#port jackson fig

[cosmogenous]

[thebotanicalarcade]

n192_w1150 by Biodiversity Heritage Library Via Flickr: Curtis's botanical magazine.. London ; New York [etc.] :Academic Press [etc.]. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/486515

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - July 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $Kaybarr1735! And if you tip me and give me a way to contact you, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week!

1. Zoo welcomes birth of four endangered horse foals

“[The Marwell Zoo in GB] said it was "delighted" to welcome the arrivals to the endangered Przewalski’s horse herd. All four are female and said to be "doing well" after two were born in May and two in June. […] “These horses, that were previously listed extinct in the wild, are an example of how zoo breeding programmes can help restore threatened species around the world.” […] All the Przewalski’s horses alive today are descended from just 12 individuals. Current estimates suggest there are 178 mature individuals living in the wild.”

2. Restoring woodlands and planting trees for sustainability success

“In 2023, [the Marwell Zoo] planted 9,000 new trees […] both within the zoo and on our surrounding land. […] Marwell tries to encourage natural feeding behaviour and nutrition by including leafy material [in animals’ feed] as much as possible. […] Planting more trees and enhancing management of our existing woodlands, prepares the way to further self-sufficiency in browse production in the future. Plus, it creates new habitats for wildlife in our woodland areas.”

3. Inclusive Playgrounds Allow Children Of All Abilities To Play

“With ramps allowing children in wheelchairs to ascend the central play structure, as well as numerous other swings and apparatus usable for children of all abilities, the 16,000-square-foot P.K.’s Place is St. Paul’s first fully inclusive playground. […] To be universally accessible, a play area must have at least 70% of its play features fully accessible, far more than required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). […] Play areas should allow parents and grandparents with disabilities to participate as well.”

4. Combination treatment can increase human insulin-producing cells in vivo

“[Diabetes-model mice] were treated with the combination therapy [of a plant product called harmine and “a widely used class of type 2 diabetes therapy”] and their diabetes was rapidly reversed. Strikingly, human beta cell numbers increased by 700 percent over three months with this drug combination. "This is the first time scientists have developed a drug treatment that is proven to increase adult human beta cell numbers in vivo. This research brings hope for the use of future regenerative therapies to potentially treat the hundreds of millions of people with diabetes," said Dr. Garcia-Ocaña, the paper's corresponding author.”

5. Decades of Dedication: Australia’s Largest Ongoing Urban Restoration Project

“[Friends of Lake Claremont] has transformed the area into a thriving ecosystem, re-establishing native habitats and fostering biodiversity. This year, 800 native seedlings (100 trees, 350 shrubs and 350 ground covers) have been planted on the northwestern buffer of Lake Claremont. Volunteers replaced a large Port Jackson fig (Ficus rubiginosa) affected by [beetle] infestation with native plants to enhance the local wildlife habitat, thereby benefiting insects, frogs, birds and brown bandicoots. […] Overall, the project contributes to the area’s function as a regional ecological corridor, linking inland bushlands, the Swan River and the Indian Ocean.”

6. Important habitat for fish in Heart of the Fraser now conserved

“British Columbia’s iconic salmon now have more protected spawning habitat in the lower Fraser River, thanks to the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) conservation acquisition of Carey Island. […] Carey Island and its gravel channels offer calm and crucial spawning and rearing habitat for the river’s fish and aquatic species. […] The Pelólxw Tribe […is also] actively working to restore the resilience of aquatic habitat within this stretch of the Lower Fraser. NCC is exploring opportunities to collaborate with the Pelólxw Tribe in support of their vision for stewardship of the area, which prioritizes both ecological and cultural values.”

7. Prime editing efficiently corrects cystic fibrosis mutation in human lung cells

“[R]esearchers have developed a gene-editing approach that efficiently corrects the most common mutation that causes cystic fibrosis, found in 85 percent of patients. With further development, it could pave the way for treatments that are administered only once and have fewer side effects. The new method precisely and durably corrects the mutation in human lung cells, restoring cell function to levels similar to that of Trikafta [the standard treatment since 2019].”

8. Montana’s High Court Considers a Constitutional Right to a Stable Climate

“At issue was the appeal of a decision last year, when a Montana judge blocked a state law that prohibited agencies from considering climate impacts when deciding whether to approve fossil fuel projects such as new power plants, pipelines or mining. The ruling, by District Judge Kathy Seeley, was prompted by a lawsuit filed by 16 youths who argued that the law violated Montana’s constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment.” It was the first ruling in the United States to effectively establish constitutional rights to a stable climate[….]”

