Fungal diversity in coffee plantation systems and in a tropical montane cloud forest in Veracruz,Mexico

We compared the abundance, species richness and diversity of saprobic filamentous microfungi in the forest and in coffee plantation systems (with different biophysical structures of the vegetation and agricultural management) and evaluated the degree of similarity in species composition among these sites. Soil washing was used to isolate the saprobic filamentous microfungi. Emerging colonies were quantified and transferred to tubes with culture medium and then mounted on semi-permanent slides for identification under the microscope. From 90 samples and 4,500 inoculated soils particles, 415 species were distinguished. The genera Trichoderma, Penicillium, Fusarium, Chaetomium and Humicola were the most frequent in all study sites. The transformation of the tropical montane cloud forest in coffee plantation had no significant effect on the abundance, species richness and diversity of the saprobic filamentous microfungi. Effects of the biophysical structures of the vegetation and the agricultural management of the sites were only detected at the level of dominant genera (Fusarium, Trichoderma and Penicillium) and on the evenness. The low degree of similarity among the six sites suggests the existence of a high exchange of species.     

单增李斯特菌溶源性噬菌体的诱导及鉴定

利用丝裂霉素C诱导获得单增李斯特菌溶源性噬菌体,并确定其核酸类型。PCR及其扩增产物的序列测定检测原噬菌体,透射电子显微镜观察丝裂霉素C诱导获得的溶源性噬菌体颗粒,DNase I、RNase A和绿豆核酸酶分别消化噬菌体基因组,确定噬菌体的核酸类型。结果显示,38株单增李斯特菌分离株中的16株在tRNAArg位点携有原噬菌体,其中1株可诱导出噬菌体颗粒,该噬菌体为长尾噬菌体,核酸为dsDNA。噬菌体的成功诱导为噬菌体及其功能基因的开发利用奠定了基础。     

半干旱区不同覆膜时期、方式与膜色对土壤水分及马铃薯水分利用效率的影响

在宁夏中部干旱区,通过两年田间试验研究了不同覆膜时期、方式及膜色处理对马铃薯农田土壤水分、产量和水分利用效率的影响。结果表明：与裸地栽培相比较,各处理均能提高土壤水分。早春双垄全膜0～100 cm土壤水分含量沟内白膜18.10%和黑膜19.73%,节水18.66 mm和38.46 mm,半膜覆盖白膜17.94%和黑膜16.70%,节水16.77 mm和1.89 mm;马铃薯苗期—现蕾期—开花期—块茎生长期生育阶段,2010—2011年各处理0～200 cm土壤贮水量较裸地高,早春白膜双垄全覆膜处理节水39.23～40.65、24.51～31.08 mm和21.75～30.88 mm,早春黑膜双垄全覆膜处理节水56.85～20.21、37.81～-4.72 mm和29.06～-3.26 mm,播期白膜双垄全覆膜处理节水84.04、88.46 mm和58.87 mm,播期黑膜双垄全覆膜处理节水94.90、60.59 mm和71.94 mm,早春白膜半膜平覆处理节水45.53～-12.25、22.95～6.28 mm和44.97～32.45 mm,早春黑膜半膜平覆处理节水-7.42～18.15、-15.83～16.53 mm和15.85～-17.12 mm,播期白膜半膜平覆处理节水24.03、-3.79 mm和20.32 mm,播期黑膜半膜平覆处理节水-5.2、-40.42 mm和-3.34 mm。各处理0～200 cm土壤水分垂直变化,0～40 cm土壤水分最活跃层次,无明显变化规律,40～80 cm土壤水分变化呈现出规律变化,土壤水分含量表现为高—低—高—低,水分蓄墒层,80～120 cm土层水分缺墒层,120～200 cm深墒 稳定层。地膜栽培能提高马铃薯产量,早春白膜双垄全覆膜模式马铃薯鲜薯产量35 007.85 kg·hm^-2,较裸地增产29.31%,降水生产效率116.35 kg·hm^-2·mm^-1,提高36.15%,早春黑膜双垄全覆膜模式33 823.75 kg·hm^-2,增产24.9%,降水生产效率105.7 kg·hm^-2·mm^-1,提高25%。在干旱地区应推广提早覆膜、双垄全覆膜、膜色黑膜或白膜的抗旱节水栽培模式,该模式节水、增产、生态效益明显。     

