Transformation Of Ecosystems Research Articles

Diverse prehistoric cattle husbandry strategies in the forests of Central Europe.

During the sixth millennium BCE, the first farmers of Central Europe rapidly expanded across a varied mosaic of forested environments. Such environments would have offered important sources of mineral-rich animal feed and shelter, prompting the question: to what extent did early farmers exploit forests to raise their herds? Here, to resolve this, we have assembled multi-regional datasets, comprising bulk and compound-specific stable isotope values from zooarchaeological remains and pottery, and conducted cross-correlation analyses within a palaeo-environmental framework. Our findings reveal a diversity of pasturing strategies for cattle employed by early farmers, with a notable emphasis on intensive utilization of forests for grazing and seasonal foddering in some regions. This experimentation with forest-based animal feeds by early farmers would have enhanced animal fertility and milk yields for human consumption, concurrently contributing to the expansion of prehistoric farming settlements and the transformation of forest ecosystems. Our study emphasizes the intricate relationship that existed between early farmers and forested landscapes, shedding light on the adaptive dynamics that shaped humans, animals and environments in the past.

Determining the Consequences of Climate Change for Aquatic Ecosystems Using Bioassay Methods: a Review

The article describes the scientific and methodological possibilities of bioassay in the field of studying the effects of climate change on water bodies and aquatic organisms. In fish aquaculture, it was revealed that an increase in water temperature changes the biochemical parameters of the internal environments of organisms, affects their behavior and the number of offspring. A number of biogeochemical transformations of aquatic ecosystems are predicted: a decrease in the pH of water, mineralization of organic matter of bottom sediments, release and increase in bioavailability of compounds of potentially toxic elements. Bioassay methods using monocultures and laboratory microcosms have shown that maximum temperature values and a cascade of concomitant changes will lead to a restructuring of the aquatic life community, changes in the habitats of organisms, and the disappearance of stenothermic species. The realism of such scenarios is confirmed by paleodata and modern natural phenomena.

Diverse rhizosphere-associated Pseudomonas genomes from along a Wadden Island salt marsh transition zone

Soil microbes are key drivers of ecosystem processes promoting nutrient cycling, system productivity, and resilience. While much is known about the roles of microbes in established systems, their impact on soil development and the successional transformation over time remains poorly understood. Here, we provide 67 diverse, rhizosphere-associated Pseudomonas draft genomes from an undisturbed salt march primary succession spanning >100 years of soil development. Pseudomonas are cosmopolitan bacteria with a significant role in plant establishment and growth. We obtained isolates associated with Limonium vulgare and Artemisia maritima, two typical salt marsh perennial plants with roles in soil stabilization, salinity regulation, and biodiversity support. We anticipate that our data, in combination with the provided physiochemical measurements, will help identify genomic signatures associated with the different selective regimes along the successional stages, such as varying soil complexity, texture, and nutrient availability. Such findings would advance our understanding of Pseudomonas’ role in natural soil ecosystems and provide the basis for a better understanding of the roles of microbes throughout ecosystem transformations.

Challenges and Opportunities in Transitioning Autistic Individuals Into Adulthood.

Approximately 1.2 million autistic youth will reach the legal age of adulthood over the next decade. Given dynamic changes in the socioecological context of the transition to adulthood, we produced an updated transitions research agenda reflecting the perspectives of autistic young adults, care partners (parents), and professionals who use autism research. We conducted 9 focus groups: 4 young adult, 4 care partner, and 1 professional, with 59 total participants. Young adults were grouped by self-reported identity: (1) racial and ethnic minority, (2) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other identities, and (3) nonspeaking, in addition to a general group. We selected care partners who supported youth with varying intensity of support needs. We used rapid qualitative inquiry methods to extract key points from answers to semistructured interview questions. Delays in diagnosis and transition processes, and placement on wait lists resulted in significant obstacles to successful transitions. Parents assumed a dominant role by coordinating services, navigating systems and identifying opportunities for community participation, and providing direct supports. There was an overarching need for inclusion of autistic people in transitions research and consideration of cultural differences in priorities and values. Participants prioritized investigation of variation in transitions among autistic youth with intersecting identities, navigation support (eg, peer mentors), efficacy of services and supports (eg, transition and employment services), differences in available services by location, and problems within specific benefits programs. Research should focus on understanding population-level factors of system performance on outcomes and support needs, service delivery among marginalized groups, and transformation of complex service ecosystems.

