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Many nations use ecological compensation policies to address negative impacts of development projects and achieve No Net Loss (NNL) of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Yet, failures are widely reported. We use spatial simulation models to quantify potential net impacts of alternative compensation policies on biodiversity (indicated by native vegetation) and two ecosystem services (carbon storage, sediment retention) across four case studies (in Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Mozambique). No policy achieves NNL of biodiversity in any case study. Two factors limit their potential success: the land available for compensation (existing vegetation to protect or cleared land to restore), and expected counterfactual biodiversity losses (unregulated vegetation clearing). Compensation also fails to slow regional biodiversity declines because policies regulate only a subset of sectors, and expanding policy scope requires more land than is available for compensation activities. Avoidance of impacts remains essential in achieving NNL goals, particularly once opportunities for compensation are exhausted.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15861-1 | DOI Listing |
Annu Rev Entomol
September 2025
2Department of Entomology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA; email:
Nutritional symbioses with microorganisms have profoundly shaped the evolutionary success of ants, enabling them to overcome dietary limitations and thrive across diverse ecological niches and trophic levels. These interactions are particularly crucial for ants with specialized diets, where microbial symbionts compensate for dietary imbalances by contributing to nitrogen metabolism, vitamin supplementation, and the catabolism of plant fibers and proteins. This review synthesizes recent advances in our understanding of ant-microbe symbioses, focusing on diversity, functional roles in host nutrition, and mechanisms of transmission of symbiotic microorganisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWater Res
August 2025
College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China; Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China. Electronic address:
This study explores the role of α-Fe₂O₃ in improving extracellular electron transfer (EET) and symbiotic interactions between electroactive Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, its gene-deficient mutants (ΔmtrC, ΔomcA, and ΔcymA), and microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris). The iron oxide facilitates the efficient transfer of electrons generated by MR-1 to microalgal photosystem via the pathway of CymA-MtrC-OmcA to α-Fe₂O₃. This process enhances the removals of TOC, TN, and NH₄⁺-N in the MR-1 bacterial-algal consortium by 9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTree Physiol
September 2025
Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.
Leaves constitute a vital bottleneck in whole-plant water transport, and their water strategies are key determinants of plant competition and productivity. Nonetheless, our knowledge of leaf water strategies predominantly stems from single perspectives (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvolution
September 2025
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, 41-2, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan.
Malagasy lemurs are diverse primates that underwent adaptive radiation. While this radiation promotes modifications in cranium for niche partitioning, evolutionary constraints impose common craniofacial patterns among smaller lemurs: they are predicted to be constrained to have a shorter upper jaw and laterally-facing orbits to compensate for small masticatory muscles and accommodate relatively large orbits, regardless of niche. This study aims to elucidate how these evolutionary constraints operate during the adaptive radiation of lemurs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJCO Precis Oncol
September 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Purpose: Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that predominantly affect adolescents and young adults. Notably, geographical disparities in GCT incidence exist, with higher rates observed in East Asia. Although numerous studies have established links between heterozygous germline mutations in Fanconi anemia (FA) genes and the development of certain human cancers, the association between germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in FA genes and the relative risk of developing GCTs remains incompletely characterized.
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