Rare, Threatened and Endangered Vascular Plants in Oregon: An Interim Report

This report on rare, threatened and endangered vascular plants in Oregon is a basic document in the process of inventorying the state\u27s natural areas * Prerequisite to the orderly establishment of natural preserves for research and conservation in Oregon are (1) a classification of the ecological types, and (2) a listing of the special organisms, which should be represented in a comprehensive system of designated natural areas. The necessary ecological classification was published in the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station document, Research Natural Area Needs in the Pacific Northwest, by Dyrness et al. (1975). This valuable reference also provided lists of vascular plants of special interest in each major physiographic province, based on early work by Chambers and Siddall. Under the direction of the Oregon Rare and Endangered Plant Species Taskforce, work has actively continued to expand and perfect the list of vascular plant species, to serve the needs of land management and natural area planning in Oregon, and of many other governmental and private activities. Studies of rare and endangered plants in Oregon have involved a unique coalition of professional and amateur botanists, who have systematically gathered data on the distribution, abundance, habitat, and ecological requirements of some 700 native species. Coordination and leadership have come from the Oregon Rare and Endangered Plant Species Taskforce, and specifically from the Taskforce chairman, Jean L. Siddall. The Natural Area Preserves Advisory Committee has long recognized the significance of this effort and has encouraged the Taskforce\u27s goal of assembling a list of rare, threatened and endangered plant species for the State of Oregon. In August,1979, it was decided to support the publication of an interim report, summarizing the present status of all the plants under review by the Taskforce. This list will serve as a working document for the many individuals and organizations, both public and private, needing information on the rare plants in Oregon. This list will be particularly useful to the Natural Heritage Advisory Council (replacing the Natural Area Preserves Advisory Committee) as it develops the Natural Heritage Plan required by Oregon statute. Ultimately, a detailed Oregon List of Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants will be produced. This current interim report is a timely step toward this goal

High-resolution carbon dioxide concentration record 650,000800,000 years before present

Changes in past atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations can be determined by measuring the composition of air trapped in ice cores from Antarctica. So far, the Antarctic Vostok and EPICA Dome C ice cores have provided a composite record of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over the past 650,000 years. Here we present results of the lowest 200 m of the Dome C ice core, extending the record of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by two complete glacial cycles to 800,000 yr before present. From previously published data and the present work, we find that atmospheric carbon dioxide is strongly correlated with Antarctic temperature throughout eight glacial cycles but with significantly lower concentrations between 650,000 and 750,000 yr before present. Carbon dioxide levels are below 180 parts per million by volume (p.p.m.v.) for a period of 3,000 yr during Marine Isotope Stage 16, possibly reflecting more pronounced oceanic carbon storage. We report the lowest carbon dioxide concentration measured in an ice core, which extends the pre-industrial range of carbon dioxide concentrations during the late Quaternary by about 10 p.p.m.v. to 172–300 p.p.m.v

Infections following the application of leeches: two case reports and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Since the 1980s, leeches have been ingeniously used in the management of venous flap congestion. The presence of anticoagulative substances in their saliva improves the blood drainage. Their digestive tract contains several bacterial species, the main ones being <it>Aeromonas hydrophila</it> and <it>Aeromonas veronii</it> biovar sobria, which contribute to the digestion of ingested blood. These bacteria can be the cause of infections.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report two cases of septicemia related to <it>Aeromonas veronii</it> biovar sobria that presented after leeches had been applied to congested transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps for delayed mammary reconstructions.</p> <p>Patient number 1 was a 55-year-old Caucasian woman who underwent a delayed breast reconstruction procedure. On the sixth postoperative day she showed a clinical presentation of septicemia. <it>Aeromonas veronii</it> biovar sobria was identified in the patient’s skin and blood bacteriological samples. Her fever ceased after 4 days of antibiotic treatment.</p> <p>Patient number 2 was a 56-year-old Caucasian woman who underwent a delayed breast reconstruction procedure. On the seventh postoperative day we noticed that she showed a clinical presentation of septicemia. <it>Aeromonas veronii</it> biovar sobria was identified in the patient’s blood cultures and local bacteriological samples. An antibiogram showed resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Her fever ceased on the eleventh postoperative day after 4 days of antibiotic treatment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The rate of infection after application of leeches is not negligible. The concentration of <it>Aeromonas</it> inside the digestive tracts of leeches largely decreases when the patient is under antibiotic therapy. These germs are sensitive to third-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones and resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. We recommend preventive treatment based on classical measures of asepsis and on oral antibioprophylaxy with a fluoroquinolone during the whole period of treatment by leeches.</p

Glacial‐interglacial changes in central tropical Pacific surface seawater property gradients

Much uncertainty exists about the state of the oceanic and atmospheric circulation in the tropical Pacific over the last glacial cycle. Studies have been hampered by the fact that sediment cores suitable for study were concentrated in the western and eastern parts of the tropical Pacific, with little information from the central tropical Pacific. Here we present information from a suite of sediment cores collected from the Line Islands Ridge in the central tropical Pacific, which show sedimentation rates and stratigraphies suitable for paleoceanographic investigations. Based on the radiocarbon and oxygen isotope measurements on the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber, we construct preliminary age models for selected cores and show that the gradient in the oxygen isotope ratio of G. ruber between the equator and 8 degrees N is enhanced during glacial stages relative to interglacial stages. This stronger gradient could reflect enhanced equatorial cooling (perhaps reflecting a stronger Walker circulation) or an enhanced salinity gradient (perhaps reflecting increased rainfall in the central tropical Pacific)