Surging compound drought–heatwaves underrated in global soils

Compound drought-heatwaves (CDHWs) accelerate the warming and drying of soils, triggering soil compound drought-heatwaves (SCDHWs) that jeopardize the health of soil ecosystems. Nevertheless, the behavior of these events worldwide and their responses to climatic warming are underexplored. Here, we show a global escalation in the frequency, duration, peak intensity, and severity of SCDHWs, as well as an increase in affected land area, from 1980 to 2023. The increasing trends, which are particularly prominent since the early 2000 s, and projected to persist throughout this century, are dominated by summertime SCDHWs and enhanced by El Niño. Intensive soil warming as well as climatologically lower soil temperatures compared to air temperatures lead to localized hotspots of escalating SCDHW severity in northern high latitudes, while prolonged duration causes such hotspots in northern South America. Transformation of natural ecosystems, particularly forests and wetlands, to cropland as well as forest degradation substantially enhance the strength of SCDHWs. Global SCDHWs consistently exhibit higher frequencies, longer durations, greater severities, and faster growth rates than CDHWs in all aspects from 1980 to 2023. They are undergoing a critical transition, with droughts replacing heatwaves as the primary constraint. We emphasize the significant intensification of SCDHWs in northern high latitudes as well as the prolonged duration of SCDHWs in the Southern Hemisphere, posing an underrated threat to achieving carbon neutrality and food security goals.

Digital Twin-Assisted anomaly detection for industrial scenarios

Industry 5.0 is the current industrial paradigm that inherits the technological diversity of its predecessor, Industry 4.0, but includes three priority goals: (i) resilience, (ii) sustainability and (iii) human-centeredness. Through these three goals, Industry 5.0 pursues a more far-reaching digital transformation in industrial ecosystems with high protection guarantees. However, the deployment of innovative information technologies for this new digital transformation also requires considering their implicit vulnerabilities and threats in order to avoid any negative impacts on the three Industry 5.0 goals, and to prioritize cybersecurity aspects so as to ensure acceptable protection levels. This paper, therefore, proposes a detection framework composed of a Digital Twin (DT) and machine learning algorithms for online protection, supporting the resilience that Industry 5.0 seeks. To validate the approach, this work includes several practical studies on a real industrial control testbed to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of the framework, taking into account a set of malicious perturbations in several critical sections of the system. The results highlight the effectiveness of the DT in complementing the anomaly detection processes, especially for advanced and stealthy threats.

Chemical composition of sediment and macrozoobenthos of small urban lakes, the Republic of Karelia, Russia

Assessing the benthic communities in water bodies under increasing anthropogenic pressure seems to be an urgent task of scientific research aimed at short-term and long-term monitoring of water bodies. This study focuses on the chemical composition of modern sediment and the current state of macrozoobenthos of small lakes in the Republic of Karelia (Kitaiskoe and Plotichie) influenced by anthropogenic factors. It was discovered that the lakes of Medvezhyegorsk have a higher concentration of heavy metals (such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), molybdenum (Mo), and antimony (Sb),) compared to the Earth’s crust and natural background levels. The current study established the significant impact of industry and transportation on the movement and build up of pollutants in these lakes. The qualitative and quantitative parameters analysed for the benthic communities in the littoral and profundal zones included the species diversity, the structure of dominant species, and their percentage in the samples. According to the level of macrozoobenthos development, both reservoirs (lakes) were classified as mesotrophic, and according to the values of the chironomid index “K” as moderately polluted. The Pantle–Buck method (saprobic index) showed that the lakes can be classified as polluted (water quality class 4). Macrozoobenthos groups most tolerant to environmental conditions, for example, Chironomidae larvae, prevailed in the studied urban lakes. The economic development of the lakes leads to ecosystem transformation and long-term eutrophication over time affecting the biotic indicators of surface water quality. The results obtained can serve as a basis for complex environmental monitoring of the urbanized territories in the taiga zone.

The Ecological Consequences of Developmentalist Modernism

This commentary argues that Stevan Harrell’s An Ecological History of Modern China offers valuable insights into the transformation of ecosystems, which reflect the lived experiences of Chinese people. It examines some of the more contentious claims found in the book, particularly its treatment of politics. It suggests that, while Harrell downplays the importance of party politics and ideological campaigns, the ecological transformations he describes are inextricable from the turbulent political contexts in which they unfolded, from the local politics of village governance to the global politics of the Cold War. It concludes by suggesting that it is Harrell’s extensive research experience as an ethnographer that has allowed him to write such a vivid and insightful history of modern China.

