A spider mating plug functions to protect sperm.

Mating plugs in animals are ubiquitous and are commonly interpreted to be products of mating strategies. In spiders, however, mating plugs may also take on functions beyond female remating prevention. Due to the vagaries of female genital (spermathecal) anatomy, most spiders face the problem of having to secure additional, non-anatomical, protection for transferred sperm.

Comparative morphology refines the conventional model of spider reproduction.

Our understanding of spider reproductive biology is hampered by the vast anatomical diversity and difficulties associated with its study. Although authors agree on the two general types of female spider genitalia, haplogyne (plesiomorphic) and entelegyne (apomorphic), our understanding of variation within each group mostly concerns the external genital part, while the internal connections with the reproductive duct are largely unknown. Conventionally and simplistically, the spermathecae of haplogynes have simple two-way ducts, and those of entelegynes have separate copulatory and fertilization ducts for sperm to be transferred in and out of spermathecae, respectively.

Consolidated bioprocessing for cellulosic ethanol conversion by cellulase-xylanase cell-surfaced yeast consortium.

Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) strategy was developed to construct a cell-surface displayed consortium for heterologously expressing functional lignocellulytic enzymes. The reaction system composed of two engineered yeast strains: Y5/XynII-XylA (co-displaying two types of xylanases) and Y5/EG-CBH-BGL (co-displaying three types of cellulases). The immobilization of recombinant fusion proteins and their cell-surface accessibility of were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence.

Resolving the phylogeny of a speciose spider group, the family Linyphiidae (Araneae).

For high-level molecular phylogenies, a comprehensive sampling design is a key factor for not only improving inferential accuracy, but also for maximizing the explanatory power of the resulting phylogeny. Two standing problems in molecular phylogenies are the unstable placements of some deep and long branches, and the phylogenetic relationships shown by robust supported clades conflict with recognized knowledge. Empirical and theoretical studies suggest that increasing taxon sampling is expected to ameliorate, if not resolve, both problems; however, sometimes neither the current taxonomic system nor the established phylogeny can provide sufficient information to guide additional sampling design.