Nitrogen ecophysiology of Heron Island, a subtropical coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Coral cays form part of the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Coral cays with high densities of seabirds are areas of extreme nitrogen (N) enrichment with deposition rates of up to 1000 kg N ha(-1) y(-1). The ways in which N sources are utilised by coral cay plants, N is distributed within the cay, and whether or not seabird-derived N moves from cay to surrounding marine environments were investigated. We used N metabolite analysis, N-15 labelling and N-15 natural abundance (delta(15)N) techniques. Deposited guano-derived uric acid is hydrolysed to ammonium (NH4+) and gaseous ammonia (NH3). Ammonium undergoes nitrification, and nitrate (NO3-) and NH4+ were the main forms of soluble N in the soil. Plants from seabird rookeries have a high capacity to take up and assimilate NH4+, are able to metabolise uric acid, but have low rates of NO3- uptake and assimilation. We concluded that NH4+ is the principal source of N for plants growing at seabird rookeries, and that the presence of NH4+ in soil and gaseous NH3 in the atmosphere inhibits assimilation of NO3-, although NO3- is taken up and stored. Seabird guano, Pisonia forest soil and vegetation were similarly enriched in N-15 suggesting that the isotopic enrichment of guano (delta(15)N 9.9parts per thousand) carries through the forest ecosystem. Soil and plants from woodland and beach environments had lower delta(15)N (average 6.5parts per thousand) indicating a lower contribution of bird-derived N to the N nutrition of plants at these sites. The aquifer under the cay receives seabird-derived N leached from the cay and has high concentrations of N-15-enriched NO3- (delta(15)N 7.9parts per thousand). Macroalgae from reefs with and without seabirds had similar delta(15)N values of 2.0-3.9parts per thousand suggesting that reef macroalgae do not utilise N-15-enriched seabird-derived N as a main source of N. At a site beyond the Heron Reef Crest, macroalgae had elevated delta(15)N of 5.2parts per thousand, possibly indicating that there are locations where macroalgae access isotopically enriched aquifer-derived N. Nitrogen relations of Heron Island vegetation are compared with other reef islands and a conceptual model is presented.

Tissue culture of forest trees: Clonal multiplication of Eucalyptus grandis L

Axillary shoot proliferation was obtained using explants of Eucalyptus grandis L. juvenile and mature stages on a defined medium. Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with benzyladenine (BA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and additional thiamine. Excised shoots were induced to root on a sequence of three media: (1) White's medium containing indoleacetic acid (IAA), NAA and indole butyric acid; (IBA), (2) half-strength MS medium with charcoal and (3) half-strength MS liquid medium. The two types of explants differed in rooting response, with juvenile-derived shoots giving 60% rooting and adult-derived ones only 35%. Thus, the factors limiting cloning of selected trees in vitro are determined to be those controlling rooting of shoots in E. grandis.

Ceratocystis atrox sp. nov. associated with Phoracantha acanthocera infestations on Eucalyptus grandis in Australia

Ceratocystis spp. include important pathogens of trees as well as apparently saprophytic species. Four species have been recorded on Eucalyptus grandis in Australia, of which only one, C. pirilliformis Barnes and M.J. Wingf., is known to be pathogenic. A recent survey of pests and diseases of Eucalyptus trees in northern Queensland revealed a species of Ceratocystis associated with the tunnels made by the aggressive wood-boring insect Phoracantha acanthocera (Macleay) (Cerambicydae: Coleoptera). The aim of the present study was to identify the fungus based on morphological characteristics and comparisons of DNA sequence data for three gene regions. The fungus peripherally resembles C. fimbriata Ell. and Halst. but differs from this species most obviously by having much darker mycelium, longer ascomatal necks, segmented hyphae and an absence of aleuroconidia. Comparisons of combined sequence data confirmed that the Ceratocystis sp. from P. acanthocera represents an undescribed taxon, which is provided with the name Ceratocystis atrox sp. nov. C. atrox appears to have a close relationship with P. acanthocera, although its role in the biology of the insect is unknown and its pathogenicity has not been considered.

