| 1. |
- De Schuyter, Wim, et al.
(författare)
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Declining potential nectar production of the herb layer in temperate forests under global change
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Ecology. - 0022-0477 .- 1365-2745. ; 112:4, s. 832-847
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wild pollinators are crucial for ecosystem functioning and human food production and often rely on floral resources provided by different (semi-) natural ecosystems for survival. Yet, the role of European forests, and especially the European forest herb layer, as a potential provider of floral resources for pollinators has scarcely been quantified.In this study, we measured the potential nectar production (PNP) of the forest herb layer using resurvey data across 3326 plots in temperate forests in Europe, with an average time interval of 41 years between both surveys in order to assess (i) the importance of the forest herb layer in providing nectar for wild pollinators, (ii) the intra-annual variation of PNP, (iii) the overall change in PNP between survey periods and (iv) the change in intra-annual variation of PNP between survey periods. The PNP estimates nectar availability based on the relative cover of different plant species in the forest herb layer. Although PNP overestimates actual nectar production, relative differences amongst plots provide a valid and informative way to analyse differences across time and space.Our results show that the forest herb layer has a large potential for providing nectar for wild pollinator communities, which is greatest in spring, with an average PNP of almost 16 g sugar/m2/year. However, this potential has drastically declined (mean plot-level decline >24%).Change in light availability, associated with shifts in canopy structure and canopy composition, is the key driver of temporal PNP changes.Synthesis. Our study shows that if management activities are carefully planned to sustain nectar-producing plant species for wild pollinators, European forest herb layers and European forests as a whole can play key roles in sustaining wild pollinator populations.
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| 2. |
- Heinken, Thilo, et al.
(författare)
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The European Forest Plant Species List (EuForPlant): Concept and applications
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Vegetation Science. - : Wiley. - 1654-1103 .- 1100-9233. ; 33:3, s. 1-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Question: When evaluating forests in terms of their biodiversity, distinctiveness and naturalness, the affinity of the constituent species to forests is a crucial parameter. Here we ask to what extent are vascular plant species associated with forests, and does species’ affinity to forests vary between European regions?Location: Temperate and boreal forest biome of Northwestern and Central Europe. Methods: We compiled EuForPlant, a new extensive list of forest vascular plant spe- cies in 24 regions spread across 13 European countries using vegetation databases and expert knowledge. Species were region-specifically classified into four categories reflecting the degree of their affinity to forest habitats: 1.1, species of forest interiors; 1.2, species of forest edges and forest openings; 2.1, species that can be found in forest as well as open vegetation; and 2.2, species that can be found partly in forest, but mainly in open vegetation. An additional “O” category was distinguished, covering species typical for non-forest vegetation.Results: EuForPlant comprises 1,726 species, including 1,437 herb-layer species, 159 shrubs, 107 trees, 19 lianas and 4 epiphytic parasites. Across regions, generalist forest species (with 450 and 777 species classified as 2.1 and 2.2, respectively) significantly outnumbered specialist forest species (with 250 and 137 species classified as 1.1 and 1.2, respectively). Even though the degree of shifting between the categories of for- est affinity among regions was relatively low (on average, 17.5%), about one-third of the forest species (especially 1.2 and 2.2) swapped categories in at least one of the study regions.Conclusions: The proposed list can be used widely in vegetation science and global change ecology related to forest biodiversity and community dynamics. Shifting of forest affinity among regions emphasizes the importance of a continental-scale forest plant species list with regional specificity.
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| 3. |
- Marrec, Ronan, et al.
