Toxicity of (+)- and (-)-gossypol to the plant pathogen,Rhizoctonia solani

The dimeric sesquiterpene gossypol occurs naturally in cottonseed and other parts of the cotton plant. Gossypol exists as enantiomers because of the restricted rotation around the central binaphthyl bond. The (-)-enantiomer is toxic to nonruminant animals while the (+)-enantiomer exhibits little, if any, toxicity to these animals. Developing cotton plants with low levels of the (-)-gossypol could expand the use of cottonseed as a feed source. Gossypol also may play a role in protecting the plant from pathogens. The relative toxicity of (+)- and (-)-gossypol to plant pathogens has not been reported. We measured the concentration of (+)- and (-)-gossypol in roots from cotton seedlings that were treated with the biocontrol agent Trichoderma virens that induces biosynthesis of gossypol and related terpenoids in cotton roots. (-)-Gossypol was the minor enantiomer in control and treated roots, but levels were slightly higher in roots from T. virens-treated seed. We also determined the toxicity of the gossypol enantiomers and the racemate to the seedling disease pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. The (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of gossypol and the racemate are equally effective in inhibiting growth of this pathogen. The lethal doses of the gossypols required to kill the pathogen appeared to be similar, but their toxicities are significantly less than those of related cotton and kenaf sesquiterpenes. The results indicate that altering the enantiomeric ratio in cotton roots will not adversely affect the resistance of seedlings to the seedling pathogen R. solani.     

Cross-linking cellular prion protein triggers neuronal apoptosis in vivo

Neuronal death is a prominent, but poorly understood, pathological hallmark of prion disease. Notably, in the absence of the cellular prion protein (PrPC), the disease-associated isoform, PrPSc, appears not to be intrinsically neurotoxic, suggesting that PrPC itself may participate directly in the prion neurodegenerative cascade. Here, cross-linking PrPC in vivo with specific monoclonal antibodies was found to trigger rapid and extensive apoptosis in hippocampal and cerebellar neurons. These findings suggest that PrPC functions in the control of neuronal survival and provides a model to explore whether cross-linking of PrPC by oligomeric PrPSc can promote neuronal loss during prion infection.     

The effect of blanket bog drainage on habitat condition and on sheep grazing, evidence from a Welsh upland bog

There has been increasing interest in potential benefits to be gained by restoring damaged peatlands, with the majority of funding currently being driven by the recovery of protected habitats. However, few data are available linking vegetation community declines with peatland drainage, and so the potential for recovery remains difficult to predict. Surprisingly, there is a similar paucity of research demonstrating the extent of drainage impacts on grazing conditions for livestock, despite this being a priority amongst land managers. We attempt to address these two knowledge gaps, first by investigating whether ditches in blanket bog habitat have improved or increased grazing for sheep, and second by assessing the impact of ditches on the condition of vegetation communities. At an extensively drained upland blanket bog in Wales, currently undergoing ditch blocking restoration, we collected vegetation and sheep occurrence data across five catchments and over 2 years. We present evidence that drained areas had remained relatively wet and were less preferred by sheep. Furthermore, our results show that while sheep preferred graminoid-rich areas, drainage did not increase the abundance of this species group. Drainage at the site has, however, resulted in some degradation in blanket bog vegetation adjacent to ditches; although at the landscape scale, historic high grazing levels appear to explain much of the current poor ecological condition of the site. We conclude that drain-blocking restoration should not reduce sheep grazing conditions beyond their current relatively poor state, and thus in this respect may not represent a threat to hill farming productivity.     

Demographic characteristics of scrapie-affected holdings identified by active and passive surveillance schemes in Great Britain: 2002–2005

Several surveillance techniques have been used to quantify the prevalence of both classical and atypical scrapie in British sheep, namely the recording of clinical suspects (RC) and the testing of animals slaughtered at abattoir (AS) or reported as fallen stock (FS). Any estimate of prevalence based on a particular source is likely to have been affected by demographic differences in the populations sampled. In this study, the demographic characteristics of scrapie-affected holdings detected by each of the surveillance streams (RC, AS, FS) in Great Britain were compared. Analyses of all three streams indicated that the probability of an affected holding being detected by a particular stream differed by geographical area, the number of animals brought onto the holding, the type of scrapie identified (classical vs. atypical) and the year. More detailed analysis of AS and FS suggested that the annual and regional differences between these surveys could be explained by differences in sampling effort.     

Effects of forest patch size on avian diversity

The effects of landscape patchiness on the diversity of birds of the Georgia Piedmont were investigated during 1993. Birds were sampled along line transects within relatively large (10–13.25 ha) and small (less than 3.25 ha) forest patches located within nonforest agricultural landscapes. Patterns of habitat use in these patches were compared to those in contiguous forest patches larger than 13.25 ha. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in diversity between large and small woodlots and between contiguous and fragmented landscapes, especially in terms of the numbers of edge and interior species and winter-resident, summer-resident, and year-round birds observed.