Publications by authors named "B Somers"
Introduction: Previous studies on prenatal green space exposure and early respiratory health show inconsistent results. This may reflect stage-specific in utero effects and pollen influence. We examine associations of surrounding greenness and pollen exposure during pregnancy (overall and by trimester) with preschool wheezing, and assess potential mediation by pollen.
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- - The study examines how inoculating Tilia tomentosa seedlings with Ectomycorrhizal fungi, specifically Lactarius deliciosus and Paxillus involutus, impacts their growth, especially in urban settings where such fungi may be scarce.
- - Paxillus involutus was found to be particularly beneficial, significantly improving growth metrics like plant height, mycorrhization rates, and phosphorus uptake in both acidic and alkaline substrates, while Lactarius deliciosus showed limited benefits only in alkaline conditions.
- - The research concludes that inoculating seedlings with the right fungi enhances their resilience against stressors, such as water scarcity, and stresses the importance of considering soil pH for effective transplanting in urban environments.
Article Synopsis
- * A study surveyed 584 people to assess how urban green spaces, specifically tree cover and grassy areas, affect perceived heat stress and sleep quality during hot weather events.
- * Results showed that more tree cover and grass/shrub areas reduced heat stress and improved sleep quality during heat waves, highlighting the need for integrating diverse green spaces in urban planning for better community well-being.
Dynamic ecosystems, such as the Amazon forest, are expected to show critical slowing down behavior, or slower recovery from recurrent small perturbations, as they approach an ecological threshold to a different ecosystem state. Drought occurrences are becoming more prevalent across the Amazon, with known negative effects on forest health and functioning, but their actual role in the critical slowing down patterns still remains elusive. In this study, we evaluate the effect of trends in extreme drought occurrences on temporal autocorrelation (TAC) patterns of satellite-derived indices of vegetation activity, an indicator of slowing down, between 2001 and 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe accelerating pace of climate change has led to unprecedented shifts in surface temperature and precipitation patterns worldwide, with African savannas being among the most vulnerable regions. Understanding the impacts of these extreme changes on ecosystem health, functioning and stability is crucial. This paper focuses on the detection of breakpoints, indicative of shifts in ecosystem functioning, while also determining relevant ecosystem characteristics and climatic drivers that increase susceptibility to these shifts within the semi-arid to arid savanna biome.
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