Mating type ratios and pathogenicity in Diplodia shoot blight fungi populations: Comparative analysis

Diplodia sapinea and Diplodia scrobiculata are opportunistic pathogens of Pinus species. Several studies about taxonomy, impact and epidemiology of these fungi have been conducted in previous years, which have provided useful information and have raised new issues. These diseases produce a considerable impact on plantations resulting in significant economic losses. The main aims of this study are to increase the knowledge of the potential of genetic exchange and the relative aggressiveness of these organisms that can persist in healthy tissues of asymptomatic trees. A collection of 250 isolates among which are 149 strains collected from Pinus radiata plantations in Basque Country (Spain) and 101 strains from different countries was included in this work. Mating type ratios were analysed and compared using the structure of the MAT locus (MAT1‐1‐1 and MAT1‐2‐1). Inoculations of Pinus radiata seedlings were performed in a biosafety greenhouse (P2) to confirm pathogenicity of isolates and compare their aggressiveness. The frequency of occurrence of both idiomorphs of D. sapinea in Basque Country isolates was close to 1:1, however, for collection of isolates of this fungus from around the world, the ratio was 1:2. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of the two mating types in the Basque Country was random. Despite no detection of a sexual state, these results could suggest sexual reproduction behaviour. The pathogenicity of all strains in the collection was confirmed. Although aggressiveness (in terms of lesion lengths resulting from inoculation) varied greatly, no statistically significant effects of MAT type or pathogen species were detected.     

How is agroforestry perceived in Europe? An assessment of positive and negative aspects by stakeholders

Whilst the benefits of agroforestry are widely recognised in tropical latitudes few studies have assessed how agroforestry is perceived in temperate latitudes. This study evaluates how stakeholders and key actors including farmers, landowners, agricultural advisors, researchers and environmentalists perceive the implementation and expansion of agroforestry in Europe. Meetings were held with 30 stakeholder groups covering different agroforestry systems in 2014 in eleven EU countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom). In total 344 valid responses were received to a questionnaire where stakeholders were asked to rank the positive and negative aspects of implementing agroforestry in their region. Improved biodiversity and wildlife habitats, animal health and welfare, and landscape aesthetics were seen as the main positive aspects of agroforestry. By contrast, increased labour, complexity of work, management costs and administrative burden were seen as the most important negative aspects. Overall, improving the environmental value of agriculture was seen as the main benefit of agroforestry, whilst management and socio-economic issues were seen as the greatest barriers. The great variability in the opportunities and barriers of the systems suggests enhanced adoption of agroforestry across Europe will be most likely to occur with specific initiatives for each type of system.     

Relationship between the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) variant R306ter and physiological responses to mechanical or thermal stimuli in Labrador Retriever dogs

Objective

Variants in the MC1R gene have been associated with red hair color and sensitivity to pain in humans. The study objective was to determine if a relationship exists between MC1R genotype and physiological thermal or mechanical nociceptive thresholds in Labrador Retriever dogs.

Detection method for Fusarium torreyae the canker pathogen of the critically endangered Florida torreya,Torreya taxifolia

Florida torreya (Torreya taxifolia Arn.) is an endangered conifer with a very limited range in the USA: two counties in Florida and one in Georgia, along the Apalachicola River. The species was once abundant in its small native range but suffered a major decline, ~99% loss, in the late 1950s to early 1960s that is thought to have been caused by a disease. Recently, a canker disease caused by Fusarium torreyae was identified as the primary cause of Florida torreya decline. Efforts to restore and preserve the species in situ and ex situ are hampered by lack of pathogen‐free planting stock, and there exists an interest in methods to verify pathogen presence in seeds and seedlings prior to collection and transport for planting. This paper presents a new species‐specific diagnostic method that enables detection of F. torreyae and may allow for conservation programmes to ensure germplasm is free of the pathogen prior to planting.     

Forest fuel mapping and evaluation of LANDFIRE fuel maps in Boulder County,Colorado, USA

A key challenge in modern wildfire mitigation and forest management is accurate mapping of forest fuels in order to determine spatial fire hazard, plan mitigation efforts, and manage active fires. This study quantified forest fuels of the montane zone of Boulder County, CO, USA in an effort to aid wildfire mitigation planning and provide a metric by which LANDFIRE national fuel maps may be compared. Using data from 196 randomly stratified field plots, pre-existing vegetation maps, and derived variables, predictive classification and regression tree models were created for four fuel parameters necessary for spatial fire simulation with FARSITE (surface fuel model, canopy bulk density, canopy base height, and stand height). These predictive models accounted for 56–62% of the variability in forest fuels and produced fuel maps that predicted 91.4% and 88.2% of the burned area of two historic fires simulated in the FARSITE model. Simulations of areas burned based on LANDFIRE national fuel maps were less accurate, burning 77.7% and 40.3% of the historic fire areas. Our results indicate that fuel mapping efforts that utilize local area information and biotic as well as abiotic predictors will more accurately simulate fire spread rates and reflect the inherent variability of forested environments than do current LANDFIRE data products.     

