Article
Soil Science
Renshan Li, Xin Guan, Jianming Han, Yanzhao Zhang, Weidong Zhang, Jiao Wang, Yanqing Huang, Ming Xu, Longchi Chen, Silong Wang, Qingpeng Yang
Summary: Thinning did not significantly affect litter decomposition rate, while understory removal markedly restricted litter mass loss. Although soil microbial abundance decreased after understory removal, it was not the main reason for the reduction in litter decomposition rate.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dorota Wronska-Pilarek, Sebastian Rymszewicz, Andrzej M. Jagodzinski, Radoslaw Gawrys, Marcin K. Dyderski
Summary: Understanding the response of vegetation composition and diversity to global changes is crucial for ecosystem management and conservation. This study assessed shifts in understory vegetation in a national park in Poland after 40 years of conservation, and found overall homogenization of forest vegetation and specific shift patterns in certain forest associations. The results highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring and management for preserving diversity and functionality in the face of global changes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wei He, Abdul Baess Keyhani, Zhiyuan Ma, Jiaoyang Xu, Chenchen Zhang, Xin Xu, Mingjun Teng, Zhaogui Yan, Ben Wang, Pengcheng Wang
Summary: Changes in understory vegetation can impact the degradation of litter lignin, with removal of understory vegetation leading to reduced nonadditive effects and consistent low lignin degradation rates. In addition to litter species composition, alterations in microclimate resulting from understory vegetation changes can also influence lignin degradation rate, as indicated by path analysis linking microbial biomass nitrogen, average temperature, and lignin concentration with lignin degradation.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Samuel F. Stickley, Jennifer M. Fraterrigo
Summary: Research has shown that the understory vegetation structure plays a role in buffering near-surface forest temperatures, enhancing the accuracy of maximum temperature predictions. Additionally, the spatial and temporal mismatches between free-air and microclimatic temperatures are influenced by elevation and solar insolation, highlighting the potential impact of landscape physiographic characteristics on temperature deviations between macro- and micro-scales. This research underscores the importance of incorporating complex vegetation characteristics and biophysical interactions into microclimate modeling for accurately predicting microclimatic temperatures and understanding organismal responses to climate change.
Article
Forestry
Mialintsoa Aroniaina Randriamananjara, Nicole J. Fenton, Annie Desrochers
Summary: Monocultures and mixed plantations have different effects on understory vegetation diversity and composition. Vascular plant and lichen species richness are similar in all plantation types, while bryophyte species richness is higher in mixed plantations and spruce monocultures compared to poplar monocultures. Land-use history influences vascular plant composition.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xue-Ping Shi, Yan-feng Bai, Ping Song, Yuan-Yuan Liu, Zhuo-Wen Zhang, Bo Zheng, Chun-Qian Jiang, Yong-Jian Wang
Summary: The spatial heterogeneity of light and nutrient deficiency in forest understories can benefit from proper fertilization management and clonal integration. Light heterogeneity, phosphorus addition, and clonal integration promote the growth, diversity, and evenness of ferns and soil microbial communities. The interactions between clonal integration and/or phosphorus addition under light heterogeneity increase the benefits of ferns in light-rich patches and promote the integrative performance of ferns and soil microbial communities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Gibran Renoy Perez-Toledo, Jorge E. Valenzuela-Gonzalez, Claudia E. Moreno, Fabricio Villalobos, Rogerio R. Silva
Summary: Mountains are ideal systems for evaluating diversity gradients due to their high environmental variation. This study in Veracruz, Mexico, focused on leaf-litter ant diversity patterns along an elevational gradient, finding that temperature had a significant effect on both alpha- and beta-diversity, with a hump-shaped pattern in species richness explained by temperature gradient.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Ela Zangy, Jaime Kigel, Shabtai Cohen, Yossef Moshe, Mor Ashkenazi, Ori Fragman-Sapir, Yagil Osem
Summary: The study assessed the impact of overstory cover manipulation on plant species diversity in East-Mediterranean conifer forests. It found that as overstory cover decreased, understory plant diversity increased linearly, with light availability having a greater influence on species richness than water availability. The findings suggest that overstory cover is a key factor shaping understory diversity in water-limited Mediterranean forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Cui Deng, Maokui Lyu, Xiaoling Xiong, Josep Penuelas, Jordi Sardans, Xiaojie Li, Weisheng Lin, Yusheng Yang, Jinsheng Xie
Summary: When reforesting degraded lands in subtropical China, the presence of understory ferns can affect soil organic carbon dynamics and soil respiration. This study found that removing ferns from restoration sites significantly decreased soil respiration in younger pine stands, but not in older ones.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Sanya Cowal, Jonathan R. Morris, Esteli Jimenez-Soto, Stacy M. Philpott
Summary: Vegetation connectivity is crucial for arboreal ants in coffee agroecosystems, influencing their activity, resource recruitment, and pest control ability. Naturally occurring vegetation connections have a greater impact on ant behavior and pest removal rates compared to artificial connectivity (string). Vegetation connectivity also buffers reductions in ant activity with increasing distance from the ant nest tree.
