Tetraplodon mnioides (deutsch Sternmoosartiges Vierzackmoos) ist eine Laubmoos-Art aus der Familie Splachnaceae.

Entireleaf Nitrogen Moss (Tetraplodon mnioides)

A,Powerful,Whirlpool,Is,Generated,At,The,Surface,Of,The

Subtropical gyres are massive rotating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-is-making-the-ocean-more-acidic/">ocean</a> currents which generate sustained circulations in the Earth’s subtropical regions to the north and south of the equator. These gyres are slow-moving whirlpools, circulating within large basins around the world, and gathering up nutrients, organisms, and sometimes even trash, as the currents rotate from coast to coast. At their surface, the gyres host healthy populations of phytoplankton – microorganisms that feed the rest of the ocean trophic chain, and are responsible for extracting a significant proportion of atmospheric carbon dioxide.



However, the currents themselves would not be able to maintain enough nutrients to sustain all the phytoplankton. Now, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (MIT) has found that phytoplankton may receive deliveries of nutrients from outside the gyres through eddies – much smaller currents that swirl at the edges of gyres. These eddies pull nutrients in from equatorial regions and push them into the centers of gyres, where they are taken up by other currents and pumped to the surface to feed the phytoplankton.



According to the scientists, ocean eddies are a major source of nutrients in subtropical gyres. Their replenishing effect – called “nutrient relay” – helps maintain vast populations of phytoplankton, which play a fundamental role in carbon sequestration. While current climate models project a decline in the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon during the following decades, this “nutrient relay” could help sustain carbon storage in the subtropical oceans.



“There’s a lot of uncertainty about how the carbon cycle of the ocean will evolve as climate continues to change,” said study lead author Mukund Gupta, a postdoctoral fellow in Environmental Science and Engineering at the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/">California Institute of Technology</a> (Caltech), who led the study as a graduate student at MIT. “As our paper shows, getting the carbon distribution right is not straightforward, and depends on understanding the role of eddies and other fine-scale motions in the ocean.”



Although scientists have previously thought that nutrient replenishment occurs largely through the recycling of “marine snow” – dead phytoplankton that sinks through the ocean’s layers and is subsequently pumped back to the surface to feed living phytoplankton – these findings paint a more complex picture of how nutrient travels through subtropical gyres.



“The vertical process that recycles nutrients from marine snow is only half the story. The other half is the replenishing effect of these eddies. As subtropical gyres contribute a significant part of the world’s oceans, we think this nutrient relay is of global importance,” Dr. Gupta concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206504119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Small eddies play a big role in nutrient cycling

Subtropical gyres are massive rotating ocean currents which generate sustained...

It seems that the Langeberg Mountains of the Western Cape, South Africa, have been keeping a stunning secret for some time now. Brian du Preez, a botanist at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has uncovered that secret.



In collaboration with Professor Peter Goldblatt of the <a href="http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/">Missouri Botanical Garden</a>, Du Preez recently described a new species of iris named Cherry Satin flower (Geissorhiza seracina). The flower is named for its deep cherry-pink petals.&nbsp;



Du Preez was hiking with his mentor, Professor Peter Linder, in December of 2021 when he spotted a peculiar flower.



"I took photos, but did not collect a specimen. It was only when I got back home and sent the photos to Dr John Manning, an expert on the Iris family, that we realized it is likely a new species," said Du Preez. Dr. Manning works at the Compton Herbarium at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).



After consulting with Professor Goldblatt, the pair determined that the flower may be a new species. Du Preez hiked back up the mountain to collect a specimen as well as bulbs for ex situ conservation. He described the rarity of such a find, noting that a discovery like this hasn't been made in 10 years.&nbsp;



With the addition of Geissorhiza seracina, there are 106 South African species described within the genus, and 24 of these species have been described since 1985. Although the Geissorhiza genus is well known, new species are being discovered in the more remote regions of the Greater Cape Floristic Region.



"New Iridaceae species are rarely found, and I mostly find new legume species. It is not often that a new species turns out to be so beautiful," said Du Preez.



The Cherry Satin flower is described in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2022.09.014">South African Journal of Botany</a>.



Image Credit: Brian du Preez



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New iris species discovered in South Africa

It seems that the Langeberg Mountains of the Western Cape,...

City trees are good for us. Research has shown that they improve our physical and mental health, clean the air, store CO2, and cool local temperatures. But comparatively little is known about urban <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-are-overheating-in-warmer-rainforests/">forests</a> as ecosystems, particularly in regard to their spatial composition, species diversity, tree health, and the abundance of introduced species.&nbsp;As climates change it is important to understand some of these variables in order to protect urban trees and their associated animal and plant communities, and to plan appropriately for the planting of new trees in urban areas in future.



