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This article looks at interest-driven and informal social media practices that have flourished in the pandemic period and its ensuing renaissance of domesticity. It investigates how tending plants and discussing them on social media serve as a particular site for connecting around loving and taking care of plants. Its focus is on the discursive means with which posters – guided by social media algorithms – rhetorically co-construct a morally acceptable version of a pandemic lifestyle around houseplants. More specifically, drawing on multimodal discourse studies, critical sociolinguistics and work on digital surveillance, it investigates how members of a Finland-based social media site observe and monitor themselves and others via their linguistically heterogeneous and multimodal posts. The paper demonstrates how constructions of tending plants highlight a normative subject who besides cultivating plants also cultivates themselves and others in the allegedly safe microcosm of the home, surrounded by the risk-ridden, tension-full, dangerous pandemic world. In the same way, as in many other types of informal and interest-driven social media activities, surveillance forms a crucial part of the routine digital activities and interactions about and around plants. Three manifestations of surveillance are discussed in detail: site-specific panoptic surveillance, peer surveillance and self-surveillance. peerReviewed

Natural selection on floral scent composition is a key element of the hypothesis that pollinators and other floral visitors drive scent evolution. The measure of such selection is complicated by the high-dimensional nature of floral scent data and uncertainty about the cognitive processes involved in scent-mediated communication. We use dimension reduction through reduced-rank regression to jointly estimate a scent composite trait under selection and the strength of selection acting on this trait. To assess and compare variation in selection on scent across species, time and space, we reanalyse 22 datasets on six species from four previous studies. The results agreed qualitatively with previous analyses in terms of identifying populations and scent compounds subject to stronger selection but also allowed us to evaluate and compare the strength of selection on scent across studies. Doing so revealed that selection on floral scent was highly variable, and overall about as common and as strong as selection on other phenotypic traits involved in pollinator attraction or pollen transfer. These results are consistent with an important role of floral scent in pollinator attraction. Our approach should be useful for further studies of plant-animal communication and for studies of selection on other high-dimensional phenotypes. In particular, our approach will be useful for studies of pollinator-mediated selection on complex scent blends comprising many volatiles, and when no prior information on the physiological responses of pollinators to scent compounds is available.

Climate change is a pervasive threat to biodiversity. While range shifts are a known consequence of climate warming contributing to regional community change, less is known about how species' positions shift within their climatic niches. Furthermore, whether the relative importance of different climatic variables prompting such shifts varies with changing climate remains unclear. Here we analysed four decades of data for 1,478 species of birds, mammals, butterflies, moths, plants and phytoplankton along a 1,200 km high latitudinal gradient. The relative importance of climatic drivers varied non-uniformly with progressing climate change. While species turnover among decades was limited, the relative position of species within their climatic niche shifted substantially. A greater proportion of species responded to climatic change at higher latitudes, where changes were stronger. These diverging climate imprints restructure a full biome, making it difficult to generalize biodiversity responses and raising concerns about ecosystem integrity in the face of accelerating climate change.The authors analyse four decades of distribution data for various taxonomic groups to understand the shift of species within their climatic niches and the changing influences of different climate factors. The diverse and diverging climate imprints raise concerns about future ecosystem integrity.

The paradigm that permafrost-affected soils show restricted mineral nitrogen (N) cycling in favor of organic N compounds is based on the observation that net N mineralization rates in these cold climates are negligible. However, we find here that this perception is wrong. By synthesizing published data on N cycling in the plant-soil-microbe system of permafrost ecosystems we show that gross ammonification and nitrification rates in active layers were of similar magnitude and showed a similar dependence on soil organic carbon (C) and total N concentrations as observed in temperate and tropical systems. Moreover, high protein depolymerization rates and only marginal effects of C:N stoichiometry on gross N turnover provided little evidence for N limitation. Instead, the rather short period when soils are not frozen is the single main factor limiting N turnover. High gross rates of mineral N cycling are thus facilitated by released protection of organic matter in active layers with nitrification gaining particular importance in N-rich soils, such as organic soils without vegetation. Our finding that permafrost-affected soils show vigorous N cycling activity is confirmed by the rich functional microbial community which can be found both in active and permafrost layers. The high rates of N cycling and soil N availability are supported by biological N fixation, while atmospheric N deposition in the Arctic still is marginal except for fire-affected areas. In line with high soil mineral N production, recent plant physiological research indicates a higher importance of mineral plant N nutrition than previously thought. Our synthesis shows that mineral N production and turnover rates in active layers of permafrost-affected soils do not generally differ from those observed in temperate or tropical soils. We therefore suggest to adjust the permafrost N cycle paradigm, assigning a generally important role to mineral N cycling. This new paradigm suggests larger permafrost N climate feedbacks than assumed previously. peerReviewed

