Changes In Environmental Factors Research Articles

Biodiversity increases resistance of grasslands against plant invasions under multiple environmental changes.

Biodiversity often helps communities resist invasion. However, it is unclear whether this diversity-invasion relationship holds true under environmental changes. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis of 1010 observations from 25 grassland studies in which plant species richness is manipulated together with one or more environmental change factors to test invasibility (measured by biomass or cover of invaders). We find that biodiversity increases resistance to invaders across various environmental conditions. However, the positive biodiversity effect on invasion resistance is strengthened under experimental warming, whereas it is weakened under experimentally imposed drought. When multiple factors are imposed simultaneously, the positive biodiversity effect is strengthened. Overall, we show that biodiversity helps grassland communities resist plant invasions under multiple environmental changes. Therefore, investment in the protection and restoration of native biodiversity is not only important for prevention of invasions under current conditions but also under continued global environmental change.

Systematics and paleobiogeography of Quaternary corals from Cabo Verde Archipelago

Abstract Although true coral reefs have seldom been reported from the fossil record of the Cabo Verde Archipelago, many single fossil corals and coral colonies can be found reworked in tsunami deposits and in raised marine terraces onshore on these islands. This study provides the first detailed survey of fossil corals from 7 of the 10 islands of the archipelago, sampled from Pleistocene marine terraces and tsunami deposits. A total of 168 scleractinian corals were analyzed and identified to genus and/or species level. Thirteen taxa from the families Acroporidae, Dendrophylliidae, Faviidae, Pocilloporidae, Poritidae, and Rhizangiidae were identified. The zooxanthellate fossil corals found on the Cape Verde Archipelago likely migrated from the Caribbean to the West African coast, while azooxanthellate species likely originated from the Indo-Pacific. Differences between present-day coral assemblages and fossil assemblages are assumed to result from changing environmental factors. Although reef-building taxa occur (e.g., Porites), extensive reef frameworks are absent.

How Parenting Style Varies Between the Sexualities and Cultures in the Aspects of Evolutionary Psychology

From the perspective of evolutionary psychology, the evolution of human parenting styles is delved into, considering various mechanisms and factors influencing it. The primary focus is placed on how these parenting styles have been changed over time and influenced by different cultures.The paper analyzes five key evolutionary mechanisms and their impact on parenting styles.The first mechanism explores how the transition from polygamous mating to normative monogamy in history increased paternal investment in offspring. The second mechanism delves into how cultural differences between Eastern and Western societies have shaped distinct parenting styles. The third evolutionary mechanism examines how different family structures have led to variations in child-rearing approaches.The fourth point discusses how the progress of women's status in society has brought about shifts in marital dynamics and parenting practices. Lastly, building upon the fourth evolutionary mechanism, the paper analyzes the relationship between the advancement of women's status, increased divorce rates, and the consequent influence on parenting styles within single-parent families.The overarching conclusion drawn from this paper is that human parenting styles, from ancient nomadic periods to contemporary societies, have evolved in response to various evolutionary mechanisms and changing environmental factors. Parenting decisions are intricately tied to specific temporal, spatial, and environmental contexts, ultimately serving the goals of reproduction and survival. Valuable insights into the evolution of parenting styles have been provided, emphasizing the importance of considering a variety of influences when studying human behavior.

Machine learning based on reinforcement learning for smart grids: Predictive analytics in renewable energy management

This paper introduces a groundbreaking approach to energy management in smart cities, leveraging deep reinforcement learning (DRL) and secured blockchain technology. The escalating demand for energy in urban areas necessitates intelligent solutions that optimize energy usage while ensuring data security and integrity. Our proposed technique integrates DRL algorithms with blockchain technology to achieve optimal energy management while addressing security concerns. The core innovation lies in the development of a DRL framework that dynamically adapts to changing energy demands and environmental factors. By continuously learning and optimizing energy allocation strategies, our approach enhances resource utilization efficiency and reduces wastage, contributing to sustainable smart city initiatives. Additionally, the incorporation of blockchain technology ensures data immutability, transparency, and secure transactions within the energy management system. We validate the effectiveness of our method through extensive simulations and real-world experiments, demonstrating significant improvements in energy efficiency, cost savings, and security compared to traditional approaches. Our research paves the way for future advancements in smart city infrastructure, offering a scalable and robust solution for optimal energy management with heightened security measures.

The stability and change of wellbeing across the lifespan: a longitudinal twin-sibling study.

Wellbeing is relatively stable over the life span. However, individuals differ in this stability and change. One explanation for these differences could be the influence of different genetic or environmental factors on wellbeing over time. To investigate causes of stability and change of wellbeing across the lifespan, we used cohort-sequential data on wellbeing from twins and their siblings of the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) (total N = 46.885, 56% females). We organized wellbeing data in multiple age groups, from childhood (age 5), to adolescence, up to old age (age 61+). Applying a longitudinal genetic simplex model, we investigated the phenotypic stability of wellbeing and continuity and change in genetic and environmental influences. Wellbeing peaked in childhood, decreased during adolescence, and stabilized during adulthood. In childhood and adolescence, around 40% of the individual differences was explained by genetic effects. The heritability decreased toward old adulthood (35-24%) and the contribution of unique environmental effects increased to 76%. Environmental innovation was found at every age, whereas genetic innovation was only observed during adolescence (10-18 years). In childhood and adulthood, the absence of genetic innovation indicates a stable underlying set of genes influencing wellbeing during these life phases. These findings provide insights into the stability and change of wellbeing and the genetic and environmental influences across the lifespan. Genetic effects were mostly stable, except in adolescence, whereas the environmental innovation at every age suggests that changing environmental factors are a source of changes in individual differences in wellbeing over time.

Effect of Transplanting Date and Harvesting Period on Bulb Production of Winter Onion (Allium cepa L.)

Climate change has brought about unpredictable temperature fluctuations and altered rainfall patterns, which directly impact onion cultivation. Adjustment in planting and harvesting schedules in the context of changing climate and environmental factors is not only academically significant but also holds practical implications for agriculture, resource management, climate adaptation, economic development, and food security in Bangladesh. The present study was carried out to observe the influence of the transplanting and harvesting time on maximizing onion production. The experiment followed a RCB design with three replications, involving the cultivation of BARI Piaz-1 as the test crop with varying transplanting dates on November 1st, November 15th, and December 1st, and harvesting periods at 120, 130, and 140 days after planting (DAP). The study's results indicated that the choice of transplanting date and harvesting period had significantly influenced onion yield and yield attributes. Improved performances, including increase in plant height, number of leaves per plant, neck diameter, bulb diameter, bulb length, bulb weight, and overall yield were observed when onions were transplanted on November 15th and harvested after 130 days from planting. The highest yields, specifically 10.32 t/ha in 2018 and 11.33 /ha in 2019, were achieved under this conditions. Conversely, the lowest yields 6.28 t/ha in 2018 and 6.70 /ha in 2019 were obtained when onions were transplanted on December 1st and harvested after 120 days from planting. Additionaly, early planting (November 1st) exhibited a higher incidence of bolting, while late planting (December 1st) showed a higher disease incidence. Therefore, optimizing transplanting dates to align with November 15th and a 130-day harvesting period proved to be the most effective strategy for maximizing onion yield and other attributes, while late planting and early harvesting adversely affected these key attributes.

HEAT STRESS IN CITRUS: A MOLECULAR FUNCTIONAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PERCEPTION

Misfortunes caused by high temperatures compel us to more readily comprehend the physiological, hormonal, and sub-atomic systems of reactions, particularly in humid and subhumid yields such as citrus organic products that are accustomed to specific conditions. Heat stress is accustomed to drought and many other environmental factors affecting Citriculture. We observe the role of Rubisco, antioxidant enzymes, HSPs, physiological changes in plasma membranes, and the role of ABA and SA under heat stress in citrus. Not-with-standing essential exploration, developing and utilizing new and well-developed citrus rootstocks is an essential element for the regulation, according to ecological circumstances. Rootstocks are essential in controlling how plants react to changing environmental factors, such as heat stress. They transfer beneficial features and increase stress tolerance, which helps citrus plants be more resilient overall. The duration of growth, yield, fruit quality, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic challenges are only a few of the characteristics of citrus horticulture that can be significantly improved using the right rootstocks. Enhancing citrus fruits' resistance to unfavorable environmental circumstances is urgently needed due to climate change. We can learn more about how different rootstocks affect the scion's capacity to withstand abiotic pressures by examining the metabolic responses caused by those rootstocks. Because of its increased antioxidant capacity, improved stomatal control, and storage of protective proteins, Carrizo citrange, for instance, demonstrates superior resilience to heat stress when compared to Cleopatra mandarin. The combined impacts of heat and drought on citrus vegetation differ from the effects of each stress alone. Specific metabolic changes are occur, which agree with findings from other plant research looking at the combined impacts of stress on physiology, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome. When using rootstocks like Sunki Maravilha mandarin under drought stress, important metabolites such as galactinol, raffinose, and SA can be enhanced in scions through grafting. On the other hand, the Cleopatra rootstock alters the metabolism of the scion, resulting in lower quantities of the amino acids galactinol, raffinose, proline, phenylalanine, and tryptophan, which could lead to undesired characteristics. These results highlight the value of continued research to solve the problems brought on by climate change and provide light on the role of rootstocks in citriculture.

Climate Change Impacts on Malaria Incidence: A 10-Year Retrospective Analysis in Luapula and Southern Zambia

This study examines the impact of climate change on the incidence of malaria in Zambia. The study focused on variations in prevalence influenced by climatic and environmental factors. This study adopted a retrospective comparative analytical approach, utilizing 157 case records from each province. The survey investigated temperature, seasonal variations, and land use activities. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore the relationships between malaria incidence and climate change. The findings revealed a high fluctuating trend of rainfall from 2010 to 2020, with an average annual rainfall of 1058.0 mm. The highest total rainfall was observed in 2017 (1434.4 mm), indicating a strong association between malaria incidence rates and rainfall, as supported by a significant p-value of 0.041. Additionally, an assessment of the annual percentage of drought area for each province showed that in 2019, Southern Province had the highest percentage of drought at 64% over the ten-year period. This resulted in a poor vegetation health index, creating unfavorable environmental conditions for mosquito larvae and leading to reduced malaria transmission in the southern region. Importantly, demographic data revealed distinct population distributions between provinces, with a significant urban-rural divide. The majority of the population in both provinces resided in rural areas, with 797,407 in Luapula Province and 1,197,751 in Southern Province. Despite southern province having a higher population distribution in rural areas, Luapula Province exhibited a higher number of malaria transmission cases over the ten-year period. These results emphasize the crucial role of climate change and local environmental factors in the dynamics of malaria transmission, highlighting the need for malaria control strategies tailored to specific regions in Zambia.

A Study of the Friction Characteristics of Rubber Thermo-Mechanical Coupling.

The friction performance of tread rubber is related to the safety of the vehicle during driving, especially in terms of shifting speeds, cornering, and changing environmental factors. The experimental design used in this paper employed a self-developed automatic multi-working-condition friction tester to investigate the correlation between the friction coefficient of three tread formulations and various factors, including speed, pressure, temperature, side deflection angle, and lateral camber. This experimental study demonstrates that the coefficient of friction decreases with increasing load and increases with increasing sliding velocities due to changes in adhesion friction. Due to the increasing and decreasing changes in rubber adhesion and hysteresis friction caused by temperature, the coefficient of friction shows a tendency to increase and then decrease with the increase in temperature; thus, temperature has an important effect on the coefficient of friction. Based on the basic theory of friction and experimental research, the Dorsch friction model was modified in terms of temperature, and the analytical relationship between the rubber friction coefficient and the combined variables of contact pressure, slip velocity, and temperature was established, which is more in line with the actual situation of rubber friction. The model predictions were compared with the experimental results, and the error accuracy was controlled within 5%. This verifies the accuracy of the model and provides a theoretical basis for the study of rubber friction.

Flocculation characteristics of suspended Mississippi River mud under variable turbulence, water and salt sources, and salinity: a laboratory study

Muddy sediment constitutes a major fraction of the suspended sediment mass carried by the Mississippi River. Thus, adequate knowledge of the transport dynamics of suspended mud in this region is critical in devising efficient management plans for coastal Louisiana. We conducted laboratory tank experiments on the sediment suspended in the lower reaches of the Mississippi River to provide insight into the flocculation behavior of the mud. In particular, we measure how the floc size distribution responds to changing environmental factors of turbulent energy, sediment concentration, and changes in base water composition and salinity during summer and winter. We also compare observations from the tank experiments to in situ observations. Turbulence shear rate, a measure of river hydrodynamic energy, was found to be the most influential factor in determining mud floc size. All flocs produced at a given shear rate could be kept in suspension down to shear rates of approximately 20 s−1. At this shear rate, flocs on the order of 150–200 μm and larger can settle out. Equilibrium floc size was not found to depend on sediment concentration; flocs larger than 100 μm formed in sediment concentrations as low as 20 mgL−1. An increase in salinity generated by adding salts to river water suspensions did not increase the flocculation rate or equilibrium size. However, the addition of water collected from the Gulf of Mexico to river-water suspensions did enhance the flocculation rate and the equilibrium sizes. We speculate that the effects of Gulf of Mexico water originate from its biomatter content rather than its ion composition. Floc sizes in the mixing tanks were comparable to those from the field for similar estimated turbulent energy. Flocs were found to break within minutes under increased turbulence but can take hours to grow under conditions of reduced shear in freshwater settings. Growth was faster with the addition of Gulf of Mexico water. Overall, the experiments provide information on how suspended mud in the lower reaches of the Mississippi might respond to changes in turbulence and salinity moving from the fluvial to marine setting through natural distributary channels or man-made diversions.

Prenatal cannabis use disorder and gastroschisis in California, 2007-19.

Gastroschisis is a congenital anomaly of the abdominal wall with an unknown aetiology. Recent trends in the prevalence of gastroschisis suggest that changing environmental or behavioural factors may contribute. We examined whether prenatal cannabis use disorder was associated with gastroschisis. The Study of Outcomes of Mothers and Infants is a population-based cohort compiled of California birth records that have been linked to Department of Health Care Access and Information hospitalization, emergency department and ambulatory surgery records. We included 2007-19 singleton live births (n = 5 774 656). Cannabis use disorder was measured by diagnosis codes at any visit during pregnancy or at birth. Gastroschisis was measured by diagnosis or surgical repair procedure codes at birth or during the first year of life. The prevalence of cannabis use disorder was about 1%. The prevalence of gastroschisis was 0.14% and 0.06% among those with and without cannabis use disorder, respectively. There were positive associations between cannabis use disorder and gastroschisis when using a multivariable model [adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0, 1.7) and a matched sample approach (aRR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.1, 2.1). The association varied by maternal age and was largest among people aged >34 years (aRR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.0, 5.8). We confirm findings of a positive association between cannabis exposure and gastroschisis and add that it is strongest when maternal age is greater than 34 years. More investigation into whether the association is causal, and why the association varies by maternal age, is encouraged.

Plant diversity and functional identity drive grassland rhizobacterial community responses after 15 years of CO2 and nitrogen enrichment

Abstract Improved understanding of bacterial community responses to multiple environmental filters over long time periods is a fundamental step to develop mechanistic explanations of plant–bacterial interactions as environmental change progresses. This is the first study to examine responses of grassland root‐associated bacterial communities to 15 years of experimental manipulations of plant species richness, functional group and factorial enrichment of atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) and soil nitrogen (+N). Across the experiment, plant species richness was the strongest predictor of rhizobacterial community composition, followed by +N, with no observed effect of eCO2. Monocultures of C3 and C4 grasses and legumes all exhibited dissimilar rhizobacterial communities within and among those groups. Functional responses were also dependent on plant functional group, where N2‐fixation genes, NO3−‐reducing genes and P‐solubilizing predicted gene abundances increased under resource‐enriched conditions for grasses, but generally declined for legumes. In diverse plots with 16 plant species, the interaction of eCO2+N altered rhizobacterial composition, while +N increased the predicted abundance of nitrogenase‐encoding genes, and eCO2+N increased the predicted abundance of bacterial P‐solubilizing genes. Synthesis: Our findings suggest that rhizobacterial community structure and function will be affected by important global environmental change factors such as eCO2, but these responses are primarily contingent on plant species richness and the selective influence of different plant functional groups.

Structure-based evaluation of the envelope domain III–nonstructural protein 1 (EDIII-NS1) fusion as a dengue virus vaccine candidate

The lack of effective medicines or vaccines, combined with climate change and other environmental factors, annually subjects a significant proportion of the world’s inhabitants to the risk of dengue virus (DENV) infection. These conditions increase the likelihood of exposure to mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever. Hence, many research approaches tend to develop efficient vaccine candidates against the dengue virus. Therefore, we used immunoinformatics and bioinformatics to design a construction for developing a candidate vaccine against dengue virus serotypes. In this study, the in silico structure, containing the non-structural protein 1 region (NS1) (consensus and epitope), the envelope domain III protein (EDIII) as the structural part of the virus construction, and the bc-loop of envelope domain II (EDII) as the neutralizing and protected epitope, were employed. We utilized in silico tools to enhance the immunogenicity and effectiveness of dengue virus vaccine candidates. Evaluations included refining and validating physicochemical characteristics, B and T-cell epitopes, homology modeling, and the three-dimensional structure to assess the designed vaccine’s quality. In silico results for tertiary structure prediction and validation revealed high-quality modeling for all vaccine constructs. Additionally, the instructed model demonstrated stability throughout molecular dynamics simulation. The results of the immune simulation suggested that the titers of IgG and IgM could be raised to desirable values following injection into in vivo models. It can be concluded that the designed construct effectively induce humoral and cellular immunity and can be proposed as effective vaccine candidate against four dengue serotypes. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Thirty Years of Climate and Land-Cover Change and its Effects on Tourism Resources in Valley of Flower National Park

This study investigates how the physical and scenic components of trekking in Vally of Flower National Park are affected by observed variations in rainfall, temperature, and land cover. The impact analysis is structured on a hazard-activity pairs method, which combines factors of environmental change (such as greater temperatures) with tourism activities (like trekking and sightseeing). The findings imply that warmer temperatures and less rain have decreased the chances of landslides, rock falls, and mountain sickness, and also enhanced the physical conditions for trekking. It is now possible to enjoy more flowers and greenery while witnessing fewer animals, waterfalls, and snow due to changes in land cover. In the short term, the melting snow may encourage “last chance tourism,” boosting travel, but over time, the disappearance of the snow and the destruction of the forest will probably lead to a decline in tourism. The research concludes that the most viable strategy for reducing losses is the efficient management of the attractions in the developing heathlands.

Factor proportions in ensuring the economic resilience of the Egyptian sugar industry

The sugar industry plays an important role in ensuring the economic and food security of Egypt. However, when elaborating plans for its development, it is not taken into account that the decisions made may affect the factor proportions that link the resource potential and production capabilities of the system, and lead to a violation of resilience. As part of our study, we consider the issues of providing resilience to the sugar industry, which enables us to focus on its ability to ensure the continuity of reproduction processes on a constant or increasing scale in the face of changing environmental factors. This article aims at presenting a toolkit for measuring how a change in factorial proportions in the sugar industry will affect the level of its economic resilience. The study proposes the use of a parametric relative break-even model to calculate break-even production conditions. In this paper, we considered factorial proportions between the three main parameters (price, cost, sales volume) that determine the relative break-even of production. We identified factors, which carry both risks and opportunities for the Resilience of the Egyptian sugar industry: changing world demand for sugar; world sugar prices adjustments; etc. The results show that the put-forward model enables to anticipate the after-effect of managerial decisions at the stage of elaborating plans for the development of the sugar producing industry in terms of their impact on resilience in altering market conjuncture.

Assessing the Influence of Climate Change and Environmental Factors on the Top Tick-Borne Diseases in the United States: A Systematic Review.

In the United States (US), tick-borne diseases (TBDs) have more than doubled in the past fifteen years and are a major contributor to the overall burden of vector-borne diseases. The most common TBDs in the US-Lyme disease, rickettsioses (including Rocky Mountain spotted fever), and anaplasmosis-have gradually shifted in recent years, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. In this systematic review, we examined climate change and other environmental factors that have influenced the epidemiology of these TBDs in the US while highlighting the opportunities for a One Health approach to mitigating their impact. We searched Medline Plus, PUBMED, and Google Scholar for studies focused on these three TBDs in the US from January 2018 to August 2023. Data selection and extraction were completed using Covidence, and the risk of bias was assessed with the ROBINS-I tool. The review included 84 papers covering multiple states across the US. We found that climate, seasonality and temporality, and land use are important environmental factors that impact the epidemiology and patterns of TBDs. The emerging trends, influenced by environmental factors, emphasize the need for region-specific research to aid in the prediction and prevention of TBDs.

Development and Optimization of a Chamber System Applied to Maize Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange Measurements

Net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) in agricultural land represents a significant source of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While there are various tools for measuring NEE in agricultural fields, the chamber method remains the sole tool at the plot scale. In this research, we evaluated the NEE of maize plants at the nodulation stage using the flow-through chamber method. Many existing flow-through chamber systems directly introduce gases, leading to collisions with plants and subsequent turbulence inside the chamber. Turbulence can extend the time required to achieve a steady state. We modified the traditional flow-through chamber design to minimize turbulence in the measurement zone. Our modifications were validated by modeling the chamber and maize plants and by conducting fluid simulation experiments. In the analysis of our comparative field measurements between the two chamber designs, the use of the improved system notably shortened the time required to reach the steady state, increased the measurement frequency, and reduced the influence of changing environmental factors on the readings. Enhancing the measurement frequency is crucial for ensuring long-term accuracy. By reducing turbulence in the chamber, we anticipate improvements in the precision of NEE measurements in agricultural research, which could significantly contribute to an accurate assessment of the global carbon cycle.

