Soil carbon loss in warmed subarctic grasslands is rapid and restricted to topsoil

Global warming may lead to carbon transfers from soils to the atmosphere, yet this positive feedback to the climate system remains highly uncertain, especially in subsoils (Ilyina and Friedlingstein, 2016; Shi et al., 2018). Using natural geothermal soil warming gradients of up to +6.4 degrees C in subarctic grasslands (Sigurdsson et al., 2016), we show that soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks decline strongly and linearly with warming (-2.8 t ha(-1) degrees C-1). Comparison of SOC stock changes following medium-term (5 and 10 years) and long-term (> 50 years) warming revealed that all SOC stock reduction occurred within the first 5 years of warming, after which continued warming no longer reduced SOC stocks. This rapid equilibration of SOC observed in Andosol suggests a critical role for ecosystem adaptations to warming and could imply short-lived soil carbon-climate feedbacks. Our data further revealed that the soil C loss occurred in all aggregate size fractions and that SOC stock reduction was only visible in topsoil (0-10 cm). SOC stocks in subsoil (10-30 cm), where plant roots were absent, showed apparent conservation after > 50 years of warming. The observed depth-dependent warming responses indicate that explicit vertical resolution is a prerequisite for global models to accurately project future SOC stocks for this soil type and should be investigated for soils with other mineralogies

Genome-wide association study in 79,366 European-ancestry individuals informs the genetic architecture of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone precursor that is associated with a range of human traits and diseases. Previous GWAS of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations have identified four genome-wide significant loci (GC, NADSYN1/DHCR7, CYP2R1, CYP24A1). In this study, we expand the previous SUNLIGHT Consortium GWAS discovery sample size from 16,125 to 79,366 (all European descent). This larger GWAS yields two additional loci harboring genome-wide significant variants (P = 4.7x10(-9) at rs8018720 in SEC23A, and P = 1.9x10(-14) at rs10745742 in AMDHD1). The overall estimate of heritability of 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum concentrations attributable to GWAS common SNPs is 7.5%, with statistically significant loci explaining 38% of this total. Further investigation identifies signal enrichment in immune and hematopoietic tissues, and clustering with autoimmune diseases in cell-type-specific analysis. Larger studies are required to identify additional common SNPs, and to explore the role of rare or structural variants and gene-gene interactions in the heritability of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.Peer reviewe

High-throughput liquid-liquid extraction in 96-well format: Parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction

Parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction (PALME) is a miniaturized version of liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and is based on two 96-well plates in a sandwich-like configuration. With a very simple workflow, 96 samples can be processed simultaneously in PALME, providing analyte enrichment, highly efficient sample cleanup, and direct compatibility with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The consumption of hazardous organic solvents is also almost eliminated using PALME as the sample preparation technique. This article summarizes current experiences with PALME, based on work both in a university laboratory and in an analytical services contract laboratory

Skeletal muscle phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine respond to exercise and influence insulin sensitivity in men

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) composition in skeletal muscle have been linked to insulin sensitivity. We evaluated the relationships between skeletal muscle PC:PE, physical exercise and insulin sensitivity. We performed lipidomics and measured PC and PE in m. vastus lateralis biopsies obtained from 13 normoglycemic normal weight men and 13 dysglycemic overweight men at rest, immediately after 45 min of cycling at 70% maximum oxygen uptake, and 2 h post-exercise, before as well as after 12 weeks of combined endurance- and strength-exercise intervention. Insulin sensitivity was monitored by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. RNA-sequencing was performed on biopsies, and mitochondria and lipid droplets were quantified on electron microscopic images. Exercise intervention for 12 w enhanced insulin sensitivity by 33%, skeletal muscle levels of PC by 21%, PE by 42%, and reduced PC:PE by 16%. One bicycle session reduced PC:PE by 5%. PC:PE correlated negatively with insulin sensitivity (β = −1.6, P < 0.001), percent area of mitochondria (ρ = −0.52, P = 0.035), and lipid droplet area (ρ = 0.55, P = 0.017) on EM pictures, and negatively with oxidative phosphorylation and mTOR based on RNA-sequencing. In conclusion, PC and PE contents of skeletal muscle respond to exercise, and PC:PE is inversely related to insulin sensitivity

Portal. Gård og utmark i Gudbrandsdalen. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i Fron 2011-2012.

E6-prosjektet Gudbrandsdalen er det største utgravningsprosjektet som er gjennomført i Oppland. Prosjektet har sin bakgrunn i etableringen av ny E6 gjennom Gudbrandsdalen, fra Elstad i Ringebu kommune til Otta i Sel kommune. Totalt 64 arkeologiske lokaliteter ble undersøkt i Sør-Fron, Nord-Fron og Sel kommune, hvorav 4 var uregistrerte og ble oppdaget under arbeidets gang. De mest omfattende undersøkelsene ble foretatt i Fron, mens det var kun tre mindre hulveipartier som var registrert i Sel. I Sør-Fron dominerte de bosetnings- og jordbruks-historiske lokalitetene, mens utmarkskulturminner var det vanligste i Nord-Fron. Dette skyldes i stor grad E6-traseens beliggenhet; i sør går traseen i dal-bunnen i de rike jordbruksområdene på den såkalte solsiden, mens den i nord i større grad går gjennom store skogsområder på baksiden. Det reflekterer likevel også en noe forskjellig landskapsbruk i nord og sør, som det vil bli nærmere redegjort for i de påfølgende artiklene. Prosjektet ble organisert over to feltsesonger med oppstart i juli 2011 og avslutning i oktober 2012. Etter omfattende etterarbeid, med ferdigstilling av rapporter, kataloger og databaser, fikk prosjektet sin endelige avslutning i januar 2014. Etterarbeidet er organisert i 14 delrapporter, som er systematisert etter de forskjellige deltraseene og de største utgravningsfeltene (figur 1.1). Denne boka er en videreføring av prosjektarbeidet og søker å presentere de viktigste faglige resultatene i samlet form. I denne artikkelen skal vi derimot se nærmere på de administrative erfaringene. Sentralt for prosjektets utvikling sto den store omorganiseringen av prosjektet vinteren 2011/2012, da vi gikk fra syv små delprosjekter med egne styringsdokumenter til ett stort samlet prosjekt med felles budsjett og prosjektplan

Lake browning counteracts cyanobacteria responses to nutrients:Evidence from phytoplankton dynamics in large enclosure experiments and comprehensive observational data

Lakes worldwide are affected by multiple stressors, including climate change. This includes massive loading of both nutrients and humic substances to lakes during extreme weather events, which also may disrupt thermal stratification. Since multi-stressor effects vary widely in space and time, their combined ecological impacts remain difficult to predict. Therefore, we combined two consecutive large enclosure experiments with a comprehensive time-series and a broad-scale field survey to unravel the combined effects of storm-induced lake browning, nutrient enrichment and deep mixing on phytoplankton communities, focusing particularly on potentially toxic cyanobacterial blooms. The experimental results revealed that browning counteracted the stimulating effect of nutrients on phytoplankton and caused a shift from phototrophic cyanobacteria and chlorophytes to mixotrophic cryptophytes. Light limitation by browning was identified as the likely mechanism underlying this response. Deep-mixing increased microcystin concentrations in clear nutrient-enriched enclosures, caused by upwelling of a metalimnetic Planktothrix rubescens population. Monitoring data from a 25-year time-series of a eutrophic lake and from 588 northern European lakes corroborate the experimental results: Browning suppresses cyanobacteria in terms of both biovolume and proportion of the total phytoplankton biovolume. Both the experimental and observational results indicated a lower total phosphorus threshold for cyanobacterial bloom development in clearwater lakes (10–20 μg P L−1) than in humic lakes (20–30 μg P L−1). This finding provides management guidance for lakes receiving more nutrients and humic substances due to more frequent extreme weather events.</p

Soil carbon loss in warmed subarctic grasslands is rapid and restricted to topsoil

International audienceAbstract. Global warming may lead to carbon transfers from soils to the atmosphere, yet this positive feedback to the climate system remains highly uncertain, especially in subsoils (Ilyina and Friedlingstein, 2016; Shi et al., 2018). Using natural geothermal soil warming gradients of up to +6.4 ∘C in subarctic grasslands (Sigurdsson et al., 2016), we show that soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks decline strongly and linearly with warming (−2.8 t ha−1 ∘C−1). Comparison of SOC stock changes following medium-term (5 and 10 years) and long-term (>50 years) warming revealed that all SOC stock reduction occurred within the first 5 years of warming, after which continued warming no longer reduced SOC stocks. This rapid equilibration of SOC observed in Andosol suggests a critical role for ecosystem adaptations to warming and could imply short-lived soil carbon–climate feedbacks. Our data further revealed that the soil C loss occurred in all aggregate size fractions and that SOC stock reduction was only visible in topsoil (0–10 cm). SOC stocks in subsoil (10–30 cm), where plant roots were absent, showed apparent conservation after >50 years of warming. The observed depth-dependent warming responses indicate that explicit vertical resolution is a prerequisite for global models to accurately project future SOC stocks for this soil type and should be investigated for soils with other mineralogies