Fauna community trends during early restoration of alluvial open forest/woodland ecosystems on former agricultural land

Vertebrate fauna was studied over 10 years following revegetation of a Eucalyptus tereticornis ecosystem on former agricultural land. We compared four vegetation types: remnant forest, plantings of a mix of native tree species on cleared land, natural regeneration of partially cleared land after livestock removal, and cleared pasture land with scattered paddock trees managed for livestock production. Pasture differed significantly from remnant in both bird and nonbird fauna. Although 10 years of ecosystem restoration is relatively short term in the restoration process, in this time bird assemblages in plantings and natural regeneration had diverged significantly from pasture, but still differed significantly from remnant. After 10 years, 70 and 66% of the total vertebrate species found in remnant had been recorded in plantings and natural regeneration, respectively. Although the fauna assemblages within plantings and natural regeneration were tracking toward those of remnant, significant differences in fauna between plantings and natural regeneration indicated community development along different restoration pathways. Because natural regeneration contained more mature trees (dbh > 30 cm), native shrub species, and coarse woody debris than plantings from the beginning of the study, these features possibly encouraged different fauna to the revegetation areas from the outset. The ability of plantings and natural regeneration to transition to the remnant state will be governed by a number of factors that were significant in the analyses, including shrub cover, herbaceous biomass, tree hollows, time since fire, and landscape condition. Both active and passive restoration produced significant change from the cleared state in the short term.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 371-399

Novel species of fungi described in the present study include the following from Australia: Neoseptorioides eucalypti gen. & sp. nov. from Eucalyptus radiata leaves, Phytophthora gondwanensis from soil, Diaporthe tulliensis from rotted stem ends of Theobroma cacao fruit, Diaporthe vawdreyi from fruit rot of Psidium guajava, Magnaporthiopsis agrostidis from rotted roots of Agrostis stolonifera and Semifissispora natalis from Eucalyptus leaf litter. Furthermore, Neopestalotiopsis egyptiaca is described from Mangifera indica leaves (Egypt), Roussoella mexicana from Coffea arabica leaves (Mexico), Calonectria monticola from soil (Thailand), Hygrocybe jackmanii from littoral sand dunes (Canada), Lindgomyces madisonensis from submerged decorticated wood (USA), Neofabraea brasiliensis from Malus domestica (Brazil), Geastrum diosiae from litter (Argentina), Ganoderma wiiroense on angiosperms (Ghana), Arthrinium gutiae from the gut of a grasshopper (India), Pyrenochaeta telephoni from the screen of a mobile phone (India) and Xenoleptographium phialoconidium gen. & sp. nov. on exposed xylem tissues of Gmelina arborea (Indonesia). Several novelties are introduced from Spain, namely Psathyrella complutensis on loamy soil, Chlorophyllum lusitanicum on nitrified grasslands (incl. Chlorophyllum arizonicum comb. nov.), Aspergillus citocrescens from cave sediment and Lotinia verna gen. & sp. nov. from muddy soil. Novel foliicolous taxa from South Africa include Phyllosticta carissicola from Carissa macrocarpa, Pseudopyricularia hagahagae from Cyperaceae and Zeloasperisporium searsiae from Searsia chirindensis. Furthermore, Neophaeococcomyces is introduced as a novel genus, with two new combinations, N. aloes and N. catenatus. Several foliicolous novelties are recorded from La Réunion, France, namely Ochroconis pandanicola from Pandanus utilis, Neosulcatispora agaves gen. & sp. nov. from Agave vera-cruz, Pilidium eucalyptorum from Eucalyptus robusta, Strelitziana syzygii from Syzygium jambos (incl. Strelitzianaceae fam. nov.) and Pseudobeltrania ocoteae from Ocotea obtusata (Beltraniaceae emend.). Morphological and culture characteristics along with ITS DNA barcodes are provided for all taxa.

