Summer Temperatures Research Articles

Vegetation composition and organic carbon content along right-of-ways on Interstate Highway 35 in Bexar County, Texas

Roadside habitat through major urban areas may offer remnant examples of natural grasslands. These habitats may be subjected to frequent as mowing and exposure to automobile emissions and runoff. This study was conducted on interstate highway right-of-ways in San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A. We compared the vegetation species and diversity, and the organic carbon of leaf litter, plants, and soils. Two non-native grasses accounted for 50.9% cover, while all native forbs and grasses accounted for only 9.8% cover. The mean biomass of non-native grasses was 4.5 times greater than that of all native species. Organic carbon content of leaf litter, plants, and soils was variable among the study sites, possibly due to management practices and a drought that occurred during the study. The mean organic carbon content in the upper 20 cm soil was 5.0 kg·C/m2 and organic carbon content was greater in the upper 10 cm than organic carbon in the 10.1 to 20 cm portion. Cynodon dactylon and Bouteloua curtipendula exhibited the greatest photosynthesis efficiency indicating these grasses are more adaptable to hot summer temperatures found in Central Texas. The organic carbon content along a major interstate was 13793 kg·C/ha for leaf litter, vegetation, and the upper 20 cm of the soil. We conclude that interstate highways provide habitat for some native species, but the vegetation along right-of-ways is dominated by two non-native grasses. It appears unlikely that roadside habitat can be restored to resemble native grasslands without large scale and costly restoration efforts.

Field evaluation of biostimulants on growth, flowering, yield, and quality of snap beans in subtropical environment

The cultivation of snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in subtropical regions faces environmental challenges leading to potential declines in yield. This study explores the efficacy of biostimulants as a solution, specifically investigating spraying treatments with 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA), chitosan (Ch), triacontanol (TRIA), and potassium silicate (KSi) on the snap bean cv. Paulista. Over two growing seasons with late sowing and elevated summer temperatures, the research assesses growth, flowering, yield, and quality. Notably, 5 ppm TRIA demonstrates the most significant impact on plant growth and leaf nutrient content. Treatments with 40 ppm 6-BA, 5 ppm TRIA, or 200 ppm KSi exhibit notable effects on inflorescence flower count and flowers per plant. These treatments prove most effective for crucial green pod yield measures, including the number and weight of marketable pods. Moreover, 40 ppm 6-BA or 5 ppm TRIA significantly enhances pod characteristics, such as length, diameter, and weight, consistently improving over both seasons. Particularly, 5 ppm TRIA outperforms in enhancing the chemical quality of pods throughout the study. Overall, the findings suggest that the application of 5 ppm TRIA offers the most favorable enhancements for the growth, flowering, productivity, and quality of snap bean plants in subtropical field conditions.

Climate change vulnerability of Arctic char across Scandinavia.

Climate change is anticipated to cause species to shift their ranges upward and poleward, yet space for tracking suitable habitat conditions may be limited for range-restricted species at the highest elevations and latitudes of the globe. Consequently, range-restricted species inhabiting Arctic freshwater ecosystems, where global warming is most pronounced, face the challenge of coping with changing abiotic and biotic conditions or risk extinction. Here, we use an extensive fish community and environmental dataset for 1762 lakes sampled across Scandinavia (mid-1990s) to evaluate the climate vulnerability of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), the world's most cold-adapted and northernly distributed freshwater fish. Machine learning models show that abiotic and biotic factors strongly predict the occurrence of Arctic char across the region with an overall accuracy of 89 percent. Arctic char is less likely to occur in lakes with warm summer temperatures, high dissolved organic carbon levels (i.e., browning), and presence of northern pike (Esox lucius). Importantly, climate warming impacts are moderated by habitat (i.e., lake area) and amplified by the presence of competitors and/or predators (i.e., northern pike). Climate warming projections under the RCP8.5 emission scenario indicate that 81% of extant populations are at high risk of extirpation by 2080. Highly vulnerable populations occur across their range, particularly near the southern range limit and at lower elevations, with potential refugia found in some mountainous and coastal regions. Our findings highlight that range shifts may give way to range contractions for this cold-water specialist, indicating the need for pro-active conservation and mitigation efforts to avoid the loss of Arctic freshwater biodiversity.

