Soil organic matter: a sustainability indicator for wildfire control and bioenergy production in the urban/forest interface.

This work was presented at the “North America Forest Soils Conference, Montana 2013”, in the “New Technologies in Soil Research” session.Incluye material complementarioMany rural communities in British Columbia (western Canada) are increasingly at risk from wildfire as temperatures rise and droughts become more frequent. In addition, these communities are also faced with rising fuel costs, and a growing demand for heat as their populations increase. The fact these communities are surrounded by forests presents an opportunity to combine community wildfire risk abatement with bioenergy development. Here we show how the ecological model FORECAST was linked with GIS and economic models to create a freely available on-line tool (FIRST Heat) to help other communities make their own screening-level ecological assessments of combining wildfire risk control with district heating systems. The tool incorporates an ecological sustainability index based on the relative change in soil organic matter (SOM) after 50 years of management compared to initial levels. Two thresholds were defined: 10% SOM lost as “warning” level, and 20% SOM lost as “critical” level. The tool was able to adequately capture the influences of ecological zone, stand age, site quality, and intensity of forest management on SOM losses. Stands in the sub-boreal and arid interior were significantly more exposed to SOM losses than in other ecological zones, as well as soils in old-growth forests. Stands in poor sites were significantly more sensitive to forest management than young and fertile sites. All things considered, our results show the suitability of incorporating ecological models and SOM thresholds in user-friendly decision-support tools to successfully transfer scientific knowledge on forest soils to local stakeholders and decision makers

Litterfall, litter decomposition and associated nutrient fluxes in Pinus halepensis: influence of tree removal intensity in a Mediterranean forest

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10342-015-0893-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users[EN] Our knowledge about the influence of silvicultural treatments on nutrient cycling processes in Mediterranean forests is still limited. Four levels of tree removal were compared in an Aleppo pine forest in eastern Spain to determine the effects on litterfall, litter decomposition and the associated nutrient fluxes after 12 years. Removal treatments included clearfelling, two shelterwood intensities (60 and 75 % of basal area removed) and untreated controls. Twelve years later, the basal area removed still explained 60 % of litterfall mass variance and 60 % of C, 52 % of N, 45 % of P, 17 % of K, 47 % of Ca and 60 % of Mg return variances. Litter decomposed somewhat more slowly in clearfellings compared to controls (p = 0.049), accumulated more Ca and released less K compared to the other three treatments. This was explained by contamination with mineral particles due to the poorly developed O horizon in clearfellings. We conclude that the management practices reduced the nutrient return via litterfall, but the nutrient release through decomposition seems poorly sensitive to canopy disturbance. In order to accurately quantify the harvesting impacts on nutrient cycling in this Mediterranean forest system, it is necessary to measure the litterfall of the understory layer.This work has been supported by a fellowship from the Generalitat Valenciana, Conselleria de Educacion, Formacion y Empleo awarded to L. Lado-Monserrat (BFPI/2008/041). Silvicultural treatments were carried out by the Mediterranean Centre for Environmental Studies (CEAM) through programme "I + D en relacion con la restauracion de la cubierta vegetal y otros aspectos de investigacion forestal". Dataloggers and probes were provided by the Generalitat Valenciana through Project "Efecto de diferentes sistemas de aclareo de masa forestal sobre la disponibilidad de agua, nutrientes y la regeneracion de la masa arborea y arbustiva en parcelas de pinar" (GV06/126). We acknowledge Joana Oliver, Ruth M. Tavera and Daniel Fortanet for their help in the laboratory and in the field. The authors wish to thank Francisco Galiana for his assistance, including help in fieldwork and providing information about the experimental design of the silvicultural treatments. Thanks also go to Rafael Herrera from the Centro de Ecologia, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Caracas, Venezuela and two anonymous reviewers for critically reviewing the manuscript.Lado Monserrat, L.; Lidón, A.; Bautista, I. (2015). Litterfall, litter decomposition and associated nutrient fluxes in Pinus halepensis: influence of tree removal intensity in a Mediterranean forest. European Journal of Forest Research. 134(5):833-844. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-015-0893-zS8338441345Almagro M, Martínez-Mena M (2012) Exploring short-term leaf-litter decomposition dynamics in a Mediterranean ecosystem: dependence on litter type and site conditions. Plant Soil 358:323–335Alvarez A, Gracia M, Vayreda J, Retana J (2012) Patterns of fuel types and crown fire potential in Pinus halepensis forests in the Western Mediterranean Basin. For Ecol Manage 270:282–290Austin AT, Vivanco L (2006) Plant litter decomposition in a semi-arid ecosystem controlled by photodegradation. Nature 442:555–558Bates JD, Svejcar TS, Miller RF (2007) Litter decomposition in cut and uncut western juniper woodlands. J Arid Environ 70:222–236Binkley D (2008) Three key points in the design of forest experiments. For Ecol Manage 255:2022–2023Blair JM, Crossley DA Jr (1988) Litter decomposition, nitrogen dynamics and litter microarthropods in a southern Appalachian hardwood forest 8 years following clearcutting. J Appl Ecol 25:683–698Blanco JA, Zavala MA, Imbert JB, Castillo FJ (2005) Sustainability of forest management practices: evaluation through a simulation model of nutrient cycling. For Ecol Manage 213:209–228Blanco JA, Imbert JB, Castillo FJ (2006) Influence of site characteristics and thinning intensity on litterfall production in two Pinus sylvestris L. forests in the western Pyrenees. For Ecol Manage 237:342–352Blanco JA, Imbert JB, Castillo FJ (2008) Nutrient return via litterfall in two contrasting Pinus sylvestris forests in the Pyrenees under different thinning intensities. For Ecol Manage 256:1840–1852Blanco JA, Imbert JB, Castillo FJ (2011) Thinning affects Pinus sylvestris needle decomposition rates and chemistry differently depending on site conditions. Biogeochemistry 106:397–414Caldentey J, Ibarra M, Hernández J (2001) Litter fluxes and decomposition in Nothofagus pumilio stands in the region of Magallanes, Chile. For Ecol Manage 148:145–157Christensen JH, Krishna Kumar K, et al. (2013) Climate phenomena and their relevance for future regional climate change. In: Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner G-K et al (Eds.) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USACortina J, Vallejo VR (1994) Effects of clearfelling on forest floor accumulation and litter decomposition in a radiata pine plantation. For Ecol Manage 70:299–310Entry JA, Rose CL, Cromack K Jr (1991) Litter decomposition and nutrient release in ectomycorrhizal mat soils of a Douglas fir ecosystem. Soil Biol Biochem 23:285–290Fabbio G, Merlo M, Tosi V (2003) Silvicultural management in maintaining biodiversity and resistance of forests in Europe—the Mediterranean region. J Environ Manage 67:67–76Galiana F, Pérez-Badía R, Camarero E, Estruch V, Currás R (2001) Estimación de la Radiación solar incidente en pinares de Pinus halepensis sometidos a tratamientos selvícolas de cortas finales. In: Junta de Andalucía. Consejería de Medio Ambiente (Ed.) Actas del III Congreso Forestal Español. Junta de Andalucía. Granada (Original in Spanish)García-Plé C, Vanrell P, Morey M (1995) Litter fall and decomposition in a Pinus halepensis forest on Mallorca. J Veg Sci 6:17–22González Utrillas N, González Pérez E, Galiana F (2005) Variación del crecimiento diametral de la masa de pinar de carrasco en cortas finales experimentales, en los montes de Tuejar y Chelva (Valencia). IV Congreso Forestal Español. Zaragoza. Soc. Esp. Cien. For. (Original in Spanish)Guo LB, Sims REH (1999) Litter decomposition and nutrient release via litter decomposition in New Zealand eucalypt short rotation forests. Agric Ecosyst Environ 75:133–140GVA (1995) Mapa de Suelos de la Comunidad Valenciana. Chelva (666). Proyecto LUCDEME (Icona), Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación y Conselleria d’Agricultura i Mig Ambient. Generalitat Valenciana. Valencia, Spain. (Original in Spanish)Hennessey TC, Dougherty PM, Cregg BM, Wittwer RF (1992) Annual variation in needle fall of a loblolly pine stand in relation to climate and stand density. For Ecol Manage 51:329–338Inagaki Y, Kuramoto S, Torii A, Shinomiya Y, Fukata H (2008) Effects of thinning on leaf-fall and leaf-litter nitrogen concentration in hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endlicher) plantation stands in Japan. For Ecol Manage 255:1859–1867Jonard M, Misson L, Ponette Q (2006) Long-term thinning effects on the forest floor and the foliar nutrient status of Norway spruce stands in the Belgian Ardennes. Can J For Res 36:2684–2695Kim C, Sharik TL, Jurgensen MF (1996a) Canopy cover effects on mass loss, and nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics from decomposing litter in oak and pine stands in northern Lower Michigan. For Ecol Manage 80:13–20Kim C, Sharik TL, Jurgensen MF (1996b) Litterfall, nitrogen and phosphorus inputs at various levels of canopy removal in oak and pine stands in northern lower Michigan. Am Midl Nat 135:195–204Kim C, Son Y, Lee WK, Jeong J, Noh NJ, Kim SR, Yang AR, Ju NG (2012) Influence of forest tending (Soopkakkugi) works on litterfall and nutrient inputs in a Pinus densiflora stand. For Sci Technol 8:83–88Kimmins JP (2004) Forest ecology, a foundation for sustainable management and environmental ethics in forestry. Prentice-Hall, New JerseyKimmins JP, Mailly D, Seely B (1999) Modelling forest ecosystem net primary production: the hybrid simulation approach used in FORECAST. Ecol Modell 122:195–224Klemmedson JO, Meier CE, Campbell RE (1990) Litter fall transfers of dry matter and nutrients in ponderosa pine stands. Can J For Res 20:1105–1115Kunhamu TK, Kumar BM, Viswanath S (2009) Does thinning affect litterfall, litter decomposition, and associated nutrient release in Acacia mangium stands of Kerala in peninsular India? Can J For Res 39:792–801Lytle DE, Cronan CS (1998) Comparative soil CO2 evolution, litter decay, and root dynamics in clearcut and uncut spruce–fir forest. For Ecol Manage 103:121–128Molina AJ, Del Campo AD (2012) The effects of experimental thinning on throughfall and stemflow: a contribution towards hydrology-oriented silviculture in Aleppo pine plantations. For Ecol Manage 269:206–213Navarro FB, Romero-Freire A, Del Castillo T, Foronda A, Jiménez MN, Ripoll MA, Sánchez-Miranda A, Hutsinger L, Fernández-Ondoño E (2013) Effects of thinning on litterfall were found after years in a Pinus halepensis afforestation area at tree and stand levels. For Ecol Manage 289:354–362Olson JS (1963) Energy storage and the balance of producers and decomposers in ecological systems. Ecology 44:322–331Pérez Cueva AJ (1994) Atlas Climático de la Comunidad Valenciana. Colección Territori nº 4. Generalitat Valenciana. Conselleria d’Obres Publiques, Urbanisme i Transport, ValenciaPetritsch R, Hasenauer H, Pietsch SA (2007) Incorporating forest growth response to thinning within biome-BGC. For Ecol Manage 242:324–336Prescott CE (1997) Effects of clearcutting and alternative silvicultural systems on rates of decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in a coastal montane coniferous forest. 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A global approach to addressing the policy, research and social challenges of male reproductive health

