Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plant traits as predictors of performance in ecological restoration

Summary 1. There are few studies of the performance of species in restored vegetation communities. Here we report the results of a meta-analysis of 25 experiments concerned with species-rich grassland restoration on ex-arable land and agriculturally improved grasslands situated at a wide range of locations throughout lowland Britain. Differences in species’ performance were related to 38 physiological and morphological traits. 2. An experiment-adjusted performance index was calculated for each of the 58 species (13 grasses and 45 forbs). The performance index was calculated for the first 4 years after establishment together with a temporal trend. 3. Individual species showed large differences in performance indices. However, grasses consistently out-performed forbs. 4. We examined the linkage between species’ performance and traits according to four non-exclusive hypotheses. The ability to establish and persist in restored vegetation communities requires: (H1) good gap colonization ability; (H2) strong competitive capability; and (H3) ability to undergo vegetative regeneration. (H4) Successful species are generalists associated with fertile habitats. 5. Trait analyses supported all four hypotheses. Within the forbs, good establishment in the first year was linked to traits determining colonization ability: ruderality, percentage germination of seeds and autumn germination. However, traits linked to competitive ability, vegetative growth and seed bank persistence became increasingly important determinants of success with time. Species with generalist habitat requirements, and especially those associated with fertile soils, performed increasingly well with time. This reflects the development of a closed vegetation in which the ability to grow vigorously and out-compete other established plants is important. 6. Stress-tolerators, habitat specialists and species of infertile habitats performed badly. This may reflect high residual fertility in restored grasslands and particular niche requirements of these species. This may be a problem as grassland restoration often targets communities characterized by species with these traits and many are food plants of invertebrates of conservation value. 7. There were few significant correlations between the performance of the grasses and traits reflecting their overall good performance in comparison with the forbs. 8. This study has important implications for practical restoration programmes and policies. Efficiency might be increased by introducing only species with good performance, but this would lead to uniformity among restored grasslands and would diminish the benefits of habitat restoration for national and regional biodiversity. 9. Synthesis and applications. Future work should focus on practical methods to increase the successful establishment of the poor performing but desirable species, by (i) targeting restoration to low fertility soils, (ii) changing the abiotic environment or (iii) the ‘phased
Osmoregulation, growth and moulting cycles of the giant freshwater prawn ( Macrobrachium rosenbergii ) at different salinities

The giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, is a species with a high commercial value in aquaculture. Two experiments were performed to determine the effects of salinities on the osmoregulation, growth and molting cycles of M. rosenbergii during growout. The first experiment was designed to determine whether these animals are capable of adapting to the changes in salinity seen in salinity intrusions in tropical deltas, with an incremental increase in salinity of 3‰ per day from 0‰ to 30‰ Haemolymph osmolality was rapidly regulated up to salinities of 15‰ , whereas animals conformed at higher salinities. The second experiment determined the growth, moulting cycle, osmolality, muscle water content and mortality during a 4-month experiment at 0‰, 15‰ or 25‰ salinity. The weight gains in 0‰ and 15‰ were not significantly different and were comparable to the growth rates achieved in production farms with body mass increases of 2.6 and 2.3-fold their initial body mass, respectively, after 4 months. The 25‰ group suffered from low growth, high mortality and a significantly lower moulting frequency. These data show that this species can be reared in brackish water up to 15‰, allowing for farming in the large areas impacted by salt water intrusions in tropical deltas.
Role of heat source/sink on time dependent free convective flow in a coaxial cylinder filled with porous material: a semi analytical approach

