Article
Environmental Sciences
Ahmed Nasri, Mohamed Allouche, Amel Hannachi, Badreddine Barhoumi, Aymen Wahbi, Abdel Halim Harrath, Ezzeddine Mahmoudi, Hamouda Beyrem, Fehmi Boufahja
Summary: The study investigated the taxonomic and trophic responses of meiobenthic organisms, especially marine nematodes, to polybrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-47) in Bizerte lagoon. Results showed significant effects on species abundance and trophic diversity in response to different concentrations of BDE-47. The community of nematodes was separated into different groups based on treatment conditions, with the high concentration leading to dominance of resistant trophic groups.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Beatriz Rios-Fuster, Carme Alomar, Gema Paniagua Gonzalez, Rosa Maria Garcinuno Martinez, Dulce Lucy Soliz Rojas, Pilar Fernandez Hernando, Salud Deudero
Summary: This study quantified microplastic ingestion and plasticizer levels in bivalves, fish, and holothurians collected from a coastal pristine area in the western Mediterranean Sea, finding that sediment-feeders holothurians had the highest MP ingestion, and there were significant differences in plasticizer levels among different species.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Honglin Wang, Guancheng Liu, Binbin Huang, Xiaochun Wang, Yajuan Xing, Qinggui Wang
Summary: Global change factors like nitrogen deposition and precipitation reduction have significant impacts on terrestrial ecosystems, affecting both aboveground and underground processes. This study found that both nitrogen addition and precipitation reduction caused changes in the composition of soil nematode communities, with nitrogen addition having a more severe negative effect compared to precipitation reduction. Additionally, nitrogen addition and precipitation reduction had a synergistic effect on soil nematode communities.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Guixin Li, Rutger A. A. Wilschut, Shuaiwei Luo, Han Chen, Xiangtai Wang, Guozhen Du, Stefan Geisen
Summary: Aboveground, large and higher trophic-level organisms often respond more strongly to environmental changes than small and lower trophic-level organisms. However, whether this trophic or size-dependent sensitivity also applies to the most abundant animals, microscopic soil-borne nematodes, remains largely unknown. Here, we sampled an altitudinal transect across the Tibetan Plateau and applied a community-weighted mean (CWM) approach to test how differences in climatic and edaphic properties affect nematode CWM biomass at the level of community, trophic group and taxon mean biomass within trophic groups. We found that climatic and edaphic properties, particularly soil water-related properties, positively affected nematode CWM biomass, with no overall impact of altitude on nematode CWM biomass. Higher trophic-level omnivorous and predatory nematodes responded more strongly to climatic and edaphic properties, particularly to temperature, soil pH, and soil water content than lower trophic-level bacterivorous and fungivorous nematodes. However, these differences were likely not (only) driven by size, as we did not observe significant interactions between climatic and edaphic properties and mean biomasses within trophic groups. Together, our research implies a stronger, size-independent trophic sensitivity of higher trophic-level nematodes compared with lower trophic-level ones. Therefore, our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying nematode body size structure in alpine grasslands and highlight that traits independent of size need to be found to explain increased sensitivity of higher trophic-level nematodes to climatic and edaphic properties, which might affect soil functioning.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jinhao Ma, Xue Wei, Shirong Liu, Pengfei Wu
Summary: The distribution patterns of soil nematode communities vary among climate zones, influenced by factors such as pH, total K, total P, and soil temperature. Different vegetation types have different impacts on the taxonomic composition, abundance, diversity, and trophic structure of soil nematode communities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hongxian Song, Xiao Hou, Hanwen Cui, Sa Xiao, Ziyang Liu, Jingwei Chen, Jiajia Wang, Anning Zhang, Xin Li, Yajun Wang, Zi Yang, Kun Liu, Lizhe An, Shuyan Chen
Summary: Soil nematodes are ideal indicators for soil food webs, ecosystem conditions, and soil health. The removal of plants does not significantly affect the total abundance or richness of soil nematodes, but it does reduce the number of herbivorous and fungivorous nematodes. Predatory-omnivorous nematodes are directly enhanced by plant removal, but their abundance is also indirectly influenced by a decrease in fungivorous and herbivorous nematodes. The fungal channels play a significant role in mediating the effects of plant removal on predatory-omnivorous nematodes.
