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Planning and managing urban green infrastructure for human health: perspectives on collaboration and implementation from four Nordic cities
Get PDFWhile there is substantial research connecting urban green infrastructure (UGI) with human health and well-being (HH&W), less is known about how responsible actors address this relationship in practice. Based on interviews in four Nordic cities, this study examines UGI planning, UGI management, and public health practitioners’ perceptions of their work, as well as perceived barriers and support for working with the UGI-HH&W nexus. The study revealed that HH&W was not addressed in-depth by either UGI planners or managers, but was instead seen as one of many general arguments for safeguarding UGI from urban development. Public health strategists conversely had a broader view of health and presented examples of a strategic approach to cross-sectorial collaboration. Planners and managers face similar challenges, but there is a more positive view among planners and health strategists on strategic development within the organisation. In contrast, managers are primarily and more deeply concerned about general challenges to UGI development. The results further present a range of coordination efforts, including both formal cross-sectorial groups and experimental approaches. However, there is a policy implementation mismatch in strategic UGI development, accompanied by a lack of long-term perspectives. These two challenges can be understood together, where a more strategic understanding of long-term UGI management would provide an opportunity to increase sustainability in current planning and investment practices. A more aligned approach offers a path for future development in planning and management of UGI for human health and well-being
Coupling of CFD and Telemetry to Characterize Velocity-Based Behavioral Rules for Downstream-Migrating Salmon Smolt in a Large River Reach
No full textDownstream migration of salmonid smolts through regulated rivers remains a major ecological and engineering challenge, with high mortality and delay rates despite mitigation measures like bypasses and guidance systems. This study integrates Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with fish telemetry to analyze how salmon smolts respond to local hydraulic conditions in a real riverine environment. By coupling detailed CFD flow models with two-dimensional smolt track data from a hydropower facility in northern Sweden, we identified behavioral tendencies linked to specific flow velocities. The analysis of fish movement patterns indicates a general tendency to follow the main current during migration, with occasional variations influenced by initial velocity and local flow conditions. This behaviorally informed CFD-telemetry approach provides a method for identifying behavioral patterns based on velocities and demonstrates its potential to improve fish passage models, supporting more ecologically effective hydropower design. This study highlights the need for broader datasets to fully capture smolt behavior and to develop standardized, transferable modeling frameworks for fish-flow interactions
Identification of human gut bacteria that produce bioactive serotonin and promote colonic innervation
No full textThe gut microbiota regulates host intestinal serotonin synthesis, thereby promoting the development and maintenance of the enteric nervous system, which controls bowel motility. Functional bowel disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome, are associated with altered serotonin levels and gut microbiota composition. However, it is unclear if the gut microbiota can synthesize bioactive serotonin, which may affect enteric nervous system development. Here, we identify a consortium of the human gut bacteria Limosilactobacillus mucosae and Ligilactobacillus ruminis that synthesizes serotonin in vitro by decarboxylation of 5-hydroxytryptophan and elevates fecal serotonin levels, colonic neuronal density, and serotonin-immunoreactive neurons when introduced into germ-free, serotonin-deficient mice. The consortium normalizes intestinal transit time in germ-free wild-type mice, and we observe decreased fecal abundance of L. mucosae in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome. These findings suggest that specific members of the human gut microbiota synthesize bioactive serotonin that can contribute to gut health
The effectiveness of ecoacoustic indices in representing bird species richness relies on technical parameters
No full textEcoacoustic indices have been proposed as proxies for diversity measures such as species richness, however, their effectiveness remains a subject of ongoing debate. We examined how variation in recording sampling rate and computational parameters influences the strength of the relationship between bird species richness and two widely used ecoacoustic indices: the Bioacoustic Index (BI) and the Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI). We analyzed 5844 one-minute soundscape recordings from the Bia & lstrok;owiez(center dot)a Primeval Forest (Poland), down-sampling them from 192 kHz to 96, 48, and 24 kHz. The ACI and BI were calculated for each recording sampling rate using different configuration settings: seven Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) window lengths and two frequency range settings. We then related bird species richness to the ACI and BI across all combinations of FFT window length, sampling rate, and frequency range. We demonstrated that the relationship between species richness and ecoacoustic indices ranged from significantly positive to significantly negative, depending on the technical parameters applied, with a stronger effect observed for the ACI than for the BI. For both indices, adjusting the analysis frequency range to match the frequency range of bird vocalizations in our study area strengthened the relationship compared to the default settings, and the influence of technical parameters varied among habitats. In conclusion, the effectiveness of the ACI and the BI in representing bird species richness relies on technical parameters. When calculating ecoacoustic indices, particularly the ACI, we recommend adjusting the FFT window length to match the sampling rate of the recordings and the local ecoacoustic conditions. Furthermore, other calculation settings, such as the analysis frequency range, should be adjusted to the vocalisation characteristics of the studies taxa. Finally, we advise against using the ACI and BI without prior testing of their suitability to reflect local biodiversity measures
Milk quality in a traditional buffalo milk production chain in Bangladesh
No full textThe quality of milk is influenced by the microbial load related to the shelf life of milk and its spoilage. The water buffalo milk supply is a vital asset for the dairy chain in Bangladesh. However, no systematic study has been conducted to assess the quality of water buffalo milk. This cross-sectional study aims to cover this gap by measuring milk quality indicators such as the bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC), bacterial counts, and their correlations from farm to collection center along the milk supply chain. One hundred and thirty-two milk samples were collected from three different nodes of the milk supply chain: at the producer level from farms (n = 45), from middlemen (n = 42), and from collection centers (n = 45). Bulk milk somatic cell counts at the farm and different bacterial counts such as the total bacterial count (TBC), total Staphylococcus aureus count (TSA), total non-aureus Staphylococcal count (TNAS), total Enterobacteriaceae count (TEC) along the milk chain were determined. The geometric mean of BMSCC was 4.1 x 105 (95 % CI: 3.4 x 105 - 4.8 x 105) cells/ mL at the farm level. An increase in TBC, TSA, TNAS and TEC were observed in the milk collection center. TBC, TNAS and TEC were significantly increased (P <= 0.01) along the milk supply chain, except TSA. Significant positive correlations for TNAS with TBC (r = 0.55, P <= 0.001) and TNAS with BMSCC (r = 0.35, P <= 0.05) at farm level; TEC with TBC (r = 0.40, P <= 0.05) at middlemen; TNAS with TBC (r = 0.31, P <= 0.05) and TEC with TBC (r = 0.39, P <= 0.05) at the collection centers were observed. The study findings highlight the heavy contamination risk, emphasizing public health threat harboring pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, S. aureus linked to foodborne illness. A continuous monitoring system is needed to ensure safe and quality milk
Pathogenicity and virulence of Phytophthora infestans: The ever-evolving threat to food security and its sustainable management strategies
No full textPhytophthora infestans, the oomycete pathogen responsible for late blight, remains a formidable threat to global potato and tomato production, causing significant economic losses and jeopardizing food security. This review synthesizes current knowledge of P. infestans and highlights its unique biology, sophisticated pathogenicity mechanisms, dynamic virulence factors, and management strategies. The pathogen employs a diverse arsenal of virulence factors such as effectors to suppress host immunity and manipulate cellular processes, while its genetic plasticity enables rapid adaptation to control measures. Environmental cues and host-pathogen co-evolution further complicate disease management, with climate change exacerbating these challenges. Despite advances in fungicides, resistant cultivars, and cultural practices, its ability to overcome control measures and evolve new virulence and functional traits underscores the need for innovative solutions. Emerging technologies including CRISPR-Cas9, RNA interference, and predictive modeling offer promising avenues for sustainable management of the pathogen. This review also calls for multidisciplinary approaches integrating genomics, ecology, and agronomy to develop durable strategies against P. infestans and ensure resilient agricultural systems in the face of evolving threats. Ultimately, this review provides a forward-looking perspective on how integrating these novel technologies ca with evolutionary-ecological principles can build sustainable and resilient management systems
A global deep terrestrial biosphere core microbiome
No full textThe deep biosphere encompasses life beneath the Earth's surface and constitutes a substantial portion of the planet's microbial biomass. This study analyzed nucleic acid datasets from low-carbon and low-energy deep terrestrial subsurface groundwaters across four continents and revealed four core global populations. These populations exhibited metabolic strategies and adaptations reflecting depth and environmental constraints. Erythrobacter featured heterotrophic metabolism; Thiobacillus demonstrated sulfur oxidation coupled to denitrification along with carbon and nitrogen fixation; Methanobacteriaceae were methanogenic autotrophs using the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WL); and Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator functioned as a sulfate-reducer also encoding the WL pathway. Depth-related adaptations suggested heterotrophic dominance at shallower depths with increasing contributions from autotrophy with depth. Finally, comparative genomics revealed minimal evolutionary changes among these populations, suggesting functional conservation since diverging from their ancestral lineages. These findings underscore a global deep biosphere core community
Carotenoids increase as an indicator of early stress of trees: Estimations using Green Shoulder Indices from Hyperspectral Drone Data and Radiative Transfer Model PROSAIL
No full textContext-dependent effects of deer on aboveground carbon stocks in the regenerative tree layer in temperate and boreal forests: A meta-analysis
No full textHerbivores, including deer (Cervidae), influence ecosystem functions and carbon cycling by affecting vegetation structure and composition. Given the increase in deer populations in Europe and North America, there is growing interest in their impact on carbon dynamics in temperate and boreal forests. We investigated the effects of deer on carbon stored in the seedling and sapling layer through two mechanisms: (1) deer affecting the overall aboveground woody biomass in these strata and (2) deer changing the composition of tree species in these strata, because species differ in wood density and carbon content. We performed a meta-analysis of 17 datasets from 12 cases, assessing the effects of deer exclusion on aboveground carbon stocks within the seedling and sapling layer (<= 3 m) under two scenarios of carbon calculation, where we used either: (1) species-specific carbon content and wood density values (mean scenario) and (2) generic carbon content and wood density values (neutral scenario). Most cases reported inconclusive effects of deer exclusion on aboveground carbon stocks, regardless of species-specific carbon content or wood density values. A total of 35 % of cases showed positive outcomes, indicating that an increase in carbon stocks within deer exclosures. Despite the short duration of cases, and high variation in effect sizes between them, we still found a small, significant difference between coniferous-and deciduous-dominated forest systems. The among-case variability in effects suggests a complex interaction between the impact of deer browsing and forest carbon. Understanding these interactions is vital to assess wildlife-carbon relations and to develop appropriate forest conservation approaches in response to growing deer populations