Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jiangwei Wang, Chengqun Yu, Gang Fu
Summary: This study conducted a field warming experiment in alpine grasslands of Northern Tibet and found that warming can alter the elevation distribution patterns of ANPP, species, and phylogenetic diversity by reducing alpha-diversity and increasing beta-diversity. These changes may be attributed to the warming-induced alterations in the relative contributions of selection, dispersal, and drift, as well as the elevational distributions of various abiotic factors.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. Rubio-Rios, J. Perez, M. J. Salinas, E. Fenoy, N. Lopez-Rojo, L. Boyero, J. J. Casas
Summary: The study found that plant diversity has positive effects on detritivore-mediated decomposition, litter nutrient losses, and detritivore biomass, especially in the presence of a key species - alder. However, there were negative effects on microbially mediated processes and fungal biomass, indicating that plant diversity loss can slow down the decomposition process and affect stream ecosystem functioning.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Harihar Jaishree Subrahmaniam, Dominique Roby, Fabrice Roux
Summary: Studies have shown the importance of positive interactions between genotypes in wild plant species, influenced by kin selection theory and the elbow-room hypothesis. However, there are shortcomings in existing research, such as a lack of reliable estimates of genetic relatedness among genotypes and ecological characterization of natural habitats. A combination of evolutionary ecology and genomics is proposed to establish the eco-genomic landscape of positive genotype-by-genotype interactions in wild plant species.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Honglin Li, Peng Luo, Hao Yang, Chuan Luo, Wenwen Xie, Honghong Jia, Yue Cheng, Yu Huang
Summary: This study examined the impact of mountain roads on plant diversity in the Qionglai mountain range. The results showed that roads had a negative effect on the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of plant communities. Roadside plots had a lower number of species with specific functional traits compared to interior plots. The diversity of dominant and common species was more affected by road disturbances, while rare species showed the greatest change in phylogenetic diversity. The impact of roads on plant diversity followed a peak clipping pattern along the elevation gradient.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Antoine Gardarin, Justine Pigot, Muriel Valantin-Morison
Summary: The results indicate that plant functional diversity plays a crucial role in promoting interactions among organisms at different trophic levels. Functional diversity was found to have a significant impact on supporting multitrophic interactions and ecosystem functioning, particularly in enhancing the biological control of diverse crop herbivores.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yujin Zhao, Yihan Sun, Wenhe Chen, Yanping Zhao, Xiaoliang Liu, Yongfei Bai
Summary: Mapping biodiversity in global terrestrial ecosystems is crucial for conservation and ecosystem services. Grassland plant diversity has been less studied compared to forest biodiversity mapping, but advances in UAV-based spectroscopy provide new ways to assess grassland plant diversity. This study found that different grassland plant species have unique functional traits, leading to diverse spectral patterns. As species richness increased, functional traits and spectral diversity also increased nonlinearly, eventually saturating. Hyperspectral data and cluster algorithms accurately predicted grassland plant species diversity, aiding in grassland biodiversity conservation and understanding ecosystem functions.
Article
Ecology
Raiane S. Rabelo, Alan M. Tonin, Luz Boyero, Fernanda G. G. Miranda, Patricia P. Gomes, Paulino Bambi, Guilherme Sena, Jose F. Goncalves Junior
Summary: This study investigates the impact of litter loss from rare plant species on the decomposition of organic matter in tropical streams. The findings show that the loss of litter from rare plant species reduces functional diversity of litter mixtures and subsequently decreases decomposition, nitrogen loss, and fungal biomass production. Additionally, the presence of similar rare species leads to higher rates of these processes compared to the presence of dissimilar rare species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stephen C. Tillman, Jeffrey W. Matthews
Summary: The challenge of implementing offset policies is to ensure ecological equivalence between impacted ecosystems and compensation sites, yet equivalence is rarely tested. Wetland offsetting in Illinois, USA, only replaced a portion of the native plant species present in impacted natural wetlands, failing to protect biodiversity. If preservation of taxonomic diversity is a goal of offsetting, offset policies need to ensure similarity in biophysical conditions between offset sites and the ecosystems they replace.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
George N. Furey, David Tilman
Summary: In order to determine which plant traits can better explain ecosystem functioning and plant evolutionary histories, we collected 42 traits for each of 15 perennial species in a biodiversity experiment. We used every possible combination of three traits to cluster species, and found that clusters generated using tissue %Ca, %N and %K best correlated with phylogeny. Our results suggest that tissue elemental chemistry might be more phylogenetically conserved and more strongly related to ecosystem functioning than commonly measured morphological and physiological traits, which is worth exploring.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Hellen Naigaga, Joseph Ssekandi, Ablaye Ngom, Godfrey Sseremba, Mame Samba Mbaye, Kandioura Noba
Summary: This study focuses on ethnobotanical knowledge of home garden plants in Senegal and its impact on plant diversity conservation, analyzing data from 30 home gardens to find that food plant species are most diversified and people prefer multipurpose species for multiple benefits. The use of species is related to species diversity, with a preference for species with more than one use leading to increased diversity in home gardens.
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Thore Engel, Helge Bruelheide, Daniela Hoss, Francesco M. Sabatini, Jan Altman, Mohammed A. S. Arfin-Khan, Erwin Bergmeier, Tomas Cerny, Milan Chytry, Matteo Dainese, Juergen Dengler, Jiri Dolezal, Richard Field, Felicia M. Fischer, Dries Huygens, Ute Jandt, Florian Jansen, Anke Jentsch, Dirk N. Karger, Jens Kattge, Jonathan Lenoir, Frederic Lens, Jaqueline Loos, Ulo Niinemets, Gerhard E. Overbeck, Wim A. Ozinga, Josep Penuelas, Gwendolyn Peyre, Oliver Phillips, Peter B. Reich, Christine Roemermann, Brody Sandel, Marco Schmidt, Franziska Schrodt, Eduardo Velez-Martin, Cyrille Violle, Valerio Pillar
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of dominance and niche partitioning on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships in grassland systems worldwide. The results indicate that dominance effects, related to the traits of the dominant species, have a significant impact on BEF relationships, while functional diversity (FD) does not affect primary productivity (NDVI).
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Steffen Boch, Yasemin Kurtogullari, Eric Allan, Malie Lessard-Therrien, Nora Simone Rieder, Markus Fischer, Gerard Martinez De Leon, Raphael Arlettaz, Jean-Yves Humbert
Summary: The study found that fertilization has significant effects on vascular plant species richness and functional composition of mountain grasslands. In contrast, irrigation had minimal impact on plant community composition. The research suggests that maintaining non-intensive land use and reducing fertilizer inputs can help preserve the high plant diversity of mountain grasslands.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jakob Thyrring, Lloyd S. Peck
Summary: Global latitudinal diversity gradients in rocky intertidal alpha-diversity exist, but they are outweighed by local processes rather than global-scale drivers. Species richness of three functional groups declines with latitude, coinciding with an inverse gradient in algae distribution.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jan Plue, Adam Kimberley, James M. Bullock, Bart Hellemans, Danny A. P. Hooftman, Patricia Krickl, Leen Leus, Gerrit Peeters, Peter Poschlod, Anna Traveset, Filip Volckaert, Sara A. O. Cousins, Olivier Honnay
Summary: Green infrastructure plays an important role in promoting functional connectivity in plant populations. This study shows that road verge networks are the key component of green infrastructure, effectively contributing to the genetic diversity and composition of populations of the grassland perennial Galium verum in landscapes in Belgium, Germany and Sweden.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marta Baumane, Dominik Henrik Zak, Tenna Riis, Wiktor Kotowski, Carl Christian Hoffmann, Annette Baattrup-Pedersen
Summary: This study examined plant community characteristics in 10 restored wetland sites in Denmark and found that the prevailing plant communities were humid grasslands, moist fallow fields, and improved grasslands. The abundance of natural wetland plant communities did not increase with the age of restoration, indicating continued high nutrient input and restricted dispersal of wetland plant species may hinder the recovery of natural plant communities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Toshimi Nakajima, Mao Kuragano, Makoto Yamada, Ryo Sugimoto
Summary: This study compared the contribution of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to river nutrient budgets at nearshore and embayment scales, and found that SGD-derived nutrients become more important at larger spatial scales.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fan Liu, Lei Zhang, Chongyang Zhang, Ziguang Chen, Jingguang Li
Summary: NO2 emissions from wall-mounted gas stoves used for household heating have become a significant source of indoor pollution in Chinese urban areas. The high indoor concentration of NO2 poses potential health risks to residents. It is urgently necessary to establish relevant regulations and implement emission reduction technologies to reduce NO2 emissions from wall-mounted gas stoves.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Letter
Environmental Sciences
Hans Peter H. Arp, Raoul Wolf, Sarah E. Hale, Sivani Baskaran, Juliane Gluege, Martin Scheringer, Xenia Trier, Ian T. Cousins, Harrie Timmer, Roberta Hofman-Caris, Anna Lennquist, Andre D. Bannink, Gerard J. Stroomberg, Rosa M. A. Sjerps, Rosa Montes, Rosario Rodil, Jose Benito Quintana, Daniel Zahn, Herve Gallard, Tobias Mohr, Ivo Schliebner, Michael Neumann
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Philomina Onyedikachi Peter, Binessi Edouard Ifon, Francois Nkinahamira, Kayode Hassan Lasisi, Jiangwei Li, Anyi Hu, Chang-Ping Yu
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in sediments from Yundang Lagoon, China. The results show four distinct fluorescent components, with protein-like substances being the most prevalent. Additionally, the total fluorescence intensity and LREE concentrations exhibit a synchronized increase from Outer to Inner to Songbai Lake core sediments. The findings demonstrate a strong correlation between DOM content and pollution levels.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Surya Gupta, Pasquale Borrelli, Panos Panagos, Christine Alewell
Summary: The objective of this study is to incorporate soil hydraulic properties into the erodibility factor (K) of USLE-type models. By modifying and improving the existing equations for soil texture and permeability, the study successfully included information on saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) into the calculation of K factor. Using the Random Forest machine learning algorithm, two independent K factor maps with different spatial resolutions were generated. The results show that the decrease in K factor values has a positive impact on the modeling of soil erosion rates.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jesmin Akter, Wendy J. M. Smith, Yawen Liu, Ilho Kim, Stuart L. Simpson, Phong Thai, Asja Korajkic, Warish Ahmed