Fiktiossa kasvit saavat usein toimijuutta vain silloin, kun ne näyttäytyvät vaarallisina ja uhkaavina. Näin ollen kasvikauhun hirviöt avaavat tärkeitä näkökulmia kasvien ja ihmisten välisten suhteiden ymmärtämiseen. Elokuvassa Batman & Robin (1997) Poison Ivyn hahmoon henkilöityy kasvien ja naisten toiseuttaminen, minkä lisäksi elokuvan sankarit torjuvat hänen edustamansa ajatuksen luonnonsuojelun tärkeydestä. Koska ympäristöongelmien vaikutukset ja yhteiskunnan alistavat mekanismit toimivat limittäin, vähän tutkittu Poison Ivyn hahmo on intersektionaalisuudessaan ajankohtainen. Ekofeministinen analyysi hahmosta paljastaa, miten ja miksi tietyistä olennoista tehdään populaarifiktiossa vieraita ja hirviömäisiä. Kasvin ja ihmisen yhdistelmänä Poison Ivy haastaa olentojen välisiä rajoja ja hierarkioita, samalla kun hänen yhteiskunnalliseen muutokseen tähtäävä toimintansa vaatii ihmisiä ottamaan päätöksissään huomioon myös ei-inhimilliset olennot. peerReviewed

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Many specialist herbivores have evolved strategies to cope with plant defences, with gut microbiota potentially participating to such adaptations. In this study, we assessed whether the history of plant use (population origin) and microbiota may interact with plant defence adaptation. We tested whether microbiota enhance the performance of Melitaea cinxia larvae on their host plant, Plantago lanceolata and increase their ability to cope the defensive compounds, iridoid glycosides (IGs). The gut microbiota were significantly affected by both larval population origin and host plant IG level. Contrary to our prediction, impoverishing the microbiota with antibiotic treatment did not reduce larval performance. As expected for this specialized insect herbivore, sequestration of one of IGs was higher in larvae fed with plants producing higher concentration of IGs. These larvae also showed metabolic signature of intoxication (i.e. decrease in Lysine levels). However, intoxication on highly defended plants was only observed when larvae with a history of poorly defended plants were simultaneously treated with antibiotics. Our results suggest that both adaptation and microbiota contribute to the metabolic response of herbivores to plant defence though complex interactions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Chemical profiles of arbuscular (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi reveal that differences in decomposability-relevant chemistry are larger between AM and EM fungi than across plant functional groups. The chemical quality of soil carbon (C) inputs is a major factor controlling litter decomposition and soil C dynamics. Mycorrhizal fungi constitute one of the dominant pools of soil microbial C, while their litter quality (chemical proxies of litter decomposability) is understood poorly, leading to major uncertainties in estimating soil C dynamics. We examined litter decomposability of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal species using samples obtained from in vitro cultivation. We showed that the chemical composition of AM and EM fungal mycelium differs significantly: EM fungi have higher concentrations of labile (water-soluble, ethanol-soluble) and recalcitrant (non-extractable) chemical components, while AM fungi have higher concentrations of acid-hydrolysable components. Our results imply that differences in decomposability traits among mycorrhizal fungal guilds represent a critically important driver of the soil C cycle, which could be as vital as is recognized for differences among aboveground plant litter. This research was supported by the Vidi grant 016.161.318 (issued to N.A.S. by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific research) and China Scholarship Council (CSC, grant No. 201706040071 issued to W.H.). M.C. was supported by the European Commission’s grant H2020-MSCA-IF-2018 ‘SYMBIO-INC’ (GA 838525). T.V., J.L., and J.H. were supported by the Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland (decision 327214, 327342) and the Nessling foundation TWINWIN project. We appreciate the Natural Resources Institute Finland and Prof. Hannu Fritze for supporting chemical analysis. We would like to thank colleagues of the Soil-process group and Chen Li (CML, Leiden University) for discussions. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions.

Community ecology has had a strong focus on single snapshots of species compositional variation in time. However, environmental change often occurs slowly at relatively broad spatio-temporal scales, which requires historically explicit assessments of long-term metacommunity dynamics, such as the order of species arrival during community assembly (i.e., priority effects), a theme that merits further empirical quantification. In this study, we applied the Bayesian inference scheme of Hierarchical Modeling of Species Communities together with information on functional traits and evolutionary dependencies to efficiently explore the question of how ecological communities are organized in space and time. To do this, we used a comprehensive time-series dataset from boreal lake plants and adopted the perspective that more sound conclusions on metacommunity dynamics can be gained from studies that consider a historically integrative approach over long timeframes. Our findings revealed that historical contingency via priority effects can profoundly shape community assembly under the influence of environmental change across decades (here, from the 1940s to the 2010s). Similarly, our results supported the existence of both positive and negative species-to-species associations in lake plants, suggesting that functional divergence can switch the inhibition–facilitation balance at the metacommunity level. Perhaps more importantly, this proof-of-concept study supports the notion that community ecology should include a historical perspective and suggests that ignoring priority effects may risk our ability to identify the true magnitude of change in present-day biotic communities.

1. Most of the carbon accumulated into peatlands is derived from Sphagnum mosses. During peatland development, the relative share of vascular plants and Sphagnum mosses in the plant community changes, which impacts ecosystem functions. Little is known on the successional development of functional plant traits or functional diversity in peatlands, although this could be a key for understanding the mechanisms behind peatland resistance to climate change. Here we aim to assess how functionality of successive plant communities change along the autogenic peatland development and the associated environmental gradients, namely peat thickness and pH, and to determine whether trait trade-offs during peatland succession are analogous between vascular plant and moss communities. 2. We collected plant community and trait data on successional peatland gradients from post-glacial rebound areas in coastal Finland, Sweden and Russia, altogether from 47 peatlands. This allowed us to analyse the changes in community-weighted mean trait values and functional diversity (diversity of traits) during peatland development. 3. Our results show comparative trait trade-offs from acquisitive species to conservative species in both vascular plant and Sphagnum moss communities during peatland development. However, mosses had higher resistance to environmental change than vascular plant communities. This was seen in the larger proportion of intraspecific trait variation than species turnover in moss traits, while the proportions were opposite for vascular plants. Similarly, the functional diversity of Sphagnum communities increased during the peatland development, while the opposite occurred for vascular plants. Most of the measured traits showed a phylogenetic signal. More so, the species common to old successional stages, namely Ericacae and Sphagna from subgroup Acutifolia were detected as most similar to their phylogenetic neighbours. 4. Synthesis. During peatland development, vegetation succession leads to the dominance of conservative plant species accustomed to high stress. At the same time, the autogenic succession and ecological engineering of Sphagna leads to higher functional diversity and intraspecific variability, which together indicate higher resistance towards environmental perturbations.

Kasvilajintuntemus on prosessi, jossa kasveja havainnoidaan, luokitellaan ja lopulta tunnistetaan sekä nimetään lajilleen oikein. Se kehittää ja vaatii monia kognitiivisia taitoja, kuten havainnointitaitoja, hahmottamiskykyä ja muistia. Kognitiivisten taitojen lisäksi kasvilajintuntemuksesta on monia muitakin hyötyjä. Siitä hyötyy yksilö muun muassa turvallisuuden ja kasvien hyötykäytön suhteen. Ennen kaikkea kasvilajintuntemus on kuitenkin pohja laajalle biologiselle ja ekologiselle ymmärtämiselle. Kasvilajintuntemusta tarvitaan, jotta ekosysteemien toimintaa ja biodiversiteettiä voidaan ymmärtää, suojella ja kehittää. Näin ollen kasvilajintuntemus on osa biodiversiteettikasvatusta, joka puolestaan on osa kestävän kehityksen kasvatusta. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, millaisia käsityksiä luokanopettajilla on kasvilajintuntemuksesta, sen merkityksistä sekä opettamisesta. Erityisenä mielenkiinnonkohteena oli, näkevätkö luokanopettajat kasvilajintuntemuksella olevan yhteyttä kestävän kehityksen kasvatukseen, ja jos näkevät, niin millä tavalla. Aineisto on kerätty sähköisellä kyselylomakkeella Pirkanmaan alueella toimivilta luokanopettajilta tammi-helmikuussa 2021. Aineisto koostuu 29 luokanopettajan vastauksista, joka on analysoitu käyttäen fenomenografista analyysiä. Luokanopettajat näkivät kasvilajintuntemuksesta olevan ennen kaikkea hyötyä yksilölle. Vastauksissa korostettiin erityisesti turvallisuuden, kasvien hyödyntämisen sekä yleissivistyksen merkityksiä. Myös luontosuhteen syventämistä pidettiin merkittävänä. Kasvilajintuntemuksen opettaminen koulussa koettiin yleisesti ottaen tärkeäksi, jotta koulu omalta osaltaan kantaa vastuunsa opetussisältöjen toteutumisesta sekä tarjoaa kaikille lapsille mahdollisuuden tutustua kasveihin ja luontoon perhetausta riippumatta. Luokanopettajalla ajateltiin olevan tärkeä rooli oppilaiden kasvilajintuntemuksen kehittämisessä muun muassa innostavan otteen ja monipuolisten opetusmenetelmien ansiosta. Toisaalta opettajan oma tietämättömyys tai kiinnostumattomuus nähtiin myös suurimmiksi haasteiksi kasvilajintuntemuksen opettamiseen liittyen. Muita merkittäviä haasteita olivat oppilaiden kiinnostuksen puute sekä metsään pääsemisen vaikeudet kesken koulupäivän. Luokanopettajista vain noin neljäsosa oli ymmärtänyt kasvilajintuntemuksen merkityksen biodiversiteetin ja luonnon toiminnan ymmärtämiselle ja suojelulle ja tätä kautta kestävälle kehitykselle. Lisäksi korostettiin luontosuhteen syvenemisen hyötyjä myös kestävälle kehitykselle. Osa opettajista ei ollut ymmärtänyt yhteyttä tai ei pitänyt sitä tärkeänä. Tästä syystä jo opettajankoulutuslaitoksissa olisi tärkeää kasvilajien ulkoa opettelun sijaan lisätä opettajaopiskelijoiden ymmärrystä kasvilajintuntemuksen merkityksistä, jotta sitä osattaisiin ja haluttaisiin myös opettaa kunnolla.

