Levels Of Nutrient Availability Research Articles

Resource allocation and post-reproductive degeneration in the freshwater cnidarian Hydra oligactis (Pallas, 1766)

Freshwater hydra are among the few animal groups that show negligible senescence and can maintain high survival and reproduction rates when kept under stable conditions in the laboratory. Yet, one species of Hydra (H. oligactis) undergoes a senescence-like process in which polyps degenerate and die after sexual reproduction. The ultimate factors responsible for this phenomenon are unclear. High mortality in reproducing animals could be the consequence of increased allocation of resources to reproduction at the expense of somatic maintenance. This hypothesis predicts that patterns of reproduction and survival are influenced by resource availability. To test this prediction we investigated survival and reproduction at different levels of food availability in 10 lineages of H. oligactis derived from a single Hungarian population. Sexual reproduction was accompanied by reduced survival, but a substantial proportion of animals regenerated after sexual reproduction and continued reproducing asexually. Polyps belonging to different lineages showed differences in their propensity to initiate sexual reproduction, gonad number and survival rate. Food availability significantly affected fecundity (number of eggs or testes produced), with the largest number of gonads being produced by animals kept on a high food regime. On the other hand, survival rate was not affected by the amount of food. These results show that survival is conserved at the expense of reproduction in this population when food is low. It remains a question still to be answered why survival is prioritized over reproduction in this population.

Vermicompost Preparation from Plant Debris, Cattle Dung and Paper Waste by Using Three Varieties of Earthworms in Green Fields Institute of Agriculture, Research and Training, Vijayawada(AP), India

Vermicomposts have higher level of available nutrients like carbon nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, calcium and magnesium derived from the wastes. The paper has attempted to evaluate for development of efficacy vermicompost by using three varieties of earthworms. The use of earthworms in the degradation of different types of wastes is continuing from the past so many years. These wastes include industrial, agricultural of plant debris and domestic waste papers and cattle dung. In this study three varieties of earthworms used such as Eisenia fetida, Eudrilus eugeniae and Perionyx excavates in the vermicomposting of plant debris, cattle dung and waste paper. As waste paper, cattle dung and plant debris are rich in carbon while deficient in nitrogen cow dung was mixed with it to make it suitable for three earthworms. A mixture of waste paper, plant debris and c dung in the ratio of 1:1:1 was found to be the best ratio than 3(paper waste): 2(cattle dung) and 5(plant debris). In 60 days time excellent quality and quantity of compost was produced by three earthworms. Physical and biochemical parameters were analyzed during this period of 60 days. Pre decomposition of 10 days and subsequent vermicomposting of 60 days indicates the role of this species in vermibiotechnology. Increase was found in all the parameters like, Total nitrogen (%), Available phosphorus (%) and Exchangeable potassium (%) while a decrease was found in pH and C:N ratio as the timing of vermicomposting increased from 0 days to 60 days.

Climate Change and Food Security: Do Spatial Spillovers Matter?

This article analyzes the role of spatial spillovers in the relationship between climate change and food security in developing countries over the period of 1971-2010. Using a Samuelson’s spatial price equilibrium model (theoretically) and Spatial Durbin Model (empirically), results show a strategic substitutability between the levels of food availability in the countries suggesting that an increase of food availability in a given country decreases the food availability of neighboring countries. Second climate change (water balance variability, droughts, floods and extreme temperatures) reduces food availability both in the affected countries and its main food trading partners. Third, food demand factors in a country may have the opposite (asymmetric) effect on its major trading partners. Fourth, supply factors have symmetric impact on food availability.