9. The US is about to get its first solar-covered canal

“The first canal-based solar project in the U.S. is nearing completion on tribal lands south of Phoenix, Arizona. […] The long, narrow solar array design would snake along the line of the canal and tap into the local electrical distribution grid every 1,000 feet, or every one megawatt. […] “Canal solar allows for greater power production per land size, cleaner water, less power transmission losses, and significant reduction in evaporation[….]” Covering the entire 8,000 miles of canals and waterways managed by the Bureau of Reclamation with solar panels could generate over 25 gigawatts of renewable energy and reduce water evaporation by tens of billions of gallons[….]”

10. Camera traps offer glimpse of first beaver born in Northumberland for 400 years

“"It’s such a relief that they have bred successfully and to see a new fluffy kit swimming with the family[….]” In just one year [since releasing the beavers], there has been a noticeable increase in resident trout, says the National Trust, along with more regular visits from kingfishers and grey herons. There are more insects at the site, too, thanks to the organic matter that builds up behind the dams, which in turn provides food for Daubenton’s bats. […] Beavers also play an important role in creating habitats that are more resilient to the effects of climate change[….]”

July 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[mybeingthere]

Lloyd Rees（Australian, 1895-1988),  Port Jackson fig tree, 1934,  pencil.

[portraitsofflora]

Day 137 — Ficus Rubiginosa (Port Jackson Fig)

[petnews2day]

Balmoral Sydney residents outraged as nine historic fig trees are discovered drilled and poisoned in 'dog act'

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/8GmJ7

Balmoral Sydney residents outraged as nine historic fig trees are discovered drilled and poisoned in 'dog act'

By David Southwell For Daily Mail Australia 04:40 23 Feb 2024, updated 05:28 23 Feb 2024 Nine iconic fig trees at one of Australia’s most scenic city beaches have been drilled and poisoned. Desperate efforts are now underway to save the historic Port Jackson fig trees, some more than 100 years old, that overlook Sydney‘s […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/8GmJ7 #DogNews

[myothertardisisonthemun]

Watching the good place season 3.

It's set in Sydney. The city I live in.

Every few minutes, it's got me saying "that's not right"

[vanishingsydney]

Enormous old Port Jackson fig tree (Ficus rubiginosa) makes a dive for the water. Balmain.

[wenbochenphoto]

The aerial roots of Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa) are enjoying the summer rain in Sydney Park. #ficusrubiginosa #floraofaustralia #澳洲榕树 #气生根 #aerialroot

[iamjapanese]

Lloyd Rees（Australian, 1895-1988）

Port Jackson fig tree  1934  pencil  via 

[myhandsarealwaysdirty]

Embedded within the eroded cement and marble pillars of artist Jamie North are a host of plants native to Australia. Kangaroo vines, Port Jackson figs, and kidney weeds wrap themselves around steel cables and grow from the crevices of the cracked stone forms, juxtaposing the industrial, human-made sculptures with organic elements. The lush greenery infuses the otherwise dilapidated structures with new life, which elicits a larger theme of regeneration.

In a note to Colossal, North writes that he begins each vertical work with a geometric cast evoking the stately shapes of the tower and column. When complete, the size of the sculptures ambiguously references various architectural elements. “Both tower and column are often associated with progress, triumph, and hubris,” he says. “These associations are addressed in my work by preemptive material erosion making the object conducive to plant sustainment, growth, and eventual merger with the inorganic form.”

[drhoz]

#1499 -  Curculio sp. - Nut Weevil

Photo by Geoff Hyde, who spotted this fabulous beast prowling around the fruit of a fig tree in Centennial Park, Sydney. Knowing Centennial Park, almost certainly a Port Jackson Fig, but there are 12 other species planted there, including the equally enormous Moreton Bay Fig.

Anyway - Curculio is the Original Weevil, described by Linnaeus in 1758, and that the entire weevil family is named after. Some species drill holes in immature acorns, filberts, and other nuts, and the larva hollows out the fruit until ready to emerge, where there may spend a year or two in the soil before pupating. Since I’m not sure which species this is, I don’t know if it does something similar with figs.

[vicky8588]

Purple Foods Market

Market Overview

The Global Purple Foods Market is estimated to reach at high CAGR of 15% during the forecast period (2021-2028).

