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Vegetation phenology and productivity drive resource use by wildlife. Vegetation dynamics also reveal patterns of habitat disturbance and recovery. Monitoring these fine‐scale vegetation patterns over large spatiotemporal extents can be difficult, but camera traps (CTs) commonly used to survey wildlife populations also collect data on local habitat conditions. We used CTs (n = 73) from 2016 to 2019 to assess impacts of habitat change in a boreal landscape of northern Canada, where seismic lines for petroleum exploration disturbed wildlife habitat and prompted vegetation restoration efforts. First, we quantified vegetation dynamics from CTs, comparing them to satellite‐based estimates that are typically used to monitor vegetation at broad spatial scales. We then used understory phenology and productivity estimated from CT time‐lapse images to assess vegetation recovery on seismic lines. Finally, we related vegetation dynamics with the habitat use of three wildlife species: sandhill cranes Grus canadensis, woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus, and white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus. CTs provided unique insight into vegetation dynamics that were different from signals measured by satellites, with temporally inconsistent and even some negative correlations between CT and satellite metrics. We found some indication of vegetation recovery on seismic lines that had received restoration treatment, with understory patterns more similar to undisturbed habitat than to seismic lines that did not receive restoration treatment. CTs also provided inferences about wildlife activity related to vegetation resources, which approaches using satellite data failed to detect. Wildlife habitat use tracked vegetation phenology, but did not always increase with vegetation productivity at weekly, 16‐day, or annual intervals. Instead, associations with vegetation productivity depended on species, temporal scale, and productivity metrics. Given the widespread and growing use of CTs to monitor terrestrial wildlife, we recommend their use to simultaneously monitor habitat conditions to better understand the mechanisms that govern wildlife habitat use in changing environments.

Fil: Trinco, Fabio D. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias de Bariloche. Río Negro, Argentina. Fil: Rusch, Verónica E. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias de Bariloche. Río Negro, Argentina. Fil: Howison, Ruth A. Groningen University. Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences. Conservation Ecology Group. Países Bajos. Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. Río Negro, Argentina. Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. Río Negro, Argentina. Fil: Tittonell, Pablo A. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias de Bariloche. Río Negro, Argentina. Sound management of native forests used for cattle grazing requires understanding the dynamics of forage productivity in the openings. Despite their importance, forage productivity drivers in highly heterogeneous forested landscapes, or their variability over the year, are still unclear. The aim of this work is to find predictors of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) variation in the openings of native temperate forests and to evaluate how these predictors change within the growing season. We used high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery from NW Patagonia to separate forest openings from tree dense canopy. We obtained data of each opening related with herbaceous and shrub forage productivity and calculated landscape metrics. We estimated a multiple linear regression model for predicting NDVI in each season. Beyond known variables related with forage productivity (altitude, precipitation, etc.), the shape of forest’ openings appeared as relevant in predicting NDVI. Higher values of forest opening perimeters were related with a decrease in NDVI in spring when soil water content is not limiting and conversely with an increase in NDVI in summer when water is limiting growth. These results suggest that environmental drivers such as temperature and soil moisture inside the opening, and competition or facilitation process between trees and grasses are mediated by the shape of the opening. Management of heterogeneous native forests for cattle raising requires considering the shape of the openings to maximize forage productivity.

Field experiments were carried out on chestnut soils of Piedmont Dagestan in 2018-2020. Hybrids of grain corn treated with different growth stimulants were the object of еру research. The experiments showed that the harvesting ripeness of hybrids ROSS 299 MV and Mashuk 355 MV occurred 2...5 days earlier after treatment with growth stimulants compared to the control. The growth stimulants used in the experiment did not have a significant effect on seed germination rate. Among the studied hybrids, the highest seed germination were observed in Mashuk 355 MV hybrid. The highest values of leaf area and net productivity of crops were in hybrid Mashuk 355 MB. Plants treated with growth regulators had higher leaf surface by 4.4% and 5.5%; 6.0 % and 8.4%, respectively. Approximately the same dynamics was recorded for photosynthesis net productivity and accumulation of dry matter. Mashuk 355 MV hybrid showed the best yield, which was 30.5; 31.5 and 32.5% higher respectively, compared to the standard. Productivity of corn hybrids treated with growth regulators increased significantly. The highest data were observed on plants treated with Megamiks N10 growth regulator, which were higher than the control data by 30.0 and 32.5%, respectively. Aminokat 30% growth regulator increased corn productivity by 23.7 and 24.7%, respectively. Sufficiently high indicators of yield structure were 10 recorded in Mashuk 355 MV hybrid in the variant with the Megamiks N10 growth stimulator.

Background: Microalgae are microorganisms that produce various products, for example, pigments, mainly carotenoids. This study aimed to used the strain of Muriellopsis sp. and to evaluate their behavior when grown in freshwater and seawater, along with indoor and outdoor conditions for both cultures. Growth of the strain was evaluated by determining its biomass, lutein productivity with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and antioxidant activity by using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrilhydrazil (DPPH method). Results: Muriellopsis sp. strain in indoor cultures showed an increased antioxidant activity. In outdoor conditions, both cultures showed increased cells number, concentration of biomass, and lutein productivity. The percentage of lutein obtained from the strain MCH in indoor conditions was 25 times higher than that reported for calendula, reaching 0.75% of lutein in Muriellopsis sp. cultured in seawater, followed by 0.6% in Muriellopsis sp., cultures in freshwater at day 12 of both cultures. These values exceed that of microalgae Scenedesmus almeriensis , which reaches 0.53% lutein. Conclusions: The results show that the native strain of the Atacama Desert is one of the largest producers of lutein as compared to those reported to date. The study demonstrated the feasibility of producing this carotenoid with well-known properties to prevent some diseases due to its high nutritional value. Muriellopsis sp. cultivation in open-air seawater is a good precedent for developing mass production of this species in an area where freshwater is scarce and costly. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

The lack of sustainable soil fertility management is a critical challenge for crop production in the world. The problem is more serious in the East Gojjam Zone highlands. Integrated use of lime, manure, and chemical fertilizers is considered as a good approach for sustainable crop production on acidic soils. In 2016 and 2017, a field experiment was conducted to determine the effect of soil amendments on soil fertility and tef productivity in the Gozamin district. Factorial combinations of two rates of lime (0 and 2 t ha−1), two rates of NP fertilizers (0/0 and 46/20 kg N/P ha−1), and three rates of cattle manure (0, 10, and 15 t ha−1) were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed that applying lime in combination with NP fertilizer and manure significantly improved soil chemical properties. Panicle length, effective tillers, and thousand seeds weight of tef increased from 25.1 to 44.4 cm, 2.8 to 11.3, and 0.23 to 0.37 g, respectively, when 10 t ha−1 manure and recommended NP fertilizer were applied together. The highest tef grain yield of 2.31 t ha−1 and net benefit of 2,252.91 USD ha−1 were obtained from the interaction of 10 t ha−1 cattle manure, 46/20 kg ha−1 N/P fertilizer, and 2 t ha−1 lime. This study recommends the combined application of 2 t ha−1 lime, 10 t ha−1 cattle manure, and 46/20 kg ha−1 N/P fertilizer as an effective amendment to improve soil chemical properties and yield of tef in acidic soils of northwest Ethiopian highlands.

Ecosystems are subject to a multitude of anthropogenic environmental changes. Experimental research in the field of multiple stressors has typically involved varying the number of stressors, here termed stressor richness, but without controlling for total stressor intensity. Mistaking stressor intensity effects for stressor richness effects can misinform management decisions when there is a trade‐off between mitigating these two factors. We incorporate multiple stressors into three community models and show that, at a fixed total stressor intensity, increasing stressor richness aggravates joint stressor effects on ecosystem functioning, but reduces effects on species persistence and composition. In addition, stressor richness weakens the positive selection and negative complementarity effects on ecosystem function. We identify the among‐species variation of stressor effects on traits as a key determinant of the resulting community‐level stressor effects. Taken together, our results unravel the mechanisms linking multiple environmental changes to biodiversity and ecosystem function., Experimental research in the field of multiple stressors typically involves varying the number of stressors, but without controlling for total stressor intensity. We incorporate multiple stressors into community models and show that, at constant total stressor intensity, increasing stressor richness aggravates joint stressor effects on ecosystem functioning, but reduces effects on species persistence and community composition. We identify the among‐species variation of stressor effects on traits as a key determinant of the resulting community‐level stressor effects.

In this research, the thermodynamic (energy and exergy) analysis of a single slope solar still using graphite plates and block magnets (GPBMSS) was investigated during summer and winter climatic conditions of Coimbatore city (latitude: 11°01′68′′N and longitude: 76°95′58′′E), in India, 2019. The results observed in GPBMSS were compared with a conventional solar still (CSS) under the same climatic conditions. The outcomes observed that the hourly productivity in GPBMSS was 19.6% and 22.8% higher in summer and winter days, respectively, when compared to CSS. The cumulative productivity in GPBMSS was found to be about 3.93 kg/m2 and 3.56 kg/m2 respectively, for 12 h observations during summer and winter days. Furthermore, the energy and exergy efficiencies of GPBMSS were substantially improved by 20.6% and 18.1% when compared to CSS during summer days. Similarly, the energy and exergy efficiencies of GPBMSS were increased by 18 and 19% compared to CSS in winter days. In addition, the maximum basin exergy destruction was observed in CSS compared to other solar still components. The results observed that the heat storage ability of the graphite plates and water magnetization in GPBMSS greatly decreased the exergy destructions. Finally, the water quality analysis proved that the distillate collected from both GPBMSS and CSS satisfied the requirements recommended by the Bureau of Indian Standards. HIGHLIGHTS Graphite plates and block magnets are attached in a solar still basin (GPBMSS) and improved the productivity by 3.93 kg/m2 and 3.56 kg/m2 respectively, in summer and winter climatic days.; The energy efficiency of GPBMSS was substantially improved by 20.6 and 18%, respectively, compared to CSS during summer and winter days.; The exergy efficiency in GPBMSS was enhanced by 18.1 and 19%, respectively compared to CSS in summer and winter days.

The depth of the culture and the dilution rate have a striking effect on the biomass productivity and the nutrient recovery capacity of microalgal cultures. The combination of culture depth and dilution rate that allows to maximise the performance of the system depends on environmental conditions. In the current study, a response surface methodology was used to explore the relationship between the two most relevant operational conditions and the biomass productivity achieved in 8.3 m2 pilot-scale raceways operated using urban wastewater. Four polynomial models were developed, one for each season of the year. The software predicted biomass productivities of 12.3, 25.6, 32.7, and 18.9 g·m−2·day−1 in winter, spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. The models were further validated at pilot-scale with R2 values ranging within 0.81 and 0.91, depending on the season. Lower culture depths had the advantage of minimising nitrification and stripping but allow to process a lower volume of wastewater per surface area. Biomass productivity was higher at culture depths of 0.05 m, when compared to 0.12 and 0.20 m, while the optimal dilution rate was season-dependent. Results reported herein are useful for optimising the biomass productivity of raceway reactors located outdoors throughout the year.

Background. There are three species cultivated in Russia: Cucurbita pepo, C. maxima, and C. moschata, the latter being the most thermophilic among them. Cultivars of C. moschata are grown in southern regions, where a growing season of no less than 110–130 days is required. C. moschata has no bushy cultivars suitable for cultivation. The aim of this study was to search for, identify and develop source material of C. moschata for breeding early-ripening bushy and short-vined cultivars.Materials and methods. Accessions from the VIR collection, advanced cultivars, hybrids and lines of various generations served as research material. The study was based on the guidelines for studying and maintenance of the collection and for cucurbit crop breeding.Results. Source material was identified for breeding practice: early accessions (90–98 days) possessing high productivity and fruit quality, with good taste, namely ‘Early Butternut’, ‘Butternut’, ‘Waltham Butternut’; accession k-3549, ‘Orekhovy’, and accession k-4235; and mid-early accessions (104–105 days) ‘Palov-kadu’, and ‘Aydzu Аkkikudza’. They exceeded in productivity the early-ripening reference (cv. ‘Mariya’) by 26.7–130%, and matched the reference in fruit quality. Hybrids from the crosses of vined accessions with the bushy form KL 745 were studied. Bushiness is inherited monogenetically and controlled by the recessive bu (bush) gene. Identified for breeding were early (93–95 days) bushy lines (KL) with a stem length of 0.8–1.2 m: KL 648, KL 652 and KL 656. Their productivity was within 4.2–4.5 kg per plant (higher than the reference by 40–50%). In fruit quality they were on the reference level. Early (92–98 days) short-vined lines (KPL) were identified, with a stem length of 1.3–2.0 m: KPL 168, KPL 640 and KPL 680; their productivity ranged 4.9–6.8 kg per plant, and their fruit quality was good or excellent.

While the effects of irradiance on coral productivity are well known, corals along a shallow to mesophotic depth gradient (10–100 m) experience incident irradiances determined by the optical properties of the water column, coral morphology, and reef topography.Modeling of productivity (i.e., carbon fixation) using empirical data shows that hemispherical colonies photosynthetically fix significantly greater amounts of carbon across all depths, and throughout the day, compared with plating and branching morphologies. In addition, topography (i.e., substrate angle) further influences the rate of productivity of corals but does not change the hierarchy of coral morphologies relative to productivity.The differences in primary productivity for different coral morphologies are not, however, entirely consistent with the known ecological distributions of these coral morphotypes in the mesophotic zone as plating corals often become the dominant morphotype with increasing depth.Other colony‐specific features such as skeletal scattering of light, Symbiodiniaceae species, package effect, or tissue thickness contribute to the variability in the ecological distributions of morphotypes over the depth gradient and are captured in the metric known as the minimum quantum requirements.Coral morphology is a strong proximate cause for the observed differences in productivity, with secondary effects of reef topography on incident irradiances, and subsequently the community structure of mesophotic corals., Corals along a shallow to mesophotic depth gradient (10–100 m) experience incident irradiances determined by their morphology and reef topography. Both the substrate angle (i.e., topography) and a hierarchy of colony morphologies have significant, and repeatable, effects on modeled productivity in mesophotic corals.

The aim of this study was to evaluate productive and physiological traits of basil cv. Italiano Genovese grown in nitrogen-fertilized soil. We studied five doses of nitrogen (25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 kg ha-1), in urea form. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four replicates. The maximum plant height was 79 cm, applying 65.7 kg ha-1 N. Shoot fresh and dry masses (814.1 g plant-1 and 111.4 g plant-1, respectively) and productivity (4.4 t ha-1) reached maximum values at 86.2; 80.2 and 82.5 kg ha-1 N, respectively. The highest N content in plant shoot was 26.1 g kg-1 at 125 kg ha-1 N. Photosynthesis and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency obtained maximum responses at doses of 85.3 and 83.3 kg ha-1 N, respectively. Stomatal conductance and transpiration increased with N additional rates. RESUMO Objetivou-se com este estudo avaliar características fisiológicas e produtividade do manjericão cv. Italiano Genovese cultivado em campo e adubado com nitrogênio. Estudaram-se cinco doses de nitrogênio (25, 50, 75, 100 e 125 kg ha-1), na forma de ureia. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições. A altura máxima das plantas foi de 79 cm, sob a dose de 65,7 kg ha-1 de N. As massas frescas e secas da parte aérea (814,1 g planta-1 e 111,4 g planta-1, respectivamente) e a produtividade (4,4 t ha-1) atingiram valores máximos sob as doses de 86,2; 80,2 e 82,5 kg ha-1 de N, respectivamente. O maior teor de N na parte aérea das plantas foi de 26,1 g kg-1 obtido sob a dose de 125 kg ha-1 de N. A fotossíntese e a eficiência instantânea de carboxilação obtiveram máximas respostas sob as doses de 85,3 e 83,3 kg ha-1 de N, respectivamente. Para a condutância estomática e a transpiração observou-se aumento com acréscimo das doses de nitrogênio.

