Pine mistletoe (Viscum album ssp. austriacum) contributes to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) mortality in the Rhone valley of Switzerland

In recent years unusual high mortality of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) has been observed in the Swiss Rhone Valley. The exact causes, however, are not known. At a 2‐ha monitoring plot, tree mortality and crown condition have been monitored since 1996. Between 1996 and 2004, 59% of the Scots pines died, most of them following the drought periods 1996–1998 and 2003–2004, while only 15% of the deciduous trees died. Crown transparency, needle discolouration, dead branch percentage, mistletoe (Viscum album ssp. austriacum) rating, Tomicus sp. shoot feeding, male flowering effect, tree stem diameter, crown shading and social tree class assessed in 1998 were used in a logistic regression model to predict tree mortality. Crown transparency, mistletoe rating and percentage of dead branches were found significant in the model and the probability of tree mortality increased with increasing rankings of these parameters. Needle discolouration could be used to substitute ‘dead branch percentage’ as predictor. While crown transparency increased with mistletoe rating, for trees in the same transparency class, trees with medium and heavy mistletoe infection were two to four times more likely to die than trees with no or only low mistletoe infection. For the surviving trees we found that trees with mistletoes showed a significantly higher increase in transparency in the year following a drought than trees without, while in a drought year the opposite was true. At the beginning of the observations no significant differences in transparency had been found between the trees with and without mistletoe. However, by the end of the observation period trees with mistletoe had significantly higher crown transparency. We conclude that mistletoe infection can be considered as both a predisposing factor for tree death, by increasing needle loss following drought and a contributing factor by increasing water stress during drought.     

Can soil moisture deficit be used to forecast when soils are at high risk of damage owing to grazing animals?

A potentially significant cause of damage to grassland soils is compaction of unsaturated soil and poaching of saturated or nearly saturated soil by animal hooves. Damage is caused when an applied stress is in excess of the bearing strength of the soil and results in a loss of soil structure, macroporosity and air or water conductivity. Severely damaged soils can cause reduced grassland productivity and make grazing management very difficult for the farmer. The actual amount of soil damage that can occur during grazing is dependent on the grass cover which acts as a protecting layer, the soil water content and the characteristics of the grazing animal (weight and hoof size). Assuming that the farmer is knowledgeable about the characteristics of the grazing animal and grass cover, it would be very useful for short‐term operational farm planning to be able to predict when soil water contents were likely to be in a critical range with respect to potential hoof damage. In this study soil moisture deficits (SMDs) which can be derived from meteorological forecasts are evaluated for predicting when soil water conditions are likely to lead to hoof damage. Two contrasting Irish grassland soils were analysed using a Hounsfield servo‐mechanical vertical testing machine to simulate static (285.4 N) and dynamic (571 N) hoof loads on the soil over a range of estimated SMDs (0, 5, 10 and 20 mm). The deficits were analysed with respect to the soil volumetric water content, compression (displacement) and change in dry bulk density. The SMDs imposed in the laboratory were similar to those under field conditions and thus the methods used in this study are applicable elsewhere. The change in dry bulk density following loading (0.2–0.7 g/cm³) was linearly related to SMD (R² ranged from 0.90 to 0.99), leading to the conclusion that a forecast of SMD can be used to predict when grassland soils are likely to be at risk of damage from grazing.     

Investigation of meteorological drought characteristics in Fars province,Iran

Drought is a lack of moisture in nature, consistent or unnatural. The term consistent refers to a state of shortage, and unnatural refers to the deviation from an index of the regional natural condition. The objective of this research was to examine and forecast the intensity, duration, frequency and extent of droughts in Fars province. For this purpose, and in order to survey droughts in the province, a standard precipitation index (SPI) was determined as a selective index, considering its capacity to facilitate accurate positional analysis between various regions of the drought extent. For this, precipitation data within the same statistical period of 32 years (1968 to 1999) in 5 time scales of 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 months from some 26 stations located within and out of the province were used, and the trends were assessed by using a time series analysis. At the next stage, RUN theory and Markov Chain were combined, on this basis to create transition probability and a steady matrix, and then the conditions of long term droughts in the province in terms of number and duration were forecast for the subsequent 10 years. The characteristics of the extent of drought were determined by using the Geographic Information System (GIS) with the help of geo-statistical methods. The results of the drought station surveys for the mentioned characteristics showed that the highest drought intensity (in terms of % deviation from normal) was at the Gozoon station and the longest duration of drought in months was at the Polkhan station; droughts both of long duration and with the highest frequency during the statistical period were observed at the Jahrom and Darshahy stations. The map of the extent of droughts showed higher intensity in the south and central regions of the province, while northern parts of the province were less sensitive to the effects of droughts. Also, the results of the maps of drought duration in various periods showed that droughts in the south of the province were of higher intensity and longer duration than elsewhere.     

SALTIRSOIL: a simulation model for the mid to long‐term prediction of soil salinity in irrigated agriculture

The SALTIRSOIL model predicts soil salinity, sodicity and alkalinity in irrigated land using basic information on soil, climate, crop, irrigation management and water quality. It extends the concept of the WATSUIT model to include irrigation and crop management practices, advances in the calculation of evapotranspiration and new algorithms for the water stress coefficient and calculation of electrical conductivity. SALTIRSOIL calculates the soil water balance and soil solution concentration over the year. A second module, SALSOLCHEM, calculates the inorganic ion composition of the soil solution at equilibrium with soil calcite and gypsum at the soil’s CO₂ partial pressure. Results from comparing predicted and experimentally determined concentrations, observations and predictions of pH, alkalinity and calcium concentration in calcite‐saturated solutions agree to the second significant figure; in gypsum‐saturated solutions the standard difference between observations and predictions is <3% in absolute values. The algorithms in SALTIRSOIL have been verified and SALSOLCHEM validated for the reliable calculation of soil salinity, sodicity and alkalinity at water saturation in well‐drained irrigated lands. In simulations for horticultural crops in southeast Spain, soil solution concentration factors at water saturation, quotients of electrical conductivity (EC₂₅) at saturation to electrical conductivity in the irrigation water, and quotients of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) are very similar to average measured values for the area.     

Purification of an antifungal endochitinase from a potential biocontrol Agent Streptomyces griseus

Streptomyces griseus (MTCC 9723) is a chitinolytic bacterium isolated from prawn cultivated pond soil of Peddapuram Village; East Godavari District was studied in detailed. Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) was extracted from the culture filtrate of Streptomyces griseus and purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-cellulose ionexchange chromatography, Sephadex G-100 and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration chromatography. The molecular mass of the purified chitinase was estimated to be 34, 32 kDa by SDS gel electrophoresis and confirmed by activity staining with Calcofluor White M2R. Chitinase was optimally active at pH of 6.0 and at 40 degrees C. The enzyme was stable from pH 5-9 and up to 20-50 degrees C. The chitinase exhibited Km and Vmax values of 400 mg and 180 IU mL(-1) for colloidal chitin. Among the metals and inhibitors that were tested, the Hg+, Hg2+ and P-chloromercuribenzoic acid completely inhibited the chitinase activity at 1 mM concentration. The purified chitinase showed high activity on colloidal chitin, chitobiose, and chitooligosaccharide. An in vitro assay proved that the crude chitinase, actively growing cells of S. griseus having antifungal activity against all studied fungal pathogen. This result implies that characteristics of S. griseus producing endochitinase made them suitable for biotechnological purpose such as for degradation of chitin containing waste and it might be a promising biocontrol agent for plant pathogens.     

Chronology of plaggic deposits; palynology,radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of the Posteles (NE-Netherlands)

Plaggic agriculture was the dominant land use system on Pleistocene sandy soils in Northwest Europe before the introduction of chemical fertilizers. In the today's landscape plaggic deposits are still recognizable as characteristic soils and landforms, related to this historical land use system. They are also important constituents of the soil archives in Northwest Europe. In preliminary studies of plaggic anthrosols, the reconstruction of the development of the plaggic deposits was based on palynological and historical data and radiocarbon dates. Disagreement appeared between palaeopedological and historical explanation of the evolution of plaggic anthrosols. Application of OSL dating improves the knowledge of chronology of plaggic deposits. The soil organic matrix, including pollen grains, consists of a complex mix of compounds of different ages and sources. Pollen diagrams of plaggic anthrosols show a palynological registration of the Late Holocene landscape evolution, but the palynological signal is not consequently correlated with the age of the plaggic sediments. An older soil organic matrix is suspended in the voids of a younger mineral soil skeleton.     

CX3CR1-mediated dendritic cell access to the intestinal lumen and bacterial clearance

Dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages are critical to innate and adaptive immunity to the intestinal bacterial microbiota. Here, we identify a myeloid-derived mucosal DC in mice, which populates the entire lamina propria of the small intestine. Lamina propria DCs were found to depend on the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 to form transepithelial dendrites, which enable the cells to directly sample luminal antigens. CX3CR1 was also found to control the clearance of entero-invasive pathogens by DCs. Thus, CX3CR1-dependent processes, which control host interactions of specialized DCs with commensal and pathogenic bacteria, may regulate immunological tolerance and inflammation.     

Effects of size and temperature on metabolic rate

We derive a general model, based on principles of biochemical kinetics and allometry, that characterizes the effects of temperature and body mass on metabolic rate. The model fits metabolic rates of microbes, ectotherms, endotherms (including those in hibernation), and plants in temperatures ranging from 0 degrees to 40 degrees C. Mass- and temperature-compensated resting metabolic rates of all organisms are similar: The lowest (for unicellular organisms and plants) is separated from the highest (for endothermic vertebrates) by a factor of about 20. Temperature and body size are primary determinants of biological time and ecological roles.     

Spatiotemporal patterns of mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) in response to a restoration of longitudinal connectivity

To examine the role of longitudinal connectivity on the spatial and temporal dynamics of mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni), we quantified movement and population dynamics following installation of the Landsburg Dam fishway, Cedar River, WA, USA. Mountain whitefish is widely distributed, poorly studied and not the focus of restoration. Before the fishway, mountain whitefish were not observed above the dam. Here, we focus on snorkel counts collected at reach and mesohabitat (e.g. pools) scales over 11 summers on the 20‐km above‐dam segment following restoration. A camera within the ladder provided number, size and movement timing, thereby informing on behaviour and recolonisation. Segment‐scale abundance increased following fish passage reaching an asymptote in 7 years, and mountain whitefish were detected throughout the main stem in 10 years. Annual movement through the ladder increased over time and was positively correlated with instream abundance and discharge, but negatively correlated with water temperature. About 60% of fish movements occurred in spring and early summer, potentially for foraging opportunities. Reach‐scale abundance peaked between 7 and 10 km from the dam; deep, cool (~10.6 to 11.6°C) conditions characterised these reaches. At the mesohabitat scale, mountain whitefish detection increased with depth and velocity after accounting for distance from the dam. Our results show how restoring longitudinal connectivity allowed this nontarget species to colonise newly available habitat. Their response supports the critical roles of longitudinal connectivity and environmental conditions, that manifest at different spatial scales, in dictating how freshwater fish respond to habitat disturbance.