#Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

[indizombie]

A report by 86 biodiversity experts reviewed thousands of studies looking at the ecological and economic damage caused. Co-author of the report, Prof Helen Roy of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said climate change will make the situation even worse. "The future threat from invasive alien species is a major concern. 37% of the 37,000 alien species known today have been reported since 1970 - largely caused by rising levels of global trade and human travel."

Helen Briggs, ‘UK bees in danger as Asian hornet sightings rise’, BBC

[materialsscienceandengineering]

An improvement in freshwater biodiversity in England's rivers was linked to reductions in pollution of zinc and copper, largely due to the decline of coal burning and heavy industry, say researchers. Invertebrates are used as an important measure of a river's biodiversity and health, and Environment Agency data show there was a widespread, significant increase in species richness across England in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, there has been little significant further improvement since then. Therefore, a team of scientists led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) looked for the possible reasons for this, using statistical modelling to investigate a wide range of different chemical and physical factors, such as temperature, river flow and landscape.

Read more.

[mariacallous]

Urban ducks and crows might offer us a connection to nature, but scientists have found wild birds that live near humans are more likely to harbor bacteria resistant to important antibiotics.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is largely caused by the overuse of drugs such as antibiotics among humans and livestock.

The issue is of serious concern: According to data for 2019, about 4.95 million deaths globally were associated with bacterial AMR, including 1.27 million directly caused by such resistance.

Researchers say species of wild birds that tend to turn up in urban settings are reservoirs for bacteria with the hallmarks of resistance to a host of drugs.

“Basically what we’re seeing are genes that confer resistance to antimicrobials that would be used to treat human infections,” said Samuel Sheppard, coauthor of the research from the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research.

The team say their findings are important as wild birds have the capacity to travel over considerable distances. Sheppard said a key concern was that these birds could pass antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to captive birds destined to be eaten by humans—such as those kept in poultry farms.

Writing in the journal Current Biology, Sheppard and colleagues report how they analyzed the genomes of bacteria found in 700 samples of bird poo from 30 wild bird species in Canada, Finland, Italy, Lithuania, Japan, Sweden, the UK, and the US.

The team looked specifically at the presence of different strains of Campylobacter jejuni—a type of bacteria that are ubiquitous in birds as a natural part of their gut microbiome. Such bacteria are a leading cause of human gastroenteritis, although antibiotics are generally only used in severe cases.

Sheppard added that, in general, each wild bird would be expected to harbor a single strain of C. jejuni, specific to that species.

However, the team found wild birds that turn up in urban settings contain many more strains of C. jejuni than those that live away from humans.

What’s more, the strains found in urban-dwelling species contained about three times as many genes known to result in antimicrobial resistance, with these genes also associated with resistance to a broader range of antimicrobials.

The authors suggest that wild birds may pick up antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in a number of ways: Gulls and crows, for example, are known to lurk at landfill sites, while ducks and geese may pick them up in rivers and lakes that are contaminated with human wastewater.

Thomas Van Boeckel, an expert in antimicrobial resistance at ETH Zurich who was not involved in the work, said the research was unusual as it focused on the impact of antimicrobial use by humans on animals.

“What are the consequences of that for the birds? We don’t really know but it seems like we humans are responsible for this change,” he said.

Danna Gifford from the University of Manchester added the findings could have implications for human health.

“While alarming, the risk of direct transmission of resistance from urban birds to humans is unclear. Poultry-to-human transmission, however, is well documented,” she said. “With urban development encroaching on agricultural land, increasing contact between urban birds and poultry raises significant concerns about indirect transmission through the food chain.”

Andrew Singer, of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said more samples were needed to ensure the results stood up, but that precautions could be taken.

“The most obvious place to start is to ensure birds do not congregate in our landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and animal muck piles, where both pathogens and AMR are abundant,” he said. “Moreover, we must also eliminate the discharge of untreated sewage into our rivers, which exposes all river-using wildlife—and humans—to human-associated pathogens and AMR.”

[rjzimmerman]

Yesterday, I posted a summary of the study and report described in this Grist article. We get more details (if we're interested) here. Additionally, to me, the recommendations to proceed more holistically with the numerous global issues dealing with biodiversity and the climate are critically important. I've been repeating this mantra for several years, and will continue to do so. Deal with the environment = solve the climate crisis.

Excerpt from this story from Grist:

As global temperatures rise from the burning of fossil fuels, researchers and policymakers have proposed solutions like installing renewable energy, replacing gasoline-powered cars with electric ones, and developing technology to suck carbon out of the air. But these policies often address climate change in isolation — without regard for other pressing issues like a decline in biodiversity, the contamination of freshwater sources, and the pollution of agricultural soils. 

A new report released Tuesday by the United Nations’ expert panel on biodiversity makes the case for a different approach based on addressing the “nexus” between two or more out of five essential issue areas: climate change, biodiversity, food, human health, and water. Such an approach is not only more likely to help the world meet various U.N. targets on biodiversity, sustainable development, and climate mitigation; it’s also more cost-effective.

“We have to move decisions and actions beyond single-issue silos,” said Paula Harrison, a professor of land and water modeling at the U.K. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and a co-chair of the report, in a statement. Other scientific reports have studied the interlinkages between two or three of these issues, but she told reporters on Tuesday that this latest report is the “most ambitious” to date.

The new report was the result of three years of work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, or IPBES, an expert body that’s analogous to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which periodically assesses the state of the science on global warming.

The report centers on biodiversity — that’s the IPBES’s remit, after all — describing how the variety of life on Earth is “essential to our very existence.” But it goes out of its way to show how rapidly accelerating biodiversity loss is both contributing to and being exacerbated by other crises. Climate change, for instance, is making some habitats inhospitable to their erstwhile animal populations, while the loss of those populations can have impacts on freshwater availability and carbon storage. The five interlinking issues were selected by representatives of the 147 IPBES’s member countries.

Meanwhile, solutions that focus on just one issue may have detrimental effects on other elements. Pete Smith, a professor of soils and global change at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, gave the example of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, or BECCS, a climate solution in which crops are grown to draw CO2 out of the air and then burned to generate energy. The resulting greenhouse gas emissions are captured and stored in rock formations, with the aim of removing them from the carbon cycle permanently.

The problem, Smith said, is that to implement this process on a large scale would require vast tracts of land that might otherwise have been used to grow food crops — so BECCS can unintentionally harm food security. Devoting land to single-variety crops can also use up lots of water and jeopardize biodiversity.

[jessica-marie-baumgartner]

YOU are the carbon they want to reduce

If you're worried, just plant more trees!

[scientificinquirer-blog]

Invertebrate biodiversity is improving in England’s rivers, long-term trends show.

Rivers across England have seen a significant improvement in river invertebrate biodiversity since 1989, shows a study led by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) researchers. The study, which involved one of the largest and most wide-ranging analyses of long-term monitoring data in the world – spanning over 30 years, found improvements in invertebrate biodiversity across all regions and…

[tsmom1219]

Biodiversity in England's rivers improved as metal pollution reduced

Read the full story from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. An improvement in freshwater biodiversity in England’s rivers was linked to reductions in pollution of zinc and copper, largely due to the decline of coal burning and heavy industry, say researchers. Invertebrates are used as an important measure of a river’s biodiversity and health, and Environment Agency data show there was a…

[yo-sostenible]

