Indifferent Species Research Articles

Macrobenthos functional trait responses to heavy metal pollution gradients in a temperate lagoon

Biological traits analysis (BTA) can help identify the effect of various contaminants on functional trait composition of macrobenthos. However, the effects of bioavailable heavy metals on functional traits of macrobenthos communities remain to be examined. We sampled macrobenthos communities and assessed environmental variables over gradients of heavy metal pollution in Swan Lagoon, China. The RLQ and fourth-corner approaches were used to investigate the response of functional traits to heavy metal pollution. Our findings suggested that macrobenthic functional traits can be used to distinguish the effects of heavy metals and other environmental variables and isolate the corresponding species associated with heavy metal contamination. The macrobenthos at highly contaminated sites comprised taxa of sub-surface deposit-feeders, second-order opportunistic species, and tube-builders, mainly represented by the polychaeta Cirriformia tentaculata and Cirratulus chrysoderma. At less contaminated sites, indifferent species, species attached to seagrass, and crawlers were observed. The results confirm that BTA can provide new insights into the response of macrobenthic functional traits to heavy metal pollution in coastal lagoons.

Hydrochemical Features of Lake Itcul Ecosystem and the State of Phytoplankton

The results of hydrochemical analysis of water in Lake Itkul, which is a natural monument of Chelyabinsk oblast and an important recreation and tourist object for the population of Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk oblasts, are given. By its chemistry, the water of Lake Itkul is fresh, slightly alkaline, very soft, and enriched in oxygen. The concentration of nutrients, such as nitrite-, nitrate-, and phosphate-ions is low. The ecological groups of phytoplankton species in Lake Itkul are described and analyzed. The majority of phytoplankton in Lake Itkul is shown to be a complex of euribiont and indifferent species with a wide geographic occurrence. The analyses of the concentrations of zinc, copper, iron, manganese, and nickel ions in water and in the organs and tissues of Siberian roach showed that the residual nickel concentrations are in excess of admissible levels in fish skin and bones. The concentrations of iron and manganese, as well as other microelements, in water are far below the maximal allowable concentrations, thus suggesting that no industrial waters are discharged in the lake drainage area.

Fire and windthrow in forests: Winners and losers in Neuropterida and Mecoptera

The mid-term impact of forest fires and windthrows on species compositions in the insect orders Neuroptera, Raphidioptera and Mecoptera was assessed in Swiss forests using standardized flight interception traps. For 50 species the abundances in intact control plots were compared to those in moderately or strongly disturbed forest stands. The catches were combined over four forest disturbance projects ranging from windthrows in alpine spruce forests and lowland deciduous forests to winter forest fires in Southern Switzerland and a large summer fire in southwestern Switzerland. As a result 82% of the 50 species benefited from the disturbance and became more abundant in the years after the fire or windthrow. More species (19) had their maximum abundance in intermediately disturbed plots than in heavily disturbed forests (17). Only 11 species mainly Hemerobiidae and Coniopterygidae peaked in the undisturbed forest stands. The species are listed per impact and ranked as winners (more than 66% specimens per treatment collected in disturbed forest plots) losers (more than 66% specimens per treatment in undisturbed forest plots) and indifferent species. An additional 29 species that were too scarce for an assessment are listed in Appendix 1. We conclude that for Neuropterida and Mecoptera catastrophic incidences are natural ecological events which create new habitats and by this foster their occurrence and abundance.

Differences in collembola species assemblages (Arthropoda) between spoil tips and surrounding environments are dependent on vegetation development

Spoil tip production is one of the most extreme means of soil destruction, replacing the native soil with a coarse substrate. In this paper, we aim to determine the colonization of soil biota in new substrates, using collembola assemblages as an indicator. In Northern France, we sampled collembola communities in 11 coal mine spoil tips and their surroundings divided in four stages of vegetation development: bare soil, meadow, shrub and tree covers. We demonstrated that collembola assemblages of spoil tips were different from those observed in the surrounding native soil. Collembola communities on bare soil were characterized by pioneer (based on the Indval index) or exotic species (new in Northern France). However, homogenization occurred with development of vegetation cover. Indeed, our data showed no difference in springtail diversity between spoil tips and their corresponding environments regarding the tree vegetation cover. Using the Indval method, we defined pioneer, colonizing, opportunist or stenoecious species as a function of substrate affinities. Using the same method, we defined specialists, elective, preferring or indifferent species as a function of vegetation cover affinities, showing similarities with previously published surveys. Hence, our results were obtained by a focused analysis of species and their particularity. Finally, we discussed the interest in and the complementarity between the species analysis approach and the methodology dealing with functional traits and of its importance in the decision process of restoration and/or conservation of nature.

