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Investigating the effects of spatial scales on the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the social vulnerability index (SoVI) model output is critical, especially for spatial scales finer than the census block group or census block. This study applied the intelligent dasymetric mapping approach to spatially disaggregate the census tract scale SoVI model into a 300‐m grids resolution SoVI map in Davidson County, Nashville. Then, uncertainty analysis and variance‐based global sensitivity analysis were conducted on two scales of SoVI models: (a) census tract scale; (b) 300‐m grids scale. Uncertainty analysis results indicate that the SoVI model has better confidence in identifying places with a higher socially vulnerable status, no matter the spatial scales in which the SoVI is constructed. However, the spatial scale of SoVI does affect the sensitivity analysis results. The sensitivity analysis suggests that for census tract scale SoVI, the indicator transformation and weighting scheme are the two major uncertainty contributors in the SoVI index modeling stages. While for finer spatial scales like the 300‐m grid's resolution, the weighting scheme becomes the uttermost dominant uncertainty contributor, absorbing uncertainty contributions from indicator transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Global species distribution maps tend to be limited to a reduced number of species or are too coarse to inform ecological research and conservation actions at local scales. We developed a workflow to generate species range and area of habitat (AOH) maps tailored to local contexts based on expert information, community science observations and an ecoregion approach. We also developed a workflow to increase transparency in range maps and map the areas of uncertainty at the species and community levels using community science data. Location: North‐Western South America. Methods: We combined expert knowledge, community science observations, a new map of ecoregions for Colombia and national maps of land cover to produce species range and AOH maps for 94% of the terrestrial resident birds of Colombia (1633 species). We used community science records to validate the range maps and produce a species‐specific layer of uncertainty by calculating the distance between pixels classified as habitat and species occurrence points. Results: Compared to previous efforts, the new maps have higher species coverage and produced better validation scores for more than 50% of the species analysed. In addition, the produced maps also show macroecological patterns that follow natural boundaries, significantly improving the arbitrary patterns observed in previous mapping efforts. Uncertainty maps illustrate the spatial resolution and the extent at which these maps can be used with the highest confidence and highlight poorly surveyed areas that require extensive sampling. Main Conclusions: Combining information from expert sources, field observations and broad macroecological patterns is key to improve AOH maps that are fitted to local applications. Our uncertainty analysis can also guide concerted national efforts to survey specific localities. Our workflow can be used in multiple regions, countries and for other taxa, and we expect that it will improve local estimates of biogeographical and species diversity patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental parameters along elevational gradients affect the number of butterflies and the variety of species. However, which variables play significant roles and how they operate can be difficult to untangle. Here, we examine the relationships between observed butterfly richness (overall and subgroups) at different elevation gradients and remotely sensed environmental variables (vegetation productivity, surface temperature, landscape heterogeneity, and moisture stress) using generalized linear models. We surveyed butterflies with a fixed‐point count method in 19 elevation bands within 1600–5200 m above sea level in Manang district, trans‐Himalayan region, north‐central Nepal. The number of butterflies in each elevation band was studied and estimated, then interpolated across the lowest and highest elevation to estimate butterfly species richness. Then, the selection of models was performed on butterfly richness and elevations to test the best model support based on the lowest value of the Akaike information criterion and a multimodel averaging for other environmental variables. Altogether, 94 butterfly species, representing 20 subfamilies and six families, were recorded throughout the study periods. We obtained cubic model support for overall species richness, Papilionidae, and Hesperiidae, quadratic to Nymphalidae and Pieridae, and the linear model to Lycaenidae. In our study, vegetation productivity was found to have a significant positive impact on butterfly communities. Our study further suggests species richness of Papilionidae and Hesperiidae has a strong positive correlation with surface temperature and landscape heterogeneity and negative associations with moisture stress but other subgroups of butterfly communities including overall species richness showed insignificant relationships with these variables. This study provides significant information related to the responses of montane butterflies to environmental variables along elevational gradients from the Himalayas Nepal. However, further detailed studies on the functional behaviors of butterflies potentially offer more insights into their distribution patterns and ecological relationship in the montane environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest productivity is a crucial integrator of ecosystem functions and services. Although the effects of landscape structure on species richness and stand structure have been extensively studied, how landscape structures affect forest productivity and their interactions with stand‐level attributes, especially in the context of considerable land use change, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of landscape structures (fragmentation, complexity, and heterogeneity) and their interactions with stand‐level attributes on forest productivity in the conterminous United States across three spatial scales (1–3 km), using an extensive forest inventory dataset from the national forest inventories (NFI) plots. Our results revealed that all landscape indices around selected forest plots significantly increased from 2006 to 2016. Across three scales, forest productivity and stand‐level attributes (number of trees, tree species richness, and structural diversity) exhibited unimodal relationships with landscape fragmentation and complexity, while generally showed positive correlations with landscape heterogeneity. The interactions between landscape structures and stand attributes enhanced the explanatory power of forest productivity. Landscape complexity directly or indirectly reduced forest productivity by decreasing the number of trees and tree species richness, whereas landscape fragmentation and heterogeneity had the opposite effects. Furthermore, landscape heterogeneity and stand age had relatively stronger total effects (the sum of direct and indirect effects) on forest productivity, and their strength increased modestly with spatial scales. However, tree species richness consistently had the lowest total effects. Our study elucidates the complex driving mechanisms of landscape patterns on forest productivity across spatial scales, providing a deeper understanding of ecosystem complexity and responses to accelerating land use changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple anthropogenic forces have pushed river ecosystems into undesirable states with no clear understanding of how they should be best managed. The advancement of riverine fish habitat models intended to provide management insights has slowed. Investigations into theoretical and empirical gaps to define habitat more comprehensively across different scales and ecological organizations are crucial in managing the freshwater biodiversity crisis. We introduce the concept of novel riverscapes to reconcile anthropogenic forcing, fish habitat, limitations of current fish habitat models, and opportunities for new models. We outline three priority data-driven opportunities that incorporate the novel riverscape concept: fish movement, river behavior, and drivers of novelty that all are integrated into a scale-based framework to guide the development of new models. Last, we present a case study showing how researchers, model developers, and practitioners can work collaboratively to implement the novel riverscape concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The goal of our study was to use a nested sampling design to compare the distribution of