The Size,Composition and Fissioning in Baboon Troops (Papio Ursinus Kerr, 1792)

Several baboon troops were studied during a two year study period. Sub-troop formation in troops was regularly observed and such sub-troops are defined as temporary or semi-permanent. Sub-troops are either normally or abnormally composed as far as age and sex classes are concerned. A temporary sub-troop sleeps apart from the main sub-troop, and these sub-troops reunite the following morning. A semi-permanent sub-troop separates from the main sub-troop for several days. During this period the semi-permanent sub-troop only joins the main sub-troop at sleeping places. The behaviour of certain males is prominent when sub-troops are formed. This study revealed that the baboon troop is wrongly referred to as a stable unit.     

Deoxynivalenol oligoglycosides: new "masked" fusarium toxins occurring in malt, beer, and breadstuff

The co-occurrence of deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside with its parent toxin, deoxynivalenol, has been recently documented in many cereal-based foods, especially in those produced by enzyme-catalyzed processes. The presence of this masked mycotoxin in the human diet has become an issue of health concern, mainly because of its assumed bioavailability. A selective immunoaffinity-based preconcentration strategy, followed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry, revealed that, in addition to the most common deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside, also oligoglycosylated deoxynivalenols with up to four bound hexose units were present in cereal-based products. The structure, origination, and fate of these deoxynivalenol conjugates during malt/beer production and bread baking have been thoroughly investigated. Special attention has been paid to the changes of deoxynivalenol conjugates enabled by industrial glycosidase-based enzymatic preparations. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first study documenting the complexity of masked deoxynivalenol issue.     

Water Lettuce Pistia stratiotes L. Response to Lead Toxicity

The effects of one of the most toxic heavy metals, lead (Pb), applied in two different concentrations and combined with chelate application were investigated on the water macrophyte (Pistia stratiotes L.) physiology. The influences were observed by the chlorophyll and free amino acid content determination. Also the lead accumulation in macrophyte biomass was investigated to assess the potential efficiency of this plant for rhizofiltration of highly Pb-polluted water. Na EDTA and Na citrate were used as chelates and Pb(NO₃)₂ as lead supplement. The application of organic chelates simulated conditions of an induced phytoextraction process. Statistical analyses were performed as a one-way ANOVA with a subsequent Tukey HSD test at a level of P < 0.05. Pb contents in both root and leaf tissues gradually increased with increasing Pb concentrations in the nutrient solution. More lead was accumulated in leaves than in roots within all treatments. The total chlorophyll content decreased with increased Pb concentration and with a higher content of chelates. The chelate addition increased the total amino acid content in leaves but decreased the total amino acid content in roots. The addition of lead with chelates decreased the dry biomass weight. However, water macrophyte showed extremely high lead accumulation in biomass in the short term (up to 8 days) and this accumulation potential could be used for relatively fast and effective decrease of high concentration of this risk element in contaminated water or sewage.     

The influence of the herbicide 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) on the mineralization of litter-derived alkanes and the abundance of the alkane monooxygenase gene (alkB) in the detritusphere of Pisum sativum (L.)

In the present study, the temporal and spatial variation of the abundance of the alkane monooxygenase gene alkB and 16S rRNA genes in different soil compartments was analysed in the presence or absence of 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) after the addition of pea litter to soil in a microcosm study. Samples were analysed shortly after litter addition (T0) and 1?week (T1), 3?weeks (T3) and 6?weeks (T6) after the addition of litter. In addition also, the quantity and quality of litter-derived alkanes was analysed and measured. The results revealed a fast and complete degradation of MCPA in all compartments throughout the experiment. Nevertheless, significant changes in the distribution patterns of short- and middle-chained alkanes suggest an interaction of MCPA and alkane degradation. alkB gene copy numbers were highly influenced by the time point of analysis and by the investigated soil compartment. Overall, an increase in alkB gene copy numbers from T0 to T3 was visible in the upper soil compartments whereas a decrease compared to T0 was measured in the deeper soil compartments. MCPA addition resulted in an increase of alkB abundance at T6. Gene copy numbers of 16S rRNA were not influenced by sampling time and soil compartment. In contrast to the control treatments, a slight increase in 16S rRNA gene copy numbers was visible at T1 and T3 compared to T0 in all soil compartments.     

Does the “high sugar” trait of perennial ryegrass cultivars express under temperate climate conditions?

