Ecosystem Processes Research Articles

The legacy effects of afforestation facilitate the maintenance of microbial C:N:P stoichiometric homeostasis amid land use change

Abstract Anthropogenic activities are altering the land cover of terrestrial ecosystems, wherein the influences of prior land use types on edaphic properties and soil microbes (i.e. legacy effects) may persist, influencing the soil processes of current ecosystems. However, the legacy effects of land use types on microbial homeostasis in terms of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry remain greatly unknown, despite its pivotal roles in driving soil nutrient cycling. Here, we conducted a combined 35‐year of observational study with a short‐term soil‐microbe interactive inoculation experiment following afforestation in central China. Specifically, microbial communities from long‐term afforested soils (including shrubland and woodland, with adjacent cropland as the control) were extracted and then inoculated into soils across different land use types, in order to examine the legacy effects of priori land use on the current ecosystems. We showed that microbial communities in the woodland had more homeostatic C:N:P stoichiometric ratios when inoculated into soils across different land use types, compared to microbes originating from the cropland and shrubland. Further analyses revealed that changes in the composition of microbial community explained most of the variations in the C:P and N:P stoichiometric gaps between the microbial community and soil resources. Specifically, the C:P and N:P stoichiometric gaps showed positive relationships with the proportions of microbial r‐strategists that had fast‐growing life histories (e.g., Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidota and Firmicutes). Moreover, variations in the C:N and C:P stoichiometric gaps exhibited positive associations with N‐ and P‐acquisition enzyme activities, as well as microbial respiration. Our findings indicate that microbial efforts to maintain homeostatic C:N:P stoichiometry accelerate nutrient cycling in woodland, which may also involve energy costs and elevate C expenditure following afforestation. These results underscore the significance of ecological memory of historical land use in regulating microbial C:N:P stoichiometry, with important implications for the fate of soil C under land use changes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Characteristics and Impacts of Pollution and Remediation on Riverine Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Review

Rivers are not only a vital part of the Earth’s water cycle but also sources and sinks for greenhouse gases (GHGs), exerting a significant influence on the global carbon budget. Rapid urbanization and intense human activities lead to water pollution and river habitat degradation, thereby affecting riverine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions indirectly. Artificial management and restoration measures taken for rivers further increase the uncertainty of GHG emissions from rivers. In the context of carbon neutrality goals, research on GHG emissions from rivers has gradually become a hot topic. However, there is a scarcity of collective and comparative studies on the spatiotemporal patterns and mechanisms of riverine GHG emissions, especially a lack of summaries exploring the impacts of pollution and restoration on GHG emissions from rivers. This work systematically reviews recent studies concerning the emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O from rivers, with a particular focus on the characteristics and driving factors. Results have shown that riverine GHG emissions exhibit significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Besides hydrological factors such as wind speed, flow velocity, rainfall, and water level, large amounts of pollutants entering rivers strongly affect the production and emission of GHGs, since nutrients, organic matter, heavy metals, microplastics, and antibiotics can alter the biogeochemical processes in river ecosystems. Remediation measures can reduce water pollution levels, but some measures may further increase the emission of GHGs from rivers. This work emphasizes the need for conducting in-depth research on the synergies between treating river pollution and reducing riverine GHG emissions. It also proposes to reinforce the monitoring of GHGs and construct emission databases of rivers for sustainable watershed management.

Microbial functional diversity and redundancy: moving forward.

Microbial functional ecology is expanding as we can now measure the traits of wild microbes that affect ecosystem functioning. Here, we review techniques and advances that could be the bedrock for a unified framework to study microbial functions. These include our newfound access to environmental microbial genomes, collections of microbial traits, but also our ability to study microbes' distribution and expression. We then explore the technical, ecological, and evolutionary processes that could explain environmental patterns of microbial functional diversity and redundancy. Next, we suggest reconciling microbiology with biodiversity-ecosystem-functioning studies by experimentally testing the significance of microbial functional diversity and redundancy for the efficiency, resistance, and resilience of ecosystem processes. Such advances will aid in identifying state shifts and tipping points in microbiomes, enhancing our understanding of how and where will microbiomes guide Earth's biomes in the context of a changing planet.

