Role Of Natural Environment Research Articles

Threat to Human and Animal Health Caused by Mycotoxins and Masked Mycotoxins Occurring in Food and Feed

Fungi, and especially mold fungi, play a very important role in natural environments, as well as in the food industry for the production of many specialized products. However, many of them, under favorable conditions, are capable of producing toxic compounds called mycotoxins. Many of them have an adverse effect on the growth and development of all groups of organisms, including humans. Mycotoxins can appear in all food products and animal feed. Mycotoxins accumulated in food of plant and animal origin and consumed by humans can accumulate in various tissues and organs, which results in disorders in their functioning and may cause cancer. Plants have the ability to defend themselves against mycotoxins by neutralizing them as a result of the glycosidation process. Mycotoxins neutralized in this way are called “masked mycotoxins”, which are not toxic to plants, but after entering the body of animals or humans in the digestive tract, they return back to their original toxic form. Let’s appeal and spread knowledge about mycotoxins because they pose a constant threat to the health of people and farm animals.

Role of cell-substrate association during plant biomass solubilization by the extreme thermophile Caldicellulosiruptor bescii.

Caldicellulosiruptor species are proficient at solubilizing carbohydrates in lignocellulosic biomass through surface (S)-layer bound and secretomic glycoside hydrolases. Tāpirins, surface-associated, non-catalytic binding proteins in Caldicellulosiruptor species, bind tightly to microcrystalline cellulose, and likely play a key role in natural environments for scavenging scarce carbohydrates in hot springs. However, the question arises: If tāpirin concentration on Caldicellulosiruptor cell walls increased above native levels, would this offer any benefit to lignocellulose carbohydrate hydrolysis and, hence, biomass solubilization? This question was addressed by engineering the genes for tight-binding, non-native tāpirins into C. bescii. The engineered C. bescii strains bound more tightly to microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and biomass compared to the parent. However, tāpirin overexpression did not significantly improve solubilization or conversion for wheat straw or sugarcane bagasse. When incubated with poplar, the tāpirin-engineered strains increased solubilization by 10% compared to the parent, and corresponding acetate production, a measure of carbohydrate fermentation intensity, was 28% higher for the Calkr_0826 expression strain and 18.5% higher for the Calhy_0908 expression strain. These results show that enhanced binding to the substrate, beyond the native capability, did not improve C. bescii solubilization of plant biomass, but in some cases may improve conversion of released lignocellulose carbohydrates to fermentation products.

Prospective memories in the wild: Predicting memory for intentions in natural environments

Prospective memory, the ability to remember an intention at the appropriate future moment, is often investigated in the laboratory to maximize experimental control. However, demands of laboratory prospective memory tasks only partly map onto everyday demands. Therefore, it is an open question whether factors which predict prospective memory in the laboratory also predict prospective memory in the real world. We combined diary and ecological momentary assessment methods to investigate which factors, that have been repeatedly shown to predict prospective memory performance in laboratory tasks, are related to the fulfillment of everyday intentions. Results showed that substantial portions of variance in real-world prospective memory performance could be explained with the factors found to be significant in laboratory. The most powerful predictors were perceived intention importance, the use of external memory aids, delay interval, and conscientiousness. However, some meaningful laboratory predictors (e.g., working memory) played only a minor role in natural environments and a large portion of the variance in everyday intention fulfillment remained unexplained. The results substantially extend the understanding of conditions and personality variables most conducive to remembering intentions, but they also suggest that additional factors influencing real-world prospective memory remain to be discovered.

The role of natural environments in the effectiveness of brief mindfulness-based stress reduction (brief MBSR): depression, anxiety, stress and hair cortisol from a randomized trial

The role of natural environments in the effectiveness of brief mindfulness-based stress reduction (brief MBSR): depression, anxiety, stress and hair cortisol from a randomized trial

Spatial release from masking in crocodilians

Ambient noise is a major constraint on acoustic communication in both animals and humans. One mechanism to overcome this problem is Spatial Release from Masking (SRM), the ability to distinguish a target sound signal from masking noise when both sources are spatially separated. SRM is well described in humans but has been poorly explored in animals. Although laboratory tests with trained individuals have suggested that SRM may be a widespread ability in vertebrates, it may play a limited role in natural environments. Here we combine field experiments with investigations in captivity to test whether crocodilians experience SRM. We show that 2 species of crocodilians are able to use SRM in their natural habitat and that it quickly becomes effective for small angles between the target signal source and the noise source, becoming maximal when the angle exceeds 15∘. Crocodiles can therefore take advantage of SRM to improve sound scene analysis and the detection of biologically relevant signals.

