Erratum to: Feeding preferences of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in Nepal

Background

The relationships between group size, survival, and longevity vary greatly among social species. Depending on demographic and ecological circumstances, there are both positive and negative effects of group size variation on individual survival and longevity. For socially foraging species in particular there may be an optimal group size that predicts maximum individual survival that is directly related to the potential for information transfer, social coordination, and costs of conspecific interference. Our aim was to investigate this central aspect of evolutionary ecology by focusing on a socially foraging bat, Molossus molossus. This species optimizes foraging success by eavesdropping on the echolocation calls of group members to locate ephemeral food patches. We expected to find the highest survival and longest lifespans in small groups as a consequence of a trade-off between benefits of information transfer on ephemeral resources and costs of conspecific interference.

Results

In a mark-recapture study of 14 mixed-sex M. molossus social groups in Gamboa, Panama, spanning several years we found the expected relatively small and intermediate, but stable groups, with a mean size of 9.6 ± 6.7 adults and juveniles. We estimated survival proxies using Cox proportional hazard models and multistate-mark recapture models generated with recapture data as well as automated monitoring of roost entrances in a subset of the groups. Median survival of females was very short with 1.8 years and a maximum estimated longevity of 5.6 years. Contrary to our expectations, we found no relationship between variation in group size and survival, a result similar to few other studies.

Conclusions

Strong selection towards small group size may result from psychoacoustic and cognitive constraints related to acoustic interference in social foraging and the complexity of coordinated flight. The short lifespans were unexpected and may result from life at the energetic edge due to a highly specialized diet. The absence of a relationship between group size and survival may reflect a similar but optimized survival within the selected range of group sizes. We expect the pattern of small group sizes will be consistent in future research on species dependent on social information transfer about ephemeral resources.

     

Effect of dietary protein levels on growth and nutrient utilization of fringe‐lipped carp,Labeo fimbriatus (Bloch) fingerlings

Effect of various dietary protein levels on growth and nutrient utilization were studied in fringe‐lipped carp, Labeo fimbriatus fingerlings for 60 days. Five practical diets containing graded protein levels of 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 g kg^?1 with respective digestible protein (DP) contents of 192.4, 244.5, 291.6, 339.4 and 391.4 g kg^?1 were evaluated as five treatments, T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively, in triplicate. Each experimental tank (80‐L) contained eight fingerlings (4.9 ± 0.1 g) and was subjected to continuous aeration and 25% water replenishment daily. The fish were fed two times daily at 8:00 and 14:00 h to satiation. Significantly higher (P < 0.05) absolute growth and thermal growth coefficient, and lower feed conversion ratios (FCR) were observed in T2–T4 than T1 and T5. Protein efficiency ratio (PER) and protein productive values (PPV) were highest in T2 and lowest in T5. Significantly higher (P < 0.05) apparent protein digestibility was perceptible in T2–T4. While specific amylase activity declined linearly with increasing DP : DE, the protease, trypsin, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase established polynomial relationship. Based on live weight gain, PER and PPV fitted to quadratic model optimum DP levels were estimated as 301.4, 260.0 and 273.0 g kg^?1, respectively.     

Systemically released volatiles from Solena amplexicaulis plant leaves with color cues influencing attraction of a generalist insect herbivore

Solena amplexicaulis (Lam.) Gandhi (Cucurbitaceae) is a promising vegetable in Southeast Asia. Infestation of Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) adults on leaves of the crop plant causes death of the plant and reduces crop production. Currently, growers are applying insecticides to control this pest, which are harmful to health and environment. Hence, an attempt has been made to find out allelochemicals from leaves attracting the insect, which might be used for ecofriendly pest management program. The emission of volatiles was detected from undamaged leaves of herbivore-induced plants after 24 h and 120 h of continuous females feeding on lower leaves of the same plants by GC-MS and GC-FID analysis. The insect showed attraction to systemically released volatiles from herbivore-induced plants against unharmed plants in Y-shaped glass tube olfactometer bioassays. The insect was attracted to a synthetic blend of 1.2 µg linalool oxide + 3.2 µg nonanal + 1.5 µg trans-2-nonenal dissolved in 20 µL CH₂Cl₂ in olfactometer and wind tunnel bioassays, and hence, this blend could be used in development of baited traps in pest management strategies.     

