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Sample records for chenopodiaceae

  1. The genus Kochia (Chenopodiaceae) in North America

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge-Lin Chu; Stewart Sanderson

    2008-01-01

    The genus Kochia and Bassia with which it has been combined, of Chenopodiaceae tribe Camphorosmeae, were at one time considered to include plants native to Eurasia, Australia, and North America, and included species of both C3 and C4 photosynthetic types. This aggregate has been reduced in size by removal of a large group of C3 Australian genera and species. Because of...

  2. Studies on betaxanthin profiles of vegetables and fruits from the Chenopodiaceae and Cactaceae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kugler, Florian; Graneis, Stephan; Stintzing, Florian C; Carle, Reinhold

    2007-01-01

    The present study provides an update on the betaxanthin (bx) compositions of red and yellow beetroots, yellow-coloured Swiss chard petioles, and yellow-orange cactus pear. Applying RP-HPLC coupled with positive ion electrospray mass spectrometry and by comparison with UV-vis and mass spectrometric characteristics as well as retention times of semi-synthesized reference compounds, 24 betaxanthins were identified in red and yellow beetroot hypocotyls. Twenty-five and thirteen betaxanthins were present in yellow Swiss chard petioles and the cactus pear cultivar 'Gialla', respectively. Ethanolamine-bx and threonine-bx were found to be novel betaxanthins in Chenopodiaceae representatives, which to the best of our knowledge have not been reported as genuine pigments so far. Furthermore, aspartic acid-bx (miraxanthin II), lysine-bx, and methionine-bx, hitherto found in other families, were identified in the Chenopodiaceae for the first time. Additionally, tyrosine-bx (portulacaxanthin II) and tryptophan-bx have not been earlier reported to occur in the Cactaceae. These findings provide valuable phytochemical information and may be useful for a better understanding of the functional properties of betaxanthins in plants.

  3. Antifungal activity from polar and non-polar extracts of some Chenopodiaceae wild species growing in Tunisia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boughalleb, N; Trabelsi, L; Harzallah-Skhiri, F

    2009-01-01

    Nine plants belonging to Chenopodiaceae family were collected around salt marshes near Monastir, located in the east Mediterranean coast of Tunisia. They were tested for their antifungal activities against six plant pathogenic fungi: Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum, F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae, Phytophthora cactorum, Rhizoctonia solani and Nattrassia mangiferae. Data of this study showed that the highest inhibition of Botrytis cinerea growth was observed with the petroleum ether extract of Atriplex inflata fruits (F) (24.5 mm). The in vitro growth of F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum was reduced only with A. inflata whole plant (WP) petroleum ether extract (32.3 mm). The most important inhibition zones were obtained against F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae with Atriplex semibaccata methanol and acetone extracts (34.7 and 31.0 mm, respectively). This work revealed that fungitoxic compounds were probably present in the petroleum ether extract obtained from A. portulacoides (WP), since it has suppressed the growth of F. s. cucurbitae. Our investigation proved that many Chenopodiaceae species adapted to saline soils may contain phytochemical compounds with fungicidal properties.

  4. Evaluating sampling strategy for DNA barcoding study of coastal and inland halo-tolerant Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae: A case study for increased sample size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Peng-Cheng; Gao, Hai-Yan; Wei, Ya-Nan; Zhang, Jian-Hang; Chen, Xiao-Yong; Li, Hong-Qing

    2017-01-01

    Environmental conditions in coastal salt marsh habitats have led to the development of specialist genetic adaptations. We evaluated six DNA barcode loci of the 53 species of Poaceae and 15 species of Chenopodiaceae from China's coastal salt marsh area and inland area. Our results indicate that the optimum DNA barcode was ITS for coastal salt-tolerant Poaceae and matK for the Chenopodiaceae. Sampling strategies for ten common species of Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae were analyzed according to optimum barcode. We found that by increasing the number of samples collected from the coastal salt marsh area on the basis of inland samples, the number of haplotypes of Arundinella hirta, Digitaria ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica, Setaria viridis, and Chenopodium glaucum increased, with a principal coordinate plot clearly showing increased distribution points. The results of a Mann-Whitney test showed that for Digitaria ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica, and Setaria viridis, the distribution of intraspecific genetic distances was significantly different when samples from the coastal salt marsh area were included (P Imperata cylindrica and Chenopodium album, average intraspecific distance tended to reach stability. These results indicate that the sample size for DNA barcode of globally distributed species should be increased to 11-15.

  5. Evaluating sampling strategy for DNA barcoding study of coastal and inland halo-tolerant Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae: A case study for increased sample size.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng-Cheng Yao

    Full Text Available Environmental conditions in coastal salt marsh habitats have led to the development of specialist genetic adaptations. We evaluated six DNA barcode loci of the 53 species of Poaceae and 15 species of Chenopodiaceae from China's coastal salt marsh area and inland area. Our results indicate that the optimum DNA barcode was ITS for coastal salt-tolerant Poaceae and matK for the Chenopodiaceae. Sampling strategies for ten common species of Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae were analyzed according to optimum barcode. We found that by increasing the number of samples collected from the coastal salt marsh area on the basis of inland samples, the number of haplotypes of Arundinella hirta, Digitaria ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica, Setaria viridis, and Chenopodium glaucum increased, with a principal coordinate plot clearly showing increased distribution points. The results of a Mann-Whitney test showed that for Digitaria ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica, and Setaria viridis, the distribution of intraspecific genetic distances was significantly different when samples from the coastal salt marsh area were included (P < 0.01. These results suggest that increasing the sample size in specialist habitats can improve measurements of intraspecific genetic diversity, and will have a positive effect on the application of the DNA barcodes in widely distributed species. The results of random sampling showed that when sample size reached 11 for Chloris virgata, Chenopodium glaucum, and Dysphania ambrosioides, 13 for Setaria viridis, and 15 for Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica and Chenopodium album, average intraspecific distance tended to reach stability. These results indicate that the sample size for DNA barcode of globally distributed species should be increased to 11-15.

  6. QUALITATIVE COMPOSITION AND ORGANI C ACIDS CONTENT IN THE ABOVEGROUN D PART OF PLANTS FRO M FAMILIES LAMIACEAE, ASTERACEAE, APIACEAE AND CHENOPODIACEAE

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    S. M. Marchyshyn

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background. Organic acids are the compounds of aliphatic or aromatic orders, which are widespread in flora and have a wide range of biological activity. We studied the qualitative composition and quantitative contents of organic acids in the aboveground part of some unofficial medicinal plants from families Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae and Chenopodiaceae is relevant. Objective. The objects of the research are the aboveground part of unofficial medicinal plants from families Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae and Chenopodiaceae. Methods. Identification of organic acids was performed by means of thin-layer and paper chromatography, their content was determined by means of gas chromatography, the quantitative amount of organic acids was defined by titrimetric analysis. Results. In the studied raw plants the quality of organic acids and their total contents were determined (in terms of malic acid. It is established that the maximum content of organic acids is accumulated in the grass Hyssopus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae, and the minimal is in the leaves of Chrysánthemum xhortorum L. variety Apro (Asteraceae. In all studied raw plants the dominance of aliphatic acids (citric, malic, oxalic and malonic was determined by means of gas chromatography. Benzoic is predominant among the aromatic acids. Conclusions. In the studied raw plants the quality of organic acids and their total content were determined. The following results can be used in developing the methods of quality control of the studied raw plants and during the study of new bioactive substances.

  7. Leaf anatomy and subgeneric affiliations of C3 and C4 species of Suaeda (Chenopodiaceae) in North America

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, D.D.; Schenk, H.J.; Thorsch, J.A.; Ferren, W.R. Jr.

    1997-01-01

    The halophytic genus Suaeda (Chenopodiaceae) includes species with the C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways. North American species of this genus were investigated to determine whether C3 and C4 leaf anatomy are consistent within the two sections of Suaeda, Chenopodina and Limbogermen, present on this continent. All species from section Chenopodina were found to possess C3 anatomy, whereas all species from section Limbogermen were found to be C4 species. Characteristics of leaf anatomy and chloroplast ultrastructure are similar to those reported from C3 and C4 species, respectively, from the Eastern Hemisphere. All species from section Limbogermen have the suaedoid type of leaf anatomy, characterized by differentiation of the mesophyll into palisade parenchyma and a chlorenchymatous sheath surrounding central water-storage tissue, as well as leaf carbon isotope ratios of above -20. All species from section Chenopodina have austrobassioid leaf anatomy without a chlorenchymatous sheath and leaf carbon isotope ratio values of below -20. According to our literature review, the photosynthetic pathway has now been reported for about half (44) of the Suaeda species worldwide. The C3 and C4 photosynthetic syndromes are with few exceptions distributed along sectional or subsectional lines. These findings throw new light on the infrageneric taxonomy of this genus

  8. Pathways of primary CO2 fixation in C-4 plants of the family chenopodiaceae from the arid zone of central Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    P'yankov, V.I.; Vakhrusheva, D.V.

    1991-01-01

    The authors determined the kinetics of 14 C incorporation after a 10-sec gulp of 14 CO 2 to study formation of primary photosynthetic products in 35 C-4 species of the family chenopodiaceae in the desert zone of central Asia. Representatives of the main life forms of desert plants with various types of anatomical structure of the assimilating organs (salsoloid, kochioid, atriplercoid, and suaedoid groups) were among the studied species. It was demonstrated that the ratio of pathways of formation of C-4 acids (malate and aspartate) depends upon the structural type affiliation and the ecological conditions of the habitat. Plants of the suaedoid and atriplecoid groups (which usually dwell under conditions of salination) exhibit the aspartate NAD-malic enzyme (NAD-ME) type of C-4 photosynthesis. The malate and aspartate types of metabolism are detected in species of the kochioid group. All biochemical variants (NADP-ME, NAD-ME, and mixed) are represented in the salsoloid group. Psammophilous species of this group have the malate type of acid metabolism, whereas halophilic species have the aspartate type. Quantitative criteria are proposed for referring C-4 plants to the NAD- and NADP-ME types on the basis of formation of primary products. It is demonstrated that the role of the aspartate pathway of CO 2 transfer in plants increases in proportion to worsening of ecological conditions of the habitat. The evolutionary sequence of metabolic systems was formed in the C-3-NAD-ME-NADP-ME direction, the origin of the C-4 syndrome having been associated with colonization of arid territories, especially saline localities

  9. Differences in root uptake of radiocaesium by 30 plant taxa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Broadley, M R; Willey, N J [University of the West of England, Bristol (United Kingdom). Faculty of Applied Sciences

    1998-12-31

    The concentration of Cs was measured in the shoots of 30 taxa of plants after exposing the roots for 6 h to 0.1 {mu}g radiolabelled Cs g{sup -1} soil. There were maximum differences between Chenopodium quinoa and Koeleria macrantha of 20-fold in Cs concentration and 100-fold in total Cs accumulated. There was a weak relationship between Rb(K) and Cs concentration across the 30 taxa, but a strong relationship within the Gramineae and Chenopodiaceae. Taxa in the Chenopodiaceae discriminated approximately nine times less between Rb and Cs during uptake than did those in the Gramineae. The lowest Cs concentrations occurred in slow growing Gramineae and the highest in fast growing Chenopodiaceae. If radiocaesium uptake by the Chenopodiaceae during chronic exposures shows similar patterns to those reported here after acute exposure, then the food contamination implications and the potential for phytoremediation of radiocaesium contaminated soils using plants in this family may be worth investigating. (author).

  10. Differences in root uptake of radiocaesium by 30 plant taxa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broadley, M.R.; Willey, N.J.

    1997-01-01

    The concentration of Cs was measured in the shoots of 30 taxa of plants after exposing the roots for 6 h to 0.1 μg radiolabelled Cs g -1 soil. There were maximum differences between Chenopodium quinoa and Koeleria macrantha of 20-fold in Cs concentration and 100-fold in total Cs accumulated. There was a weak relationship between Rb(K) and Cs concentration across the 30 taxa, but a strong relationship within the Gramineae and Chenopodiaceae. Taxa in the Chenopodiaceae discriminated approximately nine times less between Rb and Cs during uptake than did those in the Gramineae. The lowest Cs concentrations occurred in slow growing Gramineae and the highest in fast growing Chenopodiaceae. If radiocaesium uptake by the Chenopodiaceae during chronic exposures shows similar patterns to those reported here after acute exposure, then the food contamination implications and the potential for phytoremediation of radiocaesium contaminated soils using plants in this family may be worth investigating. (author)

  11. Differences in root uptake of radiocaesium by 30 plant taxa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Broadley, M.R.; Willey, N.J. [University of the West of England, Bristol (United Kingdom). Faculty of Applied Sciences

    1997-12-31

    The concentration of Cs was measured in the shoots of 30 taxa of plants after exposing the roots for 6 h to 0.1 {mu}g radiolabelled Cs g{sup -1} soil. There were maximum differences between Chenopodium quinoa and Koeleria macrantha of 20-fold in Cs concentration and 100-fold in total Cs accumulated. There was a weak relationship between Rb(K) and Cs concentration across the 30 taxa, but a strong relationship within the Gramineae and Chenopodiaceae. Taxa in the Chenopodiaceae discriminated approximately nine times less between Rb and Cs during uptake than did those in the Gramineae. The lowest Cs concentrations occurred in slow growing Gramineae and the highest in fast growing Chenopodiaceae. If radiocaesium uptake by the Chenopodiaceae during chronic exposures shows similar patterns to those reported here after acute exposure, then the food contamination implications and the potential for phytoremediation of radiocaesium contaminated soils using plants in this family may be worth investigating. (author).

  12. De novo Transcriptome Assembly and Comparison of C3, C3-C4, and C4 Species of Tribe Salsoleae (Chenopodiaceae

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    Maximilian Lauterbach

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available C4 photosynthesis is a carbon-concentrating mechanism that evolved independently more than 60 times in a wide range of angiosperm lineages. Among other alterations, the evolution of C4 from ancestral C3 photosynthesis requires changes in the expression of a vast number of genes. Differential gene expression analyses between closely related C3 and C4 species have significantly increased our understanding of C4 functioning and evolution. In Chenopodiaceae, a family that is rich in C4 origins and photosynthetic types, the anatomy, physiology and phylogeny of C4, C2, and C3 species of Salsoleae has been studied in great detail, which facilitated the choice of six samples of five representative species with different photosynthetic types for transcriptome comparisons. mRNA from assimilating organs of each species was sequenced in triplicates, and sequence reads were de novo assembled. These novel genetic resources were then analyzed to provide a better understanding of differential gene expression between C3, C2 and C4 species. All three analyzed C4 species belong to the NADP-ME type as most genes encoding core enzymes of this C4 cycle are highly expressed. The abundance of photorespiratory transcripts is decreased compared to the C3 and C2 species. Like in other C4 lineages of Caryophyllales, our results suggest that PEPC1 is the C4-specific isoform in Salsoleae. Two recently identified transporters from the PHT4 protein family may not only be related to the C4 syndrome, but also active in C2 photosynthesis in Salsoleae. In the two populations of the C2 species S. divaricata transcript abundance of several C4 genes are slightly increased, however, a C4 cycle is not detectable in the carbon isotope values. Most of the core enzymes of photorespiration are highly increased in the C2 species compared to both C3 and C4 species, confirming a successful establishment of the C2 photosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, a function of PEP-CK in C2 photosynthesis

  13. Attenuation of Neuroinflammatory Responses in Lipopolysaccharide ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Chenopodiaceae) extract on neuroinflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BV-2 microglial cells and its antioxidant effects. Methods: Biochemical studies carried out include 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5- diphenyl-tetrazolium ...

  14. New floristic records in the Balkans: 8

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tan, Kit; Issigoni, Margarita

    2008-01-01

    -56), Campanulaceae (10), Caryophyllaceae (11, 27, 57), Chenopodiaceae (12), Convolvulaceae (13, 58), Crassulaceae (14, 59, 60), Cucurbitaceae (28), Cupressaceae (19), Cuscutaceae (49), Dryopteridaceae (2), Ephedraceae (20), Fabaceae (42- 48, 50, 61-69, 84), Gesneriaceae (85), Iridaceae (77, 88), Lamiaceae (70...

  15. Genome size stability across Eurasian Chenopodium species (Amaranthaceae)

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vít, Petr; Krak, Karol; Trávníček, Pavel; Douda, Jan; Lomonosova, M. N.; Mandák, Bohumil

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 182, č. 3 (2016), s. 637-649 ISSN 0024-4074 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-02290S Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : hybridization * CHenopodiaceae * polyploidy Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 2.277, year: 2016

  16. Fruit dispersal and seed banks in Atriplex sagittata: the role of heterocarpy

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mandák, Bohumil; Pyšek, Petr

    2001-01-01

    Roč. 89, - (2001), s. 159-165 ISSN 0022-0477 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KSK2005601 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6005908 Keywords : Atriplex sagittata * Chenopodiaceae * seed bank Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 2.291, year: 2001

  17. Modern pollen rain in Canary Island ecosystems and its implications for the interpretation of fossil records

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    de Nascimento, Lea; Nogué, Sandra; Fernández-Lugo, Silvia

    2015-01-01

    -represented (.Pinus, Morella and Ericaceae trees, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae, Rumex and Urticaceae herbs and shrubs) or under-represented (Lauraceae trees, Fabaceae and Euphorbia shrubs). Results indicate that pollen composition is a good reflection of vegetation in Canarian ecosystems and can be used effectively...

  18. Complex Self-Incompatibility Systems in Ranunculus acris L. and Beta vulgaris L

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundqvist, A.; Østerbye, U.; Larsen, K.

    1973-01-01

    The families Ranunculaceae and Chenopodiaceae, presumably belonging to a dicot evolutionary branch with ancestral basis shared with the monocots, both show a mechanism of self- and cross-incompatibility involving more than one incompatibility locus (S-locus) and requiring that all of the S...

  19. Occurrence of Cucumber mosaic virus on vanilla

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) causing mosaic, leaf distortion and stunting of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) in India was characterized on the basis of biological and coat protein (CP) nucleotide sequence properties. In mechanical inoculation tests, the virus was found to infect members of Chenopodiaceae, ...

  20. Four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) seed and seedling consumption by granivorous rodents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens [Pursh] Nutt.), native to western North America, extends from Canada to Mexico and from the Great Plains to the Pacific Coast. Shrubby species of Atriplex are in the family Chenopodiacea, which contains other important shrubs such as winter fat (Krascheninnikov...

  1. The ploidy races of Atriplex confertifolia (chenopodiaceae)

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    Stewart C. Sanderson

    2011-01-01

    Previous accounts of polyploidy in the North American salt desert shrub Atriplex confertifolia (shadscale) have dealt with the distribution of polyploidy and the morphological and secondary chemical differences between races. The present study amplifies these studies and reveals additional ploidy-flavonoid races, with ploidy levels known to extend from 2x to 12x, and...

  2. New floristic records in the Balkans: 16

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zarkos, G.; Christodoulou, V.; Tan, Kit

    2011-01-01

    ), Berberidaceae (81), Boraginaceae (1–3, 82), Brassicaceae (4, 5, 26, 27), Campanulaceae (6, 28, 29, 83), Caprifoliaceae (30), Chenopodiaceae (7), Cistaceae (8), Cornaceae (31), Crassulaceae (32–34), Dipsacaceae (84), Euphorbiaceae (64), Fabaceae (9–13, 35, 36, 65, 74), Gentianaceae (37, 38), Geraniaceae (39, 72...

  3. Daily variation patterns of airborne allergenic pollen in southwestern Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González Minero, F J; Candau, P; Tomás, C; Morales, J

    1998-01-01

    The study was carried out using a Burkard sampler installed on the roof terrace of the School of Pharmacy, Seville, for two years (1995 and 1996). Eight pollen types described in the literature as having allergenic activity were chosen. They were Poaceae, Olea europaea, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Plantago, Rumex, Urticaceae (including Parietaria), Cupressaceae, and Platanus hispanica. The types were grouped according to the similarity of their pattern of intradiurnal variation in pollen concentration. The following associations were established by multivariate analysis: Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae (appearing mainly between 11:00 and 20:00), Olea europaea and Plantago (12:00 to 19:00), Poaceae and Rumex (appearing throughout the day), and Cupressaceae and Platanus hispanica (8:00 to 14:00). The patterns of intradiurnal variation were similar both years for each type, despite the fact that the two years were climatologically different (1995 was dry and 1996 wet). We conclude that these behavior patterns are endogenous to the plants, and are hardly affected by meteorological parameters.

  4. New floristic records in the Balkans: 4

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2007-01-01

    ), Boraginaceae (6, 7), Brassicaceae (8, 9, 43-49, 70), Campanulaceae (10, 11, 98), Caryophyllaceae (12- (6, 7), (8, 9, 43-49, 70), (10, 11, 98), (12- 14, 50, 71, 72), Chenopodiaceae (15), Crassulaceae (61, 91), Cyperaceae (22, 23), Dryopteridaceae (59), Fabaceae (62, 73-75, 92, 99), Geraniaceae (63), Lamiaceae...

  5. Chapter 23. Shrubs of other families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephen B. Monsen; Richard Stevens; Nancy L. Shaw

    2004-01-01

    Numerous genera and species of shrubs occur throughout the Intermountain region in addition to those included in the Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Rosaceae families. Although shrubs are widespread throughout this region and dominate many areas, species richness is low compared to the shrub flora of the Pacific United States, Chile, western Australia, and South Africa...

  6. Chapter 20. Chenopod shrubs

    Science.gov (United States)

    E. Durant McArthur; Stephen B. Monsen

    2004-01-01

    Chenopod plants (Family Chenopodiaceae) are distributed worldwide but are especially prominent in some wet and dry saline or alkaline situations. Chenopods are both herbaceous and woody. The relative proportions of life-forms in the family is demonstrated by data from the important center of chenopod diversity in south-central Asia, where n = 341 species: 76 percent...

  7. Tropical vegetation evidence for rapid sea level changes associated with Heinrich Events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalez, Catalina; Dupont, Lydie M, E-mail: catalina@uni-bremen.d, E-mail: dupont@uni-bremen.d [MARUM - Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Leobener Strasse, D-28359 Germany (Germany)

    2010-03-15

    A Cariaco Basin pollen record shows the development of tropical salt marshes during marine isotope stage 3. Rapid and abrupt expansions of salt marsh vegetation in tropical South America are associated with north Atlantic Heinrich Events stadials (HE-stadials). Intervals of salt marsh expansion have an internal structure, which consists of a recurrent alternation of species that starts with pollen increments of Chenopodiaceae, that are followed by increments of grasses, and subsequently by increments of Cyperaceae. This pattern suggests a successional process that is determined by the close relationship between sea-level and plant community dynamics. The salt tolerant Chenopodiaceae, indicate hypersaline intertidal environments, which were most likely promoted by extremely dry atmospheric conditions. Rapid sea-level rise characterizes the onset of HE-stadials, causing the continued recruitment of pioneer species, which are the only ones tolerating rapid rates of disturbance. Once sea-level rise decelerates, marsh plants are able to trap and stabilize sediments, favouring the establishment of more competitive species. These results add to the scarce knowledge on the dynamics of tropical salt marsh ecosystems, and provide independent paleoclimatic evidence on sea-level changes following Antarctic climate variability.

