Effects of simulated environmental changes on growth and growth form in a late snowbed population of pohlia wahlenbergii (Web. et Mohr) Andr

In a factorial field experiment we increased the temperature (OpenTop Chambers) and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium[NPK]) to simulate predicted future climate changes and studiedthe growth response of the acrocarpous bryophyte Pohliawahlenbergii (Bryaceae) in a wet snowbed environment. The speciesshows a positive growth-length response to added nutrients andincreased temperature. The stronger response to nutrientsindicates a strong limitation of nutrients in the snowbedenvironment. There was an immediate response to nutrienttreatment, whereas the temperature response was delayed. Thegrowth response shows a clear interaction between temperature andnutrients. The immediate positive growth response is interpretedas a function of the wet habitat, since water makes the addednutrients immediately available to the plants. The growth formchanged toward a more lax (loose) and desiccation-intolerant formwith added nutrients. In a climate change scenario based on theseresults we hypothesize that bryophyte response will depend on thewater availability from precipitation and from meltwater. In adrier environment we predict that bryophytes will become moreconstrained toward areas with a high continuity of meltwater,whereas increased precipitation may compensate for any changes ingrowth form, which would be positive for bryophytes

The negative acute phase response of serum transthyretin following Streptococcus suis infection in the pig

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cloning Changes the Response to Obesity of Innate Immune Factors in Blood, Liver, and Adipose Tissues in Domestic Pigs

The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of cloned pigs as porcine obesity models reflecting obesity-associated changes in innate immune factor gene expression profiles. Liver and adipose tissue expression of 43 innate immune genes as well as serum concentrations of six immune factors were analyzed in lean and diet-induced obese cloned domestic pigs and compared to normal domestic pigs (obese and lean). The number of genes affected by obesity was lower in cloned animals than in control animals. All genes affected by obesity in adipose tissues of clones were downregulated; both upregulation and downregulation were observed in the controls. Cloning resulted in a less differentiated adipose tissue expression pattern. Finally, the serum concentrations of two acute-phase proteins (APPs), haptoglobin (HP) and orosomucoid (ORM), were increased in obese clones as compared to obese controls as well as lean clones and controls. Generally, the variation in phenotype between individual pigs was not reduced in cloned siblings as compared to normal siblings. Therefore, we conclude that cloning limits both the number of genes responding to obesity as well as the degree of tissue-differentiated gene expression, concomitantly with an increase in APP serum concentrations only seen in cloned, obese pigs. This may suggest that the APP response seen in obese, cloned pigs is a consequence of the characteristic skewed gene response to obesity in cloned pigs, as described in this work. This should be taken into consideration when using cloned animals as models for innate responses to obesity

Optimal combinations of acute phase proteins for detecting infectious disease in pigs

Peer reviewedPublisher PD