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Categories: Biology: Botany, Geoscience: Volcanoes

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Biology: Botany Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Urban ponds require attention to ensure biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research suggests aquatic plants can be utilized as a tool to enhance the co-existence between aquatic invertebrates and their fish predators in urban ponds.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Fungi that causes pine ghost canker detected in southern California trees      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fungal pathogens that cause pine ghost canker are infecting conifer trees in urban forests of Southern California, scientists found.

Biology: Botany Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Clever orchard design for more nuts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

To reduce biodiversity loss in agricultural landscapes, more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices are needed. A research team has investigated how ecosystem services such as pollination could be improved in macadamia plantations. The scientists showed that a certain design of plantations -- for instance, how the rows of trees are arranged, the varieties, and the integration of semi-natural habitats in and around the plantations -- can increase the pollination performance of bees.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species
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Researchers put plant protein mechanism into bacteria to help move forward 50 years of effort      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have added components of plant chloroplasts to bacteria. This feat, 50 years in the making, allows them to analyze the proteins in greater detail in order to improve Rubisco, and eventually photosynthesis.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Trees
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Symbiotic fungi transform terpenes from spruce resin into attractants for bark beetles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team demonstrates that the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) uses volatile fungal metabolites of plant defense substances as important chemical signals in their attack on spruce trees. The researchers also show that the insects have olfactory sensory neurons specialized for detecting these volatile compounds. The fungal metabolites likely provide important clues to the beetles about the presence of beneficial fungi, the defense status of the trees, and the population density of their conspecifics. The study highlights the importance of chemical communication in maintaining symbiosis between bark beetles and their fungal partners.

Biology: Botany Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Ecology: Animals Physics: Optics
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Researchers uncover how photosynthetic organisms regulate and synthesize ATP      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The redox regulation mechanism responsible for efficient production of ATP under varying light conditions in photosynthetic organisms has now been unveiled. Researchers investigated the enzyme responsible for this mechanism and uncovered how the amino acid sequences present in the enzyme regulate ATP production. Their findings provide valuable insights into the process of photosynthesis and the ability to adapt to changing metabolic conditions.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Detecting the impact of drought on plants with user-friendly and inexpensive techniques      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Climate change is aggravating the impact of droughts -- one of the factors that only affect plant physiology -- on all plant ecosystems worldwide. Although new tools have been developed to detect and assess drought stress in plants -- transcriptomic or metabolomic technologies, etc. -- they are still difficult to apply in natural ecosystems, especially in remote areas and developing countries.

Biology: Botany
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Arming vegetables with anti-inflammatory properties using plant pigments      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Metabolic engineering is a field of plant biotechnology that seeks to genetically modify plant metabolic pathways to generate plant varieties with improved health benefits. Recently, scientists engineered potato and tomato plants to express the plant pigment betalain -- found only in Caryophyllales and higher fungi. They found that while betalain-tomatoes conferred anti-inflammatory effects against macrophages and murine colitis, betalain-potatoes showed no such effects.

Biology: Botany
Published

New discovery to bulk up gluten-free fiber supplement      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have for the first time constructed the reference genome for the source of the popular fiber supplement, psyllium husk, which could boost supplies of the versatile plant-derived product.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology
Published

Discovery could lead to new fungicides to protect rice crops      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In some years, rice blast disease destroys more than one quarter of the harvest worldwide. But it's hard to fight with current methods. Researchers have now discovered how the fungus breeches the tough skin of the rice leaf and determined the structure of the enzyme secreted to puncture the leaf. They're now searching for chemical blockers that would work as a spray-on fungicide for rice and other crops.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Urban gardens are good for ecosystems and humans      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Traditionally, it has been assumed that cultivating food leads to a loss of biodiversity and negative impacts on an ecosystem. A new study defies this assumption, showing that community gardens and urban farms positively affect biodiversity, local ecosystems and the well-being of humans that work in them.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
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Exact magma locations may improve volcanic eruption forecasts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Cornell University researchers have unearthed precise, microscopic clues to where magma is stored, offering a way to better assess the risk of volcanic eruptions.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Reducing pesticide pollution and the intensity of harvesting can increase crop yield and contribute to climate change mitigation      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have found that carbon sequestration and plant resilience as well as forage pasture yield can be increased through key adjustments in agricultural management. The results provide a roadmap for reducing pesticide loads in soils and the first steps towards increasing climate change mitigation while improving crop yield in grasslands.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Licorice leaf extract is a promising plant protectant for conventional and organic agriculture      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study reveals that licorice leaf extract is a potent bactericide and fungicide that can be used in conventional and organic agriculture.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Long-term restoration of a biodiversity hotspot hinges on getting seeds to the right place at the right time      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research shows that degraded savanna ecosystems can reap lasting benefits from a single seeding of native understory plants. Once a diverse understory of savanna plants became established, its long-term persistence was relatively unaffected by environmental factors -- with one exception. Higher temperatures during the height of the growing season were associated with poorer long-term survival among some species, indicating one threat posed by a warming climate.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Pacific Northwest heat dome tree damage more about temperature than drought, scientists say      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Widespread tree scorch in the Pacific Northwest that became visible shortly after multiple days of record-setting, triple-digit temperatures in June 2021 was more attributable to heat than to drought conditions, researchers say.

Anthropology: General Biology: Botany Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Evolution of wheat spikes since the Neolithic revolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Around 12,000 years ago, the Neolithic revolution radically changed the economy, diet and structure of the first human societies in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East. With the beginning of the cultivation of cereals -- such as wheat and barley -- and the domestication of animals, the first cities emerged in a new social context marked by a productive economy. Now, a study analyses the evolution of wheat spikes since its cultivation began by the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia -- the cradle of agriculture -- between the Tigris and the Euphrates.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
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Forest trees find a new watery 'sweet spot' when CO2 is high      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Trees living in conditions where the carbon dioxide (CO2) has been artificially elevated are likely to become more efficient in conserving water.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Climate change may cut US forest inventory by a fifth this century      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study found that under more severe climate warming scenarios, the inventory of trees used for timber in the continental United States could decline by as much as 23% by 2100. The largest inventory losses would occur in two of the leading timber regions in the U.S., which are both in the South.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Trees Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Over 4% of summer mortality in European cities is attributable to urban heat islands      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Over four percent of deaths in cities during the summer months are due to urban heat islands, and one third of these deaths could be prevented by reaching a tree cover of 30%, according to a modelling study. The study results, obtained with data from 93 European cities, highlight the substantial benefits of planting more trees in cities to attenuate the impact of climate change.