Effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) on flowering traits of three horticultural plant species

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) has been increasing homogeneously worldwide since industrial revolution. Current CO₂ concentrations are around 400 ppm, which may increase over this century to 430 ppm (best scenario) to > 1000 ppm (worst scenario) (IPCC, 2013). Species-level responses of plant traits to elevated carbon dioxide (eCO₂), especially those that affect interactions with pollinators, could potentially have flow-on effects to both ecological communities and horticultural industries. The impacts of eCO₂ on flowering traits in pepper (Capsicum annuum - Giant Bell), tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum- var. Tomato Roma) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo - Zucchini Blackjack), all economically important horticultural species, were investigated. Twenty plants of each species were grown under two treatments: 1) two glasshouses with ambient CO₂ (400 ppm), and 2) two with eCO₂ (555 ppm). For both treatments, we measured the number of flowers, flower longevity and dry biomass for all species; pollen diameter and number of pollen grains for tomato and zucchini and the sucrose concentration and nectar production in zucchini. Elevated CO₂ had few significant effects on the measured traits, the main exceptions being in zucchini, which produced more male flowers, fewer pollen grains per plant and fewer female flowers under this treatment. Pepper also produced fewer flowers at eCO₂ while tomato was the least sensitive species. Future studies could be aimed at testing sensitivity of different varieties of these important commercial species to eCO₂.6 page(s

Optimal restoration for pollination services increases forest cover while doubling agricultural profits.

Pollinators are currently facing dramatic declines in abundance and richness across the globe. This can have profound impacts on agriculture, as 75% of globally common food crops benefit from pollination services. As many native bee species require natural areas for nesting, restoration efforts within croplands may be beneficial to support pollinators and enhance agricultural yields. Yet, restoration can be challenging to implement due to large upfront costs and the removal of land from production. Designing sustainable landscapes will require planning approaches that include the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of pollination services flowing from (restored) vegetation into crops. We present a novel planning framework to determine the best spatial arrangement for restoration in agricultural landscapes while accounting for yield improvements over 40 years following restoration. We explored a range of production and conservation goals using a coffee production landscape in Costa Rica as a case study. Our results show that strategic restoration can increase forest cover by approximately 20% while doubling collective landholder profits over 40 years, even when accounting for land taken out of production. We show that restoration can provide immense economic benefits in the long run, which may be pivotal to motivating local landholders to undertake conservation endeavours in pollinator-dependent croplands

IS-seq: a novel high throughput survey of in vivo IS<it>6110</it> transposition in multiple <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</it> genomes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The insertion element IS<it>6110</it> is one of the main sources of genomic variability in <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</it>, the etiological agent of human tuberculosis. Although IS <it>6110</it> has been used extensively as an epidemiological marker, the identification of the precise chromosomal insertion sites has been limited by technical challenges. Here, we present IS-seq, a novel method that combines high-throughput sequencing using Illumina technology with efficient combinatorial sample multiplexing to simultaneously probe 519 clinical isolates, identifying almost all the flanking regions of the element in a single experiment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified a total of 6,976 IS<it>6110</it> flanking regions on the different isolates. When validated using reference strains, the method had 100% specificity and 98% positive predictive value. The insertions mapped to both coding and non-coding regions, and in some cases interrupted genes thought to be essential for virulence or in vitro growth. Strains were classified into families using insertion sites, and high agreement with previous studies was observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This high-throughput IS-seq method, which can also be used to map insertions in other organisms, extends previous surveys of in vivo interrupted loci and provides a baseline for probing the consequences of disruptions in <it>M. tuberculosis</it> strains.</p

Beyond ecology: ecosystem restoration as a process for social-ecological transformation

Ecosystem restoration conventionally focuses on ecological targets. However, while ecological targets are crucial to mobilizing political, social, and financial capital, they do not encapsulate the need to: integrate social, economic, and ecological dimensions and systems approaches; reconcile global targets and local objectives; and measure the rate of progress toward multiple and synergistic goals. Restoration is better conceived as an inclusive social-ecological process that integrates diverse values, practices, knowledge, and restoration objectives across temporal and spatial scales and stakeholder groups. Taking a more process-based approach will ultimately enable greater social-ecological transformation, greater restoration effectiveness, and more long-lasting benefits to people and nature across time and place

Revista CreSER No. 2 (2023)

"Nuestra revista CreSER recoge las voces de la comunidad estudiantil y presenta las vivencias de algunos jóvenes rosaristas que merecen ser visibles por medio de esta publicación. La apuesta es que cada uno de nuestros estudiantes se sienta reflejado a través de las voces de sus compañeros y del desarrollo de su vida profesional y personal en el interior de la Universidad. Por todo lo anterior, es un producto que cautiva y que anima a seguir trabajando arduamente en este proyecto editorial." ... Juan Felipe Córdoba Restrepo, Director Editorial, Universidad del Rosario."Our CreSER magazine collects the voices of the student community and presents the experiences of some young Rosaristas who deserve to be visible through this publication. The bet is that each of our students feels reflected through the voices of their peers and of the development of his professional and personal life within the University. For all of the above, it is a product that captivates and encourages you to continue working hard on this editorial project." ... Juan Felipe Córdoba Restrepo, Editorial Director, Universidad del Rosario

Revista CreSER No. 2 (2023)

"Nuestra revista CreSER recoge las voces de la comunidad estudiantil y presenta las vivencias de algunos jóvenes rosaristas que merecen ser visibles por medio de esta publicación. La apuesta es que cada uno de nuestros estudiantes se sienta reflejado a través de las voces de sus compañeros y del desarrollo de su vida profesional y personal en el interior de la Universidad. Por todo lo anterior, es un producto que cautiva y que anima a seguir trabajando arduamente en este proyecto editorial." ... Juan Felipe Córdoba Restrepo, Director Editorial, Universidad del Rosario."Our CreSER magazine collects the voices of the student community and presents the experiences of some young Rosaristas who deserve to be visible through this publication. The bet is that each of our students feels reflected through the voices of their peers and of the development of his professional and personal life within the University. For all of the above, it is a product that captivates and encourages you to continue working hard on this editorial project." ... Juan Felipe Córdoba Restrepo, Editorial Director, Universidad del Rosario