(författare)
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Multiscale drivers of carabid beetle (Coleoptera : Carabidae) assemblages in small European woodlands
- 2021
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Ingår i: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 30:1, s. 165-182
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: The spatio-temporal connectivity of forest patches in lowland agricultural landscapes and their age matter to explain current biodiversity patterns across regional as well as biogeographical extents, to the point that their effect exceeds the one of macroclimate for plant diversity in the understorey of temperate forests. Whether this remains true for other taxonomic groups is still largely unknown. Yet, this relative influence has important consequences for ecosystem functioning and the delivery of ecosystem services. Focusing on carabid beetle assemblages, we assessed the relative importance of macroclimatic, landscape and patch attributes in driving local species richness (alpha-diversity) and species dissimilarity between patches (beta-diversity).Location: Deciduous forest patches in seven regions along a 2,100-km-long latitudinal gradient across the European temperate forest biome, from southern France to central Sweden.Methods: We sampled 221 forest patches in two 5-km x 5-km landscape windows with contrasting management intensities. Carabid beetles were classified into four habitat-preference guilds: forest-specialist, forest-generalist, eurytopic and open-habitat species. We quantified the multi-level environmental influence using mixed-effects models and variation partitioning analysis.Results: We found that both alpha- and beta-diversity were primarily determined by macroclimate, acting as a large-scale ecological filter on carabid assemblages among regions. Forest-patch conditions, including biotic and abiotic heterogeneity as well as patch age (but not patch size), increased alpha-diversity of forest species. Landscape management intensity weakly influenced alpha-diversity of forest species, but increased the number of non-forest species in forest patches. Beta diversity of non-forest species increased with patch heterogeneity and decreased with landscape management intensity. Main conclusions: Our results highlight the leading role of broad macroclimatic gradients over local and landscape factors in determining the composition of local carabid communities, thereby shedding light on macroecological patterns of arthropod assemblages. This study emphasizes the urgent need for preserving ancient forest patches embedded in agricultural landscapes, even the small and weakly connected ones.
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| 4. |
- Plue, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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Biological flora of the British Isles:Poa nemoralis
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Ecology. - : WILEY. - 0022-0477 .- 1365-2745. ; 108:4, s. 1750-1774
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This account presents information on all aspects of the biology ofPoa nemoralisL. (Wood Meadow-grass) that are relevant to understanding its ecological characteristics and behaviour. The main topics are presented within the standard framework of theBiological Flora of the British Isles: distribution, habitat, communities, responses to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, floral and seed characters, herbivores and disease, history, and conservation. The grassPoa nemoralisis widespread and frequent to locally common across the British Isles, except for western and central Ireland, and northern Scotland. In both its native Eurasian range and introduced ranges in, for example, the Americas, its main habitat comprises temperate (mixed) deciduous woodland. The species finds important secondary habitats in hedgerows, as well as in non-woodland vegetation such as on cliffs, screes and walls or sporadically in grassland and heathland. Although not always taxonomically or morphologically distinct units, the species is suspected to comprise many cytological races and hybrid polyploid populations with variable morphology. Morphological variation amongP. nemoralispopulations may also be a sign of local environmental adaptation or a result of introgressive hybridization with other, morphologically variable members ofPoasectionStenopoasuch asP. glauca,P. compressaorP. pratensis. Poa nemoralisis a small-statured, loosely caespitose grass, with populations ranging from a few individual tufts to those visually defining the aspect of the herbaceous understorey. The species tolerates moderate to deep shade on the forest floor, yet it tends to forage for available light, occurring more and growing taller in canopy gaps, forest edges and hedgerows. The amount of light is central to its survival and reproductive ecology, being important for flower induction, seed production and seed germination. The species produces large quantities of small, light seeds which facilitate spatial and temporal dispersal. The species occupies a wide range of soil pH (3-7) and nutrient conditions (C/N ratio ranges between 10 and 25), though it clearly prefers moderately acid and somewhat drier soils with limited litter thickness, avoiding soils with mor humus types.Poa nemoralisdisplays distinct small-scale acidifuge responses, being absent in areas of low soil pH (<3). Poa nemoralisis a moderately strong indicator of ancient woodland: it can quickly colonize recently established wooded areas adjacent to ancient woodland when it is not hindered by dispersal limitation and elevated nutrient levels. Nonetheless, dispersal limitation impedes rapid colonization of isolated, recently established woodlands, in spite of ample records of zoochorous seed dispersal. While currently frequent to locally common, the species is at risk if ancient woodlands continue to decline in its native Eurasian range. Across N.W. Europe, it is already in moderate decline in temperate deciduous ancient woodlands because of acidification, eutrophication and darkening of the forest understorey. In its introduced ranges, it is considered invasive.
