Can seedling functional traits be targeted to increase restoration success?

International audienc

Deposition of traffic-related air pollutants on leaves of six evergreen shrub species during a Mediterranean summer season

Six evergreen broad-leaved shrub species (Viburnum tinus subsp. lucidum L., Arbutus unedo L., Photinia 7. fraseri Dress., Laurus nobilis L., Elaeagnus 7. ebbingei L., Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.) were tested for their capacity to accumulate pollutants on the surface of their current season leaves in a Mediterranean environment. Plants were planted along a road in 2010 and exposed to traffic pollution. Leaf element deposition (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Tl, V, Zn) was analyzed six times from early summer to early autumn 2012. Particulate matter on leaves, element concentration of particulate matter in the air and meteorological parameters were measured. Elements on leaves were related to meteorological conditions to study the inter-relations. E. 7. ebbingei, P. 7. fraseri and V. lucidum were found to accumulate more pollutants, while L. nobilis and A. unedo were the lowest accumulators. A common trend of element depositions was found. Generally, elements increased from the first to the second sampling (28 June to 19 July) and, thereafter, decreased until the early autumn. Element depositions depended on species and meteorological parameters. Rain decreased the element accumulation on leaves, whilst an increase in wind velocity and element concentrations (in the air) tended to increase the presence of elements on leaves. Meteorological conditions were confirmed to be important factors modifying the dynamics of pollution deposition and their removal from leaves during a season

The INTENSE project: Intensify production, transform biomass to energy and novel goods and protect soils in Europe

The INTENSE project: Intensify production, transform biomass to energy and novel goods and protect soils in Europe. International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements ICOBT

The INTENSE project: Intensify production, transform biomass to energy and novel goods and protect soils in Europe

The INTENSE project: Intensify production, transform biomass to energy and novel goods and protect soils in Europe. International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements ICOBT

Bioavailability of Macro and Micronutrients Across Global Topsoils: Main Drivers and Global Change Impacts

Understanding the chemical composition of our planet's crust was one of the biggest questions of the 20th century. More than 100 years later, we are still far from understanding the global patterns in the bioavailability and spatial coupling of elements in topsoils worldwide, despite their importance for the productivity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we measured the bioavailability and coupling of thirteen macro- and micronutrients and phytotoxic elements in topsoils (3–8 cm) from a range of terrestrial ecosystems across all continents (∼10,000 observations) and in response to global change manipulations (∼5,000 observations). For this, we incubated between 1 and 4 pairs of anionic and cationic exchange membranes per site for a mean period of 53 days. The most bioavailable elements (Ca, Mg, and K) were also amongst the most abundant in the crust. Patterns of bioavailability were biome-dependent and controlled by soil properties such as pH, organic matter content and texture, plant cover, and climate. However, global change simulations resulted in important alterations in the bioavailability of elements. Elements were highly coupled, and coupling was predictable by the atomic properties of elements, particularly mass, mass to charge ratio, and second ionization energy. Deviations from the predictable coupling-atomic mass relationship were attributed to global change and agriculture. Our work illustrates the tight links between the bioavailability and coupling of topsoil elements and environmental context, human activities, and atomic properties of elements, thus deeply enhancing our integrated understanding of the biogeochemical connections that underlie the productivity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems in a changing world. © 2023. The Authors.Open access articleThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]