Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Grazing-induced changes in plant-soil feedback alter plant biomass allocation

Large vertebrate herbivores, as well as plant-soil feedback interactions are important drivers of plant performance, plant community composition and vegetation dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it is poorly understood whether and how large vertebrate herbivores and plant-soil feedback effects interact. Here, we study the response of grassland plant species to grazing-induced legacy effects in the soil and we explore whether these plant responses can help us to understand long-term vegetation dynamics in the field. In a greenhouse experiment we tested the response of four grassland plant species, Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus and Rumex acetosa, to field-conditioned soils from grazed and ungrazed grassland. We relate these responses to long-term vegetation data from a grassland exclosure experiment in the field. In the greenhouse experiment, we found that total biomass production and biomass allocation to roots was higher in soils from grazed than from ungrazed plots. There were only few relationships between plant production in the greenhouse and the abundance of conspecifics in the field. Spatiotemporal patterns in plant community composition were more stable in grazed than ungrazed grassland plots, but were not related to plant-soil feedbacks effects and biomass allocation patterns. We conclude that grazing-induced soil legacy effects mainly influenced plant biomass allocation patterns, but could not explain altered vegetation dynamics in grazed grasslands. Consequently, the direct effects of grazing on plant community composition (e.g. through modifying light competition or differences in grazing tolerance) appear to overrule indirect effects through changes in plant-soil feedback.
Genetic architecture of plant height in winter rye introgression libraries

With 4 figures and 1 table Abstract Plant height is an important trait for breeding and as fitness criterion in natural populations of rye (Secale cereale L.). Our objectives were to investigate the inheritance of plant height in rye introgression libraries and estimate the covariation between per se and testcross performance. Two introgression libraries containing each of 40 BC2S3 candidate introgression lines (pre-ILs) were tested at five locations in two years for per se and testcross performance. Donor population was the Iranian primitive rye accession Altevogt 14160. Plant height of the donor population was 145 ± 3.6 cm as population and 152 ± 2.9 and 132 ± 2.8 cm when crossed to the two testers, respectively. Pre-ILs were much closer to the recurrent parent, but still most of them exceeded the recurrent parent in per se performance. Estimates of the genotypic variance were significant (P = 0.01) for both per se and testcross performance. Entry-mean heritabilities were high in both libraries (0.97 and 0.94, respectively). Donor chromosome segments (DCS) of 59 of 72 pre-ILs had a significant (P = 0.05) effect on plant height compared to the recurrent parent. For the testcrosses, 10 pre-ILs still contributed DCS with significantly (P = 0.05) taller effects. Genotypic correlations between pre-ILs per se and as testcrosses were moderate for the two testers. In conclusion, plant height per se has a complex inheritance with many loci spread across the entire genome. Hybrid breeding, however, facilitates the use of genetic resources because the tallness is less pronounced in the testcrosses.
Revision of the crustacean amphipod genus Jassa leach (Corophioidea : ischyroceridae)

The crustacean amphipod genus Jassa is revised to encompass the type species J. falcata (Montagu, 1808), the previously recognized species J. ingens (Pfeffer, 1888), J. herdmani (Walker, 1893), J. pusilla (G. O. Sars, 1894), and J. marmorata Holmes, 1903, and the new species J. alonsoae, J. borowskyae, J. carltoni, J. fenwicki, J. gruneri, J. hartmannae, J. justi, J. morinoi, J. myersi, J. oclairi, J. shawi, J. slatteryi, J. staudei, and J. thurstoni. Jassa odontonyx (G. O. Sars, 1894) is synonymized with J. pusilla, and J. pulchella Leach, 1814 is confirmed as synonymous with J. falcata. Jassa wandeli Chevreux, 1906, J. multidentata Schellenberg, 1931, J. goniamera Walker, 1903, J. barnardi Stephensen, 1949, J. lilipuna J. L. Barnard, 1970, and J. ocia (Bate, 1862) will be assigned to other genera. The nomenclatural disposition of other species that were at one time assigned to the genus Jassa is also given. The genus Jassa can be distinguished from its closest relatives by the following key characters: .
Movement Patterns and Migrations in Crabs: Telemetry of Juvenile and Adult Behaviour in Callinectes Sapidus and Maja Squinado

Late stage juveniles and adults of Callinectes sapidus in Chesapeake Bay, USA, and Maja squinado off the Ria de Arousa, Spain, were compared for ontogenetic changes in movement patterns (speed, distance, orientation) and habitat selection (depth, substrate) using ultra-sonic telemetry and published information. After settling in submerged grass beds in the lower Bay, 20-mm juvenile C. sapidus disperse long distances into low salinity sub-estuaries to feed and grow to maturity in two years. Within the Rhode River sub-estuary, juvenile C. sapidus moved with a mean speed of 12 m h1 in nearshore shallows (1·1 m); whereas adults averaged 24 m h·1 in the deeper (2·9 m) channel areas and moved freely in and out of the main estuary. Individuals of both life stages exhibited a pattern of slow meandering (juveniles, 2 m h1, adults 10 m h·1) within a limited area, alternating with faster, directionally-oriented movement (both stages >50 m h·1) between meandering sites. Juvenile and adult males over winter in deeper water nearby, while inseminated females migrate long distances into high salinity areas to incubate the eggs. Callinectes sapidus completes the migration cycle only once per 2·5-y generation. Maja squinado settles on rocks in shallow kelp forests in the coastal zone, where they grow to maturity in 2 y. Juveniles moved slowly (0·5 m h·1) while meandering without directional orientation on shallow (4 m) small patch reefs during summer. After the pubertal moult in summer, adults also meandered slowly (1 m h·1) mostly on rocks at slightly greater depth (7 m). In late summer and autumn, newly mature and older adults moved with directional orientation into deeper (10·40 m) water for the winter, until migrating back to the shallows for the summer; whereas juveniles remained inshore on rocks for the winter. Adult M. squinado live several years after puberty and complete the seasonal migratory cycle several times during their lives.
Spectrally Efficient Differential Space-Time Coding Using Non-Full-Diverse Constellations

In this paper, a method is proposed to construct spectral-efficient unitary space–time codes for high-rate differential communications over multiple-antenna channels. Unlike most of the known methods, which are designed to maximize the diversity product (the minimum determinant distance), our objective is to increase the spectral efficiency. The simulation results indicate that for high spectral efficiency and for more than one receive antenna, the new method significantly outperforms the existing alternatives. In the special case of two transmit antennas, which is the main focus of this paper, the relation between the proposed code and the Alamouti scheme helps us to provide an efficient maximum-likelihood decoding algorithm. Also, we demonstrate that similar ideas can be applied for designing codes for more than two transmit antennas. As an example, we present a construction for a 4 $times$ 4 unitary constellations which has a good performance, as compared with the other known codes.
Phage Types of multidrug resistant Salmonella species in a rural area of Maharashtra, India

Objective: The aim of the present study is to know Phage typing and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Salmonella species. Methods: A total of 32 Salmonella species isolated from stool and blood specimen were included in the study. They were sent for phage typing to Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. Antimicrobial susceptibility was done by using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: Majority of Salmonella typhi belongs to phage type E1 and biotype I. Decreased susceptibility of the isolate was observed to Ampicillin, Cotrimoxazole, Cephalexin and Gentamicin. Majority of the isolates were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin. Conclusion: Predominant phage type was E1. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern is changing and resistant cases are emerging due to inappropriate use of antibiotics. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/bjms.v11i1. 9821 BJMS 2012; 11(1): 37-39
Variation in female mate preference across a grasshopper hybrid zone

A method for studying variation in female preference among populations free from the confounding effects of variation in male characters is described. This method is applied to sixteen populations in a transect across a hybrid zone in the grasshopper, Chorthippus parallelus. Significant variation in preference is revealed among populations. The pattern of this variation is analysed in the context of the reinforcement model of speciation. While the data do indicate an increased homogamic preference on one side of the zone relative to more distant populations, this pattern cannot be distinguished statistically from an abrupt transition in preference over a distance of less than 1 km. We argue that either of these patterns implies that selection operates on female preferences in the hybrid zone.
Phosphate and adenosine‐5'‐triphosphate uptake by cyanobacteria and heterotrophic bacteria in the Sargasso Sea

