Phytoremediation of metals using lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) Stapf.) grown under different levels of red mud in soil amended with biowastes

Due to hostile condition of red mud (RM), its utilization for vegetation is restricted. Therefore, RM with biowastes as soil amendment may offer suitable combination to support plant growth with reduced risk of metal toxicity. To evaluate the effects of RM on soil properties, plant growth performance, and metal accumulation in lemongrass, a study was conducted using different RM concentrations (0, 5, 10, and 15% w/w) in soil amended with biowastes [cow dung manure (CD) or sewage-sludge (SS)]. Application of RM in soil with biowastes improved organic matter and nutrient contents and caused reduction in phytoavailable metal contents. Total plant biomass was increased under all treatments, maximally at 5% RM in soil with SS (91.4%) and CD (51.7%) compared to that in control (no RM and biowastes). Lemongrass acted as a potential metal-tolerant plant as its metal tolerance index is >100%. Based on translocation and bioconcentration factors, lemongrass acted as a potential phytostabilizer of Fe, Mn, and Cu in roots and was found efficient in translocation of Al, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, As, and Ni from roots to shoot. The study suggests that 5% RM with biowastes preferably SS may be used to enhance phytoremediation potential of lemongrass.     

DNA isolation protocol for red seaweed (rhodophyta)

We report a DNA isolation protocol for red seaweed. The method is a modification of the Dellaporta et al. (1983) protocol for land plants. Our simplified version can be used to process large sample numbers and to minimise polysaccharide co-isolation. The protocol was applied to 12 red seaweed species as well as one green alga and one land plant. The protocol yields about 5 μg of high molecular weight DNA from 10 mg of dried material, with no RNA. No sign of degradation was observed after agarose gel electrophoresis for both freshly extracted DNA and DNA stored for 18 months at 4°C. DNA isolated by our protocol was suitable for genomic library construction (tested for one species), endonuclease restriction, and PCR amplification for all species.     

Modelling sand/mud transport and morphodynamics in the Seine river mouth (France): an attempt using a process-based approach

The mouth of the Seine River estuary (France) has undergone marked morphological evolution over several decades mainly due to engineering works aimed at improving access to Rouen and Le Havre harbours. The intertidal areas are decreasing in size and the lower estuary is accumulating sediment and prograding. In order to understand and better describe the major morphological behaviours of the estuary, a morphodynamic numerical model was developed within the Seine-Aval program. At the end of the 1st part of the research program, a validated fine sediment transport model (3D) was available (Le Hir et al., 2001b). As the present morphological study addresses medium-term issues (a few decades), and because of the need to investigate impacts of local structures or events, we chose to use the so-called “process-based approach” starting from the existing model. First, the existing model was upgraded to account for (suspended) sand transport, and to achieve coupling between morphological changes and sediment transport. Erodability of the sediment accounts for the respective proportions of mud and sand. Simulations starting from an arbitrary surficial sediment cover show that the model is able to reproduce realistic sediment patterns. For example, it is able to change the sediment nature on the intertidal flat near Le Havre from sand to mud. Observed structures of suspended sediment are also reproduced: fine particles mainly follow the turbidity maximum whereas significant concentrations of sand grains in suspension are found where the hydrodynamic stresses are intense. Concerning morphodynamics, simulations with real forcing over one year are discussed. The effect of waves on the bathymetric evolution of the mouth is shown and the sensitivity of morphodynamics to the coupling procedure is tested.     

Identification of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the mud crab Scylla serrata (Brachyura: Portunidae)

Five microsatellite loci are identified and characterized from the genome of Scylla serrata, a widespread and commercially important species of coastal marine crab. The loci were detected by randomly screening for di‐ and tri‐nucleotide repeat units within a partial genomic library developed for the species. The five loci consist of dinucleotide repeats and are both co‐dominant and polymorphic within the species. A sample (N = 36) of S. serrata from one Australian population has an average observed heterozygosity of 0.875 and provides no evidence of either linkage among loci or significant deviation from random mating expectations across loci. PCR products for each of the five loci were also observed from a small sample of three other species within the Scylla genus. These markers may provide genetic information that will be useful for both aquaculture and studies of natural populations of the genus.     

Critical illness VR rehabilitation device (X-VR-D): Evaluation of the potential use for early clinical rehabilitation

We present a new critical illness VR rehabilitation device (X-VR-D) that enables diversified self-training and is applicable early in the rehabilitation of severely injured or ill patients. The X-VR-D consists of a VR program delivering a virtual scene on a flat screen and simultaneously processing commands to a moving chair mounted on a motion system. Sitting in the moving chair and exposed to a virtual reality environment the device evokes anticipatory and reactive muscle contractions in trunk and extremities for postural control. In this study we tested the device in 10 healthy subjects to evaluate whether the enforced perturbations indeed evoke sufficient and reproducible EMG muscle activations.

We found that particular fast roll and pitch movements evoke adequate trunk and leg muscle activity. Higher angular velocities and higher angles of inclination elicited broader EMG bursts and larger amplitudes. The muscle activation pattern was highly consistent between different subjects and although we found some habituation of EMG responses in consecutive training sessions, the general pattern was maintained and was predictable for specific movements. The habituation was characterized by more efficient muscle contractions and better muscle relaxation during the rest positions of the device. Furthermore we found that the addition of a virtual environment to the training session evoked more preparatory and anticipatory muscle activation than sessions without a virtual environment.

We conclude that the X-VR-D is safe and effective to elicit consistent and reproducible muscle activity in trunk and leg muscles in healthy subjects and thus can be used as a training method.     

Parasites reduce territorial behaviour in red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus)

Hypotheses for the cause of population cycles have focused on the role of intrinsic mechanisms such as spacing behaviour and extrinsic mechanisms such as parasitism and predation. This paper examines the interaction between the two dominant hypotheses in the cycles of red grouse, parasitism and spacing behaviour. The influence of the caecal nematode, Trichostrongylus tenuis, on male aggressiveness was investigated using two approaches. First, the territorial behaviour of a group of male grouse experimentally treated with an anthelmintic to reduce parasite intensities was compared with a control group with natural intensities of infection. Second, the response of treated and control males to a novel conspecific territorial intruder were recorded using playback tests. Treated males, with reduced levels of parasitism, won significantly more territorial contests than control males and produced more aggressive behaviour in response to the playback recordings. These results show that parasite removal enhanced aggressive behaviour. Implications of these results on red grouse population dynamics are discussed.     

Bullet-derived lead in tissues of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) and red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Bullet-derived lead in game food products is an important source of human contamination. Careless removal of tissues from around the bullet pathway in the animal body results in elevated lead doses being ingested by humans. To assess bullet-derived lead contamination of soft game tissues, muscle tissue samples were collected from ten wild boars and ten red deer immediately after they had been shot. The samples were collected from around the entry and exit wounds, from around the bullet pathway at different sites along its length, and from a distance of about 5, 15, 25, and 30 cm from the bullet track. The individuals examined differed in the lead contents in their tissues surrounding the entry and exit wounds and at different sites along the bullet pathway. One of the animals showed as much lead as 1,095.9 mg kg⁻¹ wet weight in the tissue surrounding the bullet track near the entry wound, 736.0 mg kg⁻¹ being recorded around the exit wound.     

Ecology and migration patterns of solitary red locusts,Nomadacris septemfasciata (Serville) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in southwestern Madagascar

Red locusts frequently cause crop damage in Madagascar. This problem has worsened in recent years, likely due to the intensive deforestation that is under way. Little is known about this locust In Madagascar, contrary to continental Africa. Several studies have been carried out in southwestern Madagascar, where locust damage is regularly reported, with the aim of determining the cause of recent outbreaks and improving control strategies—they included surveys of rural inhabitants and an analysis of over 25 years of archival data at the Centre national antiacridien (Malagasy locust control centre). The results revealed several zones between which the red locust—a single-generation species that undergoes imaginal diapause in the dry season—seasonally migrates on a northeast to southwest track, and vice versa, depending on rainfall and wind patterns. The migration dynamics and interannual variations associated with rainfall irregularity certainly partially account for the recurrence of red locust outbreaks in Madagascar.     

