UNLABELLED BACKGROUND Sundarbans is the single largest deltaic mangrove forest in the world, formed at estuarine phase of the Ganges - Brahmaputra river system. Primary productivity of marine and coastal phytoplankton contributes to 15% of global oceanic production. But unfortunately estuarine dynamics of tropical and subtropical estuaries have not yet received proper attention in spite of t...

A field experiment was conducted during 2006-07 and 2007-08 at Ludhiana to study the effect of different agronomic practices on growth, grain yield, malt yield and losses of malt barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).The study revealed that plant height, dry matter accumulation, grain and straw yield were statistically at par with different method of sowing during both the years. Similar trend was also o...

The olive tree is one of the most characteristic rainfed trees in the Mediterranean region. Observed and forecasted climate modifications in this region, such as the CO2 concentration and temperature increase and the net radiation, rainfall and wind speed decrease, will likely alter vegetation water stress and modify productivity. In order to simulate how climatic change could alter soil moistu...

Although the impacts of the loss of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning are well established, the importance of the loss of biodiversity relative to other human-caused drivers of environmental change remains uncertain. Results of 11 experiments show that ecologically relevant decreases in grassland plant diversity influenced productivity at least as much as ecologically relevant changes in ni...

We examined primary production, respiration, and nutrient dynamics in littoral areas of the mainstem and lagoons of the Cinaruco, a nutrient-poor river in the Venezuelan llanos. Gross primary productivity (GPP) was relatively high, given the poor nutrient conditions in this river. Seasonal variability in net ecosystem production (NEP) was also high, with highest values occurring in the dry seas...

The dry subtropics are subject to a rapid expansion of crops and pastures over vast areas of natural woodlands and savannas. In this paper, we explored the effect of this transformation on vegetation productivity (magnitude, and seasonal and long-term variability) along aridity gradients which span from semiarid to subhumid conditions, considering exclusively those areas with summer rains (>66%...

The present work represents a theoretical investigation of the performance of a solar air-heated desalination system using humidification-dehumidification (HDH) technique based on closed-water, open-air cycle under the geographical conditions of Dhahran (26.5°N, 50.2°E), Saudi Arabia. The HDH desalination system is suitable for small-scale decentralized fresh water production. It essentially co...

Management is an effective tool for increasing the productivity of Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica). This species has been widely planted in China, especially in sandy lands. However, optimization of management practices had not been fully explored. We established a system dynamic model to evaluate the effects of thinning and of manipulation of water supply on the productivity a...