Ample Food Research Articles

Incorporating circularity, sustainability, and systems thinking into an assessment framework for transformative food system innovation

The transition towards a circular economy in the food system is posited as way to harmonize the provision safe, ample and accessible food to a growing population with the reduction the food system’s widespread impact on natural resources, the environment, and human health. Within the context of circular food innovation, there is an abundance of assessment approaches allowing researchers to evaluate and guide new technologies, applications, and products. However, specialist circularity tools are underutilized. This research draws from wider circular economy discourse, sustainability assessment methods, and systems-transitions theory to propose a novel framework to appraise and guide circular food innovation. Through a systematic literature review and critical analysis, this work highlights the limitations of existing methods based on a multi-disciplinary lens. In lieu of robust circularity metrics, elaborations within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology provide a comprehensive sustainability and circularity assessment, while cross-disciplinary approaches inform the development of technological trajectories in line with system-transitions theories. The proposed framework aims to bridge this gap by providing a holistic approach that incorporates systems perspectives and considers the wider dynamics of sustainability and circular economy via future scenario modelling. By integrating these perspectives, the framework facilitates earlier intervention and broader stakeholder engagement in the sustainability assessment process. Examined primarily within the context of food manufacturing, this work provides new tools for academic research and industrial practitioners, driving transformative change towards a more sustainable and circular food system.

The Influence of Provisioning on the Intergroup Relationships of Rhesus Macaque in Hainan, China

ABSTRACTIntergroup competition for limited resources is a significant selection pressure that drives the evolution of animal society. The rhesus macaque (Macaca Mulatta) is the most widely distributed nonhuman primate in the world and can adapt well to environments disturbed by humans. In some areas, human provisioning provides ample food resources for rhesus macaques, leading to an increase in their population size, inevitably affecting competition patterns within and between groups. In this study, we focused on seven provisioned groups of rhesus macaque in an eco‐tourism park in Hainan, China, to verify how provisioning impacted their intergroup relationships. The results showed that: (1) Peaceful coexistence was the most common form of Intergroup contacts; (2) Provisioning led to an increase in intergroup contact and conflicts, but monkeys tended to avoid direct contact with other groups at main‐provisioned sites with high conflict risk. (3) Larger groups did not interfere with each other's space use in the park, but smaller groups were more easily tolerated by other groups. (4) There were no strict linear dominance relationships among monkey groups. Overall, intensive provisioning satisfied the energy requirement of all monkeys in our study site, leading to a reduction in the relative benefit of intergroup conflict. Consequently, monkeys have adopted an intergroup contact strategy that avoids direct conflicts and prevents conflict escalation. We should pay more attention to the behavior patterns of provisioned animal populations, which will help us better understand how resources such as food have influenced the evolution of social strategies of animal groups, as well as how to manage such human disturbed animal populations in the future.

Framing Concepts of Agriculture 5.0 via Bipartite Analysis

Cultural diversity often complicates the understanding of sustainability, sometimes making its concepts seem vague. This issue is particularly evident in food systems, which rely on both renewable and nonrenewable resources and drive significant environmental changes. The widespread impacts of climate change, aggravated by the overuse of natural resources, have highlighted the urgency of balancing food production with environmental preservation. Society faces a pivotal challenge: ensuring that food systems produce ample, accessible, and nutritious food while also reducing their carbon footprint and protecting ecosystems. Agriculture 5.0, an innovative approach, combines digital advancements with sustainability principles. This study reviews current knowledge on digital agriculture, analyzing scientific data through an undirected bipartite network that links journals and author keywords from articles retrieved from Clarivate Web of Science. The main goal is to outline a framework that integrates various sustainability concepts, emphasizing both well-studied (economic) and underexplored (socioenvironmental) aspects of Agriculture 5.0. This framework categorizes sustainability concepts into material (tangible) and immaterial (intangible) values based on their supporting or influencing roles within the agriculture domain, as documented in the scientific literature.

