Parasitoids (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonoidea) of Saproxylic beetles are affected by forest successional stage and dead wood characteristics in boreal spruce forest

The habitat requirements and effects of forest management on insects belonging to higher trophic levels are relatively unknown in forest ecosystems. We tested the effect of forest successional stage and dead wood characteristics on the saproxylic parasitoid (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonoidea) assemblage in boreal spruce-dominated forests in northern Sweden. Within each of nine areas, we selected three sites with different management histories: (1) a clear-cut (2) a mature managed forest and (3) an old-growth forest. Parasitoids were collected in 2003 using eclector traps mounted on fresh logs, which were either untreated (control), burned, inoculated with fungi, or naturally shaded, and on artificially-created snags.Both forest type and dead wood characteristics had a significant effect on parasitoid assemblages. Grouped idiobionts and some species, such as Bracon obscurator and Ontsira antica, preferred clear-cuts, while others, such as Cosmophorus regius (Hym., Braconidae) and other koinobionts, were associated with older successional forest stages. No single dead wood substrate was sufficient to support the entire community of parasitoids in any forest type, even when the regular host was present. In particular, snags hosted a different assemblage of species from other types of dead wood, with parasitoids of Tetropium spp. such as Rhimphoctona spp. (Hym., Ichneumonidae) and Helconidea dentator (Hym., Braconidae) being abundant. These results indicate that a diversity of dead wood habitats is necessary to support complete assemblages of beetle-associated parasitoids from early successional stages of dead wood and that parasitoids may be more sensitive to habitat change than their hosts.     

Anticoagulant effect of polyphenols-rich extracts from black chokeberry and grape seeds

Blood coagulation consists of a series of zymogens that can be converted by limited proteolysis to active enzymes leading to the generation of thrombin. Fresh plasma and human thrombin was incubated with extracts from berries of Aronia melanocarpa or seeds of Vitis vinifera (0.5; 5; 50 μg/ml). The in vitro experiments showed that both extracts prolonged clotting time and decreased the maximal velocity of fibrin polymerization in human plasma. Moreover thrombin incubation with both extracts results in the inhibition of amidolytic activity of this enzyme. It gives hopes for development of diet supplements, which may be preventing thrombosis in pathological states.     

Significance of Silver Birch and Bushgrass for Establishment of Microbial Heterotrophic Community in a Metal-Mine Spoil Heap

Differences in the culturable fractions of total and metal-tolerant bacteria inhabiting bulk soil of a metal-mine spoil heap and the rhizosphere of silver birch (Betula pendula) or bushgrass (Calamagrostis epigejos), completed with changes in total microbial community structure in the soil, were assessed by MIDI-FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) profiling of whole-cell fatty acids. In addition, the abundance of metal-tolerant populations among the culturable bacterial communities and their identity and the metal-tolerance patterns were determined. The high proportions of Cu- and Zn-tolerant bacteria that ranged from 60.6% to 94.8% were ascertained in the heap sites. Within 31 bacterial isolates obtained, 24 strains were Gram-positive and Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Rathayibacter, Brochothrix, and Staphylococcus represented those identified. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) data indicated that several strains developed multi-metal tolerance, and the highest tolerance to Cu (10 mM) and Zn (12 mM) was found for Pseudomonas putida TP3 and three isolated strains (BS3, TP12, and SL16), respectively. The analysis of FAME profiles obtained from the culturable bacterial communities showed that Gram-positive bacteria predominated in bulk soil of all heap sites. In contrast, the rhizosphere communities showed a lower proportion of the Gram-positive group, especially for silver birch. For the total microbial community, mostly Gram-negative bacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas) inhabited the heap sites. The results suggest that the quantitative and qualitative development of heterotrophic microbiota in the soil of the metal-mine spoil heap seems to be site-dependent (i.e., rhizosphere vs. bulk soil), according to differences in the site characteristics (e.g., enrichment of nutrients and total metal concentrations) and impact of plant species.     

Geochemistry of the Hyperalkaline Gorka Pit Lake (pH?>?13) in the Chrzanow Region, Southern Poland

The Gorka pit lake was formed in an inactive Jurassic limestone quarry after cessation of open-pit dewatering. The main problem of the water quality in this area is linked to a large volume of extremely alkaline leachate disposed in the flooded quarry. The lake is meromictic due to a large density contrast between shallow and deep water layers. Water in the lake is of the Na?CCO₃?COH type, pH is in the range from 11.5 to 13.3, and there are high concentrations of sulfate and several toxic elements (Al, As, Cr, Mo, P, and V). The chemical composition of the extremely alkaline leachate was formed as a result of the groundwater interaction with the industrial red mud wastes containing 5?C10 wt.% of sodium carbonate. There is a trend of increasing concentrations and pH values with depth, mainly due to the in-gassing of atmospheric CO₂ into the surface layer and due to density stratification in the water column. Similar stratification is observed in groundwater wells around the lake. High dissolved concentrations of oxyanionic contaminants such as As, Cr, and V are caused by their high mobility and desorption under extremely alkaline conditions. In spite of reducing conditions at the bottom of the lake, caused by high concentrations of dumped organic matter, sulfate behaves conservatively because sulfate reducing bacteria do not survive in this pH range.     

