Species of street tree is important for southern hemisphere bird trophic guilds

Abstract Urban environments are highly modified with unique assemblages of bird species. Much of the research on urban bird assemblages comes from the northern hemisphere. Southern hemisphere bird assemblages differ from northern hemisphere assemblages in that they contain a large proportion of nectarivores. In this study we focus on bird use of street trees in Australia. We investigate the relative influence of tree species (plane tree, Platanus x acerifolia; red gums, Eucalyptus camaldulensis; jacaranda, Jacaranda mimosifolia; bottlebrush, Callistemon citrinus), season and the environment surrounding street trees, on the abundance and species richness of birds in Adelaide, South Australia. Our study considers birds in terms of granivore, nectarivore and insectivore trophic guilds. Nectarivores accounted for the greatest proportion of observations, in terms of abundance, in each of the tree species investigated. Species of street tree was a significant influence on bird use of the trees for all birds and each dietary guild. Red gums were used more than the other tree species by nectarivores, while plane trees were used more than the other trees by insectivores. Use of the tree species by granivores varied with the season. The measures of the environment surrounding street trees were largely unimportant with the exception of traffic for nectarivores in some cases. Urban avifauna use street trees and the species of tree will strongly influence its use by birds. However, the pattern of use of street tree species varied at different times of year and differed between different trophic guilds of birds. The dominance of nectarivores in the southern avifauna will likely produce different patterns of urban environment use to northern hemisphere avifaunas.     

A note on the use of dextran in blood cultures monitored by conductance methods

The incorporation of dextran into broth for the detection of bacteraemia by conductance monitoring is recommended to eliminate the effect of sedimenting blood cells which may mask early signals from bacteria. Broth containing ten times the recommended concentration of dextran was tested with a wide range of bacteria without demonstrating any reduction in growth or rate of change of conductance.     

Growth and survivorship as proximate causes of sexual size dimorphism in peninsula dragon lizards Ctenophorus fionni

Males and females differ in body size in many animals, but the direction and extent of this sexual size dimorphism (SSD) varies widely. Males are larger than females in most lizards of the iguanian clade, which includes dragon lizards (Agamidae). I tested whether the male larger pattern of SSD in the peninsula dragon lizard, Ctenophorus fionni, is a result of sexual selection for large male size or relatively higher mortality among females. Data on growth and survivorship were collected from wild lizards during 1991–1994. The likelihood of differential predation between males and females was assessed by exposing pairs of male and female lizards to a predator in captivity, and by comparing the frequency of tail damage in wild‐caught males and females. Male and female C. fionni grew at the same rate, but males grew for longer than females and reached a larger asymptotic size (87 mm vs. 78 mm). Large males were under‐represented in the population because they suffered higher mortality than females. Predation may account for some of this male‐biased mortality. The male‐biased SSD in C. fionni resulted from differences in growth pattern between the sexes. The male‐biased SSD was not the result of proximate factors reducing female body size. Indeed SSD in this species remained male‐biased despite high mortality among large males. SSD in C. fionni is consistent with the ultimate explanation of sexual selection for large body size in males.     

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in young Maine Coon cats caused by the p.A31P cMyBP-C mutation - the clinical significance of having the mutation

Background  

In Maine Coon (MC) cats the c.91G > C mutation in the gene MYBPC3, coding for cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyBP-C), is associated with feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (fHCM). The mutation causes a substitution of an alanine for a proline at residue 31 (p.A31P) of cMyBP-C. The pattern of inheritance has been considered autosomal dominant based on a single pedigree. However, larger studies are needed to establish the significance of cats being heterozygous or homozygous for the mutation with respect to echocardiographic indices and the probability of developing fHCM. The objective of the present study was to establish the clinical significance of being homozygous or heterozygous for the p.A31P cMyBP-C mutation in young to middle-aged cats.     

Mycotoxigenic infestation in samples of cereal straw from Bihar, India

A survey of different types of cereal straw samples viz. paddy, maize and wheat, from Bihar State, India, was conducted in order to examine the mould flora and mycotoxin contamination. Out of 170 samples examined for mould flora,Aspergillus flavus group of fungi had highest level of incidence followed byA niger. Isolates ofA flavus, A ochraceus, Fusarium verticillioides andPenicillium citrinum were screened for their mycotoxins producing abilities. Out of 75, 63 and 68 isolates ofA flavus group obtained from stored straw of paddy, maize and wheat samples, respectively, 27 (36%), 14 (22%) and 24 (35%) were found to be toxigenic which produced different combinations of aflatoxins in different concentrations. The percentage toxigenicity was comparatively lower in the isolates of other mycotoxigenic fungi from all types of samples. Out of 222 samples of straw analysed for natural occurrence of different mycotoxins, besides the aflatoxins present, zearalenone, ochratoxin A and citrinin were also recorded alone or as co-contaminants. A conducive climate together with the socioeconomic conditions of this region are important determinants for the high incidence of mycotoxins in cereal straw samples.     

高温油藏内源微生物及其提高采收率潜力研究

大港孔店油田油藏特征、流体和微生物性质分析结果表明,属于高温生态环境,地层水矿化度较低,氮、磷浓度低,而且缺乏电子受体,主要的有机物来源是油气.油田采用经过除油处理的油藏产出水回注方式开发,油层中存在的微生物类型主要是厌氧嗜热菌,包括发酵菌(102个/mL～105个/mL),产甲烷菌(103个/mL);好氧菌主要存在于注水井周围.硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)还原速率0.002 μg S2-/(L·d)～18.9 μg S2-/(L·d),产甲烷菌产甲烷速率0.012 μgCH4/(L·d)～16.2 μgCH4/(L·d).好氧菌能够氧化油形成生物质,部分氧化产物为挥发性脂肪酸和表面活性荆.产甲烷菌在油氧化菌液体培养基中产生CH4,CO2为好氧微生物和厌氧微生物的共同代谢产物.这些产物具有提高原油流动性的作用.用示踪剂研究了注入水渗流方向.通过综合分析,油藏微生物具有较大的潜力,基于激活油层茵的提高采收率方法在该油田是可行的.