Gypsum drylands are widespread worldwide. In these arid ecosystems, the ability of different species to access different water sources during drought is a key determining factor of the composition of plant communities. Gypsum crystallization water could be a relevant source of water for shallow-rooted plants, but the segregation in the use of this source of water among plants remains unexplored. We analysed the principal water sources used by 20 species living in a gypsum hilltop, the effect of rooting depth and gypsum affinity, and the interaction of the plants with the soil beneath them.
MethodsWe characterized the water stable isotope composition, \uffce\uffb4\uffe2\uff80\uff8a2H and \uffce\uffb4\uffe2\uff80\uff8a18O, of plant xylem water and related it to the free and gypsum crystallization water extracted from different depths throughout the soil profile and the groundwater, in both spring and summer. Bayesian isotope mixing models were used to estimate the contribution of water sources to plant xylem sap.
Key ResultsIn spring, all species used free water from the top soil as the main source. In summer, there was segregation in water sources used by different species depending on their rooting depth, but not on their gypsum affinity. Gypsum crystallization water was the main source for most shallow-rooted species, whereas free water from 50 to 100 cm depth was the main source for deep-rooted species. We detected plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil interactions in spring, and indirect evidence of possible hydraulic lift by deep-rooted species in summer.
ConclusionsPlants coexisting in gypsum communities segregate their hydrological niches according to their rooting depth. Crystallization water of gypsum represents an unaccounted for, vital source for most of the shallow-rooted species growing on gypsum drylands. Thus, crystallization water helps shallow-rooted species to endure arid conditions, which eventually accounts for the maintenance of high biodiversity in these specialized ecosystems.The continuous decline of biodiversity is determined by the complex and joint effects of multiple environmental drivers. Still, a large part of past global change studies reporting and explaining biodiversity trends have focused on a single driver. Therefore, we are often unable to attribute biodiversity changes to different drivers, since a multivariable design is required to disentangle joint effects and interactions. In this work, we used a meta\uffe2\uff80\uff90regression within a Bayesian framework to analyze 843 time series of population abundance from 17 European amphibian and reptile species over the last 45\uffc2\uffa0years. We investigated the relative effects of climate change, alien species, habitat availability, and habitat change in driving trends of population abundance over time, and evaluated how the importance of these factors differs across species. A large number of populations (54%) declined, but differences between species were strong, with some species showing positive trends. Populations declined more often in areas with a high number of alien species, and in areas where climate change has caused loss of suitability. Habitat features showed small variation over the last 25\uffc2\uffa0years, with an average loss of suitable habitat of 0.1%/year per population. Still, a strong interaction between habitat availability and the richness of alien species indicated that the negative impact of alien species was particularly strong for populations living in landscapes with less suitable habitat. Furthermore, when excluding the two commonest species, habitat loss was the main correlate of negative population trends for the remaining species. By analyzing trends for multiple species across a broad spatial scale, we identify alien species, climate change, and habitat changes as the major drivers of European amphibian and reptile decline.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "570", "[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes", "Climate Change", "Reptiles", "Bayes Theorem", "Biodiversity", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Amphibians", "13. Climate action", "Animals", "14. Life underwater", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "alien species; climate change; demography; land-cover change; meta-analysis; population trends; species distribution models", "Ecosystem"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/652580/2/Falaschi_etal_pnlinefirst_2019.pdf"}, {"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/652580/5/Falaschi_et_al-2019-Global_Change_Biology%20%281%29.pdf"}, {"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/652580/7/Falaschi%20et%20al%202019%20Global%20Change%20Biology%20submitted.pdf"}, {"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.14739"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14739"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.14739", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.14739", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.14739"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-07-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0076447", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-26T16:21:38Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2013-09-26", "title": "The Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community Response To Warming And Grazing Differs Between Soil And Roots On The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau", "description": "Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form symbiotic associations with most plant species in terrestrial ecosystems, and are affected by environmental variations. To reveal the impact of disturbance on an AM fungal community under future global warming, we examined the abundance and community composition of AM fungi in both soil and mixed roots in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. Warming and grazing had no significant effect on AM root colonization, spore density and extraradical hyphal density. A total of 65 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of AM fungi were identified from soil and roots using molecular techniques. AM fungal OTU richness was higher in soil (54 OTUs) than in roots (34 OTUs), and some AM fungi that differed between soil and roots, showed significantly biased occurrence to warming or grazing. Warming and grazing did not significantly affect AM fungal OTU richness in soil, but warming with grazing significantly increased AM fungal OTU richness in roots compared to the grazing-only treatment. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis showed that the AM fungal community composition was significantly different between soil and roots, and was significantly affected by grazing in roots, whereas in soil it was significantly affected by warming and plant species richness. The results suggest that the AM fungal community responds differently to warming and grazing in soil compared with roots. This study provides insights into the role of AM fungi under global environmental change scenarios in alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "Hot Temperature", "Science", "Molecular Sequence Data", "Population Dynamics", "Global Warming", "Plant Roots", "Polymerase Chain Reaction", "01 natural sciences", "Species Specificity", "Mycorrhizae", "Herbivory", "Phylogeny", "Soil Microbiology", "2. Zero hunger", "Analysis of Variance", "Base Sequence", "Models", " Genetic", "Altitude", "Q", "R", "Bayes Theorem", "Sequence Analysis", " DNA", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Spores", " Fungal", "15. Life on land", "Biota", "Medicine", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Polymorphism", " Restriction Fragment Length", "Research Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0076447"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLoS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371/journal.pone.0076447", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371/journal.pone.0076447", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371/journal.pone.0076447"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-09-26T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3929/ethz-b-000278733", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-26T16:23:47Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-07-06", "title": "Cost\u2013benefit optimization of structural health monitoring sensor networks", "description": "Structural health monitoring (SHM) allows the acquisition of information on the structural integrity of any mechanical system by processing data, measured through a set of sensors, in order to estimate relevant mechanical parameters and indicators of performance. Herein we present a method to perform the cost\uffe2\uff80\uff93benefit optimization of a sensor network by defining the density, type, and positioning of the sensors to be deployed. The effectiveness (benefit) of an SHM system may be quantified by means of information theory, namely through the expected Shannon information gain provided by the measured data, which allows the inherent uncertainties of the experimental process (i.e., those associated with the prediction error and the parameters to be estimated) to be accounted for. In order to evaluate the computationally expensive Monte Carlo estimator of the objective function, a framework comprising surrogate models (polynomial chaos expansion), model order reduction methods (principal component analysis), and stochastic optimization methods is introduced. Two optimization strategies are proposed: the maximization of the information provided by the measured data, given the technological, identifiability, and budgetary constraints; and the maximization of the information\uffe2\uff80\uff93cost ratio. The application of the framework to a large-scale structural problem, the Pirelli tower in Milan, is presented, and the two comprehensive optimization methods are compared.
", "keywords": ["Stochastic Processes", "structural health monitoring", "structural health monitoring; Bayesian inference; cost\u2013benefit analysis; stochastic optimization; information theory; Bayesian experimental design; surrogate modeling; model order reduction", "Chemical technology", "Cost-Benefit Analysis", "Bayesian inference", "Bayesian experimental design", "Uncertainty", "Bayes Theorem", "TP1-1185", "02 engineering and technology", "stochastic optimization", "Bayesian experimental design; Bayesian inference; Benefit analysis; Cost; Information theory; Model order reduction; Stochastic optimization; Structural health monitoring; Surrogate modeling; Algorithms; Monte Carlo Method; Nonlinear Dynamics; Stochastic Processes; Uncertainty; Bayes Theorem; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Analytical Chemistry; Atomic and Molecular Physics", " and Optics; Biochemistry; Instrumentation; Electrical and Electronic Engineering", "Article", "surrogate modeling", "0201 civil engineering", "Nonlinear Dynamics", "model order reduction", "cost\u2013benefit analysis", "Monte Carlo Method", "Algorithms", "information theory"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/7/2174/pdf"}, {"href": "https://re.public.polimi.it/bitstream/11311/1085132/1/Sensors_2018b.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000278733"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Sensors", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3929/ethz-b-000278733", "name": "item", "description": "10.3929/ethz-b-000278733", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3929/ethz-b-000278733"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-07-06T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10072/426049", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-06-26T16:28:05Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-09-09", "title": "Micro- and nanoplastics in soil: Linking sources to damage on soil ecosystem services in life cycle assessment", "description": "Soil ecosystems are crucial for providing vital ecosystem services (ES), and are increasingly pressured by the intensification and expansion of human activities, leading to potentially harmful consequences for their related ES provision. Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs), associated with releases from various human activities, have become prevalent in various soil ecosystems and pose a global threat. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a tool for evaluating environmental performance of product and technology life cycles, has yet to adequately include MNPs-related damage to soil ES, owing to factors like uncertainties in MNPs environmental fate and ecotoxicological effects, and characterizing related damage on soil species loss, functional diversity, and ES. This study aims to address this gap by providing as a first step an overview of the current understanding of MNPs in soil ecosystems and proposing a conceptual approach to link MNPs impacts to soil ES damage. We find that MNPs pervade soil ecosystems worldwide, introduced through various pathways, including wastewater discharge, urban runoff, atmospheric deposition, and degradation of larger plastic debris. MNPs can inflict a range of ecotoxicity effects on soil species, including physical harm, chemical toxicity, and pollutants bioaccumulation. Methods to translate these impacts into damage on ES are under development and typically focus on discrete, yet not fully integrated aspects along the impact-to-damage pathway. We propose a conceptual framework for linking different MNPs effects on soil organisms to damage on soil species loss, functional diversity loss and loss of ES, and elaborate on each link. Proposed underlying approaches include the Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) for translating ecotoxicological effects associated with MNPs into quantitative measures of soil species diversity damage; trait-based approaches for linking soil species loss to functional diversity loss; and ecological networks and Bayesian Belief Networks for linking functional diversity loss to soil ES damage. With the proposed conceptual framework, our study constitutes a starting point for including the characterization of MNPs-related damage on soil ES in LCA.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Damage modeling", "Life Cycle Stages", "Terrestrial ecology", "Soil organisms", "Pollution and contamination", "Microplastics", "Bayes Theorem", "15. Life on land", "/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/responsible_consumption_and_production; name=SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production", "6. Clean water", "Soil sciences", "Soil", "/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/affordable_and_clean_energy; name=SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy", "13. Climate action", "Soil health", "11. Sustainability", "Biodiversity loss", "Humans", "Animals", "Life cycle impact assessment", "Soil ecosystem", "Ecosystem"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10072/426049"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10072/426049", "name": "item", "description": "10072/426049", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10072/426049"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10261/358350", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-06-26T16:28:17Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-08-17", "title": "Disentangling water sources in a gypsum plant community. Gypsum crystallization water is a key source of water for shallow-rooted plants", "description": "AbstractBackground and AimsGypsum drylands are widespread worldwide. In these arid ecosystems, the ability of different species to access different water sources during drought is a key determining factor of the composition of plant communities. Gypsum crystallization water could be a relevant source of water for shallow-rooted plants, but the segregation in the use of this source of water among plants remains unexplored. We analysed the principal water sources used by 20 species living in a gypsum hilltop, the effect of rooting depth and gypsum affinity, and the interaction of the plants with the soil beneath them.
MethodsWe characterized the water stable isotope composition, \uffce\uffb4\uffe2\uff80\uff8a2H and \uffce\uffb4\uffe2\uff80\uff8a18O, of plant xylem water and related it to the free and gypsum crystallization water extracted from different depths throughout the soil profile and the groundwater, in both spring and summer. Bayesian isotope mixing models were used to estimate the contribution of water sources to plant xylem sap.
Key ResultsIn spring, all species used free water from the top soil as the main source. In summer, there was segregation in water sources used by different species depending on their rooting depth, but not on their gypsum affinity. Gypsum crystallization water was the main source for most shallow-rooted species, whereas free water from 50 to 100 cm depth was the main source for deep-rooted species. We detected plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil interactions in spring, and indirect evidence of possible hydraulic lift by deep-rooted species in summer.
ConclusionsPlants coexisting in gypsum communities segregate their hydrological niches according to their rooting depth. Crystallization water of gypsum represents an unaccounted for, vital source for most of the shallow-rooted species growing on gypsum drylands. Thus, crystallization water helps shallow-rooted species to endure arid conditions, which eventually accounts for the maintenance of high biodiversity in these specialized ecosystems.Gypsum drylands are widespread worldwide. In these arid ecosystems, the ability of different species to access different water sources during drought is a key determining factor of the composition of plant communities. Gypsum crystallization water could be a relevant source of water for shallow-rooted plants, but the segregation in the use of this source of water among plants remains unexplored. We analysed the principal water sources used by 20 species living in a gypsum hilltop, the effect of rooting depth and gypsum affinity, and the interaction of the plants with the soil beneath them.
MethodsWe characterized the water stable isotope composition, \uffce\uffb4\uffe2\uff80\uff8a2H and \uffce\uffb4\uffe2\uff80\uff8a18O, of plant xylem water and related it to the free and gypsum crystallization water extracted from different depths throughout the soil profile and the groundwater, in both spring and summer. Bayesian isotope mixing models were used to estimate the contribution of water sources to plant xylem sap.
Key ResultsIn spring, all species used free water from the top soil as the main source. In summer, there was segregation in water sources used by different species depending on their rooting depth, but not on their gypsum affinity. Gypsum crystallization water was the main source for most shallow-rooted species, whereas free water from 50 to 100 cm depth was the main source for deep-rooted species. We detected plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil interactions in spring, and indirect evidence of possible hydraulic lift by deep-rooted species in summer.
ConclusionsPlants coexisting in gypsum communities segregate their hydrological niches according to their rooting depth. Crystallization water of gypsum represents an unaccounted for, vital source for most of the shallow-rooted species growing on gypsum drylands. Thus, crystallization water helps shallow-rooted species to endure arid conditions, which eventually accounts for the maintenance of high biodiversity in these specialized ecosystems.An important consideration in the treatment of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is whether the addition of methotrexate (MTX) to biologics has greater efficacy than biologic monotherapy with respect to efficacy outcomes in these patients.
ObjectivesTo conduct a network meta-analysis (NMA) comparing biologics by treatment class with and without MTX for treatment of adults with active PsA.
MethodsA systematic literature review (SLR) identified randomised, double-blinded, controlled trials, and a Bayesian NMA compared biologics with and without MTX by treatment class (tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), interleukin-23 inhibitors (IL-23i) and IL-17i). Efficacy outcomes included American College of Rheumatology 20%, 50% and 70% (ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70) improvement response.
ResultsThe SLR initially identified 31 studies, of which 17 met feasibility criteria for the NMA by containing the \uffe2\uff80\uff98without MTX\uffe2\uff80\uff99 subgroup. For ACR20 efficacy (the most robust assessment examined), all active treatments were significantly better than placebo. No statistically significant differences were demonstrated between biologic monotherapy (for all classes examined) and biologics in combination with MTX for ACR20/50. IL-17i were comparable to IL-23i, and IL-17i were significantly better than TNFi for ACR20. Although limited by fewer trials, TNFi, IL-23i and IL-17i were not statistically different for ACR50/70.
ConclusionsConcomitant use of MTX and biologics did not improve ACR efficacy outcomes versus biologic monotherapy. MTX does not appear to be necessary as a background therapy when biologics are used for the achievement of ACR20/50 responses in patients with PsA.
", "keywords": ["Adult", "Biological Products", "Psoriatic Arthritis", "Arthritis", " Psoriatic", "Network Meta-Analysis", "R", "Antibodies", " Monoclonal", "Bayes Theorem", "United States", "3. Good health", "Arthritis", " Rheumatoid", "03 medical and health sciences", "Methotrexate", "0302 clinical medicine", "Antirheumatic Agents", "Medicine", "Humans", "Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/PMC10831472"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/RMD%20Open", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "PMC10831472", "name": "item", "description": "PMC10831472", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PMC10831472"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "PMC8829898", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-06-26T16:33:21Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-08-17", "title": "Disentangling water sources in a gypsum plant community. Gypsum crystallization water is a key source of water for shallow-rooted plants", "description": "AbstractBackground and AimsGypsum drylands are widespread worldwide. In these arid ecosystems, the ability of different species to access different water sources during drought is a key determining factor of the composition of plant communities. Gypsum crystallization water could be a relevant source of water for shallow-rooted plants, but the segregation in the use of this source of water among plants remains unexplored. We analysed the principal water sources used by 20 species living in a gypsum hilltop, the effect of rooting depth and gypsum affinity, and the interaction of the plants with the soil beneath them.
MethodsWe characterized the water stable isotope composition, \uffce\uffb4\uffe2\uff80\uff8a2H and \uffce\uffb4\uffe2\uff80\uff8a18O, of plant xylem water and related it to the free and gypsum crystallization water extracted from different depths throughout the soil profile and the groundwater, in both spring and summer. Bayesian isotope mixing models were used to estimate the contribution of water sources to plant xylem sap.
Key ResultsIn spring, all species used free water from the top soil as the main source. In summer, there was segregation in water sources used by different species depending on their rooting depth, but not on their gypsum affinity. Gypsum crystallization water was the main source for most shallow-rooted species, whereas free water from 50 to 100 cm depth was the main source for deep-rooted species. We detected plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil interactions in spring, and indirect evidence of possible hydraulic lift by deep-rooted species in summer.
ConclusionsPlants coexisting in gypsum communities segregate their hydrological niches according to their rooting depth. Crystallization water of gypsum represents an unaccounted for, vital source for most of the shallow-rooted species growing on gypsum drylands. Thus, crystallization water helps shallow-rooted species to endure arid conditions, which eventually accounts for the maintenance of high biodiversity in these specialized ecosystems.