Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impacts of alien plant invasions on species richness in Mediterranean-type ecosystems: a meta-analysis

Besides a general consensus regarding the negative impact of invasive alien species in the literature, only recently has the decline of native species attributable to biological invasions begun to be quantified in many parts of the world. The cause-effect relationship between the establishment and proliferation of alien species and the extinction of native species is, however, seldom demonstrated. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies in Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs) to examine: (1) whether invasion of alien plant species indeed causes a reduction in the number of native plant species at different spatial and temporal scales; (2) which growth forms, habitat types and areas are most affected by invasions; and (3) which taxa are most responsible for native species richness declines. Our results confirm a significant decline in native species richness attributable to alien invasions. Studies conducted at small scales or sampled over long periods reveal stronger impacts of alien invasion than those at large spatial scales and over short periods. Alien species from regions with similar climates have much stronger impacts, with the native species richness in South Africa and Australia declining significantly more post-invasion than for European sites. Australian Acacia species in South Africa accounted for the most significant declines in native species richness. Among the different growth forms of alien plants, annual herbs, trees and creepers had the greatest impact, whereas graminoids generally caused insignificant changes to the native community. Native species richness of shrublands, old fields and dune vegetation showed significant declines, in contrast to insignificant declines for forest habitats.
Condensed Tannins Are Only Partially Responsible for Variations in Nutrient Digestibilities of Sorghum Grain Cultivars

Nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy (TMEn) and true amino acid digestibility values were determined, using cecectomized cockerels, for 20 sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] cultivars that ranged in catechin equivalent (CE) percentages from 0 to 3.88. There were significant (P ≤ 0.01) overall inverse relationships between CE content and (1) the individual digestibilities of lysine, methionine, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, phenylalanine, histidine, and arginine; (2) the mean digestibility of essential amino acids; (3) the mean digestibility of nonessential amino acids; and (4) TMEn values. In contrast to these overall trends, several cultivars of similar condensed tannin content had markedly different nutrient digestibilities. The dissimilarity of protein digestibilities in sorghum genotypes of similar tannin content was confirmed by subjecting samples of the ground grains to in vitro pepsin digestion with subsequent visualization of the undigested proteins by SDS−PAGE. The present wo.
Natural Dieback in Forests

urrently, much public concern and research effort focuses on forest dieback in industrial countries. Factors associated with air pollution, such as acid rain, nitrous oxide, changes in the ozone level, and heavy metal deposition are often considered responsible for tree mortality on both sides of the Atlantic. While it is absolutely clear that air pollution from nearby smelters can cause stand-level tree mortality by toxification (Smith 1981), the acid-rain relationship with forest dieback (Ulrich 1981, 1982) is as yet highly conjectural (Cramer 1984, Johnson 1983, Kandler 1983, Nihlgard 1985, Rehfuess 1983, Schiitt and Cowling 1985). This article is not intended to diminish concern about air pollution's relationship to forest dieback. The objective instead is to point out that stand-level dieback in forests is by no means a new phenomenon and further that, in many cases, it is due to natural causes. While it is sometimes possible to distinguish between manmade and natural causes of standlevel dieback, it is usually difficult to determine the exact causes. Dieback is the death of groups of neighboring trees rather than isolated trees dying in an otherwise green forest matrix. Dieback stands are forest segments having significant loss of canopy. In these stands the majority of trees are either dead or display reduced vigor. The term dieback is
Evaluation of functional groups as acetyl-lysine mimetics for BET bromodomain inhibition

The ability of various functional groups to engage the acetyl-lysine (KAc) binding site within bromo- and extra-terminal domain (BET) protein family members BRD2, BRD3 and BRD4 was evaluated by screening small molecular fragments – coupled to a known arylsulfonamide scaffold – in biochemical inhibition assays. Useful structure activity relationships have been established and novel functional groups that bind to the KAc binding pocket identified. Additional microsomal degradation studies were also undertaken revealing significant differences in metabolic stability between two commonly employed BET inhibitor fragments.
Dual control of avirulence in Leptosphaeria maculans towards a Brassica napus cultivar with ‘sylvestris‐derived’ resistance suggests involvement of two resistance genes

