Journal articles on the topic '060299 Ecology not elsewhere classified'

Abstract We conducted a phytosociological study of the communities hosting the rare and endangered fern Adiantum capillus-veneris in the foothills of the Julian Alps, in Karst and in Istria. Based on a comparison with similar communities elsewhere in the southern Alps (northern Italy) we classified most of the recorded stands into the syntaxa Eucladio-Adiantetum eucladietosum and -cratoneuretosum commutati. Releves from the southern Julian Alps, located in comparatively slightly colder and moister local climate and the dolomite bedrock are classified into the new subassociation -hymenostylietosum recurvirostri subass. nova. Stands with the abundant occurrence of the liverwort Conocephalum conicum, are classified in to the new subassociation -conocephaletosum conici subass. nova. Stands in conglomerate rock shelters along the Soča at Solkan are classified into the new association Phyteumato columnae-Adiantetum ass. nova, a community of transitional character between the classes Adiantetea capilli-veneris and Asplenietea trichomanis.

Four deep-sea ascidian species collected during the KAVIENG 2014 expedition in Papua New Guinea are described, including additional characteristics not reported previously. Fimbrora calsubia is classified within the family Ascidiidae, Dicopia fimbriata and Octacnemus bythius within Octacnemidae, and Culeolus recumbens within Pyuridae. Anatomical observations confirmed previous descriptions for these four species collected elsewhere. Here, we describe additional morphological features for these species and provide the first barcode DNA sequences (based on a fragment of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase I) for D. fimbriata and C. recumbens.

E. covertus is found on bark and leaves of the grey mangrove Avicennia marina, H. foliorum is found on leaves and H. popeiana is found on bark. 7655 barnacles were collected from two sites at Woolooware Bay from winter 1987 to summer 1989. Reproductive and external features in E. covertus differed depending on the substratum on which it lived; reproductive output was greater on leaves than on bark. The genus Hexaminius has been classified elsewhere as two species on the basis of external features and reproductive differences of adults, larval development and larval setation; however, the adults were living on different substrata. A detailed study of larval and juvenile stages of Hexaminius in the field showed no differences in external features until juveniles were one month old and no differences in the time taken to rear cyprid larvae. This suggests that Hexaminius should not continue to be divided into two species.

In 1929-1930, Stig Schenström and J.D. Curtis established an experiment to study thinning dynamics of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. As a subcomponent of the experiment, the coarse woody debris (CWD) from the previous stand were mapped and the decay condition classified on five permanent plots. These scaled drawings and classifications were updated in 1945-1947 and 1995-1996. This unique 65-year period of CWD observation confirms that observations of CWD volume loss on Vancouver Island are similar to elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. The simple exponential decay rate constant was 0.022 ·year-1 based on volume of primarily Douglas-fir on the five plots. The decay rate constant by large-end diameter was 0.067 ·year-1 for logs <= 20 cm, 0.056 ·year-1 for 21-40 cm, 0.021 ·year-1 for 41-80 cm, and 0.012 ·year-1 for logs > 80 cm.

Research that identifies behavioral contingents, portions of a population that exhibit alternate life history strategies or habitat preferences, can provide a better understanding of a species’ resilience to disturbances, changes in environmental factors, and harvest. Sightings of the estuarine-dependent common snook Centropomus undecimalis at offshore reef areas throughout the year in southeast Florida prompted an investigation to determine whether a contingent of the snook population remains offshore year-round and if they can contribute to the inshore population. This study employed underwater visual observations, specimen collections, and acoustic telemetry over 7 yr to document and describe the snook that utilize offshore habitat. Fish were observed in groups of up to 225 individuals, 20.4 km from an inlet, and in waters up to 36.6 m deep. Snook were present in 79.4% of dive surveys conducted on artificial reefs but only in 18.4% of surveys on natural reefs. Acoustic telemetry showed that many fish remained offshore for multiple years. Most sampled fish (89.1%) were spawning capable, with some classified as actively spawning (15.8%). Reports of snook using offshore reefs occur elsewhere, including southwest Florida and the Florida Keys, indicating that this contingent behavior may not be unique to southeast Florida. Evaluating these occurrences and identifying potential triggers that prompt snook to leave the estuary for an offshore environment can aid in determining how the offshore contingent affects the overall population.

Viola PyrenaicaRamond Ex Dc in the Northern Part of the Dinaric Mountains (The Plateaus of Trnovski Gozd and Nanos, Slovenia)The article describes new localities of a south-European montane speciesViola pyrenaicain the Julian Alps and in the Trnovski gozd and Nanos plateaus (the northern part of the Dinaric mountains). It has been established that in the localities known so far in Slovenia, the species grows on similar sites as elsewhere in the Alps and other mountain ranges of the Balkan Peninsula, above all on overgrown screes, stony grasslands, on forest edges, in light forests on stony ground and in tall herb communities on calcareous bedrock in the submontane, montane and subalpine belt (450 to 1600 m a.s.l.). The floristic composition of the communities in which it grows is presented in four tables. On the Trnovski gozd plateau it was found in various successional stages of abandoned pastures or grasslands of the associationGenisto sericeae-Seslerietum kalnikensisand in open coppice stands of hop hornbeam and flowering ash, which are classified into the associationSeslerio autumnalis-Ostryetum carpinifoliae.

Interest in northern forests is increasing worldwide for both timber production and climate change mitigation. Studies exploring forest productivity at an early age after fire and its determining factors are greatly needed. We studied forest productivity, defined as the combined quality of stocking and growth, of 116 10- to 30-year-old postfire sites. The sites were spread over a 90 000 km2 area north of the Quebec commercial forestry limit and were dominated by Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P. and Pinus banksiana Lamb. Seventy-two percent of our sites were classified as unproductive, mainly because of poor growth. Because growth was mostly determined by climatic factors, afforestation alone may not be sufficient to increase stand productivity in our study area. In addition, our results suggest that P. banksiana on dry sites may be less resilient to fire than previously thought, presumably because of poor site quality and climate. Overall, this is one of the first studies to explore productivity issues at an early age in natural northern forests, and the analysis scheme that defines forest productivity as the result of growth and stocking could provide a useful tool to identify similar issues elsewhere.

Abstract The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest living armadillo. This naturally rare and poorly known species is endemic to South America and classified as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN. Here we explored aspects of the spatial ecology of P. maximus in Midwestern Brazil to gain insights on its ecology and biology to support conservation efforts. In 8 years, we identified 50 individuals of P. maximus and monitored 23 of them using telemetry methods. To characterize site fidelity and home range, we fitted individual continuous-time movement models and estimated Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimates. We built a Structural Equation Model to evaluate how home-range area and daily displacement are related to each other, to sampling effort, and to individual characteristics. We estimated home-range overlap between pairs of different sexes using a bias-corrected Bhattacharyya coefficient. Finally, we formulated a canonical density estimation formula to characterize minimum population density. We gathered a total of 12,168 locations of P. maximus. The best-fitted movement models indicated site fidelity for all individuals and a median adult home-range area of 2,518 ha. Median adult daily displacement was 1,651 m. Home-range area scales positively with daily displacement and daily displacement scales positively with body mass. Median home-range overlap between pairs was low (4%) and adult females presented exclusive home ranges among themselves. Median minimum density was 7.65 individuals per 100 km2 (CI = 5.68–10.19 ind/100 km2). Our results are congruent with characterizing P. maximus as a generally asocial species, most likely promiscuous/polygynous, that establishes large, long-term home ranges, which grants the population a naturally low density. Spatial patterns and biological characteristics obtained in this study can be used to guide future conservation strategies for P. maximus in the Pantanal wetlands and elsewhere.

Dirty panicle disease in coconuts (Cocos nucifera) was first observed in the KU-BEDO Coconut BioBank, Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand. The occurrence of the disease covers more than 30% of the total coconut plantation area. The symptoms include small brown to dark brown spots and discoloration of male flowers. Herein, three fungal strains were isolated from infected samples. Based on the morphological characteristics the fungal isolates, they were classified into two genera, namely, Alternaria (Al01) and Fusarium (FUO01 and FUP01). DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1-α), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) revealed Al01 as Alternaria burnsii, whereas DNA sequences of ITS, rpb2, and tef1-α identified FUO01 and FUP01 as Fusarium clavum and F. tricinctum, respectively. A pathogenicity test by the agar plug method demonstrated that these pathogens cause dirty panicle disease similar to that observed in natural infections. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the novel dirty panicle disease in coconuts in Thailand or elsewhere, demonstrating that it is associated with the plant pathogenic fungi A. burnsii, F. clavum, and F. tricinctum.

Abstract ContextLarge forest-dwelling mammals are highly sensitive to habitat structure. Thus, understanding the responses of reintroduced banteng (Bos javanicus d’Alton 1823) to their habitat is important for ensuring the sustainability of a reintroduction program. AimsThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the habitat preferences of banteng after reintroduction into the Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand on the basis of fieldwork conducted between January 2015 and November 2017. MethodsSeven banteng individuals bred at the Khao Nampu Nature and Wildlife Education Center were systematically reintroduced into the Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary in 2015 (four individuals) and 2016 (three individuals). The banteng individuals were tracked via radio-collars and camera-traps. The maximum-entropy method (MaxEnt) and multiple logistic regressions (MLR) were used to identify habitat preferences. Kernel-density estimates (KDE) and a minimum convex polygon (MCP) were used to estimate the area of the habitat used. Key resultsIn total, 407 radio-signal locations showed that the MaxEnt habitat-preference models classified the banteng as associated with distance from villages and salt licks (regularised training gain of &gt;1.0). Multiple logistic regressions form 32 camera-trap locations classified the banteng as associated with low elevations far from villages, guard stations and roads in a flat area (no aspect). The two methods for estimating habitat use provided similar results and showed that the reintroduced banteng used a wider range of habitat in the dry than in the wet season. ConclusionsThe results from the present study suggest that the reintroduced banteng individuals prefer low elevations and flat areas without human activity. ImplicationsThese findings are important for possible translocations elsewhere.

