Directional turnover towards larger-ranged plants over time and across habitats

Species turnover is ubiquitous. However, it remains unknown whether certain types of species are consistently gained or lost across different habitats. Here, we analysed the trajectories of 1827 plant species over time intervals of up to 78 years at 141 sites across mountain summits, forests, and lowland grasslands in Europe. We found, albeit with relatively small effect sizes, displacements of smaller- by larger-ranged species across habitats. Communities shifted in parallel towards more nutrient-demanding species, with species from nutrient-rich habitats having larger ranges. Because these species are typically strong competitors, declines of smaller-ranged species could reflect not only abiotic drivers of global change, but also biotic pressure from increased competition. The ubiquitous component of turnover based on species range size we found here may partially reconcile findings of no net loss in local diversity with global species loss, and link community-scale turnover to macroecological processes such as biotic homogenisation.

Response to Comment on "Forest microclimate dynamics drive plant responses to warming"

Schall and Heinrichs question our interpretation that the climatic debt in understory plant communities is locally modulated by canopy buffering. However, our results clearly show that the discrepancy between microclimate warming rates and thermophilization rates is highest in forests where canopy cover was reduced, which suggests that the need for communities to respond to warming is highest in those forests.

Response to Comment on "Forest microclimate dynamics drive plant responses to warming"

Bertrand et al question our interpretation about warming effects on the thermophilization in forest plant communities and propose an alternative way to analyze climatic debt. We show that microclimate warming is a better predictor than macroclimate warming for studying forest plant community responses to warming. Their additional analyses do not affect or change our interpretations and conclusions.

Forest microclimate dynamics drive plant responses to warming

Climate warming is causing a shift in biological communities in favor of warm-affinity species (i.e., thermophilization). Species responses often lag behind climate warming, but the reasons for such lags remain largely unknown. Here, we analyzed multidecadal understory microclimate dynamics in European forests and show that thermophilization and the climatic lag in forest plant communities are primarily controlled by microclimate. Increasing tree canopy cover reduces warming rates inside forests, but loss of canopy cover leads to increased local heat that exacerbates the disequilibrium between community responses and climate change. Reciprocal effects between plants and microclimates are key to understanding the response of forest biodiversity and functioning to climate and land-use changes.

Influence of human impacts on trace metal accumulation in soils of two Hungarian cities

Despite the advanced activity of urban soil research, comparison of available trace metal contents in the soil of settlements has not yet been well investigated. First aim of research was the comparison of human impacts on urban soils in two Hungarian cities with different structure and development. To detect the sources of contamination, Szombathely and Sopron cities were separated into urban, suburban and peri-urban areas. Altogether 192 topsoil samples were collected at 0-20 cm in order to measure the physicochemical properties of the soil. Instead of total element contents, plant-available trace metal concentrations - Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn - were determined using ICP-OES method. Due to different geological conditions, urban soils of the investigated settlements had similar properties in the case of pH, CaCO₃ and texture. In the case of plant available trace metals, limit excesses were found in urban and peri-urban areas mostly, but high values were recorded in the suburb. The amount of Cd_available, Co_available and Ni_available were negligible. Downtown area was the most contaminated in both cities, but extremes appeared in suburban areas. In Szombathely, Cu_available values were <40 mg Cu/kg, but extremely high Cu_available results were found in the peri-urban viticulture areas of Sopron (>90 mg Cu/kg). The samples taken alongside busy roads near the city centre were Pb_available-contaminated due to traffic. The Pb_available concentration decreased slightly towards the suburban areas of the cities. The Zn_available level exceeded 40 mg Zn/kg in soils taken from the watercourses of Szombathely. The highest trace metal pollution levels were recorded in soils of public parks of Sopron. Urban soils of Szombathely were more homogenized than urban soils of Sopron. Based on statistical analyses and comparison of the relations of urban, suburban, and peri-urban areas of Sopron to Szombathely, Szombathely's urban soils show more homogeneity.

Long-term effects of climate change on carbon storage and tree species composition in a dry deciduous forest

Forest vegetation and soils have been suggested as potentially important sinks for carbon (C) with appropriate management and thus are implicated as effective tools in stabilizing climate even with increasing anthropogenic release of CO₂ . Drought, however, which is often predicted to increase in models of future climate change, may limit net primary productio (NPP) of dry forest types, with unknown effects on soil C storage. We studied C dynamics of a deciduous temperate forest of Hungary that has been subject to significant decreases in precipitation and increases in temperature in recent decades. We resampled plots that were established in 1972 and repeated the full C inventory by analyzing more than 4 decades of data on the number of living trees, biomass of trees and shrubs, and soil C content. Our analyses show that the decline in number and biomass of oaks started around the end of the 1970s with a 71% reduction in the number of sessile oak stems by 2014. Projected growth in this forest, based on the yield table's data for Hungary, was 4.6 kg C/m² . Although new species emerged, this new growth and small increases in oak biomass resulted in only 1.9 kg C/m² increase over 41 years. The death of oaks increased inputs of coarse woody debris to the surface of the soil, much of which is still identifiable, and caused an increase of 15.5%, or 2.6 kg C/m² , in the top 1 m of soil. Stability of this fresh organic matter input to surface soil is unknown, but is likely to be low based on the results of a colocated woody litter decomposition study. The effects of a warmer and drier climate on the C balance of forests in this region will be felt for decades to come as woody litter inputs decay, and forest growth remains impeded.

[Abdominal trans-sphincter resection of the anus: new possibilities in the surgical management of deep rectal cancer, with preservation of the anal sphincter]

The last decade has brought marked changes in the surgical treatment of rectal cancer: as the indication of the sphincter-saving procedures was extended, the rate of the abdomino-perineal excision has decreased even in the case of tumours of the distal third of the rectum. However, even with the use of the modern stapling devices, the anterior resection and colo-anal anastomosis may not always be feasible by the traditional abdominal approach. In these cases the sphincter-saving resection can be performed by a particular approach, the abdomino-transsphincteric technique. The authors present this seldom used operation. From the 1-st of January 1994 to the 31-st of August 1996 14 abdomino-transsphincteric resections have been performed. The mean age of the patients was 62.2 (38-81) years. The lower edge of the tumours was situated at 6.3 (5-8) cm from the anal verge. The anastomosis was performed by the double stapling technique in 8 and by hand suture in 6 cases, its distance from the anal verge was 3.2 (3-4) cm. A colon J-pouch was used in 3 cases and a diverting colostomy was performed routinely. One patient died in the postoperative period and a reoperation (abdomino-perineal excission) was performed because of left colon necrosis: Anastomotic leakage was observed in one case. By the time of the present study, 11 patients have had their colostomies closed. The continence is acceptable in every case and all the patients experience a better subjective quality of life, than it was while wearing the colostomy. The use of this technique has helped to avoid a permanent colostomy in 21 out of 33 cases operated on for cancer of the distal rectal third in the reviewed period.