Fluctuations of carabid populations inhabiting an ancient woodland (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

The changes in population size of carabid beetles inhabiting an ancient woodland were analysed in a long-term investigation covering a period of nine years (1994–2002). The amplitude of fluctuations of the relative density of these species was estimated and compared with those of carabid beetles inhabiting recent woodlands and more unstable habitats in open landscapes. To analyse this, 8 pitfall traps were set in an ancient beech and oak woodland in the nature reserve “Lüneburger Heide” in northern Germany and were emptied every fortnight the whole year round.Catching rates for some species (e.g. Carabus problematicus and Abax parallelepipedus) fluctuated only slightly, whereas those of other species (e.g. C. violaceus and C. auronitens) varied as much as ten-fold. Comparison of these results with those of other long-term investigations of recent woodlands and also of more open habitats showed that in each of the three habitat types some species varied very little in abundance and others, very widely. So it seems that the amplitude of fluctuations in abundance is a feature of each single species rather than a special attribute of their habitats.     

Single-molecule optomechanical cycle

Light-powered molecular machines are conjectured to be essential constituents of future nanoscale devices. As a model for such systems, we have synthesized a polymer of bistable photosensitive azobenzenes. Individual polymers were investigated by single-molecule force spectroscopy in combination with optical excitation in total internal reflection. We were able to optically lengthen and contract individual polymers by switching the azo groups between their trans and cis configurations. The polymer was found to contract against an external force acting along the polymer backbone, thus delivering mechanical work. As a proof of principle, the polymer was operated in a periodic mode, demonstrating for the first time optomechanical energy conversion in a single-molecule device.     

Problems seeded in the past: lagged effects of historical land-use changes can cause an extinction debt in long-lived species due to movement limitation

Landscape Ecology - Land-use change is one of the main threats to biodiversity on the global scale. Legacy effects of historical land-use changes may affect population dynamics of long-lived...     

Occurrence and distribution of earthworms in agricultural landscapes across Europe with regard to testing for responses to plant protection products

Purpose

Within the regulatory framework for authorisation of plant protection products (PPPs) (EU Directive 91/414/1991/EEC replaced by Regulation (EC) 1107/2009), higher tier risk assessments and earthworm field tests are conducted in different countries across Europe. This paper describes dominant earthworm species for regulatory and biogeographical regions in agricultural landscapes across Europe and examines regional differences in earthworm communities and densities and their respective response to a toxic reference.

Materials and methods

For the assessment of earthworm abundance and species distribution, data of untreated control plots from 30 earthworm field studies were analysed; each conducted according to the ISO 11268–3 (1999) guideline by European Crop Protection Association member companies in the context of registration of PPPs. For the evaluation of the response to PPPs under different regional and climatic conditions, the effect on earthworm abundance was assessed by comparing plots treated with toxic references with untreated control plots. Additionally, a comparative literature review was included providing an overview of earthworm species composition and densities in agricultural crops from 14 European countries.

Results and discussion

The assessment of earthworm field studies from six different European countries revealed that common earthworm species of anecic and endogeic ecological groups are present at most field sites. Dominant species groups of endogeic and anecic earthworms can be defined that are abundant in all assessed countries. These are the endogeic species Aporrectodea caliginosa, Aporrectodea rosea and Allolobophora chlorotica, and the anecic species Lumbricus terrestris (Northern and Central Europe) and Lumbricus friendi (Southern Europe). Taking into account the high variability in total earthworm abundances, it can be concluded that the variability within regions was larger than the variability between regions.

Conclusions

Analysis of the earthworm community and data of toxic references lead to the conclusion that testing in different zones is not considered necessary.     

Pitfall or priority drift? Participatory tree domestication programs: The case of agroforestry in the Peruvian Amazon

ABSTRACT

The Agroforestry Tree Domestication Program was globally launched in the 1990s by the World Agroforestry Center to increase farmers’ living standards and slow deforestation. After 20 yr of operation, we screen the impacts on farmers’ livelihoods and prospects in one of the implementation sites: the Ucayali region of the Peruvian Amazon. We contrast the viewpoints of two sets of stakeholders: (a) “outsiders”—scientists, technicians, and development workers; and (2) “insiders”—local farmers organized and not organized. Group and semistructured interviews were used for data collection, and system analyses were conducted for their integration and interpretation. Results diverge by subset. “Outsiders” praised the program lastingness but questioned its dependence on external parties for management; they considered land property and product marketing keys to persist and succeed. In contrast, “insiders” considered the program financially not viable as well as third-party and locally dependent. As an alternative they had initiated activities, both forestry related and otherwise, to profit from their acquired technical and managerial skills. Based on these findings, broadening stakeholders’ diversity and set conveniently roles and decision power during the rationale and implementation phases of similar initiatives could prevent such divergences.     

Incorporating limited field operability and legacy soil samples in a hypercube sampling design for digital soil mapping

