Vegetation Subtypes Research Articles

The effects of specific vegetable subtypes on constipation incidence in the general United States population.

While the intake of larger quantities of vegetables has been linked to a reduction in constipation risk, which vegetables in particular underlie this risk reduction remains incompletely understood. As such, the present study was developed to explore correlations between the intake of particular vegetable types and the risk of constipation. This cross-sectional analysis was based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected from 2005-2010. Classifications and intake assessments for different vegetables were assessed with the Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED), while stool frequency or stool consistency was used to define constipation. Relationships between the intake of particular vegetable components and constipation were assessed through a weighted logistic regression approach. Subgroup and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analyses were further employed to explore associations between specific vegetable subtypes and constipation. This study included 13,860 eligible subjects, of whom 1,405 and 12,455 were respectively classified into the constipated and non-constipated groups. Following multivariate adjustment, the intake of non-starchy vegetables including orange, red, dark green, and other vegetables was found to be positively associated with a reduction in constipation risk. In contrast, constipation was unrelated to total starchy vegetable or potato intake. Tomatoes, in particular, were associated with a marked decrease in constipation risk (odds ratios: 0.80, 95% confidence interval: 0.71-0.91). These results were confirmed through RCS and subgroup analyses. Non-starchy vegetables, particularly tomatoes, were found to be associated with a pronounced reduction in constipation risk, which was unaffected by the intake of potatoes or starchy vegetables.

The Distribution Characteristics of Vegetation in the Subrange of the Altai Mountains, Xinjiang.

The Altai Mountains are an important center of biodiversity and are a major habitat for threatened and endemic species in Asia. Moreover, the Altai Mountains are a valuable site for the study of the evolution of central Asian vegetation. The Xinjiang Altai subrange represents the largest part of the southern Altai Mountains and has many unique plant communities. After conducting a thorough literature review and field investigation, we utilized the Chinese vegetation categorization system to identify the dominant plant communities in the Xinjiang Altai subrange and report their composition and distribution characteristics. Our results show that (1) the natural plant communities present in the Xinjiang Altai subrange can be divided into eight vegetation types, eighteen vegetation subtypes, and 50 communities. Among these, two communities-Form. Calligonum rubicundum and Form. Seriphidium borotalense-Festuca valesiaca-are present only in the Xinjiang Altai subrange. (2) The Xinjiang Altai subrange is located at the junction of three major biomes containing unique vegetation types (coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf forest, and desert). Thus, the Xinjiang Altai subrange is distinct in its staggered transition from mountainous boreal taiga to temperate desert. This research provides textual data to contextualize the cultural heritage of the Xinjiang Altai subrange and also provides a scientific basis for the protection and sustainable management of natural resources found in the Xinjiang Altai.

Associations of starchy and non-starchy vegetables with risk of metabolic syndrome: evidence from the NHANES 1999–2018

BackgroundHigher dietary quality, including increased vegetable consumption, was associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, specific vegetable consumption in the development of MetS remains obscure. Our study aimed to investigate the correlation between starchy and non-starchy vegetables and MetS.MethodsSecondary data analysis from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999–2018). MetS was defined by National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult treatment Panel III (NCEP ATPIII) and dietary consumption was assessed by trained staff using two 24-h diet recall methods. Weighted logistic regression analysis was carried out to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression were performed to further investigate specific vegetable subtypes and MetS.ResultsThis research enrolled 24,646 individuals (11,725 females and 12,921 males), with an average age of 45.84 ± 0.23 years. Approximately 15,828(64.22%) participants were defined to be with non-MetS and 8818(35.78%) were with MetS. Both total starchy vegetables and potatoes were associated with increased MetS risk, with the corresponding OR per standard deviation (SD) (95%CI, p-trend) being 1.06(1.02–1.11, p-trend = 0.028) and 1.08(1.04–1.13, p-trend = 0.011), respectively. However, an inverse correlation was found between dark-green vegetables and MetS, and the OR per SD (95%CI, p-trend) was 0.93(0.90–0.97, p-trend = 0.010). Subgroup analyses showed that the positive associations of starchy vegetables and potatoes on MetS risk were stronger in non-Hispanic White participants (p for interaction < 0.050).ConclusionTotal starchy vegetables and white potatoes were both associated with an increased risk of MetS, while consumption of dark-green vegetables was negatively associated with MetS risk. These findings might provide a promising and healthy dietary strategy for preventing MetS.

