Importance of Backyard Habitat in a Comprehensive Biodiversity Conservation Strategy: A Connectivity Analysis of Urban Green Spaces

Connectivity has been an accepted goal in ecological restoration of wilderness areas for some time, but it is a relatively new approach in urban areas. The connectivity analysis presented here explores the numbers and patterns of corridors required to connect urban green spaces as part of an overall biodiversity conservation strategy. Green spaces in this study were weighted based on size and a habitat requirement of 0.5 ha for a hypothetical indicator species. Thirteen potential networks were evaluated using Gamma, Beta, and Cost Ratio indices. The study zone contained 54 green spaces (habitat nodes) with a combined area of 636.5 ha in a total urban area of approximately 2,600 ha. Several models (Travelling Salesman, Paul Revere, and Least Cost to User) were used to evaluate possible connections. These results indicated that at least 325 linkages are necessary to connect half of the nodes. Such large numbers of linkages are only feasible by enhancing the matrix of backyard habitat, planted boulevards, and utility rights‐of way found in a city. Strengthening such networks should work well to support the biota protected in urban parks and wildlife refuges and the seasonal migrants that sometimes depend on urban habitats for their survival.     

Characterization of human,mouse and rabbit anti-gliadin antibodies by ELISA and western blotting

Monoclonal, hyperimmune rabbit and human serum anti-gliadin antibodies were analyzed by ELISA and immunoblotting techniques. In Western blotting the difference in reactivity between monoclonal and human antibodies was quantitative rather than qualitative. Rabbit antisera differed in reactivity according to the protein used for immunization. The rabbits immunized by the peptic-tryptic pancreatic digest of gliadin reacted similarly to the patients. In ELISA, significantly higher reactivity with crude, A-, glyc-gli, α-, β- and ω-gliadins was found in the patients' sera than in controls. Dedicated to Prof. MUDr. Ctirad John, DrSc. on the occasion of his 75th birthday     

The Mbam drainage system and onchocerciasis transmission post ivermectin mass drug administration (MDA) campaign,Cameroon

BackgroundThe impact of large scale Mass Drug Adminstration (MDA) of ivermectin on active onchocerciasis transmission by Simulium damnosum, which transmits the parasite O. volvulus is of great importance for onchocerciasis control programmes. We investigated in the Mbam river system area, the impact of MDA of ivermectin on entomological indices and also verify if there are river system factors that could have favoured the transmission of onchocerciasis in this area and contribute to the persistence of disease. We compared three independent techniques to detect Onchocerca larvae in blackflies and also analyzed the river system within 9 months post-MDA of ivermectin.MethodSimulium flies were captured before and after 1, 3, 6 and 9months of ivermectin-MDA. The biting rate was determined and 41% of the flies dissected while the rest were grouped into pools of 100 flies for DNA extraction. The extracted DNA was then subjected to O-150 LAMP and real-time PCR for the detection of infection by Onchocerca species using pool screening. The river system was analysed and the water discharge compared between rainy and dry seasons.Principal findingsWe used human landing collection method (previously called human bait) to collect 22,274 adult female Simulium flies from Mbam River System. Of this number, 9,134 were dissected while 129 pools constituted for molecular screening. Overall biting and parous rates of 1113 flies/man/day and 24.7%, respectively, were observed. All diagnostic techniques detected similar rates of O. volvulus infection (P = 0.9252) and infectivity (P = 0.4825) at all monitoring time points. Onchocerca ochengi larvae were only detected in 2 of the 129 pools. Analysis of the river drainage revealed two hydroelectric dams constructed on the tributaries of the Mbam river were the key contributing factor to the high-water discharge during both rainy and dry seasons.ConclusionResults from fly dissection (Microscopy), real-time PCR and LAMP revealed the same trends pre- and post-MDA. The infection rate with animal Onchocerca sp was exceptionally low. The dense river system generate important breeding sites that govern the abundance of Simulium during both dry and rainy seasons.     

