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Item Global Research Alliance N2O chamber methodology guidelines: Recommendations for air sample collection, storage, and analysis(Wiley, 2020-07-22) Harvey, M. J.; Sperlich, P.; Clough, T. J.; Kelliher, F. M.; McGeough, K. L.; Martin, R. J.; Moss, R.; Environmental ProtectionCertain aspects in the collection, handling, storage, and subsequent analysis of discrete air samples from non-steady-state flux chambers are critical to generating accurate and unbiased estimates of nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes. The focus of this paper is on air sample collection and storage in small vials (<12 ml) primarily for gas chromatography (GC) analysis. Sample integrity is assured through following simple procedures including storage under pressure and analysis within a few months of collection. Concurrent storage of standards in an identical manner to samples is recommended and allows the storage period to be reliably extended. In the laboratory, an autosampler is typically used in batch analysis of ∼200 sequentially analyzed samples by GC with an electron capture detector (ECD). Some comparisons are given between GC and alternatives including optical N2O detectors that are increasingly being used for high-precision N2O measurement. The importance of calibration and traceability of gas standards is discussed, where high-quality standards ensure the most accurate assessment of N2O concentration and comparability between laboratories. The calibration allows a consistent and best estimate of flux to be derived.Item Migration patterns and navigation cues of Atlantic salmon post-smolts migrating from 12 rivers through the coastal zones around the Irish Sea(Wiley, 2023-10-16) Lilly, Jessie; Honkanen, Hannele H.; Rodger, Jessica R.; del Villar, Diego; Boylan, Patrick; Green, Amy; Pereiro, Diego; Wilkie, Lorna; Kennedy, Richard; Barkley, Andrea; Rosell, Robert; Maoiléidigh, Niall Ó.; O'Neill, Ross; Waters, Catherine; Cotter, Deirdre; Bailey, David; Roche, William; McGill, Ross; Barry, James; Beck, Samantha V.; Henderson, Jim; Parke, Debbie; Whoriskey, Frederick G.; Shields, Brian; Ramsden, Philip; Walton, Silas; Fletcher, Melanie; Whelan, Ken; Bean, Colin W.; Elliott, Sophie; Bowman, Adrian; Adams, Colin E.; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsThe freshwater phase of the first seaward migration of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is relatively well understood when compared with our understanding of the marine phase of their migration. In 2021, 1008 wild and 60 ranched Atlantic salmon smolts were tagged with acoustic transmitters in 12 rivers in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Large marine receiver arrays were deployed in the Irish Sea at two locations: at the transition of the Irish Sea into the North Atlantic between Ireland and Scotland, and between southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, to examine the early phase of the marine migration of Atlantic salmon smolts. After leaving their natal rivers' post-smolt migration through the Irish Sea was rapid with minimum speeds ranging from 14.03 to 38.56 km.day−1 for Atlantic salmon smolts that entered the Irish Sea directly from their natal river, to 9.69–39.94 km.day−1 for Atlantic salmon smolts that entered the Irish Sea directly from their natal estuary. Population minimum migration success through the study area was strongly correlated with the distance of travel, populations further away from the point of entry to the open North Atlantic exhibited lower migration success. Post-smolts from different populations experienced different water temperatures on entering the North Atlantic. This was largely driven by the timing of their migration and may have significant consequences for feeding and ultimately survivorship. The influence of water currents on post-smolt movement was investigated using data from previously constructed numerical hydrodynamic models. Modeled water current data in the northern Irish Sea showed that post-smolts had a strong preference for migrating when the current direction was at around 283° (west-north-west) but did not migrate when exposed to strong currents in other directions. This is the most favorable direction for onward passage from the Irish Sea to the continental shelf edge current, a known accumulation point for migrating post-smolts. These results strongly indicate that post-smolts migrating through the coastal marine environment are: (1) not simply migrating by current following (2) engage in active directional swimming (3) have an intrinsic sense of their migration direction and (4) can use cues other than water current direction to orientate during this part of their migration.Item Evaluating the impacts of SRC willows on phosphorus export from a temperate grassland micro-catchment(Elsevier, 2024-02-27) Adams, Russell; Johnston, Christopher; Environmental ProtectionWillows (Salix SPP.) are increasingly being grown as a source of biomass which can be harnessed for energy production at a commercial