二氧化碳、施氮量和移栽密度对汕优63产量形成的影响——FACE研究

大气二氧化碳(CO2)浓度升高使水稻产量增加,但这种影响是否因不同栽培条件而异尚不清楚。2011年利用中国稻田FACE(Free Air CO2Enrichment)系统平台,以敏感水稻品种汕优63为供试材料,二氧化碳设环境CO2浓度(Ambient)和高CO2浓度(Ambient+200μmol·mol-1),施氮量设低氮(15 g·m-2)和高氮(25 g·m-2),移栽密度设低密度(16穴·m-2)和高密度(24穴·m-2),研究了不同栽培条件下大气CO2浓度升高对杂交水稻产量形成的影响。结果表明:高浓度CO2对水稻抽穗期和成熟期没有影响,但使结实期株高显著增高(+7%);使单位面积穗数(+8%)和每穗颖花数(+19%)明显增多,进而使单位面积颖花量大幅增加(+29%)。高浓度CO2条件下穗数增多主要与最高分蘖数明显增加有关,而分蘖成穗率显著下降;穗型增大主要由单茎干重而非单位干重形成的颖花数增加所致。高浓度CO2环境下水稻结实能力呈增加趋势,其中平均粒重的增幅达显著水平。大气CO2浓度升高使水稻籽粒产量平均增加36%,其中在低氮低密度、低氮高密度、高氮低密度和高氮高密度条件下分别增加43%、46%、34%、23%。增施氮肥或增加移栽密度使水稻产量略有下降,但均未达显著水平。以上结果表明,高浓度CO2环境下杂交水稻因库容量增大导致产量大幅增加,调整施氮水平和移栽密度可在一定程度上改变这种肥料效应。     

Temporal changes in seabird assemblage structure and trait diversity in the Rapa Nui (Easter Island) multiple-use marine protected area

1. For Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and its largest islet, Motu Nui, the change of the species assemblage over time was analysed, and a trait-based approach to evaluate the potential losses in seabird function across the past centuries was applied. At a finer scale, the seasonal changes in seabird species composition in the current seabird assemblage was assessed to better understand the dynamics of the long-term inferred patterns.
2. For Rapa Nui, the composition of the seabird assemblage between the prehistorical, historical, and current time has changed significantly. The most critical change, probably associated with human colonization, was observed between prehistoric and current times. The current diminished number of nesting seabird species was probably the result of local extirpation without evidence of colonization by new species.
3. For Motu Nui, changes in species composition were also followed by changes in trait structure, which were smaller than observed in Rapa Nui. This is probably due to the presence of a relatively high number of related species (i.e. Procellariids) with high similarities in their foraging behaviour.
4. The nesting seabird assemblages in Rapa Nui and Motu Nui differ in exposure to risk; thus, conservation strategies applied to the islands should be planned on a fine spatial scale. For Rapa Nui, which is an urban wildlife area with several invasive species and a low number of remaining native seabird species, management should focus on fencing and pets control. For Motu Nui, management should instead focus on the establishment of quarantine and other biosecurity tools to avoid both the entry and proliferation of new invasive species.

     

Genetic structure of Orbicella faveolata population reveals high connectivity among a marine protected area and Varadero Reef in the Colombian Caribbean

1. The protection of ecosystems with high diversity, such as coral reefs, is not an approach that guarantees their conservation. Thus, maintaining connectivity among coral populations over the long term is a strategy that should be adopted in order to protect diversity and ecological processes. Although coral reefs in Colombia are highly diverse, the population genetics baseline data of keystone species such as Orbicella faveolata are limited.
2. To provide current information about the connectivity between populations of O. faveolata in the Colombian Caribbean, the genetic diversity and distribution of O. faveolata was evaluated with analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), principal components, and migration estimations using 113 genets distributed in six populations. Also, a genetic structure analysis that included the available data for the Caribbean population was conducted, seeking to understand how the Colombian populations relate to the broader region.
3. According to the global fixation index (F_ST) for the Colombian Caribbean, there was no genetic structure (F_ST = 0.002). Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) showed that Corales del Rosario Archipelago (CR), Este de Isla Fuerte (EIF), San Bernardo Archipelago (SB), and Varadero Reef (VR) were grouped with Oeste de Isla Fuerte (OIF), with Bushnell (BS) representing the most divergent cluster. Migration analysis showed relatively high migration from VR to CR and SB, highlighting the importance of VR as a genetic reservoir for the region. Structure analysis showed that the Colombian population presented a specific genetic identity (F_ST = 0.254), suggesting that the Colombian Caribbean population could be a peripheral population that contributes significantly to genetic variation and is connected through a complex connectivity process.
4. In conclusion, the estimated genetic connectivity reflects the influence of sea surface dynamics over the interpopulation exchange dynamics and the role of protected and nonprotected coral reef in the Colombian Caribbean. Thus, the Colombian Caribbean population of O. faveolata could be relevant to the conservation of genetic diversity on a larger scale.

     

Bioavailability of organoclay formulations of atrazine in soil

Pesticide formulations based on organoclays have been proposed to prolong the efficacy and reduce the environmental impact of pesticides in soil. This research addressed the question of whether atrazine in organoclay-based formulations is irreversibly sorbed or is bioavailable for bacterial degradation in soil. Different cations of l-carnitine (CAR), tyramine (TYRAM), hexadimethrine (HEXADIM), phenyltrimethylammonium (PTMA), hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA), and Fe(III) were incorporated into Na-rich Wyoming montmorillonite (SWy-2) and Ca-rich Arizona montmorillonite (SAz-1) at 100% of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the clays as a strategy to enhance the affinity of the clay minerals for atrazine. A Buse loam soil from Becker, MN, was treated with three organoclay-based formulations of 14C-atrazine or free herbicide and incubated for 2 weeks. To determine the bioavailability of 14C-atrazine, the soil was inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP, which rapidly mineralizes atrazine. At day 0, and after a 2 week incubation, mineralization and the amount of 14C-atrazine residues distributed between the aqueous-extractable, methanol-extractable, and bound fractions in the soil were determined to characterize the availability of nonaged and aged atrazine residues. By the end of the 2 week incubation, the microorganisms had mineralized >80% of the initial readily available (water-extractable) and >70% of the less readily available (methanol-extractable) 14C-atrazine in the soil. Bound residues increased from <4% at day 0 to ～17% after the 2 week incubation for both the formulated and free forms of atrazine. The results of these incubation experiments show that the bioavailabilities of atrazine were similar in the case of the organoclay formulations and as free atrazine. This indicated that whereas more atrazine was sorbed and less likely to be transported in soil, when formulated as organoclay complexes, it was ultimately accessible to degrading bacteria, so that the herbicide is likely to be naturally attenuated by soil microorganisms.     

Separation of olive proteins combining a simple extraction method and a selective capillary electrophoresis (CE) approach: application to raw and table olive samples

A simple extraction method was developed to extract proteins from olive samples based on chloroform/methanol extraction followed by a protein precipitation with cold acetone. Then, a capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was carried out using an acid buffer (1 M formic acid at pH 2) to ensure a positive net charge for proteins and a neutral charge for potential interferents as polyphenols. The method developed was applied to raw and table olive samples. Interestingly, raw olive samples showed differences in protein profiles depending upon the botanical variety of olives and their geographical region. Protein profiles obtained for table olives also showed differences according to the sample treatment. Thus, a signal reduction in the electropherograms obtained for black olives was observed in comparison to those achieved for treated green olives. In this work, the use of protein profiles was demonstrated to be a powerful tool for studying variations among olive samples.     

Fate of prions in soil: Degradation of recombinant prion in aqueous extracts from soil and casts of two earthworm species

Prions represent the active agent in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) diseases and can remain infective to mammals even after prolonged periods in soil. The influence of mesofauna on prion dispersal and degradation in soil, however, remains unknown. In this study the effect of earthworms on the retention/dissemination of TSEs in soil was evaluated using a model recombinant prion protein (recPrP) and aqueous extracts from soil and fresh casts of two earthworm species, Lumbricus terrestris and Aporrectodea caliginosa. Our results showed that earthworm gut-derived enzymes did not enhance the degradation of recPrP in comparison to soil, even though non-prion related proteolytic activity was higher in fresh worm excrements than in soil samples. Complete degradation of recPrP occurred in the aqueous extracts from all samples within up to 6 days at +15 °C. The proteolytic enzymes responsible for degrading recPrP were inhibited by aprotinin and leupeptin and studies in pure cultures suggested these were most probably of soil microbial origin.     

Bioaccumulation of Copper by Zea mays: Impact on Root, Shoot and Leaf Growth

In the present study, the growth and the Cu²⁺accumulation by roots, shoots and leaves of Zea mays were examined using copper sulphate in the range of 10^?4 to 10^?2 M. Plants of Z. mays did not show inhibition of growth in the presence of 10^?4 to 10^?2 M Cu²⁺; however, it was observed growth effects on root when different Cu²⁺ solution concentrations were used. Only the seedlings exposed to 10^?2 M exhibited substantial root growth reduction, yielding only 56% of length with respect to the control. Seedlings exposed to 10^?4 M Cu²⁺ exhibited 16% and 42% growth increase in shoots and leaves, respectively, when compared with the controls. The seedlings treated with 10^?3 and 10^?2 M Cu²⁺ were inhibited in shoot and leaf growth. The fresh weights in roots, shoots and leaves significantly decreased at 10^?2 M Cu²⁺. The tolerance index, based on root length, was not significantly different for the three different treatments with copper. However, the total accumulation rate was very low at 10^?4 and 10^?3 M compared to 10^?2 Cu treatments. The capacity of copper accumulation by roots, shoots and leaves of Z. mays plants increased concomitant to the copper concentration, arriving to 382 times more in roots, 157 in shoots and only 16 in leaves, all compared to the controls. Cu could be accumulated by roots, shoots and leaves when the initial concentrations were 10^?3 and 10^?4 M. However, when it was 10^?2 M, the metal could not be accumulated by leaf and shoot levels; the roots could increase their copper accumulation capacity three times compared to the control. Z. mays has potential ability to accumulate Cu without being overly sensitive to Cu toxicity.