Willow Research Articles

МЕТАМЕРНАЯ ИЗМЕНЧИВОСТЬ ДЛИНЫ МЕЖДОУЗЛИЙ SALIX TRIANDRA (SALICACEAE)

The article presents the praxeological characteristics of the three-stalked willow (Salix triandra, genus Salix, family Salicaceae). Object: inbred model population of S. triandra. Material: annual shoots obtained on the same seedlings in different years from vegetative buds of different localization. Methods: comparative morphological, chronobiological, ontogenetic, analysis of the series of dynamics. Purpose: to describe and analyze the patterns of ontogenetic variability of the length of internodes on annual shoots. Results. The general variability of the length of internodes is determined, first of all, by their intra-shoot variability. Interannual differences in the length of internodes on shoots of two- and three-year-old seedlings are determined, first of all, by differences in the lower third of the shoots. No significant intracrown differences in the length of internodes were found on shoots of one year. The periodicity of the metameric dynamics of the length of internodes has been established. The interannual specificity of the series of metameric variability of the length of internodes is associated with the age of root-butt systems. The metameric variability of the length of internodes with different reliability is approximated by linear regression equations. Rhythm in metameric variability of deviations of internode length from linear trends was revealed. The graphs of the series of deviations in the length of internodes from linear trends are presented in two versions - either with two or with three peaks, which indicates the discreteness of the trajectories of shoot morphogenesis. The revealed bivariance of the trajectories of shoot morphogenesis is associated with different ages of perennial root-butt systems. Discussion and conclusions. The bivariance of shoot morphogenesis is not directly related to adaptations to environmental conditions and is determined not by genetic differences, but by epigenetic mechanisms. Hypothesis: the most probable reason for the bivariate morphogenesis of shoots is the ontogenetic heterogeneity of vegetative buds from which these shoots develop. To verify the hypothesis put forward, an experiment was proposed to study the metameric variability of the length of internodes of shoots obtained from terminal and axillary buds in the same year.

ВПЛИВ СОЛЬОВОГО СТРЕСУ НА РОСЛИНИ ТОПОЛІ КЛОНУ 'INRA 353-38' ТА ВЕРБИ КЛОНУ 'ЖИТОМИРСЬКА-1' В УМОВАХ КУЛЬТУРИ IN VITRO

Soil salinization is an important abiotic factor negatively affecting plant growth, development and productivity. Fast-growing poplar and willow trees are important plants for bioenergy production demonstrating varying degrees of adaptation to different habitats. The study of salt resistance in different clones of poplars and willows will reveal genotypes that can be planted in saline soils for producing biomass for the bioenergy industry. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the effects of salt stress on poplar plants of clone 'INRA 353-38' (Populus tremula × P. tremuloides) and willow clone 'Zhytomyrska – 1' (Salix sp.) under in vitro culture. For this purpose the plants were cultivated on MS nutrient medium with the addition of sodium chloride in concentrations 25 mM, 50 mM and 100 mM. The control plants were grown on the sodium chloridefree medium. The plant status (with a 4-score scale), the intensity of their growth (by shoot length) and rooting capacity (by the number of roots) were assessed on the 10th and the 30th day of cultivation. The results obtained indicate a high level of sensitivity to sodium chloride of both studied clones under in vitro cultivation. But the willow 'Zhytomyrska – 1' had a higher sensitivity to salt stress comparing to hybrid polar 'ІNRA 353-38' since growth parameters of willow were significantly decreased even under the concentration of sodium chloride 50 mM, and in the case of short term influence (10 days) of the highest concentration of sodium chloride (100 mM) all willow plants terminated their growth and quickly died. The growth parameters of hybrid poplar were declined within a month, mainly under the highest concentration of sodium chloride, but even under such conditions some part of the shoots were able to survive.