scale as one example of a Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) crop. What is less widely understood is the role of the plants in reducing nutrient loads when planted as a nature-based solution to mitigate diffuse pollution from agricultural lands. Strategically planted woodland and forest can play a major role in Nature Based Solutions (NBS) approaches. SRC willows were planted in a 22-ha grassland micro-catchment located on a research farm in Northern Ireland, which is regularly grazed by cattle and sheep. The micro-catchment comprises a small ditch with upstream and downstream monitoring points where a pair of autosamplers were used to collect water samples for nutrient analysis. It was possible to reconstruct a timeseries of hourly discharge in the ungauged micro-catchment using the SHETRAN hydrological model. Subsequently, the modelled flows were used to estimate daily phosphorus (P) loads at both upstream and downstream monitoring points from the measured P concentrations. The nearly four years (June 2018–April 2022) of monitoring data allowed P loads to be calculated for pre-planting, juvenile trees and mature trees phases. A baseline scenario was run without any changes to the model; this evaluated the changes in P loads from the catchment. A further Post-Willows scenario “P–W” modified some model parameters and evapotranspiration to represent the land use change due to the willow plantation. The results from the baseline were evaluated and showed that (i) there was a statistically significant reduction in particulate P (PP) and total P (TP) concentrations at the outlet of the micro-catchment; (ii) a statistically significant reduction in PP and TP loads, indicating that the willows were reducing PP export (losses) probably by trapping fine sediment in the ditch. Results from the P–W scenario showed a smaller than expected decrease in discharge from the model results. The overall export of TP from the micro-catchment could be further decreased by additional planting of SRC willows, but the export of soluble forms of P did not decrease by a significant amount post-planting which is a recommendation for further study in mitigation programmes. The use of SRC willows in riparian buffer strips (RBS) which are a common form of NBS, has shown promising results in terms of trapping particulate forms of P. The layout of the RBS should also be carefully designed in terms of maximising the buffer strip width, here the areas planted was optimised to make best use of unproductive farmland. If the RBS can be designed to maximise the interception of runoff flowing downhill from agricultural fields then the removal rate should be even higher.Item Does phenology influence predation rate on Salmo trutta parr during lake migration?(Wiley, 2024-03-16) Kennedy, Richard; Barry, James; Boyd, Adele; Allen, Michelle; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsAcoustic tags fitted with predation sensors, which trigger following ingestion by piscivorous predators, were used to compare direct predation rates during downstream migration (out-migration) of potamodromous (freshwater) brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) parr from their natal river into a large freshwater lake system during spring and autumn. Thirty-eight spring migrants were tagged across two study years (2021 and 2022) of which 13 individuals (34%) were predated. By contrast 40 autumn migrants were tagged (2020 and 2021) of which three individuals (7.5%) experienced predation. The overall predation loss rate for spring migrants was 0.342% day−1 and was 0.075% day−1 for autumn migrants. Most predation events during spring (77%) occurred within the lower river before tagged fish entered the lake, whilst no predation events were recorded within the river in the autumn. Predation events were significantly linked to tagging season (spring or autumn), with the probability of tags remaining untriggered (as a proxy for survival) being higher 93% (95% confidence interval [CI] [87%, 100%]) in autumn than in spring 66% (95% CI [53%, 83%]). The spring migration periods showed significantly lower river discharge (0.321 m3/s mean daily discharge, April 1 to May 31) to those measured during autumn (1.056 m3/s mean daily discharge, October 1 to November 30) (Mann–Whitney U-test, U = 1149, p < 0.001). Lower flows, clearer water, and longer sojourn in the river may have contributed to greater predation losses in the spring relative to the autumn.Item Water governance diversity across Europe: Does legacy generate sticking points in implementing multi-level governance?