Determinants of reproductive success: A comparative study of five endangered river corridor plants in fragmented habitats

River corridor plants in Central Europe have in recent decades become increasingly rare, caused mainly by habitat destruction and change. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of soil quality, but especially of habitat fragmentation in terms of population size and isolation, on seed production and germination of five selected species, all of which being endangered, perennial herbs: Euphorbia palustris, Lathyrus palustris, Pseudolysimachion longifolium, Sanguisorba officinalis, and Senecio paludosus. We sampled totally 58 populations in flood plains in the surroundings of Bremen, North-western Germany.

In all five species, there were positive correlations between the number of seeds (total seed mass) and plant height, as well as between germination and seed mass. Seed traits values and/or germination were negatively affected by small population size, in Euphorbia, Lathyrus and Pseudolysimachion additionally by high population isolation. There were also significant effects of soil quality, but these were less consistent across species. The contribution of population size and isolation, compared to soil quality, to the variance explained in the reproductive components was especially high in Euphorbia and Lathyrus, the only two species depending on insect pollination.

The results indicate that the five species are likely to decline as a consequence of decreased plant fitness in small and/or isolated populations, probably caused by pollen limitation. The studied species may be representative for the group of river corridor plants as a whole that are often restricted to isolated remnants of near-natural flood plain vegetation in a matrix of heavily used agricultural land.     

Effects of Salinity,Commercial Salts,and Water Type on Cultivation of the Cryptophyte Microalgae Rhodomonas salina and the Calanoid Copepod Acartia tonsa

Marine aquaculture facilities positioned far from the sea need access to seawater (SW); hence, commercial salts are often the chosen solution. In marine hatcheries, most fish larvae require live feed (zooplankton) that are in turn fed with microalgae. The objective of this research was to investigate the applicability of commercial salts and clarify the potential effects on the cultivation of the microalga Rhodomonas salina and the copepod Acartia tonsa. Three commercial salts were tested, Red Sea Salt (RS), Red Sea – Coral Pro Salt (CP), and Blue Treasure Salt. R. salina was cultured at salinities of 10, 20, and 30 psu resulting in equal growth rates at salinities 20 and 30 in SW and RS mixed with deionized (DI) water. The optimum salinity for R. salina was 29 psu. For A. tonsa eggs, we observed highest hatching success in 30 psu with CP or RS mixed with DI water. The egg hatching success was not affected by salinities 15–40 and optimal hatching was obtained at 27 psu. Results confirm it was possible to use commercial salts for rearing of both R. salina and A. tonsa, widening the application of these species for aquaculture facilities without access to SW.     

Polysaccharide capsule and suilysin contribute to extracellular survival of Streptococcus suis co-cultivated with primary porcine phagocytes

Streptococcus suis is a major cause of meningitis, sepsis and arthritis in piglets and a zoonotic agent. Survival in the blood circulation system represents a major step in pathogenesis of S. suis infections. To get further insights into the mechanisms of S. suis survival in the host, we compared a highly virulent S. suis serotype 2 strain with its non-encapsulated and suilysin-deficient mutants in their abilities to resist phagocytosis and killing by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and mononuclear cells. PMNs displayed a higher capacity to take up encapsulated bacteria than mononuclear cells, whereas both cell types internalized efficiently non-encapsulated S. suis. Differentiation of extracellular and intracellular survival of the WT strain revealed that in PMNs the majority of the cell-associated streptococci were intracellular, whereas in mononuclear cells the majority remained attached to the cell surface. S. suis survived mainly extracellularly, since both cells killed intracellular bacteria to a similar extent. As a consequence of different resistance to phagocytosis, only the encapsulated S. suis strains survived co-cultivation with PMNs. Comparison of the WT strain with its encapsulated suilysin-deficient mutant revealed reduced survival of the mutant after co-cultivation with PMNs. Involvement of suilysin in inhibition of phagocytosis was further confirmed by the use of anti-suilysin antibodies and recombinant suilysin. Kinetic experiments with PMNs suggested that reduced survival of the mutant strain was mainly associated with an increased uptake, whilst both strains adhered similarly. Concluding, our results indicate that the capsule and the suilysin play important roles in S. suis survival in the host by interfering with phagocytic uptake.     

A prion disease of cervids: chronic wasting disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of deer, elk, and moose, initially recognized in Colorado mule deer. The discovery of CWD beyond the borders of Colorado and Wyoming, in Canada and as far east as New York, has led to its emergence as a prion disease of international importance. Epidemiological studies indicate that CWD is horizontally transmitted among free-ranging animals, potentially indirectly by prion-containing secreta or excreta contaminating the environment. Experimental CWD transmission attempts to other wild and domestic mammals and to transgenic mice expressing the prion protein of cattle, sheep, and humans have shed light on CWD species barriers. Transgenic mice expressing the cervid prion protein have proven useful for assessing the genetic influences of Prnp polymorphisms on CWD susceptibility. Accumulating evidence of CWD pathogenesis indicates that the misfolded prion protein or prion infectivity seems to be widely disseminated in many nonneural organs and in blood. This review highlights contemporary research findings in this prion disease of free-ranging wildlife.     

Profiling pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine mRNA expression levels as a novel method for selection of increased innate immune responsiveness

Previous studies using F1 reciprocal crosses and two parental lines of broilers show the sire is instrumental in determining the in vitro leukocyte function and cytokine/chemokine profile. Since the innate immune response is the primary means young chickens have to protect themselves, we hypothesize utilizing a novel genomics approach to select sires based on an elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine profile. By identifying sires with increased pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin [IL]-1beta and IL-6) and chemokine (CXCLi2 and CCLi2) mRNA expression levels, we expect the progeny will also have elevated profiles. We characterized the pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine profile of 119 sires using quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and identified two populations with inherently high and low mRNA expression levels of IL-1beta, IL-6, CXCLi2, and CCLi2. Select high and low sires were then used to produce progeny for the second phase of the trial. Blood samples were collected from 214 progeny and the cytokine and chemokine mRNA expression levels determined. Progeny from high sires had significantly (P相似文献   

Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus in urban Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations: Epidemiology and the impacts of kill‐trapping

Urban Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations can carry the bacteria methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). There are numerous knowledge gaps in the epidemiology of MRSA in these populations that limit understanding of its ecology in urban environments. For example, fecal shedding of MRSA, which may increase environmental contamination, has been reported in other species; however, it is unknown whether Norway rats carry the bacteria rectally. Furthermore, while intermittent MRSA shedding has been shown in other species and may dictate when the risk of transmission is highest, duration of carriage has not been examined for Norway rats. Previous work has shown that lethal animal‐control methods may increase the level of pathogens within reservoir populations, possibly by disrupting ecological patterns. However, the impact of rodent‐control on potentially environmentally acquired pathogens like MRSA has not been tested. Using capture‐mark‐recapture methods in an inner‐city neighborhood in Vancouver, Canada, we show that rats intermittently carry MRSA both in the rectum and oropharynx. By assessing the prevalence of MRSA before and after enacting a pest‐control intervention, we report that kill‐trapping had no impact on the prevalence of carriage of this environmentally‐acquired agent.