Soil Quality Variations Across Different Land Use Patterns in Central Doon Valley of Dehradun, India: A Comparative Study

Soil is the most basic and yet most complex component of terrestrial ecosystems. It regulates most of the ecosystem processes and provides a large part of the earth’s biodiversity for the physical basis for many human activities. The major objectives of this study are to examine the physio-chemical characteristics of soil in both disturbed and undisturbed areas of Dehradun and to analyze soil pollution indices related to heavy metals in these areas. The study was conducted in the Suddhowala and Selaqui areas of Jhajra Forest Range, Dehradun, India. The soil samples were collected from six different land use patterns of SS1-SS6 from March to May (2024). The Physical parameters such as Moisture Content, Water Holding Capacity, and Electrical Conductivity, and the chemical parameters such as pH, Total Nitrogen, Organic Carbon, Organic Matter, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sulphur were analyzed and the heavy metals such as Zinc, Boron, Copper, Manganese and Iron were measured. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), degree of contamination (CD), and pollution load index (PLI) were studied. The study finds gaps in how micronutrient status is evaluated to meet the soil needs.

Edge cases: fragmentation and ecosystem processes in temperate forest landscapes

Temperate forests are the most fragmented forest biome, yet current understanding of fragmentation effects on ecosystem processes, such as carbon (C) cycling, is rooted in tropical forest research. We review the effects of persistent fragmentation on temperate forest ecosystem processes and quantify the extent to which the US national forest inventory and land‐cover maps represent forest edge area. We found systematic underrepresentation of forest edges across all methods. As compared with very high resolution (1 m) maps, conventional 30‐m resolution forest cover maps underestimated forest edge area by 16.4%, on average. Accounting for all forest edge area and edge effects on forest structure and growth resulted in a 14.8% median increase in aboveground forest C estimates, with 23.8% and 74.2% increases in agriculturally and urban dominated counties, respectively. We conclude by proposing improvements to forest inventories, maps, and models to better represent the fragmented temperate forest landscape.

Ten practical guidelines for microclimate research in terrestrial ecosystems

Abstract Most biodiversity dynamics and ecosystem processes on land take place in microclimates that are decoupled from the climate as measured by standardised weather stations in open, unshaded locations. As a result, microclimate monitoring is increasingly being integrated in many studies in ecology and evolution. Overviews of the protocols and measurement methods related to microclimate are needed, especially for those starting in the field and to achieve more generality and standardisation in microclimate studies. Here, we present 10 practical guidelines for ground‐based research of terrestrial microclimates, covering methods and best practices from initial conceptualisation of the study to data analyses. Our guidelines encompass the significance of microclimates; the specifics of what, where, when and how to measure them; the design of microclimate studies; and the optimal approaches for analysing and sharing data for future use and collaborations. The paper is structured as a chronological guide, leading the reader through each step necessary to conduct a comprehensive microclimate study. At the end, we also discuss further research avenues and development in this field. With these 10 guidelines for microclimate monitoring, we hope to stimulate and advance microclimate research in ecology and evolution, especially under the pressing need to account for buffering or amplifying abilities of contrasting microhabitats in the context of global climate change.

Potential role of meiofauna in bioremediation: results from a microcosm experiment.

Meiofauna can act as remediation organisms by stimulating microphytobenthos, sequestering carbon dioxide, and degrading organic debris. Sediments from two basins in Lake Mariut, Egypt, which had undergone multiple rounds of restoration, were used in microcosm experiments to assess the role of meiofauna in organic matter degradation. Treatments included sediments with and without fauna, and four chlorophyll-a additions (0.002, 0.035, and 0.005 mg/ml, with 0.000 mg/ml as the reference). Meiofauna, chlorophyll-a, and organic matter were measured over two 8-month periods in 2014. Most treatments exhibited a rapid loss of organic matter, reducing organic content by two to eight times by study end. By the end, meiofaunal populations increased one- to 13-fold in microcosms with algae additions of 0.035 and 0.005 mg/ml chlorophyll-a in the Main and Northwest basins but had no change in those with 0.002 and zero mg/ml. Meiofauna abundance rose with rising temperature and oxygen levels, while organic matter declined. There was no correlation between chlorophyll-a levels and meiofauna abundance indicating that meiofauna likely play a role in the aerobic decomposition of organic matter at high temperatures. The meiofauna contribute to the diversity of ecosystems and have a potential role in ecosystem processes; therefore, conservation efforts should also include meiofauna.

