Effect of large- and small- bodied zooplankton on phytoplankton in a eutrophic oxbow

Macrozooplankton and microzooplankton effects on the phytoplankton were measured in situ in a eutrophic lake. Indigenous phytoplankton were incubated for 5 days in 301 mesocosms with either the macro- and microzooplankton (complete), microzooplankton only (micro) or no zooplankton (none). Changes in phytoplankton biovolume were investigated. Rotifer densities became significantly higher in the 'micro' treatment than in the 'complete' and 'none' treatments. Total algal biovolume changed little in the 'complete' and 'none' treatments, but increased significantly in the 'micro' treatment. The results suggest that macrozooplankton (Daphnia magna) suppressed it and microzooplankton (Keratella cochlearis) enhanced it. They had opposite net effects on the phytoplankton. Suppression of microzooplankton by Daphnia probably had an indirect negative effect on the phytoplankton

Remarkable impact of PAHs and TPHs on the richness and diversity of bacterial species in surface soils exposed to long-term hydrocarbon pollution

Nowadays, because of substantial use of petroleum-derived fuels the number and extension of hydrocarbon polluted terrestrial ecosystems is in growth worldwide. In remediation of aforementioned sites bioremediation still tends to be an innovative, environmentally attractive technology. Although huge amount of information is available concerning the hydrocarbon degradation potential of cultivable hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria little is known about the in situ long-term effects of petroleum derived compounds on the structure of soil microbiota. Therefore, in this study our aim was to determine the longterm impact of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), volatile petroleum hydrocarbons (VPHs), total alkyl benzenes (TABs) as well as of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the structure of bacterial communities of four different contaminated soil samples. Our results indicated that a very high amount of TPH affected positively the diversity of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria. This finding was supported by the occurrence of representatives of the a-, b-, c-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Flavobacteriia and Bacilli classes. High concentration of VPHs and TABs contributed to the predominance of actinobacterial isolates. In PAH impacted samples the concentration of PAHs negatively correlated with the diversity of bacterial species. Heavily PAH polluted soil samples were mainly inhabited by the representatives of the b-, c- Proteobacteria (overwhelming dominance of Pseudomonas sp.) and Actinobacteria

In Vitro and In Vivo Effect of Poplar Bud Extracts on Phytophthora infestans: A New Effective Biological Method in Potato Late Blight Control

The effect of populin extract from black poplar (Populus nigra) on seven different late blight strains was tested under laboratory and field conditions. The growth rate of hyphae was found to be significantly lower in vitro after 3 and 4 v/v% populin applications. Stain M16 was resistant to populin treatment under lab conditions, however. Both 5% and 10% concentration populin reduced the M16 strain’s severity on potato leaves under field conditions and proved to be even more effective than conventionally used fungicides Infinito 687 Sc and Valis M. Higher infection intensity at the 1% level was observed after 24 h using Valis M, and the same trend toward 10% infection remained after 48 and 72 h as well. Low, almost-no-infection intensity was detected after populin 5% and 10% treatment under an open field condition. Altogether, it can be concluded that populin extract can be a low-cost option for growers and an environmentally friendly approach in late blight control