Search results for "functional"
showing 10 items of 4822 documents
Marine Cryptophytes Are Great Sources of EPA and DHA
2017
Microalgae have the ability to synthetize many compounds, some of which have been recognized as a source of functional ingredients for nutraceuticals with positive health effects. One well-known example is the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are essential for human nutrition. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the two most important long-chain omega-3 (-3) PUFAs involved in human physiology, and both industries are almost exclusively based on microalgae. In addition, algae produce phytosterols that reduce serum cholesterol. Here we determined the growth rates, biomass yields, PUFA and sterol content, and daily gain of eight strains of marine…
Gene expression is more strongly associated with behavioural specialization than with age or fertility in ant workers.
2018
The ecological success of social insects is based on division of labour, not only between queens and workers, but also among workers. Whether a worker tends the brood or forages is influenced by age, fertility and nutritional status, with brood carers being younger, more fecund and more corpulent. Here, we experimentally disentangle behavioural specialization from age and fertility in Temnothorax longispinosus ant workers and analyse how these parameters are linked to whole-body gene expression. A total of 3,644 genes were associated with behavioural specialization which is ten times more than associated with age and 50 times more than associated with fertility. Brood carers were characteri…
Plant genes involved in arbuscular mycorrhiza formation and functioning
2002
Knowledge about that part of the plant genome involved in the establishment and functioning of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is important for the basic understanding of this symbiosis. It is also essential for a ‘genes to the field’ approach based on the identification and exploitation of genes that could be central to developing sustainable plant production systems in the future.
Biomechanics and functional morphology of a climbing monocot.
2015
Climbing monocots can develop into large bodied plants despite being confined by primary growth. In our study on Flagellaria indica we measured surprisingly high stem biomechanical properties (in bending and torsion) and we show that the lack of secondary growth is overcome by a combination of tissue maturation processes and attachment mode. This leads to higher densities of mechanically relevant tissues in the periphery of the stem and to the transition from self-supporting to climbing growth. The development of specialised attachment structures has probably underpinned the evolution of numerous other large bodied climbing monocot taxa.
Protein hydrolysates and mo-biofortification interactively modulate plant performance and quality of ‘canasta’ lettuce grown in a protected environme…
2021
Since the use of protein hydrolysates (PHs) enhances overall plant performance and quality of vegetables, they might be considered as a toll to face a number of concerns essentially associated to the growing request of premium quality foodstuff realized in agreement with eco-friendly agriculture practices. Molybdenum (Mo) is considered a fundamental trace element for human body. Thus, its shortage determines several disorders mainly related to neurological lesion and esophageal cancer. Biofortification of fruiting and leafy vegetables is a promising tool to prevent Mo deficiency in the human diet. The current study was carried out to assess the interactive effect of plant-derived PHs and Mo…
Relationships between vegetation, air and soil temperatures on Norwegian mountain summits
2017
ABSTRACTGeographic variations in air and soil temperatures are dependent on several biotic and abiotic factors. Air temperature has mostly been used to characterize thermal conditions for plant life, and studies of bioclimatic gradients. From a biological point of view, it is also essential to know to what extent soil temperature is coupled with air temperature. In this study, we have quantified the deviations between soil and air temperatures along gradients in latitude, altitude, and possible effects of the vegetation. Sixteen different temperature variables were estimated from 49 vegetation plots on 19 mountain summits along the high mountain range in Norway, ranging from 230 to 1780 m a…
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…
Classification of the European marsh vegetation (Phragmito‐Magnocaricetea) to the association level
2020
Aims: To create a comprehensive, consistent and unequivocal phytosociological classification of European marsh vegetation of the class Phragmito-Magnocaricetea. Location: Europe. Methods: We applied the Cocktail method to a European data set of 249, 800 vegetation plots. We identified the main purposes and attributes on which to base the classification, defined assignment rules for vegetation plots, and prepared formal definitions for all the associations, alliances and orders of the class Phragmito-Magnocaricetea using formal logic. Each formula consists of the combination of “functional species groups”, cover values of individual species, and in the case of high-rank syntaxa also of “disc…
Traits mediate niches and co‐occurrences of forest beetles in ways that differ among bioclimatic regions
2021
Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the role of traits in beetle community assembly and test for consistency in these effects among several bioclimatic regions. We asked (1) whether traits predicted species’ responses to environmental gradients (i.e. their niches), (2) whether these same traits could predict co-occurrence patterns and (3) how consistent were niches and the role of traits among study regions. Location Boreal forests in Norway and Finland, temperate forests in Germany. Taxon Wood-living (saproxylic) beetles. Methods We compiled capture records of 468 wood-living beetle species from the three regions, along with nine morphological and ecological species traits. Eight …
Response and effect traits of arable weeds in agro-ecosystems: a review of current knowledge.
2017
25 pages; International audience; Integrating principles of ecological intensification into weed management strategies requires an understanding of the many relationships among weeds, crops and other organisms of agro-ecosystems in a changing context. Extensively used during the last two decades in weed science, trait-based approaches have provided general insights into weed community response to agricultural practices, and recently to understanding the effect of weeds on agro-ecosystem functioning. In this review, we provide a holistic synthesis of the current knowledge on weed response and effect functional traits. Based on the literature and recent advances in weed science, we review cur…