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He W, Huang J, Liu S, Yu H, Li E, Zhang W, Yi K, Zhang C, Pang H, Tan X. Effects of microplastics on sedimentary geochemical properties and microbial ecosystems combined with hydraulic disturbance. Sci Total Environ 2024; 923:171350. [PMID: 38432377 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) pollution is widely investigated owing to its potential threats to river ecosystems. However, it remains unclear whether hydraulic disturbance deepens or mitigates the effects of MPs-contaminated sediments on the river environment. Herein, we studied the impact of sediment aggregates, organic matter, and enzyme activity, with emphasis on microbial community structure and function in sediments exposed to MPs (1 %, 5 %, and 10 % w/w) in conjunction with hydraulic disturbance. The experimental results showed that the influence of MPs on the sediment under hydraulic disturbance is more significant than that of static culture, especially for various environmental factors (MWD, MBC, and sucrase activity etc.). The proportions of the >0.05 mm-fraction aggregates increased from 74-76 % to 82-88 % in the sediment throughout the entire disturbance process. It has been found that the disturbance generally promotes the interaction between MPs and sediments. FAPROTAX analysis demonstrated that the disturbance reduced the difference in effects on microbial functional genes between the control group and the MPs-added groups by up to 10 times, suggesting that the effects of disturbance on MPs-contaminated sediments are relatively complex. This work provides new insights into the effects of hydraulic disturbance on physicochemical properties and microbial communities of MPs-contaminated sediment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan He
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Jinhui Huang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China.
| | - Si Liu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Hanbo Yu
- School of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, PR China; Key Laboratory of Dongting Lake Aquatic EcoEnvironmental Control and Restoration of Hunan Province, Changsha 410114, PR China
| | - Enjie Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Wei Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Kaixin Yi
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Chenyu Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Haoliang Pang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Xiaofei Tan
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
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Cobacho SP, van de Leemput IA, Holmgren M, Christianen MJA. Impact of human disturbance on biogeochemical fluxes in tropical seascapes. Mar Environ Res 2024; 197:106479. [PMID: 38583357 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Tropical seascapes rely on the feedback relationships among mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs, as they mutually facilitate and enhance each other's functionality. Biogeochemical fluxes link tropical coastal habitats by exchanging material flows and energy through various natural processes that determine the conditions for life and ecosystem functioning. However, little is known about the seascape-scale implications of anthropogenic disruptions to these linkages. Despite the limited number of integrated empirical studies available (with only 11 out of 81 selected studies focusing on the integrated dynamics of mangroves, seagrass, and corals), this review emphasizes the importance of biogeochemical fluxes for ecosystem connectivity in tropical seascapes. It identifies four primary anthropogenic influences that can disturb these fluxes-nutrient enrichment, chemical pollution, microbial pollution, and solid waste accumulation-resulting in eutrophication, increased disease incidence, toxicity, and disruptions to water carbonate chemistry. This review also highlights significant knowledge gaps in our understanding of biogeochemical fluxes and ecosystem responses to perturbations in tropical seascapes. Addressing these knowledge gaps is crucial for developing practical strategies to conserve and manage connected seascapes effectively. Integrated research is needed to shed light on the complex interactions and feedback mechanisms within these ecosystems, providing valuable insights for conservation and management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara P Cobacho
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, 6708, PB Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Ingrid A van de Leemput
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, 6708, PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Milena Holmgren
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, 6708, PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marjolijn J A Christianen
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, 6708, PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Bergamini E, Prandelli S, Minelli F, Gatti RC. Impacts of noise pollution from high-speed rail and road on bird diversity: a case study in a protected area of Italy. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-33372-0. [PMID: 38641694 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33372-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
The disturbance of infrastructures may affect biological communities that are exposed to them. This study assesses the impact of high-speed (highway and railway) infrastructures in a protected study site, the Natural Reserve Fontanili di Corte Valle Re (Emilia-Romagna, Italy). We compared bird diversity with sound intensity and frequency in three sampling areas, increasingly distant from the infrastructures at the border with the reserve, during the last 4 years (2019-2022), monitoring sedentary, nesting, and migratory bird species. We hypothesize a decreasing diversity closer to the source of disturbance, which is mostly attributable to noise pollution. Our findings confirmed this trend, and we show that, in particular, disturbance seems to influence species richness more than the total abundance of birds. We also discovered that highway disturbance was much higher than railway in terms of frequency and duration. In light of these results, we suggest that some species, which have a behavioral ecology strongly based on singing to communicate with each other for their reproductive and defensive strategies, may suffer more from constant acoustic disturbance. The installation of effective noise barriers to shield the sound produced by the highways should be considered a mandatory request not only in proximity to houses but also in the vicinity of protected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Bergamini
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Biological, Geological, BIOME-Biodiversity and Macroecology Lab, and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sofia Prandelli
- Department of Biological, Geological, BIOME-Biodiversity and Macroecology Lab, and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Fausto Minelli
- Ente di Gestione per i Parchi e la Biodiversità-Emilia Centrale, Modena, Italy
| | - Roberto Cazzolla Gatti
- Department of Biological, Geological, BIOME-Biodiversity and Macroecology Lab, and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences Department (BiGeA), BIOME Lab, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Gregor K, Krause A, Reyer CPO, Knoke T, Meyer BF, Suvanto S, Rammig A. Quantifying the impact of key factors on the carbon mitigation potential of managed temperate forests. Carbon Balance Manag 2024; 19:10. [PMID: 38430356 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-023-00247-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Forests mitigate climate change by reducing atmospheric CO 2 -concentrations through the carbon sink in the forest and in wood products, and substitution effects when wood products replace carbon-intensive materials and fuels. Quantifying the carbon mitigation potential of forests is highly challenging due to the influence of multiple important factors such as forest age and type, climate change and associated natural disturbances, harvest intensities, wood usage patterns, salvage logging practices, and the carbon-intensity of substituted products. Here, we developed a framework to quantify the impact of these factors through factorial simulation experiments with an ecosystem model at the example of central European (Bavarian) forests. RESULTS Our simulations showed higher mitigation potentials of young forests compared to mature forests, and similar ones in broad-leaved and needle-leaved forests. Long-lived wood products significantly contributed to mitigation, particularly in needle-leaved forests due to their wood product portfolio, and increased material usage of wood showed considerable climate benefits. Consequently, the ongoing conversion of needle-leaved to more broad-leaved forests should be accompanied by the promotion of long-lived products from broad-leaved species to maintain the product sink. Climate change (especially increasing disturbances) and decarbonization were among the most critical factors influencing mitigation potentials and introduced substantial uncertainty. Nevertheless, until 2050 this uncertainty was narrow enough to derive robust findings. For instance, reducing harvest intensities enhanced the carbon sink in our simulations, but diminished substitution effects, leading to a decreased total mitigation potential until 2050. However, when considering longer time horizons (i.e. until 2100), substitution effects became low enough in our simulations due to expected decarbonization such that decreasing harvests often seemed the more favorable solution. CONCLUSION Our results underscore the need to tailor mitigation strategies to the specific conditions of different forest sites. Furthermore, considering substitution effects, and thoroughly assessing the amount of avoided emissions by using wood products, is critical to determine mitigation potentials. While short-term recommendations are possible, we suggest risk diversification and methodologies like robust optimization to address increasing uncertainties from climate change and decarbonization paces past 2050. Finally, curbing emissions reduces the threat of climate change on forests, safeguarding their carbon sink and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Gregor
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
| | - Andreas Krause
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Christopher P O Reyer
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Thomas Knoke
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Benjamin F Meyer
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Susanne Suvanto
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Anja Rammig
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
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Lloren JI, McCune JL. Testing for synergistic effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance on ecological communities at a landscape scale. Landsc Ecol 2024; 39:40. [PMID: 38410171 PMCID: PMC10895711 DOI: 10.1007/s10980-024-01844-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Context Anthropogenic and natural disturbances may interact synergistically, magnifying their individual effects on biodiversity. However, few studies have measured responses of ecological communities to multiple stressors at landscape scales. Objectives We use a long-term dataset to test for synergistic effects of anthropogenic and natural disturbance on plant community diversity and composition in a large protected area. Methods We quantified changes in plant communities over two decades in 98 plots in Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada. Fifty-three plots burned in a wildfire in the interim. We modeled the effects of wildfire, proximity to trails or roads, and their interaction on changes in species richness, community composition, relative abundance of disturbance-associated species, and colonization by exotic species. Results Interactions between wildfire and proximity to roads and trails affected all metrics except species richness. Only one interaction was synergistic: the relative abundance of disturbance-associated species following wildfire was magnified closer to recreational corridors. The other community metrics showed unexpected patterns. For example, plots with no exotic species in the baseline survey that burned in the wildfire were more likely to gain exotic species than unburned plots only when they were distant from recreational corridors. Conclusions Our study demonstrates interactive effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance at landscape scales within a protected area. Plant community response to wildfire was influenced by proximity to recreational corridors, sometimes in surprising ways. As the frequency and severity of anthropogenic and natural disturbances both continue to rise, documenting the prevalence and magnitude of interactions between them is key to predicting long-term effects and designing mitigation strategies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10980-024-01844-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jed I. Lloren
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 Canada
| | - J. L. McCune
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 Canada
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Chisholm T, McCune JL. Vegetation type and trail use interact to affect the magnitude and extent of recreational trail impacts on plant communities. J Environ Manage 2024; 351:119817. [PMID: 38113790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Protected areas may prohibit large-scale deforestation and development, but still allow recreation via networks of roads and trails. Managers need to understand how the type of trail usage and the habitat the trail traverses influence the nature and extent of the trail impact. We measured the effect of trails on plant communities in a large, protected area in the southern Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. We surveyed 118 transects adjacent to trails and 24 control transects at least 100 m from trails, recording the presence and abundance of all vascular plant species. We modelled changes in species richness, community composition, and the presence of exotic species as a function of trail type, vegetation type, and the distance from the trail edge. Overall, species richness increased with proximity to trails and community composition shifted significantly, with a greater likelihood of exotic species presence closer to trails. Heightened species richness and greater probability of exotic species presence extended a greater distance from off-highway vehicle trails than from footpaths, but only in shrubland and mixed forest vegetation. In addition, exotic species at higher elevations were most often associated with off-highway vehicle trails. Our study shows that the magnitude and extent of trail impacts on plant communities varies depending on trail type, vegetation type, and sometimes interactions between the two. The high frequency and intensity of off-highway vehicle trail use likely increases both propagule pressure and the severity of disturbance, while vegetation type determines light availability and hence invasibility. Managers can use this information to prioritize trail areas for exotic species monitoring and restrict high-intensity off-highway vehicle trails to less sensitive vegetation types at lower elevations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinitas Chisholm
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - J L McCune
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
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Abonyi A, Fornberg J, Rasconi S, Ptacnik R, Kainz MJ, Lafferty KD. The chytrid insurance hypothesis: integrating parasitic chytrids into a biodiversity-ecosystem functioning framework for phytoplankton-zooplankton population dynamics. Oecologia 2024; 204:279-288. [PMID: 38366067 PMCID: PMC10907492 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05519-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
In temperate lakes, eutrophication and warm temperatures can promote cyanobacteria blooms that reduce water quality and impair food-chain support. Although parasitic chytrids of phytoplankton might compete with zooplankton, they also indirectly support zooplankton populations through the "mycoloop", which helps move energy and essential dietary molecules from inedible phytoplankton to zooplankton. Here, we consider how the mycoloop might fit into the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) framework. BEF considers how more diverse communities can benefit ecosystem functions like zooplankton production. Chytrids are themselves part of pelagic food webs and they directly contribute to zooplankton diets through spore production and by increasing host edibility. The additional way that chytrids might support BEF is if they engage in "kill-the-winner" dynamics. In contrast to grazers, which result in "eat-the-edible" dynamics, kill-the-winner dynamics can occur for host-specific infectious diseases that control the abundance of dominant (in this case inedible) hosts and thus limit the competitive exclusion of poorer (in this case edible) competitors. Thus, if phytoplankton diversity provides functions, and chytrids support algal diversity, chytrids could indirectly favour edible phytoplankton. All three mechanisms are linked to diversity and therefore provide some "insurance" for zooplankton production against the impacts of eutrophication and warming. In our perspective piece, we explore evidence for the chytrid insurance hypothesis, identify exceptions and knowledge gaps, and outline future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- András Abonyi
- WasserCluster Lunz-Biologische Station GmbH, Dr. Carl Kupelwieser Promenade 5, 3293, Lunz Am See, Austria.
