Annual methane uptake by temperate semiarid steppes as regulated by stocking rates,aboveground plant biomass and topsoil air permeability

Overgrazing‐induced degradation of temperate semiarid steppes may affect the soil sink for atmospheric methane (CH₄). However, previous studies have primarily focused on the growing season and on single grazing patterns. Thus, the response of annual CH₄ uptake by steppes compared with various grazing practices is uncertain. In this study, we investigated the effects of grazing on the annual CH₄ uptake by two typical Eurasian semiarid steppes (the Stipa grandis steppe and the Leymus chinensis steppe) located in Inner Mongolia, China. The CH₄ fluxes were measured year‐round using static chambers and gas chromatography at 12 field sites that differed primarily in grazing intensities. Our results indicated that steppe soils were CH₄ sinks throughout the year. The annual CH₄ uptake correlated with stocking rates, whereas the seasonality of CH₄ uptake was primarily dominated by temperature. The annual CH₄ uptake at all sites averaged 3.7±0.7 kg C ha^?1 yr^?1 (range: 2.3–4.5), where approximately 35% (range: 23–40%) occurred during the nongrowing season. Light‐to‐moderate grazing (stocking rate≤1 sheep ha^?1 yr^?1) did not significantly change the annual CH₄ uptake compared with ungrazed steppes, but heavy grazing reduced annual CH₄ uptake significantly (by 24–31%, P<0.05). These findings imply that easing the pressure of heavily grazed steppes (e.g. moving to light or moderate stocking rates) would help restore steppe soil sinks for atmospheric CH₄. The empirical equations based on the significant relationships between annual CH₄ uptake and stocking rates, aboveground plant biomass and topsoil air permeability (P<0.01) could provide simple approaches for the estimation of regional CH₄ uptake by temperate semiarid steppes.     

Rheological properties of water-soluble spruce O-acetyl galactoglucomannans

The thermal and rheological properties of spray-dried, ethanol-precipitated, purified, and deacetylated spruce galactoglucomannans (GGM) were investigated by rheological measurements and differential scanning calorimetry. The shear rate dependence of viscosity and the effects of the drying method, temperature, ionic strength, and deacetylation on rheological properties were studied. GGM solutions exhibited a shear thinning behaviour. GGM solutions did not obey the Cox–Merz rule. The storage modulus of GGM solutions increased with an increase in concentration; gradually until a concentration of 5%, but rapidly at higher concentrations. Ethanol-precipitated GGM solutions showed a more elastic behaviour than spray-dried GGM solutions. Deacetylation caused an increase in apparent viscosity and more significantly in storage modulus. The storage modulus increased slightly with a decrease in temperature. A small amount addition of NaCl slightly changed the oscillatory behaviour. The effects of above factors were discussed in terms of molecular interactions. The rheological measurements of GGM solutions provide the basis of functionalities of GGM solutions.     

Adrenaline Increases Cyclic 3′5′-AMP Formation in Hamster Epidermis

CATECHOLAMINES probably influence cell proliferation by delaying cells in the premitotic phase^1,2. Bullough and Laurence found that crude skin extracts contained a tissue-specific protein (chalone) which inhibited epidermal cell proliferation and that the action of this extract was augmented by adrenaline³. They later found that adrenaline alone (0.00025 µg/ml.) reduced epidermal mitotic activity in mouse ears by about 50% in vitro⁴.     

Early Triassic conodont clusters from South China: revision of the architecture of the 15 element apparatuses of the superfamily Gondolelloidea

Abstract: Several fused clusters of conodont elements of the genera Neospathodus and Novispathodus were recovered from limestone beds at the Dienerian–Smithian and Smithian–Spathian boundaries, respectively, from several localities in Guangxi province, South China. Conodont clusters are otherwise extremely rare in the Triassic, and these are first described for the Early Triassic. The exceptional specimens partially preserve the relative three‐dimensional position and orientation of ramiform elements and are therefore extremely important for testing hypotheses on the architecture of apparatuses. These specimens partly confirm the previous reconstruction of the Novispathodus apparatus by Orchard. Within apparatuses of members of superfamily Gondolelloidea, elements previously identified as occupying the S₁ and S₂ positions instead occupy the S₂ and S₁ positions. Similarly, within apparatuses of members of the subfamily Novispathodinae, elements previously referred to S₃ and S₄ positions are reinterpreted to have occupied S₄ and S₃ positions, respectively.     

Reactivity of Trametes laccases with fatty and resin acids

Lipophilic extractives commonly referred to as wood pitch or wood resin can have a negative impact on paper machine runnability and product quality. The lipophilic extractives are composed mainly of fatty acids, resin acids, sterols, steryl esters and triglycerides. In this work, the suitability of laccases for the modification of fatty and resin acids was studied, using two model fractions. In the treatments, resin and fatty acid dispersions were treated with two different laccases, i.e. laccases from Trametes hirsuta and T. villosa. Different chromatographic methods were used to elucidate the effects of laccase treatments on the chemistry of the fatty and resin acids. Both laccases were able to modify the fatty and resin acids to some extent. In the case of fatty acids, a decrease in the amount of linoleic, oleic and pinolenic acids was observed, whereas the modification of resin acids resulted in a reduced amount of conjugated resin acids.     

