bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Smoke and heat can increase germination of common wildflowers and grasses—implications for conservation and restoration of critically endangered grassy ecosystems
Authors: Hodges Joshua A. , Price Jodi N. , Nicotra Adrienne B. , Guja Lydia K. 
Published: December 2021

SummaryCritically endangered grasslands and grassy woodlands were once widespread across south‐eastern Australia. However, more than 200 years of European land use means less than 1% of their pre‐European extent remains today. Conservation and restoration of these ecosystems involves reintroducing fire to periodically reduce competition and allow smaller species to establish. Furthermore, seeds of native species are sown – but often fail to establish as many forbs and grasses are hard‐to‐germinate. Therefore, data on how these species respond to fire‐related germination cues, such as smoke and heat, can benefit our understanding of both how species respond to fire and identify treatments which can be used to increase germination. We conducted a germination trial to determine if smoke and heat cues increase percent germination and germination speed of 55 common grassy ecosystem species. Fire cues increased germination speed and/or percent germination of 44 of the 55 study species. These results have three implications for grassy ecosystem conservation and restoration: (i) fire may aid conservation by maximizing germination of native species; (ii) pre‐treating seed with smoke and/or heat prior to sowing may increase germination when restoring these ecosystems via direct seeding; and (iii) smoke and heat can be used to increase germination when growing seedlings for plantings.
Perspectives on research protocols on Indigenous conservation lands: Outcomes from a talking circle
Authors: Preece Noel , Locke John , Turpin Gerry 
Published: December 2021

SummaryEcological field researchers mostly work on other people's lands. Agreements to do this work are standard practice, but the way that researchers must approach and determine agreements is changing rapidly. The rise in agency of Indigenous peoples and the massive increase in Indigenous‐owned and managed lands, coupled with the rise in other private‐ and corporate‐owned conservation lands, have had direct impacts on researchers. Most of these impacts are beneficial to researchers, and benefit sharing has now become the norm wherein Indigenous people and private conservation landholders expect equitable beneficial returns from the research. Likewise, research questions are more frequently driven by landholders. New rules about engaging with Indigenous people and other private landholders need to be understood by researchers, because these rules can determine the outcomes of applications to work on other people's lands and the research conducted. This article presents some experience and observations from Indigenous landholders who have worked with research protocols and other people who have worked on Indigenous lands. Some learned principles that can benefit researchers are presented.Implications for managers Research protocols determine if and how research is to be conducted, how landholders are to be engaged and acknowledged and what and how research outcomes are to be published and reported Agreements must be reached between researchers and landholders before research is conducted Agreements are becoming more legally binding Joint authorship is becoming more common, and this may influence how the scientific methods and process are understood Cultural and social matters are core to research protocol negotiation in many instances and may require researchers to think differently from the ways in which they have been educated.
Evaluating predictors of Ptunarra Brown Butterfly Oreixenica ptunarra abundance on a conservation reserve to refine future monitoring
Authors: Kutt Alex S. , Dickson Catherine R. , Quarmby Joseph , Kingdom Denna , Hamer Rowena P. 
Published: December 2021

