Utility of landscape mosaics and boundaries in forest conservation decision making in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

We evaluated changes in the Atlantic Forest landscape over the last 40 years based on changes in boundaries and mosaics, including the hypothetical landscape resulting from the application of Brazilian laws for forest protection. Mosaics were identified as sets of land-use patches with a similar pattern of boundaries. Landscapes of different years, therefore, can be distinguished by differences in mosaics. We developed a technique to identify boundaries between patches from land-use maps using ArcGis^® and to build the patch x boundary matrix required for mosaic identification by means of a factorial and cluster analysis. The mosaics were characterized by some key uses as well as by their boundaries with other land uses. The mosaics were scored for forest conservation according to five issues: landscape permeability, cover, availability, quality, and fragmentation of forest. The values were based on land use and boundary patterns. Although Brazilian laws regarding forest protection have promoted conservation and the hypothetical legal landscape has presented the highest forest habitat availability, this expansion perpetuates a boundary pattern that complicates conservation and management, thus increasing the pressure on forest patches and favoring the further fragmentation of protected forest patches. These conclusions cannot be reached by simply recording changes in land uses.     

Long-term experimental restoration in a calcareous grassland: Identifying the most effective restoration strategies

Calcareous grasslands are among the most diverse habitats, supporting species-rich vegetation. Propagule limitation and availability of microsites for germination represent major constraints to the successful restoration of these grasslands. To date, little information is available on the effectiveness of seed addition and soil disturbance on the restoration success of encroached semi-natural calcareous grasslands. Here, we conducted a 1 year before – 9 year after control-impact (BACI) study aimed at testing the effect of the addition of seeds of native species and livestock grazing on calcareous grasslands. Each restoration measure and their combination differed in their impact on these communities and varied over time. Grazing had a significant, beneficial, impact on these communities, although the impact was species-specific. On average, grazed plots were characterized by a higher number of species and a lower vegetation cover. Nine years after treatment application, grazed site were dominated by Trifolium incarnatum subsp. molinerii, Xeranthemum cylindraceum, Orlaya grandiflora, Teucrium chamaedrys and Bromus erectus while ungrazed sites were dominated by B. erectus, X. cylindraceum, O. grandiflora and Prunus spinosa. Only 8 out of 34 species responded significantly to disturbance or/and disturbance and seed addition while 22 species were significantly affected by the sampling year and 18 by a blocking factor. The low recruitment from added seeds and the fact that seed addition is a time-and labor-consuming activity suggests that an adequate level of disturbance and natural regeneration represent the most cost-effective approach to the restoration of these calcareous grasslands.     

Kepler-16: a transiting circumbinary planet

We report the detection of a planet whose orbit surrounds a pair of low-mass stars. Data from the Kepler spacecraft reveal transits of the planet across both stars, in addition to the mutual eclipses of the stars, giving precise constraints on the absolute dimensions of all three bodies. The planet is comparable to Saturn in mass and size and is on a nearly circular 229-day orbit around its two parent stars. The eclipsing stars are 20 and 69% as massive as the Sun and have an eccentric 41-day orbit. The motions of all three bodies are confined to within 0.5° of a single plane, suggesting that the planet formed within a circumbinary disk.     

Pharmacokinetics after intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous administration of moxifloxacin in sheep

The disposition kinetics of moxifloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, after intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SC) administration was determined in sheep at a single dose of 5 mg/kg. The concentration-time data were analysed by compartmental (after IV dose) and non-compartmental (after IV, IM and SC administration) pharmacokinetic methods. Plasma concentrations of moxifloxacin were determined by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Steady-state volume of distribution (V_ss) and clearance (Cl) of moxifloxacin after IV administration were 2.03 ± 0.36 L/kg and 0.39 ± 0.04 L/h kg, respectively. Following IM and SC administration, moxifloxacin achieved maximum plasma concentration of 1.66 ± 0.62 mg/L and 0.90 ± 0.19 mg/L at 2.25 ± 0.88 h and 3.25 ± 1.17 h, respectively. The absolute bioavailabilities after IM and SC routes were 96.12 ± 32.70% and 102.20 ± 23.76%, respectively. From these data (kinetic parameters and absence of adverse reactions) moxifloxacin may be a potentially useful antibiotic in sheep.     