Advancing Global Health Equity in Oncology Clinical Trial Access.

Despite exponentially increased industry investment in oncology research and development with more than $80 billion spent annually, patient enrollment in clinical trials remains below 5% globally. Our multistakeholder international cancer coalition envisions ecosystem transformation with capacity building through a global "hub-and-spoke" network model to expand access to and accelerate clinical trials, thus ending cancer as a major cause of death in this lifetime.

Land Use Land Cover Dynamics around a Western Himalayan Wetland using Geospatial Techniques

Despite having multitude of environmental advantages, wetlands are facing serious anthropogenic threats due to changes in the surrounding area. Therefore, the present investigation has been conducted to evaluate the landuse land cover (LULC) around a 6 km buffer strip of Nowgam wetland located in Kashmir valley. The detection of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes was conducted using Landsat imagery within ArcGIS, spanning a 22-year period from 2000 to 2022. The Landsat imageries of three years (2000, 2010 and 2022) were classified using the supervised classification algorithm (maximum likelihood classification) in ArcGIS. Five LULC classes, viz., water, agriculture, settlement, vegetation and bareland were identified in the study region. The exploration of the classified images revealed the area under water decreased by about 56% while as area under agriculture and settlement increased by 44.7% and 30.9%, respectively. The area under vegetation decreased by 7.3% and area under bareland increased by 8.0%. The outcomes of the present discourse reveal that the changes in LULC around the Nowgam wetland are mostly anthropogenic which may pose serious threat to wetland ecosystem in near future. The present study provides a baseline data regarding ecosystem transformations and acts as an important stimulus for all the stakeholders of wetland in planning and implementation of the strategic conservational measures in Nowgam wetland (Bandipora).

From reduction to rebalancing: Insights into the long-term effects of sediment dredging on nitrogen transformations in river ecosystems

Although sediment dredging is a widely employed water management and restoration technique for the removal of internal nitrogen (N), the long-term effects of dredging on N transformation in dredged rivers remain largely undetermined. In this study, we investigated the effects of dredging on N transformation processes spanning three years at ten sites in the purple-soil watershed within the middle reaches of the Fu River Basin. We combined isotopic and molecular techniques to provide novel insights into the interactions associated with microbial utilization capacities between sediment and river water before, during, and after dredging. Initially, dredging was found to significantly reduce the total nitrogen content by approximately 75 %, although over time, there was a slight increase in concentrations. Secondly, significant reductions in microbial richness and diversity were detected in both river water and sediment, with 39 classes reduced, 12 new classes emerging, and an increase in archaea, reshaping the microbial community. Lastly, dredging was found to promote a significant shift in functional contributions, with increases in the abundance of key enzyme activities (1.7.5.1 and 1.7.2.5) and denitrification genes (nirK, norB, and nosZ). This enhancement notably promoted denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), accompanied by significant environmental changes in sediment and river water. These changes facilitated the removal of nitrates in the Xiangshuitan watershed. Our study overcomes the limitations associated with watershed and microenvironment scales, providing insights into the mechanisms where by dredging activities influence the interplay between external and internal N transformations.

AI-enabled smart manufacturing boosts ecosystem value capture: The importance of servitization pathways within digital-intensive industries

Understanding successful pathways for manufacturers to capture value within the service ecosystem framework is a recent and still nascent area of research that requires further investigation and growth. Within industrial settings, artificial intelligence (AI) constitutes an enabling technology that can be integrated across a network of products and systems, driving the transformation of these service ecosystems. From this perspective, this study proposes that the symbiotic convergence between AI-enabled smart manufacturing, which facilitates process and product enhancements, and servitization, which enables product availability and customization, contributes to a higher level of ecosystem value capture. To address this issue, a research model employing Smart Partial Least Squares was developed to examine the interplay between these constructs. By using survey data from a purposively selected sample of servitized manufacturing firms, the findings reveal the synergistic effects of integrating AI-enabled smart manufacturing and servitization. Furthermore, the results indicate variances across industrial sectors, and highlight that in digitally-intensive industries, service business models have undergone more substantial transformations, fostering accelerated ecosystem development streamlined by customization. Conversely, in digitally-augmented industries, where inputs are digital but products are predominantly analog, digital capabilities are primarily confined to production processes.

A Systematic Review in Digital Entrepreneurship Ecosystems

This study conducts a systematic review of Digital Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (DEEs), focusing on their organization, development, and impact within the Greek Chamber of Commerce. Utilizing the Webster and Watson (2002) methodology, the review examines a broad range of literature to design and analyze a DEE framework. The study emphasizes the significance of innovation and digital collaboration in fostering entrepreneurship. The review identifies key themes including technological platforms, e-governance, and user satisfaction. Findings indicate that DEEs play a crucial role in enhancing business development through digital means. The study aims to bridge the knowledge gap in DEE literature and provide a practical foundation for similar initiatives. The research underscores the need for digital transformation in business ecosystems to support extroversion, innovation, and targeted entrepreneurial actions, advocating for cultural, structural, and systemic changes within chambers of commerce to better serve businesses and foster long-term relationships.

Nitrogen and phosphorus additions alter soil N transformations in a Metasequoia glyptostroboides plantation.

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) enrichment due to anthropogenic activities can significantly affect soil N transformations in forest ecosystems. However, the effects of N and P additions on nitrification and denitrification processes in Metasequoia glyptostroboides plantations, and economically important forest type in China, remain poorly understood. This study investigated the responses of soil nitrification and denitrification rates, as well as the abundances of nitrifiers and denitrifiers, to different levels of N and P additions in a 6-year nutrient addition experiment in a M. glyptostroboides plantation. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify the main predictors of nitrification and denitrification rates. The results showed that moderate N addition (N2 treatment, 2.4 mol·m-2) stimulated nitrification rates and abundances of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), while excessive N and P additions inhibited denitrification rates and reduced the abundance of nirS-type denitrifiers. AOB abundance was the main predictor of nitrification rates under N additions, whereas microbial biomass carbon and nirS gene abundance were the key factors controlling denitrification rates. Under P additions, tree growth parameters (diameter at breast height and crown base height) and AOB abundance were the primary predictors of nitrification and denitrification rates. Our study reveals complex interactions among nutrient inputs, plant growth, soil properties, and microbial communities in regulating soil N transformations in plantation forests. This study also offers valuable insights for formulating effective nutrient management strategies to enhance the growth and health of M. glyptostroboides plantations under scenarios of increasing elevated nutrient deposition.

The plurivocal university: Typologizing the diverse voices of a research university on social media.

Science communication has diversified in the wake of the digital transformation of communication and media ecosystems. Social media enable universities, but also academics and institutions affiliated with them, to expand their communication. This leads to increasing plurivocality of universities, yet the many different voices remain largely unexplored. This study develops a typology to conceptually distinguish eight voices by their representational role, hierarchical embeddedness, type, and affiliation. Based on a quantitative content and social network analysis of more than 600 Twitter accounts linked to a research university, it identifies six types of voices empirically. The study compares interactions among these voices, showing differences between central and decentral, as well as institutional and individual voices, and highlighting closer exchanges between voices within the same disciplinary communities. It also examines topics and tonality, revealing that decentral institutional voices engage most in science-related topics, and that only current and former students express critical views.

Microplastics and benthic animals reshape the geochemical characteristics of dissolved organic matter by inducing changes in keystone microbes in riparian sediments

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in riparian sediments plays a vital role in regulating element cycling and pollutant behavior of river ecosystems. Microplastics (MPs) and benthic animals (BAs) have been frequently detected in riparian sediments, influencing the substance transformation in river ecosystems. However, there is still a lack of systematic investigation on the effects of MPs and BAs on sediment DOM. This study investigated the impact of MPs and BAs on the geochemical characteristics of DOM in riparian sediments and their microbial mechanisms. The results showed that MPs and BAs increased sediment DOC concentration by 34.24%∼232.97% and promoted the conversion of macromolecular components to small molecular components, thereby reducing the humification degree of DOM. Mathematical model verified that the changes of keystone microbes composition in sediments were direct factors affecting the characteristics of DOM in riparian sediment. Especially, MPs tolerant microbes, including Planctomicrobium, Rhodobacter, Hirschia and Lautropia, significantly increased DOC concentration and decreased humification degree (P < 0.05). In addition, MPs and BAs could also influence keystone microbes in sediments by altering the structure of microbial network, thereby indirectly affecting DOM characteristics. The study demonstrates the pollution behavior of MPs in river ecosystems and provides a basis for protecting the ecological function of riparian sediments from MPs pollution.

