Lewis Ziska

United States Department of Agriculture | USDA · Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

Background Dermal transfer of nicotine during tobacco harvest can cause green tobacco sickness (GTS), characterized by nausea, vomiting, headache and dizziness. Rainfall and high temperatures are etiological factors known to increase the prevalence of GTS. We analyzed recent and projected trends in these factors for major tobacco-growing regions to...

Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (eCO2) can affect plant growth and physiology, which can, in turn, impact herbivorous insects, including by altering pollen or plant tissue nutrition. Previous research suggests that eCO2 can reduce pollen nutrition in some species, but it is unknown whether this effect is consistent across flowering plant specie...

In recent years, water conservation efforts in rice production have necessitated the use of reduced irrigation input systems such as alternate wetting and drying (AWD) as a substitute to conventional continuous flood‐irrigated systems (FLD), but little is known about the role of AWD in altering outcrossing potentials between cultivated rice and wee...

Weedy rice (Oryza spp.) is widely recognised as a major constraint in cultivated rice systems globally. Seed shattering is related to the invasiveness and persistence of weedy ecotypes in field and exacerbates control of weedy rice in cultivated rice systems. Shattering traits are controlled genetically and by different environmental conditions. At...

There is extensive evidence that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, [CO ] can stimulate rice yields. However, such increases are associated with a ubiquitous decline in nutrition, including protein, iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn). To determine the basis for these declines, we used gmo rice lines to test and compare the quantitative and quali...

Accelerating relative sea-level rise (RSLR) is threatening coastal wetlands. However, rising CO2 concentrations may also stimulate carbon sequestration and vertical accretion, counterbalancing RSLR. A coastal wetland dominated by a C3 plant species was exposed to ambient and elevated levels of CO2 in situ from 1987 to 2019 during which time ambient...

While the role of CO2 as a greenhouse gas in the context of global warming is widely acknowledged, additional data from multiple sources is demonstrating that rising CO2 of and by itself will have a tremendous effect on plant biology. This effect is widely recognized for its role in stimulating photosynthesis and growth for multiple plant species,...

One of the biggest, if underappreciated, breakthroughs in science of the 20th century was the green revolution, a unique science that merged plant genetics to match technological breakthroughs in water availability, chemical fertilizers and pesticide use. It transformed the landscape, literally, providing food for additional billions and averted fe...

Although climate change and invasive species are each recognized as meaningful threats to ecological function, biodiversity, and agronomic systems, there is increasing awareness of ongoing linkages between these phenomena that will alter our understanding of their impacts. Such interactions may be of special importance regarding invasive alien plan...

There is global evidence of a general increase in the incidence and prevalence of respiratory diseases including allergic rhinitis and associated asthma. This increase in turn, has been related, in part, to concurrent increases in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and temperature on pollen production and allergic disease generated from plant-based sources of...

Introduction: Essential nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, are required for human health and development. Inadequate intake can negatively affect development and result in a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Rice, maize, and wheat provide over 60% of the world's food energy intake. Atmospheric carbon di...

Significance Coexposure to airborne pollen enhances susceptibility to respiratory viral infections, regardless of the allergy status. We hypothesized this could be also true for SARS-CoV-2 infections. To investigate this, we tested for relationships between SARS-CoV-2 infection rates and pollen concentrations, along with humidity, temperature, popu...

Adaptation measures are necessary to ensure the stability and performance of the food supply relative to anthropogenic climate change. Although a wide range of measures have been proposed (e.g., planting dates, crop choices, drought resistance), there may be a ubiquitous means to increase productivity relatively quickly. Numerous studies have shown...

Climate change affects all segments of the agricultural enterprise, and there is mounting evidence that the continuing warming trend with shifting seasonality and intensity in precipitation will increase the vulnerability of agricultural systems. Agricultural is a complex system within the USA encompassing a large number of crops and livestock syst...

In summary, new opportunities for southern hemisphere research focused on standardized pollen monitoring are needed to enable the generation of long-term data sets necessary to assess broad-scale trends in pollen aerobiology with climate change. In the absence of high-density, manual pollen monitoring stations, integration of airborne pollen record...

