Variation In Growth Research Articles

Landscape of ice and fire – uniquely well-preserved Scots pine trunks reveal forest fires near the retreating Weichselian ice margin

Environmental conditions for trees that established in central Fennoscandia shortly after the final retreat of the Weichselian ice sheet remain poorly understood. In this study we examine tree rings of five well-preserved Pinus sylvestris (Scots pines) that grew in the area in front of the retreating ice sheet in northern Sweden. They became buried in flood sediments deposited by a glacial outburst flood (jökulhlaup) about 9.5–9.9 kyr cal bp and the aim of our study was to search for information regarding damage from fires and bioclimatic conditions in their ancient tree ring records. Our analysis, providing a glimpse into the local early Holocene environment in north-central Sweden, suggests that: 1, there were repeated fires (four fire events detected) during the early Holocene; and 2, bioclimatic conditions when the ancient pines were growing resembled those of modern sub-alpine pine woods. The latter is indicated by their patterns of tree ring growth (growth rate and variation), which were statistically similar to those of pines growing in sub-alpine woods with an open canopy, but different from pines in protected and managed boreal forests. Lower δ13C for the ancient latewood in comparison to pine wood from trees growing near the Scandinavian mountains before the 1850s were probably caused both by stomata fractionation due to lower atmospheric CO2 during the early Holocene and by the moist local environment created by the nearby ancient Ancylus lake, which preceded the Baltic Sea. Periods with cloudy and cold summers were also indicated by the occurrence of ‘false rings’. Finds of charred fragments of Calluna vulgaris (heather, ling), an understory shrub that can burn even with a relatively high moisture content, suggest that heath vegetation was crucial to make fire a reoccurring ecological factor in the area during the early Holocene.

Experimental warming of embryos accelerates metabolism of postnatal songbirds, influences growth, but has no effects on parental feeding and brooding rates

Abstract Here we investigate possible carryover effects of experimentally increased incubation temperatures for postnatal growth, metabolism, and parental care within and among 6 north temperate and one tropical songbird species. Increased temperatures during embryonic development consistently caused higher postnatal resting metabolism compared to control nests, among but not within the 7 species studied. The effects of the experiment on growth were species specific and depended on the morphometric considered. Size before the fledge date was positively correlated with feeding rate, and metabolism was lower in larger broods. Our experiment did not elicit changes in parental food delivery rates or brooding effort during the postnatal stage, and higher brooding effort was associated with nestlings of smaller mass and faster metabolism independently from treatment. Consequently, parental care seemed unlikely to be the cause of the differences in growth rates between treatments. Instead, physiological mechanisms triggered by our heating treatment appear to be responsible for the observed variation in growth. These intrinsic changes unmatched by adjustments in parental effort may contribute to longer-term consequences for individual quality and survival that deserve further attention.

Life-cycle modeling reveals high recovery potential of at-risk wild Chinook salmon via improved migrant survival

Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Columbia River basin are threatened by anthropogenic changes to migratory corridors, estuaries, and natal habitats. Streams provide spatially heterogeneous natal habitats essential for salmon spawning and rearing life stages. We fit a statistical state-space model to salmon populations in Idaho's Middle Fork Salmon River (MFSR) to assess spatial variation in natal productivity and population growth. Our model integrated multiple long-term data sets to estimate variation in per-capita smolt production and smolt-to-adult (SAR) survival. Smolt production varied across stream segments, averaging 104.48 female smolts per spawning female, while SARs averaged 0.74%. Chinook salmon population growth rates exceeded replacement in 17% of segments (4 of 23). By increasing SARs to 1.8% (near the lower bound of Columbia River basin recovery targets), we predict that all 23 MFSR segments will yield positive population growth rates at contemporary (very low) spawner densities. Our analysis suggests that for Snake River basin populations within high-quality natal habitats, SAR improvements will elevate salmon population growth rates and enhance restoration of at-risk wild Chinook salmon.

