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Light down-conversion technology improves vegetative growth, berry production, and postharvest quality in tunnel-cultivated blueberry
No full textThis study examined three innovative ‘light-converting films’ that convert green light (−23%) into red light (+8%; Red film), ultraviolet light (−80%) into blue light (+9%; Blue film), and green light (−5.7%) into red light (+4%; Pink film) but also ultraviolet light (−76%) into blue light (+5.6%; Pink film). These films were used for growing blueberry plants under cover under controlled tunnel conditions (27.3 ± 11.7 °C, 51.9 ± 21.6% RH). The use of Red film led to increases in the total plant biomass (+54.2%), and Red and Pink films enhanced the leaf thickness (+17.1% and +14.4%, respectively) as compared to the control (a transparent polyethylene film). No differences in the photosynthetic rate (Pn) were observed at the flowering stage, but a decrease (−25.9%) was observed in plants grown under the Pink film during the green fruit stage. The plants grown under Blue film boosted flower production, leading to +86.8% increase in the total yield. The Blue film improved the total phenolic content (+15.2%) in the fruit, and a +25.3% greater total antioxidant capacity was observed in fruit grown under Pink film. Freshly harvested blueberries were subjected to postharvest experiments (4 °C; in dark conditions; 90–95% RH). The results suggest the importance of Red film in enhancing plant biomass and Red and Blue films in improving fruit yield and maintaining nutraceutical postharvest quality in blueberry frui
Systematics and evolutionary history of raft and nursery‐web spiders (Araneae: Dolomedidae and Pisauridae)
No full textPisauridae are a global and heterogeneous assemblage of spider genera with diverse morphologies and lifestyles. So far, the monophyly of Pisauridae and the inclusion of fishing spiders (Dolomedes) in this family have not been thoroughly tested. Here, we amend the systematics and classification of these lineages within a UCE phylogenomic framework and through a detailed morphological reappraisal. For estimations of their evolutionary age, we perform and compare outcomes from two divergence estimation approaches, an a posteriori likelihood, and an a priori Bayesian. Phylogenies reject the monophyly of both Pisauridae and Dolomedes: (1) Focal Clade I groups true Pisauridae genera including Pisaura; (2) Focal Clade II contains Blandinia and is sister to Trechaleidae and Lycosidae; (3) Focal Clade III groups Dolomedes, Megadolomedes, and Ornodolomedes, and is sister to Blandinia, Trechaleidae, and Lycosidae. We therefore propose to delimit Pisauridae by removing Dolomedidae rank resurrected (including Dolomedes, Bradystichus, Megadolomedes, Caledomedes, Mangromedes, Ornodolomedes, and Tasmomedes) and Blandinia incertae sedis. Likelihood and Bayesian time calibration approaches yield comparable divergence estimations: Pisauridae origin is estimated at 29–40 Ma; Blandinia 21–34 Ma; Dolomedidae 10–17 Ma; Dolomedes 9–16 Ma. Reconstructions suggest that the evolution of terrestrial and web-building lifestyles from semi-aquatic ancestors in Pisauridae coincided with cooling and drying climates during the mid-Miocene, but this was not the case in the few recent cases of terrestrialization in Dolomedes species. This historic reconstruction illustrates how climatic changes, or rapid radiation, can drive lifestyle diversification
Identifying and classifying broader scale of disaster impacts to better inform disaster management policies and practice
No full textDisasters are often assessed by factors such as their magnitude, severity and impact on affected communities. Typically, disaster management policies are largely informed by learnings from large-scale disasters. Many studies, however, have shown that cumulative smaller scale disaster impacts have similar outcomes comparable to larger scale disasters. This indirectly contributes to a lack of consistency in and paucity of data related to both smaller-scale disasters and their associated cumulative impacts. This paper argues that greater attention needs to be paid to collecting disaster impact data on a range of disaster-scale events along with their cumulative impacts to better inform disaster management policies and practice. The paper aims to test the hypothesis that a better understanding of a wide range of disaster scale types and their impacts on communities, including small-scale disasters, enables the development of more just, consistent and equitable disaster management policies and practice. Analysing economic costs, evacuation and rainfall data from past flood events that affected Aotearoa-New Zealand over the last three decades, the paper found discrepancies and lack of coherence in disaster data collection and reporting, along with a predominant reliance on rainfall intensity data for disaster risk reduction and planning. The findings also confirmed the importance of identifying economic damages for a range of disaster scales, including those from small-scale disasters. This highlights the need for developing a spectrum to better classify and identify disaster impacts based on various spatial and temporal contexts. The paper concludes by affirming that such database would provide much needed evidence for developing a methodology that enables the identification of the level of disaster impacts; thereby guiding the implementation of more just, consistent and equitable disaster management policies and practice
Loss of P fertilizer effectiveness in raising soil P availability in a grazed grassland enriched with CO₂ for 24 years