Tuning in to multiple predators: conflicting demands for shell morphology in a freshwater snail

1. We examined the response to chemical cues from fish and crayfish, two predators with contrasting feeding modes, and their single and combined effect on shell morphology in the freshwater snail Radix balthica. 2. Snails were subjected to four treatments: tench (Tinca tinca), signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), a combination of tench and signal crayfish and no predators (control). Shell shape, crushing resistance and shell thickness were quantified. We also analysed whether shape or shell thickness contributes most to crushing resistance. 3. Chemical cues from the fish induced a rounder shell shape in R. balthica, a thicker shell and a higher crushing resistance, whereas crayfish chemical cues had no effect on shell morphology, shell thickness or crushing resistance. Shell shape contributed more to crushing resistance than shell thickness. 4. The combined predator treatment showed an intermediate response between the fish and crayfish treatments. Shell roundness was reduced compared with the fish treatment, but the reduced crushing resistance that comes with a less rounded shell was compensated by an increased investment in extra shell material, exceeding that of the fish treatment. 5. Our study extends previous studies of multipredator effects on phenotypically plastic freshwater snails by showing that the snails are able to fine‐tune different elements of morphology to counter predator‐specific foraging modes.     

PARAMETERS USED FOR RECOGNITION OF DISTRESS CALLS IN TWO SPECIES: LARUS ARGENTATUS AND STURNUS VULGARIS

ABSTRACT

Distress calls are signals effective over a long distance. They are well known to evoke interspecific reactions. We suggest that the interspecificity phenomenon results from the use of similar laws of decoding by the species concerned. These laws must take into account the transmission channel which always has a great influence on long-range communication. We tested our hypothesis by broadcasting simplified synthetic calls to two species of birds: the herring gull and the starling. The various calls differed in terms of frequency modulation (FM). Two main conclusions emerged from this series of tests:

1. The parameters used for recognition are not sophisticated: a simple slope applied to a carrier frequency that corresponds to the acoustic shape of a distress call is sufficient to confer a distress meaning to the signal. The basic rules are the same for the gull and the starling, with differences only in the acceptance level of the species.

2. The system of recognition is based upon parameters not altered by the environment: the birds make use of the slow frequency modulations (FMI). In contrast, the fast frequency sweeps (FMII) which are modified during propagation do not seem to be utilised. The use of these characteristics of distress calls for recognition allows interspecificity and maximum efficiency for propagation over long distances.

Degradation of paper mill water components in laboratory tests with pure cultures of bacteria

The degradation of dissolved and colloidal substances from thermomechanical pulp (TMP) by bacteria isolated from a paper mill was studied in a laboratory slide culture system.Burkholderia cepacia strains hydrolysed triglycerides to free fatty acids, and the liberated unsaturated fatty acids were then degraded to some extent. Saturated fatty acids were not notably degraded. However, the branched anteiso-heptadecanoic fatty acid was degraded almost like the unsaturated fatty acids. About 30% of the steryl esters were degraded during 11 days, increasing the concentrations of free sterols. Approximately 25% of the dehydroabietic, and 45% of the abietic and isopimaric resin acids were degraded during 11 days. The degree of unsaturation seemed to be of greater importance for the degradation of fatty acids than the molar mass. No degradation of dissolved hemicelluloses could be observed with any of the nine bacterial strains studied. Burkholderia cepacia strains and one Bacillus coagulans strain degraded monomeric fructose and glucose in winter TMP water, but in summer TMP water, with much lower sugar concentrations, also otherBacillus strains degraded monomeric sugars.     

Antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity factors in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis> isolated from mastitic Sahiwal cattle

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a serious problem in dairy animals suffering from mastitis. In the present study, the distribution of mastitic MRSA and antibiotic resistance was studied in 107 strains of S. aureus isolated from milk samples from 195 infected udders. The characterizations pathogenic factors (adhesin and toxin genes) and antibiotic susceptibility of isolates were carried out using gene amplification and disc diffusion assays, respectively. A high prevalence of MRSA was observed in the tested isolates (13.1%). The isolates were also highly resistant to antibiotics, i.e. 36.4% were resistant to streptomycin, 33.6% to oxytetracycline, 29.9% to gentamicin and 26.2% each to chloramphenicol, pristinomycin and ciprofloxacin. A significant variation in the expression of pathogenic factors (Ig, coa and clf) was observed in these isolates. The overall distribution of adhesin genes ebp, fib, bbp, fnbB, cap5, cap8, map and cna in the isolates was found to be 69.1, 67.2, 6.5, 20.5, 60.7, 26.1, 81.3 and 8.4%, respectively. The presence of fib, fnbB, bbp and map genes was considerably greater in MRSA than in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates. The proportions of toxin genes, namely, hlb, seb, sec, sed, seg and sei, in the isolates were found to be 94.3, 0.9, 8.4, 0.9, 10.2 and 49.5%, respectively. The proportions of agr genes I, II, III and IV were found to be 39.2, 27.1, 21.5 and 12.1%, respectively. A few isolates showed similar antibiotic-resistance patterns, which could be due to identical strains or the dissemination of the same strains among animals. These findings can be utilized in mastitis treatment programmes and antimicrobials strategies in organized herds.