Edible Vegetation Research Articles

Fitness consequences of variation in social group size are not population‐specific but are associated with access to food in the communally breeding rodent, Octodon degus

AbstractStudies that concurrently investigate the functional benefits of group living in multiple populations of the same species are rare. Over a 3‐year period (2014–2016), we examined two ecologically contrasting populations to test multiple hypotheses for the adaptive significance of group living in the communally breeding rodent Octodon degus. We quantified the size of social units (number of adults, number of adult females), edible vegetation at burrow systems, and per capita offspring weaned (PCOW) in each population. Contrary to expectations, we did not observe population‐specific associations between group size and edible vegetation or PCOW nor universal benefits of group living. In one population, PCOW increased in mid‐sized groups with more edible vegetation. However, this trend was not consistent across years. Notably, we observed a complete reproductive failure in one population during the first year of study, one that was characterized by low rainfall and no detectable edible vegetation. This result is important because reproductive failure occurred regardless of group size, suggesting that communal living may not buffer degus against the harshest of environmental conditions. Examining how social organization shapes individual reproductive success under extreme variation in food availability is an important step towards understanding how populations will respond to a changing climate.

Ethnobotanical Study of Potential Food-Utilization of Shade and Undercover Vegetation in the Coffee Agroforestry Landscape, Kalibaru District, Banyuwangi Regency

Agroforestry is a cultivation system that integrates crops like coffee with various vegetation, as applied in the Kalibaru District. The local community utilizes an agroforestry system by combining shade and undercover plants that can be utilized as food. The objective of this study was to collect a diversity of edible vegetation and investigate the local utilization. Data was collected by vegetation analysis and ethnobotanical studies related to their use. The result showed that 22 species of shade plants and 22 species of undercover plants were edible. The highest use value of shade species in coffee agroforestry are Leucaena leucocephala, Musa paradisiaca, Syzygium aromaticum, Carica papaya, and Artocarpus heterophyllus. Meanwhile, the highest use values in undercover species are Capsicum frutescens, Manihot esculenta, Colocasia esculenta, and Maranta arundinacea. The highest index of cultural significance for shade species is shown in Carica papaya, Leucaena leucocephala, Parkia speciosa, and Musa paradisiaca. Meanwhile, the highest index of cultural significance for undercover species is C. frutescens, L. esculentum, P. amarylifolius, and C. longa. This area can support local food resources and serve as a means of cultural preservation.

O42 (not presented) Enhancing nourishment of land and livestock in agricultural landscapes with edible woody vegetation

O42 (not presented) Enhancing nourishment of land and livestock in agricultural landscapes with edible woody vegetation

Seasonal variations in the composition and functional profiles of gut microbiota reflect dietary changes in plateau pikas.

Seasonal variations in gut microbiota of small mammals and how they are influenced by environmental variables are relatively poorly understood. We sampled 162 wild plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) in 4 seasons over 2 and a half years and recorded the air temperature, precipitation, and nutrient content in edible vegetation at the sampling site. After conducting 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomic sequencing, we found that the highest alpha diversity, the relative abundance of Firmicutes, and the simplest co‐occurrence network occurred in winter, whereas the highest relative abundance of Proteobacteria and the most complex network structure were observed in spring. The highest relative abundance of Verrucomicrobiota and Spirochaetota was seen in summer and autumn, respectively. Air temperature, precipitation, and the contents of crude protein, crude fiber, and polysaccharide in vegetation had significant effects on the seasonal changes in gut microbiota. Diet contributed more to microbial variation than climatic factors. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the amino acid metabolism pathway and axillary activity enzymes were most abundant in summer, while abundance of carbohydrate‐binding modules and carbohydrate esterases was highest in spring. These microbial variations were related to the changes in dietary nutrition, indicating that gut microbiota of plateau pika contribute to the efficient use of food resources. This study provides new evidence of how external environmental factors affect the intestinal environment of small mammals.