We used flow cytometry sorting to quantify assimilation of phosphate and adenosine‐59‐triphosphate (ATP) by heterotrophic bacteria and the cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus during the fall of 2007 and 2008 and the spring of 2009 in the western Sargasso Sea. Phosphate and ATP uptake rates per cell were 50‐fold and 80‐fold higher, respectively, for Synechococcus than for the other two microbial groups, whereas there was no significant difference between ATP and phosphate uptake per cell by Prochlorococcus and heterotrophic bacteria. Both cyanobacterial groups had higher rates of phosphate uptake per surface area than did the heterotrophic bacteria; Synechococcus had the highest rates per cellular phosphorus (P)‐quota for ATP uptake, and Prochlorococcus usually had lower rates. Heterotrophic bacteria had the lowest uptake rates of ATP and phosphate per cellular P quota. In contrast, total uptake of phosphate and ATP per liter of seawater was dominated by heterotrophic bacteria, while uptake by Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus was less than 10% of the total, as a result of their low abundance (15% and 1.5% of total prokaryotes, respectively). Uptake rates of phosphate and ATP for heterotrophic bacteria and Prochlorococcus were less tightly coupled than for Synechococcus, and phosphate appeared to be favored over ATP for all three groups. Uptake rates of both compounds by Synechococcus were much higher than by the other microbial groups. Cyanobacteria are successful competitors for phosphate and ATP in the Sargasso Sea.
GERD—even more complicated than you thought

Carlson et al . present a study published in Neurogastroenterology and Motility in which they utilized the EndoFLIP ® device (Crospon, Galway Ireland) to evaluate the esophageal response to distention among 25 patients who had previously undergone esophageal pH monitoring while off acid suppression medications (1). FLIP is short for functional luminal imaging probe technology. Esophageal reflux was measured by the acid exposure time (AET).
Propriedades químicas de um Neossolo Quartzarênico sob diferentes sistemas de manejo no Cerrado mato-grossense

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de diferentes usos da terra e sistemas de manejo do solo, nas caracteristicas quimicas de um Neossolo Quartzarenico, no Cerrado de Mato Grosso. Os tratamentos estudados foram: cerrado nativo; uma pastagem de baixa produtividade com 22 anos de implantacao; plantio convencional com 1 e 4 anos de uso e diferentes sucessoes de culturas; e plantio direto com 5 anos de implantacao. Foram determinados os teores de carbono e nitrogenio, pH, acidez potencial, capacidade de troca de cations (CTC), fosforo disponivel, bases trocaveis e saturacao por bases do solo. Os valores mais baixos de pH, fosforo disponivel, potassio, calcio e magnesio foram observados nas areas sob cerrado e pastagem, e a menor concentracao de carbono no solo sob pastagem refletiu menor CTC do solo. A aplicacao do calcario nos tratamentos com plantio convencional e direto favorece o aumento das concentracoes de calcio e magnesio no solo. Nesses sistemas, a saturacao por bases (V%) do solo e mais elevada nas areas com maior tempo de implantacao (4 e 5 anos). Embora o Neossolo Quartzarenico possua limitacoes para o cultivo, em razao de sua baixa fertilidade natural, se adequadamente manejado, este solo apresenta potencial para o cultivo agricola.
Variability of Peronosclerospora sorghi isolates from different geographic locations and hosts in Africa.

Nine isolates of Peronosclerospora sorghi from maize, sorghum and wild sorghum were sampled from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda, Mozambique and Kenya. They were compared for variation in conidium and conidiophore morphology, temperature requirements for sporulation, germination and germ-tube growth and for pathogenicity on different sorghum and maize cultivars. Although there were significant differences in isolate morphology, all conformed to the known range for P. sorghi. Mean conidial length × width ranged from 21–23 μm × 16·9–19·2 μm, and mean conidiophore length (basal cell-branching) ranged from 116·3–135·6 μm. All isolates sporulated in the range 14–26°C (optimal at 16–23°), although one isolate from maize from Umbeluzi in Mozambique had a broader optimal range for sporulation (12–25°). Conidia of all isolates germinated between 10° and 34°. Germ-tube response to temperature was similar for all isolates (10–34°). The isolates varied in their pathogenicity towards sorghum cultivars, with an isolate from Rwanda being pathogenic to more sorghum differentials than any other. Cluster analysis of isolates based on host reaction indicated five groups at the 85% similarity level. The existence of pathogenic variability has ramifications for the breeding of sorghum for resistance to downy mildew in Africa.
Chemical and structural changes during heartwood formation in Pinus sylvestris

