Litter Production in an Area of Amazonian Terra Firme Forest. Part I.Litter - fall, Organic carbon and total Nitrogen Contents of Litter').

In 1963 anð, L964 litter was collected in a terra firme forest near Manaus, oven-dried and shipped to Europè. The sampleswere subdivided intofour litterfractions (leaves, wood,'fruits, termite fraction), dried at 105o and weighed. Organic carbon and total nitrogen of these litter fractions were determined. Annual average litter production is 7.4 t/ha consisting in 5.6 t ofleaves, and 1.8 t ofother litter. 105,6 kg nitrogen return annually to the soil. Compared with data on litter production and nitrogen content of litter of other tropical forests, the Amazonian forest produces less litter and returns a lower amount of nitrogen to the soil

KLONING DAN EKSPRESI GEN pdc PENYANDI PYRUVATE DECARBOXYLASE DARI Zymobacter palmae

Gen pdc merupakan penyandi enzim pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) yang berperan dalam proses produksi asetaldehida secara homofermentatif. Asetaldehida berperan penting dalam sintesis asam asetat, anhidrid asam asetat, butanol, etil asetat dan piridin. Kebutuhan asetaldehida terus mengalami peningkatan setiap tahun, sehingga memerlukan teknologi produksi yang efektif, efisien dan ramah lingkungan. Rekayasa genetika dengan penerapan teknologi DNA rekombinan diharapkan dapat dikembangkan sebagai teknologi alternatif produksi asetaldehida dengan memanfaatkan metabolisme bakteri dan limbah biomassa pertanian. Untuk mengembangkan teknologi tersebut, pada penelitian ini telah dilakukan kloning dan ekspresi gen pdc penyandi pyruvate decarboxylase dari Zymobacter palmae. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk (1) mengisolasi gen pdc dari genom bakteri Z. palmae, (2) mendapatkan klon gen pdc pada vektor plasmid pGEM-T easy, (3) menguji ekspresi gen pdc pada vektor plasmid pET21b. Penelitian ini dimulai dengan studi bioinformatika yang bertujuan untuk mencari sekuen gen pdc pada GenBank NCBI dan mendesain pasangan primer PCR dengan memanfaatkan beberapa perangkat lunak seperti Genamics Expression, BioEdit, FastPCR dan DNA Calculator Online. Gen pdc didapatkan dengan metode PCR menggunakan genom Z. palmae digunakan sebagai DNA cetakannya. Kloning dilakukan dengan membuat DNA rekombinan antara gen pdc dan plasmid pGEM-T easy yang ditransformasikan ke dalam E. coli DH5α untuk selanjutnya dilakukan konfirmasi tingkat keberhasilan dengan isolasi plasmid. Uji ekspresi gen pdc dilakukan dengan menggunakan plasmid pET21b dan ditransformasikan ke dalam E. coli BL21 DE3pLys. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah DNA rekombinan antara gen pdc hasil amplifikasi dengan metode PCR dan pGEM-T easy telah berhasil diklon ke dalam E. coli DH5α. Analisis restriksi dengan NdeI dan BamHI terhadap plasmid rekombinan pGEM-T easy + pdc menghasilkan dua pita yang masing-masing berukuran ± 3018 bp (identik dengan ukuran pGEM-T easy) dan ± 1671 bp (identik dengan ukuran pdc Z. palmae). Uji ekspresi gen pdc pada pET21b melalui E. coli BL21 DE3pLys belum berhasil dilakukan, sehingga memerlukan kajian lebih mendalam mengenai metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian tersebut. Kata Kunci : Kloning, Ekspresi, Gen pdc, Pyruvate Decarboxylase, Zymobacter palmae

Importancia de la flora ornamental en la aeropalinologia de Sevilla (España)

Importancia de lo flora ornamental en la aeropalinología de Sevilla (España). El trabajo se ha realizado con un captador Cour que muestre() el aire de la ciudad durante ocho años consecutivos (1987- 1994). En total se han establecido 32 tipos polínicos ornamentales, pertenecientes a 30 familias diferentes y que suponen el 30% del polen total recogido. Los tipos con una representación al superior al 0.2% son, por orden de importancia: Cupressaceae, Platanus, Palmae, Moraceae, Fraxintts, Salicaceae, Casuarina, Acer, Ulmus y Citrus. La mayoría de los tipos restantes son de carácter entomófilo, por lo que su aparición en el aire es esporádica y en concentraciones inferiores a 1 grano semanal/m3. El polen ornamental supone un alto porcentaje de polen total entre diciembre y abril. La mayoría de los tipos aparecen en la primera mitad del año (excepto Palmae y Casuarina), produciéndose las semanas de máxima recogida de polen antes de la semana quince del año. La variación, a lo largo del año, de las concentraciones polínicas semanales se caracterizan por un perfil gráfico homogéneo, excepto Palmae y Citrus, en los que se observan continuas subidas y bajadas de las concentraciones.Importance of the ornamental flora in the aeropalynology of Seville (Spain). A Cour trap was used to sample the air of the city for eight consecutive years (1987-1994). A total of 32 pollen types has been established, belonging to 30 different families, and making up 30% of the total pollen collected. The types with a representation higher than 0.2% are, in order of importance: Cupressaceae, Matarais, Palmae, Moraceae, Fraxinus, Salicaceae, Casuarina, Acer, Ulmtts and Citrus. Most of the remaining types are entomophilous, so that their appearance in the air is sporadic and at concentrations lower than 1 grain weekly/m3. The ornamental pollen comprises a high percentage of the total pollen between December and April. Most of the types appear in the first half of the year (except Palmae and Casuarina), with the weeks of maximum pollen collection being before week fifteen of the year. The variation in the weekly pollen concentrations throughout the year shows a homogeneous graphic profile, except Palmae and Citrus, which have continual rises and falls in concentration

Rubber agroforestry systems in mature plantations in Phatthalung Province, Southern Thailand

Rubber-based agroforestry systems (RAS) can be characterized by the type of trees/shrubs and crops associated with the rubber trees. The present study objective was to identify and describe the RAS in mature plantations existing in Phatthalung province. This province is representative of South Thailand and gathers many farmers with agroforestry practices. The methodology for data collection combined focus group discussions with 5 groups and individual interviews with 56 farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire and farmer's field survey for 44 RAS plots. The results showed an important diversity of the RAS. Seven types of agroforestry systems were identified with 20 species of fruit trees, 14 species of timber trees and 6 species of pluri annual local crops. The analysis of the timeline to plant rubber and intercrops showed some flexibility for the establishment of the RAS. The associated crops and the sometimes-long existence of these RAS indicate that they could be an interesting alternative to monoculture for the farmers to improve resilience and not rely only on one crop. However, before recommending these RAS, additional research is needed to better characterize the impact of these systems in particular on crop yield and soil biodiversity quality

Distribution of sex forms in the phanerogamic flora

In the plant kingdom, particularly in the phanerogamic flora, hermaphroditism is by far the most common, yet the number of other sex forms is not negligible. This study was undertaken with the view of ascertaining the relative proportions in which such sex forms occur. For this purpose Engler and Prantls "Natürliche Pflanzenfamilien" with all the Nachträge (which are complete up to 1912) have been used. The lists that follow are the results of this examination

Bibliography and checklist of foliicolous lichenized fungi up to 1992

Bibliographic records are presented of 324 scientific papers on foliicolous lichenized fungi published subsequent to Santesson’s survey of 1952. The 482 species presently known are listed in an alphabetical checklist, with references to important descriptions, keys and illustrations published by or after Santesson (1952), and an indication of the distribution. Also added are all synonyms used after 1952. Introductory chapters deal with the present state of research on foliicolous lichens and its history. The following new combination is proposed: Strigula smaragdula Fr. var. stellata (Nyl. & Cromb.) Farkas

Modelling and Simulating the Architecture and Growth of Arecaceae

Agronomists and research engineers, teamed in AMAP Mixed Research Unit, based in CIRAD BIOS structures have developed field observation techniques, based on the concept of plant architectures developed by botanists from Montpellier. Then they developed methods for the statistical analysis of the resulting probability laws and geometrical characteristics along the lines of operational research. Finally AMAP developed a specific software for calculating and simulating Arecaceae plants, which stochastically respects these laws and strategies; this software, is dedicated to the 3D simulation of diverse palm trees, as Elaeis guineensis, Coco nucifera and Phoenix dactylifera. These simulations are able to produce accurate 3D models of the foliage organisation for different cultivars of the same specie and, naturally, these resulting models can be used for studying many components of the palm trees, studies and modeling have been realized on the root system of Elaeis guineensis. All these works have been driven with strong partnerships in the different countries and, particularly with Mediterranean teams. The project MOCAF Phoenix was elected in 2009 by the Euromediterranean "3+3" incitation program, it is a network structured around research teams from Morocco, Tunisia, Italia and France, nowadays the network has guest partnerships from Algeria and is looking forward for the adhesion of other countries interested in date palm culture. The purpose of this network is the using of AMAP modeling tools and methods dedicated to the axes bring by each partnership coming from their own interest of particular uses of Phoenix dactylifera both for harvesting and landscaping. (Texte intégral