A new study, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.77891">eLife</a>, has attempted to fill this gap by collecting and analyzing data on 5.6 million trees in 63 of the largest U.S. cities that maintain tree inventories. The data included the trees’ locations, species and individual health. The researchers also determined whether the species were naturally occurring (‘native’) or introduced to the area, using information from the Biota of North America Program (BONAP), which documents the distribution of plants on the continent.



“Many studies show that urban forests help humans – they save money, clean the air, and more – but few have assessed city tree biodiversity, which protects forests from being wiped out by disease or climate change. More diverse forests also confer greater mental health benefits for humans and support more wildlife,” said Dakota McCoy, a Science Fellow at Stanford University in Stanford, California, USA. McCoy is a co-lead author on the study alongside Benjamin Goulet-Scott, Higher Education and Laboratory Coordinator at Harvard Forest, Harvard University’s ecological field station in Petersham, Massachusetts.



The researchers found that, on average, only 46 percent of urban trees were naturally occurring in the area where they were planted, with the rest being introduced species. Furthermore, introduced species were more common in hotter, drier cities, while the wetter, cooler cities were home to more native species. Newer cities also tended to have more naturally occurring trees, suggesting that changing practices by city arborists may already be impacting the biological structure of urban forests.



Although all trees, whether introduced or native, perform vital ecosystem services in our cities, naturally occurring tree species are more important in creating diverse, resilient ecosystems.&nbsp;



“Naturally occurring tree species support richer local ecosystems and provide essential food and habitats for birds and butterflies,” said Goulet-Scott. “But cities are harsh environments for trees, and we often choose street trees from a short list of hardy species, which may be introduced or naturally occurring. We could see that cities with more introduced trees had similar mixes of tree species and less ecosystem diversity across cities as a result.”&nbsp;



In order to understand the spatial distribution of urban trees, the scientists designed new tools to analyze clustering and the abundance of introduced species.&nbsp;They found that, in 47 of the 48 cities with sufficient data, the urban trees were commonly clustered into single-species groups. This human practice may make the trees more vulnerable to insect pests and enhance the rapid spread of diseases such as the infamous Dutch elm disease.&nbsp;



When considering urban forests in Washington, DC, the team also found qualitative socioeconomic disparities in the locations and diversity of trees. Wealthy neighborhoods had more trees and a greater variety of species than poorer areas. The authors say that future analyses of urban forests should factor in neighborhood socioeconomics. Additionally, they suggest that citizen science initiatives could be used to document bird, insect and plant diversity in urban forests in order to understand how well they support biological communities in the urban setting. &nbsp;



In conclusion, the authors state that, compared to past research that focused on canopy cover and species richness of trees in urban settings, their new analytical techniques show the importance of understanding spatial composition and the abundance of introduced species. They hope that their work will help city managers to design future plantings to maximize resistance to pests and the effects of climate change.&nbsp;



“We hope our work will empower local decision-makers to select and plant city trees that build resilience against climate change and possible outbreaks of pests and viruses, as well as maximize the health benefits trees provide all city dwellers,” said senior author John Kartesz, Director of the Biota of North America Program.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Urban forests benefit from diverse native tree species

City trees are good for us. Research has shown that...

Premature coronary artery disease (PCAD) is characterized by an atherosclerotic narrowing of coronary arteries in males under 55 years old and females under 65. While it often starts as an asymptomatic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-weather-heightens-risk-of-death-from-heart-disease/">heart disease</a>, it may later on lead to angina and/or heart attack with progressive development of narrowing (stenosis) or plaque rupture of the arterial wall. Some risk factors associated with PCAD include high cholesterol and blood pressure, diabetes, or smoking.



Now, a team of Iranian experts has investigated the relationship between different types of grain intake and PCAD in the Middle East, and discovered that a higher intake of refined grain was linked to an increased risk of developing PCAD, while consumption of whole grains was associated with a decreased risk.



The scientists recruited 2,099 participants from hospitals across Iran who underwent coronary angiography. In total, 1,168 patients with normal coronary arteries were included in a control group, while 1,369 patients with PCAD with obstruction equal or higher than 75 percent in at least a single coronary artery or above 50 percent in the left main coronary artery made up the case group.&nbsp;



The participants were given a food frequency questionnaire to assess their dietary habits and investigate the link between whole grain versus refined grain intake and the risk of developing PCAD. The analysis revealed that a higher intake of refined grains was associated with an increased risk of PCAD, while a larger intake of whole grains was associated with a reduced risk of developing this disease.



“There are many factors involved in why people may be consuming more refined grains as opposed to whole grains and these cases differ between people, but some of the most important factors to consider include the economy and income, job, education, culture, age, and other similar factors,” said study lead author Mohammad Amin Khajavi Gaskarei, a doctor and researcher at the&nbsp;<a href="http://icri.mui.ac.ir/en">Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center</a> in Iran. “A diet that includes consuming a high amount of unhealthy and refined grains can be considered similar to consuming a diet containing a lot of unhealthy sugars and oils.”&nbsp;



“As more studies demonstrate an increase in refined grains consumption globally, as well as the impact on overall health, it is important that we find ways to encourage and educate people on the benefits of whole grain consumption,” Dr. Khajavi Gaskarei concluded.



“Tactics to consider include teaching improved dietary choices in schools and other public places in simple language the general population can understand, as well as on television programs, and by continuing to do high level research that is presented at medical conferences and published in medical journals. Clinicians must also be having these conversations with each other and their patients.”



The study will be presented at the <a href="https://www.acc.org/MiddleEast2022">American College of Cardiology (ACC) Middle East 2022 Together with the 13th&nbsp;Emirates Cardiac Society Congress</a> in Dubai (October 7-9, 2022).



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Refined grains increase the risk of heart disease

Premature coronary artery disease (PCAD) is characterized by an atherosclerotic...

Honey,Bee,Pollinating,Sunflower,Plant

In recent decades, ozone levels in the lower troposphere have increased. Ozone (O3) is a secondary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-is-making-the-ocean-more-acidic/">pollutant</a> formed during the reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the presence of sunlight. It damages the leaves of plants and inhibits photosynthesis, accelerates and extends flowering season, and alters the number of flowers open at any one time. In addition, ozone changes the chemical structure of pollen, inhibits pollen tube growth and alters the amount of pollen and nectar formed, as well as their chemical composition. 



A new study by scientists from China and Spain has now proposed that ozone may also be affecting the health of insect pollinators in ways that impair their ability to pollinate flowers successfully. The study takes the form of a literature review that highlights the ways in which ozone impacts insect pollinators.



“There is much noise about the direct effects of agrochemicals on pollinators, a subject of profound societal attention, but it now emerges that ozone is a silent threat to pollinators and thus pollination,” said lead author Evgenios Agathokleous, an ecologist at Nanjing University of Information Science &amp; Technology. “These impacts of ozone have long been missed.”



Ozone changes the chemical composition of leaves and the amount and blend of plant-emitted VOCs. This means that leaves and flowers may develop unusual colors which can confuse pollinators searching for suitable blooms. In addition, the VOCs provide important chemical signals that attract pollinators and, if these change in composition, the plant-insect interactions may be altered as a result. Ozone also produces new volatiles that may be unfamiliar to the pollinating insects looking for cues about which flowers to visit.&nbsp;



This colorless gas is an important ally when it occurs in the stratosphere, 12 km above sea level. Here it forms naturally and helps protect the Earth from the Sun’s harmful rays. However, when it occurs in the troposphere, the region of atmosphere closer to Earth’s surface, ozone is a damaging pollutant. Tropospheric-level ozone gas is created by a photochemical reaction between VOCs – emitted by vegetation and commonly found in substances such as paint and aerosols – and oxides of nitrogen, which are released when fossil fuels burn. Tropospheric ozone levels have been rising because a warming climate is creating optimal conditions for its formation.



“Ozone pollution can affect the timing and duration of flowering in such a way that the occurrence of flowering is asynchronous to the activities of pollinators,” said Agathokleous. “It can also change the color of flowers, disrupting the visual signals to pollinators. Ozone pollution can also directly react with pollen, decreasing its quality, but also indirectly changing the amount of pollen.” &nbsp;



The research, published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/home">Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>, also indicates that ozone affects pollinators directly by altering their olfactory learning ability, decreasing their recall of learned scents, and enhancing their response to new scents. Ozone may further decrease the proportion of active pollinators at any one time, a distress behavior that implies fewer potential foragers will be around to pollinate flowers.&nbsp;



“Changes in the composition of the volatile blends could also have severe implications to pollinators because they might not recognize host plants and their qualities in the same way they did in the past,” said Agathokleous. “Within plant tissues, ozone pollution could decrease the amount of nutrients that are essential to insects, increase the abundance of chemicals that are harmful to insects ingesting them, and degrade the overall quality of plant tissues.”



The study authors conclude that there may be some significant ecological consequences of ozone pollution for the world’s pollinating insects. Ozone concentrations are usually lower during the night but, since night-time ozone levels are increasing, ozone pollution may affect nocturnal pollinators more than previously thought. They state that a new generation of interdisciplinary research programs is needed to evaluate the resilience of plant–pollinator interactions in areas exposed to ozone pollution.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ozone pollution threatens the health of plants and pollinators

In recent decades, ozone levels in the lower troposphere have...

