Cold tolerance at three salinities in post-larval prawns,Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man)

Post-larval Macrobrachium rosenbergii acclimated to 27, 22, or 16°C and 5, 8, or 14 ‰ were temperature-shocked to 16°C or $\text{13°}\text{16°}\text{C}$ for 1 week. Survival was significantly better in animals acclimated to 22°C or below. Salinity had no significant effect on survival. Growth of post-larvae which had been maintained at 16°C or below for 3 weeks was followed for 1 month at 27°C; it was not significantly different from that of 27°C controls. Slower growth was observed in the 14‰ prawns. These data indicate that post-larvae stocked into cool ponds from warm hatcheries might benefit from pre-acclimation to lower temperatures. Exposure to cold does not adversely affect later growth.     

Endocrine and gonadal changes during the annual reproductive cycle of the freshwater teleost,Stizostedion vitreum

The annual reproductive cycle of walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) was characterized by documenting changes in gonadal development and serum levels of estradiol-17β (E₂), testosterone (T), 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20-P), and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) in wild fish captured from upper midwestern lakes and rivers throughout the year. Fish from the populations used in this study spawn annually in early- to mid-April. Walleye showed group synchronous ovarian development with exogenous vitellogenesis beginning in autumn. Oocyte diameters increased rapidly from ∼ 200 μm in October to ∼ 1,000 μm in November, and reached a maximum of 1,500 μm just prior to spawning. Changes in gonadosomatic indices (GSIs) paralleled changes in oocyte diameters. Serum E₂ levels in females increased rapidly from low values in October (< 0.1 ng ml⁻¹) to peak levels of 3.7 ng ml⁻¹ in November, coinciding with the period of the most rapid ovarian growth. Subsequently, E₂ levels decreased from December through spawning. Serum T levels exhibited a bimodal pattern, increasing to 1.6 ng ml⁻¹ in November, and peaking again at 3.3 ng ml⁻¹ just prior to spawning. We detected 11-KT in the serum of some females at concentrations up to 5.6 ng ml⁻¹, but no seasonal pattern was apparent. In this study (unlike our results in a related study) 17,20-P was not detected. In males, differentiation of spermatogonia began in late August, and by January the testes were filled (> 95% of germ cells) with spermatozoa. Mature spermatozoa could be expressed from males from January through April. GSIs ranged from 0.2% (post-spawn) to 3.2% (pre-spawn). Serum T levels rose from undetectable levels in post-spawn males to 1.6 ng ml⁻¹ by November, remained elevated throughout the winter, and peaked at 2.8 ng ml⁻¹ I prior to spawning. Levels of 11-KT in males remained low (< 10 ng ml⁻¹, from post-spawning through January, then increased significantly by March and peaked just prior to spawning at 39.7 ng ml⁻¹. Our results indicate that vitellogenesis and spermatogenesis are complete or nearly so, in walleye by early winter, and suggest that it may be possible to induce spawning in this species several months prior to the normal spawning season by subjecting fish to relatively simple environmental and hormonal treatments.     

Population viability, ecological processes and biodiversity: Valuing sites for reserve selection

No-take reserves constitute one tool to improve conservation of marine ecosystems, yet criteria for their placement, size, and arrangement remain uncertain. Representation of biodiversity is necessary in reserve planning, but will ultimately fail for conservation unless factors affecting species’ persistence are also incorporated. This study presents an empirical example of the divergent relationships among multiple metrics used to quantify a site’s conservation value, including those that address representation (habitat type, species richness, species diversity), and others that address ecological processes and viability (density and reproductive capacity of a keystone species, in this case, the black chiton, Katharina tunicata). We characterized 10 rocky intertidal sites across two habitats in Barkley Sound, British Columbia, Canada, according to these site metrics. High-richness and high-production sites for K. tunicata were present in both habitat types, but high richness and high-production sites did not overlap. Across sites, species richness ranged from 29 to 46, and adult K. tunicata varied from 6 to 22 individuals m⁻². Adult density was negatively correlated with species richness, a pattern that likely occurs due to post-recruitment growth and survival because no correlation was evident with non-reproductive juveniles. Sites with high adult density also contributed disproportionately greater potential reproductive output (PRO), defined by total gonad mass. PRO varied by a factor of five across sites and was also negatively correlated with species richness. Compromise or relative weighting would be necessary to select valuable sites for conservation because of inherent contradictions among some reserve selection criteria. We suspect that this inconsistency among site metrics will occur more generally in other ecosystems and emphasize the importance of population viability of strongly interacting species.     

Bat diversity in montane rainforest and shaded coffee under different management regimes in southeastern Chiapas, Mexico

Differences in alpha and beta bat diversity among montane rainforest and five shaded coffee plantations under different management regimes, as well as some environmental factors and vegetation parameters influencing bat richness, were evaluated for the first time in southeastern Chiapas, Mexico. In each site, bats were captured every 2 months from March 2004 to July 2005, with six mist-nets, during two nights, using the capture-recapture method. We captured 2970 individuals of 43 bat species. Montane rainforest had the greatest alpha diversity (H′ = 2.681; n = 37), whereas alpha diversity was similar among coffee plantations (H′ = 2.229-2.364; n = 23-26). The number of frugivorous and nectarivorous species was similar among the sites; the greatest exchange in species composition (beta diversity) occurred for insectivorous bats, which reduce their number in coffee plantations as pesticides are incorporated. Bat richness species was significantly related to the number of vegetation strata, height, and cover of trees. We suggest that coffee plantations could act as corridors, facilitating connection among different elements of the landscape in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas for some frugivorous and nectarivorous bats.     

