Tree species flammability based on plant traits: A synthesis

The occurrence of large and recurring forest fires has long been associated with fire-prone environments, but this perception has been shifted rapidly in recent decades as Earths' landscapes have become increasingly threatened by severe and unpredictable fires as a result of climate changes. In this regard, the flammability of trees is a topic of great interest for ecology, management, and the development of sustainable restoration and rehabilitation plans. Tree species differ in regard to flammability, and many plant functional traits contribute to flammability at species, community and vegetation level. The relationship between plant traits and flammability at species level is important for a broader understanding of the vegetation-fire dynamic at the local and landscape scales. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the impact of individual plant traits of tree species on flammability components. By keywords-based searching of academic databases, 85 research papers were collected and analyzed. The literature synthesis shows: i) main issues addressed in studies on plant trait-based tree flammability, ii) general research output and biogeographic regions studied, iii) inventory of tree taxa investigated, iv) relationships between plant traits and flammability components, v) the most relevant plant traits that determine the flammability-related differences between species.

Population Diversity of n–Alkanes in the Needle Cuticular Wax of Relicts Pinus heldreichii and P. peuce from the Scardo-Pindic Mountains

The variability of n-alkanes in the needle cuticular wax of Pinus heldreichii and P. peuce in two natural populations from the Scardo-Pindic mountains was investigated for the first time. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses of two-year-old needles were performed using an Agilent 7890A GC equipped with an inert 5975C XL EI/CI mass spectrometer detector (MSD) and a flame ionization detector (FID) connected by a capillary flow technology 2-way splitter with make-up. An HP-5MS capillary column was used. n-Alkanes ranged from C19 to C33. In P. heldreichii the most abundant were C23, C25 and C27 (16.3, 15.6 and 12.8% on average, respectively), while in P. peuce they were C29, C25, and C27 (16.5, 15.3 and 13.5% on average, resp.). Mid-chain and long-chain n-alkanes prevailed in both species. Principle component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analyses of five and six n-alkanes, respectively, showed divergence of the Scardo-Pindic populations from the Dinaric ones.

Chemical Composition and Interpopulation Variability of Essential Oils of Taxus baccata L. from Serbia

The composition of the essential oil of the twigs and needles of Taxus baccata L. from three natural populations in Serbia has been determined by GC/MS analysis. Of the 91 detected compounds, 87 were identified. The most abundant compound classes were aliphatic alcohols, terpenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and aliphatic aldehydes, which together comprised ca. 86.92% of the total oil composition. The dominant constituents were oct-1-en-3-ol (23.48%), (3Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (11.46%; aliphatic alcohols), and myrtenol (11.38%; oxygenated monoterpene). The PCA of 22 selected compounds revealed differentiations of populations based on geographic distribution. The CA showed that Populations I and II from the Dinaric Alps were similar, and that Population III from the Balkan mountain system was distinct. This was the first investigation of interpopulation variability of T. baccata populations based on essential oil composition. The results of this study were compared with those of previous studies concerning volatile compounds produced by Taxus species. The results indicate that the essential oil content of T. baccata populations from this study is unique, mostly resembling the population from southeast Serbia.

Leaf n-alkanes as characters differentiating coastal and continental Juniperus deltoides populations from the Balkan Peninsula

The composition of the cuticular n-alkanes isolated from the leaves of nine populations of Juniperus deltoides R.P.Adams from continental and coastal areas of the Balkan Peninsula was characterized by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. In the leaf waxes, 14 n-alkane homologues with chain-lengths ranging from C22 to C35 were identified. n-Tritriacontane (C33 ) was dominant in the waxes of all populations, but variations between the populations in the contents of all n-alkanes were observed. Several statistical methods (ANOVA, principal component, discriminant, and cluster analyses) were used to investigate the diversity and variability of the cuticular-leaf-n-alkane patterns of the nine J. deltoides populations. This is the first report on the n-alkane composition for this species. The multivariate statistical analyses evidenced a high correlation of the leaf-n-alkane pattern with the geographical distribution of the investigated samples, differentiating the coastal from the continental populations of this taxon.

Chemotaxonomic implications of the n-alkane composition and the nonacosan-10-ol content in Picea omorika, Pinus heldreichii, and Pinus peuce

The n-alkane composition and the nonacosan-10-ol content in the needle cuticular waxes of Serbian spruce (Picea omorika), Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii), and Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce) were compared. The amount of nonacosan-10-ol in the needle waxes of P. omorika was higher than those in P. heldreichii and P. peuce. The range of n-alkanes was also wider in P. omorika (C18 -C35 ) than in P. heldreichii and P. peuce (C18 -C33 ). The dominant n-alkanes were C29 in the needle waxes of P. omorika, C23 , C27 , and C25 in those of P. heldreichii, and C29 , C25 , C27 , and C23 in those of P. peuce. The waxes of P. omorika contained higher amounts of n-alkanes C29 , C31 , and C33 , while those of P. heldreichii and P. peuce had higher contents of n-alkanes C21 , C22 , C23 , C24 , and C26 . The principal component analysis of the contents of nine n-alkanes showed a clear separation of the Serbian spruce populations from those of the two investigated pine species, which partially overlapped. The separation of the species was due to high contents of the n-alkanes C29 and C31 (P. omorika), C19 , C20 , C21 , C22 , C23 , and C24 (P. heldreichii), and C28 (P. peuce). Cluster analysis also showed a clear separation between the P. omorika populations on one side and the P. heldreichii and P. peuce populations on the other side. The n-alkane and terpene compositions are discussed in the light of their usefulness in chemotaxonomy as well as with regard to the biogeography and phylogeny of these rare and endemic conifers.

Population variability of nonacosan-10-ol and n-alkanes in needle cuticular waxes of Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce GRISEB.)

This is the first report on population variability of nonacosan-10-ol and n-alkanes in needle epicuticular waxes of Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce GRISEB.) Hexane extracts of needle samples, originating from two natural populations in Montenegro (Zeletin and Sjekirica) and from one population in Serbia (Mokra Gora) were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The amount of nonacosan-10-ol varied individually from 41.3 to 72.31% (average 55.9%), with the Sjekirica population being statistically divergent (64.4% on average). The results showed n-alkanes in epicuticular waxes ranging from C₁₈ to C₃₃. The most abundant alkanes were C₂₉, C₂₅, C₂₇, and C₂₃ (15.5, 11.1, 10.6, and 10.5% on average, resp.). The carbon preference index of Pinus peuce ranged from 1.0 to 4.3 (1.9 on average). Average chain length ranged from 18.4 to 27.7 (average 25.7). A high level of inidividual quantitative variation in all of these hydrocarbon parameters was also detected. These results were compared with published data on other species from the Pinus genus.

Variability of the needle essential oils of Pinus heldreichii from different populations in Montenegro and Serbia

The essential-oil compositions of Pinus heldreichii Christ. from Montenegro and Serbia are reported at the population level. Whitebark pine is a sub-endemic high-mountain Balkan pine relict of an anthropogenically reduced area, with large morphological diversity and insufficiently clear taxonomic position. In the pine-needle terpene profile from three populations from Montenegro, and one from Serbia, 101 compounds were detected, 72 of which could be identified (Table 3). The dominant constituents are limonene (26.3%), alpha-pinene (17.5%), germacrene D (13.5%), and beta-caryophyllene (10.4%), comprising ca. 67.7% of the essential oil. Medium-to-high contents (0.5-10%) of the following 16 additional components were found: beta-pinene, beta-myrcene, alpha-humulene, delta-cadinene, alpha-muurolene, (E)-hex-2-enal, beta-gurjunene, gamma-muurolene, isopimarol, camphene, gamma-cadinene, aromadendrene, beta-bisabolene, trans-beta-farnesene, alpha-cadinene, and (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol. The similarity of the populations and the within-population variability was visualized by principle-component analysis (PCA) of eleven selected terpenes in 97 tree samples. Cluster and genetic analyses suggest closest connection between the two spatially most-distant populations I (Montenegro) and IV (Serbia). Based on the profile of the main sesquiterpene components, the studied populations from Montenegro and Serbia are more similar to the populations from Greece and the Central Balkan peninsula (Bosnia and Serbia-Kosovo) than to those on the furthest eastern margin of their natural range (Bulgaria).

Bacterial penetration of restored cavities

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of the marginal seals of 7 restoratives by means of a bacterial penetration test in vitro. Sixty intact premolars and third molars that were scheduled for extraction were used in the test. There were 2 experimental groups of teeth, as follows: (1) A class V conventional cavity and a wedge erosion cavity were prepared on the buccal surface and the lingual surface, respectively, of each tooth. (2) A class V conventional cavity and a wedge erosion cavity were prepared on the buccal surface and the lingual surface, respectively, of each tooth with a completely removed enamel layer. The cavities were then reconstructed with different restorative materials. The quality of the marginal seals was evaluated by submerging the teeth in a bacterial suspension and incubating them in an anaerobic milieu at 37 degrees C for 20 hours. The teeth were subsequently processed for histologic data and bacterial staining. The best marginal sealing in both the wedge erosion and the class V cavities was provided by the Herculite/Optibond system and the Valux Plus/Scotchbond Multipurpose system. Bacterial penetration was slightly greater with the Luxat compomer and the Dyrect compomer, as well as with Vitremer glass ionomer cement and Fuji LC glass ionomer cement. The bacterial penetration test showed that the use of restorative material does not entirely eliminate microleakage.

[Histologic manifestations in the skin in alpha-lactoalbumin intradermal tests in patients with chronic urticaria]

Intradermal injection with alpha-lactoalbumine, 2000 PNU/ml was carried out in seven patients (1 male, 6 females, mean age 32.4 years) suffering from milk intolerance. None of the patients had a positive allergen-specific IgE antibodies in the sera (RAST). Skin test was performed on the volar part of the forearms at the same time. The area of skin reaction was estimated and measured within 36 hours on the right arm. Skin biopsy was done with a 4 mm punch after 8 hours from site of antigen injection on the left arm. Various cells infiltrating the site of antigen instillation were present. Leukocytoclastic vasculitis was only found in patients with dual intradermal reaction (immediate and late onset of response; 8 12 hours). These results indicate that local skin reaction to alpha-lactoal-bumine is mediated by diverse immune mechanisms, and that it may be of clinical significance for the diagnosis of cow milk allergy in adults.

[The oral milk provocation test in patients with chronic urticaria]

Histamine and sera complement were followed-up in patients with chronic urticaria during oral provoking test to cow milk. Three patients with a positive history to cow milk sensitisation showed a significant decrease in C3 concentration within 180 minutes of the test. This was followed by increased histamine and skin eruption. According to our results (skin test reactivity and clinical evaluation of the provoking test) several mechanisms were involved in the sensitisation to cow milk in our patients.

[Spontaneous recanalization of tubes after surgical sterilization]

The authors present their 13 cases of sterilization in which a spontaneous recanalization of tubes occurred. Out of these 13 cases, 11 underwent sterilization after the operative Madlener method, while in the remaining 2 cases a laparoscopic method by thermocoagulation was applied. Recanalization in most cases (7) developed 15 or more months after operative sterilization. An adequate passage of tubes was verified in 12 cases through pregnancy, while only in one case HSG was applied, showing a spontaneous recanalization of the right tube.