Utilization of mangrove wood products around mida creek (Kenya) amongst subsistence and commercial users

Mida Creek (Kenya) comprises mangrove forests and other marine resources that are of economic, ecological, and environmental importance to the local village communities. In total 116 households (100 of which could be used for numerical analysis), which are estimated to correspond to a coverage of ca. 30% of the total Mida Creek population, were interviewed to assess the human reliance on mangrove resources in Mida Creek. The survey indicates that mangroves are a major resource of wood for house construction, fuel wood, charcoal, and boat building. Minor uses of mangrove products include pharmaceutical and medicinal applications, tanning material, and furniture making. Rhizophora mucronata, Ceriops tagal, and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza are the major resources for house construction and fuel wood, while Sonneratia alba and Xylocarpus granatum were reported to be useful for boat building and medicinal uses respectively. The survey further describes harvesting activities and house construction, and reveals species preferences within this one particular use. As a result of depletion of the supply and the banning of mangrove harvesting, the local people are turning to other wood materials and to poaching. In our view, local utilization patterns rather than global usefulness data are required to establish a conservation policy of both mangroves and users’ subsistence requirements.     

Topography strongly affects atmospheric deposition and canopy exchange processes in different types of wet lowland rainforest,Southwest Costa Rica

Bulk precipitation and throughfall were collected in a wet lowland rainforest in SW Costa Rica on an event basis to allow modelling the contributions of dry deposition and canopy exchange to nutrient inputs and internal cycling of nutrients. Estimates based on bulk precipitation underestimated total atmospheric deposition to tropical rainforests by up to 10-fold ignoring the contributions of dry deposition. Canopy exchange contributed most of the aboveground inputs to the forest soil of Na⁺, about half for K⁺, 10% for P and Mg²⁺ and negligible for N, C and other elements. Tree species composition did not account for the differences found in net throughfall between forest sites, and vegetation structure (plant area index) had only a small effect on net throughfall. Forest regrowth affected net throughfall through reduced soil fertility and differences in leaf traits. Topography most significantly affected net throughfall via increased dry deposition at sites of higher elevation and via soil fertility and increased canopy exchange at down slope sites.     

Chewing lice from high‐altitude and migrating birds in Yunnan,China, with descriptions of two new species of Guimaraesiella

In total, 366 birds representing 55 species in 24 families and eight orders, were examined for chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) in two high‐altitude localities in Yunnan Province, China. In Ailaoshan, almost all of the birds examined were resident passeriforms, of which 36% were parasitized by chewing lice. In Jinshanyakou, most birds were on migration, and included both passerine and non‐passerine birds. Of the passerine birds caught in Jinshanyakou, only one bird (0.7%) was parasitized by chewing lice. The prevalence of Myrsidea and Brueelia‐complex lice on birds caught in Ailaoshan was higher than in previous reports. Of the chewing lice identifiable to species level, three represent new records for China: Actornithophilus hoplopteri (Mjöberg, 1910), Maculinirmus ljosalfar Gustafsson & Bush, 2017 and Quadraceps sinensis Timmermann, 1954. In total, 17 new host records are included, of which we describe two as new species in the Brueelia‐complex: Guimaraesiella (Cicchinella) ailaoshanensis sp. nov. ex Schoeniparus dubius dubius (Hume, 1874) and G. (C.) montisodalis sp. nov. ex Fulvetta manipurensis tonkinensis Delacour & Jabouille, 1930. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9FC3D8EE‐2CED‐4DBE‐A1DB‐471B71260D27 .     

Alveolar macrophages in pulmonary immune responses. I. Role in the initiation of primary immune responses and in the selective recruitment of T lymphocytes to the lung

Antigen inoculated intratracheally (IT) into animals can induce primary immune responses and selectively recruit specific T cells to the lung. In the current study, the role of alveolar macrophages (AM) in these two responses was investigated. Antigen-pulsed bronchoalveolar cells (BAC) inoculated IT into guinea pigs generated a population of immune T cells that proliferated in vitro on reexposure to antigen-pulsed macrophages (M?). The possibility that antigen-pulsed donor BAC shed antigen that was subsequently processed and presented by host M? was ruled out by genetic experiments. Thus, peritoneal exudate lymphocytes (PEL) from (2 X 13)F1 guinea pigs primed with antigen-pulsed BAC from strain 2 animals responded preferentially to antigen-pulsed strain 2 M? rather than to antigen-pulsed strain 13 M?. In a second set of studies, antigen-pulsed BAC inoculated IT into guinea pigs selectively recruited antigen-specific T cells to the lung. Genetic experiments verified that inoculated BAC were the source of the antigen-presenting cells responsible for selective recruitment. Thus, antigen-pulsed strain 2 BAC inoculated IT recruited a greater proportion of (2 X 13)F1 T cells that recognized antigen in the context of strain 2 M? than F1 T cells that recognized antigen on strain 13 M?. Taken together, these studies suggest that AM contribute to the regulation of pulmonary immunity by both inducing T lymphocyte immunity and selectively recruiting specific T cells to the lung.     

In vivo cellular responses to electrophoretically applied dynorphin in the rat hippocampus

Recent immunohistochemical and radioimmunochemical observations have demonstrated a differential distribution of immunoreactive dynorphin (DYN) in rat brain. The presence of DYN immunoreactivity in a major intrinsic fiber pathway within the rat hippocampus (the mossy fiber system) has led us to evaluate the possible role of DYN and other closely related peptides in this structure. Single cell activity and hippocampal field potentials have been recorded from the CA1-CA3 cellular fields in halothane or urethane anesthetized rats. DYN, DYN1-13, DYN1-8, and alpha-neo-endorphin had an excitatory effect on most CA1-CA3 neurons encountered as has been previously observed for opiates and other opioid peptides. This response could be blocked by naloxone or by co-administration of Mg++ ion suggesting an indirect (synaptic) mechanism of excitation similar to that hypothetized for enkephalin. A significant number of CA3 neurons, however, exhibited a non-naloxone sensitive inhibitory response to DYN, related opioid peptides, and the kappa agonist WIN 35-197 (ethylketocyclazocine). Field potential analysis of CA1-CA3 neuronal responses to mossy fiber activation also indicated an excitatory, Mg++ reversible, action of iontophoretically applied DYN. These observations support our cytochemical and assay studies indicating diverse opioid systems within the rat hippocampus. In addition, these functional studies are congruent with other evidence suggesting multiple opioid mechanisms in this structure.     

Phenol oxidases from Rhodnius prolixus: Temporal and tissue expression pattern and regulation by ecdysone

Rhodnius prolixus 5th instar nymphs have significant PO enzymatic activity in the anterior midgut, fat body and hemolymph. The tissue with the major amount of PO activity is the anterior midgut while those with higher specific activities are the fat body and hemolymph. In this work the temporal pattern of PO enzymatic activity in different tissues was investigated. In fat body, PO peaks occur at 7, 12 and 16 days after a blood meal. In hemolymph, PO diminishes until day 7, and then recovers by day 14. In the anterior midgut tissue, PO peaks on day 9 and just before ecdysis; a similar pattern was observed in the anterior midgut contents. Some of these activities are dependent on the release of ecdysone, as feeding blood meal containing azadirachtin suppresses them and ecdysone treatment counteracts this effect. These results suggest that during the development of the 5th instar, the insect has natural regulating cycles of basal PO expression and activation, which could be related to the occurrence of natural infections. The differences in temporal patterns of activity and the effects of azadirachtin and ecdysone in each organ suggest that, at least in R. prolixus, different tissues are expressing different PO genes.