Temperatures and the growth and development of maize and rice: a review

Because of global land surface warming, extreme temperature events are expected to occur more often and more intensely, affecting the growth and development of the major cereal crops in several ways, thus affecting the production component of food security. In this study, we have identified rice and maize crop responses to temperature in different, but consistent, phenological phases and development stages. A literature review and data compilation of around 140 scientific articles have determined the key temperature thresholds and response to extreme temperature effects for rice and maize, complementing an earlier study on wheat. Lethal temperatures and cardinal temperatures, together with error estimates, have been identified for phenological phases and development stages. Following the methodology of previous work, we have collected and statistically analysed temperature thresholds of the three crops for the key physiological processes such as leaf initiation, shoot growth and root growth and for the most susceptible phenological phases such as sowing to emergence, anthesis and grain filling. Our summary shows that cardinal temperatures are conservative between studies and are seemingly well defined in all three crops. Anthesis and ripening are the most sensitive temperature stages in rice as well as in wheat and maize. We call for further experimental studies of the effects of transgressing threshold temperatures so such responses can be included into crop impact and adaptation models.     

Moving Day and Night: Highly Labile Diel Activity Patterns in a Tropical Snake

Most animals have well established diel activity patterns (e.g., diurnal, crepuscular, or nocturnal), and changes in behavior from diurnal to nocturnal are rare in single species. We radio tracked 50 keelback snakes in a single population, locating them up to four times a day, over five periods of the year in the Australian dry tropics to describe temporal variation in diel movement patterns. Snake body temperatures were also recorded to determine the relationship between activity patterns and body temperatures. Season influenced diel activity patterns significantly. Keelbacks were more likely to move, and moved further in the daytime in the mid‐dry (June–July), and late dry (Aug–Sep) seasons. In the mid‐dry season, 87 percent of movements were diurnal, whereas in the mid‐wet (Feb–March) season, although snakes were much more likely to move, only 43 percent of movements were diurnal. In the late dry season, snakes were slightly more likely to move at night than at any other time of day, and so at this time of the year, snakes could be classified as nocturnal. Thus, overall increased movements in the mid‐wet season (austral summer) were associated with more crepuscular and nocturnal movement. There was a significant relationship between individual snake body temperatures and movement rates in all seasons. Changes in movement patterns may be related to body temperature, and this diurnal species becomes cathemeral in the tropics in summer, when it is possible to maintain high body temperatures both day and night.     

Temperature variation across Marion Island associated with a keystone plant species (Azorella selago Hook. (Apiaceae))

Microclimate is the most appropriate measure of climate affecting species. Understanding microclimate variation is essential for predicting effects of climate change on species. This study examined (1) variation in microclimate temperatures associated with Azorella selago Hook. (Apiaceae) across Marion Island, (2) differences between microclimate temperature and meteorological station temperatures, and (3) effect of A. selago on microclimate temperatures. Microclimate temperatures were shown to vary significantly with altitude and island side. The microclimate associated with A. selago was also more extreme than meteorological station temperature ranges suggest. A. selago was shown to ameliorate temperature conditions compared to those on the ground. Given the biotic differences that have been documented between the sides of Marion Island, this finding argues strongly for improved understanding of spatial variability in Marion Island’s climate. Such understanding is particularly critical given the rapid rate of climate change currently being experienced by the island.     

Efficient Plastic Perovskite Solar Cell with a Low‐Temperature Processable Electrodeposited TiO2 Compact Layer and a Brookite TiO2 Scaffold

Recent research on fabricating scaffold‐type perovskite solar cells on plastic substrates has reported noteworthy progress in replacing the high‐temperature processing of TiO₂ scaffolds and compact layers with various low‐temperature processes. Herein, recent progress in the laboratory is reported regarding the development of electrodeposited TiO_x compact layers and brookite TiO₂ scaffolds, both of which can be processed under 150 °C without greatly sacrificing their photovoltaic performance. Through systematic characterization of device properties and careful optimization of the fabrication conditions, a record‐high 15.76% power conversion efficiency of a plastic TiO₂ scaffold‐type perovskite solar cell is demonstrated. In addition, bending durability and preliminary stability tests on this plastic perovskite solar cell show promising results and indicate clear directions for future improvement.     

Dynamics of Photosynthesis in Pine Stands

The CO₂ exchange of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) shoots was continuously monitored over several years. The spatial and temporal variability of gas exchange was thoroughly investigated for three forest types. The net uptake of CO₂ by current-season shoots in a bilberry pine stand equaled 5.4 g CO₂ per g dry wt for the growing season. The net CO₂ assimilation by one-year-old shoots over a growing season constituted 9.9 and 2.4 g CO₂/(g dry wt year) in the upper and lower crown parts, respectively. The nighttime respiration of the current-season shoots released 0.7 g CO₂/(g dry wt year), and the respiration of one-year-old shoots in the upper and lower parts of the canopy released 0.45 and 0.36 g CO₂/(g dry wt year), respectively. Recalculation of three-year data per entire crown yielded an annual average carbon assimilation of 1.54 g C/(g dry wt year). Water relations markedly affected CO₂ fixation. Nevertheless, the daily average values of photosynthesis in the summer were similar for pine stands with bilberry, heather, and dwarf shrub–polytric as understory dominants. It is shown that the realization of changes in photosynthetic function is related in time to growth processes.     

