Assessing seed desiccation responses of native trees in the Caribbean

New Forests - Native trees from the Caribbean were tested for seed desiccation responses, by adapting the “100-seed test” protocol. Ninety-seven seed lots of 91 species were collected...     

Distribution and diversity of leaf-cutting ants in Northeastern Argentina: species most associated with forest plantations

Abstract

Leaf-cutting ants (LCA) are considered one of the main herbivores and one of the most destructive pest insects of the Neotropics. Northeastern Argentina harbors the greatest species richness of these ants and in turn comprises the highest surface with forest plantations. Our aim was to establish which species of leaf-cutting ants are most commonly associated with forest plantations by analyzing their geographic distribution using published and unpublished species occurrence data. Also, estimate their potential areas of distribution along a latitudinal gradient that entirely encompasses northeastern Argentina using Ecological Niche Modeling. Only seven of the 20 species recorded were strongly associated with productive systems along the gradient, but only 2–3 species in each region could be considered high-risk species for forest plantations. High-risk species composition shows a turnover between regions. Our models show the potential distribution areas where LCA could become more abundant and dominant, and possibly causing a detrimental effect on the forest plantations in the studied region. We find that ecological niche models are useful tools to assess the environmental suitability of important LCA.     

Landscape drivers of connectivity for a forest rodent in a coffee agroecosystem

Landscape Ecology - The majority of remaining tropical forests exist as fragments embedded in a matrix of agricultural production. Understanding the effects of these agricultural landscapes on...     

Impact of Caligus treatments on unit costs of heterogeneous salmon farms in Chile

We measure the impact that sanitary treatments that control ectoparasite Caligus rogercresseyi abundance have on unit production costs of Salmo salar farms in Chile. We follow complete production cycles for a sample of farms between 2009 and 2015. We estimate a simultaneous salmon biomass growth and Caligus abundance model. The statistical analysis determines the effect of antiparasitic treatments, location of farms, environmental conditions and Caligus abundance on the salmon growth profile. Using outside cost information, we simulate how unit production costs vary by treatment and farm characteristics. Our results suggest that unit production costs increase on average by $1.4?US/kg with Caligus and treatments. Treatment costs are compensated by higher harvesting levels, and unit production costs are invariant to the situation without treatment. All estimated effects differ depending on farm’s environmental and spatial conditions, suggesting that the design of cost-effective intervention calls for discriminatory regulation under heterogeneous conditions.     

The Physical Condition and Welfare of Five Species of Wild‐caught Wrasse Stocked under Aquaculture Conditions and when Stocked in Atlantic Salmon,Salmo salar,Production Cages

Several indices were examined to assess the physical condition of wrasse stocked on Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, farms as cleaner fish, and included examination of eye condition, snout erosion, skin hemorrhaging, and erosion and splitting of dorsal, pectoral, anal and caudal fins. Baseline values were determined for five wrasse species: goldsinny, Ctenolabrus rupestris; rock cook, Centrolabrus exoletus; corkwing, Crenilabrus melops; cuckoo, Labrus mixtus; and ballan, Labrus bergylta, held in a farm environment for 3 mo prior to transfer to salmon farms. The caudal fin was most affected by injury. The fin erosion index (FEI) was low in all species and below 0.6. The fin splitting index (FSI) was the most prominent index and was significantly higher in the caudal fin (FSI > 2) compared with other fins (FSI < 0.5), and also significantly higher in corkwing and rock cook compared with the other wrasse species. The FEI and FSI were also calculated for a group of ballan wrasse before stocking on a seawater farm, during the first winter and upon harvesting. There were no significant differences in the scores of fin erosion and fin splitting in any of the samples, although the indices were marginally poorer in winter.     

Neotropical Bats from Costa Rica harbour Diverse Coronaviruses

Bats are hosts of diverse coronaviruses (CoVs) known to potentially cross the host–species barrier. For analysing coronavirus diversity in a bat species‐rich country, a total of 421 anal swabs/faecal samples from Costa Rican bats were screened for CoV RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene sequences by a pancoronavirus PCR. Six families, 24 genera and 41 species of bats were analysed. The detection rate for CoV was 1%. Individuals (n = 4) from four different species of frugivorous (Artibeus jamaicensis, Carollia perspicillata and Carollia castanea) and nectivorous (Glossophaga soricina) bats were positive for coronavirus‐derived nucleic acids. Analysis of 440 nt. RdRp sequences allocated all Costa Rican bat CoVs to the α‐CoV group. Several CoVs sequences clustered near previously described CoVs from the same species of bat, but were phylogenetically distant from the human CoV sequences identified to date, suggesting no recent spillover events. The Glossophaga soricina CoV sequence is sufficiently dissimilar (26% homology to the closest known bat CoVs) to represent a unique coronavirus not clustering near other CoVs found in the same bat species so far, implying an even higher CoV diversity than previously suspected.     

