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The increasing accumulation of small plastic particles, in particular microplastics (>1 µm to 5 mm) and nanoplastics (< 1 µm), in the environment is a hot topic in our rapidly changing world. Recently, studies were initiated to better understand the behavior of micro- and nanoplastics (MNP) within complex matrices like soil, as well as their characterization, incorporation and potential toxicity to terrestrial biota. However, there remains significant knowledge gaps in our understanding of the wide-extent impacts of MNP on terrestrial invertebrates. We first summarized facts on global plastic pollution and the generation of MNP. Then, we focused on compiling the existing literature examining the consequences of MNP exposure in terrestrial invertebrates. The diversity of investigated biological endpoints (from molecular to individual levels) were compiled to get a better comprehension of the effects of MNP according to different factors such as the shape, the polymer type, the organism, the concentration and the exposure duration. The sublethal effects of MNP are acknowledged in the literature, yet no general conclusion was drawn as their impacts are highly dependent on their characteristic and experimental design. Finally, the synthesis highlighted some research gaps and remediation strategies, as well as a protocol to standardize ecotoxicological studies. [Display omitted] • Micro- and nanoplastics (MNP) induce several responses on terrestrial invertebrates. • Phenotypic and physiological disorders were observed after MNP exposure. • Studies on nanoplastics used mostly polystyrene beads. • A standardize protocol should be used to characterize MNP and their toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An imbalance in pyrite weathering and burial is a primary mechanism responsible for oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans, but key processes governing the terrestrial sulfur cycle remain nebulous. Here, we investigate components of the terrestrial sulfur cycle in a highly productive, glacier‐fed catchment, and use a global mass balance model to constrain riverine sulfur fluxes. Chemistry of stream water and plant debris in the Jostedal watershed, Norway suggests sulfur isotope discrimination is occurring in the porewater. Global models also corroborate additional, previously overlooked pyrite burial with a modest isotope fractionation (<20‰), similar to values reported from freshwater ecosystems. Collectively, our results indicate that a significant amount of sulfate produced by weathering remains trapped in terrestrial environments. This terrestrial sulfur sink might have waxed and waned over geologic time in response to major biogeochemical events such as terrestrial afforestation. Plain Language Summary: The amount of oxygen in Earth's surface environments is governed by the balance between formation of sulfur‐bearing pyrite and its exposure to the atmosphere and consequent destruction (rusting). Pyrite commonly forms during bacterial activity in oxygen‐free conditions, for example, in bogs, soil, and sediment. Here, we study the destruction and formation of pyrite by examining the chemistry of stream water, meltwater of snow and glacial ice, rain water, sediment, rock, soil, and plants within a glacial meltwater stream environment. Sulfur isotope compositions indicate that a large amount of pyrite forms by bacterial activity in this river system. Modeling of the global sulfur budget also supports our findings that, on the global scale, a significant amount of pyrite has formed in such systems throughout Earth's history, affecting the balance between formation and destruction of pyrite, thus playing a key role in climate and environmental changes. Key Points: Glacier‐driven weathering (both pyrite and silicate) and sulfur cycle were examined in a meltwater systemδ34S of the natural reservoirs indicates microbial sulfate reduction and burial of reduced sulfur occurring in the watershedResults of global sulfur cycle model confirm a significant flux of terrestrial sulfur burial driven by microbial reduction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new method was established to test soil microplastic using FTIR spectroscopy. • Microplastic abundance among the soils in Guiyu, ranged from 0 to 34,100n kg−1. • 60 kinds of microplastics were detected, and 88.61% had a size range < 1 mm. • The surface morphology of microplastics showed signs of aging and degradation. • Soil microplastic contained various levels of heavy metals. Microplastic pollution is ubiquitous and has emerged as a severe global environmental issue. Recent research on microplastic pollution has mainly focused on aquatic ecosystems, while knowledge gaps still exist regarding microplastic in terrestrial environments. In this study, we established a new method for characterizing microplastic in complex soil substrate using FTIR spectroscopy. Microplastic was separated by density without removing soil organic matter to protect microplastic from damage. The Wizards feature was adopted to automatic, direct and continuous characterize micron-size plastic. Furthermore, 33 soil samples were taken from Guiyu, a notorious e-waste dismantling area in Guangdong Province, China, under different land-use. The results showed that microplastic was involved in 30 samples, and the abundance of microplastic varied considerably among different soils, ranged from 0 to 34,100n kg−1, implying that the e-waste dismantling sites have become the microplastic hotspots. There were 60 kinds of microplastic detected with 6 different shapes and 10 colors, most of which were secondary microplastic. They mainly consisted of engineering-plastic and modified plastic, 88.61% had a size range <1 mm, indicating that the majority of microplastics at Guiyu were derived from e-wastes. The surface morphology of microplastic showed signs of aging and degradation, possibly due to primitive dismantling methods and long-term exposure to the soil. The mean Pb, Cd, Cr, Ba, Cu, Co, As concentrations of microplastic were 20.94, 0.67, 11.82, 308.78, 4.11, 1.26, 3.06 μg·g−1, respectively. Our findings provide scientific basis for monitoring and controlling microplastic pollution in terrestrial environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the section and fossil content of a former gravel pit in the Eastern Styrian Basin (SE Austria), which exposes sediments of a fluvial system, ranging from within channel to overbank environments. A predominately terrestrial gastropod fauna of 15 species so far, was recovered from a palaeosol formed in a moist and vegetated, floodplain or abandoned channel. Up-section, a shallow freshwater pond/lake developed within the floodplain, settled by fishes, molluscs and ostracods. By integrating regional geological and biostratigraphical data derived from the terrestrial gastropod fauna as well as from the other recovered biota, these strata are of late middle Miocene (late Sarmatian s.str.) age. Hence, this fossil site provides a rare insight into the terrestrial habitats in the hinterland of the Sarmatian Sea and their biota, which are otherwise barely known in Central Europe.

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is the most abundant cervid in Europe and, as such, has a considerable impact over several human activities. Accurate roe deer population size estimates are useful to ensure their proper management. We tested 3 methods for estimating roe deer abundance (drive counts, pellet-group counts, and camera trapping) during two consecutive years (2012 and 2013) in the Apennines (Italy) in order to assess their precision and applicability. During the study period, population density estimates were: drive counts 21.89±12.74 roe deer/km2 and pellet-group counts 18.74±2.31 roe deer/km2 in 2012; drive counts 19.32±11.12 roe deer/km2 and camera trapping 29.05±7.48 roe deer/km2 in 2013. Precision of the density estimates differed widely among the 3 methods, with coefficients of variation ranging from 12% (pellet-group counts) to 58% (drive counts). Drive counts represented the most demanding method on account of the higher number of operators involved. Pellet-group counts yielded the most precise results and required a smaller number of operators, though the sampling effort was considerable. When compared to the other two methods, camera trapping resulted in an intermediate level of precision and required the lowest sampling effort. We also discussed field protocols of each method, considering that volunteers, rather than technicians, will more likely be appointed for these tasks in the near future. For this reason, we strongly suggest that for each method managers of population density monitoring projects take into account ease of use as well as the quality of the results obtained and the resources required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate warming and organic matter decomposition are connected in a recursive manner; this recursion can be described by temperature sensitivity. We conducted a multifactorial laboratory experiment to quantify the temperature sensitivity of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) decomposition processes of common boreal organic soils. We incubated 36 mor and 36 slightly decomposed Carex-Sphagnum peat samples in a constant moisture and ambient temperature for 6 months. The experiment