Spike bursts generated by the thermosensitive (cold) neuron from the antennal campaniform sensilla of the ground beetle Platynus assimilis

Responses of the antennal thermosensitive neuron of the ground beetle Platynus assimilis to warming from 20 to 50 °C were measured and analysed. During warming, neurons switched from regular spiking to bursting. ISI analysis showed that the number of spikes in the burst and spike frequency within the burst were temperature dependent and may precisely encode unfavourably or dangerously high temperatures in a graded manner. In contrast, regular spikes of the neuron encode moderate temperatures at 20-30 °C. The threshold temperature of spike bursting varied in different neurons from 25 to 47 °C. As a result, the number of bursting neurons increased with temperature increase. Therefore, in addition to the burst characteristics, the total number of bursting neurons may also contain useful information on external temperature. A relationship between the spike bursts and locomotor activity of the beetles was found which may have importance in behavioural thermoregulation of the species. At 44.4 ± 0.6 °C, first indications of partial paralysis (of the hind legs) were observed. We emphasize, that in contrast to various sensory systems studied, the thermoreceptor neuron of P. assimilis has a stable and continuous burst train, no temporal information is encoded in the timing of the bursts.     

Assessing and modeling seed germination of Mediterranean wildflowers for low input landscape restoration

Native species are recommended for use in landscape restoration because they adapt well to the local pedo‐climatic conditions. Despite the high biodiversity in the Mediterranean, the use of native plants is hampered by the limited knowledge of their seed germination. This is particularly true for a number of plants which are appropriate for creating species‐rich herbaceous communities. In this study, seeds of 35 species were collected in different roadside and degraded sites in rural and urban areas. Two experiments were carried out to determine the influence of light and thermal conditions on seed germination. In the first experiment, seeds of 17 species were tested at different temperatures (5, 15, and 25°C). At 15°C, seed germination was tested under both dark and light conditions. In the second experiment, the germination of 30 species was tested under alternating temperatures (25/15°C) and dark/light conditions. The responses of the various species differed in relation to thermal levels and light conditions, e.g., Bartsia trixago did not germinate in the dark at constant temperatures (5, 15, and 25°C), while in the light (15°C) and at alternating temperatures (25/15°C) in light and dark conditions, germination was over 60%. In both experiments, Tragopogon porrifolius and Triticum ovatum showed the highest germination rate (≥88%). With the sole exception of Medicago orbicularis, all members of the Fabaceae showed no or low germination. The definition of the germination requirements of some Mediterranean species, highlighted in these experiments, provides useful information for the creation of low input green areas and environmental restoration using these species.     

Microbial sensitivity to temperature and sulfate deposition modulates greenhouse gas emissions from peat soils

Peatlands are among the largest natural sources of atmospheric methane (CH₄) worldwide. Microbial processes play a key role in regulating CH₄ emissions from peatland ecosystems, yet the complex interplay between soil substrates and microbial communities in controlling CH₄ emissions as a function of global change remains unclear. Herein, we performed an integrated analysis of multi-omics data sets to provide a comprehensive understanding of the molecular processes driving changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in peatland ecosystems with increasing temperature and sulfate deposition in a laboratory incubation study. We sought to first investigate how increasing temperatures (4, 21, and 35°C) impact soil microbiome–metabolome interactions; then explore the competition between methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRBs) with increasing sulfate concentrations at the optimum temperature for methanogenesis. Our results revealed that peat soil organic matter degradation, mediated by biotic and potentially abiotic processes, is the main driver of the increase in CO₂ production with temperature. In contrast, the decrease in CH₄ production at 35°C was linked to the absence of syntrophic communities and the potential inhibitory effect of phenols on methanogens. Elevated temperatures further induced the microbial communities to develop high growth yield and stress tolerator trait-based strategies leading to a shift in their composition and function. On the other hand, SRBs were able to outcompete methanogens in the presence of non-limiting sulfate concentrations at 21°C, thereby reducing CH₄ emissions. At higher sulfate concentrations, however, the prevalence of communities capable of producing sufficient low-molecular-weight carbon substrates for the coexistence of SRBs and methanogens was translated into elevated CH₄ emissions. The use of omics in this study enhanced our understanding of the structure and interactions among microbes with the abiotic components of the system that can be useful for mitigating GHG emissions from peatland ecosystems in the face of global change.     

Ecophysiology of a lacertid community in the high Moroccan mountains suggests conservation guidelines

Lizard species may differ in their ecophysiology due to adaptation, plasticity and/or phylogeny. In restrictive environments, ecophysiological differences of species living in sympatry are expected to reveal long-term evolutionary responses to the abiotic environment while competitive interactions should be limited. These influences can be disentangled by combining field monitoring with experimental tests. Here, three lacertid lizard species, Atlantolacerta andreanskyi, Scelarcis perspicillata and Podarcis vaucheri sharing high mountain habitats in Oukaimeden (High Atlas, Morocco), were studied. In the field, spatiotemporal variation of the thermal and hydric environment used by the lizards was monitored using data-loggers. In the lab, thermal and hydric ecophysiology was estimated through assessments of preferred temperatures (Tp) and water loss (WL) rates. Species differed in microhabitat use and, hence, in their exposure to variations in temperature and humidity. However, they only differed in their WL (A. andreanskyi > S. perspicillata > P. vaucheri) while their Tp were similar. Such partial differences of species in in the fundamental niche, likely derived from their long-term independent phylogenetic trajectories, can be used to predict their responses to climate and habitat shifts in this and other parts of their respective ranges. Results also confirm previous suggestions that, together with thermal physiology, hydric physiology plays a prominent role in the organisation of lizard communities in the temperate region.