Species Checklist and Diversity of the Herpetofauna of Tun Razak Agricultural Research Center, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia

Herpetofauna represents a significant portion of global biodiversity. Understanding their distribution, ecology, and behavior is essential for conservation efforts. Many reptile and amphibian species are threatened or endangered due to habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and disease. A study was conducted to explore the herpetofauna in Tun Razak Agricultural Research Centre from 22 February 2023 to 17 March 2023 through Visual Encounter Survey (VES), covering four types of habitats; ponds, forest, oil palm and residential. A total of 23 species of herpetofauna were recorded, representing 14 amphibians and nine reptiles. Hylarana erythraea emerged as the most dominant species, followed by Fejervarya limnocharis. These species were found abundantly in ponds due to its suitability for breeding and ample food sources. The presence of these species indicates that the ecosystem has various habitat niches. Most of the species found were globally classified as Least Concern. However, the survey also recorded Ophiophagus Hannah and Cuora amboinensis, listed as Vulnerable and Endangered respectively. The study highlighted the importance of clean water in ponds for frog breeding, as it ensures proper oxygenation and minimizes exposure to harmful substances. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the potential of herpetofauna as a bioindicator, with changes in their populations reflecting environmental changes or disturbances. The species rank abundance curves showed that the oil palm habitat exhibited the highest species evenness, suggesting a balanced distribution of species within the ecosystem. However, further surveys are needed in the area to determine the full extent of herpetofauna composition. Overall, the findings emphasise the necessity of preserving various habitats to support herpetofauna populations while also maintaining ecosystem health and balance for human-animal coexistence.

Development of an older adult Nutrition Equity Index (NEI) and association with the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) in older Black and White U.S. adults

ObjectivesWe developed a novel measure for older U.S. adults called the Nutrition Equity Index (NEI), which includes functional ability. We compared both the NEI and food insufficiency with Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores. DesignThe Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study is a prospective, longitudinal cohort of Medicare-eligible, community-dwelling Black and White men and women. SettingPittsburgh, PA and Memphis, TN. ParticipantsParticipants (N = 2468, aged 74.7 ± 2.9 years) had baseline (1997−98) and 1-year follow-up NEI data; and 1 year follow-up for food insufficiency, key covariates, and the HEI (diet quality measure) from a 108-item interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire. MeasurementsFood insufficiency was defined from a modified validated question on ample food amount/variety from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. NEI was constructed from 8 questions in three subdomains: food insecurity (food insufficiency, hunger, anxiety about limited food, limited money for food), food access (groceries), and food acquisition (difficulty shopping, preparing meals, carrying groceries). Final NEI categories were low nutrition equity (0), moderate nutrition equity (1), and high nutrition equity (2). Multivariable linear regression compared both NEI and food insufficiency with HEI, adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle and comorbidity factors. ResultsOf participants, 13.5% had food insufficiency, 12.1% had low NEI, and 32.5% had moderate NEI. Participants with food insufficiency (vs. food sufficiency) or low NEI (vs. high NEI) were more likely to be Black and have < high school education (both p < 0.0001). In minimally adjusted models, food insufficiency was associated with 2.2 point lower HEI score (p = 0.001), low NEI with 2.6 point lower HEI score (p = 0.001), and moderate NEI with 1.0 point lower HEI score (p < 0.05). Adjusting for race attenuated NEI associations with HEI to non-significance. After multivariable adjustment, food insufficiency was associated with 1.5 point lower HEI score (p = 0.03). ConclusionFood insufficiency was associated with lower dietary quality in this sample of older Black and White U.S. adults. NEI performed similarly to food insufficiency for HEI associations prior to multivariable adjustment and identified more older adults with nutrition inequity, who may be at risk for poor health outcomes.

Tree species richness suppresses red imported fire ant invasion in a subtropical plantation forest

