Global Change Scenarios Research Articles

The environmental filtering and the conservation of tropical dry forests in mountains in a global change scenario

The environmental filtering and the conservation of tropical dry forests in mountains in a global change scenario

Forecasting frost risk in forest plantations by the combination of spatial data and machine learning algorithms

Brazil is one of the leading timber producers in the world. However, in South Brazil, frost events frequently cause damage and reduce yield in forest plantations, a situation predicted to become more common under global change scenarios. This raises the need for low cost and efficient tools, such as machine learning algorithms to improve forecasting of frost risk. This study used machine learning algorithms to create zoning classifications forecasting frost risk for forest plantations located in the south-central region of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. For this, we gathered and processed data from a local geodatabase (i.e. high-spatial-resolution contour lines, hydrography, and forest stands limits) comprising 30 management units with consistent historical data of frost occurrence. Then, we generated possible local-scale predictors of frost occurrence, which included longitude, latitude, elevation, relative altitude, relief orientation, and Euclidean distance from hydrography. We carried out tests of three machine learning classifiers (Random Forest – RF; Support Vector Machine-SVM and Multi-layer Perceptron-MLP) in order to determine which would most accurately predict frost occurrence. We found that RF provided the highest accuracy (> 90%), as well as the smallest percentages of class-specific errors (i.e. commission and omission errors), when compared to SVM and MLP. Latitude was the most important predictor of frost occurrence when using RF. Conversely, MLP performed worst, especially for classifying frost occurrence versus non-occurrence, and therefore had the highest percentage of class-specific errors. Our findings lead us to conclude that RF is the most proficient algorithm for forecasting frost occurrence from local-scale geomorphological data, without the need for high-cost investment in micro-meteorological sensors to monitor climate frost events linking temperature to plant damage. With increasing global climate extreme events, accurate risk zoning is essential for planning strategies of plantation at the landscape scale.

Mission impossible: Reach the carrion in a lithium pollution and marine warming scenario

In this study we investigated the independent and synergistic effects of lithium (Li, 0.08 mM) contamination and the rising seawater temperature (21 °C; control- 15 °C) on survival and trophic interactions (foraging behaviour, success, search time, carrion preference, feeding time, and tissue consumption-the dry weight basis) of the opportunistic intertidal scavenger Tritia neritea. Trophic interactions were assessed in a two-choice test using a Y-maze design using the same amount of two carrion species (Solen marginatus and Mytilus galloprovincialis) given to all snails simultaneously. Lithium pollution and synergestic warming have the effect of reducing the survival rate of T. neritea, triggering potential global change scenarios. The foraging behaviour of T. neritea under Li-contaminated conditions was characterised by a decrease in the snail's effectiveness in finding a carrion. Lithium changes the feeding behaviour as well as increasing the time it takes for snails to reach their food. T. neritea did not show preference for any of the carrion species offered in controls, but a shift in feeding behaviour towards more energetic carrion under Li contamination which may indicate a strategy to compensate for the greater energy expenditure necessary to survive. There were no differences in feeding time at the different treatments and regardless of the treatment tested T. neritea consumed more mussels tissue probably due to its greater palatability. Results showing foraging modifications in an intertidal scavenger mollusc in global change scenarios indicate potential changes in complex trophic interactions of marine food webs.

Large and interacting effects of temperature and nutrient addition on stratified microbial ecosystems in a small, replicated, and liquid-dominated Winogradsky column approach.

Aquatic ecosystems are often stratified, with cyanobacteria in oxic layers and phototrophic sulfur bacteria in anoxic zones. Changes in stratification caused by the global environmental change are an ongoing concern. Increasing understanding of how such aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities, and associated abiotic conditions, respond to multifarious environmental changes is an important endeavor in microbial ecology. Insights can come from observational and experimental studies of naturally occurring stratified aquatic ecosystems, theoretical models of ecological processes, and experimental studies of replicated microbial communities in the laboratory. Here, we demonstrate a laboratory‐based approach with small, replicated, and liquid‐dominated Winogradsky columns, with distinct oxic/anoxic strata in a highly replicable manner. Our objective was to apply simultaneous global change scenarios (temperature, nutrient addition) on this micro‐ecosystem to report how the microbial communities (full‐length 16S rRNA gene seq.) and the abiotic conditions (O2, H2S, TOC) of the oxic/anoxic layer responded to these environmental changes. The composition of the strongly stratified microbial communities was greatly affected by temperature and by the interaction of temperature and nutrient addition, demonstrating the need of investigating global change treatments simultaneously. Especially phototrophic sulfur bacteria dominated the water column at higher temperatures and may indicate the presence of alternative stable states. We show that the establishment of such a micro‐ecosystem has the potential to test global change scenarios in stratified eutrophic limnic systems.

