Successful management of jejunojejunal anastomosis dehiscence by extra-abdominal exteriorization and bandaging in a cat with septic peritonitis

Duodenal and jejunal resections were performed in a cat with septic peritonitis due to small intestinal perforations by a linear foreign body. Three days later jejunal resection and anastomosis were repeated due to dehiscence of the anastomosis site. This segment of intestine was exteriorized through the body wall and managed with bandages for 5 days before it was surgically replaced into the abdomen. The cat made a full recovery.     

Photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency in evergreen broad-leaved woody species coexisting in a warm-temperate forest

Photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE, photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf nitrogen) varies among species from different habitats and correlates with several ecological characteristics such as leaf life span and leaf mass per area. We investigated eight evergreen broad-leaved woody species with different leaf life spans that coexist in a warm-temperate forest. We determined photosynthetic capacity at ambient CO(2) concentration in saturated light, nitrogen concentration, and the concentration of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase), a key enzyme of photosynthesis and the largest sink of nitrogen in leaves. Each species showed a strong correlation between photosynthetic capacity and RuBPCase concentration, and between RuBPCase concentration and nitrogen concentration. Photosynthetic capacity of leaves decreased with increasing leaf life span, whereas PNUE did not correlate significantly with leaf life span. There was a twofold variation in PNUE among species. This relatively small variation in PNUE is consistent with the argument that species that coexist in a single habitat maintain a similar PNUE. The two components of PNUE-photosynthetic rate per unit RuBPCase and RuBPCase per unit leaf nitrogen-were not significantly correlated with other leaf characteristics such as leaf life span and leaf mass per area. We conclude that differences in PNUE are relatively small among coexisting species and that differences in absolute amounts of photosynthetic proteins lead to differences in photosynthetic productivity among species.     

Genetic and physical mapping of the partial resistance gene, pi34, to blast in rice

ABSTRACT Partial resistance to rice blast in the Oryza sativa japonica group cv. Chubu 32 is controlled by Pi34, a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 11, and several uncharacterized QTLs. The objectives of the study were (i) high-resolution genetic and physical mapping of Pi34 and (ii) identification of new QTL imparting resistance to rice blast. Chubu 32 was crossed with a susceptible chromosomal segment substitution line (CSSL) of cv. Koshihikari. From 4,012 of segregating individuals, 213 recombinants in the Pi34 region were screened by using polymerase chain reaction-based markers and tested resistance in the field and greenhouse. The Pi34 locus is located in the 54.1-kb region on the genomic sequence of cv. Nipponbare. We constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of Chubu 32, selected the clone containing Pi34, and sequenced it. The Pi34 locus consequently was located on an interval of 65.3 kb containing 10 predicted open reading frames (ORFs). Two of these ORFs were predicted only in Chubu 32 and encoded transposable elements. The other eight ORFs were found in both Chubu 32 and Nipponbare and one of them, which encoded an unknown protein, showed significantly different amino acid sequences between two cultivars. The new QTL, Piq6(t), was detected on the short arm of chromosome 6 and the genetic distance of flanking markers was 16.9 centimorgans in Nipponbare. Pi34 and Piq6(t) acted additively on resistance to rice blast but the effect of Piq6(t) was relatively small compared with Pi34.     

Forest management inspired by natural disturbance dynamics (DISTDYN) – a long-term research and development project in Finland

A large-scale and long-term research and development project Forest management inspired by natural disturbance dynamics (DISTDYN) was initiated in Finland in 2009. The aim is to examine how variation in spatial and temporal scales of felling affects forest structure and biota. Harvesting methods applied in this project include selection, gap, partial and clear felling with variable retention. Rehabilitation is also applied as dead wood is intentionally increased while harvesting. The motivation of the project lies in the growing interest in using natural disturbances as an inspiration of forest-ecosystem management and in the recognition that mid- to small-scale disturbances are a characteristic feature of unmanaged Fennoscandian forests. The effects of felling methods are studied at the stand scale. However, a unique aspect of the project is the focus on landscape-scale impacts of different harvesting alternatives by comparing ca. 150-ha landscape units with varying harvesting regimes. Overall, the project aims at creating a long-lasting multidisciplinary research infrastructure. It also addresses core issues of forest-ecosystem management, including ecological, timber-production, economic and socio-cultural performances of alternative harvesting practices.     

Genetic organization of aromatic rice as revealed by RAPD markers: A case study in conserving crop genetic resources on farm

Summary On-farm conservation of landraces is one strategy to maintain the diversity of crop germplasm in local agro-ecosystems. The genetic structures of landraces are a key biological factor in on-farm conservation strategies. To accumulate a genetic understanding that will help establish a methodology for on-farm conservation, the genetic organization of landraces of aromatic rice in Namdinh province, Vietnam was analyzed using RAPD markers. Eighteen RAPD markers detected 38 genotypes among 320 aromatic rice samples growing at 23 sites of farmers' fields and in the experimental field that derived from 13 sites. Geographical variation was observed in the frequency of genotypes, whereas individual landraces could not be distinguished by RAPD markers. Genetic variation within a site was generally smaller than that among sites. The degree of genetic similarity of the plants in a site varied among sites, as did the number of genotypes. Changes in genetic structure over time were investigated using experimental populations each derived from approximately 30 plants from 13 farmers' fields. The differences detected by DNA markers between the genetic structural in the farmers' fields and those in experimental fields suggested that genetic drift is a major cause of these differences. The present study suggests that DNA markers are an essential means to monitor the genetic structures of heterogeneous landraces of rice, and are useful for selecting study sites for the on-farm conservation of genetic diversity as well as for successive monitoring.     

