Transition From Sagebrush Steppe to Annual Grass (Bromus tectorum): Influence on Belowground Carbon and Nitrogen

Vegetation changes associated with climate shifts and anthropogenic disturbance have major impacts on biogeochemical cycling. Much of the interior western United States currently is dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) ecosystems. At low to intermediate elevations, sagebrush ecosystems increasingly are influenced by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) invasion. Little currently is known about the distribution of belowground organic carbon (OC) on these changing landscapes, how annual grass invasion affects OC pools, or the role that nitrogen (N) plays in carbon (C) retention. As part of a Joint Fire Sciences-funded project called the Sagebrush Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), we quantified the depth distribution of soil OC and N at seven sites experiencing cheatgrass invasion. We sampled plots that retained sagebrush, but represented a continuum of cheatgrass invasion into the understory. Eighty-four soil cores were taken using a mechanically driven diamond-tipped core drill to a depth of 90 cm, or until bedrock or a restrictive layer was encountered. Samples were taken in 15-cm increments, and soil, rocks, and roots were analyzed for OC and total N. We determined that cheatgrass influences the vertical distribution of OC and N within the soil profile and might result in decreased soil OC content below 60  cm. We also found that OC and total N associated with coarse fragments accounted for at least 10% of belowground pools. This emphasizes the need for researchers to quantify nutrients in deep soil horizons and coarse fragments.     

Molecular epidemiology of Shiga toxin‐producing O113:H21 isolates from cattle and meat

The serotype O113:H21 is considered one of the relevant non‐O157 STEC serotypes associated with severe human infections. Due to the increased detection of O113 strains and their relationship with clinical cases, which emphasizes the importance of this serogroup as an emerging pathogen, our aim was to determine the characteristics of STEC O113:H21 strains circulating in bovine cattle and retail meat from Argentina. For this purpose, we determined the presence and combinations of various virulence genes (and their variants) related to adhesion and toxicity in a collection of 34 isolates. Their genetic relatedness using multiple‐locus variable‐number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) was also studied. Subtyping of stx genes indicated that O113:H21 strains circulating in Argentina mainly present stx_2a alone or together with stx_2c or, less frequent, with stx_2d, all of which are subtypes associated with human disease. We found plasmid markers, such as saa, ehxA and subA, in a higher proportion than previous studies, and five variants of saa, two of which were novel ones. In relation to MLVA subtyping, we detected a limited diversity among the isolates considering that several loci were not discriminative and, that in some farms, the same clone seemed to remain circulating throughout the year. The O113:H21 strains studied harbour several toxin and adhesion genes (saa, espP, fimCD, ehaA, iha, hcpA, elfA, lpfO113, ecpA, subA, cdt‐V) and Stx subtypes associated with human disease. Results also highlighted that subtyping of stx and saa is useful to discriminate O113:H21 strains that share virulence genes. In conclusion, this study shows that a number of O113:H21 strains that occur in foods and bovines could be pathogenic for humans. This situation calls for further attention in the prevention and control of foodborne disease caused by these strains.     

Influence of Prescribed Fire on Ecosystem Biomass,Carbon, and Nitrogen in a Pinyon Juniper Woodland

Increases in pinyon and juniper woodland cover associated with land-use history are suggested to provide offsets for carbon emissions in arid regions. However, the largest pools of carbon in arid landscapes are typically found in soils, and aboveground biomass cannot be considered long-term storage in fire-prone ecosystems. Also, the objectives of carbon storage may conflict with management for other ecosystem services and fuels reduction. Before appropriate decisions can be made it is necessary to understand the interactions between woodland expansion, management treatments, and carbon retention. We quantified effects of prescribed fire as a fuels reduction and ecosystem maintenance treatment on fuel loads, ecosystem carbon, and nitrogen in a pinyon–juniper woodland in the central Great Basin. We found that plots containing 30% tree cover averaged nearly 40 000 kg · ha^?1 in total aboveground biomass, 80 000 kg · ha^?1 in ecosystem carbon (C), and 5 000 kg · ha^?1 in ecosystem nitrogen (N). Only 25% of ecosystem C and 5% of ecosystem N resided in aboveground biomass pools. Prescribed burning resulted in a 65% reduction in aboveground biomass, a 68% reduction in aboveground C, and a 78% reduction in aboveground N. No statistically significant change in soil or total ecosystem C or N occurred. Prescribed fire was effective at reducing fuels on the landscape and resulted in losses of C and N from aboveground biomass. However, the immediate and long-term effects of burning on soil and total ecosystem C and N is still unclear.     