In this article, the semi analytical solution for a fully developed time dependent free convective flow of a viscous incompressible fluid with heat source/sink in an infinite vertical coaxial cylinder saturated with porous material has been analyzed. The flow was induced by buoyancy forces due to temperature differences caused by the thermal insulation of the inner wall and constant heating of the outer wall. The Laplace transform technique was employed to transform the governing equation from time domain to the Laplace domain. Notwithstanding, a numerical inversing scheme known as Riemann-sum approximation (RSA), renowned for its precision has been utilized to transform the Laplace domain solution to time domain. The accuracy of the numerical technique employed was tested by presenting a comparison with the numerical values obtained using RSA, PDEPE, and steady state solution at large time. The effects of the various flow parameters on the flow formation are exhibited graphically. It is interesting to note that the fluid temperature and velocity increases as time passes. In addition, the velocity can be enhanced and minimized by gradually increasing Darcy number and the viscosity ratio respectively. However, the increase is seen to be more prominent when heat source is applied. The drag on both walls are seen to increase with increase in Darcy number, the reverse trend is observed with increase in the viscosity ratio.
Influence of salinity on energy metabolism in juvenile turbot, Psetta maxima (L.)

Oxygen consumption (OC) was measured for 24h in juvenile turbot, Psetta maxima (L.) using flow-through respirometry to examine the influence of salinity on energy metabolism. Turbot [164g mean initial body weight (BW)] were reared at 16.5 +/- 0.2 degrees C and three different salinities (10, 20, 30g L-1). Digestible and metabolizable energy requirements for maintenance (DEm; MEm) as well as the respective efficiencies of energy utilization for growth (k(g (DE)); k(g (ME))) were identified using different feeding levels (0.3, 0.6, 0.9gkg(-1) metabolic BW) and applying linear regression analysis. We found that nutrient and energy digestibilities decrease with an increasing salinity. DEm and MEm were 14.9-20.2 and 13.3-18.3kJ kg(-0.8) day(-1) and k(g (DE)) and k(g (ME)) 0.82-0.87 and 0.87-0.91, respectively. No differences were observed in DEm, MEm, k(g (DE)) and k(g (ME)) between salinities, although these parameters were low at a high salinity (30g L-1). Turbot showed the most favourable combination of DEm and k(g (DE)) (MEm and k(g (ME))) at a salinity of 20g L-1 and at 30g L-1 growth and energy utilization were reduced at high energy intake. However, energy requirements for iono- and osmoregulation were small.
Earth surface processes drive the richness, composition and occurrence of plant species in an arctic–alpine environment

AbstractQuestions: Are earth surface processes (ESPs) important determinants of spe-cies richness, composition and ﬁne-scale distributions? Do different ESPs havesimilareffectsonthesevegetationcharacteristics? Location:Saanamassif,northwestFinland(69°N). Methods: Vascular plant species occurrences, ﬁve environmental variables(related to soil conditions and topography) and ﬁve ESPs were surveyed across960 1-m 2 quadrats in arctic–alpine tundra. Community composition was exam-ined using non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS), while species rich-ness and individual species occurrence were modelled using GLMs, GAMs andboostedregressiontrees.Results: Three ESPs (soliﬂuction, ﬂuvial activity and nivation) were stronglyrelated to community composition, with only soil moisture and mesotopogra-phy exhibiting stronger correlations with NMDS scores. ESPs signiﬁcantlyimproved the accuracy of species richness models based on soil conditions andtopography, with soliﬂuction and ﬂuvial processes having the largest individualcontributions. Soliﬂuction and ﬂuvial activity also increased the predictivepower of species distribution models, with these processes often being as inﬂu-ential on occurrence patterns as some of the traditionally utilized direct andresource variables. Arctic–alpine species generally responded positively to ESPs,withborealspeciesshowingtheoppositetrend.Conclusions: This study, the ﬁrst to examine the impacts of several indepen-dentESPsonmultiplevegetationcharacteristics,demonstratesthatESPsarepri-mary drivers of species ﬁne-scale distributions, species richness and communitycomposition in arctic–alpine plant communities. ESPs varied in their effect andrelativeinﬂuence,andthusseveralESPsneedtobeconsideredwhenexaminingspecies-andcommunity-levelpropertiesofvegetation.IntroductionEarthsurfaceprocesses(ESPs)canstronglyaltermicrohab-itat conditions and, therefore, the performance of individ-ual plants (e.g. Perez 1987; Nylehn & Totland 1999), withtheir effects potentially scaling-up to impact ﬁne-scalespecies distributions, patterns of species richness and com-munity composition (Fox 1981; Kozlowska & Raczkowska2002; Hjort et al. 2012). Indeed, studies of individual ESPsand/orsingleaspectsofplantcommunitieshaverepeatedlyshown strong links between these processes and speciesrichness, composition and distribution patterns. This isparticularly true in high-latitude and -altitude areas,where active ESPs can affect the distribution of both indi-vidual species (at ﬁne scales: Sigafoos 1951; Perez 1987; leRoux et al. in press a; at broad scales: Randin et al. 2009;Mellert et al. 2011) and vegetation types (Johnson & Bill-ings 1962; Kozlowska & Raczkowska 2002; Brancaleoniet al. 2003; Cannone et al. 2004). Some ESPs may alsoaffect total species richness (e.g. Fox 1981; Walker 1995;Hjort et al. 2012), with recent studies additionally demon-strating the contribution of ESPs to explaining changesin species richness under changing climatic conditions(Kirkpatrick et al. 2002; Virtanen et al. 2010). Thus, there
Effects of feeding frequency on growth, feed efficiency and body composition of juveniles Brazilian sardine, Sardinella brasiliensis (Steindacher 1879)

The Brazilian sardine is the most important fishery resource in Brazil. Their production has declined along the last 30 years due the overfishing, climatic and oceanographic phenomena. This study was carried out to determine the optimal feeding frequency for juvenile Brazilian sardine based on growth, feed efficiency, feed intake and body composition. Six feeding frequencies of one, two, three, four, five and six times a day were evaluated in triplicate tanks for 50 days. Fish with initial mean weight of 3.29 � 0.56 g were fed daily to apparent satiation. The results showed that fish fed once daily had lower body weight gain, specific growth rate and condition factor (P 0.05) among the treatments. Feed intake was directly proportional to the feeding frequency. Fish fed once daily showed lower hepatosomatic and mesenteric fat indices (P 0.05) affected by feeding frequency. However, the lipid content increased with feeding frequency. The results suggest that the optimal feeding frequency for juvenile Brazilian sardine is at least twice daily.
Identification and characterisation of lysin enzymes as potential therapeutics for the treatment of Clostridium difficile

Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of hospital acquired infections. While the current treatments of choice, antibiotics, are generally effective in promoting recovery ,the increased incidence of C. difficile infections and treatment failure associated with antibiotic resistance combined with the emergence of hypervirulent strains highlights the need to develop therapeutic approaches that specifically target the pathogen without causing collateral damage to the protective microbiota. Several non-antibiotic approaches are currently being investigated, such as bacteriophage therapy. For this reason, we attempted to isolate C. difficile specific lytic bacteriophages which could form the basis of a treatment for C. difficile. While we were unable to isolate lytic phages, we were able to isolate twelve temperate bacteriophages from twenty-three clinical isolates of C. difficile using mitomycin C. Unfortunately we failed to identify a susceptible host strain capable of supporting the replication of these phages. This failure may in part be due to repeated episodes of phage infection over time, which have resulted in the emergence of “phage resistant” species mediated by systems such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR). Employing a PCR-based approach using primers specific for the lysin genes of five previously isolated C. difficile phages, we found evidence to suggest that repeated bacteriophage infection is a common event for clinical isolates of C. difficile. Our inability to isolate a lytic bacteriophage prompted us to adopt an alternative approach in which we used endolysin enzyme of five previously identified C. difficile phages as recombinant protein. These lysins showed broad spectrum activity against the vegetative forms of a large collection of C. difficile ribotypes with little or no activity against other species, supporting their potential as therapeutic agents. We also identified a genome associated lysin (CD630, YP_001088405), which lysed vegetative C. difficile in a similar manner to the phage derived lysins. We also cloned and expressed a spore cortex lytic enzyme (SleC) which targeted the cortex of C. difficile spores. Unfortunately this enzyme was inactive against intact spores, suggesting that the outer layers of the spore act as a permeability barrier. The results of this study showed in vitro the applicability of endolysins against the vegetative form of C. difficile and the activity of spore cortex lytic enzyme against coatless spores, offering interesting perspectives for evaluation of the antibacterial activity of a mixture of endolysin and spore cortex lytic enzyme.
Interleukin 2 regulates the expression of Tac antigen on peripheral blood T lymphocytes