There are a number of implications of climate change in regard to human health. Among these, the role of rising carbon dioxide (CO₂) and temperature in aeroallergen exposure and associated changes in the start, duration and intensity of the pollen season, and associated consequences in aeroallergens and allergic disease are a primary concern. This...

While [CO2] effects on growth and secondary chemistry are well characterized for annual plant species, little is known about perennials. Among perennials, production of Coffea arabica and C. canephora (robusta) have enormous economic importance worldwide. Three Arabica cultivars (Bourbon, Catimor, Typica) and robusta coffee were grown from germinat...

Background: Increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) affect global nutrition via effects on agricultural productivity and nutrient content of food crops. We combined these effects with economic projections to estimate net changes in nutrient availability between 2010 and 2050. Methods: In this modelling study, we used the Inter...

Rapid increases in herbicide resistance have highlighted the ability of weeds to undergo genetic change within a short period of time. That change, in turn, has resulted in an increasing emphasis in weed science on the evolutionary ecology and potential adaptation of weeds to herbicide selection. Here we argue that a similar emphasis would also be...

The metabolic basis for observed differences in the yield response of rice to projected carbon dioxide concentrations (CO2), is unclear. In this study, three rice cultivars, differing in their yield response to elevated CO2 were grown under ambient and elevated CO2 conditions, using the Free‐Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) technology. Flag leaves of rice...

Plant phenology (e.g. timing of spring green-up, flowering) is among the most sensitive indicator of ecological response to ongoing climate variability and change. While previous studies have documented changes in the timing of spring green-up and flowering across different parts of the world, empirical evidence regarding how such ongoing ecologica...

Distribution of respondents across exposure categories (SOS) by survey year. (DOCX)

Background: Ongoing climate change might, through rising temperatures, alter allergenic pollen biology across the northern hemisphere. We aimed to analyse trends in pollen seasonality and pollen load and to establish whether there are specific climate-related links to any observed changes. Methods: For this retrospective data analysis, we did an e...

The challenge of maintaining sufficient food, feed, fiber and forests for a projected end of century population of between 9-10 billion in the context of a climate averaging 2-4oC warmer is a global imperative. However, climate change is likely to alter the geographic ranges and impacts for a variety of insect pests, plant pathogens, and weeds, and...

In a Perspective, Kristie Ebi and Lewis Ziska discuss Weyant and colleagues' accompanying study on the projected effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on nutrition and disease.

The use of species distribution as a climate proxy for ecological forecasting is thought to be acceptable for invasive species. Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) is an important invasive whose northern distribution appears to be limited by winter survival; however, kudzu’s cold tolerance thresholds are uncertain. Here, we used biogeographic evid...

Climate change may both exacerbate the vulnerabilities and open up new opportunities for farming in the Northeastern USA. Among the opportunities are double-cropping and new crop options that may come with warmer temperatures and a longer frost-free period. However, prolonged periods of spring rains in recent years have delayed planting and offset...

Uneven patterns in the rate of climate change have profound implications for adaptation. Assuming a linear or monotonic increase in global or regional temperatures can lead to inefficient planning processes that underestimate the magnitude, pattern, and timing of the risks faced by human and natural systems, which could exaggerate future impacts an...

Background: Warmer temperature can alter seasonality of pollen as well as pollen concentration, and may impact allergic diseases such as hay fever. Recent studies suggest that extreme heat events will likely increase in frequency, intensity, and duration in coming decades in response to changing climate. Objective: The overall objective of this...

Intraspecific variation in response to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration [CO2] could be used as a means to begin selection for improved quantitative or qualitative characteristics for a given crop. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a leguminous crop of global importance; however multiyear field assessments of intraspecific variation in...

Rising concentrations of carbon dioxide [CO2] and a changing climate will almost certainly affect weed biology and demographics with consequences for crop productivity. The extent of such consequences could be minimal if weed management, particularly the widespread and effective use of herbicides, minimizes any future risk; but, such an outcome ass...

