Search Results (27)

Climate change is usually recognized as the most significant challenge facing viticulture in the 21st century. As a result, experts are increasingly emphasizing the need to explore the biodiversity within the species Vitis vinifera L. In this context, the present study investigated the intra-varietal biodiversity of two widely cultivated grapevine varieties on the Canary Islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura (Spain). These islands, characterized by desert-like climates, strong winds, volcanic soils, and phylloxera-free conditions, have presented uninterrupted grapevine cultivation for the past three to five centuries. Intra-varietal variability was detected in 93.46% of the 107 accessions analyzed. The most divergent samples were a Malvasia Dubrovacka (LNZ-87) and a Listan prieto (FTV-8), each exhibiting five distinct variations. Another Listan prieto accession (FTV-13) showed four variations. A group of seven individuals displayed three variations including two Malvasia volcanica accessions (LNZ-12, LNZ-72) and five Listan prieto accessions (FTV-1, FTV-2, FTV-7, FTV-9, FTV-12). A set of 100 SSR markers was used to analyze this grapevine collection, of which 17 revealed variability. The most informative markers were VChr15b, VVIp34, VVMD32, VChr9b, VVMD5, VVMD28, and VMC4F3, while the least informative was VVNTM1, which detected no variation. The parentage of Malvasia volcanica (Malvasia Dubrovacka × Bermejuela) was supported by all SSR markers, assuming that three of them may involve a mutated parent. Full article

This study revealed a significant reduction in tree growth across northern Fennoscandia following the 1600 AD eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru, the most powerful volcanic event in South America over the past two millennia. In the analysis, we utilized six tree-ring chronologies, which included the Finnish super-long chronology (5634 BC–2004 AD), the Kola Peninsula chronology (1445–2004 AD), and historical chronologies derived from old wooden churches in Finnish Lapland and Karelia, Russia. Using a superposed epoch analysis across these chronologies revealed a significant 24% (p < 0.01) decline in tree-ring growth in 1601 compared to the previous six years. The northernmost records, the Finnish super-long chronology (72%, p < 0.001) and the Sodankylä Old Church chronology (67%, p < 0.001), showed the most pronounced decreases. Statistical analysis confirmed significant (p < 0.05) similarities in tree-ring responses across all chronologies from 1601 to 1608. These findings underscore the reliability of using the 1600 Huaynaputina eruption as a chronological marker for dating historic wooden churches in northern Fennoscandia that were likely built between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Additionally, analyzing church wood may provide insights into past climate patterns and environmental conditions linked to the eruption. Full article

The widespread presence of microplastics (MPs) in agricultural soils raises concerns regarding their impact on crop health and productivity, particularly in legumes, which are known to have soil-enhancing properties. This study investigated the effects of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polyamide (PA) MPs on white lupine (Lupinus albus L.). Plants were cultivated for 110 days in glass pots containing 700 g of volcanic soil mixed with 2% w/w MPs, with four treatments (control, LDPE, PP, and PA) and five replicates each. The results indicated that PP increased soil ammonium and available nitrogen by 71% and 60%, respectively, compared to the control. LDPE increased root length by 3% and decreased chlorophyll content by 2.7%, whereas PA increased chlorophyll levels by 3.5%. Oxidative stress markers were significantly elevated in the LDPE and PA treatments, with 12% and 5.4% increases, respectively, compared with the control. However, no significant differences were observed in enzyme activity or basal soil respiration. These findings contribute to the understanding of how short-term exposure to MPs affects agricultural soils and emphasize the necessity for long-term studies to elucidate their potential effects. Full article

Pinus oocarpa Schiede is the most widely distributed conifer in the Americas. In Mexico, it inhabits diverse environments and is the primary pine species utilized for resin production, prompting the establishment of a genetic improvement program (GIP). Preserving a broad genetic diversity is fundamental to the success of the GIP. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity and structure of trees selected for their high resin yield. A total of 146 trees from 15 provenances within three populations (MX-MIC, MX-MEX, and MX-OAX) constituting the selection population of the GIP were evaluated. Five SSR microsatellite markers (PtTX3013, NZPR1078, PtTX2146, PtTX3107, and PtTX3034) were used to determine key indicators of genetic diversity and structure. All three populations exhibited high genetic diversity; however, the heterozygosity observed was lower than the expected heterozygosity. Genetic structure analysis revealed the presence of two distinct genetic groups: the Transverse Volcanic Axis (MX-MIC and MX-MEX) and the Sierra Madre del Sur (MX-OAX). Most of the genetic diversity (87.42%) was found within provenances. Gene flow was high among provenances within the same genetic group but limited between provenances from different groups. The findings suggest that GIPs should be tailored to each genetic region, with a focus on within-provenance selection to maintain genetic diversity. Full article

The mineral composition of monovarietal red wines from the Canary Islands was analyzed to evaluate the potential of mineral content as a marker for wine authenticity by geographical origin. Key minerals—K, Na, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Co—were quantified in 190 wine samples using flame absorption spectrometry. The study revealed slight mineral profile differences between recently introduced international grape cultivars and traditional ungrafted varieties. A significant correlation was found between K and Mg, highlighting their roles in vine physiology. The results indicated that Tenerife wines had elevated Fe and Mn, Lanzarote wines showed higher Na (likely from marine aerosols), and La Gomera wines had significantly high Mn. Linear discriminant analysis demonstrated that Mn, Mg, and Na differentiated wines by island with 85% classification accuracy, while Cu and Fe correlated with wine ageing. These findings emphasize the influence of volcanic soils and microclimate on mineral profiles, supporting mineral analysis as a cost-effective tool for classifying red wines by origin. This study offers insights into how terroir, grape cultivar, and winemaking practises define the unique characteristics of Canary Island wines. Full article

An integrated morphological and chemical analysis of Arctic aerosols was undertaken for Icelandic dust and Svalbard aerosols to be compared by scanning electron microscopy coupled with EDS microanalysis (SEM–EDS) via imaging and chemical analysis techniques. Results of the characterization of the particles from both surface sediments and suspended dust from desert areas in Iceland confirmed that volcanic glass is an excellent marker of Icelandic dust origin. Classification diagrams of particle chemical composition clearly distinguished the volcanic glass particles from the local surface sediments at Hornsund, Svalbard. In the same diagrams, a few particles were found in the aerosols from Hornsund which were morphologically and chemically similar to the Icelandic volcanic glass particles. Such properties, in principle, cannot be considered exclusive to volcanic glass. However, since Iceland is the largest and the most active source of long-range transported dust in the northern European high latitudes, and air mass trajectories reaching Hornsund did, actually, pass Iceland before the aerosol collection in the period under consideration, these particles likely originated in Iceland. On the other hand, the comparison with local and Icelandic sediments revealed the presence in the aerosols from Hornsund of particle types that cannot be attributed to either local or Icelandic dust. This observation highlights the possibility of extending and validating the application of the proposed geochemical criterion to different dust sources across the Arctic and the sub-Arctic, provided a consistent geochemical databank of representative dust sources from these areas is arranged. Full article

La Gomera Island is one of the areas of our planet where the phylloxera plague never arrived. To measure the genetic diversity of the vine after more than 500 years (inter- and intravarietal variability) of adaptation to this new environment, a prospection was carried out. For this purpose, 120 samples were collected and genotyped with 20 SSRs. A total of 52 unique profiles were found corresponding to 4 new varieties (Coello blanca, Barrerita negra, Malvasia periquin gomerae, Verdello gomerae), 9 individuals identical to the most widespread profile, and 39 individuals that presented variations (1 corresponding to a mutation of a new variety (Verdello gomerae de Monacal) and 38 corresponding to variations of known varieties, some of which included cases of triallelism or quadriallelism). The population of local vines in La Gomera Island is considered to be the most unique in the Canary Islands to date. It is hypothesised that the grapevine varieties Malvasia periquin gomerae and Verdello gomerae are possibly the most unique and that the Barrerita negra variety may have resulted from an interspecific crossbreeding. The Coello blanco variety (admixed) seems to have a strong Central European influence. Finally, we propose that the prime name for the Albillo forastero variety, which was arbitrarily imposed by the scientific community, be changed to the more widespread and better-known name in La Gomera Island and the Canary Archipelago, which is Forastera gomerae. Full article

A prospection was carried out on Fuerteventura Island in order to explore the existing biodiversity of Vitis vinifera ssp. vinifera in almost desert conditions (<120 mm per year). For this purpose, 40 individuals were collected and genotyped with 20 SSRs. Nine known varieties and one unknown variety, named Majorera on the island, were identified. In addition, four new mutations were found in the varieties Listan negro and Listan prieto, respectively. Thirteen unknown individuals and five erratic accessions were identified. Seven new names are proposed for inclusion in the world databank (one main name (Majorera), one new synonym for Listan negro (Hoja moral), four new mutation names (Listan prieto de Antigua, Listan prieto de Vega, Hoja moral de El Rosario and Hoja moral de Betancuria) and a new synonymy for Muscat Hamburg (Moscatel), which is very widespread on the island). Finally, the possibility is raised that the new Majorera variety is not a pure vinifera but the product of an interspecific cross, as has happened with the variety found on the island of La Palma, Bienmesabe tinto. Once again, the Canary Archipelago shows itself to be a possible centre for the creation of biodiversity for the cultivated vine. Full article

