The Genetic Diversity of the Macrophyte in Backwaters Reflects Differences in the Hydrological Connectivity and Water Flow Rate of Habitats.

Macrophytes often live in fluvial backwaters that have a variety of hydrological connections to a main river. Since the ability of these plants to adapt to changing environments may depend on the genetic diversity of the populations, it is important to know whether it can be influenced by habitat characteristics. We examined the microsatellite polymorphism of the submerged macrophyte from various backwaters and showed that the genetic diversity of this plant clearly reflects habitat hydrological differences.

Genetic diversity of the submerged macrophyte depends on habitat hydrology and habitat fragmentation.

The adaptability of plant populations to a changing environment depends on their genetic diversity, which in turn is influenced by the degree of sexual reproduction and gene flow from distant areas. Aquatic macrophytes can reproduce both sexually and asexually, and their reproductive fragments are spread in various ways (e.g.

Exploring the trend effects of diffuse anthropogenic pollution in a large river passing through a densely populated area.

The detection of non-point pollution in large rivers requires high-frequency sampling over a longer period of time, which, however presumably provides data with large spatial and temporal variance. Variability may mean that data sets recorded upstream and downstream from a densely populated area overlap, suggesting at first glance that the urban area did not affect water quality. This study presents a simple way to explore trend-like effects of non-point pollution in the Danube based on data that varied strongly in space and time.

Significant impact of seasonality, verticality and biofilm on element accumulation of aquatic macrophytes.

Submersed macrophytes accumulate large amounts of macro- and trace elements from the environment and, therefore, are frequently used as indicators of water pollution and tools to remove pollutants from contaminated waters. This study provides evidences that the quantity of macro- and trace elements accumulated in the macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum depends strongly on the seasonality, on the vertical position of the plant material and on the biofilm cover. Element contents of macrophytes with and without biofilm cover and that of vertical plant sections were investigated by an ICP-MS technique in three different habitats, at the beginning and at the end of the vegetation period.

Histological study of some Echium vulgare, Pulmonaria officinalis and Symphytum officinale populations.

Plants living in different ecological habitats can show significant variability in their histological and phytochemical characters. The main histological features of various populations of three medicinal plants from the Boraginaceae family were studied. Stems, petioles and leaves were investigated by light microscopy in vertical and transverse sections.

Deglycosylation by small intestinal epithelial cell beta-glucosidases is a critical step in the absorption and metabolism of dietary flavonoid glycosides in humans.

Background: Pharmacokinetic studies have shown that the small intestine is the major site of absorption for many flavonoid glucosides. Flavonoids are generally present as glycosylated forms in plants and foods, but there is increasing evidence that the forms reaching the systemic circulation are glucuronidated, sulphated and methylated derivatives. Hence, first-pass metabolism (small intestine-liver) appears to involve a critical deglycosylation step for which the mechanisms are not known.