Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
Abstract
While the potential of road verges as habitats with conservation value is increasingly recognised, a better understanding of the drivers of differences in species diversity and richness is needed to devise appropriate management strategies. We quantified the effects of a set of key environmental variables on plant species richness along four roads in Sweden, all showing variation in vegetation along their stretches. We identified variables of particular importance but found that their effects differed depending on location, highlighting strong context dependence. We concluded that species richness was generally higher in road verges with low vegetation (e.g. low-productive habitats) and with less dense vegetation cover (e.g. habitats characterised by ground disturbance resulting in exposed or sparsely vegetated soil), and increased further with higher sun exposure. Our study contributes to the understanding of which environmental conditions and mechanisms should be considered when constructing and maintaining road verges and represents a step towards a unifying framework for road verge habitat ecology.
Authors
Nusrat Sharmin Ulrike Böcker Rune SlimestadAbstract
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Authors
Aarstad, Thea AmalieAbstract
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Authors
Thomas M. Mansfield Artin Zarsav Filipa Cox Laura M. Suz Martin I. Bidartondo Sietse van der Linde Nadia Barsoum Colin Averill Alan Kuo Leho Tedersoo Pasi Rautio Arthur Gessler Bruno De Vos Luc Croisé Henning Meesenburg Markus Wagner Frank Jacob Paweł Lech Anna Kowalska Martin Greve Genoveva Popova Beat Frey Marcus Schaub Marco Ferretti Peter Waldner Vicent Calatayud Roberto Canullo Giancarlo Papitto Aleksander Marinšek Lars Vesterdal Morten Ingerslev Helge Meissner Volkmar Timmermann Nadine Eickenscheidt Andreas Schmitz Francis M. Martin Joseph Spatafora Peter G. Kennedy Annegret Kohler Jonathan M. Plett Ian C. Anderson Sara Branco Igor V. Grigoriev Chris J. Pires Sarah A. Unruh Lawrence W. Zettler Otto Miettinen Ilya Viner Tom W. May Teresa Lebel David E. A. Catcheside Pamela S. Catcheside Helen P. Vonow Leigh A. Burgoyne Julia Haska Mark A. AnthonyAbstract
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) produce mycelia with variable extension and complexity, which can be classified according to soil ‘exploration types’ (ETs). ETs have received attention as one of the few mycorrhizal trait frameworks, but without an empirical classification of ET functional diversity and environmental preferences, understanding and interpreting EMF biogeographic patterns has been difficult. We conducted a synthesis combining: comparative EMF genomics to describe functional divergence in decomposition and nutrient cycling genes across ETs; and EMF trait distribution modeling across continental Europe, pairing soil and root EMF surveys to establish biogeographic ET niche profiles. We demonstrate a signature of ETs encoded in EMF genomes, which is independent from phylogeny and linked to biomass production strategies. EMF ET relative abundances were separated by soil, root, and dominant tree leaf type habitats and exhibited unique correlations with forest biotic (e.g. plant productivity and plant pathogen densities) and abiotic (e.g. nitrogen deposition and soil pH) conditions. These findings support a theory that EMF niche partitioning can be partially explained by extraradical mycelial traits, with underlying variation in ET biogeography likely arising from distinct decomposition and nutrient cycling potentials. We also identify important limitations to this trait framework and provide a guided outlook for future research.
Authors
Lena Wohlgemuth Mathieu Jonard Andreas Schmitz Paul Schmidt-Walter Heleen Deroo Peter Waldner Nathalie Cools Bruno De Vos Arne Verstraeten Inken Krüger Anne Thimonier Volkmar Timmermann Mathias Neumann Pasi Rautio Kai SchwärzelAbstract
Key message A large European forest monitoring dataset reveals a pattern of reduced foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations following drought conditions in spruce and pine, and, in the case of P, beech and oak, often exhibiting N:P imbalances. Gradual nutritional imbalance and nutrient deficiency during droughts raise concern for tree vitality and forest carbon sequestration under climate change. Context Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential nutrients for tree metabolism, forest growth, and carbon sequestration, yet the drivers of their availability to trees are often complex to untangle. Aims and methods In this study, we investigated environmental controls of foliar N, P, and N:P based on > 4100 N and P measurements in foliage samples of main tree species (beech, oak, spruce, and pine) across 279 European monitoring sites by applying mixed regression models. Results We found overall nutritional declines over the past three decades that ranged from − 1.8% to − 2.7% and from − 3.5% to − 4.2% per 10 years for foliar N and P concentrations respectively. At around two-thirds of monitoring sites, where foliar N:P significantly increased over the examined time span, these increases were dominated by declines in foliar P. Foliar sampling years with summer droughts (standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index < − 1.2) were associated with lower standardized foliar P concentrations in all tree species compared to average years. Conclusion We concluded that variations in drought conditions drive foliar N and P on a short-term, mostly annual basis, while throughfall deposition of N impacted foliar N over larger time spans of several decades depending on tree species.