In vitro propagation of Eucalyptus grandis L. by tissue culture

Multiple shoots were induced from nodal segments of five year old trees of Eucalyptus grandis L. on solid medium containing Murashige and Skoog's (MS) Basal medium supplemented with additional thiamine, BAP and NAA. Rooting could be achieved from shoot culture on half strength MS salts or white's medium supplemented with low auxins like IAA, IBA and NAA.

Fertilización inicial en plantaciones comerciales de teca (Tectona grandis Linn F), Siuna, RAAN

La investigación se realizó en plantaciones de teca de 0 a 2 años de edad, con precipitaciones promedio de 1 500 mm/año, se estableció un diseño de Bloques Completos al Azar (BCA), con tres repeticiones. Las plantas fueron expuestas a diferentes niveles de fertilización. Se evaluaron las variables altura de planta, diámetro de tallo, salud de la planta, forma de la planta, área basal y volumen. Los datos se analizaron mediante un arreglo factorial, con análisis de ANDEVA, diferencia mínima significativa (DMS, ∞ =0.05) y análisis descriptivo. Con respecto a las altura existió diferencias en los tratamientos a partir de los 12 meses después de haberse establecido la plantación, siendo los tratamientos uno (15-15-15) y dos (15-15-15 + 454g CaCo3), los que presentaron plantas de mayor altura, y diámetro; este comportamiento fue similar para el área basal y volumen. En cuanto a la forma de los árboles presentaron tallos rectos con mayor frecuencia en los tratamientos uno (15-15-15) y dos (15-15-15 + 454g CaCo3). La forma del fuste de la planta dependió del manejo, sin importar los niveles de fertilizantes empleados. En cuanto a los análisis de suelo realizados en el sitio se encontró que el fósforo presenta bajas concentraciones, la relación de bases afecta la absorción de elementos como el potasio. En general las condiciones del sitio no son favorables para el crecimiento de la teca.

Competition between Stipa grandis and Cleistogenes squarrosa

Competitive strategy for resources between Cleistogenes squarrosa (Trin.) Keng which is a dominant species of grasslands degraded by moderate-heavy grazing, and Stipa grandis P. Smirnov, which is a dominant species of ungrazed communities, was studied using a replacement series method in a greenhouse. The knowledge would be helpful in managing grasslands and restoring the degraded C. squarrosa grassland. Although there was neither inter- nor intra-specific competition between the two species when no nutrients were added, intra-specific competition of C. squarrosa was observed and increased with increased nutrient availability and more sulfur (S) was allocated to the aboveground partition of the plant. Relative competitive ability of C. squarrosa was greater than that of S. grandis when nutrients were supplied regardless of S. There was no significant difference between shoot and root competition based on dry matter yields. However, root competition was significantly greater than that of shoot based on S uptake under all treatments. A significant interaction was not observed between shoot and root competition. Therefore, nutrients addition benefits the restoration of degraded grassland of C. squarrosa, which may not exclude S. grandis. Also productivity and forage quality of the community will be increased. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Avaliação do crescimento da Teca (Tectona grandis L. F.) pela análise de tronco.

No Estado do Acre, o manejo da Teca é executado em plantios puros ou consorciados com espécies nativas. A espécie tem demonstrado boa resistência ao fogo, o que a torna importante para a região, devido à prática de queimadas de pastagens na Amazônia.

Reflorestamento com teca (Tectona grandis L. F.) no estado do Acre.

O reflorestamento praticado na Amazônia, com finalidade de cumprir a reposição florestal obrigatória em atendimento à legislação ambiental vigente, tornou-se um desafio para os utilizadores de matéria-prima florestal, visto que são incipientes os estudos e pesquisas capazes de subsidiar a adoção de procedimentos técnicos adaptados às condições regionais, e as experiências bem sucedidas de reflorestamento na Amazônia. Mesmo diante destas limitações, implantaram-se vários projetos de reflorestamento com o objetivo de, a curto prazo, cumprir as exigências da legislação vigente; a médio prazo, obter respostas do comportamento das espécies implantadas; e a longo prazo, substituir a matéria-prima nativa por produção originária de plantios racionais.

Revisión sistemática del complejo Fundulus grandis (Pisces: fundulidae) del noreste de México [por] María Elena García Ramírez.

Tesis (Maestría en Ciencias con Especialidad en Ecología Acuática y Pesca) U.A.N.L.