Invasive behaviour of Lactuca serriola (Asteraceae) in the Netherlands: Spatial distribution and ecological amplitude

Species invasions have been a central theme in ecology over the past decades, with a focus on invasions of non-indigenous European species in the New World. However, within Europe, native species may also become invasive. Such species rapidly increase their geographic range and may at the same time broaden their ecological amplitude. We report on Lactuca serriola L., which has shown a rapid range expansion in many parts of Europe. We reconstructed its geographical spread through The Netherlands; furthermore, we tested for changes in its ecological amplitude.

Before 1950, L. serriola was rare in The Netherlands, recorded from only 80 grid-cells (of 5×5 km²). Subsequently, its distribution increased from 219 grid-cells (1980), to 546 cells (990) and 998 grid cells (2000). It currently occupies at least 60% of The Netherlands. Analyses of relevées demonstrate, using detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), that the variance in the assemblage of species co-occurring with L. serriola increased significantly since 1940, indicating that the species currently occurs in a broader range of vegetation types. Correlating averages of Ellenberg's indicator values per vegetation relevée with time, we found correlations for continentality (+), acidity (−) and (soil) humidity (+). Moreover, the proportion of phanerophytes in the relevées increased over time. These findings suggest that in addition to its original ruderal habitat, L. serriola also currently occurs in more closed vegetation types. Based on analyses of two other co-occurring Asteraceae species, we showed that these patterns were specific for L. serriola only. We conclude that L. serriola has broadened its ecological amplitude and discuss four mutually non-exclusive explanations for the recent invasiveness of L. serriola: (i) Effects of a changed environment: global warming and ruderalisation; (ii) metapopulation dynamics and increased diaspore pressure; (iii) microevolution; (iv) genetic reinforcement due to hybridisation with conspecific (crop) species.     

Combined effects of warming and elevated CO2 on the impact of drought in grassland species

Aims

Drought is a major growth limiting factor in the majority of terrestrial ecosystems and is expected to become more frequent in the future. Therefore, resolving the drought response of plants under changing climate conditions is crucial to our understanding of future ecosystem functioning. This study responds to the need for experimental research on the combined effects of warming, elevated CO₂ and drought, and aims to determine whether the response to drought is altered under future climate conditions.

Methods

Two grassland species, Lolium perenne L. and Plantago lanceolata L., were grown in sunlit climate-controlled chambers. Four climates were simulated: (1) current climate, (2) current climate with drought, (3) a warmer climate with drought, and (4) a climate with combined warming, elevated CO₂ and drought.

Results

Warming did not alter the drought response, neither directly through photosynthesis nor indirectly through changes in water consumption. Also for combined warming and elevated CO₂ there were no effects on the plant response to drought for any of the measured parameters. However, simultaneous warming and elevated CO₂ mitigated the biomass response to drought through a positive pre-drought effect on photosynthesis and biomass response.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that a positive pre-drought effect of combined warming and elevated CO₂ has the potential to compensate for drought-induced biomass losses under future climate conditions.     

Altered response to nitrogen supply of mixed grassland communities in a future climate: a controlled environment microcosm study

Few studies have investigated whether responses to nutrient supply of mixed plant communities change under combined elevated CO₂ and climate warming. In this study we analyzed the response of constructed temperate grassland communities to five levels of nitrogen (N) supply, ranging from 0 to 150 kg N ha^?1, under two climate scenarios. Biomass of the plant communities responded positively to N supply in the current climate, but was insensitive to N supply in the future climate. This altered response was not the result of a changing response from a single species, but all species seemed to contribute to it. The weaker response in the future climate was caused by changes in N uptake rather than by changes in nitrogen use efficiency, as community N stocks showed the same response pattern as community biomass. Climate change apparently modified the relation between fertilizer N addition and plant available N.     

Exposure to warming and CO2 enrichment promotes greater above-ground biomass, nitrogen, phosphorus and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization in newly established grasslands

Aims

In view of the projected increase in global air temperature and CO₂ concentration, the effects of climatic changes on biomass production, CO₂ fluxes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization in newly established grassland communities were investigated. We hypothesized that above- and below-ground biomass, gross primary productivity (GPP), AMF root colonization and nutrient acquisition would increase in response to the future climate conditions. Furthermore, we expected that increased below-ground C allocation would enhance soil respiration (R_soil).

Methods

Grassland communities were grown either at ambient temperatures with 375?ppm CO₂ (Amb) or at ambient temperatures +3°C with 620?ppm CO₂ (T+CO₂).

Results

Total biomass production and GPP were stimulated under T+CO₂. Above-ground biomass was increased under T+CO₂ while belowground biomass was similar under both climates. The significant increase in root colonization intensity under T+CO₂, and therefore the better contact between roots and AMF, probably determined the higher above-ground P and N content. R_soil was not significantly affected by the future climate conditions, only showing a tendency to increase under future climate at the end of the season.

Conclusions

Newly established grasslands benefited from the exposure to elevated CO₂ and temperature in terms of total biomass production; higher root AMF colonization may partly provide the nutrients required to sustain this growth response.     