Highlights • New empirical studies are repeatedly demonstrating the importance of rare species. • However, very little is still known about species rarity in the aquatic realm. • Continental maps suggest variable latitudinal trends in freshwater plants. • Human footprint, past and present-day climates predict rarity hotspots. • Current centers of freshwater plant rarity might shrink within a century. Patterns of species rarity have long fascinated ecologists, yet most of what we know about the natural world stems from studies of common species. A large proportion of freshwater plant species has small range sizes and are therefore considered rare. However, little is known about the mechanisms and geographical distribution of rarity in the aquatic realm and to what extent diversity of rare species in freshwater plants follows their terrestrial counterparts. Here, we present the first in–depth analysis of geographical patterns, potential deterministic ecogeographical factors and projected scenarios of freshwater vascular plant rarity using 50 × 50 km grid cells across Europe (41°N–71°N) and North America (25°N–78°N). Our results suggest that diversity of rare species shows different patterns in relation to latitude on the two continents, and that hotspots of rarity concentrate in a relatively small proportion of the European and North American land surface, especially in mountainous as well as in climatically rare and stable areas. Interestingly, we found no differences among alternative rarity definitions and measures when delineating areas with notably high diversity of rare species. Our findings also indicate that few variables, namely a combination of current climate, Late Quaternary climate–change velocity and human footprint, are able to accurately predict the location of continental centers of rare species diversity. However, these relationships are not geographically homogeneous, and the underlying factors likely act synergistically. Perhaps more importantly, we provide empirical evidence that current centers of rare species diversity are characterized by higher anthropogenic impacts and might shrink disproportionately within this century as the climate changes. Our reported distributional patterns of species rarity align with the known trends in species richness of other freshwater organisms and may help conservation planners make informed decisions mitigating the effects of climate change and other anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity.

Significance Plant functional traits are central instruments in developing understanding and predicting biodiversity patterns and ecosystems processes. Snow is an important ecological factor in cold climates, but its contribution to the evolution of functionality of tundra vegetation is poorly known and insufficiently addressed in the research. We show here that snow has a fundamental effect in mediating climate change impacts on functional composition and diversity of Arctic tundra vegetation. As a whole, Arctic landscapes may lose spatial heterogeneity because plant communities will be functionally more alike, although the local functional diversity may increase. Our results highlight that future snow conditions and their fine-scale variability should be acknowledged in the next generation of Arctic vegetation−ecosystem models., The Arctic is one of the least human-impacted parts of the world, but, in turn, tundra biome is facing the most rapid climate change on Earth. These perturbations may cause major reshuffling of Arctic species compositions and functional trait profiles and diversity, thereby affecting ecosystem processes of the whole tundra region. Earlier research has detected important drivers of the change in plant functional traits under warming climate, but studies on one key factor, snow cover, are almost totally lacking. Here we integrate plot-scale vegetation data with detailed climate and snow information using machine learning methods to model the responsiveness of tundra communities to different scenarios of warming and snow cover duration. Our results show that decreasing snow cover, together with warming temperatures, can substantially modify biotic communities and their trait compositions, with future plant communities projected to be occupied by taller plants with larger leaves and faster resource acquisition strategies. As another finding, we show that, while the local functional diversity may increase, simultaneous biotic homogenization across tundra communities is likely to occur. The manifestation of climate warming on tundra vegetation is highly dependent on the evolution of snow conditions. Given this, realistic assessments of future ecosystem functioning require acknowledging the role of snow in tundra vegetation models.

Microbes have driven eco-evolutionary adaptations organizing biodiversity from the origin of life. They are ubiquitous and abundant, facilitating the biochemical processes that make Earth habitable and shape ecosystem structures, functions, and services. Recent studies reveal that commensalistic and beneficial microbes associated with wild and domesticated plants may aid in establishing sustainable agriculture for a changing climate. However, developing microbe-based biotechnologies and ecosystem services requires a thorough understanding of the diversity and complexity of microbial interactions with each other and with higher organisms. We discuss the hot and blind spots in contemporary research on plant microbiomes, and how the latest molecular biological techniques and empirical eco-evolutionary approaches could elevate our perception of microbe–plant interactions through multidisciplinary studies. peerReviewed

In this article, I argue that Porphyry’s conception of justice in On abstinence is remarkable for several reasons. While I agree with Fay Edwards that Porphyry does not assume the moral status of animals to depend on their rationality, I argue that Porphyry’s claim is not based on any form of the assumption that animals deserve moral consideration only if they share some relevant property with human beings. Contrary to Edwards, I argue that this is not because justice is irrelevant to animals in On abstinence 3. Rather, extending abstinence from causing harm to humans to apply also to non-human animals and plants is a constitutive element in the higher forms of justice that Porphyry requires of philosophers. peerReviewed

Kirja-arvostelu teoksesta Emanuele Coccia: Kasvien elämä, sekoittumisen metafysiikkaa, suom. Jussi Palmusaari, Tutkijaliitto 2020. nonPeerReviewed

