Inheritance of disc flower color in Helianthus petiolaris

Disc flowers of Helianthus petiolaris (Asteraceae) are usually purple reddue to anthocyanin pigments in corolla lobes, style and stigma. However, yellow-flowered plants are occasionally found. The inheritance of this trait wasstudied through crosses between different phenotypes and the results indicatedthat flower color is controlled by two genes with complementary action,both loci being dominant and independently inherited. This agrees with resultsobtained in cultivated sunflower, H. annuus, where one to three dominantgenes have been proposed for anthocyanin expression in different organs.Fil: Gutierrez, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; ArgentinaFil: Delucchi, C.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino; ArgentinaFil: Poverene, María Mónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentin

Intoxicación por Brugmansia arborea (Solanaceae) en un canino

Los animales de compañía pueden ser víctimas de intoxicaciones de diferente origen, constituyendo las plantas un 10-15% de las etiologías reportadas. Brugmansia arborea sin. Datura arborea (floripondio, trompeta de ángel) es un arbusto o árbol pequeño, perenne, con flores blancas, cónicas y pendulares, que se encuentra distribuido mundialmente, utilizándose como planta ornamental en jardines. El género Brugmansia posee un alto contenido de alcaloides del tropano como escopolamina, hiosciamina y atropina, que antagonizan las acciones de la acetilcolina y los receptores colinérgicos muscarínicos. En la bibliografía se encuentran documentados numerosos casos de intoxicación por esta planta en seres humanos, provocando un síndrome anticolinérgico, parálisis flácida, convulsiones y muerte. En el presente trabajo se describe por primera vez el diagnóstico de un caso de intoxicación por Brugmansia arborea en un perro de dos meses de edad. Se describen los signos clínicos observados y su correlación con los reportados en casos humanos

«Pueraria montana» var. «lobata» (Leguminosae) en la Argentina: estado actual de su naturalización

In this contribution, the current state of naturalization of Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr. var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & S. M. Almeida ex Sanjappa & Predeep (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) in Argentina is discussed. This variety is considered invasive in Misiones province and naturalized in Buenos Aires province, based on floristic and ethnobotanical researches. A description of the variety, iconography, geographical distribution, reproductive biology, vernacular names, uses, expansion mechanisms, observations, and reference material are also presentedEn este trabajo se discute el estado actual de naturalización de Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr. var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & S. M. Almeida ex Sanjappa & Predeep (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) en la Argentina, considerada invasora en la provincia de Misiones y naturalizada en la de Buenos Aires, sobre la base de estudios florísticos y etnobotánicos. Además, incluye la descripción de la variedad, iconografía, distribución geográfica, biología reproductiva, nombres vernáculos, usos, mecanismos de expansión, observaciones y material de referencia.

Smoking abstinence-related expectancies among American Indians, African Americans, and women: Potential mechanisms of disparities in cigarette use

Research has documented tobacco-related health disparities by race and gender. Prior research, however, has not examined expectancies about the smoking cessation process (i.e., abstinence-related expectancies) as potential contributors to tobacco-related disparities in special populations. This cross-sectional study compared abstinence-related expectancies between American Indian (n = 87), African American (n = 151), and White (n = 185) smokers, and between women (n = 231) and men (n = 270) smokers. Abstinence-related expectancies also were examined as mediators of race and gender relationships with motivation to quit and abstinence self efficacy. Results indicated that American Indians and African Americans were less likely than Whites to expect withdrawal effects, and more likely to expect that quitting would be unproblematic. African Americans also were less likely than Whites to expect smoking cessation interventions to be effective. Compared with men, women were more likely to expect withdrawal effects and weight gain. These expectancy differences mediated race and gender relationships with motivation to quit and abstinence self-efficacy. Findings emphasize potential mechanisms underlying tobacco-related health disparities among American Indians, African Americans, and women and suggest a number of specific approaches for targeting tobacco dependence interventions to these populations

Allocating the Burdens of Climate Action: Consumption-Based Carbon Accounting and the Polluter-Pays Principle

Action must be taken to combat climate change. Yet, how the costs of climate action should be allocated among states remains a question. One popular answer—the polluter-pays principle (PPP)—stipulates that those responsible for causing the problem should pay to address it. While intuitively plausible, the PPP has been subjected to withering criticism in recent years. It is timely, following the Paris Agreement, to develop a new version: one that does not focus on historical production-based emissions but rather allocates climate burdens in proportion to each state’s annual consumption-based emissions. This change in carbon accounting results in a fairer and more environmentally effective principle for distributing climate duties

Fine sediment reduces vertical migrations of Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in response to surface water loss

Surface and subsurface sediments in river ecosystems are recognized as refuges that may promote invertebrate survival during disturbances such as floods and streambed drying. Refuge use is spatiotemporally variable, with environmental factors including substrate composition, in particular the proportion of fine sediment (FS), affecting the ability of organisms to move through interstitial spaces. We conducted a laboratory experiment to examine the effects of FS on the movement of Gammarus pulex Linnaeus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) into subsurface sediments in response to surface water loss. We hypothesized that increasing volumes of FS would impede and ultimately prevent individuals from migrating into the sediments. To test this hypothesis, the proportion of FS (1–2 mm diameter) present within an open gravel matrix (4–16 mm diameter) was varied from 10 to 20% by volume in 2.5% increments. Under control conditions (0% FS), 93% of individuals moved into subsurface sediments as the water level was reduced. The proportion of individuals moving into the subsurface decreased to 74% at 10% FS, and at 20% FS no individuals entered the sediments, supporting our hypothesis. These results demonstrate the importance of reducing FS inputs into river ecosystems and restoring FS-clogged riverbeds, to promote refuge use during increasingly common instream disturbances