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Improving our understanding of the relationships between biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services is crucial for the development of sustainable agriculture. We introduce a novel framework that is based on the identification of indicator species for single or multiple ecosystem services across taxonomic groups based on indicator species analyses. We utilize multi-species community data (
Phosphorous (P) cycling is often closely coupled to iron (Fe), particularly following mineral weathering or in hydromorphic soils where Fe redox reactions can control the equilibrium between P retention and release. While surface adsorption of P on Fe (hydr)oxides is a well-known and widely studied process, less attention has been devoted to the understanding of P (especially organic P) coprecipit
The interactions between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and mineral particles are critical for the stabilization of soil organic matter (SOM) in terrestrial ecosystems. The processing of DOM by ectomycorrhizal fungi contributes to the formation of mineral-stabilized SOM by two contrasting pathways: the extracellular transformation of DOM (ex vivo pathway) and the secretion of mineral-surface-react
Affluent blood flow through a complicated net of vessels supplies skeletal bone tissue with oxygen and nutrients. Due to accidental events or physiological processes, the blood supply might be deficient or even disrupted, and the healthy bone decays in a process that, for the hip location, is denoted as osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) or avascular femoral head necrosis. Early diagnosis is
Organic farming can benefit plants and butterflies in terms of species richness and abundance, in particular in homogeneous landscapes. Nevertheless, whether organic farming can benefit functional diversity of these two organism groups is not well understood. Organic farming could benefit functional diversity by counteracting simplification and homogenisation of biotic communities caused by earlie
There is evidence that anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition enhances carbon (C) sequestration in boreal forest soils. However, it is unclear how free-living saprotrophs (bacteria and fungi, SAP) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi responses to N addition impact soil C dynamics. Our aim was to investigate how SAP and EM communities are impacted by N enrichment and to estimate whether these changes infl
Trends like digitalization, globalization, urbanization and changing buying patterns affects society as a whole and retail in particular. The ability to change and adapt to meet such challenges is the key to survival for many retailers. Despite urgent need for change, research on retail innovation is limited, fragmented, and relates mostly to industrial applications. This means that the general un
In saline soils, the severity of drought for the soil microbial community is exacerbated by accumulating concentrations of salts during drying. In this study we investigated how bacterial growth and respiration responses to drying-rewetting were affected by salinity. To do this, we adjusted a non-saline soil to four different salinities (0, 2, 7 and 22 mg NaCl g−1), followed by addition of plant m
Many small farmland ponds are built for nutrient retention, the conservation of biodiversity or both, yet they are relatively neglected habitats. For example, little is known about the potential for ponds to influence populations of beneficial terrestrial insects, deliver ecosystem services across the aquatic-terrestrial boundary and affect crop yield in insect-pollinated cash crops.We assessed wh
Agricultural fertilization significantly affects arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) community composition. However, the functional implications of community shifts are unknown, limiting understanding of the role of AMF in agriculture. We assessed AMF community composition at four sites managed under the same nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer regimes for 55 yr. We also established a glass
Understanding the effects of different agricultural practices on the mycorrhizal symbiosis is important for agricultural production and the sustainable use of soil. We investigated the composition and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in soils from fields under different agricultural practices (conventional and organic cereal fields, leys and permanent pastures) in southern Sweden. T
Air-starved combustion of biomass and fossil fuels releases aerosols, including airborne carbonaceous particles, causing negative climatic and health effects. Radiocarbon analysis of the elemental carbon (EC) fraction can help apportion sources of its emission, which is greatly constrained by the challenges in isolation of EC from organic compounds in atmospheric aerosols. The isolation of EC usin
The spatial extent of ecological processes has consequences for the generation of ecosystem services related to them. However, management often fails to consider issues of scale when targeting ecological processes underpinning ecosystem services generation. Here, we present a framework for conceptualizing how the amount and spatial scale (here discussed in terms of extent) of management interventi
The need for sustainable agricultural systems, which for example enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) content, has increased the interest for management with reduced tillage. In this study we used a Swedish long-term (20 yrs.) systems experiment, including reduced tillage (harrowing 10 cm) and plowing (moldboard plow 0–20 cm) combined with three levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization. With this setup w
Background and aims: Decomposition and transformation of organic matter (OM) in forest soils are conducted by the concomitant action of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi. Here, we examine chemical changes in OM after fungal colonization in nitrogen fertilized and unfertilized soils from a Norway spruce forest. Methods: Sand-filled bags amended with composted maize leaves were placed in the forest
It is well established that high ambient heat could cause congenital abnormalities resulting in miscarriage or stillbirth among certain species of mammals. However, this has not been systematically studied in real field settings among humans, despite the potential value of such knowledge for estimating the impact of global warming on the human species. This study sought to test the hypothesis that
Hydroquinones are important mediators of electron transfer reactions in soils with a capability to reduce Fe(III) minerals and molecular oxygen, and thereby generating Fenton chemistry reagents. This study focused on 2,6-dimethoxy hydroquinone (2,6-DMHQ), an analogue to a common fungal metabolite, and its reaction with ferrihydrite and goethite under variable pH and oxygen concentrations. Combined
We investigated fungal growth and community composition in buried meshbags, amended with apatite, biotite or hornblende, in Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests of varying nutrient status. Norway spruce needles and soil collected from forests overlying serpentinite had low levels of potassium and phosphorus, those from granite had low levels of magnesium, whereas those from amphibolite had comparab
Catalytic processes have tremendous importance in our everyday life. Most chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics etc. are, in fact, produced with the help of catalysts. What is probably even more important is that the toxic wastes produced in great amounts by modern factories and plants are recycled or transformed into less poisonous substances by means of catalytic units. One example from our everyThe present work is devoted to atomic scale structural studies of the surfaces of model heterogeneous catalysts relevant to oxidation reactions. A novel approach using high-energy surface X-ray diffraction combined with mass-spectrometry measurements is employed to perform in situ structural characterization of Pd(100) and Pd(553) single crystal surfaces acting as catalysts in the process of CO ox
Popular Abstract in English The aim of this thesis is to investigate the evolution of new technology-based firms (NTBFs) based on solid empirical material for the Swedish economy. The focus on this thesis is exploring the role of acquisition by incumbent firms in the evolution of NTBFs. The findings of this thesis show that selection is a core feature in the evolution of NTBFs. NTBFs experience a The aim of this thesis is to explore the evolution of new technology-based firms (NTBFs) based on solid empirical material for the Swedish economy. NTBFs are argued to be one important type of entrepreneurial firms that contribute to technology change, knowledge spillovers, and economic growth. However, our knowledge concerning how NTBFs exert their technological and economic influences is far fro
