C and N natural abundance of the soil microbial biomass

Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool in the study of soil organic matter formation. It is often observed that more decomposed soil organic matter is ¹³C, and especially ¹⁵N-enriched relative to fresh litter and recent organic matter. We investigated whether this shift in isotope composition relates to the isotope composition of the microbial biomass, an important source for soil organic matter. We developed a new approach to determine the natural abundance C and N isotope composition of the microbial biomass across a broad range of soil types, vegetation, and climates. We found consistently that the soil microbial biomass was ¹⁵N-enriched relative to the total (3.2 ‰) and extractable N pools (3.7 ‰), and ¹³C-enriched relative to the extractable C pool (2.5 ‰). The microbial biomass was also ¹³C-enriched relative to total C for soils that exhibited a C3-plant signature (1.6 ‰), but ¹³C-depleted for soils with a C4 signature (−1.1 ‰). The latter was probably associated with an increase of annual C3 forbs in C4 grasslands after an extreme drought. These findings are in agreement with the proposed contribution of microbial products to the stabilized soil organic matter and may help explain the shift in isotope composition during soil organic matter formation.     

Stability of copigmented anthocyanins and ascorbic acid in a grape juice model system

The stability of red grape anthocyanins (Vitis vinifera) was evaluated in a model juice system during normal (25 degrees C) and accelerated storage (35 degrees C) in the presence of ascorbic acid. Rosemary polyphenolic cofactors (0, 0.2, and 0.4% v/v) were evaluated as anthocyanin stabilizing agents. Cofactor addition resulted in concentration-dependent hyperchromic (up to 178%) and bathochromic (up to 23 nm) shifts, indicating a more intense red coloration of the models. Anthocyanin and ascorbic acid degradation followed first-order kinetics during storage. Results showed that copigmented treatments underwent a lower conversion of L-ascorbic acid into dehydroascorbic acid during storage when compared to the control, favorably impacting the vitamin retention of these models. Copigmentation did not affect anthocyanin degradation in the absence of ascorbic acid but in its presence aided to retain a higher anthocyanin content than the control. This study indicated that the addition of anthocyanin cofactors could be used to reduce the pigment and vitamin degradation while masking detrimental color changes in anthocyanin containing products.     

Primary and secondary metabolite composition of kernels from three cultivars of Portuguese chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) at different stages of industrial transformation

Chestnut (Castanea sativa) is an important basic food in rural diets and a major starch crop used in a similar way to potatoes. Chestnuts are a fundamental economic resource in the "chestnut regions" not only for the fruit but also for the chestnut wood. Chestnuts have become increasingly important with respect to human health, for example, as an alternative gluten-free flour source. Chestnuts are also a rich source of other beneficial compounds, but there have been few studies on the composition during processing. In this study, we analyzed the chemical composition of three Portuguese cultivars at different stages of industrial processing. The chestnut cultivars were Longal, Judia, and Martaínha. All three cultivars had high moisture contents but were low in ash, crude fat, and crude protein contents, with high starch and low fiber contents. The free amino acid contents, including various essential amino acids, varied depending on the cultivar. All three cultivars also had a significant content of polyphenolics with gallic acid; ellagic acid was predominant among hydrolyzable and condensed tannins. Many of these compounds are known to exert significant positive effects on human health. The one-way analysis of variance for fresh chestnut shows significant differences among the three cultivars for most of the studied parameters. The same statistical analysis applied to each one of the two cultivars (Judia and Longal) sampled for the four processing steps analyzed indicates a significant effect of this factor in practically all of the constituents. On the other hand, the two-way analysis of variance shows that, besides the residual, the processing step and the interaction cultivar x processing step were the factors that more contributed for the total variation observed in the constituents analyzed, while the contribution of cultivar was much less significant.     

Response of alluvial fan systems to the late Pleistocene to Holocene climatic transition: contrasts between the margins of pluvial Lakes Lahontan and Mojave, Nevada and California, USA

Dated shorelines of late Pleistocene pluvial Lakes Lahontan (Great Basin Desert, northwest Nevada) and Mojave (Mojave Desert, eastern California) provide timelines for the assessment of alluvial fan sedimentation at the lake margins during the late Pleistocene to early Holocene. Two sets of alluvial fan systems have been mapped: the Stillwater fans, feeding Lake Lahontan; and the Zzyzx fans, feeding Lake Mojave. Their contrasting morphologies suggest different responses of the two fan systems to late Pleistocene to early Holocene climatic change. At the time the Stillwater fan systems underwent minimal sedimentation, with the catchment hillslopes apparently stable. The Zzyzx fans experienced major changes in water and sediment supply from the catchment hillslopes. There was a major phase of hillslope debris-flow activity, followed by fanhead trenching and distal fan progradation. Both areas were wetter and colder in the late Pleistocene than they are today, but during the transition to the Holocene the Zzyzx area was more likely to experience intense rains associated with the monsoonal penetration of warm moist tropical air into the Southwest. Vegetation reconstructions for the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene suggest that catchment hillslopes in the Mojave supported a desert shrub vegetation, but those in the Stillwaters supported juniper woodland and grasses at low elevations and pine at higher elevations. Contrasts in hillslope vegetation cover together with storm activity may account for the different responses of the alluvial fans to climatic change during the Pleistocene to Holocene climatic transition. After the falls in lake levels of Lakes Lahontan and Mojave in the early Holocene, both areas underwent aridification, resulting in reductions in hillslope vegetation cover. Increased storm runoff led to fanhead trenching and distal progradation of the alluvial fans. Variations in fan style at that time may relate primarily to base-level conditions resulting from different gradients on the exposed lake shores.     

