Impact of soil water content on maize responses to the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum lipoferum CRT1

Members of the bacterial genus Azospirillum are root-associated bacteria that increase yield in cereals by promoting growth and alleviating drought stress. How plants integrate the many bacterium-derived growth-promoting stimuli with other environmental factors to generate a coordinated response remains unresolved. Using a commercial Azospirillum strain, A. lipoferum CRT1 and two host maize cultivars, it was observed that bacterization reduced the drought-induced increase in lateral root growth and enhanced the flood-induced increase in lateral root growth in the more drought- and flood-sensitive cultivar. In the other one, A. lipoferum CRT1 only elicited a moderate root growth response under low soil water potential. The photosynthetic potential and activity were increased in the earlier cultivar and decreased in the later one, irrespective of the soil water content. No impact of the bacterium was seen on the growth of the leaves of both cultivars under both stresses until the third leaf stage, therefore suggesting that it is a consequence of multiple primary adaptations to biotic and abiotic stresses. It is suggested that host–bacteria recognition leads to a stress-specific modulation of the root response and a differential stress-independent effect on photosynthesis. This is the first report of the impact of Azospirillum under flood conditions.     

Sentinel-2 images reveal functional biophysical heterogeneities in crop mosaics

Landscape Ecology - Identifying landscape structure and understanding its functions are crucial for biological control. However, the relationship between the crop mosaic phenological heterogeneity...     

Evaluation of the safety of ivermectin-praziquantel administered orally to pregnant mares

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of an orally administered ivermectin and praziquantel paste with regard to variables associated with clinical findings, parturition, lactation, maternal care, and neonate viability in pregnant mares. ANIMALS: 40 pregnant mares. PROCEDURE: Mares were randomly allocated into treatment (n = 20) and control (20) groups and administered a placebo or 3 times the therapeutic dosage of ivermectin (0.6 mg/kg) and praziquantel (4.5 mg/kg) at 14-day intervals until parturition. Physical examinations were performed on mares and their foals after parturition (on postpartum days 30, 60, and 90) to identify any drug-related effects. As an aid in assessing general health, hematologic and serum biochemical analyses were performed monthly on the mares. RESULTS: In blood constituents, minor alterations that were not biologically important were observed. Reproductive performance was not affected by the unusual treatment duration or high dosage, although the drugs were administered during a crucial period of equine embryonic development (30 to 60 days). Neither adverse effects on mares nor abortions occurred. Follow-up evaluations of the foals for a 3-month period did not detect any abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Administration of the ivermectin-praziquantel paste appears to be safe in pregnant mares and their foals.     

Primary meningeal T-cell lymphoma in a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina).

A 15-year-old female harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) was referred to the Nantes Veterinary School, Nantes, France, with a clinical history of anorexia, seizures, and left hemiplegia. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed large numbers of neoplastic lymphoid cells. After injection of a contrast agent into the cerebrospinal space, radiographs demonstrated an asymmetry of the right lateral ventricle. Necropsy examination revealed a marked edema of the right frontal lobe, extending to the basal nuclei and thalamus in the brain. Histological examination of the brain revealed leptomeningeal lymphoma. Immunohistochemical labeling demonstrated that the neoplasm was of T-cell origin. No significant macroscopic or microscopic lesions were observed in the other organs examined, including lymphoid organs. This is the first report of primary leptomeningeal lymphoma in a harbor seal.     

Comparison of physical and mechanical properties of tension and opposite wood from ten tropical rainforest trees from different species

On 10 trees from 10 species of French Guyana tropical rainforest in a clear active process of restoring verticality growth strains were measured in situ in order to determine the occurrence of tension wood within samples. Wood specimens were cut in the vicinity of the growth strains measurements in order to measure some mechanical and physical properties. As suspected, tensile growth strains was very much higher in tension wood zone, because longitudinal modulus of elasticity was slightly higher. Longitudinal shrinkage was also much higher in tension wood than in opposite wood.     

Global parasite and Rattus rodent invasions: The consequences for rodent‐borne diseases

We summarize the current knowledge on parasitism‐related invasion processes of the globally invasive Rattus lineages, originating from Asia, and how these invasions have impacted the local epidemiology of rodent‐borne diseases. Parasites play an important role in the invasion processes and successes of their hosts through multiple biological mechanisms such as “parasite release,” “immunocompetence advantage,” “biotic resistance” and “novel weapon.” Parasites may also greatly increase the impact of invasions by spillover of parasites and other pathogens, introduced with invasive hosts, into new hosts, potentially leading to novel emerging diseases. Another potential impact is the ability of the invader to amplify local parasites by spillback. In both cases, local fauna and humans may be exposed to new health risks, which may decrease biodiversity and potentially cause increases in human morbidity and mortality. Here we review the current knowledge on these processes and propose some research priorities.