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Topic Review
Impacts of Exotic Pests on Forest Ecosystems
Pests (e.g., insects, pathogens) affect forest communities through complex interactions with plants, other animals, and the environment. While the effects of exotic (non-native) pests on trees received broad attention and were extensively studied, fewer studies addressed the ecosystem-level consequences of these effects. Related studies so far mostly only targeted a very few dominant pests (e.g., hemlock woolly adelgid—HWA, beech bark disease—BBD, and spongy moth—SM) and were limited to aspects of the complex situation such as (1) pests’ direct physical disturbance to forest ecosystems, (2) altered geochemical elements of soils, water, and air (e.g., excretion), and (3) feedback effects from the alteration of ecosystems on plants, native insects, and present and future pest invasions. New studies also show that, in general, planted forests appear to be more prone to exotic pest invasions and thus suffer greater impacts than natural forests. Integrated studies are critically needed in the future to address (1) direct/indirect interactions of pests with ecosystem elements, (2) both short- and long-term effects, and (3) feedback effects. The implications of the new findings and corresponding management strategies are discussed.
  • 893
  • 11 May 2023
Topic Review
Sampling System for Measurement of Vehicles Exhaust Particles
A sampling system that measures volatile particles needs appropriate design, dilution conditions and counting devices in order to capture the nucleation mode formation potential of the source (vehicle).
  • 892
  • 29 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), a nature-inspired, engineered stormwater management approach that mimics natural hydrological processes to improve water quality and reduce localized flooding events.
  • 888
  • 01 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Effects of Organic Amendments on Solanum tuberosum L.
The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the third most important food crop worldwide, after rice and wheat. The potato is one of the crops that produce more food per unit of time, water and area, even in more adverse climates in comparison with any other crop. It is also characterized by its extraordinary ability to adapt to different soil and climate conditions, occupying a leading role in the global food chain, and thus being considered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a food security crop. Likewise, the increase in world population leads to uncertainties in the food supply chain and it shows the need for high-yield crops.
  • 880
  • 02 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Sustainable Transportation to Mitigate Climate Change
The build-up of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is causing warmness in the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in climate change. The transport sector is one of the active causes of GHG emissions and it is imperative to use sustainable transport sources to control climate change. There is a measure that aims to encourage citizens to stop using their own vehicles as their choice of transport and instead opt for joint sustainable mobility during traveling.
  • 873
  • 26 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Near Zero-Energy Housing
A context-specific approach to the investigation of barriers to Near Zero-Energy Housing could facilitate and accelerate the transition towards a zero-energy built environment.
  • 872
  • 22 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Horticulture 4.0 in Horticulture for Meeting Sustainable Farming
The United Nations emphasized a significant agenda on reducing hunger and protein malnutrition as well as micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) malnutrition, which is estimated to affect the health of up to two billion people. The UN also recognized this need through Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2 and SDG 12) to end hunger and foster sustainable agriculture by enhancing the production and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Previous studies only stressed the various issues in horticulture with regard to industries, but they did not emphasize the centrality of Industry 4.0 technologies for confronting the diverse issues in horticulture, from production to marketing in the context of sustainability. 
  • 872
  • 27 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Toxins and Toxins Secreted by Algal Bloom Habitats
Fish die-offs are important indicators of aquatic environmental problems, and although some fish species are very sensitive to adverse changes in environmental conditions (there are many fish species that have a relatively low tolerance to changes in the environment), it is important to remember that such changes usually affect entire aquatic ecosystems, and thus other animals and plants, as well as everything related to the bottom life of the aquatic environment. Localized sudden and mass fish kills or even whole fish populations and deterioration (mortality) in aquatic life in different types of water bodies, namely freshwater, marine, and estuarine, have been observed quite frequently and excessively. Although the causes of their occurrence may be natural, anthropogenic changes and pollution (including toxins) in aquatic and terrestrial systems are major contributors to the increasing frequency and magnitude of fish kills worldwide.
  • 872
  • 03 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Inland/Coastal Water Quality Measures
Water quality measures for inland and coastal waters are available as discrete samples from professional and volunteer water quality monitoring programs and higher-frequency, near-continuous data from automated in situ sensors. Water quality parameters also are estimated from model outputs and remote sensing. The integration of these data, via data assimilation, can result in a more holistic characterization of these highly dynamic ecosystems, and consequently improve water resource management.
  • 871
  • 10 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Phyto-Beneficial Traits of Rhizosphere Bacteria
Beneficial interactions between plants and some bacterial species have been long recognized, as they proved to exert various growth-promoting and health-protective activities on economically relevant crops. As well, rhizosphere bacteria direct activity against some phytopathogenic fungal species (such as Aspergillus and Fusarium spp.) have been also observed, resulting highly interesting since these pathogens cause major yield losses in cereal crops and are well-known mycotoxin producers.
