Forestry activity is one mechanism of invasion by arboreal plants

For a long time,forestry primarily had industrial goals.Volume of wood production was the main criterion of forestry efficacy,and thus rapid-growing arboreal species were cultivated in natural forests.More recently,nature protection has become one of forestry's goals.Unfortunately,some introduced,rapid-growing species became aggressive components of natural ecological systems during the interim.In this paper,we first describe a method that we developed to categorize aggressiveness of invasive arboreal plants in natural forest ecosystems of Kazakhstan.We then apply this new scheme to monitoring data of invasive arboreal plants to provide an insight into the invasion potential of different species in the fruit forests of Southeast Kazakhstan.     

Understanding physiological and morphological traits contributing to drought tolerance in barley

Drought stress is a major limiting factor for crop production in the arid and semi‐arid regions. Here, we screened eighty barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes collected from different geographical locations contrasting in drought stress tolerance and quantified a range of physiological and agronomical indices in glasshouse trails. The experiment was conducted in large soil tanks subjected to drought treatment of eighty barley genotypes at three‐leaf stage and gradually brought to severe drought by withholding irrigation for 30 days under glasshouse conditions. Also, root length of the same genotypes was measured from stress‐affected plants growing hydroponically. Drought tolerance was scored 30 days after the drought stress commenced based on the degree of the leaf wilting, fresh and dry biomass and relative water content. These characteristics were related to stomatal conductance, stomatal density, residual transpiration and leaf sap Na, K, Cl contents measured in control (irrigated) plants. Responses to drought stress differed significantly among the genotypes. The overall drought tolerance was significantly correlated with relative water content, stomatal conductance and leaf Na⁺ and K⁺ contents. No significant correlations between drought tolerance and root length of 6‐day‐old seedling, stomatal density, residual transpiration and leaf sap Cl^? content were found. Taking together, these results suggest that drought‐tolerant genotypes have lower stomatal conductance, and lower water content, Na⁺, K⁺ and Cl^? contents in their tissue under control conditions than the drought‐sensitive ones. These traits make them more resilient to the forthcoming drought stress.     

Deposition and Emission Fluxes of Acidifying Compounds on the Territory of Belarus

In the paper trends of precipitates acidity, acidifying compounds wet deposition and emission on the territory of Belarus in the last decade are considered. Trend of acidity of precipitates in 90th on the territory of Belarus was detected. But at the same time heterogeneity of measurement sites was revealed. For 90th statistically approved trend of sulphur deposition reduction have been showed. The intensity of deposition of nitrates has great heterogeneity. Levels of deposition of sulphur and nitrogen on the territory of Belarus in the long-term scale as a whole correlate with levels of SO₂ and NO_x emission on territory of Europe. This is due to the fact that peculiarities of geographical situation of Belarus have caused prevalence of transboundary component in structure of atmospheric depositions.     

Impact of agricultural land use on distribution of microbial biomass and activity within soil aggregates

The presence of aggregates of various sizes in the soil is an important condition for soil carbon sequestration. In this system, microbial biomass is a key link. This work was devoted to the study of the influence of land use systems on the distribution of SOС, MB-SIR, microbial activity and eco-physiological indices (qCO₂, QR, MB-SIR/SOС and qCO₂/SOС) in relation to the size of soil aggregates. The distribution of SOС, MB-SIR and mineralization activity among the aggregates was heterogeneous. In the soil of crop rotation, high mineralization activity and MB-SIR were found in the aggregates 0.5–0.1 mm, in the monoculture soil in aggregates <0.1 mm and in the control soil in the aggregates 1–0.25 mm. There was a general trend towards a decrease in microbial activity, MB-SIR and SOС availability with an increase in aggregate size. In agricultural soils, microbial activity was determined by large aggregates (>5 mm), while in the control soil, by the aggregates 5–1 mm. Depending on the type of site and the size of aggregates, the differences in microbial metabolism were revealed. The qCO₂ and QR values decreased, and the MB-SIR/SOС and qCO₂/SOС increased in the series: control soil > crop rotation > monoculture. In the control soil, the values of the eco-physiological indices decreased with decreasing aggregate size. And vice versa, in agricultural soils, these parameters were the highest in the microaggregates (<0.25 mm). The monoculture soil, in contrast to the control soil and crop rotation soil, turned out to be more energy efficient.     

