Bacterial endospores are highly resistant structures that allow survival for long periods of time in adverse environments. The spore-forming Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis synthesizes a coat around the endospore during development composed of several assembled polypeptides. The role of these components of the spore coat remains unclear; however, some of them appear to be enzymes poss...

After the beginning of metal processing at the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, further knowledge of ore mining and smelting had spread from the Near East to central Europe. In the copper ore deposits of Schwaz, in the central part of the Alps, the oldest traces of copper mining derive from the early to middle Bronze Ages. Investigation of a middle to late Bronze Age (1410–920 c...

Copper has been reported to be an essential part of the enzyme tyrosinase prepared from various plant and insect sources (l-8). In the case of potato tyrosinase, Kubowitz (1, 2) found that the enzyme could be inhibited by reagents which combine with copper, e.g. diethyldithiocarbamate, salicylaldoxime, and carbon monoxide. He demonstrated that treatment of the enzyme with cyanide followed by di...

Richness and diversity of ant species are related to environmental factors such as vegetation, soil, presence of heavy metals, and insecticides, which allow the use of the assemblage members as terrestrial indicators of environmental conservation status. This study presents the results of ground ants surveyed in Minas do Camaquã in the municipality of Cacapava do Sul (Camaquã Basin), State of R...

In plants, nitric oxide (NO) has multiple roles in defence reactions under abiotic stresses, including heavy metal load. Literature data suggest that there is a causal relationship between NO and iron metabolism but the effects of essential micronutrients/toxic heavy metals on NO production have not been investigated. In this study our aim is to demonstrate the possible role of NO in the plant ...

In laboratory experiments, copper concentrations in plants of Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis (Fucales, Phaeophyta) increased with the concentrations in the culture media and were highest in younger, meristematic thallus parts. After initial accumulation in high-copper medium and subsequent transfer to clean seawater for 5 days, no release of copper could be detected. Iron concentrations in A...

Bacterial spot and canker of stone fruits is a multifaceted disease caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni. The disease has a more significant economic impact on Japanese plums, peach and nectarines. Estimated crop losses can reach over 10,000 €/ha in epidemic years in modern commercial plum orchards. Disease establishment and pattern of the epidemics are strongly influenced by prevailing c...

A pot experiment was conducted at six graded levels of copper (Cu) viz., 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mg kg(-1) to test the response of wheat plants grown in a copper-responsive alluvial soil (entisol) under glass house conditions. The growth attributes like plant height, fresh and dry matter yield, percent dry matter enhanced with increasing Cu levels and was maximum at 1.5 mg kg(-1) Cu while...