Genetic transformation of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. gladioli with Agrobacterium to study pathogenesis in Gladiolus

Fusarium rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. gladioli (Fog) is one of the most serious diseases of Gladiolus, both in the field and in bulbs in storage. In order to study the mechanisms of pathogenesis of this fungus, we have transformed Fog with Agrobacterium tumefaciens binary vectors containing the hygromycin B phosphotransferase (hph) gene and fluorescence reporter genes EGFP (green), EYFP (yellow) or ECFP (cyan) using the AGL-1 strain of A. tumefaciens. Hygromycin B (100 μg/ml) resistant colonies were observed only when acetosyringone was added to the co-cultivation medium. Transformed colonies are more clearly visible when co-cultivated on cellophane membrane than on Hybond -N⁺ membrane. Transformed lines were stably maintained through four serial passages on medium containing hygromycin B, and they expressed green, yellow or cyano fluorescence. PCR with hph-specific primers and Southern blotting with an hph-specific probe were positive for Hyg^R lines but not for the untransformed isolate. The cyano fluorescence of the ECFP-transformed isolate was clearly distinguishable from the green autofluorescence of Gladiolus roots, signifying the potential of these lines for further histopathological investigations. Transformed lines will be useful for identifying pathogenicity related genes, screening transgenic resistance, and in studies of host-pathogen interactions.     

Mineralogy and petrology of comet 81P/Wild 2 nucleus samples

The bulk of the comet 81P/Wild 2 (hereafter Wild 2) samples returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft appear to be weakly constructed mixtures of nanometer-scale grains, with occasional much larger (over 1 micrometer) ferromagnesian silicates, Fe-Ni sulfides, Fe-Ni metal, and accessory phases. The very wide range of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene compositions in comet Wild 2 requires a wide range of formation conditions, probably reflecting very different formation locations in the protoplanetary disk. The restricted compositional ranges of Fe-Ni sulfides, the wide range for silicates, and the absence of hydrous phases indicate that comet Wild 2 experienced little or no aqueous alteration. Less abundant Wild 2 materials include a refractory particle, whose presence appears to require radial transport in the early protoplanetary disk.     

Phosphate-Solubilizing Microbes and Biocontrol Agent for Plant Nutrition and Protection: Current Perspective

ABSTRACT

Phosphate-solubilizing microbes (PSM) are widely distributed in the rhizosphere and helps plant to acquire phosphates from soil. The availability of phosphates in soil are governed by several factors among which the proton exchange capacity has been regarded to be the most important factor involved in cation complex formations with soluble phosphates making them unavailable to plants, thereby disturbing the phosphorus cycling events found in arable soils. PSM solubilizes the cation complexes and thereby improves the functioning of phosphorus cycle in soil. In addition to involvement in biogeochemical cycling events, PSM have been also found to have antagonistic potential against several plant phytopathogens. These biocontrol microbes represent the most abundant groups of soil microflora. Among which some nutrient solubilizers have been used for effective biocontrol of important plant diseases. This review article shows contributions of different plant growth promoters used in nutrient and disease management practices in agriculture.

Abbreviations: P (phosphorus), PSM (phosphate-solubilizing microbes), PSB (phosphate-solubilizing bacteria), PSF (phosphate-solubilizing fungi), PGPM (plant growth-promoting microbes), PGPB (plant growth-promoting bacteria), SAR (systemic acquired resistance), ISR (induced systemic resistance), TCP (tri-calcium phosphate), HCN (hydrogen cyanide), IAA (indole-3-acetic acid), ^aPhosphorus [(SSP) single super phosphate, RP (rock phosphate), PM (poultry manure) and FYM (farm yard manure)], PAL (phenylalanine ammonia lyase), ESI-MS (electrospray ionization mass spectrometry), DAPG (2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol) and NMR (¹H nuclear magnetic resonance).     

