The saprotrophic wood-degrading abilities of Rigidoporus microporus

Saprotrophic wood-decaying abilities ofRigidoporus microporus (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) syn. Rigidoporus lignosus and the structural alterations induced in wood blocks of Hevea bra-siliensis Muell. Arg were studied. Mass loss of wood blocks was analyzed after 3 and 6 months respectively and the patterns of decay by pathogenic and endophytic isolates of this fungus were investigated using light microscopy. Effects of temperature on growth of the isolates on malt extract agar were also investigated. The R. microporus isolated from a non-H. brasiliensis host caused the highest percentage mass loss (27.2% after 6 months), followed by isolates ED310 (21.1%) and M13 (15.7%), both collected from diseased H. brasiliensis plantations. The isolate initially identified as an endophyte showed very low saprotrophic wood decay capability (4.3% after 6 months). The optimal temperature for growth of the isolates was 30 °C; except for the endophytic isolate which showed highest growth at 25 °C. Wood samples degraded by the R. microporus isolates showed simultaneous attack of wood cell walls, typical of white rot fungi. Results of the study indicate variability in the wood degrading abilities of the isolates and the potential differences in their physiology are discussed. Our findings further support the need for a taxonomical revision of the Rigidoporus genus

Nigerian Mushrooms: Underutilized Non-Wood Forest Resources

Mushroom resources have been exploited in most developed economies because of their huge agro-industrial, medicinal and commercial benefits. Nigerians utilized mushroom-forming fungi only for food and folk medicine for many decades. Auricularia auricular Judae (Bull.) Quél, Lentinus squarrosulus Mont., Pleurotus tuberregium (Fr.) Singer and Volvariella volvacea (Bull.) Singer was some of the common edible mushrooms that were successfully cultivated in Nigeria on small-scale basis. The mushroom resources in Nigeria are grossly under-studied and their attractive potentials under-exploited for addressing economic and industrial development. Resourceful biotechnological approach in the application of mushrooms in agriculture, medicine, industry and environment is inchoate and uncommon in the country

Cadophora margaritata sp. nov. and other fungi associated with the longhorn beetles Anoplophora glabripennis and Saperda carcharias in Finland

Symbiosis with microbes is crucial for survival and development of wood-inhabiting longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Thus, knowledge of the endemic fungal associates of insects would facilitate risk assessment in cases where a new invasive pest occupies the same ecological niche. However, the diversity of fungi associated with insects remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate fungi associated with the native large poplar longhorn beetle (Saperda carcharias) and the recently introduced Asian longhorn beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) infesting hardwood trees in Finland. We studied the cultivable fungal associates obtained from Populus tremula colonised by S. carcharias, and Betula pendula and Salix caprea infested by A. glabripennis, and compared these to the samples collected from intact wood material. This study detected a number of plant pathogenic and saprotrophic fungi, and species with known potential for enzymatic degradation of wood components. Phylogenetic analyses of the most commonly encountered fungi isolated from the longhorn beetles revealed an association with fungi residing in the Cadophora-Mollisia species complex. A commonly encountered fungus was Cadophora spadicis, a recently described fungus associated with wood-decay. In addition, a novel species of Cadophora, for which the name Cadophora margaritata sp. nov. is provided, was isolated from the colonised wood.Peer reviewe

A global agenda for advancing freshwater biodiversity research

Global freshwater biodiversity is declining dramatically, and meeting the challenges of this crisis requires bold goals and the mobilisation of substantial resources. While the reasons are varied, investments in both research and conservation of freshwater biodiversity lag far behind those in the terrestrial and marine realms. Inspired by a global consultation, we identify 15 pressing priority needs, grouped into five research areas, in an effort to support informed stewardship of freshwater biodiversity. The proposed agenda aims to advance freshwater biodiversity research globally as a critical step in improving coordinated actions towards its sustainable management and conservation.Peer reviewe

Nigerian Mushrooms: Underutilized Non-Wood Forest Resources

Mushroom resources have been exploited in most developed economies because of their huge agro-industrial, medicinal and commercial benefits. Nigerians utilized mushroom-forming fungi only for food and folk medicine for many decades. Auricularia auricular Judae (Bull.) Quél, Lentinus squarrosulus Mont., Pleurotus tuberregium (Fr.) Singer and Volvariella volvacea (Bull.) Singer was some of the common edible mushrooms that were successfully cultivated in Nigeria on small-scale basis. The mushroom resources in Nigeria are grossly under-studied and their attractive potentials under-exploited for addressing economic and industrial development. Resourceful biotechnological approach in the application of mushrooms in agriculture, medicine, industry and environment is inchoate and uncommon in the country

