Article
Ecology
Taylor N. Turner, Thomas J. Dean, Jeff S. Kuehny
Summary: Native hardwood regeneration in the southeast United States is hindered by repeat disturbance events and the presence of invasive species. A study indicated that the presence of Chinese privet may inhibit native hardwood establishment. Repeat measurements showed that Chinese privet remains highly present, there is no increase in regenerating individuals, and overstory trees density and basal area remain low. Therefore, management measures are needed to promote reproduction of native overstory tree species.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Felicity Victoria Crotty, Umran Akkan Demirer, Stuart Lee Norris, Wei Liu, Philip James Murray
Summary: Soil organisms, particularly soil arthropods, play a crucial role in maintaining soil properties and ecosystem services. This study examined the diversity and abundance of soil arthropods along a chronosequence of land use types and found that land use type and age since disturbance significantly influenced the community composition of soil fauna, with woodlands hosting richer arthropod communities compared to recently managed grassland.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Timothy J. Fahey, Natalie L. Cleavitt, John J. Battles
Summary: Leaf abundance of trees plays a dominant role in forest ecosystem function and health. Quantification of leaf abundance of three dominant tree species over a 27-year period revealed the impact of disturbance events and canopy dieback on leaf abundance. Leaf abundance provides a useful indicator for assessing forest ecosystem function and health.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Christian Che-Castaldo, Charlie M. M. Crisafulli
Summary: The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens had significant effects on its surrounding landscapes, providing a unique opportunity to study ecological change over time. By monitoring micrometeorological conditions across six disturbance zones, we found that localized environmental conditions play a key role in larger ecological processes.
Article
Forestry
Andrew D. Arko, Jeffery B. Cannon, Austin Himes, Adam Polinko
Summary: Modern forestry research highlights the importance of incorporating natural disturbance regimes into management practices. This study examines the characteristics of canopy gaps formed by Hurricane Michael in a longleaf pine woodland, and finds variations in gap characteristics and nuanced differences in their spatial distribution among different landscape types.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xuesong Kong, Zhengzi Zhou, Limin Jiao
Summary: The study reveals that habitat loss in global biodiversity hotspots is mainly driven by agricultural land occupation and urban expansion. Some hotspots in developing countries face more severe issues with agricultural land occupation, while hotspots in developed nations are more threatened by urban expansion.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2021)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Paul Jerem, Fiona Mathews
Summary: Anthropogenic noise is recognized as potentially harmful to wildlife, and research in this area has increased significantly over the past decade. However, there is a geographical bias in the studies, with a majority conducted in North America and Europe, and a lack of research in rural areas.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Tuija Maliniemi, Risto Virtanen
Summary: The study finds that long-term intensive land use disturbance significantly alters boreal mountain vegetation, with vegetation changes more similar to those expected under a warmer climate compared to less disturbed areas.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chongxun Mo, Shutan Zhao, Yuli Ruan, Siyi Liu, Xingbi Lei, Shufeng Lai, Guikai Sun, Zhenxiang Xing
Summary: This paper proposes a nested model for the multi-objective optimal dispatching of reservoirs, which solves the problem of coordinating the contradiction between long-term and short-term benefits in the existing models. The results show that the optimal dispatching plan of the nested model has higher benefits while meeting the flood control objectives. In the case of predicting runoff errors, the output control mode is identified as the optimal control mode.
Article
Biology
Daniel C. Reed, Russell J. Schmitt, Adrian B. Burd, Deron E. Burkepile, John S. Kominoski, Karen J. McGlathery, Robert J. Miller, James T. Morris, Julie C. Zinnert
Summary: Coastal ecosystems play a crucial role in society, but climate change is causing significant changes to their ecological structure and function. This article reviews research on coastal ecosystems shaped by foundation species to demonstrate how climate change is impacting their ecological attributes and services. Long-term, site-based studies are invaluable for understanding the resilience of coastal systems, identifying thresholds for ecological shifts, and investigating the capacity of coastal ecosystems to adapt to climate change and the underlying biological mechanisms.
Article
Biology
Amy R. Hudson, Debra P. C. Peters, John M. Blair, Daniel L. Childers, Peter T. Doran, Kerrie Geil, Michael Gooseff, Katherine L. Gross, Nick M. Haddad, Melissa A. Pastore, Jennifer A. Rudgers, Osvaldo Sala, Eric W. Seabloom, Gaius Shaver
Summary: This study compares the patterns of climate change and primary production responses in diverse drylands based on long-term observations and experiments. It reveals that droughts, floods, and wildfires have a greater impact on primary production than warming alone.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chao Chen, Liyan Wang, Gang Yang, Weiwei Sun, Yongze Song
Summary: With the rapid urbanization in China, the conflict between urban development and the ecological environment has become more prominent, leading to severe challenges for the urban ecological system. This study proposes an ecological index-based approach using remote sensing and temporal analysis to monitor and evaluate the ecological environment. The results provide valuable insights and a decision-making basis for the dynamic monitoring and regional governance of the ecological environment in island areas.
