The Domestication of Fire, Animals, Grains and.......Us

 James C Scott

What the news won't tell you about climate change 

Hannah Ritchie

The Father of Resilience Theory – Buzz Holling

 

 The Sahara Was Once Green

 Syntropic Agriculture  | Joshua Sparkes

Topological Scaling Laws and the Mathematics of Evolution

 Nigel Goldenfeld

Agrobiodiversity, community participation and landscapes in agroecology

Tomás Enrique León-Sicard, Diego Griffon and Massimo De Marchi

The current model of conventional agriculture on the planet, originated in the so-called “Green Revolution” (GR), has generated positive and negative effects during its more than 80 years of application, starting in the 1940s. Among the negative effects are the accelerated loss of biodiversity and agrobiodiversity. 

Different alternative farming systems propose managing the agrobiodiversity of agroecosystems (farms) to face many of the problems generated on monoculture farms (e.g., soil and genetic erosion, emergence of genetic resistance in pests and weeds, as well as public health problems associated with the use of agrochemicals), which are characteristic of the current conventional model (Vandermeer and Perfecto, 2005; Pollan, 2007). 

Many positive effects are attributed to diverse crop fields. To name just a few, at the ecosystem level, beneficial effects have been proven in the preservation of the habitat for beneficial insects (pollinators, natural enemies of pests), reduction in GHG emissions, protection of soil and water, zero poisoning of human beings and nonhumans, reduction of pollutants and hazardous waste, and climate stability (Altieri, 1996; Nicholls, 2002; Letourneau et al., 2011; Gliessman, 2014; Vandermeer and Perfecto, 2018). 

Agrobiodiversity is the very foundation upon which agroecology is built. It provides the mechanisms that allow agroecosystems to be managed sustainably through a set of beneficial interactions between their elements (e.g., mutualisms that occur in pollination, mycorrhizae or in crop associations).

The elements that constitute an agroecosystem are directly related to its main agroecological structure (MAS), which refers to the way in which the different sectors, patches, live fences, and vegetation corridors are arranged (spatial configuration), mixed or not with crop areas, grasslands, or agroforestry systems inside the farms and in their close surroundings. An agroecosystem structure is historically constructed by farmers because of innumerable cultural variables (symbolic, economic, social, political, and technological), in conjunction with environmental processes and its evolution configures agroecosystem matrices in the landscape (León-Sicard et al., 2018; Quintero et al., 2022). In this context,the use of the MAS approach, paired with other agroecological tools, such as the farmer-to-farmer methodology and participatory action research, can be employed as inputs into the decision- making process necessary for sustainable landscape management and conservation of agrobiodiversity in rural environments (Holt- Gimenez, 2006; Guzmán et al., 2012).

Most of the world’s industrial agricultural landscapes present matrices of farms with very poorly developed agroecological structures that respond to the simplification characteristic of conventional agriculture, which has eliminated forests, corridors, patches, and live fences to make way for extensive monocultures (Vandermeer and Perfecto, 2005; León-Sicard et al., 2018). This simplification has also been the product of pesticides used to eliminate biological competitors to the main crop and to eliminate agents considered pathogenic or harmful.

In contrast, ecological- or agroecological-based agriculture proposes to maintain and reinforce agrobiodiversity in all its manifestations, both on and off the farm, as a way of achieving greater resilience, equity, autonomy, stability, and productivity through the multiple interactions that it fosters. Agroecological landscapes, therefore, will have agroecosystem matrices with more developed structures and functions favorable to agrobiodiversity.

These interactions between the different elements of agrobiodiversity are not restricted to the biological realm but are rather intricately woven into the fabric of socio-ecological systems.

These latter systems, whose central protagonists are the farmers and their cultural actions, are clearly the beneficiaries of the interactions (services) but are also responsible, in multiple ways, for the maintenance of this biodiversity. It is important to highlight that the interactions that articulate these systems manifest themselves on different scales, and in this Research Topic, we will find works that clearly show this fact.