Male infertility is a global health issue; yet to a large extent, our knowledge of its causes, impact and consequence is largely unknown. Recent data indicate that infertile men have an increased risk of somatic disorders such as cancer and die younger compared to fertile men. Moreover, several studies point to a significant adverse effect on the health of the offspring. From the startling lack of progress in male contraception combined with the paucity of improvements in the diagnosis of male infertility, we conclude there is a crisis in male reproductive health. The Male Reproductive Health Initiative has been organized to directly address these issues (www.eshre.eu/Specialty-groups/Special-Interest-Groups/Andrology/MRHI). The Working Group will formulate an evidence-based strategic road map outlining the ways forward. This is an open consortium desiring to engage with all stakeholders and governments

Current global status of male reproductive health

BACKGROUND: The widespread interest in male reproductive health (MRH), fueled by emerging evidence, such as the global decline in sperm counts, has intensified concerns about the status of MRH. Consequently, there is a pressing requirement for a strategic, systematic approach to identifying critical questions, collecting pertinent information, and utilizing these data to develop evidence-based strategies. The methods for addressing these questions and the pathways toward their answers will inevitably vary based on the variations in cultural, geopolitical, and health-related contexts. To address these issues, a conjoint ESHRE and Male Reproductive Health Initiative (MRHI) Campus workshop was convened.OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: The three objectives were: first, to assess the current state of MRH around the world; second, to identify some of the key gaps in knowledge; and, third, to examine how MRH stakeholders can collaboratively generate intelligent and effective paths forward.SEARCH METHODS: Each expert reviewed and summarized the current literature that was subsequently used to provide a comprehensive overview of challenges related to MRH.OUTCOMES: This narrative report is an overview of the data, opinions, and arguments presented during the workshop. A number of outcomes are presented and can be summarized by the following overarching themes: MRH is a serious global issue and there is a plethora of gaps in our understanding; there is a need for widespread international collaborative networks to undertake multidisciplinary research into fundamental issues, such as lifestyle/environmental exposure studies, and high-quality clinical trials; and there is an urgent requirement for effective strategies to educate young people and the general public to safeguard and improve MRH across diverse population demographics and resources.LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION: This was a workshop where worldwide leading experts from a wide range of disciplines presented and discussed the evidence regarding challenges related to MRH. While each expert summarized the current literature and placed it in context, the data in a number of areas are limited and/or sparse. Equally, important areas for consideration may have been missed. Moreover, there are clear gaps in our knowledge base, which makes some conclusions necessarily speculative and warranting of further study.WIDER IMPLICATIONS: Poor MRH is a global issue that suffers from low awareness among the public, patients, and heathcare professionals. Addressing this will require a coordinated multidisciplinary approach. Addressing the significant number of knowledge gaps will require policy makers prioritizing MRH and its funding.STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors would like to extend their gratitude to ESHRE for providing financial support for the Budapest Campus Workshop, as well as to Microptic S.L. (Barcelona) for kindly sponsoring the workshop. P.B. is the Director of the not-for-profit organization Global Action on Men's Health and receives fees and expenses for his work, (which includes the preparation of this manuscript). Conflicts of interest: C.J.D.J., C.L.R.B., R.A.A., P.B., M.P.C., M.L.E., N.G., N.J., C.K., AAP, M.K.O., S.R.-H., M.H.V.-L.: ESHRE Campus Workshop 2022 (Travel support-personal). C.J.D.J.: Cambridge University Press (book royalties-personal). ESHRE Annual Meeting 2022 and Yale University Panel Meeting 2023 (Travel support-personal). C.L.R.B.: Ferring and IBSA (Lecture), RBMO editor (Honorarium to support travel, etc.), ExSeed and ExScentia (University of Dundee), Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation (for research on contraception). M.P.C.: Previously received funding from pharmaceutical companies for health economic research. The funding was not in relation to this work and had no bearing on the contents of this work. No funding from other sources has been provided in relation to this work (funding was provided to his company Global Market Access Solutions). M.L.E.: Advisor to Ro, Doveras, Next, Hannah, Sandstone. C.K.: European Academy of Andrology (Past president UNPAID), S.K.: CEO of His Turn, a male fertility Diagnostic and Therapeutic company (No payments or profits to date). R.I.M.: www.healthymale.org.au (Australian Government funded not for profit in men's health sector (Employed as Medical Director 0.2 FET), Monash IVF Pty Ltd (Equity holder)). N.J.: Merck (consulting fees), Gedeon Richter (honoraria). S.R.-H.: ESHRE (Travel reimbursements). C.N.: LLC (Nursing educator); COMMIT (Core Outcomes Measures for Infertility Trials) Advisor, meeting attendee, and co-author; COMMA (Core Outcomes in Menopause) Meeting attendee, and co-author; International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Delegate Letters and Sciences; ReproNovo, Advisory board; American Board of Urology Examiner; American Urological Association Journal subsection editor, committee member, guidelines co-author Ferring Scientific trial NexHand Chief Technology Officer, stock ownership Posterity Health Board member, stock ownership. A.P.: Economic and Social Research Council (A collaborator on research grant number ES/W001381/1). Member of an advisory committee for Merck Serono (November 2022), Member of an advisory board for Exceed Health, Speaker fees for educational events organized by Mealis Group; Chairman of the Cryos External Scientific Advisory Committee: All fees associated with this are paid to his former employer The University of Sheffield. Trustee of the Progress Educational Trust (Unpaid). M.K.O.: National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian Research Council (Funding for research of the topic of male fertility), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Funding aimed at the development of male gamete-based contraception), Medical Research Future Fund (Funding aimed at defining the long-term consequences of male infertility). M.H.V.-L.: Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH)/Human Reproduction Programme (HRP) Research Project Panel RP2/WHO Review Member; MRHI (Core Group Member), COMMIT (member), EGOI (Member); Human Reproduction (Associate Editor), Fertility and Sterility (Editor), AndroLATAM (Founder and Coordinator).</p

Myosin Assembly, Maintenance and Degradation in Muscle: Role of the Chaperone UNC-45 in Myosin Thick Filament Dynamics

Myofibrillogenesis in striated muscle cells requires a precise ordered pathway to assemble different proteins into a linear array of sarcomeres. The sarcomere relies on interdigitated thick and thin filaments to ensure muscle contraction, as well as properly folded and catalytically active myosin head. Achieving this organization requires a series of protein folding and assembly steps. The folding of the myosin head domain requires chaperone activity to attain its functional conformation. Folded or unfolded myosin can spontaneously assemble into short myosin filaments, but further assembly requires the short and incomplete myosin filaments to assemble into the developing thick filament. These longer filaments are then incorporated into the developing sarcomere of the muscle. Both myosin folding and assembly require factors to coordinate the formation of the thick filament in the sarcomere and these factors include chaperone molecules. Myosin folding and sarcomeric assembly requires association of classical chaperones as well as folding cofactors such as UNC-45. Recent research has suggested that UNC-45 is required beyond initial myosin head folding and may be directly or indirectly involved in different stages of myosin thick filament assembly, maintenance and degradation