Purple foods are one of the richest sources of anthocyanins. Some popular purple fruits are purple grapes, passion fruit, figs, plums, raisins and dried plums. Berries such as blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, elderberries, chokeberries and bilberries are also counted as purple foods. These purple foods are helpful in preventing diseases such as, ageing, cancer, obesity and fighting inflammation. Anthocyanins can protect the heart muscle and blood vessels from oxidative damage, can reverse brain ageing by two-and-a-half years and play active role in promoting eye. Examples of this fast-growing trend are Jackson's Honest Purple Heirloom Potato Chips, Purple Corn Cereal, Que Pasa Purple Corn Tortilla Chips, Love Beets and Stokes Purple Sweet Potatoes. The global purple foods market valued USD XX million in 2020 and is forecasted to reach USD XX million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 15% during the forecast period (2021-2028)

Download free sample: https://www.datamintelligence.com/download-sample/purple-foods-market

Market Dynamics

The global purple food market is mainly driven by consumer shift towards healthy foods

Nowadays people are more concern about their health which increases the demand for healthy food in the market. Most of the food processing companies use food additives to make their products up to the mark in the industry. For fulfilling the demand of the health-conscious customers, manufactures of food preferred natural coloring agents which drive the market for purple foods as they comprise of anthocyanins which offer health benefits. According to a study regular intake of anthocyanin in the form of purple foods helps to reduce the risk of respiratory disorders and heart disease. It has an anti-oxidant property which helps to prevent breast cancer. Most of the purple foods are extracted from blueberries which helps to reduce cancer. As per research, purple foods such as supplements which contain high amount anthocyanin extracted from blueberry helps to improve brain power in children from 7 to 10-year-olds. It fights with free radicals present in the human body and offers anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits.

In addition, key regulations on synthetic food colorants imposed by governing bodies are directing attention of food producers towards natural solutions such as purple foods which contain anthocyanin, natural food colorant.

Market Segmentation

– By Source Type

·       Fruits *

·       Grains

·       Legumes

·       Vegetables

·       Others

– By Distribution Channel

·       Supermarkets/Hypermarkets *

·       Specialty Stores

·       Convenience Stores

·       Online Stores

·       Others

Geographical Penetration

North America held a dominant position in the global purple foods market in 2020

Blueberries are one of the renowned purple foods cultivated in North America, where the blueberries are available from April through October, and from mid-June to mid-August. Blueberry bushes are found in enormous quantity in all over the U.S., with 38 states grow blueberries commercially, 10 states (Florida, California, Indiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington) account for more than 98 percent of U.S. commercial production.

The other regions such as Asia Pacific and Europe are also likely to witness steady growth during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region with a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period. China accounted for highest market revenue share of XX% in the year 2020. On April 9, 2021, a cargo ship from Chile pulled into the Port of Hong Kong, signifying not only the first arrival of Purple Honey plums on the Chinese market but also the global debut of this new plum variety. In June 2021, Purple Diamond fig officially entered Chinese market as development reaches commercial stage. The 'purple diamond' fig has a clear market advantage in terms of product quality, durability, and commercial viability. Such developments are expected to drive the market growth in this country.

Competitive Landscape

The global purple foods market is fragmented in terms of sales volume and product segments with large number of players evolving with new end products. Hollyberry B.V., Exbery, Kanegrade Ltd, Kent Frozen Foods Ltd, Lemon Concentrate, Jiangxi Cereal Food Co Ltd, Merry Berry, Nutraonly, Vinayak Ingredients India Pvt. Ltd., and Archer Daniels Midland Company are some of the major players in the market. Emphasis is given on the expansion, merger, acquisition and partnership of the companies along with new product development as strategic approaches adopted by the leading companies to boost their brand presence among consumers. For instance,

In December 2020, Ark Foods introduced purple bell pepper. Grown originally for Whole Foods Market Florida, the Purple Bell’s vibrant, glossy exterior naturally sets itself apart, while offering the familiar crunch and sweet flavor of traditional bell peppers.

In March 2019, Archer Daniels Midland Company has acquired Ziegler Group, a leading European provider of natural citrus flavor ingredients. This combination will lead to ADM being the global leader in natural citrus ingredients and anthocyanins market, with a complete range of innovative citrus solutions and systems for food, beverage, and fragrance customers.

