Spatial heterogeneity of factors influencing forest fires size in northern Mexico

In Mexico, forest fires are strongly influenced by environmental, topographic, and anthropogenic factors. A government-based database covering the period 2000-2011 was used to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of the factors influencing forest fire size in the state of Durango, Mexico. Ordinary least squares and geographically weighted regression models were fit to identify the main factors as well as their spatial influence on fire size. Results indicate that fire size is greatly affected by distance to roads, distance to towns, precipitation, temperature, and a population gravity index. The geographically weighted model was better than the ordinary least squares model. The improvement of the former is due to the influence of factors that were found to be non-stationary. These results suggest that geographic location determines the influence of a factor on fire size. While the models can be greatly improved with additional information, the study suggests the need to adopt fire management policies to more efficiently reduce the effect of anthropogenic factors. These policies may include more training for landowners who use fire for clearing, closure of roads, application of thinning, prescribed burning, and fire breaks in perimeters adjacent to roads.     

Participation of ascorbic acid in the dormancy establishment of poplar lateral branch buds

This work studied the participation of ascorbic acid (AA) in the dormancy establishment of apical buds of poplar (Populus deltoides Bartram ex Marshall cv. Catfish 2) lateral branches. AA content was highest during the active growth period and decreased to the lowest content during bud dormancy. The accumulation of the oxidised form, dehydroascorbate, was similar in either growth or dormant bud stages. The supplementation of buds with AA at the end of the summer delayed bud set. Similarly, the supplementation of buds with gibberellic acid extended the growth period and kept a high AA content in the apoplast. These results suggest that a decrease in the accumulation of reduced AA might be needed for the dormancy establishment in apical buds of poplar lateral branches.     

Increase in milt production by hormonal treatment in the pejerrey fish Odontesthes bonariensis (Valenciennes 1835)

In spite of interest in the cultivation of the pejerrey fish Odontesthes bonariensis (Cuvier & Valenciennes 1835), there are few studies on subjects required to advance this activity. One of the problems is the synchronization of female and male maturation to provide eggs and sperm for larval production. The low volume of expressible milt, either in wild or culture fish, is a major problem. The aim of this work was to study the effectiveness of the administration of different hormones on sperm production in pejerrey. Milt production was enhanced by the injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (16.7‐fold increase, 625 IU kg^?1), carp pituitary extracts (13.5‐fold increase, 30 mg kg^?1), salmon pituitary extracts (12.8‐fold increase, 30 mg kg^?1), salmon‐type gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogue (GnRH) (16.7‐fold increase, 10 μg kg^?1) and mammalian‐type GnRH analogue (10.8‐fold increase, 20 μg kg^?1). Sperm concentration, motility and the fertilization rate were not statistically different compared with control groups. It was also demonstrated that sperm could be obtained off‐season. Taken together, hCG is recommended to stimulate pejerrey spermiation because it is effective in low doses is inexpensive and is widely available.     

Effects of progestagen exposure duration on estrus synchronization and conception rates of crossbreed ewes undergoing fixed time artificial insemination

Synchronization of estrus and ovulation are of paramount importance in modern livestock improvement programs. These methods are critical for assisted reproduction technologies, including artificial insemination and embryo transfer, that can increase productivity. In the current study, subcutaneous implants containing norgestomet were placed for long (14 days), medium (9 days), and short (5 days) periods of time in 70 crossbred ewes undergoing fixed-time artificial insemination. The resulting effects on estrus synchronization and conception rates were subsequently evaluated. Among the synchronized ewes, 85.7% (60/70) underwent estrus over a period of 72 h after progestagen treatment ceased. The shortest mean interval between withdrawal of the device and onset of estrus (34.2 ± 8.9 h) was observed in the G14 days of P4 group (p < 0.05). The conception rate of the G14 days of P4 group was statistically higher than that of the other groups (83.3% vs. 60.9% vs. 47.8%; p < 0.05). In conclusion, 14 days of norgestomet treatment produced higher conception rates and a greater number of pregnancies at the beginning of the breeding season.     

Thermal preference and tolerance of green abalone Haliotis fulgens (Philippi, 1845) and pink abalone Haliotis corrugata (Gray, 1828)

The thermoregulatory behaviour of green abalone Haliotis fulgens and pink abalone H. corrugata was investigated. Haliotis fulgens juveniles ranging in wet weight from 3.0 to 3.3 g and from 28.7 to 30.5 mm shell length and of H. corrugata 2.0 g and 25.7 mm in shell length were exposed to 19°C for 30 days in a flow‐through water system. Temperature preference was determined in a horizontal thermal gradient and was found to be 25.4°C for green abalone and 25.0°C for pink abalone. Displacement velocity was 4.3 cm h⁻¹ for H. fulgens and 12.8 cm h⁻¹ for H. corrugata. The optimum temperature for growth calculated for both abalone species was 24.6 and 24.5°C respectively. The critical thermal maxima (CTMax) of H. fulgens and H. corrugata were determined as a measure of thermal tolerance. Abalones were subjected to increasing water temperatures at a rate of 1°C on 30 min until they detached from the substrate. The CTMax at 50% were 33.6 and 32.0°C for green and pink abalone respectively. The results are discussed in relation to site selection and commercial rearing.     

