Genetic and environmental variation in heartwood colour of Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon R.Br.)

Holzforschung ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Bradbury ◽  
Brad M. Potts ◽  
Chris L. Beadle ◽  
Greg Dutkowski ◽  
Matthew Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Model ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Timber Species ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Acacia Melanoxylon ◽  
Colour Measurements ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Australian Blackwood

Abstract Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon R.Br.) is a high-quality appearance-grade timber species native to eastern Australia. It is characterised by dark-coloured heartwood, with colour varying from pale straw to red-brown and walnut brown, and pale cream-coloured sapwood. This wide range in heartwood colour is expressed as between- and within-tree variation, and is regarded as a problem in markets where colour consistency is important. To understand the genetic and environmental control of heartwood colour, multiple colour measurements were taken from stem cores from 16 open-pollinated family collections of blackwood planted across three 19-year-old progeny trials. Data was analysed with a mixed model with within-tree variation modelled using a three-node cubic spline. Significant genetic, environmental and genetic-by-environment interactions were detected, not only in the variation in between-tree mean heartwood colour but also in the pattern of within-tree heartwood colour variation. In general, heartwood colour became darker, less yellow and more red towards the sapwood/heartwood boundary. To control the between- and within-tree heartwood colour variation in blackwood plantations, care is needed to not only select genotypes with the desired wood colour and colour variation but also site characteristics that allow expression of that colour.

Revision of Coronostrongylus (Nematoda : Strongyloidea) parasitic in the stomachs of macropodid marsupials

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 893 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Beveridge
Keyword(s):  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Related Species ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Nematode Genus ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Species Occurrences

The monotypic nematode genus Coronostrongylus Johnston & Mawson, 1939 from the stomachs of macropodid marsupials was reviewed and was found to consist of a least seven closely related species. Coronostrongylus coronatus Johnston & Mawson, 1939 is found most commonly in Macropus rufogriseus, but occurs occasionally in M. dorsalis, M. parryi and Petrogale inornata. Coronostrongylus johnsoni, sp. nov. is most commonly found in M. dorsalis, but occurs also in M. rufogriseus, M. parma, Thylogale stigmatica, Petrogale godmani and P. brachyotis. Coronostrongylus barkeri, sp. nov. is most prevalent in Onychogalea unguifera, but occurs also in M. rufus, M. robustus and P. brachyotis. Coronostrongylus closei, sp. nov. is restricted to Petrogale persephone. Coronostrongylus sharmani, sp. nov. occurs only in rock wallabies from eastern Australia: P.�coenensis, P. godmani and P. mareeba; C. spratti, sp. nov. occurs in P. inornata and P. assimilis. Coronostrongylus spearei, sp. nov. is restricted to Papua New Guinea where it is found in Dorcopsulus vanhearni, Dorcopsis hageni and D. muelleri. Although all of the nematode species occur in one principal host species or a series of closely related host species, occurrences in geographically disjunct areas and in phylogenetically distant hosts are features of C. coronatus, C. barkeri, sp. nov. and C. johnsoni, sp. nov. The occurrence of seven closely related nematode species found in a wide range of macropodid host species is more readily accounted for by a hypothesis involving multiple colonisations of hosts than by the hypothesis of co-speciation.

Application of physiological understanding in soybean improvement. I. Understanding phenological constraints to adaptation and yield potential

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Lawn ◽  
A. T. James
Keyword(s):  
Seed Yield ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Sowing Date ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Sowing Dates ◽  
Eastern Australia

The purpose of this paper and its companion1 is to describe how, in eastern Australia, soybean improvement, in terms of both breeding and agronomy, has been informed and influenced over the past four decades by physiological understanding of the environmental control of phenology. This first paper describes how initial attempts to grow soybean in eastern Australia, using varieties and production practices from the southern USA, met with limited success due to large variety × environment interaction effects on seed yield. In particular, there were large variety × location, variety × sowing date, and variety × sowing date × density effects. These various interaction effects were ultimately explained in terms of the effects of photo-thermal environment on the phenology of different varieties, and the consequences for radiation interception, dry matter production, harvest index, and seed yield. This knowledge enabled the formulation of agronomic practices to optimise sowing date and planting arrangement to suit particular varieties, and underpinned the establishment of commercial production in south-eastern Queensland in the early 1970s. It also influenced the establishment and operation over the next three decades of several separate breeding programs, each targeting phenological adaptation to specific latitudinal regions of eastern Australia. This paper also describes how physiological developments internationally, particularly the discovery of the long juvenile trait and to a lesser extent the semi-dwarf ideotype, subsequently enabled an approach to be conceived for broadening the phenological adaptation of soybeans across latitudes and sowing dates. The application of this approach, and its outcomes in terms of varietal improvement, agronomic management, and the structure of the breeding program, are described in the companion paper.

