Phenotypic indicators for cultured pearl size improvement in the black‐lipped pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera): towards selection for the recipient growth performance

The black‐lipped pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera, is the most important farmed species in French Polynesia and the basis of the most valuable export industry. Mass production of black pearls relies on a surgical operation requiring tissue from a donor pearl oyster to be grafted, together with a nucleus made of shell, into the gonad of a recipient oyster. Improving pearl size through family selection remains one of the main challenges for future aquaculture development. This study analyses the relative contribution of donor and recipient oysters to pearl size. To this end, hatchery‐produced donor oysters of two batches, large and small (based on shell height), were used to supply grafts for recipients, which were then monitored individually for their growth performance by recording shell height, width, and thickness, and total live weight (flesh + shells) every 6 months (four biometric measurement times) over 20 months of culture. Pearls issued from the two batches of donors showed no significant differences in nacre weight or thickness. In contrast, recipient oyster shell height and total weight were increasingly positively correlated with these pearl size parameters over the culture period, becoming significant at 8 months post‐grafting. Potential therefore exists to use shell height and oyster weight as phenotypic indicators for selective breeding of recipient oysters with high growth performance to increase pearl size in P. margaritifera.     

The generation of aerosols by binary homogeneous nucleation

The rates of nucleation of liquid aerosols from the gaseous mixtures H₂SO₄ + H₂O and HNO₃ + H₂O at 25°C for various relative humidities (10 to 100%) and various activities of acid vapor are calculated using the Flood-Neumann-Döring-Reiss-Doyle theory of binary homogeneous nucleation. The activities of acid vapor needed for nucleation are 25 to 300 times smaller for H₂SO₄ + H₂O than for HNO₃ + H₂O. This is due to the much larger free energy of mixing in the liquid phase for H₂SO₄ + H₂O. Conversion from activities to actual pressures leads to concentrations of HNO₃ which are much too high to be found under normal atmospheric conditions. On the other hand, the concentrations of H₂SO₄ vapor needed to nucleate droplets in the H₂SO₄ + H₂O system are in the range 4(10^?5) to 1.3 (10^?2) ppm, a concentration which can result from photo-oxidation of SO₂ in the atmosphere. Calculations are made of the growth curves for H₂SO₄ + H₂O droplets (radius vs composition) at various relative humidities from the critical size radius up to a 1000 Å radius, corresponding to nuclei large enough to serve as condensation centers for heterogeneous nucleation. The limitations of binary homogeneous nucleation theory at extremely low concentrations of one of the components are discussed and it is shown that this theory becomes inapplicable if the actual vapor pressure of one component is below 10^?6 torr.     

Harmonisation, standardisation for soil and sediment fractionation studies, and usefulness in assessment and risk management

Single and sequential extraction procedures are often used to study the environmental fate of trace elements from soils and sediments. Although these schemes are quite popular, they are prone to various sources of errors, which require them to be thoroughly controlled. Owing to their operationally-defined character, the only way to compare analytical data is to stick closely to procedures that have been collaboratively studied and written in the form of an operating protocol. Groups of scientists have hence developed ‘harmonised’ procedures that are used as a reference for fractionation studies. A higher level is the formal standardisation of the procedures by official standardisation bodies, which also fulfils the need for achieving the comparability of data obtained by different laboratories from different countries. This paper discusses aspects of harmonisation (consensus obtained by groups of scientists) and standardisation (adoption of standards as mandated by an international organisation) as applied to single and extraction schemes for trace element fractionation studies, including quality control aspects.     

Impact of deer on temperate forest vegetation and woody debris as protection of forest regeneration against browsing

A 3-year field experiment with paired exclosure (fenced areas, excluding deer) and control plots (unfenced areas, free access to deer), with two treatments with and without woody debris, was carried out at two sites in a temperate forest in eastern France. The aim of the experiment was to assess the effect of browsing by roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) on the diversity and richness of plant species and to test the effectiveness of using woody debris to protect seedlings and saplings from deer browsing. In presence of deer, both plant species richness and diversity were reduced the first year of the study, but this negative impact of deer then disappeared after 3 years. Deer browsing mostly affected species composition of plant communities. We observed a decrease in the abundance of preferred species such as Carpinus betulus, Rubus fructicosus, Rubus idaeus, Anemone nemorosa and Epilobium angustifolium, and palatable species such as Acer spp., Carex spp., Festuca spp. and Mycelis muralis, whereas unpalatable species such as Lamium spp., or species particularly resilient to browsing such as grasses (Brachypodium spp. and Luzula spp.) increased in abundance. The use of woody debris as protection against browsing by deer did not limit damage to seedlings and saplings of the main commercially valuable species, Abies alba and Quercus spp. Instead of limiting deer impact, use of woody debris seemed to increase the negative effect of deer browsing on regeneration in control plots relatively to those without protection.     

