Publications

[type i hypersensitivity to gramineae pollen (by species) in allergic rhinitis patients].	a total of 184 costa rican allergic rhinitis patients with at least one positive skin prick test in a previous study were tested for reaction to poaceae tribes and species compared with 100 non atopic subjects. skin prick tests were applied for the most abundant species present in costa rica. highest positivity rates among the allergic rhinitis patients were obtained with anthoxatum odoratum (83.2%) (tribe aveneae), panicum maximum (82.1%) (paniceae), panicum mole (78.3%) (paniceae) and holcus l ...	1994	7708971
characterization of dac g 4, a major basic allergen from dactylis glomerata pollen.	monoclonal antibodies were produced against dac g 4, a purified major basic allergen from dactylis glomerata pollen. their ability to be used for immunopurification of dac g 4 was studied on a biacore apparatus (pharmacia). the allergen was purified by affinity chromatography with one monoclonal antibody. its precise molecular mass, 59,185 +/- 30 d, was determined by mass spectrometry. its isoelectric point is 10.4. sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting show ...	1996	8977507
molecular and immunological characterization of group v allergen isoforms from velvet grass pollen (holcus lanatus).	group v grass pollen allergens belong to the major grass pollen allergens causing reactions of type i allergy. cdnas coding for two isoforms of the group v allergen of velvet grass pollen (holcus lanatus), a widespread grass species, were isolated from a cdna library by hybridization with a 5'-terminal reverse-transcribed pcr-derived cdna probe. amino acid sequences of the two isoforms, designated rhol l 5.01 and rhol l 5.02, revealed high similarity between them (78% identity) and to group v al ...	1998	9523689
detection and quantification of group 4 allergens in grass pollen extracts using monoclonal antibodies.	grass pollen extracts are complex mixtures consisting of different major allergenic and non-allergenic components. phl p 4 is an important allergen, because more than 75% of grass pollen allergic patients produce specific ige antibodies against group 4 allergens.	1998	9720813
amino acids as a nitrogen source in temperate upland grasslands: the use of dual labelled ((13)c, (15)n) glycine to test for direct uptake by dominant grasses.	it is becoming increasingly apparent that soil amino acids are a principal source of nitrogen (n) for certain plants, and especially those of n-limited environments. this study of temperate upland grasslands used glycine-2-(13)c-(15)n and ((15)nh4)(2)so(4) labelling techniques to test the hypothesis that plant species which dominate 'unimproved' semi-natural grasslands (festuca-agrostis-galium) are able to utilise amino acid n for growth, whereas those plants which dominate 'improved' grasslands ...	2000	10920354
freezing of barley studied by infrared video thermography.	freezing of barley (hordeum vulgare), hordeum murinum, and holcus lanatus was studied using infrared video thermography. in the field, ice could enter h. lanatus leaves through hydathodes. in laboratory tests with barley, initially 0.4% of the leaf water froze, spreading in alternate strips of high and low freezing intensity longitudinally at 1 to 4 cm s(-1), and simultaneously spreading laterally at 0.3 cm s(-1). similar results were obtained in the field with h. lanatus. a distinct second, mor ...	2001	11154332
discontinuous ige-binding epitopes contain multiple continuous epitope regions: results of an epitope mapping on recombinant hol l 5, a major allergen from velvet grass pollen.	the knowledge of ige-binding epitopes on allergen molecules is important for better understanding allergen-antibody interactions and, thus, for developing new strategies for immunotherapy. our purpose was to more precisely define the number and structure of ige-binding epitopes of a paradigmatic major grass pollen allergen. we performed an ige-binding epitope mapping of rhol l 5, a group v pollen allergen of velvet grass (holcus lanatus), with overlapping fragments (length between 15 and 186 ami ...	2001	11251635
why plants grow poorly on very acid soils: are ecologists missing the obvious?	factors associated with soil acidity are considered to be limiting for plants in many parts of the world. this work was undertaken to investigate the role of the toxicity of hydrogen (h(+)) which seems to have been underconsidered by ecologists as an explanation of the reduced plant growth observed in very acid soils. racial differences are reported in plant growth response to increasing acidity in the grass holcus lanatus l. (yorkshire-fog) and the tree betula pendula roth (silver birch). soils ...	2001	11413215
the role of phytochelatins in constitutive and adaptive heavy metal tolerances in hyperaccumulator and non-hyperaccumulator metallophytes.	using the gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase inhibitor, l-buthionine-[s,r]-sulphoximine (bso), the role for phytochelatins (pcs) was evaluated in cu, cd, zn, as, ni, and co tolerance in non-metallicolous and metallicolous, hypertolerant populations of silene vulgaris (moench) garcke, thlaspi caerulescens j.&c. presl., holcus lanatus l., and agrostis castellana boiss. et reuter. based on plant-internal pc-thiol to metal molar ratios, the metals' tendency to induce pc accumulation decreased in the ...	2002	12432030