Effect of wind damage on the habitat suitability of saproxylic species in a boreal forest landscape

Many forest-dwelling species are dependent on deadwood. Sources of deadwood include competition- and senescence-related mortality of trees, and various damages. This study described a methodology for predicting the effect of wind damage on the amount of deadwood and suitability of the forest for saproxylic species. The methodology was used in a forested boreal landscape of 360 ha to analyze the effects of wind damage on the habitat quality for 27 groups of saproxylic species differing in their requirements for the species, size and decay stage of deadwood objects. A reference plan maximized net present value (MaxNPV) while others either minimized or maximized height differences between adjacent stands. Maximization of height differences resulted in high amount of wind damage and deadwood while minimizing height differences minimized wind damage and the amount of damage-related deadwood. The fourth plan maximized the average habitat suitability index (HSI) of the 27 groups of saproxylic species. The plans were compiled with and without even-flow harvesting constraints for three 10-year periods. Maximization of height differences between adjacent stands resulted in higher HSI values than obtained in the MaxNPV plan or in the plan than minimized height differences between adjacent stands. The average HSI of shade-demanding species correlated negatively with the amount of harvested timber. No strong correlations were found for light-demanding and indifferent species.

Ecological and geographical characteristics of algal communities on gastropod shells of the river Uzh

Freshwater molluscs serve as test objects in the ecological monitoring of the environment, because they are able to extract in indicator quantity from the environment and accumulate in their bodies radionuclides, various macro- and micronutrients, toxic substances of inorganic and organic origin, and so on. The gastropods are a taxonomically diverse, ecologically plastic and rather widespread group of aquatic organisms, whose role in the life of freshwater ecosystems is very important. Molluscs often have various interactions in biogeocenoses that determines their trophic net. As a rule, these interactions occur in the form of ectocommensalism, endocommensalism, supercrescence, predation or parasitism. The latter type of interaction is the subject of many studies, but the epibionts of gastropods and bivalves have practically not been studied and this research is an effort towards filling this gap. Species composition of algal epibionts identifies specific sensitivity to the effects of certain environmental factors and reflects the processes occurring in their ecosystem water bodies. This determines their efficient use for analyzing changes of water bodies as aquatic habitat, particularly in terms of complex anthropogenic pressure on aquatic ecosystems. The aim of the research was to determine the ecological characteristics of algal communities on gastropod shells: Lymnaea stagnalis, L. auricularia and Viviparus viviparus (the Uzh river, Korosten district, Zhytomyr region). Identified microalgae communities were grouped and studied according to such indices as: confinedness to the habitat (substrate), temperature, fluidity and water oxygenating, saprobiological characteristics according to the Pantle-Buck system in the modification of Sladecek and Watanabe, salinity according to Kolbe’s system, pH at Hustedt scale in the interpretation of M. M. Davydova and geographical limitations of the objects of study. Algal fouling on the shells L. stagnalis, L. auricularia and V. viviparous is formed by benthic and benthic-planktonic species. Algal epibionts of the studied communities are mainly confined to slow-flowing waters. The basis of a floristic list according to the temperature in all studied groups of gastropods is formed by indifferent species. According to geographical distribution of fouling algae, cosmopolitan species dominated. In relation to salinity according to Kolbe’s system, most species discovered were indifferent oligo-galob. Algal communities are reliable indicators of one of the important indices of watercourse hydrochemical conditions – pH of water. Analysis of algal epibionts on gastropod shells of the river Uzh, showed the dominance of alkaliphiles and indifferent species (from the number of identified microalgae). According to saprobiological characteristic of water quality of the river Uzh there was a predominance of o-saprobes. Analysis of indicator groups showed that the most numerous algal epibionts on shells were euresaprobe species. A detailed ecological and geographical characteristic of algae fouling on shells of the studied groups of molluscs allows one to predict the state of hydrocenoses, which is an important aspect of monitoring.Further research is required to model the influence of anthropogenic factors on the state of water bodies.

