Wildland fire regimes are shifting in western Canada; however, relatively little has been directly synthesized on the state of fuels and their influence on and response to fire activity in recent decades. This article presents a systematic review of the literature from Western Canada between 1985 and 2025 to examine the role of fuels, climate, and weather conditions in shaping fire behaviour. We reviewed 245 articles on fire-related research in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and Yukon Territory to assess the literature on the significant feedbacks among climate, fuel conditions, and fire behaviour, and to evaluate how large fires over the last four decades have affected fuel characteristics. Secondarily, we examined trends in publicly available National Burned Area Composite (NBAC) data to assess how large fires (≥95th percentile by size) interact with pre-fire vegetation types and how post-fire severity has changed over time. Our findings indicate shifts in fuels, including abundance, composition, and conditions that interact with changing climate dynamics, while also highlighting substantial limitations in the literature regarding structural arrangement and continuity of fuels. Consistent with recent publications, our results show an increase in the number of extremely large fires (P95) over the last decade. However, increasing severity does not necessarily correspond to increasing fire size. Collectively, findings reveal geographic gaps in fire research coverage, particularly in northern regions, and limitations in current systems for accurately representing ongoing changes in fuels in western Canada. This review highlights important advances in understanding fuel dynamics and fire behaviour while also identifying critical gaps that limit our ability to anticipate how these systems will respond to continued climatic change.
Chromium (Cr) as Trivalent: Cr 3+ and Hexavalent: Cr 6+ forms in nature is a known toxic heavy element and commonly located as a metal pollutant in mine and industrial sites. Cr-speciation and Cr-cytotoxicity are important factors that cause cancerous problems in humans and reduce plant growth and productivity. Its soil-plant shift is accomplished by carriers of essential ions. The harmful nature of Cr toxicity has attracted more attention because of the entry of Cr into the food chain. Sustainable restoration of soil and water quality is therefore highly crucial to avoid chromium pollution. Hexavalent chromium in mine soil, mine waste water, and effluents of chromium processing industries create serious hazards to living organisms, and therefore, there is a need for the situation to be addressed through detoxification and attenuation of chromium by advanced, integrated, sustainable, and eco-friendly technology. Biodegradation and bioremediation approaches are cost-effective and eco-friendly to detoxify and attenuate contaminated chromium. Therefore, the detailed gamut of Cr bioavailability from microbes to higher plants is indispensable. This review enlists the modes of biodegradation, biodetoxification, and bioremediation approaches through microbial and phytoremediation studies from contaminated soil and water. The roles of phyco and myco-biosorption methods for the remediation of Cr are described. The roles of tolerant species, i.e., hyperaccumulators, metal-resistant species, and hydrophytes for Cr-bioremoval, are reviewed. The use of microbes in enzymatic reduction, rhizospheric remediation, and integrated chelate-based remediation techniques for Cr removal, including the applications of green remediation techniques and genetic engineering, has been emphasized.
Coarse woody debris (CWD) constitutes a vital structural and functional component of forest ecosystems, serving as a critical interface between vegetation and soil carbon reservoirs. CWD plays an integral and distinctive role in the global forest carbon cycle and in the conservation of biodiversity. In recent years, the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events have accelerated tree mortality, thereby altering the inputs and spatial distribution patterns of CWD. These alterations subsequently impact the functionality and stability of forest ecosystems, attracting significant research attention. In this review, we systematically elucidate the multifactorial drivers of CWD decomposition and its effects on both aboveground and belowground ecological functions. Specifically, CWD decomposition is regulated by three interdependent factors: (1) substrate quality, which determines the availability of nutrients and structural compounds, thereby exerting bottom-up control on decomposer community composition and activity at local scales; (2) decomposer community, whose colonization is highly contingent on the specific attributes of the substrate; and (3) environmental conditions, which predominantly influence decomposition processes at regional and larger spatial scales. Aboveground, the decomposition of CWD significantly enhances plant productivity and biodiversity through microbial-mediated nutrient release and resource differentiation driven by successional stages. Belowground, CWD decomposition restructures the soil microbial community through mechanisms such as substrate metabolic niche differentiation, stoichiometric adjustments, and cross-kingdom feedback. These processes facilitate the sequestration of soil organic carbon and support nitrogen cycling processes, including mineralization and nitrification. Finally, we outline future research directions and priorities aimed at providing scientific support for achieving forest carbon neutrality and maintaining multifunctional ecosystems.
