Understanding Of Ecology Research Articles

A thorny problem: defining weeds from the medieval to the present

Weeds are a troublesome category because they are plants with a mind of their own. They do not fall neatly into human dichotomies of wild plants versus domesticated plants, and as such have defied absolute definition for hundreds of years. This article traces attempts to define and study weeds from the late medieval period to the present day across disciplinary boundaries, moving between early modern agricultural writing, contemporary weed science, environmental history and archaeology, and biogeography. Two approaches to the study of weeds are laid out in this article: how people have defined the word weed over the course of centuries, and how the concept of the weed has been applied to specific plants. Drawing from work in vegetal agency and relationality, this article argues for weeds to be understood as unintended plants that play a role as neighbors and partners in agroecological systems rather than as unwanted plants, bad plants, or plants in the wrong place. Ultimately, this article argues for this ecological understanding of weeds as independent actors as a way to push scholars to recontextualize the ways in which they study the histories and futures of more-than-human elements in the world, particularly plants.

Assessing spatial structure in marine populations using network theory: A case study of Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) connectivity.

Knowledge of the geographic distribution and connectivity of marine populations is essential for ecological understanding and informing management. Previous works have assessed spatial structure by quantifying exchange using Lagrangian particle-tracking simulations, but their scope of analysis is limited by their use of predefined subpopulations. To instead delineate subpopulations emerging naturally from marine population connectivity, we interpret this connectivity as a network, enabling the use of powerful analytic tools from the field of network theory. The modelling approach presented here uses particle-tracking to construct a transport network, and then applies the community detection algorithm Infomap to identify subpopulations that exhibit high internal connectivity and sparse connectivity with other subpopulations. An established quality metric, the coherence ratio, and a new metric we introduce indicating self-recruitment to subpopulations, dubbed the fortress ratio, are used to interpret community-level exchange. We use the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) in the northwest Atlantic as a case study. Results suggest that genetic lineages of P. magellanicus demonstrate spatial substructure that depends on horizontal transport, vertical motility, and suitable habitat. Our results support connectivity previously characterized on Georges Bank and Mid-Atlantic Bight. The Gulf of St. Lawrence genetic lineage is found to consist of five subpopulations that are classified as being a sink, source, permeable, or impermeable using quality metrics. This approach may be applied to other planktonic dispersers and prove useful to management.

Endophytic Bacterial Community, Core Taxa, and Functional Variations Within the Fruiting Bodies of Laccaria

Macrofungi do not exist in isolation but establish symbiotic relationships with microorganisms, particularly bacteria, within their fruiting bodies. Herein, we examined the fruiting bodies’ bacteriome of seven species of the genus Laccaria collected from four locations in Yunnan, China. By analyzing bacterial diversity, community structure, and function through 16S rRNA sequencing, we observed the following: (1) In total, 4,840,291 high-quality bacterial sequences obtained from the fruiting bodies were grouped into 16,577 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), and all samples comprised 23 shared bacterial ASVs. (2) The Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium complex was found to be the most abundant and presumably coexisting bacterium. (3) A network analysis revealed that endophytic bacteria formed functional groups, which were dominated by the genera Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium, Novosphingobium, and Variovorax. (4) The diversity, community structure, and dominance of ecological functions (chemoheterotrophy and nitrogen cycling) among endophytic bacteria were significantly shaped by geographic location, habitat, and fungal genotype, rather than fruiting body type. (5) A large number of the endophytic bacteria within Laccaria are bacteria that promote plant growth; however, some pathogenic bacteria that pose a threat to human health might also be present. This research advances our understanding of the microbial ecology of Laccaria and the factors shaping its endophytic bacterial communities.

Preface: A unified understanding of macrophyte ecology and adaptations: plant functional traits and trait-based approaches

Preface: A unified understanding of macrophyte ecology and adaptations: plant functional traits and trait-based approaches

Microbial consortia driving (ligno)cellulose transformation in agricultural woodchip bioreactors.

Freshwater ecosystems face significant threats from agricultural runoff, which can lead to eutrophication and subsequent degradation of water quality. One solution to mitigate this issue is using denitrifying woodchip bioreactors (WBRs), where microorganisms convert nitrate into nitrogen gases utilizing lignocellulose as a carbon source. Despite the well-documented polysaccharide-degrading strategies in various systems, the mechanisms employed by denitrifying microorganisms in WBRs remain largely unexplored. This study fills a critical knowledge gap by revealing the degrading strategies of denitrifying microbial communities in WBRs. By integrating state-of-the-art techniques, we have identified key microbial drivers including Giesbergeria, Cellulomonas, Azonexus, and UBA5070 (Fibrobacterota) playing significant roles in lignocellulose transformation and showcasing a broad substrate specificity and complex metabolic capability. Our findings advance the understanding of microbial ecology in WBRs and by revealing the enzymatic activities, this research may inform efforts to improve water quality, protect aquatic ecosystems, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from WBRs.

