Physiological Responses of Pocillopora acuta and Porites lutea Under Plastic and Fishing Net Stress

Marine debris has become a global problem affecting coral health around the globe. However, the photophysiological responses of corals to marine debris stress remain unclear. Therefore, this study firstly investigated transparent and opaque plastic bag shading and fishing nets directly contacting the coral. Photosynthetic performance, pigment content, symbiont density, and calcification rate of a branching coral Pocillopora acuta and a massive coral Porites lutea were investigated after 4 weeks of exposure to marine debris. The results show that the maximum quantum yield of PSII significantly decreased in P. lutea with all treatments, while P. acuta showed no effect on the maximum quantum yield of PSII from any treatments. Transparent plastic bag shading does not affect P. acuta, but significantly affected the maximum photochemical efficiency of P. lutea. Photoacclimation of cellular pigment content was also observed under opaque plastic bag shading for both species at week 2. Fishing nets had the strongest effect and resulted in P. acuta bleaching and P. lutea partial mortality as well as a decline in zooxanthellae density. Calcification rate of P. acuta significantly decreased with treatments using opaque plastic bag and fishing net, but for P. lutea only the treatment with fishing net gave any observable effects. This study suggests that the sensitivities of corals to marine debris differ strongly by species and morphology of the coral.

Grow Tubes Reduce Root and Crown Growth but Not Early Production during Establishment of Highbush Blueberry

Grow tubes are sometimes used in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) to establish plantings or replace dead plants in older fields. Two experiments were conducted at a commercial farm to evaluate the effect of various grow tubes used during planting establishment of highbush blueberry cultivars. The treatments in the first experiment were cultivar (‘Aurora’, ‘Elliott’, ‘Liberty’) and grow tube treatment (no tube, control; opaque cardboard tube in the first growing season; and opaque plastic tube in the first season or first through the second season). The treatments in the second experiment were cultivar (‘Aurora’, ‘Elliott’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Ozarkblue’) and grow tube treatment (control; translucent plastic; opaque plastic; and wire mesh tube over plants in the first growing season). The presence of a grow tube from spring to fall of the first growing season decreased crown dry weight (DW) by an average of 37% to 50% and root DW by 30% (all except translucent plastic in Expt. 2) and increased the aboveground:belowground DW ratio relative to the control by an average of 34% to 67%, depending on the experiment. Plants grown in tubes were taller, had a narrower canopy, and had fewer whips, likely a response to low light levels inside the tubes; the fewest whips were found in the opaque plastic or cardboard tubes and the most in the translucent plastic tube with an intermediate response in the wire mesh tube. Removal of grow tubes during the summer led to plant damage from sudden sun exposure. The opaque grow tubes (present in Year 1) reduced yield/plant in Year 2 for ‘Elliott’ and ‘Liberty’ (cardboard tube only) but not ‘Aurora’. Pruning plants to allow for limited early fruit production (≈0.6 kg/plant) in Year 2 did not reduce yield in Year 3 (≈2.7 kg/plant). Whereas grow tubes reduced root and crown growth in the first season, there appeared to be no longer-term adverse effect on aboveground plant growth or yield.

Cianobactérias Psâmicas Marinhas da Praia das Flexeiras, Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Sudeste do Brasil

Flexeiras beach (22º56' S, 43º53'W) is located at Ilha de Itacuruçá (Itacuruçá Island) in Sepetiba Bay, on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro State. It is a protected beach in relation to wave exposition, due to its geographic position, which faces the opening Bay. This work aims at contributing with the knowledge of abundance of psamic cyanobacteria species, which compound Brazilian sea-communities. It had occurred monthly collections, from December 2006 to January 2008, during syzygy's low tide. Samples were obtained through PVC pipes, measuring 1,5 cm of internal diameter and 6 cm length. They were also fractionated into 3 segments, 2 cm distant. After that, samples had been places in opaque plastic flasks referring to each segment and preserved in a 4% formol aqueous solution. Flexeiras beach has sediments made by sand, presenting grain size varying from 0,22 to 0,32 mm (fine sand). Estimated average declivity was of 1/21,4m (À 4,07) and 1/28,7m (À 15,8), respectively, for two transects. The water chlorophyll concentration in interdital areas presented an average of 3,03 g/L (À2,29) and total Phosphorus presented an average of 0,12 mg/L (À 0,04). Average salinity was of 35%, don't having considerable oscillations during the months studied. The qualitative analysis has detected the presence of 12 psamic cyanobacteria tax. Family Chroococcaceae Nägeli 1849 is the most frequent, responsible for 33,4% of encountered species. The geological importance of psamic cyanobacteria is intrinsically associated to the fact of them composing the first unconsolidated substract for microbial mats' formation, essential structures in this group preservation.

Levantamento das cianobactérias psâmicas em sedimentos superficiais marginais da Lagoa Azul, Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro

The coastal area of the Rio de Janeiro State presents a series of lagoons, dune fields and strand plains, which are the result of the paleogeographical evolution during Neogene. The lagoa Azul is situated at 22º56'52"S and 42º04'62"W in the Arraial do Cabo, located about 160 km far the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is a natural hypersaline coastal aquatic body which, parallel to Atlantic Ocean. The present work focused on the identification of psammic cyanobacteria in the surface sediments of the lagoa Azul. The samples were obtained by using plastic tubes and were later aconditiones in opaque plastic containers and conserved in a 4% solution of formaldehyde. With the material obtained, permanent slides were prepared so as to characterize them phycologically. Qualitative analysis showed the presence of 14 species and the occurrence of the families Chroococcaceae Nägeli 1849 (5 sp.), Phormidiaceae Anagnostidis & Komárek 1988 (4 sp.), Synechococcaceae Komárek & Anagnostidis 1995 (2 sp.), Nostocaceae Kützing 1843 (1 sp.), Oscillatoriaceae Gomont 1892 (1 sp.) and Pseudanabaenaceae Anagnostidis & Komárek 1988 (1 sp.). The incidence of these species is also recorded in other lagoons (Araruama, Pernambuco, Pitanguinha and Vermelha) in the northeast of Rio de Janeiro coast, such as the frequency of cyanobacteria is justified by the harsh environment, without predation, with high salinity, elevated temperature and low concentration of oxygen

The Parker Flex-Tip Tube versus a Standard Tube for Fiberoptic Orotracheal Intubation

Background During fiberoptic tracheal intubation, passage of the fiberscope itself to the trachea is often fairly easy, but passage of the tube into the trachea may be difficult or even impossible. A new type of disposable endotracheal tube, the Parker Flex-Tip tube, has a tip that reduces the gap between the fiberscope and the inside of the tube. Thus, theoretically, a smaller risk of impinging on laryngeal structures during insertion in trachea is expected. Methods Eighty patients scheduled for elective anesthesia using orotracheal intubation were randomized to either a Parker Flex-Tip tube or a standard (Portex) 7.5-mm-ID endotracheal tube. Blinding was obtained by having the tube premounted on the fiberscope (Olympus LF-1; diameter of fiberscope = 4 mm) and thereafter covered with a black opaque plastic bag. Difficulty in placing the tube was scored using an objective standardized grading system. Results Seventy-six patients completed the study. The use of the Parker Flex-Tip tube reduced the incidence of need for repositioning of the tube during insertion into trachea from 89% to 29% (P < 0.0001) when compared to the standard tube. The median time for passage of the tube into the trachea was reduced from 20 s to 7.5 s (P < 0.0001). Conclusions During oral fiberoptic intubation, the use of the Parker Flex-Tip tube is associated with greater incidence of initial success of passage of the tube into trachea when compared to a standard endotracheal tube.

