Search Results (32)

Soil compaction is a critical challenge in perennial fruit production, limiting root growth, water infiltration, and nutrient uptake—factors essential for climate-resilient and sustainable orchard systems. In subtropical Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) orchards under the annual top-working system, intensive machinery traffic exacerbates subsurface hardpan formation and tree performance. This study evaluated the effectiveness of pneumatic subsoiling, a minimally invasive method using high-pressure air injection, in alleviating soil compaction without disturbing orchard surface integrity. Four treatments varying in radial distance from the trunk and pneumatic application were tested in a mature orchard in central Taiwan. Pneumatic subsoiling 120 cm away from the trunk significantly reduced soil penetration resistance by 15.4% at 34 days after treatment (2,302,888 Pa) compared to the control (2,724,423 Pa). However, this reduction was not sustained at later assessment dates, and no significant improvements in vegetative growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality were observed within the first season post-treatment. These results suggest that while pneumatic subsoiling can modify subsurface soil physical conditions with minimal surface disturbance, its agronomic benefits may require longer-term evaluation under varying moisture and management regimes. Overall, this study highlights pneumatic subsoiling may be a potential low-disturbance strategy to contribute to longer-term soil physical resilience. Full article

Accurate identification of dust emission sources is crucial for simulating dust aerosols in atmospheric chemical models. Therefore, a dynamically updated dust source function (DSF) was developed within the dust emission scheme of the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) to simulate an East Asian dust storm event from 13 to 16 March 2021. Utilizing satellite-derived input of vegetation cover, snow cover, soil texture, and land use, the DSF was updated to better identify dust source areas over bare soils and sparsely vegetated regions in western China and central-western Mongolia. With the updated DSF, simulated dust emissions increase significantly over western China and Mongolia. The dust aerosol simulations demonstrate substantial improvements in near-surface PM₁₀ concentrations, a better agreement with remotely sensed dust aerosol optical depth (DOD), and a more accurate representation of the vertical distribution of dust extinction coefficients compared to observations. This study highlights the importance of integrating real-time data to accurately characterize dust emission sources, thereby improving atmospheric environment simulations. Full article

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). Despite the availability of interventions for disease exacerbations and symptomatic management, EM remained without a cure. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the MS demyelination mechanism. Adjuvant therapies like α-lipoic acid (ALA) have garnered interest for their potential to mitigate oxidative damage and control MS symptoms. ALA is found naturally in vegetables and red meat and can also be synthesized in mitochondria through enzymatic reactions involving octanoic acid and cysteine. However, its bioavailability from dietary sources is limited, prompting an investigation into supplemental forms. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of ALA on disability in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for MS. Methods: Records were searched until June 2023 (CRD42023397760). Five RCTs evaluated ALA’s effect on MS progression using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The quality of evidence was assessed using GRADE, and publication bias was evaluated using Egger’s and Begg’s tests. Results: Following the selection process, five studies were included involving 179 patients (87 placebo and 92 ALA). Oral administration of racemic ALA (R/S-ALA) at 600 mg twice daily reduced EDSS, indicating a potential for ALA supplementation to mitigate MS disability. The North American trials (SPMS patients) did not show heterogeneity, while Asian studies (RRMS patients) were moderated. The quality of evidence was high without publication bias. Conclusions: ALA treatment reduce EDSS scores. However, further studies are warranted to establish the role of ALA as an adjuvant in clinical practice in long-term follow-up (>2 years) RCTs. Full article

Central Asia, located at the heart of Eurasia, is renowned for its varied climate and vertical vegetative distribution, which support diverse biomes and position it as a global biodiversity hotspot. Despite this ecological richness, Central Asia’s fungal diversity, particularly wood-inhabiting macrofungi, remains largely unexplored. This study investigates the diversity, ecological roles, and potential distribution of poroid Hymenochaetoid fungi in the region. By conducting field surveys, collecting basidiomes, and reviewing the literature and herbarium records from five Central Asian countries, we compiled a comprehensive checklist of these fungi. In total, 43 Hymenochaetoid species belonging to 18 genera were identified, with Inonotus, Phellinus, and Phylloporia being the most species-rich. Notably, Inonotus hispidus and Phellinus igniarius were found to be the most widespread species. These macrofungi play essential ecological roles as saprotrophs and pathogens of various identified host plant families, aiding in lignin degradation and exhibiting diverse enzymatic activities. For the first time, we modelled the potential distribution patterns of Hymenochaetoid fungi in Central Asia, revealing that their distribution is strongly influenced by host plant availability and temperature-related factors. The three most critical variables were host plant density, annual temperature range (Bio7), and mean temperature of the warmest quarter (Bio10). The distribution of suitable habitats is uneven, with highly suitable areas (4.52%) concentrated in the mountainous border regions between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. These results underscore the significance of specific environmental conditions for the growth and survival of Hymenochaetoid fungi in this region. Our findings highlight the urgent need for continued mycological and host plant research and expanded conservation initiatives to document and preserve macrofungal and botanical biodiversity in this under-explored area. In light of climate change, the collected mycological and botanical data provide a valuable reference for promoting forest health management globally. Full article

Biological invasions are considered one of the most important threats to biodiversity worldwide, and their intensity increases with urbanization. Potentilla indica, a perennial stoloniferous plant of Asian origin, is a newly emerging invasive alien species in European cities and other areas. Due to its wide ecological range, it may threaten many native species, especially in urban riparian forests which are particularly susceptible to plant invasions. Although it shows high phenotypic plasticity, its coverage and morphological variability depending on the type of vegetation and abiotic factors in natural conditions have not been studied so far. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore this issue, using phytosociological relevés and measurements of selected environmental factors and morphological features of P. indica in Kraków, the second largest city in Poland, central Europe. We demonstrated that the coverage and morphological traits of P. indica can be significantly affected by the type of plant community, and the presence and abundance of the species in urban habitats are strongly related to soil moisture, electrical conductivity, and fertility. We also found that the coverage of P. indica is positively correlated with the Evenness index, height of herbaceous layer, soil electrical conductivity and moisture, and negatively with the number of species, soil compactness, and phosphorus content in the soil. We further revealed that the size of the leaves and the length of the pedicels and stolons in P. indica can be positively influenced by its coverage. To prevent the invasion of P. indica in riparian forests and other urban habitats, we suggest controlling its cultivation and disposal, removing new appearances, and maintaining high species diversity with a dominance of one or a few native species in plant communities. Full article

Carbon use efficiency (CUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) are key metrics for quantifying the coupling between terrestrial ecosystem carbon and water cycles. The impacts of intensifying climate change and human activities on carbon and water fluxes in Central Asian vegetation remain unclear. In this study, the CUE and WUE in Central Asia from 2001 to 2022 were accurately estimated with the help of the Google Earth Engine (GEE) data platform; the Theil–Sen median slope estimation combined with the Manna–Kendall significance test and partial derivative analysis were used to investigate the CUE and WUE trends and their responses to climate change and human activities. CUE and WUE show overall declining trends with significant spatial variability. Among meteorological factors, vapor pressure deficit and temperature show the strongest correlation with CUE, while precipitation and temperature are most correlated with WUE. Compared to human activities, climate change has a greater impact on CUE and WUE, mainly exerting a negative influence. Human activities are the main drivers in regions with developed agriculture, such as oases, farmlands, and areas near rivers and lakes. This study provides scientific references for the optimization of water and soil resources and the integrated regional environmental management in Central Asia. Full article