EPCO-40. TRANSCRIPTIONAL TRAJECTORY INFERENCE OF IMAGE-LOCALIZED, MULTI-REGIONAL HIGH-GRADE GLIOMA BIOPSIES REVEALS DISTINCT POPULATION ECOLOGIES AND SEX-ASSOCIATED ENRICHED PATHWAYS

Abstract The intra- and inter-patient heterogeneity in high-grade glioma (HGG) continues to contribute to its poor prognosis. Clinical biopsies are often harvested from limited regions and typically are not image localized. Thus, they fail to capture the diversity within tumor regions, immune expression or normal cell abundances that play key roles in tumor development. It is important to gain an understanding of these subpopulation ecologies, their spatial resolution, and interactions between them that may then be exploited for future therapeutic benefit. Further, these may differ by patient characteristics such as sex, age at diagnosis and treatment status. Using an ongoing image-localized biopsy collection protocol, we have so far evaluated the bulk transcriptomics of 202 multi-regional biopsies from 58 patients to characterize HGG heterogeneity. These samples were processed through Monocle, a reverse graph embedding algorithm that groups samples into states and orders them along developmental trajectories. Deconvolution methods were previously used to predict relative abundances of 7 normal, 6 glioma, and 5 immune cell subpopulations for each sample, which we have now overlaid on the Monocle graph. Monocle classified HGG into 4 main states along a three-pronged trajectory. These states reveal distinct population ecologies with associated enriched gene pathways. We also note significant immune pathway enrichments that differ between state and patient-reported sex. Together, these algorithms reveal a simple transcriptomic trajectory that helps us understand the development and evolution of HGG. Characterizing the in vivo diversity within and between high grade gliomas is important for understanding prognosis, stratifying future treatments and ultimately improving patient outcome.

A metagenomic catalogue of the ruminant gut archaeome

While the ruminant gut archaeome regulates the gut microbiota and hydrogen balance, it is also a major producer of the greenhouse gas methane. However, ruminant gut archaeome diversity within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of ruminant animals worldwide remains largely underexplored. Here, we construct a catalogue of 998 unique archaeal genomes recovered from the GITs of ruminants, utilizing 2270 metagenomic samples across 10 different ruminant species. Most of the archaeal genomes (669/998 = 67.03%) belong to Methanobacteriaceae and Methanomethylophilaceae (198/998 = 19.84%). We recover 47/279 previously undescribed archaeal genomes at the strain level with completeness of >80% and contamination of <5%. We also investigate the archaeal gut biogeography across various ruminants and demonstrate that archaeal compositional similarities vary significantly by breed and gut location. The catalogue contains 42,691 protein clusters, and the clustering and methanogenic pathway analysis reveal strain- and host-specific dependencies among ruminant animals. We also find that archaea potentially carry antibiotic and metal resistance genes, mobile genetic elements, virulence factors, quorum sensors, and complex archaeal viromes. Overall, this catalogue is a substantial repository for ruminant archaeal recourses, providing potential for advancing our understanding of archaeal ecology and discovering strategies to regulate methane production in ruminants.

Gut microbiota in symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease stratifies by severity of abdominal pain.

Patients with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) may have a disrupted gut microbiota. However, current data are from small sample studies, and reported associations vary widely across studies. We aimed to profile the fecal microbiota in SUDD patients enrolled in primary care. A retrospective study was conducted in SUDD (N = 72) and asymptomatic diverticulosis (AD) (N = 30), the latter serving as a control group. No significant differences in alpha and beta diversity were found between SUDD and AD, but SUDD was discriminated by a higher relative abundance of the family Streptococcaceae and the genera Alistipes, Agathobacter, and Butyricimonas. Interestingly, the gut microbiota of SUDD patients stratified by the severity of abdominal pain [according to the visual analog scale (VAS)]. In particular, higher diversity and health-associated taxa (such as Bifidobacterium, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group, and Dorea) characterized mild (VAS score 1-3) SUDD, Proteobacteria, Veillonellaceae and Blautia moderate (VAS score 4-7) SUDD, and Prevotellaceae and Megasphaera severe (VAS score 8-10) SUDD. Our analysis suggests that specific taxa may be related to SUDD, but the associations vary depending on the severity of abdominal pain. In addition to advancing our ecological understanding of this complex disease, our findings may pave the way for the incorporation of gut microbiota profiling into clinical practice to aid patient management, including stratification and treatment.

Collectively Working towards Plant-Pollinator Interactions Data Interoperability and Reuse: Lessons Learned from the WorldFAIR Project

The WorldFAIR project worked with eleven case studies to advance the implementation of the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable; Wilkinson et al. 2016). The Case Study on Agricultural Biodiversity (Drucker et al. 2022) addressed the challenges of advancing interoperability and mobilizing plant-pollinator interaction data for reuse. In the first phase of the project we performed a landscape analysis and found that a significant amount of data on plant-pollinator interaction was available as supplementary files of research articles, in a range of formats such as PDFs, Excel® spreadsheets, and text files. The diversity of approaches and the lack of appropriate data vocabularies led to confusion, information loss, and the need for complex data interpretation and transformation. In the second phase of the project, we performed six studies to adopt standards recommended in the first phase. Our approach for plant-pollinator data standardization was based on Darwin Core (Darwin Core Task Group 2009) and Ecological Data Language (EML, Jones et al. 2019), in conjunction with a data model and vocabulary proposed by the Brazilian Network of Plant-Pollinator Interactions (REBIPP). The studies underwent a process of “FAIRification” (i.e., transforming data into a format that adheres to the FAIR data principles) using the Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI, Poelen et al. 2014) platform. Two studies also explored the publishing model for Biotic Interactions as part of the GBIF New Data Model. The standardization strategy was successful and increased the interoperability of plant-pollinator interaction data, resulting in a process that allows tracking the provenance of the data, as well as facilitates the reuse of datasets (Drucker et al. 2024). This effort led to the development of "FAIR best practices" and guidelines for sharing plant-pollinator interaction data, as well as a FAIR assessment tool designed to help researchers and institutions evaluate adherence to the FAIR principles (Drucker et al. 2024). A tutorial to standardize plant-pollinator datasets (Gonzalez-Vaquero et al. 2024) and a cookbook with guidelines and recommendations for publishing agriculture-related plant-pollinator data (Salim et al. 2024) were developed to help different actors standardize plant-pollinator interaction data in accordance with the FAIR principles. Moving from diverse approaches and siloed initiatives to widely available FAIR plant-pollination interaction data for scientists and decision-makers will enable the development of integrative studies that enhance our understanding of species biology, behavior, ecology, phenology, and evolution.

People or predators? Comparing habitat‐dependent effects of hunting and large carnivores on the abundance of North America's top mesocarnivore

Variation in animal abundance is shaped by scale‐dependent habitat, competition, and anthropogenic influences. Coyotes Canis latrans have dramatically increased in abundance while expanding their range over the past 100 years. Management goals typically seek to lower coyote populations to reduce their threats to humans, pets, livestock and sensitive prey. Despite their outsized ecological and social roles in the Americas, the factors affecting coyote abundance across their range remain unclear. We fit Royle–Nichols abundance models at two spatial scales in a Bayesian hierarchical framework to three years of data from 4587 camera trap sites arranged in 254 arrays across the contiguous USA to assess how habitat, large carnivores, anthropogenic development and hunting regulations affect coyote abundance. Coyote abundance was highest in southwestern USA and lowest in the northeast. Abundance responded to some factors as expected, including positive (soft mast, agriculture, grass/shrub habitat, urban–natural edge) and negative (latitude and forest cover) relationships. Colonization date had a negative relationship, suggesting coyote populations have not reached carrying capacity in recently colonized regions. Several relationships were scale‐dependent, including urban development, which was negative at local (100‐m) scales but positive at larger (5‐km) scales. Large carnivore effects were habitat‐dependent, with sometimes opposing relationships manifesting across variation in forest cover and urban development. Coyote abundance was higher where human hunting was permitted, and this relationship was strongest at local scales. These results, including a national map of coyote abundance, update ecological understanding of coyotes and can inform coyote management at local and landscape scales. These findings expand results from local studies suggesting that directly hunting coyotes does not decrease their abundance and may actually increase it. Ongoing large carnivore recoveries globally will likely affect subordinate carnivore abundance, but not in universally negative ways, and our work demonstrates how such effects can be habitat and scale dependent.

