Article
Entomology
Simona Bonelli, Cristiana Cerrato, Francesca Barbero, Maria Virginia Boiani, Giorgio Buffa, Luca Pietro Casacci, Lorenzo Fracastoro, Antonello Provenzale, Enrico Rivella, Michele Zaccagno, Emilio Balletto
Summary: The study monitored the changes in a butterfly community in the Maritime Alps over a period of 40 years and found an overall increase in mobile, tolerant, and thermophilous species. These changes in the butterfly community composition were attributed to the increase in maximum temperatures and the reduction of grasslands, along with the increase of woodlands. The study highlights the impact of local warming and land-use changes on butterfly communities.
Editorial Material
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
A. Murat Tekalp, Michele Covell, Radu Timofte, Chao Dong
Summary: The special issue focuses on deep learning for image/video restoration and compression, showcasing the success of learned methods in achieving significant performance gains in perceptual quality measures. This redefines the state of the art in image restoration and compression, highlighting opportunities for further progress in innovative architectures and training methods.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING
(2021)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Hayat Mahdjoub, Bea Maas, Martin A. Nunez, Rassim Khelifa
Summary: The lack of diversity in editorial boards hinders diverse perspectives in fields such as ecology, evolution, and conservation. To promote equity, diversity, and inclusion, we outline ten key actions that editorial boards can take, which benefit the journal by attracting a wider readership, enhancing diversity among authors, and overcoming biases in editorial decisions.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Emily B. Graham, Joseph E. Knelman
Summary: Understanding the processes of microbial community assembly is crucial for comprehending the role of microorganisms in ecosystem restoration and for optimizing management strategies. Important factors to consider when evaluating microbial community structure in the context of ecosystem recovery include: variations in community assembly processes, linkages to ecosystem function, and measurable microbial community attributes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tracey Osborne, Samara Brock, Robin Chazdon, Susan Chomba, Eva Garen, Victoria Gutierrez, Rebecca Lave, Manon Lefevre, Juanita Sundberg
Summary: The urgency of restoring ecosystems is attracting global attention, with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) as a call to action. While many forest restoration efforts have failed, the Political Ecology Playbook sets out ten principles for achieving long-lasting, resilient, and equitable ecosystem restoration.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Junyi Su, Renfei Zhang, Minghao Wu, Ruiying Yang, Zhicheng Liu, Xiaoming Xu
Summary: In this study, the changes in landscape patterns and habitat quality in the Yongding River floodplain from 1967 to 2018 were evaluated. The results showed that the landscape pattern was dominated by arable land and forestland while construction land expanded. The landscape tended to fragmentation and complexity increased. Habitat quality was generally above medium level, but low-quality areas increased. There was a strong correlation between habitat quality and the Aggregation Index, Diversity Index, and water and forestland area.
Article
Ecology
Michael Tessler, Seth W. W. Cunningham, Melissa R. R. Ingala, Sally D. D. Warring, Mercer R. R. Brugler
Summary: Environmental DNA (eDNA) sequencing, which collects DNA from living cells or shed DNA in the environment, has greatly benefited microbial ecologists. With the advancement of metabarcoding and metagenomics, eDNA methods have become increasingly powerful and affordable. However, these methods are evolving rapidly, making it overwhelming for newcomers. This review provides a starting point for microbial ecologists, covering study design, sample collection, sequencing technology selection, lab protocols, equipment, and bioinformatic tools, with a focus on the application of eDNA in restoration.
Article
Geography, Physical
Yougui Song, Junsheng Nie, Chunhui Song, Jinbo Zan
Summary: This special issue focuses on the climate and environmental changes in Central Asia during the Cenozoic era and explores their forcing mechanisms. Through 33 publications, covering various themes from present to past, it provides important insights into the tectonic and climate changes in the Asian interior.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Peter Innes, Andre Gossweiler, Scott Jensen, Derek Tilley, Loren St John, Thomas Jones, Stanley Kitchen, Brent S. Hulke
Summary: Common flax is widely grown as a food and fibre crop, while its perennial relative, Lewis flax, shows potential as an oilseed crop and in ecological restoration. A common garden experiment in the Intermountain West region revealed that Lewis flax has key traits that vary according to latitude and climate, which can aid its adaptation. These traits include flowering time, seed mass, and stem number. This study provides valuable information for the use of Lewis flax in both restoration and agriculture, and for its domestication as a high-omega-3 oil source.
Editorial Material
Computer Science, Information Systems
Liuqing Yang, Wentao Huang, Vassilios G. Agelidis, Dongliang Duan, Yang Cao
Summary: Recent years have seen significant advancements in the power grid, such as the replacement of traditional mechanical components with intelligent electronics devices, the introduction of renewable energy resources and large-scale energy storage, the production of smart appliances for customized and efficient energy usage, and the implementation of advanced sensors for real-time monitoring. In essence, the power grid is transforming into a big Internet of Things (IoT) network, where individual components operate intelligently in a distributed but interconnected manner.
IEEE INTERNET OF THINGS JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lesli C. Hernandez-Mendoza, Luis Escalera-Vazquez, Daniel Arceo-Carranza
Summary: This study compares the trophic dynamics of a fish community in a mangrove ecosystem in the Mexican-Caribbean using different types of fish species as bioindicators. The results show that the feeding characteristics of fish are related to the conservation or restoration status of the mangroves and the trophic dynamics in the community.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Food Science & Technology
Ioannis N. Savvaidis, J. Fernando Ayala-Zavala
Summary: This special issue consists of 13 research articles and one review analyzing natural antimicrobial agents applied in real food systems, with submissions from 14 countries. The studies cover a variety of antimicrobial substances and their effectiveness in different food matrices, providing important contributions to understanding the mode of actions of natural antimicrobials in real food systems.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ben Yang, Kathleen R. Balazs, Bradley J. Butterfield, Katherine M. Laushman, Seth M. Munson, Elise S. Gornish, Albert Barberan
Summary: Despite the limited impact of plant community-based restoration practices on soil micro-organisms in the short term, our results emphasize the importance of considering site-specific targeted microbiome restoration to establish desired microbial communities quickly in dryland ecosystems where soil micro-organisms play crucial roles.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ezmie Trevarrow, Ivan Arismendi
Summary: This study used camera trap videos to document wildlife biodiversity and animal activities at several large wood complexes in Rock Creek, Oregon. The results showed that large wood plays an important role in supporting wildlife biodiversity and providing habitat connectivity between terrestrial and aquatic environments. The study also highlighted the variability in the effects of large wood across different stream locations.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Brittany E. Pugh, Megan Colley, Stephen J. Dugdale, Patrick Edwards, Rebecca Flitcroft, Andres Holz, Matthew Johnson, Michela Mariani, Mickey Means-Brous, Kate Meyer, Kevan B. Moffett, Lisa Renan, Franziska Schrodt, Colin Thorne, Samuel Valman, Upekala Wijayratne, Richard Field
Summary: Historically, wildfires have significantly impacted landscape-scale disturbances and enhanced biodiversity through generating temporally and spatially heterogeneous mosaics of wildfire severity and post-burn recovery. However, river management practices have often disconnected rivers from their floodplains, reducing biodiversity and increasing the likelihood of deep, uniform burns. By focusing on floodplain re-wetting and restoration, river management can reduce wildfire intensity and enhance biodiversity, contributing to climate-change resilience.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
