Stanislav S. Shabala

Calcium efflux systems in stress signaling and adaptation in plants

Transient cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]cyt) elevation is an ubiquitous denominator of the signaling network when plants are exposed to literally every known abiotic and biotic stress. These stress-induced [Ca2+]cyt elevations vary in magnitude, frequency, and shape, depending on the severity of the stress as well the type of stress experienced. This creates a unique stress-specific calcium “signature” that is then decoded by signal transduction networks. While most published papers have been focused predominantly on the role of Ca2+ influx mechanisms to shaping [Ca2+]cyt signatures, restoration of the basal [Ca2+]cyt levels is impossible without both cytosolic Ca2+ buffering and efficient Ca2+ efflux mechanisms removing excess Ca2+ from cytosol, to reload Ca2+ stores and to terminate Ca2+ signaling. This is the topic of the current review. The molecular identity of two major types of Ca2+ efflux systems, Ca2+-ATPase pumps and Ca2+/H+ exchangers, is described, and their regulatory modes are analyzed in detail. The spatial and temporal organization of calcium signaling networks is described, and the importance of existence of intracellular calcium microdomains is discussed. Experimental evidence for the role of Ca2+ efflux systems in plant responses to a range of abiotic and biotic factors is summarized. Contribution of Ca2+-ATPase pumps and Ca2+/H+ exchangers in shaping [Ca2+]cyt signatures is then modeled by using a four-component model (plasma- and endo-membrane-based Ca2+-permeable channels and efflux systems) taking into account the cytosolic Ca2+ buffering. It is concluded that physiologically relevant variations in the activity of Ca2+-ATPase pumps and Ca2+/H+ exchangers are sufficient to fully describe all the reported experimental evidence and determine the shape of [Ca2+]cyt signatures in response to environmental stimuli, emphasizing the crucial role these active efflux systems play in plant adaptive responses to environment.

The duty cycle of local radio galaxies

We use a volume- and flux-limited sample of local (0.03 i z i 0.1) radio galaxies with optical counterparts to address the question of how long a typical galaxy spends in radio active and quiescent states. The length of the active phase has a strong dependence on the stellar mass of the host galaxy. Radio sources in the most massive hosts are also retriggered more frequently. The time spent in the active phase has the same dependence on stellar mass as does the gas cooling rate, suggesting the onset of the quiescent phase is due to fuel depletion. We find radio and emission-line active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity to be independent, consistent with these corresponding to different accretion states.

AGN JET KINETIC POWER AND THE ENERGY BUDGET OF RADIO GALAXY LOBES

Recent results based on the analysis of radio galaxies and their hot X-ray emitting atmospheres suggest that non-radiating particles dominate the energy budget in the lobes of FR I radio galaxies, in some cases by a factor of more than 1000, while radiating particles dominate the energy budget in FR II radio galaxy lobes. This implies a significant difference in the radiative efficiency of the two morphological classes. To test this hypothesis, we have measured the kinetic energy flux for a sample of 3C FR II radio sources using a new method based on the observed parameters of the jet terminal hotspots, and compared the resulting Q jet-L radio relation to that obtained for FR I radio galaxies based on X-ray cavity measurements. Contrary to expectations, we find approximate agreement between the Q jet-L radio relations determined separately for FR I and FR II radio galaxies. This result is ostensibly difficult to reconcile with the emerging scenario in which the lobes of FR I and FR II radio galaxies have vastly different energy budgets. However, a combination of lower density environment, spectral aging and strong shocks driven by powerful FR II radio galaxies may reduce the radiative efficiency of these objects relative to FR Is and counteract, to some extent, the higher radiative efficiency expected to arise due to the lower fraction of energy in non-radiating particles. An unexpected corollary is that extrapolating the Q jet-L radio relation determined for low power FR I radio galaxies provides a reasonable approximation for high power sources, despite their apparently different lobe compositions.

