ULTRASONOGRAPHY OF ALIMENTARY LYMPHOSARCOMA IN THE CAT

Clinical, radiological and ultrasonographic findings from 22 cats with gastrointestinal lymphosarcoma were reviewed. The most common clinical findings were anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, lethargy, depression, fever, anemia and a palpable abdominal mass. Abdominal radiographs of 12 cats revealed a mass associated with the gastrointestinal tract and/or mesentery, and decreased serosal detail, suggestive of peritoneal effusion. The most common ultrasonographic finding was transmural gastric or intestinal thickening associated with loss of normal wall layering, reduced wall echogenicity and localized hypomotility. As is noted in people, other patterns such as transmural-segmental, transmural-nodular, transmural-bulky and mucosal infiltration were represented. In 3 cats, mesenteric lymph-adenopathy was responsible for most of the mass-effect. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy, automated microcore biopsy, endoscopic biopsy or necropsy confirmed the diagnosis of lymphosarcoma in all cats. Chemotherapy was instituted in 19 cats. Only 6 cats had a complete response to treatment. The results of this study indicate that ultrasonography is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of feline alimentary lymphosarcoma and that biopsies can be obtained under ultrasonographic guidance.     

Increased abundance of patatins,lipoxygenase and miraculins in a thaxtomin A-habituated potato Russet Burbank somaclone with enhanced resistance to common scab

Potato common scab caused by the actinobacterium Streptomyces scabiei is characterized by the formation of corky lesions on tubers that reduce their marketability. Management of common scab is very complex and often ineffective under various environmental conditions. Using potato varieties that are more resistant to common scab remains one of the most efficient strategies to control this disease. However, very little is known about the factors associated with resistance to common scab. Somaclone RB9 regenerated from thaxtomin A-habituated potato Russet Burbank calli produced tubers more resistant to common scab than the original variety. Comparison of the RB9 tuber proteome with that of Russet Burbank using label-free quantitative proteomic analysis revealed changes in the accumulation of defence-related proteins from the patatin and lipoxygenase (LOX) families, which are involved in the metabolism of lipids, and of two miraculins of the Kunitz-type protease inhibitors family. The implication of LOX during common scab infection was studied using synchronized minitubers developed from leaf-bud cuttings. S. scabiei infection stimulated the accumulation of LOX in both Russet Burbank and RB9 minitubers, but this accumulation was intensified in RB9 minitubers. Infection also increased LOX activity in Russet Burbank and RB9 minitubers. However, LOX activity measured in noninfected RB9 minitubers was similar to that of infected Russet Burbank minitubers, indicating endogenous activation of LOX activity in RB9 minitubers. We discuss how increased LOX abundance and activity in the somaclone RB9 may contribute to improving tuber defence against common scab.     

Review on estimation of evapotranspiration from remote sensing data: From empirical to numerical modeling approaches

Different methods have been developed to estimate evapotranspiration from remote sensing data, from empirical approaches such as the simplified relationship to complex methods based on remote sensing data assimilation along with SVAT models. The simplified relationship has been applied from small spatial scale using airborne TIR images to continental scale with NOAA data. Assimilation procedures often require remote sensing data over different spectral domains to retrieve input parameters which characterize surface properties such as albedo, emissivity or Leaf Area Index. A brief review of these different approaches is presented, with a discussion about the main physical bases and assumptions of various models. The paper reports also some examples and results obtained over the experimental area of the Alpilles Reseda project, where various types of models have been applied to estimate surface fluxes from remote sensing data.     

Logging pattern and landscape changes over the last century at the boreal and deciduous forest transition in Eastern Canada

Forestry practices associated with the industrial era (since ~1900) have altered the natural disturbance regimes and greatly impacted the world’s forests. We quantified twentieth century logging patterns and regional scale consequences in three sub-boreal forest landscapes of Eastern Canada (117,000, 49,400 and 92,300 ha), comparing forestry maps depicting age and forest cover types for early industrial (1930) and present-day (2000) conditions. Results were similar for the three landscapes, indicating large-scale forest change during the twentieth century. In 1930, previous logging activities had been concentrated in the lowlands and along the main hydrographical network, as compared to a more even distribution over the landscapes in 2000, reflecting a decreasing influence of the environmental constraints on forest harvesting. In 1930, old-aged forests (>100 years) accounted for more than 75% of the unlogged areas of the three landscapes, as compared to less than 15% for the present-day conditions. Logging practices have thus inverted the stand age distribution of the landscapes that are currently dominated by young and regenerating stands. The 1930 forest cover types showed a clear relationship with elevation, with conifers located in the lowlands and mixed and deciduous stands restricted to the upper slopes. Between 1930 and 2000, 58–64% of the conifer areas transformed to mixed and deciduous forests, such that no clear altitudinal relationships remained in 2000. We conclude that twentieth century logging practices have strongly altered the preindustrial vegetation patterns in our study area, to the point that ecosystem-based management strategies should be developed to restore conifer dominance, altitudinal gradients, as well as the irregular structure inspired from old forest stands.     

BMC ecology image competition 2017: the winning images

For the fifth year, BMC Ecology is proud to present the winning images from our annual image competition. The 2017 edition received entries by talented shutterbug-ecologists from across the world, showcasing research that is increasing our understanding of ecosystems worldwide and the beauty and diversity of life on our planet. In this editorial we showcase the winning images, as chosen by our Editorial Board and guest judge Chris Darimont, as well as our selection of highly commended images. Enjoy!     

Consequences of a large-scale fragmentation experiment for Neotropical bats: disentangling the relative importance of local and landscape-scale effects

Context

Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation are widespread drivers of biodiversity decline. Understanding how habitat quality interacts with landscape context, and how they jointly affect species in human-modified landscapes, is of great importance for informing conservation and management.

Objectives

We used a whole-ecosystem manipulation experiment in the Brazilian Amazon to investigate the relative roles of local and landscape attributes in affecting bat assemblages at an interior-edge-matrix disturbance gradient.

Methods

We surveyed bats in 39 sites, comprising continuous forest (CF), fragments, forest edges and intervening secondary regrowth. For each site, we assessed vegetation structure (local-scale variable) and, for five focal scales, quantified habitat amount and four landscape configuration metrics.

Results

Smaller fragments, edges and regrowth sites had fewer species and higher levels of dominance than CF. Regardless of the landscape scale analysed, species richness and evenness were mostly related to the amount of forest cover. Vegetation structure and configurational metrics were important predictors of abundance, whereby the magnitude and direction of response to configurational metrics were scale-dependent. Responses were ensemble-specific with local-scale vegetation structure being more important for frugivorous than for gleaning animalivorous bats.

Conclusions

Our study indicates that scale-sensitive measures of landscape structure are needed for a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of fragmentation on tropical biota. Although forest fragments and regrowth habitats can be of conservation significance for tropical bats our results further emphasize that primary forest is of irreplaceable value, underlining that their conservation can only be achieved by the preservation of large expanses of pristine habitat.

     

Climate change will affect the ability of forest management to reduce gaps between current and presettlement forest composition in southeastern Canada

Landscape Ecology - Forest landscapes at the boreal–temperate ecotone have been extensively altered. Reducing the gap between current and presettlement forest conditions through...