Limpets compensate sea urchin decline and enhance the stability of rocky subtidal barrens

Understanding the mechanisms that regulate shifts among alternative ecosystems has become a priority for ecologists and environmental scientists. This study assessed the relative importance of different herbivorous invertebrates (urchins and limpets) in regulating transitions from barren to vegetated states on Mediterranean rocky reefs, under different levels of nutrient availability. Nutrient concentration and the herbivore assemblage were manipulated to test i) whether limpets can compensate for the decline or loss of sea urchin populations, thereby contributing to the persistence of barrens, ii) whether limpet effects vary according to nutrient availability and iii) whether limpets affect the structure of the algal assemblage. The complete removal of sea urchins was not sufficient to trigger the recovery of erect and turf-forming macroalgae if limpets were left at natural density, suggesting that these herbivores play an important role in the stability of the barren state. The effect of these mesograzers was particularly important under oligotrophic conditions. This suggests that limpets play an important role in sustaining the stability of the barren state. A more comprehensive assessment of top-down forces, implying the quantification of the relative effect of different herbivore guilds, is therefore necessary to estimate the strength of hysteresis and to identify critical thresholds at which shifts back to the vegetated state are initiated.

Sex-related differences in photoinhibition, photo-oxidative stress and photoprotection in stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) exposed to drought and nutrient deficiency

Dimorphic plant species can show distinct nutrient needs due to sex-related differences in nutrient allocation to reproductive structures, which can potentially affect their sensitivity to photoinhibition and photo-oxidative stress. Here, we investigated sex-related differences in the extent of photo-oxidative stress in male and female individuals of U. dioica exposed to a combination of severe drought and nutrient starvation. Male and female individuals of U. dioica subject to severe drought stress were exposed to various levels of nutrient availability. First, a set of plants grown under field conditions and exposed to summer drought was used to test the effects of nutrient supply (given as NPK fertilizer). Secondly, the effects of various phosphate concentrations in the nutrient solution were tested in drought-stressed potted plants. The Fv/Fm ratio (maximum efficiency of PSII photochemistry), photoprotection capacity (levels of carotenoids, including the xanthophyll cycle, and vitamins C and E), and the extent of lipid peroxidation (hydroperoxide levels) were measured. Results showed that an application of the NPK fertilizer to the soil had a positive effect on drought-stressed plants, reducing the extent of lipid peroxidation in both males and females. P deficiency led to residual photoinhibition, as indicated by significant reductions in the Fv/Fm ratio, and enhanced lipid peroxidation in females, but not in males. We conclude that (i) increased nutrient availability in the soil can alleviate photo-oxidative stress in drought-stressed U. dioica plants, and (ii) U. dioica plants show sexual secondary dimorphism in terms of photoinhibition and photo-oxidative stress, but this is only apparent when stress infringed on plants is very severe.

温度和食物水平对海月水母螅状体无性繁殖的影响

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 温度和食物水平对海月水母螅状体无性繁殖的影响 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201404170751 作者: 作者单位: 中国海洋大学,中国海洋大学,中国海洋大学,中国海洋大学,中国海洋大学,中国海洋大学,中国海洋大学 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家基础研究重大项目(2011CB403602) The effect of temperature and food supply on the asexual reproduction of moon jelly (Aurelia sp.1) polyps Author: Affiliation: Ocean Univisity of China,Ocean Univisity of China,,,,, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:水母暴发给近岸人类的生活、渔业资源以及海洋生态系统带来影响。这些近岸海域暴发的水母可以通过有性繁殖和无性繁殖来维持或扩大水母种群数量。在水母生活史中,螅状体的无性繁殖是决定水母体数量的关键阶段,因此对此阶段进行研究。设置了4个温度水平(9、12、15、18 ℃)、3个食物水平(5 个卤虫/螅状体、20 个卤虫/螅状体、40 个卤虫/螅状体),在12个组合条件下研究温度和食物水平对海月水母螅状体无性繁殖能力和方式的影响。研究结果表明,在海月水母螅状体繁殖子体的各种方式中,匍匐茎生殖是主要的繁殖方式,出芽生殖次之,纵向分裂以及足囊出现几率极低。食物对海月水母螅状体产生总子体数影响显著,温度的影响不显著,食物水平越高,海月水母螅状体繁殖子体的能力越强。食物和温度对螅状体发生横裂均有影响,但温度对螅状体横裂的影响更大。温度对螅状体的横裂率影响显著,食物影响不显著。碟状体的释放发生在12、15、18 ℃的条件下,温度是影响海月水母螅状体通过横裂生殖释放碟状体数量的最重要因素。可见在螅状体无性繁殖阶段,温度和食物对繁殖方式的影响各不相同。 Abstract:Jellyfish outbreaks negatively affect humans who live near the coast, and cause harm to fishery resources and marine ecosystems. Jellyfish appearing around the East China Sea maintain or expand their populations by both sexual and asexual reproduction. In the jellyfish's life cycle, asexual reproduction of polyps is a key stage in determining the number of medusa in the following year; therefore, we focused on this life stage in this study. Previous studies have examined the total number of polyps produced by asexual reproduction under varying environmental conditions, but few studies have examined in detail on the number of new polyps formed via each method of asexual reproduction. Our research aimed to describe the methods of asexual polyp reproduction under different temperatures and food availability levels. In our experiment, following other similar studies we used four temperatures (9, 12, 15, and 18℃) and three food amounts (5, 20, and 40 newly-hatched Artemia nauplius per polyp) in a full-factorial experimental design to observe their effects on the asexual reproduction ability and method of moon jellyfish polyp formation. We systematically recorded the number of new polyps, the method of asexual reproduction, strobilation time, rate of strobilation, and the number of ephyrae released. Stolon formation was the most frequent method of asexual polyp reproduction, followed by direct budding. Longitudinal fission and podocyst methods were rarely observed. Food availability had a significant impact on all of the new moon jellyfish polyps, but the influence of temperature was not significant. Reproduction ability was positively correlated with food availability. Both food and temperature treatments influenced strobilation, and temperature had a greater impact on strobilation than food availability. Temperature significantly increased the incidence of strobilation compared with that of other methods of reproduction, but the effect of food supply was not significant. The rate of strobilation was highest in the moderate temperature group (12℃), the 15℃ and 18℃ groups had lower strobilation rates, and the 9℃ group had the lowest strobilation rate. Ephyrae were released at the three higher temperatures (12℃, 15℃, and 18℃). Temperature was the most important factor influencing the progress of the ephyrae released by strobilation, but food supply also had an important influence. The number of ephyrae released per moon jellyfish polyp in the 12℃ group was the greatest at all three food supply levels (5, 20, and 40 newly-hatched Artemia nauplius per polyp), while the 9℃ group did not release ephyrae at any food supply level. The greater the availability of food, the more ephyrae were released by the 12℃, 15℃, and 18℃ groups. At the three highest temperatures, the number of ephyrae released was greatest when 40 newly hatched Artemia nauplius were fed per polyp. Using two-way ANOVA to analyze the influences of temperature and food availability on strobilation and ephyrae release, we conclude that temperature controlled the timing of strobilation, while food amount controlled the number of ephyrae released per polyp. Temperature and food availability have different effects on the asexual methods of jellyfish polyp reproduction. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Food availability affects the strength of mutualistic host-microbiota interactions in Daphnia magna.

The symbiotic gut microbial community is generally known to have a strong impact on the fitness of its host. Nevertheless, it is less clear how the impact of symbiotic interactions on the hosts' fitness varies according to environmental circumstances such as changes in the diet. This study aims to get a better understanding of host-microbiota interactions under different levels of food availability. We conducted experiments with the invertebrate, experimental model organism Daphnia magna and compared growth, survival and reproduction of conventionalized symbiotic Daphnia with germ-free individuals given varying quantities of food. Our experiments revealed that the relative importance of the microbiota for the hosts' fitness varied according to dietary conditions. The presence of the microbiota had strong positive effects on Daphnia when food was sufficient or abundant, but had weaker effects under food limitation. Our results indicate that the microbiota can be a potentially important factor in determining host responses to changes in dietary conditions. Characterization of the host-associated microbiota further showed that Aeromonas sp. was the most prevalent taxon in the digestive tract of Daphnia.

High nutrient availability reduces the diversity and stability of the equine caecal microbiota.

BackgroundIt is well known that nutrient availability can alter the gut microbiota composition, while the effect on diversity and temporal stability remains largely unknown.MethodsHere we address the equine caecal microbiota temporal stability, diversity, and functionality in response to diets with different levels of nutrient availability. Hay (low and slower nutrient availability) versus a mixture of hay and whole oats (high and more rapid nutrient availability) were used as experimental diets.ResultsWe found major effects on the microbiota despite that the caecal pH was far from sub-clinical acidosis. We found that the low nutrient availability diet was associated with a higher level of both diversity and temporal stability of the caecal microbiota than the high nutrient availability diet. These observations concur with general ecological theories, suggesting a stabilising effect of biological diversity and that high nutrient availability has a destabilising effect through reduced diversity.ConclusionNutrient availability does not only change the composition but also the ecology of the caecal microbiota.

The structure of Cochlearia groenlandica population along the bird colony influence gradient (Hornsund, Spitsbergen)

In spite of general knowledge that guano deposited near seabird colonies enhances fertility of poor polar soils, improves primary production and influences the tundra plant community, there are very few quantitative studies concerning plant responses to ornithogenic fertilization on the population level. We studied density, size variability and proportions of generative to vegetative individuals of polar scurvygrass Cochlearia groenlandica along a seabird influence gradient in south-west Spitsbergen. We found the seabird colony effect to being a predominant factor determining local ascurvygrass population structure. Plant density was increasing starting from the foot of the cliff (820 ind/m2) and reaching the highest value (7500 ind/m2) about 30 m from the colony. This density peak was a result of the flowering plants occurring in the area above in the highest number which produced plenty of seeds germinating several metres below. The density of flowering plants was significantly correlated with the physical and chemical features of the soil but concerned only small individuals (1–4 cm), whose numbers were negatively correlated with the level of available nutrients, and large-sized (13–20 cm) plants, which were correlated positively. The only significant factor influencing flowering plant density along the bird colony gradient was the content of organic matter in the soil. In the control transect, total plant density was three orders of magnitude lower. No or weak correlations were found between plant density and soil characteristics along that transect. Our study supports the hypothesis that seabirds have fundamental importance not only for vegetation abundance in the nutrient-poor Arctic environment but also to determine plant population structure in the vicinity of large breeding colonies.

Predation on heterospecific larvae by adult females of Kampimodromus aberrans, Amblyseius andersoni, Typhlodromus pyri and Phytoseius finitimus (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

The predatory mites Kampimodromus aberrans (Oudemans), Amblyseius andersoni (Chant), Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten and Phytoseius finitimus Ribaga are important biological control agents in orchards and vineyards in Europe and elsewhere. They can coexist in the same habitat and engage in intraguild predation (IGP). In the laboratory we evaluated the longevity, fecundity and prey consumption of females of these predatory mites fed with heterospecific larvae considered as intraguild prey (IG-prey). The survival and age-specific oviposition curves of predatory mites fed with pollen were compared with those obtained on different IG-prey. We assessed the prey conversion rate into eggs expressed by the different IG-predator as an indicator of their capacity to persist when prey is diminishing. Results suggest that A. andersoni should be considered the superior intraguild predator but the least efficient in food conversion. Phytoseius finitimus appeared to suffer from intraguild predation, and its efficiency in food conversion was not superior to that of K. aberrans and T. pyri. The profiles of K. aberrans and T. pyri were less definite. The comparison between pollen and IG-prey diets confirmed the positive effect of pollen on the fecundity of all four predatory mite species. Fecundity was higher on pollen than on IG-prey. We can suggest that A. andersoni have the potential to exclude the other predatory mites only at high food resource availability, whereas low levels of food availability can favor the other species in IGP.

Effect of EM Bokashi application on control of secondary soil salinization

In order to ameliorate saline-alkaline soil, EM Bokashi has been applied to rice production in conjunction with subdrainage in Ningxia Autonomous Region and Zhejiang Province. The preliminary results can be summarized as follows: EM Bokashi can increase soil organic matter content, improve soil porosity and permeability, and raise the soil's levels of available nutrients; and EM Bokashi combined with subdrainage treatment is more effective in controlling secondary soil salinization and raising the grain yield and quality than other treatments. The results suggest that EM Bokashi can reduce the necessary amount of chemical fertilizer application, thereby improving the agricultural environment, and that the introduction of EM Bokashi into systems of secondary soil salinization control systems has resulted in significant benefits.

Traits associated with nutrient impoverishment and shade-tolerance in tree juveniles of three Bornean rain forests with contrasting nutrient availability

Abstract:In this study, we tested the hypothesis that functional traits associated with nutrient impoverishment contribute to enhancing shade-tolerance (survival at low light) for the juveniles of canopy tree species in Bornean rain forests. To test the hypothesis, survival and functional traits (biomass allocation, leaf dynamics and foliar nutrient concentration) were investigated as a function of light conditions for saplings of 13 species in three forests with different levels of nutrient availability. As predicted by the hypothesis, the species in the severely nutrient-poor site (a tropical heath forest on nutrient-poor soils) showed greater shade-tolerance (>91% survival for 8 mo at 5% global site factor) than in the other two sites (mixed dipterocarp forests) (54–87% survival). Across the species, greater shade-tolerance was associated with a higher biomass allocation to roots, a slower leaf production and a higher foliar C concentration, which are considered as C-conservation traits under nutrient impoverishment. These results suggest that the juveniles of the canopy species occurring on nutrient-poor soils can enhance shade-tolerance by the same mechanisms as the adaptation to nutrient impoverishments. Tree species in nutrient-poor environments may be selected for surviving also in shaded conditions.

How biological clocks and changing environmental conditions determine local population growth and species distribution in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): a conceptual model

The Southern Ocean ecosystem is characterized by extreme seasonal changes in environmental factors such as day length, sea ice extent and food availability. The key species Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) has evolved metabolic and behavioural seasonal rhythms to cope with these seasonal changes. We investigate the switch between a physiological less active and active period for adult krill, a rhythm which seems to be controlled by internal biological clocks. These biological clocks can be synchronized by environmental triggers such as day length and food availability. They have evolved for particular environmental regimes to synchronize predictable seasonal environmental changes with important life cycle functions of the species. In a changing environment the time when krill is metabolically active and the time of peak food availability may not overlap if krill's seasonal activity is solely determined by photoperiod (day length). This is especially true for the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean where the spatio-temporal ice cover dynamics are changing substantially with rising average temperatures. We developed an individual-based model for krill to explore the impact of photoperiod and food availability on the growth and demographics of krill. We simulated dynamics of local krill populations (with no movement of krill assumed) along a south-north gradient for different triggers of metabolic activity and different levels of food availability below the ice. We also observed the fate of larval krill which cannot switch to low metabolism and therefore are likely to overwinter under ice. Krill could only occupy the southern end of the gradient, where algae bloom only lasts for a short time, when alternative food supply under the ice was high and metabolic activity was triggered by photoperiod. The northern distribution was limited by lack of overwintering habitat for krill larvae due to short duration of sea ice cover even for high food content under the ice. The variability of the krill's length-frequency distributions varied for different triggers of metabolic activity, but did not depend on the sea ice extent. Our findings suggest a southward shift of krill populations due to reduction in the spatial sea ice extent, which is consistent with field observations. Overall, our results highlight the importance of the explicit consideration of spatio-temporal sea ice dynamics especially for larval krill together with temporal synchronization through internal clocks, triggered by environmental factors (photoperiod and food) in adult krill for the population modelling of krill.

The optimal combination of standard metabolic rate and aerobic scope for somatic growth depends on food availability

Summary Metabolic rates can vary as much as threefold among individuals of the same size and age in a population, but why such variation persists is unclear given that they determine the energetic cost of living. Relationships between standard metabolic rate (SMR), growth and survival can vary with environmental conditions, suggesting that the fitness consequences of a given metabolic phenotype may be context‐dependent. Less attention has focused on the link between absolute aerobic scope (AS, the difference between standard and maximum metabolic rate) and fitness under different environmental conditions, despite the importance of aerobic scope to an organism's total energetic capacity. We examined the links between individual variation in both SMR and AS and somatic growth rates of brown trout (Salmo trutta) under different levels of food availability. Standard metabolic rate and AS were uncorrelated across individuals. However, SMR and AS not only had interactive effects on growth, but these interactions depended on food level: at ad libitum food levels, AS had a positive effect on growth whose magnitude depended on SMR; at intermediate food levels, AS and SMR had interactive effects on growth, but at the low food level, there was no effect of either AS or SMR on growth. As a result, there was no metabolic phenotype that performed best or worst across all food levels. These results demonstrate the importance of aerobic scope in explaining somatic growth rates and support the hypothesis that links between individual variation in metabolism and fitness are context‐dependent. The larger metabolic phenotype and the environmental context in which performance is evaluated both need to be considered in order to better understand the link between metabolic rates and fitness and thereby the persistence of individual variation in metabolic rates.