Listening to the Trees: Seven Words on the Coronavirus

Listening to the Trees: Seven Words on the Coronavirus Belden C. Lane (bio) For twenty-five years I’ve had a practice of praying with a 100-year-old cottonwood tree in the park across the street from my house. I call him Grandfather. As his leaves rustle in the wind in this time of crisis, I’ve imagined what he might be saying to the human community on behalf of the forests of the world. Click for larger view View full resolution Photo courtesy of Jim Taylor. 1. We’re in this together You aren’t alone. Trees neither catch nor carry the virus, but we stand alongside you nonetheless. We’re all part of a single-family, the body of Christ. We’re like the forty-seven thousand trees that make up an aspen grove in central Utah, spread over two hundred acres. What seems to be a small forest is actually a single organism. Every tree is genetically alike, sharing a common root system. That’s a good image for the entire earth community right now. It’s good to think of ourselves as integral parts of a large family unit—a superorganism. When we gracefully interact within that wider whole, new emergent behaviors—a new beauty—appears that hadn’t been there before. You see it in a swirling flock of larks or a churning school of fish. A little gesture here or there shifts the entire system in unpredictable ways. What happens out on the edge reverberates throughout the whole, changing everything. Every act of generosity and care that you exercise in this time has a greater effect than you imagine. Once you identify yourselves as part of a global household, you’ll be more sensitive to every shifting need within the system. Trees can introduce you to this vast symbiotic mystery. [End Page 137] 2. Spend time with a tree In times of fear and loneliness people find an unexpected solace among trees. In the desert of Beersheba, a distraught Elijah discovered hope under the shade of a broom tree. Anne Frank was sustained by a horse chestnut tree she could see from her attic window in Amsterdam. Victor Frankl tells of a dying woman at Auschwitz finding comfort in the blossoms of a tree outside her barracks. E. O. Wilson’s theory of biophilia says that human beings are genetically programmed to have an affiliation with trees and all the rest of nature. We belong to each other. In Norse creation myths, the first man and woman were formed from the dying stumps of ash and elm trees. Trees are referenced in the Bible more than any other creature in the natural world. For centuries they have been honored for their healing, medicinal properties. In India, the neem or lilac tree served as the “village pharmacy.” People used its leaves and sap for various skin and respiratory conditions. The bark of alder and willow trees has anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing qualities. The Lakota people consider the wind rustling in cottonwood leaves as soul-healing in itself. 3. Notice how trees care for each other Given your current need for “social distancing,” there’s much to be learned from trees. They regularly communicate with each other from a distance, sharing information and nutrients along underground fungal networks connecting their roots. These allow the trees to transfer water, nitrogen, and carbon as needed. Old cedar trees share nutrients with younger ones. A Douglas fir may even support a sickly paper birch nearby. In this “wood-wide web,” hub trees reach out to nurture a deeply interrelated community. Trees reach out to others in their heights as well. Thirty stories up, the canopies of redwood trees provide a habitat for a hidden world of epiphyte species—ferns, mosses, and liverworts. The generosity of trees is endless. Even in dying, they care for each other. Fallen trees become nurse logs that provide garden beds for young seedlings. Ninety percent of Sitka spruce trees on the Washington coast grow directly out of their decaying grandparents. 4. Remember that trees are survivors Old trees carry the memory of suffering borne by humans and trees alike. Think of the...

ТАКСОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ФЛОР ЛЕСОСТЕПНОЙ ЗОНЫ СРЕДНЕГО ПОВОЛЖЬЯ

Penza region is located in the southwestern part of the forest-steppe zone of the Middle Volga. Its territory occupies mainly Penza region is located in the southwestern part of the forest-steppe zone of the Middle Volga. Its territory occupies mainly the western slopes of the Volga Upland and, to a lesser extent, the Oka-Don Lowland. It belongs to two large river basins: the Volga (the Sura and the Moksha rivers) and the Don (the Khoper and the Vorona rivers). The southwestern part of the region (the Khopra river basin) is located within the subzone of grass-turfgrass steppes of the steppe zone; the territory of the south of Penza region, belonging to the Sura River basin is located in the forest-steppe zone. The flora of the region includes more than 1700 species of vascular plants and belongs to the Rosaceae-type. The authors applied the method based on determining reference flora to identify local floristic features of the south of Penza region. This method had been tested by the research group earlier for studying the forest-steppe zone of the Samara Trans-Volga region (Sok and Melekess Stavropol physical and geographical areas). In result of the field trip results (2014–2019) in the southern and southwestern parts of Penza region the authors distinguished three reference flora groups, namely, the Tamala, Malaya Serdoba, and Kuncherovo flora. Their taxonomic features were compared with the seven reference flora groups previously identified in the Samara-Ulyanovsk Volga region. The spectra of the families of the reference flora groups of the southern areas of Penza region demonstrate the Fabaceae type of flora, despite the fact that the flora of the entire territory of Penza region belongs to the Rosaceae type. the genera Carex L. and Galium L., as well as the genera Salix L., Campanula L. and Veronica L. are the most numerous in the generic spectrum. The genus Vicia L. dominates in the Fabaceae family; Astragalus L. takes the 2nd or 3rd place (in various reference flora groups). The size of the Rosaceae family is determined by the abundance of the genus Potentilla L., as well as the total number of genera of this family. The Asteraceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae, and Chenopodiaceae families take the first four places in the spectrum of families of the adventive fraction of flora in the studied territory

Soils and earthworms as a final chapter in the narrative of a steelworks

Hallside steelworks, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, employed thousands of people and constructed rails and ships for over a century, before this successful industry closed in the 1970s. The site,south-east of Glasgow, was then reclaimed from dereliction during the 1990s to produce biomass through Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) of willow trees (Salix spp.). On site, the contaminated soil was removed, and a rudimentary substrate created with a mixture of sewage sludge and colliery spoil, the latter moved from nearby tips to release land for housing. Trees were planted and earthworms (Annelida) added to potentially assist growth. Initially recognised as a flagship for reclamation, the site was then abandoned. In 2018, information was gathered on the development of soils and on earthworm communities. This was achieved by sampling across the 35 ha site below willow, other planted tree species and grassland. The results showed that reclaimed soils were very stony, compacted, resistant to water infiltration but relatively uncontaminated. Willow had grown, but coppicing had not occurred. Earthworm introduction was initially unsuccessful, but colonisation took place from adjacent unadulterated areas and 16 species from three ecological groups were recorded. Mean community density was 208 ± 18.1 earthworms m-2 with a mean mass of 71 ± 6.1 g m-2. Type of vegetation cover had a significant (P <0.05) effect on community density and biomass. The site is now used for recreation and is an effective greenspace close to Glasgow.

Cocuyos Never Say Die

Cocuyos Never Say Die Jennifer Caroccio Maldonado (bio) Ghost Squad Claribel A. Ortega Scholastic Press https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/books/ghost-squad-9781338280128.html 256 pages; Cloth, $15.29 Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega is a Caribbean gothic tale wrapped up in a Florida mystery adventure. The mix of complex and straight forward language, Dominican culture, and 1980s movie references make it a delightful read for children and parents alike. Lucely Luna and her best friend Syd Faires find themselves up against a giant mist monster and evil spirits roaming the town of St. Augustine, Florida. Ortega’s narrative use of ghosts and magic shapes the world of a twelve-year-old Dominican geek, who loves playing Nintendo and staying close to her abuela and presents a supernatural fantasy that middle school readers are sure to enjoy. The child as medium is a common trope in gothic fiction. Lucely is able to see the ghosts of her relatives, who are tethered to a willow tree in the family’s backyard and take the form of fireflies, or cocuyos. Her father, Simon, hasn’t been able to see the family’s ghosts for a while. “Sometimes, when your heart is too heavy and sad,” he had told her, “you lose that part of you — that connection.” Lucely maintains her family’s connection to the ancestors. Later in the book when the girls finally tell Syd’s grandmother, Babette, about Lucely’s secret, it’s revealed that Lucely is a seer. What I like about Ghost Squad is that is very much a Caribbean/Dominican story that shows how the gothic child is not only present in British children’s literature. With Babette’s Spectral Master 4000 and Razzle-Dazzlers — ghost fighting devices imbued with magic — Ghost Squad enters the genre of Caribbean diasporic Science Fiction and Fantasy, such as Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in The Ring (1998). Ghost Squad is a fun mystery story that has a lot of nostalgic value but is very much set in the 2010s. Lucely and Syd search for clues to a missing spell in an old cemetery and use their cell phone lights to illuminate their path. The technology of the time shapes the story. However, Ortega fully grounds technology in Caribbean tradition. When the kids call Babette a Ghostbuster, she responds: “Humph. I am not a Ghostbuster, or scientist. I’m a witch. It might have a techy name, but the Spectral Master is very much tied to magic.” Like many children’s adventure stories, Lucely is faced with saving her family’s home and the connection to her ancestors: a similar predicament like in the 1985 cult classic movie, The Goonies. And sure enough, when we meet Babette and her many cats, we find out they are all named after characters from The Goonies. Don’t worry, Chunk does make an appearance. Babette’s fat cat that seems to understand what Lucely and Syd say is named after Jeff Cohen’s character Chunk. Refences to ’80s pop culture throughout Ghost [End Page 9] Squad will engage any Millennial/Generation X parents reading along with their child. The spirits of the Lunas use Spanish and English when talking to Lucely. The Spanish is not italicized. Which I think this offers familiarity to any Spanish-speaking kids reading the book, and at the same time, shows monolingual English-speaking children that Spanish is just as ordinary as English to use. Ortega uses dynamic language when describing scenes. She includes both straightforward description and specific references (such as comparing the sky to a Van Gogh painting) that I believe will engross both younger and older readers in the eight to twelve-year-old range. Children are so often relegated to a sort of non-person status. They are treated as if they do not have a complex understanding of the world. Adults lie or hide the truth from children, even though they are highly sensitive beings. Mr. Vincent, who is from the bank, visits the Lunas’ house to tell Lucely’s father that if he isn’t prompt with the next mortgage payment that the bank has no problem foreclosing...

KLASİK FARS VE TÜRK ŞİİRİNDE ŞAHNÂME KARAKTERLERİ

Firdevsî’nin büyük eseri Şahnâme içerdiği bilgiler bakımından gerek tarih alanında gerekse edebiyat alanında araştırmacıların dikkatini çekmiş ve üzerinde birçok çalışma yapılmasına olanak sağlamıştır. Şahnâme hem Fars edebiyatında hem de Türk edebiyatında büyük ilgi görmüştür. Klasik Fars edebiyatında ve Klasik Türk edebiyatında Şahnâme’den esinlenerek eserler yazılmıştır. Kimi zamanda şairler şiirlerini yazarken Şahnâme’den faydalanmış ve Şahnâme’de geçen karakterleri edebi sanatlar bünyesinde kullanmışlardır. Şairler bazen memduhları için yazdığı kasidelerde memduhu yüceltmek için Şahnâme’de geçen büyük ve güçlü bir kahramana benzetmiştir. Klasik Fars ve Türk şiirinde şairler kimi zaman da memduhun düşmanını Şahnâme’de yer alan zalim bir karaktere benzetmişlerdir. Çalışmamızda hem Klasik Fars edebiyatında hem de Klasik Türk edebiyatında çoğunlukla kasidelerde yüzlerce örneği olan Şahnâme karakterlerine yer verilen bu tarz kullanımlardan ziyade her iki edebiyatta da gazellerde geçen farklı kullanımlar tespit edilerek beyit örnekleriyle dikkatlere sunulmuştur. Konunun genişliği göz önünde bulundurulduğundan her iki edebiyatta da örneği bulunan karakterlere yer verilmeye özen gösterilmiştir. Söz konusu örneklerle ilgili olarak her iki edebiyatta da beyitler dikkatle seçilmiş; Farsça beyitler Türkçeye çevrilmiş; beyitlerde geçen kahramanlarla ilgili bilgiler verildikten sonra gerekli açıklamalar düşülmüştür.

Aptitud forestal de las tierras no agrícolas del norte de la provincia de Buenos Aires (Argentina)

El objetivo de este trabajo fue clasificar, cuantificar y cartografiar la aptitud forestal de las tierras no agrícolas del N-NE de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Para ello se aplicó el software Automated Land Evaluation System (ALES) propuesto por la FAO. Las especies consideradas fueron: E. camaldulensis, E. dunnii; E. saligna, E. tereticornis, E. viminalis y los géneros Salix spp. y Populus spp. Se utilizaron las Cartas de Suelos de la provincia de Buenos Aires escala 1:50.000 del INTA. Como criterios diagnósticos se utilizaron la profundidad de fluctuación de la napa freática, el pH, la textura del horizonte superficial y el drenaje, entre otros. El balance de superficies indica que existen 92.089 ha de tierras aptas para implantar E. camaldulensis de las cuales el 13% se consideran sin limitantes. Para E. tereticornis existen 91.841 ha aptas, donde el 13% son muy aptas. La superficie de tierras aptas para E. saligna y E. viminalis alcanzó las 40.718 ha de las cuales el 30% son muy aptas. Estas dos especies presentan restricciones climáticas en el área evaluada debido a la susceptibilidad al frío en el período de implantación. Para E. dunnii, con 40.718 ha, no se identificaron tierras muy aptas. En cuanto al género Populus, el potencial de tierras disponibles es de 42.000 ha, siendo el 29% muy aptas. Para el género Salix la superficie fue de 47.243 ha. Estos resultados muestran que existe una importante superficie de tierras potencialmente aptas para el desarrollo de una cuenca forestal en la región sin competencia con la agricultura.

