搜索结果：Forest ecology and management

Understanding the environmental occurrence patterns of soilborne pathogens is essential for public health, yet a comprehensive and accurate assessment remains challenging. This study presents an innovative technical framework integrating metagenomic pathogen screening with quantitative validation using chip-based digital PCR (dPCR) targeting the overall bacteria community as well as three dominant species-Ralstonia pickettii, Saccharomonospora viridis, and Gordonia terrae. This approach enabled a comprehensive quantification of potential human-, plant-, and zoonotic pathogens and elucidation of their environmental drivers across urban soil habitats in Beijing. Farmland and hospital greenspaces exhibited higher potential pathogen richness (15.55 ± 5.87 and 10.70 ± 4.52) and abundance (22,475.52 ± 15,559.92 and 26,217.62 ± 19,299.90 copies g⁻¹ soil) compared with forests and campus greenspaces. The composition of potential pathogens varied among habitats, with farmlands containing the highest number of unique species, and four taxa were detected across all habitats, showing strong adaptive capacity. Pathogen diversity was positively correlated with total and available phosphorus and with total bacterial α- and β-diversity, while negatively associated with soil organic carbon, reflecting limited pathogen inputs in carbon-rich forest soils and the key role of phosphorus in pathogen enrichment. Climatic and soil physicochemical factors indirectly influenced pathogen diversity by modulating bacterial communities, whereas human activities directly increased pathogen abundance. Molecular ecological network analysis demonstrated that 81% of the associations between pathogenic and non-pathogenic taxa were significantly negative, suggesting competitive exclusion as a key regulatory mechanism. Collectively, these findings provide a precise monitoring framework and new insights into cross-species interactions, contributing to improved risk assessment and One Health strategies for the prevention of soilborne diseases.

Boreal peatlands provide an important carbon store, which is highly susceptible to future changes in the global climate. Predictions of climate feedbacks on the peatland carbon balance require an in-depth understanding of how vegetation dynamics and environmental conditions jointly govern the production and decomposition of organic matter. However, detailed knowledge on the separate roles of plant functional groups (PFGs) in regulating peatland production and respiration fluxes in response to various abiotic factors at sub-seasonal scales is currently lacking. In this study, we used high-temporal resolution CO2 flux data from an automated chamber system established across experimental vegetation removal plots to separate the production and respiration fluxes of vascular plants and Sphagnum mosses over three growing seasons (2021-2023) in a boreal peatland. We found that gross primary production (GPP) of Sphagnum mosses exceeded that of vascular plants during green-up (average ratio: 1.18) and senescence (1.11), whereas vascular plants were the main contributor during the peak season (0.88). Vascular plants dominated autotrophic respiration (RA; 78%-93%) in all phenophases and contributed 38%-40% to growing season ecosystem respiration. For both PFGs, plant phenology was the primary driver for variations in GPP during green-up, whereas photosynthetic photon flux density was most important in regulating GPP during the peak season and senescence. Vascular plants reached greater maximum GPP throughout all phenophases, whereas Sphagnum mosses had a higher initial light use efficiency during green-up and senescence. Moss RA exhibited greater daytime temperature sensitivity than vascular plants during the peak season and senescence, but not during nighttime. These findings highlight that climate change effects on vegetation phenology and composition may strongly alter the peatland carbon cycle. Thus, understanding the separate roles of vascular plants and Sphagnum mosses in regulating production and respiration fluxes in different environmental conditions is crucial to improve predictions of northern peatland carbon cycle-climate feedbacks.

Plants are associated with microbial communities, which are inherited through the seed and acquired from the environment. These microbiomes influence plant physiology, chemistry, and functioning. Yet, we lack insights into how seed origin and the environmental microbiome jointly influence the leaf metabolome. We used untargeted metabolomics (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) on leaves of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) seedlings to examine metabolic responses to different seed origins and environmental microbiomes, as well as home and away environments. For this, acorns were collected from three mother trees and grown in a multifactorial design with soil and canopy microbiomes originating from the local mother tree (i.e., the home treatment) and neighbouring trees (i.e., the away treatment). We also measured two plant traits-plant height and leaf chlorophyll content-to examine relationships between plant traits and the metabolome. The leaf metabolome did not differ significantly between plants growing with different soil and canopy microbiomes. However, the leaf metabolome differed among acorn origins and between seedlings growing in home vs. away treatments. We found no clear link between plant traits and the leaf metabolome. This study is one of the first to disentangle the combined effects of seed origin and environmental microbiomes on plant leaf chemistry, and the home vs. away framework provides novel insights into local adaptation effects on plant metabolomes within forest ecosystems. These findings have practical implications for the use of local genotypes and the development of microorganism-based management practices in sustainable forestry and agriculture.

