Background:Trees and forests in drylands help mitigate the challenges through provision of economic products and vital environmental services such as habitat for biodiversity,prevention of erosion and desertification,...Background:Trees and forests in drylands help mitigate the challenges through provision of economic products and vital environmental services such as habitat for biodiversity,prevention of erosion and desertification,regulation of water,microclimate,and soil fertility.The condition and changes in dry forests can be assessed by using ecological indicators able to quantify spatial and temporal changes in vegetation.One of the ways to determine the condition of the forest is to study the dominant tree species and its regeneration.Our study aimed to assess whether the abundance of Prosopis flexuosa saplings is affected by environmental and biological factors.Results:To evaluate the first variables we used data from remote sensing such as satellite images and Aster Global Digital Model(GDEM).The second set of variables was about exotic and native ungulates and we used feces of these animals and camera traps to take data.We found that sapling abundance related positively to sandy substrates and negatively to Wetness Index.On the other hand,in relation to biological variables,the abundance of saplings was positively affected by density of adult trees and by number of seeds dispersed by equines,but space use by Lama guanicoe had a negative relationship with saplings.This research shows that P.flexuosa saplings are benefited from sandy substrates and the conditions around adult trees.In addition to this,we found that exotic ungulates in low densities have neutral(i.e.cattle)or positive(i.e.equines)effects on sapling abundance.Conclusions:Based on these findings,we conclude that regeneration of the population of P.flexuosa in our study area has no major problems.In addition,we corroborated that the presence of exotic and domestic ungulates in low densities does not have deleterious consequences for saplings of the dominant tree,P.flexuosa.展开更多
Degradation processes affect a vast area of arid and semi-arid lands around the world and damage the environment and people′s health. Degradation processes are driven by human productive activities that cause direct ...Degradation processes affect a vast area of arid and semi-arid lands around the world and damage the environment and people′s health. Degradation processes are driven by human productive activities that cause direct and indirect effects on natural resources, such as species extinction at regional scale, reduction and elimination of vegetation cover, soil erosion, etc. In this context, ecological rehabilitation is an important tool to recover key aspects of the degraded ecosystem. Rehabilitation trials rely on the use of native plant species with characteristics that allow them to obtain high survival and growth rates. The aim of this work was to assess the survival and growth of native woody species in degraded areas of northeastern Patagonia and relate them to plant functional traits and environmental variables. We observed high early and late survival rates, and growth rates in Prosopis flexuosa DC. var. depressa F.A. Roig and Schinus johnstonii F.A. Barkley, and low values in Condalia microphylla Cav. and Geoffroea decorticans(Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) Burkart. Early survival rates were positively associated with specific leaf area(SLA) and precipitation, but negatively associated with wood density, the maximum mean temperature of the warmest month and the minimum mean temperature of the coldest month. Late survival rates were positively associated with SLA and soil organic matter, but negatively associated with plant height and precipitation. The temperature had a positive effect on late survival rates once the plants overcame the critical period of the first summer after they were transplanted to the field. Prosopis flexuosa and S. johnstonii were the most successful species in our study. This could be due to their functional traits that allow these species to acclimatize to the local environment. Further research should focus on C. microphylla and G. decorticans to determine how they relate to productive conditions, acclimation to environmental stress, auto-ecology and potential use in ecological rehabilitation trials.展开更多
The goals of the research were to establish the biochemical and anthropometric markers of the Waraos sample population, its frequency of metabolic syndrome, and through a survey, the mains components of its diet: Mori...The goals of the research were to establish the biochemical and anthropometric markers of the Waraos sample population, its frequency of metabolic syndrome, and through a survey, the mains components of its diet: Moriche fruit, plantain, cassava root and its products. A clinical study was including a population of 145 individuals belonging to the Yakariken community Waraos tribe. From this group a random sample of 42 individuals were selected and anthropometric measurements, glucose and insulin in blood serum, insulin resistance by HOMA, blood pressure, as well as lipidic profile were tested. Additionally, samples of the Moriche fruit, plantain unripe fruit, casaba root and “casaba” (cake made from cassava edible pulp) were analyzed. The results obtained showed an average corporal mass index of 23.27 ± 2.52 together with the waist average of 79.51 ± 6.53. The blood screen results demonstrated that in average the basal glucose content was 80.38 ± 12.82 mg/dl, the basal insulin 9.05 ± 6.75, mean of the blood pressure of 90 ± 12, HOMA 1.80 ± 1.78, total cholesterol 133.52 ± 21.42 mg/dl, HDL 37.22 ± 7.88 mg/dl, LDL 82.23 ± 18.20, and the triglycerides 105.12 ± 62.56 mg/dl. The fruits composition had shown high contents of dietary fiber (19.86%), resistant starch (17.61%), and crude fats (18.40%). The results concluded that a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, fibers and unsaturated fatty acids, beside exercise should induce a low insulin resistance with the absence of dislipidemia, reducing the risk for the development of any metabolic syndrome. These results are inherent in low incidence of cardio vascular alterations.展开更多
基金supported by“The chica,the retamo,and the algarrobo:umbrella species for the conservation of the Native Forest of the Ischigualasto Provincial Park and nearby zones.Biological interactions,effects of human activities and their mitigation”,Plan for the Conservation of Native Forests Law 26.331.