Más allá de acabar con las especies a las que van dirigidas, los plaguicidas están causando efectos devastadores en cientos de especies de microbios, hongos, plantas, insectos, peces, aves y mamíferos de todo el planeta. Una abeja liba sobre una botonera (Santolina rosmarinifolia) transportando centenares de granos de polen de una flor a otra. EFE/ Annaïs Pascual Más allá de acabar con las especies a las que van dirigidas, los plaguicidas están causando efectos devastadores en cientos de especies de microbios, hongos, plantas, insectos, peces, aves y mamíferos de todo el planeta y son, por ello, uno de los principales responsables de la crisis de la biodiversidad. Esta es la conclusión del primer estudio que ha evaluado el impacto de los plaguicidas en todo tipo de especies en hábitats terrestres y acuáticos. La investigación, realizada por un equipo internacional y liderada por la Universidad de Ciencia y Tecnología de China Oriental, se ha publicado este jueves en Nature Communications. Para hacer este metaanálisis, el equipo revisó más de 1.700 estudios de laboratorio y de campo sobre los efectos de 471 tipos distintos de pesticidas (fungicidas, insecticidas o herbicidas) de uso agrícola, comercial o doméstico. En más de 800 especies terrestres y acuáticas, los pesticidas afectaron a la velocidad de crecimiento, el éxito reproductivo e incluso alteraron comportamientos como la capacidad de capturar presas, encontrar plantas para alimentarse, desplazarse o atraer a la pareja. Además, los plaguicidas también pueden afectar al metabolismo de los organismos y dañar las células. Estos efectos negativos pueden provocar la muerte prematura de los organismos salvajes y reducir sus poblaciones, concluye el metaanális. Los investigadores afirman que, a diferencia de estudios anteriores que han tendido a fijarse en grupos específicos de especies como las abejas, los peces o las plantas, o en hábitats concretos, ellos han tenido en cuenta a todo el espectro de especies que se encuentran en el mundo natural. Un mal necesario “Nuestro estudio ofrece una visión sin precedentes de las consecuencias del uso de pesticidas en el medio natural a nivel mundial”, asegura el coautor, el Ben Woodcock, ecólogo del UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH). “Los plaguicidas son un mal necesario, sin el cual la producción mundial de alimentos y los medios de vida de los agricultores probablemente se derrumbarían. Pero, nuestras conclusiones ponen de manifiesto la necesidad de políticas y prácticas que reduzcan su uso”, advierte el investigador. Se podrían incluir iniciativas de abajo arriba dirigidas por los agricultores, como la agricultura regenerativa, así como políticas gubernamentales como el Incentivo a la Agricultura Sostenible de Defra, que paga a los agricultores por reducir el uso de insecticidas en los cultivos”, propone. Para Dave Goulson, investigador de la Universidad de Sussex y coautor del estudio, es preocupante haber descubierto que los pesticidas “tengan efectos negativos generalizados en plantas, animales, hongos y microbios, que amenazan la integridad de los ecosistemas”. Buscar alternativas El estudio recuerda que el uso excesivo de plaguicidas no sólo amenaza a las especies beneficiosas a las que no están destinados, sino que también puede hacer que las plagas desarrollen resistencia a los productos químicos, haciéndolos ineficaces. En la Unión Europea, más del 10 % de las tierras dedicadas a la producción agrícola son ecológicas y no utilizan plaguicidas sintéticos. Como opciones alternativas para los agricultores, el estudio propone la plantación de flores silvestres y bancos de escarabajos para apoyar a las especies que se alimentan de las plagas, lo que les permite reducir la fumigación cuando hay un gran n��mero de estos depredadores naturales presentes. Otras medidas, añaden los autores, podrían ser avanzar el momento de la siembra para evitar las plagas y rotar los cultivos para romper los ciclos vitales de las e...