Dingoes Canis familiaris dingo, dogs C.J: familiaris, and their hybrids were classified on skull morphology as the following percentages in remote, inland Australia: 97.5,O.1 and 2.4; and in settled south-eastern Australia as 55.3, 10.8 and 33.92%. Canonical analyses of 1184 skulls from the former area and 407 from the latter indicate that mixed populations can be expected wherever close human settlement exists and wild canids remain, but that hybrids are rare in remote regions. The skulls were collected variously between 1966 and 1979; 15 equations were used to allow for differential damage to skulls. The levels of hybridization indicated by the skulls were confirmed by coat colours. The accepted colours for dingoes, (ginger, black-and-tan, and all white) were in the following percentages in inland Australia: 88.6, 3.8 and 1.9; in south-eastern Australia they were 45.9, 19.1 and 0.2%. Broken colorations, ginger with white, black or bluish patches, all black, brown or bluish, black and white, and brindle stripes, were also more numerous in the latter region (34 8%) than in the former (5.7%). Many of these variations arose in cross-breeding experiments with ginger dingoes and variously coloured domestic dogs. Historical reports recorded black dingoes but did not mention tan coloration. That may have been an oversight; if not, it may be a further indication of cross-breeding. The incidence of coat colours was not significantly different in classified dingoes, dogs and hybrids in south-eastern Australia, but ginger coats were less common in classified dogs. Those taxa and the various colorations were not more numerous near farmland than elsewhere in the forests there. A new, basic calibrating equation incorporating the length rather than the volume of auditory bulla is presented. The equation corrects also for mis-measurement of one skull variable in some of the calibrating series of dingoes. Corrigenda are presented. They do not change the general conclusions of the earlier Parts I and II of this series, but wild dingoes raised from pups in captivity did not develop foreshortened snouts as indicated earlier. The possibility remains that some may have developed wider maxillae than wild dingoes.

The marine diatom Nitzschia dentatum sp. nov. isolated from seawater samples of Kudat and N. johorensis sp. nov. isolated from beach sand samples of Sibu Island, Malaysia, have been described in this paper. Morphological identification, molecular phylogeny and toxin analyses were executed on the pure non-axenic algal cultures designated as KD89 and PS8, respectively. The main distinguishing feature of N. dentatum sp. nov. compared to other species is the jaggedcingulum structure which is only unique to this species. Meanwhile, N. johorensis sp. nov.is strongly characterized by the ‘hantzschioid’and ‘nitzschioid’ symmetry dimorphisms; a common diagnostic feature but rarely described in other Nitzschia species. Identification of both strains was made based on the frustule diagnostic features and verified using the partial large ribosomal subunit DNA sequences. The results have confirmed that these two speciesare independent entities and novel species that have not been documented elsewhere. A notable finding from the Maximum Likelihood (ML), Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Bayesian Index (BI) analyses have also revealed that Nitzschia species that have indentation in the middle of valves have been consistently grouped as same clade with high bootstrap values. The extracts of both species did not show detectable amount of domoicacid and have therefore, been classified as non-toxic. This discovery contributes to the documentation of Nitzschia species worldwide.Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 24(2): 183–196.

We classified land cover in the Northern Forest Complex in Myanmar using satellite imagery (MODIS/NDVI) and field surveys carried out in 2001, 2004 and 2005. Using Landsat TM/ETM+ images from 1991 and 1999 we determined deforestation rates. The c. 22,000 km2 Northern Forest Complex, including the Hkakabo Razi National Park in northern Kachin State, is characterized by tropical to subtropical pristine forests with low human impact. The area studied, which includes land beyond the boundaries of Hkakabo Razi National Park, is of special conservation importance because it provides a refuge for many rare plant and animal species. Less than 1.4% of the area is affected by humans (excluding hunting) and deforestation rates are low at <0.01% annually. We observed several bird and mammal species that are considered threatened elsewhere. Based on our data, those of previous surveys, and the fact that >10 new vertebrate species have been described in the region since 1999, it is likely there are still undescribed vertebrate species to be discovered. We recommend extending the boundaries of Hkakabo Razi National Park to the south and west, connecting it to Hpongkan Razi Wildlife Sanctuary, and/or adding an additional sanctuary in the Naung Mung area, to protect the vast yet still pristine rainforest habitats that are home to many of the most important aspects of the region's biodiversity.

AbstractFourteen species of Carabidae are added to Prince Edward Island’s (P.E.I.) faunal list, bringing the known fauna to 167 species. Bembidion nitidum (Kirby) and Bembidion obtusum Audinet-Serville are newly recorded for the Maritime Provinces. Six species are removed from P.E.I.’s faunal list. The history of collecting of Carabidae on P.E.I. is briefly recounted. Despite differences in land area and distance from the mainland between P.E.I., Cape Breton Island, and insular Newfoundland, their carabid faunas exhibit many similarities in size and composition. The native carabid fauna of P.E.I. comprises 49% of the species in the combined Maritime Provinces fauna, perhaps reflecting an island-related diminution of species diversity. The proportion of flightless species on P.E.I. (4.9%) is less than that in the Maritime Provinces as a whole (7.1%), an apparent indication that the Northumberland Strait has been a barrier to colonization. Twenty-seven introduced species are found on P.E.I., 26 of which can be classified as synanthropic and may have originated in dry-ballast quarries in southwestern England. Although the earliest dates of detection of many introduced species on P.E.I. are substantially later than elsewhere in the Maritimes, this reflects the paucity of early collecting. Land-management practices on P.E.I. (large-scale and early forest clearances, intensive agriculture, and the extensive use of biocides) may have had an impact on P.E.I.’s carabid fauna.

Abstract. Nitrogen and carbon contents vs. their isotopic compositions for past 35 ka for a sediment core (SK177/11) collected from the most southeastern part of the Arabian Sea (AS) were presented. A one-step increase in δ15Nbulk starting at the deglaciation with a corresponding decrease in δ13CTOC was found similar to documentation elsewhere which showed a global coherence in general. We synthesized available reports including dissolved oxygen, δ15N of nitrate (δ15NNO3), as well as δ15N of total nitrogen (δ15Nbulk) for trap material and surface/downcore sediments in the AS in order to explore the past nitrogen dynamics in the Arabian Sea. According to 25 μmol kg−1 dissolved oxygen isopleth at 150 m deep, we classified all reported data into northern and southern groups. We obtained geographically distinctive bottom-depth effects for northern and southern AS at different climate stages. By eliminating the bias caused by bottom depth, the modern day sedimentary δ15Nbulk values largely reflect the δ15NNO3 supply from the bottom of the euphotic zone; meanwhile, the diffusive sedimentary δ15Nbulk in long cores became confined revealing a more consistent pattern except recent 6 ka. The nitrogen cycle in entire AS apparently responded to open-ocean changes until 6 ka, during which further enhanced denitrification in the northern AS was likely local and driven by monsoon; while in the southern AS either nitrogen fixation was enhanced correspondingly to the continuously reduced δ15Nbulk for a compensation or the decreasing trend just followed the global pattern dominated by a longer term coupling of N2 fixation and denitrification.

East Macedonia (northeast Greece) is a relatively small part of Greece, where a considerable number of orchid taxa occurs. Some of these orchids can only be found there and this fact makes the specific area of Greece unique. In this study, an up-to date database of orchid records was used to assess the effectiveness of the existing Natura 2000 network. Specifically, the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network was evaluated by identifying the number of orchids whose distribution is overlapping to a lesser or greater extent with the network, which chorological categories are included/excluded from it, and whether the rare and threatened orchid taxa are adequately distributed within that. Out of the 73 orchid taxa recorded in East Macedonia so far, 14 taxa are exclusively distributed outside the Natura 2000 network. Specifically, the Natura 2000 network is not overlapped with a number of Balkan and Mediterranean orchid taxa, which are only sparsely found in East Macedonia. Moreover, most of the orchid taxa that have been classified in the threat categories of the IUCN are distributed within the Natura 2000 network of East Macedonia, and specifically, some of the most threatened ones are almost exclusively distributed within that network. Consequently, although the Natura 2000 network is not congruent with the distribution of a number of species of southern origin, which are widely distributed elsewhere in Greece, it can conserve important floristic elements of Greece, which are orchid taxa of northern or central European origin.

Bivalves play an important part in freshwater ecosystems and improve water quality; the thick-shelled river mussel Unio crassus is classified as a bioindicator. Unfortunately, the species is regarded as endangered and is under species protection in the whole of Europe. The reasons for the drastic decline of its populations are: considerable eutrophication of waters, anthropogenic influence in its broad sense and the presence of invasive species. The life cycle of U. crassus includes the stage of larva which is an obligatory parasite of fish. This makes it possible for the species to disperse and populate new territories but it limits the development to places where appropriate host species are available. Intensive measures have been taken in Poland to protect U. crassus, while in France numerous new localities of the species have been bar-coded. In 2010–2014 active protection measures were taken in southern Poland, including inventorying, studies of genetic diversity and reintroductions. The project contributed to the increase in population abundance and in the number of localities of the thick-shelled river mussel, which resulted in a twofold increase in the range of occurrence of the species in the river. The procedures presented here can and should be used in further restitution of U. crassus not only in Poland but also elsewhere in Europe.

