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Abstract Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is widely used for monitoring viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in wastewater. Various materials, including plasmid DNA, synthetic nucleic acids, PCR amplicons, genomic DNA, and cDNA, are currently used for SARS-CoV-2 quantification by generating standard curves. We assessed three common standards on quantifying SARS-CoV-2 RNA across nine wastewater treatment plants in Finland, as part of the national wastewater surveillance effort. We pairwise compared RT-qPCR results from 148 wastewater samples, using both IDT (#10006625, IDT, USA) and CODEX standards (#SC2-RNAC-1100, CODEX DNA), and 179 samples using both IDT and EURM019 standards (#EURM-019, European Commission, Joint Research Centre) in our assessment. Amongst the tested standards, the CODEX standard consistently yielded more stable results than either the IDT or EURM019 standards. We found that SARS-CoV-2 levels were higher with the IDT standard (4.36 Log10 GC/100 mL) compared to the CODEX standard (4.05 Log10 GC/100 mL). Similarly, quantification using the IDT standard was higher (5.27 Log10 GC/100 mL) than values obtained with the EURM019 (4.81 Log10 GC/100 mL). SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantified with IDT and CODEX standards exhibited stronger concordance (Spearman’s correlation rho median of 0.79) compared to those quantified with IDT and EURM019 standards (rho median of 0.59). This study highlights the significant impact of standard material selection on SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification, emphasizing the need for harmonization in standard material.

This study explores how children construct their belonging in culturally diverse early childhood settings in Finland and Iceland. Belonging is understood as a holistic phenomenon that is constructed through various relations. The study is a multiple-case study, influenced by ethnographic approaches, conducted with children in two preschool settings, one in Finland and one in Iceland. The children were invited on walking tours with researchers and tablet computers, and participatory observations were utilised. The findings explore the daily moments in which belonging becomes constructed, involving movements, timing, touch, and play, relationally generated moments between children, and their material relations.

This special issue provides some needed insight into the tensions, coherence, and/or progress in early childhood teacher education (ECTE) in the Nordic countries. These topics warrant exploration due to complex, and at times contradictory educational landscapes, which must deal with the question of how to generate comprehensive, coherent, and interdisciplinary education programs. Drawing on studies utilizing different theoretical perspectives on tensions, coherence, and progress in higher education, and with the use of a variety of research methodologies, the Nordic authors in this special issue expand our knowledge on current issues and tendencies in ECTE in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. In light of the great importance of and real challenges in the field of early childhood education and care, the question of how to educate early childhood education teachers is highly relevant, and requires more research in, and reflection on, how these teachers are educated. This special issue draws specific attention to opportunities and challenges in ECTE, which has so far received limited research attention.

Competing configurations, assigned with three different shapes, are mixed at low angular momentum in the neutron-deficient 188Pb nucleus. Here, we present a simultaneous conversion electron and γ-ray in-beam spectroscopic precision measurement employing the sage spectrometer. The level energy of the first excited state, 02+, has been determined at 591(1)keV through direct measurement of conversion electrons. By using the intensity of the observed 02+→01+ transition to the ground state, the feeding of the 02+ state has been determined for the first time, which suggests the 02+ state is the head of the predominantly prolate band. The compositions of the 42+→41+ and 22+→21+ inter-band transitions have been determined, indicating configuration mixing between the bands.

Abstract Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants may have different characteristics, e.g., in transmission, mortality, and the effectiveness of vaccines, indicating the importance of variant detection at the population level. Wastewater-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments has been shown to be an effective way to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic at the population level. Wastewater is a complex sample matrix affected by environmental factors and PCR inhibitors, causing insufficient coverage in sequencing, for example. Subsequently, results where part of the genome does not have sufficient coverage are not uncommon. To identify variants and their proportions in wastewater over time, we utilized next-generation sequencing with the ARTIC Network's primer set and bioinformatics pipeline to evaluate the presence of variants in partial genome data. Based on the wastewater data from November 2021 to February 2022, the Delta variant was dominant until mid-December in Helsinki, Finland’s capital, and thereafter in late December 2022 Omicron became the most common variant. At the same time, the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 outcompeted the previous Delta variant in Finland in new COVID-19 cases. The SARS-CoV-2 variant findings from wastewater are in agreement with the variant information obtained from the patient samples when visually comparing trends in the sewerage network area. This indicates that the sequencing of wastewater is an effective way to monitor temporal and spatial trends of SARS-CoV-2 variants at the population level.

Abstract Plant biomass is a fundamental ecosystem attribute that is sensitive to rapid climatic changes occurring in the Arctic. Nevertheless, measuring plant biomass in the Arctic is logistically challenging and resource intensive. Lack of accessible field data hinders efforts to understand the amount, composition, distribution, and changes in plant biomass in these northern ecosystems. Here, we present The Arctic plant aboveground biomass synthesis dataset, which includes field measurements of lichen, bryophyte, herb, shrub, and/or tree aboveground biomass (g m−2) on 2,327 sample plots from 636 field sites in seven countries. We created the synthesis dataset by assembling and harmonizing 32 individual datasets. Aboveground biomass was primarily quantified by harvesting sample plots during mid- to late-summer, though tree and often tall shrub biomass were quantified using surveys and allometric models. Each biomass measurement is associated with metadata including sample date, location, method, data source, and other information. This unique dataset can be leveraged to monitor, map, and model plant biomass across the rapidly warming Arctic.

Abstract Peatlands provide a variety of ecosystem services besides being important ecosystems for biodiversity. Sustainable peatland management requires that its impacts are identified, and all management is allocated in a cost-efficient manner. In this study, we assessed how peatland management influences the habitat suitability of red-listed plant species and the financial performance of management measured as net present value (NPV). The study was done in three landscapes in Finland. We considered four peatland management scenarios i.e., no management activity (NOMANAGE), hydrological restoration (REST), wood harvesting for bioenergy (BIOENERGY), and timber production (TIMBER). The NPVs of different management scenarios were compared to the habitat suitability of red-listed peatland plant species. A cost-impact analysis was used, with TIMBER as a baseline scenario, to find out which alternative scenario would be the most cost-efficient in contributing to habitat suitability. Our study shows that potential habitat areas were significantly different between the scenarios. REST provided the largest potential habitat areas, followed by BIOENERGY, NOMANAGE, and TIMBER. TIMBER provided the best financial performance when low interest rates were used. REST and BIOENERGY were more cost-efficient in enhancing potential habitat areas than NOMANAGE. REST would improve suitable habitats and provide financial benefits when a higher interest rate was used. In conclusion, even a win–win condition could be achieved in some cases (33%), in which higher NPV was achieved simultaneously with improved potential habitat areas. The study provides information for alleviating the economic barriers of restoration and targeting land use and management options cost-efficiently.

Abstract Herbivores can exert a controlling effect on the reproduction and growth of shrubs, thereby counter‐acting the climate‐driven encroachment of shrubs in the Arctic and the potential consequences. This control is particularly evident in the case of abundant herbivores, such as reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), whose grazing patterns are affected by management. Here, we tested how different reindeer grazing practices on the border between Finland and Norway impact the occurrence of willow (Salix spp.) dominated patches, their above‐ground biomass (AGB) and the ability of willows to form dense thickets. We used a combination of multispectral and RGB imagery obtained from unoccupied aerial vehicles field data and an ensemble of machine‐learning models, which allowed us to model the occurrence of plant community types (Overall accuracy = 0.80), AGB fractions (maximum R2 = 0.90) and topsoil moisture (maximum R2 = 0.89). With this combination of approaches, we show that willows are kept in a browsing‐trap under spring and early summer grazing by reindeer, growing mostly small and scattered in the landscape. In contrast, willows under the winter grazing regime formed dense stands, particularly within riparian areas. We confirm this pattern using a random forest willow habitat distribution model based on topographical parameters. The model shows that willow biomass correlated with parameters of optimal habitat quality only in the winter grazing regime and did not respond to the same parameters under spring and summer grazing of reindeer.

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastelemme varhaiskasvatuksen opettajien kuvauksia onnistuneesta kuvataidekasvatustoiminnasta. Olemme kiinnostuneita erityisesti siitä, millaisena osallisuus kuvataan toiminnassa ja miten osallisuus on suhteessa kuvataidekasvatuksen traditioihin. Osallisuus ymmärretään tutkimuksessa sosiaalisena ja poliittisena ilmiönä, jossa korostuvat yhteisöllisyys, yhteisöön kuuluminen ja yhteisössä toimiminen, päätösten tekeminen ja -tekoprosessit sekä vaikuttaminen. Aineisto on kerätty osana Kansallisen koulutuksen arviointikeskuksen toteuttamaa arviointia, jossa tarkasteltiin viisivuotiaiden pedagogiikkaa ja taito- ja taidekasvatuksen tilaa varhaiskasvatuksessa. Analyysimenetelmänä tutkimuksessa hyödynnettiin abduktiivista sisällönanalyysiä, jota on toteutettu sekä laadullisena että määrällisenä. Tulosten mukaan varhaiskasvatuksen kuvataiteessa korostuu aikuisjohtoisuus ja kuvataidetta toteutetaan usein menetelmälähtöisesti. Varhaiskasvatussuunnitelman sekä esiopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteiden tavoitteet osallisuuden sekä kuvallisen ilmaisun osalta jäävät vähälle huomiolle.