(Elsevier, 2022-07-07) Rowbottom, Jenny; Graversgaard, Morten; Wright, Isobel; Dudman, Karl; Klages, Susanne; Heidecke, Claudia; Surdyk, Nicolas; Gourcy, Laurence; Leitão, Ines Amorim; Ferreira, António Dinis; Wuijts, Susanne; Boekhold, Sandra; Doody, Donnacha G.; Glavan, Matjaž; Cvejić, Rozalija; Velthof, Gerard; Environmental ProtectionThe Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to protect and improve water quality across Europe through an integrative and multi-level water governance approach. The goal is to ensure that water quality in Europe meets good ecological status by 2027. Whilst the WFD has been hailed as a cornerstone for governance innovation in water management, most EU member states (MS) still struggle to achieve good ecological status of their waters. The realignment to a multi-level governance structure under the WFD is discretionary, and has generated diversity in WFD multi-level governance implementation approaches and final governance arrangements across MS. This diversity may contribute to low goal achievement and weak compliance. This paper investigates how visual impressions of legislative structure across nine MS can illustrate and contribute to understanding the differences in multi-level implementation of WFD and associated water protection directives. We explore, in-depth, the drivers of visual differences in Portugal, Germany (Lower Saxony) and France. We hypothesise that many of the challenges of WFD implementation, and resulting governance arrangements can be explained in terms of the legacy effects of previous water governance choices. With this conceptual framework of investigating the history and legacy, we found the three in depth studies have had different starting points, paths, and end points in their water governance, with sticking points influencing the decision-making processes and compliance required by the WFD. Sticking points include the complexity of existing water governance structures, lobbying by different sectors, and the mandatory WFD timeline for implementation. Portugal had to resolve its focus on water infrastructure and engineering to enable a re-focus on water quality. France and Portugal experienced ‘top down’ governance at different points in time, slowing the shift to a multi-level governance system. Lower Saxony, representing just one of 16 federal state systems in Germany, highlighted the complex historic governance structures which cannot easily be restructured, generating a layering effect where new governance systems are fitted to old governance systems. We conclude that there is a need to implement a hybrid approach to water governance and WFD implementation including decentralisation (discretionary) to ensure collaboration and engagement of stakeholders at the local level. This hybrid governance system should run in parallel with a centralised (mandatory) governance and regulatory system to enable national environmental standards to be set and enforced. Such systems may provide the best of both worlds (bottom-up involvement of stakeholders meeting top-down goal achievements) and is worthy of further research.Item Advancing research in marine functional connectivity for improved policy and management(Inter-Research Science Publisher, 2024-03-13) Darnaude, Audrey M.; Tanner, Susanne E.; Hunter, Ewan; Costantini, Federica; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsMarine functional connectivity (MFC) refers to the dynamic spatial exchange of biomass, individuals, genes, and energy via the collective movements of all marine organisms during their lifetimes. In addition to controlling the distribution and resilience of marine biodiversity and exploited stocks, MFC plays a key role in the structure and functioning of ecosystems, at sea and at the land-sea interface. As marine ecosystems and their species face climate change and unprecedented multiple anthropogenic pressures, rapid action is needed to comprehend MFC patterns and their changes in order to anticipate the fates of ocean services to humanity. Despite many advances in techniques to measure or infer marine species’ distributions and spatial dynamics, significant progress is still necessary. A full understanding of MFC requires better knowledge of the relationships between marine communities and their habitats, quantification of fluxes of matter and energy, and the capacity to forecast how the many services provided by the ocean may change. The 17 papers in this Theme Section showcase the range of approaches and scales applied in contemporary MFC studies and encompass the diversity of ecosystems and taxa investigated worldwide. The innovative approaches presented here to advance MFC science pave the way to enrich current understanding of MFC’s role in ecosystem functioning, and flag how MFC knowledge can be better applied to protect marine resources and manage marine and littoral habitats.Item Exploring adaptive capacity to phosphorus challenges through two United Kingdom river catchments(Elsevier, 2022-06-22) Lyon, Christopher; Jacobs, Brent; Martin-Ortega, Julia; Rothwell, Shane A.; Davies, Liz; Stoate, Chris; Forber, Kirsty J.; Doody, Donnacha; Withers, Paul J.A.; Environmental ProtectionPhosphorus (P) is a critical natural resource for food production, but one that is subject to global supply vulnerabilities. P is also responsible for endemic eutrophication in waterbodies due to poor stewardship in the food chain. Catchments are natural social-ecologically bounded systems for P use in agriculture and water management. Stakeholders, such