Abstract Tetradium , a genus within Rutaceae, comprises nine species found in Eastern and Southeastern Asia, distinguished by their opposite pinnate leaves and apocarpous or subapocarpous gynoecium ...with follicular fruits. While Hartley's 1981 monograph provided foundational insights, a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the genus is lacking. Using next‐generation sequencing (NGS), this study aims to (i) establish an NGS molecular data set for Tetradium , (ii) elucidate interspecific relationships via the hybrid capture method and (iii) investigate the taxonomic status of Euodia meliifolia var. celebica . Our data set comprised 28 samples across nine species, sequenced using Illumina Miseq and Hiseq 4000 platforms, with downstream analyses conducted using the HybPhyloMaker pipeline and ASTRAL. Our findings revealed five main groups supported by both molecular and morphological data, highlighting changes in ovule number and seed functionality. Notably, the hybrid capture method proved invaluable for studying old herbarium specimens. Finally, taxonomic revisions were proposed, including the reclassification of E. meliifolia var. celebica as Tetradium celebicum , the fossil Euodia costata as Tetradium costatum, and the fossil Euodia lignata as Tetradium lignatum . An updated description for T. celebicum , supplemented by a specific identification key, is provided.
Transformation and surviving of E. coli C600 have been evaluated in dependence on the electric field strength and current density by changing the conductivity of the bacteria suspension. In this ...context the impact of making bacteria electrocompetent and the addition of NaCl solution was examined.
Transformation efficiency declines with increasing conductivity of the suspension. When washing bacteria differently, the transformation efficiency correlates with the number of survivors. In contrary, adding different concentrations of NaCl has no effect on the surviving of E. coli C600.
In dependence on the electric field strength, the transformation efficiency shows no effect on changing the conductivity. Regarding the transformation efficiency in dependence of the current density, a clear shift of the transformation maximum was observed. For higher conductivities, higher current densities are needed to reach the transformation maximum.
•Current density and conductivity of the bacteria suspension are determined.•Measurement of current density and conductivity are performed before and after electroporation.•A developed calibration ...function serves to determine a small range for optimum electric field.•Optimum electroporation can be received with much less attempts.
Transformation of Escherichia coli C600 and Bacillus subtilis 168 have been evaluated in dependence on the electric field and current density by changing the conductivity of the bacteria suspension. For both kinds of bacteria, E. coli C600 and B. subtilis 168, the trans-formation efficiency in dependence on the current density showed a clear shift of the transformation maximum according to the conductivity of the bacteria suspension. For higher conductivities, higher current densities are needed to reach the transformation maximum. Based on the measured conductivity of the bacteria suspension before and during the electroporation process a diagram was developed, which can be used to predict the electric field. It has to be applied for maximal transformation efficiencies of E. coli C600 with pDsRed-Express plasmid DNA (3311 base pairs), when using a voltage generator with an exponential decay (decay time: τ=3ms). This means, a transformation mixture of unknown composition (except for the kind of cells and nucleic acid) can be measured for its conductivity in the first place and treated with the resulting voltage. Experiments showed, that a similar calibration graphic could be developed for B. subtilis 168 with pBluescript KS II (+) (2961 base pairs).
In the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
, large knowledge gaps persist on how to increase biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in cash crop-dominated tropical landscapes
. Here, we ...present findings from a large-scale, 5-year ecosystem restoration experiment in an oil palm landscape enriched with 52 tree islands, encompassing assessments of ten indicators of biodiversity and 19 indicators of ecosystem functioning. Overall, indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as well as multidiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality, were higher in tree islands compared to conventionally managed oil palm. Larger tree islands led to larger gains in multidiversity through changes in vegetation structure. Furthermore, tree enrichment did not decrease landscape-scale oil palm yield. Our results demonstrate that enriching oil palm-dominated landscapes with tree islands is a promising ecological restoration strategy, yet should not replace the protection of remaining forests.
