Seasonal and Regional Chemical Variability of the Wild Population of Lantana camara Leaf Essential Oil From Kenya

Studies examining the variability in wild plant metabolic expression propose that environmental factors significantly influence the essential oil (EO) quality and quantity in a plant. Lantana camara is a widely distributed invasive plant species worldwide. However, its immense metabolites can become a source of novel compounds to produce biopesticides in the agricultural industry. Although, the quality aspect has to be considered due to the environmental influence on the metabolites synthesised. Therefore, this research aimed to understand the influence of environmental factors and how it shapes the plant’s metabolite profile in multiple populations of L. camara. Leaf samples were collected from six different geographic regions of Kenya and the corresponding monthly climatic data and soil samples. GC-MS data from leaf EO were analysed with environmental variables (climate and soil data) using unimodally unconstrained and constrained ordination methods for untargeted metabolomics analysis. Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and Random Forests (RF) were used to confirm the variability further. Seasonal and regional variability was observed for secondary metabolites (SMs) in the leaf EO, which correlated to climatic factors and soil attributes. We highlight the season-al-geographic metabolism relationship for L. camara and the combined analytical approach to obtain data that contributes to understanding the influence of environmental factors on the synthesis and accumulation of SMs. This research will have all-embracing implications for maximising phytochemical uniformity.

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Allelopathy of Lantana camara as an Invasive Plant

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10051028 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 1028

Author(s):

Hisashi Kato-Noguchi ◽

Denny Kurniadie

Keyword(s):

Essential Oil ◽

Plant Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Rhizosphere Soil ◽

Lantana Camara ◽

Regeneration Process ◽

Living Plant ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Indigenous Plant ◽

Noxious Weed

Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) is native to tropical America and has been introduced into many other countries as an ornamental and hedge plant. The species has been spreading quickly and has naturalized in more than 60 countries as an invasive noxious weed. It is considered to be one of the world’s 100 worst alien species. L. camara often forms dense monospecies stands through the interruption of the regeneration process of indigenous plant species. Allelopathy of L. camara has been reported to play a crucial role in its invasiveness. The extracts, essential oil, leachates, residues, and rhizosphere soil of L. camara suppressed the germination and growth of other plant species. Several allelochemicals, such as phenolic compounds, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, and a flavonoid, were identified in the extracts, essential oil, residues, and rhizosphere soil of L. camara. The evidence also suggests that some of those allelochemicals in L. camara are probably released into the rhizosphere soil under the canopy and neighboring environments during the decomposition process of the residues and as leachates and volatile compounds from living plant parts of L. camara. The released allelochemicals may suppress the regeneration process of indigenous plant species by decreasing their germination and seedling growth and increasing their mortality. Therefore, the allelopathic property of L. camara may support its invasive potential and formation of dense monospecies stands.

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Geographic variation in floral traits is associated with environmental and genetic differences among populations of the mixed mating species Collinsia heterophylla (Plantaginaceae)

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2016-0014 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 95 (2) ◽

pp. 121-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Åsa Lankinen ◽

Josefin A. Madjidian ◽

Stefan Andersson

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Mating System ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Environmental Influence ◽

Genetic Correlations ◽

Flower Size ◽

Floral Traits ◽

Mixed Mating ◽

Floral Trait ◽

Stigma Receptivity

Relatively few studies have investigated how geography, environmental factors, and genetics affect floral trait variation. We used mixed-mating Collinsia heterophylla Buist to explore variation in a suite of floral traits related to mating system in populations representing four geographic regions of California, USA, and relate this variation to geography, climatic factors, and local site characteristics. We evaluated the environmental vs. genetic trait variability in the greenhouse. Stage of anther–stigma contact correlated positively with temperature, stage of stigma receptivity was negatively associated with vegetation cover, and flower size differed among populations without any clear relation to environmental factors. Greenhouse data indicated heritability for stage of anther–stigma contact, flower size, and time to flowering, and positive correlations between field and greenhouse for stage of stigma receptivity and flower size; however, stage of anther–stigma contact showed a high degree of environmental influence. Stage of anther–stigma contact covaried positively with stage of stigma receptivity and flower size across maternal families, indicating genetic correlations between traits. In conclusion, phenotypic floral variation within mixed-mating C. heterophylla is mostly determined by a genetic component. Geography, environment, and genetics affect traits differently, suggesting that ecological and evolutionary processes contribute to shaping variability in mating system-related traits.