Transcriptome analysis of Cinnamomum longepaniculatum by high-throughput sequencing

Normal 0 false false false ES-CL X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Tabla normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:ES-CL;} Background: Cinnamomum longepaniculatum is an important commercial crop and the main source of volatile terpenoids. The biosynthesis of key bioactive metabolites of C. longepaniculatum is not well understood due to the lack of available genomic and transcriptomic information. To address this issue, we performed transcriptome sequencing of C. longepaniculatum leaves to identify factors involved in terpenoid metabolite biosynthesis. Results: Transcriptome sequencing of C. longepaniculatum leaves generated over 56 million raw reads. The transcriptome was assembled using Trinity and yielded 82,061 unigenes with an average length of 879.43bp and N50 value of 1,387 bp. Furthermore, Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) analysis indicated that our assembly is 91% complete. The unigenes were used to query the non-redundant database based on sequence similarity; 42,809 unigenes were homologous to known genes indifferent species, with an annotation rate of 42.87%. The transcript abundance and Gene Ontology analyses revealed that numerous unigenes were associated with metabolism, while others were annotated in functional categories including transcription, signal transduction, and secondary metabolism. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed that 19,260 unigenes were involved in 385 metabolic pathways, with 233 unigenes found to be involved in terpenoid metabolism. Additionally, 23,463 simple sequence repeats were identified using the microsatellite identification tool. Conclusion: This is the first detailed transcriptome analysis of C. longepaniculatum . The findings provide insights into the molecular basis of terpenoid biosynthesis and a reference for future studies on the genetics and breeding of C. longepaniculatum . Normal 0 false false false ES-CL X-NONE X-NONE <w:LsdException Locked

Re‐Connection of Oxbow Lakes as an Effective Measure of River Restoration

Six years after re‐connection of an oxbow lake from periodically to permanently connected to the main channel, the restoration success was assessed. This permanently connected oxbow lake was compared with the main channel of the Elbe River and with a periodically connected oxbow lake by means of comparisons of the aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish and aquatic macrophyte communities. The permanently connected oxbow was suited as important replacement habitat for riverine invertebrates, especially for clubtails (Odonata) and unionid mussels (Bivalvia). The periodically connected oxbow lake was colonized by typical species for shallow lakes. As expected, riverine species did not occur. Meanwhile, the invertebrate community in the main channel was poor and dominated by invasive species (Dikerogammarus villosus, Dreissena polymorpha). The results concerning fish showed a clear dominance of the rheophilic species spined loach (Cobitis taenia) in the permanently connected oxbow lake and of the indifferent species roach (Rutilus rutilus) and European perch (Perca fluviatilis) in the periodically connected oxbow lake. However, species number was highest in the main channel. For macrophytes, quantity, number of taxa and growth forms and diversity were lower in the permanently compared to the periodically connected oxbow lake. In conclusion, the re‐connection of oxbow lakes to main channels can be an important measure for native species conservation, especially macroinvertebrates, and hence for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive.

Predicting the Composition of Polychaete Assemblages in the Aegean Coast of Turkey

Benthic infaunal species and communities have been extensively used to evaluate quality of the marine environment. Within the MSFD, community composition is addressed most commonly through Descriptor 6 (Seafloor integrity), criterion 6.2 (Condition of benthic communities). At the same time, the Directive has stipulations for addressing and assessing indicators linked with pressures in an explicitly spatial manner. At larger scales, achieving this through point sampling may be impractical or unfeasible; hence predictive methods are being increasingly employed to produce the large scale spatial data that are often required for marine spatial planning and management. The aim of the current work was to develop statistical and spatial modelling tools that can predict the distribution of soft-sediment benthic polychaetes in the Aegean coast of Turkey. To do that, we employed Species Archetype Models (SAMs), a novel analytical and modelling framework which uses mixture models to cluster species responses to the environment, producing a number of “archetypal” responses assumed to represent species with similar ecological/physiological tolerances. Polychaete presence/absence data were obtained from the literature and modelling was performed against environmental variables reflecting the main natural and anthropogenic gradients in the region. The resulting models are interpreted in light of the sensitivity/tolerance classification scheme for benthic invertebrates. Three Species Archetypes were identified through the analysis. In brief, Species Archetype 1 consists of the most prevalent species in the dataset and primarily follows the salinity and temperature gradients. Species Archetype 2, present in the central and southern Aegean, is dominated by sensitive and indifferent species and responds negatively to chlorophyll a, whereas Species Archetype 3 represents mostly tolerant and opportunistic polychaetes with increased probability of occurrence in eutrophic, shallow, inshore areas throughout the region. Predictive performance was constrained by the information contained in our data. These results from a limited data set show promise that SAMs as a modelling tool can offer valuable insights into patterns of benthic species distribution and coexistence and increase our capacity to provide predictive advice.