Water content, carbohydrate accumulation, and secondary metabolites in Allium victorialis sprouts exposed to shoot cutting in varied irradiations

Victory onion (Allium victorialis) is an edible vegetation that has significant value as a non-structural carbohydrate and secondary metabolite supplier. Easily measured leaf variables will be useful to predict for the flexible adjustment of physiochemical parameters in a cultural regime in plant factory conditions. Red, green, and blue light-emitting diode (LED) spectra were used to culture victory onion sprouts. Compared to the green-light spectrum, the red-light spectrum promoted leaf width and area, specific leaf area, and dry mass, water content, fine root growth, and starch accumulation in shoots, but lowered concentrations of total flavonoids and saponins. Sprouts had their shoots cut, but there were limited interactive effects with light spectra on most variables. In general, shoot-cutting depressed growth of leaf morphology, shoot weight, water content, and soluble sugar content, but enhanced accumulation of secondary metabolites. We did not find any relationship between leaf variables and secondary metabolites. Instead, wider leaves with a larger area generally had greater dry mass, water content, and soluble sugar accumulation. Leaves with deeper green colours generally had the opposite effects.

Black howler monkeys adapt mental maps like humans

Ever since humans began committing their view of the world to flat slabs of rock and papyrus, we had a sense that our mental maps are laid out in much the same way, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. ‘Humans rely strongly on route-based maps’, says Miguel de Guinea, from Oxford Brookes University, UK. The internal maps used by many animals and humans are composed of well-trodden routes linking frequently visited locations, with little or no understanding of where these routes lie relative to one another. Fortunately, humans are able to supplement these rudimentary representations with knowledge of the distances we cover and direction to take occasional short-cuts. Yet many creatures negotiate far more complex environments than our 2D experience, and do so on a meagre diet, making efficient navigation a priority. Black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) comb the forests of central America in search of fruit and edible vegetation, so de Guinea, Sarie Van Belle (University of Texas at Austin, USA) and colleagues from Mexico and the UK wondered whether these resourceful primates are also capable of refining their route-based mental maps with additional knowledge to search their terrain efficiently for nourishment.However, GPS-tagging the endangered primates wasn't possible, so de Guinea and his colleagues had no choice but to visit the forests covering the Mayan ruins in Palenque National Park, Mexico, and follow the roaming animals. ‘We'd arrive at the study area where our focal group was expected to be found before sunrise’, says de Guinea, explaining that it was relatively easy to locate the troops of black howler monkeys, from 4 to 11 individuals, as they called loudly in the morning. Then de Guinea, Van Belle, field assistant Elsa Barrios and an international team of volunteers pursued the monkeys, at ground level, wherever they roved through their 50 ha domain. ‘Sometimes the monkeys decided to travel to the top of the tallest temple in the area, making us climb at a very fast pace in intense heat to reach them’, says de Guinea. On other occasions, the primates dragged the scientists across steep waterfalls. One time the monkeys encountered a 5 m gap on one of their regular routes; ‘a tree had fallen overnight’, Van Belle explains. ‘They stopped for half an hour and then travelled along the edge to reconnect with the second half of their travel path… as if they knew this was a new obstacle and they needed to consider their options on what to do next’, she laughs.After a year of tracking five black howler packs, de Guinea and Van Belle painstakingly reconstructed the monkeys’ movements as they covered 91.5 km over 250 days, repeatedly revisiting their favourite fruit trees – always approaching from a few select directions – travelling through the same sequences of trees. In contrast, when the pair simulated how the animals would move if they were roving randomly through the park, the virtual primates rarely revisited the same routes. The black howlers were clearly following mental maps of familiar routes, like humans.In addition, the researchers compared the distances covered by the foraging monkeys with the routes used by the simulated primates, and it was evident that the black howlers were able to link routes together in order to navigate between distant locations. They can supplement their simple route-based view of the world with knowledge of direction and the distances between locations to take short-cuts and manoeuvre efficiently through the ever-changing forest. ‘It was a big effort to collect such detailed and reliable data, but it was worth it to understand the fascinating cognitive skills that black howler monkeys demonstrate in the wild’, says de Guinea.

Smart Irrigation using IOT and Arduino

India is in particular an agricultural country. Agriculture is the maximum vital career for the maximum of the Indian families. It performs essential position withinside the improvement of agricultural country. In India, agriculture contributes approximately 16% of general GDP and 10% of general exports. Water is most important aid for Agriculture. Irrigation is one approach to deliver water but, in a few cases, there could be lot of water wastage. So, on this regard to shop water and time we've got proposed venture titled automated irrigation device the use of IoT the clever irrigation device is evolved to optimize water use and effective agricultural crops. The primary thing required to get desired results are Temperature, Humidity, Light depth and Water. Keeping those parameters in thoughts we have constructed a Smart irrigation device Over IOT the usage of Arduino. This device may be very green for developing edible vegetation with quality. The different vital a part of this venture is that it is completely automatic These days IOT is broadly used in lots of applications. This machine has a dispensed wi-fi community of soil-moisture and temperature sensors placed withinside the root quarter of the plants. In addition, a gateway unit handles sensor information, triggers and transmits sensors records the usage of IOT to a web utility and Android utility. A set of rules became advanced with threshold values of temperature and soil moisture that became programmed into a Arduino primarily based totally gateway to control water quantity.

Identification, collection and consumption of weeds and wild vegetables in Mexican communities: institutionalized local ancestral indigenous knowledge as ecological literacy, place and identity

This paper sets forth the idea that a critical aspect of the socialization process of Mexican communities is to maintain and carry-out traditional knowledge passed down from generations of indigenous ancestors. The relationship between Mexican communities and the land creates a window through which we can see how traditional indigenous knowledge has been institutionalized and is practiced today. Accordingly, we use the concept of an inhabited place as the macro unit of analysis. Inhabited places are considered as primary artifacts of culture as they are more than a physical space and a location. As such, inhabited places are products of human organization. Inhabited places accumulate and reflect evidence of the different people who have occupied and transformed a place making it a historical and emotive legacy. In addition, we associate the concept of inhabited places with two focal points: (a) place as a producer of food and (b) the traditional indigenous practices of collection and consumption of natural edible vegetation. Associating the concept of inhabited place along with our two focal points of production and consumption, helps us to frame ways in which our Mexican ancestral humans constructed and developed their sense of place as well as the importance of sharing a legacy of knowledge that contributed to the survival and health of humans yesterday and today. We use the term natural edible vegetation instead of wild vegetables because we recognize that the notion of wild vegetables is a conceptual term developed by today’s science disciplines and as a discrete flora category was not, per se, part of the indigenous ancestral knowledge base. As such, using the term natural edible vegetation helps us, as authors, to engage in a reflexive and comparative analysis between agricultural endeavors of yesterday and today. Thus, using ancestral knowledge as an analytical lens allows us to identify a network of relationships between humans, and localized natural edible vegetation. Specifically, analyzing cultural manifestations associated with the socialization and the relationship between survival and natural edible vegetation is a way to access the knowledge and literacy of individuals and to strengthen institutionalized ancestral knowledge that has been passed on and still in practice today.

Predation risk and competitive interactions affect foraging of an endangered refuge‐dependent herbivore

AbstractPredators can have non‐lethal effects on prey by causing animals to restrict their foraging in order to avoid predation risk. These effects can be of conservation concern when an introduced predator constrains the foraging behaviour of a threatened species, and therefore its access to resources. We examined the spatial response of foraging in endangered brush‐tailed rock‐wallabies to predation risk and food while taking into account the potentially competitive role of sympatric herbivores. We compared the occurrence (presence/absence) of rock‐wallaby faecal pellets to the availability of edible vegetation, presence of sympatric macropods and predation risk factors such as distance from refuge and presence of shelter points. Rock‐wallabies managed predation risk by foraging closer to their refuge and more often at shelter points. They foraged more where edible vegetation was higher, but only in the absence of predators and sympatric macropods, indicating that rock‐wallaby foraging is restricted by their interactions with other species. The constraints on foraging behaviour demonstrated in this study can be used to guide management strategies aimed at conserving rock‐wallaby populations.

