Farmer's Footprint’s Post

By looking deeper into the world of botanical interactions, groundbreaking research from Japan uncovers complex defense strategies among plants. As we learn more about these plant interactions, we see a world where every living thing plays a part in the health of our ecosystems — opening up new possibilities for agriculture, ecology, and how we understand the interconnectedness of life. https://lnkd.in/g5XznNR3

🕵♂️ Deciphering the past to develop future-proof crops 🌱 That, in a nutshell, is what the research project Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability (AEGIS) entails. Wageningen University & Research is one of the participants in this international project, which has received a research grant of 78 million euros. How did ecosystems and crops adapt to climate changes in the past? The scientists of AEGIS hope to find the answer to this question. This historical knowledge can be used to improve current agricultural methods and develop more resilient crops 👩🔬 A key component of AEGIS is the establishment of a global centre for environmental genome research at the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet). Scientists there will analyze ancient eDNA from sediment cores. This will lead to more knowledge about agricultural history and the responses of ecosystems to changing climatic conditions over thousands of years. ‘In Wageningen, as part of this project, we will analyze DNA information using new bioinformatics tools. This will help us discover which molecules plants and microbes produced in the past and what their functions were,’ explains Marnix Medema, professor of Bioinformatics at Wageningen University & Research. ‘In the DNA of the ‘ancestors’ of important crops and in the DNA of the microbes that lived with these plants, we expect to find genes that helped protect plants against pathogens and a changing climate.’ 🌦 Many of these ancient genes are probably no longer present or active in modern crops, but they could be very valuable for improving plant resilience. ‘By reintroducing some of these lost traits into modern crops, we hope to make plants less susceptible to diseases and better able to withstand the effects of climate change, such as heat and drought,’ Medema adds. 🌽 Other researchers within the project will focus on modeling past ecosystems. ‘The goal is to discover which combinations of plant species and microorganisms formed the most sustainable ecosystems in the past. This knowledge can help us create climate-resilient food systems and improve both the crops and the environments in which they grow,’ explains professor Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen. 📽 Watch the video! 👉 https://lnkd.in/ergP7gjP #climateadaptation #climatechange #plantgenetics #bioinformatics #farmingsystems

The food estate program implemented in Central Borneo has elicited both positive and negative responses from diverse segments of society. The present scenario is closely intertwined with the pressing nature and consequential effects, particularly within the domains of environmental and ecosystem sciences, economics, and socio-cultural sciences. This research examines the implementation and effects of the food estate program on the transmigrant community in the Pandih Batu District, Pulang Pisau Regency, located in Central Borneo. It uses a qualitative research design. Data were gathered through observations, documentation, and interviews. The focus of this study pertains to the transmigrant community residing in the regions of Blanti, Siam, and Gadabung. Establishing a food estate in Pulang Pisau has yielded favorable outcomes within the community, including the provision of assistance and enhancements in infrastructure, particularly in terms of road accessibility for the distribution of crops. However, it also raises issues like ecosystem alterations and communal farming practices. Feel free to read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g3EUKUPx

📃Scientific paper: Impact of planting Phallus rubrovolvatus on physicochemical and microbial properties and functional groups of soil Abstract: Purpose Soil microbial communities are critically important to agricultural ecosystems. The present study aimed to evaluate the changes in soil microbial community composition and functional groups after planting Phallus rubrovolvatus . Methods Illumina platform were adopted to characterize the bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil cropped with P. rubrovolvatus for 0 and 1 year. Results The results showed that planting P. rubrovolvatus reduced the bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil, and the dynamics of the soil bacterial diversity changed more drastically. This study also indicated that, as keystone taxa, the dominant bacteria ( Actinobacteria , Sphingomonas , Xanthobacteraceae , and Gemmatimonadaceae ) and dominant fungi ( Mortierellales and Eurotiales ) served as a key component in the network of soil microbial communities. Moreover, the bacterial and fungal communities in the soil planted with P. rubrovolvatus formed more similar and weak networks. Conclusion Planting P. rubrovolvatus significantly influenced the structure and composition of microbial communities. In the future, we will focus on ways to improve the soil environment after planting P. rubrovolvatus . Discover the rest of the scientific article on es/iode ➡️https://etcse.fr/SaXbe

Certificate of Reviewing for the Scientific African as of 2024. 07. 26 #naturalsciences #academia #academic #science #technology #engineering #math #stem #Postdoc #agriculture #environmentalsciences #soilconservation #soilhealth #soilmanagement #soilremediation #research #scientificpublication #sustainableagriculture #Greentechnology #biotechnology #renewableenergy #sustainablepractices #world #china

