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Soil
Published in Stanley E. Manahan, Environmental Chemistry, 2022
The small fraction of soil mass consisting of organic matter (typically 5% or less of soil) has a strong influence on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of soil, playing a strong role in determining soil productivity. Among its important effects in soil, organic matter is effective in holding soil moisture, and it holds and exchanges with plant roots some of the ions that are required as plant nutrients. Organic matter in soil serves as a source of food for microorganisms, undergoes chemical reactions such as ion exchange, and influences the physical properties of soil. Some organic compounds even contribute to the weathering of mineral matter, the process by which soil is formed. Temperature, moisture, and climatic conditions significantly affect the kinds and levels of soil organic matter. Cold, wet conditions under which soil stays saturated with moisture, preventing access of microorganisms to oxygen, tend to prevent complete biodegradation of plant residues that compose soil organic matter, allowing it to accumulate. This is clearly illustrated by the accumulation of peat in Ireland and other locales with similar climatic conditions such that most of the solid soil is composed of organic matter. Tropical conditions, especially with alternate wet and dry seasons, can result in loss of soil organic matter. One reason that the soil supporting tropical rainforests degrades so quickly when the trees are removed is that the organic matter in the soil undergoes rapid biodegradation when the forest cover is removed.
Timber and timber products
Published in Arthur Lyons, Materials for Architects and Builders, 2019
Environmental issues, raised by the need to meet the current and future demands for timber, can only be resolved by sustainable forest developments. In temperate climate forests, clear-cutting, in which an area is totally stripped, followed by replanting, is the most economical, but the shelterwood method, involving a staggered harvest over several years, ensures that replacement by young trees becomes established as the mature ones are felled. The managed forests of North America and Scandinavia are beginning to increase in area due to additional planting for future use. The deforestation of certain tropical regions has allowed wind and rain to erode the thin topsoil, leaving inhospitable or desert conditions; furthermore, the overall reduction in world rainforest areas is contributing significantly to the greenhouse effect by reducing the rate of extraction of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Managing water in the age of change
Published in David Thorpe, ‘One Planet’ Cities, 2019
The local and regional natural environment’s innate characteristics can be harnessed to both secure supplies and protect from floods. Any decisions taken on investment in infrastructure should look at this approach first. In the words of WWF’s Living Planet Report: It is, in the end, nature that replenishes the freshwater that underpins all economic activity. Rainforests pump moisture into the atmosphere and the ‘sky rivers’ that flow from them water crops thousands of kilometres away from where they stand. Wetlands purify water and recharge the aquifers from which springs flow. Natural systems also contribute to water security through the role they play in maintaining climatic stability.5It is a sad fact that the management of watercourses is in general in a terrible state, with around 80 per cent of all industrial and municipal wastewater being released to the environment without any prior treatment.6
First report of collagenase production by Trichosporon sp. strain isolated from pollen of Amazonian bee (Melipona seminigra seminigra)
Published in Preparative Biochemistry & Biotechnology, 2022
Douglas Ferreira da Silva, Emerson Pequeno de Souza, Ana Lúcia Figueiredo Porto, Antônio Batista da Silva, Maria Francisca Simas Teixeira, José Manoel Wanderley Duarte Neto, Attilio Converti, Daniela de Araújo Viana Marques, Carolina de Albuquerque Lima Duarte
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most diverse biomes on Earth, harboring a substantial portion of terrestrial biodiversity with thousands of well-studied plant and animal species scattered across the region. Although microorganisms are extremely important in the dynamics of all environmental communities, there are still few studies and knowledge about the populations, species and structure of these Amazon microorganisms.[1,2] The Brazilian Amazon offers a great competitive advantage in the global biotech industry scenario because it has the highest density of natural resources in the world, which attracts biotechnology companies from the pharmaceutical to environmental and agro-industrial sectors.[3]
Water resilience and human life support - global outlook for the next half century
Published in International Journal of Water Resources Development, 2020
A fundamental challenge will be hydro-climatic management, i.e. moderating temperature fluctuations to secure Holocene conditions in terms of remaining below 2 °C of global warming. In other words, attention to land use, and skilful attention to green water functions in terms of transpiration and energy flows, will be crucial. Reducing forest destruction will be essential, to reduce current net emissions from deforestation and land-use changes, today a sizable contribution to global CO2 emissions. Wise land use is necessary, supporting subsurface carbon sequestration and CO2 mitigation by safeguarding both sustainable management of tropical rainforests and water-secured agricultural development.