Blood parasites of the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius and their morphological characteristics

Blood parasites of Apodemus agrarius were investigated in Eastern Slovakia during 1998–2005. The following parasitic species were detected: Trypanosoma grosi, Babesia microti-like piroplasms and Bartonella sp. Trypanosoma grosi was the most common species, with an infection prevalence of 12.7%. Trypanosomes were morphologically typical of the lewisi group, however, they were bigger than T. grosi described in A. flavicollis and A. sylvaticus. The differences analysed by nested analysis of variance were statistically significant. Pleomorphism was not observed. Infections with piroplasms were detected only at two sites, with an intensity of infection not exceeding 0.1%. The morphology of the piroplasms was different from those typical of B. microti. Bartonella occurred at two sites in 0.81% of the animals sampled. The prevalence of infection had a seasonal pattern throughout the study years. Trypanosomes occurred from July to November, with a peak in September, piroplasms occurred in May and June, and Bartonella sp. from May to July.     

Evaluation of insecticidal properties of botanicals for sustainable management of sucking pests of horticultural crops

Aphids, thrips, whiteflies, mealy bugs and mites could cause significant yield losses in horticultural crops. Many synthetic chemicals highly hazardous to non-target organisms and the environment are in use in their management. Botanicals are ideal for safe sustainable pest management by keeping synthetic chemical use at a minimum. We studied the insecticidal properties of three botanicals viz., Annona squamosa, Ricinus communis and Sapindus mukorossi seed extracts against sucking pests viz., aphids (Aphis gossypii and Aphis craccivora) on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and bittergourd (Momordica charantia), thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) on chilli (Capsicum frutescens), whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) on eggplant (Solanum melongena), mealy bugs (Maconellicoccus hirsutus) on betel vine (Piper betle) and mites (Tetranychus urticae) on eggplant (Solanum melongena) under laboratory conditions. The bioassay showed that A. squamosa seed extract has potent insecticidal properties on all sucking pests, except T. urticae. Though S. mukorossi seed extract exhibited no insecticidal property, had a significant acaricidal property. A. squamosa and S. mukorossi seed extracts will therefore be additional botanicals for use in organic farming for managing the sucking pests effectively.     

Geomicrobiology of a Weathering Crust from an Impact Crater and a Hypothesis for its Formation

Understanding the role of microbe-mineral interactions in rock weathering is vital to an understanding of nutrient availability to the biosphere and, in so far as weathering influences carbon dioxide drawdown, climate control. We studied a weathering crust on a resurge tsunami deposit (Loftarstone) from the ～ 455 Ma old Lockne impact crater, central Sweden with an integrated approach using XRD, electron microprobe analysis, SEM-EDS and GCMS analysis of organics. The lichens and fungal hyphae network preferentially weather the chlorite in the Loftarstone compared to feldspars and quartz. We demonstrate, using a fungal isolate (identified by ITS sequencing), that biologically induced dissolution of the calcite component produces cavities which increase the surface area of interaction between the biota and the rock substrate. The weathering crust exfoliates from the rock surface in sheets, which we attribute to the dissolution of the calcite matrix. We present a hypothesis for the crust development. As well as providing insights into weathering on substrates derived from a diversity of high-energy geological disturbances, such as impact events and tsunamis, the weathering crust provides a model system to understand weathering processes in other common lithologies with mixed mineralogies at small spatial scales, including many sedimentary rocks. This work reveals how each different clast plays a unique part in the weathering process, leading to a well-defined weathering sequence.     

Natural killer cell activity in cœliac disease: Effect ofin vitro treatment on effector lymphocytes and/or target lymphoblastoid,myeloid and epithelial cell lines with gliadin

To analyze the possible involvement of natural killer (NK) cell activity in the pathogenetic mechanism of cœliac disease (CD) we measured the spontaneous cytotoxic cell activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMNC) from patients with CD and from healthy donors. No significant differences were found between the NK cell activity of PMNC from healthy donors and from patients with CD using a standard⁵¹Cr release assay. However, a 30-min treatment of PMNC with gliadin inhibited NK cell activity in patients with CD. On the other hand, a 1-d incubation with gliadin induced cytotoxic cell activity of PMNC against the NK-resistant target cells such as the epithelial HT-29 and the lymphoblastoid RAJI cell lines, suggesting that activation of PMNC by cultivation with gliadin can occur.