Conidial germination and formation of necrosis in pine seedlings by Gremmeniella abietina at low temperatures

The germination of conidia of G. abietina on water agar reached the same germination percentage at 0°C as at 5 °C to 12.5 °C, but required more time. The fungus caused necrosis even at - 4 °C in pine seedlings.     

Planning for the future: identifying conservation priority areas for Iberian birds under climate change

Context

Species are expected to shift their distributions in response to global environmental changes and additional protected areas are needed to encompass the corresponding changes in the distributions of their habitats. Conservation policies are likely to become obsolete unless they integrate the potential impacts of climate and land-use change on biodiversity.

Objectives

We identify conservation priority areas for current and future projected distributions of Iberian bird species. We then investigate the extent to which global change informed priority areas are: (i) covered by existing protected area networks (national protected areas and Natura 2000); (ii) threatened by agricultural or urban land-use changes.

Methods

We use outputs of species distributions models fitted with climatic data as inputs in spatial prioritization tools to identify conservation priority areas for 168 bird species. We use projections of land-use change to then discriminate between threatened and non-threatened priority areas.

Results

19% of the priority areas for birds are covered by national protected areas and 23% are covered by Natura 2000 sites. The spatial mismatch between protected area networks and priority areas for birds is projected to increase with climate change. But there are opportunities to improve the protection of birds under climate change, as half of the priority areas are currently neither protected nor in conflict with urban or agricultural land-uses.

Conclusions

We identify critical areas for bird conservation both under current and climate change conditions, and propose that they could guide the establishment of new conservation areas across the Iberian Peninsula complementing existing protected areas.

     

Uptake Studies on a Fluorescein-Labelled Seed Oil Adjuvant in Abutilon theophrasti, Sinapis arvensis and Beta vulgaris

Though adjuvants are abundant in almost every pesticide solution, their mode of action is still not completely clear. Studies on their way through the cuticle are quite difficult due to a lack of radiolabelled surfactants. In this study we want to present the results of an experiment conducted to evaluate the mode of action of an ethoxylated soybean oil (ESBO) adjuvant. To evaluate the route of ESBO through the cuticle it was labelled with fluorescein and applied to one leaf of different test species (Abutilon theophrasti, Sinapis arvensis and Beta vulgaris). Treated leaves were harvested and rinsed with either deionised water, methanol/water or chloroform. The fluorescein content of washed leaves and the solution in which they were washed were analysed with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with an UV detector. Results lead to the assumption that ESBO passed through the cuticle. If this holds true, ESBO was able to reach the underlying cell tissue where it might have been metabolised or even translocated to other plant parts. Though a lot of research has to be conducted on the mechanism and mode of action of adjuvants, this study gives an approach to investigate the behavior of foliar applied adjuvants.     

Effect of wheat bran addition on in vitro starch digestibility,physico-mechanical and sensory properties of biscuits

Biscuits contain high amount of fat and sugar thus having high calorie but low nutrient density. Wheat bran is a good source of dietary fibre (DF) and protein and is thus a good candidate for nutritional enrichment of cereal foods. The aim of this study was to understand the effect of bran incorporation and particle size reduction on biscuit microstructure, texture and in vitro starch digestibility. Five different biscuits containing 5–15% DF were produced. Two different particle sized wheat brans were used: coarse (450 μm) and fine (68 μm). Bran particle size reduction increased the elastic modulus and hardness of biscuits. Biscuits containing fine bran had visually more compact structure without any surface or internal defects than those with coarse bran. Fine bran containing sample had the highest hardness value. Sensory evaluation showed that roughness and breakdown of biscuits in the mouth was significant for the coarse bran with highest level of bran addition. The instrumental elastic modulus, stress and hardness were closely related to sensory hardness and strength to break. Increasing DF content from 5 to 15% increased hydrolysis index by 16%, from 32 to 37.     

Misleading results from conventional gap analysis – Messages from the warming north

Gap analysis is a widely used method for assessing the representation of species in protected area (PA) networks. However, representation does not imply persistence. Here, we investigated whether gap analysis may result in misleading conservation guidelines by comparing the representation to two indicators of persistence. We ran a gap analysis with Finnish breeding birds and identified conservation priorities based on current distribution patterns. We tested the sensitivity of these results by using two target setting schemes and several thresholds defining the amount of protected area, and found the levels of representation identified by gap analysis to be robust. We then compared the gap analysis results with recent population trends and projected changes in potential suitable climate under different climate change scenarios for the year 2050. We show that although high latitude species are well represented in PAs, they are currently declining and are projected to lose climatic suitability in the near future. In contrast, low latitude species with poor representation in PAs have increasing population trends and are generally expected to expand their ranges into protected areas in the near future. This study demonstrates with empirical data a mismatch between representation in PAs and population trends, resulting in misleading understanding of current PA effectiveness. The mismatch is linked to the latitude of species distributions and corresponds to expected future changes, indicating that the patterns are potentially driven by climate change. We therefore urge practitioners and researchers to include better indicators of persistence in gap-analysis frameworks even for short term assessments.     

Bird and Plant Diversity in Tropical Landscape Mosaics in East Usambaras, Tanzania

The role of land uses outside protected areas in conserving tropical biodiversity remains poorly understood and contested. This paper summarizes the results of plant and bird surveys conducted in three rural landscapes in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, covering a gradient from Village forest reserves to tree-based and other agricultural land uses. The species richness and occurrence of conservationally important species across the land uses were analyzed. Twelve plots of 0.2 ha, stratified among land use types, were established to survey the large trees, with sub-plots of 1 × 40 m for tree saplings, shrubs and non-woody plants, and 5 × 40 m plots for small trees. Avian richness was measured in the same sites as the plants through mist netting and timed species counts. The village forests had higher plant species richness and more conservationally important plant species compared to other land uses. Agroforest and fallows supported a relatively high number of plant species, but the species composition was largely different to the adjacent village forests. Bird species of conservation importance were recorded across all land uses. Village forest reserves and some of the tree-based agricultural land uses were found to contribute to biodiversity conservation goals in tropical landscape mosaics. There is a need to better integrate them, and address their multiple functions, in village land-use planning and conservation efforts at the landscape level.     

The ability of Gremmeniella abietina to hydrolyze polygalacturonic acid

Gremmeniella abietina grew well in media with pectin as the sole carbon source. The fungus secreted at least one enzyme with polygalacturonase activity, and this was induced by addition of pectin to the culture medium.