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Flower-rich road verges increase abundance of flower visitors in the surrounding landscape
Get PDFFlower-visiting insects and the plants that depend on them are declining due to habitat loss and deterioration. Road verges, which often provide abundant floral resources, are gaining attention for their potential conservation value, as they can support a high abundance and diversity of flower-visiting insects. Thereby, flower-abundant road verges may benefit pollination in surrounding landscapes. However, the potential negative effect of traffic on this benefit remains unexplored. We addressed the research gap using potted wild strawberry plants (Fragaria vesca, variety ‘Rügen’), placed at 20 m and 80–100 m distance from road verges along roads with varying traffic intensity (around 100–5500 vehicles per day). We found that floral abundance in road verges enhanced the number of flower visitors to strawberry plants in nearby areas, regardless of the distance to the road verge. However, this positive effect was restricted by increasing traffic intensity and narrower road verge width. Despite similar numbers of flower visitors at both distances, the pollination success, measured as the number of developed achenes on each harvested strawberry, tended to be lower closer to the road verge than further away but was unrelated to flower density, traffic intensity and road verge width, which indicates potential differences in pollinator behaviour or in the pollen they carried. Our findings highlight the potential of flower-rich road verges to support the conservation of flower-visiting insects. However, we emphasise the need to consider road verge width and traffic intensity to ensure successful pollinator-friendly management
Yield stability and weed dry matter in response to field-scale soil variability in pea-oat intercropping
Get PDFBackground and aims Intercropping of grain legumes and cereals in European agriculture can provide benefits, such as an increase in yields, yield stability and weed suppression. Interactions between crops in intercropping may depend on spatial heterogeneity in soil conditions, which are present on farmers' fields. Understanding the effect of within-field variation in soil conditions on interspecific interactions might increase the benefits of intercropping by within-field adjustment of the agronomic management.Methods Crop performance and weed dry matter were assessed together with several soil properties in grids within three large field experiments at two sites (Germany and Sweden) and during two years. Each experiment was comprised of several strips sown either with the two sole crops oat (Avena sativa L.) and field pea (Pisum sativum L.) or an oat-pea intercrop.Results The response of crop performance to within-field variability in soil conditions was mostly species-specific. Yield stability of intercropping was consistently higher compared with pea, but not compared to oat. The highest land equivalent ratio was found for an additive intercropping design under a higher water availability. In this experiment, yield stability of both intercropped pea and oat were lower, which might be expected as a result of within-field variation in interspecific interactions. Intercropping reduced weed dry matter compared to pea, for which one experiment indicated an increase in weed dry matter with nutrient availability.Conclusion The experimental design and the developed statistical analysis can contribute to further research about spatial variations in interspecific interactions in intercropping, which will improve the understanding of plant-plant and plant-soil interactions
Transition dynamics of hybrid farmers: a survival analysis of exits and entries into full-time farming
Get PDFUsing Swedish-matched employer-employee data from 2001 to 2018 and parametric survival analysis, we examine how the share of off-farm wage income affects survival time in the state of hybrid farming. We find a non-linear relationship between the share of off-farm wage income and the risk of exit; at lower levels, the share of off-farm wage income increases the risk of exiting agriculture completely and exiting from hybrid farming into full-time farming, while at higher levels it decreases the risk of exiting the hybrid state. This indicates that at higher levels of off-farm income, hybrid farming can be a stable state
Farmers' use and preferences of agroforestry trees in Bauchi State, Nigeria
Get PDFMost of the Bauchi State's inhabitants face environmental and socio-economic challenges. Agroforestry trees can help these people by providing valuable environmental benefits such as windbreaks, soil improvement, shade, or additional income through fruits and medicine (services and products). The study aimed to identify the most important use of tree species by the farmers and their tree preferences, examine agroforestry practices on their farms, and spot the most preferred locations of trees on their farms. The fieldwork was conducted in both lowlands and highlands of Bauchi state. In total, 83 farmers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. The results showed that farmers mostly use and prefer fruit trees (74 and 87%), followed by medicinal trees (66 and 18%) in lowlands and highlands, respectively. They also use trees for fencing and shading. Adansonia digitata was the most preferred species in the lowlands, while Parkia biglobosa was in the highlands. Scattered trees were the most used agroforestry practice (79 and 84%) in both the lowlands and the highlands. The bush field and the village field (47 and 37%) were the most preferred locations of trees on farms. In the future, we suggest that policymakers and extensionists should support research and improvement of varieties of the most preferred fruit/food tree species and develop and introduce improved disease-resistant and pest-tolerant native varieties
