Life Forms Research Articles

New Materialist Freedom in Chloé Zhao's Nomadland

In Chloé Zhao's 2020 film Nomadland, Fern's commitment to eschewing a geolocalizable “home” uproots her from conventional patterns of domesticity and transforms her into an inhabitant of planet earth as a whole, enabling a new way of thinking about identity, environment, and the nature of human freedom. The kind of freedom that Fern's narrative evokes stands in deliberate contrast to the masculinized, heroic style of freedom that American films have done so much to promulgate. In contrast to this conventional representation of freedom, new materialist criticism has examined the many ways that human agency emerges from within a dense web of interconnections that bind together human beings with one another, with other life forms, with inanimate matter, and with the cosmic expanses of time and space. Nomadland can be understood as a film that picks up the iconography of conventional American cinematic freedom in order to redirect this iconography into a new materialist worldview.

Hesperis sivasica (Brassicaceae), A new crucifer species from inner Anatolia

Hesperis sivasica, from the Kangal district of Sivas Province in inner Anatolia (Türkiye), is described as a new species based on morphological and molecular evidence. Although it is not morphologically closely related to the known species of Hesperis, it resembles H. kotschyi in trichome types but differs from it in pedicel, flowers, and fruit characteristics. In molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the Nuclear-encoded ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, H. sivasica belongs to the same clade as H. bottae and H. thyrsoidea, but it is easily distinguishable from both species based on life form, trichome types, flowers, and fruit characters. Diagnostic morphological characters, full description, SEM microphotographs, and detailed field photographs are provided. Remarks on the new species' habitat, ecology, phenology, distribution, and conservation status are also given.

A Plural Nomos: Law, Life, and Knowledge

AbstractEven in its limited state-based form, human law owes its existence to the natural physical world with its self-created value systems. What is understood as human law is grounded in human-nonhuman entanglements, themselves a subset of a multi-dimensional natural nomos consisting of the intricately connected normative worlds of animals, plants, earth, and cosmos. Complex and intersecting plural normative fields include those associated with the nonliving world, the multiple ontological worlds produced by life forms, and the many strata of human becoming – cultural, cognitive, social, and representational. As plural the nomos contains many irreducible dimensions. Normative fields intersect, hybridise, and clash; they can mutually strengthen and also negate other normativities. In this article, I set out and explore some dimensions of the plural nomos with a focus on living beings, notably the connectedness of being, knowing and normativity. The living nomos co-emerges with being and with the embodied knowledge of even the simplest forms of life. Life is both cognitive and normative; living beings inherit ancestral norms but, in living and adapting, life creates new norms, biological, cultural, and behavioural. The living-knowing being is always normative – produced by the norming processes and constraints of life and matter at large. Normative elements are a critical part of the ontological and epistemological embeddedness of human beings in more than human worlds. Before law (or knowledge) can be about life, it is also of or from life. Expanding the analytical frame of law in this way is one method by which we might reshape western narratives of law, with the aims of promoting better openness to First Nations laws, discouraging western cultural superiority and human exceptionalism, and moving toward a more eco-sensitive view of the continuity between human law-culture-society and the natural world.

Commemoration of the Dead in the Context of Alternative Spirituality: Collective and Solitary Rituals

The ritualised commemoration of the deceased belongs to the most common forms of communication with the dead. The meaning that people ascribe to a religious commemoration ritual is determined by a concrete religious doctrine, although it can be influenced by a broader cultural tradition. However, in the context of alternative spiritual currents, there can be many possible interpretations of communication with the dead, as there is no “official” doctrine supported by established institutions. In addition, alternative spirituality is marked by the emphasis on individuality, which results in the predominance of solitary practice. Yet, in various contexts, the tension between individuality and community can be manifested in different forms of ritualised behaviour, ranging from strictly private performances to prescribed group rituals. The paper addresses different levels of individual and collective practice in the context of alternative spirituality in Slovakia, a post-socialist country with a predominantly Christian, mostly Catholic, population. It makes use of the theoretical tools of Mary Douglas’ theory relating to the connection between cosmological beliefs and particular forms of social life. Rituals and ritualised behaviour are considered in the case of the triduum of All Saints’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. The results of ethnographic research on spiritual circles operating in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, have shown that these holidays are perceived and practiced differently by people with different religious or spiritual affiliation. The individual interpretation and the degree of associated ritualised behaviour depend on personal background, as well as the social organisation of a circle to which a practitioner belongs.

