The Biology of Agroecosystems

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Randall ◽  
Barbara Smith
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Biological Impacts ◽  
The Tropics

The Biology of Agroecosystems provides an introduction to the biological and ecological attributes of ecosystems and the biological impacts of agriculture on the wider environment. Global human populations are rising and diets are becoming ever more complicated, leading to requirements for increased levels of food production. Natural biotopes are becoming increasingly fragmented as agricultural activities expand around them. Agroecosystems occur from the tropics to subarctic environments and comprise systems as varied as annual crops, perennial grasslands, orchards, and agroforestry systems. They presently cover almost 40 per cent of the terrestrial land surface and significantly shape landscapes at a global scale. The book outlines the origin and development of agriculture and summarizes the characteristics of different types of agroecosystems. The conflicts between management of land for productivity and conservation of natural resources are discussed, and some of the key biological issues (loss of biodiversity, instability, susceptibility to pests, for example) are explored. Individual chapters introduce the role of functional groups such as pollinators, nutrient cycling organisms, and pest regulators; the importance of soils and soil organisms for agriculture; and the biological impacts of water use in agroecosystems. Globalization of agriculture is explored, and includes drivers of change, such as shifting diets, and biological challenges, such as the spread of pest species. The final chapters outline different management methods for sustainable management of agroecosystems, and consider the future challenges and opportunities for agriculture and the biology of agroecosystems.

scholarly journals Using chemical biology to assess and modulate mitochondria: progress and challenges

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 20160151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Logan ◽  
Michael P. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Function ◽  
Chemical Biology ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
The Many ◽  
Opening Up

Our understanding of the role of mitochondria in biomedical sciences has expanded considerably over the past decade. In addition to their well-known metabolic roles, mitochondrial are also central to signalling for various processes through the generation of signals such as ROS and metabolites that affect cellular homeostasis, as well as other processes such as cell death and inflammation. Thus, mitochondrial function and dysfunction are central to the health and fate of the cell. Consequently, there is considerable interest in better understanding and assessing the many roles of mitochondria. Furthermore, there is also a growing realization that mitochondrial are a promising drug target in a wide range of pathologies. The application of interdisciplinary approaches at the interface between chemistry and biology are opening up new opportunities to understand mitochondrial function and in assessing the role of the organelle in biology. This work and the experience thus gained are leading to the development of new classes of therapies. Here, we overview the progress that has been made to date on exploring the chemical biology of the organelle and then focus on future challenges and opportunities that face this rapidly developing field.

1. Savanna landscapes

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Peter A. Furley
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Dry Spells ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Local Topography ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Nearly Continuous ◽  
Trees And Shrubs

What are savannas and where are they? ‘Savanna landscapes’ considers these dynamic and diverse biomes—the most widespread form of vegetation in the tropics and sub-tropics. They are areas covered by a nearly continuous grassy layer, interspersed with trees and shrubs of varying densities and heights, but their nature and distribution is affected by the local topography and is closely allied with continental evolution. Marked seasonal variation is characterized by unpredictably long wet or dry spells and there is a wide range of flora and fauna across the major continental savannas. There are numerous theories on the role of savannas in shaping the emergence and spread of human populations.

scholarly journals A New Kid on the Block? Carbonic Anhydrases as Possible New Targets in Alzheimer’s Disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (19) ◽  
pp. 4724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Provensi ◽  
Fabrizio Carta ◽  
Alessio Nocentini ◽  
Claudiu T. Supuran ◽  
Fiorella Casamenti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Carbonic Anhydrases ◽  
Disease Modifying Drugs ◽  
New Targets ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Future Challenges

The increase in the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), is a consequence of the world′s population aging but unfortunately, existing treatments are only effective at delaying some of the symptoms and for a limited time. Despite huge efforts by both academic researchers and pharmaceutical companies, no disease-modifying drugs have been brought to the market in the last decades. Recently, several studies shed light on Carbonic Anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) as possible new targets for AD treatment. In the present review we summarized preclinical and clinical findings regarding the role of CAs and their inhibitors/activators on cognition, aging and neurodegeneration and we discuss future challenges and opportunities in the field.