Why populations of threatened species disappear is among the key questions in conservation biology. However, very few local and regional studies have attempted to quantify the importance of the various causes. In this investigation, the status of the populations of threatened vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens found between the years 1860–1979 in a national biodiversity hot spot in SW Finland was studied during the years 1990–2008. Of the populations, 82% had disappeared and 18% were re-discovered. The disappearance rate of populations differed between habitats: exceeding 80% in most habitat types whilst being lowest on rock outcrops (58%). Complete destruction of all locally suitable habitats was the main reason for the disappearance of the populations (73%) concerned. Habitat deterioration (including partial habitat loss) was identified as the reason for the disappearance for 22% of the populations. Only for 5% of the populations could it not be revealed whether habitat quality had changed or not, but deterioration of habitat quality or habitat loss is possible even in these cases. For none of the disappeared populations was no change in habitat quality verified. In most cases, habitat loss and deterioration were caused by agriculture or forestry. These results support the conclusion that vascular plant, bryophyte and lichen populations in the boreal landscape have disappeared directly because their habitats have disappeared, declined in size or deteriorated due to forestry, agriculture, construction, mining and pollution. More subtle changes in habitat quality, fragmentation, problems related to small population size per se and other reasons may have contributed to only a few disappearances of local populations. The disappearance rate was similar between the study groups, but the relative importance of reasons for disappearance was different. The results emphasize the importance of habitat protection for threatened vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens. Keywords: Biodiversity, Conservation biology, Extinction, Fragmentation, Habitat quality

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent signaling pathways from chloroplasts and mitochondria merge at the nuclear protein RADICAL-INDUCED CELL DEATH1 (RCD1). RCD1 interacts in vivo and suppresses the activity of the transcription factors ANAC013 and ANAC017, which mediate a ROS-related retrograde signal originating from mitochondrial complex III. Inactivation of RCD1 leads to increased expression of mitochondrial dysfunction stimulon (MDS) genes regulated by ANAC013 and ANAC017. Accumulating MDS gene products, including alternative oxidases (AOXs), affect redox status of the chloroplasts, leading to changes in chloroplast ROS processing and increased protection of photosynthetic apparatus. ROS alter the abundance, thiol redox state and oligomerization of the RCD1 protein in vivo, providing feedback control on its function. RCD1-dependent regulation is linked to chloroplast signaling by 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphate (PAP). Thus, RCD1 integrates organellar signaling from chloroplasts and mitochondria to establish transcriptional control over the metabolic processes in both organelles., eLife digest Most plant cells contain two types of compartments, the mitochondria and the chloroplasts, which work together to supply the chemical energy required by life processes. Genes located in another part of the cell, the nucleus, encode for the majority of the proteins found in these compartments. At any given time, the mitochondria and the chloroplasts send specific, ‘retrograde’ signals to the nucleus to turn on or off the genes they need. For example, mitochondria produce molecules known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) if they are having problems generating energy. These molecules activate several regulatory proteins that move into the nucleus and switch on MDS genes, a set of genes which helps to repair the mitochondria. Chloroplasts also produce ROS that can act as retrograde signals. It is still unclear how the nucleus integrates signals from both chloroplasts and mitochondria to ‘decide’ which genes to switch on, but a protein called RCD1 may play a role in this process. Indeed, previous studies have found that Arabidopsis plants that lack RCD1 have defects in both their mitochondria and chloroplasts. In these mutant plants, the MDS genes are constantly active and the chloroplasts have problems making ROS. To investigate this further, Shapiguzov, Vainonen et al. use biochemical and genetic approaches to study RCD1 in Arabidopsis. The experiments confirm that this protein allows a dialog to take place between the retrograde signals of both mitochondria and chloroplasts. On one hand, RCD1 binds to and inhibits the regulatory proteins that usually activate the MDS genes under the control of mitochondria. This explains why, in the absence of RCD1, the MDS genes are always active, which is ultimately disturbing how these compartments work. On the other hand, RCD1 is also found to be sensitive to the ROS that chloroplasts produce. This means that chloroplasts may be able to affect when mitochondria generate energy by regulating the protein. Finally, further experiments show that MDS genes can affect both mitochondria and chloroplasts: by influencing how these genes are regulated, RCD1 therefore acts on the two types of compartments. Overall, the work by Shapiguzov, Vainonen et al. describes a new way Arabidopsis coordinates its mitochondria and chloroplasts. Further studies will improve our understanding of how plants regulate these compartments in different environments to produce the energy they need. In practice, this may also help plant breeders create new varieties of crops that produce energy more efficiently and which better resist to stress.

In this article we compile wartime botanical information about mires in Olonets region (Russian Karelia) and compare it with new data collected as part of the Finnish-Russian cooperation in mire research. We also describe the historical background of both the local economy and the visits of Finnish botanists, which date back to the days of the Grand Duchy of Finland and the Russian Empire but were most active during the Second World War. For Finnish mire research, these excursions have allowed important comparisons between the mostly degraded rich fens of southern Finland and largely pristine examples in Olonets region. In the 2000s, 176 vascular plant and 53 moss species, corresponding to 40–50 % of the Karelian mire flora, have been recorded in this area; more than 20 different mire plant communities (associations) have been identified; and one site has been confirmed as the oldest studied mire in East Fennoscandia (12,700 years). The understanding arising from this research is especially important for nature conservation work in the Republic of Karelia.

Studies on the determinants of plant-herbivore and herbivore-parasitoid associations provide important insights into the origin and maintenance of global and local species richness. If parasitoids are specialists on herbivore niches rather than on herbivore taxa, then alternating escape of herbivores into novel niches and delayed resource tracking by parasitoids could fuel diversification at both trophic levels. We used DNA barcoding to identify parasitoids that attack larvae of seven Pontania sawfly species that induce leaf galls on eight willow species growing in subarctic and arctic-alpine habitats in three geographic locations in northern Fennoscandia, and then applied distance- and model-based multivariate analyses and phylogenetic regression methods to evaluate the hierarchical importance of location, phylogeny and different galler niche dimensions on parasitoid host use. We found statistically significant variation in parasitoid communities across geographic locations and willow host species, but the differences were mainly quantitative due to extensive sharing of enemies among gallers within habitat types. By contrast, the divide between habitats defined two qualitatively different network compartments, because many common parasitoids exhibited strong habitat preference. Galler and parasitoid phylogenies did not explain associations, because distantly related arctic-alpine gallers were attacked by a species-poor enemy community dominated by two parasitoid species that most likely have independently tracked the gallers' evolutionary shifts into the novel habitat. Our results indicate that barcode- and phylogeny-based analyses of food webs that span forested vs. tundra or grassland environments could improve our understanding of vertical diversification effects in complex plant-herbivore-parasitoid networks.

Most metacommunity studies have taken a direct mechanistic approach, aiming to model the effects of local and regional processes on local communities within a metacommunity. An alternative approach is to focus on emergent patterns at the metacommunity level through applying the elements of metacommunity structure (EMS; Oikos, 97, 2002, 237) analysis. The EMS approach has very rarely been applied in the context of a comparative analysis of metacommunity types of main microbial, plant, and animal groups. Furthermore, to our knowledge, no study has associated metacommunity types with their potential ecological correlates in the freshwater realm. We assembled data for 45 freshwater metacommunities, incorporating biologically highly disparate organismal groups (i.e., bacteria, algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, and fish). We first examined ecological correlates (e.g., matrix properties, beta diversity, and average characteristics of a metacommunity, including body size, trophic group, ecosystem type, life form, and dispersal mode) of the three elements of metacommunity structure (i.e., coherence, turnover, and boundary clumping). Second, based on those three elements, we determined which metacommunity types prevailed in freshwater systems and which ecological correlates best discriminated among the observed metacommunity types. We found that the three elements of metacommunity structure were not strongly related to the ecological correlates, except that turnover was positively related to beta diversity. We observed six metacommunity types. The most common were Clementsian and quasi-nested metacommunity types, whereas Random, quasi-Clementsian, Gleasonian, and quasi-Gleasonian types were less common. These six metacommunity types were best discriminated by beta diversity and the first axis of metacommunity ecological traits, ranging from metacommunities of producer organisms occurring in streams to those of large predatory organisms occurring in lakes. Our results showed that focusing on the emergent properties of multiple metacommunities provides information additional to that obtained in studies examining variation in local community structure within a metacommunity.

Metacommunity paradigms are increasingly studied to explain how environmental control and spatial patterns determine variation in community composition. However, the relative importance of these patterns on biological assemblages among different habitats is not well known. We investigated the relative roles of local, catchment and spatial variables based on overland and watercourse distances in explaining the variation of community structure of lake and river macrophytes in two large river basins at two spatial extents (within and across river basins). Partial redundancy analysis was used to explore the share of variability in macrophyte communities attributable to local environmental conditions, catchment land cover and space (generated with Principle Coordinates of Neighbour Matrices). We found that local variables had the highest effect on both lake and river macrophyte communities, followed by catchment variables. Space had no or only marginal influence on the community structure regardless of used distance measure. Total phosphorus, conductivity and turbidity of the local variables contributed most for lake macrophytes, whereas pH and color had largest independent contribution for variation in river macrophytes. Size of catchment area and proportion of lakes and agriculture were the most important catchment variables in both habitats. The strong importance of environmental control suggests that both lake and river macrophyte communities are structured by species sorting. This finding gives support to the validity of assessment systems based on the European Water Framework Directive.

Long-term grassland fallow and short-term meadow fallow represent alternative fallowing strategies for biodiversity conservation on farmland. Conventional grassland mixtures are used to establish long-term grassland fallows, whereas short-term meadow fallows are sown with specific meadow seed mixtures and require regular re-establishment to maintain the abundance of sown species. This study examined the impact of fallow type and landscape structure on the species richness and abundance of four taxa: plants, bumblebees, butterflies and birds. Long-term grassland fallows and short-term meadow fallows were studied in four contrasting landscape types in Finland, differing in the cover of forest and perennial grasslands. The fallow type and landscape structure affected each species group differently, and the value of a particular fallow type was also modified by landscape setting. Bumblebees were most abundant in short-term meadow fallows, whereas butterflies benefited more from long-term grassland fallows. Species richness of plants and butterflies were higher in forested than in open landscapes. Long-term grassland fallows promoted species richness of butterflies as well as the abundance of foraging edge birds in forested landscapes, whereas short-term meadow fallows enhanced the abundance of foraging edge birds in open landscapes. In landscapes with high grassland cover, the breeding density of open farmland birds was higher in meadow fallows than in grassland fallows, while the reverse was true in landscapes with low perennial grassland cover. The fallowing strategy thus can be adapted to the landscape context depending on the specific objectives. For overall biodiversity enhancement, establishing and managing different kinds of fallows is important.