COVID-19 Impact: The pandemic thrown light on purple foods and their role in boosting immunity, thus positive for market growth

Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, the intake of purple food has increased with its benefits of boosting the immune system. Anthocyanin which is found in purple foods is considered as a vital component in boosting immunity. Purple cauliflower is one of the leading segment in this aspect of the market. Rich in fibre and magnesium, this vegetable can be included in salad, sandwich and other foods to boost immunity. The increase in the reliance on the fruits increased the market amidst the pandemic. Therefore, the market players have witnessed a modest growth in the purple food market during the pandemic. However, the disruption in supply chain offset this growth rate

View Full Report: https://www.datamintelligence.com/research-report/purple-foods-market

Enquiry Before Buying: https://www.datamintelligence.com/enquiry/purple-foods-market

About Us

DataM Intelligence was incorporated in the early weeks of 2017 as a Market Research and Consulting firm with just two people on board. Within a span of less than a year, we have secured more than 100 unique customers from established organizations all over the world.

 For more information:

Sai Kiran

Sales Manager at DataM Intelligence

Email: info@datamintelligence.com

Tel: +1 877 441 4866

Website: www.datamintelligence.com

[jeremystrele]

A Sweeping Country Estate Created From Dust

A Sweeping Country Estate Created From Dust

Gardens

by Sasha Gattermayr

Photo – Prue Ruscoe.

Photo – Prue Ruscoe.

Photos – Michael Wee.

Photo – Prue Ruscoe.

Photos – Prue Ruscoe.

Photo (left) – Michael Wee. Photo (right) – Prue Ruscoe.

Photo – Michael Wee.

Photos – Prue Ruscoe.

Aerial photo – Michael Wee.

When revered Sydney Landscape Architecture & Design firm Dangar Barin Smith was brought on to this Hunter Valley project, there was not a  single tree on site. Now the property contains at least seven different species of mature, flowering trees – though that was not part of the client’s original brief.

‘I try to steer my clients towards what they’re capable of in terms of management, and then work backwards from there,’ explains project director, Will Dangar. The initial plan was for a lush and decorative planting scheme, flush with flowers and exotic species; but when it got down to the nuts and bolts of such a maintenance-heavy idea, a tree-dominant palette made the most sense.

And what a vision! Elegant cabbage tree palms frame the northern aspect while Port Jackson Figs (the same ones that line Sydney’s Centennial Park) create a sense of drama. Will calls them ‘legacy trees’, and confides it’s the only time he’s ever used them in a project as they can stretch to 30m wide!

Weeping willows fringe the dams, their drooping tendrils grazing the water surface, while flowering crepe myrtles are dotted throughout the property. A full-time gardener (one of Will’s former staff members!) has been employed to maintain the rolling estate.

This pared back but ambitious design took a year to complete, after construction had already begun on the house. The two lakes were a result of the need to re-level the property, and situate the house deeper into the site.

‘The house was a rundown weekender that didn’t capture the views,’ says Will. ‘So a big part of the job was changing the levels. We had to move a lot of earth around because the house was quite high out of the ground, and we needed to nestle it lower into the site.’

The dams hence served two purposes: aesthetic, and practical. The soil dug up to create the adjacent watering holes was used to even out the gradients around the house, and set the residence deeper into the hillside.

Aesthetically, the lakes add lushness and vitality to the otherwise dry and dusty Hunter Valley landscape. Bore water is pumped into the top lake to keep it full, while gravity then feeds the bottom lake from run-off.

The combination of sculptural trees and wide, serene watering holes creates a romantic, lush paradise here – a testament to the vision of the talented team at Dangar Barin Smith.

See more projects from Dangar Barin Smith here.

[mybeingthere]

Lloyd Rees（Australian, 1895-1988),  Port Jackson fig tree, 1934,  pencil.

[sciencespies]

Unusual wasp partnerships help non-native figs to thrive in Hawaii

https://sciencespies.com/nature/unusual-wasp-partnerships-help-non-native-figs-to-thrive-in-hawaii/

Unusual wasp partnerships help non-native figs to thrive in Hawaii

While surveying the Hawaiian island of Kauai in search of invasive plants in 2017, botanist Kelsey Brock spotted something unusual: a few nonnative species of figs seemed to be settling in.

As people traverse the planet for trade or travel, they bring a slew of species with them, many of which establish a foothold in a new place and may eventually replace the local native species.

But because of a quirk of fig biology, my colleagues and I wondered how these figs could be reproducing to form new populations on Kauai.

Fig pollinators have long been famous for being limited to single fig species. Yet our investigation into Kauai’s establishing fig species upends a long-held belief about figs, because we found that one fig pollinator is pairing with multiple fig species that it never pollinated before.

