The average soil temperature was significantly lower in plots covered with hay. Hay mulching, however, did not increase significantly the total number of soil micro-arthropods collected using a soil pin trap and a soil sampler. Significant increases in the number of individuals was recorded only for certain groups. 64% of all the arthropods collected using soil pin traps were collected in hay-covered plots and 36% in control plots. This increase was statistically significant for the orders Entomobryomorpha and Poduromorpha of the subclass Collembola and surface-dwelling (epigeic) Coleoptera. For the samples collected using the soil sampler, 57% of the specimens were collected from hay-covered plots and 43% from control plots. As for the pin traps this was reflected in differences in the numbers of the orders Entomobrhyomorpha and Poduromorpha of the subclass Collembola and Pauropoda, collected in the treated and control plots. We conclude that mulching affected the different arthropod groups differently., Péter Dudás, László Menyhárt, Csongor Gedeon, Gergely Aambrus, Ferenc Tóth., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of our study was to test the in fluence of short exposure (6 h) of preimplantation rabbit embryos to elevated temperatures (41.5 ºC or 42.5 ºC) in vitro on their developmental capacity. Fertilized eggs recovered from female oviducts at the pronuclear stage (19 hpc) were cultured at standard temperature (37.5 ºC) until the morula stage (72 hpc). Afterwards, the embryos were divided into two groups, cultured for 6 h either at hyperthermic (41.5 ºC or 42.5 ºC) or standard temperature (control 37.5 ºC), post-incubated overnight (16-20 h) at 37.5 ºC and then evaluated for developmental stages, apoptosis (TUNEL), proliferation (cell number), actin cytoskeleton and presence of heat-shock proteins Hsp70. It was observed that hyperthermia at 41.5 ºC did not alter progression of embryos to higher preimplantation stages (expanded and hatching/hatched blastocysts), rate of apoptosis, total cell number of blastocysts and structure of actin filament compared to 37.5 ºC. We stern-blotting revealed the presence of heat stress-induced 72 kDa fraction of Hsp70 proteins in granulosa cells (exposed to 41 ºC) and embryos (exposed to 41.5 ºC). Following the elevation of temperature to 42.5 ºC embryo development was dramati cally compromised. The embryos were arrested at the morula or early blastocyst stage, showed an increased rate of apoptosis and decreased total cell number compared to control. The structure of actin filaments in most of blastomeres was damaged and such blastomeres often contained apoptotic nuclei. In this group a presence of heat-stress-induced fraction of Hsp70 proteins had not been confirmed. This is the first report demonstrating a threshold of thermotolerance of rabbit preimplantation embryos to hyperthermic exposure in vitro. A detrimental effect of higher temperature on the embryo is probably associated with the loss of their ability to produce Hsp70 de novo, which leads to cytoskeleton alterations and enhanced apoptosis., A. V. Makarevich, L. Olexiková, P. Chrenek, E. Kubovičová, K. Fréharová, J. Pivko., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
High irradiance promotes decreases in the quantum yield in plants, which reduce the photosynthetic rate. The excess of light in combination with water deficit can intensify the response of plants to stress, especially in species susceptible to those factors. The aim of the present study was to characterize the photosynthetic activity of young jatobá-do-cerrado (Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart. ex Hayne) trees under different irradiance conditions, both alone and/or in combination with water deficit. Four irradiances [45, 230, 510, and 1,700 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1] and two levels of water in soil (90% and 50% of field capacity) were used. Gas exchange, water potential, and chlorophyll a fluorescence were measured. The highest rates of photosynthesis were observed under irradiances of 230 and 510 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1. Irradiance of 1,700 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1 led to the photoinhibition of photosynthesis, as indicated by a reduced maximum quantum yield of PSII, effective quantum yield ratio, and electron transport rate, as well as higher nonphotochemical quenching. The most stressful to young H. stigonocarpa plants was high irradiance, while water deficit did not intensify the response to light stress., A. C. Costa, S. L. Rezende-Silva, C. A. Megguer, L. M. F. Moura, M. Rosa, A. A. Silva., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This study was designed to investigate effect of alpha-lipoic acid (LA) on lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide production and antioxidant systems in rats exposed to chronic restraint stress. Twenty four male Wistar rats, aged three months, were divided into four groups: control (C), the group treated with LA (L), the group exposed to restraint stress (S) and the group exposed to stress and treated with LA (LS). Restraint stress was applied for 21 days (1 h/day) and LA (100 mg/kg/day) was injected intraperitonally to the L and LS groups for the same period. Restraint stress significantly decreased brain copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD) and brain and retina glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) activities compared with the control group. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitrite and nitrate levels were significantly increased in the tissues of the S group compared with the C group. LA produced a significant decrease in brain and retina TBARS, nitrite and nitrate levels of the L and LS groups compared to their corresponding control groups. LA increased all enzyme activities in the tissues of the LS group compared to the S group. Our study indicated that LA is an ideal antioxidant candidate for the prevention of stress-induced lipid peroxidation., D. Akpinar, P. Yargiçoğlu, N. Derin, Y. Alicigüzel, A. Ağar., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The relative effects of two components of mountain environmental heterogeneity, altitude (1500, 1700 and 2000 m a.s.l.) and habitat (pastures, coniferous forests, wet meadows, scrub and anthropogenic woods) on the diversity of dung beetles in an Italian alpine valley were determined. The additive gamma diversity analysis indicated that differences among habitats (ßH) were always smaller than those among altitudes (ßA), irrespective of the measures used; it also showed that the contribution of ßA to γ-diversity was higher than expected by chance for all the measures of species diversity used, whereas the contribution of ßH was significantly higher in the case of one measure only. Generalized linear models confirmed that altitude was the most important factor associated with local diversity, with all the diversity parameters considered progressively and significantly increasing with increasing altitude. Indicator species analyses revealed that dung beetle altitudinal and habitat diversity patterns depended on local choice of species, with preferences for altitudinal levels being more numerous and apparent than those for habitats. Despite the minor effect of habitat differences, comparing a three-habitat with a single-habitat scenario it was possible to demonstrate that greater habitat heterogeneity is associated with a significantly greater diversity of dung beetles. This study suggests that preservation of local environmental heterogeneity by means of traditional pastoral activities should be encouraged as a means of conserving the diversity of dung beetle species in the Alps. and Matteo NEGRO, Claudia PALESTRINI, Maria Teresa GIRAUDO, Antonio ROLANDO.
Water availability is the main factor limiting crop growth and productivity in dry regions. This study was carried out in order to determine the effect of spraying methanol solution on the photosynthetic characteristics of bean plants. The main aim of our experiment was to improve plant performance under stress caused by water shortage. Two factors were involved: water-deficit stress, such as severe stress (25% of field capacity), mild stress (75% of field capacity), and no stress (100% of field capacity), and application of methanol solution spray at four concentrations: control (without spraying), 10, 20, and 30%. Methanol was applied three times at different growth stages (seedling, flowering, and podding stage) in 10-d intervals. The treatment with 20% methanol at the seedling stage resulted in increased net photosynthesis (P N), intercellular CO2 concentration (C i), and decreased transpiration rate (E) under no stress and mild stress conditions. Under severe stress, 10 and 20%-methanol treatments resulted in increased C i, maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry, and decreased E. At the flowering stage, methanol treatments resulted in decreased E and increased C i under mild and severe stress. At the podding stage, 10 and 20%-methanol treatments resulted in increased P N, C i, and total chlorophyll content under mild stress. In conclusion, we suggested that foliar application of methanol had a positive role in enhancing photosynthetic performance., N. Armand, H. Amiri, A. Ismaili., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Pitfall trapping is the most frequently used sampling technique for epigeal arthropods. Trap design could significantly affect the catch so the results of studies using different trap designs may be difficult to compare. Although species composition is frequently investigated in ecological studies, however when pitfall trapping is employed, the effect of trap design on the recorded species composition is rarely considered. In the present study, we investigated the effect of trap construction (funnel or cup trap) and the preservative used (formaldehyde or propylene glycol) on total catch, catch of particular species, species richness and species composition of the ground beetle assemblage sampled. We were interested in the extent to which trap design could bias these characteristics. Total catch was significantly affected by trap construction and preservative used, with the effect of the latter being the stronger. Species richness was only slightly affected by trap design when assemblages caught by traps of a particular type were corrected for unequal sample size. Moreover, we show that the traps of different designs differ in their efficiency for catching particular species of carabid and thus the composition of assemblages