Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Bernardo M. Flores, Arie Staal
Summary: This study compiles the interactions between tropical forests and their environment, presenting a global tropical forest network. Case studies illustrate the importance of these interactions and feedbacks in shaping the dynamics of tropical forests.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jozef M. Wiktor, Agnieszka Tatarek, Aleksandra Kruss, Rakesh Kumar Singh, Janne E. Soreide
Summary: A warmer Arctic with less sea ice is likely to result in improved growth conditions for macroalgae. However, the study found that the density and condition of macroalgae varied significantly between a warm, ice-free site influenced by the Atlantic and a cold, Arctic site with seasonal ice cover. The differences in macroalgal density and condition were only observed at depths down to 5 meters.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Shilu Tong, Jonathan M. Samet, Will Steffen, Patrick L. Kinney, Howard Frumkin
Summary: Social solidarity is crucial for large-scale collective action, but it has been overlooked by scholars in the fields of Earth Systems, sustainability, and public health. In the Anthropocene, where unprecedented global changes are occurring, solidarity is essential in tackling various health crises and global challenges. However, the need for solidarity and strategies to cultivate it have been ignored. This commentary explores the concept of solidarity from different perspectives and proposes strategies to enhance it in the Anthropocene.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luke Kemp, Chi Xu, Joanna Depledge, Kristie L. Ebi, Goodwin Gibbins, Timothy A. Kohler, Johan Rockstrom, Marten Scheffer, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Will Steffen, Timothy M. Lenton
Summary: Understanding the potential catastrophic consequences of climate change is crucial for action, resilience, and policy-making. This article outlines the current knowledge and proposes a research agenda to examine the mechanisms and impacts of extreme climate change, including mass extinction events, human mortality and morbidity, societal vulnerabilities, and integration of multiple strands of evidence.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Joyeeta Gupta, Diana Liverman, Klaudia Prodani, Paulina Aldunce, Xuemei Bai, Wendy Broadgate, Daniel Ciobanu, Lauren Gifford, Chris Gordon, Margot Hurlbert, Cristina Y. A. Inoue, Lisa Jacobson, Norichika Kanie, Steven J. J. Lade, Timothy M. M. Lenton, David Obura, Chukwumerije Okereke, Ilona M. M. Otto, Laura Pereira, Johan Rockstroem, Joeri Scholtens, Juan Rocha, Ben Stewart-Koster, J. David Tabara, Crelis Rammelt, Peter H. Verburg
Summary: Living within planetary limits requires attention to justice as biophysical boundaries are not inherently just. Through collaboration between natural and social scientists, the Earth Commission defines and operationalizes Earth system justice to ensure that boundaries reduce harm, increase well-being, and reflect substantive and procedural justice.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel T. C. Cox, Alexandra S. Gardner, Kevin J. Gaston
Summary: Biodiversity is declining globally, with different diel niches of species experiencing varying levels of population decline. Diurnal mammals, particularly primates, face an increased risk of population decline compared to nocturnal, crepuscular, and cathemeral species. Harvesting poses a greater threat to day-active species in sub-Saharan Africa and mainland tropical Asia. Understanding the diel variation in anthropogenic pressures and population declines will aid in targeted conservation efforts.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Shixin Huang, Ke Zhang, Qi Lin, JianBao Liu, Ji Shen
Summary: This study conducted a meta-analysis of 72 lakes worldwide and found that ecological shifts were mostly asynchronous across global lakes, but with an exceptionally increasing frequency since the 1950s. The driver-response results showed that abrupt shifts before the 1950s were dominated by climate change, whereas both anthropogenic drivers and climate change were responsible for most post-1950s shifts. Network analysis further indicated that interactions of multiple stressors are more prone to produce abrupt shifts, with global climate change being the most frequent co-occurrence driver. The findings underscore the need for global coherent collaboration to mitigate Anthropocene risk from a global lake perspective.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
William Robert Vaughn, Anthony R. Taylor
Summary: Climate warming may affect forest composition and species recruitment, including seed dormancy. Contrary to expectations, balsam fir seeds did not have significantly decreased germination success under simulated winter warming, and there was variation in seed response to warming among different seed origin zones. This diversity in phenotype expression within balsam fir populations may enhance the species resilience to future climate change.
Article
Soil Science
Jose A. Morillo, Michele de Sa Dechoum, Francisco I. Pugnaire
Summary: Climate change affects precipitation, temperature, and soil microbial communities, which in turn influence plant species distribution. This study examines the interaction between increased temperature and soil microbes on seed germination in a tree species in the Atlantic rainforest. The results indicate that soil microbial communities play a significant role in seed germination, while the effect of warming is unclear.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yanfeng Wang, Ping Huang
Summary: Fire emissions in South America consistently decreased from 2003 to 2019, which can be attributed to unfavorable climatic conditions and the phase transition of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Despite anthropogenic forcing exacerbating drought and fire risks, fire emissions and aerosol pollution in the southern Amazon and Pantanal region showed a consistent long-term decrease. This decrease is linked to climatic conditions that hindered fire intensification and spread, including increased humidity and slower surface wind speed.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yiluan Song, Christopher J. Zajic, Taehee Hwang, Christopher R. Hakkenberg, Kai Zhu
Summary: Through remote sensing observations, a systematic evaluation revealed a widespread mismatch between land surface phenology and climate in certain regions of the Northern Hemisphere over the past three decades. This mismatch was more pronounced in areas heavily impacted by human activities, suggesting a link between human activities and the desynchronization of phenology dynamics with climate variations.
