Search results for "shr"
showing 10 items of 455 documents
An Ecohydrological Cellular Automata Model Investigation of Juniper Tree Encroachment in a Western North American Landscape
2016
Woody plant encroachment over the past 140 years has substantially changed grasslands in western North American. We studied encroachment of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis) into a previously mixed shrubâgrassland site in central Oregon (USA) using a modified version of Cellular Automata TreeâGrassâShrub Simulator (CATGraSS) ecohydrological model. We developed simple algorithms to simulate three encroachment factors (grazing, fire frequency reduction, and seed dispersal by herbivores) in CATGraSS. Local ecohydrological dynamics represented by the model were first evaluated using satellite-derived leaf area index and measured evapotranspiration data. Reconstruc…
Aqua Mater: On the Meaning of the Theonym Betatun
2021
La aparición en el entorno del santuario tardoibérico de Las Atalayuelas (Fuerte del Rey – Torredelcampo, Jaén) de una inscripción en la que se documenta el teónimo ibérico Betatun abre nuevas perspectivas en el estudio de la religión ibérica. Con el presente artículo intentamos demostrar que en el nombre de la divinidad está implícito un elemento común que lo relacionaría con una serie de topónimos e hidrónimos, tanto antiguos como modernos, y que no es otro que el agua. The finding of an inscription containing the Iberian theonym Betatun in the surrounding area of the Late Iberian sanctuary in Las Atalayuelas site (Fuerte del Rey – Torredelcampo, Jaén) opens up new perspectives for the st…
Environmental responses of past and recent agropastoral activities on south Greenlandic ecosystems through molecular biomarkers
2016
Paleoenvironmental studies previously performed on Lake Igaliku revealed two agropastoral phases in south Greenland: the Norse settlement from AD 986 to ca. AD 1450 and the recent installation of sheep farmers, since the 1920s. To improve the knowledge of the timing and magnitude of the Greenlandic agropastoral activities, a lipid inventory was realized and compared with biological and geochemical data. During the 12th century, a major increase in deoxycholic acid (DOC) and coprophilous fungal spores revealed a maximum of herbivores. Synchronously, a minimum of the n-C29/ n-C31 alkane ratio and tree and shrub pollen and a maximum of triterpenyl acetates showed a reduction in the tree and s…
A combination of dichogamy and herkogamy mediates reproductive success in the desert shrub Zygophyllum fabago
2020
Abstract Zygophyllum fabago is a species within the arid-adapted family Zygophyllaceae. The species is characterized by the co-occurrence of dichogamy and herkogamy. In order to understand the effect of these two complementary anti-selfing mechanisms in reproductive success, we conducted a detailed study of floral biology in Z. fabago. Our results indicated an incomplete separation of the female and male phases which is referred to as partial dichogamy. We found two floral morphs with distinct stigma position: the Central-morph (C-morph) and the Lateral-morph (L-morph). The stigma-stamen distance in the L-morph was significantly larger than in the C-morph in early, mid, and late male stages…
Mapping a ‘cryptic kingdom’: Performance of lidar derived environmental variables in modelling the occurrence of forest fungi
2016
Abstract Fungi are crucial to forest ecosystem function and provide important provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services. As major contributors to biomass decomposition, fungi are important to forest biogeochemical cycling and maintenance of vertebrate animal diversity. Many forest plant species live in a symbiotic relationship with a fungal partner that helps a host plant to acquire nutrients and water. In addition, edible fungi are recreationally as well as economically valuable. However, most fungi live in very cryptic locations (e.g. in soils and interior plant tissues) and are only visible when their ephemeral fruiting bodies are produced, making fungal occur…
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…
Changes in evapotranspiration and phenology as consequences of shrub removal in dry forests of central Argentina
2014
More than half of the dry woodlands (forests and shrublands) of the world are in South America, mainly in Brazil and Argentina, where in the last years intense land use changes have occurred. This study evaluated how the transition from woody-dominated to grass-dominated system affected key ecohydrological variables and biophysical processes over 20 000 ha of dry forest in central Argentina. We used a simplified surface energy balance model together with moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer–normalized difference vegetation index data to analyse changes in above primary productivity, phenology, actual evapotranspiration, albedo and land surface temperature for four complete growing …
Medicinal mushrooms: Valuable biological resources of high exploitation potential
2017
Higher Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes mushrooms possess various immunological and anticancer properties. They also offer important health benefits and exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiallergic, antidepressive, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, digestive, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, osteoprotective, and hypotensive activities. This minireview summarizes the perspectives, recent advances, and major challenges of medicinal mushrooms with reference to their nutraceutical properties and dietary value, the production of mushroom biomass …
Ecological and historical determinants of population genetic structure and diversity in the Mediterranean shrubRosmarinus officinalis(Lamiaceae)
2015
Population genetic studies of widespread Mediterranean shrubs are scarce compared with those of trees and narrow endemics or studies from phylogeographical perspectives, despite the key role these species may play in Mediterranean ecosystems. Knowledge on the effect of ecological factors in shaping their genetic patterns is also limited. In this study we investigate genetic diversity and population structure across 18 populations of Rosmarinus officinalis, a Mediterranean shrubland plant. Populations were sampled along two elevational gradients, one each on calcareous and siliceous soils in a mountain system in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, to decipher the effect of ecological factors on t…
The evolution of dwarf shrubs in alpine environments: a case study ofAlchemillain Africa
2015
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Alpine and arctic environments worldwide, including high mountains, are dominated by short-stature woody plants (dwarf shrubs). This conspicuous life form asserts considerable influence on local environmental conditions above the treeline, creating its own microhabitat. This study reconstructs the evolution of dwarf shrubs in Alchemilla in the African tropical alpine environment, where they represent one of the largest clades and are among the most common and abundant plants. METHODS Different phylogenetic inference methods were used with plastid and nuclear DNA sequence markers, molecular dating (BEAST and RelTime), analyses of diversification rate shifts (MEDUSA and BA…