Variability and structure of natural populations of Hordelymus europaeus (L.) Jess. ex Harz and Leymus arenarius (L.) Hochst. as revealed by morphology and DNA markers

Seven populations of Hordelymus europaeus and four populations of Leymus arenarius from Poland were subjected to examination of 36 morphological characters. This study showed that both species are relatively uniform and that morphological variation of their populations represents a continuum. Of those, three populations of either species were selected for analysis with molecular markers – RAPDs and AFLPs. These populations differed with respect of geographical location as well as syntaxa and habitat. RAPD-PCR was performed for individual plants and clearly grouped them according to the population origin. For either H. europaeus or L. arenarius - the studied populations differed in degree of their intrinsic variation while none of them as a whole was significantly different from the remaining ones. In AFLP analysis the studied populations were represented by DNA pools of several individual plants. Also this approach allowed discrimination among the population samples of both H. europaeus and L. arenarius. Both RAPDs and AFLPs were accordant in indication that H. europaeus exceeds L. arenarius with respect to variation accumulated at the DNA level. It is the sixth paper of the series: Biodiversity of wild Triticeae (Poaceae) in Poland. The first is: M. Mizianty (2005). Variability and structure of natural populations of Elymus caninus (L.) L. based on morphology. Pl. Syst. Evol. 251: 199-216. The second: M. Mizianty, and M. Szklarczyk (2005). Systematic significance of Elymus caninus morphological characters revealed by AFLP analysis. In: L. Frey (ed.) Biology of grasses. W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences. Kraków, pp 9–21. The third: M. Mizianty et al. (2006). Variability and structure of natural populations of Elymus caninus (L.) L. and their possible relationship with Hordelymus europaeus (L.) Jess. ex Harz revealed by AFLP analysis. Pl. Syst. Evol. 256: 193–200. The fourth: M. Mizianty (2006). Variability and structure of natural populations of Hordeum murinum L. based on morphology. Pl. Syst. Evol. 261: 139–150. The fifth: B. Paszko Variability and structure of natural populations of Brachypodium pinnatum and B. sylvaticum based on morphology. Acta Soc. Bot. Pol. (in press).     

Floristic inventory of wild plants of Peshawar university campus

Floristic inventory of wild plants comprised of total 129 plant species belonging to 42 families and 101 genera. Location wise UAP contributed greater amount of plant species (53%), followed by PFI (29%), UoP (15%) and Islamia College (3%). Majority of the plants were annual herbs (58%), followed by perennial herbs (29%), trees (10%) and shrubs (3%), respectively. The leading families included Poaceae, contributed 18% of all the plant species. Habitat wise, 44% of them grew in grassy plains, abandoned lands and mismanaged lawns, followed by roadsides (34%), undulating grassy plains (15%) and stony grounds with uneven topography along with stream banks and drainage ditches (7%). Still some of plant species were used as ornamentals, while some shrubs were use in fencing around fields; others were utilized as green manure, for fishing, sheltering and religious purposes. Exploring and identifying the wild flora of the campus and compiling as a handbook would help to monitor new plants introductions particularly of noxious invasive weeds in the campuses in future.     

Variability and structure of natural populations of Elymus caninus (L.) L. based on morphology

Great variability involving 36 quantitative and 31 qualitative characters, as well as the habitats occupied has been shown in 18 populations of Elymus caninus from Poland, based on the detailed population and statistical analyses of morphological characters. The variability of these characters proves that the intraspecific units which have been distinguished on the basis of these characters do not have systematic significance. The two morphotypes of E. caninus (pauciflorum and caninus) described in this study will provide the basis for further genetic studies aimed at establishing their significance for considerations in the systematics of the species.It is the first paper from the series: Biodiversity of wild Triticeae (Poaceae) in Poland.     

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) and wild sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Gunma Prefecture, Japan

The ingestion of undercooked meat from wild animals can be a source of Toxoplasma gondii infection in humans and other animals. In this study, we determined the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in 175 wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) and 107 wild sika deer (Cervus nippon) hunted in 2004–2007 in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, by using a commercial latex agglutination test (LAT). Antibodies (LAT, 1:64 or higher) to T. gondii were found in 6.3% of wild boars and 1.9% of sika deer. This is the first record of T. gondii infection in wild deer in Japan, and deer and wild boar meat should be cooked well before human consumption.     

Effect of process parameters on the production and drying of Leuconostoc mesenteroides cultures

Leuconostoc mesenteroides BLAC was grown on MRS broth or on a carrot juice medium, and the effects of sugar concentration, type of pH control, aeration and fermentor size on viable counts were examined. The effect on viability of the type of centrifuge used to concentrate the bacterial culture was also examined. When the MRS broth had the traditional 110 mM glucose, pH control did not increase the final population. However, using a zone pH control mode, increasing the glucose content of MRS both from 110 to 220 mM almost doubled the population. In MRS broth, the amount of acetic acid produced was the same for all treatments, and was proportional to the amount of citrate consumed. There was a significantly lower cell yield in the carrot juice medium when the pH was not regulated. In the carrot juice medium, pH had a more pronounced effect on the final population level than did aeration, even though the quantity of viable cells was greater when the culture was aerated. In MRS broth, glucose was completely consumed during fermentation, but this was not the case in carrot juice medium. Aeration resulted in increased acetic acid content of the fermented medium. Viable counts were not affected by scaling the volume of the fermentation from 2 to 15 l ,or by the type of centrifuge used to concentrate the cells. Cells were concentrated by a factor of 10, but in both centrifuge types, viable counts showed only an eightfold average increase. However, freeze-dried powders obtained from the continuous pilot-plant-centrifuged cultures had, on the average, 33% lower populations than those obtained from the laboratory unit. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2002) 28, 291–296 DOI: 10.1038/sj/jim/7000245 Received 09 July 2001/ Accepted in revised form 25 January 2002     

Volatile fatty acid production during anaerobic mesophilic digestion of tea and vegetable market wastes

Extraction of the organic content from vegetable market waste and tea waste was carried out in a packed digester for 24 and 300 h respectively. The sequence of appearance of volatile fatty acids during digestion of both the substrates was found to be different. The sequence was (Acetic, Propionic) > (Isobutyric, Butyric) > Valeric for digestion of vegetable market waste while it was Isovaleric > (Isobutyric, Acetic) > Propionic during digestion of tea waste. During the course of digestion, the early appearance of an acid did not relate to its high concentration. The rate of production of acetic acid and propionic acid was found to be higher than other volatile acids during digestion of both the substrates, although it was approximately ten times higher for vegetable market waste compared to tea waste. The acids can be arranged in four groups according to their rate of production as Acetic > Propionic > Butyric > (Valeric, Isobutyric) for vegetable market waste and Acetic > Isobutyric > Isovaleric > Propionic for tea waste.     

Ames试验在水质检测方面的应用

近年来 ,水体污染日趋严重 ,各国学者从氯化后饮水中分离出多种致突变、致癌物质。为此我们采用Ames试验 ,对珠江流域主要取水点的水源水和对应自来水中的有机致突变物污染情况进行了研究。研究表明 ,部分取水点的有机致突变物污染较严重 ,并且氯化消毒后自来水的致突性大于水源水的致突性。因而 ,加强饮水中致突变物质的检测 ,改进净水消毒剂和净水流程很有必要。     

Early Holocene cultivation before domestication in northern Syria

Charred plant remains from the sites of Tell Qaramel, Jerf el Ahmar, Dja’de and Tell ‘Abr situated in northern Syria and dated to the tenth and ninth millennia cal b.c. demonstrate that a wide variety of wild pulses, cereals, fruits and nuts was exploited. Five lines of evidence suggest that cultivation was practised at three of the sites. (1) Wild einkorn, wild rye and lentils occur outside their natural habitats. (2) The founder crops barley, emmer and single-grained einkorn appear at different times. (3) An assemblage of weeds of cultivation was identified. (4) There is a gradual decrease in gathered plants such as small seeded grasses and Polygonum/Rumex. (5) Barley grains increase in breadth and thickness. Morphological domestication did not become established, perhaps because seed stock was regularly collected from wild stands. Charred rodent droppings indicate large-scale grain storage.     

Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida Trypanosomatidae): ecology of the transmission cycle in the wild environment of the Andean valley of Cochabamba, Bolivia

An active Trypanosoma cruzi transmission cycle maintained by wild rodents in the Andean valleys of Cochabamba Bolivia is described. Wild and domestic Triatoma infestans with 60% infection with T. cruzi were found and was evidenced in 47.5% (rodents) and 26.7% (marsupial) by parasitological and/or serologycal methods. Phyllotis ocilae and the marsupial species Thylamys elegans, are the most important reservoirs followed by Bolomys lactens and Akodon boliviensis. In spite of both genotypes (TCI and TCII) being prevalent in Bolivia, in our study area only T. cruzi I is being transmitted. Our data suggest that wild T. infestans and wild small mammals play an important role in the maintenance of the transmission cycle of T. cruzi. Furthermore, the finding of high prevalence of T. cruzi infection in wild T. infestans point to the risk of the dispersion of Chagas' disease.     

完达山东部林区野猪种群数量和栖息地特征的初步分析

2008 年11 月18 日至2009 年3 月20 日,为了调查黑龙江省完达山东部林区野猪种群数量和栖息地特征,我们采用随机布设样线的方法在东方红林业局境内13 个林场共布设大样方40 个,样线200 条。调查结果表明,东方红林业局境内野猪分布平均密度为0.175 头/ km² , 种群数量为546 ～ 680 头;野猪主要分布在河口、奇源、青山、五林洞、独木河、海音山和东林7 个林场,位于海拔300 ～ 800 m 的范围内。1989 年调查的野猪平均密度为0.372 头/ km² ,种群数量为1302 ; 2002 年调查的野猪平均密度为0. 342 头/ km² , 种群数量为1 198 头。近年来野猪种群密度降低,种群数量呈加速下降趋势。对野猪栖息地特征分析表明,野猪喜欢选择中坡位、阳坡、坡度小于5°、地表植被盖度大于30% 、隐蔽度和郁闭度在25% ～ 50% 之间的生境。阔叶林、灌丛是野猪的主要栖息地。非法捕猎、森林采伐、坚果采摘和东北虎的捕食是造成野猪种群数量减少、栖息地质量下降的主要因素。