effect of smoke, charred wood, and nitrogenous compounds on seed germination of ten species from woodland in central-western spain.	the effect of smoke, charred wood, and nitrogenous compounds on germination was tested on 10 species of the cistaceae, poaceae, fabaceae, and asteraceae, from fire-prone, shrubby woodlands in central-western spain. dry seeds were exposed to smoke, by watering with distilled water-charred wood suspensions, or nano2, kno3, nh4cl, and nh4no3. smoke enhanced germination in 9 of 10 of the species. in species of poaceae, germination was stimulated by 20 min of smoke exposure. in asteraceae and fabacea ...	2003	12647865
stimulation of soil nitrification and denitrification by grazing in grasslands: do changes in plant species composition matter?	stimulation of nitrification and denitrification by long term (from years to decades) grazing has commonly been reported in different grassland ecosystems. however, grazing generally induces important changes in plant species composition, and whether changes in nitrification and denitrification are primarily due to changes in vegetation composition has never been tested. we compared soil nitrification- and denitrification-enzyme activities (nea and dea, respectively) between semi-natural grassla ...	2003	12955489
agricultural effects on yield and nutritive value of grassland under a limited fertilisation rate on sandy soils in flanders.	from 1999 to 2002, we studied the yield production and quality parameters of grassland installed on sandy soils (1) under normal management (nm), (2) under management with respect to meadow birds (mbm) -first mowing date 15 june or later- and (3) under botanical management (bm) -first mowing date 1 july or later. the experiments were conducted at two locations, aalter and geel. the biomass production under mbm and bm decreased by resp. 19% and 46% as compared to the nm. the nitrogen content in t ...	2003	14696237
determination of acaulospora longula and glomus subgroup aa in plant roots from grassland using new primers against the large subunit ribosomal dna.	molecular techniques have become increasingly important for the identification of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (amf). in this work acaulospora longula and glomus mosseae have been detected in plant roots from pastures using specific nucleotide primers for the two species. part of the 5' end of the large subunit of the ribosomal rna gene was amplified by nested pcr and sequenced. the distribution of the fungi within three different plant species, plantago lanceolata, trifolium repens, and holcus ...	2004	15035508
does interspecific competition alter effects of early season ozone exposure on plants from wet grasslands? results of a three-year experiment in open-top chambers.	chronic effects of ozone on wet grassland species early in the growing season might be altered by interspecific competition. individual plants of holcus lanatus, lychnis flos-cuculi, molinia caerulea and plantago lanceolata were grown in monocultures and in mixed cultures with agrostis capillaris. mesocosms were exposed to charcoal-filtered air plus 25 nl l(-1) ozone (cf+25), non-filtered air (nf), non-filtered air plus 25 nl l(-1) ozone (nf+25) and non-filtered air plus 50 nl l(-1) ozone (nf+50 ...	2004	15234087
impact of lime, nitrogen and plant species on bacterial community structure in grassland microcosms.	a microcosm-based approach was used to study impacts of plant and chemical factors on the bacterial community structure of an upland acidic grassland soil. seven perennial plant species typical of both natural, unimproved (nardus stricta, agrostis capillaris, festuca ovina and f. rubra) and fertilized, improved (holcus lanatus, lolium perenne and trifolium repens) grasslands were either left unamended or treated with lime, nitrogen, or lime plus nitrogen in a 75-day glasshouse experiment. lime a ...	2004	15344932
a trade-off between nitrogen uptake and use increases responsiveness to elevated co2 in infrequently cut mixed c3 grasses.	the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the responsiveness of mixed c3 grass species to elevated co2 is related more to nitrogen uptake or to n-use efficiency. nitrogen uptake and whole-plant n-use efficiency were investigated with two binary mixtures: lolium perenne was mixed either with festuca arundinacea or with holcus lanatus. the swards were grown on sand with or without co2 doubling, and subjected to two cutting frequencies. a c20 alcohol was used as a marker to determine species pr ...	2005	15760365
host specialization of the mycoparasite eudarluca caricis and its evolutionary relationship to ampelomyces.	eudarluca caricis is assumed to be a nonspecific mycoparasite of rust fungi. the evidence for its mycoparasitism has rested on constant association with uredinia. in this study, stable isotopes provided additional evidence of mycoparasitism, as e. caricis was enriched with 15n relative to its associated rust fungus, as were parasites and mycoparasites generally with respect to their hosts. host specificity was directly tested in inoculations in the greenhouse. isolates of e. caricis from puccini ...	2005	15912929
enhanced arsenate reduction by a cdc25-like tyrosine phosphatase explains increased phytochelatin accumulation in arsenate-tolerant holcus lanatus.	decreased arsenate [as(v)] uptake is the major mechanism of naturally selected as(v) hypertolerance in plants. however, as(v)-hypertolerant ecotypes also show enhanced rates of phytochelatin (pc) accumulation, suggesting that improved sequestration might additionally contribute to the hypertolerance phenotype. here, we show that enhanced pc-based sequestration in as(v)-hypertolerant holcus lanatus is not due to an enhanced capacity for pc synthesis as such, but to increased as(v) reductase activ ...	2006	16507083
effects of management regime and plant species on the enzyme activity and genetic structure of n-fixing, denitrifying and nitrifying bacterial communities in grassland soils.	management by combined grazing and mowing events is commonly used in grasslands, which influences the activity and composition of soil bacterial communities. whether observed effects are mediated by management-induced disturbances, or indirectly by changes in the identity of major plant species, is still unknown. to address this issue, we quantified substrate-induced respiration (sir), and the nitrification, denitrification and free-living n(2)-fixation enzyme activities below grass tufts of thr ...	2006	16689721
influence of a large herbivore reintroduction on plant invasions and community composition in a california grassland.	despite many successful reintroductions of large mammalian herbivores throughout the world, remarkably little attention has focused on how these actions affect native and exotic vegetation at reintroduction sites. one such herbivore is tule elk (cervus elaphus nannodes), which was on the brink of extinction in the mid 1800s, but now has numerous stable populations due to intensive reintroduction efforts. here, we summarize results from a 5-year exclosure experiment that explored the effects of t ...	2007	17391201
long-term effects of aided phytostabilisation of trace elements on microbial biomass and activity, enzyme activities, and composition of microbial community in the jales contaminated mine spoils.	we studied the effectiveness of remediation on microbial endpoints, namely microbial biomass and activity, microbial and plant species richness, of an as-contaminated mine spoil, amended with compost (c) alone and in combination with beringite (b) or zerovalent iron grit (z), to increase organic matter content and reduce trace elements mobility, and to allow holcus lanatus and pinus pinaster growth. untreated spoil showed the lowest microbial biomass and activity and hydrolase activities, and h. ...	2008	17692442
unraveling the effects of management regime and plant species on soil organic carbon and microbial phospholipid fatty acid profiles in grassland soils.	in a field experiment we have examined the effect of long-term grassland management regimes (viz., intensive versus extensive) and dominant plant species (viz., arrhenatherum elatius, holcus lanatus and dactylis glomerata) on soil organic carbon (soc) build up, soil microbial communities using biomarker phospholipid fatty acids (plfa), and the relationship between soc and plfas of major groups of microorganisms (viz., bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes). the results have revealed that changes in ...	2008	17826981
[seed dispersal efficiency of forest herbaceous plant species by the ant myrmica ruginodis].	we compared the ability of 33 plant species collected in forest to have their seeds dispersed by the wood red ant myrmica ruginodis. the elaiosome-bearing seeds (species chelidonium majus, colchicum autumnale, luzula forsteri, viola reichenbachiana, luzula multiflora, melica uniflora) and the small and light caryopses of the grasses (holcus mollis, agrostis capillaris, deschampsia flexuosa, poa trivialis, holcus lanatus) are the most efficiently collected by ants. the seed quantity removed by an ...	2008	18355754
identification of seed gall nematodes of agronomic and regulatory concern with pcr-rflp of its1.	a molecular analysis of eight described species of seed gall nematode, along with six undescribed isolates from different hosts, has revealed a strong association between nucleotide sequence polymorphism and host status. each anguinid nematode associated with a unique host produced a unique pcr-rflp pattern for the its1 region. anguina species that had been synonymized in the past, anguina agrostis, a. funesta, and a. wevelli (afrina wevelli), were readily discriminated. two undescribed species ...	2001	19265880
immobilising of cd, pb, and zn contaminated arable soils close to a former pb/zn smelter: a field study in austria over 5 years.	numerous smelter sites are surrounded by rural land. the entrance of non-essential metals such as lead or cadmium into the food chain is very likely as well as phytotoxicity effects of zinc. finding a realistic solution for these large-scale contaminations was one aim of this study. previous results from pot experiments showed a high potential for the reduction of metals entering the food chain via crops grown on smelter-contaminated soils from arnoldstein, austria, by the use of amendments for ...	2009	19283493
multiple host-plant use may arise from gender-specific fitness effects.	ovipositing females are predicted to select host-plants that will maximise offspring survival and fitness. yet hosts often differ in the component of larval fitness affected so host-selection often involves a trade-off between short development times and large size and high fecundity of offspring. if host-species can directly affect development rates and body size, and if there are gender differences in resource allocation during development, there can be different sex-specific selection pressur ...	2006	19537967
plants growing on contaminated and brownfield sites appropriate for use in organisation for economic co-operation and development terrestrial plant growth test.	the organisation for economic co-operation and development (oecd) terrestrial plant test is often used for the ecological risk assessment of contaminated land. however, its origins in plant protection product testing mean that the species recommended in the oecd guidelines are unlikely to occur on contaminated land. six alternative species were tested on contaminated soils from a former zn smelter and a metal fragmentizer with elevated concentrations of cd, cu, pb, and zn. the response of the al ...	2011	20853450
the root herbivore history of the soil affects the productivity of a grassland plant community and determines plant response to new root herbivore attack.	insect root herbivores can alter plant community structure by affecting the competitive ability of single plants. however, their effects can be modified by the soil environment. root herbivory itself may induce changes in the soil biota community, and it has recently been shown that these changes can affect plant growth in a subsequent season or plant generation. however, so far it is not known whether these root herbivore history effects (i) are detectable at the plant community level and/or (i ...	2013	23441201
identity of schizaphis species (hemiptera: aphididae) in the united kingdom: are they a threat to crops?	the greenbug, schizaphis graminum (rondani), is a major pest of cereals in some parts of the world and is of particular concern because it can be resistant to some insecticides and overcome the resistance of crops. in the uk, it has never been found on crops, but two rather little-known and closely-related species (schizaphis holci and schizaphis agrostis) are associated with the wild grasses, holcus lanatus and agrostis stolonifera. since 1987, winged (alate) aphids morphologically resembling t ...	2013	23458881
the acceptability of meadow plants to the slug deroceras reticulatum and implications for grassland restoration.	despite the selective pressure slugs may exert on seedling recruitment there is a lack of information in this context within grassland restoration studies. selective grazing is influenced by interspecific differences in acceptability. as part of a larger study of how slug-seedling interactions may influence upland hay meadow restoration, an assessment of relative acceptability is made for seedlings of meadow plants to the slug, deroceras reticulatum.	2013	23632124
adaptation to acidic soil is achieved by increased numbers of cis-acting elements regulating almt1 expression in holcus lanatus.	yorkshire fog (holcus lanatus), which belongs to the poaceae family and is a close relative of the agronomic crop oat (avena sativa), is a widely adaptable grass species that is able to grow on highly acidic soils with high levels of al, but the mechanism underlying the high al tolerance is unknown. here, we characterized two accessions of h. lanatus collected from an acid plot (soil ph 3.6, hl-a) and a neutral plot (ph 7.1, hl-n) in terms of al tolerance, organic acid anion secretion and relate ...	2013	23773148
transgenerational soil-mediated differences between plants experienced or naïve to a grass invasion.	invasive species may undergo rapid change as they invade. native species persisting in invaded areas may also experience rapid change over this short timescale relative to native populations in uninvaded areas. we investigated the response of the native achillea millefolium to soil from holcus lanatus-invaded and uninvaded areas, and we sought to determine whether differential responses between a. millefolium from invaded (invader experienced) and uninvaded (invader naïve) areas were mediated by ...	2013	24198931
differential effects of light quality, provided by different grass neighbours, on the growth and morphology of trifolium repens l. (white clover).	the ability to respond in a specific manner to different light conditions imposed by different species of grass is a major factor contributing to white clover persistence in pastures. gaps in a pasture provide light with a higher red:far-red ratio (r:fr) and higher photosynthetic photon flux density (ppfd) than the light filtered through neighbours. white clover (trifolium repens l.) was grown under different light conditions in ways that tried to simulate as closely as possible some of the ligh ...	2000	24595840