Article
Agronomy
Su-Li Li, Zhi Zheng, Yi-Dong Ding, Jia-Wen Xu, Rong Mao
Summary: The study found that litter-derived DOC biodegradation of understory ferns was comparable to that of overstory broadleaf trees, but higher than that of overstory coniferous trees in subtropical forests. Mixing overstory and understory litter-derived DOC resulted in non-additive effects on biodegradation, which were positively related to interspecific differences in DOC:dissolved total phosphorus ratio and DOC aromaticity. Non-additive effects during microbial degradation of mixed DOC sources are common in subtropical forests, with trait dissimilarity driving the magnitude and direction of these effects.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yao Zhao, Meng Li, Jiayong Deng, Baitian Wang
Summary: Research has shown significant differences in the understory vegetation and soil seed banks among rehabilitation areas with different vegetation types. The effects of plantations are better than naturally restored abandoned farmland, and the choice of tree species is crucial for vegetation recovery.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Xiangping Su, Gaochao Zheng, Han Y. H. Chen
Summary: This study investigated understory vegetation in Chinese fir plantations and natural secondary forests in subtropical China and found that shrub richness was higher in natural and primary forests, while bryophyte richness was higher in plantations. Shrub cover was positively correlated with shrub richness and had a positive indirect effect on shrub richness, but a negative indirect effect on herb richness through its impact on soil carbon and nitrogen. Stand age had a positive direct effect on bryophyte richness.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
S. Thobeka Gumede, David A. Ehlers Smith, Samukelisiwe P. Ngcobo, Mbalenhle Sosibo, Yvette C. Ehlers Smith, Colleen T. Downs
Summary: Changes to natural environments resulting from human population growth pose a major threat to biodiversity. This study found that vegetation structure, patch size, and isolation distance significantly influenced avian communities, with reductions in forest patch size and complexity leading to decreased avian species richness and functional diversity. Additionally, increasing isolation distance had a negative impact on avian diversity.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Feng Tianjiao, Ji Mingxin, Wang Yixin, Wang Dong, Xin Zhiming, Xiao Huijie, Li Junran
Summary: Four typical farmland shelterbelt patterns in the desert oasis ecotones of Hetao irrigated area were studied, and their effects on soil properties, vegetation attributes, microclimate, and soil water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus storage were analyzed. The results showed that the four-line pattern had higher soil organic content, total nitrogen content, and total phosphorus content, as well as the highest soil water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus storage. The findings provide a useful theoretical basis for agricultural management and ecological restoration in ecofragile regions.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christine C. Rega-Brodsky, Myla F. J. Aronson, Max R. Piana, Ela-Sita Carpenter, Amy K. Hahs, Adriana Herrera-Montes, Sonja Knapp, D. Johan Kotze, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Marco Moretti, Allyson B. Salisbury, Nicholas S. G. Williams, Kirsten Jung, Madhusudan Katti, Ian MacGregor-Fors, J. Scott MacIvor, Frank A. La Sorte, Vallari Sheel, Caragh G. Threfall, Charles H. Nilon
Summary: Since the 1990s, urban biodiversity research has gained increasing recognition. However, the majority of studies have focused on single cities in the Palearctic and Nearctic realms, with a limited scope for research in the Global South and integration of multi-species and multi-trophic interactions. Furthermore, there is a need to link biodiversity to ecosystem function and services.
Review
Ecology
Madeleine Hedin, Amy K. Hahs, Luis Mata, Kate Lee
Summary: Biodiversity conservation and mental health and wellbeing are important global concerns, but the relationship between them is still inconclusive. This study explores the variations in research perspectives and methods. The findings show that there is a growing interest in this field, but there is still inconsistency in guiding theories, variables, and study designs. It suggests that interdisciplinary collaboration and consistent study approaches may contribute to a more cohesive body of evidence.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Solene Guenat, Phil Purnell, Zoe G. Davies, Maximilian Nawrath, Lindsay C. Stringer, Giridhara Rathnaiah Babu, Muniyandi Balasubramanian, Erica E. F. Ballantyne, Bhuvana Kolar Bylappa, Bei Chen, Peta De Jager, Andrea Del Prete, Alessandro Di Nuovo, Cyril O. Ehi-Eromosele, Mehran Eskandari Torbaghan, Karl L. Evans, Markus Fraundorfer, Wissem Haouas, Josephat U. Izunobi, Juan Carlos Jauregui-Correa, Bilal Y. Kaddouh, Sonia Lewycka, Ana C. MacIntosh, Christine Mady, Carsten Maple, Worku N. Mhiret, Rozhen Kamal Mohammed-Amin, Olukunle Charles Olawole, Temilola Oluseyi, Caroline Orfila, Alessandro Ossola, Marion Pfeifer, Tony Pridmore, Moti L. Rijal, Christine C. Rega-Brodsky, Ian D. Robertson, Christopher D. F. Rogers, Charles Rouge, Maryam B. Rumaney, Mmabaledi K. Seeletso, Mohammed Z. Shaqura, L. M. Suresh, Martin N. Sweeting, Nick Taylor Buck, M. U. Ukwuru, Thomas Verbeek, Hinrich Voss, Zia Wadud, Xinjun Wang, Neil Winn, Martin Dallimer
Summary: Robotics and autonomous systems have a significant impact on the world, transforming healthcare, food production, and biodiversity management. They have the potential to change how Sustainable Development Goals are achieved by replacing and supporting human activities, driving innovation, and improving remote access and monitoring. However, they also bring risks such as reinforcing inequalities, exacerbating environmental change, and affecting freedom and privacy through inadequate governance. Thorough examination of technological developments and explicit consideration of robotics and autonomous systems are crucial to prevent unintended detrimental consequences and avoid reversing progress or exacerbating inequalities in future iterations of the Sustainable Development Goals.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kim R. Blasdell, Serge Morand, Susan G. W. Laurance, Stephen L. Doggett, Amy Hahs, Kelly Trinh, David Perera, Cadhla Firth
Summary: Urbanization has significant impacts on Southeast Asia, causing changes in landscape, interactions between humans, animals, and the environment. This study explores the effects of urbanization on zoonotic disease risk by studying animal reservoirs, ectoparasite vectors, and pathogens in different urbanization levels. The results show that rodent species diversity decreases with increasing urbanization, but certain species, such as Rattus rattus and Sundamys muelleri, adapt well to urban areas. R. rattus is strongly associated with built infrastructure and carries diverse pathogens, while S. muelleri is found in green patches and associated with tick presence. The study highlights the elevated and heterogeneous distribution of zoonotic disease risk in urban environments and suggests targeted risk reduction through pest management and public health messaging.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
C. Farrell, S. J. Livesley, S. K. Arndt, L. Beaumont, H. Burley, D. Ellsworth, M. Esperon-Rodriguez, T. D. Fletcher, R. Gallagher, A. Ossola, S. A. Power, R. Marchin, J. P. Rayner, P. D. Rymer, L. Staas, C. Szota, N. S. G. Williams, M. Leishman
Summary: Impervious surfaces in modern cities cause various issues such as heat absorption, excessive runoff, limited biodiversity habitat, and poor air quality. Future climate change is expected to worsen these problems. Green infrastructure, through the selection of suitable plants, can help mitigate these issues. However, plant selection faces challenges. Therefore, researchers have proposed a new framework based on plant traits and natural distribution to infer plant performance for green infrastructure. A case study in Australian cities is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2022)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Bryant C. Scharenbroch, Tara L. Trammell, Anna Paltseva, Stephen J. Livesley, Jill Edmondson
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pui Kwan Cheung, C. Y. Jim, Nigel Tapper, Kerry A. Nice, Stephen J. Livesley
Summary: Backyards play important roles for individual households by providing a private and safe green space, and turf irrigation can significantly improve thermal conditions in backyards.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ray Yeager, Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Elizabeth Breyer, Alessandro Ossola, Lincoln R. Larson, Daniel W. Riggs, Alessandro Rigolon, Christopher Chandler, Daniel Fleischer, Rachel Keith, Kandi Walker, Joy L. Hart, Ted Smith, Aruni Bhatnagar
Summary: This study investigated the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and greenness levels in the Oakdale Neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. The results showed positive associations between income and vegetation within different radii around homes, with stronger associations in front yards than back yards. Income was also more strongly associated with vegetation among Participants of Color than Whites. Tree planting adoption was not related to SES factors, but was positively associated with lot size, home value, lower population density, and area greenness. The findings suggest the complexity of intra-neighborhood associations between SES and greenness and highlight the need for further research and equitable greening efforts.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Dan Du, Stephen J. Livesley, Stefan K. Arndt, Camille Truong, Rebecca E. Miller
Summary: A study found that the use of compost tea did not have a positive effect on the growth and root mycorrhizal colonization of container-grown trees. This suggests that compost tea may not be beneficial for tree growth in a nursery setting, and further research is needed to investigate its potential benefits in urban landscapes.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Anthony Manea, Samiya Tabassum, Martin Lambert, Ariningsun Cinantya, Alessandro Ossola, Michelle R. Leishman
Summary: Impervious surfaces in urban areas create harsh and water-limited conditions for plant growth. Different soil additives, individually or in combination, do not effectively alleviate plant stress under these conditions. However, the addition of biochar significantly delays the onset of drought stress in plants. Soil additives can be a cost-effective management strategy to increase plant resilience to drought stress in urban areas.
