Effects of an evaporative cooling system on plasma cortisol, IGF-I, and milk production in dairy cows in a tropical environment

Access to an evaporative cooling system can increase production in dairy cows because of improved thermal comfort. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of ambient temperature on thermoregulation, plasma cortisol, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I), and productive status, and to determine the efficiency of an evaporative cooling system on physiological responses under different weather patterns. A total of 28 Holstein cows were divided into two groups, one with and the other without access to a cooling system with fans and mist in the free stall. The parameters were analyzed during morning (0700 hours) and afternoon milking (1430 hours) under five different weather patterns throughout the year (fall, winter, spring, dry summer, and rainy summer). Rectal temperature (RT), body surface temperature (BS), base of tail temperature (TT), and respiratory frequency (RF) were lower in the morning (P?<?0.01). The cooling system did not affect RT, and both the groups had values below 38.56 over the year (P?=?0.11). Cortisol and IGF-I may have been influenced by the seasons, in opposite ways. Cortisol concentrations were higher in winter (P?<?0.05) and IGF-I was higher during spring-summer (P?<?0.05). The air temperature and the temperature humidity index showed positive moderate correlations to RT, BS, TT, and RF (P?<?0.001). The ambient temperature was found to have a positive correlation with the physiological variables, independent of the cooling system, but cooled animals exhibited higher milk production during spring and summer (P?<?0.01).     

Activity of native hydrolytic enzymes and their association with the cell wall of three ectomycorrhizal fungi

The ecological and biogeochemical relevance of hydrolytic enzymes associated with the fungal cell wall has been poorly studied in ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. We used a modified sequential extraction procedure to investigate the activity of various hydrolytic enzymes (β-glucosidase, acid-phosphatase, leucine-aminopeptidase, chitinase, xylanase and glucuronidase) and their association with the cell wall of three ECM fungi (Rhizopogon roseolus, Paxillus involutus and Piloderma croceum). Fungi were grown on C-rich solid medium under three different P concentrations (3.7, 0.37 and 0.037 mM). The sequential extraction procedure classifies enzymes as: (a) cytosolic, (b) loosely bound, (c) hydrophobically bound, (d) ionically bound and (e) covalently bound. Results showed that for the same fungus absolute enzymatic activity was affected by P concentration, whilst enzymatic compartmentalization among the cytosol and the cell wall fractions was not. The association of enzymes with the cell wall was fungus- and enzyme-specific. Our data indicate also that enzymes best known for being either extracellular or cytosolic or both, do act in muro as well. The ecological implications of cell wall-bound enzymes and the potential applications and limitations of sequential extractions are further discussed.     

Disturbances, elevation, topography and spatial proximity drive vegetation patterns along an altitudinal gradient of a top biodiversity hotspot

The correlation between vegetation patterns (species distribution and richness) and altitudinal variation has been widely reported for tropical forests, thereby providing theoretical basis for biodiversity conservation. However, this relationship may have been oversimplified, as many other factors may influence vegetation patterns, such as disturbances, topography and geographic distance. Considering these other factors, our primary question was: is there a vegetation pattern associated with substantial altitudinal variation (10–1,093 m a.s.l.) in the Atlantic Rainforest—a top hotspot for biodiversity conservation—and, if so, what are the main factors driving this pattern? We addressed this question by sampling 11 1-ha plots, applying multivariate methods, correlations and variance partitioning. The Restinga (forest on sandbanks along the coastal plains of Brazil) and a lowland area that was selectively logged 40 years ago were floristically isolated from the other plots. The maximum species richness (>200 spp. per hectare) occurred at approximately 350 m a.s.l. (submontane forest). Gaps, multiple stemmed trees, average elevation and the standard deviation of the slope significantly affected the vegetation pattern. Spatial proximity also influenced the vegetation pattern as a structuring environmental variable or via dispersal constraints. Our results clarify, for the first time, the key variables that drive species distribution and richness across a large altitudinal range within the Atlantic Rainforest.     

Landscape context determinants to plant diversity in the permanent meadows of Southern European Alps

In the Southern Alps, the role of landscape context on meadows plant diversity was evaluated using a multi-model information theoretic approach and five competing hypotheses of landscape context factors: habitat quality (H1), matrix quality (H2), habitat change (H3), matrix quality change (H4) and topography-environmental conditions (H5)- measured at three spatial scales (125, 250 and 500 m). Shannon diversity index and species richness represented plant diversity obtained in 34 plots (100 m² size). Landscape context affected plant diversity measures differently. Matrix quality change at larger scale (500 m) was the most supported hypothesis explaining Shannon diversity index, while species richness responded mostly to topography-environmental conditions in the immediate surroundings (125 m). No effects of present-day habitat and matrix quality (H1 and H2) were found. Matrix quality change affected positively Shannon diversity index through an effect of landscape neighbourhood context on farming management practices. Due to the importance of exposure and inclination of slopes, topography-environmental conditions influenced species richness mostly through energy-driven processes and farming management strategies. In terms of scale, matrix quality change was the strongest hypothesis explaining Shannon diversity index at all scales, while the underlying process affecting species richness changed with scale (H5 or H3). Overall, landscape context explained only 25–28 % of the variation in plant diversity, suggesting that landscape management may support biodiversity conservation when comprised in a global strategy including farming practices. In the study area, change in landscape diversity may be a good indicator for Shannon diversity index and south-eastern facing meadows should be preserved.     

Interspecific synchrony of seabird population growth rate and breeding success

Environmental variability can destabilize communities by causing correlated interspecific fluctuations that weaken the portfolio effect, yet evidence of such a mechanism is rare in natural systems. Here, we ask whether the population dynamics of similar sympatric species of a seabird breeding community are synchronized, and if these species have similar exceptional responses to environmental variation. We used a 24‐year time series of the breeding success and population growth rate of a marine top predator species group to assess the degree of synchrony between species demography. We then developed a novel method to examine the species group – all species combined – response to environmental variability, in particular, whether multiple species experience similar, pronounced fluctuations in their demography. Multiple species were positively correlated in breeding success and growth rate. Evidence of “exceptional” years was found, where the species group experienced pronounced fluctuations in their demography. The synchronous response of the species group was negatively correlated with winter sea surface temperature of the preceding year for both growth rate and breeding success. We present evidence for synchronous, exceptional responses of a species group that are driven by environmental variation. Such species covariation destabilizes communities by reducing the portfolio effect, and such exceptional responses may increase the risk of a state change in this community. Our understanding of the future responses to environmental change requires an increased focus on the short‐term fluctuations in demography that are driven by extreme environmental variability.     

Assessment of the Relationship between Self-Declared Ethnicity,Mitochondrial Haplogroups and Genomic Ancestry in Brazilian Individuals

In populations that have a high degree of admixture, such as in Brazil, the sole use of ethnicity self-declaration information is not a good method for classifying individuals regarding their ethnicity. Here, we evaluate the relationship of self-declared ethnicities with genomic ancestry and mitochondrial haplogroups in 492 individuals from southeastern Brazil. Mitochondrial haplogroups were obtained by analyzing the hypervariable regions of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and the genomic ancestry was obtained using 48 autosomal insertion-deletion ancestry informative markers (AIM). Of the 492 individuals, 74.6% self-declared as White, 13.8% as Brown and 10.4% as Black. Classification of the mtDNA haplogroups showed that 46.3% had African mtDNA, and the genomic ancestry analysis showed that the main contribution was European (57.4%). When we looked at the distribution of mtDNA and genomic ancestry according to the self-declared ethnicities from 367 individuals who self-declared as White, 37.6% showed African mtDNA, and they had a high contribution of European genomic ancestry (63.3%) but also a significant contribution of African ancestry (22.2%). Of the 68 individuals who self-declared as Brown, 25% showed Amerindian mtDNA and similar contribution of European and African genomic ancestries. Of the 51 subjects who self-declared as black, 80.4% had African mtDNA, and the main contribution of genomic ancestry was African (55.6%), but they also had a significant proportion of European ancestry (32.1%). The Brazilian population had a uniform degree of Amerindian genomic ancestry, and it was only with the use of genetic markers (autosomal or mitochondrial) that we were able to capture Amerindian ancestry information. Additionally, it was possible to observe a high degree of heterogeneity in the ancestry for both types of genetic markers, which shows the high genetic admixture that is present in the Brazilian population. We suggest that in epidemiological studies, the use of these methods could provide complementary information.