Low Nutrient Supply Research Articles

Functionalized biochar derived from heavy metal rich feedstock: Phosphate recovery and reusing the exhausted biochar as an enriched soil amendment

This paper provides a circular win-win approach for recycling rhizofiltration biomass into multifunctional engineered biochar for various environmental applications (e.g. phosphate recovery) with a potential reuse of the exhausted biochar as an enriched soil amendment. Functionalized biochars were derived from the disposals of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) plants grown in synthetic contaminated water spiked with either Fe2+ (Fe-B), Mn2+ (Mn-B), Zn2+ (Zn-B) or Cu2+ (Cu-B) comparing with the original drainage water as a control treatment (O-B). The in-situ functionalization of biochar via the inherently heavy metal-rich feedstock produced homogenous organo-mineral complexes on biochar matrix without environmental hazards (e.g. volatilization or chemical sludge formation) associated with other post-synthetic functionalization methods. Physicochemical analyses (SEM-EDS, XRD, FTIR, BET and zeta potential (ζ)) confirmed the functionalization of Fe-B, Zn-B and Cu-B due to organo-mineral complexes formation, maximizing specific surface area, lowering the electronegativity, originating positively charged functional groups, and thus improving the anion exchange capacity (AEC) comparing with O-B. In contrary, physicochemical characteristics of Mn-B was in similarity with those of O-B. Phosphate recovery by the functionalized biochar was much greater than that of the unfunctionalized forms (O-B and Mn-B). Precipitation was the dominant chemisorption mechanisms for phosphate sorption onto biochar compared to other mechanisms (ion exchange, electrostatic attraction and complexation with active functional groups). The exhausted biochar showed an ameliorating effect on the low water and nutrient supply potentials of sandy soil, and thus improved fresh biomass yield and nutritional status of maize seedlings with some restrictions on its high micronutrient content.

English

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is an important vegetable crop in Ethiopia. The yield of the crop is often constrained by low and unbalanced nutrient supply in the soil. This study was undertaken to assess response of garlic variety Chelenko I to vermicompost and mineral N fertilizer application on growth and bulb yield of the crop during the 2016/2017 main rainy season. The treatment consists of a factorial combination of four levels of vermicompost (0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 t ha-1) and five levels of mineral N fertilizer (0, 52.5, 80, 105 and 130 kg N ha-1), laid out in a randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times. Data was collected on plant growth, yield component and bulb yield of garlic. Results revealed that significant (P < 0.05) maximum leaf length (41.08 cm), bulb weight (39.17 g/bulb), harvest index (63.94%) and total bulb yield (12.93 t ha-1) were recorded at the rate of 7.5 t ha-1 of vermicompost application while maximum average leaf width (1.25 cm), clove number (13.57 cm), and bulb dry matter (51.66%) were obtained at maximum rate of 130 kg ha-1 mineral N fertilizer. The results indicated that application of vermicompost at 7.5 t ha-1 and 130 kg Nha-1 mineral fertilizer gave the highest total garlic bulb yield of 12.9 and 12.69 t ha-1, respectively. Key words: Chelenko I, marketable bulb yield, response, total bulb yield, vermicompost.

Targeting urothelial carcinoma cells by combining cisplatin with a specific inhibitor of the autophagy-inducing class III PtdIns3K complex

BackgroundCisplatin-based regimens are routinely employed for the treatment of urothelial carcinoma. However, therapeutic success is hampered by the primary presence of or the development of cisplatin resistance. This chemoresistance is executed by multiple cellular pathways. In recent years, the cellular process of autophagy has been identified as a prosurvival pathway of cancer cells. On the one hand, autophagy enables cancer cells to survive conditions of low oxygen or nutrient supply, frequently found in tumors. On the other hand, autophagy supports chemoresistance of cancer cells. Here, we aimed at investigating the involvement of autophagy for cisplatin resistance in different urothelial carcinoma cell lines. Materials & MethodsWe analyzed the expression levels of different autophagy-related proteins in cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant urothelial carcinoma cell lines. Furthermore, we performed cell viability assays and caspase activity assays with cells treated with cisplatin, non-specific or specific autophagy inhibitors (chloroquine, 3-methyladenine, SAR405) or combinations thereof. ResultsWe found that autophagy-related proteins are up-regulated in different cisplatin-resistant urothelial carcinoma cells compared to the sensitive parental cell lines. Furthermore, inhibition of autophagy, in general, or of the autophagy-inducing class III PtdIns3K complex, in particular, sensitized both sensitive and resistant urothelial carcinoma cells to cisplatin-induced cytotoxic effects. ConclusionWe propose that targeting the autophagic machinery might represent a suitable approach to complement or even increase cisplatin efficacy in order to overcome cisplatin resistance in urothelial carcinoma.

