Assessing the efficacy and impact of management of an invasive species in a protected area: Poa annua on sub‐Antarctic Macquarie Island

Plant eradication is difficult, particularly in remote, protected areas. The Southern Ocean Islands are very isolated and highly protected, but the flora contains many alien plants. Small restricted populations have been eradicated, but eradication of established species has proven difficult. A better understanding of the efficacy of control methods at sub‐Antarctic temperatures and their off‐target impacts may increase eradication success. With interest in controlling non‐native Poa annua in the region, we aimed to determine if physical and chemical methods can control P. annua (the sub‐Antarctic biotype) in sub‐Antarctic conditions and examined their impact on native plants. We quantified the effectiveness of physical control methods on P. annua in situ on sub‐Antarctic Macquarie Island through field‐based experiments and assessed their selectivity on P. annua compared with native grasses. We also quantified the effectiveness of several herbicides on P. annua at sub‐Antarctic temperatures and assessed their selectivity on native grasses. Of the four physical disturbance methods tested, none effectively reduced P. annua cover as one‐off treatments. Of the herbicide treatments, glyphosate and trifloxysulfuron sodium were effective and were less damaging to native grass species, indicating potential selectivity. Physical control was of limited effectiveness, but did not affect native species richness. An integrated weed management programme utilising the strategic use of selective herbicides with follow‐up chemical and physical intervention may balance control and biodiversity outcomes. This research highlights the importance of site‐specific testing of control methods and understanding off‐target impacts of control when managing alien plant species in protected areas.     

秘鲁外海茎柔鱼肌肉组织的能量积累

能量积累是表征生物体身体能量储备水平的重要指标之一,对寿命短、生长快且终生一次繁殖的头足类属种的表征作用尤显重要。本实验根据我国远洋渔业鱿钓渔船于2014年6-8月在秘鲁外海(10?26?S~17?17?S,79?17?W~82?39?W)作业期间随机采集的茎柔鱼(Dosidicus gigas)样本173尾(雌性107尾,雄性66尾),利用数学统计方法和组织能量密度测定技术,分析了该柔鱼个体的体重-胴长生长和胴体、足腕、尾鳍等肌肉组织的能量密度及其能量积累过程。结果显示,茎柔鱼雌雄个体的胴长、体重分别为(262.12±38.33)mm、(541.69±251.69)g,以及(251.37±31.90)mm、(449.78±179.99)g;雌雄个体的体重-胴长生长存在显著性差异(P0.05)。雌雄个体肌肉组织能量密度均以胴体的为最高,分别为(20.56±1.12)k J/g和(20.67±0.76)k J/g;足腕次之,分别为(20.09±1.25)k J/g和(19.95±0.87)k J/g;尾鳍最低,分别为(19.92±1.05)k J/g和(19.63±0.96)k J/g;同一组织雌雄个体间的组织能量密度无显著性差异(P0.05)。胴体、足腕、尾鳍等组织间的能量积累差异性显著(P0.05),胴体是最大的能量积累单元。其中,雌性个体胴体、足腕、尾鳍三组织的能量积累占比分别为63.14%、25.23%和11.63%;雄性个体的分别为65.89%、22.91%和11.20%。此外,胴体、足腕、尾鳍肌肉组织的能量随着个体生长积累显著(P0.05),并且这些肌肉组织的能量积累自低纬度向高纬度海域显著增加(P0.05),表明秘鲁外海茎柔鱼肌肉组织的能量积累过程是一个索饵育肥及其生长的过程。     

The quality of baby spinach as affected by developmental stage as well as postharvest storage conditions

