Bridging Existing Energy and Chemical Transport Models to Enhance Air Quality Policy Assessment.

Connecting changes in emissions to air quality is critical for evaluating the effects of a specific policy. Here, we introduce a methodology to aid in assessing the air quality impacts of changes in the energy system. A set of widely varying scenarios that describe alternative potential evolutions of the US energy system is constructed using the TIMES energy system model.

The promise of community-driven preprints in ecology and evolution.

Publishing preprints is quickly becoming commonplace in ecology and evolutionary biology. Preprints can facilitate the rapid sharing of scientific knowledge establishing precedence and enabling feedback from the research community before peer review. Yet, significant barriers to preprint use exist, including language barriers, a lack of understanding about the benefits of preprints and a lack of diversity in the types of research outputs accepted (e.

How do extreme fluctuations in water level affect fish condition in Amazonian Floodplain Lakes?

The annual flood pulse is a defining feature of Amazonian floodplain lakes, creating a highly variable environment that influences resource availability, such as food and habitat. These cyclical changes necessitate a high degree of adaptability among fish species, many of which have evolved specialized strategies to cope with the fluctuating conditions. In 2023, the Amazon basin experienced a record-breaking drought event, leading to mass mortality of Amazonian fish and other wildlife.

Current insights into molecular mechanisms of environmental stress tolerance in Cyanobacteria.

The photoautotrophic nature of cyanobacteria, coupled with their fast growth and relative ease of genetic manipulation, makes these microorganisms very promising factories for the sustainable production of bio-products from atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, both in nature and in cultivation, cyanobacteria go through different abiotic stresses such as high light (HL) stress, heavy metal stress, nutrient limitation, heat stress, salt stress, oxidative stress, and alcohol stress. In recent years, significant improvement has been made in identifying the stress-responsive genes and the linked pathways in cyanobacteria and developing genome editing tools for their manipulation.

Enhanced phosphorus weathering contributed to Late Miocene cooling.

Late Miocene climate evolution provides an opportunity to assess Earth's climate sensitivity to carbon cycle perturbation under warmer-than-modern conditions. Despite its relevance for understanding the climate system, the driving mechanisms underlying profound climate and carbon cycle changes - including the enigmatic Late Miocene cooling from 7 to 5.4 million years ago - remain unclear.

A catalogue of land-based adaptation and mitigation solutions to tackle climate change.

Informing and engaging all actors in the land sector, including land-owners and managers, researchers, policy-makers and citizens, on the most effective sustainable land-based solutions and behavioural changes is a key strategy for achieving climate change adaptation and mitigation targets at the global as well as at EU and local level. One requisite to support actors in the land sector is to provide them publicly available, reliable and ready-to-use information related to the implementation of Land-based Adaptation and Mitigation Solutions (LAMS). Here we introduce a LAMS catalogue, a collection of meaningful quantitative and qualitative information on 60 solutions characterised according to a set of specifications (e.

Differential effects of warming on carbon budget, photosynthetic yield and biochemical composition of cold-temperate and Arctic isolates of Laminaria digitata (Phaeophyceae).

Cold-temperate and Arctic hard bottom coastal ecosystems are dominated by kelp forests, which have a high biomass production and provide important ecosystem services, but are subject to change due to ocean warming. However, the photophysiological response to increasing temperature of ecologically relevant species, such as Laminaria digitata, might depend on the local thermal environment where the population has developed. Therefore, the effects of temperature on growth rate, biochemical composition, maximum quantum yield, photosynthetic quotient and carbon budget of young cultured sporophytes of Laminaria digitata from the Arctic at Spitsbergen (SPT; cultured at 4, 10 and 16 °C) and from the cold-temperate North Sea island of Helgoland (HLG; cultured at 10, 16 and 22 °C) were comparatively analyzed.

Climate change heterogeneity: A new quantitative approach.

Climate change is a spatial and temporarily non-uniform phenomenon that requires understanding its evolution to better evaluate its potential societal and economic impact. The value added of this paper lies in introducing a quantitative methodology grounded in the trend analysis of temperature distribution quantiles to analyze climate change heterogeneity (CCH). By converting these quantiles into time series objects, the methodology empowers the definition and measurement of various relevant concepts in climate change analysis (warming, warming typology, warming amplification and warming acceleration) in a straightforward and robust testable linear regression format.

sp. nov. and sp. nov., two novel species isolated from alkaline magnesite residues.