Applications of Microcomputers in the Education of the Physically Disabled Child

1982 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Foulds
Keyword(s):  
Motor Skills ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Small Computer ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Physically Disabled ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
The Disabled

The advent of the small computer has provided a wide range of possibilities for offering new tools in the education of the severely physically disabled. The flexibility of the computer allows the limited motor skills of the disabled child to be amplified to expand that child's interaction with the world. This paper examines the use of the microcomputer in providing communication and environmental control in the personal lives of disabled individuals.

scholarly journals Does the grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) exhibit agonistic pectoral fin depression? A stereo-video photogrammetric assessment off eastern Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Kirby R. Smith ◽  
Carol Scarpaci ◽  
Brett M. Louden ◽  
Nicholas M. Otway
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Methods ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Nurse Shark ◽  
Management Guidelines ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Stereo Video ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Stereo Photogrammetry ◽  
Carcharias Taurus

Underwater stereo-video photogrammetry was used to document the pectoral fin positions of various life-history stages of the critically endangered east Australian population of the grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) during normal swimming behaviour at multiple aggregation sites. A wide range in pectoral fin positions was recorded with dihedral pectoral fin angles ranging from –25 to 88°. Pectoral fin angles varied significantly among sites and this was attributed to the differing navigational and energetic requirements of the sharks. There was no significant relationship between pectoral fin angles and distances separating the shark and scuba diver. The wide range in pectoral fin angles, interactive use of the fins during swimming, low-energy behaviours of the sharks at aggregation sites and absence of ‘fight’ response agonistic behaviour indicated that the species does not exhibit agonistic pectoral fin depression. Reports of agonistic pectoral fin depression in the grey nurse shark obtained with visual estimates should be treated as preliminary observations requiring further testing using accurate sampling methods such as stereo photogrammetry. It is important that diver compliance with existing management guidelines that prohibit divers from chasing or harassing grey nurse sharks and blocking cave and gutter entrances is maintained.

scholarly journals Estimation of mean movement rates for blue sharks in the northwestern Pacific Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikihiko Kai ◽  
Yuki Fujinami
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Northwestern Pacific ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Northwestern Pacific Ocean ◽  
Movement Rate ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Background The blue shark Prionace glauca is a highly migratory species with a circumglobal distribution. Mean movement rate, defined by the horizontal tracking distance between two data points over the duration of time, is commonly used to understand the horizontal displacement of highly migratory species across a wide range. However, the estimation of mean movement rates for blue sharks has never been conducted using a statistical model. We therefore investigated the mean movement rates using a generalized linear mixed model with data from satellite tags to estimate the range of mean movement rates for 10 blue sharks in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and to reveal the interaction of mean movement rate with several factors. Results (1) Estimations of mean movement rates for the 10 blue sharks were significantly influenced by behavioral differences among individuals; (2) uncertainty in the estimation (i.e., predictive and confidence intervals) of mean movement rates for these blue sharks was larger over shorter time periods, and (3) the predictive intervals of mean movement rates for the sharks ranged widely from 0.33 to 5.02 km/h. Conclusion Blue sharks are considered to opportunistically change their mean movement rates regardless of differences in sex, movement direction, or season.

scholarly journals USE OF MICRONUCLEUS EXPERIMENTS FOR THE DETECTION OF HUMAN CANCER RISKS: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Armen Nersesyan ◽  
◽  
Miroslav Mišík ◽  
Andriy Cherkas ◽  
Viktoria Serhiyenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Cells ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Occupational Exposures ◽  
Human Biomonitoring ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Cancer Risks ◽  
Wide Range

Introduction. Micronuclei (MN) are small extranuclear DNA-containing structures that are formed as a consequence of structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations. The advantage of MN experiments compared to conventional chromosomal analyses in metaphase cells is that the scoring is by far less time consuming and laborious. MN experiments are currently widely used for the routine screening of chemicals in vitro and in vivo but also for environmental control and human biomonitoring Objectives. The purpose of this review was to collect data on the use of MN experiments for the detection of increased cancer risks as a consequence of environmental, lifestyle and occupational exposures and the detection/diagnosis of different forms of cancer. Methods. Analysis of the literature on methods for MN experiments with humans; as well as the use of this technique in different areas of research. Results. To date, a wide range of protocols for human biomonitoring studies has been developed for the measurement of MN formation in peripheral blood cells and in epithelial from different organs (buccal and nasal cavity, cervix and bladder). In addition to MN, other nuclear anomalies can be scored which reflect genetic instability as well as acute toxicity and the division of target cells. Conclusions. The evidence is accumulating that MN can be used as a diagnostic tool for the detection of increased cancer risks as well as for the early diagnosis of cervical and bladder cancer

scholarly journals Relationship between moth (night active Lepidoptera) diversity and vegetation characteristics in southern Sweden