Orderly arranged three-dimensional porous S/Ti3C2/NC potassiphilic scaffold enabling dendrite-free K metal deposition for potassium metal batteries

Potassium (K) metal battery is a promising future electrochemical energy storage system owing to the low electrochemical potential, high theoretical specific capacity, and inexhaustible K resources. However, the K metal anodes prematurely defeat due to the inescapable dendrites growth and volume variation, which severely hindered the practical application of K metal battery. To tackle these issues, we propose a S-modified Ti3C2-chitosan aerogel (S-TNC) with orderly arranged 3D porous structure and high potassiphilicity to construct K metal anode (S-TNC@K) by molten infusing with K metal. S-TNC scaffold buffers the internal volume variation via large porous voids during the plating/stripping, and accelerates electron/ion transport by interconnected conductive skeleton, inducing uniform K deposition. The monodispersed S and N sites in S-TNC improve the potassiphilicity of scaffold, reducing K nucleation barrier and inhibiting K dendrites growth. Benefiting from the above outstanding properties of S-TNC scaffold, the S-TNC@K//PTCDA full battery realizes excellent cycling stability with a boosted specific capacity of 90.2 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at 1 C. This work solves the dendrites growth and volume variation problems in K metal batteries, which laid foundation for the further development of K metal battery.

Volatility in Home Sales and Prices: Supply or Demand?

We use a housing search model and data on individual home listings to decompose short-run fluctuations in home sales and price growth into supply or demand factors, defined as the number of new sellers and buyers entering the housing market, respectively. We find that fluctuations in the number of buyers demanding homes explain much more of the variation in home sales and price growth than do fluctuations in the supply of homes for sale. In our preferred paramaterization, fluctuations in demand explain essentially all of the variation in home sales, and most of the variation in prices. We consider two implications of these results. First, we show that reduction of supply was a minor factor relative to an increased number of buyers in the tightening of housing markets during COVID-19. New for-sale listings would have had to expand 30 percent to keep the rate of price growth at pre-pandemic levels given the pandemic-era surge in demand. Second, we estimate that the number of buyers demanding homes is very sensitive to changes in mortgage rates, even more so than comparable estimates for home sales, suggesting that policies that affect housing demand through mortgage rates can influence housing market dynamics.

Investigation of the growth and phytochemical variations for different Salvia species in terms of their transfer and adaptation in Iran

More than 1000 species of Salvia genus are reported all over the world, some of which have high pharmaceutical values for use in food-pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In order to domesticate and breed some endemic Salvia species of Iran, the seeds of 14 species were collected from North, West, Central, and Northeast of Iran, in an altitude ranging from 580 m to 2269 m. To evaluate the diversity of the studied Salvia species without environmental influences, the seeds of the collected species were planted under similar environmental and soil conditions. At flowering stage, the morphological and essential oil content of the grown plants were determined. The assayed species were phenotypically diverse, and there were considerable variations among the species in terms of plant growth and flower characteristics. Furthermore, significant differences were observed among the studied species regarding the quantity of essential oil. The mean essential oil content and yield of different Salvia species were 0.06–1.24% v/w and 0.02–0.19 g per plant, respectively. Among the species, Salvia officinalis and Salvia sclarea showed the highest essential oil content and yield, respectively. Correlation analysis showed a weak relationship between the morphological characteristics and essential oil content. Moreover, the results of Principal Compound Analysis (PCA) based on the assayed traits were partially accordance with the species categorizing by Hierarchical Custer Analysis (HCA). Generally according to the obtained results, Salvia sclarea, Salvia reuterana, Salvia officinalis, and Salvia spinosa can be suggested for further domestication and breeding programs.

