The formation of terrestrial food webs in glacier foreland: Evidence for the pivotal role of decomposer prey and intraguild predation     

Tanja König  Stefan Scheu 《Pedobiologia》2011,54(2):147-152

We investigated the structure of invertebrate food webs at three glacier foreland sites of an age of 2-34, ca. 60 and ca. 120 years in the European Alps at 2250-2450 m asl. The trophic structure was investigated by analyzing stable isotope ratios of ¹⁵N/¹⁴N and ¹³C/¹²C. The results suggest that the formation of terrestrial food webs during early primary succession heavily relies on prey out of the decomposer system with Collembola being most important. The diet of decomposers likely is based predominantly on allochthonous humus material blown in by wind and deposited by the retreating glacier. Irrespective of the successional stage the animal community consisted mainly of generalist predators with a number of species occurring at each of the successional stages. The results suggest that terrestrial food web formation is associated with a prolongation of food chains caused mainly by predator species switching their diet to include other predators, i.e. by intraguild predation. This suggests that generalist predators, such as cursorial spiders, carabid beetles, harvestman and centipedes, switch prey and include other predators if these are becoming more abundant, i.e. if ecosystems become more productive. Intraguild predation results in complex food webs with high linkage density which likely affects food web functioning and stability.  相似文献   

Respiratory function and pulmonary lesions in pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Judith Wagner  Annette Kneucker  Elisabeth Liebler-Tenorio  Vicky Fachinger  Melanie Glaser  Stefan Pesch  Michael P. Murtaugh  Petra Reinhold   《Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)》2011,187(3):310-319

Pulmonary dysfunction was evaluated in pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV, isolate VR-2332) and compared to clinical and pathological findings. Infected pigs developed fever, reduced appetite, respiratory distress and dullness at 9 days post-inoculation (dpi). Non-invasive pulmonary function tests using impulse oscillometry and rebreathing of test gases (He, CO) revealed peripheral airway obstruction, reduced lung compliance and reduced lung CO-transfer factor. PRRSV-induced pulmonary dysfunction was most marked at 9–18 dpi and was accompanied by a significantly increased respiratory rate and decreased tidal volume. Expiration was affected more than inspiration. On histopathological examination, multifocal areas of interstitial pneumonia (more severe and extensive at 10 dpi than 21 dpi) were identified as a possible structural basis for reduced lung compliance and gas exchange disturbances.  相似文献   

A simple and efficient method for isolating small RNAs from different plant species     

FlordeFátima Rosas-Cárdenas  Noé Durán-Figueroa  Jean-Philippe Vielle-Calzada  Andrés Cruz-Hernández  Nayelli Marsch-Martínez  Stefan de Folter 《Plant methods》2011,7(1):4

Background  

Small RNAs emerged over the last decade as key regulators in diverse biological processes in eukaryotic organisms. To identify and study small RNAs, good and efficient protocols are necessary to isolate them, which sometimes may be challenging due to the composition of specific tissues of certain plant species. Here we describe a simple and efficient method to isolate small RNAs from different plant species.  相似文献   

Produktion von Torfmoosen (Sphagnum sp.) als Torfersatz im Erwerbsgartenbau     

Armin Blievernicht  Stefan Irrgang  Matthias Zander  Christian Ulrichs 《Gesunde Pflanzen》2011,62(3-4):125-131

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Probing mode of action in plant cell cycle by the herbicide endothall, a protein phosphatase inhibitor     

Stefan Tresch  Jennifer SchmotzKlaus Grossmann 《Pesticide biochemistry and physiology》2011,99(1):86-95

The mode of action of endothall, an herbicide which was reported to inhibit plant protein phosphatases 1 (PP1) and 2A (PP2A), was investigated. For initial characterization, a series of bioassays was used for comprehensive physiological profiling of endothall effects which suggested a phytotoxic mode of action similar to mitotic disrupter herbicides. Unlike known microtubule disrupters, endothall did not inhibit soybean tubulin polymerization in vitro. As shown in meristematic corn root tips, endothall distorted the orientation of cell division plane and microtubule spindle structures which led to cell cycle arrest in prometaphase. In tobacco BY-2 cells, malformed spindles together with prometaphase arrest of nuclei and abnormal perinuclear microtubule patterns were detected as early as 4 h of endothall treatment. These effects were also observed after treatment with other protein phosphatase inhibitors, cantharidin and okadaic acid, which phenocopied the mitotic changes described in tonneau1 (ton1) and tonneau2 (ton2) Arabidopsis mutants. These mutants are defective in TONNEAU2 (TON2) protein, a regulatory subunit of PP2A, which governs cell division plane and microtubule orientation. Therefore, PP2A/TON2 phosphatase complex is suggested to be an in planta molecular target of endothall. However, in BY-2 cells, additional effects of endothall, including inhibition of S-phase initiation and DNA synthesis, detected by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation, and condensed nuclei arrested in late mitosis were observed which were not reported in Arabidopsiston1 and ton2 mutants. This result indicates that two additional checkpoints in cell cycle were blocked by endothall which are probably not associated with TON2-pathway inhibition. Possibly, inhibition of PP1 and/or other PP2A protein phosphatases are involved in the regulation of these cell cycle phenomena.  相似文献   

Dynamic plant uptake model applied for drip irrigation of an insecticide to pepper fruit plants   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Legind CN  Kennedy CM  Rein A  Snyder N  Trapp S 《Pest management science》2011,67(5):521-527

BACKGROUND: Drip application of insecticides is an effective way to deliver the chemical to the plant that avoids off‐site movement via spray drift and minimizes applicator exposure. The aim of this paper is to present a cascade model for the uptake of pesticide into plants following drip irrigation, its application for a soil‐applied insecticide and a sensitivity analysis of the model parameters. RESULTS: The model predicted the measured increase and decline of residues following two soil applications of an insecticide to peppers, with an absolute error between model and measurement ranging from 0.002 to 0.034 mg kg fw^?1. Maximum measured concentrations in pepper fruit were approximately 0.22 mg kg fw^?1. Temperature was the most sensitive component for predicting the peak and final concentration in pepper fruit, through its influence on soil and plant degradation rates. CONCLUSION: Repeated simulations of pulse inputs with the cascade model adequately describe soil pesticide applications to an actual cropped system and reasonably mimic it. The model has the potential to be used for the optimization of practical features, such as application rates and waiting times between applications and before harvest, through the integrated accounting of soil, plant and environmental influences. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry  相似文献   

Detection of potentially allergenic hazelnut (Corylus avellana) residues in food: a comparative study with DNA PCR-ELISA and protein sandwich-ELISA     

Holzhauser T  Stephan O  Vieths S 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2002,50(21):5808-5815

Allergen detection is of increasing interest for food labeling purposes. A comparative study with a commercial hazelnut-specific PCR-ELISA and a sandwich-type ELISA detecting hazelnut protein was performed to investigate to what extent immunochemical and DNA-based techniques would correlate in the detection of trace amounts of potentially allergenic hazelnut residues. Both methods were highly sensitive and allowed the detection of even <10 ppm of hazelnut in complex food matrixes. The protein-ELISA was highly specific for hazelnut. However, some foods could lead to false-positive results at the 10 ppm level. The PCR-ELISA did not show any cross-reactions with non-hazelnut foods, thus reducing the probability of having false positives at the trace level. Forty-one commercial food products with and without hazelnut components on their labels were analyzed for the presence of hazelnut. Of the 27 products in which hazelnut components were detected, two samples were not identified by the protein-ELISA, and only one sample, namely one white chocolate having <1 ppm of hazelnut protein, was not detected by PCR-ELISA. The good correlation of the results of PCR-ELISA and protein-ELISA suggested that both PCR-based and immunochemical techniques are suitable for reliable detection of potentially allergenic hazelnut residues in foods at the trace level.  相似文献   

Mixing of different mineral soil layers by endogeic earthworms affects carbon and nitrogen mineralization   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Sven Marhan  Stefan Scheu 《Biology and Fertility of Soils》2006,42(4):308-314

The effect of the endogeic earthworm species Octolasion tyrtaeum (Savigny) on decomposition of uniformly ¹⁴C-labelled lignin (lignocellulose) was studied in microcosms with upper mineral soil (Ah-horizon) from two forests on limestone, representing different stages of succession, a beech- and an ash-tree-dominated forest. Microcosms with and without lower mineral soil (Bw-horizon) were set-up; one O. tyrtaeum was added to half of them. It was hypothesised that endogeic earthworms stabilise lignin and the organic matter of the upper mineral soil by mixing with lower mineral soil of low C content. Cumulative C mineralization was increased by earthworms and by the addition of lower mineral soil. Effects of the lower mineral soil were more pronounced in the beech than in the ash forest. Cumulative mineralization of lignin was strongly increased by earthworms, but only in the beech soil (+24.6%). Earthworms predominantly colonized the upper mineral soil; mixing of the upper and lower mineral soils was low. The presence of lower mineral soil did not reduce the rates of decomposition of organic matter and lignin; however, the earthworm-mediated increase in mineralization was less pronounced in treatments with (+8.6%) than in those without (+14.1%) lower mineral soil. These results indicate that the mixing of organic matter with C-unsaturated lower mineral soil by endogeic earthworms reduced microbial decomposition of organic matter in earthworm casts.  相似文献   

Farmers'' perception of the effects of earthworms on soil fertility and crop performance in southern Cameroon: The 7th international symposium on earthworm ecology · Cardiff · Wales · 2002     

Madong a Birang  Stefan Hauser  Desire L. Amougou 《Pedobiologia》2003,47(5-6):819-824

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Expression of interest: Integrated project HEAT food
Harmonized European assessment for the transfer of chemicals from soil into food     

Stefan Trapp 《Journal of Soils and Sediments》2003,3(1):6

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