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| 5. |
- Valdés, Alicia, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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High ecosystem service delivery potential of small woodlands in agricultural landscapes
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 57:1, s. 4-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global forest loss and fragmentation have strongly increased the frequency of forest patches smaller than a few hectares. Little is known about the biodiversity and ecosystem service supply potential of such small woodlands in comparison to larger forests. As it is widely recognized that high biodiversity levels increase ecosystem functionality and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services, small, isolated woodlands are expected to have a lower potential for ecosystem service delivery than large forests hosting more species. We collected data on the diversity of six taxonomic groups covering invertebrates, plants and fungi, and on the supply potential of five ecosystem services and one disservice within 224 woodlands distributed across temperate Europe. We related their ability to simultaneously provide multiple ecosystem services (multiservice delivery potential) at different performance levels to biodiversity of all studied taxonomic groups (multidiversity), forest patch size and age, as well as habitat availability and connectivity within the landscape, while accounting for macroclimate, soil properties and forest structure. Unexpectedly, despite their lower multidiversity, smaller woodlands had the potential to deliver multiple services at higher performance levels per area than larger woodlands of similar age, probably due to positive edge effects on the supply potential of several ecosystem services. Biodiversity only affected multiservice delivery potential at a low performance level as well as some individual ecosystem services. The importance of other drivers of ecosystem service supply potential by small woodlands in agricultural landscapes also depended on the level of performance and varied with the individual ecosystem service considered. Synthesis and applications. Large, ancient woodlands host high levels of biodiversity and can therefore deliver a number of ecosystem services. In contrast, smaller woodlands in agricultural landscapes, especially ancient woodlands, have a higher potential to deliver multiple ecosystem services on a per area basis. Despite their important contribution to agricultural landscape multifunctionality, small woodlands are not currently considered by public policies. There is thus an urgent need for targeted policy instruments to ensure their adequate management and future conservation in order to either achieve multiservice delivery at high levels or to maximize the delivery of specific ecosystem services.
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| 6. |
- Vanneste, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Contrasting microclimates among hedgerows and woodlands across temperate Europe
- 2020
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Ingår i: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1923 .- 1873-2240. ; 281
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hedgerows have the potential to facilitate the persistence and migration of species across landscapes, mostly due to benign microclimatic conditions. This thermal buffering function may become even more important in the future for species migration under climate change. Unfortunately, there is a lack of empirical studies quantifying the microclimate of hedgerows, particularly at broad geographical scales. Here we monitored sub-canopy temperatures using 168 miniature temperature sensors distributed along woodland-hedgerow transects, and spanning a 1600-km macroclimatic gradient across Europe. First, we assessed the variation in the temperature offset (that is, the difference between sub-canopy and corresponding macroclimate temperatures) for minimum, mean and maximum temperatures along the woodland-hedgerow transects. Next, we linked the observed patterns to macroclimate temperatures as well as canopy structure, overstorey composition and hedgerow characteristics. The sub-canopy versus macroclimate temperature offset was on average 0.10 degrees C lower in hedgerows than in woodlands. Minimum winter temperatures were consistently lower by 0.10 degrees C in hedgerows than in woodlands, while maximum summer temperatures were 0.80 degrees C higher, albeit mainly around the woodland-hedgerow ecotone. The temperature offset was often negatively correlated with macroclimate temperatures. The slope of this relationship was lower for maximum temperatures in hedgerows than in woodlands. During summer, canopy cover, tree height and hedgerow width had strong cooling effects on maximum mid-day temperatures in hedgerows. The effects of shrub height, shrub cover and shade-casting ability, however, were not significant. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify hedgerow microclimates along a continental-scale environmental gradient. We show that hedgerows are less efficient thermal insulators than woodlands, especially at high ambient temperatures (e.g. on warm summer days). This knowledge will not only result in better predictions of species distribution across fragmented landscapes, but will also help to elaborate efficient strategies for biodiversity conservation and landscape planning.
