Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of water level and grassland management on alpha and beta diversity of birds in restored wetlands

Summary Nearly 60% of European wetlands have been lost to drainage or to the cessation of grassland management. Large amounts of resources are put into wetland restoration with the aim to recover biodiversity. However, few studies have simultaneously evaluated effects of management, wetness and flooding dynamics on biodiversity of restored wetlands such as seasonally flooded wet grasslands. We inventoried bird communities over 4 years at 137 sites (each 3·1 ha) within five restored wet grassland areas in Sweden to investigate whether species richness and occurrence of 12 common wet grassland species were related to (i) local conditions such as management (grazing, mowing and unmanaged areas), basic wetness and spring flooding dynamics. Further, we investigated whether (ii) the composition of the adjacent landscape (20 ha) related to local bird diversity and (iii) species turnover (i.e. beta diversity) differed between sites characterized by their basic wetness, degree of flooding and predominant management regime. Local species richness was positively linked to degree of flooding and basic wetness of grasslands but not to type of grassland management. Species richness tended also to be negatively linked to proportion of forest at the landscape scale. Although variable, the same results were also true concerning the probability of the occurrence of a single species at the local scale. Species turnover between sites, and thus total species richness, was distinctly higher in (i) grazed as compared to mowed grasslands except in dry non-flooded grasslands and (ii) flooded as compared to non-flooded sites. Similar patterns held for the subset of 12 red-listed species. We suggest that the high beta diversity in grazed and flooded grasslands is driven by the heterogeneous vegetation structure, resulting in good conditions for foraging and nesting for several wet grassland bird species. Synthesis and applications. The selection of wetlands for conserving wet grassland birds should prioritize temporary flooded grasslands of moderate wetness, preferably far from forest edges. Restoration and management of wet grasslands should include water level management, removal of shrubs and trees, and low-intensity grazing, whereas mowing could be used in non-flooded grasslands of low basic wetness.
VARIATION IN PLANT RESPONSE TO NATIVE AND EXOTIC ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI

High variability in plant-growth response to the presence of different mycorrhizal fungi can be a major determinant of local plant species diversity. Multiple species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can coexist in terrestrial ecosystems, and co-occurring plants can differ in their response to colonization by these different fungi. However, the range of mycorrhizal plant-growth responses that can occur within communities has not been determined. In the present study, I crossed a large number of plant and fungal species that co-occur to determine the range of responses that can exist within an ecosystem. I also crossed exotic fungal isolates vs. local plant isolates and local fungal isolates vs. exotic plant isolates to determine whether the range of plant growth responses differs when using foreign genotypes. The data indicate that plant growth responses to mycorrhizal inoculation within an ecosystem can range from highly parasitic to highly mutualistic. In this study, the direction and magnitude of the response depended on the combination of plant and fungal species. No plant did best with the same fungal isolate. The range of responses was greatest when using local plants and fungi. Whereas parasitic and mutualistic responses were also detected when using foreign plant or fungal genotypes, the range of responses was significantly reduced, as was the relative frequency of positive responses. Overall, this study suggests that, within ecosystems, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can function along a continuum from parasitism to mutualism, and that extreme responses are more common when using locally adapted plants and fungi. This high variation in plant growth response may be a large contributor to plant species coexistence and the structure of plant communities.
Developing European conservation and mitigation tools for pollination services: approaches of the STEP (Status and Trends of European Pollinators) project

Summary Pollinating insects form a key component of European biodiversity, and provide a vital ecosystem service to crops and wild plants. There is growing evidence of declines in both wild and domesticated pollinators, and parallel declines in plants relying upon them. The STEP project (Status and Trends of European Pollinators, 2010–2015, www.step-project.net) is documenting critical elements in the nature and extent of these declines, examining key functional traits associated with pollination deficits, and developing a Red List for some European pollinator groups. Together these activities are laying the groundwork for future pollinator monitoring programmes. STEP is also assessing the relative importance of potential drivers of pollinator declines, including climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, agrochemicals, pathogens, alien species, light pollution, and their interactions. We are measuring the ecological and economic impacts of declining pollinator services and floral resources, including effects on wild plant populations, crop production and human nutrition. STEP is reviewing existing and potential mitigation options, and providing novel tests of their effectiveness across Europe. Our work is building upon existing and newly developed datasets and models, complemented by spatially-replicated campaigns of field research to fill gaps in current knowledge. Findings are being integrated into a policy-relevant framework to create evidence-based decision support tools. STEP is establishing communication links to a wide range of stakeholders across Europe and beyond, including policy makers, beekeepers, farmers, academics and the general public. Taken together, the STEP research programme aims to improve our understanding of the nature, causes, consequences and potential mitigation of declines in pollination services at local, national, continental and global scales.
Are seed dormancy and persistence in soil related?

