Showing papers on "Ecosystem published in 2023"

Article Review: The Evolution Of The Digital Service Ecosystem And Digital Business Model Innovation In Retail - The Emergence Of Meta-Ecosystems And The Value Of Physical Interactions

Abstract: Title: The evolution of the digital service ecosystem and digital business model innovation in retail: The emergence of meta-ecosystems and the value of physical interactions Authors: M. Palmi, L. Mieh, P. Oghazi, V. Parida and J. Wincent Source: Technological Forecasting & Social Change (Elsevier Inc.) Date of Publication: 19 January 2022 Volume and Issue No: 177 (2022) 121496 ISSN/DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121496

River ecosystem metabolism and carbon biogeochemistry in a changing world

Abstract: River networks represent the largest biogeochemical nexus between the continents, ocean and atmosphere. Our current understanding of the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle remains limited, which makes it difficult to predict how global change may alter the timing and spatial distribution of riverine carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions. Here we review the state of river ecosystem metabolism research and synthesize the current best available estimates of river ecosystem metabolism. We quantify the organic and inorganic carbon flux from land to global rivers and show that their net ecosystem production and carbon dioxide emissions shift the organic to inorganic carbon balance en route from land to the coastal ocean. Furthermore, we discuss how global change may affect river ecosystem metabolism and related carbon fluxes and identify research directions that can help to develop better predictions of the effects of global change on riverine ecosystem processes. We argue that a global river observing system will play a key role in understanding river networks and their future evolution in the context of the global carbon budget.

A carbon-neutrality-capactiy index for evaluating carbon sink contributions

Abstract: The accurate determination of the carbon-neutrality capacity (CNC) of a region is crucial for developing policies related to emissions and climate change. However, a systematic diagnostic method for determining the CNC that considers the rock chemical weathering carbon sink (RCS) is lacking. Moreover, it is challenging but indispensable to establish a fast and practical index model to determine the CNC. Here, we selected Guizhou as the study area, used the methods for different types of carbon sinks, and constructed a CNC index (CNCI) model. We found that: (1) the carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink flux was 30.3 t CO2 km-2 yr-1. Guizhou accounted for 1.8% of the land area and contributed 5.4% of the carbonate chemical weathering carbon sink; (2) the silicate rock chemical weathering carbon sink and its flux were 1.44 × 103 t CO2 and 2.43 t CO2 km-2 yr-1, respectively; (3) the vegetation-soil ecosystem carbon sink and its flux were 1.37 × 108 t CO2 and 831.70 t CO2 km-2 yr-1, respectively; (4) the carbon emissions (CEs) were 280 Tg CO2, about 2.8% of the total for China; and (5) the total carbon sinks in Guizhou were 160 Tg CO2, with a CNCI of 57%, which is 4.8 times of China and 2.1 times of the world. In summary, we conducted a systematic diagnosis of the CNC considering the RCS and established a CNCI model. The results of this study have a strong implication and significance for national and global CNC determination and gap analysis.

Spatial-temporal heterogeneity of ecosystem service interactions and their social-ecological drivers: Implications for spatial planning and management

Abstract: Uncovering the complex interactions among ecosystem services (ESs) is a prerequisite for managing multiple ESs simultaneously. We mapped the supply of six ESs, quantified their trade-offs/synergies and bundles, determined dominant social-ecological drivers, and subsequently provided sustainable spatial planning and management strategies at both grid and sub-watershed scales. The results revealed that: (1) the patterns of ESs were spatially heterogeneous, with food production decreasing the most, by 14.86% (grid scale) and 17% (sub-watershed scale), and water supply increasing the most, by 22.46% (grid scale) and 22.57% (sub-watershed scale) from 2000 to 2020; (2) ten ES pairs presented synergies while five ES pairs related to food production showed trade-offs at both spatial scales, with three ES pairs at the grid scale and two ES pairs at the sub-watershed scale experiencing declined synergies or increased trade-offs; (3) our spatial-temporal and cross-scale analysis of ES interactions identified ES pairs with declined synergies as an additional priority in ecosystem management and determined ES bundles as a zoning basis for spatial planning at both scales. The similarities and divergences in ES interactions and their drivers at different scales require the linkage and distinct focus of spatial planning at different scales. Thus, we integrated spatial-temporal and cross-scale knowledge on ES interactions into spatial planning to underpin sustainable ecosystem management across scales.