Positional effect on protein and oil content and composition of soybeans

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) protein and oil qualities, with respect to monogastric nutrition, have been linked to the relative abundance of specific protein subunits and fatty acids, respectively. An analysis of field-grown soybean seeds by near-infrared spectroscopy revealed significant differences in their protein and oil contents as a function of nodal position. Seed proteins from the plant apex were high in protein and low in oil content, while those from the basal region exhibited an opposite pattern of accumulation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of total seed proteins revealed that the beta-subunit of beta-conglycinin content was 4-fold higher in seeds from the apical nodes than in seeds from basal nodes. The glycinin A3 polypeptide content gradually increased in successively lower nodes from the top of the plant. Its accumulation was drastically reduced when nitrogen was applied at specific growth stages. Exogenous nitrogen did not alter the pattern of beta-subunit accumulation, but accrual of the acidic and basic polypeptides of glycinin was diminished. The remaining seed storage protein components were not influenced by nodal position or nitrogen application. Gas chromatographic analysis of fatty acids indicated that only oleic (18:0) and linoleic (18:2) acids showed variability in accumulation at different nodes. Neither the abundance nor the distribution of the fatty acids was altered by nitrogen application.     

Influence of water potential on nitrification and structure of nitrifying bacterial communities in semiarid soils

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between soil water potential, nitrifier community structure and nitrification activity in semiarid soils. Soils were collected after a 5-month dry period (end of summer) and subsequently rewetted to specific water potentials and incubated for 7 days prior to analysis of nitrification activity and nitrifier community structure. The approach used in this study targeted a 491bp segment of the amoA gene which encodes the active site of the ammonia monooxygenase enzyme, which is the key enzyme for all aerobic ammonia oxidisers. amoA serves as a useful target for environmental studies since it is both specific and universal for all ammonia oxidisers and reflects the phylogeny of the ammonia oxidisers. Our results suggest that in semiarid soils water potential plays a key role in determining the structure of ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB), and that additionally AOB community structure is correlated to potential nitrification rate in these soils.     

Esterification and hydrolytic activities of Candida rugosa lipase isoform 1 (LIP1) immobilized on celite 545, duolite A7, and sephadex G-25

The esterification and hydrolytic activities of free and immobilized Candida rugosa lipase isoform 1 (LIP1) were investigated. Esterification activity was determined by reacting caprylic acid with glycerol in the presence of molecular sieves (30%, w/w), and the volume of 1.0 M NaOH consumed by the reaction products upon titration was used to calculate esterification activity. Caprylic acid was also reacted with cottonseed oil, and the amount of caprylic acid incorporated after 12 h of reaction was determined. Results indicated that LIP1 had little esterification activity, which was not significantly improved upon immobilization. Hydrolytic activity was determined by incubating tricaprylin emulsion (15%, w/w) with the respective lipases for 60 min, and the reaction products were titrated against 0.5 M NaOH. LIP1 showed hydrolytic activity comparable to Lipozyme RM IM. The hydrolytic activity improved significantly upon immobilization. Immobilization on Celite 545 produced the highest increase in hydrolytic activity.     

Pigeonpea improvement: An amalgam of breeding and genomic research

In the past five decades, constant research has been directed towards yield improvement in pigeonpea resulting in the deployment of several commercially acceptable cultivars in India. Though, the genesis of hybrid technology, the biggest breakthrough, enigma of stagnant productivity still remains unsolved. To sort this productivity disparity, genomic research along with conventional breeding was successfully initiated at ICRISAT. It endowed ample genomic resource providing insight in the pigeonpea genome combating production constraints in a precise and speedy manner. The availability of the draft genome sequence with a large‐scale marker resource, oriented the research towards trait mapping for flowering time, determinacy, fertility restoration, yield attributing traits and photo‐insensitivity. Defined core and mini‐core collection, still eased the pigeonpea breeding being accessible for existing genetic diversity and developing stress resistance. Modern genomic tools like next‐generation sequencing, genome‐wide selection helping in the appraisal of selection efficiency is leading towards next‐generation breeding, an awaited milestone in pigeonpea genetic enhancement. This paper emphasizes the ongoing genetic improvement in pigeonpea with an amalgam of conventional breeding as well as genomic research.     

Commuting distances to local non‐farm workplaces and out‐migration: The case of Northeast Thailand

The relationship between commuting distances and where people work has been studied for urban contexts in both developed countries and developing countries. However, few studies have examined the situation in rural areas, and none look at commuting distances to non‐farm workplaces in rural areas of developing countries. This paper investigates how commuting distance, and thus accessibility, to local non‐farm work influences non‐farm employment and out‐migration from rural villages in Northeast Thailand. The main issues examined are: (i) the distance that rural residents travel to work in local non‐farm jobs; and (ii) the influence that local non‐farm employment has on the number of outmigrants from rural villages. The study finds: (i) distance between villages and non‐farm work sites impact the number of villagers who are employed in regular wage work; (ii) beyond 20 km villagers are less likely to travel to non‐farm employment using their own means of transportation; and (iii) employment in regular wage work decreases outmigration. The findings from this study contribute to the debates over the drivers of rural out‐migration, rural livelihood changes, and agrarian changes that are taking place in Southeast Asia.     

A comparison of popular approaches to optimize landscape resistance surfaces

Landscape Ecology - Landscape resistance surfaces are often used to address questions related to movement, dispersal, or population connectivity. However, modeling landscape resistance is...