Avian communities show distinct responses to forest-to-bog restoration.

Since the 1990's, attempted restoration of blanket bogs which have been previously afforested with non-native conifers has taken place in Ireland and Britain, with the aim of reinstating hydrological functioning and hence, peatland biodiversity. Here, we assess the conservation benefit of these restoration measures at sites in the west of Ireland, 16-20 years post works, by comparing avian communities between trios of restored (n = 6), near-natural (n = 6), and afforested (n = 6) lowland blanket bogs. We assessed avian community response in terms of differences in the richness and density of all bird species and of Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland (BoCCI), as well as community composition.

Export pathways of biosolid derived microplastics in soil systems - Findings from a temperate maritime climate.

The environmental fate of microplastics (MPs) added to agricultural soils remains poorly understood, particularly regarding their mobility in soils. Here we investigate the potential for MP export from soil to surface waters and groundwater in two agricultural settings with a 20-year history of biosolid treatment. A third site where biosolids had never been applied served as a reference (Field R).

Microplastics in brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758) from an Irish riverine system.

Rivers play an important role in the overall transport of microplastic pollution (1 μm to 5 mm), with fluvial dynamics expected to influence biotic interactions, particularly for fish. So far, there have been few assessments of microplastics in freshwater salmonids. The prevalence (i.

Microplastics in Freshwater Biota: A Critical Review of Isolation, Characterization, and Assessment Methods.

Freshwater systems provide key pathways for microplastic (MP) pollution, and although existing studies have demonstrated the susceptibility of freshwater biota to ingestion, translocation, and trophic transfer, specific challenges pertaining to methodological standardization remain largely unresolved, particularly with respect to isolating, characterizing, and assessing MPs. Here, a critical review is performed outlining the challenges and limitations currently faced by freshwater MP researchers, which may well apply across the MP research spectrum. Recommendations are provided for methodological standardization, particularly in MP characterization, quality assurance, and quality control (QA/QC) procedures as well as reporting.