Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoyan Wang, Chao Han, Zhiqi Ouyang, Siyong Chen, Hui Guo, Jian Wang, Xiaohua Hao
Summary: This study investigates cloud-snow confusion in MODIS snow cover products and proposes a temporal-sequence cloud-snow-distinguishing algorithm. The algorithm distinguishes cloud and snow by comparing the NDSI variance, effectively reducing cloud mask errors and correctly identifying ice clouds that may have been misclassified as snow.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Filippo Bianchi, Paul Aveyard, Nerys M. Astbury, Brian Cook, Emma Cartwright, Susan A. Jebb
Summary: This study found that a behavioral intervention involving free meat substitutes can effectively reduce meat intake, increase consumption of meat substitutes, and change psychosocial constructs related to sustained reduction in meat consumption.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Supriya Mathew, Michelle S. Fitts, Zania Liddle, Lisa Bourke, Narelle Campbell, Lorna Murakami-Gold, Deborah J. Russell, John S. Humphreys, Edward Mullholand, Yuejen Zhao, Michael P. Jones, John Boffa, Mark Ramjan, Annie Tangey, Rosalie Schultz, John Wakerman
Summary: This paper explores the key elements for effective use of telehealth in remote Australia based on the perspectives of healthcare staff. The study found that telehealth reduced the need for travel and worked best when there was a pre-established relationship between the patient and healthcare provider, good patient knowledge of personal health, English proficiency, and access to digital technology. However, telehealth was resource intensive and additional staff workload was required. The study emphasizes that telehealth should be seen as a supplementary tool, not a replacement for face-to-face interactions.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Dan Wu, Chi Xu, Shaopeng Wang, Lai Zhang, Susanne Kortsch
Summary: The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions has been widely studied, but the variation in ecosystem functions across systems with similar species diversity has been rarely addressed. In this study, a food web model and empirical data were used to examine the relationships between species richness and variation in ecosystem functions. The results suggest that the variation in ecosystem functions is influenced by trophic interactions and the diversity of basal species, which has implications for biodiversity loss and ecosystem predictability.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Florian Grziwotz, Chun -Wei Chang, Vasilis Dakos, Egbert H. van Nes, Markus Schwarzlaender, Oliver Kamps, Martin Hessler, Isao T. Tokuda, Arndt Telschow, Chih-hao Hsieh
Summary: Critical transitions occur in various real-world systems and forecasting their occurrence is of great interest. This study introduces a powerful early warning signal called dynamical eigenvalue (DEV) that estimates the dominant eigenvalue of a system using bifurcation theory. The efficacy of the DEV approach is demonstrated in model systems with known bifurcation types and tested on various critical transitions in real-world systems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ana Sofia Cardoso, Sofiya Bryukhova, Francesco Renna, Luis Reino, Chi Xu, Zixiang Xiao, Ricardo Correia, Enrico Di Minin, Joana Ribeiro, Ana Sofia Vaz
Summary: E-commerce has become a thriving market for wildlife trafficking due to its accessibility and lack of supervision. Artificial intelligence, particularly deep learning, has emerged as a promising tool for analyzing and monitoring online content related to wildlife trade. We used freely available AI models to train and identify instances of pangolin trade, achieving a high success rate but leaving room for further improvements.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Review
Biology
Shuqing N. Teng, Jens-Christian Svenning, Chi Xu
Summary: The decline of large-sized animals and trees due to human activities has led to downsized ecosystems globally. However, restoration projects to promote ecological processes have received little attention in East Asia. In China, the disappearance of megafaunal species during the Late Pleistocene and the depletion of large-sized herbivores due to agricultural expansion have greatly affected ecosystems. The loss of megaherbivores has also compromised seed dispersal and resulted in the decline of large timber trees.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biology
Lai Zhang, Cao Shen, Sheng-jia Xue, Chi Xu
PHYSICS OF LIFE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qinghua Zhao, Paul J. Van den Brink, Chi Xu, Shaopeng Wang, Adam T. Clark, Canan Karakoc, George Sugihara, Claire E. Widdicombe, Angus Atkinson, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Ryuichiro Shinohara, Shuiqing He, Yingying. X. G. Wang, Frederik De Laender
Summary: Temperature and biodiversity changes can affect the ecological stability of natural food webs, but their joint effects are unclear. This study assessed these effects in 19 planktonic food webs and found that warmer temperatures were associated with lower stability, while biodiversity had inconsistent effects. The responses of stability were linked to the contributions from different trophic groups and the synchrony of species within the food web.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ronny Rotbarth, Egbert H. Van Nes, Marten Scheffer, Jane Uhd Jepsen, Ole Petter Laksforsmo Vindstad, Chi Xu, Milena Holmgren
