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Watmough SA. Critical loads for alkalization in terrestrial ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 927:171967. [PMID: 38537833 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Critical loads are a risk assessment approach that has supported large decreases in atmospheric acidic deposition globally. In Canada, SOx emissions fell by approximately 70 % between 1990 and 2021, whereas total particulate matter (TPM) emissions increased by about 40 %, mostly after 2010. Base cations are a major component of TPM, and critical load models consider base cation deposition as beneficial to ecosystems insomuch as it reduces the risk of acidification. However, close to point sources, high levels of alkaline dust deposition have altered soil chemistry and caused an undesirable shift in ecosystem state; something that critical loads are designed to prevent. In this study, the simple mass balance model (SMB) was modified with the objective of preventing base cation accumulation in soil above an acceptable threshold. The concept was applied to a forested site close to large emission sources of sulphur, nitrogen, and base cations in the Oil Sands region of Alberta, Canada. At this site, base cation leaching measured at 25 cm was approximately three times higher than estimated background leaching and exceeded combined SO4 + NO3 leaching. The critical load for alkalization was exceeded under each scenario considered in this study, although the exceedance was marginal if all N in current deposition was assumed to leach from soil. While this framework can easily be applied to regional and national critical load efforts, the main uncertainties of the proposed approach include base cation deposition estimates, assumptions regarding the behavior of N in soil, the selection of an appropriate Alkle(crit) and the long-term immobilization of deposited base cations in soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun A Watmough
- Trent School of the Environment, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada.
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2
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Pihl Karlsson G, Akselsson C, Hellsten S, Karlsson PE. Atmospheric deposition and soil water chemistry in Swedish forests since 1985 - Effects of reduced emissions of sulphur and nitrogen. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 913:169734. [PMID: 38163609 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Trends for the atmospheric deposition of sulphur (S) and inorganic nitrogen (inorg-N) to forests and changes in the forest soil water chemistry in Sweden have been assessed since 1985, with special focus on the last 25 years, based on measurements within the Swedish Throughfall Monitoring Network (SWETHRO). The reductions in the deposition of S and inorg-N in the southern part of Sweden corresponded relatively well with the pollutant emission reductions for S and inorg-N from both EU27 + UK and Sweden during 1996/97-2021/22. For northern Sweden the deposition of S and inorg-N decreased to a lesser extent than both European and Swedish emissions. The bulk deposition of NO3-N has decreased more than the deposition of NH4-N over the last 25-year period, which is consistent with the much larger emission reductions for NOx compared to NH3 from EU27 + UK and Sweden. The S concentrations in the soil water, at 50 cm below soil surface, have decreased during the last 25 years, however somewhat less than the S deposition. At sites with low ANC and pH in the beginning of the period, the increase in ANC was generally greater and the increase in pH was smaller, but at sites with high pH and ANC above zero, the increase in pH was dominant, in line with the nonlinear relationship between pH and ANC in the soil water. The incidence of elevated concentrations of NO3-N in the soil water was highest in southwest Sweden, ranging between 4 and 19 % of all measuring occasions since 1985/86. The reduced deposition of N over the 35-year period was not reflected in the incidence of elevated concentrations of NO3-N in the soil water over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Pihl Karlsson
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, P.O. Box 53021, SE-40014 Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - C Akselsson
- Lund University, Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Science, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - S Hellsten
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, P.O. Box 53021, SE-40014 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - P E Karlsson
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, P.O. Box 53021, SE-40014 Gothenburg, Sweden
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Roy F, Ibayev O, Arnstadt T, Bässler C, Borken W, Groß C, Hoppe B, Hossen S, Kahl T, Moll J, Noll M, Purahong W, Schreiber J, Weisser WW, Hofrichter M, Kellner H. Nitrogen addition increases mass loss of gymnosperm but not of angiosperm deadwood without changing microbial communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 900:165868. [PMID: 37516186 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Enhanced nitrogen (N) deposition due to combustion of fossil fuels and agricultural fertilization is a global phenomenon which has severely altered carbon (C) and N cycling in temperate forest ecosystems in the northern hemisphere. Although deadwood holds a substantial amount of C in forest ecosystems and thus plays a crucial role in nutrient cycling, the effect of increased N deposition on microbial processes and communities, wood chemical traits and deadwood mass loss remains unclear. Here, we simulated high N deposition rates by adding reactive N in form of ammonium-nitrate (40 kg N ha-1 yr-1) to deadwood of 13 temperate tree species over nine years in a field experiment in Germany. Non-treated deadwood from the same logs served as control with background N deposition. Our results show that chronically elevated N levels alters deadwood mass loss alongside respiration, enzymatic activities and wood chemistry depending on tree clade and species. In gymnosperm deadwood, elevated N increased mass loss by +38 %, respiration by +37 % and increased laccase activity 12-fold alongside increases of white-rot fungal abundance +89 % (p = 0.03). Furthermore, we observed marginally significant (p = 0.06) shifts of bacterial communities in gymnosperm deadwood. In angiosperm deadwood, we did not detect consistent effects on mass loss, physico-chemical properties, extracellular enzymatic activity or changes in microbial communities except for changes in abundance of 10 fungal OTUs in seven tree species and 28 bacterial OTUs in 10 tree species. We conclude that N deposition alters decomposition processes exclusively in N limited gymnosperm deadwood in the long term by enhancing fungal activity as expressed by increases in respiration rate and extracellular enzyme activity with minor shifts in decomposing microbial communities. By contrast, deadwood of angiosperm tree species had higher N concentrations and mass loss as well as community composition did not respond to N addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike Roy
- Department of Bio- and Environmental Sciences, International Institute Zittau, Technische Universität Dresden, Markt 23, D-02763 Zittau, Germany
| | - Orkhan Ibayev
- Department of Bio- and Environmental Sciences, International Institute Zittau, Technische Universität Dresden, Markt 23, D-02763 Zittau, Germany
| | - Tobias Arnstadt
- Department of Bio- and Environmental Sciences, International Institute Zittau, Technische Universität Dresden, Markt 23, D-02763 Zittau, Germany
| | - Claus Bässler
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Department of Conservation Biology, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; National Park Bavarian Forest, Freyunger Str. 2, D-94481 Grafenau, Germany
| | - Werner Borken
- Institute for Soil Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Dr.-Hans-Frisch-Straße 1-3, D-95448 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Christina Groß
- Institute for Soil Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Dr.-Hans-Frisch-Straße 1-3, D-95448 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Björn Hoppe
- Institute for National and International Plant Health, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Messeweg 11/12, D-38104 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Shakhawat Hossen
- Institute for Bioanalysis, University of Applied Sciences Coburg, Friedrich-Streib-Straße 2, D-96450 Coburg, Germany
| | - Tiemo Kahl
- UNESCO-Biosphärenreservat Thüringer Wald, Schmiedefeld a. Rstg, Brunnenstraße 1, D-98528 Suhl, Germany
| | - Julia Moll
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Th.-Lieser- Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Matthias Noll
- Institute for Bioanalysis, University of Applied Sciences Coburg, Friedrich-Streib-Straße 2, D-96450 Coburg, Germany
| | - Witoon Purahong
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Th.-Lieser- Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jasper Schreiber
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Department of Conservation Biology, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Wolfgang W Weisser
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Technical University of Munich, D-85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Martin Hofrichter
- Department of Bio- and Environmental Sciences, International Institute Zittau, Technische Universität Dresden, Markt 23, D-02763 Zittau, Germany
| | - Harald Kellner
- Department of Bio- and Environmental Sciences, International Institute Zittau, Technische Universität Dresden, Markt 23, D-02763 Zittau, Germany.
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Maes J, Bruzón AG, Barredo JI, Vallecillo S, Vogt P, Rivero IM, Santos-Martín F. Accounting for forest condition in Europe based on an international statistical standard. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3723. [PMID: 37349309 PMCID: PMC10287664 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39434-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Covering 35% of Europe's land area, forest ecosystems play a crucial role in safeguarding biodiversity and mitigating climate change. Yet, forest degradation continues to undermine key ecosystem services that forests deliver to society. Here we provide a spatially explicit assessment of the condition of forest ecosystems in Europe following a United Nations global statistical standard on ecosystem accounting, adopted in March 2021. We measure forest condition on a scale from 0 to 1, where 0 represents a degraded ecosystem and 1 represents a reference condition based on primary or protected forests. We show that the condition across 44 forest types averaged 0.566 in 2000 and increased to 0.585 in 2018. Forest productivity and connectivity are comparable to levels observed in undisturbed or least disturbed forests. One third of the forest area was subject to declining condition, signalled by a reduction in soil organic carbon, tree cover density and species richness of threatened birds. Our findings suggest that forest ecosystems will need further restoration, improvements in management and an extended period of recovery to approach natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Maes
- European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Brussels, Belgium
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - Adrián G Bruzón
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain
| | - José I Barredo
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy.
