• Energy Research

AbstractClimate change is the most realistic theory of this era. Sudden and drastic changes are happening on the earth and the survival of mankind is becoming questionable in the future. The plants play the key role in controlling the climate change. The study emphasizes on role of trees in the cop up or damaging the climate of this earth, whether they are medicinal trees or economically important trees. Due to the overgrazing and intense deforestation the climate is being affected hazardously. The global warming phenomenon is occurring due to the less availability of trees and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In total 20 plants were collected from across the Pakistan on the basis of their abundance and their key roles. Out of which seeds of eight plants were scanned through scanning electron microscope for correct authentication and importance of these medicinally important trees in mitigating the climate change.Research Highlights The role of forest sector in the climate's change mitigation. Medicinally and economically important tree species across Pakistan. By using SEM, Ultra seed sculpturing features as an authentication tool. To formulate some policies to stop or control deforestation.

Low water availability predicted under climate change is a major abiotic factor limiting plants growth and productivity. In this study a greenhouse experiment was conducted on three important tree species of arid environment: Conocarpus erectus (CE), Acacia modesta (AM), and Salix tetrasperma (ST). Young saplings were subjected to control (C), medium (MWD) and severe soil water deficit (SWD) treatments and response was evaluated. Results showed that in all the three species leaf, stem and root dry weight production remained similar to C under MWD treatment but decreased significantly under SWD. The highest decrease in total dry weight was noticed in ST and the lowest was evidenced in AM under SWD. Root:shoot ratio increased significantly in both CE and AM under MWD and SWD. Furthermore, chlorophyll content decreased while proline content increased significantly in both MWD and SWD treatments. The production of oxidants (hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anions) and antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase) increased significantly under both MWD and SWD treatments and were the highest in AM in both MWD and SWD treatments. Therefore, we may conclude that all the three species can tolerate medium water stress due to increased root production and an effective antioxidant defense mechanism.

Abstract Among renewable energy sources, the share of biomass in total energy consumption in Turkey is increasing. Fuelwood and animal waste biomass are extensively used for heating and cooking in urban and rural areas. It has been estimated that Turkey has recoverable energy potential mainly originating from agricultural, livestock breeding, wood and forest processing, and municipality wastes. Annual production of wastes in the country amounts to 30 million tons. Turkey also produces 1.5 million tons of biodiesel, 3 million tons of bioethanol and 2.5–4.0 billion m3 of biogas per year. In Turkey, total biomass production is expected to reach a level of 52.5 Mtoe by 2030. Malaysia produces annually approximately 168 million tons of biomass, including timber, oil palm waste, rice husks, coconut trunk fibers, municipal and sugarcane wastes. Every year, nearly 58 million tons of palm oil mill effluent are produced in Malaysia. It has been estimated that the country has the potential to generate around 15 billion m3 of biogas annually. Estimates also show that Malaysia can produce more than 2400 MW of biomass and 410 MW of biogas, however, only 773 MW of the total potential was harnessed until 2011. The National Biomass Strategy 2020 proposes a scenario according to which an additional 20 million tonnes of oil palm biomass could be utilized by the year 2020 for higher value uses, which could significantly contribute to improving Malaysia's economy. Both countries have good potential to use biomass resources, but political backing and sustainable planning are necessary. In this review article, we try to compare future energy scenarios, renewable energy and biomass potentials of Turkey and Malaysia, while providing an insight into data on different biomass availability and its probable contribution to both nations’ economies.

Significance Identifying and explaining regional differences in tropical forest dynamics, structure, diversity, and composition are critical for anticipating region-specific responses to global environmental change. Floristic classifications are of fundamental importance for these efforts. Here we provide a global tropical forest classification that is explicitly based on community evolutionary similarity, resulting in identification of five major tropical forest regions and their relationships: ( i ) Indo-Pacific, ( ii ) Subtropical, ( iii ) African, ( iv ) American, and ( v ) Dry forests. African and American forests are grouped, reflecting their former western Gondwanan connection, while Indo-Pacific forests range from eastern Africa and Madagascar to Australia and the Pacific. The connection between northern-hemisphere Asian and American forests is confirmed, while Dry forests are identified as a single tropical biome.

AbstractAimPalms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change.LocationTropical and subtropical moist forests.Time periodCurrent.Major taxa studiedPalms (Arecaceae).MethodsWe assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure.ResultsOn average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work.ConclusionsTree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests.