Global environmental change is rapidly altering the dynamics of terrestrial vegetation with consequences for the functioning of the Earth system and provision of ecosystem services 1,2 . Yet how global vegetation is responding to the changing environment is not well established. Here we use 3 long-term satellite leaf area index (LAI) records and 10 global ecosystem models to investigate four key drivers of LAI trends during 1982-2009.
From luxury spice to medical cure-all, silphium was a product coveted throughout the ancient world and occupied an essential place in the export economy of ancient Cyrene. The mysterious extinction of the silphium plant in the 1st century CE leaves us with little evidence as to the exact nature of this important agricultural product. In this paper, an historical background on the kingdom of Cyrene is provided, evidence for the nature of the silphium plant is reviewed, how and why it was consumed and traded is discussed.