Long-term fire resilience of the Ericaceous Belt, Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Fire is the most frequent disturbance in the Ericaceous Belt (ca 3000–4300 m.a.s.l.), one of the most important plant communities of tropical African mountains. Through resprouting after fire, Erica establishes a positive fire feedback under certain burning regimes. However, present-day human activity in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia includes fire and grazing systems that may have a negative impact on the resilience of the ericaceous ecosystem. Current knowledge of Erica–fire relationships is based on studies of modern vegetation, lacking a longer time perspective that can shed light on baseline conditions for the fire feedback. We hypothesize that fire has influenced Erica communities in the Bale Mountains at millennial time-scales. To test this, we (1) identify the fire history of the Bale Mountains through a pollen and charcoal record from Garba Guracha, a lake at 3950 m.a.s.l., and (2) describe the long-term bidirectional feedback between wildfire and Erica, which may control the ecosystem's resilience. Our results support fire occurrence in the area since ca 14 000 years ago, with particularly intense burning during the early Holocene, 10.8–6.0 cal ka BP. We show that a positive feedback between Erica abundance and fire occurrence was in operation throughout the Lateglacial and Holocene, and interpret the Ericaceous Belt of the Ethiopian mountains as a long-term fire resilient ecosystem. We propose that controlled burning should be an integral part of landscape management in the Bale Mountains National Park

Revisiting afro-alpine Lake Garba Guracha in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia:Rationale, chronology, geochemistry, and paleoenvironmental implications

Abstract: Previous paleolimnological studies demonstrated that the sediments of Garba Guracha, situated at 3950 m asl in the afro-alpine zone of the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia, provide a complete Late Glacial and Holocene paleoclimate and environmental archive. We revisited Garba Guracha in order to retrieve new sediment cores and to apply new environmental proxies, e.g. charcoal, diatoms, biomarkers, and stable isotopes. Our chronology is established using 210Pb dating and radiocarbon dating of bulk sedimentary organic matter, bulk n-alkanes, and charcoal. Although bedrock was not reached during coring, basal ages confirm that sedimentation started at the earliest ~ 16 cal kyr BP. The absence of a systematic age offset for the n-alkanes suggests that “pre-aging” is not a prominent issue in this lake, which is characterised by a very small afro-alpine catchment. X-ray fluorescence scans and total organic carbon contents show a prominent transition from minerogenic to organic-rich sediments around 11 cal kyr BP coinciding with the Holocene onset. While an unambiguous terrestrial versus aquatic source identification seems challenging, the n-alkane-based Paq proxy, TOC/N ratios, δ13C values, and the sugar biomarker patterns suggest a predominantly autochthonous organic matter source. Supraregional climate events, such as the African Humid Period, the Younger Dryas (YD), a 6.5 cal kyr BP short drying event, and the 4.2 cal kyr BP transition to overall drier climate are recorded in our archive. The Garba Guracha record suggests that northern hemisphere forcings played a role in the Eastern African highland paleoclimate

Sustainability assessment of virtual water flows through cereal and milled grain trade among US counties

Transference of the embedded water, so-called virtual water, in the trade of crops among regions within a country is often neglected, leading to no information about the impacts on the water resources of exporting regions, especially if those regions are water-stressed or, worse, water-scarce. Virtual water trade, if not considered through the lens of sustainability, could lead to adverse effects on the water resources of an exporting region. Previous related studies have quantified virtual water trade among the states in the United States providing valuable insights; however, information for specific crop trade among counties, its water footprint (WF) at the county scale, the resultant virtual water flow among counties, and the sustainability assessment of those virtual water flows are lacking. In this study, we calculate the green and blue WF of cereal and milled grain products at the county level and then, using trade data, calculate the virtual water flows among the counties. Then, we assess the sustainability of the import by introducing unsustainable import fraction (UIF), which is the ratio of virtual water imported from water-scarce counties to that of total virtual water imported in the form of cereal and milled grains. Finally, we quantify the change in UIF from the 2007–2017 period. A few of the significant insights discovered through this analysis include: (i) most of the cereal and milled grains trade is occurring among neighboring counties; ii) one-third of US counties import 75% or more virtual water from water scarce regions; (iii) in 2017, Texas and Missouri were the largest importer and exporter, respectively; and (iv) the number of counties importing cereals and milled grains from water-scarce counties increased from 2007 to 2017. Recommendations on alleviating the negative effects of the unsustainable import of cereal and milled grain are provided toward the end of the discussion

Phenolic Compounds as Unambiguous Chemical Markers for the Identification of Keystone Plant Species in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Despite the fact that the vegetation pattern and history of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia were reconstructed using pollen, little is known about the former extent of Erica species. The main objective of the present study is to identify unambiguous chemical proxies from plant-derived phenolic compounds to characterize Erica and other keystone species. Mild alkaline CuO oxidation has been used to extract sixteen phenolic compounds. After removal of undesired impurities, individual phenols were separated by gas chromatography and were detected by mass spectrometry. While conventional phenol ratios such as syringyl vs. vanillyl and cinnamyl vs. vanillyl and hierarchical cluster analysis of phenols failed for unambiguous Erica identification, the relative abundance of coumaryl phenols (>0.20) and benzoic acids (0.05—0.12) can be used as a proxy to distinguish Erica from other plant species. Moreover, a Random Forest decision tree based on syringyl phenols, benzoic acids (>0.06), coumaryl phenols (<0.21), hydroxybenzoic acids, and vanillyl phenols (>0.3) could be established for unambiguous Erica identification. In conclusion, serious caution should be given before interpreting this calibration study in paleovegetation reconstruction in respect of degradation and underground inputs of soil organic matter