Article
Plant Sciences
Christine M. akesson, Crystal N. H. McMichael, Marco F. Raczka, Seringe N. Huisman, Mona Palmeira, Johnny Vogel, David Neill, Jason Veizaj, Mark B. Bush
Summary: The study investigated the fossil pollen, phytolith, and charcoal history of Lake Kumpak(a), Ecuador, during the last 2,415 years to assess ecological legacies resulting from pre-Columbian forest modification, disturbance, cultivation, and fire usage. The results showed that the intensity and duration of disturbance periods varied, with plant species turnover lasting for hundreds of years. Despite no evidence of persistent enrichment or depletion of intentionally altered taxa (direct legacy effects), indirect legacy effects were documented and have persisted to the modern day.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wellen Fernanda Louzada Castelo, Maria Virginia Alves Martins, Michael Martinez-Colon, Josefa Varela Guerra, Tatiana Pinheiro Dadalto, Denise Terroso, Maryane Filgueiras Soares, Fabrizio Frontalini, Wania Duleba, Orangel Antonio Aguilera Socorro, Mauro Cesar Geraldes, Fernando Rocha, Sergio Bergamaschi
Summary: A multiproxy approach was used to reconstruct the Holocene paleoenvironmental changes in Marambaia Cove of the Sepetiba Bay, SE Brazil, with a focus on natural vs. anthropogenic variability. The core analysis provided evidence of lagoon evolution and effects of potentially toxic elements under natural vs. anthropic forcing. These findings illustrate the significant impact of anthropogenic activities on sediment geochemistry, pollution loads, and benthic organism health in the study area.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jian-Yu Dong, Xuefeng Wang, Gorka Bidegain, Xin Sun, Xiaodong Bian, Xiumei Zhang
Summary: Considering the increasing impacts of climate change and human activities on marine ecosystems, accurate assessment of benthic ecological quality status (EcoQs) has become crucial for ecosystem management and restoration. In this study, five macrobenthos-based biotic indices were used to assess the EcoQs of Laizhou Bay in China. The results showed variations among the indices, but the composite index combining multiple indices provided a more accurate assessment of the benthic EcoQs, with 83.78% of the study area considered acceptable.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
German Wies, Armando Navarrete-Segueda, Eliane Ceccon, John Larsen, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
Summary: This study investigated various factors influencing maize cropping systems and grain yield, including the differences between traditional and conventional systems, soil characteristics, agronomic factors, and socioeconomic drivers. The findings reveal the inconsistent effectiveness of modern agronomic management and highlight the need for new theoretical models incorporating socioeconomic and cultural drivers to better predict maize grain yield.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ricard Arasa-Gisbert, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Jorge A. Meave, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Madelon Lohbeck
Summary: This study examines the effects of forest cover, matrix openness, and forest patch density on the functional composition and diversity of tropical regenerating trees. The results show that forest loss and matrix openness reduce functional richness and evenness, while fragmentation has contrasting effects on functional diversity and composition.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Mariana Vargas-Sanchez, Javier Alcocer, Luis A. Oseguera
Summary: This study investigates the role of seston in the dynamics of a cluster of tropical karstic lakes. The results show that impacted lakes with higher seston and chlorophyll a concentrations are associated with eutrophication caused by anthropogenic activities. Non-impacted lakes have lower seston and chlorophyll a concentrations and exhibit different physical and chemical profiles.
Article
Limnology
Daniela Cortes Guzman, Javier Alcocer, Jose Daniel Cuevas Lara, Ismael Soria Reinoso, Luis A. Oseguera, Martin Merino-Ibarra
Summary: Dissolved and particulate organic matter are the energy source for secondary production in forested streams. Seasonal variation is mainly influenced by the rainfall pattern and hydrology. However, environmental parameters and organic matter stock and input are not good predictors of stream metabolism.
Article
Forestry
Mariano Torres-Gomez, Roberto Garibay-Orijel, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup, Alejandro Casas, Mario Guevara
Summary: This study investigates the use and knowledge of wild edible mushrooms in central Mexico, highlighting the lower knowledge and use of these mushrooms in Mestizo communities compared to Indigenous communities. The study emphasizes the underutilization of fungal resources and the need for promoting mycological knowledge for enhancing forest conservation policies.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
M. Paula Sgarlatta, Arturo Ramirez-Valdez, Lydia B. Ladah, Luis E. Calderon-Aguilera
Summary: This study explores the relationship between functional diversity of fish communities and habitat complexity in temperate reefs and finds that small-scale spatial factors in kelp forests have an impact on functional richness, while habitat complexity does not significantly affect fish taxonomic or functional diversity in both rocky reefs and kelp forests.
