Comparative metabolite analysis of Piper sarmentosum organs approached by LC-MS-based metabolic profiling.

Piper sarmentosum Roxb. (Piperaceae) is a traditional medicinal and food plant widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, offering both health and culinary benefits. In this study the secondary metabolites in different organs of P.

Correction: Spatial variation and antecedent sea surface temperature conditions influence Hawaiian intertidal community structure.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Mycorrhizal feedbacks influence global forest structure and diversity.

One mechanism proposed to explain high species diversity in tropical systems is strong negative conspecific density dependence (CDD), which reduces recruitment of juveniles in proximity to conspecific adult plants. Although evidence shows that plant-specific soil pathogens can drive negative CDD, trees also form key mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi, which may counteract these effects. Across 43 large-scale forest plots worldwide, we tested whether ectomycorrhizal tree species exhibit weaker negative CDD than arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species.

Spatial variation and antecedent sea surface temperature conditions influence Hawaiian intertidal community structure.

Global sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are increasing, and in Hawai'i, rates of ocean warming are projected to double by the end of the 21st century. However, current nearshore warming trends and their possible impacts on intertidal communities are not well understood. This study represents the first investigation into the possible effects of rising SST on intertidal algal and invertebrate communities across the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI).

Stacked distribution models predict climate-driven loss of variation in leaf phenology at continental scales.

Climate change is having profound effects on species distributions and is likely altering the distribution of genetic variation across landscapes. Maintaining population genetic diversity is essential for the survival of species facing rapid environmental change, and variation loss will further ecological and evolutionary change. We used trait values of spring foliar leaf-out phenology of 400 genotypes from three geographically isolated populations of Populus angustifolia grown under common conditions, in concert with stacked species distribution modeling, to ask: (a) How will climate change alter phenological variation across the P.

Bioactive Phenolic Compounds from .

(L.) A. Dietr.

Distribution of biomass dynamics in relation to tree size in forests across the world.

Tree size shapes forest carbon dynamics and determines how trees interact with their environment, including a changing climate. Here, we conduct the first global analysis of among-site differences in how aboveground biomass stocks and fluxes are distributed with tree size. We analyzed repeat tree censuses from 25 large-scale (4-52 ha) forest plots spanning a broad climatic range over five continents to characterize how aboveground biomass, woody productivity, and woody mortality vary with tree diameter.

Natural soil microbiome variation affects spring foliar phenology with consequences for plant productivity and climate-driven range shifts.

Identifying the potential for natural soil microbial communities to predictably affect complex plant traits is an important frontier in climate change research. Plant phenology varies with environmental and genetic factors, but few studies have examined whether the soil microbiome interacts with plant population differentiation to affect phenology and ecosystem function. We compared soil microbial variation in a widespread tree species (Populus angustifolia) with different soil inoculum treatments in a common garden environment to test how the soil microbiome affects spring foliar phenology and subsequent biomass growth.

Climate-driven divergence in plant-microbiome interactions generates range-wide variation in bud break phenology.

Soil microbiomes are rapidly becoming known as an important driver of plant phenotypic variation and may mediate plant responses to environmental factors. However, integrating spatial scales relevant to climate change with plant intraspecific genetic variation and soil microbial ecology is difficult, making studies of broad inference rare. Here we hypothesize and show: 1) the degree to which tree genotypes condition their soil microbiomes varies by population across the geographic distribution of a widespread riparian tree, Populus angustifolia; 2) geographic dissimilarity in soil microbiomes among populations is influenced by both abiotic and biotic environmental variation; and 3) soil microbiomes that vary in response to abiotic and biotic factors can change plant foliar phenology.

Plant genetic variation drives geographic differences in atmosphere-plant-ecosystem feedbacks.

The objective of this study was to understand how genetic variation in a riparian species, , affects mass and energy exchange between the land and atmosphere across ~1,700 km of latitude of the western United States. To examine the potential for large-scale land-atmosphere feedbacks in hydrologic processes driven by geographic differences in plant population traits, we use a physical hydrology model, paired field, and greenhouse observations of plant traits, and stable isotope compositions of soil, stem, and leaf water of populations. Populations show patterns of local adaptation in traits related to landscape hydrologic functioning-a 47% difference in stomatal density in greenhouse conditions and a 74% difference in stomatal ratio in the field.

Intraspecific trait variation across elevation predicts a widespread tree species' climate niche and range limits.

Global change is widely altering environmental conditions which makes accurately predicting species range limits across natural landscapes critical for conservation and management decisions. If climate pressures along elevation gradients influence the distribution of phenotypic and genetic variation of plant functional traits, then such trait variation may be informative of the selective mechanisms and adaptations that help define climatic niche limits. Using extensive field surveys along 16 elevation transects and a large common garden experiment, we tested whether functional trait variation could predict the climatic niche of a widespread tree species () with a double quantile regression approach.

Climate-driven reduction of genetic variation in plant phenology alters soil communities and nutrient pools.

We examined the hypothesis that climate-driven evolution of plant traits will influence associated soil microbiomes and ecosystem function across the landscape. Using a foundation tree species, Populus angustifolia, observational and common garden approaches, and a base population genetic collection that spans 17 river systems in the western United States, from AZ to MT, we show that (a) as mean annual temperature (MAT) increases, genetic and phenotypic variation for bud break phenology decline; (b) soil microbiomes, soil nitrogen (N), and soil carbon (C) vary in response to MAT and conditioning by trees; and (c) with losses of genetic variation due to warming, population-level regulation of community and ecosystem functions strengthen. These results demonstrate a relationship between the potential evolutionary response of populations and subsequent shifts in ecosystem function along a large temperature gradient.

Treatment of landfill leachate using ASBR combined with zeolite adsorption technology.

Sanitary landfilling is the most common way to dispose solid urban waste; however, improper landfill management may pose serious environmental threats through discharge of high strength polluted wastewater also known as leachate. The treatment of landfill leachate to fully reduce the negative impact on the environment, is nowadays a challenge. In this study, an aerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) was proposed for the treatment of locally obtained real landfill leachate with initial ammoniacal nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration of 1800 and 3200 mg/L, respectively.

Bioremediation of high-strength agricultural wastewater using Ochrobactrum sp. strain SZ1.

The biggest agricultural sector that contributes to the Malaysian economy is the oil palm industry. The effluent generated during the production of crude palm oil known as palm oil mill effluent (POME). POME undergoes anaerobic treatment that requires long retention time and produces large amount of methane that consequently contributes to global warming.

Decolourisation of Acid Orange 7 recalcitrant auto-oxidation coloured by-products using an acclimatised mixed bacterial culture.

This study focuses on the biodegradation of recalcitrant, coloured compounds resulting from auto-oxidation of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) in a sequential facultative anaerobic-aerobic treatment system. A novel mixed bacterial culture, BAC-ZS, consisting of Brevibacillus panacihumi strain ZB1, Lysinibacillus fusiformis strain ZB2, and Enterococcus faecalis strain ZL bacteria were isolated from environmental samples. The acclimatisation of the mixed culture was carried out in an AO7 decolourised solution.

Abnormal haemoglobin electrophoresis caused by BW 12C.

BW 12C, a substituted benzaldehyde, stabilises haemoglobin in the oxy-conformation and has attracted interest as an anti-sickling agent. The drug causes a left shift in the oxygen saturation curve and may induce tumour anoxia and enhance the effect of cytotoxic drugs. During clinical trials in patients with cancer abnormal bands on haemoglobin electrophoretic strips were observed.

Folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in maternal and fetal blood, and amniotic fluid in second trimester pregnancies complicated by neural tube defects.

Objective: To investigate maternal and fetal folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in pregnancies affected by neural tube defects (NTD).

Design: Measurement of folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in amniotic fluid, fetal blood and maternal blood samples in midgestation.

Subjects: 32 women undergoing termination of pregnancy at 14-21 weeks gestation for social reasons (n = 24) or for fetuses with neural tube defects (n = 8).

Prevalence of canine Lyme disease from an endemic area as determined by serosurvey.

From August 1984 through February 1985, 423 dogs from 43 municipalities in 7 New Jersey counties were evaluated for the presence of antibodies to the Lyme disease spirochete (Borrelia burgdorferi). Of these dogs, 34.7% with no apparent clinical symptoms were serologically reactive (IFA greater than or equal to 1:64); titers in this study ranged from non-reactive to 1:2048.