High standards in managing the seed-supply chain, emphasizing sourcing and seed storage, are crucial to maintaining seed viability and ultimately to meeting restoration goals. The germination of 40 ...plant species was investigated in response to difficulties experienced by restoration practitioners in propagating them from seed in nurseries and in direct seeding. The species were from a biodiversity hotspot in inland eastern Australia and spanned a range of life-forms. The initial constraint identified was poor seed viability, which varied widely within and between species but was < 50% in at least one seedlot of 36 species. Low seed viability was indicated by poor seed storage and processing practices, manifest in excessive storage time, herbivory, fungal infection, and inadequate seed collection and processing (e.g. collection of immature seed and overcleaning). The main reason for low germination of viable species was seed dormancy. Dormancy was identified in 16 species: pre-sowing treatments in these species were effective in relieving dormancy or increasing germination percentage by two to three-fold. The most frequent pre-sowing treatment required was scarification. Stratification, de-husking and leaching also increased germination in some species. Temperature conditions for high germination were also investigated. Seasonal temperature treatments affected germination in 22 species. The results emphasize the necessity for (1) testing seed before use; (2) identifying temperature ranges to achieve maximum germination; (3) identifying species with germination constraints, and (4) using suitable pre-sowing treatments for plant propagation in nurseries and potentially in the field.
Dominance of invasive species is often assumed to be due to a superior ability to acquire resources. However, dominance in plant communities can arise through multiple interacting mechanisms, ...including disturbance. Inter-specific competition can be strongly affected by abiotic conditions, which can determine the outcome of competitive interactions. We evaluated competition and disturbance as mechanisms governing dominance of Phyla canescens (hereafter lippia), an invasive perennial forb from South America, in Paspalum distichum (perennial grass, hereafter water couch) meadows in floodplain wetlands of eastern Australia. Water couch meadows (in the study area) are listed under the Ramsar Convention due to their significance as habitat for migratory waterbirds. In the field, we monitored patterns of vegetation boundaries between the two species in response to flooding. Under controlled glasshouse conditions, we explored competitive interactions between the native water couch and lippia subject to different soil moisture/inundation regimes. We did this using a pairwise factorial glasshouse experiment that manipulated neighbor density (9 treatments) and soil moisture/inundation (4 treatments). In the field trial, inundation increased the cover of water couch. Under more controlled conditions, the invader had a competitive effect on the native species only under dry soil conditions, and was strongly inhibited by inundation. This suggests that dry conditions favor the growth of the invader and wetter (more historical) conditions favor the native grass. In this system, invader dominance is governed by altered disturbance regimes which give the invader a competitive advantage over the native species.
•Improvements to landscape function under short-duration grazing (SDG).•19% greater cover of perennial pasture species and reduced weed cover with SDG.•Increased abundance of high-value forage ...species with SDG.•Study demonstrates insights and challenges of working on commercial properties.
Livestock grazing can lead to reduced ground cover and altered composition of pastures through the loss of palatable forage species and reduced litter cover. This negatively impacts landscape function and ultimately livestock production. Grazing livestock for short periods with high animal density, followed by long rests to allow pasture recovery (short-duration grazing), could be a way to address these issues. In naturalised pastures, we assessed landscape functioning and compared the abundance of six major plant functional groups at 36 sites on 12 commercial grazing properties. Six of the properties had been managed with short-duration grazing for more than 7 years (in most cases over 10 years), while the six control properties were managed with grazing that was more typical of the region (relatively continuous throughout the year with unplanned rests). Under short-duration grazing, there was approximately 19% greater foliar cover of perennial herbaceous species with a corresponding 14% reduction in foliar cover of introduced annual plants. Attributes relating to biophysical functioning of the landscape were enhanced by short-duration grazing, with environmental factors less important in influencing these landscape function attributes. Higher-value forage species were also more abundant on short-duration grazing properties, especially at higher rainfall sites. Conversely, species that tend to increase under heavy grazing pressures, and are of lower forage value, were less abundant under short-duration grazing. Despite the changes in pasture composition in response to grazing management there was a large amount of unexplained variation in herbaceous community composition. This study demonstrates benefits for landscape function and naturalised pasture composition under short-duration grazing that has been in place for several years compared with more usual grazing practices.
Considerable uncertainty exists about future climatic predictions but there is little doubt among experts that the future will be warmer. Climate change and the associated elevation in atmospheric ...CO2 level and temperatures will provide novel challenges and potential opportunities for cultivated plant species. Plant breeding and domestication can contribute to improvements in both yield and quality of native grasses, legumes and forage shrubs. This review explores the use of functional traits to identify native Australian grasses, legumes and forage shrubs suitable for domestication, to meet the challenges and opportunities under a changing climate in pastoral areas in Australia. The potential of these species in terms of life history, regenerative traits, forage quality and quantity, drought tolerance and invasiveness is examined. The paper focuses on three Australian pastoral regions (high-rainfall temperate south, tropical and subtropical grasslands, low-rainfall semi-arid shrublands), in terms of future climate predictions and potential of selected native species to meet these requirements. Selection for adaptation to new climatic environments is challenging but many native species already possess the traits required to cope with the environment under future climate scenarios.