Summary The aim of the present study was to describe the spatial distribution of some chemical and structural changes in the transition zone between sapwood and heartwood of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in order to get a better understanding of heartwood formation. The content of pinosylvins was measured with FT-(NIR) Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography (GC). Determinations of resin acids, free fatty acids, triglycerides and steryl esters were also made with GC. Lignification, nucleic disappearance and occurrence of starch in ray parenchyma cells were studied with light microscopy. The measured chemical and structural changes occurred in a narrow area of approximately one growth ring adjacent to the heartwood border. In this growth ring, pinosylvins, resin acids and free fatty acids increased at almost the same position, whereas triglycerides decreased. The structural changes occurred after the chemical changes had started and may have been caused by these changes.
The impact of elevated CO2 and global climate change on arbuscular mycorrhizas: a mycocentric approach

SUMMARY Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses are a potentially important link in the chain of response of ecosystems to elevated atmospheric [CO2]. By promoting plant phosphorus uptake and acting as a sink for plant carbon, they can alleviate photosynthetic down-regulation. Because hyphal turnover is likely to be fast, especially in warmer soils, they can also act as a rapid pathway for the return of carbon to the atmosphere. However, most experiments on AM responses to [CO2] have failed to take into account the difference in growth of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal plants; those that have done so suggest that AM colonization of roots is little altered by [CO2], although this issue remains to be resolved. Very little is known about the effects of other factors of global environmental change on mycorrhizas. These issues need urgent attention. It is also necessary to understand the potential for the various AM fungal taxa to respond differentially to environmental changes, including carbon supply and soil temperature and moisture, especially because of the differential abilities of plant and fungal species to migrate in response to changing environments. Indeed, there is a need for a new approach to the study of mycorrhizal associations, which has been too plant-centred. It is essential to regard the fungus as an organism itself, and to understand its biology both as an entity and as part of a symbiosis.
Genealogies across the cold war divide: The case of the Pontic Greeks from the former Soviet Union and their ‘affinal repatriation’

This paper focuses on two historical moments in time and geographical locations, significantly situated at the beginning and the end of the Cold War of the Pontic Greeks’ recent past. The significance of these moments relates to the two encounters between the two formerly isolated groups of Pontic Greeks, separated by the Cold War divide: one in the East (FSU) and the other in the West (Greek nation state). It addresses the continuous reconceptualisation of state-family relations, including the Soviet policies of the state as family. The main hypothesis is that in the case of the Pontic Greeks ‘repatriation’, normally seen as ‘return to a place’, should be construed as ‘affinal repatriation’, meaning ‘return to each other’. The paper considers alliance theory (affinity by marriage), thus expanding the traditional concept of kinship (as consanguinity) while maintaining the idiom of belonging, including ideological foes as defined by the Cold War Divide.
LIGHT, GRAVITY AND CONSPECIFICS AS CUES TO SITE SELECTION AND ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOUR OF JUVENILE AND ADULT DREISSENA POLYMORPHA PALLAS, 1771

