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Topic Review
Monitoring of Ecological Response to River Restoration
Nature-based solutions are widely advocated for freshwater ecosystem conservation and restoration. As increasing amounts of river restoration are undertaken, the need to understand the ecological response to different measures and where measures are best applied becomes more pressing. 
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review Video
Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater
At a great many locations worldwide, the safety of drinking water is endangered by pollution with arsenic. Arsenic toxicity is a matter of both systems chemistry and systems biology: it is determined by complex and intertwined networks of chemical reactions in the inanimate environment, in microbes in that environment, and in the human body.
  • 1.0K
  • 31 Jan 2024
Topic Review
β-N-Methylamino-L-Alanine Producers and Biosynthesis Pathways
Non-proteinogenic amino acid β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) (syn: α-amino-β-methylaminopropionic acid, MeDAP; and 3-N-methyl-2,3-diaminopropanoic acid) was first isolated from the seeds of Cycas micronesica K.D.Hill (Cycadaceae). Non-proteinogenic amino acids (NPAAs) are not naturally encoded genetically and are not contained in the genetic code of any organism; however, they play diverse roles in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The research interest in BMAA arose due to the discovery of a link between chronic exposure to this diaminoacid and the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases.
  • 1.0K
  • 19 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Land-Use Intensification on Plant–Pollinator Interactions
Permanent grasslands are main habitats for many plant species and pollinators. Their destruction as well as their intensification has a major impact on plant and pollinator biodiversity, which has a cascading effect on pollination. However, we lack an understanding of these effects, thereby limiting our ability to predict them. In this review, we synthesised the literature on the mechanisms behind this cascade to provide new insights into the relationship between land-use intensification and pollination. By matching functional traits that mediate the relationship between the two trophic levels, we identified major knowledge gaps about how land-use intensification affects plant–pollinator interactions and how it favours plants with generalised floral traits, which are likely harmful to pollination.
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Conserving Refugia
Refugia play an important role in contributing to the conservation of species and communities by buffering environmental conditions over time. 
  • 1.0K
  • 12 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Historical Ecology in Disciplinary Contexts
Among several methodological and theoretical approaches that detail and track key elements of the human–environmental nexus and the linkages of biotic and abiotic agents and their behaviors through time (e.g., resilience, ecosystem dynamics, environmental history, and landscape biography models), the framework of historical ecology offers a comprehensive and integrated reach across knowledge sectors and clear strategies for social justice, collaboration, and application.There is no particular need to identify one’s work as historical ecology, as several other approaches employ similar principles. However, the term is widely familiar, teasing ecology to embrace the historical sciences and history to learn ecology. Historical ecology is an umbrella term describing multi-faceted research programs that assure researchers and stakeholders the advantages of diverse perspectives, the means to evaluate and share information, and a community of practice. Historical ecology unites a group of core disciplines—archaeology, anthropology, ecology, geography, and history—and draws on parallel developments in these fields.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Influence of Light Irradiation on Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria
Biological nitrification is a crucial process in microalgal–bacterial systems. It oxidizes ammonia (NH3) to nitrate (NO3−) via intermediate nitrite (NO2−), which is mainly conducted by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Light is essential for algae photosynthesis; however, nitrifying bacteria are also influenced by light radiation.
  • 1.0K
  • 11 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Soil Bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a rod-shaped, Gram-positive soil bacterium that belongs to the phylum Firmicutes and the genus Bacillus. It is a spore-forming bacterium. During sporulation, it produces a wide range of crystalline proteins that are toxic to different orders of insects. Sporulation, structure assembly, and germination are essential stages in the cell cycle of B. thuringiensis. The majority of studies on these issues have focused on the model organism Bacillus subtilis, followed by Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis. The machinery for sporulation and germination extrapolated to B. thuringiensis. However, in the light of the findings concerning the role of the sporulation proteins (SPoVS), the germination receptors (Gr), and the cortical enzymes in Bt, the theory strengthened that conservation in sporulation, structure assembly, and germination programs drive the survival and success of B. thuringiensis in the environment and the insect host. 
  • 998
  • 19 May 2023
Topic Review
NIRS in Wild Rodents’ Research
The near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) method proved to be a useful tool to determine the amount of a particular food ingredient in the diet from faeces or chyme and to estimate the food quality.
  • 989
  • 17 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Plant-Microbe Interactions in Flood Conditions
The impact of flooding as an adverse environmental factor is outlined. It has been shown that plants and bacteria under flooding conditions primarily suffer from a lack of oxygen and activation of anaerobic microflora. The combined effects of heavy metals and flooding on microorganisms and plants are also discussed.
