| 1. |
- Volchko, Yevheniya, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing costs and benefits of improved soil quality management in remediation projects : A study of an urban site contaminated with PAH and metals
- 2020
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 707
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Contaminants in the soil may threaten soil functions (SFs) and, in turn, hinder the delivery of ecosystem services (ES). A framework for ecological risk assessments (ERAs) within the APPLICERA - APPLICable site-specific Environmental Risk Assessment research project promotes assessments that consider other soil quality parameters than only contaminant concentrations. The developed framework is: (i) able to differentiate the effects of contamination on SFs from the effects of other soil qualities essential for soil biota; and (ii) provides a robust basis for improved soil quality management in remediation projects. This study evaluates the socio-economic consequences of remediation alternatives stemming from a Tier 1 ERA that focusses on total contaminant concentrations and soil quality standards and a detailed, site-specific Tier 3 Triad approach that is based on the APPLICERA framework. The present study demonstrates how Tier 1 and Tier 3 ERAs differ in terms of the socio-economic consequences of their remediation actions, as well as presents a novel method for the semi-quantitative assessment of on-site ES. Although the presented Tier 3 ERA is more expensive and time-consuming than the more traditional Tier 1 ERA approach, it has the potential to lower the costs of remediation actions, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, reduce other environmental impacts, and minimise socio-economic losses. Furthermore, the remediation actions stemming from the Tier 3 ERA were predicted to exert far less negative ES effects than the actions proposed based on the results of the Tier 1 ERA.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Auffret, Alistair, et al.
(författare)
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Can field botany be effectively taught as a distance course? Experiences and reflections from the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2022
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Ingår i: AoB PLANTS. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2041-2851. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 forced a rapid change in university teaching, with large numbers of courses switching to distance learning with very little time for preparation. Courses involving many practical elements and field excursions required particular care if students were to fulfil planned learning outcomes. Here, we present our experiences in teaching field botany in 2020 and 2021. Using a range of methods and tools to introduce students to the subject, promote self-learning and reflection and give rapid and regular feedback, we were able to produce a course that allowed students to achieve the intended learning outcomes and that obtained similarly positive student evaluations to previous years. The course and its outcomes were further improved in 2021. We describe how we structured field botany as a distance course in order that we could give the best possible learning experience for the students. Finally, we reflect on how digital tools can aid teaching such subjects in the future, in a world where public knowledge of natural history is declining.In an era of large-scale biodiversity change and reductions in basic knowledge of natural history, it is important that practical courses in subjects like field botany continue to be taught effectively. Forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to teach plant identification with no direct contact with students, we used a range of methods and tools to promote self-learning and reflection in students, and to facilitate rapid feedback by teachers. Here, we present our method for producing a course that allowed students to achieve the intended learning outcomes and that obtained positive student evaluations.
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| 4. |
- Barrios Latorre, Sergio Alejandro, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the benefits of intermediate crops : Is it possible to offset soil organic carbon losses caused by crop residue removal?
- 2024
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Ingår i: Agricultural Systems. - 0308-521X .- 1873-2267. ; 215
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CONTEXT: Agriculture plays a central role as a feedstock provider for the bioeconomy. However, utilization competing with food production and associated land use change have previously been a matter of debate. Nonetheless, strengthening the productivity of agroecosystems through sustainable intensification can prevent the depletion of natural resources, enhance food security, and facilitate adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the effects of combining crop residue removal for use as biomass feedstock with the establishment of intermediate crops to compensate for organic carbon depletion in arable land in Sweden. METHODS: The analysis relied on Swedish national agricultural statistics at the highest available spatial resolution (yield survey district). Crop residue calculations factored in crop:residue ratios, and harvestable and recoverable potentials. A model was devised to estimate land availability for cultivating intermediate crops based on generalized crop rotation sequences, and a spatial interpolation was employed to determine oilseed radish yields as a model intermediate crop. Estimates of long-term soil carbon inputs hinged on biomass carbon content and humification coefficients dependent on soil clay content. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The total annual residual biomass availability in the country stands at approximately 2139 kt per year. The potential harvestable biomass production from intermediate crops was estimated at 383 kt per year. However, spatial differences were evident in total biomass production and effects on soil organic carbon inputs. For the majority of districts, the inclusion of intermediate crops could offset the negative effect of a complete removal of crop residues on soil organic carbon inputs. In other cases, establishing intermediate crops could not compensate for these negative effects, but some differences were observed when comparing the harvesting and the incorporation of the intermediate crops' biomass. Spatial disparities originated from variations in soil texture, intermediate crop yield, and rotation sequences. SIGNIFICANCE: This research is an attempt to address the challenge of maintaining and increasing the soil carbon stocks under the context of a growing biomass demand in a developing biobased economy. It highlights the divergent effects of combining crop residue removal with the inclusion of intermediate crops under distinct agroecological conditions in the Northern European context. By giving estimates on biomass availability and effects on soil organic carbon inputs, we provide information that can support decision making for bioeconomy planning and sustainable resource utilization. This also has long-term implications for preservation of soil fertility, agricultural productivity and climate change mitigation.
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| 5. |
- Björsell, Pia, et al.
(författare)
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Interactions between some plant-parasitic nematodes and Rhizoctonia solani in potato fields
- 2017
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Ingår i: Applied Soil Ecology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0929-1393 .- 1873-0272. ; 113, s. 151-154
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani causes major economic losses for potato producers in Sweden. Producers, as well as extension officers, have reported possible increases in severity of R. solani when free-living plant-parasitic nematodes are present and active. The aim of this study was to investigate possible interactions and spatial correlations between root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.), stubby-root nematodes (Trichodoridae) and the severity of stem canker caused by the fungus R. solani under field conditions. Nematodes in the genus' Globodera were also included after finding high numbers of these potato cyst nematode juveniles in the samples. Soil samples were taken in eight potato fields, located in the middle part of Sweden, with observed outbreaks of soil-borne stem canker caused by R. solani. Grading of stem canker and soil collections for nematode extraction were performed along transects starting from the centre of field patches with observed stem canker. There was no difference in the number of nematodes within the patches for any of the investigated nematode taxa, but the severity of stem canker was higher on plants graded in the centre of the patches compared to those graded in the margins. In addition, there was a spatial correlation between R. solani and stubby-root nematodes as well as potato cyst nematodes, but not for root-lesion nematodes. These results show that there is an interaction between plant-parasitic nematodes and R. solani in the field and this knowledge is of importance for future decisions of appropriate management methods. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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| 6. |
- Borgström, Pernilla, et al.
(författare)
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Above- and belowground insect herbivores mediate the impact of nitrogen eutrophication on the soil food web in a grassland ecosystem
- 2018
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 0030-1299 .- 1600-0706. ; 127, s. 1272-1279
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Insect herbivores are important drivers of ecosystem processes in grasslands, and can mediate the grassland's response to environmental change. For example, recent evidence shows that above- and belowground herbivory, individually and in combination, can modify how a plant community responds to nitrogen (N) eutrophication, an important driver of global change. However, knowledge about how such effects extend to the associated soil food web is lacking. In a mesocosm experiment, we investigated how communities of soil nematodes - an abundant and functionally important group of soil organisms - responded to above- and belowground insect herbivory at contrasting N levels. We found that the strongest influence of above- and belowground herbivory on the nematode community appeared at elevated N. The abundance of root-feeding nematodes increased when either above- or belowground insect herbivores were present at elevated N, but when applied together the two herbivore types cancelled out one another's effect. Additionally, at elevated N aboveground herbivory increased the abundance of fungal-feeders relative to bacterial-feeders, which indicates changes in decomposition pathways induced by N and herbivory. Belowground herbivory increased the abundance of omnivorous nematodes. The shifts in both the herbivorous and detrital parts of the soil food web demonstrate that above- and belowground herbivory does not only mediate the response of the plant community to N eutrophication, but in extension also the soil food web sustained by the plant community. We conclude that feedbacks between effects of above- and belowground herbivory mediate the response of the grassland ecosystem to N eutrophication.
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| 7. |
- Borgström, Pernilla, et al.
(författare)
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Above- and belowground insect herbivory modifies the response of a grassland plant community to nitrogen eutrophication
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0012-9658 .- 1939-9170. ; 98, s. 545-554
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding the role that species interactions play in determining the rate and direction of ecosystem change due to nitrogen (N) eutrophication is important for predicting the consequences of global change. Insects might play a major role in this context. They consume substantial amounts of plant biomass and can alter competitive interactions among plants, indirectly shaping plant community composition. Nitrogen eutrophication affects plant communities globally, but there is limited experimental evidence of how insect herbivory modifies plant community response to raised N levels. Even less is known about the roles of above- and below-ground herbivory in shaping plant communities, and how the interaction between the two might modify a plant community's response to N eutrophication. We conducted a 3-yr field experiment where grassland plant communities were subjected to above- and belowground insect herbivory with and without N addition, in a full-factorial design. We found that herbivory modified plant community responses to N addition. Aboveground herbivory decreased aboveground plant community biomass by 21%, but only at elevated N. When combined, above- and belowground herbivory had a stronger negative effect on plant community biomass at ambient N (11% decrease) than at elevated N (4% decrease). In addition, herbivory shifted the functional composition of the plant community, and the magnitude of the shifts depended on the N level. The N and herbivory treatments synergistically conferred a competitive advantage to forbs, which benefited when both herbivory types were present at elevated N. Evenness among the plant species groups increased when aboveground herbivory was present, but N addition attenuated this increase. Our results demonstrate that a deeper understanding of how plant-herbivore interactions above and below ground shape the composition of a plant community is crucial for making reliable predictions about the ecological consequences of global change.