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1005-1015
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Vascular Plant Diversity ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract The diversity and community composition of moths (both macro- and micromoths) at 32 sites, representing a wide range of habitat types (forests, grasslands, wetlands, agricultural and urban areas) within a restricted region in central Scania, southern-most Sweden, was investigated by use of light moth traps and compared with vascular plant species richness and habitat characteristics. The results revealed a highly significant general association between vegetation composition and the composition of the moth community and multivariate (CCA) analyses indicated light availability and soil fertility parameters (pH and macronutrients) to be the habitat characteristics that best correlated with moth community composition. Less strong, but still significant, positive relationships between moth abundance and local vascular plant diversity were also revealed. Moth species richness was positively correlated with diversity of woody plant genera in the neighborhood, but not with local vascular plant diversity in general. As for more general site characteristics, there were tendencies for higher moth richness and abundance at sites with more productive soils (well-drained, high pH, high nutrient availability), while shading/tree canopy cover, management, soil disturbance regimes and nectar production appeared unrelated to moth community parameters. It is concluded that local moth assemblages are strongly influenced by site characteristics and vegetation composition. Implications for insect conservation: The results show that obtaining moth data on a local scale is useful for conservation planning and does not need to be very cumbersome. Local moth assemblages monitored are indeed related to local site characteristics of conservation relevance.

Comparative mitochondrial phylogeography of two legless lizards (Pygopodidae) from Queensland’s fragmented woodlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 142-150
Author(s):  
Jessica Worthington Wilmer ◽  
Andrew P. Amey ◽  
Carmel McDougall ◽  
Melanie Venz ◽  
Stephen Peck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
The West ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
Open Forests ◽  
Fossorial Species

Sclerophyll woodlands and open forests once covered vast areas of eastern Australia, but have been greatly fragmented and reduced in extent since European settlement. The biogeographic and evolutionary history of the biota of eastern Australia’s woodlands also remains poorly known, especially when compared to rainforests to the east, or the arid biome to the west. Here we present an analysis of patterns of mitochondrial genetic diversity in two species of Pygopodid geckos with distributions centred on the Brigalow Belt Bioregion of eastern Queensland. One moderately large and semi-arboreal species, Paradelma orientalis, shows low genetic diversity and no clear geographic structuring across its wide range. In contrast a small and semi-fossorial species, Delma torquata, consists of two moderately divergent clades, one from the ranges and upland of coastal areas of south-east Queensland, and other centred in upland areas further inland. These data point to varying histories of geneflow and refugial persistance in eastern Australia’s vast but now fragmented open woodlands. The Carnarvon Ranges of central Queensland are also highlighted as a zone of persistence for cool and/or wet-adapted taxa, however the evolutionary history and divergence of most outlying populations in these mountains remains unstudied.

scholarly journals Colour Classification of 1486 Lakes across a Wide Range of Optical Water Types

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Lehmann ◽  
Uyen Nguyen ◽  
Mathew Allan ◽  
Hendrik van der Woerd
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Water Colour ◽  
Water Types ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Yellow Orange ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Remote sensing by satellite-borne sensors presents a significant opportunity to enhance the spatio-temporal coverage of environmental monitoring programmes for lakes, but the estimation of classic water quality attributes from inland water bodies has not reached operational status due to the difficulty of discerning the spectral signatures of optically active water constituents. Determination of water colour, as perceived by the human eye, does not require knowledge of inherent optical properties and therefore represents a generally applicable remotely-sensed water quality attribute. In this paper, we implemented a recent algorithm for the retrieval of colour parameters (hue angle, dominant wavelength) and derived a new correction for colour purity to account for the spectral bandpass of the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI). We used this algorithm to calculate water colour on almost 45,000 observations over four years from 1486 lakes from a diverse range of optical water types in New Zealand. We show that the most prevalent lake colours are yellow-orange and blue, respectively, while green observations are comparatively rare. About 40% of the study lakes show transitions between colours at a range of time scales, including seasonal. A preliminary exploratory analysis suggests that both geo-physical and anthropogenic factors, such as catchment land use, provide environmental control of lake colour and are promising avenues for future analysis.

The distribution of the greater broad-nose bat Scoteanax rueppellii (Microchiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in relation to climate and topography.

2006 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
P. D. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Museum Collections ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Climate Matching ◽  
Matching Algorithm ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Occurrence Records

Concepts of the distribution of the greater broad-nose bat (Scoteanax rueppellii) have changed significantly as occurrence records have accumulated over the years. Early accounts of the species' distribution suggested that it was restricted to the heavily timbered areas of eastern Australia, and occurred over a wide range of altitudes. However, recent summaries of the distribution of the species differ significantly from these early accounts. To reconcile these discrepancies, I collated records from museum collections and wildlife databases. These data clearly indicate that stated altitudinal limits for the species are not correct. The currently known southern limit of the species is near Eden, New South Wales (NSW). The distribution of the species was modelled using the DOMAIN climate matching algorithm. The model indicates that S. rueppellii may occur in East Gippsland, Victoria, suggests its likely occurrence in inland Queensland and northern NSW, but a low likelihood of occurrence in inland southern NSW. However, the data show strong spatial and temporal biases that restrict the confidence that may be placed in the model. It is argued that species distributions must be regarded as open and evolving hypotheses.

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