Rapid ecological response and intensified knowledge accumulation following a north European mega-fire

Deepened knowledge on response of biota and ecological processes following fire is essential for a future with warmer climate and more disturbances. In 2014 the first mega-fire (13,100 ha) for at least a century in Scandinavia hit south-central Sweden, in a production forest landscape shaped by clearcutting forestry. Ecological dynamics is followed in >20 projects from universities, authorities and citizen science initiatives, rapidly accumulating substantial amounts of data. We outline projects and summarize their results during the first four years, demonstrating a rapid succession of fungi, lichens, vascular plants, birds, mammals, ticks, butterflies, beetles, and drastically altered carbon dynamics. We characterize forest operations including regeneration measures and point to patterns in pest and pathogen infestations. 8,000 ha is set aside for natural succession, with the rest harvested and managed for forest production, offering excellent opportunities for studies on salvage logging effects, already evident for birds. We demonstrate a strong regrowth of deciduous trees, and the protected part will in some decades likely develop into the largest deciduous-dominated area in boreal north Europe outside Russia. Continued studies of biodiversity and ecological processes are urgent for this unique area.     

The tree species matrix,influence on the level of herbivore browsing in mixed forest stands in southwest Sweden†

Herbivory pressure on a forest stand and each plant individual may be affected by the spatial distribution of conspecific and allospecific plants on the site; whether the plants are standing in solitary or groupwise settings; or by the differences in the preference of plants in relation to each other. The study was conducted in southwest Sweden, where 120 plots (1508?m²) were visited and 1280 individual woody plants evaluated and measured. We tested the hypothesis that preferred woody plants can protect unpreferred conspecific and allospecific woody species against herbivory in a system with one dominant, generalist herbivore, the fallow deer (Dama L.), and that the effectiveness of this protection varies depending on the relative preference of the neighboring conspecific and allospecific woody species placed in conspecific groups or standing solitary. Our results support the hypothesis that preferred woody plants can protect unpreferred conspecific and allospecific woody species against herbivory in the case of Picea abies dominating stands.     

QTL analysis and mapping of pre-harvest sprouting resistance in Sorghum

One of the most important agronomic problems in the production of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in humid climates is pre-harvest sprouting (PHS). A molecular linkage map was developed using 112molecular markers in an F₂ mapping population derived from a cross between IS 9530 (high resistance to PHS) and Redland B2 (susceptible to PHS). Two year phenotypic data was obtained. By means of interval mapping analysis, two significant QTL were detected in two different linkage groups with LOD scores of 8.77and 4.39. Each of these two QTL individually explained approximately 53% of the phenotypic variance, but together, in a two-QTL model, they explained 83% of the phenotypic variance with a LOD score of 12.37.These results were corroborated by a one-way ANOVA in which the four flanking markers of the most likely QTL positions displayed highly significant values in theF-test, and significant variation in trait expression was associated with marker genotypic classes. The four markers with highest effect in the one-way ANOVA were also detected in the second year replication of the F₂ population, and significant genotype × environment interactions was observed. The putative relationship between PHS resistance in sorghum and the maize Vp1 gene is also discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

High-speed assessment of fat and water content distribution in fish fillets using online imaging spectroscopy

A nondestructive method using online spectral imaging has been developed for quantitative measurements of moisture and fat distribution in six species of fish fillets: Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), catfish (Icatalurus punctatus), cod (Gadus morhua), mackerel (Scomber japonicus), herring (Clupea harengus), and saithe (Pollachius virens). A spectral image cube was acquired for each fish fillet, and a subsampling approach for relating spectral and chemical features was applied. Spectral data was first analyzed by partial least-squares regression (PLSR), and then the regression coefficients were applied pixel-wise to convert the pixel spectra to a meaningful distribution map of moisture and fat contents. The resulting images are called "chemical images", which illustrate the distribution of fat and/or water content in the fillets. The pixel-wise prediction models for water and fat content had a correlation value of 0.94 with root-mean-square error estimated by a cross-validation (RMSECV) of 2.73% and a correlation value of 0.91 with RMSECV of 2.99%, respectively. This technique is suitable for high-speed assessment of quality parameters of biomaterials and should thus be implemented in industrial applications. The product could comprehensively be defined not only in terms of its external features such as size, shape, and color but also in terms of its chemical composition and its spatial distribution.     