Emergent ribozyme behaviors in oxychlorine brines indicate a unique niche for molecular evolution on Mars

Mars is a particularly attractive candidate among known astronomical objects to potentially host life. Results from space exploration missions have provided insights into Martian geochemistry that indicate oxychlorine species, particularly perchlorate, are ubiquitous features of the Martian geochemical landscape. Perchlorate presents potential obstacles for known forms of life due to its toxicity. However, it can also provide potential benefits, such as producing brines by deliquescence, like those thought to exist on present-day Mars. Here we show perchlorate brines support folding and catalysis of functional RNAs, while inactivating representative protein enzymes. Additionally, we show perchlorate and other oxychlorine species enable ribozyme functions, including homeostasis-like regulatory behavior and ribozyme-catalyzed chlorination of organic molecules. We suggest nucleic acids are uniquely well-suited to hypersaline Martian environments. Furthermore, Martian near- or subsurface oxychlorine brines, and brines found in potential lifeforms, could provide a unique niche for biomolecular evolution.

Ghost in My Pocket: Tamagotchi Media Archaeology

The Tamagotchi device, which became one of the symbols of the 90s, is extremely interesting for media archaeology for at least three reasons. Firstly, in conditions of relative freedom of technology perception standards, large companies were not afraid to take risks by offering items to the market that were provocative and experimental, both in technological and social dimensions. Secondly, in the case of the Tamagotchi, an object was proposed that, through its activity, was meant not just to communicate or enable something but to introduce "noises"—various deviations and distortions into the structures of experience normalized by everyday life, producing hybridity and spontaneity, claiming an impossible transformation of a stable order. Thirdly, interaction with the Tamagotchi was not a game and, moreover, not a utilitarian practice. A new model of interaction with technology was designated—as with a living being, with its needs, cycles, stimuli, and possible responses to interaction. Individuals correlated themselves with these cycles, finding themselves in the sphere of influence of Tamagotchi's attraction—not as users or owners, not as players or hosts, but as caring and contemplative individuals, as someone who were deeply involved in the growth and development of another life—the formation of an autonomous presence. Instead of some limited and unambiguous functionality, a lifestyle was offered. All these features of the Tamagotchi are at the hearts of our perception of mobile interfaces in all their non-obvious totality. We build our behavior in accordance to them, they participate in the interpretation of the experience, they are included in the events happening to us, they participate in the emergence, distribution, and experience of emotions. They are not so much tools as they are companions. They affect us not so much through metaphors, but as elements that, no matter how imperceptibly, influence the forms of life, making them possible or impossible. The article shows how and why the influence of the Tamagotchi has developed — the influence which has allowed the proto-elements of the mobile interface to function not at the level of communication in value systems, but at the level of transformation of presence.

Mitoribosome structure with cofactors and modifications reveals mechanism of ligand binding and interactions with L1 stalk

The mitoribosome translates mitochondrial mRNAs and regulates energy conversion that is a signature of aerobic life forms. We present a 2.2 Å resolution structure of human mitoribosome together with validated mitoribosomal RNA (rRNA) modifications, including aminoacylated CP-tRNAVal. The structure shows how mitoribosomal proteins stabilise binding of mRNA and tRNA helping to align it in the decoding center, whereas the GDP-bound mS29 stabilizes intersubunit communication. Comparison between different states, with respect to tRNA position, allowed us to characterize a non-canonical L1 stalk, and molecular dynamics simulations revealed how it facilitates tRNA transitions in a way that does not require interactions with rRNA. We also report functionally important polyamines that are depleted when cells are subjected to an antibiotic treatment. The structural, biochemical, and computational data illuminate the principal functional components of the translation mechanism in mitochondria and provide a description of the structure and function of the human mitoribosome.