Growing evidence shows that epigenetic mechanisms contribute to complex traits, with implications across many fields of biology. In plant ecology, recent studies have attempted to merge ecological experiments with epigenetic analyses to elucidate the contribution of epigenetics to plant phenotypes, stress responses, adaptation to habitat, and range distributions. While there has been some progress in revealing the role of epigenetics in ecological processes, studies with non-model species have so far been limited to describing broad patterns based on anonymous markers of DNA methylation. In contrast, studies with model species have benefited from powerful genomic resources, which contribute to a more mechanistic understanding but have limited ecological realism. Understanding the significance of epigenetics for plant ecology requires increased transfer of knowledge and methods from model species research to genomes of evolutionarily divergent species, and examination of responses to complex natural environments at a more mechanistic level. This requires transforming genomics tools specifically for studying non-model species, which is challenging given the large and often polyploid genomes of plants. Collaboration among molecular geneticists, ecologists and bioinformaticians promises to enhance our understanding of the mutual links between genome function and ecological processes.

Herbivores play a key role in shaping ecosystem structure and functions by influencing plant and microbial community composition and nutrient cycling. This study investigated the long‐term effects of herbivores on plant resource acquisition. We explored differences in the natural δ15N signatures in plant, microbial and soil N pools, and examined mycorrhizal colonization in two tundra sites that have been either lightly or heavily grazed by reindeer for more than 50 years. The study examined changes in nutrient acquisition in five common tundra plants with contrasting traits and mycorrhiza status; the mycorrhizal dwarf shrubs, Betula nana, Vaccinium myrtillus and Empetrum hermaphroditum; a mycorrhizal grass, Deschampsia flexuosa, and a non‐mycorrhizal sedge, Carex bigelowii. There were large variations in δ15N among coexisting plant species in the lightly grazed sites. This variation was dramatically reduced in the heavily grazed sites. At an individual species level, δ15N was higher in E. hermaphroditum and lower in C. bigelowii in the heavily grazed sites. Mycorrhizal colonization in B. nana and E. hermaphroditum roots were also lower in the heavily grazed sites. The δ15N signatures of the total soil N pool and of the microbial N pools were higher in the heavily grazed sites. Since the strong δ15N differentiation among plant species has been interpreted as a result of plants with different mycorrhizal types using different sources of soil nitrogen, we suggest that the lower variation in δ15N in heavily grazed sites indicates a lower niche differentiation in nitrogen uptake among plants. Reduced mycorrhiza‐mediated nitrogen uptake by some of the species, a shift towards a more mineral nutrition due to higher nutrient turnover, and uptake of labile nitrogen from dung and urine in the heavily grazed sites could all contribute to the changes in plant δ15N. We conclude that herbivores have the potential to influence plant nutrient uptake and provide the first data suggesting that herbivores decrease nutrient partitioning on the basis of chemical N forms among plant species. Reduced niche complementarity among species is potentially important for estimates of the effects of herbivory on plant nutrient availability and species coexistence. peerReviewed

The optimization of photovoltaic solar power plants location in Atacama Desert, Chile, is presented in this study. The study considers three objectives: (1) Find sites with the highest solar energy potential, (2) determine sites with the least impact on the environment, and (3) locate the areas which produce small social impact. To solve this task, multi-criteria decision analyses (MCDAs) such as analytical hierarchy process and ordered weighted averaging were applied in a GIS environment. In addition, survey results of social impacts were analyzed and included into the decision-making process, including landscape values. The most suitable sites for solar energy projects were found near roads and power lines throughout the study area. Large suitable areas were found also from central valley from Arica and Parinacota to the north edge of Atacama region. In Atacama region, most suitable sites were found in the Andes. On the contrary, Andes were also found to have high environmental values and scenically valuable landscapes. Moderate and low suitability were found on the coast, especially in Atacama region. Factors such as slope and distance to power lines and roads influenced largely the sensitivity analysis. Area of high suitability increased by 15% when distance to roads was excluded and 18% when distance to power lines or slope was removed. MCDA-GIS method was found to be useful and applicable to the optimization of solar power plant locations in northern Chile. peerReviewed