Article
Ecology
Tarciso C. C. Leao, Jason R. Reinhardt, Eimear Nic Lughadha, Peter B. Reich
Summary: The study modeled the habitat suitability of 2,232 species of angiosperms in Brazil's Atlantic Forest domain, finding that climate change alone had a modest negative impact on habitat suitability, while land use change had a more consistent negative impact. The combined impacts of climate and land use changes reduced habitat suitability by 4% on average.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mingzhao Yu, Shuai Song, Guizhen He, Yajuan Shi
Summary: This study reconstructed the variation of vegetation landscape changes in a typical karst region of China from 1987 to 2020, identifying the main climatic factors influencing natural karst vegetation growth at the landscape scale. Results showed that precipitation and radiation were dominant meteorological factors affecting vegetation at the interannual timescale. The increasing negative human impact on vegetation has reached 18.5% in 2020, highlighting the serious situation of vegetation protection in karst regions; however, recent ecological conservation and restoration projects have helped mitigate human disturbances on vegetation.
Article
Environmental Studies
Harriet Bulkeley
Summary: In the 30 years since the journal Environmental Politics was founded, there has been a profound shift in understanding climate from a global issue to a multi-dimensional one that includes transnational, personal, urban, networked, and regional aspects. The rise of a 'third wave' of climate urbanism is recognized as being closely connected to broader issues of sustainable development and social justice. The evolving nature of climate urbanism and the contested nature of climate politics will be crucial for future work in this field.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pedro R. Piffer, Adriane Calaboni, Marcos R. Rosa, Naomi B. Schwartz, Leandro R. Tambosi, Maria Uriarte
Summary: Although deforestation is still widespread in the tropics, there are signs of significant forest recovery in some areas. Understanding the drivers of forest change is critical for the success of reforestation efforts and carbon sequestration targets.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Caio Vinicius de Mira-Mendes, Carolina Santos Silva de Almeida, Rubens Alves Junqueira, Kaoli Pereira Cavalcante, Sylvia Maria Moreira Susini Ribeiro, Rodolfo Mariano, Iuri Ribeiro Dias, Mirco Sole, Yvonnick Le Pendu
Summary: Understanding the diet of tadpoles is crucial in explaining their ecological roles and promoting effective amphibian conservation. This study investigates the diet of Macrogenioglottus alipioi tadpoles from southern Bahia, Brazil. The study reveals that algae are the main food source for these tadpoles, followed by mites and insect fragments. The analysis also highlights the importance of employing different microscopic techniques to fully capture the dietary preferences of tadpoles.
STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Karen M. Foley, Karen H. Beard, Trisha B. Atwood, Bonnie G. Waring
Summary: Herbivory can have strong impacts on greenhouse gas fluxes in high-latitude ecosystems. Differences in trace gas fluxes between grazed and ungrazed areas may result both from herbivore-induced shifts in abiotic parameters and grazing-related alterations in microbial community structure.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gabriela Alves-Ferreira, Gaston Andres Fernandez Gine, Danilo de Siqueira Fortunato, Mirco Sole, Neander Marcel Heming
Summary: Climate change has impacted the distribution and phenology of Cerrado anurans, with species in higher-altitude areas and the Western Cerrado being more vulnerable. Reductions in potential distribution areas are expected for most species, with more losses in the pessimistic scenario compared to the optimistic scenario. Sharing of climate niche attributes among species in the same region leads to similar responses to climate change.
PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Karen H. Beard, Katharine C. Kelsey, Ryan T. Choi, Jeffrey M. Welker, A. Joshua Leffler
Summary: This study investigated the effects of vertebrate herbivore excrement on soil nutrients and plant growth using a field experiment in coastal western Alaska, USA. The results showed that increased feces could enhance soil nitrogen concentrations and N2O emissions, alleviate plant and microbial nutrient limitations, and promote plant growth and foliar quality, but had no significant effect on CH4 emissions.
Article
Ecology
Martin C. Holdrege, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Kyle A. Palmquist
Summary: As the atmosphere warms, precipitation events are predicted to become fewer but larger. This study examines the effects of increased precipitation event sizes on water cycling and plant biomass in different ecosystems. The simulations reveal that larger precipitation events have differing effects on different types of vegetation, with shrubs in arid and semi-arid sites benefiting from the increased water availability. The results suggest that precipitation intensification contributes to the encroachment of woody plants in arid and semi-arid ecosystems globally.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Diego F. Padron, Konrad Mebert, Daniela Pareja-Mejia, Arthur Bauer, Laise D. Fernandes Vasconcelos, Diego Correia, Gaston A. Fernandez Gine, Mirco Sole
Summary: This is the first study to investigate the home range and habitat use of bushmasters in the Michelin Ecological Reserve in Bahia, Brazil. The study found that the snakes primarily inhabited disturbed primary and secondary forests, as well as rubber tree plantations with dense understory vegetation. The snakes' activity centers were closer to the forest edge and they mainly occupied wooded microhabitats with complex vegetation structures. The translocated snakes showed no negative effects and established home ranges similar to the native bushmasters.