Study on the Response of Net Primary Productivity to Vegetation Phenology and Its Influencing Factors in Karst Ecologically Fragile Regions

Net primary productivity (NPP) is a crucial indicator of ecosystem function and sustainability. Quantifying the response of NPP to phenological dynamics is essential for understanding the impact of climate change on ecosystem processes. In this study, vegetation phenology data for Guizhou Province were extracted from the MCD12Q2 dataset, and NPP was estimated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) combined with meteorological data. Linear regression, trend analysis, and structural equation modeling were employed to clarify the spatiotemporal patterns of NPP and phenology as a basis for exploring the role of climatic factors in the NPP’s response to phenological changes. The results indicate that 72.15% of Guizhou Province shows an increasing trend in vegetation NPP (slope = 5.0981, p = 0.002). The start of the growing season (measured as SOS) tends to advance (slope = −0.4004, p = 0.0528), while the end of the growing season (measured as EOS) tends to delay (slope = 0.2747, p = 0.1011), resulting in an overall extension of the increasing length of the season (LOS) (slope = 0.64549, p = 0.0065). The spatiotemporal patterns of SOS, EOS, LOS, and NPP varied with elevation changes. For every 500 m increase in altitude, NPP decreased by 25.3 gC/m2, SOS was delayed by 7.1 days, EOS advanced by 1.25 days, and LOS decreased by 8.36 days. These findings suggest that the response of NPP to phenological changes is primarily controlled by local climatic and topographical conditions. Additionally, the indirect effects of climate on NPP through phenological changes were more significant than the direct effects. Climatic factors play varying roles in the NPP response to phenological dynamics, highlighting the profound influence of climate in regulating the mechanisms by which NPP responds to phenological changes.

Effects of increased allochthonous dissolved organic carbon on the growth of planktonic biota in freshwater ecosystems: A meta‐analysis

AbstractWater browning, induced by allochthonous dissolved organic carbon (DOC) input, has become a widespread phenomenon in boreal lakes over the past decades. Directly quantifying aquatic organisms' responses to increased DOC concentrations is essential for projecting carbon cycle processes in freshwater ecosystems. In this study, we assessed the impacts of DOC addition on the growth of three freshwater planktonic groups: phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bacteria, and explored potential drivers behind variations in effect size. Background DOC concentrations vary between 0.5 and 25 mg L−1, while total phosphorus concentrations span from 0.0003 to 1.55 mg L−1. Based on a meta‐analysis of 804 observations from 47 publications, we found that DOC addition had a significant positive effect on bacteria, while it had a small but negative impact on both phytoplankton and zooplankton. In different climate zones, DOC addition often stimulated bacterial growth, but it exerted either positive or negative effects on phytoplankton and zooplankton. Additionally, the effect sizes of both phytoplankton and zooplankton showed a significant negative relationship with the magnitude of DOC enrichment, while bacteria exhibited positive responses. Furthermore, the effect sizes of these three taxa correlated negatively with background total phosphorus concentrations and positively with the DOC : total phosphorus ratio. A significant negative correlation between effect size and experimental duration was observed for bacteria. In summary, this synthesis indicates that excessive DOC loading can inevitably inhibit phytoplankton and zooplankton growth. Future studies should focus on the interactions between DOC addition and global change factors to improve forecasts of carbon‐climate feedback in aquatic ecosystems.