nonPeerReviewed

Lajintuntemustaidot ovat osa biologian alan asiantuntijuutta ja ne auttavat ymmärtämään syvemmin mm. luonnon monimuotoisuutta, kestävän kehityksen periaatteita sekä syy-seuraus-suhteita ympäristössä. Valitettavasti useiden tutkimusten tulokset osoittavat, että lajintuntemustaidot ovat heikentyneet lasten, nuorten ja aikuisten keskuudessa merkittävästi viimeisten vuosikymmenten aikana, mikä näkyy myös biologian alan opiskelijoiden tunnistustaidoissa. Tässä tutkimuksessa tavoitteena oli tutkia uusien biologian alan opiskelijoiden lajintuntemustaitoja sekä motivaatiota omaa opiskelualaa ja lajintuntemusta kohtaan. Tutkimus toteutettiin lajintunnistustestillä sekä kyselylomakkeella, jolla mitattiin erilaisia taustamuuttujia ja motivaatiota. Keskeisimmät tutkimustulokset olivat, että opiskelijoiden lajintuntemusosaaminen oli heikkoa kaikissa pääaineissa, mutta heikointa osaaminen oli solu- ja molekyylibiologian opiskelijoilla. Lajintunnistustestissä parhaiten osattiin tunnistaa eläimiä ja heikommin kasvilajeja. Lähes kaikkiin testilajeihin liittyi lukuisia väärintunnistuksia, joista osa oli huolestuttavan kaukana oikeista vastauksista. Suurin osa vastaajista piti lajintuntemustaitojaan heikkoina, mitä tuloksetkin tukevat. Tästä huolimatta opiskelijat olivat yksimielisiä siitä, ettei lajintuntemus ole turhaa ja lähes kaikki opiskelijat halusivat parantaa lajintuntemustaitojaan sekä pitivät niitä tärkeinä osina bio- ja ympäristötieteiden osaamisessa. Lähes kaikki vastaajat kokivat olevansa motivoituneita omaa alaansa kohtaan, mutta kaikkein motivoituneimpia olivat solu- ja molekyylibiologit. Toisaalta, muiden pääaineiden opiskelijoihin verrattuna, solu-ja molekyylibiologian opiskelijoista merkittävin osa oli todennäköisesti hakemassa muualle opiskelemaan. Opiskelualaan liittyvällä harrastuneisuudella tai aiemmilla yliopistotasoisilla opinnoilla ei ollut vaikutusta testimenestykseen. Positiivista oli, että monet kasvilajeihin liittyvät väärät vastaukset lajintunnistustestissä olivat suku- tai heimotasolla oikein, vaikka lajilleen tunnistus ei onnistunutkaan. Toisaalta, erityisesti pahimmat väärintunnistukset niin kasvi- kuin eläinlajeissa sekä yleinen heikko lajintuntemusosaaminen ovat huolestuttavia, sillä ne heijastelevat tulevien biologian alan ammattilaisten asennetta, ymmärrystä ja mielenkiintoa ympäristöä ja sen lajirikkautta kohtaan. Tutkimustulosten perusteella uusien opiskelijoiden motivoimiseen, omaan alaansa ja pääaineeseen kiinnittymiseen sekä lajintuntemuksen rooliin oman asiantuntijuuden muodostamisessa tulisi jatkossa erityisesti kiinnittää huomiota. Species knowledge is crucial for expertise in biology. Identification skills help e.g. in the understanding of biodiversity, principles of sustainable development and causal relationships in nature. Unfortunately, many studies have shown weakened skills of species knowledge in children and adults during the past few decades. This trend has also been observed among biology students. The main aim of this study was to investigate biology students’ skills to identify common Finnish plants and animals. The additional aims were to survey students’ motivation toward their studies and species knowledge. First year students of the Department of Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Jyväskylä were tested in the Autumn 2015. The methods used were species identification test and a questionnaire which measured motivation and different background knowledge. The study revealed that species knowledge was poor in all main subjects of the department of Biological and Environmental Science but the poorest results were among students of cell and molecular biology. The study also revealed that animals were known better than plants. However, students made many misidentifications in all organism groups and part of those misidentifications were quite far from the right answers. Nevertheless, almost all students did think that species identification is an important part of biological competence and they also wanted to improve their identification skills. Students’ also thought that their species identification skills were weak, which is in line with the results of the test. Interest in biology or previous subject studies had no implications in the test results. Almost all students regarded themselves as motivated in their own study field but the most motivated were cell and molecular biology students. Despite of this, many cell and molecular biology students will most likely apply for a degree place in another subject. The positive thing in misidentifications was that students recognised samples at family and genus level and that the misidentification is more likely taking place at species level. On the other hand, the worst misidentifications and general weak identification skills of future biological experts are very alarming. General poor species knowledge will reflect on the attitude, understanding and interest toward nature and biodiversity of the students. In the future, it is important to focus on motivation of new students towards their study field and main subject, and in addition to make sure that the students recognize the important role of species knowledge in their expertise.

Considering the combined effects of CO2 fertilization and climate change drivers on plant physiology leads to a modest increase in simulated European forest transpiration in spite of the effects of CO2-induced stomatal closure. The Earth’s carbon and hydrologic cycles are intimately coupled by gas exchange through plant stomata1,2,3. However, uncertainties in the magnitude4,5,6 and consequences7,8 of the physiological responses9,10 of plants to elevated CO2 in natural environments hinders modelling of terrestrial water cycling and carbon storage11. Here we use annually resolved long-term δ13C tree-ring measurements across a European forest network to reconstruct the physiologically driven response of intercellular CO2 (Ci) caused by atmospheric CO2 (Ca) trends. When removing meteorological signals from the δ13C measurements, we find that trees across Europe regulated gas exchange so that for one ppmv atmospheric CO2 increase, Ci increased by ∼0.76 ppmv, most consistent with moderate control towards a constant Ci/Ca ratio. This response corresponds to twentieth-century intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) increases of 14 ± 10 and 22 ± 6% at broadleaf and coniferous sites, respectively. An ensemble of process-based global vegetation models shows similar CO2 effects on iWUE trends. Yet, when operating these models with climate drivers reintroduced, despite decreased stomatal opening, 5% increases in European forest transpiration are calculated over the twentieth century. This counterintuitive result arises from lengthened growing seasons, enhanced evaporative demand in a warming climate, and increased leaf area, which together oppose effects of CO2-induced stomatal closure. Our study questions changes to the hydrological cycle, such as reductions in transpiration and air humidity, hypothesized to result from plant responses to anthropogenic emissions.