recorded using pitfall traps is affected by trap construction and the preservative used. We conclude that to assess the full significance of the effect of pitfall trap design on the results of ecological studies on epigeal arthropods it is necessary to simultaneously use traps of various designs., Michal Knopp, Jan Růžička., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Environmental degradation caused by climate change greatly affects the forest ecosystems of the Mediterranean region, in particular the sclerophyllous Quercus forests typical of central and southern Spain. An important pest that damages oak trees in this area is Coraebus florentinus (Herbst), a heliophilous and thermophilous insect whose survival could be favoured by the temperature increase associated with climate change. The main objective of this paper was to determine the effect of temperature on the duration and percentage survival of the preimaginal stage of C. florentinus and provide data for determining more precisely when to control for this pest by applying silvicultural techniques. The experiment included six treatments, with 25 branches infested with C. florentinus in each of the treatments, which were kept at different temperatures over the range 15–28°C. The results clearly support the hypothesis that higher temperatures affect the post-larval development of C. florentinus by increasing the percentage survival and shortening the developmental time. In fact, partial correlations confirm that the highest percentages of emergence and survival were recorded when the developmental times were shortest, which occurred at the highest temperatures used. Despite the clear influence of temperature on the development of the preimaginal stage of C. florentinus, additional trials are required to accurately determine future trends in C. florentinus populations. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop monitoring programs in zones affected by C. florentinus and to apply scheduled management techniques that ensure the control of this species., Ana M. Cárdenas, Patricia Gallardo., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The coccinellid Harmonia axyridis is a recent arrival in the UK and is an intraguild predator of the entomopathogenic fungus Pandora neoaphidis. Harmonia axyridis entirely consumes P. neoaphidis-sporulating cadavers and this may have a negative effect on the epizootic potential of P. neoaphidis. Here we assessed within plant transmission, and between plant vectoring, of P. neoaphidis in the presence of either H. axyridis or Coccinella septempunctata, a native coccinellid that only partially consumes fungal cadavers. Transmission was greater in the presence of coccinellids, with 21% of aphids becoming infected with the fungus whilst only 4% were infected in the control. However, there was no significant effect of coccinellid species or sex on fungal transmission. Between plant vectoring occurred infrequently in the presence of both species of coccinellid. The effect of H. axyridis on P. neoaphidis transmission is, therefore, likely to be similar to that of the native coccinellid C. septempunctata. and Patricia M. WELLS, Jason BAVERSTOCK, Michael E.N. MAJERUS, Francis M. JIGGINS, Helen E. ROY, Judith K. PELL.
a1_We investigated the light reactions, CO2 assimilation, but also the chloroplast ultrastructure in the upper three functional leaves (flag, 2nd, and 3rd leaves) of the Chinese super-high-yield hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) Liangyoupeijiu (LYPJ) with ultraviolet-B (UV-B) treatment during reproductive development. Photosynthetic parameters showed that the upper 3 functional leaves of LYPJ entered into senescence approximately 15 days after flag leaf emergence (DAE). Leaves in UV-B treatment exhibited greater efficiency in absorbing and utilizing light energy of photosystem II (PSII), characterized by higher chlorophyll (Chl) content and the whole chain electron transport rate (ETR). However, UV-B radiation reduced activities of Ca2+-ATPase and photophosphorylation. The significantly decreased activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) was greatly associated with the decline in photosynthetic efficiency. The net photosynthetic rate (PN) and stomatal conductance (gs) suffered strong reductions before 25 DAE, and afterwards showed no significant difference between control and treatment. UV-B treatment delayed chloroplasts development of flag leaves. Chloroplast membranes later swelled and disintegrated, and more stromal thylakoids were parallel to each other and were arranged in neat rows, which might be responsible for better performance of the primary light reaction. It is likely that accumulation of starch and an increase in the number of lipid droplet and translucent plastoglobuli were results of an inhibition of carbohydrate transport. Our results suggest that long-term exposure to enhanced UV-B radiation was unlikely to have detrimental effects on the absorption flux of photons and the transport of electrons, but it resulted in the decrease of photophosphorylation and Rubisco activation of LYPJ., a2_The extent of the damage to the chloroplast ultrastructure was consistent with the degree of the inhibition of photosynthesis., G. H. Yu ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii