Rural depopulation and recent landscape changes in a Mediterranean region: Consequences to the breeding avifauna

We studied the vegetational and avifaunistic changes following rural depopulation in an area covering 2,600 ha north of Montpellier (Southern France). The study area is covered by a mosaic of Mediterranean habitats that includes cultivation, grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands and is representative of the natural features present and of the human usage practiced so far in this part of the Mediterranean. We sampled the vegetation and the bird fauna in the same 193 census plots in 1978 and in 1992. At both the habitat and landscape scales the cover of woody plants increased significantly. Open habitats tend to disappear. As a consequence the abundance of open-habitat bird species decreased significantly whereas the abundance of forest birds increased significantly. These changes favor a pool of forest species widespread in western Europe and reduce habitat availability for open habitat and shrubland species. Many of the latter are Mediterranean species whose distribution in Western Europe could become reduced under current landscape dynamics. Our observation of more woodlands and their typical birds and of less open habitats and their associated avifauna is not consistent with the traditional worry shown by the public and the managers about the regression of forests and woodlands in the Northern Mediterranean as a consequence of fire.     

Salinity Tolerance of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) with Reference to Endogenous and Exogenous Abscisic Acid

Experiments conducted m a phytotron on three rice varieties of different salinity tolerance revealed an increase in the content of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) with increasing NaCl salinity in IR20 (semi salt-tolerant), but in Pokkali (salt-tolerant) and IR28 (salt-sensitive) the increase in ABA content was marginal. Under sahnity stress, in general, 5 weekly sprayings of ABA (10^-4 mol L^-1) decreased Na and K concentrations in the shoot to the extent of 29.5 % and 3.3 %, respectively. However, ABA application significantly improved the K/Na ratio as well as the chlorophyll fluorescence decrease ratio (Rfd, indicator for potential photosynthetic activity), the number of green leaves per plant and the shoot dry weight. The response of IR20 and IR28 to ABA application was significantly better than that of Pokkali. Increasing salinity caused marked nutrient imbalances, decreased Rfd values and shoot dry weight. The results are discussed in relation to possible mechanism of salinity tolerance.     

Electromagnetic stabilization of weakly conducting fluids

Classical hydromagnetic theory predicts that the flow of dilute aqueous electrolyte in a slit can be stabilized by application of a strong, transverse magnetic field. However, recent experiments indicate that stabilization can be achieved with the use of a much weaker field in the presence of a small lateral current. A revised theory describes how the magnetic and electric fields interact to eliminate natural convection.     

Variation in water relations of black spruce stock types planted in Ontario

Upland, intermediate and lowland sites in northeastern Ontario were planted between May 28 and June 8 with three types of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) nursery stock: (1) spring-lifted, 1.5 + 1.5 bareroot plants (BR); (2) 24-week-old, winter-sown, container stock (CWS); and (3) spring-sown, overwintered, container stock (CO). At the beginning of the growing season, the BR stock had the lowest xylem pressure potentials (Psi(x)), stomatal conductances (g(wv)), and net photosynthetic (P(n)) rates. By the end of the growing season, the BR stock still had lower g(wv)s than the container stock types, but had higher shoot Psi(x) values. In August, the turgor loss points for the BR, CO and CWS stock types were -2.8, -1.93 and -1.6 MPa, respectively, while the minimum observed shoot Psi(x) values were -1.4, -1.7 and -1.9 MPa, respectively. The BR stock produced the greatest dry weight of new shoots and unsuberized roots. No new shoots were produced by the CWS stock, but they produced a greater dry weight of unsuberized roots than the CO stock. As a percent of the dry weight of suberized roots, the greatest production of unsuberized roots was by the CWS stock, the least by the BR trees.     

A low-threshold test ban is feasible

At present, nuclear explosions are limited by treaty to underground testing with yields of no more than 150 kilotons, and recently there have been renewed calls for further test restrictions. As part of these discussions, the U.S. Congress is considering bills that would legislate new limits to testing,whereas the Reagan Administration opposes such constraints. The editors of Science have asked two groups of participants in the debate to present their arguments for or against new limits to testing. Feiveson, Paine, and von Hippel argue for a treaty of indefinite duration between the United States and the Soviet Union, which includes the following provisions: (i) a ban on all testing outside a desiqnated site having known seismic properties; (ii)verification by means of on-site inspection and in-country seismic monitoring; (iii) unlimited testing below 1 kiloton at the special site; and (iv) an average of one test per year with a yield of up to 15 kilotons for ensuring reliability of the nuclear stockpile. MiUer, Brown, and Nordyke argue that a lowering of the present 150-kiloton threshold would be undesirable, and that new test bans would divert attention from a comprehensive approach to negotiated reductions in the nuclear and conventional arsenals of the United States and the Soviet Union.