Article
Forestry
Yericho Berhanu, Gemedo Dalle, Dejene W. Sintayehu, Girma Kelboro, Abebe Nigussie
Summary: This study examines the spatial and temporal dynamics of woody species composition, structure, and diversity in the Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve. The results show a significant reduction in woody species richness, evenness, and diversity during the study period, which is most pronounced in areas with lower altitudes, lower slope gradients, and higher human settlement and agricultural expansion. Unsustainable land use practices have led to a rapid decline and massive turnover of woody species diversity.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Mubarek Eshetie, Tsegaye Gobezie, Seid Muhie Dawd
Summary: The study evaluated the influence of exclosures on woody species diversity and regeneration status in Ethiopia, showing a positive impact on vegetation diversity and regeneration in exclosures compared to non-exclosures.Continuous follow-up and maintenance of soil water conservation structures are crucial for further enhancing diversity and abundance of woody species in degraded lands.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Nathan Lamb, Kayri Havens, Jalen Holloway, James F. Steffen, Jacob Zeldin, Andrea T. Kramer
Summary: The study found significant differences in species composition between aboveground vegetation and the soil seed bank at reference and unrestored sites, with restoration status predicting native species richness, diversity, floristic quality, and seed density in the soil seed bank. Results suggest that reintroduction of native seeds will be necessary for fully restoring desired native plant communities in oak woodlands following the removal of invasive woody plants.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mekdes Ourge Wegasie, Kari Klanderud, Orjan Totland, Katrine Eldegard
Summary: Understanding the responses of different ontogenetic stages of O. europaea to environmental and human disturbance factors is crucial for conservation strategies, as the population structure shows low recruitment and the relationship with human disturbance differs between life stages. Conservation strategies should take into account the environmental niches of different life stages and their association with human disturbance.
Article
Forestry
Simon Shibru, Habtamu Asres, Seyoum Getaneh, Shetie Gatew
Summary: Forest restoration relies on the availability of soil seed banks. This study compared the relationships between aboveground flora and soil seed bank flora in plantation and natural forests in Southern Ethiopia. The findings suggest that the potential for restoration from soil seed banks is low, indicating the need for additional in-situ conservation measures for sustainable development and use of forest ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Frederique Montfort, Marie Nourtier, Clovis Grinand, Solene Maneau, Corentin Mercier, Jean-Baptiste Roelens, Lilian Blanc
Summary: The study in Mozambique found that Miombo woodland has a strong regeneration capacity after slash-and-burn farming, with woody species richness and diversity reaching levels similar to mature woodlands after around 20-25 years. However, species composition in regrowth areas remained different from mature woodlands, with tree density decreasing over time and carbon stocks increasing. Overall, the region showed a high regeneration capacity for woody species diversity and soil properties, but disturbances had a long-term impact on species composition and stand structure, emphasizing the importance of integrated landscape management for ecosystem services.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Mengistu Gelasso, Junqing Li
Summary: This study evaluates the structure and regeneration status of woody species in the Munessa Forest in southern Ethiopia. The results indicate significant forest degradation due to anthropogenic disturbances, with better regeneration for less valuable woody species than for species with economic and ecological value.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Zerihun Kebebew, Claire Ozanne
Summary: The future of the Afromontane forest in southwest Ethiopia is significantly influenced by the intensity of coffee management. This study investigated the conservation value of woody species in a human-modified forest in the region. The results showed that the coffee agroforest maintained the highest diversity of woody species, while the overall abundance and basal area of woody species decreased from natural forest to coffee forest and coffee agroforest. The coffee agroforests simplified the composition and structure of the Afromontane forest in southwest Ethiopia.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Melese Genete Muluneh, Motuma Tolera Feyissa, Tefera Mangistu Wolde
Summary: This study investigated the impact of anthropogenic disturbance and fragment size on the diversity and structural attributes of woody species in northern Ethiopian forests. The findings suggest that increasing fragment size can enhance diversity and stability of the forest, while disturbance intensities varied among different patches.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Abebe Fikadu, Mekuria Argaw
Summary: The study revealed that exclosures have a significant positive impact on the diversity, richness, and density of woody vegetation compared to open grazing lands. Important species in the exclosures showed a healthy regeneration status, indicated by an inverted J shape pattern in the size class distribution, while open grazing lands had irregular and less interpretable patterns. This suggests that exclosures can effectively contribute to biodiversity restoration in highly degraded lands.
Article
Forestry
Tarin Toledo-Aceves, Alma L. Trujillo-Miranda, Fabiola L. Lopez-Barrera
Summary: Active restoration may be more effective in promoting tree regeneration, especially for the recovery of late-successional and barochorous-synzoochorous functional groups. However, despite higher seedling density in active restoration, overall seedling density remains low, highlighting the need for additional intervention measures to facilitate tree regeneration.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Habtamu Degefa, Motuma Tolera, Dong-Gill Kim, Wolde Mekuria
Summary: The establishment of exclosures in rangelands can lead to an increase in the number of economically valuable woody species but does not significantly affect the diversity of trees and shrubs. The soil under exclosures has significantly higher organic carbon and nitrogen content and stocks compared to adjacent grazing lands, although it takes about ten years to detect significant differences.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Yericho Berhanu, Gemedo Dalle, Dejene W. Sintayehu, Girma Kelboro, Abebe Nigussie
Summary: Understanding the dynamics of woody species diversity is crucial for designing sustainable biodiversity management strategies, yet the scientific information on this topic remains scarce and unexplored in the Eastern Afromontane Forests. The study in the Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve revealed a significant reduction in woody species richness, evenness, and diversity over time, particularly in areas with settlement and agricultural expansion.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel Ayalew Mengistu, Daniel Asfaw Bekele, Agumassie Genet Gela, Derege Tsegaye Meshesha, Mulatie Mekonen Getahun
Summary: Forests provide various ecosystem services, but the expansion of agriculture and settlement has led to the loss of forest resources and biodiversity. This study evaluates the impact of area exclosure on woody plant species composition, regeneration status, structure, and diversity in Mount Adama.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chengwei Duan, Xilai Li, Chengyi Li, Pengnian Yang, Yu Chai, Wenyin Xu
Summary: It is important to study the relationship between microbial diversity and multifunctionality. We investigated the alpha and beta diversity of bacteria and fungi, as well as soil multifunctionality, in different restoration succession stages. The results showed that soil pH and moisture were crucial limiting factors in the natural restoration succession stages, and soil moisture mediated the microbial diversity-multifunctionality relationships.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mariska Bauwelinck, Lidia Casas, Tim S. Nawrot, Benoit Nemery, Sonia Trabelsi, Isabelle Thomas, Raf Aerts, Wouter Lefebvre, Charlotte Vanpoucke, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Patrick Deboosere, Hadewijch Vandenheede
Summary: The study found a relationship between long-term residential exposure to green space and non-accidental and respiratory mortality rates, as evidenced in a large representative cohort in the five largest urban areas in Belgium. After adjusting for multiple variables, it was discovered that higher degrees of residential green space were associated with lower rates of non-accidental and respiratory mortality.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Sebastien Dujardin, Michiel Stas, Camille Van Eupen, Raf Aerts, Marijke Hendrickx, Andy W. Delcloo, Francois Duchene, Rafiq Hamdi, Tim S. Nawrot, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Jean-Marie Aerts, Jos Van Orshoven, Ben Somers, Catherine Linard, Nicolas Dendoncker
Summary: Mapping the distribution of allergenic plants in urbanized landscapes is crucial for evaluating its impact on human health. This research presents a method for producing high-resolution abundance maps of allergenic tree species using existing forest inventories and citizen science data. By combining species distribution models with statistical regressions, the accuracy of abundance distribution models is improved. This approach provides a detailed map of allergenic tree species abundance, allowing for a better understanding of allergy risk and supporting evidence-based urban green space policy and planning.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dengkai Chi, Raf Aerts, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Mariska Bauwelinck, Claire Demoury, Michelle Plusquin, Tim S. Nawrot, Lidia Casas, Ben Somers
Summary: This study quantified the number of trees and relevant 3D structural traits in Brussels and investigated their associations with sales of medication commonly prescribed for mood disorders and cardiovascular disease. The results showed that an increase in crown volume was associated with lower medication sales, while an increase in stem density was associated with higher medication sales. This suggests that conserving large trees in urban environments can have positive effects on human health.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pauline Hautekiet, Nelly D. Saenen, Raf Aerts, Dries S. Martens, Harry A. Roels, Esmee M. Bijnens, Tim S. Nawrot
Summary: This study is the first to evaluate the association between residential surrounding green space and mitochondrial DNA content (mtDNAc) in children. The results showed that green space was positively associated with mtDNAc in children, indicating the importance of the early life environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pieter A. Zuidema, Flurin Babst, Peter Groenendijk, Valerie Trouet, Abrham Abiyu, Rodolfo Acuna-Soto, Eduardo Adenesky-Filho, Raquel Alfaro-Sanchez, Jose Roberto Vieira Aragao, Gabriel Assis-Pereira, Xue Bai, Ana Carolina Barbosa, Giovanna Battipaglia, Hans Beeckman, Paulo Cesar Botosso, Tim Bradley, Achim Braeuning, Roel Brienen, Brendan M. Buckley, J. Julio Camarero, Ana Carvalho, Gregorio Ceccantini, Librado R. Centeno-Erguera, Julian Cerano-Paredes, Alvaro Agustin Chavez-Duran, Bruno Barcante Ladvocat Cintra, Malcolm K. Cleaveland, Camille Couralet, Rosanne D'Arrigo, Jorge Ignacio del Valle, Oliver Duenisch, Brian J. Enquist, Karin Esemann-Quadros, Zewdu Eshetu, Ze-Xin Fan, M. Eugenia Ferrero, Esther Fichtler, Claudia Fontana, Kainana S. Francisco, Aster Gebrekirstos, Emanuel Gloor, Daniela Granato-Souza, Kristof Haneca, Grant Logan Harley, Ingo Heinrich, Gerd Helle, Janet G. Inga, Mahmuda Islam, Yu-mei Jiang, Mark Kaib, Zakia Hassan Khamisi, Marcin Koprowski, Bart Kruijt, Eva Layme, Rik Leemans, A. Joshua Leffler, Claudio Sergio Lisi, Neil J. Loader, Giuliano Maselli Locosselli, Lidio Lopez, Maria Lopez-Hernandez, Jose Luis Penetra Cerveira Lousada, Hooz A. Mendivelso, Mulugeta Mokria, Valdinez Ribeiro Montoia, Eddy Moors, Cristina Nabais, Justine Ngoma, Francisco de Carvalho Nogueira Junior, Juliano Morales Oliveira, Gabriela Morais Olmedo, Mariana Alves Pagotto, Shankar Panthi, Gonzalo Perez-De-Lis, Darwin Pucha-Cofrep, Nathsuda Pumijumnong, Mizanur Rahman, Jorge Andres Ramirez, Edilson Jimmy Requena-Rojas, Adauto de Souza Ribeiro, Iain Robertson, Fidel Alejandro Roig, Ernesto Alonso Rubio-Camacho, Ute Sass-Klaassen, Jochen Schongart, Paul R. Sheppard, Franziska Slotta, James H. Speer, Matthew D. Therrell, Benjamin Toirambe, Mario Tomazello-Filho, Max C. A. Torbenson, Ramzi Touchan, Alejandro Venegas-Gonzalez, Ricardo Villalba, Jose Villanueva-Diaz, Royd Vinya, Mart Vlam, Tommy Wils, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Summary: According to a pantropical tree-ring network, dry-season climate variability is a primary driver of tropical tree growth. The study found that woody biomass growth increases with dry-season precipitation and decreases with dry-season maximum temperature. The strength of these dry-season climate responses varies among sites and is influenced by drier, hotter, and more climatically variable regions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Claire Demoury, Raf Aerts, Bram Vandeninden, Bert Van Schaeybroeck, Eva M. De Clercq
Summary: Temperature has a significant impact on health, with both low and high temperatures associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. The sensitivity to temperature varies among different age groups and genders, and individuals living in developed areas are more vulnerable to high temperatures. There is no confounding effect of air pollutants on the results.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Raf Aerts, Naomi Vanlessen, Sebastien Dujardin, Benoit Nemery, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Mariska Bauwelinck, Lidia Casas, Claire Demoury, Michelle Plusquin, Tim S. Nawrot
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the associations between different types and quantities of green space and the sales of mood disorder medication in Belgium. The results suggest that living in green environments may be beneficial for adult mental health, with woodland exposure being the most beneficial and the quantity of green space being more important than the type. The findings underscore the importance of conserving green space in our living environment for biodiversity conservation and human health.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yinthe Dockx, Esmee Bijnens, Nelly Saenen, Raf Aerts, Jean-Marie Aerts, Lidia Casas, Andy Delcloo, Nicolas Dendoncker, Catherine Linard, Michelle Plusquin, Michiel Stas, an Van Nieuwenhuyse, Jos Van Orshoven, Ben Somers, Tim Nawrot
Summary: Numerous studies have shown that green space has a significant impact on adult cognition and childhood neurodevelopment, and these effects may be partly driven by epigenetic modifications. This study investigated the influence of green space on epigenetic processes in placental tissue during foetal development. The results indicate that increased maternal green space exposure is associated with increased methylation of HTR2A in placental tissue. These findings are important for understanding the relationship between epigenetic changes, placental functional modifications, and foetal development.