different groups of organisms with different dispersal modes and examine their responses in community composition to environmental heterogeneity at different spatial scales (local pool vs. riffle habitat, sections within a river and between rivers). Location: Upper Colorado River basin, Texas, USA. Taxon: Fishes, mussels and macroinvertebrates. Methods: We sampled 100 sites using a nested sampling design across five rivers (four tributaries and the mainstem), with four river sections and five sampling sites per section, each consisting of a pool and riffle habitat. Collected data on species abundances, local and landscape environmental variables and spatial variables were analysed using a combination of dissimilarity, redundancy and variation partitioning analysis. Results: At the river scale, environmental heterogeneity explained 28% and 34% of the variation in mussel and fish communities, respectively, and 15% for macroinvertebrates. Community changes between sections in the tributaries were highest for fishes, but similarly high for fishes and macroinvertebrates in the mainstem. Significant patterns for mussels were only detected in rivers with higher abundances. No significant differences in dissimilarity were found between mesohabitats, but a small significant effect of mesohabitat was detected for mussels with RDA after removing the river effect. Main Conclusions: Although the depauperate mussel communities made it more difficult to draw any conclusions, there were some indications that their distribution was driven by environmental heterogeneity across scales. Section and river scales were relevant for fish, whereas macroinvertebrates showed a weaker response to environmental heterogeneity at these scales. The combination of approaches detected more ecologically meaningful patterns than one analysis alone would have. This study highlights the complexity of riverine community dynamics and underscores the need for a multiscale approach to identify their distribution patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Typical landscape-scale studies comprise the delimitation of landscapes followed by the calculation of one or more landscape metrics. Performing an analysis at multiple spatial scales is often required, occasionally followed by the selection of a particular scale according to the response variable of interest. More complex research goals might require a thorough inspection of landscapes, plus a selection of landscapes that would fulfill certain conditions regarding their landscape metrics. These tasks can usually be programmatically challenging, especially if multiple spatial scales are being analyzed. Objectives: The R package multilandr builds on several spatial-oriented R packages to provide a toolbox to develop and inspect multi-scale landscapes based on simple spatial inputs. Methods and results: The package delivers functions to calculate metrics within a multi-scale framework. Also, it provides several utility functions to visualize correlations between metrics, filter landscapes that fulfill certain predefined conditions or select a wide-range gradient of landscapes for a given metric, among other useful tasks. This paper introduces the functionality of multilandr through a step-by-step instruction guide and case studies. Conclusions: The R package multilandr provides a set of functions to facilitate typical methodological workflow of landscape-scale studies in the R environment, for both beginner and expert R users. It provides the functionality to perform a systematic filtering and selection of landscapes according to a given experimental design. The package is especially programmed to develop multi-scale designs but is also useful for the calculation of metrics of a set of landscapes from any GIS-related project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban water management is confronted with more frequent, more extreme weather events. This paper introduces the Three-Points Approach (3PA) into Sponge City concept, to create a novel framework aimed at guiding water management interventions across local, urban, regional, and river basin scales. The 3PA integrates three domains--Day-to-day, Design, and Extreme--offering a nuanced strategy for flood and drought risk mitigation, also for extreme events. Notably, the 3PA emphasizes the fusion of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) with conventional gray approaches to enhance both multifunctionality and resilience in extreme weather conditions. The study identifies critical issues of implementing this Three-Points Sponge Policy (3PSP) approach, including spatial and temporal scales, transitioning from gray to blue-green infrastructure, asset management, data handling, and effective communication. Interventions spanning various spatial scales and addressing flood protection, drought resilience, and water quality are explored in a first and indicative application in Zhengzhou. The case study distills key design principles, highlighting the imperative of never shifting problems, embracing ecosystem-based adaptation, seeking synergy between interventions, and incorporating adaptability into designs. The 3PSP approach emerges as a holistic framework that considers both risks and benefits, contributing valuable insights to the discourse on integrating urban and river basin water management, improving our ways of dealing with extreme weather events while maximizing the day-to-day benefits of our interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how habitat attributes (e.g., patch area and sizes, connectivity) control recruitment and how this is modified by processes operating at larger spatial scales is fundamental to understanding population sustainability and developing successful long‐term restoration strategies for marine foundation species—including for globally threatened reef‐forming oysters. In two experiments, we assessed the recruitment and energy reserves of oyster recruits onto remnant reefs of the oyster Saccostrea glomerata in estuaries spanning 550 km of coastline in southeastern Australia. In the first experiment, we determined whether recruitment of oysters to settlement plates in three estuaries was correlated with reef attributes within patches (distances to patch edges and surface elevation), whole‐patch attributes (shape and size of patches), and landscape attributes (connectivity). We also determined whether environmental factors (e.g., sedimentation and water temperature) explained the differences among recruitment plates. We also tested whether differences in energy reserves of recruits could explain the differences between two of the estuaries (one high‐ and one low‐sedimentation estuary). In the second experiment, across six estuaries (three with nominally high and three with nominally low sedimentation rates), we tested the hypothesis that, at the estuary scale, recruitment and survival were negatively correlated to sedimentation. Overall, total oyster recruitment varied mostly at the scale of estuaries rather than with reef attributes and was negatively correlated with sedimentation. Percentage recruit survival was, however, similar among estuaries, although energy reserves and condition of recruits were lower at a high‐ compared to a low‐sediment estuary. Within each estuary, total oyster recruitment increased with patch area and decreased with increasing tidal height. Our results showed that differences among estuaries have the largest influence on oyster recruitment and recruit health and this may be explained by environmental processes operating at the same scale. While survival was high across all estuaries, growth and reproduction of oysters on remnant reefs may be affected by sublethal effects on the health of recruits in high‐sediment estuaries. Thus, restoration programs should consider lethal and sublethal effects of whole‐estuary environmental processes when selecting sites and include environmental mitigation actions to maximize recruitment success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Snorkel surveys were conducted on the Sacramento River to investigate the relative importance of microhabitat and mesohabitat scales on the abundance of young of the year (YOY) Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), while taking into account temporal and segment-scale spatial variations. Sites, with 13 different mesohabitat types, were sampled nine times from April to September in 1996. Both the sites and cells within the sites were classified by cover type. The analyses revealed that the microhabitat scale, specifically woody cover, best explained YOY abundance, versus the mesohabitat scale. Temporal and large-scale spatial patterns reflect the timing and abundance of different runs of Chinook salmon, while microhabitat scale patterns reflect cover preference of YOY Chinook salmon.