Honey bee health is increasingly compromised by multiple interacting stressors, including pathogens whose epidemiology is shaped by environmental and temporal variables. Among them, highly prevalent and impactful are the microsporidian Nosema (=Vairimorpha) ceranae and the black queen cell virus (BQCV). This study presents a large-scale, longitudinal assessment of the two pathogens in managed Apis mellifera colonies across all Italian regions, conducted between the years 2021 and 2024 and involving 12028 samples from 398 apiaries. Molecular qPCR diagnostics revealed N. ceranae in 50.9% of the samples, with significant peaks of prevalence and abundance in northwestern regions and during spring (March and June). BQCV, analysed in the third year only, showed a markedly higher prevalence (77.6%). Co-infection was frequently observed, and a weak positive correlation was found between the pathogens' abundances. Land use also emerged as a relevant factor: N. ceranae prevalence was significantly lower in arable lands, while BQCV presence and viral loads were reduced in forest and semi-natural habitats. The complete absence of N. apis suggested the hypothesised replacement by N. ceranae, as verified in other Mediterranean Countries. Overall, the results highlight the multifactorial nature of honey bee disease ecology and the importance of integrating spatial, seasonal, and land-use data into pathogen surveillance systems. Understanding these patterns is essential for designing regionally adapted management practices and improving colony resilience.

Urban forests are highly valued for the multiple benefits they provide to city dwellers. The strategic provision of ecosystem services by these forests is threatened by climate change, warming conditions being responsible for heat waves and chronic droughts that inflict stress and mortality on trees. A three-year study (2011-2013) conducted at Parco Nord Milano (PNM) (Milano, Italy) assessed the impact of thinning interventions on the dynamics of fungal pathogens in declining forest plots. Symptomatic trees of the genera Alnus, Acer, Fraxinus, Platanus, Quercus and Ulmus, exhibited in thinned subplot pronounced decline/dieback, exhibiting symptoms like microphyllia, leaf yellowing, leaf shedding, sunken cankers, shoot wilting and branch dieback. Comparative analyses between the thinned and unthinned subplots revealed a significantly higher incidence of pathogens in the thinned one. Five species of Botryosphaeriaceae, namely Botryosphaeria dothidea, Diplodia corticola, Diplodia seriata, Dothiorella omnivora and Neofusicoccum parvum, were consistently isolated from tissues of declining hosts. There is evidence that thinning altered plot-level microclimate conditions and microbial equilibrium, favoring the proliferation of latent, pathogenic Botryosphaeriaceae. In fact, during the study period, the presence of N. parvum increased tenfold and that of B. dothidea fivefold in thinned subplot. Conversely, in unthinned subplot, the same pathogenic taxa maintained stable proportions. These results demonstrate that thinning altered ecological balances increasing tree susceptibility to harmful, cosmopolitan botryosphaeriaceous fungi. Our findings challenge assumptions about thinning as a universally beneficial practice, emphasizing the need for silvicultural strategies that take into account host and pathogen ecology and the microclimatic resilience of forest stands. This study emphasizes the importance of adaptive management in urban forestry to mitigate the unintended ecological consequences of climate change.

