New insight to the role of microbes in the methane exchange in trees : evidence from metagenomic sequencing

Methane (CH4) exchange in tree stems and canopies and the processes involved are among the least understood components of the global CH4 cycle. Recent studies have focused on quantifying tree stems as sources of CH4 and understanding abiotic CH4 emissions in plant canopies, with the role of microbial in situ CH4 formation receiving less attention. Moreover, despite initial reports revealing CH4 consumption, studies have not adequately evaluated the potential of microbial CH4 oxidation within trees. In this paper, we discuss the current level of understanding on these processes. Further, we demonstrate the potential of novel metagenomic tools in revealing the involvement of microbes in the CH4 exchange of plants, and particularly in boreal trees. We detected CH4-producing methanogens and novel monooxygenases, potentially involved in CH4 consumption, in coniferous plants. In addition, our field flux measurements from Norway spruce (Picea abies) canopies demonstrate both net CH4 emissions and uptake, giving further evidence that both production and consumption are relevant to the net CH4 exchange. Our findings, together with the emerging diversity of novel CH4-producing microbial groups, strongly suggest microbial analyses should be integrated in the studies aiming to reveal the processes and drivers behind plant CH4 exchange.Peer reviewe

Long-term planning in the Central Statistical Office of Finland

Publication available in the Library of Statistics. Julkaisu saatavilla Tilastokirjastossa:https://tilastokeskus.finna.fi/Record/tilda.20540</a

The effect of substrate pre-treatment on durability of rubber-stainless steel adhesion

In many applications, rubber linings protect metal surfaces from the environment and prolong the service life of the metal components significantly. The loss of adhesion and resulting premature failure at the rubber-metal interface may generate an un-planned shutdown and production losses. This work focuses on the effect of various sand blasting methods on the long-term adhesion between bromobutyl rubber and stainless steel in a hot and humid environment. Softer austenitic stainless steel and harder, chemically more resistant super duplex stainless steel grades were used as substrates. It was found, that the developed interfacial area ratio Sdr, which is the additional surface area contributed by the texture as compared to the planar definition area, had the best correlation with the sand blasting media characteristics, namely to the hardness. The proportionality between other sand blasting medium characteristics and the Sdr value was poor. The initial adhesion between the rubber and the substrates was defined by the cohesive strength of the rubber and unaffected by the substrate characteristics and the sand blasting medium contaminants on the substrates. After a 4–12-week exposure in hot and humid environment, the use of corrosive sand blasting medium (steel grit) resulted in significant adhesion loss whereas the use of inert sand blasting media (feldspar or corundum) maintained the adhesion better. However, the adhesion system at the interface degraded causing performance loss. Neither the better corrosion resistance of super duplex stainless steel nor increased surface roughness improved the reliability of rubber lining in extreme conditions.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Spondylus crassisquama Lamarck, 1819 as a microecosystem and the effects of associated macrofauna on its shell integrity: isles of biodiversity or sleeping with the enemy?

In May 2009, we studied the bivalve Spondylus crassisquama and its relevance for macrobenthic biodiversity off the north Ecuadorian coast. We found that the large and heavy shells offer an exclusive substrate for numerous epibiont species and highly specialized carbonate-drilling endobiont species (71 species in total), which is a distinctly different and much more diverse habitat than the surrounding sandy bottoms (13 species, 4 of them found in both habitats). This is reflected by a Bray–Curtis dissimilarity index of 0.88. We discuss in detail the live habits of all 9 species of drilling endobionts that we found, and conclude that these can be seen as true mutualists, with the exception of boring sipunculids and bivalves. To further illustrate this complex co-existence, we visualize and quantify for the first time the tremendous effects of boring organisms on the shell structure of S. crassisquama by means of magnetic resonance imaging and a video appendix is provided

An ecosystem ecology perspective on artificial reef production

Artificial reefs are used around the world for many purposes, including widespread deployment to increase fishery yields. These reefs are well‐studied from a direct fisheries‐based perspective, drawing largely on traditional theory and methodological approaches from population and community ecology.Here we provide an alternative perspective using basic tenets of ecosystem ecology. We focus largely on primary production, as this ecosystem process necessarily constrains the secondary production of fish and invertebrates.We use this ecosystem ecology viewpoint to examine the long‐standing attraction/production question—do artificial reefs support ‘new’ fish production or simply attract individuals from other habitats? Central to this discussion is identifying ecological thresholds and self‐reinforcing feedbacks. For example, biological or physical processes may facilitate reaching nutrient supply thresholds where fundamental ecological dynamics are shifted, such as enhanced seagrass allocation of resources to above‐ground plant structures following aggregation of fish around reefs.Synthesis and applications. We propose that the scope for enhanced primary productivity (or other accelerated ecosystem processes) is an under‐utilized guideline that can be used to prioritize artificial reef deployment as part of broader coastal management programmes. Such an ecosystem ecology perspective may provide new insights into the ecological role of artificial reefs and guide the optimization of their deployment and management.We propose that the scope for enhanced primary productivity (or other accelerated ecosystem processes) is an under‐utilized guideline that can be used to prioritize artificial reef deployment as part of broader coastal management programmes. Such an ecosystem ecology perspective may provide new insights into the ecological role of artificial reefs and guide the optimization of their deployment and management.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163540/2/jpe13748.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163540/1/jpe13748_am.pd

From ‘no dogs here!’ to ‘beware of the dog!’ : restricting dog signs as a reflection of social norms

Signs in public space reflect ‘normalcy’ in a community. The authors ask what restricting signs tell us about a society? In order to explore the system and variation in the ways dog signs manifest different norms and control, they compare two different data sets: dog signs in a Northern European town, Jyväskylä in Finland, and two Eastern European villages in Romania. They apply a qualitative methodology based on visual communication, geosemiotics and linguistic landscape studies. The focus of the article is on the resources of addressing and the visual semiotics of the image. The investigated communities seem to create a complementary distribution of what they regulate that is also displayed through their semiotics: the Jyväskylä examples are prohibitions for dogs ‘being’ while the Romanian cases consist of warnings or threats. Both prohibitions and warnings implicate the norms and normalities in the communities, showing where they stand in terms of a continuum between a ‘dog as a pet’ and a ‘dog as a (co-)worker’. As images, the urban signs in Jyväskylä can be characterized as icons of a small collared pet, placed as a part of top-down communication in ‘tight’ public spaces. In contrast, the photographs of big dogs in the open and private Romanian village spaces refer to some specific guard dog, through which their owners communicate a benevolent warning or an intimidating threat.peerReviewe