14 research outputs found
Species-specific responses of Late Quaternary megafauna to climate and humans
Despite decades of research, the roles of climate and humans in driving the dramatic extinctions of large-bodied mammals during the Late Quaternary remain contentious. We use ancient DNA, species distribution models and the human fossil record to elucidate how climate and humans shaped the demographic history of woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth, wild horse, reindeer, bison and musk ox. We show that climate has been a major driver of population change over the past 50,000 years. However, each species responds differently to the effects of climatic shifts, habitat redistribution and human encroachment. Although climate change alone can explain the extinction of some species, such as Eurasian musk ox and woolly rhinoceros, a combination of climatic and anthropogenic effects appears to be responsible for the extinction of others, including Eurasian steppe bison and wild horse. We find no genetic signature or any distinctive range dynamics distinguishing extinct from surviving species, underscoring the challenges associated with predicting future responses of extant mammals to climate and human-mediated habitat change.This paper is in the memory of our friend and colleague Dr. Andrei Sher, who was a major contributor of this study. Dr Sher died unexpectedly, but his major contributions to the field of Quaternary science will be remembered and appreciated for many years to come. We are grateful to Dr. Adrian Lister and Dr. Tony Stuart for guides and discussions. Thanks to Tina B. Brandt, Dr. Bryan Hockett and Alice Telka for laboratory help and samples and to L. Malik R. Thrane for his work on the megafauna locality database. Data taken from the Stage 3 project was partly funded by Grant #F/757/A from the Leverhulme Trust, together with a grant from the McDonald Grants and Awards Fund. We acknowledge the Danish National Research Foundation, the Lundbeck Foundation, the Danish Council for Independent Research and the US National Science Foundation for financial suppor
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
Low Temperature near Band Gap Photoluminescence of 3C-SiC/15R-SiC and 3C-SiC/6H-SiC Heterostructures
Influence of Substrate Microstructure on the Transport Properties of CVD-Graphene
We report the study of electrical
transport in few-layered CVD-graphene located on nanostructured surfaces
in view of its potential application as a transparent contact to optoelectronic
devices. Two specific surfaces with a different characteristic feature
scale are analyzed: semiconductor micropyramids covered with SiO<sub>2</sub> layer and opal structures composed of SiO<sub>2</sub> nanospheres.
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning electron microscopy
(SEM), as well as Raman spectroscopy, have been used to determine
graphene/substrate surface profile. The graphene transfer on the opal
face centered cubic arrangement of spheres with a diameter of 230
nm leads to graphene corrugation (graphene partially reproduces the
opal surface profile). This structure results in a reduction by more
than 3 times of the graphene sheet conductivity compared to the conductivity
of reference graphene located on a planar SiO<sub>2</sub> surface
but does not affect the contact resistance to graphene. The graphene
transfer onto an organized array of micropyramids results in a graphene
suspension. Unlike opal, the graphene suspension on pyramids leads
to a reduction of both the contact resistance and the sheet resistance
of graphene compared to resistance of the reference graphene/flat
SiO<sub>2</sub> sample. The sample annealing is favorable to improve
the contact resistance to CVD-graphene; however, it leads to the increase
of its sheet resistance
Polystyrenesulfonate-coated nanoparticles with low cytotoxicity for determination of copper(II) via the luminescence of Tb(III) complexes with new calix[4]arene derivatives
Carbon Accumulation Patterns During Post-Fire Succession in Cajander Larch (Larix cajanderi) Forests of Siberia
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Species-specific responses of Late Quaternary megafauna to climate and humans
Despite decades of research, the roles of climate and humans in driving the dramatic extinctions of large-bodied mammals during the Late Quaternary period remain contentious. Here we use ancient DNA, species distribution models and the human fossil record to elucidate how climate and humans shaped the demographic history of woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth, wild horse, reindeer, bison and musk ox. We show that climate has been a major driver of population change over the past 50,000 years. However, each species responds differently to the effects of climatic shifts, habitat redistribution and human encroachment. Although climate change alone can explain the extinction of some species, such as Eurasian musk ox and woolly rhinoceros, a combination of climatic and anthropogenic effects appears to be responsible for the extinction of others, including Eurasian steppe bison and wild horse. We find no genetic signature or any distinctive range dynamics distinguishing extinct from surviving species, emphasizing the challenges associated with predicting future responses of extant mammals to climate and human-mediated habitat chang