Using intraspecific molecular and phenotypic variation to promote multi-functionality of reforestation during climate change – A review of tropical forest case studies in South-east Asia

Abstract The study of intraspecific genetic variation in plant traits for use in tropical forest restoration has broad potential for increasing our ability to achieve multi-functional objectives during this era of climate change. Developing seed-sourcing guidelines that optimize phenotypic characteristics best suited to a particular planting site as well as to future conditions imposed by environmental change could be useful for effective reforestation. Because evolution operates differently across tree species, this is an especially cumbersome task in tropical forests that contain thousands of species. Partially due to this high plant diversity, research and application of intraspecific variation in genetics, plant traits, and plant function in tropical forests wane far behind less diverse forest biomes. To examine the potential for improving reforestation efforts in tropical forests by considering intraspecific variation in plant traits and functions, we review the state of knowledge on intraspecific variation in South-east Asia as a case study. We focus on the dipterocarp family ( Dipterocarpaceae ), a highly diverse family of 16 genera with approximately 695 known species that often dominate lowland tropical rainforests of South-east Asia with many of these forests in a degraded state and in need of restoration. We found that there is research accumulating to understand genetic variation in approximately 10% of these 695 species. Intraspecific molecular variation exists at different spatial scales among species with 74% of species having moderate to high population differentiation (Fst > 0.10) and 92% of species with evidence of fine-scale genetic structure. Although this suggests a high potential for trait variation, few studies associated molecular with phenotypic variation. Seventeen tree species across 11 studies revealed intraspecific variation in traits or functions. Research indicates that intraspecific variation in growth may vary two-fold and drought tolerance four-fold among genotypes highlighting the possibility to pre-adapt trees to climate change during reforestation and to use intraspecific variation to promote the use of native species in commercial forestry. Our review presents opportunities and ideas for developing seed-sourcing guidelines to take advantage of intraspecific variation in traits and function by identifying how to locate this variation, which species would benefit, and how to test for trait variation. We also highlight an emerging area of research on local adaptation, common garden studies, and adaptive drought conditioning to improve reforestation during climate change.

Otolith biochronology for the long-term reconstruction of growth and stock dynamics of fish

Long-term biological time series are essential to evaluate previous responses of organisms to alterations in the environment. Biochronological methods based on archival fish otoliths allow setting such time series, but their predictive potential as proxies of past environmental conditions is still underexploited. In this study, we reconstructed growth variation in European sprat (Sprattus sprattus) in the Baltic Sea from 1956 to 2020 based on measurements of the archived otoliths. We used otolith annual increment widths as a proxy of fish somatic growth. We showed significant negative relationships between sprat growth and sprat spawning stock biomass (SSB) associated with strong intraspecific competition for limited food resources. We also identified a link between sprat growth and water salinity—indicator of the ecosystem's hydrological situation. For the first time, we estimated the SSB prior to the period of available historical data based on the otolith-derived information on the past growth variation. This estimation was based on the strong relationships between SSB and fish growth, complemented with temperature and salinity variables as predictors (R2 = 0.62). A model trained on at least 40 years of data from the more recent past allows us to robustly back-estimate SSB. This study provides new multidecadal data, giving insights into environmental factors affecting the growth of Baltic sprat, and demonstrates the potential of otolith-based biochronology for the provisioning of independent indices of the historical fish stock size. The proposed methodological approach broadens the portfolio of possible applications of the biochronology time series to indicate past changes in the aquatic environment.Graphical abstract

Different stocking density on growth and survival rate of tilapia seeds (Oreochromis niloticus)

Stocking density is one aspect of cultivation that needs to be known because it affects the growth rate and survival rate that determines the level of production. High stocking density will result in competition in getting feed and space, resulting in growth variations. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of stocking density on growth and survival of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) seeds. The observation method was carried out experimentally with the treatments given in this observation: treatment P1 = 100 head stocking density; P2= 200 head stocking density; p3 = 300 head stocking density. The results showed that different densities resulted in different growth and survival rates, treatment 1 had an SGR value of 5.58% and an SR of 94%; Treatment 2 obtained an SGR value of 4.96% with an SR value of 88% and the lowest results were obtained in treatment 3 with an SGR value of only 2.02%/day and an SR of 83%. Water quality at the time of maintenance showed optimum results with a temperature range between 27-29°C, pH around 6.9-7.7 and DO around 3-5 Mg/l

It takes a village to grow a tree: Most tree species benefit from dissimilar neighbors.

Scientific consensus is that diverse tree species positively impact forest productivity, especially when species are functionally dissimilar. Under the complementarity hypothesis, differences in species traits reduce competition among neighboring tree species. However, while this relationship has been extensively studied at the community level, there is a lack of understanding regarding how individuals of different species specifically respond to a functionally dissimilar neighborhood. In this study, we used permanent plots from Quebec, Canada, and 19 focal tree species to test whether: (1) tree growth response to neighborhood dissimilarity varies with their identity and competition intensity, and (2) focal tree species' traits explain their response to neighborhood dissimilarity. We demonstrate that: tree growth is primarily influenced by competition, species identity, and their interactions, but that dissimilarity, alone and in interaction with the main drivers of tree growth, explains an additional 1.8% of the variation in species growth. Within this context, (1) most species' respond positively to neighborhood dissimilarity, with magnitude being species and competition dependent, and (2) focal tree traits partly explain these dependencies, with shade-intolerant species benefiting most from dissimilar neighbors under high competition. Our study provides empirical support for the complementarity hypothesis, emphasizing the small but consistent positive effect of functional dissimilarity on tree growth in local neighborhoods. Our findings identify the species with the highest potential of benefiting from dissimilar neighbors but also demonstrate that the positive effect of neighborhood dissimilarity is not limited to a select few species with specific traits; rather, it is observed across a diverse range of species. The cumulative growth responses of individuals to functionally dissimilar neighbors may help explain the commonly observed higher productivity in more diverse communities.

“Three-strip management”: introducing a novel mowing method in perennial flower strips and grass margins to increase habitat complexity and attractiveness for pollinators

Flower margins are widely adopted as agri-environment measure (AEM) to enhance farmland biodiversity. However, perennial flower margins need appropriate mowing schemes to manage succession, especially in regions with high nitrogen depositions, and current schemes inadequately address the needs of arthropods, including pollinators. Effective management should provide floral diversity with staggered flowering times, creating varied sward structures for diverse habitats that support shelter, nesting, and mating sites. To address these challenges, a novel mowing method, called 'Three-strip management,' is proposed. This method involves dividing the margin into three strips using curved instead of straight mowing lines. During each cycle, one third remains unmown for shelter, while clippings are removed to lower soil nutrient status and reduce succession. The use of overlapping curved mowing lines aims to maximize variety in patterns, fostering spatio-temporal variation in the (re)growth of perennials and swards. Unlike Regular rotational management, multiple uneven parts are kept unmown over winter, increasing the number of subzones in different mown states over successive years. In this study, field trials comparing Three-strip management with Regular rotational management reveal positive effects especially during the second year, including higher bee abundance and diversity. Plant-pollinator networks also demonstrate increased interactions. While the study focuses on bees, the potential of the Three-strip management to support other beneficial insects is discussed. Given declining insect populations in agricultural landscapes, this paper offers insights into enhancing perennial flower margins as AEM to support pollinator populations. The novel Three-strip management presents a promising strategy for balancing management needs with diverse insect requirements, contributing to sustainable biodiversity conservation in agricultural settings.

