Nematicidal activity of silver nanoparticles of botanical products against root-knot nematode,Meloidogyne incognita

Current study investigated the nematicidal activity of leaf extracts of Conyza dioscoridis, Melia azedarach, and Moringa oleifera that were prepared as silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP). The characterisation and size confirmation of the Ag-NP were done by UV–vis spectrophotometry and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The phytochemical contents of crude extracts and the nano formulations were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Results revealed that silver nanoparticles of C. dioscoridis extractives had great nematicidal activity against the 2^nd stage juvenile (J2) and eggs of Meloidogyne incognita. Also, the Ag-NP showed similar nematicidal effect to the reference nematicide; rugby. The GC-MS analysis revealed the increase of certain metabolites due to the formulation of the Ag-NPs. Aromadendrene, 1-hydroxy-1,7-dimethyl-4-isopropyl-2,7-cyclodecdiene, 6-epi-shyobunol, 4-hexylacetophenone, β-isocomene, caryophyllene, β- and α-selinene, α-cadinol, berkheyaradulen, and bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate were increased more than 2.5-folds in the Ag-NP compared the extract. Therefore, the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles might be a safe, effective and affordable nematicide alternatives.     

小蓬草精油对两种蚊虫的毒杀活性和成分分析

【目的】明确小蓬草Conyza canadensis ( L.) Cronq.精油的杀虫潜力及其活性成分。【方法】通过浸虫法和密闭熏蒸法测试了小蓬草精油对白纹伊蚊Aedes albopictus和致倦库蚊Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus幼虫及成蚊的毒杀活性, 并利用气相色谱 质谱联用仪（GC-MS）对精油的挥发性成分进行了定性分析。【结果】 小蓬草精油对白纹伊蚊1-4龄期幼虫及蛹的24 h LC50值分别为25.01, 45.88, 56.94, 64.60和346.23 μg/mL; 对致倦库蚊幼虫1-4龄期幼虫及蛹的24 h LC₅₀值分别为9.16, 8.65, 32.12, 43.68和197.83 μg/mL。在剂量分别为48, 64, 80, 96, 112和128 μg/cm3时, 小蓬草精油对白纹伊蚊成蚊的KT₅₀值分别为28.81, 22.31, 20.38, 17.05, 13.92和9.74 min; 对致倦库蚊的KT50值分别为34.90, 32.97, 23.97, 19.60, 15.20和10.34 min。 24 h熏蒸对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊成蚊的LC50值分别是75.46和99.19 μg/cm³。小蓬草精油的GC MS定性分析共分离鉴定出31种化合物, 其中单萜类物质6种, 倍半萜烯类物质17种, 含氧萜烯类6种。【结论】结果表明小蓬草精油对这两种蚊虫的毒杀活性较高, 具有深开发潜力。     

Histological structure of the cancellous bone layer in Bothriolepis canadensis (Antiarchi, Placodermi)

The Placodermi are extinct basal gnathostomes which had extensive dermal and perichondral bone, but which lacked the endochondral bone which characterizes the more derived bony fishes. Thin sections of bone from a specimen of the antiarch placoderm Bothriolepis canadensis, from the Escuminac Formation (Frasnian, Upper Devonian), Québec, Canada, reveal that part of the cancellous layer in its dermal and endoskeletal bone formed from perichondral bone trabeculae growing around cartilage spheres. The resultant structure mimics that of osteichthyan endochondral bone. The layout and dimensions of this polygonal mosaic patterning of the bone trabeculae and flattened cartilage spheres resemble those of the prismatic layers of calcified cartilage in chondrichthyans. If the lack of endoskeletal bone in chondrichthyans is a derived character, then the structure identified in B. canadensis could represent a 'template' for the formation of prismatic calcified cartilage in the absence of bone.     

