Most recent 40 articles: PHYS.ORG - Biology
 |
A forestry scientist explains how to choose the most sustainable Christmas tree, no matter what it's made of - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 5) |
|
Dec 5 · The No. 1 way to reduce emissions with an artificial tree is to reuse it for years. Reuse avoids the carbon impact of producing, packaging and shipping a new one. The break-even point - when your artificial tree's emissions match the emissions of buying a live tree each year - varies from as little as four years to as many as 20 years, depending on the factors considered. Many artificial trees are built to last 30 years or more. My family has had one for 25 years. To lengthen its life span, take care when putting it up and storing it. If the tree gets damaged, see if you can find replacement parts rather than replacing the entire tree. Pay attention to the source About 80% of ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Forecasting forest health using models to predict tree canopy height - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 5) |
|
Dec 5 · Tree height is an important indicator of a forest's maturity and overall health. Forest restoration projects rely on tree height as a predictor and measurement of success, but forecasting a forest's future tree height based on observations alone is almost impossible. Too many factors contribute to the growth and health of trees. Because so many factors can impact how a tree develops, researchers enhanced a predictive model called the Allometric Scaling and Resource Limitations (ASRL) model and then deployed it using Google Earth Engine, looking at forests in the northeastern United States. The research is published in the Journal of Remote Sensing. "Potential tree height can reach ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
How a thumb-sized climate migrant with a giant crab claw is disrupting the Northeast's Great Marsh ecosystem - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 5) |
|
Dec 5 · Nine years ago, I stood on the muddy banks of the Great Marsh, a salt marsh an hour north of Boston, and pulled a thumb-sized crab with an absurdly large claw out of a burrow. I was looking at a fiddler crab - a species that wasn't supposed to be north of Cape Cod, let alone north of Boston. As it turned out, the marsh I was standing in would never be the same. I was witnessing climate change in action. The Great Marsh is on the Gulf of Maine, the piece of the Atlantic that extends approximately from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Nova Scotia, Canada. The marshes along the gulf are critical breeding sites for many bird species. But the water there is warming faster than almost ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
No lettuce for Florida manatees this winter: Experts end feeding trial after two years - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 5) |
|
Dec 5 · For the past two winters, Florida wildlife biologists have experimented hand-feeding lettuce to hungry manatees in the Indian River Lagoon as the animals' natural food source, seagrass, was in short supply from pollution problems. This winter, though, there won't be another feeding trial. Wildlife experts say there are two main reasons for that decision: There's enough seagrass in the Mosquito Lagoon - where manatees linger during the colder winter months - for the population to eat this winter, according to an announcement from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission also said "there are currently no indications that manatees in this region are in ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Revolutionizing biorefineries: Advancing toward sustainable third-generation technologies in CO2 utilization - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 5) |
|
Dec 5 · The evolution of biorefineries, shifting from sugar-based and biomass feedstocks to third-generation (3G) technologies, marks significant progress toward sustainable development. 3G biorefineries use microbial cell factories or enzymatic systems to convert one-carbon (C1) sources such as CO2 into value-added chemicals, powered by renewable energies. Despite the potential of native C1 assimilating microbes, challenges like low carbon fixation efficiency and limited product scope hinder their scalability. Heterotrophic microorganisms, engineered through synthetic biology and computational tools, offer a promising solution to these challenges. The current research focuses on enhancing ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Applying pulp mill waste to soil could be a win-win for the environment and industry - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 4) |
|
Dec 4 · Pulp mill waste destined for the landfill could instead be useful as an organic fertilizer that can help reduce the environmental impact of using conventional fertilizers while improving soil and tree growth, University of Alberta research shows. A two-year study conducted on a hybrid poplar tree plantation in northern Alberta showed that compared with using conventional fertilizers alone, adding biosolids - wood and other fibers left over from pulp and paper production - reduced harmful greenhouse gas emissions from the soil. Combining biosolids and conventional fertilizer also improved soil fertility, the study showed. The findings provide new insight into what effect biosolids ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
COP28: 7 food and agriculture innovations needed to protect the climate and feed a rapidly growing world - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 4) |
|
Dec 4 · For the first time ever, food and agriculture took center stage at the annual United Nations climate conference in 2023. More than 130 countries signed a declaration on Dec. 1, committing to make their food systems - everything from production to consumption - a focal point in national strategies to address climate change. The declaration is thin on concrete actions to adapt to climate change and reduce emissions, but it draws attention to a crucial issue. The global food supply is increasingly facing disruptions from extreme heat and storms. It is also a major contributor to climate change, responsible for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. This ... Read more ...