SummaryGrasslands are globally threatened ecosystems and provide habitat for multiple threatened species. For this reason, grassland management must employ strategies which can protect multiple species of conservation significance. We reviewed surveillance monitoring data collected on a private conservation reserve in Tasmania between 2014 and 2021 for the endangered Ptunarra Brown Butterfly (Oreixenica ptunarra) to identify the landscape scale predictors of abundance. The data suggested that elevation (lower), time since fire (longer) and highland grassy sedgeland and subalpine Diplarrena latifolia rushland habitats were preferred. These data provide information on how to target future monitoring of this species more effectively. Conservation management on this reserve needs to develop strategies that account for the ecological requirements of other threatened species in the reserve, which may have different and possibly conflicting management requirements.
“Do I still have epilepsy?” Epilepsy identity 15–20 years after anterior temporal lobectomy
Authors: Coleman Honor , McIntosh Anne , Wilson Sarah J. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectiveIdentity is a multifaceted construct, comprising personal identity (sense of being a unique individual) and social identity (the sense‐of‐self derived from membership of social groups). Social identity involves explicit identification with a group (“I am …”) and implicit behaviors or attitudes associated with group membership. Following successful treatment with surgery, patients with epilepsy can undergo a complex and lasting change in personal identity. To date, there has been no research into postoperative social epilepsy identity (SEI). We sought to examine SEI 15–20 years post‐surgery, and the relationship between SEI and satisfaction with surgery, psychosocial improvements, mood, and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL).MethodsThirty‐two patients who underwent anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL; 19 female) were recruited, with a median follow‐up of 18 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 2.5). Using a novel interactive online program, we collected data on SEI, satisfaction with surgery, and perceived psychosocial improvements, alongside standardized measures of mood (Neurological Disorders Depressio Inventory‐Epilepsy; Patient Health Questionnaire‐Generalised Anxiety Disorder‐7 item) and HRQoL (Quality of Life in Epilepsy‐31 item). Non‐parametric analyses were used to analyse the data.ResultsTwenty‐five percent of patients were free of disabling seizures since surgery, yet 65% stated they no longer had epilepsy and >90% reported satisfaction with surgery. Explicitly discarding SEI was positively associated with HRQoL at long‐term follow‐up, over and above seizure outcome. Implicit SEI was expressed as (a) acceptance of epilepsy, (b) a sense of belonging to the epilepsy community, and (c) difficulty disclosing and discussing epilepsy. Difficulty disclosing and discussing epilepsy was associated with increased anxiety and lower HRQoL.SignificanceAt long‐term follow‐up, over half of our patients reported an explicit change in SEI, which could promote better HRQoL. In contrast, difficulty with disclosure of epilepsy was associated with increased anxiety and reduced HRQoL, possibly reflecting the ongoing effects of stigma. These findings highlight the importance of understanding changes in patient social identity for promoting long‐term well‐being after surgery.
Freshwater disease hotspots: Drivers of fine‐scale spatial heterogeneity in trematode parasitism in streams
Authors: Falke Landon P. , Preston Daniel L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPopulations of stream organisms often show large heterogeneity in space, which can substantially influence community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. However, few studies have examined spatial heterogeneity of parasites in lotic ecosystems, especially at fine spatial scales (e.g., within stream reaches).We quantified parasite infections in 3,255 host snails (Juga plicifera) at 1‐m intervals along three second‐order stream reaches to examine relationships between trematode parasite infections, fine‐scale heterogeneity in host characteristics (density and size), and the stream environment (depth, allochthonous materials, flow velocity, and substrate rugosity). We then conducted a field experiment to specifically test the effect of resource heterogeneity in the form of leaf litter on trematode densities (i.e., infected snails per unit area), which represents a measure of local disease risk to secondary hosts. We hypothesised that variation in bottom‐up effects of host resources to snail hosts to parasites would drive spatial heterogeneity in trematode density.In the field surveys, trematode density ranged from 0 to 80 infected snails/m2 and showed spatial autocorrelation within two of three stream reaches. Trematode density increased with snail density, which was positively related with the amount of allochthonous materials but negatively related to steam depth. Individual host infection probability increased with snail size, which was positively related to both allochthonous materials and stream depth.In the experiment, host snail and trematode densities increased by 3‐fold and 4‐fold, respectively, in the leaf addition treatments relative to controls. The experiment therefore provided mechanistic understanding of patterns from the surveys by demonstrating a bottom‐up effect from high quality resources to host space use to trematode density.Our results demonstrate a strong role of within‐reach variation in allochthonous resources and habitat (depth) in driving spatial heterogeneity of stream parasites, which probably creates fine‐scale hotspots of disease transmission to downstream hosts. More broadly, our findings help integrate parasites into our understanding of how environmental heterogeneity influences community structure and ecosystem processes (e.g., disease risk) in streams.
Pervasive changes to the lower aquatic food web following Nitellopsis obtusa establishment in a large, shallow lake
Authors: Harrow‐Lyle Tyler J. , Kirkwood Andrea E. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Nitellopsis obtusa was first reported in North America in 1974. The overall ecological threat that N. obtusa poses towards freshwater ecosystems in its non‐native range is thought to be similar to other invasive macrophyte species. However, few studies have evaluated the impacts to aquatic communities upon successful establishment of this species in North America. Despite N. obtusa being a non‐native invasive species in North America, it is considered a beneficial macrophyte within its native range in Eurasia

We evaluated the impacts associated with the non‐native invasive charophyte N. obtusa on the lower aquatic food web (LAFW) communities (phytoplankton, macroinvertebrates, and macrophytes) in a large, shallow lake in Ontario, Canada. To tease apart abiotic and biotic factors that influence LAFW species assemblages, a generalised linear latent variable model (GLLVM) was used.

Over the course of the 4‐year study period, N. obtusa abundance significantly increased throughout the lake (pairwise comparison, p < 0.001) and notable shifts in community composition occurred across years (PERMANOVA, p < 0.001), especially for the phytoplankton and macrophyte communities.

