Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diversity and salt tolerance of native Acacia rhizobia isolated from saline and non-saline soils

Re-establishing native vegetation in stressed soils is of considerable importance in many parts of the world, leading to significant interest in using plant–soil symbiont interactions to increase the cost-effectiveness of large-scale restoration. However, effective use of soil microbes in revegetation requires knowledge of how microbe communities vary along environmental stress gradients, as well as how such variation relates to symbiont effectiveness. In Australia, shrubby legumes dominate many ecosystems where dryland salinity is a major issue, and improving plant establishment in saline soils is a priority of regional management agencies. In this study, strains of rhizobial bacteria were isolated from a range of Acacia spp. growing in saline and non-saline soils. Replicates of each strain were grown under several salinity levels in liquid culture and characterized for growth and salt tolerance. Genetic characterization of rhizobia showed considerable variation among strains, with salt tolerance and growth generally higher in rhizobial populations derived from more saline soils. These strains showed markedly different genetic profiles and generic affiliations to those from more temperate soils, suggesting community differentiation in relation to salt stress. The identification of novel genomic species from saline soils suggests that the diversity of rhizobia associated with Australian Acacia spp. is significantly greater than previously described. Overall, the ability of some symbiotically effective strains to tolerate high salinity is promising with regard to improving host plant re-establishment in these soils.
Antibacterial Activity of the Iraqi Rheum ribes. Root

Abstract The antibacterial activity of the ethanol, aqueous, and organic extracts from the root of Rheum ribes. Linn (Polygonaceae) was examined. Four anthraquinone aglycone components, chrysopahnol, physcion, aloe emodin, and emodin, were isolated from the biologically active extract and identified by spectroscopic analysis. Emodin is recorded for the first time in this species. The MIC values of the biologically active extracts, aloe emodin, and emodin, were 500, 125, 250, and 63 µg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. , respectively. The extracts and compounds did not inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa. and Escherichia coli. at the highest concentration tested, 4000 and 250 µg/mL, respectively.
Seed priming of sorghum cultivars by gibberellic and salicylic acids to improve seedling growth under irrigation with saline water

Abstract An experiment was conducted in pots under field conditions during fall seasons of 2017 and 2018. This study aimed to improve a weak growth of seedlings under salt stress in sorghum. Three factors were studied. 1st factor was three cultivars (Inqath, Rabeh, and Buhoth70). 2nd factor was seed priming (primed and unprimed seed). Seed were primed by soaking for 12 hours in a solution containing 300 + 70 mg L−1 of gibberellic (GA3) and salicylic (SA) acids, respectively. 3rd factor was irrigation with saline water (6, 9 and 12 dS m−1) resulting from dissolving sodium chloride in distilled water in addition to control treatment (distilled water). Randomized complete block design was used with four replications. In both seasons: the results showed that both of Bohoth70 cultivar and primed seed were superior by giving the highest values of plant height, leaf area, dry seedling weight, leaf content of chlorophyll and proline and the lowest ratio of sodium to potassium. Averages of traits above decreased as the concentration of sodium chloride increased, except leaves content of proline and sodium to potassium ratio which increased with increase of salt stress. Treatment of 12 dS m−1 caused seedlings death for primed or unprimed seed of all studied cultivars. It can be concluded that priming of seed improved their performance to tolerate salt stress compared to unprimed seed.
Voices of learners in Thai ELT classrooms: a wake up call towards teaching English as a lingua franca

ABSTRACT This study aims to identify students’ attitudes towards teaching English in a lingua franca context. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview with 25 undergraduate students studying English across five universities in Southern Thailand. Based on the qualitative content analysis approach, the findings revealed that most of the participants congruently agreed that the prime target of ELT is to prepare language learners for communication that involve interlocutors of multicultural backgrounds, and not to force them to adopt native-like English competence. Hence, the call for ELT curriculums to be revised. New targets should not be monocentric with excessive Inner Circle contents and cultures. More local content should be used as they help learners associate inputs with familiar cultures. Furthermore, teachers should raise learners’ awareness of existing English varieties and accents, and promote a flexible mindset to accommodate differences in communication.
Quantification of climate change and land cover/use transition impacts on runoff variations in the upper Hailar Basin, NE China

Quantification of runoff change is vital for water resources management, especially in arid or semiarid areas. This study used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) distributed hydrological model to simulate runoff in the upper reaches of the Hailar Basin (NE China) and to analyze quantitatively the impacts of climate change and land-use change on runoff by setting different scenarios. Two periods, i.e., the reference period (before 1988) and the interference period (after 1988), were identified based on long-term runoff datasets. In comparison with the reference period, the contribution rates of both climate change and land-use change to runoff change in the Hailar Basin during the interference period were 83.58% and 16.42%, respectively. The simulation analysis of climate change scenarios with differential precipitation and temperature changes suggested that runoff changes are correlated positively with precipitation change and that the impact of precipitation change on runoff is stronger than that of temperature. Under different economic development scenarios adopted, land use was predicted to have a considerable impact on runoff. The expansion of forests within the basin might induce decreased runoff owing to enhanced
Laboratory assessment of the role of a larval pheromone and natural stream odor in spawning stream localization by migratory sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

