Temperate forests cover 16% of the global forest area. Within these forests, the understorey is an important biodiversity reservoir that can influence ecosystem processes and functions in multiple ways. However, we still lack a thorough understanding of the relative importance of the understorey for temperate forest functioning. As a result, understoreys are often ignored during assessments of forest functioning and changes thereof under global change. We here compiled studies that quantify the relative importance of the understorey for temperate forest functioning, focussing on litter production, nutrient cycling, evapotranspiration, tree regeneration, pollination and pathogen dynamics. We describe the mechanisms driving understorey functioning and develop a conceptual framework synthesizing possible effects of multiple global change drivers on understorey‐mediated forest ecosystem functioning. Our review illustrates that the understorey's contribution to temperate forest functioning is significant but varies depending on the ecosystem function and the environmental context, and more importantly, the characteristics of the overstorey. To predict changes in understorey functioning and its relative importance for temperate forest functioning under global change, we argue that a simultaneous investigation of both overstorey and understorey functional responses to global change will be crucial. Our review shows that such studies are still very scarce, only available for a limited set of ecosystem functions and limited to quantification, providing little data to forecast functional responses to global change.

In this paper, Pd/ZnO samples with various palladium contents were prepared through a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The crystal structures, chemical compositions, and optical properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that partial Pd loads on the surface and that the rest is doped in the lattice of ZnO. In addition, the relationship among the photoluminescence, photocatalytic performance, and electronic structure of the samples is investigated in detail. It is found that the modification of palladium not only modulates the electronic structure of ZnO but also affects the amount of surface hydroxyl. The former determines the optical properties of Pd/ZnO, leading to the shift of absorption and PL peaks, while the latter influences the photocatalytic activity of the samples. The modification of palladium at an optimal value not only promotes the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs but also increases the amount of the surface hydroxyl resulting in the promotion of photodegradation efficiency.

Li‐CO 2 battery has attracted extensive attention and research due to its super high theoretical energy density and its ability to fix greenhouse gas CO 2 . However, the slow reaction kinetics during discharge/charge seriously limits its development. Hence, a simple cation exchange strategy is developed to introduce Ru atoms onto a Co 3 O 4 nanosheet array grown on carbon cloth (SA Ru‐Co 3 O 4 /CC) to prepare a single atom site catalyst (SASC) and successfully used in Li‐CO 2 battery. Li‐CO 2 batteries based on SA Ru‐Co 3 O 4 /CC cathode exhibit enhanced electrochemical performances including low overpotential, ultra high capacity, and long cycle life. Density functional theory calculations reveal that single atom Ru as the driving force center can significantly enhance the intrinsic affinity for key intermediates, thus enhancing the reaction kinetics of CO 2 reduction reaction in Li‐CO 2 batteries, and ultimately optimizing the growth pathway of discharge products. In addition, the Bader charge analysis indicates that Ru atoms as electron‐deficient centers can enhance the catalytic activity of SA Ru‐Co 3 O 4 /CC cathode for the CO 2 evolution reaction. It is believed that this work has important implications for the development of new SASCs and the design of efficient catalyst for Li‐CO 2 batteries.

No abstract

Abstract. Invasive alien plant effects on ecosystem functions are often difficult to predict across environmental gradients due to the context-dependent interactions between the invader and the recipient communities. Adopting a functional trait-based framework could provide more mechanistic predictions for invasive species' impacts. In this study, we contrast litter decomposition rates among communities with and without the invasive plant Impatiens glandulifera in five regions along a 1600 km long latitudinal gradient in Europe. Across this gradient, four functional traits, namely leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf area (SLA), stem-specific density (SSD), and plant height, are correlated to rates of litter decomposition of standardized rooibos (labile), green tea (recalcitrant), and I. glandulifera litter. Our results show that both invaded and non-invaded plant communities had a higher expression of acquisitive traits (low LDMC and SSD, high SLA) with increasing temperature along the latitudinal gradient, partly explaining the variation in decomposition rates along the gradient. At the same time, invasion shifted community trait composition toward more acquisitive traits across the latitudinal gradient. These trait changes partly explained the increased litter decomposition rates of the labile litter fraction of rooibos and I. glandulifera litter in invaded communities, a shift that was most evident in the warmer study regions. Plant available nitrogen was lower in invaded communities, likely due to high nutrient uptake by I. glandulifera. Meanwhile, the coldest study region was characterized by a reversed effect of invasion on decomposition rates. Here, community traits related to low litter quality and potential allelopathic effects of the invader resulted in reduced litter decomposition rates, suggesting a threshold temperature at which invader effects on litter decomposition turn positive. This study therefore illustrates how functional trait changes toward acquisitive traits can help explain invader-induced changes in ecosystem functions such as increased litter decomposition.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with varied morphologies and pore structures were synthesized on the kilogram scale using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and an anionic surfactant as co-templates.

No abstract

No abstract