  • 988
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Plasticity in Chemical  Plant Recognition in Herbivorous Insects
Chemical communication is very important in herbivorous insects, with many species being important agricultural pests. They often use olfactory cues to find their host plants at a distance and evaluate their suitability upon contact with non-volatile cues. Responses to such cues are modulated through interactions between various stimuli of biotic and abiotic origin. In addition, the response to the same stimulus can vary as a function of, for example, previous experience, age, mating state, sex, and morph.
  • 978
  • 10 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Tawny Owl and Urbanization Structure
Tawny owl (Strix aluco) is a ubiquitous and resilient raptor that successfully exploits heterogeneous patchy habitats. Due to its abundance and broad geographic range, it is an appropriate bird species model with which to test how raptors colonize urban environments and which drivers from these urban habitats play a role in explaining the occurrence of these species. It is necessary to understand how urbanization affects the tawny owl at the landscape scale. The effect of habitat fragmentation (i.e., forest fragmentation) on tawny owl populations has been studied previously ; however, to our knowledge, the effect of urban habitat fragmentation remains unknown. In addition, it is not common to study habitat selection through a multiscale approach, even though different variables can be important to a species at different spatial scales. As such, studies conducted at arbitrarily defined scales may suffer from serious limitations .
  • 967
  • 29 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Impact of Climate Change on Soil N2O Emission
Microbial-driven processes, including nitrification and denitrification closely related to soil nitrous oxide (N2O) production, are orchestrated by a network of enzymes and genes such as amoA genes from ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), narG (nitrate reductase), nirS and nirK (nitrite reductase), and nosZ (N2O reductase). However, how climatic factors could influence these genes and processes and, consequently, soil N2O emissions remain unclear. 
  • 952
  • 26 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Biodiversity during Pre and Post Hula Valley Drainage
Ecosystem fertility is dependent on nutrient and water availability which are the drivers of the system of production. The anthropogenic and natural maintenance of ecosystem products such as biodiversity, species richness, agriculture, recreation or eco-tourism is significantly affected by management. The appropriate management might be natural, without human intervention, or anthropogenic, or a combination of both. The management of the Hula Valley, a part of the Lake Kinneret drainage basin, represents an integration of human and natural dependence.
  • 948
  • 25 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Methodology: Seabirds to Oil Spills
Oil spills can have a serious negative effect on seabirds. Numerous studies have been carried out for relative vulnerability assessment of seabirds to oil, with the majority of such works based on ordinal quantities.
  • 947
  • 18 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Thermal Effects on Ecological Traits of Salmonids
A thermal window bounded by the upper and lower incipient lethal temperatures (UILT and LILT) determines where salmonids can survive. For most salmonids, LILT is close to 0 and UILT is between 20 and 30 °C. UILT and LILT are influenced by the acclimation temperature. Thermal tolerance is affected by fish size and ambient oxygen content, which decreases with increasing temperature.
  • 929
  • 30 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Ecological Infrastructures May Enhance Lepidopterans Predation
Ecological infrastructures (EIs) are considered relevant components in agricultural landscapes to support biodiversity and ecosystem services. The EI typologies influenced differently the predator groups and the overall predation rate. Major differences were observed for bird predation, being higher in woody EIs. A positive correlation between predation rate and EIs area of the surrounding landscape, as well as a negative correlation with the distance to the nearest riparian and woody EIs, was observed for birds. The observed dissimilarities in the predators’ response may be related to habitat differences and its functional connectivity. The overall monthly low predation rates are possibly related to the intensive agricultural system and the small area occupied by EIs.
  • 897
  • 31 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Applying Pickering Emulsions to Food
The proper mix of nanocellulose to a dispersion of polar and nonpolar liquids creates emulsions stabilized by finely divided solids (instead of tensoactive chemicals) named Pickering emulsions. These mixtures can be engineered to develop new food products with innovative functions, potentially more eco-friendly characteristics, and reduced risks to consumers. Although cellulose-based Pickering emulsion preparation is an exciting approach to creating new food products, there are many legal, technical, environmental, and economic gaps to be filled through research.
  • 892
  • 12 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Restoring Mexican Tropical Dry Forests
Deforestation is the dominant threat to tropical dry forests (TDFs) in Mexico. Its causes include agriculture, tourism, and mining. In some cases, unassisted forest regeneration is sufficient to return diverse forest cover to a site, but in other cases, changes in land use are so severe that active restoration is required to reintroduce tree cover. 
  • 851
  • 15 Apr 2022
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.
  • 843
  • 11 May 2023
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