Dynamic cybergenetic control of bacterial co-culture composition via optogenetic feedback

Communities of microbes play important roles in natural environments and hold great potential for deploying division-of-labor strategies in synthetic biology and bioproduction. However, the difficulty of controlling the composition of microbial consortia over time hinders their optimal use in many applications. Here, we present a fully automated, high-throughput platform that combines real-time measurements and computer-controlled optogenetic modulation of bacterial growth to implement precise and robust compositional control of a two-strain E. coli community. In addition, we develop a general framework for dynamic modeling of synthetic genetic circuits in the physiological context of E. coli and use a host-aware model to determine the optimal control parameters of our closed-loop compositional control system. Our platform succeeds in stabilizing the strain ratio of multiple parallel co-cultures at arbitrary levels and in changing these targets over time, opening the door for the implementation of dynamic compositional programs in synthetic bacterial communities.

Integrating experiments to predict interactive cue effects on spring phenology with warming.

Climate change has advanced plant phenology globally 4-6 d °C-1 on average. Such shifts are some of the most reported and predictable biological impacts of rising temperatures. Yet as climate change has marched on, phenological shifts have appeared muted over recent decades - failing to match simple predictions of an advancing spring with continued warming. The main hypothesis for these changing trends is that interactions between spring phenological cues - long-documented in laboratory environments - are playing a greater role in natural environments due to climate change. Here, we argue that accurately linking shifts observed in long-term data to underlying phenological cues is slowed by biases in observational studies and limited integration of insights from laboratory studies. We synthesize seven decades of laboratory experiments to quantify how phenological cue-space has been studied and how treatments compare with shifts caused by climate change. Most studies focus on one cue, limiting our ability to make accurate predictions, but some well-studied forest species offer opportunities to advance forecasting. We outline how greater integration of controlled-environment studies with long-term data could drive a new generation of laboratory experiments, built on physiological insights, that would transform our fundamental understanding of phenology and improve predictions.

Particle foraging strategies promote microbial diversity in marine environments.

Microbial foraging in patchy environments, where resources are fragmented into particles or pockets embedded in a large matrix, plays a key role in natural environments. In the oceans and freshwater systems, particle-associated bacteria can interact with particle surfaces in different ways: some colonize only during short transients, while others form long-lived, stable colonies. We do not yet understand the ecological mechanisms by which both short- and long-term colonizers can coexist. Here, we address this problem with a mathematical model that explains how marine populations with different detachment rates from particles can stably coexist. In our model, populations grow only while on particles, but also face the increased risk of mortality by predation and sinking. Key to coexistence is the idea that detachment from particles modulates both net growth and mortality, but in opposite directions, creating a trade-off between them. While slow-detaching populations show the highest growth return (i.e., produce more net offspring), they are more susceptible to suffer higher rates of mortality than fast-detaching populations. Surprisingly, fluctuating environments, manifesting as blooms of particles (favoring growth) and predators (favoring mortality) significantly expand the likelihood that populations with different detachment rates can coexist. Our study shows how the spatial ecology of microbes in the ocean can lead to a predictable diversification of foraging strategies and the coexistence of multiple taxa on a single growth-limiting resource.

Should Bacteriophages Be Classified as Parasites or Predators?

Bacteriophages are viruses infecting bacteria and propagating in bacterial cells. They were discovered over 100 years ago, and for decades they played crucial roles as models in genetics and molecular biology and as tools in genetic engineering and biotechnology. Now we also recognize their huge role in natural environment and their importance in human health and disease. Despite our understanding of bacteriophage mechanisms of development, these viruses are described as parasites or predators in the literature. From the biological point of view, there are fundamental differences between parasites and predators. Therefore, in this article, I asked whether bacteriophages should be classified as former or latter biological entities. Analysis of the literature and biological definitions led me to conclude that bacteriophages are parasites rather than predators and should be classified and described as such. If even more precise ecological classification is needed, bacteriophages can perhaps be included in the group of parasitoids. It might be the most appropriate formal classification of these viruses, especially if strictly virulent phages are considered, contrary to phages which lysogenize host cells and those which develop according to the permanent infection mode (or chronic cycle, like filamentous phages) revealing features of classical parasites.