We investigated the effect of OKT3 antibody and interleukin 2 (IL-2) on Tac antigen expression and the proliferation of human peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes. OKT3 monoclonal antibody at low, nonmitogenic concentrations (25 pg/ml) or IL-2 alone at optimal concentrations (20 U/ml) did not induce IL-2 receptor expression, as measured by Tac antibody or by T cell proliferation. However, costimulation with these concentrations of OKT3 antibody and IL-2 led to Tac antigen expression and T cell proliferation. These data suggest that the T cells are activated in two steps: OKT3 antibody at 25 pg/ml does not induce Tac antigen expression, but preactivates T cells to become responsive to IL- 2. The addition of exogenous IL-2 then leads to expression of the IL-2 receptor, as recognized by Tac antibody, and to subsequent proliferation.
Acoustic Behavior of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus (Sciaenidae)

Abstract Sciaenid fishes are well known for their ability to make sound. These sounds are produced by the interaction between the sonic muscles and swim bladder, and are often associated with disturbance or reproduction. From experiments conducted in captivity and observations made in the field, I characterized another acoustic behavior of Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), termed “knock” calling, and explored hypotheses regarding its function. Knock calls consisted of one to six transient pulses, with two pulses being most common. Mean call duration was 97 msec (SD = 56, 95% C.I. = 88–106) msec. Dominant frequencies varied inversely with fish size. Knock calling occurred at all times of day, but calling rates peaked at night for Atlantic Croaker stocked in a research pond. In the pond, per capita calling rate (calls/fish/min) was negatively correlated with the stocking density of Atlantic Croaker. In the field, overall calling rates (calls/min) were positively correlated with Atlantic Croaker density. Knock calling was not associated with either distress or reproductive behaviors. Knock calls differed from disturbance calls with regard to the number of pulses and the temporal spacing between pulses. In captivity, knock calls were recorded when adult and juvenile fish were stocked together, as well as when only juvenile fish were stocked. This study suggests that Atlantic Croaker may use acoustic communication more extensively than believed previously. Further, it reveals a discrepancy between the dominant frequencies produced by juvenile Atlantic Croaker and the known frequency range of this species' hearing, prompting questions about possible changes in frequency sensitivity with ontogeny, the ecological costs of sound production, and juvenile behavior.
Geographic distributions of homosporous ferns: does dispersal obscure evidence of vicariance?

The central problem in biogeography is that interactions between different processes result in the formation of historical patterns, such that it is difficult to discriminate the relative roles of vicariance and dispersal. Ferns are distributed by small wind‐dispersed propagules that are produced in very large numbers and capable of dispersing thousands of kilometers. Thus, most taxon distributions in ferns are assumed to be a function of dispersal rather than vicariance. Here, we review some case examples that provide good evidence for vicariance and dispersal in ferns. We then ask whether dispersal is so extensive in ferns that vicariance is no longer detectable in most cases. Although we think that too few studies have been carried out to make generalizations at this stage, we outline the criteria for an effective research programme that can address this issue. Phylogenetic and distributional data are needed, not only because they are lacking in an evolutionarily important group of organisms, but also because data from ferns and other cryptogams are likely to be crucial in making broad biogeographic statements.
Stability properties of certain durum wheat genotypes for major quality characteristics

