Rapid prioritization of alien plants for eradication based on climatic suitability and eradication feasibility

Identifying which introduced species have the greatest potential for establishment, spread and impact is critical for prioritizing pre‐ and post‐border control. Using species distribution modelling and existing species locations we assessed the establishment risk based on the climatic suitability areas of 25 plant species listed as eradication targets under South African regulations. To improve confidence, three bioclimatic models were used to predict the potential distribution of each species. This information was combined with the number of localities and the “eradication feasibility syndromes” in a scoring‐categorical system to rank the species. Three management groups were identified. Group “A” includes species with medium‐high establishment risk and higher likelihood to be eradicated, these species should be a priority for eradication. Group “B” includes species with a medium‐low establishment risk but given the low number of known population and the species characteristics, eradication is likely to be feasible. Finally species in group “C” scored a medium‐high establishment risk but the eradication would be difficult due to the high number of known localities. This ranking provides a rapid method to prioritize the management towards the eradication of new potential invasive plant species in the country combining the establishment risk, known number of localities and the inferred eradication success.     

Comparison of the temporal properties of medium latency responses induced by cortical and peripheral stimulation

Sudden foot dorsiflexion lengthens soleus muscle and activates stretch-based spinal reflexes. Dorsiflexion can be triggered by activating tibialis anterior (TA) muscle through peroneal nerve stimulation or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which evokes a response in the soleus muscle referred to as Medium Latency Reflex (MLR) or motor-evoked potential-80 (Soleus MEP80), respectively. This study aimed to examine the relationship between these responses in humans. Therefore, latency characteristics and correlation of responses between soleus MEP80 and MLR were investigated. We have also calculated the latencies from the onset of tibialis activity, i.e., subtracting of TA-MEP from MEP80 and TA direct motor response from MLR. We referred to these calculations as Stretch Loop Latency Central (SLLc) for MEP80 and Stretch Loop Latency Peripheral (SLLp) for MLR. The latency of SLLc was found to be 61.4 ± 5.6 ms which was significantly shorter (P = 0.0259) than SLLp (64.0 ± 4.2 ms) and these latencies were correlated (P = 0.0045, r = 0.689). The latency of both responses was also found to be inversely related to the response amplitude (P = 0.0121, r = 0.451) probably due to the activation of large motor units. When amplitude differences were corrected, i.e. investigating the responses with similar amplitudes, SLLp, and SLLc latencies found to be similar (P = 0.1317). Due to the identical features of the soleus MEP80 and MLR, we propose that they may both have spinal origins.     

Recommended gas transport properties of argon at low density using ab initio potential

The most important transport properties of argon have been calculated using classical kinetic theory expressions in conjunction with high-quality ab initio potential energy values computed by Patkowski and Szalewicz. Dilute gas transport properties have been calculated for the viscosity, thermal conductivity, self-diffusion coefficient and thermal diffusion factor from 83 to 10,000 K. Comparisons between experimental transport property data and values presently calculated indicate that the present theoretical predictions may be employed as recommended values for this set of transport properties over a wide temperature range.     

PCR-generated conspecific sodium channel gene probe for the house fly.

A segment of the house fly (Musca domestica) homologue of the para (paralytic) sodium channel gene of Drosophila melanogaster was isolated by using mixed sequence oligonucleotide primers in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The specificity of the procedure was demonstrated by genomic Southern analysis using the housefly PCR amplification product as a probe and by DNA sequence analysis. The latter showed structural homology to the para gene, but not to the corresponding region of DSC1, another D. melanogaster gene with structural similarity to vertebrate sodium channel genes.     

Influence of light on plant allelochemicals: A synergistic defense in higher plants

Plant phototoxins are broad-spectrum biocides which adversely affect an array of potential plant enemies, including among others disease-causing pathogens, nematodes, insect herbivores, and competing plant species. Thus far, plants which contain these broad-spectrum allelochemicals have been found to occur in open habitats (i.e., in full sunlight) where a defensive mechanism mediated by light would seem to operate most effectively. The levels of available light in shaded environments, although considerably lower than full sun (1–10% of full sun), are equivalent to the intensities of light used to kill phototoxin-treated insects in laboratory studies. This suggests that phototoxic reactions might mediate important organismal interactions in shaded environments as well. In this study, more than 230 Costa Rican rainforest plants were bioassayed for phototoxic metabolites in an effort to ascertain their prevalence among plants growing in moderate to extreme shade. Microbial bioassays, employing Bacillus cereus (a gram positive bacterium), Escherichia coli (a gram negative bacterium), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (a yeast) were used to rapidly and sensitively indicate phototoxic action and potential for insecticidal action. Tissue extracts from 12 plant families tested positive for phototoxins. This is the first report of phototoxins occurring in eight of those families (Acanthaceae, Campanulaceae, Gesnariaceae, Loganiaceae, Malpigaceae, Phytolaccaceae, Piperaceae, and Sapotaceae). The presence of phototoxins in rainforest plants suggests that phototoxic plant allelochemicals may function as important defenses in low-light, as well as high-light, environments.     

Gas exchange and resource-use patterns along a Mediterranean successional gradient

Abstract. Gas exchange, leaf-nitrogen concentration and water potential were measured in early and late spring in early successional herbaceous plants occurring after cutting and after fire, and in mature woody species from the Mediterranean climax community Quercetum ilicis in central Italy. Net photosynthesis peaked in early spring in all species studied when values for temperature and light were lower but leaf-nitrogen content was higher as compared to late spring, suggesting that nitrogen more than energy input controlled photosynt-hetic rates. Herbaceous pioneer species occurring after cutting showed higher field photo synthetic capacity than evergreen climax trees and shrubs. By contrast, net photosynthesis of herbaceous species occurring in a persistent stage after fire, was in the same range as that of climax trees. This evidence suggests that carbon-gaining appears to be partly related to the dynamic stage of succession and not solely to the growth form.     

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in soils and maize (Zea mays L.) from Yushu,Northeast China

To investigate heavy metal accumulation in soils and evaluate health risk through maize consumption, a total of 196 soils and 55 maize samples were collected from Yushu, China, one of the most important maize production bases. The mean contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb were 0.119, 56.51, 19.21, 70.58, and 34.42 mg kg^?1 for soils and were 0.014, 0.68, 1.33, 17.15 and 0.02 mg kg^?1 for maize, respectively. The contents of Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb in all soil and maize samples did not exceed safety thresholds, but the percentages of Cd content above guideline values of Chinese Environmental Quality Standards for Soil and maximum permissible limits for maize were 6.6% and 1.8%, respectively. The spatial distribution and correlation analysis suggested that Cr and Cu in soil were of lithogenic origin, while Zn and Pb were associated with coal combustion exhausts and chemical fertilizer application. The main source of Cd may be phosphate fertilizer application. The average target hazard quotients were all less than 1 and the average hazard index for adults was 0.065, indicating that there was not a potential health risk through maize.