Abstract. Available reports of dissolved oxygen, δ15N of nitrate (δ 15NNO3) and δ15N of total nitrogen (δ15Nbulk) for trap material and surface/downcore sediments from the Arabian Sea (AS) were synthesized to explore the AS' past nitrogen dynamics. Based on 25 μmol kg−1 dissolved oxygen isopleth at a depth of 150 m, we classified all reported data into northern and southern groups. By using δ15Nbulk of the sediments, we obtained geographically distinctive bottom-depth effects for the northern and southern AS at different climate stages. After eliminating the bias caused by bottom depth, the modern-day sedimentary δ15Nbulk values largely reflect the δ15NNO3 supply from the bottom of the euphotic zone. Additionally to the data set, nitrogen and carbon contents vs. their isotopic compositions of a sediment core (SK177/11) collected from the most southeastern part of the AS were measured for comparison. We found a one-step increase in δ15Nbulk starting at the deglaciation with a corresponding decrease in δ13CTOC similar to reports elsewhere revealing a global coherence. By synthesizing and reanalyzing all reported down core δ15Nbulk, we derived bottom-depth correction factors at different climate stages, respectively, for the northern and southern AS. The diffusive sedimentary δ15Nbulk values in compiled cores became confined after bias correction revealing a more consistent pattern except recent 6 ka. Such high similarity to the global temporal pattern indicates that the nitrogen cycle in the entire AS had responded to open-ocean changes until 6 ka BP. Since 6 ka BP, further enhanced denitrification (i.e., increase in δ15Nbulk) in the northern AS had occurred and was likely driven by monsoon, while, in the southern AS, we observed a synchronous reduction in δ15Nbulk, implying that nitrogen fixation was promoted correspondingly as the intensification of local denitrification at the northern AS basin.

Horticulture is one of the main pathways of deliberate introduction of non-native plants, some of which might become invasive. Of the 914 commercial ornamental outdoor plant species sold in Spain, 700 (77%) are non-native (archaeophytes excluded) marketed species. We classified these into six different lists based on their invasion status in Spain and elsewhere, their climatic suitability in Spain and their potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts. We found sufficient information for 270 species. We provide a Priority List of eight regulated invasive species that were still available on the market. We also established an Attention List with 68 non-regulated invasive and potentially invasive species that might cause various impacts. To prioritise the species within the Attention List, we further assessed the risk of invasion of these species by using an adaptation of the Australian WRA protocol and the level of societal interest estimated from values of the Google Trends tool. We also propose a Green List of seven species with probably no potential to become invasive, a Watch List with 27 potentially invasive species with few potential impacts and an Uncertainty List with 161 species of known status but with insufficient information to include them in any of the previous lists. We did not find sufficient information for 430 (61%) of the marketed non-native plant species, which were compiled into a Data Deficient List. Our findings of prohibited species for sale highlight the need for stronger enforcement of the regulations on invasive plant species in Spain. In addition, our results highlight the need for additional information on potential impacts and climate suitability of horticultural plants being sold in Spain, as insufficient information could be found to assess the invasion risk for most species.

Insect communities in tropical forests tend to be structured vertically and with respect to tree fall gaps and edges. Furthermore, insect communities vary over time. Insight into such habitat specificity and temporal variation is needed to design and interpret biodiversity surveys and to compare conservation value among habitats. Some aspects of tropical insect community structure, such as the proportion of canopy specialists and temporal variation, vary among biogeographical regions and climatic zones. To date, few regions have been sampled systematically, so generalization remains difficult. We compared fruit-feeding butterfly communities among understory, canopy, natural treefalls, and forest edge, in a tropical forest of the Western Ghats, a strip of rainforest that is isolated from Sundaland, the large rainforest block of South-East Asia. During a yearlong study, we captured 3018 individuals belonging to 32 species and representing 14 genera. While some butterflies were captured in the canopy, no species was significantly more abundant in the canopy than in the understory. This observation was contrary to studies elsewhere in the tropics where 14–55% of the species could be classified as canopy specialists. Even though the largest number of species was captured at forest edges, species diversity was highest in the gaps. The communities at the forest edge differed importantly from those in treefall gaps: at the forest edge, we caught grassland species in addition to the forest species. Larger treefall gaps had higher butterfly abundance than smaller gaps. Both abundance and diversity peaked during the late monsoon season, and all common species in our sample also peaked during this period. The spatiotemporal community structure appears to depend on biogeography (less vertical stratification further from large forest blocks) and climate (more synchrony among species in seasonal abundance when there is a more severe dry season).

In 1979 nearly 1400 spider species in 32 families either had been recorded (1249) or were believed to occur (~140) in Canada. Twenty years later, although significant progress had been made in survey efforts in some regions, Canada’s spider inventory had only increased by approximately 7% to roughly 1500 species known or expected to occur. The family count had increased to 38 but only two additions were truly novel (five family additions and one family deletion were the result of advances in family-level systematics). The first comprehensive taxonomic checklist of Canadian spider species was published in 2010 documenting the regional distributions of 1376 species representing 42 families (three novel since 1999). From 2010 through 2017 new national records steadily accumulated resulting in the current (2018) Canadian inventory of 1477 species classified in 45 families (one novel since 2010). Although there has been close to a 20% increase in the number of spider species recorded in Canada since 1979, much greater increases have occurred in some of the regional species checklists, indicating increasing knowledge of the regional distribution of species previously recorded elsewhere in Canada. For example the regional checklists for Newfoundland, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island have increased by 69%, 339%, and 520%, respectively. The national and regional increases reflect significant advances in the first two decades of the 21stCentury in spider faunistics research in previously under-sampled habitats and regions and the development of molecular techniques and consequent barcoding of spiders. Of the 1477 species recorded in Canada, 92% have been successfully DNA barcoded resulting in 1623 unique Barcode Index Numbers (BINs). At least 25 of the BINs are associated with relatively easily distinguished but undescribed morpho-species. The majority, however, appear to indicate the existence of many cryptic species within Canada’s known spider fauna. These data, coupled with the fact that novel Canadian or even Nearctic spider species records (including of undescribed species) continue to accumulate annually (especially in habitat-diverse regions such as British Columbia), suggest that Canada’s tally of spider species may approach or even exceed 1800.

Context. European rabbits are serious environmental and agricultural pests throughout their range in Australia. Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) greatly reduced rabbit numbers in arid central Australia but had less impact in cooler, higher-rainfall areas. RHDV-like benign caliciviruses (bCVs) have been implicated in limiting the impact of RHDV in the higher-rainfall regions of Australia and also in Europe. Aims. Experimental releases of RHDV on bait were tested as a means of initiating disease outbreaks. Serological evidence of antibodies to bCVs was examined to determine whether they reduce mortality rates and/or spread of the released RHDV, and how that might influence the effectiveness of future RHDV releases for rabbit management. Methods. Four experimental releases were conducted in high-rainfall and coastal regions of southern Australia. Virus activity was implied from recapture rates and serological changes in marked rabbits, and genetic sequencing of virus recovered from dead rabbits. Changes in rabbit abundance were estimated from spotlight transect counts. Key results. Release of RHDV on bait produced disease outbreaks that challenged almost all animals within the general release area and spread up to 4 km beyond the release sites. Recapture rates were high in marked rabbits that possessed antibodies from previous exposure to RHDV and extremely low amongst rabbits that lacked any detectable antibodies. Rabbits carrying antibodies classified as being due to previous infection with bCVs had recapture rates that were dependent on circulating antibody titre and were ~55% of recapture rates in rabbits with clear antibodies to RHDV. Conclusions. This is the first quantified evidence that antibodies produced against bCVs provide significant protection against RHD outbreaks in field populations of rabbits. Implications. bCVs can greatly reduce the impact of RHDV on wild-rabbit populations in Australia and presumably elsewhere. RHDV can be effectively released on bait although further releases are likely to be of minor or inconsistent benefit for controlling rabbit numbers where bCVs are common.

Greater gliders, Petauroides volans, were radio-tracked within a large tract of forest in the dry inland of southern Queensland. This forest has been commercially logged for timber for more than 100 years. Home-range estimates ranged from 1.4 ha (female) to 19.3 ha (male). Minimum convex polygon (MCP) estimates were larger for males (average, 11.5 ha) than females (average, 3.3 ha) and combined (6.8 ha, sexes pooled) were larger than estimates from other Australian populations. Gliders were located foraging in myrtaceous tree species only, using mostly Eucalyptus moluccana, E. fibrosa and Corymbia citriodora. E. moluccana was used for foraging more frequently than would be expected on the basis of its availability in the forest. E. fibrosa and C. citriodora were used in proportion to their availability in the forest. Gliders were not seen foraging in non-myrtaceous species or myrtaceous trees <20 cm diameter at breast height (dbh), preferring trees in 30–70-cm dbh classes and as ‘mature’ and ‘over-mature’ classified according to growth-stage characteristics. Den tree species included the same species used for foraging as well as dead trees (16% of den trees). E. fibrosa and E. tereticornis were preferred significantly more than expected by their availability in the forest. Non-myrtaceous species were not used as live den trees. Large (dbh >50 cm) and old living trees (in deteriorating and senescent condition: ‘late mature’ and ‘over-mature’ categories) were primarily used as den trees. Individual gliders utilised 4–20 den trees. Females utilised more den trees per unit area of home range (3.8 den trees ha–1, maximum) than males (0.9 den trees ha–1, maximum). Fewer den trees were used per unit area of home range than by gliders at a coastal location with approximately the same latitude. The density of live stems containing hollows suitable as dens is currently lower than 1 tree ha–1 in some parts of the study forest. Gliders were two and half times less likely to be observed during standardised spotlighting surveys in the study area than elsewhere in southern Queensland. It is likely that low availability of den trees is contributing to large home ranges and the apparent low population density observed in this study.

The impression has been given in previous studies that there are few bird conservation problems in the arid zone, particularly because not one of a total of 230 species has become extinct. In stark contrast, almost half of the native terrestrial mammalian fauna of the Australian arid zone has become extinct on the mainland since European occupation. Here we show that the status of one half of the avifauna has changed since European occupation, and conclude there are many threats to avian biodiversity at the regional scale in the arid zone. There are 19 species (8%) in the arid zone classified as rare and threatened nationally. Twelve more (5%) are uncommon species which have declined or are at risk in two or more regions. A further 40 species (17%) have declined in at least one arid region, although many of these remain common and some have increased elsewhere in arid Australia. At least 45 species (20%) have increased in range or abundance, including a suite of ground-feeding birds associated with degraded landscapes. Striking patterns emerged from analysis of 29 threatened and declining species: • birds associated with chenopod shrublands and grassy, riparian or floodplain environments have been most affected whereas mulga inhabitants and canopy-dwellers of riparian woodland have been little affected; • birds generally with a northem distribution have declined in the south of the arid zone and birds with a southern distribution have declined in the north of the arid zone, and these patterns contrast with many birds with a southern or continental distribution which have declined more in southern semiarid regions than within the arid zone itself; • birds which feed at ground and low shrub height have been most adversely affected; • sedentary bushbirds (passerines) are more at risk than nomads and their limited mobility seems to be a risk factor; • among non-passerines, parrots, cockatoos and pigeons are most at risk, while three passerine families stand out, namely wrens, quail-thrushes, and thornbills and allies; • contrary to findings for mammals, size does not generally appear to be an important risk factor. Land degradation and habitat alteration such as shifts in abundance or dominance of plant species caused by the introduction of exotic herbivores appear to be the principal factors causing change in status while the provision of reliable water sources in pastoral districts is also important. Introduced predators are implicated in some cases and altered fire regimes may have played a part in spinifex and mallee habitats. Competitive interactions between increasing and declining species, although not demonstrated, appear to be likely for some species. We have documented a hitherto unsuspected degree of change in avian biodiversity in the Australian arid zone. In the absence of widespread regeneration of dominant plant species in the southern arid zone, the decline of many arid zone birds will accelerate dramatically. Also, unless better management ensues, the next major drought could cause accelerated declines and extinctions. We advocate a range of measures designed to improve the conservation prospects for arid Australian birds, including lower stocking rates on pastoral properties, rehabilitation of critical habitats and their protection from exotic herbivores, experimental research on the impact of grazing and predation, and monitoring of both threatened species and a range of sedentary passerines typically associated with representative habitats in the arid zone.

To better manage southern Ontario's natural forests, the former and present status of old growth must be understood. We hypothesize that old-growth pine (Pinus spp.), although dominant elsewhere, was less common in southern Ontario than popular history suggests: we are obliged to evaluate historical information that has been filtered both by the original compilers and through our own biases. Beginning around 600 AD, the predominant beech (Fagus americana) forest was partially replaced by maple (primarily Acer saccharum), oaks (Quercus spp.) and eastern white pine (P. strobus). This pine increase either followed abandonment of pre-Columbian agriculture or, more plausibly, accompanied climate cooling. Eighteenth and 19th century European settlers encountered abundant large trees, which they hewed for square pine timber, milled timber, and tanbark. Other stands were cut and burned for agricultural clearance, with a potash by-product. Until recently, Ontario research emphasized the old-growth pine stands of central and northern Ontario to the relative exclusion of other kinds of old forest because very few southern Ontario old-growth stands remained to study. Ontario forest resource inventory data (FRI) show stands of over 150 years totalling only 1475 ha in 1978, concentrated on the Oak Ridges Moraine, the St. Lawrence Valley and the Awenda Peninsula. Red (P. resinosa) and eastern white pine stands constituted only 5.3% of the 1978 forested area, with virtually none of over 150 years, whereas eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) stands constituted 12.8%. The difficulty in finding modern old growth necessitates historical reconstruction using physical, written and graphical resources, including early survey records and trade statistics. In a case study of 1822 survey data from Darling Township (Lanark Co.) and 1960 FRI, vegetation was classified using TWINSPAN and mapped using ARC/INFO Thiessen polygons. In 1822, dominant hemlock occupied half the township but it has since been eliminated as a dominant. Conversely, there were no pine-dominated forests in 1822, but these had increased to 16% of the area by 1960. A second case used similar methods, with 1855 data for St. Edmunds and Lindsay townships (Bruce Co.) and 1981 FRI. Although logging halved the area and reduced the stature of pines in the large pinery, the elimination of dominant hemlock (originally 41% by area) is more significant. Fragmentary square timber trade data suggest that at least half the large pines in Bruce County were in St. Edmunds, so pine must have been spectacularly concentrated in a few areas. The third case, a map constructed from Gourlay's 1817–1819 survey, also demonstrates that pine-dominated areas were in the minority in southern Ontario, concentrated on sandy soils around Lakes Ontario and Erie. However, big hemlocks, beeches, maples and oaks were much more common overall. Management responses to this information should include designation of older southern Ontario forest stands (especially those never cleared since settlement) for maturation into an old-growth state, and the systematic restoration of eastern hemlock and beech stands for conservation purposes in southern Ontario. Key words: old-growth forest, Canada, Ontario, historical ecology, forest history