基于无人机遥感监测滩涂湿地入侵种互花米草植被覆盖度

为了实现对沿海滩涂湿地资源与生态环境的有效管理与利用,需要对区域内的入侵种互花米草进行高精度的监测与分析.本文以福建三沙湾为试验区,以低空无人机获取的可见光和多光谱影像为数据源,对互花米草植被覆盖度进行监测与分析,通过NDVI指数模型获取了多光谱影像的植被覆盖度信息,以可见光影像为参考进行了精度检验.结果表明: 影像区互花米草植被覆盖度以40%～60%和60%～80%的中高和高等级覆盖度为主.NDVI模型估算值与真实值之间的均方根误差RMSE为0.06,决定系数R²为0.92,两者具有较好的一致性.     

Seasonal variation in the regulation of testosterone levels in the eastern mud snail (Ilyanassa obsoleta)

Abstract. Some gastropods appear to utilize a strategy for regulating testosterone levels that is atypical of such processes thus far identified in other metazoans. While most animals convert testosterone largely to polar derivatives that are readily eliminated from the organism, the mud snail Ilyanassa obsoleta converts testosterone to apolar testosterone-fatty acid esters that are retained by the organism. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that fatty acid esteri-fication serves to store testosterone and that stored testosterone-fatty acid ester pools vary through the reproductive cycle of the snail. This hypothesis was tested by 1) modulating total testosterone levels in individual snails and measuring the amount of the hormone stored as the fatty acid ester relative to the amount retained as free steroid and 2) measuring changes in esterified testosterone in a field population of snails during their reproductive cycle. Adult snails were experimentally manipulated to contain from ∼36–300% the level of total testosterone measured in unmanipulated individuals. The amount of testosterone-fatty acid ester present in these organisms increased in direct proportion to the level of total testosterone, while, free testosterone levels remained relatively constant. These observations suggest that free testosterone levels are regulated in the snail by fatty acid esterification/de-esterification processes. Among field sampled snails, testosterone existed predominantly in the free, non-esterified form at the onset and end of the egg laying period. At other times, the majority of testosterone was sequestered as fatty acid esters. This study provides compelling evidence that free testosterone levels in the mud snail are regulated through fatty acid esterification/de-esterification processes and this regulatory function contributes to seasonal fluctuations in free testosterone levels.     

Palynological evidence for Late Miocene-Pliocene vegetation evolution recorded in the red clay sequence of the central Chinese Loess Plateau and implication for palaeoenvironmental change

In northern China, the Late Miocene-Pliocene red clay in the eastern Loess Plateau fills a gap of climate records between the well-known loess-soil sequences of the last 2.6 Ma and the Miocene loess-soil sequences from the western Loess Plateau. Previous studies indicate that the red clay is also of wind-blown origin, covering the period from ∼ 7-8 to ∼ 2.6 Ma. The red clay therefore provides a good archive to reconstruct paleoecological succession and paleoclimate change. In this study, a palynological investigation was conducted on the late Miocene-Pliocene red clay sequence at Xifeng, central Loess Plateau, which provides new insights into the nature of the evolution of vegetation and climate change from ∼ 6.2 to ∼ 2.4 Ma. Our results show that during this period the central Loess Plateau region was covered mainly by a steppe vegetation, indicating long lasting dry climatic condition. Three vegetational zones were recognized during this period. Zone A (∼ 6.2 to ∼ 5.8 Ma) is characterized by a steppe ecosystem; Zone B (∼ 5.8 to ∼ 4.2 Ma) is characterized by a significant increase of temperate forest plants, indicating a relatively humid regional climate; Zone C (∼ 4.2 to ∼ 2.4 Ma) indicates a typical steppe ecosystem. The vegetation shift at about 4.5-3.7 Ma, when the temperate forest plants decrease, the vegetation gradually changed to typical grassland and even to desert steppe. This is interpreted to represent a drying event. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau at about 4.5 Ma that resulted in the intensification of the monsoon reversal is thought to have played an important role in this significant ecological change. High-latitude cooling may have partially contributed to the climate shift during ∼ 4.5 to ∼ 3.7 Ma in the Loess Plateau region, and most likely was the driving force for the ecological shift at about 3.7 Ma.     