as farmers, water and sewerage service companies, local authorities, and environmental organisations mediate catchment adaptive capacity to P supply risks and P pollution in waterbodies. Adaptive capacity at this level has been insufficiently explored in addressing the P challenge, yet is essential to it. We address this gap by exploring through a qualitative study of stakeholders in two United Kingdom catchments. Our results suggest that the awareness and relevance of P-supply challenges is low in catchments, but the problem of waterbody vulnerability to excess P is of greater concern. Our findings highlight the roles in adaptive capacity of entrenched practices; knowledge and training activities and organisations; stakeholder cooperation and synergy; funding, infrastructure, and technology; the governance environment; and time needed to draw down P. We find that farmers and water companies are especially important to adaptive capacity as they directly interact with P flows. We therefore suggest that catchment adaptive capacity would be significantly improved through a well-supported, and expanded package of existing efforts such as providing scientific evidence of catchment P dynamics; training; payments; more empowered local governance. This effort would support catchment stakeholders to adopt effective P-stewardship practices within a multi-decade integrated catchment management strategy.Item Notable Crustacea (Mysida, Amphipoda and Decapoda) from England's deepest and most remote Marine Conservation Zone(Cambridge University Press, 2022-09-06) Ashelby, Christopher W.; McIlwaine, Paul; Callaway, Alex; Pears, Søren; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsA recent survey of The Canyons Marine Conservation Zone provided noteworthy records of several crustacean species, which are presented here. The geographic or bathymetric ranges of several species are considerably extended, while the genus Rhachotropis, which has not previously been reported from British waters, is represented by two species. Other species that were previously only known in British waters from very few, often historical, records are also reported.Item What makes a cyanobacterial bloom disappear? A review of the abiotic and biotic cyanobacterial bloom loss factors(Elsevier, 2024-02-09) Harris, Ted D.; Reinl, Kaitlin L.; Azarderakhsh, Marzi; Berger, Stella A.; Berman, Manuel Castro; Bizic, Mina; Bhattacharya, Ruchi; Burnet, Sarah H.; Cianci-Gaskill, Jacob A.; de Senerpont Domis, Lisette N.; Elfferich, Inge; Ger, K. Ali; Grossart, Hans-Peter F.; Ibelings, Bas W.; Ionescu, Danny; Kouhanestani, Zohreh Mazaheri; Mauch, Jonas; McElarney, Yvonne; Nava, Veronica; North, Rebecca L.; Ogashawara, Igor; Paule-Mercado, Ma. Cristina A.; Soria-Píriz, Sara; Sun, Xinyu; Trout-Haney, Jessica V.; Weyhenmeyer, Gesa A.; Yokota, Kiyoko; Zhan, Qing; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsCyanobacterial blooms present substantial challenges to managers and threaten ecological and public health. Although the majority of cyanobacterial bloom research and management focuses on factors that control bloom initiation, duration, toxicity, and geographical extent, relatively little research focuses on the role of loss processes in blooms and how these processes are regulated. Here, we define a loss process in terms of population dynamics as any process that removes cells from a population, thereby decelerating or reducing the development and extent of blooms. We review abiotic (e.g., hydraulic flushing and oxidative stress/UV light) and biotic factors (e.g., allelopathic compounds, infections, grazing, and resting cells/programmed cell death) known to govern bloom loss. We found that the dominant loss processes depend on several system specific factors including cyanobacterial genera-specific traits, in situ physicochemical conditions, and the microbial, phytoplankton, and consumer community composition. We also address loss processes in the context of bloom management and discuss perspectives and challenges in predicting how a changing climate may directly and indirectly affect loss processes on blooms. A deeper understanding of bloom loss processes and their underlying mechanisms may help to mitigate the negative consequences of cyanobacterial blooms and improve current management strategies.Item Variable trends in the distribution of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the Celtic seas(Wiley, 2024-03-12) Ellis, Jonathan V.; Schuchert, Pia; Scantlebury, D. Michael; Marshall, C. Tara; Fernandes, Paul G.; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsDespite decades of active fisheries management, many stocks of Atlantic cod in its southern range are in a depleted state and mortality estimates remain high. Recovery of these stocks, as defined by management areas, could be confounded by cod distributions shifting outside of these areas. Here, we assess data from internationally coordinated trawl surveys to investigate the distribution of three cod stocks in the Celtic Seas ecoregion, Irish Sea, Celtic Sea, and West of Scotland, from 1985 to 2021. We mapped cod densities, analyzed trends in mean weighted depth and bottom temperature, and calculated the center of gravity and equivalent area of the stocks. The distribution of the West of Scotland stock shifted north and east, spilling into the North Sea, while the Irish Sea and Celtic Sea stocks shifted west. Each stock showed decreasing trends in equivalent area, but there were no clear trends in the average depth occupied by the fish. There was no apparent relationship between temperature and the distribution of cod, as bottom temperature varied little from 1993 to 2021. Although Irish Sea cod showed a shift into warmer water, this was due to changes in survey distribution. The shift in distribution of the West of Scotland cod stock towards the North Sea whilst impairing local recovery provides further justification for the recent definition of its incorporation into a larger stock unit that includes the northwest of the North Sea. The Irish Sea and Celtic Sea cod stocks are neither shifting northwards, nor into deeper waters, but remained within current boundaries. This suggests that recent temperature conditions did not affect their distribution, but this may change as temperatures increase towards the limit for reproduction.Item Soil phosphorus, hydrological risk and water quality carrying capacities in agricultural catchments(Elsevier, 2024-03-15) Scott, Alison; Cassidy, Rachel; Arnscheidt, Joerg; Jordan, Phil; Environmental ProtectionTo support profitable agricultural production, nutrients, including phosphorus (P) are applied to soils. However, to avoid over-application and mobilisation of excess P, in-soil concentrations must be maintained at the agronomic optimum (crop requirement) through soil test P (STP) data. Areas above optimum STP (e.g., Olsen P) status have been linked to elevated instream soluble reactive P (SRP) concentrations. For example, when this status is combined with hydrologically sensitive areas (HSAs), excess P can be mobilised and transported directly to surface waters. Catchment carrying capacities for high STP are a possible management strategy to reduce these pressures. The aim of this study was to investigate the transferability of catchment carrying capacity approaches using primary and secondary datasets. Field by field STP status and LiDAR derived HSAs (2 m grid resolution) were compared with instream SRP concentrations using combinations of least squares regressions. The high range of STP catchment carrying capacities (15 % − 44 %, depending on the regression used) was influenced by the variation of instream SRP concentration thresholds (48 – 71 µg L-1) that are determined using altitude and alkalinity factors. However, a single SRP threshold of 35 µg L-1 reduced the catchment STP carrying capacity to a smaller range (10 % − 16 %), with a mean of 13 %. The analysis showed that instream particulate P concentrations were also related to above optimum STP but to a lesser degree and that all HSAs were vulnerable to P loss when soils were above optimum STP. Targeted management strategies should follow a “treatment-train” approach starting with reducing the catchment or farm area above agronomic optimum STP to a carrying capacity (proposed here as 13 %), followed by interception measures located at HSA breakthrough and delivery points to reduce both instream SRP concentration and load.Item Recovery targets and timescales for Lough Neagh and other lakes(Elsevier, 2022-06-12) Rippey, Brian; McElarney, Yvonne; Thompson, James; Allen, Michelle; Gallagher, Mary; Douglas, Richard; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsThe framework, model and methods of Nürnberg were applied and evaluated in Lough Neagh and 19 other lakes in order to establish inflow phosphorus concentrations that support target lake values. Supporting concentrations, in the absence of an internal load, were derived and the effect of uncertainty in the model retention coefficient was relatively small, ±11-20 % in Lough Neagh and an average (n = 17) of ±9.7 % in the other lakes. There was further support for the model and methods from an independent estimate of the net internal load in Lough Neagh (13 % difference) and from another model in the other lakes (Supporting concentrations, which should be lower, were by an average of 11 mg P m−3). In the framework, steady state with the phosphorus load is assumed, but, based on a generic lake model, is not likely if the hydraulic residence time>0.5-0.8 yr and should lead to a decrease in phosphorus retention, which was found during three periods in Lough Neagh. Based on a compilation of internal load recovery times from 23 lakes in the literature, it could take between 8 and 20 years for lakes with an internal load to approach their targets.Item Advancing fishery-independent stock assessments for the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) with new monitoring technologies(Frontiers Media, 2022-09-09) Aguzzi, Jacopo; Chatzievangelou, Damianos; Robinson, Nathan J.; Bahamon, Nixon; Berry, Alan; Carreras, Marc; Company, Joan