Article
Environmental Sciences
Elin A. Thomas, Aoife Molloy, Nova B. Hanson, Monika Boehm, Mary Seddon, Julia D. Sigwart
Summary: The study shows that 62% of molluscs endemic to hydrothermal vents are under threat, with some species fully protected while others facing threats from deep-sea mining. The relative threat index highlights greater risks at vent fields in the Indian Ocean, while vent sites within established marine protected areas have a higher proportion of species assessed as Least Concern.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Liping Li, Haining Qin, Eimear Nic Lughadha, Yaomin Zheng, Huawei Wan, Jack Plummer, Melanie-Jayne R. Howes, Huiyuan Liu, Yangming Jiang, Tuo Wang, Huihui Zhao, Zhanfeng Shen, Huiping Huang
Summary: Based on the assessments in 2013 and 2020, a total of 4,088 (10.39%) species of Chinese higher plants are threatened in 2020, with 2,875 (7.31%) considered Near Threatened and 27,593 (70.16%) categorized as Least Concern. The Red List Index showed different patterns in the two years, indicating effective protection for threatened plant species in China. Attention should be given to non-threatened species in the future for conservation purposes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIGITAL EARTH
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kareem El-Badry, Hans-Walter Rix, Yvette Cendes, Antonio C. Rodriguez, Charlie Conroy, Eliot Quataert, Keith Hawkins, Eleonora Zari, Melissa Hobson, Katelyn Breivik, Arne Rau, Edo Berger, Sahar Shahaf, Rhys Seeburger, Kevin B. Burdge, David W. Latham, Lars A. Buchhave, Allyson Bieryla, Dolev Bashi, Tsevi Mazeh, Simchon Faigler
Summary: We report spectroscopic and photometric follow-up of a dormant black hole candidate from Gaia DR3, which consists of a red giant and a dark companion. The orbital period is much longer than any previously studied black hole binary, and the radial velocity follow-up supports the Gaia solution. UV imaging and high-resolution optical spectra rule out luminous companions that could explain the orbit. The system's Galactocentric orbit is typical of the thin disc, and X-ray and radio observations near periastron suggest a lower net accretion rate at the horizon. Gaia BH2 is the second-nearest known black hole after Gaia BH1, and their wide orbits may hint at a bimodal intrinsic period distribution for wide black hole binaries.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Richard Fox, Emily B. Dennis, Andrew F. Brown, Jon Curson
Summary: Regular reassessment of extinction risk is important for prioritizing conservation action. This study provides an updated assessment of extinction risk in Great Britain by using population monitoring data and citizen-science records of butterflies. The findings show that the status of butterflies in Great Britain has deteriorated and a significant number of species are threatened.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Chunmei Chang, Liv E. Jensen, James H. Hurley
Summary: This review discusses the recent discoveries regarding the molecular mechanisms of autophagosome formation, emphasizing the assembly of cargo receptors and core machinery during the process. It also addresses emerging questions in the field of autophagosome formation.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chloe Schmidt, Sean Hoban, Margaret Hunter, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Colin J. Garroway
Summary: The IUCN Red List is an important tool for assessing extinction risk, but it does not consider genetic diversity. Previous studies have shown that species with higher extinction risk tend to have lower genetic diversity across all marker types.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Andrew Luke Skowno, Maphale Stella Monyeki
Summary: South Africa has taken unique measures in ecosystem assessment and protection, developing threat status indicators and integrating a list of threatened ecosystems into the national environmental regulatory framework. Transitioning to the IUCN RLE framework involved technical steps and social legal processes, ensuring understanding and support from the conservation sector in South Africa.
Article
Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Junhao Dong, Yuan Wang, Jianhuang Lai, Xiaohua Xie
Summary: DeepFake face swapping poses a significant threat to online security and social media. In order to combat this technology, researchers have proposed a practical adversarial attack method that disrupts unknown DeepFake systems and enhances detection of DeepFake images without the need for queries.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION FORENSICS AND SECURITY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Ben Dai, Xiaotong Shen, Wei Pan
Summary: This article introduces a significance testing method for black-box models, which evaluates the model through sample splitting and data perturbation and performs significance tests on interested features. The method relaxes the assumptions and computational complexity of existing methods and develops combined versions through aggregating p-values.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL NETWORKS AND LEARNING SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Aaron I. F. Poon, Joseph J. Y. Sung
Summary: One of the biggest challenges in utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine is the lack of trust from both physicians and patients. Improving the interpretability of machine learning (ML) algorithms is crucial in successfully implementing AI in medicine. Opening the black box in AI medicine through a stepwise approach can help build trust and acceptance, ultimately advancing the development of AI technology in healthcare.
JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Business
Elham Asgari, Richard A. Hunt, Daniel A. Lerner, David M. Townsend, Mathew L. A. Hayward, Kip Kiefer
Summary: High-achieving employees, often referred to as stars, are recognized for their invaluable contributions to organizations. However, scholars have differing opinions on the positive and negative impacts of star performers. Through multidisciplinary research, scholars aim to develop a coherent understanding of star performers and their complex nature.
ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT ANNALS
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Kangyi Ding, Xiaolei Liu, Weina Niu, Teng Hu, Yanping Wang, Xiaosong Zhang
Summary: The study introduces a low-query black-box adversarial attack method, which combines optimization-based and transfer-based methods to improve the black-box attack with fewer queries, higher success rate, and lower distortion. Experimental results demonstrate that the method can achieve a black-box attack success rate of over 98.5% on MNIST, CIFAR-10, and ImageNet with specific distortion and fewer queries compared to other state-of-the-art methods.
KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Abel Garcia-Barrientos, David Torres-Uresti, Francisco R. Castillo-Soria, Ulises Pineda-Rico, Jose Antonio Hoyo-Montano, Obed Perez-Cortes, Patricio Ordaz-Oliver
Summary: This research presents the design and implementation of a car's black box system using a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and an Internet of things module. The system can acquire and process various data, including video, audio, GPS data, alcohol concentration, speed, and temperature. In addition, a graphics user interface was developed to process the stored files, allowing authorities to access the data when needed.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Indira Adilkhanova, Jack Ngarambe, Geun Young Yun
Summary: The whitebox models are popular due to their transparent working process and high prediction accuracy, but some simulation tools are too complex and require a high level of expertise to operate, potentially leading to inaccuracies in the outcomes. On the other hand, black-box models, despite their opaque working process, are easier to use and require less computation time. The fusion of these two methods is a novel approach that may benefit both UHI prediction and mitigation at the design and operation stages.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Lorenzo Sabug, Fredy Ruiz, Lorenzo Fagiano
Summary: The article introduces a global optimization technique for black-box objective and constraints, using a surrogate model for exploration and exploitation. The algorithm features a tunable risk parameter for balancing safety, exploitation, and exploration. The theoretical properties of the algorithm are derived and compared with other techniques in benchmark tests. The article also presents extensions for uncertain cost/constraint function outcomes and computational aspects.
INFORMATION SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Forest Isbell, Patricia Balvanera, Akira S. Mori, Jin-Sheng He, James M. Bullock, Ganga Ram Regmi, Eric W. Seabloom, Simon Ferrier, Osvaldo E. Sala, Nathaly R. Guerrero-Ramirez, Julia Tavella, Daniel J. Larkin, Bernhard Schmid, Charlotte L. Outhwaite, Pairot Pramual, Elizabeth T. Borer, Michel Loreau, Taiwo Crossby Omotoriogun, David O. Obura, Maggie Anderson, Cristina Portales-Reyes, Kevin Kirkman, Pablo M. Vergara, Adam Thomas Clark, Kimberly J. Komatsu, Owen L. Petchey, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Laura J. Williams, Scott L. Collins, Nico Eisenhauer, Christopher H. Trisos, Delphine Renard, Alexandra J. Wright, Poonam Tripathi, Jane Cowles, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes, Peter B. Reich, Andy Purvis, Zati Sharip, Mary O'Connor, Clare E. Kazanski, Nick M. Haddad, Eulogio H. Soto, Laura E. Dee, Sandra Diaz, Chad R. Zirbel, Meghan L. Avolio, Shaopeng Wang, Zhiyuan Ma, Jingjing Liang, Hanan C. Farah, Justin Andrew Johnson, Brian W. Miller, Yann Hautier, Melinda D. Smith, Johannes M. H. Knops, Bonnie J. E. Myers, Zuzana Harmackova, Jorge Cortes, Michael B. J. Harfoot, Andrew Gonzalez, Tim Newbold, Jacqueline Oehri, Marina Mazon, Cynnamon Dobbs, Meredith S. Palmer
Summary: Despite progress in understanding global biodiversity loss, there are still taxonomic and geographic knowledge gaps. Decision makers often rely on expert judgement, but cannot engage with large and diverse groups of specialists. A survey of biodiversity experts worldwide revealed consensus and differences in perspectives and estimates, with underrepresented groups recommending different conservation priorities and providing higher estimates of biodiversity loss.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Peter Dietrich, Olga Ferlian, Yuanyuan Huang, Shan Luo, Julius Quosh, Nico Eisenhauer
Summary: This study found that there was a positive relationship between tree species richness and community productivity, which strengthened over time. The type of mycorrhizal association had different effects on productivity, but there was no overyielding when different types of mycorrhizal trees grew together. Ectomycorrhizal tree communities had low productivity initially but increased over time, showing overall strong biodiversity effects. In contrast, arbuscular mycorrhizal tree communities showed the opposite pattern. Therefore, maximizing tree and mycorrhizal diversity may increase ecosystem functioning in the long run.
Article
Ecology
Ana Carolina Antunes, Benoit Gauzens, Ulrich Brose, Anton M. Potapov, Malte Jochum, Luca Santini, Nico Eisenhauer, Olga Ferlian, Simone Cesarz, Stefan Scheu, Myriam R. Hirt
Summary: The relationship between species' body masses and densities generally follows a three-quarter power law, but there are significant deviations within local communities. Soil temperature and water content have positive and negative net effects, respectively, on soil communities, mediated by changes in local edaphic conditions and the body-mass range of the communities.
Article
Ecology
Remy Beugnon, Wensheng Bu, Helge Bruelheide, Andrea Davrinche, Jianqing Du, Sylvia Haider, Matthias Kunz, Goddert von Oheimb, Maria D. D. Perles-Garcia, Mariem Saadani, Thomas Scholten, Steffen Seitz, Bala Singavarapu, Stefan Trogisch, Yanfen Wang, Tesfaye Wubet, Kai Xue, Bo Yang, Simone Cesarz, Nico Eisenhauer
Summary: This study conducted in a Chinese subtropical forest experiment revealed a strong positive correlation between soil microbial biomass and soil carbon concentrations. It was found that an increase in tree productivity and tree root diameter led to an increase in soil carbon concentration, while an increase in litterfall C:N content resulted in a decrease in soil carbon concentration. Tree functional traits also modulated microenvironmental conditions, with significant consequences for soil microbial biomass.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2023)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Lea Beaumelle, Lea Tison, Nico Eisenhauer, Jes Hines, Sandhya Malladi, Celine Pelosi, Lise Thouvenot, Helen R. P. Phillips
Summary: Soil invertebrate communities, which represent a significant fraction of global biodiversity, are being threatened by human activities, especially intensive agricultural practices involving pesticide use. This meta-analysis of 54 studies and 294 observations quantifies the negative effects of pesticides on the abundance, biomass, richness, and diversity of soil fauna communities. The study reveals that pesticides decrease the abundance and diversity of soil fauna communities, with the most detrimental effects caused by multiple substances, broad-spectrum substances, and insecticides.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Mete Misirlioglu, John Warren Reynolds, Mirjana Stojanovic, Tanja Trakic, Jovana Sekulic, Samuel W. James, Csaba Csuzdi, Thibaud Decaens, Emmanuel Lapied, Helen R. P. Phillips, Erin K. Cameron, George G. Brown
Summary: In this paper, an updated checklist of all megadrile earthworms in the world is presented, along with notes on their distribution worldwide. Geological phenomena, climate, and habitat distributions are the main factors influencing the current distribution of earthworm families. There are currently around 5,738 recognized species/subspecies belonging to 23 families, including a new family from Brazil. Taxonomic revisions and description of new taxa have also been carried out. The large number of still undescribed species is expected to increase the overall species count to over 8,000.
Article
Ecology
Peter Dietrich, Nico Eisenhauer, Christiane Roscher
Summary: Positive relationships between plant diversity and productivity are driven by complementary resource use via differences in functional traits. Changes in soil properties related to nutrient availability are influenced by plant diversity. This study shows that plant diversity-dependent soil changes, along with associated changes in functional traits, contribute to long-term positive diversity-productivity relationships.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Heike Heklau, Nicole Schindler, Nico Eisenhauer, Olga Ferlian, Helge Bruelheide
Summary: This study investigated the relationship and changes of mycorrhization rates of 10 deciduous trees from winter to spring to early summer. The results showed that except for Aesculus hippocastanum and Acer pseudoplatanus, which formed only one type of mycorrhiza, the other tree species had both arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and ectomycorrhiza (EM) at different times. The mycorrhization rates were lowest in May, but no differences were observed between December and March. The mycorrhization rates of different types were not correlated over time at the individual tree level, indicating asynchronous variation between AM and EM mycorrhization. At the community level, increased biodiversity led to more asynchrony in mycorrhization, suggesting its importance in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jonathan D. D. Bakker, Jodi N. N. Price, Jeremiah A. A. Henning, Evan E. E. Batzer, Timothy J. J. Ohlert, Claire E. E. Wainwright, Peter B. B. Adler, Juan Alberti, Carlos Alberto Arnillas, Lori A. A. Biederman, Elizabeth T. T. Borer, Lars A. A. Brudvig, Yvonne M. M. Buckley, Miguel N. N. Bugalho, Marc W. W. Cadotte, Maria C. C. Caldeira, Jane A. A. Catford, Qingqing Chen, Michael J. J. Crawley, Pedro Daleo, Chris R. R. Dickman, Ian Donohue, Mary Ellyn DuPre, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Philip A. A. Fay, Daniel S. S. Gruner, Sylvia Haider, Yann Hautier, Anke Jentsch, Kevin Kirkman, Johannes M. H. Knops, Luciola S. Lannes, Andrew S. S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. L. McCulley, Rachel M. M. Mitchell, Joslin L. L. Moore, John W. W. Morgan, Brent Mortensen, Harry Olde Venterink, Pablo L. L. Peri, Sally A. A. Power, Suzanne M. M. Prober, Christiane Roscher, Mahesh Sankaran, Eric W. W. Seabloom, Melinda D. D. Smith, Carly Stevens, Lauren L. L. Sullivan, Michelle Tedder, G. F. (Ciska) Veen, Risto Virtanen, Glenda M. M. Wardle