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| 8. |
- Borgström, Pernilla, et al.
(författare)
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Aboveground insect herbivory increases plant competitive asymmetry, while belowground herbivory mitigates the effect
- 2016
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Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Insect herbivores can shift the composition of a plant community, but the mechanism underlying such shifts remains largely unexplored. A possibility is that insects alter the competitive symmetry between plant species. The effect of herbivory on competition likely depends on whether the plants are subjected to aboveground or belowground herbivory or both, and also depends on soil nitrogen levels. It is unclear how these biotic and abiotic factors interactively affect competition. Ina greenhouse experiment, we measured competition between two coexisting grass species that respond differently to nitrogen deposition: Dactylis glomerata L., which is competitively favoured by nitrogen addition, and Festuca rubra L., which is competitively favoured on nitrogen-poor soils. We predicted: (1) that aboveground herbivory would reduce competitive asymmetry at high soil nitrogen by reducing the competitive advantage of D. glomerata; and (2), that belowground herbivory would relax competition at low soil nitrogen, by reducing the competitive advantage of F. rubra. Aboveground herbivory caused a 46 A) decrease in the competitive ability of F. rubra, and a 23% increase in that of D. glomerata, thus increasing competitive asymmetry, independently of soil nitrogen level. Belowground herbivory did not affect competitive symmetry, but the combined influence of above and belowground herbivory was weaker than predicted from their individual effects. Belowground herbivory thus mitigated the increased competitive asymmetry caused by aboveground herbivory. D. glomerata remained competitively dominant after the cessation of aboveground herbivory, showing that the influence of herbivory continued beyond the feeding period. We showed that insect herbivory can strongly influence plant competitive interactions. In our experimental plant community, aboveground insect herbivory increased the risk of competitive exclusion of F. rubra. Belowground herbivory appeared to mitigate the influence of aboveground herbivory, and this mechanism may play a role for plant species coexistence.
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| 9. |
- Borgström, Pernilla, et al.
(författare)
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Below‑ground herbivory mitigates biomass loss from above‑ground herbivory of nitrogen fertilized plants
- 2020
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Herbivorous insects can infuence grassland ecosystem functions in several ways, notably by alteringprimary production and nutrient turnover. Interactions between above- and belowground herbivorycould afect these functions; an efect that might be modifed by nitrogen (N) addition, an importantglobal change driver. To explore this, we added above- (grasshoppers) and belowground (wireworms)insect herbivores and N into enclosed, equally composed, grassland plant communities in a fullyfactorial feld experiment. N addition substantially altered the impact of above- and belowgroundherbivory on ecosystem functioning. Herbivory and N interacted such that biomass was reduced underabove ground herbivory and high N input, while plant biomass remained stable under simultaneousabove- and belowground herbivory. Aboveground herbivory lowered nutrient turnover rate in thesoil, while belowground herbivory mitigated the efect of aboveground herbivory. Soil decompositionpotential and N mineralization rate were faster under belowground herbivory at ambient N, butat elevated N this efect was only observed when aboveground herbivores were also present. Wefound that N addition does not only infuence productivity directly (repeatedly shown by others), butalso appears to infuence productivity by herbivory mediated efects on nutrient dynamics, whichhighlights the importance of a better understanding of complex biotic interactions.
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| 10. |
- Bötzl, Fabian, et al.
(författare)
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Undersowing oats with clovers supports pollinators and suppresses arable weeds without reducing yields
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 60, s. 614-623
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sustainable food production requires agriculture to conserve biodiversity and facilitate ecosystem services to maintain productivity levels while reducing inputs detrimental to ecosystem functioning. Increasing within-field vegetation diversity by legume intercropping seems promising to facilitate cropping system multi-functionality. Effects of intercropping with legumes on biodiversity-mediated ecosystem services such as pollination or natural pest control are, however, not sufficiently understood. Using 26 observation plots in a paired field design, we studied the effects of undersowing oats with a mixture of three annual clovers across different aspects of cropping system multi-functionality. We investigated 16 below- and above-ground ecosystem service indicators related to soil mineral nitrogen, arable weed control, pollination, disease and pest pressures, natural pest control and crop yield. We found lower arable weed cover, higher flower cover and pollinator densities as well as decreased root-feeding nematode densities in intercropped observation plots compared with the non-intercropped controls. However, intercropping decreased spider activity densities and oat yield nitrogen content. Root diseases, pest damages, natural pest control and crop yield were not affected by intercropping. The biomass of undersown clovers was positively related with the differences in flower cover and pollinator densities, and negatively related with the differences in arable weed cover between the intercropped and the control treatment. Synthesis and applications: We demonstrate that undersowing annual clovers suppresses arable weeds and simultaneously support pollinators without reducing crop yields or taking land out of arable production. Undersown plant mixtures should, however, be tailored to support a wider spectrum of pollinators and benefit natural pest control to support a higher level of overall cropping system multi-functionality.
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