DIATOMS IN THE PLANKTON OF LAKE ONEGО

The phytoplankton from the pelagic and littoral areas of Lake Onegо comprises 426 species, varieties and forms of diatoms (55 % of the checklist) belonging to 2 classes (Centrophyceae and Pennatophyceae), 7 orders, 18 families and 44 genera. Out of 399 salinity indicator species and 392 pH-indicators, indifferent species comprise 300 (75 %) and 203 (52 %) species correspondingly. Out of 245 indicator species of saprobity 27 % are oligosaprobic, 22 % - oligo-p-mezosaprobic and 26 % - р -mezosaprobic. The largest share in the total abundance and biomass of the phytoplankton in the lake throughout the year is formed by the diatoms.

The biocontrol potential of Philodromus (Araneae, Philodromidae) spiders for the suppression of pome fruit orchard pests

A number of different generalist (polyphagous) predators occur in agroecosystems. Yet their biocontrol potential has been little investigated in detail. Philodromus species (Philodromidae) belong to the dominant spider species occurring in commercial orchards. We studied in detail the trophic functional traits of Philodromus albidus, Philodromus aureolus, and Philodromus cespitum (Philodromidae) by means of (1) the analysis of natural prey; and (2) experiments on acceptance of a variety of prey taxa. We found that the three philodromids are euryphagous. We classified prey species into three categories according to their function in the orchard: beneficial species, indifferent species, and pests. Philodromid spiders captured mostly other spiders in the field because spiders were most available. As concerns pests, the philodromids preyed mostly on Brachycera and Sternorrhyncha. They selected Acari and Brachycera. Indifferent species, such as Collembola and Nematocera, were also highly selected. In the laboratory, philodromids accepted mostly pests, such as lepidopterans, brachycerans, and aphids, while other spiders were accepted the least. The three philodromids have differentiated trophic niches with respect to prey size not only in the adult stage but throughout their ontogenetic development: P. albidus utilized smaller prey than the other two species. We conclude that the philodromids have a potential as biocontrol agents because they prey mostly on pests but their predation pressure is reduced due to higher selectivity for the indifferent fauna.

Планктонные Cyanoprokaryota водоемов национального парка «Валдайский»

An annotated list of 104 cyanoprokaryota species belonging to 38 genera, 12 families, 5 orders, 3 subclasses found in the plankton of 66 water bodies (61 lakes and 5 ponds) of National Park «Valdaiskiy» in summer period 2012–2013 is given. The list is annotated by data on ecology and distribution. Taxonomic comments are provided for selected species. 14 species (marked with two asterisks — **) are recorded for the first time for Russia, 58 — for the Novgorod Region (marked with one asterisk — *), 86 — for the national park. Chroococcus minutus, Dolichospermum lemmermannii, Planktolyngbya limnetica, Snowella septentrionalis are the most widespread in the national park. Mass development was recorded for Dolichospermum lemmermannii, Microcystis viridis, M. wesenbergii, Woronichinia naegeliana. These species caused waterbloom in 14 lakes (the most abundant in lakes Korotsko, Svetloe, Plotishno, Nahodno). Planktonic species were the most frequent, but tychoplanktonic (32 %) and endophytic (8.6 %) ones also were found. In relation to salinity, freshwater (58 %) and freshwater-brackish (42 %) species were represented almost equally. With respect to the acidity most frequent were indifferent species (45 %), alkaliphilic ones were also common (35 %). Slightly more than half of species were cosmopolitan (52 %), accounted for a significant portion of Holarctic species (20 %). The name of a taxon in the list is followed by arabic numerals, referring to the lake, and indications of its abundance by Cyrillic abbreviations: м. — in mass, оч. ч. — very often, ч. — often, н. — not rare, р. — rare, ед. — single. We use the following abbreviations: кл. — cell, кол. — colonies, тр. — trichomes, гет. — heterocysts, акин. — akinets, пл. — planktonic, б. — benthic, энд. — endophytic, пр. — freshwater, пр.-сол. — in fresh and brackish waters, алк. — alkaliphilic, ац. — acidophilic, инд. — indifferent with respect to pH, к — cosmopolitan, бор. — boreal, бор.-альп. — boreal-alpine, бор.-австр. — boreal-Australian, бор.-тр. — boreal-tropical, бор.-неотроп. — Boreal neotropical, гол. — holarctic, гол.-австр. — Holarctic-Australian, гол.-новозел. — Holarctic-New Zealand, гол.-неотроп. — holarctic-neotropical, гол.-палеотроп. — holarctic-paleotropical, неясн. распр. — distribution unclear.