Baby spinach is rich in phytochemicals that provide great benefits to consumers’ health. The study aim was to investigate the effect of the growth harvest stage, postharvest storage duration and temperature on quality of baby spinach leaves. A 3?×?5?×?3 factorial experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design with four replicates per treatment. The treatments were arranged as follows namely: stage I [28 days after sowing (DAS)], stage II (35 DAS)and stage III (42 DAS), and leaves were kept up to 12 d at three different temperatures – 4, 10 and 20°C. The study demonstrated that the overall appearance and odour were both well maintained in the leaves of baby spinach harvested at stage II. The baby spinach harvested 28 DAS led to higher content of iron [1.13?mg?g^?1 dry weight (DW)], magnesium (14.4?mg?g^?1 DW), and zinc (0.17?mg?g^?1 DW). The highest level of total antioxidant activity (0.43?mg?g^?1 DW) and flavonoids (12?mg?g^?1 DW) after 12 d of storage was observed in baby spinach leaves at stage I when stored at 4°C. Therefore, baby spinach leaves harvested 28 DAS and store at 4°C for 6 d improved shelf life and nutraceutical quality. Thus, early harvest of fresh produced baby spinach harvested in order to attain high phytochemical and mineral content when stored at low temperature (4°C) without exceeding 6 days is recommended.     

Critical factors driving aphanomyces damping‐off and root disease in clover revealed and explained using linear and generalized linear models and boosted regression trees

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) is an important forage legume in Mediterranean regions worldwide. Aphanomyces damping‐off and root disease (Aphanomyces trifolii) poses significant threat to its persistence and productivity. Studies were conducted to define how environmental explanatory variables (temperature, soil type, moisture, nutrition) and variety influence disease severity and consequent forage productivity and persistence. Relationships were modelled using linear and generalized linear models and boosted regression trees. Linear modelling highlighted complex relationships between environmental variables and each dependent variable (emergence, tap and lateral root disease, dry shoot and root weight). All environmental variables produced significant interaction and/or main effects within each dependent variable. Boosted regression trees supported the complex nature of relationships in linear models, with temperature and either soil or variety most, and nutrition least, influential. Heat maps showed more disease for low temperatures. Least tap root disease was under high temperatures, while least lateral root disease was under medium or high temperatures, low moisture, and in sand‐based soil. These are the first studies using modelling approaches to reveal the complexities of how fluctuating soil temperature, moisture and nutrition conditions, and soil type and variety, determine aphanomyces damping‐off and root disease severity and resultant adverse impacts on forage legume productivity and persistence. Outcomes are widely applicable across soilborne oomycete pathogens of forage legumes. Studies highlighted how warming temperatures and drying climate associated with climate change should reduce future impact and importance of this and other soilborne oomycete diseases of forage legumes favoured by cold temperatures and wet and waterlogged conditions.     

Appraisal and standardization of curvilinear velocity (VCL) cut‐off values for CASA analysis of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) sperm

One of the basic steps in objective analysis of sperm motility is the subdivision of a motile sperm population into slow, medium and rapid categories based on their velocity. However, for CASA analysis of quail sperm, the velocity values for categorization of slow, medium and rapid sperm have not yet been standardized. To identify the cut‐off values of “velocity curvilinear” (VCL) for quail sperm categorization, we captured and analysed 22,300 tracks of quail sperm using SCA^®‐CASA. The median and mean VCL values were 85 and 97 μm/s. To define the VCL cut‐off values, we used two methods. In the first, we identified the upper (rapid sperm) and lower (slow sperm) cut‐off values using: (i) median VCL ± 25% or ± 50% or ± 75% of median VCL value; (ii) first and third quartile values of VCL data (i.e. 25% cut‐off setting); and (iii) 33% and 66% of VCL data. Among these settings, sperm categories and their corresponding motility characteristics recorded using the “25%” setting (i.e. slow ≤36 ≤ medium ≤154 ≤ rapid) were found the most realistic and coherent with male ranking by fertility. In the second method, we calculated heteroscedasticity in the total VCL data using PCA and the two‐step clustering method. With this approach, the mean of the high and low clusters was 165 and 51 μm/s, respectively. Together, the mean from two methods suggested that, for SCA^®‐CASA categorization of quail sperm, sperm should be classed as “rapid” at VCL ≥160 μm/s and “slow” at VCL ≤45 μm/s.     

