Towards Semantic Integration of Heterogeneous Sensor Data with Indigenous Knowledge for Drought Forecasting

In the Internet of Things (IoT) domain, various heterogeneous ubiquitous devices would be able to connect and communicate with each other seamlessly, irrespective of the domain. Semantic representation of data through detailed standardized annotation has shown to improve the integration of the interconnected heterogeneous devices. However, the semantic representation of these heterogeneous data sources for environmental monitoring systems is not yet well supported. To achieve the maximum benefits of IoT for drought forecasting, a dedicated semantic middleware solution is required. This research proposes a middleware that semantically represents and integrates heterogeneous data sources with indigenous knowledge based on a unified ontology for an accurate IoT-based drought early warning system (DEWS).Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, In Proceedings of the Doctoral Symposium of the 16th International Middleware Conference (Middleware Doct Symposium 2015), Ivan Beschastnikh and Wouter Joosen (Eds.). ACM, New York, NY, US

A new species of Arachis (Fabaceae) from Mato Grosso, Brazil, related to Arachis Matiensis.

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Avoiding the dry season: dispersal time and syndrome mediate seed dormancy in grasses in Neotropical savanna and wet grasslands.

Question: In seasonal rainfall systems, seed dormancy is a strategy to avoid germination and seedling emergence in the dry season. Grass species in Brazilian savannas (Cerrado) show variation in seed dispersal timing and mechanisms, and occur in different habitat types (distinguished by soil moisture) within a seasonal rainfall environment. However, it is unknown whether dormancy has evolved in these systems as a dominant way in which germination is deferred, or how it correlates with other key traits such as dispersal, where known trade-offs exist for avoiding competition. We asked whether seed germination and dormancy vary with dispersal and abiotic factors in savanna systems. Specifically, we assessed dormancy by comparing seeds: (1) from species living in habitats with contrasting soil moisture during the dry season (open savannas vs wet grasslands); (2) dispersed at different times (early in the wet season, late in the wet season and in the dry season); and (3) showing alternate dispersal syndromes (barochoric vs anemochoric). Location: Open savannas and wet grasslands in central Brazil. Methods: We collected seeds of 29 grass species and tested viability and dormancy using germination trials with fresh seeds, which was then repeated after dry storage for 3, 6, 9 and 12 mo. GLMM were used to test whether the degree of dormancy was dependent on habitat type, seed dispersal time and seed dispersal syndrome. Results: Seeds from wet grasslands lived longer and had consistently higher germination rates than seeds from open savannas. Additionally, fresh seeds dispersed late in the wet season had higher levels of seed dormancy compared to seeds dispersed early in the wet season. Finally, we found that anemochoric seeds had lower levels of dormancy than barochoric seeds. Conclusions: Seed dormancy among Neotropical grasses was higher for seeds of species from dry habitats, dispersed late in the wet season, and with short distance dispersal (barochory). These results suggest that seed dormancy is a key mechanism by which seeds avoid seedling emergence in the dry season, an effect offset by habitat-specific soil moisture availability. The trade-off between dormancy and seed dispersal suggests that both strategies are costly and had non-additive benefits

Localizationof the 5S and 45S rDNA sites and CPDNA sequence analysis in species of the quadrifaria group of Paspalum (Poaceae, Panicae).

The Quadrifaria group of Paspalum (Poaceae, Paniceae) comprises species native to the subtropical and temperate regions of South America. The purpose of this research was to characterize the I genomes in five species of this group and to establish phylogenetic relationships among them. Prometaphase chromatin condensation patterns, the physical location of 5S and 45S rDNA sites by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and sequences of five chloroplast non-coding regions were analysed. The condensation patterns observed were highly conserved among diploid and tetraploid accessions studied and not influenced by the dyes used or by the FISH procedure, allowing the identification of almost all the chromosome pairs that carried the rDNA signals. The FISH analysis of 5S rDNA sites showed the same localization and a correspondence between the number of sites and ploidy level. In contrast, the distribution of 45S rDNA sites was variable. Two general patterns were observed with respect to the location of the 45S rDNA. The species and cytotypes Paspalum haumanii 2x, P. intermedium 2x, P. quadrifarium 4x and P. exaltatum 4x showed proximal sites on chromosome 8 and two to four distal sites in other chromosomes, while P. quarinii 4x and P. quadrifarium 2x showed only distal sites located on a variable number of small chromosomes and on the long arm of chromosome 1. The single most-parsimonious tree found from the phylogenetic analysis showed the Quadrifaria species partitioned in two clades, one of them includes P. haumanii 2x and P. intermedium 2x together with P. quadrifarium 4x and P. exaltatum 4x, while the other contains P. quadrifarium 2x and P. quarinii 4x. The subdivision found with FISH is consistent with the clades recovered with cpDNA data and both analyses suggest that the Quadrifaria group, as presently defined, is not monophyletic and its species belong in at least two clades

Adaptive phenotypic plasticity of the native forage grass Paspalum fasciculatum: a trait relevant to climatic changes in wetlands.

This study has been conducted to detect natural forage species having adaptive phenotypic plasticity in wetlands to withstand extreme conditions in drought/flooding cycles.(Embrapa Gado de Corte. Documentos, 216). Coordenador Roberto Giolo de Almeida. II SIGEE. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 01 dez. 2016