Three bacterial strains, designated FZUC8N2.13, FBOR7N2.3 and FZUR7N2.

Developing Adverse Outcome Pathways to support radioecological risk assessment: Challenges and insights.

Environmental pollution associated with long term effects, especially in the case of ionizing radiation, poses significant risks to wildlife, necessitating a more nuanced approach to Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA). In radioecology, current methods, as outlined by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), focus primarily on exposure and individual/population-level effects, often both suffering a lack of ecological realism due to the nature of data used, and, sidelining a big amount of critical non-individual effects such as sub-individual one like genotoxicity. This review aims to address these gaps by suggesting the integration of New Approach Methods (NAMs) and the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework in the field of radioecology.

Biodiversity within phytoplankton-associated microbiomes regulates host physiology, host community ecology, and nutrient cycling.

Unlabelled: Biological diversity is declining across the tree of life, including among prokaryotes. With the increasing awareness of host-associated microbes as potential regulators of eukaryotic host physiology, behavior, and ecology, it is important to understand the implications of declining diversity within host microbiomes on host fitness, ecology, and ecosystem function. We used phytoplankton and their associated environmental microbiomes as model systems to test the independent and interactive effects of declining microbiome diversity with and without other stressors often caused by human activity-elevated temperature and altered nutrient availability.

The Influence of Temperature on Courtship and Mate Choice in a Wolf Spider: Implications for Mating Success in Variable Environments.

Selection on animal signal form often changes significantly with the environment, yet signal form may itself be environment dependent. Little is known about how variation in individual responses to changing environments affects the relationship between selection and the subsequent evolution of signal traits. To address this question, we assess the effects of variation in temperature on individual signaling and mating behavior responses across temperatures in the wolf spider Schizocosa floridana.

Generalized Stomatal Optimization of Evolutionary Fitness Proxies for Predicting Plant Gas Exchange Under Drought, Heatwaves, and Elevated CO.

Stomata control plant water loss and photosynthetic carbon gain. Developing more generalized and accurate stomatal models is essential for earth system models and predicting responses under novel environmental conditions associated with global change. Plant optimality theories offer one promising approach, but most such theories assume that stomatal conductance maximizes photosynthetic net carbon assimilation subject to some cost or constraint of water.

From barcodes to genomes: a new era of molecular exploration in bryophyte research.

Bryophytes represent a diverse and species-rich group of plants, characterized by a remarkable array of morphological variations. Due to their significant ecological and economic roles worldwide, accurate identification of bryophyte taxa is crucial. However, the variability in morphological traits often complicates their proper identification and subsequent commercial utilization.

Elucidating Thermal Decomposition Kinetic Mechanism of Charged Layered Oxide Cathode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

The safety of the P2-type layered transition metal oxides (P2-NaTMO), a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), is a prerequisite for grid-scale energy storage systems. However, previous thermal runaway studies mainly focused on morphological changes resulting from gas production detection and thermogravimetric analysis, while the structural transition and chemical reactions underlying these processes are still unclear. Herein, a comprehensive methodology to unveil an interplay mechanism among phase structures, interfacial microcrack, and thermal stability of the charged P2-NaNiMnO (NNMO) and the P2-NaNiLiMnO (NNMO-Li) at elevated temperatures is established.

Sulfate and Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentrations Drive Distinct Microbial Community Patterns in Prairie Wetland Ponds.

Prairie wetland ponds on the Great Plains of North America offer a diverse array of geochemical scenarios that can be informative about their impact on microbial communities. These ecosystems offer invaluable ecological services while experiencing significant stressors, primarily through drainage and climate change. In this first study systematically combining environmental conditions with microbial community composition to identify various niches in prairie wetland ponds, sediments had higher microbial abundance but lower phylogenetic diversity in ponds with lower concentrations of dissolved organic carbon ([DOC]; 10-18 mg/L) and sulfate ([SO ]; 37-58 mg/L) in water.

Short-term evolutionary implications of an introgressed size-determining supergene in a vulnerable population.

The Thorny Skate (Amblyraja radiata) is a vulnerable species displaying a discrete size-polymorphism in the northwest Atlantic Ocean (NWA). We conducted whole genome sequencing of samples collected across its range. Genetic diversity was similar at all sampled sites, but we discovered a ~ 31 megabase bi-allelic supergene associated with the size polymorphism, with the larger size allele having introgressed in the last ~160,000 years B.

