Fungal phoenix rising from the ashes?

During May 2010, sporocarps of what appeared to be an Armillaria sp. were found in large clumps in historic Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the foot of Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa. These sporocarps could be physically linked to the roots of unidentified dead trees and Protea spp. The aim of this study was to identify the Armillaria sp. found fruiting in Kirstenbosch. To achieve this goal isolates were made from the mycelium under the bark of dead roots linked to sporocarps. The ITS and IGS-1 regions were sequenced and compared to sequences of Armillaria spp. available on GenBank. Cladograms were generated using ITS sequences to determine the phylogenetic relationship of the isolates with other Armillaria spp. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses showed that the isolates represented A. mellea. They were also identical to isolates of this species previously discovered in the Company Gardens in South Africa and introduced from Europe apparently by the early Dutch Settlers. Armillaria mellea is alien and apparently invasive in Cape Town, fruits profusely and has the potential to spread to sensitive native forests on the foothills of the City

Haematological condition of the San (Bushmen) relocated from Namibia to South Africa

No Abstract

Evolution of lifestyles in Capnodiales

The Capnodiales, which includes fungi known as the sooty moulds, represents the second largest order in Dothideomycetes, encompassing morphologically and ecologically diverse fungi with different lifestyles and modes of nutrition. They include saprobes, plant and human pathogens, mycoparasites, rock-inhabiting fungi (RIF), lichenised, epi-, ecto- and endophytes. The aim of this study was to elucidate the lifestyles and evolutionary patterns of the Capnodiales as well as to reconsider their phylogeny by including numerous new collections of sooty moulds, and using four nuclear loci, LSU, ITS, TEF-1α and RPB2. Based on the phylogenetic results, combined with morphology and ecology, Capnodiales s. lat. is shown to be polyphyletic, representing seven different orders. The sooty moulds are restricted to Capnodiales s. str., while Mycosphaerellales is resurrected, and five new orders including Cladosporiales, Comminutisporales, Neophaeothecales, Phaeothecales and Racodiales are introduced. Four families, three genera, 21 species and five combinations are introduced as new. Furthermore, ancestral reconstruction analysis revealed that the saprobic lifestyle is a primitive state in Capnodiales s. lat., and that several transitions have occurred to evolve lichenised, plant and human parasitic, ectophytic (sooty blotch and flyspeck) and more recently epiphytic (sooty mould) lifestyles.</p

Mapping the informal public transport network in Kampala with smartphones : making sense of an organically evolved chaotic system in an emerging city in Sub-Saharan Africa

In cities in the emerging world, public transport networks are governed by a large number of agents, each with their own agendas, priorities, incentives and resources, interacting nonlinearly through complex feedback loops. The transport system in these cities have developed into a semi-chaotic self-organizing structure with seemingly unpredictable behaviour to an outside observer. This is due to user agent actions by passengers, independent determination of operating plans and practices by transport operators, and a managing authority exhibiting a lack of will (both political and institutional), to implement adequate control measures to provide regulation and management of these systems. Based on the problems that face transport systems in developing cities and public transport in particular, this paper reports on an attempt to understand the supply of public transport in the Kampala area in a novel manner. We describe a mapping approach using a custom-developed smartphone application which was used to quickly and accurately capture informal transport systems for analysis and study of urban mobility where no dependable data was currently available. Secondly, based on the data created by the study project, to provide insights into the routes, operations and characteristics of the minibus taxi network which convey the majority of Kampala?s travelers. Our hypothesis is that by understanding the network in geospatial terms, we will be able to create benefits for all role-players and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply of public transport to more closely match the demand for public transport in an emerging world city.Paper presented at the 35th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 4-7 July 2016 "Transport ? a catalyst for socio-economic growth and development opportunities to improve quality of life", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The Minister of Transport, South AfricaTransportation Research Board of the US

In vitro effects of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2 on proliferation, osteoclast formation and bone resoption in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages

This study investigated the effects of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2 on osteoclast formation and bone resorption in RAW 264.7 murine pre-osteoclasts. Data obtained suggests an inhibitory effect of these compounds on osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption in the cell line tested.Die Mediese Navorsingsraad en die Navorsingsontwikkelingsprogram (Universiteit van Pretoria)http://www.satnt.ac.z

Hydrellia lagarosiphon Deeming (Diptera: Ephydridae), a potential biological control agent for the submerged aquatic weed, Lagarosiphon major (Ridl.) Moss ex Wager (Hydrocharitaceae)

The leaf-mining fly, Hydrellia lagarosiphon Deeming (Diptera: Ephydridae), was investigated in its native range in South Africa, to determine its potential as a biological control agent for Lagarosiphon major (Ridl.) Moss ex Wager (Hydrocharitaceae), an invasive submerged macrophyte that is weedy in many parts of the world. The fly was found throughout the indigenous range of the plant in South Africa. High larval abundance was recorded at field sites with nearly all L. major shoots sampled ontaining larvae, with densities of up to 10 larvae per shoot. Adults laid batches of up to 15 eggs, usually on the abaxial sides of L. major leaves. The larvae mined internally, leaving the epidermal tissues of the upper and lower leaves intact. The larvae underwent three instars which took an average of 24 days and pupated within the leaf tissue, from which the adults emerged. Impact studies in the laboratory showed that H. lagarosiphon larval feeding significantly restricted the formation of L. major side branches. Based on its biology and damage caused to the plant, Hydrellia lagarosiphon could be considered as a useful biological control candidate for L. major in countries where the plant is invasive