scholarly journals Threat to Citrus in a Global Pollinator Decline Scenario: Current Understanding of Its Pollination Requirements and Future Directions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhankar Gurung ◽  
Arun Chettri

Pollinators are vital for world biodiversity and their contribution to agricultural productivity is immense. Pollinators are globally declining with reports such as colony collapse being documented. Citrus exhibits a varying degree of pollination requirements due to its vast cultivars being developed all the time. The article intends to understand the breeding system of a few commercially important Citrus groups and discern its dependency on pollination services. The threat related to pollinator decline to the Citrus industry is measured not only by its reliance on pollinators but also the requirement of the consumers and manufacturers who mostly seek seedless varieties. Therefore, the threat can be tackled by developing high-quality seedless varieties where pollination requirement is absent. Although the importance of pollinators on several self-incompatible varieties cannot be negated, the impact of pollinator decline on its production will entirely depend upon the demand of the market.

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Haynie ◽  
John Baur ◽  
John N. Harris ◽  
Stanley G. Harris ◽  
K. Nathan Moates

Empathic leaders often create high-quality relationships with their subordinates, and these relationships are suggested to increase several beneficial outcomes for employees and organizations alike. Yet leader–member exchange (LMX) theory suggests that leaders do not have such high-quality relationships with each of their subordinates, leading to varying levels of LMX differentiation. We examine how leaders’ empathic concern, a trait-based assessment of leader empathy, may incite additional discretionary efforts in the form of assisting coworkers with interpersonal facilitation and taking on additional tasks with job dedication. However, we suggest that when these empathic leaders are constrained, it reduces their ability to form high-quality relationships with all of their subordinates, resulting in high LMX differentiation. This LMX differentiation is expected to influence empathic leaders’ ability to motivate their followers to engage in altruistic behaviors. In a field study of workplace groups, we find that leader empathic concern positively affects interpersonal facilitation and job dedication only when LMX differentiation is low, providing support for our contention that the effects of empathic leadership may be situationally constrained. Findings and future directions are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan R. Gunnar ◽  
Brie M. Reid

There is clear evidence that early deprivation in the form of early institutional care affects children both immediately and long after they are removed from the institution. This article reviews the modern literature on the impact of institutional care from animal models to longitudinal studies in humans. Importantly, we examine the current understanding of neuroendocrine regulation in the context of early deprivation. We discuss the opportunities and limitations of studying the effects of deprivation in previously institutionalized children, review behavioral findings and related neurobiological studies, and address the physical health ramifications of institutional care. Finally, we touch on future directions for both science and intervention.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 7121
Author(s):  
Kelly Q. Zhou ◽  
Alice McDouall ◽  
Paul P. Drury ◽  
Christopher A. Lear ◽  
Kenta H. T. Cho ◽  
...  

Seizures are common in newborn infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and are highly associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The impact of seizure activity on the developing brain and the most effective way to manage these seizures remain surprisingly poorly understood, particularly in the era of therapeutic hypothermia. Critically, the extent to which seizures exacerbate brain injury or merely reflect the underlying evolution of injury is unclear. Current anticonvulsants, such as phenobarbital and phenytoin have poor efficacy and preclinical studies suggest that most anticonvulsants are associated with adverse effects on the developing brain. Levetiracetam seems to have less potential neurotoxic effects than other anticonvulsants but may not be more effective. Given that therapeutic hypothermia itself has significant anticonvulsant effects, randomized controlled trials of anticonvulsants combined with therapeutic hypothermia, are required to properly determine the safety and efficacy of these drugs. Small clinical studies suggest that prophylactic phenobarbital administration may improve neurodevelopmental outcomes compared to delayed administration; however, larger high-quality studies are required to confirm this. In conclusion, there is a distinct lack of high-quality evidence for whether and to what extent neonatal seizures exacerbate brain damage after hypoxia-ischemia and how best to manage them in the era of therapeutic hypothermia.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Zajac

Abstract The purpose of this opinion article is to review the impact of the principles and technology of speech science on clinical practice in the area of craniofacial disorders. Current practice relative to (a) speech aerodynamic assessment, (b) computer-assisted single-word speech intelligibility testing, and (c) behavioral management of hypernasal resonance are reviewed. Future directions and/or refinement of each area are also identified. It is suggested that both challenging and rewarding times are in store for clinical researchers in craniofacial disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 655 ◽  
pp. 123-137
Author(s):  
TM Grimes ◽  
MT Tinker ◽  
BB Hughes ◽  
KE Boyer ◽  
L Needles ◽  
...  

Protective legislation and management have led to an increase in California’s sea otter Enhydra lutris nereis population. While sea otter recovery has been linked to ecosystem benefits, sea otter predation may negatively affect commercially valuable species. Understanding the potential influence of sea otters is of particular importance as their range expands into estuaries that function as nurseries for commercially valuable species like Dungeness crab Metacarcinus magister. We consider how sea otter predation has affected the abundance and size of juvenile Dungeness crab in Elkhorn Slough, California, USA, and analyzed cancrid crab abundance and size across 4 California estuaries with and without sea otters to understand how biotic and abiotic factors contribute to observed variation in crab size and abundance. We compared trends in southern sea otters relative to Dungeness crab landings in California to assess whether increasing sea otter abundance have negatively impacted landings. In Elkhorn Slough, juvenile Dungeness crab abundance and size have declined since 2012, coinciding with sea otter population growth. However, the impact of sea otters on juvenile Dungeness crab size was habitat-specific and only significant in unvegetated habitat. Across estuaries, we found that cancrid crab abundance and size were negatively associated with sea otter presence. While abiotic factors varied among estuaries, these factors explained little of the observed variation in crab abundance or size. Although we found evidence that sea otters can have localized effects on cancrid crab populations within estuaries, we found no evidence that southern sea otters, at recent population sizes, have negatively impacted Dungeness crab landings in California from 2000-2014.