This Research Topic collected 13 articles involving 46 authors from 36 research institutions in 14 countries on four continents. The case studies dealing with different levels of agrobiodiversity (from crop to landscape) are based in seven countries: China, Italy, Nigeria, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, and Uruguay.

This Research Topic includes articles that address the effects of climate change on the soil fauna of agroecosystems (Gao et al.) and how the soil microbiome can be used to adapt crops to the new climate context (Pino and Griffon). Innovative management approaches link silvopasture systems with ecosystem restoration (Durana et al.). Other contributions investigate the needs of the end users of this biodiversity (Tchokponhoué et al.), the role of entrepreneurial identity in shaping attitudes toward sustainability (Rossi et al.), and studies that address people’s ecological, esthetic, and medicinal knowledge about the plants in their crops and communities (Kolze et al.; Monagas and Trujillo). Other articles address, at a larger spatial scale, the criteria for establishing community gardens in urban environments (Codato et al.), the precautions that must be taken in terms of conservation before undertaking agricultural expansions (González-Orozco et al.), or the strategic role of managing the relations among agroecosystems and landscapes to build resilient nature matrixes (Puppo et al.; Rettore et al.) The work of Acevedo-Osorio et al. proposed an index of agroecological functionality at the landscape level in Colombia, and Rojas et al. measured the degree of connectivity of agroecosystems with the landscape, using the MAS method, in a Mediterranean environment in Chile.

In all of these works, it is clear that agrobiodiversity, through the multiple functions it fulfills, articulates, and keeps these socio- ecological systems viable. In this way, we can understand it as the glue, often invisible to our eyes, that holds these systems together and, in doing so, makes our own lives possible.

The growing competition of labels for innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture should be analyzed using the elements of agroecology (FAO, 2019), with special attention to agrobiodiversity and its plural connections with food culture and traditions, circular and solidarity economy, and responsible governance (Tittonell et al., 2022).

Agroecology, as a meeting point of plural paths between science, movements, practices, and symbolic tissues, indagates the participatory processes of the construction of agrobiodiversity, food sovereignty, and biocultural diversity (Pimbert, 2018) from a long-term perspective, weaving, often not explicitly, practices of circulation and the construction of complex nested agroecosystems and landscapes. 

From an emancipatory perspective (Giraldo and Rosset, 2023), the reflections and practices deal with territorial and food policies that transform structures, do not reproduce exclusion, and cultivate autonomy based on the co-construction of knowledge at a higher level of integration among crops, animal and vegetal species, landscapes, and biomes. Agroecology has the task of revealing the ontology of agriculture itself, deepening the meanings of being, living, and remaining in the places of communities that build and transfer over time, co-evolving multiscalar matrices of nature (Giraldo, 2022).

https://n9.cl/jkfns

Topology Shapes Dynamics of Higher-order Networks

Ginestra Bianconi

 

El Holoceno, ese período de estabilidad climática que nos ha permitido florecer como especie y construir civilizaciones, puede pasar a ser un recuerdo. El Holoceno representa un intervalo de gracia, que nos ha permitido cultivar los alimentos que sustentan nuestra vida.  Es un susurro de estabilidad en el caos del tiempo geológico. Comprender las dinámicas del Holoceno es fundamental para valorar la fragilidad de nuestro planeta y tomar medidas para asegurar un futuro sostenible. Sin embargo, esta ventana de oportunidad se está cerrando, dejando tras de sí un profundo anhelo por un pasado que ya no volverá.

As scientific understanding has grown, so our world has become dehumanized. Man feels himself isolated in the cosmos, because he is no longer involved in nature and has lost his emotional “unconscious identity” with natural phenomena. These have slowly lost their symbolic implications. Thunder is no longer the voice of an angry god, nor is lightning his avenging missile. No river contains a spirit, no tree is the life principle of a man, no snake the embodiment of wisdom, no mountain cave the home of a great demon. No voices now speak to man from stones, plants, and animals, nor does he speak to them believing they can hear. His contact with nature has gone, and with it has gone the profound emotional energy that this symbolic connection supplied. 