Conservation and Sustainable Management of Agroecosystems

2019 ◽  
pp. 126-143
Author(s):  
Nicola P. Randall ◽  
Barbara Smith
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Ecological Engineering ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Alternative Systems ◽  
Biological Impacts

This chapter focuses on the role of farm management in biodiversity conservation (and the potential conflicts and synergies between them). It addresses the question of the relationship between productivity and biodiversity, and how this varies between spatial scale and agricultural system. Different methods of farm management for improved biodiversity and resource management on farmland are presented. The focus areas are reintroducing diversity, sustainable pest and nutrient management, and the role of alternative systems such as organic and biodynamic agriculture. Frameworks for regulating the biological impacts of agriculture (e.g. pesticide regulation, ecological engineering, and funding for conservation are also introduced. Other case studies may include organic farming systems, agroforestry systems, and perennial-based cropping systems, as well as the use of integrated pest management techniques.

The Biological Impacts of Globalization of Agriculture

2019 ◽  
pp. 108-125
Author(s):  
Nicola P. Randall ◽  
Barbara Smith
Keyword(s):  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Intensive Agriculture ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Modern Agriculture ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Biological Impacts ◽  
Global Drivers ◽  
Traditional Crops

While pre-modern agriculture tended to use local resources, modern (often intensive) agriculture uses resources from a much wider area—even global in some cases. This chapter discusses the role of agriculture as a driver of global environmental change, together with issues and opportunities associated with the globalization of agriculture. The topics explored include the introduction and spread of invasive and pest species; reductions in genetic diversity; changes in the type of commodities demanded locally and globally; and loss of traditional crops. The implications of these changes for wider ecosystems are explored. The potential for some of these global drivers to act synergistically with each other and with other drivers (e.g. climate change) to impact on biological systems is also explored.

scholarly journals A cosmopolitan fungal pathogen of dicots adopts an endophytic lifestyle on cereal crops and protects them from major fungal diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3120-3135
Author(s):  
Binnian Tian ◽  
Jiatao Xie ◽  
Yanping Fu ◽  
Jiasen Cheng ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Head Blight ◽  
Blast Protection ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Multiple Field

Abstract Fungal pathogens are seriously threatening food security and natural ecosystems; efficient and environmentally friendly control methods are essential to help safeguard such resources for increasing human populations on a global scale. Here, we find that Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a widespread pathogen of dicotyledons, can grow endophytically in wheat, rice, barley, maize, and oat, providing protection against Fusarium head blight, stripe rust, and rice blast. Protection is also provided by disabled S. sclerotiorum strains harboring a hypovirulence virus. The disabled strain DT-8 promoted wheat yields by 4–18% in the field and consistently reduced Fusarium disease by 40–60% across multiple field trials. We term the host-dependent trophism of S. sclerotiorum, destructively pathogenic or mutualistically endophytic, as schizotrophism. As a biotroph, S. sclerotiorum modified the expression of wheat genes involved in disease resistance and photosynthesis and increased the level of IAA. Our study shows that a broad-spectrum pathogen of one group of plants may be employed as a biocontrol agent in a different group of plants where they can be utilized as beneficial microorganisms while avoiding the risk of in-field release of pathogens. Our study also raises provocative questions about the potential role of schizotrophic endophytes in natural ecosystems.

scholarly journals A Commentary on the Current and Future Status of Educational and Developmental Psychology in Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Gilmore ◽  
Janet Fletcher ◽  
Alan Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Community Organisations ◽  
University Programs ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Training Specialist ◽  
Future Status

