A case study of FD and BN phytoplasma variability in Croatia: multigene sequence analysis approach

European Journal of Plant Pathology - Uncultivable bacteria from the genus ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ are associated with grapevine yellows (GY) diseases worldwide. In Euro-Mediterranean...     

Weak effects of habitat type on susceptibility to invasive freshwater species: an Italian case study

相似文献   

Effects of habitat degradation on the abundance, richness and diversity of raptors across Neotropical biomes

Population growth and human development result in biodiversity loss and biological homogenization not only in developed countries, but increasingly in the less developed countries as well. In those countries, where urbanization and agricultural intensification occur at a faster rate than in developed countries, habitat degradation appears to be the leading cause of wildlife loss. During the breeding seasons of 2002–2005 we conducted road surveys across five biomes of Argentina to detect variations in raptor community attributes as potential indicators of broad scale habitat degradation. Abundance of individuals, richness and diversity of species were calculated to assess the effects of habitat transformation and patch size on these community attributes. Raptor communities strongly varied in relation to habitat transformations, with lower abundance of individuals, richness and diversity of species in more transformed landscapes. Small patches of natural vegetation and locations in which natural and cultivated lands where interspersed showed lower richness and diversity of raptors than large patches. Fragmentation was the main cause of reductions in abundance of individuals. Although the relative contribution of our two estimates of habitat degradation to abundance, richness and diversity of raptors varied among biomes, these community attributes proved useful as predictors of habitat degradation. This was especially true in habitats where raptor communities are more complex although overall patterns remained constant across biomes, from forests to deserts. Taking into account current trends of habitat transformation (drastic increments in monocultures, urban areas, and habitat patchiness), the conservation of raptor communities in these biomes could be seriously compromised. In terms of species-specific responses of raptors to habitat degradation, a rapid process of homogenization can be expected, resulting in only a few winner species within a general scenario of losers.     

Extra hepatic expression of the acute phase protein alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in normal bovine tissues

Combined quantitative (real-time) polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the expression of the minor acute phase protein alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP, orosomucoid) in bovine extrahepatic tissues. AGP was produced mainly in the salivary glands and spleen, whereas minor expression was detected in all other tissues sampled, including lung, lymph nodes, uterus, ovary, kidney and tongue. The findings were consistent with immunohistochemical results. In view of the immunomodulatory and direct antibacterial activity of AGP, its expression in the salivary glands may signal an involvement in the regulation of the local immunity, even in non-pathological conditions.     

Forest management and carbon sequestration in wood products

Wood products are considered to contribute to the mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions. A critical gap in the life cycle of wood products is to transfer the raw timber from the forest to the processing wood industry and, thus, the primary wood products. Therefore, often rough estimates are used for this step to obtain total forestry carbon balances. The objectives of this study were (1) to examine the fate of timber harvested in Thuringian state forests (central Germany), representing a large, intensively managed forested region, and (2) to quantify carbon stocks and the lifetime of primary wood products made from this timber. The analyses were based on the amount and assortments of actually sold timber, and production parameters of the companies that bought and processed this timber. In addition, for coniferous stands of a selected Thuringian forest district, we calculated potential effects of management, as expressed by different thinning regimes on wood products and their lifetimes. Total annual timber sale of soft- and hardwoods from Thuringian state forests (195,000 ha) increased from about 136,893 t C (~0.7 t C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) in 1996 to 280,194 t C (~1.4 t C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) in 2005. About 47% of annual total timber harvest went into short-lived wood products with a mean residence time (MRT) < 25 years. Thirty-one per cent of the total harvest went into wood products with an MRT of 25–43 years, and only 22% was used as construction wood and glued wood, products with the longest MRT (50 years). The average MRT of carbon in harvested wood products was 20 years. Thinning from above throughout the rotation of spruce forests would lead to an average MRT in harvested wood products of about 23 years, thinning from below of about 18 years. A comparison of our calculations with estimates that resulted from the products module of the CO2FIX model (Nabuurs et al. 2001) demonstrates the influence of regional differences in forest management and wood processing industry on the lifetime of harvested wood products. To our knowledge, the present study provides for the first time real carbon inputs of a defined forest management unit to the wood product sector by linking data on raw timber production, timber sales and wood processing. With this new approach and using this data, it should be possible to substantially improve the net-carbon balance of the entire forestry sector.     

Estimating Crop Coefficient in Intermittent Irrigation Paddy Fields Using Excel Solver

The current study proposes a novel method using Excel Solver to estimate,from limited data,crop coefficient(Kc) in paddy fields under intermittent irrigation(II).The proposed method was examined in a field experiment conducted at Karang Sari Village,Bekasi,West Java,Indonesia during the first rice season of 2007/2008(December 2007 to April 2008) in the rainy season.As the control,continuous flooding irrigation(CF) was applied to the conventional rice cultivation fields.Based on the observed water storage,Excel Solver was used to estimate crop evapotranspiration.Estimated crop evapotranspiration was used to compute Kc value,then the average Kc values at each growth stage were compared with that for the CF treatment.The estimation method was evaluated by comparing estimated crop evapotranspiration and the crop evapotranspiration derived by the well established FAO procedure.Excel Solver estimated crop evapotranspiration accurately with R2 values higher than 0.81.Accordingly,more than 81% of the FAO crop evapotranspiration was described by the proposed method.Thus,Kc value could be well determined from those estimated crop evapotranspiration.Under the II treatment,the average Kc values were 0.70,1.06,1.24 and 1.22 for the initial,crop development,reproductive and late stages,respectively.These values were lower than those under the CF treatment for initial and crop development stages because of a minimal soil evaporation and intense dryness during these stages.However,average Kc values under the II treatment were higher than those under the CF treatment at the reproductive and late stages,indicating that the II treatment promoted more plant activity particularly for dry biomass production as indicated by a greater number of tillers per hill.     

Maßnahmen zur Eindämmung des Brennnesseltyps der Schwarzholzkrankheit bei Weinreben (Vitis vinifera)

Since 2003 incidence of Bois noir disease (Stolbur Type I) in the area of Baden-Württemberg has rapidly increased. Hylasthes obsoletus, known vector cicada transmitting Bois noir disease from stinging nettle to grapevine, was found on stinging nettles located at vineyard walls or vineyard tracks. Phytoplasma of Stolbur Type I (host plant: stinging nettles) were also detected within samples of Hylasthes obsoletus. Incidence of Bois noir disease could be strongly reduced by either not mowing or destroying stinging nettles (host plant of Hyalesthes obsoletus) between June and August, the flight period of Hylasthes obsoletus, or by eradication of stinging nettles in winter. Fighting stinging nettles between November and March with Glyphosate resulted in a dramatic decrease of vector cicada. Pruning experiments of the extremely sensitive grape variety Lemberger and the variety Trollinger showed that survival of grape vines significantly improved compared to normal pruning in winter if the vines were cut off 10?cm above ground immediately after detection of the first symptoms. In contrast, cutting off vines 10?cm above ground in summer had no effect on survival rates of 40 year old grape vines of the variety Pinot noir. Furthermore, most of these old grapevines did not survive this dramatic pruning measure. Generally it is advised to cut off diseased plant material as soon as symptoms become visible.     

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—ULTRASONOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE OF SKELETAL MUSCLE METASTASES IN A DOG WITH HEMANGIOSARCOMA

A 13‐year‐old spayed female German shepherd dog was presented for acute onset of lethargy, anorexia, and disseminated erythematous skin lesions. Thoracic radiographs and abdominal ultrasonographic findings were consistent with metastatic hemangiosarcoma. Multiple, ill‐defined, irregularly shaped hypoechoic nodules were also detected within the thoracic and abdominal wall. Hemangiosarcoma metastases to the skeletal muscle were confirmed based on histopathological examination. Multivisceral involvement was also confirmed by necropsy. Metastatic neoplasia should be considered as a differential diagnosis for dogs with ill‐defined, irregular, hypoechoic, intramuscular nodules.     

Experimental evaluation of four airway devices in anaesthetized New Zealand White rabbits

Objective

To compare airway management during induction of anaesthesia, spontaneous ventilation (SV) and controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV), using an endotracheal tube (ETT), laryngeal mask (LM), rabbit-specific supraglottic airway device (v-gel) or facemask (FM).