Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Annegret Larsen, Joshua R. Larsen, Stuart N. Lane
Summary: Beavers are influential mammalian ecosystem engineers who heavily modify river corridor dynamics through dam construction, affecting hydrology, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, and aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Their impacts include increasing water storage, altering water budgets, enhancing nutrient residence times, and changing habitat complexity and biodiversity.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Michael M. Webster, Becky Twohey, Peter S. Alagona, Nur Arafeh-Dalmau, Madhavi A. Colton, Aaron M. Eger, Stephanie N. Miller, Gretta T. Pecl, Brett R. Scheffers, Rebecca Snyder
Summary: Due to human activity and climate change, all ecosystems are currently experiencing environmental changes. As a result, conservation programs are increasingly focused on how organisms, populations, and ecosystems respond to these new conditions. Conservation biology is developing and utilizing new tools to assist in increasing the adaptability of organisms and ecosystems to environmental changes.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Forestry
Ross E. J. Gray, Robert M. Ewers
Summary: Plant phenology is closely linked to ecosystem processes and biodiversity, and is influenced by habitat and climate change. There is a growing focus on monitoring phenology in different biomes, with various methods developed to increase understanding of its role in ecosystems.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Christian Marz, Felipe S. Freitas, Johan C. Faust, Jasmin A. Godbold, Sian F. Henley, Allyson C. Tessin, Geoffrey D. Abbott, Ruth Airs, Sandra Arndt, David K. A. Barnes, Laura J. Grange, Neil D. Gray, Ian M. Head, Katharine R. Hendry, Robert G. Hilton, Adam J. Reed, Saskia Ruhl, Martin Solan, Terri A. Souster, Mark A. Stevenson, Karen Tait, James Ward, Stephen Widdicombe
Summary: The Arctic is undergoing unprecedented and dramatic transformations in response to climate change, with a disproportionate focus on visible aspects like sea ice melt and the fate of megafauna. However, the importance of the shelf seafloor in regulating nutrients and sequestering carbon is often overlooked. Climate change and regional adjustments to human activities may alter the biogeochemical and ecological dynamics of the Arctic shelf seafloor, impacting ecosystem function, carbon burial, and nutrient recycling. Mitigating climatic and anthropogenic change requires recognizing the vital role of the Arctic benthic system.
Article
Water Resources
Jill S. Baron, David W. Clow, Isabella A. Oleksy, Timothy Weinmann, Caitlin Charlton, Amanda Jayo
Summary: The Loch Vale watershed has been the subject of research and monitoring activities since 1983, investigating the impacts of atmospheric deposition on ecosystems in Rocky Mountain National Park. High atmospheric inputs of reactive nitrogen were found, leading to studies on the ecological consequences in soils, surface water, and vegetation. The research results have informed the Colorado Nitrogen Deposition Reduction Plan and revealed that mountain wetlands release more carbon than they store.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Review
Agronomy
Gabriella J. Kietzka, Michel Lecoq, Michael J. Samways
Summary: Locusts have been serious pests in settled agriculture for millennia, but they also play an important ecological role and can be a valuable food source for humans. Modern locust control strategies should include harvesting them and using environmentally friendly biopesticides instead of harmful organic pesticides.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wim J. van Hoek, Junjie Wang, Lauriane Vilmin, Arthur H. W. Beusen, Jose M. Mogollon, Gerrit Muller, Philip A. Pika, Xiaochen Liu, Joep J. Langeveld, Alexander F. Bouwman, Jack J. Middelburg
Summary: The global carbon cycling in freshwater systems shows spatial and temporal variations, influenced by multiple factors. The distribution and fluxes of different forms of carbon in river networks reflect the geological features, climate conditions, and human disturbances of river basins.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guillaume Borrel
Summary: Microorganism in underground oil reservoir can produce methane by degrading petroleum compounds through a new biochemical pathway.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Graham A. McCulloch, Jonathan M. Waters
Summary: This article synthesizes emerging genomic evidence for rapid insect evolution in response to human pressure. The study reveals diverse genomic mechanisms underlying rapid adaptive responses to various anthropogenic selective pressures, including deforestation. The synthesis also highlights the critical roles of genomic architecture, standing variation, and gene flow in maintaining future adaptive potential.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Angela Helen Martin, Maike Iris Esther Scheffold, Bethan Christine O'Leary
Summary: The article emphasizes the important role of fish in the ocean carbon sink and calls for their inclusion in marine policies and carbon stock management. The prevailing views and strategies in fisheries and blue carbon management are challenged regarding their disregard for the carbon functions of fish. The article argues for a change in perspective and outlines the various roles of fish in marine ecosystems, highlighting the risks associated with current approaches and proposing better integration of fish carbon functions in management strategies.
Article
Oceanography
Dunia Rios-Yunes, Justin C. Tiano, Pieter van Rijswijk, Emil De Borger, Dick van Oevelen, Karline Soetaert
Summary: This study investigates the differences in biogeochemical fluxes between intertidal and subtidal sediments of the Dutch Eastern Scheldt (ES) and assesses the potential impacts of ongoing erosion on the sedimentary ecosystem. The results suggest that intertidal sediments are more reactive and exhibit higher oxygen fluxes compared to subtidal sediments, indicating a strong influence from microphytobenthos. The intertidal areas also display a different nutrient flux pattern, with nutrients being adsorbed into the sediment instead of released into the water column. The predicted habitat loss may have significant consequences for coastal biogeochemistry.
CONTINENTAL SHELF RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lu Yao, Maria Fernanda Adame, Chengrong Chen
Summary: Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems with the potential to store carbon and retain nitrogen and phosphorus. Changes in vegetation type and land use can affect soil properties and organic matter inputs. Different types of wetlands exhibit varying soil properties and enzymatic activities.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Yongmei Ma, Maofei Ni, Shijie Gu, Liuqing Zhang, Siyue Li
Summary: In this study, samples were collected from the Daning River, a typical karst river in the Yangtze River mountain landscapes, during both the wet and dry seasons. The molecular compositions, optical properties, and sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were investigated using various methods. The results revealed that monsoonal climate and biogeochemical processes were the main factors influencing DOM components and sources. Additionally, the analysis of DOM can aid in identifying potential contaminants and understanding water quality variations.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Cynthia Soued, Yves T. Prairie
Summary: This study quantified the sources and sinks of CO2 and CH4 in a permanently stratified tropical reservoir, demonstrating that horizontal inputs are important in the upstream branches, while internal metabolism plays a key role in the main basin.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoqian Lu, Weiwei Yu, Bin Chen, Zhiyuan Ma, Guangcheng Chen, Feiyang Ge, Shenqun An, Wenxuan Han
Summary: Anthropogenic activities alter the biogeochemical cycling and stoichiometry of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in coastal marine ecosystems, leading to significant deviations from the Redfield ratio in phytoplankton and surface seawater, and overall phosphorus limitation in Xiamen Bay. The imbalanced seawater elemental stoichiometry affects species composition and abundance, and in turn the elemental stoichiometry of phytoplankton community. It is suggested that these deviations in elemental stoichiometry could impair the nutrient supply capacity for higher trophic-level organisms and damage the health of the coastal ecosystem.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lluis Gomez-Gener, Marina Gubau, Daniel von Schiller, Rafael Marce, Biel Obrador
Summary: Through studying four temperate small hydropower plants, we found that the residence time of impounded water in the reservoir has a significant impact on the carbon emissions of the plants. The power installed in the plants does not play a significant role in the net carbon fluxes. Therefore, comprehensive net carbon footprint assessments accounting for different operation designs are necessary to improve our understanding of the environmental effects of small hydropower plants.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Ronny Lauerwald, George H. Allen, Bridget R. Deemer, Shaoda Liu, Taylor Maavara, Peter Raymond, Lewis Alcott, David Bastviken, Adam Hastie, Meredith A. Holgerson, Matthew S. Johnson, Bernhard Lehner, Peirong Lin, Alessandra Marzadri, Lishan Ran, Hanqin Tian, Xiao Yang, Yuanzhi Yao, Pierre Regnier
Summary: This study reviews the progress made in estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from inland waters over the past decade, highlighting the remaining challenges and uncertainties. More empirical work is needed to reduce these uncertainties, particularly in understanding the contributions of specific areas and moments to overall GHG emissions.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yanzi Yan, Ronny Lauerwald, Xuhui Wang, Pierre Regnier, Philippe Ciais, Lishan Ran, Yuanyi Gao, Ling Huang, Yao Zhang, Zheng Duan, Fabrice Papa, Bing Yu, Shilong Piao
Summary: This study presents a model capable of accurately simulating dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and fluxes in rivers across China. The model shows that while DOC concentrations in Chinese rivers have not changed significantly over the past 15 years, there has been a significant increase in DOC fluxes, particularly in the Yangtze River Basin and the Huaihe River Basin. These increases are attributed to anthropogenic activities, although hydrology still plays a dominant role in determining the variability of DOC. With projected increases in river discharge due to a wetter climate, it is likely that DOC fluxes will continue to increase in the future.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Wenqing Shi, Taylor Maavara, Qiuwen Chen, Jianyun Zhang, Jinren Ni, Daniele Tonina
Summary: This study investigated the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a cascade hydropower system in the upper Mekong River, China. The results showed that GHG emissions were higher in cascade reservoirs compared to the upstream channel due to accumulated sediments. CO2 was the largest contributor to total CO2-eq, while N2O had a minimal contribution. The most upstream reservoir emitted the most CH4, possibly due to sediment accumulation.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Judith A. Rosentreter, Goulven G. Laruelle, Hermann W. Bange, Thomas S. Bianchi, Julius J. M. Busecke, Wei-Jun Cai, Bradley D. Eyre, Inke Forbrich, Eun Young Kwon, Taylor Maavara, Nils Moosdorf, Raymond G. Najjar, V. V. S. S. Sarma, Bryce Van Dam, Pierre Regnier
Summary: This article analyzes data from 738 observation sites and finds that coastal ecosystems have a certain absorption effect on greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but methane and nitrous oxide emissions counteract the absorption of carbon dioxide. Southeast Asia, North America, and Africa are identified as hotspots for coastal greenhouse gas absorption.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Spencer Rhea, Nicholas Gubbins, Amanda G. DelVecchia, Matthew R. V. Ross, Emily S. Bernhardt
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elisa Stella, Roberto Pastres, Damiano Pasetto, Matko Kolega, Danijel Mejdandzic, Slavica Colak, Antares Musmanno, Andrea Gustinelli, Lorenzo Mari, Enrico Bertuzzo
Summary: Intensive fish farming has led to the spread of parasites like Sparicotyle chrysophrii, which can cause epizootics in gilthead seabream. A new model was developed to simulate the transmission dynamics of the parasite and successfully replicated its distribution within fish hosts as well as the effects of environmental factors.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samantha L. Rumschlag, Michael B. Mahon, Devin K. Jones, William Battaglin, Jonny Behrens, Emily S. Bernhardt, Paul Bradley, Ethan Brown, Frederik De Laender, Ryan Hill, Stefan Kunz, Sylvia Lee, Emma Rosi, Ralf Schaefer, Travis S. Schmidt, Marie Simonin, Kelly Smalling, Kristofor Voss, Jason R. Rohr
Summary: Based on the analysis of 6131 stream sites across different land uses in the United States over a period of 27 years, it was found that macroinvertebrate density declined by 11% and richness increased by 12.2%. Insect density and richness showed even greater declines of 23.3% and 6.8%, respectively. Furthermore, there was an increasing difference in richness and composition between urban and agricultural streams compared to forested and grassland streams. Urban and agricultural streams lost disturbance-sensitive taxa and gained disturbance-tolerant taxa. These findings indicate that current stream protection and restoration efforts are insufficient to mitigate the impacts of human activities.
Article
Limnology
Matt T. T. Trentman, Robert O. O. Hall Jr, H. Maurice Valett
Summary: Estimates of primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems are commonly based on variation in O-2, rather than CO2. However, there is a mismatch between the theory and application of the photosynthetic quotient (PQ) used to convert the estimates. Aquatic ecologists use PQ=1-1.4, while literature supports PQ=0.1-4.2. This study explores the theory and processes influencing PQ in aquatic ecosystems, using a case study to highlight the importance of considering environmental conditions on PQ variability.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hannah D. Conroy, Erin R. Hotchkiss, Kaelin M. Cawley, Keli Goodman, Robert O. Hall Jr, Jeremy B. Jones, Wilfred M. Wollheim, David Butman
Summary: Headwater stream networks contribute significantly to the terrestrial carbon dioxide flux due to turbulence and interaction with terrestrial environments. Measuring and scaling these emissions is challenging due to limited monitoring points. Our study found that the stream network had higher carbon emissions under high flow conditions compared to low flow conditions. Winter stream emissions accounted for a larger percentage of the forest net ecosystem exchange than in summer, highlighting the importance of considering flow regime in annual estimates of stream network emissions.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bradley D. Eyre, Nicola Camillini, Ronnie N. Glud, Judith A. Rosentreter
Summary: Blue carbon refers to carbon stored in vegetated coastal ecosystems for a long time, which is an important sink for atmospheric CO2. However, the production and release of methane and nitrous oxide during organic matter decomposition can affect the climate benefit of blue carbon. A meta-analysis of seagrass methane and nitrous oxide fluxes and organic carbon burial rates was conducted, and the reduced climate benefit of seagrass blue carbon was estimated using three upscaling approaches. The study found that methane and nitrous oxide release from seagrass ecosystems offset around 7% to 33% of the global climate benefits of CO2 drawdown by seagrasses. This highlights the importance of considering methane and nitrous oxide fluxes and using long-term organic carbon burial rates in future assessments of seagrass blue carbon.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