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| 7. |
- Vanneste, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Plant diversity in hedgerows and road verges across Europe
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 57:7, s. 1244-1257
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Linear landscape elements such as hedgerows and road verges have the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change on species, for instance, by serving as a refuge habitat or by improving functional connectivity across the landscape. However, so far this hypothesis has not been evaluated at large spatial scales, preventing us from making generalized conclusions about their efficacy and implementation in conservation policies. Here, we assessed plant diversity patterns in 336 vegetation plots distributed along hedgerows and road verges, spanning a macro-environmental gradient across temperate Europe. We compared herb-layer species richness and composition in these linear elements with the respective seed-source (core) habitats, that is, semi-natural forests and grasslands. Next, we assessed how these differences related to several environmental drivers acting either locally, at the landscape level or along the studied macro-ecological gradient. Across all regions, about 55% of the plant species were shared between forests and hedgerows, and 52% between grasslands and road verges. Habitat-specialist richness was 11% lower in the linear habitats than in the core habitats, while generalist richness was 14% higher. The difference in floristic composition between both habitat types was mainly due to species turnover, and not nestedness. Most notably, forest-specialist richness in hedgerows responded positively to tree cover, tree height and the proportion of forests in the surrounding landscape, while generalist richness was negatively affected by tree height and buffering effect of trees on subcanopy temperatures. Grassland and road verge diversity was mainly influenced by soil properties, with positive effects of basic cation levels on the number of specialists and those of bioavailable soil phosphorus on generalist diversity. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate that linear landscape elements provide a potential habitat for plant species across Europe, including slow-colonizing specialists. Additionally, our results stress the possibility for land managers to modify local habitat features (e.g. canopy structure, subcanopy microclimate, soil properties, mowing regime) through management practices to enhance the colonization success of specialists in these linear habitats. These findings underpin the management needed to better conserving the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes across broad geographical scales.
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| 8. |
- Wei, Liping, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of patch age and size on forest soil characteristics in European agricultural landscapes
- 2023
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 898
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many landscapes worldwide are characterized by the presence of a mosaic of forest patches with contrasting age and size embedded in a matrix of agricultural land. However, our understanding of the effects of these key forest patch features on the soil nutrient status (in terms of nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus) and soil pH is still limited due to a lack of large-scale data. To address this research gap, we analyzed 830 soil samples from nearly 200 forest patches varying in age (recent versus ancient forests) and size (small versus larger patches) along a 2500-km latitudinal gradient across Europe. We also considered environmental covariates at multiple scales to increase the generality of our research, including variation in macroclimate, nitrogen deposition rates, forest cover in a buffer zone, basal area and soil type. Multiple linear mixed-effects models were performed to test the combined effects of patch features and environmental covariates on soil nutrients and pH. Recent patches had higher total soil phosphorus concentrations and stocks in the mineral soil layer, along with a lower nitrogen to phosphorus ratio within that layer. Small patches generally had a higher mineral soil pH. Mineral soil nitrogen stocks were lower in forest patches with older age and larger size, as a result of a significant interactive effect. Additionally, environmental covariates had significant effects on soil nutrients, including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and their stoichiometry, depending on the specific covariates. In some cases, the effect of patch age on mineral soil phosphorus stocks was greater than that of environmental covariates. Our findings underpin the important roles of forest patch age and size for the forest soil nutrient status. Long-term studies assessing edge effects and soil development in post-agricultural forests are needed, especially in a context of changing land use and climate.
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| 9. |
- Wulf Hanson, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
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A global systematic analysis of the occurrence, severity, and recovery pattern of long COVID in 2020 and 2021
- 2022
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Importance: While much of the attention on the COVID-19 pandemic was directed at the daily counts of cases and those with serious disease overwhelming health services, increasingly, reports have appeared of people who experience debilitating symptoms after the initial infection. This is popularly known as long COVID.Objective: To estimate by country and territory of the number of patients affected by long COVID in 2020 and 2021, the severity of their symptoms and expected pattern of recovery.Design: We jointly analyzed ten ongoing cohort studies in ten countries for the occurrence of three major symptom clusters of long COVID among representative COVID cases. The defining symptoms of the three clusters (fatigue, cognitive problems, and shortness of breath) are explicitly mentioned in the WHO clinical case definition. For incidence of long COVID, we adopted the minimum duration after infection of three months from the WHO case definition. We pooled data from the contributing studies, two large medical record databases in the United States, and findings from 44 published studies using a Bayesian meta-regression tool. We separately estimated occurrence and pattern of recovery in patients with milder acute infections and those hospitalized. We estimated the incidence and prevalence of long COVID globally and by country in 2020 and 2021 as well as the severity-weighted prevalence using disability weights from the Global Burden of Disease study.Results: Analyses are based on detailed information for 1906 community infections and 10526 hospitalized patients from the ten collaborating cohorts, three of which included children. We added published data on 37262 community infections and 9540 hospitalized patients as well as ICD-coded medical record data concerning 1.3 million infections. Globally, in 2020 and 2021, 144.7 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 54.8-312.9) people suffered from any of the three symptom clusters of long COVID. This corresponds to 3.69% (1.38-7.96) of all infections. The fatigue, respiratory, and cognitive clusters occurred in 51.0% (16.9-92.4), 60.4% (18.9-89.1), and 35.4% (9.4-75.1) of long COVID cases, respectively. Those with milder acute COVID-19 cases had a quicker estimated recovery (median duration 3.99 months [IQR 3.84-4.20]) than those admitted for the acute infection (median duration 8.84 months [IQR 8.10-9.78]). At twelve months, 15.1% (10.3-21.1) continued to experience long COVID symptoms.Conclusions and relevance: The occurrence of debilitating ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 is common. Knowing how many people are affected, and for how long, is important to plan for rehabilitative services and support to return to social activities, places of learning, and the workplace when symptoms start to wane.Key Points: Question: What are the extent and nature of the most common long COVID symptoms by country in 2020 and 2021?Findings: Globally, 144.7 million people experienced one or more of three symptom clusters (fatigue; cognitive problems; and ongoing respiratory problems) of long COVID three months after infection, in 2020 and 2021. Most cases arose from milder infections. At 12 months after infection, 15.1% of these cases had not yet recovered.Meaning: The substantial number of people with long COVID are in need of rehabilitative care and support to transition back into the workplace or education when symptoms start to wane.
