Changes in a remnant of salmon gum Eucalyptus salmonophloia and York gum E. loxophleba woodland, 1978 to 1997. Implications for woodland conservation in the wheat-sheep regions of Australia

The condition of salmon gums Eucalyptus salmonophloia with large hollows in them in a 15-ha patch of remnant salmon gum-York gum E. loxophleba woodland in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia was examined in 1978. The patch was an important breeding area for six species of cockatoo, including two endangered species. The patch was revisited in 1981 when the condition of all 682 salmon gums and York gums in the patch was examined and each was measured and photographed. A further visit was made in 1997 when the condition of the surviving trees was examined and each was again measured and photographed. The condition of the trees at each visit was classified as “good”, “staghorn”, “broken top”, “dead” or “fallen.” Over the period of the study there was a serious decline in the condition of the trees, with few large trees in the “good” category by 1997. The decline was particularly marked between 1978 and 1981 after a period of well-below average annual rainfall. Using data based on the rate of decline over the period 1978-1997, predictions were made of the fate of the trees in the patch. By 2125 only 46 (11% of the 1981 total) salmon gums were predicted to be alive with only one in the “good” category. Only 16 (17%) York gums were predicted to be alive by 2125, with only one in the “good” category. There was no evidence of any regeneration of woodland trees since 1929 when the patch was isolated by clearing for agriculture, and domestic livestock allowed to graze the patch. This deterioration of the dominant trees in the patch is symptomatic of remnant native vegetation over vast areas of Australia's extensively cleared wheat-sheep regions. The future of woodland patches like the one studied is bleak, as is the future of animals dependent on them for food, breeding sites and shelter. Active management, including fencing to exclude domestic livestock and measures to encourage regeneration of native plant communities, is necessary to counter the present regime of benign neglect that characterises most of Australia's management of native vegetation in agricultural landscapes.     

Effect of Cadmium(Ii) and Anion Type on the Ageing of Ferrihydrite and its Subsequent Leaching under Neutral and Alkaline Conditions

The effect of cadmium(II) on the transformation of ferrihydrite[with Cd(II):Fe(III) ratios ranging from 0 to 5 mole %] in neutral and alkaline media (pH 7-11), combined with the effects of electrolyte type (NO₃ ^-, Cl^-, and SO₄ ^-2), was investigated at 20 °C over a period of 1 yr. The presence of Cd(II) strongly retards the conversion of ferrihydrite into hematite and/or goethite at pH 7–10, with decreases in the rate of transformation dependent on the amountof Cd(II). At a Cd(II):Fe(III) mole ratio of 1%, the transformation rate is NO₃ ^- > Cl^- > SO₄ ^-2, which correlates with the relative affinitiesof the anions for the ferrihydrite surface. The presence of Cd(II) promotes hematite formation at pH 9 and 10, whereas atpH 11 goethite is almost the sole product. With increasinginitial Cd(II) concentrations, increasing incorporationof Cd(II) into the products is observed. For 5 mole %Cd(II), ～ 2.5 mole % of Cd(II) is included in thetransformation products, principally hematite, while at pH 11, with 1 mole % Cd(II), all of the Cd(II) incorporates into thegoethite lattice. Transmission electron micrographs show that the presence of Cd(II) leads to a reduction in size and promotesthe twinning of goethite crystals, and can result in ellipsoidal-shaped hematite crystals. Leachability of Cd(II) fromfresh and aged coprecipitated Cd(II)-ferrihyrdite is dependent onthe extent of transformation of the ferrihydrite, with 70–90% of the Cd(II) leachable from ferrihydrite, while goethite is ableto incorporate and remove more Cd(II) than hematite.     

At-sea distribution of breeding Tristan albatrosses Diomedea dabbenena and potential interactions with pelagic longline fishing in the South Atlantic Ocean

The endangered Tristan albatross Diomedea dabbenena is restricted to Gough and Inaccessible Islands. The species is killed as bycatch by longline fisheries in the South Atlantic, but the impact of this mortality is unknown. We satellite tracked 38 breeding Tristan albatrosses and assessed the seasonal and annual at-sea distribution of these birds in relation to reported pelagic longline fishing effort. These birds ranged across the South Atlantic from 50°W to 15°E with most (97%) daytime satellite fixes between latitudes 30°S and 45°S. Considerable fishing effort occurred within the same latitudes. Although there was no correlation between their at-sea distributions, there was a broad overlap between birds and fishing effort. Estimated bycatch rates for Tristan albatross and other Diomedea species in the South Atlantic, and the spatio-temporal overlap between birds and hooks, yield a predicted annual mortality of 471-554 birds, sufficient to cause population decreases of 3.6-4.3% per year. An index of bird × hook interactions (proportional density of birds multiplied by number of hooks by decadal period for each 5° square of longitude and latitude) indicated that 47% of annual interactions occurred in areas around Gough Island, and 11% and 15% of interactions in areas of the west and east Atlantic, respectively. There were also within seasonal differences in the key areas of overlap. The fishing fleets of Taiwan and Japan are likely to be responsible for most interactions based upon the reported magnitude of effort expended in the South Atlantic by these fleets. Ensuring that licensed fishing vessels within the Tristan da Cunha Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) operate using best-practise mitigation measures and with fisheries observer programs, could reduce the potential bycatch mortality of breeding Tristan albatrosses in this region by nearly one third. Thorough implementation of international agreements is required in areas of the high seas where most remaining interactions are predicted to occur.     

VERTEBRAL OSTEOSCLEROSIS IN A CAT SECONDARY TO RHABDOMYOSARCOMA

A 5–year–old cat was presented for pelvic limb weakness. Sclerosis of the vertebral body of T–10 was visible on thoracic radiographs. A compressive lesion at this area was noted on myelography. A tumor was partially removed at surgery, but the cat was killed because of poor postoperative response. Rhabdomyosarcoma was diagnosed at necropsy, with bone marrow necrosis and myelofibrosis, and new bone proliferation of the body of T–10. Causes of bone necrosis are discussed.     

The enantiomeric composition of triadimenol produced during metabolism of triadimefon by fungi. Part II: Differences between fungal species

The fungi Coriolus versicolor, Cladosporium cucumerinum, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium culmorum, in shake culture, metabolised triadimefon to triadimenol. Analyses by gas–-liquid chromatography of the triadimenol showed that the fungi produced different qualitative and quantitative combinations of the four possible enantiomers, and that these differences were reproducible. The relationship between the enantiomeric composition of the triadimenol produced and the sensitivity of the test fungi to triadimefon, is discussed in the light of published data on the differences in antifungal activity shown by these enantiomers.     

Bromine residues in potato and wheat crops grown in soil fumigated with methyl bromide

The bromine content of potato tubers grown in soil fumigated with methyl bromide at 487 and 975 kg/ha (1 lb and 2 lb/100 ft2) averaged 170 and 280 mg/kg of dry weight. Most of the bromine was in the outer layers of the tubers; peeled tubers has less than 100 mg/kg, which remained after boiling. Potato haulm contained 4000 or 6700 mg/kg bromine respectively for the two rates of application. The bromine content of wheat grain grown after potatoes depended on the rate of application of methyl bromide and the time interval between treatment and wheat crop. Wheat grain harvested 31/2 21/2 and 11/2 years after fumigation with methyl bromide at 975 kg/ha had mean bromine contents of 4.5, 15 and 44 mg/kg. but the amounts in grain from plots having the same treatments varied more than two-fold; wheat grain harvested 11/2 years after fumigation at 487 kg/ha contained 23 mg bromine/kg. Wheat yields were unaffected by fumigation.