Distance teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic and school-related well-being of primary school students

Bromeliad phytotelmata: the first scientometric study Bromeliads are plants predominantly found in the Neotropical Region, with high diversity of species and wide distribution. Some representatives of this family have the ability to form phytotelma environments through the accumulation of water and organic matter, serving as substrate and food for a variety of organisms. Here, a scientometric analysis was carried out to show trends in scientific work on bromeliad phytotelmata and the importance of these microcosms for the maintenance of biodiversity. The papers were analyzed using the Thomson Reuters, Scopus and Scielo databases between the years 1970 and 2021. Information was sought on the years of publications, geographic regions, countries, article design (descriptive, predictive, experimental, review), focus (ecological, biological, molecular), and ecological level of study (organism, population, community and ecosystem). South America presented the highest number of works developed with the subject and also with researchers involved. Most studies presented predictive designs focusing on community ecology. Insecta, followed by Crustacea and Anura, were the most studied groups of organisms. The results contribute to a better understanding of biodiversity in bromeliad phytotelmata, pointing out gaps and trends in research directed at these natural microcosms.

Dispersal of bacteria and stimulation of permafrost decomposition by Collembola

Contrary to most soils, permafrost soils have the atypical feature of being almost entirely deprived of soil fauna. Abiotic constraints on the fate of permafrost carbon after thawing are increasingly understood, but biotic constraints remain scarcely investigated. Incubation studies, essential to estimate effects of permafrost thaw on carbon cycling, typically measure the consequences of permafrost thaw in isolation from the topsoil and thus do not account for the effects of altered biotic interactions because of e.g. colonization by soil fauna. Microarthropods facilitate the dispersal of microorganisms in soil, both on their cuticle (ectozoochory) and through their digestive tract (endozoochory), which may be particularly important in permafrost soils, considering that microbial community composition can strongly constrain permafrost biogeochemical processes.Here we tested how a model species of microarthropod (the CollembolaFolsomia candida) affected aerobic CO2 production of permafrost soil over a 25 d incubation. By using Collembola stock cultures grown on permafrost soil or on an arctic topsoil, we aimed to assess the potential for endo- and ectozoochory of soil bacteria, while cultures grown on gypsum and sprayed with soil suspensions would allow the observation of only ectozoochory.The presence of Collembola introduced bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) absent in the no-Collembola control, regardless of their microbiome manipulation, when considering presence–absence metrics (unweighted UniFrac metrics), which resulted in increased species richness. However, these introduced ASVs did not induce changes in bacterial community composition as a whole (accounting for relative abundances, weighted UniFrac), which might only become detectable in the longer term.CO2 production was increased by 25.85 % in the presence of Collembola, about half of which could be attributed to Collembola respiration based on respiration rates measured in the absence of soil. We argue that the rest of the CO2 being respired can be considered a priming effect of the presence of Collembola, i.e. a stimulation of permafrost CO2 production in the presence of active microarthropod decomposers. Overall, our findings underline the importance of biotic interactions in permafrost biogeochemical processes and the need to explore the additive or interactive effects of other soil food web groups of which permafrost soils are deprived.

Zero-Carbon Communities: Research Hotspots, Evolution, and Prospects

Global warming is a worldwide concern, with buildings generating more than 40% of the annual global CO2 emissions. A commonly accepted system of global standards for zero-carbon buildings and communities has not yet been established. In this research, the development history, hotspots, and trends at the urban scale with theoretical and data support are summarized based on the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection. The review contains works from 1997 to 2022. A total of 19,014 papers were collected, with an overall increasing trend in the number of articles with specific keywords. The scope of the research is broad, covering the environment, sciences, ecology, chemistry, material science, physics, meteorology, atmospheric sciences, and so on. The hotspots in the low-carbon community (LCC) and zero-carbon community (ZCC) involve a wide range of disciplines, and collaborative research between related disciplines should be strengthened to propose practical solutions for the development of zero-carbon cities. The establishment of the ZCC mainly focuses on a zero-carbon-emission construction and zero-carbon operations. This research found approaches such as the choices of building construction and material, a waste recycling system, a regenerating energy system, transportation, and an examination of the community composition to realize the ZCC. In the literature it is presented that the difficulties in the construction of the ZCC are due to the lack of research in practice, operation, and subsequent maintenance. Moreover, other scholars can deepen the research on the hotspots of ZCC.

Assessing Spread and Impacts of Non-native Plants from Highway Corridors in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada

Species invasions are recognized as one of the leading threats to biodiversity globally and have been associated with declines in native species and changes in ecosystem function, disturbance regimes, species community composition and structure, and species interactions. Invasions are often strongly associated with human disturbances and increased propagule pressure. Thus, transportation corridors like roads, which experience ongoing disturbance as well as potentially large numbers of unintentional introductions of non-native plant propagules due to vehicular traffic, are often key pathways for the introduction and spread of non-native species into remote areas. Additionally, spread of non-native plants away from these anthropogenically-disturbed corridors into natural areas, including into natural disturbances in particular, is increasingly being documented. Here, Singer discusses the spread and impact of non-native plants and distinguishes between the different selection factors operating at each stage of the invasion process.

Barentsburg and Longyearbyen in times of socioeconomic transition: Residents’ perceptions of community viability

Geopolitical interventions since the end of the 1980s—such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, a decline in the activities of state-owned coal companies, and governmental initiatives to increase tourism activities—have affected the community viability of two main settlements on Svalbard: Barentsburg and Longyearbyen. This paper explores how the residents of these settlements (with different cultural backgrounds) perceive the effects of socioeconomic transitions on community viability. The analysis of qualitative interviews with residents of Barentsburg (n = 62) and Longyearbyen (n = 36) reveals the residents’ perceptions of the pace of the transition and the changing community composition. New types of commercial activities, such as tourism, contribute to local value creation and socioeconomic development but come with concerns grounded in community fluctuation, environmental protection, economic prioritisation, and power relationships. Compared to Longyearbyen, Barentsburg has undergone relatively minor demographic and social changes and remains stable in terms of culture, language, and management practices. We conclude that the viability of Longyearbyen and Barentsburg during the transition was affected by community dynamics and fluctuations, social relationships within and between communities, and local institutional practices.

Microbial diversity and the abundance of keystone species drive the response of soil multifunctionality to organic substitution and biochar amendment in a tea plantation

High nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs accelerate soil acidification and degradation in tea plantations, thus posing a threat to soil microbial diversity, species composition, and ecosystem service functions. The effects of organic fertilizer and biochar applications on improving soil fertility have been extensively studied on cropland;however, little is known about their effectiveness in promoting soil multifunctionality on rapidly expanding acidic soils in tea plantations. In this study, we conducted a two‐year field experiment in a subtropical tea plantation to investigate the effects of organic fertilizer substitution and biochar amendment on soil microbial communities and multifunctionality. The results showed that soil multifunctionality was enhanced in plots amended with organic fertilizer and biochar. Soil multifunctionality was significantly and positively correlated with alpha‐diversity of bacteria but not fungi. We also found that organic fertilizer substitution and biochar amendment improved soil multifunctionality by altering the abundance of keystone species. The abundance of keystone species classified as module hubs in the bacterial co‐occurrence network contributed significantly and positively to soil multifunctionality. In contrast, the keystone species categorized as module hubs in the fungal co‐occurrence network negatively affected soil multifunctionality. Soil pH was a key driver of soil microbial community composition, indicating that the increase in soil pH under organic fertilizer and biochar amendment had a crucial role in biological processes. These results suggest that organic substitution and biochar amendment are beneficial in preventing soil degradation and maintaining soil multifunctionality in subtropical tea plantations.

Influence of heavy metals on the occurrence of Antarctic soil microalgae

Human- and animal-impacted sites in Antarctica can be contaminated with heavy metals, as well as areas influenced by underlying geology and naturally occurring minerals. The present study examined the relationship between heavy metal presence and soil microalgal occurrence across a range of human-impacted and undisturbed locations on Signy Island. Microalgae were identified based on cultures that developed after inoculation into an enriched medium. Twenty-nine microalgae representing Cyanobacteria, Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta and Tribophyta were identified. High levels of As, Ca, Cd, Cu and Zn were detected in Gourlay Peninsula and North Point, both locations hosting dense penguin rookeries. Samples from Berntsen Point, the location of most intense human activity both today and historically, contained high levels of Pb. The contamination factor and pollution load index confirmed that the former locations were polluted by Cd, Cu and Zn, with these being of marine biogenic origin. Variation in the microalgal community was significantly correlated with concentrations of Mn, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cd, Co, Cr and Cu. However, the overall proportion of the total variation contributed by all metals was low (16.11%). Other factors not measured in this study are likely to underlie the majority of the observed variation in microalgal community composition between sampling locations.

An investigation into the presence of pathogens on inanimate surfaces in the hospital environment

BackgroundThe hospital environment is understood to play an important role in the transmission of nosocomial pathogens, with inanimate surfaces facilitating pathogen movement and persistence in the environment. The majority of studies of surface contamination have been carried out in outbreak conditions or on high-dependency wards. Current surface cleaning guidance only requires surfaces to be visually clean. Microbiological standards for cleanliness have been proposed, however they are not widely adopted, and little implementation guidance is available. Evidence-based surface sampling protocols are required for the transmission risk surfaces pose to be adequately quantified and addressed.MethodsEnvironmental surface samples will be collected in a number of in- and outpatient settings, staff, and public areas, such as waiting rooms. This will be done before and after cleaning. Pathogens associated with nosocomial infection (e.g., ESKAPE pathogens, Clostridioides difficile and Candida auris) will be identified through culture methods and MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of isolates will be determined following EUCAST protocols. Real-time PCR will be utilized to identify viral pathogens (including norovirus, adenovirus, influenza and SARS-CoV-2) present. Following this, samples will be collected for community composition sequencing, allowing for non-culturable microorganisms to be identified. Whole genome sequencing will be performed on any pathogens of interest isolated during this investigation.Results and ConclusionFewer microorganisms are expected to be isolated after cleaning than prior, and samples from in-patient environments will have higher proportions of pathogens. The hospital microbiome has rarely been investigated outside of outbreak conditions. This study presents a novel, systematic approach to assess the microorganisms present in the hospital environment, and how they are impacted by current cleaning measures. This will build a comprehensive picture of the hospital microflora and provide an evidence base for the development of surface sampling protocols, helping inform clinical risk assessments and subsequently improving patient outcomes.