Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.

The "Chernobyl nuclear disaster" released huge amounts of radionuclides, which are still detectable in plants and sediments today. Bryophytes (mosses) are primitive land plants lacking roots and protective cuticles and therefore readily accumulate multiple contaminants, including metals and radionuclides. This study quantifies Cs and Am in moss samples from the cooling pond of the power plant, the surrounding woodland and the city of Prypiat.

Snatching Sundews-Analysis of Tentacle Movement in Two Species of in Terms of Response Rate, Response Time, and Speed of Movement.

, Droseraceae, catch prey with sticky tentacles. Both Australian and widespread show three types of anatomically different tentacles: short, peripheral, and snap-tentacles. The latter two are capable of fast movement.

The Arsenic-Antimony Creek at Sauerbrunn/Burgenland, Austria: A Toxic Habitat for Amphibians.

(1) Background: All Austrian amphibians are affected by the degradation of habitats. Mining contributes to habitat destruction by the formation of spoil heaps and mine drainage waters. In Stadtschlaining/Burgenland, antimony mining led to increased arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) concentrations in soil and water.

Gland cell responses to feeding in Drosera capensis, a carnivorous plant.

Glands of Drosera absorb and transport nutrients from captured prey, but the mechanism and dynamics remain unclear. In this study, we offered animal proteins in the form of fluorescent albumin (FITC-BSA) and observed the reactions of the glands by live cell imaging and fluorescence microscopy. The ultrastructure of these highly dynamic processes was also assessed in high-pressure frozen and freeze substituted (HPF-FS) cells.

Determination of Characteristic vs Anomalous Cs/Cs Isotopic Ratios in Radioactively Contaminated Environmental Samples.

A contamination with the ubiquitous radioactive fission product Cs cannot be assigned to its source. We used environmental samples with varying contamination levels from various parts of the world to establish their characteristic Cs/Cs isotope ratios and thereby allow their distinction. The samples included biological materials from Chernobyl and Fukushima, historic ashed human lung tissue from the 1960s from Austria, and trinitite from the Trinity Test Site, USA.

Lamina Cell Shape and Cell Wall Thickness Are Useful Indicators for Metal Tolerance-An Example in Bryophytes.

Bryophytes are widely used to monitor air quality. Due to the lack of a cuticle, their cells can be compared to the roots of crop plants. This study aimed to test a hypothetical relation between metal tolerance and cell shape in biomonitoring mosses (, , ) and metal sensitive species (, ).

Metal accumulation in the acrocarp moss Atrichum undulatum under controlled conditions.

Mosses are frequently used to monitor atmospheric metal contamination but few studies on metal adsorption under controlled conditions are available. Here, the accumulation of the heavy metals copper and zinc was studied in the acrocarp moss Atrichum undulatum. An in vitro culture of A.

Endocytosis and Digestion in Carnivorous Pitcher Plants of the Family Sarraceniaceae.

Highly evolved carnivorous plants secrete digestive enzymes for degradation of trapped animals and absorb whole macromolecules from their prey by means of endocytosis. (1) Background: In the pitcher-plant family Sarraceniaceae, the production of enzymes is dubious and no evidence for endocytosis is known so far. (2) Methods: , , and nine taxa of are tested for cuticular pores, and for protease and endocytosis of the fluorescent protein analogue FITC-BSA, after 10-48 h of stimulation.

Response of Arabidopsis halleri to cesium and strontium in hydroponics: Extraction potential and effects on morphology and physiology.

Stable isotopes of cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr) as well as their radioactive isotopes are of serious environmental concern. The pollution of the biosphere, particularly soil and water has received considerable attention for removal of these contaminants in recent years. Arabidopsis halleri (A.

Response of Plantago major to cesium and strontium in hydroponics: Absorption and effects on morphology, physiology and photosynthesis.

Human activities lead to increasing concentration of the stable elements cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr) and their radioactive isotopes in the food chain, where plants play an important part. Here we investigated Plantago major under the influence of long-term exposure to stable Cs and Sr. The plants were cultivated hydroponically in different concentrations of cesium sulfate (between 0.

Oxidative stress mediated by gyrophoric acid from the lichen Umbilicaria hirsuta affected apoptosis and stress/survival pathways in HeLa cells.

Background: Lichens produce a huge diversity of bioactive compounds with several biological effects. Gyrophoric acid (GA) is found in high concentrations in the common lichen Umbilicaria hirsuta, however evidence for biological activity was limited to anti-proliferative activity described on several cancer cell lines.

Methods: We developed and validated a new protocol for GA isolation, resulting in a high yield of highly pure GA (validated by HPLC and NMR) in an easy and time saving manner.

Biomechanical properties of fishing lines of the glowworm Arachnocampa luminosa (Diptera; Keroplatidae).

Animals use adhesive secretions in highly diverse ways, such as for settlement, egg anchorage, mating, active or passive defence, etc. One of the most interesting functions is the use of bioadhesives to capture prey, as the bonding has to be performed within milliseconds and often under unfavourable conditions. While much is understood about the adhesive and biomechanical properties of the threads of other hunters such as spiders, barely anything is documented about those of the New Zealand glowworm Arachnocampa luminosa.

Is the Binding Pattern of Zinc(II) Equal in Different Bryophyte Species?

Bryophytes are usually taken as good bioindicators. However, they represent a large group of terrestrial plants and they express an enormous range of peculiarities within the plant kingdom. With the aim to search for a common pattern of zinc binding, we established axenical in vitro cultures of a dozen bryophyte species that include hornworts, thallose, and leafy liverworts, as well as acrocarp and pleurocarp mosses.

Terrestrial adaptation of green algae Klebsormidium and Zygnema (Charophyta) involves diversity in photosynthetic traits but not in CO acquisition.

The basal streptophyte Klebsormidium and the advanced Zygnema show adaptation to terrestrialization. Differences are found in photoprotection and resistance to short-term light changes, but not in CO acquisition. Streptophyte green algae colonized land about 450-500 million years ago giving origin to terrestrial plants.

The copper spoil heap Knappenberg, Austria, as a model for metal habitats - Vegetation, substrate and contamination.

Historic mining in the Eastern Alps has left us with a legacy of numerous spoil heaps hosting specific, metal tolerant vegetation. Such habitats are characterized by elevated concentrations of toxic elements but also by high irradiation, a poorly developed substrate or extreme pH of the soil. This study investigates the distribution of vascular plants, mosses and lichens on a copper spoil heap on the ore bearing Knappenberg formed by Prebichl Layers and Werfener Schist in Lower Austria.

Capture of algae promotes growth and propagation in aquatic Utricularia.

Background And Aims: Some carnivorous plants trap not only small animals but also algae and pollen grains. However, it remains unclear if these trapped particles are useless bycatch or whether they provide nutrients for the plant. The present study examines this question in Utricularia, which forms the largest and most widely spread genus of carnivorous plants, and which captures prey by means of sophisticated suction traps.

Plant growth promotion by inoculation with selected bacterial strains versus mineral soil supplements.

In the process of remediation of mine sites, the establishment of a vegetation cover is one of the most important tasks. This study tests two different approaches to manipulate soil properties in order to facilitate plant growth. Mine waste from Ingurtosu, Sardinia, Italy rich in silt, clay, and heavy metals like Cd, Cu, and Zn was used in a series of greenhouse experiments.

Flavonoids in selected Primula spp.: bridging micromorphology with chemodiversity.

A combined study was carried out on the micromorphology and chemistry of glandular trichomes with focus on Primula vialii and P. vulgaris, respectively. Epifluorescence microscopy was applied to study the auto-fluorescent properties of flavonoids and their localization in glandular trichomes.

Peer review versus editorial review and their role in innovative science.

Peer review is a widely accepted instrument for raising the quality of science. Peer review limits the enormous unstructured influx of information and the sheer amount of dubious data, which in its absence would plunge science into chaos. In particular, peer review offers the benefit of eliminating papers that suffer from poor craftsmanship or methodological shortcomings, especially in the experimental sciences.

Endocytotic uptake of nutrients in carnivorous plants.

Carnivorous plants trap, digest and absorb animals in order to supplement their mineral nutrition. Nutrients absorbed by the plant include different nitrogen species, phosphate, potassium, trace elements and small organic compounds. Uptake is usually thought to be performed via specific channels, but this study provides evidence that endocytosis is involved as well.

Root anatomy and element distribution vary between two Salix caprea isolates with different Cd accumulation capacities.

The understanding of the influence of toxic elements on root anatomy and element distribution is still limited. This study describes anatomical responses, metal accumulation and element distribution of rooted cuttings of Salix caprea after exposure to Cd and/or Zn. Differences in the development of apoplastic barriers and tissue organization in roots between two distinct S.

Wall architecture with high porosity is established at the tip and maintained in growing pollen tubes of Nicotiana tabacum.

A major question in pollen tube growth in planta remains: do the pollen tube walls form a barrier to interaction with the environment? Using cryo-FESEM, we directly assessed the 3D construction and porosity of tobacco pollen tube walls. Fractured mature primary walls showed a 40-50 nm spaced lattice of continuous fibers interconnected by short rods in the primary wall. These observations agree with TEM observations of sectioned walls.

Traps of carnivorous pitcher plants as a habitat: composition of the fluid, biodiversity and mutualistic activities.

Background: Carnivorous pitcher plants (CPPs) use cone-shaped leaves to trap animals for nutrient supply but are not able to kill all intruders of their traps. Numerous species, ranging from bacteria to vertrebrates, survive and propagate in the otherwise deadly traps. This paper reviews the literature on phytotelmata of CPPs.

Expanding the menu for carnivorous plants: uptake of potassium, iron and manganese by carnivorous pitcher plants.

Carnivorous plants use animals as fertiliser substitutes which allow them to survive on nutrient deficient soils. Most research concentrated on the uptake of the prey's nitrogen and phosphorus; only little is known on the utilisation of other elements. We studied the uptake of three essential nutrients, potassium, iron and manganese, in three species of carnivorous pitcher plants (Cephalotus follicularis LaBilladiere, Sarracenia purpureaL.