turf wars: experimental tests for alternative stable states in a two-phase coastal ecosystem.	alternative stable states have long been thought to exist in natural communities, but direct evidence for their presence and for the environmental switches that cause them has been scarce. using a combination of greenhouse and field experiments, we investigated the environmental drivers associated with two distinctive herbaceous communities in coastal ecosystems in new zealand. in a mosaic unrelated to micro-topography, a community dominated largely by native turf species (notably leptinella dio ...	2014	24669734
influence of plant root exudates on the mobility of fuel volatile compounds in contaminated soils.	vegetation and its associated microorganisms play an important role in the behaviour of soil contaminants. one of the most important elements is root exudation, since it can affect the mobility, and therefore, the bioavailability of soil contaminants. in this study, we evaluated the influence of root exudates on the mobility of fuel derived compounds in contaminated soils. samples of humic acid, montmorillonite, and an a horizon from an alumi-umbric cambisol were contaminated with volatile conta ...	2014	24933887
genetic evidence for reproductive isolation among sympatric epichloë endophytes as inferred from newly developed microsatellite markers.	reproductive isolation is central to the maintenance of species, and especially in sympatry, effective barriers to prevent interspecific crosses are expected. host specificity is thought to constitute an effective mechanism for the formation of barriers in different genera of fungi, but evidence for endophytes is so far lacking. sexual epichloë species (ascomycota, clavicipitaceae) represent an ideal study system to investigate the mechanisms underlying speciation as mediated by host specificity ...	2015	25542204
plants increase arsenic in solution but decrease the non-specifically bound fraction in the rhizosphere of an alkaline, naturally rich soil.	we aimed at determining the major physical-chemical processes that drive arsenic (as) dynamic in the rhizosphere of four species (holcus lanatus, dittrichia viscosa, lotus corniculatus, plantago lanceolata) tested for phytostabilization. experiments were performed with an alkaline soil naturally rich in as. composition of the soil solution of planted and unplanted pots was monitored every 15 days for 90 days, with a focus on the evolution of as concentrations in solution and in the non-specifica ...	2016	26707185
native herbivores and environmental heterogeneity as mediators of an exotic grass invasion.	given that many exotic plant species throughout the world are having large ecological and economic effects, it is vital to understand the forces that mediate their success in novel landscapes. both native herbivores and recipient ecosystems can have substantial effects on the performance of exotic plant species, and may interact with each other or vary in their effects over time. unfortunately, few studies have evaluated the importance of these kinds of context-dependent effects. here, we use a ...	2017	28261465
long-term responsiveness to free air co2 enrichment of functional types, species and genotypes of plants from fertile permanent grassland.	to test inter- and intraspecific variability in the responsiveness to elevated co2, 9-14 different genotypes of each of 12 perennial species from fertile permanent grassland were grown in lolium perenne swards under ambient (35 pa) and elevated (60 pa) atmospheric partial pressure of co2 (pco2) for 3 years in a free air carbon dioxide enrichment (face) experiment. the plant species were grouped according to their functional types: grasses (l. perenne, l. multiflorum, arrhenatherum elatius, dacty ...	1997	28307292
the effect of mollusc grazing on seedling recruitment in artificially created grassland gaps.	two experiments conducted in spring and autumn 1992 examined the effect of mollusc grazing on seedling regeneration from natural grassland seedbanks by creating artificial gaps in plots in a grassland sward. molluscs were excluded from half the gaps by application of molluscicide. mollusc grazing in both the spring and autumn experiment significantly reduced seedling recruitment, though the intensity of grazing was greatest in autumn. recruitment of five species was markedly influenced by mollus ...	1996	28307649
within-population variation in localized and integrated responses of trifolium repens to biotically patchy environments.	genets of trifolium repens (white clover) were collected from three patches of old permanent pasture dominated by agrostis capillaris, holcus lanatus or lolium perenne. plants derived from the genets were grown with plants of one grass species present on one side of each t. repens, and a different grass species on the other side, in all combinations of two of the three grasses. different modules (a node with its associated internode, leaf, and axillary bud) on the same clover plant responded ind ...	1991	28313200