Abstract Environmental parameters along elevational gradients affect the number of butterflies and the variety of species. However, which variables play significant roles and how they operate can be difficult to untangle. Here, we examine the relationships between observed butterfly richness (overall and subgroups) at different elevation gradients and remotely sensed environmental variables (vegetation productivity, surface temperature, landscape heterogeneity, and moisture stress) using generalized linear models. We surveyed butterflies with a fixed‐point count method in 19 elevation bands within 1600–5200 m above sea level in Manang district, trans‐Himalayan region, north‐central Nepal. The number of butterflies in each elevation band was studied and estimated, then interpolated across the lowest and highest elevation to estimate butterfly species richness. Then, the selection of models was performed on butterfly richness and elevations to test the best model support based on the lowest value of the Akaike information criterion and a multimodel averaging for other environmental variables. Altogether, 94 butterfly species, representing 20 subfamilies and six families, were recorded throughout the study periods. We obtained cubic model support for overall species richness, Papilionidae, and Hesperiidae, quadratic to Nymphalidae and Pieridae, and the linear model to Lycaenidae. In our study, vegetation productivity was found to have a significant positive impact on butterfly communities. Our study further suggests species richness of Papilionidae and Hesperiidae has a strong positive correlation with surface temperature and landscape heterogeneity and negative associations with moisture stress but other subgroups of butterfly communities including overall species richness showed insignificant relationships with these variables. This study provides significant information related to the responses of montane butterflies to environmental variables along elevational gradients from the Himalayas Nepal. However, further detailed studies on the functional behaviors of butterflies potentially offer more insights into their distribution patterns and ecological relationship in the montane environment.

The metacommunity theory enhances our understanding of how ecological processes regulate community structure. Yet, unraveling the complexities of soil nematode metacommunity structures across various spatial scales and determining the factors influencing these patterns remains challenging. Therefore, we conducted an investigation on soil nematode metacommunities spanning from north to south in the Northeastern China. Our aim was to test whether nematode metacommunities were structured by different drivers under three land covers (i.e., farmland, grassland and woodland) at the local and regional scales. The results revealed that the Clementsian, Gleasonian and their quasi‐structures of soil nematodes collectively accounted for 93% of the variation across the three land covers at the local and regional scales. These structures suggest that the soil nematode metacommunities in the Northeast China responded to fluctuations in environmental gradients. At the local scale, metacommunities were primarily shaped by biological interactions. At the regional scale, environmental heterogeneity, dispersal limitation and biological interactions all contributed to nematode metacommunities. Meanwhile, biological interactions under three land covers were represented within different trophic groups, with plant parasites predominant in farmlands and bacterivores in grasslands and woodlands. In conclusion, the metacommunity structures of soil nematodes remain stable at different spatial scales and land covers. Biological interactions are widespread among nematodes regardless of changes in spatial scales and land covers. This study reveals the importance of nematode sensitivity to the environment and biological interactions in shaping the nematode metacommunities, potentially enhancing our understanding of the spatial patterns of nematode metacommunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: At fine scales (<10 km in spatial resolution), only a few studies have evaluated the relationships between abiotic factors and the horizontal occurrence of vascular epiphytes. At fine scales, variation in abiotic variables can be attributed to topographic heterogeneity. For example, air humidity and wind speed are likely to vary along ridge–valley gradients, and differences in slope aspect cause variation in light intensity as well as temperature gradient along an elevation. We tested the hypothesis that the horizontal epiphyte occurrence at fine scales is influenced more by topographic gradients related to abiotic factors than by host tree size and species. We also assessed air humidity variation along the ridge–valley gradient at our study site as a way to explore its possible correlation with the epiphyte occurrence. Location: A coniferous/broadleaf evergreen mixed forest in a humid temperate zone of Kochi, southwest Japan. Methods: We surveyed epiphyte occurrence on 310 trees and recorded host tree size and species within a 52‐ha watershed with an elevational range of 378–777 m a.s.l. Epiphyte occurrence was modeled using three topographic variables (ridge–valley gradient, slope aspect differences and elevational gradient), host tree size and species. The effect sizes of each variable were then compared. Air humidity was measured on the valley bottom, slope and ridge throughout the year. Results: Epiphyte occurrence probability increased toward the valley bottom and on larger host trees; it also varied among host tree species. Slope aspect differences and elevational gradient were less effective. The ridge–valley gradient had a greater effect than host tree size on epiphyte occurrence. Air humidity was highest at the valley bottom and lowest on the ridge. Conclusions: Horizontal epiphyte occurrence was driven more by topographic gradient than by host tree size and species in a small watershed covered by a warm‐temperate broadleaf forest. This finding suggests the importance of forests at valley bottoms to support epiphyte occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foundation species are being restored into inherently variable landscapes with multiple, interspersed habitats. However, understanding of the influence of different neighbouring habitats on community assembly and the survival of restored species is limited, despite their significant potential to affect restoration outcomes. We tested how habitat‐setting (being next to seagrass, seagrass and mangroves, or unvegetated sediments) and predation (by meso‐ and/or large predators) influenced macroinvertebrate community assembly and the survival of juvenile Sydney rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata) on experimental oyster reef units in the Port Hacking estuary, New South Wales, Australia. Each habitat‐setting produced a distinct macroinvertebrate community on experimental reefs, whereas predation had limited effects on community structure. Juvenile oysters were instead highly predated everywhere, and oyster predation was dominated by the large, transient fish Acanthropagrus australis. Our findings allow practitioners to predict and tailor the communities which establish on restored oyster reefs by strategically placing them next to different habitats. If sites have a high predation risk but require seeding for reefs to establish, then caging or complex substrates must be used to increase seeded oyster survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catchment land use/land cover (LU/LC) is one of the crucial determinants of the water quality and condition of biota in aquatic environments. The aim of this study was to investigate how LU/LC in lake catchments influences the physicochemical and biological indicators used to assess the ecological status of lakes in Poland and whether these relationships vary depending on the spatial range. We analysed the catchment LU/LC forms of 114 flow-through lakes in three spatial ranges, i.e., a 100 m-wide buffer strip (BUF100), the direct catchment (DIR), and the total catchment (TOT). The water quality and biological variables were derived from the state monitoring conducted in the period 2012–2013. The redundancy analyses (RDA) and the Monte Carlo permutation tests depicted that the strength in explaining the parameter followed the order: TOT > DIR > BUF100 for physicochemical parameters, DIR = TOT > BUF100 for phytoplankton indicators and BUF100 > DIR > TOT for macrophyte indicators. In the direct and total catchment, the proportion of arable lands was decisive in shaping the macrophyte and physicochemical status, while the proportion of artificial surfaces affected phytoplankton status. It was also found that forested buffer zones promoted good macrophyte ecological status. The other types of LU/LC, i.e., meadows and pastures, wetlands, and surface waters exhibited little to no or marginal impact on the physicochemical and biological indicators, regardless of the spatial scale considered. Our results contribute to the rational planning of land development in lake surroundings, including the design of protected areas for inland waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snake response to habitat changes is frequently investigated at the species level, but it is still poorly known how snakes respond to habitat changes at the community level and at which spatial scale. Here, we used a multi-model inference approach to evaluate the effects of local and landscape composition (percentage of forest cover and silviculture) and habitat fragmentation (number of forest patches and total edge) on species, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of snake communities in tropical fragmented landscapes. Additionally, we tested whether silviculture acted as an environmental filter for snakes. Species and functional diversity responded primarily to landscape elements: species richness, abundance, and functional diversity decreased with deforestation. In addition, species richness and abundance increased with the proportion of forest and the number of patches in the landscape. In contrast, phylogenetic diversity was driven by the local habitat composition. Although habitat types did not filter entire clades and functional groups, each species tended to have a co-occurring species with similar traits (at landscape level) and a close relative (at both levels) in impacted habitats. In contrast, the co-occurrence of close relatives and functionally similar species was avoided in the native forest. Our findings indicate that snake responses to habitat changes occur on multiple scales and highlight the importance of conserving native forests to maintain multiple components of biodiversity. Strategies for conserving snake diversity in tropical fragmented landscapes should therefore consider management practices at both the local and landscape scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The macroinvertebrate community, physical–chemical water variables and hydromorphological indices were studied in the Turón River (Málaga, Southern Spain). Our study aims to improve the knowledge of the most influential environmental factors at different spatial and temporal scales in Mediterranean rivers, in order to establish better management of Mediterranean river ecosystems. To this end, in this work, seasonal sampling was carried out for one year to evaluate the effect of the characteristics of the drainage basin (i.e., geology, topography, land use) on the macroinvertebrate community. To this end, the environmental variables of the catchment basins were evaluated at three different scales: (i) watershed level, (ii) valley segment level and (iii) local level. The results showed that 13 environmental variables, 3 at the watershed scale, 5 at the valley segment scale and 5 at the local scale, influenced the macroinvertebrate community. Land use is the main explanatory variable at the watershed scale, while stream channel curvature is the most common variable at the valley segment scale, and the habitat assessment index is the variable with the strongest influence at the local scale. The influence of different spatial scales presented a seasonal variation. During spring, autumn and winter, the watershed scale exhibited the highest resolution (adjusted R2 = 0.20–0.29), while in summer, the local scale became the most significant in explaining the presence of macroinvertebrate taxa (adjusted R2 = 0.17). The obtained results emphasize the significance of temporal and spatial scales in Mediterranean rivers for adequate river ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are prolonged extreme warm water events, threatening marine ecosystems. Understanding drivers of MHWs over the global ocean is essential for their forecast. Here, we use an eddy‐resolving coupled global climate model with improved realism of MHWs to evaluate the drivers of MHWs at different spatial scales, that is, MHWs defined based on temperature anomalies at different spatial scales. The properties of MHWs are scale‐dependent, being generally weaker, less frequent, and longer with increasing spatial scales. The primary driver of MHWs shifts from local oceanic intrinsic advection to atmospheric forcing as their spatial scale becomes larger. The transition spatial scale between the ocean and atmosphere‐driven regimes varies geographically, being larger in eddy‐rich regions but smaller in gyre interior. This study suggests the complicated dynamics of MHWs at different spatial scales and provides guidance on improving their forecast capacity. Plain Language Summary: Increasing greenhouse gas emission causes ocean warming, triggering frequent extreme warm water events known as marine heatwaves (MHWs). An in‐depth knowledge of the drivers of MHWs globally is essential for improving their forecast capacity. In this study, we demonstrate the dominant drivers of MHWs vary with their spatial scales based on a state‐of‐the‐art high‐resolution global climate simulation. Smaller‐scale MHWs are primarily driven by oceanic processes, whereas atmospheric processes play a dominant role in driving larger‐scale MHWs. The transition spatial scale between the ocean and atmosphere‐driven regimes is region‐dependent. It is generally larger in regions with energetic ocean currents such as the western boundary currents as well as their extension, but smaller in the gyre interior where the ocean is more quiescent. Key Points: Dominant drivers of Marine heatwaves (MHWs) shift from oceanic to atmospheric processes as their spatial scale increasesThe transition spatial scale from ocean to atmosphere‐driven MHWs varies geographicallyThe transition spatial scale is larger in eddy‐rich regions while smaller in gyre interior [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lagunas de Campillos Natural Reserve and adjacent ponds are fundamentally surrounded by regularly fertilized crop fields and livestock industry, producing leachates which can be found in the ponds. The interest in this Site of European Importance and the RAMSAR wetland complex lies in the habitats within it, which are included in the Directive on Habitats of Community Interest. It is essential to determine the trophic status of the ponds and the quality of these habitats, as well as whether corrective measures need to be established in order to maintain a good environmental status. To characterize and compare the ponds, different parameters were measured, such as conductivity, pH, nutrient concentration, Chl-a concentration, phytoplankton composition, phytoplankton abundance (<20 µm), and the quantification of heterotrophic microorganisms indicating contamination of the aquifers. The obtained results showed that all ponds, except a mesotrophic pond, are eutrophic or even hypertrophic, with high levels of total nitrogen (>8 mg L−1), total phosphorous (>165 μg L−1), and chlorophyll-a concentration. These findings explain the high densities of phytoplankton observed, with the predominant presence of small cells (<3.6 μm ESD). In addition, concentrations of heterotrophs and coliforms are, in some ponds, higher than expected. Eutrophication hinders ecological functions and ecosystem services, which finally affects biodiversity and human wellbeing. Five of the six analyzed ponds are within various protection figures for their essential importance to local and migrating avifauna. Therefore, ponds' status analysis and the implementation of measures for maintaining ecosystem services and trophic state are fundamental for the sustainable management of the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often assumed that community assembly processes, i.e. deterministic or stochastic factors determining the structure of communities, vary with spatial scale. However, evidence showing such scale‐dependency is challenging to gather, especially in microbial communities. Here we studied the relative importance of potential community assembly processes of bacterial and fungal communities across the coastline of China. We used null models based on phylogenetic and compositional turnover to quantify the relative importance of the processes at three spatial scales (local, regional and subcontinental). We used a generalized multinomial logistic regression to estimate the probability of observing the different assembly processes along environmental and spatial gradients. We found that, overall, deterministic processes are stronger in driving the assembly of bacterial communities compared to fungal communities, especially at the local scale. Moreover, the assembly processes in bacterial communities exhibit clear scale‐dependency, with homogeneous selection being the dominant process at the local scale, and dispersal limitation dominating at regional and subcontinental scales. Conversely, drift is consistently the dominant driver of fungal community assembly across all spatial scales. Our findings demonstrate scale‐dependency in community assembly processes between two marine microbial groups, and highlight the importance of adopting a multi‐scale approach to gain insights into the complex and dynamic spatial patterns of microbial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the multiscale impacts and drivers of urban agglomeration landscape patterns for ecosystem services (ESs), especially water‐related ecosystem services (WESs), is essential for the development of regional ecological management. However, the multiscale impacts and driving mechanisms of urban agglomeration landscape patterns for ESs have not been adequately explained. In this study, multivariate data were employed, and the InVEST model, trend test method, coupled GeoDetector and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) method were utilized to comprehensively explore the spatial and temporal changes in landscape patterns and WESs in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRDUA) at various grid and administrative scales from 1990 to 2020 and to determine the driving mechanisms affecting WESs. The results indicated that the variation characteristics of landscape patterns and WESs in the PRDUA were consistent, forming a binary spatial structure of core and peripheral areas in an inverted "U" shape around the estuary of the Pearl River. The relationship between landscape patterns and WESs weakened with the increase of scale, and the correlation coefficient decreased by approximately 0.10 from 5 km to 10 km grid scale. Additionally, precipitation (PRE) was the main factor controlling WESs changes in the PRDUA, explaining more than 50% of the changes in WESs, and the regression coefficients ranged from 0.0825 to 0.1584. Changes in WESs were the result of the combined effects of natural factors, including PRE, landscape pattern, elevation, slope, and socioeconomic factors, such as population and gross domestic product (GDP). Overall, these findings could contribute to optimizing regional landscape patterns and fostering sustainable development of the ecological environment in urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat loss (HL) is a major cause of species extinctions. Although the effects of HL beyond the directly impacted area have been previously observed, they have not been modelled explicitly, especially in an eco‐evolutionary context. To start filling this gap, we study a two‐patch deterministic consumer‐resource model, with one of the patches experiencing loss of resources as a special case of HL. Our model allows foraging and mating within a patch as well as between patches. We then introduce heritable variation in consumer traits related to resource utilization and patch use to investigate eco‐evolutionary dynamics and compare results with constant and no trait variation scenarios. Our results show that HL in one patch can indeed reduce consumer densities in the neighbouring patch but can also increase consumer densities in the neighbouring patch when the resources are overexploited. Yet at the landscape scale, the effect of HL on consumer densities is consistently negative. Patch isolation increases consumer density in the patch experiencing HL but has generally negative effects on the neighbouring patch, with context‐dependent results at the landscape scale. With high cross‐patch dependence and coupled foraging and mating preferences, local HL can sometimes even lead to landscape‐level consumer extinction. Eco‐evolutionary dynamics can rescue consumers from such extinction in some cases if their death rates are sufficiently small. More generally, trait evolution had positive or negative effects on equilibrium consumer densities after HL, depending on the evolving trait and the spatial scale considered. In summary, our findings show that HL at a local scale can affect the neighbouring patch and the landscape as a whole, where heritable trait variation can, in some cases, alleviate the impact of HL. We thus suggest joint consideration of multiple spatial scales and trait variation when assessing and predicting the impacts of HL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As coral reefs endure increasing levels of disturbance, understanding recovery patterns of reef‐building hard corals is paramount to assessing the sustainability of these ecosystems. At local scales, coral recovery slows down; however, it's unclear how this trend propagates across spatial scales due to the inherent complexity of coral dynamics. In this paper, we aimed to learn about fine scale heterogeneity of coral dynamics and explore implications for assessing coral recovery at larger spatial scales. We developed a spatio‐temporal statistical model to estimate long‐term trajectories of three types of corals and predict their recovery patterns at unobserved locations within a reef. Then, model predictions were used to derive metrics that capture the interplay between coral growth and decline from disturbance(s) across time, space and growth morphology. This model is developed in the context of a substantive case study at Heron Reef using a high spatio‐temporal resolution dataset. Our results revealed that successful coral community recoveries took place in different habitats of Heron Reef and associated with various reasons. Branching corals recovered in the southern slope, due to fast growth in locations that were previously abundant. Plate corals flourished in the northern slope due to fast growth, despite a large decline and low baseline cover. They also recovered in the southern slope but in this case there was both a low decline and baseline cover. At Heron Reef, the recovery of coral communities followed specific conditions that were acting at a fine scale in a complex and heterogeneous way within habitat. This implies that capturing the variability of fine‐scale coral dynamics is an important first step to detect accurate signals of coral recovery at larger spatial scales. The approach proposes here can be further extend to the scale of a reef and beyond enabling assessment of recovery patterns representative at management scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental circumstances shaping soil microbial communities have been studied extensively. However, due to disparate study designs, it has been difficult to resolve whether a globally consistent set of predictors exists, or context‐dependency prevails. Here, we used a network of 18 grassland sites (11 of those containing regional plant productivity gradients) to examine (i) if similar abiotic or biotic factors predict both large‐scale (across sites) and regional‐scale (within sites) patterns in bacterial and fungal community composition, and (ii) if microbial community composition differs consistently at two levels of regional plant productivity (low vs. high). Our results revealed that bacteria were associated with particular soil properties (such as base saturation) and both bacteria and fungi were associated with plant community composition across sites and within the majority of sites. Moreover, a discernible microbial community signal emerged, clearly distinguishing high and low‐productivity soils across different grasslands independent of their location in the world. Hence, regional productivity differences may be typified by characteristic soil microbial communities across the grassland biome. These results could encourage future research aiming to predict the general effects of global changes on soil microbial community composition in grasslands and to discriminate fertile from infertile systems using generally applicable microbial indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common reed (Phragmites australis) is a widespread grass species that exhibits a high degree of intraspecific variation for functional traits along environmental gradients. However, the mechanisms underlying intraspecific variation and adaptation strategies in response to environmental gradients on a regional scale remain poorly understood. In this study, we measured leaf, stem, and root traits of common reed in the lakeshore wetlands of the arid and semi-arid regions of the Inner Mongolia Plateau aiming to reveal the regional-scale variation for functional traits in this species, and the corresponding potentially influencing factors. Additionally, we aimed to reveal the ecological adaptation strategies of common reed in different regions using the plant economics spectrum (PES) theory. The results showed that functional-trait variation followed significant latitudinal and longitudinal patterns. Furthermore, we found that these variations are primarily driven by temperature-mediated climatic differences, such as aridity, induced by geographical distance. In contrast, soil properties and the combined effects of climate and soil had relatively minor effects on such properties. In the case of common reed, the PES theory applies to the functional traits at the organ, as well as at the wholeplant level, and different ecological adaptation strategies across arid and semiarid regions were confirmed. The extent of utilization and assimilation of resources by this species in arid regions was a conservative one, whereas in semi-arid regions, an acquisition strategy prevailed. This study provides new insights into intraspecific variations for functional traits in common reed on a regional scale, the driving factors involved, and the ecological adaptation strategies used by the species. Moreover, it provided a theoretical foundation for wetland biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The metacommunity theory enhances our understanding of how ecological processes regulate community structure. Yet, unraveling the complexities of soil nematode metacommunity structures across various spatial scales and determining the factors influencing these patterns remains challenging. Therefore, we conducted an investigation on soil nematode metacommunities spanning from north to south in the Northeastern China. Our aim was to test whether nematode metacommunities were structured by different drivers under three land covers (i.e., farmland, grassland and woodland) at the local and regional scales. The results revealed that the Clementsian, Gleasonian and their quasi‐structures of soil nematodes collectively accounted for 93% of the variation across the three land covers at the local and regional scales. These structures suggest that the soil nematode metacommunities in the Northeast China responded to fluctuations in environmental gradients. At the local scale, metacommunities were primarily shaped by biological interactions. At the regional scale, environmental heterogeneity, dispersal limitation and biological interactions all contributed to nematode metacommunities. Meanwhile, biological interactions under three land covers were represented within different trophic groups, with plant parasites predominant in farmlands and bacterivores in grasslands and woodlands. In conclusion, the metacommunity structures of soil nematodes remain stable at different spatial scales and land covers. Biological interactions are widespread among nematodes regardless of changes in spatial scales and land covers. This study reveals the importance of nematode sensitivity to the environment and biological interactions in shaping the nematode metacommunities, potentially enhancing our understanding of the spatial patterns of nematode metacommunities.

Urban water management is confronted with more frequent, more extreme weather events. This paper introduces the Three-Points Approach (3PA) into Sponge City concept, to create a novel framework aimed at guiding water management interventions across local, urban, regional, and river basin scales. The 3PA integrates three domains—Day-to-day, Design, and Extreme —offering a nuanced strategy for flood and drought risk mitigation, also for extreme events. Notably, the 3PA emphasizes the fusion of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) with conventional gray approaches to enhance both multifunctionality and resilience in extreme weather conditions. The study identifies critical issues of implementing this Three-Points Sponge Policy (3PSP) approach, including spatial and temporal scales, transitioning from gray to blue-green infrastructure, asset management, data handling, and effective communication. Interventions spanning various spatial scales and addressing flood protection, drought resilience, and water quality are explored in a first and indicative application in Zhengzhou. The case study distills key design principles, highlighting the imperative of never shifting problems, embracing ecosystem-based adaptation, seeking synergy between interventions, and incorporating adaptability into designs. The 3PSP approach emerges as a holistic framework that considers both risks and benefits, contributing valuable insights to the discourse on integrating urban and river basin water management, improving our ways of dealing with extreme weather events while maximizing the day-to-day benefits of our interventions.

Coastal salt marshes are distributed widely across the globe and are considered essential habitat for many fish and crustacean species. Yet, the literature on fishery support by salt marshes has largely been based on a few geographically distinct model systems, and as a result, inadequately captures the hierarchical nature of salt marsh pattern, process, and variation across space and time. A better understanding of geographic variation and drivers of commonalities and differences across salt marsh systems is essential to informing future management practices. Here, we address the key drivers of geographic variation in salt marshes: hydroperiod, seascape configuration, geomorphology, climatic region, sediment supply and riverine input, salinity, vegetation composition, and human activities. Future efforts to manage, conserve, and restore these habitats will require consideration of how environmental drivers within marshes affect the overall structure and subsequent function for fisheries species. We propose a future research agenda that provides both the consistent collection and reporting of sources of variation in small-scale studies and collaborative networks running parallel studies across large scales and geographically distinct locations to provide analogous information for data poor locations. These comparisons are needed to identify and prioritize restoration or conservation efforts, identify sources of variation among regions, and best manage fisheries and food resources across the globe.

Abstract Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are prolonged extreme warm water events, threatening marine ecosystems. Understanding drivers of MHWs over the global ocean is essential for their forecast. Here, we use an eddy‐resolving coupled global climate model with improved realism of MHWs to evaluate the drivers of MHWs at different spatial scales, that is, MHWs defined based on temperature anomalies at different spatial scales. The properties of MHWs are scale‐dependent, being generally weaker, less frequent, and longer with increasing spatial scales. The primary driver of MHWs shifts from local oceanic intrinsic advection to atmospheric forcing as their spatial scale becomes larger. The transition spatial scale between the ocean and atmosphere‐driven regimes varies geographically, being larger in eddy‐rich regions but smaller in gyre interior. This study suggests the complicated dynamics of MHWs at different spatial scales and provides guidance on improving their forecast capacity.

Diversity-biomass relationships (DBRs) in terrestrial ecosystems tend to vary across spatial scales, but, particularly in hyperdiverse forests, the mechanisms driving these trends remain uncertain. Until now, few have simultaneously investigated the connections between tree species diversity, stand structural diversity, mycorrhizal associations, and ecosystem functioning. In addition, DBRs have only been studied at limited spatial scales, with limited focus on the direct and indirect effects of environmental factors. We addressed these research gaps using a 30-ha forest dynamics plot located in Pu'er City, Southwest China. Through piecewise structural equation models, we quantified the direct effects of tree species diversity (α, β, γ), stand structural diversity, mycorrhizal associations (AM, EcM), and the environmental factors (soil fertility and topography), as well as the indirect effects of the environmental factors on aboveground tree biomass across spatial scales ranging from 400 to 230,400 ​m2. We hypothesized that complex interactions among these factors underpin the variation in DBRs in natural ecosystems across spatial scales. Our results showed that environmental conditions indirectly affected the tree biomass via changes in tree species diversity, and these effects became stronger as the spatial scale increased. At small to moderate spatial scales, environmental factors were more predictive of tree biomass than tree species diversity (or its components); the effects of stand structural diversity on biomass also gradually increased with spatial scale. Conversely, from the intermediate to the largest spatial scales, mycorrhizal associations gradually became the best predictors of DBR dynamics. Our research offers novel empirical evidence demonstrating the importance of environmental conditions, structural diversity, and mycorrhizal associations in shaping cross-scale DBRs. Future comprehensive studies should consider these factors to assess the mechanisms shaping scale-dependent DBRs in complex natural ecosystems.

The biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship has received significant attention in recent decades. It has been widely demonstrated that plant diversity plays a crucial role in enhancing the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. However, few studies have tested the influence of plant species richness in mediating the impacts of climate on ecosystem functions at large spatial scales.To address this gap, we utilized data from field surveys across broad climatic gradients at the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China. Our goal was to examine the importance of plant species richness for the functioning of alpine grassland ecosystems, specifically productivity and soil carbon sequestration.Our results showed strong positive correlations between ecosystem functioning and growing season precipitation as well as species richness. In contrast, there was a negative correlation with growing season temperature. Notably, the positive effect of growing season precipitation on ecosystem functioning outweighed the negative effect of growing season temperature. The indirect effects of growing season precipitation and temperature on ecosystem functioning through changes in species richness were weak. Furthermore, the inclusion of climate factors in the model weakened the relationships between species richness and ecosystem functioning.Synthesis. Our findings demonstrate that climate factors are more important than species richness for the provisioning of ecosystem functions at large spatial scales. In summary, our study underscores the importance of considering climate factors alongside species richness when assessing ecosystem functioning across extensive geographical areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Phenotypic plasticity is a main mechanism for sessile organisms to cope with changing environments. Plasticity is genetically based and can evolve under natural selection so that populations within a species show distinct phenotypic responses to environment. An important question that remains elusive is whether the intraspecific variation in plasticity at different spatial scales is independent from each other.To test whether variation in plasticity to macro‐ and micro‐environmental variation is related among each other, we used growth data of 25 Pinus pinaster populations established in seven field common gardens in NW Spain. Phenotypic plasticity to macro‐environmental variation was estimated across test sites while plasticity to micro‐environmental variation was estimated by using semivariography and kriging for modeling within‐site heterogeneity.We provide empirical evidence of among‐population variation in the magnitude of plastic responses to both micro‐ and macro‐environmental variation. Importantly, we found that such responses were positively correlated across spatial scales.Selection for plasticity at one scale of environmental variation may impact the expression of plasticity at other scales, having important consequences on the ability of populations to buffer climate change. These results improve our understanding of the ecological drivers underlying the expression of phenotypic plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in biodiversity often affect ecosystem functioning. However, most previous biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) studies have generally been limited to very small spatial grains. Thus, knowledge regarding the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships across spatial scales is lacking. Moreover, the multiscale nature of biodiversity, and specifically β diversity (i.e., spatial heterogeneity in species composition) was still largely missing in BEF studies. Here, using the vegetation and functional trait data collected from four 6‐ha forest dynamics plots (FDPs) in temperate and tropical forests in China, we examine the scale‐dependent relationships between tree diversity and the aboveground biomass (AGB), as well as the roles of species spatial heterogeneity in determining the AGB. In tropical forests, the effect of species richness on AGB decreased with spatial grains, while functional dominance played a stronger role at larger spatial grains. In temperate forests, positive relationship between diversity and AGB occurred at all spatial grains, especially on smaller scales. In both temperate and tropical forests, β diversity was positively correlated with AGB, but weaker than α diversity in determining AGB. Overall, complementarity and selection hypothesis play dominant role in determining AGB in temperate and tropical forests, respectively. The roles of these underlying mechanisms are more pronounced with increasing spatial scales. β diversity, a hitherto underexplored facet of biodiversity, is likely to increase ecosystem functions by species spatial turnover and should not be neglected in BEF explorations. Our findings have practical implications for forest management and demonstrate that biotic heterogeneity plays an important positive role in ecosystem functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Changes in biodiversity often affect ecosystem functioning. However, most previous biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) studies have generally been limited to very small spatial grains. Thus, knowledge regarding the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships across spatial scales is lacking. Moreover, the multiscale nature of biodiversity, and specifically β diversity (i.e., spatial heterogeneity in species composition) was still largely missing in BEF studies. Here, using the vegetation and functional trait data collected from four 6‐ha forest dynamics plots (FDPs) in temperate and tropical forests in China, we examine the scale‐dependent relationships between tree diversity and the aboveground biomass (AGB), as well as the roles of species spatial heterogeneity in determining the AGB. In tropical forests, the effect of species richness on AGB decreased with spatial grains, while functional dominance played a stronger role at larger spatial grains. In temperate forests, positive relationship between diversity and AGB occurred at all spatial grains, especially on smaller scales. In both temperate and tropical forests, β diversity was positively correlated with AGB, but weaker than α diversity in determining AGB. Overall, complementarity and selection hypothesis play dominant role in determining AGB in temperate and tropical forests, respectively. The roles of these underlying mechanisms are more pronounced with increasing spatial scales. β diversity, a hitherto underexplored facet of biodiversity, is likely to increase ecosystem functions by species spatial turnover and should not be neglected in BEF explorations. Our findings have practical implications for forest management and demonstrate that biotic heterogeneity plays an important positive role in ecosystem functioning.

Tropical montane forests (TMF) are characterised by high endemism, species richness and turnover across elevations. A key question is how niche‐based processes, via adaptation of species to local environmental conditions, and neutral‐based processes from dispersal limitation shape community composition at different spatial scales across human‐modified landscapes. We expect that (1) communities are highly distinct even within the same habitat type and (2) niche‐based processes play the main role in compositional turnover.To address these expectations, we investigated the compositional turnover of orchids, one of the most prominent floristic elements of TMFs. We sampled orchids in 332 plots spanning over 270 km in the eastern Colombian Andes. Plots ranged between elevations of 1160–3750 m. We used two different spatial extents (whole gradient and two elevational bands), two grains of analysis for the first expectation (regional and local) and two spatial grains for the second expectation (broad and fine scales based on Moran's Eigenvector Maps [MEMs]).We found 331 orchid species in 171 (51%) plots. We found a strong pattern of high compositional turnover across scales (>72% of total beta diversity is given by species turnover), with 87.5% of the total species pool occurring in fewer than five plots, supporting our first expectation.Contrary to our second expectation, we found that community composition is mainly driven by geographical distance, while the relative influence of elevation, environmental variables and their combined fractions were negligible across habitats and spatial scales, rejecting niche‐based processes.Synthesis. High compositional turnover, even across habitats with the highest degree of human intervention, suggests that both forest‐dwelling and open‐habitat species do not easily disperse across habitats. Species dispersal is the major force of orchid community turnover and might be strongly dependent upon macroevolutionary processes and species life‐history traits over multiple scales. Dispersal limitation also draws attention to the importance of preserving habitat connectivity to halt biodiversity losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical cyclone (TC) damage function (DF) is widely used to model TC‐event level damage and thus assess the TC risk for a country or region. The scalability of these DFs at more localized scales, such as the province scale, has not been systematically explored. We use a unique Chinese data set to examine the damage at the TC‐event