Spatial model of site index based on Y-ray spectrometry and a digital elevation model for two Pinus species in Tuan Toolara State Forest, Queensland, Australia

Site index prediction models are an important aid for forest management and planning activities. This paper introduces a multiple regression model for spatially mapping and comparing site indices for two Pinus species (Pinus elliottii Engelm. and Queensland hybrid, a P. elliottii x Pinus caribaea Morelet hybrid) based on independent variables derived from two major sources: g-ray spectrometry (potassium (K), thorium (Th), and uranium (U)) and a digital elevation model (elevation, slope, curvature, hillshade, flow accumulation, and distance to streams). In addition, interpolated rainfall was tested. Species were coded as a dichotomous dummy variable; interaction effects between species and the g-ray spectrometric and geomorphologic variables were considered. The model explained up to 60% of the variance of site index and the standard error of estimate was 1.9 m. Uranium, elevation, distance to streams, thorium, and flow accumulation significantly correlate to the spatial variation of the site index of both species, and hillshade, curvature, elevation and slope accounted for the extra variability of one species over the other. The predicted site indices varied between 20.0 and 27.3 m for P. elliottii, and between 23.1 and 33.1 m for Queensland hybrid; the advantage of Queensland hybrid over P. elliottii ranged from 1.8 to 6.8 m, with the mean at 4.0 m. This compartment-based prediction and comparison study provides not only an overview of forest productivity of the whole plantation area studied but also a management tool at compartment scale.

Health and medicinal benefits of persimmon fruit: A review

The anti-oxidant activity of persimmon fruit appears to be mainly due to its high-molecular-weight tannin content. Antioxidant activity is variety specific with some astringent varieties showing very high antioxidant activity, comparable to strawberry and blueberry. In vitro, and limited animal studies, have shown that condensed tannins in the fruit may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and a wide range of cancers. Persimmon has an unusual property in that it appears to alter and reduce the rate of alcohol absorption and metabolism and thus ameliorate the symptoms of a hangover. The health and medicinal benefits of persimmon are considerable and should be further researched and promoted by persimmon industries around the world.

Effect of DNA extraction on ageing success in coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) otoliths

To maximize the information commonly collected from otoliths, the effect of DNA extraction on the estimation of age with otoliths was evaluated by comparing sagittal otolith samples from common coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) for clarity and ageing discrepancies in DNA-extracted and untreated control otoliths. The DNA extraction process had no significant effect, indicating that archived otoliths can be used as a source of DNA while retaining their utility for age estimation.

Flour yield QTLs in three Australian doubled haploid wheat populations

Flour yield quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified in 3 Australian doubled haploid populations, Sunco × Tasman, CD87 × Katepwa, and Cranbrook × Halberd. Trial data from 3 to 4 sites or years were available for each population. QTLs were identified on chromosomes 2BS, 4B, 5AL, and 6BL in the Sunco × Tasman population, on chromosomes 4B, 5AS, and 6DL in the CD87 × Katepwa population, and on chromosomes 4DS, 5DS, and 7AS in the Cranbrook × Halberd population. In the Sunco × Tasman cross the highest genetic variance was detected with the QTL on chromosome 2B (31.3%), in the CD87 × Katepwa cross with the QTL on chromosome 4B (23.8%), and in the Cranbrook × Halberd cross with the QTL on chromosome 5D (18%). Only one QTL occurred in a similar location in more than one population, indicating the complexity of the flour yield character across different backgrounds.

Odour sampling 1: Physical chemistry considerations

The selection of an odour sampling device may influence the composition of the resulting odour sample. Limited comparison of emission rates derived from turbulent and essentially quiescent sampling devices confirms that the emission rates derived from these devices are quite different. There is therefore compelling evidence that current odour sampling practice should have greater regard for fundamental physical and chemical principles, the nature of the odour source and the conditions created by the sampling device. Such consideration may identify the most appropriate situations under which the use of these devices may or may not be correct.

Odour sampling. 2. Comparison of physical and aerodynamic characteristics of sampling devices: A review

Sampling devices differing greatly in shape, size and operating condition have been used to collect air samples to determine rates of emission of volatile substances, including odour. However, physical chemistry principles, in particular the partitioning of volatile substances between two phases as explained by Henrys Law and the relationship between wind velocity and emission rate, suggests that different devices cannot be expected to provide equivalent emission rate estimates. Thus several problems are associated with the use of static and dynamic emission chambers, but the more turbulent devices such as wind tunnels do not appear to be subject to these problems. In general, the ability to relate emission rate estimates obtained from wind tunnel measurements to those derived from device-independent techniques supports the use of wind tunnels to determine emission rates that can be used as input data for dispersion models.