The strangeness of figs

What’s commonly regarded as a fig’s fruit is actually a closed capsule with flowers inside – technically an inside-out inflorescence.

A fig tree, therefore, has a logistical problem: how to get its enclosed flowers pollinated so it can produce seeds that can grow into new trees.

The solution is that a fig attracts a specific wasp species by emitting a special aroma. Once drawn to that scent, the wasp must wriggle its way through a nearly microscopic keyhole-like opening to get inside the fig.

The wasp then tries to insert an egg into each flower. As they develop, baby wasps rely on the fig’s reproductive cells as food.

But the stalks leading to some of the flowers’ reproductive cells are too long for the wasp.

Instead of getting an egg laid inside, these flowers end up pollinated during the wasp’s attempts. They go on to develop into fig seeds.

The few pollinators that enter the fig never leave. In fact, when you eat a fig, you could be eating wasps too. The fig’s opening seals as the pollinated fig matures and the wasps die inside.

When the young wasps emerge from their eggs, the males come first.

They’re wingless and scrawny, but they chew through the fig’s outer wall to free their sisters, whom they also impregnate. The males never exist outside of the fig.

The fig and wasp therefore completely depend on each other for survival. Over time, they become better adapted to the partnership.

They evolve together, so new fig species are accompanied by new wasp species.

Rarely do fig species share a pollinator, and then only between figs that are very closely related and live together.

So how could figs become established on Kauai without their unique pollinators? Did their pollinators also arrive, or was something else going on?

An unusual assortment of figs

Kauai has no native figs. But the island is host to a mix of dozens of nonnative fig species from all over the world, which mostly don’t coexist back in their native ecosystems.

A century ago, foresters on Kauai intentionally introduced a few figs, each with its respective pollinator.

To investigate how new figs were getting established without their original pollinators, we gathered numerous figs, both from the National Tropical Botanical Garden and from across the island.

Under a microscope, I pried open each fig to identify wasps and collect any seeds. Most of the figs had none of either, but several species were filled with unexpected tiny wasps and had lots of seeds. Colleagues in George Weiblen’s lab analyzed the DNA of these species to be doubly certain of their identity.

My colleagues Seana Walsh and Dustin Wolkis found that seeds from all the figs with wasps inside could germinate, meaning they’d been successfully pollinated.

We discovered that a wasp specific to the Port Jackson fig from eastern Australia is interacting with two additional fig species on Kauai: the Watkins’ fig and the red affouche.

The Watkins’ fig is very closely related to the Port Jackson fig, and their distributions in Australia overlap, though extensive surveys there never found this wasp interacting with the Watkins’ fig back home.

In Australia, the Watkins’ fig’s pollinator is probably good at excluding the Port Jackson wasp. On Kauai, the former wasp is gone, so the Port Jackson wasp is free to use both fig species.

The red affouche, however, is not closely related to the Port Jackson fig and is from islands near Madagascar.

That means being closely related to the Port Jackson fig does not determine which fig species the wasp can pollinate, which is further evident by another close relative of the Port Jackson fig on Kauai that the wasps weren’t using.

We analyzed how the traits of figs – like their size and the shape of their openings – correspond with which species the Port Jackson wasp can pollinate.

We found that these wasps can interact with figs that have a particular keyhole-like opening. It’s like learning that your house key is really a master key that can unlock homes in another country.

Who gives a fig about figs?

In their native ranges, both figs and wasps survive if they can distinguish their specific partner from all other species, so they fine-tune ways to do so.

Yet in ecosystems across the world, other figs and wasps end up using the same tricks to find each other.

These similarities don’t matter as long as ecosystems remain separate, but the human-mediated shuffle of the world’s species has resulted in unnatural mixes of species.

On Kauai, new combinations of players in the ecosystem have allowed the Port Jackson wasp to interact with different fig species.

Its relationship with the Port Jackson fig is also fundamentally changed because its fate is no longer tied to just this one species – it has options.

The Watkins’ fig and the red affouche also now have new avenues of survival.

Our work sheds light on how even a nonnative species that relies on a specific partner for survival can gain a foothold if it encounters another species that can pair up.

Researchers previously believed that these incredibly close relationships, long honed by evolution, would be difficult to change. We now know that species with such ties can invade an ecosystem by forming new partnerships and distorting existing ones.

Jared Bernard, Ph.D. Candidate in Entomology, University of Hawaii.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

#Nature