Nitellopsis obtusa was also found to be associated with a decline in diversity, where Simpson's diversity indices across all LAFW communities decreased as a function of increasing N. obtusa biomass. The GLLVM analysis revealed significant negative associations between N. obtusa and the majority of LAFW taxa. Most notably, there was a significant (p < 0.001) negative relationship between Myriophyllum spicatum, a previously established non‐native invasive macrophyte, and N. obtusa. The GLLVM model also demonstrated that N. obtusa had positive co‐occurrence relationships with other members of the macrophyte community including Utricularia vulgaris, Najas flexilis, Potamogeton crispus, and Stuckenia pectinata.

These results show for the first‐time significant impacts to the LAFW in an invaded ecosystem, which raises major concerns for fish communities that depend on the LAFW for food and habitat. Further studies are necessary to confirm the extent of these impacts in other invaded lakes.
Core microbiota drive functional stability of soil microbiome in reforestation ecosystems
Authors: Jiao Shuo , Chen Weimin , Wei Gehong 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRevealing the ecological roles of core microbiota in the maintenance of the functional stability of soil microbiomes is crucial for sustainable ecosystem functioning; however, there is a dearth of whole‐soil profile studies on the fundamental topic in microbial ecology, especially in the context of ecological restoration. Here, we explored whether core microbiota influence the temporal changes in the functional stability of soil microbiomes throughout the soil profile (i.e., soil depths of 0–300 cm) during natural succession in restored ex‐arable ecosystems, via high‐throughput amplicon and metagenomic sequencing. We revealed that core microbiota were essential for the maintenance of the functional stability of soil microbiomes in reforestation ecosystems. Specifically, the core taxa within one cluster of soil network, which had similar ecological preferences, had major contributions to functional stability. Reforestation significantly decreased the functional stability of soil microbiomes, which exhibited significant variations along the vertical soil profile in the reforested soils. Overall, the findings enhance our understanding of the factors driving functional stability in soil microbiomes, and suggests that core microbiota should be considered a key factor and integrated in policy and management activities targeting the enhancement and maintenance of functional stability and ecosystem sustainability in ecological restoration programs.
Water diversion and pollution interactively shape freshwater food webs through bottom‐up mechanisms
Authors: de Guzman Ioar , Altieri Paula , Elosegi Arturo , Pérez‐Calpe Ana Victoria , von Schiller Daniel , González Jose M. , Brauns Mario , Montoya José M. , Larrañaga Aitor 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWater diversion and pollution are two pervasive stressors in river ecosystems that often co‐occur. Individual effects of both stressors on basal resources available to stream communities have been described, with diversion reducing detritus standing stocks and pollution increasing biomass of primary producers. However, interactive effects of both stressors on the structure and trophic basis of food webs remain unknown. We hypothesized that the interaction between both stressors increases the contribution of the green pathway in stream food webs. Given the key role of the high‐quality, but less abundant, primary producers, we also hypothesized an increase in food web complexity with larger trophic diversity in the presence of water diversion and pollution. To test these hypotheses, we selected four rivers in a range of pollution subject to similar water diversion schemes, and we compared food webs upstream and downstream of the diversion. We characterized food webs by means of stable isotope analysis. Both stressors directly changed the availability of basal resources, with water diversion affecting the brown food web by decreasing detritus stocks, and pollution enhancing the green food web by promoting biofilm production. The propagation of the effects at the base of the food web to higher trophic levels differed between stressors. Water diversion had little effect on the structure of food webs, but pollution increased food chain length and trophic diversity, and reduced trophic redundancy. The effects at higher trophic levels were exacerbated when combining both stressors, as the relative contribution of biofilm to the stock of basal resources increased even further. Overall, we conclude that moderate pollution increases food web complexity and that the interaction with water abstraction seems to amplify this effect. Our study shows the importance of assessing the interaction between stressors to create predictive tools for a proper management of ecosystems.
Environmental regulation and the supply efficiency of environmental public services: Evidence from environmental decentralization of 289 cities in China
Authors: Yan Chunrong , Di Danyang , Li Guoxiang , Wang Jianmei 
Published: December 2021