  8. Allergenic pollen in the subdesert areas of the Iberian peninsula.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cariñanos, P; Galán, C; Alcázar, P; Domínguez, E

    2000-01-01

    The yearly distribution of Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, two of the most common types of pollen in a rural area located in the southeastern part of the Iberian peninsula, was studied over a 3-year period (1995-1997). The particular bioclimatic conditions of the area, such as its subdesert climate, extreme dryness and high mountain location (1,000 m above sea level), have led to the adaptation and abundance of these species in this area. They usually flower in the second half of the year, and are the main pollen types collected in the samples in that time period. The Artemisia pollen levels recorded are the highest in Spain, since there are several species in the area which flower at different times. Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae pollen counts are also very high. The severity of both pollen types was also analyzed. The height of the sampler was taken into account because the quantities at human height can be considerably higher than those recorded at 20 m off the ground. It was concluded that both pollen types should be considered some of the main causes of allergy in this area.

  9. Holocene vegetation dynamics of Taiga forest in the Southern Altai Mountains documented by sediments from Kanas Lake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, X.; Chen, F.

    2016-12-01

    The Chinese Altai is the southern limit of the Taiga forest of the continent, and regional vegetation dynamics during the Holocene will help us to understand regional climate changes, such as the Siberian High variations. Here we present a pollen-based vegetation and climate reconstruction from a well dated sediment core from Kanas Lake, a deep glacial moraine dammed lake in the Southern Altai Mountains (Chinese Altai). The 244-cm-long sequence spans the last 13,500 years, and the chronology is based on nine accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates from terrestrial plant macrofossils. At least five stages of regional vegetation history are documented: (i) From 13.5 to 11.7 ka (1 ka = 1000 cal yr BP), Kanas Lake region was occupied by steppe dominated by Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and grass pollen, with low tree coverage. (ii) From 11.7 to 8.5 ka, regional forest build up dramatically indicated by increasing tree pollen percentages, including Picea, Larix, and the highest Junipers, with decreasing Artemisia and increasing Chenopodiaceae. (iii) From 8.5 to 7.2 ka, the forest around the lake became dense with the maximum content of Picea and Betula pollen types. And the steppe pollen types reached their lowest values. (iv) From 7.2 to 4 ka, as a typical tree species of Taiga forest, Larix pollen percentage became much higher than previous stage, and the sum of trees & shrubs pollen types decreased, which possibly indicated cooler and wetter climate (v) After 4 ka, trees & shrubs (e.g. Betula, Junipers) pollen types decreased, with increasing Artemisia and decreasing Chenopodiaceae, which might indicated more humid and cooler climate in the late Holocene. Comparing to the other pollen records in the Altai Mountains, Lake Grusha and Lake Hoton had recorded a slightly different process of vegetation evolution in the early Holocene, where forest was built up in the northern side of the Chinese Altai faster than that of the Kanas Lake area. And the difference could

  10. Source areas and long-range transport of pollen from continental land to Tenerife (Canary Islands).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izquierdo, Rebeca; Belmonte, Jordina; Avila, Anna; Alarcón, Marta; Cuevas, Emilio; Alonso-Pérez, Silvia

    2011-01-01

    The Canary Islands, due to their geographical position, constitute an adequate site for the study of long-range pollen transport from the surrounding land masses. In this study, we analyzed airborne pollen counts at two sites: Santa Cruz de Tenerife (SCO), at sea level corresponding to the marine boundary layer (MBL), and Izaña at 2,367 m.a.s.l. corresponding to the free troposphere (FT), for the years 2006 and 2007. We used three approaches to describe pollen transport: (1) a classification of provenances with an ANOVA test to describe pollen count differences between sectors; (2) a study of special events of high pollen concentrations, taking into consideration the corresponding meteorological synoptic pattern responsible for transport and back trajectories; and (3) a source-receptor model applied to a selection of the pollen taxa to show pollen source areas. Our results indicate several extra-regional pollen transport episodes to Tenerife. The main provenances were: (1) the Mediterranean region, especially the southern Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, through the trade winds in the MBL. These episodes were characterized by the presence of pollen from trees (Casuarina, Olea, Quercus perennial and deciduous types) mixed with pollen from herbs (Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae and Poaceae wild type). (2) The Saharan sector, through transport at the MBL level carrying pollen principally from herbs (Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Cyperaceae and Poaceae wild type) and, in one case, Casuarina pollen, uplifted to the free troposphere. And (3) the Sahel, characterized by low pollen concentrations of Arecaceae, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Cyperaceae and Poaceae wild type in sporadic episodes. This research shows that sporadic events of long-range pollen transport need to be taken into consideration in Tenerife as possible responsible agents in respiratory allergy episodes. In particular, it is estimated that 89-97% of annual counts of the highly allergenous Olea

  11. Source areas and long-range transport of pollen from continental land to Tenerife (Canary Islands)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izquierdo, Rebeca; Belmonte, Jordina; Avila, Anna; Alarcón, Marta; Cuevas, Emilio; Alonso-Pérez, Silvia

    2011-01-01

    The Canary Islands, due to their geographical position, constitute an adequate site for the study of long-range pollen transport from the surrounding land masses. In this study, we analyzed airborne pollen counts at two sites: Santa Cruz de Tenerife (SCO), at sea level corresponding to the marine boundary layer (MBL), and Izaña at 2,367 m.a.s.l. corresponding to the free troposphere (FT), for the years 2006 and 2007. We used three approaches to describe pollen transport: (1) a classification of provenances with an ANOVA test to describe pollen count differences between sectors; (2) a study of special events of high pollen concentrations, taking into consideration the corresponding meteorological synoptic pattern responsible for transport and back trajectories; and (3) a source-receptor model applied to a selection of the pollen taxa to show pollen source areas. Our results indicate several extra-regional pollen transport episodes to Tenerife. The main provenances were: (1) the Mediterranean region, especially the southern Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, through the trade winds in the MBL. These episodes were characterized by the presence of pollen from trees ( Casuarina, Olea, Quercus perennial and deciduous types) mixed with pollen from herbs ( Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae and Poaceae wild type). (2) The Saharan sector, through transport at the MBL level carrying pollen principally from herbs (Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Cyperaceae and Poaceae wild type) and, in one case, Casuarina pollen, uplifted to the free troposphere. And (3) the Sahel, characterized by low pollen concentrations of Arecaceae, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Cyperaceae and Poaceae wild type in sporadic episodes. This research shows that sporadic events of long-range pollen transport need to be taken into consideration in Tenerife as possible responsible agents in respiratory allergy episodes. In particular, it is estimated that 89-97% of annual counts of the highly allergenous Olea

  12. Two New Flavone Glycosides from Chenopodiumambrosioides Growing Wildly in Egypt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hala M. Hammoda

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Chenopodiumambrosioides (Chenopodiaceae growing wildly in Egypt was subjected to antioxidant –guided phytochemical investigation and the EtOAc fraction afforded the two new flavone glycosides; scutellarein-7-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2-α-rhamnopyranoside (1 and scutella-rein-7-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2-α-rhamnopyranoside (2. In addition, the invitro antioxidant activities of the plant alcohol extract, CHCl 3 fraction, EtOAc fraction and isolates were studied.

  13. Salicornia, Sarcocornia ve Arthrocnemum cinslerinin (Chenopodiaceae) Türkiye taksonomik revizyonu

    OpenAIRE

    YAPRAK, Ahmet Emre

    2008-01-01

    Bu çalışmada Türkiye’de bulunan Salicornia L., Sarcocornia A. J. Scott ve Arthrocnemum Moq. cinslerine ait türlerin morfolojik, karyolojik, biyocoğrafik özelliklerinin ve filogenetik ilişkilerinin tanımlanması amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmalar sonucunda Türkiye Florasında verilen Salicornia fragilis P. W. Ball & Tutin, Salicornia europaea L. ve Sarcocornia fruticosa &l...

  14. A monoclonal antibody to feruloylated (1→4)-β-D-galactan

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clausen, Mads Hartvig; Ralet, Marie-Christine; Willats, William G. T.

    2004-01-01

    We report the isolation and characterization of a monoclonal antibody, designated LM9, against feruloylated-(1-->4)-beta-D-galactan. This epitope is a structural feature of cell wall pectic polysaccharides of plants belonging to the family Amaranthaceae (including the Chenopodiaceae). Immuno......-(trans-feruloyl)-beta-D-galactopyransoyl]-(1-->4)-D-galactopyranose (Gal(2)F). LM9 is therefore a useful antibody probe for the analysis of phenolic substitution of cell wall pectic polymers and of cell wall structure in the Amaranthaceae including sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)....

  15. Field Surveys, IOC Valleys. Volumes II-I and II-II. Biological Resources Survey, Dry Lake Valley, Nevada and Pine and Wah Wah Valleys, Utah. Supplement. Spring Survey of the IOC Valleys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-08-01

    pinnata X K CACTACEAE Coryphantha vivipara x Opuntia echinocarpa K 0 x K K K 5putaerinacea K Op’untia sp. x X -12- TABLE 3-1 (Cont.) Shelter site...pilosus x Lepidium montanun X CACTACEAE Opuntia echinocarpa x x Opuntia erinacea X X X CHENOPODIACEAE Atriplex canescens X X X Ceratoides lanata X X X X...Stanleya pinnata X CACTACEAE Coryphantha vivipara var. rosea X Echinocereus engelmannii X opuntia echinocarpa X X X X X X X X Opuntia erinacea XX X X X X x

  16. Effect of water and saline stress on germination of Atriplex nummularia (Chenopodiaceae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruiz, Monica B; Parera, Carlos A

    2013-01-01

    Saline soils, characteristic of arid zones, can affect the germination of the species due to low water potential or ion toxicity. The effect of water and saline stress on germination was evaluated in atriplex nummularia a potential source of forage for arid zones. the seeds were scarified to reduce the inhibitory effect on germination and incubated in at 23 Celsius degrade on germination paper imbibed with solutions of sodium chloride (NaCl) and polyethylene glycol (peg) at three water potentials: -0,5; -1,0 and -1,5 MPA. The percentage germination and germination speed were significantly affected by the concentration of the solution and the solute used. While more negative osmotic potentials, the percentage of germination and germination speed were significantly lower. The seeds germinated in peg solution have higher germination and germination speed than the seeds germinated in NaCl, especially in -1,0 MPA. The data suggest that the seeds of a. nummularia show sensitivity to the presence of Na+ and Cl- ions affecting the germination process.

  17. 7 CFR 201.56-1 - Goosefoot family, Chenopodiaceae, and Carpetweed family, Aizoaceae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED ACT FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS Germination Tests in the Administration... seed: Beet, Swiss chard, fourwing saltbush, spinach, New Zealand spinach, and forage kochia. (a) General description. (1) Germination habit: Epigeal dicot. (2) Food reserves: Leaf-like cotyledons and...

  18. Allopolyploid Origin of Chenopodium album s. str. (Chenopodiaceae): A Molecular and Cytogenetic Insight

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Krak, Karol; Vít, Petr; Belyayev, Alexander; Douda, Jan; Hreusová, Lucia; Mandák, Bohumil

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 11, č. 8 (2016), s. 1-22, č. článku e0161063. E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-02290S Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : Chenopodium * allopolyploidy * evolution Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 2.806, year: 2016

  19. Structural adaptation of Salsola soda L. (Chenopodiaceae from inland and maritime saline area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milić Dubravka M.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The microscopic analysis of leaf and stem in two populations of Salsola soda was carried out in order to examine mechanism of anatomical adaptations to environmental condition on saline habitats and to determine if there exists a morpho-anatomical differentiation between populations from maritime and inland saline area. Analysis included 26 quantitative characters of leaf and stem. The results showed that both populations exhibited halomorphic and xeromorphic adaptations, which refered to ecological plasticity and adaptations of plants to their habitats. Our research also showed that S. soda had quite a stable morphoanatomical structure, since only quantitative changes were recorded. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173002

  20. How does seed heteromorphism influence the life history stages of Atriplex sagittata (Chenopodiaceae)?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mandák, Bohumil; Pyšek, Petr

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 200, - (2005), s. 516-526 ISSN 0367-2530 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA6005206 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : Atriplex * heterocarpy * competition Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 1.086, year: 2005

  1. Buried in sands: environmental analysis at the archaeological site of Xiaohe cemetery, Xinjiang, China.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin-Feng Li

    Full Text Available Palynomorphs extracted from the mud coffins and plant remains preserved at the archaeological site of Xiaohe Cemetery (Cal. 3980 to 3540 years BP in Lop Nur Desert of Xinjiang, China were investigated for the reconstruction of the ancient environments at the site. The results demonstrate that the Xiaohe People lived at a well-developed oasis, which was surrounded by extensive desert. The vegetation in the oasis consisted of Populus, Phragmites, Typha and probably of Gramineae, while the desert surrounding the oasis had some common drought-resistant plants dominated by Ephedra, Tamarix, Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae. This present work provides the first data of the environmental background at this site for further archaeological investigation.

  2. Aeropalynologic analysis of Timisoara (Romania during 2006 year

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicoleta IANOVICI

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the results of a one year qualitative-quantitative study of airborne pollen. The objective of the investigation was to analyse the daily presence and distribution of pollen and to identify the pollen types that are abundantly represented in the atmosphere of the city of Timisoara. A continuous aeropalynologic survey was accomplished between 1 mai 2006 and 8 octombrie 2006. Plants with anemophilous pollination were the best represented: Pinaceae, Poaceae, Plantago, Rumex, Urtica, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Artemisia, Ambrosia, Fraxinus, Salix, Betula, Carpinus, Quercus, Juglans, Platanus, Morus, Tilia. The total pollen spectrum was represented by 17 pollen types. Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen types was dominant. The highest level of pollen emission was recorded during August-September.

  3. Introduction of the flora, life forms and chorology of plants of some regions in western Chabahar (Sistan and Baluchestan Province

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Somayeh Salimi

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This study focused on Zarabad, Cheraghabad and Nogombecom plants of sub-basin watershed city of Chabahar, Iran. The studied flora included 78 species which belonged to 66 genera and 29 families. Poaceae with 16 genera and 19 species, Asteraceae with 7 genera and 8 species, Chenopodiaceae with 5 genera and 4 species, Papilionaceae, with 5 genera and 6 species, constituted the largest plant families respectively. The largest genera of the region were: Salsola, Heliotropium and Plantago, respectively. 42% of the flora belonged to Nobo-Sindian elements, 35%to Irano-Turanian, 18%were bioregional elements and 5% of the species were cosmopolitan. Flora of the studied area, included therophytes (56%, chamaephytes (15%, phanerophytes (14%, geophytes (12% and hemicryptophytes (3%.

  4. Pollen morphology of some asiatic species of genus salsola (chenopodiaceae) and its taxonomic relationships

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toderich, K.N.; Shuyskaya, E.V.; Ozturk, M

    2010-01-01

    Comparative studies on the pollen grain morphology of 27 Asiatic species of the genus Salsola were conducted by using scanning electron microscope (SEM analysis) in order to assess the taxonomic value of pollen traits. The pollen are radially symmetrical isopolar, pantopolyporate, spherical or subspheroid. The pollen characters like size, pore number, chord (C/D ratio), pore diameter, exine thickness, level of sinking of pore, convexness of mesoporial exine, spinule and minute-hole densities and number of spines on pore membrane appeared to be useful characters in distinguishing the species. Interesting intraspecific variations in pollen grain morphology were recorded for the C/D ratio. This parameter is highly specific, supporting the delimitation of Salsola species, and appears to be more conservative than some flower and fruit characters. The numerical value of form index comprising the ratio between the length of polar axis and diameter (P/E) also was an informative trait for delimitation of the species investigated here. Three pollen types were recognized. Euclidean distance was used to compute the dissimilarity matrix and a cladogram prepared. The quantitative characters of pollen morphology allowed clustering of groups and ordination analyses of species from different sections/subsections within genus Salsola. These features indicated that overall pollen traits reflect the current taxonomic boundaries, except for the Salsola species allocated to Climacoptera and Halothamnus, which should be accepted as separate genera. (author)

  5. The use of halophytic plants for salt phytoremediation in constructed wetlands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farzi, Abolfazl; Borghei, Seyed Mehdi; Vossoughi, Manouchehr

    2017-07-03

    This research studied the use of constructed wetlands (CWs) to reduce water salinity. For this purpose, three halophytic species of the Chenopodiaceae family (Salicornia europaea, Salsola crassa, and Bienertia cycloptera) that are resistant to saline conditions were planted in the CWs, and experiments were conducted at three different salinity levels [electrical conductivity (EC)∼2, 6, 10 dS/m]. EC and concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and chlorine (Cl) were measured before and after phytoremediation with a retention time of 1 week. The results suggested that these plants were able to grow well and complete their life cycles at all the salinity levels within this study. Moreover, these plants reduced the measured parameters to acceptable levels. Therefore, these plants can be considered good options for salt phytoremediation.

  6. Morphological description and DNA barcoding study of sand rice (Agriophyllum squarrosum, Chenopodiaceae) collected in Kazakhstan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Genievskaya, Yuliya; Abugalieva, Saule; Zhubanysheva, Aibatsha; Turuspekov, Yerlan

    2017-11-14

    Sand rice (Agriophyllum squarrosum (L.) Moq.) is an annual shrub-like plant adapted to the mobile sand dunes in desert and semi-desert regions of Asia. It has a balanced nutrient composition with relatively high concentration of lipids and proteins, which results in its nutrition being similar to legumes. Sand rice's proteins contain the full range of essential amino acids. However, calories content is more similar to wheat. These features together with desert stress resistance make sand rice a potential food crop resilient to ongoing climate change. It is also an important fodder crop (on young stages of growth) for cattle in arid regions of Kazakhstan. In our work, sand rice samples were collected from two distant regions of Kazakhstan as a part of the nation-wide project to determine genetic variation of the native flora. Samples were collected in western and southeastern parts of Kazakhstan separated by distances of up to 1300 km. Sequences of the nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and the chloroplast matK gene confirmed the identity of species defined by morphological traits. Comparison with GenBank sequences revealed polymorphic sequence positions among Kazakh populations and GenBank references, and suggested a distinction among local populations of sand rice. The phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences showed a clear partition of A. squarrosum (L.) Moq. from Agriophyllum minus Fisch. & C.A. Mey, which grows in the same sand dunes environment. DNA barcoding analyses of ITS and matK sequences showed a segregation of A. squarrosum from A. minus into separate clades in Maximum-Likelhood dendrograms. ITS analysis can be successfully used to characterize A. squarrosum populations growing quite distant from each other. The data obtained in this work provide the basis for further investigations on A. squarrosum population structure and may play a role in the screening of sand rice plants growing in desert and semi-desert environments of Central Asia and China.

  7. Microcnemum coralloides (Chenopodiaceae- Salicornioideae: an example of intraspecific East-West disjunctions in the Mediterranean region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kadereit, Gudrun

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Microcnemum is a monotypic genus of Salicornioideae comprising rare, annual, hygrohalophytic herbs growing in hypersaline inland lagoons and salt pans. Microcnemum coralloides shows an East-West disjunction in the Mediterranean region: M. coralloides subsp. coralloides occurs in central and eastern Spain while M. coralloides subsp. anatolicum grows in Turkey, Syria, Armenia and Iran. We studied the phylogeny, biogeography and morphological differentiation of M. coralloides. Molecular analyses, using five western and eight eastern accessions of the species, were based on three different markers (nuclear ITS and plastid atpB-rbcL spacer and trnT/F region analysed with Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood. Estimates of divergence times were calculated using a Likelihood Ratio Test (LRT and the Penalized Likelihood (PL method. The two subspecies can be clearly distinguished by their different seed testa surface. Other diagnostic characters were not found. The molecular data (ITS and ML analysis of the trnT/F region indicate that M. coralloides subsp. coralloides originated from within M. coralloides subsp. anatolicum which implies an East Mediterranean origin and subsequent westward dispersal. Age estimates for the split of the two subspecies range from 2.8–0.5 million years ago. Considering the relatively low genetic differentiation and the low crown group age (0.7–0.1 mya of M. coralloides subsp. coralloides in comparison to M. coralloides subsp. anatolicum we favour the hypothesis that the Iberian part of the species range was established during cold periods of the Early Pleistocene and that the range of the species was fragmented during a warmer period soon after its arrival in Iberia.Microcnemum es un género monotípico de Salicornioideae que consiste en hierbas higrohalófilas, anuales, raras, que crecen en cuencas endorréicas hipersalinas del interior y salares. Microcnemum coralloides muestran una disyunción Este-Oeste en la región mediterránea: M. coralloides subsp. coralloides aparece en el centro y el levante español, mientras que M.coralloides subsp. anatolicum crece en Turquía, Siria, Armenia e Irán. Estudiamos la filogenia, la biogeografía y la diferenciación morfológica de M. coralloides. Los análisis moleculares, empleando cinco adquisiciones occidentales y ocho orientales de la especie, se basaron en tres marcadores distintos (ITS nuclear, espaciadores plástidos atpBrbcL y región trnT/F analizados con Máxima Parsimonia y Máxima Verosimilitud. Las estimaciones de tiempos divergentes se calcularon empleando una Prueba de Verosimilitud (LRT y el método de Verosimilitud Penalizada. Las dos subspecies se distinguen claramente por la diferencia en la superficie de su envoltura. No se encontraron otras características de diferenciación. Los datos moleculares (ITS y análisis ML de la región trnT/F indican que M. coralloides subsp. coralloides originó de dentro de M. coralloides subsp. anatolicum, lo cual implica un origen en el este del Mediterráneo y su posterior dispersión hacia el oeste. Las estimaciones de edad para la separación de las dos subespecies data desde hace 2,8 a 0,5 millones de años. En vista de la diferenciación genética, relativamente baja y la reducida edad del grupo terminal (0,7-0,1 millones de años de M. coralloides subsp. coralloides en comparación con M. coralloides subsp. anatolicum, favorecemos la hipótesis de que la parte ibérica de la gama de la especie se estableció durante periodos fríos del Bajo Pleistoceno y que la gama de la especie se fragmentó durante un periodo más cálido no mucho después de su llegada a la Península.

  8. Effects of moistening, salinity and competitive interactions on vitality and production activity of Salicorniaeuropaea (Chenopodiaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. F. Kotov

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Dynamics of competitive interactions in populations of annual euhalophyte S. europaea was investigated. For S. europaea the hypothesis of Newman and Tilman is confirmed, concerning presence of intensive competition between plants on unproductive habitats for soil resources. Vital state of plants in populations of S. europaea is determined by intensity of competitive interactions, level of humidity and degree of salinity of ecotype. On an example of S. europaea, productive activity of plants on salted habitats was analyzed and the role of interspecific competition in this process was determined.

  9. The utility of rbcl and matk regions for dna barcoding analysis of the genus suaeda (amaranthaceae) species

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munir, U.; Perveen, A.; Qamarunnisa, S.

    2015-01-01

    The genus Suaeda (Forssk.) belongs to the family Chenopodiaceae. Identification of Suaeda species based on morphological data is quite difficult due to high phenotypic plasticity, few distinguishable and many overlapping characters. In current research, the efficiency of rbcL and matK (plants core barcode regions) for species identification of the genus Suaeda was assessed. The determination of intraspecific and interspecific divergence, assessment of barcoding gap, reconstruction of phylogenetic trees and evaluation of barcode regions for species identification (based on best match and best close match) were carried out. The results revealed that rbcL showed comparatively less overlapping for the distribution of interspecific and intraspecific divergence. In addition, the highest discriminating ability for correct species identification was also observed in this region. Therefore, rbcL was found to be a significant barcode region for the identification of Suaeda species. (author)

  10. Anatomía de los órganos vegetativos de dos especies de Atriplex (Chenopodiaceae de Venezuela

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damelis Jáuregui

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available En Venezuela, Atriplex está representado por A. cristata y A. oestophora, siendo esta última endémica, las mismas habitan zonas costeras con altas temperaturas, alta radiación solar y suelos arenosos con alto contenido de sales. Se caracterizaron anatómicamente sus órganos vegetativos con el fin de aportar rasgos para delimitarlas taxonómicamente y precisar caracteres que contribuyan a su adaptabilidad a las condiciones edafoclimáticas imperantes en su hábitat. El material vegetal fue recolectado en tres individuos de cada especie en Punta Taima Taima y Capatárida (Falcón. Se recolectaron segmentos de raíces próximos al cuello y al ápice; entrenudos basales, medios y apicales, y hojas ubicadas en la porción media de las plan- tas. Este material fue fijado en FAA (formaldehido, ácido acético y etanol 70% hasta su procesamiento. Se prepara- ron láminas semipermanentes y permanentes con secciones transversales y longitudinales hechas a mano alzada o con micrótomo, en este último caso posterior a la inclusión en parafina. Adicionalmente, se realizaron macerados con el fin de obtener las epidermis foliares. Las secciones fueron teñidas con azul de toluidina acuosa (1% o con safranina- fastgreen, montándolas en agua/glicerina o en bálsamo de Canadá. Se cuantificó el número de vasos y su densidad en los anillos vasculares de las raíces, para calcular el índice de vulnerabilidad. Se encontraron rasgos estructurales de valor taxonómico: la presencia de tejido acuífero en la lámina foliar, el número de haces vasculares y su organización en el nervio medio, así como la diferenciación de colénquima en el mismo; además, el arreglo del xilema/ floema en los anillos de crecimiento, la naturaleza del tejido conjuntivo, así como la presencia de floema incluso, en las raíces. Se detectaron caracteres anatómicos típicos de halófitas y xerófitas, como son: alta densidad de tricomas en hojas y tallos jóvenes, que actúan como glándulas secretoras de sal, abundancia de esclerénquima en tallos y raíces, tejidos reservantes de agua y anatomía Kranz en hojas, región cortical estrecha en raíces jóvenes, presencia de variantes cambiales en tallos y raíces, así como vasos cortos y estrechos en el xilema. El índice de vulnerabilidad indica que ambas especies tienden a asegurar la conducción, pero no la eficiencia del sistema. Las especies de Atriplex que crecen en Venezuela tienen caracteres que permiten su delimitación taxonómica y que facilitan su adaptación a las condiciones particulares de su hábitat.

  11. EFECTO DEL ESTRÉS HÍDRICO Y SALINO SOBRE LA GERMINACIÓN DE Atriplex nummularia (CHENOPODIACEAE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mónica Beatriz Ruiz

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Los suelos salinos, característicos de zonas áridas, pueden afectar la germinación de las especies por presentar bajos potenciales hídricos o por toxicidad iónica. En este trabajo se determinó el efecto del estrés hídrico y salino sobre la germinación de Atriplex nummularia, una alternativa forrajera para zonas áridas. Las semillas fueron escarificadas para minimizar el efecto inhibidor de las brácteas y germinadas a 23 ºC sobre papel de germinación en soluciones con diferente potencial hídrico (-0,5, -1,0 y -1,5 MPa de cloruro de sodio (NaCl y polietilenglicol (PEG, utilizando agua destilada como control. El porcentaje de germinación y la velocidad de germinación fueron significativamente afectados por la concentración de la solución y el soluto utilizado. A valores de potencial osmótico más negativos el porcentaje de germinación y velocidad de germinación fueron significativamente menores. En los tres potenciales hídricos ensayados la velocidad y el porcentaje de semillas germinadas en NaCl fue significativamente menor que en PEG, siendo especialmente notoria esta diferencia a -1,0 MPa. Los datos sugieren que las semillas de A. nummularia  presentan sensibilidad a la presencia de los iones Na+  y Cl-  que afectan el proceso de germinación.

  12. How much genetic variation is stored in the seed bank? A study of Atriplex tatarica (Chenopodiaceae)

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mandák, Bohumil; Bímová, Kateřina; Mahelka, Václav; Plačková, Ivana

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 15, - (2006), s. 2653-2663 ISSN 0962-1083 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA6005206 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : seed bank * population genetic structure * competition Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 4.825, year: 2006

  13. Spectrum of allergenic pollen in Karachi and their characterization using conventional and electron microscopy: Potential candidates for allergy vaccines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parveen, A.; Noori, M.Y.; Qureshi, M.A.

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To study the distribution of naturally growing plants with possible allergenic potential and study their pollen morphology in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: We performed field surveys of naturally growing plants with possible allergenic potential and studied their pollen morphology using conventional (light) as well as scanning electron microscopy. Results: About 80 allergenic pollen producing species were identified which are distributed in 45 genera and 9 angiospermic families. Grasses belonging to Graminae are most abundant followed by plants from family Fabaceae (Leguminosae). Highly allergenic weeds were also found widely growing in the city areas belonging to Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae family. Conclusion: Our study provides an updated information about the allergenic plants growing in Karachi city. All desensitization efforts should be designed in accordance to the available information regarding the prevalent allergens in the environment so that appropriate therapy can be given to the affected population. (author)

  14. The trophic plasticity of genus phelipanche pomel (orobanchaceae in bulgaria Trofichna plastichnost na rod phelipanche pomel (orobanchaceae v bulgaria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiril STOYANOV

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available New data about the natural parasitism of Phelipanche ramosa (L Pomel, P. mutelii (Shultz Pomel, P. oxyloba, P. arenaria and P. purpurea in Bulgaria are collected. The information for the hosts describes 46 new trophic systems with species from the families: Brassicaceae, Solanaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Poaceae, Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Araliaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Geraniaceae, Dioscoreaceae and Verbenaceae. The samples are collected outside the crop fields, far from the known host crops, from different parts of the country. Some of the registered hosts are new for Bulgaria. The voucher specimens with physical connection to the hosts are deposited in the Herbarium of The Agricultural University - Plovdiv (SOA. The collected data suggest that genus Phelipanche is represented by two trophic groups according to the known sections. Sect. Phelipanche unites the polyphags P. ramosa, P. oxyloba and P. mutelii. Sect. Arenariae consist oligophags - P. arenaria and P. purpurea.

  15. Analysis of airborne pollen grains in Konya, Turkey, 2005

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Altunoglu, M.K.; Bicakci, A.; Temel, M.; Kargioglu, M.

    2010-01-01

    In this study, airborne pollen grains of Konya province were investigated using Durham sampler from January to December 2005. A total of 4420 pollen grains/cm/sup 2/ which belonged to 29 taxa and 9 unidentified pollen grains were recorded. From identified taxa, 19 belong to arboreal and 10 taxa to non-arboreal plants. Total pollen grains consist of 87,49% arboreal, 12,31% non-arboreal plants and 0,20% unidentified pollen grains. In the investigated region, from arboreal plant taxa Pinus spp. (21,63%), Fraxinus spp. (21,13%), Cupressaceae (15,84%), Ailanthus spp. (7,47%), Platanus spp. (3,80%), Acer spp. (3,28%), Populus spp. (1,86%), Sophora spp. (3,85%) and from non-arboreal plant taxa Chenopodiaceae / Amaranthaceae (4,77%), Poaceae (3,67%) were responsible for the greatest amount of pollen. During the study period, the pollen fall reached its highest level in March. (author)

  16. Quinoa: Nutritional, functional, and antinutritional aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filho, Antonio Manoel Maradini; Pirozi, Mônica Ribeiro; Borges, João Tomaz Da Silva; Pinheiro Sant'Ana, Helena Maria; Chaves, José Benício Paes; Coimbra, Jane Sélia Dos Reis

    2017-05-24

    We have prepared a review of the physical-chemical composition and the functional and anti-nutritional properties of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). It is a plant of the Chenopodiaceae family, originally from the Andean regions, adaptable to different types of soils and climatic conditions. Its composition has attracted the attention of scientific community for its high nutritional value, being rich in proteins, lipids, fibers, vitamins, and minerals, with an extraordinary balance of essential amino acids. It is also gluten-free, a characteristic that enables its use by celiac patients. In spite of all these attributes, quinoa is not widely used by consumers due to the high cost of imported grain and little knowledge of its benefits. More studies are required to increase knowledge about this "pseudo-cereal" to demonstrate its functional and nutritional benefits and to study its anti-nutritional effects, since it presents high commercial value and excellent nutritional quality.

  17. To the biology of the Damalacantha vacca (Fischer von Waldheim, 1846 (Orthoptera: Tettigonnidae: Bradyporinae with the description of eggs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. I. Temreshev

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The article gives a new data on the biology and fecundity of the grasshopper Damalacantha vacca (Fischer von Waldheim, 1846, a rare species of the Orthopterans, listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Earlier in the literature it was noted that this species eats saltwort (Salsola. When the Damalacantha vacca was kept in the cage, in addition to plant foods (except for Amaranthaceae and Chenopodiaceae plants, cereals, mostly spikelets and young leaves, and thinly sliced pieces of various vegetables - cabbage, potatoes, carrots were eaten, and animals (dead grasshoppers, flies and butterflies - Owlet moths. Egg laying by females carried out in batches of 5-6 pieces per soil, with preference given to areas with compacted soil, permeated with interlaced plant roots. Fecundity of two females, who made a full clutch, was 49 and 54 eggs, respectively. For the first time the description of the egg is given and the structure of the chorion.

  18. Recycling of Na in advanced life support: strategies based on crop production systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guntur, S V; Mackowiak, C; Wheeler, R M

    1999-01-01

    Sodium is an essential dietary requirement in human nutrition, but seldom holds much importance as a nutritional element for crop plants. In Advanced Life Support (ALS) systems, recycling of gases, nutrients, and water loops is required to improve system closure. If plants are to play a significant role in recycling of human wastes, Na will need to accumulate in edible tissues for return to the crew diet. If crops fail to accumulate the incoming Na into edible tissues, Na could become a threat to the hydroponic food production system by increasing the nutrient solution salinity. Vegetable crops of Chenopodiaceae such as spinach, table beet, and chard may have a high potential to supply Na to the human diet, as Na can substitute for K to a large extent in metabolic processes of these crops. Various strategies are outlined that include both genetic and environmental management aspects to optimize the Na recovery from waste streams and their resupply through the human diet in ALS.

  19. Medicinal flora of Hingol National Park, Baluchistan, Pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qureshi, R.

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to record medicinal use of native plants by the inhabitants of the study area. Thirty nine plant species belonging to 32 genera and 22 families were documented having medicinally important and are being used by the local people for treating their various diseases. Generally, 25 different ailments were treated from the reported species. Most of the reported taxa were used as tonic (13%), followed by diarrhea (9.2%), wound healing (7.41%), constipation, cooling agent, cough and throat pain (5.56% each). In addition, four plant species were used to treat fracture, stomach problems and fever of livestock. Fabaceae contributed significant number of species (7 spp.), followed by Asclepiadaceae, Asteraceae and Zygophyllaceae (3 spp. each), Capparaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Rhamnaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Tamaricaceae and Tiliaceae (2 spp. each), while 9 families represented by single species. For each species, botanical name, family, habit, local name, part(s) used and ethnomedicinal uses are provided in this paper. (author)

  20. Biological and molecular characterization of Brazilian isolates of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus

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    David Marques de Almeida Spadotti

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV causes substantial economic losses in cucurbit crops. Although ZYMV has been present in Brazil for more than 20 years, there is little information about the biological and molecular characteristics of the isolates found in the country. This study aimed to characterize the experimental hosts, pathotypes and genetic diversity of a collection of eleven Brazilian ZYMV isolates within the coat protein gene. For biological analysis, plant species from Amaranthaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae, and Pedaliaceae were mechanically inoculated and pathotypes were identified based on the reaction of a resistant Cucumis melo, accession PI414723. All of the cucurbit species/varieties and Sesamum indicum were systemically infected with all isolates. The nucleotide sequence variability of the coat protein gene ranged from 82 % to 99 % compared to the corresponding sequences of ZYMV isolates from different geographical locations. No recombination event was detected in the coat protein gene of the isolates.

  1. Genotypic variations in the accumulation of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn exhibited by six commonly grown vegetables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, P.D.; Alloway, B.J.; Dourado, A.M.

    2006-01-01

    Metal contaminants in garden and allotment soils could possibly affect human health through a variety of pathways. This study focused on the potential pathway of consumption of vegetables grown on contaminated soil. Five cultivars each of six common vegetables were grown in a control and in a soil spiked with Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. Highly significant differences in metal content were evident between cultivars of a number of vegetables for several of the contaminants. Carrot and pea cultivars exhibited significant differences in accumulated concentrations of Cd and Cu with carrot cultivars also exhibiting significant differences in Zn. Distinctive differences were also identified when comparing one vegetable to another, legumes (Leguminosae) tending to be low accumulators, root vegetables (Umbelliferae and Liliaceae) tending to be moderate accumulators and leafy vegetables (Compositae and Chenopodiaceae) being high accumulators. - Genotypic differences between cultivars of vegetable species can be important in determining the extent of accumulation of metals from contaminated soil

  2. How does population genetic diversity change over time? An experimental seed bank study of Atriplex tatarica (Chenopodiaceae)

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mandák, Bohumil; Plačková, Ivana

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 204, č. 2 (2009), s. 423-433 ISSN 0367-2530 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA6005206; GA AV ČR IAA600050707 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : seed banks * succession * competition Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 1.439, year: 2009

  3. Quinoa BRS Piabiru: alternativa para diversificar os sistemas de produção de grãos Quinoa BRS Piabiru: alternative for diversification of cropping systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Roberto Spehar

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available A diversificação da agricultura possibilita implementar a renda, reduzir custos, disponibilizar nutrientes, proteger o solo, reduzir impacto ambiental negativo e ofertar alimentos. A quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd., uma Chenopodiaceae originária dos Andes, destaca-se por tolerância à seca, elevada qualidade da proteína, baixo colesterol, ausência de glúten (útil a pacientes celíacos, e uso na alimentação animal. A espécie apresenta diversidade, com ciclo variável entre 80 e 150 dias no Brasil central. Os frutos, do tipo aquênio, são pequenos, achatados e sem dormência. BRS Piabiru, primeira recomendação de quinoa ao cultivo no Brasil, originou-se da linhagem EC 3, selecionada em uma população procedente de Quito, Equador. Após dois anos de ensaios, foi uniformizada em suas características agronômicas a partir de 1998. Em sucessão à soja (safrinha e na entressafra, sob irrigação, apresentou produção média de 2,8 t/ha de grãos, com 145 dias da emergência à maturação. Constitui um potencial componente do sistema plantio direto.Diversification of production systems contributes to improve income, to reduce costs, to improve nutrient availability, to protect the soil, to reduce negative environmental impact, and, to provide raw material. The Andean crop quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd., a Chenopodiaceae, presents outstanding characteristics of drought tolerance, high quality of kernel protein, low cholesterol content, absence of gluten (suitable to celiac patients, utilisation as animal feed. The species presents variability, with days from emergence to maturity varying between 80 to 150, under savannah conditions. The fruit, achene type, is small and flat in shape, without dormancy. The BRS Piabiru, the first recommended quinoa for cropping system in Brazil, was a selection of breeding line EC 3, originating from a plant population of Quito, Ecuador. After being tested for two years in variety trials, in Central

  4. Humid to arid to subhumid vegetation shift on Pilliga Sandstone, Ulungra Springs, New South Wales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodson, J. R.; Wright, R. V. S.

    1989-09-01

    The Pilliga Sandstone region of the northwest slope of New South Wales has a natural vegetation cover of sclerophyllous relatively closed to open forests with a largely heathy understorey, and a warm, subhumid and continental climate. Pollen analysis of spring-fed deposits gives a vegetation history extending from at least 30,000 yr B.P. to the late Holocene. Tree pollen became scarce after about 25,000 yr B.P. and an assemblage dominated by Chenopodiaceae, Liguliflorae, Tubuliflorae, and probably Poaceae developed. No similar assemblage is known from present pollen rain studies carried out in Australia. However, it clearly represents a treeless open shrub-steppe formation and therefore an arid or semiarid environment. The site thus provides evidence of an eastward late Pleistocene extension of the arid zone in Australia, and is the first full-glacial vegetation record between 20° and 35° latitude in Australia. The present vegetation cover did not become reestablished until the beginning of the Holocene, which raises questions about the form in which Pilliga Sandstone vegetation survived full-glacial conditions.

  5. Antiviral activity of some Tunisian medicinal plants against Herpes simplex virus type 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sassi, A Ben; Harzallah-Skhiri, F; Bourgougnon, N; Aouni, M

    2008-01-10

    Fifteen species of Tunisian traditional medicinal plants, belonging to 10 families, were selected for this study. They were Inula viscosa (L.) Ait and Reichardia tingitana (L.) Roth ssp. discolor (Pom.) Batt. (Asteraceae), Mesembryanthemum cristallinum L. and M. nodiflorum L. (Aizoaceae), Arthrocnemum indicum (Willd.) Moq., Atriplex inflata Muell., A. parvifolia Lowe var. ifiniensis (Caball) Maire, and Salicornia fruticosa L. (Chenopodiaceae), Cistus monspeliensis L. (Cistaceae), Juniperus phoenicea L. (Cupressaceae), Erica multiflora L. (Ericaceae), Frankenia pulverulenta L. (Frankeniaceae), Hypericum crispum L. (Hypericaceae), Plantago coronopus L. ssp. eu-coronopus Pilger var. vulgaris G.G. (Plantaginaceae) and Zygophyllum album L. (Zygophyllaceae). Fifty extracts prepared from those plants were screened in order to assay their antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), using neutral red incorporation. Extracts from eight plants among these 15 showed some degree of antiviral activity, while the methanolic extract of E. multiflora was highly active with EC(50) of 132.6 microg mL(-1). These results corroborate that medicinal plants from Tunisia can be a rich source of potential antiviral compounds.

  6. Ethnobotanical review of wild edible plants of Slovakia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Łukasz Łuczaj

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper is an ethnobotanical review of wild edible plants gathered for consumption from the 19th century to the present day, within the present borders of Slovakia. Twenty-four sources (mainly ethnographic documenting the culinary use of wild plants were analysed. The use of 106 species (over 3% of the Slovak flora has been recorded. Nowadays most of them are no longer used, or used rarely, apart from a few species of wild fruits. The most frequently used plants include the fruits of Rubus idaeus, Fragaria spp., Rubus subgenus Rubus, Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea, Fagus sylvatica, Corylus avellana, Prunus spinosa, Pyrus spp., Malus spp., Crataegus spp. and the leaves of Urtica dioica, Rumex acetosa, Chenopodiaceae species, Cardamine amara, Glechoma spp., Taraxacum spp. and Oxalis acetosella. The most commonly used wild food taxa are nearly identical to those used in Poland, and the same negative association of wild vegetables with famine exists in Slovakia, resulting in their near complete disappearance from the present-day diet.

  7. Late glacial vegetation and climate changes in the high mountains of Bulgaria (Southeast Europe)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bozilova, E.D.; Tonkov, S.B.

    2005-01-01

    Full text: The Late glacial vegetation history in the high mountains of Southern Bulgaria (Rila, Pirin, Western Rhodopes) is reconstructed by means of pollen analysis, plant macrofossils and radiocarbon dating of sediments from lakes and peat-bogs located between 1300 and 2200 m a.s.l. The vegetation response to the climate fluctuations after 13000 14 C yrs. BP in the Rila Mountains is bound for the first time to a detailed chronological framework. Two stadial and one interstadial phases are delimited analogous with the Oldest Dryas-Bolling/Allerod-Younger Dryas cycle for Western Europe. During the stadials mountain-steppe vegetation composed of Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae and other cold-resistant herbs dominated at high elevation with sparse stands of Pinus, Betula, and shrubland of Juniperus and Ephedra. The climate improvement in the interstadial resulted in the initial spread of deciduous and coniferous trees (Quercus, Tilia, Corylus, Carpinus, Abies, Picea) from their local refugia below 1000 m. The palaeoecological record from the climate deterioration during the Younger Dryas is documented in thin sections of the cores investigated. (author)

  8. Comparison of tolerance to soil acidity among crop plants. II. Tolerance to high levels of aluminum and manganese. Comparative plant nutrition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanaka, A; Hayakawa, Y

    1975-01-01

    Research was conducted by growing various species of plants in solutions containing high concentrations of manganese or aluminum. A comparison was made of the tolerance of these plants to low pH and to the manganese and aluminum. In addition, the element content of the plants was compared. Plants high in calcium were found to have an intermediate tolerance to high concentrations of manganese and aluminum. Gramineae had a high tolerance to these elements and to low pH. They also accumulated high levels of these elements. Legumes had a high tolerance to manganese and aluminum and to low pH. However, they also accumulated high levels of these elements. Legumes had a high tolerance to manganese and aluminum and to low pH. However, they also accumulated high levels of these elements. Cruciferae had a low tolerance to the elements and to low pH. They contained low levels of manganese and aluminum. Chenopodiaceae had a low tolerance to the elements as well as low element contents. However, they were highly tolerant to low pH.

  9. Seasonal fluctuations of airborne pollen grains count and its correlation with climatic factors from khairpur; sindh, pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perveen, A.; Khan, M.

    2014-01-01

    This is the first aerobiological survey of Khairpur, Sindh. The survey was conducted from January-December, 2011 using Burkard's Seven Days Volumetric Spore trap. A total of 4559 pollen/m3 were recorded belonging to 33 plant families and 41 pollen types. The major pollen types were Poaceae (13.84%), Amaranthaceae/ Chenopodiaceae (10.40%), Cyperus rotundus (7.61%); Prosopis juliflora (6.19%), Brassica campestris (4.91%), Typha angustifolia (4.89%), Tamarix indica (4.43%), Eucalyptus globules (4.28%), Conocarpus erectus (3.73%), Asteraceae (3.01%), Guaicum officinale (2.94%), Azadirachta indica (2.74%), Malvaceae (2.15%) and Phoenix dactylifera (1.84%) constituting more than 70% of total pollen catch. The highest pollen grains concentration was observed in May-2011 with 880 pollen/m3 count while second highest pollen concentration was detected in September 2011 with 682 pollen/m3. The lowest count was found in December- 2011. Climatic factors like wind speed, average temperature, humidity and rainfall were correlated with the pollen counts. Different pollen types showed significant positive correlation with average temperature while negative correlation with humidity and wind speed. (author)

  10. Preference of Quinoa Moth: Eurysacca Melanocampta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae for Two Varieties of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd. in Olfactometry Assays Preferencia de la Polilla de la Quinua: Eurysacca melanocampta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae por dos Variedades de Quinua (Chenopodium quinoa Willd. en Ensayos de Olfatometría

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan  F Costa

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Insects are attracted to plants by visual and olfactory cues. The quinoa moth, Eurysacca melanocampta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae, is the main insect pest of the quinoa crop, Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Chenopodiales: Chenopodiaceae, in the southern Peruvian Andes, causing grain yield losses. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioural response of adult quinoa moths to olfactory stimuli. Specifically, the objectives of this study were: 1 to determine the capacity of E. melanocampta adults of searching for quinoa plants using plant olfactory cues; 2 to determine the preference of E. melanocampta females for the odours derived from two varieties of quinoa: Amarilla de Marangani and Blanca de Junín; and 3 to assess the attraction of male quinoa moths to E. melanocampta females and the host plant in olfactometric bioassays. Adults preferred quinoa plant odour sources in choice tests when distilled water was used as a control (P La atracción de insectos hacia las plantas es causada tanto por estímulos visuales como olfativos. La polilla de la quinua, Eurysacca melanocampta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae, es la principal plaga en el cultivo de quinua, Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Chenopodiales: Chenopodiaceae, en los Andes del sur peruano causando pérdidas en la producción de granos. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar las respuestas conductuales frente a estímulos olfativos de adultos de la polilla de la quinua. Específicamente, los objetivos del estudio fueron: 1 estudiar la capacidad de búsqueda de plantas de quinua de los adultos de E. melanocampta utilizando plantas como estímulos olfativos; 2 determinar la preferencia de hembras de E. melanocampta por olores derivados de plantas de dos variedades de quinua: Amarilla de Marangani y Blanca de Junín; y 3 estudiar la atracción de los machos hacia hembras de E. melanocampta y hacia las plantas hospederas en bioensayos de olfatometría. Los adultos eligieron fuentes

  11. Insecticide effects of Ruta graveolens, Copaifera langsdorffii and Chenopodium ambrosioides against pests and natural enemies in commercial tomato plantation = Ação inseticida de Ruta graveolens, Copaifera langsdorffii e Chenopodium ambrosioides sobre pragas de tomate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flávia Silva Barbosa

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticide effect of watery leaf extracts of Ruta graveolens (Rutaceae, alcoholic leaf extracts of Copaifera langsdorffii (Caesalpinaceae and Chenopodium ambrosioides (Chenopodiaceae in the concentration of 5% under field conditions. The experiment design was randomized blocks with six replications. The parcels treated with plant extracts showed reduction in the population of pests when compared with the controlparcels. The extract elaborated with C. langsdorffii presented greater insecticidal effect under Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae and sum of pests. It was verified that after 24 hours ofspraying, the parcels treated with the extract of C. ambrosioides presented minor numbers of adults of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae, followed by the parcels treated with extract of R.graveolens. There were smaller numbers of parasitoid eggs of epidopterans Trichogramma sp. (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae and sum of natural enemies (predators + parasitoids in the parcels that had received spraying with extracts from the plants of C. langsdorffii and C. ambrosioides, followed by R. graveolens, compared to the control. There were a smaller number of parasitoids from the family Eulophidae (Hymenoptera attacking caterpillars of T. absoluta in plants treated with R. graveolens, followed by C. langsdorffii and C. ambrosioides than in the control.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito inseticida dos extratos aquosos de folhas de Ruta graveolens (Rutaceae e alcoólicos de folhas de Copaifera langsdorffii (Caesalpinaceae e de folhas de Chenopodium ambrosioides (Chenopodiaceae a 5%. O experimento foi em blocos casualizados com seis repetições. As parcelas tratadas tiveram redução na população de pragas, quando comparadas às parcelas sem nenhum tratamento. O extrato elaborado com C. langsdorffii apresentou maior efeito inseticida em Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae e soma das pragas

  12. Polen y esporas de la Formación Navidad, Neógeno de Chile Pollen and spores of the Navidad Formation, Neogene from Chile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    VIVIANA BARREDA

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available El análisis palinológico de la Formación Navidad en afloramientos de la Cordillera de la Costa, Chile central, brindó asociaciones dominadas por leños, cutículas, algas de agua dulce, esporas y granos de polen (elementos de origen continental con muy escasa participación de quistes de dinoflagelados, acritarcos y cubiertas internas de foraminíferos arenáceos (componentes marinos indicando que estas asociaciones se habrían acumulado en un ambiente marino. Las asociaciones de polen y esporas indican el desarrollo de una vegetación de bosque con participación de elementos gondwánicos (Podocarpaceae, Araucariaceae, Nothofagaceae y neotropicales (Sapotaceae, Malphigiaceae, Arecaceae, Chloranthaceae, Tiliaceae/Bombacaceae -Paleoflora Mixta- apoyando hipótesis previas basadas en las megafloras. En las márgenes de los bosques se habrían desarrollado parches con vegetación esclerófila con AAnacardiaceae y Fabaceae como componentes principales. Sobre suelos arenosos o marismas salinos se habrían desarrollado elementos herbaceo-arbustivos, xerofíticos y halofíticos, como Chenopodiaceae y Calyceraceae. Se destaca el primer registro de taxones endémicos de las familias Calyceraceae y Asteraceae (Barnadesioideae para la palinoflora de Chile. Estas comunidades vegetales se habrían desarrollado bajo condiciones de clima subtropical, cálido y húmedo. Desde el punto de vista cronoestratigráfico las asociaciones esporopolínicas sustentan una edad neógena para la Formación Navidad.Palynological assemblages recovered from the Navidad Formation in outcrops of the Cordillera de la Costa, central Chile, are dominated by wood remains, cuticles, spores and pollen grains and fresh water algae (continental elements with scarce dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, foraminiferal linnings marine palynomorphs indicating that these assemblages would have been accumulated in a marine environment. Spore-pollen assemblages indicate a forest vegetation

  13. Evaluation of Essential Oil and its Three Main Active Ingredients of Chinese Chenopodium Ambrosioides (Family: Chenopodiaceae Against Blattella Germanica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Xiang Zhu

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: The efficacy of essential oil of Chenopodium ambrosioides flowering aerial parts and its three mainactive ingredients was evaluated against Blattella germanica male adults.Methods: Composition of essential oil was determined by GC-MS. Topical application bioassay was used to evaluatecontact toxicity of essential oil and three main components. Fumigant toxicity of essential oil and its main components was measured using a sealed space method.Results: Twenty-two components were identified in the essential oil and the main components were (Z-ascaridole(29.7%, isoascaridole (13.0%, ρ-cymene (12.7% and piperitone (5.0%. The essential oil and (Z-ascaridole,isoascaridole and -cymene possessed fumigant toxicity against male German cockroaches with LC50 values of 4.13,0.55, 2.07 and 6.92 mg/L air, respectively. Topical application bioassay showed that all the three compounds weretoxic to male German cockroaches and (Z-ascaridole was the strongest with a LD50 value of 22.02 g/adult while the crude oil with a LD50 value of 67.46 g/adult.Conclusion: The essential oil from Chinese C. ambrosioides and its three main active ingredients may be explored as natural potential insecticides in the control of cockroaches.

  14. Germination of dimorphic seeds of the desert annual halophyte Suaeda aralocaspica (Chenopodiaceae), a C4 plant without Kranz anatomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lei; Huang, Zhenying; Baskin, Carol C; Baskin, Jerry M; Dong, Ming

    2008-11-01

    Suaeda aralocaspica is a C4 summer annual halophyte without Kranz anatomy that is restricted to the deserts of central Asia. It produces two distinct types of seeds that differ in colour, shape and size. The primary aims of the present study were to compare the dormancy and germination characteristics of dimorphic seeds of S. aralocaspica and to develop a conceptual model of their dynamics. Temperatures simulating those in the natural habitat of S. aralocaspica were used to test for primary dormancy and germination behaviour of fresh brown and black seeds. The effects of cold stratification, gibberellic acid, seed coat scarification, seed coat removal and dry storage on dormancy breaking were tested in black seeds. Germination percentage and recovery responses of brown seeds, non-treated black seeds and 8-week cold-stratified black seeds to salt stress were tested. Brown seeds were non-dormant, whereas black seeds had non-deep Type 2 physiological dormancy (PD). Germination percentage and rate of germination of brown seeds and of variously pretreated black seeds were significantly higher than those of non-pretreated black seeds. Exposure of seeds to various salinities had significant effects on germination, germination recovery and induction into secondary dormancy. A conceptual model is presented that ties these results together and puts them into an ecological context. The two seed morphs of S. aralocaspica exhibit distinct differences in dormancy and germination characteristics. Suaeda aralocaspica is the first cold desert halophyte for which non-deep Type 2 PD has been documented.

  15. Artificially accelerating the reversal of desertification: cyanobacterial inoculation facilitates the succession of vegetation communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lan, Shubin; Zhang, Qingyi; Wu, Li; Liu, Yongding; Zhang, Delu; Hu, Chunxiang

    2014-01-01

    Desertification has been recognized as a global environmental problem, and one region experiencing ongoing desertification is the eastern edge of Qubqi Desert (Inner Mongolia). To investigate the facilitating effects of cyanobacterial inoculation technology on the desertification control along this steppe-desert transition region, artificial cyanobacterial crusts were constructed with two filamentous cyanobacteria 3 and 8 years ago combined with Salix planting. The results showed that no crusts formed after 3 years of fixation only with Salix planting, whereas after cyanobacterial inoculation, the crusts formed quickly and gradually succeed to moss crusts. During that course, topsoil environments were gradually improved, providing the necessary material basis for the regeneration of vascular plants. In this investigation, total 27 species of vascular plants had regenerated in the experimental region, mainly belonging to Asteraceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Leguminosae. Using space time substitution, the dominant species along with the application of cyanobacterial inoculation technology succeeded from Agriophyllum squarrosum ultimately to Leymus chinensis. In addition, it was found that the shady side of the dunes is more conducive to crust development and succession of vegetation communities. Conclusively, our results indicate artificial cyanobacterial inoculation technology is an effective and desirable path for desertification control.

  16. Production of Basella plants resistant to rust by irradiation of seeds and vegetative tissue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makambila, C.

    1997-01-01

    Basella is classified in the family Chenopodiaceae or Basellaceae. Also known as African spinach, this plant is consumed in Central Africa and several other African countries. There are two types of varieties grown in Congo: i. a local variety characterized by red leaves and stalks in which the principal way of propagation is from cuttings; ii. a group of varieties which have green or purple leaves and stalks. These varieties are called Basella alba and Basella rubra. These varieties have sexual reproduction. Among the two groups of varieties, the local variety is propagated vegetatively but is resistant to rust, while varieties with green leaves or with purple leaves (B. alba and B. rubra) that are propagated from seed are susceptible to rust. Since hybrid cannot be made by conventional crossing, the following procedures have been adopted to produce plants with disease tolerance: 1. production of resistant variants by irradiation of Basella alba seeds with Cesium 137; 2. production of resistant variants by irradiation of vegetative tissues obtained by culture of meristematic cells of B alba; and 3. obtaining resistant plants through somaclonal variation. 1 tab

  17. Molecular aspects of cyst nematodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lilley, Catherine J; Atkinson, Howard J; Urwin, Peter E

    2005-11-01

    SUMMARY Taxonomy: Superkingdom Eukaryota; kingdom Metazoa; phylum Nematoda; class Chromadorea; order Tylenchida; suborder Tylenchina; superfamily Tylenchoidea; family Heteroderidae; subfamily Heteroderinae; main genera Heterodera and Globodera. Cyst nematodes comprise approximately 100 known species in six genera. They are pathogens of temperate, subtropical and tropical plant species and the host range of many species is narrow. The most economically important species are within the Globodera and Heterodera genera. Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis are important pathogens of potato crops. There are many economic species in the Heterodera genus, including Heterodera glycines (soybean cyst nematode), H. avenae (cereal cyst nematode) and H. schachtii (sugar beet cyst nematode), the last of which attacks a range of Chenopodiaceae and Cruciferae, including Arabidopsis thaliana. Disease symptoms: Field symptoms of severe cyst nematode infection are often stunting, wilting and chlorosis, but considerable yield loss can occur without obvious symptoms. The only unique indicator of cyst nematode infection is the presence of adult female nematodes attached to host roots after several weeks of parasitism. Disease control: This is usually achieved by using integrated pest management involving cultural practices such as crop rotation, resistant cultivars if available and chemical control when economically justified.

  18. Rainfall in the Negev Desert during the middle Holocene, based on 13C of organic matter in land snail shells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodfriend, Glenn A.

    1990-09-01

    Analysis of stable carbon isotope ratios ( {13C}/{12C}) of organic matter in land snail shells is used to infer middle Holocene rainfall amounts in the Negev Desert by reconstructing the distribution of C 4 plants in the family Chenopodiaceae. The organics are derived from the diet of the snails, which consists of plant material, and are enriched in 13C where C 4 plants are present. A survey of modern plant communities indicates that in areas receiving ≥300 mm mean annual rainfall, nearly all plant communities consist of C 3 species only (no C 4 chenopodes), whereas in areas under ≤230 mm rainfall, most plant communities contain one or more C 4 chenopode species. In between is a transition zone consisting of a mosaic of both pure C 3 and mixed C 3 + C 4 plant communities. Isotopic results for fossil land snails indicate a consistent geographic pattern throughout the middle Holocene, from ca. 6500 to 3000 yr B.P., with the transition zone located ca. 20 km south of its present position. This implies a near doubling of rainfall within this region as compared to present.

  19. Production of Basella plants resistant to rust by irradiation of seeds and vegetative tissue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Makambila, C [Laboratory of Phytopathology, Faculty of Sciences, Univ. of Brazzaville, Brazzaville (Congo)

    1997-12-01

    Basella is classified in the family Chenopodiaceae or Basellaceae. Also known as African spinach, this plant is consumed in Central Africa and several other African countries. There are two types of varieties grown in Congo: i. a local variety characterized by red leaves and stalks in which the principal way of propagation is from cuttings; ii. a group of varieties which have green or purple leaves and stalks. These varieties are called Basella alba and Basella rubra. These varieties have sexual reproduction. Among the two groups of varieties, the local variety is propagated vegetatively but is resistant to rust, while varieties with green leaves or with purple leaves (B. alba and B. rubra) that are propagated from seed are susceptible to rust. Since hybrid cannot be made by conventional crossing, the following procedures have been adopted to produce plants with disease tolerance: 1. production of resistant variants by irradiation of Basella alba seeds with Cesium 137; 2. production of resistant variants by irradiation of vegetative tissues obtained by culture of meristematic cells of B alba; and 3. obtaining resistant plants through somaclonal variation. 1 tab.

  20. Kisaran Inang dan Keragaman Gejala Infeksi Turnip Mosaic Virus

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    Eliza Suryati Rusli

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available The incidence of mosaic disease on vegetable crops in Indonesia has been reported recently. The disease is caused by TuMV which is considered as a new and important virus on caisin and turnip in Indonesia. Field survey has been conducted to determine disease incidence in vegetable growing areas. Symptom variability and host range of TuMV was further studied through mechanical inoculation to cruciferae and solanaceae plants. Observation during field survey has proved that TuMV has infected caisin and turnip in Java and Bali. The highest intensity of mosaic disease i.e. 63,3% occurs in Tumpangan-Malang, followed by Denpasar Selatan and Bandungan-Semarang with the intensity of 30,5% and 19,0% respectively. TuMV infection causes different types of symptoms, such as: wrinkled leaf, blistered leaf, vein banding, vein clearing, leaf distortion and proliferation. The host range of TuMV involves those plants belong to cruciferae (cabbage, broccoli, caisin, turnip, cauliflower, chinese cabbage, pak coy; solanaceae (N. tabacum, N. benthamiana, N. glutinosa; and chenopodiaceae (C. amaranticolor. Furthermore, N. glutinosa can be used as differential host for TuMV isolates.

  1. Prevalence of food and airborne allergens in allergic patients in Kerman

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    Hamed Fouladseresht

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Detection of various environmental allergens is the major challenge in allergic diseases and the only treatment is avoiding these allergens. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of food and airborne allergens in allergic patients using Skin Prick Test (SPT. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on clinically confirmed patients of atopic-dermatitis (n=54, allergenic-rhinitis (n=64 and chronic-urticaria (n=39 who referred to asthma and allergy clinic at Afzali-Pour hospital in Kerman during 2008-2010. Skin prick test was done using allergen extracts to determine the patients' sensitivity to food and airborne antigens. Results: Fifty-nine percent of patients responded to at least one allergen. Allergy to airborne and food allergens was 55.9 % and 21.7%, respectively. Chenopodiaceae (22.9% and egg white (10.2% were most prevalent airborne and food allergens. Allergy to cockroach, egg white, egg yolk and tomato was significantly higher in males than in females (P<0.05. Conclusion: The results indicated that allergy to food and airborne allergens is different depending on the nutrition and environmental conditions.

  2. Chemosensory perception and medicinal plants for digestive ailments in a Mapuche community in NW Patagonia, Argentina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molares, Soledad; Ladio, Ana

    2009-06-25

    To document the richness of plant species used in gastrointestinal disorders and to investigate about the criteria of aroma and flavor associated with its recognition, classification, selection and use. Ethnobotanical fieldwork consisted of interviews to 30 inhabitants living in a Mapuche community of Northwestern Patagonia; data collected was analyzed by means of non-parametric statistics. This work records 75 ethnospecies, pertaining to 40 botanic families. Lamiaceae, Asteraceae and Chenopodiaceae were the most frequently mentioned and described in terms of smell and taste. Most of species (69%) have notable aroma and/or flavor characteristics. The species presenting highest consensus in the population are positively associated with a higher frequency of organoleptic descriptions. In addition, local people consider these perceptions to be potentially useful in the search for substitutes when species are scarce or disappear from a locality. It is possible to establish a preliminary system of classification of medicinal plants based on their organoleptic characteristics and relate this to their effects on health. Moreover the cultural interpretation of smell and taste is of great heuristic importance to ethnopharmacology, in that it indicates which plants are most likely to contain the main active ingredients sought.

  3. Meteorological factors and pollen season dynamics of selected herbaceous plants in Szczecin, 2004-2008

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    Małgorzata Puc

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The pollen of mugwort, plantain, sorrel, nettle and pigweed is an important airborne allergen source worldwide. The occurrence of pollen grains in the air is a seasonal phenomenon and estimation of seasonal variability in the pollen count permits evaluation of the threat posed by allergens over a given area. The aim of the study was to analyse the dynamics of Artemisia, Plantago, Rumex, Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae pollen season in Szczecin (western Poland in 2004-2008 and to establish a relationship between the meteorological parameters versus the pollen count of the taxa studied. Measurements were performed by the Hirst volumetric trap (model Lanzoni VPPS 2000. Consecutive phases during the pollen season were defined for each taxon (1, 5, 25, 50, 75, 95, 99% of annual total and duration of the season was determined using the 98% method. On the basis of this analysis, temporary differences in the dynamics of the seasons were most evident for Artemisia. Correlation analysis with weather parameters demonstrated that the maximum wind speed, mean and maximum air temperature, relative humidity and dew point are the main factors influencing the average daily pollen concentrations in the atmosphere.

  4. Associations of dominant plant species with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi during vegetation development on coal mine spoil banks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rydlova, J.; Vosatka, M. [Academy of Science. Pruhonice (Czech Republic). Inst. of Botany

    2001-07-01

    Among plants colonizing mine spoil banks in Northern Bohemia the first colonizers, mainly ruderal annuals from Chenopodiaceae and Brassicaceae were found not to be associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). These species cultivated in pots with soil from four sites in different succession stages of the spoil bank did not respond to the presence of native or non-native AMF. All grass species studied (Elytrigia repens, Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius) were found moderately colonized in the field. Carduus acanthoides was found to be highly colonized in the field; however, it did not show growth response to AMF in the pot experiment. The AMF native in four sites on the spoil banks showed high infectivity but low effectiveness in association with colonizing plants compared to the non-native isolate G. fistulosum BEG23. In general, dependence on AMF in the cultivation experiment was rather low, regardless of the fact that plants were found to be associated with AMF either in the field or in pots. Occurrence and effectiveness of mycorrhizal associations might relate primarily to the mycotrophic status of each plant species rather than to the age of the spoil bank sites studied.