Anion Proportion in the Nutrient Solution Impacts the Growth and Nutrient Status of Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum Linden ex. André.)

Anthurium is native to habitats characterized by low nutrient supply; however, when cultivated, it demands a complete fertilization program. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of varying proportions of anions [nitrate (NO3−), phosphate (H2PO4−), and sulphate (SO42−)] in the nutrient solution on the growth and nutrient status of container-grown anthurium. The effect of the anion proportion was modeled using mixture analysis. Plant growth increased when fertigated with solutions containing an anion proportion of 0.78:0.12:0.10, 0.20:0.12:0.68, and 0.80:0.02:0.18. The contour plots showed that optimum response may be achieved in two areas, an area with high NO3− proportion (0.50–0.80) and an area with high SO4−, provided H2PO4− was high (0.09–0.12 for H2PO4− and 0.55–0.70 for SO42−). The counter plots indicate that high SO42− proportions combined with low NO3− and H2PO4− were detrimental and that optimum growth depends not only on nitrogen (N) concentration, as it may be attained at either high or low NO3−. Nitrogen and sulfur (S) concentration was higher in plants fertigated with high NO3− (0.55–0.80) and SO42− (0.40–0.70) solutions. Shoot P was higher when plants were fertigated with solutions of low (as long as NO3− was at proportion of 0.50 and SO42− at 0.35) or high H2PO4− proportions (as long as SO42− proportion was at 0.35). At low concentration of S in the shoot, increasing S resulted in increasing shoot N; however, further S increments in the shoot were associated with a decrease in N. Plants fertigated with the highest proportion of H2PO4− resulted in the lowest S concentrations despite some solutions contained high SO42−, suggesting that H2PO4− counteracted the uptake of SO42−. Nitrogen and S were predominantly diverted to the roots in control plants; however, when plants were fed with both high SO42− and high H2PO4− solutions, even more S was allocated to the roots, which explains the increased shoot growth due to the lower S concentrations. In conclusion, the increased growth of anthurium was attained at either high or low NO3− proportion and it is able to cope with high SO42− by avoiding the transport of S to the shoot, decreasing SO42− intake, maintaining a favorable internal N/S and S/P proportion, and increasing P tissue concentration.

Body Temperature Patterns in Captive Barbary Striped Grass Mousse (Lemniscomysbarbarus): Influence of Photoperiod and Sex Steroids

This study use miniature temperature-sensitive data loggers to record core body temperature (Tb) in Lemniscomysbarbarus, a diurnal Muridae rodent living in Africa. The work shows the existence of a strong and bimodal daily Tb rhythm in this species whose external synchronizer is the light-dark cycle; it’s also confirmed the diurnal and photoperiodic character of this animal. The highest values of Tb were registered during the light-phase in anti-phase with the nocturnal species. In the experimental conditions of this work Lemniscomysbarbarus do not express the phenomenon of diurnal torpor. Nevertheless, this characteristic mechanism of energy saving in small-sized mammals could be appearing by the association of the combined effects of short photoperiod, low ambient temperature and limited food supply.

Stand dynamics of the drought-affected floodplain forests of Araguaia River, Brazilian Amazon

BackgroundThe floodplain forests of Araguaia River, a clear-water river in the southeastern Amazon (Tocantins State, Brazil), are characterized by seasonal flooding up to 3.5 m height, low nutrient levels in the water, and seasonal drought periods of 4–5 months.MethodsWe studied the forest dynamics (tree diameter growth, tree mortality and recruitment) of this unique forest ecosystem over a 5-year period by repeated censuses in 12 permanent plots established along a flooding gradient.ResultsThe cumulative basal area in the plots increased by 0.84 (±0.45) m2∙ha–1∙yr–1 (mean ±SD) in the annually-flooded (AF) plots in lower terrain and by 0.69 (±1.00) m2∙ha–1∙yr–1 in the higher non-annually flooded (NAF) plots, corresponding to an aboveground biomass increase of 0.81 (±0.57) and 0.69 (±1.58) Mg∙ha–1∙yr–1 in the AF and NAF plots, indicating a recent carbon sink in the biomass. Mean diameter growth rate was 1.8 (±0.44) mm∙yr–1 in the AF and 2.0 (±0.56) mm∙yr–1 in the NAF plots (corresponding to a coarse wood production of 1.53 (±1.29) and 2.02 (±0.52) Mg∙ha–1∙yr–1), indicating no flooding effect on radial growth. Mean mortality rates in the 5-year period were 1.9 (±0.37)%∙yr–1 in the AF plots and 1.8 (±0.87)%∙yr–1 in the NAF plots with no differences along the flooding gradient. Highest mortalities were registered in the AF plots for the 10–20 cm dbh class (2.4%∙yr–1), likely as a consequence of flooding, and in the NAF plots for the 40–50 cm dbh class (3.0%∙yr–1), probably mainly caused by ENSO-related droughts.ConclusionsWe conclude that these drought-affected tropical floodplain forests have a lower standing biomass and aboveground productivity than central Amazonian floodplain forests in more humid climates, and the imprint of the flooding gradient on stand dynamics is relatively weak, which may result from the lower flooding height and the interaction of flooding with low nutrient supply and periodic drought.

Environmental control of asexual reproduction and somatic growth of Aurelia spp. (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa) polyps from the Adriatic Sea.

Polyps of two moon jellyfish species, Aurelia coerulea and A. relicta, from two Adriatic Sea coastal habitats were incubated under multiple combinations of temperature (14, 21°C), salinity (24, 37 ppt) and food regime (9.3, 18.6, 27.9 μg C ind−1 week−1) to comparatively assess how these factors may influence major asexual reproduction processes in the two species. Both species exhibited a shared pattern of budding mode (Directly Budded Polyps: DBP; Stolonal Budded Polyps: SBP), with DBP favoured under low food supply (9.3 μg C ind −1 week−1) and low temperature (14°C), and SBP dominant under high temperature (21°C). However, A. coerulea showed an overall higher productivity than A. relicta, in terms of budding and podocyst production rates. Further, A. coerulea exhibited a wide physiological plasticity across different temperatures and salinities as typical adaptation to ecological features of transitional coastal habitats. This may support the hypothesis that the invasion of A. coerulea across coastal habitats worldwide has been driven by shellfish aquaculture, with scyphistoma polyps and resting stages commonly found on bivalve shells. On the contrary, A. relicta appears to be strongly stenovalent, with cold, marine environmental optimal preferences (salinity 37 ppt, T ranging 14–19°C), corroborating the hypothesis of endemicity within the highly peculiar habitat of the Mljet lake. By exposing A. relicta polyps to slightly higher temperature (21°C), a previously unknown developmental mode was observed, by the sessile polyp regressing into a dispersive, temporarily unattached and tentacle-less, non-feeding stage. This may allow A. relicta polyps to escape climatic anomalies associated to warming of surface layers and deepening of isotherms, by moving into deeper, colder layers. Overall, investigations on species-specific eco-physiological and ontogenetic potentials of polyp stages may contribute to clarify the biogeographic distribution of jellyfish and the phylogenetic relationships among evolutionary related sister clades.

Long–term effect of crop rotation and nutrient management on soil–plant nutrient cycling and nutrient budgeting in Indo–Gangetic plains of India

ABSTRACTIn the present investigation, the long-term effect of pulse crop inclusion in the maize-wheat rotation was assessed for the nutrient availability and soil-plant nutrient cycling under different nutrient management practices. Including pulses in the maize-wheat rotation improved soil organic carbon (SOC) and plant available macronutrients being higher in maize-wheat-mungbean rotation. Inclusion of mungbean to maize-wheat rotation enhanced the nitrogen (33.9%), phosphorus (46.4%), potassium (36.3%), and sulphur (55.5%) uptake in maize crop; likewise, alternate-year chickpea inclusion increased the uptake of these nutrients by 18.2, 19.1, 21.7, 32.1%, respectively. Inorganic fertilization maintained the positive annual balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and zinc. By contrast, the nutrient balance under organic nutrient management was mostly negative. The magnitude of negative balance of potassium and sulphur was higher in inorganic than that of organic nutrient management. The low nutrient supply (particularly nitrogen) in organic fertilization largely inhibited the yield of cereal crops but not that of pulses. In view of this, the inclusion of pulses in the cereal-cereal systems could cause substantial improvement in soil fertility and sustainability in Indo-Gangetic plains. We infer that supply of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in organic, and potassium and sulphur in recommended inorganic fertilization merit special attention.

Resource availability determines the importance of niche‐based versus stochastic community assembly in grasslands

Niche‐based selection and stochastic processes can operate simultaneously to generate spatial and temporal variation in species composition. Yet, the conditions under which ecological dynamics are dominated by niche‐based versus stochastic processes are poorly understood. Using a field experiment in early‐successional temperate grassland and null models of beta diversity, this study investigates the effects of soil nutrient supply on the relative importance of niche‐based selection versus stochastic dynamics for variation in species composition among sites. Nutrient availability was manipulated experimentally, individual seed mixtures with 25 species were sown in each experimental plot, and then stochastic and deterministic niche‐based assembly processes were allowed to happen. We found that compositional variation among grassland plots with low nutrient supply was driven by stochastic immigration and extinctions. In contrast, nutrient enrichment reduced the importance of stochasticity and imposed a deterministic environmental filter that homogenized communities through the selection of few species with greater competitive ability for light. This demonstrates that soil nutrient availability is a critical environmental feature that dictates the degree to which terrestrial plant communities are controlled by niche‐based selection versus stochastic assembly processes. Our study shows further that alternative states of eutrophic grasslands emerge from initial stochastic variation in the composition of a particular functional group of species that can become dominant at high nutrient supply. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying the shift from stochastic to niche‐driven dynamics along soil nutrient gradients.

Impact of temperature and nutrient dynamics on growth and survival ofCorbicula fluminea: A field study in oligotrophic Lake Constance

The invasive clam Corbicula fluminea was first recorded in Lake Constance (Germany) in 2003 and subsequently established high population densities at various locations in the lake. In 2010, four standardized field experiments were conducted in Lake Constance, one in each season, to investigate seasonal changes in somatic growth and survival of C. fluminea at different water depths. Somatic growth and survival of the clams were related to seasonal variations in water temperature and seston characteristics, that is, phytoplankton species composition and essential nutrient concentrations, and to the elemental and biochemical composition of clam tissues using principal component analyses and regression models. The field experiments revealed that somatic growth and survival of C. fluminea in Lake Constance were primarily determined by water temperature. In winter, low temperatures (<5°C) and low food supply resulted in high mortality and zero growth. Positive somatic growth rates were recorded in the lake throughout the growing season, when the water temperatures exceeded 10°C. Other seston variables, that is, particulate organic carbon content, phytoplankton species composition, and the elemental (nitrogen, phosphorus) and biochemical (fatty acids, sterols) nutrient composition were of minor importance for growth and survival of C. fluminea in oligotrophic Lake Constance. In parallel to the field experiments, standardized laboratory growth experiments were conducted to assess the effects of temperature on clam growth and survival at high food quantity and quality. The results from the laboratory experiments confirmed the conclusion that somatic growth and survival of C. fluminea in Lake Constance were primarily determined by water temperature. Our data suggest that further spread of C. fluminea may be supported by climate change, because milder winter temperatures and an earlier onset of thermal stratification in spring may reduce winter mortality and thereby extend the growing season for C. fluminea.

Ecology of deep-sea benthic foraminifera in the North Atlantic during the last glaciation: Food or temperature control

In this study, we explore the paleoecology of nineteen species and two species-groups of deep-sea benthic foraminifera in relation to bottom water temperature and food supply in the central North Atlantic during the last glaciation, ~60,000–28,000years BP. The study is based on core SO82-02GGC, taken from 1730m water depth on the western flank of Reykjanes Ridge. The climate of the investigated period was extremely unstable, interrupted by thirteen warmings and coolings, the so-called Dansgaard-Oeschger events. At SO82-02GGC, surface and bottom water temperatures varied with up to 5°C between the warm interstadials and the cold stadials. Surface productivity, as indicated by the flux of planktic foraminifera, varied with a factor of up to ten. The Dansgaard-Oeschger events had a significant impact on the benthic foraminiferal faunas, which experienced up to 70% replacement between the interstadials and stadials. Multivariate analysis reveals that the investigated species can be separated into two groups. Group 1, including Bulimina costata, Brizalina subspinescens, Epistominella decorata and Trifarina angulosa, was attracted to higher temperatures and high food supply. Group 2, including Pullenia bulloides, Valvulineria laevigata, and Melonis barleeanus, was attracted to colder water and low food supply. Three species belonging to the cold group, Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi, Oridorsalis umbonatus and Eponides tumidulus are almost exclusively confined to sediments rich in ice rafted detritus. A few species including Nonionella iridea and Epistominella vitrea show opportunistic behaviour. Most species are epifaunal to shallow-infaunal and live today in oligotrophic to mesotrophic habitats. Our investigations indicate that temperature was the primary factor responsible for the relative abundance and main grouping of species. However, four species show little influence by temperature and several, perhaps most, were clearly also affected by food supply.

Daily activity patterns in the giant root rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), a fossorial rodent from the Afro‐alpine zone of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

AbstractRodents adjust their activity to environmental conditions. The adjustment can be especially pronounced in climatically challenging environments. We studied activity patterns in the free‐living giant root rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), a large fossorial rodent endemic to the Afro‐alpine ecosystem of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, by means of radio telemetry. We radio‐tracked 17 adults during two periods of a dry season differing in temperature and food supply. In both periods, root rats spent a large part of the day (around 79%) in their underground nests. The proportion of time the animals were active aboveground decreased from 6.9 to 3.8% between the early and late dry season, which contradicts our prediction that aboveground activity would increase under lower food supply. We propose that there are thermoregulation advantages of prolonged aboveground activity during warm hours in the colder early dry season. In both periods, the root rats displayed diurnal activity with a unimodal pattern positively related to the temperature at the soil surface. Unlike in some other burrowing rodents, there was no tendency to decrease activity in the warmest part of the day even in the relatively warm late dry season.

Breeding biology of Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) in the Canadian High Arctic

The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a well-known polar seabird which breeds around the circumpolar Arctic, and which undertakes the longest known annual migration of any organism. Despite its familiarity, there is little information on its breeding biology in the High Arctic, an important baseline against which future studies of climate change impacts on northern wildlife can be compared. We studied the breeding biology of Arctic terns in the Canadian High Arctic during five field seasons, and compared this to breeding biology of terns from more southern parts of its range. Because our field site was beside a productive polynya, we expected that reproductive metrics for terns nesting there would be relatively high. However, mean clutch size (1.7 eggs), mean egg size (40.2 mm × 29.0 mm), mean nest initiation dates (6 July) were similar to Arctic terns breeding elsewhere. With our data, we could not assess the independent effects of predation pressure, poor weather or low food supplies, but two years with low tern reproduction were also years with low adult body mass and low clutch size (indicating poor food supplies), as well as low hatching success and high nest abandonment (possibly due to high predation pressure).

Soil distribution and soil properties in the subalpine region of Kazbegi; Greater Caucasus; Georgia: Soil quality rating of agricultural soils

Abstract Soils of the alpine ecosystem of Kazbegi region were investigated according to the Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating (M-SQR). Most limiting factors are climate as well as steepness, while the low nutrient supply and soil acidity can be tackled by adequate fertilization and liming practice. Inorganic or organic pollution were not detected. Soils on sediment fans as well as glacial sediments, mostly Cambisols (Humic) , are characterized by a low to moderate yield potential while high-yield soils, mostly Cambic Umbrisols , can be found on volcanic plateaus. A common element of all soils is the high humus content. Actually, most of them are used only for pasture, due to poor accessibility. Soils on fluvial deposits, mostly Fluvisols , show a very high range of M-SQR-scores. Altogether, the soils of the study area have the actually untapped potential to optimize the basic supply of the local population as well as tourism also by cultivation of cereals. Nevertheless, variety trials on different soil forming substrates as well as erosion control are major preconditions for successful implementation of new cropping systems in the Kazbegi region. Furthermore, particularly rare soils, e.g. Cambisols on Tephra, should be protected.

Tolerance to hypoxia in Asian green mussels, Perna viridis, collected from a ship hull in the non-native range in eastern Indonesia

Tolerance to fluctuating environmental conditions is regarded as a key trait of successful marine invasive species as it presumably promotes survival in recipient habitats, which are often anthropogenically impacted systems such as harbours. Little is known, however, about how transport of fouling organisms on ship hulls influences the condition of the transported individuals and how this is related to their tolerance to environmental stress. We investigated the influence of transport on a ship hull on the ability of Asian green mussels, Perna viridis, to survive low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (0.5 and 1 mg/l DO). This was done by comparing the performance under stress in mussels from a eutrophic habitat in Jakarta Bay to that of mussels that had spent their lifetime on a passenger ferry crossing the Indonesian Archipelago from Jakarta in the west to West Papua in the east. We found that the mussels that came from the eutrophic habitat survived twice as long as mussels from the ferry when exposed to low oxygen concentrations. Mussels collected from the ferry, however, had a generally higher byssus production under experimental conditions, which can be attributed to their life on a moving object where they are exposed to drag. We suggest that Jakarta Bay mussels survived oxygen stress longer because they had higher Body Condition Indices than their conspecifics from the ship hull and thus had more energy available for stress compensation. These results show that transport on ship hulls can weaken the robustness of P. viridis, if the journey leads the ship through areas of low food supply for mussels, if the stopovers in eutrophic coastal ecosystems are short and if the sailing times are long (several weeks). This finding might explain the lack of establishments of P. viridis in tropical areas of Australia, from where repeated incursions have been reported.

Potential Arctic tundra vegetation shifts in response to changing temperature, precipitation and permafrost thaw

Abstract. Over the past decades, vegetation and climate have changed significantly in the Arctic. Deciduous shrub cover is often assumed to expand in tundra landscapes, but more frequent abrupt permafrost thaw resulting in formation of thaw ponds could lead to vegetation shifts towards graminoid-dominated wetland. Which factors drive vegetation changes in the tundra ecosystem are still not sufficiently clear. In this study, the dynamic tundra vegetation model, NUCOM-tundra (NUtrient and COMpetition), was used to evaluate the consequences of climate change scenarios of warming and increasing precipitation for future tundra vegetation change. The model includes three plant functional types (moss, graminoids and shrubs), carbon and nitrogen cycling, water and permafrost dynamics and a simple thaw pond module. Climate scenario simulations were performed for 16 combinations of temperature and precipitation increases in five vegetation types representing a gradient from dry shrub-dominated to moist mixed and wet graminoid-dominated sites. Vegetation composition dynamics in currently mixed vegetation sites were dependent on both temperature and precipitation changes, with warming favouring shrub dominance and increased precipitation favouring graminoid abundance. Climate change simulations based on greenhouse gas emission scenarios in which temperature and precipitation increases were combined showed increases in biomass of both graminoids and shrubs, with graminoids increasing in abundance. The simulations suggest that shrub growth can be limited by very wet soil conditions and low nutrient supply, whereas graminoids have the advantage of being able to grow in a wide range of soil moisture conditions and have access to nutrients in deeper soil layers. Abrupt permafrost thaw initiating thaw pond formation led to complete domination of graminoids. However, due to increased drainage, shrubs could profit from such changes in adjacent areas. Both climate and thaw pond formation simulations suggest that a wetter tundra can be responsible for local shrub decline instead of shrub expansion.

Small spheroids of adipose-derived stem cells with time-dependent enhancement of IL-8 and VEGF-A secretion.

Wound-healing factors secreted from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) modulate the immune response and facilitate proliferation of neighboring cells. Although invitro three-dimensional (3D) culture techniques have improved the therapeutic potential of MSCs, no studies have focused on the effects of cell aggregation alone. In this study, the effect of cell aggregation on the up-regulation of wound-healing proteins secretions was investigated by constructing small spheroids of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) on a micropatterned surface. These spheroids were mostly unaffected by the secondary effects of cell aggregation, such as hypoxia, low-nutrient supply, and metabolic waste accumulation. Small spheroids of hADSCs, which were of 100μm in diameter, were successfully constructed using micropatterned surface. Expression of the wound-healing-related factors, VEGF-A and IL-8, was markedly enhanced at the gene and protein levels, whereas the enhancement of VEGF-A expression was transient and IL-8 enhancement was maintained for a long time.