Threshold changes in the production potential of bush clumps along piosphere gradients in arid thicket mosaics

Various studies have noted threshold changes in vegetation composition and structure and soil physical and chemical properties in the Albany Thicket biome of South Africa. The aim of this study is to assess if these changes to the environment have transformed the ecosystem’s forage production potential. To estimate forage production potential we compare three models that make use of the mean and variance of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained from two WorldView-2 satellite images. For the models, NDVI values were sampled along four independent piosphere gradients that vary in their intensity of use and rest from herbivory. Our results indicate that the model that makes use of NDVI variance after a good rainfall year is able to discern changes in the forage production potential that corroborate threshold changes in the vegetation and soil environment. Our results support the growing body of evidence that increases in the variance of ecosystem processes and services are important indicators of impending threshold changes in social-ecological systems.

Integrating revised DPSIR and ecological security patterns to assess the health of alpine grassland ecosystems on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Alpine grassland ecosystems on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) provide critical services but face threats from human activity and climate change. Ensuring ecosystem health is vital for sustainability and preserving ecosystem services and processes, especially in delicate ecosystems such as the Gannan alpine grasslands. However, there is currently a lack of a comprehensive model that integrates ecosystem structure, function, processes, and socioeconomic factors. This study proposes a comprehensive ecosystem health assessment approach that combines the revised driver–pressure–state–impact–response (DPSIR) framework with ecological security patterns (ESPs), overcoming the limitations of previous models that focused primarily on ecosystem structure without sufficiently addressing dynamic ecosystem processes. This method aims to diagnose the health of the Gannan alpine grasslands on the QTP from 2000 to 2020. We found that in the context of global climate change, the ecological health was maintained at a relatively high level (covering 75.41 % of the area) in most areas of Gannan, whereas lower levels (12.09 %), were found in the northern areas of Gannan and southwestern areas of Maqu likely resulting from higher livestock density, increased population density, and weaker landscape connectivity. The results of the driver analysis showed that livestock inventory (with an influence Q-value of 0.70) significantly affected the health of the Gannan alpine grassland ecosystem, suggesting that sustainable livestock management is essential for maintaining ecological corridor connectivity, protecting core zones and promoting regional sustainability.

Interactions Between Climate and Species Drive Future Forest Carbon and Water Balances

ABSTRACTGlobal change is altering forest carbon and water balances; however, the extent to which tree species shape ecosystem‐scale responses to climate, particularly in biodiverse forests, remains unclear. To address this, we simulated the effects of an envelope of future climate conditions on watershed carbon and water balances and quantified the contributions of tree species based on their xylem anatomy. We accomplished this by incorporating species‐level transpiration calculations into a landscape‐scale ecosystem process model. Our revised model linked the effects of forest succession, species composition, and climate change on water and carbon. Calibration of forest water fluxes using sap flux measurements and catchment water balances captured variability in species transpiration and interannual ET in biodiverse, humid temperate forest catchments in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, USA. Across wet and dry future climate projections, ET increased, and streamflow and net carbon uptake decreased, particularly under a scenario of increasing drought. Despite accounting for just 30% of current biomass, diffuse‐porous tree species were the main driver of carbon and water flux responses now and in the future, thus intensifying the increase in ET and decline in streamflow. As diffuse‐porous biomass continues to increase, these forests will be increasingly sensitive to drought, amplifying losses of carbon sequestration and freshwater delivery.

Long-read sequencing sheds light on key bacteria contributing to deadwood decomposition processes

