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Fierro O, Siano F, Bianco M, Vasca E, Picariello G. Comprehensive molecular level characterization of protein- and polyphenol-rich tara (Caesalpinia spinosa) seed germ flour suggests novel hypothesis about possible accidental hazards. Food Res Int 2024; 181:114119. [PMID: 38448102 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Tara (Caesalpinia spinosa, Leguminosae) seed germ (TSG), a by-product of tara gum (E417) extraction, has been used as a protein- and polyphenol-rich food ingredient for human and animal nutrition. Nevertheless, TSG is the alleged culprit for a recent foodborne outbreak of even severe acute illnesses that have affected hundreds of individuals in the USA, perhaps triggered by nonprotein amino acids such as baikiain. Herein, the composition of TSG has been characterized at molecular level, with a focus on proteins, phenolics, lipids, and mineral composition. TSG contains 43.4 % (w/w) proteins, tentatively identified for the first time by proteomics, and 14 % lipids, consisting of 83.6 % unsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid. Ash is surprising high (6.5 %) because of an elevated concentration of P, K, Ca, and Mg. The detection of a rare earth element such as gadolinium (Gd, 1.6 mg kg-1), likely sourced from anthropogenic pollution, suggests alternative hypotheses for the origin of TSG hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Fierro
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Alimentazione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
| | - Francesco Siano
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Alimentazione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
| | - Mariacristina Bianco
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia "A. Zambelli", Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy
| | - Ermanno Vasca
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia "A. Zambelli", Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy
| | - Gianluca Picariello
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Alimentazione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy.
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Bennett JJR, Gomes AS, Ferré MA, Bera BK, Borghetti F, Callaway RM, Meron E. Evidence for scale-dependent root-antation feedback and its role in halting the spread of a pantropical shrub into an endemic sedge. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgac294. [PMID: 36733292 PMCID: PMC9887939 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Vegetation pattern formation is a widespread phenomenon in resource-limited environments, but the driving mechanisms are largely unconfirmed empirically. Combining results of field studies and mathematical modeling, empirical evidence for a generic pattern-formation mechanism is demonstrated with the clonal shrub Guilandina bonduc L. (hereafter Guilandina) on the Brazilian island of Trindade. The mechanism is associated with water conduction by laterally spread roots and root augmentation as the shoot grows-a crucial element in the positive feedback loop that drives spatial patterning. Assuming precipitation-dependent root-shoot relations, the model accounts for the major vegetation landscapes on Trindade Island, substantiating lateral root augmentation as the driving mechanism of Guilandina patterning. Guilandina expands into surrounding communities dominated by the Trindade endemic, Cyperus atlanticus Hemsl. (hereafter Cyperus). It appears to do so by decreasing the water potential in soils below Cyperus through its dense lateral roots, leaving behind a patchy Guilandina-only landscape. We use this system to highlight a novel form of invasion, likely to apply to many other systems where the invasive species is pattern-forming. Depending on the level of water stress, the invasion can take two distinct forms: (i) a complete invasion at low stress that culminates in a patchy Guilandina-only landscape through a spot-replication process, and (ii) an incomplete invasion at high stress that begins but does not spread, forming isolated Guilandina spots of fixed size, surrounded by bare-soil halos, in an otherwise uniform Cyperus grassland. Thus, drier climates may act selectively on pattern-forming invasive species, imposing incomplete invasion and reducing the negative effects on native species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie J R Bennett
- Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
| | - Anabele S Gomes
- Department of Botany, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Michel A Ferré
- Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
| | - Bidesh K Bera
- Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
| | - Fabian Borghetti
- Department of Botany, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Ragan M Callaway
- Department of Wildlife Biology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Ehud Meron
- To whom correspondence should be addressed.
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Cordero I, Jiménez MD, Delgado JA, Balaguer L, Pueyo JJ, Rincón A. Local adaptation optimizes photoprotection strategies in a Neotropical legume tree under drought stress. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 41:1641-1657. [PMID: 33611539 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Photoprotection is a plant functional mechanism to prevent photooxidative damage by excess light. This is most important when carbon assimilation is limited by drought, and as such, it entails a trade-off between carbon assimilation vs stress avoidance. The ecological adaptation of plants to local water availability can lead to different photoprotective strategies. To test this, we used different provenances of Caesalpinia spinosa (Mol.) Kuntze (commonly known as 'tara') along a precipitation gradient. Tara is a Neotropical legume tree with high ecological and commercial value, found in dry tropical forests, which are increasingly threatened by climate change. Morphological and physiological responses of tara provenances were analysed under three different treatments of drought and leaflet immobilization, i.e., light stress, in a common garden greenhouse experiment. Tara quickly responded to drought by reducing stomatal conductance, evapotranspiration, photochemical efficiency, carbon assimilation and growth, while increasing structural and chemical photoprotection (leaflet angle and pigments for thermal dissipation). Leaflet closure was an efficient photoprotection strategy with overall physiological benefits for seedlings as it diminished the evaporative demand and avoided photodamage, but also entailed costs by reducing net carbon assimilation opportunities. These responses depended on seed origin, with seedlings from the most xeric locations showing the highest dehydration tolerance, suggesting local adaptation and highlighting the value of different strategies under distinct environments. This plasticity in its response to environmental stress allows tara to thrive in locations with contrasting water availability. Our findings increase the understanding of the factors controlling the functional ecology of tara in response to drought, which can be leveraged to improve forecasts of changes in its distribution range, and for planning restoration projects with this keystone tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Cordero
- Department of Soil, Plant, and Environmental Quality, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (ICA-CSIC), Serrano 115-bis, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Plant Biology I, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Nováis 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - María Dolores Jiménez
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Nováis 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Antonio Delgado