  5. Phased uplift of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from a pollen record from Yinchuan Basin, northwestern China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xinling; Hao, Qingzhen; Wei, Mingjian; Andreev, Andrei A; Wang, Junping; Tian, Yanyan; Li, Xiaolei; Cai, Maotang; Hu, Jianmin; Shi, Wei

    2017-12-21

    The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) significantly affected both regional and global climates. Although there is evidence that the Tibetan Plateau experienced uplift during the Quaternary, the timing and amplitude are poorly constrained. However, the increased availability of long sedimentary records of vegetation change provides an opportunity to reconstruct the timing of the uplift. Here, we present a well-dated, high-resolution pollen record for the last 2.6 Ma from the Yinchuan Basin, which was incised by the Yellow River with its source in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Variations in the Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratio of the reveal changes in moisture conditions in the Yinchuan Basin during glacial-interglacial cycles, as well as a gradual long-term aridification trend which is consistent with progressive global cooling. However, fluctuations in the percentages of Picea and Abies differ from those of the A/C ratio and we propose that they reflect changes in the vegetation and environment of high elevation areas. The Picea and Abies records reveal two phases of increased representation, at 2.1 and 1.2 Ma, which may indicate phases in the uplift of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Thus, they provide independent evidence for the timing of the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau during the Quaternary.

  6. Chinese response to allergy and asthma in Olympic athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, J; Lu, Y; Huang, K; Wang, C; Lu, J; Zhang, C; Zhong, N

    2008-08-01

    China is going to host the Games of the XXIX Olympiad from 8-24 August 2008 in Beijing. The number of athletes and accompanying individuals expected to arrive at China for the Beijing Olympics is estimated at over 10 000 and among them at least 2 000 (20%) are suspected to suffer from respiratory allergies. It is important to monitor the pollen counts and improve air quality in Beijing because Olympic athletes would be exposed to airborne allergens and pollutants during competitions which could hinder peak performance. The main pollen and spore families in Beijing are Artemisia, Ambrosia, Chenopodiaceae and Gramineae. They can reach around 307 000 grains of pollen/1000 m(3) of air in August. Economic development in China is usually linked with worsening of air quality. Due to the adoption of various control measures, the ambient air quality in a number of areas in Beijing has actually improved. The ambient air TSP and SO(2) levels in Beijing have been decreasing in the last decade. However, ambient air NO(x) level has been increasing due to the increased number of motor vehicles. Nevertheless, dedicated medical facilities in Beijing will provide medical services to athletes and delegations from all over the world during the Beijing Olympic Games.

  7. Genetic diversity and environmental associations of sacsaoul ( Haloxylon ammodendron)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Linjing; Zhao, Guifang; Yue, Ming; Pan, Xiaoling

    2003-07-01

    Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess levels and patterns of genetic diversity in H. ammodendron (Chenopodiaceae). A total of 117 plants from 6 subpopulations on oasis-desert ecotone was analyzed by 16 arbitrarily chosen primers resulting in highly reproducible RAPD bands. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) with distances among individuals showed that most of the variation (74%) occurred among individuals within subpopulations, which is expected for a crossing organism, and 26% of variation among subpopulations. Estimates of Shannon index and Nei"s index from allele frequencies corroborated AMOVA partitioning in H. ammodendron. UPGMA cluster analyses, based on genetic distance, do not revealed grouping of some geographically proximate populations. This is the first report of the partitioning of genetic variability within and between subpopulations of H. ammodendron and provides important baseline data for optimizing sampling strategies and for conserving the genetic resources of this species. The Percentage of polymorphic loci was as high as 96%, presumably being response to oasis-desert ecotone. There were gene flows (Nm=5.38 individuals/generation), based on gene differentiation coefficient (GST was 0.1567) between subpopulations, and strong habitat selection override the gene flow to maintain the subpopulation differentiation. Correlation analyses showed that there was significant relationship between genetic diversity and soil CL ion.

  8. Exploring the Role of Humans and Climate over the Balkan Landscape: 500 Years of Vegetational History of Serbia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulkarni, Charuta; Peteet, Dorothy; Boger, Rebecca; Heusser, Linda

    2016-01-01

    We present the first, well-dated, high-resolution record of vegetation and landscape change from Serbia, which spans the past 500 years. Biological proxies (pollen, spores, and charcoal), geochemical analysis through X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), and a detailed chronology based on AMS C-14 dating from a western Serbian sinkhole core suggest complex woodland-grassland dynamics and strong erosional signals throughout the Little Ice Age (LIA). An open landscape with prominent steppe vegetation (e.g. Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae) and minor woodland exists during 1540-1720 CE (early LIA), while the late LIA (1720-1850 CE) in this record shows higher tree percentages possibly due to increased moisture availability. The post LIA Era (1850-2012 CE) brings a disturbed type of vegetation with the presence of weedy genera and an increase in regional woodland. Anthropogenic indicators for agricultural, pastoral and fire practices in the region together attest to the dominant role of humans in shaping this Balkan landscape throughout the interval. The changing nature of human interference, potentially as a response to underlying climatic transitions, is evident through large-scale soil depletion resulting from grazing and land clearance during the early LIA and stabilization of arable lands during the late and post-LIA eras.

  9. Evaluation of radiocesium concentrations in new leaves of wild plants two years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugiura, Yuki; Shibata, Michihiro; Ogata, Yoshimune; Ozawa, Hajime; Kanasashi, Tsutomu; Takenaka, Chisato

    2016-08-01

    Radiocesium ((137)Cs) transfer to plants immediately after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident was investigated by collecting newly emerged leaf and soil samples between May 2011 and November 2012 from 20 sites in the Fukushima prefecture. Radiocesium concentrations in leaf and soil samples were measured to calculate concentration ratios (CR). Woody plants exhibited high CR values because (137)Cs deposited on stems and/or leaves were transferred to newly emerging tissues. The CR values in 2012 declined as compared to that in 2011. Exchangeable (137)Cs rates in soil (extraction rate) samples were measured at five sites. These rates decreased at four sites in 2012 and depended on environmental conditions and soil type. Both CR values and extraction rates decreased in 2012. However, CR values reflected the changes in extraction rates and characteristics of each species. Amaranthaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Polygonaceae, which had been identified as Cs accumulators, presented no clear (137)Cs accumulation ability. In 2012, the perennial plant Houttuynia cordata and deciduous trees Chengiopanax sciadophylloides and Acer crataegifolium displayed high CR values, indicating that these species are (137)Cs accumulators and may be considered as potential species for phytoremediation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Contrasting pollen histories of MIS 5e and the Holocene from Lake Titicaca (Bolivia/Peru)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanselman, Jennifer A.; Gosling, William D.; Paduano, Gina M.; Bush, Mark B.

    2005-10-01

    Two long sediment records (cores LTO1-2B and LT01-3B) from Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru, are compared with a previously analysed Holocene record from this lake (core NE98-1PC). The Holocene records of LT01-2B and NE98-1PC are similar. There are striking differences, however, between the MIS 5e sections of the long cores and the Holocene records. In these records, temperature is probably the dominant parameter that determines the total fossil pollen concentration and is used to time the onset and termination of deglaciation. In contrast, the relative and absolute abundance of specific taxa (e.g. Polylepis/Acaena, Chenopodiaceae) are indicators of relative moisture availability. Although the Holocene contains a period of aridity between ca. 8000 cal. yr BP and 4300 cal. yr BP, it is a minor event compared with the more extreme aridity of MIS 5e. Core LT01-3B showed similar trends during MIS 5e when compared to LT01-2B, as did NE98-1PC when comparing Holocene records. MIS 5e and the Holocene are markedly different interglacials, depicted by shifts in pollen concentration and taxa representation over time.

  11. Новые данные по числам хромосом некоторых сосудистых растений из Израиля и России

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. N. Lomonosova

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Приведены числа хромосом для 10 видов из семейств Amaranthaceae s. str., Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiaceae и Frankeniaceae. Для Atriplex intracontinentalis Sukhor. (2n = 18, Corispermum filifolium C.A. Meyer ex Becker (2n = 18 и Frankenia tuvinica Lomon. (2n = 20 числа хромосом не были известны ранее. Впервые на материале из Израиля указаны числа хромосом для Amaranthus albus L. (2n = 32, Dyssodia tenuiloba (DC R.B. Rob. (2n = 24, Lactuca viminea (L. J. et C. Presl (2n = 18, Tragopogon coelesyriacus Boiss. (2n = 12, Chenopodium opulifolium Schrad. ex W.D.J. Koch et Ziz (2n = 54 и Chenopodium missouriense Aellen (2n = 54.

  12. Detection and Host Range Study of Virus Associated with Pepper Yellow Leaf Curl Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SRI SULANDARI

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available High incidence of Pepper yellow leaf curl virus (PepYLCV was observed in Indonesia since early 2000. Disease incidence in Yogyakarta, Central and West Java reached 100% on Capsicum frutescens, but only 10-35% on C. annuum. As an exception, the disease incidence on C. annuum cv. TM 999 was in the range of 70-100%. The causal agent of the disease, PepYLCV, was detected by polymerase chain reaction. Viral specific DNA fragment of the size ~1600 bp and ~550 bp was amplified from infected plants using two pairs of geminivirus universal primers pAL1v1978/pAL1c715, and pAv494/pAc1048, respectively. The PepYLCV has an intermediate host range including plants belonging to the family of Solanaceae, Leguminosae, and Compositae. The species belonging to the families of Cucurbitaceae, Malvaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Amaranthaceae were resistant to the virus. Physalis floridana, is very prospective as a propagation host for the geminivirus infecting pepper. Nicotiana spp., cucumber, watermelon, cotton, and Sida sp. could be used as a differential host. Besides, Capsicum frutescens cv. Cakra, tomato, N. benthamiana, N. glutinosa, and Ageratum conyzoides could be used as indicator plants for the geminivirus infecting pepper.

  13. Ecosystem responses during Late Glacial period recorded in the sediments of Lake Łukie (East Poland)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zawiska, Izabela; Słowiński, Michał; Correa-Metrio, Alex; Obremska, Milena; Luoto, Tomi; Nevalainen, Liisa; Woszczyk, Michał; Milecka, Krystyna

    2014-05-01

    The main objectives of this study was to reconstruct climate impact on the functioning of Lake Łukie and its catchment (Łęczna Włodawa Lake District, East European Plain) during Late Glacial period. In order to reconstruct climatic fluctuations and corresponding ecosystem responses, we analysed lake sediments for pollen, subfossil Cladocera, plant macrofossils and chemical composition of the sediment. Of these, plant macrofossils and Cladocera were used to infer minimum and mean July temperatures and ordination analysis was used to examine biotic community shifts. Multiproxy analyses of late-glacial sediments of Lake Łukie clearly show that the main driver of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems as well as geomorphological processes in the catchment was climate variation. The history of the lake initiated during the Older Dryas. In that period, Łęczna Włodawa Lake District was covered by open habitats dominated by grasses (Poaceae), humid sites were occupied by tundra plant communities with less clubmoss (Selaginella selaginoides), dry sites by dominated by steppe-like vegetation with light-demanding species such as Helianthemum, Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, and juniper bushes (Juniperus). Cold climate limited the growth and development of organisms in the lake, Cladocera community species composition was poor, with only few species present there all the time. During this time period, permafrost was still present in the ground limiting infiltration of rainwater and causing high erosion in the catchment area. Surface runoff is confirmed by the presence of sclerotia of Cenococcum geophilum and high terrigenous silica content. The warming of the early Allerød caused a remarkable change in the natural environment of this area. This is in accordance with the temperature rise reconstructed with the use of plant macrofossils though the Cladocera reconstruction did not recorded the rise than. This temperature increase resulted in turnover of vegetation in the

  14. Spectroscopy investigation on chemo-catalytic, free radical scavenging and bactericidal properties of biogenic silver nanoparticles synthesized using Salicornia brachiata aqueous extract

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seralathan, Janani; Stevenson, Priscilla; Subramaniam, Shankar; Raghavan, Rachana; Pemaiah, Brindha; Sivasubramanian, Aravind; Veerappan, Anbazhagan

    2014-01-01

    Nanosized silver have been widely used in many applications, such as catalysis, photonics, sensors, medicine etc. Thus, there is an increasing need to develop high-yield, low cost, non-toxic and eco-friendly procedures for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Herein, we report an efficient, green synthesis of silver nanoparticles utilizing the aqueous extract of Salicornia brachiata, a tropical plant of the Chenopodiaceae family. Silver nanoparticles have been characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The morphology of the particles formed consists of highly diversified shapes like spherical, rod-like, prism, triangular, pentagonal and hexagonal pattern. However, addition of sodium hydroxide to the extract produces mostly spherical particles. The stable nanoparticles obtained using this green method show remarkable catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-nitro phenol to 4-amino phenol. The reduction catalyzed by silver nanoparticles followed the first-order kinetics, with a rate constant of, 0.6 × 10-2 s-1. The bactericidal activity of the synthesized silver nanoparticles against the pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus E, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, was also explored using REMA. The obtained results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration required to induce bactericidal effect is lower than the control antibiotic, ciprofloxacin. In addition to these, the biogenic synthesized nanoparticles also exhibited excellent free radical scavenging activity.

  15. Plants used in the treatment of leishmanial ulcers due to Leishmania (Viannia braziliensis in an endemic area of Bahia, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flávio França

    1996-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper records the plants used in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania (Viannia braziliensis (L(Vb among the rural population of a cocoa- producing coastal area of Bahia state, Brazil. An enquiry conducted among a hundred patients identified 49 plant species used to treat skin ulceration caused by this Leishmania species. The principal plants used are caju-branco (Anacardium occidentale - Anacardiaceae, used by 65% of the population, folha-fogo (Clidemia hirta - Melastomataceae 39%, alfavaca-grossa (Plectranthus amboinicus - Lamiaceae 33%, mastruz (Chenopodium ambrosioides - Chenopodiaceae 31%, erva-de-santa-maria (Solatium americanum - Solanaceae (25% and transagem (Plantago major - Plantaginaceae. 2%.Este trabalho relata as plantas usadas no tratamento da leishmaniose cutânea, causada por Leishmania (Viannia braziliensis (L(Vb, na população rural da faixa litorânea produtora de cacau do estado da Bahia, Brasil. Um inquérito realizado entre 100 pacientes, identificou 49 espécies de plantas usadas para tratar úlceras de pele causadas por esta espécie de Leishmânia. As principais plantas usadas foram o cajueiro-branco (Anacardium occidentale - Anacardiaceae usado por 65% da população, a folha-fogo (Clidemia hirta - Melastomataceae 39%, a alfavaca-grossa (Plectranthus amboinicus - Lamiaceae 33%, o mastruz (Chenopodium ambrosioides - henopodiaceae 31%, a erva-de-santa-maria (Solanum americanum - Solanaceae 25% e a transagem (Plantago major - Plantaginaceae 2%.

  16. Manutenção da infectividade de Tymovírus em extratos de plantas Maintenance of infectivity of Tymovirus in plant extracts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Mércia Barradas

    1992-12-01

    Full Text Available Quatro isolados do vírus do mosaico da berinjela (EMV - "eggplant mosaic virus" - grupo tymovírus foram armazenados a partir de extratos foliares de hospedeiras com sintomas sistêmicos. Os virus EMV-Al (isolado de Abelia, EMV-Sc (isolado da Escócia, -ts (estirpe-padrão e VNBT (vírus da necrose branca do tomateiro, que induzem sintomas em Chenopodium amaranticolor, C. murale, C. quinoa (Família Chenopodiaceae Datura stramonium, Lycopersicon esculentum e Nicotiana glutinosa (Solanaceae, foram conservados em extratos destas plantas, à temperatura ambiente, em geladeira e em congelador. A infectividade dos vírus, em diferentes períodos de armazenamento, foi testada em plantas de datura e glutinosa, para se determinar a longevidade in vitro. Constatou-se que, quando guardados em baixas temperaturas,os extratos preservam por mais tempo a infectividade dos vírus. No caso de datura e glutinosa, por exemplo, resultados positivos foram obtidos até 413 e 282 dias de armazenamento, respectivamente, em congelador. Entretanto, com relação às espécies de Chenopodium testadas, mesmo alguns extratos recém-preparados conduziram a resultados negativos, confirmando a presença de inibidores de infecção viral nestas plantas. Das três espécies, é sugerida a utilização apenas de C.quinoa para o preparo de extratos visando preservar estes vírus e, assim mesmo, por um período relativamente curto (entre 53 e 80 dias. A avaliação geral dos resultados mostra que, para os tymovírus estudados neste trabalho, é possível conservar a infectividade através da técnica de armazenamento de extratos foliares de plantas sistemicamente infectadas.Four isolates of EMV (eggplant mosaic virus - tymovirus group were preserved in crude extracts from systemically-infected plants. EMV-Al (Abelia strain, EMV-Sc (Scottish strain, EMV-ts (type-strain and TWNV (tomato white necrosis virus which induce symptoms in Chenopodium amaranticolor, C. murale, C. quinoa

  17. Physiological and proteomic analyses of salt stress response in the halophyte Halogeton glomeratus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Juncheng; Meng, Yaxiong; Li, Baochun; Ma, Xiaole; Lai, Yong; Si, Erjing; Yang, Ke; Xu, Xianliang; Shang, Xunwu; Wang, Huajun; Wang, Di

    2015-04-01

    Very little is known about the adaptation mechanism of Chenopodiaceae Halogeton glomeratus, a succulent annual halophyte, under saline conditions. In this study, we investigated the morphological and physiological adaptation mechanisms of seedlings exposed to different concentrations of NaCl treatment for 21 d. Our results revealed that H. glomeratus has a robust ability to tolerate salt; its optimal growth occurs under approximately 100 mm NaCl conditions. Salt crystals were deposited in water-storage tissue under saline conditions. We speculate that osmotic adjustment may be the primary mechanism of salt tolerance in H. glomeratus, which transports toxic ions such as sodium into specific salt-storage cells and compartmentalizes them in large vacuoles to maintain the water content of tissues and the succulence of the leaves. To investigate the molecular response mechanisms to salt stress in H. glomeratus, we conducted a comparative proteomic analysis of seedling leaves that had been exposed to 200 mm NaCl for 24 h, 72 h and 7 d. Forty-nine protein spots, exhibiting significant changes in abundance after stress, were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS) and similarity searches across EST database of H. glomeratus. These stress-responsive proteins were categorized into nine functional groups, such as photosynthesis, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, and stress and defence response. © 2014 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Medicinal uses of plants by the inhabitants of Kunjerab National Park, Gilgit, Pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, B.; Abdukadir, A.; Qureshi, R.

    2011-01-01

    Like many other mountain communities, people living in the peripheries of Khunjerab National Park (KNP) have been using plant resources for food, medicine, shelter, fuel and other purposes since long. The present study was carried out to record the most common medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) and their traditional uses by the local inhabitants from the study area. A total of 43 plant species belonging to 40 genera and 28 families were recorded from Dhee, Barkhun, Shimshal and Khunjerab pastures during field visits conducted in 2006-2008, which are being used by the people of the area for the preparation of herbal recipes. In all, Asteraceae family contributed the highest number of species (11.63%), followed by Fabaceae, Lamiaceae and Rosaceae (9.30% each), Chenopodiaceae and Elaeagnaceae (4.65% each). Twenty nine diseases were treated by the reported species. Maximum number of species were employed for treating fever (9 spp.), followed by cough, in digestion (5 spp. each), wounds, eye infection, abdominal pain, jaundice, blood pressure and diarrhea (4 spp. each). The study area is a fragile ecosystem which is rapidly degrading due to excessive grazing and over exploitation by the inhabitants for their customary needs. In order to protect the dwindling floral resources and their classical uses, concrete conservation measures i.e., education and awareness, integration of traditional knowledge with modern health care and ex situ conservation of threatened species, supporting local livelihoods and rural economy is inevitable. (author)

  19. A novel monocyclic triterpenoid and a norsesquaterpenol from the aerial parts of Suaeda monoica Forssk. ex J.F. Gmel with cell proliferative potential

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    Mansour S. Al-Said

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Suaeda monoica Forssk. ex J.F. Gmel (Chenopodiaceae, a mangrove herb, is distributed in tropical Africa, Arabian Peninsula, India, Pakistan, Palestine and Jordan. The plant parts are used to treat sore throat, hepatitis, wounds, rheumatism, paralysis, asthma, snakebites, skin disease and ulcer. Two new phytoconstituents characterized as 13,17-octahydropentalene-4,4,10,23-tetramethyl-17,21-diisopropyl-tetradecahydrocyclo-[a]-phenanthrene-(14, 20(23, 21(30-trien-5α-ol (SMC-3 and [1,4,4-trimethyl-cyclopent-1(5-enyl]-9,10,17,21-tetramethyl-9α-ol-16α (17α-epoxy heptadecan-6,10-dione (SMC-4 belong to the class norsesquaterpenol and monocyclic triterpenoid, respectively, along with two known compounds 3-epi-lupeol (SMC-1 and 4-cyclopentylpyrocatechol (SMC-2 have been isolated from the ethanol extract of aerial parts of S. monoica using normal and reverse phase column as well as planar chromatography. The spectroscopic studies including 1D, 2D NMR (DEPT, COSY, HMBC and HSQC aided by EIMS mass and IR spectra were used to establish their structures. All the four compounds were tested for cytotoxicity on cultured HepG2 cells and for cell proliferation activities. The results revealed no cytotoxicity even at highest (6.25–50 μg/ml dose of all the four compounds. The compound SMC-1 showed prominent cell proliferative activity as compared to other SMC compounds.

  20. Alternative food sources and over wintering feeding behavior of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis boheman (coleoptera: curculionidae) under the tropical conditions of central Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ribeiro, Paulina de A.; Sujii, Edison R.; Pires, Carmen S.S.; Fontes, Eliana M.G.; Diniz, Ivone R.; Salgado-Labouriau, Maria L.