Dreissena polymorpha, the zebra mussel, is one of the most important components of the aquatic ecosystems it inhabits, due to high densities and filtration rates of this fouling organism. This laboratory study deals with several physical and biological factors influencing zebra mussel juveniles (� 10 mm) and adults (� 10 mm) site selection behaviour and their byssal attachment to substrate. Mussels preferred black substrate rather than white. This preference was found to be stronger in smaller individuals. Furthermore, all mussels, independently of their size, selected shadowed sites and avoided illuminated ones. Large mussels attached more often in darkness than in light, while for small specimens light conditions made no difference. Large mussels tended to attach to lower parts of vertical test-tubes, while the numbers of small specimens in both halves of the test-tubes were similar. If initial conditions, used by mussels to select their attachment site, were changed by turning the test-tubes upside down, small individuals detached and looked for a new site more frequently than large ones. Large mussels attached more often in higher densities of conspecifics, but physical contacts among conspecifics and their size composition seemed to have no impact on attachment. This study shows that many environmental stimuli influence locomotion and attachment of post-metamorphic zebra mussels. Therefore, the behaviour of this group may impact upon adult distribution observed in field. Preferences exhibited by mussels lead to the creation of dense aggregations in dark, deep places, providing protection against dessication, predators and excessive water flow.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Pseudoplatystoma corruscans (Siluriformes : Pimelodidae) and cross-species amplification

A total of five polymorphic microsatellites loci from Pseudoplatystoma corruscans were isolated and characterized. A population survey involving 43 specimens resolved a large number of alleles (range seven to eight among loci) and high observed heterozygosity (0.500–0.615), indicating its usefulness in population genetics studies. Cross-species amplification was successful in four other Pimelodidae species.
Description of a new species of Mesochaetopterus (Annelida, Polychaeta, Chaetopteridae), with redescription of Mesochaetopterus xerecus and an approach to the phylogeny of the family

Mesochaetopterus rogeri sp. nov., a new large chaetopterid polychaete from the Mediterranean Sea, is described. The analyses of partial sequences from the nuclear 18S rRNA (643 bp) and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (577 bp) genes of representative individuals of all known chaetopterid genera indicated the initial assignment of the new species into Mesochaetopterus. These analyses also supported the monophyly of the family and revealed two well-supported clades: Chaetopterus/Mesochaetopterus and Spiochaetopterus/Phyllochaetopterus. Mesochaetopterus rogeri sp. nov. is close to Mesochaetopterus xerecus, which is redescribed here from newly collected material. Mesochaetopterus rogeri sp. nov. was characterized as follows: (1) two long tentacles with dorsal transversal black bands of alternating widths (sometimes with two additional longitudinal light-brown bands); (2) region A with nine chaetigers (up to 12), with 13–19 modified chaetae in the fourth chaetiger; (3) region B with three flat segments, with accessory feeding organs in the second and third segments; (4) sandy straight tubes, 2.5-m long or more, vertically embedded in the sand. In the Bay of Blanes, M. rogeri sp. nov. occurs between 6- and 9-m deep (but also up to 30-m deep), in a patchy distribution (< 1 individual m−2), with maximum densities in April/June (likely to be the result of recruitment events), and minimum densities in September/November (likely to be a behavioural response to increasing sediment dynamics). Although it was originally thought that M. rogeri sp. nov. could be an introduced species, we argue that it is probably a native of the Mediterranean that has been overlooked by scientists up to now. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 152, 201–225.
Reliable Part-of-Speech Tagging of Historical Corpora through Set-Valued Prediction

Syntactic annotation of corpora in the form of part-of-speech (POS) tags is a key requirement for both linguistic research and subsequent automated natural language processing (NLP) tasks. This problem is commonly tackled using machine learning methods, i.e., by training a POS tagger on a sufficiently large corpus of labeled data. While the problem of POS tagging can essentially be considered as solved for modern languages, historical corpora turn out to be much more difficult, especially due to the lack of native speakers and sparsity of training data. Moreover, most texts have no sentences as we know them today, nor a common orthography. These irregularities render the task of automated POS tagging more difficult and error-prone. Under these circumstances, instead of forcing the POS tagger to predict and commit to a single tag, it should be enabled to express its uncertainty. In this paper, we consider POS tagging within the framework of set-valued prediction, which allows the POS tagger to express its uncertainty via predicting a set of candidate POS tags instead of guessing a single one. The goal is to guarantee a high confidence that the correct POS tag is included while keeping the number of candidates small. In our experimental study, we find that extending state-of-the-art POS taggers to set-valued prediction yields more precise and robust taggings, especially for unknown words, i.e., words not occurring in the training data.