Late frost sensitivity of juvenile <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus sylvatica</Emphasis> L. differs between southern Germany and Bulgaria and depends on preceding air temperature

Fagus sylvatica, the dominant native forest tree species of Central Europe, is sensitive to late frost events. Advanced leaf flushing due to climate warming may lead to more frequent frost damage in the future. Here, we explore local adaptation to late frost events at both continental and regional scales and test how moderate climate warming (+1.5°C) affects late frost sensitivity. Short-term leaf injury and height growth after a late frost event were quantified in a common garden experiment with 2-year-old F. sylvatica seedlings. The fully crossed three-factorial design consisted of a late frost manipulation, a continuous warming manipulation and selected provenances (three provenances from western Bulgaria and three from southern Germany). Late frost led to leaf injury and reduced height growth (−7%). Provenances differed in their late frost sensitivity at the regional scale, and local adaptation was detected. At the larger scale, the Bulgarian provenances showed reduced height growth (−17%), while the German provenances did not exhibit growth reduction. The warming treatment prevented late frost damage, while height growth declined by 19% in the reference temperature treatment. This surprising finding was attributed to advanced leaf maturity in the warming treatment. The impact of late frost events on F. sylvatica in a warmer world will depend on timing. An event that damages leaves immediately after leaf flushing appears negligible a few days earlier or later, thereby complicating projections. Local adaptation to late frost is evident at a regional scale. Management strategies should aim at maximizing genetic diversity to adapt to climate change.     

Distribution of the box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis Walker 1859) in the north‐eastern part of the Carpathian Basin with a new Ukrainian record and Hungarian data

After it was recorded in South‐West Germany and the Netherlands in 2007, the box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) spread rapidly in Europe and appeared in West Hungary in 2011. In the eastern part of the country the first specimen was caught in 2015 with a blacklight trap. On the basis of specimens of C. perspectalis caught in blacklight, pheromone or feeding attractant traps, the authors summarize its distribution and publish four new records from Hungary and the first data from West Ukraine (Transcarpathia). The flight dynamics of three generations of this pest are also described for 2015 and 2016.     

Effectiveness of dietary vitamin supplementation to the performance of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) larvae in intensive rearing condition

Study of enrichment of different vitamins (C, B₁, B₆ and E) in common carp larvae through 4 weeks feeding in recirculation system was carried out. For this purpose, procedure for enrichment of Artemia nauplii with different vitamins was developed and investigated the effectiveness in larvae nutrition. The habituation of larvae to dry feeds was done using supplemented dry diets with the same vitamins. To study the effect of vitamins in young fish, the most common stress situation was planned for carp nursed fries, which occurs during transportation. Levels of vitamins and parameters of immune response in mucus were monitored before and after stress situation. At the end of the feeding trials using enriched Artemia nauplii, level of vitamin B₁, B₆ and C were increased in the body of fish, but remained on similar level or decreased after dry feeding period. Therefore, we concluded that Artemia is a good delivery vector of these vitamins. While handling stress, vitamin C and E concentration was decreased and sparing effect of antioxidant vitamins was confirmed in groups supplemented with both vitamins. Vitamin B₁ was consumed intensively during the stress, vigorously in groups without supplementation. Contrary to this, vitamin B₆ level increased in stress condition in group without supplementations. The levels of immunoglobulins in mucus were increased in all treated groups independently of treatment. Our results confirm that carp larvae reared in tank condition needs sufficient amount of vitamins C, B₁ and B₆ supplements to protect them from the mild handling stress.     

A sperm tail defect associated with infertility in a goat--case report.

Semen of an infertile Dutch White (Saanenthal) goat buck was examined. Light and electron microscopic examinations showed aberrations of the sperm tails resembling the so-called Dag or Dag-like defects described in several cattle breeds. Ejaculated semen showed that virtually all of the cells had strongly coiled or broken tails, or fractured midpieces. Ultrastructural investigations by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed uneven distribution of the mitochondria in the midpiece. Coiled tails were encapsulated by a common membrane, and dislocated axial fibres and different membranous structures were also present. The ultrastructural characteristics of the defective sperm tails, the missing parts of the axial fibre bundle and the misalignment of the mitochondria indicate that this first case reported in goat is similar to the Dag-like defect in cattle.     