Summary: The choice of workflow in wastewater surveillance has a significant impact on SARS-CoV-2 concentrations, while having minimal effects on HF183 and no effect on HAdV 40/41 concentrations. Certain components in the workflow can be interchangeable, but factors such as buffer type, chloroform, and homogenization speed can affect the recovery of viruses and bacteria.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Luo, Xueting Yang, Diwei Wang, Hongmei Xu, Hongai Zhang, Shasha Huang, Qiyuan Wang, Ningning Zhang, Junji Cao, Zhenxing Shen
Summary: Atmospheric PM2.5, which can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), is associated with cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality. The study found that both the mass concentration of PM2.5 and the DTT activity were higher during the heating season than during the nonheating season. Combustion sources were the primary contributors to DTT activity during the heating season, while secondary formation dominated during the nonheating season. The study also revealed that biomass burning had the highest inherent oxidation potential among all sources investigated.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erin L. Murphy, Leah R. Gerber, Chelsea M. Rochman, Beth Polidoro
Summary: Plastic pollution has devastating consequences for marine organisms. This study uses a trait-based framework to develop a vulnerability index for marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles in Hawai'i. The index ranks 63 study species based on their vulnerability to macroplastic pollution, providing valuable information for species monitoring and management priorities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kenji Maurice, Amelia Bourceret, Sami Youssef, Stephane Boivin, Liam Laurent-Webb, Coraline Damasio, Hassan Boukcim, Marc-Andre Selosse, Marc Ducousso
Summary: Growing pressure from climate change and agricultural land use is destabilizing soil microbial community interactions. Little is known about microbial community resistance and adaptation to disturbances, hindering our understanding of recovery latency and implications for ecosystem functioning. This study found that anthropic disturbance and natural disturbance have different effects on the topology and stability of soil microbial networks.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yunhao Li, Yali Feng, Haoran Li, Yisong Yao, Chenglong Xu, Jinrong Ju, Ruiyu Ma, Haoyu Wang, Shiwei Jiang
Summary: Deep-sea mining poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems and human health by disturbing sediment and transmitting metal ions through the food chain. This study developed a new regenerative adsorption material, OMN@SA, which effectively removes metal ions. The adsorption mechanism and performance of the material for metal ion fixation were investigated.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio Medici, Margherita Lavorgna, Marina Isidori, Chiara Russo, Elena Orlo, Giovanni Luongo, Giovanni Di Fabio, Armando Zarrelli
Summary: Valsartan, a widely used antihypertensive drug, has been detected in high concentrations in surface waters due to its unchanged excretion and incomplete degradation in wastewater treatment plants. This study investigated the degradation of valsartan and identified 14 degradation byproducts. The acute and chronic toxicity of these byproducts were evaluated in key organisms in the freshwater trophic chain.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiang Lin, Lianbao Chi, Qing Yuan, Busu Li, Mingbao Feng
Summary: This study investigated the photodegradation behavior and product formation of two representative pharmaceuticals in simulated estuary water. The study found that the formed transformation products of these pharmaceuticals have potential toxicity on marine organisms, including oxidative stress and damage to cellular components.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hua Fang, Dongdong Jiang, Ye He, Siyi Wu, Yuehong Li, Ziqi Zhang, Haoting Chen, Zixin Zheng, Yan Sun, Wenxiang Wang
Summary: This study revealed that exposure to lower levels of air pollutants led to decreased pregnancy rates, with PM10, NO2, SO2, and CO emerging as the four most prominent pollutants. Individuals aged 35 and above exhibited heightened susceptibility to pollutants.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ali Shaan Manzoor Ghumman, Rashid Shamsuddin, Amin Abbasi, Mohaira Ahmad, Yoshiaki Yoshida, Abdul Sami, Hamad Almohamadi
Summary: In this study, inverse vulcanized polysulfides (IVP) were synthesized by reacting molten sulfur with 4-vinyl benzyl chloride, and then functionalized using N-methyl D-glucamine (NMDG). The functionalized IVP showed a high mercury adsorption capacity and a machine learning model was developed to predict the amount of mercury removed. Furthermore, the functionalized IVP can be regenerated and reused, providing a sustainable and cost-effective adsorbent.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rita Bonfiglio, Renata Sisto, Stefano Casciardi, Valeria Palumbo, Maria Paola Scioli, Erica Giacobbi, Francesca Servadei, Gerry Melino, Alessandro Mauriello, Manuel Scimeca
Summary: This study investigated the presence of aluminum in human colon cancer samples and its potential association with biological processes involved in cancer progression. Aluminum was found in tumor areas of 24% of patients and was associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell death. Additional analyses revealed higher tumor mutational burden and mutations in genes related to EMT and apoptosis in aluminum-positive colon cancers. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of aluminum toxicity may improve strategies for the management of colon cancer patients.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)