Management strategy influences landscape patterns of high-severity burn patches in the southwestern United States

Landscape Ecology - Spatial patterns of high-severity wildfire in forests affect vegetation recovery pathways, watershed dynamics, and wildlife habitat across landscapes. Yet, less is known about...     

Over-canopy saline sprinkler irrigation of grapevines during different growth stages

Wetting plant foliage with saline irrigation increases the uptake of toxic ions Na⁺ and Cl⁻. Over three consecutive seasons, Colombard vines grafted on Ramsey rootstock were irrigated with saline water (EC 3.5 dS/m) by over-canopy sprinklers during any one of the first three of the four annual growth stages: bud burst to full bloom (treatment BB-FB), full bloom to veraison (treatment FB-V), and veraison to harvest (treatment V-H). At other times, vines received non-saline water (EC 0.5 dS/m) as did the control. Seasonal average soil salinities remained relatively constant over the trial. In contrast, the concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in one-year old wood and grape juice more than doubled. In treatments FB-V and V-H the average yield over the three seasons was reduced by up to 15%. Results were compared with those obtained in an earlier study which was undertaken in the same vineyard with the same treatments applied via dripper. With drippers, the maximum reduction in the average yield over three seasons was 2%. Saline sprinkling caused rises in Na⁺ and Cl⁻ concentrations of fruit, leaf lamina and one-year-old wood that were at least 7-fold, 5-fold and 2-fold greater, respectively, than the rises caused by application of the same treatments with drip. Progressive seasonal rises in the concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in these tissues were due in part to carryover of salt added in previous seasons; with saline sprinkling the magnitude of these carryovers was 4-fold greater than those with saline drip irrigation. With saline water, vignerons can reduce losses by using irrigation systems which do not wet the foliage.     

Sources of nitrite in a permanent grassland soil

The objective of this study was to separate the observed nitrite (NO₂^–) concentration in a permanent grassland soil into process‐specific subpools. A laboratory experiment was carried out where either the nitrate and/or ammonium pool was labelled with ¹⁵N at 60 atom % excess. The main N transformations that occurred in this experiment were analysed with a ¹⁵N tracing model extended with a NO₂^– submodel. Techniques that have been used to date have been only able to identify NO₂^– subpools related to nitrification (NO₂^–_nit) and denitrification (NO₂^–_den). With the analysis presented here, we were able to quantify the size of an additional NO₂^– pool in the soil related to organic N turnover (NO₂^–_org). All transformations related to NO₂^– turnover of the three subpools occurred simultaneously. After non‐linear parameter optimization the model predicted that on average NO₂^–_den, NO₂^–_nit and NO₂^–_org pools contributed 57, 33 and 10% to the total soil NO₂^– concentration. The finding that heterotrophic processes can contribute to the NO₂^– dynamics in permanent grassland soils might also have important implications for the understanding of gaseous N production that are tightly linked to NO₂^– turnover. Further work is needed to find out how important the conversion of organic N to NO₂^– is in other soil‐based ecosystems and to identify the microbial groups responsible for this process.     

Beaver (Castor canadensis) as a surrogate species for conserving anuran amphibians on boreal streams in Alberta, Canada

We explored the use of beaver (Castor canadensis) as a surrogate species for amphibian conservation on small (1st-4th-order) streams in the Boreal Foothills of west-central Alberta. Anuran call surveys indicated that beaver create breeding habitat for the boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata), wood frog (Rana sylvatica) and western toad (Bufo boreas). No calling males of any species were recorded on unobstructed streams. Wood frog, the most abundant species, exhibited high rates of juvenile recruitment on beaver ponds. Pitfall traps captured more wood frogs on beaver ponds versus unobstructed streams, and most individuals (84%) were young-of-year. Abundance of young-of-year was strongly correlated with percent landscape occupied by beaver ponds indicating that anurans captured along streams originated in beaver ponds. Based on a novel combination of a digital elevation model and aerial photographs examined with GIS, statistical models showed that the probability of beaver pond occurrence on streams was positively associated with stream order and dependent on the interacting effects of distance to nearest forestry cutblock and availability of beaver foods (Populus spp.). We propose that the distribution and abundance of beaver ponds could be determined over large areas quickly and inexpensively by remote sensing and used to identify and monitor amphibian habitat, and possibly, populations. This work establishes the pre-eminence of beaver-created wetlands as amphibian habitat in the Boreal Foothills and that the incorporation of dam-building patterns into forest management strategies could aid amphibian conservation.     