Context-Dependent Effect of Dietary Phytochemicals on Honey Bees Exposed to a Pesticide,Thiamethoxam

Honey bees continue to face challenges relating to the degradation of natural flowering habitats that limit their access to diverse floral resources. While it is known that nectar and pollen provide macronutrients, flowers also contain secondary metabolites (phytochemicals) that impart benefits including increased longevity, improved gut microbiome abundance, and pathogen tolerance. Our study aims to understand the role of phytochemicals in pesticide tolerance when worker bees were fed with sublethal doses (1 ppb and 10 ppb) of thiamethoxam (TMX), a neonicotinoid, in 20% (w/v) sugar solution supplemented with 25 ppm of phytochemicals—caffeine, kaempferol, gallic acid, or p-coumaric acid, previously shown to have beneficial impacts on bee health. The effect of phytochemical supplementation during pesticide exposure was context-dependent. With 1 ppb TMX, phytochemical supplementation increased longevity but at 10 ppb TMX, longevity was reduced suggesting a negative synergistic effect. Phytochemicals mixed with 1 ppb TMX increased mortality in bees of the forager-age group but with 10 ppb TMX, mortality of the inhive-age group increased, implying the possibility of accumulation effect in lower sublethal doses. Given that the phytochemical composition of pollen and nectar varies between plant species, we suggest that the negative impacts of agrochemicals on honey bees could vary based on the phytochemicals in pollen and nectar of that crop, and hence the effects may vary across crops. Analyzing the phytochemical composition for individual crops may be a necessary first step prior to determining the appropriate dosage of agrochemicals so that harm to bees Apis mellifera L. is minimized while crop pests are effectively controlled.     

Genome-wide scan for runs of homozygosity in the composite Montana Tropical® beef cattle

The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of runs of homozygosity (ROH) and autozygosity islands in the composite Montana Tropical^® beef cattle to explore hotspot regions which could better characterize the different biological types within the composite breed. Montana animals (n = 1,436) were genotyped with the GGP-LD BeadChip (~30,000 markers). ROH was identified in every individual using the plink v1.90 software. Medium and long ROH prevailed in the genome, which accounted for approximately 74% of all ROH detected. On an average, 2.0% of the genome was within ROH, agreeing with the pedigree-based inbreeding coefficient. The Montana cattle with a higher proportion of productive breed types showed the highest number of autozygosity islands (n = 17), followed by those with a higher proportion of breeds adapted to tropical environments (n = 15). Enriched terms (p < .05) associated with the immune and inflammatory response, homeostasis, reproduction, mineral absorption, and lipid metabolism were described within the autozygosity islands. In this regard, over-represented GO terms and KEGG pathways described in this population may play a key role in providing information to explore the genetic and biological mechanisms together with the genomic regions underlying each biological type that favoured their optimal performance ability in tropical and subtropical regions.     

Field inoculation effectiveness of native and exotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a Mediterranean agricultural soil

In sustainable agriculture, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal inoculation in agronomical management might be very important, especially when the efficiency of native inocula is poor. Here, we assessed the effect of native and exotic selected AM fungal inocula on plant growth and nutrient uptake in a low input Trifolium alexandrinum-Zea mays crop rotation. We evaluated the effects of four exotic AM fungal isolates on T. alexandrinum physiological traits in greenhouse. Then, the field performances of T. alexandrinum inoculated with the exotic AMF, both single and mixed, were compared to those obtained with a native inoculum, using a multivariate analysis approach. Finally, we tested the residual effect of AM fungal field inoculation on maize as following crop. Multivariate analysis showed that the field AM fungal inoculation increased T. alexandrinum and Z. mays productivity and quality and that the native inoculum was as effective as, or more effective than, exotic AM fungal isolates. Moreover, the beneficial effects of AMF were persistent until the second year after inoculation. The use of native AMF, produced on farm with mycotrophic plants species, may represent a convenient alternative to commercial AM fungal inocula, and may offer economically and ecologically important advantages in sustainable or organic cropping systems.