ETHOLOGY ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gabriela Alves-Ferreira, Marco Katzenberger, Fernanda Guimaraes Fava, Renan Nunes Costa, Leildo Machado Carilo Filho, Mirco Sole
Summary: Studies have shown that pollution and temperature changes have negative effects on the survival and development of amphibian larvae, especially the effects of herbicides on morphology, size, and thermal tolerance. Further investigation reveals an additive effect of herbicides and temperature increase on larval survival. These findings provide a promising direction for future research.
Article
Geography
Telmo Dias, Cristina Monteiro, Ana Moura, Joao David, Pedro Cabral, Felipe S. Campos
Summary: This study aims to automate the detection of discrepancies between nautical charts and survey data to minimize human effort and enhance the production and maintenance of nautical charts using GIS techniques.
CARTOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Victor M. Zucchetti, Omar Rojas-padilla, Iuri R. Dias, Mirco Sole, Victor G. D. Orrico, Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher
Summary: We describe a new species of Vitreorana from the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia state, in north-eastern Brazil. The new species is morphologically most similar to V. franciscana from the Cerrado biome in Brazil. Besides its large size, the new species has other diagnostic characters, such as vomerine teeth and the occurrence of enameled iridophores in the pericardium, hepatic and urinary bladder peritonea. Furthermore, the variation of integumentary spicules in all species of the genus and their relevance to Vitreorana systematics are described and discussed.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Manuel Toledo-Hernandez, Teja Tscharntke, Tereza Cristina Giannini, Mirco Sole, Thomas C. Wanger
Summary: Agricultural diversification can have numerous benefits including enhancing climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and improving livelihoods. Agroforestry systems with cocoa have been shown to provide these benefits, but the lower yields compared to monocultures limit adoption by smallholder farmers. Hand pollination in cocoa can significantly increase fruit set and mature fruit development, especially in lower shaded areas. Further research is needed to explore the potential of hand pollination in different agroforestry systems and regions for sustainable cocoa production.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Ruth A. Regnet, Paul Lukas, Dennis Roedder, Benjamin Wipfler, Mirco Sole
Summary: In this study, we conducted a morphological examination of captive-bred larval specimens of Ranitomeya variabilis from the French Guiana population and provided detailed data on their external morphology, chondrocranium, cranial muscle systems, and internal organs. We also identified essential characteristics for recognizing tadpoles of different Ranitomeya species. The observed muscle configurations and morphological characters further support the taxonomic relationships within the Dendrobatidae family, particularly between Ranitomeya and Dendrobates.
Review
Ecology
Leildo M. Carilo Filho, Lidiane Gomes, Marco Katzenberger, Mirco Sole, Victor G. D. Orrico
Summary: Realistic predictions about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity require gathering ecophysiological data and using the critical thermal maxima (CTMax) index. This study investigates the effects of acclimation and altitude on CTMax estimates for amphibians and non-avian reptiles. The results show that acclimation temperature affects CTMax estimates for tadpoles, adult anurans, salamanders, and lizards, but not froglets. Higher acclimation temperature leads to higher CTMax values. Altitude has an inverse effect on CTMax estimates for lizards and anuran amphibians. Further studies are needed to investigate the thermal tolerance of subsampled groups such as Gymnophiona, Serpentes, Amphisbaena, and Testudines.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jorge Mario Herrera-Lopera, Eduardo Pineda, Mirco Sole, Carlos A. Cultid-Medina
Summary: This study evaluated the bias in the most frequently used measurements of niche breadth and niche overlap in anuran trophic ecology, and proposed using HILL's series for analysis to reduce bias. Results showed that HILL's series measurements were less biased and more informative than traditional measurements; a guideline for analysis based on HILL's series was provided.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ryan T. Choi, Matteo Petit Bon, A. Joshua Leffler, Katharine C. Kelsey, Jeffrey M. Welker, Karen H. Beard
Summary: This study reveals that short-term goose grazing has a greater impact on the composition of low-Arctic coastal wetland plant communities compared to short-term summer warming. However, the responses vary among different communities and functional groups, emphasizing the importance of investigating the effects of biotic and abiotic drivers in different contexts.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lidia Nogueira, Luis Fernando da Silva Rodrigues Filho, Mirco Sole, Paulo Roberto Antunes de Mello Affonso, Sergio Siqueira, Iracilda Sampaio
Summary: Molecular species delimitation methods are important tools in species identification, especially for the discovery of new taxa and cryptic organisms. In this study, the richness of species in the genera Scinax and Ololygon was evaluated in a biodiversity hotspot in the Atlantic Forest. Through the use of 16S mitochondrial sequences and COI, new putative species were discovered and additional species were recognized. Further studies, including morphological and bioacoustic data, are suggested to validate these new potential species.
GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)