Extracts from Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Maxim. Roots: A New Hope Against Honeybee Death Caused by Nosemosis

Pollinators, the cornerstones of our terrestrial ecosystem, have been at the very core of our anxiety. This is because we can nowadays observe a dangerous decline in the number of insects. With the numbers of pollinators dramatically declining worldwide, the scientific community has been growing more and more concerned about the future of insects as fundamental elements of most terrestrial ecosystems. Trying to address this issue, we looked for substances that might increase bee resistance. To this end, we checked the effects of plant-based adaptogens on honeybees in laboratory tests and during field studies on 30 honeybee colonies during two seasons. In this study, we have tested extracts obtained from: Eleutherococcus senticosus, Garcinia cambogia, Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, Schisandra chinensis, and Camellia sinensis. The 75% ethanol E. senticosus root extract proved to be the most effective, both as a cure and in the prophylaxis of nosemosis. Therefore, Eleutherococcus senticosus, and its active compounds, eleutherosides, are considered the most powerful adaptogens, in the pool of all extracts that were selected for screening, for supporting immunity and improving resistance of honeybees. The optimum effective concentration of 0.4 mg/mL E. senticosus extract responded to c.a. 5.76, 2.56 and 0.07 µg/mL of eleutheroside B, eleutheroside E and naringenin, respectively. The effect of E. senticosus extracts on honeybees involved a similar adaptogenic response as on other animals, including humans. In this research, we show for the first time such an adaptogenic impact on invertebrates, i.e., the effect on honeybees stressed by nosemosis. We additionally hypothesised that these adaptogenic properties were connected with eleutherosides—secondary metabolites found exclusively in the Eleutherococcus genus and undetected in other studied extracts. As was indicated in this study, eleutherosides are very stable chemically and can be found in extracts in similar amounts even after two years from extraction. Considering the role bees play in nature, we may conclude that demonstrating the adaptogenic properties which plant extracts have in insects is the most significant finding resulting from this research. This knowledge might bring to fruition numerous economic and ecological benefits.

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Metagenomic Analysis Reveals Correlation Between Microbiome Structure and Leonardite Characteristics from Kazakhstan Coal Deposits

Eurasian Chemico-Technological Journal ◽

10.18321/ectj823 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 135

Author(s):

A.A. Zhubanova ◽

Q. Xiaohui ◽

P.S. Ualieva ◽

G.Zh. Abdieva ◽

K.T. Tastambek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystem ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Phylogenetic Structure ◽

Biochemical Processes ◽

Coal Deposits ◽

Wide Range ◽

Composition Structure ◽

First Time

Coal microbial communities have not been well examined, despite their importance in the formation and maintenance of terrestrial ecosystems. Microorganisms are geographically versatile, exhibit wide morphological diversity and provide a rich platform for studying energy and carbon flows through different ecosystems. The coal characteristics, in turn, are important environmental factors that control the composition, structure and activity of terrestrial bio-communities through various endogenous physiological and biochemical processes. The total phylogenetic structure of prokaryotes is closely related to their functional diversity and, ultimately, to the variety of environmental conditions in oxidized coal (leonardite). Metagenomic studies in this area attempt to assess the relationship between the coal properties and its microbiome. The microbial community of the coal profiles, collected from various Kazakhstan coal deposits, have been studied in detail for the first time using high-throughput sequencing. As part of this study, a wide range of leonardites generated in various bioclimatic and geomorphological conditions are considered. A comprehensive characterization of the phylogenetic structure and diversity of coal was given on the basis of the 16S rDNA gene analysis. The revealed features of the prokaryotic composition can be used as bioindicators of the leonardite condition. In addition, metagenomic characteristics of coals of different origin can serve as valuable platform to assess the terrestrial ecosystem health.

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The Sayan borderlands: Tuva’s ethnocultural landscapes in changing natural and sociocultural environments

GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY ◽

10.24057/2071-9388-2019-76 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 29-36

Author(s):

D. A. Dirin ◽

Paul Fryer

Keyword(s):

Cultural Landscapes ◽

Field Studies ◽

Social Environments ◽

Key Factors ◽

Role Of Government ◽

Literary Sources ◽

Population Migrations ◽

The Republic ◽

Sociocultural Processes ◽

First Time

The paper is devoted to ethno-cultural landscapes of the Republic of Tuva. Ethnocultural landscapes (ECLs) are specific socio-environmental systems that developed as a result of the interaction of ethnic groups with their natural and social environments and are in a constant process of transformation. An attempt is made to identify the mechanisms of the formation, functioning and dynamics of ethnocultural landscapes in the specific conditions of the intracontinental cross-border mountain region, as well as to establish the main factors-catalysts of their modern changes. For the first time an attempt is made to delimit and map the ethnocultural landscapes of Tuva. For this, literary sources, statistical data and thematic maps of different times are analyzed using geoinformation methods. The results of 2014-2018 field studies are also used, during which interviews with representatives of different ethno-territorial, gender, age and social groups were taken. It is revealed that the key factors of Tuva’s ethnocultural landscape genesis are the natural isolation of its territory; the features of its landscape structure; the role of government; population migrations from other regions and the cultural diffusion provoked by them. 13 ethnocultural landscapes are identified at the regional level. Their modern transformation is determined by the shift of climatic cycles, aridisation, globalisation of sociocultural processes, changes in economic specialisation and ethnopsychological stereotypes.

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Potassium Control of Plant Functions: Ecological and Agricultural Implications

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10020419 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 419

Author(s):

Jordi Sardans ◽

Josep Peñuelas

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Crop Production ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystem ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Wood Formation ◽

Cellular Growth ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Metabolite Transport ◽

Physiological Functions

Potassium, mostly as a cation (K+), together with calcium (Ca2+) are the most abundant inorganic chemicals in plant cellular media, but they are rarely discussed. K+ is not a component of molecular or macromolecular plant structures, thus it is more difficult to link it to concrete metabolic pathways than nitrogen or phosphorus. Over the last two decades, many studies have reported on the role of K+ in several physiological functions, including controlling cellular growth and wood formation, xylem–phloem water content and movement, nutrient and metabolite transport, and stress responses. In this paper, we present an overview of contemporary findings associating K+ with various plant functions, emphasizing plant-mediated responses to environmental abiotic and biotic shifts and stresses by controlling transmembrane potentials and water, nutrient, and metabolite transport. These essential roles of K+ account for its high concentrations in the most active plant organs, such as leaves, and are consistent with the increasing number of ecological and agricultural studies that report K+ as a key element in the function and structure of terrestrial ecosystems, crop production, and global food security. We synthesized these roles from an integrated perspective, considering the metabolic and physiological functions of individual plants and their complex roles in terrestrial ecosystem functions and food security within the current context of ongoing global change. Thus, we provide a bridge between studies of K+ at the plant and ecological levels to ultimately claim that K+ should be considered at least at a level similar to N and P in terrestrial ecological studies.

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Sustainability Evaluation on the Grain to Green Program in the Hexi Corridor of China: A Metacoupled System Perspective

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031498 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1498

Author(s):

Jian Zhang ◽

Tao Tian ◽

Jinying Cui ◽

Gordon M. Hickey ◽

Rui Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hexi Corridor ◽

Gansu Province ◽

Natural System ◽

Ecological Benefits ◽

System Perspective ◽

The Social ◽

Economic Transformations ◽

Labor Transfer ◽

Ancient Silk Road ◽

First Time

Most previous studies aim to predict ecosystem sustainability from the perspective of a sole human or natural system and have frequently failed to achieve their desired outcome. Based on the coupled human and natural system (CHANS) and its interaction with other systems, we attempted to analyze the effectiveness of the Grain to Green Program and predict future trends in the Hexi Corridor, the hub of the ancient silk road of China. At different scales, we applied a metacoupling framework to investigate the flows, effects, and causes of the complex CHANS. Three typical inner river watersheds within the corridor at three different geographic scales (local, regional and national) were estimated and compared. The Telecoupling Geo App, additional models, and software tools were employed to evaluate the CHANS series of the focal system (Hexi Corridor, local), adjacent system (Gansu Province, regional), and distant system (China, national). The results showed that most flows can be screened and quantitatively analyzed across focal, adjacent and distant systems. The social and economic transformations in adjacent and distant systems could affect the possibility and whereabouts of labor transfer in the focal system. Moreover, the labor migration increased the implementation efficiency of the Grain to Green Program as a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) strategy, thereby improving its ecological benefits. For the first time, we established a metacoupled model to quantitatively evaluate aspects of ecosystem sustainability in China, providing insight to the theory and application of sustainability science.

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Reduced resilience of terrestrial ecosystems locally is not reflected on a global scale

Communications Earth & Environment ◽

10.1038/s43247-021-00163-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuhao Feng ◽

Haojie Su ◽

Zhiyao Tang ◽

Shaopeng Wang ◽

Xia Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Global Climate Change ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Global Climate ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystem ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Global Scale ◽

Ecological Resilience ◽

Terrestrial Vegetation ◽

Ecosystem Resilience

AbstractGlobal climate change likely alters the structure and function of vegetation and the stability of terrestrial ecosystems. It is therefore important to assess the factors controlling ecosystem resilience from local to global scales. Here we assess terrestrial vegetation resilience over the past 35 years using early warning indicators calculated from normalized difference vegetation index data. On a local scale we find that climate change reduced the resilience of ecosystems in 64.5% of the global terrestrial vegetated area. Temperature had a greater influence on vegetation resilience than precipitation, while climate mean state had a greater influence than climate variability. However, there is no evidence for decreased ecological resilience on larger scales. Instead, climate warming increased spatial asynchrony of vegetation which buffered the global-scale impacts on resilience. We suggest that the response of terrestrial ecosystem resilience to global climate change is scale-dependent and influenced by spatial asynchrony on the global scale.