Climate change has been identified as the biggest global health threat of the twenty-first century. Hundreds of millions of people around the world currently suffer from allergic diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis (hay fever), and the prevalence of these diseases is increasing. This book is the first authoritative and comprehensive asses...

Elevated CO2 and warming may alter terrestrial ecosystems by promoting invasive plants with strong community and ecosystem impacts. Invasive plant responses to elevated CO2 and warming are difficult to predict, however, because of the many mechanisms involved, including modification of phenology, physiology, and cycling of nitrogen and water. Under...

At present, there is substantive evidence that the nutritional content of agriculturally important food crops will decrease in response to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, Ca. However, whether Ca-induced declines in nutritional quality are also occurring for pollinator food sources is unknown. Flowering late in the season, goldenrod (So...

Climate change threatens human health and well-being in the United States. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Climate and Health Assessment has been developed to enhance understanding and inform decisions about this growing threat. This scientific assessment, called for under the President's Climate Action Plan, is a major report of t...

High CO2 and high temperature have an antagonistic interaction effect on rice yield potential and present a unique challenge to adapting rice to projected future climates. Understanding how the differences in response to these two abiotic variables are partitioned across rice germplasm accessions may be key to identifying potentially useful sources...

Ongoing increases in the human population necessitate that rice will continue to be a critical aspect of food security for the twenty-first century. While production must increase in the coming decades to meet demand, such increases will be accompanied by diminished natural resources and rising production costs that will alter how rice is grown and...

Although the role of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration [CO2] on plant growth and fecundity is widely acknowledged as important within the scientific community; less research is available regarding the impact of [CO2] on secondary plant compounds, even though such compounds can play a significant role in human health. At present, Artem...

The establishment and spread of invasive plants are often associated with a ‘general-purpose genotype’, with a corresponding high degree of phenotypic plasticity when introduced to a new environment. Evolutionary potential of invasive species following introduction should also be considered, however, as such changes can facilitate rapid range expan...

Rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide [CO2] and subsequent changes in climate, including temperature and precipitation extremes, are very likely to alter pest pressures in both managed and unmanaged plant communities. Such changes in pest pressures can be positive (migration from a region), or negative (new introductions), but are lik...

Understanding the basis for intraspecific yield variability may be important in elucidating biological mechanisms that are associated with superior yield performance in response to projected increases in carbon dioxide concentration, [CO2]. Using a free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility, two rice lines, S63 and W14, which differed consistently in...

Assessments of climate change and food security often do not consider changes to crop production as a function of altered pest pressures. Evaluation of potential changes may be difficult, in part, because management practices are routinely utilized in situ to minimize pest injury. If so, then such practices, should, in theory, also change with clim...

Although several studies have examined intra-specific variability in growth and yield to projected atmospheric CO2 concentration, [CO2], few have considered concurrent increases in air temperature and [CO2], and none have compared the relative responses of cultivated and wild, weedy crop lines. In the current study we quantified the growth and seed...

As the population reaches beyond 7 billion, the impact of human activities on the global environment will begin to alter substantially the complex biological systems necessary to support life. Of particular concern are anthropogenic changes in atmospheric composition that are altering the climatic processes associated with precipitation, temperatur...

Given the economic and environmental harm caused by invasive weeds, one of the fundamental objectives of weed biologists is to manage invasive populations in order to minimize their impact following introduction. At present, in most developed countries, chemical application remains the principal means of management regarding spread and impact. Yet,...

This book examines what will happen to global invasive species, including plants, animals and pathogens with current and expected man-made climate change. The effects on distribution, success, spread and impact of invasive species are considered for a series of case studies from a number of countries. This book will be of great value to researchers...

This book is part of the "CABI Invasive Series", which addresses all topics relating to invasive species, including biosecurity surveillance, mapping and modelling, economics of invasive species and species interactions in plant invasions. Aimed at researchers, upper-level students and policy makers, titles in the series provide international cover...