Review of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary: Marine Protected Areas in the context of the International Whaling Commission Sanctuary Programme

Abstract: This scientific review of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary (SOS) was commissioned by the IWC Scientific Committee and presented to the IWC Steering Committee on 27-28 June 2004. This review addresses a number of questions related to the effectiveness of the SOS and provides recommendations on how to incorporate Marine Protected Area (MPA) concepts into the SOS and the IWC Sanctuary programme. Overall, the SOS – and IWC Sanctuaries in general – are based on vague goals and objectives that are difficult to measure, lack a rigorous approach to their design and operation and do not have an effective monitoring framework for evaluation. In particular, the SOS represents a ‘shotgun’ approach to conservation, whereby a large area is protected with little apparent rationale for boundary selection and management prescriptions within the sanctuary. While a vast array of ecosystem-level and precautionary conservation benefits have been invoked for the establishment of the SOS, in reality this sanctuary does little more than provide a false sense of security by assuming that broad protections for whale populations are in place. The SOS was designed to restrict commercial harvests from the low latitude feeding grounds occupied by large whales during the austral summer. However, the SOS does not protect against or mitigate other threats to Southern Ocean whale stocks and the marine ecosystems upon which these populations depend, including pollution, habitat degradation and loss, introduced species and global climate change. We thus contend that sanctuary establishment and evaluation should be guided by a series of measurable and tangible goals, aimed at quantifying the status of both the ‘protected’ species under consideration and their role in the broader marine ecosystem. In particular, the SOS could be improved substantially to become an important part of IWC management and the larger conservation of Southern Ocean marine ecosystems, if the following steps were implemented: (a) development of formally stated goals (e.g. biodiversity protection, fisheries enhancement); (b) establishment of measurable objectives with which to assess progress towards attaining these goals; (c) creation of a formal management plan, including the establishment of a monitoring framework; and (d) development of more appropriate review criteria, reflecting the ecological objectives of the management plan.

Environmental Risk Assessment of Wetland Ecosystems Using Bayesian Belief Networks

Abstract: Wetlands are valuable natural capital and sensitive ecosystems facing significant risks from anthropogenic and climatic stressors. An assessment of the environmental risk levels for wetlands’ dynamic ecosystems can provide a better understanding of their current ecosystem health and functions. Different levels of environmental risk are defined by considering the categories of risk and the probability and severity of each in the environment. Determining environmental risk levels provides a general overview of ecosystem function. This mechanism increases the visibility of risk levels and their values in three distinct states (i.e., low, moderate, and high) associated with ecosystem function. The Bayesian belief network (BBN) is a novel tool for determining environmental risk levels and monitoring the effectiveness of environmental planning and management measures in reducing the levels of risk. This study develops a robust methodological framework for determining the overall level of risks based on a combination of varied environmental risk factors using the BBN model. The proposed model is adopted for a case study of Shadegan International Wetlands (SIWs), which consist of a series of Ramsar wetlands in the southwest of Iran with international ecological significance. A comprehensive list of parameters and variables contributing to the environmental risk for the wetlands and their relationships were identified through a review of literature and expert judgment to develop an influence diagram. The BBN model is adopted for the case study location by determining the states of variables in the network and filling the probability distribution tables. The environmental risk levels for the SIWs are determined based on the results obtained at the output node of the BBN. A sensitivity analysis is performed for the BBN model. We proposed model-informed management strategies for wetland risk control. According to the BBN model results, the SIWs ecosystems are under threat from a high level of environmental risk. Prolonged drought has been identified as the primary contributor to the SIWs’ environmental risk levels.

Monitoring and modelling marine zooplankton in a changing climate

Abstract: Zooplankton are major consumers of phytoplankton primary production in marine ecosystems. As such, they represent a critical link for energy and matter transfer between phytoplankton and bacterioplankton to higher trophic levels and play an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. In this Review, we discuss key responses of zooplankton to ocean warming, including shifts in phenology, range, and body size, and assess the implications to the biological carbon pump and interactions with higher trophic levels. Our synthesis highlights key knowledge gaps and geographic gaps in monitoring coverage that need to be urgently addressed. We also discuss an integrated sampling approach that combines traditional and novel techniques to improve zooplankton observation for the benefit of monitoring zooplankton populations and modelling future scenarios under global changes.

Structural diversity as a reliable and novel predictor for ecosystem productivity

Abstract: The physical structure of vegetation is thought to be closely related to ecosystem function, but little is known of its pertinence across geographic regions. Here, we used data from over three million trees in continental North America to evaluate structural diversity – the volumetric capacity and physical arrangement of biotic components in ecosystems – as a predictor of productivity. We show that structural diversity is a robust predictor of forest productivity and consistently outperforms the traditional measure – species diversity – across climate conditions in North America. Moreover, structural diversity appears to be a better surrogate of niche occupancy because it captures variation in size that can be used to measure realized niche space. Structural diversity offers an easily measured metric to direct restoration and management decision making to maximize ecosystem productivity and carbon sequestration.

Interactive effects of changes in UV radiation and climate on terrestrial ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, and feedbacks to the climate system

Abstract: Abstract Terrestrial organisms and ecosystems are being exposed to new and rapidly changing combinations of solar UV radiation and other environmental factors because of ongoing changes in stratospheric ozone and climate. In this Quadrennial Assessment, we examine the interactive effects of changes in stratospheric ozone, UV radiation and climate on terrestrial ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles in the context of the Montreal Protocol. We specifically assess effects on terrestrial organisms, agriculture and food supply, biodiversity, ecosystem services and feedbacks to the climate system. Emphasis is placed on the role of extreme climate events in altering the exposure to UV radiation of organisms and ecosystems and the potential effects on biodiversity. We also address the responses of plants to increased temporal variability in solar UV radiation, the interactive effects of UV radiation and other climate change factors (e.g. drought, temperature) on crops, and the role of UV radiation in driving the breakdown of organic matter from dead plant material (i.e. litter) and biocides (pesticides and herbicides). Our assessment indicates that UV radiation and climate interact in various ways to affect the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, and that by protecting the ozone layer, the Montreal Protocol continues to play a vital role in maintaining healthy, diverse ecosystems on land that sustain life on Earth. Furthermore, the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment are mitigating some of the negative environmental consequences of climate change by limiting the emissions of greenhouse gases and protecting the carbon sequestration potential of vegetation and the terrestrial carbon pool. Graphical abstract

Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystem: Sources and migration in soil environment.

Abstract: Plastics, especially microplastics in soils, are considered a severe environmental issue worldwide. However, globally, the main research focus is on microplastic pollution in the marine environment, the microplastic pollution on soils and sediments remains on the sideline so far. But the fact is that microplastics are omnipresent in terrestrial systems in the form of microbeads in industrial systems and in sewage sludge. Their presence in agricultural soils and sediments is enormously increased due to plastic mulching, plastic greenhouses and compost and extensive use of controlled release fertilizers. Therefore, this review outlines the global scenario regarding plastics and microplastics production, consumption, and possible pathways of penetration into the soil environment. Various mechanisms to restrict and manage the pathways of plastics and microplastics into the soil environment are also discussed. This review also focuses on the challenges and limitations on the use of plastic alternates such as bioplastics and oxo plastics. Also, the knowledge gaps on the source of microplastics in the environment and their deleterious effects on properties of soil, soil health and focused light on their soil trophic transfer in food chains via plants. This review provides a detailed insight on the management and possible control measures to alleviate the potential risk caused by microplastics pollution in the soil environment and the overall ecosystem's health. In spite of the occurrence and fate of microplastics on terrestrial environment, knowledge gaps and challenges for tackling this contamination are also explored which facilitates the policy makers to develop regulatory measures towards the containment of microplastics in living ecosystem.

Antibiotic Pollution of Planktonic Ecosystems: A Review Focused on Community Analysis and the Causal Chain Linking Individual- and Community-Level Responses.

Abstract: Antibiotic pollution has become one of the most challenging environmental issues in aquatic ecosystems, with adverse effects on planktonic organisms that occupy the base of the aquatic food chain. However, research regarding this topic has not been systematically reviewed, especially in terms of community-level responses. In this review, we provide an overview of current antibiotic pollution in aquatic environments worldwide. Then, we summarize recent studies concerning the responses of planktonic communities to antibiotics, ranging from individual- to community-level responses. Studies have shown that extremely high concentrations of antibiotics can directly harm the growth and survival of plankton; however, such concentrations are rarely found in natural freshwater. It is more likely that environmentally relevant concentrations of antibiotics will affect the physiological, morphological, and behavioral characteristics of planktonic organisms; influence interspecific interactions among plankton species via asymmetrical responses in species traits; and thus alter the structure and function of the entire planktonic ecosystem. This review highlights the importance of community analysis in revealing antibiotic toxicity. We also encourage the establishment of the causal relationships between impacts at multiple scales in the future for predicting the community-level consequences of antibiotics based on the currently available individual-level evidence.

