Search

This study was carried out in Kovada lake national park in Isparta in 2018-2020 to determine the forage values of common grazeable bush species. Ten species including bush, shrub-shaped tree and shrub species (Phillyrea latifolia, Spartium junceum, Juniperus oxycedrus, Quercus coccifera, Quercus infectoria, Coronilla emerus, Colutea melanocalyx, Fraxinus excelsior, Paliurus spina-christi ve Crataegus monogyna) were used in the study. Leaf samples were taken from these species in all seasons. In this study, dry matter (DM) ratio, crude protein (CP) ratio, NDF, ADF, total digestible nutrients (TDN), relative feed value (RFV) and tannin ratios of each species were determined.According to the results of the analysis of variance, the difference between seasons and bush species was found to be statistically significant in all the examined characteristics.According to the two-year averages, when the seasons are compared, the highest crude protein ratio, TDN and RFV were obtained in the spring, while they decreased as the seasons progressed, and the lowest values were obtained in the winter. The lowest dry matter ratios, ADF and NDF values were obtained in the spring and increased in parallel with the progress of the seasons. The lowest tannin ratios were obtained in spring and summer, while the highest values were determined in winter.When the species were compared, the lowest dry matter and NDF ratio were found in C. melanocalyx, ADF ratio in P. spina-christi, and tannin ratio in P. latifolia, S. junceum, C. emerus, C. melanocalyx and F. excelsior. The highest crude protein ratio was determined in C. emerus, TDN P. spina-christi and RFV C. melanocalyx species.Consequently, it has been seen that the bush, shrub-shaped tree and shrub species in the maquis have an important potential as high quality feed for ruminant animals in the critical period in semi-arid and arid regions., Bu çalışma, otlanabilen yaygın çalı türlerinin yem değerlerinin belirlenmesi amacıyla 2018-2020 yıllarında Isparta’da Kovada Gölü çevresinde yürütülmüştür. Çalışmada çalı, çalı formunu almış ağaç ve ağaççık türlerinden oluşan 10 tür (Phillyrea latifolia, Spartium junceum, Juniperus oxycedrus, Quercus coccifera, Quercus infectoria, Coronilla emerus, Colutea melanocalyx, Fraxinus excelsior, Paliurus spina-christi ve Crataegus monogyna) kullanılmıştır. Bu türlerden her mevsim yaprak örnekleri alınmıştır. Çalışmada, kuru madde oranı (KMO), ham protein oranı (HPO), NDF, ADF, toplam sindirilebilir besin maddesi (TSBM), nispi yem değeri (NYD) ve tanen oranı belirlenmiştir. Varyans analizi sonuçlarına göre, mevsimler ve çalı türleri arasındaki farklılık incelenen bütün özelliklerde istatistiki olarak önemli bulunmuştur. İki yıllık ortalamalara göre, mevsimler karşılaştırıldığında, en yüksek HPO, TSBM ve NYD ilkbaharda elde edilirken, mevsimler ilerledikçe azalmış, en düşük değerler kışın elde edilmiştir. En düşük kuru madde oranları, ADF ve NDF değerleri ilkbaharda elde edilmiş ve mevsimlerin ilerlemesine paralel olarak artmıştır. En düşük kondanse tanen oranları ilkbahar ve yaz mevsiminde elde edilirken en yüksek değerler kış mevsiminde tespit edilmiştir. Türler karşılaştırıldığında ise en düşük kuru madde ve NDF oranı C. melanocalyx, ADF oranı P. spina-christi, kondanse tanen oranı P. latifolia, S. junceum, C. emerus, C. melanocalyx ve F. excelsior’da tespit edilmiştir. En yüksek HPO C. emerus, TSBM P. spina-christi ve NYD C. melanocalyx türlerinde belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak maki içerisinde yer alan çalı, çalı formunu almış ağaç ve ağaççık türlerinin yarı kurak ve kurak bölgelerde kritik dönemde geviş getiren hayvanlar için yüksek kaliteli yem olarak önemli bir potansiyele sahip olduğu görülmüştür.

Increases in shrub growth and canopy cover are well documented community responses to climate warming in the Arctic. An important consequence of larger deciduous shrubs is shading of prostrate plant species, many of which are important sources of nectar and berries. Here, we present the impact of a shading experiment on two prostrate shrubs, Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. and Arctous alpina L., in northern Alaska over two growing seasons. We implemented three levels of shading (no shade, 40% shade, and 80% shade) in dry heath and moist acidic tundra. Plots were monitored for soil moisture content, surface temperature, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and flowering. Shading was shown to, on average, lower surface temperature (0.7 °C to 5.3 °C) and increase soil moisture content (0.5% to 5.6%) in both communities. Both species- and plot-level NDVI values were delayed in timing of peak values (7 to 13 days) and decreased at the highest shading. Flower abundance of both species was lower in shaded plots and peak flowering was delayed (3 to 8 days) compared with controls. Changes in timing may result in phenological mismatches and can impact other trophic levels in the Arctic as both the flowers and resulting berries are important food sources for animals.

Different ecosystems evolved and are maintained by fire, with their vegetation hosting species with a wide diversity of persistence strategies allowing them to insulate their body and resprout new branches after fire disturbance. Changes in fire regime are predicted due to climate change, either by promoting more frequent and/or severe fires or by reducing the number fire events due to the limitation of fuel load. Predicting the future of fire-driven ecosystems is a complex task as species’ survival depends on many factors that vary in space and time. Since plants are constantly experiencing new environments as they grow through meristem development, woody plant modularity, modules morpho-physiological aspects and their integration should be considered when investigating species strategies in fire-prone ecosystems: according to their position and their tissue composition, plants’ modules experience fire differently and will contribute differently to other modules and the whole plant survival, with consequences cascading over the overall vegetation structure. Growth modules may hold the key to understanding how fast plants can get protected from fire, ultimately helping us to predict which species will persist across changing fire regimes. We present an empirical example showing how different fire-return intervals translate into distinct pressures on the timing, protection, and location of modules and discuss how these can translate into modifications in the vegetation structure due to climate change.

Questions: Knowledge of how extreme drought events induce plant dieback and, eventually, plant mortality, may improve our forecasting of ecosystem change according to future climate projections, especially in Mediterranean drylands. In them, shrublands are the main vegetation communities in transition areas from a subhumid to semi-arid climate. This study analyzed differences in plant dieback after an unusual drought in 2014 and identified their main underlying factors in relation to three groups of explanatory variables: water availability, soil properties and vegetation structure attributes. Location: Four Mediterranean shrublands along a climatic gradient in SE Spain. Methods: At each experimental field site, we sampled a pool of vegetation structure characteristics, soil depth and soil surface properties, and we also determined water availability by continuously monitoring soil moisture and the microclimate conditions. Results: The climatic analysis showed that there was an extreme drought event in 2014, which was below the first percentile of the driest years. Under such conditions, vegetation dieback occurred at all the study sites. However, plant dieback differed between sites and plant biotypes. Subshrubs were the main affected biotype, with diebacks close to 60% at the driest sites, and up to 40% dieback for shrubs depending on their vertical development. Relative extractable water and bare soil surface cover were the best explanatory variables of plant community dieback but changed between plant biotypes. Vegetation structure variables related to plant vertical development (leaf area index [LAI], plant height, phytovolume) were significant explanatory variables of plant dieback in shrubs, subshrubs and grasses. Consecutive dry days fitted the best model to explain subshrub dieback. Conclusions: We found that rainfall pattern rather than total annual rainfall was the climatic factor that best determined water availability for plants in Mediterranean drylands. These results also pointed out the relevance of plant structure and soil properties for explaining ecosystem responses to extreme drought. This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through Projects HYDROMED (PID2019-111332RB-C21) and INERTIA (PID2019-111332RB-C22), and through the IMAGINA projects (PROMETEU/2019/110) and (APOSTD20/2019–-7956) from the Generalitat Valenciana and the European Social Fund. AMR was supported by the scholarship FPU-UA (2015) from the University of Alicante.

