Publications

Determinants of flammability in savanna grass species

Publication ID: pub.1053600565

Publication date: 26/11/2015

Keywords: Biomass Moisture Content; Biomass Quantity; Determinants of Plant Community Diversity and Structure; Eastern Cape; Fire Regime; Functional Trait; Phylogeny; Poaceae; Resprouting; South Africa

Tropical grasses fuel the majority of fires on Earth. In fire-prone landscapes, enhanced flammability may be adaptive for grasses via the maintenance of an open canopy and an increase in spatiotemporal opportunities for recruitment and regeneration. In addition, by burning intensely but briefly, high flammability may protect resprouting buds from lethal temperatures. Despite these potential […]

Ingestion of Nanoplastics and Microplastics by Pacific Oyster Larvae.

Publication ID: pub.1050352083

Publication date: 24/11/2015

Keywords: Animals; Crassostrea; Channel Islands; Eating; Ecotoxicology; Guernsey; Larva; Nanostructures; Plastics; Polystyrenes; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Zooplankton

Plastic debris is a prolific contaminant effecting freshwater and marine ecosystems across the globe. Of growing environmental concern are “microplastics”and “nanoplastics” encompassing tiny particles of plastic derived from manufacturing and macroplastic fragmentation. Pelagic zooplankton are susceptible to consuming microplastics, however the threat posed to larvae of commercially important bivalves is currently unknown. We exposed Pacific […]

Death from drought in tropical forests is triggered by hydraulics not carbon starvation

Publication ID: pub.1050531291

Publication date: 23/11/2015

Keywords: Biomass; Body Size; Brazil; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Carbon; Droughts; Eastern Amazonian Forest; Plant Leaves; Plant Stems; Rainforest; Seasons; Soil; Trees; Tropical Climate; Water; Xylem

It has been suggested that carbon starvation, owing to reduced availability of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs), is an important contributor to tree mortality during drought in tropical rainforests; however, data from the world’s longest-running experimental drought study presented here show no evidence of carbon starvation, and instead the researchers conclude that impaired water hydraulic processes (involving […]

Building the genomic nation: ‘Homo Brasilis’ and the ‘Genoma Mexicano’ in comparative cultural perspective

Publication ID: pub.1050475590

Publication date: 20/11/2015

Keywords: Brazil; Continental Population Groups; Culture; Genetic Research; Humans; Latin America; Mexico; Public Health; Public Policy; Social Identification

This article explores the relationship between genetic research, nationalism and the construction of collective social identities in Latin America. It makes a comparative analysis of two research projects–the ‘Genoma Mexicano’ and the ‘Homo Brasilis’–both of which sought to establish national and genetic profiles. Both have reproduced and strengthened the idea of their respective nations of […]

Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species

Publication ID: pub.1062439956

Publication date: 20/11/2015

Keywords: Amazonia; Conservation; Deforestation; Indigenous Areas; Protected Areas; Tree Species

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under […]

Ingestion of Plastic Microfibers by the Crab Carcinus maenas and Its Effect on Food Consumption and Energy Balance.

Publication ID: pub.1055088275

Publication date: 13/11/2015

Keywords: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Brachyura; Devon; Eating; Ecotoxicology; Energy Metabolism; Plastics; Polypropylenes; River Exe Estuary; Toxicity Tests, Chronic; UK; Water Pollutants, Chemical

Microscopic plastic fragments (