Salix eleagnos Scop. – a novel source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds: Biochemical screening and in silico approaches

Willow bark (Salix spp., Salicaceae) is traditionally used to treat pain and inflammation. Salix eleagnos Scop. is a widely spread in the Republic of Serbia, yet not much studied species. The aim of this study was to define the most suitable extraction technique for achieving highest yield and antioxidant activity of S. eleagnos bark extracts, to characterize their chemical composition and to assess the most active cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2 inhibitors by in silico molecular docking analysis. Qualitative and quantitative characterization of extracts obtained by maceration, ultrasound (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was carried out by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical (OH) scavenging assays. Molecular docking was conducted using AutoDock 4.2.3. package. Highest yield and antioxidant activity was obtained by MAE. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of chlorogenic, p-hydroxybenzoic, syringic, caffeic, p-coumaric, rosmarinic and trans-cinnamic acids, epicatechin, rutin, quercetin, naringenin and salicin. Docking results showed high binding affinity and good hydrogen bond interactions with active site residues of both COX-1 and COX-2 by flavonoids: quercetin, naringenin and epicatechin, and phenolic acids: rosmarinic and chlorogenic acids. These findings suggest that bark of S. eleagnos has great potential as source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Willow bark extract and the biostimulant complex Root Nectar® increase propagation efficiency in chrysanthemum and lavender cuttings

Biostimulants are a powerful tool for optimizing the propagation efficiency of vegetative cuttings, however, their optimal application rates are often species specific. Herein, the root promoting effects of Nutrifield’s biostimulant complex Root Nectar® and the biostimulant willow bark extract were tested on vegetative cuttings from lavender (soft wood) and chrysanthemum (semi-hard wood). Application of Root Nectar® at 1 mL/L achieved consistent improvements in the formation of adventitious roots and root branching in both lavender and chrysanthemum, and 1.06 μL/L willow bark extract achieved best results for both species. The root promoting biostimulant effects of Root Nectar® and willow bark extract can be utilized to speed up propagation of soft and semi-hard wood cuttings, highlighting their applicability to improve process efficiencies in horticultural industries, which are dependent on rapid large-scale vegetative propagation.

Morphology of pollen grains of 25 species of Salix (Salicaceae) of the Asian part of Russia according to electron microscopy

This is a study of pollen grain morphology of 25 species of the genus Salix L. (Salicaceae) from of the Asian part of Russia was carried out with the use of scanning electron microscope. All species had 3-colpate pollen grains. The length of the polar axis varied from 14 to 30 mkm, the length of the equatorial diameter - from 9.5 to 17.4 mkm. This study has shown the different shapes of the pollen grains, such as the elliptic, broadly and narrowly elliptic.

Класс Salicetea herbaceae Br.-Bl. 1948 в Алтае-Саянской горной области

Класс Salicetea herbaceae Br.-Bl. 1948 в Алтае-Саянской горной области

Biomordanting willow bark dye on cellulosic materials

AbstractA semi‐quantitative study of willow bark dye adsorption on two different cellulose materials using biomordants was carried out. The studied celluloses were microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) AaltoCell and regenerated Ioncell‐F (IC) fibres. The dye was a hot water extract of willow bark and the adsorption to cellulose was carried out using carboxylic acid‐containing biomordants, namely, oxalic acid, citric acid and tannic acid. Alum was employed as the reference mordant. A semi‐quantitative estimation of the dye uptake was conducted using high‐performance liquid chromatography equipped with a diode array detector and also by visual inspection, as well as an evaluation of the coloration using CIELab parameters. The mechanism of the dye adsorption on the cellulose surfaces was studied via Fourier Transform–infrared spectroscopy. According to the results, MCC had a higher affinity for polyphenolic dye than the regenerated cellulose fibres. Dye uptake on MCC was 50%‐80% and 44%‐57% on IC. For MCC, the biomordants improved the dye uptake more effectively than the control mordant, alum, whereas for IC the biomordants were less effective than alum.