    2010-01-01

    The boll weevil causes serious damage to the cotton crop in South America. Several studies have been published on this pest, but its phenology and behavior under the tropical conditions prevailing in Brazil are not well-known. In this study the feeding behavior and main food sources of adult boll weevils throughout the year in Central Brazil was investigated. The digestive tract contents of insects captured in pheromone traps in two cotton fields and two areas of native vegetation (gallery forest and cerrado sensu stricto) were analyzed. The insect was captured all through the year only in the cerrado. It fed on pollen of 19 different plant families, on Pteridophyta and fungi spores and algae cysts. Simpson Index test showed that the cerrado provided greater diversity of pollen sources. In the beginning of the cotton cycle, the plant families used for pollen feeding were varied: in cotton area 1, the weevil fed on Poaceae (50%), Malvaceae and Smilacaceae (25% each); in cotton area 2 the pollen sources were Malvaceae (50%), Asteraceae (25%) and Fabaceae and Clusiaceae (25% each); in the cerrado they were Chenopodiaceae (67%) and Scheuchzeriaceae (33%). No weevils were collected in the gallery forest in this period. After cotton was harvested, the family Smilacaceae was predominant among the food plants exploited in all the study areas. These results help to explain the survivorship of adult boll weevil during cotton fallow season in Central Brazil and they are discussed in the context of behavioral adaptations to the prevailing tropical environmental conditions. (author)

  1. Alternative food sources and over wintering feeding behavior of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis boheman (coleoptera: curculionidae) under the tropical conditions of central Brazil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ribeiro, Paulina de A.; Sujii, Edison R.; Pires, Carmen S.S.; Fontes, Eliana M.G. [EMBRAPA Recursos Geneticos e Biotecnologia (CENARGEN), Brasilia, DF (Brazil)], e-mail: paulina723@hotmail.com, e-mail: sujii@cenargen.embrapa.br, e-mail: cpires@cenargen.embrapa.br, e-mail: eliana@cenargen.embrapa.br; Diniz, Ivone R. [Universidade de Brasilia (UnB), DF (Brazil). Dept. de Zoologia], e-mail: irdiniz@unb.br; Medeiros, Maria A. de; Branco, Marina C. [EMBRAPA Hortalicas, Brasilia, DF (Brazil)], e-mail: medeiros@cnph.embrapa.br, e-mail: marina@cnph.embrapa.br; Salgado-Labouriau, Maria L. [Universidade de Brasilia (UnB), DF (Brazil). Dept. de Geologia], e-mail: mlea@unb.br

    2010-01-15

    The boll weevil causes serious damage to the cotton crop in South America. Several studies have been published on this pest, but its phenology and behavior under the tropical conditions prevailing in Brazil are not well-known. In this study the feeding behavior and main food sources of adult boll weevils throughout the year in Central Brazil was investigated. The digestive tract contents of insects captured in pheromone traps in two cotton fields and two areas of native vegetation (gallery forest and cerrado sensu stricto) were analyzed. The insect was captured all through the year only in the cerrado. It fed on pollen of 19 different plant families, on Pteridophyta and fungi spores and algae cysts. Simpson Index test showed that the cerrado provided greater diversity of pollen sources. In the beginning of the cotton cycle, the plant families used for pollen feeding were varied: in cotton area 1, the weevil fed on Poaceae (50%), Malvaceae and Smilacaceae (25% each); in cotton area 2 the pollen sources were Malvaceae (50%), Asteraceae (25%) and Fabaceae and Clusiaceae (25% each); in the cerrado they were Chenopodiaceae (67%) and Scheuchzeriaceae (33%). No weevils were collected in the gallery forest in this period. After cotton was harvested, the family Smilacaceae was predominant among the food plants exploited in all the study areas. These results help to explain the survivorship of adult boll weevil during cotton fallow season in Central Brazil and they are discussed in the context of behavioral adaptations to the prevailing tropical environmental conditions. (author)

  2. Alternative food sources and overwintering feeding behavior of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) under the tropical conditions of Central Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ribeiro, Paulina de A; Sujii, Edison R; Diniz, Ivone R; Medeiros, Maria A de; Salgado-Labouriau, Maria L; Branco, Marina C; Pires, Carmen S S; Fontes, Eliana M G

    2010-01-01

    The boll weevil causes serious damage to the cotton crop in South America. Several studies have been published on this pest, but its phenology and behavior under the tropical conditions prevailing in Brazil are not well-known. In this study the feeding behavior and main food sources of adult boll weevils throughout the year in Central Brazil was investigated. The digestive tract contents of insects captured in pheromone traps in two cotton fields and two areas of native vegetation (gallery forest and cerrado sensu stricto) were analyzed. The insect was captured all through the year only in the cerrado. It fed on pollen of 19 different plant families, on Pteridophyta and fungi spores and algae cysts. Simpson Index test showed that the cerrado provided greater diversity of pollen sources. In the beginning of the cotton cycle, the plant families used for pollen feeding were varied: in cotton area 1, the weevil fed on Poaceae(50%), Malvaceae and Smilacaceae (25% each); in cotton area 2 the pollen sources were Malvaceae (50%), Asteraceae (25%) and Fabaceae and Clusiaceae (25% each); in the cerrado they were Chenopodiaceae (67%) and Scheuchzeriaceae (33%). No weevils were collected in the gallery forest in this period. After cotton was harvested, the family Smilacaceae was predominant among the food plants exploited in all the study areas. These results help to explain the survivorship of adult boll weevil during cotton fallow season in Central Brazil and they are discussed in the context of behavioral adaptations to the prevailing tropical environmental conditions.

  3. Variations in Vegetation Structure, Species Dominance and Plant Communities in South of the Eastern Desert-Egypt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fawzy SALAMA

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available For two successive years, the floristic diversity and vegetation composition in the southern part of the Eastern Desert ofEgypt were investigated through four transects (3 crossing the Eastern Desert and one along the Red Sea. The data collected from 142 stands covering the study area included the species composition, functional groups, chorology and occurrences (Qvalues. A total of 94 plant species belonging to 33 different families were recorded, with Asteracea, Zygophyllaceae, Fabaceae,Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Brassicaceae as the largest families. Shrubs represented the largest functional group (39.4%, while perennial herbs represented the smallest ones (12.8%. Species occurrence (Q-value revealed that Zilla spinosa, Acacia tortilis subsp raddiana, Morettia philaeana, Caroxylon imbricatum, Zygophyllum coccineum and Citrullus colocynthis had wide ecological range of distribution (dominant species, Q-values 0.2. Saharo-Arabian chorotype was highly represented (72.6 % in the flora of this area, eventually as mono, bi or pluriregional. Classification of the data set yielded 7 vegetation groups included: (A Zilla spinosa-Morettia philaeana, (B1 Zilla spinosa-Citrullus colocynthis-Morettia philaeana, (B2 Zilla spinosa, (C1Zygophyllum album-Tamarix nilotica, (C2 Zygophyllum coccineum-Tamarix nilotica, (D1 Zilla spinosa-Zygophyllum coccineum and (D2 Zilla spinosa-Acacia tortilis subsp. raddiana-Tamarix aphylla-Balanites aegyptiaca. Certain vegetation groups were assigned to one or more transects. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA revealed that electrical conductivity, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorides, moisture content, sulphates, pH, organic matter and gravel were the soil variables that affect the species distribution in this study.

  4. Flora characteristics of Chenier Wetland in Bohai Bay and biogeographic relations with adjacent wetlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yanyun; Lu, Zhaohua; Liu, Jingtao; Hu, Shugang

    2017-12-01

    A key step towards the restoration of heavily disturbed fragile coastal wetland ecosystems is determining the composition and characteristics of the plant communities involved. This study determined and characterized the community of higher plants in the Chenier wetland of Bohai Bay using a combination of field surveys, quadrat approaches, and multivariate statistical analyses. This community was then compared to other adjacent wetlands (Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Laizhouwan, Jiaozhouwan, and Yellow River Delta wetland) located near the Huanghai and Bohai Seas using principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Results showed a total of 56 higher plant species belonging to 52 genera from 20 families in Chenier wetland, the majority of which were dicotyledons. Single-species families were predominant, while larger families, including Gramineae, Compositae, Leguminosae, and Chenopodiaceae contained a higher number of species (each⩾6 species). Cosmopolitan species were also dominant with apparent intrazonality. Abundance (number of species) of temperate species was twice that of tropical taxa. Species number of perennial herbs, such as Gramineae and Compositae, was generally higher. Plant diversity in the Chenier wetland, based on the Shannon-Wiener index, was observed to be between the Qinhuangdao and Laizhouwan indices, while no significant difference was found in other wetlands using the Simpson index. Despite these slight differences in diversity, PCoA based on species abundance and composition of the wetland flora suggest that the Bohai Chenier community was highly similar to the coastal wetlands in Tianjin and Laizhouwan, further suggesting that these two wetlands could be important breeding grounds and resources for the restoration of the plant ecosystem in the Chenier wetland.

  5. Ethnobotanical magnitude towards sustainable utilization of wild foliage in Arabian Desert

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prakash C. Phondani

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The present investigation was deals with identifying traditional uses of medicinal plants for curing a variety of ailments and degree of religious conservation for retention of ethnobotanical knowledge. The study was carried out in the State of Qatar to document the ethnobotanical uses of 58 medicinally important plant species including identification, botanical name, Arabic name, family, habit, habitat, distribution pattern, and the plant parts used for curing variety of ailments. The documented species belong to 54 plant genera and 30 botanical families. They have been used to cure more than 38 different kinds of human ailments. A majority of ethnobotanical plant species belonging to shrubs (41.38% followed by perennial herbs (31.04%, annual herbs (18.96% and trees (8.62% respectively. The frequency of ethnobotanical plant species were recorded maximum in fabaceae (13.79%, followed by lamiaceae, chenopodiaceae (6.89% each, asteraceae, capparaceae, polygonaceae, boraginaceae, aizooaceae (5.17% each, brassicaceae, asclepiadaceae, convolvulaceae, zygophyllaceae, solanaceae (3.44% each while, remaining 17 families had one (1.72% species each. Perception of stakeholders concerning prioritization and categorization of potential native plants and 25 ethnobotanical species were prioritized and ranked on the basis of their multipurpose use value, feasibility climatic conditions and Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS criteria measures i.e. drought resistant, low water requirement, growth performance, survival rate, canopy size, adaptation potential, low maintenance and use value for sustainability and landscaping. The analysis emphasized the potentials of ethnomedicinal research, sustainable utilization, conservation initiatives, and urgent need to document ethnobotanical knowledge for sustainability and scientific validation to prevent their losses.

  6. Immunochemical characterization of prosopis juliflora pollen allergens and evaluation of cross-reactivity pattern with the most allergenic pollens in tropical areas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assarehzadegan, Mohammad-Ali; Khodadadi, Ali; Amini, Akram; Shakurnia, Abdol-Hosein; Marashi, Seyed Saeid; Ali-Sadeghi, Hosein; Zarinhadideh, Farnoosh; Sepahi, Najmeh

    2015-02-01

    Allergy to Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) pollen is one of the common causes of respiratory allergy in tropical countries. Mesquite is widely used as street trees in towns and ornamental shade trees in parks and gardens throughout arid and semiarid regions of Iran. The inhalation of mesquite pollen and several species of Amaranthus/Chenopodiaceae family is the most important cause of allergic respiratory symptoms in Khuzestan province. This study was designed to evaluate IgE banding proteins of mesquite pollen extract and its IgE cross-reactivity with other allergenic plants. Twenty patients with allergic symptoms and positive skin prick tests (SPT) for mesquite pollen extract participated in the study. Crude pollen extract was prepared from local mesquite trees and used for the evaluation of allergenic profiles of P. juliflora pollen extract by Sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and IgE-immunoblotting. There were several protein bands in mesquite pollen extract using SDS-PAGE with the approximate range of molecular weight of 10-85 kDa. The most frequent IgE reactive bands among the patients' sera were approximately 20 and 66 kDa. However, there were other IgE reactive protein bands among the patients' sera with molecular weights of 10, 15, 35, 45, 55 and 85 kDa. Inhibition experiments revealed high IgE cross-reactivity between mesquite and acacia. There are several IgE-binding proteins in P. juliflora pollen extract. Results of this study indicate that proteins with a molecular weight of 10 to 85 kDa are the major allergens in P. juliflora pollen extract.

  7. PROCESAMIENTO POST-COSECHA DE GRANOS DE QUINOA (CHENOPODIUM QUINOA, CHENOPODIACEAE EN EL PERÍODO PREHISPÁNICO TARDÍO EN EL NORTE DE LÍPEZ (POTOSÍ, BOLIVIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Laura López

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available A partir del estudio etnoarqueológico del tratamiento post-cosecha de granos de quinoa entre los habitantes del altiplano de Lípez (Potosí, Bolivia, se describen algunos rasgos diagnósticos de cada actividad y forma de procesamiento observables en los granos desecados. El potencial de estas observaciones para investigar las antiguas prácticas de procesamiento y consumo de este pseudocereal es ilustrado mediante el análisis de granos recuperados en cuatro sitios arqueológicos cercanos al Salar de Uyuni. Las quinoas examinadas se encontraban en distintas etapas de procesamiento; algunas no habían sido aún desaponificadas, por lo que inferimos que habían sido almacenadas inmediatamente después de la cosecha, mientras que otras muestras exhibían rastros de desaponificación comparables a los observados en contextos actuales, sugiriendo su preparación para distintos modos de consumo.

  8. Are tyrosine residues involved in the photoconversion of the water-soluble chlorophyll-binding protein of Chenopodium album?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, S; Seki, Y; Uchida, A; Nakayama, K; Satoh, H

    2015-05-01

    Non-photosynthetic and hydrophilic chlorophyll (Chl) proteins, called water-soluble Chl-binding proteins (WSCPs), are distributed in various species of Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Polygonaceae and Brassicaceae. Based on their photoconvertibility, WSCPs are categorised into two classes: Class I (photoconvertible) and Class II (non-photoconvertible). Chenopodium album WSCP (CaWSCP; Class I) is able to convert the chlorin skeleton of Chl a into a bacteriochlorin-like skeleton under light in the presence of molecular oxygen. Potassium iodide (KI) is a strong inhibitor of the photoconversion. Because KI attacks tyrosine residues in proteins, tyrosine residues in CaWSCP are considered to be important amino acid residues for the photoconversion. Recently, we identified the gene encoding CaWSCP and found that the mature region of CaWSCP contained four tyrosine residues: Tyr13, Tyr14, Tyr87 and Tyr134. To gain insight into the effect of the tyrosine residues on the photoconversion, we constructed 15 mutant proteins (Y13A, Y14A, Y87A, Y134A, Y13-14A, Y13-87A, Y13-134A, Y14-87A, Y14-134A, Y87-134A, Y13-14-87A, Y13-14-134A, Y13-87-134A, Y14-87-134A and Y13-14-87-134A) using site-directed mutagenesis. Amazingly, all the mutant proteins retained not only chlorophyll-binding activity, but also photoconvertibility. Furthermore, we found that KI strongly inhibited the photoconversion of Y13-14-87-134A. These findings indicated that the four tyrosine residues are not essential for the photoconversion. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  9. Tolerance of the eriophyid mite Aceria salsolae to UV-A light and implications for biological control of Russian thistle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, Patrick J; Wibawa, M Irene; Smith, Lincoln

    2017-12-01

    Aceria salsolae (Acari: Eriophyidae) is being evaluated as a candidate biological control agent of Russian thistle (Salsola tragus, Chenopodiaceae), a major invasive weed of rangelands and dryland crops in the western USA. Prior laboratory host range testing under artificial lighting indicated reproduction on non-native Bassia hyssopifolia and on a native plant, Suaeda calceoliformis. However, in field tests in the native range, mite populations released on these 'nontarget' plants remained low. We hypothesized that UV-A light, which can affect behavior of tetranychid mites, would affect populations of the eriophyid A. salsolae differently on the target and nontarget plant species, decreasing the mite's realized host range. Plants were infested with A. salsolae under lamps that emitted UV-A, along with broad-spectrum lighting, and the size of mite populations and plant growth was compared to infested plants exposed only to broad-spectrum light. Russian thistle supported 3- to 55-fold larger mite populations than nontarget plants regardless of UV-A treatment. UV-A exposure did not affect mite populations on Russian thistle or S. calceoliformis, whereas it increased populations 7-fold on B. hyssopifolia. Main stems on nontarget plants grew 2- to 6-fold faster than did Russian thistle under either light treatment. The two nontarget plants attained greater volume under the control light regime than UV-A, but Russian thistle was unaffected. Although Russian thistle was always the superior host, addition of UV-A light to the artificial lighting regime did not reduce the ability of A. salsolae to reproduce on the two nontarget species, suggesting that UV-B or other environmental factors may be more important in limiting mite populations in the field.

  10. Relationship between plants in Europe and surface temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean during the glacial maximum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Campo, M

    1984-01-01

    In Europe and North America, the deciduous forest, whether or not mixed with conifers, prevails within boundaries which coincide with the 12 and 18/sup 0/C isotherms of Ocean surface temperatures in August; within Europe this forest points to the limit of the Atlantic influence and bevels out as it is squeezed between coniferous forest to the NE (thermic boundary) and steppe to the SE (hydric boundary). During the glacial age this forest disappeared from its main European area and remained only in mountain refuges. Thus, the temperature of the eastern Atlantic surface waters, off Europe, control the nature of its vegetation. Variations in the pollen curve of pines, birches, Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and Ephedra are accounted for by the climatic variations in southern Europe before 13,000 yr BP. It is seen that a very arid climate culminated at about 15,000 yr BP. It corresponds to the most active iceberg calving which considerably lowered the Ocean surface temperature far to the south. In spite of the increasing summer temperatures, this temperature remained as cold as it was during the glacial maximum. The result is the lowest evaporation from the Ocean hence a minimum of clouds and a minimum of rain. The end of the first phase of the deglaciation at +/- 13,000 yr BP corresponds to a warming up of the Ocean surface bringing about increased evaporation, hence rains over the continent. The evolution of the vegetation in Europe at the end of the glacial times from south of the ice sheet down to the Mediterranean, depends as much, if not more, on rains than on temperatures.

  11. In Vitro Screening for the Tumoricidal Properties of International Medicinal Herbs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazzio, Elizabeth A.; Soliman, Karam F. A.

    2009-01-01

    There is growing use of anticancer complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) worldwide. The purpose of the current study is to assess a sizeable variety of natural and plant sources of diverse origin, to ascertain prospective research directives for cancer treatment and potential new chemotherapy drug sources. In this study, 374 natural extracts (10 μg/mL-5 mg/mL) were evaluated for dose-dependent tumoricidal effects using immortal neuroblastoma of spontaneous malignant origin. The findings indicate no pattern of tumoricidal effects by diverse plants with similar families/genus under the classes Pinopsida, Equisetopsida, Lycopodiosida, Filicosida, Liliopsida Monocotyledons or Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons. The results indicate that many of the most commonly used CAMs exhibited relatively weak tumoricidal effects including cats claw, astragalus, ginseng, echinacea, mistletoe, milk thistle, slippery elm, cayenne, chamomile, don quai, meadowsweet, motherwort and shepherd's purse. The data demonstrate that the most potent plant extracts were randomly dispersed within the plantae kingdom (LC50 = 31-490 μg/mL) in order of the lowest LC50 Dioscorea villosa (Dioscoreaceae) > Sanguinaria canadensis (Papaveraceae) > Dipsacus asper (Dipsacaceae) > Populus balsamifera (Salicaceae) > Boswellia carteri (Burseraceae) > Cyamopsis psoralioides (Fabaceae) > Rhamnus cathartica (Rhamnaceae) > Larrea tridentate (Zygophyllaceae) > Dichroa febrifuga (Hydrangeaceae) > Batschia canescens (Boraginaceae) > Kochia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae) > Solanum xanthocarpum (Solanaceae) > Opoponax chironium (Umbelliferae) > Caulophyllum thalictroides (Berberidaceae) > Dryopteris crassirhizoma (Dryopteridaceae) > Garcinia cambogia (Clusiaceae) > Vitex agnus-castus (Verbenaceae) > Calamus draco (Arecaceae). These findings show tumoricidal effect by extracts of wild yam root, bloodroot, teasel root, bakuchi seed, dichroa root, kanta kari, garcinia fruit, mace, dragons blood and the biblically referenced

  12. Recursos florísticos de la cuenca baja del río mayo, Sonora

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julio César Duarte Ruiz

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available En México se presentan prácticamente todos los grandes tipos de vegetación que existen en el mundo y su distribución a menudo es compleja. El objetivo del trabajo consistió en realizar un listado de la flora silvestre ribereña del Río Mayo, localizado en el sur del estado de Sonora, para conocer su composición. La recolección de especímenes se realizó mediante la técnica de intercepción o línea de Canfield (1941, en 15 sitios con dos repeticiones sumando 30 transectos. Se encontraron un total de 40 familias, 79 géneros y 99 especies. Las familias mejor representadas fueron: Leguminoseae, Cactaceae, Gramineae, Compositae, Chenopodiaceae, Salicaceae, Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Amaranthaceae y Asteraceae. La dominante fue Leguminoseae con vegetación de bosque espinoso compuesta por Acacia cymbispina, Acacia farnesiana, Parkinsonia aculeata y Prosopis juliflora. Resulta perceptible la pérdida de flora debido al cambio de uso de suelo. Especies representativas de la zona riparia como Populus fremontii y Salix bonplandiana están desapareciendo por alteración del ecosistema. Poblaciones de mangle como Rhizophora mangle y Conocarpus erectus están disminuidas. El área estudiada es rica en especies a pesar de la perturbación. La diversidad varía de acuerdo al gradiente altitudinal y el número de especies guarda relación con los géneros y familias recolectadas. La agricultura, acuicultura, ganadería, la industria pesquera y la urbanización, son los giros que causan mayor afectación en los ecosistemas

  13. In vitro screening for the tumoricidal properties of international medicinal herbs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazzio, Elizabeth A; Soliman, Karam F A

    2009-03-01

    There is growing use of anticancer complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) worldwide. The purpose of the current study is to assess a sizeable variety of natural and plant sources of diverse origin, to ascertain prospective research directives for cancer treatment and potential new chemotherapy drug sources. In this study, 374 natural extracts (10 microg/mL-5 mg/mL) were evaluated for dose-dependent tumoricidal effects using immortal neuroblastoma of spontaneous malignant origin. The findings indicate no pattern of tumoricidal effects by diverse plants with similar families/genus under the classes Pinopsida, Equisetopsida, Lycopodiosida, Filicosida, Liliopsida Monocotyledons or Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons. The results indicate that many of the most commonly used CAMs exhibited relatively weak tumoricidal effects including cats claw, astragalus, ginseng, echinacea, mistletoe, milk thistle, slippery elm, cayenne, chamomile, don quai, meadowsweet, motherwort and shepherd's purse. The data demonstrate that the most potent plant extracts were randomly dispersed within the plantae kingdom (LC(50) = 31-490 microg/mL) in order of the lowest LC(50) Dioscorea villosa (Dioscoreaceae) > Sanguinaria canadensis (Papaveraceae) > Dipsacus asper (Dipsacaceae) > Populus balsamifera (Salicaceae) > Boswellia carteri (Burseraceae) > Cyamopsis psoralioides (Fabaceae) > Rhamnus cathartica (Rhamnaceae) > Larrea tridentate (Zygophyllaceae) > Dichroa febrifuga (Hydrangeaceae) > Batschia canescens (Boraginaceae) > Kochia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae) > Solanum xanthocarpum (Solanaceae) > Opoponax chironium (Umbelliferae) > Caulophyllum thalictroides (Berberidaceae) > Dryopteris crassirhizoma (Dryopteridaceae) > Garcinia cambogia (Clusiaceae) > Vitex agnus-castus (Verbenaceae) > Calamus draco (Arecaceae). These findings show tumoricidal effect by extracts of wild yam root, bloodroot, teasel root, bakuchi seed, dichroa root, kanta kari, garcinia fruit, mace, dragons blood and the biblically

  14. Mycorrhizal status of plants in two successional stages on spoil heaps from fireloam mining in Lower Silesia (SW Poland

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    Dorota Kasowska

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The mycorrhizal status of two plant communities representing an initial stage (1-2 year-old and a 8-9-year-old stage of succession on spoil heaps from fireloam mining in Lower Silesia, Poland, was determined. In the initial stage, the mycorrhizal structures were not observed in 39% of the investigated species; they were members of the Polygonaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae families. The relative cover of non-mycorrhizal plants exceeded 50% and the major role was played by the Polygonum aviculare population, which predominated the whole community. Mycorrhizal species (arbuscular mycorrhizae contributed to 61 % of the composition of the initial phyto-coenosis. The most numerous taxa were those with 20-40% of the root length colonized, with a small number of arbuscules (0.2-3.1% of the root length containig arbuscules and no vesicles. In the advanced stage of succession, mycorrhizal plants definitely dominated and the major role was played by the Tussilago farfara population. Compared with the initial stage, the later one also harboured more plants with mycorrhizas occupied >40% of the root length, as well as containing numerous arbuscules (>20% of the root length and vesicles. The non-mycorrhizal species, i.e., Equisetum arvense and Poa compressa, represented 11 % o': the community composition and their relative cover amounted to 3%. Despite the relatively frequent occurrence of the arbuscular mycorrhizae in the initial stage of succession, the qualitative properties of the colonization indicated a low effectiveness of symbiosis. This could be caused by the lack of adaptation of the fungal symbiont to the edaphic conditions which were changed after disturbance.