A microecological research reveals seasonal variation in rhizosphere-endophytic bacteria and growth and development of Codonopsis pilosula root

Codonopsis pilosula is a medicinal and edible plant. Its chemical composition and pharmacological effects have been extensively studied. However, temporal, especially seasonal variabilities of bacterial composition driving nutrient cycling are poorly understood in rhizosphere and endosphere of C. pilosula. This study aimed to investigate the relationships and distinctions among soil physicochemical characteristics, microbial diversity, and functions of C. pilosula under different seasonal conditions in Longxi, China, and how these factors influenced C. pilosula growth. Physicochemical characteristics, enzymatic activities, growth state and metabolite analysis of C. pilosula in the soil were conducted using multispectral techniques. High-throughput sequencing methods were employed to analyze the alpha- and beta-diversity of rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial communities. Seasonal changes (P < 0.05) significantly influenced physiological indicators, bacterial diversity, community structure, and ecological niche breadth of C. pilosula, which were affected by environmental variables and soil enzymes. The neutral community model indicated that stochasticity played a substantial role in bacterial community development in rhizosphere soil. Furthermore, the microbial diversity was influenced by the soil's electrical conductivity, urease, and catalase activities, as well as phosphorus and potassium concentrations. Seasonal fluctuations significantly impacted the growth, development, metabolite content, and stress resistance indicators, such as antioxidant enzymes, in C. pilosula. By analyzing the temporal characteristics between plant and soil indicators, this study provides insights into regulating environmental factors during C. pilosula growth to enhance its yield and quality.Main conclusion Both rhizosphere soil physicochemical factors and bacterial diversity indices showed strong correlations. Phylogenetic and taxonomic differences existed between rhizosphere and bulk soil bacterial communities of Codonopsis pilosula in different seasons.

Cattle manure hydrochar posed a higher efficiency in elevating tomato productivity and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions than plant straw hydrochar in a coastal soil

Rehabilitation of degraded soil health using high-performance and sustainable measures are urgently required for restoring soil primary productivity and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of coastal ecosystems. However, the effect of livestock manure derived hydrochar on GHG emission and plant productivity in the coastal salt-affected soils, one of blue carbon (C) ecosystems, was poorly understood. Therefore, a cattle manure hydrochar (CHC) produced at 220 °C was prepared to explore its effects and mechanisms on CH4 and N2O emissions and tomato growth and fruit quality in a coastal soil in comparison with corresponding hydrochars derived from plant straws, i.e., sesbania straw hydrochars (SHC) and reed straw hydrochars (RHC) using a 63-day soil column experiment. The results showed that CHC posed a greater efficiency in reducing the global warming potential (GWP, 54.6 % (36.7 g/m2) vs. 45.5–45.6 % (22.2–30.6 g/m2)) than those of RHC and SHC. For the plant growth, three hydrochars at 3 % (w/w) significantly increased dry biomass of tomato shoot and fruit by 12.4–49.5 % and 48.6–165 %, respectively. Moreover, CHC showed the highest promotion effect on shoot and fruit dry biomass of tomato, followed by SHC ≈ RHC. Application of SHC, CHC and RHC significantly elevated the tomato sweetness compared with CK, with the order of CHC (54.4 %) > RHC (35.6 %) > SHC (22.1 %). Structural equation models revealed that CHC-depressed denitrification and methanogen mainly contributed to decreased GHG emissions. Increased soil phosphorus availability due to labile phosphorus supply from CHC dominantly accounted for elevated tomato growth and fruit production. Comparably, SHC-altered soil properties (e.g., decreased pH and increased total carbon content) determined variations of GHG emission and tomato growth. The findings provide the high-performance strategies to enhance soil primary productivity and mitigate GHG emissions in the blue C ecosystems.

Cisco population characteristics in Wisconsin lakes in relation to lake‐ and landscape‐level factors

