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In the absence of real strategic interest in her Micronesian possessions, Imperial Germany set out to administer the Islands Territory of Micronesia with as little financial effort as possible. To maximize returns from the colonies, the German administrators assessed the agricultural potential of the islands and set about introducing plant varieties for trial and future commercial planting. This paper traces the history of the animal and plant introductions to Micronesia and compiles the available evidence. The administrators were caught in an economic mindset circumscribed by copra production as well as by the need to grow crops of strategic potential, such as rubber-producing plants. While initially reliant on the interest and initiative of the local administrators, agricultural experimentation became increasingly centralized. The absence of fully trained agricultural advisors, especially in the later years of the German colonial administration, meant that plants of great commercial potential, such as sugarcane in the Marianas, were never trialled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early Twentieth Century officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's experiment station in Honolulu and the territorial government's Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry contemplated the agricultural tasks that they faced, they sought nothing less than wholesale biological management of the islands. Seed and plant introductions represented efforts to oversee botanical possibility, while quarantine and inspection regimes sought to contain the threat of issnvasive species. When unwanted insect travelers thwarted human oversight, the territorial government dispatched entomologists to distant places, particularly in other colonial regions of the world, to gather parasites that might combat insect pests. The different efforts to manage the island ecosystem in Hawai'i reflected not just the biological basis of territorial rule, but also its embeddedness in intra-imperial, inter-imperial, and international relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the environmental policies and changes to Turkestan, or Central Asia, under the late imperial Russian rule between 1854 and 1914. Topics include the introduction of plants to the landscape by Russian settlement, plants and civilization, botanical expeditions in the region, peasant settlements, and urban planning and development

Background: Forked spleenwort,Asplenium septentrionale, is a mainly petrophilous fern species in European mountains and rare on acidic siliceous rocks in lowland areas of the continent, where habitats are fragmented and populations isolated. In Estonia, the single extant population is very small, occupies a restricted area and is threatened by human disturbances. An introduction project of the species was prepared to form new populations in new protected sites usingex-situpropagated young sporophytes as transplantation material. Aims: To obtain data on the species recruitment population biology and provide context information for selecting donor plant material. Methods: We sampled three regional/local donor populations. First, we carried out a laboratory breeding experiment to evaluate the populations’ ability for intra-gametophytic selfing. Second, to estimate differences in fitness of offspring among the populations, we grew young sporophyte plants in a pot experiment under controlled conditions in a common garden. Results: The Estonian population showed very high capacity (90%) for intra-gametophytic selfing, as well as high rate of sporophytic mortality (83%), but the rates are comparable to one of the reference populations in Finland. However, plants of Estonian population were smaller. Conclusions: The Estonian population may represent a unique pre-adapted or locally adapted genotype; therefore, it needs more efficient protection in its present location. Planting material for introduction should be collected from the local population, as the best locally adapted. Only in the risk of severe environmental change and of extinction, several neighbouring populations could be pooled to maximise genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen is deposited almost everywhere and can be gathered and analysed. This work is part of a survey dedicated to indoor pollen from a forensic point of view. Ornamental plants were introduced into a private flat. Their influence on the pre-existing pollen assemblages was documented. Results show that ornamental plants can dramatically change the pollen spectra of indoor locations. The severity of this impact strongly varies with different plant taxa. These findings are important for forensic investigations, since such an ‘artificial’ pollen spectrum leaves an unusual trace and could subsequently relate a suspect to a crime scene. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the 19th- and early 20th-century introduction of imperial palm trees (Roystonea oleracea) in Brazil. It was first planted in Rio de Janeiro in 1809, spread throughout the provinces of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and was a key element of the urban landscape design in cities including Rio de Janeiro, Lorena, and São Paulo. The 19th-century practice of introducing exotic species throughout Europe and its colonies is considered. Also discussed is the Botanical Garden near Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

A recent paper by Jones et al. (Food globalization in prehistory, World Archaeology, 2011, 43(4), 665–75) explores a prehistoric ‘Trans-Eurasian’ episode of food globalization characterized by the long-distance exchange of starch crops. Drawing upon a comparison to the Columbian Exchange, they emphasize the role of fast-growing crops in optimizing productivity, giving minimal consideration to other drivers. Here we re-evaluate the sequence and timing of the Trans-Eurasian exchange and give greater consideration to the social dimensions of plant translocation. We outline a model for thinking about plant translocations that highlights the way the conceptualization and use of introduced plants changes through time, with social factors frequently dominating in the early stages. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aquarium trade has been shown to be a source for introductions of nonnative aquatic macrophyte species. Improvements are needed in identification, labeling, and retailer awareness of banned aquatic plants. In the state of Connecticut, United States, 20 nonnative macrophytes are banned from sale by state statute. At least 13 of these species are already established in the state's lakes, while the remainder are either present in near-shore wetlands or absent but thought to be capable of naturalizing. We documented the sale of banned plants in the Connecticut aquarium trade by visiting 23 retailers in 2008 and 47 retailers in 2010. Plants that resembled Connecticut's banned species were purchased and identified using standard morphological techniques. In 2010, we also employed DNA sequencing to aid in plant identification. We found that nearly 30% of stores sold banned aquatic plants includingCabomba caroliniana,Egeria densa,Myriophyllum aquaticum, andMyriophyllum heterophyllum.Cabomba carolinianarepresented more than half of the banned species being sold; it was found in 17% of the stores in 2008 and 19% of the stores in 2010.Egeria densawas mislabeled 50% of the time asEgeria najasorAnacharis najas; it was sold in 11% of the stores in 2008 and 17% of the stores in 2010. In 2010,Myriophyllumspecimens from 6 stores were unidentifiable using morphological characteristics. Using these techniques, one of the specimens was identified asMyriophyllum heterophyllum. Of the 29 chain stores surveyed, 7% sold banned species compared to 56% of the 27 independent stores. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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The article explores the history of nurserymen and the development of commercial nurseries in Ireland from the eighteenth- to the twenty-first century. The oldest extant plant catalogue is from gardener and seedman John Johnson of Dublin dated alternately circa 1709 or circa 1720. Both the 18th century practice of and legislation regarding tree planting are discussed. Other subjects include the establishment of the Dublin Society, later the Royal Dublin Society, to promote agricultural innovations; the introduction of plants from foreign locations; Scottish landscape designers Ninian Niven (1799-1879) and Alexander McLeish; and rose breeding in Northern Ireland.

Elevated concentrations of heavy metals in edible plants could expose consumers to excessive levels of potentially hazardous chemicals. Sixty-three accessions (genotypes) of Capsicum chinense Jacq, collected from 8 countries of origin were grown in a silty-loam soil under field conditions. At maturity, fruits were collected and analyzed for seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mo) concentrations. The main objectives of this investigation were: 1) to determine the concentrations of seven heavy metals in the soil and monitor their accumulation in mature fruits, 2) to categorize the pepper accessions as low or high heavy metal accumulators, and 3) to determine if heavy metal content of the pepper fruit was lower than the permitted limits. Concentrations and relative proportions of heavy metals in pepper fruits of C. chinense varied among accessions. Fruits of Plant Introduction (PI) 355820 accumulated significant concentrations of Cd (0.47 μ g g−1dry fruit). PI-260522 accumulated the highest concentration of Pb (2.12 μ g g−1 dry fruit) among the 63 accessions tested. This accession (PI-260522) contained about twice the Pb limit on a fresh weight basis. Among the 63 accessions analyzed, PI-238051 contained the highest levels of Ni (17.2 μ g g−1). We concluded that high accumulator genotypes may be useful for phytoremediation, while, low accumulator accessions might be appropriate selections for growing on Cd-, Pb-, or Ni-contaminated soils to prevent potential human exposure to heavy metals and health hazards through the food chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suitability of wood fiber materials as soil cover mulch in relation to soil moisture and temperature was investigated. The uncomposted wood fiber applied with adhesives formed a sturdy mat after spreading onto the soil. Evaporation of water was reduced and temperature fluctuations in the soil were dampened compared with bare soil. This was determined in incubation experiments as well as in container, greenhouse, and field trials with plants. Cultivated plants showed no damaging effects or nutrient deficiency symptoms caused by wood fiber mulch (WFM). Analyses of the plant parameters and yields of bean and lettuce plants showed the growth-promoting effects using WFM in comparison with bare soil. Head firmness of lettuce was significantly higher, and total yield showed a tendency to increase compared with bare soil. Additional application of sawdust or soil conditioner did not significantly change the mulch properties or show any positive effect on plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presented here are results of field survey, sedimentology and pollen and starch analysis of sediment cores from two different environmental settings in the Tolaga Bay catchment, New Zealand. One of the sites is an inland floodplain paddock with ditch-like features (which appear to be mainly horse-drawn plough lines), the other a back-dune wetland adjacent to the beach. The former is capped with a thick alluvial layer deposited during Cyclone Bola (1988) and has a layer of reworked 1.7 ka Taupo Tephra. Both sites show evidence of large-scale prehistoric deforestation, and reveal starch grains similar in appearance to Polynesian-introduced sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and European introduced potato (Solanum tuberosum), suggesting cultivation of these crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the main environmental factors on seed germination of Anthyllis barba-jovis L. were analysed. This work is part of a broader investigation aimed at the reintroduction of this species on Mount Conero, Ancona (central Italy), where it is at present extinct. The seeds were collected from the Gargano headland (southern Adriatic coast). Experimental analyses were carried out to determine: (i) dormancy levels of seeds collected in successive years, and also collected from the soil seed bank; (ii) effects of usual pre-treatments for overriding the physical dormancy of the seeds; (iii) optimal temperature range for maximum germination; (iv) effects of fire on seed germination; and (v) effects of NaCl on germination and on early stages of seedling development. Our results confirm that A. barba-jovis seeds have a physical dormancy due to their teguments, which are water-impermeable. This barrier persists in naked seeds that remain in the soil. Regularly water-drenched seeds show a high germinative ability. The optimal seed germination temperature is 20°C, with germination decreasing progressively at lower temperatures, and falling drastically over 20°C. Fire and high temperatures positively affected germination. The seeds were shown to be strongly resistant to salt stress, thus enabling the plants to colonize a habitat suitable for halophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty five ornamental plants were introduced into the Ahmadi Bioremediated Soil Park to screen and closely monitor the growth performance of these new introductions under the local environmental conditions. Out of these 35 plant species, 15 were planted in both bioremediated and agricultural soils to assess their suitability for growing in bioremediated soils. Data on vegetative growth was recorded to assess the performance of newly-introduced plants, whereas, the heat stress was documented of Bauhinia blakeana , where no visible effects of petroleum pollutants on plant growth were observed. Performance of each plant group is discussed separately in the text. Overall, plant survival was 72.73% for all plant groups. Generally, plants that failed to grow in bioremediated soil also did not survive in the agricultural soil, indicating that they were sensitive to heat stress more than the presence of petroleum contaminants in the soil. New plant species that were able to establish and perform satisfactorily will be used in greenery projects after they are fully naturalized to the prevailing climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overview of the article "Special Issue: Continental-scale Ecology in an Increasingly Connected World," that was published in the June 2008 issue of "Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment" is presented. In this U.S. National Science Foundation publication special issue, ecologists discuss how human influences interact with natural processes to influence global connectivity. The articles in this issue report that because of increasing globalization, people often inadvertently introduce non-native plants, animal and diseases into new locations.