In the context of drought events caused by global warming, there is limited understanding of vegetation loss caused by drought and the subsequent recovery of vegetation after drought ends. However, employing a single index representing a specific vegetation characteristic to explore drought’s impact on vegetation may overlook vegetation features and introduce increased uncertainty. We applied the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), fraction of vegetation cover (FVC), gross primary production (GPP), leaf area index (LAI), and our constructed remote sensing vegetation index (RSVI) to assess vegetation drought in Central Asia. We analyzed the differences in drought experiences for different climatic regions and vegetation types and vegetation loss and recovery following drought events. The results indicate that during drought years (2012 and 2019), the differences in vegetation drought across climatic regions were considerable. The vegetation in arid, semiarid, and Mediterranean climate regions was more susceptible to drought. The different indices used to assess vegetation loss exhibited varying degrees of dynamic changes, with vegetation in a state of mild drought experiencing more significantly during drought events. The different vegetation assessment indices exhibited significant variations during the drought recovery periods (with a recovery period of 16 days: EVI of 85%, FVC of 50%, GPP of 84%, LAI of 61%, and RSVI of 44%). Moreover, the required recovery periods tended to decrease from arid to humid climates, influenced by both climate regions and vegetation types. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the primary climatic factors leading to vegetation loss varied depending on the assessment indices used. The proposed RSVI demonstrates high sensitivity, correlation, and interpretability to dry–wet variations and can be used to assess the impact of drought on vegetation. These findings are essential for water resource management and the implementation of measures that mitigate vegetation drought. Full article

Single individuals of the Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga), Indian Spotted Eagle (Clanga hastata), Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax), Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), and two Pallid Harriers (Circus macrourus) were deployed with satellite transmitters in 2021 to study their home ranges, habitat associations, movement, and migration patterns. Data were collected for a combined number of 2291 days, providing 84,544 locations. Home ranges were calculated as kernel utilization distributions and expressed as 95% KDE and core areas as 50% KDE. Overall, eagles had larger home ranges (mean ± SD) of 942.70 ± 937.83 km² compared to harriers, 43.84 ± 35.55 km². Among eagles, the Greater Spotted Eagle had the largest home-range size of 2147.03 km² calculated in Kazakhstan, while the female Pallid Harrier had the smallest home range of 5.74 km² in Russia. Daily and monthly distances varied among eagles and harriers. The female Pallid Harrier covered the longest average monthly distance of 8585.43 ± 11,943.39 km, while the shortest monthly distance of 1338.22 ± 716.38 km was traveled by the Indian Spotted Eagle. All tagged birds migrated toward higher latitudes in the Northern hemisphere, except the Indian Spotted Eagle, which migrated to Pakistan. The male Western Marsh Harrier covered the longest migration distance in a shorter span of time, while the female Pallid Harrier took the longest to cover its migration distance. Overall, the daily distance covered during migration varied from 115.09 km traveled by the Indian Spotted Eagle to an overwhelming distance of 2035.85 km covered by the male Western Marsh Harrier. Scrubs, water bodies, croplands, and settlements were important habitat features associated with eagles, while croplands, open scrub, and built-up areas were associated with the female Pallid Harrier. The male Western Marsh Harrier was found to be primarily associated with saltpans and salt-affected areas having emergent vegetation. This study presents new insights into the movement and spatial ecology of long-distance migrant raptors that winter in Western India. We provide preliminary support for the use of the Western Circum–Himalayan Corridor as one of the important corridors of the Central Asian Flyway that warrants much appreciation among the current set of flyway corridors. Full article

Climate warming hampers grassland growth, particularly in dryland regions. To preserve robust grassland growth and ensure the resilience of grassland in these arid areas, a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between vegetation and climate is imperative. However, existing studies often analyze climate–vegetation interactions using concurrent vegetation indices and meteorological data, neglecting time-lagged influences from various determinants. To address this void, we employed the random forest machine learning method to predict the grassland NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) in Asian drylands (including five central Asia countries, the Republic of Mongolia, and Parts of China) from 2001 to 2020, incorporating time-lag influences. We evaluated the prediction model’s performance using three indexes, namely the coefficient of determination (R²), root-mean-square error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). The results underscore the superiority of the model incorporating time-lag influences, demonstrating its enhanced capability to capture the grassland NDVI in Asian drylands (R² ≥ 0.915, RMSE ≤ 0.033, MAE ≤ 0.019). Conversely, the model without time-lag influences exhibited relatively poor performance, notably inferior to the time-lag-inclusive model. The latter result aligns closely with remote sensing observations and more accurately reproduces the spatial distributions of the grassland NDVI in Asian drylands. Over the study period, the grassland NDVI in Asian drylands exhibited a weak decreasing trend, primarily concentrated in the western region. Notably, key factors influencing the grassland NDVI included the average grassland NDVI in the previous month, total precipitation in the current month, and average soil moisture in the previous month. This study not only pioneers a novel approach to predicting grassland growth but also contributes valuable insights for formulating sustainable strategies to preserve the integrity of grassland ecosystems. Full article

Spatiotemporal variations in Central Asian vegetation phenology provide insights into arid ecosystem behavior and its response to environmental cues. Nevertheless, comprehensive research on the integrated impact of meteorological factors (temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, saturation vapor pressure deficit), topography (slope, aspect, elevation), and greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) on the phenology of Central Asian vegetation remains insufficient. Utilizing methods such as partial correlation and structural equation modeling, this study delves into the direct and indirect influences of climate, topography, and greenhouse gases on the phenology of vegetation. The results reveal that the start of the season decreased by 0.239 days annually, the length of the season increased by 0.044 days annually, and the end of the season decreased by 0.125 days annually from 1982 to 2021 in the arid regions of Central Asia. Compared with topography and greenhouse gases, meteorological factors are the dominant environmental factors affecting interannual phenological changes. Temperature and vapor pressure deficits (VPD) have become the principal meteorological elements influencing interannual dynamic changes in vegetation phenology. Elevation and slope primarily regulate phenological variation by influencing the VPD and soil moisture, whereas aspect mainly affects the spatiotemporal patterns of vegetation phenology by influencing precipitation and temperature. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of how various environmental factors collectively influence the phenology of vegetation, thereby fostering a more profound exploration of the intricate response relationships of terrestrial ecosystems to environmental changes. Full article

Tugai wetlands, including the forests of Populus euphratica Oliv. and P. pruinosa Schrenk, are major biodiversity hotspots within semi-arid and arid ecozones. However, for over a century, Central Asian river systems have been severely affected by dam regulation, water withdrawals for large-scale irrigated agriculture, and deforestation. To support sustainable use and protection of this threatened forest type, we provide information on the distribution and degradation status of Tugai wetlands in the Syr Darya floodplain using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series from Landsat 7 and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). An accuracy assessment confirmed the validity of the MODIS-based wetland map, with an overall accuracy of 78.6%. This was considerably better than the Landsat product, mainly due to the greater temporal frequency of the MODIS time series. We further calculated trends and breakpoints between 2001 and 2016 using the BFAST algorithm. We found negative trends for nearly a third of the wetlands. Breakpoint detection showed major stress events in the years 2001, 2009, and 2016. Our study revealed the temporal and spatial distribution and vitality of an endangered forest ecosystem that has rarely been studied thus far. Climate change may accelerate the destabilization of the Tugai forests at the Syr Darya floodplain. Full article

The Altai Mountains are an important center of biodiversity and are a major habitat for threatened and endemic species in Asia. Moreover, the Altai Mountains are a valuable site for the study of the evolution of central Asian vegetation. The Xinjiang Altai subrange represents the largest part of the southern Altai Mountains and has many unique plant communities. After conducting a thorough literature review and field investigation, we utilized the Chinese vegetation categorization system to identify the dominant plant communities in the Xinjiang Altai subrange and report their composition and distribution characteristics. Our results show that (1) the natural plant communities present in the Xinjiang Altai subrange can be divided into eight vegetation types, eighteen vegetation subtypes, and 50 communities. Among these, two communities—Form. Calligonum rubicundum and Form. Seriphidium borotalense-Festuca valesiaca—are present only in the Xinjiang Altai subrange. (2) The Xinjiang Altai subrange is located at the junction of three major biomes containing unique vegetation types (coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf forest, and desert). Thus, the Xinjiang Altai subrange is distinct in its staggered transition from mountainous boreal taiga to temperate desert. This research provides textual data to contextualize the cultural heritage of the Xinjiang Altai subrange and also provides a scientific basis for the protection and sustainable management of natural resources found in the Xinjiang Altai. Full article

Allochrusa gypsophiloides is a rare Central Asian species, a super-producer of triterpene saponins with pharmacological and technical value. In this work, a comparative evaluation of the in vitro culture of adventitious roots (ARs), in vitro adventitious microshoots (ASs), natural roots and aboveground parts of wild plants from Kazakhstan to define the total saponin (TS), phenol (TP) and flavonoid (TF) content, as well as antioxidant (AOA) and antimicrobial activity, is presented for the first time. In the AR culture, growth index (GI), TS, TP and TF were evaluated on days 25, 45 and 60 of cultivation on ½ MS medium without (control) and with auxin application. It was found out that TS and TF were higher in the in vitro AR culture. The amount of TP and TF are higher in the aerial part of vegetative plants with maximum AOA. The concentration of the extract required to inhibit 50% of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical formation (ICO₅₀) in extracts from natural material negatively correlated with TS, TP, TF and in the in vitro AR culture with TF. Control extracts from the in vitro AR culture with high TS levels showed growth-inhibitory activity against S. thermophillus, S. cerevisiae and C. albicans. The influence shares of medium composition factor, cultivation duration factor and their interaction with GI, TS, TP and TF were determined. The in vitro AR culture is promising for obtaining triterpene saponins TSR with high antibacterial and antifungal activity, and the in vitro ASs culture—for shoot multiplication with antioxidant properties. Full article

International interest is growing in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in drylands. Desert ecosystems across arid Central Asia are severely affected by global change. Understanding the changes in a plant community is an essential prerequisite to revealing the community assembly mechanism, vegetation conservation, and management. The knowledge of large-scale spatial variation in plant community structure in different Central Asian deserts is still limited. In this study, we selected the Taukum (TD, Kazakhstan) and the Gurbantunggut (GD, China) deserts as the research area, with similar latitudes despite being nearly 1000 km apart. Thirteen and 15 sampling plots were set up and thoroughly investigated. The differences in community structure depending on multiple plant attributes (individual level: plant height, canopy diameter, and plant volume, and community level: plant density, total cover, and total volume) were systematically studied. TD had a better overall environmental status than GD. A total of 113 species were found, with 68 and 74 in TD and GD, respectively. The number of species and plant attributes was unequally distributed across different families and functional groups between deserts. The values of several plant attributes, such as ephemerals, annuals, dicotyledons, and shrubs with assimilative branches in GD, were significantly lower than those in TD. The Motyka indices of six plant attributes (26.18–38.61%) were higher between the two deserts than the species similarity index (20.4%), indicating a more robust convergence for plant functional attributes. The community structures in the two deserts represented by different plant attribute matrices demonstrated irregular differentiation patterns in ordination diagrams. The most variance in community structure was attributed to soil and climatic factors, while geographic factors had the smallest proportion. Consequently, the community structures of the two distant deserts were both different and similar to an extent. This resulted from the long-term impacts of heterogeneous environments within the same region. Our knowledge is further deepened by understanding the variation in community structure in different deserts on a large spatial scale. This therefore provides valuable insights into conserving regional biodiversity in Central Asia. Full article

Although understanding the carbon and water cycles of dryland ecosystems in terms of water use efficiency (WUE) is important, WUE and its driving mechanisms are less understood in Central Asia. This study calculated Central Asian WUE for 2001–2021 based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and analyzed its spatial and temporal variability using temporal information entropy. The importance of atmospheric factors, hydrological factors, and biological factors in driving WUE in Central Asia was also explored using a geographic detector. The results show the following: (1) the average WUE in Central Asia from 2001–2021 is 2.584–3.607 gCkg⁻¹H₂O, with weak inter-annual variability and significant intra-annual variability and spatial distribution changes; (2) atmospheric and hydrological factors are strong drivers, with land surface temperature (LST) being the strongest driver of WUE, explaining 54.8% of variation; (3) the interaction of the driving factors can enhance the driving effect by more than 60% for the interaction between most atmospheric factors and vegetation factors, of which the effect of the interaction of temperature (TEM) with vegetation cover (FVC) is the greatest, explaining 68.1% of the change in WUE. Furthermore, the interaction of driving factors with very low explanatory power (e.g., water pressure (VAP), aerosol optical depth over land (AOD), and groundwater (GWS)) has a significant enhancement effect. Vegetation is an important link in driving WUE, and it is important to understand the mechanisms of WUE change to guide ecological restoration projects. Full article