Feeding on stressed algae exerts important effects on life history traits of Daphnia magna in a multi-stressor environment.

Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly exposed to anthropogenic eutrophication, including high nitrogen. In addition, climate change is leading to more intense and frequent heatwaves, which have enormous impacts on all trophic levels of the ecosystem. Any change in the lower trophic levels, e.

Synergistic effect of nitrate exposure and heatwaves on the growth, and metabolic activity of microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata.

Aquatic biota are threatened by climate warming as well as other anthropogenic stressors such as eutrophication by phosphates and nitrate. However, it remains unclear how nitrate exposure can alter the resilience of microalgae to climate warming, particularly heatwaves. To get a better understanding of these processes, we investigated the effect of elevated temperature and nitrate pollution on growth, metabolites (sugar and protein), oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation), and antioxidant accumulation (polyphenols, proline) in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata.

Are Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) suitable as biomonitor or bioindicator of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment. In Flanders, the bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms is currently being monitored using European perch and European eel. Since both are native species, there is an ethical need to search for other suitable biomonitors.

Measurement of foliar HO concentration can be an indicator of riparian vegetation management.

Riparian vegetation is frequently exposed to abiotic stress, which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by strong differences in a river's hydrological conditions. Among different ROS, hydrogen peroxide (HO) is relatively steady and can be measured appropriately. Thus, the quantification of plant HO can be used as a stress indicator for riparian vegetation management.

Hydrogen Peroxide Variation Patterns as Abiotic Stress Responses of .

In vegetation management, understanding the condition of submerged plants is usually based on long-term growth monitoring. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulate in organelles under environmental stress and are highly likely to be indicators of a plant's condition. However, this depends on the period of exposure to environmental stress, as environmental conditions are always changing in nature.

Substrate-Dependent Fermentation of Bamboo in Giant Panda Gut Microbiomes: Leaf Primarily to Ethanol and Pith to Lactate.

The giant panda is known worldwide for having successfully moved to a diet almost exclusively based on bamboo. Provided that no lignocellulose-degrading enzyme was detected in panda's genome, bamboo digestion is believed to depend on its gut microbiome. However, pandas retain the digestive system of a carnivore, with retention times of maximum 12 h.

Effects of macrophytes on ecosystem metabolism and net nutrient uptake in a groundwater fed lowland river.

Transport and transformation of inorganic nutrients are influenced by abiotic-biotic interactions and determine downstream water quality. Macrophytes play an important role in these complex ecological interactions. The role of macrophytes was studied in three reaches of the groundwater-fed, oligotrophic River Fischa with different macrophyte coverage and biomass.

Influence of water temperature and water depth on macrophyte-bacterioplankton interaction in a groundwater-fed river.

Biotic interactions shape the community structure and function of ecosystems and thus play an important role in ecosystem management and restoration. To investigate how water temperature (related to the season) and water depth (related to spatial patterns of river morphology) affect macrophyte-bacterioplankton interactions in a groundwater-fed river, we conducted the structural equation modeling on datasets grouped by hydrological conditions. In addition to direct effects on macrophyte growth and/or bacterioplankton development, water temperature and water depth could both regulate the role of different nutrients (inorganic and organic) on affecting these biological indicators.

Hippos (): The animal silicon pump.

While the importance of grasslands in terrestrial silicon (Si) cycling and fluxes to rivers is established, the influence of large grazers has not been considered. Here, we show that hippopotamuses are key actors in the savannah biogeochemical Si cycle. Through a detailed analysis of Si concentrations and stable isotope compositions in multiple ecosystem compartments of a savannah-river continuum, we constrain the processes influencing the Si flux.

The Future of Freshwater Macrophytes in a Changing World: Dissolved Organic Carbon Quantity and Quality and Its Interactions With Macrophytes.

Freshwater ecosystems are confronted with the effects of climate change. One of the major changes is an increased concentration of aquatic carbon. Macrophytes are important in the aquatic carbon cycle and play as primary producers a crucial role in carbon storage in aquatic systems.

Mapping the spatio-temporal distribution of key vegetation cover properties in lowland river reaches, using digital photography.

The presence of vegetation in stream ecosystems is highly dynamic in both space and time. A digital photography technique is developed to map aquatic vegetation cover at species level, which has a very high spatial and a flexible temporal resolution. A digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera mounted on a handheld telescopic pole is used.

Correction: Ecosystem Engineering by Plants on Wave-Exposed Intertidal Flats Is Governed by Relationships between Effect and Response Traits.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Input, behaviour and distribution of multiple elements in abiotic matrices along a transect within the Okavango Delta, northern Botswana.

Wetlands fed by rivers can be a sink for elements depending on elemental concentrations, wetland hydrology, geochemistry, vegetation and climate. In the case of the Okavango Delta, northern Botswana, the outflow discharge is a small fraction (2-5%) of the inflow. This has strong potential consequences for the Delta, as it strongly affects element cycling and storage within the Delta.

Ecosystem Engineering by Plants on Wave-Exposed Intertidal Flats Is Governed by Relationships between Effect and Response Traits.

In hydrodynamically stressful environments, some species--known as ecosystem engineers--are able to modify the environment for their own benefit. Little is known however, about the interaction between functional plant traits and ecosystem engineering. We studied the responses of Scirpus tabernaemontani and Scirpus maritimus to wave impact in full-scale flume experiments.

Effects of wind waves versus ship waves on tidal marsh plants: a flume study on different life stages of Scirpus maritimus.

Recent research indicates that many ecosystems, including intertidal marshes, follow the alternative stable states theory. This theory implies that thresholds of environmental factors can mark a limit between two opposing stable ecosystem states, e.g.

Thigmomorphogenetic responses of an aquatic macrophyte to hydrodynamic stress.

The response of aquatic plants to abiotic factors is a crucial study topic, because the diversity of aquatic vegetation is strongly related to specific adaptations to a variety of environments. This biodiversity ensures resilience of aquatic communities to new and changing ecological conditions. In running water, hydrodynamic disturbance is one of the key factors in this context.

Grazers: biocatalysts of terrestrial silica cycling.

Silica is well known for its role as inducible defence mechanism countering herbivore attack, mainly through precipitation of opaline, biogenic silica (BSi) bodies (phytoliths) in plant epidermal tissues. Even though grazing strongly interacts with other element cycles, its impact on terrestrial silica cycling has never been thoroughly considered. Here, BSi content of ingested grass, hay and faeces of large herbivores was quantified by performing multiple chemical extraction procedures for BSi, allowing the assessment of chemical reactivity.

Silica uptake in aquatic and wetland macrophytes: a strategic choice between silica, lignin and cellulose?

*Although silica (Si) is not an essential element for plant growth in the classical sense, evidence points towards its functionality for a better resistance against (a)biotic stress. Recently, it was shown that wetland vegetation has a considerable impact on silica biogeochemistry. However, detailed information on Si uptake in aquatic macrophytes is lacking.