Community Assembly and Co-occurrence Patterns Underlying the Core and Satellite Bacterial Sub-communities in the Tibetan Lakes.

Microbial communities normally comprise a few core species and large numbers of satellite species. These two sub-communities have different ecological and functional roles in natural environments, but knowledge on the assembly processes and co-occurrence patterns of the core and satellite species in Tibetan lakes is still sparse. Here, we investigated the ecological processes and co-occurrence relationships of the core and satellite bacterial sub-communities in the Tibetan lakes via 454 sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. Our studies indicated that the core and satellite bacterial sub-communities have similar dominant phyla (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria). But the core sub-communities were less diverse and exhibited a stronger distance-decay relationship than the satellite sub-communities. In addition, topological properties of nodes in the network demonstrated that the core sub-communities had more complex and stable co-occurrence associations and were primarily driven by stochastic processes (58.19%). By contrast, the satellite sub-communities were mainly governed by deterministic processes (62.17%). Overall, this study demonstrated the differences in the core and satellite sub-community assembly and network stability, suggesting the importance of considering species traits to understand the biogeographic distribution of bacterial communities in high-altitude lakes.

A novel surface water index using local background information for long term and large-scale Landsat images

Surface water plays a vital role in natural environment and human development. The research of water extraction method using remote sensing image is a hot topic, which has been widely developed in water index, classification, subpixel, and other aspects. Compared with other methods, a water-index based method has the advantages of fast speed and convenience. The characteristics of surface water, such as wide coverage and instability, make the water index stand out in monitoring large area of surface water. However, land surface in water environment is complex, and the main factors that reduce water extraction accuracy are also different, such as shadow in urban areas and water leakage in unshaded areas. The current index is bound to weaken the information in the water body when suppressing shadows, and vice versa. To address these issues, contrast difference water index (CDWI) and shadow difference water index (SDWI) are proposed in this paper by improving the modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI). CDWI is used to enhance water information, which is suitable for areas without building shadows. SDWI is used to eliminate the shadow of buildings, which is suitable for urban areas. Moreover, background difference water index (BDWI) was proposed by combining the advantages of CDWI and SDWI through a background regularizer B, which is used to extract surface water under complex background. The regularizer B represents the similarity between local background features of the image and the reference urban area, which is used to locally weight SDWI and CDWI, so that BDWI can automatically enhance the water body in the shadowless area and eliminate the shadow of buildings. The water extraction results of BDWI, MNDWI, the tasseled cap wetness index (TCW), the automatic water extraction index (AWEInsh, AWEIsh), and the water index 2015 (WI2015) were used for comparison. Other methods tend to perform well only in built-up areas or non-built-up areas, while the BDWI can extract surface water under various backgrounds with high accuracy and stability. The overall accuracy produced by the BDWI was 91.58–97.57%, CDWI was 84.85–97.09%, SDWI was 81.63–94.40%, MNDWI was 80.19–95.64%, TCW was 82.33–95.98%, AWEIsh was 87.50–96.37%, AWEInsh was 80.59–98.78%, and WI2015 was 78.24–98.38%. Combining water index with image local information is helpful to improve the accuracy of water extraction in large and complex environment. Finally, surface water in Jiangsu Province, China was extracted through BDWI and the changes in 1985, 2000, and 2015 were analyzed.

The potential of Aeromonas spp. from wildlife as antimicrobial resistance indicators in aquatic environments

Worldwide emergence of bacterial strains resistant to multiple classes of antimicrobials and the increase incidence of infections caused by bacteria resistant to last-resource antibiotics is now a common problematic and likely to increase in coming years. Surveillance of important resistant clones and associated mobile genetic elements is essential for decision-making in terms of mitigation measures to be applied for the prevention of such infections. However, the role of natural environments, and especially aquatic ecosystems that display optimal grounds for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) development and dissemination, as important components of the AMR cycle has been disregarded until recent years. It is now widely accepted that resistant strains and resistance determinants are disseminated in the aquatic environment and that resistance profiles are mainly shaped by anthropogenic environmental contamination. In light of the One Health concept, developing strategies for the monitoring of AMR prevalence and dissemination and unraveling critical points of action are required. Therefore, bacterial indicators and targeted vectors assume special importance in surveillance schemes. Aeromonas spp., a ubiquitous bacterial genus with importance as human, animal and food pathogens, are common in aquatic environments. Environmental isolates belonging to this genus often display acquired resistance determinants and their use as indicators to survey water quality and sewage pollution has been accepted. Wild animal species are also of highly importance in this context. They constitute potential AMR reservoirs in natural environments, as they actively participate in the dissemination of resistant bacteria and resistance determinants across habitats. Characterizing Aeromonas spp. retrieved from wildlife represents a potential aid for surveillance programs aiming at unraveling the intricate mechanisms of AMR evolution and dispersal in natural aquatic environments, as well as understanding possible consequences for human and animal health.

