Exploring tree diversity and stand structure of savanna woodlands in southeastern Sudan

Savanna woodlands in Sudan host great biodiversity, provide a plethora of ecosystem goods and services to local communities, and sustain numerous ecological functions. Although the importance of the Acacia trees in these areas is well known, up-to-date information about these woodlands' diversity is limited and changes in their woody vegetation composition, density, diversity and relative frequency are not monitored over time. This study explored tree diversity and stand stage structure in Nuara Reserved Forest, a typical savanna woodland ecosystem in southeastern Sudan. A total of 638 circular sample plots (1000 m² for each) were established using a systematic sampling grid method. The distance between plots was 200 m. In each plot, all living trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥5.00 cm were identified and counted, and their DBH values were recorded. From these data, tree composition, diversity, density and stage structure were assessed. There were 12,259 individual trees representing four species (Acacia seyal, Balanites aegyptiaca, Acacia Senegal and Acacia mellifera) that belong to two families. The dominant species was Acacia seyal. Average tree density was 191 trees/hm² and the Shannon-Weiner index for trees diversity was 0.204. Overall, young trees comprised 86.30% of the forest. The state of tree richness and density in the study area was low compared to other similar environments in the region and around the world. We recommended adoption of a proper management system that includes monitoring of woody vegetation diversity in this forest, and management actions to enhance tree diversity and sustain ecosystem services to local communities. In addition to care for the dominant Acacia seyal stands, more attention and conservation should be devoted to reestablishing Acacia senegal and Acacia mellifera trees because of their high ecological and economic values for local communities.     

Weed community responses to soil type during transition to no-till practice on smallholder farms in Zimbabwe

Understanding drivers of weed density and diversity is essential for the development of weed management strategies. Here, we compared temporal changes in weed density and diversity under no-till (NT) and conventional (CONV) tillage systems in cotton–maize rotations on loam, clay loam and sandy loam soils immediately after transition to NT in Kadoma, Zimbabwe. The effect of tillage system on weed density varied through the growth season and was dependent upon soil type and species composition of the weed community. Although weed responses to tillage system varied amongst species, we identified general trend effects on weed density on specific soils. At 3 weeks after crop emergence (WACE), weed density on loam soils was 76% and 96% higher in NT than in CONV during the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 seasons, respectively, and on clay loam soils it was 37% and 33% higher in NT than CONV, respectively. Weed densities in NT and CONV were similar across all soil types at 6 WACE during the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 seasons and at 9 WACE in 2009/2010. Tillage system did not affect weed density during the growth season on sandy loam soils. Weed diversity (Shannon index) was at least 75% higher in NT than CONV on loam and clay loam soils at 3 WACE during both seasons. It is likely these increases in weed densities following conversion to NT will exacerbate already prevalent weed management problems in the smallholder sector. Earlier weeding is recommended to suppress weed emergence and reduce likely associated crop yield losses.     

Characterization of Acidovorax citrulli strains isolated from solanaceous plants

Acidovorax citrulli is the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch disease of cucurbits. Strains of this pathogen are distributed into two major groups: Group I strains have been mainly isolated from melon and other non-watermelon cucurbits, while Group II strains have been mainly recovered from watermelon. Here we report the characterization of strains T1 and EP isolated from diseased tomato and eggplant plants, respectively, and further confirmed to belong to A. citrulli species. Based on PCR, PFGE, and rep-PCR, these strains showed high similarity to the Group II strain 7a1. Sequencing and comparative analyses revealed that the genomes of T1 and EP aligned with that of the Group II model strain AAC00-1, over 97.88% and 99.22%, respectively. The virulence of T1, EP, and 7a1 determined on tomato, eggplant, and watermelon was similar and significantly higher than that of Group I strain M6. In contrast, M6 was more virulent on melon. Expression levels of seven virulence genes measured 24 hr after inoculation of tomato, eggplant, watermelon, and melon showed that the expression pattern was generally similar in strains 7a1, T1, and EP, whereas for M6 the expression was high only on melon. Overall, our results indicate that the solanaceous strains belong to Group II. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports characterization of A. citrulli strains isolated from solanaceous species. The fact that A. citrulli is able to naturally colonize and cause disease in non-cucurbit crops poses additional challenges for management of this important pathogen.     

