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Weathering of silicate minerals releases dissolved silicate (DSi) to the soil-vegetation system. Accumulation and recycling of this DSi by terrestrial ecosystems creates a pool of reactive Si on the continents that buffers DSi export to the ocean. Human perturbations to the functioning of the buffer have been a recent research focus, yet a common assumption is that the continental Si cycle is at s

Early to late Holocene sediments from core F80, Fårö Deep, Baltic Sea, are investigated for their palynomorph composition and dinoflagellate cyst record to map variations in sea-surface-water salinity and palaeoproductivity during the past 6000 years. The F80 palynomorph assemblages are subdivided into four Assemblage Zones (AZs) named A to D. The transition from the stratigraphically oldest AZ A

Shelf and coastal regions are exceptionally important for many countries as they provide the main habitat for many economically important fish and shellfish species. With ongoing climate change and human-induced eutrophication the shelf regions are especially affected, resulting in increased temperatures and stratification as well as oxygen depletion of the bottom waters. In order to be able to pr

The primary source of dissolved silicon (Si: DSi) is the weathering of silicate minerals. In recent years, it has been shown that Si cycling through vegetation creates a more soluble Si pool in the soil, as amorphous Si (ASi) deposits in plants (phytoliths) are returned to the soil through litter. Amorphous Si accumulation in soils depends on a number of factors, including land use. In addition to

The current institutional framework for sustainable development is by far not strong enough to bring about the swift transformative progress that is needed. This article contends that incrementalism-the main approach since the 1972 Stockholm Conference-will not suffice to bring about societal change at the level and speed needed to mitigate and adapt to earth system transformation. Instead, the ar

Nutrient over-enrichment is one of the classic triggering mechanisms for the occurrence of cyanobacteria blooms in aquatic ecosystems. In the Baltic Sea, cyanobacteria regularly occur in the late summer months and form nuisance accumulations in surface waters and their abundance has intensified significantly in the past 50 years attributed to human-induced eutrophication. However, the natural occu

Understanding farmer behaviour is needed for local agricultural systems to produce food sustainably while facing multiple pressures. We synthesize existing literature to identify three fundamental questions that correspond to three distinct areas of knowledge necessary to understand farmer behaviour: 1) decision-making model; 2) cross-scale and cross-level pressures; and 3) temporal dynamics. We u

We analysed Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ca isotope ratios of benthonic foraminifers from sediment core tops retrieved during several research cruises in the Atlantic Ocean, in order to improve the understanding of isotope fractionation and element partitioning resulting from biomineralisation processes and changes in ambient conditions. Species include foraminifers secreting tests composed of hyaline low mag

Although temporal heterogeneity is a well-accepted driver of biodiversity, effects of interannual variation in land-use intensity (LUI) have not been addressed yet. Additionally, responses to land use can differ greatly among different organisms; therefore, overall effects of land-use on total local biodiversity are hardly known. To test for effects of LUI (quantified as the combined intensity of

Sustainability degree programs in higher education have proliferated with the emergence of sustainability as a recognized academic field. This study evaluated the curricula of English-language programs granting degrees in sustainability by analyzing 27 bachelor's and 27 master's sustainability programs based on their (1) curricular structure, in terms of the proportion of core versus elective cour

This paper explores how meta-studies can support the development of process-based land change models (LCMs) that can be applied across locations and scales. We describe a multi-step framework for model development and provide descriptions and examples of how meta-studies can be used in each step. We conclude that meta-studies best support the conceptualization and experimentation phases of the mod

Climate warming is especially severe in the Arctic, where the average temperature is increasing 0.4 degrees C per decade, two to three times higher than the global average rate. Furthermore, the Arctic has lost more than half of its summer ice extent since 1980 and predictions suggest that the Arctic will be ice free in the summer as early as 2050, which could increase the rate of warming. Predict

Coastal hypoxia is increasing in the global coastal zone, where it is recognized as a major threat to biota. Managerial efforts to prevent hypoxia and achieve recovery of ecosystems already affected by hypoxia are largely based on nutrient reduction plans. However, these managerial efforts need to be informed by predictions on the thresholds of hypoxia (i.e. the oxygen levels required to conserve

We determined the proportion of butterfly species that occur as metapopulations with grasslands as the only habitat. We counted all butterflies in 19 semi-natural grassland patches in a forest-dominated landscape in southern Sweden over a 5-y period. Seven of the 44 butterfly species observed exhibited a metapopulation structure. The other species either use grassland mainly for adult feeding but

The release of dissolved silicon (DSi) from A and B horizons was investigated with leaching tests on unsaturated columns. As forest A horizons have larger biogenic Si (BSi) pools than arable lands, we compared the Si release from a forest and a cropland from the same geographical region developed on a Luvisol in Belgium and a Cambisol in Sweden. The A horizons released a quickly dissolving Si frac

The gradient in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)) across the air-sea boundary layer is the main driving force for the air-sea CO2 flux. Global data bases for surface seawater pCO(2) are actually based on pCO(2) measurements from several meters below the sea surface, assuming a homogeneous distribution between the diffusive boundary layer and the upper top meters of the ocean. Compili

Agricultural management and vegetation complexity affect arthropod diversity and may alter trophic interactions between predators and their prey. Web-building spiders are abundant generalist predators and important natural enemies of pests. We analyzed how management intensity (tillage, cutting of the vegetation, grazing by cattle, and synthetic and organic inputs) and vegetation complexity (plant

Aim To investigate how the chemical composition of native organic matter of two contrasting soils varies with inputs of biochar and fresh material (including plant roots) and how these underlying changes influence microbial community structure. Methods Corn stover (CS) and CS-derived biochars produced at 350 °C and 550 °C were applied at a dose of 7.2 t C ha−1 to two contrasting soils—an Alfis

Recent years have seen increasing interest in indirect genetic effects, i.e. influences on the phenotype that depend on the genotype of other conspecific individuals; however, the empirical evidence for such effects is still limited, especially in wild plant species. The present study of the clonal herb Sedum album assessed direct and indirect genetic effects on performance-related traits in a 4-y

Hot desert ecosystems are characterized by high soil temperatures with large fluctuations annually and diurnally. Thus, one could hypothesize that not only the microbial community would be adapted to high temperatures, but also have a large temperature range conducive for growth. We determined the temperature sensitivity of the soil bacterial community from the Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend National