Ecosystem Services in the Changing Climate: Calling Attention for the Conservation of Tropical and Subtropical Forests

Tropical and subtropical forests have diverse ecological functions but are most disturbed due to climatic changes. Peer-reviewed articles, books and reports were searched and downloaded to analyze the effect of climatic changes on tropical and subtropical forests and highlight the need for conservation efforts to ensure sustainable supply of ecosystem services. These forests store largest share (55%) of global terrestrial carbon pool. But the projected rise in temperature (4oC), CO2 levels (495 ppm) and changes in precipitation regime by 2100 are expected to cause significant changes in ecosystem productivity and nutrient turnover rate making forests more vulnerable to climate change. High temperature with low rainfall reduces tree growth, increases soil carbon fluxes by accelerating rate of nutrient cycling, restricts the range of pollinators and increases pest infestation (Phytophthora cinnamomi) affecting ecosystem health and future food security. Increase in heat waves increase the incidence of wild fires and degrade ecosystem quality. Climate change also reduces the scenic beauty, ecotourism and associated economic and mental health benefits. Proactive measures must be taken to mitigate the likely causes of climate change and efforts should be taken to conserve the existing forest reserves to ensure sustainable supply of the ecosystem services

Effect of climatic factors on leaf litter decomposition dynamics of a subtropical scrub forest under field and microcosm conditions

This study investigated the leaf litter decomposition dynamics of Hayat-ul-Mir subtropical scrub forest in Pakistan. Litter bags were incubated for 360 days in the forest to elucidate the effect of elevation and incubation time and for 90 days in microcosms to investigate the effect of projected warming (+2.3°C and +4.5°C) and soil moisture (M15% and M20%) on litter decomposition. Site elevation significantly affected k and T50% while time affected mass loss, residual weight, remaining C and N at p < .01 in field. After 360 days of decomposition, ∼48% residual weight with 11.7 ± 0.4% of C and 1.07 ± 0.06% of N was observed in the litter bags. Higher elevations (850–1020 m) were recorded with low C and N mineralization compared to 600–850 m elevations indicating their potential for long term carbon storage. Warming (+4.5°C) significantly accelerated the pace of decomposition in microcosms with comparatively higher mass loss (+26%), k (+34%), and soil CO2 efflux (+50%) reducing T50% by 77 days than observed under ambient conditions (To). The effect of moisture was insignificant but comparatively, decomposition was high at M20%. The study concludes that future warming will significantly accelerate the pace of nutrient cycling reducing the carbon storage potential of this ecosystem

Antioxidant potential and chemical characterization of bioactive compounds from a medicinal plant Colebrokea oppositifolia Sm

Colebrookea oppositifolia is a highly used medicinal plant and an enriched source of essential oils. Therefore, the present study was designed with the aim to extract the chemical constituents and to evaluate its antioxidant potential. Fresh plant parts were subjected to the extraction of volatile chemical constituents by maceration using n-hexane as the menstruum. The resulting n-hexane fractions were purified and then subjected to GC-MS and FTIR analysis. in-vitro antioxidant abilities were evaluated by, DPPH, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) method against the standard solutions of (Gallic acid, Quercetin) as a positive control. The GC-MS analysis of leaves, stem and inflorescence showed a total of 100, 98 and 48 components out of which 47, 16 and 17 peaks were identified representing the 67.64 %, 73.16 % and 61.93 % of the total oily fractions, respectively. The FTIR spectrum indicated the presence of various functional groups. in-vitro antioxidant results exhibited that leaves showed the highest antioxidant potential by DPPH (3.365 +/- 0.002), and the highest total phenolic content by FC method (203.00 +/- 0.091). Foliar micromorphological features were found significant in the authentication of C. oppositifolia. Further pharmacognostic studies of this plant are recommended to evaluate its therapeutic potential

Microwave-Treated Physically Cross-Linked Sodium Alginate and Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose Blend Polymer Film for Open Incision Wound Healing in Diabetic Animals—A Novel Perspective for Skin Tissue Regeneration Application

This study aimed at developing the microwave-treated, physically cross-linked polymer blend film, optimizing the microwave treatment time, and testing for physicochemical attributes and wound healing potential in diabetic animals. Microwave-treated and untreated films were prepared by the solution casting method and characterized for various attributes required by a wound healing platform. The optimized formulation was tested for skin regeneration potential in the diabetes-induced open-incision animal model. The results indicated that the optimized polymer film formulation (MB-3) has significantly enhanced physicochemical properties such as high moisture adsorption (154.6 ± 4.23%), decreased the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) value of (53.0 ± 2.8 g/m2/h) and water vapor permeability (WVP) value (1.74 ± 0.08 g mm/h/m2), delayed erosion (18.69 ± 4.74%), high water uptake, smooth and homogenous surface morphology, higher tensile strength (56.84 ± 1.19 MPa), and increased glass transition temperature and enthalpy (through polymer hydrophilic functional groups depicting efficient cross-linking). The in vivo data on day 16 of post-wounding indicated that the wound healing occurred faster with significantly increased percent re-epithelialization and enhanced collagen deposition with optimized MB-3 film application compared with the untreated group. The study concluded that the microwave-treated polymer blend films have sufficiently enhanced physical properties, making them an effective candidate for ameliorating the diabetic wound healing process and hastening skin tissue regeneration

Microwave-Treated Physically Cross-Linked Sodium Alginate and Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose Blend Polymer Film for Open Incision Wound Healing in Diabetic Animals&mdash;A Novel Perspective for Skin Tissue Regeneration Application

This study aimed at developing the microwave-treated, physically cross-linked polymer blend film, optimizing the microwave treatment time, and testing for physicochemical attributes and wound healing potential in diabetic animals. Microwave-treated and untreated films were prepared by the solution casting method and characterized for various attributes required by a wound healing platform. The optimized formulation was tested for skin regeneration potential in the diabetes-induced open-incision animal model. The results indicated that the optimized polymer film formulation (MB-3) has significantly enhanced physicochemical properties such as high moisture adsorption (154.6 &plusmn; 4.23%), decreased the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) value of (53.0 &plusmn; 2.8 g/m2/h) and water vapor permeability (WVP) value (1.74 &plusmn; 0.08 g mm/h/m2), delayed erosion (18.69 &plusmn; 4.74%), high water uptake, smooth and homogenous surface morphology, higher tensile strength (56.84 &plusmn; 1.19 MPa), and increased glass transition temperature and enthalpy (through polymer hydrophilic functional groups depicting efficient cross-linking). The in vivo data on day 16 of post-wounding indicated that the wound healing occurred faster with significantly increased percent re-epithelialization and enhanced collagen deposition with optimized MB-3 film application compared with the untreated group. The study concluded that the microwave-treated polymer blend films have sufficiently enhanced physical properties, making them an effective candidate for ameliorating the diabetic wound healing process and hastening skin tissue regeneration