Leaf physiology and morphology of Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh., Castanea mollissima Blume,and three backcross breeding generations planted in the southern Appalachians,USA

Backcross breeding programs have been used to transfer disease resistance and other traits from one forest tree species to another in order to meet restoration objectives. Evaluating the field performance of such material is critical for determining the success of breeding programs. In eastern North America, The American Chestnut Foundation has a backcross breeding program that uses Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) to introduce resistance of the fungal pathogen chestnut blight [Cryphonectria parasitica (Murr.) Barr.] to the native American chestnut [Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh.]. We compared physiological and morphological characteristics among seedlings of American chestnut, Chinese chestnut, and BC₁F₃, BC₂F₃, and BC₃F₃ hybrid chestnuts during their fourth growing season after field-planting. American chestnut and the BC₃F₃ breeding generation displayed photosynthetic light-response curves that were similar to each other but different from Chinese chestnut. Rates of photosynthesis were higher for American chestnut and the BC₃F₃ breeding generation when compared to Chinese chestnut for light levels ≥800 μmol m^?2 s^?1 photosynthetic photon flux density and for maximum photosynthetic capacity. Leaf morphology variables were not different between American chestnut and any of the breeding generations, but leaf area (on a per leaf basis) of Chinese chestnut was lower than that of any other chestnut type. Our results suggest that backcross breeding can be used to transfer desirable traits for restoration of native species threatened by non-native pathogens.     

Salinity tolerance during early development of threatened Murray hardyhead (Craterocephalus fluviatilis) to guide environmental watering

1. The worldwide reduction in wetlands has led to the large‐scale decline of wetland‐dependent species. In Australia, to redress some of the decline, partial restoration of the hydrology of a small number of wetlands has been attempted using allocations of environmental water.
2. A common goal of the watering is the maintenance and enhancement of native fish communities, which historically have included populations of the salt tolerant Murray hardyhead (Craterocephalus fluviatilis), a small, short‐lived fish, endemic to the lower Murray–Darling Basin.
3. Despite the addition of environmental water to several sites at which the species is known to persist, populations continue to decline. This decline is, at least in part, suspected to be a consequence of salinities that conflict with the breeding ecology and survival of early life stages.
4. Here the effect of salinity on egg hatch rate and the upper salinity tolerance of larval and juvenile Murray hardyhead was determined under laboratory conditions. It was found that eggs were vulnerable to elevated salinities, whereas juveniles were capable of tolerating salinities up to 105 ppt.
5. Based on the results of the experiment, brackish wetlands managed for Murray hardyhead should be maintained, where possible, between 12 and 45 ppt. Such a salinity regime will necessitate less intensive management of salinity, and a reduced volume of environmental water, providing both environmental and fiscal benefits. The research highlights the benefits of investment in targeted research.

     

Effect of aluminum uptake on growth and enzyme activity in Pisum sativum var. ‘Alaska’ and ‘Little Marvel’

It is usually assumed that plant tissue responses to nutritional elements are due to specific genetic differences that may exist either between inbred or closely related species. Little Marvel (dwarf) and Alaska (normal) varieties of 14‐day old pea seedlings were treated with four different concentrations of Al‐containing nutrient solution (0.0mM, 0.2mM, 0.6mM and distilled H₂O), prior to being exposed for 14 days to either DARK, LIGHT, or UV. Selected tissues (root tip, main root, main stem and proximal stem) were bioassayed for peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzyme activities, fresh wt vs. dry wt, water uptake and stem growth. The present study suggests that Little Marvel and Alaska pea tissue responds to high toxicity levels of Al by demonstrating an enhancement of enzymic activity. Tissue weight, growth and water uptake also show differential tissue specificity in both Little Marvel and Alaska tissue, in terms of Al toxicity response, given a particular external exposure.     

Evaluating the non-consumptive, positive effects of a predator in the persistence of an endangered species

Failure to consider both the consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predators on prey can lead to erroneous conclusions about the net effect of the relationship. The predatory devil crayfish, Cambarus diogenes Girard functions as an ecosystem engineer constructing extensive burrow systems through aquatic habitats. Despite crayfish posing a serious predation threat, preliminary data indicate that the federally endangered Hines Emerald dragonfly larvae, Somatochlora hineana Williamson regularly inhabit crayfish burrows. During late summer, S. hineana larval habitat dries up; leaving crayfish burrows as some of the only wetted habitats. Thus, C. diogenes can affect S. hineana through both direct, negative and indirect positive effects. We examined the positive role of crayfish burrows as drought refuges, and the threat of predation by C. diogenes on S. hineana larvae. Monthly field sampling indicated that S. hineana use open channel areas in spring and early summer moving into burrow systems in mid summer when channel areas normally dry. Laboratory experiments and field observations confirmed that crayfish prey on S. hineana larvae. Adult crayfish were a larger predation threat than juvenile crayfish. Despite their negative predatory impact, removal of crayfish from burrows in the field did not enhance densities of S. hineana larvae. Although S. hineana may face the threat of predation in burrows, they face a greater risk of desiccation if they remain in the open channel. These results lead to the counterintuitive conclusion that the maintenance of a predator is important for conserving an endangered prey species.     

Interactions between 14C-labelled atrazine and the soil microbial biomass in relation to herbicide degradation

A laboratory incubation experiment was set up to determine the effects of atrazine herbicide on the size and activity of the soil microbial biomass. This experiment was of a factorial design (0, 5, and 50 g g^–1 soil of non-labelled atrazine and 6.6×10³ Bq g^–1 soil of ¹⁴C-labelled atrazine) x (0, 20, and 100 g g^–1 soil of urea-N) x (pasture or arable soil with a previous history of atrazine application). Microbial biomass, measured by substrate-induced respiration and the fumigation-incubation method, basal respiration, incorporation of ¹⁴C into the microbial biomass, degradation of atrazine, and ¹⁴C remaining in soil were monitored over 81 days. The amount of microbial biomass was unaffected by atrazine although atrazine caused a significant enhancement of CO₂ release in the non-fumigated controls. Generally, the amounts of atrazine incorporated into the microbial biomass were negligible, indicating that microbial incorporation of C from atrazine is not an important mechanism of herbicide breakdown. Depending on the type of soil and the rate of atrazine application, 18–65% of atrazine was degraded by the end of the experiment. Although the pasture soil had twice the amount of microbial biomass as the arable soil, and the addition of urea approximately doubled the microbial biomass, this did not significantly enhance the degradation of atrazine. This suggests that degradation of atrazine is largely independent of the size of the microbial biomass and suggests that other factors (e.g., solubility, chemical hydrolysis) regulate atrazine breakdown. A separate experiment conducted to determine total amounts of ¹⁴C-labelled atrazine converted into CO₂ by pasture and arable soils showed that less than 25% of the added ¹⁴C-labelled atrazine was oxidised to ¹⁴CO₂ during a 15-week period. The rate of degradation was significantly greater in the arable soil at 24%, compared to 18% in the pasture soil. This indicates that soil microbes with previous exposure to atrazine can degrade the applied atrazine at a faster rate.     

Acidic mammalian chitinase in asthmatic Th2 inflammation and IL-13 pathway activation

Chitin is a surface component of parasites and insects, and chitinases are induced in lower life forms during infections with these agents. Although chitin itself does not exist in humans, chitinases are present in the human genome. We show here that acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) is induced via a T helper-2 (Th2)-specific, interleukin-13 (IL-13)-mediated pathway in epithelial cells and macrophages in an aeroallergen asthma model and expressed in exaggerated quantities in human asthma. AMCase neutralization ameliorated Th2 inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness, in part by inhibiting IL-13 pathway activation and chemokine induction. AMCase may thus be an important mediator of IL-13-induced responses in Th2-dominated disorders such as asthma.     

Paleoindian seafaring, maritime technologies, and coastal foraging on California's Channel Islands

Three archaeological sites on California's Channel Islands show that Paleoindians relied heavily on marine resources. The Paleocoastal sites, dated between ~12,200 and 11,200 years ago, contain numerous stemmed projectile points and crescents associated with a variety of marine and aquatic faunal remains. At site CA-SRI-512 on Santa Rosa Island, Paleocoastal peoples used such tools to capture geese, cormorants, and other birds, along with marine mammals and finfish. At Cardwell Bluffs on San Miguel Island, Paleocoastal peoples collected local chert cobbles, worked them into bifaces and projectile points, and discarded thousands of marine shells. With bifacial technologies similar to those seen in Western Pluvial Lakes Tradition assemblages of western North America, the sites provide evidence for seafaring and island colonization by Paleoindians with a diversified maritime economy.     

CO2-forced climate and vegetation instability during Late Paleozoic deglaciation

The late Paleozoic deglaciation is the vegetated Earth's only recorded icehouse-to-greenhouse transition, yet the climate dynamics remain enigmatic. By using the stable isotopic compositions of soil-formed minerals, fossil-plant matter, and shallow-water brachiopods, we estimated atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and tropical marine surface temperatures during this climate transition. Comparison to southern Gondwanan glacial records documents covariance between inferred shifts in pCO2, temperature, and ice volume consistent with greenhouse gas forcing of climate. Major restructuring of paleotropical flora in western Euramerica occurred in step with climate and pCO2 shifts, illustrating the biotic impact associated with past CO2-forced turnover to a permanent ice-free world.