Assessment of the potential area for the establishment of the Colorado potato beetle in Finland and Sweden

Summary The Colorado potato beetle (CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a protected zone quarantine pest in the southern parts of Finland and Sweden. The units responsible for pest risk assessments in Finland and Sweden were requested to identify the geographical areas likely to be suitable for establishment of the CPB given a climate change scenario that covers the years 2023–2040. Based on previous studies, the northern limit of the potential range of the CPB appears to depend, above all, on where the summer temperatures enable the development of one complete generation. To identify such areas in Finland and Sweden, we first estimated the annual growing degree day (GDD) requirement (above 10 °C) of the CPB based on the two‐decade mean annual GDD in the northernmost locations where the CPB is present in Russia. The lowest mean annual GDD among these locations was 587 which was used as the GDD requirement of the CPB in this assessment. Next, we delineated the areas in Finland and Sweden where this GDD requirement was met in a recent time period (2003–2022) and in a future time period (2031–2050) assuming an intermediate greenhouse gas emission scenario, i.e., Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5. The results show that the GDD requirement of 587 is met in large areas in southern Finland and Sweden, and by 2040, also in central Finland and the Baltic Sea coastline. We further assessed that there are enough hosts for the CPB to enable establishment in these areas. These areas were therefore assessed as likely to be suitable for the establishment of the CPB. Importantly, they include areas much further north than the current protected zones. This result was assessed to be rather robust since even a 20% higher GDD requirement (704) was met in a much larger area than the protected zones both in Sweden (in the recent and future climate) and in Finland (in the future climate). The greatest sources of uncertainty in the assessment are the uncertainty of the annual GDD that the CPB needs to complete its life cycle, the future climate projections, and the abundance of hosts necessary in a landscape to enable the CPB to establish.

Impacts of ocean warming on fish size reductions on the world’s hottest coral reefs

The impact of ocean warming on fish and fisheries is vigorously debated. Leading theories project limited adaptive capacity of tropical fishes and 14-39% size reductions by 2050 due to mass-scaling limitations of oxygen supply in larger individuals. Using the world’s hottest coral reefs in the Persian/Arabian Gulf as a natural laboratory for ocean warming - where species have survived >35.0 °C summer temperatures for over 6000 years and are 14-40% smaller at maximum size compared to cooler locations - we identified two adaptive pathways that enhance survival at elevated temperatures across 10 metabolic and swimming performance metrics. Comparing Lutjanus ehrenbergii and Scolopsis ghanam from reefs both inside and outside the Persian/Arabian Gulf across temperatures of 27.0 °C, 31.5 °C and 35.5 °C, we reveal that these species show a lower-than-expected rise in basal metabolic demands and a right-shifted thermal window, which aids in maintaining oxygen supply and aerobic performance to 35.5 °C. Importantly, our findings challenge traditional oxygen-limitation theories, suggesting a mismatch in energy acquisition and demand as the primary driver of size reductions. Our data support a modified resource-acquisition theory to explain how ocean warming leads to species-specific size reductions and why smaller individuals are evolutionarily favored under elevated temperatures.

Precursors of summer heat waves in the Eastern Mediterranean

AbstractReanalysis and observational data are used to identify the precursors of summertime heat waves over the Eastern Mediterranean. After compiling a list of heat waves using objective criteria, we identify robust precursors present 7–10 days before the onset of the heat wave, longer than the typical horizon for trustworthy weather forecasts. If these precursors are present, there is a significant warming over the Eastern Mediterranean over the following 10 days that persists for weeks after. These precursors include a weakened Indian monsoon, a strengthened Sahelian monsoon, warm Western/Central Mediterranean sea‐surface temperatures, and a midlatitude low‐pressure system from the west. Further, horizontal temperature advection is the proximate cause of the heat wave in the days before the extreme; in particular, a weakening of the Etesian winds that would otherwise advect relatively cool maritime air inland accounts for around half of the warming. There has been a clear tendency for more heat extremes in recent years. These results have implications for forecasting anomalous summer temperatures in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the framework developed here can also be applied in other regions.

Linking the macroclimatic niche of native lithophytic ferns and their prevalence in urban environments.

Vertical surfaces in urban environments represent a potential expansion of niche space for lithophytic fern species. There are, however, few records of differential success rates of fern species in urban environments. The occurrence rates of 16 lithophytic fern species native to the northeastern USA in 14 biomes, including four urban environments differentiated by percentage of impervious surfaces, were evaluated. In addition, the natural macroclimatic ranges of these species were analyzed to test whether significant differences existed in climatic tolerance between species that occur in urban environments and species that do not. Three species appear to preferentially occur in urban environments, two species may facultatively occur in urban environments, and the remaining 11 species preferentially occur in nondeveloped rural environments. The natural range of fern species that occur in urban environments had higher summer temperatures than the range of species that do not, whereas other macroclimatic variables, notably winter temperatures and precipitation, were less important or insignificant. Vertical surfaces in urban environments may represent novel niche space for some native lithophytic fern species in northeastern USA. However, success in this environment depends, in part, on tolerance of the urban heat island effect, especially heating of impervious surfaces in summer.

Homes Heat Health protocol: an observational cohort study measuring the effect of summer temperatures on sleep quality

IntroductionQuality sleep is essential to our health and well-being. Summertime temperatures in the bedrooms of homes in temperate climates are increasing, especially in city apartments. There is very little empirical...

Energy Efficiency Assessment of Existing Rural Houses in Nantong Based on Human Thermal Comfort

Current research on rural houses in China mainly focuses on improving energy efficiency, with relatively few studies addressing energy-saving measures and enhancing thermal comfort for residents. Therefore, this paper focuses on existing rural houses in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, as the research object. Through on-site measurements and questionnaire surveys, it was found that the average indoor temperature of rural houses is 28.5 °C in summer and below 10 °C in winter, failing to meet the comfort needs of the villagers. To further study human thermal comfort, a linear regression method was used to establish an indoor Mean Thermal Sensation (MTS) model for Nantong’s rural houses. The neutral temperature in summer was found to be 26.46 °C, and an adaptive thermal comfort model for rural residents in the Nantong area was established. Through single-factor simulation and orthogonal experiments, the optimal comprehensive energy-saving renovation scheme was proposed. Finally, a typical rural house in Zhangzhuang Village was used as a case for building renovation practice. After the renovation, the number of thermal comfort hours increased by 145 h per year, the thermal comfort compliance rate reached 47.07%, and the overall energy-saving rate was 57.41%.

Functional validation of AaCaM3 response to high temperature stress in Amorphophallus albus

Amorphophallus is a perennial monocotyledonous herbaceous plant native to the southwestern region of China, widely used in various fields such as food processing, biomedicine and chemical agriculture. However, Amorphophallus is a typical thermolabile plant, and the continuous high temperature in summer have seriously affected the growth, development and economic yield of Amorphophallus in recent years. Calmodulin (CaM), a Ca2+ sensor ubiquitous in eukaryotes, is the most important multifunctional receptor protein in plant cells, which affects plant stress resistance by participating in the activities of a variety of signaling molecules. In this study, the key gene AaCaM3 for the Ca2+-CaM regulatory pathway was obtained from A. albus, the sequence analysis confirmed that it is a typical calmodulin. The qRT-PCR results demonstrated that with the passage of heat treatment time, the expression of AaCaM3 was significantly upregulated in A. albus leaves. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that AaCaM3 localized on the cytoplasm and nucleus. Meanwhile, heterologous transformation experiments have shown that AaCaM3 can significantly improve the heat tolerance of Arabidopsis under heat stress. The promoter region of AaCaM3 was sequenced 1,338 bp by FPNI-PCR and GUS staining assay showed that the promoter of AaCaM3 was a high-temperature inducible promoter. Yeast one-hybrid analysis and Luciferase activity reporting system analysis showed that the AaCaM3 promoter may interact with AaHSFA1, AaHSFA2c, AaHSP70, AaDREB2a and AaDREB2b. In conclusion, this study provides new ideas for further improving the signal transduction network of high-temperature stress in Amorphophallus.