The state of Paraíba in northeast Brazil contains four of the seven biomes present in the country: Mata Atlântica, Cerrado, Caatinga and Matas Serranas. On the other hand, Amazônia, Pantanaland Pampa were not found in this area. This special situation allows us to analyse changes in the distribution of these four large Brazilian biomes according to bioclimatic conditions, using the methodology of bioclimatic regime types. Based on the analysis of variables from periods of hydric and thermal vegetation stagnation, obtained from hydric and bioclimatic balances, average monthly temperature and rainfall, that methodology enables us to establish a typology of 27 types of bioclimatic regimes and 243 bioclimatic regime subtypes with the 9 Thornthwaite ombrothermal levels. In Paraíba 4 types of bioclimatic regimes are currently identified (mesophyllo, tropophyllo, xerophyllo and eurythermophilous) and 9 subtypes according to ombrothermal levels. In order to analyse the changes, extreme change situations were chosen: a past scenario with the Last Glacial Maximum (40 ky); and an RCP 8.5 climate change scenario for the CMSS 4.0 model for the year 2070. This enabled 3 bioclimatic regime maps of each of the 3 aforementioned situations to be obtained, providing a map of potential distribution of the plant formations of Paraíba state according to the specific field knowledge and bioclimatic mapping obtained for the present. This paper concludes that a retrocession of the Mata Atlântica can be seen from the Last Glacial Maximum up to the present, losing its optimal bioclimatic conditions and therefore remaining in a highly fragile relict situation in the face of anthropic pressure (sugarcane cultivation and urban expansion); an advance toward 2070 of the Caatinga in its shrub form as a predominant formation is indicated by the projection of climate change in 2070 for the analysed situation, specifically resulting from anthropic pressure, in this case due to livestock activities which have affected this biome in Paraíba since the mid-19th century. El estado de Paraiba en el nordeste del país, recoge cuatro de los siete biomas presentes en Brasil: la Mata Atlántica, el Cerrado, la Caatinga y las Matas Serranas.Por otro lado, Amazonia, Pantanal y Pampa no se encontraron en esta área. Esta situación especial nos permite hacer un análisis de los cambios en la distribución de estos cuatro grandes biomas brasileños en función de las condiciones bioclimáticas con el uso de la metodología de tipos regímenes bioclimáticos. Dicha metodología, a partir del análisis de las variables de los periodos de paralización vegetativa hídrica y térmica, obtenidos de los balances hídricos y bioclimáticos, la precipitación y la temperatura media mensual, nos permite establecer una tipología de 27 tipos de regímenes bioclimáticos y 243 subtipos de regímenes bioclimáticos con los 9 niveles ombrotérmicos de Thornthwaite. Se identifican actualmente para Paraiba 4 tipos de regímenes bioclimáticos (mesophyllo, tropophyllo, xerophyllo y euritermophyllo) y 9 subtipos en función de los niveles ombrotérmicos. Para poder hacer un análisis de cambios se han elegido situaciones extremas de cambio: por un lado, un escenario del pasado con el Ultimo Máximo Glaciar (40 ky), y por otro un escenario de cambio climático RCP 8.5 para el modelo CMSS 4.0 para el año 2070. Se obtienen así 3 cartografías de regímenes bioclimáticos de cada una de las tres situaciones citadas y se aporta una cartografía de la distribución potencial de las formaciones vegetales del estado de Paraiba en función de los propios conocimientos de campo y de la cartografía bioclimática que se ha obtenido para la actualidad. Como conclusión de este trabajo se puede ver un retroceso de la Mata Atlántica desde el Ultimo máximo Glaciar hasta la actualidad, perdiendo son condiciones bioclimáticas óptimas y quedando por lo tanto en una situación relicta de alta fragilidad ante la presión antrópica (cultivos de caña de azúcar y expansión urbana) y un avance hacia el 2070 de la caatinga en su forma arbustiva como formación predominante según marca la proyección del cambio climático en el 2070 para el escenario analizado, y como resultado de la propio acción antrópica, en este caso con actividades ganaderas, que se viene ejerciendo sobre este bioma en Paraiba desde mediados del siglo XIX.

Background Even though some Dracaena species are used as medicine, their utilization as food is rather unusual. In northern Angola, however, leaves and underground tubers of Dracaena camerooniana Baker are frequently consumed. In particular, the leaves are of increasing economic value in the region. But the anatomy and nutritional aspects of the plant have not been studied so far. Therefore, a detailed anatomic description of the plant was conducted. In a second step the nutritional value of the defined material was analysed, providing a basis for the discussion of a more intensive utilisation of this rainforest shrub. Results The leaf anatomy of Dracaena camerooniana differs from the species of the genus that have been examined so far, in showing adaptations to wet climatic conditions. The stems produce a secondary thickening meristem with amphivasal secondary vascular bundles. During tuber formation, the parenchyma of the pith in the vascular cylinder of the root markedly increases. From a nutritional point of view, leaves do not noteworthy contribute to vitamin intake. The nutritional composition of the tubers is comparable to that of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz ) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). However, a high fructose value indicates inulin as a storage carbohydrate. Conclusion Inspite of its rather moderate nutritional values, Dracaena camerooniana is an indigenous addition to the diet of the Angolan population that could also be cultivated in the future due to the easy vegetative propagation.

Lacustrine non‐skeletal carbonates exhibit a diversity of petrographies due to interactions between physico‐chemical and biologically influenced mechanisms. Despite the suggestion that evaporative concentration was involved in the formation of spherulite and shrubby‐bearing carbonate successions in the Pre‐Salt Cretaceous alkaline lakes of the South Atlantic, no consensus exists about the water chemistries promoting these exotic mineral textures. In this work, an experimental approach was developed to evaluate how changes in salinity (NaCl) and biopolymer concentrations (alginic acid) impact calcite growth dynamics from saline and alkaline synthetic solutions. Hydrochemical and petrographical data from selected modern saline/alkaline environments were compared with experimental datasets to further estimate how the underlying (bio)chemical conditions and lake locations probably converge to allow the formation of calcite spherulite grains in evaporitic settings. Spherulitic calcite from Recent saline lakes and experiments arise from waters with moderate to high [Calcium]/[Alkalinity] ratios ([Ca]/[Alk]) rather than in calcium‐depleted and alkaline‐rich environments which tend to produce single‐crystal calcites during abiotic water mixing or lake evaporation. This observation is consistent with the assembly of polycrystalline textures being a kinetically controlled feature, forced by remarkably high rates of nucleation. Also, the data analysed do not support a causative relationship between evaporite‐driven salinity fluctuations and the preferential formation of spherulites, shrubs or their intermediate textures. Ubiquitous in saline lakes, organic substances can lower the kinetic thresholds for spherulitic calcite aggregation while microbial photosynthesis can also raise pH, altogether enhancing calcite supersaturation and promoting spherulite formation in waters with moderate‐high [Ca]/[Alk] ratios and high salinities. Localised observations of abiotic spherulites in Recent soda lakes can occur in restricted mixing zones where [Ca]/[Alk] ratios are enhanced. This work highlights the roles of concentration regimes associated with biopolymers and microbial metabolism against the background salinity fluctuations in determining the morphological and textural transitions in lacustrine carbonate minerals.

Pathogens that attack invasive plants can positively affect the integrity and functioning of ecosystems. Stem-tip dieback and extensive wilting followed by sudden death have been observed in Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata (bitou bush), one of Australia’s worst invasive shrubs. Metabarcoding and culturing methods were used to investigate whether fungi are implicated in this syndrome. Metabarcoding results revealed significantly different endophytic fungal communities within healthy and diseased bitou bush, and colocated native plants. There was no difference in fungal communities between soil sampled in the root zone of healthy and diseased bitou bush at the same site. Two Diaporthe sp. operational taxonomic units (OTUs), dominant at sites with extensive wilting explained 30% of the similarity between diseased bitou bush across all sites. Two other OTUs, Austropleospora osteospermi and Coprinellus sp., explained 20 and 40% of the similarity between diseased plants, respectively, and were only dominant at sites with dead or stunted, partially defoliated but not wilted bitou bush. A Penicillium sp. OTU explained 90% of the similarity between healthy bitou bush plants. Various Diaporthe spp. dominated isolations from diseased bitou bush. Manipulative experiments confirmed Diaporthe spp. pathogenicity on bitou bush excised and in situ stems. In another experiment, Diaporthe masirevicii infected flowers and, from there, colonized stems endophytically; however, wilting and sudden death of bitou bush did not occur within the experimental timeframe. Our study provides circumstantial evidence that bitou bush sudden death syndrome is the result of a shift in the composition of its endophytic fungal community from mutualist to pathogenic species. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Forest fires are important sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils. However, factors controlling PAH production in soils subjected to fires in different sites are poorly understood. Here, we analyzed 143 sets of previously published data to evaluate the concentrations and composition profiles of PAHs in ash and soils associated with forest fires and to assess the impacts of soil depth, fire intensity, post-fire duration, and vegetation type on their occurrence. Compared to unburned soils, the total PAH concentrations increased by 205% (95% confidential interval of 152-269%; n=136) in soils associated with fires. This increase surpassed that of PAH toxic equivalents (73%) because fires produce dominantly low-ring PAHs with relatively low toxicity. PAH concentrations in fire-impacted sites increased by 684%, 258%, and 155% in the ash, 0–5-cm soil depth interval, and > 5-cm soil depth interval, respectively. The increases in PAH concentrations associated with mild-intensity fires (412%) exceeded those associated with moderate-intensity (163%) and high-intensity (168%) fires, which is possibly due to pyromineralization or volatilization of organic matters at high burning temperatures. These increases were highest within a month after the fire (280%), gradually decreasing over time, and showed no significant difference compared to the reference sites after 24 months. The concentration increases exhibit no major difference between various vegetation types (broad-leaved forest vs. coniferous forest vs. shrub). Assessments reveal that exposure to the post-fire soil PAHs involves no serious human health risk. However, potential adverse effects of the soil PAHs on the other organisms (e.g., microbes and plants) and the ecosystems should be further examined. The present study highlights the strong impacts of soil depth, fire intensity, and post-fire duration, and the relatively weak impact of the vegetation type on the PAH concentrations in soils associated with fires in different areas.

