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Wipulasena AYAP, Davison J, Helm A, Kasari L, Moora M, Prangel E, Reitalu T, Vahter T, Vasar M, Zobel M. Soil community composition in dynamic stages of semi-natural calcareous grassland. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292425. [PMID: 37847721 PMCID: PMC10581465 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
European dry thin-soil calcareous grasslands (alvars) are species-rich semi-natural habitats. Cessation of traditional management, such as mowing and grazing, leads to shrub and tree encroachment and the local extinction of characteristic alvar species. While soil microbes are known to play a critical role in driving vegetation and ecosystem dynamics, more information is needed about their composition and function in grasslands of different dynamic stages. Here we assess the composition of soil fungal, prokaryotic, and plant communities using soil environmental DNA from restored alvar grasslands in Estonia. The study areas included grasslands that had experienced different degrees of woody encroachment prior to restoration (woody plant removal and grazing), as well as unmanaged open grasslands. We found that, in general, different taxonomic groups exhibited correlated patterns of between-community variation. Previous forest sites, which had prior to restoration experienced a high degree of woody encroachment by ectomycorrhizal Scots pine, were compositionally most distinct from managed open grasslands, which had little woody vegetation even prior to restoration. The functional structure of plant and fungal communities varied in ways that were consistent with the representation of mycorrhizal types in the ecosystems prior to restoration. Compositional differences between managed and unmanaged open grasslands reflecting the implementation of grazing without further management interventions were clearer among fungal, and to an extent prokaryotic, communities than among plant communities. While previous studies have shown that during woody encroachment of alvar grassland, plant communities change first and fungal communities follow, our DNA-based results suggest that microbial communities reacted faster than plant communities during the restoration of grazing management in alvar grassland. We conclude that while the plant community responds faster to cessation of management, the fungal community responds faster to restoration of management. This may indicate hysteresis, where the eventual pathway back to the original state (grazed ecosystem) differs from the pathway taken towards the alternative state (abandoned semi-natural grassland ecosystem).
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Y. Ayesh Piyara Wipulasena
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - John Davison
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Aveliina Helm
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Liis Kasari
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mari Moora
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Elisabeth Prangel
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Triin Reitalu
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tanel Vahter
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Martti Vasar
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Martin Zobel
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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Tierney DA. Linking restoration to the
IUCN
red list for ecosystems: A case study of how we might track the Earth's ecosystems. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Tierney
- Conservation and Restoration Science Department of Planning and Environment Parramatta New South Wales 2150 Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
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3
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Li Q, Samimi C. Sub-Saharan Africa's international migration constrains its sustainable development under climate change. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE 2022; 17:1873-1897. [PMID: 35317493 PMCID: PMC8931456 DOI: 10.1007/s11625-022-01116-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is seen as a region of mass migration and population displacement caused by poverty, violent conflict, and environmental stress. However, empirical evidence is inconclusive regarding how SSA's international migration progressed and reacted during its march to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article attempts to study the patterns and determinants of SSA's international migration and the cause and effects on sustainable development by developing a Sustainability Index and regression models. We find that international migration was primarily intra-SSA to low-income but high-population-density countries. Along with increased sustainability scores, international migration declined, but emigration rose. Climate extremes tend to affect migration and emigration but not universally. Dry extremes propelled migration, whereas wet extremes had an adverse effect. Hot extremes had an increasing effect but were insignificant. SSA's international migration was driven by food insecurity, low life expectancy, political instability and violence, high economic growth, unemployment, and urbanisation rates. The probability of emigration was mainly driven by high fertility. SSA's international migration promoted asylum seeking to Europe with the diversification of origin countries and a motive for economic wellbeing. 1% more migration flow or 1% higher probability of emigration led to a 0.2% increase in asylum seekers from SSA to Europe. Large-scale international migration and recurrent emigration constrained SSA's sustainable development in political stability, food security, and health, requiring adequate governance and institutions for better migration management and planning towards the SDGs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-022-01116-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qirui Li
- Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
- Climatology Research Group, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Cyrus Samimi
- Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
- Climatology Research Group, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Bayreuth, Centre of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, 95448 Bayreuth, Germany
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Seabloom EW, Borer ET, Tilman D. Grassland ecosystem recovery after soil disturbance depends on nutrient supply rate. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1756-1765. [PMID: 32945098 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Human disturbances alter the functioning and biodiversity of many ecosystems. These ecosystems may return to their pre-disturbance state after disturbance ceases; however, humans have altered the environment in ways that may change the rate or direction of this recovery. For example, human activities have increased supplies of biologically limiting nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), which can reduce grassland diversity and increase productivity. We tracked the recovery of a grassland for two decades following an intensive agricultural disturbance under ambient and elevated nutrient conditions. Productivity returned to pre-disturbance levels quickly under ambient nutrient conditions, but nutrient addition slowed this recovery. In contrast, the effects of disturbance on diversity remained hidden for 15 years, at which point diversity began to increase in unfertilised plots. This work demonstrates that enrichment of terrestrial ecosystems by humans may alter the recovery of ecosystems and that disturbance effects may remain hidden for many years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of MN, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of MN, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of MN, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
