Allometric equations for aboveground biomass estimation by size class for Pinus brutia Ten. trees growing in North and South Aegean Islands, Greece

Empirical allometric equations relating biomass of aboveground components to dendrometric variables for Pinus brutia Ten. trees are derived in this paper. They are based on data collected from Lesvos (North Aegean Sea) and Crete (South Aegean Sea) Islands. Comparisons to published equations for the same species growing in northwestern and southeastern Turkey, for Pinus nigra A. growing in Turkey and Pinus halepensis Mill. found in Western Aegean (island of Evia), are also presented. The biomass of branches from destructively sampled trees (twelve in Crete and six in Lesvos) was divided into four size classes (0?C0.63 cm, 0.64?C2.5 cm, 2.51?C7.61 cm, and 7.62?C22.8 cm). Tree crown biomass was calculated as the sum of the biomass in the four classes plus the fraction of stem above crown base. Over bark stem biomass was estimated through bole volume conversion based on wood density. The results showed clearly that, for a given diameter, the Cretan trees had more crown biomass and a higher share of small branches than trees on Lesvos, probably due to differences in environment and stand structure. Comparisons to published diameter versus crown biomass equations reveal a lower crown biomass for Turkish sites of Calabrian pine and Aleppo pine on Evia Island, while only Turkish Black pine seems to be comparable to the Calabrian pine on Crete. The derived allometries can be used for landscape fire behavior modeling, for ecophysiological studies and for the Kyoto protocol requirements of carbon changes in Pinus brutia Ten. forests located in northern and southern Greek sites.     

Enzyme-induced gelation of extensively hydrolyzed whey proteins by Alcalase: peptide identification and determination of enzyme specificity

Extensive hydrolysis of whey protein isolate by Alcalase was shown to induce gelation mainly via hydrophobic interactions. The aim of this work was to characterize the peptides released in order to better understand this phenomenon. The apparent molecular mass distribution indicated that aggregates were formed by small molecular mass peptides (<2000 Da). One hundred and thirty peptides with various lengths were identified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Alcalase was observed to have a high specificity for aromatic (Phe, Trp, and Tyr), acidic (Glu), sulfur-containing (Met), aliphatic (Leu and Ala), hydroxyl (Ser), and basic (Lys) residues. Most peptides had an average hydrophobicity of 1-1.5 kcal/residue and a net charge of 0 at the pH at which gelation occurred (6.0). Therefore, an intermolecular attractive force such as hydrophobic interaction suggests the formation of aggregates that further leads to the formation of a gel.     

Surveillance and characterization of Newcastle disease viruses isolated from northern pintail (Anas acuta) in Japan during 2006-09

A total of 38 Newcastle disease virus (NDV) isolates were obtained from 6060 fecal samples from northern pintail (Anas acuta) ducks collected in the Tohoku district in Japan during 2006-09. One isolate from each sampling location and date was selected for a total of 38 isolates, then 15 of these were characterized for their pathogenicity by mean death time of minimum lethal dose (MDT/MLD) using chicken embryos and by plaque formation on chicken embryo fibroblasts. Furthermore, nine isolates were randomly selected from these 15 isolates, and the fusion protein genes were sequenced to characterize amino acid sequences around the cleavage site. All 15 were confirmed to be nonvirulent by MDT/MLD test, and nine isolates were also confirmed as nonvirulent by the cleavage site of the fusion protein 112G/E-K/R-Q-G/E-R*L117 that was specific for nonvirulent NDVs. The characteristics of nine isolates identified by phylogenic analysis of the fusion protein gene indicated that the isolates belong to genotype I or II. In addition, we also isolated 68 avian influenza viruses and 28 other hemagglutinating viruses. Our data indicate that northern pintails are subclinically infected by, perpetuate, and distribute NDV along with different subtypes of avian influenza viruses and other hemagglutinating viruses during their migrations across vast areas over the Northern Hemisphere to Japan.     

Situation of serum antibodies against Newcastle disease virus in slaughter-age ostriches after vaccination campaign in Japan

A total of 516 slaughter-age ostrich sera were collected in Japan during 2006-2009. Sixty-one of five hundred and sixteen were positive by virus neutralization (VN) test and the titer of most positive samples was low level. Within the 61 positive sera, 35 sera were collected from unvaccinated ostriches. This result implies that these ostriches might have been infected naturally with low-virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Within the 455 negative samples, 125 samples were from vaccinated ostriches. Since ostrich farmers use live attenuated vaccines, it is reasonable that the titer decreased to below detection level by 1 or 1.5 year-old. The above data indicate that NDV has infiltrated into ostrich farms in Japan, and that the efficacy of ostrich ND vaccination is often time-limited.     

Insights into the Toxicological Properties of a Low Molecular Weight Fraction from Zoanthus sociatus (Cnidaria)

The phylum Cnidaria is an ancient group of venomous animals, specialized in the production and delivery of toxins. Many species belonging to the class Anthozoa have been studied and their venoms often contain a group of peptides, less than 10 kDa, that act upon ion channels. These peptides and their targets interact with high affinity producing neurotoxic and cardiotoxic effects, and even death, depending on the dose and the administration pathway. Zoanthiniaria is an order of the Subclass Hexacorallia, class Anthozoa, and unlike sea anemone (order Actiniaria), neither its diversity of toxins nor the in vivo effects of the venoms has been exhaustively explored. In this study we assessed some toxicological tests on mice with a low molecular weight fraction obtained by gel filtration in Sephadex G-50 from Zoanthus sociatus crude extract. The gel filtration chromatogram at 280 nm revealed two major peaks, the highest absorbance corresponding to the low molecular weight fraction. The toxicological effects seem to be mostly autonomic and cardiotoxic, causing death in a dose dependent manner with a LD₅₀ of 792 μg/kg. Moreover, at a dose of 600 μg/kg the active fraction accelerated the KCl-induced lethality in mice.     

The Swallow and the Sparrow: how agricultural intensification affects abundance,nest site selection and competitive interactions

Landscape Ecology - Intensification of farming practices is a key factor in population declines of many species, including aerial insectivores. Of these species, Tree Swallow populations have been...     

Does the aerobic capacity of fish muscle change with growth rates?

To ascertain whether growth rate modifies the oxidative capacity of fish white muscle, we examined the effects of individual growth rate on the activities of four mitochondrial enzymes in white muscle of the fast growing Atlantic cod,Gadus morhua. Growth rates were individually monitored in cod held at three acclimation temperatures during experiments repeated in four seasons. The size dependence of citrate synthase (CS), cytochrome C oxidase (CCO) and β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (HOAD) activities was established using wild cod ranging from 115 to 17,350 g. Given their negative allometry, CS and CCO activities in the experimental cod were corrected to those expected for a 1.2 kg animal. HOAD activities did not change with size. The specific activities of CCO and CS were positively correlated with growth rate. However, for both enzymes, season explained more of the variability than growth rate or temperature. Season was the only factor to significantly affect the activity of HOAD, while temperature and season interacted to determine glutamate dehydrogenase activity. CS activity was positively correlated with the initial condition of the cod, which differed among the seasons. The other enzymes did not show this relationship. The independent changes of these enzymes suggest that mitochondria undergo qualitative modifications with changes in growth rate, season and size. Although growth rate and the activities of CCO and CS are positively correlated, the activity of the mitochondrial enzymes is more affected by size, physical condition and season.     

Chromium propionate improves performance and carcass traits in broilers

There is evidence to suggest that poultry may have a dietary requirement for metabolically available chromium (Cr) that exceeds the amount provided through wheat soybean meal diets. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplemental organic Cr from Cr propionate at different dose levels (control = 0 μg/kg, T1 = 200 μg/kg, T2 = 400 μg/kg) on the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of broilers. Weight gain and feed intake of each treatment were recorded at the start and after 14, 28 and 35 d, and feed conversion ratios (FCR) were calculated accordingly. At 35 d of age, birds were randomly selected and euthanized for carcass evaluation. Results of the first trial indicate that both Cr propionate treatments increased final body weight (P < 0.05), feed efficiency (P < 0.05) and body weight gain (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, Cr propionate supplementation improved (P < 0.0001) all carcass characteristics. Interestingly, with increased Cr dosage, carcass yield, dressing percentage and breast meat yield increased linearly (P < 0.0001). The second study reveals that the feed intake in the control group was significantly higher compared to both Cr propionate supplemented groups (T1 & T2). Furthermore, the Cr propionate supplemented T2 group displayed a significantly lower FCR than the control and T1 group (P = 0.027). Finally, Cr propionate supplementation increased the dressing percentage compared to control birds (P < 0.0001). In the third experiment, Cr propionate supplementation (T1 & T2) increased final body weight and decreased FCR compared with the control treatment. These effects were highly significant (P < 0.0001) throughout all feeding phases of the trial. Cr propionate supplementation also increased (P < 0.0001) carcass yield, dressing percentage, breast meat yield, leg and thigh weights compared with the control treatment. In conclusion, growth performance, feed conversion, carcass yield, breast and leg meats of broiler birds can be significantly improved by dietary inclusion of Cr propionate. Cr propionate can be supplemented to broiler birds from 1 d old of age at a level that provides 200 or 400 μg/kg organic Cr and can increase the efficiency of broiler production.     

Recent plant diversity changes on Europe's mountain summits

In mountainous regions, climate warming is expected to shift species' ranges to higher altitudes. Evidence for such shifts is still mostly from revisitations of historical sites. We present recent (2001 to 2008) changes in vascular plant species richness observed in a standardized monitoring network across Europe's major mountain ranges. Species have moved upslope on average. However, these shifts had opposite effects on the summit floras' species richness in boreal-temperate mountain regions (+3.9 species on average) and Mediterranean mountain regions (-1.4 species), probably because recent climatic trends have decreased the availability of water in the European south. Because Mediterranean mountains are particularly rich in endemic species, a continuation of these trends might shrink the European mountain flora, despite an average increase in summit species richness across the region.