Effect of nutrient management and straw mulching on crop yield,uptake and soil fertility in rapeseed (Brassica campestris)–greengram (Vigna radiata)–rice (Oryza sativa) cropping system under Gangetic plains of India

An experiment was conducted at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India during 2001–2003 to study the effect of levels of fertility and straw mulch on a rapeseed (Brassica campestris var yellow sarson)–greengram (Vigna radiata)–rice (Oryza sativa) cropping system under a rainfed upland ecosystem. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design having 14 treatment combinations of organic and inorganic nutrients along with straw mulch in three replicates. The results revealed that conjunctive use of organic and inorganic nutrients as well as paddy straw mulch resulted higher yield in both rapeseed and greengram, and the residual effects of different levels of fertilization and mulching also gave rise to higher grain yield in the succeeding rice crop. The uptake of nutrients, by the cropping system as a whole, to the tune of 204.29 and 183.00 kg ha^?1 of N, 72.84 and 74.07 kg ha^?1 of P and 179.95 and 175.41 kg ha^?1 of K took place, with the treatment receiving 10 t ha^?1 of farmyard manure (FYM) applied (to rapeseed) along with 50% recommended dose (RD) of NPK to all the crops in the sequence in two consecutive years, respectively. The same treatment resulted in a higher percentage of porosity vis-à-vis lower bulk density. Soil physico-chemical properties were superior in mulch-treated plots compared with no mulch treatment. Application of organic and inorganic nutrients along with proper moisture conservation practices can enhance the yields maintaining a good soil health.     

Anti-Alzheimer’s Molecules Derived from Marine Life: Understanding Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia. It has been confirmed that the pathological processes that intervene in AD development are linked with oxidative damage to neurons, neuroinflammation, tau phosphorylation, amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation, glutamate excitotoxicity, and cholinergic deficit. Still, there is no available therapy that can cure AD. Available therapies only manage some of the AD symptoms at the early stages of AD. Various studies have revealed that bioactive compounds derived from marine organisms and plants can exert neuroprotective activities with fewer adverse events, as compared with synthetic drugs. Furthermore, marine organisms have been identified as a source of novel compounds with therapeutic potential. Thus, there is a growing interest regarding bioactive compounds derived from marine sources that have anti-AD potentials. Various marine drugs including bryostatin-1, homotaurine, anabaseine and its derivative, rifampicins, anhydroexfoliamycin, undecylprodigioisin, gracilins, 13-desmethyl spirolide-C, and dictyostatin displayed excellent bioavailability and efficacy against AD. Most of these marine drugs were found to be well-tolerated in AD patients, along with no significant drug-associated adverse events. In this review, we focus on the drugs derived from marine life that can be useful in AD treatment and also summarize the therapeutic agents that are currently used to treat AD.     

Methane consumption from ambient atmosphere by a Typic Ustochrept soil as influenced by urea and two nitrification inhibitors

The effect of urea and urea mixed with different doses of two nitrification inhibitors, dicyandiamide (DCD) and karanjin [a furanoflavonoid, extracted from seeds of the karanja (Pongamia glabra Vent.) tree], on methane (CH₄) consumption was examined in a Typic Ustochrept (alluvial inceptisol) soil, collected from a field under rice-wheat rotation. The soil, fertilized with urea (100 mg N kg^-1 soil) and urea combined with different doses of the two inhibitors, DCD and karanjin (each added at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% of applied N), was incubated at 25°C, at field capacity moisture content for 35 days. The methane consumption rate ranged between 0.2 and 1.7 µg CH₄ kg^-1 soil day^-1 with little temporal variation (CV =10–31%). It was significantly higher in the control (no fertilizer-N) than other treatments except for a few cases, while total CH₄ consumption in the incubation period was significantly higher in the control than other treatments. Methane consumption rate was found to be negatively and positively correlated with soil NH₄ ⁺ and NO₂ ^- + NO₃ ^- content, respectively. Mean CH₄ consumption rate, as well as total CH₄ consumption, was lower on the addition of karanjin due to slower nitrification and higher conservation of NH₄ ⁺ released from applied urea. Addition of urea led to a 17% reduction of total CH₄ consumption while urea combined with karanjin and DCD had 50–64% and 19–34% reduction, respectively. Karanjin was a more effective nitrification inhibitor than DCD during the incubation period.