Article
Agronomy
Ariningsun Cinantya, Anthony Manea, Alessandro Ossola, Michelle R. Leishman
Summary: This study investigated the use and attitude of biostimulants in urban forestry in Australia. The majority of respondents (82%) reported using biostimulants, with the most common reason for their use (75%) being to improve establishment after transplanting. Seaweed extract biostimulants were the most frequently used type (35%), with foliar spray as the most popular application method (29%).
NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CROP AND HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amy K. Hahs, Bertrand Fournier, Myla F. J. Aronson, Charles H. Nilon, Adriana Herrera-Montes, Allyson B. Salisbury, Caragh G. Threlfall, Christine C. Rega-Brodsky, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Frank A. La Sorte, Ian MacGregor-Fors, J. Scott MacIvor, Kirsten Jung, Max R. Piana, Nicholas S. G. Williams, Sonja Knapp, Alan Vergnes, Aldemar A. Acevedo, Alison M. Gainsbury, Ana Rainho, Andrew J. Hamer, Assaf Shwartz, Christian C. Voigt, Daniel Lewanzik, David M. Lowenstein, David O'Brien, Desiree Tommasi, Eduardo Pineda, Ela Sita Carpenter, Elena Belskaya, Gabor L. Loevei, James C. Makinson, Joanna L. Coleman, Jon P. Sadler, Jordan Shroyer, Julie Teresa Shapiro, Katherine C. R. Baldock, Kelly Ksiazek-Mikenas, Kevin C. Matteson, Kyle Barrett, Lizette Siles, Luis F. Aguirre, Luis Orlando Armesto, Marcin Zalewski, Maria Isabel Herrera-Montes, Martin K. Obrist, Rebecca K. Tonietto, Sara A. Gagne, Sarah J. Hinners, Tanya Latty, Thilina D. Surasinghe, Thomas Sattler, Tibor Magura, Werner Ulrich, Zoltan Elek, Jennifer Castaneda-Oviedo, Ricardo Torrado, D. Johan Kotze, Marco Moretti
Summary: Cities can support diverse and distinct biological communities, but urbanization also leads to the loss of habitats and species. This global analysis on vertebrate and invertebrate species shows that urbanization causes taxon-specific changes in trait composition, with reproductive strategy traits showing the strongest response. Maximizing opportunities to support different urban trait syndromes is crucial for conservation and management programs in cities.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Farzin Shabani, Mahyat Shafapourtehrany, Mohsen Ahmadi, Bahareh Kalantar, Haluk Ozener, Kieran Clancy, Atefeh Esmaeili, Ricardo Siqueira da Silva, Linda J. Beaumont, John Llewelyn, Simon Jones, Alessandro Ossola
Summary: The aim of this study is to generate fire susceptibility maps for the present and 2070 to assess the threat of wildfires to koalas. Using the Decision Tree machine learning algorithm, a fire susceptibility index was created based on various conditioning factors. The results indicate an overall increase in susceptibility of Australian vegetation to bushfires. Main conclusions suggest that wildfires will have a greater impact on koala populations in the future, highlighting the need for adaptive conservation strategies.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ossola Alessandro, Yu Mengran, Le Roux Jaco, Bustamante Heriberto, Uthayakumaran Luther, Leishman Michelle
Summary: This study is among the first to use large datasets to predict the impact of urban infrastructure, trees, and environmental factors on sewer blockages. It found that urban morphology and pipe characteristics were more significant than tree characteristics in explaining root blockages. The abundance of tree stems and the presence of the Chinese banyan tree were the most important variables in predicting the frequency of root blockages per unit pipe length.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Thami Croeser, Georgia E. Garrard, Casey Visintin, Holly Kirk, Alessandro Ossola, Casey Furlong, Rebecca Clements, Andrew Butt, Elizabeth Taylor, Sarah A. Bekessy
Summary: Converting redundant street parking into biodiverse green space can help cities achieve sustainable development goals and address issues caused by urbanization, such as insufficient tree canopy coverage, flooding, and ecological connectivity.
NPJ URBAN SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
