Agroecosystem engineering extended from plant-microbe interactions revealed by multi-omics data.

In an agroecosystem, plants and microbes coexist and interact with environmental factors such as climate, soil, and pests. However, agricultural practices that depend on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and frequent tillage often disrupt the beneficial interactions in the agroecosystem. To reconcile the improvement of crop performance and reduction in environmental impacts in agriculture, we need to understand the functions of the complex interactions and develop an agricultural system that can maximize the potential benefits of the agroecosystem.

Effects of sugar-sweetened beverage intake on the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance: the Mihama diabetes prevention study.

In Japan, the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing for several reasons, including increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). However, whether SSBs cause T2DM by excess of energy production resulting in obesity remains unclear. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the effects of SSB intake on the development of T2DM in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

Comparative seedling ecology of eight North American spruce (Picea) species in relation to their geographic ranges.

Background And Aims: Allowing for dispersal limitation, a species' geographic distribution should reflect its environmental requirements. Comparisons among closely related species should reveal adaptive differentiation in species characteristics that are consistent with their differences in geographic distribution. This expectation was tested by comparing characteristics of seedlings of spruce species in relation to environmental factors representative of their current natural ranges.