Environmental impacts on single-cell variation within a ubiquitous diatom: The role of growth rate.

Morphological and physiological characteristics of phytoplankton cells are highly sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and, in turn, influence the dynamics of phytoplankton populations and communities. To cope with environmental change, trait variability and phenotypic plasticity may play an important role. Since global change comprises simultaneous changes in abiotic parameters, we assessed the impact of multiple drivers on functional traits of the diatom Thalassiosira (Conticribra) weissflogii by manipulating concurrently temperature, pCO2, and dissolved nitrogen:phosphorus (N:P) ratio. We tested three scenarios: ambient (ambient temperature and atmospheric pCO2; 16 N:P ratio), moderate future scenario (+1.5°C and 800 ppm CO2; 25 N:P ratio), and more severe future scenario (+3°C and 1000 ppm CO2; 25 N:P ratio). We applied flow cytometry to measure on single-cell levels to investigate trait variability and phenotypic plasticity within one strain of diatoms. Growth rates differed significantly between the treatments and were strongly correlated with cell size and cellular chlorophyll a content. We observed a negative correlation of growth rate with chlorophyll a variability among single strain populations and a negative correlation with the phenotypic plasticity of cell size, i.e. when growth rates were higher, the cell size cell-to-cell variability within cultures was lower. Additionally, the phenotypic plasticity in cell size was lower under the global change scenarios. Overall, our study shows that multiple traits are interlinked and driven by growth rate and that this interconnection may partly be shaped by environmental factors.

Global patterns and drivers of rainfall partitioning by trees and shrubs.

Spatiotemporal redistribution of incident rainfall in vegetated ecosystems results from the partitioning by plants into intercepted, stemflow, and throughfall fractions. However, variation in patterns and drivers of rainfall partitioning across global biomes remains poorly understood, which limited the ability of climate models to improve the predictions of biome hydrological cycle under global climate change scenario. Here, we synthesized and analyzed the partitioning of incident rainfall into interception, stemflow, and throughfall by trees and shrubs at the global scale using 2430 observations from 236 independent publications. We found that (1) globally, median levels of relative interception, stemflow, and throughfall accounted for 21.8%, 3.2%, and 73.0% of total incident rainfall, respectively; (2) rainfall partitioning varied among different biomes, due to variation in plant composition, canopy structure, and macroclimate; (3) relative stemflow tended to be driven by plant traits, such as crown height:width ratio, basal area, and height, while relative interception and throughfall tended to be driven by plant traits as well as meteorological variables. Our global assessment of patterns and drivers of rainfall partitioning underpins the role of meteorological factors and plant traits in biome-specific ecohydrological cycles. We suggest to include these factors in climate models to improve the predictions of local hydrological cycles and associated biodiversity and function responses to changing climate conditions.

Silicon Effects on the Root System of Diverse Crop Species Using Root Phenotyping Technology.

Roots play an essential function in the plant life cycle, as they utilize water and essential nutrients to promote growth and plant productivity. In particular, root morphology characteristics (such as length, diameter, hairs, and lateral growth) and the architecture of the root system (spatial configuration in soil, shape, and structure) are the key elements that ensure growth and a fine-tuned response to stressful conditions. Silicon (Si) is a ubiquitous element in soil, and it can affect a wide range of physiological processes occurring in the rhizosphere of various crop species. Studies have shown that Si significantly and positively enhances root morphological traits, including root length in rice, soybean, barley, sorghum, mustard, alfalfa, ginseng, and wheat. The analysis of these morphological traits using conventional methods is particularly challenging. Currently, image analysis methods based on advanced machine learning technologies allowed researchers to screen numerous samples at the same time considering multiple features, and to investigate root functions after the application of Si. These methods include root scanning, endoscopy, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional imaging, which can measure Si uptake, translocation and root morphological traits. Small variations in root morphology and architecture can reveal different positive impacts of Si on the root system of crops, with or without exposure to stressful environmental conditions. This review comprehensively illustrates the influences of Si on root morphology and root architecture in various crop species. Furthermore, it includes recommendations in regard to advanced methods and strategies to be employed to maintain sustainable plant growth rates and crop production in the currently predicted global climate change scenarios.

Changing elemental cycles, stoichiometric mismatches, and consequences for pathogens of primary producers

Human‐induced changes in biogeochemical cycles alter the availability of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the environment, leading to changes in the elemental stoichiometry of primary producers. These changes in elemental ratios may, in turn, alter the degree of stoichiometric mismatch between primary producer hosts and their pathogens. Here, we outline how ecological stoichiometry could be used as a framework to predict the effects of changing nutrient supply on stoichiometric mismatches in autotroph–pathogen interactions. We discuss empirical evidence linking pathogen performance to stoichiometric mismatches arising from shifts in elemental availability. Our synthesis indicates that fungi may be particularly sensitive to changes in N supply and viruses generally respond strongly to changes in the supply of either of these elements, but it also highlighted the need for additional data, especially for bacteria. Consequently, fungal pathogens may respond more strongly to changes in host C:N stoichiometry, whereas viruses may be highly sensitive to both changes in C:N and C:P of hosts. Additionally, our synthesis suggests that viruses may be more homeostatic than fungi, and therefore respond more strongly to changing elemental supplies. Revealing stoichiometric mismatches may greatly support our understanding of how host–pathogen interactions in primary producers will respond to changes in global biogeochemical cycles, controlling disease incidence in primary producers under scenarios of global change.

Unveiling African rainforest composition and vulnerability to global change.

Africa is forecasted to experience large and rapid climate change1 and population growth2 during the twenty-first century, which threatens the world's second largest rainforest. Protecting and sustainably managing these African forests requires an increased understanding of their compositional heterogeneity, the environmental drivers of forest composition and their vulnerability to ongoing changes. Here, using a very large dataset of 6million trees in more than 180,000 field plots, we jointly model the distribution in abundance of the most dominant tree taxa in central Africa, and produce continuous maps of the floristic and functional composition of central African forests. Our results show that the uncertainty in taxon-specific distributions averages out at the community level, and reveal highly deterministic assemblages. We uncover contrasting floristic and functional compositions across climates, soil types and anthropogenic gradients, with functional convergence among types of forest that are floristically dissimilar. Combining these spatial predictions with scenarios of climatic and anthropogenic global change suggests a high vulnerability of the northern and southern forest margins, the Atlantic forests and most forests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where both climate and anthropogenic threats are expected to increase sharply by 2085. These results constitute key quantitative benchmarks for scientists and policymakers to shape transnational conservation and management strategies that aim to provide a sustainable future for central African forests.

Drought Deteriorates the N Stoichiometry of Biomass Production in European Beech Saplings Under Global Change

Continuous nitrogen (N) deposition has raised concerns that temperate forest ecosystems shift from N limitation to progressing phosphorus (P) limitation under global change. According to the multiple resource limitation theory, this will not only influence P economy, but also reduce N uptake and use efficiencies of trees such that growth is equally limited by N and P. We used different global change scenarios including summer drought to test the prediction of this hypothesis for the N economy of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) saplings. Our study demonstrates that the N uptake efficiency (NUptakeE) of beech adjusts to soil N availability and stabilizes leaf and fine root N concentrations. By contrast, both efficiencies of N use were curtailed by increasing P limitation under elevated soil N. The photosynthetic N use efficiency (PNUE) was serially reduced with decreasing soil P availability and increasing foliar N:P ratios, while the N use efficiency (NUE) decreased with increasing fine root N:P ratios. Soil drought induced relative P deficiency alike and reduced NUptakeE, PNUE, and NUE independent from the soil N:P ratios. We conclude that not only N deposition but also increasing summer droughts might affect N:P ratios, thereby inducing P imbalances and affecting the N economy of European beech saplings under global change.

Viral-Mediated Microbe Mortality Modulated by Ocean Acidification and Eutrophication: Consequences for the Carbon Fluxes Through the Microbial Food Web.