The influence of environmental factors on the upstream movements of rheophilic cyprinids according to their position in a river basin

Throughout their lives, fish accomplish frequent movements between functional habitats that are often triggered by environmental signals. We aimed to determine if rheophilic cyprinids (barbel, Barbus barbus and chub Squalius cephalus), living in different places of the same river basin, may develop similar movement periodicities and react identically to environmental cues to carry out their spawning migration. We used the capture data of three modern fish passes that were monitored continuously during three consecutive years (2010 to 2012) in three rivers of the Meuse basin in Belgium. We captured 418 individuals at adult stage, and the capture number per species was greater (80%) in spring (during the spawning migration period). The spawning migration of the barbel occurred earlier (median = 122nd day of the year) and at lower temperatures (median = 14.5°C) in the lowland rivers compared to the upland river (140th day of the year and 18.4°C). For the barbel, migration initiation differed depending on the river but finished under similar environmental conditions. In contrast, for the chub, no significant difference between rivers was observed regarding spawning migration periodicity and environmental cues. Within the same river basin, rheophilic cyprinids demonstrate flexibility in their responses to environmental variables and may optimise the start date of migration to spawning grounds depending on their local environment and individual experiences. This phenomenon was more pronounced in the barbel, which has more specific ecological requirements.     

Improving the design of long-term monitoring experiments in forests: a new method for the assessment of local soil variability by combining infrared spectroscopy and dendrometric data

Key message

Near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy allows for the detection of local patterns of forest soil properties. In combination with dendrometric data, it may be used as a prospective tool for determining soil heterogeneity before setting up long-term forest monitoring experiments.

Context

Forest soils and stands generally exhibit higher spatial heterogeneity than other terrestrial ecosystems. This variability needs be taken into account before setting up long-term forest monitoring experiments to avoid multiple interactions between local heterogeneity and the factors tested in the experiment.

Aims

We hypothesized that raw near- and mid-infrared spectra can be used as an integrated proxy of a large set of soil properties. The use of this method, in combination with dendrometric data, should provide a quick and cost-effective tool for optimizing the design of experimental forest sites.

Methods

We assessed the local soil heterogeneity at 11 experimental sites in oak and beech stands, which belong to a new forest long-term ecological research (LTER) network. We used near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy in soil and litter samples. The spectra were subjected to principal components analyses (PCA) to determine the intra-site variability of the soil and litter layers.

Results

Based on mapped PCA coordinates and basic dendrometric data, it was possible to design the experiment and minimize the interactions between the treatment layout and the tested variables. The method was validated with chemical analyses of the soil. No interaction was detected at the set-up of the experiment between the treatment layout and chemical soil properties (C, N, C/N ratio, pH, CEC, Al, Mg, P₂O₅, Fe, Mn, Na, and K).

Conclusion

Near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy is a useful tool for characterizing the overall heterogeneity of soil chemical properties. It can be used without any preliminary calibration. In combination with dendrometric data, it provides a reliable method for optimizing LTER plots in different types of ecosystems.

     

Murine typhus in the homeless

Homeless populations are particularly exposed to many vector-borne diseases because of their poor living conditions. We tested sera from 299 homeless people recruited in 2010 and 2011 in Marseilles, France for antibodies to Rickettsia typhi by microimmunofluorescence using a titer of 1:25 as a cut-off titer, and we confirmed the results by Western blot and cross-adsorption studies. Sixty-three persons (22%) had antibodies against R. typhi. The murine typhus seroprevalence rates have significantly increased in homeless populations between the 2000-2003 and 2010-2011 periods. These findings indicate that the homeless are increasingly exposed to flea-borne murine typhus in Marseilles. One might suggest that multiple strikes of sanitation workers resulting in the increase of waste and construction sites combined with the poor living conditions of the homeless expose this population to rodents and their fleas. Further annual studies are necessary to follow rodent-associated diseases among homeless people in Marseille.     

Ranking temperate woody species along a gradient of browsing by deer

As a result of diverse management policies, densities of red and roe deer have varied considerably for the last few decades in Europe. Their selective browsing on woody species can modify the interactions between competing species and thus change overall patterns of plant diversity in forests. However, no classification of woody species according to browsing by deer yet exists in Europe. The selectivity index, which measures the balance between availability and consumption of plant species by herbivores, could be used for such a classification. The aim of this study was, first, to rank woody species according to this selectivity index, then to test whether their rank changed when browsing pressure varied in space or time. We also explored morphological and ecological life traits (Ellenberg indicator values) that might explain differences in selectivity.In 2006, we re-sampled a network of 217 coupled floristic and browsing survey plots, which had been previously described twice (1976, 1981). The plots were located in the forest of Arc-en-Barrois (France), a large woodland area divided into a North and a South Forest which have had different histories of browsing pressure.For the three samples and the two forests, we calculated a selectivity index for 19 woody species. Dogwood (Cornus sp.) and field rose (Rosa arvensis) appeared to be the most selected species whereas beech (Fagus sylvatica), common mezereon (Daphne mezereum) and wild-service tree (Sorbus torminalis) were always avoided. The rank order of species according to their selectivity index remained stable over the three sample years and between the two forests (Spearman's rank correlations: ρ ≈ 0.8 spatially, and range from 0.3 to 0.8 temporally). This indicates that variations in browsing pressure did not strongly modify deer selectivity patterns. Selectivity was positively correlated with wood density and negatively correlated with maximum height of the species, but unrelated to other plant traits. Finally, selectivity can be seen as an intrinsic characteristic of those woody species, and could be used as an additional life trait when analyzing vegetation communities.