Vegetation Subtype Classification of Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forests in Mountainous Areas Using a Hierarchy-Based Classifier

Evergreen broad-leaved forests with rich biodiversity play a key role in stabilizing global vegetation productivity and maintaining land carbon sinks. However, quantitative and accurate classification results for humid, evergreen, broad-leaved forests (HEBF) and semi-humid evergreen broad-leaved forests (SEBF) with different vegetation productivity and significant differences in species composition are lacking. Remote sensing technology brings the possibility of vegetation subtype classification. Taking the mountainous evergreen broad-leaved forests distributed in Sichuan Province as an example, this study proposed a hierarchy-based classifier combined with environmental variables to quantitatively classify the two vegetation subtypes with different ecological characteristics but similar image features. Additionally, we applied Sun–Canopy–Sensor and C parameter(SCS + C) topographic correction to preprocess the images, effectively correcting the radiometric distortion and enhancing the accuracy of vegetation classification. Finally, achieving an overall accuracy (OA) of 87.91% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.76, which is higher than that of directly using the classifier to classify the two vegetation subtypes. The study revealed the widespread distribution of evergreen broad-leaved forests in Sichuan, with a clear boundary between the distribution areas of HEBF and SEBF. The HEBF in the east is located in the basin and the low marginal mountains; the SEBF is located in the southwest dry valley. The methods employed in this study offer an effective approach to vegetation classification in mountainous areas. The findings can provide guidance for ecological engineering construction, ecological protection, and agricultural and livestock development.

Is Eating a Greater Diversity of Foods Associated with Lower Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes?: Prospective Analysis of the EPIC-InterAct Case-Cohort Study

ObjectivesHealthy eating includes a diverse diet as this ensures adequate amounts of various nutrients for different metabolic pathways. Dietary diversity may also improve survival and promote metabolic health. However, the impact of dietary diversity on type 2 diabetes (T2D) in heterogenous populations is unknown. We aimed to examine whether greater diversity in total diet and within food groups was related to T2D incidence in multi-country populations. MethodsWe evaluated baseline (1991-1998) self-reported diet data from 23,649 participants (including 10,363 incident events of T2D) from 8 European countries in the EPIC-InterAct study. Incident T2D by 2007 was verified with multiple sources, including objective records in each participating center. We constructed multiple scores for dietary diversity to assess: diversity between food groups (DDS-total5) (range: 0 to 5), and diversity of subtypes of vegetables (DDS-veg) (0 to 4), meats (DDS-meat) (0 to 6), animal protein (DDS-proA) (0 to 8) and plant protein (DDS-proP) (0 to 5). We fitted Prentice-weighted Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) by country and meta-analyzed the country-specific estimates. ResultsIn multivariable-adjusted models, we found a significant association between total dietary diversity (all 5 food groups versus 3 or fewer) and incident T2D (HR 0.86 [95% CI: 0.75–0.98]). Similarly, within the vegetable group and within plant protein group, highest diversity scores were significantly inversely associated with incident T2D (0.90 [0.83–0.98] and 0.78 [0.65–0.93], respectively) compared to lowest scores. Both vegetable diversity and plant-protein diversity were robust to additional statistical adjustment, including food quantity, ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids, prevalent non-communicable diseases and reproductive history. Conversely, greater diversity of animal-protein subtypes was associated with higher T2D incidence, in particular after adjusting for prevalent diseases (1.39 [1.21-1.59]). ConclusionsThis multi-country case-cohort study supports the consumption of diets comprising all 5 food groups as well as diversity of vegetable and plant-protein as a strategy to help prevent diabetes among a European population. Funding SourcesHM is funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Vanier Scholarship.

THE GENUS BERTOLONIA (MELASTOMATACEAE) IN THE STATE OF BAHIA, BRAZIL

Bertolonia has 35 taxa, all endemic to the Atlantic Forest, among which many are microendemic or have restricted distribution. The plants are herbaceous, with scorpioid inflorescences and obtriquetrous (bertolonidium-type) capsules. The state of Bahia is one of the major diversity centers of Bertolonia, with 15 species, from which 12 are endemic. We present here a taxonomic treatment for the genus in the state of Bahia, with identification key, complete descriptions, distribution maps and illustrations for all the 15 species, all based on herbarium specimens, collections made by the authors, online databases and literature. We also provide here a lectotypification for B. violacea. Within the Bahian Atlantic Rainforest Bertolonia is distributed in three vegetation subtypes: ten species occur in montane rainforests, six in lowland rainforests and one in cloud forests. Of the 15 species of Bertolonia that occur in Bahia, eight were classified as Critically Endangered (CR), four as Endangered (EN), one as Vulnerable (VU) and two as Least Concern (LC), according to IUCN criteria.

Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes: results from a 20-year long prospective cohort study in Swedish men and women

PurposeTo investigate the association between fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) and the risk of developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a Swedish prospective cohort study.MethodsSubjects were 6961 men and women aged 35–56 years old at baseline, participating in the Stockholm Diabetes Prevention Program cohort. By design, the cohort was enriched by 50% with subjects that had family history of diabetes. Anthropometric measurements, oral glucose tolerance tests and questionnaires on lifestyle and dietary factors were carried out at baseline and two follow-up occasions. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios with 95% CIs.ResultsDuring a mean follow-up time of 20 ± 4 years, 1024 subjects developed T2D and 870 prediabetes. After adjustments for confounders, the highest tertile of total FVI was associated with a lower risk of developing T2D in men (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.60–0.96). There was also an inverse association between total fruit intake and prediabetes risk in men, with the HR for the highest tertile being 0.76 (95% CI 0.58–1.00). As for subtypes, higher intake of apples/pears was inversely associated with T2D risk in both sexes, whereas higher intakes of banana, cabbage and tomato were positively associated with T2D or prediabetes risk in either men or women.ConclusionWe found an inverse association between higher total FVI and T2D risk and between higher fruit intake and prediabetes risk, in men but not in women. Certain fruit and vegetable subtypes showed varying results and require further investigation.

Vegetable and fruit intake and the risk of bladder cancer: Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study.

Vegetable and fruit consumption may have a protective effect against several types of cancer. However, evidence suggesting that increased intake of vegetables and fruits, their subtypes, or the antioxidant nutrients they contain in abundance decreases the risk of bladder cancer is limited. This study included 80,952 participants from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study, who responded to a food frequency questionnaire in a 5-year follow-up survey in 1995-1998 and were followed up until December 2015 to investigate the associations between intake of vegetables and fruits, their subtypes, or the antioxidant nutrients and bladder cancer risk using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Within 1,287,514 person-years of follow-up, 401 bladder cancer cases (307 men and 94 women) were diagnosed. No association was found between intake of total vegetable and fruit, total vegetable, total fruit, subtypes of vegetables and fruits, or antioxidant nutrients and bladder cancer risk in both men and women, even in the analyses conducted among men stratified by smoking status. In this population, the consumption of vegetables and fruits was not associated with the risk of bladder cancer.

Characterising Dutch forests, wetlands and cultivated lands on the basis of phytolith assemblages

Abstract Palaeoecological reconstructions in the Netherlands are commonly based on pollen and macrofossil analysis, but can be limited if the preservation of organic material is poor. Phytoliths, biogenic silica, do not have this limitation and preserve in settings where other macro- and microfossils do not. Little is known about how phytolith assemblages preserved in soils and sediments reflect the parent vegetation in north-western European systems, so it is currently difficult to contextualise past environments. Here, we characterise phytolith assemblages for soil samples recovered from three major vegetation types in the Netherlands to provide reference data for future reconstructions of past vegetation change. We collected 42 soil surface samples from forests, wetlands and agricultural fields across the Netherlands and characterised the phytolith assemblages they contained. We identified the different phytolith morphotypes and quantified the percentages and concentrations (#phytoliths/cm3 soil) in each sample. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling to assess the variation in phytolith assemblage composition within, and between, the three vegetation types. The phytolith assemblages analysed from the forests, wetlands and agricultural fields were clearly distinguishable from each other. Agricultural fields were dominated by four phytolith morphotypes of grass silica short cells (GSSCs): rondel (tabular), cross type 1 (&gt;15 µm), rondel (elongated) and disturbance or crop phytoliths. Forests settings had significantly higher amounts of different arboreal phytoliths (large and small spheroid rugose) compared with other vegetation types. Wetlands could be identified by significantly higher amounts of Cyperaceae phytoliths (papillate) and other GSSCs (saddle and bilobates with thick castula). Phytolith assemblages could distinguish different subtypes of vegetation within forest and wetland areas, while differences between agricultural systems could not be identified. Our study demonstrates that phytoliths preserved in soils or sediments can be used to separate major vegetation types across the Netherlands. Thus, these results support the hypothesis that phytoliths can be used to infer past environmental conditions in palaeoecological reconstructions. We suggest that future work should: (1) focus on characterising which phytolith types are produced by the commonest tree, wetland, shrub and herb species in the Netherlands and (2) characterise phytolith assemblages across a wider array of vegetation types in north-western European systems to increase the capability for quantitative reconstructions using phytolith assemblages.

鄂尔多斯台地盐沼滩涂湿地土壤细菌群落结构及特征

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 鄂尔多斯台地盐沼滩涂湿地土壤细菌群落结构及特征 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202012313339 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金项目（41761102） Characteristics and distribution of soil bacterial of salt marsh tidal wetland in Ordos Platform Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:依据植被分类法将鄂尔多斯高原盐沼滩涂湿地划分为肉质耐盐草甸（B）、苔草草甸（C）、禾草草甸（D）和杂类草草甸（E）等4个植被亚型，并以盐沼裸地（A）为对照样地，共计5种盐沼滩涂湿地景观类型。运用高通量测序技术分别研究其土壤细菌群落结构特征、分布情况，以及土壤盐分与土壤细菌之间的关系。结果表明：（1）5种盐沼滩涂湿地的土壤细菌样品共12213条OTUs，属于45个门，122个纲，365个目，663个科，1375个属，2882个种。（2）变形菌门（26.19%）是盐沼滩涂湿地平均相对丰度最高的门，其次为放线菌门（17.15%），绿弯菌门（12.62%），芽单胞菌门（Gemmatimonadetes，11.23%），拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes，9.38%），酸杆菌门（Acidobacteria，8.83%）厚壁菌门（Firmicutes，2.96%）；芽单胞菌纲中的未定细菌（norank_c_Gemmatimonadetes）是丰度最高的属，平均丰度为5.75%。（3）鄂尔多斯盐沼滩涂湿地自西南向东北，空间位置相近的土壤细菌群落结构具有更大的相似性，随着土壤盐分变化，变形菌门相对丰度存在先增大后减小的趋势，与异常球菌-栖热门菌的变化趋势相反，绿弯菌门、酸杆菌门相对丰度大致呈不断增大的趋势，拟杆菌门和厚壁菌门大体呈逐渐减少的趋势，芽单胞菌门和（Rokubacteria）的变化趋势上下波动，不稳定（4）不同盐沼滩涂湿地土壤细菌群落丰度与多样性的结果均表现为：苔草草甸>杂类草草甸>禾草草甸>肉质耐盐草甸>盐沼裸地。（5）在土壤盐分指标中，与鄂尔多斯盐沼滩涂湿地细菌群落相关性依次为TS> CO32-> Na+> Cl-> pH > SO42- >K+> Mg2+> Ca2+> HCO3-。此研究结果不仅可为揭示鄂尔多斯高原盐沼滩涂湿地土壤细菌区系组成及其对应的环境特征的变化规律提供理论依据，而且进一步探讨了土壤盐分与土壤微生物之间的关系，为高原盐沼地区的土壤修复及生境演替提供了参考。 Abstract:According to the vegetation classification method, the salt marsh tidal wetland in Ordos Plateau was divided into 4 vegetation subtypes, such as succulent salt-tolerant meadow (B), carex meadow (C), grass meadow (D) and forbs meadow (E). meanwhile, salt marsh bare land (A) was taken as the control plot, there are five landscape types of salt marsh tidal wetland designed. The structure characteristics and distribution of soil bacterial community and the relationship between soil salinity and soil bacteria were studied by high-throughput sequencing technique. The results showed that:(1) There were 12213 OTUs in the soil bacteria samples of 5 kinds of salt marsh tidal wetland, which belonged to 2882 species, 1375 genera, 663 families, 365 orders, 122 classes and 45 phyla. (2) Proteobacteria (26.19%) was the highest average relative abundance of salt marsh tidal wetland, followed by Actinobacteria (17.15%), Chloroflexi (12.62%), Gemmatimonadetes (11.23%), Bacteroidetes (9.38%), Acidobacteria (8.83%) and Firmicutes (2.96%); the undetermined bacterium (norank_c_Gemmatimonadetes) in Gemmatimonadetes was the most abundant genus with an average abundance of 5.75%. (3) The community structure of soil bacteria with close spatial positions had a greater similarity from southwest to northeast in Ordos salt marsh tidal wetland. With the change of salt content in soil, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria increased at first and then decreased, which was contrary to the change trend of Deinococcus-Thermus; the relative abundance of Chloroflexi and Acidobacteria showed an increasing trend. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes generally showed a decreasing trend, and Gemmatimonadetes and Rokubacteria showed a fluctuating and unstable change trend. (4) The abundance and diversity of soil bacterial community in different salt marsh tidal wetlands were as follows:carex meadow > forbs meadow > grass meadow > succulent salt-tolerant meadow > salt marsh bare land. (5) The correlation between soil salinity and bacterial community in Ordos salt marsh tidal wetland from high to low was as follows:TS > CO32-> Na + > Cl-> pH > SO42-> K + > Mg2 + > Ca2+> HCO3-. The results of this study could not only provide theoretical basis for revealing the composition of soil bacterial flora in salt marsh tidal wetland of Ordos Plateau and the change law of its corresponding environmental characteristics, but also further explored the relationship between soil salinity and soil microorganisms, so as to provide reference for soil remediation and habitat succession in salt marsh areas of Ordos Plateau. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