|
| |
|
|
|
Strange burn: New research identifies unique patterns in Utah wildfires - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 4) |
|
Dec 4 · On average, Utah wildfires tend to be heavily influenced by sagebrush and shrubland vegetation types - a category that covers a considerable area in the state. The medium-sized fires that the team analyzed in this type of non-forested vegetation had more severe impacts than large fires. In forests though, large fires burned at higher severity - sometimes much higher. "Fires of any size can have considerable ecosystem benefits, including reducing the fuel loads that might later lead to extreme fire behavior, and reducing forest density. Both of these may become even more important in drought conditions," said Lutz. "Prescribed fires that are as large as practically manageable can ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
As seas get warmer, tropical species are moving further from the equator - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 2) |
|
Dec 2 · Climate change is causing tropical species in the ocean to move from the equator towards the poles, while temperate species recede. This mass movement of marine life, termed tropicalization, is leading to a cascade of consequences for ecosystems and biodiversity, and has the potential to impact the global economy. My colleagues and I recently identified and reviewed 215 tropicalization-related scientific papers published between 2003 and 2023. Our work, now published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, reveals the extent of this species movement, and demonstrates just how widespread its consequences can be. Tropicalization is a global trend, fueled by climate ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
A sun protection mechanism helps plants to survive - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 1) |
|
Dec 1 · Just as people can get sunburned, plants can also suffer from too much sunlight. To stay healthy, they use an internal "sun protection mechanism." Pierrick Bru, a Ph.D. student working with Alizée Malnoë at Umeå Plant Science Centre and Umeå University, has been studying a special component of this mechanism, called qH, and has found that it is quite adaptable. The magic of photosynthetic organisms is that they can produce energy from sunlight. Plants have tiny structures in their cells, that, similarly to mini solar panels, catch sunlight and turn it into energy-rich compounds which the plant is then utilizing to grow and stay healthy. However, when there is too much light, these ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Botany must feature more prominently on the school curriculum to promote awareness of climate change, study warns - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 1) |
|
Dec 1 · Children must be taught more about the importance of plants if education about climate change and sustainability is to be effective, experts have warned. Botany should feature more heavily in the school curriculum, and be a greater focus of educational policy, the study in the Journal of Biological Education says. It warns neither the importance of plants for sustainability nor the threats facing many of them are adequately represented in science education. While the problem has been identified for some time, attempts to address it have often struggled to gain a foothold in science education practice. Dr. Bethan Stagg from the University of Exeter and Professor Justin Dillon from ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Can we sustainably harvest trees from tropical forests? - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 1) |
|
Dec 1 · Logging typically degrades tropical forests. But what if logging is carefully planned and carried out by well-trained workers? While public campaigns to end logging dominate both the popular press and high-profile science journals, a transition from "timber mining" to evidence-based "managed forestry" is underway. Given poor logging practices are likely to continue in about 500 million hectares of tropical forest, efforts to promote responsible forestry deserve more attention. In our new report we recommend five ways to improve tropical forest management. Fortunately, these practices are compatible with management for non-timber forest products such as fruits, fibers, resins and ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Global climate change drives fish fitness zones in typical marine habitats, finds study - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 1) |
|
Dec 1 · The tridentiger typically inhabits semi-saline and freshwater environments located in the tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions of the western Pacific Ocean. It occupies a crucial position in the food chain, making it ecologically important. As an indicator species, the tridentiger is highly vulnerable to environmental changes, and it is likely that global climate change will result in significant changes or even loss of its habitat. Therefore, it is vital to systematically analyze the response strategies of the tridentiger to global climate change in various habitats. A research team led by Prof. Li Jun from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Researchers sound out Canadian military's plan to combat ocean noise pollution - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Dec 1) |
|
