15 research outputs found
Spatiotemporal effects of climate on the relationship between tree diversity and forest ecosystem functioning
Worldwide, forest ecosystem functioning and plant diversity have been altered by global
environmental change. Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem
functioning with long-term environmental change is important because maintaining
diversity can mitigate the impacts of environmental change on ecosystem functioning.
Here, I i) developed a concept that can elucidate how enhancing plant diversity may help
mitigate global environmental change impacts on ecosystem functioning; ii) empirically
tested this concept in natural forest systems by examining whether higher tree diversity
enhances and reduces positive and negative impacts of long-term environmental change on
forest biomass dynamics (biomass growth, loss, and net biomass change); iii) explored
effects of spatial variations in climate on the relationship between tree functional diversity
and forest biomass dynamics; and iv) investigated how spatial variations in climate mediate
the impacts of long-term environmental change on tree functional composition.
In order to establish the concept of how tree diversity can mitigate the impacts of
global environmental change on forest ecosystem functioning, I reviewed the field of
climate change effects on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning. I found mixed evidence for
positive diversity effects on ecosystem functioning persistent before and after experiencing
changes in climates within grassland communities, but strong support in the few studies
conducted in forest ecosystems which are more stable and resilient at higher levels of
diversity. I identify the importance of future research combining investigations into climate
change impacts on ecosystem functionality with the B-EF. I concluded that biodiversity can
hold certain potential to be a solution to mitigate environmental change impacts.
Using inventory data of boreal forests of western Canada from 1958-2011, I
revealed that aboveground biomass growth of species-rich forests increased with the
calendar year but that of species-poor forests decreased. Moreover, species-rich forests
experienced less aboveground biomass loss from tree mortality than species-poor forests. I
found that the growth of species-rich forests, but not species-poor forests, was positively
associated with elevated CO2. Mortality in species-poor forests increased more with
decreasing water availability than species-rich forests. In contrast, growth decreased, and
mortality increased as the climate warmed regardless of species diversity. The results of
this study suggest that promoting high tree diversity may help reduce the climate and
environmental change vulnerability of boreal forests
Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 XBB variant derived from recombination of two Omicron subvariants
In late 2022, SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants have become highly diversified, and XBB is spreading rapidly around the world. Our phylogenetic analyses suggested that XBB emerged through the recombination of two cocirculating BA.2 lineages, BJ.1 and BM.1.1.1 (a progeny of BA.2.75), during the summer of 2022. XBB.1 is the variant most profoundly resistant to BA.2/5 breakthrough infection sera to date and is more fusogenic than BA.2.75. The recombination breakpoint is located in the receptor-binding domain of spike, and each region of the recombinant spike confers immune evasion and increases fusogenicity. We further provide the structural basis for the interaction between XBB.1 spike and human ACE2. Finally, the intrinsic pathogenicity of XBB.1 in male hamsters is comparable to or even lower than that of BA.2.75. Our multiscale investigation provides evidence suggesting that XBB is the first observed SARS-CoV-2 variant to increase its fitness through recombination rather than substitutions
Frugivory of the Stone Marten (Martes foina Erxl.) in Bulgaria – a review from an urban perspective
The present study reviewed frugivory characteristics of the Stone Marten (Martes
foina Erxleben, 1777) in Bulgaria with special reference to cultivated plants. A total of six
studies were compiled, which showed that nine species fruits (eight species of them were
cultivated) and 17 genus/family-level-identified fruits (six genera of them were cultivated)
were consumed by the marten
<資料>京都府南部の市街地内(京都大学・宇治キャンパス)で確認されたフクロウStrix uralensisの記録
2023年8月21日の夜間,京都府南部の市街地に位置する京都大学・宇治キャンパス(京都府宇治市)構内において森林性の大型鳥類フクロウStrix uralensis(京都府の順絶滅危惧種)が観察された.これまでの宇治キャンパス構内における鳥類相報告ではフクロウの記録はなく,本報告は既存の目録に重要な1種を加えるものである.At midnight on August 21, 2023, the Ural owl (Strix uralensis: Strigiformes, Strigidae), a large predatory bird species, was observed on the Uji Campus of Kyoto University, located in the urban area of southern Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan. The Ural owl is a forest-dwelling species and is categorized as a Near-Threatened Species in the Red List of Kyoto Prefecture. There are no previous records of owls in the bird assemblages reported within the Uji Campus of the university. The present report adds an important species to the previous survey results