AbstractEnvironmental regulation is an important tool for local governments to intervene in environmental governance. Based on 2008–2017 panel data on 289 cities in China, this paper analyzes the impact of environmental regulation on the supply efficiency of environmental public services and explores whether environmental decentralization changes the effect of environmental regulation. The results show that environmental regulation can significantly improve the supply efficiency of environmental public services, and this finding still holds after a series of robustness tests. The main reason is the improvement in green technology innovation capabilities caused by environmental regulation. Environmental regulation has a more significant positive effect on the supply efficiency of environmental public services in regions with a higher local government governance capacity, lower levels of fiscal decentralization, and a higher pollutant emission intensity. A moderate level of environmental decentralization helps to better promote the supply efficiency of environmental public services through environmental regulation. When the level of environmental decentralization lies between 0.362 and 1.353, environmental regulation effectively improves the supply efficiency of environmental public services.
“How did they protect you?” The lived experience of race and gender in the post‐colonial English university
Authors: Salmon Udeni 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWith this article, I seek to contribute to understandings of how racial and gender hierarchies are reproduced through organizational processes. Using an autoethnographic method, I seek to demonstrate the workings of Mill's Racial Contract Theory and Ahmed's concepts of raced and gendered encounters through the implementation of a university diversity initiative: the Race Equality Charter. My findings demonstrate how the “doing” of diversity work results “undoing” the non‐white diversity worker, as their lived experiences catastrophically diverge from the sunny promise of the diversity project. Furthermore, the Race Equality Charter's is revealed that the Charter is a factual, rather than normative type of contract, which enshrines a socio‐political reality in which colonialism continues to shape white over non‐white domination. Scholars and activists have long been naming the secret weapons of white supremacy in order to expose how anti‐racist practice is co‐opted by institutions. In this article, I theorize my lived experience to expose how policy and organizational processes fail to protect me, a non‐white woman early career academic. I conclude that the Race Equality Charter, far from being a tool of social justice, enforces raced and gendered privileges in academic settings.
Geostatistical Mapping of Salinity Conditioned on Borehole Logs, Montebello Oil Field, California
Authors: Terry Neil , Day‐Lewis Frederick , Landon Matthew K. , Land Michael , Stanton Jennifer , Lane John W. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWe present a geostatistics‐based stochastic salinity estimation framework for the Montebello Oil Field that capitalizes on available total dissolved solids (TDS) data from groundwater samples as well as electrical resistivity (ER) data from borehole logging. Data from TDS samples (n = 4924) was coded into an indicator framework based on falling below four selected thresholds (500, 1000, 3000, and 10,000 mg/L). Collocated TDS‐ER data from the surrounding groundwater basin were then employed to produce a kernel density estimator to establish conditional probabilities for ER data (n = 8 boreholes) falling below the selected TDS thresholds within the Montebello Oil Field area. Directional variograms were estimated from these indicator coded data, and 500 TDS realizations from conditional indicator simulation were generated for the subsurface region above the Montebello Oil Field reservoir. Simulations were summarized as 3D maps of median TDS, most likely salinity class, and probability for exceeding each of the specified TDS thresholds. Results suggested TDS was below 500 mg/L in most of the study area, with a trend toward higher values (500 to 1000 mg/L) to the southwest; consistent with the average regional groundwater flow direction. Discrete localized zones of TDS greater than 1000 mg/L were observed, with one of these zones in the greater than 10,000 mg/L range; however, these areas were not prevalent. The probabilistic approach used here is adaptable and is readily modified to include additional data and types and can be employed in time‐lapse salinity modeling through Bayesian updating.
Acute and chronic management of posttraumatic headache in children: A systematic review
Authors: Patterson Gentile Carlyn , Shah Ryan , Irwin Samantha L. , Greene Kaitlin , Szperka Christina L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectivesThe goal of this paper is to provide a compilation of the evidence for the treatment of posttraumatic headache (PTH) in the pediatric population. Headache features and timing of therapy were considered.BackgroundHeadache is the most common symptom following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), affecting more than 80% of children and adolescents. It is unclear whether treatment for PTH should be tailored based on headache characteristics, particularly the presence of migraine features, and/or chronicity of the headache.MethodsSystematic literature searches of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane databases (1985–2021, limited to English) were performed, and key characteristics of included studies were entered into RedCAP®(Prospero ID CRD42020198703). Articles and conference abstracts that described randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, retrospective analyses, and case series were included. Participants included youth under 18 years of age with acute (<3 months) and persistent (≥3 months) PTH. Studies that commented on headache improvement in response to therapy were included.ResultsTwenty‐seven unique studies met criteria for inclusion describing abortive pharmacologic therapies (9), preventative pharmacotherapies (5), neuromodulation (1), procedures (5), physical therapy and exercise (6), and behavioral therapy (2). Five RCTs were identified. Studies that focused on abortive pharmacotherapies were completed in the first 2 weeks post‐mTBI, whereas other treatment modalities focused on outcomes 1 month to over 1‐year post‐injury. Few studies reported on migrainous features (7), personal history of migraine (7), or family history of migraine (3).ConclusionsThere is limited evidence on the timing and types of therapies that are effective for treating PTH in the pediatric population. Prospective studies that account for headache characteristics and thoughtfully address the timing of therapies and outcome measurement are needed.