Abstract The ecological resistance to the invasion of alien species has been extensively researched at the within‐trophic level; however, the effect of cross‐trophic interactions remains largely unknown. The red imported fire ant (RIFA, Solenopsis invicta) is a globally invasive species, and a cross‐trophic interaction study between RIFAs and plants may provide a more comprehensive understanding and management of its invasion. We hypothesized that the diversity of trees, which are the primary producers supporting terrestrial ecosystems, could suppress the invasion of omnivorous RIFAs by regulating food resources (e.g. plants and arthropods) and the microenvironment (e.g. soil microclimate) as well as enhancing competition with other carnivorous ants. To test this hypothesis, we investigated RIFA abundance and mound numbers across tree species richness gradients in a subtropical plantation forest. Using structural equation models, we discovered that tree species richness had contrasting effects on RIFA abundance and mound numbers. RIFA abundance directly decreased with higher tree species richness because of the dilution effect (i.e. lower abundance of preferred tree species). In contrast, RIFA mound numbers indirectly increased with tree species richness via an increase in arthropod abundance (excluding ants) (i.e. more ample food resources for RIFA). Moreover, warmer soil temperatures decreased RIFA abundance, whereas other carnivorous ant species richness and abundance negatively affected RIFA abundance and mound numbers. Synthesis and applications: Our findings demonstrate that the ecological resistance to RIFA invasion is influenced by tree species richness in a complex manner; specifically, the relative strengths of the effects of tree species characteristics, native competitors and environmental conditions are likely to impact the power of ecological resistance. This highlights the importance of cross‐trophic interactions underlying the resistance of complex ecosystems to alien species invasion; therefore, maintaining diverse tree communities in controlled systems (e.g. suburban and urban green spaces) should be viewed as a potential strategy for controlling RIFA invasion.

RESILIENCE AND LESSONS LEARNED IN COLOMBIAN FAMILY FARMING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;A health crisis exposes people to food vulnerability by restricting the mobilization and commercial exchange of food. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an ample food supply was available to ensure the basic consumption of the population, prompting two questions: What resilient practices did farmers adopt to produce under conditions of high sanitary restriction, and what lessons did they derive to confront future crises? &lt;strong&gt;Objective:&lt;/strong&gt; The article presents and collects the experiences of 59 small family farmers in Colombia in implementing good practices for economic and financial resilience and the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, constituting a new source of knowledge to understand human behaviors and actions in the face of adversity and the experiential learnings gained to act in future crisis scenarios. &lt;strong&gt;Methodology&lt;/strong&gt;: To characterize the resilient practices of agricultural producers in the department of Norte de Santander, Colombia, amid the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, researchers conducted interviews with 59 smallholder farmers from 12 municipalities. The study encompassed 11 agricultural products and 6 animal products, ultimately identifying three overarching categories: economic resilience, financial resilience, and lessons learned.&lt;strong&gt; Main Results: &lt;/strong&gt;The results indicate strategies for diversification of production, use of local resources, solidarity-based family work, short marketing chains and an economy of scarcity in family spending. &lt;strong&gt;Implications: &lt;/strong&gt;These lessons can inform future policies and practices to better prepare for and respond to similar challenges. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;The study's findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and small farmers, emphasizing the importance of local resource utilization, community cooperation, and adaptive strategies to enhance resilience and sustain livelihoods during crises. &lt;/p&gt;

Foraminiferal detoxification breakdown induced by fatal levels of TiO2 nanoparticles

The increase discharge of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, derived from engineered material waste, exerts a detrimental impact on both the marine ecosystem and public health. The cytotoxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles on marine organisms should be imperatively understood to tackle the urgent concern for the well-being of marine life. Various concentrations of TiO2 nanoparticles have proven to reach fatal levels in aquatic organisms, requiring a deeper exploration of cytotoxicity. Notably, certain benthic foraminifers, such as Ammonia veneta, have been identified as capable of incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles into vesicles. However, these organisms exhibit a detoxification mechanism through exocytosis, as indicated by previous transcriptomic inferences. This presents the advantage of assessing the tolerance of foraminifers to TiO2 nanoparticles as pollutants and investigating the long-term effects of cytotoxicity. In this study, we scrutinized the distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles within cells and the growth rates of individuals in seawater media containing 1, 5, 10, and 50 ppm TiO2 nanoparticles, comparing the results with a control group over a 5-week period, utilizing A. veneta stain. Transmission electron microscopy observations consistently revealed high concentrations of TiO2 nanoparticles in vesicles, and their expulsion from cells was evident even with exposure to 5 ppm TiO2 nanoparticles. Under the control and 1 ppm TiO2 conditions, foraminifers increased their cell volume by adding a calcification chamber to their tests every 1 or 2 days. However, the 5-week culturing experiments demonstrated that foraminifers gradually ceased growing under 5 ppm TiO2 nanoparticle exposure and exhibited no growth at &amp;gt; 10 ppm concentrations, despite an ample food supply. Consequently, these findings with A. veneta suggest that the foraminiferal detoxification system could be disrupted by concentrations exceeding 5 ppm of TiO2 nanoparticles. The toxic effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on meiofauna, such as benthic foraminifers, have been poorly understood, though these organisms play an important role in the marine ecosystem. Environmental accumulation of TiO2 nanoparticles on the coast has already exceeded twenty times more than foraminiferal detoxification level. Future studies focusing on toxic mechanism of TiO2 nanoparticles are crucial to prevent the breakdown of the marine ecosystem through accelerating discharge of TiO2 nanoparticles into the ocean.