Many ecological regions of Turkey are suitable for the production of durum wheat, and therefore the yield and quality of this wheat should be improved. In this study, stability properties associated with the pasta quality of 25 durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) genotypes grown in 3 different locations (Tokat-Kazova, Diyarbakir, and Sivas-Ulas) for 2 years (2005-2006, 2006-2007) were investigated. Durum wheat genotypes were composed of 12 registered varieties and 13 advanced experimental lines. Field trials were conducted in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Protein content, gluten index, sedimentation and specific sedimentation volumes, yellow pigment content, and lipoxygenase activity of the durum wheats were measured as major quality characteristics. The regression coefficient (bi) and mean square of deviation from regression (S2d) were employed as the stability parameters. Genotypes, growing environments, and their interactions were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.01) for all investigated quality characteristics. No cultivars were determined to be simultaneously stable for all of the quality characteristics, yet some of the genotypes prevailed for certain quality characteristics. The genotypes with the same origin took part in the same group as judged by the cluster analysis. Of the advanced experimental durum wheat lines, Line - 1, Line - 7, Line - 20, and Gdem - 12, which displayed better quality characteristics than the overall means, can be used as breeding materials. Of the registered varieties, Aydin - 93, Cesit - 1252, and Gidara were determined to be stable by both parameters in certain quality characteristics.
RESISTANCE COMPONENTS IN BURDEKIN SUGARCANE VARIETIES TO DAMAGE BY GREYBACK CANEGRUBS

CURRENT control strategies for greyback canegrub (Dermolepida albohirtum) are integrated in the GrubPlan program. Grubplan does not include a plantresistance component such as tolerance, antibiosis or antixenosis. In field trials in the Burdekin region, we created differential populations of greyback canegrubs within commercial varieties to determine levels of canegrub tolerance. Our results did not confirm the antixenosis hypothesis that crop height influences oviposition by beetles. The majority of varieties had similar levels of tolerance to canegrub damage for cane yield and sugar yield. There was evidence that Q183
Phylogenetics and Biogeography of Alnus (Betulaceae) Inferred from Sequences of Nuclear Ribosomal DNA ITS Region

Sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS region were used to estimate phylogenetic relationships of Alnus. We recognize three major clades in Alnus, including subgenera Alnobetula, Clethropsis, and Alnus; subgenus Alnobetula is sister to subgenera Clethropsis and Alnus. The eastern Asian subgenus or section Cremastogyne is embedded in the subgenus Alnus clade. Alnus nepalensis is part of subgenus Alnus, not subgenus Clethropsis. Alnus maritima is part of subgenus Clethropsis (excl. A. nepalensis). Long and short branching pattern, sessile winter bud, and 2‐yr phenology are plesiomorphies in Alnus, while 1‐yr floral phenology and fall blooming are derived features. The simple axillary female inflorescence has evolved more than once in Alnus. Central and South American species of Alnus are derived from migrants from eastern Asia via the Bering land bridge and western North America. In subgenus Clethropsis, A. formosana of eastern Asia is more closely related to eastern North American species than to the other Asian species, A. nitida. The low sequence divergence within both the A. incana and A. viridis species complexes indicates their recent history of diversification in the circumpolar areas.
Diversity and Rarity of Epiphyllous Bryophytes in a Superhumid Tropical Lowland Forest of Chocó-Colombia

Abstract Plant rarity is considered a useful predictor of the extinction risk of species. However, apparent rarity can emerge from incomplete data sets or incorrect sampling. Epiphyllous bryophytes are a poorly collected and taxonomically complicated group, with incompletely known distribution patterns. In this paper we explore the diversity patterns and meso- and micro-habitat specialization of common and rare epiphyllous bryophyte species, and evaluate the threat status of Aphanolejeunea gracilis, Leptolejeunea tridentata, and Otolejeunea schnellii. Epiphylls were collected from 240 samples (10 ×10 cm) in 30 plots of 5 ×5 m in superhumid lowland forest of the Chocó, Colombia. Our results indicate that epiphyll diversity and species composition is similar among palm and non-palm leaves. Disturbance had a negative effect on epiphyll cover, species richness, and diversity of rare species. Data on rare species did not correlate with global or national red lists, indicating that detailed surveys are necessary to accurately assess the threat status of “rare” species.