Wheat grain quality under increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations in a semi-arid cropping system

We investigated wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain quality under Free Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) of 550 ± 10% CO₂ μmol mol⁻¹. In each of two full growing seasons (2008 and 2009), two times of sowing were compared, with late sowing designed to mimic high temperature during grain filling. Grain samples were subjected to a range of physical, nutritional and rheological quality assessments. Elevated CO₂ increased thousand grain weight (8%) and grain diameter (5%). Flour protein concentration was reduced by 11% at e[CO₂], with the highest reduction being observed at the late time of sowing in 2009, (15%). Most of the grain mineral concentrations decreased under e[CO₂] - Ca (11%), Mg (7%), P (11%) and S (7%), Fe (10%), Zn (17%), Na (19%), while total uptake of these nutrients per unit ground area increased. Rheological properties of the flour were altered by e[CO₂] and bread volume reduced by 7%. Phytate concentration in grains tended to decrease (17%) at e[CO₂] while grain fructan concentration remained unchanged. The data suggest that rising atmospheric [CO₂] will reduce the nutritional and rheological quality of wheat grain, but at high temperature, e[CO₂] effects may be moderated. Reduced phytate concentrations at e[CO₂] may improve bioavailability of Fe and Zn in wheat grain.     

Purification and Characterization of an Antioxidant Protein from Pearl Oyster (Pinctada fucata martensii)

Protein from pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata martensii) was purified and characterized. Results showed that the pearl muscle protein (PMP) was composed of a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of approximate 11.6 kDa and contained 95.1% of the protein and 4.92% of the carbohydrate of the oyster. The polypeptide appears to be a glycoprotein, since the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of the PMP shows the typical characteristics of protein and polysaccharides. The denaturation temperature of the PMP was 81.3°C by differential scanning calorimetry. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that the PMP has a highly ordered structure. The PMP (200 μg/mL) showed a high oxygen radical absorbance activity (ORAC) of 6.57 μmol Trolox/μmol protein. Its antioxidant activity was stable at temperatures from 30–80°C and pH 2–10. The antioxidant activity was significantly inhibited by Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, and EDTA and enhanced by Mn²⁺. The results suggest that the PMP could be used as a potential natural antioxidant.     

Variable variability: difficulties in estimation and consequences for fisheries management

Recent analyses propose that the key regulatory processes in fisheries are stochastic, characterized by increased recruitment variance at low stock sizes (heteroscedasticity). Here, we investigate the consequences of this idea, with the aim of testing its practical relevance to fisheries management. We argue that stock‐recruitment time series are at least one order of magnitude too short to reliably fit heteroscedastic models; indeed, they are typically insufficient even to establish in which direction recruitment variance changes with stock size. Unreliable estimates of heteroscedasticity can have important management implications, depending on the sign of the coefficient of heteroscedasticity. Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) estimates from simple models, which include heteroscedasticity can be volatile, unrealistically high and sometimes non‐existent, as illustrated by an analysis of North Sea cod (Gadus morhua) data. In contrast, for North Sea herring (clupea harengus) data, heteroscedasticity has a negligible effect on MSY estimates. Statistical models are useful to elucidate broad‐scale regulatory processes, but will need to combined with the mechanistic understanding offered by models of population dynamics before being applied in a management setting.     

Dietary effect of squid and fish meals on growth and survival of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei in the presence or absence of phytoplankton in an indoor tank system

This study was conducted in 36 indoor 40‐L fibreglass aquaria to determine the weight gain and survival of Litopenaeus vannamei fed different dietary levels of fish (FM) and squid meal (SM) and to evaluate the potential of phytoplankton to reduce FM and SM levels in shrimp feeds. Six experimental isonitrogenous (35% protein) and isocaloric (17.5 kJ g^?1) diets were formulated to contain either 5%, 10% or 20% SM combined with either 6.5% or 12% FM. Dietary effects on growth and survival were compared in two systems: a ‘CLEAR water system’ (CWS) without the presence of microalgae and a ‘GREEN water system’ (GWS) with microalgae in the culture water. Shrimp cultured in the GWS had 28–57% greater weight gain than those cultured in the CWS, regardless of dietary treatment. However, survival was not different. Shrimp cultured in the CWS or the GWS, and fed diets containing combinations of FM and SM did not show differences in weight gain and feed conversion ratio. These results suggest that under the conditions existing during this research, 6.5% FM and 5% SM can be used as a cost‐effective combination in commercial feeds for shrimp production and that growth can be enhanced in the presence of primary productivity.     

Mesohabitat associations of the threatened San Marcos salamander (Eurycea nana) across its geographic range

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Evaluation of chitosan and alginate immobilized Methylobacterium oryzae CBMB20 on tomato plant growth

Methylobacterium oryzae CBMB20, a promising plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) and a biocontrol agent, was immobilized in different formulations such as wet chitosan, dry chitosan, wet alginate and dry alginate and were tested for tomato plant growth promotion. Chitosan solution (1.5%) with pH 5.5–6.0 and 90 min contact time was found optimal for immobilization. The chitosan formulations showed better entrapment efficiency and good degradability resistance apart from slow release of cells under prolonged incubation. Survivability of bacteria (80%) was observed in wet chitosan formulation even after 90 days of storage at 4°C. The spermosphere survival of bacteria was high in both dry and wet chitosan formulations applied soils even after 21 days under greenhouse conditions. While the alginate formulation degraded fully, partial degradation of chitosan formulation was observed even after 30 days, indicating its ability to support the survival of M. oryzae CBMB20 in soil. Plants inoculated with wet chitosan formulation registered 1.3 fold increase in the shoot and root length and dry weight compared to other treatments. Hence, chitosan formulation supporting better plant growth compared to alginate will be a better carrier for taking bacteria to the plant rhizosphere and thereby promote plant growth.