Fungal trunk pathogens associated with Juglans regia in the Czech Republic

[EN] Juglans regia L. (English walnut) trees with cankers and dieback symptoms were observed in two regions in the Czech Republic. Isolations were made from diseased branches. In total, 138 fungal isolates representing 10 fungal species were obtained from wood samples and identified based on morphological characteristics and molecular methods: Cadophora novi-eboraci, Cadophora spadicis, Cryptovalsa ampelina, Diaporthe eres, Diplodia seriata, Dothiorella omnivora, Eutypa lata, Ewypella sp., Peroneutypa scoparia, and Phaeoacremonium sicilianum. Pathogenicity tests conducted under field conditions with all species using the mycelium-plug method indicated that Eutypa lata and Cadophora spp. were highly virulent to woody stems of walnut. This is the first study to detect and identify fungal trunk pathogens associated with diseased walnut trees in Europe.This work was supported by the Ministerstvo Skolstvi, Mladeze a Telovychovy (EFRR "Multidisciplinary Research to Increase Application Potential of Nanomaterials in Agricultural Practice," project CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_025/0007314). This research was also supported by the Technologicka Agentura Ceske Republiky (project TJ02000096)Eichmeier, A.; Pecenka, J.; Spetik, M.; Necas, T.; Ondrasek, I.; Armengol Fortí, J.; León Santana, M.... (2020). Fungal trunk pathogens associated with Juglans regia in the Czech Republic. Plant Disease. 104:761-771. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-19-1308-RES76177110

Neural Circuits Underlying Rodent Sociality: A Comparative Approach

All mammals begin life in social groups, but for some species, social relationships persist and develop throughout the course of an individual’s life. Research in multiple rodent species provides evidence of relatively conserved circuitry underlying social behaviors and processes such as social recognition and memory, social reward, and social approach/avoidance. Species exhibiting different complex social behaviors and social systems (such as social monogamy or familiarity preferences) can be characterized in part by when and how they display specific social behaviors. Prairie and meadow voles are closely related species that exhibit similarly selective peer preferences but different mating systems, aiding direct comparison of the mechanisms underlying affiliative behavior. This chapter draws on research in voles as well as other rodents to explore the mechanisms involved in individual social behavior processes, as well as specific complex social patterns. Contrasts between vole species exemplify how the laboratory study of diverse species improves our understanding of the mechanisms underlying social behavior. We identify several additional rodent species whose interesting social structures and available ecological and behavioral field data make them good candidates for study. New techniques and integration across laboratory and field settings will provide exciting opportunities for future mechanistic work in non-model species

The importance of the altricial – precocial spectrum for social complexity in mammals and birds:A review

Various types of long-term stable relationships that individuals uphold, including cooperation and competition between group members, define social complexity in vertebrates. Numerous life history, physiological and cognitive traits have been shown to affect, or to be affected by, such social relationships. As such, differences in developmental modes, i.e. the ‘altricial-precocial’ spectrum, may play an important role in understanding the interspecific variation in occurrence of social interactions, but to what extent this is the case is unclear because the role of the developmental mode has not been studied directly in across-species studies of sociality. In other words, although there are studies on the effects of developmental mode on brain size, on the effects of brain size on cognition, and on the effects of cognition on social complexity, there are no studies directly investigating the link between developmental mode and social complexity. This is surprising because developmental differences play a significant role in the evolution of, for example, brain size, which is in turn considered an essential building block with respect to social complexity. Here, we compiled an overview of studies on various aspects of the complexity of social systems in altricial and precocial mammals and birds. Although systematic studies are scarce and do not allow for a quantitative comparison, we show that several forms of social relationships and cognitive abilities occur in species along the entire developmental spectrum. Based on the existing evidence it seems that differences in developmental modes play a minor role in whether or not individuals or species are able to meet the cognitive capabilities and requirements for maintaining complex social relationships. Given the scarcity of comparative studies and potential subtle differences, however, we suggest that future studies should consider developmental differences to determine whether our finding is general or whether some of the vast variation in social complexity across species can be explained by developmental mode. This would allow a more detailed assessment of the relative importance of developmental mode in the evolution of vertebrate social systems

Nanobiochar Associated Ammonia Emission Mitigation and Toxicity to Soil Microbial Biomass and Corn Nutrient Uptake from Farmyard Manure

The unique properties of NB, such as its nano-size effect and greater adsorption capacity, have the potential to mitigate ammonia (NH3) emission, but may also pose threats to soil life and their associated processes, which are not well understood. We studied the influence of different NB concentrations on NH3 emission, soil microbial biomass, nutrient mineralization, and corn nutrient uptake from farmyard manure (FM). Three different NB concentrations i.e., 12.5 (NB1), 25 (NB2), and 50% (NB3), alone and in a fertilizer mixture with FM, were applied to corn. NB1 alone increased microbial biomass in soil more than control, but other high NB concentrations did not influence these parameters. In fertilizer mixtures, NB2 and NB3 decreased NH3 emission by 25% and 38%, respectively, compared with FM alone. Additionally, NB3 significantly decreased microbial biomass carbon, N, and soil potassium by 34%, 36%, and 14%, respectively, compared with FM. This toxicity to soil parameters resulted in a 21% decrease in corn K uptake from FM. Hence, a high NB concentration causes toxicity to soil microbes, nutrient mineralization, and crop nutrient uptake from the FM. Therefore, this concentration-dependent toxicity of NB to soil microbes and their associated processes should be considered before endorsing NB use in agroecosystems