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Environmental changes strongly impact the distribution of species and subsequently the composition of species assemblages. Although most community ecology studies represent temporal snap shots, long-term observations are rather rare. However, only such time series allow the identification of species composition shifts over several decades or even centuries. We analyzed changes in the species composition of a southeastern German butterfly and burnet moth community over nearly 2 centuries (1840–2013). We classified all species observed over this period according to their ecological tolerance, thereby assessing their degree of habitat specialisation. This classification was based on traits of the butterfly and burnet moth species and on their larval host plants. We collected data on temperature and precipitation for our study area over the same period. The number of species declined substantially from 1840 (117 species) to 2013 (71 species). The proportion of habitat specialists decreased, and most of these are currently endangered. In contrast, the proportion of habitat generalists increased. Species with restricted dispersal behavior and species in need of areas poor in soil nutrients had severe losses. Furthermore, our data indicated a decrease in species composition similarity between different decades over time. These data on species composition changes and the general trends of modifications may reflect effects from climate change and atmospheric nitrogen loads, as indicated by the ecological characteristics of host plant species and local changes in habitat configuration with increasing fragmentation. Our observation of major declines over time of currently threatened and protected species shows the importance of efficient conservation strategies. Los cambios ambientales impactan fuertemente la distribución de las especies y en consecuencia a la composición de los conjuntos de especies. Aunque la mayoría de los estudios de ecología de comunidades representan panoramas temporales, las series de tiempo a largo plazo son bastante raras. Sin embargo, sólo este tipo de información a largo plazo permite la identificación de los cambios en la composición de especies a través de varias décadas o incluso siglos. Analizamos los cambios en la composición de especies en las comunidades de una mariposa del sureste alemán y una polilla ziygena a lo largo de casi dos siglos (1840–2013). Clasificamos todas las especies observadas en este periodo de acuerdo a sus características ecológicas, para así evaluar su grado de especialización de hábitat. Esta clasificación se basó en los caracteres de las especies de mariposa y de polilla o en las plantas hospederas de sus fases larvales. Para nuestro estudio colectamos datos del mismo periodo de tiempo sobre la temperatura y la precipitación en nuestra área de estudio. El número de especies declinó sustancialmente de 1840 (117 especies) a 2013 (71 especies). La proporción de especialistas de hábitat disminuyó y la mayoría de estos se encuentran actualmente en peligro de extinción. En contraste, la proporción de generalistas de hábitat incrementó. Las especies con un comportamiento de dispersión restringido y las especies que requieren de áreas pobres en nutrientes del suelo tuvieron pérdidas severas. Además de esto, nuestros datos indicaron una disminución en la similitud de la composición de especies entre décadas diferentes en el tiempo. Estos datos sobre los cambios en la composición de especies y las tendencias generales de las modificaciones pueden reflejar los efectos del cambio climático y las cargas de nitrógeno atmosférico, como fue indicado por las características de las especies de plantas hospederas y los cambios locales en la configuración de hábitat con la fragmentación creciente. Nuestra observación de grandes declinaciones de especies amenazadas y protegidas a través del tiempo muestra la importancia de las estrategias eficientes de conservación.

In order to reduce the impacts occasioned by cattle farming systems on the environment, strategies focused on the inclusion of legume species within these systems have been promoted because of their potential for improving soils conditions. The symbiotic association between bacteria from genus Rhizobium eases the nitrogen undertaking by legume plants and therefore their growth and productivity may be improved. Even though bacteria from this genus naturally occur, they also may be inoculated to plant seeds. Silvopastoral systems (SPS) are an alternative for cattle farming where trees are incorporated to spatial arranges. In this sense, woody legumes have been used as a possibility of being integrated to SPS. In order to evaluate changes associated with the availability of nitrogen and other nutriments within soils as well as the presence of rhizome nodules, in this work, the woody species Leucaena leucocephala was established within silvopastoral systems with high density (over 10,000 trees per ha) in aa cattle farm , located in Balboa, Colombia. For assessing changes in soils after the establishment an experiment with a randomize complete block design and two treatments (inoculation and not inoculated) was used. Measurements were carried out during 7 months after the establishing the experiment, being the response variables the total and ammonia nitrogen as well as the amount of active nodules of Rhizobium on roots. Under the ecological conditions occurred during the experiment the presence of nodules did not show significant differences between treatments (P>0.05), however a total amount of 249, 31 kg/ha of nitrogen was provided to soils while the experimental period.

