| 1. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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| 2. |
- Frainer, André, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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No evidence for functional litter diversity effects on litter decomposition, fungal decomposers and nutrient immobilization
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning theory suggests that litter mixtures composed of dissimilar leaf species can enhance decomposition due to species trait complementarity. Here we create a continuous gradient of litter chemistry trait variability within species mixtures to assess effects of litter dissimilarity on three related processes in a natural stream: litter decomposition, fungal biomass accrual in the litter, and nitrogen and phosphorus immobilization. Litter from a pool of eight leaf species was analyzed for chemistry traits affecting decomposition (lignin, nitrogen, and phosphorus) and assembled in all of the 28 possible two-species combinations. Litter dissimilarity was characterized in terms of a range of functional diversity measures, using Euclidean and Gower distances and dendrogram-based indices. Despite favorable experimental conditions for litter dissimilarity effects to arise, we found no significant relationships between decomposition rate of individual leaf species and litter functional dissimilarity, irrespective of whether decomposition was mediated by microbes alone or by both microbes and litter-consuming invertebrates. Likewise, no effects of functional dissimilarity emerged on either fungal biomass accrual or changes during decomposition of nitrogen or phosphorus concentrations in individual leaf species. These results provide support for the contention that litter diversity effects on decomposition in streams are less pronounced than in forest environments, and in particular are less common than effects on terrestrial primary productivity. Key to understanding these discrepancies may be the constant supply of nutrients provided by the flowing water in streams, exacerbated by very large-scale cultural nutrient enrichment of surface waters in many parts of the world.
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| 3. |
- Frainer, André, et al.
(författare)
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No evidence for leaf-trait dissimilarity effects on litter decomposition, fungal decomposers, and nutrient dynamics
- 2015
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Ingår i: Ecology. - : Ecological Society of America. - 0012-9658 .- 1939-9170. ; 96:2, s. 550-561
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biodiversity and ecosystem-functioning theory suggest that litter mixtures composed of dissimilar leaf species can enhance decomposition due to species trait complementarity. Here we created a continuous gradient of litter chemistry trait variability within species mixtures to assess effects of litter dissimilarity on three related processes in a natural stream: litter decomposition, fungal biomass accrual in the litter, and nitrogen and phosphorus immobilization. Litter from a pool of eight leaf species was analyzed for chemistry traits affecting decomposition (lignin, nitrogen, and phosphorus) and assembled in all of the 28 possible two-species combinations. Litter dissimilarity was characterized in terms of a range of trait-diversity measures, using Euclidean and Gower distances and dendrogram-based indices. We found large differences in decomposition rates among leaf species, but no significant relationships between decomposition rate of individual leaf species and litter trait dissimilarity, irrespective of whether decomposition was mediated by microbes alone or by both microbes and litter-consuming invertebrates. Likewise, no effects of trait dissimilarity emerged on either fungal biomass accrual or changes during decomposition of nitrogen or phosphorus concentrations in individual leaf species. In line with recent meta-analyses, these results provide support for the contention that litter diversity effects on decomposition, at least in streams, are less pronounced than effects on terrestrial primary productivity.
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| 4. |
- Moretti, Chiara H., et al.
(författare)
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Dietary nitrite extends lifespan and prevents age-related locomotor decline in the fruit fly
- 2020
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Ingår i: Free Radical Biology & Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0891-5849 .- 1873-4596. ; 160, s. 860-870
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aging is associated with decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and signalling. Boosting of a dietary nitrate nitrite-NO pathway e.g. by ingestion of leafy green vegetables, improves cardiometabolic function, mitochondrial efficiency and reduces oxidative stress in humans and rodents, making dietary nitrate and nitrite an appealing intervention to address age-related disorders. On the other hand, these anions have long been implicated in detrimental health effects of our diet, particularly in formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines.The aim of this study was to assess whether inorganic nitrite affects lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster and investigate possible mechanisms underlying any such effect.In a survival assay, female flies fed a nitrite supplemented diet showed lifespan extension by 9 and 15% with 0.1 and 1 mu M nitrite respectively, with no impact of nitrite on reproductive output. Interestingly, nitrite could also protect female flies from age-dependent locomotor decline, indicating a protective effect on healthspan. NO generation from nitrite involved Drosophila commensal bacteria and was indicated by a fluorescent probe as well as direct measurements of NO gas formation with chemiluminescence.Nutrient sensing pathways such as TOR and sirtuins, have been strongly implicated in lifespan extension. In aged flies, nitrite supplementation significantly downregulated dTOR and upregulated dSir2 gene expression. Total triglycerides and glucose were decreased, a described downstream effect of both TOR and sirtuin pathways.In conclusion, we demonstrate that very low doses of dietary nitrite extend lifespan and favour healthspan in female flies. We propose modulation of nutrient sensing pathways as driving mechanisms for such effects.
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| 5. |
- Peralta-Maraver, Ignacio, et al.
(författare)
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The riverine bioreactor : An integrative perspective on biological decomposition of organic matter across riverine habitats
- 2021
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 772
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Riverine ecosystems can be conceptualized as 'bioreactors' (the riverine bioreactor) which retain and decompose a wide range of organic substrates. The metabolic performance of the riverine bioreactor is linked to their community structure, the efficiency of energy transfer along food chains, and complex interactions among biotic and abiotic environmental factors. However, our understanding of the mechanistic functioning and capacity of the riverine bioreactor remains limited. We review the state of knowledge and outline major gaps in the understanding of biotic drivers of organic matter decomposition processes that occur in riverine ecosystems, across habitats, temporal dimensions, and latitudes influenced by climate change. We propose a novel, integrative analytical perspective to assess and predict decomposition processes in riverine ecosystems. We then use this model to analyse data to demonstrate that the size-spectra of a community can be used to predict decomposition rates by analysing an illustrative dataset. This modelling methodology allows comparison of the riverine bioreactors performance across habitats and at a global scale. Our integrative analytical approach can be applied to advance understanding of the functioning and efficiency of the riverine bioreactor as hotspots of metabolic activity. Application of insights gained from such analyses could inform the development of strategies that promote the functioning of the riverine bioreactor across global ecosystems.
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