Publications by authors named "Willem-Jan Emsens"

Peatland degradation is tightly connected to hydrological changes and microbial metabolism. To better understand these metabolism processes, more information is needed on how microbial communities and substrate cycling are affected by changing hydrological regimes. These activities should be imprinted in stable isotope bulk values (δ N, δ C) due to specific isotopic fractionation by different microbial communities, their metabolic pathways and nutrient sources.

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The hog deer (Axis porcinus) is an endangered cervid with drastic population declines. There are 2 recognized subspecies of hog deer: A. p.

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Many of the world's peatlands have been affected by water table drawdown and subsequent loss of organic matter. Rewetting has been proposed as a measure to restore peatland functioning and to halt carbon loss, but its effectiveness is subject to debate. An important prerequisite for peatland recovery is a return of typical microbial communities, which drive key processes.

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Despite the importance of water purification to society, it is one of the more difficult wetland ecosystem services to quantify. It remains an issue in ecosystem service assessments where rapid estimates are needed, and poor-quality indicators are overused. We attempted to quantify the water purification service of South African palmiet wetlands (valley-bottom peatlands highly threatened by agriculture).

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Article Synopsis
  • Rewetted fens that were previously drained often become sources of carbon and nutrients rather than absorbing them, largely due to soil iron levels influencing this process.
  • The study hypothesizes that high iron content in the soil leads to the breakdown of organic matter and the release of various inorganic compounds when fens are flooded.
  • Results showed that iron-rich fens experienced significant increases in pore water iron, ammonium, and organic carbon after rewetting, while iron-poor fens did not, suggesting that iron-rich soils impede successful fen restoration by disrupting nutrient cycling.
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The Neotropics have many plant species that seem to be adapted for seed dispersal by megafauna that went extinct in the late Pleistocene. Given the crucial importance of seed dispersal for plant persistence, it remains a mystery how these plants have survived more than 10,000 y without their mutualist dispersers. Here we present support for the hypothesis that secondary seed dispersal by scatter-hoarding rodents has facilitated the persistence of these large-seeded species.

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