Soil and microbial respiration in a loblolly pine plantation in response to seven years of irrigation and fertilization

Because soil CO₂ efflux or soil respiration (R_S) is the major component of forest carbon fluxes, the effects of forest management on R_S and microbial biomass carbon (C), microbial respiration (R_H), microbial activity and fine root biomass were studied over two years in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation located near Aiken, SC. Stands were six-years-old at the beginning of the study and were subjected to irrigation (no irrigation versus irrigation) and fertilization (no fertilization versus fertilization) treatments since planting. Soil respiration ranged from 2 to 6 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and was strongly and linearly related to soil temperature. Soil moisture and C inputs to the soil (coarse woody debris and litter mass) which may influence R_H were significantly but only weakly related to R_S. No interaction effects between irrigation and fertilization were observed for R_S and microbial variables. Irrigation increased R_S, fine root mass and microbial biomass C. In contrast, fertilization increased R_H, microbial biomass C and microbial activity but reduced fine root biomass and had no influence on R_S. Predicted annual soil C efflux ranged from 8.8 to 10.7 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and was lower than net primary productivity (NPP) in all stands except the non-fertilized treatment. The influence of forest management on R_S was small or insignificant relative to biomass accumulation suggesting that NPP controls the transition between a carbon source and sink in rapidly growing pine systems.     

Selection of wheat genotypes for biomass allocation to improve drought tolerance and carbon sequestration into soils

The biomass allocation pattern of plants to shoots and roots is a key in the cycle of elements such as carbon, water and nutrients with, for instance, the greatest allocations to roots fostering the transfer of atmospheric carbon to soils through photosynthesis. Several studies have investigated the root to shoot ratio (R:S) biomass of existing crops but variation within a crop species constitutes an important information gap for selecting genotypes aiming for increasing soil carbon stocks for climate change mitigation and food security. The objectives of this study were to evaluate agronomic performance and quantify biomass production and allocation between roots and shoots, in response to different soil water levels to select promising genotypes for breeding. Field and greenhouse experiments were carried out using 100 genotypes including wheat and Triticale under drought‐stressed and non‐stressed conditions. The experiments were set‐up using a 10 × 10 alpha lattice design with two replications under water stress and non‐stress conditions. The following phenotypic traits were collected: number of days to heading (DTH), number of productive tillers per plant (NPT), plant height (PH), days to maturity (DTM), spike length (SL), kernels per spike (KPS), thousand kernel weight (TKW), root biomass (RB), shoot biomass (SB), root to shoot ratio (R:S) and grain yield (GY). There was significant (p < 0.05) variation for grain yield and biomass production because of genotypic variation. The highest grain yield of 247.3 g/m² was recorded in the genotype LM52 and the least was in genotype Sossognon with 30 g/m². Shoot biomass ranged from 830 g/m² (genotype Arenza) to 437 g/m² (LM57), whilst root biomass ranged between 603 g/m² for Triticale and 140 g/m² for LM15 across testing sites and water regimes. Triticale also recorded the highest R:S of 1.2, whilst the least was 0.30 for wheat genotype LM18. Overall, drought stress reduced total biomass production by 35% and R:S by 14%. Genotypic variation existed for all measured traits useful for improving drought tolerance, whilst the calculated R:S values can improve accuracy in estimating C sequestration potential of wheat. Wheat genotypes LM26, LM47, BW140, LM70, LM48, BW152, LM75, BW162, LM71 and BW141 were selected for further development based on their high total biomass production, grain yield potential and genetic diversity under drought stress.     

Metapopulation dynamics and threatened species management: Why does the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus) persist?

Many species that exist patchily across the landscape are declining due to incremental losses of their constituent sub-populations and increasing isolation of those that remain. For threatened species with such patchy metapopulation structure, it is particularly important to identify key habitat patches and understand what factors govern their occupancy so that their management can be targeted and effective. In this paper, we describe the spatial and temporal distribution of an endangered population of broad-toothed rats (Mastacomys fuscus) at Barrington Tops, New South Wales, and model its dynamics using metapopulation theory. The study population occurs patchily in swamps on the Barrington Plateau. Using faecal pellet searches, live-trapping and data from previous surveys, we identified 12 swamps where M. fuscus persists and 13 where there has been a history of colonisation and extinction. The species now appears to be entirely absent from seven of these latter swamps. Using logistic regression and model selection procedures, we found the strongest predictor of the presence of M. fuscus to be proximity to the nearest occupied swamp. Persistence declined strongly with swamp isolation, probably due to low success of individuals dispersing through the intervening habitat. These patterns support the interpretation that swamp patches at Barrington Tops contain a functioning but fragile metapopulation of M. fuscus. We predict continued loss of remaining sub-populations in peripheral swamps if current dynamics continue, and recommend research to identify the factors that are limiting dispersal and re-colonisation so that the species’ decline can be slowed and reversed.     

Effects of Corn Sample,Mill Type,and Particle Size on Corn Curl and Pet Food Extrudates

The effects of corn sample, grinder type, and particle size of ground corn on the extrusion of corn curls and pet food were studied. Extrusion runs were conducted using a twin-screw extruder. Properties of corn curl and pet food extrudates were affected significantly by corn samples obtained from different parts of the country (Nebraska, Illinois, and Texas), even though grinding and extrusion parameters were held constant. The type of grinder used to grind the corn had an effect on extrusion properties. The volumetric expansion index (VEI) of extrudate from pin-milled samples was lower than that of extrudate from the same corn ground in a hammer mill or roller mill. Small particle size, obtained by grinding corn in a hammer mill with different screen sizes, produced extrudate with a significantly higher VEI than extrudate from coarse- or medium-sized particles.     