Meshwork Ecology: Climate and Colonialism in Diene's Hell Freezes Over and Ruga's Public Service Announcement

ABSTRACT: Within global academia, activism, and cultural production there has been a turn towards what I conceptualize as meshwork ecology . Here, the relationality and interdependency of all earthbound things are emphasized, as is the multiplicity of human and nonhuman ontologies and epistemologies existing on the planet. This paper demonstrates how reading for meshwork ecological elements can bring to light new features of ecocentric African speculative fiction. After unpacking my understanding of meshwork ecology, I read for certain meshwork ecological elements the novella "Hell Freezes Over" by Mame Bougouma Diene and the short film Public Service Announcement by Athipatra Ruga. I show how reading for meshwork ecological elements illuminates four central aspects of these texts: 1) the interrogation of colonial ways of inhabiting the earth, 2) the centering of interconnectedness and relationality with the nonhuman, 3) thinking with multiple temporalities, and 4) exploring assemblages that involve technology, humanity, and the nonhuman. I expound on how I understand these texts in conversation with meshwork ecological scholarship as examples of planetary resonances, in this case a shared engagement with the looming reality of climate change and the pressing need to rethink how humanity relates to the nonhuman world.

Antennal olfactory responses in the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens

The Black Soldier Fly (BSF) is considered as the “crown jewel” of the insect feed industry and circular economy, significantly contributing to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and enabling circular management of organic waste, animal manure, and plant residues. Despite their industrial importance, limited knowledge about adult BSF biology has hindered optimal mass production. In this context, the present paper aims to explore the olfactory capabilities of both male and female BSF in response to various odorants commonly associated with organic decomposition in substrates suitable for mate encounters and egg laying. This will be achieved by performing electroantennographic recordings and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations on the antennal sensilla. Our results demonstrate for the first time the supposed olfactory capabilities of BSF antennae and present a first dataset of substances emitted by decaying organic matter detected by both male and female flies. Additionally, the current EAG recordings allowed comparisons with molecular data previously obtained through in silico and in vitro methods, highlighting the need for caution and strongly supporting a multidisciplinary approach as the best tool for investigating insect chemical ecology. These findings advance our understanding of BSF chemical ecology, which is crucial for effective reproduction and could significantly optimize global breeding systems

Citizen science promotes knowledge, skills and collective action to monitor and protect freshwater streams

Abstract Citizen science has great potential to foster ecological knowledge, skills and collective action for biodiversity conservation. To date, however, there are few experimental studies of behaviour change outcomes induced by citizen science. We assessed the effects of citizen science in ecological stream monitoring on participants' individual and collective behaviour and action intentions to protect streams beyond the immediate scope of the citizen science project. For this we applied a three‐wave, quasi‐experimental survey design with a citizen science treatment group (N = 213 participants of the project FLOW in Germany) and two control groups (waiting control group: N = 92, panel control group: N = 250). In addition, we analysed citizen science effects on potential predictors of freshwater conservation behaviour, such as knowledge, skills, awareness of stream stressors and group identification. Results of linear mixed‐model analysis showed that, compared to the control groups, citizen scientists significantly increased their objective stream‐related knowledge, their self‐reported stream monitoring skills and their awareness of stream stressors. These changes remained stable 6 weeks after the citizen science intervention. Notably, citizen scientists also reported increased identification with their citizen science project group and higher levels of collective and personal behaviour to protect streams at posttest (e.g. contacting local politicians with ideas for stream protection or using biodegradable detergents). Analysis revealed that increases in group identification and collective stream protection behaviour were significantly correlated. We could show that the citizen science intervention was particularly effective for participants with high intrinsic motivation and for those with low prior knowledge and experience in stream monitoring. Synthesis and applications. Citizen science can serve as a useful tool to promote ecological understanding, awareness and collective action to conserve freshwater streams. By fostering volunteer skills and community building, citizen science projects can empower participants with different levels of experience to engage in freshwater monitoring and protection. Decision makers should actively support approaches for citizen participation in freshwater monitoring, recognising that collective engagement of diverse community members is needed to finally meet the European Water Framework Directive's goal of restoring the good ecological status of freshwater ecosystems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Temperature-dependent catabolic traits of cold-adapted soil yeasts Goffeauzyma gilvescens and Naganishia albidosimilis from Hornsund, Svalbard

