Treesearch

A simple oriented liquefaction with microwave assistance was introduced to produce phenolic compounds and cellulose nanofibers from the comprehensive utilization of biomass. Effects of process parameters on the yield and composition of liquefied straw products were investigated. Liquefied products was separated into liquid and solid products. The highest phenolics content (72.87%) in liquid products was achieved; the yield of nanofibers from liquefied solid products was 47.43 wt %. With stepwise extraction, phenolics with nice reactivity were largely separated into three fractions. They were...

Coffee is the second largest export product of developing countries and is one of the ten most important cultivated crops in Puerto Rico, especially in the mountainous region. The coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari (1967), which arrived in Puerto Rico in 2007, is considered the most destructive pest in all coffee producing areas worldwide. The control of CBB is an enormous challenge because this insect spends most of its life inside the coffee berry, even, the use of insecticides has proved ineffective. Therefore, the development and implementation of biological control...

It is well understood that complex abiotic and biotic factors influence soil dynamics. To better understand these interactions, the ability to discuss focal taxa at a species level could be incredibly informative, albeit difficult to accomplish due to limited knowledge of existing taxa diversity. The utilization of microhabitats by different species may be important in explaining community compositions among forest types. Collembolans represent a unique focus group to help understand soil dynamics because they respond strongly to physico-chemical and/or biological changes that occur within...

The intensification of agricultural land and the massive use of synthetic fertilizers to increase crop productivity represents a global concern. The concern is whether an acceptable standard level of environmental and/or ecological quality can be met and maintained while simultaneously intensifying production through chemical inputs. Though useful, studies have shown the intensification of land use through mechanization, agrochemical inputs, and unsustainable crop management practices provoke harmful impacts on the environment. These effects are mainly contamination of surface and groundwat...

In the present study, methanolysis of poplar biomass was conducted for the selective transformation of hemicellulose and lignin, which leads to methyl glycosides (mainly C5 glycosides) and lignin fragments in the liquefied products that can be separated according to their difference in hydrophilicity. The distribution of methyl glycosides and delignification was dependent on the presence of acid catalysts and reaction temperatures. The obtained lignin fraction was separated into solid lignin fragments and liquid lignin oil according to their molecular weight distribution. Subsequently,...

Tropical forests exchange more carbon dioxide with the atmosphere than any other terrestrial biome on Earth. Yet, uncertainty in the projected global carbon balance over the next century is ~3 times greater for the tropics than for any other latitude. Our poor knowledge of tropical plant physiological responses to climate change – particularly photosynthetic responses – has been identified as one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in multiple efforts to estimate and forecast the global terrestrial carbon sink. Furthermore, tropical regions are expected to experience temperatures beyond...

This study assessed the applicability of chitin nanocrystals employed in combination with an existing coating material intended for flexible packaging. The 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO) oxidized chitin nanocrystals (TOCNs) were applied 1) as an additive in a water-based acrylic resin (WBAR) that was then coated onto the surface of a biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film, and 2) as a neat layer in multilayered BOPP laminates bonded by a WBAR adhesive layer. The results indicated that the flow behavior and shear viscosity of the TOCN/WBAR system were dependent on TOCN...

In 2017, we found 17 dead females of Megachile frigida Smith in clear plastic bags of composted bark mulch in a residential yard in Bozeman, Montana, USA. Females apparently entered bags via small ventilation holes, then became trapped and died. To investigate whether this is a common source of mortality, we deployed unmodified bags of mulch and those fitted with cardboard tubes (as potential nest sites) at three nearby sites in 2018. We found two dead M. frigida females and five completed leaf cells in one of these bags of mulch fitted with cardboard tubes; two male M. frigida emerged...

The Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog (Rana sierrae) was once an abundant and widely distributed amphibian in California's alpine ranges. Rana sierraeis adapted to high‐elevation, fishless habitats. Its adaptions are reflected in a unique life cycle that involves a flexible, extended juvenile phase due to the short growing season typical of its alpine habitat. However, today this species is critically endangered, and most populations have been extirpated from their native range. Here, we present an 18‐yr‐long demographic study of a R. sierraepopulation in 15 lakes at Dusy Basin in Kings...

Streamflow is a main driver of fish population dynamics and is projected to decrease in much of the northern hemisphere, especially in the Mediterranean region, due to climate change. However, predictions of future climate effects on cold-water freshwater fish populations have typically focused only on the ecological consequences of increasing temperatures, overlooking the concurrent and interacting effects of climate-driven changes in streamflow regimes. Here, we present simulations that contrasted the consequences of changes in thermal regime alone versus the combined effects of changes...