DNA barcoding has been used as a universal tool for phylogenetic inferences and diversity assessments, especially in poorly studied species and regions. The aim of this study was to contrast ...morphological taxonomy and DNA barcoding, using the three frequently used markers
,
, and
, to assess the efficiency of DNA barcoding in the identification of dipterocarps in Sumatra, Indonesia. The chloroplast gene
was the most polymorphic among these three markers with an average interspecific genetic distance of 0.020. The results of the molecular data were mostly in agreement with the morphological identification for the clades of
,
,
,
, and
, nonetheless these markers were inefficient to resolve the relationships within the
group. The maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference phylogenies identified
as a paraphyletic genus,
appeared as sister to
, and
was sister to
. A better discriminatory power among dipterocarp species provided by
and observed in our study suggests that this marker has a higher evolutionary rate than the other two markers tested. However, a combination of several different barcoding markers is essential for reliable identification of the species at a lower taxonomic level.
•We analyzed TanDEM-X InSAR height models to estimate aboveground biomass change.•Height models achieved a high accuracy in the aboveground biomass change estimation.•We analyzed the effects of ...canopy height and fires on aboveground biomass change.•Initial canopy height had a larger effect than the distance from fires.•Effects of fires depend on land-management system.
The area-wide estimation of aboveground biomass (AGB) and its changes as a proxy for the sequestration and emission of carbon are currently associated with high uncertainties. Here we combined interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) height models derived from TanDEM-X with repeated ground-based inventories from the years 2012 and 2019 to estimate InSAR height and AGB changes in a structurally diverse and dynamic landscape in Sumatra, Indonesia. The results suggested that the InSAR height models were highly accurate and the relationship between InSAR height and AGB change resulted in a coefficient of determination R2 of 0.65 and a cross-validated root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.38 Mg ha−1 year−1, equivalent to 13.32% of the actual AGB difference range. The estimated AGB changes with TanDEM-X were further related to the initial canopy height and fire activities in the study area. Initial canopy heights and the occurrences of fires had a significant effect on the AGB change. In general, low canopy heights tend to be associated with increasing AGB over time, whereas high canopy heights tend to be associated with stable or decreasing AGB. As expected, fires had a negative impact on the AGB changes being more pronounced in forest areas compared to oil palm concessions. The results of this study are relevant for the utilization of spaceborne InSAR height models and its potential to estimate canopy height and AGB change on large spatial scales. It was demonstrated that these changes can be related to their sources and ecosystem processes. This AGB change estimation technique can be used to model the impacts of fires on AGB change and carbon emissions, which are important for sustainable forest management.
Summary
Lasjia griseifolia
Utteridge & Brambach, a member of the Proteaceae, is described and illustrated as a new species from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The new species is similar to
L. ...erecta
, also from Sulawesi, and morphological differences between the taxa are discussed; a line illustration and detailed notes on the conservation status are provided.
Following ongoing ecological research on the tree diversity of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, we describe five new species of
. These are the first descriptions of
species from the island since ...Blume (1850,
and
), highlighting the significant lack of taxonomic research on the genus for the region. The five species proposed as new are
,
,
,
, and
All species are illustrated and information on their distribution, ecology, and conservation status is given.
The expansion of the oil palm industry in Indonesia has improved livelihoods in rural communities, but comes at the cost of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation. Here, we investigated ways to ...balance ecological and economic outcomes of oil palm cultivation. We compared a wide range of production systems, including smallholder plantations, industrialized company estates, estates with improved agronomic management, and estates with native tree enrichment. Across all management types, we assessed multiple indicators of biodiversity, ecosystem functions, management, and landscape structure to identify factors that facilitate economic-ecological win-wins, using palm yields as measure of economic performance. Although, we found that yields in industrialized estates were, on average, twice as high as those in smallholder plantations, ecological indicators displayed substantial variability across systems, regardless of yield variations, highlighting potential for economic-ecological win-wins. Reducing management intensity (e.g., mechanical weeding instead of herbicide application) did not lower yields but improved ecological outcomes at moderate costs, making it a potential measure for balancing economic and ecological demands. Additionally, maintaining forest cover in the landscape generally enhanced local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning within plantations. Enriching plantations with native trees is also a promising strategy to increase ecological value without reducing productivity. Overall, we recommend closing yield gaps in smallholder cultivation through careful intensification, whereas conventional plantations could reduce management intensity without sacrificing yield. Our study highlights various pathways to reconcile the economics and ecology of palm oil production and identifies management practices for a more sustainable future of oil palm cultivation.
PDF