A theoretical framework for the ecological role of three‐dimensional structural diversity

Abstract: The three-dimensional (3D) physical aspects of ecosystems are intrinsically linked to ecological processes. Here, we describe structural diversity as the volumetric capacity, physical arrangement, and identity/traits of biotic components in an ecosystem. Despite being recognized in earlier ecological studies, structural diversity has been largely overlooked due to an absence of not only a theoretical foundation but also effective measurement tools. We present a framework for conceptualizing structural diversity and suggest how to facilitate its broader incorporation into ecological theory and practice. We also discuss how the interplay of genetic and environmental factors underpin structural diversity, allowing for a potentially unique synthetic approach to explain ecosystem function. A practical approach is then proposed in which scientists can test the ecological role of structural diversity at biotic–environmental interfaces, along with examples of structural diversity research and future directions for integrating structural diversity into ecological theory and management across scales.

A Review of Ecosystem Service Trade-Offs/Synergies: Enlightenment for the Optimization of Forest Ecosystem Functions in Karst Desertification Control

Abstract: Ecosystem services provide regulation, provisioning, support, and cultural benefits for human survival, but it needs to be clarified how the trade-off/synergy relationships can be used to optimize function. Based on the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, we collected 254 articles on the ecosystem trade-offs/synergies and functional optimization. Through a systematic review of the literature, this paper summarized the research progress and landmark achievements from three aspects: trade-offs/synergies, functional optimization, and evaluation methods. The results indicated the following: (1) In terms of the number of articles published, there were no reports before 2005; from 2006 to 2022, the annual number of published papers increased from 1 to 72, showing an overall growth trend year by year. This mainly includes three stages: initial (1970–2005), slow development (2005–2014), and rapid development (2014–2022). (2) In terms of research areas, focus was placed mainly on Asia, North America, and Europe, accounting for 40.47%, 25.55%, and 15.07% of all regions, respectively. (3) In the future, it is necessary to focus on scientific issues such as the improvement of forest ecosystem functions, the trade-off/synergy relationships between services, the scale of spatiotemporal research, and the driving factors and evaluation methods for the management of rocky karst desertification. The aim is to provide a theoretical basis to optimize the forest ecosystem service functions.

Ecosystem-based management outperforms species-focused stocking for enhancing fish populations

Abstract: Ecosystem-based management is costly. Therefore, without rigorously showing that it can outperform traditional species-focused alternatives, its broad-scale adoption in conservation is unlikely. We present a large-scale replicated and controlled set of whole-lake experiments in fish conservation (20 lakes monitored over 6 years with more than 150,000 fish sampled) to examine the outcomes of ecosystem-based habitat enhancement (coarse woody habitat addition and shallow littoral zone creation) versus a widespread, species-focused alternative that has long dominated fisheries management practice (i.e., fish stocking). Adding coarse woody habitats alone did not, on average, enhance fish abundance, but creating shallow water habitat consistently did, especially for juvenile fish. Species-focused fish stocking completely failed. We provide strong evidence questioning the performance of species-focused conservation actions in aquatic ecosystems and instead recommend ecosystem-based management of key habitats. Description Adding habitat beats adding fish Conservation and management efforts are often focused on protecting individual species. Alternatively, management can target restoring ecosystem processes or broader habitats. Such ecosystem-based management practices have limited support because of their high cost and unknown efficacy compared with species-focused approaches. Radinger et al. tested the effects of two habitat-based interventions, creating shallow zones and adding dead wood, to the more common approach of stocking fish species. Across their 20 experimental lakes, the authors found that fish stocking was ineffectual, whereas shallow zone creation increased target fish abundance, especially that of juvenile fish. This study demonstrates the potential for ecosystem-based management to meet conservation goals. —BEL Habitat creation in lakes leads to higher fish abundance than the common practice of simply stocking lakes with fish.

