Root architecture might account for contrasting establishment success of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudotsuga menziesii</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">menziesii</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus sylvestris</Emphasis> in Central Europe under dry conditions

Key message

Pinus sylvestris seedlings quickly expand their roots to deeper soil layers while Pseudotsuga menziesii concentrates its root system in the topsoil, thereby running the risk of desiccation during long dry spells, as indicated by lower survival after simulated summer drought.

Context

Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir) is regarded as a promising species to maintain the productivity of Central European lowland forests given the projected increase of long dry spells.

Aims

Will the species be able to regenerate from seed and spread outside plantations in a drier temperate Europe?

Methods

We measured the relative growth rate, biomass allocation, root architecture, and phenotypic plasticity of Pseudotsuga menziesii seedlings sown in a common garden and grown under current precipitation and prolonged drought, respectively. The species’ competitive ability with respect to Pinus sylvestris L., the most drought-tolerant native conifer in Central Europe, was assessed during three growing seasons.

Results

Pinus sylvestris seedlings had higher relative growth rates than did Pseudotsuga menziesii seedlings, first in terms of aboveground biomass and later in terms of shoot height. This resulted in heavier and taller seedlings after three growing seasons under both moist and dry conditions. Shorter vertical roots corresponded with lower survival of Pseudotsuga menziesii seedlings under dry conditions.

Conclusion

Fast root proliferation allows Pinus sylvestris seedlings to reach deeper water pools that are less rapidly depleted during transient drought. By contrast, the shallow root system might put Pseudotsuga menziesii seedlings at the risk of desiccation during prolonged dry spells.

     

Assessment of C budget for grasslands and drylands of the world

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates indicate that potential changes in seasonal rainfall and temperature patterns in central North America and the African Sahel will have a greater impact on biological response (such as plant production and biogeochemical cycling) and feedback to climate than changes in the overall amount of annual rainfall. Simulation of grassland and dryland ecosystem responses to climate and CO₂ changes demonstrates the sensitivity of plant productivity and soil C storage to projected changes in precipitation, temperature and atmospheric CO₂. Using three different land cover projections, changes in C levels in the grassland and dryland regions from 1800 to 1990 were estimated to be ?13.2, ?25.5 and ?14.7 Pg, i.e., a net source of C due to land cover removal resulting from cropland conversion. Projections into the future based on a double-CO₂ climate including climate-driven shifts in biome areas by the year 2040 resulted in a net sink of +5.6, +27.4 and +26.8 Pg, respectively, based upon sustainable grassland management. The increase in C storage resulted mainly from an increase in area for the warm grassland sub-biome, together with increased soil organic matter. Preliminary modeling estimates of soil C losses due to 50 yr of regressive land management in these grassland and dryland ecoregions result in a 11 Pg loss relative to current conditions, and a potential loss of 37 Pg during a 50 yr period relative to sustainable land-use practices, an average source of 0.7 Pg C yr^?1. Estimates of the cost of a 20 yr rehabilitation program are 5 to 8×10⁹ US$ yr^?1, for a C sequestering cost of approximately 10 US$ per tC.     

Estimates of minimum viable population sizes for vertebrates and factors influencing those estimates

Population size is a major determinant of extinction risk. However, controversy remains as to how large populations need to be to ensure persistence. It is generally believed that minimum viable population sizes (MVPs) would be highly specific, depending on the environmental and life history characteristics of the species. We used population viability analysis to estimate MVPs for 102 species. We define a minimum viable population size as one with a 99% probability of persistence for 40 generations. The models are comprehensive and include age-structure, catastrophes, demographic stochasticity, environmental stochasticity, and inbreeding depression. The mean and median estimates of MVP were 7316 and 5816 adults, respectively. This is slightly larger than, but in general agreement with, previous estimates of MVP. MVPs did not differ significantly among major taxa, or with latitude or trophic level, but were negatively correlated with population growth rate and positively correlated with the length of the study used to parameterize the model. A doubling of study duration increased the estimated MVP by approximately 67%. The increase in extinction risk is associated with greater temporal variation in population size for models built from longer data sets. Short-term studies consistently underestimate the true variances for demographic parameters in populations. Thus, the lack of long-term studies for endangered species leads to widespread underestimation of extinction risk. The results of our simulations suggest that conservation programs, for wild populations, need to be designed to conserve habitat capable of supporting approximately 7000 adult vertebrates in order to ensure long-term persistence.     

