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1. Litter decomposition recycles nutrients and causes large fluxes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is typically assumed that climate, litter quality and decomposer communities determine litter decay rates, yet few comparative studies have examined their relative contributions in tropical forests. 2. We used a short-term litterbag experiment to quantify the effects of litter quality, placement and mesofaunal exclusion on decomposition in 23 tropical forests in 14 countries. Annual precipitation varied among sites (760-5797 mm). At each site, two standard substrates (Raphia farinifera and Laurus nobilis) were decomposed in fine- and coarse-mesh litterbags both above and below ground for approximately 1 year. 3. Decomposition was rapid, with >95% mass loss within a year at most sites. Litter quality, placement and mesofaunal exclusion all independently affected decomposition, but the magnitude depended upon site. Both the average decomposition rate at each site and the ratio of above- to below-ground decay increased linearly with annual precipitation, explaining 60-65% of among-site variation. Excluding mesofauna had the largest impact on decomposition, reducing decomposition rates by half on average, but the magnitude of decrease was largely independent of climate. This suggests that the decomposer community might play an important role in explaining patterns of decomposition among sites. Which litter type decomposed fastest varied by site, but was not related to climate. 4. Synthesis. A key goal of ecology is to identify general patterns across ecological communities, as well as relevant site-specific details to understand local dynamics. Our pan-tropical study shows that certain aspects of decomposition, including average decomposition rates and the ratio of above- to below-ground decomposition are highly correlated with a simple climatic index: mean annual precipitation. However, we found no relationship between precipitation and effects of mesofaunal exclusion or litter type, suggesting that site-specific details may also be required to understand how these factors affect decomposition at local scales.

Wild palms contribute significantly to food security and local economy in tropical areas, and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In light of this importance, eight palm species were explored [ Borassus aethiopum (L.) Mart, Eremospatha macrocarpa (G. Mann et H. Wendl.) H. Wendl., Laccosperma opacum (G. Mann et H. Wendl.) Drude, Hyphaene thebaica (L.) Mart, Phoenix reclinata Jacq., Raphia hookeri G. Mann et H. Wendl., R. sudanica A. Chev., and R. vinifera P. Beauv.] as targets for conservation, domestication, and cultivation in Benin. Cultivation potential was evaluated in a coarse-resolution, first-pass effort using ecological niche models to relate known occurrences of each species to vegetation indices (VEG), gross primary productivity (GPP), and soil characteristics (SOIL), and model outputs were related to human distribution and land-use patterns. Results showed that wild palms responded differentially to different suites of environmental factors: some species showed best model performance with VEG + GPP + SOIL, others with GPP + SOIL or VEG + GPP, or with a single factor. Two species had broad potential distributions across the country; others had potential areas in the north (2 species) or the south (4 species). Raphia hookeri and R. vinifera showed greatest overlap in terms of ecology and distribution, whereas L. opacum and R. sudanica had the lowest similarity. These models constitute initial steps toward a sustainable scheme for planning exploration of the possibility of cultivation of these species.

The genus Raphia is among the commonly used and socio‐economically important plants in Africa. While Raphia ruwenzorica species is known to occur in Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, its geographical distribution and socioeconomic importance are poorly documented in Burundi. This study maps R. ruwenzorica species from the South‐West region and identifies its socio‐economic importance for the local communities. Different uses and value of the products were investigated using semi‐structured questionnaires on 399 respondents, of which 181 were valid and used for analysis. The number of stands of the species and biophysical properties (diameter and height) were also determined through field inventories. The study site was dominated by adults before flowering compared to the young and adult flowering. The trunks were slender with slightly similar diameter at breast height ranging from 0.42 ± 0.07 to 0.60 ± 0.18 m for all the tree stands. The species distribution ranged from 1300 to 1900 m with predominance between 1600 and 1900 m. R. ruwenzorica plant is used as firewood, construction of fences, manufacture of baskets, beehives, and doors, manufacture of brooms, mats, and exhibition clothes of “Intore” and “Umuyebe” dancers (traditional ceremonial costumes). The value of some products ranged between2.88 and 57.7 US dollars per year. However, this species seems to be threatened by the expansion of agriculture and hence traditional heritage is disappearing. The quasi absence of this species in the low altitudes would be explained by the expansion and the preference of the population for the culture of palm oil. Conservation measures should be enhanced through on‐farm programs such as tree nurseries.