  15. Phylogeny of Salsoleae s.l. (Chenopodiaceae) based on DNA sequence data from ITS, psbB-psbH, and rbcL, with emphasis on taxa of northwestern China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhi-Bin Wen; Ming-Li Zhang; Ge-Lin Zhu; Stewart C. Sanderson

    2010-01-01

    To reconstruct phylogeny and verify the monophyly of major subgroups, a total of 52 species representing almost all species of Salsoleae s.l. in China were sampled, with analysis based on three molecular markers (nrDNA ITS, cpDNA psbB-psbH and rbcL), using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference methods. Our molecular evidence provides strong...

  16. Ethno-botanical remedies used by pastoralists for the treatment of livestock diseases in Cholistan desert, Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raza, Muhammad Asif; Younas, Muhammad; Buerkert, Andreas; Schlecht, Eva

    2014-01-01

    Account of the traditional plant based viz. ethno-botanical remedies used by the pastoralists of Cholistan desert, Pakistan, for the control and treatment of livestock diseases and ailments. The study was conducted across five locations in Cholistan desert, Pakistan, using a structured questionnaire to collect data from 100 livestock farmers (LF) and 20 livestock healers (LH). From correlation analyses 3 least correlated variables were identified among 5, which were representative of LFs. Cluster analysis was performed on the basis of these 3 variables and LFs were grouped into 3 logically different clusters. Kruskal-Wallis test and crosstab analyses were used to detect significant differences between clusters and effects of various variables on their use of ethno-botanical remedies. Most of the male only interviewees (LF 78%; LH 70%) were married and illiterate (LF 66%; LH 70%). LH had larger herds (average 109 animals) than LF (average 85 animals) and were more experienced in livestock husbandry and management. LF spent about 162.5 Euros annually on the treatment of their livestock, but there was great variability in expenditures. Average animal treatment experience of LH was 29 years; all were experts in treatment of all types of diseases (100%) and animal species (70%). Eighty-six traditional remedies based on 64 plants belonging to 43 families were used. Capparaceae was the botanical family with the largest number of used species (4), followed by Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae, Solanaceae and Zygophyllaceae (3). Aerial parts (43%), leaves (26%), fruits (9%), seeds and seed oils (9%) were frequently used parts, while flowers, roots, bulbs and pods were less frequently used (medicinal plants against the most prevalent livestock diseases should be evaluated, in order to recommend effective preparations and treatments to this poor population group. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  17. Effect of land uses and wind direction on the contribution of local sources to airborne pollen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojo, Jesús; Rapp, Ana; Lara, Beatriz; Fernández-González, Federico; Pérez-Badia, Rosa

    2015-12-15

    The interpretation of airborne pollen levels in cities based on the contribution of the surrounding flora and vegetation is a useful tool to estimate airborne allergen concentrations and, consequently, to determine the allergy risk for local residents. This study examined the pollen spectrum in a city in central Spain (Guadalajara) and analysed the vegetation landscape and land uses within a radius of 20km in an attempt to identify and locate the origin of airborne pollen and to determine the effect of meteorological variables on pollen emission and dispersal. The results showed that local wind direction was largely responsible for changes in the concentrations of different airborne pollen types. The land uses contributing most to airborne pollen counts were urban green spaces, though only 0.1% of the total surface area studied, and broadleaved forest which covered 5% of the study area. These two types of land use together accounted for 70% of the airborne pollen. Crops, scrubland and pastureland, though covering 80% of the total surface area, contributed only 18.6% to the total pollen count, and this contribution mainly consisted of pollen from Olea and herbaceous plants, including Poaceae, Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae. Pollen from ornamental species were mainly associated with easterly (Platanus), southerly (Cupressaceae) and westerly (Cupressaceae and Platanus) winds from the areas where the city's largest parks and gardens are located. Quercus pollen was mostly transported by winds blowing in from holm-oak stands on the eastern edge of the city. The highest Populus pollen counts were associated with easterly and westerly winds blowing in from areas containing rivers and streams. The airborne pollen counts generally rose with increasing temperature, solar radiation and hours of sunlight, all of which favour pollen release. In contrast, pollen counts declined with increased relative humidity and rainfall, which hinder airborne pollen transport

  18. Characterisation of bio-aerosols during dust storm period in N-NW India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yadav, Sudesh; Chauhan, M. S.; Sharma, Anupam

    Bio-investigations for pollen and spores were performed on dry free-fall dust and PM 10 aerosol samples, collected from three different locations separated by a distance of 600 km, situated in dust storm hit region of N-NW India. Presence of pollen of trees namely Prosopis ( Prosopis juliflora and Prosopis cinearia), Acacia, Syzygium, Pinus, Cedrus, Holoptelea and shrubs namely Ziziphus, Ricinus, Ephedra and members of Fabaceae, Oleaceae families was recorded but with varying proportions in the samples of different locations. Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Brassicaceae and Cyperaceae (sedges) were some of the herb pollen identified in the samples. Among the fungal spores Nigrospora was seen in almost all samples. Nigrospora is a well known allergen and causes health problems. The concentration of trees and shrubs increases in the windward direction just as the climate changes from hot arid to semiarid. The higher frequency of grasses (Poaceae) or herbs could either be a result of the presence of these herbs in the sampling area and hence the higher production of pollen/spores or due to the resuspension from the exposed surface by the high-intensity winds. But we cannot ascertain the exact process at this stage. The overall similarity in the pollen and spore assemblage in our dust samples indicates a common connection or source(s) to the dust in this region. Presence of the pollen of the species of Himalayan origin in our entire samples strongly point towards a Himalayan connection, could be direct or indirect, to the bioaerosols and hence dust in N-NW India. In order to understand the transport path and processes involved therein, present study needs further extension with more number of samples and with reference to meteorological parameters.

  19. Properties of a virus causing mosaic and leaf curl disease of Celosia argentea L. in Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owolabi, T A; Taiwo, M A; Thottappilly, G A; Shoyinka, S A; Proll, E; Rabenstein, F

    1998-06-01

    A sap transmissible virus, causing mosaic and leaf curl disease of Celosia argentea, was isolated at vegetable farms in Amuwo Odofin, Tejuoso, and Abule Ado, Lagos, Nigeria. The virus had a restricted host range confined to a few species of the Amaranthaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Solanaceae families. It failed to infect several other species of the Aizoaceae, Brassicaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae and Tiliaceae families. The virus was transmitted in a non-persistent manner by Aphis spiraecola and Toxoptera citricidus but not by eight other aphid species tested. There was no evidence of transmission by seeds of C. argentae varieties. The viral coat protein had a relative molecular mass (M(r)) of about 30.2 K. Electron microscopy of purified virus preparations revealed flexuous rod shaped particles of about 750 nm in length. Serological studies were performed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunosorbent electron microscopy (ISEM) and Western blot analysis. The virus reacted positively with an universal potyvirus group monoclonal antibody (MoAb) and MoAb P-3-3H8 raised against peanut stripe potyvirus. It also reacted with polyclonal antibodies raised against several potyviruses including asparagus virus-1 (AV-1), turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV), watermelon mosaic virus (WMV-2), plum pox virus (PPV), soybean mosaic virus (SoyMV), lettuce mosaic virus (LMV), bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and beet mosaic virus (BMV) in at least one of the serological assays used. On the basis of host range, mode of transmission, and available literature data, the celosia virus seems to be different from potyviruses previously reported to infect vegetables in Nigeria. The name celosia mosaic virus (CIMV) has been proposed for this virus.

  20. Sugarbeet leaf spot disease (Cercospora beticola Sacc.)dagger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiland, John; Koch, Georg

    2004-05-01

    SUMMARY Leaf spot disease caused by Cercospora beticola Sacc. is the most destructive foliar pathogen of sugarbeet worldwide. In addition to reducing yield and quality of sugarbeet, the control of leaf spot disease by extensive fungicide application incurs added costs to producers and repeatedly has selected for fungicide-tolerant C. beticola strains. The genetics and biochemistry of virulence have been examined less for C. beticola as compared with the related fungi C. nicotianae, C. kikuchii and C. zeae-maydis, fungi to which the physiology of C. beticola is often compared. C. beticola populations generally are not characterized as having race structure, although a case of race-specific resistance in sugarbeet to C. beticola has been reported. Resistance currently implemented in the field is quantitatively inherited and exhibits low to medium heritability. Cercospora beticola Sacc.; Kingdom Fungi, Subdivision Deuteromycetes, Class Hyphomycetes, Order Hyphales, Genus Cercospora. Circular, brown to red delimited spots with ashen-grey centre, 0.5-6 mm diameter; dark brown to black stromata against grey background; pale brown unbranched sparingly septate conidiophores, hyaline acicular conidia, multiseptate, from 2.5 to 4 microm wide and 50-200 microm long. Propagative on Beta vulgaris and most species of Beta. Reported on members of the Chenopodiaceae and on Amaranthus. Disease symptoms: Infected leaves and petioles of B. vulgaris exhibit numerous circular leaf spots that coalesce in severe cases causing complete leaf collapse. Dark specks within a grey spot centre are characteristic for the disease. Older leaves exhibit a greater number of lesions with larger spot diameter. During the latter stage of severe epiphytotics, new leaf growth can be seen emerging from the plant surrounded by prostrate, collapsed leaves. Fungicides in the benzimidazole and triazole class as well as organotin derivatives and strobilurins have successfully been used to control Cercospora

  1. Holocene vegetation and climatic variations in Central India: A study based on multiproxy evidences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chauhan, M. S.; Sharma, Anupam; Phartiyal, Binita; Kumar, Kamlesh

    2013-11-01

    Palynology, texture, mineralogy, geochemistry, and magnetic susceptibility analysis of a 2 m deep sediment core from Padauna Swamp, southeastern Madhya Pradesh infers that between 8600 and 7500 cal yr BP a warm and relatively less-humid climate prevailed with open tree-savannahs dominated by grasses followed by sedges, Artemisia and members of Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae with scanty trees viz., Schrebera, Aegle marmelos and Sterculia urens. This is well supported by lower organic to carbonate carbon ratio, coarser texture having relatively low CIA and magnetic susceptibility values and presence of some primary minerals. Between 7500 and 6250 cal yr BP the tree-savannahs were succeeded by open mixed deciduous forests with the invasion of a few more trees viz., Madhuca indica, Holoptelea, Emblica officinalis, Mitragyna parvifolia and members of Anacardiaceae in response to onset of a warm and humid climate. A considerable rise in organic carbon generated from the degradation of plentiful biomass along with increase in clay content with signs of kaolinite and increase in immobile over mobile elements with slightly higher CIA and magnetic susceptibility values also suggest climatic amelioration. The presence of ruderal plants such as Artemisia, Cannabis sativa and Cheno/Am further infers initiation of human activities in the region. Between 6250 and 2800 cal yr BP, the mixed deciduous forests became more diverse and dense, subduing grasses and other herbaceous elements. Sporadic incursion of Shorea robusta (Sal) in forest floristic was recorded around 5000 cal yr BP. The overall change in the vegetation mosaic reflects that a warm and more-humid climate prevailed in the region, probably on account of invigoration of southwest monsoon. This observation is further corroborated by other proxy data showing a spurt in organic/inorganic carbon ratio, increase in clay content with matured mineralogy, significantly higher CIA and magnetic susceptibility values. Since 2800 cal

  2. Late Miocene (Pannonian) Vegetation from the Northern Part of Central Paratethys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kováčová, M.; Doláková, N.

    2009-04-01

    . Accumulations of the Chenopodiaceae in the interfluve areas probably indicate local saline swampy environments during sea level fall. The increasing amounts of herbs indicate the existence of wet prairie areas (Thalictrum, Rumex, Valeriana, Dipsacaceae, Lamiaceae, Galium) or steppes (Artemisia - up to 17%, Asteraceae, Campanula, Fabaceae, Daucaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Plantago). This is the contribution to the projects ESF -EC-009-07, APVT 51-011305, APVV-0280-07 (Slovakia) and MSM0021622427 (Czech republic).

  3. Threatened plant resources: distribution and ecosystem services in the world's high elevation park of the karakoram ranges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shedayi, A.; Xu, M.; Hussain, F.; Sadia, S.; Bano, S.

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to investigate diversity, distribution, status, ecosystem services and threats to the plant resources in the study area based on field survey and ethno ecological knowledge for effective conservation and sustainable ecosystem services. The present study was conducted in the world's high elevation Khunjerab National Park (KNP) of the Karakoram ranges in Pakistan bordering China. Tremendous ecosystem services are obtained from the park and considered the most important habitat for many plant biodiversity and wildlife species. Field surveys were conducted to collect plants in transect along the road side of seven valleys ranging from 3160m to 4934m altitudinal variation. The names and traditional uses were recorded from the local people of the area by semi structured questionnaires and direct interviews. The data was analyzed by excel spreadsheets, direct matrix ranking, and pair comparison tests. Asteraceae was the dominant family with 15% species followed by Chenopodiaceae 10%, Poaceae 8%, Papilionaceae and Rocaceae 7% each, Brasicaceae 6%. Plant resources contribute direct and indirect ecosystem services such as food, medicine, fuel, timber, thatching, water purification, mineral and soil retention, and most importantly as sink of global carbon stock especially in the high altitude peatlands. Herbs were the dominant species in the area with 89%. Fodder is the most common usage for plants, followed by medicine. Plants with percentages 27% and 39% found to be highly palatable and palatable respectively. Competition for food between wildlife and livestock was high recorded for 60% plants. Plants used to cure various diseases including stomachache, asthma, cancer and tuberculosis etc. Plant resources in KNP are unique and vary with climate and altitude. This floral wealth is under tremendous threats of global climate change and anthropogenic activities like overgrazing, increasing population, and a rapidly declining traditional knowledge for

  4. Insights into Penultimate Interglacial-Glacial Climate Change on Vegetation History at Lake Van, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickarski, N.; Litt, T.

    2017-12-01

    A new detailed pollen and oxygen isotope record of the penultimate interglacial-glacial cycle (ca. 250-129 ka; MIS 7-6), has been generated from the sediment core at Lake Van, Turkey. The integration of all available proxies (pollen, microscopic charcoal, δ18Obulk, and XRF) shows three temperate intervals of high effective soil moisture availability. This is evidenced by the predominance of oak steppe-forested landscapes similar to the present interglacial vegetation in this sensitive semiarid region. The wettest/warmest stage, as indicated by highest temperate tree percentages, can be broadly correlated with MIS 7c, while the amplitude of the tree population maximum during the oldest penultimate interglacial (MIS 7e) appears to be reduced due to warm but drier climatic conditions. A detailed comparison of the penultimate interglacial complex (MIS 7) to the last interglacial (MIS 5e) and the current interglacial (MIS 1) provides a vivid illustration of possible differences in the successive climatic cycles. Intervening periods of treeless vegetation (MIS 7d, 7a) were predominated by steppe elements. The occurrence of Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae during MIS 7d indicates very dry and cold climatic conditions, while higher temperate tree percentages (mainly deciduous Quercus) points to relatively humid and mild conditions throughout MIS 7b. Despite the general dominance of dry and cold desert-steppe vegetation during the penultimate glacial (MIS 6), this period can be divided into two parts: an early stage (ca. 193-157 ka) with higher oscillations in tree percentages and a later stage (ca. 157-131 ka) with lower tree percentages and subdued oscillations. Furthermore, we are able to identify the MIS 6e event (ca. 179-159 ka), which reveals clear climate variability due to rapid alternation in the vegetation cover. In comparison with long European pollen archives, speleothem isotope records from the Near East, and global climate parameters, the new high

  5. Caracterização parcial de um Tymovirus isolado de tomateiros

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabel Cristina Batista

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Um Tymovirus isolado de sementes de tomateiro (Solanum lycopersicum 'Paronset' com sintomas de necrose, denominado TyToRS08, foi caracterizado quanto ao círculo de hospedeiras, propriedades físico-químicas, sorológicas e moleculares. O vírus foi transmitido mecanicamente a partir de folhas, frutos e sementes infectadas. A gama de hospedeiras incluiu espécies de Amaranthaceae, Chenopodiaceae e Solanaceae, induzindo sintomas local e sistêmicos na maior parte das espécies, exceto para Nicotiana sylvestris, N. tabacum 'Samsun', 'White Burley' e 'Xanthi' que não manifestaram sintomas. Em tomateiros 'Alambra', 'Thomas', 'Diva', 'Romana' e 'Graziela', o vírus induziu sintomas de mosaico e necrose branca. A presença do vírus foi detectada, nas sementes infectadas de todas as cultivares avaliadas, porém não se notou em plântulas após a germinação destas sementes. Foi obtida uma preparação purificada com concentração de 1,04 mg mL-1, empregada na produção de um antissoro policlonal que reagiu em PTA-ELISA com um título de 1/32768. Utilizou-se um par de oligonucleotídeos degenerados, desenhados para anelar na ORF 1 de espécies de Tymovirus, que permitiu a amplificação por RT-PCR de fragmentos com cerca de 700 pb. Após o alinhamento e a análise das sequências, verificou-se que o isolado TyToRS08 possuía valores abaixo de 70% de identidade com as espécies de Tymovirus, indicando que pode se tratar de uma espécie distinta das descritas no gênero, com potencial epidemiológico, pela sua estabilidade e disseminação por sementes de tomate.

  6. Biodiversidad del complejo de artrópodos asociados al follaje de la vegetación del norte de Chile, II región Biodiversity of the canopy arthropods associated to vegetation of the north of Chile, II region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FRANCISCO SAIZ

    2000-12-01

    Full Text Available Uno de los componentes principales de la biodiversidad de los ecosistemas corresponde al complejo plantas hospederas, fitófagos y organismos que regulan a las poblaciones de fitófagos. El conocimiento de este complejo en la región árida de Chile es escaso, situación que motiva la presente investigación. Como hipótesis se plantea que a más favorables condiciones ambientales, a mayor diversidad de plantas hospederas y a mayor contenido de nitrógeno y de agua en los vegetales se sustentará una mayor biodiversidad de fitófagos, los que, a su vez, sustentarán mayor diversidad de depredadores y de parasitoides. El estudio se realizó en la II Región del país, mediante un transecto longitudinal, desde la Costa a la Cordillera de los Andes, el que cruza las siguientes zonas bioclimáticas: Desierto Litoral (DL, Desierto Interior (DI, Tropical Marginal (TM Tropical de Altura (TA, con un gradiente altitudinal de 0 a 4.000 msnm. La colecta de los artrópodos del follaje se hizo mediante la técnica del paraguas entomológico sobre las plantas vegetativamente activas y los formadores de cecidias, minadores y defoliadores por colecta directa de los órganos afectados. En total se colectó e identificó un total de 97 especies vegetales distribuidas en 28 familias. Desde este punto de vista, la zona ecológica más pobre es el DI, destacando DL y TM como las zonas más ricas en vegetación. Sin embargo, existe fuerte aislamiento de la vegetación del DL y una casi total sobreposición de la vegetación del DI con la de la zona TM. En cuanto a familias, la mayor riqueza específica la presenta Asteraceae, seguida por Chenopodiaceae, Solanaceae, Nolanaceae, Fabaceae y Portulacaceae. Asteraceae y Chenopodiaceae destacan, además, por estar presentes en las cuatro zonas ecológicas. Desde el punto de vista nutricional, el contenido foliar de agua y de cenizas de la vegetación varía considerablemente, con valores promedio extremos en el DL y en TA

  7. New data on morphometrics, distribution and ecology of Mioscirtus wagneri (Kittary, 1849 (Orthoptera, Acrididae in Spain: is maghrebi a well defined subespecies?

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    Aparicio, J. M.