Use of the FlowCAM for semi-automated recognition and enumeration of red tide cells (Karenia brevis) in natural plankton samples

Early detection is the most effective way to mitigate the effects of harmful algal blooms (HAB). Cell counts based on examination of microplankton samples using settling chambers and visual inspection with an inverted microscope are tedious and time consuming, and counting precision is generally poor at low cell densities. The FlowCAM is a continuous imaging flow cytometer designed to characterize particles in the microplankton size range (20–200 μm diameter). In this study we examined the ability of the FlowCAM to improve routine monitoring protocols for HAB species by automatically recording information on size and fluorescence per cell. This will eliminate the need to examine cells outside the ranges of these measurements for our target species, Karenia brevis. We also tested the ability of image comparison software to match images of cells in mixed assemblages to images of the target species. For simple mixtures of cultured dinoflagellates, the ability of the image matching software to discriminate target cells varied greatly depending on how similar the two species were in size and shape. When target cells were added to natural plankton samples, the image recognition software correctly identified 80–90% of the target cells, but misidentified 20–50% of non-target cells in the size range of the target species. We conclude that the FlowCAM is less tedious and time-consuming than microscopy, allowing for examination of more cells for greater counting precision. The cell recognition software helps reduce the numbers of cells that must be screened, but images must still be examined by a trained operator to identify the HAB species of interest.     

Red mud (RM)-Induced enhancement of iron plaque formation reduces arsenic and metal accumulation in two wetland plant species

Human activities have resulted in arsenic (As) and heavy metals accumulation in paddy soils in China. Phytoremediation has been suggested as an effective and low-cost method to clean up contaminated soils. A combined soil-sand pot experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of red mud (RM) supply on iron plaque formation and As and heavy metal accumulation in two wetland plant species (Cyperus alternifolius Rottb., Echinodorus amazonicus Rataj), using As and heavy metals polluted paddy soil combined with three rates of RM application (0, 2%, 5%). The results showed that RM supply significantly decreased As and heavy metals accumulation in shoots of the two plants due to the decrease of As and heavy metal availability and the enhancement of the formation of iron plaque on the root surface and in the rhizosphere. Both wetland plants supplied with RM tended to have more Fe plaque, higher As and heavy metals on roots and in their rhizospheres, and were more tolerant of As and heavy metal toxicity. The results suggest that RM-induced enhancement of the formation of iron plaque on the root surface and in the rhizosphere of wetland plants may be significant for remediation of soils contaminated with As and heavy metals.     

A suitable extractant for assessing plant-available copper in different soils (peaty,red and alluvial)

Summary Relative efficiency of five chemical extractants for the extraction of available Cu in four different soils and its uptake by rice seedlings was studied in a pot culture experiment. The Cu extracted by 0.1N HCl showed significant relationship with plant uptake whereas the values for other extractants except 0.05M EDTA did not approach the level of significance. Among the soil properties studied, pH and CaCO₃ correlated negatively and organic matter and CEC positively with Cu uptake by rice plants.     

Selenium concentration in liver and kidney of free living animals (roe and red deer) from West Pomerania (Poland)

The aim of this study was to determine concentrations of selenium in the liver and kidneys of roe deer and red deer from West Pomerania, depending on the season. Altogether, samples from 169 animals were collected (96 from roe deer and 73 from red deer) in 2003–2007. The mean concentration of selenium in the liver of red deer and roe deer was 0.37 μg/g and 0.62 μg/g dry weight, respectively. In kidneys, Se concentration was 2.72 μg/g d.w. in red deer and 2.99 μg/g d.w. in roe deer. In roe deer, liver selenium concentration in autumn was significantly higher than in winter (P < 0.05) and spring (P < 0.01) and significantly lower in spring than in summer (P < 0.05); likewise, kidney selenium concentration was higher in autumn than in summer. In deer, no statistically significant season-related differences were observed for liver selenium concentrations. In red deer kidneys, selenium concentration was the lowest in summer, significantly lower than in autumn and winter. Low selenium concentrations in the analyzed tissues show that the animals live in areas deficient in this element.     

High genetic diversity and low population structure in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Croatia

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a highly adaptable omnivorous mammal distributed across all continents on the northern hemisphere. Although the red fox is present throughout Europe, where it plays an important ecological and socio-economic role not only as a game species but also as a rabies reservoir, few studies have examined its population-level mitochondrial DNA variability. In this study, 27 mitochondrial DNA control region haplotypes were identified in 229 red fox samples taken from four regions in Croatia. Haplotype diversity of Croatian red foxes (0.901) was found to be among the highest of all European red fox populations studied to date. Genetic differentiation among regions was quite low, and statistically significant estimates of differentiation were obtained only when comparing the population from the peninsular region of Istria with the three continental populations. It seems that landscape barriers like rivers and small mountains do not restrict gene flow among foxes in the continental part of Croatia, while the combination of a narrow land bridge and altitudes exceeding 1000 m limit fox migration between Istria and the rest of the continent. Better understanding of small-scale population structure will require analysis of highly variable nuclear markers like microsatellites.     

Development of microsatellite markers and their utilization in genetic diversity analysis of cultivated and wild populations of the mud carp （ Cirrhina molitorella）

Microsatellite markers have been increasingly used in genetic studies on fishery species because of their high applicability in selective breeding programs.Here we reported the development of microsatellite markers and their utilization in mud carp(Cirrhina molitorella).An (CA)15 enriched library has been constructed for mud carp,using the magnetic beads enrichment procedure.Sequence analysis of 60randomly picked positive colonies indicate that 56 (93.3%) of the colonies contain microsatellites.Microsatellite polymorphism was as-sessed using 10 mud carp individuals,and 12 microsatellite loci turned out to be polymorphic.We utilized these loci to study the genetic diversity of a wild population (WM) and a cultured population (CM) of the mud carp.A total of 109 alleles were detected with an average of 9.08 alleles per locus.The mean value of the observed heterozygosity of WM and CM was 0.6361 and 0.6417,respectively,and sig-nificant decrease of genetic diversity in CM was not observed.The genetic distance between the two populations was 0.1546 and the value of Gsr was 0.0473.This showed that there existed a slight genetic differentiation between WM and CM.     

圈养小熊猫几种病毒的PCR检测

本文采用巢式PCR/ RT-PCR 方法,对我国10 个动物园中无临床症状的圈养小熊猫的71 个肛拭子和61 个唾液拭子样品,进行犬瘟热病毒(CDV)、犬细小病毒(CPV)、犬冠状病毒(CCV)、犬腺病毒(CAV)和犬疱疹病毒(CHV)的检测,以评估我国圈养小熊猫是否面临这几种病毒的威胁。对阳性PCR 结果进行测序分析,并与GenBank 上的序列进行比较。结果,在肛拭子样品中检测到3 个CPV 和6 个CCV 阳性结果,经测序后,与GenBank 上序列的同源性分别达99% 和100% 。而在唾液拭子样品中没有检测到任何阳性结果,且CDV、CAV和CCV 的检测结果均为阴性。从阳性CPV 的肛拭子样品中分离到一株细小病毒毒株,表明圈养小熊猫已受到细小病毒和犬冠状病毒的感染,今后应加强这两种病毒的预防工作。本文所采用的PCR 方法检测病毒性疾病,能检测到微量的病毒模板,可对小熊猫病毒性感染进行早期诊断。