Comparative venation costs of monocotyledon and dicotyledon species in the eastern Colorado steppe.

Leaf vein network cost (total vein surface area per leaf volume) for major veins and vascular bundles did not differ between monocot and dicot species in 21 species from the eastern Colorado steppe. Dicots possessed significantly larger minor vein networks than monocots. Across the tree of life, there is evidence that dendritic vascular transport networks are optimized, balancing maximum speed and integrity of resource delivery with minimal resource investment in transport and infrastructure. Monocot venation, however, is not dendritic, and remains parallel down to the smallest vein orders with no space-filling capillary networks. Given this departure from the "optimized" dendritic network, one would assume that monocots are operating at a significant energetic disadvantage. In this study, we investigate whether monocot venation networks bear significantly greater carbon/construction costs per leaf volume than co-occurring dicots in the same ecosystem, and if so, what physiological or ecological advantage the monocot life form possesses to compensate for this deficit. Given that venation networks could also be optimized for leaf mechanical support or provide herbivory defense, we measured the vascular system of both monocot and dicots at three scales to distinguish between leaf investment in mechanical support (macroscopic vein), total transport and capacitance (vascular bundle), or exclusively water transport (xylem) for both parallel and dendritic venation networks. We observed that vein network cost (total vein surface area per leaf volume) for major veins and vascular bundles was not significantly different between monocot species and dicot species. Dicots, however, possess significantly larger minor vein networks than monocots. The 19 species subjected to gas-exchange measurement in the field displayed a broad range of Amax and but demonstrated no significant relationships with any metric of vascular network size in major or minor vein classes. Given that monocots do not seem to display any leaf hydraulic disadvantage relative to dicots, it remains an important research question why parallel venation (truly parallel, down to the smallest vessels) has not arisen more than once in the history of plant evolution.

Ecology at the margins: epistemic and environmental injustices in Rohan Chakravarty’s comics

Ecology at the margins: epistemic and environmental injustices in Rohan Chakravarty’s comics

It's not all about residual confounding: a plea for QBA for epidemiologic researchers and educators.

We spend a great deal of time on confounding in our teaching, in our methods development and in our assessment of study results. This may give the impression that uncontrolled confounding is the biggest problem that observational epidemiology faces, when in fact, other sources of bias such as selection bias, measurement error, missing data, and misalignment of zero time may often (especially if they are all present in a single study) lead to a stronger deviation from the truth. Compared to the amount of time we spend teaching how to address confounding in a data analysis, we spend relatively little time teaching methods for simulating confounding (and other sources of bias) to learn their impact and develop plans to mitigate or quantify the bias. We review a paper by Desai et al that uses simulation methods to quantify the impact of an unmeasured confounder when it is completely missing or when a proxy of the confounder is measured. We use this article to discuss how we can use simulations of sources of bias to ensure we generate better and more valid study estimates, and we discuss the importance of simulating realistic datasets with plausible bias structures to guide data collection. If an advanced life form exists outside of our current universe and they came to earth with the goal of scouring the published epidemiologic literature to understand what the biggest problem epidemiologists have, they would quickly discover that the limitations section of publications would provide them with all the information they needed. And most likely what they would conclude is that the biggest problem that we face is uncontrolled confounding. It seems to be an obsession of ours.