Spatial distribution and population density of submerged aquatic vegetation in Shatt Al-Arab River

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is an integral component of aquatic ecosystems and provides essential habitats and ecosystem services. This study investigated the distribution and abundance of SAV in the Shatt Al-Arab River, located in Southern Iraq, and examined its relationship with changing environmental factors. Monthly surveys were conducted at three stations from October 2015 to September 2016 to assess the percentage cover of vegetation, biomass, and the physicochemical properties of water and sediment. Three SAV species belonging to the Potamogetonaceae family have been recorded. Canonical correspondence analysis showed a negative relationship between Potamogeton perfoliatus and depth/reactive phosphorus. The abundance of plants in this area was significantly lower than that reported in previous studies. Species richness and abundance were analyzed at all stations during the same period using biodiversity indices. The analysis revealed differences in species richness between the stations. This decline in abundance was likely due to increased salinity, nutrients, and anthropogenic pressures. This study demonstrates the impact of environmental changes on ecologically important SAV and emphasizes the necessity of implementing conservation and management strategies.

Creation of a Biobank of the Sperm of the Honey Bee Drones of Different Subspecies of Apis mellifera L.

The cryopreservation of gametes and embryos is an important element of biodiversity conservation. One species in need of conservation is the honey bee Apis mellifera L. Changing environmental factors, especially the anthropogenic factor, have led to a reduction in the numbers of this insect species. In this study, we provide an example of the creation of a biobank of honey bee drone sperm. For sperm cryopreservation, drones of the most common subspecies of honey bees common in Russia were selected. These were the dark forest bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, from the Republic of Bashkortostan, with three subspecies (A. m. carnica, A. m. carpatica, and A. m. caucasica) from the southern regions of Russia, as well as two breeding stocks, the Far Eastern bee and Prioksky bee. For subspecies identification, morphometric and genetic methods were used. The subspecies of the studied samples were confirmed via the analysis of the tRNAleu-COII locus of mitochondrial DNA and nine microsatellite markers of nuclear DNA. It was shown that bees of the Prioksky breeding stock belong to the subspecies A. m. caucasica based on phylogenetic analysis, and the Far Eastern breeding stock is a stable hybrid, descending on the maternal line from the evolutionary lineage C or O. The results of the morphometric analysis are consistent with the results of the genetic analysis. For the cryopreservation of sperm, we used a cryoprotectant solution with honey. As a result, the viability of frozen–thawed sperm decreased by 20.3% compared to fresh sperm, and overall motility decreased 25-fold. The measurement of the sperm concentration in the spermatheca of artificially inseminated queens showed that it varied from 0.22 to 4.4 million/μL. Therefore, the use of honey in sperm cryopreservation has great potential.

Real-Time and Rapid Respiratory Response of the Soil Microbiome to Moisture Shifts.

Microbial response to changing environmental factors influences the fate of soil organic carbon, and drought has been shown to affect microbial metabolism and respiration. We hypothesized that the access of microbes to different carbon pools in response to dry-rewet events occurs sequentially at different rates. We amended desiccated soils with 13C-labeled glucose and measured the rates of 12CO2 and 13CO2 respiration in real time after rewetting. Using these differentiated 12CO2 and 13CO2 respiration rate soils after rewetting, we were able to deduce when microbes are accessing different pools of carbon. Immediately upon rewetting, respiration of 12CO2 occurred first, with negligible 13CO2 respiration. Appreciable metabolism and respiration of the added 13C glucose did not occur until 15 min after rewetting. We conclude that, while all carbon pools are being accessed in the first 9 h after rewetting, the rate and timing at which new and existing carbon pools are being accessed varies. Within this study, using stable isotope-labeled substrates to discern which carbon pools are metabolized first uniquely illustrates how microorganisms access different carbon pools which has implications into understanding how carbon metabolism can further affect climate, carbon sequestration, and soil health.