Impact of natural and man-made factors on migration of heavy metals in the Ardon River basin (North Ossetia)

Purpose

The main goal of the study was to evaluate biogeochemical effects of particular factors changing the structure of landscapes due to enhanced mass migration and erosion of the outcropping rocks by studying transformation of chemical composition of the draining waters and flood plain soils; chemical composition of the solid and liquid phases of the Ardon River waters; and by assessing ecological consequences and risk of contamination of the area by heavy metals.

Materials and methods

Water, soil, and biota species (plants, algae, and amphibian) were sampled at the plots located up- and downstream the mining and industrial areas of North Ossetia (the Ardon River basin) before and after the mudflow that took place in 2002. The air-dried samples were decomposed in a mixture of mineral acids. Heavy metals were determined by means of AAS with the help of AAS-80 (Hitachi) or AAS-2A (KORTEC) using standard reference materials of hair (CRM 397), plant mixture (SBMT-02), and soil (SRM 2709). Hydrochemical and biochemical analyses were performed with the help of the known methods (Kraynov and Shvets 1992; Burtis et al. 2006).

Results and discussion

The study showed that activity of the Misur Mining Combine and its Ardon-Khost tailings caused a significant local increase of Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn content in soils, water, and biotic components as compared to the background values. The mudflow of 2002 changed the structure of landscapes and was followed by a considerable transformation of chemical composition of the downstream river waters and floodplain soils, and by invasion of particular hydrophyte species. Algae and amphibian adapted to the changed conditions and indicated both natural and anthropogenic transformation of the environment. A distinct relation between the particle size of the suspended matter in the Ardon River waters and water salinity was discovered.

Conclusions

Therefore, the Unal basin presents a vivid example of modern natural and anthropogenic evolution of Pb-Zn biogeochemical province under conditions of the extreme and dynamic geochemical environment leading to enhanced risks of ecological damage. Algae species demonstrated high adaptive and indicative capacity in case of both the fast natural and man-made impact.

     

Regions of strong coupling between soil moisture and precipitation

Previous estimates of land-atmosphere interaction (the impact of soil moisture on precipitation) have been limited by a lack of observational data and by the model dependence of computational estimates. To counter the second limitation, a dozen climate-modeling groups have recently performed the same highly controlled numerical experiment as part of a coordinated comparison project. This allows a multimodel estimation of the regions on Earth where precipitation is affected by soil moisture anomalies during Northern Hemisphere summer. Potential benefits of this estimation may include improved seasonal rainfall forecasts.     

Study of Structure–Activity Relationships of the Marine Alkaloid Fascaplysin and Its Derivatives as Potent Anticancer Agents

Marine alkaloid fascaplysin and its derivatives are known to exhibit promising anticancer properties in vitro and in vivo. However, toxicity of these molecules to non-cancer cells was identified as a main limitation for their clinical use. Here, for the very first time, we synthesized a library of fascaplysin derivatives covering all possible substituent introduction sites, i.e., cycles A, C and E of the 12H-pyrido[1-2-a:3,4-b’]diindole system. Their selectivity towards human prostate cancer versus non-cancer cells, as well as the effects on cellular metabolism, membrane integrity, cell cycle progression, apoptosis induction and their ability to intercalate into DNA were investigated. A pronounced selectivity for cancer cells was observed for the family of di- and trisubstituted halogen derivatives (modification of cycles A and E), while a modification of cycle C resulted in a stronger activity in therapy-resistant PC-3 cells. Among others, 3,10-dibromofascaplysin exhibited the highest selectivity, presumably due to the cytostatic effects executed via the targeting of cellular metabolism. Moreover, an introduction of radical substituents at C-9, C-10 or C-10 plus C-3 resulted in a notable reduction in DNA intercalating activity and improved selectivity. Taken together, our research contributes to understanding the structure–activity relationships of fascaplysin alkaloids and defines further directions of the structural optimization.     

