally gather at freshly opened coconuts or fructiferous arenga palms. By analyzing volatiles of coconuts and arenga fruit, we identified five compounds, including acetoin, which are present in both food sources.

Giant robber crabs monitored from space: GPS-based telemetric studies on Christmas Island (Indian Ocean).

We investigated the navigational capabilities of the world's largest land-living arthropod, the giant robber crab Birgus latro (Anomura, Coenobitidae); this crab reaches 4 kg in weight and can reach an age of up to 60 years. Populations are distributed over small Indo-Pacific islands of the tropics, including Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). Although this species has served as a crustacean model to explore anatomical, physiological, and ecological aspects of terrestrial adaptations, few behavioral analyses of it exist.

Multiple gene genealogies and species recognition in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus.

Paxillus involutus (basidiomycetes, Boletales) is a common ectomycorrhizal fungus in the Northern Hemisphere. The fungus displays significant variation in phenotypic characters related to morphology, physiology, and ecology. Previous studies have shown that P.

Ectomycorrhizal mycelial species composition in apatite amended and non-amended mesh bags buried in a phosphorus-poor spruce forest.

We studied the effect of apatite amendment on ectomycorrhizal (EM) mycelial biomass production and species composition in a phosphorus-poor spruce forest using sand-filled mesh bags. Control and apatite-amended bags were buried in pairs in the lower part of the organic horizon for one growth season. DNA extraction, PCR of the ITS region, cloning and random sequencing were used to examine the fungal species composition in each bag.

UNITE: a database providing web-based methods for the molecular identification of ectomycorrhizal fungi.

Identification of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi is often achieved through comparisons of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences with accessioned sequences deposited in public databases. A major problem encountered is that annotation of the sequences in these databases is not always complete or trustworthy. In order to overcome this deficiency, we report on UNITE, an open-access database.

Insect-like olfactory adaptations in the terrestrial giant robber crab.

The robber crab (Birgus latro), also known as the coconut crab, is the world's largest land-living arthropod, with a weight reaching 4 kg and a length of over half a meter. Apart from the marine larval stage, this crab is fully terrestrial, and will actually drown if submerged in water. A transition from sea to land raises dramatically new demands on the sensory equipment of an animal.

Divergence in gene expression related to variation in host specificity of an ectomycorrhizal fungus.

Ectomycorrhizae are formed by mutualistic interactions between fungi and the roots of woody plants. During symbiosis the two organisms exchange carbon and nutrients in a specific tissue that is formed at the contact between a compatible fungus and plant. There is considerable variation in the degree of host specificity among species and strains of ectomycorrhizal fungi.

The influence of substrate pH on carbon translocation in ectomycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal pine seedlings.

The effects of changed substrate pH on translocation and partitioning of C-labeled plant assimilates were examined in laboratory microcosms containing mycorrhizal (unidentified fungal isolate 'Pink FMT 87:2') and non-mycorrhizal seedlings of Pinus sylvestris L. and Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.

Effects of liming on ectomycorrhizal fungi infecting Pinus sylvestris L.: III. Saprophytic growth and host plant infection at different pH values in unsterile humus.

Five ectomycorrhizal fungi were studied in relation to the effects of applications of lime and wood ash to the growth substrate. Growth and survival of inoculated fungi in unsterile humus and relative root colonization frequency by inoculated and indigenous ectomycorrhizal fungi were measured. Growth of the fungi was tested in Petri dish systems with humus taken from a field site treated with lime and wood ash.