The Tangled Bank

Why are there so many kinds of organisms, and why do they cluster into discrete groups associated with particular locales? These and other ecological questions find answers in the expansive version of evolution that is presently emerging. Heredity, variation, natural selection, and adaptation are rooted in the level of genes, but incorporate features that grow out of the many tiers of biological organization. The communitarian view of life complements the one focused on the individual organism, and requires us to reexamine the meaning of both organism and individual. It embraces broad-gauge phenomena such as nutrient cycles, and gave birth to Gaia: the vision of Earth as a self-regulating system that has kept our planet hospitable to life for nearly 4 billion years.

Cynodon dactylon Pers.: A Review on Forage Crop and Medicinal Herb

Cynodon dactylon is a forage crop besides being a medicinal herb which has been holding a sacred position in our Indian culture. Its survival capacity in any ecological succession has forced it to exist as medicinal plant containing a broad spectrum of secondary metabolites like Cyanidin, Luteolin, apigenin having several therapeutic uses. The review paper has been designed in coordination with research articles to compile the various properties of the plant like its thriving capacity in tropical and subtropical regions where it can alter ecosystem by effecting nutrient cycles and community composition, diverse chemical composition, and therapeutic uses to name some such as diabetes, atherosclerosis etc., which could be used as an area of further research for mankind and environmental benefits.

Reclamation of the Enugu Coal Mine Site at Abandonment

Mining of coal (fossil fuel) resources in Enugu resulted in groundwater pollution/depletion and left the mine site with the potentials of air pollution, loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation and soil contamination. Other Environmental impacts were extensive soil damage, alteration in microbial communities and affecting vegetation leading to destruction of vast amounts of land and displacement of dwellers. Reclamation is the process to restore the ecological integrity of these disturbed mine land areas. It includes the management of all types of physical, chemical and biological disturbances of soils such as soil pH, fertility, microbial community and various soil nutrient cycles that makes the degraded land soil productive. Mining does not mean permanent loss of land for other use. On the other hand it holds potential for altered and improved use apart from restoring for agriculture, forestry and irrigation. This paper attempts to view the best practices for reclaiming the abandoned Enugu coal mine site which ceased production since 2002.

Reclamation of the Enugu Coal Mine Site at Abandonment

Mining of coal (fossil fuel) resources in Enugu resulted in groundwater pollution/depletion and left the mine site with the potentials of air pollution, loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation and soil contamination. Other Environmental impacts were extensive soil damage, alteration in microbial communities and affecting vegetation leading to destruction of vast amounts of land and displacement of dwellers. Reclamation is the process to restore the ecological integrity of these disturbed mine land areas. It includes the management of all types of physical, chemical and biological disturbances of soils such as soil pH, fertility, microbial community and various soil nutrient cycles that makes the degraded land soil productive. Mining does not mean permanent loss of land for other use. On the other hand it holds potential for altered and improved use apart from restoring for agriculture, forestry and irrigation. This paper attempts to view the best practices for reclaiming the abandoned Enugu coal mine site which ceased production since 2002.

Microbial Diversity and Function in Shallow Subsurface Sediment and Oceanic Lithosphere of the Atlantis Massif

The subsurface rock beneath the ocean is one of the largest biospheres on Earth, and microorganisms within influence global-scale nutrient cycles. This biosphere is difficult to study, in part due to the low concentrations of microorganisms that inhabit the vast volume of the marine lithosphere.

The global threat from plastic pollution

Plastic pollution accumulating in an area of the environment is considered “poorly reversible” if natural mineralization processes occurring there are slow and engineered remediation solutions are improbable. Should negative outcomes in these areas arise as a consequence of plastic pollution, they will be practically irreversible. Potential impacts from poorly reversible plastic pollution include changes to carbon and nutrient cycles; habitat changes within soils, sediments, and aquatic ecosystems; co-occurring biological impacts on endangered or keystone species; ecotoxicity; and related societal impacts. The rational response to the global threat posed by accumulating and poorly reversible plastic pollution is to rapidly reduce plastic emissions through reductions in consumption of virgin plastic materials, along with internationally coordinated strategies for waste management.

“A Very Noble Crop”: Financial Stability, Agronomic Expertise, and Personal Values Support Conservation in Shade-Grown Coffee Farms

Shade-grown coffee is an important reservoir for tropical biodiversity, but habitat quality hinges on decisions made by farmers. Our research aims to investigate the link between coffee producers’ decisions and outcomes for biodiversity, using epiphytes as our focal group. Using qualitative methods, we interviewed 33 producers in northern Nicaragua to understand how they connect trees and epiphytes on their farms to ecosystem services and how personal values, access to agronomic expertise, labor supply, and financial stability influence decision-making. We used interview responses to construct six producer typologies. Most producers had strong positive attitudes toward trees and associated them with a variety of important ecosystem services. Smallholders were more likely to connect trees with provisioning services, while producers on larger farms and with greater agronomic knowledge emphasized regulating services. Most producers connected epiphytes primarily with aesthetic values. Across demographics, producers emphasized the restorative potential for shade coffee in repairing damage to soil, water, and nutrient cycles caused by other forms of agriculture. The conservation significance and sustainability of this social-ecological system can be maintained and expanded through economic and capacity-building conservation interventions, especially when those can be connected to values already held by farmers.

Effect of Fungicide Application on Lowbush Blueberries Soil Microbiome

Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) are perennial crops produced throughout eastern Canada and Maine through management of wild populations. Given the constraints of this cropping system, the application of fungicides is critical to reducing disease pressure and ensuring consistent yields. However, as plant health is intertwined with soil health, it is important to consider the impact of fungicides on microbial communities. To understand the effects of fungicides in this context, bacterial and fungal microbial communities from fungicide-treated plots, as well as untreated control plots (UTG) were analyzed using amplicon sequencing. The fungicides, considered collectively as a combined treatment group (CTG), lead to a loss in fungal richness. One family, Clavariaceae, had an increased abundance under prothioconazole relative to UTG. This finding may be significant as taxa in Clavariaceae have been thought to potentially form ericoid mycorrhizae with Vaccinium. Five functional pathways and 74 enzymes differed significantly in relative abundance between CTG and UTG including enzymes associated with soil nutrient cycles. Most notably, enzymes corresponding to the breakdown of halogen-organic compounds had an increased abundance in CTG, suggesting bacterial fungicide degradation. Some enzymes associated with soil nutrient cycles differed significantly, possibly implying changes to nutrient pathways due to fungicide treatment.