Persistence and recolonisation determine success of bog restoration for aquatic invertebrates: a comment on Mazerolle et al. (2006)

1. Mazerolle et al. (2006) concluded that some aquatic invertebrate species, including bog‐associated species, readily colonise man‐made bog pools. In contrast, in Dutch bog remnants Van Duinen et al. (2003) found that a considerable number of bog‐associated species do not colonise newly created bog pools. 2. The conclusion of Mazerolle et al. (2006) is based on vagile aquatic invertebrates. Here, we question whether their conclusion can be extended to more sedentary species, which were not captured in the Canadian study, but made up an important part of the invertebrate assemblage in the Dutch study. This discrepancy could be caused by sampling artefacts, low colonisation rates of these species or an incomplete restoration of site conditions. 3. In Canada, chances of recolonisation may be higher than in the Netherlands, as natural and near‐natural bogs are more extensive. In the Netherlands, with low chances of recolonisation, persistence of species may be more important. To disentangle the relative importance of persistence and recolonisation, evaluations of the success of restoration projects need to cover the entire invertebrate assemblage, including both vagile and more sedentary species.     

In vivo control of Mycosphaerella pinodes on pea leaves by a crude bulb extract of Eucomis autumnalis

We previously reported on the in vitro antifungal activity of a crude whole plant extract from Eucomis autumnalis against seven economically important plant pathogenic fungi. A crude extract of the bulb showed similar in vitro mycelial growth inhibition of the same plant pathogenic fungi as well as that of an eighth fungus, Mycosphaerella pinodes, the cause of black spot or Ascochyta blight, in peas. Subsequently, fourth internode leaves were removed from 4 wk old pea plants, placed on moist filter paper in Petri dishes and inoculated with an M. pinodes spore suspension before and after treatment with the extract. The control of Ascochyta blight by different concentrations of the crude E. autumnalis extract was followed in vivo by leaf symptoms over a 6 day period at 20°C in a growth cabinet. The crude extract prevented M. pinodes spore infection of the leaves when the leaves were inoculated with spores both before or after treatment with the extract, confirming complete inhibition of spore germination. The crude E. autumnalis extract showed no phytotoxic reaction on the leaves even at the highest concentration applied.     

Measurement of mass flow of water in the stems of herbaceous plants

Abstract. Heat balance methods of stem flow measurement offer the opportunity to measure directly the mass flow rate of water in plants. We have tested one such approach; the constant power heat balance method of Sakuratani (1981). The results supported his statement of an approximate accuracy of 10% when measuring the transpiration rate of herbaceous plants. The response to sudden changes in stem flow rate is not instantaneous, but investigation of the time constant shows that it decreases as stem flow increases, to the extent that, at flow rates typical of daytime conditions the system is capable of accurately tracking changes in stem flow within 5 min or less.
We describe a new gauge design that is relatively rugged, simple to use with an appropriate digital datalogger and suitable for field use over prolonged periods of time. It does not injure or penetrate the stem, is amenable to continuous and direct recording of the mass flow rate of water in the stem and requires no calibration. A further refinement, which should improve both the accuracy and the dynamic response of the system, is proposed.     

A Comparative Study on the Effects of H2S and SO2 Fumigation on the Growth and Accumulation of Sulphate and Sulphydryl Compounds in Trifolium pratense L., Glycine max Merr. and Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Maas, F. M., De Kok, L. J., Peters, J. L. and Kuiper, P. J.C. 1987. A comparative study on the effects of H₂S and SO₂ fumigationon the growth and accumulation of sulphate and sulphydryl compoundsin Trifolium pratense L., Glycine max Merr. and Phaseolus vulgarisL.—J. exp. Bot. 38: 1459-1469. The effects of 0—25 mm³ dm³ H₂S and SO₂ on growth andsulphur content of shoots of Trifolium pratense, Glycine maxand Phaseolus vulgaris were studied. After 2 weeks of fumigationthe yield of T. pralense was reduced by 32% by H₂S, but notaffected by SO₂. Yield of G. max was not affected by H₂S, butreduced by 20% by SO₂, whereas that of P. vulgaris was increasedby 11% by H₂S and not affected by SO₂. Increases in sulphydrylcontent were already observed after 24 h of exposure to H₂Sand SO₂ in all plants. The increase was greatest in T. pratenseand smallest in P. vulgaris and, except for T. pratense, alwaysgreater in the H₂S-exposed than the SO₂-exposed plants. Oneday of exposure resulted in an increase in sulphate contentonly in the SO₂-fumigated plants, with the highest accumulationin T. pratense and the lowest in P. vulgaris. After 2 weeksan increase in sulphate content was also observed in the H₂S-exposedplants. This increase was also highest in T. pratense and lowestin P. vulgaris. Transpiration rate was not affected by a 24 h exposure to H₂Sor SO₂ and was highest in T. pratense, intermediate in G. maxand lowest in P. vulgaris. The order of theoretical rates of deposition of H₂S and SO₂correlated with the observed increases in sulphydryl contentduring the first 24 h of exposure in both H₂S and SO₂-fumigatedplants and with the increase in sulphate content in the SO₂-exposedplants. The increases in sulphydryl content were only 8% ofthe theoretical H₂S and SO₂-deposition fluxes, whereas sulphateaccumulation accounted for at least 57% of the theoretical SO₂-depositionflux. Key words: Air pollution, clover, French bean, Glutathione, Soybean, sulphur metabolism.     