Assessment of genetic variability in the endangered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus macroptera</Emphasis> Mont. (“hatkora”) from Mizoram,north-east India

Assessment of genetic variability in the available germplasm is the prerequisite for development of improved genotypes through planned breeding programmes. In view of this, 39 “hatkora” (Citrus macroptera Mont.) genotypes collected from different locations of Mizoram, India were evaluated for physico-chemical characteristics during 2013–2015. The study reveals that there was significant variation among the collections in these particular traits. Individual fruit weight ranged from 277.78 to 617.69 g; fruit diameter 9.32–12.52 cm; fruit length 7.74–10.19 cm, fruit volume 238.33–583.33 cc; pulp weight 153.75–320.94 g; pulp:peel ratio 1.50–3.24 and seed number 9.33–23.6. Similarly, the chemical parameters also varied significantly among different germplasms. The juice content varied from 13.45 to 32.53 %, ascorbic acid 34.81–73.64 mg/100 mL, TSS 6.15–9.10 %, acidity 5.03–8.75 %, total sugars 5.16–7.97 % and sugar:acid ratio 0.75–1.52. From the analysis of genetic parameters, it could be concluded that characters like fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit volume, pulp weight, pulp–peel ratio, juice, Total soluble solids (TSS), acidity, ascorbic acid, total sugars, and sugar–acid ratio could be used as selection criteria for development of effective and productive plant types in “hatkora”. Wide range of variation in physico-chemical parameters of “hatkora” fruits indicated the great scope of individual plant selection based on these characters for future genetic improvement programme.     

Mercury Bioaccumulation in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and the Trout Food Web in Lakes Okareka,Okaro, Tarawera,Rotomahana and Rotorua,New Zealand

Methyl mercury (Hg) was determined in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and organisms in the lower tropic levels: smelts (Retropinna retropinna), bullies (Gobiomorphus cotidianus), koura (Paranephrops planifrons); and zooplankton (Daphnia carinata and Calamoecia lucasi) in Lakes Okareka, Okaro, Tarawera, Rotorua and Rotomahana, New Zealand. Water concentrations of total Hg (Hg_T) and methyl Hg were also measured. Mean methyl Hg concentrations in the trout, the prey species (smelts, bullies and koura) and zooplankton increased linearly with mean Hg_T and methyl Hg chloride (CH₃HgCl) concentrations in water. Most of the bio-magnification of methyl Hg occurred in the lower trophic levels of the trout food web (10^4.72) between the zooplankton and water. The bioaccumulation factors between the forage fish and zooplankton were 10^0.73 for bullies and 10^1.06 for smelt. Methyl Hg was 10^0.41 to 10^0.95 times greater in the trout then their prey.     

Unreliable amphibian population metrics may obfuscate more than they reveal

Welsh et al. [Welsh, H.H., Jr. Pope, K.L., Wheeler, C.A., 2008. Using multiple metrics to assess the effects of forest succession on population status: a comparative study of two terrestrial salamanders in the US Pacific Northwest. Biological Conservation 141, pp. 1149–1160] argued for the use of four metrics to monitor population status of two terrestrial amphibians, the Siskiyou Mountains (Plethodon stormi) and Del Norte (Plethodon elongatus) salamanders. We show that inherent problems exist with Welsh et al.’s application of all four of these metrics, and that their inferences about population status are likely to be uncertain as a consequence and potentially misleading to managers. Welsh et al. (2008) used data from different populations and different years to estimate detection probabilities for both P. elongatus and P. stormi, a decision which assumes that detection probabilities do not differ across sites and populations are closed. In addition, Welsh et al. (2008) present count data for both salamanders, a metric that assumes capture probability does not vary by age, gender, size, other individual characteristics, and most importantly in their application, habitat characteristics. Welsh et al. (2008) estimated survival based upon age ratios. Age ratios are known to be biased when immigration and emigration are unequal Conn et al. [Conn, P.B., Doherty, P.F., Jr. Nichols, J.D., 2005. Comparative demography of New World populations of thrushes (Turdus spp.): comment. Ecology 86, pp. 2536–2541]. In source-sink systems, immigration and emigration are expected to be unequal. Thus, the use of this estimation technique to characterize survival in source-sink systems is invalid unless it can be shown that immigration and emigration are equal, a rare occurrence in source-sink systems. The final metric used by Welsh et al. (2008) was an index of body condition, i.e., the residuals of a least squares regression of mass on the length. Several recent articles have outlined a number of potential problems with the technique and a theoretically more robust and efficient alternative has been published. Unfortunately, Welsh et al. (2008) did not provide the details (model diagnostic statistics, tests of assumptions) needed to assess whether or not their analyses of body condition may be accurate. We think that evaluation of specific hypotheses, well-designed sampling programs, and methods such as mark–recapture and ratio sampling are more likely to provide reliable inference than re-analysis of old data sets that were collected for other purposes and obsolete methods (i.e., counting individuals on single occasions) that are known to be flawed. We agree that potential forest management impacts to sensitive taxa require evaluation and monitoring, and that changes in occupancy and abundance are useful metrics for this task (while recognizing that, when feasible to collect, information about reproductive success and survival is superior). However, reliable inference about potential impacts can only be made if reliable methods are employed and if critical assumptions receive empirical evaluation. We offer several suggestions to strengthen inference about management treatments.