Review
Plant Sciences
Jordi Sardans, Hans Lambers, Catherine Preece, Abdulwahed Fahad Alrefaei, Josep Penuelas
Summary: Anthropogenic global change is causing more frequent and intense drought and flood events, leading to imbalances and limitations in soil nutrients. This has become a global challenge for biodiversity conservation and food security. Plants have evolved strategies, such as mycorrhizas and root exudates, to enhance nutrient uptake under environmental stress conditions. However, the effects of these strategies on metal nutrients are still unclear. Therefore, further research is needed to improve nutrient uptake capacity in food crops.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Linda A. Deegan, Christopher Neill, Hillary L. Sullivan, Paulo Ilha, Leonardo Maracahipes-Santos, Nubia Marques, Marcia N. Macedo
Summary: This study in the Brazilian Amazon found relatively subtle differences in stream function between forested and cropland streams, with cropland streams having lower OM biomass and greater seasonality in ecosystem respiration and net ecosystem production. Streams were found to be more retentive of phosphorus than nitrogen, indicating that fertilizer nitrogen reaching streams will be exported in stream networks.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shamali De Silva, Andrew S. Ball, Esmaeil Shahsavari, Demidu Indrapala, Suzie M. Reichman
Summary: This study examined the impact of motor vehicle emissions on soil and microbial diversity, finding that bacterial diversity was higher than control sites while fungal diversity decreased with exposure time. Bacterial diversity increased across all road types, while fungal diversity decreased, potentially affecting the ecosystem functionality and health of roadside soils.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Xavier Penarroya, Anna Lupon, Xavier Triado-Margarit, Eugenia Marti, Jose L. J. Ledesma, Miquel Ribot, Montserrat Soler, Emilio O. Casamayor, Susana Bernal
Summary: This study investigates the impact of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) on ammonium (NH4+) uptake and heterotrophic aerobic respiration in a forested Mediterranean headwater stream. It was found that NH4+ uptake and heterotrophic aerobic respiration rates were closely related to the molar ratio of NH4+ to nitrate (NO3-) (NH4+:NO3-) and the ratio of DOC to DIN (DOC:DIN). Additionally, the availability of labile DOC also limited heterotrophic activity. These findings are significant for understanding the seasonal pattern of in-stream N processing in forested Mediterranean headwater streams.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lluis Gomez-Gener, Andre R. Siebers, Maria Isabel Arce, Shai Arnon, Susana Bernal, Rossano Bolpagni, Thibault Datry, Giulia Gionchetta, Hans-Peter Grossart, Clara Mendoza-Lera, Vivien Pohl, Ute Risse-Buhl, Oleksandra Shumilova, Ourania Tzoraki, Daniel von Schiller, Alexander Weigand, Gabriele Weigelhofer, Dominik Zak, Annamaria Zoppini
Summary: Surface-groundwater interactions in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams have significant impacts on biogeochemical processes, but further research is needed to understand the specific differences in various hydrological states.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Z. L. Shaw, Sruthi Kuriakose, Samuel Cheeseman, Edwin L. H. Mayes, Alishiya Murali, Zay Yar Oo, Taimur Ahmed, Nhiem Tran, Kylie Boyce, James Chapman, Christopher F. McConville, Russell J. Crawford, Patrick D. Taylor, Andrew J. Christofferson, Vi Khanh Truong, Michelle J. S. Spencer, Aaron Elbourne, Sumeet Walia
Summary: The study demonstrates the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of few-layered black phosphorus at nanogram concentrations against various bacteria and fungal species. Medically relevant surfaces can be imparted with antimicrobial properties through functionalization with few-layer BP, while the self-degrading properties of BP provide a practical pathway for the deployment of novel low-dimensional materials as antimicrobial agents.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
James J. Elser, Shawn P. Devlin, Jinlei Yu, Adam Baumann, Matthew J. Church, John E. Dore, Robert O. Hall, Melody Hollar, Tyler Johnson, Trista Vick-Majors, Cassidy White
Summary: This study examines the nutrient dynamics in Flathead Lake over a period of 38 years. Despite low nutrient levels, the lake maintained high nitrogen to phosphorus ratios. This stoichiometric imbalance led to phosphorus limitation in phytoplankton growth and affected the nutrient cycling in the entire ecosystem.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tanner J. Williamson, Michael J. Vanni, William H. Renwick
Summary: Climate change plays a significant role in altering hydrologic regimes and impacting aquatic ecosystems. This study found that lakes exhibit resilience to changes in hydrologic variability, with marked differences in watershed discharge and nutrient loading producing relatively small differences in lake metrics. Discrete storm events have strong yet ephemeral effects on lake biogeochemistry and ecosystem metabolism, particularly near stream inlets where increases in limiting nutrients are observed.