Antennal sensory structures in Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) and their phylogenetic implications

Antennae of representatives of most genera and subgenera of Nepticulidae have been examined in detail with SEM. Flagellar segments are highly uniform and possess each 1–3 s. trichodea, 1–3 long s. chaetica type I, 12 short s. chaetica type II and 0–2 s. coeloconica of a simpified type without “picket fence”. The dominating structure is a pair of s. vesiculoclada, a unique sensillum type, believed to be a synapomorphy for the Nepticulidae. A pair is present on alt flagellomeres in male antennae but not on all flagellomeres of females in two subgenera of Ectoedemia. Principally each s. vesiculocladum is five-branched, with the branches joined tightly to the flagellar cuticle, but reduction of the branches occurs in several genera, in particular in Ectoedemia. This sensillum can be classified as a single-walled wp sensillum, and thus a chemoreceptor. The s. vesiculocladum is considered to be a homologue of the ascoid sensilla in the Opostegidae. The presence of these special setae is considered as an additional synapomorphy for both families. A review of previous Literature on lepidopteran sensilla is presented and the present data are compared and discussed. In the Nepticulidae the s. vesiculocladum is assumed to be the major pheromone detector in contrast to the s. trichodea of most other Lepidoptera.     

Seasonal changes in the pigments, carbohydrates and growth of red spruce as affected by ozone

Two-year-old red spruce seedlings were exposed to various levels ot ozone, from 0.4 to 3 times ambient levels, in open-top chambers in Ithaca, NY, USA. Exposures, which varied with changes in day length, commenced on May 30, 1987 and continued until December 14, 1987. Seedling biomass, carbohydrate contents, pigment contents, and rate of electron transport were assessed twice monthly during the fumigation period. Orthogonal quadratic or cubic polynomials were used to model the response through time each variable measured. A one-way analysis of variance model was fitted to every regression coefficient in each polynomial model to test for ozone effects on seasonal physiological patterns. Ozone did not influence growth, foliar pigment content, foliar starch content, root carbohydrate content, or rate of electron transport. The seasonal change of needle raffinose content differed between exposed to low (0.4 ×, 1×) and high (2×, 3×) ozone levels. There was also a trend towards reduced total soluble sugar content foliage during late autumn in higher ozone treatments.     

Rhizocaline, Rooting Co-factors, and the Concept of Promoters and Inhibitors of Adventitious Rooting - A Review

In many studies, reviewed in this paper, eluates of separatedplant extracts and various known endogenous and exogenous substanceshave promoted or inhibited adventitious rooting when appliedto stem cuttings. Some of the promoters are thought to act inconcert with auxin (the co-factors) and include various phenolics. The mode of action of most rooting promoters and inhibitorsis obscure. There is no good evidence that rhizocaline, theoriginally postulated root-forming hormone, consists of an auxin-phenolicconjugate, and other explanations for the action of phenolicsare not well substantiated. It is suggested that the action of many rooting promoters andinhibitors is mediated by chemical injury. Irrespective of theirchemical identity, sublethal concentrations promote rooting,while higher concentrations are inhibitory. Rhizocaline, co-factors, promoters, inhibitors, adventitious rooting     

Impact of biological activity on detritus transported in the lower river Rhine: an exercise in ecosystem analysis

SUMMARY. 1. Published data are used to construct a tentative carbon budget for the ecosystem of the lower river Rhine and its sedimentation areas in The Netherlands.
2. It is estimated that 287 × 10⁶kg Cy⁻¹ of particulate organic material is transported by the river Rhine, and 100 × 10⁶ kgCy⁻¹ of this material is deposited in the delta.
3. Phytoplankton and nitrifying bacteria seem to contribute significantly to the carbon budget, by producing c. 78 × 10⁶kgCy^−l.
4. The mineralization in the water (estimated from routine determinations of biological oxygen demand and from in situ diurnal fluctuations of oxygen) and in the bottom (estimated from the denitrification rates in the delta, from the production rate of methane and from overall oxygen consumption) is shown to degrade c. 50% of the carbon input plus autochthonous production.
5. The carbon budget and oxygen regime in the lower Rhine suggest that after decades of severe organic pollution the river has more or less resumed the normal, slightly heterotrophic state of a large lowland river.