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Nováis 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Balaguer
- Department of Plant Biology I, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Nováis 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - José J Pueyo
- Department of Soil, Plant, and Environmental Quality, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (ICA-CSIC), Serrano 115-bis, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Rincón
- Department of Soil, Plant, and Environmental Quality, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (ICA-CSIC), Serrano 115-bis, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Certini G, Castelli G, Bresci E, Calamini G, Pierguidi A, Villegas Paredes LN, Salbitano F. Fog collection as a strategy to sequester carbon in drylands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 657:391-400. [PMID: 30550903 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Advection fog is the sole source of water for many near-the-sea arid areas worldwide such as the lomas, i.e. fog-dependant landscapes of the coastal zone of Peru and Northern Chile, where deforestation occurred since 16th century, leading to a progressive and severe desertification. There, today's local socio-ecological systems suffer from lack of freshwater because they cannot rely anymore on the contribution of fog captured by vegetation. This paper presents the results of an experimental reforestation project carried out in Mejia (Peru), where tree seedlings of five native and exotic species were planted in two permanent plots in 1996. Part of the seedlings were irrigated during the first three years after planting, others not. The irrigation was carried out thanks to water harvesting by large fog collectors. From the third year onwards, all trees relied only on fog water collected by their canopy. Survival rate, height, and root-collar diameter were monitored until 2010, when also the soil carbon and nitrogen stocks were measured. Fifteen years after the planting, about 65% of trees were still alive and growing, and reforestation had induced substantial carbon sequestration both above- and below-ground. Of the tree species, Acacia saligna was definitely best performing than the other, with most of the above ground carbon stored in its biomass and a consequent high efficiency as natural fog collector. Overall, the combination of fog collection by nets and the plantation of trees showing good fog collection capacity, represented a successful strategy for allowing reforestation of arid environments and induced fast and substantial carbon sequestration. Greater efforts should be thus devoted for this purpose, paying special attention to the selection of the most suitable tree species to plant, especially looking at the local biodiversity. This work is dedicated to the memory of Professor Mario Falciai, passed away in 2015, who firstly conceived the experiment and attended all the work since 1996, bringing in our University the idea of Fog Collection for sustainable water management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Certini
- Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
| | - Giulio Castelli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Systems (GESAAF), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
| | - Elena Bresci
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Systems (GESAAF), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
| | - Gianfranco Calamini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Systems (GESAAF), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Alberto Pierguidi
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Systems (GESAAF), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
| | | | - Fabio Salbitano
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Systems (GESAAF), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
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Mijangos JL, Pacioni C, Spencer PBS, Craig MD. Contribution of genetics to ecological restoration. Mol Ecol 2014; 24:22-37. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 10/17/2014] [Accepted: 11/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Luis Mijangos
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences; Murdoch University; Murdoch WA 6150 Australia
| | - Carlo Pacioni
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences; Murdoch University; Murdoch WA 6150 Australia
| | - Peter B. S. Spencer
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences; Murdoch University; Murdoch WA 6150 Australia
| | - Michael D. Craig
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences; Murdoch University; Murdoch WA 6150 Australia
- School of Plant Biology; University of Western Australia; Crawley WA 6009 Australia
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Muenchow J, Bräuning A, Rodríguez EF, von Wehrden H. Predictive Mapping of Species Richness and Plant Species' Distributions of a Peruvian Fog Oasis Along an Altitudinal Gradient. Biotropica 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jannes Muenchow
- Institute of Geography; University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; Kochstr. 4; 91054; Erlangen; Germany
| | - Achim Bräuning
- Institute of Geography; University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; Kochstr. 4; 91054; Erlangen; Germany
| | - Eric Frank Rodríguez
- Herbarium Truxillense (HUT); National University of Trujillo; Jr. San Martín 392; Trujillo; 13001; Peru
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Ramírez DA, Balaguer L, Mancilla R, González V, Coaguila D, Talavera C, Villegas L, Ortega A, Jiménez P, Moreno JM. Leaf-trait responses to irrigation of the endemic fog-oasis tree Myrcianthes ferreyrae: can a fog specialist benefit from regular watering? TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2012; 32:65-73. [PMID: 22147224 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpr121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Myrcianthes ferreyrae is an endemic, endangered species, with a small number of individuals located only in hyperarid, fog-oases known as lomas along the Peruvian desert in southern Peru, where fog is the main source of water. Following centuries of severe deforestation, reforestation with this native species was conducted in the Atiquipa lomas, Arequipa-Perú. On five slopes, five 2-year-old seedlings were irrigated monthly with water trapped by raschel-mesh fog collectors, supplementing natural rainfall with 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 mm month(-1) from February to August 2008. We measured plant growth, increment in basal diameter, height and five leaf traits: leaf mass area (LMA), leaf carbon isotope composition (δ(13)C), nitrogen per leaf area, total leaf carbon and stomatal density; which are indicative of the physiological changes resulting from increased water supply. Plant growth rates, estimated from the variation of either shoot basal diameter or maximum height, were highly correlated with total biomass. Only LMA and δ(13)C were higher in irrigated than in control plants, but we found no further differences among irrigation treatments. This threshold response suggests an on-off strategy fitted to exploit pulses of fog water, which are always limited in magnitude in comparison with natural rain. The absence of a differential response to increased water supply is in agreement with the low phenotypic plasticity expected in plants from very stressful environments. Our results have practical implications for reforestation projects, since irrigating with 20 mm per month is sufficient to achieve the full growth capacity of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Ramírez
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Perú.
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