Inflows of phosphorus (P) to freshwaters from the wastewater and agriculture sectors of our food systems continue to reduce aquatic biodiversity and threaten human health. A range of analytical tools were applied to investigate the contributions of these two sectors to riverine P pollution in the catchments of the Somerset Levels and Moors (SLM) region of England. A substance flow analysis of current sector P use in 2021 ident...

We have attempted to re-establish bay scallops to the Virginia, U.S.A. coastal bays and document the dynamics of the restoration effort. Bay scallops ( Argopecten irradians ) once flourished in the eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) of the Virginia coastal bays. Eelgrass wasting disease led to declines, and both eelgrass and scallops were completely lost after a 1933 hurricane. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) led a su...

Accurate tracking and measurement of pollen dispersal in the atmosphere are essential for assessing cross-pollination risks, particularly in the case of genetically engineered (GE) crops. We conducted a series of unique release-recapture field studies with GE switchgrass in Oliver Springs, TN, USA. Two hundred transgenic switchgrass plants ( Panicum virgatum L. “Performer”) were planted at the center of a clear-cut field, with...

Aims Rhizobia are essential for nitrogen fixation in legumes. The current method for enumerating rhizobia in soil by the Most Probable Number (MPN) method is costly and time consuming. This paper describes the development of a qPCR test to quantify Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae (Rlv) in soil. Methods TaqMan probe and primers were developed . Specificity of qPCR was confirmed against Rlv and non-target rhizobia and compare...

Germplasm banks are important for preserving genetic diversity, yet the availability and long-term maintenance of macroalgal strains in germplasm banks is currently limited in European collections. To support future food security, restoration efforts, and biotechnological innovation, a strategy was recently developed for the long-term preservation of macroalgal genetic diversity. A foundational step in this effort is to assess...

Cultivated peatlands are a major CO 2 emission source, but the processes that regulate the decomposition of drained peat are debated, especially as drained peat becomes increasingly shallow. Many cultivated peatlands are underlain by a mineral soil layer. Surface subsidence, oxidation and tillage reduce the peat thickness, which intermixes peat with minerals as peat is lost. A key question is whether this mixing can reduce emi...

Adaptive management of threatened species relies on having ex ante estimates of species’ responses to different interventions. Structured expert elicitation is often used to generate these estimates, but comparisons of these expert‐predicted outcomes with observed results are rare. This study aims to evaluate the utility of expert elicitation for adaptive management in the New South Wales Saving our Species program in Australi...

Site fidelity is the tendency for animals to repeatedly return to the same locations, either within or between years. Site fidelity enables animals to utilize knowledge of previously visited locations, including assessments of seasonal variations in health and mortality risks (e.g., predation), resource availability, and social benefits such as pairing with previous mates. However, rigidly enacted site fidelity may come with f...

We used a high-resolution (1/12°) Modular Ocean Model version 6 implementation for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean (MOM6-NWA12) to dynamically downscale Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Earth System Model version 4.1 (GFDL-ESM4.1) projections for the 21st century. Simulations were conducted under four different Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 emission scenarios. MOM6-NWA12 accurately simulates the spatial patte...

The multi‐faceted threats of habitat degradation and biological invasions are increasing concerns for the integrity of freshwater ecosystems and their associated services globally. Removal of anthropogenic riverine barriers has gained momentum over the last three decades, motivated by the maintenance requirements of the aging infrastructure, while also functioning as a primary means of restoring river connectivity to promote e...

A substantial literature has developed on facultative endosymbionts of insects, often portrayed as having large effects on their hosts, ranging from mutualistic to parasitic. The aphid endosymbiont Regiella insecticola occurs naturally in Myzus persicae and has potential biocontrol applications. Here, we examined the effects of native Regiella in two clones of M. persicae from Australia collected two decades apart, to assess w...

Fungal‐animal mutualisms remain significantly understudied, yet they represent some of the most successful partnerships known in nature. Fungal farming ambrosia beetles cultivate a consortium of fungal partners that include obligate filamentous members and yeasts. These fungi are maintained in highly specialised insect organs, termed mycangia, and are cultivated as food along the beetle galleries elaborated within host trees....

Achieving global conservation policy goals requires the ability to set and measure progress toward science‐based targets for biodiversity. The species threat abatement and restoration (STAR) metric was developed to enable actors to set science‐based targets for species. STAR scores quantify the potential contribution of actions to abate threats and restore habitat to reduce species extinction risk in a particular place and can...