scholarly journals Terrestrial ecosystems buffer inputs through storage and recycling of elements

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Spohn ◽  
Felipe Aburto ◽  
Todd A. Ehlers ◽  
Nina Farwig ◽  
Patrick J. Frings ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study presents a conceptual framework of buffering through storage and recycling of elements in terrestrial ecosystems and reviews the current knowledge about storage and recycling of elements in plants and ecosystems. Terrestrial ecosystems, defined here as plant-soil systems, buffer inputs from the atmosphere and bedrock through storage and recycling of elements, i.e., they dampen and delay their responses to inputs. Our framework challenges conventional paradigms of ecosystem resistance derived from plant community dynamics, and instead shows that element pools and fluxes have an overriding effect on the sensitivity of ecosystems to environmental change. While storage pools allow ecosystems to buffer variability in inputs over short to intermediate periods, recycling of elements enables ecosystems to buffer inputs over longer periods. The conceptual framework presented here improves our ability to predict the responses of ecosystems to environmental change. This is urgently needed to define thresholds which must not be exceeded to guarantee ecosystem functioning. This study provides a framework for future research to explore the extent to which ecosystems buffer variability in inputs.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Hardiono . ◽  
Erlyna Gydayantari ◽  
Eryana Setyarti

Objectives - The models used in the empirical study of leadership kyai in Madura ethnic in line with the more modern environment changes. Reflecting the environmental change this paper aims to propose a framework for leadership of charismatic kyai in Madura ethnic-based impact on the welfare of stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) wide. The design / methodology / approach - This paper offers a conceptual framework that integrates the components of the leadership of religious scholars in ethnic Madurese kharismatic.Findings -  This framework is useful for academics and regions. This framework can help steer academics to various existing literature charismatic leadership and help researchers development empirical studies that describe ethnic leadership kyai in Madurese. For the professional, this framework can be used as guidance in building a successful region.Research/ Limitations/ implications - This paper does not examine empirically the proposed framework. However, this paper provides suggestions for future research, including reviewing the empirical structural relationships in this framework.


Author(s):  
Paulo F Lagos ◽  
Jaime Gómez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Amandine J M Sabadel ◽  
David J Burrit ◽  
Miles D Lamare

Abstract The genus Nyctiphanes G.O. Sars, 1883 (Euphausiacea, Euphausiidae) includes four extant species. These species are a conspicuous component of trophic webs of coastal marine ecosystems due to their abundance, the formation of dense aggregations, swarms, and schools, fast growth, and high reproductive rates. They dominate the bulk biomass in eutrophic Eastern Boundaries System and subtropical mesotrophic habitats, with estimates of 30–40% of the total zooplankton biomass. Species of Nyctiphanes are efficient omnivores and conversely prey for a large number of zooplanktonic and nektonic species. We review current knowledge of the biogeography, reproductive biology, physiology, biochemistry, ecology, and parasitology of the four species of Nyctiphanes. Most published information on Nyctiphanes focuses on the two species from the Pacific Ocean, N. australis G.O. Sars, 1883 and N. simplex  Hansen, 1911, and considerably less is known on the biology and ecology of N. couchii (Bell, 1853) and N. capensis  Hansen, 1911 from the Atlantic Ocean. Knowledge on the biology and ecology of the species of Nyctiphanes is still behind what is currently known for species of krill, particularly compared to Euphausia  Dana, 1850 and Thysanoessa  Brandt, 1851, and new multi-focal studies on the effects that environmental variables have on reproductive aspects, survival, growth, and physiology are especially critical to address under future environmental change.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamrul Hassan ◽  
Yolima Carrillo ◽  
Uffe N. Nielsen