This study used large laboratory mazes and natural stream waters to test the role of olfactory cues, including a pheromone released by larvae, in spawning stream localization by migratory sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). We found that migratory lamprey strongly prefer stream water over lake water and that this response is dependent upon a functional olfactory system. Responses persisted among migratory lamprey even after stream water was diluted a thousand times but were not seen among non-migratory lamprey. Experiments using waters from five streams demonstrated that a larval pheromone is a key determinant of stream attractiveness: water from streams with larval populations were consistently more attractive than those without, and adding larval odor to the latter reversed this relationship. Larval odor was attractive at low, realistic concentrations, especially when presented together with natural stream water, suggesting that streams contain other odors that synergize the actions of the pheromone. Some.
Pollen Removal From Tristylous Pontederia Cordata: Effects of Anther Position and Pollinator Specialization

Stamens produce male gametophytes and expose them to the pollination process, so that stament characteristics should reflect selection on male function. For animal—pollinated plants, restricting removal in favor of using all available pollinators should generally promote pollen dispersal, so that staminal characteristics should limit pollen removal by individual pollinators. Here we describe the influences of anther position on pollen removal from Pontederia cordata, a tristylous plant with anthers at three distinct positions: exserted from the flower (long—level anthers), at the mouth of the flaring tubular perianth (mid—level anthers), and near the perianth based (short—level anthers). To measure pollen removal, we presented unvisited flowers to freely foraging bees and counted the number of pollen grains left in flowers after 1—4 visits. The pollinators included two generalist bumble bees (Bombus impatiens and B. vagans: Apidae) and Melissodes apicata (Anthophoridae), a specialist with morphological and behavioral adaptations for collecting pollen from P. cordata. Analysis of pollen removal incorporated the effects of bee species, anther position, pollen size, flower length, and the number and cumulative duration of bee visits. Anther position and bee species significantly influenced pollen removal, although the differences between bee species were not related to pollinator specialization. Long—level anthers dehisced early, lost an average of 39% of their pollen during their first visit, and did not consistently contact small pollinators, such as M. apicata. Short—level anthers restricted pollen removal more (28% lost) than long—level anthers, but dehisced more slowly and were subject to unpredictable pollen removal. Mid—level anthers combine the advantages of more exserted and inserted positions without suffering the corresponding disadvantages as they restricted removal (25% lost), dehisced relatively early, and seemed to consistently contact all pollinators. The overall benefits of positioning anthers within the perianth mouth, the position occupied by mid—level anthers in P. cordata, may explain the prevalence of this morphology among bee—pollinated plants with flaring, tubular, monomorphic flowers.
Trends in the legal status of indigenous species

Which species will be intentionally preserved depends on societal perspectives regarding nature and species, but these have been little studied. In this study, it was hypothesized that in species-specific conservation, aesthetical perspectives, notably the appreciation of species characteristics as embodied in taxa, are important. However, this importance is changing due to variation in ecological (in particular, knowledge of species’ populations) and ethical perspectives (in particular regarding specific human-species relationships). The hypothesis was approached by assessing the relative involvement of different taxa in species-specific legislation on wild animals in the Netherlands over the period 1857–1995. Three objectives in this legislation were defined namely, ‘control’, ‘use’ and ‘protection’, based on purposes and potential levels of legally allowable taking. Over time, the number of species protected increased, whereas the numbers subject to ‘use’ and ‘control’ reached a peak and decreased again. The taxa included birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, insects, crustaceans and asteroids. Persistent differences were found in the relative involvement of taxa in the objectives as well as in the relative extent to which taxa were affected by long-term trends in numbers of species subject to the objectives. The results also show that species of one-and-the-same taxon were not regarded equally over time. It is concluded that the long-term changes in species’ legal status probably resulted from the combined effects of both the appreciation of species characteristics embodied in taxa and, in particular, changes in ethical perspectives regarding human-species relationships.
Scanning Electron Microscope Studies on Sphagnum imbricatum

