Litterfall was collected over a 12-month period with littertraps in hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) plantations aged 10, 14 and 62 years in southeast Queensland, Australia. The bulk of litterfall occurred during spring, mainly as hoop pine foliage with the annual litterfall ranging between 6.0 and 10.9 t ha−1, respectively, for the younger stands (10 and 14 years) and the mature 62-year old stand. The amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) recycled annually through litterfall was lower in the younger stands (28–37 kg N ha−1 and 4.4–5.3 kg P ha−1) compared with that of the mature stand (85 N ha−1 and 6.2 kg P ha−1). The N and P retranslocated during senescence varied across the three stands studied with a trend for N and P retranslocation to increase as availability of soil mineral-N decreased.
Decomposition of the hoop pine foliage component of litter was also studied in the same stands using a litterbag technique and mass-balance analysis. The estimated half-life of hoop pine foliage mass ranged between 1.5 and 1.8 years. Litter-mass loss was strongly correlated with litter substrate quality indicators of N, C, P, C/N ratio, lignin, lignin/N ratio and polyphenols. During the course of the study, there was no difference in litter-mass loss between the stands of different ages. During the 15-month period, the order of element release from the hoop pine litter was K>Na>C>Mg>P, with N, Ca and Mn generally demonstrating varying degrees of net accumulation. During the course of the study, the lignin/C ratio of the hoop pine litter increased from 0.61 to 0.96. This suggested that the litter-C was predominantly in a recalcitrant form and, therefore, the associated N was unlikely to be rapidly released in the hoop pine litter layer. 相似文献
Four sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus, weighing 665–980 g were exposed to toxic concentrations (8.5 p.p.m.) of cupric ion (copper) in sea water. Five stages of intoxication of increasing severity, based on behavior and posture, were designated as follows: lethargy; indifference; incoordination; moribundity; death. Serum, gills, liver, and kidneys were taken from fish at different stages of intoxication for examination. Kidneys were congested and swollen, the kidney wt/body wt index increasing up to 13.5 standard deviations (S.D.) over the mean control value. Gill lamellae from copper-poisoned fish were blunt and thickened, capillaries congested, and mucous cells dilated. Livers were similar to controls. Twenty-two clinical values were examined but only serum electrolytes and uric acid levels, liver and gill copper concentrations, kidney weights, and respiratory rates increased in poisoned fish by more than 5 S.D. over mean control values and correlated with the different stages of intoxication. Increased serum potassium, inorganic phosphate, and total intracellular ion values gave highest correlations with severity of intoxication. Potassium levels reached values considered lethal for mammals, and it was concluded that the intoxication following copper poisoning was a potassium intoxication caused primarily by cell damage and failure of osmoregulation by the gills and kidneys. 相似文献
Both scion and rootstock clones significantly influenced scion elongation and concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the scion foliage. Scion clone was the more important determinant. Scion clone × rootstock clone interactions were not significant. The ability of a clone to elongate as a scion was not correlated with its capacity to promote or retard scion elongation when used as a rootstock. Genetic differences in foliar nutrient concentrations appeared to reflect levels of nutrient demand, rather than the ability of roots to absorb nutrients. Nutrient demand of the rootstock can also explain negative correlations between nitrogen levels in rootstock clones and levels of both nitrogen and phosphorus in the scions. There was no significant relationship between scion elongation and foliar nitrogen concentrations of either rootstock or scion. The weak relationship between scion elongation and concentration of phosphorus in the rootstock apparently resulted from tissue dilution. 相似文献
Summary A system was developed for grouping tropical wood species for kiln drying based on similar estimated drying times. Six tropical species were subjected to drying and water soaking tests; variables were test temperature and specimen thickness. Soaking time, specimen thickness, and test temperature were used in an empirical model to predict drying times. The capability of the model to predict drying times was considered acceptable based on an adjusted coefficient of determination equal to 0.929 and an average error of 14 percent. The overall capability of the method proposed for grouping tropical hardwoods for drying is considered promising and worthy of further investigation. 相似文献
The majority of pregnancy loss in ruminants occurs during the first three weeks after conception, particularly during the period of conceptus elongation that occurs prior to pregnancy recognition and implantation. This review integrates established and new information on the biological role of ovarian progesterone(P4), prostaglandins(PGs),interferon tau(IFNT) and cortisol in endometrial function and conceptus elongation. Progesterone is secreted by the ovarian corpus luteum(CL) and is the unequivocal hormone of pregnancy. Prostaglandins(PGs) and cortisol are produced by both the epithelial cells of the endometrium and the trophectoderm of the elongating conceptus. In contrast, IFNT is produced solely by the conceptus trophectoderm and is the maternal recognition of pregnancy signal that inhibits production of luteolytic pulses of PGF2αby the endometrium to maintain the CL and thus production of P4. Available results in sheep support the idea that the individual, interactive, and coordinated actions of P4, PGs, IFNT and cortisol regulate conceptus elongation and implantation by controlling expression of genes in the endometrium and/or trophectoderm. An increased knowledge of conceptus-endometrial interactions during early pregnancy in ruminants is necessary to understand and elucidate the causes of infertility and recurrent early pregnancy loss and provide new strategies to improve fertility and thus reproductive efficiency. 相似文献
Detection of clinically relevant pain relief in cats with degenerative joint disease (DJD) is complicated by a lack of validated outcome measures and a placebo effect.
Hypothesis/Objectives
To evaluate a novel approach for detection of pain relief in cats with DJD.
Animals
Fifty‐eight client‐owned cats.
Methods
Prospective, double‐masked, placebo‐controlled, stratified, randomized, clinical study. Enrolled cats were 6–21 years of age, with owner‐observed mobility impairment, evidence of pain in at least 2 joints during orthopedic examination, and overlapping radiographic evidence of DJD, and underwent a 2‐week baseline period, 3‐week treatment period with placebo or meloxicam, and 3‐week masked washout period. Outcome measures were evaluated at days 0, 15, 36, and 57.
Results
Both groups significantly improved after the treatment period (day 36) on client‐specific outcome measures (CSOM) and feline musculoskeletal pain index (FMPI) (P < .0001 for both); there was no difference between the groups on CSOM or FMPI score improvement. After the masked washout period, more cats that received meloxicam during the treatment period had a clinically relevant decrease in CSOM score (P = .048) and FMPI score (P = .021) than cats that received placebo.
Conclusions and Clinical Importance
Using both a client‐specific and a general clinical metrology instrument, owners of cats with DJD were able to detect evident recurrence of clinical signs after withdrawal of active medication than after withdrawal of placebo, and that this study design might be a novel and useful way to circumvent the placebo effect and detect the efficacy of pain‐relieving medications. 相似文献
Optimal conditions of 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP) for triploidy induction in the blacklip abalone Haliotis rubra (Leach, 1814) were investigated, targeting inhibition of second polar body (PB2) formation. Two experiments were conducted at a water temperature of 17.5–18.5°C where factorial combination of (1) four dosages (DSs) of 100, 150, 200 and 250 μM 6‐DMAP, four starting times (STs) of 15, 20, 25 and 30 min post fertilization, and two treatment durations (TDs) of 20 and 30 min and (2) three DSs of 50, 100 and 150 μM 6‐DMAP, three STs of 15, 20 and 25 min post fertilization, and three TDs of 10, 20 and 30 min, were applied respectively. Day 3 larvae were sampled for triploidy and survival. Percent triploidy was verified using flow cytometry (FCM). Results show that optimal inductions that combine both high rates of triploidy and reasonable survival were those treatments commenced 15 or 20 min post fertilization and continued for 20 or 30 min, using 100 μM 6‐DMAP. These conditions induced rates of triploidy and relative survival of 80.5–93.3% and 36.5–40.2%, respectively, in the first experiment, and corresponding rates were 79.1–93.6% and 20.7–43.0% in the second experiment. High percent triploidy were also obtained in a number of treatments using 150 μM 6‐DMAP, but with overall survival rates generally lower than those using 100 μM 6‐DMAP. 相似文献
Oocyte maturation and gonadosomatic index (GSI) of eyestalk ablated Penaeus monodon females collected from the wild and from two first‐generation domesticated lines were assessed. Frequency and diameter of the different oocytes, and the intensity of oocyte atresia, were compared among groups through histological assessments of the sections of the middle ovarian lobe. Digitized images from ovary sections were used to record the frequency and diameter of different oocyte types. Spawning performance of the three groups were expressed in terms of the percentage of females that spawned at least once (productive females), time from eyestalk ablation to first spawning (latency period) and the number of spawnings per female stocked. Final ovarian maturation was attained in all groups, as indicated by the presence of mature oocytes with cortical rods (cortical oocytes), dark‐green ovarian colour and high GSI values (5.83–6.86%). However, domesticated groups presented significant larger immature oocyte types (previtellogenic and yolky oocytes) and smaller cortical oocytes compared with wild females, indicating a reduced vitellogenic activity during final oocyte maturation. Additionally, the frequency of atresia was comparatively higher for both domesticated groups, which could be related to their inferior spawning performance. The implications of these results on the reproductive potential and development of domesticated P. monodon are discussed. 相似文献