No full textPhosphorus (P) is a finite resource and an essential macronutrient for plant growth. The importance of low soil P availability in constraining plant biomass responses to elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) is increasingly recognized. P fertilization could alleviate these constraints, but biogeochemical feedbacks under eCO₂ may diminish the effectiveness of P fertilizer in raising soil P availability. Here, we present data from a botanically diverse grazed pasture enriched with CO₂ (+84–111 ppm) and supplied with P fertilizer (1.5 g P m‾² year‾¹) for approximately 24 years, showing (1) a sustained 27% reduction in topsoil Olsen P under eCO₂ prior to annual fertilizer application, and (2) an approximate halving of the short-term (approximately 4 months) effectiveness of P fertilizer in raising Olsen P by 1 unit under eCO₂. Similar results occurred with the Bray-1 soil P test. These effects soon disappeared after CO₂ enrichment stopped. Accumulation of moderately labile organic P in the eCO₂ topsoil shortly after fertilization indicated rapid biological immobilization of newly applied P occurring under eCO2. Alternative P loss mechanisms under eCO₂, including inorganic P depletion due to increased pasture growth, increased P offtake versus return through the plant→animal→dung pathway, or P movement down the soil profile, were not supported by the available evidence. Despite this, pasture P concentration and uptake were similar under eCO₂ and ambient CO₂, and the biomass of the P-sensitive legume Trifolium repens was often greater under eCO₂. Thus, either the fertilizer regime was sufficient to maintain a non-limiting pasture P status, or integrated plant–soil biological adjustments under eCO₂ compensated for reduced P availability. If compensatory mechanisms play a greater role in supporting crop P nutrition under eCO₂ but are neglected by routine soil P availability tests focused on inorganic P, overapplication of P fertilizers will occur as CO₂ levels continue to ris
Magnetic resonance imaging as a readout of CLN5 gene therapy efficacy in sheep
No full textPurpose: Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL; Batten disease) are a group of rare inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by mutations in one of 13 ceroid lipofuscinosis neuronal (CLN) genes. The diseases share a common set of symptoms, including motor and cognitive dysfunction, progressive loss of vision, and seizure activity. A naturally occurring model of CLN5 NCL exists in New Zealand Borderdale sheep, which exhibit similar clinical disease and post-mortem pathology to the human disease. Recent trials of concurrent intracerebroventricular and intravitreal gene therapy in sheep with CLN5 disease confirmed the therapeutic efficacy of this approach. Given the documented natural history of brain volume changes, detected by MRI, in sheep with CLN5 disease, the current study sought to utilize MRI as both a longitudinal readout and cross-sectional measure of therapeutic efficacy in treated sheep. Method: Sheep treated at a pre-symptomatic timepoint underwent five T1-weighted structural MRI scans between 5 and 18 months of age. Sheep treated at early and advanced symptomatic disease stages underwent a single MRI at 18 months of age. All scans from treated sheep were compared to historical healthy control and affected untreated sheep at each age.
Finding: Pre-symptomatic treated sheep showed growth in intracranial volume at a comparable rate to healthy control sheep over the course of the study. Whilst grey matter volume decreased and cerebrospinal fluid volume increased in treated sheep, this was to a much smaller degree than in untreated affected sheep. The majority of the cortical regions assessed showed stable volumes over the course of the study, with the notable exception of the cerebellum. Both early and advanced symptomatic treated sheep showed intracranial volumes comparable to untreated affected sheep at 18 months of age. However, when individual tissue types were assessed, grey and white matter were significantly larger, and cerebrospinal fluid was significantly smaller in early symptomatic sheep compared to untreated affected sheep, while the same volumes in advanced symptomatic treated sheep were comparable to untreated affected sheep. Cortical regions assessed showed an age-at-treatment and dose effect.
Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that MRI, a clinically relevant outcome measure, can be successfully utilized to assess therapeutic efficacy in a large animal model of CLN5 NCL, both in a longitudinal study and a cross-sectional study when robust natural history data is available for compariso
Influence of phosphorus fertiliser use on two New Zealand pasture insect pest communities
No full textPhosphorus (P) fertilisers are an important management tool in modern agriculture, including the pastoral sector, to maximise pasture productivity. However, P-application can have significant environmental consequences while also affecting invertebrate biodiversity and abundance. To understand the effects of repeated P-fertiliser applications, we analysed three years of sampling of the pasture invertebrate pest fauna from two long-term P-fertiliser trials in New Zealand, one hill country (Ballantrae: 0, 375 kg SSP ha¯¹ annually) and the other in flat land (Winchmore: 0, 175 (Sechura), 188, 250, 375 kg SSP ha¯¹ annually). We aimed to determine whether P-applications affected the abundance and order richness of pasture insect pests and if these could be linked with pasture production and botanical composition. Order richness did not differ between the fertiliser treatments, but we detected a significant difference in invertebrate community composition as well as indications that P-fertiliser increases the total invertebrate pest abundance in flat land pastures. Most notably, clover root weevil (Sitona obsoletus) abundance increased in P-fertilised pastures, which may be positively correlated with increasing clover content, whereas grass grub (Costelytra giveni) abundance initially increased with P-fertiliser input but subsequently declined at higher application rates. Pasture production increased with P-fertiliser inputs. The study highlights the complex interactions between P-fertiliser application and pasture invertebrate communities, emphasising how strategic P-fertiliser management can influence pest dynamics in agricultural ecosystems. This underscores the need for balanced P-fertiliser management to optimise both pest control and pasture health
He Huarahi Hou: Exploring the genesis of a unique approach and design of a regional pharmacopoeia
No full textThis article advances a tangata whenua (local people, Indigenous people of the land) worldview of rongoā (medicine) and explores a new approach for an Indigenous regional pharmacopoeia for Te Tauihu—top of the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Wānanga (Māori [the Indigenous peoples of New Zealand]-led learning sessions) focused on rongoā Māori (traditional healing system of Māori) and research reviewing traditional medicines and Indigenous pharmacopoeias
have provided a platform for the genesis of a new unique pharmacopoeia. The rationale for this approach, style and format is explained, alongside a model for assessing certainty or validity of evidence for inclusion of material. The framework for a distinctive monograph structure is developed, preceded by a short review of different monograph styles. A pharmacopoeia developed by tangata whenua in an appropriate manner will be a valuable resource and enable protection of mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge, wisdom), preserved for future generations
Animal as the solution II: Phenotyping for low milk urea nitrogen A1PF dairy cows
No full textThe societal pressure on intensive pastoral dairying demands the search for strategies to reduce the amount of N flowing through and excreted by dairy cows. One of the strategies that is being currently explored focuses on the animal as a solution, as there are differences in N metabolism between cows even within the same herd. This work was conducted to explore such an approach in A1PF herds in New Zealand and the possibility of identifying A1PF cows that are divergent for milk urea nitrogen (MUN) concentration through phenotyping as a potential viable strategy to reduce N leaching and emissions from temperate dairy systems. Three herd tests were conducted to select a population sample of 200 cows (exhibiting the lowest 100 and highest 100 MUN concentrations). Milk samples were collected from the 200 cows during mid and late lactation to test for milk solids content and MUN. From the 200 cows, urine for urinary N concentration (UN), blood for plasma urea N, total antioxidants (TAS), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were collected from the 20 extremes (the lowest 10 and highest 10 MUN concentrations). Milk urea N was greater in cows selected as high-MUN cows (16.2 vs. 14.32 ± 0.23 mg/dL) and greater during late lactation (16.9 vs. 13.0 ± 0.19 mg/dL). Milk solids and fat content were 38% and 20% greater in cows selected as low-MUN cows than in high-MUN cows during mid lactation (p < 0.001). Low-MUN cows had lower UN than high-MUN cows during mid lactation (0.64 vs. 0.88 ± 0.11%). The N concentration in the plasma (p = 0.01) and Tas (p = 0.06) were greater during late lactation. There was a positive relationship between the MUN concentration phenotype used for selection and the MUN concentration for the trial period and MUN concentration and UN concentration during mid and late lactation (p < 0.001). Our results suggest that A1PF cows within a commercial herd can be phenotyped and selected for low-MUN, which may be potentially a viable strategy to reduce N losses to the environment and create healthier systems. Following genetic tracking, those cows can be bred to further promote low-MUN A1PF herds
Firm-level climate change exposure and firm efficiency
No full textThis paper investigates the nexus between firm-level climate change exposure and firm efficiency using a sample of firms from the United States during 2001–2022. We use a wide range of measurements from financial data, textual data, and secondary measures generated from Data Envelopment Analysis to measure firm-level climate change exposure and firm efficiency. We find that exposure to climate change risk hurts firm efficiency, regardless of the firms’ emission nature. Our empirical evidence shows that such a detrimental effect does not come from physical climate change risks but rather from the climate transition risk, thus corroborating the significant impact of the transition from a “grey” economy to a lower-carbon one on corporate outcomes. Moreover, financial constraints worsen this effect, while asset redeployment, vertical integration, and market concentration mitigate the negative impact of climate change risk on firm-level efficiency. Interestingly, high-efficiency firms generally are affected more than low-efficiency firm
Exploring climate-reproductive concern: factors influencing hesitancy towards parenthood in the context of the climate crisis
No full textThe uncertainty surrounding the future influences significant life decisions, including the choice to have children, and previous research has raised concerns about how climate change might impact young adults’ reproductive plans. This study, conducted through an online survey, aims to provide insight into factors that distinguish individuals with high climate-reproductive concern. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between different levels of climate-reproductive concern and various psychographic factors such as attitudes towards reproduction and parenthood, the desired number of children, climate anxiety, depressive symptoms, values, environmental concerns (including overpopulation and resource use), pro-environmental behaviors, and a range of socio-demographic variables. Using a sample of 334 childless Americans aged 18 to 44, we found no significant differences across levels of climate-reproductive concern in parenthood attitudes, pro-reproductive attitudes, or the socio-demographic variables except for political leaning. Notable discrepancies existed for anti-reproductive attitudes, the preferred number of children, overpopulation concerns, altruistic values, and pro-environmental behaviors. Climate anxiety emerged as a crucial factor distinguishing between levels of climate-reproductive concern, whereas general depressive symptoms did not play a significant role. Our research provides a nuanced understanding of adults who hesitate to have children due to climate change concerns and offers implications for various stakeholders and research disciplines