1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Jensen

Abstract: Scholarly publishing and access to high-quality information may in fact be threatened, rather than improved, by the revolution in communications, particularly in a fully commercial Internet. The effects of the political revolution in Eastern Europe on scholarship and quality publishing are used as a touchstone of the dangers that occur when naïve revolutionaries make swift changes without fully recognizing the impact upon delicately balanced social institutions such as non-profit organizations. Résumé: La révolution en communications, particulièrement en ce qui regarde un Internet commercialisé, plutôt que d'améliorer l'édition savante et l'accès à de l'information de haute qualité, pourrait en fait poser une menace pour ceux-ci. Cet article examine comment la révolution politique en Europe de l'Est a influé sur la recherche et l'édition de qualité. Il utilise cet exemple pour examiner les dangers que peuvent courir certains révolutionnaires naïfs quand ils instaurent des changements rapides san songer à leur impact sur des institutions sociales à équilibre délicat comme les organisations à but non lucratif.


2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 131-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Hurley ◽  
Brian W. Mayhew

SUMMARY We insert an automated high-quality (HQ) auditor into established experimental audit markets to test the impact of high-quality competition on other auditors' supply of and managers' demand for audit quality. Theory predicts that managers will demand high levels of audit quality to avoid investors' price-protecting behavior. This demand should result in the HQ auditor dominating the market and increase other auditors' audit quality provision to compete with the HQ auditor. However, we find that the HQ auditor does not dominate the market—despite holding audit costs constant and investors placing a premium on HQ auditor reports. We also find that adding an HQ auditor results in other auditors lowering audit quality. Additional analyses indicate some managers demand lower audit quality to avoid negative audit reports, consistent with loss aversion as a potential explanation. Our findings indicate a need to develop a more comprehensive theory of the demand for auditing. Data Availability: The laboratory market data used in this study are available from the authors upon request.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4658
Author(s):  
Magdalena Januszek ◽  
Paweł Satora

Quality of plum jerkum is significantly associated to the profile of volatile compounds. Therefore, we decided to assess the impact of various fermentation types on selected properties of plum jerkums, especially compounds which contribute to the aroma of the finished product. We used the following yeast strains: S. cerevisiae S1, H. uvarum H2, and Ethanol RED (S. cerevisiae). Moreover, we considered spontaneous fermentation. S. cerevisiae and H. uvarum strains were isolated during the fermentation of Čačanska Lepotica or Węgierka Dąbrowicka (plum cultivars), respectively. As for fermentation type, spontaneous fermentation of H. uvarum H2 provided the best results. It could be associated to the fact that plum juices fermented with H. uvarum H2 presented the highest concentration of terpenoids, esters, or some higher alcohols. In the current paper, application of indigenous strains of yeasts resulted in the required oenological characteristics, e.g., highest fermentation efficiency and concentration of ethanol was determined in juices fermented with Ethanol RED (S. cerevisiae) and also with S. cerevisiae S1. Our results suggested that indigenous strains of yeasts present in plums demonstrate great potential for the production of plum jerkums of high quality.


Author(s):  
Agata Di Noi ◽  
Silvia Casini ◽  
Tommaso Campani ◽  
Giampiero Cai ◽  
Ilaria Caliani

Honey bees and the pollination services they provide are fundamental for agriculture and biodiversity. Agrochemical products and other classes of contaminants, such as trace elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, contribute to the general decline of bees’ populations. For this reason, effects, and particularly sublethal effects of contaminants need to be investigated. We conducted a review of the existing literature regarding the type of effects evaluated in Apis mellifera, collecting information about regions, methodological approaches, the type of contaminants, and honey bees’ life stages. Europe and North America are the regions in which A. mellifera biological responses were mostly studied and the most investigated compounds are insecticides. A. mellifera was studied more in the laboratory than in field conditions. Through the observation of the different responses examined, we found that there were several knowledge gaps that should be addressed, particularly within enzymatic and molecular responses, such as those regarding the immune system and genotoxicity. The importance of developing an integrated approach that combines responses at different levels, from molecular to organism and population, needs to be highlighted in order to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic contamination on this pollinator species.


Author(s):  
Dolapo Bola Adelabu ◽  
Emile Bredenhand ◽  
Sean van der Merwe ◽  
Angelinus Cornelius Franke

Abstract To exploit the potential of ecological intensification during sunflower cropping, it is crucial to understand the potential synergies between crop management and ecosystem services. We therefore examined the effect of pollination intensification on sunflower yield and productivity under various levels of soil fertilization over two seasons in the eastern Free State, South Africa. We manipulated soil fertility with fertilizer applications and pollination with exclusion bags. We found a synergetic effect between pollination and soil fertilization whereby increasing pollination intensity led to a far higher impact on sunflower yield when the soil had been fertilized. Specifically, the intensification of insect pollination increased seed yield by approximately 0.4 ton/ha on nutrient poor soil and by approximately 1.7 ton/ha on moderately fertilized soil. Our findings suggest that sunflower crops on adequate balanced soil fertility will receive abundant insect pollination and may gain more from both synergies than crops grown in areas with degraded soil fertility.


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