Forest succession suppressed by an introduced plant-fungal symbiosis

Microbial symbionts can affect plant nutrition, defensive chemistry, and biodiversity. Here we test the hypothesis that symbionts alter the speed and direction of plant succession in communities that are shifting from grasslands to forests. A widespread C3 grass introduced to the United States, Lolium arundinaceum (tall fescue), hosts a fungal endophyte that is toxic to herbivores. In replicated experimental grasslands, the presence of the endophyte in tall fescue reduced tree abundance and size, altered tree composition, and slowed plant species turnover. In addition, consumption of tree seedlings by voles (Microtus spp.) was 65% higher in plots with the endophyte at the one grassland site where these data were collected. Despite its negligible contribution to community biomass, a microbial symbiont suppressed tree establishment, posing an important constraint on the natural transition from grasslands to forests.     

Removing cadmium from aqueous solutions utilizing agricultural wastes

The purpose of this study was to determine the cadmium (Cd) biosorption capacities of several agricultural wastes from aqueous solutions. Samples were tested unaltered and after hydrochloric acid treatment. Additional parameters tested include sample dose, contact time, particle size, mixing temperature, and the concentrations and pH of the Cd solutions. Desorption studies were performed to determine if the removed Cd could be recovered. In addition, tests were conducted to determine if the agricultural waste samples (AWS) could be reused for additional Cd biosorption cycles. The results of this study demonstrate a wide range of Cd biosorption proficiencies ranging from 33 to 100% removal. The parameters that resulted in higher Cd removal include higher sample dose, higher pH, and lower Cd solution concentration. Desorption results showed a 36–56% Cd recovery rate. Reused AWS were effective at removing Cd during subsequent trials. Therefore, all AWS types tested in this study can be reused for additional Cd biosorption cycles. Hence, it is possible that using AWS for metal treatment could reduce hazardous waste disposal inefficiencies and costs by avoiding disposing of spent AWS following each Cd biosorption cycle.     

Compound urban crises

The crises that cities face—such as climate change, pandemics, economic downturn, and racism—are tightly interlinked and cannot be addressed in isolation. This paper addresses compound urban crises as a unique type of problem, in which discrete solutions that tackle each crisis independently are insufficient. Few scholarly debates address compound urban crises and there is, to date, a lack of interdisciplinary insights to inform urban governance responses. Combining ideas from complex adaptive systems and critical urban studies, we develop a set of boundary concepts (unsettlement, unevenness, and unbounding) to understand the complexities of compound urban crises from an interdisciplinary perspective. We employ these concepts to set a research agenda on compound urban crises, highlighting multiple interconnections between urban politics and global dynamics. We conclude by suggesting how these entry points provide a theoretical anchor to develop practical insights to inform and reform urban governance.