Spiny east Mediterranean plant species flower later and in a drier season than non-spiny species

We compared the flowering phenology of spiny and non-spiny native species belonging to three families (Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae), which include the highest number of spiny species in the flora of Israel. We found that the peak of flowering (when the highest number of species flowered) was 4–8 weeks later for spiny species than for non-spiny species. The flowering peak of non-spiny species was in late March, while that of spiny species was at the beginning of May. The seasonal shift in flowering time from the main season, when most Mediterranean plants bloom, to the end of the flowering season, when fewer species bloom, might be the evolutionary result of a change in phenology reducing the competition for pollinators. Our results clearly indicate that spinescence of plants in the semi-arid east Mediterranean region is associated with a delayed flowering season at the beginning of the dry summer when most of the herbaceous vegetation is already dry. During this season, mammalian grazers consume any edible herbaceous vegetation, selecting for late flowering species that allocate more resources for anti-herbivore defenses than early flowering species. There is a well-known global geographical trend where the occurrence of spiny plants is higher in arid regions than in humid ones. In parallel to the global trend, we show a seasonal one, that non-spiny plants grow and flower in the spring, which is the main flowering season in the Mediterranean basin, while spiny plants flower later, in the hot and dry summer. Under the current trend of global warming, there are prospects of future increase in the dominance of spiny species in the Mediterranean region.

Elemental uptake by edible herbs and lettuce (Latuca sativa)

The total concentration of toxic elements (aluminum, cadmium, chromium and lead) and selected macro and micro elements (iron, manganese, copper and zinc) are reported in six leafy edible vegetation species, namely lettuce, spinach, cabbage, chards and green and red types of Amaranth herbs. Although spinach and chards had greater than 125 mv of iron, both the amaranthus herbs recorded > than 320 μ g g− 1 dry weight. In both the spinach and chard species, the Mn and Zn levels were appreciable recording > 225 μ g g− 1 and 150 μ g g− 1 dry weight, respectively. Aluminum concentrations were (in μ g g− 1 dry weight) lettuce (10), cabbage (11), spinach (167), chards (65), amaranthus green (293) and amaranthus red (233). All the micro and macro elements and the toxic elements (Ni, Cr, Cd and Pb) elements analyzed, were below the recommended maximum permitted levels (RMI) in vegetables. Further the elemental uptake and distribution of the nine elements, at three growth stages of the lettuce plant grown on soil bed under controlled conditions are detailed. In the soil, except for iron (16%), greater than 33% of the other cations were in exchangeable form. Generally in the lettuce plant, roots retained much of the iron (> 224 μ g g− 1) and aluminum (> 360 μ g g− 1), while leaves had less than 200 μ g g− 1 of iron and 165 μ g g− 1 of Al. Although the concentrations of elements marginally decreased with growth, the lettuce leaves had significant amounts of Mn (30 μ g g− 1), Zn (50 μ g g− 1) and Cu (3.6 μ g g− 1). Some presence of lead in leaves (2.0 μ g g− 1) was noticed, but all the toxic and other elements analyzed were well below the RMI values for the vegetables.

Foraging in a risky environment: a comparison of Bennett's wallabies Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) and red‐bellied pademelons Thylogale billiardierii (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) in open habitats

Abstract This study aimed to establish whether red‐bellied pademelons (Thylogale billiardierii) and Bennett's wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus) alter their foraging distribution in open habitat, in response to food availability and distance to protective shelter, the latter used as a measure of predation risk. Scat counts were used as a measure of the presence or absence of these macropods over two plantations (Russell and Dunalley). These plantations differed in both their on‐site food and shelter characteristics (the presence or absence of windrows). Logistic regression indicated that at Russell, which had low food availability but the presence of on‐site shelter, probability of scats of both species increased with the percentage cover of both edible and inedible vegetation. The probability of both pademelon and wallaby scats decreased with increasing distance from windrows, but increased with increasing distance from forest at the plantation edge. Logistic regression indicated that at Dunalley, which had high food availability but no on‐site shelter, the probability of scats of both species increased with an increase in the percentage cover of edible vegetation. In relation to predation risk, however, the two species differed in their response. Pademelons exhibited a decrease in scat probability with increasing distance from the forest at the plantation edge, while wallabies showed an increase in scat probability with distance from the forest at the plantation edge. Results indicated some differences in antipredation strategies of the two species, which may be a function of differences in body size.

Perchlorate Accumulation in Forage and Edible Vegetation

The accumulation of perchlorate in vegetation is becoming a concern, with increasing numbers of sites reporting the presence of perchlorate in groundwater and surface water. This study investigated potential perchlorate uptake and distribution by a variety of forage and edible crops in both the laboratory and the field. Perchlorate concentrations in soybean leaves grown in the greenhouse were significantly higher than perchlorate concentrations in soybean seeds and pods. Perchlorate concentrations in alfalfa grown in sand were significantly lower than those in alfalfa grown in soil. The concentration of perchlorate in tomato was lower in the fruit than the leaves. Commercially grown wheat and alfalfa samples all contained perchlorate, 0.72-8.6 mg/kg of fresh weight (FW) in the wheat stems, 0.71-4.4 mg/kg of FW in the wheat heads, and 2.9 mg/kg of FW in alfalfa. All field garden samples tested (including cucumber, cantaloupe, and tomato) that were irrigated with perchlorate-tainted water contained perchlorate at various concentrations ranging from 0.040 to 1.65 mg/kg of FW. Bioconcentration factors (BCF), ratios of plant fresh weight concentrations to estimated or measured groundwater concentrations [(microg/kg of FW)/microg/L], were all in the same order of magnitude ranging from 215 +/- 126 for wheat stems to 233 +/- 264 for wheat heads and to 380 +/- 89 for alfalfa. BCF for garden fruit samples were much lower (0.5-20). Results from this study highlight the potential for perchlorate exposure by routes other than drinking water.

Natural radioactivity and radiation exposure at the Minjingu phosphate mine in Tanzania

In this paper the results of studies on activity and ambient radiation background around the Minjingu phosphate mine in Tanzania are presented. The outdoor dose rate in air and the activity levels of samples from and outside the mine were determined by thermoluminiscent dosimeters and a gamma spectrometer system with a Hyper Pure germanium detector system respectively. The determination of activity was made for the 226Ra, 228Ra, 228Th and 40K radionuclides. High concentrations of radium-226 were observed in phosphate rock (5760±107 Bq kg-1), waste rock (4250±98 Bq kg-1), wild leaf vegetation (650±11 Bq kg-1), edible leaf vegetation (393±9 Bq kg-1), surface water (4.7±0.4 mBq l-1) and chicken feed (4±0.1 Bq kg-1) relative to selected control sites. These findings suggest a radiation health risk particularly when the samples are ingested, because the internal exposure may give rise to an effective dose exceeding 20 mSv which is the annual limit of intake of natural radionuclides recommended by the ICRP. On the other hand, the radiation dose from ambient air over five years at the phosphate mine ranges from 1375 to 1475 nGy h-1 with an average of 1415 nGy h-1. The average is about 28 times that of the global average background radiation from terrestrial sources, and about 12 times the allowed average dose limit for public exposure over five consecutive years. Future investigations on the occupancy factor, external dose rate and radon and radon progeny exposure in drinking water, buildings and activity content in the locally grown foodstuffs are proposed, for the realistic quantification of the overall exposure of workers and public at Minjingu, and remedial measures for future radiation safety.

Poisonous Plants: When They Are a Threat to Children

Poisonous Plants: When They Are a Threat to Children

Poisonous plants: when they are a threat to children.

Plant toxic to humans abound in home and yard as well as open fields and woods. Only experienced botanists and serious students of edible vegetation can distinguish safely what is edible, inedible, or simply toxic. Parents should be instructed to protect their children from truly toxic household plants and train their children never to eat a plant not provided to them by someone trustworthy as edible. If a child or an adult consumes a possibly toxic plant, the regional poison center should be contacted for identification and management instructions. As with all potential poisonings, the sooner the management is initiated, the better the outcome. Adults have been seriously poisoned by confusing a toxic plant with something that they thought was edible (eg, pokeweed root for horseradish). The pediatrician's office should be a model, with only nontoxic plants on display-no dieffenbachia, peace lily, pothos, or philodendron, for example.

