Promoting community-based bird monitoring in the tropics: Conservation,research, environmental education,capacity-building,and local incomes

Long-term, locally-based biodiversity monitoring programs are essential for understanding and mitigating the effects of global change on tropical biodiversity while providing capacity-building, environmental education, and public outreach. However, these programs are lacking in most tropical countries. Birds are the best-known major group of organism, comprise excellent environmental indicators, are relatively easy to monitor, and are met with enthusiasm and interest by people worldwide. Bird monitoring programs using mist nets and bird banding (ringing) are especially valuable, as these well-established techniques enable the use of capture-mark-recapture (CMR) models to measure population change and other demographic parameters. Equally important for conservation, the ability to capture and release birds makes it possible to provide hands-on ornithological training and educational activities to students, conservationists, villagers, decision-makers, journalists, and other local people. Bird banding programs provide local jobs for research assistants, who often go on to productive careers in conservation, education, research, or ecotourism. Long-term bird banding stations also provide the nuclei, infrastructure, and staff for monitoring, education, and conservation programs focused on other taxa. As successful examples from Costa Rica and Ethiopia show, bird monitoring programs that integrate conservation, ecological research, environmental education, capacity-building, and income generation are cost-effective tools to achieve the goals of community-based biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction in the developing world. Therefore, locally-based and long-term bird monitoring programs should be encouraged, established, and funded throughout the tropics.     

Efficacy and persistence of native entomopathogenic nematodes against Capnodis tenebrionis in peach (Prunus persica) orchard in Turkey

Phytoparasitica - Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) have an important potential in the biological control of agricultural soil pests. Efficacy and persistence of native EPN species from Turkey were...     

Integrating pine honeydew honey production into forest management optimization

Pine honeydew honey is an economically important non-wood forest product from eastern Mediterranean Pinus brutia forests, which are also important for timber production. Pine honey is produced by bees that feed on the honeydew secretions of Marchalina hellenica, a scale insect that infests pine stands and feeds on pine sap. The aim of this study was to optimize the joint production of pine honeydew honey and timber by maximizing the soil expectation value of pine stands. The simulation of P. brutia stand dynamics and timber production in healthy and infested stands is based on individual-tree growth and yield models that account for the effect of M. hellenica on tree- and stand-level growth and mortality. The optimization procedure uses a direct search method based on nonlinear programming. The results suggest that pine stands growing on good sites should be managed using rather short rotations and mainly aiming at timber production. In contrast, forest management in medium- and poor-quality sites should aim at longer rotations by taking advantage of the joint production of pine honey and timber assortments. Honey-oriented forest management can be much more profitable than timber production in stands growing on medium and poor sites. Pine honey represents an opportunity to increase the value and economic profitability of P. brutia forests.     

Shear-activated nanotherapeutics for drug targeting to obstructed blood vessels

Obstruction of critical blood vessels due to thrombosis or embolism is a leading cause of death worldwide. Here, we describe a biomimetic strategy that uses high shear stress caused by vascular narrowing as a targeting mechanism--in the same way platelets do--to deliver drugs to obstructed blood vessels. Microscale aggregates of nanoparticles were fabricated to break up into nanoscale components when exposed to abnormally high fluid shear stress. When coated with tissue plasminogen activator and administered intravenously in mice, these shear-activated nanotherapeutics induce rapid clot dissolution in a mesenteric injury model, restore normal flow dynamics, and increase survival in an otherwise fatal mouse pulmonary embolism model. This biophysical strategy for drug targeting, which lowers required doses and minimizes side effects while maximizing drug efficacy, offers a potential new approach for treatment of life-threatening diseases that result from acute vascular occlusion.     

Consistency of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) thermostability in ripening apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.): evidence for the presence of thermostable PPO forming and destabilizing mechanisms in apricots

Destabilization of thermostable polyphenol oxidase (TS-PPO) during the ripening of peaches has been previously shown (Yemenicio?lu, A.; Cemero?lu, B. Tr. J. Agric. For. 1998, 22, 261-265). This work studied the effect of ripening on thermal stability of apricot PPO for three different cultivars. Kabaa?i cultivar contained thermolabile PPO, whereas TS-PPO appeared in Hacihalilo?lu and Catalo?lu cultivars. The TS-PPO showed biphasic inactivation curves, and its D and z values between 60 and 90 degrees C varied in the ranges of 357-1.12 min and 11.9-12.7 degrees C, respectively. In Hacihalilo?lu cultivar the TS-PPO was very consistent and existed at all stages of ripening, whereas in Catalo?lu cultivar it appeared only at the half-ripe stage. The loss of consistent TS-PPO in Hacihalilo?lu apricots after partial purification by acetone precipitation and DEAE-cellulose chromatography suggested the non-covalent nature of its stabilization. The main purified fractions (F1 and F2) showed monophasic inactivation curves with similar thermal inactivation parameters (z(F1) = 10.4 degrees C, z(F2) = 10.1 degrees C). However, their kinetic properties against catechol (K(mF1) = 61 mM, K(mF2) = 122.7 mM) and substrate specificities were considerably different. The results of this study showed the presence of TS-PPO forming and destabilizing mechanisms in apricots. Further studies are needed for the solution of these mechanisms and to develop some new strategies that may be utilized by molecular techniques for a planned production of apricot cultivars provided with heat labile but normal PPO activity.     

Bioaccumulation, Detection and Analyses of Heavy Metal Pollution in Sultan Marsh and Its Environment

Sultan Marsh is one of the largest and most important wetlands in Turkey, Middle East and Europe, embodying saline and fresh water ecosystems, which provide a shelter for 426 bird species. The area has begun to contribute much to the tourism of Kayseri state and its environs. However, the sites in the vicinity of the sewerage – sludge and fertilizer plants are highly damaged due to pollution. As such, studies on the heavy metal status of water, sediment and plants were investigated. Phragmites australis, Ranunculus sphaerosphermus plants and samples of sediments were taken from 13 different stations of this Marsh. All sampling sites in the study area basin were generally more or less polluted when compared with the control sites. Cr concentrations in the roots of the plants were higher than in the sediment. The tissues of Phragmites australis accumulated heavy metals more than those of Ranunculus sphaerosphermus. The heavy metal accumulation in different parts of plants followed the sequence: root > stem > leaf. Both plants can be used as biological indicators while determining environmental pressures; however, Phragmites australis proved more appropriate for such studies.     

Sour Orange (Citrus Aurantium L.) Growth is Strongly Mycorrhizal Dependent in Terms of Phosphorus (P) Nutrition Rather than Zinc (Zn)

The partial sterilization of soil eliminates useful microorganisms, resulting in the reduced growth of mycorrhizae-dependent citrus plants, which are often unresponsive to the application of fertilizer. Research was conducted to test the hypothesis that indigenous mycorrhizae (IM) inoculation is as efficient as selected mycorrhizal inoculation under sterile and non-sterile soil conditions. Rhizophagus clarus and indigenous mycorrhiza spores, isolated from citrus orchards, were used as arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi under greenhouse conditions with sterile and non-sterile Çanakçi series (Typic xerofluvent) soils with low phosphorus (P) fertility. Different P (0 and 100 mg kg^?1) and zinc (Zn) (0, 5 and 10 mg kg^?1) concentrations were used at the start of the experiments. The shoot, root dry weight (RDW), root colonization, and P, Zn, iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) concentrations of the shoot were determined; mycorrhizae dependency (MD) was also calculated.

The results indicate that R. clarus and indigenous mycorrhiza in sterile and non-sterile soil conditions considerably increased the growth of citrus plants. Owing to existing beneficial indigenous rhizosphere microorganisms, citrus plant growth without inoculation was better in non-sterile soils than in the sterile soils. In non-sterilized soil, the plant growth parameters of R. clarus-inoculated soils were higher than those of indigenous mycorrhiza-inoculated soils. Mycorrhizae infection increased certain citrus plant growth parameters, such as root infection, biomass and nutrient uptake (P, Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu). In sterile soil, the addition of up to 5 mg kg^?1 soil Zn and the inoculation of R. clarus significantly increased plant growth; inoculation with indigenous mycorrhiza produced more dry weight upon the addition of up to 100 mg kg^?1 phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅). Under sterile soil conditions, without considering fertilizer addition, MD was found to be higher than that of non-sterile soils. In general, the contribution of the indigenous soil spores is significant. However, indigenous soil mycorrhizae may need to be managed for better efficiency in increasing plant growth and nutrient uptake. The major finding was that the inoculation of citrus seedlings with mycorrhiza is necessary under both sterilized and non-sterilized soil conditions.     

