Residential movements of top predators in Chile’s most isolated marine protected area: Implications for the conservation of the Galapagos shark,Carcharhinus galapagensis,and the yellowtail amberjack,Seriola lalandi

1. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are becoming a widely used tool for the conservation of biodiversity and for fishery management; however, most of these areas are designed without prior knowledge of the basic ecological aspects of the species that they are trying to protect.
2. This study investigated the movement of two top predators: the Galapagos shark, Carcharhinus galapagensis, and the yellowtail amberjack, Seriola lalandi, in and around the Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park (MMHMP) using MiniPAT satellite tags to determine the effectiveness of this MPA for the protection of these species.
3. The Galapagos sharks (n = 4) spent most of their tag deployment periods inside the MMHMP. However, high intraspecific variability was observed in their movement dynamics. Daily individual maximum movements ranged from 17 to 58 km and the maximum distance from Salas y Gómez Island, the only emergent island within the MMHMP, ranged from 31 to 139 km.
4. The maximum linear distance travelled for a female juvenile Galapagos shark (152 cm total length) was 236 km, which is greater than the maximum distance previously documented for juveniles of this species (<50 km).
5. For the yellowtail amberjack (n = 1), 91% of the satellite geolocations were within the MMHMP, with a maximum daily distance travelled of 6 km. The maximum distance travelled between points was 111 km and the maximum distance from Salas y Gómez Island was 62 km.
6. All archival tagged fish spent most of their time at depths of <50 m and never left the epipelagic zone. Daytime versus night-time differences were pronounced in all individuals but showed high interindividual variability.
7. This study provides a baseline on the movement of these two top predators in the MMHMP and provides valuable insights for the creation of MPAs in the region and elsewhere.

     

Microbiological Quality Assessment of Watershed Associated with Animal-Based Agriculture in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Environmental problems many times could evolve when manure-containing pathogens are distributed into an open environment with no effort made to reduce the content of pathogens or limit their movement in the environment. Wind, surface flow, and subsurface flow can all carry enough pathogens to receiving waters to exceed water quality standards. This study was conducted to assess the microbiological quality of water associated with animal-based agriculture in the sub-basin of Pinhal River located in the rural area of Concordia, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Six sampling points representing different agricultural land uses (LU1—dairy cattle; LU2—without animals; LU3—dairy + pigs + poultry + crops; LU4—pigs + poultry + crops; LU5—dairy + pigs + poultry + crops + human; and LU6—dairy+pigs+crops) along the Pinhal River sub-basin (north to south) were sampled biweekly from August 2006 to December 2008. Concentrations of fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli varied significantly (p?≤?0.05) with land use (LU), but there was no interaction effect of LU, season, and time. Water samples from the catchment area of LU1 had the highest concentration of fecal coliforms (4,479?±?597 CFU ml^?1) when compared with other catchment areas. Catchment area associated with LU2 (no animal) had the lowest concentrations of fecal coliforms (39.2?±?5.2 CFU ml^?1). With the exception of LU2 (control site), all the maximum concentrations of E. coli exceeded the single maximum allowable concentration for E. coli (100 CFU ml^?1). When LU1 was compared with other catchment areas (LU3, 50%; LU4, 67%; LU5, 58%; and LU6, 44%), it had the lowest counts (39%) of Salmonella sp. Our results suggest that spatial pattern of bacterial water quality is evident, which can be linked to the different land uses and associated practices (present or absent of animal activities). Therefore, varying responses associated with the different land uses would be critical in identifying the importance of different sources of bacteria in the catchment area and the mechanisms transferring them.     

The protective effect of adsorbents against ochratoxin A in swine

Adsorption of the mycotoxin ochratoxin A by activated charcoal, various bentonites (acid, alkaline, neutral), and hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate was tested in vitro as well as in feeding experiments with pigs. In vitro tests showed that the 1% addition of activated charcoal leads to complete adsorption of ochratoxin A from aqueous solutions. This effect was not influenced by pH-values ranging from 3-8. In contrast, adsorption by bentonite and hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate occurred primarily in the acid range (pH 3-4). Dietary addition of hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (1%) and acid bentonite (1%, 10%) to ochratoxin A-contaminated feed (1.0 mg/kg) had no effect on the blood or tissue levels of the toxin in pigs. The addition of 1% activated charcoal caused a slight decrease of ochratoxin A in the blood, whereas a tenfold dosage resulted in a 50% to 80% reduction of ochratoxin A levels in both blood and tissue. Reduction of ochratoxin A absorption via the dietary administration of activated charcoal (5%) was confirmed in a 16 week feeding experiment. However, this experiment also showed the serum level of vitamin E to be lower than in the controls receiving adsorbent-free feed.     

