New kid in town: the Mediterranean outbreak of Callinectes sapidus, its road to valorization and the Italian paradox.

Cover crops provide multifunctional benefits for agroecosystems. In addition to protecting soil between cash crop plantings, cover crops can also feed livestock and supply valuable forage for pollinators. Here we evaluated three flowering cover crops for their potential to provision floral resources for pollinators while providing nutritive forage for ruminant livestock. We assessed winter camelina, a cool season crop planted in the fall and harvested the following spring, as well as buckwheat and sunflower, both warm season crops planted and harvested within the same growing season. For each cover crop, we measured flowering, insect visitation, visitor types, and forage yield. We also modeled potential energy provided to dairy and beef cattle and predicted milk yield of lactating dairy cows fed diets incorporating each crop. We found that winter camelina flowered and had the most insect visitation in mid-spring, buckwheat reached peak flowering and visitation mid-summer, and sunflower achieved peak flowering and visitation in late summer. Cover crops attracted mostly non-bee visitors followed by small and large dark bees. When added to modeled diets, all three crops provided enough energy for growth in dairy cows but only buckwheat and sunflower increased caloric gains for beef cattle. While diets with buckwheat or sunflower provided enough energy for milk production in lactating cows, diets with camelina were inadequate for milk production. Our findings demonstrate that flowering cover crops can provide forage resources for pollinating insects and supply cattle with adequate energy for growth and milk production when incorporated into traditional diets. • Cover crops may provide multifunctional ecosystem services in agricultural systems. • Flowering cover crops can supply forage for pollinators and feed for livestock. • Cover crops may fill gaps in spring and summer resources for various pollinators. • Harvested cover crops may increase caloric intake in dairy and beef cattle diets. • Cover crop forage value varies with crop phenology and agroecosystem context.

Decomposing multisource uncertainties in ecosystem service assessment: A quantitative framework and application to water conservation in the Three-River-Source Region of China.

Diverse impacts of different green landscapes on soil biogeochemistry and multifunctionality in an urban watershed.

Heavy metal pollution and associated health risk assessment in wild oysters from the Guangdong coast, China.

Inflation-adjusted impact of coal mining on ecosystem service value change in Paschim Bardhaman

Ecosystem service mismatches in a socio-ecological system under chronic hydrological stress: A Water-Energy-Food nexus approach in the Segura River Basin, Spain

Total economic value and poverty alleviation contribution of mangrove ecosystem services in a West African Ramsar site: A hybrid valuation approach

Prototype of a global model for regulating ecosystem services of inland wetlands.

Environmental influence on seagrass condition and host-associated microbiomes across an urbanised temperate estuary.

Ecosystem services benefits of coral reefs along a biological condition gradient to inform local management.

A Human-Ocean Health Index (HOHI) for integrated assessment under the cumulative effects of human activities and global change.

Warming climates, fewer bats? Assessing future risks to pest suppression services

Understanding global microplastic pollution across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through insect-fish comparative insights

Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem productivity is a primary goal of contemporary ecology. However, the richest ecosystems, that is, tropical forests, remain underrepresented in global biodiversity-productivity research. We investigate this relationship in the Atlantic Forest, one of the world's most biodiverse and threatened tropical ecosystems. We analysed tree species richness and aboveground biomass data as a proxy for productivity in conjunction with environmental variables, including past and current climatic conditions, changes in forest cover, soil attributes, and topography. We investigated the shape of the richness–productivity relationship and employed spatial path analysis to assess how diversity influences productivity and how environmental factors modulate this relationship. Species richness sets a lower bound on biomass but does not determine it. Path analysis indicated that plant species richness is primarily driven by climatic stability, soil attributes, and forest cover. It also reinforced the limited effect of species richness on biomass, which was primarily driven by energy and water availability. These findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms that sustain productivity in tropical forests and shed light on assembly processes in the Atlantic Forest. These findings have important implications for conservation and management strategies aimed at preserving both biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Atlantic Forest. • The Brazilian Atlantic Forest has the highest level of diversity and productivity. • Examining their association clarifies the nature and limits of this relationship. • Species richness sets a lower bound on biomass but does not determine it. • Abundance-based explanations, independent of diversity, prevail for productivity. • Preserving top-diversity areas sustains high productivity levels, not the reverse.

Ecotoxicological insights into fluoride pollution affecting soil, plant and human health.

