Food for thought: The underutilized potential of tropical tree-sources foods for 21st century sustainable food systems

1. The global food system is causing large-scale environmental degradation and is a major contributor to climate change. Its low diversity and failure to produce enough fruits and vegetables is contributing to a global health crisis. 2. The extraordinary diversity of tropical tree species is increasingly recognized to be vital to planetary health and especially important for supporting climate change mitigation. However, they are poorly integrated into food systems. Tropical tree diversity offers the potential for sustainable production of many foods, providing livelihood benefits and multiple ecosystem services including improved human nutrition. 3. First, we present an overview of these environmental, nutritional and livelihood benefits and show that tree-sourced foods provide important contributions to critical fruit and micronutrient (vitamin A and C) intake in rural populations based on data from sites in seven countries. 4. Then, we discuss several risks and limitations that must be taken into account when scaling-up tropical tree-based food production, including the importance of production system diversity and risks associated with supply to the global markets. 5. We conclude by discussing several interventions addressing technical, financial, political and consumer behaviour barriers, with potential to increase the consumption and production of tropical tree-sourced foods, to catalyse a transition towards more sustainable global food systems

Habitat quality differentiation and consequences for ecosystem service provision of an amazonian hyperdominant tree species.

Ecosystem services of Amazonian forests are disproportionally produced by a limited set of hyperdominant tree species. Yet the spatial variation in the delivery of ecosystem services by individual hyperdominant species across their distribution ranges and corresponding environmental gradients is poorly understood. Here, we use the concept of habitat quality to unravel the effect of environmental gradients on seed production and aboveground biomass (AGB) of the Brazil nut, one of Amazonia's largest and most long-lived hyperdominants. We find that a range of climate and soil gradients create trade-offs between density and fitness of Brazil nut trees. Density responses to environmental gradients were in line with predictions under the Janzen-Connell and Herms-Mattson hypotheses, whereas tree fitness responses were in line with resource requirements of trees over their life cycle. These trade-offs resulted in divergent responses in area-based seed production and AGB. While seed production and AGB of individual trees (i.e., fitness) responded similarly to most environmental gradients, they showed opposite tendencies to tree density for almost half of the gradients. However, for gradients creating opposite fitness-density responses, area-based seed production was invariable, while trends in area-based AGB tended to mirror the response of tree density. We conclude that while the relation between environmental gradients and tree density is generally indicative of the response of AGB accumulation in a given area of forest, this is not necessarily the case for fruit production

Determinación de la viabilidad de los concentrados plaquetarios obtenidos de capa leucocitaria (buffy coat) durante siete días de almacenamiento

Introduction: Platelet concentrates (CPQ) are labile blood components affected by several factors from the method of production to storage conditions that cause a gradual loss of functionality. For this reason, it is necessary to evaluate the platelet quality parameters that guarantee the viability during the storage days, with the purpose of monitoring the maintenance of the functional characteristics of the platelets. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study had a sample size of 64 platelet concentrates, evaluated at 3, 5, and 7 days of storage. The monitored parameters were the physical storage parameters and percentage of platelet activation by measuring P-selectin (CD62) via flow cytometry. The chi-square statistic, one-way Anova, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Pearson correlation were applied. Results: Significant differences were observed on the 7th day in relation to the 3rd and 5th day of storage, especially in the swirling parameter (p < 0.005) and platelet aggregates (p = 0.001). The platelet activation increased significantly (p = 0.001) on the 5th day. Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, the viability of the platelet concentrates differs with the days of storage. For this reason, it is necessary to evaluate the swirling, pH, and aggregates to all platelet concentrates before being transfused as an indication of platelet activation and decreased functionality.Introdução: os concentrados de plaquetas (CPQ) são hemocomponentes lábeis afetados por diversos fatores, desde o método de obtenção até as condições de armazenamento que ocasionam uma perda gradativa de funcionalidade, sendo necessário avaliar os parâmetros de qualidade que garantem a viabilidade das plaquetas ao longo dos dias de armazenamento, a fim de monitorar a manutenção das características funcionais das plaquetas. Materiais e métodos: estudo descritivo transversal, com tamanho de amostra de 64 CPQ, avaliados aos três, cinco e sete dias de armazenamento. Os parâmetros monitorados foram físicos, de armazenamento e porcentagem de ativação plaquetária pela dosagem de P-selectin (CD62) por citometria de fluxo. Os testes estatísticos aplicados incluíram o teste qui-quadrado, anova de um fator, teste de Kruskall-Wallis e correlação de Pearson. Resultados: há diferenças significativas no sétimo dia em relação ao terceiro e quinto dia de armazenamento, principalmente no parâmetro formação de redemoinhos ou swirling de plaquetas (p < 0.005) e agregados plaquetários (p = 0.001). A ativação plaquetária aumentou significativamente (p = 0.001) a partir do quinto dia. Conclusões: a viabilidade dos concentrados de plaquetas difere com os dias de armazenamento, por isso é necessário avaliar o pH, a formação de redemoinhos e agregados a todos os concentrados de plaquetas antes de serem transfundidos como indicativo de ativação plaquetária e diminuição de sua funcionalidade.Introducción: los concentrados plaquetarios (CPQ) son hemocomponentes lábiles afectados por varios factores, desde el método de obtención hasta las condiciones de almacenamiento, que provocan una paulatina pérdida de funcionalidad, por lo que es necesario evaluar parámetros de calidad que garanticen la viabilidad de las plaquetas durante los días de almacenamiento, con el propósito de monitorear el mantenimiento de las características funcionales de las plaquetas. Materiales y métodos: estudio descriptivo transversal, con un tamaño muestral de 64 CPQ, evaluados a los 3, 5 y 7 días de almacenamiento. Los parámetros monitoreados fueron físicos, de almacenamiento y porcentaje de la activación plaquetaria mediante la medición de P-selectina (CD62) por citometría de flujo. Se aplicó el estadístico de chi cuadrado, Anova de un factor, Kruskall-Wallis y correlación de Pearson. Resultados: existen diferencias significativas al séptimo día con relación al tercer y quinto día de almacenamiento, especialmente en el parámetro de formación de remolino plaquetario o swirling (p<0.005) y agregados plaquetarios (p=0.001). La activación plaquetaria aumentó significativamente (p = 0.001) desde el quinto día. Conclusiones: la viabilidad de los CPQ difiere con los días de almacenamiento, por lo que es necesario evaluar pH, formación de remolinos y agregados a todos los CPQ antes de ser transfundidos como indicativos de activación plaquetaria y disminución de su funcionalidad

