Consequences of tropical forest conversion to oil palm on soil bacterial community and network structure

Tropical forest conversion to agriculture is a major global change process. Understanding of the ecological consequences of this conversion are limited by poor knowledge of how soil microorganisms respond. We analyzed the response of soil bacteria to conversion from primary rain forest to oil palm plantation and regenerating logged forest in Malaysia. Bacterial diversity increased by approximately 20% with conversion to oil palm because of higher pH due to liming by plantation managers. Phylogenetic clustering indicated that bacterial communities were determined by environmental filtering. Regenerating logged forests did not have significantly different soil chemistry, which did not correspond with significant differences in bacterial richness, diversity, or the relative abundances of particular taxa. However, there were significant differences in the structure of bacterial community networks between regenerating logged forests and primary forests, highlighting previously unobserved effects of these two land uses. Network analysis highlighted taxa that are potentially central to bacterial networks, but have low relative abundances, suggesting that these rare taxa could play an ecological role and therefore warrant further research

From Global to Local and Vice Versa: On the Importance of the 'Globalization' Agenda in Continental Groundwater Research and Policy-Making.

Groundwater is one of the most important environmental resources and its use continuously rises globally for industrial, agricultural, and drinking water supply purposes. Because of its importance, more knowledge about the volume of usable groundwater is necessary to satisfy the global demand. Due to the challenges in quantifying the volume of available global groundwater, studies which aim to assess its magnitude are limited in number. They are further restricted in scope and depth of analysis as, in most cases, they do not explain how the estimates of global groundwater resources have been obtained, what methods have been used to generate the figures and what levels of uncertainty exist. This article reviews the estimates of global groundwater resources. It finds that the level of uncertainty attached to existing numbers often exceeds 100 % and strives to establish the reasons for discrepancy. The outcome of this study outlines the need for a new agenda in water research with a more pronounced focus on groundwater. This new research agenda should aim at enhancing the quality and quantity of data provision on local and regional groundwater stocks and flows. This knowledge enhancement can serve as a basis to improve policy-making on groundwater resources globally. Research-informed policies will facilitate more effective groundwater management practices to ensure a more rapid progress of the global water sector towards the goal of sustainability