{"title":"Species-specific stoichiometric effects of leaf litter on algal growth, production, and cell quotas","authors":"Pei-Chi Ho, Suzuna Nakajima, Jotaro Urabe","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12519","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12519","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Dissolved organic matter and nutrients released from leaf litter are important cross-ecosystem resources supporting freshwater food webs. Dissolved organic matter supports heterotrophic organisms in freshwater communities. However, the role of nutrients released from leaf litter in the autochthonous production in aquatic ecosystems is not well understood. Therefore, we investigated how dissolved nutrients released from leaf litter affect algal growth, biomass production, and cellular elemental ratios. Specifically, we experimentally examined the response of green algae to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) released from leaf litter of 11 temperate tree species and the degree of deficiency of nutrient elements other than N and P relative to algal demand in these litter leachates by supplementing these elements. We found that algal growth did not significantly increase with dissolved N or P in the leaf leachates. In contrast, algal biomass production increased with dissolved N concentration, regardless of amendment. Algal growth and production limitation by deficiency of elements other than N and P was found only in the leachate of Japanese hemlock, indicating that the concentrations or release efficiencies of these elements in this leaf litter were lower than those of N and P relative to algal requirements. More importantly, leaf litter leachates from different tree species altered algal cell quotas and C:N:P ratios, which would affect secondary production. These results suggest that variations in leaf litter leachate stoichiometry caused by vegetation change would affect the abundance and chemical composition of phytoplankton, and thus the trophic transfer efficiency between phytoplankton and herbivorous zooplankton.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"40 2","pages":"150-163"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143646308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aida Bani, Vanessa Álvarez-López, Angeles Prieto-Fernández, Liri Miho, Edmira Shahu, Guillaume Echevarria, Petra Kidd
{"title":"Designing cropping systems for nickel agromining on ultramafic land in Albania","authors":"Aida Bani, Vanessa Álvarez-López, Angeles Prieto-Fernández, Liri Miho, Edmira Shahu, Guillaume Echevarria, Petra Kidd","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12525","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12525","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Agromining describes the technique of growing plants to “mine” metals present in naturally enriched or contaminated soils. This technique comprises a series of processes including improvement of soil quality and production of biomass in order to obtain metals from the ash of harvested hyperaccumulators, which can be considered bio-ore. The aim of this study was to evaluate different agronomic practices for Ni agromining of the hyperaccumulator species <i>Odontarrhena chalcidica</i> by analyzing (i) Ni yields and (ii) parameters related to soil fertility, biodiversity, and Ni availability. We tested various types of fertilizers including farmyard manure and assessed cultivation of the hyperaccumulator in either continuous monoculture or cropping in rotation with the legume <i>Vicia ervilia</i>. A 2-year field experiment was established on typical ultramafic Vertisols in eastern Albania. The current study presents the results obtained in the second year of cultivation. After 2 years of agromining, fertilization with animal manure or rotation with the legume improved several soil properties and increased the yield of phytoextracted Ni by four and five times, respectively, relative to non-fertilized plots. The fertilization treatments did not affect the bacterial diversity indexes but significantly impacted the bacterial community structure. We suggest a fertilization regime including the application of pig or chicken manure (at doses equivalent to NPK 260:105:260; 260:390:260, respectively) every 2 years or the implementation of crop rotation with legumes as effective strategies for developing Ni agromining on Vertisols.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"39 6","pages":"909-926"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142749164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Herbert O. B. Duarte, Luís Miguel Rosalino, José Júlio de Toledo, Renato Richard Hilário, William Douglas Carvalho
{"title":"Spatiotemporal interactions between jaguars (Panthera onca) and their potential prey in Amazonian islands","authors":"Herbert O. B. Duarte, Luís Miguel Rosalino, José Júlio de Toledo, Renato Richard Hilário, William Douglas Carvalho","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12522","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1440-1703.12522","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although large carnivores usually prefer large prey, in some situations, they may shift their predation patterns towards smaller but abundant prey. The jaguar (<i>Panthera onca</i>) is a large carnivore capable of changing its diet according to prey and habitat availability. Here, we assessed the temporal and spatiotemporal interactions between jaguars and their prey in the Maracá-Jipioca Islands (Northeastern Amazon, Brazil) through camera traps. We assessed overlapping activity patterns and tested for spatiotemporal segregation/avoidance between jaguars and nine potential prey species. We used a time-to-encounter approach, which consists in calculating the minimum time between prey and jaguar's detections, and vice versa, for each record of preys' species at a specific camera trap station, which translates into aggregation or avoidance behaviors. We found that these insular jaguars are more active in daylight periods when most of their prey are active and in locations used by species that cannot become nocturnal to avoid predators due to morphology constraints. Four prey species (great egret, white-tailed deer, muscovy duck, and black-and-white tegu) presented moderate activity overlapping with jaguars. Agoutis and white-tailed deer seek to spatiotemporally segregate from jaguars, although jaguars did not show spatiotemporal aggregation with any of the evaluated prey. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics is essential to establish the islands' trophic network composition and structure. This is fundamental information to efficiently allocate efforts for reducing costs and maximizing benefits in managing this population aiming to protect and conserve it, and consequently, the related ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"40 2","pages":"217-227"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142249403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Seed dispersal of Zoysia japonica by sika deer: An example of the “foliage is the fruit” hypothesis","authors":"Seiki Takatsuki, Hiroshi Imae, Masatoshi Sato","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12527","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1440-1703.12527","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Zoysia japonica</i>, a low growing grass, is tolerant to grazing and trampling. Kinkazan Island in northern Japan is inhabited by sika deer (<i>Cervus nippon</i>). The deer population increased in the 1970s at a shrine garden in the western part of the island, leading to expansion of <i>Zoysia</i> swards around the shrine garden and their colonization of remote open patches. The expansion around the garden is due to elongation of the rhizome, but expansion to remote places may be due to endozoochory by deer. This appears to be a good example of the “foliage is the fruit” hypothesis (the FF hypothesis) proposed by Janzen (1984; <i>American Naturalist</i> 123:338–353). To demonstrate this, we confirmed the expansion of the <i>Zoysia</i> swards and tested the traits of <i>Zoysia</i> by field surveys and indoor experiments. The <i>Zoysia</i> peduncles stood among the leaves, and sika deer fed on both the seeds and leaves. One deer fecal pellet contained about 20 seeds at its peak in June. In the feeding experiment, the survival rate through digestion was 38%. In the greenhouse experiment, the germination rate was 72%. An outdoor experiment showed that germination rates of the ingested seeds were 5% in a dark habitat and 58% in a bright habitat. <i>Zoysia</i> exhibited many of the traits presented by the FF hypothesis, and sika deer functioned as seed dispersal agents. Therefore, the <i>Zoysia</i>—sika deer relationship seems to support the FF hypothesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"40 2","pages":"207-216"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142249402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The contributions of primary sources to fauna and the trophic structure in tropical seagrass areas: A case study from Thai waters","authors":"Piyalap Tuntiprapas, Ken-ichi Hayashizaki, Anchana Prathep","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12526","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12526","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Seagrass provides habitat and resources for various organisms in coastal areas. However, the productivity of a seagrass meadow might vary by its size, which can influence the contribution of primary sources to fauna and the food web structure. This study uses stable isotopes to investigate the contribution of sources to faunas and the associated food web structure in two tropical seagrass meadows. The carbon (δ<sup>13</sup>C) and nitrogen (δ<sup>15</sup>N) stable isotopes of primary sources such as mangrove leaf, coastal and riverine particulate organic matter, seagrass material and associated fauna (fish, bivalves, gastropods, crab, shrimp) were investigated from samples collected seagrass meadows of different sizes, at Libong Island and Tharai Island in Thailand. The contribution of the primary sources to the fauna diet showed that seagrass material was the main food source for fauna in both sites. Moreover, the trophic niche did not overlap among the groups of each fauna guild, reflecting the support seagrass provides to resident fauna. The study emphasizes the important role of seagrass as a habitat and feeding ground in tropical coastal ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"40 2","pages":"176-187"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143645847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Heleen A. de Wit, François Clayer, Øyvind Kaste, Magnus Norling
{"title":"From anthropogenic toward natural acidification: Effects of future deposition and climate on recovery in a humic catchment in Norway","authors":"Heleen A. de Wit, François Clayer, Øyvind Kaste, Magnus Norling","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12524","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12524","url":null,"abstract":"Five decades of monitoring data (1974–2022) at the acidified forested catchment of Langtjern in southern Norway document strong chemical recovery and browning of surface water, related to changes in sulfur (S) deposition. Further recovery is likely to be impacted by future air quality and climate, through catchment processes sensitive to climate change, where the relative importance of these drivers of recovery is poorly known. Here, we explore the importance of the aforementioned drivers for recovery using the well‐established process‐oriented Model of Acidification of Groundwater In Catchments (MAGIC) with historical and projected deposition and climate from 1860 to 2100. New in MAGIC are (i) a solubility control of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from S deposition, which allows inclusion of the role of organic acids in chemical recovery and (ii) climate‐dependency of weathering rates. MAGIC successfully described observed chemical recovery and browning, and the change toward organic acid dominated acidification status. Hindcasts of pH predicted lower preindustrial pH than previously modeled with MAGIC (simulated without S‐dependency of DOC solubility). Future deposition resulted in limited further recovery. Climate scenarios indicated a substantially wetter future, leading to increased base cation losses and slight surface water reacidification. A sensitivity analysis revealed that a 25%–50% increase of weathering rates was needed to reach preindustrial acid‐neutralizing capacity in 2100, provided S deposition is reduced to a minimum. We predict that the limited chemical recovery from reduced S deposition will be counteracted by climate‐driven reacidification from base cation losses, but that enhanced weathering rates could partly compensate these losses.","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142249404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Serigne N. Ly, Guillaume Echevarria, Stéphanie Ouvrard, Antony van der Ent, Mark G. M. Aarts
{"title":"Phenotyping of the nickel metal crop Bornmuellera emarginata for establishing breeding selection criteria","authors":"Serigne N. Ly, Guillaume Echevarria, Stéphanie Ouvrard, Antony van der Ent, Mark G. M. Aarts","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12521","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1440-1703.12521","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Nickel is a crucial metal widely used in various industrial applications, such as lithium-ion batteries and stainless-steel production. The increasing demand for nickel and resource depletion challenges highlight the need for sustainable extraction methods. Agromining employs hyperaccumulator plants to extract nickel from soils that are either contaminated or naturally enriched in nickel. <i>Bornmuellera emarginata</i> is a nickel hyperaccumulator originating from Greece and a promising candidate for nickel agromining. This study aimed to identify suitable genotypes for a successful “domestication” breeding program, focusing on phenotypic traits. Seeds from 35 plants across six wild populations were cultivated under controlled conditions for 7 months to complete a full life cycle. In this period, growth parameters (e.g., plant height (PH), leaf size, and biomass) were determined. Geographically proximate populations displayed greater phenotypic similarity than those from distant locations. Substantial morphological variations, including PH (40–126 cm) and leaf length (6–13 cm), were observed. Nickel concentrations in plants ranged from 290 to 6250 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> dry weight, resulting in nickel yields of 10–145 mg/plant. The notable phenotypic differences among genotypes provide a valuable biological resource for initiating a breeding program to enhance overall nickel yield in <i>B. emarginata</i> agromining crops. Selection and breeding efforts should prioritize genotypes with high biomass production and nickel concentrations. This research lays the foundation for targeted breeding to optimize the potential of <i>B. emarginata</i> in nickel agromining.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"39 6","pages":"927-940"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1440-1703.12521","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142188855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sample selection disparity: Sampling only cobble overestimates the biomass of stream benthic algae","authors":"Mitsuya Inoue, Kentaro Nozaki, Motomi Genkai‐Kato","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12523","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12523","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the fact that scientists are aware that the streambed consists of various substrata in size, the estimation of benthic algal biomass has been conducted based almost exclusively on cobble sampling. This disparity in samples selected for the biomass estimation occurs because frame sampling collects all substrata, encompassed by the frame, including sand and stones, and is a time‐consuming method compared to single‐stone sampling. We conducted frame versus cobble sampling to test for sample selection disparity (SSD) in the estimation of benthic algal biomass. Estimates of algal biomass based on the frame sampling (area: 0.25 