Relation between Soil Health, Wave-like Fluctuations in Microbial Populations, and Soil-borne Plant Disease Management

A healthy soil is often defined as a stable soil system with high levels of biological diversity and activity, internal nutrient cycling, and resilience to disturbance. This implies that microbial fluctuations after a disturbance would dampen more quickly in a healthy than in a chronically damaged and biologically impoverished soil. Soil could be disturbed by various processes, for example addition of a nutrient source, tillage, or drying-rewetting. As a result of any disturbance, the numbers of heterotrophic bacteria and of individual species start to oscillate, both in time and space. The oscillations appear as moving waves along the path of a moving nutrient source such as a root tip. The phase and period for different trophic groups and species of bacteria may be shifted indicating that succession occurs. DGGE, Biolog and FAME analysis of subsequent populations in oscillation have confirmed that there is a cyclic succession in microbial communities. Microbial diversity oscillates in opposite direction from oscillations in microbial populations. In a healthy soil, the amplitudes of these oscillations will be small, but the background levels of microbial diversity and activity are high, so that soil-borne diseases will face more competitors and antagonists. However, soil-borne pathogens and antagonists alike will fluctuate in time and space as a result of growing plant roots and other disturbances, and the periods and phases of the oscillations may vary. As a consequence, biological control by members of a single trophic group or species may never be complete, as pathogens will encounter varying populations of the biocontrol agent on the root surface. A mixture of different trophic groups may provide more complete biological control because peaks of different trophic groups occur at subsequent locations along a root. Alternatively, regular addition of soil organic matter may increase background levels of microbial activity, increase nutrient cycling, lower the concentrations of easily available nutrient sources, increase microbial diversity, and enhance natural disease suppression.     

Effect of rice growth stages and silicon on sheath blight development

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the effect of silicon (Si) and rice growth stages on tissue susceptibility to sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani Kühn) under controlled conditions. Rice plants (cv. Rio Formoso) were grown in pots containing low-Si soil amended with Si at 0, 0.48, 0.96, 1.44, and 1.92 g pot(-1) and inoculated with R. solani at the following days after emergence: 45 (four-leaf stage), 65 (eight-leaf stage), 85 (tillering), 117 (booting), and 130 (panicle exsertion). For plants inoculated with R. solani at all growth stages, Si concentration in straw increased as rate of Si increased from 0 to 1.92 g pot(-1). Concentration of calcium in the straw did not differ among plant growth stages. Although incubation period was not affected by the amount of Si added to the soil, this variable was shorter at booting and panicle exsertion stages. As the rates of Si increased in the soil, the total number of sheath blight lesions on sheaths and total area under the relative lesion extension curve decreased at all plant growth stages. The severity of sheath blight was lower at booting and panicle exsertion stages as the rates of Si increased in the soil. In general, plants grown in Si-nonamended pots and inoculated with R. solani were more vulnerable to infection at all growth stages, but especially at 45 days after emergence. Plant dry weights for inoculated plants increased as the Si rates increased from 0 to 1.92 g pot(-1). The greatest dry weight increases occurred for plants inoculated at booting and panicle exsertion stages. Si fertilization is a promising method for controlling sheath blight in areas where soil is Si deficient and when cultivars that exhibit an acceptable level of resistance to sheath blight are not available for commercial use.     

Artificial infection of Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. and defence responses to Exobasidium species

An inoculation method for Exobasidium splendidum and Exobasidium vaccinii was developed on the dwarf shrub Vaccinium vitis-idaea. Using inoculated ramets, we investigated whether there are differences between V. vitis-idaea populations in the susceptibility to Exobasidium infections and whether the defence reaction of V. vitis-idaea is visible at a molecular level. Sixteen V. vitis-idaea clones from four populations were propagated in tissue cultures and the ramets were inoculated with E. splendidum or E. vaccinii fungi. The expression of three flavonoid biosynthetic genes (chalcone synthase, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase and anthocyanidin synthase) and the accumulation of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids were determined in response to E. splendidum infection. A pathogenesis-related (PR 4) gene was isolated and its expression was studied in host ramet leaves. To our knowledge, this was the first successful artificial infection reported with E. splendidum. Disease frequencies of the inoculated ramets were between 32% and 47% for E. splendidum and 33% for E. vaccinii, but below 10% in uninoculated control ramets. There were no differences in disease frequencies between V. vitis-idaea populations. Both symptomatic leaves and healthy leaves of diseased ramets showed activation of flavonoid biosynthesis at the gene level, whereas expression of PR 4 was observed only in symptomatic leaves. The increase of flavonoid biosynthesis in healthy leaves of diseased ramets may represent a general response to stress or a role in defence against the pathogen E. splendidium. Ability of V. vitis-idaea to defend chemically against Exobasidium fungi and the heterogeneity of genotypes, age, size, and growth rates in host plant populations might be reasons for the low infection incidence of Exobasidia in nature.     

Risk factors for feline infectious peritonitis in Australian cats

The objective of this study was to determine whether patient signalment (age, breed, sex and neuter status) is associated with naturally-occurring feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in cats in Australia. A retrospective comparison of the signalment between cats with confirmed FIP and the general cat population was designed. The patient signalment of 382 FIP confirmed cases were compared with the Companion Animal Register of NSW and the general cat population of Sydney. Younger cats were significantly over-represented among FIP cases. Domestic crossbred, Persian and Himalayan cats were significantly under-represented in the FIP cohort, while several breeds were over-represented, including British Shorthair, Devon Rex and Abyssinian. A significantly higher proportion of male cats had FIP compared with female cats. This study provides further evidence that FIP is a disease primarily of young cats and that significant breed and sex predilections exist in Australia. This opens further avenues to investigate the role of genetic factors in FIP.