Daphnia magna fitness during low food supply under different water temperature and brownification scenarios

&lt;p class="BodyA"&gt;Much of our current knowledge about non-limiting dietary carbon supply for herbivorous zooplankton is based on experimental evidence and typically conducted at ~1 mg C L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; and ~20°C. Here we ask how low supply of dietary carbon affects somatic growth, reproduction, and survival of &lt;em&gt;Daphnia magna&lt;/em&gt; and test effects of higher water temperature (+3 °C relative to ambient) and brownification (3X higher than natural water color; both predicted effects of climate change) during fall cooling. We predicted that even at very low carbon supply (~5µg C L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;), higher water temperature and brownification will allow &lt;em&gt;D. magna&lt;/em&gt; to increase its fitness. Neonates (&amp;lt;24 h old) were incubated with lake seston for 4 weeks (October-November 2013) in experimental bottles submerged in outdoor mesocosms to explore effects of warmer and darker water. Higher temperature and brownification did not significantly affect food quality, as assessed by its fatty acid composition. &lt;em&gt;Daphnia&lt;/em&gt; exposed to both increased temperature and brownification had highest somatic growth and were the only that reproduced, and higher temperature caused the highest &lt;em&gt;Daphnia&lt;/em&gt; survival success. These results suggest that even under low temperature and thus lower physiological activity, low food quantity is more important than its quality for &lt;em&gt;D. magna&lt;/em&gt; fitness.&lt;/p&gt;

Liming and Boron in a Teak Crop Established during Early Stages in an Acid Soil

ABSTRACTCultivation of a teak crop in acid soils needs adequate agronomic management of these characteristics of high acidity and low nutrient supply to obtain high yields in wood. This work evaluated the effect of liming and application of boron in teak plants during early stage of growth in acid soils from Córdoba, Colombia. The experiments were conducted in the greenhouse and soils laboratory of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences by using acid soil limed with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and fertilized with boron. The treatments were chosen according to the Box Bernard augmented matrix 3, with dosages of Ca(OH)2 from 300 to 5700 kg ha−1 and boron from 0.3 to 5.225 kg ha−1, using three repetitions per treatment. Data obtained on boron in the soils (Bs) and in the plant (Bp), foliar area (AF), leaf dry mass (MSH), and roots (MSR) were analyzed through means tests and regressions from response surfaces (p ≤ 0.05). The results indicated increased pH and in the soil’s exchangeable calcium (Ca). To reach the maximal AF, the dosages of 2.26 kg ha−1 of boron (B) and 4522.6 kg ha−1 of Ca(OH)2 were estimated; for MSH, stem, and roots boron, dosages ranged between 2.02 and 5.225, with the dosage of 5700 kg ha−1 of Ca(OH)2 in all the variables evaluated. Application of calcium hydroxide also showed positive effect in leaf, stem, and MSR gain of teak seedlings during early growth stages. Fertilization with boron (B) did not show significant effect upon growth of dry masses of the parts evaluated.

Evaluating macrobenthic response to the Cretaceous–Palaeogene event: A high-resolution ichnological approach at the Agost section (SE Spain)

The Agost section (Betic Cordillera, Alicante Province, south-eastern Spain) is one of only a few places in the world where complete sedimentary successions across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) boundary are available. Agost enables a high-resolution ichnological analysis illustrating the influence of environmental perturbations on burrowing organisms before, during and after the K–Pg boundary event. The uppermost Maastrichtian calcareous marlstones and marly limestones of the Raspay Formation (Plummerita hantkeninoides Biozone), beside the light-filled Maastrichtian trace fossils, contain dark-coloured early Danian trace fossils including Chondrites targionii, Chondrites ?affinis, Chondrites isp., Pilichnus isp., Planolites isp., ?Teichichnus isp., Thalassinoides isp., Trichichnus linearis, Trichichnus isp., and Zoophycos isp. The ichnotaxonomic composition of the late Maastrichtian and early Danian trace fossil association does not reveal major differences, indicating no significant influence on composition of their trace makers immediately after the K–Pg event. The main factors that most likely promoted survivorship of the trace makers were their feeding strategy (deposit feeders, microbe gardeners) and an increased delivery of organic matter to the seafloor due to the high mortality during the K–Pg boundary event. However, the differences in the size of trace fossils are noted: They are distinctly smaller in the dark boundary layer (Guembelitria cretacea Biozone) than in the underlying uppermost Maastrichtian calcareous marlstones. This is an example of the Lilliput Effect. The dwarfed ichnoassociation was produced during and shortly after sedimentation of the dark boundary layer pointing to a delayed reaction of the burrowing organisms to the K–Pg boundary event compared to other groups of organisms. The dwarfing might be caused by environmental stress resulting from lower food supply due to collapse of primary production in the later phases of the K–Pg boundary event.