Cost-effective strategies to conserve boreal forest biodiversity and long-term landscape-level maintenance of habitats

Setting aside parcels of land is the main conservation strategy to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss worldwide. Because funding for biological conservation is limited, it is important to distinguish the most efficient ways to use it. Here, we assess implications of alternative measures to conserve biodiversity in managed boreal forest landscapes. We calculated four alternative spatio-temporal scenarios and compared these to the current management regime over 100-year time period. In the alternative scenarios, a fixed amount of funding was invested in (1) permanent large reserves (each tens of ha in size), (2) permanent small reserves (each a few ha in size), (3) temporary small reserves (based on 10-year contracts with private land owners), and (4) green-tree retention (small groups of trees retained on clear-cuts). To assess biodiversity implications, we used habitat suitability indices to calculate overall habitat availability for five groups of red-listed and habitat-specific species associated with decaying spruce logs. The possibilities for timber harvests did not differ among the scenarios, but biodiversity performance was different. The scenarios with permanent reserves tended to outperform other scenarios, suggesting that conservation policies based on permanent reserves are the most cost-efficient in the long term. Results, however, varied among time scales and species groups. In the short term, a strategy of investment in temporary small reserves was the most efficient. Habitat for species associated with old spruce dead-wood and preferring shade was rare throughout all simulations, and therefore, it is likely that these species cannot be sustained in managed forests. Species that live on fresh dead-wood and are associated with forest edges coped well in all scenarios suggesting that such species will persist in managed landscapes without additional conservation efforts. Explicit definition of conservation objectives and time frames for conservation action are thus prerequisites for successful conservation planning.     

Development of EST-SSR markers of Ipomoea nil

Although Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth.) has been used intensively for genetic studies, DNA markers have not been developed in Ipomoea nil sufficient to cover all chromosomes. Therefore, we conducted microsatellite (simple sequence repeats, SSR) marker development in I. nil for future genetic studies. From 92,662 expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences, 514 unique microsatellite-containing ESTs were identified. Primer pairs were designed automatically in 326 SSRs. Of 150 SSRs examined, 75 showed polymorphisms among strains. A phenogram based on the SSR genotypes revealed the genetic relation among seven Japanese morning glories from five different regions of the world and an ivyleaf morning glory (I. hederacea Jacq.). The developed SSR markers might be applicable for genetic studies of morning glories and their relatives.     

Genetic studies for breeding of rice cultivars with superior grain appearance and lodging resistance from the rice cultivar ‘Emi-no-kizuna’

ABSTRACT

We conducted a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of grain appearance (GA) and agronomic traits of rice, using 128 recombinant inbred lines derived from ‘Emi-no-kizuna’ and ‘Tomohonami’. We detected two promising QTLs associated with GA: qGA4 on chromosome 4 and qGA8 on chromosome 8. qGA4 contributed highly to the greater percentage of perfect grains of the Emi-no-kizuna genotype. In the same region, we detected other QTLs associated with panicle number and spikelet number per panicle. In near-isogenic lines (NILs) in which Emi-no-kizuna alleles were introgressed in the genomic region of only the semi-dwarf 1 (sd1) locus (NIL_1) and both the sd1 locus and qGA8 (NIL_2), respectively, the percentage of perfect grains was significantly higher and the percentages of milky white, basal white, and white back grains were significantly lower than in Tomohonami; and the percentages of milky white and white back grains of NIL_2 were significantly lower than those of NIL_1. These results suggest that introgression in the sd1 region could improve GA, and that the addition of qGA8 could further improve GA. The culm lengths of the NILs were significantly shorter than that of Tomohonami, indicating improved lodging resistance. Grain weight of NIL_2 was significantly smaller than that of NIL_1, suggesting that the effect of qGA8 could be pleiotropic, or the gene that underlies qGA8 could be linked with genes associated with grain weight.

Abbreviations: ANOVA: analysis of variance; AT20: mean air temperature in the 20 days after heading; BW: basal white grain; CL: culm length; DAH: days after heading; GA: grain appearance; GW: 1000-grain weight; LOD: logarithm of odds; MW: milky white grain; NIL: near-isogenic line; PG: perfect grain; PL: panicle length; PN: panicle number; PTSN: putative total spikelet number; PVE: percentage of phenotypic variation explained; QTL: quantitative trait locus; RIL: recombinant inbred line; SN: spikelet number per panicle; SNP: single nucleotide polymorphism; WB: white back grain