Pesticide use negatively affects bumble bees across European landscapes.

Sustainable agriculture requires balancing crop yields with the effects of pesticides on non-target organisms, such as bees and other crop pollinators. Field studies demonstrated that agricultural use of neonicotinoid insecticides can negatively affect wild bee species, leading to restrictions on these compounds. However, besides neonicotinoids, field-based evidence of the effects of landscape pesticide exposure on wild bees is lacking.

Systematic distributions of interaction strengths across tree interaction networks yield positive diversity-productivity relationships.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying diversity-productivity relationships (DPRs) is crucial to mitigating the effects of forest biodiversity loss. Tree-tree interactions in diverse communities are fundamental in driving growth rates, potentially shaping the emergent DPRs, yet remain poorly explored. Here, using data from a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China, we demonstrated that changes in individual tree productivity were driven by species-specific pairwise interactions, with higher positive net pairwise interaction effects on trees in more diverse neighbourhoods.

Integrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential.

Forests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system. Remote-sensing estimates to quantify carbon losses from global forests are characterized by considerable uncertainty and we lack a comprehensive ground-sourced evaluation to benchmark these estimates. Here we combine several ground-sourced and satellite-derived approaches to evaluate the scale of the global forest carbon potential outside agricultural and urban lands.

Relationships between species richness and biomass production are context dependent in grasslands differing in land-use and seed addition.

Despite evidence from grasslands experiments suggesting that plant species loss reduces biomass production, the strength of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in managed grasslands is still debated. High land-use intensity and reduced species pools are often suggested to make relationships between biodiversity and productivity less positive or even negative, but concrete evidence is still scarce. We investigated biodiversity-productivity relationships over two years in 150 managed grasslands in Germany.

Novel community data in ecology-properties and prospects.

New technologies for monitoring biodiversity such as environmental (e)DNA, passive acoustic monitoring, and optical sensors promise to generate automated spatiotemporal community observations at unprecedented scales and resolutions. Here, we introduce 'novel community data' as an umbrella term for these data. We review the emerging field around novel community data, focusing on new ecological questions that could be addressed; the analytical tools available or needed to make best use of these data; and the potential implications of these developments for policy and conservation.

The global biogeography of tree leaf form and habit.

Understanding what controls global leaf type variation in trees is crucial for comprehending their role in terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon, water and nutrient dynamics. Yet our understanding of the factors influencing forest leaf types remains incomplete, leaving us uncertain about the global proportions of needle-leaved, broadleaved, evergreen and deciduous trees. To address these gaps, we conducted a global, ground-sourced assessment of forest leaf-type variation by integrating forest inventory data with comprehensive leaf form (broadleaf vs needle-leaf) and habit (evergreen vs deciduous) records.

Indonesian marine and its medicinal contribution.

The archipelagic country of Indonesia is populated by the densest marine biodiversity in the world which has created strong global interest and is valued by both Indigenous and European settlements for different purposes. Nearly 1000 chemicals have been extracted and identified. In this review, a systematic data curation was employed to collate bioprospecting related manuscripts providing a comprehensive directory based on publications from 1988 to 2022.

Tree communities and functional traits determine herbivore compositional turnover.

There are many factors known to drive species turnover, although the mechanisms by which these operate are less clear. Based on comprehensive datasets from the largest tree diversity experiment worldwide (BEF-China), we used shared herbivore species (zeta diversity) and multi-site generalized dissimilarity modelling to investigate the patterns and determinants of species turnover of Lepidoptera herbivores among study plots across a gradient in tree species richness. We found that zeta diversity declined sharply with an increasing number of study plots, with complete changes in caterpillar species composition observed even at the fine spatial scale of our study.

Modeling of land use/land cover dynamics using artificial neural network and cellular automata Markov chain algorithms in Goang watershed, Ethiopia.

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) change has inhibited sustainable development for the last millennia by affecting climate, biological cycles, and ecosystem services and functions. In this regard, understanding the historical and future patterns of LULC change plays a crucial role in implementing effective natural resource management. This study aimed to model and characterize the spatiotemporal trajectories of landscape change between the 1984 and 2060 periods.

Tree diversity increases productivity through enhancing structural complexity across mycorrhizal types.

Tree species diversity and mycorrhizal associations play a central role for forest productivity, but factors driving positive biodiversity-productivity relationships remain poorly understood. In a biodiversity experiment manipulating tree diversity and mycorrhizal associations, we examined the roles of above- and belowground processes in modulating wood productivity in young temperate tree communities and potential underlying mechanisms. We found that tree species richness, but not mycorrhizal associations, increased forest productivity by enhancing aboveground structural complexity within communities.

The poleward naturalization of intracontinental alien plants.

Plant introductions outside their native ranges by humans have led to substantial ecological consequences. While we have gained considerable knowledge about intercontinental introductions, the distribution and determinants of intracontinental aliens remain poorly understood. Here, we studied naturalized (i.

Ecosystem consequences of invertebrate decline.

Human activities cause substantial changes in biodiversity. Despite ongoing concern about the implications of invertebrate decline, few empirical studies have examined the ecosystem consequences of invertebrate biomass loss. Here, we test the responses of six ecosystem services informed by 30 above- and belowground ecosystem variables to three levels of aboveground (i.

Molecular, biochemical and metabolomics analyses reveal constitutive and pathogen-induced defense responses of two sugarcane contrasting genotypes against leaf scald disease.

Leaf scald caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas albilineans is one of the major concerns to sugarcane production. To breed for resistance, mechanisms underlying plant-pathogen interaction need deeper investigations. Herein, we evaluated sugarcane defense responses against X.

Ecology needs to overcome siloed modelling.

Bahlburg et al. re-implemented eight growth models of Antarctic krill and showed that their predictions are all over the place. The authors discuss the reasons for this and how more coherence in modelling could be achieved through systematic model comparison and integration.

Picking pithy plants: Pith selectivity by wild white-faced capuchin monkeys, Cebus imitator.

Understanding diet selectivity is a longstanding goal in primate ecology. Deciphering when and why primates consume different resources can provide insights into their nutritional ecology as well as adaptations to food scarcity. Plant pith, the spongy interior of plant stems, is occasionally eaten by primates, but the context is poorly understood.

Global patterns and drivers of lead concentration in inland waters.

Water bodies are important carriers for lead (Pb) biogeochemical cycling, which is a key pathway of Pb transport. Although existing studies on Pb loading in inland waters have developed rapidly, a quantitative assessment of the distribution patterns and drivers of Pb concentration in inland waters at the global scale remains unclear. Here, by analyzing 1790 observations collected from 386 independent publications, we assessed the spatial distribution and drivers of Pb concentration in inland waters worldwide.

Native diversity buffers against severity of non-native tree invasions.

Determining the drivers of non-native plant invasions is critical for managing native ecosystems and limiting the spread of invasive species. Tree invasions in particular have been relatively overlooked, even though they have the potential to transform ecosystems and economies. Here, leveraging global tree databases, we explore how the phylogenetic and functional diversity of native tree communities, human pressure and the environment influence the establishment of non-native tree species and the subsequent invasion severity.

Mapping potentially groundwater-dependent vegetation in the Mediterranean biome using global geodata targeting site conditions and vegetation characteristics.

Groundwater-dependent vegetation (GDV) is essential for maintaining ecosystem functions and services, providing critical habitat for species, and sustaining human livelihoods. However, climate and land-use change are threatening GDV, highlighting the need for harmonised, global mapping of the distribution and extent of GDV. This need is particularly crucial in vulnerable biodiversity hotspots such as the Mediterranean biome.

Metabolic versatility enables sulfur-oxidizers to dominate primary production in groundwater.

High rates of CO fixation and the genetic potential of various groundwater microbes for autotrophic activity have shown that primary production is an important source of organic C in groundwater ecosystems. However, the contribution of specific chemolithoautotrophic groups such as S-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) to groundwater primary production and their adaptation strategies remain largely unknown. Here, we stimulated anoxic groundwater microcosms with reduced S and sampled the microbial community after 1, 3 and 6 weeks.

Co-application of biochar and organic amendments on soil greenhouse gas emissions: A meta-analysis.

Biochar has been shown to reduce soil greenhouse gas (GHG) and increase nutrient retention in soil; however, the interaction between biochar and organic amendments on GHG emissions remain largely unclear. In this study, we collected 162 two-factor observations to explore how biochar and organic amendments jointly affect soil GHG emissions. Our results showed that biochar addition significantly increased soil CO emission by 8.

Drought-Stress-Related Reprogramming of Gene Expression in Barley Involves Differential Histone Modifications at ABA-Related Genes.

Plants respond to drought by the major reprogramming of gene expression, enabling the plant to survive this threatening environmental condition. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) serves as a crucial upstream signal, inducing this multifaceted process. This report investigated the drought response in barley plants (, cv.

Local buffer mechanisms for population persistence.

Assessing and predicting the persistence of populations is essential for the conservation and control of species. Here, we argue that local mechanisms require a better conceptual synthesis to facilitate a more holistic consideration along with regional mechanisms known from metapopulation theory. We summarise the evidence for local buffer mechanisms along with their capacities and emphasise the need to include multiple buffer mechanisms in studies of population persistence.

Urbanisation generates multiple trait syndromes for terrestrial animal taxa worldwide.

Cities can host significant biological diversity. Yet, urbanisation leads to the loss of habitats, species, and functional groups. Understanding how multiple taxa respond to urbanisation globally is essential to promote and conserve biodiversity in cities.

Local colonisations and extinctions of European birds are poorly explained by changes in climate suitability.

Climate change has been associated with both latitudinal and elevational shifts in species' ranges. The extent, however, to which climate change has driven recent range shifts alongside other putative drivers remains uncertain. Here, we use the changing distributions of 378 European breeding bird species over 30 years to explore the putative drivers of recent range dynamics, considering the effects of climate, land cover, other environmental variables, and species' traits on the probability of local colonisation and extinction.