Role of past and present landscape structure in determining epiphyte richness in fragmented Mediterranean forests

Context

The anthropocene is characterised by global landscape modification, and the structure of remnant habitats can explain different patterns of species richness. The most pervasive processes of degradation include habitat loss and fragmentation. However, a recovery of modified landscape is occurring in some areas.

Objectives

The main goal is to know how lichen and bryophyte epiphytic richness growing on Mediterranean forests is influenced not only by fragments characteristics but also by the structure of the landscape. We introduce a temporal dimension in order to evaluate if the historical landscape structure is relevant for current epiphytic communities.

Methods

40 well-preserved forest fragments were selected in a landscape with a large habitat loss over decades, but with a recovery of forest surface in the last 55 years. The most relevant fragment and landscape-scale attributes were considered. Some of the variables were measured in three different years to incorporate a temporal framework.

Results

The results showed that variables at fragment scale had a higher influence, whereas variables at the landscape scale were irrelevant. Among all the historical variables analyzed, only the shift in forest fragment size had influence on species richness.

Conclusions

Mediterranean forests had suffered fragmentation along centuries. Their epiphytic communities also suffer the hard conditions of Mediterranean climate. Our results indicate that Mediterranean epiphytic communities may be in a threshold since it they will never be similar to those communities existing previous fragmentation process even a recovery habitat occur or, they may require more time to response to this habitat recovery.

     

Driving competitive and facilitative interactions in oak dehesas through management practices

Dehesas are extant multi-purpose agroforestry systems that consist of a mosaic of widely-spaced scattered oaks (Quercus ilex L.) combined with crops, pasture or shrubs. We aimed to clarify the role of trees in dehesas of CW Spain focussed on the analysis of tree-understorey interactions. Spatial variability of resources (light, soil moisture and fertility), microclimate, fine roots of both herbaceous plants and trees and forage yield was measured. Additionally, we compared the nutritional and physiological status, growth and acorn production of oaks in cropped (fodder crop), grazed (native grasses) and encroached (woody understorey) dehesa plots. Significant light interception by trees was limited to the close vicinity of the trees, with very low reduction away from them. Both microclimate and soil fertility improved significantly in the trees vicinity, irrespective of soil management. Soil moisture varied very few with distance from the trees, as a result of the extended root system of oaks. Root systems of trees and herbs did not overlap to a great extent. Crop production was higher beneath trees than beyond the trees in unfertilised plots and foliar nutrient content of oaks did not increase significantly with crop fertilisation, indicating that trees and crops hardly compete for nutrients. Moreover, trees benefited from the crop or pasture management: trees featured a significantly improved nutritional and physiological status, a faster growth and a higher fruit productivity than trees growing in encroached or forest plots.     

A comparative study of the effects of high pressure on proteolytic degradation of sardine and blue whiting muscle

ABSTRACT:   High-pressure technology is used as an alternative to heat processing because of its inactivating effect on microorganisms and enzymes. However, it can also alter the structure of other muscle proteins. The present study compares the effects of high pressure (300 MPa, 7°C, 20 min) on the proteolytic degradation and alterations in the myofibrillar proteins of sardine and blue whiting muscle. Also, muscle homogenates and enzyme extracts were pressurized in order to evaluate the high-pressure effects on unprotected proteolytic enzymes outside the whole muscle structure. Peak proteolytic activity was found to occur at 55°C in both species. The peak activity pH was pH 3 for the sardine and pH 8 for the blue whiting; the main enzyme families being aspartic proteases in the former and alkaline serine proteases in the latter. Pressurization lowered activity levels at the peak activity pH and temperature in the fish muscle (by 30.8% in the sardine and by 9.5% in the blue whiting) and also slightly in the enzyme extracts (by 16.8% in the sardine and by 19.4% in the blue whiting). The electrophoretic profiles disclosed higher protein degradation in the pressurized muscle. Overall, the observed changes in proteolytic activity can be attributed not only to the effect of high pressure on the enzymes, but also and mainly, to the effect on other muscle proteins.     

Linseed oil inclusion in sea bream diets: effect on muscle quality and shelf life

Dietary lipid source in aquaculture has become a central topic in research whilst natural resources availability diminishes. Hence, to weigh up and forecast consumers impressions, the impact of partial (70%) and complete (100%) dietary replacement of fish oil (FO) by linseed oil (LO) on sensory and quality attributes was studied during the edible shelf life of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). Physico‐chemical parameters (pH, torrymeter, total volatile basic nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and texture), and sensory analysis, both in cooked and raw fish were carried out during 17 days of ice storage. Throughout ice storage, feeding with LO diets, TBARS values remained lower on muscle than those found when feeding FO control diet. On freshly caught fish (day 0 of ice storage), statistically significant dietary texture variations were recorded on cooked fillet fed FO diet. No sensory differences on Quality Index Method, sensory profile or Torry scheme were found with partial or total LO replacement diets.     

Computed tomographic‐lymphography as a complementary technique for lymph node staging in dogs with malignant tumors of various sites

Locoregional lymph nodes are routinely examined in order to define the spatial extent of neoplastic disease. As draining patterns of certain tumor types can be divergent from expected anatomical distribution, it is critical to sample the lymph nodes truly representing the draining area. The aim of this bicenter prospective pilot study was to describe the technique of computed tomographic (CT)‐lymphography for primary draining lymph node mapping in tumor staging in dogs. Forty‐five dogs with macro‐ or microscopic tumors in specified localizations were evaluated. Depending on body weight, 0.8–2 ml contrast agent (iohexol) was injected into four quadrants around the tumor, and CT‐images were obtained at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 minutes post‐injection. Attenuation of chosen regions of interest (Hounsfield units (HU)) and patterns of enhancement were assessed for 284 lymph nodes in the precontrast study with median HUs of 31.1 (Interquartile range (IQR) = 18.4) and for 275 in the intravenous postcontrast study with 104.3 HU (IQR = 31.2) (paired Wilcoxon test, P < 0.001). In the CT‐lymphography study, 45 primary draining lymph nodes with a significantly higher median HU value of 348.5 (IQR = 591.4) (one‐sample t‐test, P < 0.001) were identified. Primary draining lymph nodes were found to be clearly visible after 1–3 minutes after local injection, often concurrent with a good visibility of the lymphatic vessel system. The herein described technique of peritumorally injected CT‐contrast agent followed by subsequent CT‐lymphography for primary draining lymph node mapping works well in a majority of cases in all investigated sites and warrants further validation for different tumor entities.     

The importance of rice fields for glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus): Management recommendations derived from an individual-based model

Artificial wetlands provide alternative habitats for waterbirds. The Doñana rice fields (SW Spain) are extensively used as a foraging site by the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus). The aim of this study was to develop an individual-based model to predict the possible effects of glossy ibis’ population growth, reductions in the rice cultivated area, and changes on the phenology of the management processes of the paddies on the mortality rate of the glossy ibis population. We test the hypothesis that the glossy ibis breeding population of Doñana can obtain its energy requirements during the non-breeding season by feeding on rice fields alone. Our results show that the glossy ibis population growth is not currently limited by rice field availability. However, a reduction of 80% would cause mortality rate increases above the observed mortality (5.9% per year), with values around 10% per year for populations between 50,000 and 100,000 birds. A reduction of 90% of the rice field area would cause mortality rate increase above the observed value for populations greater than 20,000 birds, reaching 60% per year with a population of 100,000 birds. Cultivated area in Doñana suffers temporary reduction on its area during drought periods. Taking into account the fact that the glossy ibis population for 2011 may exceed 22,900 birds, large scale changes in the area of rice fields due to habitat transformations and/or drought periods may have important effects on the viability of the glossy ibis population in Doñana.     

Genetic analysis of salt tolerance at seedling and reproductive stages in rice (Oryza sativa)

Salinity is a major abiotic stress that limits rice production across rice areas as high‐yielding modern rice varieties are generally sensitive to salt stress. The study was conducted to deduce heritability and combining ability estimates of rice for various morphological and physiological traits using a 7 × 7 full‐diallel‐cross analysis at seedling and reproductive stages. The salinity stress treatment was 12 dS m^?1 at the seedling stage and 8 dS m^?1 at the reproductive stage. Diallel analysis revealed high for salinity tolerance scores and shoot height, moderate for shoot dry weight and root dry weight and low for Na⁺ and K⁺ concentrations and K⁺/Na⁺ ratio. The low‐to‐moderate narrow‐sense heritability for number of panicles, number of fertile spikelets, grain weight, spikelet fertility and K⁺/Na⁺ ratio suggests a large breeding population and delayed selection for tolerance until later generations. Significant maternal effects indicate that selection of the female parent is very important for desired trait development. The results of this study confirmed that salinity tolerance at the seedling and reproductive stages is regulated by a different set of genes that could be pyramided using different donors to enhance the level of tolerance.     