Context: Climate and economic changes promote the encroachment of woody plants on marginal mountain pastures. In the Alps, the main woody invader is the nitrogen-fixing shrub Alnus viridis (green alder). Robust breeds of different ruminant species may perform well on these shrub-encroached pastures. Aims: To assess the effects of A. viridis encroachment levels of mountain pastures on the growth performance and carcass and meat characteristics of cattle and sheep. Methods: For 8-9 weeks, 22 15-month-old growing Dexter cattle and 20 7-month-old weaned Engadine sheep were grazed rotationally on pastures in a subalpine zone with four different levels of A. viridis encroachment (average: 0.8%, 28.7%, 50.3% and 67.8%). Following slaughter, the assessed carcass and meat characteristics (longissimus thoracis and biceps femoris) included physicochemical meat quality, muscle fibre typing, fatty acid profiling (intramuscular and perirenal fat) and the sensory properties of patties. Key results: The shrub encroachment levels had only minor effects on the animals. Interactions with the animal species influenced some sensory and fatty acid characteristics. The average daily gains were 201 g in the Dexter cattle and 104 g in the Engadine sheep. Both species achieved satisfactory carcass and meat quality and favourably low n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratios (0.63 and 0.68 in the intramuscular fat of the cattle and sheep, respectively). The meat from the Dexter cattle had a slightly higher cooking loss and shear force and a slightly lower proportion of fatty acids relevant to human health. Flavour appreciation was in favour of the burgers prepared from the beef. Conclusions: Both robust breeds were suitable for producing meat on extensive pastures with A. viridis encroachment of up to 70%. Based on indirect evidence, it seems that neither species consumed significant quantities of leaves or bark from the trees. Implications: Our study provides detailed information on rare robust breeds of two animal species in the context of meat production according to customer preferences. To better explain the differences between the two animal species, particularly in terms of fatty acid profiles, the role of the A. viridis understory needs to be clarified., Animal Production Science, ISSN:1836-0939, ISSN:1836-5787

High latitude and altitude ecosystems are currently undergoing rapid and unprecedented warming in response to anthropogenically induced climate change. Subarctic, alpine regions are particularly vulnerable to increases in air temperature and changing precipitation regimes, which have caused cascading hydrological and ecological impacts. In addition to changing flow regimes, thawing permafrost, and declining glaciers, widespread changes in vegetation composition, density and distribution have been observed across northern regions. Specifically, treeline is advancing with increasing latitude and altitude and shrubs are increasing in height, extent, and density. Despite widespread documentation of this northern greening, few field-based studies have evaluated the hydrological implications of these changes. Quantification of total evapotranspiration (ET) across a range of vegetation gradients is essential for predicting water yield, yet challenging in cold alpine catchments due to heterogeneous land cover. Direct field-level measurements of transpiration (T) and evaporative partitioning across subarctic, alpine ecosystems and species are rare, yet essential to assess sensitivities and hydrological response to changing climate drivers. This thesis presents six years of surface energy balance components and ET dynamics and two years of sap flux measurements and critical zone stable water isotope sampling at three sites along an elevational gradient in a subarctic, alpine catchment near Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. These sites span a gradient of thermal and vegetation regimes, providing a space-for-time comparison for future ecosystem shifts: 1) a low-elevation boreal white spruce forest (~12-20 m), 2) a mid-elevation subalpine taiga comprised of tall, dense willow (Salix) and birch (Betula) shrubs (~1-3 m) and 3) a high-elevation subalpine taiga with short, sparse shrub cover (< 0.75 m) and moss, lichen, and bare rock. We utilize both mass flux measurements and stable water isotopes to evaluate the timing, magnitude, sensitivities, and sources of plant water uptake across these vegetation covers. Total ET decreased and interannual variability increased with elevation, with mean May to September ET totals of 349 (±3) mm at the forest, 249 (±10) mm at the tall, dense shrub site, and 240 (± 26) mm at the short, sparse shrub site. The shrub sites exhibited similar ET losses over 6 years despite differences in shrub height and abundance, although daily rates were higher at the tall shrub site in the peak growing season. From May to September, ET:R ratios were the highest and most variable at the forest (2.19 ± 0.37) and similar at the tall, dense shrub (1.22 ± 0.09) and short, sparse shrub (1.14 ± 0.05) sites. In the mid-growing season, mean T rates were greater at the dense shrub site (2.0 ± 0.75 mm d-1) than the forest (1.47 ± 0.52 mm d-1). During this time, T:ET was lower at the forest (0.48) than at the tall, dense shrub site (0.80). During the growing season between the two years, 2020 was considerably wetter and cooler than 2019. At the tall shrub site, during the mid-growing season (July 1-Aug 15), T dropped considerably in 2020 (-26%), as T was suppressed during the short, wet growing season. In contrast, T at the forest was only moderately suppressed (-3%) between years in this same period. Evapotranspiration was more strongly controlled by air temperature during the early and late season at the forest, while ET at the shrub site was more sensitive to warmer temperatures in the mid-growing season. At the shrub sites, ET was energy limited with no observed soil moisture limitation on T. While 2H and 18O of volume weighted precipitation became more depleted with elevation, the opposite was true in xylem water, where 2H and 18O became more enriched with elevation. Plant water uptake was more reflective of snow water at the forest site than both shrub sites, particularly early in the year and during dry periods. Near-surface bulk soil water had more negative lc-excess at the forest throughout the season and with depth, highlighting increased contributions from soil evaporation. This study combined direct measurements of sap flux, ET, and critical zone isotopes to provide new details on multi-year plant-soil-water dynamics, critical zone water cycling, and species-specific plant water uptake patterns in seasonally frozen soils, which have not previously been reported in cold regions. Our results suggest that advances in treeline will increase overall ET and lower interannual variability; however, the large growing season water deficit and stable water isotope signature at the forest indicates strong reliance on soil moisture from late fall and snowmelt recharge and the potential for plant water stress. Differences between the shrub species were apparent in the sap flux and stable isotope measurements, highlighting the need to further evaluate species specific responses and feedbacks when predicting hydrological fluxes across subarctic ecosystems. Overall, our results suggest that predicted changes in vegetation type and structure in northern regions will have a considerable impact on water partitioning and will vary in a complex way in response to changing precipitation timing, phase and magnitude. Thesis Candidate in Philosophy

Rosmarinus tournefortii is an aromatic evergreen shrub endemic to North Africa, including Algeria. Reports on phytochemicals of this species and related biological activities remain scarce. The essential oils (EOs) and ethanol extracts (EEs) of five populations collected in Algeria are investigated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties through different multivariate statistical methods. EOs analysis by GC and GC-MS showed that the main constituents (α-pinene, camphor, camphene and limonene) were almost comparable. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the ferric reducing power and the inhibition of free radicals DPPH● and ABTS●+. The free radical scavenging effectiveness of EEs was about 2 times higher than the standard antioxidant (BHT). EOs exhibited weaker antioxidant activity insofar they failed to scavenge 50% radicals. The antimicrobial activity evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory/bactericidal concentrations towards fifteen multi-drug resistant microorganisms showed that EEs were the most active. The Gram-positive bacteria were the most susceptible. Both EEs and EOs exhibited antifungal and anti-yeast activities.

Screw tree is a shrub from family Malvaceae that has many benefits in pharmacy. Screw tree seed has very hard seed coat, so the seed must be treated before germination. The aim of this research was to assess the characteristic of fruit and seeds, effect of seed breaking dormancy, and effect of NPK fertilizer dosage on the growth of screw tree (Helicteres isora) seedlings. The results indicated that screw tree fruits belong to dry fruits with capsule form and has 5 follicles that has different direction. Screw tree seed is orthodox type that has 9 ̶ 36 seeds in one follicle with triangle and square shape. Germination technique in laboratory with soaking the seeds in hot water 100oC until the water cool for 48 hours treatment produced the best germination amounting to 65.0%. Germination technique in green house with soaking the seeds in hot water 100oC until the water cool for 24 hours treatment was the best germination amounting to 77.0%. Seedlings fertilized with 1 g NPK doses increased screw tree growth in diameter parameter of 6.35 mm and shoot-root ratio parameter of 3.9 compared to control.

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.