Temporal pattern in foraging behaviour of Vanellus malabaricus in relation to different seasons and habitats

This study monitored the temporal pattern of the diurnal foraging behaviour of yellow-wattled lapwing Vanellus malabaricus Boddaert, 1783 (Charadriiformes: Charadriidae) in different seasons (breeding and non-breeding) and habitats (uncultivated, cultivated, ponds and rivers). The focal observation method was employed to investigate the foraging behaviours of yellow-wattled lapwings. Foraging techniques showed non-significant (p = 0.85) variation in different habitat types; however, walk-halt pecking (WHP) was observed to be the most commonly utilized foraging technique across all habitats. Furthermore, foraging success varied significantly in seasons (p &lt;0.05) as well as in habitat types (p &lt;0.05). Due to the availability of ample food items, foraging success reached its peak in uncultivated habitats. We documented considerably high feeding rates in the uncultivated habitat in the breeding season due to the high prey abundance. Additionally, seasons and habitat both greatly affected the rate of walking. Uncultivated habitat represented the highest value of % successful attempts while the lowest value of % successful attempts was recorded in river habitat. Moreover, the % successful attempts were significant (p &lt;0.05) in the breading season as compared to the non-breeding season. Finally, we found substantial (p &lt;0.05) changes in temporal pattern with regard to daily foraging behaviour. The behaviours appear to be bimodal, with morning and evening types for both seasons and habitat types.

Effect of Environmental Variables on Zooplankton in Various Habitats of the Nile River

The present study investigated the effect of environmental variables on the abundance and distribution of zooplankton in different habitats along the Nile River in Shattura Village. Zooplankton samples were collected from three distinct sites along the Nile River in Shattura Village, each exhibiting different environmental characteristics: Site 1 with vegetation, site 2 lacking vegetation, and site 3 being a drain canal. The study spanned from spring 2020 to winter 2021, during which the physico-chemical parameters of the water were analyzed. Rotifera constituted the majority of the zooplankton (54.73%), followed by Cladocera (20.59%), Copepoda (13.1%), and Ostracoda (8.9%). Among the 52 identified zooplankton species, Rotifera comprised 18 species, Cladocera 13 species, Copepoda 10 species, and Ostracoda 11 species. Site 1 exhibited the highest zooplankton density (44.08%), attributed to the presence of vegetation, followed by site 3 (37.18%), influenced by agricultural drains, and site 2 had the lowest density (18.73%). Zooplankton abundance peaked in summer and declined in winter. Notably, Rotifera abundance increased in populated sites (site 3), whereas other zooplankton groups thrived in less populated areas. Correlation analyses revealed positive associations between Rotifera and Cladocera with electric conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride (Cl), calcium (Ca), and sulfate (SO4). Conversely, Copepoda showed positive correlations with water transparency, pH, dissolved oxygen, and biological oxygen demand (BOD). Overall, seasonal variations significantly impacted the zooplankton community, with Rotifera dominating and Ostracoda being the least abundant. High values of the Shannon–Weaver diversity index, richness, and evenness suggested ample food resources and favorable growth conditions. Transparency, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and BOD were identified as the key influencing parameters on zooplankton abundance. Additionally, vegetation and agricultural drains strongly influenced total zooplankton levels.

Changes in Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites in Captive Coyotes (Canis latrans): Influence of Gender, Time, and Reproductive Status.

