12165 research outputs found
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Bacterial communities in chitin-amended soil as revealed by 16S rRNA gene based pyrosequencing
No full textChitin and its derivatives are natural biopolymers that are often used as compounds for the control of soil-borne plant pathogens. In spite of recent advances in agricultural practices involving chitin amendments, the microbial communities in chitin-amended soils remain poorly known. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the bacterial diversity and abundance in an agricultural soil supplemented with chitin that turned disease-suppressive and (2) to assess the emergence of chitinolytic bacteria under conditions of raised soil pH. Amplicon pyrosequencing of soil-extracted DNA based on the 16S rRNA genes was used to characterize the structures of bacterial communities in soil, chitin-amended or not, with native versus raised pH (5.7 vs 8.7), in microcosms and the field. As a result of chitin addition, changes in the relative abundances of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were observed in the field soil. A large and significant increase of the relative abundance of Oxalobacteraceae (Betaproteobacteria, Burkholderiales) was found. Within the Oxalobacteraceae, the genera Duganella and Massilia showed large increases. Moreover, responses of the Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria appeared shortly after the alteration of the soil pH in the microcosms. A significant decrease in the abundance of Actinobacteria was observed in the chitin-amended field soil and in the microcosm at high pH. Overall, the bacterial abundance in soil tended to decrease with the addition of chitin. Two groups, Actinobacteria and Oxalobacteraceae, were found to be most responsive to the amendment. These results enhance the understanding of responses to chitin and possible interactions within bacterial communities in soil that can be correlated to soil disease suppressiveness.
Grazing-induced changes in plant–soil feedback alter plant biomass allocation
No full textLarge vertebrate herbivores, as well as plant–soil feedback interactions are important drivers of plant performance, plant community composition and vegetation dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it is poorly understood whether and how large vertebrate herbivores and plant–soil feedback effects interact. Here, we study the response of grassland plant species to grazing-induced legacy effects in the soil and we explore whether these plant responses can help us to understand long-term vegetation dynamics in the field.
In a greenhouse experiment we tested the response of four grassland plant species, Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus and Rumex acetosa, to field-conditioned soils from grazed and ungrazed grassland. We relate these responses to long-term vegetation data from a grassland exclosure experiment in the field.
In the greenhouse experiment, we found that total biomass production and biomass allocation to roots was higher in soils from grazed than from ungrazed plots. There were only few relationships between plant production in the greenhouse and the abundance of conspecifics in the field. Spatiotemporal patterns in plant community composition were more stable in grazed than ungrazed grassland plots, but were not related to plant–soil feedbacks effects and biomass allocation patterns.
We conclude that grazing-induced soil legacy effects mainly influenced plant biomass allocation patterns, but could not explain altered vegetation dynamics in grazed grasslands. Consequently, the direct effects of grazing on plant community composition (e.g. through modifying light competition or differences in grazing tolerance) appear to overrule indirect effects through changes in plant–soil feedback
The role of wind in the dispersal of floating seeds in slow flowing or stagnant water bodies
No full textQuestion
What is the role of wind in the dispersal of waterborne seeds in slow-flowing and stagnant water bodies at different temporal and spatial scales? (i) Is there a direct effect of wind on seed dispersal speed and distance? (ii) Are prevailing wind conditions reflected in the seed deposition patterns during a year? (iii) What are the long-term (multiple year) effects of prevailing wind conditions on the pattern and composition of shoreline seed banks?
Location
The Westbroekse Zodden (52˚10N; 5˚07E) and De Weerribben (52°46N; 5°55E) fen reserves in The Netherlands.
Methods
Real-time seed movement tracking experiments were conducted at different wind speeds. Additionally, we performed a seed trap experiment using artificial grass mats and carried out seed bank analyses using a seedling emergence test.
Results
Wind speed and direction strongly determined the dispersal process and the resulting deposition patterns of floating seeds in shallow lakes or ponds. Wind speed directly influenced dispersal speed and distance. Increasing wind speed increased dispersal speed but decreased dispersal distance. Over multiple seasons, more seeds were deposited at downwind shorelines than at upwind shorelines, showing that wind-driven hydrochory resulted in directional transport according to the prevailing wind direction. The species composition of deposited seeds was also affected, with proportionally more water-dispersed seeds being deposited at down-wind shorelines. These effects of wind speed and directionality will have consequences for the colonization of riparian zones in lentic systems and, therefore, also influence management and restoration. In the long term, local seed banks in riparian zones reflected the prevailing wind conditions poorly, showing that additional processes, such as differential germination and predation, also play important roles at longer time scales.
Conclusions
Wind plays an important role in the dispersal of waterborne seeds in lentic systems and (prevailing) wind speed and direction are reflected in seed dispersal trajectories and deposition patterns.
The exception to the rule: retreating ice front makes Bewick’s swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii migrate slower in spring than in autumn
No full textIn the vast majority of migratory bird species studied so far, spring migration has been found to proceed faster than autumn migration. In spring, selection pressures for rapid migration are purportedly higher, and migratory conditions such as food supply, daylength, and/or wind support may be better than in autumn. In swans, however, spring migration appears to be slower than autumn migration. Based on a comparison of tundra swan Cygnus columbianus tracking data with long-term temperature data from wheather stations, it has previously been suggested that this was due to a capital breeding strategy (gathering resources for breeding during spring migration) and/or to ice cover constraining spring but not autumn migration. Here we directly test the hypothesis that Bewick's swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii follow the ice front in spring, but not in autumn, by comparing three years of GPS tracking data from individual swans with concurrent ice cover data at five important migratory stop-over sites. In general, ice constrained the swans in the middle part of spring migration, but not in the first (no ice cover was present in the first part) nor in the last part. In autumn, the swans migrated far ahead of ice formation, possibly in order to prevent being trapped by an early onset of winter. We conclude that spring migration in swans is slower than autumn migration because spring migration speed is constrained by ice cover. This restriction to spring migration speed may be more common in northerly migrating birds that rely on freshwater resources.
Academische carrières en loopbaanbeleid/Academic careers in the Netherlands
No full textIn deze publicatie geeft het Rathenau Instituut feitelijke informatie over de loopbanen van academici aan de Nederlandse universiteiten. Door het eerder ontbreken van dergelijke informatie zijn veel beelden ontstaan over carrières in de wetenschap.
De universitaire sector heeft het imago weinig dynamisch te zijn doordat de hogere rangen bij universiteiten vrijwel ‘dicht zitten’ en jonge wetenschappers betrekkelijk weinig ruimte hebben voor een carrière in de wetenschap. Er is ook een beeld dat de weg naar de top vooral binnen de sector plaatsvindt; eenmaal uit de academie kun je een verdere carrière in de wetenschap wel vergeten.
Deze Feiten & Cijfers-publicatie geeft op basis van nieuwe analyses van de beschikbare informatie meer inzicht in de arbeidsmarktbewegingen die het academische carrièrehuis vormen en de dynamiek van de wetenschappelijke arbeidsmarkt.
De belangrijkste conclusies van deze publicatie zijn:
De Nederlandse academische arbeidsmarkt is een open systeem. Flinke aantallen promovendi (PROM), overig wetenschappelijk personeel (OVWP), universitair docenten (UD), universitair hoofddocenten (UHD) en hoogleraren (HGL) verlaten de universiteit, maar omgekeerd stromen ook veel wetenschappers in van buiten de Nederlandse universiteiten.
De Nederlandse wetenschap wordt steeds internationaler. Steeds meer academici komen vanuit het buitenland en steeds meer academici die aan de Nederlandse universiteiten werken, gaan naar het buitenland. Het aandeel buitenlandse academici in Nederland groeit.
Replicated high-density genetic maps of two great tit populations reveal fine-scale genomic departures from sex-equal recombination rates
No full textLinking variation in quantitative traits to variation in the genome is an important, but challenging task in the study of life-history evolution. Linkage maps provide a valuable tool for the unravelling of such trait−gene associations. Moreover, they give insight into recombination landscapes and between-species karyotype evolution. Here we used genotype data, generated from a 10k single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip, of over 2000 individuals to produce high-density linkage maps of the great tit (Parus major), a passerine bird that serves as a model species for ecological and evolutionary questions. We created independent maps from two distinct populations: a captive F2-cross from The Netherlands (NL) and a wild population from the United Kingdom (UK). The two maps contained 6554 SNPs in 32 linkage groups, spanning 2010 cM and 1917 cM for the NL and UK populations, respectively, and were similar in size and marker order. Subtle levels of heterochiasmy within and between chromosomes were remarkably consistent between the populations, suggesting that the local departures from sex-equal recombination rates have evolved. This key and surprising result would have been impossible to detect if only one population was mapped. A comparison with zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata, chicken Gallus gallus and the green anole lizard Anolis carolinensis genomes provided further insight into the evolution of avian karyotypes.
Community stoichiometry in a changing world: combined effects of warming and eutrophication on phytoplankton dynamics
No full textThe current changes in our climate will likely have far reaching consequences for aquatic ecosystems. These changes in the climate, however, do not act alone and are often accompanied by additional stressors such as eutrophication. Both global warming and eutrophication have been shown to affect the timing and magnitude of phytoplankton blooms. Little is known about the combined effects of rising temperatures and eutrophication on the stoichiometry of entire phytoplankton communities. We exposed a natural phytoplankton spring community to different warming and phosphorus loading scenarios using a full-factorial design. Our results demonstrate that rising temperatures promote the growth rate of an entire phytoplankton community. Furthermore, both rising temperatures and phosphorus loading stimulated the maximum biomass built up by the phytoplankton community. Rising temperatures led to higher carbon:nutrient stoichiometry of the phytoplankton community under phosphorus limited conditions. Such a shift towards higher carbon:nutrient ratios, in combination with a higher biomass build-up, suggests a temperature-driven increase in nutrient use efficiency of the phytoplankton community. Importantly, higher carbon:nutrient stoichiometry of phytoplankton is generally of poorer nutritional value for zooplankton. Thus, although warming may result in higher phytoplankton biomass, this may be accompanied by a stoichiometric mismatch between phytoplankton and their grazers, with possible consequences for the entire aquatic food web.
Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/13-1251.1
Novel chemistry of invasive plants: exotic species have more unique metabolomic profiles than native congeners
No full textt is often assumed that exotic plants can become invasive when they possess novel secondary chemistry compared with native plants in the introduced range. Using untargeted metabolomic fingerprinting, we compared a broad range of metabolites of six successful exotic plant species and their native congeners of the family Asteraceae. Our results showed that plant chemistry is highly species-specific and diverse among both exotic and native species. Nonetheless, the exotic species had on average a higher total number of metabolites and more species-unique metabolites compared with their native congeners. Herbivory led to an overall increase in metabolites in all plant species. Generalist herbivore performance was lower on most of the exotic species compared with the native species. We conclude that high chemical diversity and large phytochemical uniqueness of the exotic species could be indicative of biological invasion potential.