In recent decades, the unique characteristics of natural fibers have promoted their use as reinforcement in polymeric composites. This is verified in several industrial sectors, from packaging to automotive and civil construction. Among the natural fibers, the raffia fiber extracted from the palm tree Raphia vinifera and introduced in the Amazon region a long time ago; started to be considered for the production of polymeric composites only in recent years. For the first time, the effect of raffia fiber length and its alkali treatment on the mechanical properties of a polymer composite was disclosed. Tensile tests were performed in composites with raffia fibers randomly dispersed into terephthalate-based unsaturated polyester resin. The results showed an increase in the Young’s moduli, confirmed by ANOVA, for the composite with both untreated and alkali-treated fibers in comparison to the plain polyester, which characterizes a stiffening effect. The composites with alkali treated fibers exhibited similar tensile strength values for all lengths; however, their strengths are lower than those for the untreated condition due to a weak raffia fiber/polyester matrix adhesion. Therefore, this work fills the current knowledge gap on raffia fiber incorporation in polyester matrix and valorizes this abundant Brazilian resource, providing additional information towards the use of raffia fiber in polymer composites.

Rose-ringed parakeets Psittacula krameri are one of the most widely distributed urban avian invader species present in ~ 35 countries with population sizes increasing. These parakeets were introduced to South Africa as part of the pet trade, and feral populations have established in several urban areas since and are of concern. We, therefore, conducted monthly surveys between August 2018 – December 2019 in the greater Durban Metropole, KwaZulu-Natal Province, to determine their population size and roosting sites. In addition, we recorded bird species that communally roosted with rose-ringed parakeets, and tree species characteristics that they used for roosting. We identified five main roost site areas with an overall mean (± SD) monthly population size of 1 783.3 ± 505.2 rose-ringed parakeets. There was an increase in rose-ringed parakeet numbers, particularly in August and December after their breeding. Most rose-ringed parakeets were recorded in the north, with fewer in the south of the metropole; and many were located around shopping centres and parks. A total of seven bird species communally shared roost sites with rose-ringed parakeets, with the non-native common myna Acridotheres tristis being the species that frequently shared roosts with parakeets. Three tree species were used as roosts, with the Natal mahogany Trichilia emetica and the giant palm Raphia australis, so being the preferred roost tree species. The results showed variations in the measured tree traits and the number of individual parakeets roosting per tree species. The population size of non-native rose-ringed parakeets showed persistent growth, and it is, therefore, suggested that control measures for this species are introduced before its population expands further.

The world’s largest tropical peatland lies in the central Congo Basin. Raphia laurentii De Wild, the most abundant palm in these peatlands, forms dominant to mono-dominant stands across approximately 45% of the peatland area. R . laurentii is a trunkless palm with fronds up to 20 m long. Owing to its morphology, there is currently no allometric equation which can be applied to R . laurentii . Therefore it is currently excluded from aboveground biomass (AGB) estimates for the Congo Basin peatlands. Here we develop allometric equations for R . laurentii , by destructively sampling 90 individuals in a peat swamp forest, in the Republic of the Congo. Prior to destructive sampling, stem base diameter, petiole mean diameter, the sum of petiole diameters, total palm height, and number of palm fronds were measured. After destructive sampling, each individual was separated into stem, sheath, petiole, rachis, and leaflet categories, then dried and weighed. We found that palm fronds represented at least 77% of the total AGB in R . laurentii and that the sum of petiole diameters was the best single predictor variable of AGB. The best overall allometric equation, however, combined the sum of petiole diameters ( SD p ), total palm height ( H ), and tissue density ( TD ): AGB = Exp (−2.691 + 1.425 × ln( SD p ) + 0.695 × ln( H ) + 0.395 × ln( TD )). We applied one of our allometric equations to data from two nearby 1-hectare forest plots, one dominated by R . laurentii , where R . laurentii accounted for 41% of the total forest AGB (with hardwood tree AGB estimated using the Chave et al. 2014 allometric equation), and one dominated by hardwood species, where R . laurentii accounted for 8% of total AGB. Across the entire region we estimate that R . laurentii stores around 2 million tonnes of carbon aboveground. The inclusion of R . laurentii in AGB estimates, will drastically improve overall AGB, and therefore carbon stock estimates for the Congo Basin peatlands.

Palm wine, the most commonly consumed traditional alcoholic beverage in Western Africa, harbours a complex microbiota and metabolites, which plays a crucial role in the overall quality and value of the product. In the present study, a combined metagenomic and metabolomic approach was applied to describe the microbial community structure and metabolites profile of fermented saps from three palm species ( Elaeis guineensis , Raphia hookeri , Borassus aethiopum ) in Côte d’Ivoire. Lactobacillaceae (47%), Leuconostocaceae (16%) and Acetobacteriaceae (28%) were the most abundant bacteria and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (87%) the predominant yeasts in these beverages. The microbial community structure of Raphia wine was distinctly different from the others. Multivariate analysis based on the metabolites profile clearly separated the three palm wine types. The main differentiating metabolites were putatively identified as gevotroline hydrochloride, sesartemin and methylisocitrate in Elaeis wine; derivative of homoserine, mitoxantrone in Raphia wine; pyrimidine nucleotide sugars (UDP-D-galacturonate) and myo-Inositol derivatives in Borassus wine. The enriched presence of gevotroline (an antipsychotic agent) and mitoxantrone (an anticancer drug) in palm wine supports its therapeutic potential. This work provides a valuable insight into the microbiology and biochemistry of palm wines and a rationale for selecting functional microorganisms for potential biotechnology applications.

Herein, Raphia vinifera is explored as an excellent potential feedstock. This study focused on exploring the potential of Raphia vinifera oil (RVO) as a viable feedstock for biodiesel production. Due to the high free fatty acid content in RVO (6.76% FFA), pretreatment was performed. Then, the actual conversion to biodiesel was predicted and optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) based on a Box Benhken design (BBD). Using an oil/methanol molar ratio of 6:1, H 2 SO 4 at 1% wt/wt, a reaction period of 60 min, and a temperature of 65 °C after previous esterification of free fatty acids, the acid value of RVO was significantly reduced to 1.54 mg KOH/g. Four operating conditions were investigated to optimize the %yield of Raphia vinifera oil biodiesel (RVO_B). The operating conditions were methanol/RVO ratio 6:1–12 :1 (mol/mol), catalyst concentration 0.7–1.7 (Wt.%), reaction temperature 48–62 (°C) and reaction time 50–90 (min) for transesterification. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the linear and non-linear parameters that were derived from the models. A molar methanol/RVO ratio of 8.82:1, a catalyst concentration of 1.22% (by oil weight), a reaction time of 87.26 min, and a temperature of 62 °C allowed a maximum conversion of 96.13%. The model’s determination coefficient (R 2 ) was found to be 0.9153, indicating its relevance and accuracy in the forecast of results. The methyl esters obtained were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H, 13 C NMR), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermal gravimetry (TG), Elemental analysis CHNS, and Gas Mass Chromatography (GC-MS). The fuel characteristics of RVO_B were also determined, and the measured values were found to comply with the requirements of ASTM D6751 for biodiesel.

The objective of this work is to realize and characterize physically, thermally and mechanically hybrid particleboard made of raffia vinifera and Bambusa vulgaris . This realization used urea formaldehyde as a binder. Particles are obtained by grounding row materials by hammer mills and sieved to obtain three particle sizes. Two reinforcement rates were used to make particleboard by contact molding. Samples obtained are dried at room temperature for a week before submitted to tests. Apparent density and absorption rate were determined by gravimetric method. Value of density allows the particleboards obtained to be classified as light materials. Values of water absorption rate show that the particleboards do not absorb as much water as each material taken separately. Asymmetric hot plane method was used to determine the thermal effusivity and conductivity of the particleboards. Values obtained allow to say that the composite obtained can be classified among the insulating materials with a thermal conductivity lower than the unit. Young’s modulus of particleboards was determined by three-point bending test. Results show that the particleboards obtained are less rigid than the Bambusa vulgaris in its raw state. According to results, these materials can be used as insulation materials in the building and interior vehicles.

This study investigates the ballistic performance of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with raffia fabric, aiming to evaluate their potential as the second layer in multilayered armor systems (MAS), replacing conventional synthetic aramid (Kevlar™) laminates. Composite plates with different volumetric fractions of raffia fabric (10, 20, and 30%) were manufactured and integrated with a ceramic front layer (Al2O3/Nb2O5) in MAS structures, which were then subjected to ballistic impact tests using high-energy 7.62 mm caliber ammunition. The backface signature (indentation depth) measured in ballistic clay, used as a human body simulant, showed that only the 10% raffia-reinforced composite (ER10) met the National Institute of Justice (NIJ 0101.06) safety threshold of 44 mm. Higher raffia contents (20% and 30%) led to increased indentation, compromising ballistic integrity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the fractured surfaces revealed typical energy dissipation mechanisms, such as fiber rupture, fiber pull-out, and interfacial delamination. The results indicate that raffia fabric composites with 10% fiber content can serve as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to Kevlar™ in personal armor applications, while maintaining compliance with ballistic protection standards.