This review outlines pathways for clean energy technologies toward carbon neutrality, focusing on global progress and China’s strategies. It begins with the necessity of transforming energy systems, highlighting challenges from integrating variable renewables like wind and solar, such as the grid stability and flexibility needs. It then examines key technologies, including solar, wind, hydropower, marine, biomass, hydrogen, nuclear, and emerging options like artificial photosynthesis and direct air capture, detailing their status and bottlenecks. A core section explores integration pathways: multi-energy complementary systems, energy storage (electrochemical and hydrogen), smart grids, microgrids, and cross-sectoral decarbonization (power, transport, buildings, and industry). The review also evaluates supporting frameworks, including carbon markets, green finance, social acceptance, just transition principles, standards, and international cooperation. Finally, it summarizes major challenges, including technological gaps, regional disparities, and climate impacts on resilience, and discusses future directions like controlled nuclear fusion, advanced artificial photosynthesis, and deep digital integration to build a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient modern energy system.
Soil salinization is a serious global challenge that threatens agricultural productivity, ecosystem functioning, and freshwater resources. While conventional remediation approaches can reduce soil salinity, they are often costly, disruptive, and difficult to implement at scale. Halophyte-based phytoremediation offers a low-impact alternative, capitalizing on the unique capacity of salt-tolerant plants to sequester or excrete excess salts from contaminated soils. However, slow remediation rates, variable field performance, and constraints on plant establishment under extreme salinity have limited widespread adoption. Increasing evidence suggests that plant-associated bacterial endophytes may help overcome these limitations by enhancing halophyte growth, stress tolerance, and physiological performance under saline conditions. Halophyte-associated endophytes frequently possess plant growth–promoting traits and intrinsic salt tolerance, positioning them as promising yet underexplored tools for improving salt phytoremediation outcomes. This review synthesizes current knowledge on halophyte mechanisms of salt tolerance and remediation, the diversity and functional roles of halophyte-associated bacterial endophytes, and emerging evidence for endophyte-assisted salt phytoremediation. We critically assess the extent to which endophytes enhance phytoremediation through increased plant biomass versus direct effects on ion transport and accumulation, highlighting substantial context dependence and persistent knowledge gaps. In particular, evidence linking endophyte activity to soil-scale salt removal remains limited, and field-based validation is largely absent. By integrating insights from plant physiology, microbial ecology, and biotechnological applications, this review identifies key research priorities and conceptual pathways needed to advance endophyte-assisted salt phytoremediation from controlled experiments toward effective and scalable deployment in salt-affected landscapes.
Biological invasions represent a major global driver of biodiversity loss, second only to habitat destruction. The proliferation of invasive species is accelerating due to human-assisted globalization and climate change. Freshwater ecosystems are disproportionately impacted, suffering significant biodiversity declines. This narrative review synthesizes current knowledge from the peer-reviewed literature on how climate change influenced biological invasions in freshwater systems. We discuss the impacts of climate change across the invasion continuum, including entry pathways, establishment, spread, and resultant ecological and socioeconomic damages, and developed proactive, sustainable long-term management strategies. First, we illustrate how climate change facilitates species spread into novel habitats by altering introduction pathways and expanding potential distribution ranges. Second, we explore how climate shifts enhance establishment success by favoring invasive species' competitive traits and their tolerances to harsh environments, while modifying environmental conditions to their advantage, thereby increasing both species diversity and geographic scope of invasions. Third, we evaluate the amplified ecological and economic damages resulting from synergistic interactions between climate change and invasive species, heightening ecosystem vulnerability, increasing the risk of new invasions, and leading to global biotic homogenization. Finally, we develop and propose a sequential, long-term management framework prioritizing prevention, early detection and rapid response, and adaptive control strategies tailored to changing climatic conditions. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of climate-mediated biological invasions in freshwater ecosystems and outlines a sustainable, adaptive management approach critical for mitigating escalating invasion risks under future climate scenarios.
