Has global change induced divergent trends in radial growth of Pinus sylvestris and Pinus halepensis at their bioclimatic limit? The example of the Sainte-Baume forest (south-east France)

? It is agreed that climate (precipitation and temperature) influences the distribution of plant species. Near the margins of a species’ natural range, climate becomes limiting to physiological processes. There, climate change may be expected to have a significant impact on tree growth and the species’ ranges may be altered.

? In order to assess what influence climate change could exert on the distribution of pine species at their margin, radial growth trends in ring-width chronologies over the last century were analysed. In the French Mediterranean area where climate change is characterized by increased temperature, forest plots were selected along an altitudinal transect on the north-facing slope of the Sainte-Baume mountain (Bouches-du-Rhône, France) where the ranges of Pinus sylvestris and Pinus halepensis overlap.

? Two growth patterns were identified. For P. halepensis, radial growth has increased at all altitudes indicating that climate change has improved growth conditions of this species near the margin of its ecological range. For P. sylvestris, radial growth has increased only at low altitudes and even decreased at high altitudes.

? It must be deduced that the growth changes observed cannot be generalised either at the species level or at the geographical level and must be interpreted with great caution.

     

Comparison of the anthocyanin composition during ripening of Syrah grapes grown using organic or conventional agricultural practices

The anthocyanin composition of Syrah grapes harvested at different stages of ripening and produced using organic or conventional agriculture was studied. Samples of grapes were collected from veraison to full maturity in each plot, and the content in nine anthocyanins was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The total content in anthocyanins during ripening of the conventionally grown grapes was significantly higher compared to that found in the organic production. The accumulation of anthocyanins reached a maximum 28 days after veraison (in agreement with high temperature) and then decreased until harvest. In all samples, grapes from the conventional agriculture presented higher proportions of delphinidin, petunidin, malvidin, and acylated malvidin glucosides compared to grapes from organic agriculture. In contrast with other comparative studies of organically and conventionally grown plants, the results demonstrated a higher content in anthocyanins in conventionally grown grapes.     

Degradation pathway of dicyclanil in water in the presence of titanium dioxide. Comparison with photolysis

The solar photolytic behavior of the pesticide 4,6-diamino-2-cyclopropyl-pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile, currently known as dicyclanil, has been mimicked in a photoreactor operating with an artificial light flux. The rate and pathway of degradation were performed. An additional study, using TiO(2) photocatalysis, has been achieved in order to determine the efficiency of photocatalysis to degrade the molecule. The catalyst was titania Degussa P-25. The aim of this article was the identification of the intermediate products formed during the irradiation, to establish the degradation pathway of dicyclanil. The kinetics of the reactions were followed by liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (LC-DAD). Most of the organic compounds occurring during the photodegradation have been identified by means of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry coupled techniques (HPLC-MS). Additional analyses were carried out to evaluate the mineralization rates into nitrate and ammonium ions.     

Effect of seeders and tillage equipment on vertical distribution of oilseed rape stubble

When the spreading of a disease depends on the proportion of infected residues remaining at soil surface it is of crucial importance to analyse the effects of tillage practices on the vertical distribution of stubble. This is the case with phoma stem canker (blackleg), whose epidemics are initiated in autumn, by air-borne ascospores released from stubble located at the soil surface. We compared initial vertical distribution of oilseed rape residues to those observed after sowing and various tillage operations (rotary harrowing, stubble disking, chiselling and mouldboard ploughing). Almost 20% of the initially buried residue was brought back to soil surface with seeding. Rotary harrow brought 40% of the residue buried in the 0–10 cm layer up to the surface and left unburied about 70% of surface residue. Stubble disking appeared to be more efficient for residue burial than chiselling. Mouldboard plough was the only tool that buried all residues. A simple model was developed that predicted burial and return to the soil surface of potentially infected residues as a function of tillage practices used after harvest. Simulation of different tillage sequences showed that the order in which tools were used also affected location of residues. Our results highlighted the importance of tillage in the cultural control of phoma stem canker and will contribute to the definition of integrated pest management strategies for oilseed rape.     

Preface—evaluating the response of critical zone processes to human impacts with sediment source fingerprinting

Journal of Soils and Sediments -     

Quantitation of short-chain glycerol-bound compounds in thermoxidized and used frying oils. A monitoring study during thermoxidation of olive and sunflower oils