Dynamics and Nutrient Release Pattern of Silica Sources in a Typical Entisol of Tropical Humid Region of Kerala

Silicon is considered as a beneficial element for crop nutrition especially for monocots. In order to study the effect of addition of different silica sources on the nutrient release pattern from an Entisol, a laboratory incubation study was conducted with three silica sources viz., sodium silicate, calcium silicate, and potassium silicate each @ 200 ppm and 400 ppm per kilo gram soil. The positive effect of addition of silicates was obvious on soil reaction, available Si, P, K, Ca, and Mg. Release of plant available silicon was the highest at 60th day after incubation (DAI) with potassium silicate @ 400 ppm per kg soil. Sodium silicate @ 200 ppm resulted in the highest exchangeable magnesium concentration at 45th DAI. The result of the study implies the positive influence of silicates on soil acidity as well as on enhancing the availability of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in an Entisol.     

Depth Distributions of Belowground Production, Biomass and Decomposition in Restored Tallgrass Prairie

Grasslands store large stocks of soil organic carbon(SOC) in the subsoil, but our knowledge of belowground processes becomes less robust with depth. Vertically explicit SOC models typically assume that the depth distribution of belowground production follows the depth distribution of belowground biomass, but this assumption has not been tested. In addition to the effects of soil temperature and moisture on decomposition, some vertically explicit SOC models implement an intrinsic decrease in belowground decomposition with depth, yet this effect has rarely been observed empirically. We simultaneously measured the depth distributions of belowground biomass, production, and litter decomposition to assess whether belowground biomass depth distributions were suitable predictors of belowground production and whether belowground decomposition decreased with soil profile depth. We found that live and total(live +dead) belowground biomass was distributed relatively more shallowly than total belowground production, and thus total belowground biomass was a biased predictor of the vertical distribution of belowground production. The depth distribution of live roots 2 mm in diameter was found to be the best predictor of total belowground production depth distribution. Using an intact decay core method,we found that belowground litter decomposition decreased by 49% from 0–10 to 30–40 cm depth, and model-simulated effects of soil temperature and moisture accounted for only 9% of the observed decrease with depth. Vertically explicit SOC models can be improved with more accurate empirical belowground production depth distribution estimates, but depth-specific decomposition rates currently implemented in SOC models are necessary to explain observed decreases in belowground litter decay with depth.     

Leachate quality from gypsum neutralized red mud applied to sandy soils

Mixtures of fine bauxite refining residue (red mud), waste gypsum and local sandy soil that are proposed to be used in a catchment nutrient management program, were watered in columns simulating rainfall over a period of 2 yr and the quality of the leachate determined. The major salts released were sodium sulphate, a product of red mud alkalinity neutralization by gypsum, and excess gypsum released at its solubility concentration. At an application rate of 850 t ha^?1 of red mud the salts leached to groundwater (40 kg t^?1 red mud) would be equivalent to salts leached by rainfall over a 20 yr period from soil without red mud application, and would pose no significant impact when applied to the sandy agricultural soils in the catchment area of an estuary. The leaching of Al, Fe, and Cd from the red mud and gypsum was negligible, while the retention of superphosphate was over 99%. Fluoride from the waste gypsum was leached rapidly and reduced to background concentration (less than 1 mg L^?1) within one winter rainfall.     

G protein-coupled receptors in Anopheles gambiae

We used bioinformatic approaches to identify a total of 276 G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) from the Anopheles gambiae genome. These include GPCRs that are likely to play roles in pathways affecting almost every aspect of the mosquito's life cycle. Seventy-nine candidate odorant receptors were characterized for tissue expression and, along with 76 putative gustatory receptors, for their molecular evolution relative to Drosophila melanogaster. Examples of lineage-specific gene expansions were observed as well as a single instance of unusually high sequence conservation.     

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Fucoidan Extracts In Vitro

Fucoidans are sulfated, complex, fucose-rich polymers found in brown seaweeds. Fucoidans have been shown to have multiple bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory effects, and are known to inhibit inflammatory processes via a number of pathways such as selectin blockade and enzyme inhibition, and have demonstrated inhibition of inflammatory pathologies in vivo. In this current investigation, fucoidan extracts from Undaria pinnatifida, Fucus vesiculosus, Macrocystis pyrifera, Ascophyllum nodosum, and Laminaria japonica were assessed for modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine production (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in a human macrophage line (THP-1). Fucoidan extracts exhibited no signs of cytotoxicity in THP-1 cells after incubation of 48 h. Additionally, all fucoidan extracts reduced cytokine production in LPS stimulated PBMCs and human THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent fashion. Notably, the 5–30 kDa subfraction from Macrocystis pyrifera was a highly effective inhibitor at lower concentrations. Fucoidan extracts from all species had significant anti-inflammatory effects, but the lowest molecular weight subfractions had maximal effects at low concentrations. These observations on various fucoidan extracts offer insight into strategies that improve their efficacy against inflammation-related pathology. Further studies should be conducted to elucidate the mechanism of action of these extracts.