Nutrient Removal in a Three-Step Sequencing Batch Reactor with Different Carbon Sources

A three-step sequencing batch reactor was used for nutrient (COD, NH₄-PO₄-P) removal from synthetic wastewater by using different carbon sources. The operation consisted of anaerobic, anoxic and oxic (An/Ax/Ox) phases with durations of 2/1/4.5 h. Different carbohydrates, glucose, lactose, sucrose, maltose and a mixture of glucose/maltose (50/50), were used as the sole carbon source in the first phase of experiments. Sludge age was kept constant at 10 days. Glucose was found to be the most suitable carbohydrate source with percent COD, NH₄-N and PO₄-P removals of 96%, 99% and 94%, respectively. Nutrient removals obtained with sucrose as the sole carbon source were close to those obtained with glucose. A mixture of glucose and organic acids (50/50) such as acetic, citric, propionic and butyric acid were used as carbon source in the second phase of the experiments. Maximum percent COD, NH₄-N and PO₄-P removals were 93%, 97% and 96%, respectively when a mixture of glucose and acetic acid (50/50) was used. Glucose-citric acid (50/50) combination also resulted in comparable nutrient removals.     

Effects of Various Parameters on Removal of NO2 Gases in Fixed Beds by Adsorption on Sepiolite

Removal of NO₂ gases in fixed beds was investigatedby using brownish, whitish and regenerated whitish sepioliteand perlite as adsorbents. For this purpose, NO₂ wasproduced by reaction of copper with nitric acid. The producedgas was mixed with air and the mixture was sent through a fixedbed. Studies were conducted using various gas flow rates,NO₂ concentrations, packing sizes and heights of bed.Remaining NO₂ within the gas mixture leaving the column,unadsorbed on packing, was further absorbed by passing itthrough a series of washing bottles, filled by a solution ofNaOH. At the end of the study, it was observed that theadsorption capacity of sepiolites, especially whitishsepiolite, was much higher than that of perlite. Additionally,it was seen that its adsorption capacity increased withincreasing bed height, particle size, NO₂ concentrationand decreasing gas flow rate.     

Phenolic Compounds,Antioxidant Activity,Fatty Acids and Volatile Profiles of 18 Different Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Cultivars and Genotypes

The study was carried out to determine phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, total lipids, saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of 18 different walnut (Juglans regia L.) cultivars and genotypes grown in Usak province, Turkey. The biochemical compounds were identified for each cultivar and genotype and a comparative evaluation was carried out. The results showed that most of the biochemical compounds are significantly varying among each other (p?<?0.05). The existence and abundance of the biochemical compounds in the cultivars and genotypes have not only found to be a cause of differentiation, but they have been important parameters for the similarities among the cultivars and genotypes. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity ranged from 750.67 to 1245.64?mg GAE ml^?1 and from 42.46 to 56.50% in kernels, respectively. The highest contents of the phenolic compounds were noted from gallic acid (11991?mg kg^?1), ellagic acid (1057.16?mg kg^?1), catechin (425.4?mg kg^?1), and rutin (216.6?mg kg^?1), as an average of all cultivars and genotypes. The highest lipid contents were noted from ‘Franquette’ and ‘Fernette’ as 64.28% and 63.26%, respectively, while the lowest content was noted from ‘Oguzlar 77’ (52.52%). A total of 42 VOCs were described from the 18 different walnut cultivars and genotypes. Overall, results showed that the phenolic profiles, fatty acids composition, and VOCs play an important role in similarities and diversities among the cultivars. According to the results, 7 different clusters were developed from the 18 cultivars and genotypes. Herein, ‘Fernor’, ‘Maras 18’, ‘Arslan Local Type’ and ‘Cisco’ cultivars were found to have the lowest biochemical compositions. The superior cultivars or genotypes, in terms of the abundance of the biochemical composition, were found to be ‘Gulizar Hanim Type’, ‘Lara’, ‘Pedro’, ‘Tulane’, ‘Fernette’, ‘Balkan’ and ‘Franquetta’, where they were found to develop 3 clusters by 1:3:3, respectively.