Mining industry generates a significant amount of waste including waste rock and tailings. The disposal of mine tailings has environmental impacts, such as the releasing of heavy metals to surface and underground waters. Therefore, adequate rehabilitation of mining waste storage facilities is essential. Abandoned tailings ponds may contain significant amounts of valuable minerals, including critical raw materials, and offer opportunities as secondary mineral resources. In this study geochemical and mineralogical characterization were made for the diverse mine tailings of the Rautuvaara tailings pond which was the final disposal site for different ore deposits. The samples were collected from two different locations in the tailings pond, preconcentrated and analysed with several methods including PSA, XRD, FE-SEM, EPMA, pXRF, WD-XRF and AAS. The geochemical results indicate substantially elevated Cu, As, Ni and Zn concentrations in the tailings. Mineralogical investigations revealed that the tailings contain valuable minerals such as gold, cobaltite, and W-bearing rutile. The last could be used as an indicator mineral in tailings classification and possibly also in future ore exploration. The study of secondary mineralogy revealed that the most weathered top layers of the tailings show secondary alteration rims on the surfaces of mineral particles, and the enrichment of As and Ni in the Fe- and Mn-oxide minerals.

Abstract The Nordic Bioeconomy Pathways (NBPs), conceptualized subsets of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways varying from environmentally friendly to open-market competition scenarios, can lead to plausible stressors in future for using bioresources. This study analysed the impacts of NBPs on hydrology and water quality based on two different land system management attributes: management strategy and a combination of reduced stand management and biomass removal at a catchment-scale projection. To understand the potential impacts of NBPs, the Simojoki catchment in northern Finland was chosen, as the catchment mainly covered peatland forestry. The analysis integrated a stakeholder-driven questionnaire, the Finnish Forest dynamics model, and Soil and Water Assessment Tool to build NBP scenarios, including Greenhouse gas emission pathways, for multiple management attributes to simulate flows, nutrients, and suspended solids (SS). For the catchment management strategy, an annual decrease in nutrients was observed for sustainability and business-as-usual scenarios. Reduced stand management and biomass removal also led to decreased export of nutrients and SS for the same scenarios, whereas, in other NBPs, the export of nutrients and SS increased with decreased evapotranspiration. Although the study was investigated at a local scale, based on the current political and socioeconomic situation, the approach used in this study can be outscaled to assess the use of forest and other bioresources in similar catchments.

Abstract Background In autumn 2021 in Finland, a recommendation to use face masks was implemented nationwide in schools for pupils ages 12 years and above. While national guidelines were in form of recommendations, cities implemented mandatory masking in schools. Some cities extended this mandate for younger pupils as well. Our aim was to compare COVID-19 incidence among 10–12-year-olds between cities with different recommendations on the use of face masks in schools. Methods COVID-19 case numbers, defined as positive laboratory verified SARS-CoV-2 test results, were obtained from the National Infectious Disease Registry (NIDR) of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Helsinki, Turku and Tampere were selected for comparison since the baseline COVID-19 incidence in the cities had been similar in August and September 2021. Helsinki and Tampere implemented the national recommendation on face mask use at schools, while Turku extended this to include those 10 years old and above, starting from the beginning of semester in early August. Age groups of 7–9-year-olds, 10–12-year-olds and 30–49-year-olds were included in the statistical analysis and moving averages of 14-day incidences per 100 000 inhabitants were used as a dependent variable. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate average percent changes (APC) and average daily percent changes (ADPC) in the 14-day incidences. Differences in the ADPC values between the cities were compared in one-month periods. We also calculated cumulative incidences from the beginning of August to the end of November in the cities by age group. Results In August, the ADPC was highest in Turku (3.9) and lowest in Tampere (2.0), while in September, the ADPC was highest in Turku (-0.3) and lowest in Helsinki (-3.2) among 10–12-year-olds. In October, the ADPC was highest in Helsinki (2.1) and lowest in Turku (-0.2) and in November, the ADPC was highest in Turku (4.1) and lowest in Tampere (-0.5) among 10–12-year-olds. We also calculated cumulative incidences from the beginning of August to the end of November in the cities by age groups of 7–9 years, 10–12 years, and 30–49 years. The cumulative incidence was highest in Turku in all age groups and lowest in Tampere. Conclusions According to our analysis, no additional effect was gained from mandating face masks, based on comparisons between the cities and between the age groups of the unvaccinated children (10–12 years versus 7–9 years).

The subarctic landscape consists of a mosaic of forest, peatland, and aquatic ecosystems and their ecotones. The carbon (C) exchange between ecosystems and the atmosphere through carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes varies spatially and temporally among these ecosystems. Our study area in Kaamanen in northern Finland covered 7 km2 of boreal subarctic landscape with upland forest, open peatland, pine bogs, and lakes. We measured the CO2 and CH4 fluxes with eddy covariance and chambers between June 2017 and June 2019 and studied the C flux responses to varying meteorological conditions. The landscape area was an annual CO2 sink of −45 ± 22 and −33 ± 23 g C m−2 and a CH4 source of 3.0 ± 0.2 and 2.7 ± 0.2 g C m−2 during the first and second study years, respectively. The pine forest had the largest contribution to the landscape-level CO2 sink, −126 ± 21 and −101 ± 19 g C m−2, and the fen to the CH4 emissions, 7.8 ± 0.2 and 6.3 ± 0.3 g C m−2, during the first and second study years, respectively. The lakes within the area acted as CO2 and CH4 sources to the atmosphere throughout the measurement period, and a lake located downstream from the fen with organic sediment showed 4-fold fluxes compared to a mineral sediment lake. The annual C balances were affected most by the rainy peak growing season in 2017, the warm summer in 2018, and a heatwave and drought event in July 2018. The rainy period increased ecosystem respiration (ER) in the pine forest due to continuously high soil moisture content, and ER was on a level similar to the following, notably warmer, summer. A corresponding ER response to abundant precipitation was not observed for the fen ecosystem, which is adapted to high water table levels, and thus a higher ER sum was observed during the warm summer 2018. During the heatwave and drought period, similar responses were observed for all terrestrial ecosystems, with decreased gross primary productivity and net CO2 uptake, caused by the unfavourable growing conditions and plant stress due to the soil moisture and vapour pressure deficits. Additionally, the CH4 emissions from the fen decreased during and after the drought. However, the timing and duration of drought effects varied between the fen and forest ecosystems, as C fluxes were affected sooner and had a shorter post-drought recovery time in the fen than forest. The differing CO2 flux response to weather variations showed that terrestrial ecosystems can have a contrasting impact on the landscape-level C balance in a changing climate, even if they function similarly most of the time.

The article addresses children's perspectives of belonging in early childhood education settings in five European countries. Children's belonging is understood to be dynamic processes that are formed through multiple relations. Twenty children aged 4-8 with diverse backgrounds participated in the study: two boys and two girls from each country. Data were constructed through walking interviews, during which the individual children walked around the ECE settings with the researcher, taking photos and conversing at the same time. Yuval-Davises' [2011. "The Politics of Belonging: Intersectional Contestations." London: SAGE] three facets of belonging were utilised as a theoretical lens to analyse the data and to shed light on the findings. The findings illustrate how belonging, from the participating children's perspectives, is strongly related to friendship, being surrounded by caring adults and being a member of the ECE community.

Neutron-proton pairing is a topic of continuous interest in nuclear physics and open questions remain. The authors experimentally observe direct proton decay from the ground state of odd-odd 116La, providing support for the presence of strong neutron-proton pair correlations in this exotic, neutron deficient system.