Nickel accumulation in leaves, floral organs and rewards varies by serpentine soil affinity.

Serpentine soils are edaphically stressful environments that host many endemic plant species. In particular, serpentine soils are high in several heavy metals (e.g. nickel, cobalt and chromium) and these high heavy metal concentrations are thought, in part, to lead to varying levels of plant adaptation and soil affinities (i.e. endemic vs. non-endemic plant species). It is unclear, however, whether serpentine endemics vs. non-endemics differ with respect to heavy metal uptake into either vegetative or reproductive organs. Here, we use nickel as a model to determine whether plant heavy metal uptake varies with the level of endemism in several non-hyperaccumulating species. Under controlled greenhouse conditions, we grew seven plant species from the Brassicaceae family that vary in their degrees of affinity to serpentine soil from low (indifferent) to medium (indicator) and high (endemic) in soil that was nickel supplemented or not. We quantified nickel concentrations in leaves, pistils, anthers, pollen and nectar. While nickel concentrations did not vary across organs or affinities when grown in control soils, under conditions of nickel supplementation endemic species had the lowest tissue concentrations of nickel, particularly when considering leaves and pistils, compared with indifferent/indicator species. Species indifferent to serpentines incorporated higher concentrations of nickel into reproductive organs relative to leaves, but this was not the case for indicator species and endemics where nickel concentration was similar in these organs. Our findings suggest that endemic species possess the ability to limit nickel uptake into above-ground tissues, particularly in reproductive organs where it may interfere with survival and reproduction. Indifferent species accumulated significantly more nickel into reproductive organs compared with leaves, which may limit their reproductive potential relative to endemic species when growing on serpentine soils. Additional work determining the fitness consequences of these differences will further our understanding of edaphic endemism.

Production of biodiesel from microalgae

In recent years, more attention has been paid to the use of third generation feedstocs for the production of biodiesel. One of the most promising sources of oil for biodiesel production are microalgae. They are unicellular or colonial photosynthetic organisms, with permanently increasing industrial application in the production of not only chemicals and nutritional supplements but also biodiesel. Biodiesel productivity per hectare of cultivation area can be up to 100 times higher for microalgae than for oil crops. Also, microalgae can grow in a variety of environments that are often unsuitable for agricultural purposes. Microalgae oil content varies in different species and can reach up to 77% of dry biomass, while the oil productivity by the phototrophic cultivation of microalgae is up to 122 mg/l/d. Variations of the growth conditions and the implementation of the genetic engineering can induce the changes in the composition and productivity of microalgal oil. Biodiesel from microalgae can be produced in two ways: by transesterification of oil extracted from biomass or by direct transesterification of algal biomass (so called in situ transesterification). This paper reviews the curent status of microalgae used for the production of biodiesel including their isolation, cultivation, harvesting and conversion to biodiesel. Because of high oil productivity, microalgae will play a significant role in future biodiesel production. The advantages of using microalgae as a source for biofuel production are increased efficiency and reduced cost of production. Also, microalgae do not require a lot of space for growing and do not have a negative impact on the global food and water supplies. Disadvantages of using microalgae are more difficult separation of biomass and the need for further research to develop standardized methods for microalgae cultivation and biodiesel production. Currently, microalgae are not yet sustainable option for the commercial production of biodiesel. First of all, the price of biodiesel from microalgae is still higher than the price of diesel due to high production costs.