Long-term assessment of efficacy of permeable pond covers for odour reduction

Three anaerobic ponds used to store and treat piggery wastes were fully covered with permeable materials manufactured from polypropylene geofabric, polyethylene shade cloth and supported straw. The covers were assessed in terms of efficacy in reducing odour emission rates over a 40-month period. Odour samples were collected from the surface of the covers, the surface of the exposed liquor and from the surface of an uncovered (control) pond at one of the piggeries. Relative to the emission rate of the exposed liquor at each pond, the polypropylene, shade cloth and straw covers reduced average emission rates by 76%, 69% and 66%, respectively. At the piggery with an uncovered control pond, the polypropylene covers reduced average odour emission rates by 50% and 41%, respectively. A plausible hypothesis, consistent with likely mechanisms for the odour reduction and the olfactometric method used to quantifying the efficacy of the covers, is offered.

Comparison of odour emission rates measured from various sources using two sampling devices

Two commonly used sampling devices (a wind tunnel and the US EPA dynamic emission chamber), were used to collect paired samples of odorous air from a number of agricultural odour sources. The odour samples were assessed using triangular, forced-choice dynamic olfactometry. The odour concentration data was combined with the flushing rate data to calculate odour emission rates for both devices on all sources. Odour concentrations were consistently higher in samples collected with a flux chamber (ratio ranging from 10:7 to 5:1, relative to wind tunnel samples), whereas odour emission rates were consistently larger when derived from wind tunnels (ratio ranging from 60:1 to 240:1, relative to flux chamber values). A complex relationship existed between emission rate estimates derived from each device, apparently influenced by the nature of the emitting surface. These results have great significance for users of odour dispersion models, for which an odour emission rate is a key input parameter.

Odour emissions from anaerobic piggery ponds. 2: Improving estimates of emission rate through recognition of spatial variability

Odour emission rates were measured for seven different anaerobic ponds treating piggery wastes at six to nine discrete locations across the surface of each pond on each sampling occasion over a thirteen month period. Significant variability in emission rates were observed for each pond. Measurement of a number of water quality variables in pond liquor samples collected at the same time and from the same locations as the odour samples indicated that the composition of the pond liquor was also variable. The results indicated that spatial variability was a real phenomenon and could have a significant impact on odour assessment practices. Considerably more odour samples would be required to characterise pond emissions than currently recommended by most practitioners, or regulatory agencies.

Odour emissions from anaerobic piggery ponds. 1. Results of a three season, 14-month survey

Odour emission rates were measured for seven different anaerobic ponds treating piggery wastes at six to nine discrete locations across the surface of each pond on each sampling occasion over a 14-month period. Emission rate values varied between ponds, between seasons for the same pond and even for the same pond on different days of a sampling week. Average seasonal emission rates ranged from 7.9 to 46.5 OU/m2 s, while average emission rates ranged from 16.0 to 29.0 OU/m2 s. Factors potentially responsible for the variability in emission rates were investigated, including air and pond liquor temperatures, time of day of sample collection, season and the impact of a prolonged drought.

Ruminococcus bromii, identification and isolation as a dominant community member in the rumen of cattle fed a barley diet

Aims: To identify dominant bacteria in grain (barley)-fed cattle for isolation and future use to increase the efficiency of starch utilization in these cattle. Methods and Results: Total DNA was extracted from samples of the rumen contents from eight steers fed a barley diet for 9 and 14 days. Bacterial profiles were obtained using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the PCR-amplified V2/V3 region of the 16S rRNA genes from total bacterial DNA. Apparently dominant bands were excised and cloned, and the clone insert sequence was determined. One of the most common and dominant bacteria present was identified as Ruminococcus bromii. This species was subsequently isolated using traditional culture-based techniques and its dominance in the grain-fed cattle was confirmed using a real-time Taq nuclease assay (TNA) designed for this purpose. In some animals, the population of R. bromii reached densities above 1010R. bromii cell equivalents per ml or approximately 10% of the total bacterial population. Conclusions: Ruminococcus bromii is a dominant bacterial population in the rumen of cattle fed a barley-based diet. Significance and Impact of the Study: Ruminococcus bromii YE282 may be useful as a probiotic inoculant to increase the efficiency of starch utilization in barley-fed cattle. The combination of DGGE and real-time TNA has been an effective process for identifying and targeting for isolation, dominant bacteria in a complex ecosystem.

Habitat dynamics in the bed sediments of an intermittent upland stream

The effects of the hydrological regime on temporal changes to physical characteristics of substratum habitat, sediment texture of surface sediments (<10 cm), were investigated in a sub-tropical headwater stream over four years. Surface discharge was measured together with vertical hydraulic gradient and groundwater depth in order to explore features of sediment habitat that extend beyond the streambed surface. Whilst the typical discharge pattern was one of intermittent base flows and infrequent flow events associated with monsoonal rain patterns, the study period also encompassed a drought and a one-in-a-hundred-year flood. Rainfall and discharge did not necessarily reflect the actual conditions in the stream. Although surface waters were persistent long after discharge ceased, the streambed was completely dry on several occasions. Shallow groundwater was present at variable depths throughout the study period, being absent only at the height of the drought. The streambed sediments were mainly gravels, sand and clay. Finer sediment fractions showed a marked change in grain size over time, although bedload movement was limited to a single high discharge event. In response to a low discharge regimen (drought), sediments characteristically showed non-normal distributions and were dominated by finer materials. A high-energy discharge event produced a coarsening of sands and a diminished clay fraction in the streambed. Particulate organic matter from sediments showed trends of build-up and decline with the high and low discharge regimes, respectively. Within the surface sediment intersticies three potential categories of invertebrate habitat were recognised, each with dynamic spatial and temporal boundaries.

Actionable climate knowledge: From analysis to synthesis

The traditional reductionist approach to science has a tendency to create 'islands of knowledge in a sea of ignorance', with a much stronger focus on analysis of scientific inputs rather than synthesis of socially relevant outcomes. This might be the principal reason why intended end users of climate information generally fail to embrace what the climate science community has to offer. The translation of climate information into real-life action requires 3 essential components: salience (the perceived relevance of the information), credibility (the perceived technical quality of the information) and legitimacy (the perceived objectivity of the process by which the information is shared). We explore each of these components using 3 case studies focused on dryland cropping in Australia, India and Brazil. In regards to 'salience' we discuss the challenge for climate science to be 'policy-relevant', using Australian drought policy as an example. In a village in southern India 'credibility' was gained through engagement between scientists and risk managers with the aim of building social capital, achieved only at high cost to science institutions. Finally, in Brazil we found that 'legitimacy' is a fragile, yet renewable resource that needs to be part of the package for successful climate applications; legitimacy can be easily eroded but is difficult to recover. We conclude that climate risk management requires holistic solutions derived from cross-disciplinary and participatory, user-oriented research. Approaches that combine climate, agroecological and socioeconomic models provide the scientific capabilities for establishment of 'borderless' institutions without disciplinary constraints. Such institutions could provide the necessary support and flexibility to deliver the social benefits of climate science across diverse contexts. Our case studies show that this type of solution is already being applied, and suggest that the climate science community attempt to address existing institutional constraints, which still impede climate risk management.

Molecular and serological detection of A. centrale- and A. marginale-infected cattle grazing within an endemic area

A reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) one-stage nested PCR (nPCR) for Anaplasma centrale and a nested PCR for Anaplasma marginale were used to detect infected cattle grazing within an endemic region in Israel. A novel set of PCR primers and oligonucleotide probes based on a 16S ribosomal RNA gene was designed for RLB detection of both Anaplasma species, and the performance of the molecular assays compared. The immunofluorescent antibody test (IFA) was used to detect antibodies to both Anaplasma species, whereas, a highly sensitive and specific competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) was used to detect antibodies in A. centrale-vaccinated cattle. The RLB and the nested PCR procedures showed bacteremia with sensitivity of 50 infected erythrocytes per milliliter. Up to 93% of the A. centrale vaccinates carried specific antibodies that were detected by cELISA, and up to 71% of the vaccinated cattle were found to be naturally infected with A. marginale according to the PCR and the RLB assays. Nevertheless, no severe outbreaks of A. marginale infection occurred among vaccinated herds in this endemic region. It appears that both, molecular tools and serology are useful for evaluation of the vaccine efficacy. In the light of wide natural field infection with A. marginale, strong recommendations to continue the A. centrale vaccination program regime will continue until a new generation of non-blood-based vaccine will be developed.

Population genetics of the frog-killing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Global amphibian decline by chytridiomycosis is a major environmental disaster that has been attributed to either recent fungal spread or environmental change that promotes disease. Here, we present a population genetic comparison of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis isolates from an intensively studied region of frog decline, the Sierra Nevada of California. In support of a novel pathogen, we find low diversity, no amphibian-host specificity, little correlation between fungal genotype and geography, local frog extirpation by a single fungal genotype, and evidence of human-assisted fungus migration. In support of endemism, at a local scale, we find some diverse, recombining populations. Therefore neither epidemic spread nor endemism alone explains this particular amphibian decline. Recombination raises the possibility of resistant sporangia and a mechanism for rapid spread as well as persistence that could greatly complicate global control of the pathogen.