Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics
NERC Open Research ArchiveNot a member yet
55023 research outputs found
Sort by
Living with uncertainty: Using multi-model large ensembles to assess emperor penguin extinction risk for the IUCN Red List
Get PDFImproved methods for identifying species at risk are needed to strengthen climate change vulnerability assessments, as current estimates indicate that up to one million species face extinction due to environmental changes. Integrating multiple sources of uncertainty enhances the robustness of Red List of Threatened Species assessments, providing a more comprehensive understanding of species’ risks. We present a comprehensive framework that incorporates uncertainties, including measurement error, structural uncertainty, natural variability, future climate emissions scenario, and extreme events of sea ice loss, to evaluate the extinction risk of the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri), currently classified as Near-Threatened. We apply three ecological models, one bioclimatic and two metapopulation models, combined with a multi-model large ensemble (MMLE) of climate projections from general circulation models, to conduct a Red List evaluation at both global, regional and colony levels. Our results show that emperor penguins could be classified under a range of Red List categories depending on the ecological model, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate emissions scenario, and extreme event frequency. Under Criterion A, global classifications vary from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered. Severe declines are projected in the Indian and East Pacific sectors, Dronning Maud Land and the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Sea, with Criterion E indicating that 24% to 100% of colonies meet Endangered status thresholds, depending on huddling thresholds and ecological models. This study represents the first application of an MMLE coupled with an ecological ensemble approach to project climate change impacts on a species, capturing a comprehensive range of uncertainties and offering a framework for improving forecasting and decision-making under climate change
Evaluating the multiple benefits of constructed wetlands in the restoration of rural village ponds in the tropics
No full textConstructed wetlands (CWs) have been widely recognized as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable technology for the treatment of domestic wastewater. In this study, the water quality of a CW integrated pond in Ibrahimpur village in sub-tropical India has been compared with a control pond in Masahi Kala village. Field investigations evaluated the performance of a CW system in enhancing water quality, ecological health (via macroinvertebrate analysis), and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The treatment chain comprises of a settling chamber (≈7 h HRT), CW (≈3.7 days HRT), and pond (≈190 days HRT) resulting in a notable reduction of BOD (83 %), COD (81 %), NH4-N (82 %), and PO4-P (75 %) concentration. Moreover, a 3-log reduction in average total coliform counts and a 4-log reduction in E. coli counts were observed. Mean CH4 and CO2 concentrations measured in Masahi Kala pond (control) were an order of magnitude greater than those observed in Ibrahimpur pond, i.e.,7.66 mg CH4-C L−1 and 7.69 mg CO2-C L−1 in Masahi pond compared to 0.237 mg CH4-C L−1 and 0.933 mg CO2-C L−1 in Ibrahimpur pond. The Ibrahimpur pond was dominated by Chlorophyta (on average 57 % of biovolume) algae, whereas, the Masahi pond was dominated by Euglenophyta, a bioindicator of organic pollution. The findings underscore the multifaceted benefits of CWs in revitalizing rural village ponds, demonstrating their effectiveness as a sustainable solution for ecological restoration and wastewater management
In and out of place: diverse experiences and perceived exclusion in UK greenspace settings
Get PDFPeople from all sections of society should feel welcome and included to enjoy greenspaces. However, people from ethnic minority backgrounds may experience exclusionary practices and discriminatory processes, limiting their access, enjoyment, and benefits from such spaces. This paper aims to address these issues through an in-depth qualitative study exploring how 53 individuals from UK ethnic minority backgrounds residing in Bristol perceive and experience exclusion in UK greenspaces. Going beyond narratives that pathologise the exclusion of ethnic minorities from greenspaces, this research reveals a spectrum of experiences related to perceived exclusion, including both positive and negative, and challenges and expressions of empowerment and agency. Common experiences of exclusion are often intangible, necessitating sensitivity to their elusive and relational nature, with variation between urban and rural contexts. Drawing on Bourdieusian theories of practice, this study illuminates how social and cultural capital, habitus, and symbolic violence shape exclusionary practices and discriminatory processes, contributing to feelings of otherness, discomfort among UK ethnic minority group members in greenspaces. By highlighting the diverse nature of these processes and their variations across social and geographic contexts, this study emphasises the need for tailored, coproduced interventions to enhance greenspace accessibility and engagement. It advocates for recognising diverse experiences, integrating critical thought into environmental planning, and leveraging social and cultural capital to promote inclusivity and address systemic inequalities
Managing reactive nitrogen in spring wheat cropping systems: insights from Kabul, Afghanistan
Get PDFAmmonia (NH₃) volatilization and nitrate leaching contribute to major losses of reactive nitrogen (Nr) in agriculture, leading to global environmental concerns. Effective measures are needed to mitigate Nr losses and improve nitrogen (N)-use efficiency in agricultural practices. This study, conducted in farmers' fields in Shewaki near Kabul City, Afghanistan, during the 2021 spring season, sought to address Nr-losses in agriculture. Nine treatments were organized into three categories: (A) animal manure + chemical fertilizer, (B) night soil + chemical fertilizer, and (C) chemical fertilizer alone, along with an unamended control. Chemical fertilizer and manure were applied at varying rates (±25% and a recommended rate) using both surface and sub-surface application methods. Sub-surface application reduced NH₃ emissions by 55% compared to surface application. Treatment group 'A' had a 32% NH₃ loss, while the unamended control (receiving N from irrigation water and dust only) showed a 13% loss. For nitrate leaching, group 'B' showed the highest loss, followed by group 'C'. Overall, agronomic practices reduced N-losses significantly, resulting in a net positive N-balance. Nuse efficiency was highest in group 'C' at 130%, followed by groups 'B' and 'A'. The findings suggest that sub-surface application techniques are effective in reducing N-losses and enhancing N-use efficiency, and highlight the potential to improve nutrient use efficiency by adjusting fertilizer and manure inputs in similar agricultural systems
Large range sizes link fast life histories with high species richness across wet tropical tree floras
Get PDFUnderstanding how the traits of lineages are related to diversification is key for elucidating the origin of variation in species richness. Here, we test whether traits are related to species richness among lineages of trees from all major biogeographical settings of the lowland wet tropics. We explore whether variation in mortality rate, breeding system and maximum diameter are related to species richness, either directly or via associations with range size, among 463 genera that contain wet tropical forest trees. For Amazonian genera, we also explore whether traits are related to species richness via variation among genera in mean species-level range size. Lineages with higher mortality rates—faster life-history strategies—have larger ranges in all biogeographic settings and have higher mean species-level range sizes in Amazonia. These lineages also have smaller maximum diameters and, in the Americas, contain dioecious species. In turn, lineages with greater overall range size have higher species richness. Our results show that fast life-history strategies influence species richness in all biogeographic settings because lineages with these ecological strategies have greater range sizes. These links suggest that dispersal has been a key process in the evolution of the tropical forest flora
Diverse evolutionary trajectories of mitocoding DNA in mammalian and avian nuclear genomes
No full textSporadically genetic material that originates from an organelle genome integrates into the nuclear genome. However it is unclear what processes maintain such integrations over evolutionary time. Recently it was shown that nuclear DNA of mitochondrial origin (NUMTs) may harbour genes with intact mitochondrial reading frames despite the fact that they are highly divergent from the host's mitochondrial genome. Two major hypotheses have been put forward to explain the existence of such mitocoding nuclear genes: (i) recent introgression from another species and (ii) long-term selection. To investigate whether these intriguing possibilities play a role we scanned the genomes of more than 1,000 avian and mammalian species for NUMTs. We show that the subclass of divergent NUMTs harbouring mitogenes with intact reading frames are widespread across mammals and birds. We show that some of these NUMTs appear to have similarity across species. We also demonstrate that many mitochondrial-coding NUMTs exhibit signs of long-term selection. In a subset of these NUMT genes, we detected evolutionary signals consistent with adaptive evolution, including one human NUMT shared among seven ape species. These findings suggest that NUMT insertions may occasionally be functional