Studies on the diversity and catabolic functionality of fungi in Arctic soils are still scarce. This knowledge gap needs to be urgently addressed, as global warming may have unpredictable effects on cold-adapted fungal species. We isolated two yeast species of the family Filobasidiaceae: Goffeauzyma gilvescens and Naganishia albidosimilis, from soil in central Spitsbergen (Svalbard) and characterised their metabolic properties at two temperatures, 4°C and 20°C, in a laboratory test using Biolog® FF plates. The results of the Biolog® test, which followed the molecular identification of the strains, confirmed that the two species differed in their functional (catabolic) characteristics. The effect of temperature was also highly significant and the metabolic characteristics of two species varied between the two temperatures tested. As expected, among other chemical guilds of substrates on Biolog® plates, carbohydrates were the most used and also the most segregating of the strains studied, especially at 20°C. However, the relative use of almost all substrate groups changed between the two temperatures for both species tested, indicating that temperature can also affect soil microorganisms indirectly by altering their metabolic pathways. As soil microorganisms form a complex trophic and non-trophic network, such changes in metabolism under increasing temperature may also alter relationships between species and between species and the environment. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the microbial ecology of the unique ecosystem of polar soils.

An ecological understanding of wrongful convictions in the U.S. criminal justice system

An ecological understanding of wrongful convictions in the U.S. criminal justice system

Regional variation in the landscape ecology of West Nile virus sentinel chicken seroconversion in Florida.

How landscape composition and configuration impact the distribution of multi-vector and multi-host mosquito vector-borne disease systems, such as West Nile virus (WNV), remains challenging because of complex habitat and resource requirements by hosts and vectors that affect transmission opportunities. We examined correlations between landscape composition and configuration and 2018 WNV sentinel chicken seroconversion in Florida, USA across the state and within five National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) bioclimatic regions to understand strength and variation of landscape effects during an elevated transmission year. Although few landscape studies have examined WNV in Florida, we expected higher percentages of residential or medium-developed landscapes and more fragmented landscapes would be positively correlated with WNV seroconversion owing to the main mosquito vector habitats and avian host distributions. However, we expected to find variation in the importance of forest, wetland, and agriculture landscapes across bioclimatic regions in the state. WNV seroconversion rates were calculated using Florida 2018 Department of Health WNV sentinel chicken seroconversion data from 187 flocks maintained by mosquito control programs. Percent land cover and edge density metrics were calculated for multiple land cover classes and within multiple buffer distances from chicken coops using 2019 National Land Cover Data. We used binomial generalized linear mixed effects models to calculate the importance of landscape metrics to WNV seroconversion. We found no statewide predictors of seroconversion, but as expected, the importance of landscape varied across regions. In the north-central part of the state, we found higher seroconversion in less populated suburban areas while higher seroconversion in south-central Florida was correlated with fragmented forested areas within 0.5 km of coops and intact woody wetland areas within 2 km of coops. This work corroborates previous findings that consistent landscape predictors of WNV are difficult to identify across broader geographic areas and sets the stage for additional work that incorporates climate and landscapes interactions for a greater understanding of WNV ecology in this geographic region.

Synergistic phenotypic adaptations of motile purple sulphur bacteria Chromatium okenii during lake-to-laboratory domestication.

Isolating microorganisms from natural environments for cultivation under optimized laboratory settings has markedly improved our understanding of microbial ecology. Artificial growth conditions often diverge from those in natural ecosystems, forcing wild isolates into distinct selective pressures, resulting in diverse eco-physiological adaptations mediated by modification of key phenotypic traits. For motile microorganisms we still lack a biophysical understanding of the relevant traits emerging during domestication and their mechanistic interplay driving short-to-long-term microbial adaptation under laboratory conditions. Using microfluidics, atomic force microscopy, quantitative imaging, and mathematical modeling, we study phenotypic adaptation of Chromatium okenii, a motile phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium from meromictic Lake Cadagno, grown under laboratory conditions over multiple generations. Our results indicate that naturally planktonic C. okenii leverage shifts in cell-surface adhesive interactions, synergistically with changes in cell morphology, mass density, and distribution of intracellular sulfur globules, to suppress their swimming traits, ultimately switching to a sessile lifeform. A computational model of cell mechanics confirms the role of such phenotypic shifts in suppressing the planktonic lifeform. By investigating key phenotypic traits across different physiological stages of lab-grown C. okenii, we uncover a progressive loss of motility during the early stages of domestication, followed by concomitant deflagellation and enhanced surface attachment, ultimately driving the transition of motile sulfur bacteria to a sessile state. Our results establish a mechanistic link between suppression of motility and surface attachment via phenotypic changes, underscoring the emergence of adaptive fitness under laboratory conditions at the expense of traits tailored for natural environments.