A few weeks ago, the first paper of my PhD got published! 😊 The paper titled "Water level drawdown induces a legacy effect on the seed bank and retains sediment chemistry in a eutrophic clay wetland" got published in Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN) and is available open-access. 🌱 In our article, we demonstrate that inducing a water level drawdown in human-managed wetlands can change seed bank properties, such as an increased seed abuncance and altered species composition. In these drawdown areas, the species composition is characterised by pioneer species, such as hairy willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum) and golden dock (Rumex maritimus). These pioneer species quickly colonize the exposed mudflat areas during a water level drawdown and can thus contribute to the seed bank after setting seed. 💧 Additionally, the changes in nutrient availability after a water level drawdown were small and seem ecologically not relevant in a eutrophic wetland. 🌍 The germination of pioneer vegetation on exposed sediment and biogeochemical cycling are essential for wetlands. Therefore, a water level drawdown could be used as a restoration measure without jeopardizing ecosystem functioning in a eutrophic wetland system The article is available here: https://lnkd.in/gnMXDyVz We acknowledge the Vereniging van Bos- en Natuurterreineigenaren (VBNE) and the OBN Natuurkennis for financing the project and Staatsbosbeheer for facilitating the fieldwork for this study. Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie (NIOO-KNAW)

Líffræði námskeið Kynning á séreinkennum líffræðinnar sem vísindagreinar og tengslum við aðrar greinar. Sameinkenni lífvera. Þetta námskeið hentar þeim sem vilja styrkja grunn sinn í faginu af áhuga, vegna frekara náms eða framtíðarstarfs. Skráning hafin í námskeið sem hefst 20. ágúst. Þund, Hafnarfirði, Eco-logy.com https://lnkd.in/dR-X2iuJ Biology Course Introduction to the uniqueness of biology as a science and links to other disciplines. Physical characteristics of organisms. This course is suitable for those who want to strengthen their foundation in the field out of interest, for further studies or future work. Registration is open for the course starting August 20th. Thund, Hafnarfjörður, Eco-logy.com https://lnkd.in/dtimwXXV

Líffræði námskeið Kynning á séreinkennum líffræðinnar sem vísindagreinar og tengslum við aðrar greinar. Sameinkenni lífvera. Þetta námskeið hentar þeim sem vilja styrkja grunn sinn í faginu af áhuga, vegna frekara náms eða framtíðarstarfs. Skráning hafin í námskeið sem hefst 20. ágúst. Þund, Hafnarfirði, Eco-logy.com https://lnkd.in/dCHHmMpJ Biology Course Introduction to the uniqueness of biology as a science and links to other disciplines. Physical characteristics of organisms. This course is suitable for those who want to strengthen their foundation in the field out of interest, for further studies or future work. Registration is open for the course starting August 20th. Thund, Hafnarfjörður, Eco-logy.com https://lnkd.in/dK4SpDsT

New paper alert! In a new manuscript published today on Current Biology, Zsuzsanna Mérai from the GMI describes how seeds of the plant Aethionema arabicum have adapted to avoid sprouting during the harsh Cyprus summer. Light exposure is key for Aethionema seeds to detect the duration of days. “Aethionema seeds use this information to set up their germination in early spring, when the weather conditions are ideal for seedling development,” says Mérai. “When the days become too long, that signals to the seeds that summer is coming, and they shouldn’t germinate anymore”.  Long light exposure leads to secondary dormancy, which suppresses germination even in dark conditions. Merái and the team investigated the molecular pathways involved in this process, and identified RGL2 as the essential protein regulating secondary dormancy. Their research also identified 3,300 differentially-expressed genes associated with secondary dormancy. These results shed light on how some plants adapt their germination patterns to avoid harsh summer conditions. “Some plants seem to have tweaked germination to adapt to specific climates_,_” Mérai points out.  This discovery could have important implications for crop seeding, and may open a path to engineering germination adaptation in other species, says Mérai._“𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴.”   _ Read more here: https://bit.ly/4bSENRb

🧬 Interesting Discovery! Why Modern Organisms Are Genetically Simpler Than Their Ancestors In a new study published in #NatureCommunications, Croatian scientists from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing University of Zagreb (FER), the Hrvatsko katoličko sveučilište - Catholic University of Croatia, and the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) have turned a traditional evolutionary concept on its head. 🔍 Key Finding: Despite the outward complexity of modern eukaryotes like animals, plants, and fungi, their genomes are actually simpler than those of their ancient unicellular ancestors. This surprising discovery suggests that evolution favours genetic simplification over complexity. 🔗https://lnkd.in/dNBzAfjw 🤔 What's Going On? This might sound strange because we often think of evolution as a process that adds complexity. But it turns out, evolution is more about being smart than being complex. 🔄 Functional Outsourcing Explained: The study introduces the concept of "functional outsourcing" as a mechanism driving this trend. By relying on ecological interactions—be it predation, parasitism, or symbiosis—organisms can offload costly genetic functions, optimizing their survival strategies in complex ecosystems. 🌐 Real-World Analogy: Just as a business focuses on what it does best and outsources the rest, organisms streamline their genes and rely on their ecological partners. This not only makes living more efficient but also creates a web of interdependence that defines entire ecosystems. 💡  Why It Matters: This simplified genetic approach helps organisms adapt to their environments more effectively, leading to the rich biodiversity we see today. This study challenges our understanding of genetic evolution and highlights the incredible ways in which nature innovates. Well done for the team: Mirjana Domazet-Lošo from FER, Tin Široki , Korina Šimičević & Tomislav Domazet-Lošo The research was funded by the Hrvatska zaklada za znanost (Croatian Science Foundation), the City of Zagreb / Grad Zagreb, the #AdrisFoundation, and the European Regional Development Fund 👉 Read more: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dwZG_emv 📷 Illustration of DNA, canva