Ecological compensation (EC) is crucial for balancing ecological protection and economic growth, particularly in river basins. However, existing studies often overlook regional disparities and ecosystem service (ES) supply-demand dynamics. This study integrated remote sensing and geospatial data into a ‘source-flow-sink’ framework, simulating ES flows using the D8 algorithm for water yield and wind-flow models for carbon sequestration. An ecological-economic synergistic compensation model (EESCM) assessed EC ratios in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2000–2020. Results showed carbon sequestration supply declined by 1.83%, while demand surged 191.95%, causing mismatches in 85% of high-demand areas. Water-yield gaps peaked, forming dual-core networks around Yangtze River–Taihu Lake (57%) and Chaohu Lake–Xin’an River (29%). Spatial polarization was evident: the Huanghuai Plain, bearing only 23.15% of ecological compensation intensity, received 74.75% of funds; the Dabie Mountains, generating 89.67% of carbon sinks, received just 18%, revealing a vast gap. Atmospheric transport redirected 60% of carbon sinks downstream, intensifying spillover-compensation conflicts. The proposed EC framework can offer scientific guidance for sustainable regional development.

Mountain forests provide essential ecosystem services, including protection against natural hazards. However, climate change and the predominance of structurally homogeneous Norway spruce stands increase their predisposition to disturbances such as windthrow, bark beetle infestation, and snow breakage. Given limited resources for proactive and reactive forest management, prioritizing silvicultural interventions is crucial. We present a framework for the spatially explicit assessment of forest predisposition to snow breakage, windthrow, and bark beetle infestation at 10 m resolution across regional scales. The approach integrates high-resolution forest structural and site factor attributes primarily derived from nationally available airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. These attributes are weighted using an expert-based model according to their influence on disturbance predisposition. Weighted values are aggregated and classified into four predisposition classes, from low (< 50th) to extreme (> 95th percentile). Validation of local foresters at 142 reference sites showed significant correlations between forester-rated and modeled predisposition for windthrow and bark beetle, but not for snow breakage. New bark beetle infestations were strongly associated with increasing predisposition classes. Forest structural parameters such as forest mixture and spruce share, development stage, and canopy layering were key predictors and could be determined with high accuracy, enabling detailed and accurate predisposition mapping even in steep terrain. Assessing predisposition to snow breakage remains challenging due to the high stochastic variability in the location, characteristics, and amount of snow fall. As the main predictors are derived from nationwide ALS data, the methodology is transferable to other mountain regions. Developed in close collaboration with practitioners, the framework supports operational forest management by improving prioritization of interventions. • Framework for spatially explicit predisposition mapping in mountain forests. • Use of detailed forest structure parameters based on nationwide airborne laser scanning. • High correlation between predisposition mapping and on-site forester assessment. • Increase of detected bark beetle nests with increasing predisposition class. • Support of spatial prioritization of forest management interventions.

Non-linear responses of ecosystem service trade-offs to landscape heterogeneity: implications for spatially targeted landscape management in an urbanizing agricultural basin

A central challenge in sustainable urban design is quantifying how landscape spatial configuration influences public perception of cultural ecosystem services (CES), particularly in ecologically sensitive high-altitude regions. This exploratory study explored the relationships between landscape configuration and CES perception in Lhasa's urban parks, adopting text mining of social media comments([Formula: see text]), landscape pattern analysis, spatial mapping, and questionnaire validation. Six CES dimensions were identified, with significant variations in service provision across Parks. Statistical correlation analysis suggested that specific landscape metrics were meaningfully related to CES perception: the Largest Patch Index (LPI) exhibited a strong positive linear relationship with recreation perception ([Formula: see text]), while the Landscape Shape Index (LSI) showed a quadratic trend with aesthetic perception. Spatial analysis revealed distinct spatial patterns for each perceived service. Field surveys supported these exploratory linkages, with mean agreement scores ranging from 3.87 to 4.52 on a 5-point Likert scale. Correlation analysis among CES dimensions revealed negative associations indicative of perceptual interrelationships: Recreation was negatively associated with heritage and culture ([Formula: see text]) and education ([Formula: see text]), while heritage and culture and education were positively associated ([Formula: see text]), reflecting synergy. These findings suggest that landscape configuration shapes multidimensional CES perceptions through distinct pathways, forming spatial-functional interactions among perceived services. This study provides exploratory empirical evidence on the impact of landscape configuration on CES perception in high-altitude cities, reveals the interrelationships within perceived service bundles, and offering insights for Park design and management aimed at balancing diverse service needs.