Interactions between the grasses Phalaris arundinacea, Miscanthus sinensis and Echinochloa crus-galli, and barley and cereal yellow dwarf virusus

The grass species Miscanthus sinensis, Echinochloa crus-galli and Phalaris arundinacea may be useful biomass crops. In glasshouse inoculations with two isolates of Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV)-MAV and BYDV-PAV and one of Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYVD)-RPV , E. crus galli was infected by all three virus isolates, P. arundinacea by BYDV-MAV and CYDV-RPV, but M. sinensis only by BYDV-MAV. All three hosts became very difficult to infect after several weeks’ growth. Symptoms were inconspicuous; dry matter yield losses ranged from c. 20–40%. Aphids acquired all three virus isolates from E. crus-galli, but more efficiently from 5 than 26-week-old plants. Only BYDV-MAV was acquired from P. arundinacea and M. sinensis. Plants of each species and of Avena sativa were grown outdoors between May and July in 1994 and 1995. Young plants of each species were exposed for successive 2-week intervals during the same periods. Vector populations were higher on A. sativa and P. arundinacea than on E. crus-galli and M. sinensis, and more plants of these species became infected. In 1994 only BYDV-MAV was detected. In 1995 BYDV-MAV, BYDV-PAV and CYDV-RPV were all detected; BYDV-MAV was again the virus isolate most frequently found

Lesser prairie-chicken avoidance of trees in a grassland landscape

Grasslands are among themost imperiled ecosystems in North America. Reasons that grasslands are threatened include conversion to row-crop agriculture, fragmentation, and changes in fire regimes. The reduction of fire processes in remaining prairies has resulted in tree encroachment and establishment in grasslands, further reducing grassland quantity and quality. Grassland birds have been experiencing precipitous population declines in recent decades, commensurate with landscape changes to grasslands. The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus Ridgway) is a declining species of prairie grouse of conservation concern. We used second- and third-order habitat selection metrics to test if female lesser prairie-chickens avoid grasslands where trees were present. Our results indicated that female lesser prairie-chickens selected habitats avoiding the nearest trees by 283 m on average, nearly twice as far aswould be expected at random. Lesser prairie-chickenswere 40 timesmore likely to use habitatswith tree densities of 0 trees · ha-1 than habitats with 5 trees · ha-1. Probability of use indicated that lesser prairiechickenswere 19 timesmore likely to use habitats 1000 m from the nearest tree when comparedwith using habitats 0 m fromthe nearest tree. Nest survival was not affected at densities < 2 trees · ha-1; however, we could not test if nest survivalwas affected at greater tree densities as no nestswere detected at densities > 2 trees · ha-1. Avoidance of trees could be due to perceived increased predation risk, reduced habitat quality, or a combination of these potentially confounding factors. Preventing further establishment and expansion of trees in landscapes occupied by lesser prairie-chickens could contribute to the continued persistence of the species. Additionally, restoring grasslands through tree removal may facilitate conservation efforts for grassland species such as the lesser prairie-chicken by improving habitat quality and promoting expansion of occupied range.The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information

Lesser prairie-chicken avoidance of trees in a grassland landscape

Grasslands are among themost imperiled ecosystems in North America. Reasons that grasslands are threatened include conversion to row-crop agriculture, fragmentation, and changes in fire regimes. The reduction of fire processes in remaining prairies has resulted in tree encroachment and establishment in grasslands, further reducing grassland quantity and quality. Grassland birds have been experiencing precipitous population declines in recent decades, commensurate with landscape changes to grasslands. The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus Ridgway) is a declining species of prairie grouse of conservation concern. We used second- and third-order habitat selection metrics to test if female lesser prairie-chickens avoid grasslands where trees were present. Our results indicated that female lesser prairie-chickens selected habitats avoiding the nearest trees by 283 m on average, nearly twice as far aswould be expected at random. Lesser prairie-chickenswere 40 timesmore likely to use habitatswith tree densities of 0 trees · ha-1 than habitats with 5 trees · ha-1. Probability of use indicated that lesser prairiechickenswere 19 timesmore likely to use habitats 1000 m from the nearest tree when comparedwith using habitats 0 m fromthe nearest tree. Nest survival was not affected at densities < 2 trees · ha-1; however, we could not test if nest survivalwas affected at greater tree densities as no nestswere detected at densities > 2 trees · ha-1. Avoidance of trees could be due to perceived increased predation risk, reduced habitat quality, or a combination of these potentially confounding factors. Preventing further establishment and expansion of trees in landscapes occupied by lesser prairie-chickens could contribute to the continued persistence of the species. Additionally, restoring grasslands through tree removal may facilitate conservation efforts for grassland species such as the lesser prairie-chicken by improving habitat quality and promoting expansion of occupied range.The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information

The occurrence of two strains of barley yellow mosaic virus in England

Een aantal isolaten van het gerstegeelmozaïekvirus, afkomstig van verschillende plaatsen in Engeland, werden met elkaar vergeleken. Uit de resultaten, verkregen met ELISA, goudmerking en mechanische overdracht, kan worden geconcludeerd, dat tenminste twee stammen van het virus in Engeland voorkomen. Deze stammen zijn, wat betreft de wijze van overdracht en de serologische eigenschappen, gelijk aan die welke in de Duitse Bondsrepubliek zijn beschreven.Peer reviewe