The floristic life-form spectrum of any area unveils the prevailing phytoclimatic conditions, helps in understanding the species-environment relationship and can be applied to compare the vegetation pattern of one eco-zone to another. We scrutinized the pattern of species richness (SR) and floristic spectrum along the elevation gradient in a biodiversity-rich eco-zone of western Himalaya (western Ramganga valley, Uttarakhand, India) between 1200 m (river bank) to 3100 m a.s.l. (summit). The elevation range was classified into six elevation bands (i.e. 2700 m), to prepare the presence (1)/ absence (0) species data matrix using local distribution (elevation range) of each species to estimate the SR of various growth-forms and life-forms for the particular elevational band. The findings suggest that the correlation of SR with elevation is not linear as the species richness peaks at the middle elevation (humped-back shape relationship). The forest cover is large and continues up to the summit; thus, the correlation of tree and shrub SR with elevation is not clear; though, a partly positive correlation was observed between elevation and herb SR while negative correlation between climber SR and elevation. The percentage of phanerophytes and therophytes in total life-forms decreased significantly with increase in elevation while inverse trend was shown by hemicryptophytes and cryptophytes. The pattern of phytoclimate in the area varied from phanero-therophytic at the lower elevation to phanero-hemicryptophytic at the middle and hemicrypto-phanerophytic at the upper elevation. The present contribution is an attempt to fill the knowledge gap in pattern of growth-form, life-form and phytoclimate within the forest-covered montane zone of western Himalaya. It will be helpful in understanding the vegetation dynamics in mountain ecosystems and serve as a ready reference to planners in any future conservation strategy for the area.

Puparia of Pealius kufriensis Dubey sp. nov. found infesting a native and highly invasive plant, Rubus ellipticus Sm. (Rosaceae) are described. The host shrub was found highly infested with the new whitefly on the underside of leaves. Puparial characteristics of the genus Pealius Quaintance and Baker shared with Aleyrodes Latreille and Bemisia Quaintance and Baker are discussed.

Satellite remote sensing is a popular approach for identifying vegetation change in northern environments; however, disentangling ecological processes causing variability in spectral indices remains a challenge. Here, we aim to determine how shrub characteristics differ between low and rapidly greening areas near Nain, Nunatsiavut, Canada. Using a cross-scale approach, we combined remotely sensed spectral greening trends (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; Landsat Collection 1, 1985–2018) with shrub dynamics derived from ring-widths of green alder (Alnus alnobetula (Ehrh.) K. Koch) and dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa Michx.). Differentiation of spectral greening classes appears to be driven by the distribution of shrub species. Alder were taller, grew faster, had more recent stem initiation than dwarf birch, and were dominant in rapid greening subplots. In low greening subplots, alder were co-dominant with dwarf birch, whose dominant stems initiated more gradually, were shorter, and had lower rates of vertical growth. The radial growth of both shrub species was favoured by warm winter temperatures and precipitation, whereas rapid greening alder was also favoured by warm summer temperatures. Further shrub growth will likely be enhanced under continued climate warming if moisture does not become limiting. This research demonstrates the importance of species identity in determining rates of spectral greening in northern environments.

Plantations are typically monocultures, which limits their sustainability. Therefore, understanding acclimatization strategies and resource use efficiencies in plant species and life forms aids the improvement of vegetation diversity and ecological functions. Here, 19 species from forest plantations in Fangshan, Beijing, China were studied. We determined their net photosynthetic (Pn), and transpiration rates (E), light response curve, stomatal conductance (gs), and leaf nitrogen (N) content. We analyzed the leaf N content (Nmass), specific leaf area (SLA), maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pnmax), water use (WUE), nitrogen use (NUE), and carbon use (CUE) efficiencies and connected them with both species and life forms. Pnmax, SLA, Nmass, WUE, NUE, and CUE significantly differed among species. Evergreen conifers had the lowest SLA and Nmass but the highest WUE and CUE. Evergreen coniferous trees had lower SLA, Nmass, Pnmax, and NUE but higher WUE than deciduous trees and shrubs. The SLA, Nmass, and Pnmax of nitrogen-fixing plants were the highest. A correlation analysis revealed that WUE was positively correlated with CUE and negatively correlated with NUE. Moreover, WUE was negatively correlated with Nmass and SLA. These insights into the adaptability differences of woody plant species and life forms provide a scientific basis for the selection of appropriate species for sustainable forest plantations.

Funding: This work has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC grant agreement 647038 [BIODESERT]), the ADAPTAMED LIFE14 CCA/ES/000612 project, the RH2O-ARID project (P18-RT-5130), and the RESISTE project (P18-RT-1927), funded by the Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía; and by the A-TIC-458-UGR18 and DETECTOR (A-RNM-256-UGR18) projects, with the contribution of the European Funds for Regional Development. E.G. was supported by the Generalitat Valenciana and the European Social Fund (APOSTD/2021/188). This work is part of the “Thematic Center on Mountain Ecosystem & Remote sensing, Deep learning-AI e-Services University of Granada-Sierra Nevada” (LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR- 01) project, which has been co-funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the FEDER funds from the Spanish Pluriregional Operational Program 2014–2020 (POPE), LifeWatch-ERIC action line, within theWorkpackages LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01_WP-8, LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01_WP-7, and LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01_WP-4., Wildfires affect the structure, functioning, and composition of ecosystems. Long-term monitoring of the occurrence, abundance, and growth of plant species is key to assessing the responses of the dynamics of plant populations with regard to environmental disturbances, such as wildfires. In this work, we evaluated the changes in the number of individuals and the canopy cover extent of a population of Juniperus communis L. during a four-decade period following a wildfire in a Mediterranean high-mountain ecosystem (Sierra Nevada, Spain). To do this, we used object-based image analysis (OBIA) applied to very high-resolution aerial images. Our study also provides a new approach to optimize the shrub identification process and to semi-automatically evaluate the accuracy of the number of shrubs and their canopy cover. From the 752 individuals present in 1977, only 433 remained immediately after a fire (1984), a few more disappeared one decade later (420 shrubs in 1997), while by 2008, the population had partially recovered to 578 shrubs. The wildfire decreased juniper canopy cover from 55,000 m2 to 40,000 m2, but two decades later it had already recovered to 57,000 m2. The largest shrubs were more resistant to fire than the smallest ones and recovered in a shorter time period. The protection measures introduced with the park declaration seemed to have contributed to the post-fire recovery. The potential of this methodology in the management and conservation of biodiversity in the future is also discussed., European Research Council (ERC grant agreement 647038 [BIODESERT]), ADAPTAMED LIFE14 CCA/ES/000612 project, RH2O-ARID project (P18-RT-5130), RESISTE project (P18-RT-1927) funded by the Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía, A-TIC-458-UGR18 and DETECTOR (A-RNM-256-UGR18) projects, with the contribution of the European Funds for Regional Development, Generalitat Valenciana and the European Social Fund (APOSTD/2021/188), “Thematic Center on Mountain Ecosystem & Remote sensing, Deep learning-AI e-Services University of Granada-Sierra Nevada” (LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR- 01) project, which has been co-funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the FEDER funds from the Spanish Pluriregional Operational Program 2014–2020 (POPE), LifeWatch-ERIC action line, within theWorkpackages LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01_WP-8, LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01_WP-7, and LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01_WP-4

The results of monitoring studies carried out to identify the features of the current distribution of vegetation and productivity of sandy pasture ecosystems in the south of the European territory of Russia are presented. The objects of research were natural pasture phytocenoses on the territory of the Tsimlyansk sand massif. The methods of ecological and geobotanical surveys were used in the work. Plant samples were collected at key sites located in different wet areas using the 5-fold slope method. To identify dominant and subdominant species of natural phytocenoses, the Drude species abundance assessment scale was used. It was found that the pasture ecosystems of the Tsimlyansk sand massif are characterized by the presence of 58 dominant and subdominant species from 22 families, which occupy a certain position in the herbaceous and shrub communities, depending on the moisture content of the territory. The territory of complete humidification is characterized by the presence of 7 dominants and subdominants from 7 families. In the territory of excessive moisture, 9 species from 7 families dominate in phytocenoses. On the territory of sufficient and variable moisture, 26 species from 8 families predominate in the communities. The territories of moderate humidification are distinguished by the presence in the associations of 22 dominant species from 9 families. The territory of complex moistening, which is insufficient and severely insufficient under sand hills and moderate in the groves, is characterized by the presence of 9 dominant and subdominant species from 6 families in the communities. In 2018-2020 it was revealed that the annual phytomass of the grass and grass communities of the Tsimlyansk sand massif increases from spring to summer (from 91-117 to 204-267 g/m2) and decreases from summer to autumn (from 204-267 to 156-190 g / m2). The average annual productivity of natural phytocenoses is 156-190 g / m2.

