The tundra is warming more rapidly than any other biome on Earth, and the potential ramifications are far-reaching because of global feedback effects between vegetation and climate. A better... Show moreThe tundra is warming more rapidly than any other biome on Earth, and the potential ramifications are far-reaching because of global feedback effects between vegetation and climate. A better understanding of how environmental factors shape plant structure and function is crucial for predicting the consequences of environmental change for ecosystem functioning. Here we explore the biome-wide relationships between temperature, moisture and seven key plant functional traits both across space and over three decades of warming at 117 tundra locations. Spatial temperature-trait relationships were generally strong but soil moisture had a marked influence on the strength and direction of these relationships, highlighting the potentially important influence of changes in water availability on future trait shifts in tundra plant communities. Community height increased with warming across all sites over the past three decades, but other traits lagged far behind predicted rates of change. Our findings highlight the challenge of using space-for-time substitution to predict the functional consequences of future warming and suggest that functions that are tied closely to plant height will experience the most rapid change. They also reveal the strength with which environmental factors shape biotic communities at the coldest extremes of the planet and will help to improve projections of functional changes in tundra ecosystems with climate warming. Show less
Stensvold, C.R.; Lebbad, M.; Verweij, J.J.; Jespersgaard, C.; Samson-Himmelstjerna, G. von; Nielsen, S.S.; Nielsen, H.V. 2010
A method using a single-round PCR coupled to pyrosequencing was developed for the detection and differentiation of members of the Entamoeba complex The technique was evaluated using DNA Isolated... Show moreA method using a single-round PCR coupled to pyrosequencing was developed for the detection and differentiation of members of the Entamoeba complex The technique was evaluated using DNA Isolated directly from faecal specimens and compared with a duplex real-time PCR targeting Entamoeba histo lytica and Entamoeba dispar and a conventional single-round PCR for the detection of Entamoeba moshkovskii Tetranucleate cysts from 102 faecal specimens from Swedish Danish and Dutch patients test-positive for the Entamoeba complex by coproscopic examination were identified to species using each of the three methods Although none of the patients were confirmed to be positive for E moshkovskii E histolytica and E dispar were identified in 17 and 86 of the samples respectively one of the samples containing both species There was concordance in results between pyrosequencing and the two other methods used This study showed that PCR and pyrosequencing could be used for the rapid and high throughput identification of Entamoeba species (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved Show less