Can forest management based on natural disturbances maintain ecological resilience?

Given the increasingly global stresses on forests, many ecologists argue that managers must maintain ecological resilience: the capacity of ecosystems to absorb disturbances without undergoing fundamental change. In this review we ask: Can the emerging paradigm of natural-disturbance-based management (NDBM) maintain ecological resilience in managed forests? Applying resilience theory requires careful articulation of the ecosystem state under consideration, the disturbances and stresses that affect the persistence of possible alternative states, and the spatial and temporal scales of management relevance. Implementing NDBM while maintaining resilience means recognizing that (i) biodiversity is important for long-term ecosystem persistence, (ii) natural disturbances play a critical role as a generator of structural and compositional heterogeneity at multiple scales, and (iii) traditional management tends to produce forests more homogeneous than those disturbed naturally and increases the likelihood of unexpected catastrophic change by constraining variation of key environmental processes. NDBM may maintain resilience if silvicultural strategies retain the structures and processes that perpetuate desired states while reducing those that enhance resilience of undesirable states. Such strategies require an understanding of harvesting impacts on slow ecosystem processes, such as seed-bank or nutrient dynamics, which in the long term can lead to ecological surprises by altering the forest's capacity to reorganize after disturbance

Genotoxic effect induced by hydrogen peroxide in human hepatoma cells using comet assay

Background: Hydrogen peroxide is a common reactive oxygen intermediate generated by variousforms of oxidative stress. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the DNA damage capacity ofH2O2 in HepG2 cells. Methods: Cells were treated with H2O2 at concentrations of 25 μM or 50 μM for5 min, 30 min, 40 min, 1 h or 24 h in parallel. The extent of DNA damage was assessed by the cometassay. Results: Compared to the control, DNA damage by 25 μM and 50 μM H2O2 increasedsignificantly with increasing incubation time up to 1 h, but it was not increased at 24 h. Conclusions:Our Findings confirm that H2O2 is a typical DNA damage inducing agent and thus is a good modelsystem to study the effects of oxidative stress. DNA damage in HepG2 cells increased significantlywith H2O2 concentration and time of incubation but later decreased likely due to DNA repairmechanisms and antioxidant enzyme

Effect of fat combinations on starter pig performance and nutrient digestibility

A growth trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of addition of soybean oil, coconut oil, 50% soybean oil: 50% coconut oil, 75% soybean oil: 25% coconut oil, and 25% soybean oil: 75% coconut oil on starter pig performance and nutrient digestibility. Diets were supplemented with 10% fat for the first 2 wk of the study and 5% for the final 3 wk. Fecal samples were collected from pigs by rectal massage, and apparent digestibility of DM, N, total fat, and fatly acids were calculated using chromic oxide (.3%) as an indigestible marker. Results demonstrated that ADG and feed efficiency (F/G) were improved by fat additions, with 50% soybean oil and 50% coconut oil maximizing performance. Pigs gained faster on the soybean oil and coconut oil combinations than on coconut oil and consumed more of the soybean oil plus coconut oil diet than either coconut oil or soybean oil diets. No differences were observed for apparent digestibility of fat and GE or ileal digestibility of DM and N among the fat sources. However, pigs fed the combination of soybean oil and coconut oil tended to have improved ileal digestibility of medium chain fatty acids (< 14 C). These trials demonstrate that a combination of soybean oil and coconut oil improves pig performance and tends to improve apparent digestibility of medium chain fatty acid compared to pigs fed diets containing either no added fat or soybean oil or coconut oil alone

Avaliação da quantidade de resíduos lenhosos em floresta não explorada e explorada com técnicas de redução de impactos, utilizando amostragem por linha interceptadora, no Médio Mojú, Amazônia Oriental, Brasil Evaluation of the amount of coarse woody debris in area of logged and undisturbed forests, using line-intercept sampling, in the Medium Moju River, Eastern Amazonia, Brazil

Neste trabalho são comparados os volumes de resíduos lenhosos, produzidos em uma área de floresta não explorada, com os de outra de floresta explorada, na propriedade denominada Fazenda Santa Marta (3º04'S, 49º14'W). Localizada na bacia hidrográfica do médio rio Moju, município homônimo, Nordeste do Estado do Pará, Amazônia Oriental. Os estudos foram realizados em área total de 426 ha, referentes a 4 Unidades de Trabalho das Unidades de Produção, sendo duas exploradas utilizando técnicas de impacto reduzido, totalizando 217 ha e as outras duas em floresta não exploradas, totalizando 209 ha. Foi testada a metodologia "amostragem por linha interceptora" como método para coleta e processamento dos dados sobre os resíduos lenhosos, em que foram utilizados 6.000 m de transectos para cada situação, totalizando 12.000 m de linhas de amostragem. Mediu-se todo o material lenhoso ainda caído sobre o piso florestal, com diâmetro superior a 10 cm, considerando o estado de decomposição das peças medidas. O volume médio estimado foi 82 m³ha-1 para floresta não explorada e 137 m³ha-1 para floresta após exploração de impacto reduzido.<br>This work compares the volumes of coarse woody debris produced in an area, with the another one logged forest by reduced impact logging methods, in called property Farm Saint Marta (3º04'S, 49º14'W). This locates-itself in the hidrográfic basin of the medium river Moju, city homonym, Northeast of the State of Pará, Eastern Amazônia. The studies had been carried through in total area of 426Ha, referring the 4 Units of Work immediate of forest management areas. Two of these units had been explored by reduced impact logging, totalizing 217Ha, and the others two in undisturberd forest totalizing 209Ha. It was used line intercept sampling for as method to quantify the coarse woody debris in 6,000 m of lines for each situation, totalizing 12,000 m of sampling lines. The fallen woody debris was measured on the forest floor, with superior diameter 10 cm, considering the diameter and the state of decomposition of the measured parts. The estimated volume was 82 m³ha-1 in undisturbed forest and 137 m3ha-1 in logged forest by reduced impact logging methods

Disturbances and structural development of natural forest ecosystems with silvicultural implications, using Douglas-fir forests as an example

Forest managers need a comprehensive scientific understanding of natural stand development processes when designing silvicultural systems that integrate ecological and economic objectives, including a better appreciation of the nature of disturbance regimes and the biological legacies, such as live trees, snags, and logs, that they leave behind. Most conceptual forest development models do not incorporate current knowledge of the: (1) complexity of structures (including spatial patterns) and developmental processes; (2) duration of development in long-lived forests; (3) complex spatial patterns of stands that develop in later stages of seres; and particularly (4) the role of disturbances in creating structural legacies that become key elements of the post-disturbance stands. We elaborate on existing models for stand structural development using natural stand development of the Douglas-fir - western hemlock sere in the Pacific Northwest as our primary example; most of the principles are broadly applicable while some processes (e.g. role of epicormic branches) are related to specific species. We discuss the use of principles from disturbance ecology and natural stand development to create silvicultural approaches that are more aligned with natural processes. Such approaches provide for a greater abundance of standing dead and down wood and large old trees, perhaps reducing short-term commercial productivity but ultimately enhancing wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and ecosystem function, including soil protection and nutrient retention. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved