Application of the coastal ecosystem complex concept toward integrated management for sustainable coastal fisheries under oligotrophication

Harmonizing coastal fisheries with water-quality improvement has become an essential factor for the sustainable use of coastal ecosystem services. Here, we present the scope of our study based on an interdisciplinary approach including ecological actions, socio-economic actions and socio-psychological actions. We chose to focus on the interaction between oyster aquaculture and seagrass vegetation as a typical ecological action using the coastal ecosystem complex (CEC) concept. Coastal organisms have adapted their traits to the environment over a long period of time, so that restoration of the CEC represents reconstruction of the original process of coastal production. Subtidal seagrass vegetation with intertidal oyster reefs is the original CEC in Japan, which would be expected to enhance coastal production by improving the production efficiency without adding nutrients. A simple field experiment examining carbon and nitrogen contents and stable isotope ratios revealed that oyster spats cultivated on a tidal flat adjacent to seagrass beds had higher nitrogen contents and higher δ¹³C ratios than spats cultivated in an offshore area using only pelagic production. This result suggests that utilization of the CEC, which enables oysters to use both pelagic and benthic production, has potential to sustain a food provisioning service for humans, even in oligotrophic conditions.     

Experimental infection of pigs with different doses of the African swine fever virus Armenia 07 strain by intramuscular injection and direct contact

We experimentally infected pigs with the African swine fever virus (ASFV) Armenia 07 strain (genotype II) to analyze the effect of different dose injections on clinical manifestations, virus-shedding patterns, histopathology, and transmission dynamics by direct contact. Each three pigs and four pigs were injected intramuscularly with 0.1 fifty percent hemadsorbing doses (HAD₅₀)/ml, 10¹ HAD₅₀/ml and 10⁶ HAD₅₀/ml of ASFV Armenia 07 strain, respectively. Each two of three pigs injected with 0.1 HAD₅₀/ml and 10¹ HAD₅₀/ml died by 10 days post inoculation. All pigs had a gross lesion of splenomegaly. Perigastric and renal lymph nodes were enlarged and resembled blood clots in nine of ten pigs. It was revealed that 0.1 HAD₅₀/ml of this ASFV was sufficient to infect healthy pigs by intramuscular injection and caused sub-acute lethal disease. For the transmission study, two 8-week-old pigs were injected intramuscularly with 10³ HAD₅₀/ml of the same virus. Each of the experimentally inoculated pigs was co-housed with two 8-week-old naive pigs. All contact pigs exhibited clinical manifestations at 6 or 7 days after the experimentally inoculated pigs developed pyrexia. These findings suggest that this strain may spread slowly within a herd. Histologically, lymph nodes resembled blood clots were formed by severe blood absorption and followed hemorrhage result of disruption of the lymphoid sinus filling with absorbed red blood cells. The severity of the gross and histological lesions depended on duration after infection, regardless of the difference of injection doses in this study.     

Antioxidant phytochemicals and gingerol content in diploid and tetraploid clones of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe)

Fresh rhizomes of 18 diploid and tetraploid genotypes of Indian ginger, including commercial cultivars and experimental genotypes, were assayed for gingerol content and antioxidant activity. The tetraploid ginger type was derived from the respective diploid ginger by shoot tip culture. [6]-Gingerol was identified as the major pungent phenolic compound in all samples (mean 1354.78 ± 470 μg/g), while [8]- (mean 180.94 ± 45 μg/g) and [10]-gingerol (mean 234 ± 79 μg/g) occurred in lower concentrations. The total gingerol content of the tetraploid type was much higher than that of the respective diploid type and especially the [10]-gingerol. Both diploid and tetraploid types of the cv. Meghalaya Local contained the highest level of gingerol. At both ploidy levels, the genotypes showed significant differences in phenols and antioxidant activities. Correlation of total phenolics with different antioxidant assay at both diploid and tetraploid level was linear and strong to moderate. For genotypes at both ploidy levels, antioxidant activity (BCO) was determined especially by [6]-gingerol while [8]- and [10]-gingerol did not affect BCO. These results demonstrated that in the tetraploid types of ginger, the gingerol content and antioxidant activity were higher than in the diploid ones.     

Physicochemical properties and release characteristics of calcium alginate microspheres loaded with Trichoderma viride spores

Novel agroformulations for simultaneous delivery of chemical and biologically active agents to the plants were prepared by encapsulation of Trichoderma viride spores in calcium alginate microspheres. The impact of calcium ions concentration on the viability and sporulation of T. viride spores as well as on the microsphere important physicochemical properties were investigated. Intermolecular interactions in microspheres are complex including mainly hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions. T. viride germination inside matrix and germ tubes penetration out of microspheres revealed calcium alginate microspheres provide a supportive environment for T. viride growth. Differences in physicochemical properties and bioactive agents release behaviour from microspheres were ascribed to the changes in microsphere structure. Fitting to Korsmeyer-Peppas empirical model revealed the underlying T. viride release mechanism as anomalous transport kinetics (a combination of two diffusion mechanisms and the Type II transport (polymer swelling and relaxation of the polymeric matrix)). The increasing amount of T. viride spores in the surrounding medium is closely related to the release from microspheres and germination. The rate controlling mechanism of calcium release is Fickian diffusion. A decrease in the release rate with increasing calcium ion concentrations is in accordance with the calcium ions effect on the strength of the alginate network structure. T. viride germination inside microsphere diminished the amount of released calcium ions and slowed release kinetics in comparison with microspheres prepared without T. viride. The results indicated investigated agroformulations have a great potential to be used for plant protection and nutrition.     