[Marine trophic and socio-ecological networks under pressure: study of the cumulative impact of climate change and offshore wind farm development].

In the anthropocene era, one of the greatest challenges facing trophic modeling applied to the marine environment is its ability to couple the multiple effects of both climate change and local anthropogenic activities, notably the development of offshore wind farms. The major challenge is to create scenarios to characterize their cumulative effects on the functioning of the entire socio-ecological system, in order to propose appropriate management plans. Although modeling cumulative impact on socio-ecological networks is not yet widely used, data reported in the present review article show that the relevance of this approach could be established in the context of offshore wind power.

Probing the Influence of the Protein Scaffold on H-Cluster Reactivity via Gain-of-Function Studies─Improved H Evolution and O Tolerance through Rational Design of [FeFe] Hydrogenase.

[FeFe] hydrogenases make up a structurally diverse family of metalloenzymes that catalyze proton/dihydrogen interconversion. They can be classified into phylogenetically distinct groups denoted A-G, which differ in structure and reactivity. Prototypical Group A hydrogenases have high turnover rates and remarkable energy efficiency.

Impact of Glaciers on Trophic Dynamics and Polyunsaturated Fat Accumulation in Southern Greenland Fjord Ecosystems.

The primary production of fjords across the Arctic and Subarctic is undergoing significant transformations due to the climatically driven retreat of glaciers and ice sheets. However, the implications of these changes for upper trophic levels remain largely unknown. In this study, we employ both bulk and compound-specific stable isotope analyses to investigate how shifts at the base of fjord food webs impact the carbon and energy sources of consumers.

The Presence of a Shelter in an Open Field Test Has Differential Effects on the Behavior and Stress Response of Two Mouse Species.

The open field test (OFT) is frequently used in research to assess anxiety-like behavior and locomotor activity. Its simple design can lead to the misconception that it is a standardized procedure comparable between laboratories. However, some modifications in the setup can cause changes in behavior.

Landscapes-a lens for assessing sustainability.

Context: There are urgent calls to transition society to more sustainable trajectories, at scales ranging from local to global. Landscape sustainability (LS), or the capacity for landscapes to provide equitable access to ecosystem services essential for human wellbeing for both current and future generations, provides an operational approach to monitor these transitions. However, the complexity of landscapes complicates how and what to consider when assessing LS.

Isolated Metal Centers Activate Small Molecule Electrooxidation: Mechanisms and Applications.

Electrochemical oxidation of small molecules shows great promise to substitute oxygen evolution reaction (OER) or hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) to enhance reaction kinetics and reduce energy consumption, as well as produce high-valued chemicals or serve as fuels. For these oxidation reactions, high-valence metal sites generated at oxidative potentials are typically considered as active sites to trigger the oxidation process of small molecules. Isolated atom site catalysts (IASCs) have been developed as an ideal system to precisely regulate the oxidation state and coordination environment of single-metal centers, and thus optimize their catalytic property.

Temperature seasonality regulates organic carbon burial in lake.

Organic carbon burial (OCB) in lakes, a critical component of the global carbon cycle, surpasses that in oceans, yet its response to global warming and associated feedbacks remains poorly understood. Using a well-dated biomarker sequence from the southern Tibetan Plateau and a comprehensive analysis of Holocene total organic carbon variations in lakes across the region, here we demonstrate that lake OCB significantly declined throughout the Holocene, closely linked to changes in temperature seasonality. Process-based land surface model simulations clarified the key impact of temperature seasonality on OCB in lakes: increased seasonality in the early Holocene saw warmer summers enhancing ecosystem productivity and organic matter deposition, while cooler winters improved organic matter preservation.

Chemical evolution characteristics and influencing factors of groundwater in the saline and fresh water funnel area in Hengshui City, North China.

Both over-exploitation and exploitation reduction of groundwater can alter the conditions of groundwater recharge and discharge, thereby impacting the overall quality of groundwater. This study utilizes hydrogeochemical methods and statistical analysis to explore the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of groundwater chemistry in the saline-freshwater funnel area of Hengshui City under exploitation reduction. The results showed that: With the exception of the deep freshwater funnel area in the western region, which exhibits a trend of water quality deterioration (Cl accounted for more than 25%), groundwater quality in the other funnel areas demonstrates an improving trend (HCO[Formula: see text] accounted for more than 25%).