Summary: Climate change is causing a northward shift of the boreal biome, but evidence of this shift is rare. Using satellite data, researchers found that tree cover change in the North American boreal biome has a strong north-south asymmetry, with no expansion at the northern boundary but a marked increase in the core range. However, tree cover declined at the southern boundary due to wildfires and logging, indicating a possible contraction of the biome that could lead to long-term carbon declines.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kang Zhang, Jiaguo Yan, Qiang He, Chi Xu, Johan van de Koppel, Bo Wang, Baoshan Cui, Quan-Xing Liu
Summary: Self-organized patterning resulting from biological and physical processes is widespread in nature. Previous studies have shown that biologically triggered self-organization can enhance ecosystem resilience, but the role of purely physical forms of self-organization remains unknown. In a Red Beach salt marsh in China, physically self-organized mud cracking was found to be an important facilitating process for the establishment of seepweeds. The cracks can promote plant survival and growth, enhance water infiltration, and contribute to the resilience of the salt marsh landscape.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shruti Setty, Margot J. Cramwinckel, Egbert H. van Nes, Ingrid A. van de Leemput, Henk A. Dijkstra, Lucas J. Lourens, Marten Scheffer, Appy Sluijs
Summary: In this study, we analyze climate and carbon cycle indicators from marine sediments to investigate three major punctuated events during the late Paleocene-early Eocene warming. The results suggest that these events were triggered by climate-driven carbon cycle tipping points, and there is an intensifying coupling between the carbon cycle and climate during the long-term warming trend.
Letter
Ecology
J. Jelle Lever, Egbert H. H. Van Nes, Marten Scheffer, Jordi Bascompte
Summary: Theory suggests that long, negative feedback loops may destabilize food webs as complexity increases. However, the specific ways in which these feedbacks affect ecosystems' response to environmental change have received less attention. In this study, we describe five ways in which these feedbacks might lead to abrupt transitions and species losses. By combining models, we show that the likelihood of such transitions increases with the number of interacting species and the stability of network patterns. These findings raise questions about the stability of ecosystems under global environmental change.
Article
Ecology
Shenglai Yin, Ning Li, Wenjie Xu, Daniel J. Becker, Willem F. de Boer, Chi Xu, Taej Mundkur, Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones, Chunlin Li, Guan-zhu Han, Qiang Wu, Diann J. Prosser, Lijuan Cui, Zheng Y. X. Huang
Summary: Species functional traits can affect pathogen transmission, host status, and infection risk. Our study on European waterbird species found that traits like diet guild and dispersal ability influence host status and pathogen diversity. We also discovered a correlation between community-level risk of HPAI H5Nx occurrence and the community-weighted means of functional traits. Additionally, we found that functional diversity can reduce infection risk. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating trait-based ecology in understanding diversity-disease relationships and provide insights for HPAI prediction and prevention.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caio R. C. Mattos, Marina Hirota, Rafael S. Oliveira, Bernardo M. Flores, Gonzalo Miguez-Macho, Yadu Pokhrel, Ying Fan
Summary: This study finds that alternating seasonal drought and waterlogging stress favor the dominance of savanna-like ecosystems over forests. Landscape positions experiencing double stress are more favorable for savanna occurrence, especially as the dry season strengthens. Hydrological changes at the end of the century may expose some flooded forests to savanna expansion.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shan Rao, Xin-Yu Miao, Shu-Ya Fan, Yu-Hao Zhao, Chi Xu, Shao-Peng Li
Summary: Understanding community phylogenetic and functional structures in forest communities during succession is limited by the lack of long-term time-series data. Using a 68-year dataset, we found that community phylogenetic structure became more dispersed, while functional structure shifted from overdispersion to clustering over time. Species colonization increased phylogenetic diversity, while species with similar traits to residents were more likely to colonize, resulting in functional clustering. Our study highlights the importance of colonization and extinction in shaping community structures over long-term succession.
JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Guangjing Qian, Lai Zhang, Yuxin Chen, Chi Xu
Summary: We investigate the cascading effects of microplastic ingestion by fish on both upper and lower trophic levels in a well-studied aquatic ecosystem model, and find that increasing microplastics in planktivorous fish can cause population structure effects and abrupt declines in fish biomass and reproduction, leading to an ecosystem-level tipping point.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)