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Biological invasions: are they dependent on disturbance?

Environmental Reviews ◽

10.1139/a97-007 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 131-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 102

Author(s):

J D Lozon ◽

H J MacIsaac

Keyword(s):

Exotic Species ◽

Human Activities ◽

Water Discharge ◽

A Priori ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Field Studies ◽

Soil Disturbance ◽

Exotic Animals ◽

Introduced Plants ◽

Disturbed Habitats

We utilize literature surveys to examine the relationship between establishment of exotic species and human or natural disturbances of ecosystems. Of the 133 papers published in 10 ecological journals between 1993 and 1995, 63 reported on field studies involving 299 and 103 successful, nonredundant plant and animal introductions, respectively. Invasions of terrestrial ecosystems dominated (>>97%) the surveyed literature. Disturbance was associated with establishment of exotic species in 56% of these studies, though its importance differed among papers describing plants (68%) and animals (28%). Plants species (86%) were significantly more dependent on disturbance for establishment than were animals (12%). However, animals and plants that were dependent on disturbance for establishment were almost equally dependent (58 versus 68%) on it for range expansion. In a second survey, 402 plant and 103 animal taxa were identified that explicitly linked establishment of exotic species to disturbance. Human activities were attributed with establishment of species in 97 and 57% of these cases, respectively. Common mechanisms associated with establishment of exotic animals included ballast water discharge, intentional releases, and residential development. Establishment of exotic plants was associated with animal activities (e.g., grazing, seed introduction), soil disturbance, forestry, fire, agriculture, and human activities. In contrast to invasions theory, our survey indicates that the association between establishment and spread of exotic species and disturbance ought not be assumed a priori. Some animals repeatedly invade new habitats once geographic barriers are circumvented, indicating that communities may be more receptive to exotic species than previously acknowledged. By contrast, introduced plants established most often in disturbed habitats.

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A coupled multi-proxy and process modelling approach for extraction of quantitative terrestrial ecosystem information from speleothems

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-4761 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Franziska Lechleitner ◽

Christopher C. Day ◽

Oliver Kost ◽

Micah Wilhelm ◽

Negar Haghipour ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Soil Respiration ◽

Western Europe ◽

Global Climate ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystem ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Clear Correlation ◽

Northern Spain ◽

Regional Temperature ◽

Global Carbon

Terrestrial ecosystems are intimately linked with the global climate system, but their response to ongoing and future anthropogenic climate change remains poorly understood. Reconstructing the response of terrestrial ecosystem processes over past periods of rapid and substantial climate change can serve as a tool to better constrain the sensitivity in the ecosystem-climate response.In this talk, we will present a new reconstruction of soil respiration in the temperate region of Western Europe based on speleothem carbon isotopes (&#948;13C). Soil respiration remains poorly constrained over past climatic transitions, but is critical for understanding the global carbon cycle and its response to ongoing anthropogenic warming. Our study builds upon two decades of speleothem research in Western Europe, which has shown clear correlation between &#948;13C and regional temperature reconstructions during the last glacial and the deglaciation, with exceptional regional coherency in timing, amplitude, and absolute &#948;13C variation. By combining innovative multi-proxy geochemical analysis (&#948;13C, Ca isotopes, and radiocarbon) on three speleothems from Northern Spain, and quantitative forward modelling of processes in soil, karst, and cave, we show how deglacial variability in speleothem &#948;13C is best explained by increasing soil respiration. Our study is the first to quantify and remove the effects of prior calcite precipitation (PCP, using Ca isotopes) and bedrock dissolution (open vs closed system, using the radiocarbon reservoir effect) from the speleothem &#948;13C signal to derive changes in respired &#948;13C over time. Our approach allows us to estimate the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration (Q10), which is higher than current measurements, suggesting that part of the speleothem signal may be related to a change in the composition of the soil respired &#948;13C. This is likely related to changing substrate through increasing contribution from vegetation biomass with the onset of the Holocene.These results highlight the exciting possibilities speleothems offer as a coupled archive for quantitative proxy-based reconstructions of climate and ecosystem conditions.

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Molecular-level evidence for marine aerosol nucleation of iodic acid and methanesulfonic acid

10.5194/acp-2021-595 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

An Ning ◽

Ling Liu ◽

Lin Ji ◽

Xiuhui Zhang

Keyword(s):

Molecular Level ◽

Methanesulfonic Acid ◽

Field Studies ◽

Nucleation Mechanism ◽

Polar Regions ◽

Atmospheric Conditions ◽

Iodic Acid ◽

Quantum Chemical Approach ◽

Marine Areas ◽

First Time

Abstract. Both iodic acid (HIO3, IA) and methanesulfonic acid (CH3S(O)2OH, MSA) have been identified by field studies as important precursors of new particle formation (NPF) in marine areas. However, the mechanism of NPF in which IA and MSA are jointly involved is still unclear. Hence, we investigated the IA-MSA nucleation system under different atmospheric conditions and uncovered the corresponding nucleating mechanism at a molecular level for the first time using quantum chemical approach and Atmospheric Cluster Dynamics Code (ACDC). The findings showed that MSA can stabilize IA clusters via both hydrogen and halogen bonds. Moreover, the joint nucleation rate of IA-MSA system is significantly higher than that of IA self-nucleation, particularly in relatively cold marine regions with sparse IA and rich MSA. For the IA-MSA nucleation mechanism, in addition to self-nucleation of IA, the IA-MSA-involved clusters can also directly participate in the nucleation process, and their contribution is particularly prominent in the polar regions with rich MSA and sparse IA. The IA-MSA nucleation mechanism revealed in this work may help to elucidate some missing sources of marine NPF.

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A temperature threshold to identify the driving climate forces of the respiratory process in terrestrial ecosystems

10.5194/bg-2017-345 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Zhiyuan Zhang ◽

Renduo Zhang ◽

Yang Zhou ◽

Alessandro Cescatti ◽

Georg Wohlfahrt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Temperature ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Ecosystem Respiration ◽

Large Fraction ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystem ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Co2 Concentration ◽

Temperature Threshold ◽

Current Scenario ◽

Ecosystem Flux

Abstract. Terrestrial ecosystem respiration (Re) is the major source of CO2 release and constitutes the second largest carbon flux between the biosphere and atmosphere. Therefore, climate-driven changes of Re may greatly impact on future atmospheric CO2 concentration. The aim of this study was to derive an air temperature threshold for identifying the driving climate forces of the respiratory process in terrestrial ecosystems within different temperature zones. For this purpose, a global dataset of 647 site-years of ecosystem flux data collected at 152 sites has been examined. Our analysis revealed an ecosystem threshold of mean annual air temperature (MAT) of 11 &pm; 2.3 °C. In ecosystems with the MAT below this threshold, the maximum Re rates were primarily dependent on temperature and respiration was mainly a temperature-driven process. On the contrary, in ecosystems with the MAT greater than 11 ± 2.3 °C, in addition to temperature, other driving forces, such as water availability and surface heat flux, became significant drivers of the maximum Re rates and respiration was a multi-factor-driven process. The information derived from this study highlight the key role of temperature as main controlling factor of the maximum Re rates on a large fraction of the terrestrial biosphere, while other driving forces reduce the maximum Re rates and temperature sensitivity of the respiratory process. These findings are particularly relevant under the current scenario of rapid global warming, given that the potential climate-induced changes in ecosystem respiration may lead to substantial anomalies in the seasonality and magnitude of the terrestrial carbon budget.

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Geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect of the Erzya-Mordovian language

Finno-Ugric World ◽

10.15507/2076-2577.012.2020.04.358-367 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 358-367

Author(s):

Nikolai V. Belenov

Keyword(s):

Original Composition ◽

Research Methods ◽

Field Studies ◽

The Other ◽

Volga Region ◽

The One ◽

Xix Century ◽

First Time ◽

Source Materials ◽

Made In

Introduction. The article presents the results of research of the geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect, one of the Erzya-Mordovian dialects of the Samara region, common among Erzya population of Shilan village in Krasnoyarsk region. The dialect belongs to rare Mordovian dialects of the Samara Volga region that were formed in the region since the middle of the XIX century, and therefore its research is of extra interest. Materials and Methods. The research methods are determined by the purpose and objectives of the study. The analysis of the geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect is carried out with the involvement of relevant items made in other Mordovian dialects of Samara region, adjacent territories of neighboring regions, as well as other territories of settlement of the Mordovians. Data on geographical vocabulary of the dialect introduced into research for the first time. The main source materials for the article is based on field studies in Silane village during the field seasons in 2017 and 2020, as well as in other Erzya-Mordovian and Moksha-Mordovian villages of Samara region and adjacent territories in 2015 – 2020. Results and Discussion. The study showed that the geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect of the Erzya-Mordovian language is significantly different from the corresponding lexical clusters in other dialects of the Mordovian region, which can be explained by natural geographical conditions surrounding Shilan village and the original composition of this lexical cluster of Erzya immigrants who founded this village. Conclusion. The analysis of the geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect allowed, on the one hand, to identify specific features of this cluster that distinguish it from the corresponding materials of other Mordovian dialects of the region, and, on the other hand, to identify common isoglosses between it and a number of the Erzya-Mordovian dialects of the Samara Volga region.

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