Cross-continental importance of CH4 emissions from dry inland-waters
Despite significant progress in quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from dry inland waters, little is known about methane (CH4). The authors determined CH4 emissions from dry sediments across continents and found that the CH4 contribution ranged from 10 to 21% of the equivalent CO2 emissions. Therefore, CH4 emissions from dry inland waters should be considered for the global carbon cycle.
Predator group composition indirectly influences food web dynamics through predator growth rates
The authors aimed to find empirical support for the theoretically predicted effect of intraspecific behavioral variation on food web dynamics and ecosystem function. In pond experiments, there was no effect of behavioral variation of predators on dynamics of lower trophic levels, but predator mass varied according to group composition, and hence was a strong predictor of food web effects.
Estimates of water partitioning in complex urban landscapes with isotope-aided ecohydrological modelling
The authors used isotopes in an ecohydrological model to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) from the landscape of Berlin. This resolved components of ET and quantified transpiration, soil evaporation and evaporation of vegetation-intercepted water. Transpiration from tree-covered areas dominates; with ~80% of ET for urban cooling coming from woodland green spaces covering ~25% of the urban area.
Refining the evolutionary time machine: an assessment of whole genome amplification using single historical Daphnia eggs
Aquatic sediments contain eggbanks of invertebrates such as the waterflea Daphnia, a keystone freshwater herbivore. These "time capsules" uniquely allow observation of genomic evolution over centuries. To bypass the problem of minute DNA amounts in individual eggs, the authors developed a whole genome amplification workflow, and show its utility to sequence full genomes of centuries-old eggs.
Land-use type temporarily affects active pond community structure but not gene expression patterns
The team investigated the ffects of land-use type on the composition and gene expression activity of aquatic organisms, using an eRNA approach. At times, there is a temporary difference in the active community structure between ponds in grasslands, forests, and arable fields, but not in the expressed functions. Soon after, the active community returns to being homogenous across the land-use types.
Wood ash as an additive in biomass pyrolysis: effects on biochar yield, properties, and agricultural performance
Functional multi-scale integration of agricultural nitrogen-budgets into catchment water quality modeling
Using field-experimental data, crop N uptake responses to fertilizer management were parsimoniously conceptualized and integrated into a catchment diffuse-N model. The improved catchment modeling further facilitated integration with agricultural budget-based assessments.
Big-data approaches lead to an increasedunderstanding of the ecology of animal movement
The authors present methods that combine high-resolution tracking technologies with Big Data analyses to investigate the movements of fish and other animals. Through high resolution tracking the effects of environmental and climate changes on wildlife can be better understood, and nature and wildlife conservation be advanced on this basis.
Warming alters juvenile carp effects on macrophytes resulting in a shift to turbid conditions in freshwater mesocosms
The authors tested the single and combined effects of warmer water (+4.5°C) and benthivorous juvenile common carp on aquatic macrophytes in 24 mesocosms (2500 L). Our study provides evidence for a regime shift from clear-water conditions dominated by submerged or floating-leaved macrophytes to a turbid state triggered by warming impacts on benthivorous fish rather than on macrophytes.
Visualizing catchment-scale spatio-temporal dynamics of storage-flux-age interactions using a tracer-aided ecohydrological model
The authors used a tracer-aided ecohydrological model to quantify changes in water flux, storage, and age to improve understanding of spatial differences in catchment response through wet and dry cycles. The visualization tool revealed interannual changes in catchment-scale vegetation water usage and water ages and independent effects on individual species and responses / resilience to droughts.