Climate, vegetation and fire history during the past 18,000 years, recorded in high altitude lacustrine sediments on the Sanetti Plateau, Bale Mountains (Ethiopia)

Low-altitude lakes in eastern Africa have long been investigated and have provided valuable information about the Late Quaternary paleohydrological evolution, such as the African Humid Period. However, records often suffer from poor age control, resolution, and/or ambiguous proxy interpretation, and only little focus has been put on high-altitude regions despite their sensitivity to global, regional, and local climate change phenomena. Here we report on Last Glacial environmental fluctuations at about 4000 m asl on the Sanetti Plateau in the Bale Mountains (SE Ethiopia), based on biogeochemical and palynological analyses of laminated lacustrine sediments. After deglaciation at about 18 cal kyr BP, a steppe-like herb-rich grassland with maximum Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae and Plantago existed. Between 16.6 and 15.7 cal kyr BP, conditions were dry with a desiccation layer at ~ 16.3 cal kyr BP, documenting a temporary phase of maximum aridity on the plateau. While that local event lasted for only a few decades, concentrations of various elements (e.g. Zr, HF, Nb, Nd, and Na) started to increase and reached a maximum at ~ 15.8–15.7 cal kyr BP. We interpret those elements to reflect allochthonous, aeolian dust input via dry northerly winds and increasingly arid conditions in the lowlands. We suggest an abrupt versus delayed response at high and low altitudes, respectively, in response to Northern Hemispheric cooling events (the Heinrich Event 1). The delayed response at low altitudes might be caused by slow negative vegetation and monsoon feedbacks that make the ecosystem somewhat resilient. At ~ 15.7 cal kyr BP, our record shows an abrupt onset of the African Humid Period, almost 1000 years before the onset of the Bølling–Allerød warming in the North-Atlantic region, and about 300 years earlier than in the Lake Tana region. Erica pollen increased significantly between 14.4 and 13.6 cal kyr BP in agreement with periodically wet and regionally warm conditions. Similarly, intense fire events, documented by increased black carbon, correlate with wet and warm environmental conditions that promote the growth of Erica shrubs. This allows to conclude that biomass and thus fuel availability is one important factor controlling fire events in the Bale Mountains

Determinants of preeclampsia among mothers attending perinatal care in Gurage zone public hospitals, Ethiopia, matched case control study

Background: Preeclampsia is the commonest and most serious type of hypertensive disorder during pregnancy. It is the cause of 10% – 15% of maternal death worldwide. Though maternal mortality in Ethiopia is decreasing, deaths related to pregnancy-induced hypertension is increasing. Identifying the factors associated with preeclampsia helps reduce the incidence of the disease and its adverse outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to assess determinants of preeclampsia among mothers attending perinatal care in Gurage zone public hospitals, Ethiopia, 2020. Method: Institution-based matched case-control study design was used to assess determinants of preeclampsia among 426 mothers, 142 cases, and 284 controls. The study was conducted in three public hospitals in Gurage Zone. Cases were preeclamptic mothers and Controls were non-preeclamptic mothers. EPI INFO was used to enter the data and then SPSS was used to analyze the data. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used. Result: Significantly associated factors on multivariate analysis in this study are nulliparity with AOR 3.81; 95% CI (1.55,9.34); multiplicity of pregnancy AOR 3.62; 95%CI (1.08,12.13) having preeclampsia history AOR 10.11; 95%CI (4.06, 25.21); parents history of hypertension had AOR 2.95; 95%CI; (1.11,7.68); and drinking alcohol AOR 4.42; 95%CI (2.15,9.08) Conclusion: In this study determinants’ of preeclampsia are nulliparity, multiplicity of pregnancy, previous history of preeclampsia, family history of hypertension, and alcohol consumption. Providing health education about risk factors of preeclampsia, early initiation, and increased frequency of antenatal follow-up will help early identification of these risk factors, diagnosis of preeclampsia, and preventing its complications

Long-term fire resilience of the Ericaceous Belt, Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Fire is the most frequent disturbance in the Ericaceous Belt (ca 3000–4300 m.a.s.l.), one of the most important plant communities of tropical African mountains. Through resprouting after fire, Erica establishes a positive fire feedback under certain burning regimes. However, present-day human activity in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia includes fire and grazing systems that may have a negative impact on the resilience of the ericaceous ecosystem. Current knowledge of Erica–fire relationships is based on studies of modern vegetation, lacking a longer time perspective that can shed light on baseline conditions for the fire feedback. We hypothesize that fire has influenced Erica communities in the Bale Mountains at millennial time-scales. To test this, we (1) identify the fire history of the Bale Mountains through a pollen and charcoal record from Garba Guracha, a lake at 3950 m.a.s.l., and (2) describe the long-term bidirectional feedback between wildfire and Erica, which may control the ecosystem's resilience. Our results support fire occurrence in the area since ca 14 000 years ago, with particularly intense burning during the early Holocene, 10.8–6.0 cal ka BP. We show that a positive feedback between Erica abundance and fire occurrence was in operation throughout the Lateglacial and Holocene, and interpret the Ericaceous Belt of the Ethiopian mountains as a long-term fire resilient ecosystem. We propose that controlled burning should be an integral part of landscape management in the Bale Mountains National Park