Anthropogenic increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration [CO2], and subsequent increases in surface temperatures, are likely to impact the growth and yield of cereal crops. One potential means for yield reduction is for climate parameters to increase the occurrence of lodging. Using an in situ free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) system, two m...

Soyabean (Glycine max) was grown at ambient and projected levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (+250 μmol mol−1 above ambient) over two field seasons with and without the presence of a weed, Abutilon theophrasti, to quantify the potential effect of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration on weed–crop interactions and potential yield loss in...

Agricultural production is under increasing pressure by global anthropogenic changes, including rising population, diversion of cereals to biofuels, increased protein demands and climatic extremes. Because of the immediate and dynamic nature of these changes, adaptation measures are urgently needed to ensure both the stability and continued increas...

Anthropogenic climate change is projected to increase the occurrence of drought for the Mediterranean region. The aim of this study was to quantify the role of increasing drought on weed-induced crop losses and cropweed interactions for processing tomato grown in southern Italy. Field experiments were carried out during 2008 and 2009. Two levels of...

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has two unique properties: physically it absorbs in the infra-red (heat) portion of the spectrum, and plays a role in maintaining global surface temperatures; secondly, it is the source of carbon for plant photosynthesis and growth. Recent, rapid anthropogenic increases in CO2 have been well-characterised with respect to climat...

Although recent and projected increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide can alter plant phenological development, these changes have not been quantified in terms of floral outcrossing rates or gene transfer. Could differential phenological development in response to rising CO(2) between genetically modified crops and wild, weedy relatives increase th...

Results obtained within research activity from the Climesco Italian Project are summarized. These results suggest that in regards to the impact of climate change in the Mediterranean area, a decrease of water availability and a more frequent occurrence of drought periods are expected. In order to describe the main effects of climate change on water...

In this study, we tested for the temporal occurrence of photosynthetic acclimation to elevated [CO₂] in the flag leaf of two important cereal crops, rice and wheat. In order to characterize the temporal onset of acclimation and the basis for any observed decline in photosynthetic rate, we characterized net photosynthesis, g(s) , g(m) , C(i) /C(a) ,...

Valerio M, Tomecek MB, Lovelli S & Ziska LH (2011). Quantifying the effect of drought on carbon dioxide-induced changes in competition between a C3 crop (tomato) and a C4 weed (Amaranthus retroflexus). Weed Research51, 591–600. Recent and projected increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) and subsequent effects on climate are l...

Accumulation of anthropogenic gases, particularly CO(2), is likely to have 2 fundamental effects on plant biology. The first is an indirect effect through Earth's increasing average surface temperatures, with subsequent effects on other aspects of climate, such as rainfall and extreme weather events. The second is a direct effect caused by CO(2)-in...

Background/Question/Methods Over 158 million hectares of rice are grown in the world providing a staple food for more than half the world’s population. Although there are several species of Oryza, essentially all cultivated rice is derived from O. sativa which can be genomically differentiated into five sub-populations. There are some 150,000 ric...

Weed Biology and Climate Change will provide a synthesis of what is known regarding the probable impact of environmental change on weed biology. Chapters will look at impacts of weed biology on agriculture, invasive species that limit ecological diversity and weeds that serve as health risks. In addition it looks at current weed management strategi...

Changes in temperature, CO2, and precipitation under the scenarios of climate change for the next 30 yr present a challenge to crop production. This review focuses on the impact of temperature, CO2, and ozone on agronomic crops and the implications for crop production. Understanding these implications for agricultural crops is critical for developi...

In the current review we wish to draw attention to an additional aspect of invasive species and climate change, that of agricultural productivity and food security. We recognize that at present, such a review remains, in part, speculative, and more illustrative than definitive. However, recent events on the global stage, particularly in regard to t...

Introduction Prevention Detection Physical Control Cultural Control (Farm Management) Biological Control Integrated Weed Control Summary References

Introduction Crop Losses and Weeds: An Overview Weed Competition and Crop Losses with Climate Change Pests and Disease: Gimme Shelter Summary References