Article
Ecology
Jessica Graca, Karen Daly, Giulia Bondi, Israel Ikoyi, Fiona Crispie, Raul Cabrera-Rubio, Paul D. Cotter, Achim Schmalenberger
Summary: The study found that soil drainage and phosphorus levels have significant impacts on grassland microbial communities, with drainage status having a more profound influence on bacterial communities and phosphorus availability affecting fungal communities.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Xuan Zhang, Xin Song, Taotao Wang, Lei Huang, Haiyang Ma, Mao Wang, Dunyan Tan
Summary: Long-term nitrogen deposition has effects on the microbial community in a desert ecosystem. Different microbial groups have different responses to nitrogen addition. Changes in soil properties play a crucial role in shaping the microbial community.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wenda Ren, Yun Guo, Xu Han, Yan Sun, Qing Li, Bangli Wu, Tingting Xia, Kaiping Shen, Pan Wu, Yuejun He
Summary: Indigenous microorganisms offset the nutrient benefits of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi for host plants through regulating genes related to P transport and N assimilation.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Huanyao Liu, Cen Meng, Yi Wang, Yuyuan Li, Yong Li, Jinshui Wu
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between integrated landscape patterns and stream water quality in different seasons in ten Chinese subtropical catchments from 2010 to 2017. The study found that nitrogen and phosphorus levels in stream water varied significantly between the fallow season and the rice-growing season, and were influenced by different landscape configuration factors in each season. In the rainy season, stream water nitrogen and phosphorus levels were more likely to be affected by landscape composition, while in the dry fallow season, landscape configuration played a more significant role in determining nitrogen and phosphorus levels.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yifei Li, Chengnuo Zhang, Xiaoxuan Wang, Xiaolin Liao, Qin Zhong, Tao Zhou, Fan Gu, Hua Zou
Summary: Bacteria have important roles in biogeochemical cycling, self-purification, and food web dynamics in fresh-water ecosystems. However, the comparison between the impacts of conventional and emerging pollutants on bacteria in surface water and sediment is not well-understood. In this study, the spatial distributions of pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and bacterial communities in Taihu Lake, China were investigated. The results indicate that pharmaceuticals were more concentrated in the impacted zone and had close positive relationships with bacterial phyla in the water. The ratio of Firmicutes to Proteobacteria in surface water is suggested as a potential bioindicator for evaluating pharmaceutical contamination and bacterial resistance. In the sediment, phosphorus pollutants were associated with specific bacterial genera, suggesting a potential risk of phosphorus release from sediment to water.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Carolina Calero Preciado, Joby Boxall, Victor Soria-Carrasco, Soledad Martinez, Isabel Douterelo
Summary: The research demonstrated that temperature variation significantly altered the structure of biofilm microbial communities, with Pseudomonas increasing its relative abundance in biofilms developed at 24 degrees C, and fungal communities showing reduced diversity and richness with an increase in dominance of Fusarium genus.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
S. F. Starr, B. Mortazavi, C. Tatariw, K. A. Kuehn, J. A. Cherry, T. Ledford, E. Smyth, A. Griffin Wood, S. E. Sebren
Summary: The study found that 30 years after the construction of salt marshes, the denitrification rates and fungal denitrification contribution in constructed salt marshes are lower than in natural salt marshes. Fungal biomass may limit the recovery of nitrogen removal in constructed salt marshes.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Stefan Krause, Viktor Baranov, Holly A. Nel, Jennifer D. Drummond, Anna Kukkola, Timothy Hoellein, Gregory H. Sambrook Smith, Joerg Lewandowski, Berta Bonnet, Aaron Packman, Jon Sadler, Valentyna Inshyna, Steve Allen, Deonie Allen, Laurent Simon, Florian Mermillod-Blondin, Iseult Lynch
Summary: Microplastics are widely distributed in the environment, but the mechanisms by which they enter freshwater food webs and are subject to physical and geological controls are not well understood. This knowledge gap hinders the assessment of exposure risks, ecotoxicological impacts, and public health impacts from microplastics.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Timothy J. Hoellein, Chelsea M. Rochman
Summary: Research on plastics in global ecosystems is rapidly evolving, with oceans being the primary focus and land and freshwater ecosystems often overlooked. A conceptual model was developed to synthesize the sources, fluxes, and fates of plastics in a watershed, highlighting both the components receiving the most attention and the pathways that have been overlooked.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John J. Kelly, Maxwell G. London, Amanda R. McCormick, Miguel Rojas, John W. Scott, Timothy J. Hoellein
Summary: Microplastics are retained in sludge in wastewater treatment plants, where they harbor diverse bacterial communities including those associated with bioflocculation. Effluent microplastics have higher abundances of bacteria linked to plastic breakdown and some potentially pathogenic taxa compared to influent microplastics. WWTPs can modify the microplastic-associated bacterial assemblages, potentially influencing the fate of microplastics in the environment.