Invasions by multiple nonnative species threaten native communities worldwide. We know that interactions among nonnative species influence nonnative success. However, we know relatively less about the influence of community assembly history on the interactions within nonnative species and thereby invasion success. To investigate this, we transplanted seedlings of two highly invasive shrubs, Rosa rubiginosa (hereafter ‘rose’) and Cytisus scoparius (hereafter ‘broom’), at two different times into mesocosm communities of native and nonnative species. We conducted priority and delay treatments that consisted of the early and late arrival of the invasive shrubs, respectively. We gave full priority/delay to each invasive shrub (rose early/late arrival, broom early/late arrival) and simultaneous priority/delay (simultaneous early/late arrival). We predicted that if assembly history were important, the invasive shrubs will benefit from early-arriving and will be disadvantaged by late-arriving and that arriving before the co-invader shrub will be more beneficial than arriving before the rest of the community. We also predicted that assembly history treatments that gave an advantage to invasive shrubs will more negatively affect native species than nonnative species. We found that the invasive shrubs did not benefit by early-arrival, but they were hindered by the early-arrival of the co-invader. The rose paid a high cost for late-arrival, but the broom was only impaired when its late-arrival implied arriving after the rose. Contrary to our predictions, natives paid a lower cost than nonnatives by arriving late. In general, our mesocosm experiment showed that the success of invasive species depended more on not arriving later than other invaders than on arriving early in the community. We suggest that community assembly history modulates the sign and strength of nonnative species interactions whose consideration might improve management practices.

Uncertainty still exists on the directions and intensity of changes in leaf herbivory under scenarios of global warming. We, therefore, conducted an investigation on insect herbivory along an elevational gradient to explore how leaf herbivory may respond to future climate warming using a space-for-time substitution approach. We hypothesize that the leaf herbivory for alpine woody species should decline with elevation. We also guess the leaf herbivory may not differ between different leaf-age groups, for the old leaves are less attractive to insect due to their lower nutrients. To approve these assertions, we measured different aspects of leaf herbivory, i.e., the intensity (leaf area consumed per damaged leaf), frequency (percentage of leaves damaged), and rate (percentage of consumed leaf area over the total number of leaves), across different leaf-age groups for Rhododendron aganniphum var. schizopeplum along an elevational gradient (4280–4640 m) in the Sergymla Mountains, southeast Tibet. Related leaf traits of leaf mass per area (LMA) and nitrogen (Nmass), as well as total phenolics for 1-year-old leaves, were also investigated. In contrast with our expectation, the rate of herbivory did not vary with elevation, while the frequency and intensity reflected increasing and declining patterns, respectively. LMA and total phenolics tended to increase with elevation, while Nmass significantly declined. Further analysis indicated that Nmass and total phenolics mainly explained the variation of frequency of herbivory, while Nmass reflected a significant effect on the variation of intensity. No differences in herbivory were found between the leaf-age groups. Our results suggest that the lower intensity of leaf herbivory at higher elevations is mainly associated with the declined nutritional levels, while the higher frequency might be related to the higher costly anti-herbivore defenses like phenolics and the lower nutritional levels. Although the older leaves are exposed to herbivore attacks for a longer time, they possessed the same herbivory levels as current-year leaves partly due to their lower nitrogen concentrations. Both supporting the nutrient limitation hypothesis, i.e., plants with lower leaf nutrient levels possess less leaf herbivory. In all, the herbivory on the alpine Rhododendron is small in magnitude, but given the higher herbivory (for intensity at least) under persistent warming conditions and its potential impacts on mediating plant–insect interactions, insect herbivory should be included in predictions of climate change impacts on alpine ecosystems.

Urban flying-fox camps are a major source of human–wildlife conflict, producing noise, odour, vegetation damage, property damage, and concerns about disease. Although there is a significant demand in many communities for bat camps to be dispersed, there is limited information on how such dispersal can be conducted effectively. Determining the habitat characteristics flying-foxes use when selecting a camp site is key to understanding why they establish camps where they do and to where they might move if dispersed. We characterised little red flying-fox (LRFF) camp habitat at two spatial scales: floristics and vegetation structure at the local scale, and climatic and landscape characteristics at the broad scale. We found weak associations with local-scale tree and shrub height and cover, and stronger associations with increased Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (a measure of ‘greenness’) and decreased distance to nearest watercourse. These relationships were not strong enough to explain all variation in the model, suggesting that there are other factors, such as social cues, that could also influence camp site selection. Our results suggest that minor modifications to existing or proposed camp sites will be unlikely to repel or attract LRFFs, as other factors are likely to play key roles in the formation of camp sites for this species.

A long-term study of a bolster heath–pond system at Newdegate Pass, Mount Field, Tasmania, was designed to test a theory of cyclical dynamics and to determine why there was constancy in the proportions of species in stable mosaic bolster heath, while their individual distributions changed. Groups of permanent plots were monitored approximately once every 5 years between 1983 and 2017, in apparently stable, apparently colonising, apparently recovering and apparently degrading bolster heath. The putatively stable sites exhibited an average of 37% spatial turnover in the three early 5-year periods, with reciprocal replacements between many pairs of species; however, there was little evidence of long-term directional change except for expansion of a gymnosperm shrub across the top of the bolster mosaic at one site. This pattern suggests a cyclical succession of species in the stable mosaic; however, the mechanism driving cyclicity remains unclear, with facilitation, competition and stochastic processes being implicated at different times and locations. These cyclic changes were likely to have been largely endogenous, given the variability and autocorrelations in relative growth rates of the stable mosaic over short horizontal distances, conforming with neutral theory. The process of dam vegetation loss after draining was rapid, as was vegetation colonisation of the floor of one dam and recovery from fire. On a putatively colonising site on rocky ground, changes were subdued but directionally consistent with the previously proposed model, which was consistent with all long-term observations.

The vegetation canopy parameters in the water cloud model originate from the surface spectrum of the vegetation canopy and do not fully consider its spatial structure, biomass, and water content. This study resolved this problem using a new vegetation canopy water content calculation method to improve the water cloud model. Our results showed that the novel calculation method, which considers the vertical and horizontal structure, biomass, and the water content of the canopy, is suitable for obtaining a more accurate estimation of the vegetation canopy water content. Additionally, this improved water cloud model (IWCM) was used to retrieve the soil moisture content of often greenwood, deciduous forest, mixed forest-, composite shrub grass-, and grassland-covered areas. The tenfold cross-validation determination coefficient (R2) of the soil moisture content model was 0.43. The relative root mean square error (rRMSE) was 21.89%. When applied to deciduous forest, composite shrub grass, and grassland-covered areas, R2 = 0.57 and rRMSE = 16.48% were obtained. When the IWCM was applied only to the composite shrub grass- and grassland-covered areas, the R2 was 0.76, and rRMSE was 9.8%. Therefore, the IWCM provides new insights regarding the remote sensing quantitative inversion of soil moisture content in areas with high vegetation density and woodland cover, which can be applied in the future.

SummaryA new species to science of evergreen forest shrub, Kupeantha yabassi M.G.Alvarez & Cheek (Coffeeae - Rubiaceae), is described, illustrated and compared morphologically with the closely similar species K. pentamera. Restricted so far to a single site in evergreen lowland forest near the Ebo Forest, Yabassi, Littoral Region, Cameroon, this species is Critically Endangered using the IUCN 2012 standard due to habitat clearance driven mainly by agriculture, adding to the growing list of threatened species resulting from anthropogenic pressure on Cameroon forests. A revised key to the six species of Kupeantha is presented. Two distinct geographical and ecological species groupings within the genus are identified and discussed. Notes are given on other narrowly endemic and threatened species in the Ebo Forest area, a threatened centre of diversity important for conservation in the Littoral Region.

Designing wildflower habitats to support beneficial insects providing pollination and pest control services is important for supporting sustainable crop production. It is often desirable to support both groups of insects, making the selection of resource plants for insect conservation programs more challenging. Moreover, the process of selecting resource plants is complicated by the array of possible options in each region, and the need to provide resources over the entire growing season. Identifying traits shared by resource plants that are attractive to both bees and natural enemies can reduce the need to evaluate new plants in each region, by providing a guide for the types of plants expected to be rewarding to these insects. Using insect visitation data collected from replicated common garden plantings of native wildflower and shrub species from the Great Lakes region of the United States, we found a high degree of correlation between the abundance of bees and natural enemies visiting native plant species. These results were used to identify a set of 15 plant species that can provide resources for these insects throughout the summer. Across all tested species, pollen quantity per flower and the week of bloom were positively correlated with some, but not all, taxonomic groupings of beneficial insects. In contrast, floral area was consistently positively associated with visitation of both natural enemies and wild bees. This trait is easy to document and can allow for efficient local testing of potential resource plants, providing a faster path to implementing insect conservation in working landscapes.

The quality and quantity of forage available to reproductive female ungulates during the summer can influence body condition and lactation, ultimately influencing herd production. The energetic costs of migration can influence individual fitness, thus understanding the mechanisms that drive some individuals in a partially migratory population to migrate, while others remain on winter range year-round, has important conservation and ecological implications. We examined differences in forage quality and quantity between migratory (n = 19) and resident (n = 17) summer home ranges for a population of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the John Day Basin of northeast Oregon. During 2018, we collected vegetation measurements three times throughout the summer (mid-May, mid-June, mid-July) to determine changes in dry matter digestibility (DMD; %) at three different phenological stages (emergent, mature, and cured) for three forage classes (grass, shrub, forbs). On the second visit, at the peak of the growing season, we collected biomass and cover data to determine differences in forage quantity for each forage class between the migratory and resident summer ranges. In mid-June 2019, we revisited a subsample of sites (migratory [n = 5]; resident [n = 5]) to estimate interannual variation. Migratory deer had access to overall higher quality forage at higher-elevation summer ranges. Forbs had the highest forage quality on both summer ranges. Forage quality declined across the entire study area as moisture declined and vegetation senesced. Shrub forage quality was higher (DMD = 54.1%) on resident ranges than migratory ranges (49.7%; P = 0.001). Grasses had higher biomass (26.1 Mg/ha) and cover (50.1 %) than forbs (19.2 Mg/ha; 34.7% cover) or shrubs (20.6 Mg/ha; 6.7% cover) across the entire summer range. Overall, migratory deer had access to higher-quality forage throughout the summer, yet resident deer had access to higher-quality shrub browse. This trade-off in forage availability may partially explain the persistence of a partially migratory population as a bet-hedging strategy on a landscape where low moisture availability and episodic drought and disturbance create variable foraging conditions.

Shrubs establish microenvironments under their canopies that can favor the growth of other plants. However, the shrub canopy could impede pollination by reducing the number of pollinator visits to sheltered plants, resulting in pollen limitation and decreased reproductive output. We assessed whether the presence of a nurse shrub species (Flourensia thurifera) alters the reproductive output of a sheltered cactus (Eriosyce coimasensis) via the restriction of access by the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) to E. coimasensis flowers. During two consecutive years (2018 – 2019), we excluded hummingbirds from individual cacti (using cages) and studied fruit set and seed production in two microhabitats: underneath shrubs and in open sites. In addition, we compared the reproductive mode of E. coimasensis in the two microhabitats. We observed that shrubs limit the reproduction of E. coimasensis, which strongly depends on P. gigas for seed production. Plants in open sites produced 80% more fruit and 76% more seeds than those growing underneath shrubs. The reproduction of caged individuals was low and similar to those growing beneath shrubs. In addition, plants underneath shrubs, but not in open sites, may suffer pollen limitation. Our results offer novel insights into plant-plant interactions and suggest potential trade-offs for sheltered cacti between the mild microclimatic conditions under the canopy, that could lead to larger plants and pollinator preclusion, which decreases the reproductive performance of sheltered plants.

Resprouting is an efficient life history strategy by which woody savanna species can recover their aboveground biomass after fire. However, resprouting dynamics after fire and the time it takes to start producing flowers and fruits are still poorly understood, especially for the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado biome), where fire is an important driver of vegetation structure and ecosystem functioning. We investigated the resprouting dynamics and production of flowers and fruits of 26 woody species (20 tree and 6 shrub species for a total of 485 individuals) that were burned and the production of flowers and fruits for a subset of 12 species (139 individuals) in an unburned area in a Brazilian savanna. We classified the species’ resprouting strategies as hypogeal (at the soil level, with main stem death), epigeal (on the main stem or crown), and hypogeal + epigeal. We used generalized linear mixed-effect models to identify the post-fire recovery patterns for five years. Individuals with basal resprouts (hypogeal and hypogeal + epigeal resprouting) produced an average of 6 basal resprouts, but only 33% of resprouts survived after five years. Individuals in burned areas produced fewer flowers and fruits than individuals in unburned areas. At least a subset of individuals in all the resprouting strategies started to produce flowers and fruits in the first-year post-fire. About 68% of the species with hypogeal resprouts produced flowers and fruits in the first-year post-fire, but the intensity of flowering and fruiting was lower compared to individuals with other resprouting strategies over time. Although woody species have invested in post-fire growth and sexual reproduction in all resprouting strategies, the long time needed to recover these processes can make these species more vulnerable to frequent fires.

Live shrubs in forest understories pose a challenge for mitigating wildfire risk with prescribed fire. Factors driving shrub consumption in prescribed fires are variable and difficult to explain. This study investigated spatial patterns and drivers of Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest shrub consumption in prescribed fires through analysis of high-resolution imagery taken before and after prescribed fire. We applied a spatially explicit, generalized additive model to assess tree cover and coarse woody material as potential drivers of shrub consumption. Shrub cover in two experimental stands prior to burning was 38% and 59% and was 36% and 45% one-year post-burn. In both stands shrub patch density increased, while area-weighted mean patch size and largest patch index decreased. Increased local percent cover of coarse woody material was associated with increased shrub consumption. These findings provide information for prescribed fire managers to help better anticipate shrub consumption and patchiness outcomes under similar conditions.

Climate change has a significant impact on the growth and distribution of vegetation worldwide. Hydrangea macrophylla is widely distributed and considered a model species for studying the distribution and responses of shrub plants under climate change. These results can inform decision‐making regarding shrub plant protection, management, and introduction of germplasm resources, and are of great importance for formulating ecological countermeasures to climate change in the future. We used the maximum entropy model to predict the change, scope expansion/reduction, centroid movement, and dominant climate factors that restrict the growth and distribution of H. macrophylla in China under current and future climate change scenarios. It was found that both precipitation and temperature affect the distribution of suitable habitat for H. macrophylla. Akaike information criterion (AICc) was used to select the feature combination (FC) and the regularization multiplier (RM). After the establishment of the optimal model (FC = QP, RM = 0.5), the complexity and over‐fitting degree of the model were low (delta AICc = 0, omission rate = 0.026, difference between training and testing area under the curve values = 0.0009), indicating that it had high accuracy in predicting the potential geographical distribution of H. macrophylla (area under the curve = 0.979). Overall, from the current period to future, the potential suitable habitat of this species in China expanded to the north. The greenhouse effect caused by an increase in CO2 emissions would not only increase the area of high‐suitability habitat in Central China, but also expand the area of total suitable habitat in the north. Under the maximum greenhouse gas emission scenario (RCP8.5), the migration distance of the centroid was the longest (e.g., By 2070s, the centroids of total and highly suitable areas have shifted 186.15 km and 89.84 km, respectively).

Screw tree (Helicteres isora) is a shrub species (Fam: Malvaceae) with 1.5–4 m in height and with multi-main trunks up to 9–12. In Indonesia, kayu ules has been used as a traditional medicine, known as jamu, and has been commercialized. In order to cultivate this species, vegetative propagation is likely promising compared to the generative propagation since seed viability is low and cannot be stored for longterm. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information on which diameter classes, media types and light intensities would give the best result for vegetative propagation. This research aimed to obtain information on which diameter classes and media that were suitable for kayu ules stem cutting propagation and to what degree the light intensity would be best for the growth of the seedlings of kayu ules. Three diameter classes and four media types were employed in a complete random design under the greenhouse environment. Three months old good quality vegetatively-propagated seedlings were transplanted under two light intensities (under transparent canopy and shading net). The result showed that considering the factor of diameter classes and media in kayu ules stem cutting propagation, it had improved the survival of the stem cutting. Diameter class I was best grown in media type 3 with 46.67 ± 12.2 % of survival rate, diameter class II was best grown in media type 2 with 38.67 ± 11.6 % of survival rate, whereas diameter class III was best grown in media type 4 with 52 ± 6.9 % of survival rate. The transplanted seedlings also grew significantly better under transparent canopy with higher light intensity. The distinctive features of screw tree under shading net were wider leaf area, higher specific leaf area and relative water content but it was lower in above ground dry biomass compared to the kayu ules under transparent canopy.