Wildfire in rainforest margins is associated with variation in mammal diversity and habitat use
Get PDFContext Rainforests typically evolved without the influence of fire or with only low-intensity fires, making them vulnerable to contemporary increases in fire frequency and intensity. Rainforest-associated species are predicted to be less adaptable than generalist species, but little is known about how fire in rainforest margins affects their habitat use and behaviour.Aims We investigated how mammal community composition, diversity, probability of habitat use and probability of movement were affected by wildfires that occurred in rainforest margins in South East Queensland, Australia, in 2019-20.Methods We deployed camera traps at 23 sites spanning the following three fire-habitat categories: unburnt rainforest (UR), burnt rainforest (BR) and surrounding burnt sclerophyll forest (BS), and used passive detection to analyse habitat use and behaviour.Key results Fire-habitat category had little influence on community composition. Species diversity was highest in unburnt rainforest compared with burnt rainforest and surrounding burnt sclerophyll forest. The probability of habitat use was highest in unburnt rainforest for both the long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta, estimated mean probability (95% CI): UR = 57.1% (22.98, 85.6), BR = 0%, BS = 0%) and the fawn-footed melomys (Melomys cervinipes: UR = 100%, BR = 87.5% (46.3, 98.3), BS = 50% (20.0, 80.0)). Probability of movement for the bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) increased with increasing elevation in burnt sclerophyll and was unaffected by elevation in unburnt and burnt rainforest.Conclusions Rainforest margins that experienced wildfire had reduced species diversity, most likely owing to a reduction in habitat use by rainforest-associated species. Movement patterns of mammal species were complex and not consistently related to recent fire history.Implications Rainforest margins and associated species are likely to be negatively affected by increasing wildfire intensity and frequency. In addition to urgent climate-change mitigation, land management that prevents wildfire incursion is likely to benefit rainforest communities in future
Bridging the gap between research and decision making: A European survey to enhance cooperation in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for illicit drugs
Get PDFObjectives Illicit drug use presents a significant challenge to global health and public safety, requiring innovative and effective monitoring strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the current landscape of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for monitoring illicit drugs in Europe, focusing on collaboration, current practices, and barriers, while identifying opportunities for improvement. Study design Cross-sectional survey-based study. Methods Coordinated by the Sewage Analysis CORe Group Europe (SCORE) and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), two surveys were conducted in 2023 targeting researchers and stakeholders using WBE for illicit drugs. Data were analysed to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for improving WBE implementation. Results The findings indicate a robust research infrastructure and diverse analytical methods among European institutions. Two-thirds of the participating countries reported using WBE data to inform policy. However, challenges persist, particularly in securing funding and coordination, as well as generating national estimates from multiple locations and addressing specific local policy needs. Conclusions WBE has proven to be a valuable tool for monitoring illicit drug trends and informing drug policies. To unlock its full potential, sustained funding, methodological standardization, and enhanced cooperation are essential. This study provides critical insights into the European WBE landscape, offering a roadmap for strengthening the integration of actionable WBE data into public health and policy frameworks
Measuring Gas Transfer Velocity in a Steep Tropical Stream: Method Evaluation and Implications for Upscaling
Get PDFGreenhouse gas emission estimates from streams rely, in part, on accurate measurements or estimates of the gas transfer velocity, which describes the physical efficiency for gas exchange across the water-air interface. Numerous methods for measuring or modeling gas transfer velocity exist, yet few studies compare these different methods. Additionally, current models of gas transfer velocity in streams are predominantly derived from measurements in low-gradient, temperate, or boreal streams. Here, we measured gas transfer velocity using four different methods in a high-energy, tropical headwater stream under a range of flow conditions, and compared these measurements to indirect estimates from four empirical models. Our results show that, when compared to the use of a biologically inert gas tracer (propane), floating chambers produced lower gas transfer velocity values. Using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a tracer gas was unreliable without considering other natural sources and sinks of CO2 and yielded gas transfer velocities lower than when using propane. Existing empirical models tended to underestimate gas transfer velocity, compared to the inert tracer gas. When using empirical models to upscale the emission flux along an entire stream reach, choice of model was more influential than the spatial resolution of model implementation. We also highlight the extreme spatial variability of gas transfer velocity across small spatial scales, which contrasts with its relative stability across changing hydrological conditions. The discrepancies between methods highlight the need for further research in measuring and upscaling gas transfer velocity, particularly in very turbulent steep streams