Abstract There is confusion in the ecological literature between seed dormancy and persistence in soil. Some ecologists seem to assume that dormancy is necessary for persistence, while others imply that dormancy and persistence are virtually synonymous. Here, we show that there is no close relationship between dormancy and persistence and, incidentally, that conventional methods of investigating soil seed banks underestimate the persistence of species with dormant seeds. The confusion appears to arise from the concept of ‘enforced dormancy’, which is not genuinely dormancy at all, and would be eliminated if ecologists adopted the definition of dormancy employed by physiologists. Dormancy is a characteristic of the seed, not of the environment, the degree of which defines the conditions required to make the seed germinate.
Transition from anoestrus in the mare and the effects of artificial lighting

1. The recommencement of the sexual rhythm from deep anoestrus, is described in barren pony mares. Follicular development and oestrus follow after an interval of preliminary changes in the ovaries and accessory reproductive organs. 2. The onset of oestrus can be accelerated by general irradiation with strong artificial light. Local irradiation with a mercury vapour lamp has no effect on the ovaries. 3. Pregnant matings will result from such artificially induced heat periods provided that ovulation is induced. 4. Doses of less than 10 c.c. of sperm injected will cause fertilization when ovulation is so induced. 5. There is a close connexion between the shedding of the coat and renewed ovarian activity. 6. The stimulus to the ovaries probably passes through the eyes as in the ferret.
Croissance et prise de l'acide glutamique par les bactéries du genre Streptococcus en fonction de la source d'énergie

La fermentation du lactose du lait par les bacteries lactiques, essentiellement les genres Streptococcus et Lactobacillus, est primordiale en Industrie Laitiere. Depuis une dizaine d'annees, les systemes de transport et d'hydrolyse des glucides par ces microorganismes ont ete etudies. Relativement aux autres bacteries du meme genre, il existe peu de donnees sur le metabolisme glucidique chez Streptococcus thermophilus. La presente etude a porte sur l'effet de la source d'energie sur la croissance et la prise de l'acide glutamique chez differentes especes de streptocoques (35 souches appartenant a 14 especes). Nous avons pu constater l'originalite de S. thermophilus : le lactose est un meilleur substrat que le glucose aussi bien pour le transport actif que pour la croissance de la bacterie. Tous les autres streptocoques testes sauf peut-etre S. salivarius preferent le glucose ou donnent des resultats similaires avec les deux glucides. L'adaptation prealable des streptocoques du groupe N au lactose les rend plus aptes a fermenter ce diholoside.
Genetic population structure of minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata from Greenland, the North East Atlantic and the North Sea probably reflects different ecological regions

A genetic study to determine the population structure of minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata in Greenland, the Central and NE Atlantic and the North Sea was carried out on a sam- ple of 306 individuals. Samples were analysed by sequencing the D-loop in mtDNA and using 16 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers. Muscle samples from a total of 154 minke whales, caught between 6 May and 31 October 1998 by Greenland and Norwegian licensed whalers within 6 areas of the North Atlantic, were analysed (West Greenland, n = 44; Jan Mayen, n = 24; Svalbard, n = 16; the Barents Sea, n = 33; Vesteralen/Lofoten on the coast of northwestern Norway, n = 14, and the North Sea, n = 23). In addition, 30 minke whales sampled in East Greenland during 1996, 1997 and 1999 were included. Furthermore, 122 minke whales caught in West Greenland in 3 different years (1982, 1996 and 1997) were analysed to determine potential inter-annual variation within a sampling area. The lack of inter-annual variation in West Greenland suggests that the minke whales summering in the area year after year belong to the same sub-population. The study indicated the existence of 4 genetically differentiated sub-populations: (1) West Greenland, (2) Central North Atlantic-East Greenland-Jan Mayen area, (3) NE Atlantic (Svalbard, the Barents Sea and north- western Norway), and (4) North Sea. It is suggested that these sub-populations have been isolated by discontinuities between regions, i.e. each of the sub-populations has evolved in response to regional differences in ecological conditions (oceanography, ice cover, prey type and prey availability).
Forest phenology and a warmer climate – growing season extension in relation to climatic provenance

Predicting forest responses to warming climates relies on assumptions about niche and temperature sensitivity that remain largely untested. Observational studies have related current and historical temperatures to phenological shifts, but experimental evidence is sparse, particularly for autumn responses. A 4 year field experiment exposed four deciduous forest species from contrasting climates (Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus rubra, Populus grandidentata, and Betula alleghaniensis) to air temperatures 2 and 4 °C above ambient controls, using temperature‐controlled open top chambers. Impacts of year‐round warming on bud burst (BB), senescence, and abscission were evaluated in relation to thermal provenance. Leaves emerged earlier in all species by an average of 4–9 days at +2 °C and 6–14 days at +4 °C. Magnitude of advance varied with species and year, but was larger for the first 2 °C increment than for the second. Effect of warming increased with early BB, favoring Liquidambar, but even BB of northern species advanced, despite temperatures exceeding those of the realized niche. Treatment differences in BB were inadequately explained by temperature sums alone. In autumn, chlorophyll was retained an average of 4 and 7 days longer in +2 and +4 °C treatments, respectively, and abscission delayed by 8 and 13 days. Growing seasons in the warmer atmospheres averaged 5–18 days (E2) and 6–28 days (E4) longer, according to species, with the least impact in Quercus. Results are compared with a 16 years record of canopy onset and offset in a nearby upland deciduous forest, where BB showed similar responsiveness to spring temperatures (2–4 days °C−1). Offset dates in the stand tracked August–September temperatures, except when late summer drought caused premature senescence. The common garden‐like experiment provides evidence that warming alone extends the growing season, at both ends, even if stand‐level impacts may be complicated by variation in other environmental factors.
Subcortical pathways for colour vision

s: Martin, P.R. , Szmajda, B.A., Buzás, P., Blessing, E.M. , and FitzGibbon, T. (2006). Spatial properties of blue-OFF cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the marmoset. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (ARVO abstracts), program #5379. Szmajda, B.A., Jusuf, P.R. , Grunert, U. , and Martin, P.R. (2005). Projection of retinal ganglion cells to the koniocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus in the marmoset. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, abstract #741.10. The experiments for Chapter 2 were initiated during my Honours candidature and were completed during the first year of my PhD. During the course of my PhD, I also contributed to the following publications and abstracts, which involve experiments not described by this thesis:
Effect of Zebra Mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, on Macroinvertebrates in a Lake-outlet Stream

Abstract Zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, increase macroinvertebrate abundance on hard substrata in lakes and large rivers because they enhance surface area, substratum heterogeneity and the accumulation of benthic organic matter (BOM). We tested the hypothesis that zebra mussel colonization of hard substrata in a lake-outlet stream would similarly increase macroinvertebrate abundance. Zebra mussels were attached to artificial rocks (0.05 m2) in a crossed factorial design with two states of mussels (live or dead) and three densities [low (200·m−2), medium (500·m−2) or high (1000·m−2)] plus a noncrossed control (no attached mussels). Rocks were placed in an erosional zone of a lake-outlet stream in southwestern Michigan that contained low densities of zebra mussels. After 28 d total macroinvertebrate abundance was significantly higher on rocks with high densities of zebra mussels, but live or dead treatment had no effect on macroinvertebrate abundance. Family richness differed significantly among density treatments (high = medium > low = control), but Simpson's diversity index did not differ among treatments. We conclude that changes in macroinvertebrate community structure probably were related to the increased substrate complexity provided by zebra mussels.
Effects of Light and Nitrogen Nutrition on the Organization of the Photosynthetic Apparatus in Spinach

Nitrogen budgets of fully expanded young leaves of Spinacia oleracea L. grown under three growth irradiances at four nitrate concentrations, were compared in relation to photosynthesis. The proportion of nitrogen allocated to thylakoid membranes was 24% of total leaf nitrogen irrespective of the growth conditions. The composition of the photosynthetic components in thylakoid membranes was affected by growth irradiance but unaffected by nitrogen levels. The proportion of total leaf nitrogen allocated to soluble protein and RuBP carboxylase (RuBPCase) increased with the increases in nitrogen and in irradiance levels. Some ultrastructural properties of chloroplasts and their intra-leaf gradients were also compared. The results suggest that nitrogen nutrition affects the amount of thyalkoids per unit leaf area but neither the properties of thyalkoids nor their intra-leaf gradient. Growth irradiance, however, controls both the properties and the amount of thylakoids. The ratio of in vitro RuBPCase activity to electron transport/photophosphorylation activity increased with the increase in nitrogen level, but decreased with the increase in growth irradiance. The change in the ratio of in vitro activities may serve to balance the in vivo activities, given that the in vivo efficiency of RuBPCase declines with the increase in volume of a chloroplast due to the increased liquid phase resistance to CO 2 diffusion.
Long-term growth patterns of juvenile trees from a Bolivian tropical moist forest: shifting investments in diameter growth and height growth

