Ecosystem Sciences

Lactic acid bacterium F. sanfranciscensis impairs fitness of yeast M. humilis in a synthetic wheat sourdough medium

ABSTRACT Sourdough starters contain simple microbial communities, typically consisting of a few bacterial species and one or two yeast species. The yeast Maudiozyma humilis and the lactic acid bacterium Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis often co-occur in sourdough starters and...

Water quality dynamics following re-wetting of agriculturally drained peatlands: A mesocosm experiment

Peatland rewetting is an effective restoration strategy to reduce carbon losses, halt soil subsidence and restore ecosystem functioning. However, rewetting drained and degraded peatlands may release stored nutrients and potentially toxic elements into surface waters, raising conc...

Assessment of the health status of daye lake based on the phytoplankton integrity index (P-IBI)

As an important indicator for evaluating lake water environments, the phytoplankton biotic integrity index (P-IBI) has been widely used in recent years to assess aquatic ecosystem health. Based on field surveys and laboratory analyses, this study investigated the phytoplankton co...

Rethinking Environmental Impact Assessment for nature positive development

Achieving nature positive development within existing regulatory frameworks will be challenging. Halting and reversing biodiversity loss requires restoration and enhancement of ecosystems alongside a fundamental shift in how we value biodiversity and assess quantifiable improveme...

Linking Hydrological Pathways and Organic Matter Dynamics to Water Colour in Temperate Forested Catchments

Abstract Water colour, derived from chromophoric dissolved organic matter (cDOM), is a key indicator of water quality. Increasing water colour trends worldwide and in Australia have raised concerns, yet the drivers of colour variability in natural ecosystems remain poorly underst...

Grassland destruction causes shifts in plant traits that persist during recovery

Old-growth grasslands assemble over millennia and support high biodiversity and many ecosystem services, but continue to undergo widespread destruction for production of crops, timber, and minerals. How biodiversity recovers after grassland destruction and the functional conseque...