Variation du taux d’infestation par Thaumetopoea pityocampa du pin d’Alep : effet sur les paramètres dendrométriques dans les forêts de la région de Djelfa (Atlas saharien,Algérie)

The forests of the Saharan Atlas represent the southern edge of the natural range of the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.). These are exposed to climatic stress in relation to drought and attacks of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa Schiff., denoted by CP in the French text). The purpose of our work is to study the variation of the infestation rate by the pine processionary moth and its density with climatic factors and dendrometric parameters. The infestation rate (7.82%) by the pine processionary moth and its density (2.74 ± 2.61 nests/tree) were lower in our pine forests than in the northern ones. It appeared that the attacks of the moth increase mainly with the number of days of frost and heatwave. The dendrometric parameters were negatively correlated with the moth's density per tree. On the other hand, the latter was positively correlated with the defoliation rate. The results were discussed in a biogeographic framework in the light of the current knowledge of the distribution of the pine processionary moth in the Aleppo pine, in relation with the climatic conditions.     

Effects of intercropping on field-scale phosphorus acquisition processes in a calcareous soil

Plant and Soil - Calcium uptake by plants and the ratio of calcium to phosphorus (Ca/P) in the uptake have been recently identified as important drivers of P acquisition in neutral to alkaline...     

On possible trypsin-induced biases in peptides analysis with aerolysin nanopore

Nanopore-based single-molecule analysis technique is a promising approach in the field of proteomics. In this Technical Brief, the interaction between the biological nanopore of Aerolysin (AeL) and peptides is investigated, focusing on potential biases depending on the AeL activation protocol. Our results reveal that residual trypsin, which may be unintentionally introduced in analyte solution when using a classical AeL activation protocol, can induce a significant formation of shorter peptides by enzymatic degradation of longer ones, which may lead to unwanted effects and/or misinterpretations. AeL free-trypsin activation protocol eliminates this bias and appears more appropriate for peptide/proteins analysis, specifically in the perspective of nanopore-based molecular fingerprinting or of low-abundance species characterization.     

Premières données sur les Halictidae (Hymenoptera : Apoidea) de la région de Batna (Est algérien)

First data about Halictidae (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in the región of Batna (Eastern Algeria) Investigations carried out on Halictidae bees in different localities in the region of Batna during the spring and summer seasons of 2009 and 2012 allowed the identification of 35 species; Lasioglossum musculum is reported for the first time in Algeria. The presence of Sphecodes puncticeps Thomson, 1870, a cleptoparasitic species, is confirmed. The flowers visited and the flight period of each species are noted.