| | | | - Peter Vogt
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | | | - Fernando Santos-Martín
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain
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Hůnová I, Novák M, Kurfürst P, Škáchová H, Štěpánová M, Přechová E, Veselovský F, Čuřík J, Bohdálková L, Komárek A. Comparison of vertical and horizontal atmospheric deposition of nitrate at Central European mountain-top sites during three consecutive winters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 869:161697. [PMID: 36690116 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) deposition, a key process of atmospheric self-cleaning, represents an important pathway for nutrients and pollutants to ecosystems. Enhanced N deposition flux contributes to acidification, eutrophication and loss of biodiversity. N-NO3- concentrations in rime and snow were measured at 10 Czech plots situated in borderline mountains in 2009-2011 winters. The results were put in context with data-driven geostatistical modelling results of annual wet vertical and horizontal deposition. Our hypotheses were that: (i) rime and snow would be more polluted in the highly industrialized north than in the south, (ii) the N-NO3- concentrations would differ in the three winters studied, and (iii), that N-NO3- rime deposition is not negligible in Central European mountain ranges. Our results indicated that winter N-NO3- concentrations were significantly higher in rime than in snow and that there were much larger between-site differences in N-NO3- concentrations for rime than for snow. Relatively large differences were found between individual years. Atmospheric input of N-NO3- in winter was dominated by vertical deposition, i.e., snow. Modelled results showed that mean winter rime deposition corresponded to about 6-25 %, and mean winter snow deposition made up 25-72.5 % of mean annual N-NO3- wet-only deposition. Model N-NO3-occult deposition estimated from throughfall and total (wet and dry) deposition is highly uncertain, however: N throughfall is not a relevant proxy for estimation of realistic total N deposition due to N exchange between the tree canopy and atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva Hůnová
- Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Na Šabatce 17, 143 06 Prague 4, Komořany, Czech Republic.
| | - Martin Novák
- Czech Geological Survey, Department of Environmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry, Geologicka 6, 152 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Kurfürst
- Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Na Šabatce 17, 143 06 Prague 4, Komořany, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Škáchová
- Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Na Šabatce 17, 143 06 Prague 4, Komořany, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Štěpánová
- Czech Geological Survey, Department of Environmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry, Geologicka 6, 152 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Přechová
- Czech Geological Survey, Department of Environmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry, Geologicka 6, 152 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - František Veselovský
- Czech Geological Survey, Department of Rock Geochemistry, Geologická 6, 152 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Čuřík
- Czech Geological Survey, Department of Environmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry, Geologicka 6, 152 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - Leona Bohdálková
- Czech Geological Survey, Department of Environmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry, Geologicka 6, 152 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - Arnošt Komárek
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Sokolovská 83, 186 75 Prague 8, Czech Republic
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Yamashita N, Sase H, Kurokawa J. Assessing critical loads and exceedances for acidification and eutrophication in the forests of East and Southeast Asia: A comparison with EANET monitoring data. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158054. [PMID: 35988630 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Spatial variations in sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) deposition have changed in East and Southeast Asia in recent decades. Nevertheless, in this region, including the tropics, regional-scale assessments of the long-term risk of acidification and eutrophication (N saturation) for terrestrial ecosystems using a critical load approach have not been updated since 2001. To evaluate future risks, maps of critical loads and exceedances were updated using recently acquired spatial datasets of soil properties, soil minerals, climate, tree plantations, and the annual S and N depositions estimated using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. The resulting maps were verified using data on long-term trends in soil pH and nitrate concentration in surface water acquired by the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET). It was found that N deposition exceeded the critical load for eutrophication not only in East Asia but also in some parts of the tropical monsoon and humid regions in Southeast Asia, whereas S deposition partly exceeded the critical load for soil acidification in China and small parts of the tropical monsoon region. The high-risk areas for eutrophication coincided well with the EANET sites, where the increase in nitrate concentration in the surface water was significant over the last 20 years. Hence, the estimated map of the critical load exceedance for eutrophication is more plausible for assessing the risk in East and Southeast Asia than that for acidification, although the critical load exceedance for acidification would be sufficiently significant as an updated risk map based on the latest input values. This update also suggests that increased N deposition around megacities, water discharge, and tree plantations may play an important role in the spatial variability of eutrophication risks in the tropics of Southeast Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoyuki Yamashita
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan.
