Ecosystem fragmentation drives increased diet variation in an endemic livebearing fish of the Bahamas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effect of manganese supplementation on the membrane integrity and the mitochondrial potential of the sperm of grazing Nelore bulls

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Beneficial effects of fermented vegetal beverages on human gastrointestinal microbial ecosystem in a simulator

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Vaccination of grazing calves with antigens from the intestinal membranes of Haemonchus contortus: effects against natural challenge with Haemonchus placei and Haemonchus similis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Hot spots, hot moments, and spatio-temporal controls on soil CO2 efflux in a water-limited ecosystem

Soil CO2 efflux is the primary source of CO2 emissions from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere. The rates of this flux vary in time and space producing hot moments (sudden temporal high fluxes) and hot spots (spatially defined high fluxes), but these high reaction rates are rarely studied in conjunction with each other. We studied temporal and spatial variation of soil CO2 efflux in a water-limited Mediterranean ecosystem in Baja California, Mexico. Soil CO2 efflux increased 522% during a hot moment after rewetting of soils following dry summer months. Monthly precipitation was the primary driver of the seasonal trend of soil CO2 efflux (including the hot moment) and through changes in soil volumetric water content (VWC) it influenced the relationship between CO2 efflux and soil temperature. Geostatistical analyses showed that the spatial dependence of soil CO2 efflux changed between two contrasting seasons (dry and wet). During the dry season high soil VWC was associated with high soil CO2 efflux, and during the wet season the emergence of a hot spot of soil CO2 efflux was associated with higher root biomass and leaf area index. These results suggest that sampling designs should accommodate for changes in spatial dependence of measured variables. The spatio-temporal relationships identified in this study are arguably different from temperate ecosystems where the majority of soil CO2 efflux research has been done. This study provides evidence of the complexity of the mechanisms controlling the spatio-temporal variability of soil CO2 efflux in water-limited ecosystems. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prebiotic Effect of Fructooligosaccharide in the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME (R) Model)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

CONTRIBUTION OF BASAL AND AERIAL TILLERS IN DYNAMICS OF HERBAGE PRODUCTION OF SIGNALGRASS AFTER GRAZING DEFERRED

During the spring, the understanding of regrowth in basal and aerial tillers of deferred pasture in winter it is necessary. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the morphogenesis and herbage accumulation during spring in Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk (signalgrass) pasture used under deferred grazing in winter. The basal and aerial tillers in same pasture were evaluated. The signalgrass was managed with grazing cattle and with an average height of 25 cm. The randomized block design with three replications was adopted. The leaf appearance rate, phyllochron and the numbers of expanded, expanding and live leaves did not differ between basal and aerial tillers. The aerial tiller possessed lower rates of leaf senescence, of leaf elongation and of stem elongation, as well as lower number of dead leaf and stem and leaf lamina lengths, compared to basal tiller. The leaf lifespan was higher in aerial tillers than at basal. The basal tiller also contributed to higher rates of tissue growth and forage accumulation in pasture when compared to aerial tiller. After deferred grazing during the spring, the aerial tiller has low participation in forage production of signalgrass pasture.

Soil and leaf nutrient content of tree species support deciduous forests on limestone outcrops as a eutrophic ecosystem

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The effect of gastrointestinal nematode infection level on grazing distance from dung

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Source and frequency of dry season lipid supplementation of grazing, finishing cattle

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Managing soil carbon for multiple ecosystem benefits positive exemplars: Latin America (Brazil and Argentina)

Agriculture provides food, fibre and energy, which have been the foundation for the development of all societies. Soil carbon plays an important role in providing essential ecosystem services. Historically, these have been viewed in terms of plant nutrient availability only, with agricultural management being driven to obtain maximum benefits of this soil function. However, recently, agricultural systems have been envisioned to provide a more complete set of ecosystem services, in a win-win situation, in addition to the products normally associated with agriculture. The expansion and growth of agricultural production in Brazil and Argentina brought about a significant loss of soil carbon stocks, and consequently the associated ecosystem services, such as flooding and erosion control, water filtration and storage. There are several examples of soil carbon management for multiple benefits in Brazil and Argentina, with new soil management techniques attempting to reverse this trend by increasing soil carbon (C) stocks. One example is zero tillage, which has the advantage of reducing CO2 emissions from the soil and thus preserving or augmenting C stocks. Crop rotations that include cover crops have been shown to sequester significant amounts of C, both in Brazilian subtropical regions as well as in the Argentinean Pampas. Associated benefits of zero tillage and cover crop rotations include flood and erosion control and improved water filtration and storage. Another positive example is the adoption of no-burning harvest in the vast sugarcane area in Brazil, which also contributes to reduced CO2 emissions, leaving crop residues on the soil surface and thus helping the conservation of essential plant nutrients and improving water storage.

Effects of supplementation frequency on the ruminal fermentation and enteric methane production of beef cattle grazing in tropical pastures

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Characterization of grazing bifurcation in airfoils with control surface freeplay nonlinearity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fermentation by gut microbiota cultured in a simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem is improved probiotic Enterococcus faecium CRL 183

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Energy sources in the supplementation of beef cattle grazing Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)