The implications and challenges of First Nations forestry negotiations in British Columbia,Canada: The Tl’azt’en Nation experience

Abstract

This article examines the implications and limitations of First Nations forestry negotiations in British Columbia (BC), Canada by assessing how effectively the Tl’azt’en Nation is able to realize benefits under the current form of negotiations. The primary goal of the Tl’azt’en Nation has always been to defend their Aboriginal interests within their ancestral lands, which would entail the cessation of clear-cutting on their traditional territory. Although the community has pursued some economic opportunities in the forestry sector to improve their socioeconomic conditions, despite their efforts, the socioeconomic status of the community remains unchanged. The collective experience of the Tl’azt’en Nation illustrates that simply obtaining certain forest tenures and short-term-based revenue sharing agreements does not adequately meet their forestry and self-sufficiency goals. Without addressing the fundamental issues and challenges facing the community, the current practice of forestry negotiations between the Provincial government and the Tl’azt’en Nation has produced no significant benefits to the community.     

Geographical and botanical variation in concentrations of copper,molybdenum, sulphur and iron in sheep pasture plants in Norway

Abstract

To obtain a better knowledge basis for the correct supply of Cu to sheep in Norway, a systematic, countrywide investigation of element composition of pasture plants was conducted, with emphasis on natural pastures. Samples of pasture grass, herbs, willow shrub leaves and bilberry (N = 575) from 142 locations were analysed for Cu, Mo, S and Fe. A large geographical variation was observed for Mo concentration and Cu:Mo ratio, a somewhat smaller variation for Fe, while Cu and S concentrations showed limited geographical variation. The Mo variation led to a Cu:Mo ratio <2 in 2% of the samples and >20 in 62% of samples, confirming that the trace element composition of Norwegian sheep pastures may represent a risk of Cu deficiency as well as Cu overload, depending on location. A considerable botanical variation was also observed, in particular for Cu and Mo.     

Notes on Ectotrophic Mycorrhizae of Pinus patula in South Africa

The discovery of ectotrophic mycorrhizae of Pinus patula Schlecht. et Cham. formed by Boletus edulis Bull, ex Fr., Amanita muscaria (L. ex Fr.) Pers. ex Hooker and possibly Tuber rapaeodorum Tul. et Tul. and Lycoperdon umbrinum Pers. is described. Aseptic culturing of mycorrhizae was carried out with A. muscaria and B. edulis, and chemical tests employed in agaricology, applied to these species and L. umbrinum to determine their association with natural mycorrhizae.     

Effect of Pichia membranaefaciens on ROS metabolism and postharvest disease control in citrus fruit

The yeast Pichia membranaefaciens has antagonistic effects against a wide range of phytopathogenic fungi that cause postharvest fruit decay. This work evaluated the effects of P. membranaefaciens on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism and disease control in harvested citrus fruit (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck). The lesion diameter caused by Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitatum on citrus fruit was remarkably reduced when the fruit was point-inoculated or dipped in a suspension of P. membranaefaciens at 1 × 10⁸ CFU mL⁻¹. The application of P. membranaefaciens on citrus fruit enhanced the activity of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, as well as the levels of hydrogen peroxide, the superoxide anion and glutathione, but inhibited the decreasing ascorbic acid content. Furthermore, catalase activity was decreased by the same treatment. These results indicated that yeast treatment induced the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes which might have antagonistic effects against postharvest green and blue mold infection in citrus fruit.     

Antibacterial Activity of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids against Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus

New compounds are needed to treat acne and superficial infections caused by Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus due to the reduced effectiveness of agents used at present. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) are attracting attention as potential new topical treatments for Gram-positive infections due to their antimicrobial potency and anti-inflammatory properties. This present study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of six LC-PUFAs against P. acnes and S. aureus to evaluate their potential to treat infections caused by these pathogens. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined against P. acnes and S. aureus, and the LC-PUFAs were found to inhibit bacterial growth at 32–1024 mg/L. Generally, P. acnes was more susceptible to the growth inhibitory actions of LC-PUFAs, but these compounds were bactericidal only for S. aureus. This is the first report of antibacterial activity attributed to 15-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (15-OHEPA) and 15-hydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (HETrE), while the anti-P. acnes effects of the six LC-PUFAs used herein are novel observations. During exposure to the LC-PUFAs, S. aureus cells were killed within 15–30 min. Checkerboard assays demonstrated that the LC-PUFAs did not antagonise the antimicrobial potency of clinical agents used presently against P. acnes and S. aureus. However, importantly, synergistic interactions against S. aureus were detected for combinations of benzoyl peroxide with 15-OHEPA, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA) and HETrE; and neomycin with 15-OHEPA, DGLA, eicosapentaenoic acid, γ-linolenic acid and HETrE. In conclusion, LC-PUFAs warrant further evaluation as possible new agents to treat skin infections caused by P. acnes and S. aureus, especially in synergistic combinations with antimicrobial agents already used clinically.     

土壤类型对烟田土壤中微生物的影响

对不同类型的烟田土壤中细菌、固氮菌、放线菌及真菌进行分离,对不同微生物种群进行数量和多样性分析.结果表明,不同类型烟田土壤中,黄棕壤中细菌和固氮菌数量均高于紫色土.黄棕壤烟田土壤中细菌、固氮菌、放线菌及真菌变化速率分别高于紫色土中4种微生物变化速率;在黄棕壤烟田土壤中,细菌、固氮菌、放线菌及真菌变化速率呈现递减规律.黄棕壤中4种微生物根土比之和高于紫色土.黄棕壤中细菌与真菌数量的比值(B/F)几乎都高于紫色土.黄棕壤根际土中微生物菌群多样性指数与非根际土中微生物菌群多样性指数之比高于紫色土.     

GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations

In 2012, genetically engineered (GE) crops were grown by 17.3 million farmers on over 170 million hectares. Over 70% of harvested GE biomass is fed to food producing animals, making them the major consumers of GE crops for the past 15 plus years. Prior to commercialization, GE crops go through an extensive regulatory evaluation. Over one hundred regulatory submissions have shown compositional equivalence, and comparable levels of safety, between GE crops and their conventional counterparts. One component of regulatory compliance is whole GE food/feed animal feeding studies. Both regulatory studies and independent peer-reviewed studies have shown that GE crops can be safely used in animal feed, and rDNA fragments have never been detected in products (e.g. milk, meat, eggs) derived from animals that consumed GE feed. Despite the fact that the scientific weight of evidence from these hundreds of studies have not revealed unique risks associated with GE feed, some groups are calling for more animal feeding studies, including long-term rodent studies and studies in target livestock species for the approval of GE crops. It is an opportune time to review the results of such studies as have been done to date to evaluate the value of the additional information obtained. Requiring long-term and target animal feeding studies would sharply increase regulatory compliance costs and prolong the regulatory process associated with the commercialization of GE crops. Such costs may impede the development of feed crops with enhanced nutritional characteristics and durability, particularly in the local varieties in small and poor developing countries. More generally it is time for regulatory evaluations to more explicitly consider both the reasonable and unique risks and benefits associated with the use of both GE plants and animals in agricultural systems, and weigh them against those associated with existing systems, and those of regulatory inaction. This would represent a shift away from a GE evaluation process that currently focuses only on risk assessment and identifying ever diminishing marginal hazards, to a regulatory approach that more objectively evaluates and communicates the likely impact of approving a new GE plant or animal on agricultural production systems.     

苦豆子条带对棉田捕食性天敌发生的影响

【目的】 研究田埂边苦豆子(Sophora alopecuroides L.)条带对棉田内捕食性天敌发生及其控蚜作用的影响,为棉花生产中田埂合理保留保育天敌的功能性杂草、促进棉田天敌保育与害虫自然控制提供科学依据。【方法】 系统调查田边苦豆子条带及棉田天敌与害虫种群,罩笼评价天敌控害功能。【结果】 苦豆子与棉花上捕食性天敌种类基本相同、群落结构相似,苦豆子条带上各类主要捕食性天敌的数量均显著高于棉田。处理棉田(棉田边有苦豆子条带)中瓢虫、草蛉、蜘蛛密度分别为对照棉田(棉田边无杂草)的1.3、3.4和4.5倍,发生高峰期较对照棉田提前一周左右。6月上旬和8月,处理棉田的捕食性天敌和蚜虫之间的益害比显著高于对照棉田。处理棉田捕食性天敌对棉蚜控害指数显著高于对照棉田。【结论】 苦豆子杂草带对有益天敌具有明显保育作用,能促进棉田捕食性天敌的发生与生物控害。     

石油烃污染土壤生物修复工程实例

针对江苏某原油管道泄露石油污染土壤开展了修复治理工程,修复土方量共计4902.5m3,工程采用异位生物修复对石油烃污染土壤进行了无害化处理,所用生物修复药剂为森诺公司自主研发的营养盐。工程结果表明:对于该项目初始浓度约为45000mg/kg的石油烃污染土壤,通过森诺自研发营养元素刺激土著菌的生长,在适宜条件下,土壤中的石油烃能够达到项目的修复目标值(≤4500mg/kg)。工程项目石油烃污染土壤生物降解最优条件为:药剂投加比为2%,pH值为中性7,含水率为35%,降解时间为90d;增加药剂投加量和降解时间能提高污染土壤中石油烃的去除率,在土壤含水率为20%～50%或pH值为6～8的范围内,过高或过低的土壤含水率和pH值会抑制生物对土壤中石油烃的微生物降解。     

天山新疆段及南北麓草地植被覆盖度时空变化特征研究

天山草地分布面积广阔,不仅是新疆畜牧业发展的主要支撑,也在维护生态安全方面具有重要贡献。为了解天山新疆段草地植被覆盖度的动态特征与变化趋势,以2001-2020年MODIS NDVI产品为主要数据源,采用像元二分模型估算植被覆盖度,运用转移矩阵和趋势分析法研究其变化特征,并利用地理探测器模型分析驱动因素。结果表明,研究区草地多年平均植被覆盖度在0.34～0.42波动,主要以中低、中植被覆盖度为主,各等级植被覆盖度大致呈西部高覆盖东部低覆盖的分布特征;从变化趋势来看,研究区草地植被覆盖度总体上有上升趋势,盆地周围覆盖度增加、中部山区其变化基本稳定,增加和基本稳定的区域面积占总面积的10.41%和89.16%;从地理探测器运行结果来看,单因子作用解释最大的是降水量,q为18%,当降水量与海拔交互作用时对研究区草地植被覆盖度的影响更为明显。研究结果可为天山草地生态安全保护与质量评估提供参考依据。