Native Phloem and Wood Borers in Australian Mediterranean Forest Trees

Native Mediterranean forests in Australia are dominated by two tree genera, Eucalyptus and Acacia, while Pinus and Eucalyptus dominate plantation forestry. In native forests, there is a high diversity of phloem and wood borers across several families in the Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. In the Coleoptera, cerambycid beetles (Cerambycidae), jewel beetles (Buprestidae), bark, ambrosia and pinhole beetles (Curculionidae) and pinworms (Lymexelidae) are some of the most commonly found beetles attacking eucalypts and acacias. In the Lepidoptera, wood moths (Cossidae), ghost moths (Hepialidae) and borers in the Xyloryctidae (subfamily Xyloryctinae) are most common. In contrast to native forests, there is a much more limited range of native insects present in Australian plantations, particularly in exotic Pinus spp. plantations, although eucalypt plantations do share some borers in common with native forests. This chapter reviews the importance of these borers in Australian forests primarily from an economic perspective (i.e. those species that cause damage to commercial tree species) and highlights a paucity of native forest species that commonly kill trees relative to the large scales regularly seen in North America and Europe.

Characterisation of wood–water relationships and transverse anatomy and their relationship to drying degrade

Characterisation of a number of key wood properties utilising ‘state of the art’ tools was achieved for four commercial Australian hardwood species: Corymbia citriodora, Eucalyptus pilularis, Eucalyptus marginata and Eucalyptus obliqua. The wood properties were measured for input into microscopic (cellular level) and macroscopic (board level) vacuum drying models currently under development. Morphological characterisation was completed using a combination of ESEM, optical microscopy and a custom vector-based image analysis software. A clear difference in wood porosity, size, wall thickness and orientation was evident between species. Wood porosity was measured using a combination of fibre and vessel porosity. A highly sensitive microbalance and scanning laser micrometres were used to measure loss of moisture content in conjunction with directional shrinkage on micro-samples of E. obliqua to investigate the validity of measuring collapse-free shrinkage in very thin sections. Collapse-free shrinkage was characterised, and collapse propensity was verified when testing thicker samples. Desorption isotherms were calculated for each species using wood–water relations data generated from shrinkage experiments. Fibre geometry and wood shrinkage anisotropy were used to explain the observed difficulty in drying of the different species in terms of collapse and drying stress-related degrade.

Prey of the silver-headed antechinus (Antechinus argentus), a new species of Australian dasyurid marsupial

The silver-headed antechinus (Antechinus argentus) is one of Australia’s most recently described mammals, and the single known population at Kroombit Tops in south-east Queensland is threatened. Nothing is known of the species’ ecology, so during 2014 we collected faecal pellets each month (March–September) from a population at the type locality to gather baseline data on diet composition. A total of 38 faecal pellets were collected from 12 individuals (eight females, four males) and microscopic analysis of pellets identified seven invertebrate orders, with 70% combined mean composition of beetles (Coleoptera: 38%) and cockroaches (Blattodea: 32%). Other orders that featured as prey were ants, crickets/grasshoppers, butterflies/moths, spiders, and true bugs. Given that faecal pellets could only be collected from a single habitat type (Eucalyptus montivaga high-altitude open forest) and location, this is best described as a generalist insectivorous diet that is characteristic of other previously studied congeners.

Regeneration ecology and woody species diversity in the remnant natural forest at Wondo Genet, Ethiopia – Potential for landscape restoration