- MTA-ÖK Lendület "Momentum" Fluvial Ecology Research Group, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Karolina Street 29, 1113, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Johanna Fornberg
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Serena Rasconi
- Université Savoie Mont Blanc, INRAE, CARRTEL, 74200, Thonon-Les-Bains, France
| | - Robert Ptacnik
- WasserCluster Lunz-Biologische Station GmbH, Dr. Carl Kupelwieser Promenade 5, 3293, Lunz Am See, Austria
| | - Martin J Kainz
- WasserCluster Lunz-Biologische Station GmbH, Dr. Carl Kupelwieser Promenade 5, 3293, Lunz Am See, Austria
- Donau-Universität Krems, Dr. Karl Dorrek Straße 30, 3500, Krems, Austria
| | - Kevin D Lafferty
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, at Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-6150, USA
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Shatto C, Weiser F, Walentowitz A, Stahlmann R, Shrestha S, Guerrero-Campos M, Medina FM, Nogales M, Jentsch A, Beierkuhnlein C. Volcanic tephra deposition dataset based on interpolated field measurements following the 2021 Tajogaite Eruption on La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. Data Brief 2024; 52:109949. [PMID: 38178846 PMCID: PMC10765008 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2023.109949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In 2021, the Tajogaite Volcano erupted along the western slope of the Cumbre Vieja on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. Volcanic tephra blanketed a substantial proportion of the island. By our estimations, approximately 23,000,000 m3 of pyroclastic ashes and more coarse-grained particles were deposited unto La Palma's land surface in addition to the lava flow. Five months following the initial eruption, we measured the depth of the new ash layer across the island. We combined this data with drone-based observations to compile a dataset comprising the point distribution of ash depth. A spatial interpolation was then performed using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) to estimate the ash depth across the island at a 2 m spatial resolution. The interpolation performed well, yielding a root mean squared error (RMSE) value of 0.34 and thus, the dataset offers immense reuse potential for spatial inquiries related to evolutionary traits, vegetation patterns, and vegetation response to disturbance on oceanic islands. In addition, the data can be used to test different spatial interpolation techniques in an effort to improve the accuracy achieved using IDW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Shatto
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Frank Weiser
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Anna Walentowitz
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Reinhold Stahlmann
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Samip Shrestha
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), Oberpfaffenhofen, 82234 Wessling, Germany
| | - María Guerrero-Campos
- Área de Medio Ambiente, Gestión y Planeamiento Territorial y Ambiental (Gesplan S. A.), Avenida 3 de mayo, 71, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Félix Manuel Medina
- Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Cabildo Insular de La Palma, Avenida Los Indianos, 20, 38700 Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Manuel Nogales
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez 3, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Isalnds, Spain
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Disturbance Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Science BayCEER, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Science BayCEER, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Geographical Institute Bayreuth, GIB, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
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Alvarez JG, Borges DS, Franklin EM. Dataset of turbulent flow over interacting barchan dunes. Data Brief 2024; 52:109978. [PMID: 38152502 PMCID: PMC10751826 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2023.109978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Barchans are dunes commonly found in dune fields on Earth, Mars and other celestial bodies, where they can interact with each other. This article concerns experimental data for the flow over subaqueous barchans that are either isolated or interacting with each other. The experiments were carried out in a transparent channel of rectangular cross section in which turbulent water flows were imposed over either one single or a pair of barchans. The instantaneous flow fields were measured by using a low-frequency PIV (particle image velocimetry) and high-frequency PTV (particle tracking velocimetry). From the PIV and PTV data, the mean flow, trajectories, and second-order moments were computed, which are included in the datasets described in this paper, together with raw data (images), instantaneous fields, and scripts to process them. The datasets can be reused for benchmarking or for processing new images generated by other research groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy G. Alvarez
- Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Mendeleyev, 200, Campinas, SP 13083-860, Brazil
| | - Danilo S. Borges
- Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Mendeleyev, 200, Campinas, SP 13083-860, Brazil
| | - Erick M. Franklin
- Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Mendeleyev, 200, Campinas, SP 13083-860, Brazil
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Waters JM, Ni S, McCulloch GA. Freshwater eDNA reveals dramatic biological shifts linked to deforestation of New Zealand. Sci Total Environ 2024; 908:168174. [PMID: 37924886 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Deforestation is considered a major threat to biodiversity across many parts of the globe, but the biological impacts of this dramatic ecosystem disturbance often remain incompletely understood. In New Zealand - the world's last major landmass to be colonised by humans - widespread deforestation over recent centuries has left a highly fragmented suite of relict forest stands, ideal for assessing anthropogenic biological change. We hypothesise that this widespread environmental disturbance has underpinned repeated and predictable ecological shifts across distinct rivers and regions. Here we use freshwater environmental DNA (eDNA) data (113 samples across 38 locations; 89 insect taxa) to test for concordant biological shifts linked to this deforestation. eDNA analyses highlight consistent compositional and functional differentiation between forested versus deforested assemblages, including turnover of 'cryptic' congeneric taxa that are morphologically similar yet ecologically and genetically distinct. These dramatic biological shifts are evident even over fine spatial scales within streams, emphasising the widespread emergence of a novel 'deforested' assemblage. Our results illustrate that environmental change can drive predictable biological shifts across broad geographic regions, and highlight the power of eDNA for assessing anthropogenic ecosystem change over large geographic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M Waters
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
| | - Steven Ni
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Graham A McCulloch
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
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Maurice K, Bourceret A, Youssef S, Boivin S, Laurent-Webb L, Damasio C, Boukcim H, Selosse MA, Ducousso M. Anthropic disturbances impact the soil microbial network structure and stability to a greater extent than natural disturbances in an arid ecosystem. Sci Total Environ 2024; 907:167969. [PMID: 37914121 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Growing pressure from climate change and agricultural land use is destabilizing soil microbial community interactions. Yet little is known about microbial community resistance and adaptation to disturbances over time. This hampers our ability to determine the recovery latency of microbial interactions after disturbances, with fundamental implications for ecosystem functioning and conservation measures. Here we examined the response of bacterial and fungal community networks in the rhizosphere of Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bunge ex Boiss. over the course of soil disturbances resulting from a history of different hydric constraints involving flooding-drought successions. An anthropic disturbance related to past agricultural use, with frequent successions of flooding and drought, was compared to a natural disturbance, i.e., an evaporation basin, with yearly flooding-drought successions. The anthropic disturbance resulted in a specific microbial network topology characterized by lower modularity and stability, reflecting the legacy of past agricultural use on soil microbiome. In contrast, the natural disturbance resulted in a network topology and stability close to those of natural environments despite the lower alpha diversity, and a different community composition compared to that of the other sites. These results highlighted the temporality in the response of the microbial community structure to disturbance, where long-term adaptation to flooding-drought successions lead to a higher stability than disturbances occurring over a shorter timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Maurice
- LSTM, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, SupAgro, UMR082 LSTM, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
| | - Amélia Bourceret
- ISYEB, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, EPHE-PSL, Sorbonne Université, 57 rue Cuvier, CP39, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Sami Youssef
- Department of Research and Development, VALORHIZ, 1900, Boulevard de la Lironde, PSIII, Parc Scientifique Agropolis, F34980 Montferrier sur Lez, France
| | - Stéphane Boivin
- LSTM, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, SupAgro, UMR082 LSTM, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Liam Laurent-Webb
- ISYEB, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, EPHE-PSL, Sorbonne Université, 57 rue Cuvier, CP39, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Coraline Damasio
- LSTM, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, SupAgro, UMR082 LSTM, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Hassan Boukcim
- Department of Research and Development, VALORHIZ, 1900, Boulevard de la Lironde, PSIII, Parc Scientifique Agropolis, F34980 Montferrier sur Lez, France; ASARI, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid Ben Guerir, 43150, Morocco
| | - Marc-André Selosse
- ISYEB, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, EPHE-PSL, Sorbonne Université, 57 rue Cuvier, CP39, 75005 Paris, France; Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Marc Ducousso
- LSTM, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, SupAgro, UMR082 LSTM, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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Pavlin J, Nagel TA, Svitok M, Di Filippo A, Mikac S, Keren S, Dikku A, Toromani E, Panayotov M, Zlatanov T, Haruta O, Dorog S, Chaskovskyy O, Bače R, Begović K, Buechling A, Dušátko M, Frankovič M, Janda P, Kameniar O, Kozák D, Marchand W, Mikoláš M, Rodrigo R, Svoboda M. Pathways and drivers of canopy accession across primary temperate forests of Europe. Sci Total Environ 2024; 906:167593. [PMID: 37802334 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Canopy accession strategies reveal much about tree life histories and forest stand dynamics. However, the protracted nature of ascending to the canopy makes direct observation challenging. We use a reconstructive approach based on an extensive tree ring database to study the variability of canopy accession patterns of dominant tree species (Abies alba, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies) in temperate mountain forests of Europe and elucidate how disturbance histories, climate, and topography affect canopy accession. All four species exhibited high variability of radial growth histories leading to canopy accession and indicated varying levels of shade tolerance. Individuals of all four species survived at least 100 years of initial suppression. Fir and particularly beech, however, survived longer periods of initial suppression, exhibited more release events, and reached the canopy later on average, with a larger share of trees accessing the canopy after initially suppressed growth. These results indicate the superior shade tolerance of beech and fir compared to spruce and maple. The two less shade-tolerant species conversely relied on faster growth rates, revealing their competitive advantage in non-suppressed conditions. Additionally, spruce from higher-elevation spruce-dominated forests survived shorter periods of initial shading and exhibited fewer releases, with a larger share of trees reaching the canopy after open canopy recruitment (i.e. in absence of suppression) and no subsequent releases compared to spruce growing in lower-elevation mixed forests. Finally, disturbance factors were identified as the primary driver of canopy accession, whereby disturbances accelerate canopy accession and consequently regulate competitive interactions. Intensifying disturbance regimes could thus promote shifts in species composition, particularly in favour of faster-growing, more light-demanding species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Pavlin
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Thomas A Nagel
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 83, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marek Svitok
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Biology and General Ecology, Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, Masaryka 24, 96053 Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Alfredo Di Filippo
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via SC de Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| | - Stjepan Mikac
- Department of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Srdjan Keren
- Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Elvin Toromani
- Faculty of Forestry Sciences, Agricultural University of Tirana, 1029 Koder-Kamez, Albania
| | - Momchil Panayotov
- Department of Dendrology, University of Forestry Sofia, Kliment Ohridski 10 Blvd., 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tzvetan Zlatanov
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Gagarin Street 2, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Ovidiu Haruta
- Forestry and Forest Engineering Department, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
| | - Sorin Dorog
- Forestry and Forest Engineering Department, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
| | - Oleh Chaskovskyy
- Institute of Forest Management, Ukrainian National Forestry University, Vul. Henerala Chuprynky 103, 79031 Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Radek Bače
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Krešimir Begović
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Arne Buechling
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Dušátko
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Frankovič
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Janda
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Kameniar
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Kozák
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - William Marchand
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Mikoláš
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ruffy Rodrigo
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Svoboda
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
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Liébana R, Modin O, Persson F, Hermansson M, Wilén BM. Resistance of aerobic granular sludge microbiomes to periodic loss of biomass. Biofilm 2023; 6:100145. [PMID: 37575957 PMCID: PMC10415711 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2023.100145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Granular sludge is a biofilm process used for wastewater treatment which is currently being implemented worldwide. It is important to understand how disturbances affect the microbial community and performance of reactors. Here, two acetate-fed replicate reactors were inoculated with acclimatized sludge and the reactor performance, and the granular sludge microbial community succession were studied for 149 days. During this time, the microbial community was challenged by periodically removing half of the reactor biomass, subsequently increasing the food-to-microorganism (F/M) ratio. Diversity analysis together with null models show that overall, the microbial communities were resistant to the disturbances, observing some minor effects on polyphosphate-accumulating and denitrifying microbial communities and their associated reactor functions. Community turnover was driven by drift and random granule loss, and stochasticity was the governing ecological process for community assembly. These results evidence the aerobic granular sludge process as a robust system for wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Liébana
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins gata 6, SE 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
- AZTI, Marine Research Division, Basque Research Technology Alliance (BRTA), Txatxarramendi Ugartea z/g, 48395, Sukarrieta, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Oskar Modin
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins gata 6, SE 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Frank Persson
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins gata 6, SE 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Malte Hermansson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 9E, SE-413 90, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Britt-Marie Wilén
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins gata 6, SE 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
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14
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Stojković Piperac M, Simić V, Cvijanović D, Medeiros AS, Milošević D. The influence of spatial processes on fish community structure: using a metacommunity framework for freshwater bioassessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2023; 30:122996-123007. [PMID: 37979105 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30822-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The use of biological indicators in a bioassessment approach is important for inferences of anthropogenic stress in routine monitoring programs. One of the primary assumptions of bioassessment is that biological indicators observed at specific sampling sites will allow for inferences of local environmental quality; however, this assumption requires a reliable understanding of dispersal processes, which is particularly relevant in river systems due to their dendritic network. Inter-stream dispersal between different points of the river network could bias bioassessment, especially for highly mobile organisms like fish. Here, we examine standard biological metrics used in routine biomonitoring to determine how spatial variables, including dispersal, influence inferences between fish populations and environmental gradients. Using redundancy analysis (RDA) and variation partitioning, we tested the relative influence of both environmental and spatial variables on fish community structure and related community metrics. Fish were collected from 99 sampling sites distributed across 44 rivers and streams of the Great Morava River Basin, Serbia. Electroconductivity, the percentage of agricultural areas, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, and nitrate-nitrogen were found to be significant environmental variables, while ten spatial predictors from broad- to small-scales were found to influence fish community structure and community metrics. Our results suggest that contemporary dispersal among streams influences fish community composition, but that trait-based metrics are less sensitive than basic measures of diversity to spatial processes. Our results highlight the need for spatially independent sampling, as well as the need to consider dispersal-based processes in routine biomonitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica Stojković Piperac
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, 18000, Serbia.