Microbiological Quality Assessment of Watershed Associated with Animal-Based Agriculture in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Environmental problems many times could evolve when manure-containing pathogens are distributed into an open environment with no effort made to reduce the content of pathogens or limit their movement in the environment. Wind, surface flow, and subsurface flow can all carry enough pathogens to receiving waters to exceed water quality standards. This study was conducted to assess the microbiological quality of water associated with animal-based agriculture in the sub-basin of Pinhal River located in the rural area of Concordia, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Six sampling points representing different agricultural land uses (LU1—dairy cattle; LU2—without animals; LU3—dairy + pigs + poultry + crops; LU4—pigs + poultry + crops; LU5—dairy + pigs + poultry + crops + human; and LU6—dairy+pigs+crops) along the Pinhal River sub-basin (north to south) were sampled biweekly from August 2006 to December 2008. Concentrations of fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli varied significantly (p?≤?0.05) with land use (LU), but there was no interaction effect of LU, season, and time. Water samples from the catchment area of LU1 had the highest concentration of fecal coliforms (4,479?±?597 CFU ml^?1) when compared with other catchment areas. Catchment area associated with LU2 (no animal) had the lowest concentrations of fecal coliforms (39.2?±?5.2 CFU ml^?1). With the exception of LU2 (control site), all the maximum concentrations of E. coli exceeded the single maximum allowable concentration for E. coli (100 CFU ml^?1). When LU1 was compared with other catchment areas (LU3, 50%; LU4, 67%; LU5, 58%; and LU6, 44%), it had the lowest counts (39%) of Salmonella sp. Our results suggest that spatial pattern of bacterial water quality is evident, which can be linked to the different land uses and associated practices (present or absent of animal activities). Therefore, varying responses associated with the different land uses would be critical in identifying the importance of different sources of bacteria in the catchment area and the mechanisms transferring them.     

Copper Biosorption by Biomass of Marine Alga: Study of Equilibrium and Kinetics in Batch System and Adsorption/Desorption Cycles in Fixed Bed Column

Copper biosorption onto chemically modified biomass of marine alga Sargassum filipendula was investigated in a batch reactor and a fixed bed column. Experiments were carried out in the batch reactor to obtain kinetic and equilibrium data and to assess the copper desorption efficiency of different eluent solutions. The pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Langmuir kinetic models were used to correlate kinetic data. The experimental data fitted well to the pseudo first order and Langmuir kinetic models. Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe the equilibrium data obtained at a fixed temperature of 30°C and at pH values of 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0. The maximum capacities of copper biosorption onto the algal biomass were 1.43, 1.59, 2.40, and 2.36 mequiv./g at pH 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0, respectively. The efficiencies of two eluent solutions (calcium chloride and hydrochloric acid) for copper removal from the biomass were evaluated at different concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 mol/L). The efficiencies of the calcium chloride solutions varied from 1% to 14%, while efficiencies varying from 95% to 99% were obtained when hydrochloric acid solutions were applied. Three adsorption/desorption cycles were carried out in a fixed bed column using 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid as eluent solution. The results showed that an increase in the number of cycles led to a reduction in the adsorption capacity of the alga. The desorbed copper fraction presented no significant variation, remaining around 63% in the three adsorption/desorption cycles.     

Grain weight responses to post-anthesis spikelet-trimming in an old and a modern wheat under Mediterranean conditions

Average grain weight is a major yield component contributing to its variation, especially in Mediterranean regions where grain weight is frequently exposed to terminal stresses affecting grain growth. Most of the literature agrees that wheat grain growth is hardly limited by the source. However, no source–sink ratios studies seem to have been conducted in the Mediterranean region to determine to what degree wheat grain growth is actually limited by the source in these particular regions. We conducted two field experiments in Catalonia (north-eastern Spain), where an old cultivar (Anza) and a more recently released one (Soissons) were sown in a range of different nitrogen and water availabilities and sowing dates. This was to analyse the degree of source limitation for grain growth. Sink size was modified by removing half of the spikelets c. 10 days after anthesis, virtually doubling the availability of assimilates per grain effectively growing.

Trimming the spikes did not produce significant changes in grain growth rate or duration of grain filling. Consequently, grain weight did not respond noticeably to the reduction in sink demand and any eventual response has been far from representing a strong competition among grains during grain filling.     

Heavy Metal Contamination in Sediments of Lake Nahuel Huapi,Nahuel Huapi National Park,Northern Patagonia,Argentina

Trace metals (Sb, As, Br, Cs, Co, Cr, Ag and Hg), rare earth elements (Ce, Eu, La, Lu, Sm, Tb and Yb), and Sc. were analysed in suspended load and in two sediment cores from Lake Nahuel Huapi, Nahuel Huapi National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, by using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. The core activity profiles of ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs were measured to estimate the age of the sediments. Silver was enriched in the upper layers of both cores, and correlated with the strong growthof the population of Bariloche City in the last 50 yr. Concentrations are higher in the core sampled near Bariloche, andindicate some transport in the water body. Silver concentrationsmeasured in the suspended load were 4.58±0.36 and 3.46±0.40 μg g^-1 in the southern margin of the lake, near San Carlos de Bariloche City, whereas in the northern margin the concentrations were 1.68±0.18 and 1.88±0.23 μg g^-1. Concentration ratio for silver in suspended load and upper core layers were equal in both sampling points. These facts suggest that Ag contents correspond to inputs associated with human activities. Bromine concentrations show a strong increase abovebase line values, similar to silver. In contrast, caesium, chromium, and cobalt concentrations do not differ from base linevalues. The metalloids antimony and arsenic show little variationwith regard to base line concentration. Noticeable, the mercurycontents found in the suspended load.