Matters Arising
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Open Access
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReassessing data quality underlying the recently updated floristic map of the world
- Hong Qian
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Article
| Open AccessGlobally occurring pelagiphage infections create ribosome-deprived cells
SAR11 bacteria and their phages are abundant in the oceans. Here the authors quantify the number of phage-infected SAR11 cells using microscopy techniques and discover phage-infected cells without any detectable ribosomes. They hypothesize that ribosomal RNA may be used for the synthesis of phage genomes.
- Jan D. Brüwer
- , Chandni Sidhu
- & Bernhard M. Fuchs
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Article
| Open AccessSerial founder effects slow range expansion in an invasive social insect
Invasive populations often have low genetic diversity because they originated from a small number of founding individuals. This study shows that in an invasive honey bee, one consequence of low genetic diversity is a reduced rate of population expansion due to serial founder effects at range edges.
- Thomas Hagan
- , Guiling Ding
- & Rosalyn Gloag
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Article
| Open AccessLand conversion to agriculture induces taxonomic homogenization of soil microbial communities globally
Agricultural land-use change affects belowground biodiversity. Here, the authors compare soil microbial communities from natural ecosystems and agricultural systems, finding that agricultural conversion leads to taxonomic and functional homogenisation.
- Ziheng Peng
- , Xun Qian
- & Shuo Jiao
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Article
| Open AccessA global meta-analysis on the drivers of salt marsh planting success and implications for ecosystem services
Salt marsh planting strategies aim to reduce coastal degradation. Here, the authors conduct a global meta-analysis showing that planting enhances coastal wetland ecosystem services although not to the level of natural wetlands.
- Zezheng Liu
- , Sergio Fagherazzi
- & Baoshan Cui
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Article
| Open AccessSulfur oxidation and reduction are coupled to nitrogen fixation in the roots of the salt marsh foundation plant Spartina alterniflora
The mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions in coastal ecosystems are little explored. Here, the authors use multi-omics and biogeochemical measurements to investigate the saltmarsh cordgrass root microbiome and its role in coupling nitrogen fixation and sulfur cycling.
- J. L. Rolando
- , M. Kolton
- & J. E. Kostka
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Article
| Open AccessComposition and metabolism of microbial communities in soil pores
The work proposes the concept of distinct micro-habitats within an intact soil matrix and describes composition and metabolic pathways of their bacterial inhabitants, as a first step towards a generalizable C processing-focused classification of soil micro-environmental conditions.
- Zheng Li
- , Alexandra N. Kravchenko
- & Evgenia Blagodatskaya
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Article
| Open AccessReservoir displacement by an invasive rodent reduces Lassa virus zoonotic spillover risk
Mastomys natalensis is a rodent species native to West Africa that is the primary reservoir host for Lassa virus. Here, the authors investigate whether the invasive rodent Rattus rattus decreases M. natalensis density and could therefore indirectly decrease zoonotic transmission of Lassa virus to humans.
- Evan A. Eskew
- , Brian H. Bird
- & Scott L. Nuismer
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Article
| Open AccessVegetation dieback in the Mississippi River Delta triggered by acute drought and chronic relative sea-level rise
Coastal wetlands are vulnerable to sea-level rise. Here, the authors use 16 years of data to correlate vegetation dieback in the Mississippi River Delta to drought-induced salt water intrusion in the summer of 2012.
- Tracy Elsey-Quirk
- , Austin Lynn
- & Dubravko Justic
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Article
| Open AccessPurines enrich root-associated Pseudomonas and improve wild soybean growth under salt stress
Root-associated microbiota confers benefits to plant in responding to environmental stress. Here, the authors show that wild soybean secretes purines under salt stress, reshapes the microbiota and recruits Pseudomonas.
- Yanfen Zheng
- , Xuwen Cao
- & Cheng-Sheng Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessMetabolic coupling between soil aerobic methanotrophs and denitrifiers in rice paddy fields
Microbial denitrification in rice paddy fields reduces N use efficiency. Here, the authors use field samples from major rice producing areas in China and identify microbial taxa involved in the metabolic couplings between aerobic CH4 oxidation and denitrification in rice paddy fields.
- Kang-Hua Chen
- , Jiao Feng
- & Yu-Rong Liu
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Article
| Open AccessFreshwater genome-reduced bacteria exhibit pervasive episodes of adaptive stasis
Here, by applying evolutionary genomics approaches to metagenomics data of lake microbiomes, the authors reveal that freshwater species with small genomes face extended periods with their niche adaptation capabilities frozen.
- Lucas Serra Moncadas
- , Cyrill Hofer
- & Adrian-Stefan Andrei
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Article
| Open AccessA global meta-analysis on the effects of organic and inorganic fertilization on grasslands and croplands
Inorganic fertilization reduces plant biodiversity. Here, the authors conduct a global meta-analysis on the use of organic and inorganic fertilizer in croplands and grasslands, showing that while both fertilizers increase plant biomass, only organic fertilizer increases biodiversity.