An Efficient Convergent Willow Tree Method for American and Exotic Option Pricing under Stochastic Volatility Models

Stochastic volatility models can describe the evolution of financial assets, such as stocks, currencies, and commodities, better than the classic Black–Scholes model. Some strategic decision-making problems also involve path-dependent and American-style options. In this article, the authors propose a novel, efficient, accurate, and unified two-factor willow tree method to price exotic and American options under the stochastic volatility models, such as the Heston, 3/2, 4/2, Hull–White, Stein–Stein, and a-Hypergeometric models. They also present the convergence analysis of their proposed tree method. They then apply the tree method to price European and American options, and the expected present value and survival rate in a dividend-and-ruin problem. Numerical results demonstrate the efficiency, accuracy, and convergence of their method. TOPICS:Options, volatility measures, factor-based models, analysis of individual factors/risk premia Key Findings • The authors propose an efficient and unified two-dimensional willow tree structure for various stochastic volatility models. • The convergence rate of the two-dimensional willow tree method is O(Δt). • The authors apply the willow tree to evaluate the present firm value and survival rate of a dividend-and-ruin problem, which embeds the lookback, the reflecting and absorbing barrier, and the stopping time features.

Efficient willow tree method for variable annuities valuation and risk management☆

Variable annuities (VAs) with various guarantees are popular retirement products in the past decades. However, due to the sophistication of the embedded guarantees, most existing methods only focus on the one of embedded guarantees underlying one specified stochastic model. The method to evaluate VAs with all guarantees and manage its risk is very limited, except for the Monte Carlo method. In this paper, we propose an efficient willow tree method to evaluate VAs embedded with all popular guarantees on the market underlying various stochastic models. Moreover, our tree structure is also applicable to compute dollar delta, value at risk (VaR) and conditional tail expectation (CTE) in hedging and risk-based capital calculation. Numerical experiments demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our method in pricing and managing the risk of VAs.

Novel Isoprene-Degrading Proteobacteria From Soil and Leaves Identified by Cultivation and Metagenomics Analysis of Stable Isotope Probing Experiments.

Isoprene is a climate-active gas and one of the most abundant biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) released into the atmosphere. In the terrestrial environment, plants are the primary producers of isoprene, releasing between 500 and 750 million tons per year to protect themselves from environmental stresses such as direct radiation, heat, and reactive oxygen species. While many studies have explored isoprene production, relatively little is known about consumption of isoprene by microbes and the most well-characterized isoprene degrader is a Rhodococcus strain isolated from freshwater sediment. In order to identify a wider range of bacterial isoprene-degraders in the environment, DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) with 13C-labeled isoprene was used to identify active isoprene degraders associated with soil in the vicinity of a willow tree. Retrieval by PCR of 16S rRNA genes from the 13C-labeled DNA revealed an active isoprene-degrading bacterial community dominated by Proteobacteria, together with a minor portion of Actinobacteria, mainly of the genus Rhodococcus. Metagenome sequencing of 13C-labeled DNA from SIP experiments enabled analysis of genes encoding key enzymes of isoprene metabolism from novel isoprene degraders. Informed by these DNA-SIP experiments and working with leaves and soil from the vicinity of tree species known to produce high amounts of isoprene, four novel isoprene-degrading strains of the genera Nocardioides, Ramlibacter, Variovorax and Sphingopyxis, along with strains of Rhodococcus and Gordonia, genera that are known to contain isoprene-degrading strains, were isolated. The use of lower concentrations of isoprene during enrichment experiments has revealed active Gram-negative isoprene-degrading bacteria associated with isoprene-emitting trees. Analysis of isoprene-degradation genes from these new isolates provided a more robust phylogenetic framework for analysis of isoA, encoding the α-subunit of the isoprene monooxygenase, a key molecular marker gene for cultivation-independent studies on isoprene degradation in the terrestrial environment.

