17 research outputs found
Urban stormwater retention capacity of nature-based solutions at different climatic conditions
Climate change and the continuing increase in human population creates a growing need to tackle urban stormwater problems. One promising mitigation option is by using nature-based solutions (NBS) – especially sustainable urban stormwater management technologies that are key elements of NBS action. We used a synthesis approach to compile available information about urban stormwater retention capacity of the most common sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) in different climatic conditions. Those SUDS targeting stormwater management through water retention and removal solutions (mainly by infiltration, overland flow and evapotranspiration), were addressed in this study. Selected SUDS were green roofs, bioretention systems (i.e. rain gardens), buffer and filter strips, vegetated swales, constructed wetlands, and water-pervious pavements. We found that despite a vast amount of data available from real-life applications and research results, there is a lack of decisive information about stormwater retention and removal capacity of selected SUDS. The available data show large variability in performance across different climatic conditions. It is therefore a challenge to set conclusive widely applicable guidelines for SUDS implementation based on available water retention data. Adequate data were available only to evaluate the water retention capacity of green roofs (average 56±20%) and we provide a comprehensive review on this function. However, as with other SUDS, still the same problem of high variability in the performance (min 11% and max 99% of retention) remains. This limits our ability to determine the capacity of green roofs to support better planning and wider implementation across climate zones. The further development of SUDS to support urban stormwater retention should be informed by and developed concurrently with the adaptation strategies to cope with climate change, especially with increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events that lead to high volumes of stormwater runoff
Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi
Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms
Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi
Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms
Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi
Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services.
However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and
conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity
patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional
groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional
groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa,
Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants
and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat
and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population
density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands,
tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on
the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and
macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and
macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on
distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms
and soil organisms
Contribution of Microbe-Mediated Processes in Nitrogen Cycle to Attain Environmental Equilibrium
Nitrogen (N), the most important element, is required by all living organisms for
the synthesis of complex organic molecules like amino acids, proteins, lipids etc.
Nitrogen cycle is considered to be the most complex yet arguably important cycle
next to carbon cycle. Nitrogen cycle includes oxic and anoxic reactions like
organic N mineralization, ammonia assimilation, nitrification denitrification,
anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to
ammonium (DNRA), comammox, codenitrification etc. Nitrogen cycling is one
of the most crucial processes required for the recycling of essential chemical
requirements on the planet. Soil microorganisms not only improve N-cycle
balance but also pave the way for sustainable agricultural practices, leading to
improved soil properties and crop productivity as most plants are opportunistic in
the uptake of soluble or available forms of N from soil. Microbial N
transformations are influenced by plants to improve their nutrition and vice
versa. Diverse microorganisms, versatile metabolic activities, and varied biotic and abiotic conditions may result in the shift in the equilibrium state of different
N-cycling processes. This chapter is an overview of the mechanisms and genes
involved in the diverse microorganisms associated in the operation of nitrogen
cycle and the roles of such microorganisms in different agroecosystems
Connecting the multiple dimensions of global soil fungal diversity
How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different levels of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of fungi and their ecological groups. We show the impact of precipitation and temperature interactions on local fungal species richness (alpha diversity) across different climates. Our findings reveal how temperature drives fungal compositional turnover (beta diversity) and phylogenetic diversity, linking them with regional species richness (gamma diversity). We integrate fungi into the principles of global biodiversity distribution and present detailed maps for biodiversity conservation and modeling of global ecological processes