Crop residue return sustains global soil ecological stoichiometry balance

Abstract: Although soil ecological stoichiometry is constrained in natural ecosystems, its responses to anthropogenic perturbations are largely unknown. Inputs of inorganic fertilizer and crop residue are key cropland anthropogenic managements, with potential to alter their soil ecological stoichiometry. We conducted a global synthesis of 682 data pairs to quantify the responses of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and grain yields to combined inputs of crop residue plus inorganic fertilizer compared with only inorganic fertilizer application. Crop residue inputs enhance soil C (10.5%–12%), N (7.63%–9.2%), and P (2.62%–5.13%) contents, with an increase in C:N (2.51%–3.42%) and C:P (7.27%–8.00%) ratios, and grain yields (6.12%–8.64%), indicating that crop residue alleviated soil C limitation caused by inorganic fertilizer inputs alone and was able to sustain balanced stoichiometry. Moreover, the increase in soil C and C:N(P) ratio reached saturation in ~13–16 years after crop residue return, while grain yield increase trend discontinued. Furthermore, we identified that the increased C, N, and P contents and C:N(P) ratios were regulated by the initial pH and C content, and the increase in grain yield was not only related to soil properties, but also negatively related to the amount of inorganic N fertilizer input to a greater extent. Given that crop residual improvement varies with soil properties and N input levels, we propose a predictive model to preliminary evaluate the potential for crop residual improvement. Particularly, we suggest that part of the global budget should be used to subsidize crop residue input management strategies, achieving to a win‐win situation for agricultural production, ecological protection, and climate change mitigation.

Climate change impacts on plant pathogens, food security and paths forward

Abstract: Plant disease outbreaks pose significant risks to global food security and environmental sustainability worldwide, and result in the loss of primary productivity and biodiversity that negatively impact the environmental and socio-economic conditions of affected regions. Climate change further increases outbreak risks by altering pathogen evolution and host-pathogen interactions and facilitating the emergence of new pathogenic strains. Pathogen range can shift, increasing the spread of plant diseases in new areas. In this Review, we examine how plant disease pressures are likely to change under future climate scenarios and how these changes will relate to plant productivity in natural and agricultural ecosystems. We explore current and future impacts of climate change on pathogen biogeography, disease incidence and severity, and their effects on natural ecosystems, agriculture and food production. We propose that amendment of the current conceptual framework and incorporation of eco-evolutionary theories into research could improve our mechanistic understanding and prediction of pathogen spread in future climates, to mitigate the future risk of disease outbreaks. We highlight the need for a science-policy interface that works closely with relevant intergovernmental organizations to provide effective monitoring and management of plant disease under future climate scenarios, to ensure long-term food and nutrient security and sustainability of natural ecosystems.

Desertification process and its effects on vegetation carbon sources and sinks vary under different aridity stress in Central Asia during 1990–2020

Abstract: • Desertification in Central Asia were accurately assessed by comparing six methods. • NEP at 30-m resolution were developed using a cloud platform during 1990–2020. • The area of land restoration is about the area of Xinjiang. • Restoring the soil of degraded ecosystems has stored 59.61% of total increased NEP. Desertification has hampered eco-environment sustainable development in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. However, the effect of the desertification process on vegetation carbon sources and sinks remains unclear in Central Asia. Based on Landsat images and cloud computing, this study applied and evaluated five machine learning methods (i.e., classification and regression tree, random forest, support vector machine, gradient tree boost (GTB), and naive bayes) and desertification difference index method to improve desertification estimation by integrating vegetation, soil, terrain, and climate conditions. According to the optimal method and net ecosystem production (NEP) model, we quantitatively explored vegetation carbon sources and sinks in Central Asia from 1990 to 2020, and then the effect of the desertification process on them was quantified under different aridity stress. The results showed that GTB method performs best on the test set and spatial pattern, which has higher overall accuracy (82.1 %) and Kappa coefficient (0.78) than other five methods. The desertification area has decreased by 8.58 % (341,643 km 2 ) from 1990 to 2020. Among them, the severe and slight desertification areas decreased by 62.42 % and 32.11 %, respectively, while the moderate and high desertification areas increased by 24.6 % and 13.11 %, respectively. In particular, land restoration areas where the desertification restored one or above levels, accounted for 33.91 % of the total area. NEP in Central Asia showed an increasing trend at a rate of 0.54 g C m −2 yr −1 during 1990–2020, and the area passed the t -test (p < 0.05) was mainly located in Kazakh Steppe, Kazakh Uplands, and the edge of Tianshan Mountains. In general, restoring the land of degraded ecosystems has stored up 61.08 × 10 3 t carbon, accounting for 59.61 % of the total net change of NEP, but the fragile ecological environments in the existing desertification areas have been further aggravated.