罗氏沼虾SNP标记筛选及不同群体的遗传多样性

罗氏沼虾因其自身的生长优势,已成为我国重要的养殖虾类,为保证其养殖的持续健康发展,对其进行遗传多样性分析。利用罗氏沼虾性腺组织转录组测序结果,参考NCBI数据库,选取60个SNP位点,以马来西亚野生群体(MW)为样本,采用直接测序技术进行位点多态性检测,得到25个(41.7%)具有二态性等位基因位点。并对罗氏沼虾上海(SH)、浙江(ZJ)、马来西亚养殖群体(MF)、生长快速品系选育群体(BG)及MW群体5个群体的150尾个体进行遗传多样性分析,其观测杂合度Ho和期望杂合度He的分布范围分别为0.18～0.30和0.28～0.37,平均多态性信息含量依次为0.29、0.24、0.21、0.26和0.33,表现为中低等多态水平;群体间的遗传相似性系数和遗传距离变化范围分别为0.659～0.968和0.032～0.417,MF群体和BG群体遗传相似系数最小、遗传距离最大,SH群体和ZJ群体遗传相似系数最大、遗传距离最小;遗传分化指数和基因流的范围分别为0.045～0.363和0.440～5.293,MF群体和MW群体之间出现最高值,SH群体和ZJ群体出现最低值,SH群体和ZJ群体基因流最高,MF群体和MW群体最低;AMOVA分子方差分析显示,遗传变异主要来源于群体内,群体间的变异为26.33%。5个群体近交系数为0.151～0.342,3个养殖群体的平均近交系数均高于野生群体,对25个位点在5个群体中的基因型进行统计分析,有9个位点处的BG群体的基因型与其他3个养殖群体基因型分离方向相反,14个位点处3个养殖群体中杂合个体频数较MW群体低。研究结果为进一步开展罗氏沼虾遗传育种研究及保护政策的制定提供了参考。     

Genetic diversity and aggressiveness of Calonectria pteridis in Eucalyptus spp.

Calonectria leaf blight, caused by Calonectria pteridis, is currently one of the main foliar diseases in eucalypt plantations in Brazil. In warm and high rainfall regions, the disease can be a limiting factor for eucalypt production when planting susceptible genotypes. The most effective method for controlling this disease in the field is the use of resistant genotypes, which requires knowledge of the genetic variability and aggressiveness of the pathogen population for effective deployment of plant resistance. This work evaluated the genetic diversity and aggressiveness of C. pteridis populations obtained from infected eucalypt plants in Monte Dourado (Pará state) and Imperatriz (Maranhão state), Brazil. To study the genetic diversity, 16 ISSR primers were tested, five of which amplified polymorphic, reproducible and informative bands. Thirty-one closely related genotypes were identified from 84 isolates studied, indicating that the population has a low genetic diversity. The aggressiveness of seven isolates, selected according to geographic origin and their clustering in the ISSR-based dendogram, was determined by inoculation of a hybrid Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla clone under controlled conditions. Disease severity was assessed by both measuring the percentage of plant defoliation and assigning a score according to a diagrammatic scale of symptoms. A high correlation between the two evaluation methods was observed, which revealed significant differences in aggressiveness among the isolates. The diagrammatic scale is recommended for disease evaluation because results are obtained much faster, before the occurrence of severe defoliation. No correlation between clustering in the ISSR-based phylogenetic analysis and aggressiveness was observed.     

Recent update on the prevalence of Vibrio species among cultured grouper in Peninsular Malaysia

Vibrio infections are common among marine fish and lead to serious problems in the aquaculture sector. This study reports a recent occurrence of Vibrio species (spp.) isolated from cultured groupers in Peninsular Malaysia using the gyrB and pyrH genes. A total of 147 Vibrio strains were successfully isolated from 77 (64%) groupers using culture method and subjected to gyrB and pyrH sequencing for species identification and confirmation. Results showed that 89% of Vibrio strains were identified and clustered to six groups of Vibrio spp., while 11% were not clustered to any Vibrio spp. using the gyrB sequences. Meanwhile, by analysis of the pyrH sequences all the 147 Vibrio strains (100%) were successfully identified and clustered into 11 groups of Vibrio spp., including the gyrB non‐identified strains. The pyrH gene provides a better resolution for identification of Vibrio spp. compared with the gyrB gene. Thus, the pyrH gene was more suitable for a rapid determination of Vibrio spp. distribution in Peninsular Malaysia. Using the pyrH gene, our study found higher prevalence of Vibrio vulnificus (33%), V. alginolyticus (24%) and V. parahaemolyticus (22%), followed by V. rotiferianus (5%), V. harveyi (3%), V. tubiashii (2%), V. campbellii (2%), V. ponticus (1%), V. diabolicus (1%), V. owensii (1%) and others Vibrio sp. (7%). Thus, the results of this study revealed that the occurrence of pathogenic vibrios among grouper fish is still high in Malaysian aquaculture. In addition, the pyrH gene was proved as a suitable marker for rapid identification of Vibrio species compared with the gyrB gene.     