Environments containing significant concentration of NaCl such as salt lakes harbor extremophiles microorganisms which have a great biotechnology interest. To explore the diversity of Bacteria in Chott Tinsilt (Algeria), an isolation program was performed. Water samples were collected from the saltern during the pre-salt harvesting phase. This Chott is high in salt (22.47% (w/v). Seven halophiles Bacteria were selected for further characterization. The isolated strains were able to grow optimally in media with 10–25% (w/v) total salts. Molecular identification of the isolates was performed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. It showed that these cultured isolates included members belonging to the Halomonas, Staphylococcus, Salinivibrio, Planococcus and Halobacillus genera with less than 98% of similarity with their closest phylogenetic relative. The halophilic bacterial isolates were also characterized for the production of biosurfactant and industrially important enzymes. Most isolates produced hydrolases and biosurfactants at high salt concentration. In fact, this is the first report on bacterial strains (A4 and B4) which were a good biosurfactant and coagulase producer at 20% and 25% ((w/v)) NaCl. In addition, the biosurfactant produced by the strain B4 at high salinity (25%) was also stable at high temperature (30-100°C) and high alkalinity (pH 11).Key word: Salt Lake, Bacteria, biosurfactant, Chott, halophiles, hydrolases, 16S rRNAINTRODUCTIONSaline lakes cover approximately 10% of the Earth’s surface area. The microbial populations of many hypersaline environments have already been studied in different geographical regions such as Great Salt Lake (USA), Dead Sea (Israel), Wadi Natrun Lake (Egypt), Lake Magadi (Kenya), Soda Lake (Antarctica) and Big Soda Lake and Mono Lake (California). Hypersaline regions differ from each other in terms of geographical location, salt concentration and chemical composition, which determine the nature of inhabitant microorganisms (Gupta et al., 2015). Then low taxonomic diversity is common to all these saline environments (Oren et al., 1993). Halophiles are found in nearly all major microbial clades, including prokaryotic (Bacteria and Archaea) and eukaryotic forms (DasSarma and Arora, 2001). They are classified as slight halophiles when they grow optimally at 0.2–0.85 M (2–5%) NaCl, as moderate halophiles when they grow at 0.85–3.4 M (5–20%) NaCl, and as extreme halophiles when they grow at 3.4–5.1 M (20–30%) NaCl. Hyper saline environments are inhabited by extremely halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms such as Halobacillus sp, Halobacterium sp., Haloarcula sp., Salinibacter ruber , Haloferax sp and Bacillus spp. (Solomon and Viswalingam, 2013). There is a tremendous demand for halophilic bacteria due to their biotechnological importance as sources of halophilic enzymes. Enzymes derived from halophiles are endowed with unique structural features and catalytic power to sustain the metabolic and physiological processes under high salt conditions. Some of these enzymes have been reported to be active and stable under more than one extreme condition (Karan and Khare, 2010). Applications are being considered in a range of industries such as food processing, washing, biosynthetic processes and environmental bioremediation. Halophilic proteases are widely used in the detergent and food industries (DasSarma and Arora, 2001). However, esterases and lipases have also been useful in laundry detergents for the removal of oil stains and are widely used as biocatalysts because of their ability to produce pure compounds. Likewise, amylases are used industrially in the first step of the production of high fructose corn syrup (hydrolysis of corn starch). They are also used in the textile industry in the de-sizing process and added to laundry detergents. Furthermore, for the environmental applications, the use of halophiles for bioremediation and biodegradation of various materials from industrial effluents to soil contaminants and accidental spills are being widely explored. In addition to enzymes, halophilic / halotolerants microorganisms living in saline environments, offer another potential applications in various fields of biotechnology like the production of biosurfactant. Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds synthesized from plants and microorganisms. They reduce surface tension and interfacial tension between individual molecules at the surface and interface respectively (Akbari et al., 2018). Comparing to the chemical surfactant, biosurfactant are promising alternative molecules due to their low toxicity, high biodegradability, environmental capability, mild production conditions, lower critical micelle concentration, higher selectivity, availability of resources and ability to function in wide ranges of pH, temperature and salinity (Rocha et al., 1992). They are used in various industries which include pharmaceuticals, petroleum, food, detergents, cosmetics, paints, paper products and water treatment (Akbari et al., 2018). The search for biosurfactants in extremophiles is particularly promising since these biomolecules can adapt and be stable in the harsh environments in which they are to be applied in biotechnology.OBJECTIVESEastern Algeria features numerous ecosystems including hypersaline environments, which are an important source of salt for food. The microbial diversity in Chott Tinsilt, a shallow Salt Lake with more than 200g/L salt concentration and a superficies of 2.154 Ha, has never yet been studied. The purpose of this research was to chemically analyse water samples collected from the Chott, isolate novel extremely or moderate halophilic Bacteria, and examine their phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics with a view to screening for biosurfactants and enzymes of industrial interest.MATERIALS AND METHODSStudy area: The area is at 5 km of the Commune of Souk-Naâmane and 17 km in the South of the town of Aïn-Melila. This area skirts the trunk road 3 serving Constantine and Batna and the railway Constantine-Biskra. It is part the administrative jurisdiction of the Wilaya of Oum El Bouaghi. The Chott belongs to the wetlands of the High Plains of Constantine with a depth varying rather regularly without never exceeding 0.5 meter. Its length extends on 4 km with a width of 2.5 km (figure 1).Water samples and physico-chemical analysis: In February 2013, water samples were collected from various places at the Chott Tinsilt using Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates of 35°53’14” N lat. and 06°28’44”E long. Samples were collected randomly in sterile polythene bags and transported immediately to the laboratory for isolation of halophilic microorganisms. All samples were treated within 24 h after collection. Temperature, pH and salinity were measured in situ using a multi-parameter probe (Hanna Instruments, Smithfield, RI, USA). The analytical methods used in this study to measure ions concentration (Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, HCO3−, SO42−) were based on 4500-S-2 F standard methods described elsewhere (Association et al., 1920).Isolation of halophilic bacteria from water sample: The media (M1) used in the present study contain (g/L): 2.0 g of KCl, 100.0/200.0 g of NaCl, 1.0 g of MgSO4.7HO2, 3.0 g of Sodium Citrate, 0.36 g of MnCl2, 10.0 g of yeast extract and 15.0 g agar. The pH was adjusted to 8.0. Different dilutions of water samples were added to the above medium and incubated at 30°C during 2–7 days or more depending on growth. Appearance and growth of halophilic bacteria were monitored regularly. The growth was diluted 10 times and plated on complete medium agar (g/L): glucose 10.0; peptone 5.0; yeast extract 5.0; KH2PO4 5.0; agar 30.0; and NaCl 100.0/200.0. Resultant colonies were purified by repeated streaking on complete media agar. The pure cultures were preserved in 20% glycerol vials and stored at −80°C for long-term preservation.Biochemical characterisation of halophilic bacterial isolates: Bacterial isolates were studied for Gram’s reaction, cell morphology and pigmentation. Enzymatic assays (catalase, oxidase, nitrate reductase and urease), and assays for fermentation of lactose and mannitol were done as described by Smibert (1994).Optimization of growth conditions: Temperature, pH, and salt concentration were optimized for the growth of halophilic bacterial isolates. These growth parameters were studied quantitatively by growing the bacterial isolates in M1 medium with shaking at 200 rpm and measuring the cell density at 600 nm after 8 days of incubation. To study the effect of NaCl on the growth, bacterial isolates were inoculated on M1 medium supplemented with different concentration of NaCl: 1%-35% (w/v). The effect of pH on the growth of halophilic bacterial strains was studied by inoculating isolates on above described growth media containing NaCl and adjusted to acidic pH of 5 and 6 by using 1N HCl and alkaline pH of 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 using 5N NaOH. The effect of temperature was studied by culturing the bacterial isolates in M1 medium at different temperatures of incubation (4°C–55°C).Screening of halophilic bacteria for hydrolytic enzymes: Hydrolase producing bacteria among the isolates were screened by plate assay on starch, tributyrin, gelatin and DNA agar plates respectively for amylase, lipase, protease and DNAse activities. Amylolytic activity of the cultures was screened on starch nutrient agar plates containing g/L: starch 10.0; peptone 5.0; yeast extract 3.0; agar 30.0; NaCl 100.0/250.0. The pH was 7.0. After incubation at 30 ºC for 7 days, the zone of clearance was determined by flooding the plates with iodine solution. The potential amylase producers were selected based on ratio of zone of clearance diameter to colony diameter. Lipase activity of the cultures was screened on tributyrin nutrient agar plates containing 1% (v/v) of tributyrin. Isolates that showed clear zones of tributyrin hydrolysis were identified as lipase producing bacteria. Proteolytic activity of the isolates was similarly screened on gelatin nutrient agar plates containing 10.0 g/L of gelatin. The isolates showing zones of gelatin clearance upon treatment with acidic mercuric chloride were selected and designated as protease producing bacteria. The presence of DNAse activity on plates was determined on DNAse test agar (BBL) containing 10%-25% (w/v) total salt. After incubation for 7days, the plates were flooded with 1N HCl solution. Clear halos around the colonies indicated DNAse activity (Jeffries et al., 1957).Milk clotting activity (coagulase activity) of the isolates was also determined following the procedure described (Berridge, 1952). Skim milk powder was reconstituted in 10 mM aqueous CaCl2 (pH 6.5) to a final concentration of 0.12 kg/L. Enzyme extracts were added at a rate of 0.1 mL per mL of milk. The coagulation point was determined by manual rotating of the test tube periodically, at short time intervals, and checking for visible clot formation.Screening of halophilic bacteria for biosurfactant production. Oil spread Assay: The Petridis base was filled with 50 mL of distilled water. On the water surface, 20μL of diesel and 10μl of culture were added respectively. The culture was introduced at different spots on the diesel, which is coated on the water surface. The occurrence of a clear zone was an indicator of positive result (Morikawa et al., 2000). The diameter of the oil expelling circles was measured by slide caliber (with a degree of accuracy of 0.02 mm).Surface tension and emulsification index (E24): Isolates were cultivated at 30 °C for 7 days on the enrichment medium containing 10-25% NaCl and diesel oil as the sole carbon source. The medium was centrifuged (7000 rpm for 20 min) and the surface tension of the cell-free culture broth was measured with a TS90000 surface tensiometer (Nima, Coventry, England) as a qualitative indicator of biosurfactant production. The culture broth was collected with a Pasteur pipette to remove the non-emulsified hydrocarbons. The emulsifying capacity was evaluated by an emulsification index (E24). The E24 of culture samples was determined by adding 2 mL of diesel oil to the same amount of culture, mixed for 2 min with a vortex, and allowed to stand for 24 h. E24 index is defined as the percentage of height of emulsified layer (mm) divided by the total height of the liquid column (mm).Biosurfactant stability studies : After growth on diesel oil as sole source of carbone, cultures supernatant obtained after centrifugation at 6,000 rpm for 15 min were considered as the source of crude biosurfactant. Its stability was determined by subjecting the culture supernatant to various temperature ranges (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 100 °C) for 30 min then cooled to room temperature. Similarly, the effect of different pH (2–11) on the activity of the biosurfactant was tested. The activity of the biosurfactant was investigated by measuring the emulsification index (El-Sersy, 2012).Molecular identification of potential strains. DNA extraction and PCR amplification of 16S rDNA: Total cellular DNA was extracted from strains and purified as described by Sambrook et al. (1989). DNA was purified using Geneclean® Turbo (Q-BIO gene, Carlsbad, CA, USA) before use as a template in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. For the 16S rDNA gene sequence, the purified DNA was amplified using a universal primer set, forward primer (27f; 5′-AGA GTT TGA TCM TGG CTC AG) and a reverse primer (1492r; 5′-TAC GGY TAC CTT GTT ACG ACT T) (Lane, 1991). Agarose gel electrophoresis confirmed the amplification product as a 1400-bp DNA fragment.16S rDNA sequencing and Phylogenic analysis: Amplicons generated using primer pair 27f-1492r was sequenced using an automatic sequencer system at Macrogene Company (Seoul, Korea). The sequences were compared with those of the NCBI BLAST GenBank nucleotide sequence databases. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by the neighbor-joining method using MEGA version 5.05 software (Tamura et al., 2011). Bootstrap resembling analysis for 1,000 replicates was performed to estimate the confidence of tree topologies.Nucleotide sequence accession numbers: The nucleotide sequences reported in this work have been deposited in the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database. The accession numbers are represented in table 5.Statistics: All experiments were conducted in triplicates. Results were evaluated for statistical significance using ANOVA.RESULTSPhysico-chemical parameters of the collected water samples: The physicochemical properties of the collected water samples are reported in table 1. At the time of sampling, the temperature was 10.6°C and pH 7.89. The salinity of the sample, as determined in situ, was 224.70 g/L (22,47% (w/v)). Chemical analysis of water sample indicated that Na +and Cl- were the most abundant ions (table 1). SO4-2 and Mg+2 was present in much smaller amounts compared to Na +and Cl- concentration. Low levels of calcium, potassium and bicarbonate were also detected, often at less than 1 g/L.Characterization of isolates. Morphological and biochemical characteristic feature of halophilic bacterial isolates: Among 52 strains isolated from water of Chott Tinsilt, seven distinct bacteria (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B4 and B5) were chosen for further characterization (table 2). The colour of the isolates varied from beige, pale yellow, yellowish and orange. The bacterial isolates A1, A2, A4, B1 and B5 were rod shaped and gram negative (except B5), whereas A3 and B4 were cocci and gram positive. All strains were oxidase and catalase positive except for B1. Nitrate reductase and urease activities were observed in all the bacterial isolates, except B4. All the bacterial isolates were negative for H2S formation. B5 was the only strain positive for mannitol fermentation (table 2).We isolated halophilic bacteria on growth medium with NaCl supplementation at pH 7 and temperature of 30°C. We studied the effect of NaCl, temperature and pH on the growth of bacterial isolates. All the isolates exhibited growth only in the presence of NaCl indicating that these strains are halophilic. The optimum growth of isolates A3 and B1 was observed in the presence of 10% NaCl, whereas it was 15% NaCl for A1, A2 and B5. A4 and B4 showed optimum growth in the presence of 20% and 25% NaCl respectively. A4, B4 and B5 strains can tolerate up to 35% NaCl.The isolate B1 showed growth in medium supplemented with 10% NaCl and pH range of 7–10. The optimum pH for the growth B1 was 9 and they did not show any detectable growth at or below pH 6 (table 2), which indicates the alkaliphilic nature of B1 isolate. The bacterial isolates A1, A2 and A4 exhibited growth in the range of pH 6–10, while A3 and B4 did not show any growth at pH greater than 8. The optimum pH for growth of all strains (except B1) was pH 7.0 (table 2). These results indicate that A1, A2, A3, A4, B4 and B5 are neutrophilic in nature. All the bacterial isolates exhibited optimal growth at 30°C and no detectable growth at 55°C. Also, detectable growth of isolates A1, A2 and A4 was observed at 4°C. However, none of the bacterial strains could grow below 4°C and above 50°C (table 2).Screening of the halophilic enzymes: To characterize the diversity of halophiles able to produce hydrolytic enzymes among the population of microorganisms inhabiting the hypersaline habitats of East Algeria (Chott Tinsilt), a screening was performed. As described in Materials and Methods, samples were plated on solid media containing 10%-25% (w/v) of total salts and different substrates for the detection of amylase, protease, lipase and DNAse activities. However, coagulase activity was determined in liquid medium using milk as substrate (figure 3). Distributions of hydrolytic activity among the isolates are summarized in table 4.From the seven bacterial isolates, four strains A1, A2, A4 and B5 showed combined hydrolytic activities. They were positive for gelatinase, lipase and coagulase. A3 strain showed gelatinase and lipase activities. DNAse activities were detected with A1, A4, B1 and B5 isolates. B4 presented lipase and coagulase activity. Surprisingly, no amylase activity was detected among all the isolates.Screening for biosurfactant producing isolates: Oil spread assay: The results showed that all the strains could produce notable (>4 cm diameter) oil expelling circles (ranging from 4.11 cm to 4.67 cm). The average diameter for strain B5 was 4.67 cm, significantly (P < 0.05) higher than for the other strains.Surface tension and emulsification index (E24): The assimilation of hydrocarbons as the sole sources of carbon by the isolate strains led to the production of biosurfactants indicated by the emulsification index and the lowering of the surface tension of cell-free supernatant. Based on rapid growth on media containing diesel oil as sole carbon source, the seven isolates were tested for biosurfactant production and emulsification activity. The obtained values of the surface tension measurements as well as the emulsification index (E24) are shown in table 3. The highest reduction of surface tension was achieved with B5 and A3 isolates with values of 25.3 mN m−1 and 28.1 mN m−1 respectively. The emulsifying capacity evaluated by the E24 emulsification index was highest in the culture of isolate B4 (78%), B5 (77%) and A3 (76%) as shown in table 3 and figure 2. These emulsions were stable even after 4 months. The bacteria with emulsification indices higher than 50 % and/or reduction in the surface tension (under 30 mN/m) have been defined as potential biosurfactant producers. Based on surface tension and the E24 index results, isolates B5, B4, A3 and A4 are the best candidates for biosurfactant production. It is important to note that, strains B4 and A4 produce biosurfactant in medium containing respectively 25% and 20% (w/v) NaCl.Stability of biosurfactant activities: The applicability of biosurfactants in several biotechnological fields depends on their stability at different environmental conditions (temperatures, pH and NaCl). For this study, the strain B4 appear very interesting (It can produce biosurfactant at 25 % NaCl) and was choosen for futher analysis for biosurfactant stability. The effects of temperature and pH on the biosurfactant production by the strain B4 are shown in figure 4.biosurfactant in medium containing respectively 25% and 20% (w/v) NaCl.Stability of biosurfactant activities: The applicability of biosurfactants in several biotechnological fields depends on their stability at different environmental conditions (temperatures, pH and NaCl). For this study, the strain B4 appear very interesting (It can produce biosurfactant at 25 % NaCl) and was chosen for further analysis for biosurfactant stability. The effects of temperature and pH on the biosurfactant production by the strain B4 are shown in figure 4. The biosurfactant produced by this strain was shown to be thermostable giving an E-24 Index value greater than 78% (figure 4A). Heating of the biosurfactant to 100 °C caused no significant effect on the biosurfactant performance. Therefore, the surface activity of the crude biosurfactant supernatant remained relatively stable to pH changes between pH 6 and 11. At pH 11, the value of E24 showed almost 76% activity, whereas below pH 6 the activity was decreased up to 40% (figure 4A). The decreases of the emulsification activity by decreasing the pH value from basic to an acidic region; may be due to partial precipitation of the biosurfactant. This result indicated that biosurfactant produced by strain B4 show higher stability at alkaline than in acidic conditions.Molecular identification and phylogenies of potential isolates: To identify halophilic bacterial isolates, the 16S rDNA gene was amplified using gene-specific primers. A PCR product of ≈ 1.3 kb was detected in all the seven isolates. The 16S rDNA amplicons of each bacterial isolate was sequenced on both strands using 27F and 1492R primers. The complete nucleotide sequence of 1336,1374, 1377,1313, 1305,1308 and 1273 bp sequences were obtained from A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B4 and B5 isolates respectively, and subjected to BLAST analysis. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that the isolated strains belong to the genera Halomonas, Staphylococcus, Salinivibrio, Planococcus and Halobacillus as shown in table 5. The halophilic isolates A2 and A4 showed 97% similarity with the Halomonas variabilis strain GSP3 (accession no. AY505527) and the Halomonas sp. M59 (accession no. AM229319), respectively. As for A1, it showed 96% similarity with the Halomonas venusta strain GSP24 (accession no. AY553074). B1 and B4 showed for their part 96% similarity with the Salinivibrio costicola subsp. alcaliphilus strain 18AG DSM4743 (accession no. NR_042255) and the Planococcus citreus (accession no. JX122551), respectively. The bacterial isolate B5 showed 98% sequence similarity with the Halobacillus trueperi (accession no. HG931926), As for A3, it showed only 95% similarity with the Staphylococcus arlettae (accession no. KR047785). The 16S rDNA nucleotide sequences of all the seven halophilic bacterial strains have been submitted to the NCBI GenBank database under the accession number presented in table 5. The phylogenetic association of the isolates is shown in figure 5.DICUSSIONThe physicochemical properties of the collected water samples indicated that this water was relatively neutral (pH 7.89) similar to the Dead Sea and the Great Salt Lake (USA) and in contrast to the more basic lakes such as Lake Wadi Natrun (Egypt) (pH 11) and El Golea Salt Lake (Algeria) (pH 9). The salinity of the sample was 224.70 g/L (22,47% (w/v). This range of salinity (20-30%) for Chott Tinsilt is comparable to a number of well characterized hypersaline ecosystems including both natural and man-made habitats, such as the Great Salt Lake (USA) and solar salterns of Puerto Rico. Thus, Chott Tinsilt is a hypersaline environment, i.e. environments with salt concentrations well above that of seawater. Chemical analysis of water sample indicated that Na +and Cl- were the most abundant ions, as in most hypersaline ecosystems (with some exceptions such as the Dead Sea). These chemical water characteristics were consistent with the previously reported data in other hypersaline ecosystems (DasSarma and Arora, 2001; Oren, 2002; Hacěne et al., 2004). Among 52 strains isolated from this Chott, seven distinct bacteria (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B4 and B5) were chosen for phenotypique, genotypique and phylogenetique characterization.The 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that the isolated strains belong to the genera Halomonas, Staphylococcus, Salinivibrio, Planococcus and Halobacillus. Genera obtained in the present study are commonly occurring in various saline habitats across the globe. Staphylococci have the ability to grow in a wide range of salt concentrations (Graham and Wilkinson, 1992; Morikawa et al., 2009; Roohi et al., 2014). For example, in Pakistan, Staphylococcus strains were isolated from various salt samples during the study conducted by Roohi et al. (2014) and these results agreed with previous reports. Halomonas, halophilic and/or halotolerant Gram-negative bacteria are typically found in saline environments (Kim et al., 2013). The presence of Planococcus and Halobacillus has been reported in studies about hypersaline lakes; like La Sal del Rey (USA) (Phillips et al., 2012) and Great Salt Lake (Spring et al., 1996), respectively. The Salinivibrio costicola was a representative model for studies on osmoregulatory and other physiological mechanisms of moderately halophilic bacteria (Oren, 2006).However, it is interesting to note that all strains shared less than 98.7% identity (the usual species cut-off proposed by Yarza et al. (2014) with their closest phylogenetic relative, suggesting that they could be considered as new species. Phenotypic, genetic and phylogenetic analyses have been suggested for the complete identification of these strains. Theses bacterial strains were tested for the production of industrially important enzymes (Amylase, protease, lipase, DNAse and coagulase). These isolates are good candidates as sources of novel enzymes with biotechnological potential as they can be used in different industrial processes at high salt concentration (up to 25% NaCl for B4). Prominent amylase, lipase, protease and DNAase activities have been reported from different hypersaline environments across the globe; e.g., Spain (Sánchez‐Porro et al., 2003), Iran (Rohban et al., 2009), Tunisia (Baati et al., 2010) and India (Gupta et al., 2016). However, to the best of our knowledge, the coagulase activity has never been detected in extreme halophilic bacteria. Isolation and characterization of crude enzymes (especially coagulase) to investigate their properties and stability are in progress.The finding of novel enzymes with optimal activities at various ranges of salt concentrations is of great importance. Besides being intrinsically stable and active at high salt concentrations, halophilic and halotolerant enzymes offer great opportunities in biotechnological applications, such as environmental bioremediation (marine, oilfiel) and food processing. The bacterial isolates were also characterized for production of biosurfactants by oil-spread assay, measurement of surface tension and emulsification index (E24). There are few reports on biosurfactant producers in hypersaline environments and in recent years, there has been a greater increase in interest and importance in halophilic bacteria for biomolecules (Donio et al., 2013; Sarafin et al., 2014). Halophiles, which have a unique lipid composition, may have an important role to play as surface-active agents. The archae bacterial ether-linked phytanyl membrane lipid of the extremely halophilic bacteria has been shown to have surfactant properties (Post and Collins, 1982). Yakimov et al. (1995) reported the production of biosurfactant by a halotolerant Bacillus licheniformis strain BAS 50 which was able to produce a lipopeptide surfactant when cultured at salinities up to 13% NaCl. From solar salt, Halomonas sp. BS4 and Kocuria marina BS-15 were found to be able to produce biosurfactant when cultured at salinities of 8% and 10% NaCl respectively (Donio et al., 2013; Sarafin et al., 2014). In the present work, strains B4 and A4 produce biosurfactant in medium containing respectively 25% and 20% NaCl. To our knowledge, this is the first report on biosurfactant production by bacteria under such salt concentration. Biosurfactants have a wide variety of industrial and environmental applications (Akbari et al., 2018) but their applicability depends on their stability at different environmental conditions. The strain B4 which can produce biosurfactant at 25% NaCl showed good stability in alkaline pH and at a temperature range of 30°C-100°C. Due to the enormous utilization of biosurfactant in detergent manufacture the choice of alkaline biosurfactant is researched (Elazzazy et al., 2015). On the other hand, the interesting finding was the thermostability of the produced biosurfactant even after heat treatment (100°C for 30 min) which suggests the use of this biosurfactant in industries where heating is of a paramount importance (Khopade et al., 2012). To date, more attention has been focused on biosurfactant producing bacteria under extreme conditions for industrial and commercial usefulness. In fact, the biosurfactant produce by strain B4 have promising usefulness in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries and for bioremediation in marine environment and Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) where the salinity, temperature and pH are high.CONCLUSIONThis is the first study on the culturable halophilic bacteria community inhabiting Chott Tinsilt in Eastern Algeria. Different genera of halotolerant bacteria with different phylogeneticaly characteristics have been isolated from this Chott. Culturing of bacteria and their molecular analysis provides an opportunity to have a wide range of cultured microorganisms from extreme habitats like hypersaline environments. Enzymes produced by halophilic bacteria show interesting properties like their ability to remain functional in extreme conditions, such as high temperatures, wide range of pH, and high salt concentrations. These enzymes have great economical potential in industrial, agricultural, chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological applications. Thus, the halophiles isolated from Chott Tinsilt offer an important potential for application in microbial and enzyme biotechnology. In addition, these halo bacterial biosurfactants producers isolated from this Chott will help to develop more valuable eco-friendly products to the pharmacological and food industries and will be usefulness for bioremediation in marine environment and petroleum industry.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSOur thanks to Professor Abdelhamid Zoubir for proofreading the English composition of the present paper.CONFLICT OF INTERESTThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.Akbari, S., N. H. Abdurahman, R. M. Yunus, F. Fayaz and O. R. Alara, 2018. Biosurfactants—a new frontier for social and environmental safety: A mini review. Biotechnology research innovation, 2(1): 81-90.Association, A. P. H., A. W. W. Association, W. P. C. Federation and W. E. Federation, 1920. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. American Public Health Association.Baati, H., R. Amdouni, N. Gharsallah, A. Sghir and E. Ammar, 2010. Isolation and characterization of moderately halophilic bacteria from tunisian solar saltern. Current microbiology, 60(3): 157-161.Berridge, N., 1952. Some observations on the determination of the activity of rennet. Analyst, 77(911): 57b-62.DasSarma, S. and P. Arora, 2001. Halophiles. Encyclopedia of life sciences. Nature publishishing group: 1-9.Donio, M. B. S., F. A. Ronica, V. T. Viji, S. Velmurugan, J. S. C. A. Jenifer, M. Michaelbabu, P. Dhar and T. Citarasu, 2013. Halomonas sp. Bs4, a biosurfactant producing halophilic bacterium isolated from solar salt works in India and their biomedical importance. SpringerPlus, 2(1): 149.El-Sersy, N. A., 2012. Plackett-burman design to optimize biosurfactant production by marine Bacillus subtilis n10. Roman biotechnol lett, 17(2): 7049-7064.Elazzazy, A. M., T. Abdelmoneim and O. Almaghrabi, 2015. Isolation and characterization of biosurfactant production under extreme environmental conditions by alkali-halo-thermophilic bacteria from Saudi Arabia. Saudi journal of biological Sciences, 22(4): 466-475.Graham, J. E. and B. Wilkinson, 1992. Staphylococcus aureus osmoregulation: Roles for choline, glycine betaine, proline, and taurine. Journal of bacteriology, 174(8): 2711-2716.Gupta, S., P. Sharma, K. Dev and A. Sourirajan, 2016. Halophilic bacteria of lunsu produce an array of industrially important enzymes with salt tolerant activity. Biochemistry research international, 1: 1-10.Gupta, S., P. Sharma, K. Dev, M. Srivastava and A. Sourirajan, 2015. A diverse group of halophilic bacteria exist in lunsu, a natural salt water body of Himachal Pradesh, India. SpringerPlus 4(1): 274.Hacěne, H., F. Rafa, N. Chebhouni, S. Boutaiba, T. Bhatnagar, J. C. Baratti and B. Ollivier, 2004. Biodiversity of prokaryotic microflora in el golea salt lake, Algerian Sahara. Journal of arid environments, 58(3): 273-284.Jeffries, C. D., D. F. Holtman and D. G. Guse, 1957. Rapid method for determining the activity of microorgan-isms on nucleic acids. Journal of bacteriology, 73(4): 590.Karan, R. and S. Khare, 2010. Purification and characterization of a solvent‐stable protease from Geomicrobium sp. Emb2. Environmental technology, 31(10): 1061-1072.Khopade, A., R. Biao, X. Liu, K. Mahadik, L. Zhang and C. Kokare, 2012. Production and stability studies of the biosurfactant isolated from marine Nocardiopsis sp. B4. Desalination, 3: 198-204.Kim, K. K., J.-S. Lee and D. A. Stevens, 2013. Microbiology and epidemiology of Halomonas species. Future microbiology, 8(12): 1559-1573.Lane, D., 1991. 16s/23s rRNA sequencing in nucleic acid techniques in bacterial systematics. Stackebrandt e., editor;, and goodfellow m., editor. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.Morikawa, K., R. L. Ohniwa, T. Ohta, Y. Tanaka, K. Takeyasu and T. Msadek, 2009. Adaptation beyond the stress response: Cell structure dynamics and population heterogeneity in Staphylococcus aureus. Microbes environments, 25: 75-82.Morikawa, M., Y. Hirata and T. J. B. e. B. A.-M. Imanaka, 2000. A study on the structure–function relationship of lipopeptide biosurfactants. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 1488(3): 211-218.Oren, A., 2002. Diversity of halophilic microorganisms: Environments, phylogeny, physiology, and applications. Journal of industrial microbiology biotechnology, 28(1): 56-63.Oren, A., 2006. Halophilic microorganisms and their environments. Springer science & business media.Oren, A., R. Vreeland and L. Hochstein, 1993. Ecology of extremely halophilic microorganisms. The biology of halophilic bacteria, 2(1): 1-8.Phillips, K., F. Zaidan, O. R. Elizondo and K. L. Lowe, 2012. Phenotypic characterization and 16s rDNA identification of culturable non-obligate halophilic bacterial communities from a hypersaline lake, la sal del rey, in extreme south texas (USA). Aquatic biosystems, 8(1): 1-5.Post, F. and N. Collins, 1982. A preliminary investigation of the membrane lipid of Halobacterium halobium as a food additive 1. Journal of food biochemistry, 6(1): 25-38.Rocha, C., F. San-Blas, G. San-Blas and L. Vierma, 1992. Biosurfactant production by two isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. World Journal of microbiology biotechnology, 8(2): 125-128.Rohban, R., M. A. Amoozegar and A. Ventosa, 2009. Screening and isolation of halophilic bacteria producing extracellular hydrolyses from howz soltan lake, Iran. Journal of industrial microbiology biotechnology, 36(3): 333-340.Roohi, A., I. Ahmed, N. Khalid, M. Iqbal and M. Jamil, 2014. Isolation and phylogenetic identification of halotolerant/halophilic bacteria from the salt mines of Karak, Pakistan. International journal of agricultural and biology, 16: 564-570.Sambrook, J., E. F. Fritsch and T. Maniatis, 1989. Molecular cloning: A laboratory manual, 2nd edn. Cold spring harbor laboratory, cold spring harbor, New York.Sánchez‐Porro, C., S. Martin, E. Mellado and A. Ventosa, 2003. Diversity of moderately halophilic bacteria producing extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. Journal of applied microbiology, 94(2): 295-300.Sarafin, Y., M. B. S. Donio, S. Velmurugan, M. Michaelbabu and T. Citarasu, 2014. Kocuria marina bs-15 a biosurfactant producing halophilic bacteria isolated from solar salt works in India. Saudi journal of biological sciences, 21(6): 511-519.Smibert, R., 1994. Phenotypic characterization. In methods for general and molecular bacteriology. American society for microbiology: 611-651.Solomon, E. and K. J. I. Viswalingam, 2013. Isolation, characterization of halotolerant bacteria and its biotechnological potentials. International journal scientific research paper publication sites, 4: 1-7.Spring, S., W. Ludwig, M. Marquez, A. Ventosa and K.-H. Schleifer, 1996. Halobacillus gen. Nov., with descriptions of Halobacillus litoralis sp. Nov. and Halobacillus trueperi sp. Nov., and transfer of Sporosarcina halophila to Halobacillus halophilus comb. Nov. International journal of systematic evolutionary microbiology, 46(2): 492-496.Tamura, K., D. Peterson, N. Peterson, G. Stecher, M. Nei and S. Kumar, 2011. Mega5: Molecular evolutionary genetics analysis using maximum likelihood, evolutionary distance, and maximum parsimony methods. Molecular biology evolution, 28(10): 2731-2739.Yakimov, M. M., K. N. Timmis, V. Wray and H. L. Fredrickson, 1995. Characterization of a new lipopeptide surfactant produced by thermotolerant and halotolerant subsurface Bacillus licheniformis bas50. Applied and environmental microbiology, 61(5): 1706-1713.Yarza, P., P. Yilmaz, E. Pruesse, F. O. Glöckner, W. Ludwig, K.-H. Schleifer, W. B. Whitman, J. Euzéby, R. Amann and R. Rosselló-Móra, 2014. Uniting the classification of cultured and uncultured bacteria and archaea using 16s rRNA gene sequences. Nature reviews microbiology, 12(9): 635-645

AbstractIn order to study the relative growth of the pearl oyster Pinctada radiata in Tunisia, a total of 330 individuals of this species were collected from six sites along the Tunisian coastline. Quantitative measurements of collected oysters were conducted for shell height, shell length, shell width, hinge length, height and width of the nacreous part and wet weight. The size structure of the sampled populations was described and the relative growth between different morphometric characteristics was estimated as allometric growth lines for the six P. radiata samples. It appeared that the majority of examined samples were dominated by large individuals that exceed a shell height of 42 mm. The maximum size (100.5 mm), recorded in Bizerta lagoon, is bigger than that recorded elsewhere in particular in the Red Sea. Size distribution analysis also showed that the majority of P. radiata samples were dominated by two or more size groups. Differences of allometric regression were found between the examined samples for the tested relationships. Moreover, the Factorial Discriminant Analysis, coupled with Ascending Hierarchic Classification, classified the sub-populations according to geographic locations.

Resilient kelp forests provide foundation habitat for marine ecosystems and are indicators of the ecosystems’ sustainable natural capital. Loss of resilience and imperfectly reversible catastrophic shifts from kelp forests to urchin barrens, due to pollution or loss of a top predator, are part of an ecological tipping point phenomenon, and involve a loss in sustainable natural capital. Management controls to prevent or reverse these shifts and losses are classified in a number of ways. Systemic controls eliminate the cause of the problem. Symptomatic controls use leverage points for more direct control of the populations affected, urchin harvesting or culling, or kelp enhancement. There is a distinction between ongoing structural (press) controls versus temporary or intermittent perturbation (pulse) controls, and one between shift preventing versus shift reversing or restorative controls. Adaptive management and the options it creates both focus on reductions in uncertainty and control policies with the flexibility to take advantage of those reductions. The various management distinctions are most easily understood by modeling the predator-urchin-kelp marine ecosystem. This paper develops a mathematical model of the ecosystem that has the potential for two different catastrophic shifts between equilibria. Pulse disturbances, originating from exogenous abiotic factors or population dynamics elsewhere in the metacommunity, can activate shifts. A measure of probabilistic resilience is developed and used as part of an assessment of the ecosystem’s sustainable stock of natural capital. With perturbation outcomes clustered around the originating equilibrium, hysteresis is activated, resulting imperfect reversibility of catastrophic shifts, and a loss in natural capital. The difficulty of reversing a shift from kelp forest to urchin barren, with an associated loss in sustainable natural capital, is an example. Management controls are modeled. I find that systemic and symptomatic, and press and pulse, controls can be complementary. Restorative controls tend to be more difficult or costly than preventative ones. Adaptive management, favoring flexible, often preventative, controls, creates option value, lowering control costs and/or losses in sustainable natural capital. Two cases are used to illustrate, Tasmania, Australia and Haida Gwaii, Canada.