Ecological Energetics of the Diara Land Ecosystem and Its Management

Ecological energetics involve energy's relationship with the ecosystem. From the standpoint of energetics, it is necessary to express biomass in terms of calories, so that the relationship between the rate of energy flow and average standing biomass can be established. Net annual energy fixation by green plants on diara land at the natural field site I (wild vegetation) was 3,408·53 Kcal m-2 y-1 and at the mixed cultivated field site II (edible vegetation with wild species) was 19,714·3 Kcal m-2 y-1. These values, measured on an area-weighted average basis, were 285·09 × 105 KJ ha-1 y-1 at site I and 5,771·16 × 105 KJ ha-1 y-1 at site II. The energy conserving efficiency was 0·13% at site I and 2·7% at site II. The ecological efficiency of the livestock community was 0·004%, and energy transfer efficiency was 0·14%. The allometric relationship between the biomass component (independent) and caloric content (dependent) was found to be highly significant with standing dead and total biomass at site I and with aboveground parts, standing dead, and total biomass at site II.

Cadmium, copper, and lead in soils and garden produce near a metal smelter at Flin Flon, Manitoba

Towns in the vicinity of base metal smelters are subject to contamination from atmospheric fallout containing heavy metals. Many smelters have been in operation for decades, and have resulted in substantial accumulation of metals in the surrounding soils. Metal contamination of edible vegetation near mines and smelters has been the source of health concerns in a number of countries. One smelter that has operated for more than half a century is located at Flin Flon, Manitoba. Many Flin Flon residents utilize home vegetable gardens year after year. However little is known regarding heavy metal contamination of locally grown garden produce. Since food can contribute as much as 90% of total body uptake of metals it is important to identify any sources which may account for the disproportionate share. The objective of the present study was to examine concentrations of cadmium, copper and lead in soils and garden produce in the vicinity of the Flin Flon smelter.

Sewage sludge as a source of environmental selenium

Information is presented on the impact of land application of municipal sewage sludge on the selenium content and speciation in soil, groundwater and edible vegetation. Sources and typical concentrations of selenium in sludge are documented. A discussion of selenium uptake by agricultural crops from sludge-amended soil includes results from greenhouse and field studies. A comparison is made with crop selenium uptake from fly ash application. The effect of sludge treatment on animal and human dietary selenium intake is quantitatively evaluated, and selenium guidelines for sludge application are summarized. The conclusion is made that future widespread use of sludge on agricultural land will result in increased selenium uptake by food crops and human dietary intake. While this may not present an increased human health risk, long-term risks are identified and recommendations are made to minimize them.

Effects of habitat quality on growth, age of first reproduction, and dispersal in Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni)

Populations of the highly social Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) were studied at two sites in south central Colorado. The sites differed in availability of water, duration of the growing season, and the diversity and quantity of edible vegetation. At the lusher site, Quartz Creek, all age- and sex classes weighed significantly more than their counterparts at the more barren site, Blue Mesa. Growth rates and overwinter survival of Quartz Creek young were higher than at Blue Mesa. Two of 5 yearling females raised litters at Quartz Creek, whereas none of 15 yearling females weaned litters at Blue Mesa. Quartz Creek females produced larger litters [Formula: see text] than Blue Mesa females [Formula: see text]. At Quartz Creek, 6 of 17 yearlings dispersed from their natal harem, but none of the 31 yearlings at Blue Mesa dispersed. Thus, in a favorable habitat, Gunnison's prairie dogs were heavier, reached sexual maturity more rapidly, and dispersed at a younger age than in a less favorable habitat. These results provide intraspecific support for Armitage's hypothesis that delayed sexual maturity and dispersal in the large-bodied, social ground squirrels is associated with the age at which immatures attain adult weight.