A researcher from <a href="https://www.istanbul.edu.tr/en/_">Istanbul University</a> has rediscovered in Turkey a “miracle plant” consumed widely by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, and long-thought to have become extinct over 2,000 years ago. According to Professor Mahmut Miski, the feruna drudeana plant that he discovered on Mount Hasan in Turkey may well be the famous ancient silphion. This is a plant with thick branching roots and yellow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-shed-their-flowers-quickly-for-protection-from-microbes/">flowers</a> attached to a thick stalk which were crushed, roasted, sautéed, and boiled for medicinal purposes, food, and even contraception.



The only images of this ancient plant were found engraved on Ancient Greek coins found in Cyrene. These engravings suggest that the plant was extremely valued – possibly holding the same value as silver, as one of Pliny’s old texts also testifies. 



“The juice of this plant is called ‘laser,’” Pliny wrote, “and it is greatly in vogue for medicinal as well as other purposes, being sold at the same rate as silver. For these many years past, however, it has not been found in Cyrenaica.”



“We find it stated by the most trustworthy among the Greek writers (presumably Theophrastus), that this plant made its appearance near the gardens of the Hesperides and the Greater Syrtis, immediately after the earth had been soaked on a sudden by a shower as black as pitch,” Miski explained. 



“This took place seven years before the foundation of the city of Cyrenae, and in the year of Rome.” Ancient texts also state that this plant was nearly impossible to cultivate, forcing ancient people to harvest it only from its wild habitats, and that it was consumed widely by livestock too.



According to Miski,&nbsp;when rain falls on Mount Hasan in April, ferula dudeana also sprouts from the ground and can grow up to six feet in just a month. Moreover, as he suspected, this plant was difficult to transplant, just like its ancient counterpart (currently, this process is possible, but only by using cold stratification, a complex method of subjecting seeds to both cold and hot conditions). Finally, plant caretakers from Mount Hasan reported to Miski that sheep and goats are particularly fond of the plants’ leaves.



The findings reinforce Miski’s assumption that ferula dudeana is in fact the same plant as the highly-valued ancient silphion. Due to the 30 metabolites Miski identified in the plant’s composition, ferula most likely has anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties, making it an important new discovery for medicine.&nbsp;



The plant’s description and comparison to its ancient counterpart can be found in an article published in the journal <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7825337/">Plants</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

"Miracle plant” thought to be extinct rediscovered in Turkey

A researcher from Istanbul University has rediscovered in Turkey a...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> have found evidence that trees are bulking up due to increased carbon in our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/methane-in-a-planets-atmosphere-could-be-a-sign-of-life/">atmosphere</a>.&nbsp;



“Forests are taking carbon out of the atmosphere at a rate of about 13 percent of our gross emissions,” said Brent Sohngen, co-author of the study. “While we’re putting billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we’re actually taking much of it out just by letting our forests grow.”



While the ecosystem, as a whole, may be suffering due to human carbon emissions, trees are one of the exceptions. They are using carbon to increase their rate of photosynthesis, allowing them to grow larger. The phenomenon is known as carbon fertilization.



“It’s well known that when you put a ton of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it doesn’t stay up there forever,” Sohngen said. “A massive amount of it falls into the oceans, while the rest of it is taken up by trees and wetlands and those kinds of areas.”



The scientists used data from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (USFS-FIA) to determine that vegetation is 20 to 30 percent larger than it was 30 years ago. Moreover, they also noticed that older trees continue to gain mass later in life.&nbsp;



While the researchers believed that planted trees, which are more carefully cultivated, would be more greatly influenced by the carbon influx, they found that the benefit was the same for planted and naturally growing trees. Also, since carbon dioxide mixes evenly in the air, vegetation all over the world should be benefiting from this carbon influx.&nbsp;



The researchers hope that the findings of this study will encourage policymakers to step up their utilization of trees as climate change mitigation since they are already active as carbon sinks and will more than likely become more efficient and cheaper to grow. For example, it may cost $50 to plant an acre of trees now, but carbon fertilization could bring the cost to $40 per acre in the future.&nbsp;



“Carbon fertilization certainly makes it cheaper to plant trees, avoid deforestation, or do other activities related to trying to enhance the carbon sink in forests,” said Sohngen. “We should be planting more trees and preserving older ones, because at the end of the day they’re probably our best bet for mitigating climate change.”



The study is published in the Journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33196-x">Nature Communications</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Trees are bulking up from increased carbon emissions

Researchers at Ohio State University have found evidence that trees...

Entireleaf Nitrogen Moss

Description

Taxonomic tree: