Editorial

Systemic Practice and Action Research -     

Hypertensive eye lesions in the rat. Effect of carotid ligation

Résumé 1^o Un syndrome d'hypertension maligne a été reproduit chez le rat par l'administration d'acétate de désoxycorticostérone (DCA). Ce traitement produisit de l'artériolonécrose des vaisseaux de l'iris et du corps ciliaire, des hémorrhagies dans la chambre antérieure de l'il ainsi que de l'dème et des hémorrhagies cérébraux. 2^o Ces lésions, oculaires et cérébrales, furent complètement prévenues par une ligature bilatérale de l'artère carotide primitive, probablement par suite d'une diminution de pression sanguine dans la région de la tête. Après une ligature unilatérale, l'il homolatéral restait normal tandis que les lésions apparaissaient dans l'autre il; de même, l'hémisphère cérébral homolatéral était normal alors que l'hémisphère contralatéral montrait un dème marqué et de nombreuses hémorrhagies. 3^o Le rôle pathogénique de l'hypertensionper se est discuté brièvement.     

Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming

As the Earth warms, many species are likely to disappear, often because of changing disease dynamics. Here we show that a recent mass extinction associated with pathogen outbreaks is tied to global warming. Seventeen years ago, in the mountains of Costa Rica, the Monteverde harlequin frog (Atelopus sp.) vanished along with the golden toad (Bufo periglenes). An estimated 67% of the 110 or so species of Atelopus, which are endemic to the American tropics, have met the same fate, and a pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) is implicated. Analysing the timing of losses in relation to changes in sea surface and air temperatures, we conclude with 'very high confidence' (> 99%, following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC) that large-scale warming is a key factor in the disappearances. We propose that temperatures at many highland localities are shifting towards the growth optimum of Batrachochytrium, thus encouraging outbreaks. With climate change promoting infectious disease and eroding biodiversity, the urgency of reducing greenhouse-gas concentrations is now undeniable.     

Parasitic plants indirectly regulate below-ground properties in grassland ecosystems

Parasitic plants are one of the most ubiquitous groups of generalist parasites in both natural and managed ecosystems, with over 3,000 known species worldwide. Although much is known about how parasitic plants influence host performance, their role as drivers of community- and ecosystem-level properties remains largely unexplored. Parasitic plants have the potential to influence directly the productivity and structure of plant communities because they cause harm to particular host plants, indirectly increasing the competitive status of non-host species. Such parasite-driven above-ground effects might also have important indirect consequences through altering the quantity and quality of resources that enter soil, thereby affecting the activity of decomposer organisms. Here we show in model grassland communities that the parasitic plant Rhinanthus minor, which occurs widely throughout Europe and North America, has strong direct effects on above-ground community properties, increasing plant diversity and reducing productivity. We also show that these direct effects of R. minor on the plant community have marked indirect effects on below-ground properties, ultimately increasing rates of nitrogen cycling. Our study provides evidence that parasitic plants act as a major driver of both above-ground and below-ground properties of grassland ecosystems.