Regeneration ecology, diversity of native woody species and its potential for landscape restoration was studied in the remnant natural forest at the College of Forestry and Natural Resources at Wondo Genet, Ethiopia. The type of forest is Afromontane rainforest , with many valuable tree species like Aningeria adolfi-friederici, and it is an important provider of ecological, social and economical services for the population that lives in this area. The study contains two parts, natural regeneration studies (at the natural forest) and interviews with farmers in the nearby village of the remnant patch. The objective of the first part was to investigate the floristic composition, densitiy and regeneration profiles of native woody species in the forest, paying special attention to woody species that are considered the most relevant (socio-economic). The second part provided information on woody species preferred by the farmers and on multiple uses of the adjacent natural forest, it also provided information and analysed perceptions on forest degradation. Systematic plot sampling was used in the forest inventory. Twenty square plots of 20 x 20 m were assessed, with 38 identified woody species (the total number of species was 45), representing 26 families. Of these species 61% were trees, 13% shrubs, 11% lianas and 16% species that could have both life forms. An analysis of natural regeneration of five important tree species in the natural forest showed that Aningeria adolfi-friederici had the best regeneration results. An analysis of population structure (as determined by height classes) of two commercially important woody species in the forest, Aningeria adolfi-friederici and Podocarpus falcatus, showed a marked difference: Aningeria had a typical “reversed J” frequency distribution, while Podocarpus showed very low values in all height classes. Multi dimensional scaling (MDS) was used to map the sample plots according to their similarity in species composition, using the Sørensen quantitative index, coupled with indicator species analysis .Three groups were identified with respective indicator species: Group 1 – Adhatoda schimperiana, Group 2 – Olea hochstetteri , Group 3 – Acacia senegal and Aningeria adolfi-friederici. Thirty questionnaire interviews were conducted with farmers in the village of Gotu Onoma that use the nearby remant forest patch. Their tree preferences were exotic species such as Eucalyptus globulus for construction and fuelwood and Grevillea robusta for shade and fertility. Considering forest land degradation farmers were aware of the problem and suggested that the governmental institutions address the problem by planting more Eucalyptus globulus. The natural forest seemed to have moderate levels of disturbance and it was still floristically diverse. However, the low rate of natural regeneration of Podocarpus falcatus suggested that this species is threatened and must be a priority in conservation actions. Plantations and agroforestry seem to be possible solutions for rehabilitation of the surrounding degraded lands, thereby decreasing the existent pressure in the remnant natural forest.

Evaluation of the profitability of fast-growing tropical trees.

The profitability of fast-growing trees was investigated in the northeastern and eastern provinces of Thailand. The financial, economic, and tentative environmental-economic profitability was determined separately for three fast-growing plantation tree species and for three categories of plantation managers: the private industry, the state (the Royal Forest Department) and the farmers. Fast-growing tree crops were also compared with teak (Tectona grandis), a traditional medium or long rotation species, and Para rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) which presently is the most common cultivated tree in Thailand. The optimal rotation for Eucalyptus camaldulensis pulpwood production was eight years. This was the most profitable species in pulpwood production. In sawlog production Acacia mangium and Melia azedarach showed a better financial profitability. Para rubber was more profitable and teak less profitable than the three fast-growing species. The economic profitability was higher than the financial one, and the tentative environmental-economic profitability was slightly higher than the economic profitability. The profitability of tree growing is sensitive to plantation yields and labour cost changes and especially to wood prices. Management options which aim at pulpwood production are more sensitive to input or output changes than those options which include sawlog production. There is an urgent need to improve the growth and yield data and to study the environmental impacts of tree plantations for all species and plantation types.

Estimation of Aboveground Phytomass of Plantations Using Digital Photogrammetry and High Resolution Remote Sensing Data

The study follows an approach to estimate phytomass using recent techniques of remote sensing and digital photogrammetry. It involved tree inventory of forest plantations in Bhakra forest range of Nainital district. Panchromatic stereo dataset of Cartosat-1 was evaluated for mean stand height retrieval. Texture analysis and tree-tops detection analyses were done on Quick-Bird PAN data. The composite texture image of mean, variance and contrast with a 5x5 pixel window was found best to separate tree crowns for assessment of crown areas. Tree tops count obtained by local maxima filtering was found to be 83.4 % efficient with an RMSE+/-13 for 35 sample plots. The predicted phytomass ranged from 27.01 to 35.08 t/ha in the case of Eucalyptus sp. while in the case of Tectona grandis from 26.52 to 156 t/ha. The correlation between observed and predicted phytomass in Eucalyptus sp. was 0.468 with an RMSE of 5.12. However, the phytomass predicted in Tectona grandis was fairly strong with R-2=0.65 and RMSE of 9.89 as there was no undergrowth and the crowns were clearly visible. Results of the study show the potential of Cartosat-1 derived DSM and Quick-Bird texture image for the estimation of stand height, stem diameter, tree count and phytomass of important timber species.