El Hierro island is postulated as the most biodiverse of the archipelago. To verify this hypothesis, the 87 individuals collected throughout the island were genotyped with 20 SSRs. As a result of this study, 28 varieties were described, 6 of which were new (Uval piñero, Uvalero volcánico, Pinar negro, Seis de Carlos, Tesoro blanco, Uval negro), and the first rose sport of the local Canary Islands variety Bermejuela was also found. Fifteen errors were detected in total. Eleven varieties were identified that were unknown to the vine growers and twenty individuals with variations (mutations) were found, of which two had already been described in a previous prospection in Lanzarote Island (intra-varietal variability). From this study, it is also proposed to incorporate 33 new names into the world database, corresponding mostly to the individuals and variations described for the first time, which represents a lexicographic enrichment. Finally, the singularity of the population of vines adapted to El Hierro island is demonstrated, not only with respect to the population of Canary Islands vines, but also with respect to the world population. The biodiversity and uniqueness of El Hierro and the Canary Archipelago reaffirm the proposal that the Canary Islands should be considered a world biodiversity centre. Full article

A mineralogical mapping (terrain analysis) based on micro-mounts has been performed in the Archipelago of the Canary Islands, Spain. The rare elements Be, F, Li, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and rare earth elements (REE) were investigated on the largest island of the Canary Islands Archipelago, Tenerife, Spain. This study forms a contribution to the metallogenetic evolution of the offshore area of the NW African Rare Mineral Province. The finds made at Tenerife were correlated by means of minero-stratigraphy with the adjacent islands La Gomera, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura, where typical critical element host rocks, e.g., carbonatites, are exposed. At Tenerife, these hidden rock types are only indicated by a wealth of 128 compositional first-order marker minerals hosting Be, F, Zr, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Li, Cs, Sn, W, Ti and REE plus Y and another 106 structural second-order marker minerals describing the geodynamic and morpho-structural evolution of Tenerife (Mn, Fe, Pb, U, Th, As, Sb, V, S, B, Cu, Zn, Mo, Au). Based upon the quantitative micro-mineralogical mapping of lithoclasts and mineralogical xenoliths (foid-bearing monzodiorite/gabbro, (nepheline) syenite, phonolite trachyte) in volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, hidden intrusive/subvolcanic bodies can be delineated that are associated with contact-metasomatic, zeolitic and argillic alteration zones, as well as potential ore zones. Two potential types of deposits are determined. These are pegmatite-syenites with minor carbonatites bound to a series of agpaitic intrusive rocks that are genetically interlocked with rift zones and associated with a hotspot along a passive continental margin. Towards the east, the carbonatite/alkali magmatite ratio reverses at Fuerteventura in favor of carbonatites, while at Gran Canaria and La Gomera, shallow hypogene/supergene mineral associations interpreted as a marginal facies to Tenerife occur and a new REE discovery in APS minerals has been made. There are seven mineralizing processes different from each other and representative of a peculiar metallogenic process (given in brackets): Protostage 1 (rifting), stages 2a to 2d (differentiation of syenite–pegmatite), stages 3 to 4b (contact-metasomatic/hydrothermal mineralization), stages 5a to 5b (hydrothermal remobilization and zeolitization), stage 6 (shallow hypogene-supergene transition and kaolinization), and stage 7 (auto-hydrothermal-topomineralic mineralization). The prerequisites to successfully take this holistic approach in economic geology are a low maturity of the landscapes in the target area, a Cenozoic age of endogenous and exogenous processes amenable to sedimentological, geomorphological, volcano-tectonic and quantitative mineralogical investigations. The volcanic island’s mineralogical mapping is not primarily designed as a proper pre-well-site study on the Isle of Tenerife, but considered a reference study area for minero-stratigraphic inter-island correlation (land–land) and land–sea when investigating the seabed and seamounts around volcanic archipelagos along the passive margin, as exemplified by the NW African Craton and its metallogenic province. This unconventional exploration technique should also be tested for hotspot- and rift-related volcanic islands elsewhere on the globe for mineral commodities different from the ones under study. Full article

The Bangongco–Nujiang metallogenic belt of Tibet is a main suture zone in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which is known as an important porphyry–epithermal–skarn Cu-polymetallic mineralization zone in China. The western part of the Bangongco–Nujiang metallogenic belt exposes several medium high-silica terrestrial alkaline volcanic rocks with strong alteration influenced by collision orogeny. Some research has shown that clues to mineralization such as malachite and gossan are found on the surface. However, volcanic rock areas with varied topography place a huge burden on geological investigation, and the existing research on predicting mineralization is relatively scarce. This paper describes the extraction of alteration mineral information based on medium spatial resolution and hyperspectral resolution images, establishing a spectral library of alteration minerals in this area. By analyzing radar data, digital elevation, and synthesis results of different spectral bands, we combine remote sensing with geographic information technology to establish crater markers. The extraction results from multisource and chemical exploration data are superimposed onto the analysis of mineralization characteristics and geological conditions so as to establish the mineralization signatures for terrestrial volcanic rock areas. Eighteen mineralization prospect areas were identified, which can provide technical support for future mineralization research in this belt. Full article