不同光强对加拿大一枝黄花生长和叶绿素荧光的影响

以外来入侵种加拿大一枝黄花(Solidago canadensis)为研究对象,在4种光照强度处理下,对其光合色素含量、叶绿素荧光特性、比叶重、植株的生长特征和生物量分配等指标进行了测定分析.结果表明:(1)随着光照强度的减弱,加拿大一枝黄花叶片的Chla、Chlb和Chl(a b)均上升,Chla/Chlb下降,4种光强处理下叶片的初始荧光(Fo)、光系统Ⅱ实际光化学效率(ФPSⅡ)、光系统Ⅱ最大光能转化效率(Fv/Fm)日变化曲线相似,高光强下的Fo、ФPSⅡ和Fv/Fm均小于中、低和弱光强下的,这说明加拿大一枝黄花能适应较大的光强幅度,同时对低、弱光强有一定的抗逆性.(2)生长在高(RI为100%)、中(RI为60%)光强下的加拿大一枝黄花植株正常生长,生长于低(RI为20%)弱(RI为5%)光强下的植株生长不良,表现为植株矮小,茎秆细弱.中度的遮荫对它的生长没有明显影响,但在严重遮阴下生长受抑.(3)生长在高、中光强下的总生物量、地下部分生物量明显增多,低、弱光强处理下的叶生物量比显著增加.结果表明,加拿大一枝黄花在高、中光强下对生长最有利,能够适应较大幅度的光照变化,但在严重遮阴下生长明显受抑,说明该入侵植物不易入侵到密林等光照强度比较弱的生境.     

Do introduced North American beavers Castor canadensis engineer differently in southern South America? An overview with implications for restoration

• 1 Twenty‐five pairs of North American beavers Castor canadensis Kuhl were introduced to Tierra del Fuego Island in 1946. The population has expanded across the archipelago, arriving at the Chilean mainland by the mid‐1990s. Densities range principally between 0.5–2.05 colonies/km. They have an impact on between 30–50% of stream length and occupy 2–15% of landscape area with impoundments and meadows. Beaver impacts constitute the largest landscape‐level alteration in subantarctic forests since the last ice age.
• 2 The colonization pattern, colony densities and impacted area indicate that habitat in the austral archipelago is optimal for beaver invasion, due to low predator pressure and suitable food resources. Nothofagus pumilio forests are particularly appropriate habitat, but a more recent invasion is occurring in adjacent steppe ecosystems. Nonetheless, Nothofagus reproductive strategies are not well adapted to sustain high beaver population levels.
• 3 Our assessment shows that at the patch‐scale in stream and riparian ecosystems, the direction and magnitude of exotic beaver impacts are predictable from expectations derived from North American studies, relating ecosystem engineering with underlying ecological mechanisms such as the relationships of habitat heterogeneity and productivity on species richness and ecosystem function.
• 4 Based on data from the species' native and exotic range, our ability to predict the effects of beavers is based on: (i) understanding the ecological relationships of its engineering effects on habitat, trophic dynamics and disturbance regimes, and (ii) having an adequate comprehension of the landscape context and natural history of the ecosystem being engineered.
• 5 We conclude that beaver eradication strategies and subsequent ecosystem restoration efforts, currently being considered in southern Chile and Argentina, should focus on the ecology of native ecosystems rather than the biology of this invasive species per se. Furthermore, given the nature of the subantarctic landscape, streams will probably respond to restoration efforts more quickly than riparian ecosystems.

     

Reproductive traits associated with invasiveness in Conyza sumatrensis

Conyza sumatrensis (Retz.) E. Walker, a member of Asteraceae, is a highly invasive species. However, its reproduction biology remains poorly known. To understand the role of reproductive traits in successful invasion of the species, we studied several traits of its reproductive system: the miniature capitulum and gynomonoecious sexual system, the biology and phenology of capitula and florets, pollen/ovule ratio, the mating system (selfcompatibility), flower visitors, physical traits and dispersal potential of achenes, germination potential of achenes from manually pollinated capitula, and the association of these traits with invasiveness. Our study showed that the reproductive traits of autonomous seed production, versatile mating system of self- and cross-pollination, and generalized pollination system might contribute to the species' successful invasive capability. The invasiveness was further enhanced by the high and rapid production of achenes, as well as the high percentage, rapid germination rate and high dispersal capability of achenes. It was concluded that in annual or winter-annual weeds, autonomous seed production contributed significantly to the invasiveness of the species.     

Fungi associated with a natural epizootic in Fiorinia externa Ferris (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) populations

Stands of eastern hemlock [(Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière] in the northeastern United States are in decline, in part from the attack of elongate hemlock scale, Fiorinia externa Ferris (Hemiptera: Diaspididae). From 2001 to the present, a natural epizootic has been observed in populations of F. externa. Initially discovered at the Mianus River Gorge Preserve in Bedford, New York, the epizootic has also been detected in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut. Understanding and assessing the identity of the pathogenic micro‐organisms responsible for this natural mortality is crucial for developing biological controls for this pest. We have isolated and taxonomically and genetically identified entomopathogens, phytopathogens and endophytic fungi associated with F. externa. Isolates of the following were obtained: Colletotrichum sp., Lecanicillium lecanii, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhiziopsis microspora, Myriangium sp., Mycosphaerella sp. anamorph, Nectria sp., Botrytis sp., Phialophora sp. and Fusarium sp.     

小蓬草的胚胎学研究

对小蓬草(Conyza canadensis)大小孢子发生、雌雄配子体形成、受精、胚及胚乳发育过程进行了研究,主要结果如下:花药四室,药壁由表皮、药室内壁、中层和绒毡层组成.表皮退化;药室内壁宿存,细胞柱状伸长,纤维状加厚;中层细胞退化较早,在小孢子母细胞减数分裂开始时仅存残迹;绒毡层于小孢子母细胞减数第一次分裂前期开始原位变形退化,属于腺质型绒毡层;小孢子母细胞减数分裂为同时型,四分体的排列方式主要为四面体形和左右对称形;成熟花粉粒多为3细-胞花粉粒,偶见2细-胞花粉粒.子房下位,2心皮,1室,单胚珠,基生胎座;单珠被,薄珠心,倒生胚珠,具发达的珠被绒毡层.珠心表皮下分化出大孢子孢原细胞,孢原细胞直接发育为大孢子母细胞,大孢子母细胞减数分裂形成4个大孢子直线形排列,仅合点端的大孢子发育成功能大孢子母细胞,胚囊发育为蓼型.两个极核在受精前融合为次生核,珠孔受精.胚乳发育属于核型,胚胎发育为紫菀型;具胚乳吸器.     

外来植物加拿大一枝黄花（Solidago canadensis）入侵的结构基础

采用野外观察、光镜、扫描电镜等手段,对入侵皖北的加拿大一枝黄花形态解剖结构进行了研究,并藉此理解该物种入侵适应的结构基础.结果表明:叶的上、下表皮的气孔数目均较少,具有厚的角质层和长的表皮毛,能起到保水和保护作用;叶片内有发达维管束和束鞘延伸,增加了叶片对光合产物的输导能力,以满足地下营养器官发育的需要.茎具有较强输导和支持能力的结构特征.主根过早停止发育,以适应地下逸生结构发育的需要.加拿大一枝黄花花期、花序结构和未能与本地昆虫建立固定访问关系使部分头状花序不育,成熟花粉粒外有胼胝质包被,有利于花粉传播,其花粉粒属于较为进化的类型;根状茎含较多菊糖,具备成为独立散布体的物质和结构基础.     

The relationship between soil seed bank,above‐ground vegetation and disturbance intensity on old‐field successional permanent plots

Questions: How does disturbance and successional age influence richness, size and composition of the soil seed bank? What is the potential contribution of the soil seed bank to the plant community composition on sites differing in their successional age or disturbance intensity? Location: Experimental Botanical Garden of Göttingen University, central Germany. Methods: Above‐ground vegetation and soil seed bank were studied on formerly arable fields in a 36‐year‐old permanent plot study with five disturbance intensities, ranging from yearly ploughing via mowing to long‐term uninterrupted succession. We compared species compositions, seed densities and functional features of the seed bank and above‐ground vegetation by using several methods in parallel. Results: The seed bank was mainly composed of early successional species typical of strongly disturbed habitats. The difference between seed bank composition and above‐ground vegetation decreased with increasing disturbance intensity. The species of greatest quantitative importance in the seed bank was the non‐native forb Solidago canadensis. Conclusions: The ability of a plant community to regenerate from the soil seed bank dramatically decreases with increasing time since abandonment (successional age) and with decreasing disturbance intensity. The present study underlines that plant species typical of grasslands and woodlands are limited by dispersal capacity, owing to low capacity for accumulation of seeds in the soil and the fact that most species do not build up persistent seed banks. Rare and target species were almost absent from the seed bank and will, after local elimination, depend on reintroduction for continuation of their presence.