Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of elevated CO2 on growth and competition in experimental phytoplankton communities

We report an experiment designed to identify the effect of elevated CO2 on species of phytoplankton in a simple laboratory system. Major taxa of phytoplankton differ in their ability to take up CO2, which might lead to predictable changes in the growth rate of species and thereby shifts in the composition of phytoplankton communities in response to rising CO2. Six species of phytoplankton belonging to three major taxa (cyanobacteria, diatoms and chlorophytes) were cultured in atmospheres whose CO2 concentration was gradually increased from ambient levels to 1000 parts per million over about 100 generations and then maintained for a further 200 generations at elevated CO2. The experimental design allowed us to trace a predictive sequence, from physiological features to the growth response of species to elevated CO2 in pure culture, from the growth response in pure culture to competitive ability in pairwise mixtures and from pairwise competitive ability to shifts in the relative abundance of species in the full community of all six species. CO2 altered the dynamics of growth in a fashion consistent with known differences among major taxa in their ability to take up and use CO2. This pure‐culture response was partly successful in predicting the outcome of competition in pairwise mixtures, especially the enhanced competitive ability of chlorophytes relative to cyanobacteria, although generally statistical support was weak. The competitive response in pairwise mixtures was a good predictor of changes in competitive ability in the full community. Hence, there is a potential for forging a logical chain of inferences for predicting how phytoplankton communities will respond to elevated CO2. Clearly further extensive experiments will be required to validate this approach in the greater complexity found in diverse communities and environments of natural systems.
Anatomy and embryology of the Wing Musculature of the domestic fowl (gallus)

The anatomy of the musculature of the wing and pectoral girdle of the domestic fowl is redescribed. The embryonic development of the musculature has been studied, and the homologies of several muscles of the avian and reptilian shoulder regions have been elucidated. As in other tetrapods which have been studied, the musculature of the fore limb of the fowl first appears in the embryo as a pair of opposed masses of condensed mesenchyme, one ventral and the other dorsal, forming in the limb bud independently of the somites. These premuscle masses are lobed, and their lobation enables the identification of the primordia of various muscle groups at a very early stage of development, before the individual muscles have differentiated. The definitive muscles are formed by a process of splitting or cleavage of the premuscle masses. The cleavages take place in an orderly sequence, which closely resembles that which has been described in the lizard Lacerta, the turtle Chrysemys, and the opossum Didelphys. It is concluded that the resemblances in the lobate outlines of the premuscle masses and in the pattern of cleavages in these vertebrates of different taxonomic groups are a reflection of the phylogenetic history of the limb muscles. Thus the homologies of muscles in tetrapods widely separated from one another taxonomically can be determined more reliably by comparing their embryology than by comparing adults in which the relationships of the muscles are obscured by adaptive changes. Myological nomenclature is somewhat confused, owing to the difficulty of determining homologies by studies confined to adult animals. A revision of the names of avian wing muscles has therefore been carried out with the aim of stabilizing the nomenclature for birds; in addition, some preliminary steps towards a uniform nomenclature generally applicable to the muscles of all tetrapods have been essayed, so far as comparative embryological data permit conclusions to be drawn.
Evaluation of a rapid ELISA test kit for detection of Xylella fastidiosa in landscape trees

Leaf scorch symptoms on landscape trees infected with Xylella fastidiosa are often confused with similar symptoms caused by stress factors. Because the isolation of X. fastidiosa from trees is difficult and time-consuming, an ELISA test kit for X. fastidiosa was evaluated for reliability and feasibility. The pathogen was detected in all leaf and stem samples collected in June from asymptomatic American elms (Ulmus americana) and American sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) that had had leaf scorch in 26-100% of their canopy during the previous September. The kit was used in a survey of 47 elms. The pathogen was detected in extracts from 17 of 18 diseased trees―12 before and five after symptoms appeared (.)
Uso de modelos de regressão aleatória para descrever a variação genética da produção de leite na raça Holandesa

Data comprising 68,523 test day milk yield of 8,536 cows of the Holstein breed, calving from 1996 to 2001, were used to compare random regression models, for estimating variance components. Test day records (TD) were analyzed as multiple traits, considering each TD as a different trait. The test day records were analyzed as longitudinal traits by different random regression models regarding the function used to describe the trajectory of the lactation curve of the animals. The Wilmink's exponential function, the Ali and Schaeffer logarithmic function and the Legendre orthogonal polynomials of second and fourth order were used. The comparisons among the models were based on the following criteria: estimates of variance components of the multiple-trait model and random regressions models, values of residual variance and values of the logarithms of the likelihood functions. The heritability estimates obtained using the multiple-trait model varied from 0.110 to 0.244, for the random regression models the values ranged from 0.127 to 0.301, being the largest estimates observed in the models with larger number of parameters. The random regression models which used the Legendre polynomials was the model which better described the genetic variation of the milk yield.
Toxicity of ionic copper to the freshwater microalga Scenedesmus acuminatus (Chlorophyceae, Chlorococcales)