Distribution and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna in three repeated operating ages of the blood cockle Anadara granosa cultivation in Bandon Bay,Suratthani Province,Southern Thailand

The diversity, distribution and species richness of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna as well as benthic environments were examined in the blood cockle Anadara granosa cultivations at Ban Don Bay, Suratthani Province, Southern Thailand during the summer season of April and rainy season of October in 2017. The cockle cultivations of three repeated operating ages (<5 years: S1; 5–10 years: S2; more than 10 years: S3) were selected for the study, and the sampling sites were allocated at the centre of the farm. Results indicated that there were significant differences in species number, individual number and evenness index of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna found in the two sampling seasons (p < .05) and significant differences in individual number and evenness index were found among the sampling sites (p < .05). Significant differences in pH, total phosphorus levels, sulphide levels and organic matter of sediment were found between the sampling seasons (p < .05) and differences in total nitrogen level, organic matter and clay content were found among the sampling sites (p < .05). Among the independent variables analysed, correlation analysis showed no relationship between diversity index, species richness index and evenness index and the abiotic variables (p < .05). The results of the present study suggest that the distribution and diversity variations of the benthic macroinvertebrates community fauna are not affected by all sediment parameters in various repeated cultivation of the blood cockle Anadara granosa in Bandon Bay, Suratthani Province.     

驯食配合饲料的大口黑鲈3个选育世代的遗传多样性分析

为了检测驯食配合饲料的大口黑鲈(Micropterus salmoides)3个选育世代群体遗传多样性水平变化,利用微卫星标记技术对驯食配合饲料大口黑鲈选育基础群体(Sp0)和第二、三和四代选育群体(Sp2、Sp3和Sp4)共240尾样品进行检测。结果显示,18个微卫星位点共获得44个等位基因。Sp0、Sp2、Sp3和Sp4的平均观测杂合度(H_o)分别为0.4895、0.4802、0.4579和0.4206,平均期望杂合度(H_e)分别为0.4615、0.4454、0.4621和0.3916,平均多态信息含量(PIC)分别为0.3791、0.3659、0.3764和0.3257。4个群体间的配对比较群体间遗传分化指数(F_(st))值在0.01612～0.16162之间、遗传距离(D_a)在0.0249～0.1434之间。遗传变异来源(AMOVA)分析显示,只有8.38%的变异来自于群体间,其余遗传变异均来自于个体间。研究表明,经连续多代选育之后,易驯食配合饲料的快长大口黑鲈选育群体具有中度遗传多样性,具备选育潜力,可继续进行选育。     

基于主要表型性状的不同采集地斑茅种质资源遗传多样性分析

为提高斑茅种质资源利用效率,本研究对来自不同地区的76份斑茅种质资源的株高、茎径、节间长、叶长、叶宽、锤度6个表型性状进行遗传多样性分析。结果表明,来自不同地区的斑茅,6个表型性状平均变异系数在14.6%~53.4%之间,其中株高和节间长的变异系数相对较高,分别为53.4%和37.7%;锤度和叶长的变异系数相对较低,分别为19.1%和14.6%。株高、茎径、叶宽、叶长、节间长之间表现为极显著正相关,其中株高与节间长的相关系数最大,为0.818;锤度与株高、节间长呈负相关,相关系数分别为-0.232和-0.263。主成分分析表明,前2个主成分方差累计贡献率高达72.58%,其中第1主成分方差贡献率达到51.21%,第2主成分贡献率为21.37%。采用聚类分析方法,不同的种质资源被分为8大类群,第Ⅴ和Ⅵ类群的种质综合性状表现最好,这2个类群是优良的斑茅种质资源,可在甘蔗育种中加以挖掘利用。     

200份陆地棉种质资源农艺性状遗传多样性分析

【目的】 研究本地棉花种质基因库,筛选出适于作杂交亲本的种质资源。【方法】 以200份棉花种质资源为材料,研究其形态指标的变异情况和遗传多样性,并以形态指标对 200 份种质进行聚类分析。【结果】 21个形态指标遗传多样性指数(H′)变幅范围在0~1.02。所有材料可划分成6大类,其中第1大类30份材料,茎色紫红色,种子短绒颜色灰褐色材料为主,可以作为彩色棉花育种资源;以170177为主的20份材料种子短绒着生稀毛,种子短绒颜色绿褐色可以作为早熟、无酚、耐高温的育种材料;第6大类50份,所占比例较大。【结论】 200份种质资源的遗传多样性丰富,第6大类50份,可以作为目前新疆育种材料亲本,主要特征为株型塔型,无茎毛,叶色深绿色,叶片大小中,无叶基斑,有限果枝类型,黄色花冠,黄色花药,种子短绒着生情况多毛,种子短绒颜色灰绿色,有种仁色素腺体,吐絮颜色白色。