BackgroundDeadwood decomposition is an essential ecological process in forest ecosystems, playing a key role in nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration by enriching soils with organic matter. This process is driven by diverse microbial communities encompassing specialized functions in breaking down organic matter, but the specific roles of individual microorganisms in this process are still not fully understood.ResultsHere, we characterized the deadwood microbiome in a natural mixed temperate forest in Central Europe using PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing and a genome-resolved transcriptomics approach in order to uncover key microbial contributors to wood decomposition. We obtained high quality assemblies, which allowed attribution of complex microbial functions such as nitrogen fixation to individual microbial taxa and enabled the recovery of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from both abundant and rare deadwood bacteria. We successfully assembled 69 MAGs (including 14 high-quality and 7 single-contig genomes) from 4 samples, representing most of the abundant bacterial phyla in deadwood. The MAGs exhibited a rich diversity of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), with Myxococcota encoding the highest number of CAZymes and the full complement of enzymes required for cellulose decomposition. For the first time we observed active nitrogen fixation by Steroidobacteraceae, as well as hemicellulose degradation and chitin recycling by Patescibacteria. Furthermore, PacBio HiFi sequencing identified over 1000 biosynthetic gene clusters, highlighting a vast potential for secondary metabolite production in deadwood, particularly in Pseudomonadota and Myxococcota.ConclusionsPacBio HiFi long-read sequencing offers comprehensive insights into deadwood decomposition processes by advancing the identification of functional features involving multiple genes. It represents a robust tool for unraveling novel microbial genomes in complex ecosystems and allows the identification of key microorganisms contributing to deadwood decomposition.

Do microplastics dramatically shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization in marine environments?

The impacts of microplastics (MPs) on the marine ecosystem have remained the focus of global attention. The microbial colonization plays an important role in driving the functional process of entire marine ecosystems, during which protozoa employ primary contributors for transferring the energy flow from the low to high trophic levels. To investigate the effects of MPs on microbial colonization, the protozoan assemblages were used as test organisms and exposed to a gradient of MP concentrations. With the increase of MP stress, the homogeneity of the test organisms was significantly altered: (1) the α- and γ-diversity indices decreased; (2) both univariate β-diversity and multivariate dispersions in species composition with weighted relative abundance increased; and (3) the traditional β-diversity showed a close linear relationship with multivariate dispersions in both the species composition and weighted relative abundance. Therefore, the results suggest that microplastics may dramatically impact the homogeneity of protozoan colonization in marine ecosystems.

Tree species controls over nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in a wet tropical forest

AbstractWet tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle, but given current rates of land‐use change, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) limitation could reduce productivity in regenerating forests in this biome. Whereas the strong controls of climate and parent material over forest recovery are well known, the influence of vegetation can be difficult to determine. We addressed species‐specific differences in plant traits and their relationships to ecosystem properties and processes, relevant to N and P supply to regenerating vegetation in experimental plantations in a single site in lowland wet forest in Costa Rica. Single‐tree species were planted in a randomized block design, such that climate, soil (an Oxisol), and land‐use history were similar for all species. In years 15–25 of the experiment, we measured traits regarding N and P acquisition and use in four native, broad‐leaved, evergreen tree species, including differential effects on soil pH, in conjunction with biomass and soil stocks and fluxes of N and P. Carbon biomass stocks increased significantly with increasing soil pH (p = 0.0184, previously reported) as did biomass P stocks (p = 0.0011). Despite large soil N pools, biomass P stocks were weakly dependent on traits associated with N acquisition and use (N2 fixation and leaf C:N, p < 0.09). Mass‐balance budgets indicated that soil organic matter (SOM) could supply the N and P accumulated in biomass via the process of SOM mineralization. Secondary soil P pools were weakly correlated with biomass C and P stocks (R = 0.47, p = 0.08) and were large enough to have supplied sufficient P in these rapidly growing plantations, suggesting that alteration of soil pH provided a mechanism for liberation of soil P occluded in organo‐mineral soil complexes and thus supply P for plant uptake. These results highlight the importance of considering species' effect on soil pH for restoration projects in highly weathered soils. This study demonstrates mechanisms by which individual species can alter P availability, and thus productivity and C cycling in regenerating humid tropical forests, and the importance of including traits into global models of element cycling.

Restoration treatments enhance tree growth and alter climatic constraints during extreme drought.

The frequency and severity of drought events are predicted to increase due to anthropogenic climate change, with cascading effects across forested ecosystems. Management activities such as forest thinning and prescribed burning, which are often intended to mitigate fire hazard and restore ecosystem processes, may also help promote tree resistance to drought. However, it is unclear whether these treatments remain effective during the most severe drought conditions or whether their impacts differ across environmental gradients. We used tree-ring data from a system of replicated, long-term (>20 years) experiments in the southwestern United States to evaluate the effects of forest restoration treatments (i.e., evidence-based thinning and burning) on annual growth rates (i.e., basal area increment; BAI) of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), a broadly distributed and heavily managed species in western North America. The study sites were established at the onset of the most extreme drought event in at least 1200 years and span much of the climatic niche of Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine. Across sites, tree-level BAI increased due to treatment, where trees in treated units grew 133.1% faster than trees in paired, untreated units. Likewise, trees in treated units grew an average of 85.6% faster than their pre-treatment baseline levels (1985 to ca. 2000), despite warm, dry conditions in the post-treatment period (ca. 2000-2018). Variation in the local competitive environment promoted variation in BAI, and larger trees were the fastest-growing individuals, irrespective of treatment. Tree thinning and prescribed fire altered the climatic constraints on growth, decreasing the effects of belowground moisture availability and increasing the effects of atmospheric evaporative demand over multi-year timescales. Our results illustrate that restoration treatments can enhance tree-level growth across sites spanning ponderosa pine's climatic niche, even during recent, extreme drought events. However, shifting climatic constraints, combined with predicted increases in evaporative demand in the southwestern United States, suggest that the beneficial effects of such treatments on tree growth may wane over the upcoming decades.

Network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy

Abstract The recent emergence of agrivoltaic and ecovoltaic approaches to ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) energy provides a much-needed alternative to the environmentally disruptive practices employed in utility-scale solar development. Research on such land-sharing approaches has grown rapidly, with an emphasis on characterizing how PV arrays impact ecosystem processes and agricultural productivity. Although these studies have done well to quantify a variety of dual-use solar practices by employing site-specific sampling designs, this approach has limited our ability to synthesize results across sites, regions, and globally. We call for a network science approach for improved cross-site synthesis of dual-use solar research. We contend that a common approach for data collection and synthesis will facilitate a more rigorous investigation of the agricultural and ecological impacts of PV development across space and over time. The products of this scientifically informed approach can be directly applied to improve sustainable land management.

Larval dispersal predictions are highly sensitive to hydrodynamic modelling choices

AbstractLarval dispersal is a critical ecological process in marine ecosystems, responsible for connecting and replenishing populations in patchy habitat. Because empirical measurements of larval dispersal are very challenging, coupled biological and oceanographic simulations (“biophysical models”) of larval dispersal are commonly used to answer ecological questions and support conservation management decisions. In the process of creating biophysical models, a series of choices must be made that do not have a single correct answer—sometimes because the oceanographic or ecological processes are uncertain; sometimes because trade-offs are required between different goals (e.g. computational time versus spatial resolution). In this paper, we demonstrate that larval dispersal estimates at management scales are strongly affected by these choices. Using three different hydrodynamic models of the Great Barrier Reef, we estimated the dispersal of crown-of-thorns starfish larvae in the spawning seasons between 2018 and 2021. Despite sharing similar physical forcings and using similar models of larval behaviour, we find that the different hydrodynamic models produce divergent predictions of larval dispersal between the reefs. If used to support crown-of-thorns starfish control decisions, these different predictions would recommend different priority reefs. Our results caution against the use of single models of larval dispersal, and suggest that multi-model ensembles may offer a valuable new perspective on dispersal patterns in marine environments.