Membracis mexicana (Hemiptera: Membracidae) is distributed in four biogeographic provinces of Mexico. Field observations indicate that there are different forms of this species, but the distribution of the phenotype and the genetic variation of this species have not been clarified. The aim of this study was to quantify the phenotypic and genetic variation of M. mexicana and determine whether the configuration of biogeographic provinces impacts the distribution of this variation. To achieve this, we analyzed 307 photographs using 19 landmarks and geometric morphometrics to quantify the phenotypic variation in helmets. We sequenced five molecular markers for 205 individuals to describe the phylogeographic pattern. As a result, we identified three morphological configurations of the helmet of M. mexicana and two genetic lineages. The morphotypes are (1) a large and wide helmet with small dorsal spots, (2) a small and narrow helmet with large dorsal spots, and (3) a small and narrow helmet with small spots. Genetic lineages are distributed in southeast and western Mexico. The western lineage corresponds to two helmet morphotypes (1 and 2) and the southeast lineage to morphotype 3. We found that the larger helmets correspond to the western lineage and are distributed in Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and Pacific lowlands provinces, whereas the smallest helmets correspond to the southeast lineage and are present in the Veracruzan and Yucatan Peninsula provinces. Full article

Although approximately one-tenth of the world’s population lives near volcanoes, most of the 1500 active volcanoes are not monitored by ground-based instruments because of the cost and difficulty of access. Since the development of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) in the 1990s, recent advances have allowed the near-real-time detection of surface deformations, one of the earliest markers of volcanic activity. According to the Global Volcanism Program, Turkey’s most recent eruption (involving gas and ash) occurred in the Tendürek volcano in 1885. An explosion in the Tendürek volcano, which continues to actively output gas and steam, would be a critical issue for the life and property of the people living nearby. In this context, we processed the Sentinel-1 data collected by the European Space Agency using the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers, and the surface deformations of the Tendürek volcano were investigated. In addition, we applied two different atmospheric correction approaches (linear phase-based tropospheric correction and the Generic Atmospheric Correction Online Service for InSAR) to reduce atmospheric effects and found that the linear phase-based tropospheric correction model produced lower standard deviation values. Subsequently, the mean deformation velocity maps, displacement time series, and deformation components in the line-of-sight direction were calculated. The results showed that the most severe subsidence was −11 mm/yr on the upper slopes of the Tendürek volcano. Although the lower slopes of the subsidence region have a lower settlement rate, the subsidence has a peak-caldera-centered location. Full article

Indoor saffron farming systems under controlled conditions are required to meet the high demand for this valuable crop. The aim of the present study was to determine the flowering, growth, and yield responses of saffron grown using nutrient solutions with different electrical conductivity (EC) levels (0.7, 1.4, and 2.1 dS m⁻¹). Sprouted saffron corms were cultured for 24 weeks under a volcanic rock-based aerated continuous immersion system. Vegetative growth and leaf gas exchange, but not flowering, were affected significantly by EC levels. The optimal EC in a balanced nutrient solution was 0.7 dS m⁻¹, at which level the highest plant height, leaf area, biomass, photosynthetic rate, number of daughter corms, and percentage of corms ≥ 25 mm were recorded. An EC level of 2.1 dS m⁻¹ decreased the photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate of saffron but increased biochemical stress marker levels and elevated various antioxidant defense enzyme levels significantly in saffron leaves, possibly reflecting a defense response to the cellular damage provoked by the higher EC level. In terms of nutrient solution EC, 0.7 dS m⁻¹ was optimal in saffron, whereas 2.1 dS m⁻¹ caused oxidative stress that led to reduced growth and daughter corm production. Full article

Geomorphic evidence from rivers and lakes can help explain past changes in the locations of archaeological sites as well as environmental and climatic changes in their catchment areas. Examples drawn from the Blue and White Nile valleys in northeast Africa and from the Son and Belan valleys in north-central India reveal how Quaternary climatic fluctuations in the headwaters of these rivers are reflected in changes in river channel patterns downstream as well as in the type of sediment transported. Soils and sediments that contain prehistoric and historic artefacts can be analysed to show the type of environment in which the artefacts accumulated. Beds of volcanic ash may preserve former landscapes and their fossil remains and can provide a synchronous time marker against which to assess changes in the archaeological record. The pattern and tempo of past sea level fluctuations has controlled the distribution of coastal archaeological sites and helps to explain the absence of certain Holocene Neolithic sites in southeast Asia. Disturbance of archaeological sites by plants and animals, especially termites in tropical regions, can affect the stratigraphic and chronological integrity of the site. Full article