Size bias in the documentation of marine biodiversity

Biodiversity exploration is incomplete, with a substantial gap between described and undiscovered species. Biases occur in these taxonomic descriptions, favoring easily observable and common species, leading to a skewed representation of ecological diversity, particularly in marine environments where deep‐sea life and smaller invertebrate groups remain underexplored. Here, we examine dynamics of taxonomic bias in describing marine biodiversity, emphasizing the relationship between the size of species and the timing of their formal description. Analyzing data from over 62 000 marine animal species across nine phyla, we find a significant inverse correlation: smaller species are consistently described more recently. This pattern persists across taxa and habitats, with fluctuations observed over time, including notable inflections coinciding with historical events and technological advancements. These results underscore the implications of taxonomic bias for ecological understanding and conservation efforts, emphasizing the importance of completing inventories of marine life, particularly focusing on small‐bodied, potentially threatened species.

Benefits and challenges of reviewing across knowledge systems: ‘Gourmet omnivore’ pigs foraging in the wild

Abstract Evidence‐based conservation can benefit substantially from multiple knowledge sources and different knowledge systems. While traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and collaborative research are increasingly acknowledged, detailed cross‐knowledge system reviews are scarce and their methodology underdeveloped. We have two objectives: to prepare such a review and to discuss the benefits and challenges of such reviews. We review pig keeping in forests and marshes, a historically widespread but nowadays almost extinct practice in Europe, but one with high potential for organic farming, conservation and restoration. We focus on what, when and how free‐ranging pigs forage in the wild. We review five knowledge sources: living and archived TEK, pig and wild boar scientific literature, and the authors' observations of foraging. Unexpectedly, given the amount of available information, archived TEK differed considerably from living TEK of svinjars (Serbian: traditional pig keepers), and scientific knowledge on pig and boar foraging from TEK. Svinjars deeply understood the consumption and avoidance behaviour of pigs towards 98 and 56 plant taxa, and 42 and 17 animal taxa, respectively. Our review showed that pigs are gourmet omnivores, optimizing and switching between foraging on earthworms, acorns, grasses and corn. Discrepancies between knowledge sources were rare, for example on the consumption of woody roots, earthworms, mushrooms and snakes/lizards. Sources were also complementary, filling each other's knowledge gaps. Topics where the cross‐knowledge system review was most fruitful were acorn foraging, browsing, earthworm and mushroom consumption. Differences in the contributions of the knowledge sources to the enriched picture resulted from the diverging interests and methodologies of the knowledge generators. We identified and discussed both the benefits (different approaches of knowledge generation; expanded time scales; complementarity; novel cause–effect explanations; identification of knowledge gaps; and biases) and the challenges (how to identify relevant publications and knowledgeable TEK holders; how to collate knowledge and verify its reliability; and how to conduct a culturally respectful synthesis) of cross‐knowledge system reviewing. Synthesis and applications. Cross‐knowledge system reviews help overcome limitations in ecological understanding and may provide a shared understanding among collaborating partners, build trust and foster acceptance of each other's knowledge as legitimate. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Omic-driven strategies to unveil microbiome potential for biodegradation of plastics: a review.

Plastic waste accumulation has lately been identified as the leading and pervasive environmental concern, harming all living beings, natural habitats, and the global market. Given this issue, developing ecologically friendly solutions, such as biodegradation instead of standard disposal, is critical. To effectively address and develop better strategies, it is critical to understand the inter-relationship between microorganisms and plastic, the role of genes and enzymes involved in this process. However, the complex nature of microbial communities and the diverse mechanisms involved in plastic biodegradation have hindered the development of efficient plastic waste degradation strategies. Omics-driven approaches, encompassing genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics have revolutionized our understanding of microbial ecology and biotechnology. Therefore, this review explores the application of omics technologies in plastic degradation studies and discusses the key findings, challenges, and future prospects of omics-based approaches in identifying novel plastic-degrading microorganisms, enzymes, and metabolic pathways. The integration of omics technologies with advanced molecular technologies such as the recombinant DNA technology and synthetic biology would guide in the optimization of microbial consortia and engineering the microbial systems for enhanced plastic biodegradation under various environmental conditions.