The abandonment of rural areas across the Mediterranean has led to widespread shrub encroachment, increasing fuel loads, and the risk of high-intensity wildfires under current and future climate conditions. Fuel management practices, such as prescribed burning and mechanical clearing, are necessary to mitigate this threat. However, these interventions may also alter soil fungal communities, which play a key role in ecosystem functioning and support non-timber forest products of socio-economic interest. In this study, we assessed the effects of prescribed burning and total mechanical clearing on soil fungal communities in Cistus ladanifer-dominated shrublands in northern and southern Spain. Soil samples were collected before and after the fire-prevention treatments were performed, and fungal DNA was extracted and sequenced to characterize taxonomic and functional shifts. Prescribed burning triggered a strong, initial shift in the fungal community: five months post-fire, ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi significantly decreased while saprotrophs increased. However, one year after management, the relative abundances of both guilds returned to pre-fire levels, suggesting important insights on the functional resilience. Comparisons among prescribed burning, total clearing, and control plots revealed no significant differences in fungal richness or diversity. Although compositional changes were detected, no evidence of significant trophic functional disruption was found. These results indicate that both prescribed burning and mechanical clearing are effective biomass reduction strategies that cause only transient but not significant disturbances to soil fungal communities, supporting their use in fire-prone Mediterranean landscapes.

Regeneration failure is a bottleneck in Mediterranean oak woodlands. Cattle can hinder or promote recruitment, depending on grazing location, timing and intensity. Herbivory theory predicts that repeated defoliation and trampling deplete seedling reserves, whereas resprouting can extend survival; yet field studies rarely separate intensity from recency or combine long-run grazing records with individual fates and microhabitat/climate context. We test how management-driven heterogeneity shapes cork oak seedling survival and resprouting by combining 12 years of paddock-level grazing records with individual tracking of 8431 seedlings across 24 paddocks. Bayesian mixed-effects survival models related seedling lifespan to grazing history × pressure (moderate ≤150; high >150 LSU ha-1 days yr-1) and to key covariates, including seedling height, resprouting status, shrub distance, cattle dung counts (as a proxy of very recent grazing), and 1-month SPEI (as recent water balance). Bayesian logistic mixed models were then used to relate resprouting probability to grazing treatments. Survival was lower in grazed than ungrazed paddocks and declined along management gradients: median lifespan fell from 460 (moderate grazing) to 256 days (high), and from 460 (old grazing; two-year absence) to 199 days (recent). A two-year cattle absence increased survival under moderate pressure but was insufficient where pressure was high, indicating legacy effects and that recovery windows must scale with pressure. Resprouting dominated persistence: resprouters lived >5 × longer than non-resprouters (2351 vs 460 days). Taller seedlings lived longer, and shrub proximity conferred a modest benefit. Climate modulated outcomes: wetter recent periods (higher SPEI) markedly boosted survival. Cattle reduced the odds of resprouting, with the strongest penalty under recent use. By disentangling grazing intensity from recency and linking both to seedling survival and resprouting, we show why recruitment falters under continuous, heavy grazing and when it can recover. Because drought intensifies cattle impacts, managers should combine moderate stocking rates with multi-year rest periods to rebuild oak bud banks and below-ground reserves; a two-year hiatus can help under moderate pressure but appears insufficient where pressure is high. Aligning rotational plans with drought outlooks and tracking simple field cues (seedling height, recent resprouting) offers a practical path to reconcile production with regeneration in Mediterranean wood-pastures.

This study investigates the climate sensitivity and resilience of radial growth in eight coniferous and deciduous tree species in the Vienna Woods, Austria. Using dendrochronological methods, we analyzed tree-ring width data from 63 forest plots to assess growth responses to meteorological variability over the period 1933-2023. Historic climate records were used to develop a water balance model, from which we derived seasonal growth factors. Linear mixed effects models were applied to quantify species-specific relationships between tree-ring width and climatic conditions during the current and preceding two years. Tree-ring width responded not only to climatic conditions of the current growing season but also strongly to those of the previous year. Soil moisture and air temperature emerged as the principal drivers of radial growth, with soil moisture positively and temperature negatively affecting ring width. Climatic conditions during June-July of the current year exerted the strongest impact on ring formation. Using regional climate trends and projected air temperature and precipitation trajectories for Central Europe under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, we forecast future growing conditions for the region. Both scenarios predict an extended growing season, increased transpiration demand, and heightened drought risk - more pronounced under RCP8.5. However, projected increases in precipitation partly offset the drought risk. By combining historical climate sensitivity of radial increment with future climate projections, we modelled expected tree-ring growth for eight tree species. Most species are predicted to experience notable declines in radial growth, with the strongest reductions in conifers, including European larch (Larix decidua), Norway spruce (Picea abies), Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Deciduous species - Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), and sessile oak (Quercus petraea) - show moderate declines. In contrast, Turkey oak (Quercus cerris) is projected to increase radial growth under future climate scenarios. These findings suggest that forest management in the Vienna Woods and adjacent regions should prioritize the promotion of warm- and drought-tolerant tree species such as Quercus cerris to enhance forest resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change.

