Laurel forests are quite relevant for biodiversity conservation and are among the island ecosystems most severely damaged by human activities.In the past,Canary laurel forests have been greatly altered by logging,livestock and agriculture.The remains of laurel forests are currently protected in the Canary Islands(Spain).However,we miss basic information needed for their restoration and adaptive management,such as tree longevity,growth potential and responsiveness to natural and anthropogenic disturbances.Using dendrochronological methods,we studied how forest dynamic is related to land-use change and windstorms in two well-preserved laurel forests on Tenerife Island.Wood cores were collected from over 80 trees per stand at three stands per forest.We used ring-width series to estimate tree ages and calculate annual basal area increments(BAI),cumulative diameter increases,and changes indicative of released and suppressed growth.Twelve tree species were found in all stands,with Laurus novocanariensis,Ilex canariensis and Morella faya being the most common species.Although some individuals were over 100 years old,61.8%-88.9% of the trees per stand established between 1940 and 1970,coinciding with a post-war period of land abandonment,rural exodus and the onset of a tourism economy.Some trees have shown growth rates larger than 1 cm diameter per year and most species have had increasing BAI trends over the past decades.Strong growth releases occurred after windstorms at both sites,but the effects of windstorms were site-dependent,with the 1958 storm affecting mainly the eastern tip of the island(Anaga massif)and the 1991 storm the western tip(Teno massif).Given the great ability of laurel forest trees to establish after land use cessation and to increase growth after local disturbances such as windstorms,passive restoration may be sufficient to regenerate this habitat in currently degraded areas.
Rising consumer concerns with synthetic drugs to treat non-communicable diseases(NCDs)have promoted a shift towards using natural biological active constituents that offer similar health benefits.Hairless canary seed(Phalaris canariensis L)is an emerging crop traditionally used in Mexico to treat NCDs.Peptides liberated during simulated digestion of canary seed protein are believed to be responsible for their biological activity;however,no studies have shown the effect of controlled protein hydrolysis using commercial proteases on canary seed protein’s biological activity.Therefore,this study aimed to explore the in vitro antihypertensive,antidiabetic,and anti-obesity activity of canary seed peptides derived from proteolysis with Alcalase®.Protein fractions were primarily composed of prolamins(54.07±1.8%),glutelins(32.19±3.18%),globulins(5.97±0.52%)and albumins(5.97±0.52%).The<3 kDa and 3–10 kDa peptide fractions showed the highest inhibition capacity(p<0.05)towards angiotensin-converting enzyme(IC50=0.028–0.032 mg/mL)lipase(IC50=2.15–2.27 mg/mL),α-glucosidase(IC50=0.82–1.15 mg/mL),and dipeptidyl-peptidase-IV(IC50=1.27–1.60 mg/mL).Additionally,these peptide fractions showed high antioxidant activity against DPPH(134.22–150.66μmol TE/mg)and ABTS(520.92–813.33μmol TE/mg).These results provide an insight into the potential development of functional foods using commercial enzymatic hydrolysis of canary seed proteins for treating hypertension,type-2 diabetes,and obesity.
