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Crop diversification contributes to agricultural productivity and resources efficient utilization. However, whether cultivar mixtures in maize affects soil bacterial community, nutrient uptake, plant growth and yield remains unknown. A two-year lysimetric experiment was conducted using two maize cultivars (LY16 and JS501) with different root system architectures planted in monoculture or in mixture under normal fertilization (NF), reduced fertilization (RF) or no addition of fertilizer (CK) and was assessed at the silking stages. Cultivar mixtures and monoculture of LY16 had higher shoot biomass, nutrient uptake and total root length at silking stage, and grain yield than monoculture of JS501 under NF and RF conditions. Under NF and RF conditions, cultivar mixtures and monoculture of LY16 led to an increase in bacterial diversity, significant changes in community structure, and a high abundance of Bacteroidia and biomarkers of Chitinophagaceae and Saprospiraceae (Bacteroidia). Cultivar mixtures showed specific responses from modules of the rhizosphere bacterial community co-occurrence network, and the relative abundance of keystone taxa of cultivar mixtures was higher than that of monoculture of JS501. The keystone taxa had a broad and significant positive correlation with plant nutrient accumulation and grain yield. Cultivar mixtures showed similar assembly processes of Bacteroidia with monoculture of LY16, and the increased abundance of Chitinophagaceae may lead to a healthy rhizosphere bacterial community. Overall, our findings indicate that cultivar mixtures significantly affects the assembly and composition of the rhizosphere bacterial community, and thus benefits plant nutrient acquisition and plant growth. These findings could deepen our understanding of the facilitating effect of rhizosphere functional microbial community (e.g. plant nutrition uptake or immunity)of cultivar mixtures., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) and disservices shape landscape planning policy to a huge extent. We focus on the benefits and disbenefits associated with CES. The study aimed to explore the co-occurrence of the benefits and disbenefits associated with CES as well as the relationship between spatial and landscape characteristics and specific benefits and disbenefits. We conducted a map-based online questionnaire among visitors of two urban green spaces in Kraków, Poland (Wolski Forest and Jordan Park). Respondents were asked to map places visited and assign them benefits and disbenefits using indicator statements. We found three bundles of benefits (connection to nature, social bonding in nature and responsibility) and five to seven bundles of disbenefits (1). The experiences (e.g., strengthening social bonds) were more concentrated whereas the identities (e.g., reflection) were more blurred spatially owing to their individualistic nature (2). The relationship between benefits/disbenefits and landscape features showed a relatively weak correlation, with a more discernible pattern observed in the case of experiences and capabilities (3). Respondents perceived more human-related disbenefits (overcrowding, noise, rubbish), exhibiting a greater geographical concentration, especially in proximity to tourist attractions (4). The ecosystem-related disbenefits (insects, allergies) were less geographically concentrated (5). Furthermore, the study unveiled differences in the perception of disbenefits across seasons. Visitors of warmer months expressed concerns about overcrowding, insects, and allergies, while those exploring the study areas in winter indicated challenges associated with darkness and snow-covered paths (6). These are important implications for management to increase the comfort of visits to green spaces., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Agnieszka Nowak-Olejnik reports financial support was provided by European Union. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Monitoring ecological resource change in mountainous and hilly areas (MHAs) is vital for theoretical and practical advancements of ecological resource utilization and management in complex ecosystems. The factors driving structural and functional changes in green eco-spaces (GES) in these areas are complex and uncertain, with notable spatial scale effects. However, analyzing the multi-scale driving mechanisms of ecological and socioeconomic factors at a fine spatiotemporal scale presents significant challenges. To address these challenges, we analyzed dynamic changes in GES and eco-socio-economic development in Shanghang County, a typical mountainous region in southern China. We used multiple linear regression and multi-scale geographically weighted regression model to identify key factors driving GES changes and their multi-scale effects at both global and local levels. Over the past two decades, the GES area in the study area has exhibited a consistent pattern of decline, characterized by phases of gradual decline (2000-2005), sharp decline (2005-2009), slow decline (2009-2019). Key global factors driving GES changes included elevation (ELE), slope (SLOPE), population density (PD), distance to settlements (SETTLE), and distance to administrative centers (ADMIN). These factors exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity and multi-scale effects on GES changes. Specifically, SETTLE, PD, SLOPE, and ELE consistently drove GES changes at the local level, while ADMIN only showed significant localized effects during 2005-2009. The synergy between SETTLE and SLOPE had a considerable impact on GES changes, increasing over time, whereas ELE and PD demonstrated a consistent trade-off effect. These findings provide detailed spatiotemporal insights into the driving mechanisms of natural ecological resources, offering crucial guidance for environmental management, land source management, regional economic development, and biodiversity conservation in Shanghang and analogous subtropical hilly regions worldwide., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests of personal relationship that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