Spiders are widely distributed arthropods in agroforestry ecosystems, serving as key biological control agents against field pests. However, trace metal elements (TMEs) and pesticide contamination pose significant threats to ecosystems and organisms, attracting global attention. This review delineates the ecotoxicological mechanisms underlying spider responses to TME and pesticides, focusing on their roles as biological control agents. It summarizes the impacts of TME and pesticides on genetic traits and physiological mechanisms in spiders, including development, reproduction, detoxification, immunity, metabolism, and neurology. Additionally, it explores the potential of spiders as bioindicators. Multi-omics analyses reveal changes in ecdysteroids, oocyte meiotic pathways, germ cell adhesion, metallothioneins, detoxification enzyme activities, Toll-like receptor signaling, and oxidative phosphorylation under TME stress. Mechanistically, TME and pesticides induce differential gene expression, DNA damage, disrupted metabolic pathways, and oxidative stress. Sublethal pesticide doses alter spider physiology, biochemistry, and behavior by affecting neurotransmitters, DNA integrity, chitin synthase, photoreceptors, and biological clocks. Despite growing interest in spider ecotoxicology, the adverse effects of TME and pesticide exposure on their digestive, respiratory, and immune systems remain poorly understood. Elucidating these mechanisms could enhance spider-mediated biological control, ultimately improving crop yields.
Approximately 1/3rd of global timber is sourced from timber tree plantations. However, these areas can sometimes have important values for biodiversity. In this review, we examined the factors affecting biodiversity in timber tree plantations and plantation-dominated landscapes. We found that many factors can influence how biodiversity responds to the establishment and management of plantations, including (1) the type of environment and land use that existed prior to plantation establishment (e.g., an intact native forest versus an already cleared pasture); (2) the completeness of the land cover conversion to a plantation, and whether any biological legacies remain; (3) plantation proximity to native vegetation and the presence and location of plantations as part of a mosaic of vegetation types in a landscape; (4) the plantation tree species or mix of species established; (5) the silvicultural practices used to manage a plantation (e.g., thinning, coppicing, clearcutting); and (6) how plantations modify key ecological processes that can affect biodiversity such as altered fire regimes and hydrological regimes. This broad range of factors means that the response of biodiversity to plantations will often be highly context dependent. Based on an understanding of these factors, we outline strategies for plantation establishment and management that can enhance biodiversity conservation in plantations. The extent to which these factors are embraced will be highly context specific and vary, for example, on whether plantation management is more closely allied with a land sharing versus a land sparing model. Greater consideration of approaches to maintain biodiversity will be required in a land sharing model for plantations and these could include (1) completing detailed land assessments and plantation planning prior to plantation establishment; (2) retaining more key biological legacies from the previous land cover type within plantations; (3) considering the mix of timber tree species that comprise plantations, including whether they are a polyculture; (4) managing stand-level interventions; (5) maintaining aspects of landscape heterogeneity within plantations and across landscapes where plantations are part of the landscape mosaic; (6) controlling invasive plant and animal species within plantations and more broadly across plantation-dominated landscapes; and (7) limiting the number of potentially interacting factors that can affect biodiversity and key ecosystem process in plantations.
Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are pervasive industrial additives that accumulate in agricultural soils, which serve as the primary interface for transfer into food crops. Despite their ubiquity, systematic insights into contamination profiles, soil–crop relationships, and biological effects remain insufficient for accurate risk assessment. Focusing on datasets from China, this review synthesizes the occurrence, bioaccumulation, and phytotoxicity of chlorinated (Cl-), alkyl-, and aryl-OPEs in agroecosystems. Reported contamination levels in Chinese agricultural soils exhibit pronounced spatial heterogeneity, with significantly higher concentrations in agriculturally intensive eastern regions (such as Liaoning, Tianjin, and Zhejiang province), driven by intensive wastewater irrigation and plastic mulch application. OPE levels in crops generally correlate with soil concentrations, though the relationship is modulated by compound-specific properties and plant species. Contamination patterns follow a specific hierarchy (vegetables > cereals > other crops), with ΣCl-OPEs typically dominating. Bioaccumulation of OPEs is largely governed by octanol–water partition coefficient (logKow) and molecular weight, resulting in preferential partitioning of Cl-OPEs into hydrophilic compartments, alkyl-OPEs into structural matrices such as cell walls, and aryl-OPEs into lipid-rich root tissues. Biotransformation proceeds via coordinated phase I and phase II pathways, involving hydroxylation, hydrolysis, and conjugation reactions. Cl-OPEs tend to undergo dichlorination, aryl-OPEs form more polar metabolites, and alkyl-OPEs yield structurally diverse transformation products. Chronic exposure to OPEs and their metabolites induces oxidative stress, growth inhibition, and photosynthetic disruption in plants, potentially exceeding intrinsic detoxification capacities. Overall, this review highlights the structure-governed environmental fate and biological effects of OPEs in soil–crop systems and underscores the importance of integrating congener-specific prioritization, soil–plant transfer assessment, and transformation product monitoring for improved risk management in agricultural environments.
As one of the main human sources of global microplastics, tire wear particles (TWPs) are increasingly recognized for their environmental accumulation and ecological risks. Traditional toxicity assessment methods have limitations in the complex mixture effect of capturing TWPs, the aging transformation process, and chronic sublethal toxicity. In this review, we systematically summarize the experimental research methods of TWPs toxicity evaluation, covering various model organisms, exposure scenario design, and acute/chronic/molecular endpoints, as well as computational toxicology tools such as QSAR, q-RASAR, AI, and systems toxicology. Our analysis highlights the current challenges in data standardization, environmental authenticity simulation, and model interpretability. Future research should develop a “dry and wet closed-loop” framework. The framework must integrate multi-omics and high-throughput experiments. It should also contain explainable artificial intelligence. These integrations will improve the accuracy and efficiency of the ecological risk assessment of tire wear particles.
Plant ecologists have demonstrated the usefulness of functional traits in explaining vascular plant community structure and ecosystem functioning. Functional trait-based approaches have been increasingly applied to cryptogams over the last 30 years. However, the application of vascular plant-based traits to non-vascular photoautotrophs (NVP; here bryophytes and lichens) remains challenging due to their differing ecophysiological characteristics. Several elements of NVP functional ecology do not have parallels in vascular plant ecology, such as traits related to morphology (shoot, ramet or thallus architecture, and leaf structure), water relations (poikilohydry, desiccation tolerance), and reproduction (vegetative, spores), as well as the scales (e.g., colony) at which some of these traits are measured. Another issue concerns data availability, with relevant information scattered across the literature and NVP trait measurements conducted in a variety of ways that are not always comparable. Here, we propose a hierarchical trait ontology and a thesaurus for NVP to drive future research. Our literature review resulted in a final corpus of 598 articles published between 1967 and 2024. Two hundred thirty-two traits were identified, with the majority (70%) being used as response traits related to growth and reproduction in individual organisms. The number and diversity of traits used in NVP studies have increased markedly over time, resulting in substantial heterogeneity in terminology, definitions, and measurement protocols across the literature. We also found that ecological performance indices were frequently treated as traits, highlighting a widespread conceptual confusion that complicates data synthesis and cross-study comparisons. The use of the trait-based approach in vascular plant studies has been supported by the development of standardized centralized definitions, protocols, and databases, a foundation not yet developed for NVP research. Based on this review, we propose an ontology for structuring NVP trait data and definitions. Together with more standardized protocols, we hope this framework will enable the future development of consistent functional trait databases of NVP, ultimately advancing our understanding of how traits mediate functions and responses of these organisms in ever-changing environments.
Soil and groundwater are connected compartments, yet the extensive use of tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) in livestock, medical, and agricultural systems has created persistent contamination within the soil–groundwater continuum. This review focuses on TC, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, doxycycline, and related derivatives, and synthesizes how pH, inorganic ligands, dissolved/soil organic matter, oxygen availability, salinity, hydrogeological conditions, minerals, and biotic communities jointly govern adsorption–desorption, leaching–transport, biodegradation, abiotic transformation, and antibiotic-resistance-gene (ARG)-related risks. Unlike monitoring-oriented summaries, this review distinguishes single-factor controls from coupled controls across compartments. The available evidence suggests that pH and mineral/organic interfaces mainly determine initial retention, whereas hydrological connectivity, dissolved organic matter (DOM) quality, redox status, and microbial–enzymatic activity determine whether retained TCs are immobilized, transformed, remobilized, or converted into persistent transformation products. Importantly, multifactor interactions are not uniformly synergistic: humic/aromatic organic matter may enhance sorption, whereas proteinaceous or microbial-derived DOM can promote mobility through site competition; salinity may suppress sorption through cation competition while simultaneously restructuring microbial degradation pathways; and oxygen-rich conditions can accelerate degradation but also alter Fe/Mn oxide formation and secondary adsorption. Remaining uncertainties include non-comparable adsorption metrics, environmentally unrealistic ion concentrations in some batch studies, insufficient in situ groundwater evidence, and weak linkage between transformation products and ARG dissemination. Finally, process-based multi-factor models, in situ dynamic monitoring, and cross-compartment validation are proposed as priorities for risk assessment and remediation of TCs in soil–groundwater systems.