Species-rich boreal forests grew more and suffered less mortality than species-poor forests under the environmental change of the past half-century
Climate and other global environmental changes are major threats to ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. However, the importance of plant diversity in mitigating the responses of functioning of natural ecosystems to long-term environmental change remains unclear. Using inventory data of boreal forests of western Canada from 1958 to 2011, we found that aboveground biomass growth increased over time in species-rich forests but decreased in species-poor forests, and importantly, aboveground biomass loss from tree mortality was smaller in species-rich than species-poor forests. A further analysis indicated that growth of species-rich (but not species-poor) forests was statistically positively associated with rising CO 2 , and that mortality in species-poor forests increased more as climate moisture availability decreased than it did in species-rich forests. In contrast, growth decreased and mortality increased as the climate warmed regardless of species diversity. Our results suggest that promoting high tree diversity may help reduce the climate and environmental change vulnerability of boreal forests
Species‐rich boreal forests grew more and suffered less mortality than species‐poor forests under the environmental change of the past half‐century
Climate and other global environmental changes are major threats to ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. However, the importance of plant diversity in mitigating the responses of functioning of natural ecosystems to long-term environmental change remains unclear. Using inventory data of boreal forests of western Canada from 1958 to 2011, we found that aboveground biomass growth increased over time in species-rich forests but decreased in species-poor forests, and importantly, aboveground biomass loss from tree mortality was smaller in species-rich than species-poor forests. A further analysis indicated that growth of species-rich (but not species-poor) forests was statistically positively associated with rising CO 2 , and that mortality in species-poor forests increased more as climate moisture availability decreased than it did in species-rich forests. In contrast, growth decreased and mortality increased as the climate warmed regardless of species diversity. Our results suggest that promoting high tree diversity may help reduce the climate and environmental change vulnerability of boreal forests
A Comparison of Visual and Genetic Techniques for Identifying Japanese Marten Scats - Enabling Diet Examination in Relation to Seasonal Food Availability in a Sub-Alpine Area of Japan
Notes on autumn-winter stomach contents of the Stone Marten (Martes foina) in the Balkan Mountains, Central Bulgaria
We studied autumn-winter food (November-February, 1997-2003) of the Stone Marten in the Balkan Mountains, Central Bulgaria. A total of 26 stomachs (18 of males and eight of females) were examined, of which contents was expressed as the number of occurrence and relative frequency of occurrence. The result clearly showed that rodents are primary prey for the Stone Marten. Birds and insects were the following categories consumed. The edible dormouse was detected as a prey for the first time in Bulgaria. Besides, wild ungulates and domestic animals were occasionally scavenged, while neither fruits nor artificial materials were detected in the marten stomachs. Thus, our study showed that the Stone Marten in the Balkan Mountains tended to be more carnivorous in winter
Climate‐driven divergent long‐term trends of forest beetles in Japan
Concerning declines in insect populations have been reported from Europe and the United States, yet there are gaps in our knowledge of the drivers of insect trends and their distribution across the world. We report on our analysis of a spatially extensive, 14‐year study of ground‐dwelling beetles in four natural forest biomes spanning Japan's entire latitudinal range (3000 km). Beetle species richness, abundance and biomass declined in evergreen coniferous forests but increased in broadleaf‐coniferous mixed forests. Further, beetles in evergreen coniferous forests responded negatively to increased temperature and precipitation anomalies, which have both risen over the study's timespan. These significant changes parallel reports of climate‐driven changes in forest tree species, providing further evidence that climate change is altering forest ecosystems fundamentally. Given the enormous biodiversity and ecosystem services that forests support globally, the implications for biodiversity change resulting from climate change could be profound. With recent concerns about catastrophic insect declines in the US and Europe, research that provides evidence for insect trends in other regions and in forest ecosystems is crucial. We report on data of forest beetles collected over a 14‐year period in forest plots across the whole latitudinal range of Japan (3000 km). Using these data, we show declines in evergreen coniferous forests accompanied with community changes in other forest biomes