Article
Forestry
Victor Manuel Martinez-Calderon, Joaquin Sosa-Ramirez, Jose De Jesus Luna-Ruiz, Diego Rafael Perez-Salicrup, Manuel Higinio Sandoval-Ortega
Summary: This study observed the effect of storage and pre-germination treatments on the germination of Arbutus xalapensis seeds. The results showed that the germination rate of the seeds decreased over time and the time required for germination increased. Pre-germination treatments with gibberellic acid helped reduce the time required for germination, but did not significantly increase the germination rate.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mariana Vargas-Sanchez, Javier Alcocer, Salvador Sanchez-Carrillo, Luis A. Oseguera, Erika M. Rivera-Herrera, Ismael Soria-Reinoso, Andrea Guzman-Arias, Felipe Garcia-Oliva, Martin Merino-Ibarra
Summary: This study found significant seasonal variation in CO2 concentrations and emissions in tropical karst lakes with different trophic statuses. Emission levels were higher during the rainy/warm season and lower during the dry/cold season. The study also highlighted the impact of different trophic statuses on CO2 emissions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Isael Victoria-Salazar, Edgar J. Gonzalez, Jorge A. Meave, Miguel-Angel Ruiz-Zarate, Hector A. Hernandez-Arana
Summary: Understanding the mechanisms that maintain the permanence of coral reefs and the constancy of their characteristics is crucial to mitigate the effects of ongoing environmental changes. A study on a partially affected patch reef after a ship grounding incident revealed that the impacted and non-impacted sectors displayed different successional trajectories, with the former dominated by fleshy algae. This degraded state, characterized by high stability and resilience, is likely due to the strong ability of fleshy algae to monopolize space and the low recovery potential of corals.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jose Luis Jimenez-Seinos, Javier Alcocer, Dolors Planas
Summary: High mountain lakes (HMLs) are unique ecosystems for monitoring global climate change. Food web analysis can indicate the response of these ecosystems to ecological threats. This study assessed the food webs of two neighboring tropical HMLs, El Sol and La Luna. The results showed that El Sol had a more complex food web and was impacted by introduced rainbow trout, while La Luna had a simpler food web and no fish. Comparisons with temperate HMLs revealed differences in species richness and trophic dynamics.
Article
Environmental Sciences
James J. J. Leichter, Lydia B. B. Ladah, P. Ed Parnell, M. Dale Stokes, Matthew T. T. Costa, James Fumo, Paul K. K. Dayton
Summary: This study describes long-term patterns of Giant Kelp canopy area and recent patterns of nitrate exposure in the water column off the coast of San Diego County. The results show that ocean and climate dynamics are associated with kelp persistence and resilience, and that seasonal upwelling and high-frequency internal waves contribute to the spatial patterns of Giant Kelp in southern California.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Daniel Martin Auliz-Ortiz, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Eduardo Mendoza, Miguel Martinez-Ramos
Summary: Restricted policies in protected areas may worsen poverty, but less restrictive areas may be better at alleviating poverty. However, this permissibility may reduce the effectiveness of preventing forest loss.
Article
Ecology
Luis D. Olivares-Martinez, Alberto Gomez-Tagle, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup
Summary: The state of Michoacan in central Mexico is responsible for nearly half of the global avocado trade. Fire has played a significant role in land-use change processes in the region. A study conducted from 2000 to 2017 found an average of 276 fires covering 3287 hectares of forest per year, mainly affecting pine and pine-oak forests. The distance to urban settlements, roads, agricultural plots, and avocado orchards showed a strong correlation with fire occurrence, with a median fire return interval of 2-3 years.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jorge Assis, Filipe Alberto, Erasmo C. Macaya, Nelson Castilho Coelho, Sylvain Faugeron, Gareth A. Pearson, Lydia Ladah, Daniel C. Reed, Peter Raimondi, Andres Mansilla, Paul Brickle, Giuseppe C. Zuccarello, Ester A. Serrao
Summary: This study aims to bridge the gap in understanding the impact of past climate-driven range shifts on intraspecific biodiversity in marine environments. By comparing genetic diversity and population structure with species distribution modeling, the researchers found that the global distribution of the giant kelp is indeed influenced by past climate changes. They also highlighted the importance of regional genetic groups in the conservation of giant kelp forests.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)