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available We studied different populations of Mioscirtus wagneri (Kittary, 1859 in Spain assigned to subspecies maghrebi by Fernandes (1968 and obtained some new records for the species. To see if maghrebi is a consistent taxon for the Iberian populations, we performed a morphometric analysis involving 53 individuals from different origins considering body size (front of the head to tip of the abdomen; the shape of pronotum and presence of a second anterior notch or sulcus; length of the antennae and epiphallum, according to the characters used to define subspecies maghrebi. If maghrebi is consistent, we would expect intermediate sizes between wagneri and rogenhoferi, the other two well separated subspecies considered for M.w. However, in our measurements we obtained that body size is not intermediate between M. w. wagneri and M. w. rogenhoferi contrary to expectations if assuming the existence of maghrebi. Body size is similar to wagneri and further, we recorded some of the smallest individuals described so far. Also, the pronotum varied widely across and within populations showing different phenotypes that formerly were used to separate maghrebi and wagneri. Taking into account body size, pronotum, length of antenna and epiphallum, we think that differences between the studied Spanish populations and wagneri form are not enough to assign the studied populations to maghrebi. In the studied area, M.w. shows a narrow ecological niche inhabiting shores or proximities of hipersaline lagoons wherever Suaeda vera (Forsskål 1791, Chenopodiacea is present, M.w. uses this plant as refuge and food. The species also inhabits bare saline low grounds with scattered S vera. It presents a markedly discontinuous and patchy distribution in Spain, showing up punctually, where the microhabitat is appropriate. We obtained a morphometric variability with a significant association between body size and locality, and between body size and the colour of posterior wings in

  8. Involvement of NFκB in the antirheumatic potential of Chenopodium album L., aerial parts extracts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arora, Sumit K; Itankar, Prakash R; Verma, Prashant R; Bharne, Ashish P; Kokare, Dadasaheb M

    2014-08-08

    Chenopodium album L. (C. album) is commonly known as Bathua in Hindi (Family: Chenopodiaceae). Traditionally, the plant is used as a laxative, diuretic, sedative and the infusion of the plant is used for the treatment of rheumatism. However, no scientific validation is available on the antirheumatic potential of the plant. In the present investigation, role of NF kappa B (NFκB) in the antiarthritic potential of extracts of aerial parts of Chenopodium album was explored and evaluated. The defatted aerial parts of Chenopodium album were successively extracted with ethylacetate, acetone, methanol and 50% methanol to study their antioxidant capacity followed by antiarthritic potential using Complete Freund׳s adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis model in rats. The polyphenol, flavonoid and flavanone contents of different extracts were quantified and correlated with their antioxidant capacity, antiarthritic activity and NFκB inhibition potential. The experimental data indicated that the acetone extract of Chenopodium album (ACCA) has shown significant reduction in rat paw edema (80.13%) at dose level of 200 mg/kg per oral in 21 days of this study. On 22nd day, hematological and biochemical parameters were estimated and it was observed that the altered hematological parameters (Hb, RBC, WBC and ESR), biochemical parameters (Serum creatinine, total proteins and acute phase proteins) and loss in body weight in the arthritic rats were significantly brought back to near normal level by the ACCA extract. ACCA extract significantly decreased the NFκB expression in paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus and this effect is comparable with standard indomethacine in CFA treated rats. The polyphenolic and flavonoid content of different extracts were in the range of 14.56±0.21-42.00±0.2 mg (gallic acid equivalent/g extract) and 2.20±0.003-7.33±0.5 mg (rutin equivalent/g extract) respectively. The antiarthritic activity possessed by ACCA extract can be correlated directly to its

  9. Diet and habitat of the saiga antelope during the late Quaternary using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jürgensen, Jonathan; Drucker, Dorothée G.; Stuart, Anthony J.; Schneider, Matthias; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar; Bocherens, Hervé

    2017-03-01

    Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is one of the typical late Pleistocene species of the cold and arid mammoth steppe that covered a large area of northern hemisphere. The species is currently endangered and persists only in small areas of Central Asian steppe and desert ecosystems. The investigation of the ecology of the Pleistocene saiga using stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) aimed to decipher how different their diet and habitat were from those observed nowadays in relict populations. Up to 76 samples of bone collagen of ancient saiga from Western Europe, Siberia and Eastern Beringia were analysed and compared with 52 samples of hair and bone collagen of modern specimens from Kazahkstan, Russia and Mongolia. The δ13C values of the ancient saiga do not exhibit a clear trend over time. They cover the same range of values as the modern ones, from a C3-dominated to a C3-C4-dominated mixed diet (including probably Chenopodiaceae). In contrast, the δ15N values of fossil saigas are more variable and lower on average than the extant ones. The lowest δ15N values of ancient saiga are found around the Last Glacial Maximum, reflecting the influence of the cold conditions at that time. On the other hand, fossil saiga occupying the same regions as the historical and modern populations exhibit high δ15N values similar to the modern ones, confirming ecological continuity over time. Modern saiga is thus occupying just one of its potential diverse habitats they used in the past. Therefore, the extant saiga is not a refugee species confined to a suboptimal habitat. During the late Pleistocene, the saiga occupied a separate niche compared with the other ungulates of the mammoth steppe. However, this species could also adapt to a lichen-dominated diet normally seen in reindeer, leading to an isotopic overlap between the two species in south-western France and Alaska around the Last Glacial Maximum. This adaptation allowed a geographical expansion that does not correspond to a

  10. The origin of shallow lakes in the Khorezm Province, Uzbekistan, and the history of pesticide use around these lakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosen, Michael R.; Crootof, Arica; Reidy, Liam; Saito, Laurel; Nishonov, Bakhriddin; Scott, Julian A.

    2018-01-01

    The economy of the Khorezm Province in Uzbekistan relies on the large-scale agricultural production of cotton. To sustain their staple crop, water from the Amu Darya is diverted for irrigation through canal systems constructed during the early to mid-twentieth century when this region was part of the Soviet Union. These diversions severely reduce river flow to the Aral Sea. The Province has >400 small shallow (data indicate that the majority of the lakes investigated are less than 150 years old, which supports a recent origin of the lakes. The thickness of lacustrine sediments in the cores analyzed ranged from 20 to 60 cm in all but two of the lakes, indicating a relatively slow sedimentation rate and a relatively short-term history for the lakes. Hydrologic changes in the lakes are evident from loss on ignition and pollen analyses of a subset of the lake cores. The data indicate that the lakes have transitioned from a dry, saline, arid landscape during pre-lake conditions (low organic carbon content) and low pollen concentrations (in the basal sediments) to the current freshwater lakes (high organic content), with abundant freshwater pollen taxa over the last 50–70 years. Sediments at the base of the cores contain pollen taxa dominated by Chenopodiaceae and Tamarix, indicating that the vegetation growing nearby was tolerant to arid saline conditions. The near surface sediments of the cores are dominated by Typha/Sparganium, which indicate freshwater conditions. Increases in pollen of weeds and crop plants indicate an intensification of agricultural activities since the 1950s in the watersheds of the lakes analyzed. Pesticide profiles of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and its degradates and γ-HCH (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane), which were used during the Soviet era, show peak concentrations in the top 10 cm of some of the cores, where estimated ages of the sediments (1950–1990) are associated with peak pesticide use during the Soviet era. These data

  11. Medicinal flora of the Cholistan desert: a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hmeed, M.; Ashraf, M.; Nawaz, T.; Naz, N.; Ahmad, M.S.A.; Al-Quriany, F.; Younis, A.

    2011-01-01

    The Cholistan desert can be divided into two distinct regions on the basis of topography, soil type and texture, and vegetation structure: the northern Lesser Cholistan and southern Greater Cholistan. The desert is characterized by large saline compacted areas with alluvial clay, sandy ridges and dunes, and semi-stabilized to frequently shifting dunes. The climate is subtropical, harsh, hot and arid, and influenced by seasonal monsoons. Vegetation cover on the sand dunes is comprised by a few tussock-forming grasses including Cenchrus ciliaris, Panicum turgidum and Lasiurus scindicus, along with perennial shrubs Calligonum polygonoides, Leptadenia pyrotechnica and Aerva javanica. Interdunal flats are dominated by grasses, mainly Cymbopogon jwarancusa, Sporobolus ioclados, Panicum antidotale, and Ochthochloa compressa, and tall shrubs Calligonum polygonoides and Capparis decidua. Vegetation of saline patches is specific, dominated by halophytes mainly belonging to family Chenopodiaceae (Amaranthaceae). Many plants of the Cholistan desert, including Neurada procumbens, Aerva javanica, Capparis decidua, Cleome brachycarpa, Dipterygium glaucum, Gisekia pharnacioides, Suaeda fruticosa, Achyranthes aspera, Aerva javanica, Alhagi maurorum, Calotropis procera, Capparis decidua, Zaleya pentandra, Mollugo cerviana, Ziziphus mauritiana, Boerhavia procumbens, Cressa cretica and Crotalaria burhia, are frequently used by the local inhabitants to cure chronic and acute diseases. A variety of medicinally important chemical compounds have been extracted and identified from the plants of the Cholistan desert, including terpenes and triterpenoids, sterols and steroids, phenolics, flavonoids, gums and resins, quinones, anthocyanidines, saponins, antioxidants and fatty acids. Habitat degradation, intensive agricultural practices and over exploitation of resources pose a serious threat to the diversity of ethno botanically important plant species. Allopathic medicines are generally

  12. Late Glacial to Holocene environments in the present-day coldest region of the Northern Hemisphere inferred from a pollen record of Lake Billyakh, Verkhoyansk Mts, NE Siberia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Müller

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available In this study, a radiocarbon-dated pollen record from Lake Billyakh (65°17' N, 126°47' E; 340 m a.s.l. in the Verkhoyansk Mountains was used to reconstruct vegetation and climate change since about 15 kyr BP. The pollen record and pollen-based biome reconstruction suggest that open cool steppe (STEP and grass and sedge tundra (TUND communities with Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Selaginella rupestris dominated the area from 15 to 13.5 kyr BP. On the other hand, the constant presence of Larix pollen in quantities comparable to today's values points to the constant presence of boreal deciduous conifer (CLDE trees in the regional vegetation during the Late Glacial. A major spread of shrub tundra communities, including birch (Betula sect. Nanae, alder (Duschekia fruticosa and willow (Salix species, is dated to 13.5–12.7 kyr BP, indicating a noticeable increase in precipitation toward the end of the Last Glaciation, particularly during the Bølling-Allerød Interstadial. Between 12.7 and 11.4 kyr BP pollen percentages of herbaceous taxa rapidly increased, whereas shrub taxa percentages decreased, suggesting strengthening of the steppe communities associated with the relatively cold and dry Younger Dryas Stadial. However, the pollen data in hand indicate that Younger Dryas climate was less severe than the climate during the earlier interval from 15 to 13.5 kyr BP. The onset of the Holocene is marked in the pollen record by the highest values of shrub and lowest values of herbaceous taxa, suggesting a return of warmer and wetter conditions after 11.4 kyr BP. Percentages of tree taxa increase gradually and reach maximum values after 7 kyr BP, reflecting the spread of boreal cold deciduous and taiga forests in the region. An interval between 7 and 2 kyr BP is noticeable for the highest percentages of Scots pine (Pinus subgen.

  13. The Neogene Environment of the Beardmore Glacier, Transantarctic Mountains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashworth, A. C.; Cantrill, D. J.; Francis, J. E.; Roof, S. R.

    2004-12-01

    Discontinuous sequences of Neogene marine and non-marine glacigenic sequences, including the Meyer Desert Formation (MDF), occur throughout the Transantarctic Mountains. The upper 85m of the MDF, consisting of interbedded diamictites, conglomerates, sandstones and siltstones, outcrops in the Oliver Bluffs on the Beardmore Glacier at 85° 07'S, 166° 35'E. The location is about 170 km south of the confluence of the Beardmore Glacier with the Ross Ice Shelf and about 500 km north of the South Pole The glacial, fluvioglacial and glaciolacustrine facies of the MDF represent a dynamic glacial margin which advanced and retreated on at least four occasions. On at least one occasion, the retreat was sufficiently long for plants and animals to colonize the head of a major fjord which existed in the place of the existing Beardmore Glacier. From the fossils we have identified at least 18 species of plants, 3 species of insects, 2 species of freshwater mollusks, and a species of fish. The plant fossils consist of pollen, seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves, wood, and in situ plants. The plants include a cryptogamic flora of mosses and liverworts, conifers, and angiosperms in the families Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Nothofagaceae, Ranunculaceae, Hippuridaceae, ?Caryophyllaceae, and ?Chenopodiaceae or ?Myrtaceae. The plants grew in a weakly developed soil developed on a complex periglacial environment that included moraines, glacial outwash streams, well-drained gravel ridges, and poorly drained depressions in which peat and marl were being deposited. The fossil assemblage represents a mosaic tundra environment of well- and poorly-drained micro-sites, in which nutrient availability would have been patchily distributed. Antarctica has been essentially in a polar position since the Early Cretaceous and at 85° S receives no sunlight from the middle of March until the end of September. Today, the annual radiation received is about 42% that of Tierra del Fuego at 55° S. During the Neogene

  14. Palynological evidence of human activity on the gulf of Gdansk coast during the late holocene

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    Grazyna Miotk-Szpiganowicz

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The Gulf of Gdansk is located in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. The shores of the Gulf are dominated by the sandy barriers which have developed in front of the Vistula Lagoon and the Vistula Delta Plain to the south-east and south and in front of the Puck Lagoon in the north-west such as the Hel Peninsula. Cliffs occur on the western coast of the Gulf. Neolithic settlements around the coast of the Gulf of Gdansk are mainly located at the foot of the upland slope and on the Vistula Spit and the Vistula Delta and are closely related to the rise and displacement of the shoreline during the Late Holocene. Pollen analyses of the sediment cores from the Vistula Delta, the Vistula Lagoon and the coast of the Puck Lagoon allow four anthropogenic phases to be distinguished in the area of the Gulf of Gdansk. It has been shown that the first indicators of an early husbandry economy in the vicinity of the Gulf of Gdansk appeared in the Atlantic Period. Pollen grains of plants related to this kind of human activity those of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae, motherwort (Artemisia, sorrel (Rumex are present and the first pollen grains of the plantain (Plantago lanceolata also appear. The second anthropogenic phase of Neolithic settlement is one of the best investigated cultures. This is the Rzucewo Culture. Pollen analyses indicate increasing human activity at the beginning of the Subboreal Period. The preserved traces of fauna show that the seal hunting and fishing economy was preferred. Radiocarbon dating of archaeological artifacts indicates the beginning of the settlement at ca. 2 400 B.C. (ca. 4 400 years B.P. (Król 1997. The altitude of peat and marine mollusks shells and their radiocarbon age shows that during the Early Subboreal Period the water level rose from ca. 2.8 m to 1.1 m below the present-day sea level. The date of the beginning of the seal hunters settlement correlates well with the period when the shores of the Puck Lagoon

  15. Late Pleistocene Climate Events and The Origin of Agriculture In SW Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossignol-Strick, M.

    In the Eastern Mediterranean sea, the climate succession of the last deglaciation is documented and dated in marine cores by the d18-O variation of foraminiferal cal- cite and pollen records. The Last Glacial Maximum is identified by a large abundance of grass pollen from a prairie-type vegetal cover with low annual precipitation in the mountainous north and east borderlands of the sea, where the pollen mainly origi- nates. During the first phase of the last deglaciation, the Bolling/Allerod chronozone, the moisture availability increases and makes possible the spread of a deciduous for- est, as shown by the increasing pollen abundance of the deciduous oak. The cold and arid Younger Dryas is identified by a reversal to semi-desert conditions, with the in- crease of sage-brush (Artemisia) and the saline-tolerant Chenopodiaceae. The climate of the earliest Holocene is Optimum for at least 3000 years (9000-6000yr BP), with the largest spread of the deciduous forest at low-middle elevations signalling wet sum- mers and of the Pistacia woodland at low elevations signalling mild, no-frost winters. This is the time when the most recent sapropel deposited in the eastern Mediterranean under anoxic bottom conditions generated by a surface lid of lower salinity due to the concomitant largest floods of the Nile River fed by the strongest African monsoon rains in the Ethiopian Highlands. In SW Asia, the pollen records of lakes and marshes have been correlated with those of the marine cores, thereby obtaining a robust time-frame. In that area, the archaeo- logical data of human settlements are independently dated by 14C. Thus the archaeo- logical succession can be securely set against the well-dated climatic succession. The Late Palaeolithic populations of SW Asia were wandering hunter-gatherers in the prairies of the Last Glacial Maximum, where they already collected wild wheat, barley and fruit. With the Bolling/Allerod wetter and warmer climate, they began to settle in

  16. Evaluation of weed control methods on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. yield at different levels of nitrogen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AliAsghar Chitband

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Weed competition is one of the major factors which limit sugar beet production in the world. Weed – crop interactions are based on competition for water, nutrients and light and allelopathic effects may also play a small role. In sugar beet weed interference, all these factors are important too, but the light is of prime importance. Due to the fact that a lot of weeds can grow above the sugar beet canopy and reduce the amount of photosynthetic radiation reaching the crop, these weeds are stronger competitors compared to smaller weeds. In much sugar beet growing areas dicot weeds of the families Chenopodiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae and Polygonaceae are of major importance. The monocots are less important compared to dicot weeds. Competition from uncontrolled annual weeds that emerge within 8 weeks of sowing or within 4 weeks of the crop reaching the two-leaf stage can reduce root yields by 26–100% .Weeds that emerge 8 weeks after sowing, and particularly after the sugar beet plants have eight or more leaves, are less likely to affect yield. Although tractor hoeing and hand labour are still used in many production areas, herbicides have been the primary method of weed control in sugar beet. The effectiveness of pre-emergence residual herbicides decreases with reductions in rainfall or soil wet content. Therefore, less than 10 % of the total sugar beet crop is treated with pre-emergence herbicides. The remaining 90 % depends solely on a selection of post-emergence herbicides to maintain season-long weed control. The major herbicides are phenmedipham, chloridazon, metamitron. Mixtures of post-emergence, broad spectrum herbicides have to be applied to control the wide range of weed species in sugar beet crops. Materials and Methods: To study the effects of weeds control by hand weeding and herbicides combination with two selective herbicides at different levels of nitrogen application on sugar beet yield and quality

  17. Chemical weed control in Spinach (Spiniacia oleracea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Modhej

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Spinach (Spinacia oleracea is an annual plant of family Chenopodiaceae. It is cultivated in temperate and cold regions in Khouzestan in autumn and winter. Weeds are the main problems that limit the production of vegetables. Competition ability of spinach against weeds is very low and weeds cause the loss of quality and quantity in this plant. Weeds reduce germination and establishment and growth of spinach. Weed management in spinach should be done at the beginning of the season. Hand weeding is the best way to control weeds spinach, although due to the high cost it is not cost effective, but is steel common in large areas. Weed control spinach, using chemical methods, the number of weeds are kept below the threshold of economic damage. Materials and Methods The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with 15 treatments and three replications. Treatments included pre-plant application of EPTC at 5 and 6 lit ha-1, pre-plant application of Trifluralin at 2 lit ha-1, pre-plant and pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin at 3 lit ha-1, pre-emergence and post-emergence application of Meteribouzin at 300 g ha-1, pre-emergence and post-emergence application of Meteribouzin at 400 g ha-1, pre-emergence and post-emergence application of Imazethapyr at 0.7 lit ha-1, pre-emergence and post-emergence application of Imazethapyr at 1 lit ha-1, weedy and weed free checks. Each plot the size of 2.5 × 2 meters and 10 row cultivation with distances between rows of 15 cm and the distance between the plants 25 cm and the sowing depth was 3 cm. The herbicide treatments were applied to the back sprayer with Flat fan nozzle with volume of consumption of 240 lit ha-1 solution. The final harvest was about 50 days after emergence. Sampling of weeds 10 days before harvest was performed with using quadrate 0.5 ×0.5. Results Discussion Important broad-leaf and narrow leaf weeds observed in the field, included field bindweed

  18. Mid-late Holocene climate and vegetation in northeastern part of the Altai Mountains recorded in Lake Teletskoye

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudaya, Natalia; Nazarova, Larisa; Novenko, Elena; Babich, Valery; Kalugin, Ivan; Daryin, Andrei

    2015-04-01

    We report the first high-resolution (with intervals ca. 20-50 years) late-Holocene (4200 yr BP) pollen record from Lake Teletskoye, Altai Mountains, obtained from the underwater Ridge of Sofia Lepneva in 2006 (core Tel 2006). The study presents (i) the results of palynological analysis of Tel 2006; (ii) the results of spectral analysis of natural cycles based on the periodical fluctuation of taiga-biome curve; and (iii) quantitative reconstructions of the late-Holocene regional vegetation, woody coverage and climate in northern part of the Altai Mountains in order to define place of Northeast Altai on the map of the late-Holocene Central Asian environmental history. Late Holocene vegetation of the northeastern part of Altai recorded in Tel 2006 core is characterized by spread of dark-coniferous forest with structure similar to modern. Dominant trees, Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) and Siberian fir (Abies sibirica), are the most ecological sensitive taxa between Siberian conifers (Shumilova, 1962), that as a whole suggests mild and humid climatic conditions during last 4200 years. However, changes of pollen taxa percentages and results of numerical analysis reveal pronounced fluctuation of climate and vegetation. Relatively cool and dry stage occurred prior to ca. 3500 cal yr BP. Open vegetation was widespread in the region with maximum deforestation and minimal July temperatures between 3800-3500 cal yr BP. Steppe-like communities with Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and Cyperaceae could grow on the open sites around Lake Teletskoye. Reconstructed woody coverage is very low and varies between 29-35%. After ca. 3500 cal yr BP the area of dark-coniferous mountain taiga has significantly enlarged with maximums of woody coverages and taiga biome scores between ca. 2470-1040 cal yr BP. In the period of ~3500-2500 cal yr BP the averages July temperatures increased more than 1 0C. Climate became warmer and wetter. During last millennium (after 1040 cal yr BP) average July

  19. Notas sobre la flora de Colombia y países vecinos, II

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    Dugand Armando

    1968-09-01

    Full Text Available Este artículo es el segundo de una serie iniciada hace dos años en Phytologia (Vol. 13, No 6: 379-400. Sept. 1966, relativa en su mayor parte a la flora xerófila y subxerófila de la llanura costera del Caribe en Colombia y regiones vecinas, particularmente el norte de Venezuela. En él se hacen observaciones taxonómicas, morfológicas, distribucionales y otras varias acerca de las siguientes plantas: A.   - Especies que se señalan por primer a vez en la flora de Colombia: Aizoaceae.                           Sesuvium. edmonstonei Hook. f.                                                Sesuvium microphyllum Willd. Amaranthaceae.                 Froelichia interrupta (L. Moq. Cactaceae.                           Borzicactus sepium. (Kth. Britt. & Rose. Chenopodiaceae.               Atriplex pentandra (Jacq. Standl.                                                Heterostachys ritteriana (Moq. Ung.-Sternb. Compositae.                        Oxycarpha suedifolia Blake. Cruciferae.                           Cakile lanceolata (Willd. Schulz. Cyperaceae.                        Cyperus uncinulatus Schrad. Euphorbiaceae.                   *Chamaesyce bahiensis (Kl. & Gke. Dugand & Burch.                                                            ∆Chamaesyce dioica (Kth. Millsp. Leguminosae-Faboideae. Aeschynomene viscidula Michx.                                                Alysicarpus vaginalis (L. DC.                                                Crotalaria pumila Gómez-Ortega.