Article
Ecology
Katherine S. Handler, Amanda L. Subalusky, Corinne J. Kendall, Christopher L. Dutton, Emma J. Rosi, David M. Post
Summary: Scavengers play a critical role in nutrient recycling and disease control, particularly after mass mortality events. Research on scavenger ecology during mass mortality events is limited, but it is found that different scavenger species show temporal resource partitioning and distinct activity patterns. Further studies on scavenger behavior during mass mortality events are needed to understand their role in decomposition and disease control.
Article
Ecology
Loren Hou, Caleb D. McMahan, Rae E. McNeish, Keenan Munno, Chelsea M. Rochman, Timothy J. Hoellein
Summary: The study found that no microplastics were detected in fish before the 1950s, but from the mid-20th century to 2018, there was a significant increase in microplastic concentrations when data from all fish were considered. Microplastics in fish and sediment showed similar patterns in the 2018 samples, indicating a potential relationship between the two.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Samuel F. Bosio, Patrick A. Shirey, Sally A. Entrekin, Timothy J. Hoellein, Ashley H. Moerke, Emma J. Rosi, Jennifer L. Tank, Gary A. Lamberti
Summary: Long-term monitoring of large wood (LW) additions in three small streams in the midwestern USA revealed that most logs moved within the first 3 years and formed aggregations after 14 years. Factors contributing to log movement included high flow events and log position in the channel. The study suggests that adding LW to small, groundwater-dominated streams can provide sustained ecological benefits with minimal risk to downstream reaches.
RIVER RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Therese C. Frauendorf, Amanda L. Subalusky, Christopher L. Dutton, Stephen K. Hamilton, Frank O. Masese, Emma J. Rosi, Gabriel A. Singer, David M. Post
Summary: Animals can have long-lasting legacy effects on freshwater ecosystem structure and function, with declines or disappearances of native populations leading to loss of these effects. Anthropogenically altered animal populations, such as livestock and invasive species, may provide new legacy effects but with important functional differences. Conservation and restoration of native species are crucial for maintaining the structure and function of river ecosystems in the face of biodiversity loss.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jennifer D. Drummond, Uwe Schneidewind, Angang Li, Timothy J. Hoellein, Stefan Krause, Aaron Packman
Summary: This study found that a significant amount of microplastics are present in rivers, mainly accumulating in riverbed sediment. Model simulations showed that microplastic residence times are longest in river headwaters, with an average accumulation of 5% of microplastic inputs per river kilometer. These findings highlight the importance of considering microplastic accumulation in global assessments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. E. S. Vincent, A. Chaudhary, J. J. Kelly, T. J. Hoellein
Summary: The fate of plastics in rivers is influenced by microbial biofilms, and this study found that site characteristics play a more important role than substrate type in shaping the metabolism and community composition of biofilms on plastic in urban streams.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Loren Hou, Rachel McNeish, Timothy J. Hoellein
Summary: This study reveals that the egestion rates of microplastics from aquatic organisms are comparable to the rates of microplastic movement in the environment, suggesting that aquatic organisms may play an important role in microplastic dynamics at the ecosystem scale.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Michael F. Meyer, Ted Ozersky, Kara H. Woo, Kirill Shchapov, Aaron W. E. Galloway, Julie B. Schram, Emma J. Rosi, Daniel D. Snow, Maxim A. Timofeyev, Dmitry Yu Karnaukhov, Matthew R. Brousil, Stephanie E. Hampton
Summary: Sewage released from lakeside development can result in changes in ecological communities and impact the food web. The increase of filamentous algae near lakeside developments in Lake Baikal may be caused by localized sewage input, and even low levels of human disturbance can lead to spatial heterogeneity in ecological responses.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adit Chaudhary, Samuel T. Dunn, John Kelly, Timothy J. Hoellein
Summary: This study investigated the growth and succession of biofilm communities on plastic substrates and measured their activity and composition. The results showed an increase in biofilm biomass and enzymatic activity with biofilm development, indicating that plastic litter in streams is colonized by an active and dynamic biofilm community.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Emma J. Rosi, Jerker B. Fick, Barbara A. Han
Summary: Novel viral pathogens have led to the emergence of new diseases in humans, and society has responded with technological innovations such as antiviral therapies. Antivirals can be rapidly deployed to mitigate severe disease and save lives, but their release into the environment can have unforeseen consequences. Using SARS-CoV-2 as a case study, this research identifies a global overlap between bats and elevated pharmaceutical concentrations in surface waters. The contamination of freshwater with antivirals could lead to the evolution of antiviral-resistant viruses in bats, emphasizing the urgent need for scientific research, antiviral development, and responsible use.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)