Blackleg disease (phoma stem canker) of Brassica napus (canola, oilseed rape) is caused by the fungus Leptosphaeria maculans. In some regions of Australia, resistance in oilseed rape cultivars derived from B. rapa subs. sylvestris (e.g. cv. Surpass 400) became ineffective within three years of commercial release. The genetic control of avirulence in L. maculans towards cv. Surpass 400 is described. When Australian field isolates were screened on this cultivar, three phenotypic classes were observed; virulent, intermediate and avirulent. Analysis of crosses between fungal isolates varying in their ability to infect cv. Surpass 400 demonstrated the presence of two unlinked avirulence genes, AvrLm1 and AvrLmS. Complementation of isolates (genotype avrLm1) with a functional copy of AvrLm1, and genotyping of field isolates using a molecular marker for AvrLm1 showed that virulence towards Rlm1 is necessary, but not sufficient, for expression of a virulent phenotype on cv. Surpass 400. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that cv. Surpass 400, with ‘sylvestris-derived’ resistance, contains at least two resistance genes, one of which is Rlm1.
Crusts of the alien bryozoan Membranipora membranacea can negatively impact spore output from native kelps (Laminaria longicruris)

Abstract Severe outbreaks of the crust-forming European bryozoan Membranipora membranacea in northwestern Atlantic waters have caused extensive losses of kelp canopy through a process of defoliation. Here, we report how these crusts may negatively impact kelp beds by reducing spore release from fertile blades. In the laboratory, fully and partially encrusted sori of Laminaria longicruris released significantly fewer spores than bryozoan-free blades. Through field observations, we quantified the potential ecological impact of the encrusting mechanism. Unlike previous years, infestation was minimal in 2002 when only 4% of kelp surface areas were covered with bryozoan colonies (with a maximum of 72% of kelp individuals infested). This indicates strong interannual variability in the scale of impact on kelp spore release. In years when Membranipora encrustation impact is high and coincides with invasion by other nonnative species and/or elevated levels of sea urchin grazing, there is the potential for conversion of the rocky subtidal benthos to a new, possibly stable community state.
Comparative evaluation of sun-dried and ensiled cassava peel meals as substitute for maize in broiler starter diets

A 28-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of dietary inclusion of Ensiled Cassava Peel Meal (ECPM) and Sun-dried Cassava Peel Meal (SCPM) on the performance of starter broiler chicks. Three treatment diets were formulated such that 50% of the maize in diet 1 (control) was replaced in diet 2 with ECPM and in diet 3 with SCPM. Each diet was fed to a group of 20 starter broiler chicks for 4 weeks. The birds fed on SCPM diet recorded significantly (P 0.05) between the control birds and birds fed ECPM diet in terms of feed intake, body weight gain and growth rate. There was also no significant difference (P>0.05) between the control birds and birds fed ECPM but there was significant difference (P International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 7(2) 2006: 52-55
The Pollination Mechanism of Three Sympatric Prescottia(Orchidaceae: Prescottinae) Species in Southeastern Brazil

Abstract The pollination biology of three Prescottia(Orchidaceae: Prescottinae) species was studied in Picinguaba, Sao Paulo State, south-eastern Brazil. Plants are self-compatible but pollinator-dependent and offer nectar as the only reward for pollinators. Prescottia plantaginea Lindl. and Prescottia stachyodes(Swartz) Lindl. are pollinated by pyralid moths (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Moth-pollination is reported for the first time in the genus Prescottia and the subtribe Prescottinae. Pollination by halictid bees (Halictidae) is confirmed for Prescottia densiflora Lindl. The pollination mechanism is the same regardless of pollinator-type: pollinaria are fixed on the ventral surface of the insect's proboscis through the pad-like viscidium and are removed when the insect leaves the flower. A pollinarium-carrying insect visiting another flower will brush the stigmatic surface and leave clumps of pollen, thus effecting pollination. Prescottia stachyodes is protandrous, a feature that increases the chances of cross-pollination. As far as we know, this is the first report of protandry in the genus Prescottia and also the subtribe Prescottinae.
The effects of marbling level, electrical stimulation, and postmortem aging on the cooking and palatability properties of beef rib-eye steaks