Virus safety of plasma products using 20 nm instead of 15 nm filtration as virus removing step

During the manufacture of human plasma derivatives, a series of complementary measures are undertaken to prevent transmission of blood-borne viruses. Virus filtration using 15 nm (Planova15N) filters has successfully been implemented in manufacturing processes for various plasma derivatives primarily because virus filtration is a technique, mild for proteins, that can effectively remove even small non-lipid-enveloped viruses, such as HAV and parvovirus B19. However, the use of 15 nm filters has limitations with regard to protein capacity of the filters and the process flow, resulting in an expensive manufacturing step. Therefore, studies were performed to test whether the use of 20 nm (Planova20N) filters, having different characteristics compared to 15 nm filters, can be an alternative for the use of 15 nm filters.It is shown that 20 nm filtration can be an alternative for 15 nm filtration. However, the virus removal capacity of the 20 nm filters depends on the plasma product that is filtered. Therefore, an optimisation study must be performed with regard to process parameters such as pressure, pH and protein concentration for each plasma product. In this study, using optimised conditions, the virus removal capacity of 20 nm filters appears to be comparable or even better when compared to that of 15 nm filters.     

Are soil biota buffered against climatic extremes? An experimental test on testate amoebae in arctic tundra (Qeqertarsuaq,West Greenland)

Climate warming is likely to have pronounced impacts on soil biota in arctic ecosystems. In a warmer climate, heatwaves are more frequent and intense, but it is unclear to what extent soil communities are buffered against this. We studied the effects of an artificially induced heatwave on the structure of testate amoebae communities in dry heath tundra in Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Island, West Greenland) during the summer of 2003. While the heatwave was severe enough to induce significant leaf mortality in the aboveground vegetation, overall testate amoebae abundance did not react to the difference in temperature. However, in the heated plots transient shifts in species populations occurred during the exposure, followed by increases in species richness weeks after the heatwave had ended. The most important taxa appearing after the heating period belonged to bacterivorous genera, in agreement with a transient peak in bacterial colony forming units, caused by the heatwave. Lobose testate amoebae resisted the heating and its associated desiccation better than their filose counterparts.     

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) as a first-line treatment in developing countries and methodological aspects that might influence IUI success

⁴ Correspondence address. E-mail: willem.ombelet{at}telenet.be It is generally accepted that intrauterine insemination (IUI)should be preferred to more invasive and expensive techniquesof assisted reproduction and be offered as a first-choice treatmentin cases of unexplained and moderate male factor subfertility.Scientific validation of this strategy is rather difficult becauseliterature is rather confusing and not conclusive. IUI is proveneasier to perform, less invasive and less expensive than othermethods of assisted reproduction. Effectivity has been documentedin controlled studies under the condition that the inseminatingmotile count exceeds more than 1 million motile spermatozoa.Risks are minimal, provided the multiple gestation incidencecan be reduced to an acceptable level and provided at leastone tube is patent. Therefore, in developing countries, reflectionon the implementation and use of IUI as a first-line treatmentfor most cases of non-tubal infertility seems mandatory. Thecosts are minimal, training is easy, quality control possibleand severe complications are almost non-existing. In cases ofunexplained infertility or combined male subfertility and ovulatorydysfunction, correction and/or ovarian stimulation with clomiphenecitrate (CC) is probably the best strategy from a cost–benefitpoint of view unless CC-resistancy has been proven in whichthe use of low-dose gonadotrophins is necessary.     

Detection of genetically divergent clone mates in apomictic dandelions

This study aims to identify genetically diverged clone mates in apomictic dandelions. Clone mates are defined as individuals that may have diverged as a result of mutation accumulation and that have undergone only clonal reproduction since their most recent common ancestor. Based on distinctive morphology and an aberrant and rare chloroplast haplotype, northwest European individuals of Taraxacum section Naevosa are well suited for the detection of clonal lineages in which mutation has occurred. In the case of strictly clonal reproduction, nuclear genetic variability was expected to be hierarchically organized. Nucleotide polymorphisms in internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, however, were incompatible with a clonal structure of the Norwegian individuals, probably due to persistent ancestral polymorphisms that pre-date the origin of the Naevosa clone. This interpretation is supported by the presence of ITS variants in section Naevosa that were also found in distantly related dandelions. In contrast to the ITS sequence data, amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), isozymes and microsatellites strongly supported the contention of prolonged clonal reproduction and mutation accumulation in Norwegian Naevosa. Because these markers are generally considered to be more variable and more rapidly evolving than ITS sequences, mutations in these markers probably evolved after the origin of the clone. Within the Norwegian clone, a surprising number of markers distinguished the clone mates. As a consequence, incorporation of mutation in the detection of clone mates is anticipated to have a big impact on estimates of size, geographical range and age of clones as well as on experimental designs of studies of clonal plants.     

Testacean communities in perturbed soils: the influence of the wandering albatross

On Île de la Possession (Crozet Archipelago, sub-Antarctica), the testate amoebae (Protozoa, Rhizopoda) fauna in soils around abandoned and occupied nests of the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) was investigated. A comparison with control samples, a cluster analysis and several ordination techniques indicated that the presence of the breeding albatrosses induced modifications in physico-chemical soil characteristics and in the soil inhabiting testacean fauna. Only 11 testate species occurred frequently in the soils in the albatross’ zone. Soils around occupied nests had significantly higher moisture values, less acid pH values, an increased specific conductance and elevated phosphate and ammonium concentrations. Highly influenced testacean communities were characterised by high abundances of Difflugiella oviformis and extremely high abundances of Trinema lineare, resulting in a very low diversity and evenness within these communities. The intermediary situation of one abandoned nest indicated that soils around abandoned nests evolve gradually back to undisturbed soils. Although an overall negative influence on the testacean diversity, a limited albatross’ influence may increase the living fraction within the testacean soil communities.