The chestnuts genus(Castanea spp.)is comprised of economically important trees native to the Northern hemisphere that are used as food and hardwood timber.Here,a very efficient method for micropropagation of European&...The chestnuts genus(Castanea spp.)is comprised of economically important trees native to the Northern hemisphere that are used as food and hardwood timber.Here,a very efficient method for micropropagation of European×Japanese chestnut hybrids(Castanea sativa×C.crenata)is described.Woody Plant Medium was used as the basal medium.In vitro shoots of four rootstock cultivars were micropropagated without shoot-tip necrosis on multiplication medium containing 5.7 or 11.4μmol·L^(−1)zeatin riboside,and were rooted on rooting medium containing 2.46μmol·L^(−1)indolebutyric acid.Monthly shootmultiplication rates for each cultivarwere 2–5 folds.In vitro rooting percentages for four cultivars were 87%for‘Maraval’,67%for‘Marigoule’,93%for‘Marsol’,and 97%for‘Précoce Migoule’.Within a 5 week period,80%–95%of rooted shoots were successfully acclimated under high humidity conditions after they were planted in either soil or rockwool.展开更多
Background:Power lines are amongst the main causes of mortality for birds globally.Electrocution drives the population dynamics of several threatened species of raptors,at local and global scales.Among the many soluti...Background:Power lines are amongst the main causes of mortality for birds globally.Electrocution drives the population dynamics of several threatened species of raptors,at local and global scales.Among the many solutions that have been tested to minimize this threat are supplemental perches;however,their efficiency has rarely been assessed.Methods:We designed 43 transects in 4 districts in mainland Portugal to gather data from birds perching on pylons with or without supplemental perches.From 2015 to 2018,transects were surveyed by car at least once.We analyzed the factors driving the use of these supplemental perches,and we analyzed if there were differences in the perceived risk(calculated from measurements and not from field surveys)depending on whether the perching was on pylons with or without supplemental perches.Results:We recorded 548 perches of 14 species.Weather conditions seemed to play a role in birds’choice of pylons with supplemental perches versus pylons without supplemental perches.Models also indicated a strong influence of observational conditions.The use of models showed us an important specific effect in the selection of supplemental perches where available:there are some species with a greater tendency to perch on supplemental perches,even when they use both pylons with and without supplemental perches.For most of the analyzed species and species groups,perceived risk was higher in pylons without supplemental perches compared to pylons with supplemental perches,but there were differences between species.Conclusions:Supplemental perches may be a useful and efficient tool for mitigating raptor electrocution.However,there are many influential factors affecting their success,and their effectiveness with different species groups is not homogeneous.Some studies show higher electrocution rates for certain species and devices and thus,their efficacy must be validated.We propose a two-step validation process,first in controlled conditions and then in the field.A common protocol should be established to enable comparisons between studies.展开更多
The Mediterranean fruit fly is an agricultural pest of a wide variety of fruit crops.An effective method to counteract them in the field is through the application of the sterile insect technique,which requires the ma...The Mediterranean fruit fly is an agricultural pest of a wide variety of fruit crops.An effective method to counteract them in the field is through the application of the sterile insect technique,which requires the mass-production of sterile males.The presence of pathogens,and specifically viruses,threatens the well-being of mass-reared insects generating an interest on the development of strategies for viral elimination or containment.Thirteen RNA viruses have been described in the medfly although so far only one of them,Ceratitis capitata nora virus,has been associated with detrimental effects on medfly development.In this context,medfly larvae were supplied with a chemical compound(formaldehyde)and an antiviral compound(ribavirin)via oral feeding to(1)test the potential of these compounds for viral elimination and(2)analyze their effect on medfly development.Overall,formaldehyde treatment did not reduce the viral titer for any of the tested viruses,while ribavirin effectively reduced the levels of two widespread RNA viruses but not in a dose–response manner.However,the addition of both compounds correlated with detrimental effects on medfly fitness,arguing against their use in mass-rearing facilities.展开更多
基金the Michigan State University-Ernie and Mabel Rogers Endowment.