A total of 458 beef rib-eye steaks (longis-simus thoracis) from 229 carcass left sides were used to evaluate the effects of degree of marbling, electrical stimulation, and postmortem aging on the cooking and palatability properties of beef. One steak from each side was randomly allocated to 4 or 11 d of postmortem aging. Steaks were roasted to an internal temperature of 70 °C in a conventional oven preheated to 177 °C, and six cubes of lean from each steak were randomly assigned to a trained panel for palatability evaluation. Degree of marbling had no effect on initial or overall tenderness, flavour intensity, or desirability, but steaks with slight or greater marbling levels were juicier (P < 0.05) than those with traces of marbling. The percentage of unacceptable ratings for steaks, based on overall palatability, declined from 38.5% for traces of marbling to 23.7% for modest marbling levels. Low-voltage electrical stimulation had no effect (P < 0.05) on any of the palatability traits. Postmortem aging s.
Effects of Boat Activity on the Behavior of Bottlenose Dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) in Waters Surrounding Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

During the summer of 1998, the effects of boat activity on the behavior of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were investigated using 52 shore-based surveys along Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Temporal autocorrelation indicated data collected on most variables should be analyzed in 6-min intervals. Responses to boats were categorized as “no response,” “behavioral response,” “change in direction of movement,” or “change in both behavior and direction. ” Multiple boats had a greater influence on dolphin behavior and movement than the presence of a single boat. Dolphin-watching boats, motorboats, shrimp boats, and jet skis affected the group size and behavior of dolphin groups. Dolphin groups responded to dolphin-watching boats during 20% of observations, mainly with a change in both behavior and direction of movement. Motorboats caused a response in dolphins during 55% of observations, with a change in behavior or both behavior and direction. Jet skis had a more dramatic effect on dolphin groups, with 56% of groups changing their behavior and 11% changing both their behavior and direction. Shrimp boats always elicited a response. Dolphin groups changed both their behavior, and direction of movement to follow and feed behind these boats. In contrast, ships rarely caused a response, with groups changing their behavior but not their direction in 11% of observations. As the number of boats in the Hilton Head area increased, dolphin groups heightened responses—that is, changed both behavior and direction of movement. These boat-related effects on bottlenose dolphin behavior are considered “harassment” under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) and should be scrutinized by agencies responsible for public education and enforcement of protective legislation.
Effect of Deltamethrin Treatment on Lepidopteran Larvae Infected with Baculoviruses Expressing Insect-Selective Toxins μ-Aga-IV, As II, or Sh 1☆