AbstractThe fungal pathogens of spruce are well known in Europe and elsewhere. Therefore, it was surprising to discover a new fungal species and genus in Central Europe that attacks the pollen cones of three spruce species. The new ascomycete forms apothecia on stromatized pollen cones of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Serbian spruce (Picea omorika) in mountain areas and on West Himalayan spruce (Picea smithiana) planted in urban lowland regions of Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. It was also detected in France, based on metabarcode sequences deposited in the GlobalFungi database. Its sudden appearance and the different origins of the host trees in Europe and Asia leave the origin of the fungus unclear. The new fungus might be a neomycete for Europe. A phylogenetic analysis using SSU, LSU, ITS, RPB2, and TEF1 sequences classified the fungus as a member of Sclerotiniaceae (Helotiales, Leotiomycetes). However, it differs morphologically from the other genera of this family in having an ascus without apical apparatus containing four mainly citriform spores with 16 nuclei each. Furthermore, it is the only known cup fungus that parasitizes pollen cones of conifers by stromatizing their tissue and infecting pollen grains. The fungus does not seem to cause major damage to the spruce populations, as only a few pollen cones per tree are affected. All this leads us to describe the newly discovered fungus as the new species and new genus Microstrobilinia castrans, the fungus that castrates pollen cones of spruce.

Abstract The Great White Heron (GWH) has an all-white plumage and occurs in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Described originally as Ardea occidentalis, it is now considered a subspecies of Great Blue Heron (GBH; A. herodias). GWH and GBH meet in Florida Bay at the southern tip of Florida, providing the opportunity to evaluate their interaction and species status. To this end, we examined size variation and mate choice across their contact zone and genetic variation range-wide. Measurements of 7 morphological characters indicate trends, but not a significant difference, in size between GBH and GWH in southern Florida. GBH and GWH nest mainly in different places (mainland vs. islands) and at different peak times. In Florida Bay, mixed pairs occur, but white-white and blue-blue pairs are more common than in a randomly mating population. Assessing mating, however, is complicated because most, if not all, nesting blue birds are of mixed parentage. Microsatellite DNA analysis indicates that white and blue herons in Florida Bay and the outer Keys (outside Florida Bay) form a group distinct from blue forms on Florida Peninsula and elsewhere in North America. However, some gene flow occurs from white herons on the outer Keys to white and blue herons in Florida Bay, and from blue herons in Florida Bay to GBH on the Florida Peninsula. GWH alleles occur in all North American populations, but whether this is from gene flow or incomplete lineage sorting is unknown. Deciding GWH's species status is difficult. GWH and GBH meet in an ecotone where some gene flow occurs, but behavior and habitat largely isolate them. We argue in favor of splitting GWH from GBH. Regardless of how it is ultimately classified, the GWH's small population needs to be actively managed as an isolate in an extremely vulnerable environment.

ABSTRACTThe molecular epidemiology ofListeria monocytogeneswas investigated in a longitudinal study of three Finnish dairy farms during 2013 to 2016. A total of 186 bulk tank milk (BTM), 224 milk filter sock (MFS), and 1,702 barn environment samples were analyzed, and isolates ofL. monocytogeneswere genotyped using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.L. monocytogenesoccurred throughout the year in all sample types, and the prevalence in MFS increased significantly during the indoor season.L. monocytogeneswas more prevalent in MFS (29%) than in BTM (13%) samples. However, the prevalence ofL. monocytogenesvaried more between farms in samples of MFS (13 to 48%) than in BTM (10 to 16%). For each farm, theL. monocytogenesgenotypes detected were classified by persistence (defined as persistent if isolated from ≥3 samples during ≥6 months) and predominance (defined as predominant if >5% prevalence on at least one farm visit). The prevalence of sporadic genotypes was 4 to 5% on all three farms. In contrast, the prevalence of persistent predominant genotypes varied between farms by 4% to 16%. The highest prevalence of persistent predominant genotypes was observed on the farm with the poorest production hygiene. Persistent predominant genotypes were most prevalent on feeding surfaces, water troughs, and floors. Genotypes isolated from the milking system or from cow udders had a greater relative risk of occurring in BTM and MFS than genotypes that only occurred elsewhere in the farm, supporting the hypothesis thatL. monocytogenes is transmitted to milk from contamination on the udder surface or in the milking equipment.IMPORTANCEListeria monocytogenesis a ubiquitous environmental bacterium and the causative agent of a serious foodborne illness, listeriosis. Dairy products are common vehicles of listeriosis, and dairy cattle farms harborL. monocytogenesgenotypes associated with human listeriosis outbreaks. Indeed, dairy cattle farms act as a reservoir ofL. monocytogenes, and the organism is frequently detected in bulk tank milk (BTM) and in the feces of clinically healthy cows. The ecology ofL. monocytogenesin the farm environment is complex and poorly understood. Isolates of the sameL. monocytogenesgenotype can occur in the farm for years, but the factors contributing to the persistence of genotypes on dairy farms are unknown. Knowledge of the persistence patterns and contamination routes ofL. monocytogeneson dairy farms can improve management of the contamination pressure in the farm environment and aid in the development of focused control strategies to reduce BTM contamination.