Abstract
Process-based forest models are increasingly used to guide management, but few are validated against fine-scale spatial patterns that emerge from neighborhood interactions. We tested whether the spatially explicit individual-based model SORTIE-ND, which simulates growth, mortality, and recruitment as functions of neighbourhood interactions among individual trees, can reproduce observed fine-scale structure in boreal mixedwoods. Using long-term data from the Lake Duparquet Research and Teaching Forest (Québec) station, we initialized simulations from transect plots representing younger post-fire stands and compared simulated outcomes to independent hectare plots of similar ages along a 249-year chronosequence. The spatial structure was quantified with inhomogeneous l-functions for univariate and bivariate patterns, and model performance was assessed by comparing observed curves to simulation envelopes. SORTIE-ND reproduced fine-scale patterns for balsam fir and trembling aspen, showed partial agreement for white spruce, and failed to match the observed clustering of paper birch. Cross-species patterns were captured for fir–aspen but not for pairs involving white spruce. These results indicate that SORTIE-ND can approximate fine-scale spatial patterns for dominant species in boreal mixedwoods, but limitations remain where key processes (e.g., vegetative propagation, substrate dependence) are under-represented. We discuss implications for stand- to landscape-scale management and recommend model extensions and more independent validation to improve generality.
Abstract
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Authors
Ararsa Derese SebokaAbstract
Energy systems in many low- and middle-income regions remained dominated by traditional biomass and fossil fuels, with significant implications for environmental sustainability, public health, and resource security. In Sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly in Ethiopia, biomass including firewood, charcoal, agricultural residues, and animal dung accounts for approximately 87% of total final energy consumption. Continued reliance on fuelwood and charcoal, combined with inefficient combustion technologies and unmanaged organic-waste disposal, contributed to deforestation, land degradation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and indoor air pollution. Methane emissions from open dumping of biodegradable waste further exacerbated climate impacts. Concurrently, population growth and rapid urbanization increased municipal solid-waste generation, of which a significant proportion comprises biodegradable and lignocellulosic fractions that remain largely untreated and underutilized. These converging pressures emphasized the need for integrated circular approaches that link waste management with renewable energy production, enabling recovery of value from lignocellulosic biomass while reducing environmental burdens. Lignocellulosic biomass represented a substantial yet underexploited renewable resource in Ethiopia. It is originating from agricultural residues, agro-industrial by-products, and service sector streams such as hotels and university campuses; these materials consist primarily of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin which are suitable for conversion into renewable energy carriers. However, most residues were disposed of through open dumping and informal burning, leading to uncontrolled emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases, air pollutants, localized soil and water contamination, and loss of recoverable energy. Effective valorization therefore required not only appropriate conversion technologies but also system-level integration that aligned feedstock characteristics, real-world energy demand, and environmental performance within a circular bioresource framework. The main objective of this PhD thesis was to evaluate the integrated circular valorization of lignocellulosic biomass into biogas and bio-briquettes and to assess the associated environmental implications in Southern Ethiopia. The research focused on hotels and university campuses as decentralized points where concentrated organic streams coexisted with continuous and predictable energy demand. By integrating national resource assessment, site-level energy and waste data, laboratory-scale solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) experimentation, and bio-briquette optimization, the thesis established a multi-scale framework for evaluating integrated circular valorization of lignocellulosic biomass in Southern Ethiopia.