Temporal variation of fungal diversity in a mosaic landscape in Germany.

This study aims at characterizing the diversity and temporal changes of species richness and composition of fungi in an ecotone of a forest border and a meadow in the Taunus mountain range in Germany. All macroscopically visible, epigeous fungi and vascular plants were sampled monthly over three years, together with climatic variables like humidity and temperature that influence fungal diversity and composition as shown by previous studies. In this mosaic landscape, a total of 855 fungal species were collected and identified based on morphological features, the majority of which belonged to Ascomycota (51 %) and Basidiomycota (45 %). Records of fungal species and plant species (218) for this area yielded a fungus to plant species ratio of 4:1, with a plant species accumulation curve that reached saturation. The three years of monitoring, however, were not sufficient to reveal the total fungal species richness and estimation factors showed that a fungus to plant species ratio of 6:1 may be reached by further sampling efforts. The effect of climatic conditions on fungal species richness differed depending on the taxonomic and ecological group, with temporal patterns of occurrence of Basidiomycota and mycorrhizal fungi being strongly associated with temperature and humidity, whereas the other fungal groups were only weakly related to abiotic conditions. In conclusion, long-term, monthly surveys over several years yield a higher diversity of macroscopically visible fungi than standard samplings of fungi in autumn. The association of environmental variables with the occurrence of specific fungal guilds may help to improve estimators of fungal richness in temperate regions.

On the pharmacology of bromelain: an update with special regard to animal studies on dose-dependent effects.

Bromelain, a standardized complex of proteases from the pineapple plant, is absorbed unchanged from the intestine of animals at a rate of 40%; in animal experiments it was found to have primarily anti-edema, antiinflammatory, and coagulation-inhibiting effects. These effects are due to an enhancement of the serum fibrinolytic activity and inhibition of the fibrinogen synthesis, as well as a direct degradation of fibrin and fibrinogen. Bromelain lowers kininogen and bradykinin serum and tissue levels and has an influence on prostaglandin synthesis, thus acting antiinflammatory. In in vitro and in animal studies, experimentally induced tumours could be inhibited by bromelain. Although many studies do not give extensive statistical data, the effects of bromelain in animal studies seem to be dose-dependent. Further investigations have to be carried out.