| | - Vladica Simić
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, 34000, Serbia
| | | | - Andrew S Medeiros
- School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Djuradj Milošević
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, 18000, Serbia
- Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia
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15
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Treby S, Grover SP. Carbon emissions from Australian Sphagnum peatlands increase with feral horse (Equus caballus) presence. J Environ Manage 2023; 347:119034. [PMID: 37832263 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Peatlands are globally significant carbon sinks, but when disturbed, have the potential to release carbon back to the atmosphere as greenhouse gases. Feral horse populations in the Australian Alps degrade Sphagnum peatlands, which are highly sensitive to disturbance. However, the link between this degradation and peatland carbon cycling is not understood. Here, we compared the autumn daytime carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes of 12 alpine and subalpine Sphagnum peatlands in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia. The presence of feral horses at these sites was correlated with higher carbon loss: sites with horses were losing carbon to the atmosphere (4.83 and 8.18 g CO2-e m-2 d-1 in areas of Sphagnum moss and bare soil, respectively), whereas sites without horses were removing carbon from the atmosphere (-6.39 g CO2-e m-2 d-1). Sites with feral horses also had higher soil bulk density, temperature, and electrical conductivity (EC), and higher water pH, EC, and turbidity, than sites without horses. Our findings suggest that excluding feral horses from peatland areas could reduce rates of carbon loss to the atmosphere, in addition to improving overall site condition, peat soil condition, and water quality. We discuss potential management applications, further research, and restoration opportunities arising from these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Treby
- Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, 3001, Australia.
| | - Samantha P Grover
- Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, 3001, Australia
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16
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Sewerniak P, Markiewicz M, Tarnawska P, Wójcik M. Environmental effects of a management method used after fire on development of temperate Scots pine ecosystem: a 15-year study from Poland. Environ Manage 2023; 72:978-990. [PMID: 37294317 PMCID: PMC10509113 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-023-01843-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Due to the ongoing climate changes, temperate forests are increasingly exposed to fires. However, until now the functioning of post-fire temperate forest ecosystems with regard to used forest management method has been weakly recognized. Here, we examined three variants of forest restoration after fire (two variants of natural regeneration with no soil preparation-NR, and artificial restoration by planting following soil preparation-AR) regarding their environmental consequences in development of post-fire Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) ecosystem. The study was conducted using a 15-year timespan in a long-term research site located in the Cierpiszewo area (N Poland) being one of the biggest post-fire grounds in European temperate forests in last decades. We focused on soil and microclimatic variables as well as on growth dynamics of post-fire pines generation. We found that the restoration rates of soil organic matter, carbon and most studied nutritional elements stocks were higher in NR plots than in AR. This could be primarily linked to the higher (p < 0.05) density of pines in naturally regenerated plots, and the subsequent faster organic horizon reconstruction after fire. The difference in tree density also involved regular differences in air and soil temperature among plots: consistently higher in AR than in both NR plots. In turn, lower water uptake by trees in AR implied that soil moisture was constantly the highest in this plot. Our study delivers strong arguments to pay more attention to restore post-fire forest areas with the use of natural regeneration with no soil preparation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Sewerniak
- Department of Soil Science and Landscape Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland.
| | - Maciej Markiewicz
- Department of Soil Science and Landscape Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland
| | - Patrycja Tarnawska
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland
| | - Marta Wójcik
- Department of Soil Science and Landscape Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland
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17
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Alizadehsaravi L, Moore JK. Bicycle balance assist system reduces roll and steering motion for young and older bicyclists during real-life safety challenges. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16206. [PMID: 37868045 PMCID: PMC10588700 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Bicycles are more difficult to control at low speeds due to the vehicle's unstable low-speed dynamics. This issue might be exacerbated by factors such as aging, disturbances, and multi-tasking. To address this issue, we developed a prototype 'balance assist system' with Royal Dutch Gazelle and Bosch eBike Systems at Delft University of Technology, which includes an electric motor capable of providing additional steering torque. We implemented a speed-adaptive feedback controller to generate the additional steering torque to that of the rider. We conducted a study with 18 older and 14 younger cyclists to first examine the effect of aging, disturbances, and multi-tasking on cycling at lower forward speeds, and evaluate the effectiveness of the system in improving the stability of the rider-bicycle system while facing these challenges. The study consisted of two scenarios: a single-task scenario where participants rode the bicycle on a marked narrow straight-line track, and a multi-task scenario where participants performed a shoulder check task and followed visual cues while tracking the straight-line. We introduced handlebar disturbances using the steer motor in half of the trials in both scenarios. All trials were repeated with and without the balance assist system. We calculated the bicycle mean magnitude of roll and steering rate-as indicators of bicycle balance control and required steering actions, respectively-and the rider's mean magnitude of lean rate with respect to the ground to investigate the effect of the balance assist system on rider's lateral motion. Our results showed that aging, disturbances, and multi-tasking increased the roll rate, and the balance assist system was able to significantly reduce it. The effect size of the balance assist system in reducing the roll rate across all conditions was found to be larger in older cyclists, indicating a more substantial impact compared to younger cyclists. Disturbances and multi-tasking increased the steering rate, which was successfully reduced by the balance assist system. Aging did not significantly affect the steering rate. The rider's lean rate was not significantly affected by age, disturbances, or the balance assist, indicating that the upper body plays a minor role when riders have good steering control authority. Overall, our findings suggest that lateral motion and required steering action can be affected by age, multi-tasking, and handlebar disturbances which can endanger cyclists' safety, and the balance assist system has the potential to improve cycling safety and reduce the incidence of single-actor crashes. Further investigation on riders' contribution to control actions is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Alizadehsaravi
- Biomechatronic and Human-Machine Control Section, Biomechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime, and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, South Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Jason K Moore
- Biomechatronic and Human-Machine Control Section, Biomechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime, and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, South Holland, The Netherlands
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18
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van de Wolfshaar KE, Brinkman AG, Benden DLP, Craeymeersch JA, Glorius S, Leopold MF. Impact of disturbance on common scoter carrying capacity based on an energetic model. J Environ Manage 2023; 342:118255. [PMID: 37276626 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Shallow coastal zones are intensely used by humans but simultaneously are biodiversity hotspots, with a crucial role in the life cycle of many marine species. The competition for food or space between humans and protected wildlife intensifies under pressure of an increased need for marine resources for human consumption. For successful management it is important to establish the key components driving such conflicts of interest. Here we focus on the protected common scoter (Melanitta nigra), a sea duck wintering in coastal habitats that are rich in food, but also among the most disturbed marine systems worldwide. Due to the scoters' shyness disturbance impacts the birds' ability to forage and poses a conflict for balancing bird conservation and economics, including a fishery on its main bivalve prey Spisula subtruncata. In this study, we use an energy budget model to quantify the consequences of depth, currents and disturbance on scoter energetics and carrying capacity. Energetics were described using physical parameters and field data on food availability and disturbance. Results reveal non-linear relationships and a threshold value for when a scoter can no longer maintain its energy balance. This is caused by limited foraging time, rather than food availability. From a conservation perspective, this implies that a precautionary principle should be used, because there will be no warning when an area becomes unsuitable. In addition, the model was applied to study the effects of disturbance from different kinds of shipping in a coastal area of the North Sea, north of The Netherlands. Cargo shipping has the largest impact on the carrying capacity, where there is spatial overlap of prey and an intensively used shipping lane. In other prey distribution situations shrimp vessels may cause most disturbance. Spisula-Ensis fisheries did not limit the potential carrying capacity due to the limited catches and number of fishing trips. Scoter protection should be aimed at flexible spatial management and on only those vessel types above a Spisula bed with a large number of trips, and above all should work from a precautionary principle given the critical thresholds for scoter presence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A G Brinkman
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
| | - D L P Benden
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
| | - J A Craeymeersch
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
| | - S Glorius
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
| | - M F Leopold
- Wageningen Marine Research, Haringkade 1, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
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19
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Nasare LI, Opoku SA, Amponsah A, Tom-Dery D, Asante WJ, Baatuuwie BN. Effect of sand mining on riparian landcover transformation in Dallung-Kukou catchment of the White Volta basin, Ghana. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18428. [PMID: 37560694 PMCID: PMC10407034 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid urbanization has increased demand for sand in the construction industry to meet housing and infrastructure needs of urban population. The Dallung-Kukuo catchment of the White Volta River Basin is a major sand mining site for the construction industry in Tamale and other peri-urban communities. On the contrary, the river serves as a major source of water supply to the population. Riparian vegetation is essential to water protection, but research has focused extensively on the impact of sand mining on water quality in the river basin. The present study employed GIS and remote sensing techniques coupled with in-situ vegetation sampling to assess riparian land cover changes from 1990 to 2021. Land cover images of the catchment revealed a 14.9% increase in sand mining area, while river bed area and woodland cover decreased by 0.7% and 20%, respectively, from 1990 to 2021. A comparison of woody plant diversity also showed a higher Shannon diversity index in the unmined area of the riparian zone (3.0) compared to the sand mining area (2.0). Environmental Protection Agency and traditional authorities should intensify monitoring to protect the White Volta basin from unsustainable exploitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Latif Iddrisu Nasare
- Department of Environment and Sustainability Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Stephanie Asabea Opoku
- Department of Forestry and Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Amos Amponsah
- Department of Natural Resources and Geo-Information Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University for Development Studies, P. O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Damian Tom-Dery
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, University for Development Studies, P. O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana
| | - William J. Asante
- Department of Environment and Sustainability Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Bernard N. Baatuuwie
- Department of Natural Resources and Geo-Information Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University for Development Studies, P. O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana
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20
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Olejarz A, Faltusová M, Börger L, Güldenpfennig J, Jarský V, Ježek M, Mortlock E, Silovský V, Podgórski T. Worse sleep and increased energy expenditure yet no movement changes in sub-urban wild boar experiencing an influx of human visitors (anthropulse) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sci Total Environ 2023; 879:163106. [PMID: 36966827 PMCID: PMC10038670 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Expansion of urban areas, landscape transformation and increasing human outdoor activities strongly affect wildlife behaviour. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in particular led to drastic changes in human behaviour, exposing wildlife around the world to either reduced or increased human presence, potentially altering animal behaviour. Here, we investigate behavioural responses of wild boar (Sus scrofa) to changing numbers of human visitors to a suburban forest near Prague, Czech Republic, during the first 2.5 years of the COVID-19 epidemic (April 2019-November 2021). We used bio-logging and movement data of 63 GPS-collared wild boar and human visitation data based on an automatic counter installed in the field. We hypothesised that higher levels of human leisure activity will have a disturbing effect on wild boar behaviour manifested in increased movements and ranging, energy spent, and disrupted sleep patterns. Interestingly, whilst the number of people visiting the forest varied by two orders of magnitude (from 36 to 3431 people weekly), even high levels of human presence (>2000 visitors per week) did not affect weekly distance travelled, home range size, and maximum displacement of wild boar. Instead, individuals spent 41 % more energy at high levels of human presence (>2000 visitors per week), with more erratic sleep patterns, characterised by shorter and more frequent sleeping bouts. Our results highlight multifaceted effects of increased human activities ('anthropulses'), such as those related to COVID-19 countermeasures, on animal behaviour. High human pressure may not affect animal movements or habitat use, especially in highly adaptable species such as wild boar, but may disrupt animal activity rhythms, with potentially detrimental fitness consequences. Such subtle behavioural responses can be overlooked if using only standard tracking technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Olejarz
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences,Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic.