Educational and developmental psychology faces a number of current and future challenges and opportunities in Australia. In this commentary we consider the identity of educational and developmental psychology in terms of the features that distinguish it from other specialisations, and address issues related to training, specialist endorsement, supervision and rebating under the Australian government's Medicare system. The current status of training in Australia is considered through a review of the four university programs in educational and developmental psychology currently offered, and the employment destinations of their graduates. Although the need for traditional services in settings such as schools, hospitals, disability and community organisations will undoubtedly continue, the role of educational and developmental psychologists is being influenced and to some extent redefined by advances in technology, medicine, genetics, and neuroscience. We review some of these advances and conclude with recommendations for training and professional development that will enable Australian educational and developmental psychologists to meet the challenges ahead.

scholarly journals Groundwater storage dynamics in the world's large aquifer systems from GRACE: uncertainty and role of extreme precipitation

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 755-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Shamsudduha ◽  
Richard G. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
P Value ◽  
Groundwater Storage ◽  
Aquifer Systems ◽  
Surface Models ◽  
Gravity Recovery

Abstract. Under variable and changing climates groundwater storage sustains vital ecosystems and enables freshwater withdrawals globally for agriculture, drinking water, and industry. Here, we assess recent changes in groundwater storage (ΔGWS) from 2002 to 2016 in 37 of the world's large aquifer systems using an ensemble of datasets from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and land surface models (LSMs). Ensemble GRACE-derived ΔGWS is well reconciled to in situ observations (r=0.62–0.86, p value <0.001) for two tropical basins with regional piezometric networks and contrasting climate regimes. Trends in GRACE-derived ΔGWS are overwhelmingly non-linear; indeed, linear declining trends adequately (R2>0.5, p value <0.001) explain variability in only two aquifer systems. Non-linearity in ΔGWS derives, in part, from the episodic nature of groundwater replenishment associated with extreme annual (>90th percentile, 1901–2016) precipitation and is inconsistent with prevailing narratives of global-scale groundwater depletion at the scale of the GRACE footprint (∼200 000 km2). Substantial uncertainty remains in estimates of GRACE-derived ΔGWS, evident from 20 realisations presented here, but these data provide a regional context to changes in groundwater storage observed more locally through piezometry.

A description of the COS budget inferred by inverse modelling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Remaud ◽  
Camille Abadie ◽  
Sauveur Belviso ◽  
Antoine Berchet ◽  
Frédéric Chevallier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Diffusion Path ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Striking Similarity ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Terrestrial Vegetation ◽  
The Tropics

&lt;p&gt;Carbonyle Sulphide, a trace gas exhibiting a striking similarity with CO2 in the biochemical diffusion path of leaves, has been recognized to be a promising surrogate of CO2 for estimating carbon storage in the terrestrial vegetation. Based on the similarity between COS and CO2, an empirical linear model relating both gas concentrations provides constraints on the estimation of the Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), the amount of carbon dioxide that is absorbed by ecosystems. However, large uncertainties on the other components of its atmospheric budget prevent us from directly relating the atmospheric COS measurements to the the GPP at global scale. The largest uncertainty arises from the closure of its atmospheric budget, with a source component missing. We explore here the benefit of assimilating both COS and CO2 measurements into the LMDz atmospheric transport model to gain insight on the COS budget. We develop an analytic inverse system which optimized the biospheric fluxes within the 14 Plant functional Type (PFTs) as defined in the ORCHIDEE land surface model. The vegetation uptake of COS is parameterized as a linear function of GPP and of the leaf relative uptake (LRU), which is the ratio of COS to CO2 deposition velocities in plants. A possible scenario leads to a global biospheric sink between 800-900 GgS/y, with a higher GPP in the high latitudes and higher total oceanic emissions between 400 and 600 GgS/y over the tropics. The COS inter-hemispheric gradient is in better agreement with HIPPO independent aircraft measurements. The comparison against NOAA COS airborne profiles and Solar Induced Fluorescence shed light on a too strong GPP in spring in ORCHIDEE in northern America,&amp;#160; leaving room for improvements. &lt;span&gt;We also show that uncertainty in the location of hot spots in the prior anthropogenic inventory limits the use of atmospheric COS measurements in inverse modeling.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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