News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Natasha Gilbert
Summary: After the signing of a significant biodiversity agreement last year, countries are currently debating the fair financing of conservation efforts.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ian H. Luby, Steve J. Miller, Stephen Polasky
Summary: Ongoing deforestation poses a major threat to biodiversity. This study used a dynamic optimization approach to identify the optimal sequence for plant conservation in forested ecoregions globally over the next 50 years. The results highlight the potential for significant gains in conservation with targeted investments.
Article
Ecology
Rajeev Pillay, Michelle Venter, Jose Aragon-Osejo, Pamela Gonzalez-del-Pliego, Andrew J. Hansen, James Em Watson, Oscar Venter
Summary: Tropical forests are home to the majority of terrestrial vertebrate species on Earth, with a significant proportion being endemic and at risk of extinction. Conservation efforts are crucial to protect these ecosystems from deforestation and other anthropogenic threats in order to safeguard the biodiversity that supports essential ecosystem functions and services.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Federico Riva, Caroline J. Martin, Koreen Millard, Lenore Fahrig
Summary: Research shows that small forest patches are more valuable for biodiversity conservation compared to large forest patches, but current policies prioritize the protection of large forest patches. The study also reveals a global trend of higher deforestation rates in small forest patches than in large ones, indicating a disproportionate impact on biodiversity relative to the total forest area removed. Addressing this issue and achieving the goals of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will require policy revision and increased societal awareness of the importance of small habitat patches.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Annabel Whibley
Summary: The global threat to biodiversity is increasing, but recent advances in sequencing and assembly technologies have brought about a golden age for biodiversity genomics. Researchers reported a high-quality draft genome assembly of the endangered vaquita, whose population has sharply declined due to bycatch, in a recent issue of Molecular Ecology Resources.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Economics
Cahit Guven, Haishan Yuan, Quanda Zhang, Vural Aksakalli
Summary: The study reveals that the effect of daylight saving time on electricity consumption depends strongly on weather conditions and cooling usage, with forward DST increasing electricity consumption when temperatures and air conditioner ownership are higher. Simulation results are provided for EU countries considering DST adoption in the upcoming year, with findings being policy-relevant due to rising temperatures and global increases in cooling usage during summer.
Article
Economics
Bing Yang Tan
Summary: Trees in urban areas have been found to benefit human health by reducing pollution and lowering mortality rates, particularly for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Damage to urban forests leads to increased mortality rates. The study suggests that urban forests in 2014 reduced all-cause mortality by 29.3%, equivalent to 299,000 deaths.
ENVIRONMENTAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicholas Hendershot, Alejandra Echeverri, Luke O. Frishkoff, James R. Zook, Tadashi Fukami, Gretchen C. Daily
Summary: Although agricultural landscapes can support wildlife in the short term, it is uncertain whether they can truly sustain wildlife populations in the long term. Diversified farming practices help sustain populations of forest-affiliated species, but cannot fully offset the losses in forest habitats.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Liang Li, Danshi Liu, Jian Deng, Matthew J. Lutz, Guangming Xie
Summary: This study investigates how fish can save energy by extracting vortices shed from their neighbors using simple proprioceptive sensing with the caudal fin. Through simulations and experiments, it is demonstrated that simple proprioceptive sensing is sufficient to optimize body undulation to save energy efficiently.
BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture
A. Hernandez-Solana, D. Perez-Diaz-de-Cerio, M. Garcia-Lozano, A. Valdovinos, J. L. Valenzuela
Summary: PSM-DMO is a novel strategy that minimizes energy consumption in BLE mesh networks while ensuring network reliability. By replacing continuous scanning with periodic but asynchronous polling process, it significantly reduces the energy consumption of relay nodes.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Umar Aftab Abbasi, Eskil Mattsson, Sarath Premalal Nissanka, Arshad Ali
Summary: Compared to temperate and boreal forests, tropical forests are biodiverse, structurally-complex and high-functioning ecosystems, but vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances and environmental factors. This study found that the attributes of tropical forests respond to water-related climatic and soil nutrient-related factors. Water-related climatic factors had a strong positive effect on forest conditions, followed by temperature-related climatic factors, while soil factors had negligible effects. Improving water-energy balance and soil conditions can increase biodiversity and carbon stocks of tropical forests, offsetting anthropogenic carbon emissions. Conservation practices should consider multiple environmental and biotic attributes for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Paula Sangines de Carcer, Piotr S. Mederski, Natascia Magagnotti, Raffaele Spinelli, Benjamin Engler, Rupert Seidl, Andreas Eriksson, Jeannette Eggers, Leo Gallus Bont, Janine Schweier
Summary: The review on post-windstorm management in selected European countries highlights the need for mechanization, training, coordination, and market consolidation. Tailored approaches are necessary, taking into account different forest types and regulations.
CURRENT FORESTRY REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Chase L. Nunez, John R. Poulsen, Lee J. T. White, Vincent Medjibe, James S. Clark
Summary: In order to mitigate climate change, maintain biodiversity, and preserve ecosystem services, it is important to have a more refined understanding of how tropical forests respond to changes in the abiotic environment. This study uses country-wide tree species inventories, remotely sensed climate data, and future climate predictions to evaluate the unique response of diverse Afrotropical forest communities to disturbances in the abiotic environment. The study predicts a decrease in Afrotropical forest species richness by the end of the century, contrasting with the higher loss of plant diversity predicted in the Neotropics. The findings highlight the need for more representative studies in understudied diverse biomes and provide important contrasting predictions for Afrotropical forests.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Su-yeon Jung, Sowon Han, Min-Goo Lee, Heangwoo Lee
Summary: Louvers are technical components used to improve energy performance in buildings. This study proposes a solar tracking-based movable louver system and examines its efficacy through a full-scale test bed. The findings demonstrate that the proposed system can improve indoor uniformity and reduce energy consumption.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dan Liu, Tao Wang, Josep Penuelas, Shilong Piao
Summary: A global analysis shows that tree species diversity promotes drought resistance in nearly half of global forests. The impact of species diversity on resistance varies across regions, with larger benefits observed in dry and drought-prone forests. Restoring species diversity could be an effective strategy to mitigate the impact of extreme droughts, especially in dry regions.