AbstractObjectiveDeclines in Cisco Coregonus artedi populations in some inland lakes have prompted assessments of Cisco occurrence and extirpation risk in relation to various stressors to identify refuge lakes and factors that promote Cisco persistence. However, most previous assessments have focused on presence–absence of Cisco rather than examining how population characteristics, such as relative abundance or growth, might change in relation to lake‐ and landscape‐level environmental factors. Consequently, our specific objectives were to identify important environmental factors explaining variation in Cisco relative abundance and growth and to determine whether population metrics describing size and age distributions were related to relative abundance in Wisconsin inland lakes.MethodsCisco were collected from 48 inland Wisconsin lakes during 2011–2015 using vertical monofilament gill nets and population‐specific relative abundance estimates (catch per unit effort [CPUE]) were quantified as the number of individuals per gill‐net night. Sagittal otoliths were removed from a subsample of Cisco for age estimation and growth was indexed as mean total length (TL; mm) at age 2. Length and age data were used to develop a suite of metrics describing size and age distributions of each population. Random forest models were used to evaluate relationships between 10 biologically relevant predictor variables representing variation in physical, climatic, catchment, and limnological characteristics and Cisco CPUE and growth. Pearson correlations were used to determine whether population characteristics were related to CPUE.ResultCisco populations exhibited large variation in relative abundance, growth, and size and age distributions. Best‐fit random forest models explained approximately 25% of the variation in Cisco CPUE and 46% of the variation in growth. Growing degree‐days and variables associated with availability, quality, and quantity of suitable oxythermal conditions were identified as important predictors of both Cisco CPUE and growth; CPUE was also identified as an important predictor of growth. Mean TL and mean TL at age 2 were negatively related to Cisco CPUE, whereas mean age, number of age‐classes present, and maximum observed age were positively related to CPUE.ConclusionOur results suggest that maintenance of suitable oxythermal habitat conditions may be critical to conserving abundant Cisco populations. Our assessment also provides insights on how Cisco populations may respond to environmental and anthropogenic stressors, which could aid ongoing and future conservation and management efforts in Wisconsin and elsewhere.

Uncovering epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of growth in Douglas-fir: identification of differential methylation regions in mega-sized introns.

Tree growth performance can be partly explained by genetics, while a large proportion of growth variation is thought to be controlled by environmental factors. However, to what extent DNA methylation, a stable epigenetic modification, contributes to phenotypic plasticity in the growth performance of long-lived trees remains unclear. In this study, a comparative analysis of targeted DNA genotyping, DNA methylation and mRNAseq profiling for needles of 44-year-old Douglas-fir trees (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) having contrasting growth characteristics was performed. In total, we identified 195 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 115 differentially methylated loci (DML) that are associated with genes involved in fitness-related processes such as growth, stress management, plant development and energy resources. Interestingly, all four intronic DML were identified in mega-sized (between 100 and 180 kbp in length) and highly expressed genes, suggesting specialized regulation mechanisms of these long intron genes in gymnosperms. DNA repetitive sequences mainly comprising long-terminal repeats of retroelements are involved in growth-associated DNA methylation regulation (both hyper- and hypomethylation) of 99 DML (86.1% of total DML). Furthermore, nearly 14% of the DML was not tagged by single nucleotide polymorphisms, suggesting a unique contribution of the epigenetic variation in tree growth.

Virtual Banking and Growth of Customer Base of Commercial Banks in Nairobi City County, Kenya

This study sought to examine the influence of virtual banking which uses internet as a means of communication to deliver banking services on the growth of customer base of commercial banks with specific focus on Nairobi County, Kenya. The objective of the study was determining how adaptability of virtual banking; establish affordability of virtual banking; assess accessibility to virtual banking and determine the moderating effects of adaptability, affordability, and accessibility on customer base growth of commercial banks in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study showed how adaptability, affordability, and accessibility of virtual banking influence customer base growth. This study was anchored on three key theories, Innovation Diffusion theory, Theory of Planned Behaviour and Technology Acceptance model. The study adopted descriptive survey research design and use stratified random sampling. The target population was 84 management staff, 120 Tellers, 150 retail customers, 100 corporate customers and 50 System Administrators from Tier I, II and III commercial banks in Nairobi County. The sample size comprised of 36 management staff, 51 Tellers, 64 retail customers, 43 corporate customers and 21 System Administrators. Responses were received from 200 respondents which translates to 91.7% response rate. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the primary research data through drop and pick later data collection procedure. Data was cleaned before being entered for analysis with the help of SPSS-26. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and presented inform of tables and figures. This enabled the researcher to determine the contribution made by the independent variables on the dependent. Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.733 shows that virtual banking accessibility had a positive significant correlation with growth of customer base (r = 0.733, p &lt; 0.05); virtual bank adaptability (r = 0.755, p &lt; 0.05); virtual bank affordability (r = 0.895, p &lt; 0.05); internet (r = 0.572, p &gt; 0.05). The overall R2= 0.834 indicates that 83.4 percent of the variation in growth of customer base was explained by the independent variables while 16.6 % variation in the dependent variable is explained by other factors that were not included in current study. The study recommends for a review on the cost of online transactions so as encourage more customers to use the virtual banking platforms. There is need also to enhance network coverage in the country and especially in the remote places.