Abstract Background Climate changes can shift plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) causing unexpected knock-on effects on plant community dynamics. We test the hypothesis that prolonged drought legacies cause shifts in PSFs due to changes in plant-soil biotic interactions.Methods PSFs of twelve plant species representing four functional groups (C3 and C4 grasses, forbs, and legumes) were assessed in monocultures, and communities composed of one species from each of the four functional groups, in soils collected from plots with a five-year legacy of ambient rainfall or drought conditions under laboratory conditions. Plants were grown under well-watered conditions, with observed effects, therefore, being related to field drought legacies rather than experimental drought. Sterile soil conditioning was included to assess shifts in plant-soil biotic interactions associated with field rainfall legacies explicitly.Results C3 and C4 grasses displayed negative and positive PSFs, respectively, in both rainfall legacies treatments. PSFs of Plantago lanceolata shifted from positive to negative in drought legacies, while Cichorium intybus showed neutral PSFs in both soils. PSFs of Medicago sativa shifted from negative to positive, while Biserrula pelecinus and Trifolium repens showed neutral PSFs, in prolonged drought legacies. PSFs at the community level showed a trend to shift from near-positive to neutral PSFs in soils with a drought legacy, with significant negative PSFs observed when comparing home versus sterile soils, suggesting that drought may destabilise plant communities. Conclusion Our results provide evidence that prolonged drought legacies can modify plant community dynamics due to species-specific changes in PSFs that persist after droughts are alleviated.


2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1740) ◽  
pp. 3020-3026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Kulmatiski ◽  
Karen H. Beard ◽  
Justin Heavilin

Plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs) have gained attention for their role in plant community dynamics, but their role in productivity has been overlooked. We developed and tested a biomass-specific, multi-species model to examine the role of PSFs in diversity–productivity relationships. The model predicts a negative relationship between PSFs and overyielding: plants with negative PSFs grow more in communities than in monoculture (i.e. overyield), and plants with positive PSFs grow less in communities than in monoculture (i.e. underyield). This effect is predicted to increase with diversity and saturate at low species richness because the proportion of ‘self-cultivated’ soils rapidly decreases as species are added to a community. Results in a set of glasshouse experiments supported model predictions. We found that PSFs measured in one experiment were negatively correlated with overyielding in three-species plant communities measured in a separate experiment. Furthermore, when parametrized with our experimental PSF data, our model successfully predicted species-level overyielding and underyielding. The model was less effective at predicting community-level overyielding and underyielding, although this appeared to reflect large differences between communities with or without nitrogen-fixing plants. Results provide conceptual and experimental support for the role of PSFs in diversity–productivity relationships.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 376-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonali Mishra ◽  
Nupur Srivastava ◽  
Velusamy Sundaresan ◽  
Karuna Shanker

Background: Decalepis arayalpathra (J. Joseph and V. Chandras.) Venter is used primarily for nutrition besides its therapeutic values. Traditional preparations/formulations from its tuber are used as a vitalizer and blood purifier drink. The folklore medicinal uses cover inflammation, cough, wound healing, antipyretic, and digestive system management. A comprehensive review of the current understanding of the plant is required due to emerging concerns over its safety and efficacy. Objective: The systematic collection of the authentic information from different sources with the critical discussion is summarised in order to address various issues related to botanical identity, therapeutic medicine, nutritional usage, phytochemical, and pharmacological potentials of the D. arayalpathra. Current use of traditional systems of medicine can be used to expand future research opportunities. Materials and Methods: Available scripted information was collected manually, from peered review research papers and international databases viz. Science Direct, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Scopus, etc. The unpublished resources which were not available in database were collected through the classical books of ‘Ayurveda’ and ‘Siddha’ published in regional languages. The information from books, Ph.D. and MSc dissertations, conference papers and government reports were also collected. We thoroughly screened the scripted information of classical books, titles, abstracts, reports, and full-texts of the journals to establish the reliability of the content. Results: Tuber bearing vanilla like signature flavor is due to the presence of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (HMB). Among five other species, Decalepis arayalpathra (DA) has come under the ‘critically endangered’ category, due to over-exploitation for traditional, therapeutic and cool drink use. The experimental studies proved that it possesses gastro-protective, anti-tumor, and antiinflammatory activities. Some efforts were also made to develop better therapeutics by logical modifications in 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde, which is a major secondary metabolite of D. arayalpathra. ‘Amruthapala’ offers the enormous opportunity to develop herbal drink with health benefits like gastro-protective, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Results: The plant has the potential to generate the investigational new lead (IND) based on its major secondary metabolite i.e. 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde. The present mini-review summarizes the current knowledge on Decalepis arayalpathra, covering its phytochemical diversity, biological potentials, strategies for its conservation, and intellectual property rights (IPR) status. Chemical Compounds: 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 69600), α-amyrin acetate (Pubchem CID: 293754), Magnificol (Pubchem CID: 44575983), β-sitosterol (Pubchem CID: 222284), 3-hydroxy-p-anisaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 12127), Naringenin (Pubchem CID: 932), Kaempferol (Pubchem CID: 5280863), Aromadendrin (Pubchem CID: 122850), 3-methoxy-1,2-cyclopentanedione (Pubchem CID: 61209), p-anisaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 31244), Menthyl acetate (Pubchem CID: 27867), Benzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 240), p-cymene (Pubchem CID: 7463), Salicylaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 6998), 10-epi-γ-eudesmol (Pubchem CID: 6430754), α -amyrin (Pubchem CID: 225688), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 12127).


2002 ◽  
Vol 160 (5) ◽  
pp. 553
Author(s):  
Pastor ◽  
Peckham ◽  
Bridgham ◽  
Weltzin ◽  
Chen

Author(s):  
Dean Jacobsen ◽  
Olivier Dangles

Chapter 6 presents the interaction between space and time in determining the organization of natural communities in high altitude heterogeneous waterscapes. After explaining why high altitude waters represent suitable models for examining metacommunity organization, the chapter focuses on dispersal—a central process to allow colonization and establishment of populations in remote localities and to counter local extinctions. Community organization patterns are then described for a variety of organisms living in high altitude waters, from microbes to invertebrates to fish and birds. These patterns reveal that both environmental and spatial variables are generally involved in species assembling. Examples of studies on directional spatial processes (e.g. through wind and water flow), waterscape genetics, and temporal variability (synchrony/asynchrony) are highlighted as promising research areas to increase the current knowledge on high altitude metacommunity dynamics.


Author(s):  
Machiel Lamers ◽  
Jeroen Nawijn ◽  
Eke Eijgelaar

Over the last decades a substantial and growing societal and academic interest has emerged for the development of sustainable tourism. Scholars have highlighted the contribution of tourism to global environmental change and to local, detrimental social and environmental effects as well as to ways in which tourism contributes to nature conservation. Nevertheless the role of tourist consumers in driving sustainable tourism has remained unconvincing and inconsistent. This chapter reviews the constraints and opportunities of political consumerism for sustainable tourism. The discussion covers stronger pockets and a key weak pocket of political consumerism for sustainable tourism and also highlights inconsistencies in sustainable tourism consumption by drawing on a range of social theory arguments and possible solutions. The chapter concludes with an agenda for future research on this topic.


Author(s):  
Thomas E. Fuller-Rowell ◽  
David S. Curtis ◽  
Adrienne M. Duke

Conceptual frameworks for racial/ethnic health disparities are abundant, but many have received insufficient empirical attention. As a result, there are substantial gaps in scientific knowledge and a range of untested hypotheses. Particularly lacking is specificity in behavioral and biological mechanisms for such disparities and their underlying social determinants. Alongside lack of political will and public investment, insufficient clarity in mechanisms has stymied efforts to address racial health disparities. Capitalizing on emergent findings from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study and other longitudinal studies of aging, this chapter evaluates research on health disparities between black and white US adults. Attention is given to candidate behavioral and biological mechanisms as precursors to group differences in morbidity and mortality and to environmental and sociocultural factors that may underlie these mechanisms. Future research topics are discussed, emphasizing those that offer promise with respect to illuminating practical solutions to racial/ethnic health disparities.


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