Search Constraints
Search Results
-
Journal article
Islands in the desert: environmental distribution modelling of endemic flora reveals the extent of Pleistocene tropical relict vegetation in southern Arabia
Background and Aims Southern Arabia is a global biodiversity hotspot with a high proportion of endemic desert-adapted plants. Here we examine evidence for a Pleistocene climate refugium in the southern Central Desert of Oman, and its role in driving biogeographical patterns of endemism. Methods Distribution data for seven narrow-range endemic... -
Journal article
Unearthing the “Lost” Andean Root Crop “Mauka” (Mirabilis expansa [Ruíz & Pav.] Standl.)
Although recognized as part of the vibrant array of native roots and tubers that support farmers’ livelihoods in the Andean region, the root vegetable “mauka” (Mirabilis expansa (Ruíz & Pav.) Standl.) is little known outside the scattering of communities where it is cultivated and is considered at risk of disappearance....Gendall, H. ; Seminario, J. ; Sørensen, M. ; Theilade, I.
Ethnobotany, Agrobiodiversity, Crop conservation, Cultural memory, Mirabilis expansa, Peru, Gastronomy, and Andes
-
Journal article
Enset in Ethiopia: a poorly characterized but resilient starch staple.
Enset (Ensete ventricosum, Musaceae) is an African crop that currently provides the staple food for approx. 20 million Ethiopians. Whilst wild enset grows over much of East and Southern Africa and the genus extends across Asia to China, it has only ever been domesticated in the Ethiopian Highlands. Here, smallholder... -
Journal article
Lessons from the past and the future of food.
Perspectives from the recent and ancient past are largely underutilized in modern sustainability or food systems studies. However, information about regional crop histories and land use systems through time can add essential value and context to debates concerning future agricultural strategies and food security. In particular, archaeological and anthropological research...Reed, Kelly ; Ryan, Philippa
Land use, Anthropology, Resilience, Food systems, Archaeology, Food security, Underutilised crops, and Sustainability
-
Journal article
Mechanisms in mutualisms: a chemically mediated thrips pollination strategy in common elder
The concept of flower-feeding thrips as pollinating insects in temperate regions is rarely considered as they are more frequently regarded to be destructive florivores feeding on pollen and surrounding plant tissue. Combining laboratory and field-based studies we examined interactions between Sambucus nigra (elderflower) and Thrips major within their native range... -
Journal article
Rosmarinic acid in Canna generalis activates the medial deterrent chemosensory neurone and deters feeding in the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta
For all but a very few highly specialized insect feeders, Canna generalis L. (Cannaceae) is unacceptable as a food plant and is a highly potent feeding deterrent for the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta Johan. (Lepidoptera). The present study describes the isolation of an active deterrent compound, rosmarinic acid (RA) from...Simmonds, Monique S.J. ; Stevenson, Philip C. ; Hanson, Frank E.
sensory coding, feeding behaviour, phagodeterrents, phytochemistry, Lepidoptera, and insect neurophysiology
-
Journal article
Potential adaptive strategies for 29 sub-Saharan crops under future climate change
Climate change is expected to severely impact cultivated plants and consequently human livelihoods, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Increasing agricultural plant diversity (agrobiodiversity) could overcome this global challenge given more information on the climatic tolerance of crops and their wild relatives. Using >200,000 worldwide occurrence records for 29 major crops... -
Journal article
The climatic challenge: Which plants will people use in the next century?
More than 31,000 useful plant species have been documented to fulfil needs and services for humans or the animals and environment we depend on. Despite this diversity, humans currently satisfy most requirements with surprisingly few plant species; for example, just three crops – rice, wheat and maize – comprise more...