Abstract Modification of sodium channels by pyrethroids is promoted by channel opening. The insect-specific neurotoxins μ-Aga-IV from the spider Agelenopsis aperta, As II from the sea anemone Anemonia sulcata, and Sh I from the sea anemone Stichadactyla helianthus all increase sodium channel opening and so we tested each of them in combination with deltamethrin for synergistic insecticidal activity. We found that As II increased the insecticidal activity of deltamethrin against the blowfly Lucilia sericata. We also examined the effect of deltamethrin on the infectivity and virulence of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) and recombinant toxin-expressing viruses in both dose-dependent and time-mortality studies. The recombinant viruses expressed chimeric synthetic genes for μ-Aga-IV, As II, or Sh I (genes mag4, sat2, and ssh1, respectively). When Trichoplusia ni larvae were infected with a LC 20 of the recombinant viruses and treated with a LC 20 of deltamethrin in diet incorporation bioassays, the doses were strictly additive. A cooperative decrease in mortality rate was observed in droplet feeding bioassays when a low dose (LC 20 ) of deltamethrin and high doses of toxin-expressing viruses were fed to larvae but this effect was host-dependent. In T. ni, only wild-type AcMNPV and a recombinant expressing mag4 under very late viral promoter control exhibited reduced times in controlling host feeding and mortality in the presence of deltamethrin. For Heliothis virescens, larvae infected with sat2 -expressing viruses displayed shorter feeding times in the presence of deltamethrin than those infected with virus alone but only at very high virus doses. H. virescens larvae infected with wild-type AcMNPV and a mag4 -expressing recombinant had shorter feeding times and also shorter effective and lethal times in the presence of deltamethrin. Our results indicate that coapplication of this pyrethroid will confer little or no advantage in field applications of recombinant baculovirus pesticides and that application of pyrethroids will probably have no adverse affect on recombinant virus efficacy unless it deters larval feeding and virus acquisition.
A multi-isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ2H) approach to connecting European breeding and African wintering populations of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

A multi-isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ2H) approach to connecting European breeding and African wintering populations of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) Establishing links between breeding and wintering populations of longdistance migratory birds and other animals is fundamental to several aspects of migration research. However, severe limitations in our ability to track small-bodied migratory species still limits this field despite several recent technological breakthroughs. The measurement of naturally occurring stable isotopes of several elements in the tissues of migrants that travel across isotopic gradients or isoscapes has the potential to identify large scale migratory connectivity without some of the biases associated with the use of extrinsic markers. We investigated migratory connectivity between European breeding and African wintering populations of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) by comparing feather isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ2H) values with those expected from previously established feather isotopic clusters for Africa. We used a likelihood approach to assigning individuals to molt origins that also made use of prior information provided by ring recoveries as part of the EURING and SAFRING ringing efforts. We found evidence for strong isotopic spatial structure in the dataset, supporting the notion of a migratory divide in Europe with birds breeding in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Eastern Europe wintering in southern Africa and virtually all samples from Switzerland westward being assigned to clusters in the northern portion of the species’ winter range. Individuals from the United Kingdom were assigned to areas including Namibia, Botswana, northern South Africa, and along the coast of Mozambique and Tanzania. Birds wintering in the northernmost region of the wintering grounds tended to breed in the southernmost region of the breeding grounds, providing some evidence of leap-frog migration. We detected a strong latitudinal threshold in feather δ13C in Europe for African-grown feathers, suggesting that birds breeding in southern Europe (< 50° Latitude) primarily used C3-dominated habitats in Africa, whereas birds in northern Europe (> 53° Latitude) primarily used C4-dominated habitats. Our results emphasize the power in using a multi-isotope approach to assign individuals and populations to known continental-scale isoscapes and the advantages of combining isotopic and conventional (ring recovery) information within a Bayesian assignment framework.
Stop the bullying in the corridors: Can including shrubs make your revegetation more Noisy Miner free?

Summary Noisy Miners (Manorina melanocephala) are aggressive Australian honeyeaters that dominate many areas of remnant vegetation and forest edges from which they competitively exclude small birds. A similar domination can also occur in planted wildlife corridors. The aim of this study was to determine which corridor plantings encouraged the presence of small native birds in regions where Noisy Miners dominate. Six vegetation mixes were investigated in the main study: eucalypts with and without shrubby understorey; acacia with and without shrubby understorey; exotic conifer; and exotic deciduous trees. A supplementary study then examined sites with a mixture of eucalypt and acacia trees with a shrubby understorey. The findings showed that Noisy Miners dominated corridors of eucalypts, virtually excluding small birds, whereas native acacias, exotic conifer and exotic deciduous corridors had small birds and no resident Noisy Miners. The greatest abundance and richness of small birds occurred in plantings combining eucalypts with at least 15% acacias, in this case bipinnate species. Given these results, it is recommended that eucalypt plantings should be supplemented with both acacias (preferably bipinnate) and a shrubby understorey.
Is there an energetic cost to begging in nestling tree swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor) ?