  • 871
  • 20 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Ecosystem Service Supply–Demand Risks
Ecosystem services refer to the natural resources and commodities comprising natural ecosystems, which can be directly used or consumed by humans, and maintain the environmental conditions for human survival and development. These services are the resource and environmental basis for human survival and development. For a long time, people’s lack of understanding of the importance of ecosystem services has caused many problems to excessive use of natural resources and affected regional and even global ecological security. Regional ecological and environmental problems are mainly derived from changes in urbanization and land cover changes to the structure and pattern of regional ecosystems. Human activities directly affect changes in ecosystem services and are an important driving force for changes in ecosystem services. Regional ecological and environmental problems are essentially the spatial difference or imbalance between the supply and demand of regional ecosystem services. With the rapid growth of population and intensification of human activities, human demand for ecosystem services is increasing, such as food and water. Meanwhile, the sustainable supply of ecosystem services is under threat. For example, river drying can cause water shortage, the deficiency of an air purification service in an urban area directly affects the health of citizens and soil erosion also can cause a series of ecological problems, which may intensify ecosystem service supply–demand risks. In this paper, ecosystem service supply–demand risks were defined as the possibility that the supply level of ecosystem services was insufficient to meet the local human needs, or the supply level decreased within a set time range. In human production and life, when the consumption of ecosystem service exceeds the threshold of ecosystem service supply, and the ecosystem services supply cannot meet the human demand, the ecosystem service is exposed to risks. Therefore, measuring the relationship between the supply and demand of ecosystem services and identifying the supply–demand risk is particularly important for the effective allocation of natural resources and the management of ecosystem services. Identification of ecosystem service supply–demand risk also has important practical significance for alleviating the contradiction between man and land and improving regional sustainable development.
  • 867
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
CO2 Emissions
The issue of environmental degradation has emerged as a pervasive global concern. Consequently, authors have expanded their investigations into environmental studies to mitigate the adverse repercussions and safeguard the integrity of the planet’s ecosystem. In the context of national priorities, the fundamental goal of any nation is to enhance its economic progress (GDP) rate to foster social welfare. In this scenario, the occurrence of swift GDP can lead to the reduction of resources and the exacerbation of the environment. Sustainable GDP in developing nations improves society. Trade, development, foreign direct investment (FDI), and natural resource (NAT) development have been used to achieve this goal. Production increases energy use and CO2 emissions (CO2em). GDP must not harm future generations.
  • 862
  • 07 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances’ Pollution
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) refer to a class of compounds in which all or part of the hydrogen atoms linked to carbon atoms in alkane molecules are replaced by fluorine atoms. Because of the strong polarity of the C-F bond, PFASs have more stable and more excellent properties than other hydrocarbons (such as a remarkably high chemical stability and excellent hydrophobicity and oleophobicity), so they have been used in various fields of production, such as plastic wrap, paper, coatings, poly-tetrafluoroethylene products and foam fire-extinguishing agents.
  • 861
  • 16 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Biochemical Mechanisms of Bioremediation Processes with Filamentous Fungi
The industrial sector plays a significant role in global economic growth. However, it also produces polluting effluents that must be treated to prevent environmental damage and ensure the quality of life for future generations is not compromised. Various physical, chemical, and biological methods have been employed to treat industrial effluents. Filamentous fungi, in particular, have garnered attention as effective bioremediation agents due to their ability to produce enzymes capable of degrading recalcitrant compounds, and adsorb different pollutant molecules.
  • 861
  • 05 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Circular Economy Implementation
The circular economy, as a promising response to sustainability issues, is a crucible for carefully designed ecofriendly actions and integrative mechanisms in enterprises, households, and societies for the attainment of the desired outcomes. It is in this context that CE strategies are examined, with the use of metrics, indicators, and standards. The desired outcomes of the CE are well embedded and articulated in the sustainable development goals that the UN and its member countries have vowed to achieve along a designated timeline.
  • 860
  • 15 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Environmental and Human Exposure Data of Microplastics
Scientific studies of microplastics have expanded since 2015, propelling the topic to the forefront of scientific inquiry. Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment and pose a potential risk to human health.
  • 858
  • 20 Feb 2023
Topic Review
China Urbanisation and Carbon Tax
Carbon tax is a tax on carbon-based fuels. In the policy evaluation framework, the social cost of carbon (SCC) is usually used to denote whether a climate policy can cost-effectively abate carbon emissions. In other words, the SCC stands for the costs of the emissions of an additional tonne of carbon dioxide, and thus it is used to denote the marginal welfare impact of the emissions.
  • 854
  • 21 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Functional Agro-Biodiversity
The European Union’s ‘Green Deal’ proposes an ambitious roadmap towards climate neutrality by 2050 and the adoption of a circular economy. Functional AgroBiodiversity (FAB) measures, which balance food production with minimised impacts on nature, are a promising way to achieve this on farmland.
  • 851
  • 29 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Endocrine-Disrupting Effects of Disinfection Byproducts
Since 1974, more than 800 disinfection byproducts (DBPs) have been identified from disinfected drinking water, swimming pool water, wastewaters, etc. Some DBPs are recognized as contaminants of high environmental concern because they may induce many detrimental health (e.g., cancer, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity) and/or ecological (e.g., acute toxicity and development toxicity on alga, crustacean, and fish) effects. However, the information on whether DBPs may elicit potential endocrine-disrupting effects in human and wildlife is scarce.
  • 850
  • 12 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Tire Particles in Urban Parks
Tire particles (TPs) are a major source of emission of micro and nanoplastics into the environment. Although most TPs are deposited in soil or freshwater sediments and have been shown to accumulate in organisms, most research has focused on leachate toxicity, neglecting the potential effects of particles and their impact ecotoxicological on the environment.
  • 849
  • 19 May 2023
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