Fimicolous histeridae coleoptera in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil

Fecal masses recently excreted and/or almost dry were collected weekly in a pasture of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf, from May 1990 to April 1992. The feces were conditioned in 15-liter opaque plastic buckets, containing lateral and top openings, where flasks were fastened for capturing Histeridae beetles present in these masses. Three thousand two hundred ninety-nine specimens were collected belonging to 11 species in the Genus: Phelister, Hister, Euspilotus, Acritus, and Xerosaprinus. The most frequent, constant, and abundant species were Phelister sp. nr. carinifrons and P. haemorrhous.

Effects of forestry roads on reproductive habitat and exploitation of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in three experimental lakes

This study was designed to test the effects of two potential impacts of forest access roads on lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) lakes in the Boreal Shield ecozone: (i) loss of reproductive habitat through siltation and (ii) increased access and exploitation. During an 9-year study (1991-1999) in Whitepine Lake, access to seven original spawning sites and over 250 alternate spawning sites was progressively removed by covering the substrate with opaque plastic sheeting to simulate siltation. No effects on recruitment of lake trout have yet been detected. Mark-recapture estimates of juvenile (<370 mm fork length) abundance remained high, mean body size did not increase, and emergent alevins continued to be produced from the alternate spawning sites each year. Similar results occurred in a short-term study in Helen Lake. The lack of obvious effects of reproductive habitat loss was in sharp contrast with the rapid and severe effects that fishing pressure exerted on the lake trout population in Michaud Lake where access was improved by construction of a 12-km forest access road. These findings suggest that lake trout can tolerate substantial losses in spawning habitat, but natural populations, particularly in small lakes, must be protected from excessive exploitation.

Ecophysical Traits and Production of a Semi-domesticated Hot Pepper Genotype (Capsicum frutescens L.) under Different Plastic Mulches

Diurnal and seasonal water relations and ecophysiological variables (soil humidity, transpiration, evapotranspiration, stomatal resistance, morphological changes, production), matched with some microclimatological variables, were studied in a hot pepper (Capsicum frutescens) experimental plot. Two treatments of plants with plastic mulches were assigned, black and blank-opaque, to compare them with plants without a mulch, established at the Experimental Station of CIBNOR in La Paz Baja California Sur, Mexico. Plants with blank-opaque plastic mulch showed the highest values of flower number, fruit production, leaf area, and canopy-projected area. Also, the biggest evapotranspiration rates were recorded from January to April for plants under the blank-opaque plastic mulch. Soil water content appeared to be a primary determinant factor for production. Soils under the blank-opaque plastic mulch had the biggest water content along the experiment. Plants without any plastic mulch had the lowest availability of soil water, rendered the lowest fruit production, and registered the highest evapotranspiration rates. May and June were the months with the highest air temperature during the experiment. Plants with black plastic mulch had intermediate records among the other two groups. When plants were allowed to face a drought stress, they responded through an osmotic adjustment for maintaining a low water potential, and thus supporting a partial turgor pressure. This adjustment was evident to be coupled with a stomatal regulation in order to minimize the loss of water through the transpiration process. Some drought tolerance strategies as a leaf size reduction were more evident in plants without a mulch.

Water Relations of a Semidomesticated Chile Ecotype (Capsicum frutescens L.) in a Semiarid Zone in Northwestern Mexico

Diurnal and seasonal water relations, soil humidity, transpiration, water demand, stomatal resistance, and fruit production, as well as some microclimatic parameters, were studied in a semidomesticated chile ecotype (Capsicum frutescens) under two treatments of plastic mulches, black and opaque, and compared with plants without a mulch in Baja California Sur, a Mexican semiarid state. Plants with opaque plastic mulch showed the highest chile production and total growth. The biggest transpiration rates from January to April was evidenced also by this treatment. The soil water content seemed to be determinant. Opaque plastic mulch plants had more soil moisture during the whole experiment. Plants without plastic mulch had the least chile production, with a lesser soil water content. These plants evidenced an osmotic adjustment under drought stress with low water potential, maintaining a partial turgor pressure, and stomatal regulation, in order to control the lost of water by transpiration.