| | - Monika Faltusová
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences,Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Justine Güldenpfennig
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences,Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Vilém Jarský
- Department of Forestry and Wood Economics, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Miloš Ježek
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences,Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Euan Mortlock
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT95DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Václav Silovský
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences,Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Tomasz Podgórski
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences,Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic; Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
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21
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Zhu W, Zhang Z, Chen J, Liu Y, Xia T, Armaou A, Zhao S. Using dynamic data reconciliation to improve the performance of PID feedback control systems with Gaussian/non-Gaussian distributed disturbance and measurement noise. ISA Trans 2023; 137:544-560. [PMID: 36759295 DOI: 10.1016/j.isatra.2023.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
For a stochastic PID feedback control system, the uncertainty of the working environment often leads to the unsatisfied performance of the system, which does not meet the profit requirements. The working environment generally includes external disturbance and measurement noise, etc. Gaussian distributed measurement noise and disturbances are widely considered while non-Gaussian distributed measurement noise and disturbances are rarely considered. In this paper, the performance degradation of Gaussian/non-Gaussian disturbances and measurement noise on a stochastic PID feedback system is considered and analyzed. An efficient method, dynamic data reconciliation (DDR) is developed to filter measurement noise and disturbances and improve the performance of the stochastic PID feedback control system. By utilizing model-based and measured information, DDR avoids time delays in output estimation. With the detailed theoretical analysis and simulation verification, the effectiveness of the proposed DDR technology on the stochastic PID feedback control system is verified. Compared with conventional exponential filters, DDR can achieve better control performance. The proposed DDR is also used for the control system of the DC-AC converter. The improved effect of DDR on the output quality is demonstrated by the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wangwang Zhu
- Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Digitalize Electrical Design Technology, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Zhengjiang Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Digitalize Electrical Design Technology, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
| | - Junghui Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Chung-Yuan Christian University, Chung-Li, Taoyuan, 32023, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Yi Liu
- Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Tao Xia
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Digitalize Electrical Design Technology, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Antonios Armaou
- Departments of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA; College of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Sheng Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Low-Voltage Apparatus Intellectual Technology of Zhejiang, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
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22
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Farrugia Drakard V, Brooks PR, Crowe TP. Colonisation after disturbance on artificial structures: The influence of timing and grazing. Mar Environ Res 2023; 187:105956. [PMID: 36958198 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Artificial structures are poor surrogates of natural rocky shores, meaning they generally support depauperate assemblages. These differences may result from a combination of recruitment processes, biotic interactions, and structuring by environmental factors. In this study, plots were cleared on two seawalls and two natural shores at two separate timepoints - in August 2020 (summer) and February 2021 (winter) - and monitored over one year to determine the influence of timing of disturbance on recruitment and succession. Additional plots were cleared at one of the seawalls at a single timepoint in August 2020, and exclusion cages were installed to determine the influence of grazing pressure on colonisation; these were monitored for 18 months. Disturbance during winter resulted in higher concentrations of all biofilm components up to 3 months, but did not impact benthic community composition beyond this point. Grazer exclusion on artificial structures increased biofilm concentrations and influenced community composition in comparison to plots on artificial structures without exclusion, while communities on natural surfaces differed in terms of species composition to those on artificial plots at 12 months. We conclude that the timing of routine maintenance works on artificial structures may impact initial biofilm abundances. Furthermore, while grazing pressure does influence community structure on artificial structures, this alone is not sufficient to explain biological differences between artificial structures and natural shores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Farrugia Drakard
- UCD Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
| | - Paul R Brooks
- UCD Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Tasman P Crowe
- UCD Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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23
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Guo H, Wang Y, Yu J, Yi L, Shi Z, Wang F. A novel framework for vegetation change characterization from time series landsat images. Environ Res 2023; 222:115379. [PMID: 36716805 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Understanding terrestrial ecosystem dynamics requires a comprehensive examination of vegetation changes. Remote sensing technology has been established as an effective approach to reconstructing vegetation change history, investigating change properties, and evaluating the ecological effects. However, current remote sensing techniques are primarily focused on break detection but ignore long-term trend analysis. In this study, we proposed a novel framework based on a change detection algorithm and a trend analysis method that could integrate both short-term disturbance detection and long-term trends to comprehensively assess vegetation change. With this framework, we characterized the vegetation changes in Zhejiang Province from 1990 to 2020 using Landsat and landcover data. Benefiting from combining break detection and long-term trend analysis, the framework showcased its capability of capturing a variety of dynamics and trends of vegetation. The results show that the vegetation was browning in the plains while greening in the mountains, and the overall vegetation was gradually greening during the study period. By comparison, detected vegetation disturbances covered 57.71% of the province's land areas (accounting for 66.92% of the vegetated region) which were mainly distributed around the built-up areas, and most disturbances (94%) occurred in forest and cropland. There were two peak timings in the frequency of vegetation disturbances: around 2003 and around 2014, and the proportions of more than twice disturbances in a single location were low. The results illustrate that this framework is promising for the characterization of regional vegetation growth, including long-term trends and short-term features. The proposed framework enlightens a new direction for the continuous monitoring of vegetation dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hancheng Guo
- Institute of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology Application, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yanyu Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology Application, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jie Yu
- Zhejiang Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Lina Yi
- Environmental Development Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Zhou Shi
- Institute of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology Application, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Spectroscopy Sensing, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Fumin Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology Application, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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24
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Broad A, Rees M, Knott N, Swadling D, Hammond M, Ingleton T, Morris B, Davis AR. Anchor scour from shipping and the defaunation of rocky reefs: A quantitative assessment. Sci Total Environ 2023; 863:160717. [PMID: 36528099 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Anchor scour from shipping is increasingly recognised as a global threat to benthic marine biodiversity, yet no replicated ecological assessment exists for any seabed community. Without quantification of impacts to biota, there is substantial uncertainty for maritime stakeholders and managers of the marine estate on how these impacts can be managed or minimised. Our study focuses on a region in SE Australia with a high proportion of mesophotic reef (>30 m), where ships anchor while waiting to enter nearby ports. Temperate mesophotic rocky reefs are unique, providing a platform for a diversity of biota, including sponges, ahermatypic corals and other sessile invertebrates. They are rich in biodiversity, provide essential food resources, habitat refugia and ecosystem services for a range of economically, as well as ecologically important taxa. We examined seven representative taxa from four phyla (porifera, cnidaria, bryozoan, hydrozoa) across anchored and 'anchor-free' sites to determine which biota and which of their morphologies were most at risk. Using stereo-imagery, we assessed the richness of animal forest biota, morphology, size, and relative abundance. Our analysis revealed striking impacts to animal forests exposed to anchoring with between three and four-fold declines in morphotype richness and relative abundance. Marked compositional shifts, relative to those reefs that were anchor-free, were also apparent. Six of the seven taxonomic groups, most notably sponge morphotypes, exhibited strong negative responses to anchoring, while one morphotype, soft bryozoans, showed no difference between treatments. Our findings confirm that anchoring on reefs leads to the substantial removal of biota, with marked reductions of biodiversity and requires urgent management. The exclusion of areas of high biological value from anchorages is an important first step towards ameliorating impacts and promoting the recovery of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Broad
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Matthew Rees
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Marine Ecosystem Unit, Fisheries Research, 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Nathan Knott
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Marine Ecosystem Unit, Fisheries Research, 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Daniel Swadling
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Marine Ecosystem Unit, Fisheries Research, 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Matthew Hammond
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Marine Ecosystem Unit, Fisheries Research, 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Tim Ingleton
- Waters, Wetlands and Coasts, New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
| | - Bradley Morris
- Waters, Wetlands and Coasts, New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
| | - Andrew R Davis
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
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25
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Arumoogum N, Marshal JP, Parrini F. Anthropogenically driven spatial niche partitioning in a large herbivore assemblage. Oecologia 2023; 201:797-812. [PMID: 36856880 PMCID: PMC10038942 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05342-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how human activity can influence species distributions and spatial niche partitioning between sympatric species is a key area of contemporary ecology. Extirpations of large mammalian populations, the result of a 15-year civil war, within the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, have been followed by an extended period of restoration. The species-specific recovery of these populations has provided an ideal system to identify how niche partitioning between coexisting species is altered as a consequence of extreme disturbance events. Here, we aimed to understand how distribution patterns of grazing herbivores, as well as spatial niche overlap between them, changed between the pre- and post-war scenarios. We focused on the following four grazer species: buffalo (Syncerus caffer); sable (Hippotragus niger); waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus); and zebra (Equus quagga). Using long-term aerial survey data, we quantified range size for each species, as well as spatial niche overlap between each species pair, for pre- and post-war periods. Range size of buffalo and zebra decreased drastically from the pre-war period; with both species inhabiting subsets of their historical distribution in the park. Sable and waterbuck have both colonised historically avoided habitat, with waterbuck doubling their pre-war range size. Spatial overlap between all four grazers pre-war was significantly high, indicating niche similarity; however, this decreased in the post-war period, with some species pairs displaying spatial niche dissimilarity. Our findings highlight how population responses to anthropogenic disturbance can result in significant alterations to species' distributions, with consequences for patterns of niche similarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhail Arumoogum
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
| | - Jason P Marshal
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| | - Francesca Parrini
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
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26
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Mendiola-Islas V, Lara C, Corcuera P, Valverde PL. The behavior of Broad-tailed hummingbirds is altered by cycles of human activity in a forested area converted into agricultural land. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14953. [PMID: 36874969 PMCID: PMC9983423 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background By changing the circumstances in which animals make their behavioral decisions, weekly cycles of human activity might cause changes in wildlife behavior. For example, when there is more human activity in a location, animals may become more vigilant, which can decrease the time they spend foraging, or roam farther from home, leading to increased home range size. Overall, there has been little exploration of how animal species living in locations that have undergone land use change are affected by the temporal dynamics of human activity levels. In this study, we aimed to analyze the effect of the weekend on agricultural activities and hummingbird territorial activity. We examined differences between weekdays and weekends in factors previously shown to follow weekly cyclical patterns, such as pedestrian presence, traffic, and the presence of domestic animals. We hypothesized that territorial hummingbirds would respond to these weekly cycles of human activity by altering their behavior. Methods We studied Broad-tailed hummingbird territories in forested areas that had been transformed to agriculture lands in central Mexico. We evaluated whether territorial individuals changed their behaviors (i.e., chases of intruders, foraging within their territory, number of intruders allowed to forage in the territory) in response to variation between weekdays and weekends in the number of pedestrians, cyclists, dogs, farm animals and vehicles. Results We found that the level of agriculture-related human activities showed a weekly cycle at our study site. On weekdays there was higher traffic of pedestrians, cyclists, dogs, farm animals and vehicles, compared to the weekends. Hummingbirds responded to these weekday-weekends differences by changing their territorial behavior. Compared to weekends, on weekdays hummingbirds showed a decrease in defense (number of chases) as well as the use of their territory (number of flowers visited), which allowed increased access to intruders (number of visited flowers by intruders). Conclusions Our findings suggest that variation in agriculture-related human activities between weekdays and weekends can alter the territorial behavior of hummingbirds. Behavioral shifts seem to be related to these human activity cycles, leading hummingbirds to reduce chases and feeding during weekdays when human activity is highest, but increasing both behaviors during times of minimal disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Mendiola-Islas
- Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa, Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Carlos Lara
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, San Felipe Ixtacuixtla, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Pablo Corcuera
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Pedro Luis Valverde
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, México
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27
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Zuluaga JD, Danner RM. Acute stress and restricted diet reduce bill-mediated heat dissipation in the song sparrow (Melospiza melodia): implications for optimal thermoregulation. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:286688. [PMID: 36651227 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
We used thermal imaging to show that two environmental factors - acute stress and diet - influence thermoregulatory performance of a known thermal window, the avian bill. The bill plays important roles in thermoregulation and water balance. Given that heat loss through the bill is adjustable through vasoconstriction and vasodilation, and acute stress can cause vasoconstriction in peripheral body surfaces, we hypothesized that stress may influence the bill's role as a thermal window. We further hypothesized that diet influences heat dissipation from the bill, given that body condition influences the surface temperature of another body region (the eye region). We measured the surface temperature of the bills of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) before, during and after handling by an observer at 37°C ambient temperature. We fed five birds a restricted diet intended to maintain body mass typical of wild birds, and we fed six birds an unrestricted diet for 5 months prior to experiments. Acute stress caused a decrease in the surface temperature of the bill, resulting in a 32.4% decrease in heat dissipation immediately following acute stress, before recovering over approximately 2.3 min. The initial reduction and subsequent recovery provide partial support for the hemoprotective and thermoprotective hypotheses, which predict a reduction or increase in peripheral blood flow, respectively. Birds with unrestricted diets had larger bills and dissipated more heat, indicating that diet and body condition influence bill-mediated heat dissipation and thermoregulation. These results indicate that stress-induced vascular changes and diet can influence mechanisms of heat loss and potentially inhibit optimal thermoregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan D Zuluaga
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403-5915, USA
| | - Raymond M Danner
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403-5915, USA.,Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. 20008, USA
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28
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Ottinger SL, Miniat CF, Wurzburger N. Nitrogen and light regulate symbiotic nitrogen fixation by a temperate forest tree. Oecologia 2023; 201:565-574. [PMID: 36637524 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05313-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) is a critical mechanism of ecosystem recovery, and in forests of the eastern United States, the most common tree species that supports SNF is black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.). Despite its prevalence, black locust's fixation strategy-whether it maintains fixation at a constant rate (obligate fixation) or reduces its fixation rate (facultative fixation)-is unknown. Here, we examined how nitrogen and light control SNF by black locust, by growing seedlings under two nitrogen levels and across four levels of light. Seedlings were harvested after 12 weeks to determine biomass changes, nodule activity, and photosynthetic rates. Black locust seedlings increased biomass growth with increasing light, but only in the absence of nitrogen addition, while seedling root:shoot (biomass) modestly declined with increasing light regardless of nitrogen level. We found that black locust behaved like a facultative fixer, and regulated fixation by excising or maintaining nodules, and by controlling nodule biomass and activity. Specifically, nitrogen addition reduced seedling investment in nodule biomass (g g-1) by 63%, and reduced seedling allocation to nitrogen fixation (µmol C2H4 g-1 h-1) by 66%. In contrast, light affected nitrogen fixation through two indirect pathways. First, light increased plant growth, and hence nitrogen demands, which caused an increase in nitrogen fixation proportional to biomass. Second, light increasd photosynthetic activity, which was positively associated with nodule activity, but only in the absence of nitrogen addition. Our findings for how black locust regulates SNF can improve predictions of ecosystem SNF under the changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chelcy Ford Miniat
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Nina Wurzburger
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
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29
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Ben Y, Cheng M, Liu Y, Wang L, Yang Q, Huang X, Zhou Q. The stimulatory effect and mechanism of low-dose lanthanum on soybean leaf cells. J Hazard Mater 2023; 441:129924. [PMID: 36113347 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Light rare earth elements (LREEs) have been long used in agriculture (i.e., mainly via aerially applied LREE fertilizers) based on the fact that low-dose LREEs promote plant growth. Meanwhile, the toxic effects of low-dose LREEs on organisms have also been found. However, the cellular and molecular mechanism of low-dose LREEs acting on organisms remain unclear. Plants are at the beginning of food chains, so it is critical to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanism of low-dose LREEs on plants. Here, lanthanum (La) and soybean were the representatives of LREEs and plants, respectively. The effects of low-dose La on soybean leaves were investigated, and the stimulatory effect and mechanism of low-dose LREEs on leaf cells were revealed. Specifically, clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) activated by low-dose La is an influx channel for La in soybean leaf cells. The intracellular La and La-activated CME jointly disturbed multiple forms of intracellular homeostasis, including metallic element homeostasis, redox homeostasis, gene expression homeostasis. The disturbed homeostasis either stimulated cell growth or caused damage to the plasma membrane of soybean leaf cells. These results provide new insights for clarifying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of low-dose LREEs as a class of stimulators instead of nutrients to stimulate plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Ben
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Mengzhu Cheng
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yongqiang Liu
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Lihong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Qing Yang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiaohua Huang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
| | - Qing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Cooperative Innovation Center of Water Treatment Technology and Materials, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
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Bessone M, Kühl HS, Hohmann G, Herbinger I, N'Goran KP, Asanzi P, Da Costa PB, Dérozier V, Fotsing DBE, Ikembelo BB, Iyomi DM, Iyatshi BI, Kafando P, Kambere AM, Moundzoho BD, Musubaho LK, Fruth B. Assessing the effects of survey-inherent disturbance on primate detectability: Recommendations for line transect distance sampling. Primates 2023; 64:107-21. [PMID: 36481940 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-01039-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Habitat destruction and over-hunting are increasingly threatening the arboreal primates of Central Africa. To establish effective conservation strategies, accurate assessments of primate density, abundance, and spatial distribution are required. To date, the method of choice for primate density estimation is line transect distance sampling. However, primates fleeing human observers violate methodological assumptions, biasing the accuracy of resulting estimates. In this study, we used line transect distance sampling to study five primate species along 378 km of transects in Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We tested the effect of different levels of survey-inherent disturbance (i.e., cutting) on the number of observed (i) primate groups, and (ii) individuals within groups, by counting groups at three different time lags after disturbance of the transect, (i) a minimum of 3 h, (ii) 24 h, (iii) a minimum of 3 days. We found that survey-inherent disturbance led to underestimated densities, affecting both the number of encountered groups and of observed individuals. However, the response varied between species due to species-specific ecological and behavioral features. Piliocolobus tholloni and Colobus angolenis resumed an unaltered behavior only 24 h after disturbance, while Lophocebus aterrimus, Cercopithecus ascanius, and Cercopithecus wolfi required a minimum of 10 days. To minimize bias in density estimates, future surveys using line transect distance sampling should be designed considering survey-inherent disturbance. We recommend evaluating the factors driving primate response, including habitat type, niche occupation, and hunting pressure, peculiar to the survey-specific area and primate community under study.
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Moayeri V, Miri A, Shahriari A, Rahdari V, Gill TE. A field study of the surface disturbance effects of animals and motor vehicles on aeolian sediment emission from a silty playa surface. Environ Res 2023; 216:114606. [PMID: 36309211 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Dry playa surfaces can be extremely vulnerable to disturbance which breaks their surface crusts resulting in increased aeolian sand and dust emissions. Trampling by livestock and motor vehicles is an important source of this disturbance. The Hamoun Lakes in the Sistan region of Iran are a major source area of dust storms which are causing damage to infrastructure and communities. This study performed portable wind tunnel tests of controlled surface disturbance by animals (cow, sheep) and motor vehicles (automobile, motorcycle) on a silty playa surface of Hamoun Saberi lake. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different levels of trampling and disturbed surfaces by both vehicles and livestock on dust emission at wind speeds of 6 and 12 m s-1. A significant increase of sediment emission was found with increased number of passes of vehicles and livestock and the degree of surface disturbance, more so at the high wind speed (12 m s-1). No significant differences were observed between a 10-20% disturbance level and an undisturbed surface, but statistically significant differences became apparent when disturbances reached 50-60% to 90-100% compared to undisturbed surfaces. Greater emission rates were reached by disturbances provided by automobile and cow compared to motorcycle and sheep, indicating greater trampling effects of automobile and cow likely related to greater weight and larger footprint. The automobile was the most surface-destructive of the four anthropogenic disturbances, providing emission in a lower number of passes compared to the motorcycle, cow and sheep. Better management of vehicle and livestock allocation on playas subject to disturbance, such as the Hamoun Lakes, will be a useful strategy to reduce disturbance and the frequency and intensity of dust storms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Moayeri
- Department of Watershed and Range Management, Faculty of Water and Soil, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
| | - Abbas Miri
- Department of Watershed and Range Management, Faculty of Water and Soil, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
| | - Ali Shahriari
- Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Water and Soil, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
| | - Vahid Rahdari
- Department of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
| | - Thomas E Gill
- Environmental Science and Engineering Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA; Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA
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Chanut PCM, Burdon FJ, Datry T, Robinson CT. Convergence in floodplain pond communities indicates different pathways to community assembly. Aquat Sci 2023; 85:59. [PMID: 37016666 PMCID: PMC10066089 DOI: 10.1007/s00027-023-00957-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Disturbance can strongly influence ecosystems, yet much remains unknown about the relative importance of key processes (selection, drift, and dispersal) in the recovery of ecological communities following disturbance. We combined field surveys with a field experiment to elucidate mechanisms governing the recovery of aquatic macroinvertebrates in habitats of an alluvial floodplain following flood disturbance. We monitored macroinvertebrates in 24 natural parafluvial habitats over 60 days after a major flood, as well as the colonization of 24 newly-built ponds by macroinvertebrates over 45 days in the same floodplain. We examined the sources of environmental variation and their relative effects on aquatic assemblages using a combination of null models and Mantel tests. We also used a joint species distribution model to investigate the importance of primary metacommunity structuring processes during recovery: selection, dispersal, and drift. Contrary to expectations, we found that beta diversity actually decreased among natural habitats over time after the flood or the creation of the ponds, instead of increasing. This result was despite environmental predictors showing contrasting patterns for explaining community variation over time in the natural habitats compared with the experimental ponds. Flood heterogeneity across the floodplain and spatial scale differences between the experimental ponds and the natural habitats seemingly constrained the balance between deterministic and stochastic processes driving the ecological convergence of assemblages over time. While environmental selection was the dominant structuring process in both groups, biotic interactions also had a prominent influence on community assembly. These findings have profound implications towards understanding metacommunity structuring in riverscapes that includes common linkages between disturbance heterogeneity, spatial scale properties, and community composition. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00027-023-00957-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. C. M. Chanut
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH-Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - F. J. Burdon
- Te Aka Mātuatua - School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - T. Datry
- INRAE, UR RiverLy, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne, France
| | - C. T. Robinson
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH-Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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Duffaut C, Versini PA, Frascaria-Lacoste N. Are really Nature-Based Solutions sustainable solutions to design future cities in a context of global change? Discussion about the vulnerability of these new solutions and their probable unsustainable implementation. Sci Total Environ 2022; 853:158535. [PMID: 36070828 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The urban ecosystem is a very challenging environment that faces many problems such as various pollutions, higher temperatures than its surroundings or flooding risks due to soil sealing. Nature-based solutions (NBS) seem to be good option to address these problems, while simultaneously offering benefits for facing climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Despite their potential, NBS can be threatened by various urban disturbance, namely: land use change, pollution, or invasive species. These disturbances can have multiple consequences on urban NBS, such as causing changes in plant characteristics/traits, altering the services they provide, and even make certain plant populations disappear, etc. In turn, these consequences may even jeopardize the solutions themselves, which then may no longer solve the problems they originally targeted. To avoid this, NBS should be eco-designed, i.e. designed in function of their environment. Their management should be adaptive and should also take into consideration the evolution of climatic and anthropogenic factors. The choice of species should not be left to chance or random: In this sense, is it better to plant native species for biodiversity conservation or exotic species that are more likely to resist global changes? Is it better to find resistant or ruderal species that have proven themselves in the face of certain disturbances? In any case, it would be good to diversify any NBS to have a better chance of survival in the face of global changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Duffaut
- Hydrology Meteorology and Complexity Laboratory, École des Ponts ParisTech, Champs-sur-Marne 77455, France.
| | - Pierre-Antoine Versini
- Hydrology Meteorology and Complexity Laboratory, École des Ponts ParisTech, Champs-sur-Marne 77455, France.
| | - Nathalie Frascaria-Lacoste
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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Wang Y, Ji Z, Li X, Long Z, Pei Y. Comprehensive analysis of the migration and transformation of nutrients between sediment and overlying water in complex habitat systems. Sci Total Environ 2022; 852:158433. [PMID: 36055482 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Under the influence of environmental change, disturbance and other external conditions, sediments release internal nutrients to the overlying water and become a contamination source in the lake. Complex habitat systems provide a unique opportunity for determining the influences of environmental changes in lakes. In this study, Baiyangdian Lake (BYDL) was divided into different habitat systems (connected water areas, river courses, reed fields, lotus ponds, fishponds, farmland, and thorps) based on the influence of natural and artificial activities. The physical and chemical properties of overlying water and sediment in different habitat systems were investigated. In addition, statistical analytical methods were used to analyze the relationship between sediment characteristics and overlying water parameters in different habitat systems. The results showed that nitrogen and phosphorus in the overlying water could accumulate in the sediments, while disturbance was one of the main factors affecting the release of nutrients from sediments. Disturbance promoted the suspension of sediments and increased the oxygen content, thereby facilitating the internal release of nutrients. However, there were also some differences in the process of internal release of nutrients between the habitat systems. Nitrogen in the overlying water was closely related to the source of organic matter (r > 0.950), especially in the ponds (including lotus ponds, reed fields, and fishponds), and phosphorus was mainly influenced by turbidity (r > 0.870). In the river course (p = 0.198, n = 26), the disturbance and increase in pH promoted the internal release of nutrients from the sediments (contributions of 35.2 % and 25.1 %, respectively). In the ponds, the aquatic macrophytes reduced the release of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments. Overall, this study provides more information on the migration and transformation of nutrients between sediment and overlying water in lakes with multiple habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youke Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China; The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zehua Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China; The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiuqing Li
- Shandong Provincial Research Institute of Coal Geology Planning and Exploration, Jinan 250104, China
| | - Ziwei Long
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China; The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yuansheng Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China; The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing 100875, China.
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Valkó O, Kelemen A, Kiss O, Deák B. Patch and matrix characteristics determine the outcome of ecosystem engineering by mole rats in dry grasslands. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14582. [PMID: 36540798 PMCID: PMC9760028 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Burrowing mammals are important ecosystem engineers, especially in open ecosystems where they create patches that differ from the surrounding matrix in their structure or ecosystem functions. Methods We evaluated the fine-scale effects of a subterranean ecosystem engineer, the Lesser blind mole rat on the vegetation composition of sandy dry grasslands in Hungary. In this model system we tested whether the characteristics of the patch (mound size) and the matrix (total vegetation cover in the undisturbed grassland) influence the structural and functional contrasts between the mounds and the undisturbed grasslands. We sampled the vegetation of 80 mounds and 80 undisturbed grassland plots in four sites, where we recorded the total vegetation cover, and the occurrence and cover of each vascular plant species. We used two proxies to characterise the patches (mounds) and the matrix (undisturbed grassland): we measured the perimeter of the mounds and estimated the total vegetation cover of the undisturbed grasslands. First, we compared the vegetation characteristics of the mounds and the surrounding grasslands with general linear models. Second, we characterised the contrasts between the mounds and the undisturbed grassland by relative response indices (RRIs) of the vegetation characteristics studied in the first step. Results Species composition of the vegetation of the mounds and undisturbed grasslands was well separated in three out of the four study sites. Mounds were characterised by lower vegetation cover, lower cover of perennial graminoids, and higher diversity, and evenness compared to undisturbed grasslands. The contrast in vegetation cover between mounds and undisturbed grasslands increased with decreasing patch size. Increasing vegetation cover in the matrix grasslands increased the contrasts between the mounds and undisturbed grasslands in terms of total cover, perennial graminoid cover, diversity, and evenness. Our results suggest that mole rat mounds provide improved establishment conditions for subordinate species, because they are larger than other types of natural gaps and are characterised by less intense belowground competition. The ecosystem engineering effect, i.e., the contrast between the patches and the matrix was the largest in the more closed grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orsolya Valkó
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - András Kelemen
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary,Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Orsolya Kiss
- Institute of Animal Sciences and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
| | - Balázs Deák
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
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Cao J, Li B, Qi R, Liu T, Chen X, Gao B, Liu K, Baskin CC, Zhao Z. Negative impacts of human disturbances on the seed bank of subalpine forests are offset by climatic factors. Sci Total Environ 2022; 851:158249. [PMID: 36028043 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Precipitation and temperature in the subalpine region have increased dramatically in recent decades due to global warming, and human disturbances have continued to impact the vegetation in the region. Seed bank plays an important role in population recovery, but there are few studies on the synergistic effects of human disturbances and climate change on seed bank. We analyzed the synergistic effects of human disturbances and climate change on seed bank samples from 20 sites in the subalpine coniferous forest region using grazing and logging as the disturbance intensity gradient and precipitation and temperature as climate variables. The species diversity of aboveground vegetation all changed significantly (p < 0.05) with precipitation, temperature and disturbance level, while the seed bank richness and density did not. Furthermore, the species composition of the seed bank varied significantly less than that of the aboveground vegetation at different levels of disturbance (p < 0.001). Thus, seed bank showed a strong buffering capacity against the risk of local extinction caused by environmental changes that shift the species composition and diversity of aboveground vegetation. In addition, soil and litter are important influences controlling seed bank density in subalpine forests, and the results of structural equation modelling suggest that both disturbance and climate change can indirectly regulate the seed bank by changing the physicochemical properties of soil and litter. We conclude that increases in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change can buffer the negative effects of disturbances on the seed bank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, LanZhou University, Lanzhou 730070, China; Institute of Forestry Science of Bailongjiang in Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730046, China; Gansu Bailongjiang National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Zhouqu 746300, China
| | - Bo Li
- Institute of Forestry Science of Bailongjiang in Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730046, China; Gansu Bailongjiang National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Zhouqu 746300, China.
| | - Rui Qi
- Institute of Forestry Science of Bailongjiang in Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730046, China; Gansu Bailongjiang National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Zhouqu 746300, China
| | - Ting Liu
- Institute of Forestry Science of Bailongjiang in Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730046, China; Gansu Bailongjiang National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Zhouqu 746300, China
| | - Xuelong Chen
- Institute of Forestry Science of Bailongjiang in Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730046, China; Gansu Bailongjiang National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Zhouqu 746300, China
| | - Benqiang Gao
- Institute of Forestry Science of Bailongjiang in Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730046, China; Gansu Bailongjiang National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Zhouqu 746300, China
| | - Kun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, LanZhou University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Carol C Baskin
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA; Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA
| | - Zhigang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, LanZhou University, Lanzhou 730070, China.
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Orumaa A, Agan A, Anslan S, Drenkhan T, Drenkhan R, Kauer K, Köster K, Tedersoo L, Metslaid M. Long-term effects of forest fires on fungal community and soil properties along a hemiboreal Scots pine forest fire chronosequence. Sci Total Environ 2022; 851:158173. [PMID: 35988616 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We studied long-term effects of forest fires on the dynamics of soil fungal community along a post-fire chronosequence in hemiboreal Scots pine stands in north-western Estonia. Effects of fire on soil and fungi were studied on six sites that differed in time since fire (10, 21, 36, 67, 78 and 181 years ago), without further management interventions. Soil fungal communities along the chronosequence were dominated by soil saprotrophs and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi. Across the chronosequence, the most dominant phylum was Ascomycota. The most abundant OTUs were identified as Umbelopsis sp., Hyaloscyphaceae sp. and Pezoloma ericae with relative abundances of 9.5, 8.9 and 6.8 %, respectively. Fungal species richness was similar among sample areas except in the area where fire occurred 36 years ago, where it was significantly lower. There were considerable differences in EcM fungal species composition along the chronosequence. The most recently burned site had Piloderma sphaerosporum, Pseudotomentella sp. and Clavulinaceae sp. as most abundant EcM OTUs while in three oldest burned areas Clavulinaceae sp. and Cortinarius sp. were abundant. Soil C and N stocks were lower in the most recently burned area but differences with other areas were not statistically significant. Soil pH had a significant effect on fungal species composition. Older areas had substantially lower pH compared to more recently burned areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argo Orumaa
- Institute of Forestry and Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006 Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Ahto Agan
- Institute of Forestry and Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006 Tartu, Estonia; Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Sten Anslan
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tiia Drenkhan
- Institute of Forestry and Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006 Tartu, Estonia; Forest Health and Biodiversity, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rein Drenkhan
- Institute of Forestry and Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Karin Kauer
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kajar Köster
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistokatu 7 (Natura), 80130 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Leho Tedersoo
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Marek Metslaid
- Institute of Forestry and Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
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Yoo S, Cho Y, Park KH, Lim YW. Exploring fine-scale assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities through phylogenetic and spatial distribution analyses. Mycorrhiza 2022; 32:439-449. [PMID: 35861929 DOI: 10.1007/s00572-022-01088-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) form symbiotic relationship with the roots of host plants. EMF communities are composed of highly diverse species; however, how they are assembled has been a long-standing question. In this study, we investigated from a phylogenetic perspective how EMF communities assemble on Pinus densiflora seedlings at different spatial scales (i.e., seedling scale and root tip scale). P. densiflora seedlings were collected from different habitats (i.e., disturbed areas and mature forests), and their EMF communities were investigated by morphotype sequencing and next-generation sequencing (NGS). To infer assembly mechanisms, phylogenetic relatedness within the community (i.e., phylogenetic structure) was estimated and spatial distribution of EMF root tips was analyzed. The EMF communities on pine seedlings were largely different between the two habitats. Phylogenetically restricted lineages (Amphinema, /suillus-rhizopogon) were abundant in the disturbed areas, whereas species from diverse lineages were abundant in the mature forests (Russula, Sebacina, /tomentella-thelephora, etc.). In the disturbed areas, phylogenetically similar EMF species were aggregated at the seedling scale, suggesting that disturbance acts as a powerful abiotic filter. However, phylogenetically similar species were spatially segregated from each other at the root tip scale, indicating limiting similarity. In the mature forest seedlings, no distinct phylogenetic signals were detected at both seedling and root tip scale. Collectively, our results suggest that limiting similarity may be an important assembly mechanism at the root tip scale and that assembly mechanisms can vary across habitats and spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinnam Yoo
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Microbiology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Yoonhee Cho
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Microbiology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Ki Hyeong Park
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Microbiology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Young Woon Lim
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Microbiology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea.