Nitrogen (N) is the second most accumulated nutrient in rocket. This nutrient greatly affects growth, productivity and quality of the vegetable. Rocket is the second most widely grown leafy vegetable in hydroponic system; however, no studies on how N concentration in nutrient solution affects this crop can be found in literature. We studied four concentrations (79.2; 118.8; 158.4 and 237.6 mg L-1 of N) in a randomized block design with five replicates. Maximum number of leaves, leaf area, dry mass and productivity of rocket cv. ‘Folha larga’ were obtained with the highest N concentration. The rocket quality, evaluated by the nitrate content, was maximum with 210.2 mg L-1 of N and its value in the concentration which maximized productivity is in the acceptable range for vegetables; so, it is recommended to grow rocket with 237.6 mg L-1 of N in the nutrient solution. RESUMO O nitrogênio (N) é o segundo nutriente mais acumulado pela rúcula, o qual afeta sobremaneira o crescimento, produtividade e qualidade desta hortaliça. A rúcula é a segunda hortaliça folhosa mais cultivada em hidroponia; porém, não há estudos sobre como a concentração do N na solução nutritiva a afeta, tendo sido este o objetivo do presente estudo. Quatro concentrações (79,2; 118,8; 158,4 e 237,6 mg L-1 de N) foram avaliadas em delineamento experimental de blocos casualizados, com cinco repetições. Máximos número de folhas, área foliar, massa seca e produtividade da rúcula ‘Folha larga’ foram obtidos com a maior concentração de N. A qualidade da rúcula, avaliada pelo teor de nitrato, foi máxima com 210,2 mg L-1 de N. Seu valor na concentração que maximizou a produtividade encontra-se na faixa aceitável para hortaliças; de modo que se recomenda o cultivo da rúcula com 237,6 mg L-1 de N na solução nutritiva.

Forest site (FS) and meteorological conditions are recognized as the main factors affecting tree growth and whole-stand sustainability. This study aims to detect the combined effects of FS and meteorological conditions on tree ring formation of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), the most common tree species in Lithuania and hemi-boreal forests of northeastern Europe. We used data on stand structure and productivity from the Lithuanian National Forest Inventory (NFI) and stem radial increment series of dominating trees during the period 1993-2012 collected since 2013. Pine stem basal area increment (BAI) was chosen as the response variable, while temperature in March (°C) and precipitation in June (mm) were used as predictor variables, as they best express the effect of climate change on Lithuanian forests. We simulated the effects on dominating pine annual increment of deciduous tree species, mainly Betula sp. and the level of soil moisture and fertility, accounting in addition for the random effects of NFI network tract, plot direction, and tree number. A nonlinear mixed-effects model explained up to 68% of the variation in the BAI of pine trees. The annual pine trees BAI increased with the increase in the proportion of deciduous trees in pine stands. Increases in temperature and precipitation in considered months reinforced this positive effect on pine BAI, especially in mature pine stands in temporarily waterlogged meso-eutrophic FSs on mineral soils. A negative effect of deciduous trees on pine stem increment was observed only in nutrient-rich eutrophic and drained peatland FSs. Forestry treatments directed towards the increase in deciduous tree proportion in the most common normal or temporarily waterlogged meso-eutrophic and oligotrophic pine stands might increase the biodiversity and productivity of pine stands, and their sustainability in future climate change scenarios.

Hydrological behavior in reforested watersheds is different from that under other forms of cover. The variation may be related to aspects intrinsic to species, planting density, physiological maturity, management system and climatic conditions. Periodically, climatic anomalies such as the case of La Ninã are observed, and these are responsible for the alteration of the rainfall regime and consequently generate water deficits in the southern region of Brazil. Water deficit is responsible for reducing growth and productivity for the Eucalyptus genus, in addition to causing changes in hydrological behavior in reforested watersheds. Accordingly, this study compared the partition of rainfall in throughfall, stemflow and canopy interception of eucalyptus trees submitted or not to partial exclusion of precipitation. In the open field, 3 rainfall collectors were installed, and in the stand, for each rain exclusion treatment, 9 throughfall collectors and 9 stemflow collectors were installed. Every two weeks for 12 months, the volume of the collectors was measured. The quantified precipitation was 1627 mm over a year. In the treatment without exclusion, 84.8, 2.9 and 12.3% referred to throughfall, stemflow and canopy interception, respectively, while in the treatment excluding rainfall 80.6, 2.3 and 17.2% referred to throughfall, stemflow and canopy interception. The regression adjustments for throughfall and stemflow showed satisfactory R2 coefficients. Resumo O comportamento hidrológico em microbacias reflorestadas é diferenciado de outras formas de cobertura. A variação pode estar relacionada tanto à aspectos intrínsecos à espécie, densidade de plantio, maturidade fisiológica, sistema de manejo e às condições climáticas. Periodicamente anomalias climáticas como o caso do La Ninã são constatadas e essas, são responsáveis pela alteração do regime pluviométrico e consequentemente geram déficits hídricos na região sul do Brasil. O déficit hídrico é responsável pela redução do crescimento e da produtividade para o gênero Eucalyptus, além de provocar alterações no comportamento hidrológico em bacias hidrográficas reflorestadas. Por conta disso, o objetivo do estudo foi comparar a partição da precipitação pluviométrica em precipitação interna, escoamento pelo tronco e interceptação pela copa das árvores de eucalipto submetidas ou não à exclusão parcial da precipitação. Foram instalados 3 coletores de precipitação em área aberta, e no interior do povoamento, para cada tratamento de exclusão de chuva, 9 coletores de precipitação interna e 9 coletores de escoamento pelo tronco foram instalados. Ao longo de 12 meses, quinzenalmente, o volume dos coletores era aferido. A precipitação quantificada foi de 1627 mm ao longo de um ano. No tratamento sem exclusão, 84.8, 2.9 e 12.3% referiram-se à precipitação interna, escoamento pelo tronco e interceptação pela copa respectivamente, enquanto que no tratamento com exclusão da precipitação 80.6, 2.3 e 17.2% referiram-se à precipitação interna, escoamento pelo tronco e interceptação. Os ajustes da regressão para precipitação interna e escoamento pelo tronco mostraram bons coeficientes R2.

Background Amazon palm swamp peatlands are major carbon (C) sinks and reservoirs. In Peru, this ecosystem is widely threatened owing to the recurrent practice of cutting Mauritia flexuosa palms for fruit harvesting. Such degradation could significantly damage peat deposits by altering C fluxes through fine root productivity, mortality, and decomposition rates which contribute to and regulate peat accumulation. Along a same peat formation, we studied an undegraded site (Intact), a moderately degraded site (mDeg) and a heavily degraded site (hDeg) over 11 months. Fine root C stocks and fluxes were monthly sampled by sequential coring. Concomitantly, fine root decomposition was investigated using litter bags. In the experimental design, fine root stocks and dynamics were assessed separately according to vegetation type (M. flexuosa palm and other tree species) and M. flexuosa age class. Furthermore, results obtained from individual palms and trees were site-scaled by using forest composition and structure. Results At the scale of individuals, fine root C biomass in M. flexuosa adults was higher at the mDeg site than at the Intact and hDeg sites, while in trees it was lowest at the hDeg site. Site-scale fine root biomass (Mg C ha−1) was higher at the mDeg site (0.58 ± 0.05) than at the Intact (0.48 ± 0.05) and hDeg sites (0.32 ± 0.03). Site-scale annual fine root mortality rate was not significantly different between sites (3.4 ± 1.3, 2.0 ± 0.8, 1.5 ± 0.7 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 at the Intact, mDeg, and hDeg sites) while productivity (same unit) was lower at the hDeg site (1.5 ± 0.8) than at the Intact site (3.7 ± 1.2), the mDeg site being intermediate (2.3 ± 0.9). Decomposition was slow with 63.5−74.4% of mass remaining after 300 days and it was similar among sites and vegetation types. Conclusions The significant lower fine root C stock and annual productivity rate at the hDeg site than at the Intact site suggests a potential for strong degradation to disrupt peat accretion. These results stress the need for a sustainable management of these forests to maintain their C sink function.

Tidal salt marshes are known to accumulate “blue carbon” at high rates relative to their surface area, which render these systems among the Earth's most efficient carbon (C) sinks. However, the potential for tidal salt marshes to mitigate global warming remains poorly constrained because of the lack of representative sampling of tidal marshes from around the globe, inadequate areal extent estimations, and inappropriate dating methods for accurately estimating C accumulation rates. Here we provide the first estimates of organic C storage and accumulation rates in salt marshes along the Pacific coast of Canada, within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, a region currently underrepresented in global compilations. Within the context of other sites from the Pacific coast of North America, these young Clayoquot Sound marshes have relatively low C stocks but are accumulating C at rates that are higher than the global average with pronounced differences between high and low marsh habitats. The average C stock calculated during the past 30 years is 54 ± 5 Mg C ha−1 (mean ± standard error), which accounts for 81 % of the C accumulated to the base of the marsh peat layer (67 ± 9 Mg C ha−1). The total C stock is just under one-third of previous global estimates of salt marsh C stocks, likely due to the shallow depth and young age of the marsh. In contrast, the average C accumulation rate (CAR) (184 ± 50 g C m−2 yr−1 to the base of the peat layer) is higher than both CARs from salt marshes along the Pacific coast (112 ± 12 g C m−2 yr−1) and global estimates (91 ± 7 g C m−2 yr−1). This difference was even more pronounced when we considered individual marsh zones: CARs were significantly greater in high marsh (303 ± 45 g C m−2 yr−1) compared to the low marsh sediments (63 ± 6 g C m−2 yr−1), an observation unique to Clayoquot Sound among NE Pacific coast marsh studies. We attribute low CARs in the low marsh zones to shallow-rooting vegetation, reduced terrestrial sediment inputs, negative relative sea level rise in the region, and enhanced erosional processes. Per hectare, CARs in Clayoquot Sound marsh soils are approximately 2–7 times greater than C uptake rates based on net ecosystem productivity in Canadian boreal forests, which highlights their potential importance as C reservoirs and the need to consider their C accumulation capacity as a climate mitigation co-benefit when conserving for other salt marsh ecosystem services.

Introduction. The development of ideas about the influence of the light environment - the radiation spectrum, intensity and duration of exposure, on the physiology of plants, serves as the basis for the creation of effective light sources for protected ground.Purpose. Comparative test of the influence of a light environment with different spectral composition on the productivity and quality of tomatoes in conditions of intensive photo culture.Methods. Investigations were made under controlled conditions of intensive photoculture when growing dwarf tomatoes of the variety Natasha selections of the “Federal Scientific Vegetable Center” on thin-layer soil analogs with the supply of a nutrient solution to the plant roots through a slit capillary in vegetative light installations developed at the ARI. The light sources were high-pressure sodium lamps and LED lamps SD1, SD2, and SD3 with different emission spectra. Results. Tomatoes of the Natasha variety, illuminated during development with HPS lamps, formed almost the same yield with an average fruit weight of 42.5 kg/m2 per layer per year. Natasha tomato grown under LED lamps showed a tendency to lower productivity by 29% under SD1 and by 8% under SD2 and higher by 19% under underSD3 compared to that under HPS lamps. A comparative assessment of the biochemical composition of tomato fruits indicates their high quality under all tested light sources.Conclusion. Cultivation of dwarf tomato varieties on thin-layer soil analogs showed the best results in terms of productivity with good quality plant products under LED lamps SD3 with a radiation spectrum close to sunlight.

Irrigation with saline water affects the agronomic performance of the maize crop; however, the use of vegetal mulch may mitigate salt stress and promote an increase in yield. In this way, this study aimed to evaluate the grain yield of the maize plants submitted to different water salinity levels in the presence and absence of mulch. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme. The first factor was the salinity of the irrigation water (1.0 and 4.0 dS m-1) and the second, with and without mulch, and five replicates. The variables analyzed were: unhusked ear mass, husked ear mass, cob mass, straw mass, husked ear diameter, husked ear length, and yield. The irrigation water with higher electrical conductivity affects negatively the ear mass with and without straw, ear diameter and ear length. The use of vegetation cover on the soil increased the unhusked ear mass with and without straw, ear diameter and length. The water with higher salinity (4.0 dS m-1) reduces the maize grain yield but with less intensity in the presence of mulch.

Background The growing human population around the world is creating an increased demand for food. In agricultural landscapes, forests are cleared and turned into agricultural land to produce more food. Increasing the productivity of agricultural land per unit area may prevent extreme forest degradation. Since many agricultural products are dependent on pollinators, it is possible to increase crop production by increasing the pollination rate in the agricultural landscapes. Pollinators are highly dependent on forest patches in agricultural landscapes. Therefore, by creating new forest patches around agricultural fields, we can increase the pollination rate, and thus the crop production. In this regard, estimating the effects of different scenarios of forest fragmentation helps us to find an optimized pattern of forest patches for increasing pollination in an agricultural landscape. Methods To investigate the effect of different forest fragmentation scenarios on pollination, we used simulated agricultural landscapes, including different forest proportions and degrees of fragmentation. Using landscape metrics, we estimated the relationship between pollination and landscape structure for each landscape. Results Our results showed that for increasing pollination, two significant factors should be considered: habitat amount and capacity of small patches to supply pollination. We found that when the capacity of small patches in supplying pollination was low, fragmented patterns of forest patches decreased pollination. With increasing capacity, landscapes with a high degree of forest fragmentation showed the highest levels of pollination. There was an exception for habitat amounts (the proportion of forest patches) less than 0.1 of the entire landscape where increasing edge density, aggregation, and the number of forest patches resulted in increasing pollination in all scenarios. Conclusion This study encourages agriculturists and landscape planners to focus on increasing crop production per unit area by pollinators because it leads to biodiversity conservation and reduces socio-economic costs of land-use changes. We also suggest that to increase pollination in agricultural landscapes by creating new forest patches, special attention should be paid to the capacity of patches in supporting pollinators.

Modelling of the effects of water and different levels of nitrogen on evapotranspiration and water productivity of rainfed soybeans is very important in optimising resource use in the production of the crop. The objective of the study was to model evapotranspiration, soil water storage and water productivity of rainfed soybeans under different levels of nitrogen fertilizer by using the FAO AquaCrop model. Field experiments were conducted at the Teaching and Research Farms of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria in the rainy seasons of 2015 and 2016. There were five levels of nitrogen, which are 00, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of the recommended nitrogen applications and two varieties of soybeans, which produced a 2 by 5 factorial experimental design. The data of the wetter year 2015, were used for calibration of the AquaCrop model because AquaCrop is water driven. The 2016 data were used for the validation. The AquaCrop model simulated canopy cover with R2 and EF > 0.90, d-index ≥ 0.99. The model captured the trend of the soil water storage well, R2 and EF ≥ 0.70. The AquaCrop model simulated soil water storage below wilting point for seasonal rainfall less than 600 mm, and it did not overestimate it. The model predicted evapotranspiration with R2 and EF ≥ 0.89, d-index = 1.00. Above ground biomass was overestimated even though R2 ≥ 0.98. Although, nitrogen stress reduced seed yield and water productivity, there was no under or over estimation of the seed yields. They were predicted with low error under the different levels of nitrogen fertilizer, R2 ≥ 0.99, EF and d-index ≥ 0.99. The AquaCrop model is suitable for simulating canopy cover, soil water storage, evapotranspiration, and seed yield of rainfed soybeans with different levels of nitrogen fertilizer under temporal distribution of seasonal rainfall. Therefore, it can serve as a useful tool for smallholder farmers in predicting productivity of soybeans and optimising resource allocation, land and water use in the tropical farming systems. We recommend simulation of the effects of pest on biomass, seed yield and water productivity by subsequent versions of the AquaCrop model. In addition, incorporating an economic sub-unit in the model will enable users to make financial decisions.

The Amazon experiences fires every year, and the resulting biomass burning aerosols, together with cloud particles, influence the penetration of sunlight through the atmosphere, increasing the ratio of diffuse to direct photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) reaching the vegetation canopy and thereby potentially increasing ecosystem productivity. In this study, we use the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model with coupled aerosol, cloud, radiation, and ecosystem modules to investigate the impact of Amazon biomass burning aerosols on ecosystem productivity, as well as the role of the Amazon's clouds in tempering this impact. The study focuses on a 7-year period (2010–2016) during which the Amazon experienced a variety of dynamic environments (e.g., La Niña, normal years, and El Niño). The direct radiative impact of biomass burning aerosols on ecosystem productivity – called here the aerosol diffuse radiation fertilization effect – is found to increase Amazonian gross primary production (GPP) by 2.6 % via a 3.8 % increase in diffuse PAR (DFPAR) despite a 5.4 % decrease in direct PAR (DRPAR) on multiyear average during burning seasons. On a monthly basis, this increase in GPP can be as large as 9.9 % (occurring in August 2010). Consequently, the net primary production (NPP) in the Amazon is increased by 1.5 %, or ∼92 Tg C yr−1 – equivalent to ∼37 % of the average carbon lost due to Amazon fires over the 7 years considered. Clouds, however, strongly regulate the effectiveness of the aerosol diffuse radiation fertilization effect. The efficiency of this fertilization effect is the highest in cloud-free conditions and linearly decreases with increasing cloud amount until the cloud fraction reaches ∼0.8, at which point the aerosol-influenced light changes from being a stimulator to an inhibitor of plant growth. Nevertheless, interannual changes in the overall strength of the aerosol diffuse radiation fertilization effect are primarily controlled by the large interannual changes in biomass burning aerosols rather than by changes in cloudiness during the studied period.

The bloom-forming cyanobacteria Trichodesmium contribute up to 30% to the total fixed nitrogen in the global oceans and thereby drive substantial productivity. On an expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, we observed and sampled surface slicks, some of which included dense blooms of Trichodesmium erythraeum. These bloom samples contained abundant and atypical free fatty acids, identified here as 2-methyldecanoic acid and 2-methyldodecanoic acid. The high abundance and unusual branching pattern of these compounds suggest that they may play a specific role in this globally important organism.

Vegetation interacts closely with water resources. Conventional field studies of plant–water relations are fundamental for understanding the mechanisms of how plants alter and adapt to environmental changes, while large-scale studies can be more practical for regional land use and water management towards mitigating climate change impacts. In this study, we investigated the changes in the total water storage (TWS), aridity index (AI) and vegetation greenness, productivity, and their interactions in the Pearl River basin since April 2002. Results show an overall increasing trend of vegetation greenness and productivity, especially in the middle reaches where TWS also increased. This region dominated by croplands was identified as the hot spot for changes and interactions between water and vegetation in the basin. Vegetation was more strongly affected by TWS than precipitation (P) at both the annual and monthly scales. Further examination showed that the influence of TWS on vegetation in dry years was stronger than wet years, while the impact of P was stronger in wet years than dry years; moreover, vegetation productivity responded slower but stronger to atmospheric dryness in dry years than wet years. The lag effects resulted in nonlinearity between water and vegetation dynamics. This study implies that vegetation in the basin uses rainwater prior to water storage until the soil becomes dry, and their dynamics indicate that vegetation development is subject to water availability, and that vegetation is not dominant in reducing water availability.

In 2020, on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, soybeans were cultivated on an area of about 127.7 thousand hectares. To expand the acreage of this crop, it is necessary to create new varieties with a high genetic potential for productivity and quality and adaptive to the various soil and climatic zones of the Republic. The work aims to monitor the quality indicators and productivity of new highly productive varieties of soybeans with a high content of protein and oil in seeds. In Kazakhstan, 18 varieties of soybeans have been bred and approved for production at latitudes from 53 to 42°N. The varieties belong to maturity groups 00, 0, I, II, III. There is a tendency to an increase in the collection of oil and protein in the varieties of the new generation. In the varieties created in the 70s-80s, the collection of protein per hectare was 1,078.0-1,238.3 kg and oil at 577.5-734.5 kg. In the new generation varieties, the collection of protein per hectare is in the range of 944.7-1,705.3 kg, and oil at 415.9-974.6 kg. The yield capacity of different varieties falls in the range of 20.9 to 43.9 kg/ha, depending on the maturity group.

The inter- and intra-annual variability in radial growth reflects responses to climatic variability and water shortage, especially in areas subjected to seasonal drought. However, it is unknown how this variability is related to forest productivity, which can be assessed by measuring changes in canopy greenness and cover through remote sensing products as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). We combine xylogenesis with measurements of inter-annual changes in seasonal wood production (earlywood width, adjusted latewood width) and NDVI to improve the understanding of climate and drought impacts on growth and forest productivity in a Pinus teocote stand located in northern Mexico. Cambial dynamics accelerated in March and a high production of radially enlarging and thickening tracheids were observed from April to October and from June to October, respectively. Tracheid maturation was very active in October when latewood production peaked. Wet conditions in winter-spring and summer-autumn enhanced earlywood and latewood production, respectively. Earlywood and latewood were constrained by long (4–10 months) and short (2–3 months) droughts, respectively. The earlywood production depended on April soil moisture, which agrees with the peak of radially enlarging tracheid production found during that month. Aligning drought proxies at inter- and intra-annual scales by using growth and productivity measures improves our understanding of conifer forest responses to water shortage.

Climate change in the Arctic is leading to earlier summers, creating a phenological mismatch between the hatching of insectivorous birds and the availability of their invertebrate prey. While phenological mismatch would presumably lower the survival of chicks, climate change is also leading to longer, warmer summers that may increase the annual productivity of birds by allowing adults to lay nests over a longer period of time, replace more nests that fail, and provide physiological relief to chicks (i.e., warmer temperatures that reduce thermoregulatory costs). However, there is little information on how these competing ecological processes will ultimately impact the demography of bird populations. In 2008 and 2009, we investigated the survival of chicks from initial and experimentally-induced replacement nests of arcticola Dunlin (Calidris alpina) breeding near Utqiaġvik, Alaska. We monitored survival of 66 broods from 41 initial and 25 replacement nests. Based on the average hatch date of each group, chick survival (up to age 15 days) from replacement nests (Ŝi = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.02–0.22) was substantially lower than initial nests (Ŝi = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.48–0.81). Daily survival rates were greater for older chicks, chicks from earlier-laid clutches, and during periods of greater invertebrate availability. As temperature was less important to daily survival rates of shorebird chicks than invertebrate availability, our results indicate that any physiological relief experienced by chicks will likely be overshadowed by the need for adequate food. Furthermore, the processes creating a phenological mismatch between hatching of shorebird young and invertebrate emergence ensures that warmer, longer breeding seasons will not translate into abundant food throughout the longer summers. Thus, despite having a greater opportunity to nest later (and potentially replace nests), young from these late-hatching broods will likely not have sufficient food to survive. Collectively, these results indicate that warmer, longer summers in the Arctic are unlikely to increase annual recruitment rates, and thus unable to compensate for low adult survival, which is typically limited by factors away from the Arctic-breeding grounds.