- Ting-Shuai Shi
- , Scott L. Collins
- & Jian-Sheng Ye
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Article
| Open AccessResponses of marine trophic levels to the combined effects of ocean acidification and warming
Marine organisms are increasingly exposed to both ocean acidification and warming. Here, the authors report a meta-analysis of fully factorial experiments with both acidification and warming treatments, finding that synergistic interactions are less common than expected.
- Nan Hu
- , Paul E. Bourdeau
- & Johan Hollander
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Article
| Open AccessEstimating the effects of temperature on transmission of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum
Malaria transmission is affected by temperature but this relationship is not well characterised. Here, the authors experimentally determine the effect of temperature on parasite development in the mosquito and model how it impacts malaria transmission in Kenya under current and future climate scenarios.
- Eunho Suh
- , Isaac J. Stopard
- & Matthew B. Thomas
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Article
| Open AccessSpeed of environmental change frames relative ecological risk in climate change and climate intervention scenarios
Hueholt et al. find that considering how the rate of temperature change contributes to ecosystem risk helps inform future hypothetical design of climate intervention scenarios
- Daniel M. Hueholt
- , Elizabeth A. Barnes
- & Ariel L. Morrison
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Article
| Open AccessTowards establishing a fungal economics spectrum in soil saprobic fungi
Challenges in obtaining empirical trait data hinder the development of trait-based frameworks for soil microbes. Here, the authors analyse traits of saprobic fungal isolates from a grassland site to propose a fungal economics spectrum, suggesting a general trait framework for soil fungi.
- Tessa Camenzind
- , Carlos A. Aguilar-Trigueros
- & Matthias C. Rillig
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal meta-analysis reveals overall higher nocturnal than diurnal activity in insect communities
Entomologists expect that more insects are active at night than during daytime. Here, the authors use a global meta-analysis of insect community diel patterns to show highly variable and context-dependent but overall higher nocturnal activity of insects.
- Mark K. L. Wong
- & Raphael K. Didham
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Article
| Open AccessDiversity and potential host-interactions of viruses inhabiting deep-sea seamount sediments
Little is known about viral communities in deep-sea seamounts. In this study, the authors performed metagenomic and virome analysis from sediments in the western Pacific Ocean and characterize the diversity, distribution and potential ecological roles of viruses in deep-sea seamount sediments.
- Meishun Yu
- , Menghui Zhang
- & Min Jin
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Comment
| Open AccessAll-inclusive nitrifiers in Antarctic soils
Multidisciplinary culture-dependent and -independent techniques elucidate the unique microbial nitrogen cycle in nutrient-poor coastal Antarctica soils and reveal the contribution of novel key microbes to their nitrogen budget.
- Maximiliano Ortiz
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Article
| Open AccessEpidemiological, clinical, and genomic landscape of coccidioidomycosis in northeastern Brazil
Coccidioidomycosis, a WHO-listed mycosis, is neglected in South America. Analysis of 292 cases in Brazil, often tied to armadillo hunting, unveils unique disease patterns, environmental factors and pathogen genetics causing the disease.
- Kelsen Dantas Eulálio
- , Daniel R. Kollath
- & Marcus de Melo Teixeira
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Article
| Open AccessContrasting carbon cycle along tropical forest aridity gradients in West Africa and Amazonia
This study finds that West African ecosystems are generally more productive than equivalent ecosystems in Amazonia. It also suggests that a semi-deciduous forest site in Ghana is the world’s most productive forest measured to date.
- Huanyuan Zhang-Zheng
- , Stephen Adu-Bredu
- & Yadvinder Malhi
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Article
| Open AccessPlasmids in the human gut reveal neutral dispersal and recombination that is overpowered by inflammatory diseases
Here, the authors analyze the plasmidome in 3,467 human gut microbiome samples across continents and disease states, revealing that plasmid dispersal in the human gut is predominantly neutral, but becomes more selective in inflammatory diseases, shedding light on microbial evolution in health and disease.
- Alvah Zorea
- , David Pellow
- & Itzhak Mizrahi
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Article
| Open AccessMaximizing carbon sequestration potential in Chinese forests through optimal management
The authors show China’s forests can sequester 172.3 million tons of carbon per year in biomass by 2100, with an additional 28.1 million tons from improved management practices, but neglecting wood harvest impacts will distort long-term future projections.
- Zhen Yu
- , Shirong Liu
- & Evgenios Agathokleous
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Article
| Open AccessRisks posed by invasive species to the provision of ecosystem services in Europe
Non-native species may pose a threat not only to native biodiversity, but also to the provision of ecosystem services. Here, the authors quantify the potential impact of invasive species on a set of ecosystem services across Europe.