Potential for microbial plastic degradation via assimilation of non-carbon moieties in additives
No full textAdditives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, and fillers are commonly used in relatively small amounts to enhance the structure of plastics. Notably, some of these additives, including moieties of compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, are essential for microbial proliferation. Most studies on plastic degradation have primarily focused on the potential of microorganisms to assimilate carbon from plastics to support their growth, a strategy that has yet to yield significant success. However, studies investigating the removal of non‑carbon moieties of additives from plastics, which could weaken their structure and thereby enhance fragmentation, remain largely unexplored. This review highlights the potential of harnessing microbial processes that target the non‑carbon moieties of additives to weaken the structural integrity of plastics. The weakened plastic may then become more accessible to heterotrophic microbes, thereby accelerating its degradation
Absence of Wolbachia in the sub-Antarctic midge, Eretmoptera murphyi (Diptera: Chironomidae) [Short Note]
No full textFungal diversity present in ornithogenic soils of extreme equatorial Atlantic São Pedro and São Paulo archipelago using DNA metabarcoding
No full textWe evaluated the fungal diversity present in ornithogenically-influenced soils of the polyextreme Brazilian Archipelago of São Pedro and São Paulo, using a DNA metabarcoding approach. We detected 1,596,919 fungal DNA reads grouped into 232 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). The phylum Ascomycota was the dominant phylum, followed by Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Aphelidiomycota, Rozellomycota, Chytridiomycota and Zoopagomycota, in rank abundance order. Cladosporium sp., Hortaea werneckii, Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp. and Fungal sp. were the dominant assigned taxa. The fungal assemblages displayed high diversity indices, although differing between the sites sampled. Fifty-four fungal ASVs could only be assigned to higher taxonomic levels, primarily those of the cryptic and poorly known phyla Aphelidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Chytridiomycota and Rozellomycota. These may represent taxa not currently included in the available databases or new taxa and/or new records for the São Pedro and São Paulo archipelago. Only Cladosporium sp., Hortaea werneckii, Blastobotrys serpentis and Penicillium sp. were detected in all sites. Even though the São Pedro and São Paulo archipelago experiences extreme environmental conditions, the use of metabarcoding revealed a diverse and complex fungal community potentially present in the samples examined. The assigned fungal communities were dominated by genera which commonly display high adaptive plasticity when facing challenging and extreme conditions. The melanized yeast H. werneckii, known for its high resistance to polyextreme conditions, illustrates that this archipelago represents a potential source of extremophilic fungi. The dominant assigned fungi include taxa with different ecological roles, with some also recognized as potentially important animal pathogens
Wet‐bulb temperature extremes locally amplified by wet soils
Get PDFWet-bulb temperature extremes (WTEs) occur due to a combination of high humidity and temperature, and are hazardous to human health. Alongside favourable large-scale conditions, surface fluxes play an important role in WTEs; yet, little is known about how land surface heterogeneity influences them. Using a 10-year, pan-African convection-permitting model simulation, we find that most WTEs have spatial extents 2,000 km2. They occur preferentially over positive soil moisture anomalies (SMA) typically following rainfall. The wet-bulb temperature is locally amplified by 0.5–0.6 C in events associated with smaller-scale SMA (50 km across) compared to events with larger-scale SMA (300 km across). A mesoscale circulation, resulting from stronger spatial contrasts of sensible heat flux, more efficiently concentrates moist, warm air in a shallower boundary layer. This mechanism could explain the underestimation of peak Twb values in coarser-resolution products. The role of antecedent SMA from recent rainfall may help issue localized early warnings
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage NERC Open Research Archive? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!