Growth and development of Cirsium arvense in relation to herbicide dose,timing of herbicide application and crop presence

The aim of this study is to assess control effects of 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) dosage, application timing and crop presence on the weed Cirsium arvense. Swedish farmers are recommended to control C. arvense chemically when most shoots are 10-20 cm tall, and mechanically at the compensation point (CP). Recent studies have shown that the CP occurs before shoots reach the three-leaf stage. We hypothesised that (i) herbicide application near the three-leaf stage gives the strongest control, (ii) crop presence increases herbicide effects, and (iii) a 50% herbicide dose gives the same effect as 100%. Treatments of the pot experiment consisted of MCPA 750; 0%, 50% and 100% of the recommended dose applied at leaf stages 3-8, with and without barley. The strongest control was obtained at four leaves and a maximum shoot height of 13 cm, using the recommended dose and with spring barley. In a field population, a maximum shoot height of 13 cm corresponded to a medium height of 6 cm. The 50% dose gave poorer control. Spraying with the recommended dose at the four-leaf stage reduced the development of C. arvense most effectively. Based on this, we recommend that herbicide spraying should be performed at earlier leaf stages/median heights than previously recommended.     

Contribution of microorganisms to the biofilm nutritional quality: protein and lipid contents

The nutritional quality of biofilm, a microbial community associated to an organic matrix, was evaluated in artificial substrate (polyethylene screen) in net cages during 30 days in the Patos Lagoon estuary, Southern Brazil. During this period, samples of biofilm were collected each 5 days for analysis of chlorophyll a, microorganisms abundance, dry weight, protein and lipid contents. During the study, chlorophyll a varied from 0.38 to 2.75 μg cm^?2; dry weight between 7.16 and 17.63 mg cm^?2; protein content from 0.43 to 1.76 mg cm^?2 and lipid concentration between 1.21 and 4.23 mg cm^?2. The variation of lipid in the biofilm was closely related to the abundance of free heterotrophic bacteria (34.25–56.54 × 10⁶ cells cm^?2), filamentous cyanobacteria (7.5–15.9 × 10⁶ filaments cm^?2), flagellates (6.92–12.89 × 10⁶ cells cm^?2) and mainly nematodes (29–1,414 organisms cm^?2), while protein content varied similarly to the abundance of unicellular centric diatoms (52.10–179.81 × 10³ cells cm^?2), and nematodes. This information will allow a better management of food supply to raised aquatic organism with the utilization of natural productivity in the culture systems, with considerable decrease in production costs.     

Effectiveness of l‐ascorbyl‐2‐monophosphate Na/Ca as a vitamin C source for yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata juveniles

A feeding experiment was conducted to examine the efficacy of a vitamin C (L‐ascorbic acid, AsA) derivative, l ‐ascorbyl‐2‐monophosphate Na/Ca (AMP‐Na/Ca) by comparing to l ‐ascorbyl‐2‐monophosphate‐Mg (AMP‐Mg) in terms of growth, AsA content in tissues, and hematology in yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata juvenile (1.10 ± 0.01 g). Furthermore, a stress resistance test for the species fed AMP‐Na/Ca was also conducted. In experiment 1, 11 test pellet diets with different levels of AMP‐Na/Ca (0, 12, 43, 88, 440 and 881 mg AsA kg^?1diet) and AMP‐Mg (0, 16, 52, 106, 595 and 1164 mg AsA kg^?1 diet) were formulated and fed to the yellowtail three times per day for 50 days. In both the vitamin C sources, the survival rates of the fish fed diets without supplemental AsA were lower than 50% at day 20, and more than 50% mortality occurred in fish that fed the diets containing 12 or 16 mg AsA kg^?1 after day 30. However, no significant differences were detected in survival and growth among fish that fed the diets containing more than 43 mg AsA kg^?1. Liver and brain AsA concentrations generally increased with increasing dietary AsA level in both sources. In experiment 2, test diets were formulated to contain 43, 88, 440 and 881 mg AsA kg^?1 using AMP‐Na/Ca, and after 60 days of feeding, yellowtail juveniles were subjected to low salinity and air exposure stress. The fish that received diets with 440 mg AsA kg^?1 showed significantly higher tolerance to low salinity stress and higher survival rate in air exposure stress than those of other groups. The present study demonstrated that yellowtail juveniles could utilize AMP‐Na/Ca as an AsA source like AMP‐Mg, and that supplementation of 43–52 mg AsA kg^?1 diet was optimum for normal growth. However, this study showed that dietary inclusion of 440 mg AsA kg^?1 would be necessary to improve stress resistance of this species.     