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| 10. |
- Wulf Hanson, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
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Estimated Global Proportions of Individuals With Persistent Fatigue, Cognitive, and Respiratory Symptom Clusters Following Symptomatic COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 0098-7484 .- 1538-3598. ; 328:16, s. 1604-1615
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IMPORTANCE: Some individuals experience persistent symptoms after initial symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection (often referred to as Long COVID).OBJECTIVE: To estimate the proportion of males and females with COVID-19, younger or older than 20 years of age, who had Long COVID symptoms in 2020 and 2021 and their Long COVID symptom duration.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Bayesian meta-regression and pooling of 54 studies and 2 medical record databases with data for 1.2 million individuals (from 22 countries) who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of the 54 studies, 44 were published and 10 were collaborating cohorts (conducted in Austria, the Faroe Islands, Germany, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US). The participant data were derived from the 44 published studies (10 501 hospitalized individuals and 42 891 nonhospitalized individuals), the 10 collaborating cohort studies (10 526 and 1906), and the 2 US electronic medical record databases (250 928 and 846 046). Data collection spanned March 2020 to January 2022.EXPOSURES: Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Proportion of individuals with at least 1 of the 3 self-reported Long COVID symptom clusters (persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings; cognitive problems; or ongoing respiratory problems) 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 and 2021, estimated separately for hospitalized and nonhospitalized individuals aged 20 years or older by sex and for both sexes of nonhospitalized individuals younger than 20 years of age.RESULTS: A total of 1.2 million individuals who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection were included (mean age, 4-66 years; males, 26%-88%). In the modeled estimates, 6.2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 2.4%-13.3%) of individuals who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection experienced at least 1 of the 3 Long COVID symptom clusters in 2020 and 2021, including 3.2% (95% UI, 0.6%-10.0%) for persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings, 3.7% (95% UI, 0.9%-9.6%) for ongoing respiratory problems, and 2.2% (95% UI, 0.3%-7.6%) for cognitive problems after adjusting for health status before COVID-19, comprising an estimated 51.0% (95% UI, 16.9%-92.4%), 60.4% (95% UI, 18.9%-89.1%), and 35.4% (95% UI, 9.4%-75.1%), respectively, of Long COVID cases. The Long COVID symptom clusters were more common in women aged 20 years or older (10.6% [95% UI, 4.3%-22.2%]) 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection than in men aged 20 years or older (5.4% [95% UI, 2.2%-11.7%]). Both sexes younger than 20 years of age were estimated to be affected in 2.8% (95% UI, 0.9%-7.0%) of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. The estimated mean Long COVID symptom cluster duration was 9.0 months (95% UI, 7.0-12.0 months) among hospitalized individuals and 4.0 months (95% UI, 3.6-4.6 months) among nonhospitalized individuals. Among individuals with Long COVID symptoms 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, an estimated 15.1% (95% UI, 10.3%-21.1%) continued to experience symptoms at 12 months.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study presents modeled estimates of the proportion of individuals with at least 1 of 3 self-reported Long COVID symptom clusters (persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings; cognitive problems; or ongoing respiratory problems) 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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