Using passive hair traps to obtain genetic material from wild mammals is an effective form of testing the abundance of animal populations. Based on genetic analysis of collected hair, it is possible to estimate the number and sex of individuals present in a given area. The aim of this study was to confirm the success of the method of collecting hair from beavers in a non-invasive way, as well as to determine the effectiveness of using passive hair traps as sampling tools that can be applied in different regions. The study was carried out in the area of Stobrawa Landscape Park (southwestern Poland) between December 2017 and May 2018. For 17 control days, 12 samples were obtained, which gave the result of 0.7 samples per control day. This study shows that the proposed method, due to its simplicity and efficiency, could be a cost-effective way of collecting hair from free-ranging beavers without the need for capturing individuals.
Light trapping is the most widely used tool for determining the diversity of nocturnal Lepidoptera, but UV LEDs have yet to be used as light sources for the large-scale monitoring of Lepidoptera. We assessed the efficiency of this novel light source for sampling moths using a Heath type moth equipped with a strip of 150 high brightness UV LEDs (emission peak 398 nm, ~ 15 W) powered by a 12 V battery. We compared the number of individuals, the number of species and the Geometridae / Noctuidae ratio recorded for the samples collected using UV LED traps with those collected in two monitoring programs carried out in the same geographic region using two different light sources: a 200 W incandescent lamp (Rothamsted trap) and a 160 W mercury vapour lamp (manual catch). The total catch consisted of 61,120 individuals belonging to 699 species. The species richness rarefaction curves revealed that the Rothamsted trap collected fewer species and individuals than UV LED traps. Furthermore, the median numbers of species and individuals caught by UV LED traps fell within the range of those caught by mercury vapour lamp traps. In addition, the community composition recorded using incandescent lamps and UV LEDs was similar. The data obtained using UV LED traps, in absolute terms and in comparison with the other light sources and different sampling methods, clearly reveal that this light source is suitable for sampling macro-moth communities. For field work UV LEDs have many advantages, as they are resistant to mechanical damage, easily protected from heavy rain and energy efficient., Marco Infusino, Gunnar Brehm, Carlo Di Marco, Stefano Scalercio., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_This study evaluated the relationship between photosynthetic carbon accumulation and symbiotic nitrogen nutrition in young fully expanded leaves of 30 nodulated cowpea genotypes grown in the field at Manga, Ghana, in 2005 and 2006. Estimates of fixed-N in photosynthetic leaves revealed greater symbiotic N in genotypes with higher photosynthetic rates and increased leaf transpiration rate/efficiency. There was also greater C accumulation in genotypes with higher symbiotic N and/or total N. Additionally, genotypes with high contents of C per unit of leaf total N exhibited greater C per unit of leaf N-fixed. The C/N and C/Rubisco-N ratios were generally similar in their magnitude when compared to the C/N-fixed ratio due possibly to the fact that Rubisco accounts for a high proportion of photosynthetic leaf N, irrespective of whether the enzyme was formed from soil N or symbiotic N. Cowpea genotypes that relied heavily on soil N for their N nutrition exhibited much higher C/N-fixed ratios, while conversely those that depended more on symbiosis for meeting their N demands showed markedly lower C/N-fixed values. For example, genotypes Omondaw, Bensogla, IT93K-2045-29, and Sanzie, which respectively derived 83.9, 83.1, 82.9, and 76.3% N from fixation, recorded lower C/N-fixed ratios of 10.7, 12.2, 12.1, and 13.0 mg mg-1 in that order in 2005. In contrast, genotypes Botswana White, IT94D-437-1, TVu1509, and Apagbaala, which obtained 14.8, 15.0, 26.4, and 26.0% of their N nutrition from fixation, showed high C/N-fixed values of 84.0, 69.0, 35.2, and 40.6 mg.mg-1, respectively, in 2005., a2_This clearly indicates that genotypes that obtained less N from symbiosis and more N from soil revealed very high C/N-fixed values, an argument that was reinforced by the negative correlations obtained between the three C/N ratios (i.e. C/N, C/Rubisco-N, and C/N-fixed) and leaf N concentration, percentage nitrogen derived from fixation, total N content, amount of N-fixed, and Rubisco N. These data suggest a direct link between photosynthetic C accumulation and symbiotic N assimilation in leaves of nodulated cowpea, and where genotypes derived a large proportion of their N from fixation, photosynthetic C yield substantially increased., A. K. Belane, F. D. Dakora., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
This paper presents a method for assessing the retention capacity of a floodplain in the course of flooding and for estimating the significance of its water storage for transforming a flood wave. The method is based on two-dimensional numerical modeling of the flood flow in a river channel and in the adjacent floodplains, and is suitable for cases when the morphology of the flooding area is variable and complex, e.g. broad inundation areas with meandering channels. The approach adopted here enables us to quantify the retention capacity for inundation areas of various characters and with various land uses, and provides a tool for estimating the efficiency of possible measures for increasing the water storage capacity of a floodplain. The retention capacity is estimated using an evaluation of a series of detailed flood flow modeling results; the flood wave transformation effect is predicted with the aim of creating a non-linear reservoir model. A parametric study of the floodplain retention capacity for the upper branch of the Lužnice River is presented here, and the results for the current state and for various hypothetical scenarios of changes in geometry and land use are evaluated and compared. and V příspěvku je prezentována metodika pro stanovení retenční kapacity inundačního území při povodňových průtocích a jeho význam pro transformaci povodňové vlny. Metoda využívá dvourozměrný numerický model proudění vody korytem a přilehlým inundačním územím a je vhodná pro případy, kdy charakter nivy je proměnlivý a velmi komplikovaný, např. široká inundační území s meandrujícími toky. Navržený způsob řešení umožňuje kvantifikovat retenční schopnosti niv různého charakteru při různých způsobech využívání a umožňuje případně navrhnout úpravu inundačního území tak, aby transformační účinek při průchodu povodňové vlny byl co největší. Retenční kapacita inundačního území je stanovena na základě výsledků podrobného modelování proudění vody při různých průtokových stavech a transformace povodňové vlny je řešena pomocí iteračního postupu založeného na Bratránkově metodě. V příspěvku je uvedena parametrická studie kvantifikace retenční kapacity nivy na základě vyhodnocení a porovnání transformační schopnosti pro nivu Lužnice v jejím horním úseku pro současný přirozený stav a pro různé teoretické scénáře změněného charakteru a způsobu využívání nivy.