Data on immune responses following COVID-19 booster vaccinations and subsequent infections in the immunocompromised are limited. We studied antibody responses after the fourth dose and subsequent infections to define patient groups benefiting most from boosters. Fourth vaccine (booster) doses were, in Finland, first recommended for severely immunocompromised individuals, whom we invited to participate in our study in 2022. We assessed spike protein-specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) against the ancestral and Omicron BA.1 strains one month after the fourth dose from 488 adult participants and compared them to the levels of 35 healthy controls after three doses. We used Bayesian generalized linear modeling to assess factors explaining antibody levels and assessed vaccine-induced and hybrid immunity six months after the last vaccine dose. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and immunosuppressive therapy (IT) were identified as factors explaining sub-optimal antibody responses. The proportion of participants with a normal antibody response and NAbs was significantly lower regarding CKD patients compared to the controls. By the 6-month sampling point, one-third of the participants became infected (documented by serology and/or molecular tests), which notably enhanced antibody levels in most immunocompromised participants. Impaired antibody responses, especially NAbs against the Omicron lineage, suggest limited protection in individuals with CKD and highlight the need for alternative pharmaceutical preventive strategies. Vaccination strategies should take into account the development of robust hybrid immunity responses also among the immunocompromised.

The authors study an interesting phenomena of shape coexistence in 186Pb. In an elegant and well-documented experiment, they confirm the coexistence of the three 0+ states in the 186Pb nucleus and reassign the shapes associated with the excited 0+ states.

Multi-drug resistance is emerging in Citrobacter freundii, which is the third most common carbapenemase-producing (CP) Enterobacteriaceae in humans in Finland due to recent outbreaks. The objective of this study was to determine if wastewater surveillance (WWS) could detect CP C. freundii strains causing infections in humans. Selective culturing was used to isolate CP C. freundii from the hospital environment, hospital wastewater, and untreated municipal wastewater in Helsinki, Finland, between 2019 and 2022. Species were identified using MALDI-TOF, and presumptive CP C. freundii isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and further characterized by whole genome sequencing. A genomic comparison was conducted to compare isolates collected from the hospital environment, untreated municipal wastewater, and a selection of isolates from human specimens from two hospitals in the same city. We also examined the persistence of CP C. freundii in the hospital environment and the impact of our attempts to eradicate it. Overall, 27 blaKPC − 2-carrying C. freundii were detected in the hospital environment (ST18; n = 23 and ST8; n = 4), while 13 blaKPC − 2-carrying C. freundii (ST8) and five blaVIM − 1-carrying (ST421) C. freundii were identified in untreated municipal wastewater. CP C. freundii was not identified in hospital wastewater. We found three clusters (cluster distance threshold ≤ 10 allelic difference) after comparing the recovered isolates and a selection of isolates from human specimens. The first cluster consisted of ST18 isolates from the hospital environment (n = 23) and human specimens (n = 4), the second consisted of ST8 isolates from the hospital environment (n = 4), untreated municipal wastewater (n = 6), and human specimens (n = 2), and the third consisted of ST421 isolates from the untreated municipal wastewater (n = 5). Our results support previous studies suggesting that the hospital environment could act as a source of transmission of CP C. freundii in clinical settings. Furthermore, the eradication of CP Enterobacteriaceae from the hospital environment is challenging. Our findings also showed that CP C. freundii is persistent throughout the sewerage system and demonstrate the potential of WWS for detecting CP C. freundii.

The study draws on a relational and intersectional approach to young children's belonging in Finnish educational settings. Belonging is conceptualized as a multilevel, dynamic, and relationally constructed phenomenon. The aim of the study is to explore how children's belonging is shaped in the intersections between macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of young children's education in Finland. The data consist of educational policy documents and ethnographic material generated in educational programs for children aged birth to 8 years. A situational mapping framework is used to analyze and interpret the data across and within systems levels (macro-level; meso-level; and micro-level). The findings show that the landscape in which children's belonging is shaped and the intersections across and within the levels are characterized by the tensions between similarities and differences, majority and minorities, continuity and change, authority and agency. Language used, practices enacted, and positional power emerge as the (re)sources through which children's (un)belonging is actively produced.