Path loss dataset for modeling radio wave propagation in smart campus environment

Path loss models are often used by radio network engineers to predict signal coverage, optimize limited network resources, and perform interference feasibility studies. However, the propagation mechanisms of electromagnetic waves depend on the physical characteristics of the wireless channel. Therefore, efficient radio network planning and optimization requires detailed information about the specific propagation environment. In this data article, the path loss data and the corresponding information that are needed for modeling radio wave propagation in smart campus environment are presented and analyzed. Extensive drive test measurements are performed along three different routes (X, Y, and Z) within Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria (Latitude 6°40′30.3″N, Longitude 3°09′46.3″E) to record path loss data as the mobile receiver moves away from each of the three 1800 MHz base station transmitters involved. Also, the longitude, latitude, elevation, altitude, clutter height, and the distance information, which describes the smart campus environment, are obtained from Digital Terrain Map (DTM) in ATOLL radio network planning tool. Results of the first-order descriptive statistics and the frequency distributions of all the seven parameters are presented in tables and graphs respectively. In addition, correlation analyses are performed to understand the relationships between the network parameters and the terrain information. For ease of reuse, the comprehensive data are prepared in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and attached to this data article. In essence, the availability of these data will facilitate the development of path loss models for efficient radio network planning and optimization in smart campus environment. Keywords: Path loss, Radio propagation, Wireless communications, GSM networks, Smart campu

Dominant tree species and soil type affect fungal community structure in a boreal peatland forest

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DataSheet1_Biotic homogenization of stream macroinvertebrates in an Afrotropical Anthropocene: Land use and ecological correlates.doc

Land use modification is a notable cause of biodiversity loss in streams. However, the impacts of anthropogenic forest conversion on β-diversity are difficult to forecast, especially in Afrotropical stream ecosystem, mainly because: 1) empirical research is scant, and; 2) the few available studies provide conflicting findings. In our study, we used techniques of decomposing β-diversity to evaluate the influence of land use changes on macroinvertebrates β-diversity of 66 stream sites in an Afrotropical Anthropocene. We also evaluated the potential exclusive and shared contributions of ecological drivers of community composition and β-diversity. Our total β-diversity for both forested and modified streams was driven mainly by the turnover component, while the nestedness-resultant component was negligible. The dominance of turnover in both forested and modified streams in our systems stresses the urgency to protect many sites in order to conserve γ-diversity. While β-diversity diminished in our urban + agric streams in relation to our forest streams, leading to a process of biotic homogenization, β-diversity of our forest streams was similar to that of the urban streams, implying that land use does not necessarily lead to a process of biotic homogenization. The contrasting findings about relationships between land use and β-diversity in our study showed that the effects of land use on β-diversity can be variable and context-dependent. Larger parts of variation in community composition and β-diversity were accounted for by the local environmental conditions (through environmental filtering) and land use, while geographical spatial factors (through dispersal limitation) explained little part of variation in our system–highlighting the importance of species sorting (environmental filtering) over dispersal-related processes in metacommunity organization.</p

Table1_Biotic homogenization of stream macroinvertebrates in an Afrotropical Anthropocene: Land use and ecological correlates.DOC

Land use modification is a notable cause of biodiversity loss in streams. However, the impacts of anthropogenic forest conversion on β-diversity are difficult to forecast, especially in Afrotropical stream ecosystem, mainly because: 1) empirical research is scant, and; 2) the few available studies provide conflicting findings. In our study, we used techniques of decomposing β-diversity to evaluate the influence of land use changes on macroinvertebrates β-diversity of 66 stream sites in an Afrotropical Anthropocene. We also evaluated the potential exclusive and shared contributions of ecological drivers of community composition and β-diversity. Our total β-diversity for both forested and modified streams was driven mainly by the turnover component, while the nestedness-resultant component was negligible. The dominance of turnover in both forested and modified streams in our systems stresses the urgency to protect many sites in order to conserve γ-diversity. While β-diversity diminished in our urban + agric streams in relation to our forest streams, leading to a process of biotic homogenization, β-diversity of our forest streams was similar to that of the urban streams, implying that land use does not necessarily lead to a process of biotic homogenization. The contrasting findings about relationships between land use and β-diversity in our study showed that the effects of land use on β-diversity can be variable and context-dependent. Larger parts of variation in community composition and β-diversity were accounted for by the local environmental conditions (through environmental filtering) and land use, while geographical spatial factors (through dispersal limitation) explained little part of variation in our system–highlighting the importance of species sorting (environmental filtering) over dispersal-related processes in metacommunity organization.</p