The vegetation ecosystem in the Yellow River Basin is highly sensitive to climate change. Analyzing the driving mechanism of climate on vegetation dynamics plays an important role in the ecological management of the Yellow River Basin. Based on the data of the normalized difference vegetation index， total primary productivity， leaf area index， enhanced vegetation index， chlorophyll fluorescence， and vegetation coverage from 2001 to 2020， combined with the IGBP vegetation classification system， the differences and trends of vegetation characteristics of different vegetation types were quantified. By constructing a multi-scale geographically weighted regression model and Geodetector， the spatial heterogeneity and interaction mechanism of climatic factors and soil moisture on vegetation coverage were revealed. The results showed that： ① From 2001 to 2020， the vegetation in the central and eastern parts of the Yellow River Basin was significantly improved， whereas that in the northwest showed a trend of degradation， while the interannual variability of the middle reaches of the Loess Plateau was the largest. ② The vegetation characteristic index value of forest type was significantly higher than that of other types， and the vegetation coverage was the most sensitive to the differentiation of vegetation types. ③ In most areas of the Yellow River Basin， precipitation promoted vegetation growth， temperature inhibited vegetation growth in the north and middle， and saturated vapor pressure difference significantly promoted vegetation coverage in the southeast and northwest. In the humid areas of the south and southeast， the saturated vapor pressure difference showed a promoting effect， and the soil moisture showed an inhibitory effect. In the whole basin， precipitation and temperature， saturated vapor pressure difference， and soil moisture had a strong interaction， which promoted vegetation coverage. The research results provide theoretical support for the ecological zoning management of the Yellow River Basin.

Animal personality influences organismal interactions and individual habitat use. Rodents are zoonoses reservoirs and often exposed to several pathogens simultaneously, potentially resulting in interdependence of infections and susceptibility to infection. Still, entire pathogen communities are rarely investigated, even though, given rodents ubiquity in human settlements, understanding the link between animal personality and pathogenesis is an important public health issue. We investigated the association of animal personality with pathogen communities in wild rodents, analysing ectoparasite occurrence and pathogenic bacteria of 93 individuals belonging to 3 species from urban and forest areas around Potsdam, Germany. Individual personality was quantified using a combination of open-field and dark-light test. Rodents were then euthanised and screened for pathogens in the spleen through 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and ectoparasites were collected. We detected 6 pathogenic bacteria and 3 ectoparasite taxa. Host species and sampling time explained most of the variation in pathogen associations, but within each genus, 7-9% of the variation was explained by animal personality. Active rodents were more likely infected by Bartonella than less active ones. Bold animals had lower tick infestation probabilities. Thus, animal personality contributes to the distribution and prevalence of pathogens in wild rodents, and should be considered in epidemiology and disease management.

A large amount of fuel has accumulated in the forests of Northeast China. Scientific regulation of surface fuel is crucial for reducing forest fire risk. To explore the effectiveness of different fuel regulation treatments, we set up six regulation treatments in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations in the Daxing'anling Mountains: low, medium, and high strength (different degrees of mowing, shrub clearing, pruning, and clearing dead surface fuel), surface clearing, fuel load enhancement, and shrub clearing, with untreated stands as the control. The effects of different treatments on physicochemical properties, fire behavior, and pyrolysis characteristics of dead surface fuel were examined. The results showed that high-strength treatment significantly increased ash content, ignition point, and water content of the fuel by 58.0%, 4.3 ℃, and 60.9%, respectively, while crude fat content, load, flame height, and maximum combustion temperature significantly decreased by 7.5%, 74.0%, 43.8%, and 100.8 ℃. In the surface clearing treatment, water content of the fuel significantly increased, while crude fat content, load, and rate of spread significantly decreased. In the fuel load enhancement treatment, crude fat content, load, and rate of spread of the fuel significantly increased. In the shrub clearing treatment, crude fat and ash content of the fuel significantly increased, while the rate of spread significantly decreased. In the medium-strength treatment, the ignition point of the fuel significantly increased, while the flame height significantly decreased. In the low-strength treatment, the spread rate of the fuel significantly increased. Compared with the control, the holocellulose degradation temperature range of each treatment increased significantly. After shrub clearing, the peak and average weight loss rates of holocellulose, the exothermic peak area, the percentage of lignin loss, and the total consumption decreased significantly, while the differences in other treatments were not significant. The principal component analysis comprehensive flammability ranking showed that the flammability from high to low was: fuel load enhancement treatment > medium-strength treatment > shrub clearing treatment > untreated > low-strength treatment > surface clearing treatment > high-strength treatment. In summary, the flammability of dead surface fuel in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica forests significantly decreased under high-strength treatment, which could be used as a fuel regulation treatment for short-term fire prevention. 东北林区可燃物大量堆积,科学调控地表可燃物对降低林火风险至关重要。为探究不同可燃物调控手段的有效性,以大兴安岭樟子松人工林为研究对象,设置低、中、高强度(不同程度割草、割灌、修枝、清除地表死可燃物)、清理地表、载量加强、割灌木6种调控手段,以未处理林分为对照,研究不同手段对地表死可燃物的理化性质、火行为及热解特性的影响。结果表明:与对照相比,高强度处理可燃物灰分含量、燃点、含水率分别显著升高58.0%、4.3 ℃、60.9%,而粗脂肪含量、载量、火焰高度、燃烧最高温度分别显著降低7.5%、74.0%、43.8%、100.8 ℃;清理地表处理可燃物含水率显著升高,而粗脂肪含量、载量、蔓延速度分别显著降低;载量加强处理可燃物粗脂肪含量、载量、蔓延速度显著升高;割灌木处理可燃物粗脂肪、灰分含量显著升高,而蔓延速度显著降低;中强度处理可燃物燃点显著升高,而火焰高度显著降低;低强度处理可燃物蔓延速度显著升高。与对照相比,各处理综纤维素阶段跨越温度显著升高;割灌木处理后,综纤维素失重速率峰值和平均速率、放热峰面积、失木质素百分比、总消耗量显著降低,其余处理差异不显著。主成分综合燃烧性排序表明,燃烧性从高至低为载量加强处理>中强度处理>割灌木处理>未处理>低强度处理>清理地表处理>高强度处理。综上,高强度处理下樟子松林中地表死可燃物燃烧性明显下降,可作为短时间内的防火调控手段。.

The lack of energy balance closure in Eddy-Covariance (EC) measurements is a well-known, still unresolved challenge in micrometeorology, with energy balance closure (EBC) rates typically ranging between 60% and 80%. While numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain this imbalance, the relative contributions of neglected energy storage terms, data quality and flux processing options remain insufficiently disentangled. Using standardized ICOS and NEON datasets, we show that a significant portion of the observed energy imbalance can be attributed to overlooked or inconsistently handled energy components and turbulent flux quality control. Using data drawn from 84 sites, we show that comprehensive energy accounting-including soil heat flux, storage terms (soil, air, biomass), photosynthetic energy demand, and strict quality filtering of turbulent fluxes-improved EBC by 16% on average, with site-specific gains up to 40%. However, we also identify a persistent residual imbalance that is unlikely to be resolved through methodological refinements or additional measurements alone, pointing to fundamental physical processes that are not accounted for in the standard measurement and processing. We argue that this unresolved imbalance should be explicitly acknowledged and bounded, rather than implicitly absorbed into correction schemes, and we outline practical guidance for diagnosing and interpreting EBC in standardized flux networks. This perspective evaluates methodological advances and residual uncertainties, providing an actionable framework for the appropriate use of EC energy fluxes in carbon, water, and climate research.