Thermal Influence on the Heart: The Impact of Hot Weather on Cardiovascular Conditions.

Dear Editor, We are cognisant of the fact that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have a considerable impact on public healthcare systems. Cardiovascular disorders rank as the primary global reason of fatality, claiming an estimated 17.9 million lives in 2019, which equates to 32% of all global fatalities. The majority of these deaths, around 85 percent, result from heart attacks and strokes. Low- and middle-income countries tolerate the brunt of heart-related fatalities, accounting for over three quarters of all deaths attributed to these conditions. Additionally, out of the 17 million premature deaths caused by noncommunicable diseases in 2019, CVDs were responsible for 38 percent.1 The prevailing cardiovascular risk factors encompass increasing age, hypertension (commonly referred to as a double-edged sword), diabetes mellitus, tobacco use, obesity, dyslipidaemia, and stress.1,2 A sedentary lifestyle together with poor eating habits have also led to an increased rate of CVS-related illnesses.1 Often overlooked as a risk factor, experiencing high temperatures significantly adds to the increased occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. Multiple studies support the connection between extreme temperatures and heightened cardiovascular risks.2-5 Being exposed to higher temperatures can lead to intravascular volume depletion, haemoconcentration, a hypercoagulable state, electrolyte imbalance, and raised sympathetic activity, placing substantial stress on the heart, especially in individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease.3 To investigate cardiovascular mortality associations with extremes of temperatures, Barrak Alahmad et al. assembled daily counts of specific cardiovascular causes of death from 567 cities across 5 continents in overlapping periods ranging from 1979 to 2019, and the city-specific daily ambient temperatures were noted. The findings indicated that higher temperature extremes (99th percentile for heat and 1st percentile for cold) were linked to an increased probability of mortality from various cardiovascular conditions, including ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure.4 In a case-crossover study conducted using the England and Wales MINAP database, involving 24,861 participants (hospital admissions for myocardial infarction) during the warmest months (June to August) from 2003 to 2009, it was found that each 1-degree Celsius increase in temperature beyond the established threshold of 20 °C temporarily increased the risk of heart attack by 1.9 percent.5 The cardiovascular-related illness and fatalities are quite prevalent in Pakistan. Pakistan due to her geographical location, usually encounters summer temperatures ranging from 45 to 55 degrees Celsius across most areas of the country. ---Continue

High temperatures reduce growth, infection, and transmission of a naturally occurring fungal plant pathogen.

Climate change is rapidly altering the distribution of suitable habitats for many species as well as their pathogenic microbes. For many pathogens, including vector-borne diseases of humans and agricultural pathogens, climate change is expected to increase transmission and lead to pathogen range expansions. However, if pathogens have a lower heat tolerance than their host, increased warming could generate so-called thermal refugia for hosts. Predicting the outcomes of warming on disease transmission requires detailed knowledge of the thermal tolerances of both the host and the pathogen. Such thermal tolerance studies are generally lacking for fungal pathogens of wild plant populations, despite the fact that plants form the base of all terrestrial communities. Here, we quantified three aspects of the thermal tolerance (growth, infection, and propagule production) of the naturally occurring fungal pathogen Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae, which causes a sterilizing anther-smut disease on the herbaceous plant Silene latifolia. We also quantified two aspects of host thermal tolerance: seedling survival and flowering rate. We found that temperatures >30°C reduced the ability of anther-smut spores to germinate, grow, and conjugate in vitro. In addition, we found that high temperatures (30°C) during or shortly after the time of inoculation strongly reduced the likelihood of infection in seedlings. Finally, we found that high summer temperatures in the field temporarily cured infected plants, likely reducing transmission. Notably, high temperatures did not reduce survival or flowering of the host plants. Taken together, our results show that the fungus is considerably more sensitive to high temperatures than its host plant. A warming climate could therefore result in reduced disease spread or even local pathogen extirpation, leading to thermal refugia for the host.

Temperature and body size affect movement of juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and saithe (Pollachius virens) at nearshore nurseries.