Pharmacokinetics of cefpodoxime in plasma and subcutaneous fluid following oral administration of cefpodoxime proxetil in male beagle dogs

Kumar, V., Madabushi, R., Lucchesi, M. B. B., Derendorf, H. Pharmacokinetics of cefpodoxime in plasma and subcutaneous fluid following oral administration of cefpodoxime proxetil in male beagle dogs. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 34 , 130–135. Pharmacokinetics of cefpodoxime in plasma (total concentration) and subcutaneous fluid (free concentration using microdialysis) was investigated in dogs following single oral administration of prodrug cefpodoxime proxetil (equivalent to 5 and 10 mg/kg of cefpodoxime). In a cross over study design, six dogs per dose were utilized after a 1 week washout period. Plasma, microdialysate, and urine samples were collected upto 24 h and analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. The average maximum concentration (C_max) of cefpodoxime in plasma was 13.66 (±6.30) and 27.14 (±4.56) μg/mL with elimination half‐life (t_1/2) of 3.01 (±0.49) and 4.72 (±1.46) h following 5 and 10 mg/kg dose, respectively. The respective average area under the curve (AUC_0–∞) was 82.94 (±30.17) and 107.71 (±30.79) μg·h/mL. Cefpodoxime was readily distributed to skin and average free C_max in subcutaneous fluid was 1.70 (±0.55) and 3.06 (±0.93) μg/mL at the two doses. Urinary excretion (unchanged cefpodoxime) was the major elimination route. Comparison of subcutaneous fluid concentrations using pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic indices of fT_>MIC indicated that at 10 mg/kg dose; cefpodoxime would yield good therapeutic outcome in skin infections for bacteria with MIC₅₀ upto 0.5 μg/mL while higher doses (or more frequent dosing) may be needed for bacteria with higher MICs. High urine concentrations suggested cefpodoxime use for urinary infections in dogs.     

Are ricefields a good alternative to natural marshes for waterbird communities in the Camargue, southern France?

Rice cultivation has frequently been suggested to provide an important wetland habitat for waterbirds. However, in contrast to most other regions of the Mediterranean, the Camargue still has a substantial amount of surface area of natural marshes. Thus, we compared the abundance, species richness, and community composition of waterbirds in ricefields and natural marshes of the Camargue, during a one-year study. Based on surveys conducted at 4–7 day intervals in 1997–1998, our results suggest that natural marshes had substantially greater abundance of waterbirds, with ca. 99% of the individuals having been observed in natural marshes. Estimates of species richness and associated parameters further indicated that ricefields were clearly less rich than natural marshes. Although our results were rather striking for the Camargue, they may not be applicable to other regions because of the relatively high availability of natural marshes and differences in management of ricefields.     

Characterisation and management of Phalaris paradoxa resistant to ACCase-inhibitors

Phalaris paradoxa is a competitive grass commonly found in durum wheat crops of central and southern Italy. Among the 85 populations screened from 1998 to 2008 for resistance to ACCase-inhibitors and graminicide sulfonylureas, 17 resulted as being resistant to at least one ACCase inhibitor while none of the populations showed resistance to sulfonylureas. ACCase resistance in hood canary-grass seems to be spreading rather slowly in Italy. Out of the 17 populations, seven were characterised through outdoor dose-response pot experiments to investigate resistance levels and cross-resistance patterns to ACCase-inhibitors and multiple resistance to other mode of action. Molecular bases of resistance to the recently introduced DEN herbicide pinoxaden were also investigated. Six populations were confirmed to be ACCase-resistant with various cross-resistance patterns. Two populations were resistant to all tested ACCase herbicides, with pinoxaden resistance indexes (RI) based on survival ranging from 22 to 50. The two populations have been molecularly characterised for resistance to pinoxaden. A single point-mutation in the ACCase gene was identified in each population, causing the amino-acid substitutions of Ile₁₇₈₁Val and Asp₂₀₇₈Gly in 0478L and 0025, respectively. The results suggest that resistance of P. paradoxa to pinoxaden is due to an altered target site and different mutations cause different resistance levels. The biological characteristics of the species, mainly self-pollinated, and the absence of multiple resistance allow herbicides with different modes of action to be used for controlling ACCase-resistant populations. Chemical tools should be carefully used within integrated weed management strategies.