Conventional and reduced tillage, and set-aside land – Effects on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium subsurface leaching from a clay soil during 9 years
Get PDFThis study investigated the effect of two different autumn tillage intensities, and a permanent green fallow, on subsurface nutrient leaching losses during nine years, with the overall aim to evaluate strategies for reduced nutrient load from arable land. The main hypotheses were that crop production results in larger leaching losses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) than a green fallow, and that reduced tillage (RT) is a measure for reduced N leaching without reduction of grain yields compared to conventional tillage (CT). The field site was a clay soil (47 % clay, Uderic Haploboroll) in south-west Sweden and the field experiment was equipped with separately tile-drained plots to record the subsurface drainage water flow. The water was analyzed for total N, nitrate-N, total P, phosphate-P and K. Grain yields of main crops and contents of soil mineral N were also determined. Long-term average and most annual means show no significant impact of tillage system, concerning N, P and K leaching losses or yields of main crops. There were indications of higher N leaching using CT compared to RT. Average leaching losses were 3.9 kg N ha− 1 yr− 1 , 0.4 kg P ha− 1 yr− 1 and 6.5 kg K ha− 1 yr− 1 from the tilled plots. In 9-year average, the permanent green fallow reduced the soil mineral N content in autumn and decreased the transport of nitrate-N in drainage water compared to both tillage systems. However, green fallow could not be considered a mitigation option for P and K leaching losses
Multitasking Moose Migration: Examining media multimodality in slow-TV nature programming
Get PDFMedia multitasking has become an integrated part of much media consumption. While some celebrate the practice for activating the viewer and connecting them to virtual others, perhaps discussing the show in realtime, critics point to cognitive costs and reduced productivity. A perhaps more scathing critique has been added to those multitasking while watching nature documentaries: you are already consuming nature through a screen, but now your focus is further fragmented across multiple apps. The implication is that this is not an authentic way of experiencing nature, at a time-the Digital Anthropocene-when direct nature experiences dwindle. In this study, we examine viewers' engagement with different sorts of media and 'real-life', physical multitasking during a slow-TV nature documentary, The Great Moose Migration in Sweden. We ask what these tasks mean not only for one's enjoyment and relaxation, but more broadly for nature engagement in the Digital Anthropocene, and connection to others over nature as something shared. Through surveys and digital ethnography of the Great Moose Migration, our research shows how multitasking around nature contributes to a potentially transformative experience. It is a viewer experience that is at once personal through increased customization options and layering of different activities. Second, it is communal in terms of connecting diverse audiences on platforms. Our contribution is in showing that taskscapes are now becoming multi-taskscapes, which comprise both physical and digital tasks over nature. These multi-taskscapes are actively shaped by users who engage with them. This changes both the media landscape and the way we engage with nature
The importance of genotyping within the climate-smart plant breeding value chain – integrative tools for genetic enhancement programs
Get PDFThe challenges faced by today’s agronomists, plant breeders, and their managers encompass adapting sustainably to climate variability while working with limited budgets. Besides, managers are dealing with a multitude of issues with different organizations working on similar initiatives and projects, leading to a lack of a sustainable impact on smallholder farmers. To transform the current food systems as a more sustainable and resilient model efficient solutions are needed to deliver and convey results. Challenges such as logistics, labour, infrastructure, and equity, must be addressed alongside adapting to increasingly unstable climate conditions which affect the life cycle of transboundary pathogens and pests. In this context, transforming food systems go far beyond just farmers and plant breeders and it requires substantial contributions from industry, global finances, transportation, energy, education, and country developmental sectors including legislators. As a result, a holistic approach is essential for achieving sustainable and resilient food systems to sustain a global population anticipated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100. As of 2021, nearly 193 million individuals were affected by food insecurity, 40 million more than in 2020. Meanwhile, the digital world is rapidly advancing with the digital economy estimated at about 20% of the global gross domestic product, suggesting that digital technologies are increasingly accessible even in areas affected by food insecurity. Leveraging these technologies can facilitate the development of climate-smart cultivars that adapt effectively to climate variation, meet consumer preferences, and address human and livestock nutritional needs. Most economically important traits in crops are controlled by multiple loci often with recessive alleles. Considering particularly Africa, this continent has several agro-climatic zones, hence crops need to be adapted to these. Therefore, targeting specific loci using modern tools offers a precise and efficient approach. This review article aims to address how these new technologies can provide a better support to smallholder farmers