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As virus diseases cannot be controlled by traditional plant protection methods, the risk of their spread have to be minimized on vegetatively propagated plants, such as grapevine. Metagenomic approaches used for virus diagnostics offer a unique opportunity to reveal the presence of all viral pathogens in the investigated plant, which is why their application can reduce the risk of using infected material for a new plantation. Here we used a special branch, deep sequencing of virus-derived small RNAs, of this high-throughput method for virus diagnostics, and determined viromes of vineyards in Hungary. With NGS of virus-derived small RNAs we could detect not only the viruses tested routinely, but also new ones, which had never been described in Hungary before. Virus presence did not correlate with the age of the plantation, moreover phylogenetic analysis of the identified virus isolates suggests that infections are mostly caused by the use of infected propagating material. Our results, validated by other molecular methods, raised further questions to be answered before this method can be introduced as a routine, reliable test for grapevine virus diagnostics.

Encoding continuous sensory variables requires sustained synaptic signalling. At several sensory synapses, rapid vesicle supply is achieved via highly mobile vesicles and specialized ribbon structures, but how this is achieved at central synapses without ribbons is unclear. Here we examine vesicle mobility at excitatory cerebellar mossy fibre synapses which sustain transmission over a broad frequency bandwidth. Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching in slices from VGLUT1Venus knock-in mice reveal 75% of VGLUT1-containing vesicles have a high mobility, comparable to that at ribbon synapses. Experimentally constrained models establish hydrodynamic interactions and vesicle collisions are major determinants of vesicle mobility in crowded presynaptic terminals. Moreover, models incorporating 3D reconstructions of vesicle clouds near active zones (AZs) predict the measured releasable pool size and replenishment rate from the reserve pool. They also show that while vesicle reloading at AZs is not diffusion-limited at the onset of release, diffusion limits vesicle reloading during sustained high-frequency signalling.

Aim: To determine which of the grapevine organ is the richest in stilbene, like the t-piceid, t-resveratrol and ε-viniferin and would it be useful as by-product of viticulture for processing stilbene concentrate. Methods and results: Nine organs, such as cane, buds, shoot tips, inflorescences, clusters at veraison, matured berry skins, seeds and cluster stems, of Merlot grafted on Teleki Kober 5BB rootstock were collected during a year and its ethanolic extractions were analyzed via HPLC-FLD. Stilbene content of the different organs occurred in a wide range, the lowest was 3.15 mg/kg dry weight (dw) measured in the seeds and the highest 2265 mg/kg dw in the buds. Conclusion: The present research demonstrated that different grapevine organs contain different amount of stilbene in the vineyard. The winter-buds, the roots and the matured cane internodes of Merlot are significantly richer in t-resveratrol and t-ε-viniferin than the green vegetative and generative parts we examined in one growing year. Significance and impact of the study: According to our knowledge there was no stilbenes measuring in several plant organs of a vine cultivar in field study, in vineyard. Our research pointed out the pruned cane could be primary source of stilbene of the health-industry. Beside that grape root is a by-product of grapevine nursery is also rich in stilbene.

Based on several field investigations, many molluscan shells and chondrichthyan teeth, together with other invertebrate and actinopterygian remains were found from the marine Bangkok Clay deposits in Ongkharak, Nakhon Nayok, at a depth of ~ 5–7 m below the topsoil surface. Animal macrofossils recovered from these Holocene marine deposits were identified and their chronological context was investigated in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironments of the area at that time. The majority of marine fossils recovered from the site consist of molluscs, with a total of 63 species identified. Other invertebrate species include a stony coral, a mud lobster, barnacles, and a sea urchin. The vertebrates are represented by fish remains, including carcharhinid shark teeth from at least nine species, stingray and trichiurid teeth, and one sciaenid otolith. The molluscan fauna indicates that the paleoenvironments of the area corresponded to intertidal to sublittoral zones, where some areas were mangrove forests and intertidal mudflats. The fish fauna is dominated by the river shark Glyphis, indicating freshwater influences and possibly occasional brackish conditions. The carbon-14 analysis of mollusc and charcoal remains shows that deposition of the marine sediment sequence began during the mid-Holocene, spanning approximately from 8,800 to 5,300 cal yr BP. This study provides in-depth insights into the diversity of fishes, marine molluscs, and other invertebrates from the Bangkok Clay deposits, supporting the existence of a marine transgression onto the Lower Central Plain of Thailand during the mid-Holocene.

Abstract The fossil vertebrate fauna of Máriahalom contains remains from a wide range of ecologies including terrestrial and aquatic mammals, crocodiles, sharks, and rays among others. All these were found mixed in mollusc-rich, shallow water, coastal deposits. The aim of the study is to trace the origin of the fossils using their rare earth element (REE) content and their respective ecology with stable oxygen isotopic compositions. In addition, marine vertebrates and calcareous marine fossils were analysed for their Sr isotope composition to provide a new age estimate for the locality. The REE content and their distribution in the fossils indicate similar early diagenetic environments and possible contemporaneous fossilization for the entire vertebrate assemblage. Reworked fossils of significantly different age can be excluded. The enamel/enameloid-derived phosphate oxygen isotope composition of selected fossil taxa fit well with previously inferred habitats that include marine, brackish, and terrestrial environments. Notably, the stem-pinniped Potamotherium valletoni is best interpreted as freshwater dweller instead of marine, consistent with the sedimentology of other occurrences. Our novel 87Sr/86Sr data suggest an Aquitanian age (21.4 ± 0.5 Ma) for the Máriahalom site that is younger than the previously proposed Late Oligocene age based on biostratigraphy (MP28–30 European Mammal Paleogene Reference Levels). An Aquitanian age raises the possibility that the index fossil taxon, the anthracothere mammal Microbunodon minimum, may have vanished earlier in Western Europe than in the Central Paratethys region.

The Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) today exhibits the highest marine biodiversity, which has been evolving since the early Miocene. The existence of this high palaeobiodiversity is attested to by the presence of many fossil invertebrates; however, the region’s fossil fish record is sparse and understudied, which is also the case for cartilaginous fishes. Elasmobranch fossils are dominantly represented by shark and ray teeth in the geological record and can give a quick overview of the composition of the fauna. The first IAA elasmo fossils, shark teeth were described from Java (Indonesia) at the end of the 19th century, and until today, most of the publications are known from this island. In the early and middle of the 20th century, remarkable fossils were also reported from the islands of Madura (NE Java) and Sulawesi, some with detailed taxonomical descriptions. In addition, only sporadic reports on fossil occurrences exist elsewhere from the IAA, but these lack any detailed taxonomic accounts. In 2019 our research group reported a late Miocene elasmobranch fauna from Brunei (Borneo), which is now the most diverse known shallow water fossil assemblage from the entire IAA. This fauna was described from a single fossiliferous outcrop, called Ambug Hill. However, several new localities have been discovered and studied over the years, as a result the number of fossils increased, and their age range extended. Here we provide an overview of these new sites and their elasmobranch fossils, and describe remains from ten taxa among, of which eight are new to the IAA fossil record (Chiloscyllium sp., cf. Hemitriakis sp., Paragaleus sp., Carcharhinus borneensis, C. limbatus, Lamiopsis sp., Scoliodon sp., Rhinobatos sp.). The overall north Bornean elasmo assemblage is then compared with other IAA occurrences. An extended fauna list is given based on literature review and preliminary investigation of the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre collection in Leiden (The Netherlands) where most of the fossil fishes of the early explorations are stored. These assemblages are also briefly summarized, and attention is drawn to some of the unique and thus far unreported taxa (e.g., Dalatias licha).

The present study investigated whether different grafting combinations (hypobiont-epibiont) of Vitis spp. influence root infection with phylloxera and thus vine biomass on potted 2-year-old plants. The study was conducted simultaneously at two locations in Slovenia (VEM) and Hungary (GF). The dormant canes of ‘Johanniter’ (JOH), ‘Riesling’ (RR) and Vitis berlandieri × Vitis riparia ‘Teleki 5C’ (5C) were hetero-grafted (each with each) and autografted (each with itself), so that nine plant combinations were used for the trial. The roots of the experimental plants at different ages (1–2 years) were infested with two phylloxera populations originating from two locations (VEM, GF). Plant growth was quantified 120 days after inoculation by measuring root and shoot biomass, while the extent of phylloxera infestation was assessed by the number of feeding sites (nodosities, tuberosities) and the number of larval stages of phylloxera. In most cases, the genotype of the hypobiont influenced the degree of phylloxera infestation on all roots of the two-year-old root system. At both locations, the highest number of nodosities and the highest increase in phylloxera population was observed on the autografted Teleki 5C (5C/5C). The phylloxera biotype derived from Vitis vinifera roots (GF) induced tuberosities, especially on roots of combinations where JOH and RR were used as hypobionts. No correlation was found between biomass and phylloxera infestation. The hypobiont genotype had no effect on cane biomass at the end of the growth cycle at either experimental site.

We present here new quantitative analyses of planktic and benthic foraminifera to assess the impact of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO, ~40 Ma) on these biotic groups studied along a shallow-water succession rich in larger benthic foraminifera (Sealza, Liguria, NW Italy). The MECO is one of the major Eocene global warming events, characterized by ~4–6°C warming, shifts in the global carbon cycle, and rise in atmospheric pCO2. The Sealza succession is interpreted as the product of a drowning ramp influenced by tectonic activity and provides an exceptional chance to compare biotic variations in shallow-water assemblages with deep-water communities across the MECO. In the section, the MECO interval is tentatively constrained by stable isotope oxygen data and calcareous plankton biostratigraphy. The marked decline in abundance of the epifaunal benthic Cibicidoides across the lower-middle part of the MECO suggests a decrease in oxygenation at the seafloor. Further evidence of oxygen depletion is the increase in organic matter content (TOC) of the sediment and the presence of infaunal genera Uvigerina and Bolivina. The planktic foraminiferal assemblages record the MECO warming in the upper water column as the mixed-layer warm index genera Acarinina and Morozovelloides markedly increase in abundance. In the post-MECO interval, here poorly exposed, cooler conditions are indicated by the dominance of the cold-water index genus Subbotina. Remarkably, Acarinina decline in abundance in the upper MECO interval and never recover. The MECO perturbance permanently impacted the benthic and planktic communities at Sealza that exceeded the tipping point to move to a new regime, thus proving the fauna to be not resilient, but also not recording any extinctions.

The marine benthic diversity of the Palawan/North Borneo ecoregion is poorly known, despite its implied unique high species richness within the Coral Triangle. The present study investigated the diversity and distribution of benthic foraminifera on the Brunei shelf. The objectives were to determine the species composition of sediment samples collected from 11 sites, extending ~70 km from the Brunei coastline and along a depth gradient of 10–200 m. We retrieved a total of 99 species, belonging to 31 families and 56 genera, out of which 52 species represented new records for Brunei and probably the ecoregion. Using presence/absence data, analyses were also performed to compare species diversity patterns (species richness, occupancy, taxonomic distinctness) and species assemblage similarity across the sites. For further insight into the relationship between distribution and depth-associated environmental conditions, we undertook stable isotope analyses of selected species of Rotaliida, Miliolida, and Lagenida. Oxygen isotope values were positively correlated with depth and species distribution, confirming cooler temperatures at greater depth. The carbon isotope data revealed species differences relating to habitat and food source specificity and a biomineralization effect. Close to one-third of the species were recorded from single sites, and species richness and taxonomic distinctness increased with depth and were greatest at the second deepest site (144 m). Together, these findings suggest data underrepresentation of diversity, habitat disturbance in shallower water, and species specialization (adaptation) in deeper water. Importantly, assemblage similarity suggests the occurrence of at least three marine biotopes on the Brunei shelf (10–40 m, 40–150 m, and >150 m). This study contributes significantly to our understanding of the local and regional patterns of foraminiferal diversity and distribution.

Indoor farming in the global vertical farming market has been growing by more than 8% annually since 2010 and 31.6% growth is expected by 2025. It promises to be a possible future form of agricultural practices producing local, fresh, high quality, lower-carbon food year-round. Indoor farming experiment was designed to using LED and neon lights and water source of a dehumidifier. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. capitata) was grown for 12 weeks in a naturally available forest surface soil, including its native biodiversity and biological activity. Two different levels of water supply were used, full- at 66%- and half- at 33% of the total water-holding capacity (WHC100%) of soil. Some of the physical-chemical, and soil-biological parameters, such as dehydrogenase- (DHA) and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) enzyme activities and the most probable number (MPN) of fungi and bacteria were assessed prior to and after lettuce cultivation. Although the abundance of countable microorganisms decreased appreciably by the end of the lettuce experiment, the growth of plants could result in an enhanced soil-biological enzyme activity of the used natural soil. DHA increased 4.2-fold at drought condition, and 2-fold at the optimal water supply. One can conclude that used natural forest soil with great fertility and biodiversity potential can provide a good facility for the indoor lettuce cultivation. Reduction of water supply can be further optimized with the required biomass-production of lettuce.

The Malay Archipelago is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, but it suffers high extinction risks due to severe anthropogenic pressures. Paleobotanical knowledge provides baselines for the conservation of living analogs and improved understanding of vegetation, biogeography, and paleoenvironments through time. The Malesian bioregion is well studied palynologically, but there have been very few investigations of Cenozoic paleobotany (plant macrofossils) in a century or more. We report the first paleobotanical survey of Brunei Darussalam, a sultanate on the north coast of Borneo that still preserves the majority of its extraordinarily diverse, old-growth tropical rainforests. We discovered abundant compression floras dominated by angiosperm leaves at two sites of probable Pliocene age: Berakas Beach, in the Liang Formation, and Kampong Lugu, in an undescribed stratigraphic unit. Both sites also yielded rich palynofloral assemblages from the macrofossil-bearing beds, indicating lowland fern-dominated swamp (Berakas Beach) and mangrove swamp (Kampong Lugu) depositional environments. Fern spores from at least nine families dominate both palynological assemblages, along with abundant fungal and freshwater algal remains, rare marine microplankton, at least four mangrove genera, and a diverse rainforest tree and liana contribution (at least 19 families) with scarce pollen of Dipterocarpaceae, today’s dominant regional life form. Compressed leaves and rare reproductive material represent influx to the depocenters from the adjacent coastal rainforests. Although only about 40% of specimens preserve informative details, we can distinguish 23 leaf and two reproductive morphotypes among the two sites. Dipterocarps are by far the most abundant group in both compression assemblages, providing rare, localized evidence for dipterocarp-dominated lowland rainforests in the Malay Archipelago before the Pleistocene. The dipterocarp fossils include winged Shorea fruits, at least two species of plicate Dipterocarpus leaves, and very common Dryobalanops leaves. We attribute additional leaf taxa to Rhamnaceae (Ziziphus), Melastomataceae, and Araceae (Rhaphidophora), all rare or new fossil records for the region. The dipterocarp leaf dominance contrasts sharply with the family’s

Meghallgatás az Egyesült Államok Szenátusa külügyi kapcsolatokért felelős bizottságának európai ügyekért felelős albizottsága előtt 2012. augusztus 1.

Aláírták a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem Közgazdaságtudományi Kara és a német Bambergi Egyetem közötti együttműködést. Az erről szóló egyezményt ünnepélyes keretek között 2010. március 12-én Budapesten írták alá, egyetemünk nevében Mészáros Tamás rektor, a bajorországi intézmény részéről pedig Godehard Ruppert rektor. A megállapodás meghatározza a kapcsolatok kereteit mind az oktatás mind a tudományos kutatás területén, megalapozza az oktatók és diákok folyamatos cseréjét, s nem utolsó sorban lehetőséget teremt a hallgatók számára a kettős diploma megszerzésére. Az egyezmény előkészítésében és megkötésében egyaránt kiemelkedő szerepet vállalt Prof. Heinz Dieter Wenzel, a bambergi egyetem Közgazdaságtudomány Tanszékének vezetője, és a kettős diplomát adó közös képzés koordinátora. Ezért kértük fel arra, hogy válaszoljon kérdéseinkre.

Vineyard floor management has been widely discussed for many decades, but it is still unclear how its intensity levels change the fungal community structure of grape rhizosphere. Our objective was to examine the density and rate of the habitats of fungi in three vineyards that differ only in the methods of tillage procedure applied, namely intensive, extensive and none (abandoned). The hypothesis was that in the cases of lower intensity or no soil tillage, there would be a higher level of fungal diversity with a lower ratio of pathogen strains in grape rhizosphere. In the course of this research, it has been determined that the level of fungal colonization of roots is the highest in the extensively managed vineyard, unrelated to season (spring and summer). Four of the five fungal genera detectable in all of the three sampled vineyards are registered as opportunist grape pathogens, however the fifth one, Trichoderma, is commonly used in biological plant protection. The diversity of fungal communities in grape rhizosphere, in accordance with the expectations, was the lowest in the intensively cultivated and highest in the abandoned vineyard, and it was not affected by seasons. The proportion of opportunist plant pathogen groups was higher in the intensive variant than in the other two (less-intensive variants); therefore, it is possible to conclude that soil under similar conditions but disturbed by intensive tillage methods tends to exhibit lower suppressivity.

The lower Miocene Pirabas Formation in the North of Brazil was deposited under influence of the proto-Amazon River and is characterized by large changes in the ecological niches from the early Miocene onwards. To evaluate these ecological changes, the elasmobranch fauna of the fully marine, carbonate-rich beds was investigated. A diverse fauna with 24 taxa of sharks and rays was identified with the dominant groups being carcharhiniforms and myliobatiforms. This faunal composition is similar to other early Miocene assemblages from the proto-Carribbean bioprovince. However, the Pirabas Formation has unique features compared to the other localities; being the only Neogene fossil fish assemblage described from the Atlantic coast of Tropical Americas. Phosphate oxygen isotope composition of elasmobranch teeth served as proxies for paleotemperatures and paleoecology. The data are compatible with a predominantly tropical marine setting with recognized inshore and offshore habitats with some probable depth preferences (e.g., Aetomylaeus groups). Paleohabitat of taxa particularly found in the Neogene of the Americas (†Carcharhinus ackermannii, †Aetomylaeus cubensis) are estimated to have been principally coastal and shallow waters. Larger variation among the few analyzed modern selachians reflects a larger range for the isotopic composition of recent seawater compared to the early Miocene. This probably links to an increased influence of the Amazon River in the coastal regions during the Holocene.

The past fifty years important advances have been made in the field of grapevine virus research, including characterization of pathogens and control measurements. Still the occurrence of Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Tomato black ring virus (TBRV), Grapevine chrome mosaic virus (GCMV), Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), Grapevine Bulgarian latent virus (GBLV), Grapevine fleck virus (GFkV), Grapevine leafroll- associated viruses (GLRaV1-4), Grapevine virus A (GVA), Grapevine virus B (GVB) and Grapevine rupestris stem pitting- associated virus (GRSPaV) have been reported in Hungary and characterized by conventional methods as woody indexing, herbaceous indexing and serological methods. Among grapevine viruses the Grapevine line pattern virus (GLPV) seems to be uncial; because it was reported only in Hungary. Causal agents of several grapevine diseases, like enation, vein necrosis and vein mosaic remained undiscovered. These virus-like diseases occurred only sporadically, without economic importance.

Aims: The aim of this work was to determine the SSR profile of 96 Vitis accessions (mainly rootstocks) at 19 loci to find genetic relatedness between them. Methods and results: The molecular markers used in the last 30 years are not or less affected by the environment, making them a valuable tool for the determination of genetic distances. Based on our former experiences, an SSR analysis was carried out on 96 grape accretions, mainly rootstocks. DNA was extracted from young leaves and analyses were carried out at 19 microsatellite loci. The loci were selected to cover all of the linkage groups to get a more accurate genotyping of each grape rootstock. Results of the SSR analysis and the resulting dendrogram showing genetic relatedness are presented. Conclusions: Based on the results, it can be established, that most of the selected loci showed appropriate polymorphism for the assessment of genetic relatedness. The rootstocks derived from Teleki’s seedlings showed high similarity. A low genetic distance was also detected between the accessions originated from the cross between Börner and Georgikon 28. Finally, the Vitis sylvestris accessions showed close relatedness with the Vitis vinifera L. varieties. Significance and impact of the study: Our results indicate a high level of polymorphism between grape rootstock accessions. Strong differences were detected between the so-called Teleki 5C (T5C) and Teleki-Kober 5BB (T5KBB) “clones”, suggesting that they are not real clones but different genotypes with highly similar morphological features.

A brief summary is given here about some of the geochemical methodologies that are often used to obtain information from fossils and sediments about the past environment. Such methods are frequently applied in our project in which the formation of Paleogene phosphate sequences in North Africa is investigated. These layers were deposited in shallow marine seas during a period of extreme warm climate with a high CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Some of the characteristics of this greenhouse interval are similar to the modern anthropogenic situation hence it is intensively investigated from several aspects by many scientists. Here the geochemical compositions of fossils deposited during this time are discussed, focusing on how the data are obtained and how they could be evaluated in terms of palaeo-environmental conditions.