A wildfire growth prediction and evaluation approach using Landsat and MODIS data

The increasing wildfire occurrence due to global climate changes urged the improvement of present wildfire growth prediction and evaluation methods. This study aimed to propose novel solutions to their two primary limitations, including the lack of robust fuel classification method and the low spatial resolution of wildfire growth accuracy assessment while ensuring wide applicability using open data satellite missions and software. The first objective was to create a robust two-step fuel model classification method consisted of the supervised machine learning classification of generalized land cover classes in the 1st level and their individual unsupervised classification to vegetation subtypes in the 2nd level. The second objective was creating a wildfire prediction accuracy assessment method using MODIS 250 m images, which overcome the limitations of low spatial resolution while preserving sub-daily temporal resolution. The wildfire on the Korčula island in Croatia was analyzed in the study, being specific for its long duration from 18 to 24 July 2015. The wildfire ignition occurred in the isolated area, which prolonged the response time from emergency agencies. Random Forest (RF) with input Landsat 8 spectral bands and indices resulted in the highest classification accuracy in the 1st classification level with an overall agreement of 83.6%. The vegetation subclasses from the 2nd classification level were matched to the 13 standard fuel models for the input in FARSITE software. The predicted wildfire evaluation showed the highest mean accuracy of 0.906 for the first two days, which decreased to 0.722 in the latter stages of the active wildfire caused by overprediction. The proposed two-step fuel model classification presented a cost-efficient solution to the fuel map creation in any part of the world, with a disadvantage of no in-situ ground truth identification and accuracy assessment for 2nd classification level. The evaluation of wildfire growth prediction with 250 m images enabled high spatial and temporal resolution of the assessment, while its limitations of wildfire overprediction and the negative effects of wildfire smoke in MODIS images should be addressed in future research.

Vegetable intake and the risk of bladder cancer in the BLadder Cancer Epidemiology and Nutritional Determinants (BLEND) international study

BackgroundAlthough a potential inverse association between vegetable intake and bladder cancer risk has been reported, epidemiological evidence is inconsistent. This research aimed to elucidate the association between vegetable intake and bladder cancer risk by conducting a pooled analysis of data from prospective cohort studies.MethodsVegetable intake in relation to bladder cancer risk was examined by pooling individual-level data from 13 cohort studies, comprising 3203 cases among a total of 555,685 participants. Pooled multivariate hazard ratios (HRs), with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models stratified by cohort for intakes of total vegetable, vegetable subtypes (i.e. non-starchy, starchy, green leafy and cruciferous vegetables) and individual vegetable types. In addition, a diet diversity score was used to assess the association of the varied types of vegetable intake on bladder cancer risk.ResultsThe association between vegetable intake and bladder cancer risk differed by sex (P-interaction = 0.011) and smoking status (P-interaction = 0.038); therefore, analyses were stratified by sex and smoking status. With adjustment of age, sex, smoking, energy intake, ethnicity and other potential dietary factors, we found that higher intake of total and non-starchy vegetables were inversely associated with the risk of bladder cancer among women (comparing the highest with lowest intake tertile: HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.64–0.98, P = 0.037 for trend, HR per 1 SD increment = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.81–0.99; HR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.63–0.97, P = 0.034 for trend, HR per 1 SD increment = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79–0.98, respectively). However, no evidence of association was observed among men, and the intake of vegetable was not found to be associated with bladder cancer when stratified by smoking status. Moreover, we found no evidence of association for diet diversity with bladder cancer risk.ConclusionHigher intakes of total and non-starchy vegetable are associated with reduced risk of bladder cancer for women. Further studies are needed to clarify whether these results reflect causal processes and potential underlying mechanisms.

Plant foods, dietary fibre and risk of ischaemic heart disease in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.

BackgroundEpidemiological evidence indicates that diets rich in plant foods are associated with a lower risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but there is sparse information on fruit and vegetable subtypes and sources of dietary fibre. This study examined the associations of major plant foods, their subtypes and dietary fibre with risk of IHD in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).MethodsWe conducted a prospective analysis of 490 311 men and women without a history of myocardial infarction or stroke at recruitment (12.6 years of follow-up, n cases = 8504), in 10 European countries. Dietary intake was assessed using validated questionnaires, calibrated with 24-h recalls. Multivariable Cox regressions were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of IHD.ResultsThere was a lower risk of IHD with a higher intake of fruit and vegetables combined [HR per 200 g/day higher intake 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90–0.99, P-trend = 0.009], and with total fruits (per 100 g/day 0.97, 0.95–1.00, P-trend = 0.021). There was no evidence for a reduced risk for fruit subtypes, except for bananas. Risk was lower with higher intakes of nuts and seeds (per 10 g/day 0.90, 0.82–0.98, P-trend = 0.020), total fibre (per 10 g/day 0.91, 0.85–0.98, P-trend = 0.015), fruit and vegetable fibre (per 4 g/day 0.95, 0.91–0.99, P-trend = 0.022) and fruit fibre (per 2 g/day 0.97, 0.95–1.00, P-trend = 0.045). No associations were observed between vegetables, vegetables subtypes, legumes, cereals and IHD risk.ConclusionsIn this large prospective study, we found some small inverse associations between plant foods and IHD risk, with fruit and vegetables combined being the most strongly inversely associated with risk. Whether these small associations are causal remains unclear.

Association between overall fruit and vegetable intake, and fruit and vegetable sub-types and blood pressure: the PRIME study (Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction).

Increased fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is associated with reduced blood pressure (BP). However, it is not clear whether the effect of FV on BP depends on the type of FV consumed. Furthermore, there is limited research regarding the comparative effect of juices or whole FV on BP. Baseline data from a prospective cohort study of 10 660 men aged 50-59 years examined not only the cross-sectional association between total FV intake but also specific types of FV and BP in France and Northern Ireland. BP was measured, and dietary intake assessed using FFQ. After adjusting for confounders, both systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were significantly inversely associated with total fruit, vegetable and fruit juice intake; however, when examined according to fruit or vegetable sub-type (citrus fruit, other fruit, fruit juices, cooked vegetables and raw vegetables), only the other fruit and raw vegetable categories were consistently associated with reduced SBP and DBP. In relation to the risk of hypertension based on SBP >140 mmHg, the OR for total fruit, vegetable and fruit juice intake (per fourth) was 0·95 (95 % CI 0·91, 1·00), with the same estimates being 0·98 (95 % CI 0·94, 1·02) for citrus fruit (per fourth), 1·02 (95 % CI 0·98, 1·06) for fruit juice (per fourth), 0·93 (95 % CI 0·89, 0·98) for other fruit (per fourth), 1·05 (95 % CI 0·99, 1·10) for cooked vegetable (per fourth) and 0·86 (95 % CI 0·80, 0·91) for raw vegetable intakes (per fourth). Similar results were obtained for DBP. In conclusion, a high overall intake of fruit, vegetables and fruit juice was inversely associated with SBP, DBP and risk of hypertension, but this differed by FV sub-type, suggesting that the strength of the association between FV sub-types and BP might be related to the type consumed, or to processing or cooking-related factors.

