A Metagenomic Survey of Wood Decay Fungi in the Urban Trees of Singapore.

Mature tropical urban trees are susceptible to root and trunk rot caused by pathogenic fungi. A metagenomic survey of such fungi was carried out on 210 soil and tissue samples collected from 134 trees of 14 common species in Singapore. Furthermore, 121 fruiting bodies were collected and barcoded.

Carbon dioxide dynamics in a residential lawn of a tropical city.

Turfgrass is an important component of the urban landscape frequently considered as an alternative land cover to offset anthropogenic CO emissions. However, quantitative information of the potential to directly remove CO from the atmosphere by turfgrass systems is lacking, especially in the tropics. Most assessments have considered the carbon accumulated by grass shoots and soil, but not the release of CO to the atmosphere by soil respiration (i.

Global patterns of leaf mechanical properties.

Leaf mechanical properties strongly influence leaf lifespan, plant-herbivore interactions, litter decomposition and nutrient cycling, but global patterns in their interspecific variation and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We synthesize data across the three major measurement methods, permitting the first global analyses of leaf mechanics and associated traits, for 2819 species from 90 sites worldwide. Key measures of leaf mechanical resistance varied c.

A preliminary ecotoxicity study of pharmaceuticals in the marine environment.

Environmental fates and effects of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment have been the focus of recent research in environmental ecotoxicology. Worldwide studies of common over-the-counter pharmaceuticals have reported detectable levels in the aquatic environment, but there are few studies examining impacts on marine habitats. These drugs can affect the functions of various vertebrates and invertebrates.