This study aimed to describe parental communication with children around obesity management medications (OMMs) and child, parent, and family factors associated with communication. Parents (N&#x2009;=&#x2009;211; 80% mothers; 89% White) prescribed OMMs at a medical center participated in a survey about communication with children about OMM use, weight, and health behaviors. Logistic regression models assessed associations between communication about OMMs and child weight, diet, and activity. Among study participants, 50% of parents talked with their child about the decision to take OMMs; 75% talked openly about it. Parents with older children were more likely to have open communication about OMMs (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.10; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.016). Parents with impaired family functioning were less likely to communicate about OMMs (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.23; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.002). Children who made comments to parents about their own weight were more likely to notice parents' weight loss (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;2.70; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.002), be older in age (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.13; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.006), and have overweight (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;3.58; p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001). Parents who reported their child made comments about his or her own diet were more likely to report that their child&#xa0;noticed parents' diet change (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;4.40; p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001), had overweight (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;2.03; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.046), and had healthy family functioning (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.42; 95% p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.025). Parents are talking with their children about their OMMs and behaviors, especially with older children, children with overweight, and in families with healthy functioning.

The pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) is a major quarantine pathogen causing pine wilt disease (PWD) and severe losses in pine forests across Asia and Europe. Trunk injection is a key control strategy, but field performance could be achieved by broadening injectable formulation options, incorporating complementary modes of action, and extending the practical application window to include the pine growth season. Therefore, developing new, highly effective trunk-injection formulations is an important step toward improving PWD management. To this purpose, we developed a novel trunk-injection agent, code-named 'Federal-3', as the focus of this investigation. It features a synergistic fluopyram-abamectin core that is innovatively enhanced with a small-molecule vaccine and a specialized adjuvant. Comprehensive evaluation demonstrated that Federal-3 formulations showed significantly higher nematicidal activity than the single-ingredient formulations. Penetration and translocation of the formulation were evaluated across four pine species under relatively low (7-10&#x2009;&#xb0;C) and relatively high (25-35&#x2009;&#xb0;C) temperature conditions. Federal-3 showed improved penetration efficiency under relatively high-temperature conditions, achieving complete absorption within 16&#x2009;h under relatively high temperatures, translocation to treetops within 24&#x2009;h, and uniform distribution throughout canopy within 30&#x2009;days. In 3-year field trials, the Federal-3 formulation maintained effective residues. By integrating a triple-action strategy of 'synergistic formulation, optimized translocation, and immune activation', Federal-3 improves penetration efficiency under relatively high temperatures and enables rapid uptake, efficient systemic movement, and sustained protection. This agent represents an efficient and reliable innovative solution, advancing PWD management towards proactive prevention and sustainable control. &#xa9; 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Savannas cover a significant portion of the earth's land surface, yet how they will respond to increases in rainfall variability and drought frequency and intensity expected with climate change remains poorly understood. Studies of hydraulic-related traits of savanna trees are rare with most existing research focusing on temperate and tropical forest species. We measured growth, photosynthetic rates, monthly predawn and midday xylem pressure potentials, and eight traits relevant to xylem, leaf safety and water storage capacity, in six co-occurring Southern African semi-arid savanna species. The six species adopted different hydraulic strategies, ranging from drought tolerance (e.g., high wood density, low xylem vulnerability to cavitation and ${{\psi}}_{{tlp}}$) in Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn. to drought avoidance (e.g., high capacitance and shoot saturated water content) in Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC. Drought-avoiding species with high capacitance had higher growth and photosynthetic rates, while drought-tolerant species had slow growth and low photosynthetic rates, when soil water was not limiting. The different hydraulic strategies found in the six study species suggest that savanna tree species exploit different ecohydrological niches, likely contributing to their co-existence in an environment where rainfall and soil water availability are highly variable. All of the strategies allowed for survival during shorter-growing season droughts. Previous studies have shown that both drought avoiders and tolerators may be vulnerable to mortality during more extensive droughts in savannas. We suggest that access to deeper soil water combined with higher capacitance, as found in Sclerocarya birrea (A.Rich.) Hochst. appears to be the most successful strategy to survive extensive drought.

