Accelerated migration of mangroves indicate large-scale saltwater intrusion in Amazon coastal wetlands

Saltwater intrusion can dramatically transform coastal ecosystems, changing vegetation and impacting wildlife and human communities who rely on these natural resources. This phenomenon is difficult to measure over large and remote areas but can be inferred from changes in the distribution of salt-tolerant vegetation, such as mangroves, observable from satellite imagery. The northern coast of Brazil has the largest continuous mangrove forest in the world and very low human occupation. Even so, saltwater intrusion and changes to the coastline have been reported in this region, with potential consequences for mangrove carbon storage and for local livelihoods, but this has not been quantified due to the remoteness of the area. This study measured changes in mangrove distribution along the Northern Brazil coast in the state of Amapá, covering ca. 15,000 km2, over the last 38 years using Landsat satellite imagery. We found that mangrove in this area is highly dynamic, with significant gains and losses occurring over the study period, but with an overall net gain of 157 km2. Mangroves have been systematically expanding inland and this growth has accelerated close to the shoreline and at the head of tidal channels in the last two decades, indicating rapid and large-scale saltwater intrusion in this region. This phenomenon is likely driven by sea level rise, which also accelerated in this region in recent decades, but anthropogenic impacts such as buffalo grazing may also play an important role

The trigger system of the CHORUS experiment

A new apparatus for detection of $\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{\tau}$ oscillation has been successfully constructed and operated by the CHORUS Collaboration for the CERN-WA95 experiment. The design , implementation and performance of the electronic trigger system is described. A trigger efficiency of 99$\%$ was measured for $\nu_{\mu}$ charged current events and 90$\%$ for neutral current e vents

Electron-induced neutron knockout from 4^{4}He

The differential cross section for electron-induced neutron knockout in the reaction 4He(e,e′n)3He has been measured for the first time with a statistical accuracy of 11%. The experiment was performed in quasielastic kinematics at a momentum transfer of 300  MeV/c and in the missing-momentum range of 25–70  MeV/c. The comparison of the data with theoretical calculations shows an impressive increase of the cross section resulting from final state interaction effects. Specifically , the p−n charge-exchange process dominates the cross section in this kinematical regime. (APS

Bringing Habits and Emotions into Food Waste Behaviour

This study examined consumer food waste behaviour using a comprehensive model integrating the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the theory of interpersonal behaviour, and the comprehensive model of environmental behaviour. Using a temporally lagged design, one hundred and seventy-two respondents answered four questionnaires over a period of 14 months. Questionnaires measured emotions in relation to food waste, habits, the TPB variables, intention to reduce food waste, and self-reported food waste behaviour. Results showed that the less well-studied variables of habits and emotions were important determinants of participants’ intentions to reduce food waste and their current food waste behaviour. As expected, we found that negative emotions were associated with greater intentions to reduce food waste, but contrary to our predictions they were also associated with higher levels of food waste behaviour. In other words, participants who experienced more negative emotion when thinking about food waste intended to reduce their waste but actually ended up wasting more food. Results also show that participants with a greater sense of control, and more normative support for reducing food waste also had stronger intentions to engage in the behaviour. Our findings extend existing understanding and underscore the importance of the non-cognitive determinants of behaviour, namely emotions and habits. The implications for research and practice are discussed

Thrips Resistance Screening Is Coming of Age: Leaf Position and Ontogeny Are Important Determinants of Leaf-Based Resistance in Pepper

Capsicum is a genus containing important crop species, many of which severely suffer from thrips infestation. Thrips feeding damages leaves and fruits, and often results in virus infections. Only a few insecticides are still effective against thrips, underlining the importance of finding natural resistance in crops. Capsicum is a perennial plant which is usually cultivated for several months, during which time the fruits are harvested. From the young vegetative stage to the mature fruit bearing stage, the plants are at risk to thrips infestation. Constitutive resistance to thrips over the entire ontogenetic development is therefore a key trait for a more sustainable and successful cultivation of the hot and sweet pepper. In addition to ontogeny, leaf position can affect the level of thrips resistance. Pest resistance levels are known to differ between young and old leaves. To our knowledge, no studies have explicitly considered ontogeny and leaf position when screening for constitutive resistance to thrips in Capsicum. In this study we analyze whether ontogeny and leaf position affect leaf-based resistance to Frankliniella occidentalis and Thrips tabaci, in 40 Capsicum accessions, comprising five different species. Our results show that resistance to both thrips species in Capsicum varies with ontogenetic stage. This variation in resistance among ontogenetic stages was not consistent among the accessions. However, accessions with constitutive resistance in both the flowering and fruit ripening stage could be identified. In addition, we found that thrips resistance is overall similar at different leaf positions within the ontogenetic stage. This implies that resistance mechanisms, such as defense compounds, are constitutively present at sufficient levels on all leaf positions. Finally, we found that resistance to F. occidentalis and resistance to T. tabaci were not correlated. This indicates that leaf-based resistance in Capsicum is thrips species-specific. Because of the variation in resistance over ontogeny, identifying Capsicum accessions with resistance over their entire lifespan is challenging. For resistance screening, accounting for leaf position may be less of a concern. To identify the defense mechanisms responsible for thrips resistance, it is important to further analyze and compare resistant and susceptible accessions