文摘Background:Trees and forests in drylands help mitigate the challenges through provision of economic products and vital environmental services such as habitat for biodiversity,prevention of erosion and desertification,regulation of water,microclimate,and soil fertility.The condition and changes in dry forests can be assessed by using ecological indicators able to quantify spatial and temporal changes in vegetation.One of the ways to determine the condition of the forest is to study the dominant tree species and its regeneration.Our study aimed to assess whether the abundance of Prosopis flexuosa saplings is affected by environmental and biological factors.Results:To evaluate the first variables we used data from remote sensing such as satellite images and Aster Global Digital Model(GDEM).The second set of variables was about exotic and native ungulates and we used feces of these animals and camera traps to take data.We found that sapling abundance related positively to sandy substrates and negatively to Wetness Index.On the other hand,in relation to biological variables,the abundance of saplings was positively affected by density of adult trees and by number of seeds dispersed by equines,but space use by Lama guanicoe had a negative relationship with saplings.This research shows that P.flexuosa saplings are benefited from sandy substrates and the conditions around adult trees.In addition to this,we found that exotic ungulates in low densities have neutral(i.e.cattle)or positive(i.e.equines)effects on sapling abundance.Conclusions:Based on these findings,we conclude that regeneration of the population of P.flexuosa in our study area has no major problems.In addition,we corroborated that the presence of exotic and domestic ungulates in low densities does not have deleterious consequences for saplings of the dominant tree,P.flexuosa.
基金funded by the National University of Río Negro, Argentina (PI40c658, PI40c654)。
文摘Degradation processes affect a vast area of arid and semi-arid lands around the world and damage the environment and people′s health. Degradation processes are driven by human productive activities that cause direct and indirect effects on natural resources, such as species extinction at regional scale, reduction and elimination of vegetation cover, soil erosion, etc. In this context, ecological rehabilitation is an important tool to recover key aspects of the degraded ecosystem. Rehabilitation trials rely on the use of native plant species with characteristics that allow them to obtain high survival and growth rates. The aim of this work was to assess the survival and growth of native woody species in degraded areas of northeastern Patagonia and relate them to plant functional traits and environmental variables. We observed high early and late survival rates, and growth rates in Prosopis flexuosa DC. var. depressa F.A. Roig and Schinus johnstonii F.A. Barkley, and low values in Condalia microphylla Cav. and Geoffroea decorticans(Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) Burkart. Early survival rates were positively associated with specific leaf area(SLA) and precipitation, but negatively associated with wood density, the maximum mean temperature of the warmest month and the minimum mean temperature of the coldest month. Late survival rates were positively associated with SLA and soil organic matter, but negatively associated with plant height and precipitation. The temperature had a positive effect on late survival rates once the plants overcame the critical period of the first summer after they were transplanted to the field. Prosopis flexuosa and S. johnstonii were the most successful species in our study. This could be due to their functional traits that allow these species to acclimatize to the local environment. Further research should focus on C. microphylla and G. decorticans to determine how they relate to productive conditions, acclimation to environmental stress, auto-ecology and potential use in ecological rehabilitation trials.
文摘The goals of the research were to establish the biochemical and anthropometric markers of the Waraos sample population, its frequency of metabolic syndrome, and through a survey, the mains components of its diet: Moriche fruit, plantain, cassava root and its products. A clinical study was including a population of 145 individuals belonging to the Yakariken community Waraos tribe. From this group a random sample of 42 individuals were selected and anthropometric measurements, glucose and insulin in blood serum, insulin resistance by HOMA, blood pressure, as well as lipidic profile were tested. Additionally, samples of the Moriche fruit, plantain unripe fruit, casaba root and “casaba” (cake made from cassava edible pulp) were analyzed. The results obtained showed an average corporal mass index of 23.27 ± 2.52 together with the waist average of 79.51 ± 6.53. The blood screen results demonstrated that in average the basal glucose content was 80.38 ± 12.82 mg/dl, the basal insulin 9.05 ± 6.75, mean of the blood pressure of 90 ± 12, HOMA 1.80 ± 1.78, total cholesterol 133.52 ± 21.42 mg/dl, HDL 37.22 ± 7.88 mg/dl, LDL 82.23 ± 18.20, and the triglycerides 105.12 ± 62.56 mg/dl. The fruits composition had shown high contents of dietary fiber (19.86%), resistant starch (17.61%), and crude fats (18.40%). The results concluded that a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, fibers and unsaturated fatty acids, beside exercise should induce a low insulin resistance with the absence of dislipidemia, reducing the risk for the development of any metabolic syndrome. These results are inherent in low incidence of cardio vascular alterations.
