Growth response of Ficus benjamina to limited soil volume and soil dilution in a skeletal soil container study

The interactive effects of rooting volume and nutrient availability in a skeletal soil medium designed to meet street tree and pavement needs were observed in a containerized experiment. Benjamin fig (Ficus benjamina L.) was grown in a stone-soil blended skeletal soil material (CU-Soil™) and compared to a loam soil. The same topsoil used as the soil component in the skeletal soil material was used as the sole component in the comparison soil-only treatment.Plants grown in the skeletal soil material had reduced leaf tissue N content and depressed growth compared with plants grown in non-diluted soil. No other mineral deficiencies were found. Leaf number, chlorophyll concentration, shoot weight, and root characteristics were all affected.Reduced growth from soil dilution could be offset by the provision of an enlarged rooting volume for root development. Large containers of skeletal soil were observed to have smaller root systems compared to equivalent net volumes of loam soil at the first two harvest dates of the study. By the end of the study, the large containers of skeletal soil were observed to have developed larger root systems compared to equivalent net volumes of loam soil; resulting in comparable leaf N levels and total plant dry matter. Plants in skeletal soil had lower shoot: root ratios at the end of the study. Investing resources to further root growth in times of nutrient shortages is a probable plant reaction as evidenced by differences in specific root length between treatments. The study allowed a method for directly partitioning the containerization effect by having equivalent amounts of soil over two volumes.     

Quantification of stress sensitive markers in single fecal samples do not accurately predict excretion of these in the pig

All feces produced during 24 h were collected from five pigs and cortisol and immunoreactive cortisol metabolites (CICM), and IgA were quantified. Within pigs, the concentrations of CICM and IgA varied extensively between random samples obtained from a single fecal dropping, and deviated in most cases significantly from the true concentration measured in total fecal output (CV 6.7-130%). The CICM and IgA contents varied considerably (CV 8.1-114%) within and between individual fecal droppings from the same pig compared to the total fecal excretion. In conclusion, single random samples could not be used to reliably quantify the total fecal concentration or excretion of CICM or IgA in pigs. Analyses of all feces collected during shorter periods than 24 h did not provide an accurate estimate of the daily excretion of CICM. Thus, the concentration of stress sensitive molecules in random single fecal samples as an indicator of animal welfare should be interpreted with prudence.     

Identity of mass-flowering crops moderates functional trait composition of pollinator communities

Landscape Ecology - Pollinator declines and functional homogenization of farmland insect communities have been reported. Mass-flowering crops (MFC) can support pollinators by providing floral...     

Regional variability in landscape effects on forest bird communities

Landscape Ecology - Functional responses to landscape heterogeneity are context-dependent, hampering the transferability of landscape-scale conservation initiatives. Japan provides a unique...     

Variation in parasitoid attraction to herbivore-infested plants and alternative host plant cover mediate tritrophic interactions at the landscape scale

Landscape Ecology - Tritrophic interactions may be affected by local factors and the broader landscape context. At small spatial scales, carnivorous enemies of herbivorous insects use...     

Family by environment interactions in shell size of 43-day old silver-lip pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima), five families reared under different nursery conditions

To understand the influence the environment and associated genotype by environment interactions will exert on future silver-lip pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) selective breeding programs, this study assessed the relative performance in four shell growth traits of spat from five full-sib families, when spat were communally reared at different salinities (29, 34 and 40 ppt), food availability (high, medium and low), food quality (high, medium and low), and in a hatchery vs. ocean environment for 43 days.Rearing environment was found to influence growth expression, with significant differences evident when oysters were grown at different salinities in the ocean instead of hatchery, or when fed algae of differing nutritional quality. As indicated by MANOVA, family comparative growth performances were also altered when the environment changed, with significant environment by family interactions apparent in the food quality, food availability and hatchery vs. ocean rearing treatments. Changes in salinity, however, did not affect relevant family performances.These results indicate that growth and relative family performance in P. maxima may change dependent on local environmental conditions and that genotype by environment effects may need to be considered in breeding programs for this species.