Reproduction is considered an energetically and physiologically demanding time in the life of an animal. Changes in physiological stress are partly reflected in changes in glucocorticoid metabolites and can be measured from fecal samples. We examined levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCMs) in 24 captive coyotes (Canis latrans) to investigate responses to the demands of reproduction. Using 12 pairs of coyotes (five pairs produced pups, seven pairs did not), we analyzed 633 fecal samples covering 11 biological periods (e.g., breeding, gestation, and lactation). Levels of fGCMs showed high individual variability, with females having higher fGCM levels than males. The production of pups showed no statistical effect on fGCM levels among females or males. Among females, fGCM levels were highest during 4-6 weeks of gestation compared to other periods but were not significantly different between pregnant and nonpregnant females. Among males, the highest fGCM levels were during 1-3 weeks of gestation compared to other periods, but were not significantly different between males with a pregnant mate versus nonpregnant mate. Of females producing pups, litter size did not influence fGCM levels. Given that they were fed ample food throughout the year, we found that the demands of producing pups did not appear to statistically influence measures of fGCM concentrations in captive coyotes.

Imperfect diet choice reduces the performance of a predatory mite

Two mutually unexclusive hypotheses prevail in the theory of nutritional ecology: the balanced diet hypothesis states that consumers feed on different food items because they have complementary nutrient and energy compositions. The toxin-dilution hypothesis poses that consumers feed on different food items to dilute the toxins present in each. Both predict that consumers should not feed on low-quality food when ample high-quality food forming a complete diet is present. We investigated the diet choice of Phytoseiulus persimilis, a predatory mite of web-producing spider mites. It can develop and reproduce on single prey species, for example the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. A closely related prey, T. evansi, is of notorious bad quality for P. persimilis and other predator species. We show that juvenile predators feeding on this prey have low survival and do not develop into adults. Adults stop reproducing and have increased mortality when feeding on it. Feeding on a mixed diet of the two prey decreases predator performance, but short-term effects of feeding on the low-quality prey can be partially reversed by subsequently feeding on the high-quality prey. Yet, predators consume low-quality prey in the presence of high-quality prey, which is in disagreement with both hypotheses. We suggest that it is perhaps not the instantaneous reproduction on single prey or mixtures of prey that matters for the fitness of predators, but that it is the overall reproduction by a female and her offspring on an ephemeral prey patch, which may be increased by including inferior prey in their diet.

Reproduction drives changes in space use and habitat selection in a highly adaptable invasive mammal

Abstract For ungulates, it is not well understood how the interaction between habitat and reproduction affects movement behavior, space use, and habitat selection. We used known parturition (farrowing) data to validate First Passage Time (FPT) movement analysis to identify wild pig (Sus scrofa) parturition events from data collected with GPS collars. We examined home range and habitat selection during three physiologically distinct time periods in the reproductive cycle: late-gestation; farrowing; and neonate-care period. Sows exhibited a behavioral change 1-2 days prior to farrowing, suggesting FPT analysis can reliably identify parturition events for wide-ranging species that have a focused birthing area. Home range was smallest during the farrowing period, likely reflective of nest building, parturition, and protection of neonates. Home range size during the neonate-care period was intermediate between the late-gestation and farrowing periods, indicative of offspring care that may restrict maternal movement. Across all periods, sows avoided developed areas that have sparse canopy and ground cover and are associated with human activities. During late-gestation, sows avoided pine forests that have an open understory and less vegetative cover. During late-gestation and neonate-care, sows selected bottomland hardwood forests, habitat associated with ample food, cover, and water. During farrowing and neonate-care periods, sows selected upland hardwood forests, habitat with high quality food and cover for neonates. The physiological requirements of reproduction drive female habitat selection and spatial scale of movement patterns associated with parturition. Our study contributes to delineation of the appropriate scale at which to analyze movement data to provide insight about where individuals chose to place their home range, how much space to use, and how they use resources on the landscape to maximize reproductive success and fitness.