Major short-chain glycerol-bound compounds were investigated in olive oil (OO) and conventional sunflower oil (SO) during thermoxidation at 180 degrees C for 5, 10, and 15 h. These compounds included methyl heptanoate (C7:0), methyl octanoate (C8:0), methyl 8-oxo-octanoate (8-oxo-C8:0), methyl 9-oxononanoate (9-oxo-C9:0), dimethyl octanodiate (C8:0 diester), and dimethyl nonanodiate (C9:0 diester), which were analyzed by GC after derivatization of triacylglycerols to fatty acid methyl esters. An acceptable linear correlation (r = 0.967) was found between the total content of these compounds and the total content of polar compounds, suggesting that quantitation of the major short-chain glycerol-bound compounds provides a good indication of the total alteration level of oils heated at frying temperature. Samples with levels of polar compounds around 25% on oil showed total contents within 2-3 mg/g of oil. To determine the content of these compounds in used frying oils, 10 samples from restaurants and fried-food outlets in Spain were analyzed. Results showed total levels between 2.13 and 7.56 mg/g of oil in samples with contents of polar compounds ranging from 18.8 to 55.5% on oil. Samples with levels of polar compounds of approximately 25% showed total contents of the short-chain compounds similar to those found in the thermoxidized oils, that is, within 2-3 mg/g of oil.     

UV-visible spectroscopic investigation of the 8,8-methylmethine catechin-malvidin 3-glucoside pigments in aqueous solution: structural transformations and molecular complexation with chlorogenic acid

The physicochemical properties of 8,8-methylmethine catechin-malvidin 3-O-glucoside isomers, commonly referred to as catechin-ethyl-malvidin 3-O-glucoside, have been studied in aqueous solutions and compared with those of the parent anthocyanin (malvidin 3-O-glucoside). The hydration and acidity constants (pKh and pKa) of the catechin-ethyl-malvidin 3-O-glucoside pigments and malvidin 3-O-glucoside were determined by UV-visible spectroscopic measurements. The ethyl-linked catechin-malvidin 3-O-glucoside pigments present higher stability toward hydration than the parent anthocyanin. The high resistance of these ethyl-linked pigments toward the hydration is related to the self-association that offers optimal protection from the nucleophilic attack of water. Moreover, the ethyl link may confer to the molecule enough flexibility to undergo intramolecular interaction, further protecting it from hydration and bisulfite discoloration. In the wine pH range (3.2-4.0), due to the low pKa and high pKh values, the ethyl-linked pigments are present as colored forms (flavylium cation and quinonoid bases).     

Detection of ruminant meat and bone meals in animal feed by real-time polymerase chain reaction: result of an interlaboratory study

The commercialization of animal feeds infected by prions proved to be the main cause of transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Therefore, feed bans were enforced, initially for ruminant feeds, and later for all feeds for farmed animals. The development and validation of analytical methods for the species-specific detection of animal proteins in animal feed has been indicated in the TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies) Roadmap (European Commission. The TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy) roadmap. URL: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biosafety/bse/roadmap_en.pdf, 2005) as the main condition for lifting the extended feed ban. Methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) seem to be a promising solution for this aim. The main objective of this study was to determine the applicability of four different real-time PCR methods, developed by three National expert laboratories from the European Union (EU), for the detection and identification of cattle or ruminant species in typical compound feeds, fortified with meat and bone meals (MBM) from different animal species at different concentration levels. The MBM samples utilized in this study have been treated using the sterilization condition mandatory within the European Union (steam pressure sterilization at 133 degrees C, 3 bar, and 20 min), which is an additional challenge to the PCR methods evaluated in this study. The results indicate that the three labs applying their PCR methods were able to detect 0.1% of cattle MBM, either alone or in mixtures with different materials such as fishmeal, which demonstrates the improvement made by this technique, especially when compared with results from former interlaboratory studies.     

Challenging conservation of migratory species: Sahelian rainfalls drive first-year survival of the vulnerable Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni

In the context of attested global changes, accurate estimation of whether climatic fluctuations impact on population demographic parameters is needed for adequate management, especially for migratory species. We present a capture-recapture analysis linking survival rates of the vulnerable Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) to annual rainfalls in the Sahel region, considered as a proxy of climatic conditions on wintering grounds. Recapture data were obtained from field observations of individuals ringed and sexed as juveniles over a 14-year monitoring period (1994-2007). We addressed a common but problematic situation in birds where: (i) sex is known with certainty for first-summer or older birds but only suspected for juveniles, and (ii) a large proportion of individuals never return to the study population (e.g. transient behavior). Transient behavior and unknown sexes were explicitly integrated considering a two age class in a multistate capture-recapture model. Survival was time-varying for juveniles (geometric mean: 0.499 ± 0.021) but constant - and higher - for adults (0.718 ± 0.013). Yearling survival probabilities were strongly correlated with rainfalls in the Sahel, suggesting a high dependence of juvenile upon the wintering conditions. While taking sex uncertainty into account, we detected no sex-dependence in survival. Incorporating the sensitivity of survival of wintering migratory birds to climatic variables such as precipitations in arid Sahelian ecosystem may allow to model conservation scenarios with a greater realism. Finally, we encourage the development of international management strategies for migratory species on wintering areas in addition to the existing conservation actions on summering Mediterranean grounds.