Transformation of Ecosystems of Floodplain Water Bodies under Current Natural and Anthropogenic Changes and Possible Strategies for their Conservation

Transformation of Ecosystems of Floodplain Water Bodies under Current Natural and Anthropogenic Changes and Possible Strategies for their Conservation

Synphytoindication models of the anthropogenic transformation of ecosystems

Human activity related to the exploitation or protection of environmental elements requires the creation of forecasts of the consequences involved. Such forecasts are not possible without the construction of models of ecosystems and the processes occurring in them. One of the critical elements in modern forecasting of the dynamics of ecosystems is the modelling of their anthropogenic block. Our research aims to develop methods for assessing the anthropogenic transformation of ecosystems necessary for modelling their state and dynamics. In accordance with the goal, we set ourselves the following tasks: to determine the limits of anthropotolerance of plant species; to evaluate the hemeroby of plant groups by the methods of synphytoindication; to create models of mutual dependence between anthropogenic transformation and natural dynamics. To implement the tasks, we used standard geobotanical methods (creating a geobotanical description, classification of plant communities, and synphytoindication). Hemeroby of plant communities can be used as an indicator of the anthropogenic transformation of ecosystems. To do this, we measure the boundaries of anthropotolerance of the plant species that make up these groupings. The range of anthropotolerance of individual plant species can be determined by the 12 most common types of human activity. The strength of their impact on ecosystems was determined by the induced changes in above-ground phytomass. The transition from anthropotolerance of individual species to hemeroby of plant communities was carried out according to the classical synphytoindication technique. We created an 18-point scale by assigning three points to each classic type of hemoroby. The use of the synphytoindication scale allows modelling of the interdependence between anthropogenic transformation and the measurable characteristics of the ecosystem. An inverse linear relationship with a probability of approximation of 0.2 and a correlation coefficient of 0.45 is an indicator of natural dynamics and the level of anthropogenic transformation. The correlation coefficient is 0.29 for ecosystems that are not suitable for economic use, and 0.85 for the rest.

Hemeroby and naturalness differ in spatial patterns: the case of aquatic macrophytes

ABSTRACT Hemeroby and naturalness are indicators of ecosystem health and can be used to assess the state of aquatic macrophyte communities in floodplain landscapes under anthropogenic pressure. This article verifies the hypothesis that hemeroby and naturalness are distinguished by specific spatial patterns. Hemeroby is sensitive to changes in the level of anthropogenic pressure under conditions of a high level of ecosystem transformation. Naturalness is capable of responding to environmental disturbances of both natural and anthropogenic origin and is sensitive to changes in the state of ecosystems as they approach natural conditions. The variability of the naturalness of aquatic macrophyte communities does not depend on the direction of spatial patterns. Accounting for the directionality of spatial patterns provides a better explanation for the small-scale component of community hemeroby variability.

Pushing the boundaries: actual and potential distribution of thrushes expanding their ranges in South America

The distribution of a species reflects its ecological adaptability and evolutionary history, which is shaped by the environment and represents a dynamic area subject to anthropogenic environmental change. We used the MaxEnt algorithm to construct ecological niche models for four thrush species within the Turdus genus; T. amaurochalinus, T. chiguanco, T. falcklandii and T. rufiventris. These models were used to predict the potential geographic distributions of these species that are expanding their ranges in South America. Using occurrence records, we estimated currently occupied areas for each species. We also identified suitable habitats and projected possible areas to be colonized by the four species at continental scale. Temperature annual range had the highest influence for T. falcklandii, while human modification was the main variable explaining the distribution of the other three species. The potential distribution area ranged from 2.5 million km2 for T. falcklandii to nearly seven million km2 for T. amaurochalinus. Large proportions of suitable area remain unoccupied by all four species, being 50% for T. amaurochalinus and T. rufiventris, and about 70% for T. chiguanco and T. falcklandii. Anthropogenic disturbances, such as habitat loss and ecosystem transformation, lead to non-random species extinction and biotic homogenization, highlighting the importance of predictive models as valuable tools for informing mitigation policies and conservation strategies. Thrushes are progressively expanding their ranges, and the colonization of new habitats could bring new challenges.