Anthropogenic carbon emissions are causing changes in seawater carbonate chemistry including a decline in the pH of the oceans. While its aftermath for calcifying microbes has been widely studied, the effect of ocean acidification (OA) on marine viruses and their microbial hosts is controversial, and even more in combination with another anthropogenic stressor, i.e., human-induced nutrient loads. In this study, two mesocosm acidification experiments with Mediterranean waters from different seasons revealed distinct effects of OA on viruses and viral-mediated prokaryotic mortality depending on the trophic state and the successional stage of the plankton community. In the winter bloom situation, low fluorescence viruses, the most abundant virus-like particle (VLP) subpopulation comprising mostly bacteriophages, were negatively affected by lowered pH with nutrient addition, while the bacterial host abundance was stimulated. High fluorescence viruses, containing cyanophages, were stimulated by OA regardless of the nutrient conditions, while cyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus were negatively affected by OA. Moreover, the abundance of very high fluorescence viruses infecting small haptophytes tended to be lower under acidification while their putative hosts' abundance was enhanced, suggesting a direct and negative effect of OA on viral–host interactions. In the oligotrophic summer situation, we found a stimulating effect of OA on total viral abundance and the viral populations, suggesting a cascading effect of the elevated pCO2 stimulating autotrophic and heterotrophic production. In winter, viral lysis accounted for 30 ± 16% of the loss of bacterial standing stock per day (VMMBSS) under increased pCO2 compared to 53 ± 35% in the control treatments, without effects of nutrient additions while in summer, OA had no significant effects on VMMBSS (35 ± 20% and 38 ± 5% per day in the OA and control treatments, respectively). We found that phage production and resulting organic carbon release rates significantly reduced under OA in the nutrient replete winter situation, but it was also observed that high nutrient loads lowered the negative effect of OA on viral lysis, suggesting an antagonistic interplay between these two major global ocean stressors in the Anthropocene. In summer, however, viral-mediated carbon release rates were lower and not affected by lowered pH. Eutrophication consistently stimulated viral production regardless of the season or initial conditions. Given the relevant role of viruses for marine carbon cycling and the biological carbon pump, these two anthropogenic stressors may modulate carbon fluxes through their effect on viruses at the base of the pelagic food web in a future global change scenario.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Inoculation Enhances Endurance to Severe Heat Stress in Three Horticultural Crops

Global climate change is increasing temperatures worldwide, which greatly affects all biological relationships. Plant and soil ecosystems are also suffering in this new scenario, especially in semi-arid areas where water resources are limited. Regarding agricultural crops, temperatures that increase dramatically negatively affect fruit production and quality, making it mandatory to find sustainable practices to cope with these new situations. Symbiotic microorganisms in general and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in particular have been revealed as promising methods of alleviating stress that are respectful of the environment and soil equilibrium. In this work, we demonstrate the suitability of an ultra-pure, in vitro-issued arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculant for alleviating severe heat stress when applied to three important agricultural crops (tomato: Solanum lycopersicum L.; pepper: Capiscum annuum L.; cucumber: Cucumis sativus L.) under agronomic conditions. Inoculated plants had greatly improved endurance under heat stress because of increased vigor, productivity, and fruit quality. Considering the actual scenario of global climate change, our results shed a light of hope and indicate more sustainable cultivation practices adapted to global change.

Varying interactive effects of climate, soil properties, and gross nitrogen dynamics on biomass production between the topsoil and the subsoil in natural grassland ecosystems

Soil nitrogen (N) availability, which is primarily controlled by climate and soil properties, may play a key role in regulating biomass production in natural grasslands. However, how climate, soil properties, and gross N dynamics interact in their regulation of biomass production in natural grassland ecosystems in climate-sensitive biomes remains largely unclear. We quantified gross N transformation rates using the 15N dilution technique and the abundance of bacteria, fungi, ammonia-oxidizing archaea, and bacteria in the topsoil (0–10 cm) and subsoil (30–40 cm) in four natural grassland ecosystems along an altitudinal gradient from the Inner Mongolian (IM) to the Qinghai-Tibet (QT) plateaus. The results showed that gross N mineralization rates were generally greater in the topsoil (1.28–4.79 mg N kg−1 soil d−1) than in the subsoil (0.19–0.93 mg N kg−1 soil d−1) in all four grasslands. Gross nitrification rates were also consistently greater in the topsoil (2.42–6.48 mg N kg−1 soil d−1) than in the subsoil (<1.43 mg N kg−1 soil d−1) in all four grasslands. Gross nitrification rates were positively correlated with gross N mineralization rates, suggesting that soil nitrification was probably substrate limited. We present evidence of different interactive effects of climate, soil properties, and gross N dynamics on biomass production between the topsoil and the subsoil. In the topsoil, mean annual precipitation influenced gross N mineralization by altering total microbial activity and, in turn, influencing aboveground biomass. However, mean annual temperature influenced underground biomass through altering gross N mineralization in the subsoil. Climate influences biomass production by directly and indirectly regulating soil gross N mineralization in natural grasslands from the IM to the QT plateaus. The findings of the present study could facilitate better prediction of soil N availability for plants in natural grasslands under projected global climate change scenarios.

Insight into nearshore diatom assemblages from an island ecosystem: Composition, spatial variation, and benthic contribution to the pelagic community (Bird Island, South Africa)

Marine epilithic diatom abundance and species richness are highly variable along the South African coastline. To determine the variability in spatial diversity and benthic–pelagic​ exchanges, we conducted a baseline study of the Bird Island ecosystem in Algoa Bay. Diatom samples were collected from the rocky substrate and the adjacent water column in conjunction with physico-chemical variables at five localities around the island. Species belonging to Achnanthes, Cocconeis, Licmophora and Navicula genera were found to be widely distributed around the island. Diatom species abundance and diversity varied around the island and a dominance of typically benthic species in the surf zone, coupled with a low abundance of truly planktonic species, was evident. The low number of planktonic diatoms in the water column and their absence in benthic samples in this study suggests an intertidal system driven largely by benthic diatoms. Elevated dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), indicative of the guano influence from resident seabirds, along with temperature and turbidity, influenced the observed diatom composition and distribution. This study reveals an interplay between benthic and planktonic diatoms in the nearshore environment providing some insight into their contribution to the intertidal and subtidal food web. It further provides important information for future comparisons of benthic diatoms on Bird Island in light of their ecological indicator properties under global environmental change scenarios for this region.

Adapting participatory processes in temporary rivers management

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) mandates to incorporate the participation of stakeholders and the general public in the development and updating of the river basin management plans. So far, the WFD implementation has been mainly focused on perennial rivers without considering temporary rivers properly, neither in biomonitoring programs nor participatory processes. This paper aims at adapting participatory processes in river basin management to enhance the inclusion of ecosystems with poor or no social recognition such as temporary rivers. To do so, we examined previous experiences of participatory processes conducted in the WFD and adapted them to propose and implement an approach for promoting stakeholders’ engagement in temporary rivers. The approach is based on a collaborative leadership, includes multiple participatory engagement mechanisms, uses future global change scenarios and the concept of ecosystem services at different stages of the process, and aims at involving stakeholders not only in the proposal of measures stage but in the diagnosis of the ecological status. It also includes an evaluation of participants’ satisfaction on the process. We tested our approach in temporary rivers from the Mediterranean region. We found that the combination of environmental education and citizen science activities, together with the inclusion of the ecosystem services concept, was the most useful way to raise awareness on the biodiversity and ecological value of temporary rivers and to promote stakeholders’ engagement. Workshops conducted during the diagnosis stage played an important role in both including stakeholders’ suggestions and increasing their knowledge on temporary rivers. Further, envisaging climate-related future scenarios allowed participants to incorporate measures that could tackle new and emerging pressures on these ecosystems. As future environmental changes will increase the proportion of rivers with temporary flow regimes, our approach can contribute to adapt current participatory processes to future needs.

Responses of CH4 flux and microbial diversity to changes in rainfall amount and frequencies in a wet meadow in the Tibetan Plateau

Global climate change scenarios forecast an increasing occurrence frequency of extreme precipitation events in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, events that likely will result in increasing amounts of annual rainfall. Increased precipitation and changes in its frequency may influence CH4 production. However, few studies have reported the responses of CH4 flux and soil microbes to increases in the amount and frequency of precipitation in alpine wet meadows. In this study, we experimentally altered the amount and frequency of precipitation events during the plant growing season (May to September) in 2019 at a wet meadow in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. All treatments included ambient rain (CK) plus 25 mm of extra water for each irrigation event but with different irrigation frequency (i.e., weekly (DF1), biweekly (DF2), every three weeks (DF3) and every four weeks (DF4)). Compared with CK (rainfall is 600 mm from May to September), the increase in rainfall frequency and amount not only affected the bacterial community structure and relative abundances of dominant genera in the soil, but also increased aboveground biomass and soil water-filled pore space (WFPS), and ultimately promotes CH4 emission. We also found that CH4 flux was positively correlated with soil temperature, easily-oxidizable organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, WFPS and ammonium nitrogen. In contrast, CH4 flux was negatively correlated with bulk density, microbial biomass carbon and dissolved organic carbon contents. Furthermore, among biological factors, vegetation biomass indirectly affected CH4 emissions by affecting the substrate supply of methanogens and the transport capacity of CH4 flux. Redundancy analysis showed that the CH4 flux was positively correlated with Acidobacteria, and negatively correlated with Proteobacteria. This study suggests that changes in rainfall amount and frequency in the future will lead to the increase in CH4 flux and will impact wet meadow carbon-sink function by affecting soil microbial abundance and community structure.