An expert system as an applied tool for the conservation of semi-natural grasslands on the Iberian Peninsula

Semi-natural grasslands have an important conservation value in Europe but have been in continuous decline since the early twentieth century. Valuable and well-preserved semi-natural grasslands must be identified in order to plan conservation and restoration strategies. The main aim of this paper is to develop an expert system based on diagnostic species for the identification and assessment of EU semi-natural grasslands using a dataset of 3238 vegetation plots from the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain, including the French Pyrenees). The dataset was obtained by stratified resampling of a larger dataset of 12,204 vegetation plots containing other related grasslands and herbaceous vegetation types. We applied a k-means classification on the resampled dataset and selected the diagnostic species for each group of EU semi-natural grasslands in order to develop an expert classification system with definitions based on their species composition and biogeographic distribution. The expert-based classification was applied to 14 vegetation subtypes belonging to semi-natural grasslands in the Habitats Directive, corresponding to semi-dry calcareous grasslands (Habitat 6210), Nardus grasslands (6230), hay meadows (6510, 6520) and Molinia meadows on peaty soils (6410). We provide a practical and easy tool for the identification, monitoring and assessment of EU semi-natural grasslands on the Iberian Peninsula.

Light absorption and emissions inventory of humic-like substances from simulated rainforest biomass burning in Southeast Asia

Humic-like substances (HULIS) are complex mixtures that are highly associated with brown carbon (BrC) and are important components of biomass burning (BB) emissions. In this study, we investigated the light absorption, emission factors (EFs), and amounts of HULIS emitted from the simulated burning of 27 types of regionally important rainforest biomass in Southeast Asia. We observed that HULIS had a high mass absorption efficiency at 365 nm (MAE365), with an average value of 2.6 ± 0.83 m2 g−1 C. HULIS emitted from BB accounted for 65% ± 13% of the amount of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and 85% ± 10% of the light absorption of WSOC at 365 nm. The EFs of HULIS from BB averaged 2.3 ± 2.1 g kg−1 fuel, and the burning of the four vegetation subtypes (herbaceous plants, shrubs, evergreen trees, and deciduous trees) exhibited different characteristics. The differences in EFs among the subtypes were likely due to differences in lignin content in the vegetation, the burning conditions, or other factors. The light absorption characteristics of HULIS were strongly associated with the EFs. The annual emissions (minimum–maximum) of HULIS from BB in this region in 2016 were 200–371 Gg. Furthermore, the emissions from January to April accounted for 99% of the total annual emissions of HULIS, which is likely the result of the burning activities during this season. The most significant emission regions were Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, and Laos. This study, which evaluated emissions of HULIS by simulating open BB, contributes to a better understanding of the light-absorbing properties and regional budgets of BrC in this region.

A prospective investigation of plant foods, dietary fibre and ischaemic heart disease in the EPIC cohort