m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>) were compared with those based on the cobble sampling taken at the same sampling points in a diatom‐dominated stream. Benthic algal biomass estimated based on cobble sampling was larger than the biomass estimated with frame sampling. The contribution of cobbles to the algal biomass encompassed by the frame was considerably higher than smaller substrata. These results suggest that cobble sampling tends to result in an overestimate of the benthic algal biomass in natural streams. Because the frame sampling requires intensive labor and time, we here proposed a general model based on quick visual assessments for percentage cover of cobbles on the streambed to calibrate estimates obtained by cobble sampling.","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142188860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Land cover is the main driver of the distribution patterns of larval Odonata assemblages in freshwater wetlands of the Brazilian Pampa","authors":"Mateus Marques Pires, Marina Schmidt Dalzochio, Luana Carla Salvi, Cléber Sganzerla, Göran Sahlén, Eduardo Périco","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12520","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1440-1703.12520","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Aquatic insects are key to wetland ecological functioning, and the distribution of amphibious insects such as Odonata jointly depends on environmental conditions in the aquatic and terrestrial settings. Therefore, untangling the relative effects of within-wetland and landscape composition can help predict the responses of Odonata to environmental alterations in wetlands. Using data from 19 wetlands spanning over the southern Brazilian Pampa (center-western Rio Grande do Sul state), we assessed the relative importance of water chemistry and land-cover variables to the richness and composition of larval Odonata assemblages (and suborders Anisoptera and Zygoptera). Anisoptera richness decreased with pH and bare soil area. Water pH and areas of bare soil, mosaic of agricultural land use, and waterbodies land cover were the main drivers of Odonata and Zygoptera composition. Our results indicate that land cover is the main driver of the assemblage structure of larval Odonata, although a complex interplay of mechanisms associated with land conversion and water quality drive the distribution of larval Odonata in freshwater wetlands of the Brazilian Pampa. The major implication of our findings is that land cover modification is the major threat to Odonata distribution in Pampean wetlands, with potential impacts on the trophic structure and functioning of these ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"40 2","pages":"164-175"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142188908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sajad Ahmad Wani, Muzamil Ahmad Mugal, Firdous Ahmad Dar, C. Sudhakar Reddy, Irfan Rashid, Anzar Ahmad Khuroo
{"title":"Meeting Linnean, Wallacean, and Darwinian shortfalls in global biodiversity hotspots: A model study from the Indian Himalayan Region","authors":"Sajad Ahmad Wani, Muzamil Ahmad Mugal, Firdous Ahmad Dar, C. Sudhakar Reddy, Irfan Rashid, Anzar Ahmad Khuroo","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.12518","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1440-1703.12518","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Despite recent efforts to make large-scale biodiversity datasets available, several data shortfalls still exist that preclude our progress in achieving global conservation and sustainability goals. In this study, we present a comprehensive native tree dataset (1689 species) from the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR)—home to two global biodiversity hotspots—assembled from an extensive data synthesis. Based on this database, we investigate the geographic patterns and drivers of α- and β-taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of the native trees among 13 different provinces of IHR. Our results revealed a considerable variation in the α- and β-taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity among the provinces of IHR, with the highest values in eastern provinces. We found phylogenetic clustering mostly in the western provinces, and phylogenetic dispersion in the eastern provinces. We found a positive correlation between the taxonomic and phylogenetic dissimilarity across the IHR. Also, the different sets of explanatory variables explained the variation of tree species richness, standardized effect size of phylogenetic diversity, net relatedness index, and nearest taxon index, with maximum contribution by temperature seasonality (Bio4). Furthermore, temperature-related climatic distance individually explained most of the variation in the taxonomic and phylogenetic dissimilarity between the provinces of IHR. Overall, our findings unveil the patterns of taxonomic, biogeographic, and phylogenetic dimensions of tree flora in the IHR, which in turn can help in formulating scientific data-based regional policy and conservation strategies. Looking forward, we presented a model study for bridging the Linnean, Wallacean, and Darwinian shortfalls in the globally data-deficient biodiversity-rich regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"40 1","pages":"20-36"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1440-1703.12518","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142188854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}