Phenotypic plasticity to light and nutrient availability alters functional trait ranking across eight perennial grassland species.

Functional traits are often used as species-specific mean trait values in comparative plant ecology or trait-based predictions of ecosystem processes, assuming that interspecific differences are greater than intraspecific trait variation and that trait-based ranking of species is consistent across environments. Although this assumption is increasingly challenged, there is a lack of knowledge regarding to what degree the extent of intraspecific trait variation in response to varying environmental conditions depends on the considered traits and the characteristics of the studied species to evaluate the consequences for trait-based species ranking. We studied functional traits of eight perennial grassland species classified into different functional groups (forbs vs. grasses) and varying in their inherent growth stature (tall vs. small) in a common garden experiment with different environments crossing three levels of nutrient availability and three levels of light availability over 4 months of treatment applications. Grasses and forbs differed in almost all above- and belowground traits, while trait differences related to growth stature were generally small. The traits showing the strongest responses to resource availability were similarly for grasses and forbs those associated with allocation and resource uptake. The strength of trait variation in response to varying resource availability differed among functional groups (grasses > forbs) and species of varying growth stature (small-statured > tall-statured species) in many aboveground traits, but only to a lower extent in belowground traits. These differential responses altered trait-based species ranking in many aboveground traits, such as specific leaf area, tissue nitrogen and carbon concentrations and above-belowground allocation (leaf area ratio and root : shoot ratio) at varying resource supply, while trait-based species ranking was more consistent in belowground traits. Our study shows that species grouping according to functional traits is valid, but trait-based species ranking depends on environmental conditions, thus limiting the applicability of species-specific mean trait values in ecological studies.

DNA as genetic material and as a nutrient in halophilic Archaea.

DNA as genetic material and as a nutrient in halophilic Archaea.

Plasticity in sex allocation in the plant Mercurialis annua is greater for hermaphrodites sampled from dimorphic than from monomorphic populations.

Plants are notoriously variable in gender, ranging in sex allocation from purely male through hermaphrodite to purely female. This variation can have both a genetic and an adaptive plastic component. In gynodioecious species, where females co-occur with hermaphrodites, hermaphrodites tend to shift their allocation towards greater maleness when growing under low-resource conditions, either as a result of hermaphrodites shifting away from an expensive female function, or because of enhanced siring advantages in the presence of females. Similarly, in the androdioecious plant Mercurialis annua, where hermaphrodites co-exist with males, hermaphrodites also tend to enhance their relative male allocation under low-resource conditions. Here, we ask whether this response differs between hermaphrodites that have been evolving in the presence of males, in a situation analogous to that supposed for gynodioecious populations, vs. those that have been evolving in their absence. We grew hermaphrodites of M.annua from populations in which males were either present or absent under different levels of nutrient availability and compared their reaction norms. We found that, overall, hermaphrodites from populations with males tended to be more female than those from populations lacking males. Importantly, hermaphrodites' investment in pollen and seed production was more plastic when they came from populations with males than without them, reducing their pollen production at low resource availability and increasing their seed production at high resource availability. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that plasticity in sex allocation is enhanced in hermaphrodites that have likely been exposed to variation in mating opportunities due to fluctuations in the frequency of co-occurring males.

Field assessment of the predation risk-food availability trade-off in crab megalopae settlement.