Galaxy Zoo: dust lane early-type galaxies are tracers of recent, gas-rich minor mergers

We present the second of two papers concerning the origin and evolution of local early-type galaxies exhibiting dust features. We use optical and radio data to examine the nature of AGN activity in these objects, and compare these with carefully constructed control samples. We find that dust lane early-type galaxies are much more likely to host emission-line AGN than the control samples. Moreover, there is a strong correlation between radio and emission-line AGN activity in dust lane early-types, but not the control samples. Dust lane early-type galaxies show the same distribution of AGN properties in rich and poor environments, suggesting a similar triggering mechanism. By contrast, this is not the case for early-types with no dust features. These findings strongly suggest that dust lane early-type galaxies are starburst systems formed in gas-rich mergers. Further evidence in support of this scenario is provided by enhanced star formation and black hole accretion rates in these objects. We derive radio AGN ages and show that these are younger in dust lane galaxies than in the control sample. Dust lane early-types therefore represent an evolutionary stage between starbursting and quiescent galaxies. In these objects, the AGN has already been triggered but has not as yet completely destroyed the gas reservoir required for star formation.

A simple model for AGN feedback in nearby early-type galaxies

Recent work indicates that star-forming early-type galaxies residing in the blue cloud migrate rapidly to the red sequence within around a Gyr, passing through several phases of increasingly strong AGN activity in the process (Schawinski et al. 2007, MNRAS, 382, 1415; S07 hereafter). We show that natural depletion of the cold gas reservoir through star formation (i.e. in the absence of any feedback from the AGN) induces a blue-to-red reddening rate that is several factors lower than that observed in S07. This is because the gas depletion rate due to star formation alone is too slow, implying that another process needs to be invoked to remove cold gas from the system and accelerate the reddening rate. We develop a simple phenomenological model, in which a fraction of the AGN’s luminosity couples to the gas reservoir over a certain ‘feedback timescale’ and removes part of the cold gas mass from the galaxy, while the remaining gas continues to contribute to star formation. We use the model to investigate scenarios which yield migration times consistent with the results of S07. We find that acceptable models have feedback timescales . 0.2 Gyrs. The mass fraction in young stars in the remnants is . 5% and the residual cold gas fractions are less than 0.6%, in good agreement with the recent literature. At least half of the initial cold gas reservoir is removed as the galaxies evolve from the blue cloud to the red sequence. If we restrict ourselves to feedback timescales similar to the typical duty cycles of local AGN (a few hundred Myrs) then a few tenths of a percent of the luminosity of an early-type Seyfert (� 10 11 L⊙) must couple to the cold gas reservoir in order to produce migration times that are consistent with the observations.

Galaxy Zoo: dust and molecular gas in early-type galaxies with prominent dust lanes

We explore the properties of dust and associated molecular gas in 352 nearby (0.01 < z < 0.07) early-type galaxies (ETGs) with prominent dust lanes, drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Two-thirds of these ‘dusty ETGs’ (D-ETGs) are morphologically disturbed, which suggests a merger origin, making these galaxies ideal test beds for studying the merger process at low redshift. The D-ETGs preferentially reside in lower density environments, compared to a control sample drawn from the general ETG population. Around 80 per cent of D-ETGs inhabit the field (compared to 60 per cent of the control ETGs) and less than 2 per cent inhabit clusters (compared to 10 per cent of the control ETGs). Compared to their control-sample counterparts, D-ETGs exhibit bluer ultraviolet–optical colours (indicating enhanced levels of star formation) and an active galactic nucleus fraction that is more than an order of magnitude greater (indicating a strikingly higher incidence of nuclear activity). The mass of clumpy dust residing in large-scale dust features is estimated, using the SDSS r-band images, to be in the range 104.5–106.5 M⊙. A comparison to the total (clumpy + diffuse) dust masses – calculated using the far-infrared fluxes of 15 per cent of the D-ETGs that are detected by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) – indicates that only 20 per cent of the dust is typically contained in these large-scale dust features. The dust masses are several times larger than the maximum value expected from stellar mass loss, ruling out an internal origin. The dust content shows no correlation with the blue luminosity, indicating that it is not related to a galactic scale cooling flow. Furthermore, no correlation is found with the age of the recent starburst, suggesting that the dust is accreted directly in the merger rather than being produced in situ by the triggered star formation. Using molecular gas-to-dust ratios of ETGs in the literature, we estimate that the median current molecular gas fraction in the IRAS-detected ETGs is ∼1.3 per cent. Adopting reasonable values for gas depletion time-scales and starburst ages, the median initial gas fraction in these D-ETGs is ∼4 per cent. Recent work has suggested that the merger activity in nearby ETGs largely involves minor mergers (dry ETG + gas-rich dwarf), with mass ratios between 1:10 and 1:4. If the IRAS-detected D-ETGs have formed via this channel, then the original gas fractions of the accreted satellites are between 20 and 44 per cent.