included three temperature and two moisture levels and two food web manipulations (samples with and without fungivore enchytraeid worms). We determined the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in seven molecular size classes together with ammonium N and dissolved organic N in low molecular weight and high molecular weight fractions. The temperature sensitivity function Q10 was fit to the data. The C and N release rate was almost an order of magnitude higher in mor than in peat. Soil fauna increased the temperature sensitivity of C release. Soil fauna played a key role in N release; when fauna was absent in peat, the N release was ceased. The wide range of the studied C and N compounds and treatments (68 Q10 datasets) allowed us to recognize five different temperature sensitivity patterns. The most common pattern (37 out of 68) was a positive upwards temperature response, which was observed for CO2 and DOC release. A negative downward pattern was observed for extractable organic nitrogen and microbial C. Sixteen temperature sensitivity patterns represented a mixed type, where the Q10function was not applicable, as this does not allow changing the sign storage change rate with increasing or decreasing temperature. The mixed pattern was typically connected to intermediate decomposition products, where input and output fluxes with different temperature sensitivities may simultaneously change the storage. Mixed type was typical for N processes. Our results provide useful parameterization for ecosystem models that describe the feedback loop between climate warming, organic matter decomposition, and productivity of N-limited vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suburban landscapes can alter spatial patterns by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and increase animal contact with vectors, pathogens, and humans. Close-contact relationships at a landscape level can have broad implications for disease epidemiology. From 1995–1999, we captured and radio-collared 41 deer in two suburban forest preserves in Chicago, Illinois. We collected blood to determine if animals were seronegative or seropositive for Jamestown Canyon virus and tracked deer movements within suburban habitats. We developed utilization distributions at the population-level and evaluated resource selection for seronegative and seropositive deer. We used maximum likelihood estimation for model selection via Akaike information criterion and then restricted maximum likelihood estimation to attain unbiased estimates of the parameters in the top-ranking models. The top-ranking model describing the resource selection of seronegative deer received almost the full weight of evidence (Akaike information criterion ωi = 0.93), and included the proportion of wetlands, precipitation in year t, and an interaction of the proportion of wetlands and precipitation in year t. The top-ranking model describing resource selection of seropositive deer received the full weight of evidence (Akaike information criterion ωi = 1.00). The model included distance to nearest populated place, distance to nearest river, length of road in each grid cell, precipitation in year t, and an interaction of the length of road in each grid cell and precipitation in year t. These results are valuable for mapping the spatial configuration of hotspots for Jamestown Canyon virus and could be used to educate local residents and recreationalists to reduce human exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, many schools are replacing traditional classrooms with innovative flexible learning spaces to improve academic outcomes. Little is known about the effect on classroom behaviour. Students from nine secondary schools (n = 60, M age = 13.2±1.0y) were observed via momentary time sampling for a 30 minute period, in both a traditionally furnished and arranged classroom and a flexible learning space containing a variety of furniture options to accommodate different pedagogical approaches and learning styles. The teaching approaches in both conditions were documented. In traditional classrooms the approach was predominantly teacher-led and in the flexible learning space it was student-centred. Students in flexible learning spaces spent significantly more time in large group settings (d = 0.61, p = 0.001), collaborating (d = 1.33, p = 0.001), interacting with peers (d = 0.88, p = 0.001) and actively engaged (d = 0.50, p = 0.001) than students in traditional classrooms. Students also spent significantly less class time being taught in a whole class setting (d = -0.65, p = 0.001), engaged in teacher-led instruction (d = -0.75, p = 0.001), working individually (d = -0.79, p = 0.001), verbally off-task (d = -0.44, p = 0.016), and using technology (d = -0.26, p = 0.022) than in traditional classrooms. The results suggest that the varied, adaptable nature of flexible learning spaces coupled with the use of student-centred pedagogies, facilitated a higher proportion of class time interacting, collaborating and engaging with the lesson content. This may translate into beneficial learning outcomes in the long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural activity, urban development and habitat alteration have caused the disappearance of the western spadefoot (Spea hammondii) from 80% of its geographic range in southern California. Despite the western spadefoot’s continuing decline, little research has been conducted on its natural history. The home range of adult spadefoots is unknown, and their use of upland habitat is poorly understood. Both factors are important for the long-term conservation of the species because adult spadefoots spend the majority of their lives away from breeding pools in self-excavated burrows. Between January 2012 and January 2013, we surgically implanted radio transmitters in 15 spadefoots at two locations and recorded their movements and habitat use. The mean distance moved between burrow locations was 18 m (SD ± 24.1 m, range1–204 m). The mean distance of burrows from the breeding pools was 40 m (SD ± 37.42 m, range 1–262 m). Rain was a significant predictor of spadefoot movement, with more rain predicting higher probability of movement and larger distances moved. At remote sensing scale (1 m) spadefoots selected grassland habitat for their burrow locations. At the microsite scale (< 1 m) spadefoots strongly selected duff over grass or shrub cover. Spadefoots burrowed in friable, sandy/loam soil with significantly less clay than random pseudoabsence points. This research enhances our understanding of a little-studied species and will contribute to the development of effective management plans for the western spadefoot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microliths–small, retouched, often-backed stone tools–are often interpreted to be the product of composite tools, including projectile weapons, and efficient hunting strategies by modern humans. In Europe and Africa these lithic toolkits are linked to hunting of medium- and large-sized game found in grassland or woodland settings, or as adaptations to risky environments during periods of climatic change. Here, we report on a recently excavated lithic assemblage from the Late Pleistocene cave site of Fa-Hien Lena in the tropical evergreen rainforest of Sri Lanka. Our analyses demonstrate that Fa-Hien Lena represents the earliest microlith assemblage in South Asia (c. 48,000–45,000 cal. years BP) in firm association with evidence for the procurement of small to medium size arboreal prey and rainforest plants. Moreover, our data highlight that the lithic technology of Fa-Hien Lena changed little over the long span of human occupation (c. 48,000–45,000 cal. years BP to c. 4,000 cal. years BP) indicating a successful, stable technological adaptation to the tropics. We argue that microlith assemblages were an important part of the environmental plasticity that enabled Homo sapiens to colonise and specialise in a diversity of ecological settings during its expansion within and beyond Africa. The proliferation of diverse microlithic technologies across Eurasia c. 48–45 ka was part of a flexible human ‘toolkit’ that assisted our species’ spread into all of the world’s environments, and the development of specialised technological and cultural approaches to novel ecological situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elephant camps are among the most popular destinations in Thailand for tourists from many countries. A wide range of management strategies are used by these camps, which can have varied impacts on health and welfare of elephants. The objectives of this study were to examine relationships between FGM (fecal glucocorticoid metabolite) concentrations and camp management factors (work routine, walking, restraint, rest area, foraging), and to other welfare indicators (stereotypic behaviors, body condition, foot health, and skin wounds). Data were obtained on 84 elephants (18 males and 66 females) from 15 elephant camps over a 1-year period. Elephants were examined every 3 months and assigned a body condition score, foot score, and wound score. Fecal samples were collected twice monthly for FGM analysis. Contrary to some beliefs, elephants in the observation only program where mahouts did not carry an ankus for protection had higher FGM concentrations compared to those at camps that offered riding with a saddle and shows. Elephants