[evoldir]

Fwd: Postdoc: UAberdeen.EvolutionaryEcol

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@evol.biology.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Postdoc: UAberdeen.EvolutionaryEcol > Date: 26 June 2024 at 05:11:47 BST > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > > Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Evolutionary Ecology > > School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK > > Fully funded for 3.5 years, closing date for applications July 15th 2024 > > The primary project objectives are to quantify selection and genetic > variation underlying expression of diverse forms of seasonal migration > versus residence, and to predict the implications for eco-evolutionary > dynamics in seasonally mobile systems. This will be achieved using > advanced statistical analyses of multi-year field data from a system of > partially migratory birds in Scotland. > > The successful applicant will lead the development and application of > statistical models to quantify spatio-temporal variation in selection > acting on non-breeding season location, and hence on the form of seasonal > migration versus residence.  The post will suit an applicant with wide > interests in utilising field data to address conceptual questions in > ecology and/or evolutionary biology. > > The ideal candidate will have demonstrated interests in understanding > population, behavioural and/or evolutionary ecology in wild populations, > and in working at the interface between statistical and empirical > advances. They will have strong quantitative skills, including advanced > statistical analyses (which could include generalized linear mixed models, > capture-mark-recapture analyses and/or Bayesian analyses, although further > training will be provided). They will ideally have some experience of > working on relevant topics, for example involving demography, evolutionary > ecology, seasonal migration or other forms of movement or life-history > variation in wild populations. They will have demonstrated abilities to > work effectively as part of a collaborative research team, including > excellent written and verbal communication skills. They will also be > self-motivated and able to work independently on a day-to-day basis. > > The post is part of a UK NERC Pushing the Frontiers research project, > aiming to understand eco-evolutionary dynamics involving partial seasonal > migration. It provides an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral > researcher to contribute to major new attempts to predict such > eco-evolutionary dynamics in nature. > > The researcher will be based primarily in the School of Biological > Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK. There will be close working > collaborations with researchers at Norwegian University of Science > and Technology (NTNU, Norway) and UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology > (Edinburgh, UK, Professor Francis Daunt), with opportunities for extended > visits to these groups. > > Apply at www.abdn.ac.uk/jobs > > Enquiries to Professor Jane Reid (jane.reid@abdn.ac.uk) are welcome. > > The University of Aberdeen is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013683. > Tha Oilthigh Obar Dheathain na charthannas cl�raichte ann an Alba, �ir. SC013683. > > "Reid, Dr Jane M."

[crristinaa-level6]

MJ: research lakes

Plastic pollution is higher in some lakes than in oceans

Water samples were collected from 38 lakes and reservoirs in 23 countries spanning six continents, representing diverse environmental conditions.

The samples were analyzed at the University of Milan-Bicocca for the presence of plastic particles larger than 0.25mm.

The study engaged 79 researchers from the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), marking the first instance where plastic concentrations in freshwater environments surpassed those in oceanic 'garbage patches'.

Lakes with the highest plastic contamination included vital sources of drinking water for communities and played significant roles in local economies, such as Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, Lake Maggiore in Italy, Lugano on the Switzerland/Italy border, and Lake Tahoe in the USA.

Samples collected from Windermere by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) exhibited minimal plastic concentrations in surface water.

UKCEH freshwater ecologist Heidrun Feuchtmayr, a co-author of the study, highlighted the significance of this standardized global survey, underscoring the extent of freshwater plastic pollution worldwide.

Lead author Veronica Nava from the University of Milan-Bicocca noted that plastic accumulation on aquatic surfaces could contribute to the release of methane and other greenhouse gases.

Concerns persist regarding the impact of plastic debris on aquatic species and ecosystem functioning, necessitating further data to assess its effects on environmental organisms.

Scientists involved in the study aspire for their findings to guide reviews of pollution reduction strategies and waste management practices.

[vegansforfuture]

Ein neuer UN-Bericht beschäftigt sich mit der Stickstoffbelastung (Überdüngung) von Böden, Luft und Gewässern und kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass 80% des ausgebrachten Stickstoffs in die Umwelt entweicht und wir unseren Tierproduktekonsum dringend drastisch reduzieren müssen! 👍😎🌱

Vegconomist dazu: "Die UNO hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, die Stickstoffabfälle bis 2030 um 50 % zu reduzieren und eine Gruppe von Forschern ist der Ansicht, dass dies am besten erreicht werden kann, wenn alle Gruppen gemeinsam maßvolle Maßnahmen ergreifen (...).

