Assessment of lead availability in soils contaminated by mine spoil

The uptake of lead by two contrasting plant species, radish and red fescue, grown in soils contaminated by mine spoil was investigated. Uptake was found to be poorly correlated either with pH or total Pb concentration in the soils. By contrast, a good correlation was obtained, particularly for red fescue, between Pb uptake and Pb concentration in the solution of equilibrated soil suspensions over a wide range of soil pH, total soil Pb and soil solution Pb concentration.Calculations suggested a similar order of magnitude in the total amounts of Pb taken up by the plants and Pb in the soil solution of the root zone, justifying the latter as a good index of Pb-availability. ei]Section editor: A C Borstlap     

A new chemical tool for characterization and partial depolymerization of red algal galactans

Complete acid hydrolysis of red algal galactans in the presence of borane - 4-methylmorpholine complex has been shown to prevent the acid degradation of 3,6-anhydrogalactose derivatives by their reduction to the corresponding 3,6-anhydro-galactitols, whereas all the other monosaccharides are liberated essentially in the non-reduced form; the reductive hydrolysis products may be determined quantitatively using gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). The method is recommended for preliminary characterization of the polysaccharide composition of red algal biomass. Partial acid hydrolysis of galactans in the presence of the same reducing agent gives rise to reduced oligosaccharides having terminal 3,6-anhydrogalactitol residues. Based on this reaction, the attribution of unknown galactans to the agar or carrageenan groups is possible by partial reductive hydrolysis of small samples of algal biomass with subsequent identification of agarobiitol or carrabiitol acetates by GLC. Sulfate groups are substantially retained under partial reductive hydrolysis conditions; the isolation by liquid chromatography and elucidation of structures of reduced sulfated oligosaccharides may be of great value for the structural analysis of complex red algal galactans.     

Involvement of Calcium Channels in Depolarization-Evoked Release of Adenosine from Spinal Cord Synaptosomes

Abstract: The potential involvement of L- and N-type voltage-sensitive calcium (Ca²⁺) channels and a voltage-independent receptor-operated Ca²⁺ channel in the release of adenosine from dorsal spinal cord synaptosomes induced by depolarization with K⁺ and capsaicin was examined. Bay K 8644 (10 n M ) augmented release of adenosine in the presence of a partial depolarization with K⁺ (addition of 6 m M ) but not capsaicin (1 and 10 μ M ). This augmentation was dose dependent from 1 to 10 n M and was followed by inhibition of release from 30 to 100 n M . Nifedipine and nitrendipine inhibited the augmenting effect of Bay K 8644 in a dose-dependent manner, but neither antagonist had any effect on release of adenosine produced by K⁺ (24 m M ) or capsaicin (1 and 10 μ M ) ω-Conotoxin inhibited K⁺-evoked release of adenosine in a dose-dependent manner but had no effect on capsaicin-evoked release. Ruthenium red blocked capsaicin-induced release of adenosine but had no effect on K⁺-evoked release. Although L-type voltage-sensitive Ca²⁺ channels can modulate release of adenosine when synaptosomes are partially depolarized with K⁺, N-type voltage-sensitive Ca²⁺ channels are primarily involved in K⁺-evoked release of adenosine. Capsaicin-evoked release of adenosine does not involve either L- or N-type Ca²⁺ channels, but is dependent on a mechanism that is sensitive to ruthenium red.     

Caprine blood groups. 1. The B system

Twelve of 24 monospecific caprine reagents produced by absorption of alloimmune antisera identified a complex blood group system of goats which was designated B, based on the results of a small comparison test with ovine reagents. The frequencies of the 12 B factors differed significantly among the Australian Angora, Texan Angora, Cashmere, and Dairy goat breeds. Three of the antigens detected by the reagents were shown to be related as linear subtypes, designated Ba₁, Ba₂, and Ba₃, and inherited as alleles. The segregations of B factors in 80 sire groups involving 1086 offspring demonstrated that groups of B factors (phenogroups) segregated as products of allelic genes. This work was supported by a grant from the Australian Stud Book, Alison Road, Randwick, New South Wales 2031, Australia.     

The elimination of clover diseases by shoot tip culture

Shoot tip culture was used to eliminate white clover mosaic virus (WCMV) and red clover necrotic mosaic virus (RCNMV) from red clover, and clover phyllody disease (CP) and clover red leaf disease (CRL) from white clover. Shoot tips up to 2.4 mm (in some cases 3 mm) could regenerate plants free from the pathogens, but the efficiency of elimination, at least for WCMV and CRL, tended to decrease with increasing shoot tip size. The efficiency of plant regeneration from shoot tips generally improved with increasing tip size.     

DNA fingerprinting of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) with Jeffrey's probes: detection of somaclonal variation and other applications

Summary DNA fingerprints generated by the Jeffreys' probes, 33.6 and 33.15, indicated the presence of minisatellite-like sequences in the red clover genome. The fingerprints generated by probe 33.6 gave less background and fewer but better defined bands than those obtained with probe 33.15. Assay of a regenerative somaclonal variant (F49R) by DNA fingerprinting with probe 33.6 detected mutation that was unlinked to the regenerative trait. The fingerprints obtained under the applied conditions also demonstrated genetic stability of consecutive generations of the regenerants in tissue culture. DNA fingerprints of F₁ plants revealed that each polymorphic band was inherited from either one or the other parent. Both probes distinguished individual-specific genotypes in seven cultivars of red clover. Greater variability in DNA fingerprints was detected between (V=0.899) than within (0.417≤V≤0.548) cultivars.     

Eu3+-activated red phosphor Ca3YAl3B4O15 with low thermal quenching behaviour

This paper reports a sequence of a Ca₃YAl₃B₄O₁₅:xEu³⁺ red phosphor prepared using a high-temperature solid-state reaction. At the excitation of 396 nm, the samples emitted intense red emission centred at ~623 nm, which could be attributed to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition of the Eu³⁺ ion. The results showed that the optimum Eu³⁺ doping concentration of Ca₃YAl₃B₄O₁₅:Eu³⁺ phosphor was x = 80 mol%, and the concentration quenching mechanism of Ca₃YAl₃B₄O₁₅:Eu³⁺ red phosphor belonged to the exchange coupling between Eu³⁺ ions. The Commission Internationale de l'éclairage (CIE) coordinates and colour purity of Ca₃Y_0.2Al₃B₄O₁₅:0.8Eu³⁺ were calculated as (0.6375, 0.3476) and 95.5%, respectively. Moreover, the red emission of the obtained phosphor Ca₃YAl₃B₄O₁₅:0.8Eu³⁺ exhibited a low thermal quenching behaviour with an intensity retention rate of 92.85% at 150°C. The above results manifest that the Eu³⁺-activated Ca₃YAl₃B₄O₁₅ phosphor is predicted to be a promising red luminescent component for white light-emitting diodes.     

Identifying Mozambique's most critical areas for plant conservation: An evaluation of protected areas and Important Plant Areas

Successful protected area networks must represent biodiversity across taxonomic groups. However, too often plant species are overlooked in conservation planning, and the resulting protected areas may, as a result, fail to encompass the most important sites for plant diversity. The Mozambique Tropical Important Plant Areas project sought to promote the conservation of Mozambique's flora through the identification of Important Plant Areas (IPAs). Here, we use the Weighted Endemism including Global Endangerment (WEGE) index to identify the richest areas for rare and endemic plants in Mozambique and subsequently evaluate how well represented these hotspots are within the current protected area and IPA networks. We also examine the congruence between IPA and protected areas to identify opportunities for strengthening the conservation of plants in Mozambique. We found that high WEGE scores, representing areas rich in endemic/near-endemic and threatened species, predict the presence of IPAs in Mozambique, but do not predict the presence of protected areas. We also find that there is limited overlap between IPAs and protected areas in Mozambique. We demonstrate how IPAs could be an important tool for ensuring priority sites for plant diversity are included within protected area network expansions, particularly following the adoption of the “30 by 30” target agreed within the post-2020 Convention on Biological Diversity framework, with great potential for this method to be replicated elsewhere in the global tropics.     

Gene-rich plastid genomes of two parasitic red algal species,Laurencia australis and L. verruciformis (Rhodomelaceae,Ceramiales), and a taxonomic revision of Janczewskia

Parasitic red algae are an interesting system for investigating the genetic changes that occur in parasites. These parasites have evolved independently multiple times within the red algae. The functional loss of plastid genomes can be investigated in these multiple independent examples, and fine-scale patterns may be discerned. The only plastid genomes from red algal parasites known so far are highly reduced and missing almost all photosynthetic genes. Our study assembled and annotated plastid genomes from the parasites Janczewskia tasmanica and its two Laurencia host species (Laurencia elata and one unidentified Laurencia sp. A25) from Australia and Janczewskia verruciformis, its host species (Laurencia catarinensis), and the closest known free-living relative (Laurencia obtusa) from the Canary Islands (Spain). For the first time we show parasitic red algal plastid genomes that are similar in size and gene content to free-living host species without any gene loss or genome reduction. The only exception was two pseudogenes (moeB and ycf46) found in the plastid genome of both isolates of J. tasmanica, indicating potential for future loss of these genes. Further comparative analyses with the three highly reduced plastid genomes showed possible gene loss patterns, in which photosynthetic gene categories were lost followed by other gene categories. Phylogenetic analyses did not confirm monophyly of Janczewskia, and the genus was subsumed into Laurencia. Further investigations will determine if any convergent small-scale patterns of gene loss exist in parasitic red algae and how these are applicable to other parasitic systems.