Hillwalking and walk leading motivations, perceived benefits and the role of natural environment

Abstract Background Promoting the link between human and ecosystem health is crucial for building resilient communities. Hillwalking provides health benefits arising from physical activity and exposure to nature. Furthermore, it is likely to influence environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behaviour through connectedness to nature. This project aimed to explore 1) hillwalking and walk leading motivations and perceived benefits, and 2) the role of the environment and nature connectedness among walk leaders and walking holiday guests. Methods The first study was completed with seventeen volunteer walk leaders and used a mixed methods design: hillwalking interviews, physical activity measurements, location data and the Nature-relatedness scale. The second study involved five group interviews with the total of twenty-five guests on three different walking holidays. The qualitative data from both studies were analysed using a combined thematic and grounded theory approach and the results were merged with the quantitative data to explore the impacts of environmental factors. Results Primary motivations for hillwalking included pleasure, escape from everyday life pressures, to re-charge, being in nature, social inclusion and health. Emerging overarching themes such as balance and adaptation were reported as essential values for walking and were linked to nutritional, physical activity related and environmental aspects of health awareness. The perceived benefits positively impacted on engagement. Connectedness to nature was linked to environmental knowledge and attitudes which manifested in pro-environmental walking behaviour. Conclusions The pleasure arising from several aspects of hillwalking or walk leading was the drive for regular engagement, therefore a primary intrinsic motivation. The results imply that attending group walking holidays has the scope to increase environmental awareness and engagement in outdoor physical activity and could be considered as a promotion tool. Key messages The findings have the scope to inform future walking promotion programs and encourage long-term engagement by shifting the focus of promotion messages to intrinsic motivational factors. The results support that hillwalking can be used as a tool for combined health and environmental awareness promotion.

Geographic Range and Nest Architecture of Cephalotrigona Capitata Smith, 1854 (Apidae: Meliponini) in the State of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract The bees of the genus Cephalotrigona (locally known as “mombucas”) play a key role in natural environments but their bioecological features, required to design proper management and conservation strategies, are scarce in most species. Thus, the goal of the present study was to map the occurrence sites of C. capitata in the state of Bahia, north-eastern Brazil, and to provide useful information about nest architecture to their technical management. This species was recorded in fifteen municipalities in Bahia, totaling forty-one nests. The range of C. capitata varied from locations at sea level to seasonal ombrophilous forests at an altitude of 600 m high. The nests were built in trees with a mean diameter of 19.8 ±3.0 cm. The nest architecture was similar to that reported in other stingless bee species, with a variation in analyzed parameters. The thermoregulation was more efficient in highly populated boxes. The present results can be used for the conservation and management of this species, which represents a potential source of income for local farmers.

The Role of Interaction with Nature in Childhood Development: An Under-Appreciated Ecosystem Service

Humans depend on the vital services provided by natural ecosystems. Regrettably, some individuals believe these ecosystem services are free; and therefore, have no value. An under-appreciated service provided by ecosystems is strengthening childhood development through interaction with nature to enhance childhood cognitive and physical development. The development of a child's physical and cognitive abilities is complex with studies indicating multiple determinants and varied time scales. Childhood development is the product of many natural, social and built environmental attributes. While the impacts of social and built environments on childhood development are clearly described in the scientific literature, the role of natural environment is less clear. Even though people do not pay for this ecosystem service in a conventional sense, the loss of this service can result in a significant cost to humans through slower cognitive and physical development in children. Deprivation of these exposures to natural ecosystems can diminish a child's development and eventually their underlying quality of life. While the impact of nature on childhood development is understood by most child developmental psychologists, this impact is under-appreciated by non-social scientists studying the contributions of ecosystem services in society. The complicated and symbiotic interactions of natural ecosystems, their services and childhood development are poorly acknowledged in the ecological literature. In this article, the important role of natural ecosystems and their services in childhood cognitive and physical development are examined through an examination of studies assessing this childhood development-ecosystem service connection.