Hyparrhenia hirta is a pasture grass that has become highly invasive in several parts of the world, including Australia where it has become a serious environmental weed in recent decades. Knowledge ...of the likely potential distribution and relative abundance of this invasive species, under current and future climate scenarios, will help biosecurity and weed control authorities to plan better strategies to manage the invasion. The CLIMEX modelling package was used to investigate the impacts of climate change on the potential global distribution of H. hirta, based on eco-physiological data. The worldwide potential distribution of H. hirta under current climatic conditions is vast and far greater than the current distribution, with suitable climate conditions extending over much of the tropics and subtropics. Under future climate scenarios, the range of H. hirta is likely to expand into areas currently too cold for its survival and contract from areas that are projected to become hotter and drier under climate change. The effects of likely climatic scenarios on the global potential distribution of H. hirta are sufficiently great that they should be considered routinely in strategic control plans for biotic invasions. Changes in the potential range of an invasive species such as H. hirta, under global warming scenarios, will mean that it could invade new jurisdictions. Knowledge of this emerging threat could help to formulate effective prevention, surveillance and response measures in these presently marginally unsuitable regions.
Medication adherence: A call for action Bosworth, Hayden B., PhD; Granger, Bradi B., RN, PhD; Mendys, Phil, Pharm D ...
The American heart journal,
09/2011, Letnik:
162, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Poor adherence to efficacious cardiovascular-related medications has led to considerable morbidity, mortality, and avoidable health care costs. This article provides results of a recent think-tank ...meeting in which various stakeholder groups representing key experts from consumers, community health providers, the academic community, decision-making government officials (Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, etc), and industry scientists met to evaluate the current status of medication adherence and provide recommendations for improving outcomes. Below, we review the magnitude of the problem of medication adherence, prevalence, impact, and cost. We then summarize proven effective approaches and conclude with a discussion of recommendations to address this growing and significant public health issue of medication nonadherence.
Ten accessions of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.) were evaluated for their dry matter (DM) yield and forage quality in a semi-arid lowland (Katumani) and a relatively wet highland ...(Muguga) over seven growth cycles from 2011 to 2013 in tropical Kenya. Three biomass yield clusters were identified from the 10 accessions as high-yielding (HYC), medium-yielding (MYC) and low-yielding (LYC) clusters for both sites. Total biomass (shoot and root) yields (t ha−1) over the seven growth cycles were 25.3 for HYC, 22.2 for MYC and 19.6 for LYC at Katumani and 40.0, 41.4 and 29.1 at Muguga. Total biomass yield averaged over the study period was DM 22.4 t ha−1 at Katumani and 36.8 at Muguga. Rainfall productivity was higher at Katumani (28.8 kg ha−1 mm−1) than 20.8 kg ha−1 mm−1 at Muguga. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) was lower in LYC, which was more leafy than the other clusters and there was little difference in NDF between the two sites.
Several sources of evidence (eld, genetic and morphological data) suggest that sexual reproduction is more important in Australian populations than in the native range. Despite this, some populations ...are almost entirely clonal. In this study it is shown that vegetative recruitment is an important mechanism for establishment and local expansion in an early invaded site. F
The objective of this paper is to determine to what extent pedotransfer functions, PTFs, can be developed that have few coefficients and which are insensitive to soil type. The use of non-linear PTFs ...to predict penetrometer resistance of soils from their water status (matric potential,
ψ and degree of saturation,
S) and bulk density,
ρ, appears to require that some other soil property, such as sand content, is known. The use of a logarithmic transformation on the dependent variable,
Q and the independent variables, either
ψ or
Sψ has two effects. Firstly, it linearizes the data and secondly it removes the increasing trend in the residuals of
Q. A pedotransfer function derived from fitting log
10
Q to log
10
Sψ and
ρ had 3 parameters that were insensitive to soil type. However, to predict
Q on its natural scale, back-transformed values require correction for bias.
There is evidence that
Sψ is a better descriptor of soil water status than
ψ alone with respect to predicting penetrometer resistance. We show that the use of
Sψ is preferable for both statistical and physically based reasons. However, we also show that matric potential can work well when using PTFs to predict the strength of soil in the field given the variability in field measurements. We demonstrate how a PTF can be used to predict values of the strength of field soil measured independently.
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