Mixed-forest species establishment in a monodominant forest in Central Africa: Implications for tropical forest invasibility

Background: Traits of non-dominant mixed-forest tree species and their synergies for successful co-occurrence in monodominant Gilbertiodendron dewevrei forest have not yet been investigated. Here we compared the tree species diversity of the monodominant forest with its adjacent mixed forest and then determined which fitness proxies and life history traits of the mixed-forest tree species were most associated with successful co-existence in the monodominant forest. Methodology/Principal Findings: We sampled all trees (diameter in breast height [dbh]≥10 cm) within 6x1 ha topographically homogenous areas of intact central African forest in SE Cameroon, three independent patches of G. dewevrei-dominated forest and three adjacent areas (450-800 m apart). Monodominant G. dewevrei forest had lower sample-controlled species richness, species density and population density than its adjacent mixed forest in terms of stems with dbh≥10 cm. Analysis of a suite of population-level characteristics, such as relative abundance and geographical distribution, and traits such as wood density, height, diameter at breast height, fruit/seed dispersal mechanism and light requirement-revealed after controlling for phylogeny, species that co-occur with G. dewevrei tend to have higher abundance in adjacent mixed forest, higher wood density and a lower light requirement. Conclusions/Significance: Our results suggest that certain traits (wood density and light requirement) and population-level characteristics (relative abundance) may increase the invasibility of a tree species into a tropical closed-canopy system. Such knowledge may assist in the pre-emptive identification of invasive tree species. © 2014 Peh et al

Importance of neonatal immunoglobulin transfer for hippocampal development and behaviour in the newborn pig - Fig 1

<p><b>A) The left hippocampus of the piglet after dissection. Scale bar– 1.5 cm. B) Immunostaining of the subiculum of piglets. Synaptopodin- positive punctae (red) and synaptophysin- positive punctae (green). Scale bar– 100 μm. C) The density of stained regions for the synaptic proteins, synaptophysin (SPhys) and synaptopodin (SPod), in the hippocampus of piglets as analysed with immunohistochemistry. D)The colocalisation coefficients M1 and M2 of synaptophysin-positive and synaptopodin-positive puncta in the hippocampus of piglets as analysed with immunohistochemistry.</b> Unsuckled newborn piglets (NB, n = 6) and newborn piglets fed with either an infant formula (IF, n = 6), bovine colostrum (BC, n = 6), an infant formula + i.v. infusion of sow serum (IF+IGLD, n = 6), an infant formula + i.v. infusion of porcine immunoglobulins (IF+IGHD, n = 6), or swine colostrum (SC, n = 6). Data are presented as mean±SD. Small letters given with result bars describe significant differences when p<0.05.</p