that were tethered in the forest at night had lower FGM concentrations compared to elephants that were kept in open areas inside the camps. There was an inverse relationship between FGM concentrations and occurrence of stereotypy, which was not anticipated. Thus, assessing adrenal activity via monitoring of FGM concentrations can provide important information on factors affecting the well-being of elephants. Results suggest that more naturalistic housing conditions and providing opportunities to exercise may be good for elephants under human care in Thailand, and that a no riding, no hook policy does not necessarily guarantee good welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the problem of environmental pollution caused by fossil fuel combustion, and its association with rapid urbanization, China is grappling with the question of how to reduce carbon emissions through more efficient energy consumption while simultaneously advancing its economic development. We applied a directional distance function to estimate the carbon emission performance of 30 provinces in China during the period 2000–2016. We selected an index system to assess urbanization processes in these provinces and conducted a spatial analysis to investigate the relationship between urbanization and carbon emission performance. We obtained the following results. First, the carbon emission performance of the eastern region, valued at 0.853, was relatively higher than the corresponding values of 0.810, 0.804, and 0.843 in the central, western, and northeastern regions, respectively. However, during this period, disparities among provinces increased. Second, the average urbanization value for each province showed an upward trend during the study period, and urbanization assumed a “striped” spatial agglomeration pattern. A third finding was that carbon emission performance and urbanization demonstrated a relationship of positive spatial dependence. The average value of their coordinated coupling indicated an upward trend, with an annual increase of 0.85%. Last, we found that efforts to reduce carbon emissions that are solely based on carbon emission performance do not yield reliable results. Accordingly, measurements of urbanization values can enable more detailed differentiation. In conclusion, reasonable measures should be implemented to improve carbon emission performance and urbanization that are in alignment with the actual situation within a given region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to contribute to conservation planning efforts for golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the western U.S., we developed nest site models using >6,500 nest site locations throughout a >3,483,000 km2 area of the western U.S. We developed models for twelve discrete modeling regions, and estimated relative density of nest sites for each region. Cross-validation showed that, in general, models accurately estimated relative nest site densities within regions and sub-regions. Areas estimated to have the highest densities of breeding golden eagles had from 132–2,660 times greater densities compared to the lowest density areas. Observed nest site densities were very similar to those reported from published studies. Large extents of each modeling region consisted of low predicted nest site density, while a small percentage of each modeling region contained disproportionately high nest site density. For example, we estimated that areas with relative nest density values <0.3 represented from 62.8–97.8% ( = 82.5%) of each modeling area, and those areas contained from 14.7–30.0% ( = 22.1%) of the nest sites. In contrast, areas with relative nest density values >0.5 represented from 1.0–12.8% ( = 6.3%) of modeling areas, and those areas contained from 47.7–66.9% ( = 57.3%) of the nest sites. Our findings have direct application to: 1) large-scale conservation planning efforts, 2) risk analyses for land-use proposals such as recreational trails or wind power development, and 3) identifying mitigation areas to offset the impacts of human disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization represents one of the largest fluxes in the global carbon cycle. Numerous studies have shown that soil organic carbon decomposition was largely changed owing to the addition of litter, however very few studies have focused on the role of plant organs in the priming effects (PEs). Here, we studied the effects of different Pinus massoniana organs (fresh leaf, leaf litter, twigs, absorptive fine roots, and transport fine roots) on C4 soil respiration by applying the 13C isotopic natural abundance method. Results showed that the effects of plant organs on PEs were significantly different at the end of 210 days incubation, which can be ascribed to contrasting organs traits especially non-structural carbohydrates and water-soluble compounds. Transport fine roots and fresh leaf induced positive PE, whereas absorptive fine roots induced negative PE. Leaf litter did not change the native SOC decomposition. Plant organ addition can change the microbial community and result in the reduction of bacteria-to-fungi ratio. Our results suggest that with regard to determining the PE of the entire ecosystem, using fresh leaf to represent leaf litter and aboveground to represent underground is implausible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying patterns of deforestation and linking these patterns to potentially influencing variables is a key component of modelling and projecting land use change. Statistical methods based on null hypothesis testing are only partially successful for interpreting deforestation in the context of the processes that have led to their formation. Simplifications of cause-consequence relationships that are difficult to support empirically may influence environment and development policies because they suggest simple solutions to complex problems. Deforestation is a complex process driven by multiple proximate and underlying factors and a range of scales. In this study we use a multivariate statistical analysis to provide contextual explanation for deforestation in the Usumacinta River Basin based on partial pattern matching. Our approach avoided testing trivial null hypotheses of lack of association and investigated the strength and form of the response to drivers. As not all factors involved in deforestation are easily mapped as GIS layers, analytical challenges arise due to lack of a one to one correspondence between mappable attributes and drivers. We avoided testing simple statistical hypotheses such as the detectability of a significant linear relationship between deforestation and proximity to roads or water. We developed a series of informative generalised additive models based on combinations of layers that corresponded to hypotheses regarding processes. The importance of the variables representing accessibility was emphasised by the analysis. We provide evidence that land tenure is a critical factor in shaping the decision to deforest and that direct beam insolation has an effect associated with fire frequency and intensity. The effect of winter insolation was found to have many applied implications for land management. The methodology was useful for interpreting the relative importance of sets of variables representing drivers of deforestation. It was an informative approach, thus allowing the construction of a comprehensive understanding of its causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use influences the prevalence and distribution of ticks due to the intimate relationship of ticks with their environment. This relationship occurs because land use alters two essential tick requirements: vertebrate hosts for blood meals and a suitable microclimate when off-host. Given the risks to human and animal health associated with pathogens transmitted by ticks, there is an ongoing need to understand the impact of environmental drivers on tick distributions. Here, we assessed how landscape features, neighborhood effects, and edges influenced tick occupancy and abundance across an agricultural landscape in southern Africa. We found that Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Rhipicephalus simus increased in abundance closer to protected savanna, while Haemaphysalis elliptica increased in abundance closer to human habitation. The composition of the landscape surrounding savanna patches also differentially influenced the occupancy of each tick species; H. elliptica was more likely to be found in savanna patches surrounded by subsistence agriculture while R. appendiculatus and R. simus were more likely to be found in savanna surrounded by sugarcane monocultures. At the local scale we found that R. appendiculatus and R. simus avoided savanna edges. The availability of hosts and variation in vegetation structure between commercial agriculture, subsistence agriculture, and savanna likely drove the distribution of ticks at the landscape scale. Understanding how anthropogenic land use influences where ticks occur is useful for land use planning and for assessing public and animal health risks associated with ticks and tick-borne diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessments of the global carbon (C) cycle typically rely on simplified models which consider large areas as homogeneous in terms of the response of soils to land use or consider very broad land classes. For