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Melina Abdou, Carlos Eduardo Monteiro, Pedro Brito, Teresa Neuparth, Marlene Pinheiro, Miguel Santos, Miguel Caetano
Summary: Platinum Group Elements (PGEs) are pollutants of concern due to their increasing use and release. This study investigated PGE contamination in marine organisms, focusing on rhodium (Rh). Samples were collected from two urbanized estuarine systems and adjacent coastal areas in Portugal. PGE concentrations were quantified using stripping voltammetry and mass spectrometry. The results showed that PGE contamination was correlated with urban effluents and influenced by traffic emissions and various sources. Macroalgae and mussels were found to be good bioindicators of PGE contamination in estuarine/coastal systems, reflecting urban pressure and amplifying environmental signals.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Manusvee Kaikuntod, Orapun Arjkumpa, Doolyawat Kladkempetch, Shinya Fukumoto, Kriangkrai Thongkorn, Chavalit Boonyapakorn, Veerasak Punyapornwithaya, Saruda Tiwananthagorn
Summary: Filariasis is emerging as a public health concern in tropical and subtropical areas, commonly found in southeast Asian countries. This study confirmed the presence of Dirofilaria immitis and Brugia pahangi in free-roaming community dogs in Northern Thailand. The geographic distribution showed a higher prevalence of B. pahangi than D. immitis at higher altitudes between 400 and 800 m.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Pascaline Diale Dioh Lobe, Gunda Schulte auf 'm Erley, Frank Hoeppner, Stefan Schrader
Summary: Despite efforts to conserve and increase awareness, soil biodiversity continues to decline across various ecosystems. Soil quality assessment and disturbance in different cropping systems were done using indicators such as nematodes, which play a crucial role in soil function and structure. A field experiment assessed the impact of annual and perennial energy crops on nematode communities. Results showed that sainfoin had the highest nematode abundance, followed by mixed cultures and maize. Nematode abundance was lower in annual plots compared to perennial plots, and the perennial plots were dominated by plant-parasitic nematodes. These findings highlight the importance of considering soil nematodes in soil quality indices and suggest that energy crops like sainfoin can enhance agricultural ecosystem functionality and productivity.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Fozia Choudhary, Anil Bhardwaj, Iqra Sayeed, Shabir Ahmad Rather, Mohammad Abdul Hannan Khan, Ali Asghar Shah
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the elevational patterns of soil nematode community structure and trophic diversity in the Himalayan mountainous ecosystems. It was found that the diversity and richness of soil nematodes decreased with increasing elevation, with bacterivores being the dominant trophic group. Soil properties played a key role in shaping the nematode community composition. Overall maturity and metabolic footprint showed a declining trend with elevation, indicating lower sustenance and contribution of k-strategic nematodes to belowground carbon cycling at higher elevations. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of the response of soil nematodes to ongoing climate change in the rapidly warming Himalayas.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Emily J. Cole, Allen Barker, Omid R. Zandvakili, Amir Sadeghpour, Baoshan Xing, Masoud Hashemi, Elisha Allan-Perkins, Geunhwa Jung
Summary: This field study found that applying 8% sugar maple hardwood biochar can impact soil nematode communities by reducing plant-parasitic nematodes and increasing predatory nematodes. Additionally, soil acidity is higher and substantial amounts of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and manganese are added after biochar application in the soil.
COMMUNICATIONS IN SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT ANALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Otfinowski Rafael, Coffey Victory, Nykvist Ryan
Summary: Grazing is an important factor affecting grassland ecosystems, but its impact on belowground ecosystems is not well understood. This study examined the changes in soil nematode communities under grazing and found that grazing intensity reduced the richness, diversity, and evenness of soil nematode communities. However, there were no significant differences in the feeding structure of nematode communities based on grazing intensity, and the most abundant genera of soil nematodes were not affected by grazing. Changes in the community-weighted means of nematode traits were strongly related to the abundance of dominant vegetation. The findings highlight the importance of considering grazing intensity and plant communities for the sustainable management and restoration of wet meadow rangelands.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Dan Xiong, Cunzheng Wei, Xugao Wang, Xiaotao Lu, Shuai Fang, Yingbin Li, Xiaobo Wang, Wenju Liang, Xingguo Han, Thiemo Martijn Bezemer, Qi Li
Summary: This study investigated the spatial patterns and underlying mechanisms of beta-diversity in soil nematode communities along a 3,200-km transect. The results show that spatial variation in soil nematode communities is regulated by environmental processes at the vegetation type scale, while spatial processes mainly work on the regional scale, and emphasize that the spatial patterns and drivers of nematode beta-diversity differ among trophic levels.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Leticia Pereira Pontes, Anna-Maria Vafeiadou, Flavia Juliana Lobato de Franca, Raianne Amorim Cavalcante, Debora Alissandra de Araujo Franca, Clara Moura Brito, Romulo Nepomuceno Alves, Paulo Sergio Martins de Carvalho, Giovanni Amadeu Paiva dos Santos
Summary: Phenanthrene is toxic to the free-living nematode species Diplolaimelloides delyi, causing decreased population growth and negative effects on development times and reproduction, with impacts intensifying at higher temperatures. These thermal induced toxicity effects may have significant implications for marine food webs and ecosystem functioning under current climate change and warming conditions.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jaron Adkins, Edd Hammill, Umarfarooq A. Abdulwahab, John P. Draper, J. Marshall Wolf, Catherine M. McClure, Adrian A. Gonzalez Ortiz, Emily A. Chavez, Trisha B. Atwood
Summary: Using random forest models, we identified the drivers of terrestrial mammal species richness within different trophic groups. Precipitation seasonality was the most important predictor of richness for all trophic groups. Basal-level resource availability, as represented by gross primary production, influenced the relative contribution of each trophic group to total species richness.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Johan van den Hoogen, Stefan Geisen, Diana H. Wall, David A. Wardle, Walter Traunspurger, Ron G. M. de Goede, Byron J. Adams, Wasim Ahmad, Howard Ferris, Richard D. Bardgett, Michael Bonkowski, Raquel Campos-Herrera, Juvenil E. Cares, Tancredi Caruso, Larissa de Brito Caixeta, Xiaoyun Chen, Sofia R. Costa, Rachel Creamer, Jose Mauro da Cunha e Castro Castro, Marie Dam, Djibril Djigal, Miguel Escuer, Bryan S. Griffiths, Carmen Gutierrez, Karin Hohberg, Daria Kalinkina, Paul Kardol, Alan Kergunteuil, Gerard Korthals, Valentyna Krashevska, Alexey A. Kudrin, Qi Li, Wenju Liang, Matthew Magilton, Mariette Marais, Jose Antonio Rodriguez Martin, Elizaveta Matveeva, El Hassan Mayad, E. Mzough, Christian Mulder, Peter Mullin, Roy Neilson, T. A. Duong Nguyen, Uffe N. Nielsen, Hiroaki Okada, Juan Emilio Palomares Rius, Kaiwen Pan, Vlada Peneva, Loic Pellissier, Julio Carlos Pereira da Silva, Camille Pitteloud, Thomas O. Powers, Kirsten Powers, Casper W. Quist, Sergio Rasmann, Sara Sanchez Moreno, Stefan Scheu, Heikki Setala, Anna Sushchuk, Alexei V. Tiunov, Jean Trap, Mette Vestergard, Cecile Villenave, Lieven Waeyenberge, Rutger A. Wilschut, Daniel G. Wright, Aidan M. Keith, Jiue-in Yang, Olaf Schmidt, R. Bouharroud, Z. Ferji, Wim H. van der Putten, Devin Routh, Thomas W. Crowther
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
F. Toscano, G. Alongi, E. Conti, R. Turnaturi, C. Mulder
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gianluca Sara, Chiara Giommi, Antonio Giacoletti, Erminia Conti, Christian Mulder, M. Cristina Mangano
Summary: Climate change is rapidly evolving with noticeable adverse effects on the environment, urging an urgent exploration of the impacts from multiple extreme climatic events (MECEs) on marine ecosystem functioning. The study combined in-situ observations with mesocosm manipulations to investigate the concurrence of increasing temperature and hypoxia events, revealing cascade effects triggered by stressful temperature and oxygen conditions. The results emphasize the importance of protecting and restoring coastal areas by considering ecosystem functioning and the synergistic effects of simultaneous climatic drivers.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christian Mulder, Erminia Conti, Salvatore Saccone, Concetta Federico
Summary: Global warming and air pollution have impact on virus transmission and survival, altering human immune system. The first wave of COVID-19 pandemic highlights the key roles of climate and air chemistry in viral epidemics. Italy's geography, climate, and fine particulate matter explain the situation and support cleaner air actions to address outbreaks efficiently.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Entomology
E. Conti, G. Costa, C. Mulder
Summary: The study revealed that in two congeneric species of armoured ground crickets, the variation in body measurement traits is more significantly influenced by interspecific differences rather than by sex. Specifically, the lengths of the femur and tibia of the hind legs, as well as the body and pronotal lengths, play a crucial role in distinguishing between the two species.