Batista; Costa, Corrado; del Rio Fernandez, Joaquin; Falahzadeh, Ahmad; Fifas, Spyros; Flögel, Sascha; Grinyó, Jordi; Jónasson, Jonas Pall; Jonsson, Patrik; Lordan, Colm; Lundy, Mathieu; Marini, Simone; Martinelli, Michela; Masmitja, Ivan; Mirimin, Luca; Naseer, Atif; Navarro, Joan; Palomeras, Narcis; Picardi, Giacomo; Silva, Cristina; Stefanni, Sergio; Vigo, Maria; Vila, Yolanda; Weetman, Adrian; Doyle, Jennifer; Environmental ProtectionThe Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, supports a key European fishery. Stock assessments for this species are mostly based on trawling and UnderWater TeleVision (UWTV) surveys. However, N. norvegicus are burrowing organisms and these survey methods are unable to sample or observe individuals in their burrows. To account for this, UWTV surveys generally assume that “1 burrow system = 1 animal”, due to the territorial behavior of N. norvegicus. Nevertheless, this assumption still requires in-situ validation. Here, we outline how to improve the accuracy of current stock assessments for N. norvegicus with novel ecological monitoring technologies, including: robotic fixed and mobile camera-platforms, telemetry, environmental DNA (eDNA), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). First, we outline the present status and threat for overexploitation in N. norvegicus stocks. Then, we discuss how the burrowing behavior of N. norvegicus biases current stock assessment methods. We propose that state-of-the-art stationary and mobile robotic platforms endowed with innovative sensors and complemented with AI tools could be used to count both animals and burrows systems in-situ, as well as to provide key insights into burrowing behavior. Next, we illustrate how multiparametric monitoring can be incorporated into assessments of physiology and burrowing behavior. Finally, we develop a flowchart for the appropriate treatment of multiparametric biological and environmental data required to improve current stock assessment methods.Item Muddying the waters: Impacts of a bogflow on carbon transport and water quality(Elsevier, 2024-02-09) Morton, Phoebe; Hunter, William; Cassidy, Rachel; Doody, Donnacha; Atcheson, Kevin; Jordan, Phil; Environmental Protection; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsLandslides of peat have been recorded throughout Britain and Ireland for centuries. Whilst these events are not uncommon, land degradation can amplify their magnitude and frequency and, crucially, their immediate impacts are rarely documented. A 20,000 m3 bogflow event that occurred on land undergoing development in the Irish border area in November 2020 was monitored at high frequency in the major receiving river system (384 km2). Samples collected every seven hours over a 28 day period at a site 37 km downstream were analysed for suspended sediment (SS), particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC and UV-derived fractions), synchronous with hydrometeorological data and turbidity. There was no impact of the bogflow on DOC concentrations or loads. However, concentrations of SS and POC in the first samples after the bogflow were 825 mg/L and 346 mg C/L, respectively, and fish kill was estimated at 100 %. Analysis of detrended SS and POC loads suggested the main impacts of the bogflow on water quality lasted just eight days. Over this period, an additional 1318 t of SS and 608 t of POC were transported as far as the monitoring point, equating to 325 % more SS and 925 % more POC than would have been expected otherwise under the same river flow conditions. The carbon loss and water quality impacts were short lived, but nevertheless severe, and highlight the vulnerability of peatlands and the risks when these environments are inappropriately managed.Item Reproducibility, open science and progression in soil erosion research. A reply to “Response to ‘National-scale geodata describe widespread accelerated soil erosion’ Benaud et al. (2020) Geoderma 271, 114378” by Evans and Boardman (2021)(Elsevier, 2021-05-06) Benaud, Pia; Anderson, Karen; Evans, Martin; Farrow, Luke; Glendell, Miriam; James, Mike R.; Quine, Timothy A.; Quinton, John N.; Rickson, Jane; Brazier, Richard E.; Grassland and Plant ScienceItem Revegetation intervention of drought-prone coal-mined spoils using Caragana korshinskii under variable water and nitrogen-phosphorus resources(Elsevier, 2020-12-28) Roy, Rana; Mostofa, Mohammad Golam; Wang, Jinxin; Fornara, Dario; Sarker, Tanwne; Zhang, Ruiqi; Environmental ProtectionCoal-mine spoils are typically drought-prone and deficient in essential nutrients thus creating conditions, which significantly limit plant growth and development. Here, we searched for suitable combinations of key resources [water (W) and fertilizers (nitrogen, N and phosphorus, P)] to improve physiological and biochemical adaptations of Caragana korshinskii to coal-mined spoils. We observed that under low W and N-P resource availability, C. korshinskii displayed poor growth performance in coal-degraded spoils. Negative growth of C. korshinskii