The presence and interaction of shrubs and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important for the biogeochemical cycles and sustainable development of arid and semiarid ecosystems. The regulatory mechanisms of the soil microenvironment were explored by studying microbial nutrient constraints in ecosystems. Three native shrubs were planted with and without AMF inoculation in the experimental nursery of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. The soil chemical properties; enzyme activities related to carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) acquisition; and microbial biomass C and N were measured to determine the ecoenzymatic stoichiometries and microbial nutrient limitations of the rhizosphere soils. The ratios of ecoenzymes associated with C acquisition in the rhizospheres of Spiraea pubescens were the largest, as well as microbial C limitation. In addition, Clematis fruticosa and Amygdalus mongolica inoculated with AMF significantly increased the ratios of enzymes related to C acquisition and increased microbial C limitation in the rhizospheres of these two shrubs. The ratio of N and P acquisition enzymes showed that A. mongolica and S. pubescens were significantly lower than C. fruticosa, and the lowest microbial P limitation was found in the rhizosphere soil of C. fruticosa in the noninoculated treatment; however, there was no significant difference between shrubs in the inoculated treatment. The microbial P limitation of the shrubs with AMF inoculation could be positive, negative, or not impacted. This result indicated that AMF regulated microbial P limitation in the rhizospheres of shrubs and was closely related to the accumulation of plant biomass. Partial least squares path model analysis indicated that the main influencing factors of microbial C and P limitation were glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) and soil available nutrients (SANU). The results indicated that shrubs and AMF altered the ecoenzymatic stoichiometry of the rhizosphere soils, thus affecting soil microbial nutrient limitation through GRSP and SANU. Native shrubs with AMF inoculation can regulate soil microbial metabolism, providing a theoretical basis for vegetation restoration of degraded ecosystems in drylands.

Surface fuel loads are highly variable in many wildland settings, which can have many important ecological effects, especially during a wildland fire. This variability is not well described by a single metric (e.g. mean load), so quantifying traits such as variability, continuity and spatial arrangement will help more precisely describe surface fuels. This study measured surface fuel variability in the northern Sierra Nevada of California following a high-severity fire that converted a mixed-conifer forest to shrub-dominant vegetation, both before and after a subsequent shrub removal treatment conducted as site preparation for reforestation. Data were collected on vegetation composition, spatial arrangement and biomass load of the common surface fuel components (1–1000-h woody fuel, litter, duff and shrubs). Mean shrub patch length decreased significantly from 9.25 to 1.0 m and mean dead and down surface fuel load decreased significantly from 131.4 to 73.4 Mg ha−1. Additionally, probability of encountering a continuous high fuel load segment decreased after treatment. This work demonstrates a method of quantifying important spatial characteristics of surface fuel that could be used in the next generation of fire behaviour models and provides metrics that land managers may consider when designing post-fire reforestation treatments.

An understorey shrub is an extreme CaOx accumulator that plays a disproportionately large role in Ca cycling; however, transformations of CaOx and other Ca forms in forest soils demand detailed attention. Calcium oxalate (CaOx) plays an important but neglected role in Ca cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. CaOx crystals are present in leaves and roots (less commonly in bark and wood) of many trees and vary greatly in size, shape, and crystallinity. We extend an Australian study of an Eucalyptus regnans forest ecosystem, showing that the shrub Pomaderris aspera plays a significant role in Ca cycling. X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) shows that crystals of CaOx in the leaves of both species contain up to 15% Ca; the density of crystals being much greater in P. aspera than in E. regnans. The concentration of oxalate in P. aspera is about 6% dry weight, ranking P. aspera as an extreme oxalate accumulator, in common with a number of other members of the family Rhamnaceae. The fate of CaOx in nutrient cycling is poorly known and often misunderstood. Upon committal of CaOx to the soil, transformations are brought about by fire or saprophytic heterotrophic bacteria and fungi; the latter derive carbon and energy from the oxidation of oxalate. The primary reaction is one of the oxidations which produces CaCO3 and CO2, such that half of the C is sequestered in the CaCO3 which will remain stable under alkaline conditions and is therefore a potential sink for atmospheric CO2.

Effects of 15-year vegetation restoration on organic carbon content of soil aggregates in the Wangmaogou Watershed in China were evaluated. Major land use types include grassland, forestland, shrub...

Investigation of relationships between biomass of different plant compartments is important because their varying turnover rates affect the amount and composition of aboveground and belowground litter, which has a direct effect on nutrient cycling and carbon accumulation in soil. A study of biomass partitioning amongst compartments of the bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), a common clonal dwarf shrub in boreal coniferous forests, was carried out at eleven study sites in Finland. We hypothesize that the biomass partitioning of bilberry follows a common pattern across a variety of edaphic conditions and geographic range, and this pattern can be modelled by the rank distribution of compartment biomasses. We found that the highest portion of the total biomass belonged to rhizomes, which were followed by shoot stems, roots and leaves. Furthermore, this pattern was observed regardless of the latitudinal zone (northern or southern Finland), site fertility level measured as soil C/N ratio and canopy-dominant tree species (pine or spruce). However, the observed ratios between biomass compartments varied between different sites. In particular, we found that the exact ratio between above- and belowground biomass was dependent on the C/N ratio of the soil organic layer (exponential model, R2 = 0.443), showing that bilberry allocates more biomass to belowground parts in the nutrient poor than in the nutrient-rich sites. The results suggested that there are uniform regularities in the structural organization within the plant species representing clonal growth form of dwarf shrubs. This observation enables us to use the rank distribution of compartments in modelling biomass partitioning of bilberry in a wide range of environmental conditions, although the mechanisms underlying such regularities require further investigation.

This study was carried out in a Cerrado (the largest savanna in the Neotropics) area where pine plantations, introduced in the 1970s, were removed by clear cutting of the trees and burning of the remaining material. After the removal and burning, some native shrub species resprouted. Since resprouting is dependent on buds that can be in the belowground bud-bearing (BBB) organs containing reserves, we selected three resprouting Myrtaceae species for analysis of morphology and anatomy of their BBB organs, to determine which compounds could be accumulated and to investigate the bud protection features. Standard histological techniques were used to analyse the BBB organs. The belowground bud bank at a depth of 10 cm was determined. Nonstructural carbohydrates, total phenolics, and flavonoids were quantified on the roots. The large size of BBB organs suggest that these species were present before plantation establishment and survived plantation management treatments. All species produced a large number of axillary buds. All BBB organs exhibited significant lignification and stored starch and phenolic compounds in the parenchyma cells. The protective features and the storage of reserves associated with the bud-bank allowed the survival and subsequent resprouting of these species, contributing to the regeneration of this disturbed area.

Minerals are considered one of the components of the economy of any country. The negative side of technogenesis is the emergence of technogenic landscapes with developed exogenous processes. To prevent and eliminate them, biological reclamation is carried out, the most promising direction of which is forest reclamation. In forest reclamation, preference is given to soil-improving tree and shrub species. The research was carried out in the stands of the Caragana arborescens (Caragana arborescens Lam.) on the dumps of the Kursk magnetic anomaly in the Belgorod region of the Central Federal District of Russia. The work on the test areas was carried out according to generally accepted methods. On the sandy-chalk dump of loose overburden, the karagany cultures completely died by the age of 38. On a two-component technozem, with surface application of a fertile layer on a sand-chalk mixture, karagana showed positive results. The maximum safety (84.2-82.0%) is typical for the first four years of karagana's life. It does not depend much on environmental conditions. The growth of shoots in karagana begins only in the second decade of May. Shoots grow most actively in the third decade of May - 43.8%. The average biomass of one karagana bush at the age of 6 years is 503 g. At the same time, the average mass of one specimen of Robinia pseudoacacia is 2264 g. The total supply of phytomass in the 9-year-old karagana plantation is 69.5 c/ha, which is 2.6 times less than in the robinia pseudoacacia plantation. The reclamation role of caragana leaves is insignificant. The tree-like karagana is rich in mineral elements, which is reflected in their accumulation in substrates. The reserves of nitrogen – 4.06% and calcium – 1.46% are especially large in Karagan. The dump is located in the mining production zone, so the iron content in the assimilating organs of karagany exceeds 4 times the content on zonal soils, and titanium - 1.8 times. A significant part of the chemical elements falls on the green parts of plants. Caragana leaves are supplied with: nitrogen - 26.64 kg /ha, potassium - 1.78 kg/ ha, calcium - 17.52 kg/ ha and magnesium - 4.56 kg/ha. More than half of the chemical elements of root systems accumulate in small roots. When they die off, they enter directly into the substrate. The tree-like karagana can be recommended for forest reclamation of technogenically disturbed lands when mixed with more valuable tree and shrub species

Background Traditional knowledge is key for sustainability, but it is rapidly disappearing. Pig keeping in forests and marshes is an ancient, once widespread, now vanishing practice, with a major economic and ecological potential. The knowledge of pig keepers and the foraging activity of pigs are hardly documented. Methods We studied the knowledge of traditional pig keepers (svinjars) on wild plants and pig foraging on the Sava-Bosut forest-marsh complex in Serbia. We conducted picture-based interviews about 234 locally common and/or salient plant species, and participatory fieldwork (11 days) and visual observation (21 days) on pig foraging. Results 181 wild plant species were known by svinjars and 106 taxa were consumed by pigs. Svinjars knew well and could name most regularly foraged species. 98 species were reported by svinjars as foraged and 56 as not eaten. 28 species were observed by the authors as eaten regularly, while 21 were nibbled and 17 avoided. Contradictory information on foraging was rare both among svinjars (8 species) and between svinjars and researchers (7 species); several of these species were rare. Leaves of 92, fruits or seeds of 21 and ‘roots’ of 20 species were reported or observed as eaten, usually with high seasonality. Svinjars were overall observant, but knew little about some less salient species (e.g. Veronica, Circaea). The most common forages (reported and/or observed) were fruits (Quercus, fleshy fruits), grasses (Agrostis, Glyceria), herbs (Ranunculus ficaria, Circaea), nutritious ‘roots’ (Carex spp., Iris), young shrub leaves (Crataegus, Carpinus) and ‘tame’ plants growing in the sun (Persicaria dubia, Erigeron annuus). Traditional, now extinct pig breeds were reported as less selective and more ‘knowledgeable’ about plants, as they received less additional fodder. Svinjars learnt their knowledge since childhood, from community members, but long-term personal observations and everyday encounters with pigs were also important sources of knowledge. Conclusions A deeper understanding of pig foraging could contribute to using pigs in nature conservation management, resource management and organic farming, and to a better understanding of wild boar foraging. The knowledge of svinjars is a disappearing intangible cultural heritage of European importance. Knowledge holders deserve recognition, and legal and financial support to continue this tradition.

