Soils of mountainous forest-steppe in the southwestern part of Khentei Ridge (Mongolia)

The study of soil cover in the mountainous forest-steppe on the southwestern macroslope of Khentei Ridge has shown that the spatial distribution of soils is controlled by the ruggedness of topography, slope aspects, geocryological conditions, and the thickness of loose deposits. The soils belong to the orders of lithozems and organo-accumulative soils (Mollic Leptosols) of the postlithogenic trunk of pedogenesis. Dark-humus and mucky–dark-humus horizons of the organic matter accumulation are characteristic features of these soils. The investigated area is differentiated according to the soil moistening conditions on the slopes of different aspects. Favorable growth conditions for dwarf birch and Siberian larch at the southern boundary of the boreal forests in Mongolia are explained by the relatively high moistening of mucky–darkhumus lithozems and mucky–dark-humus soils developed on windward northern slopes and on mountain terraces in places of the local snow accumulation by wind. An important role in preservation of forest vegetation belongs to permafrost in small cirque-like depressions.     

Island differences in population size structure and catch per unit effort and their conservation implications for Komodo dragons

Species inhabiting archipelagos are often characterised by high levels of interpopulation divergence (e.g. size related traits). This divergence may, in turn, influence their life-history. To facilitate better management and conservation of the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), an island endemic, we identified demographic differences between two island populations in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. Comparison of data collected from dragon populations inhabiting Rinca Island and the much smaller Gili Motang Island indicated that between 1994 and 2004, the Komodo dragon population on Gili Motang significantly decreased its: (1) mean body mass, (2) body condition and (3) relative abundance. These results suggest that the numerically small Gili Motang population was oscillating downwards; in contrast, the Rinca Island population had been relatively stable. More importantly these results emphasize the necessity for managers of this priority conservation species to understand further the inherent functional differences among dragon populations to develop island specific management units. Current management practices (e.g. monitoring) instigated by Komodo National Park management ignore small island dragon populations and thus run the risk of being unable to detect adverse effects for populations that are potentially most prone to decline.     

Genetic specificity and geography of taiga soils in the central part of the Baikal region

A specific feature of the development of automorphic taiga soils in the Baikal region is the lack of correspondence between the weak intensity of the soil chemical weathering and the high intensity of the removal of alkaline-earth elements from the soil profile in the form of suspensions. The loss of the clay fraction affects the water-physical properties of these soils and their temperature regime. The areas of different soil types in the northern and middle taiga zones have been calculated on the basis of soil maps of different scales. It is shown that podburs and acid soddy taiga soils predominate in these zones; the area of podzols, which were previously considered to be the dominant soil type in the middle and southern taiga zones, is smaller.     

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle − Based Rangeland Monitoring: Examining a Century of Vegetation Changes

Rangelands comprise a large component of the terrestrial land surface and provide critical ecosystem services, but they are degrading rapidly. Long-term rangeland monitoring with detailed, nonsubjective, quantitative observations can be expensive and difficult to maintain over time. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide an alternative means to gather unbiased and consistent datasets with similar details to field-based monitoring data. Comparing summer 2017 UAV images with long-term plot measurements, we demonstrate that rangeland vegetation cover changes can be accurately quantified and estimate an increase in total absolute shrub/subshrub cover from 34% in 1935 to > 80% in 2017 in central Arizona. We recommend UAV image-based rangeland monitoring for land managers interested in a few specific and dominant species, such as the foundation species, indicator species, or invasive species that require targeted monitoring. Land managers can identify and continuously monitor trends in rangeland condition, health, and degradation related to specific land use policies and management strategies.     

Analysis of genetic variability of aluminium tolerance response in triticale

Comparative analyses of genetic variability of aluminium tolerance response were made in a range of triticale genotypes of two sets, one consisting of six Australian cultivars (or lines), the other consisting of eight South African lines and an Australian check, by following solution culture and screening under controlled growth cabinet conditions. Results showed that Tahara, Tahara ‘S’ and Abacus were the most Al-tolerant triticales among the Australian genotypes in terms of root regrowth characteristics at 10 μg.g^-1 Al. The 19th ITSN 70-4, along with the standard cultivar Tahara was superior to all other South African genotypes; the eight South African genotypes spanned the range from Al-tolerant, moderately Al-tolerant to Al-sensitive. Regrown root length and percentage of seedlings with root regrowth were the two key indicators for screening and evaluating Al tolerance response. Considerable genetic variability of tolerance to Al stress among the two sets of tested genotypes was revealed by the estimates of genetic parameters. High heritability values were recorded for those two indicators, with associated high levels of relative genetic advance (RGA). Further improvement of varietal tolerance to Al stress in triticale could be anticipated through selection and breeding. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Increase of resistance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> plants to phytopathogenic fungi expressing hevein-like peptides from weed plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stellaria media</Emphasis>

It is shown that constitutive hyperexpression of new hevein-like peptides from the weed plant chickweed (Stellaria media)in mouse-ear cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants leads to a substantial increase of their resistance to phytopathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea and Bipolaris sorokiniana. Thus, common chickweed peptides can play a definite role in protecting this weed plant and be useful as a new genetic tool for producing plants resistant to fungal diseases.