Toxicologic screening of fungi isolated from millet (pennisetum spp) during the rainy and dry harmattan seasons in Niger state, Nigeria

A survey of fungi contaminating mouldy field, stored and marketed millet samples collected during rainy and dry harmattan seasons of the year 2000 from the twenty five local government areas of NigerState, Nigeria, was conducted. Some of the fungal isolates from the two groups of samples were screened for their mycotoxin producing potentials in mice. Aflatoxin B1 content of the rainy season millet samples was determined. Aspergillus niger was the predominant fungi found in millet during the rains. Twelve out of the 49 wet season millet samples were contaminated with AFB1 at concentrations between 1370.28 and 3495.10 ug/kg. Penicillium spp. was the commonest contaminant of millet during the dry harmattan season. Thirty five of the fifty five fungal isolates screened for toxicity were found to produce toxic metabolites that were lethal to mice and were isolates of Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Mucor, Syncephalastrum, and Helminthosporium

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity