Abstracts » Zoology and wildlife conservation

Drought and decline

Article Abstract:

The sudden decline of Classic Maya civilization especially in the southern lowlands beginning in 800 A.D. has been attributed to overpopulation, intercity conflict and environmental degradation. Examination of sediment cores from Lake Chichancanab in the northern lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula yielded evidence that a period of prolonged drought began in 800 A.D. The drought may have exacerbated the effects of internal and external stresses and explains why these stresses, which also occurred at various stages of Mayan civilization, had cataclysmic effects on Classic Maya civilization.

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Possible role of climate in the collapse of Classic Maya civilization

Article Abstract:

The sudden decline of Classic Maya civilization especially in the southern lowlands beginning in 800 A.D. has been attributed to overpopulation, intercity conflict and environmental degradation. Analyses of the temporal variations in oxygen isotope and sediment composition from sediment cores of Lake Chichancanab in the Yucatan Peninsula yielded evidence that a period of prolonged drought set in starting in 800 A.D. The drought may have contributed to Classic Maya civilization's collapse between 750 A.D. and 1,000 A.D.

Research

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Drought tolerance in tobacco

Article Abstract:

Increasing the production of trehalose in tobacco enhances the plant's ability to survive drought. The gene encoding the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase subunit of yeast trehalose synthase is administered into tobacco by Agrobacterium-regulated gene transfer. The accumulation of trehalose reduces the growth rate by 30-50% under control conditions.

Genetic aspects, Plants, Tobacco, Plant hardiness

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