The Human Being as the Image of God

Abstract This is a theological exposition of the biblical statement that the human being is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). The treatment concludes that this affirmation is the clal gadol, the foundational principle of the whole Torah (as Ben Azzai says, Talmud Yerushalmi, Nedarim, ch. 9, h. 4). There are four dimensions to the image of God: (1) Intrinsic dignities—that all human beings (no matter gender, skin color, race, religion) are endowed by their Creator with three intrinsic dignities: infinite value, equality, and uniqueness; (2) Capabilities—God has infinite consciousness, power, relationship (=love), freedom, and life. Humans have these capabilities in a finite but remarkable, i.e., Godlike, form. According to Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, humans fulfill the commandment of Imitatio Dei (v’halachta b’drachav) by developing these capabilities. God bestows these capabilities on humans to use in fulfilling a mission to perfect God’s Creation in partnership with the Divine (=covenant); (3) These dignities are rooted in love. That all humans possess these dignities reflects the fact that God loves all life, especially humans (the most advanced form of life); (4) Prophetic messianism envisions this planet turned into a Garden of Eden (paradise). This is a reality worthy of an image of God, i.e., the enemies of life (poverty, hunger, oppression, war, sickness) are overcome and the fullness of human dignity (infinite value, equality, uniqueness) is honored, in actual practice, in daily life.

Temporal and spatial variability in metabolism of the Antarctic pelagic tunicate Salpa thompsoni Foxton, 1961

ABSTRACT The mass-specific metabolic rates of the Antarctic pelagic tunicate Salpa thompsoni Foxton, 1961 were studied during March-April of 1998 and March 2002. The study revealed a large variation in metabolic rates and assessed sources of this variability. The main factors driving variability included density of tunicates in incubation containers (incubation density, e.g. the salp mass per unit volume of the respirometer), diel/circadian rhythms in salps, and spatial variability of their metabolic performance related to the feeding conditions. The mass specific respiration rates of both salp life forms (oozooids and blastozooids) appeared to be independent of their body mass. The salp-specific respiration rates at 3°C were strongly negatively influenced by their incubation density ranging between 2.0 and 90.4 gWW.l−1. Salp respiration rates adjusted to an incubation density of 3 gWW.l−1 in both oozooids and blastozooids followed similar circadian rhythms with the mean respiration rates of 79.5 and 41.5 μg O2 gWW−1 h−1, respectively. Deviation of these rates from actual field-measured respiration rates corrected for the salp density and diel variability during 1998 and 2002 identified effects of food concentrations, i.e. proxy of the plankton community development and composition, on the salp population performance.

Preparation of Newly Polymer-Coated Microbial Pellets and Their Adsorption and Degradation Properties for Oil-Containing Wastewater.

Water is the lifeblood of everything on earth, nourishing and nurturing all forms of life, while also contributing to the development of civilization. However, with the rapid development of economic construction, especially the accelerated process of modern industrialization, the pollution of oily sewage is becoming increasingly serious, affecting the ecological balance and human health. The efficient elimination of pollutants in sewage is, therefore, particularly urgent. In this paper, a core-shell microbial reactor (MPFA@CNF-SA-AM) was fabricated by using nanocellulose and sodium alginate (SA) particles embedded with microorganisms as the core and lipophilic and hydrophobic fly ash as the outer shell layer. Compared with that of free microorganisms and cellulose and SA aerogel pellets loading with microorganisms (CNF-SA-AM), which has a degradation efficiency of 60.69 and 82.89%, respectively, the MPFA@CNF-SA-AM possesses a highest degradation efficiency of 90.60% within 240 h. So that this self-floating microbial reactor has selective adsorption properties to achieve oil-water separation in oily wastewater and high effective degradation of organic pollutants with low cost. The adsorption curves of MPFA@CNF-SA-AM for diesel and n-hexadecane were studied. The results showed that the adsorption follows the Freundlich model and is a multimolecular layer of physical adsorption. In addition, the degradation mechanism of diesel oil was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that diesel oil was selectively adsorbed to the interior of MPFA@CNF-SA-AM, and it was degraded by enzymes in microorganisms into n-hexadecanol, n-hexadecaldehyde, and n-hexadecanoic acid in turn, and finally converted to water and carbon dioxide. Compared with existing oily wastewater treatment methods, this green and pollution-free dual-functional core-shell microbial reactor has the characteristics of easy preparation, high efficiency, flexibility, and large-scale degradation. It provides a new, effective green choice for oily wastewater purification and on-site oil spill accidents.

Global plant responses to intensified fire regimes

AbstractAimGlobal change factors, such as warming, heatwaves, droughts and land‐use changes, are intensifying fire regimes (defined here as increasing frequency or severity of fires) in many ecosystems worldwide. A large body of local‐scale research has shown that such intensified fire regimes can greatly impact on ecosystem structure and function through altering plant communities. Here, we aim to find general patterns of plant responses to intensified fire regimes across climates, habitats and fire regimes at the global scale.LocationWorldwide.Time periodStudies published 1962–2023.Major taxa studiedWoody plants, herbs and bryophytes.MethodsWe carried out a global systematic review and meta‐analysis of the response of plant abundance, diversity and fitness to increased fire frequency or severity. To assess the context dependency of those responses, we tested the effect of the following variables: fire regime component (fire frequency or severity), time since the last fire, fire type (wildfire or prescribed fire), historical fire regime type (surface or crown fire), plant life form (woody plant, herb or bryophyte), habitat type and climate.ResultsIntensified fire regimes reduced overall plant abundance (Hedges' d = −0.24), diversity (d = −0.27), and fitness (d = −0.69). Generally, adverse effects of intensified fire regimes on plants were stronger due to increased severity than frequency, in wildfires compared to prescribed fires, and at shorter times since fire. Adverse effects were also stronger for woody plants than for herbs, and in conifer and mixed forests than in open ecosystems (e.g. grasslands and shrublands).Main conclusionsIntensified fire regimes can substantially alter plant communities in many ecosystems worldwide. Plant responses are influenced by the specific fire regime component that is changing and by the biotic and abiotic conditions.

DNA-empowered synthetic cells as minimalistic life forms.

Cells, the fundamental units of life, orchestrate intricate functions - motility, adaptation, replication, communication, and self-organization within tissues. Originating from spatiotemporally organized structures and machinery, coupled with information processing in signalling networks, cells embody the 'sensor-processor-actuator' paradigm. Can we glean insights from these processes to construct primitive artificial systems with life-like properties? Using de novo design approaches, what can we uncover about the evolutionary path of life? This Review discusses the strides made in crafting synthetic cells, utilizing the powerful toolbox of structural and dynamic DNA nanoscience. We describe how DNA can serve as a versatile tool for engineering entire synthetic cells or subcellular entities, and how DNA enables complex behaviour, including motility and information processing for adaptive and interactive processes. We chart future directions for DNA-empowered synthetic cells, envisioning interactive systems wherein synthetic cells communicate within communities and with living cells.

Phytosociological Studies of the Flora of Dhanamanjuri University Campus in Imphal West District (Manipur), India

Aims: To study the life forms and biological spectrum of the vegetation of Dhanamanjuri University Campus, Manipur to determine its phytoclimate and species diversity. Study Design: The vegetation of the whole university campus was studied and the site selection was made randomly. Place and Duration of Study: Dhanamanjuri University Campus is located at the intersection of 24.82ºN Latitude and 93.94ºE Longitude. The study was carried out from March to September, 2023. Methodology: Life forms were determined in the study area after detailed floristic studies. Vegetation classification on a physiognomic basis as per Raunkiaer’s system as modified by Ellenberg and Mueller-Dombois. Frequency, density, abundance and basal area were calculated for quantitative analysis. Both Shannon- Weiner Index and Simpson index were calculated for diversity studies. The degree of association between two randomly selected species was studied with a simple index of association IASM. Results: The biological spectrum of Dhanamanjuri University Campus consists of 183 plant species belonging to 163 genera distributed over 74 families. Due to predominance of Phanerophytes (54.1%) and Therophytes (22.4 %) over the other life-forms, the study site was assigned to the “Phanero-Therophytic” Phytoclimate. The values of the Shannon- Weiner Index and Simpson Index were found to be 1.5202 and 3.101 respectively. For the degree of association between two randomly selected species χ2 value was calculated to be 0.101 inferring that the two species are not associated with each other, rather they are independently distributed in the site. Conclusion: The current study has described the vegetation of the Dhanamanjuri University Campus, as per Raunkiaer’s terminology as “Phanero-Therophytic” phytoclimate. The study also shed light on various phytosociological attributes of plants growing on the campus, thus shedding more light on the diversity and distribution patterns of the plants growing there.