Most calibration sampling designs for Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) demarcate spatially distinct sample sites. In practical applications major challenges are often limited field accessibility and the question on how to integrate legacy soil samples to cope with usually scarce resources for field sampling and laboratory analysis. The study focuses on the development and application of an efficiency improved DSM sampling design that (1) applies an optimized sample set size, (2) compensates for limited field accessibility, and (3) enables the integration of legacy soil samples. The proposed sampling design represents a modification of conditioned Latin Hypercube Sampling (cLHS), which originally returns distinct sample sites to optimally cover a soil related covariate space and to preserve the correlation of the covariates in the sample set. The sample set size was determined by comparing multiple sample set sizes of original cLHS sets according to their representation of the covariate space. Limited field accessibility and the integration of legacy samples were incorporated by providing alternative sample sites to replace the original cLHS sites. We applied the modified cLHS design (cLHS_adapt) in a small catchment (4.2 km²) in Central China to model topsoil sand fractions using Random Forest regression (RF). For evaluating the proposed approach, we compared cLHS_adapt with the original cLHS design (cLHS_orig). With an optimized sample set size n = 30, the results show a similar representation of the cLHS covariate space between cLHS_adapt and cLHS_orig, while the correlation between the covariates is preserved (r = 0.40 vs. r = 0.39). Furthermore, we doubled the sample set size of cLHS_adapt by adding available legacy samples (cLHS_adapt+) and compared the prediction accuracies. Based on an external validation set cLHS_val (n = 20), the coefficient of determination (R²) of the cLHS_adapt predictions range between 0.59 and 0.71 for topsoil sand fractions. The R²‐values of the RF predictions based on cLHS_adapt+, using additional legacy samples, are marginally increased on average by 5%.     

Influence of soil aeration on rooting and growth of the Beuys-trees in Kassel,Germany

Soil aeration is an important factor in tree growth. Oxygen must be taken from the atmosphere for root respiration, and carbon dioxide must be discharged to the atmosphere. Because the pore space of the soil could be considered the “dead end” of the free atmosphere, topsoil gas diffusivity is particularly important for soil aeration. Due to diverse land uses, several soil cover types alternate on a small scale at urban sites, competing with the natural function of soil as the living space for roots.During Documenta 7 in 1982, the artist Joseph Beuys initiated the spectacular landscape art project “7000 Oaks”. Seven thousand trees of approximately the same age were planted over the whole city of Kassel, Germany, offering best possible conditions for investigating the influence of specific site factors on root and tree development. At 8 different sites featuring 36 Beuys-oaks and 15 Beuys-planes, topsoil gas diffusivity, soil CO₂ concentration and soil respiration of different soil cover types were measured and correlated with fine root density and tree growth.Topsoil gas diffusivity and soil respiration depend on soil cover type. The lowest gas diffusivities and respiration rates were found at sealed sites, and the highest values were measured at vegetated sites such as lawn or flower beds. Soil gas diffusivity primarily controls soil respiration. Soil CO₂ concentration is not strictly linked to the coverage type and does not show a strictly directed dependence on top soil gas diffusivity and soil respiration. Tree root density and height as well as diameter at breast height (1.3 m) of the oaks were decisively shaped by the gas diffusivity of the soil cover, whereas the investigated planes were not affected by soil aeration deficiencies. The vitality of urban trees can be controlled by the design of the tree site and the choice of the species.     

Toward fish and seafood traceability: anchovy species determination in fish products by molecular markers and support through a public domain database

Traceability in the fish food sector plays an increasingly important role for consumer protection and confidence building. This is reflected by the introduction of legislation and rules covering traceability on national and international levels. Although traceability through labeling is well established and supported by respective regulations, monitoring and enforcement of these rules are still hampered by the lack of efficient diagnostic tools. We describe protocols using a direct sequencing method based on 212-274-bp diagnostic sequences derived from species-specific mitochondria DNA cytochrome b, 16S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequences which can efficiently be applied to unambiguously determine even closely related fish species in processed food products labeled "anchovy". Traceability of anchovy-labeled products is supported by the public online database AnchovyID ( http://anchovyid.jrc.ec.europa.eu), which provided data obtained during our study and tools for analytical purposes.     

Immunisation strategies against prion diseases: prime-boost immunisation with a PrP DNA vaccine containing foreign helper T-cell epitopes does not prevent mouse scrapie

Vaccination against prion diseases constitutes a promising approach for the treatment and prevention of the disease. Passive immunisation with antibodies binding to the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) can protect against prion disease. However, immunotherapeutic strategies with active immunisation are limited due to the immune tolerance against the self-antigen. In order to develop an anti-prion vaccine, we designed a novel DNA fusion vaccine composed of mouse PrP and immune stimulatory helper T-cell epitopes of the tetanus toxin that have previously been reported to break tolerance to other self-antigens. This approach provoked a strong PrP(C)-specific humoral and cellular immune response in PrP null mice, but only low antibody titres were found in vaccinated wild-type mice. Furthermore, prime-boost immunisation with the DNA vaccine and recombinant PrP protein increased antibody titres in PrP null mice, but failed to protect wild-type mice from mouse scrapie.     

Uptake of galaxolide, tonalide, and triclosan by carrot, barley, and meadow fescue plants

Many xenobiotics entering wastewater treatment plants are known to be persistent during wastewater treatment and tend to adsorb to sewage sludge. The application of sewage sludge as fertilizer in agriculture may pose the risk of an incorporation of xenobiotics in the cultivated plants and, finally, an inclusion into the food chain. This study was performed to investigate the uptake of common sewage sludge contaminants, galaxolide, tonalide, and triclosan, by plants used for human consumption and livestock feeding. Barley, meadow fescue, and four carrot cultivars were sown and grown in spiked soils under greenhouse conditions. After harvesting the plants, roots and leaves were analyzed separately, and the respective bioconcentration factors were calculated. In carrots, a concentration gradient of the xenobiotics became evident that decreased from the root peel via root core to the leaves. A significant influence of the differing root lipid contents on the uptake rates cannot be supported by our data, but the crucial influence of soil organic carbon content was confirmed. Barley and meadow fescue roots incorporated higher amounts of the target substances than carrots, but translocation into the leaves was negligible. The results indicated that an introduction of persistent semi- and nonpolar xenobiotics into the food chain via edible plants like carrots could be of certain relevance when sludge is applied as fertilizer. Due to low rates found for the translocation of the xenobiotics into the aerial plant parts, the entrance pathway into food products via feeding livestock is less probable.