The influence of the ethanol pumping of wheat straw and of the beating of pulp on the resulting paper sheets

This paper reports on the influence of independent variables in the pulping of wheat straw (viz. cooking temperature and time, and ethanol concentration), and of the number of PFI beating revolutions to which the pulp is subjected, on the yield and Shopper-Riegler index of the pulp, and on the breaking length, stretch, burst index and tear index of the resulting paper sheets. By using a central composite factor design and the BMDP software suite, equations that relate each dependent variable to the different independent variables were obtained that reproduce the experimental results for the dependent variables with errors less than 25% at temperatures, times, ethanol concentrations and numbers of PFI beating revolutions in the ranges 140–180°C, 60–120 min, 40–80% and 0–1750, respectively. Ensuring the optimal Shopper-Riegler index for the pulp (73.18°SR), and also the optimal breaking length (6276 m), stretch (2.57%) and burst index (3.72 kN/g) for the papers sheets, entails using a high temperature (180°C), a large number of PFI beating revolutions (1750) and medium-to-high ethanol concentration and time values; these conditions, however, decrease the tear index for the paper sheets below the optimum level (4.60 mNm²/g). A high temperature and a large number of PFI beating revolutions, in conjunction with a low ethanol concentration (60%) and a short time (60 min), can be used to save solvent and increase the production; the values thus obtained for the dependent variables differ by less than 30% from their optimum levels in the worst case.     

Radial variation in sap flow in five laurel forest tree species in Tenerife,Canary Islands

Variations in radial patterns of xylem water content and sap flow rate were measured in five laurel forest tree species (Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco, Persea indica (L.) Spreng., Myrica faya Ait., Erica arborea L. and Ilex perado Ait. ssp. platyphylla (Webb & Berth.) Tutin) growing in an experimental plot at Agua García, Tenerife, Canary Islands. Measurements were performed around midday during warm and sunny days by the heat field deformation method. In all species, water content was almost constant (around 35% by volume) over the whole xylem cross-sectional area. There were no differences in wood color over the whole cross-sectional area of the stem in most species with the exception of E. arborea, whose wood became darker in the inner layers. Radial patterns of sap flow were highly variable and did not show clear relationships with tree diameter or species. Sap flow occurred over the whole xylem cross-sectional area in some species, whereas it was limited to the outer xylem layers in others. Sap flow rate was either similar along the xylem radius or exhibited a peak in the outer part of the xylem area. Low sap flow rates with little variation in radial pattern were typical for shaded suppressed trees, whereas dominant trees exhibited high sap flow rates with a peak in the radial pattern. Stem damage resulted in a significant decrease in sap flow rate in the outer xylem layers. The outer xylem is more important for whole tree water supply than the inner xylem because of its larger size. We conclude that measurement of radial flow pattern provides a reliable method of integrating sap flow from individual measuring points to the whole tree.     

Dynamics of violaxanthin and lutein epoxide xanthophyll cycles in Lauraceae tree species under field conditions

Two xanthophyll cycles have been described in higher plants: the violaxanthin xanthophyll (V or VAZ) cycle, which is present in all species, and the taxonomically restricted lutein epoxide xanthophyll (Lx) cycle, which involves the light-induced de-epoxidation of Lx to lutein (L) and its epoxidation back to Lx in low light. Laboratory experiments indicate that the first reaction occurs quickly, but the second reaction is much slower. We investigated the Lx cycle under field conditions in several tree species of the Lauraceae family to determine its relationship with the ubiquitous V cycle. The field study was conducted in two natural laurel forests: one in the Canary Islands, where Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco, Ocotea foetens (Aiton.) Benth, Apollonias barbujana (Cav.) Bornm. and Persea indica (L.) Spreng were studied; and one in the Basque Atlantic coast where Laurus nobilis L. was studied. The results were complemented by a taxonomic study. The presence of Lx was widespread among Lauraceae species, but its concentration varied even among closely related species. The V pool size correlated positively with growth irradiance, whereas the relationship between Lx pool size and growth irradiance varied with species. A functional Lx cycle was confirmed under field conditions only in O. foetens and L. nobilis. Furthermore, in O. foetens, a correlation between Lx de-epoxidation and photoinhibition suggested a protective role for this cycle. We conclude that, unlike the V cycle, which is normally correlated with irradiance, the operation and light dependence of the Lx cycle is species-dependent.