Reseach articleshttps://hdl.handle.net/13049/132024-03-28T19:04:44Z2024-03-28T19:04:44ZSmallholder agriculture in African dryland agroecosystems has limited impact on trophic group composition, but affects arthropod provision of ecosystem services.Birkhofer, KlausBird, TharinaAlfeus, MarthaArvidsson, FredrikBuxton, MmabalediDjoudi, El AzizFabiano, EzequielKasinda, EvaMachekano, HonestMpofu, PreciousNghipunya, Esther NdapandaSegaiso, Bame Alicehttps://hdl.handle.net/13049/7302024-03-19T09:02:58Z2024-04-01T00:00:00ZSmallholder agriculture in African dryland agroecosystems has limited impact on trophic group composition, but affects arthropod provision of ecosystem services.
Birkhofer, Klaus; Bird, Tharina; Alfeus, Martha; Arvidsson, Fredrik; Buxton, Mmabaledi; Djoudi, El Aziz; Fabiano, Ezequiel; Kasinda, Eva; Machekano, Honest; Mpofu, Precious; Nghipunya, Esther Ndapanda; Segaiso, Bame Alice
Agricultural intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss, but the majority of studies highlighting these threats come from industrialised agriculture in temperate countries of the global North. However, more than 30% of global food production is produced by smallholder farmers, particularly in Africa. We know very little about the impact of these farming practices on arthropod communities and associated ecosystems in dryland agroecosystems. We investigated the trophic group composition of arthropod communities (detritivorous, herbivorous, predatory & mixed feeders) and levels of associated ecosystem functions in replicated maize fields, paired adjacent natural bushveld habitats and the edge habitats between them in north-eastern Namibia and central-eastern Botswana during the dry and wet seasons. Predator activity densities differed significantly between habitats depending on the season, with higher numbers in natural habitats in the wet season but lower numbers in the dry season compared to maize fields. In general, edge habitats had higher numbers of predators than the other habitats. Predator attack rates on artificial caterpillars in both seasons and dung removal in the wet season were higher in habitats with natural vegetation (natural and edge). However, dung removal in the dry season and herbivory in the wet season were highest in the maize fields, the latter due to high level of fall armyworm infestation. Wet season multifunctionality was higher in natural habitats in Botswana, and to a lesser extent in Namibia, than in maize fields. Smallholder agriculture is not detrimental to decomposers, herbivores and mixed feeders compared to adjacent natural habitats, but may be detrimental to the provision of some ecosystem services. These results highlight the challenge of sustainably managing dryland agricultural land that is marginal for crop production, while providing smallholders with an optimal environment to benefit from the ecosystem services associated with arthropod communities. New conservation agriculture practices need to support the production of higher and more stable yields over time, while maintaining the limited impact of smallholder agriculture on biotic communities.
The article is published under the CC BY 4.0 license.
2024-04-01T00:00:00ZEnteric methane emission factors of smallholder dairy farming systems across intensification gradients in the central highlands of Ethiopia.Feyissa, Abraham AberaSenbeta, FeyeraTolera, AdugnaDiriba, DawitBoonyanuwat, Kalayahttps://hdl.handle.net/13049/7282024-03-19T09:02:00Z2023-11-29T00:00:00ZEnteric methane emission factors of smallholder dairy farming systems across intensification gradients in the central highlands of Ethiopia.
Feyissa, Abraham Abera; Senbeta, Feyera; Tolera, Adugna; Diriba, Dawit; Boonyanuwat, Kalaya
Background: Following global pledges to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to the baseline level of 2020, improved quantification of GHG emissions from developing countries has become crucial. However, national GHG inventories in most Sub-Saharan African countries use default (Tier I) emission factors (EFS) generated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to estimate enteric CH4 emissions from animal agriculture. The present study provides an improved enteric CH4 emission estimate (Tier II) based on animal energy requirements derived from animal characteristics and performance data collected from about 2500 cattle in 480 households from three smallholder farming systems to represent the common dairy farming in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Using average seasonal feed digestibility data, we estimated daily methane production by class of animal and farming system and subsequently generated improved EF. Results: Our findings revealed that the estimated average EF and emission intensities (EI) vary significantly across farming systems. The estimated value of EF for adult dairy cows was 73, 69, and 34 kg CH4/cow/year for urban, peri-urban, and rural farming systems, respectively. Rural dairy farming had significantly higher emission intensity (EI) estimated at 1.78 CO2-eq per kg of fat protein-corrected milk (FPCM) than peri-urban and urban 0.71 and 0.64 CO2-eq kg−1 FPCM dairy farming systems, respectively. The EF estimates in this study are lower than the IPCC's (2019) default value for both stall-fed high-productive and dual-purpose low-productive cows. Conclusions: The current findings can be used as a baseline for the national emission inventory, which can be used to quantify the effects of future interventions, potentially improving the country's commitment to reducing GHG emissions. Similarly, this study suggests that increased animal productivity through improved feed has a considerable mitigation potential for reducing enteric methane emissions in smallholder dairy farming systems in the study area.
