Search results for "functional"
showing 10 items of 4822 documents
Quantifying and easing conflicting goals between interest groups in natural resource planning
2019
Management of natural resources at the regional level is a compromise between a variety of objectives and interests. At the local level, management of the forests depends upon the ownership structure, with forest owners using their forests as they see fit. A potential conflict occurs if the forest owners’ management decisions are counter to the interests of society in general or the industry that relies on the forest resource as their raw material. We explore the intensity of this conflict at the regional level in several large boreal forest production landscapes. To explore the conflict, we investigate three main interest groups: (i) economically oriented forest owners; (ii) industry grou…
Translating taxonomy into the evolution of conodont feeding ecology
2016
Conodont research has long been divided between utilitarian applications to solve geological problems versus analysis of their palaeobiology. However recent advances in conodont functional analysis allow these independent stands of research to be unified, decoding the functional implications of their morphological variation. We demonstrate this using synchrotron tomography and Finite Element Analysis, informed by occlusal and microwear analyses, to analyze functionally the classic evolutionary sequence of the genus Polygnathus. Our study shows that the evolution of the platform in Polygnathus occurred to accommodate and dissipate the stress accumulation derived from the tooth-like function …
Soil physicochemical and microbial drivers of temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter decomposition under boreal forests
2020
Abstract Soil organic matter (SOM) in boreal forests is an important carbon sink. The aim of this study was to assess and to detect factors controlling the temperature sensitivity of SOM decomposition. Soils were collected from Scots pine, Norway spruce, silver birch, and mixed forests (O horizon) in northern Finland, and their basal respiration rates at five different temperatures (from 4 to 28 °C) were measured. The Q10 values, showing the respiration rate changes with a 10 °C increase, were calculated using a Gaussian function and were based on temperature-dependent changes. Several soil physicochemical parameters were measured, and the functional diversity of the soil microbial communit…
Understanding the uncertainty in global forest carbon turnover
2020
Abstract. The length of time that carbon remains in forest biomass is one of the largest uncertainties in the global carbon cycle, with both recent historical baselines and future responses to environmental change poorly constrained by available observations. In the absence of large-scale observations, models used for global assessments tend to fall back on simplified assumptions of the turnover rates of biomass and soil carbon pools. In this study, the biomass carbon turnover times calculated by an ensemble of contemporary terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) are analysed to assess their current capability to accurately estimate biomass carbon turnover times in forests and how these times a…
Managing boreal forests for the simultaneous production of collectable goods and timber revenues
2016
Timber Production is an economically important provisioning ecosystem service in forests, but is often in conflict with the provision of other ecosystem services. In multifunctional forestry, the production of timber and non-timber ecosystem services should coexist in the same landscape. To this end, we explored the capacity of a boreal landscape to simultaneously produce collectable goods − bilberry (Vaccimium myrtillus L.), cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) and cep (Boletus edulis Bull.) − alongside timber revenues. We also identified optimal forest management plans to achieve this. Furthermore, we analyzed trade-offs between collectable good yields and timber production, as well as bet…
Biomechanical insights into the dentition of megatooth sharks (Lamniformes: Otodontidae)
2021
AbstractThe evolution of gigantism in extinct otodontid sharks was paralleled by a series of drastic modifications in their dentition including widening of the crowns, loss of lateral cusplets, and acquisition of serrated cutting edges. These traits have generally been interpreted as key functional features that enabled the transition from piscivory to more energetic diets based on marine mammals, ultimately leading to the evolution of titanic body sizes in the most recent forms (including the emblematic Otodus megalodon). To investigate this hypothesis, we evaluate the biomechanics of the anterior, lateral, and posterior teeth of five otodontid species under different loading conditions by…
Selenium biofortification and grafting modulate plant performance and functional features of cherry tomato grown in a soilless system
2021
Abstract Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans due to its importance in a number of enzymes. Vegetable grafting is a valuable tool to overcome biotic and/or abiotic issues and to increase vigour, yield traits and fruit quality. The present work aimed at testing both different Se concentrations (0.0, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 μmol Se L−1) supplied via fertigation and grafting on cherry tomato in soilless culture. Se at 2.0 μmol L−1 improved total fruit yield by 60.0 % and 31.4 % in ungrafted and grafted plants, respectively as compared to the control. Marketable yield was positively affected by Se-biofortification and grafting. Se at 2.0 μmol L−1 improved N use efficiency by 60.3 % a…
Open data and digital morphology
2017
International audience; Over the past two decades, the development of methods for visualizing and analysing specimens digitally, in three and even four dimensions, has transformed the study of living and fossil organisms. However, the initial promise that the widespread application of such methods would facilitate access to the underlying digital data has not been fully achieved. The underlying datasets for many published studies are not readily or freely available, introducing a barrier to verification and reproducibility, and the reuse of data. There is no current agreement or policy on the amount and type of data that should be made available alongside studies that use, and in some cases…
The bacterial microbiome of meloidogyne-based disease complex in coffee and tomato
2020
The Meloidogyne-based disease complexes (MDCs) are caused by the interaction of different root-knot nematode species and phytopathogenic fungi. These complexes are devastating several important crops worldwide including tomato and coffee. Despite their relevance, little is known about the role of the bacterial communities in the MDCs. In this study 16s rDNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the bacterial microbiome associated with healthy and infested roots, as well with females and eggs of Meloidogyne enterolobii and M. paranaensis, the causal agents of MDC in tomato and coffee, respectively. Each MDC pathosystems displayed a specific taxonomic diversity and relative abundances constitut…
Molecule structural factors influencing the loading of flavoring compounds in a natural-preformed capsule: Yeast cells
2016
International audience; Yeast cells are efficient microcapsules for the encapsulation of flavoring compounds. However, as they are preformed capsules, they have to be loaded with the active. Encapsulation efficiency is to a certain level correlated with LogP. In this study, the effect of structural factors on the encapsulation of amphiphilic flavors was investigated. Homological series of carboxylic acids, ethyl esters, lactones, alcohols and ketones were encapsulated into the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Although, in a single homological series, the length of the molecule and thus the LogP were correlated with encapsulation efficiency (EY%), big differences were observable between series. Fo…