example, “cropland” is typically modelled as an aggregation of distinct practices and individual crops over large regions. Here, we use the process-based Rothamsted soil Carbon Model (RothC model), which has a history of being successfully applied at a global scale, to calculate attainable SOC stocks and C mineralization rates for each of c. 17,000 regions (combination of soil type and texture, climate type, initial land use and country) in the World, under near-past climate conditions. We considered 28 individual crops and, for each, multiple production practices, plus 16 forest types and 1 grassland class (total of 80 classes). We find that conversion to cropland can result in SOC increases, particularly when the soil remains covered with crop residues (an average gain of 12 t C/ha) or using irrigation (4 t C/ha), which are mutually reinforcing effects. Attainable SOC stocks vary significantly depending on the land use class, particularly for cropland. Common aggregations in global modelling of a single agricultural class would be inaccurate representations of these results. Attainable SOC stocks obtained here were compared to long-term experiment data and are well aligned with the literature. Our results provide a regional and detailed understanding of C sequestration that will also enable better greenhouse gas reporting at national level as alternatives to IPCC tier 2 defaults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Heart of Borneo initiative has promoted the integration of protected areas and sustainably-managed forests across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. Recently, however, member states of the Heart of Borneo have begun pursuing ambitious unilateral infrastructure-development schemes to accelerate economic growth, jeopardizing the underlying goal of trans-boundary integrated conservation. Focusing on Sabah, Malaysia, we highlight conflicts between its Pan-Borneo Highway scheme and the regional integration of protected areas, unprotected intact forests, and conservation-priority forests. Road developments in southern Sabah in particular would drastically reduce protected-area integration across the northern Heart of Borneo region. Such developments would separate two major clusters of protected areas that account for one-quarter of all protected areas within the Heart of Borneo complex. Sabah has proposed forest corridors and highway underpasses as means of retaining ecological connectivity in this context. Connectivity modelling identified numerous overlooked areas for connectivity rehabilitation among intact forest patches following planned road development. While such ‘linear-conservation planning’ might theoretically retain up to 85% of intact-forest connectivity and integrate half of the conservation-priority forests across Sabah, in reality it is very unlikely to achieve meaningful ecological integration. Moreover, such measure would be exceedingly costly if properly implemented–apparently beyond the operating budget of relevant Malaysian authorities. Unless critical road segments are cancelled, planned infrastructure will fragment important conservation landscapes with little recourse for mitigation. This likelihood reinforces earlier calls for the legal recognition of the Heart of Borneo region for conservation planning as well as for enhanced tri-lateral coordination of both conservation and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During mining topsoil is salvaged and stockpiled until ready for reclamation, stockpiling can have detrimental effects on seed viability and soil quality. Research has assessed effects of salvage and placement depth of forest topsoil on plant community establishment, with little work on effects of storage, particularly in the boreal forest. Our research assessed boreal forest topsoil storage methods to determine effects on soil chemical and physical properties, native seed viability and germination and rhizome viability and emergence. Factors were topsoil stockpiling length, stockpile size, season of construction and soil texture. Four replicates of large and small stockpiles were constructed in the mineable oil sands, in northeastern Alberta. During construction seeds and rhizomes from a variety of native boreal plant species were buried within large (0.05, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0 m) and small (0.05, 1.0, 3.0 m) stockpiles. Soil gas probes were installed at similar depths as seed and rhizomes were placed. Seeds and rhizomes were extracted eight months and sixteen months after construction; during that time soil samples were collected for various chemical analyses. Irrespective of stockpile size, the majority of species seeds and rhizomes buried below 1 m lost viability and did not germinate after eight months. Anaerobic soil conditions developed soon after construction and persisted at depths below 1.0 m in large stockpiles, and over time anaerobic conditions developed in smaller stockpiles. Only seeds of Geranium bicknellii and Dracocephalum parviflorum had a high survival rate in stockpiles; both species have hard seed coats and are physically dormant. Various soil nutrients increased in concentrations in their soluble forms after stockpiling. Direct placement of topsoil is a preferred soil handling technique; however, if topsoil has to be stockpiled increasing the surface area of stockpiles will help preserve some seed and rhizome viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire regime shifts are driven by climate and natural vegetation changes, but can be strongly affected by human land management. Yet, it is poorly known how humans have influenced fire regimes prior to active wildfire suppression. Among the last 250 years, the human contribution to the global increase in fire occurrence during the mid-19th century is especially unclear, as data sources are limited. Here, we test the extent to which forest management has driven fire regime shifts in a temperate forest landscape. We combine multiple fire proxies (macroscopic charcoal and fire-related biomarkers) derived from highly resolved lake sediments (i.e., 3–5 years per sample), and apply a new statistical approach to classify source area- and temperature-specific fire regimes (biomass burnt, fire episodes). We compare these records with independent climate and vegetation reconstructions. We find two prominent fire regime shifts during the 19th and 20th centuries, driven by an adaptive socio-ecological cycle in human forest management. Although individual fire episodes were triggered mainly by arson (as described in historical documents) during dry summers, the biomass burnt increased unintentionally during the mid-19th century due to the plantation of flammable, fast-growing pine tree monocultures needed for industrialization. State forest management reacted with active fire management and suppression during the 20th century. However, pine cover has been increasing since the 1990s and climate projections predict increasingly dry conditions, suggesting a renewed need for adaptations to reduce the increasing fire risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most species-climate models relate range margins to long-term mean climate but lack mechanistic understanding of the ecological or demographic processes underlying the climate response. We examined the case of a climatically limited edge-of-range population of a medium-sized grassland bird, for which climate responses may involve a behavioural trade-off between temperature stress and reproduction. We hypothesised that temperature will be a limiting factor for the conspicuous, male snort-call display behaviour, and high temperatures would reduce the display activity of male birds. Using remote tracking technology with tri-axial accelerometers we classified and studied the display behaviour of 17 free-ranging male little bustards, Tetrax tetrax, at 5 sites in the Iberian Peninsula. Display behaviour was related to temperature using two classes of Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) at different temporal resolutions. GAMMs showed that temperature, time of the day and Julian date explained variation in display behaviour within the day, with birds snort-calling significantly less during higher temperatures. We also showed that variation in daily snort-call activity was related to average daytime temperatures, with our model predicting an average decrease in daytime snort-call display activity of up to 10.4% for the temperature increases projected by 2100 in this region due to global warming. For lekking birds and mammals undertaking energetically-costly displays in a warming climate, reduced display behaviour could impact inter- and intra-sex mating behaviour interactions through sexual selection and mate choice mechanisms, with possible consequences on mating and reproductive success. The study provides a reproducible example for how accelerometer data can be used to answer research questions with important conservation inferences related to the impacts of climate change on a range of taxonomic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity of forests to recover after disturbance, i.e., their resilience, determines their ability to persist and function over time. Many variables, natural and managerial, affect forest resilience. Thus, understanding their effects is critical for the development of sound forest conservation and management strategies, especially in the context of ongoing global environmental changes. We conducted a representative review, meta-analysis, of the forest literature in this topic (search terms “forest AND resilience”). We aimed to identify natural conditions that promote or jeopardize resilience, assess the efficacy of post-disturbance management practices on forest recovery, and evaluate forest resilience under current environmental changes. We surveyed more than 2,500 articles and selected the 156 studies (724 observations) that compared and quantified forest recovery after disturbance under different contexts. Context of recovery included: resource gradients (moisture and fertility), post-disturbance biomass reduction treatments, species richness gradients, incidence of a second disturbance, and disturbance severity. Metrics of recovery varied from individual tree growth and reproduction, to population abundance, to species richness and cover. Analyses show management practices only favored recovery through increased reproduction (seed production) and abundance of recruitment stages. Higher moisture conditions favored recovery, particularly in dry temperate regions; and in boreal forests, this positive effect increased with regional humidity. Biomass reduction treatments were only effective in increasing resilience after a drought. Early recruiting plant stages benefited from increased severity, while disturbance severity was associated with lower recovery of remaining adult trees. This quantitative review provides insight into the natural conditions and management practices under which forest resilience is enhanced and highlights conditions that could jeopardize future resilience. We also identified important knowledge gaps, such as the role of diversity in determining forest resilience and the lack of data in many regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land cover change is a key component of anthropogenic global environmental change, contributing to changes in environmental conditions of habitats. Deforestation is globally the most widespread and anthropogenically driven land cover change leading to conversion from closed forest to open non-forest habitat. This study investigates the relative roles of geographic features, characteristics of species climatic niche and species traits in determining the ability of open-habitat plant species to take advantage of recently opened habitats. We use current occurrence records of 18 herbaceous, predominantly open-habitat species of the genus Acaena (Rosaceae) to determine their prevalence in recently opened habitat. We tested correlation of species prevalence in anthropogenically opened habitat with (i) geographic features of the spatial distribution of open habitat, (ii) characteristics of species climatic niche, and (iii) species traits related to dispersal. While primary open habitat (naturally open) was characterised by cold climates, secondary open habitat (naturally closed but anthropogenically opened) is characterised by warmer and wetter conditions. We found high levels of variation in the species prevalence in secondary open habitat indicating species differences in their ability to colonise newly opened habitat. For the species investigated, geographical features of habitat and climatic niche factors showed generally stronger relationships with species prevalence in secondary open habitat than functional traits. Therefore, for small herbaceous species, geographical features of habitat and environmental factors appear to be more important than species functional traits for facilitating expansion into secondary open habitats. Our results suggested that the land cover change might have triggered the shifts of factors controlling open-habitat plant distributions from the competition with forest trees to current environmental constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural development was the major contributor to South America’s designation as the continent with the highest rates of forest loss from 2000–2012. As the apex predator in the Neotropics, jaguars (Panthera onca) are dependent on forest cover but the species’ response to habitat fragmentation in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes has not been a subject of extensive research. We used occupancy as a measure of jaguar habitat use in Colombia’s middle Magdalena River valley which, as part of the intercontinental Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot, is exceedingly fragmented by expanding cattle pastures and oil palm plantations. We used single-season occupancy models to analyze 9 months of data (2015–2016) from 70 camera trap sites. Given the middle Magdalena’s status as a “jaguar corridor” and our possible violation of the occupancy models’ demographic closure assumption, we interpreted our results as “probability of habitat use (Ψ)” by jaguars. We measured the associations between jaguar presence and coverage of forest, oil palm, and wetlands in radii buffers of 1, 3, and 5 km around each camera trap. Our camera traps recorded 77 jaguar detections at 25 of the camera trap sites (36%) during 15,305 trap nights. The probability of detecting jaguars, given their presence at a site, was 0.28 (0.03 SE). In the top-ranked model, jaguar habitat use was positively influenced by wetland coverage (β = 7.16, 3.20 SE) and negatively influenced by cattle pastures (β = -1.40, 0.63 SE), both in the 3 km buffers. We conclude that wetlands may serve as keystone habitats for jaguars in landscapes fragmented by cattle ranches and oil palm plantations. Greater focus on wetland preservation could facilitate jaguar persistence in one of the most important yet vulnerable areas of their distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation planning relies on integrating existing knowledge, social-environmental contexts, and potential threats to identify gaps and opportunities for action. Here we present a case study on how priority areas for conservation can be determined using existing information on biodiversity occurrence and threats. Specifically, our goals are: (1) to model the ecological niche of twelve endemic snake species in the Dry Chaco Forest, (2) to quantify the impact of the deforestation rates on their distributions, (3) to propose high priority areas for conservation in order to improve the actual protected area system, and (4) to evaluate the influence of the human footprint on the optimization of selected priority areas. Our results demonstrate that Argentinian Dry Chaco represent, on average, ~74% of the distribution of endemic snake species and deforestation has reduced suitable areas of all snake species in the region. Further, the current protected areas are likely insufficient to conserve these species as only very low percentages (3.27%) of snakes’ ranges occur within existing protected areas. Our models identified high priority areas in the north of the Chaco forest where continuous, well-conserved forest still exists. These high priority areas include transition zones within the foothill forest and areas that could connect patches of forest between the western and eastern Chaco forest. Our findings identify spatial priorities that minimize conflicts with human activities, a key issue for this biodiversity hotspot area. We argue that consultation with stakeholders and decision-makers are urgently needed in order to take concrete actions to protect the habitat, or we risk losing the best conservation opportunities to protect endemic snakes that inhabit the Argentinian Dry Chaco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Southeast Asia, primary tropical rainforests are usually dominated by ectomycorrhizal (ECM) trees belonging to Dipterocarpaceae, although arbuscular mycorrhizal trees often outcompete them after disturbances such as forest fires and clear-cutting, thus preventing dipterocarp regeneration. In some secondary tropical forests, however, potentially ECM trees belonging to Tristaniopsis (Myrtaceae) become dominant and may help ECM dipterocarp forests to recover. However, we have no information about their mycorrhizal status in these settings. In this study, we analyzed ECM fungal communities in tropical secondary forests dominated by Tristaniopsis and investigated which ECM fungal species are shared with other tropical or temperate areas. In total, 100 samples were collected from four secondary forests dominated by Tristaniopsis on Bangka Island. ECM tips in the soil samples were subjected to molecular analyses to identify both ECM and host species. Based on a >97% ITS sequence similarity threshold, we identified 56 ECM fungal species dominated by Thelephoraceae, Russulaceae, and Clavulinaceae. Some of the ECM fungal species were shared between dominant Tristaniopsis and coexisting Eucalyptus or Quercus trees, including 5 common to ECM fungi recorded in a primary mixed dipterocarp forest at Lambir Hill, Malaysia. In contrast, no ECM fungal species were shared with other geographical regions, even with Tristaniopsis in New Caledonia. These results imply that secondary tropical forests dominated by Tristaniopsis harbor diverse ECM fungi, including those that inhabit primary dipterocarp forests in the same geographical region. They may function as refugia for ECM fungi, given that dipterocarp forests are disappearing quickly due to human activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While shifts in organismal biology stemming from climate change are receiving increased attention, we know relatively little about how organisms respond to other forms of anthropogenic disturbance. The urban heat island (UHI) effect describes the capture of heat by built structures (e.g. asphalt), resulting in elevated urban temperatures. The UHI is a well-studied phenomenon, but only a handful of studies have investigated trait-based shifts resulting from the UHI, and even fewer have attempted to quantify the magnitude of the UHI experienced at the microclimate scale. Here, using a common urban exploiter, the Western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus), we show that the UHI experienced by spiders in July in their urban Phoenix, AZ refuges is 6°C hotter (33°C) than conditions in the refuges of spiders from Sonoran Desert habitat outside of Phoenix’s development (27°C). We then use this field microclimate UHI estimate to compare the development speed, mass gain and mortality of replicate siblings from 36 urban lineages reared at ‘urban’ and ‘desert’ temperatures. We show that extreme heat is slowing the growth of spiderlings and increasing mortality. In contrast, we show that development of male spiders to their penultimate moult is accelerated by 2 weeks. Lastly, in terms of behavioral shifts, UHI temperatures caused late-stage juvenile male spiders to heighten their foraging voracity and late-stage juvenile female spiders to curtail their web-building behavior. Trait-based approaches like the one presented herein help us better understand the mechanisms that lead to the explosive population growth of urban (sometimes invasive) species, possibly at the expense of urban biodiversity. Studies of organismal responses to the present day UHI can be used as informative surrogates that help us grasp the impact that projected climate change will have on biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is now considered a significant threat to terrestrial biodiversity. Species distribution models (SDMs) are among the modern tools currently used to assess the potential impacts of climate change on species. Pipiza Fallén, 1810 is a well known aphidophagous hoverfly genus (Diptera, Syrphidae) at the European level, for which sampling has been conducted across the region, and long-term databases and geo-referenced datasets have been established. Therefore, in this work, we investigated the potential current distributions of the European species of this genus and their response to future climate change scenarios, as well as evaluated stability in their ranges and potential changes in species-richness patterns. We applied three climate models (BCC_CSM1.1, CCSM4, HadGEM2-ES) to four representative concentration pathways (RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0, RCP 8.5) for two time frames (2050 and 2070). Our results show that the distribution of most Pipiza species may slightly differ under different climate models. Most Pipiza species were predicted not to be greatly affected by climate change, maintaining their current extent. Percentages of stable areas will remain high (above 50%) for the majority of studied species. According to the predicted turnover of species, northern Europe, could become the richest in terms of species diversity, thus replacing Central Europe as the current hot spot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to understand the movement behaviour and utilization distributions of Kori bustards in space and time in the Serengeti ecosystem. A total of 14 individuals were tracked with the aid of GPS (Geographical positioning system) satellite transmitters, and their sexes were identified using DNA analysis. A species utilization distribution was estimated using the Brownian bridge movement model (hereafter dBBMM) in which the probability of being in an area is conditioned by starting and ending (GPS) relocations. Resource selections were analysed by comparing the GPS relocations with locations randomly placed within each individual’s region of utilization in a spatio-temporal approach. Vegetation information was derived from a Serengeti GIS vegetation map and Data Centre and was reclassified as Open grassland, Dense grassland, Shrubbed grassland, Treed grassland, Shrubland, and Woodland. The Shannon diversity index for vegetation was calculated based on the original vegetation classification. Used versus non-used habitats were contrasted using a generalized linear mixed-effects model with a binomial distribution. The results indicated that males were 21.5% more mobile than females, and movements were 6.3% more diffuse during the non-breeding period compared to the breeding period (7.59 versus 7.14, respectively). Contrasting models indicated that males preferred more open grasslands during the non-breeding period and also preferred closed and shrubbed grassland during the breeding period. Females preferred more woody vegetation during the non-breeding season compared to the breeding season. The most parsimonious model indicated that females preferred to stay closer to rivers and diverse areas during the non-breeding period whereas males preferred areas that were farther from rivers and homogenous. Homogeneous areas were preferred during the breeding period, and heterogeneous areas were preferred during the non-breeding period. We conclude that the movement behaviours of Kori bustards changes with the season and habitat. Further research is needed to understand the factors driving the seasonal movement of Kori bustards in the Serengeti ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree stems swell and shrink daily, which is thought to reflect changes in the volume of water within stem tissues. We observed these daily patterns using automatic dendrometer bands in a diverse group of mangrove species over five mangrove forests across Australia and New Caledonia. We found that mangrove stems swelled during the day and shrank at night. Maximum swelling was highly correlated with daily maxima in air temperature. Variation in soil salinity and levels of tidal inundation did not influence the timing of stem swelling over all species. Medium-term increases in stem circumference were highly sensitive to rainfall. We defoliated trees to assess the role of foliar transpiration in stem swelling and shrinking. Defoliated trees showed maintenance of the pattern of daytime swelling, indicating that processes other than canopy transpiration influence the temporary stem diameter increments, which could include thermal swelling of stems. More research is required to understand the processes contributing to stem shrinking and swelling. Automatic Dendrometer Bands could provide a useful tool for monitoring the response of mangroves to extreme climatic events as they provide high-frequency, long-term, and large-scale information on tree water status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human alveolar echinococcosis caused by infection with Echinococcus multilocularis is one of the most potentially pathogenic helminthic zoonoses. Transmission occurs involving wildlife cycles typically between fox and small mammal intermediate hosts. In the late 1980s/early 1990s a large focus of human AE was identified in poor upland agricultural communities in south Gansu Province, China. More detailed investigations in 1994–97 expanded community screening and identified key risk factors of dog ownership and landscape type around villages that could support susceptible rodent populations. A crash of the dog population (susceptible domestic definitive host) in the early 1990s appeared to stop transmission. Methodology/Findings: We subsequently undertook follow-up eco-epidemiological studies based on human population screening and dog survey, in 2005/6 and in 2014/15. Our observations show a decrease in human AE prevalence, especially marked in the 11–30 year old age category. In 2015, although the dog population had recovered and in addition, forest protection and the reforestation of some areas may have favoured red fox (wild definitive host) population growth, there was no evidence of infection in owned dogs. Conclusions/Significance: Those observations suggest that over decades socio-ecological changes resulted in a cascade of factors that exacerbated and then interrupted parasite emergence, with probable elimination of peri-domestic transmission of E. multilocularis in this area, despite the relative proximity of large active transmission foci on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. This study case exemplifies how anthropogenic land use and behavioural changes can modify emergence events and the transmission of endemic zoonotic parasite infections, and subsequently the importance of considering processes over the long-term in a systems approach in order to understand pathogen and disease distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living vegetation volume (LVV), one of the most difficult tree parameters to calculate, is among the most important factors that indicates the biological characteristics and ecological functions of the crown. Obtaining precise LVV estimates is, however, challenging task because the irregularities of many crown shapes are difficult to capture using standard forestry field equipment. Terrestrial light detection and ranging (T-LiDAR) can be used to record the three-dimensional structures of