Seasonal migrations of marine fish between shallow summer feeding habitats and deep overwintering grounds are driven by fluctuations in the biotic and abiotic environment as well as by changes in the internal state. Ontogenetic shifts in physiology and metabolism affect the response to environmental drivers and may lead to changes in migration timing and propensity. In this study, we investigated the effect of temperature and body size on migration timing and depth distribution in acoustically tagged Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, and saithe, Pollachius virens, during the period of seasonal migration from shallow summer habitats. The results from our study revealed a wide range of horizontal and vertical distribution of age 1 and 2 G. morhua within the fjord. Larger G. morhua inhabited deeper, cooler waters than smaller juveniles, likely reflecting size-dependent thermal preferences and predation pressure. Conversely, juvenile P. virens occupied primarily shallow waters close to land. The variation in depth distribution of G. morhua was mainly explained by body size and not, against our predictions, by water temperature. Conversely, the dispersal from the in-fjord habitats occurred when water temperatures were high, suggesting that seasonal temperature fluctuations can trigger the migration timing of P. virens and larger G. morhua from summer habitats. Partial migration of small juvenile G. morhua from in-fjord foraging grounds, likely influenced by individual body condition, suggested seasonal migration as a flexible strategy that individuals may use to reduce predation and energetic expenditure. Predation mortality rates of tagged juveniles were higher than previously suggested and are the first robust predation mortality rates for juvenile G. morhua and P. virens estimated based on acoustic transmitters with acidity sensors. The results have relevance for climate-informed marine spatial planning as under the scenario of increasing ocean temperatures, increasing summer temperatures may reduce the juveniles' resource utilization in the shallow summer nurseries, resulting in lower growth rates, increased predation pressure, and lower chances of juvenile winter survival.

Experimental study of a PV-PCM window under hot summer and warm winter climate

An energy-efficient PV-PCM (Photovoltaic-Phase change material) window is proposed in this study. During the day, a portion of the incident solar radiation is converted into electricity, while excessive heat from internal sources and solar radiation is stored within the PCM infill. At night, the stored heat can be released from the PCM. Unlike existing PV windows with PCM infill, the PCM is sealed in separate modules, allowing for easy adjustment or removal to better adapt to different weather conditions. In this study, the light, thermal and electrical performance of the PV-PCM window was tested in comparison with common clear glazing window, PV window and PCM-infill window under hot summer and warm winter climate.The experiment results demonstrated the ability of PV-PCM window in delaying and reducing the peak indoor temperature in hot summer. Compared with common clear glazing window, the peak temperature reduced by 8.67, 5.35 and 10.70 °C in the three days. Correspondingly, the indoor heat gains were reduced by 364.97, 265.96 and 301.10 kJ. SHGC of the proposed PV-PCM window was reduced to <0.30, whereas the U-value was reduced to <2.50 W/(m2·K). Compared with the PV window, more power generation were observed by PV-PCM window because of the cooling effect brought by the PCM module nearby. Whilst balancing thermal regulation, the daily power generations of the 0.36 m2 semi-transparent CdTe PV-PCM window were 548.33, 316.55 and 58.85 kJ.

Unraveling boreal forest composition and drivers across scales in eastern Siberia

The Siberian boreal forest is the largest continuous forest region on Earth and plays a crucial role in regulating global climate. However, the distribution and environmental processes behind this ecosystem are still not well understood. Here, we first develop Sentinel-2-based classified maps to show forest-type distribution in five regions along a southwest-northeast transect in eastern Siberia. Then, we constrain the environmental factors of the forest-type distribution based on a multivariate analysis of bioclimatic variables, topography, and ground-surface temperatur at the local and regional scales. Furthermore, we identify potential versus realized forest-type niches and their applicability to other sites. Our results show that mean annual temperature and mean summer and winter temperatures are the most influential predictors of forest-type distribution. Furthermore, we show that topography, specifically slope, provides an additional but smaller impact at the local scale. We find that the filling of climatic environmental niches by forest types decreases with geographic distance, but that the filling of topographic niches varies from one site to another. Our findings suggest that boreal forests in eastern Siberia are driven by current climate and topographical factors, but that there remains a portion of the variability that cannot be fully accounted for by these factors alone. While we hypothesize that this unexplained variance may be linked to legacies of the Late Glacial, further evidence is needed to substantiate this claim. Such results are crucial to understanding and predicting the response of boreal forests to ongoing climate change and rising temperatures.