In this article, I argue that political ecology has neglected examining the \"hidden abodes\" of industrial factory production. I suggest a visit to such sites can expand and deepen what counts as both ecology and politics in the field. Ecologically speaking, the industrial secondary sector is not only at the center of the overall \"metabolism\" between society and nature but also is central in producing many large-scale ecological problems like climate change. Politically, although much of political ecology focuses on marginalization, dispossession, and what I call \"following the politics\" (i.e., protest and resistance movements), industrial environments often entail uncontested power over massive flows of raw materials, energy, and waste. I suggest that political ecology analysis can use chains of explanation to make these industrial ecologies political. To illustrate the argument, I focus on a large industrial nitrogen fertilizer facility in southern Louisiana. In the empirical sections of this article, I examine its control over the highly politicized chemical compounds of natural gas (CH 4 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Although the industrial facility largely benefits from its access to and control over these substances, the politics of them is directed elsewhere along the commodity chain to naturalized areas more familiar to political ecologists (e.g., sites of natural gas extraction or agricultural application). I conclude by suggesting that making this kind of analysis political requires that we disseminate our analysis and critiques to broader publics.

The use of plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) is an alternative to replace chemical fertilizers for the cultivation of agricultural crops. The aim of this research was to search, selection and characterization of PGPR from the genus Azotobacter, Azospirillum and Pseudomonas natives from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) plants and rhizosphere of representative production regions of the Colombian Caribbean. Selected isolates were identified by molecular methods and they were screened in vitro for activities related to plant growth such as phosphate solubilization, indole production and acetylene reduction. The strains were tested in the greenhouse on plants of Ipomoea batatas produced in vitro. The height, root length, dry mass of the shot and root were evaluated. Associated with sweet potato crop us finded strains identificated as Azotobacter vinelandii, Azotobacter chroococcum, Azospirillum lipoferum, Azospirillum brasilense and Pseudomonas denitrificans. The strains were able to solubilize phosphate, synthesize indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and reduce acetylene. The inoculation of bacteria selected increased growth parameters such as root length, height, dry weight root and shoot in plants of sweet potato in greenhouse. Those results catalog to the isolated obtained as possible microorganisms with potential as biofertilizers in sweet potato.

Since the industrial revolution, anthropogenic activities have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration—one of the major causes of global warming—with a 600 to 700 ppm prediction by the end of this century. Orchards and vineyards are critical sustainable production systems that can minimize emissions and sequester carbon within the atmosphere. Information from different databases (i.e., ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciELO, Google Academic, and ResearchGate) was assessed for this literature review. Generally, elevated CO2 (e-CO2) positively affected fruit trees, such as increased photosynthesis, efficient use of water, growth, and biomass. Therefore, in many cases, the yield and the quality of fruits also increased. With an e-CO2 of 600-750 ppm, most C3 plants will grow 30 % faster. A total of 1,000 ppm of CO2 will be optimal for the photosynthesis of various plant species. Fruit trees typically grown in Colombia, such as citrus, grapevines, strawberry, papaya, and pitaya, would benefit from these positive effects, as e-CO2 alleviates stress due to drought and waterlogging. However, the increased growth of fruit trees due to e-CO2 requires more nutrients and water. Thus, selecting genotypes that benefit from e-CO2 and have high efficiency in using nitrogen and water is very important. Ideally, they must have a high sink strength to avoid the accumulation of carbohydrates in the chloroplast. The authors conclude that there is undoubtedly a “fertilization effect of CO2” on fruit species that increases with the advance of climate change. Still, much research is lacking for fruit species compared to many other crops. Hence, future studies are required to measure the direct effects of atmospheric e-CO2 and its interactions with environmental variables such as rainfall, temperature, soil moisture, and nutrient availability. Las actividades antropogénicas han contribuido a que la concentración de CO2 atmosférico aumente constantemente con una predicción de 600 a 700 ppm para fines de este siglo, siendo una de las mayores causas del calentamiento global. Los huertos frutales y viñedos son importantes sistemas de producción sostenible que pueden minimizar las emisiones y secuestrar carbono de la atmósfera. Para esta revisión de literatura, se evaluó mediante la información obtenida de diferentes bases de datos. Generalmente, el CO2 elevado (e-CO2) genera efectos positivos sobre los frutales en procesos como el aumento de la fotosíntesis, el uso eficiente de agua, el crecimiento y la biomasa. Por lo anterior, en muchos casos, el rendimiento y la calidad de los frutos también incrementaron. Se estima que, con un e-CO2 de 600-750 ppm, la mayoría de las plantas C3 crecerán un 30 % más rápido. Con 1000 ppm las condiciones serán óptimas para la fotosíntesis de varias especies vegetales. Los árboles frutales que también crecen en Colombia como los cítricos, la vid, la fresa, la papaya y la pitaya, se beneficiarían de los efectos positivos mencionados anteriormente, en tanto que el e-CO2 aliviaría los efectos del estrés por sequía y anegamiento. Sin embargo, el mayor crecimiento de los frutales por el e-CO2 exige un mayor suministro de nutrientes y agua, por lo cual es muy importante la selección de genotipos que se benefician del e-CO2 y que presenten un alto uso eficiente de nitrógeno y agua. Así mismo, es deseable que dichas especies posean una alta fuerza vertedero para evitar la acumulación de carbohidratos en el cloroplasto. Esta revisión permite concluir que existe un “efecto fertilizante del CO2” sobre las especies frutales que aumenta con el avance del cambio climático. Sin embargo, existe poca investigación en comparación con muchos otros cultivos agrícolas. Por ello, a futuro se requieren estudios que midan los efectos directos del e-CO2 atmosférico y sus interacciones con variables ambientales, como la lluvia, la temperatura, la humedad del suelo y la disponibilidad de nutrientes.

Background: Inclusion of urea and calcium oxide (CaO) during sugarcane ensilage has been hypothesized to improve dairy cow performance. Objective: To evaluate the use of urea and calcium oxide as additives to preserve sugarcane silage quality and determine whether they improve dairy cow performance and metabolic efficiency. Methods: Four diets were used: sugarcane silage without additive (SS), sugarcane silage with 10 g/kg urea (SU), sugarcane silage with 5 g/kg urea + 5 g/kg CaO (SUC), and sugarcane silage with 10 g/kg CaO (SC). Eight crossbred cows at approximately 100 days of lactation were distributed in two 4x4 Latin squares, and their diets were formulated to reach an average milk production of 15 kg/day. Results: Dry matter, non-fibrous carbohydrates, organic matter, total carbohydrates, and total digestible nutrient intake were the highest (p<0.05) for the cows fed SC. Urinary excretion of nitrogen was higher (p<0.05) for cows fed diets based on SUC than those fed diets with SC. Milk urea nitrogen content was the highest (p<0.05) in animals fed SU diets. Nitrogen balance was positive in all treatments; however, the microbial protein synthesis was low for all diets. Conclusions: The diet with SU showed the highest nitrogen loss through the milk. Among the evaluated silages, those with SC and SUC are recommended to promote a high intake of nutritional components.

This article presents a new methodology for data fitness-for-use assessment. Most current measures of data quality rely on metadata and other data producer-derived information. This creates a void of options for a user-driven assessment of data quality when metadata are sparse or unavailable, as is often the case with citizen science and volunteered geographic information. This article puts forward data fitness-for-use (DaFFU), a method that can be adapted for a wide range of data uses. Using the mathematical framework of multiple criteria decision making (MCDM), we create a method to select the best data set from multiple options using a select set of user criteria. The DaFFU methodology is demonstrated with both a simple exemplar and a detailed case study for watershed management. The simple exemplar illustrates how varying parameters and weights influence the outcome. The case study on watershed management considers four possible data sets and six data quality criteria for wetland delineation and an application toward watershed nitrogen retention, each of which has a claim on being of the \"best\" quality, depending on which data quality aspect the user evaluates. The DaFFU methodology allows the user to consider these data in terms of how they will be used and to use selected data quality measures. Case study results show this methodology is a robust and flexible approach to quantitatively assessing multiple data sets in terms of their intended use.

Effects of air thawing (AT), refrigerator thawing (RT), water immersing thawing (WIT), lotic water thawing (LWT), and microwave thawing (MT) on the quality of swimming crab by liquid nitrogen freezing were investigated. The highest thawing loss was recorded for MT sample (2.70%) followed by AT (2.22%), WIT (1.97%), and LWT (1.52%), while RT had the lowest value (1.06%). RT sample had the lowest TBARS (0.34 mg/kg) and the highest sensory (8.60) score closer to those for fresh meat, but MT sample had the highest TBARS (0.66 mg/kg) with the lowest sensory score (7.83). Besides, microstructural changes indicated that MT induced larger gaps between muscle fibers and broken more muscle fiber bundles than the other methods, while RT had the least negative role on the microstructure of crab meat. Overall, RT could be recommended as a suitable method for preserving the quality of frozen swimming crab.

AbstractThe effect of anomalies of foliar mineral nutrients on the nutritional behavior of apple crops has been evaluated using parameters obtained by means of remote sensing techniques. Twenty-five plots in commercial orchards were selected in the five most important municipalities of Chihuahua State, Mexico in which the main nutritional parameters were measured (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and B). Important deficiencies of these nutrients were detected in 88% of the analyzed crops. These deficiencies showed significant correlation with the spectral data (SPOT5) and with the NDVI elaborated from these data. The mathematical models obtained showed high determination coefficients for most of the mineral elements; concretely, nitrogen and calcium presented the best results (0.80 and 0.76, respectively).ResumenSe ha evaluado el efecto en las anomalías de los nutrientes minerals foliares en el comportamiento nutricional de los cultivos de manzanos utilizando parámetros obtenidos mediante técnicas de teledetección. Se seleccionaron veinticinco parcelas en fincas comerciales de los cinco municipios más importantes del estado de Chihuahua (México), en los que se midieron en campo los principales parámetros nutricionales (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu y B). Se detectaron importantes deficiencias de estos nutrientes en el 88% de los cultivos analizados. Estas deficiencias mostraron una correlación significativa con los datos espectrales (SPOT5) y con el NDVI elaborado a partir de estos datos. Los modelos matemáticos obtenidos proporcionaron altos coeficientes de determinación para la mayoría de los elementos minerales; concretamente, el nitrógeno y el calcio presentaron los mejores resultados (0.80 y 0.76, respectivamente).

Objectives: The purpose of this work was to compare nutrient concentrations in water, sediment, and in plant tissues of Eichhornia crassipes and Panicum elephantipes from lotic and lentic environments of the Middle Parana River floodplain (Argentina). Materials and Methods: The study was carried out over an 18-month period. Plants, water, and sediment were collected in a lake (lentic environment) and in a river (lotic environment) from the Middle Parana River floodplain. Water and sediment were sampled in sites where P. elephantipes or E. crassipes were predominant and in sites without vegetation. Results and Discussion: The lentic and lotic environments dominated by E. crassipes showed the highest ammonium concentrations. The sediment from the lotic environment showed total phosphorus (TP) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) concentrations significantly lower than those found in the sediment from the lentic environment. In the lentic environment, the sediment from the lake with the dominance of E. crassipes showed the highest TKN concentration, while the sediment from the lake dominated by P. elephantipes showed the highest TP concentration. For both plant species and for both environments, TKN and TP tissue concentrations were significantly higher in leaves in comparison with roots. Conclusions: Our results could be used to optimize the efficiency of treatment wetlands. Additionally, the use of locally available macrophytes as contaminant bioaccumulators in the Middle Parana River floodplain is completely feasible.