Water surface shading sourced from natural plants or artificial covers have been increasingly applied in freshwater systems; however, their effects on water quality, aquatic organisms, and water loss remain insufficiently understood. We conducted a systematic review of published studies to provide a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge on the influence of shading on freshwater environments. A total of 653 records were identified, of which 122 studies were retained after screening and eligibility assessment. The findings suggest that shading alters abiotic parameters such as light and wind, as well as processes such as gas exchange and water mixing. These changes can influence the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of freshwater ecosystems. Shading generally reduces water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentrations while increasing water transparency and phosphorus availability. However, its effects on nitrogen transformation are less consistent and appear to be strongly influenced by site-specific environmental conditions. The reduction of sunlight suppresses primary production, which slows down the nutrient uptake by phytoplankton or aquatic plants. While shaded areas can serve as habitats for freshwater species, the concomitant decreases in primary production and dissolved oxygen pose critical constraints on the growth, behavior, and species composition of zooplankton and fish. Moreover, shading reduce water surface evaporation, with biological cover generally demonstrating lower effectiveness than physical covers in limiting evaporative losses due to plant transpiration. These findings provide a scientific basis for selecting appropriate shading strategies in freshwater systems, enabling managers to balance water quality improvement and ecosystem protection while pursuing evaporation control and economic benefits.
Microplastics (MPs) from predominantly terrestrial sources are transported by rivers to the oceans. Yet, the underlying riverine transport processes remain insufficiently understood. This comprehensive review synthesizes some laboratory studies published between 2021 and 2025, also including earlier work where relevant, on MPs transport and transformation in experimentally simulated riverine flows, focusing on characterization, biofouling and abiotic weathering, and unconventional experimental designs quantifying settling, dispersion, vertical distributions, near-bed transport, incipient motion, and infiltration. Findings indicated that particle properties and environmental factors jointly determine MPs fate. Shape-dependent drag, along with changes in particle density and surrounding hydrodynamic profile from biofouling or UV aging, control settling behavior, and can accelerate either sinking or rising. Flow conditions (e.g., turbulence and presence of vegetation) govern longitudinal dispersion and vertical mixing, while bed roughness ( k s ) modulates near-bed transport regimes, shifting particles between rolling, saltation, and suspension. Standardized metrics and cross-scale experiments are needed to improve predictive models, with key gaps remaining in small-particle dynamics, non-spherical forms, and biofilm–turbulence interactions.
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are proprietary mixtures of synthetic organics used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Growing evidence indicates that LCMs can behave as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT-like) contaminants released across the LCD life cycle (manufacturing, in-use emissions, dismantling/recycling and disposal), yet current knowledge remains fragmented across matrices, study designs and analytical target lists. Here we move beyond a descriptive compilation by proposing a source-to-sink framework that links (i) structural motifs and physicochemical properties (e.g., polarity/halogenation-driven partitioning and persistence) to (ii) dominant release scenarios and (iii) multimedia transport, bioaccumulation, and human exposure. By critically comparing available measurements and workflows, we highlight consistent enrichment of LCMs in particle-associated media (indoor/outdoor dust and airborne particulate matter) and waste-derived sinks (sewage sludge, sediments, and landfill leachate), whereas systematic monitoring in surface water/groundwater and food matrices remains sparse and method-limited. Although current toxicological evidence remains limited, it indicates potential bioaccumulation and organ-specific distribution in biota, with implications for metabolic, endocrine, and developmental disruption. However, variability in QA/QC protocols, reliance on short-term assays, and the absence of standardized reference materials constrain cross-study comparability and hinder the establishment of quantitative risk thresholds. We close with a prioritized research and policy agenda: (1) harmonize targeted and suspect-screening methods and expand authentic/isotope-labeled standards; (2) establish longitudinal monitoring in sentinel matrices and populations (especially e-waste workers, pregnant women, and infants); (3) elucidate transformation products, mixture effects, and toxicokinetics; (4) integrate exposure modeling with probabilistic risk assessment; and (5) translate evidence into extended producer responsibility, safer-by-design material selection and engineered controls during formal recycling and disposal.