Diversity of methanogenic archaea in freshwater sediments of lacustrine ecosystems.

About half of the global methane (CH4 ) emission is contributed by the methanogenic archaeal communities leading to a significant increase in global warming. This unprecedented situation has increased the ever growing necessity of evaluating the control measures for limiting CH4 emission to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, research endeavors on the diversity and functional interactions of methanogens are not extensive till date. We anticipate that the study of the diversity of methanogenic community is paramount for understanding the metabolic processes in freshwater lake ecosystems. Although there are several disadvantages of conventional culture-based methods for determining the diversity of methanogenic archaeal communities, in order to understand their ecological roles in natural environments it is required to culture the microbes. Recently different molecular techniques have been developed for determining the structure of methanogenic archaeal communities thriving in freshwater lake ecosystem. The two gene based cloning techniques required for this purpose are 16S rRNA and methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) in addition to the recently developed metagenomics approaches and high throughput next generation sequencing efforts. This review discusses the various methods of culture-dependent and -independent measures of determining the diversity of methanogen communities in lake sediments in lieu of the different molecular approaches and inter-relationships of diversity of methanogenic archaea.

Blue growth and ecosystem services

The recent years have witnessed a rise in interest in the ocean economy. To cover a more sustainable dimension, terms such as ‘blue economy’ and ‘blue growth’ have been coined, and are increasingly used in international contexts and academic literature. However, there are no generally accepted definitions of these ‘blue’ concepts. In particular, it is not clear what connotation of sustainability and what role of natural environment is linked to these terms. The objective of this study is to retrace the meaning of the concepts of blue economy and blue growth and include them in a coherent environmental accounting framework. Starting from the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting of the United Nations, a set of assumptions is proposed to link blue economy/growth and ecosystem services, including the creation of an adjusted measure of value added, while considering the depletion and degradation of the environment and the value of non-market benefits provided by the ecosystem. Finally, an example of this approach in the case of the Mediterranean Sea is presented.

Influence of reactive gas-phase species on the structure of an air/water interface

Highly-reactive gas-phase species, such as OH, O3 and NOx, present at the air/water interface, play a crucial role in natural environments. Unique hydrogen bond structures, not seen in the bulk, exist at the air/water interface. Here, by means of vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy, we probe the interfacial water structure, and demonstrate how reactive gas-phase species interact with the water surface. We found that the reactive gas-phase species supplied to the water surface largely influenced the water surface structure. Furthermore, we suggest a higher density of reactive species at the water surface as compared to the bulk.

The role of natural environments within women’s everyday health and wellbeing in Copenhagen, Denmark

Urbanisation has been linked with sedentary lifestyles and poor mental health outcomes amongst women. The potential for natural environments to enhance physical activity and mental wellbeing in urban areas is now well recognised. However, little is known about the ways that women use natural spaces for health and wellbeing within the context of their everyday lives. This paper draws on ideas developed in the therapeutic landscapes literature to examine how experiences in different types of green and blue space provide important health and wellbeing benefits for women in Copenhagen, Denmark. As well as facilitating physical exercise, such spaces were found to enable a range of more subtle benefits that helped to restore mental wellbeing through stress and anxiety alleviation, the facilitation of emotional perspective, clarity and reassurance, and through the maintenance of positive family dynamics. However, amongst some women who were overweight, the socio-political associations they made with natural environments deterred use of such spaces. Such findings challenge dominant planning and policy assumptions that equate open public access to natural spaces with universal benefit.

Integron diversity in marine environments.

Integrons are bacterial genetic elements known to be active vectors of antibiotic resistance among clinical bacteria. They are also found in bacterial communities from natural environments. Although integrons have become especially efficient for bacterial adaptation in the particular context of antibiotic usage, their role in natural environments in other contexts is still unknown. Indeed, most studies have focused on integrons and the spread of antibiotic resistance in freshwater or soil impacted by anthropogenic activities, with only few on marine environments. Notably, integrons show a wider diversity of both gene cassettes and integrase gene in natural environments than in clinical environments, suggesting a general role of integrons in bacterial adaptation. This article reviews the current knowledge on integrons in marine environments. We also present conclusions of our studies on polluted and nonpolluted backgrounds.