Malnutrition can occur in the presence of adequate energy intake. In Kenya, a third of both under-fives and women suffer from chronic malnutrition1. Diets are dominated by starchy, energy-dense foods, with low consumption of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, and animal source foods. This study assessed household food security status and determined its relationship with dietary practices and nutrition status of mothers and children in Laikipia County, Kenya.
Tag: plant
Woody Plant Diversity in Sacred Forests and Fallows in Chiang Mai, Thailand
All woody plant and seedling diversity was compared in a Karen and a Lawa hill-tribe village in northern Thailand in four different habitats: sacred forests and fallow fields of three ages derived from rotational shifting cultivation (young fallows, 1–2 years old; medium-age fallow, 3-4 years old; old fallow, 5-6 years old). All woody plant species were identified and counted in three transects (20 x 40 m). Seedlings were inventoried in 12 circular (5 m diam.) plots. The highest species richness of all woody species and seedlings were found in the sacred forests in both villages. The highest values of the Shannon-Wiener index for both trees and seedlings were in the sacred forest of the Karen village. There were significant differences in species richness between the four studied habitats surrounding both villages (p<0.05). All woody plant and seedlings species compositions in the sacred forests of both villages were distinct from all the fallow plots as revealed by cluster analysis. Pearson’s correlation test showed that only the Simpson diversity index was significantly and positively related to distances from the fallows to the sacred forest. The percentages of plants originating from sprouts were highest in the young fallow and decreased when the fallows aged in both villages, and vice versa for plants originated from seedlings. Furthermore, the sacred forest of both villages harbored endemic and threatened species in Thailand.
Antimicrobial Drimane Sesquiterpenes Contribute to Balanced Antagonism but Do Not Structure Bacterial and Fungal Endophytes in the African Pepper Bark Tree Warburgia ugandensis
The African pepper bark tree, Warburgia ugandensis, accumulates antimicrobial drimane sesquiterpenes in all of its organs. One hypothesis states that plant defense compounds determine endophyte community structure. Another hypothesis suggests that they just facilitate the endophytic lifestyle by exerting a balanced antagonism. To explore this, a representative selection of endophytic bacterial and fungal isolates from this tree species was assayed together with six non-endophytic strains to determine their tolerance and susceptibility to the root and leaf extract fraction containing high and low drimane sesquiterpene amounts respectively. Inhibitory effects were explored by assessing both growth and growth efficiency, the latter of which relates respiratory activity to growth. The susceptibility of the tested strains showed considerable variation and the obtained patterns did not allow a clear distinction between root and leaf endophytes as well as endophytes and non-endophytes. In addition, all strains were also assayed against juglone, an antimicrobial and redox-active aromatic naphthoquinone. A comparison of differential pulse voltammograms and efficacy in variants of the deoxyribose degradation assay revealed that drimane sesquiterpenes possess anti- and pro-oxidant activities that compare to those of juglone. Leaf endophytes showed higher resistance to oxidative stress than root endophytes, quite contrary to the actual exposure. The obtained results support the notion that structural diverse plant defense compounds can contribute to a balanced antagonism against but not to structuring of endophyte communities. Oxidative stress seems to be involved in generating this effect albeit it cannot explain it alone.