New combination for the therapy of canine otitis externa II Efficacy in vitro and in vivo

A new, effective drug combination was developed for the therapy of canlne otitis externa (OE) by taking into consideration the microorganisms most frequently isolated from dogs affected with OE, their combination, their drug sensitivity and the type and incidence of ear canal inflammation. The antlmycotic active ingredient of the combination Is ketoconazoie, Its antlbacteriai component Is gentamlcin suiphate, while its antiphiogistic constltuent is mazipredone hydrochloride. Based upon the results of in vltro pharmacodynamic tests, the antifungal activity of the combination is superior to that of ketoconazoie used alone at the same concentration. A total of 210 dogs affected wlth OE were treated with the combination: 94-2 per cent of them became clinically symptomless and microbioiogicaiiy negative in an average of 8-5 days. No adverse reactions were observed In connection wlth the use of the drug combination. The therapeutic results can be attributed to the hlgh antifungal efficacy of the combhation demonstrated In vltro and to the favourable properties of the solvent mixture.     

Duration of anti-adhesive and bactericidal activities of milk from vaccinated sows on Escherichia coli O149 in the digestive tract of piglets during the nursing period.

Piglets were exposed orogastrically to Escherichia coli to enable study of the duration of anti-adhesive and bactericidal activities of milk of sows vaccinated with a K88 enriched E coli vaccine. There was a marked increase in the number of the challenge strain in the digestive tract of weaned piglets of all ages (between 888 and 2144 per cent). In contrast, there was a decrease in their number (75 per cent) in the day-old colostrum-fed piglets. When the piglets were two weeks old milk was still capable of reducing the rate of proliferation of the pathogen but at five weeks it proliferated at equal rates in the digestive tract of both suckling and weaned litter-mates. The rate of adhesion of the K88 positive E coli to the small intestine of colostrum deprived piglets was high (5 x 108/g). Rate of adhesion fell gradually in weaned piglets from 5.4 x 107/g at two weeks to 2.0 x 106/g at four to five weeks of age. In contrast, resistance of the small intestine of suckling pigs to adhesion by K88-positive E coli remained relatively stable through the five week period of nursing bacterial counts ranging from 5 x 104/g to 3 x 104/g of tissue.     

Transvaal Stromatolite: First Evidence for the Diversification of Cells about 2.2 x 109 Years Ago

The well-preserved fossil remnants of filamentous blue-green algae have been found in petrographic thin sections of a dolomitic limestone stromatolite in the Transvaal Sequence of South Africa. Some of these filaments contain enlarged cells which are interpreted as akinetes. A new species and genus, Petraphera vivescenticula, is proposed for this microfossil, which is morphologically similar to the living cyanophyte genus Raphidiopsis. This would constitute the first known occurrence of cell diversification in the Precambrian with an age of about 2.2 x 10(9) years.     

Ontogenetic changes in respiratory pathways in various tissues of apple fruit

Decarboxylation of glucose-1 and glucose-6¹⁴C was slow during the early part of ontogeny of the fruit and increased considerably 130 days after anthesis. Decarboxylation of glucose did not follow the total respiratory pattern indicating that at least a portion of CO₂ is generated from substrates other than glucose in the apple. Low C₆/C₁ ratios indicated that the pentose phosphate pathway is operative in all three tissues (skin, flesh, and core) of the fruit throughout its life. Ontogenetic changes developed later in the skin than in the flesh and core tissues, suggesting the relatively younger state of skin tissue.

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Zusammenfassung Die Decarboxylierung der Glucose-1 und der Glucose-6¹⁴C verlief während des ersten Teils der Ontogenese der Frucht langsam und stieg 130 Tage nach dem Blühen beträchtlich an. Die Decarboxylierungsrate entsprach nicht der gesamten Respirationstätigkeit, was bedeutet, daß wenigstens ein Teil des CO₂ beim Apfel von anderen Substanzen als der Glucose bereitgestellt wird. Der niedrige C₆/C₁-Quotient weist darauf hin, daß der Pentosephosphat-Weg in allen 3 Zellgeweben (Haut, Fruchtfleisch und Kern) der Frucht während des ganzen Wachstums in Funktion ist. Die ontogenetischen Veränderungen entwickeln sich in der Haut später als im Fleisch, woraus abgeleitet werden kann, daß die Haut ein verhältnismäßig junges Gewebe ist.

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Resume La décarboxylation du glucose-1 et du glucose-6¹⁴C fut lente pendant la première partie de l'ontogénie du fruit et s'accrut considérablement 130 jours après l'anthèse. La décarboxylation du glucose ne suivit pas l'évolution respiratoire totale indiquant qu'au moins une portion du CO₂ est produite de substances autres que le glucose de la pomme. Des rapports peu éléves en C₆/C₁ indiquent que le passage pentose phosphate est actif dans tous les trois tissus (peau, chair et trognon) du fruit pendant sa vie. Les changements ontogénétiques de développent plus tard dans les tissus de la peau que dans ceux de la chair et du trognon, suggérant l'état relativement plus jeune du tissu de la peau.