Echinochrome A Treatment Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice via IL-4 and IL-13 Suppression

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which skin barrier dysfunction leads to dryness, pruritus, and erythematous lesions. AD is triggered by immune imbalance and oxidative stress. Echinochrome A (Ech A), a natural pigment isolated from sea urchins, exerts antioxidant and beneficial effects in various inflammatory disease models. In the present study, we tested whether Ech A treatment alleviated AD-like skin lesions. We examined the anti-inflammatory effect of Ech A on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD-like lesions in an NC/Nga mouse model. AD-like skin symptoms were induced by treatment with 1% DNCB for 1 week and 0.4% DNCB for 5 weeks in NC/Nga mice. The results showed that Ech A alleviated AD clinical symptoms, such as edema, erythema, and dryness. Treatment with Ech A induced the recovery of epidermis skin lesions as observed histologically. Tewameter^® and Corneometer^® measurements indicated that Ech A treatment reduced transepidermal water loss and improved stratum corneum hydration, respectively. Ech A treatment also inhibited inflammatory-response-induced mast cell infiltration in AD-like skin lesions and suppressed the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-γ, interleukin-4, and interleukin-13. Collectively, these results suggest that Ech A may be beneficial for treating AD owing to its anti-inflammatory effects.     

Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of Marine Alkaloid 3,10-Dibromofascaplysin in Drug-Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells

Efficacy and mechanism of action of marine alkaloid 3,10-dibromofascaplysin (DBF) were investigated in human prostate cancer (PCa) cells harboring different levels of drug resistance. Anticancer activity was observed across all cell lines examined without signs of cross-resistance to androgen receptor targeting agents (ARTA) or taxane based chemotherapy. Kinome analysis followed by functional investigation identified JNK1/2 to be one of the molecular targets of DBF in 22Rv1 cells. In contrast, no activation of p38 and ERK1/2 MAPKs was observed. Inhibition of the drug-induced JNK1/2 activation or of the basal p38 activity resulted in increased cytotoxicity of DBF, whereas an active ERK1/2 was identified to be important for anticancer activity of the alkaloid. Synergistic effects of DBF were observed in combination with PARP-inhibitor olaparib most likely due to the induction of ROS production by the marine alkaloid. In addition, DBF intensified effects of platinum-based drugs cisplatin and carboplatin, and taxane derivatives docetaxel and cabazitaxel. Finally, DBF inhibited AR-signaling and resensitized AR-V7-positive 22Rv1 prostate cancer cells to enzalutamide, presumably due to AR-V7 down-regulation. These findings propose DBF to be a promising novel drug candidate for the treatment of human PCa regardless of resistance to standard therapy.     

Triterpene Glycosides from the Far Eastern Sea Cucumber Thyonidium (=Duasmodactyla) kurilensis (Levin): The Structures,Cytotoxicities, and Biogenesis of Kurilosides A3, D1, G,H, I,I1, J,K, and K1

Nine new mono-, di-, and trisulfated triterpene penta- and hexaosides, kurilosides A₃ (1), D₁ (2), G (3), H (4), I (5), I₁ (6), J (7), K (8), and K₁ (9) and two desulfated derivatives, DS-kuriloside L (10), having a trisaccharide branched chain, and DS-kuriloside M (11), having hexa-nor-lanostane aglycone with a 7(8)-double bond, have been isolated from the Far-Eastern deep-water sea cucumber Thyonidium (=Duasmodactyla) kurilensis (Levin) and their structures were elucidated based on 2D NMR spectroscopy and HR-ESI mass-spectrometry. Five earlier unknown carbohydrate chains and two aglycones (having a 16β,(20S)-dihydroxy-fragment and a 16β-acetoxy,(20S)-hydroxy fragment) were found in these glycosides. All the glycosides 1–9 have a sulfate group at C-6 Glc, attached to C-4 Xyl1, while the positions of the other sulfate groups vary in different groups of kurilosides. The analysis of the structural features of the aglycones and the carbohydrate chains of all the glycosides of T. kurilensis showed their biogenetic relationships. Cytotoxic activities of the compounds 1–9 against mouse neuroblastoma Neuro 2a, normal epithelial JB-6 cells, and erythrocytes were studied. The highest cytotoxicity in the series was demonstrated by trisulfated hexaoside kuriloside H (4), having acetoxy-groups at C(16) and C(20), the latter one obviously compensated the absence of a side chain, essential for the membranolytic action of the glycosides. Kuriloside I₁ (6), differing from 4 in the lacking of a terminal glucose residue in the bottom semi-chain, was slightly less active. The compounds 1–3, 5, and 8 did not demonstrate cytotoxic activity due to the presence of hydroxyl groups in their aglycones.