A case study of thermal performance of gas-steam combined cycle with gas turbine inlet air cooling and condenser deep cooling

To enhance power generation during high summer temperatures and address the power supply and demand imbalance in gas-steam combined cycle, this study explored the exhaust gas waste heat refrigeration scheme, along with the optimal scheduling of cooling capacity between the precooling of inlet air for the gas turbines and deep cooling for condenser in steam cycle. Using the Ebsilon software, we investigate the thermal performance of the gas cycle, steam cycle, and the overall gas-steam combined cycle under various off-design operating conditions, including varying cooling capacity distributions, ambient temperatures, and generation loads. Based on our calculations, it is advisable to prioritize cooling capacity for precooling the ambient air for the gas cycle, balancing power generation and thermal efficiency. After the transformation, the power generation of the gas-steam combined cycle remains relatively stable across varying ambient temperatures, achieving a significant 10.9 % increase compared to pre-transformation levels under a 39 °C ambient temperature and 100 % generation load. Furthermore, the thermal efficiency of the gas-steam combined cycle improves by 1.11 % under a 40 % generation load condition. As ambient temperatures rise, the benefits of the inlet air cooling scheme become more apparent, validating its effectiveness in addressing the inherent summer power supply and demand challenges.

The burden of heat in arid regions of the Middle East: an analysis from Jordan and Kuwait

The Middle East, with its vast arid landscape, is facing escalating health risks due to intensifying heat under climate change. Kuwait and Jordan, two representative countries from the region, have no heat action plan in place. This study aims to (1) quantify the mortality burden of extreme heat in these countries, and hence (2) identify critical temperature thresholds. We collected 17 years of daily mortality records from 2000 to 2016 in Amman, Jordan, and the entire state of Kuwait. We fitted a time series design restricted to the summer months (June–August) for each location. We used distributed lag non-linear models to estimate non-linear associations and lagged effects of temperature on mortality. We then calculated attributable mortality for a range of temperature percentiles. We analyzed a total of 56 654 (39 996 all-cause deaths in Amman and 16 658 non-accidental deaths in Kuwait). Kuwait’s average summer temperature (38.7 °C) was higher than Amman (26.5 °C). In Kuwait, 202.1 (95% eCI: 17.7, 344.8) attributable heat deaths occurred over 79 d at temperatures above 41.9 °C (>95th percentile), averaging 2.6 heat deaths per day. Amman experienced 500.7 (95% eCI: 17.7, 344.8) attributable heat deaths over 77 d at temperatures above 30.75 °C, with an average of 6.5 deaths per day. This study equips Kuwait and Jordan with critical data to develop and implement targeted heat action plans. The two Middle Eastern countries face extreme heat challenges and are undergoing serious demographic changes with an influx of migrant workers and refugees. We provide an essential quantification of the mortality burden attributable to extreme heat in Kuwait and Jordan, two countries in the Middle East facing unprecedented heat and yet without existing heat action plans. Policymakers face the question of which thresholds represent negligible risk and which cannot be ignored. By analyzing 56 654 deaths, we reveal the number of deaths per day attributable to specific temperatures. This study presents the first step towards establishing targeted heat action plans to mitigate the health risks posed by intensifying heat. The methods used for Kuwait and Amman can be replicated in similar Middle Eastern countries.

