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Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolutio
Seagrass meadows constitute important habitat for a plethora of organisms, rendering them important habitats for conserving biodiversity. Seagrass meadows also modify the environment by attenuating wave and current energy. As a result of this, seagrass meadows trap organic matter and in addition to their high productivity, are able to sequester carbon that is stored in their underlying sediments.
The population dynamics of urban animals has been so far remarkably understudied. At the same time, urban species’ population trends can provide important information on the consequences of environmental changes in cities. We modelled long-term population trends of 93 bird species breeding in urban areas in 16 European countries as a function of species’ traits, characterising variability in their
Den här avhandlingen utforskar incesttabuts politiska natur genom att analytiskt fokusera på dess förbudsobjekt: incest. Från ett politiskfilosofiskt perspektiv framstår incesttabut som ett problem som handlar om att människans otyglade natur på olika sätt måste begränsas genom en grundläggande civiliserande lag. Följaktligen verkar incesttabuts auktoritet knytas till dess förmåga att utesluta tenThis dissertation explores the political nature of the incest taboo, with an analytical focus on its object of prohibition: incest. From the perspective of political philosophy, the incest taboo appears as problem of an unruly human nature that must be subjected to a foundational civilizing law. To this end, the taboo’s authority seems to derive from its ability to evict tendencies and desires tha
Insects contribute considerably to global crop pollination, with pollination deficits being documented for multiple entomophilous or pollinator-dependent crops. Different cultivars of crops are being cultivated within and across production regions, so it is essential to understand the cultivar variability of pollination deficits. Here, we used a dataset from 286 sites from multiple production regi
The Fokker-Planck Equation (FPE) is a fundamental tool for the investigation of kinematic aspects of a wide range of systems. The Plastino-Plastino Equation (PPE) is the correct generalization describing the kinematic evolution of complex systems consistent with q-statistics. In the present work, we use this particular problem to compare the results obtained with the FPE and the PPE, and discuss t
Climate change has been associated with both latitudinal and elevational shifts in species’ ranges. The extent, however, to which climate change has driven recent range shifts alongside other putative drivers remains uncertain. Here, we use the changing distributions of 378 European breeding bird species over 30 years to explore the putative drivers of recent range dynamics, considering the effect
Habitat loss and population fragmentation pose severe threats to biodiversity and the survival of many species. Population isolation and the decline in effective population size lead to increased genetic drift and inbreeding. In turn, this reduces neutral diversity, and it also affects the genetic load of deleterious mutations. Here, we analyse the effect of such genomic erosion by designing a spa
Managed bee species provide essential pollination services that contribute to food security worldwide. However, managed bees face a diverse array of threats and anticipating these, and potential opportunities to reduce risks, is essential for the sustainable management of pollination services. We conducted a horizon scanning exercise with 20 experts from across Europe to identify emerging threats
Climate change predictions suggest that arctic and subarctic ecosystems will be particularly affected by rising temperatures and extreme weather events, including severe heat waves. Temperature is one of the most important environmental factors controlling and regulating microbial decomposition in soils; therefore, it is critical to understand its impact on soil microorganisms and their feedback t
In addition to the major nutrients carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, many minor elements play an important role in the function of freshwater systems. Such elements may function as essential micronutrients, or they may affect the biota by being toxic, or they play an indirect role by influencing the mobility and availability of other elements. This chapter covers the fundamentals of important mino
The governance of public climate finance for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries is fragmented on both the international and national levels, with a high diversity of actors with overlapping mandates, preferences, and areas of expertise. In the absence of one unifying actor or institution, coordination among actors has emerged as a response to this fragmentation. In this article, we
(1) BackgroundResearch and user experience suggests both positive and negative social impacts resulting from practices in the sharing economy: social cohesion vs. gentrification; inclusiveness vs. discrimination; flexible employment vs. exploitation. However, as yet, there is no framework for understanding or assessing these social impacts holistically.(2) ObjectiveWe aim to improve understanding
Analysis of coordinated Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) count data from the last 30 years showed a 38.1% decrease in wintering numbers in North-West Europe, from 309,000 during 1988–1991 to c.192,300 individuals during 2015–2018. Annual trends in wintering numbers differed throughout the range. Numbers decreased in the UK, Ireland, and in the Netherlands, while numbers were stable in Denmark. German
Natural history collections constitute an enormous wealth of information of Life on Earth. It is estimated that over 2 billion specimens are preserved at institutions worldwide, of which less than 10% are accessible via biodiversity data aggregators such as GBIF. Moreover, they are a very important resource for eco-evolutionary research, which greatly depends on knowing the precise location where
Bioindication has become an indispensable part of water quality monitoring in most countries of the world, with the presence and abundance of bioindicator taxa, mostly multicellular eukaryotes, used for biotic indices. In contrast, microbes (bacteria, archaea and protists) are seldom used as bioindicators in routine assessments, although they have been recognized for their importance in environmen