Prevalence of Isospora suis and Eimeria spp. in suckling piglets and sows in Poland

The aim of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of coccidian infections in suckling piglets and sows in Poland. The research was carried out in 14 out of 16 Polish provinces in the years 2003-2005. The investigation was conducted on three types of farms: large farms (>100 sows), medium farms (25-100 sows) and small farms (<25 sows). Diarrhoea of unweaned piglets was observed on all the examined farms. Overall, 780 litters of suckling piglets from 104 farms and 267 mother sows were examined. The faeces were analyzed with the modified McMaster method. Isopsora suis was found in 217 (27.8%) litters from 70 (66.7%) farms. Eimeria spp. was detected only in 20 (2.6%) litters from 12 (11.5%) farms. On the large farms I. suis infection was detected in 31.7% of litters whereas Eimeria spp. in 1.4% of them. On the medium sized farms I. suis was found in 18.1% of litters and Eimeria spp. in 0.6%. On the small farms I. suis was detected in only 13.2% of litters, whereas Eimeria spp. in as many as 28.9%. I. suis and Eimeria spp. oocysts were found in 18 (6.7%) and 16 (6%) sows respectively. From 72 sows producing I. suis infected piglets only 12 (16.7%) shed I. suis oocysts and as little as 4 (5.6%) shed Eimeria oocysts. In the remaining 56 sows (77.8%) no cases of coccidian infections were detected. The results of this investigation demonstrate the high prevalence of I. suis in suckling piglets on the large swine farms in Poland.     

Morphometric and location factors shaping sediment texture in small floodplain reservoirs

Journal of Soils and Sediments - This paper investigates the morphological and location features influencing the sediment texture of small reservoirs located within the embanked floodplain of a...     

Identification of Eusynstyelamide B as a Potent Cell Cycle Inhibitor Following the Generation and Screening of an Ascidian-Derived Extract Library Using a Real Time Cell Analyzer

Ascidians are marine invertebrates that have been a source of numerous cytotoxic compounds. Of the first six marine-derived drugs that made anticancer clinical trials, three originated from ascidian specimens. In order to identify new anti-neoplastic compounds, an ascidian extract library (143 samples) was generated and screened in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells using a real-time cell analyzer (RTCA). This resulted in 143 time-dependent cell response profiles (TCRP), which are read-outs of changes to the growth rate, morphology, and adhesive characteristics of the cell culture. Twenty-one extracts affected the TCRP of MDA-MB-231 cells and were further investigated regarding toxicity and specificity, as well as their effects on cell morphology and cell cycle. The results of these studies were used to prioritize extracts for bioassay-guided fractionation, which led to the isolation of the previously identified marine natural product, eusynstyelamide B (1). This bis-indole alkaloid was shown to display an IC₅₀ of 5 µM in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, 1 caused a strong cell cycle arrest in G2/M and induced apoptosis after 72 h treatment, making this molecule an attractive candidate for further mechanism of action studies.     

Nutritional and Pharmaceutical Properties of Bioactive Compounds in Organic and Conventional Growing Kiwifruit

The bioactivity of two kiwifruit’s cultivars growing under organic and conventional conditions were studied and compared. The bioactive compounds were extracted with water and ethanol using similar conditions which are applied in pharmaceutical applications and for daily fruit consumption such as tea drink. Antioxidant radical scavenging assays [ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP); cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC); 2, 2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS)], fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and ultraviolet spectroscopy, two (2D-FL) and three-dimensional (3D-FL) fluorometry were used for the detection of biologically active metabolites derived from kiwifruits (total phenols, flavonoids, chlorophylls, carotenoids and ascorbic acid). The correlation between the total phenol content (TPC) and other bioactive compounds, and their total antioxidant capacities (TAC) was calculated for studied kiwifruit’s extracts. The interaction between drugs and human serum albumin (HSA) plays an important role in the distribution and metabolism of drugs. The properties of kiwifruit’s phenol extracts showed their ability to quench HSA, forming the complexes similar to the ones between the proteins and pure flavonoids such as quercetin. The cultivar ‘Bidan’ exhibited significantly higher TAC than the classic ‘Hayward’. In conclusion, for the first time ‘Bidan’ organic kiwifruit was analyzed and compared with widely consumed ‘Hayward’, using its bioactive and fluorescence properties. The influence of physiologically active kiwifruit’s compounds on human health, through our investigations in vitro and scientifically proven information, was explained. Relatively high content of bioactive compounds, high antioxidant and fluorescence properties of kiwifruit justify its use as a source of valuable antioxidants.     

Phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of Polish blue-berried honeysuckle genotypes by HPLC-DAD-MS, HPLC postcolumn derivatization with ABTS or FC, and TLC with DPPH visualization

In this study, different Polish cultivars of blue-berried honeysuckles (Lonicera caerulea L.), wild and bog bilberry, were analyzed for bioactive compounds. The chemical properties verified included composition of anthocyanins and other polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and profiles of antioxidants by HPLC postcolumn derivatization or TLC. The antioxidant activities of different blue-berried honeysuckle cultivars were similar to that of wild-growing bilberries (ranging from 170 to 417 μmol TE/g dm in ABTS and from 93 to 166 μmol TE/g dm in DPPH and Folin-Ciocalteu tests). The major anthocyanin in the blue-berried honeysuckle was cyanidin-3-glucoside, which constituted 84-92% of the total anthocyanins. The TLC and HPLC postcolumn antioxidant profiles indicated that anthocyanins are the major antioxidants in all berries studied. Wild berries and the cultivars of the blue-berried honeysuckles are also a similar source of such minerals as K, Mg, and Ca.