Abstract: Juvenile tropical trees grow from the shaded understorey to the high-light conditions of the canopy, but actual height growth trajectories towards the canopy remain unknown. Although height growth is the determining factor for reaching the canopy, investment in diameter growth is needed to sustain mechanical stability. We quantified variation in long-term juvenile tree growth patterns in diameter and height within three Bolivian moist forest species, and evaluated whether diameter growth and height growth were related. We reconstructed lifetime growth in diameter and height for 21–27 juvenile trees per species by measuring tree rings at various heights in the stem. Growth in diameter and height strongly varied among and within tree species. The light-demanding species Cedrelinga cateniformis needed just 6–19 y to reach a height of 3 m, while the more shade-tolerant species Clarisia racemosa and Peltogyne cf. heterophylla needed 8–39 y and 13–43 y, respectively. Diameter growth and height growth were not, or just weakly, positively related, and trees of the same height displayed a wide range in stem diameter. Our results indicate that trees of all three species shifted investment in diameter growth and height growth over time, most likely in response to variation in light levels.
PKC, a key switch in cancer signaling pathways

More than 30 years have passed since the identification of the first functional association between a signal mediated by a lipid and cancer, and in this context PKC was again found responsible for its association with membranes. Nishizuka and colleagues found that PKC could be activated by the lipid diacylglycerol (DAG) in the presence of phosphatidylserine as a cofactor. The fact that DAG could displace phorbol esters from their binding site in PKC represented the first compelling evidence that a bioactive lipid product could modulate a kinase linked to carcinogenesis. The isolation of many structurally related PKC isozymes led to an explosion of research dedicated to elucidating their roles in cancer signal-transduction pathways (Griner & Kazanietz, 2007). Protein kinase C (PKC) is a member of a family of Ser/Thr phosphotransferases that are involved in many cellular signaling pathways. Based on primary structure and biochemical characteristics, the enzymes can be divided into three subfamilies: classical or conventional PKCs (α, βI, βII and γ; cPKCs), novel PKCs (δ,θ, ε and η; nPKCs), and atypical PKCs (ζ and λ (mouse)/ι (human); aPKCs). Each PKC isotype is expressed in a wide variety of cell types and multiple PKC isotypes are expressed in a single cell, making it a ubiquitous family of enzymes. All PKCs contain a C-terminal kinase domain and an Nterminal regulatory domain (Fig. 1) (Corbalán-García & Gómez-Fernández, 2006 ) (Corbalán-García & Gómez-Fernández, 2014) .
Antinociceptive Activities of Aqueous and Ethanol Extracts of Piper betle. Leaves in Rats

Abstract Leaves of Piper betle. Linn (Piperaceae) possess a broad spectrum of pharmacological and therapeutic properties. However, its antinociceptive activity has not been investigated so far. The aim of this study therefore, was to examine the antinociceptive activity of hot water extract (HWE) and cold ethanol extract (CEE) of P. betle. leaves using rats and three models of nociception (tail flick, hot plate, and formalin tests). Different concentrations of HWE (125, 200, 300, 500 mg/kg) and CEE (125, 200, 300, 500 mg/kg) were made and orally administrated to rats, and the reaction times were determined. The results showed that the extracts have marked antinociceptive activity when evaluated in the hot plate and the formalin tests but not in the tail-flick test. The overall antinociceptive effect of CEE was higher than that of HWE. The antinociceptive effect was mediated via opioid mechanisms.
Components of Variance for Milk and Fat Yields in Dairy Goats

Abstract Age-season adjusted records from five breeds of dairy goats on Dairy Herd Improvement test from 1965 to 1976 were used to estimate components of variance for milk yield, fat yield, and fat percentage. The data were 6,452 Alpine, 1,730 LaMancha, 6,897 Nubian, 2,759 Saanen, and 4,007 Toggenberg lactation records. Components of variance were estimated by Henderson's Method 1 with a four-way model that included random effects of herd, year-season, sire, and doe. Herd effects accounted for 22 to 31% of the total variation in milk and fat yields and 15 to 25% of the variation in fat percentage. These effects were large enough to indicate that they must be considered in genetic evaluations of milk and fat production. Sire components of variance were 8 to 10% of the total variation in milk yield, fat yield, and fat percentage. Does accounted for 16 to 25% of total variation in milk yield, fat yield, and fat percentage. Repeatabilities of milk yield, fat yield, and fat percentage varied from . 39 to . 55 whereas heritabil-ities also within herd-year-season ranged from . 48 to . 62. Heritabilities larger than repeatabilities indicate that confounding may have inflated sire effects. Phenotypic and genetic correlations between milk and fat yields averaged . 94 and . 86. Milk yield and fat percentage were correlated negatively both phenotypically and genetically, whereas genetic correlations between fat yield and fat percentage averaged . 18.