trees. The primary branches of Larix olgensis and Quercus mongolica in the Qingyuan Experimental Station of Forest Ecology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) were taken as the research objects. A new rapid LVV estimation method called the filling method was proposed in this paper based on a T-LiDAR point cloud. In the proposed method, the branch point clouds are divided into leaf points and wood points. We used RiSCAN PRO 1.64 to manually separate the leaf points and wood points under careful visual inspection, and calculated that leaf points and wood points accounted for 91% and 9% of the number of the point clouds of branches. Then, the equation LVV = V1N (where N is the number of leaf points, and V1 is cube size) is used to calculate LVV. When the laser transmission frequency is 300,000 points/second and the point cloud is diluted to 30% using the octree method, the point cloud can be replaced by a cube (V1) of 6.11 cm3 to fill the branch space. The results showed that good performance for this approach, the measuring accuracy for L. olgensis and Q. mongolica at the levels of α = 0.05 and α = 0.01, respectively (94.35%, 90.01% and 91.99%, 85.63%, respectively). The results suggest that the proposed method can be conveniently used to calculate the LVV of coniferous and broad-leaf species under specific scanning settings. This work is explorative because hypotheses or a theoretical framework have not been previously defined. Rather, we would like to contribute to the formation of hypotheses as a background for further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we present novel method development and instruction in the construction and use of Field Portable Gas Analyzers study of belowground aerobic respiration dynamics of deep soil systems. Our Field-Portable Gas Analysis (FPGA) platform has been developed at the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory (CCZO) for the measurement and monitoring of soil O2 and CO2 in a variety of ecosystems around the world. The FPGA platform presented here is cost-effective, lightweight, compact, and reliable for monitoring dynamic soil gasses in-situ in the field. The FPGA platform integrates off-the-shelf components for non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) CO2 measurement and electro-chemical O2 measurement via flow-through soil gas analyses. More than 2000 soil gas measurements have been made to date using these devices over 4 years of observations. Measurement accuracy of FPGAs is consistently high as validated via conventional bench-top gas chromatography. Further, time series representations of paired CO2 and O2 measurement under hardwood forests at the CCZO demonstrate the ability to observe and track seasonal and climatic patterns belowground with this FPGA platform. Lastly, the ability to analyze the apparent respiratory quotient, the ratio of apparent CO2 accumulation divided by apparent O2 consumption relative to the aboveground atmosphere, indicates a high degree of nuanced analyses are made possible with tools like FPGAs. In sum, the accuracy and reliability of the FPGA platform for soil gas monitoring allows for low-cost temporally extensive and spatially expansive field studies of deep soil respiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation is a key determinant of wildfire behaviour at field scales as it functions as fuel. Past studies in the laboratory show that plant flammability, the ability of plants to ignite and maintain combustion, is a function of their traits. However, the way the traits of individual plants combine in a vegetation community to affect field flammability has received little attention. This study aims to bridge the gap between the laboratory and field by linking plant traits to metrics of field-scale flammability. Across three prescribed burns, in Eucalyptus-dominated damp and dry forest, we measured pre-burn plant species abundance and post-burn field flammability metrics (percentage area burnt, char and scorch height). For understory species with dominant cover-abundance, we measured nine traits that had been demonstrated to influence flammability in the laboratory. We used fourth-corner ordination to evaluate covariation between the plant traits, species abundance and flammability. We found that several traits covaried at the species level. In some instances, these traits (e.g. specific leaf area and bulk density) could have cumulative effects on the flammability of a species while in other instances (e.g. moisture and specific leaf area) they may have counteractive effects, assuming trait effects on flammability are akin to previous research. At field scales, species with similar traits tended to co-occur, suggesting that the effects of individual traits accumulate within a plant community. Fourth-corner analyses found the trait-field flammability relationship to be statistically significant. Traits significantly associated with increasing field flammability metrics were: bulk density (negatively associated) and hydrocarbon quantity, specific leaf area and surface area to volume ratio (all positively associated). Our study demonstrates that some traits known to influence flammability in the laboratory can be associated with field-scale flammability metrics. Further research is needed to isolate the contributions of individual traits to understand how species composition drives forest flammability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the pollen morphology and the ranges of intraspecific and interindividual variability of the North American steeplebush—Spiraea tomentosa L., an invasive species in Poland. Steeplebush inflorescences were collected randomly from 30 localities of S. tomentosa in Poland. In total, 900 pollen grains were analysed with both a light and a scanning electron microscope. Nine quantitative and three qualitative pollen features were studied. The diagnostic features were: exine ornamentation (size and direction of the muri), operculum and perforation size. For the first time, the intraspecific and interindividual variability of the pollen grains of the highly invasive S. tomentosa were investigated. Pollen grain features were so similar, that they did not allow to differentiate individual samples of S. tomentosa and only groups of samples were recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detections of invasive species outbreaks are often followed by the removal of susceptible host organisms in order to slow the spread of the invading pest population. We propose the acceptance sampling approach for detection and optional removal of susceptible host trees to manage an outbreak of the emerald ash borer (EAB), a highly destructive forest pest, in Winnipeg, Canada. We compare the strategy with two common delimiting survey techniques that do not consider follow-up management actions such as host removal. Our results show that the management objective influences the survey strategy. The survey-only strategies maximized the capacity to detect new infestations and prioritized sites with high likelihood of being invaded. Comparatively, the surveys with subsequent host removal actions allocated most of the budget to sites where complete host removal would minimize the pest’s ability to spread to uninvaded locations. Uncertainty about the pest’s spread causes the host removal measures to cover a larger area in a uniform spatial pattern and extend to farther distances from already infested sites. If a decision maker is ambiguity-averse and strives to avoid the worst-case damages from the invasion, the optimal strategy is to survey more sites with high host densities and remove trees from sites at farther distances, where EAB arrivals may be uncertain, but could cause significant damage if not detected quickly. Accounting for the uncertainty about spread helps develop a more robust pest management strategy. The approach is generalizable and can support management programs for new pest incursions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to determine if there were differences among stakeholders in the values they attribute to soil ecosystem services from plantation forests in New Zealand. Groups of forest-associated stakeholders were identified (e.g. land owners, forest owners, wood processors, and recreational forest users) and surveyed to assess their cultural background (indigenous New Zealand Māori or not) and then the relative importance they placed on 10 forest soil ecosystem services. Across all survey respondents, very high importance was placed on the ability of soils to sustain forest growth across multiple plantings/rotations (sustainable production). Interestingly, this was more highly valued than maximising short-term production. Māori placed greater importance on forest ecosystem resilience, provenance and kaitiakitanga (sensu stewardship of resources), water quality, and harvest of food and/or medicines from forests than non-Māori. These results demonstrate inherent cultural differences in valuing the range of forest ecosystem services that soils support. It is important that cultural views are understood and integrated into future soil health testing schemes to reflect the needs of all stakeholders. Ultimately, this work will help increase the sustainability of planted forest ecosystems in New Zealand, ensure the forestry sectors social licence to operate, and add value to forest products by