Enhanced osteoblast differentiation on scaffolds coated with TiO2 compared to SiO2 and CaP coatings

The aim was to compare the protein release from normal human osteoblasts (NHO) cultured on scaffolds with similar morphology but different coatings. Different ceramic coatings; TiO(2), SiO(2) and calcium phosphate (CaP); Ca(9)HPO(4)(PO(4))(5)OH, were applied to porous TiO(2) scaffolds prepared by polymer sponge replication. NHO were cultured on scaffolds in triplicates. The concentration of cytokines and Ca(2+), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the cell media was quantified. The secretion of osteopontin, osteoprotegerin, vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-6 was higher from NHO on TiO(2) compared to SiO(2) and CaP. The secretion from cells on the three scaffolds was, however, either similar or lower than the control cells cultured on plastic. The Ca(2+) concentration was higher in cell media on CaP the first week, and no difference in ALP activity was observed. TiO(2) coating induced a higher secretion of factors indicating enhanced osteoblast differentiation as compared to CaP and SiO(2).     

Redescription of some Thelandros and Tachygonetria spp. (Pharyngodonidae: Oxyuroidea) from the omnivorous plated lizard,Gerrhosaurus validus validus A. Smith, 1849 in South Africa

Thelandros schusteri Hering-Hagenbeck, 2001, Thelandros luciusi Hering-Hagenbeck, 2001, Thelandros boomkeri Hering-Hagenbeck, 2001, Tachygonetria bainae Hering-Hagenbeck, 2001, Tachygonetria chabaudi Hering-Hagenbeck, 2001 and Tachygonetria petterae Hering-Hagenbeck, 2001 from the plated lizard, Gerrhosaurus validus validus A. Smith 1849 from three localities in the north-eastern region of South Africa are redescribed. Classification keys are available only for the males of the species and because male and female nematodes in copula were not observed in this study as well as the similarity of the females, it was not possible to identify the females to the species level. Thelandros schusteri, Thelandros boomkeri and Thelandros luciusi were provisionally paired with female Type E, Tachygonetria bainae with female Type C, Tachygonetria chabaudi with female Type A and Tachygonetria petterae with female Type D. Female Types B and F could not be paired. The richness and composition of species of the Pharyngodonidae of Gerrhosaurus validus validus is close to that of tortoises and differs from the pharyngodonid fauna of the insectivorous lizards that have been studied. In the latter, only the genera Spauligodon, Skrjabinodon and Parapharyngodon were recovered. The pharyngodonid fauna of Gerrhosaurus validus validus seems to have originated by capture from local herbivorous reptiles. The three Tachygonetria spp. most closely resemble forms in South African tortoises. The three Thelandros spp. redescribed here not only show strong similarities to those of herbivorous Agama spp., but also to those parasitic in tortoises and could have been acquired from either.     

Effects on stream water chemistry and forest vitality after whole-catchment application of dolomite to a forest ecosystem in southern Norway

An acidified, 0.8 km² coniferous-forested catchment was limed with 3 t ha⁻¹ of coarse-grained dolomite powder in September 1994. The liming resulted in an immediate change in runoff water chemistry relative to the stream of an adjacent reference catchment. pH, calcium, magnesium and acid neutralising capacity (ANC) increased and inorganic Al decreased after liming. Potential favourable water quality for sensitive organisms remained relatively constant over the post-liming period (7 years), and model simulations indicate that adequate water quality may last for an additional 40–50 years. NO₃ concentrations showed no significant change due to liming. A significant increasing trend in TOC was attributed to liming. Concentrations of Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn were lower in the limed stream than in the reference stream during a period of 3 years after liming, whereas concentrations of As, Cu, and Pb were not significantly different. Steep slopes, thin soils, high amounts of precipitation and thus dominance of surface and subsurface flow in this catchment may explain the rapid response in runoff. During the first 6 years after liming there have been no significant effects on tree growth and vitality (crown density and crown colour). This experiment shows that liming of forested catchments may be a viable method to obtain long-term improvement in water quality and potential positive effects for acid-sensitive aquatic organisms.