Forest management regime alters deadwood volume and wood-inhabiting fungal diversity |

Vincent Buness, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, discusses his article: Distinct diversity trajectories of boreal wood-inhabiting fungi following fire vs. clear-cutting As humans, we tend to trust our senses and assume that we can perceive most of what surrounds us. When we walk through the forest, we see trees with their stems and canopy, and […]

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Tools of Harm: AI, Deepfake Infrastructure, and Corporate Liability after the Almendralejo Scandal

*** This article examines the 2024 Almendralejo school scandal, in which 15 minors used AI-powered nudification applications to generate and distribute sexual images of 20 schoolgirls via Telegram, as a case study for analysing corporate liability gaps in European digital platform governance. Tracing a three-stage harm pathway, from open-source AI model creation, through freely accessible […]

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The transition to climate neutrality can go hand-in-hand with sustainable public finances

The transition to climate neutrality will significantly transform the EU economy but does not pose a threat to the sustainability of public finances, concludes a new study commissioned by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA). The study evaluates the direct impacts of the transition on revenues, expenditures and budget balances, while also taking […]

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Insights from Snaizeholme Valley, Yorkshire Dales – The Applied Ecologist

Darvill et al. share their experience investigating soil organic carbon stocks in a new native woodland in the Yorkshire Dales, UK, highlighting the importance of careful woodland design. Targeting the Right Soils: How Woodland Design Shapes Soil Carbon Outcomes Tree planting is widely promoted as a nature-based response to climate change. New woodlands can reduce […]

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How plant strategies shape drought-microbe responses under global change |

Gang Yang and Zuzana Münzbergová, Charles University in Prague, discuss their article: Contrasting drought responses in two grassland plant-microbe systems under climate change Drought is becoming more frequent and intense under global change, but plant responses vary widely. Some species are adapted to tolerate stress, while others perform well only when resources are abundant. Because […]

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lessons from a critically endangered warbler in the Italian Alps – The Applied Ecologist

Ceresa et al. share their experience investigating the conservation of peripheral populations, focusing on the critically endangered barred warbler Curruca nisoria in the Italian Alps. Peripheral populations — those living at the edges of a species’ distribution — are often small and isolated. Yet they can be disproportionately important for conservation, harbouring unique genetic diversity and […]

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Plant mixture effects on soil nitrogen cycling – The Applied Ecologist

We conducted a global synthesis using paired observations of plant mixtures and corresponding monocultures to determine the long-term effects of plant diversity on soil N pools and N transformations. Our findings demonstrate that plant mixtures improve the sustainability of nitrogen cycling and reduce N2O emissions in the long term. Summary of the study © Cai […]

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Insect farming can repeat the invasion mistakes of aquaculture – unless we act early – The Applied Ecologist

Insect farming is often promoted as a sustainable alternative to conventional livestock, with the potential to reduce land use, emissions, and pressure on natural resources. However, scaling up any food production system also carries environmental risks. In this study, we show that one important risk – biological invasions caused by escaped farmed species – has […]

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Using sediment to restore evolving saltmarshes in the subtropics – The Applied Ecologist

Coastal wetlands such as saltmarshes and mangrove forests provide benefits including storm protection and fisheries support to millions of people around the world. Yet, these habitats are changing rapidly as sea levels rise and temperatures warm, especially in areas affected by both of these stressors at the same time. In the subtropics, for example, saltmarshes […]

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Qualitatively Assessing Carbon Management Trade-offs at the Nature Conservancy’s Meyer Preserve – The Applied Ecologist

Written by Rylee McMillan and Adrienne Keller At The Nature Conservancy’s Newell and Ann Meyer Preserve in Wisconsin, USA, managers face an increasingly difficult challenge: understanding the trade-offs and benefits of managing for carbon outcomes among other management objectives.  This challenge is not unique. Ecosystems globally are witnessing clear and intensifying effects of climate change, […]

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