Benthic Recovery after the Cessation of a Gilt‐head Seabream,Sparus aurata,Farm in the Mediterranean Sea

An environmental recovery study was carried out after the cessation of a gilt‐head seabream farm off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Physicochemical variables of sediments, in situ benthic fluxes of oxygen and nutrients, and benthic macrofauna were measured in the farming area and at a control station. Five sampling campaigns were done, one before the closure and the others at 1, 3, 9, and 24 mo after cessation. Benthic flux of ammonium was the first variable to recover, followed by benthic fluxes of phosphate and dissolved oxygen and percentage organic matter in the sediments, which 3 mo after the cessation of farming already showed levels similar to those in the control station. Nine months after cessation, the other abiotic variables of the sediments disturbed by the activity had recovered, such as percentage coarse fraction, total phosphorus concentrations, and redox potential measurements. The recovery of the macrofauna was slower than the abiotic variables. Three months after cessation, Capitella capitata abundance had reduced drastically in the farming area, but similar specific richness levels were not observed between the two sampled zones until 2 yr after farming cessation.     

Paralarval rearing of Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier) in Tuscany,Italy

This paper describes the research work carried out on Octopus vulgaris reproduction at Maricoltura di Rosignano Solvay, Italy, during the period 2002–2007. Already in the first few years, it was possible to establish healthy broodstock groups, starting from subadults captured in the wild. Obtaining numerous viable eggs was not difficult and paralarval rearing up to around 40 days was successful. In 2007, the first juveniles were produced and the oldest juvenile reached the age of 160 days. During the initial stages, careful attention was paid to work as closely as possible with standard aquaculture procedures for live food production (mainly the use of Artemia and rotifers as live prey) and paralarval rearing techniques, in order to facilitate the step towards industrialization later on.     

The role of hedgerows in the recolonisation of arable fields by epigeal Collembola

The role of hedgerows as reservoirs for beneficial arthropods in agroecosystems has been extensively studied, but their importance as habitats for springtails (Collembola) is largely unknown. Population recovery in arable fields by epigeal Collembola can occur either from population sources in non-crop habitats or in-situ reproduction of field-dwelling species. In this study we investigated the recovery of springtail populations in a spring-sown cereal crop following a physical disturbance due to tillage. To investigate the role of a hedgerow in population recovery, replicated lengths of hedgerow were isolated from the field using exclusion barriers.Some species of Collembola (e.g. Isotomurus spp., Bourletiella hortensis) were consistently more abundant next to the hedgerow than within the field. Areas of the field adjacent to barriered sections of hedgerow developed significantly different populations and community structures compared to unbarriered ‘controls’. Abundance of several species in the field (e.g. Isotoma viridis, Sminthurinus elegans, Sminthurus viridis) was reduced by hedgerow barriers, providing the first evidence that hedgerows could be important source habitats for the colonisation or recolonisation of arable fields by Collembola.     

4-Acetoxydolastane diterpene from the Brazilian brown alga Canistrocarpus cervicornis as antileishmanial agent

Natural marine products have shown an interesting array of diverse and novel chemical structures with potent biological activities. Our study reports the antiproliferative assays of crude extracts, fraction and pure compound (4R,9S,14S)-4α-acetoxy-9β,14α-dihydroxydolast-1(15),7-diene (1) obtained from brown alga Canistrocarpus cervicornis showing the antileishmanial activity. We showed that 1 had a dose-dependent activity during 72 h of treatment, exhibiting IC(50) of 2.0 μg/mL, 12.0 μg/mL, and 4.0 μg/mL for promastigote, axenic amastigote and intracellular amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis, respectively. A cytotoxicity assay showed that the action of the isolated compound 1 was 93.0 times less toxic to the macrophage than to the protozoan. Additionally, compound 1 induced ultrastructural changes, including extensive mitochondrial damage; decrease in Rh123 fluorescence, suggesting interference with the mitochondrial membrane potential; and lipid peroxidation in parasite cells. The use of 1 from C. cervicornis against L. amazonensis parasites might be of great interest as a future alternative to the development of new antileishmanial drugs.