In scanning electron microscope studies on the leaves of Sphagnum imbricatum Hornsch. ex Russ. comparisons between untreated and goldcoated material showed the latter preferable for observations. Pore aperture ultrastructural anatomy previously unreported upon is described. The role of differential shrinkage in the rupture of the covering membrane of hyaline cell pores is considered. Evidence for the shrinkage and furrowing of the outer walls of chlorophyllose cells as drying proceeds is also presented. Since Schimper's (1858) comprehensive treatise, comparatively little has been added to our knowledge of Sphagnum gametophyte morphology. Braithwaite (1880) surveyed the important literature to 1876. Durham (1937) studied the development of the branch leaves and the ontogeny of the hyaline cells. The majority of recent work on Sphagnum has been concerned with its taxonomy and ecology (Rigg, 1940, 1951). Relatively few electron microscopical investigations have been published on the gametophytes of the Musci. Paolillo and Reighard (1967) characterized the ultrastructural features of the green lamellae on the adaxial surface of Polytrichum and Atrichum leaves. Apparently there are no comparable studies on Sphagnum gametophytes. The topography of the Sphagnum leaf lends itself particularly well to observation by means of the scanning electron microscope. This is a newly developed research tool, which, so far as the literature is concerned, seems not to have been used on mosses. MATERIALS AND METHODS Mature gametophores of Sphagnum imbricatuum Hornsch. ex Russ. were cultured on peat moss under high humidity conditions in a terrarium exposed to morning sunlight. Voucher specimens were deposited in the cryptogamic herbarium of the University of Nevada. Material 1 The scanning electron microscope used in these studies is located in the Electronics Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley. Purchase was supported by NSF grant GB-6428; operation is supported by NIH grant GM-15536 and NSF grant GK-3845. 2 Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89507. 3 Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720. FIGURES 1-4. Sphagnum branch leaves at various magnifications, all gold-coated except those in Figure 1. 1. Uncoated, untreated branch, 70x. 2. Vacuum-evaporated and goldcoated branch, 26x. 3. Enlarged view of one leaf, 65x. 4. Portion of the abaxial leaf surface above the middle, 260X. This content downloaded from 207.46. 13.159 on Sat, 22 Oct 2016 04:42:01 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor. org/terms 1969] MOZINGO ET AL.: SPHAGNUM IMBRICATUM 485
Inclusion of a near‐complete fossil record reveals speciation‐related molecular evolution

The rate of genetic evolution is often too variable among lineages to be explained by a strict molecular clock, prompting alternative ecological and evolutionary hypotheses to explain this rate heterogeneity. One controversial hypothesis is that speciation provokes a burst of rapid genetic change, giving molecular evolution a punctuational component. The amount of root‐to‐tip genetic change therefore tends to increase with the number of identified speciation events (nodes) along the root‐to‐tip path in molecular phylogenies. The controversy arises because nodes on molecular phylogenies can typically only be counted if both descendants are extant. Here, using stratigraphic, phylogenetic and ecological data from the exceptional fossil record of Cenozoic macroperforate planktonic foraminifera, we test whether among‐lineage rate heterogeneity is explained by ecological factors (abundance, life history and environment) and by the numbers of speciation events according to fossil lineage, fossil morphospecies and molecular species concepts. The number of nodes between root and tips on the fossil lineage phylogeny was a statistically significant correlate of the rate of molecular evolution over the same root‐to‐tip path. The speciation counts from other species concepts and hypothesized ecological drivers had considerably less support. Our results showcase how the fossil record contains signals of biological processes that drive genetic evolution, justifying calls to further marry fossil and molecular data when studying macroevolution over geological time‐scales.
Regulation of provisioning rate in the Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia)

Many studies of marine birds report that parents regulate provisioning, thus meeting their offsprings’ nutritional requirements at minimum cost. Others report that food availability limits provisioning, mediated by parental body condition. One hypothesis that might explain these discrepancies holds that seabirds are better able to regulate provisioning under more favourable feeding conditions. To test this, we studied provisioning behaviour in the Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia L., 1758) in three colony-years that, based on chick growth rates, spanned a wide range of feeding conditions. We considered that parents regulating provisioning would (i) deliver more food as their offspring aged, to meet their increasing requirements, (ii) space consecutive deliveries nonrandomly in time, and (iii) maintain additional mass to buffer against future deterioration in feeding conditions. As predicted, we found that (i) provisioning rates increased with chick age in all three colony-years, but more strongly when feed.
Monocarpy, calendars and flowering cycles in Angiosperms

Summary. An outline of flowering cycles and their control in Angiosperms is given as a preliminary to a review of long-period endogenous rhythms of flowering. There is evidence, in some tropical trees, of circa-annual cycles entrained, in some environments but not in others, to annual flowering. Monocarpy means flowering and fruiting but once in the lifecycle. Annual plants are, by definition, monocarpic but interest centres on the perennial monocarps, which are of two kinds: those (e.g. Ensete, Corypha, Spathelia) in which a single terminal growing point is ultimately converted into an inflorescence; and those (e.g. many bamboos and several Acanthaceae, especially Strobilanthes) in which plants are branched but nevertheless die after fruiting. For the former there is no clear evidence of exactly determined endogenous 'calendars' but some timing device (perhaps a kind of leaf-counting ? ) is implied. For the latter, there is abundant historical-anecdotal (but not experimental) evidence of remarkably accurate endogenous 'calendars' capable of counting time in decades. Biologically, this kind of monocarpy is to be interpreted as an adaptation that minimizes both intra-specific competition (thus contributing to the maintenance of local dominance) and pest-pressure in the reproductive phase. The underlying mechanism (as for all biological rhythms) is unknown; synchronous flowering of clonal propagules shows that it is not localized but is a diffused property of all parts of the plant. The need for experimentation is emphasized. This paper was generated by a long personal interest in two groups of monocarpic plants, Ensete and the bamboos. As it turns out, it is impossible to think about monocarpy without considering flowering mechanisms in general, other cyclical or rhythmic phenomena, even some aspects of the ecology and physiology of flowering. So the treatment is, of necessity,
Isolation of Two Novel Terpenoid Glucose Esters from Riesling Wine

A glycosidic isolate of Riesling wine was separated with multilayer coil countercurrent chromatography (MLCCC). After acetylation and subsequent purification by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the glucose esters of (E)-2,6-dimethyl-6-hydroxyocta-2,7-dienoic acid (1) and (2E,6E)-10,11-dihydroxy-3,7,11-trimethyl-2,6-dodecadienoic acid (2) were identified for the first time as wine constituents. The identification was achieved by mass spectrometry (DCI-MS) as well as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR, 13C NMR, COSY, HMBC). In biomimetic studies carried out with (E)-2,6-dimethyl-6-hydroxyocta-2,7-dienoic acid the potent wine aroma compound 3a,4,5,7a-tetrahydro-3,6-dimethylbenzofuran-2(3H)-one (wine lactone) was formed, thus revealing an important aroma precursor function for glucoconjugate 1. Keywords: (E)-2,6-Dimethyl-6-hydroxyocta-2,7-dienoic acid glucose ester; (2E,6E)-10,11-dihydroxy-3,7,11-trimethyl-2,6-dodecadienoic acid glucose ester; aroma precursor; wine lactone; multilay.
Detection and attribution of aerosol–cloud interactions in large-domain large-eddy simulations with the ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic model

Abstract. Clouds and aerosols contribute the largest uncertainty to current estimates and interpretations of the Earth’s changing energy budget. Here we use a new-generation large-domain large-eddy model, ICON-LEM (ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic Large Eddy Model), to simulate the response of clouds to realistic anthropogenic perturbations in aerosols serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The novelty compared to previous studies is that (i) the LEM is run in weather prediction mode and with fully interactive land surface over a large domain and (ii) a large range of data from various sources are used for the detection and attribution. The aerosol perturbation was chosen as peak-aerosol conditions over Europe in 1985, with more than fivefold more sulfate than in 2013. Observational data from various satellite and ground-based remote sensing instruments are used, aiming at the detection and attribution of this response. The simulation was run for a selected day (2 May 2013) in which a large variety of cloud regimes was present over the selected domain of central Europe. It is first demonstrated that the aerosol fields used in the model are consistent with corresponding satellite aerosol optical depth retrievals for both 1985 (perturbed) and 2013 (reference) conditions. In comparison to retrievals from ground-based lidar for 2013, CCN profiles for the reference conditions were consistent with the observations, while the ones for the 1985 conditions were not. Similarly, the detection and attribution process was successful for droplet number concentrations: the ones simulated for the 2013 conditions were consistent with satellite as well as new ground-based lidar retrievals, while the ones for the 1985 conditions were outside the observational range. For other cloud quantities, including cloud fraction, liquid water path, cloud base altitude and cloud lifetime, the aerosol response was small compared to their natural variability. Also, large uncertainties in satellite and ground-based observations make the detection and attribution difficult for these quantities. An exception to this is the fact that at a large liquid water path value (LWP > 200 g m−2), the control simulation matches the observations, while the perturbed one shows an LWP which is too large. The model simulations allowed for quantifying the radiative forcing due to aerosol–cloud interactions, as well as the adjustments to this forcing. The latter were small compared to the variability and showed overall a small positive radiative effect. The overall effective radiative forcing (ERF) due to aerosol–cloud interactions (ERFaci) in the simulation was dominated thus by the Twomey effect and yielded for this day, region and aerosol perturbation −2.6 W m−2. Using general circulation models to scale this to a global-mean present-day vs. pre-industrial ERFaci yields a global ERFaci of −0.8 W m−2.