Native and non-native herbaceous species dependence on tree cover in grazing systems from northern Chilean Patagonia

Grazing systems that combine grasslands and woodlands represent changes in tree cover that influences herbaceous vegetation and may threaten the native forest flora. We studied these influences in Chilean Patagonia where recent colonization resulted in the fragmentation of the lenga (Nothofagus pumilio) forests leading to a mosaic-type landscape. The herbaceous vegetation, transmitted photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and other forest structure characteristics were sampled in 15 (20m×20m) plots differing in tree cover for two years, while considering the relative position (below or beyond) of tree crowns. Herbaceous species were classified as forest, non-forest, and forest indifferent species according to their preference, rejection or indifference to the forest environment. Species richness decreased with increasing PAR but this was dependent on the response of non-natives. Species composition varied gradually from open grasslands to dense forests, according to transmitted PAR values. Native species were associated to either forests or open areas, but the number of native species did not vary along the tree cover gradient (beyond tree crowns) or even decreased (below tree crowns). Non-native species dominated in the open grasslands and beyond tree crowns and its richness increased with transmitted PAR. The occurrence of grasslands and dense forests within this grazing system is shown to promote higher species richness. Management will consider that dense forest patches are necessary for maintaining a high diversity of native species, since isolated trees or low wooded areas do not guarantee the persistence of all native species associated to the original forests.

Investigating the interactions of Cyprinid herpesvirus-3 with host proteins in goldfishCarassius auratus

Keywords: antibody, electrospray ionization mass spec-trometry, koi herpesvirus disease, protein purification.Cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) is the aetiologi-cal agent of a serious and deadly disease, termed‘koi herpesvirus disease’ (KHVD), that causes highmortality in koi and common carp Cyprinus carpioL. (Pikarsky et al. 2004; Ilouze et al. 2008). Sincethe initial identification of CyHV-3 in Europe(Bretzinger et al. 1999), the USA and Israel (Hed-rick et al. 2000), and Japan (Sano et al. 2004),there is a great effort to limit the spread ofCyHV-3. Recently, the focus of prevention hasshifted to understanding how the virus propagatesand what carriers exist for the virus. Environmen-tal factors such as mating (Uchii et al. 2011),feeding activities (Kielpinski et al. 2010; Minam-oto et al. 2011; Fournier et al. 2012) and proxim-ity in aquaculture (Dishon et al. 2005) arecontributing factors in the spread of CyHV-3.Earlier studies suggested that immunization withattenuated virus may prevent the spread ofCyHV-3 (Ronen et al. 2003; Perelberg et al.2005), but current studies suggest that CyHV-3spread is due to subclinical carriers (Bergmann K Eide et al. 2011), which can infectna€ive fish (St-Hilaire et al. 2005). Recent studieshave shown that CyHV-3 DNA exists indifferent species of healthy looking Cyprinid fishthat include grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella,goldfish Carassius auratus and blue back ideLeuciscus idus, as well as in non-Cyprinid fish thatinclude Russian sturgeons Acipenser gueldenstaedtii,Atlantic sturgeons A. oxyrinchus and Ancistrus sp.,suggesting that these fish may be potential carriersfor the CyHV-3 (Bergmann et al. 2009; Kempteret al. 2009). In addition, cohabitation studies haveshown that CyHV-3 can be transferred to goldfishfrom infected koi fish (El-Matbouli, Saleh & Soli-man 2007), but goldfish do not show clinicalsigns of the disease (Bergmann et al. 2010a).The genome of CyHV-3 consists of 295 kB(Aoki et al. 2007) that codes for 156 unique openreading frames (ORFs) that are all transcribed intomRNA transcripts (Ilouze, Dishon & Kotler2012). Mass spectrometry (MS) identified 40CyHV-3 proteins incorporated into mature virions(Michel et al. 2010). Some of the CyHV-3 pro-teins have been further characterized, such asORF81, a component of the viral envelope(Rosenkranz et al. 2008) and genes involved inDNA synthesis (Ilouze et al. 2006; Fuchs et al.2011). Recently, Sunarto et al. (2012) showedthat CyHV-3 transcribes a potential immune sup-pression gene, ORF134, a homolog of interleu-kin-10 (IL-10). CyHV-3 has also been shown tomodulate the innate immune response pathway invitro (Adamek et al. 2012) and in vivo (Adameket al. 2013). Gene expression analysis usingmicroarray chips of two common carp lines thatdiffer in mortality rates during CyHV-3 infectionidentified 581 genes in line ‘R3’ and 107 genes inline ‘K’ that are differentially transcribed duringCyHV-3 infection (Rakus et al. 2012). The eluci-dation of interaction partners is often used to

Experience with using Ellenberg’s R indicator values in Slovakia: Oligotrophic and mesotrophic submontane broad-leaved forests

Ellenberg’s indicator values have been suggested as useful method of estimating site conditions using plants. We examined whether Ellenberg’s R values are suitable for indicating soil reaction and if calibration to physical pH measurements can improve bioindication in oligotrophic and mesotrophic submontane broad-leaved forests in Slovakia. Vegetation releves and pH-H2O and pH-CaCl2 soil reaction were recorded for this purpose. Ellenberg’s R values (R e) were compared to Jurko’s indicator values (R j) and a set of species R values and tolerances (T), which were calibrated with physical pH data using the weighted averaging (R w, T w) and Huisman-Olff-Fresco modelling (R h, T h). Original R e values were then recalibrated with measured pH data to establish new, adjusted set of scores (R c, T c) at Ellenberg’s scale. The Re values are significantly correlated with the other R values, and they demonstrate similar frequency distribution to R j and R w values for the studied species pool. The frequency distribution becomes similar across all the R values when indifferent species were excluded. The performance of all the indicator values in terms of bioindication was tested. Releve means of the R values were regressed on the field pH measurements. The performance of bioindication varied from 36% to 49% of the explained variance for pH-CaCl2, with the R e and R c values yielding 46% and 49% respectively. The bioindication slightly improved for all calibrated methods (R w, R h and R c) when species were weighted inversely with their tolerances — the performance varied from 42% to 51%, and the R c values performed most effectively. We concluded that Ellenberg’s R values represent a powerful system for bioindicating soil acidity when compared to the other alternatives, with pH-CaCl2 showing better results than pH-H2O. Recalibration of Ellenberg’s values to the measured data improved the indicator system.

Desmids in mountain lakes of the subpolar Urals

The species composition of desmids was studied in eight mountain lakes of the Kozhim and Malyi Patok River basins in the “Yugyd Va” National Park (subpolar Urals, Russia). A total of 98 desmid taxa representing 13 genera belonging to 4 families were identified. Geographical and ecological analyses showed that the desmid flora is typical, with a predominance of cosmopolitan species, planktic-benthic forms, acidophilic and pH indifferent species, and halophobic to salinity indifferent species. The investigated lakes can be classified as pristine and in good ecological condition on the basis of their hydrochemical and algal biodiversity characteristics.

Ecophysiological responses of nine floodplain meadow species to changing hydrological conditions

Here, we investigated how species from different floodplain meadow plant communities differ in their ecophysiological responses to an abrupt change in hydrological conditions. We simulated two contrasting hydrological scenarios for 5 weeks under controlled conditions: the waterlogging of a mesophilic species mixture (flooding scenario) and the drying of a hygrophilic species mixture (drying scenario). The mesophilic mixture was composed of three characteristic species of dry habitats (dry species) and three indifferent species with regard to the hydrological conditions; the hygrophilic mixture was composed of three characteristic species of wet habitats (wet species) and the same three indifferent species. The flooding scenario induced a significant decrease in photochemical efficiency (F v/F m) of all species for at least one day, and four of these species did not readjust their F v/F m at the end of the experiment. The F v/F m of four species was significantly reduced by the drying scenario, but was readjusted within the time of the experiment. Significant leaf plastic responses were mainly detected under the drying scenario, through increasing specific leaf area (SLA) and decreasing leaf dry matter content (LDMC) for two indifferent species, and through decreasing SLA and increasing LDMC for two wet species. Finally, the flooding scenario significantly decreased the aboveground biomass of one dry species, but increased the aboveground biomass of the three indifferent species, suggesting an acclimation response to waterlogging through increasing shoot/root ratio. Since the dry species did not show ecophysiological acclimation to changing hydrological conditions (in contrast to the wet species and the indifferent species), this study demonstrated that mesophilic meadow communities should be particularly affected by a change from dry to wet conditions.

Threshold response of benthic macrofauna integrity to metal contamination in West Greenland

Sediment metal chemistry and benthic infauna surveys have been conducted over 33 years following a BACI protocol in relation to submarine tailings deposition (STD) from a lead–zinc mine in a western Greenland fjord system. We found clear predictable changes of benthic fauna composition in response to STD both temporally and spatially. Faunal re-colonization 15 years after mine closure, was slow and the impacted areas were still dominated by opportunistic species, although the most opportunistic ones (e.g. Capitella species) had decreased in importance. Concentration-response relations between sediment lead and faunal indices of benthic community integrity (e.g. the AMBI and DKI indices) indicated a threshold of ca. 200mg/kg, above which deterioration of faunal communities occurred. Above this threshold, diversity decreased dramatically and dominance of sensitive and indifferent species was substituted by tolerant or opportunistic species. Disposal of metal contaminated tailings may have long lasting effects on the biological system.