Challenges and opportunities when studying movement ecology in science and practical conservation

Movement is a key mechanism influencing biodiversity patterns and ecosystem processes. Movement ecology science aims to understand the causal relationships between environmental conditions, animal movements, interactions and coexistence of species, as well as effects of movement patterns on ecosystem processes. In contrast, practical conservation primarily aims to understand organisms' movements to improve species management, protection, legal monitoring or risk assessment, and species-habitat interactions. Despite the many studies of movement ecology in basic and applied sciences as well as in practical conservation in terrestrial ecosystems, knowledge gain and transfer between disciplines are limited. Better integration and linking of both disciplines would result in diverse science-practice synergies, but these are currently constrained by numerous challenges that need to be overcome. From a scientific perspective, knowledge gain from practice is limited by multitude of case studies with limited spatial and temporal resolution. This can be overcome by improving access and combining the diversity of data for a research area that often deals with small sample sizes. From a practical perspective, the movement ecology framework which is often dedicated to basic research, and access and language barriers of scientific publications limit the application of scientific results in practice. Here movement ecologists should be encouraged to consider conservation issues more frequently in addition to basic research. The transfer of scientific results could be improved by scientists providing sufficient details for practitioners to extract relevant information and publish at least an open-access abstract in local language with clear management recommendations. Further, the use of open-access repositories allows both, scientists and practitioners an overview of the multitude of studies and helps to share data in order to derive general conclusions. Challenges impacting science and practice can be conceptual, organisational and technical in nature. Such constrains can be overcome, for example, by providing verified trapping protocols, using recent technological developments and analytical methods combined with trainings on these state-of-the-art tracking and analysing tools. In particular, collaborative project planning between scientists and practitioners can help to improve the sampling design of applied studies and broaden the data base for science in order to significantly advance the movement ecology framework and gain comprehensive knowledge for practical conservation.

Nitrogen, sulfur, iron, and microbial communities co-shape the seasonal biogeochemical behaviors of As and Sb in coastal tidal flat wetlands associated with rivers

Arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) are affected by complex biogeochemical processes in coastal ecosystems. However, the influence of N, S, Fe, and microbial communities on the biogeochemistry of As and Sb in coastal tidal flat wetlands remain uncertain, particularly when rivers flow into these areas. This study combined diffusive gradients in the thin-film technique with high-throughput sequencing to investigate the release and vertical distribution of As and Sb in river and coastal tidal flat wetland sediments. The results indicated a distinct stratification phenomenon in the As release at depths ranging from 20mm to −150mm. At river sites, the release of As occurred in the upper layer (above −40mm), with peak values of 4.3 and 9.3μg/L at HS and SY sites in summer, respectively, likely due to anaerobic ammonium oxidation. In the lower layer (below −40mm), both As and Sb were released, and this was possibly due to Fe reduction. However, at the coastal tidal flat sites, the release of As and Sb may have been driven by anaerobic ammonium oxidation, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, sulfate reduction, and Fe reduction. At the river sites, As exhibited increased activity during the summer, and the residual forms were converted more easily into mobile forms. Sb remained relatively stable during both winter and summer. Conversely, both As and Sb primarily existed in residual forms and exhibited higher stability during summer in the coastal tidal flat sites. The microbial phyla Nitrospirota (3.6−7.0%) and Acidobacteriota (9.5−10.2%) were more prevalent at the river sites, whereas Desulfobacterota (8.8−12.0%) and Firmicutes (0.13−27.9%) were more prevalent at the coastal tidal flat sites. The bacterial genera involved in the N, S, and Fe transformation processes differed between the two sites, and they were primarily Thiobacillus, Limnobacter, and Sulfurovum at the river sites and Sva1033, Anaeromyxobacter, and Sva0485 at the coastal tidal flat sites. In this study, the microorganisms that mediated N, S, and Fe complex processes at various depths in the sediment–water interface were decoupled to elucidate the effect of these processes on the biogeochemical behavior of As and Sb as they move from rivers to coastal tidal flat wetlands. Environmental ImplicationCoastal wetlands have been experiencing heavy metal contamination, particularly in the estuarine regions affected by industrial activities. It is still not well understood how As and Sb behave biogeochemically in river and coastal tidal flat wetlands. This study provided an in-depth understanding of the effect of nitrogen, sulfur, iron, and microbial communities on the behavior of As and Sb in these areas. This study also highlights the eutrophication may increase As/Sb pollution in river areas. And these heavy metals may accumulate in seafood, potentially leading to heightened health risks of As and Sb poisoning in coastal tidal flat wetlands.