| | - Hiroyuki Sase
- Asia Center for Air Pollution Research, 1182, Sowa, Nishi-ku, Niigata, Niigata 950-2144, Japan
| | - Junichi Kurokawa
- Asia Center for Air Pollution Research, 1182, Sowa, Nishi-ku, Niigata, Niigata 950-2144, Japan
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7
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Reconstruction of Daily Courses of SO42−, NO3−, NH4+ Concentrations in Precipitation from Cumulative Samples. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13071049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
It is important to study precipitation chemistry to comprehend both atmospheric and environmental processes. The aim of this study was the reconstruction of daily concentration patterns of major ions in precipitation from samples exposed for longer and differing time periods. We explored sulphates (SO42−), nitrates (NO3−) and ammonium (NH4+) ions measured in precipitation within a nation-wide atmospheric deposition monitoring network in the Czech Republic during 1980–2020. We visualised the long-term trends at selected individual years for four stations, Praha 4-Libuš (LIB), Svratouch (SVR), Rudolice v Horách (RUD) and Souš (SOU), differing in geographical location and reflecting different environments. We found anticipated time trends reflecting the emission patterns of the precursors, i.e., sharp decreases in SO42−, milder decreases in NO3− and steady states in NH4+ concentrations in precipitation. Statistically significant decreasing time trends in SO42− and NO3− concentrations in precipitation between 1990 and 2015 were revealed for the LIB and SVR sites. Spring maxima in April were found for all major ions at the LIB site and for NO3− for the SVR site, for both past and current samples, whereas no distinct seasonal behaviour was recorded for NH4+ at the RUD and SO42− at the SVR sites. By applying Bayesian modelling and the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation approach, we were able to reconstruct the daily patterns of SO42−, NO3− and NH4+ concentrations in precipitation, which might be further utilised for a wide range of tasks, including comparison of magnitudes and shapes between stations, grouping the decomposed daily data into the ecologically motivated time periods, as well as for logical checks of sampling and measurement reliability.
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Wessel WW, Boxman AW, Cerli C, van Loon EE, Tietema A. Long-term stabilization of 15N-labeled experimental NH 4+ deposition in a temperate forest under high N deposition. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 768:144356. [PMID: 33453534 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
High nitrogen (N) deposition levels, currently present in many industrial and agricultural regions of the world, can strongly affect the functioning of forest ecosystems. In a pine forest with strong N leaching, located in the Netherlands, we studied the long-term fate of a year-long NH4+ deposition cohort labeled with 15N. A high ambient and a low N deposition treatment had been established at the site by means of a roof and sprinklers. Resampling the N pools 19 years after labeling and 11 years after the last sampling, we found similar 15N deltas in needles, twigs and the LF1 organic soil layer of each treatment, indicating intensive N cycling among these pools. In the last 11 years, label recovery decreased in these labile pools, while recovery remained constant in wood and increased in bark. Together these aboveground vegetation pools retained less than 3% of the labeled N. In the organic layers, label recovery after 19 years decreased to 23% in both treatments, while in the mineral soil it increased from 4% to 13% (high N) and from 3% to 29% (low N treatment). Within the mineral soil of the high N treatment the labeled N was mainly found in fine roots, while in the low N treatment most N was incorporated in the two soil density fractions, shifting to the high density fraction with depth. This suggests a low capacity of the mineral soil at high N deposition to incorporate N. After the labeled N had been lost substantially in previous years, especially in the first, its presence remained constant in the last 11 years at 38% (high N) and 54% (low N treatment). Apparently, even in this strongly N leaching ecosystem, N once incorporated, was retained well and did not affect the input-output fluxes of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wim W Wessel
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O.Box 90240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Andries W Boxman
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O.Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Chiara Cerli
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O.Box 90240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - E Emiel van Loon
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O.Box 90240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Albert Tietema
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O.Box 90240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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