The paper presents the results of predictions of the habitat persistence for rare relict of the Pleistocene floristic complex Patrinia sibirica (L.) Juss. in the Southern Urals under various forecasted climate change scenarios. Climate variables from CHELSA BIOCLIM, elevation data (GMTED2010) and coarse fragment content in the top level of soil were used as predictors for modeling in the MaxEnt software. The impact of climate change on P. sibirica habitats under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios calculated from an ensemble of four general circulation models has been analyzed. The modeling has shown that the changes in the habitat suitability depend on the altitude. Deterioration of the habitats could be attributed to a temperature increase in mountain forest locations, and to a precipitation of driest quarter increase in mountain forest-steppe locations. In both cases, this leads to the expansion of forest and shrub vegetation. Monitoring of the habitat persistence of P. sibirica and other relict species of the Pleistocene floristic complex can play a major role in predictions, as their massive decline would constitute that climatic changes exceed the ranges of their fluctuations in the Holocene.

Shrub is one of the unique woody tree species in China. It has a long history of cultivation, a wide range of adaptability, high economic value and strong ecological function. It plays a very important role in the southern economic forest industry. Low temperature has a great impact on the afforestation and growth of the dormant shrub seeds in the northern edge of China, which is the bottleneck of the promotion of shrub plants in the northern edge of China. In this study, 10 kinds of dormant shrub seeds in China were selected as the research objects. The dormant shrub seeds were treated with different temperature and different time of low temperature stress. The physiological and biochemical indexes under different treatments were measured to comprehensively evaluate the cold tolerance of 10 kinds of dormant shrub seeds.

White‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations have recovered to about 30 million animals in the United States, but land cover has changed during the interval of recovery. To address the relationship between deer densities and current land cover at regional scales, I applied random forests and extreme gradient boosting classifiers to model low and high deer density classes, at two different thresholds (5.8 and 11.6 deer/km2), and land classes in three regions during approximately 2003. For low and high deer density classes divided at 5.8 deer/km2, deciduous broadleaf forest overall was the most influential and positive variable in the central east and central regions and crop and pasture were the most influential and negative variables in the southeast region. Deer density increased with area of deciduous and mixed forests, woody wetlands, and shrub in all regions. Deer density decreased with area of crop, developed open space, and developed low and medium residential density in all regions. For density classes divided at 11.6 deer/km2, deer density had the strongest relationship with woody wetlands in the central east region, mixed and deciduous forest in the southeast region, and woody wetlands and herbaceous vegetation in the central region. Deer density increased with deciduous and mixed forests, woody wetlands, and shrub in all regions. Conversely, deer density decreased with herbaceous vegetation, crop, and developed low residential densities in all regions. Therefore, at regional scales, deer overall occurred at greater densities in forests and woody wetlands and lower densities in agricultural and residential development, which did not appear to support more deer. Deer preference for forests does result in damage to forest products, but alternatively, some may consider that deer provide important socioeconomic and ecological services by reducing number of small trees, particularly in the absence of other disturbances that historically controlled tree biomass., At regional scales, deer occurred at greater densities in forests and lower densities in agricultural and residential development, which did not improve habitat by supporting more deer. Deer preference for forests does result in damage to forest products. However, deer provide important socioeconomic and ecological services by reducing number of small trees, particularly in the absence of other disturbances that historically controlled tree biomass.

The interspecific plant interactions along grazing and aridity stress gradients represent a major research issue in plant ecology. However, the combined effects of these two factors on plant–plant interactions have been poorly studied in the northeast of Iran. To fill this knowledge gap, 144 plots were established in 12 study sites with different grazing intensities (high vs. low) and climatic characteristics (arid vs. semiarid) in northeastern Iran. A dominant shrub, Artemisia kopetdaghensis, was selected as the model species. Further, we studied changes in plant life strategies along the combined grazing and aridity stress gradients. In this study, we used relative interaction indices calculated for species richness, Shannon diversity, and species cover to determine plant–plant interactions using linear mixed‐effect models (LMM). The indicator species analysis was used to identify the indicator species for the undercanopy of shrub and for the adjacent open areas. The combined effects of grazing and aridity affected the plant–plant interactions and plant life strategies (CSR) of indicator species. A. kopetdaghensis showed the highest facilitation effect under high stress conditions (high grazing, high aridity), which turned into competition under the low stress conditions (low grazing, low aridity). In the arid region, the canopy of the shrub protected ruderals, annual forbs, and grasses in both high and low grazing intensities. In the semiarid region and high grazing intensity (low aridity/high grazing), the shrubs protected mostly perennial forbs with C‐strategy. Our findings highlight the importance of context‐dependent shrub management to restore the vegetation damaged by the intensive grazing., The manuscript is based on a field study, aiming to compare the canopy effects of an unpalatable dominant shrub (Artemisia kopetdaghensis) in the conditions of biotic stress, represented by intensive grazing and abiotic stress, represented by severe aridity. Our results bring new evidence to the current debate on the relative importance and characteristics of plant–plant interactions along the gradients of environmental stress. We detected the facilitative effects of the dominant shrub on species diversity in the presence of both grazing and aridity. However, the facilitative effects turned into competition in the conditions of less severe aridity in the semiarid region.

Plateau pika burrows are common feature of degraded grassland in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) and serve as an important indicator of pika activity and grassland degradation. However, the current understanding of the spatial pattern changes of pika burrows and their critical thresholds across a degradation gradient in alpine grassland is deficient. In this study, we investigated and quantified changes in the spatial pattern of plateau pika burrows under typical degraded alpine shrub meadows in the northeastern QTP using an unmanned aerial vehicle and landscape pattern metrics. The degradation of the alpine shrub meadow leads to a change in landscape pattern from a two‐layered structure of alpine shrub and alpine meadow to a mosaic of alpine meadow and bare soil, with plateau pika burrows scattered throughout. Moderate degradation is the tipping point for changes in surface landscape patterns, followed by the disappearance of alpine shrub, the retreat of alpine meadows and the encroachment of bare soil, and the increasing density and size of pika burrows. The area characteristics of alpine meadows have influenced changes in the spatial pattern of pika burrow, and maintaining its proportional area is a vital measure to control the threat of pika burrows to pastures. The results of this paper provide a methodological reference and guidance for the sustainable utilization of grassland on the QTP., UAV‐based spatial pattern survey of plateau pika burrows. Negative effect of alpine meadow area ratio on pika burrow density. Spatial pattern characteristics of pika burrows will support grassland management.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly infectious and pathogenic virus. To date, there is a lack of proper medication against this virus, which has triggered the scientific community to find therapeutics. Searching of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors from anti-viral natural products based on traditional knowledge may be an effective approach. In this work, structure-based virtual screening of the compounds of Justicia adhatoda was performed against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, followed by ADME filtration, molecular dynamics, and MMGBSA-based binding free energy calculation. On the basis of docking score, crucial interacting amino acid residues, molecular dynamics, and binding energy profile, three novel phenolic compounds JA_38b, JA_38c, and JA_39 were selected as potential binders against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. This information may be used to develop potential therapeutics countermeasures against SARS-CoV-2 infection after in vitro and detailed pharmacological study.

Fire is considered a critical process for limiting shrub encroachment and maintaining grassland structure and functions. Fire can be detrimental to grasses in upland settings of arid desert grasslands, but no studies have been performed in more productive swale grasslands. Monitoring of a prescribed fire treatment in a swale grassland in southern New Mexico indicated that perennial grasses had not recovered after 5 years, even with above-average rainfall. Furthermore, indicators of erosion susceptibility increased, and shrubs resprouted rapidly.