Article
Ecology
Jeroen Krols, Raf Aerts, Naomi Vanlessen, Valerie Dewaelheyns, Sebastien Dujardin, Ben Somers
Summary: The study found associations between residential green space quality, green space related activities, socioeconomic background variables of gardeners, and self-reported health, with nature relatedness playing a key role in linking gardens to improved health.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Claire Demoury, Katrien De Troeyer, Finaba Berete, Raf Aerts, Bert Van Schaeybroeck, Johan Van der Heyden, Eva M. De Clercq
Summary: This study found a significant association between extreme temperatures and overall natural and respiratory mortality. Certain individual characteristics and residential factors modulated this association, and air pollutants also had an impact on the effects.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Gelaye Gebremichael, Kitessa Hundera, Lindsay De Decker, Raf Aerts, Luc Lens, Anagaw Atickem
Summary: Shade coffee farms in southwest Ethiopia have high avian biodiversity, but their vegetation structure, influenced by forest management, affects bird community composition and functional guilds. This study found that tree diameter at breast height and crown cover positively correlated with the richness and abundance of certain bird guilds, while basal area and canopy cover positively correlated with certain other bird guilds.
Article
Allergy
Joren Buekers, Michiel Stas, Raf Aerts, Nicolas Bruffaerts, Sebastien Dujardin, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Jos Van Orshoven, Guillaume Chevance, Ben Somers, Jean-Marie Aerts, Judith Garcia-Aymerich
Summary: This study aimed to estimate the associations between daily allergy burden and heart rate characteristics of adults with allergic rhinitis. The results showed that an increase in allergy symptom score was associated with an increase in next-day resting heart rate, and an increase in mood score was associated with an increase in same-day sample entropy. These findings suggest that daily allergy burden has systemic effects beyond the respiratory system.
CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL ALLERGY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Paulien Verscheure, Olivier Honnay, Niko Speybroeck, Robin Daelemans, Nicolas Bruffaerts, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Tobias Ceulemans, Laura Van Gerven, Raf Aerts, Rik Schrijvers
Summary: The increase in allergies to aeroallergens is attributed to interactions with environmental and lifestyle changes, with environmental nitrogen pollution potentially being a key driver. While the ecological impact of nitrogen pollution is well understood, its indirect effect on allergies in humans is not well documented. This literature review focuses on the impact of nitrogen pollution on plant communities, plant productivity, and pollen properties, and how these changes contribute to allergy burden. The majority of studies have examined the impact of atmospheric nitrogen pollution on pollen and allergens, leading to allergy symptoms, but limited research has been conducted on the impact of soil and aqueous nitrogen pollution on pollen allergenic reactivity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Respiratory System
J. Buekers, M. Stas, R. Aerts, N. Bruffaerts, S. Dujardin, A. Van Nieuwenhuyse, J. Van Orshoven, G. Chevance, B. Somers, J. Aerts, J. Garcia-Aymerich
EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Eva Beele, Maarten Reyniers, Raf Aerts, Ben Somers
Summary: This study introduces crowdsourced data from the Leuven.cool network in Belgium and presents a newly developed station-specific temperature quality control and correction procedure, which effectively reduces temperature biases in the data.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2022)