AFRICAN ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
M. Clausi, D. Leone, A. Strano, A. Lizio, G. Rappazzo, C. Mulder, E. Conti
Summary: In this study, the survival, growth, and pathogenicity of two species of EPNs, Steinernema vulcanicum and S. feltiae, were investigated under the exposure to tetracycline. The results showed that one EPN species retained all its abilities while the other species showed conflicting results over time, indicating a need for further investigations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helen R. P. Phillips, Elizabeth M. Bach, Marie L. C. Bartz, Joanne M. Bennett, Remy Beugnon, Maria J. I. Briones, George G. Brown, Olga Ferlian, Konstantin B. Gongalsky, Carlos A. Guerra, Birgitta Koenig-Ries, Julia J. Krebs, Alberto Orgiazzi, Kelly S. Ramirez, David J. Russell, Benjamin Schwarz, Diana H. Wall, Ulrich Brose, Thibaud Decaens, Patrick Lavelle, Michel Loreau, Jerome Mathieu, Christian Mulder, Wim H. van der Putten, Matthias C. Rillig, Madhav P. Thakur, Franciska T. de Vries, David A. Wardle, Christian Ammer, Sabine Ammer, Miwa Arai, Fredrick O. Ayuke, Geoff H. Baker, Dilmar Baretta, Dietmar Barkusky, Robin Beausejour, Jose C. Bedano, Klaus Birkhofer, Eric Blanchart, Bernd Blossey, Thomas Bolger, Robert L. Bradley, Michel Brossard, James C. Burtis, Yvan Capowiez, Timothy R. Cavagnaro, Amy Choi, Julia Clause, Daniel Cluzeau, Anja Coors, Felicity V. Crotty, Jasmine M. Crumsey, Andrea Davalos, Dario J. Diaz Cosin, Annise M. Dobson, Anahi Dominguez, Andres Esteban Duhour, Nick van Eekeren, Christoph Emmerling, Liliana B. Falco, Rosa Fernandez, Steven J. Fonte, Carlos Fragoso, Andre L. C. Franco, Abegail Fusilero, Anna P. Geraskina, Shaieste Gholami, Grizelle Gonzalez, Michael J. Gundale, Monica Gutierrez Lopez, Branimir K. Hackenberger, Davorka K. Hackenberger, Luis M. Hernandez, Jeff R. Hirth, Takuo Hishi, Andrew R. Holdsworth, Martin Holmstrup, Kristine N. Hopfensperger, Esperanza Huerta Lwanga, Veikko Huhta, Tunsisa T. Hurisso, Basil V. Iannone, Madalina Iordache, Ulrich Irmler, Mari Ivask, Juan B. Jesus, Jodi L. Johnson-Maynard, Monika Joschko, Nobuhiro Kaneko, Radoslava Kanianska, Aidan M. Keith, Maria L. Kernecker, Armand W. Kone, Yahya Kooch, Sanna T. Kukkonen, H. Lalthanzara, Daniel R. Lammel, Iurii M. Lebedev, Edith Le Cadre, Noa K. Lincoln, Danilo Lopez-Hernandez, Scott R. Loss, Raphael Marichal, Radim Matula, Yukio Minamiya, Jan Hendrik Moos, Gerardo Moreno, Alejandro Moron-Rios, Hasegawa Motohiro, Bart Muys, Johan Neirynck, Lindsey Norgrove, Marta Novo, Visa Nuutinen, Victoria Nuzzo, P. Mujeeb Rahman, Johan Pansu, Shishir Paudel, Guenola Peres, Lorenzo Perez-Camacho, Jean-Francois Ponge, Joerg Prietzel, Irina B. Rapoport, Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid, Salvador Rebollo, Miguel A. Rodriguez, Alexander M. Roth, Guillaume X. Rousseau, Anna Rozen, Ehsan Sayad, Loes van Schaik, Bryant Scharenbroch, Michael Schirrmann, Olaf Schmidt, Boris Schroeder, Julia Seeber, Maxim P. Shashkov, Jaswinder Singh, Sandy M. Smith, Michael Steinwandter, Katalin Szlavecz, Jose Antonio Talavera, Dolores Trigo, Jiro Tsukamoto, Sheila Uribe-Lopez, Anne W. de Valenca, Inigo Virto, Adrian A. Wackett, Matthew W. Warren, Emily R. Webster, Nathaniel H. Wehr, Joann K. Whalen, Michael B. Wironen, Volkmar Wolters, Pengfei Wu, Irina V. Zenkova, Weixin Zhang, Erin K. Cameron, Nico Eisenhauer
Summary: Earthworms are important ecosystem engineers, but their diversity and distribution are not well known at large spatial scales. A global dataset with information on 10,840 sites and 184 species from 60 countries has been created to assist researchers in investigating a wide variety of pressing questions related to biodiversity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christian Mulder, Erminia Conti, Giorgio Mancinelli
Summary: In 2015, countries in Paris made an unprecedented effort to reduce CO2 emissions, due to the close relationship of greenhouse gases with global warming. Under the Paris Climate Agreement, all countries committed to fighting global warming.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Nuria Galiana, Miguel Lurgi, Vinicius A. G. Bastazini, Jordi Bosch, Luciano Cagnolo, Kevin Cazelles, Bernat Claramunt-Lopez, Carine Emer, Marie-Josee Fortin, Ingo Grass, Carlos Hernandez-Castellano, Frank Jauker, Shawn J. Leroux, Kevin McCann, Anne M. McLeod, Daniel Montoya, Christian Mulder, Sergio Osorio-Canadas, Sara Reverte, Anselm Rodrigo, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Anna Traveset, Sergi Valverde, Diego P. Vazquez, Spencer A. Wood, Dominique Gravel, Tomas Roslin, Wilfried Thuiller, Jose M. Montoya