The Australia Telescope Large Area Survey: spectroscopic catalogue and radio luminosity functions

The Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS) has surveyed 7 square degrees of sky around the Chandra Deep Field South and the European Large Area ISO Survey-South 1 fields at 1.4 GHz. ATLAS aims to reach a uniform sensitivity of 10 μJy  beam −1 rms over the entire region with first data release currently reaching ∼ 30 μJy  beam −1 rms. Here we present 466 new spectroscopic redshifts for radio sources in ATLAS as part of our optical follow-up programme. Of the 466 radio sources with new spectroscopic redshifts, 142 have star-forming optical spectra, 282 show evidence for active galactic nuclei (AGN) in their optical spectra, 10 have stellar spectra and 32 have spectra revealing redshifts, but with insufficient features to classify. We compare our spectroscopic classifications with two mid-infrared diagnostics and find them to be in broad agreement. We also construct the radio luminosity function for star-forming galaxies to z = 0.5 and for AGN to z = 0.8. The radio luminosity function for star-forming galaxies appears to be in good agreement with previous studies. The radio luminosity function for AGN appears higher than previous studies of the local AGN radio luminosity function. We explore the possibility of evolution, cosmic variance and classification techniques affecting the AGN radio luminosity function. ATLAS is a pathfinder for the forthcoming Evolution Map of the Universe (EMU) survey and the data presented in this paper will be used to guide EMUs survey design and early science papers.

Triggered star formation in the inner filament of Centaurus A

We present recent Hubble Space Telescopeobservations of the inner filament of Centaurus A, using the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) F225W, F657N and F814W filters. We find a young stellar population near the south-west tip of the filament. Combining the WFC3 dataset with archival Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) F606W observations, we are able to constrain the ages of these stars to ∼10 Myrs, with best-fit ages of 1-4 Myrs. No further recent star-formation is found along the filament. Based on the location and age of this stellar population, and the fact that there is no radio lobe or jet activity near the star-formation, we propose an u pdated explanation for the origin of the inner filament. Sutherland et al. suggested that radio jet-induced shocks can drive the observed optical line emission. We argue that such shocks can naturally arise due to a weak cocoon-driven bow shock (rather than from the radio jet directly), propagating through the diffuse interstellar medium from a location near the inner northern radio lobe. The shock can overrun a molecular cloud, triggering star-formation in th e dense molecular cores. Ablation and shock heating of the diffuse gas then gives rise to the observed optical line and X-ray emission. Deeper X-ray observations should show more diffuse emission along the filament.

Energetics and Lifetimes of Local Radio Active Galactic Nuclei

We present a model describing the evolution of Fanaroff-Riley type I and II radio AGN, and the transition between these classes. We quantify galaxy environments using a semi-analytic galaxy formation model, and apply our model to a volume-limited low redshift (

The AuScope Geodetic VLBI Array

0.03 \leqslant z \leqslant 0.1