Integrated multi-omics analyses and genome-wide association studies reveal prime candidate genes of metabolic and vegetative growth variation in canola.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified thousands of genetic loci associated with complex plant traits, including many traits of agronomical importance. However, functional interpretation of GWAS results remains challenging because of large candidate regions due to linkage disequilibrium. High-throughput omics technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics open new avenues for integrative systems biological analyses and help to nominate systems information supported (prime) candidate genes. In the present study, we capitalise on a diverse canola population with 477 spring-type lines which was previously analysed by high-throughput phenotyping of growth-related traits and by RNA sequencing and metabolite profiling for multi-omics-based hybrid performance prediction. We deepened the phenotypic data analysis, now providing 123 time-resolved image-based traits, to gain insight into the complex relations during early vegetative growth and reanalysed the transcriptome data based on the latest Darmor-bzh v10 genome assembly. Genome-wide association testing revealed 61 298 robust quantitative trait loci (QTL) including 187 metabolite QTL, 56814 expression QTL and 4297 phenotypic QTL, many clustered in pronounced hotspots. Combining information about QTL colocalisation across omics layers and correlations between omics features allowed us to discover prime candidate genes for metabolic and vegetative growth variation. Prioritised candidate genes for early biomass accumulation include A06p05760.1_BnaDAR (PIAL1), A10p16280.1_BnaDAR, C07p48260.1_BnaDAR (PRL1) and C07p48510.1_BnaDAR (CLPR4). Moreover, we observed unequal effects of the Brassica A and C subgenomes on early biomass production.

Integrated Macroeconomic Variables and Financial Growth of the Real Estate Sector in Kenya

The real estate sector has been growing over the years because of major infrastructural developments and high population growth in Kenya. However, the sector has been facing some challenges that have been affecting its growth. This research aimed to assess how macroeconomic factors influence Kenya’s real estate financial success. The research primarily focused on determining inflation, interest rates, exchange rates’ impact and economic growth on Kenya’s real estate sector. The study was underpinned by demand-pull inflation theory, the classical/neo classical theory for interest rates, the classical growth theory and purchasing power parity. The study employed causal research design and targeted three main Kenyan real estate developers in Kenya; Cytonn Investments, Hass Consult, and Knight Frank. In light of the small target population, a census approach was used and the research employed secondary data. As a result, secondary data from the property developers’ yearly market reports from 2016 to 2022 was gathered. Pearson’s correlation and panel data analysis methods were also employed. The findings revealed that the relationship between inflation, interest rates, exchange rates and economic growth revealed R-squared value of 0.8057, implying that the macroeconomic variables explains around 81% of the variation in financial growth within the real estate sector. The study also found that inflation had positive and significant effect on financial growth (β =0.0045187, p=.048&lt;.05), interest rate had positive and significant effect on financial growth (β =0.044177, p=.011&lt;.05), exchange rate had negative but insignificant effect on financial growth (β =-0.0178337, p=0.227&gt;.05), economic growth had positive and significant effect on financial growth (β =0.0980943, p=0.007&lt;.05). The study recommends that financial institutions, policy makers, and developers should implement measures to mitigate the adverse effects of high inflation on the real estate sector. Keywords: Inflation, Interest rates, Exchange rates, Economic growth, Macroeconomics factor.

