• ALGAE
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.319-323
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• 2007

This study was conducted with using chlorophyll a fluorescence (indicated as photosynthetic activity) to examine the toxic effect of 96 h exposure of heavy metals and herbicides on the benthic diatom Nitzschia sp. which was isolated from pristine sediment in Pamquat Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada. Samples of benthic diatom were exposed to 0, 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg L–1 of copper, 0, 1, 10 and 100 mg L–1 of chrome (VI), 0, 2.45, 24.5 and 245 mg L–1 of paraquat dichloride, and 0, 4.37, 43.7 and 437 mg L–1 of alachlor during 96 hours. The effective quantum yield of photochemistry (ΔF/Fm’) was evaluated by subjecting light acclimated samples to saturating pulses of light using a pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer. The impact of heavy metals on Nitzschia sp. photosynthesis was not severe in < 1 mg L–1 but in the high concentrations (> 1 mg L–1) clearly increased toxic stress during 96 h. Herbicides had a limited impact during the exposure period but clearly increased stress on the benthic diatom with increasing concentrations. Acute response of Nitzschia sp. to selected heavy metals and herbicides was characterized, and the capacity of a benthic diatom to tolerate and recover from toxic stress was assessed.

• ALGAE
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.41-48
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• 2016

The clonal seaweed Chondrus crispus (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales) forms extensive stands at low intertidal elevations on wave-sheltered rocky shores of the North Atlantic. This study investigates if this bushy alga acts as a foundation species in such habitats. The abundance (percent cover) of C. crispus, all other algae, and invertebrates was measured in 390 quadrats spanning 350 km of coast in Nova Scotia, Canada. In these low-intertidal habitats, fucoid algae are the largest organisms and can form extensive canopies, but their cover was unrelated to benthic species richness and to C. crispus cover. Species richness, however, increased with C. crispus cover from low to intermediate cover values, showing little change towards full C. crispus cover. Species composition (a combined measure of species identity and their relative abundance) differed between quadrats with low (0-1%) and high (60-100%) cover of C. crispus. High C. crispus cover was associated to more invertebrate species but fewer algal species than low C. crispus cover. However, the average abundance of algal and invertebrate species occurring in both cover groups was often higher under high C. crispus cover, contributing to a higher average richness at the quadrat scale. Overall, only 16% of the observed variation in species richness was explained by C. crispus cover. Therefore, this study suggests that C. crispus acts as a foundation species but with a moderate influence.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.155-161
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• 2011

Leaf characteristics of mature 2, 3 and 4-year-old North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) leaves on fruiting and non-fruiting(NF) plants were studied. Leaflets of the 2-year-old plants had the lowest fresh and dry weight, area, volume and internal gas volume. Inflorescence removal in 3-year-old plants did not affect leaf characteristics or ginsenoside concentration but in 4-year-old plants it increased leaf fresh (38.6%) and dry (43.9%) weight, leaf area (29.1%), specific leaf mass (11.4%), leaf volume (43.1%), and leaf thickness (12.1%), and decreased leaf water content (6.2%). Cultivated ginseng, although an understorey plant, had the specific leaf mass, 35.6 g $m^{-2}$ (range, 36 to 39 g $m^{-2}$) and a chlorophyll a/b ratio of 2.40 to 2.61, both suggesting the ability to perform like a sunny habitat plant. Also, specific leaf mass of 35.6 g $m^{-2}$ is similar to that reported for perennial plants, 36.8 g $m^{-2}$, rather than that for annuals, 30.9 g $m^{-2}$.

• ALGAE
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.245-251
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• 2006

Diurnal and age-related changes in air pressure were measured in air bladders of Ascophyllum nodosum from the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Exterior and interior bladder volumes vary significantly with 4 and 6 y bladders being about 40% larger than 2 y bladders (p < 0.01). Freshly collected bladders yielded a mean pressure of 40.8 ± 6.5 cm H2O. Overnight (20 h) dark treatment at 15°C generated pressure reductions by 80% in 2 y bladders but only by about 30% in 4 and 6 y bladders. Furthermore, in 2 y bladders 8 out of 11 bladders were reduced to atmospheric pressure. Pressure losses were inversely related to pressure recovery after 2.5 h in natural daylight, but after 5 h in daylight there was no significant difference in pressure within the age groups. Even under 25% of full illumination, bladders inflated to full pressure after 5 h. The results show that differences in bladder age and bladder wall thickness have roles in diurnal patterns of bladder inflation and deflation. These results confirm that bladder inflation is based on photosynthetic O2 production and not on partial pressures of O2 in the surrounding medium as was suggested for Sargassum. Chemical analyses of fluid recovered after the interior of bladders were washed with saline showed no evidence for the occurrence of surfactant that might be responsible for maintaining the air-liquid interface.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제11권5호
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• pp.463-469
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• 1998

Factor analysis was applied as a multivariate statistical technique to official genetic evaluations of type classification traits for 1,265,785 Holstein cows and 10,321 sires computed from data collected between August 1982 and June 1994 in Canada. Type traits included eighteen linear descriptive traits and eight major score card traits. Principal components of the factor analysis showed that only five factors explain the information of the genetic value of linear descriptive traits for both cows and sires. Factor 1 included traits related to mammary system, like texture, median suspensory, fore attachment, fore teat placement and rear attachment height and width. Factor 2 described stature, size, chest width and pin width. These two factors had a similar pattern for both cows and sires. In constrast, Factor 3 for cows involved only bone-quality, while in addition for sires, Factor 3 included foot angle, rear legs desirability and legs set. Factor 4 for cows related to foot angle, set of rear leg and leg desirability, while Factor 4 related to loin strenth and pin setting for sires. Finally, Factor 5 included loin strength and pin setting for cows and described only pin setting for sires. Two factors only were required to describe score card traits of cows and sires. Factor 1 related to final score, feet and legs, udder traits, mammary system and dairy character, while frame/capacity and rump were described by Factor 2. Communality estimates which determine the proportion of variance of a type trait that is shared with other type traits via the common factor variant were high, the highest ${\geq}$ 80% for final score, stature, size and chest width. Pin width and pin desirability had the lowest communality, 56% and 37%. Results indicated shifts in emphasis over the twelve-year period away from udder traits and dairy character, and towards size, scale and width traits. A new system that computes fmal score from type components has been initiated.