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The need to develop biological effects monitoring to facilitate a reliable assessment of hazardous substances has been emphasized in the Baltic Sea Action Plan of the Helsinki Commission. An integrated chemical-biological approach is vitally important for the understanding and proper assessment of anthropogenic pressures and their effects on the Baltic Sea. Such an approach is also necessary for prudent management aiming at safeguarding the sustainable use of ecosystem goods and Services. The BEAST project (Biological Effects of Anthropogenic Chemical Stress: Tools for the Assessment of Ecosystem Health) set out to address this topic within the BONUS Programme. BEAST generated a large amount of quality-assured data on several biological effects parameters (biomarkers) in various marine species in different sub-regions of the Baltic Sea. New indicators (biological response measurement methods) and management tools (integrated indices) with regard to the integrated monitoring approach were suggested.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3888660 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13280-013-0478-3 | DOI Listing |
Anat Rec (Hoboken)
September 2025
Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona, USA.
Canids originally evolved in North America, presenting a compelling story of shifting climates, paleogeographies, and both successes and failures in adapting to these changes. Species evolve-new ones arrive on the scene and established ones become extinct. The dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) is one of the most legendary of the extinct canids and is the most basal member of the crown group of large dogs (Canina) that includes the extant gray wolf (Canis lupus).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Ecol
September 2025
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
Increasing evidence indicates that the loss of soil microbial α-diversity triggered by environmental stress negatively impacts microbial functions; however, the effects of microbial α-diversity on community functions under environmental stress are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the changes in bacterial and fungal α- diversity along gradients of five natural stressors (temperature, precipitation, plant diversity, soil organic C and pH) across 45 grasslands in China and evaluated their connection with microbial functional traits. By quantifying the five environmental stresses into an integrated stress index, we found that the bacterial and fungal α-diversity declined under high environmental stress across three soil layers (0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanotoxicology
September 2025
Department of Biophysics of Environmental Pollution, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
The effect of non-functionalized polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) with diameters of 29, 44, and 72 nm on plasmid DNA integrity and the expression of genes involved in the architecture of chromatin was investigated in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The cells were incubated with PS-NPs at concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 100 µg/mL for 24 hours.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlob Chang Biol
September 2025
Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Institute of Forest Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Mixed-species forests are proposed to enhance tree resistance and resilience to drought. However, growing evidence shows that tree species richness does not consistently improve tree growth responses to drought. The underlying mechanisms remain uncertain, especially under unprecedented multiyear droughts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlob Chang Biol
September 2025
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Droughts are increasing with climate change, affecting the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and limiting their capacity to mitigate rising atmospheric CO levels. However, there is still large uncertainty on the long-term impacts of drought on ecosystem carbon (C) cycling, and how this determines the effect of subsequent droughts. Here, we aimed to quantify how drought legacy affects the response of a heathland ecosystem to a subsequent drought for two life stages of Calluna vulgaris resulting from different mowing regimes.
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