C.G. Jung. 1969. Man and his symbols. Dell

 Webinar: Agroecology, Organic, Regenerative, Nature-based 

The Tipping Points of Climate Change — and Where We Stand 

Johan Rockström

Population Theory for the Hologenome and the Assembly of Holobionts 

by Professor Joan Roughgarden

 Fixing the voluntary carbon market

La Grande Canicule - Le Ministère du Futur 

Kim Stanley Robinson

 Multi'omics & the Future of Sustainable Agriscience

Editorial: Plant holobiont perspective in plants disease management

Everlon Cid Rigobelo and Nicolas Desoignies

Plants interact dynamically with various microbial communities in the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and endosphere. These communities receive nourishment and carbon from plants and harbor a diverse array of species, some of which are beneficial to plants. Although the microbial communities associated with plants present a high density of members, not all microorganisms are equally desirable, and only those that contribute positively to the wellbeing of plants are welcome in these microbial communities. The microorganisms chosen by the host plant have varying abilities that significantly affect plant growth. They contribute to the finesse and overall health of the plants. The host plant and colonizing microorganisms together form a functional unit, referred to as the holobiont. The holobiont of a plant is a dynamic community whose structure and composition are influenced by a range of factors, such as environmental conditions, the health status of the plant, and disruptions to the microbiome that result in an imbalance in the microbiota and decrease the positive effect exerted by these microorganisms on plants.

Certain studies have revealed the impact of the plant microbiome on plant health and productivity; however, there is a lack of information on how to manipulate these microorganisms to achieve optimal results.  

The plant microbiome comprises microorganisms that can enhance the accessibility of nutrients in the soil, optimize the uptake of nutrients and water by plant roots, and encourage root growth. Additionally, they can improve photosynthesis, resulting in increased shoot dry mass, and bolster plant immunity against pathogens and pests.

It is interesting to note that plants release various substances from their roots into the soil in a heterogeneous manner. This has two significant consequences. First, it leads to an increase in microbial diversity, as different microorganisms have their own unique nutritional requirements, and these microorganisms occupy specific niches in the plant roots, where the compounds they need are released. Second, competition among microorganisms to colonize the same niche is not universal. In other words, each microorganism competes with other microorganisms that are also vying for the same niche. This promotes high microbial diversity and allows plants to benefit from the diverse abilities of these microorganisms.

The microbial communities associated with plants provide numerous benefits and ensure a nutritional supply under a variety of environmental conditions. It is noteworthy that different environmental conditions can be advantageous for certain microbial populations but detrimental to others. However, if these communities are capable of providing the necessary nutrients to the plant, the plant will be adequately supplied, regardless of environmental conditions. This phenomenon is known as functional redundancy.  

Globally, agriculture faces numerous obstacles in its efforts to sustain and ensure food security. As a result of detrimental farming practices, several issues related to economic loss and environmental degradation have arisen. These include soil salinization, which reduces the capacity of plants to absorb water and nutrients and limits the land available for production, as well as soil contamination with heavy metals. Additionally, eutrophication promotes the death of fish and diminishes the capacity to collect water for drinking fit for human consumption. Moreover, eutrophication facilitates the spread of various diseases. The use of microorganisms associated with plants represents a promising solution to overcome the challenges faced by global agriculture. By employing these microorganisms, it is possible to reduce the expenses associated with food production and minimize the environmental consequences. However, a comprehensive understanding of the interrelationships between the host plant and the affiliated microorganisms is essential.

The following Research Topic discusses the use of microbes as a promising solution to address current agricultural challenges, as presented in three articles included in this Research Topic. These articles, along with the reviews and research pieces, have focused on the capabilities and effects of plant-growth-promoting microorganisms on plant development and wellbeing. In this summary, we highlight the key points from three articles published on this particular Research Topic.

https://n9.cl/7kc24m

The Holobiont Imperative - Why We Have to Rethink (Our) Nature 

Thomas Bosch

Remembering climate change ... a message from the year 2071

Kim Stanley Robinson

 

Body size impact on trophic dynamics in a three-level food chain

 William Campillay-Llanos

Laboratorio de Evolución y Ecología Teórica  

Utilizamos modelos matemáticos para responder preguntas relacionadas a la sustentabilidad de sistemas socio-ecológicos  

Líneas de investigación activas: 

• Caracterización cuantitativa de procesos de transición hacia la agricultura sustentable 
• Uso de modelos coevolutivos para la identificación de agentes de control biológico 
• Estimación de biodiversidad y secuestro de carbono en agroecosistemas 
• Optimización de procesos en agricultura ecológica 

 Inside a tea master’s Paris salon | Her Scents of Pu Er 

Nonequilibrium dynamics in conservation biology: Scales, attractors and critical points  

Ricard Solé

Preserving and restoring biodiversity is becoming a great challenge as we face a world where planetary boundaries will likely be crossed over the following decades. Such challenge needs to consider multiple scales of complexity, both in space and time. A common threat in most cases is the presence of nonlinear phenomena generating shifts among alternative states. These breaking points imply a new perception of risk and different management strategies. A broad range of phenomena affect the preservation of healthy communities and constrain the ways to deal with conservation, from local features associated with habitat loss or facilitation to mesoscale or global network-level ecological complexity and the role played by extreme events. How are these scales connected? How can the emergent properties associated with ecosystem dynamics be exploited? Here a synthesis of ideas is presented, with a complex systems view of the different scales involved, the emergent phenomena separating them, and the universal properties that allow defining simple models on each scale.

A summary of the diverse interacting nonlinearities that are involved in this paper is depicted in this drawing by the author. Bifurcations, space and time are connected through the presence of transient dynamics, which affects ecosystem responses and resilience across space and time. Transients, as those related to ghosts close to saddle-node bifurcations, modify our expectations as derived from deterministic models and the fixed-point view of stability. The way time windows are affected by fluctuations is both a challenge (for prediction) and an opportunity (for management).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320724001630

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 A century of statistical Ecology

For over 100 years, Ecology has been an important venue for introducing novel statistical methods and providing accessible guides on best practices in statistical modeling. The proliferation of statistical ecology papers starting in the latter decades of the 20th century reflects an ongoing data revolution (e.g., remote sensing, volunteer-collected data, and automated data collection). The influx of new data types and increased computational power has driven a need for quantitative methods to explain and interpret increasingly large datasets while properly incorporating uncertainty. This collection showcases 36 influential statistical ecology papers that have been published in Ecology throughout its history. The collection is organized thematically, highlighting the areas of statistical ecology that have received the most attention in the journal. The authorship of the papers reflects the discipline’s historical lack of diversity; recent years have seen a rise in the diversity of authors, but more efforts are needed to fully reduce barriers to participation. The accompanying photo is a spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer), one of the species featured in MacKenzie et al. (2002), which described the first occupancy model, an important advance in modeling species distributions while accounting for imperfect detection.

https://www.esa.org/blog/2024/05/15/a-century-of-statistical-ecology/

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 Introducción la selección natural

¿Cómo es posible un diseño sin un diseñador?  

En este conjunto de videos se le da respuesta a esta pregunta.

Para esto se parte de ideas intuitivas simples, las cuales una vez formalizadas en lenguaje matemático, permiten demostrar cómo surgen diseños en la naturaleza, sin la necesidad de que detrás de estos se encuentre un diseñador.

https://n9.cl/r2zsu4

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Can mutualists foster coexistence among resource competitors?

Mark McPeek

https://twitter.com/gertvanden

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Fungi, Forests, Group Selection (and Us?)

John Harte

Scaling up: microbiome manipulation for climate change adaptation in large organic vineyards

Carlos Pino and Diego Griffon

Regenerative agriculture offers important solutions to the enormous challenges that the climate crisis poses on food production. However, there are doubts about the possibility of implementing many of these solutions in a particularly important sector: the large scale. This paper addresses the issue, presenting examples of large-scale vineyard soil microbiome manipulation in Chile. The South American country has strongly faced the effects of climate change during the last decade and the organic viticulture sector is actively seeking strategies to adapt to the new climatic reality. Here the results of 4 experiments under real production conditions are shown. The experiments were designed to assess the effects of adding various microbial consortia to the soil on key agronomic parameters. Successful as well as unsuccessful cases are presented, allowing discussion of some conditions under which the microbiome manipulation can be expected to have positive effects. It was found that under good management conditions, incorporating effective microorganisms has positive effects on important production parameters (yield, root and vegetative growth). However, when fields yields are trending downward for prolonged periods, the incorporation of effective microbial consortia (e.g., antagonistic fungi, nutrient-fixing and nutrient-solubilizing bacteria) does not have a positive effect on the vineyard trend immediately. Similarly, even in favorable conditions the positive effects cannot be expected to be expressed in the short term (i.e., in just a few months). Therefore, its use should be conceived as a long-term strategy, not as an immediate solution to urgent management problems.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1285981/full

  The Beauty of Graph Theory

Interaction network structure explains species’ temporal persistence in empirical plant–pollinator communities

Domínguez-Garcia et al., 2024.

Despite clear evidence that some pollinator populations are declining, our ability to predict pollinator communities prone to collapse or species at risk of local extinction is remarkably poor. Here, we develop a model grounded in the structuralist approach that allows us to draw sound predictions regarding the temporal persistence of species in mutualistic networks. Using high-resolution data from a six-year study following 12 independent plant–pollinator communities, we confirm that pollinator species with more persistent populations in the field are theoretically predicted to tolerate a larger range of environmental changes. Persistent communities are not necessarily more diverse, but are generally located in larger habitat patches, and present a distinctive combination of generalist and specialist species resulting in a more nested structure, as predicted by previous theoretical work. Hence, pollinator interactions directly inform about their ability to persist, opening the door to use theoretically informed models to predict species’ fate within the ongoing global change.

https://n9.cl/070uj

Despite clear evidence that some pollinator populations are declining, our

ability to predict pollinator communities prone to collapse or species at risk

of local extinction is remarkably poor. Here, we develop a model grounded

in the structuralist approach that allows us to draw sound predictions

regarding the temporal persistence of species in mutualistic networks.

Using high-resolution data from a six-year study following 12 independent

plant–pollinator communities, we confirm that pollinator species with more

persistent populations in the field are theoretically predicted to tolerate

a larger range of environmental changes. Persistent communities are not

necessarily more diverse, but are generally located in larger habitat patches,

and present a distinctive combination of generalist and specialist species

resulting in a more nested structure, as predicted by previous theoretical

work. Hence, pollinator interactions directly inform about their ability to

persist, opening the door to use theoretically informed models to predict

species’ fate within the ongoing global change.

Despite clear evidence that some pollinator populations are declining, our

ability to predict pollinator communities prone to collapse or species at risk

of local extinction is remarkably poor. Here, we develop a model grounded

in the structuralist approach that allows us to draw sound predictions

regarding the temporal persistence of species in mutualistic networks.

Using high-resolution data from a six-year study following 12 independent

plant–pollinator communities, we confirm that pollinator species with more

persistent populations in the field are theoretically predicted to tolerate

a larger range of environmental changes. Persistent communities are not

necessarily more diverse, but are generally located in larger habitat patches,

and present a distinctive combination of generalist and specialist species

resulting in a more nested structure, as predicted by previous theoretical

work. Hence, pollinator interactions directly inform about their ability to

persist, opening the door to use theoretically informed models to predict

species’ fate within the ongoing global change.