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Assessing the Sensitivity of Main Crop Yields to Climate Change Impacts in China

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12020172 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 172

Author(s):

Yuan Xu ◽

Jieming Chou ◽

Fan Yang ◽

Mingyang Sun ◽

Weixing Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Crop Yield ◽

Food Production ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Climatic Data ◽

The South ◽

The North ◽

Output Elasticity ◽

The Impact

Quantitatively assessing the spatial divergence of the sensitivity of crop yield to climate change is of great significance for reducing the climate change risk to food production. We use socio-economic and climatic data from 1981 to 2015 to examine how climate variability led to variation in yield, as simulated by an economy–climate model (C-D-C). The sensitivity of crop yield to the impact of climate change refers to the change in yield caused by changing climatic factors under the condition of constant non-climatic factors. An ‘output elasticity of comprehensive climate factor (CCF)’ approach determines the sensitivity, using the yields per hectare for grain, rice, wheat and maize in China’s main grain-producing areas as a case study. The results show that the CCF has a negative trend at a rate of −0.84/(10a) in the North region, while a positive trend of 0.79/(10a) is observed for the South region. Climate change promotes the ensemble increase in yields, and the contribution of agricultural labor force and total mechanical power to yields are greater, indicating that the yield in major grain-producing areas mainly depends on labor resources and the level of mechanization. However, the sensitivities to climate change of different crop yields to climate change present obvious regional differences: the sensitivity to climate change of the yield per hectare for maize in the North region was stronger than that in the South region. Therefore, the increase in the yield per hectare for maize in the North region due to the positive impacts of climate change was greater than that in the South region. In contrast, the sensitivity to climate change of the yield per hectare for rice in the South region was stronger than that in the North region. Furthermore, the sensitivity to climate change of maize per hectare yield was stronger than that of rice and wheat in the North region, and that of rice was the highest of the three crop yields in the South region. Finally, the economy–climate sensitivity zones of different crops were determined by the output elasticity of the CCF to help adapt to climate change and prevent food production risks.

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Different environmental variables predict body and brain size evolution in Homo

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-24290-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Manuel Will ◽

Mario Krapp ◽

Jay T. Stock ◽

Andrea Manica

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Net Primary Productivity ◽

Brain Size ◽

Environmental Influence ◽

Size Variation ◽

Evolutionary Pattern ◽

Statistical Framework ◽

Size Evolution ◽

Major Predictor

AbstractIncreasing body and brain size constitutes a key macro-evolutionary pattern in the hominin lineage, yet the mechanisms behind these changes remain debated. Hypothesized drivers include environmental, demographic, social, dietary, and technological factors. Here we test the influence of environmental factors on the evolution of body and brain size in the genus Homo over the last one million years using a large fossil dataset combined with global paleoclimatic reconstructions and formalized hypotheses tested in a quantitative statistical framework. We identify temperature as a major predictor of body size variation within Homo, in accordance with Bergmann’s rule. In contrast, net primary productivity of environments and long-term variability in precipitation correlate with brain size but explain low amounts of the observed variation. These associations are likely due to an indirect environmental influence on cognitive abilities and extinction probabilities. Most environmental factors that we test do not correspond with body and brain size evolution, pointing towards complex scenarios which underlie the evolution of key biological characteristics in later Homo.

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Climate Influence in Dendrochronological Series of Araucaria angustifolia from Campos do Jordão, Brazil

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12080957 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 957

Author(s):

Daniela Oliveira da da Silva ◽

Alan Prestes ◽

Virginia Klausner ◽

Táyla Gabrielle Gonçalves de de Souza

Keyword(s):

Climatic Factors ◽

Summer Season ◽

Climatic Data ◽

Araucaria Angustifolia ◽

Paulo State ◽

Show Evidence ◽

Full Period ◽

Wavelet Techniques ◽

Climatic Time Series ◽

Dendroclimatic Analysis

A dendrochronological series of Araucaria angustifolia was analyzed for a better understanding of the climatic factors that operate in Campos do Jordão city, São Paulo state, Brazil. The dendroclimatic analysis was carried out using 45 samples from 16 Araucaria angustifolia trees to reconstruct the precipitation and the temperature over the 1803–2012 yearly interval. To this end, Pearson’s correlation was calculated between mean chronology and the climatic time series using a monthly temporal resolution to calibrate our models. We obtained correlations as high as r=0.22(α=0.1) for precipitation (February), and r=0.21(α=0.1) for temperature (March), both corresponding to the end of the summer season. Our results show evidence of temporal instabilities because the correlations for the halves of 1963–2012 were very different, as well as for the full period. To overcome this problem, the dendrochronological series and the climatic data were investigated using the wavelet techniques searching for time-dependent cause–effect relationships. From these analyses, we find a strong influence of the region’s precipitation and temperature on the growth of tree ring widths.

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Regional environmental controllers influence continental scale soil carbon stocks and future carbon dynamics

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-85992-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Ruiz Potma Gonçalves ◽

Umakant Mishra ◽

Skye Wills ◽

Sagar Gautam

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Land Cover ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Climate Feedback ◽

Soil Types ◽

Climatic Data ◽

Earth System ◽

Land Cover Types ◽

Continental Scale ◽

Soc Stocks

AbstractUnderstanding the influence of environmental factors on soil organic carbon (SOC) is critical for quantifying and reducing the uncertainty in carbon climate feedback projections under changing environmental conditions. We explored the effect of climatic variables, land cover types, topographic attributes, soil types and bedrock geology on SOC stocks of top 1 m depth across conterminous United States (US) ecoregions. Using 4559 soil profile observations and high-resolution data of environmental factors, we identified dominant environmental controllers of SOC stocks in 21 US ecoregions using geographically weighted regression. We used projected climatic data of SSP126 and SSP585 scenarios from GFDL-ESM 4 Earth System Model of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 to predict SOC stock changes across continental US between 2030 and 2100. Both baseline and predicted changes in SOC stocks were compared with SOC stocks represented in GFDL-ESM4 projections. Among 56 environmental predictors, we found 12 as dominant controllers across all ecoregions. The adjusted geospatial model with the 12 environmental controllers showed an R2 of 0.48 in testing dataset. Higher precipitation and lower temperatures were associated with higher levels of SOC stocks in majority of ecoregions. Changes in land cover types (vegetation properties) was important in drier ecosystem as North American deserts, whereas soil types and topography were more important in American prairies. Wetlands of the Everglades was highly sensitive to projected temperature changes. The SOC stocks did not change under SSP126 until 2100, however SOC stocks decreased up to 21% under SSP585. Our results, based on environmental controllers of SOC stocks, help to predict impacts of changing environmental conditions on SOC stocks more reliably and may reduce uncertainties found in both, geospatial and Earth System Models. In addition, the description of different environmental controllers for US ecoregions can help to describe the scope and importance of global and local models.

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Environmental influences on fish and shellfish production in the Northwest Atlantic

Environmental Reviews ◽

10.1139/a94-002 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 16-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

K.H. Mann ◽

K.F. Drinkwater

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Gadus Morhua ◽

Cold Water ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Homarus Americanus ◽

Fishing Mortality ◽

Poor Growth ◽

Northwest Atlantic ◽

Grand Banks ◽

Fish And Shellfish

Evidence is reviewed, linking physical oceanographic processes in the marine environment to changes in fish and shellfish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic. A case history study of the cod (Gadus morhua) stock of the northern Grand Banks and Labrador Shelf indicates a long slow amelioration of the environment between about 1945 and 1965, followed by a deterioration in the period 1965–1992. The most important environmental factors for the cod stocks appear to have been salinity and temperature. The trends can be traced back to climatic factors involving the Icelandic Low and the Azores–Bermuda High. When the atmospheric pressure difference in winter tended to be high, there was a progressive increase in the area of sea ice off Labrador and in the volume of cold water at depth. These factors have been shown to affect temperature and salinity conditions on the Grand Banks in spring and summer and are associated with poor growth and recruitment in the cod stocks. A similar case study of lobster (Homarus americanus) stocks indicates that temperature and river discharge are important environmental correlates, but neither can be shown to fully account for the recent trends in the stocks. Evidence is reviewed to show that physical environmental processes also influence recruitment and distribution of stocks of haddock, capelin, and squid. Some of the problems with correlational analysis are also discussed. It is recognized that factors other than the environment are influencing the stocks. Fishing mortality (detailed consideration of which is not included in this review) has clearly been important. Interactions between environmental factors and fishing mortality are probably of major importance.Key words: ocean environment, fish production, recruitment, northern cod, American lobster.

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