文摘The chestnuts genus(Castanea spp.)is comprised of economically important trees native to the Northern hemisphere that are used as food and hardwood timber.Here,a very efficient method for micropropagation of European×Japanese chestnut hybrids(Castanea sativa×C.crenata)is described.Woody Plant Medium was used as the basal medium.In vitro shoots of four rootstock cultivars were micropropagated without shoot-tip necrosis on multiplication medium containing 5.7 or 11.4μmol·L^(−1)zeatin riboside,and were rooted on rooting medium containing 2.46μmol·L^(−1)indolebutyric acid.Monthly shootmultiplication rates for each cultivarwere 2–5 folds.In vitro rooting percentages for four cultivars were 87%for‘Maraval’,67%for‘Marigoule’,93%for‘Marsol’,and 97%for‘Précoce Migoule’.Within a 5 week period,80%–95%of rooted shoots were successfully acclimated under high humidity conditions after they were planted in either soil or rockwool.
基金the LIFE+Nature project“Conservation of the Spanish Imperial Eagle(Aquila adalberti)in Portugal”-LIFE13 NAT/PT/001300,supported 75%by the Life Programme-European Commission。
文摘Background:Power lines are amongst the main causes of mortality for birds globally.Electrocution drives the population dynamics of several threatened species of raptors,at local and global scales.Among the many solutions that have been tested to minimize this threat are supplemental perches;however,their efficiency has rarely been assessed.Methods:We designed 43 transects in 4 districts in mainland Portugal to gather data from birds perching on pylons with or without supplemental perches.From 2015 to 2018,transects were surveyed by car at least once.We analyzed the factors driving the use of these supplemental perches,and we analyzed if there were differences in the perceived risk(calculated from measurements and not from field surveys)depending on whether the perching was on pylons with or without supplemental perches.Results:We recorded 548 perches of 14 species.Weather conditions seemed to play a role in birds’choice of pylons with supplemental perches versus pylons without supplemental perches.Models also indicated a strong influence of observational conditions.The use of models showed us an important specific effect in the selection of supplemental perches where available:there are some species with a greater tendency to perch on supplemental perches,even when they use both pylons with and without supplemental perches.For most of the analyzed species and species groups,perceived risk was higher in pylons without supplemental perches compared to pylons with supplemental perches,but there were differences between species.Conclusions:Supplemental perches may be a useful and efficient tool for mitigating raptor electrocution.However,there are many influential factors affecting their success,and their effectiveness with different species groups is not homogeneous.Some studies show higher electrocution rates for certain species and devices and thus,their efficacy must be validated.We propose a two-step validation process,first in controlled conditions and then in the field.A common protocol should be established to enable comparisons between studies.
基金We acknowledge the International Atomic Energy Agency and specifically the members of the coordinated research project:“Improvement of Colony Management in Insect Mass-rearing for SIT Applications”(CRP Code:D42017),for their comments on our investigation.
文摘The Mediterranean fruit fly is an agricultural pest of a wide variety of fruit crops.An effective method to counteract them in the field is through the application of the sterile insect technique,which requires the mass-production of sterile males.The presence of pathogens,and specifically viruses,threatens the well-being of mass-reared insects generating an interest on the development of strategies for viral elimination or containment.Thirteen RNA viruses have been described in the medfly although so far only one of them,Ceratitis capitata nora virus,has been associated with detrimental effects on medfly development.In this context,medfly larvae were supplied with a chemical compound(formaldehyde)and an antiviral compound(ribavirin)via oral feeding to(1)test the potential of these compounds for viral elimination and(2)analyze their effect on medfly development.Overall,formaldehyde treatment did not reduce the viral titer for any of the tested viruses,while ribavirin effectively reduced the levels of two widespread RNA viruses but not in a dose–response manner.However,the addition of both compounds correlated with detrimental effects on medfly fitness,arguing against their use in mass-rearing facilities.
