QUESTIONS Molecular phylogenies are being increasingly used to better understand the mechanisms structuring natural communities. The prevalent theory is that environmental factors and biotic interactions promote the phylogenetic clustering and overdispersion of plant communities, respectively. However, both environmental filtering and biotic interactions are very likely to interact in most natu...

Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of Pratylenchus brachyurus and P. coffeae on Coffea arabica. The first experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to determine the effects of Pratylenchus brachyurus and P. coffeae on seedlings of Coffea arabica cv. Mundo Novo. Both Pratylenchus spp. reduced the growth of coffee seedlings. Higher contents of soluble sugars were detected in ...

Cultivation of Coffea arabica is highly sensitive to and has been shown to be negatively impacted by progressive climatic changes. Previous research contributed little to support forward-looking adaptation. Agro-ecological zoning is a common tool to identify homologous environments and prioritize research. We demonstrate here a pragmatic approach to describe spatial changes in agro-climatic zon...

Coffee is the world’s most valuable tropical export crop. Recent studies predict severe climate change impacts on Coffea arabica (C. arabica) production. However, quantitative production figures are necessary to provide coffee stakeholders and policy makers with evidence to justify immediate action. Using data from the northern Tanzanian highlands, we demonstrate for the first time that increas...

The imbalance between pro-oxidants and anti-oxidants leads to generation of oxygen/nitrogen free radicals which are implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases. Fagonia arabica is an ethno-pharmacologically important Ayurvedic herb known to have many medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects. However, its antioxidant potential has not been investigated ...

Tropical rainforests have recently been confirmed to be the largest source of methyl chloride and a missing source for methyl bromide. However, very few field studies have quantified methyl halide emissions from tropical plants. This study presents the first methyl halide emission measurements from 16 tropical crop species at the University of California, Berkeley Botanical Gardens. Leaf vial e...

Dietary cholesterol is known to be one of the main risk factors that accelerate oxidation process leading to hypercholesterolemia and attendant cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study, carried out on adult male Wistar rats, was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of supplementation with aqueous of Cleome arabica leaf extract on hypercholesterolemia. After 3 months of treatment, animal...

Precise modelling of the influence of climate change on Arabica coffee is limited; there are no data available for indigenous populations of this species. In this study we model the present and future predicted distribution of indigenous Arabica, and identify priorities in order to facilitate appropriate decision making for conservation, monitoring and future research. Using distribution data w...

The imbalance between pro-oxidants and anti-oxidants leads to generation of oxygen/nitrogen free radicals which are implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases. Fagonia arabica is an ethno-pharmacologically important Ayurvedic herb known to have many medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects. However, its antioxidant potential has not been investigated ...

Climate change often induces shifts in plant functional traits. However, knowledge related to sensitivity of different functional traits and sensitive indicator representing plant growth under hydrothermal change remains unclear. Inner Mongolia grassland is predicted to be one of the terrestrial ecosystems which are most vulnerable to climate change. In this study, we analyzed the response of f...