Article
Ecology
Linda L. Long, Frank L. Lake, Jaime L. Stephens, John D. Alexander, C. John Ralph, Jared D. Wolfe
Summary: In this study, the timing of breeding and molting seasons of culturally significant bird species in northern California and southern Oregon were analyzed. The results showed temporal and spatial variations in breeding and molting seasons among different regions and species. By considering the timing of these seasons, it was suggested that spring fires before April 21 and fall fires after October 7 may reduce the negative impacts on these culturally significant birds. This study provides valuable information for fire managers and cultural practitioners to promote stable populations of these bird species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Travis W. King, Carly Vynne, David Miller, Scott Fisher, Scott Fitkin, John Rohrer, Jason Ransom, Daniel H. Thornton
Summary: The influence of biotic interactions on carnivore distribution patterns decreases as spatial grain of analysis increases, with abiotic factors playing a larger role at broader spatial extents. Interspecific interactions among carnivores influence occupancy and detection across spatial scales, but do not show significant differences at finer temporal scales.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Yuhei Nakayama, Jordon Wade, Chongyang Li, Rachel C. Daughtridge, Andrew J. Margenot
Summary: Since the late 1960s, assays of hydrolytic enzyme activities in soils using para- nitrophenol (pNP) substrates have been widely used in soil biochemistry. The accuracy of measured soil enzyme activities can be influenced by assay methodology, and the omission of a control for dissolved organic matter interference is the most significant factor contributing to the mis-estimation of enzyme activity. The effect of omitting controls for pNP sorption and abiotic hydrolysis varies depending on matrix type and substrate concentration. Water as the assay matrix generally leads to lower mis-estimation compared to modified universal buffer (MUB).
Review
Plant Sciences
Daniela Marone, Maria A. Russo, Antonia Mores, Donatella B. M. Ficco, Giovanni Laido, Anna M. Mastrangelo, Grazia M. Borrelli
Summary: The renewed focus on cereal landraces is a response to the reduction of genetic diversity caused by modern agriculture and conventional breeding. These landraces are still cultivated on marginal lands and play an important role in modern plant breeding. On-farm and ex situ conservation in gene bank collections, together with data sharing, greatly benefit cereal improvement.
Review
Microbiology
Mahadevamurthy Murali, Banu Naziya, Mohammad Azam Ansari, Mohammad N. Alomary, Sami AlYahya, Ahmad Almatroudi, M. C. Thriveni, Hittanahallikoppal Gajendramurthy Gowtham, Sudarshana Brijesh Singh, Mohammed Aiyaz, Nataraj Kalegowda, Nanjaiah Lakshmidevi, Kestur Nagaraj Amruthesh
Summary: Rhizosphere-resident fungi, known as plant growth promoting fungi (PGPF), play a vital role in sustainable agriculture by enhancing seed germination, shoot and root growth, chlorophyll production, and fruit yield. They provide essential nutrients to plants and produce defense-related enzymes, compounds, and phytohormones to control the growth of pathogenic microbes, helping crops resist various stresses and improve growth.
Review
Plant Sciences
Mengxi Wu, Trent R. Northen, Yezhang Ding
Summary: Plants produce specialized metabolites that play crucial roles in environmental interactions and stress adaptation. These compounds have significant agricultural, medicinal, and industrial values. Recent advances in genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and computational approaches have made the exploration of plant specialized metabolism more feasible. These advancements hold promise for enhancing plant stress resilience through harnessing the potential of specialized metabolites.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Rebecca N. Weber, Matthew D. Powers, Robert E. Kennedy
Summary: Research shows that the rate of vegetation recovery after a wildfire can be a moderately important predictor of reburn severity, along with other factors such as pre-reburn vegetation cover, fire season PDSI, and initial fire severity. This insight can support post-fire management decisions and wildfire response planning for future reburn events.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Zeynep Aytac, Jie Xu, Suresh Kumar Raman Pillai, Brian D. Eitzer, Tao Xu, Nachiket Vaze, Kee Woei Ng, Jason C. White, Mary B. Chan-Park, Yaguang Luo, Philip Demokritou
Summary: Novel enzyme- and RH-responsive antimicrobial fibers have been developed for active food packaging, capable of releasing free nature-derived antimicrobials and cyclodextrin-inclusion complexes in response to different triggers. The fibers showed significant reduction in populations of foodborne pathogens and fungi, with higher AI release at 95% RH leading to greater efficacy against Escherichia coli. These biodegradable and multistimuli-responsive fibers have great potential for use in smart packaging systems.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Surendra Shrestha, Christopher A. Williams, Brendan M. Rogers, John Rogan, Dominik Kulakowski
Summary: This study examines the biogeophysical and biochemical changes after severe wildfires in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests in the Sierra Nevada and Klamath Mountains regions. The study found that leaf area index decreased in the first year after fire, but gradually recovered over the subsequent 25 years. The recovery rate varied between forest types, and the slower recovery in ponderosa pine forests could be due to poor species diversity and drier climate. The study also found that wildfires increased land surface temperature and affected evapotranspiration and gross primary productivity.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gyanendra Kumar, Monisha Arya, P. Radhika, Parvatam Giridhar
Summary: This study identified and characterized GmSNAT1 in soybean, revealing its differential expression during biotic and abiotic stress, with significant up-regulation at higher serotonin concentrations and down-regulation at higher melatonin concentrations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
David S. Green, Marie E. Martin, Roger A. Powell, Eric L. McGregor, Mourad W. Gabriel, Kristine L. Pilgrim, Michael K. Schwartz, Sean M. Matthews
Summary: The historical suppression of forest fires and increasing droughts due to climate change are predicted to result in larger and more intense wildfires in western North America and other regions. Understanding the impact of wildfires on forest-dependent species and species interactions is crucial for conservation and management decisions.
Article
Zoology
Luciano N. Segura, Facundo X. Palacio
Summary: This study examined both direct and indirect factors influencing nestling growth in Red-crested Cardinals, finding that botfly ectoparasitism had the strongest direct effect on nestling growth, while forest structure increased the probability of botfly occurrence. Additionally, the interaction between the number of siblings and hatching order influenced nestling growth, with the time of breeding showing a strong positive indirect effect on botfly occurrence and a weak direct positive effect on nestling growth. Overall, these findings demonstrate that nestling growth is influenced by a complex combination of interacting variables.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xiaofei Li, Wei Qian, Lijun Hou, Min Liu, Zhibiao Chen, Chuan Tong
Summary: Human activities significantly increase estuarine nitrogen loads, affecting denitrification and anammox rates differently. Anammox contribution to total N-2 production decreases towards the estuary mouth. Factors such as DO, NH4+, and NO3- play a key role in the partitioning of N-2 production between denitrification and anammox.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
James William Allwood, Alex Williams, Henriette Uthe, Nicole M. van Dam, Luis A. J. Mur, Murray R. Grant, Pierre Petriacq
Summary: Climate change and a growing population pose challenges to environmentally sustainable nutritious food production. Enhancements in crop yield through breeding are decreasing, while agricultural intensification is hindered by pests, pathogens, and abiotic stress pressures. Metabolomics approaches have contributed to understanding plant stress responses, but face challenges due to the complex nature of metabolites and biological systems.
Article
Agronomy
Di Wang, Li Wang
Summary: Soil evaporation (E) in apple orchards on the Loess Plateau of China was measured in 7-and 17-year-old rainfed orchards. The study found that tree age and growth stage significantly affected the daily E and E:ET characteristics, as well as the performance of empirical E models for apple orchards in a semi-humid region.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)