AbstractIntroductionThere is evidence that plant-based diets might be associated with a lower risk of IHD; however, previous studies have not reported on intake of subtypes of fruit and vegetables and sources of dietary fibre. This study aims to assess the associations of major plant foods, their subtypes and dietary fibre with risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-CVD Consortium.Material and methodsWe conducted a prospective analysis of 490,311 men and women in ten European countries without a history of myocardial infarction or stroke at recruitment. Dietary intake was assessed using validated questionnaires and calibrated with 24-hour recall data. Cox regression models, adjusted for IHD risk factors, were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsDuring a mean of 12.6 years follow-up, we documented 8504 myocardial infarction cases or deaths from IHD. Participants consuming at least eight portions (80 grams each) of fruits and vegetables a day had a 10% lower risk of IHD (HR 0.90, 95% CI: 0.82–0.98) compared with those consuming fewer than three portions a day. The risk of IHD was 6% (95% CI 0.90–0.99; P-trend = 0.009) lower for a 200 g/day higher intake of fruit and vegetables combined, 3% (0.95–1.00; P-trend = 0.021) lower for a 100 g/ day higher fruit intake, and 8% (0.86–0.97; P-trend = 0.006) lower for a 50 g/ day higher intake of bananas. Moreover, risk of IHD was 9% (0.83–0.99; P-trend = 0.032) lower for a 10g/ day higher intake of nuts and seeds, and 10% (0.82–0.98; P-trend = 0.020) lower for a 10g/ day higher intake of total dietary fibre. No associations were observed between legumes, total vegetables and other subtypes of fruit and vegetables and IHD risk.DiscussionThe results from this large prospective study suggest that higher intakes of fruit and vegetables combined, total fruit, bananas, nuts and seeds, and total fibre are associated with a lower risk of IHD. Given the observational design of this study, causality and potential mechanisms should be further investigated.

Contrasting the Performance of Eight Satellite-Based GPP Models in Water-Limited and Temperature-Limited Grassland Ecosystems

Models constitute the primary approaches for predicting terrestrial ecosystem gross primary production (GPP) at regional and global scales. Many satellite-based GPP models have been developed due to the simple algorithms and the low requirements of model inputs. The performances of these models are well documented at the biome level. However, their performances among vegetation subtypes limited by different environmental stresses within a biome remains largely unexplored. Taking grasslands in northern China as an example, we compared the performance of eight satellite-based GPP models, including three light-use efficiency (LUE) models (vegetation photosynthesis model (VPM), modified VPM (MVPM), and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer GPP algorithm (MODIS-GPP)) and five statistical models (temperature and greenness model (TG), greenness and radiation model (GR), vegetation index model (VI), alpine vegetation model (AVM), and photosynthetic capacity model (PCM)), between the water-limited temperate steppe and the temperature-limited alpine meadow based on 16 site-year GPP estimates at four eddy covariance (EC) flux towers. The results showed that all the GPP models performed better in the alpine meadow, particularly in the alpine shrub meadow (R2 ≥ 0.84), than in the temperate steppe (R2 ≤ 0.68). The performance varied greatly among the models in the temperate steppe, while slight intermodel differences existed in the alpine meadow. Overall, MVPM (of the LUE models) and VI (of the statistical models) were the two best-performing models in the temperate steppe due to their better representation of the effect of water stress on vegetation productivity. Additionally, we found that the relatively worse model performances in the temperate steppe were seriously exaggerated by drought events, which may occur more frequently in the future. This study highlights the varying performances of satellite-based GPP models among vegetation subtypes of a biome in different precipitation years and suggests priorities for improving the water stress variables of these models in future efforts.

Impact of parameterization choices on the restitution of ozone deposition over vegetation

Ozone is a potentially phyto-toxic air pollutant, which can cause leaf damage and drastically alter crop yields, causing serious economic losses around the world. The VULNOZ (VULNerability to OZone in Anthropised Ecosystems) project is a biology and modeling project that aims to understand how plants respond to the stress of high ozone concentrations, then use a set of models to (i) predict the impact of ozone on plant growth, (ii) represent ozone deposition fluxes to vegetation, and finally (iii) estimate the economic consequences of an increasing ozone background the future.In this work, as part of the VULNOZ project, an innovative representation of ozone deposition to vegetation was developed and implemented in the CHIMERE regional chemistry-transport model. This type of model calculates the average amount of ozone deposited on a parcel each hour, as well as the integrated amount of ozone deposited to the surface at the regional or country level. Our new approach was based on a refinement of the representation of crop types in the model and the use of empirical parameters specific to each crop category. The results obtained were compared with a conventional ozone deposition modeling approach, and evaluated against observations from several agricultural areas in France. They showed that a better representation of the distribution between stomatal and non-stomatal ozone fluxes was obtained in the empirical approach, and they allowed us to produce a new estimate of the total amount of ozone deposited on the subtypes of vegetation at the national level.

Association between overall fruit and vegetable intake, and fruit and vegetable sub-types and blood pressure: the PRIME study

Association between overall fruit and vegetable intake, and fruit and vegetable sub-types and blood pressure: the PRIME study