Purification of Recombinant E. Coli Topoisomerase III for Structure-Based Drug Design Using Protein Crystallization

Type IA Topoisomerases are ubiquitous enzymes found throughout all life forms and species. These topoisomerases relieve the topographical constrains formed by DNA during processes like replication and transcription via a cleavage-religation mechanism performed through a catalytically active tyrosine residue in the primary structure of the enzyme. E. coli Topoisomerase III (EtopIII) is a type of Type IA topoisomerase, and its main function in the cell is as a decatenase, which means that it unlinks circular or intertwined pieces of genetic material and creates two unlinked segments of DNA from a singular linked chain. Structure-based determination of the enzyme’s three-dimensional structure via crystallization could be beneficial in finding a novel antibiotic drug that is able to inhibit this enzyme in vivo, a solution that is sorely needed in a world where antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an ever-growing problem. The crystallization of the enzyme can be undertaken by truncating a part of the C-terminal of the enzyme that makes it harder for it to crystallize and introduce a DNA/RNA ligand to observe its binding interactions with said substrate. For this to happen, the truncated recombinant mutant must be purified and concentrated to desirable levels for crystallization. The results of the experiment show that out of 4L of bacterial starting culture, a total of 34.57 mg of protein was able to be purified. This protein was then sent for crystallization experiments, of which results are still pending, but preliminary results indicate that the protein quickly aggregates in one of the RNA ligand conditions, which elicits a change in protocol for future purifications. Furthermore, results from a relaxation assay indicate that the protein exhibits some relaxation activity even after the truncation of the C-terminal chain. These results could expand the knowledge of this enzyme for future structure-based drug development.

Is there a future in future-oriented education?

This study aims to examine whether recent educational attempts to prepare students for the future can open up the future, using South Korea’s ‘high school credit system’ as an example. To provide differentiated instruction that recognizes differences and maximizes students’ potential, the Korean government recently launched a ‘high school credit system.’ The primary goal of this system is to assist students in identifying their strengths and interests, selecting courses for them to pursue, and following their plans independently. The system appears to respect each student’s unique personality and value the self-dominance of the liberating subject. Ironically, however, it expects students to map their lives according to ‘given’ or molar identitarian categories for self-formation, thereby representing already constructed life forms. It subjugates students’ potential by linking subjective formation to society’s dominant codes and deploying the forged self within existing social structures. To avoid limiting students’ potential, it is essential to refrain from defining ‘the self’ as a given and fixed construct and restricting education solely to courses that match its current characteristics. Education for a future should promote a flexible educational journey that accommodates changes in interests and passions as they evolve over time.

ToTE: A global database on trees of the treeline ecotone.