Violet &amp; Jobie in the Wild by Lynne Rae Perkins

Reviewed by: Violet & Jobie in the Wild by Lynne Rae Perkins Kara Forde Perkins, Lynne Rae Violet & Jobie in the Wild; written and illus. Lynne Rae Perkins. Greenwillow, 2022 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780062499691 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780062499714 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 3-5 Mouse siblings Violet and Jobie have made their home in a human house where there is ample food and time to watch the TV show Nature Magnificent, but their peaceful idyll comes to an abrupt end when they're trapped in a cheese-filled shoebox and released into a state park. As Violet and Jobie try to survive in the wild, they make rookie mistakes like sleeping in a fox's den, until they meet an old mouse named Zolian who teaches them survival skills, with cheesy rules like, "A.B.C.: Always Be Careful" and "D.E.F.: Don't Exit the Foliage." When Violet and Jobie settle into their new home, their fates begin to diverge, as sociable Jobie finds a mate and starts a family, while "old soul" Violet grows close to Zolian and must confront his mortality. Despite the book's commonplace premise, the ending is surprising and focuses on Violet's life independent of Jobie or Zolian. Perkins writes with the naiveté of Violet's and Jobie's perspectives and uses descriptive language to paint a picture of new objects in readers' minds before giving them a name. While some of the vocabulary might prove to be a challenge for young readers, the short chapters, straightforward storylines, and intermittent illustrations make this a solid bridge between beginning chapter books and more advanced novels, and the overarching theme of growing up and outgrowing home is perennially relevant for young readers. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Food security in Roman Palmyra (Syria) in light of paleoclimatological evidence and its historical implications.

Food security in ancient urban centers is often discussed but rarely formally modelled. Despite its location in an inhospitable desert where food production is a constant challenge ancient Palmyra grew from a small oasis settlement in to a major geopolitical player. Here, we present a spatially explicit reconstruction of the land use and agricultural yield expectations of its hinterland determining the maximum feasible population of the city. Coupling the hinterland carrying capacity model with palaeoclimatic data allowed us to track changes in the food security of the city in the face of changing climate. While initially the hinterland could provide ample food resources for the small settlement with time the deteriorating climate conditions after the Roman Optimum (100 BCE-200 CE) collided with rapidly growing population of the city. The nexus of these two processes fall at mid third century–a period of profound changes in the structure of Palmyrene society, its geopolitical situation and its historical trajectory. The results point to increasingly precarious subsistence levels as a likely factor behind rapid militarization, shift towards an autocratic regime and military expansion of the city in the late third century CE. As a well-established causal mechanism in many modern conflicts and crises, food security is also a potential causal factor behind historical events, if a hard one to prove due to the difficulty of identifying relevant data patterns. The methods presented establishes a robust research pipeline that can be used on other ancient urban centers, contributing to the construction of an empirically supported model of how food security shaped human history, past and present.

Exploring the Role of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials in Microalgae for the Sustainable Production of Bioactive Compounds and Beyond.

An enchanting yet challenging task is the development of higher productivity in plants to meet the ample food demands for the growing global population while harmonizing the ecosystem using front-line technologies. This has kindled the practice of green microalgae cultivation as a driver of key biostimulant products, targeting agronomic needs. To this end, a prodigious and economical strategy for producing bioactive compounds (sources of secondary metabolites) from microalgae using carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) as a platform can circumvent these hurdles. Recently, the nanobionics approach of incorporating CNMs with living systems has emerged as a promising technique to develop organelles with new and augmented functions. Herein, we discuss the importance of 2D carbon nanosheets (CNS) as an alternative carbon source for the phototrophic cultivation of microalgae. CNS not only aids in cost reduction for algal cultivation but also confers combinatorial innate or exogenous functions that enhance its programmed biosynthetic metabolism, proliferation, or tolerance to stress. Moreover, the inherent ability of CNS to act as efficient biocatalysts can enhance the rate of photosynthesis. The primary focus of this mini-review is the development of an economic route for enhanced yield of bioactive compounds while simultaneously serving as a heterogeneous platform for enhancing the sustainable production of biostimulants including bioactive compounds from algal biomass for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