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Conradi T, Van Meerbeek K, Ordonez A, Svenning JC. Biogeographic historical legacies in the net primary productivity of Northern Hemisphere forests. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:800-810. [PMID: 32086879 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that biogeographic historical legacies in plant diversity may influence ecosystem functioning. This is expected because of known diversity effects on ecosystem functions, and impacts of historical events such as past climatic changes on plant diversity. However, empirical evidence for a link between biogeographic history and present-day ecosystem functioning is still limited. Here, we explored the relationships between Late-Quaternary climate instability, species-pool size, local species and functional diversity, and the net primary productivity (NPP) of Northern Hemisphere forests using structural equation modelling. Our study confirms that past climate instability has negative effects on plant functional diversity and through that on NPP, after controlling for present-day climate, soil conditions, stand biomass and age. We conclude that global models of terrestrial plant productivity need to consider the biogeographical context to improve predictions of plant productivity and feedbacks with the climate system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Conradi
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | | | - Alejandro Ordonez
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Gallagher RV, Allen S, Wright IJ. Safety margins and adaptive capacity of vegetation to climate change. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8241. [PMID: 31160627 PMCID: PMC6547698 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44483-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Vegetation is composed of many individual species whose climatic tolerances can be integrated into spatial analyses of climate change risk. Here, we quantify climate change risk to vegetation at a continental scale by calculating the safety margins for warming and drying (i.e., tolerance to projected change in temperature and precipitation respectively) across plants sharing 100 km × 100 km grid cells (locations). These safety margins measure how much warmer, or drier, a location could become before its 'typical' species exceeds its observed climatic limit. We also analyse the potential adaptive capacity of vegetation to temperature and precipitation change (i.e., likelihood of in situ persistence) using median precipitation and temperature breadth across all species in each location. 47% of vegetation across Australia is potentially at risk from increases in mean annual temperature (MAT) by 2070, with tropical regions most vulnerable. Vegetation at high risk from climate change often also exhibited low adaptive capacity. By contrast, 2% of the continent is at risk from reductions in annual precipitation by 2070. Risk from precipitation change was isolated to the southwest of Western Australia where both the safety margin for drier conditions in the typical species is low, and substantial reductions in MAP are projected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael V Gallagher
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Stuart Allen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Ian J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
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Griffith DM, Still CJ, Osborne CP. Editorial: Revisiting the Biome Concept With A Functional Lens. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Schweiger AH, Boulangeat I, Conradi T, Davis M, Svenning JC. The importance of ecological memory for trophic rewilding as an ecosystem restoration approach. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1-15. [PMID: 29877019 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 05/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Increasing human pressure on strongly defaunated ecosystems is characteristic of the Anthropocene and calls for proactive restoration approaches that promote self-sustaining, functioning ecosystems. However, the suitability of novel restoration concepts such as trophic rewilding is still under discussion given fragmentary empirical data and limited theory development. Here, we develop a theoretical framework that integrates the concept of 'ecological memory' into trophic rewilding. The ecological memory of an ecosystem is defined as an ecosystem's accumulated abiotic and biotic material and information legacies from past dynamics. By summarising existing knowledge about the ecological effects of megafauna extinction and rewilding across a large range of spatial and temporal scales, we identify two key drivers of ecosystem responses to trophic rewilding: (i) impact potential of (re)introduced megafauna, and (ii) ecological memory characterising the focal ecosystem. The impact potential of (re)introduced megafauna species can be estimated from species properties such as lifetime per capita engineering capacity, population density, home range size and niche overlap with resident species. The importance of ecological memory characterising the focal ecosystem depends on (i) the absolute time since megafauna loss, (ii) the speed of abiotic and biotic turnover, (iii) the strength of species interactions characterising the focal ecosystem, and (iv) the compensatory capacity of surrounding source ecosystems. These properties related to the focal and surrounding ecosystems mediate material and information legacies (its ecological memory) and modulate the net ecosystem impact of (re)introduced megafauna species. We provide practical advice about how to quantify all these properties while highlighting the strong link between ecological memory and historically contingent ecosystem trajectories. With this newly established ecological memory-rewilding framework, we hope to guide future empirical studies that investigate the ecological effects of trophic rewilding and other ecosystem-restoration approaches. The proposed integrated conceptual framework should also assist managers and decision makers to anticipate the possible trajectories of ecosystem dynamics after restoration actions and to weigh plausible alternatives. This will help practitioners to develop adaptive management strategies for trophic rewilding that could facilitate sustainable management of functioning ecosystems in an increasingly human-dominated world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas H Schweiger
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Isabelle Boulangeat
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,University Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR LESSEM, 2 rue de la Papeterie-BP 76, F-38402, St-Martin-d'Hères, France
| | - Timo Conradi
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Matt Davis
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
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