Forest degradation and inter-annual tree level Brazil Nut production in the Peruvian Amazon

Brazil nuts are an economically important non-timber forest product throughout the Amazon Basin, but the forests in which they grow are under threat of severe degradation by logging, road building, agricultural expansion, and forest fires. As a result, many Brazil nut trees grow within a mosaic of young secondary forest, primary forest remnants and agricultural fields. Little is known about the reproductive ecology and fruit production of Brazil nut in such degraded landscapes. Previous studies on Brazil nut productivity did not explicitly address forest degradation as a factor. In this study, we analyzed the extent to which Brazil nut fruit production is affected by the level of forest degradation. We collected 3 years of fruit production data of 126 Brazil nut trees occurring in degraded forest (the above-mentioned mosaics) and closed canopy (i.e., undegraded) forest in and around the Tambopata National Reserve in Madre de Dios, Peru. We analyzed the effect of forest degradation at two different levels: at the site type (i.e., degraded vs. undegraded forest) and the individual tree level (quantified as stand basal area and stem density around the individual Brazil nut trees). Stand basal area around the individual Brazil nut trees significantly positively influenced tree fruit production in all 3 years and stem density in year 2 and 3, with strongest effects in the 3rd year, and weakest effect in the 1st year, coinciding with an El Niño year. Trees in undegraded forest produced more fruits in the 2nd and 3rd year than trees in degraded forest (29.4% and 35.8% more, respectively), but not in the 1st year in which trees in undegraded forest produced 31.7% less fruits than trees in degraded forest. These within year effects were not significant, although the effects significantly differed between years. Our results show that forest degradation can affect Brazil nut fruit production, and suggest that the strength (and possibly the sign) of this effect might be different in (extreme) El Niño years. This illustrates the potential importance of restoring degraded forest to enhance resilience and protect the livelihoods of people depending on the Brazil nut trade

Establishment success of Brazil nut trees in smallholder Amazon forest restoration depends on site conditions and management

1. Forest landscape restoration (FLR) has gained momentum globally and guidance is needed to identify those species, sites and planting methods that increase restoration success. Incorporating native Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) species in FLR approaches provides an opportunity to simultaneously deliver ecological and economic benefits. The Brazil nut tree is one of the most valuable Amazonian NTFP species and could fulfil a cornerstone role in Amazon FLR. However, the factors defining establishment success within Brazil nut restoration activities remain unknown. 2. Here, we evaluate the effect of management practices, restoration site (pastures, agroforestry, secondary forest and canopy gaps in old growth forest) and environmental conditions on the establishment success (tree growth, survival and fruit production) of Brazil nut restoration projects implemented by smallholders in the Peruvian Amazon. We performed a field study at 25 restoration sites of 1–38 years in age, where we conducted measurements on 481 trees and interviewed 21 smallholders. We used mixed effect models to identify drivers of performance. 3. Twenty years after planting, diameter growth in secondary forests was 38%, 34%, and 24% higher than in canopy gaps, pastures, and agroforestry sites, respectively. Survival rate was similar for trees planted in pastures and secondary forests, but 15–20% higher there than trees planted in agroforestry sites, and 7–12% higher than in canopy gaps. Fruit production was 262% higher for reproductive trees in secondary forest sites compared to pastures, but production probability did not differ between restoration sites. These results show that secondary forests are the most suitable sites for planting Brazil nut trees. 4. In addition to restoration site effects, we also found significant effects of management practices. Survival rate increased with application of fire for clearing and weeding and economic investments and decreased with potentially inefficient herbivore protection. Fruit production was lower for trees planted further away from smallholders’ homes. These results show that smallholders’ management has a substantial effect on establishment success. 5. Our findings suggest a significant importance of post-planting maintenance of trees to increase success of FLR projects. Further, our study shows that evaluation of past restoration activities can guide future forest restoration in tropical landscapes