Zur Ausbreltung und Biologie der Nordamerikanischen Thujenminiermotte,Argyresthia thuiella Packard (Lep., Argyresthiidae) in Österreich

During the last 12 years Arborvitae Leaf Miner (Argyresthia thuiella) was imported from North America to Western- and Central-Europe (1971 the Netherlands, 1975 Federal Republic Germany and 1976 Austria) onThuja occidentalis L. (Cupressacea). In Lower Austria and Vienna there is a tendency rapid to the east, through the dominate westerly winds. Fligh-time took 27 days, moth-slip was 5–10 h in the morning; maximum about 5–6 h. Index of sexus was displated in favour of the males (51.7–66.7%). The moths fed with water-honey showed a longaevitas of 1–15 days maximum about 4 days, and fed with pure water of 8 days. Attack-degree (variational limit) amounted to 2.6–24.5%. The parasitism-role (Necremnus sp., Eulophidae) was between 1.2% and 15.7%. In the laboratory chemical-therapeutics in spray form were without effect. Author's opinion is that this eminent exotic injurious insect must already be calculated as a part of the European fauna.     

Callus formation and cucurbitacin B accumulation in Ecballium elaterium callus cultures

Ecballium elaterium fruit juice is used for the treatment of sinusitis in Turkish folk medicine. The aim of this study was to increase the yield of cucurbitacin B, an anti-inflammatory compound previously isolated in various organs of E. elaterium, through tissue culture techniques. Higher yields of cucurbitacin B (1.126%) were obtained from the first subculture calluses from stem nodes in the presence of benzyl adenine (BA; 1 mg/l) and naphtalene acetic acid (NAA; 0.1 mg/l) in comparison with the yields obtained from plant material (0.01%).     

Hydraulic architecture and water relations of a flood-tolerant tropical tree, Annona glabra

Hydraulic architecture parameters, water relation parameters and wood anatomy were studied in roots and shoots of the flood-tolerant tree Annona glabra L. on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Hydraulic conductivity, leaf specific conductivity, and Huber value were similar to the corresponding values for tree species living in non-flooded habitats. The vulnerability of stems to loss of hydraulic conductivity resulting from embolism was low (50% loss of conductivity at -3.3 MPa). The lowest leaf water potential measured in the field was about -1.0 MPa, indicating that A. glabra has a large margin of safety from embolism, which may provide protection against rare drought events, or may be an adaptation to brackish mangrove habitats. Low absolute conductivity of roots was compensated for by an increase in the number of roots. More than two-thirds of whole-plant resistance to water flow was located in the roots.     

A new dihydroxysterol from the marine phytoplankton Diacronema sp

Diacronema sp. was cultured and its sterols were separated by column chromatography on silica gel. The new sterol 24-ethyl-4alpha-methyl-cholestane-3,20-diol (1) was characterised by NMR and MS spectrometry, as well as (22E)-24-ethyl-4alpha-methyl-5alpha-cholest-22-en-3beta-ol (2) and beta-sitosterol, the major components of the sterol fractions. Neither the biosynthetic origin of the new dihydroxysterol nor its role in the biochemistry of Diacronema is known.     

Seasonal variation of inorganic nitrogen and net mineralization in a salt marsh ecosystem

Inorganic nitrogen pools and net mineralization were estimated in three sites of a Tagus estuary salt marsh in Portugal throughout 1 year. Ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) was the major form of inorganic nitrogen found in the salt marsh soil. Extractable NH₄ ⁺ concentrations showed a marked seasonal pattern with a concentration peak during the hotter months of July/August. The great majority (>99%) of the total nitrogen in the soil was found in sedimented organic matter, not readily available for plant uptake. Net nitrogen mineralization, determined using a field incubation method, showed a peak during the months of June/July which resulted in an increase on nitrogen availability. With the exception of the lower salt marsh, estimated rates of in situ net nitrogen mineralization in the soil during summer were well related to the increase in plant aboveground biomass and plant nitrogen pools, indicating that the process is an important source of available nitrogen for plant uptake and growth. Annual net nitrogen mineralization ranged between 2.4 and 4.5gNm^–2yr^{– 1} being significantly higher for the lower salt marsh site. Rates of net nitrogen mineralization were relatively low during most of the year with a particularly active period from June to August, possibly due to an effect of temperature on soil microbial activity.     

