Mapping Meaning : Critical Cartographies for Participatory Water Management in Taita Hills, Kenya

Participation of local people is often neglected in natural resource management, which leads to failure to understand the social aspects and historical construction of environmental problems. Participatory mapping can enhance the communication of local spatial knowledge for management processes and challenge the official maps and other spatial representations produced by state authorities and scientists. In this study, we analyze what kind of social meanings can be revealed through a multimethod participatory mapping process focusing on water resources in Taita Hills, Kenya. The participatory mapping clearly complicates the simplified image of the physical science mappings, typically depicting natural water supply, by addressing the impacts of contamination, inadequate infrastructure, poverty, distance to the sources, and restrictions in their uses on people's access to water. Moreover, this shared exercise is able to trigger discussion on issues that cannot always be localized but still contribute to place making. Local historical accounts reveal the social and political drivers of the current water-related problems, making explicit the political ecology dynamics in the area.Peer reviewe

Soil microbial communities influencing organic phosphorus mineralization in a coastal dune chronosequence in New Zealand

The Haast chronosequence in New Zealand is an ∼6500-year dune formation series, characterized by rapid podzol development, phosphorus (P) depletion and a decline in aboveground biomass. We examined bacterial and fungal community composition within mineral soil fractions using amplicon-based high-throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). We targeted bacterial non-specific acid (class A, phoN/phoC) and alkaline (phoD) phosphomonoesterase genes and quantified specific genes and transcripts using real-time PCR. Soil bacterial diversity was greatest after 4000 years of ecosystem development and associated with an increased richness of phylotypes and a significant decline in previously dominant taxa (Firmicutes and Proteobacteria). Soil fungal communities transitioned from predominantly Basidiomycota to Ascomycota along the chronosequence and were most diverse in 290- to 392-year-old soils, coinciding with maximum tree basal area and organic P accumulation. The Bacteria:Fungi ratio decreased amid a competitive and interconnected soil community as determined by network analysis. Overall, soil microbial communities were associated with soil changes and declining P throughout pedogenesis and ecosystem succession. We identified an increased dependence on organic P mineralization, as found by the profiled acid phosphatase genes, soil acid phosphatase activity and function inference from predicted metagenomes (PICRUSt2)

Correction to:Organic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future priorities (Plant and Soil, (2018), 427, 1-2, (191-208), 10.1007/s11104-017-3391-x)

The article “Organic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future priorities”, written by Timothy S George et al., was originally published with incorrect affiliation information for one of the co-authors, E. Klumpp

Organic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future priorities

International audienceBackground The dynamics of phosphorus (P) in the environment is important for regulating nutrient cycles in natural and managed ecosystems and an integral part in assessing biological resilience against environmental change. Organic P (Po) compounds play key roles in biological and ecosystems function in the terrestrial environment being critical to cell function, growth and reproduction. Scope We asked a group of experts to consider the global issues associated with Po in the terrestrial environment, methodological strengths and weaknesses, benefits to be gained from understanding the Po cycle, and to set priorities for Po research. Conclusions We identified seven key opportunities for Po research including: the need for integrated, quality controlled and functionally based methodologies; assessment of stoichiometry with other elements in organic matter; understanding the dynamics of Po in natural and managed systems; the role of microorganisms in controlling Po cycles; the implications of nanoparticles in the environment and the need for better modelling and communication of the research. Each priority is discussed and a statement of intent for the Po research community is made that highlights there are key contributions to be made toward understanding biogeochemical cycles, dynamics and function of natural ecosystems and the management of agricultural systems

Correction to: Organic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future priorities

Correction to: Plant Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3391-

Correction to: Organic phosphorus in the terrestrial environment: a perspective on the state of the art and future priorities

Correction to: Plant Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3391-