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Gailey G, Zykov M, Sychenko O, Rutenko A, Blanchard AL, Aerts L, Melton RH. Gray whale density during seismic surveys near their Sakhalin feeding ground. Environ Monit Assess 2022; 194:739. [PMID: 36255495 PMCID: PMC9579086 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10025-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Oil and gas development off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, has exposed the western gray whale population on their summer-fall foraging grounds to a range of anthropogenic activities, such as pile driving, dredging, pipeline installation, and seismic surveys. In 2015, the number of seismic surveys within a feeding season surpassed the level of the number and duration of previous seismic survey activities known to have occurred close to the gray whales' feeding ground, with the potential to cause disturbance to their feeding activity. To examine the extent that gray whales were potentially avoiding areas when exposed to seismic and vessel sounds, shore-based teams monitored the abundance and distribution of gray whales from 13 stations that encompassed the known nearshore feeding area. Gray whale density was examined in relation to natural (spatial, temporal, and prey energy) and anthropogenic (cumulative sound exposure from vessel and seismic sounds) explanatory variables using Generalized Additive Models (GAM). Distance from shore, water depth, date, and northing explained a significant amount of variation in gray whale densities. Prey energy from crustaceans, specifically amphipods, isopods, and cumaceans also significantly influenced gray whale densities in the nearshore feeding area. Increasing cumulative exposure to vessel and seismic sounds resulted in both a short- and longer-term decline in gray whale density in an area. This study provides further insights about western gray whale responses to anthropogenic activity in proximity to and within the nearshore feeding area. As the frequency of seismic surveys and other non-oil and gas anthropogenic activity are expected to increase off Sakhalin Island, it is critical to continue to monitor and assess potential impacts on this endangered population of gray whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn Gailey
- Cetacean EcoSystem Research, Olympia, WA, 98512, USA.
| | - Mikhail Zykov
- JASCO Applied Sciences Ltd, Dartmouth, NS, B3B 1Z1, Canada
| | - Olga Sychenko
- Cetacean EcoSystem Research, Olympia, WA, 98512, USA
| | - Alexander Rutenko
- Far East Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, V.I. Il'ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute, Vladivostok, 690041, Russia
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Antichi S, Urbán R. J, Martínez-Aguilar S, Viloria-Gómora L. Changes in whistle parameters of two common bottlenose dolphin ecotypes as a result of the physical presence of the research vessel. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14074. [PMID: 36225904 PMCID: PMC9549881 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In the presence of vessels, dolphins have been found to change their habitat, behavior, group composition and whistle repertoire. The modification of the whistle parameters is generally considered to be a response to the engine noise. Little is known about the impact of the physical presence of vessels on dolphin acoustics. Whistle parameters of the coastal and oceanic ecotypes of common bottlenose dolphins in La Paz Bay, Mexico, were measured after the approach of the research vessel and its engine shutdown. Recordings of 10 min were made immediately after turning off the engine. For analysis, these recordings were divided from minute 0 to minute 5, and from minute 5:01 to minute 10. The whistles of the oceanic ecotype showed higher maximum, minimum and peak frequency in the second time interval compared to the first one. The whistle rate decreased in the second time interval. The whistles of the coastal ecotype showed no difference between the two time intervals. The physical presence of the research vessel could have induced a change in the whistle parameters of the oceanic dolphins until habituation to the vessel disturbance. The oceanic ecotype could increase the whistle rate and decrease the whistle frequencies to maintain acoustic contact more frequently and for longer distances. The coastal ecotype, showing no significant changes in the whistle parameters, could be more habituated to the presence of vessels and display a higher tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Antichi
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Jorge Urbán R.
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Sergio Martínez-Aguilar
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Lorena Viloria-Gómora
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
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Pilon NAL, Cava MGB, Hoffmann WA, Abreu RCR, Rossatto DR, Durigan G. Effects and response of the Cerrado ground-layer to frost along the canopy cover gradient. Oecologia 2022; 200:199-207. [PMID: 36127474 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05259-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Frost effects on savanna plant communities have been considered as analogous to those from fire, both changing community structure and filtering species composition. However, while frost impacts have been well-studied for the woody component of savannas, it is still poorly explored for the ground-layer community. Here, we investigated effects of frost in the Cerrado along a gradient of tree cover, focusing on ground-layer plant species, near the southern limit of the Cerrado in Brazil. We aimed to elucidate if the pattern already described for the tree layer also extends to the ground layer in terms of mimicking the effects of fire on vegetation structure and composition. We assessed how damage severity differs across species and across the tree-cover gradient, and we examined the recovery process after frost in terms of richness and community structure along the canopy cover gradient. Frost caused immediate and widespread dieback of the perennial ground-layer, with greatest impact on community structure where tree cover was lowest. However, frost did not reduce the number of species, indicating community resilience to this natural disturbance. Although frost mimicked the effects of fire in some ways, in other ways it differed substantially from fire. Unlike fire, frost increases litter cover and decreases the proportion of bare soil, likely hindering crucial processes for recovery of plant populations, such as seed dispersal, seed germination and plant resprouting. This finding calls attention to the risk of misguided conclusions when the ground layer is neglected in ecological studies of tropical savannas and grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natashi A Lima Pilon
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Caixa Postal 6109, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-865, Brazil.
| | - Mário G B Cava
- Lab of Vegetation Ecology, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - William A Hoffmann
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Rodolfo C R Abreu
- Departamento de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Davi R Rossatto
- Campus de Jaboticabal Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Giselda Durigan
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Caixa Postal 6109, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-865, Brazil.,Laboratório de Ecologia e Hidrologia Florestal, Floresta Estadual de Assis, Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais de São Paulo (IPA-SP), Assis, São Paulo, 19802-970, Brazil
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Suzuki R, Takahashi K. Elevational changes in productivity of saplings relate to distribution of two congeneric tree species. J Plant Res 2022; 135:647-658. [PMID: 35699852 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-022-01400-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Elevational changes in vegetation are associated with changes in environmental factors, an example of which is provided by the shade-tolerant Abies mariesii and less shade-tolerant Abies veitchii, which dominate forests at high and low elevations, respectively, in subalpine zones of central Japan. In this study, we sought to establish the factors underlying the differential elevational dominance of these two species from the perspective of sapling growth and survival. It is assumed that the growth and survival of saplings is greater at higher rates of surplus production (the value obtained by subtracting the minimum net production to maintain the current sapling leaf mass from the total net production), as sapling leaf mass gradually declines with time if saplings cannot maintain the current sapling leaf mass, thereby increasing the risk of premature mortality. In this regard, we aimed to verify the following two hypotheses: (1) at low elevations, the surplus production rate of A. veitchii is greater than that of A. mariesii in canopy gaps, and vice versa in the forest understory; and (2) at high elevation, the surplus production rate of A. mariesii is greater than that of A. veitchii in both forest understory and canopy gaps. The results obtained in this study were consistent with our two stated hypotheses. In addition, at the low elevation site, the rate of the growth in height of A. veitchii in canopy gaps was greater than that of A. mariesii, indicating that A. veitchii can dominate after disturbance at low elevations. The findings of this study indicate that the differential elevational distribution of the two Abies species can be attributed to interspecific differences in surplus production rates. We believe that these findings will be useful for predicting changes in the distribution of vegetation in response to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rina Suzuki
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Asahi 3-1-1, Matsumoto, 390-8621, Japan
| | - Koichi Takahashi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, 390-8621, Japan.
- Institute of Mountain Science, Shinshu University, Asahi 3-1-1, Matsumoto, 390-8621, Japan.
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Han Y, Jeppesen E, Lürling M, Zhang Y, Ma T, Li W, Chen K, Li K. Combining lanthanum-modified bentonite (LMB) and submerged macrophytes alleviates water quality deterioration in the presence of omni-benthivorous fish. J Environ Manage 2022; 314:115036. [PMID: 35421721 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Bioturbation by omni-benthivorous fish often causes sediment resuspension and internal nutrient loading, which boosts phytoplankton growth and may lead to a shift of clear water lakes to a turbid state. Removal of large-sized omni-benthivorous individuals is a lake restoration measure that may revert lakes from a turbid to a clear water state, yet the rapid reproduction of small omni-benthivorous fish in tropical and subtropical shallow lakes may impede such lake recovery. In lake restoration, also a combination of lanthanum-modified bentonite (LMB) and planting submerged macrophytes has been used that may synergistically improve lake water quality. How the combined effect works in the presence of small omni-benthivorous fish has not been studied, which is needed given the high abundances of small omni-benthivorous fish in (sub)tropical lakes. We conducted a two-by-two factorial mesocosm experiment with and without the submerged macrophytes Vallisneria natans and with and without LMB, all in the presence of small crucian carp. At the end of the experiment, turbidity in the V. natans, LMB and combined LMB + V. natans treatments had decreased by 0.8%, 30.3% and 30.9%, respectively, compared with the controls. In addition, the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) release from the sediment in the combined LMB + V. natans treatments had decreased substantially, by 97.4% and 94.3%, respectively, compared with the control. These N and P fluxes were also significantly lower in the combined LMB + V. natans treatments than in the sole LMB treatment (88.1% and 82.3%) or the V. natans treatment (93.2% and 90.3%). Cyanobacteria in the overlying water in the combined LMB + V. natans treatments significantly decreased by 84.1%, 63.5% and 37.0%, respectively, compared with the control and the sole LMB and V. natans treatments. Our results show that LMB and submerged macrophytes complement each other in effectively improving the water quality, even in the presence of small omni-benthivorous fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanqing Han
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Erik Jeppesen
- Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research, Beijing, 100049, China; Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark; Limnology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Ecosystem Research and Implementation, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey; Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Erdemli-Mersin, 33731, Turkey
| | - Miquel Lürling
- Aquatic Ecology & Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700, AA, Netherlands
| | - You Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
| | - Tingting Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Wei Li
- College of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, 40410, China
| | - Kunquan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Kuanyi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China; Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research, Beijing, 100049, China
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Julián E LL, de Melo C, A C F S. Groundwater discharge locally shapes the rocky shore macroinvertebrate community in South-Southwest Portugal. Mar Environ Res 2022; 179:105672. [PMID: 35717773 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Groundwater discharge is an essential process in the functioning of coastal aquatic ecosystems due to its significant role in nutrient cycling, geochemical mass balances and primary productivity. However, the occurrence patterns, importance, and effects of this discharge on rocky shores communities remain largely unknown. We assessed the importance of groundwater discharge into the highly ecologically important intertidal ecosystems. We compared the benthic macroinvertebrate composition and abundance between discharge and no-discharge sites, replicated for five shores in South and Southwest Portugal. This robust replicated feature across shores and regions is a particularly novel contribution to the field. Groundwater discharge significantly affected the biological communities' abundance across all shores, but not biodiversity patterns. The algae Enteromorpha sp., snail Melaraphe neritoides and lichen Verrucaria maura can potentially be used as bioindication tools for shifts in groundwater discharge quantity and qualitative patterns. Our study validates the importance of this commonly overlooked local disturbance factor in regulating intertidal communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Londoño-Londoño Julián E
- CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Condesso de Melo
- CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Silva A C F
- CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitectura e Georrecursos, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela, Portugal; Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares (DECN), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela, Portugal.
