Pine embryogenesis: many licences to kill for a new life

In plants, programmed cell death (PCD) is an important mechanism that controls normal growth and development as well as many defence responses. At present, research on PCD in different plant species is actively carried out due to the possibilities offered by modern methods in molecular biology and the increasing amount of genome data. The pine seed provides a favourable model for PCD because it represents an interesting inheritance of seed tissues as well as an anatomically well-described embryogenesis during which several tissues die via morphologically different PCD processes.

Survival strategies of Silene tatarica (Caryophyllaceae) in riparian and ruderal habitats

Certain morphological and anatomical structures of riparian plants might be important for their survival during the season when they are exposed to severe stress caused by flooding, burial, fluctuating temperatures, and drought. These rare characteristics were studied as related to their ecological consequences in a threatened plant, Silene tatarica (L.) Pers., in riparian and ruderal habitats. The main differences between the habitats were morphological and closely related to the habitat properties, whereas the basic anatomy of structures was similar. After sand burial, most riparian plants formed vertical rhizomes and new meristems by bud ramification in the stem base near the ground surface. Special anatomical structures of fleshy underground stems and roots seem to allow plants to be resilient. Moreover, some primitive structures, such as vascular elements with helical and scalariform thickenings, collenchyma, and abundant xylem parenchyma, may increase the resilience of organs. High amounts of saccharose in fleshy rhizomes and roots can increase the cold resistance of plants. The flat shape and structures of tiny seeds may enhance the long-distance dispersal by water. We suggest that the synergism of these structures enables the survival of S. tatarica in highly disturbed habitats with fluctuating water levels.Key words: bud clusters, burial, flooding, growth habit, tensile strength, vertical rhizome.

Intra-familial child homicide in Finland 1970-1994: incidence, causes of death and demographic characteristics

The purpose of this study was to investigate all child homicides for the 25-year period, 1970-1994 in Finland and to analyse the specific characteristics of the filicide cases. A total of 292 child homicides occurred during this period. In 201 (69%) cases the offender was a parent or a stepparent of the child. Altogether, 173 (59%) of the victims were boys and 119 (41%) were girls. For the closer examination of the filicide cases we excluded the neonaticide and homicide-suicide cases. Consequently, we report on 70 filicide victims. Of these victims, 42 (60%) were boys and 28 (40%) were girls. Twenty six (37%) of the children were killed before the age of 1 year and 53 (79%) before the age of 5 years. The offender was the mother in 43 (61%) cases and the father or the stepfather in 26 (37%) cases. The victims of the mothers were younger than those of the fathers. The most frequent causes of death were head injuries, drowning and suffocation. The most common means of assault were battering, drowning and strangulation. One in two of the fatally battered children had a documented history of previous abuse.

The Influence of Air Pollution on the Concentration of Airborne Elementsand on the Production of Stress-Ethylene in the Lichen Usnea hirta(L.) Weber em. Mot. Transplanted in Urban Sites in Oulu, N. Finland

The purpose of the present study was to examine theresponse, as indicated by the production of stress-ethylene, of the lichenUsnea hirta, to a buffered acidic solution and to a solutioncontaining bisulfite ion, both at pH 4.0. In addition, the study investigatedthe accumulation capacity of U. hirta transplanted either to thevicinity of two streets with slow traffic, or to the vicinity of a highway inthe city of Oulu, N. Finland for a short period (45 d), and to analyze thecomparative production of stress-ethylene and the amounts of airborneelements accumulated in the thallus. Thalli of U. hirta manifested ahigh accumulation capacity for K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Mn in samplesexposed in one of the two streets with slow traffic in Oulu, in comparisonwith thalli left at the control site in the forest outside of the city. Twoof the observed elements, Pb and Ca, exhibited a positive correlation withthe concentration of ethylene detected consecutive to the treatment of lichenthalli with H2O (pH 6.8). The concentrations of stress-ethylene inlichen thalli retrieved from the streets with slow traffic and less cars(14,000 per day), soaked in solutions of NaHSO3 (pH 4.0), werehigher than those produced by thalli retrieved from a site near the highway(with 25,000 cars per day) and by thalli left in the forest. It is suggestedthat the streets with slow traffic and less cars are more polluted than thehighway as a result of bad ventilation conditions and a slow rate ofdispersion of airborne pollutants.

Lipids and their seasonal variation in the nucellar layers of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seeds

The content, composition, and seasonal variation of lipids in the nucellar layers of two mature Scots pine seed lots from northern and central Finland were studied. These lipophilic layers, which are located inside the seed coat, are composed of collapsed cells and restrict the imbibition of seeds. In this study, epicuticular wax was found on their surface; in particular, the surface of the nucellar cap was composed of intermeshing wax rods. The content of total lipids of the nucellar layers varied seasonally from 10 to 24%, being highest in April. In addition to simple lipids, which formed the most abundant lipid fraction in nucellar layers, small amounts of phospho- and glyco-lipids were also present. The proportion of simple lipids and their fatty acid composition in the seeds of both provenances remained constant throughout the year, whereas seasonal variation was found in the proportions of phospho- and giyco-lipids and in their fatty acids. In general, the variation was more marked in the northern seed lot. The unsaturated fatty acids dominated in the fractions of simple lipids and phospholipids, with linoleic acid being the most abundant single fatty acid. The saturated fatty acids with more than 22 carbon atoms were most abundant in the glycolipid fractions. The role of lipids for the function of the collapsed nucellar layers in the regulation of imbibition and germination of pine seeds is discussed. Keywords: Pinus sylvestris L., northern seeds, fatty acids, imbibition, germination.

Differential responses of certain lichen species to sulfur-containing solutions under acidic conditions as expressed by the production of stress-ethylene

To determine whether fluctuations in the concentration of ethylene produced by lichens exposed to sulfur-containing solutions at a low pH correlate with the tolerance/sensitivity of these lichens to air pollution, we measured the amount of ethylene produced by thalli soaked in H2SO4 and NaHSO3. The exposure of Hypogymnia physodes, Cladina stellaris, and Bryoria fuscescens to H2SO4 at a pH ranging between 4.0 and 2.0 did not produce changes in the concentration of ethylene in comparison with samples wetted with H2O at pH 6.8. The exposure of two pendulous lichens, Usnea hirta and Alectoria sarmentosa, to 1.0 and 5.0 mM H2SO4 at pH 2.7 and 2.0, respectively, stimulated only a slight increase of ethylene production, whereas another pendulous lichen, Bryoria fremontii, exposed to H2SO4 at pH 4.0-2.0 decreased its production of ethylene. The soaking of H. physodes, U. hirta, C. stellaris, and A. sarmentosa thalli in NaHSO3 at pH 4.0 gradually increased the production of ethylene. The exposure of B. fremontii and B. fuscescens to low NaHSO3 concentrations depressed the production of ethylene in these lichens. The indifference of H. physodes to H2SO4 under strong acidic conditions correlated with its resistance to SO2 in the air. In accordance with a model by D.M. Reid (In "Effects of Atmospheric Pollutants on Forests, Wetlands and Agricultural Ecosystems" (T.C. Hutchinson and K.M. Meema, Eds.), Vol G 16, pp. 241-245. NATO ASI Series, Springer-Verlag, Berlin and Heidelberg, 1987) referring to higher plants, it is suggested that sulfur-containing solutions under acidic conditions increase the solubility of particles containing heavy metals entrapped among the mycobiont hyphae in lichens. This may lead to an increase of the production of endogenous ethylene in lichens as they are exposed to sulfur-containing chemicals, to acidic rain, or to heavy metal-polluted air.