Sci. Total Environ. [JOURNAL]
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200 papers
Optimizing temperature and feedstock interactions for efficient vermibioconversion of pulp and paper mill sludge under boreal conditions.
Subramaniam D, Galagedara L, Krishnapillai M
Sci Total Environ · 2026 Jun · PMID 42061211 · Publisher ↗
The efficiency of oil contaminated pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) stabilization by Eisenia fetida strongly depends on optimal temperature conditions for nutrient recovery and organic pollutant reduction. In Western Ne...
The efficiency of oil contaminated pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) stabilization by Eisenia fetida strongly depends on optimal temperature conditions for nutrient recovery and organic pollutant reduction. In Western Newfoundland, Canada, fluctuations in environmental temperature (< 0 °C to 20 °C), limit the year-round viability of vermicomposting. Therefore, PPMS (TS) and PPMS amended cow manure (TSC) were vermicomposted over a 70-day period at three controlled temperatures (12 °C, 17 °C, and 22 °C) to assess the effects of thermal conditions on PPMS stabilization, and vermiremediation efficiency, and population dynamics of E. fetida. While pH remained stable at 17 °C and 22 °C, it decreased significantly at 12 °C (p < 0.000), whereas electrical conductivity increased significantly across all treatments (p < 0.000). The biodegradability coefficient was significantly higher (p < 0.008) in TS at 17 °C and 22 °C while maximum carbon (C) loss and nitrogen (N) enrichment occurred in TSC at 22 °C, resulting in a reduced C:N (<20) by day 56. Oil degradation was faster in TSC compared to TS at 17 °C and 22 °C. A significant increase in macronutrients (P, Na, K, Ca, Mg) and micronutrients (B, Mn, Fe, Al) were observed at 17 °C and 22 °C with the highest enrichment in TSC, followed by TS (p < 0.001). A slight increase in potentially toxic elements (As, Co) was detected in TSC, whereas Zn and V were more prominent in TS at 12 °C. TS exhibited higher levels of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Cr, while Pb and Mo were elevated in TSC at 22 °C. However, all remained below Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) guideline limits. Growth and reproduction of E. fetida and vermicompost production were significantly enhanced (p < 0.0001) at 17 °C and 22 °C, peaking on day 42 while lower at 12 °C. Overall, temperature between 17 °C and 22 °C optimized PPMS vermicomposting and are feasible from late spring to mid fall in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Ambient and personal air monitoring using low-cost sensors to identify elevated air pollution in vulnerable communities.
Kubis K, Edwards J, Ryan PH
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42061143 · Publisher ↗
In the United States, regulatory air monitoring networks are designed to assess regional air quality but do not capture neighborhood-level variability in pollutant concentrations. Low-cost air monitors may be one approac...
In the United States, regulatory air monitoring networks are designed to assess regional air quality but do not capture neighborhood-level variability in pollutant concentrations. Low-cost air monitors may be one approach to address these gaps. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether neighborhood-level and personal monitoring identified increased concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM) exposures in the neighborhood of Lower Price Hill (LPH), Cincinnati, Ohio, compared with regional regulatory monitors. We deployed a network of 12 PurpleAir monitors across LPH from April-June 2022 and calibrated measurements to a nearby U.S. EPA regulatory monitor. PM concentrations and Air Quality Index (AQI) values measured by the PurpleAir sensors were compared with two EPA monitoring sites. Additionally, three residents conducted 7-day personal monitoring using wearable AirBeam devices. Calibrated PurpleAir data demonstrated significantly increased PM concentrations at four of the 12 PurpleAir sites and increased AQI at 11 of the 12 PurpleAir sites in LPH compared to EPA regulatory sites. PurpleAir data also found that LPH experienced up to six days where AQI exceeded healthy levels (>50) but the EPA regulatory monitor did not exceed 50. Personal monitoring revealed substantial variability, with two of three participants exceeding the EPA 24-hour outdoor PM2.5 standard (>35 μg/m) on all study days, indicating exposures not measured by outdoor stationary monitoring. Overall, regulatory monitoring may underestimate neighborhood-level and personal PM exposures in LPH. Community-based and personal monitoring provides novel insights into localized exposure disparities and may improve risk communication and inform interventions in vulnerable communities.
Corrigendum to "High prevalence of veterinary drugs in bird's nests" [Science of the Total Environment, 964 (2025) 178439].
de Montaigu CT, Glauser G, Guinchard S … +1 more , Goulson D
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42049551 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
High acorn predation limits assisted regeneration in Mediterranean oak woodlands.
Antoniella G, Capizzi D, Calò A … +8 more , Corsanici R, Cimini D, Salvati R, Zapparoli M, Mugnozza GS, Papale D, Chiti T, Sabatti M
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42048688 · Publisher ↗
Regeneration in Mediterranean oak woodlands is increasingly constrained by intense post-dispersal seed predation. Inside an ungulate-exclosure fence in the Castelporziano Presidential Estate (Central Italy), we conducted...
Regeneration in Mediterranean oak woodlands is increasingly constrained by intense post-dispersal seed predation. Inside an ungulate-exclosure fence in the Castelporziano Presidential Estate (Central Italy), we conducted a factorial field experiment by sowing 1728 acorns of four native oaks (Quercus cerris, Q. pubescens, Q. ilex, Q. robur) under two seed-placement treatments (surface vs. buried) across paired microhabitats (clearing vs. understory), while monitoring predators with infrared camera traps. Acorn loss was rapid, with most removal occurring within four days. At the plot level, acorn loss differed among species (Kruskal-Wallis, p = 0.009); Q. ilex showed the highest mean removal, and the only Bonferroni-supported contrast was Q. ilex > Q. robur (p = 0.010). These two species represent the extremes of the seed-size spectrum, with Q. ilex producing smaller and lighter acorns and Q. robur larger and heavier ones (diameter, length, and mass; ANOVA, all p < 0.0001), suggesting a contribution of acorn morphology to interspecific removal differences. Removal tended to be higher in the understory than in clearings and higher for surface than buried acorns, but plot-paired tests did not support these patterns (n = 4 plot pairs). Camera trapping revealed strong habitat-diel segregation: wood mice (Apodemus spp.) were recorded only at night and exclusively in understory plots, whereas Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) were strictly diurnal and used both habitats. Behavioural responses shifted with seed placement, with burial increasing exploration and digging and surface acorns eliciting more removal/consumption. Overall, early acorn fate was shaped primarily by predator identity and context-dependent activity, while seed placement modulated accessibility and behaviour rather than consistently reducing losses. These findings indicate that, although ungulate exclosures are essential for preventing browsing and supporting regeneration, they may not be sufficient to reduce early-stage seed predation. Assisted regeneration strategies should therefore combine microhabitat diversification with targeted seed protection during the critical post-dispersal early stages.
From horticultural waste to feed: Circular economy potential of cucumber-straw silage in Mediterranean lamb production through integrated in vitro, in vivo, and life cycle assessment.
Hassan M, Belanche A, Davison N … +3 more , Romero-Huelva M, Smith L, Yáñez-Ruiz DR
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42033908 · Publisher ↗
Improving efficiency and reducing environmental impacts pose challenges to Mediterranean livestock systems, with few viable alternatives to conventional forages. This study evaluated cucumber-straw silage (SIL) as an alt...
Improving efficiency and reducing environmental impacts pose challenges to Mediterranean livestock systems, with few viable alternatives to conventional forages. This study evaluated cucumber-straw silage (SIL) as an alternative forage to oat hay (HAY) for lamb production using integrated in vitro, in vivo, and life-cycle assessment approaches. An in vitro fermentation study was conducted by progressively replacing concentrate with SIL or HAY, and rumen fermentation, and CH production were measured over 144 h. Subsequently, a 12-week in vivo trial was conducted on a commercial farm with 450 lactating Segureña ewes and 610 lambs to assess productive performance and metabolic status. In vitro experiment followed a factorial design (two forage types × four inclusion levels) within a completely randomized design, while in vivo experiment applied a completely randomized design. In vitro results showed that a 50% inclusion of SIL maintained rumen fermentation activity comparable to HAY in terms of gas production and volatile fatty acid concentrations; moreover, SIL shifted fermentation toward higher butyrate (+13.3%; P = 0.001) and lower CH emissions (-17.3%, interaction P = 0.007). In vivo, SIL supported comparable animal performance to HAY, with no significant differences in lamb growth (210 vs. 215 g/day), ewe body condition score, or health, as blood metabolites remained within physiological ranges. A cradle-to-farm-gate life cycle assessment, following ISO-14044 standards and applying two allocation approaches for cucumber waste, revealed that under a zero-allocation scenario (treating waste as burden-free), greenhouse gas emissions averaged 9.50 CO-eq/kg liveweight (95% CI: 8.29-13.6) compared with 11.6 (95% CI: 10.1-15.9) for HAY, alongside reductions in land occupation of 50%, and water consumption of 70%. Therefore, SIL presents an effective strategy to valorise horticultural waste while maintaining productivity and potentially improving the environmental performance of Mediterranean lamb systems. Further validation across diverse management conditions and by-product sources is recommended.
Multi-scalar aridity dynamics and climate-vegetation coupling in the Western Himalayan Cold Desert, India.
Kumar P, Ashwani, Thakur S … +3 more , Singh S, Husain MA, Yadav A
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42033907 · Publisher ↗
The cold deserts of the Western Himalayas, including Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, and Ladakh, are highly vulnerable to global temperature rise. These high-altitude arid regions experience limited precipitation and extreme temp...
The cold deserts of the Western Himalayas, including Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, and Ladakh, are highly vulnerable to global temperature rise. These high-altitude arid regions experience limited precipitation and extreme temperatures, making them particularly sensitive to changes and variations in dryness. Understanding historical aridity trends is crucial for assessing climate change impacts and developing effective conservation strategies. This study uses data from CRU TS v4.08 to analyse trends in aridity from 1901 to 2022 using the Aridity Index (AI), which is the ratio of yearly precipitation (P) to potential evapotranspiration (PET). Hydroclimatic variability and drought severity were also evaluated using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI). Based on Aridity Index values, the research region was divided into several climatic zones, on Annual and seasonal basis…. Temporal and seasonal analyses reveal a 13.3% increase in annual Aridity Index, indicating declining dryness-most pronounced in winter due to increased western disturbances-with consistent wetting trends confirmed by positive annual slopes in AI, SPI (0.0104), SPEI (0.0127), and RDI (0.0118). However, increased precipitation in rain-shadow cold deserts could negatively impact soil stability, trigger landslides, and disrupt vegetation adapted to arid conditions, potentially leading to root rot and biodiversity loss. These changes may also pose risks to local communities by increasing infrastructure damage, and vulnerability to natural disasters. Long-term monitoring using Aridity Indices, SPI, SPEI and RDI along with adaptive management strategies, is essential to mitigate negative effects and ensure the sustainable conservation of these fragile ecosystems under changing climatic conditions.
Comparative life cycle assessment of paper and cardboard based packaging solutions for e-commerce: A case study on a book application.
Rizzo MV, Vignali G
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42033906 · Publisher ↗
The sustainability of packaging has become fundamental for many companies, partly because of increasingly stringent European regulations, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. Companies that want to sell...
The sustainability of packaging has become fundamental for many companies, partly because of increasingly stringent European regulations, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. Companies that want to sell the product through e-commerce are therefore called upon to evaluate and consider the performance and environmental impact of their products. The purpose of this study is to assess the environmental impact of the life cycle of two e-commerce packaging solutions for a book application: a kraft paper bag and a cardboard bag. First, the life cycles of the single packaging solutions were analyzed, then the environmental performances of the two packaging structures were compared. For both solutions, the results show the high impact associated with the materials used to make the bags. The comparative analysis highlighted the lower environmental impact of the kraft paper bag. Because of the importance and high environmental impact of the constituent materials and waste generated during the forming phase, three sensitivity analyses were carried out to investigate this aspect: one on the origin of the material, one on the waste quantity, and one on the energy source used. Regardless of those aspects, the cardboard-based bag appears more impactful than the kraft paper bag. In addition, an uncertainty analysis was carried out to determine the robustness of the dataset used.
Mathematical modeling of dissolved oxygen and its effects on various living pollutants in water bodies.
Alam Z, Rahman M, Rahman M … +1 more , Hoque A
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42033905 · Publisher ↗
Dissolved oxygen concentration is a crucial factor that regulates ocean productivity, nutrient cycles, and the health of marine habitats. In this study, an eight-compartment nonlinear mathematical model is proposed to de...
Dissolved oxygen concentration is a crucial factor that regulates ocean productivity, nutrient cycles, and the health of marine habitats. In this study, an eight-compartment nonlinear mathematical model is proposed to determine the effect of various living pollutants, such as the density of bacteria, nutrients, temperature, algae, detritus, and salinity by dissolved oxygen in water bodies. By solving the model equations both analytically and numerically, the equilibrium states are identified, and their existence and stability are determined for each equilibrium point. In addition, to elucidate the system's behavior and determine the most sensitive parameters, we conduct a bifurcation and partial rank correlation coefficient (PRCC) analysis. Among all eight compartments evaluated, the results show that the profiles of dissolved oxygen and nutrient are much higher compared to others compartment and some compartments are validated by other studies. The study concludes that there is a strong relationship between dissolved oxygen level and nutrients in the water body and the optimization of plankton nutrient availability.
Airborne transport of herbicides from UAV applications under varied operational and meteorological conditions.
Perez Lapid N, Darzi R, Lati R … +1 more , Dubowski Y
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42030905 · Publisher ↗
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for agricultural spraying is expanding rapidly worldwide, yet research has not kept pace with technological progress, regulatory frameworks remain limited, and key data gaps hin...
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for agricultural spraying is expanding rapidly worldwide, yet research has not kept pace with technological progress, regulatory frameworks remain limited, and key data gaps hinder the optimization of UAV spray applications. This study quantifies the airborne drift profile and sedimentary drift generated by a commercial UAV under a range of operational and environmental conditions and compares these outcomes with drift from a conventional tractor-mounted boom sprayer. Airborne drift was measured using active air sampling via polyurethane foam (PUF) plugs mounted at multiple heights (between 2 and 8 m) on a mast located 15 m downwind from the sprayed plot. Sedimentary drift was assessed with water-sensitive papers (WSPs) placed on the ground at fixed intervals between the field edge and the mast. In a few cases, additional WSPs were attached to the mast to detect airborne droplets. Three flight speeds (10, 17, and 22 km h) and three spray heights (2.5, 4, and 6 m above ground) were tested. Airborne pesticide drift was detected by active sampling in all UAV trials, including cases where impaction or sedimentary drift were minimal or below the detection limit. Drift profiles generally depicted the highest concentrations near the ground and under the fastest and highest flight conditions. Compared to a tractor-mounted boom sprayer, the UAV produced more airborne drift near the ground, but at higher sampling levels, both systems showed comparable amounts. Overall, the combined use of active air sampling and droplet impaction measurements provides robust datasets that can inform and improve best practices for UAV-based pesticide applications.
Macroinvertebrate community changes in response to riparian revegetation activities and land cover using historical datasets.
Sampson MJ, Critchell K, Gooderham J … +2 more , Matthews TG, Lester RE
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42030904 · Publisher ↗
Enhancing the scientific understanding of restoration processes is complicated, with financial and organisational limitations to the widespread use of before-after-control-impact studies, and challenges to the long-term...
Enhancing the scientific understanding of restoration processes is complicated, with financial and organisational limitations to the widespread use of before-after-control-impact studies, and challenges to the long-term collection and storage of data on historical restorations for use in broad-scale analyses. To conduct a broad-scale analysis of historical revegetation activities in southeastern Australia, we collated and standardised past riparian revegetation extents, combined with contemporaneous ecological (macroinvertebrate assemblages), environmental and land cover information from 2000 to 2012. The analyses demonstrated that upstream riparian activity age and cumulative lengths have an effect on macroinvertebrate community assemblages. Whilst these effects include changes to macroinvertebrate community diversity and evenness, this relationship is overshadowed by catchment-scale land cover factors, particularly the percentage of exotic pasture and native tree cover. The data was also used to interrogate changes in macroinvertebrate communities following the removal of invasive willow trees. This research demonstrates the utility of standardising historical datasets, provides recommendations for the future storage and consistent formatting of restoration data entry by natural resource management practitioners for use in future spatial analyses.
Species mixtures and arbuscular mycorrhizae synergistically enhance the belowground benefits in perennial cover crops.
Rashidabad NN, Hashemi M, Naughton H … +1 more , Keiser AD
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42030903 · Publisher ↗
Perennial cover crops (also known as living mulch) continuously cover the soil, providing a sustainable method to prevent or reverse soil degradation by maintaining living roots throughout the growing season. This study...
Perennial cover crops (also known as living mulch) continuously cover the soil, providing a sustainable method to prevent or reverse soil degradation by maintaining living roots throughout the growing season. This study examined the benefits of single or mixed species perennial cover crop systems with or without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation on soil biochemical properties. We conducted a greenhouse mesocosm experiment with a full-factorial randomized complete block design incorporating single and mixed species treatments of Aberlasting clover (Trifolium ambiguum) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) at different ratios (C-G, C-G, C-G), with and without AMF inoculation. AMF-inoculated C-G showed the highest and most diverse root exudation, which was also associated with increased leaf chlorophyll, photosynthesis, and total biomass. The C-G mixture with AMF further enhanced microbial biomass carbon (C), active microbial biomass, and the readily available soil C pool, indicating increased exudation with AMF spurs microbial activity. Critically, increasing the proportion of clover enhanced net nitrogen (N) mineralization, nitrification, and N₂O emissions; however, AMF inoculation increased net N mineralization while reducing both nitrification and N₂O emissions. Perennial cover crop mixtures containing at least 50% grass lowered NO emission by 8-37.5%, while AMF inoculation further decreased fluxes by 40%, suggesting AMF uptake of inorganic N. Overall, AMF-inoculated C-G maximized photosynthetic rate and biomass with cascading impacts to increased root exudate quantity and quality. Mixtures containing less than 50% grass plus AMF were most effective at increasing net mineralization but reducing gaseous N losses. Our study quantifying metrics along the plant-soil continuum shows how shifts in plant species composition alter root exudates and C and N cycling belowground. In addition, our results indicate that incorporating legume-grass perennial cover crops with an AMF inoculant can spur soil microbial activity and enhance internal C and N cycling.
Spatio-temporal dynamics of water quality during and after an extreme flood event in southern Brazil.
Bohnenberger L, Ribeiro MHG, da Rosa LM … +5 more , da Silva CSP, Soroka VD, Albornoz LL, Rodrigues LHR, da Silva SW
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42025276 · Publisher ↗
In April-May 2024, a compound flood event in southern Brazil produced the highest water levels ever recorded in Porto Alegre, overwhelming urban drainage, sewage, and water treatment infrastructure. This study evaluates...
In April-May 2024, a compound flood event in southern Brazil produced the highest water levels ever recorded in Porto Alegre, overwhelming urban drainage, sewage, and water treatment infrastructure. This study evaluates the spatiotemporal response of raw water quality in the Guaíba system-the primary drinking-water source for 1.32 million people-during and after this unprecedented event. We conducted seven monitoring campaigns (S1-S7) over one year, from the flood peak (May 2024) to post-event conditions (April 2025), across 22 sampling sites covering six water supply systems. Physicochemical parameters, nutrients, metals, and microbiological indicators were assessed using repeated-measures ANOVA, principal component analysis, and two-way cluster analysis. Results revealed a strong temporal gradient separating the flood phase (S1-S4) from post-event conditions (S5-S7). During peak flooding (S1), turbidity reached 475 NTU, aluminium 9.6 mg·L, total phosphorus 11.9 mg·L, and total coliforms 616,459 MPN/100 mL-exceeding Brazilian regulatory limits and World Health Organization risk thresholds by one to two orders of magnitude. Spatially, extreme hydrological forcing homogenized water quality degradation across most supply systems, except Ilha da Pintada (4.4% impervious surface), which maintained consistently lower contamination. Most critically, water quality did not recover to baseline one year after the event: during S7 (April 2025), E. coli reached 14,878 MPN/100 mL-the highest campaign mean-while mercury tripled and ammoniacal nitrogen returned to flood-peak levels, demonstrating a concentration effect driven by reduced dilution under low-water conditions. These findings demonstrate that post-flood low-flow periods represent an underrecognized vulnerability window for urban water supply, and that monitoring must extend well beyond the recession phase. The rapid response framework applied here provides a replicable approach for assessing compound flood impacts on water quality in other metropolitan regions exposed to climate-driven hydrological extremes.
Functional differentiation of glomalin-related soil protein fractions reveals dual pathways for carbon storage in organic farming systems.
Kang BR, Bae YJ, Rajapitamahuni S … +4 more , Lee SJ, Lee Y, Nam HS, Lee TK
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42025275 · Publisher ↗
Contradictory findings in glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) research have obscured its contribution to soil carbon storage due to treating easily extractable GRSP (EEG) and totally extractable GRSP (TEG) as functional...