Distribution of the Consensus Sequences of ABC Transporter Gene among Several Taxonomically Distinct Phytopathogenic Fungi

The distribution of ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporter genes among several taxonomically distinct phytopathogenic fungi was investigated by Southern blot hybridization, polymerase chain reaction assays and partial sequencing. Consensus sequences of the ABC transporter gene, which might be concerned with multidrug resistance against fungicides and with pathogenicity in phytopathogenic fungi, were found in all of the examined phytopathogenic fungi, which belonged to the Mastigomycotina, Ascomycotina, Basidiomycotina and Deuteromycotina. Received 24 August 2000/ Accepted in revised form 5 December 2000     

Induced Resistance to Rice Blast by Antagonistic Bacterium, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia marcescens </Emphasis>Strain B2

An antagonistic bacterium, Serratia marcescens strain B2, controlled rice blast after being sprayed onto rice phylloplane, as did the bacterial suspension when poured into rhizosphere soil of rice plants. Three days after root treatment, rice blast conidia were sprayed onto rice foliage. A week after pathogen inoculation, rice blast was suppressed and lesions caused by the pathogen decreased in size. Brown deposits were observed around sites of pathogen infection after root treatment. Induced resistance was not associated with an increase in the activitiy of peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, tyrosine ammonia lyase, β-1,3-glucanase, β-1,4-glycosidase, N-acetylhexosaminidase or chitinase. However, lipoxygenase levels were elevated after the root treatment with strain B2 following inoculation with the pathogen. Strain B2 was not detected in rice foliage after root treatment. These data suggest that strain B2 induced resistance against rice blast caused by Pyricularia oryzae. Received 1 November 2001/ Accepted in revised form 25 January 2002     

Post-traumatic stress disorder in participants of foot-and-mouth disease epidemic control in Miyazaki,Japan, in 2010

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) occurred in Miyazaki, Japan, in 2010, and 290,000 animals were culled. This paper describes the mental distress of the volunteers who had been dispatched to Miyazaki for disease control two years after the epidemic. It also assesses risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A participatory appraisal and self-administered questionnaire survey were conducted in 2012 for those who were dispatched to Miyazaki in 2010. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used as an indicator of PTSD, and univariate and multivariable analyses were performed. Of the 875 respondents, 1.3% had higher IES-R scores than the cut-off point (25), which is suggestive of PTSD. Mental stresses during and soon after FMD control and after two years were described. Four risk factors associated with high IES-R scores were found: transporting culled animals (P<0.01), stress during FMD control (P<0.01) and at the time of the survey (P<0.01), and lack of someone to talk to about FMD-associated stress at the time of the survey (P<0.01). Veterinarians, livestock technicians and clerical officers involved in FMD control still suffer from mental stress two years later. Public services should provide an opportunity for them to consult with mental health specialists. These findings should be used to better prepare workers who deal with infectious diseases of animals, especially when they must be culled. The establishment of a collaborative framework between veterinary and mental health services is recommended.     

Epiphytic lichen diversity in old-growth and managed Picea abies stands in Alpine spruce forests

In the last decades, a large body of literature has grown to evaluate the impact of forest management on epiphytic lichens in boreal coniferous forests. However, information is still lacking on coniferous forests of the Alps. This study compares lichen diversity between spruce forest stands of four successional stages: (1) young, (2) intermediate, (3) mature forests managed for timber production with a rotation cycle of 120–180 years, and (4) old-growth protected forests. The emphasis was placed on the occurrence of nationally rare and calicioid species (lichens and fungi traditionally referred to as Caliciales, known to be indicative of forest age and continuity). For each forest successional stage, four plots were selected. In each plot, 7 spruce individuals were surveyed for epiphytic lichens according to a standardised sampling method. Species richness increased from young to mature stands, while no difference was detected between mature and old-growth stands. This pattern was also confirmed for rare and calicioid species which are, however, more frequent in old-growth stands. Differences in species composition were also found between the different forest successional stages. Mature and old-growth plots slightly overlap, indicating that to some extent comparable lichen assemblages could be found in these stands. A nested pattern of species assemblages was found, old-growth stands hosting most of the species which were also found in stands belonging to the previous forest successional stages. Our results support the hypothesis that the management regime applied to spruce forests of the Italian Alps renders mature stands managed for timber production somewhat similar to old-growth stands as lichen habitat. However, we found a higher complexity in old-growth forests, and many species of conservation concern clearly preferred old-growth stands. In this perspective, a further prolongation of the normal cycle it is likely to be a most favourable conservation-oriented management to be recommended at least within protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, where conservation purposes should receive a high priority.