One of the priority tasks of the agro-industrial complex in the modern world is to increase agricultural animal productivity and maximize the use of various processing byproducts in their feeding. Therefore, the experiment has been conducted to determine the influence of distillers dried grains with solubles as a part of feed mixtures on young quail meat productivity. To carry out the experiment, 5 groups, 100 quail heads in each, have been formed. Quails in the control group 1 did not receive distillers dried grains with solubles as a part of their feed mixture. Quails in the experimental groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 were fed by, respectively, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of distillers dried grains with solubles in complex with feed mixture. The experiment lasted for 35 days. Due to the daily body weight (thereinafter - BW) gain in average for the entire farming period, quails in the experimental group 5 gave in to quails in the control group by 0.16 g or 2.5% (P < 0.01), while the experimental group 2 outweighed them by 0.09 g or 1.4%, group 3 - by 0.19 g or 3% (P < 0.01), group 4 - by 0.13 g or 2.1% (P < 0.01). The lowest feed consumption per 1 kg of quail weight gain was observed in the experimental group 3, that gave in to quails in the control group by 78 g or 2.4%. The experimental groups 2 and 4 had the same indicators, that gave in to quails in the control group by 31 g or 0.9%. And only the experimental group 5 consumed 61 g or 1.8% more feed per 1 kg of BW gain in comparison to the control group. Evaluation of slaughter characteristics in quails, by means of complete feed mixtures with different content of distillers dried grains with solubles, has shown that the experimental group quails achieved the highest indicators.

Rice has become the leading food commodity in Indonesia, with total production reached +54.60 million tons in 2019. However, the production tended to decrease by around 8% from 2018 to 2019, while the rice consumption increased by +1.53 tons. This study aims to develop a rice production estimation model using the soil-vegetation index transformation (MSAVI and SAVI) and soil physical properties, which has the advantage of being faster, cheaper, and more accurate than conventional methods. The soil physical properties were taken based on soil mapping units and analyzed with soil physical parameters. The results showed strong relationships between rice productivity - soil physical characteristics and rice productivity – MSAVI and EVI with r values of 0.97, 0.83, and 0.74, respectively. The soil physical properties have a better coefficient of determination and accuracy than soil-vegetation index. The prediction model of rice production by soil physical properties is formulated inward γ = -8.96+0.01 (Top Soil Sand) + 0.01 (Top Soil Silt) + 6.28 (Bulk Density) - 14.07 (Penetration) - 0.13 (Sub Soil Permeability). There is no difference in the productivity value between model and laboratory analysis result. These results indicate that the rice yield prediction model can be used for estimation purposes.

Summary Over the last two millennia, and at an accelerating pace, the African elephant (Loxodonta spp. Lin.) has been threatened by human activities across its range. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 We investigate the correlates of elephant home range sizes across diverse biomes. Annual and 16-day elliptical time density home ranges 8 were calculated by using GPS tracking data collected from 229 African savannah and forest elephants (L. africana and L. cyclotis, respectively) between 1998 and 2013 at 19 sites representing bushveld, savannah, Sahel, and forest biomes. Our analysis considered the relationship between home range area and sex, species, vegetation productivity, tree cover, surface temperature, rainfall, water, slope, aggregate human influence, and protected area use. Irrespective of these environmental conditions, long-term annual ranges were overwhelmingly affected by human influence and protected area use. Only over shorter, 16-day periods did environmental factors, particularly water availability and vegetation productivity, become important in explaining space use. Our work highlights the degree to which the human footprint and existing protected areas now constrain the distribution of the world’s largest terrestrial mammal. 9 , 10 A habitat suitability model, created by evaluating every square kilometer of Africa, predicts that 18,169,219 km2 would be suitable as elephant habitat—62% of the continent. The current elephant distribution covers just 17% of this potential range of which 57.4% falls outside protected areas. To stem the continued extirpation and to secure the elephants’ future, effective and expanded protected areas and improved capacity for coexistence across unprotected range are essential.

Background and Aims Many recent studies emphasize that mixed species is a promising silvicultural option for sustainable ecosystem management under uncertain and risky future environmental conditions. However, compared with monocultures, knowledge of mixed stands is still rather fragmentary. This comprehensive study analysed the most common Central European tree species combinations to determine the extent to which mono-layered species mixing (1) can increase stand productivity and stem diameter growth, (2) increase stand density or growth efficiency, and (3) reduce competition and attenuate the relationship between stand density and stem diameter growth compared with mono-specific stands. Methods The study was based on 63 long-term experimental plots in Germany with repeated spatially explicit stand inventories. They covered mono-specific and mixed species stands of Norway spruce (Picea abies), silver fir (Abies alba), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), sessile oak (Quercus petraea), European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus). Based on spatially explicit measurement, we quantified for each tree the intra- or inter-specific neighbourhood, local stand density and growth. We applied mixed models to analyse how inter-specific neighbourhoods modify stand productivity, stand density, growth efficiency, individual tree growth and the trade-off between individual tree growth and stand productivity. Key Results We found stand productivity gains of 7–53 % of mixed versus mono-specific stands continuing over the entire rotation. All mixtures achieved a 3–36 % higher leaf area index until advanced stand age. Stem diameter growth increased by up to 31 % in mixed stands. The growth efficiency of the leaf area was up to 31 % higher, except in mixtures of sessile oak and European beech. The trade-off between stem diameter growth and stand productivity was attenuated by the mixture. Conclusions The increased productivity was mainly based on a density increase in the case of Norway spruce/silver fir/European beech and sessile oak/European beech and it was based on a more efficient resource use given the same stand density in the case of Scots pine/European beech and European ash/sycamore maple. In the other species assemblages the increased productivity was based on a combination of density and efficiency increase. We hypothesize that the density effect may be site-invariant and mainly depends on the structural species complementarity. The efficiency increase of growth may depend on the growth-limiting factor that is remedied by mixture and thus be co-determined by the site conditions. For forest management, the results indicate increased stand and tree size growth by species mixing. For the common mixtures examined in this study the results show that thinning for the acceleration of stem growth requires less density reduction and causes less stand growth losses than in monocultures. We discuss the consequences of our findings for silvicultural prescriptions for mixed-species stands.

An extensive network of storm water conveyance systems in urban areas, often referred to as the “underground storm drain system” (USDS), serves as significant production habitats for mosquitoes. Knowledge of whether USDS habitats are suitable for newly introduced dengue vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus will help guide surveillance and control efforts. To determine whether the USDS functions as a suitable larval habitat for Culex, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in southern California, we examined mosquito habitat utilization and larval survivorship using laboratory microcosm studies. The data showed that USDS constituted 4.1% of sampled larval habitats for Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, and 22.0% for Cx. quinquefasciatus. Furthermore, USDS water collected in the summer completely inhibited Aedes larval development, but yielded a 15.0% pupation rate for Cx. quinquefasciatus. Food supplementation in the microcosms suggests that nutrient deficiency, toxins and other factors in the USDS water led to low success or complete failure of larval development. These results suggest that USDS habitats are currently not major productive larval habitats for Aedes mosquitoes in southern California. Our findings prompt inclusion of assessments of pupal productivity in USDS habitats and adult mosquito resting sites in the mosquito surveillance program.

Long‐term biodiversity experiments have shown increasing strengths of biodiversity effects on plant productivity over time. However, little is known about rapid evolutionary processes in response to plant community diversity, which could contribute to explaining the strengthening positive relationship. To address this issue, we performed a transplant experiment with offspring of seeds collected from four grass species in a 14‐year‐old biodiversity experiment (Jena Experiment). We used two‐ and six‐species communities and removed the vegetation of the study plots to exclude plant–plant interactions. In a reciprocal design, we transplanted five “home” phytometers (same origin and actual environment), five “away‐same” phytometers (same species richness of origin and actual environment, but different plant composition), and five “away‐different” phytometers (different species richness of origin and actual environment) of the same species in the study plots. In the establishment year, plants transplanted in home soil produced more shoots than plants in away soil indicating that plant populations at low and high diversity developed differently over time depending on their associated soil community and/or conditions. In the second year, offspring of individuals selected at high diversity generally had a higher performance (biomass production and fitness) than offspring of individuals selected at low diversity, regardless of the transplant environment. This suggests that plants at low and high diversity showed rapid evolutionary responses measurable in their phenotype. Our findings provide first empirical evidence that loss of productivity at low diversity is not only caused by changes in abiotic and biotic conditions but also that plants respond to this by a change in their micro‐evolution. Thus, we conclude that eco‐evolutionary feedbacks of plants at low and high diversity are critical to fully understand why the positive influence of diversity on plant productivity is strengthening through time., We performed a transplant experiment with offspring of seeds collected in 14‐year‐old plant communities differing in plant species richness. Our findings provide evidence that low and high plant diversity and associated differences in soil community and/or conditions differentially influence eco‐evolutionary feedbacks of plants. ​

Birds that breed in early-successional shrubland habitats are declining throughout North America. The Florida scrub-jay Aphelocoma coerulescens depends on Florida scrub, a shrubland plant community endemic to peninsular Florida, USA. The Florida scrub-jay is nonmigratory, federally listed as threatened, globally listed as Vulnerable, and experiencing ongoing population declines. The largest remaining population occurs in Ocala National Forest (Ocala NF), where the effects of intensive management of scrub for forest product extraction are unknown. During 2011-2014, we conducted the first quantitative evaluation of Florida scrub-jay density and productivity at Ocala NF in relation to the age, size, and connectivity of early-successional habitat patches. Regenerating clearcut stands 3-10 yr post-harvest provided suitable habitat conditions for Florida scrub-jays, with the maximum number of family groups and juveniles occurring in stands 6.5 and 7.4 yr post-harvest, respectively. Our findings indicate that previous definitions of suitable habitat for the species in Ocala NF (e.g. 0-20, 3-15, 3-12 yr post-harvest) are overly broad. We suggest that managers define suitable habitat conservatively given that few stands >10 yr post-harvest were occupied by scrub-jays, and annual productivity in those stands was relatively low. Our findings that scrub-jays readily occupied small scrub patches and did not avoid forested edges should be interpreted with caution, and more demographic study is needed to understand survival and dispersal among patches. Managers can maximize Florida scrub-jay populations in Ocala NF by increasing the availability of habitat that is within 3-10 yr post-harvest.

The western Arctic Ocean (WAO) has experienced increased heat transport into the region, sea-ice reduction, and changes to the WAO nitrous oxide (N2O) cycles from greenhouse gases. We investigated WAO N2O dynamics through an intensive and precise N2O survey during the open-water season of summer 2017. The effects of physical processes (i.e., solubility and advection) were dominant in both the surface (0–50 m) and deep layers (200–2200 m) of the northern Chukchi Sea with an under-saturation of N2O. By contrast, both the surface layer (0–50 m) of the southern Chukchi Sea and the intermediate (50–200 m) layer of the northern Chukchi Sea were significantly influenced by biogeochemically derived N2O production (i.e., through nitrification), with N2O over-saturation. During summer 2017, the southern region acted as a source of atmospheric N2O (mean: + 2.3 ± 2.7 μmol N2O m−2 day−1), whereas the northern region acted as a sink (mean − 1.3 ± 1.5 μmol N2O m−2 day−1). If Arctic environmental changes continue to accelerate and consequently drive the productivity of the Arctic Ocean, the WAO may become a N2O “hot spot”, and therefore, a key region requiring continued observations to both understand N2O dynamics and possibly predict their future changes.

Background Studying the characteristics of Aedes mosquito habitats is essential to control the mosquito population. The objective of this study was to identify the breeding sites of Aedes larvae and their distribution in Chattogram, Bangladesh. We conducted an entomological survey in 12 different sub-districts (Thana) under Chattogram City, during the late monsoon (August to November) 2019. The presence of different wet containers along with their characteristics and immature mosquitoes was recorded in field survey data form. Larvae and/or pupae were collected and brought to the laboratory for identification. Results Different indices like house index, container index, and the Breteau index were estimated. The multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to identify habitats that were more likely to be positive for Aedes larvae/pupae. A total of 704 wet containers of 37 different types from 216 properties were examined, where 52 (7.39%) were positive for Aedes larvae or pupae. Tire, plastic buckets, plastic drums, and coconut shells were the most prevalent container types. The plastic group possessed the highest container productivity (50%) whereas the vehicle and machinery group was found as most efficient (1.83) in terms of immature Aedes production. Among the total positive properties, 8% were infested with Aedes aegypti, 2% with Aedes albopictus, and 1% contained both species Ae. aegypti and A. albopictus. The overall house index was 17.35%, the container index was 7%, and the Breteau index was 24.49. Containers in multistoried houses had significantly lower positivity compared to independent houses. Binary logistic regression represented that containers having shade were 6.7 times more likely to be positive than the containers without shade (p< 0.01). Conclusions These findings might assist the authorities to identify the properties, containers, and geographical areas with different degrees of risk for mosquito control interventions to prevent dengue and other Aedes-borne disease transmissions.

The effects of nanobubble on the growth environment, such as dissolved oxygen (DO) and total virus-bacteria, and growth performance, such as growth, feed conversion ratio (FCR), survival rate (SR), total harvest, and productivity, were investigated in Penaeus vannamei shrimp ponds. The present study was carried out in 50 m2 indoor raceway ponds for 81 days with stocking density being set to 680 shrimp m−3 in two types of treatment: nanobubble and diffuser aerator. A paddlewheel was used to distribute the oxygen saturation levels throughout the ponds. The presence of nanoparticles was detected using a dynamic light scattering method and was reported to be 82.38 nm in size and −26 mV for zeta potential value. DO was significantly higher under nanobubble treatment. Total virus-bacteria and FCR decreased, whereas SR, growth (weight and length), total harvest, and productivity increased with increasing DO. The SR was reported to reach 95%. The average weight and length of P. vannamei were 15.1 ± 1.8 g and 13.1 ± 1.1 cm, respectively. The total harvest and productivity have doubled to 436 kg and 8.7 kg/m3. The results revealed that nanobubble has managed to maintain DO at the optimal range and affected the shrimp growth significantly (P

The Aerosol and Cloud Experiment in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) investigated properties of aerosols and subtropical marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds. Low subtropical marine clouds can have a large effect on Earth's radiative budget, but they are poorly represented in global climate models. In order to understand their radiative effects, it is imperative to understand the composition and sources of the MBL cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The campaign consisted of two intensive operation periods (IOPs) (June–July 2017 and January–February 2018) during which an instrumented G-1 aircraft was deployed from Lajes Field on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portugal. The G-1 conducted research flights in the vicinity of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) atmospheric observatory on Graciosa Island. An Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and Ionicon proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) were deployed aboard the aircraft, characterizing chemistry of non-refractory aerosol and trace gases, respectively. The eastern North Atlantic region was found to be very clean, with an average non-refractory submicrometer aerosol mass loading of 0.6 µg m−3 in the summer and 0.1 µg m−3 in the winter, measured by the AMS. Average concentrations of the trace reactive gases methanol and acetone were 1–2 ppb; benzene, toluene and isoprene were even lower, ppb. Mass fractions of sulfate, organics, ammonium and nitrate in the boundary layer were 69 %, 23 %, 7 % and 1 % and remained largely similar between seasons. The aerosol chemical composition was dominated by sulfate and highly processed organics. Particulate methanesulfonic acid (MSA), a well-known secondary biogenic marine species, was detected, with an average boundary layer concentration of 0.021 µg m−3, along with its gas-phase precursor, dimethyl sulfide (DMS). MSA accounted for no more than 3 % of the submicron, non-refractory aerosol in the boundary layer. Examination of vertical profiles of aerosol and gas chemistry during ACE-ENA reveals an interplay of local marine emissions and long-range-transported aged aerosol. A case of transport of biomass burning emissions from North American fires has been identified using back-trajectory analysis. In the summer, the non-refractory portion of the background CCN budget was heavily influenced by aerosol associated with ocean productivity, in particular sulfate formed from DMS oxidation. Episodic transport from the continents, particularly of biomass burning aerosol, periodically increased CCN concentrations in the free troposphere. In the winter, with ocean productivity lower, CCN concentrations were overall much lower and dominated by remote transport. These results show that anthropogenic emissions perturb CCN concentrations in remote regions that are sensitive to changes in CCN number and illustrate that accurate predictions of both transport and regional aerosol formation from the oceans are critical to accurately modeling clouds in these regions.

The observations of plant development were carried out for three years. The most desirable period for harvesting the miscanthus is December. During this period, the humidity of the stems decreases to 17%. For this reason, the samples for laboratory tests were taken in December. According to the obtained research data, the sewage sludge we used is characterized by the following indicators: humidity - 76%, ash content - 5%, nitrogen - 0.66%, P2O5 - 2.51%, K2O - 2.16%. The artificial neural networks are widely used in various fields of knowledge, namely to predict the productivity of the agrophytocenoses of the energy crops. This research technology - artificial neural networks - is a mathematical model that allows you to find relationships between variables and predicted results of the studied variables, depending on the initial conditions. In this study, a mathematical model was successfully implemented, which allowed to predict the yield of the miscanthus at given levels, with the introduction of the mineral and organic (sewage sludge) fertilizers. According to the received researches, the application of a sewage sludge in norm of 20 - 40 t/ha promotes productivity of the power cultures (the miscanthus) within 24,5–27,1 t/ha, thus increases productivity on 2,3 - 5,1 t/ha, compared with control.

Relevance. The year-round provision of the population of our country with fresh vegetable products remainsis relevant. The creation and widespread implementation of high-tech automated phytotechnological complexes based on innovative technologies for growing plants in intensive light culture, including the development of new-generation root-dwelling environments, low-volume and thin-layer analogs of soil and systems for providing plants with water and mineral nutrition elements, is one of the promising ways to solve this problem.The purpose. Assessment of the influence of root environment conditions on the production process of cucumber plants in intensive light culture is the aim of our work.Methods. The research was carried out under controlled conditions of intensive artificial-light culture, when growing a hybrid of cucumber Tristan F1 by using of low-volume and thin-layer analogs of soil with the supply of a nutrient solution to the plant roots through a slit capillary and by drip irrigation with the use of plant growing light equipment developed at Agrophysical Institute.Results. Evaluation of the influence of the conditions of the root environment - alow-volume analogue of the soil based on high-moor peat – agrophyte and a thin-layer analog of the soil based on a clay suspension with a feed of nutrient solution through a slit capillary, on the production process of cucumber plants showed that in comparison with the control – a low-volume analog of the soil-agrophyte with a feed of nutrient solution by drip irrigation, there is growth acceleration of the cucumber hybrid Tristan F1 in the form of a positive trend and reliable values; as well as a significant increase in the number of fruits by 38-43%, the weight of fruits by 52-53% from the plant; an increase in the accumulation of raw by 38-40% and dry weight by 27-32% by cucumber leaves; an increase in the leaf surface area by 38-40%, leaf water content by 7.3- 9.6%; a significant or positive trend increase in the content of calcium in cucumber fruits by 18-29%, magnesium by 20-29%, iron by 5-16%, vitamin C by 17-23%, while the content of heavy metals and nitrates does not exceed exceeded the MPC in all variants. Methods of growing plants on low-volume and thin - layer analogs of soil with the supply of a nutrient solution to the roots through a slit capillary can be recommended for any cultivation facilities in conditions of intensive light culture.

Rice which belongs to the grass family is vulnerable to water stress. As water resources get limited, the productivity of rice is affected especially in granaries located at drought prone areas. It would be even worse in granaries located in drought prone areas such as KADA that receives the lowest rainfall in Malaysia. Spermine (SPM), a polyamine compound that is found ubiquitiosly in plants is involved in adaptation of biotic and abiotic stresses. The effect of SPM on growth,grain filling and yield of rice at three main granaries namely, IADA BLS, MADA and KADA representing unlimited water, limited water and water stress conditions respectively, were tested during the main season. Additinally, the growth enhancer was also tested during off season at KADA. Spermine increased plant height, number of tillers per hill and chlorophyll content in all three granaries. Application of SPM improved yield by 38, 29 and 20% in MADA, KADA and IADA BLS, respectively. Harvest index showed 2.6, 6 and 16% increases at IADA BLS, KADA and MADA, respectively in SPM treated plants as compared to untreated. Except for KADA which showed a reduction in yield at 2.54 tha−1, SPM improved yield at MADA, 7.21 tha−1 and IADA BLS, 9.13 tha−1 as compared to the average yield at these respective granaries. In the second trial, SPM increased the yield to 7.0 and 6.4 tha−1 during main and off seasons, respectively, indicating that it was significantly higher than control and the average yield reported by KADA. The yield of SPM treatments improved by 25 and 33% with an increment of farmer’s income at main and off seasons, respectively. Stomatal width was significantly higher than control at 11.89 µm. In conclusion, irrespective of the tested granaries and rice variety, spermine mediated plots displayed increment in grain yield.

Background and Aim: The market demand for the quality of milk and dairy products, in particular in terms of such indicators as fat content, the amount and composition of milk protein, etc., is growing. Thus, the need for the selection of dairy herds using genetic markers associated with qualitative traits of milk productivity is becoming urgent. This study aimed to determine the preferred and undesirable genotypes of the AluI polymorphism of the growth hormone gene and SnaBI polymorphism of the insulin-like growth factor-1 gene associated with milk productivity and quality indicators of the black-and-white breed. The genotypes of animals were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Materials and Methods: Samples of the black-and-white breed from Kazakhstan served as the research subjects. The polymorphism of the growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 genes was determined by PCR-RFLP. The relationship of bGH-AluI and bIGF-1-SnaBI polymorphisms with productivity was assessed (fat, protein, and milk yield for 305 days of lactation, live weight, somatic cells, and milk production coefficient) by analysis of variance using Statistica 6.0 software. Results: The black-and-white cows with the bGH-AluILV genotype had significantly higher milk yield in 305 days (3174.5±157.2 kg) than those with the bGH-AluILL (2940.0±152.6 kg) and bGH-AluIVV genotypes (2964.0±36.0; p