Tracking leaf area index and coefficient of light extinction over the harvesting cycle of black wattle

The amount of photosynthetic radiation intercepted by a crop is a function of the incident solar radiation on the plants, the leaf area index (L _AI), and the light extinction coefficient (k). We quantified L _AI and k in stands of black wattle (Acacia mearnsii De Wild.) over a 7-year growth cycle at two locations in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Our study was conducted in commercial stands in agroecological regions with high densities of black wattle plantations. L _AI was calculated as the ratio between the leaf area of a tree and its planting space, and k was derived from Beer’s law. L _AI depends on the planting site and stand age. Between the two sites, the L _AI was similar over time, the amount of variation differed. Values of k depended only on stand age, with the highest average observed for stands up to 5 years old. The trend of k during the plantation cycle was inversely proportional to L _AI and was correlated with L _AI, leaf area, leaf dry mass, canopy volume, height, branches dry mass, total dry mass, and crown diameter.     

Laser ablation-combustion-GC-IRMS--a new method for online analysis of intra-annual variation of delta13C in tree rings

We present a new, rapid method for high-resolution online determination of delta13C in tree rings, combining laser ablation (LA), combustion (C), gas chromatography (GC) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) (LA-C-GC-IRMS). Sample material was extracted every 6 min with a UV-laser from a tree core, leaving 40-microm-wide holes. Ablated wood dust was combusted to CO2 at 700 degrees C, separated from other gases on a GC column and injected into an isotope ratio mass spectrometer after removal of water vapor. The measurements were calibrated against an internal and an external standard. The tree core remained intact and could be used for subsequent dendrochronological and dendrochemical analyses. Cores from two Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris spp. sibirica Lebed.) from central Siberia were sampled. Inter- and intra-annual patterns of delta13C in whole-wood and lignin-extracted cores were indistinguishable apart from a constant offset, suggesting that lignin extraction is unnecessary for our method. Comparison with the conventional method (microtome slicing, elemental analysis and IRMS) indicated high accuracy of the LA-C-GC-IRMS measurements. Patterns of delta13C along three parallel ablation lines on the same core showed high congruence. A conservative estimate of the precision was +/- 0.24 per thousand. Isotopic patterns of the two Scots pine trees were broadly similar, indicating a signal related to the forest stand's climate history. The maximum variation in delta13C over 22 years was about 5 per thousand, ranging from -27 to -22.3 per thousand. The most obvious pattern was a sharp decline in delta13C during latewood formation and a rapid increase with spring early growth. We conclude that the LA-C-GC-IRMS method will be useful in elucidating short-term climate effects on the delta13C signal in tree rings.     

Cryopreservation of Piau‐Breed Wild Boar Sperm: Assessment of Cooling Curves and Centrifugation Regimes

This study aimed to assess the effects of different cooling curves and centrifugation regimes used in cryopreservation protocols on the post‐thaw viability of Piau‐breed wild boar (Sus scrofa) sperm using in vitro assessment tests. Two centrifugations (800  g for 10 min and 2400  g for 3 min) and two cooling curves (conventional cooling using nitrogen vapour – freezing 1 and automated cooling using a programmed freezing machine – freezing 2) were tested. Therefore, the treatments were divided into M3 – centrifugation at 2400  g for 3 min and freezing 2; M10 – centrifugation at 800  g for 10 min and freezing 2; R3 – centrifugation at 2400  g for 3 min and freezing 1; and R10 – centrifugation at 800  g for 10 min and freezing 1. No significant differences (p > 0.05) between treatments occurred post‐thawing regarding the total sperm motility means recorded. The mean values of the different treatments were not different from each other regarding the supravital staining (SV), hypo‐osmotic test (HO), sperm–egg binding assay or sperm morphology. This study showed that both the cooling curve and the centrifugation regime affected the quality of post‐thaw sperm, and centrifugation for shorter times and cooling curves using automated cooling are the most suitable for minimizing sperm injury.