- Belinda Gallardo
- , Sven Bacher
- & Montserrat Vilà
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessRectifying misinformation on the climate intervention potential of ocean afforestation
- Victor Smetacek
- , Mar Fernández-Méndez
- & Jiajun Wu
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal latitudinal gradients and the evolution of body size in dinosaurs and mammals
Bergmann’s Rule predicts larger body sizes in colder climates. Here, the authors examine extinct and extant dinosaurs (birds) and mammaliaforms, finding no evidence of body size variation with latitude in any group, but a small variation with temperature in extant birds.
- Lauren N. Wilson
- , Jacob D. Gardner
- & Chris L. Organ
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Article
| Open AccessThe effect of a political crisis on performance of community forests and protected areas in Madagascar
The effectiveness of community-based land protection compared to traditional top-down protection is debated. Here, the authors show that both community-managed forests and traditional protected areas in Madagascar experienced deforestation during a political crisis but the former were especially vulnerable in the post-crisis period.
- Rachel A. Neugarten
- , Ranaivo A. Rasolofoson
- & Amanda D. Rodewald
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Article
| Open AccessBat species assemblage predicts coronavirus prevalence
Human encroachment into nature alters species communities and can lead to changes in disease dynamics. Here, Meyer et al. find that coronavirus prevalence increased in less diverse bat communities, which were dominated by susceptible host species.
- Magdalena Meyer
- , Dominik W. Melville
- & Simone Sommer
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Article
| Open AccessA genome-centric view of the role of the Acropora kenti microbiome in coral health and resilience
This study provides insights into the functional roles of microbial symbionts within the reef-building coral Acropora kenti. The findings reveal molecular mechanisms underpinning coral health and adaptation to local environmental stressors, which may support host resilience in the face of anthropogenic climate change and pollution.
- Lauren F. Messer
- , David G. Bourne
- & Gene W. Tyson
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Article
| Open AccessLegume rhizodeposition promotes nitrogen fixation by soil microbiota under crop diversification
Sustainability in agriculture can be improved harnessing biological N2 fixation in legumes. Here, the authors combine different crops with peanut plants finding that maize and oilseed rape are the most successful combinations which have potential to enhance rhizosphere microbiota N2 fixation.
- Mengjie Qiao
- , Ruibo Sun
- & Yan Chen
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Article
| Open AccessHidden impacts of ocean warming and acidification on biological responses of marine animals revealed through meta-analysis
Climate change effects on animals are typically measured as decreases or increases in performance, compared to controls. Because both directions can have cascading effects at the ecosystem level, this study conducts a meta-analysis testing for deviations in biological responses using absolute rather than relative changes, showing that impacts on marine animals might have been largely underestimated.
- Katharina Alter
- , Juliette Jacquemont
- & Paolo Domenici
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Article
| Open AccessNutrient-induced acidification modulates soil biodiversity-function relationships
Nutrient enrichment is a major global change component. Here the authors show that soil acidification induced by nutrient enrichment, rather than changes in mineral nutrient and carbon availability, modulates soil biodiversity-function relationships
- Zhengkun Hu
- , Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- & Manqiang Liu
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Article
| Open AccessInverse relationship between species competitiveness and intraspecific trait variability may enable species coexistence in experimental seedling communities
Intraspecific trait variation could influence competitive interactions among species. Here, the authors show that higher intraspecific variation in seedling traits and performance may enable competitively inferior plant species to coexist with competitively superior species.
- Jing Yang
- , Xiya Wang
- & Guochun Shen
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Article
| Open AccessHidden diversity and potential ecological function of phosphorus acquisition genes in widespread terrestrial bacteriophages
Soil viruses could have a disproportionate role in ecosystem functioning. Here, the authors combine multiple data and approaches to explore diversity and distribution of P-acquisition genes encoded by soil bacteriophages, suggesting the importance of viral auxiliary metabolism for nutrient cycling.
- Jie-Liang Liang
- , Shi-wei Feng
- & Jin-tian Li
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Article
| Open AccessDeep biogeographic barriers explain divergent global vertebrate communities
The effect of biogeographic isolation on biodiversity remains unclear. Assessing global mammal and bird assemblages, the authors show that long-term biogeographic barriers explain reduced species richness and divergent ecological function, while environment determines diversity in most of the world.
- Peter J. Williams
- , Elise F. Zipkin
- & Jedediah F. Brodie
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Article
| Open AccessGenome-scale community modelling reveals conserved metabolic cross-feedings in epipelagic bacterioplankton communities
Identifying the metabolic interactions that underlie microbial communities is challenging. Here, the authors combine Tara Oceans -omics data with co-activity networks and genome-scale metabolic models to predict biotic interactions among planktonic prokaryotes in the upper ocean.