CH 4 ebullition is one of the least well-constrained components of ecosystem CH 4 budgets in inland waters, despite its clear dominance in many habitats. Studies have shown that CH 4 ebullition varies greatly in space, both within and among ecosystems, and in time, being extremely episodic, and this variability poses significant challenges for quantifying and modelling the process. Global syntheses of CH 4 or greenhouse gases have not explicitly focused on CH 4 ebullition, and the literature on the topic is still highly fragmented. Although there is evidence of links between ebullition and environmental factors, particularly at local scales, there is still considerable uncertainty on the magnitude and regulation of ebullition at regional and global scales. Here, we present an integrative analysis of CH 4 ebullition in inland waters based on a systematic literature search, where we have combined a qualitative review of CH 4 ebullition studies, a meta-analysis of effect sizes between environmental factors and ebullition in freshwater ecosystems, and a quantitative data analysis of global ebullition fluxes, bubble-related variables, and associated environmental factors to gain a broader understanding of CH 4 ebullition and its global regulation. We show that despite the intrinsic variability in CH 4 ebullition, this emission pathway has clear global patterns across climatic and environmental gradients. Our meta-analysis reveals that waterbody morphometry, carbon source availability, and climate-driven variables are key drivers of CH 4 ebullition, but their effect varies. For example, the positive effect of temperature on CH 4 ebullition varied across climatic zones and ecosystem types. The quantitative analysis of the database we assembled complemented these results by showing that global CH 4 ebullition fluxes are higher in shallow ponds, eutrophic systems, and habitats in tropical and subtropical regions. This database also yielded global-scale empirical models, demonstrating that, in addition to climate and carbon sources, system productivity and trophic status also play key roles in the global regulation of CH 4 ebullition in inland waters. Our results further revealed that bubble CH 4 concentrations and isotopic signatures associated with CH 4 ebullition fluxes provide essential insights into sediment CH 4 dynamics.
Climate change and coastal erosion represent two of the most pressing global environmental challenges, threatening biodiversity, infrastructure, and communities. Conventional engineering approaches for shoreline protection and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation are typically implemented independently. In contrast, marine microbes present a novel, dual-function strategy capable of concurrently addressing both issues. Through microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation, ureolytic and other calcifying microorganisms enhance shoreline stability by binding sediment particles. Simultaneously, aerobic and anaerobic methanotrophic communities oxidize methane (CH 4 ), a potent GHG, before it reaches the atmosphere. Emerging research reveals synergistic biochemical linkages between these processes; carbonate precipitation can restrict methane diffusion pathways, while CH 4 oxidation can alter local geochemistry to favor calcite formation. This review synthesizes current knowledge on microbial bio-cementation and CH 4 mitigation in marine environments, critically examining recent advances in bio-augmentation, bio-stimulation, and engineered microbial delivery systems. We integrate molecular insights, highlighting key functional gene markers (e.g., ureC, pmoA, mcrA, dsrAB), with applied research to bridge genetic, ecological, and engineering perspectives for scalable field applications. We identify critical gaps in mechanistic understanding, environmental compatibility, and long-term efficacy, alongside policy barriers. Finally, we propose pathways for integrating these microbial processes into Blue Carbon accounting, coastal management frameworks, and climate adaptation policies. By conceptualizing microbial consortia as dynamic, living infrastructure, this review outlines a transformative approach for climate-resilient coastal protection that synergistically couples sediment stabilization with GHG mitigation.