The objective was to evaluate water‐soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and crude protein (CP) concentration of perennial ryegrass (PRG) cultivars with different genetic potential for producing WSC under two contrasting agronomic managements in temperate climate (southern Chile). A 4 × 2 factorial design was randomly allocated to 24 plots (31 m² each, three blocks): four PRG cultivars (diploid standard cultivar, “2nSt”; tetraploid standard cultivar, “4nSt”; diploid high sugar cultivar developed in New Zealand, “2nHSNZ”; and tetraploid high sugar cultivar developed in Europe, “4nHSEU”) and two agronomic managements (“favourable,” defoliations at three leaves per tiller and nitrogen (N) fertilization rate of 83.3 kg N ha^?1 year^?1; “unfavourable,” defoliations at two leaves per tiller and N fertilization rate of 250 kg N ha^?1 year^?1). Herbage samples were collected in early spring, spring, summer and autumn. Concentration of WSC did not differ among cultivars in spring and summer, averaging 194 and 251 g/kg DM, respectively. The cultivar 4nHSEU had the greatest WSC concentration in early spring and autumn (187 and 266 g/kg DM, respectively) and the greatest CP concentration across samplings (average 230 g/kg DM). Favourable management improved WSC concentrations in early spring and summer and decreased CP in spring, summer and autumn. Annual DM yield did not vary with cultivar or management, averaging 8.43 t/ha. Within a 12‐month study at one site in a temperate environment in southern Chile, PRG cultivars have not shown a consistent expression of the “high sugar” trait, where a genetic × environment interaction might be operating.     

Exhaustive Screening of Long-Term Pollutants in Riverbank Sediments of the Wurm River,Germany

Fluvial sediments can act as archives for long-term pollution. However, in environmental studies, often only preselected contaminants and, therefore, only a limited part of the pollution are considered. Herein, geochemical investigations of riverbank samples of the Wurm River (catchment <?400 km²) depict the anthropogenic impact of the city Aachen (250,000 inhabitants) to its main outlet resulting in an exhaustive list of present pollutants including their concentrations. The study is based on 14 riverbank sediment samples at eight sampling sites on a 7.6-km-long segment of the Wurm River. The sediment samples were analyzed for grain size composition (laser diffraction particle size analyzer), total organic carbon (TOC), trace element inventory (X-ray fluorescence), and organic compounds (chromatography-mass spectrometry). Here, we report quantitative data for 71 persistent organic substances as well as six trace elements (Cu, Zn, As, Ba, Hg, and Pb) entering the Wurm River due to domestic and industrial emissions. In general, a slight decline of, e.g., PTEs, DDX, and PCB concentrations with decreasing sampling depth points to a steady improvement of conditions. Whereas no clear trends can be seen for organic pollutants along the investigated reach with increasing distance to the main source of pollution (Aachen city). As obtained concentrations for organic pollutants indicate a rather low level of pollution, trace element values exceed geogenic background values by far. Furthermore, we used selected compounds as time markers for a rough estimation of sedimentation rates. Obtained values point to a highly complex morphodynamic regime with changing sedimentation rates (0.6 to 3.0 cm a^?1) within barely 100 m of river course.     

The accumulation of phytolith-occluded carbon in soils of different grasslands

Purpose

A better understanding of the role of grassland systems in producing and storing phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) will provide crucial information in addressing global climate change caused by a rapid increase in the atmospheric CO₂ concentration.

Materials and methods

Soil samples of typical steppe, meadow steppe, and meadow in Inner Mongolia, China, were taken at 0–10-, 10–20-, 20–40-, and 40–60-cm depths in July and August of 2015. The soil phytoliths were isolated by heavy liquid (ZnBr₂), and the soil PhytOC was determined by the traditional potassium dichromate method.

Results and discussion

The results of our study showed that the storage of soil phytoliths was significantly higher in the meadow (33.44 ± 0.91 t ha^?1) cf. meadow steppe (26.8 ± 0.98 t ha^?1) and typical steppe (21.19 ± 4.91 t ha^?1), which were not different. The soil PhytOC storage was significantly different among grassland types, being: meadow (0.39 ± 0.01 t ha^?1) > meadow steppe (0.29 ± 0.02 t ha^?1) > typical steppe (0.23 ± 0.02 t ha^?1). PhytOC storage in typical steppe soil within the 0–60-cm soil layer is the lowest and that in meadow soils is the highest. The grassland type and the soil condition play significant roles in accumulation of phytoliths and PhytOC in different grassland soils. We suggest that the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is important in soil phytolith accumulation and PhytOC content.

Conclusions

Phytolith and PhytOC storages in grassland soil are influenced by factors such as grass type, local climate and soil conditions, and management practices. Management practices to increase grass biomass production can significantly enhance phytolith C sequestration.