A.T. Lombardi, T.M. R. Hidalgo, A.A. H. Vieira and A.L. Sartori. 2007. Toxicity of ionic copper to the freshwater microalga Scenedesmus acuminatus (Chlorophyceae, Chlorococcales). Phycologia 46: 74–78. DOI: 10.2216/06-40.1 Metal ecotoxicity testing with microalgae is subject to interferences such as change in bioavailable metal fraction by excreted metabolites. Moreover, high metal loads are usually necessary for obtaining 50% effect concentration (EC50) values based on cell number or chlorophyll a. Thus, sensitive parameters, which promptly respond to low dissolved metal variations at environmentally relevant concentrations, are much needed. The genus Scenedesmus, a coenobium-forming freshwater microalga, is cosmopolitan and inhabits pristine and contaminated waters. The present investigation addressed cellular phenotypic alterations in Scenedesmus acuminatus (Largerheim) Chodat 1902 caused by the presence of copper. Copper toxicity to the alga was investigated under laboratory-controlled conditions using a concentration range of 10−8 mol l−1 to 10−3 mol l−1 total dissolved Cu2+, thus including environmentally relevant concentrations. Free Cu2+ concentrations were determined using an ion-selective electrode calibrated with a metal ion buffer. The phenotypic plasticity of S. acuminatus was measured as the number of cells per coenobia and found to be readily affected at low copper concentrations. Under healthy conditions (10−8 mol l−1 total dissolved Cu2+, 10−11 mol l−1 free Cu2+) S. acuminatus formed eight-celled coenobia, whereas at 10−7 mol l−1 total dissolved Cu2+ (3 × 10−10 mol l−1 free Cu2+) these were absent and at 10−5 mol l−1 total dissolved Cu2+ (5 × 10−8 mol l−1 free Cu2+) free cells were predominant. Chlorophyll a synthesis was affected by 5 × 10−8 mol l−1 free Cu2+ or higher. EC50 (3.3 × 10−5 mol l−1 free Cu2+) was obtained using chlorophyll a values after 96-h exposure to the toxicant. The number of cells per coenobia was a more sensitive parameter than chlorophyll a to assess Cu toxicity, and at concentrations that may be encountered in the environment.
Dry matter and nitrogen partitioning and translocation in winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) grown under rainfed Mediterranean conditions

Abstract. For crops grown in Mediterranean environments, translocation of pre-anthesis assimilates to the fruit is of great importance, because hot and dry conditions during fruit ripening diminish net assimilation rate and nitrogen (N) uptake. This field study was conducted to assess the pattern of dry matter and N accumulation and the role of assimilate translocation in pod development of oilseed rape plants in a Mediterranean environment. Four cultivars of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), i.e. three hybrids (Royal, Exact, Excalibur) and an inbred line (Fortis), were grown for two growing seasons (2005–06 and 2006–07) in northern Greece. On average, 581, 1247, 1609, and 2749 growing degree-days (GDD) were required for six leaves, stem elongation, 50% anthesis in main stem, and physiological maturity in the first year, and 539, 1085, 1601, and 2728 GDD in the second year. The R2 of the modified Richards function indicated that aboveground biomass and N accumulation were described with high approximation efficacy. The across-cultivars genotype mean maximum predicted total aboveground dry matter and N content were 1368.8 and 21.4 g m–2 in 2006 and 1655.1 and 25.4 g m–2 in 2007. In 2007, dry matter and N translocation from vegetative tissues to pods were 464.4 and 21.0 g m–2, and significantly higher than the corresponding values recorded in 2006 (264.4 and 17.0 g m–2). These differences were due to greater amounts of dry matter and N accumulating at anthesis and the greater sink capacity of plants (pod number) in 2007. The fact that pod development occurred in a period when N accumulation by oilseed rape plants had stopped led to high values of contribution of pre-anthesis N accumulation to pod N content in both years (92.8% in 2006 and 96.6% in 2007). Results indicated that hot and dry weather post anthesis reduced dramatically the net assimilation rates; thus, translocation of pre-anthesis assimilates was crucial for pod development. The results demonstrate that variation in weather conditions between growing seasons is one of the main causes of seasonal variation in oilseed rape productivity under Mediterranean conditions.
Livestock Management Strategy Affects Net Ecosystem Carbon Balance of Subhumid Pasture

Abstract Temperate grasslands are generally considered carbon (C) sinks, but climate and management likely affect whether they accumulate or lose C on an annual time step. The North Central Region of the United States contains highly productive improved pasture that is used exclusively for livestock grazing and mechanical harvest. The objective of this study was to use a net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) approach to estimate C accumulation or loss in subhumid pastures under four typical livestock management practices: management-intensive rotational grazing (MIRG), continuous grazing (CONT), haymaking (HARV), and land set aside with no harvests (NONE). MIRG lost significantly less C in 2006 than all other treatments, and in 2007 MIRG was the only treatment that had a positive NECB. For 2006, our model resulted in an average change of −236 ± 15 (CONT), −100 ± 24 (MIRG), −391 ± 11 (HARV), and −276 ± 28 (NONE) g C · m−2 · y−1. For 2007, the change was −234 ± 56 (CONT), 106 ± 69 (MIRG), −200 ± 25 (HARV), and −171 ± 38 (NONE) g C · m−2 · y−1. Increased C fixed as net primary production (NPP) and C imported as hay and grain resulted in the MIRG treatment having the most favorable C balance. Even with imported hay and grain, reduced NPP in the CONT treatment led to a less favorable C balance. In the HARV treatment, high biomass removal drove the negative C balance, while the relationship between reduced NPP and heterotrophic respiration alone drove the negative C balance in the NONE treatment. Climate change mitigation services provided from ecosystem C accumulation relative to cultivation may be warranted for pastures, but when all cross-boundary transfers of C are not considered, significant misconceptions can occur regarding how different management strategies affect the NECB of subhumid pasture.
Nest-Specific DNA Fingerprints of Smallmouth Bass in Lake Opeongo, Ontario

Abstract Methods of DNA fingerprinting were employed to search for nest-specific markers in the population of smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu in Lake Opeongo, Ontario. Banding patterns produced from combinations of six restriction endonucleases and seven DNA fingerprint probes were evaluated. Each enzyme and probe combination detected very few polymorphic loci among fry from the same nest. However, comparisons of fingerprints between fry from different nests revealed significant differences in banding patterns, indicating that each nest had a unique fingerprint. Fry from 15 nests in the Jones Bay area of the lake were fingerprinted by using the restriction enzyme Hae III and the probe (GACA)4. A double-blind test was conducted to determine the ability to assign an unknown fry correctly to its nest of origin and demonstrate that nestspecific fingerprints exist. All fry tested were assigned correctly to their nest of origin by visual comparison of their fingerprints with each of the nest fingerprints, .
Senescence in a short‐lived migratory bird: age‐dependent morphology, migration, reproduction and parasitism

1. Senescence reflects age-dependent changes in residual reproductive value. Annual survival rates of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica L. increased from 1- to 2-year-old individuals, but decreased among 5 years old or older individuals. Estimates of age-dependent reproductive value showed a similar pattern. 2. Longitudinal data from two long-term population studies were used to test whether a number of different measures of performance (condition-dependent morphological traits, migratory performance, reproductive success, intensity of parasitism) changed among individuals when reaching old age. 3. The length of the outermost tail feathers (a secondary sexual character) decreased among old individuals, while two measures of individual developmental instability increased with age. Migratory performance decreased in old barn swallows as reflected by a delay in spring arrival at the breeding grounds. Reproductive performance measured as seasonal reproductive success decreased with age. The intensity of infestations with an haematophagous mite and a mallophagous ectoparasite increased among old barn swallows. 4. These results suggest that the condition-dependent secondary sexual character, developmental stability, and measures of migratory and reproductive performance deteriorated, and the frequency of parasitism increased among old individuals. Ageing was thus associated with a general deterioration of performance.
Assessment of Tomato Germplasm for Resistance to Fruit Borer Helicoverpa (=Heliothis) armigera Hubner

Abstract Identification, exploitation and utilization of host plant resistance are ecologically safe and economically viable strategies for management of the fruit borer, Helicoverpa (=Heliothis) armigera Hubner (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). Three hundred and twenty-one accessions of tomato including cultivars and wild types were screened for resistance against fruit borer, H. armigera in a glasshouse and under field conditions at Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India. Ten accessions found promising, along with a susceptible check, were selected for screening under field conditions to confirm their resistance, and plant height, fruit weight, number of fruit and yield were measured. Accessions ‘Varushanadu Local’, ‘Seijima Jeisei’, ‘PT 4287’, ‘Roma’ and ‘Ac 238’ were determined to be highly resistant to H. armigera. Accessions ‘Varushanadu Local’, ‘PT 4287’ and ‘Seijima Jeisei’ may be used as donors of resistance in future breeding programs, but accessions ‘Roma’ and ‘Ac 238’ are recommended for commercial cultivation, as they possessed insect tolerance as well as higher yield.
Development of a Field Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for Detection of α-Amylase in Preharvest-Sprouted Wheat

ABSTRACT A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for detection of α-amylase in preharvest sprouted wheat and adapted to rapid field-use formats requiring 15–20 min to perform. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were prepared to detect a mixture of high and low pI isozymes of α-amylase and high pI isozymes only. All antibodies detected α-amylase on immunoblots of either a crude wheat extract or of purified enzyme, but only the polyclonal antibodies functioned in a sandwich ELISA. Depending on the antibody combination, the tube ELISA detected either the high and low pI isozymes of α-amylase or the high pI isozymes only with a detection limit of ≈0.5–1.0 ng/mL of amylase. Wheats with falling numbers (FN) of <350 sec could be discriminated from sound wheats, with decreasing FN producing increasing assay color. Using 130 wheat grain samples, ELISA absorbances for detection of both high and low pI isozymes and of high pI isozymes only were highly positively correlated with amyl.
DNA fingerprinting supports hybridisation as a factor explaining complex natural variation in Phormium (Hemerocallidaceae)

Abstract Analysis of AFLP profiles from 47 wild‐sourced plants of Phormium from New Zealand and Norfolk Island reveals two major genetic groups corresponding with the two currently recognised and sympatric species (P. cookianum and P. tenax). In addition, plants from a number of coastal sites, a putative F1 hybrid, and some plants identified a priori as P. cookianum display AFLP profiles consistent with a hybrid origin. These putative hybrid plants have varying genomic composition, and some were collected from morphologically uniform populations. Others depart from the intermediate morphology expected of F1 hybrids. Therefore, introgression between P. cookianum and P. tenax and the existence of stabilised hybrid derivatives appears likely. Some degree of geographic structuring of genetic diversity is evident in both species.
The endangered status of dugongs Dugong dugon around Mayotte (East Africa, Mozambique Channel) assessed through interview surveys

The status of dugongs Dugong dugon around Mayotte in the Mozambique Channel was assessed from interviews with artisanal fishers conducted in 2007, along with the collation of opportunistic sighting information from tour operators between 2002 and 2011. In all, 106 of the 406 fishers interviewed (26%) had observed a live dugong at least once during their lifetime, and among these sightings 18 were made in 2007. Nine fishers stated that they observed on one occasion people selling dugong meat on the beach of their village, six fishers admitted that they caught a dugong themselves and three had caught more than one dugong during their lifetime. Tour operators reported 78 dugong sightings between 2002 and 2011, and among these 15 were cow–calf pairs. Since the late 1990s, no deliberate hunting was reported but four bycatch deaths due to entanglement in artisanal fishing nets were reported. We concluded that the current dugong population size is likely to be small but reproduction still occurs and that entanglement in artisanal fishing nets remains the major threat to the species in Mayotte.
Regulation of cercosporin accumulation in culture by medium and temperature manipulation

(.) This study defined medium, temperature, and light conditions for maximum and minimum cercosporin accumulation in isolates of C. asparagi, C. beticola, C. kikuchii, C. nicotianae, and C. zeae-maydis. A simple method was developed for the extraction and measurement of cercosporin in cultures of Cercospora spp. grown on solid medium. (.)
Survey of Ophiostomataceae associated with Hylurgus ligniperda (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in New Zealand

A survey of Ophiostomataceae isolatated and identified from Hylurgus ligniperda adults, pupapae and larvae was undertaken in ten sites in Pinus radiata cutover forest in ththe central North Island. Members of this family are associated with sapstain and other plant diseases. This survey found that these fungi were common on both the surface of the beetles, as well as internally. In total, eight species of fungi belonging to this family were isolated from the beetles sampled. Identification was undertaken using morphological and physiological characteristics. Two Ophiostoma species, O. galeiforme and O. huntii were isolated most often, and were found in 50-97% of samples (groups of 10 adults, pupae or larvae from each stump). The remaining specicies, O. floccosum, O. setosum, O. ips, O. quercus, Leptographium procerum, and L. truncatum were isolated less frequently. The most dominant of these species, O. floccosum was isolated from 14% of surface sterilised H. ligniperda larval samples. These results implicate H. ligniperda in the movement of staining and other fungi throughout exotic forests in New Zealand.
Polychlorinated biphenyls in a terrestrial predator, the pine marten (Martes martes L.)

A terrestrial predator population, the pine marten ( Martes martes, L.), inhabiting an area in mid‐Sweden was investigated for polychlorinated biphenyls, p,p′‐DDE, lindane, and hexachlorobenzene. The condition of the animals, as shown by intestine fat amounts or fat content of muscle tissue, showed negative relationships with concentration of persistent pollutants. The relationship resulted in a higher concentration of pollutants as intestinal fat amounts or muscle fat content decreased and lower levels of pollutants as these indexes of condition improved. The results indicate that terrestrial predators show changes in pollutant concentration due to condition, caused by food availability and starvation. No differences in pollutant concentration were recorded between males and females and no relationship was found for levels of pollutants and age or reproduction (females). The latter results are in contrast to those found for aquatic predatory mammals.