The persistence of infectivity of Tetracapsulabryosalmonae-infected water for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) is caused by the infection of susceptible salmonid fish with spores of the myxozoan Tetracapsula bryosalmonae , a parasite harboured and released by several species of bryozoans. Under natural conditions, PKD is a water-borne infection of fish, whose outcome and spatio-temporal dissemination depend on the viability of spores present in the water. In order to evaluate the duration of parasite infectivity, juvenile rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss , were exposed for 20 h to T. bryosalmonae -infected water at various times post-water collection or after different filtration procedures. When infected water was held in a temperature range of 14.5–17 °C for up to 14 days, PKD was transmitted to the fish only between 0 and 12 h post-water collection and its infectivity vanished between 12 and 24 h. Similarly, the infectivity of water passed through 25 μm but not through 1 μm mesh filters, and was lost in the material eluted from the 1 μm filtration membrane although the parasite's DNA was amplified from this material. The parasitic infectivity in water appears to be fragile and this may offer opportunities to decrease the impact of PKD in trout farms by the implementation of management procedures aimed at reducing the number of the bryozoan-holding surfaces located in the river, immediately upstream from these farms.     

A feasible method for humane slaughter of eel (Anguilla anguilla L.): electrical stunning in fresh water prior to gutting

It was observed that farmed eels could be rendered unconscious and insensible instantaneously by passing an electrical current through fresh water. The general epileptiform insult on the EEG was characterized by a tonic/clonic and an exhaustion phase. After stunning, the ECG (electro‐cardiogram) revealed fibrillation. The electrical stunning parameters were on average 194 ± 4 V and 0.636 ± 0.040 A/dm² for 1.6 ± 0.4 s. Within a confidence level of 95%%, taking into account the number of animals with a reliable EEG (n = 29), at least 93% of all eels are effectively stunned in fresh water by an average current of 0.636 ± 0.040 A/dm². The behaviour of groups of five eels, which were able to move freely in the water was observed before and after stunning with 50 V and 0.17 A/dm². After 3‐s stunning, two eels were turned upside down. They changed to a normal position after 10 and 13 s respectively. Subsequently, all eels were very active in swimming behaviour and stopped swimming after 75 s. When stunned for a longer duration, all eels were turned upside down and stopped breathing for a limited period of time. In the last experiment the eels were stunned in fresh water (500 μS) with a voltage of 200 V for approximately 1 s, which was followed by 50 V for 5 min. As soon as the stunning started the water was de‐oxygenated by flushing nitrogen to kill the eels by suffocation during the period of unconsciousness and insensitivity. The oxygen saturation decreased from 74 ± 10 to 23 ± 11% at 22 °C. After stunning no brain activity and no responses to pain stimuli were observed on the EEG. The heart rate increased (P < 0.05) after stunning, which was followed by a significant decrease. Only 1 out of 18 eels returned partially from upside down to a normal position 2 h after stunning; however, the eel did not respond to pain stimuli in behaviour. The developed stunning procedure can be recommended for humane slaughter of 50‐kg batches of eels.     

Prey consumption during development as well as longevity and reproduction of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Typhlodromus pyri</Emphasis> Scheuten (Acari,Phytoseiidae) at higher temperatures in the laboratory

The predatory mite Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten (Acari, Phytoseiidae) has been reported as an important predator of the European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch) (Acari, Tetranychidae) in apple culture and vineyards at below 25?°C. However, sufficient biological data was lacking on its efficiency at temperatures above 25?°C. Therefore, the purpose of the present laboratory work was to obtain experimental data on prey consumption during development as well as longevity and reproduction of T. pyri on apple leaf discs and in Plexiglas cells at constant temperatures of 25?±?2?°C and 30?±?2?°C with P. ulmi as prey.     

Spatial pattern of trees influences species productivity in a mature oak–pine mixed forest

Spatial pattern has a key role in the interactions between species in plant communities. These interactions influence ecological processes involved in the species dynamics: growth, regeneration and mortality. In this study, we investigated the effect of spatial pattern on productivity in mature mixed forests of sessile oak and Scots pine. We simulated tree locations with point process models and tree growth with spatially explicit individual growth models. The point process models and growth models were fitted with field data from the same stands. We compared species productivity obtained in two types of mixture: a patchy mixture and an intimate mixture. Our results show that the productivity of both species is higher in an intimate mixture than in a patchy mixture. Productivity difference between the two types of mixture was 11.3 % for pine and 14.7 % for oak. Both species were favored in the intimate mixture because, for both, intraspecific competition was more severe than interspecific competition. Our results clearly support favoring intimate mixtures in mature oak–pine stands to optimize tree species productivity; oak is the species that benefits the most from this type of management. Our work also shows that models and simulations can provide interesting results for complex forests with mixtures, results that would be difficult to obtain through experimentation.     

Impact of mechanized harvesting on compaction of sandy and clayey forest soils: results of a meta-analysis

Context

Nowadays, harvest operations are predominantly performed fully mechanized using heavy tractors or forestry machines. The resulting soil compaction may negatively affect the soil ecosystem.

Aims

We wanted to draw general conclusions concerning the impact of mechanized harvesting on forest soil bulk density and the influencing factors.

Method

Therefore, we combined the data of several studies using a meta-analysis approach.

Results

The impact decreased from the surface towards deeper soil layers. At 0?C10?cm depth, the impact on clayey soils was highest although not significantly different from the impact on sandy soils. Higher initial bulk densities, i.e., on already compacted forest soils, generally led to smaller extra increases of bulk density after machine traffic. For sandy soils, the impact was also significantly smaller when machines were lighter. No significant relationship was observed between the compaction degree and traffic intensity.

Conclusions

We observed clear compaction on both clayey and sandy soils, especially in case of low initial soil compaction degrees and heavy machines. The compacted initial state of many forest soils, the long recovery period, and the generally high impact of the first passes that is frequently mentioned in literature all count in favour of designated skid trails and an adjustment of the machine type to the job.     

Effects of different high constant and alternating temperatures on the development and prey consumption of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dicyphus tamaninii</Emphasis> Wagner (Heteroptera,Miridae) with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphis gossypii</Emphasis> Glover (Homoptera,Aphididae) as prey

The present work aimed to study the effects of high constant and alternating temperatures on the development and prey consumption by Dicyphus tamaninii Wagner (Het., Miridae) with Aphis gossypii Glover (Hom., Aphididae) as prey.Results showed that the predator was able to successfully develop and reach the adult stage, on average, after 20.1 () and 20.6 () days at a temperature of 30 ± 1 °C with A. gossypii as prey. On the other hand, it was not able to develop at 35 ± 1 °C, here all N₁ instars used at the beginning of the experiments had died even before moulting to N₂ instar. At alternating temperatures of 25/15 ± 1 °C, the predator reached the adult stage 23.7 () and 23.5 () days after egg hatching, whereas when the temperatures were increased to 35/22 ± 1 °C, it took a significantly shorter period: 20.6 () and 20.9 () days. In general, the highest mortality occurred during the first two nymphal instars. The total percentage mortality during development from N₁ to adult stage was 30 % and 100 % at the constant temperatures 30 ± 1 °C and 35 ± 1 °C, respectively. At the alternating temperatures of 25/15 ± 1 °C, it was lowest with 16.5 %, while at 35/22 ± 1 °C, it was 20 %.The results of the experiments on prey consumption showed that an individual D. tamaninii consumed during its development to adult stage at 30 ± 1 °C an average of 442.2 (), 433.6 () aphids. At the constant temperature of 35 ± 1 °C, the average daily prey consumption started with 4 aphids and decreased continuously till it approached nil on the 9th day, where all predatory nymphs died. At the alternating temperatures of 25/15 ± 1 °C, the total prey consumption during development was, on average, 359.3 () and 297.0 () aphids, while at 35/22 ± 1 °C it was 348.5 () and 334.0 () aphids. The effect of the four temperatures on the prey consumption by D. tamaninii during the first 10 days after emergence was also studied. At a constant temperature of 30 ± 1 °C, a total of 446.4 () and 372.0 () aphids were consumed, compared to 40.6 () and 39.0 () at 35 ± 1 °C. At alternating temperatures of 25/15 ± 1 °C, the predatory adult consumed, on average, a total of 267.0 () and 207.0 () aphids. Increasing the temperature to 35/22 ± 1 °C resulted in a higher prey consumption by the adult predator, reaching 351.5 () and 267.7 () aphids over the same period.In conclusion, results indicated that D. tamaninii is a promising predator of the melon aphid at a temperature spectrum ranging from 15 ± 1 °C up to 35 ± 1 °C.     

Analysis of pharmaceutically relevant taxoids in wild yew trees from Sardinia

Needles from a series of wild yews (Taxus baccata L.) from Sardinia were investigated for their contents of 10-deacetyl baccatin III (DAB-III, 1), paclitaxel (Taxol) (2) and taxine (3). Despite a common geographical origin, ample variation of the taxoid profile was discovered, and several samples were surprisingly devoid of all terpenoid markers above. This finding is unprecedented within the European yew, while the general lack of taxine might rationalize the observation that most plants investigated are actively and impunently browsed by goats.     

Nitrogen-fixing legume tree species for the reclamation of severely degraded lands in Brazil

The main challenges faced in the reclamation of severely degraded lands are in the management of the systems and finding plant species that will grow under the harsh conditions common in degraded soils. This is especially important in extremely adverse situations found in some substrates from mining activities or soils that have lost their upper horizons. Under these conditions, recolonization of the area by native vegetation through natural succession processes may be extremely limited. Once the main physical and chemical factors restrictive to plant growth are corrected or attenuated, the introduction of leguminous trees able to form symbioses with nodulating N?-fixing bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi constitutes an efficient strategy to accelerate soil reclamation and initiate natural succession. These symbioses give the legume species a superior capacity to grow quickly in poor substrates and to withstand the harsh conditions presented in degraded soils. In this article we describe several successful results in Brazil using N?-fixing legume tree species for reclamation of areas degraded by soil erosion, construction and mining activities, emphasizing the potential of the technique to recover soil organic matter levels and restore ecosystem biodiversity and other environmental functions.     

Coffee agroecosystem performance under full sun, shade, conventional and organic management regimes in Central America

Changes in coffee economics are leading producers to reduce agrochemical use and increase the use of shade. Research is needed on how to balance the competition from shade trees with the provision of ecological services to the coffee. In 2000, long-term coffee experiments were established in Costa Rica and Nicaragua to compare coffee agroecosystem performance under full sun, legume and non-legume shade types, and intensive and moderate conventional and organic inputs. Coffee yield from intensive organic production was not significantly different from intensive conventional in Nicaragua, but in Costa Rica it was lower during three of the six harvests. Full sun coffee production over 6 years was greater than shaded coffee in Costa Rica (61.8 vs. 44.7 t ha^?1, P = 0.0002). In Nicaragua, full sun coffee production over 5 years (32.1 t ha^?1) was equal to coffee with shade that included Tabebuia rosea (Bertol.) DC., (27?C30 t ha^?1) and both were more productive (P = 0.03) than coffee shaded with Inga laurina (Sw.) Willd. (21.6 t ha^?1). Moderate input organic production was significantly lower than other managements under all shade types, except in the presence of Erythrina poepiggina (Walp.) O.F. Cook. Inga and Erythrina had greater basal area and nutrient recycling from prunings than other shade species. Intensive organic production increased soil pH and P, and had higher K compared to moderate conventional. Although legume shade trees potentially provide ecological services to associated coffee, this depends on management of the competition from those same trees.     

Cytological studies on adventitious shoots and minitubers of a monoploid potato clone

Summary A three step procedure for adventitious shoot regeneration on leaf explants of monoploid potato clone H7322 and a minituber induction procedure on stem segments have been described. Chromosome counts on 92 adventitious shoots showed that 85% of them had been polyploidized, i.e., 71% were diploid, 1% tetraploid, and 13% were mixoploid. Cytophotometric studies on nuclei of soil grown tubers of tetraploid cv Astarte, of 1x, 2x and 4x adventitious shoots of H7322, and of diploid H²578 showed in all cases polyploidization with prominent classes up to 8C and 16C. However, nuclei of pith cells of 5 weeks old minitubers which had developed on monoploid H7322 itself or on 1x adventitious shoots of H7322 showed predominantly 1C and 2C values. Pith cells of minitubers of monoploid H7322 were screened, after iodine staining, for the presence of variant cells containing reddish-brown staining (amylose-free) starch. In more than 75% of the investigated minitubers one or a few of such variant cells were found indicating that such a variation occurs in minitubers of monoploid potato and that this variant character is expressed in cells of vegetative storage organs like potato tubers.