Comparación de calidad en la producción de carbón vegetal entre la fosa de tierra y el horno de ladrillo, en la finca el plantel Masaya

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo comparar la producción de calidad de carbón vegetal entre la fosa de tierra y el horno de ladrillo utilizando Eucalyptus camaldulensis, empleando dos categorías diamétricas. La metodología utilizada consistió en la selección del material vegetal para la producción de carbón, se seleccionaron árboles con diámetros entre 20-30 cm. y mayores de 30 cm. por cada categoría diamétrica se emplearon cinco árboles para un total de diez individuos, se tumbaron los árboles con la técnica de tala dirigida, con hacha a partir de 0.30 cm. del suelo con el propósito de aprovechar la mayor cantidad de madera del árbol, se procedió a medir la longitud de la troza en metros empleando una cinta métrica para la medición del diámetro medio. Luego se procedió a calcular el volumen del fuste limpio utilizando la fórmula de Smalian, posteriormente se traslado trozas y ramas al sitio de carbonización, se depositaron por clase diamétrica donde se cálculo el volumen empleando la fórmula de Huber, para la cubicación de las ramas se empleo el método tradicional de metro estéreo. Para la producción de carbón vegetal se emplearon dos diseños de producción: fosa de tierra y el horno de ladrillos, el análisis de laboratorio consistió en determinar porcentaje de cenizas, carbono orgánico, densidad aparente y porcentaje de humedad. Para la clase diamétrica de 20 a 30 cm., se utilizo un volumen de 4.48 m3 y para la categoría diamétrica mayor de 30 cm, 6.55 m3. Finalizado el proceso de carbonización se obtuvieron 8 sacos en la fosa de tierra, equivalente a 0.217m3, en el horno de ladrillo se obtuvieron 18 sacos lo que representa 0.496 m3. Comparando los estándares de calidad de la FAO, con los obtenidos en este estudio, son aceptables, se concluye que el método de producción de horno de ladrillos usando arboles mayores de 30 cm es el mejor método para la producción de carbón vegetal.

Comparación de calidad en la producción de carbón vegetal en la Finca El Plantel, Masaya

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo comparar la producción de calidad de carbón vegetal entre la fosa de tierra y el horno de ladrillo utilizando Eucalyptus camaldulensis, se seleccionaron árboles con diámetros entre 20-30 cm y mayores de 30 cm. Por cada categoría diamétrica se emplearon cinco árboles para un total de diez individuos, se tumbaron los árboles con la técnica de tala dirigida, con hacha a partir de 30 cm del suelo. Se procedió a medir la longitud de la troza en metros empleando una cinta métrica para la medición del diámetro medio. Se calculó el volumen del fuste limpio utilizando la fórmula de Smalian, posteriormente se trasladó trozas y ramas al sitio de carbonización, se depositaron por clase diamétrica donde se calculó el volumen empleando la fórmula de Huber, para la cubicación de las ramas se empleó el método de metro estéreo. Para la clase diamétrica de 20 a 30 cm se utilizó un volumen de 4.48 m3 y para mayor de 30 cm, 6.55 m3 -. Finalizado el proceso de carbonización se obtuvieron ocho sacos en la fosa de tierra, equivalente a 0.217 m3, en el horno de ladrillo se obtuvieron 18 sacos lo que representa 0.496 m3. . Comparando los estándares de calidad de la FAO, con los obtenidos en este estudio, son aceptables, se concluye que el método de producción de horno de ladrillos usando arboles mayores de 30 cm es el mejor método para la producción de carbón vegetal.

Estado actual del bosque de galería en un tramo de la parte media de los ríos Ochomogo y Nandarola, municipio de Nandaime, Granada, Nicaragua, 2014

La Facultad de Recursos Naturales y del Ambiente (FARENA) en conjunto con el proyecto UNA-FAGRO DEPARTIR/ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL PARA LA SALUD Y SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA, FAO, consideraron como objetivo principal Diagnosticar el estado actual del bosque de galería en los ríos Ochomogo y Nandarola, del municipio de Nandaime, Granada. En el río Nandarola se inventarió un área de 23.33 ha, encontrándose 321 árboles en 62 especies y 29 familias; la especie más representativa es el Guácimo de ternero(Guazuma ulmifolia Lam) con 30 individuos, y la familia más representativa es Mimosaceae con ocho especies. El área inventariada del río Ochomogo fue de 8.18 ha, se identificaron 154 árboles en 37 especies y 24 familias; la especie más abundante es Tigüilote(Cordia dentata Poir) con 19 individuos, la familiacon mayor representatividad es la Mimosaceae con cinco especies. Las variables silviculturales, iluminación respecto al río Nandarola equivale a un 51% de iluminación vertical plena, un 52% poseen fustes rectos sin ningún daño, y un 65% se encuentra libre de lianas. Por otro lado en el río Ochomogo se encontró un 57% de árboles que recibe iluminación vertical plena, con una calidad de fuste recto sin ningún daño de 45% y el 65% están libres de lianas. En general se puede decir que la población local y circundante ejerce presión sobre el recurso bosque; el caudal del río ha disminuido notoriamente por las actividades de extracción de madera para consumo energético; se evidencia la sustitución de especies nativas por exóticas como Teca (Tectona grandis L.F), Eucalipto (Eucalyptus spp.) y Neem(Azadirachta indica A. Juss) en las áreas de las riveras de los ríos, el aumento de áreas para potreros y el establecimiento de pasto, de plantaciones de cultivos de plátanos y de micro fábricas de ladrillos.

Optimización de la metodología para la producción de hongos comestibles

El cultivo de hongos comestibles saprófitos constituye un sistema de producción-consumo, que ha adquirido gran relevancia social, económica y ecológica. Con el fin de abaratar costes a la vez que aprovechar y reciclar residuos forestales, el objetivo de este trabajo se ha centrado en evaluar la viabilidad del aserrín de Eucalyptus globulus como soporte del cultivo en bolsa de Lentinula edodes (hongo comercializado conocido como Shiitake) y Agrocybe aegerita (hongo no comercializado comúnmente llamado Seta de Chopo). Se han evaluado 6 formulaciones, todas ellas con el aserrín como componente principal y con adición de diferentes suplementos: cereales (salvado y mijo), un controlador del pH (CaCO3) y un estimulador de crecimiento (CaSO4). Se ha determinado el crecimiento miceliar sobre cada uno de los sustratos, así como la producción de carpoforos (tanto en cantidad como en calidad) y la duración del periodo de fructificación. La mezcla más efectiva para la producción de L. edodes fue aquella que contenía yeso y azúcar mientras que para A. aegerita el salvado resultó ser el mejor suplemento.

Optimization of the pyrolysis process for the production of a biomass derived reducing agent and hydrogen-rich gases

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大叶石上莲（苦苣苔科，马铃苣苔属）花对称性基因的表达模式和进化研究

模式植物金鱼草的花对称性分子发育及遗传学研究揭示了花对称性的相关调控基因在花发育过程种的表达模式和功能以及它们的相互作用机制。然而，被子植物的花对称性丰富多样，远非模式植物的模式所能概括。根据目前的研究我们选择苦苣苔科马铃苣苔属作为研究对象，选取其中具有代表性的种大叶石上莲开展控制花对称性的几个关键基因的进化发育生物学研究，初步探讨这些基因的表达模式和功能以及它们与花对称性进化的联系。 RT-PCR实验结果显示，在大叶石上莲中花对称性基因ObCYC, ObRAD, ObDIV与它们的同源基因CYC, RAD, DIV在金鱼草中的表达模式有着明显的差异，这也意味着这些基因的功能及相互作用也有所不同。首先，大叶石上莲的ObCYC1C基因的表达与金鱼草的CYC基因相似，结合花形态比较认为ObCYC1C基因在花器官近轴区域的表达抑制了背部花器官的发育，在构建大叶石上莲微弱的两侧对称花过程中起到了主导的作用; 其它的几个ObCYC基因有着完全不同于CYC的表达模式，ObCYC1D的表达延伸到了花腹部区域而ObCYC2A在花发育中期和晚期没有表达，这意味着它们可能具有除控制花对称性之外的功能; 另一个特殊的现象是ObCYC2B因为在可读框架中一个终止子的提前出现而失去了功能。其次，ObRAD, ObDIV的表达与RAD, DIV的表达差异也极为明显，通过系统树和氨基酸序列比对分析发现ObRAD, ObDIV与RAD, DIV的保守功能区序列存在明显的不同，而ObRAD, ObDIV与BlRAD, BlDIV的保守区很相似，这与它们的花对称性以及基因的表达模式相对映，同时也说明了保守功能区具有极重要的作用。本研究显示了大叶石上莲中的花对称性基因的表达模式和功能与模式植物金鱼草存在显著的差异，在此基础上开展更深入的进化发育生物学研究将有助于揭示花对称性基因的分子进化及其与花对称性表型进化的关系。

施肥和海洋微生物调控对桉树人工林土壤质量的影响

本文研究施化肥和海洋微生物制剂对桉树人工林土壤质量的影响。研究结果表明：施用不同的化肥对桉树人工林土壤质量影响具有明显差异；从海洋植物根际分离得到的微生物菌株制成的微生物制剂中的活性微生物菌株能够在桉树人工林土壤中定殖，对桉树生长具有一定促进作用。桉树凋落叶分解过程中是否释放化感物质是桉树人工林发展过程中人们普遍关注的问题之一，本论文也对该部分做了初步研究。 对施用长效尿素、芬兰复合肥、高峰复合肥三种不同化肥对桉树人工林土壤质量的的影响进行了初步研究，研究结果表明长效尿素在保障土壤氮素供应、促进土壤纤维素分离能力提高和增强土壤对磷元素吸收方面具有重要作用；芬兰复合肥在增强土壤呼吸作用和促进土壤酶活性提高方面优于长效尿素和高峰复合肥。 以两株海洋来源的枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis 3512, Bacillus subtilis 3728)和一株海洋木霉(Trichoderma TF4)为研究材料，在实验室条件下对其生防机理进行了研究，研究表明:两株枯草芽孢杆菌通过产生脂肽和蛋白酶对植物病原菌产生抑制作用；海洋木霉TF4则能够产生HCN，IAA类植物生长激素，同时还具有一定的解磷能力，具有很好的应用前途，采用传统分类学方法和分子系统学方法鉴定为棘孢木霉(T.asperellum)。这三株海洋菌株制成微生物菌剂，在原位条件和盆栽条件下考察了其对桉树生物量和土壤质量指标的影响，研究结果表明将三株海洋微生物混合后添加少量三叶草作辅剂，能有效改善桉树人工林土壤质量，并促进桉树树高和胸径的增加，具备进一步研究和开发成产品的价值。 用高效液相色谱(HPLC)对桉树凋落叶中毒性物质进行分离、纯化，以小麦、绿豆、大速生菜为指示植物，对分离到的物质进行毒性跟踪，分离到一个毒性较强的组分，经1H氢谱和NMR鉴定为3–β甲酰基–乌索酸。