Summary: The study finds that the number of species, links, and links per species in ecological networks increase with the size of the geographical area following a power law. However, the distribution of links per species varies little with area, indicating the conservation of the fundamental organization of interactions within networks. The results suggest that biodiversity-area relationships can be extended to higher levels of network complexity.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Letizia Stella Di Mauro, Alessandro Pluchino, Erminia Conti, Christian Mulder
Summary: This study compares the detrital soil food webs of three temperate sandy ecosystems, aiming to quantify the impact of anthropogenic action on them. The results suggest that fallowed pasture with low pressure management is more robust than the other two grasslands under middle intensity management.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erminia Conti, Christian Mulder
Summary: Enchytraeids, especially those belonging to Clade C, show significant correlations between their biomass and heavy metals in different types of soils. These findings highlight the importance of considering soil types when assessing the effects of heavy metals on enchytraeids and the entire edaphic community.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Martin Marzidovsek, Vid Podpecan, Erminia Conti, Marko Debeljak, Christian Mulder
Summary: BEFANA is a tool for ecological network analysis and visualization, specifically designed for ecologists. It provides various functionalities and methods, such as data loading and preprocessing, network analysis and visualization, and predictive modeling using machine learning.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Mickael Hedde, Olivier Blight, Maria J. Briones, Jonathan Bonfanti, Alain Brauman, Margot Brondani, Irene Calderon Sanou, Julia Clause, Erminia Conti, Jerome Cortet, Thibaud Decaens, Amandine Erktan, Sylvain Gerard, Arnaud Goulpeau, Maeva Iannelli, Sophie Joimel-Boulanger, Pascal Jouquet, Nicolas Le Guillarme, Claire Marsden, Camille Martinez Almoyna, Christian Mulder, William Perrin, Julien Petillon, Benjamin Pey, Anton M. Potapov, Sara Si-moussi, Wilfried Thuiller, Jean Trap, Alan Vergnes, Andrey Zaitsev, Yvan Capowiez
Summary: Classifying organisms is important in ecology, but there is still debate about the meaning of a 'group of organisms' and how to group them. This study critically reviews the existing classifications in soil ecology, proposing clarifications and alternatives. The authors suggest a unified framework based on the concepts of 'guilds', 'functional groups', and 'trophic groups' to better understand changes in soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
Article
Ecology
Victoria J. Burton, Sara Contu, Adriana De Palma, Samantha L. L. Hill, Harald Albrecht, James S. Bone, Daniel Carpenter, Ronald Corstanje, Pallieter De Smedt, Mark Farrell, Helen Ford, Lawrence N. Hudson, Kelly Inward, David T. Jones, Agnieszka Kosewska, Nancy F. Lo-Man-Hung, Tibor Magura, Christian Mulder, Maka Murvanidze, Tim Newbold, Jo Smith, Andrew Suarez, Sasha Suryometaram, Bela Tothmeresz, Marcio Uehara-Prado, Adam J. Vanbergen, Kris Verheyen, Karen Wuyts, Jorn P. W. Scharlemann, Paul Eggleton, Andy Purvis
Summary: Background land-use has a significant impact on soil biodiversity, but its effects have been less studied compared to above-ground taxa. This study shows that different land uses affect soil organisms in distinct ways, with cropland and plantation habitats having lower soil biodiversity compared to primary vegetation and pasture. The results highlight the importance of considering soil properties in biodiversity models and caution against assuming that above-ground data can be directly applied to soil assemblages.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Irene Petrosillo, Donatella Valente, Christian Mulder, Bai-Lian Li, K. Bruce Jones, Giovanni Zurlini
Summary: The study uses non-linear data analysis techniques combined with vegetation index to study desertification, identifying hotspots of land degradation and new potential candidate sites, providing operational advantages for landscape planning. The innovation of the research lies in the explicit identification of areas resilient and non-resilient to desertification, which can support more targeted interventions and conservation priorities.