Search results for " release"

A record of seafloor methane seepage across the last 150 million years

2020

<p>Methane seepage at the seafloor is a source of carbon in the marine environment and has long been recognized as an important window into the deep geo-, hydro-, and bio-spheres. However, the processes and temporal patterns of natural methane emission over multi-million-year time scales are still poorly understood. The microbially-mediated methane oxidation leads to the precipitation of authigenic carbonate minerals within subseafloor sediments, thus providing a potentially extensive record of past methane emission. In this study, we used data on methane-derived authigenic carbonates to build a proxy time series of seafloor methane emission over the last 150 My. We quantitat…

Snake richness predicts breeding distribution of short-toed snake eagle in central Italy.

2017

Birds of prey, as top predators, play a key role in ecosystem functioning by regulating prey populations and, by means of cascade effects, promoting biodiversity. This makes them adequate sentinels of ecosystem health. Here we analyse the relationship between the occurrence of breeding short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and both the richness of potential prey species and landscape characteristics by taking into account two different spatial scales (i.e. nest-site scale and landscape scale). The short-toed snake eagle offers an interesting case study for investigating the relationships between top predators, prey diversity, and habitats, because it is an extremely specialised raptor…

Disentangling higher trophic level interactions in the cabbage aphid food web using high-throughput DNA sequencing

2017

International audience; The lack of understanding of complex food-web interactions has been a major gap in the history of biological control. In particular, a better understanding of the functioning of pest food-webs and how they vary between native and invaded geographical ranges is of prime interest for biological control research and associated integrated pest management. Technical limitations associated with the deciphering of complex food-webs can now be largely overcome by the use of high throughput DNA sequencing techniques such as Illumina MiSeq. We tested the efficiency of this next generation sequencing technology in a metabarcoding approach, to study aphid food-webs using the cab…

Micro and nano-encapsulation of vegetable and essential oils to develop functional food products with improved nutritional profiles

2020

Abstract Background A growing awareness regarding the benefits of consumption of functional foods has resulted in the development of new food products through using bioactive compounds. Vegetable-essential oils (V-EOs) are among the most popular ingredients used for the enrichment of different food products to boost their functional properties. However, these oils are sensitive to harsh conditions such as oxidation stress and high temperatures. Recently, different micro/nanoencapsulation systems have been applied to produce suitable carriers for V-EOs to be incorporated into food formulations, which can overcome the limitation of their pure application in foods. Scope and approach Controlle…

A niche perspective on the range expansion of symbionts.

2020

Range expansion results from complex eco-evolutionary processes where range dynamics and niche shifts interact in a novel physical space and/or environment, with scale playing a major role. Obligate symbionts (i.e. organisms permanently living on hosts) differ from free-living organisms in that they depend on strong biotic interactions with their hosts which alter their niche and spatial dynamics. A symbiotic lifestyle modifies organism–environment relationships across levels of organisation, from individuals to geographical ranges. These changes influence how symbionts experience colonisation and, by extension, range expansion. Here, we investigate the potential implications of a symbiotic…

2021

Despite the wide recognition that strongly interacting species can influence distributions of other species, species interactions are often disregarded when assessing or projecting biodiversity distributions. In particular, it remains largely uncharted the extent to which the disappearance of a keystone species cast repercussions in the species composition of future communities. We tested whether an avian top predator can exert both positive and negative effects on spatial distribution of other species, and if these effects persist even after the predator disappeared. We acquired bird count data at different distances from occupied and non-occupied nests of Northern goshawks Accipiter genti…

Innovative technologies for encapsulation of Mediterranean plants extracts

2017

Abstract Background High-added value biological compounds (BACs) from herbal and plant sources, such as essential oils (EO), antioxidants and volatile compounds, often exhibit remarkable features, ranging from nutritive and medicinal properties, as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, which can be exploited in the production of functional foods. However, most BACs exhibit low water solubility, strong off-flavors/odors, and are generally unstable and easily degraded under common processing and storage conditions. Encapsulation is a technology that enables the delivery in food systems, the protection, as well as the controlled and targeted release of BACs. Scope and approach The …

Species loss leads to community closure

2008

Global extinction of a species is sadly irreversible. At a local scale, however, extinctions may be followed by re-invasion. We here show that this is not necessarily the case and that an ecological community may close its doors for re-invasion of species lost from it. Previous studies of how communities are assembled have shown that there may be rules for that process and that limitations are set to the order by which species are introduced and put together. Instead of focusing on the assembly process we randomly generated simple competitive model communities that were stable and allowed for two to 10 coexisting species. When a randomly selected single species was removed from the communit…

Dimensions of invasiveness: Links between local abundance, geographic range size, and habitat breadth in Europe's alien and native floras.

2021

Understanding drivers of success for alien species can inform on potential future invasions. Recent conceptual advances highlight that species may achieve invasiveness via performance along at least three distinct dimensions: 1) local abundance, 2) geographic range size, and 3) habitat breadth in naturalized distributions. Associations among these dimensions and the factors that determine success in each have yet to be assessed at large geographic scales. Here, we combine data from over one million vegetation plots covering the extent of Europe and its habitat diversity with databases on species' distributions, traits, and historical origins to provide a comprehensive assessment of invasive…

Halloysite nanotubes as a carrier of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) bioactives

2020

Abstract Cornelian cherry fruit extract rich in anthocyanins and iridoids was encapsulated in the halloysite nanotubes in order to obtain a stable nanoscale system for better delivery and prolonged release of bioactive constituents. The cyclic vacuum technique was used for halloysite nanotubes-cornelian cherry composite preparation and the loading of 8.5 wt% was achieved. Pure cornelian cherry extract exhibited antiproliferative effect on HT-29, MCF7, and MRC-5 cells, pristine halloysite nanotubes affected the growth of MCF7 cells, while halloysite nanotubes-cornelian cherry composites demonstrated proliferative activity in all tested cells. The sustained release of anthocyanins was achieve…