Prospects for hybrid breeding in winter triticale: II. Relationship between parental genetic distance and specific combining ability

Significant relative midparent heterosis (MPH%) for grain yield in triticale (×Triticosecale Wittm.) has generated interest in the development of hybrid cultivars. The objectives of this study were to (i) examine the association between parental genetic distance (GD) and specific combining ability (SCA), (ii) investigate the existence of genetically distant heterotic groups in elite germplasm, and (iii) draw conclusions for future hybrid breeding in winter triticale. Genetic distance between 61 lines was estimated, based on 93 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker loci and 10 AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) primer‐enzyme combinations (PEC). Agronomic data of 206 F₁ crosses and their 61 parental lines grown in six German environments were published recently in a companion study. Correlations were made between SCA for grain yield, number of spikes/m², 1000‐kernel weight and number of kernels per spike with GD estimates of the 56 female and five male parents (testers). Principal co‐ordinate analyses (PCoA) based on SSR data revealed no distinct subgroups in the germplasm. Correlations between GD and SCA were low for all traits (|r| ≤ 0.31), which hampers the prediction of SCA from molecular data. A multi‐stage procedure is recommended for future hybrid breeding in triticale by applying a pragmatic approach for the grouping of germplasm following the early history of hybrid breeding of maize.     

Semisynthesis and pharmacological investigation of lipo-alkaloids prepared from aconitine

Processed aconite drugs are widely used in Eastern medicine as painkillers and antirheumatic agents. It is known that the traditional processing of aconite drugs increases the amount of lipo-alkaloids. In order to obtain information about the pharmacological potential of these compounds, semisynthesis of 9 aconitine-derived lipo-alkaloids was carried out and their COX-1, COX-2 and LTB₄ formation inhibitory activities were investigated. It was found that compounds esterified with unsaturated fatty acids demonstrated significant COX-2 inhibitory effects, while in the COX-1 assay only 14-benzoylaconine-8-O-eicosapentaenoate exerted remarkable activity. The inhibition of LTB₄ formation was pronounced in cases of long chain fatty acid derivatives.     

Characterization of suspended particulate matter in the Moselle River (Lorraine,France): evolution along the course of the river and in different hydrologic regimes

Purpose

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) plays an important role in the transport and fate of contaminants in the environment. To better understand the relationships between contaminants and SPM, SPM properties, and their variations with flow regime, river size, land use, and season should be considered.

Materials and methods

The grain size distribution, elemental composition, and mineralogy of SPM from different stations along the Moselle River (Lorraine, France) were investigated at the particle scale during different flow regimes. The resulting data were compared with the elemental composition of the dissolved compartment to understand the role of particles in element transport.

Results and discussion

The grain size distribution, elemental composition, and mineralogy of SPM along the Moselle River and during different flow regimes showed only slight variations, except for the Fensch and Orne tributaries, two rivers that were impacted by inherited steel-making industrialization and different land use. In the Moselle River, SPM mainly consisted of clay minerals, while in Fensch and Orne Rivers, SPM mainly consisted of multiple types of anthropogenic particles. The diffuse urbanization gradient was hardly recognized based on the Trace Metal Element (TMEs) content in the river SPM, while the rivers impacted by the steel industries had greater TME contents. Finally, the TME content in the Moselle SPM was more strongly influenced by water flow than by the position of sampling on the linear reach of the Moselle River. The partitioning of TMEs in the particles and water at the main Moselle station (Frouard) revealed that SPM predominantly contributed to TMEs transport.

Conclusions

This study confirmed that catchment geology greatly contributed to the SPM composition in the mean-sized rivers. In addition, the high anthropogenic pressure could be deciphered for small tributaries. Furthermore, this study allowed us to observe the high contribution of particles to TMEs and Rare Earth Element (REEs) transportation.