Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed toxic metal present in northern natural environments that biomagnifies in food webs and bioaccumulates in apex predator fish, such as Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus )—an iteroparous species with a circumpolar distribution. Arctic char exhibit a variety of life history types, with the migrating, anadromous life‐history type supporting many subsistence and small‐scale commercial fisheries...

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...

Arctic freshwater biodiversity is rapidly changing due to climate warming, resource extraction, infrastructure development, and landscape transformation. To improve understanding, predict future responses, and inform policy formulation, research needs must be clearly identified. Using a horizon scan survey, Arctic freshwater experts from government, international agencies, and Indigenous Peoples identified 77 biodiversity rese...

Primary production underpins much of ecosystem functioning and is often limited by nutrient and water availability. Ongoing global increases in nutrient inputs and interannual precipitation variability are thus likely to impact primary production, with unclear consequences for interannual variability in plant biomass. We used data from 35 grasslands in the Nutrient Network coordinated fertilization experiment to test if nutrie...

Diverse environmental drivers influence food web energy and nutrient flows, a key ecosystem function, yet their relative importance remains poorly known. We compiled thousands of bulk stable isotope measurements (carbon and nitrogen) of brown trout ( Salmo trutta , n = 2854) and Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus , n = 3062) from 120 cold‐water lakes across northern Europe, spanning 0.02 to 1090 km 2 in size, to quantify the re...

Climate change has a negative impact on the vitality of forests, and drought and heatwaves are the most influential abiotic stressors that contribute to tree health decline and mortality. Urban trees are not only vulnerable to climate change, but they also face harsh environmental conditions, including the urban heat island effect, limited soil volume and water availability. Therefore, the long‐term sustainability of urban for...

Tropical ecosystems contain the world's largest biodiversity of vascular plants. Yet, our understanding of tropical functional diversity and its contribution to global diversity patterns is constrained by data availability. This discrepancy underscores an urgent need to bridge data gaps by incorporating comprehensive tropical root data into global datasets. Here, we provide a database of tropical root characteristics. This new...

Land use change threatens global biodiversity and compromises ecosystem functions, including pollination and food production. Reduced taxonomic α‐diversity is often reported under land use change, yet the impacts could be different at larger spatial scales (i.e., γ‐diversity), either due to reduced β‐diversity amplifying diversity loss or increased β‐diversity dampening diversity loss. Additionally, studies often focus on taxo...