Conflicting selection on workers underlies global honey bee colony losses

There is clear evidence for global and unsustainable high losses of the managed Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies raising major concerns about the sustainability of pollination services and food security. Here, we address a conflicting selection scenario in workers to better understand life-history trade-offs underlying colony losses. Due to developmental plasticity, annual fluctuations in selection pressures result in long-living winter bees and short-living summer bees as adaptive responses to lack of food and ceased brood rearing in winter, or ample food and rapid brood turnover in spring and summer. Since trait evolution is governed by a balance of conflicting fitness advantages, trade-offs between longevity and other traits are inevitable (e.g. immune defense or detoxification). As worker longevity is essential to ensure colony functionality, these trade-offs render long-living workers more susceptible to the same stressors compared to short-lived ones. It seems as if trade-offs in workers play a previously overlooked key role, and the incorporation of long-living workers in research efforts is long overdue if our aim is to effectively mitigate declines and losses of social insect colonies globally. Indeed, managed honey bee colony losses in temperate regions predominantly occur throughout winter, but research efforts are almost exclusively conducted with short-lived summer bees, thereby sustaining the danger of false negative results. Thus, we should not shy away from meeting the respective logistic challenges. Studies of conflicting selection on workers will be informative about mechanisms underlying life history trade-offs, thereby fostering conservation efforts in the social insects.

Community Structure of Resident and Migratory Bird Species in Talabong Mangrove Forest, Bais City, Negros Oriental, Philippines

Mangrove forests throughout the world are recognized as stopover sites by many migratory birds – including waders – as they contain ample food resources such as invertebrates, fruits, and flowers that are beneficial to most birds. In connection, the Talabong Mangrove Forest located in Bais, Negros Oriental, Philippines is recognized as a wildlife sanctuary, but no recent data on birds could supplement this. Thus, this study aims to assess the distribution patterns of migratory and resident birds in the said site during the southward migration which encompasses both wet and dry seasons. Also, the investigation determines whether Talabong mangrove could function as a stopover site for migratory birds. To examine the community structure, the populations of resident and migratory bird species were assessed for species composition, diversity, density, and abundance in three sampling periods: pre-migration, migration, and post-migration. The line transects and point-count methods were employed with four transect lines laid out on the study site. Each line stretched a kilometer long with a 250-m interval with five points for point-counting and was visited on each sampling period. Points were marked for a consistent sampling. For each sampling period, results showed that the birds’ abundance, diversity, and density remained consistently high throughout each sampling. Specifically, the species composition and the number of resident birds did not seem to alter and remained high as well. On the other hand, migrants had an abrupt increase during migration sampling and decreased towards the end. But similarity analyses suggest species composition remained approximately similar for the migrants. The results showed that Talabong mangrove forest contained some migratory species – making it a decent stopover site, although not as many migrants as in other protected mangroves and wetlands in the Philippines. The resident birds occupying the site may also have served as cues for the migrants.

Multidimensional Food Security Nexus in Drylands under the Slow Onset Effects of Climate Change

Hyperarid, arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas cover approximately 41% of the global land area. The human population in drylands, currently estimated at 2.7 billion, faces limited access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food. We discuss the interlinkages among water security, environmental security, energy security, economic security, health security, and food security governance, and how they affect food security in drylands. Reliable and adequate water supply, and the prevention of water contamination, increase the potential for ample food, fodder, and fiber production. Protecting woodlands and rangelands increases food security by buffering the slow onset effects of climate change, including biodiversity loss, desertification, salinization, and land degradation. The protection of natural lands is expected to decrease environmental contamination, and simultaneously, reduce the transfer of diseases from wildlife to humans. Biofuel production and hydroelectric power plants increase energy security but generate land-use conflicts, deforestation, and ecosystem degradation. Economic security generally positively correlates with food security. However, economic growth often degrades the environment, changes tenure rights over natural resources, and stimulates migration to urban areas, resulting in lower food and health security. Moreover, civil unrest, political instability, and armed conflicts disrupt local economies in drylands. Maintaining food security is crucial for health security; conversely, malnourished populations and unresponsive health systems decrease economic security, and adversely affect environmental, energy, and food security. Climate change is expected to deteriorate health security by spreading vector-borne diseases. Effective governance and timely interventions can substantially shorten periods of food insecurity, lower their intensities, and accelerate recovery from inevitable crises, and are therefore crucial in preventing humanitarian crises. Since global drylands population will nearly double by 2050, and since drylands are among the most susceptible areas to climate change, integrated multi-hazard approaches to food security are needed.

Confucian Democracy in East Asia: A Discussion of Sungmoon Kim’s Democracy After Virtue: Toward Pragmatic Confucian Democracy

Confucian Democracy in East Asia: A Discussion of Sungmoon Kim’s <i>Democracy After Virtue: Toward Pragmatic Confucian Democracy</i>