The Plant Ionome as a Functional Trait: Variation across Bioclimatic Regions and Functional Groups.

Plant chemical composition is a trait gaining increasing importance in plant ecology. However, there is limited research on the patterns and drivers of its variation among different plant functional groups and bioclimatic regions. We conducted an analysis of ionomes utilising X-ray fluorescence on 83 plant species from four distinct functional groups (grasses, legumes, forbs and woody species); we marked plots across 15 sites located in both the desert and Mediterranean bioclimatic regions.

Highway Crossing Rates of Wild Felids Before, During, and After Wildlife Crossing Structure Installation.

In an environment increasingly dominated by roads, wildlife crossing structures (WCS) have been installed to decrease wildlife mortality and improve habitat linkages. In South Texas, vehicle collisions have been a major mortality source for the endangered ocelot (). To mitigate threats to this species, eight WCS, along with associated fencing, were strategically placed along Farm-to-Market Road 106 (FM106), which passes through ocelot habitat.

Identifying climatic drivers of forage quantity and quality in Mediterranean rangelands using remote sensing.

Rangelands are dynamic ecosystems shaped by fluctuations in precipitation, temperature, and grazing intensity. Accurate assessment of forage availability is critical for optimizing land use, preventing overgrazing, and mitigating degradation, especially under future climate change scenarios. This study employed a multi-scale approach to monitor pasture using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, calibrated with ground truth measurements, and enhanced with drone-derived vegetation cover estimates.

New Analytical Approach to Quinolizidine Alkaloids and Their Assumed Biosynthesis Pathways in Lupin Seeds.

Alkaloids play an essential role in protecting plants against herbivores. Humans can also benefit from the pharmacological effects of these compounds. Plants produce an immense variety of structurally different alkaloids, including quinolizidine alkaloids, a group of bi-, tri-, and tetracyclic compounds produced by species.