Morphological and anatomical studies on Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze (Taccaceae) in Nigeria

Tacca leontopetaloides is the only species in the genus Tacca naturally distributed in the Guinea savannah and dry rainforest regions in Nigeria. The study was conducted to contribute to scientific knowledge on the macro-morphological and anatomical features of the plant collected from 4 locations (Akoko, Eruwa, Bazza and Ile-Ife) across the Nigeria and to determine the effect of environmental factors on its anatomy. Leaf epidermal peel of the 4 samples, leaf and stem Transverse Sections (T.S) and stem Tangential Longitudinal Section (T.L.S) and Radial Longitudinal Section (R.L.S) as well as stem fibres were prepared and studied. A wide range of similarities and differences were noted in the anatomical features of the 4 samples studied. The similarities include, but not limited to stomata being anomocytic, epidermis hypostomatic, cuticle single-layered and striated, vascular bundles conjointed collateral, epidermis undulating, stem rays uniserrate and procumbent, stem fibres non-septate and non-storeyed. Wide range of variations are noted in stomata density and measurements, epidermal cell density, guard cell measurements, cuticle thickness, vascular bundle arrangement, shapes of parenchyma and sclerenchyma cells and many other anatomical features. The variations observed among the samples studies were attributed to the prevailing environmental factors in each collection site.Morphological and anatomical studies on Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze (Taccaceae) in Nigeri

The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science

The use of English as the common language of science represents a major impediment to maximising the contribution of non-native English speakers to science. Yet few studies have quantified the consequences of language barriers on the career development of researchers who are non-native English speakers. By surveying 908 researchers in environmental sciences, this study estimates and compares the amount of effort required to conduct scientific activities in English between researchers from different countries and, thus, different linguistic and economic backgrounds. Our survey demonstrates that non-native English speakers, especially early in their careers, spend more effort than native English speakers in conducting scientific activities, from reading and writing papers and preparing presentations in English, to disseminating research in multiple languages. Language barriers can also cause them not to attend, or give oral presentations at, international conferences conducted in English. We urge scientific communities to recognise and tackle these disadvantages to release the untapped potential of non-native English speakers in science. This study also proposes potential solutions that can be implemented today by individuals, institutions, journals, funders, and conferences.This work was funded by the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship FT180100354 (TA), The University of Queensland strategic funding (TA), and the German Research Foundation (DFG-FZT 118, 202548816) (SC). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe

Language, economic and gender disparities widen the scientific productivity gap

Scientific communities need to understand and eliminate barriers that prevent people with diverse backgrounds from contributing to and participating in science. However, the combined impact of individuals’ linguistic, economic, and gender backgrounds on their scientific productivity is poorly understood. Using a survey of 908 environmental scientists, we show that being a woman is associated with up to a 45% reduction in the number of English-language publications, compared to men. Being a woman, a non-native English speaker, and from a low-income country is associated with up to a 70% reduction, compared to male native English speakers from a high-income country. The linguistic and economic productivity gap narrows when based on the total number of English- and non-English-language publications. We call for an explicit effort to consider linguistic, economic, and gender backgrounds and incorporate non-English-language publications when assessing the performance and contribution of scientists

Upholding Ethical Accountability in Ethnobotany and Ethnobiology Research

Ethical accountability is a cornerstone of ethnobotany and ethnobiology research involving Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This editorial affirms that formal institutional ethics review should never be bypassed, even when such processes fall short in addressing cultur- ally specific contexts. We advocate that, when conventional ethics review procedures appear inad- equate, researchers must engage in proactive dialogue with their institutions to negotiate appropriate modifications or exemptions that respect the cultural protocols of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. In the field, scholars should prioritize genuine collaboration and actively involve community leaders and members in the design, implementation, and dissemination of research projects. Moreover, journal submissions should provide transparent documentation of both institu- tional ethics approval and details on the culturally specific ethical practices followed throughout the project. This dual approach not only upholds rigorous ethical standards, but also promotes research that is respectful, inclusive, and responsive to the values and needs of the communities involved. By encouraging continuous ethics reflection, learning, and reform (if needed), this editorial envisions a research framework that not only meets legal and institutional requirements, but also honors and empowers traditional knowledge holders and their communities.Fil: Vandebroek, Ina. University of the West Indies. Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience (CCRIB). Faculty of Science and Technology, Kingston; Jamaica.Fil: Stepp, J. R. University of Florida. Department of Anthropology; USA.Fil: Kunwar, Ripu. Tribhuvan University. Centre for Applied and Science and Technology; Nepal.Fil: Hilgert, Norma. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología Subtropical; Argentina.Fil: Pulido Silva, María Teresa. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas; México.Fil: Ladio, Ana H. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.Fil: Ladio, Ana H. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche; Argentina.Fil: Clement, Charles R. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus; Brazil.Fil: Ferreira Júnior, Washington Soares. Universidade de Pernambuco, Nazaré da Mata; Brazil.Fil: Towns, Alexandra M. Honors College, Towson University, Towson; USA.Fil: Borokini, Israel. Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman; USA

A global synthesis of naturalised and invasive plants in aquatic habitats

Global databases have contributed to our understanding of alien, naturalised and invasive plant species distributions. Still, the role of species invasions in habitats, specifically in aquatic habitats, remains underexplored at the global scale. Accordingly, a comprehensive global synthesis of the status of plant invasions in aquatic habitats has been missing. Here, we focus on macroecological patterns of naturalised non-invasive and invasive plants in aquatic habitats using the recently built SynHab database. Amongst all the plant records compiled in SynHab, 592 are assigned to aquatic habitats, of which 183 are unique plant taxa (further termed ‘species’) belonging to 49 families. Of the total number of records, 462 refer to taxa with naturalised non-invasive occurrences and 130 to invasive occurrences. The species pool analysed here refers to 78 regions distributed across all botanical continents as defined by the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions. The number of naturalised non-invasive aquatic species is similar across different continents and biomes, but Tropical Asia had more and the Mediterranean zonobiome had fewer invasive species than expected. Tropical Asia, Temperate Asia and Africa have the highest proportions of naturalised species that have become invasive, while across continents, invasive proportions were highest for tropical and subtropical zonobiomes. New Zealand, Italy and California contained disproportionately more naturalised species than expected, given the area covered by aquatic habitat in those regions, whereas South Sudan, Papua New Guinea and Kyrgyzstan had disproportionately fewer species. In pairwise dissimilarity comparisons, all continents had distinct species compositions (from 0.73 to 0.92 of the Jaccard dissimilarity index) and so did zonobiomes (0.69 to 1.00). The high proportion of invasive species in Tropical Asia in comparison with terrestrial invasions in this region, indicates a greater susceptibility of warmer regions to aquatic plant invasions. This may be exacerbated by further naturalisations in the future, as data from temperate regions suggest a larger pool of available species