Summary: Human activities are causing changes in ecological communities globally. Understanding these changes requires considering the composition of these communities, which can be summarized by various metrics influenced by different ecological processes. A global experiment on 60 grasslands demonstrated high compositional variation within sites, with most variation being due to replacement processes. The variation was related to predictors such as environmental heterogeneity and biomass production. Considering multiple metrics simultaneously enhances our understanding of compositional variation at a site.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nico Eisenhauer, Raul Ochoa-Hueso, Yuanyuan Huang, Kathryn E. Barry, Alban Gebler, Carlos A. Guerra, Jes Hines, Malte Jochum, Karl Andraczek, Solveig Franziska Bucher, Francois Buscot, Marcel Ciobanu, Hongmei Chen, Robert Junker, Markus Lange, Anika Lehmann, Matthias Rillig, Christine Roemermann, Josephine Ulrich, Alexandra Weigelt, Anja Schmidt, Manfred Tuerke
Summary: Human activities have led to significant changes in biodiversity, and the loss of invertebrate biomass has been found to have negative effects on ecosystem processes and services. This study demonstrates that the decrease in invertebrate biomass can decrease ecosystem multi-functionality and reduce the supply of critical ecosystem services.
Article
Ecology
Remy Beugnon, Nico Eisenhauer, Helge Bruelheide, Andrea Davrinche, Jianqing Du, Sylvia Haider, Georg Haehn, Mariem Saadani, Bala Singavarapu, Marie Suennemann, Lise Thouvenot, Yanfen Wang, Tesfaye Wubet, Kai Xue, Simone Cesarz
Summary: Forest ecosystems play a critical role in carbon sequestration. Increasing tree diversity enhances forest productivity and litter decomposition. Tree species richness increases litter decomposition by increasing the species richness and amount of litterfall. Soil microorganisms perform the majority of litter decomposition, and changes in litterfall and microbial activity explain a significant portion of decomposition variance. Litter decomposability is determined by litter functional identity, diversity, and species richness, while tree proximity, biomass, and leaf functional traits drive the spatial distribution of litterfall and subsequently influence litter decomposition. Considering spatial variability in biotic properties improves our understanding of ecosystem functioning.
Article
Ecology
Laura Argens, Wolfgang W. Weisser, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Markus Lange, Yvonne Oelmann, Christiane Roscher, Holger Schielzeth, Bernhard Schmid, Wolfgang Wilcke, Sebastian T. Meyer
Summary: Ecosystem management aims to provide multiple ecosystem services simultaneously. The multifunctionality of ecosystem services can be limited by tradeoffs and enhanced by synergies among underlying ecosystem functions. This study investigates the drivers of correlations between ecosystem functions and highlights the importance of measuring pairs of functions repeatedly under different conditions to derive recommendations for grassland management.
Article
Biology
Solveig Franziska Bucher, Lia Uhde, Alexandra Weigelt, Simone Cesarz, Nico Eisenhauer, Alban Gebler, Christopher Kyba, Christine Roemermann, Tom Shatwell, Jes Hines
Summary: Artificial light at night (ALAN) has significant impacts on plant communities, resulting in reduced biomass, decreased diversity, and changes in functional traits. These findings highlight the need for conservation and management strategies that consider the effects of ALAN on plant ecology.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Christian Ristok, Nico Eisenhauer, Alexander Weinhold, Nicole M. van Dam
Summary: Plant and soil biodiversity have significant effects on plant metabolites, but their independent effects on overall metabolome composition are not significant. However, interactions between plants and soil, as well as the presence of herbivores, can lead to changes in plant metabolomes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rike Schwarz, Nico Eisenhauer, Olga Ferlian, Fernando. T. Maestre, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Henriette Uthe, Lise Thouvenot
Summary: The invasion of earthworms has led to changes in plant communities in northern North American forests, resulting in decreased plant diversity and a competitive advantage for grass species. This study provides insights into the mechanisms behind these changes by examining the effects of earthworms on plant functional traits and interspecific plant competition.