Eine Reduzierung des Fleisch- und Milchkonsums auf etwa 500 Gramm Fleisch pro Woche oder eine Änderung der landwirtschaftlichen Praktiken und der Einsatz neuer Technologien, die alle von der Regierung unterstützt werden, sind nach Ansicht der Forscher der beste Weg, um die Verschmutzung der Flüsse und der Luft zu bremsen.

Zu den weiteren Maßnahmen zählen auch der effizientere Einsatz von Düngemitteln und die effizientere Lagerung von Dung durch die Landwirte, die Verringerung der Lebensmittelverschwendung durch Einzelhändler und Verbraucher, die Rückgewinnung von Stickstoff in Kläranlagen durch die Wasserwirtschaft und die Schaffung von Anreizen für eine nachhaltigere Lebensmittelauswahl durch die Regierungen.

Professor Mark Sutton, Mitherausgeber des Berichts und Umweltphysiker am UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), erklärt: „Seien wir ehrlich, das Ziel für 2030 ist extrem ehrgeizig. Wenn wir es erreichen wollen, welche Möglichkeiten gibt es dann? Es sind nicht nur technische Maßnahmen – wir alle müssen über unsere Ernährungsgewohnheiten nachdenken. Unsere Ernährungsgewohnheiten haben Einfluss auf die Wasserverschmutzung und den Klimawandel. Wir müssen also alle einen Beitrag leisten.“" 👍😊🌱

Quellen: ➡ LINK 1 ➡ LINK 2 ➡ LINK 3

CHANGE IS COMING! 😊💚

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Nation of Change:

Canada’s record-shattering 2023 wildfires produced nearly as much greenhouse gas emissions in a single season as would typically be expected over an entire decade of wildfires. As the climate crisis continues to intensify, these unprecedented fires are a stark warning of the environmental and health impacts that lie ahead if global emissions are not dramatically reduced.

The 2023 fire season in Canada was unlike any other in recorded history. The area burned was six times greater than the average year, with nearly 12 million hectares—an area roughly the size of Nicaragua—devastated by flames. These fires released approximately 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, accounting for about a quarter of the total global emissions from wildfires that year. To put this in perspective, the emissions from Canada’s wildfires alone were nearly half of the United States’ total annual emissions from all sources, which stood at 4.8 billion tonnes.

The sheer scale of these emissions underscores the growing threat posed by wildfires as the planet warms. According to a study co-led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), the United Kingdom’s Met Office, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), the extreme wildfires in Canada and parts of the Amazon were made at least three times more likely by human-driven climate change. The report’s findings are part of the State of Wildfires 2023-2024, which draws on global satellite observations, computer models, and research from regional experts.

“Last year, we saw wildfires killing people, destroying properties and infrastructure, causing mass evacuations, threatening livelihoods, and damaging vital ecosystems,” said Dr. Matthew Jones, a research fellow with UEA’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and lead author of the report. “Wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate warms, and both society and the environment are suffering from the consequences.”

Wildfires are a natural occurrence in many of the world’s hot regions, but the climate crisis is making them more frequent and severe. The report highlights how changing weather patterns, driven by rising global temperatures, have shifted fire regimes away from their natural state. In Canada, for example, the fires of 2023 were fueled by an unprecedented combination of hot, dry conditions and abundant dry vegetation, creating the perfect conditions for the fires to spread rapidly and burn with intensity.

[orville-j-clutchpopper]

I'm telling you-- STOP this ride! I want off!

[indianflash123]

Humans, Most Deadliest predators In Earth

Humans have emerged as the planet’s most extraordinary predator, doing things that other predators do not, killing or capturing for reasons other than feeding themselves, according to study by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the University of Victoria in Canada. The research indicates that over one third of all vertebrate species on Earth are utilized by humans, leading to…