demonstrating environmental and cultural stewardship of forest products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To document the diversity and distribution of mosquitoes inhabiting the Mexican state of Nuevo León, collection trips were conducted to all physiographic regions (Grand Northamerican Plains, Coastal Plain of North Gulf, and Sierra Madre Oriental) and subregions across the state. A total of 3,176 specimens were collected. Additionally, we re-examined mosquito specimens in two Mexican entomological collections: The Collection of Insects and Mites of Medical Importance and the Collection of Arthropods of Medical Importance. These represent the two culicid subfamilies Anophelinae and Culicinae, 8 tribes, 12 genera, 25 subgenera, and 64 named species. Of these, 1 tribe, 2 genera, 5 subgenera, and 14 species are new records for the mosquito fauna of Nuevo León. Three undescribed species were collected. Two are described in this study: Aedes (Ochlerotatus) amateuri Ortega & Zavortink n. sp., and Aedes (Protomacleaya) lewnielseni Ortega & Zavortink n. sp. The third belongs to the genus Wyeomyia. Twelve species previously recorded from Nuevo León were not collected during this study. Taxonomic notes, new distribution limits, and comments about the medical importance of some species are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As limited resources, soils are the largest terrestrial sinks of organic carbon. In this respect, 3D modelling of soil organic carbon (SOC) offers substantial improvements in the understanding and assessment of the spatial distribution of SOC stocks. Previous three-dimensional SOC modelling approaches usually averaged each depth increment for multi-layer two-dimensional predictions. Therefore, these models are limited in their vertical resolution and thus in the interpretability of the soil as a volume as well as in the accuracy of the SOC stock predictions. So far, only few approaches used spatially modelled depth functions for SOC predictions. This study implemented and evaluated an approach that compared polynomial, logarithmic and exponential depth functions using non-linear machine learning techniques, i.e. multivariate adaptive regression splines, random forests and support vector machines to quantify SOC stocks spatially and depth-related in the context of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research. The legacy datasets used for modelling include profile data for SOC and bulk density (BD), sampled at five depth increments (0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-50 cm). The samples were taken in an experimental forest in the Chinese subtropics as part of the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) China experiment. Here we compared the depth functions by means of the results of the different machine learning approaches obtained based on multi-layer 2D models as well as 3D models. The main findings were (i) that 3rd degree polynomials provided the best results for SOC and BD (R2 = 0.99 and R2 = 0.98; RMSE = 0.36% and 0.07 g cm-3). However, they did not adequately describe the general asymptotic trend of SOC and BD. In this respect the exponential (SOC: R2 = 0.94; RMSE = 0.56%) and logarithmic (BD: R2 = 84; RMSE = 0.21 g cm-3) functions provided more reliable estimates. (ii) random forests with the exponential function for SOC correlated better with the corresponding 2.5D predictions (R2: 0.96 to 0.75), compared to the 3rd degree polynomials (R2: 0.89 to 0.15) which support vector machines fitted best. We recommend not to use polynomial functions with sparsely sampled profiles, as they have many turning points and tend to overfit the data on a given profile. This may limit the spatial prediction capacities. Instead, less adaptive functions with a higher degree of generalisation such as exponential and logarithmic functions should be used to spatially map sparse vertical soil profile datasets. We conclude that spatial prediction of SOC using exponential depth functions, in conjunction with random forests is well suited for 3D SOC stock modelling, and provides much finer vertical resolutions compared to 2.5D approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change represents one of the most significant threats to human and wildlife communities on the planet. Populations at range margins or transitions between biomes can be particularly instructive for observing changes in biological communities that may be driven by climate change. Avian communities in lowland boreal habitats in the Adirondack Park, located at the North American boreal-temperate ecotone, have been the focus of long-term monitoring efforts since 2007. By documenting long-term changes in community structure and composition, such datasets provide an opportunity to understand how boreal species are responding differently to climate change, and which habitat characteristics may be best able to retain boreal avian communities. We examined three specific questions in order to address how well current biological communities in Adirondack boreal wetland habitats are being maintained in a changing climate: (1) how do trends in occupancy vary across species, and what guilds or characteristics are associated with increasing or decreasing occupancy? (2) how is avian community composition changing differently across sites, and (3) what distinguishes sites which are retaining boreal birds to a higher degree than other sites? Our analysis revealed that (1) boreal species appear to exhibit the largest changes in occupancy among our study locations as compared to the larger avian community, (2) dynamics of community change are not uniform across sites and habitat structure may play an important role in driving observed changes, and (3) the particular characteristics of large open peatlands may allow them to serve as refugia for boreal species in the context of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are one of the most critical resources in Inner Mongolia Plateau. However, the region has experienced severe wetland loss in the context of global change. To quantify the dynamic change and the related driving forces, we extracted wetland information using multi-temporal Landsat images between 1993 and 2013 using ArcGIS platform and man-machine interactive interpretation. Dynamically changing characteristics for the past 20 years were analyzed, including wetland types and spatial distribution patterns of the wetlands in Inner Mongolia. We also performed correlation analysis and generalized linear models to quantify the contribution of natural and human factors to the changes in natural wetland area. Our results indicated that the total area of wetlands was 42421.2 km2 in 1993, and decreased to 38912.4 km2 in 2013, a decline ratio of 8.3%. Meanwhile, all types of wetlands showed a trend of transformation into non-wetlands. Anthropogenic factors led to the loss of natural wetlands in Inner Mongolia. In grasslands, mining coal was the dominant driver for natural wetland loss, while in arable lands, agricultural encroachment and irrigation were the primary driving forces. These findings can provide meaningful information for improving sustainable wetlands management strategies according to local conditions in different sub-regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of synthetic oil-based plastics has led to the accumulation of huge amounts of the plastic waste in the environment, especially in the marine system, very often the final sink for many types of conventional wasted plastics. In particular, (micro)plastics account for the majority of litter items in the marine environment and a high percentage of such litter is originating from land sources. Attempts to mitigate the harmful effects of conventional plastics such as the development of novel management strategies together with the gradual substitution of them with biodegradable (bio)plastics are representing future solutions. However, high amounts of conventional plastics have been accumulating in the environment since several years. Although many studies reported on their potential biodegradation by microbes in and from terrestrial environments, very little is known about the biodegradability of these plastics in freshwater systems and only recently more reports on their biodegradation by marine microorganisms/in marine environment were made available. In this review, we first provide a summary of the approaches applied for monitoring and assessing conventional plastics biodegradation under defined conditions. Then, we reviewed historical and recent findings related to biodegradation of four major plastics produced in European Union (EU), i.e. Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polypropylene and Polystyrene, in terrestrial and aquatic environments and by pure and mixed microbial cultures obtained from them. Unlabelled Image • PS; PP; PVC and PEs biodegradation in terrestrial/aquatic/insect larval gut systems is reviewed. • Microbial degradation by mixed communities and pure strains occurs under lab and field conditions. • Biodegradation rates/extents are often very limited, very few data available on marine habitats. • Microplastics biodegradation can very slightly contribute to reducing in situ marine litter. • Need for strategies to prevent/remove existing marine litter and to valorize collected materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]