Dec 1 · A new study from Simon Fraser University researchers examines the Canadian military's efforts to reduce the impacts of underwater noise pollution on species during training exercises in the Pacific Ocean but caveat that more can still be done. The paper, published today in Marine Policy, takes aim at a report commissioned by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) to reduce the effects of noise pollution from military small-arms munitions training within "Whiskey Hotel", a 330-square-kilometer area in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off the British Columbia coast. The military commissioned the report after it committed to pausing exercises in the area for three years to ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Dutch astronomers prove last piece of gas feedback-feeding loop of black hole - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 30) |
|
Nov 30 · Three astronomers from the Netherlands have proven that gas that was previously heated near a supermassive black hole flowed to the outskirts of the galaxy and cooled down, moving back towards the black hole. While there had been indirect evidence for this theory, this is the first time that the cooled gas moving toward the black hole has actually been observed. The researchers made their discovery when they used new techniques to examine archived data from the ALMA observatory. They share their findings in Nature Astronomy. Supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies have long been known to emit enormous amounts of energy. This causes the surrounding gas to heat up and ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Peroxidase gene found to confer drought tolerance in soybean - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 30) |
|
Nov 30 · Over the past 100 years, global water use has increased sixfold, and increased drought has led to substantial declines in crop production in recent decades. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], originally domesticated in China about 5,000 years ago and subsequently spread worldwide, has become an important and primary source of vegetable oil and protein, as well as a supplement in livestock feed. However, soybean is one of the most drought-sensitive crops, and drought can significantly reduce its yield and quality. Therefore, breeding high-yielding, drought-tolerant soybeans is critical to meeting the growing demand for soybean production and addressing the worsening water deficit. A ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Satellite remote sensing model for wide-area prediction of transpiration rates in Japanese cypress plantations - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 30) |
|
Nov 30 · Forests, known as nature's "green dams," play a crucial role in replenishing Earth's groundwater reserves. However, overcrowding in planted forests due to lack of maintenance activities, such as thinning practices, is a pressing concern in Japan. This overcrowding causes substantial water loss from these forests into the atmosphere through a combination of soil evaporation and tree transpiration (Et) known as evapotranspiration. In the rich forests of Japan, Et is a major factor in the depletion of water resources. Therefore, accurately measuring Et across wide areas is a critical need because it allows better management of the available groundwater resources, especially during ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
The ocean's first large swimming apex predators had exceptionally rapid growth, fossil study finds - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 30) |
|
Nov 30 · Taken together, these results show that the animals in today's oceans provide a single snapshot of what evolution can produce - and that the different ecological, environmental, and evolutionary pressures and histories present over the last half a billion years have led to disparate morphologies, body plans and life history strategies that data-rich interdisciplinary studies such as this can reveal. The work is published in the journal National Science Review. More information: Yu Wu et al, Rapid growth in a large Cambrian apex predator, National Science Review (2023). DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad284 Provided by Science China Press Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Understanding the deep relationship between plants and the wind - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 30) |
|
Nov 30 · As Earth's climate continues to change, a plant's ability to adapt to its shifting environment is critical to its survival. Often, to stay alive a plant must move locations by releasing its seeds, but plants are rooted in the ground and cannot move themselves. Instead, they are dependent on animals or the wind to carry their seeds to a new location. Playing an essential foundational role in an ecosystem, plants contribute to the well-being of human health by helping create resources like food and medicine. Therefore, to better understand how plants can maintain resiliency in the face of challenges like climate change, a team of researchers at the University of Missouri and Michigan ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Webb study reveals rocky planets can form in extreme environments - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 30) |
|
Nov 30 · "We find that the inner disk around XUE 1 is remarkably similar to those in nearby star-forming regions," said team member Rens Waters of Radboud University in the Netherlands. "We've detected water and other molecules like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and acetylene. However, the emission found was weaker than some models predicted. This might imply a small outer disk radius." "We were surprised and excited because this is the first time that these molecules have been detected under such extreme conditions," added Lars Cuijpers of Radboud University. The team also found small, partially crystalline silicate dust at the disk's surface. This is considered to be ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
How fitter fish can feed more people in the midst of food insecurity - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 29) |
|
Nov 29 · With the growing human population placing enormous pressure on food resources, it is estimated that by 2030 there will be an additional half a billion people to feed. This, combined with the rising cost of living, has amassed worldwide concern for the future of food security. While the aquaculture industry is preparing to address this demand, there is a need to find innovative ways to grow fish faster. New research from Murdoch University lecturer Dr. Essie Rodgers and research fellow Dr. Daniel Gomez Isaza published in Reviews in Aquaculture has revealed that exercise regimes can help fish reach marketable sizes at an accelerated rate. Statistical models showed that fish that had ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Study: Your local sea snail might not make it in warmer oceans, but oysters will - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 29) |
|
Nov 29 · "These creatures are already experiencing temperatures beyond their comfort zone in the Strait, and they're unlikely to keep up with warming oceans because they can't move very far," says Dr. Beaty, who completed the research during her Ph.D. at UBC. She says the work highlights that climate risk can be tied to location, even for people. If a species can't move from an environment that is changing faster than the species can adapt, it could be in trouble. The Strait could represent a dead zone in the species' future. Meanwhile, species that will survive in a warmer future are likely those more tolerant of heat with shorter life spans, such as oysters and northern anchovy, as well as ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
The National Park Service wants to plant sequoias: Environmentalists sue, say there's no need to interfere - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 29) |
|
Nov 29 · High-intensity fires in 2020 and 2021 devastated the adult sequoia tree population globally, particularly at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in Northern California. That is one of the few things that National Park Service staffers and the environmentalists who are suing the agency can agree on. At the root of the lawsuit, filed earlier this month, is a fundamental disagreement over the role of high-intensity fires. The National Park Service is calling "for action … with some level of urgency" to reseed burned areas that are "otherwise unlikely to recover" without human intervention. They see these fires as a threat to the species. Research ecologist Chad Hanson, however, ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Water and electricity: Charge effects can influence flowing droplets - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 29) |
|
Nov 29 · From precise inkjet printing to clear vision through spectacle lenses - the influence of droplets and their movement shapes numerous areas of our daily lives. While droplets should remain precisely in place on inkjet prints, it is desirable that they move quickly across the surface of spectacle lenses. Research into wetting processes, therefore, plays a crucial role in further improving technological applications. The interaction between liquids and surfaces depends not only on the properties of the surface but also on the properties of the liquid. However, a research project initiated at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) has focused on another dimension in ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Bloom times vary in Malus species due to floral development rate - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 28) |
|
Nov 28 · The domesticated apple (Malus ×domestica) is an economically valuable crop and an important source of nutrients and calories throughout temperate regions of the world. Fruit production is directly influenced by bloom time, which is a highly heritable trait greatly affected by the way a genotype perceives its environment. Because of climate change, fruit trees are becoming more susceptible to crop loss. First, early spring freezes may damage developing flower buds and reduce crop yield. These erratic weather events are increasing. Second, climate change has affected chilling accumulation during winter, which disrupts the flower development and synchronicity of bloom. Third, apple ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Clonal fish: Same genes, same environment, different fitness levels - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 28) |
|
Nov 28 · According to current knowledge, individuality is determined by either differences in genome or in the apparent environmental conditions. However, studies show, the paradigm of twin research is currently crumbling. A research team from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the Cluster of Excellence "Science of Intelligence" (SCIoI) has now found that clonal fish - i.e., fish with identical genetic material - that are reared under nearly identical, highly standardized environments systematically differ in the number and size of offspring per reproduction cycle, two crucial indicators of biological fitness. The study is published in the journal ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Québec's hardwood trees could move north. Here's how that could affect the boreal forest landscape - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 28) |
|
Nov 28 · In Québec, there are two distinct types of forest: the northern temperate forest in the south, and the boreal forest in the north. These forest ecosystems provide many different and essential services to the overall functioning of the planet, and to our economy. For example, the storage of large quantities of atmospheric carbon and habitats for many species, as well as a supply of raw materials to the wood industry, which is a pillar of the economies of both Québec and Canada. As a doctoral student at Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), I work on the colonization potential of sugar maple, yellow birch and red maple north of their range, in the mixed boreal forest. ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Researchers triple carbon nanotube yield for LEDs, solar cells, flexible and transparent electronics - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 28) |
|
Nov 28 · Skoltech scientists have found a way to improve the most widely used technology for producing single-walled carbon nanotube films - a promising material for solar cells, LEDs, flexible and transparent electronics, smart textiles, medical imaging, toxic gas detectors, filtration systems, and more. By adding hydrogen gas along with carbon monoxide to the reaction chamber, the team managed to almost triple carbon nanotube yield compared with when other growth promoters are used, without compromising quality. Until now, low yield has been the bottleneck limiting the potential of that manufacturing technology, otherwise known for high product quality. The study has been published in the ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Researchers uncover battery-like functions of mitochondria using super-resolution microscopes - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 28) |
|
Nov 28 · Using new super-resolution microscopes, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and the University of Pennsylvania have for the first time observed electrical charge and discharge functions inside mitochondria isolated from cells. A mitochondrion is a structure within a cell that uses aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate, an organic compound that provides energy to support many processes in living tissues. Medical and biomedical engineering researchers have sought greater understanding of mitochondria, recognizing their importance in human health and disease. While many past research projects have studied the physical characteristics of these ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Crop yield prediction: New model uses sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence for enhanced photosynthetic trait estimation - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 27) |
|
Nov 27 · Crops use carbon dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis to create organic matter, with enhanced photosynthetic rates crucial for meeting global food demands. While crop phenomics has focused on structural traits, it's the functional traits like maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax) and stomatal conductance (gs) that are vital for accurate predictions of crop yield. Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) has emerged as a novel method to estimate these traits. Recent studies highlight a nonlinear relationship between SIF and electron transport rate, suggesting a potential approach to assessing crop photosynthetic efficiency, crucial for improving crop productivity and understanding ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Potential threats, promising resources in thriving colonies of bacteria and fungi on ocean plastic trash - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 27) |
|
Nov 27 · A team of scientists from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found both potential threats and promising resources in the thriving colonies of bacteria and fungi on plastic trash washed up on Singapore shores. When plastics enter the ocean, microorganisms attach to and colonize them, forming an ecological community known as the plastisphere. Despite the millions of tons of plastic trash in the world's oceans, little is known about how the plastisphere assembles and interacts with its plastic hosts in tropical marine environments. To understand the plastic-microbes interaction, NTU researchers extracted DNA information of plastispheres gathered from ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Review article shows key role of Brazil in research on sugarcane for bioenergy - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 27) |
|
Nov 27 · Publications on sugar cane have increased exponentially since 2006 worldwide, and Brazil has had more articles published on the topic than any other country in the period, according to a review in BioEnergy Research. The number of articles on the subject averaged about five per year between 1999 and 2006, but had reached 327 by 2021. Brazil has twice as many articles on sugar cane as the United States, which ranks first in the world for scientific publications in general. Brazil is also ahead of Australia, China and India, which are also major sugar cane growers. According to the authors of the review, who are affiliated with the Laboratory of Plant Physiological Ecology (LAFIECO) ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Beech forests are beneficial in the climate crisis but suffer under drought and heat - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 24) |
|
Nov 24 · Measurements from the past 27 years show that nature's ecosystem services and good biodiversity remove CO2 from the atmosphere, thus reducing the effect of carbon emissions. However, it is also clear that ecosystem services are affected by higher temperatures and drought, i.e., climate change. Biodiversity is not only about species and statistics - it is also about the ecosystems that host the animals and plants. Ecosystems not only serve as habitats but also provide ecosystem services that help humans, such as oxygen and food production through photosynthesis. In a beech forest near Sorø, DTU has been measuring more than 100 different parameters since 1996. The measurements are ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Climate shapes life-history traits of abundant bacteria in Qinghai-Tibet plateau - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 24) |
|
Nov 24 · Microorganisms are essential to grassland soil ecosystems and play a critical role in biogeochemical cycles. Microbial communities can be classified into distinct ecological groups based on common life-history traits, which reveals the processes in highly heterogeneous microbial communities. However, our understanding of climate-dependent life history strategies and driving mechanisms of microbial community assembly in riparian grasslands is very limited. Researchers from the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) investigated the differences in the life history strategies of abundant and rare bacteria in riparian grassland soils of the Qinghai-Tibet ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
How to help beneficial insects survive winter - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 24) |
|
Nov 24 · While a decrease in insects as the weather cools is a plus to many people, Texans should keep in mind that beneficial insects in gardens and yards could use a little help. "Although many insects die off in the colder months, some hibernate while others are still active as needed," said Sonja Swiger, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist and professor in the Department of Entomology in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Stephenville. Some insects have it harder than others depending on where they are in Texas. Some also migrate south to locations where the climate is typically milder. Whether you do a little or a lot, protecting beneficial ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Mining industry competing with salmon for rivers created by disappearing glaciers - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 24) |
|
Nov 24 · "These changes can't come soon enough," says Tara Marsden, with Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs, a study co-author. "The Mineral Tenure Act not only violates Indigenous rights but also undermines stewardship of ecosystems for future generations." Environmental policies for climate resilience The paper also illuminates a broad global challenge - as climate change is rapidly transforming the world, environmental policies may struggle to keep pace. For example, risk assessments and habitat protections by current environmental laws generally focus on the current values of ecosystems, but not their future values. "Climate change is transforming ecosystems around the world," says Moore. ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Scientists analyze the molecular mechanism of PoWRKY71 in response to drought stress in Paeonia ostii - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 24) |
|
Nov 24 · Paeonia ostii is a widely grown woody crop with up to 40% a-linolenic acid in its seed oil, which is beneficial to human health. Drought is a major environmental factor limiting the popularization of P. ostii in hilly and mountainous areas, which may affect plant growth or lead to plant death. WRKY is one of the largest families of transcription factors in plants, and plays an important role in plant response to drought stress. However, the molecular mechanism by which P. ostii WRKY transcription factors respond to drought stress is still unclear. In September 2023, Horticulture Research published a research paper by Professor Tao Jun's team at Yangzhou University entitled, ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Scientists explore hidden dynamics in peat under mosses and shrubs - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 24) |
|
Nov 24 · Global warming is causing extensive changes to peatland vegetation in Europe and Western Siberia, with consequences for soil composition and the peatlands' ability to sequester carbon. An EPFL-led study has examined the mechanisms behind these complex processes. Peatlands are significant carbon sinks, meaning they're potential time bombs when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet a lot remains to be learned about some of the processes in these unique ecosystems - information that'll be key to better understanding the challenges we'll face as a result of climate change. For the past several years, Alexandre Buttler has been studying the underlying mechanisms of peatlands. ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
The role of malate decarboxylate CsNADP-ME2 in mediating the balance of carbon and amino acid metabolism in fruit - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Nov 24) |
|
Nov 24 · Central metabolism produces carbohydrates and amino acids that are tightly correlated to plant growth and thereby crop productivity. Malate is reported to link mitochondrial respiratory metabolism with cytosolic biosynthetic pathways. Although the function of malate metabolism-related enzymes in providing carbon has been characterized in some plants, evidence conferring this role in the fleshy fruit of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is lacking. A research paper, titled "Cucumber malate decarboxylase, CsNADP-ME2, functions in the balance of carbon and amino acid metabolism in fruit, " was published online in the journal of Horticulture Research. Conducted by the joint team of Prof. ... Read more ...
|
|
|