Epigenetic Mechanisms Regulate Stem Cell Expressed Genes Pou5f1 and Gfra1 in a Male Germ Cell Line

Male fertility is declining and an underlying cause may be due to environment-epigenetic interactions in developing sperm, yet nothing is known of how the epigenome controls gene expression in sperm development. Histone methylation and acetylation are dynamically regulated in spermatogenesis and are sensitive to the environment. Our objectives were to determine how histone H3 methylation and acetylation contribute to the regulation of key genes in spermatogenesis. A germ cell line, GC-1, was exposed to either the control, or the chromatin modifying drugs tranylcypromine (T), an inhibitor of the histone H3 demethylase KDM1 (lysine specific demethylase 1), or trichostatin (TSA), an inhibitor of histone deacetylases, (HDAC). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to identify genes that were sensitive to treatment. As a control for specificity the Myod1 (myogenic differentiation 1) gene was analyzed. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) followed by qPCR was used to measure histone H3 methylation and acetylation at the promoters of target genes and the control, Myod1. Remarkably, the chromatin modifying treatment specifically induced the expression of spermatogonia expressed genes Pou5f1 and Gfra1. ChIP-qPCR revealed that induction of gene expression was associated with a gain in gene activating histone H3 methylation and acetylation in Pou5f1 and Gfra1 promoters, whereas CpG DNA methylation was not affected. Our data implicate a critical role for histone H3 methylation and acetylation in the regulation of genes expressed by spermatogonia – here, predominantly mediated by HDAC-containing protein complexes

Dicer1 Depletion in Male Germ Cells Leads to Infertility Due to Cumulative Meiotic and Spermiogenic Defects

Background: Spermatogenesis is a complex biological process that requires a highly specialized control of gene expression. In the past decade, small non-coding RNAs have emerged as critical regulators of gene expression both at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. DICER1, an RNAse III endonuclease, is essential for the biogenesis of several classes of small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and endogenous small interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs), but is also critical for the degradation of toxic transposable elements. In this study, we investigated to which extent DICER1 is required for germ cell development and the progress of spermatogenesis in mice.Principal Findings: We show that the selective ablation of Dicer1 at the early onset of male germ cell development leads to infertility, due to multiple cumulative defects at the meiotic and post-meiotic stages culminating with the absence of functional spermatozoa. Alterations were observed in the first spermatogenic wave and include delayed progression of spermatocytes to prophase I and increased apoptosis, resulting in a reduced number of round spermatids. The transition from round to mature spermatozoa was also severely affected, since the few spermatozoa formed in mutant animals were immobile and misshapen, exhibiting morphological defects of the head and flagellum. We also found evidence that the expression of transposable elements of the SINE family is up-regulated in Dicer1-depleted spermatocytes.Conclusions/Significance: Our findings indicate that DICER1 is dispensable for spermatogonial stem cell renewal and mitotic proliferation, but is required for germ cell differentiation through the meiotic and haploid phases of spermatogenesis

Longitudinal river zonation in the tropics: examples of fish and caddisflies from endorheic Awash river, Ethiopia

Primary Research PaperSpecific concepts of fluvial ecology are well studied in riverine ecosystems of the temperate zone but poorly investigated in the Afrotropical region. Hence, we examined the longitudinal zonation of fish and adult caddisfly (Trichoptera) assemblages in the endorheic Awash River (1,250 km in length), Ethiopia. We expected that species assemblages are structured along environmental gradients, reflecting the pattern of large-scale freshwater ecoregions. We applied multivariate statistical methods to test for differences in spatial species assemblage structure and identified characteristic taxa of the observed biocoenoses by indicator species analyses. Fish and caddisfly assemblages were clustered into highland and lowland communities, following the freshwater ecoregions, but separated by an ecotone with highest biodiversity. Moreover, the caddisfly results suggest separating the heterogeneous highlands into a forested and a deforested zone. Surprisingly, the Awash drainage is rather species-poor: only 11 fish (1 endemic, 2 introduced) and 28 caddisfly species (8 new records for Ethiopia) were recorded from the mainstem and its major tributaries. Nevertheless, specialized species characterize the highland forests, whereas the lowlands primarily host geographically widely distributed species. This study showed that a combined approach of fish and caddisflies is a suitable method for assessing regional characteristics of fluvial ecosystems in the tropicsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio