Anthraquinones,Diphenyl Ethers,and Their Derivatives from the Culture of the Marine Sponge-Associated Fungus Neosartorya spinosa KUFA 1047

Previously unreported anthraquinone, acetylpenipurdin A (4), biphenyl ether, neospinosic acid (6), dibenzodioxepinone, and spinolactone (7) were isolated, together with (R)-6-hydroxymellein (1), penipurdin A (2), acetylquestinol (3), tenellic acid C (5), and vermixocin A (8) from the culture of a marine sponge-associated fungus Neosartorya spinosa KUFA1047. The structures of the previously unreported compounds were established based on an extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectra as well as HRMS data. The absolute configurations of the stereogenic centers of 5 and 7 were established unambiguously by comparing their calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Compounds 2 and 5–8 were tested for their in vitro acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities as well as their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative reference, and multidrug-resistant strains isolated from the environment. The tested compounds were also evaluated for their capacity to inhibit biofilm formation in the reference strains.     

How is agroforestry perceived in Europe? An assessment of positive and negative aspects by stakeholders

Whilst the benefits of agroforestry are widely recognised in tropical latitudes few studies have assessed how agroforestry is perceived in temperate latitudes. This study evaluates how stakeholders and key actors including farmers, landowners, agricultural advisors, researchers and environmentalists perceive the implementation and expansion of agroforestry in Europe. Meetings were held with 30 stakeholder groups covering different agroforestry systems in 2014 in eleven EU countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom). In total 344 valid responses were received to a questionnaire where stakeholders were asked to rank the positive and negative aspects of implementing agroforestry in their region. Improved biodiversity and wildlife habitats, animal health and welfare, and landscape aesthetics were seen as the main positive aspects of agroforestry. By contrast, increased labour, complexity of work, management costs and administrative burden were seen as the most important negative aspects. Overall, improving the environmental value of agriculture was seen as the main benefit of agroforestry, whilst management and socio-economic issues were seen as the greatest barriers. The great variability in the opportunities and barriers of the systems suggests enhanced adoption of agroforestry across Europe will be most likely to occur with specific initiatives for each type of system.     

Development of national crop wild relative conservation strategies in European countries

To generate European-wide information to contribute to the improvement of national and regional crop wild relative (CWR) conservation planning and the development of effective CWR conservation strategies, a questionnaire was sent to the members of the Wild Species Conservation in Genetic Reserves Working Group of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) to collate information on progress in developing and implementing national CWR conservation strategies and action plans. Responses from 30 countries were analysed and literature sources were consulted to fill some information gaps. Results showed that 13 countries were in the preparation stage of their national strategies, i.e. having no drafts prepared yet, 14 in higher stages (from the first draft prepared to the published and approved ones), and three have not yet started the planning process. Twelve countries included all categories of species autochthony (i.e., native, archaeophyte and neophyte) in their priority CWR lists. Wild relatives of human and animal food crops were selected as the highest priorities by 23 and 22 countries, respectively. Relative level of threat was identified as the most important prioritization criterion by 23 countries. Italy reported the highest number of CWR in its national checklist (10,779 taxa) and priority list (1118 taxa), whereas Ireland reported the lowest number of CWR in its checklist (171 taxa) and Portugal reported the lowest number in its priority list (20 taxa). Regarding the percentages of prioritized CWR, the strictest approach was applied in Portugal—only 20 out of 2262 CWR taxa, or < 1%, were selected as priorities for conservation action, whereas in Spain 578 out of 929 CWR taxa, or about 62% were prioritized. Eleven countries have proposed the establishment of genetic reserves, from one per country (Israel) to an extended network (Germany and the Netherlands). Only the UK had a formally established genetic reserve. The highest number of priority CWR taxa that occur in existing protected areas was reported by Spain—472 species, or 82% of the national priority list, whereas the lowest number—14 species, or 70% of the national priority list—in Portugal. Israel reported the highest number of priority CWR taxa (319 or 98%) conserved in gene banks. Among the limitations in the development of national CWR strategies highlighted by countries, was the lack of an EU agency responsible for genetic resources. The development of CWR conservation strategies is mostly within the domains of agriculture (13 countries) and environment (12 countries), although both domains are involved in eight countries. The most successful results in the development and implementation of CWR conservations strategies are achieved in the countries where multiple stakeholders, including ministries, research institutions, NGOs, local communities, protected area authorities and national PGR committees are involved. Some discussion and conclusions regarding further developments are provided.     

Effects of dexmedetomidine combined with ropivacaine on sciatic and femoral nerve blockade in dogs

Objective

To evaluate motor and sensory blockade of combining dexmedetomidine with ropivacaine, administered perineurally or systemically, for femoral and sciatic nerve blocks in conscious dogs.