This article is published under OA, it is open to all, with no access fees.
2023-11-29T00:00:00ZCorrelations between Anthropometric Measurements and Sports Discipline Aptitude.Wiacek, MagdalenaTomasiuk, RyszardZubrzycki, Igor Z.https://hdl.handle.net/13049/6912024-03-19T09:02:40Z2022-06-22T00:00:00ZCorrelations between Anthropometric Measurements and Sports Discipline Aptitude.
Wiacek, Magdalena; Tomasiuk, Ryszard; Zubrzycki, Igor Z.
Background: Sports specialization is required for the advancement of elite-level skills of a competitor. Therefore, this study attempted to assess the applicability of anthropometric measurements for a tailored selection of sports disciplines. Methods: The sports disciplines studied in this report were wrestling, triple jumping, badminton, and tennis. The data used in this study were obtained from a PubMed search. Literature-derived data were used as a template to build a random Gaussian population of N = 500 subjects used for ratio calculation using the error propagation approach. The obtained ratios encompassed height/sitting height, height/length, height/arm length, height/waist circumference, height/chest circumference, sitting height/leg length, sitting height/arm length, sitting height/waist circumference, sitting height/chest circumference, arm/leg length, and arm length/forearm length. Results: There is a clear relationship between a sports discipline and the distribution of the anthropometric ratio. The anthropometric measurements of wrestlers are the most outstanding among the disciplines studied. The use of machine learning algorithms, that is, the decision tree classifier, allows for building a model able to distinguish between the disciplines of sports studied. Conclusions: The presented approach allows for selection of a specific sports discipline for a young person. Moreover, an extension of the model built by other sports disciplines and anthropometric measurement may be a practical tool for selecting sports subjects.
CC BY 4.0 License
2022-06-22T00:00:00ZCattle dung in aquatic habitats alters mosquito predatory biocontrol dynamicsBuxton, MmabalediCuthbert, Ross N.Basinyi, Phatsimo L.Dalu, TatendaWasserman, Ryan J.Nyamukondiwa, Casperhttps://hdl.handle.net/13049/6872024-03-19T08:59:51Z2022-09-01T00:00:00ZCattle dung in aquatic habitats alters mosquito predatory biocontrol dynamics
Buxton, Mmabaledi; Cuthbert, Ross N.; Basinyi, Phatsimo L.; Dalu, Tatenda; Wasserman, Ryan J.; Nyamukondiwa, Casper
Anthropogenic land use changes influence ecosystem functioning and may alter trophic interactions. Intensification of free–range pastoral farming could promote degradation of aquatic habitats, with nutrient inputs adversely affecting water quality and resident communities. Reductions in natural enemies (and potentially efficacy thereof) and dampening of their interaction strength could promote the proliferation of vector mosquitoes, with consequences for disease transmission and nuisance biting. This study examined implications of a cattle dung eutrophication gradient (T0–T4: 0 g L−1, 1 g L−1, 2 g L−1, 4 g L−1 and 8 g L−1) on aquatic habitats for trophic and non–trophic interactions by two larval mosquito (Culex pipiens) natural enemies (notonectid: Anisops sardea; copepod: Lovenula falcifera) using comparative functional responses. Copepods generally exhibited lower interaction strength compared to notonectids, both as individuals and conspecific pairs. Effects of dung pollutants differed among predator groups, with high concentrations dampening interaction strengths being observed for single/paired copepods and paired notonectids, but not single notonectids or heterospecific pairs. Individual predators exhibited Type II functional responses, with feeding rates largely similar across dung concentrations within species. Non–trophic interactions were predominantly negative (i.e., antagonistic) between conspecific pairs and scaled unimodally with prey density. Dung pollution intensified negative non–trophic interactions in notonectid pairs, whereas heterospecific pairs exhibited positive (i.e., synergistic) non–trophic interactions at the highest dung concentration. Physico–chemical properties indicated that turbidity and pH increased with dung treatment concentrations, whereas conductivity and total dissolved solids both peaked at 1 g L−1 and 2 g L−1. These results improve understanding of mosquito regulation in degraded habitats, indicting effects of agricultural pollutants dampen trophic interaction strengths, depending on the taxon.
2022-09-01T00:00:00Z