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Arias-Real R, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Sabater S, Gutiérrez-Cánovas C, Valencia E, Aragón G, Cantón Y, Datry T, Giordani P, Medina NG, de Los Ríos A, Romaní AM, Weber B, Hurtado P. Unfolding the dynamics of ecosystems undergoing alternating wet-dry transitional states. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14488. [PMID: 39092560 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
A significant fraction of Earth's ecosystems undergoes periodic wet-dry alternating transitional states. These globally distributed water-driven transitional ecosystems, such as intermittent rivers and coastal shorelines, have traditionally been studied as two distinct entities, whereas they constitute a single, interconnected meta-ecosystem. This has resulted in a poor conceptual and empirical understanding of water-driven transitional ecosystems. Here, we develop a conceptual framework that places the temporal availability of water as the core driver of biodiversity and functional patterns of transitional ecosystems at the global scale. Biological covers (e.g., aquatic biofilms and biocrusts) serve as an excellent model system thriving in both aquatic and terrestrial states, where their succession underscores the intricate interplay between these two states. The duration, frequency, and rate of change of wet-dry cycles impose distinct plausible scenarios where different types of biological covers can occur depending on their desiccation/hydration resistance traits. This implies that the distinct eco-evolutionary potential of biological covers, represented by their trait profiles, would support different functions while maintaining similar multifunctionality levels. By embracing multiple alternating transitional states as interconnected entities, our approach can help to better understand and manage global change impacts on biodiversity and multifunctionality in water-driven transitional ecosystems, while providing new avenues for interdisciplinary studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Arias-Real
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Sergi Sabater
- Catalan Institute of Water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona-Montilivi Campus, Girona, Spain
| | - Cayetano Gutiérrez-Cánovas
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global (IICG-URJC), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Enrique Valencia
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gregorio Aragón
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global (IICG-URJC), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Yolanda Cantón
- Agronomy Department, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
- Research Centre for Scientific Collections from the University of Almería (CECOUAL), Almería, Spain
| | - Thibault Datry
- INRAE, UR RiverLy, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne, France
| | | | - Nagore G Medina
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Asunción de Los Ríos
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna M Romaní
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Bettina Weber
- Division of Plant Sciences, Institute for Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany
| | - Pilar Hurtado
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
- DIFAR, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
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Sun X, Kong T, Huang D, Chen Z, Zhang Y, Häggblom MM, Soleimani M, Liu H, Ren Y, Wang Y, Huang Y, Li B, Sun W. Microbial Sulfur and Arsenic Oxidation Facilitate the Establishment of Biocrusts during Reclamation of Degraded Mine Tailings. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:12441-12453. [PMID: 38900020 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Degraded tailings generated by the mining of metal ores are major environmental threats to the surrounding ecosystems. Tailing reclamation, however, is often impeded due to adverse environmental conditions, with depleted key nutrients (i.e., nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) and elevated sulfur and metal(loid) concentrations. Formation of biocrusts may significantly accelerate nutrient accumulation and is therefore an essential stage for tailing reclamation. Although suggested to play an important role, the microbial community composition and key metabolisms in biocrusts remain largely unknown and are therefore investigated in the current study. The results suggested that sulfur and arsenic oxidation are potential energy sources utilized by members of predominant biocrust bacterial families, including Beijerinckiaceae, Burkholderiaceae, Hyphomicrobiaceae, and Rhizobiaceae. Accordingly, the S and As oxidation potentials are elevated in biocrusts compared to those in their adjacent tailings. Biocrust growth, as proxied by chlorophyll concentrations, is enhanced in treatments supplemented with S and As. The elevated biocrust growth might benefit from nutrient acquisition services (i.e., nitrogen fixation and phosphorus solubilization) fueled by microbial sulfur and arsenic oxidation. The current study suggests that sulfur- and arsenic-oxidizing microorganisms may play important ecological roles in promoting biocrust formation and facilitating tailing reclamation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxu Sun
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Tianle Kong
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Duanyi Huang
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Zhenyu Chen
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
- School of Environment, Key Laboratory of Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China
| | - Yuxue Zhang
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Max M Häggblom
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, United States
| | - Mohsen Soleimani
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
| | - Huaqing Liu
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Youhua Ren
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Yize Wang
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Ying Huang
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Baoqin Li
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Weimin Sun
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
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Hoellrich MR, James DK, Bustos D, Darrouzet-Nardi A, Santiago LS, Pietrasiak N. Biocrust carbon exchange varies with crust type and time on Chihuahuan Desert gypsum soils. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1128631. [PMID: 37234525 PMCID: PMC10208066 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1128631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction In dryland systems, biological soil crusts (biocrusts) can occupy large areas of plant interspaces, where they fix carbon following rain. Although distinct biocrust types contain different dominant photoautotrophs, few studies to date have documented carbon exchange over time from various biocrust types. This is especially true for gypsum soils. Our objective was to assess the carbon exchange of biocrust types established at the world's largest gypsum dune field at White Sands National Park. Methods We sampled five different biocrust types from a sand sheet location in three different years and seasons (summer 2020, fall 2021, and winter 2022) for carbon exchange measurements in controlled lab conditions. Biocrusts were rehydrated to full saturation and light incubated for 30 min, 2, 6, 12, 24, and 36 h. Samples were then subject to a 12-point light regime with a LI-6400XT photosynthesis system to determine carbon exchange. Results Biocrust carbon exchange values differed by biocrust type, by incubation time since wetting, and by date of field sampling. Lichens and mosses had higher gross and net carbon fixation rates than dark and light cyanobacterial crusts. High respiration rates were found after 0.5 h and 2 h incubation times as communities recovered from desiccation, leveling off after 6 h incubation. Net carbon fixation of all types increased with longer incubation time, primarily as a result of decreasing respiration, which suggests rapid recovery of biocrust photosynthesis across types. However, net carbon fixation rates varied from year to year, likely as a product of time since the last rain event and environmental conditions preceding collection, with moss crusts being most sensitive to environmental stress at our study sites. Discussion Given the complexity of patterns discovered in our study, it is especially important to consider a multitude of factors when comparing biocrust carbon exchange rates across studies. Understanding the dynamics of biocrust carbon fixation in distinct crust types will enable greater precision of carbon cycling models and improved forecasting of impacts of global climate change on dryland carbon cycling and ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikaela R. Hoellrich
- Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - Darren K. James
- USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - David Bustos
- US DOI White Sands National Park, Alamogordo, NM, United States
| | | | - Louis S. Santiago
- Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Nicole Pietrasiak
- Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States
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Wang J, Xiao J, Zhang Z, Yang L, Liu Z, Cheng Y, Wu L. Changes of bacterial community structure,monosaccharide composition and CO 2 exchange along the successional stages of biological soil crusts. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2023:10.1007/s10653-023-01572-1. [PMID: 37147551 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-023-01572-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are a dominant ecological landscape of drylands, which have a significant impact on global biogeochemical flux. However, it is unclear how bacterial community and physiological characteristics vary along the BSCs successional stages. In this study, bacterial community composition, physiological characteristics, and monosaccharide composition of extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) were compared among different successional stages. Our findings demonstrated that besides the dominant bacterial species, the bacterial communities also showed considerable differences between these two stages. Cyanobacteria were keystone taxa in the early stage, while heterotrophic bacteria (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria) were keystone taxa in the later stages. According to the results of CO2 exchange, cyanobacterial crusts accumulated net carbon faster than moss crusts, while moss crusts had a significantly higher respiration rate. The monosaccharide analysis indicated that the EPSs components also varied depending on BSCs' successional stages. Specifically, the contents of rhamnose and arabinose were higher in the cyanobacterial crusts than other types of crusts, while the contents of fucose, xylose, mannose and glucose were the highest in cyanobacterial-lichen crusts, and galactose content was highest in the moss crusts. Altogether, our results stress the heterogeneous variation of BSCs along with succession, and this work offered a fresh viewpoint for a deeper comprehension of the interactions between the monosaccharide components of EPS and the networks of bacterial communities in BSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiping Wang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 430072, Wuhan, China
| | - Jingshang Xiao
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 430072, Wuhan, China
| | - Zulin Zhang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 430072, Wuhan, China
- The James Hutton Institute, Craigie Buckler, Aberdeen, ABI5 8QH, UK
| | - Lie Yang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 430072, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhe Liu
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 430072, Wuhan, China
| | - Yongtao Cheng
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 430072, Wuhan, China
| | - Li Wu
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 430072, Wuhan, China.
- State Environmental Protection, Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Northeast Normal University, 130117, Changchun, China.
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Schultz NL, Sluiter IRK, Allen GG, Machado-de-Lima NM, Muñoz-Rojas M. Biocrust Amendments to Topsoils Facilitate Biocrust Restoration in a Post-mining Arid Environment. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:882673. [PMID: 35958145 PMCID: PMC9360975 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.882673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil cryptogamic biocrusts provide many ecological functions in arid zone ecosystems, though their natural reestablishment in disturbed areas is slow. Accelerating reestablishment of biocrusts may facilitate the establishment of vascular plant communities within the timeframes of restoration targets (typically 5–15 years). One technique is to inoculate the soil surface using slurries of biocrust material harvested from another site. However, this is destructive to donor sites, and hence the potential to dilute slurries will govern the feasibility of this practice at large spatial scales. We conducted a replicated experiment on a disturbed mine site to test the individual and combined effects of two strategies for accelerating soil cryptogamic biocrust reestablishment: (1) slurry inoculation using biocrust material harvested from native vegetation; and (2) the use of psyllium husk powder as a source of mucilage to bind the soil surface, and to potentially provide a more cohesive substrate for biocrust development. The experiment comprised 90 experimental plots across six treatments, including different dilutions of the biocrust slurries and treatments with and without psyllium. Over 20 months, the reestablishing crust was dominated by cyanobacteria (including Tolypothrix distorta and Oculatella atacamensis), and these established more rapidly in the inoculated treatments than in the control treatments. The inoculated treatments also maintained this cover of cyanobacteria better through prolonged adverse conditions. The dilute biocrust slurry, at 1:100 of the biocrust in the remnant vegetation, performed as well as the 1:10 slurry, suggesting that strong dilution of biocrust slurry may improve the feasibility of using this technique at larger spatial scales. Psyllium husk powder did not improve biocrust development but helped to maintain a soil physical crust through hot, dry, and windy conditions, and so the potential longer-term advantages of psyllium need to be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick L. Schultz
- The Future Regions Research Centre, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, VIC, Australia
- *Correspondence: Nick L. Schultz,
| | - Ian R. K. Sluiter
- School of Geography Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Ogyris Ecological Research, Birdwoodton, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Nathali M. Machado-de-Lima
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Miriam Muñoz-Rojas
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
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Lan S, Wu L, Adessi A, Hu C. Cyanobacterial persistence and influence on microbial community dynamics over 15 years in induced biocrusts. Environ Microbiol 2021; 24:66-81. [PMID: 34816560 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Biocrusts provide numerous ecological functions in drylands. Recovering biocrusts via cyanobacterial inoculation recently gathered interest for ecological restoration, yet it still lacks long-term experiments to unravel biocrust community dynamics. To examine how cyanobacterial inoculants influenced local microbial community and biocrust development, we observed a 2 km2 (Qubqi Desert, China) inoculation experiment after 10 and 15 years, following biocrust formation. Our results revealed that biocrust development was in line with ecological regime shift, providing evidence for biocrust community succession, from cyanobacteria- to moss-dominated types. Associated with biocrust development, microbial communities differed significantly with less specialists compared to shifting sands. Cyanobacterial community analysis showed that Microcoleus vaginatus and Scytonema javanicum are an ideal inoculating model, as they were still dominating the community after 15 years since inoculation, while other nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria occurred profusely with biocrust development. Biocrust community composition combined with thickness, Chl-a and exopolysaccharide measurements revealed the large variation of cyanobacterial ecological functions along biocrust development, suggesting a main function shift: from carbon fixation associated with exopolysaccharide secretion in bare sandy soils to nitrogen fixation in developed biocrusts. This large-scale field study verifies that cyanobacterial inoculation accelerates biocrust development and forwards succession, shaping the biocrust community composition over a long time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubin Lan
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Li Wu
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Alessandra Adessi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Florence, 50144, Italy
| | - Chunxiang Hu
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
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