Comparison of isothiocyanate metabolite levels and histone deacetylase activity in human subjects consuming broccoli sprouts or broccoli supplement

Increased consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli may reduce the risk of various cancers. Myrosinase is required to convert dietary glucosinolates from broccoli into bioactive isothiocyanates. We evaluated isothiocyanate excretion profiles in healthy subjects who consumed broccoli sprouts or broccoli supplement (no myrosinase) with equivalent glucosinolate content. Urinary metabolites of two major isothiocyanates, sulforaphane and erucin, were measured by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Peak excretion of sulforaphane and erucin was higher and occurred sooner in subjects who consumed broccoli sprouts as compared to subjects who consumed the supplement. A subject-dependent shift in the ratio of urinary sulforaphane to erucin metabolites was observed in both groups, indicating conversion of sulforaphane to erucin. Lower histone deacetylase activity was observed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells only in subjects consuming sprouts. Fresh broccoli sprouts differ from broccoli supplements in regards to excretion of isothiocyanates and bioactivity in human subjects.     

Restoring the capacity of spent mushroom compost to treat coal mine drainage by reducing the inflow rate: A microcosm experiment

Four volumes of spent mushroom compost were exposed to synthetic coal mine drainage (pH 3.5, 48 mg L^?1 Fe, 22 mg L^?1 Mn) under oxidizing conditions (Eh 300 to 400 mV) at a relatively high rate of flow. After 15 days, the compost lost its ability to elevate pH, to lower the redox potential, to lower outlet iron concentrations, and to lower manganese concentrations, with larger volumes retaining more Fe and H⁺, but less Mn. Estimated retention maxima per liter of spent mushroom compost were 281 μeq H⁺, 5.56 g Fe, and 0.15 g Mn. These values are similar to those reported elsewhere for peat. The ‘saturated’ compost was then mixed and exposed to mine water in order to eliminate ‘dead zones’ in the compost. Subsequently, the compost was re-exposed to synthetic mine water (pH 4.0, 60 mg L^?1 Fe, O mg L^?1 Mn) under a much lower flow rate and less oxidizing regime for a period of 114 days. Under the low flow regime, iron was first exported from the compost as reducing conditions were established, and then retained on a stable basis. In addition, Eh was lowered and pH was elevated by the compost. On a net basis, the capacity of the compost to retain iron was increased and apparently stable under the decreased flow conditions.     

Fate of xanthohumol and related prenylflavonoids from hops to beer

The fate of three prenylated flavonoids of the chalcone type, xanthohumol, desmethylxanthohumol, and 3'-geranylchalconaringenin, was monitored with LC/MS-MS from hops (Humulus lupulus L.) to beer in two brewing trials. The three prenylchalcones were largely converted into their isomeric flavanones, isoxanthohumol, prenylnaringenins, and geranylnaringenins, respectively, in the boiling wort. Losses of prenylflavonoids were due to incomplete extraction from the hops into the wort (13-25%), adsorption to insoluble malt proteins (18-26%), and adsorption to yeast cells (11-32%) during fermentation. The overall yield of xanthohumol, after lagering of the beer and largely in the form of isoxanthohumol, amounted to 22-30% of the hops' xanthohumol. About 10% of the hops' desmethylxanthohumol, completely converted into prenylnaringenins, remained in the beers. 3'-Geranylchalconaringenin behaved similarly to desmethylxanthohumol. Solubility experiments indicated that (1) malt carbohydrates form soluble complexes with xanthohumol and isoxanthohumol and (2) solubility does not dictate the isoxanthohumol levels of finished beers.     

Testing the utility of abiotic surrogates for marine habitat mapping at scales relevant to management

Habitat mapping at the scale at which marine protected areas are designed and managed is essential for assessment of, and design for, representation. Most habitat mapping studies rely solely or in part on abiotic surrogates for patterns of biodiversity. The utility of abiotic variables in predicting biological distributions at the local scale (10 s of km) was tested in a remote video survey of macrobenthos in Moreton Bay, Australia. Habitat classifications of the same set of 41 sites based on 6 abiotic variables and abundances of 89 taxa and bioturbation indicators were compared using correlation, regression and ordination analyses. The concepts of false homogeneity (abiotically similar but biologically distinct) and false heterogeneity (abiotically distinct but biologically similar) were defined to describe types of errors associated with using abiotic surrogates to construct habitat maps, and quantified using two separate methods. Overall, the best prediction by abiotic surrogates explained less than 30% of the pattern of biological similarity. Errors of false homogeneity were between 20% and 62%, depending on the methods of estimation. Predictive capability of abiotic surrogates at the taxon level was poor, with only 6% of taxon/surrogate correlations significant. Abiotic variables did not discriminate sufficiently between different soft bottom communities to be a reliable basis for mapping. These results have implications for the widespread use of abiotic surrogates in marine habitat mapping to plan for, or assess, representation in marine protected areas. Little confidence can be placed in marine habitat classifications based solely or largely on abiotic surrogates without calibration by rigorous biological surveys at the appropriate scale. Therefore, it is questionable whether marine protected areas designed on this basis can have measurable benefits for conservation.