Mutualism between euryhaline tilapia Sarotherodon melanotheron heudelotii and Chlorella sp.—Implications for nano-algal production in warmwater phytoplankton-based recirculating systems

The West-African euryhaline tilapia, Sarotherodon melanotheron heudelotii shift from visually feeding on zooplankton when juveniles to mostly filter feeding on phytoplankton when adults. When reared using an appropriate ration in intensive aquaculture systems, S. m. heudelotii also consume algal-based detritus, and contribute to sediment mineralization, clean up their environment, and ultimately stimulate and sustain algal growth. We analysed such practical advantages for phytoplankton-based recirculating systems, using S. m. heudelotii and Chlorella sp. as biological material originating from the prototype of such a system operated in Senegal. We performed a 24-h factorial design experiment in 36 tubs, cross-classifying three levels of S. m. heudelotii (fishless control, unfed fish, and fed fish) with four levels of Chlorella initial density.Chlorella overall mean density increased significantly from fishless, to unfed fish, and fed fish treatments, and with Chlorella initial density. S. m. heudelotii did not alter nitrogen nor phosphorus concentrations, only affected by algal initial densities. Most ammonia excreted by fish was probably uptaken by Chlorella. Bacteria-mediated diurnal nitrification was possibly an alternative ammonium loss mechanism at highest oxygen concentrations. Algae were not limited by nitrogen or phosphorus but most likely by low dissolved organic carbon availability. Chlorella differential responses with fed vs. unfed Sarotherodon suggest that CO₂ supplied by heterotrophic S. m. heudelotii respiration played a key role. Observed Chlorella growth rates were similar to the highest rates obtained in algal mass cultures, enriched with CO₂, nitrate and phosphate, under artificial lighting.Our results suggest the existence of a Sarotherodon-Chlorella mutualism in our systems, where S. m. heudelotii provide CO₂, the major limiting factor of Chlorella growth, whereas Chlorella oxygenate and detoxify the water media from ammonia, promoting S. m. heudelotii production. This mutualism could be used to optimize photosynthetic suspended-growth aquaculture systems, particularly in the Tropics where light is abundant and temperature is continuously high.     

Multi-model comparison on the effects of climate change on tree species in the eastern U.S.: results from an enhanced niche model and process-based ecosystem and landscape models

Context

Species distribution models (SDM) establish statistical relationships between the current distribution of species and key attributes whereas process-based models simulate ecosystem and tree species dynamics based on representations of physical and biological processes. TreeAtlas, which uses DISTRIB SDM, and Linkages and LANDIS PRO, process-based ecosystem and landscape models, respectively, were used concurrently on four regional climate change assessments in the eastern Unites States.

Objectives

We compared predictions for 30 species from TreeAtlas, Linkages, and LANDIS PRO, using two climate change scenarios on four regions, to derive a more robust assessment of species change in response to climate change.

Methods

We calculated the ratio of future importance or biomass to current for each species, then compared agreement among models by species, region, and climate scenario using change classes, an ordinal agreement score, spearman rank correlations, and model averaged change ratios.

Results

Comparisons indicated high agreement for many species, especially northern species modeled to lose habitat. TreeAtlas and Linkages agreed the most but each also agreed with many species outputs from LANDIS PRO, particularly when succession within LANDIS PRO was simulated to 2300. A geographic analysis showed that a simple difference (in latitude degrees) of the weighted mean center of a species distribution versus the geographic center of the region of interest provides an initial estimate for the species’ potential to gain, lose, or remain stable under climate change.

Conclusions

This analysis of multiple models provides a useful approach to compare among disparate models and a more consistent interpretation of the future for use in vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning.

     

Retrospective analysis of the influence of environmental drivers on commercial stocks and fishing opportunities in the Irish Sea

Irish Sea fisheries have undergone considerable change in recent years following the decline of commercially important finfish stocks and their slow response to management's recovery plans. In 2015, the fishing industry called for a holistic exploration into the impact of environmental change and food web effects to identify the drivers underpinning stock dynamics. In this study, we identify correlations between large‐scale climatic indicators, temperature, primary and secondary productivity, and fish recruitment in the Irish Sea and incorporate them into an Ecopath with Ecosim food web model co‐created by scientists and fishers. Negative correlations were found between the North Atlantic Oscillation winter index (NAOw) and large zooplankton abundance and between the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the recruitment of cod (Gadus morhua) and whiting (Merlangius merlangus). Using correlation analyses to direct the addition of environmental drivers to the Irish Sea ecosystem model improved the models fit against observed biomass and catch data and revealed the indirect impacts of environmental change as mitigated through trophic interactions. Model simulations suggest that historic environmental change suppressed the overall production of commercial finfish, limiting opportunities for the fishing industry, whilst also dampening the rate of stock recovery despite marked reductions in fishing effort. These results suggest that failure to account for ecosystem information may lead to misconceived expectations and flawed fisheries management; therefore, there is a need to operationalize ecosystem information through management procedures to support fisheries advice.     

Historical spatial baselines in conservation and management of marine resources

Increased knowledge on the spatial distribution of marine resources is crucial for the implementation of a true ecosystem approach to management and the conservation of marine organisms. For exploited fish species characterized by aggregation behaviour during spawning time, the identification and tracking of spawning areas is essential for a correct assessment of their productivity and population abundance. To elucidate this concept, we reconstructed the spatio‐temporal distribution of adult plaice (Pleuronectes platessa, Pleuronectidae) during spawning time along the 20^th century. Historical data reveal that not only the abundance but also the former population richness was much higher than previously estimated and has declined because of protracted over‐exploitation during the last 30 years. We conclude that forecast of stock recovery to former levels of abundance neglecting spatial reorganizations might be over‐optimistic and shaded by a lost memory of the past population richness. These results reinforce the importance of managing exploited marine resources at a greater spatial resolution than has been carried out in the history of fishery management.