Arctic tundra is facing unprecedented warming, resulting in shifts in the vegetation, thaw regimes, and potentially in the ecosystem–atmosphere exchange of carbon (C). However, the estimates of regional carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) budgets are highly uncertain. We measured CO2 and CH4 fluxes, vegetation composition and leaf area index (LAI), thaw depth, and soil wetness in Tiksi (71∘ N, 128∘ E), a heterogeneous site located within the prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra zone in northeastern Siberia. Using the closed chamber method, we determined the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2, ecosystem respiration in the dark (ER), ecosystem gross photosynthesis (Pg), and CH4 flux during the growing season. We applied a previously developed high-spatial-resolution land cover map over an area of 35.8 km2 for spatial extrapolation. Among the land cover types varying from barren to dwarf-shrub tundra and tundra wetlands, the NEE and Pg at the photosynthetically active photon flux density of 800 µmol m−2 h−1 (NEE800 and Pg800) were greatest in the graminoid-dominated habitats, i.e., streamside meadow and fens, with NEE800 and Pg800 of up to −21 (uptake) and 28 mmol m−2 h−1, respectively. Vascular LAI was a robust predictor of both NEE800 and Pg800 and, on a landscape scale, the fens were disproportionately important for the summertime CO2 sequestration. Dry tundra, including the dwarf-shrub and lichen tundra, had smaller CO2 exchange rates. The fens were the largest source of CH4, while the dry mineral soil tundra consumed atmospheric CH4, which on a landscape scale amounted to −9 % of the total CH4 balance during the growing season. The largest seasonal mean CH4 consumption rate of 0.02 mmol m−2 h−1 occurred in sand- and stone-covered barren areas. The high consumption rate agrees with the estimate based on the eddy covariance measurements at the same site. We acknowledge the uncertainty involved in spatial extrapolations due to a small number of replicates per land cover type. This study highlights the need to distinguish different land cover types including the dry tundra habitats to account for their different CO2 and CH4 flux patterns, especially the consumption of atmospheric CH4, when estimating tundra C exchange on a larger spatial scale.

It is unclear how much costs economic difficulties in families with children incur to the health and social care sector. We examined the health and social service costs after families entered into, and transitioned out of, social assistance used as a proxy measure for economic difficulties. We analyzed register data on all Finnish children born in 1997 and used the non-randomized target trial framework. The two target trials of entry to economic difficulties (social assistance) and continued economic difficulties included 697 680 and 71 131 children-year observations, respectively, in total. Inverse probability treatment weighting techniques were used to make the comparison group similar to the treatment group in terms of health, socioeconomic and demographic-related pretreatment variables. Entry to social assistance use was associated with some 1511–2619€ (50% compared to the control group) higher cumulative health and social care costs of the children three years after their families transitioned to social assistance, compared to the group that did not enter to social assistance system. This difference was primarily attributed to higher social care costs. Continued social assistance use was associated with some 1007–2709€ (31%) higher costs compared to the comparison group that exited social assistance. These findings support an economic argument to prevent families from entering economic difficulties and to help those in such situations to transition out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenically elevated inputs of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) can affect the carbon (C) budget of nutrient‐poor peatlands. Fungi are intimately tied to peatland C budgets due to their roles in organic matter decomposition and symbioses with primary producers; however, the influence of fertilization on peatland fungal composition and diversity remains unclear. Here, we examined the effect of fertilization over 10 years on fungal diversity, composition, and functional guilds along an acrotelm (10–20 cm), mesotelm (30–40 cm), and catotelm (60–70 cm) depth gradient at the Mer Bleue bog, Canada. Simultaneous N and PK additions decreased the relative abundance of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi and increased ectomycorrhizal fungi and lignocellulose‐degrading fungi. Fertilization effects were not more pronounced in the acrotelm relative to the catotelm, nor was there a shift toward nitrophilic taxa after N addition. The direct effect of fertilization significantly decreased the abundance of Sphagnum‐associated fungi, primarily owing to the overarching role of limiting nutrients rather than a decline in Sphagnum cover. Increased nutrient loading may threaten peatland C stocks if lignocellulose‐degrading fungi become abundant and accelerate decomposition of recalcitrant organic matter. Additionally, future changes in plant communities, strong water table fluctuations, and peat subsidence after long‐term nutrient loading may also influence fungal functional guilds and depth‐dependencies of fungal community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The change in the global energy production mix towards variable renewable energy sources requires efficient utilization of regulated rivers to optimise hydropower operations meet the needs of a changing energy market. However, the flexible operation of hydropower plants causes non-natural, sub-daily fluctuating flows in the receiving water bodies, often referred to as ‘hydropeaking’. Drastic changes in sub-daily flow regimes undermine attempts to improve river system health. Environmental decision makers, including permitting authorities and river basin managers facing the intense and increasing pressure on river environments, should consider ecosystem services and biodiversity issues more thoroughly. The need for research innovations in hydropeaking operation design to fulfil both the water and energy security responsibilities of hydropower is highlighted. Our paper outlines optimized hydropeaking design as a future research direction to help researchers, managers, and decision-makers prioritize actions that could enable better integration of river science and energy system planning. The goal of this is to find a balanced hydropower operation strategy.