Settlement is a key process for meroplanktonic organisms as it determines distribution of adult populations. Starvation and predation are two of the main mortality causes during this period; therefore, settlement tends to be optimized in microhabitats with high food availability and low predator density. Furthermore, brachyuran megalopae actively select favorable habitats for settlement, via chemical, visual and/or tactile cues. The main objective in this study was to assess the settlement of Metacarcinus edwardsii and Cancer plebejus under different combinations of food availability levels and predator presence. We determined, in the field, which factor is of greater relative importance when choosing a suitable microhabitat for settling. Passive larval collectors were deployed, crossing different scenarios of food availability and predator presence. We also explore if megalopae actively choose predator-free substrates in response to visual and/or chemical cues. We tested the response to combined visual and chemical cues and to each individually. Data was tested using a two-way factorial design ANOVA. In both species, food did not cause significant effect on settlement success, but predator presence did, therefore there was not trade-off in this case and megalopae respond strongly to predation risk by active aversion. Larvae of M. edwardsii responded to chemical and visual cues simultaneously, but there was no response to either cue by itself. Statistically, C. plebejus did not exhibit a differential response to cues, but reacted with a strong similar tendency as M. edwardsii. We concluded that crab megalopae actively select predator-free microhabitat, independently of food availability, using chemical and visual cues combined. The findings in this study highlight the great relevance of predation on the settlement process and recruitment of marine invertebrates with complex life cycles.

Short-term effects of fire intensity on soil organic matter and nutrient release after slash-and-burn in Eastern Province, Zambia

According to the slash-and-burn technique used in Eastern Province, Zambia, cut trees are piled and burned in only a part of the cleared fields, because adequate tree biomass is not available to burn the entire field. Due to a recent decrease in emergent trees, not only emergent tree piles but also bush tree piles may exist. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate the changes in soil organic matter followed by nutrient release occurring immediately after burning in spots unburned and burned with emergent and bush trees. Fire intensity was significantly higher where emergent tree piles were present. Total carbon (C) decreased by 25.1% and 14.7% in spots burned with emergent and brush tree piles, respectively, while total nitrogen (N) decreased by 15.0% only at spots burned with emergent tree piles and did not change significantly elsewhere. Additionally, the mortality of microbes with soil heating caused an increase in C mineralization after fire. The levels of available nutrients, such as ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), available phosphorus (P), and exchangeable potassium (K) and calcium (Ca), increased following the decomposition of soil organic matter and microbial mortality that occurred with an increase in fire intensity. Net N mineralization did not occur, especially in spots burned with emergent tree piles, because the N content of labile organic matter decreased. Maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield increased with fire intensity, because fire increased nutrient availability and limited weed biomass. Although the burned emergent and bush tree piles occupied only 6.9 and 7.5% of total cleared field, respectively, the grain yield in spots burned with emergent and bush trees accounted for 21% and 15% of the total yield, respectively. Therefore, the burning of bush trees, which is increasing because of the decreased number of emergent trees, could result in a decrease in grain yield but could also alleviate the overall severe loss of soil organic matter.

Minor differences in sand physicochemistry lead to major differences in bacterial community structure and function after exposure to synthetic acid mine drainage

The formation of environmentally toxic acidic waste from mining activities is a world-wide problem. Neutralization of this waste can be accomplished by physicochemical and/or biological means. In this short-term study, synthetic acid mine drainage was added to sand-filled mesocosms containing silica-dominated (quartz) sand. Glucose was added as a carbon source for microbial iron and/or sulphate reduction. Replicates contained two separate batches of sand obtained from the same quarry site. The investigations used to assess and compare the chemical and biological functioning of the replicates included system hydraulic conductivity measurements, sand chemistry, effluent chemistry and bacterial community fingerprinting. Minor differences in composition of the sand, including the levels of available nutrients and micronutrients, resulted in major differences in measured parameters. Significant differences in effluent chemistry were found in systems containing different batches of sand. It was demonstrated that the characteristics of the sand and the presence of acid mine drainage (AMD) impacted the bacterial community structure and function. The importance of the physical substrate on the selection of functional microbial communities in systems remediating AMD should not be under-estimated. The physical substrate should be carefully selected and it may be prudent to include small-scale comparative studies in each particular setting prior to full-scale implementation.