Globally, treelines form a transition zone between tree-dominated forest downslope and treeless alpine vegetation upslope. Treelines represent the highest boundary of "tree" life form in high-elevation mountains and at high latitudes. Recently, treelines have been shifting upslope in response to climate warming, so it has become important to understand global tree diversity and treeline distributions. However, to the best of our knowledge, no global database on tree flora of treelines exists, which limits our capacity to undertake macroecological analyses. Here, for the first time, we present a global data set on the trees of the treeline ecotone, supported by an online ToTE database. We synthesized the database from 1202 studies published over the last 60 years (1962 to 2022) following the Preferred Reporting Items in Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol. We classified the tree species in the database into three categories: treeline tree (TL) species, near to treeline (NTL) tree species, and tree species with an upper montane range limit (TUMR). The ToTE Version-1 presents a total of 208 tree taxa, including 189 species, five subspecies, and 14 varieties, belonging to 54 genera and 26 families distributed across 34 mountain regions worldwide that either grow exactly at the treeline or have a range limit below the treeline. Of the total taxa, 155, 14, and 39 belong to TL, NTL, and TUMR, respectively. Genera such as Abies, Picea, Pinus, Larix, and Juniperus are more represented in the treeline tree category. On the other hand, Acer, Prunus, Populus, and Quercus have more representatives in the near to treeline category, whereas Erica, Nothofagus, and Polylepis contribute more tree species with an upper montane range limit. Furthermore, families such as Rosaceae and Pinaceae include trees that occur both at the treeline and with an upper montane range limit, whereas Sapindaceae includes trees that occur exclusively near to treeline. Our database also includes information on the global distribution patterns of treeline tree species richness across mountains and biomes. The mountains with the highest number of tree species are the Andes (39) followed by the Himalaya (37). Close to 67% of tree species show restricted distributions in different mountains, with the highest endemism in the Andes and the Himalaya. In terms of tree species distribution, Pinus sylvestris was widespread, with a distribution across nine mountain regions, followed by Picea glauca and Fagus sylvatica, both distributed across five mountain regions. In terms of species' distribution across biomes, the temperate biome harbors the highest treeline tree species richness (152 species), which may reflect the fact that the majority of studies are available from the temperate regions of the world. The remaining 56 species are distributed within five other biomes, with the least in dry tropical and subarctic (four species each). Furthermore, currently 40 treeline tree species fall under different International Union for Conservation of Nature threat categories. We anticipate that our database will help advance research on macroecological, biogeographic, evolutionary, climate-change, and conservation aspects of the treeline on a global scale. The data are released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 international license. Please cite this data paper when the data are reused.

Saharo-Sindian endemic flora of Egypt: critical checklist, floristic analysis, habitats, and phytogeographic distribution

The Saharo-Sindian region is characterized by savannas, semi-deserts, and hot deserts. This floristic region includes Morocco, Mauretania, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, South of Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, in addition to the Sind region. The Sudano-Zambezian region, part of the Paleotropical Kingdom, and the Mediterranean and Irano-Turanian regions, included in the Holarctic Kingdom, share a significant portion of their flora with the studied region. This study initiates the examination of the Saharo-Sindian endemic plants occurring in Egypt. Its objectives include assessing the list of endemic plants within this floristic region, and studying various aspects such as: life forms, habitats, rarity forms, flowering times, dispersal types, and phytogeographical distribution. Twenty field trips were conducted from spring 2020 to September 2023, investigating different regions in Egypt. In addition, all the previous studies performed in the investigated area, scientific literature, and specimens from the region housed in different herbaria have been taken into consideration. The inventory of plants that are endemic to the Saharo-Sindian floristic region in Egypt comprises 126 plant taxa (109 species, 17 subspecies) distributed across 87 genera and 37 families. These endemics are found in 11 habitat types, with the most abundant occurrences observed in inland rocky areas (82 taxa) and temperate shrublands (57 taxa). Moreover, South Sinai stands out as the richest region for Saharo-Sindian endemics, hosting a remarkable 83 taxa, which constitute 65.9% of the total endemics. Among these, the chamaephytes group leads with 56 taxa, followed by the therophytes with 32 taxa. Pogonochores (45 taxa) are the most represented dispersal type. This study holds significant importance in evaluating a critical checklist of plants endemic to the Saharo-Sindian region in Egypt, contributing to our understanding of species diversity in regions facing severe anthropogenic disturbance. This list provides a foundational reference for future monitoring programs.