Landscape cohesion: an index for the conservation potential of landscapes for biodiversity

In urbanising landscapes, planning for sustainable biodiversity occurs in a context of multifunctional land use. Important conditions for species persistence are habitat quality, the amount and configuration of habitat and the permeability of the landscape matrix. For planning purposes, these determinants should be integrated into simple indicators for spatial conditions of persistence probability. We propose a framework of three related indices. The cohesion index is based on the ecology of metapopulations in a habitat network. We discuss how an indicator for species persistence in such a network could be developed. To translate this network index into an area index, we propose the concept of spatial cohesion. Habitat cohesion and spatial cohesion are defined and measured for single species or, at best, for species profiles. Since species differ in their perception of the same landscape, different species will rate different values of these indices for the same landscape. Because landscapes are rarely planned for single species, we further propose the index of landscape cohesion, which integrates the spatial cohesion indices of different species. Indices based on these concepts can be built into GIS tools for landscape assessment. We illustrate different applications of these indices, and emphasise the distinction between ecological and political decisions in developing and applying such tools. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Quantitative real-time PCR assay for rapid detection of Pseudomonas amygdali pv. lachrymans in cucumber leaf rinse

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Pseudomonas amygdali pv. lachrymans (Pal) is a bacterium that causes angular leaf spot disease of cucumbers. There is no direct protection against this...     

Nitric Oxide Response in Critically III Dogs

Alterations in nitric oxide (NO)production may play a role in critical illness. Total serum nitrate/nitrite concentrations [SNN (uM/L)], the stable metabolites of NO, have been used as an indirect measure of NO in people, with increased concentrations reported in cases of critical illness. The relationship of nitric oxide (NO) to criticalillness in dgos is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) canine illness in dogs is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that critically ill intesive care unit (ICU) canine patients would have increased SNN as compared to healthy dogs and non-critically ill dogs. An organ failure index score (OFI) was assigned to dogs admitted to the ICU to evaluate trends between disease severtiy and SNN. Critically ill dogs had significantly (p < 0.05) higher SNN (median 10.53) as compared to non-critically ill dogs (median 2.3) and healthy dogs (median 1.92). Critically ill dogs with the most severe disease (as based on OFI) had higher SNN concentrations. Survival of critically ill dogs with SNN of > 15 upon ICU admission (12% survival) was significantly less than survival of critically ill dogs with SNN ≤ 15 (91%) survival).l (Vet. Emerg. & Crit. Care, 9: 195–202, 1999)     

Effects of combinations of heavy metal pollutants on Cuscuta reflexa

The effects of combinations of Hg, As, Pb, Cu, Cd, and Cr on the variables of Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. in natural condition were studied. All of the combinations of heavy metals tested decreased Hill reaction activity, chlorophyll and protein contents and increased tissue permeability over control values. The effects were best visible with the treatments of (As + Cd + Pb + Hg + Cu + Cr) and (As + Cd + Pb + Hg + Cu), followed by (As + Cd + Pb + Hg), (As + Cd + Pb), and (As + Cd). The degree of inhibition or increase by combinations of heavy metals is much higher due to synergism as the observed effects exceed the summed amount. The general order of sensitivity was As > Cd > Pb > Hg > Cu > Cr (absolute metal concentration).     

The effect of management protocols for juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) culture on life history responses of a zooplankton food source, Moina micrura (Kurz.)

Three systems of carp (Cyprinus carpio) culture (live food system, manured system, and control system) were used to examine environmentally dependent life history characteristics of zooplankton, Moina micrura. Twelve culture tubes with one neonate of M. micrura per tube and covered by nylon bolting cloth of 75 μm mesh size were suspended in situ in each culture system. Each culture tube was examined daily to evaluate life history patterns. Time to first reproduction ranged from 4 to 7 days in the control and manured systems and 3 to 5 days in the live food system. Mean longevity, net reproductive rate, average generation time, as well as total offspring production per female, were distinctly higher for the live food system than for the manured or control systems. Interactions between chemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, phosphate levels and primary productivity resulting in optimal conditions were responsible for large variations in life history characteristics of M. micrura among the culture systems.     