What Do Plants Leave after Summer on the Ground?—The Effect of Afforested Plants in Arid Environments

The implementation of afforestation programs in arid environments in northern China had modified the natural vegetation patterns. This increases the evaporation flux; however, the influence of these new covers on the soil water conditions is poorly understood. This work aims to describe the effect of Willow bushes (Salix psammophila C. Wang and Chang Y. Yang) and Willow trees (Salix matsudana Koidz.) on the soil water conditions after the summer. Two experimental plots located in the Hailiutu catchment (Shaanxi province, northwest China), and covered with plants of each species, were monitored during Autumn in 2010. The monitoring included the soil moisture, fine root distribution and transpiration fluxes that provided information about water availability, access and use by the plants. Meanwhile, the monitoring of stable water isotopes collected from precipitation, soil water, groundwater and xylem water linked the water paths. The presence of Willow trees and Willow bushes reduce the effect of soil evaporation after summer, increasing the soil moisture respect to bare soil conditions. Also, the presence of soil water with stable water isotope signatures close to groundwater reflect the hydraulic lift process. This is an indication of soil water redistribution carried out by both plant species.

Use of a hydroalcoholic extract of Salix alba L. bark powder in diets of broilers exposed to high heat stress

A study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary hydroalcoholic willow bark extract powder (HWE) supplemented to broilers (14–42 days old) that were exposed to heat stress, on the performance, serum biochemical parameters, liver oxidative status and caecal microflora. The feeding trial was conducted on 120 Cobb 500 broilers (14 days old), assigned to three treatments (T0, T25, and T50), each treatment consisting of eight replicates (five chicks per replicate). The broilers were housed in an experimental hall at a 32 °C constant temperature and 23 hours light regimen. Unlike the dietary control treatment (T0), the experimental treatments were supplemented with 25 g HWE powder/100 kg diet (T25), and 50 g HWE powder 100 kg diet (T50), respectively. Dietary HWE powder did not affect the broilers’ performance significantly (14–42 days). A significantly lower amount of malondialdehyde was noticed in the liver of broilers from T25 and T50 treatments in comparison with broilers from T0. Also, the serum cholesterol, triglycerides and alanine aminotransferase were significantly lower in broilers fed with T50, compared with those fed with T0. At 35 and at 42 days, the broilers from T25 and T50 recorded a significantly lower number of E. coli and staphylococci and a higher number of lactobacilli in the caecum than those of T0. It could be concluded that supplementation of dietary HWE powder reduced some of the adverse effects of heat stress, the most effective being the level of 50 g/100 kg diet.Keywords: biochemical parameters, caecal microflora, high temperature, liver oxidative status

シイタケ菌床栽培における早生樹「ヤナギ」の利用：子実体収量に及ぼすヤナギおが粉の粒度の影響

シイタケ菌床栽培における早生樹「ヤナギ」の利用：子実体収量に及ぼすヤナギおが粉の粒度の影響

Pollen availability for the Horned mason bee (Osmia cornuta) in regions of different land use and landscape structures

1. Osmia cornuta is a generalist regarding its habitat requirements and is used for pollination in orchards. The species collects pollen from different plant taxa, but pollen richness and pollen quantity in a nest may be affected by land use and landscape structures.2. The availability of pollen resources for O. cornuta was studied across different land use types (one urban, village‐structured, agricultural, and viticultural region each) by pollen analysis in the context of landscape structures.3. In total, 16 pollen types were identified in 1180 brood cells of O. cornuta. On average (± SD), the highest pollen richness per region (n = 4) was found in the viticultural region (4.75 ± 0.96) and the lowest in the agricultural region (1 ± 2). Osmia cornuta collected predominantly pollen from the Sorbus‐pollen group, which includes Prunus species. Salix was primarily collected in the village‐structured and agricultural regions, and Quercus was frequently found in samples from the viticulture region. The highest mean (± SD) number of brood cells per region (n = 4) was found in the viticulture region (136.35 ± 57.45) and the lowest in the agricultural region (20.25 ± 40.5). Increasing proportions of green areas in urban and village‐structured regions affected the pollen richness positively, whereas agricultural areas had a negative impact on pollen richness and the number of brood cells.4. It was concluded that the polylectic O. cornuta uses a wide range of flowering plants dependent on their availability. The maintenance of fruit trees as well as willow and oak trees enhances floral resources qualitatively and quantitatively for O.cornuta specifically in intensively farmed agricultural areas.