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The article discusses the 1st International Workshop on Liana Forest Ecology, which focused on the impact of lianas on carbon and water cycling in tropical forests. Lianas, woody vines that climb trees, are increasing in abundance due to forest disturbance and climate change. The workshop brought together scientists from 14 countries to discuss topics such as liana distribution, hydraulics, life histories, reproductive phenology, and the role of lianas in carbon and nutrient cycling. The workshop highlighted the need for further research to understand the ecological consequences of increasing liana density in tropical forests. [Extracted from the article]

Aim: To examine the impact of both individual and cumulative social determinants of health (SDoH) on the likelihood of developing periodontitis, while also exploring any gender disparities in this relationship. Materials and Methods: Data of self‐reported SDoH domains and sub‐items based on Healthy People 2030 were obtained from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 1999 and 2014. Logistic regression models, weighted by survey responses, were used to examine the relationship between SDoH (including eight sub‐items and the cumulative number of unfavourable SDoH) and periodontitis. The results were further analysed by gender. Results: A total of 18,075 participants (8867 males and 9208 females) were included in the main analysis, of which 5814 (32.2%) had periodontitis. The study found that certain unfavourable SDoH were individually associated with higher odds of periodontitis, and the cumulative number of unfavourable SDoH was positively linked to the odds of developing periodontitis. Furthermore, males exposed to more unfavourable SDoH appeared to be more susceptible to developing periodontitis than females. Conclusions: The findings suggest that unfavourable SDoH, especially when they accumulate, are associated with an increased odds of periodontitis and contribute to gender disparities within the U.S. population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances are increasing liana abundance and biomass in many tropical and subtropical forests. While the effects of living lianas on species diversity, ecosystem carbon, and nutrient dynamics are receiving increasing attention, the role of dead lianas in forest ecosystems has been little studied and is poorly understood. Trees and lianas coexist as the major woody components of forests worldwide, but they have very different ecological strategies, with lianas relying on trees for mechanical support. Consequently, trees and lianas have evolved highly divergent stem, leaf, and root traits. Here we show that this trait divergence is likely to persist after death, into the afterlives of these organs, leading to divergent effects on forest biogeochemistry. We introduce a conceptual framework combining horizontal, vertical, and time dimensions for the effects of liana proliferation and liana tissue decomposition on ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling. We propose a series of empirical studies comparing traits between lianas and trees to answer questions concerning the influence of trait afterlives on the decomposability of liana and tree organs. Such studies will increase our understanding of the contribution of lianas to terrestrial biogeochemical cycling, and help predict the effects of their increasing abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between secondhand smoke exposure (SHSE) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in general adults remains to be explored and therefore is investigated based on the representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in this study. SHSE was assessed by self-reporting of passive exposure to burning cigarette in an indoor area (home, restaurant or bar, etc.), and OSA was defined by self-reporting OSA-related symptoms and frequency. A survey-weighted regression model and stratified analyses were used to estimate the association between SHSE and odds of OSA. The study involved 9,991 participants who had never smoked, representing a weighted number of 449.9 million adults ranging from 20 to 80 years old in the noninstitutionalized U. S population. There was a strong association between several kinds of SHSEs and OSA that compared with participants staying indoors without exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS), the odds of OSA was 1.2 times higher for those with SHSE at home (adjusted odds ratio AOR = 1.225 , 95% CI: 1.009, 1.484), 1.4 times higher for those with SHSE in car (AOR = 1.404 , 95% CI: 1.219, 1.616), and 1.3 times higher for those with e-cigarette SHSE (AOR = 1.302 , 95% CI: 1.087, 1.557). Participants with simultaneous exposure to more different SHSs were 36% (one to three kinds of SHSEs (AOR = 1.368 , 95% CI: 1.219, 1.534)) and 44% (above four kinds of SHSEs (AOR = 1.444 , 95% CI: 1.034, 2.004)) more likely to have OSA, respectively. In general, general adults with SHSE in separate indoor areas, especially those with simultaneous exposure to different SHSs, had higher OSA risk. Identifying causality and health consequences of the association requires future longitudinal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf nutrient resorption and drought resistance are crucial for the growth and survival of plants. However, our understanding of the relationships between leaf nutrient resorption and plant drought resistance is still limited. In this study, we investigated the nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiencies (NRE and PRE), leaf structural traits, leaf osmotic potential at full hydration (Ψosm), xylem water potential at 50% loss of xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity (P50) and seasonal minimum water potential (Ψmin) for 18 shrub and tree species in a semiarid savanna ecosystem, in Southwest China. Our results showed that NRE and PRE exhibited trade-off against drought resistance traits (Ψosm and P50) across woody species. Moreover, this relationship was modulated by leaf structural investment. Species with low structural investment (e.g. leaf mass per area, leaf dry mass content and leaf construction cost [LCC]) tend to have high NRE and PRE, while those with high LCCs show high drought resistance, showing more negative Ψosm and P50.These results indicate that species with a lower leaf structural investment may have a greater need to recycle their nutrients, thus exhibiting higher nutrient resorption efficiencies, and vice versa. In conclusion, nutrient resorption efficiency may be a crucial adaptation strategy for coexisting plants in semiarid ecosystems, highlighting the importance of understanding the complex relationships between nutrient cycling and plant survival strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water stored in trunk sapwood is vital for the canopy to maintain its physiological function under high transpiration demands. Little is known regarding the anatomical properties that contribute to the hydraulic capacitance of tree trunks and whether trunk capacitance is correlated with the hydraulic and gas exchange traits of canopy branches. We examined sapwood capacitance, xylem anatomical characteristics of tree trunks, embolism resistance, the minimal xylem water potential of canopy branches, leaf photosynthesis and stomatal conductance in 22 species from a tropical seasonal rainforest and savanna. The results showed that the mean trunk sapwood capacitance did not differ between the two biomes. Capacitance was closely related to the fiber lumen fraction and fiber wall reinforcement and not to the axial and ray parenchyma fractions. Additionally, it was positively correlated with the theoretical hydraulic conductivity of a trunk and the specific hydraulic conductivity of branches, and showed a trade-off with branch embolism resistance. Species with a high trunk sapwood capacitance maintained less negative canopy water potentials in the dry season, but higher leaf photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance in the wet season. This study provides a functional link among trunk sapwood capacitance, xylem anatomy, canopy hydraulics and photosynthesis in tropical trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]