- Nils Giordano
- , Marinna Gaudin
- & Samuel Chaffron
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Article
| Open AccessAnaerobic fungi in the tortoise alimentary tract illuminate early stages of host-fungal symbiosis and Neocallimastigomycota evolution
Here, Pratt et al identify a community of deep-branching anaerobic fungi in tortoise feces. Multiple characteristics underpinning their success in tortoise, as opposed to scarcity in mammalian alimentary tracts, are presented.
- Carrie J. Pratt
- , Casey H. Meili
- & Noha H. Youssef
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Article
| Open AccessCollective incentives reduce over-exploitation of social information in unconstrained human groups
Individual decisions drive the dynamics of collective systems. Here, the authors use an immersive-reality experiment to show that group incentives reduce social information use and improve performance in naturalistic collectives.
- Dominik Deffner
- , David Mezey
- & Ralf H. J. M. Kurvers
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Article
| Open AccessBee-pollination promotes rapid divergent evolution in plants growing in different soils
In nature, soil, pollinators, and herbivores are the main drivers of plant adaptation and diversification. This study reveals that the interaction between soil and biotic pollination causes divergent evolution where pollinators play a key role, leading to strong divergence among plants in different soils.
- Thomas Dorey
- & Florian P. Schiestl
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Article
| Open AccessIntermediate soil acidification induces highest nitrous oxide emissions
Intermediate soil acidification alters the denitrifier community composition and induces high nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which contributes to the observed acceleration of N2O emissions from global soils
- Yunpeng Qiu
- , Yi Zhang
- & Shuijin Hu
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Article
| Open AccessMeta-analysis shows the impacts of ecological restoration on greenhouse gas emissions
International initiatives set ambitious targets for ecological restoration. Here, the authors conduct a meta-analysis to quantify the impacts of ecological restoration on greenhouse gas emissions and find that forest, grassland, and wetland restoration reduce global warming potential.
- Tiehu He
- , Weixin Ding
- & Quanfa Zhang
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Perspective
| Open AccessEcological countermeasures to prevent pathogen spillover and subsequent pandemics
In this Perspective, the authors discuss the importance of preventing zoonotic spillover to prevent pandemics. They highlight mechanisms by which environmental changes can enable spillover, identify ecological interventions for spillover prevention and suggest policy frameworks through which interventions can be implemented.
- Raina K. Plowright
- , Aliyu N. Ahmed
- & Annika T. H. Keeley
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Article
| Open AccessAccounting for albedo change to identify climate-positive tree cover restoration
Restoring tree cover is a prominent climate solution but can cause global warming due to changes in albedo. This paper maps albedo and carbon changes from restoring tree cover to highlight where the greatest net climate benefits can be achieved.
- Natalia Hasler
- , Christopher A. Williams
- & Susan C. Cook-Patton
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Article
| Open AccessTreeline displacement may affect lake dissolved organic matter processing at high latitudes and altitudes
Shifts in the treeline may induce changes in organic matter composition of lakes at high altitude and latitude. Here, the authors experimentally unravel effects of soil-derived DOM for lake carbon biogeochemistry and bacterial carbon use efficiency.
- Núria Catalán
- , Carina Rofner
- & Hannes Peter
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Article
| Open AccessFire suppression makes wildfires more severe and accentuates impacts of climate change and fuel accumulation
Fire suppression removes less-extreme wildfires, concentrating fires under extreme conditions. The authors use model simulations to show how this “suppression bias” intensifies fire behavior and effects, beyond fuel accumulation and climate change impacts.
- Mark R. Kreider
- , Philip E. Higuera
- & Andrew J. Larson
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Article
| Open AccessNiche availability and competitive loss by facilitation control proliferation of bacterial strains intended for soil microbiome interventions
Bioremediation via microbial inoculation often performs poorly in real-world conditions. Here, the authors show that bacterial inoculants may fail to establish in complex soil microbiomes because they open new niches that facilitate growth of resident microbes.
- Senka Čaušević
- , Manupriyam Dubey
- & Jan Roelof van der Meer
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Article
| Open AccessElevation-dependent pattern of net CO2 uptake across China
The authors employed 203 eddy covariance towers to reveal a negative and varying elevation dependent pattern of CO2 uptake, under changes in Earth’s climate and human activities.
- Da Wei
- , Jing Tao
- & Xiaodan Wang
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Article
| Open AccessHigh hydrostatic pressure stimulates microbial nitrate reduction in hadal trench sediments under oxic conditions
Hadal trenches are the deepest oceanic ecosystems, with water depth over 6000 m, and are among the least explored habitats on Earth. This research demonstrates that high hydrostatic pressure enhances denitrification activity under oxic conditions, potentially making hadal trenches fixed nitrogen loss hotpots.
- Na Yang
- , Yongxin Lv
- & Yu Zhang
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