Sows and piglets adjust their use of an outdoor paddock with season and piglet age during the first weeks of life in an organic farm

Few studies have examined sows and piglets' use of outdoor access during their first weeks of life, when reared with access to a hut and a pasture as in the organic system. We studied whether the age of the piglets and the season of the year influenced the use of an outdoor area by piglets and the sow, and the use of indoor spaces. For this, the localisation of sows and their piglets inside and outside the hut was analysed on 16 sows and their litters during the summer and 16 others during the winter, by scan sampling, on days 2, 7 and 13 after parturition in an organic herd in Denmark. When inside the hut, the number of piglets in the creep area, next to the sow or other piglets was noted. All parameters were analysed by linear mixed-effects ANOVA models. Sows were less often observed outside the hut in the wintertime and during the mornings compared to later times of the day (P<0.001). Furthermore, the sows increased their outdoor use with the age of their litter (P<0.001). The season also influenced the piglet use of outdoor areas (winter < summer; P<0.001). Piglets that were observed outside for the first time were older (8.9±0.9 d) during winter than during summer (3.5±0.5 d). The proportion of piglets observed outside increased with age, with a significant Season x Age interaction (P<0.001). The proportion of observations where the sows and piglets were outdoors together increased with the piglets’ age (P < 0.001). Sows’ outing was correlated with summer (R=0.3) and winter (R=0.2) temperatures, unlike piglets, where outings were correlated only with summer temperatures (R=0.3, P<0.001). The proportion of piglets observed in the creep area was significantly affected by the age with a Season x Age interaction effect (P<0.001). Piglets were rarely observed lying alone inside the hut. The proportion of piglets in contact with the sow and other piglets inside the pen was influenced by a significant Age x Season interaction effect (P<0.001). We showed that piglets given access to an outside paddock gradually increase their use with age and don’t go outside right away. Their first exit and the proportion of piglets outside depended also on the season. In general, a higher proportion of sows and piglets were observed indoor during the wintertime. Thus, sows and piglets adjust their use of outdoor paddock with season and piglet age during the first weeks of life.

Integrated Assessment of the Runoff and Heat Mitigation Effects of Vegetation in an Urban Residential Area

Urban vegetation has an essential role in maintaining the hydrological and energy balance. These processes in urban areas have been long overlooked due to the fragmentation and uneven feature of land use and vegetation distribution. Recent advances in remote sensing and the ease of data acquisition have allowed a more precise mapping of vegetation and land cover, making it possible to simulate the above processes at micro scales. This research selects a small typical residential catchment in Japan as the study area and the purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of urban vegetation on mitigating urban runoff and the heat island effect. The remote-sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data were used to represent vegetation spatial distribution and seasonal variation. A single layer canopy model and the Storm Water Management Model were coupled to simulate interception, evapotranspiration, and runoff generation processes. The effects of vegetation amount and landscape patterns on the above processes were also considered. The results showed that the coupled model had a satisfactory performance in the modeling of these processes. When the vegetation amount was set to 1.4 times its original value, the summer total runoff had a 10.7% reduction and the average surface temperature had a 2.5 °C reduction. While the vegetation amount was 0.8 times its original value, the total runoff increased by 6%, and the average surface temperature in summer increased by 1.5 °C. The combination of green roof and dense street trees showed the best mitigation performance among the different landscape patterns. The results of this study could be used as a reference for future green infrastructure development in areas with similar climate and vegetation characteristics.

Tissue-Specific Tolerance to High-Temperature and Nutrient-Poor Conditions in a Canopy-Forming Macroalga, Surviving at an Ocean Warming Hotspot.

Most canopy-forming macroalgae have disappeared from temperate reefs in southern Japan, one of the ocean warming hotspots, but Sargassum nipponicum is surviving in this region. As this species' annual shoots emerge from holdfasts during summer, both plant components may be highly tolerant to warm and nutrient-poor conditions in this season. The present study examined the effects of temperature and nutrient conditions on holdfast growth, shoot emergence from holdfasts, and shoot growth in S. nipponicum samples collected in Tanegashima Island, southern Japan. The summer temperature in this region (30 °C) allowed holdfast growth and shoot emergence but inhibited shoot growth. Nutrient-poor conditions had limited effects on the first two parameters but suppressed shoot growth. These results suggested that during warm summers and under nutrient-poor conditions in southern Japan, shoots can emerge from S. nipponicum holdfasts but cannot further grow. Additionally, nutrient loading from a nearby river was higher at the only site dominated by S. nipponicum, than at the other sites where this species was absent on Tanegashima Island. This was observed especially between autumn and winter, implying that such a nutrient-rich environment may contribute to shoot growth in S. nipponicum and to the persistence of its population in the area.