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This presentation addresses knowledge as a policy instrument in relations to engage small-scale forest owners in contributing to profound societal transitions, such as the transition to a carbon neutral society. Learning from past transitions, the presentation is based on a historical case: the transition to mechanized forestry in the boreal regions of Sweden during the 1950s and 1960s. This trans

A predictive understanding of adaptation to changing environments hinges on a mechanistic understanding of the extent and causes of variation in natural selection. Estimating variation in selection is difficult due to the complex relationships between phenotypic traits and fitness, and the uncertainty associated with individual selection estimates. Plant-pollinator interactions provide ideal syste

In seasonally variable environments, phenotypic plasticity in phenology may be critical for adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions. Using an 18-generation longitudinal dataset from natural damselfly populations, we show that phenology has strongly advanced. Individual fitness data suggest this is likely an adaptive response towards a temperature-dependent optimum. A laboratory experime

Hybridization is increasingly recognized as an important evolutionary force. Novel genetic methods now enable us to address how the genomes of parental species are combined in hybrid lineages. However, we still do not know the relative importance of admixed proportions, genome architecture and local selection in shaping hybrid genomes. Here, we take advantage of the genetically divergent island po

Anthropogenic warming is expected to accelerate global soil organic carbon (SOC) losses via microbial decomposition, yet, there is still no consensus on the loss magnitude. In this Perspective, we argue that, despite the mechanistic uncertainty underlying these losses, there is confidence that a strong, positive land carbon–climate feedback can be expected. Two major lines of evidence support net

During the last decade it has been increasingly acknowledged that carbon (C) contained in root exudates can accelerate decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), a phenomenon known as rhizosphere priming effect (RPE). However, the controlling factors and the role of different soil microorganisms in RPE are not yet well understood. There are some indications that the response of the soil microbial

Soil moisture can strongly affect the fate of soil organic carbon (C) during microbial decomposition, but the characterisation and prediction of the effects remain challenging, especially the long-term effects of drought history and its interaction with current levels of soil moisture. We investigated the legacy effects of drought on soil activity and microbial community composition and its intera

We have entered a monumental era in terms of realizing the impact of biodiversity loss on our everyday lives. We suffer from the consequences of biodiversity loss due to overexploitation of natural resources as we continue failing to restore biodiversity. One of the major consequences of biodiversity loss is the emergence of global pandemics. We are in urgent need of realizing the full potential o

The supply of carbon (C) from tree photosynthesis to ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi is known to decrease with increasing plant nitrogen (N) supply, but how this affects fungal nutrition and growth remains to be clarified. We placed mesh-bags with quartz sand, with or without an organic N (15N-, 13C-labeled) source, in the soil along a natural N supply gradient in boreal forest, to measure growth and

It is not clear how different rewetting intensities (rapid, slow or partial rewetting) influence soil respiration and nitrogen (N) availability. Moist soil left unamended or amended with low C/N faba bean residue and incubated for 21 days was dried to <5% WHC within 3 days. After 14 days of incubation, dry soils were rewetted to 50% water holding capacity (WHC), once within few seconds (rapid), by

Flowering plants display an extraordinary floral- and reproductive diversity. Variation in the size, shape, colour and scent of flowers, and in systems and strategies of mating, is ubiquitous in comparisons of different species, but also exists among different conspecific populations. Diversity in these characters is central to the evolution of flowering plants and the formation of new species. In

Background: Phylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential rout

Natural habitats are rapidly declining due to urbanisation, with a concomitant decline in biodiversity in highly urbanised areas. Yet thousands of different species have colonised urban environments. These organisms are exposed to novel urban conditions, which are sometimes beneficial, but most often challenging, such as increased ambient temperature, chemicals, noise and light pollution, dietary

Theoretical and empirical studies have shown that species radiations are facilitated when a trait under divergent natural selection is also involved in sexual selection. It is yet unclear how quick and effective radiations are where assortative mating is unrelated to the ecological environment and primarily results from sexual selection. We address this question using sympatric grasshopper species

Nitrogen (N) deposition can enhance carbon (C) capture and storage in northern coniferous forests but it may also enhance the demand for phosphorus (P). While it is well established that long-term N enrichment can decrease decomposition and enhance the accumulation of C in soils, it remains uncertain if a higher demand and acquisition of P influence soil C. We studied microbial phosphorus mobiliza