Previous evidence has demonstrated that vertical leaves of Styrax camporum, a woody shrub from the Brazilian savanna, have a higher net photosynthetic rate (PN) compared with horizontal leaves, and that it is detected only if gas exchange is measured with light interception by both leaf surfaces. In the present study, leaf temperature (T leaf), gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence with light interception on adaxial and also on abaxial surfaces of vertical and horizontal mature fully-expanded leaves subjected to water deficit (WD) were measured. Similar
gas-exchange and fluorescence values were found when the leaves were measured with light interception on the respective surfaces of horizontal and vertical leaves. WD reduced N values measured with light interception on leaf surfaces of both leaf types, but the effective quantum yield of PSII (ΦPSII) and the apparent electron transport rate (ETR) were reduced only when the leaves were measured with light interception on the adaxial surface. WD did not decrease the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) or increase T leaf, even at the peak of WD stress. Vertical leaf orientation in S. camporum is not related to leaf heat avoidance. In addition, the similar P N values and the lack of higher values of ΦPSII and ETR in vertical compared with horizontal leaves measured with light interception by each of the leaf surfaces suggests that the vertical leaf position is not related to photoprotection in this species, even when subjected to drought conditions. The exclusion of this photoprotective role could raise the alternative hypothesis that diverse leaf angles sustain whole plant light interception efficiency increased in this species., A. M. Feistler, G. Habermann., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The soil engineer needs to be able to readily identify difficult or problematic soils and to determine the amount of settlement that may occur. This paper deals with the assessment and identification of three types of difficult soils: collapsible soils, swelling soils, and liquefiable soils. In the first instance, the study investigates the effect of some soil properties on wetting-induced collapse strain and the swelling potential of soils. Also, two new methods for predicting soil collapse and swelling potential are developed. The proposed relationships correlate between collapse strain and swelling potential and some soil parameters which are believed to govern soil collapse and swelling. Validation of these two relationships with some data reported in literature is also examined. Furthermore, the paper describes the different steps suggested in a new procedure for soil liquefaction assessment. The procedure was presented in the form of an evaluation guide. In addition, a relationship was suggested for computing the potential for liquefaction. An application of the proposed procedure to a practical case is included in order to validate and illustrate the different steps to be followed in the suggested evaluation procedure.
In this work the performance of Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations to predict the flow structure developed by the presence of a sidewall obstacle in a uniform open-channel shallow flow is discussed. The tested geometry was selected due to its important role in several fluvial applications, such as the control of riverbank erosion and the creation of improved ecological conditions in river restoration applications. The results are compared against experimental laboratory velocity fields obtained after Large Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) measurements. It is shown that the length of reattachment of the separated shear layer generated by the obstacle is well predicted by a Reynolds Stress Model, while classical two-equation models show important limitations. All the performed RANS simulations are unable to properly predict the formation of a secondary gyre region, which develops immediately downstream the obstacle.
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) physiology and imaging have recently attracted considerable attention. BAT is characterized both by enhanced perfusio
n and increased mitochondrial activity. 99mTc-sestamibi is a lipophilic cationic
tracer that concentrates in mitochondria. Data on the accumulation of 99mTc-sestamibi in BAT are currently lacking. This study investigates the
in vivo99mTc-sestamibi uptake in rat BAT. 99mTc-sestamibi was administered in male Wistar rats of various age and body size. 99mTc-sestamibi uptake was measured in vitro in BAT and white fat (WF) together with cytochrome c oxidase activity. Both 99mTc-sestamibi uptake and cytochrome c oxidase activity were higher in BAT than in WF (P<0.05). 99m
Tc-Sestamibi uptake in both BAT and WF was negatively related to body weight (r= -0.96 and -0.89, respectively) as was the BAT/WF uptake ratio (r = -0.85). These data show a higher 99mTc-sestamibi uptake in
BAT compared to WF, in agreement with the high mitochondrial content and respiratory activity of the former. The strong negative correlation between 99mTc-sestamibi uptake in BAT and body weight (negative allometry), is in accordance to increased needs of thermogenesis in smaller animals. Implications of increased 99mTc-sestamibi uptake in BAT in radionuclide imaging are also discussed.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of silicon in alleviating cadmium stress in maize plants grown in a nutrient solution and to evaluate the potential of the spectral emission parameters and the ratio of red fluorescence (Fr) to far-red fluorescence (Ffr) in assessing the beneficial effects of Si. An experiment was carried out using a nutrient solution with a toxic dose of Cd and six doses of Si; biomass, Cd, Si, and photosynthetic pigments of the plants were measured. Chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence analysis demonstrated that Si alleviated Cd toxicity in plants. Chl fluorescence measurements were sensitive in detecting such effects even when significant changes in biomass production and concentrations of photosynthetic pigments were not observed. The spectral emission and the Fr/Ffr ratio were sensitive to the effects of Si. Silicon caused a reduction in the translocation of Cd to the shoots of maize plants., A. J. Silva, C. W. A. Nascimento, A. S. Gouveia-Neto., and Obsahuje seznam literatury