Virome identification in wheat in the Czech Republic using small RNA deep sequencing

High-throughput deep-sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis of the small RNA(sRNA) population isolated from plants allows universal virus detection and complete virome reconstruction for a given sample. In the present sRNA deep-sequencing analysis of virus-infected wheat samples in the Czech Republic, samples were firstly tested for barley yellow dwarf viruses(BYDVs), wheat streak mosaic virus(WSMV) and wheat dwarf virus(WDV) using ELISA, RT-PCR and PCR. Subsequent sRNA sequencing of these samples yielded more than ～60 million single-end 50-bp reads with high confidence for nine field samples of wheat. Overall, 16.5% of reads were virus-specific and 83.5% were mapped to the host. More 21-nt reads(～7.7 E+06 reads) were found than 24-nt(～6.20 E+06 reads) or 22-nt(～4.30 E+06 reads) reads. De novo assembly of the high-quality contigs revealed the presence of three earlier reported viruses in the Czech Republic: BYDVs(31.48%), WSMV(24.23%) and WDV(26.66%). We also showed the presence of cereal yellow dwarf virus(14.33%; two species CYDV-RPS and CYDV-RPV(family Luteoviridae/Polerovirus) and wheat yellow dwarf virus(WYDV, 3.30%; Luteoviridae). Phylogenetic analysis showed CYDV and WYDV grouped separately from BYDVs. Furthermore, several recombination breakpoints were found among the groups of yellow dwarf viruses(BYDVs, CYDV, and WYDV). Using RNA deep sequencing, we confirmed the presence of the three known viruses(BYDVs, WSMV, and WDV) and the first record of two species of CYDV and WYDV in wheat in the Czech Republic.     

Isolation,cultivation and characterisation of pigeon osteoblasts seeded on xenogeneic demineralised cancellous bone scaffold for bone grafting

Avian osteoblasts have been isolated particularly from chicken embryo, but data about other functional tissue sources of adult avian osteoblast precursors are missing. The method of preparation of pigeon osteoblasts is described in this study. We demonstrate that pigeon cancellous bone derived osteoblasts have particular proliferative capacity in vitro in comparison to mammalian species and developed endogenous ALP. Calcium deposits formation in vitro was confirmed by alizarin red staining. Only a few studies have attempted to investigate bone grafting and treatment of bone loss in birds. Lack of autologous bone grafts in birds has prompted investigation into the use of avian xenografts for bone augmentation. Here we present a method of xenografting of ostrich demineralised cancellous bone scaffold seeded with allogeneic adult pigeon osteoblasts. Ostrich demineralised cancellous bone scaffold supported proliferation of pigeon osteoblasts during two weeks of co - cultivation in vitro. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated homogeneous adult pigeon osteoblasts attachment and distribution on the surface of xenogeneic ostrich demineralised cancellous bone. Our preliminary in vitro results indicate that demineralised cancellous bone from ostrich tibia could provide an effective biological support for growth and proliferation of allogeneic osteoblasts derived from cancellous bone of pigeons.     

Beryllium pollution from slag and ashes from thermal power stations

Beryllium enters the environment principally from coal combustion. Be contents in the ashes from a Czechoslovak power plant were determined. The ashes used in the experiment were as follows: coarse (> 2.0 mm) and fine (2.0 to 0.2 mm) fraction from dump, and fine (< 0.2 mm) fraction from electrostatic precipitators. It was discovered that the acidic and the alkali aqueous extracts of these ashes contain various concentrations of Be (1 to 17% of total concentration). Wastewater has shown 3.15 and 3.4 μg Be L^?1. Thus, secondary long-term Be pollution emerges from the slag and ash dumps.