Bioremediation of Cr(VI) using indigenous bacterial strains isolated from a common industrial effluent treatment plant in Vishakhapatnam

Abstract The present study focuses on removing hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) using indigenous metal-resistant bacterial strains isolated from a common industrial effluent treatment plant, a contaminated site in Vishakhapatnam. Three high metal-resistant isolates were screened by growing them in nutrient agar media containing different Cr(VI) concentrations for 24 h at 35 ± 2 °C. The three strains’ minimum inhibitory concentrations of Cr(VI) were examined at neutral pH and 35 ± 2 °C temperature. Morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterizations were carried out, and the strains were identified as Bacillus subtilis NITSP1, Rhizobium pusense NITSP2, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa NITSP3. Elemental composition and functional group analysis of the native and metal-loaded cells were done using energy-dispersive spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The operating conditions were optimized using a one-factor-at-a-time analysis. When compared with three bacterial isolates, maximum Cr(VI) removal (80.194 ± 4.0%) was observed with Bacillus subtilis NITSP1 with an initial Cr(VI) concentration of 60 mg/L, pH 7.0, an inoculum size of 2% (v/v), and an incubation period of 24 h. The logistic model was used to predict the variation of biomass growth with time. The present study can be extended to remove heavy metals from industrial wastewater in an environmental-friendly manner.

Correlation between &lt;em&gt;Phragmites australis&lt;/em&gt; growth and seasonal lake level variations in Lake Maggiore (Italy/Switzerland): common reed management guidelines

The present study investigates the impact of water level regulation on the growth of common reed (Phragmites australis), a globally widespread helophytic plant. The investigation has been carried out in the Bolle di Magadino (municipalities of Locarno, Gambarogno, Gordola and Tenero; Ticino, Switzerland), a lacustrine-riparian nature reserve in the context of the Lake Maggiore (that stretches between Italy and Switzerland). This is an oligotrophic, artificially regulated lake. Our initial hypothesis was that variation in water table regulation is the most influential factor for explaining observed local reed dieback. To test this, culm height of P. australis was measured at each significant change in lake water level (water table height increase greater than 20 cm), or monthly in the case of a relatively constant lake level. The study took place between 2020 and 2022, monitoring 14 plots of 400 m2, placed at three different relative elevation classes with respect to the level of the lake (5 plots at low elevation, &lt;193.475 m; 7 plots at intermediate elevation, 193.476-193.700 m; 2 plots at high elevation, &gt;193.701 m). The results showed that P. australis growth is significantly influenced by the lake water level and thus the relative elevation of the stands, with lower lake levels leading to better growth, especially during the early phases of the growing season. On the other hand, prolonged flooding of shoots significantly impaired common reed growth. The study identifies two relevant relative elevation thresholds for winter mowing, a management practice that enhances reedbeds health. Mowing below 193.20 m elevation is considered risky, as no healthy reedbeds have been observed below this threshold. Mowing below an elevation of 193.50 m was defined as possibly risky, due to observed dieback in some areas as well as healthy reedbeds in other locations at the same or lower elevations. The research also discussed the potential impact of future changes in water level regulation, including the planned change in the spring regulation threshold (+1.50 m above the hydrometric zero in Sesto Calende). This is expected to result in a further rearrangement in lacustrine vegetation, with the growth optimum for P. australis becoming higher and an increase in clumping habit. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the impact of water level regulation on the growth of P. australis in the Bolle di Magadino nature reserve. The research highlights the need for careful management of water level regulation to preserve the reedbed ecosystem and identifies relevant elevation thresholds for winter mowing to mitigate the risks of reed dieback. The findings can inform future management strategies for the Bolle di Magadino reserve and other similar ecosystems facing the challenges of artificial regulation of water levels.