was associated with reduced photosynthetic rate, decreased water status and increased contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde. Low resource availability to C. korshinskii resulted in enhanced levels of compatible solutes, including proline and soluble sugars that contributed to osmotic adjustment, and also increased activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase, which ultimately conferred enhanced oxidative stress protection. Moderate-to-high W and N-P doses greatly enhanced C. korshinskii performance in coal-spoils by improving photosynthesis traits, water status and growth-related attributes. Increasing supply of W and N-P also helped C. korshinskii to reduce oxidative stress, as evidenced by low accumulation of ROS and malondialdehyde, and lower induction of antioxidant enzyme activities. The addition of N and P also improved drought resistance of C. korshinskii. Overall, we found that optimum growth of C. korshinskii in coal-mined spoils was achieved under W additions corresponding to 68% of field capacity (1.85 mm d1), N and P at 52.0 and 37.0 mg kg1 soil, respectively. These findings suggest that under appropriate W, N and P doses, C. korshinskii has greater potential to grow and persist in coal-mined spoils and could thus be used for revegetation interventions in drought-prone areas in north-western China, and perhaps across other coal-degraded areas worldwide.Item Shared visions for marine spatial planning: Insights from Israel, South Africa, and the United Kingdom(Elsevier, 2022-02-26) Rivers, N.; Truter, H.J.; Strand, M.; Jay, S.; Portman, M.; Lombard, A.T.; Amir, D.; Boyd, A.; Brown, R.L.; Cawthra, H.C.; Faure Beaulieu, N.; Findlay, K.; Gal, G.; Grossmark, Y.; Perschke, M.J.; Pillay, T.; Pyrgies, O.; Ramakulukusha, M.; Smit, K.P.; Stockdale, V.; Stockill, J.; Schwartz, I.,; Treibitz, T.; Vargas-Fonseca, O.A.; Vermeulen (Miltz), E.A.; Fisheries and Aquatic EcosystemsThe online symposium Shared Visions for Marine Spatial Planning: Insights from Israel, South Africa and the United Kingdom was held from 9–10 March 2021. Insights from this multi-disciplinary and international symposium included 1) current states of marine spatial planning (MSP) in the three countries, 2) how MSP can be a helpful tool to advance marine conservation, 3) the use and challenges of geospatial technologies for MSP, 4) how multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary efforts can help improve MSP processes and 5) recommendations for effective and collaborative MSP. Key reflections from the symposium included the need for MSP to be multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary in its stakeholder collaborations and aligned with in-country and area contexts.Item Barriers and opportunities of soil knowledge to address soil challenges: Stakeholders’ perspectives across Europe(Elsevier, 2022-10-31) Vanino, Silvia; Pirelli, Tiziana; Di Bene, Claudia; Bøe, Frederik; Castanheira, Nádia; Chenu, Claire; Cornu, Sophie; Feiza, Virginijus; Fornara, Dario; Heller, Olivier; Kasparinskis, Raimonds; Keesstra, Saskia; Lasorella, Maria Valentina; Madenoğlu, Sevinç; Meurer, Katharina H.E.; O'Sullivan, Lilian; Peter, Noemi; Piccini, Chiara; Siebielec, Grzegorz; Smreczak, Bozena; Thorsøe, Martin Hvarregaard; Farina, Roberta; Environmental ProtectionClimate-smart sustainable management of agricultural soil is critical to improve soil health, enhance food and water security, contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity preservation, and improve human health and wellbeing. The European Joint Programme for Soil (EJP SOIL) started in 2020 with the aim to significantly improve soil management knowledge and create a sustainable and integrated European soil research system. EJP SOIL involves more than 350 scientists across 24 Countries and has been addressing multiple aspects associated with soil management across different European agroecosystems. This study summarizes the key findings of stakeholder consultations conducted at the national level across 20 countries with the aim to identify important barriers and challenges currently affecting soil knowledge but also assess opportunities to overcome these obstacles. Our findings demonstrate that there is significant room for improvement in terms of knowledge production, dissemination and adoption. Among the most important barriers identified by consulted stakeholders are technical, political, social and economic obstacles, which strongly limit the development and full exploitation of the outcomes of soil research. The main soil challenge across consulted member states remains to improve soil organic matter and peat soil conservation while soil water storage capacity is a key challenge in Southern Europe. Findings from this study clearly suggest that going forward climate-smart sustainable soil management will benefit from (1) increases in research funding, (2) the maintenance and valorisation of long-term (field) experiments, (3) the creation of knowledge sharing networks and interlinked national and European infrastructures, and (4) the development of regionally-tailored soil management strategies. All the above-mentioned interventions can contribute to the creation of healthy, resilient and sustainable soil ecosystems across Europe.Item Strong spatial structuring of clonal genetic diversity within blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) hedgerows and woodlands(Springer, 2022-01-17) Brown, James A.; Montgomery, W. Ian; Provan, Jim; Environmental ProtectionHedgerows are an important component of agricultural landscapes, but in recent years have increasingly faced threats such as habitat loss, land use change, climate change, invasive species, pests and plant pathogens. Given the potential importance of genetic diversity in countering these threats, and the spatial distribution of such diversity within and across natural populations, we analyzed levels and patterns of diversity in blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), a key component of many hedgerows. Twenty-one populations of blackthorn from a mixture of hedgerows and woodlands were genotyped for four nuclear and five chloroplast microsatellites. Three hundred twenty-one unique clonal genotypes were identified from 558 individuals analyzed, 207 of which were found in a single individual. With the exception of a single population that appears to have been planted recently from seed (Peatlands Park), all populations exhibited evidence of vegetative reproduction via suckering. Multi-ramet clones were highly spatially structured within populations, and ranged in size from < 1 to 258 m. These findings indicate that asexual reproduction is widespread in the populations of blackthorn studied. Although levels of clonality varied across study sites, there was clear spatial structuring of clones in each case. Such clonal organization should be taken into account in hedge management or where planting or replanting of hedgerows becomes necessary. Knowledge of the patterns and extent of spatial structuring of genotypes within potential source populations will allow the selection of genetically divergent material, rather than selection of clonal replicates of the same genotype.Item Root traits vary as much as leaf traits and have consistent phenotypic plasticity among 14 populations of a globally widespread herb(Wiley, 2024-02-07) Dawson, Wayne; Bòdis, Judit; Bucharova, Anna; Catford, Jane A.; Duncan, Richard P.; Fraser, Lauchlan; Groenteman, Ronny; Kelly, Ruth; Moore, Joslin L.; Pärtel, Meelis; Roach, Deborah; Villellas, Jesus; Wandrag, Elizabeth M.; Finn, Alain; Buckley, Yvonne M.; Grassland and Plant ScienceOur understanding of plant functional trait variation among populations and how this relates to local adaptation to environmental conditions is largely shaped by above-ground traits. However, we might expect below-ground traits linked to resource acquisition and conservation to vary among populations that experience different environmental conditions. Alternatively, below-ground traits might be highly plastic in response to growing conditions, such as availability of soil resources and association with symbiont arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). We assessed (i) the strength of among-population variation in above- and below-ground traits, (ii) the effects of growing conditions on among-population variation and (iii) whether variation among populations is linked to source environment conditions, in a globally distributed perennial Plantago lanceolata. Using seeds from 14 populations across three continents, we grew plants in a common garden experiment and measured leaf and root traits linked to resource acquisition and water conservation. We included two sets of experimental treatments (high or low water availability; with and without AMF inoculation), which enabled us to assess trait responses to growing conditions. Across treatments, the percentage of root trait variation explained by populations and continents was 9%–26%, compared to 7%–20% for leaf trait variation. From principal component analysis (PCA), the first PC axis for both root and leaf traits largely reflected plant size, while the second PC broadly captured mass allocation. Root mass allocation (PC 2) was related to mean annual temperature and mean moisture index, indicating that populations from cooler, wetter environments had longer, thinner roots. However, we found little support for a relationship between source environment and leaf trait PCs, root system size (PC1) or individual traits. Water availability and AMF inoculation effects on size were consistent among populations, with larger plants under AMF inoculation, and less mass allocation to leaves under lower water availability. Plantago lanceolata shows substantial population-level variation in a suite of root traits, but that variation is only partially linked to the source environmental variables studied. Despite considerable differences in source abiotic environments, geographically separated populations have retained a strong and similar capacity for phenotypic plasticity both above and below-ground.