Birds are sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, and metrics such as species diversity, abundance, and guild composition that describe community-level responses to anthropogenic disturbance can be useful indicators of ecosystem condition. We reviewed published studies (56) of bird-based biotic indices developed for diverse ecosystems in 14 countries to evaluate their efficacy for bioassessments. The major categories of indices used included the index of biotic integrity (IBI; 18% of studies), the bird community index (BCI; 13%), and the index of ecological condition (IEC; 7%), with numerous specialized variants comprising the remaining 62% of studies, including indices adapted for specific ecosystems such as grasslands, wetlands, and urban areas. Index performance varied geographically, highlighting the importance of localized calibration. While few studies applied bird indices at landscape and regional scales, applications that included guild-based classification and habitat-specific metrics demonstrated potential for bird-based ecosystem monitoring and assessment. Bird communities were reliable ecological indicators at regional scales when indices incorporated locally derived disturbance and habitat gradients. This regional reliability indicates that expanding bird-based indices to watershed extents is feasible, especially given the availability of extensive resources such as citizen science bird data. There is an abundance of citizen science bird monitoring programs that potentially provide data for use in watershed-scale avian IBIs. Avian indices that combine data from multiple taxa, community-based metrics, and variables describing habitat quality can provide rigorous tools for watershed bioassessment and evidence-based conservation policy implementation.
Agricultural intensification has pushed nitrogen and phosphorus cycles beyond safe planetary limits, with agriculture now a primary driver of at least two Earth system boundaries being breached. Technological fixes alone are unlikely to resolve this: efficiency gains tend to lower production costs and drive further expansion (known as Jevon’s Paradox), intensifying environmental pressure rather than relieving it. Reducing agricultural water pollution will therefore require a shift toward production systems that work with ecological processes rather than against them. Despite growing interest in agroecological and regenerative approaches, evidence on their effectiveness for improving water quality remains fragmented across practices, regions, and study designs. This review of reviews synthesizes global evidence from 67 multi-continental meta-analyses on how farm practices affect nutrient, pesticide, and sediment losses. Nonlegume cover crops cut nitrate leaching by about 50%–70% and sediment by 50%–60%. Residue retention and organic amendments reduced runoff nutrients by 25%–50% and sediment by up to 75%. Reduced tillage lowered sediment losses by about 60% but often increased nitrate leaching, highlighting the importance of complementary fertilizer management. Optimizing fertilizer rates, timing, and formulation, alongside precision irrigation, reduced nitrogen losses by 20%–70%. At the landscape scale, vegetated buffers, agroforestry, and wetlands typically removed 25%–90% of nutrients and 40%–95% of sediment. Improving soil cover, structure, and hydrological function can sharply reduce pollution without sacrificing yields, showing that poor water quality stems from management, not inevitability. However, important evidence gaps remain: pesticide transport lacks any global synthesis despite residues being among the most pervasive agricultural contaminants, quantitative evidence on adaptive grazing management remains limited, and most underlying studies are concentrated in temperate croplands of North America, Europe, and China, limiting confidence in applying these findings to tropical, arid, or smallholder systems.
In recent decades, mobile communications technologies have been adopted at an unprecedented pace, leading to a rapid increase in the exposure of living organisms to artificial radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) emissions. This exposure is typically much higher on rooftops in dense urban areas where antennas are located, compared to ground level in those same areas. The recent deployment of wireless infrastructure on urban rooftops has coincided with the expansion of green roofs in cities. This indicates that RF exposure is a factor to consider in the planning and maintenance of green roofs. In this paper, we evaluate RF-EMF exposure levels on green roofs situated near base station antennas. Based on this evaluation, we predict potential responses at both the population and ecosystem levels to RF exposure. We conducted a structured two-stage literature review. In Stage 1, we performed a narrative synthesis of empirical RF-EMF measurements on urban rooftops, covering the 0.7–3.8 GHz frequency range. We searched IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and Google, and retained 20 peer-reviewed and institutional publications containing original measurement data published from 2001 onward. In Stage 2, we conducted a thematic synthesis of published evidence on RF-EMF biological and ecological effects in plants and insects—the taxonomically dominant groups in green roof ecosystems. We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the EMF-Portal, retaining 34 studies that satisfied criteria for publication quality, precision of exposure characterization, and relevance of exposure conditions to those determined in Stage 1. The two stages are linked analytically: the exposure range identified in stage one defines the evidence boundary for the bioeffects synthesis in Stage 2. Our research yielded an entirely new ecological interpretation of the evidence on physiological RF-EMF effects in plants. It suggests that chronic stress signal induced by RF-EMF may cause reduced seed production and a shift in resource allocation towards clonal growth. This can lead to lower seedling recruitment and decreased genetic diversity, which may negatively impact the long-term resilience of a green roof ecosystem. There has been no empirical research or specific legislation addressing the issues discussed.