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Mir AH, Sarma K, Upadhaya K. Assessing the effectiveness of community managed forests for plant diversity conservation in Meghalaya, Northeast India. Plant Divers 2022; 44:243-254. [PMID: 35769587 PMCID: PMC9209898 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2021.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In the state Meghalaya, northeast India, >80% of the forest lands are owned by local communities and managed by traditional institutions. These forests are under severe threats due to a number of human disturbances. The present study was conducted to assess the plant diversity and identify the community forests for priority conservation in Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. Floristic explorations carried out in the 87 forests reveals the presence of 1300 plant species of which 400 are either rare, endemic or threatened. Of the different forest categories, reserve forests had the highest number of species (1190), followed by sacred forests (987 species) and village forests (786 species). Majority of the forests (56) had high-species richness, irreplaceability level (42 forests) and vulnerability level (54). In terms of area, 13.8% (1666.8 ha) fall under low risk while 1855 ha under high risk zone. High risk zone was mostly represented by village forests. An area of 7661.56 ha of community forests falls under high priority category and hence calls for immediate conservation actions. The conservation priority map generated in the present study will help to concentrate the protection strategy to the demarcated and adjoining areas and help conservationists and planners to evolve effective strategies for conservation of the community forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aabid Hussain Mir
- Department of Environmental Studies, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, 793022, Meghalaya, India
| | - Kiranmay Sarma
- University School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dwarka 16C, New Delhi, 110075, India
| | - Krishna Upadhaya
- Department of Basic Sciences and Social Sciences, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, 793022, Meghalaya, India
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Perron T, Kouakou A, Simon C, Mareschal L, Frédéric G, Soumahoro M, Kouassi D, Rakotondrazafy N, Rapidel B, Laclau JP, Brauman A. Logging residues promote rapid restoration of soil health after clear-cutting of rubber plantations at two sites with contrasting soils in Africa. Sci Total Environ 2022; 816:151526. [PMID: 34752871 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Soil health is defined as the soil's capacity to deliver ecosystem functions within environmental constraints. On tree plantations, clear-cutting and land preparation between two crop cycles cause severe physical disturbances to the soil and seriously deplete soil organic carbon and biodiversity. Rubber, one of the main tropical perennial crops worldwide, has a plantation life cycle of 25 to 40 years, with successive replanting cycles on the same plot. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of clear-cutting disturbance on three soil functions (carbon transformation, nutrient cycling and structure maintenance) and their restoration after the planting of the new rubber crop, in two contrasting soil situations (Arenosol and Ferralsol) in Côte d'Ivoire. In this 18-month diachronic study, we intensively measured soil functions under different scenarios as regards the management of logging residues and the use or not of a legume cover crop. We investigated the relationship between soil macrofauna diversity and soil heath. At both sites, clear-cutting and land preparation disturbed carbon transformation and nutrient cycling significantly and, to a lesser extent, structure maintenance function. When logging residues were applied, carbon transformation and structure maintenance functions were fully restored within 12 to 18 months after disturbance. By contrast, no restoration of nutrient cycling was observed over the study period. A legume cover crop mainly improved the restoration of carbon transformation. We found a strong relationship (P ≤ 0.001; R2 = 0.62-0.66) between soil macrofauna diversity and soil health. Our overall results were very similar at the two sites, despite their contrasting soil conditions. Keeping logging residues in the plots and sowing a legume in the inter-row at replanting accelerated the restoration of soil functions after major disturbance caused by clear-cutting and land preparation. Our results confirm the necessity of taking soil macrofauna diversity into account in the management of tropical perennial crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Perron
- CIRAD, UMR ABSys, F-34398 Montpellier, France; ABSys, Univ Montpellier, CIHEAM-IAMM, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398 Montpellier, France; SAPH, Direction of Industrial Plantations (DPI), Côte d'Ivoire.
| | - Aymard Kouakou
- Eco&Sols, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France; Nangui Abrogoua University, Ecology and Sustainable Development Laboratory, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Charlotte Simon
- Eco&Sols, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Louis Mareschal
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398 Montpellier, France; Eco&Sols, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Gay Frédéric
- CIRAD, UMR ABSys, F-34398 Montpellier, France; ABSys, Univ Montpellier, CIHEAM-IAMM, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Daouda Kouassi
- SOGB, Agricultural Technique, Auditing and Organisation Department (DTAO), SOCFIN, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Nancy Rakotondrazafy
- Eco&Sols, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Bruno Rapidel
- CIRAD, UMR ABSys, F-34398 Montpellier, France; ABSys, Univ Montpellier, CIHEAM-IAMM, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Paul Laclau
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398 Montpellier, France; Eco&Sols, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Alain Brauman
- Eco&Sols, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Grushecky ST, Zinkhan FC, Strager MP, Carr T. Energy production and well site disturbance from conventional and unconventional natural gas development in West Virginia. Energy Ecol Environ 2022; 7:358-368. [PMID: 35402696 PMCID: PMC8976533 DOI: 10.1007/s40974-022-00246-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Natural gas production from the Appalachian region has reached record levels, primarily due to the rapid increase in development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources. In 2020, over 65,000 conventional wells reported natural gas production; however, this only represented 5% of the total natural gas produced. The remaining 95% of natural gas production can be attributed to 3,901 UOG wells. There has been a wide body of research on disturbance trends related to unconventional development in the region; however, there is limited characterization of disturbance related to production of conventional oil and gas (COG) or research that details energy production in relation to land disturbance. This study compares land disturbance from COG and UOG development as well as energy production. Land disturbance related to COG and UOG development was assessed for wells drilled during 2009-2012. Production data were summarized for the same wells during the period of 2009-2020. The average area disturbed for COG pads was 0.82 ha while UOG pads disturbed 4.02 ha. Results from this study showed that COG wells disturbed significantly less land area during construction; however, UOG wells produced almost 28 times more energy per hectare of land disturbed. This energy production imbalance as well as the over 65,000 COG wells reporting production in 2020, indicates that the retirement and restoration of COG infrastructure could be done without significantly impacting total energy production. Continued research that includes ecosystem services and carbon sequestration opportunities in relation to production losses from retiring existing infrastructure should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn T. Grushecky
- Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, Natural Resources Analysis Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6125 USA
| | | | - Michael P. Strager
- Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, Natural Resources Analysis Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6125 USA
| | - Timothy Carr
- Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6125 USA
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Pawlik Ł, Harrison SP. Modelling and prediction of wind damage in forest ecosystems of the Sudety Mountains, SW Poland. Sci Total Environ 2022; 815:151972. [PMID: 34843776 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Windstorms are one of the most important disturbance factors in European forest ecosystems. An understanding of the major drivers causing observed changes in forests is essential to improve prediction models and as a basis for forest management. In the present study, we use machine learning techniques in combination with data sets on tree properties, bioclimatic and geomorphic conditions, to analyse the level of forest damage by windstorms in the Sudety Mountains over the period 2004-2010. We tested four scenarios under five classification model frameworks: logistic regression, random forest, support vector machines, neural networks, and gradient boosted modelling. Gradient boosted modelling and random forest have the best predictive power. Tree volume and age are the most important predictors of windstorm damage; climate and geomorphic variables are less important. Forest damage maps based on forest data from 2020 show lower probabilities of damage compared to the end of 20th and the beginning of 21st century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Pawlik
- University of Silesia, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, ul. Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland.
| | - Sandy P Harrison
- University of Reading, School of Archaeology, Geography, and Environmental Sciences, Earley, Reading RG6 6AX, United Kingdom
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Smith EA, Holden EM, Brown C, Cahill Jr JF. Disturbance has lasting effects on functional traits and diversity of grassland plant communities. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13179. [PMID: 35356466 PMCID: PMC8958970 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Localized disturbances within grasslands alter biological properties and may shift species composition. For example, rare species in established communities may become dominant in successional communities if they exhibit traits well-suited to disturbance conditions. Although the idea that plant species exhibit different trait 'strategies' is well established, it is unclear how ecological selection for specific traits may change as a function of disturbance. Further, there is little data available testing whether disturbances select for single trait-characters within communities (homogenization), or allow multiple trait-types to persist (diversification). We investigated how (a) traits and (b) functional diversity of post-disturbance gap communities compared to those in adjacent undisturbed grasslands, and (c) if altered functional diversity resulted in the homogenization or diversification of functional traits. Methods Here we emulate the impacts of an extreme disturbance in a native grassland site. We measured plant community composition of twelve paired 50 × 50 cm plots (24 total) in Alberta, Canada. Each pair consisted of one undisturbed plot and one which had all plants terminated 2 years prior. We used species abundances and a local trait database to calculate community weighted means for maximum height, specific leaf area, specific root length, leaf nitrogen percent, and root nitrogen percent. To test the impacts of disturbance on community functional traits, we calculated functional diversity measures and compared them between disturbed and undisturbed communities. Results Within 2 years, species richness and evenness in disturbed communities had recovered and was equivalent to undisturbed communities. However, disturbed and undisturbed communities had distinct community compositions, resulting in lower functional divergence in disturbed plots. Further, disturbance was linked to increases in community-weighted mean trait values for resource-acquisitive traits, such as specific leaf area, and leaf and root nitrogen. Discussion Disturbance had lasting effects on the functional traits and diversity of communities, despite traditional biodiversity measures such as richness and evenness recovering within 2 years. The trait space of gap communities shifted compared to undisturbed communities such that gap communities were dominated by traits enhancing resource uptake and growth rates. Overall, these results show that short-term disturbance fundamentally changes the functional character of early-successional communities, even if they superficially appear recovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen A. Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Emily M. Holden
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Charlotte Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | - James F. Cahill Jr
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Román M, de Los Santos CB, Román S, Santos R, Troncoso JS, Vázquez E, Olabarria C. Loss of surficial sedimentary carbon stocks in seagrass meadows subjected to intensive clam harvesting. Mar Environ Res 2022; 175:105570. [PMID: 35121492 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Seagrass carbon stocks are vulnerable to physical disturbance. We assessed the effect of clam harvesting on the organic carbon (Corg) stocks in surface sediments in four intertidal Zostera noltei meadows on the Iberian Atlantic coast (Spain and Portugal), by comparing undisturbed and harvested areas. We also monitored the spatial cover of the meadows throughout the growing season. Sedimentary Corg content and Corg stocks were about four times lower in intensively harvested areas than in control areas, but there were not differences between areas with low harvesting pressure and control areas. Reductions of 53-85% in sedimentary Corg stocks of Z. noltei meadows were caused by intensive clam harvesting. The effect of intensive clam harvesting on Corg stocks increased throughout the growing season, but the area covered by the seagrass increased from 21 to 37%, suggesting rapid recovery of seagrass canopies and potential recovery of sedimentary Corg stocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Román
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, EcoCost, Facultade de Ciencias del Mar, Edificio CC Experimentais, Campus de Vigo, As Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310, Vigo, Spain.
| | - Carmen B de Los Santos
- Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
| | - Salvador Román
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, EcoCost, Facultade de Ciencias del Mar, Edificio CC Experimentais, Campus de Vigo, As Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310, Vigo, Spain
| | - Rui Santos
- Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
| | - Jesús S Troncoso
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, EcoCost, Facultade de Ciencias del Mar, Edificio CC Experimentais, Campus de Vigo, As Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310, Vigo, Spain
| | - Elsa Vázquez
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, EcoCost, Facultade de Ciencias del Mar, Edificio CC Experimentais, Campus de Vigo, As Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310, Vigo, Spain
| | - Celia Olabarria
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, EcoCost, Facultade de Ciencias del Mar, Edificio CC Experimentais, Campus de Vigo, As Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310, Vigo, Spain
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