Designing a connected nature reserve using a network flow theory approach

Establishing nature conservation reserves is an effective and widely accepted practice to protect biodiversity. In order to promote the effectiveness and efficiency of the reserve, spatial attributes of the reserve should be considered. Connectedness (contiguity) is one of these important spatial attributes. Currently in the biological literature there are only a few formal/exact optimization approaches to endogenously designing a connected nature reserve. This article adds a new approach by adapting a spatial unit allocation model to the reserve design problem. Using concepts from network flow theory, the model defines a sink site from which no flow directs out and ensures contiguity by specifying the outflow and inflow relationship of the potential sites. Computational performance of the model is tested using hypothetical problems with various sizes including up to 400 potential sites. Results show that the time needed to solve the problem to optimality increases exponentially both as number of potential sites increases and as species distribution gets more sparse. An empirical application involving 80 potential sites and 15 bird species in part of Fox River watershed, Illinois USA is presented. Factors influencing an IP model’s computational performance and potential extensions of the model were discussed.     

Molecular data to elucidate the taxonomy of Seseli sect. Seseli (Apiaceae) in east Mediterranean and southern Europe

The taxonomy of the type section of the genus Seseli is revised based on newly obtained molecular data. The type species of the genus, Seseli tortuosum, is shown to be a polyphyletic taxon and is split into two species: the western Mediterranean S. tortuosum and the eastern Mediterranean S. arenarium. The Turkish endemics S. hartvigii, S. serpentinum and S. andronakii, and the Transcaucasian S. grandivittatum form a complex of closely related species together with S. arenarium. The results of the molecular analysis confirm the specific rank of S. corymbosum, S. phrygium and S. paphlagonicum and the status of S. gummiferum as distinct from either of these three. The latter species is strictly endemic to Crimea and does not occur in Turkey.     

Cycloartane glycosides from Astragalus stereocalyx Bornm

Six cycloartane-type triterpene glycosides were isolated from Astragalus stereocalyx along with six known cycloartane-type glycosides. Their structures were established by the extensive use of 1D and 2D-NMR experiments along with ESIMS and HRMS analysis. Three compounds are based on an aglycon characterized by the occurrence of an unusual hydroxyl group at position 20, whereas three other compounds are based on cycloasgenin C as aglycon, so far reported from Astragalus spp. All the compounds were tested for their cytotoxic activity against a number of cancer cell lines. One compound exhibited activity versus human cervical cancer (Hela) with an IC(50) value = 10 μM.     

Effect of intravenous nitroglycerin therapy on erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes

Intravenous nitroglycerin (GTN) has been used as an anti-ischemic agent for the therapy of unstable and post-infarction angina. Nitric oxide (NO) and S-nitrosothiols constitute the biologically active species formed via nitroglycerin bioactivation. Increased levels of reactive oxygen species can diminish the therapeutic action of organic nitrates by scavenging donated NO and oxidizing tissue thiols important in nitrate biotransformation. Studies reported here show that the red cell activity of antioxidant enzymes, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, are significantly decreased after intravenous nitroglycerin treatment. Catalase activity (739.6 +/- 92.3 k/gHb) decreased to 440.1 +/- 111.9 and 459.8 +/- 130.7 k/gHb after 1 and 24 hr GTN infusion, respectively. Similarly, glutathione peroxidase activity (5.8 +/- 1.8 U/gHb) decreased to 3.2 +/- 1.7 and 3.8 +/- 1.1 U/g Hb after 1 and 24 hr GTN infusion, respectively. The reported decrease in antioxidant enzyme activities can lead to an oxidant milieu and contribute to the generation of nitrate tolerance.     

Complex evolutionary relationships in Origanum section Majorana (Lamiaceae)

Origanum (Lamiaceae) comprises a number of essential oil‐rich species that have been used by humans for centuries. Today, the four species of section Majorana (O. onites, O. dubium, O. majorana and O. syriacum) are amongst the most widely used. Despite the importance of this section, phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries amongst its four taxa are unclear. In the present investigation, we used DNA sequence data from two nuclear regions [internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 1‐deoxy‐d ‐xylulose 5‐phosphate synthase (DXS)] as well as five microsatellite loci to test the taxonomic status of the four species of section Majorana. The combined DNA data revealed O. onites and O. syriacum as the older species in the section. Origanum majorana descends directly from O. syriacum. Origanum dubium was found to be of hybridogenous origin showing attributes of O. onites, O. syriacum and a third, unknown, Origanum species. Both sequence and microsatellite analyses provided evidence for recent hybridization between O. onites and O. dubium in Turkey. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013 , 171 , 667–686.     

Effect of intravenous nitroglycerin therapy on erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes

Intravenous nitroglycerin (GTN) has been used as an anti-ischemic agent for the therapy of unstable and post-infarction angina. Nitric oxide (^?NO) and S-nitrosothiols constitute the biologically active species formed via nitroglycerin bioactivation. Increased levels of reactive oxygen species can diminish the therapeutic action of organic nitrates by scavenging donated ^?NO and oxidizing tissue thiols important in nitrate biotransformation. Studies reported here show that the red cell activity of antioxidant enzymes, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, are significantly decreased after intravenous nitroglycerin treatment. Catalase activity decreased to and after 1 and 24?hr GTN infusion, respectively. Similarly, glutathione peroxidase activity decreased to and after 1 and 24?hr GTN infusion, respectively. The reported decrease in antioxidant enzyme activities can lead to an oxidant milieu and contribute to the generation of nitrate tolerance.     

Essential Oils of Ferulago glareosa Kandemir&Hedge Roots and Aerial Parts: PCA and HCA Analyses

Ferulago glareosa Kandemir & Hedge. is an endemic species of the family Apiaceae for Turkey and has interesting morphological characteristics compared to the other members of the genus Ferulago Koch. In this study we investigated the essential oil compositions of the roots and aerial parts of F. glareosa for the first time and compared them with essential oil compositions of the roots and aerial parts of other species of the genus. In our study, major components of the essential oil of the roots were determined to be 2,3,6-trimethylbenzaldehyde (32.2 %), falcarinol (23.7 %), hexadecanoic acid (9.5 %) and 2,5-dimethoxy-p-cymene (5.9 %); and major components of the essential oil of the aerial parts were found to be α-pinene (33.7 %), p-cymene (14.8 %), γ-terpinene (13.2 %), (Z)-β-ocimene (12.4 %) and terpinolene (8.2 %). The essential oil compositions of F. glareosa root compare with essential oils components in the literature differ varies greatly. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was performed with Minitab software, utilizing 8 major components in the published 20 literatures, as well as in this study. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) were used in order to demonstrate chemotaxonomical variations in the composition of the essential oils of Ferulago species.     

Designing connected nature reserve networks using a graph theory approach

Habitat fragmentation has been cited as one of the critical reasons for biodiversity loss. Establishing connected nature reserve networks is an effective way to reduce habit fragmentation. However, the resources devoted to nature reserves have always been scarce. Therefore it is important to allocate our scarce resources in an optimal way. The optimal design of a reserve network which is effective both ecologically and economically has become an important research topic in the reserve design literature. The problem of optimal selection of a subset from a larger group of potential habitat sites is solved using either heuristic or formal optimization methods. The heuristic methods, although flexible and computationally fast, can not guarantee the solution is optimal therefore may lead to scarce resources being used in an ineffective way. The formal optimization methods, on the other hand, guarantees the solution is optimal, but it has been argued that it would be difficult to model site selection process using optimization models, especially when spatial attributes of the reserve have to be taken into account. This paper presents a linear integer programming model for the design of a minimal connected reserve network using a graph theory approach. A connected tree is determined corresponding to a connected reserve. Computational performance of the model is tested using datasets randomly generated by the software GAMS. Results show that the model can solve a connected reserve design problem which includes 100 potential sites and 30 species in a reasonable period of time. As an empirical application, the model is applied to the protection of endangered and threatened bird species in the Cache River basin area in Illinois, US. Two connected reserve networks are determined for 13 bird species.