National inventories of crop wild relatives and wild harvested plants: case-study for Portugal

Crop wild relatives (CWR) and wild harvested plant species (WHP) constitute an important element of a nation’s plant genetic resources (PGR) available for utilisation. Although their natural populations are threatened like other wild species by habitat lost and fragmentation, little attention has generally been paid to their systematic conservation. The development of checklists and inventories is considered by the convention on biological diversity (CBD) and the global strategy for plant conservation (GSPC) as the first step in any national strategy for conservation and sustainable use of plant diversity. Methodological approaches to the development of a national inventory of wild PGR are discussed in the light of a case-study for the CWR and WHP growing in mainland Portugal. The resultant inventory comprises 2319 taxa, of which 97.5% are CWR, 21.4% are WHP and 19.0% are both CWR and WHP. Approximately 6.1% are endemic to mainland Portugal; 24.1% occur in 1 to 4 Portuguese administrative regions; 15.6% are threatened, but only 5.9% are covered by legislative protection. Taxonomic misalignments and the dispersed nature of biological literature were the major impediments to the production of the national inventory, but once the inventory was established it has proven to be a powerful tool in conservation management.     

Discrimination of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas syringae</Emphasis> isolates from sweet and wild cherry using rep-PCR

Bacterial canker is one of the most important diseases of cherry (Prunus avium). This disease can be caused by two pathovars of Pseudomonas syringae: pv. morsprunorum and pv. syringae. Repetitive DNA polymerase chain reaction-based fingerprinting (rep-PCR) was investigated as a method to distinguish pathovars, races and isolates of P. syringae from sweet and wild cherry. After amplification of total genomic DNA from 87 isolates using the REP (repetitive extragenic palindromic), ERIC (enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus) and BOX primers, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis, groups of isolates showed specific patterns of PCR products. Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae isolates were highly variable. The differences amongst the fingerprints of P. syringae pv. morsprunorum race 1 isolates were small. The patterns of P. syringae pv. morsprunorum race 2 isolates were also very uniform, with one exception, and distinct from the race 1 isolates. rep-PCR is a rapid and simple method to identify isolates of the two races of P. syringae pv. morsprunorum; this method can also assist in the identification of P. syringae pv. syringae isolates, although it cannot replace inoculation on susceptible hosts such as cherry and lilac.     

Invasive Asian clam distribution pattern reveals minimal constraints to downstream dispersal and imperceptible ecological impacts

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Gametogenic asynchrony of mussels Mytilus in a mixed-species area: Implications for management

Marine mussels Mytilus edulis, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Mytilus trossulus and their hybrids have recently been reported to occur sympatrically in both wild and farmed populations in Scotland. The presence of M. trossulus has led to significant economic losses at some aquaculture sites. Interest in understanding the reproductive cycles of these mussels in a mixed-species aquaculture area, and the potential to use this information to favour cultivation of the preferred species M. edulis, has motivated a seasonal study of the maturation stages of M. edulis, M. trossulus and M. trossulus × M. edulis hybrids, the most frequent genotypes at one site in Loch Etive, Scotland. To investigate larval abundance of these genotypes, plankton samples were collected simultaneously at the same site over the year and analysed using a real-time PCR assay for the identification of Mytilus species-specific alleles. The main spawning events of M. trossulus and M. trossulus × M. edulis hybrids occurred slightly later, but also more frequently and over a longer period than those of M. edulis. M. trossulus alleles were detected in plankton samples throughout the year, always in larger numbers than M. edulis alleles, except during February. Overall, results suggest that the settlement of M. trossulus and/or M. trossulus × M. edulis hybrids may occur during most of the year. This implies that management of the timing of the deployment of settlement ropes to significantly favour the settlement and production of M. edulis is unlikely to be successful. The real-time PCR methodology has provided valuable information on the temporal patterns of abundance of alleles of each species at the planktotrophic stage of development, and demonstrated the potential to identify and quantify Mytilus larvae in plankton samples.     

Toward pollen sterility in German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)–Conventional breeding approaches of cytoplasmic/genic male sterility and chemical emasculation

Pollen sterility (PS) in mother lines is crucial for hybrid crossings in plant breeding. 21 di- (2x) and tetraploid (4x) accessions of the hermaphroditic chamomile were screened for spontaneous, thermic or gametocide induced PS. Two crossing trials with the diploid accessions 'Bona' (BON) and 'Hungary 2' (HUN2) should specify maternally inherited cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). Progeny thereof showed increased PS. BON as mother (BH) entailed means of 30 and 22% PS, versus 8% and 20% after reciprocal crossings. Backcrosses of BH with HUN2 in paternal and maternal direction revealed increasing mean PS (24% and 32%), without verification of CMS. A split plot design of 100 individuals treated with four chemical gametocides analyzed PS, seed set, germination rate and whole plant damage. Tri-iodobenzoic acid caused the highest PS (43%). Progeny of two plants (2x, 4x) with degenerated anthers without pollen, showed 100% PS either in tetraploid F₁ and F₂ (4% and 11%) or in diploid F₂ and F₃ (26% and 23%). High temperature (30/28°C day/night) decreased the male fertility to some extent.