Coal combustion emissions significantly contribute to air pollution in China, especially in the residential sector, where they are widely dispersed and poorly tracked, making accurate identification difficult for traditional methods. This study proposes a framework combining the Deep Self-Attention Fusion Model (DSAF) with the Isolation Forest algorithm (IForest) to identify coal-burning hotspots using SO2 as a tracer. The framework was applied to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of daily SO2 concentrations at 1&#xa0;km&#xa0;&#xd7;&#xa0;1&#xa0;km resolution in Shandong Province from 2022 to 2024 and to identify coal-burning hotspots. The DSAF model integrates satellite remote sensing, ground monitoring, and meteorological data for high-precision SO2 concentrations estimation with complete spatiotemporal coverage. The IForest algorithm combined with multidimensional spatial features identifies areas of anomalously high SO2 concentrations and generates a provincial-scale hotspots distribution map. Spatial patterns were characterized by integrating industrial facility locations and urban-rural data. Results indicate that the annual average SO2 concentration decreased from 10.15&#xa0;&#x3bc;g/m3 in 2022 to 8.73&#xa0;&#x3bc;g/m3 in 2024 (14.00% reduction), showing clear seasonal variations with higher concentrations in winter and spring. Non-heating season hotspots are primarily located in chemical, steel, and heavy industrial clusters, highly consistent with industrial facility distributions. During the heating season, hotspots coverage significantly expands, with notable increases in rural areas, indicating additive effects of civil bulk coal use on top of industrial emissions. The methods developed in this study provide technical support for refined coal emission management and coordinated control of secondary pollutants such as PM2.5.

The escalating biodiversity crisis underscores the urgent need for a unified framework that links the mechanisms maintaining biodiversity to its functional consequences. However, studies of species coexistence and biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning have largely progressed independently. Here, using long-term data from five grassland biodiversity experiments, we quantified "coexistence potential" (i.e., the degree to which niche differences exceed fitness differences) and tested its relationships with biodiversity effects on both ecosystem productivity (via complementarity and selection effects) and stability (via species asynchrony and species stability). We found that the relationships within the coexistence-productivity-stability triad were overall positive. These patterns were mechanistically explained by phylogenetic and trait composition: Phylogenetically and functionally more diverse communities supported higher coexistence potential and greater productivity, while those dominated by species with stronger root-mycorrhizal collaboration and larger seeds exhibited enhanced productivity and stability. Our work provides integrative empirical evidence linking biodiversity maintenance to ecosystem functioning, demonstrating that conserving phylogenetically and functionally diverse communities, particularly those including collaborative species, is key to sustaining biodiverse, productive, and stable ecosystems.

Drylands face urgent development challenges that are complex and interconnected, requiring holistic systems-based approaches. Here, we present a social-ecological systems framework to guide research, policy, and action across disciplines and sectors towards sustainability transformations in drylands for improved livelihoods and enhanced ecosystem, livestock, and human health. Our conceptual framework integrates three non-exclusive and complementary lenses of human-driven transformations: systemic, structural and enabling/grassroots change. Based on these three complementary lenses, along with three main phases of transformation and key associated actions, we briefly illustrate the framework's value through the case of the Karamoja cross-border region of East Africa. We show how the framework can be used as an entry point to identify and analyse key challenges and their interlinkages; envision desired social-ecological systems; and explore pathways towards sustainability. The framework provides actionable guidance to co-develop context-specific interventions that support sustainability transformations in drylands.

Tomicus minor, commonly known as the transverse shot hole borer, is the most destructive pest of Pinus yunnanensis in southwestern China, causing substantial tree mortality. Behavioral studies have confirmed its strictly diurnal flight patterns, suggesting a reliance on visual cues for host detection. We conducted a detailed examination of the compound eye morphology and optics of T. minor using light, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy. Each apposition eye contains about 230 ommatidia, showing slight sexual and lateral variations. Ommatidial facet shapes vary dorsoventrally: quadrilateral in the dorsal region, hexagonal and rounded in central-to-ventral regions, and pentagonal peripherally. Each ommatidium comprises a large corneal lens, an acone-type crystalline cone with four cells, and an open rhabdom with eight retinular cells (central R7-R8 surrounded by R1-R6). Changes in dark/light adaptation influence cone size/shape and rhabdom cross-section, thereby regulating photoreceptor light exposure. Key optical parameters, such as the F-number (1.17), interommatidial angle (2.70&#xb0;), eye parameter (1.09 &#x3bc;m rad), and acceptance/interommatidial angle ratio (4.52), indicate high sensitivity and contrast perception in daylight, supporting the insect's diurnal behaviors. This research enhances understanding of coleopteran vision, provides a foundation for Tomicus photoreception investigations, and may guide pest management strategies that incorporate both olfactory and visual cues.