Most honest signalling theory predicts that signals must be costly to prevent the signaller from conveying false information to the receiver. However, there have been few direct measures of the costs associated with signalling. We measured oxygen consumption during begging in 5- and 10-day-old tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings to determine if there was an energetic cost associated with this signal, and if so, whether it increased with increasing begging intensity. Our results indicated that both 5- and 10-day-old nestlings used significantly more oxygen when begging than when resting. Although both the active metabolic rate and the resting metabolic rate were significantly higher in the older nestlings than in the younger nestlings, the scope (ratio of active metabolic rate to resting metabolic rate) of begging was the same in both age groups. Our results indicated that in general begging required 28% more energy than resting in tree swallow nestlings. Energy expenditure was not related to begging intensity in 5-day-old nestlings; however, these values were significantly related in the older nestlings. Although the energetic cost of begging seems relatively low, it may be important when the total energy budget of the nestlings is considered.
Leaf carbon management in slow‐growing plants exposed to elevated CO2

Two slow‐growing plant species (Chamaerops humilis, L. and Cycas revoluta Thunb.) were exposed to elevated CO2 conditions over a 20‐month period in order to study the CO2 effect on growth, photosynthetic capacity and leaf carbon (C) management. The ambient isotopic 13C/12C composition (δ13C) of the greenhouse module corresponding to elevated CO2 (800 μmol mol−1 CO2) conditions was changed from δ13C ca. −12.8±0.3‰ to ca. −19.2±0.2‰. Exposure of these plants to elevated CO2 enhanced dry mass (DM) by 82% and 152% in Chamerops and Cycas, respectively, mainly as a consequence of increases in plant level photosynthetic rates. However, analyses of A–Ci curve parameters revealed that elevated CO2 diminished leaf photosynthetic rates of Chamaerops whereas in Cycas, no photosynthetic acclimation was detected. The fact that Chamaerops plants had a lower DM increase, together with a longer leaf C residence time and a diminished capacity to respire recently fixed C, suggests that this species was unable to increase C sink strength. Furthermore, the consequent C source/sink imbalance in Chamaerops might have induced the downregulation of Rubisco. Cycas plants were capable of avoiding photosynthetic downregulation due to a greater ability to increase C sink strength, as was confirmed by DM values, and 12C‐enriched CO2 labeling data. Cycas developed the ability to respire a larger proportion of recently fixed C and to reallocate the recently fixed C away from leaves to other plant tissues. These findings suggest that leaf C management is a key factor in the responsiveness of slow‐growing plants to future CO2 scenarios.
Prostaglandin D2induces interleukin-6 synthesis via Ca2+mobilization in osteoblasts: regulation by protein kinase C

We previously showed that prostaglandin (PG) D2 stimulates Ca2+ influx from extracellular space and activates phosphoinositidic (PI)-hydrolyzing phospholipase C and phosphatidylcholine (PC)-hydrolyzing phospholipase D independently from PGE2 or PGF2alpha in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. In the present study, we investigated the effect of PGD2 on the synthesis of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and its regulatory mechanism in MC3T3-E1 cells. PGD2 significantly stimulated IL-6 synthesis dose-dependently in the range between 10 nM and 10 microM. The depletion of extracellular Ca2+ by EGTA reduced the PGD2-induced IL-6 synthesis. TMB-8, an inhibitor of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization, significantly inhibited the PGD2-induced IL-6 synthesis. On the other hand, calphostin C, a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), enhanced the synthesis of IL-6 induced by PGD2. In addition, U-73122, an inhibitor of phospholipase C, and propranolol, a phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase inhibitor, enhanced the PGD2-induced IL-6 synthesis. These results strongly suggest that PGD2 stimulates IL-6 synthesis through intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in osteoblasts, and that the PKC activation by PGD2 itself regulates the over-synthesis of IL-6.