Endophytic Fungal Species in Tropical Trees: A Review

Pathogenic fungi are common in forest ecosystems which cause diseases and sometimes death of plants, while some fungi live inside trees harmlessly without causing issues. Sometimes, plants benefit from the presence of those endophytic fungi, such as gaining resistance to environmental stresses, protection from harmful pathogens etc. Numerous studies have been conducted on such relationships between endophytic fungi and short-term agricultural crops. However, such studies are rare in the literature on tropical tree species which bear timber and non-timber values. This study illustrates the studies conducted on endophytic fungi in tropical trees and explores the potential use of such fungi for obtaining benefits

Understanding and applying risk analysis in aquaculture: A manual for decision makers

Aquaculture is a rapidly expanding sector of the global economy. Development of the industry under various national and regional jurisdictions has resulted in a diversity of regulatory frameworks. This manual has been produced in response to requests for guidance on the application of risk analysis with respect to aquaculture production. Aimed at decision-makers and senior managers involved in the sector, this manual provides an overview of the considerations for risk analysis in decision-making for all types of aquaculture, including the impacts of aquaculture operations on environmental, socio-political, economic and cultural values as well as the impacts to aquaculture from outside influences. This manual will promote wider understanding and acceptance of the applications and benefits of risk analysis in aquaculture

The bacterial storage compound poly-β-hydroxybutyrate protects Artemia franciscana from pathogenic Vibrio campbellii

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant luminescent Vibrios can cause dramatic losses in aquaculture. In this study, the short-chain fatty acid β-hydroxybutyrate and its polymer poly-β-hydroxybutyrate were investigated as possible new biocontrol agents. β-Hydroxybutyrate was shown to completely inhibit the growth of pathogenic Vibrio campbelli at 100 mM. Moreover, the addition of 100 mM of this fatty acid to the culture water of Artemia nauplii infected with the V. campbelli strain significantly increased the survival of the nauplii. As Artemia is a non-selective and particle filter feeder, we also investigated whether poly-β-hydroxybutyrate particles could be used to protect Artemia from the pathogenic V. campbellii. The addition of 100 mg l−1 poly-β-hydroxybutyrate or more to the Artemia culture water offered a preventive and curative protection from the pathogen as a significantly enhanced survival was noticed. If added as a preventive treatment, a complete protection of infected nauplii (no significant mortality compared with uninfected nauplii) was observed at 1000 mg l−1 poly-β-hydroxybutyrate. Our data indicate that the use of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate might constitute an ecologically and economically sustainable alternative strategy to fight infections in aquaculture