Geosmin depuration from European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is not affected by the water renewal rate of depuration tanks

This study established that geosmin depuration from European eel is not affected by the water renewal rate of depuration tanks. A general fish bioaccumulation model extended with terms that account for effects of tank water renewal rate and system losses of chemicals, predicted strong effects of the water renewal rate of depuration tanks on geosmin depuration from European eel. Model predictions were validated in a depuration experiment with geosmin‐loaded European eel (n = 95) with a mean (SD) individual weight of 134.4 (5.0) g and a mean (SD) lipid content of 33.7 (2.8) % (w/w). Fish were depurated for 24, 48 or 72 h at three different tank water renewal rates (0.3, 3.3 and 33 day^?1). Treatments were installed by three different mean (SD) water flow rates (13.8 (1.3), 143.5 (9.2) and 1511 (80) L kg fish^?1 day^?1) over 30‐L tanks. Eels eliminated geosmin from their bodies, but unlike the model predicted, this was independent of the water renewal rate of the depuration tanks. Although being eliminated from the fish, geosmin hardly appeared and certainly did not accumulate in the water of the depuration tanks as the model predicted. This observation may be explained by geosmin being eliminated from eel as metabolite rather than the parent compound. Geosmin elimination from eel seems not to occur according to the generally accepted passive diffusion mechanism for excretion of lipophilic chemicals, and geosmin biotransformation by the eel seems indicated. Clearly geosmin depuration from European eel cannot be enhanced by increasing water renewal rates of depuration tanks.     

Sowing date effects on dry matter remobilization and yield of triticale (Triticosecale wittmack) under late season drought stress

A 2-year field experiment using a randomized complete block design with the treatments arranged as split-split-plot with three replicates was conducted to investigate the effects of different sowing dates. Different irrigation regimes and different triticale cultivars were tested during 2014 and 2015 growing seasons. Under cutting off irrigation at the milk development stage, Sanabad with 46.2% had higher relative water content on December 3 sowing date. Assimilate remobilization in cutting off irrigation at dough development was more than that at milk development and Sanabad had the highest assimilate remobilization on 3 December sowing date in both years. In both years, Sanabad had the highest remobilization efficiency. The highest contribution of pre-anthesis assimilates to grain was obtained on 3 December sowing date in both years in Sanabad. Lower grain yield in Juanillo cultivar under cutting off irrigation, appeared to be due to reduction in remobilization efficiency, especially by cutting off irrigation at milk development stage in late sowing date. Overall, Sanabad was more tolerant to cutting off irrigation than Juanillo.     

余甘果抗衰老作用的研究

选用果蝇作实验动物，通过余甘原汁、余甘粉和余甘营养液对果蝇寿命影响的研究表明，在一定的浓度范围内，余甘子的３种产品都能延长果蝇寿命，尤其是２５％浓度余甘营养液能使果蝇平均寿命比对照延长１倍以上，从而进一步验证了余甘果的抗衰老作用。     

松树截根菌根化育苗和造林的研究*

根据苗木根系分泌物能促进菌根真菌萌发和生长的原理，结合我国林业育苗的特点，提出了松树幼苗截根与人工接种菌根真菌结合的育苗方式。结果表明，截根菌根化育苗在促进根系发育和菌根形成，加速苗木生长，提高苗木生物量、苗木质量和产苗量等方面都有显著优势，苗木的侧根数、侧根总长、苗木菌根化率、吸收根菌根化率、苗高、地径、鲜重、干重分别提高２０．０％～９６０．０％、５６．２％～３８９．５％、０．０％～４００．０％、５６．２％～１７９２．０％、２２．３％～１７９．３％、３１．２％～２５３．８％、３３．３％～９１８．２％和２１．８％～７４０．０％，苗木成活率和Ⅰ级苗分别提高９．０％～２２．１％和４９．３％～１５０．０％，Ⅱ、Ⅲ级苗和等外苗分别降低４０．６％～７７．３％、６１．６％～８８．５％和８２．５％～１００．０％。利用截根菌根化苗木造林，提高成活保存率５．５％～４６．０％，并促进幼树生长，树高、地径和材积指数分别增加１３．０％～５６．４％、２５．５％～６１．７％和８７．８％～４５０．０％。效益分析证明，截根菌根化育苗具有明显的经济效益和社会效益，仅苗期可定量计算的增收（节支）总额可达４４６６２元／ｈｍ２。