scale and province scale. Our results show that the parameters and performance of TC DF are spatially dependent. For a sigmoidal DF, the parameter dependence is manifested by a flatter curve calibrated on the TC‐event scale compared to the province scale. In the case of a power‐law DF, the dependence of its parameters is evident in the statistically more significant coefficients of the explanatory variables that are aggregated to the TC‐event scale, compared to the province scale. Performance comparison results further reveal that the scale dependence of performance is related to the type of DF. Integrating hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, the power‐law DF complements the typical sigmoidal DF, producing more accurate estimates of direct economic loss and annual average damage at both the TC‐event and province scales. However, its performance, compared to that of the sigmoidal DF, is more influenced by the scale at which it is calibrated. Our findings elucidate scale‐related research questions in TC risk assessment, offer insights into the selection of DFs, and inspire the future prospect of using multiple DFs to reduce the functional uncertainty. Plain Language Summary: A damage function (DF) is a tool used to estimate the amount of damage caused by natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, which are also known as typhoons in China. The DF can help governments and organizations better prepare for future tropical cyclones and minimize the damage they cause. These functions are often used to estimate losses across an entire country, but there is a need to investigate whether they can be applied to smaller areas, such as provinces. This study summarized two types of DFs based on existing research and used a unique Chinese data set to explore them. The main findings are, first, that both DFs can be challenging to apply at the province scale. Second, each of the two functions has its own advantages and characteristics. One works better on smaller scales but tends to overestimate, while the other excels at estimation accuracy but underestimate. By utilizing these two types of loss functions, experts can more precisely evaluate the risk of tropical cyclones at various scales, ranging from the national level down to specific provinces. This is particularly crucial for efficient disaster management, especially in regions where there is limited or insufficient local loss data available. Key Points: Damage functions (DFs) can be challenging to apply at smaller spatial scales because of scale‐dependenceParameters and performance of DFs are scale‐dependent, with power‐law being more accurate but affected by calibration scaleThe combination of the two DFs can provide a risk interval and facilitate multiscale tropical cyclone risk analysis in data‐scarce areas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, five C and N metabolites and eighteen mineral elements were used to identify the cigar's geographical origin on a country scale (Dominica, Indonesia, and China) and on a prefecture scale (Yuxi, Puer, and Lincang in China). The results show that the best origin traceability method is the combination of C and N metabolites and mineral elements method. Its. Its accuracy of cross-validation can achieve 95% on a country scale and 94% on a prefecture scale. Determination accuracy is ranked as identification by combination > mineral elements > C and N metabolites. For geo-origin determination of cigars, mineral element identification is better than that metabolite identification. The algorithm and factors for origin determination are selected. The results can be used to guide cigar agricultural practices and monitor and regulate the cigar in production and circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial communities in agricultural soils are fundamental for plant growth and in vineyard ecosystems contribute to defining regional wine quality. Managing soil microbes towards beneficial outcomes requires knowledge of how community assembly processes vary across taxonomic groups, spatial scales, and through time. However, our understanding of microbial assembly remains limited. To quantify the contributions of stochastic and deterministic processes to bacterial and fungal assembly across spatial scales and through time, we used 16 s rRNA gene and ITS sequencing in the soil of an emblematic wine-growing region of Italy. Combining null- and neutral-modelling, we found that assembly processes were consistent through time, but bacteria and fungi were governed by different processes. At the within-vineyard scale, deterministic selection and homogenising dispersal dominated bacterial assembly, while neither selection nor dispersal had clear influence over fungal assembly. At the among-vineyard scale, the influence of dispersal limitation increased for both taxonomic groups, but its contribution was much larger for fungal communities. These null-model-based inferences were supported by neutral modelling, which estimated a dispersal rate almost two orders-of-magnitude lower for fungi than bacteria. This indicates that while stochastic processes are important for fungal assembly, bacteria were more influenced by deterministic selection imposed by the biotic and/or abiotic environment. Managing microbes in vineyard soils could thus benefit from strategies that account for dispersal limitation of fungi and the importance of environmental conditions for bacteria. Our results are consistent with theoretical expectations whereby larger individual size and smaller populations can lead to higher levels of stochasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, research has largely ignored residential determinants of obesity prevalence. There is very little information on whether these impacts change spatially and operate at different spatial scales. As a result, the purpose of this study is to identify the housing determinants of obesity in Chicago, Illinois, using multiscale geographically weighted regression. The main factors associated with obesity prevalence in Chicago, according to the findings, are housing affordability and housing stability. The rising burden of housing rent expenses, in particular, is related to an increase in the percentage of obese people. Additionally, the study found that the relationships between housing covariates and obesity are spatially heterogeneous and operate at various spatial scales. Finally, this study calls for multiscale and multidisciplinary policies to reduce obesity prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The interplay between distribution ranges, species traits and sampling and taxonomic biases remains elusive amongst microscopic animals. This ignorance obscures our understanding of the diversity patterns of a major component of biodiversity. Here, we used marine Halacaridae to explore whether differences between marine provinces can explain their distribution patterns or if differential sampling efforts across regions prevent any macroecological inference. Furthermore, we test if certain functional traits influence their distribution patterns. Location: Europe. Results: Whereas geographical variables provided a better explanation for differences in species composition, sampling effort and distance from marine biological stations accounted for the majority of differences in European Halacaridae richness. Species occurring in more habitats showed broader geographical ranges and accumulated more records. Species traits like generalism affected the distribution of halacarid species. Main Conclusions: We propose that the sampling effort of halacarid mites in Europe might be explained by two different cognitive biases: the convenience of selecting certain sampling localities compared to others and the tendency of zoologists to scrutinise habitats where their target organisms are more common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial heterogeneity affects plant community composition and diversity. It is particularly noticeable in annual plant communities, which vary in space and time over short distances and periods, forming meta-communities at the regional scale. This study was conducted at the coastal dune ecosystem in Nizzanim nature reserve, Israel. This study aimed to analyze the effect of the spatial heterogeneity, which is expressed in differences in the fixation levels of the dunes and patches outside and beneath the dominant Artemisia monosperma shrubs, on the characteristics of the annual plant meta-community and its temporal stability, considering the mechanisms that may affect it. Thirteen dunes were studied: three mobile, seven semi-fixed, and three fixed dunes. Data on the annual plants were collected during the spring seasons of 2006, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2015, and 2016. For each dune, 72 quadrats of 40 × 40 cm were sampled yearly, with 24 quadrats per slope aspect (windward, leeward, and crest), 12 under the shrub, and 12 in the open. The results indicate that the transition from mobile dunes through semi-fixed to fixed dunes is characterized by an increase in annual plant cover, species richness, species diversity, changes in plant communities, and stability driven by the asynchrony of species population fluctuations. Asynchrony affected the stability of the meta-community of this ecosystem in patches beneath the shrubs but not in the open patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]