The future of invasive terrestrial vertebrates in Europe under climate and land-use change

Predicting suitable locations for invasive alien terrestrial vertebrates (IATV) under different scenarios of global change is essential for local and transboundary management aimed to prevent the spread of invasions. Using a spatial modelling approach adapted to invasive species, we identify range-shifts in suitable areas for 15 of the most harmful IATV in Europe, considering future climate and land-use changes. We predict range contractions for seven of these IATV, expansion for four, and inconclusive outputs for the rest. For most Europe, future aggregated distributions show stable or decreasing trends in total IATV richness. Still, specific regions will increase their suitability for additional IATVs, including some protected and last-of-the-wild areas. Our results are informative for early decision-making and long-term strategies to prevent negative effects of IATV. Our approach is based on publicly available data, so predictions can be revised as new data becomes available.

Germination, growth, yield and yield component of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) as influenced by seed size and sowing depth: A review

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is among the oldest crops in the world. Globally, it is third most important feed grain legume. Currently, 58 countries produce this bean on large scale. Probably faba beans are one of the best performing crops under global warming and climate change scenario because of its unique ability to excel under all most all type of climatic conditions coupled with its wide adoptability to range of soil environment. It is a good source of lysine rich protein and good source of levadopa (L-dopa), a precursor of dopamine, can be potentially used as medicine for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. However, its production is very low due to a number of biotic and abiotic factors. Different agronomic practices also have an effect on germination, growth, yield and yield components of faba bean. Thus, the main objective of this seminar is to review the effect of seed size and sowing depth on faba bean production.

Characterization of the Skin Cultivable Microbiota Composition of the Frog Pelophylax perezi Inhabiting Different Environments.

Microorganisms that live in association with amphibian skin can play important roles in protecting their host. Within the scenarios of global change, it is important to understand how environmental disturbances, namely, metal pollution, can affect this microbiota. The aim of this study is to recognize core bacteria in the skin cultivable microbiota of the Perez frog (Pelophylax perezi) that are preserved regardless of the environmental conditions in which the frogs live. The characterization of these isolates revealed characteristics that can support their contributions to the ability of frogs to use metal impacted environments. Frog’s skin swabs were collected from P. perezi populations that inhabit a metal-polluted site and three reference (non-metal polluted) sites. Bacterial strains were isolated, identified, and subjected to an acid mine drainage tolerance (AMD) test, collected upstream from a site heavily contaminated with metals, and tested to produce extracellular polymeric substances (exopolysaccharide, EPS). All frog populations had Acinetobacter in their cutaneous cultivable microbiota. Significant growth inhibition was observed in all bacterial isolates exposed to 75% of AMD. EPS production was considered a characteristic of several isolates. The data obtained is a preliminary step but crucial to sustain that the cultivable microbiota is a mechanism for protecting frogs against environmental contamination.

Cyanobacterial inoculation as resource conserving options for improving the soil nutrient availability and growth of maize genotypes.

Harnessing the benefits of plant-microbe interactions towards better nutrient mobilization and plant growth is an important challenge for agriculturists globally. In our investigation, the focus was towards analyzing the soil-plant-environment interactions of cyanobacteria-based formulations (Anabaena-Nostoc consortium, BF1-4 and Anabaena-Trichoderma biofilm, An-Tr) as inoculants for ten maize genotypes (V1-V10). Field experimentation using seeds treated with the formulations illustrated a significant increase of 1.3- to 3.8-fold in C-N mobilizing enzyme activities in plants, along with more than five- to six-fold higher values of nitrogen fixation in rhizosphere soil samples. An increase of 22-30% in soil available nitrogen was also observed at flag leaf stage, and 13-16% higher values were also recorded in terms of cob yield of V6 with An-Tr biofilm inoculation. Savings of 30kgNha-1season-1 was indicative of the reduced environmental pollution, due to the use of microbial options. The use of cyanobacterial formulations also enhanced the economic, environmental and energy use efficiency. This was reflected as 37-41% reduced costs lowered GHG emission by 58-68 CO2 equivalents and input energy requirement by 3651-4296MJ, over the uninoculated control, on hectare basis. This investigation highlights the superior performance of these formulations, not only in terms of efficient C-N mobilization in maize, but also making maize cultivation a more profitable enterprise. Such interactions can be explored as resource-conserving options, for future evaluation across ecologies and locations, particularly in the global climate change scenario.