Contradictory findings in glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) research have obscured its contribution to soil carbon storage due to treating easily extractable GRSP (EEG) and totally extractable GRSP (TEG) as functionally equivalent. This study resolves this functional ambiguity by investigating differential pathways of GRSP fractions across organic farming durations using structural equation modeling. Results demonstrate that EEG and TEG operate through distinct but complementary mechanisms: EEG primarily facilitates soil aggregation processes that indirectly protect organic carbon, while TEG directly contributes to stable carbon pools as a recalcitrant biochemical reservoir. Prolonged organic farming shifted toward TEG dominance, with EEG/TEG ratios decreasing from 0.26 ± 0.1 to 0.11 ± 0.0 and TEG/SOC ratios doubling from 0.08 ± 0.0 to 0.16 ± 0.0. TEG exhibited exceptionally strong correlation with soil organic carbon (rho = 0.96) compared to EEG (rho = 0.63). Structural equation modeling identified TEG as the strongest predictor of SOC (β = 0.96), while organic farming duration independently promoted EEG production through fungal activity (β = 0.74) and microaggregate formation (β = 0.69). This functional differentiation establishes TEG as a quantitatively significant component comprising up to 16% of soil organic carbon in long-term organic systems, providing a new theoretical framework for optimizing soil carbon sequestration through targeted GRSP management.
Functional redundancy shapes spatial patterns of vulnerability to climate-driven shifts in plant communities across Australia.
Martín-Forés I, Morgan RV, Andrew SC … +2 more , Gallagher RV, Guerin GR
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42024991 · Publisher ↗
Climate change threatens plant communities worldwide with substantial species losses, yet the consequences of reduced diversity for ecosystem functioning remain uncertain. Functional redundancy, where multiple species fu...
Climate change threatens plant communities worldwide with substantial species losses, yet the consequences of reduced diversity for ecosystem functioning remain uncertain. Functional redundancy, where multiple species fulfil similar ecological roles, may provide functional insurance by buffering ecosystem processes against species loss. Here, we combined plant composition data from 646 TERN AusPlots with gap-filled trait data (maximum plant height, leaf mass per area, and seed dry mass) from the AusTraits database to deliver the first continental-scale assessment of functional redundancy in Australian plant communities. By explicitly examining diversity metrics and functional redundancy across biomes, we assessed functional vulnerability and buffering capacity under climate change. We estimated potential impacts of species loss under future climates using community thermal and aridity tolerances relative to projected climate exposure. We analysed the continental distribution of functional redundancy (reflecting competitive ability, resource acquisition strategies, and dispersal-establishment trade-offs), projected climate-driven compositional change, and relationships with bioclimate to identify vulnerable native communities. Our results revealed strong latitudinal gradients in climate-change impacts, with tropical northern communities facing greater risk of compositional change as future hotter and drier conditions become unsuitable for monsoon-dependent species. Functional redundancy of current vegetation communities increased toward central Australia, aligning with increasingly stressful (hotter, drier) bioclimates. At the biome scale, Mediterranean and arid communities exhibited higher functional redundancy and lower climate risk due to shared drought-adapted traits. Future rainfall changes were the dominant driver of climate-induced shifts in plant community composition. The most vulnerable communities, at highest risk of functional destabilisation, were located along the northern coastline, with additional hotspots in southern Mediterranean regions of South Australia and Western Australia. Conservation and monitoring efforts should prioritise these regions. Our findings highlight how local bioclimate influences functional redundancy and future climate-change-driven vulnerability, providing a spatial framework to support biodiversity monitoring, policy and land management across Australia.
Global oxygen distributions at the Earth's surface.
Kowalski AS, García-Valdecasas Ojeda M
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42019436 · Publisher ↗
Available oxygen (O), described by its partial pressure ( [Formula: see text] ), governs key aerobic processes like dissolution, respiration, and oxidation. It makes up a practically constant fraction of the partial pres...
Available oxygen (O), described by its partial pressure ( [Formula: see text] ), governs key aerobic processes like dissolution, respiration, and oxidation. It makes up a practically constant fraction of the partial pressure of dry air (p), which declines at constant pressure (p) with rising water vapor pressure (e) according to Dalton's law (p = p + e). Since sea level p does not increase equatorward away from temperate zones, tropical humidity-with e reaching several percent of p-suppresses both p and [Formula: see text] by equal proportions. Oxygen's molar fraction ( [Formula: see text] ) reflects this, dropping by thousands of ppm in the tropics, unlike the humidity-invariant dry-air fraction ( [Formula: see text] ), which varies inversely with carbon dioxide over mere dozens of ppm. Past O studies eliminated water vapor and analyzed dry air expressing [Formula: see text] , which was useful in constraining the carbon cycle but misrepresented O abundances and gradients. Using ERA5 reanalysis data, we estimate molar fractions of dry air (χ) to map global [Formula: see text] , revealing strong meridional gradients from the highly aerobic winter pole to the relatively hypoxic tropics. Reckoning with humidity's control over p and χ clarifies key features of atmospheric O cycling such as cross-equatorial exchanges, air-sea fluxes, and the physical mechanisms of gas transport. This challenges transport models based exclusively on diffusion and highlights the hydrological cycle's role in propelling air away from water vapor sources, significantly conveying not only O, but also greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.
Effects of a formulation of the veterinary drug moxidectin on the performance of a plant-insect food chain.
García A, Diekötter T, Sabu J … +4 more , Greene LO, Kuhtz L, Donath TW, Eichberg C
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42019435 · Publisher ↗
The increasing use of veterinary anthelmintics, which mainly enter the environment via livestock feces, raises concerns about side effects on non-target organisms in agricultural landscapes. While most studies have focus...
The increasing use of veterinary anthelmintics, which mainly enter the environment via livestock feces, raises concerns about side effects on non-target organisms in agricultural landscapes. While most studies have focused on species at a single trophic level that are directly exposed to these drugs, little is known about their indirect effects on interacting species across trophic levels and the associated ecological functions. To address this research gap, we conducted the first experimental study on a terrestrial species assemblage exposed to soil spiked with a formulation of the commonly used veterinary anthelmintic moxidectin (MOX). Using two mesocosm experiments, we tested a food chain composed of cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, host), green peach aphid (Myzus persicae, herbivore), and marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus, predator as a larva and pollinator as an adult). MOX significantly reduced the number and weight of strawberry fruits by 24% and 32%, respectively. Aphid abundance increased by an order of magnitude on plants treated with MOX, but only when no hoverfly larvae were present. In the presence of the predator, aphid abundance was reduced regardless of the treatment applied to the plant. Adult hoverflies exposed to MOX-treated plants laid about four times as many eggs as the control group. We suspect that the anthelmintic drug weakens the plants' defense mechanisms against herbivores such as aphids, thereby fostering their reproduction. These results indicate that the role of veterinary drugs in shaping plant-insect interactions should be addressed more explicitly in ecotoxicological studies and environmental risk assessments.
Effect-based aggregate exposure pathways for tracking mixture potency across the source-to-target site continuum.
Sanganyado E
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42019434 · Publisher ↗
Environmental exposures often arise from multiple sources, diverse chemical stressors, and interconnected exposure pathways, making it difficult to mechanistically link external exposures to biological effects. The aggre...
Environmental exposures often arise from multiple sources, diverse chemical stressors, and interconnected exposure pathways, making it difficult to mechanistically link external exposures to biological effects. The aggregate exposure pathway (AEP) framework was proposed a decade ago to address this challenge by organizing exposure data from source to target site through measurable states of the stressor (e.g., amount, size, properties, composition). However, AEPs have struggled to gain traction probably since exposure data remain poorly interoperable. An effect-based AEP framework is proposed that adopt bioanalytical equivalence quotients as bioassay endpoint-specific potency metrics for tracking mixture activity across exposure states. Using a hypothetical contaminated river with fish as the biological receptor, two interconnected AEPs comprising eleven key exposure states were constructed. Weight-of-evidence assessment showed that potential linkages (essentiality) between key exposure states were strongest at source and in environmental media but weaker for internal exposure states, while key translational relationships were generally strong in theoretical plausibility but showed stronger empirical support and quantitative understanding in environmental media than in complex environmental and biological matrices. These findings revealed data gaps probably caused by current limitations in extracting complex chemical mixtures and quantifying bioanalytical equivalence quotients in complex matrices. This effect-based AEP framework provides a quantitative and scalable basis for mechanistic mixture risk assessment in the exposome era.
Long-term forecasting of water quality and algal dynamics in riverine systems using advanced physicochemical-informed machine learning models.
Shadkani S, Fisk AT, Saber A
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42019433 · Publisher ↗
Monitoring water quality in riverine ecosystems is vital for safeguarding public health and maintaining environmental sustainability. Although data-driven modeling approaches have enhanced the ability to forecast chlorop...
Monitoring water quality in riverine ecosystems is vital for safeguarding public health and maintaining environmental sustainability. Although data-driven modeling approaches have enhanced the ability to forecast chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and orthophosphate (PO), achieving high forecast accuracy across diverse environmental conditions remains a significant challenge. This study introduces two novel hybrid models, the Wavelet-Physicochemical Enhanced Kinetic Neural Network (WT-PhyEKNN) and the Wavelet-Physicochemical Regularized Kinetic XGBoost Tree (WT-PhyRKXT), which integrate biogeochemical kinetics governing nutrient cycling, algal growth, and heat‑oxygen dynamics. WT-PhyRKXT surpassed alternative models by incorporating biogeochemical process logic into its architecture, anchoring predictions in ecological theory instead of relying on statistical correlations. In 360-day ahead forecasts for the Des Plaines River, WT-PhyRKXT-5 emerged as the superior framework, achieving R values of 0.880 for Chl-a and 0.839 for PO, with relative errors (RE) of 4.38% and 17.80%, respectively. It should be noted that Config 5 requires future exogenous driver data (e.g., surface heat fluxes, radiation) for operational forecasting, which may be obtained from meteorological forecasts or reanalysis products. Beyond its statistical performance, the model demonstrated capacity to support ecological diagnostic applications. The model forecasted 95.09% of days as poor or very poor for PO in close agreement with the observed value of 94.15%, and captured critical seasonal patterns, including the July peak in Chl-a and PO, increase from August to December. The model's categorical fidelity provided information for risk assessments, with results consistent with a persistent water quality decline in the study area potentially driven by internal loading. The framework is applicable to riverine systems with pronounced seasonal dynamics and moderate data availability, though transferability to other hydroclimatic settings requires further evaluation. WT-PhyRKXT-5 thus established a new paradigm, a scalable, interpretable, and robust tool that advances forecasting from statistical correlation to physicochemical-informed ecological analysis, providing support for adaptive management of impaired freshwater systems.
Identification of carbon dioxide flux drivers in a High Arctic tundra environment.
di Valdengo FA, Forni P, Giamberini M … +3 more , Magnani M, Provenzale A, Marta S
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42019432 · Publisher ↗
We analysed the carbon dioxide fluxes from vegetation, measured by portable flux chambers, and several meteo-climatic and environmental variables obtained during six summer campaigns at two different sites in the High-Ar...
We analysed the carbon dioxide fluxes from vegetation, measured by portable flux chambers, and several meteo-climatic and environmental variables obtained during six summer campaigns at two different sites in the High-Arctic tundra in the Bayelva basin near Ny Ålesund, Svalbard, during the period 2019-2025. The two sites have similar climatic conditions and vegetation cover, in terms of species distribution and abundance, but different distance from the glaciers. The measured fluxes provided information on Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE), Ecosystem Respiration (ER) and Gross Primary Production (GPP) on 674 single measurement points. A single statistical, data-driven model on the whole dataset explained up to 53% of the variance of the data for ER, and 67% of the variance for GPP. Besides the classic dependences on soil temperature for ER and solar irradiance for GPP, the main drivers were found to be Green Fractional Cover and soil Volumetric Water Content. Site-specific modelling revealed limited differences between the two sites, while interannual variability was more consistent.
Soil type, texture and minimum temperature are key factors shaping the interaction of Fusarium species and soil saprophages in agroecosystems.
Goncharov AA, van Capelle C, Meyer-Wolfarth F … +1 more , Schrader S
Sci Total Environ · 2026 May · PMID 42013602 · Publisher ↗
In recent years, phytopathogenic soil fungi such as Fusarium have become increasingly resistant to the fungicides available and have overcome resistances in crop varieties. Against this background, bioregulation by soil...
In recent years, phytopathogenic soil fungi such as Fusarium have become increasingly resistant to the fungicides available and have overcome resistances in crop varieties. Against this background, bioregulation by soil animals has gained importance. However, there is a lack of knowledge about which key environmental factors influence interactions of Fusarium species and antagonistic soil invertebrates in agroecosystems to what extent. To fill this gap, a meta-study was performed based on an extensive dataset, which combined the results of 14 experiments assessing the effects of various environmental factors on Fusarium and antagonistic soil saprophages under different soil and climatic conditions. Quantitative relationships between key environmental factors and the abundance of soil saprophages (here: Collembola and Lumbricidae) and Fusarium species were identified. Based on simulations using a set of optimal models, the predicted potential of soil saprophages to reduce Fusarium species (expressed as the ratio of their abundances) increased to different extents depending on soil type when shifting from conventional to conservation tillage: by 112% in Luvisol and by 427% in Phaeozem. Additionally, the ratio of Fusarium species to soil saprophages was negatively associated with minimum air temperature and positively associated with soil clay content. A deeper understanding of the soil factors which determine interactions between beneficial and harmful soil organisms opens up new possibilities for a sustainable control of pathogens. The findings gained can be applied in the development of new complex Fusarium control strategies in which biological soil services play an essential role.
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