Incidental captures of sea turtles by swordfish and albacore longlines in the Ionian sea

ABSTRACT:   Incidental catches in pelagic longline fishing pose a serious threat to sea turtle populations throughout the world's seas and oceans. In this work, carried out in the framework of the EC-DG-Fisheries 98/008 project, information on sea turtle catch rates from swordfish and albacore longline fishing activities observed in Italian waters off the Ionian Sea during 1999 and 2000, are reported. In addition, biometric data, health status, and tagging return rate of sea turtles captured are provided. A total of 200 sea turtles were caught (198 loggerhead turtles and 2 green turtles), comprising 0.5–15.7% of the total catch in number of individuals. The estimates of the sea turtles caught by the total fishing effort of both longlines in the whole study area were 1084 specimens in 1999 (95% CI = 667–1502) and 4447 specimens in 2000 (95% CI = 3189–5705). Although all sea turtles were released alive, nearly half of them had hooks that could not be removed and remained deeply embedded in the digestive tract.     

Characterization of carrot root oil arising from supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction

Carrot root oil (SCO), obtained by supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction, was characterized and compared to a commercial carrot oil (MCO) and a virgin olive oil (VOO) (cv. Coratina). SCO showed much higher contents of carotenes, phenolics, waxes, phytosterols, and sesquiterpene and monoterpene volatiles. In SCO, the most prominent components present in the fully investigated analytical fractions (fatty acids, triglycerides, waxes, phytosterols, long-chain aliphatic alcohols, superior triterpene alcohols, and volatiles) were, respectively, linolenic acid, trilinolein, waxes C38, beta-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol, 1-hexacosanol, 24-methylencycloartanol and cycloartenol, beta-caryophyllene, alpha-humulene, alpha-pinene, and sabinene. In VOO, the major constituents of the above analytical classes were, respectively, oleic acid, trilinolein, waxes C36, unsaturated volatile C6 aldehydes (trans-2-hexenal most markedly), and the same prominent sterols and superior alcohols found in SCO. In MCO, which also contained a proportion of unknown plant oil, several components showed magnitudes that were lower compared to SCO but higher with respect to VOO. The last had the aliphatic and triterpene alcohol concentration higher compared to that of both SCO and MCO. Several chemometric methods, applied to different analytical data sets, proved to be effective in grouping the three oil kinds.     

Supercritical CO2 extraction of beta-carotene from a marine strain of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus species

Dynamic extraction of carotenoids from a marine strain of Synechococcus sp. (Cyanophyceae) with supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) was investigated with regard to operation pressure and temperature effects on extraction efficiency. Extraction yield (milligrams of pigment per gram of dry weight) for SC-CO2) was compared with the extraction yield for dimethylformamide (DMF). Carotenoids extracted with SC-CO2 were beta-carotene (Ct), zeaxanthin (Z), beta-cryptoxanthin (Cr), and equinenone; chlorophyll a was poorly extracted, whereas myxoxanthophyll, another major carotenoid, was not extracted under any experimental condition. The highest relative yield, which is defined here as y(r) = [(mg of pigment(SC-CO2)/mg of pigment(DMF))] x 100, was 76.1 +/- 8.6% for Ct, but it rose to 87.0 +/- 3.4% when 15% ethanol was used as cosolvent. The pressure effect on y(r) was found to be significant (p < 0.05) for both Cr and Z, along with total carotenoids, whereas the effect of square T (TT) was significant for only Ct. From empirical correlations, pairwise pressure (bar) and temperature (degrees C), respectively, for optimal extraction were determined to be (358, 50) for Ct, (454, 59) for Cr, and (500, 60) for Z. Cell disruption by sonication or detergent treatment of the biomass did not improve the extraction efficiency. Matrix structure together with material state could explain the low carotenoid extraction yield obtained with SC-CO2 as compared to DMF in Synechococcus sp. However, the process can be applied to selective extraction of different carotenoids.