As global anthropogenic nitrogen inputs continue to rise, nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (N-DAMO) plays an increasingly significant role in CH 4 consumption in lake sediments. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding the effects of anthropogenic activities on N-DAMO bacteria in lakes in the cold and arid regions. Sediment samples were collected from five sampling areas in Lake Ulansuhai at varying depth ranges (0-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm). The ecological characterization and niche differentiation of N-DAMO bacteria were investigated using bioinformatics and molecular biology techniques. Quantitative PCR confirmed the presence of N-DAMO bacteria in Lake Ulansuhai sediments, with 16S rRNA gene abundances ranging from 1.72 × 10 4 to 5.75 × 10 5  copies·g -1 dry sediment. The highest abundance was observed at the farmland drainage outlet with high available phosphorus (AP). Anthropogenic disturbances led to a significant increase in the abundance of N-DAMO bacteria, though their diversity remained unaffected. The heterogeneous community of N-DAMO bacteria was affected by interactions among various environmental characteristics, with AP and oxidation-reduction potential identified as the key drivers in this study. The Mantel test indicated that the N-DAMO bacterial abundance was more readily influenced by the presence of the denitrification genes (nirS and nirK). Network analysis revealed that the community structure of N-DAMO bacteria generated numerous links (especially positive links) with microbial taxa involved in carbon and nitrogen cycles, such as methanogens and nitrifying bacteria. In summary, N-DAMO bacteria exhibited sensitivity to both environmental and microbial factors under various human disturbances. This study provides valuable insights into the distribution patterns of N-DAMO bacteria and their roles in nitrogen and carbon cycling within lake ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The environmental risks of conventional waste disposal methods, along with the resource and energy value of waste, have formed the foundation for waste-to-energy (WtE) technology. WtE systems that work on recovering energy present a suitable solution to generate energy and sustainably manage waste. This type of waste management system in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is still considered underutilized as WtE technology is rarely used due to a lack of experience in their specific local conditions, lack of qualified competencies, and the absence of an appropriate regulatory and legislative structure. This study reviews the existing WtE policies and regulations, and it investigates the potential of WtE techniques in the MENA region. Moreover, sustainability in water consumption is critical; therefore, various water-conservation techniques were reviewed and considered when selecting regulatory actions. The radiative sky cooling technique was recommended to reduce water consumption. Barriers to implementing WtE and solutions for developing countries were presented to enable proper WtE implementation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The interactions and collective impacts of different types of hazards within a compound hazard system, along with the influence of geographical covariates on flooding are presently unclear. Understanding these relationships is crucial for comprehending the formation and dynamic processes of the hazard chain and improving the ability to identify flood warning signals in complex hazard scenarios. In this study, we presented a multivariate spatial extreme value hierarchical (MSEVH) framework to assess the spatial extreme water levels (EWL) at different return levels under the influence of a hazard chain and geographical covariates. The Pearl River Delta (PRD) was selected as a research example to assess the effectiveness of the MSEVH framework. Firstly, we identified a hazard chain (extreme streamflow from the Xijiang River (XR) - extreme streamflow from the Beijiang River (BR) - extreme sea level) and three geographical covariates influencing EWL in the PRD. Then, we compared four hazard scenarios in the MSEVH framework to evaluate the spatial EWL at different return levels under the influence of the hazard chain in the PRD. The final step involves assessing spatial EWL with the effect of the hazard chain and geographical covariates. The results indicate that when extreme streamflow from XR and BR occurs concurrently, the extreme streamflow from BR weakens the influence of extreme streamflow from XR on EWL in the PRD. However, it cannot fully offset the overall impact of extreme streamflow from XR on EWL. In addition, when extreme streamflow from XR, extreme streamflow from BR, and extreme sea level occur simultaneously, the extreme sea level enhances the influence of concurrent extreme streamflow from XR and BR on EWL in the PRD. The proposed MSEVH is not only applicable to the PRD but also shows promising potential for evaluating extreme hydrometeorological variables under the influence of other hazard chains., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Anthropogenic eutrophication is known to impair the diversity and stability of aboveground community, but its effects on the diversity, composition and stability of belowground ecosystems are not yet fully understood. In this study, we conducted a 9-year nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition experiment in a semi-arid grassland of Northern China to elucidate the impacts of nutrients addition on soil fungal diversity, functional guilds, and co-occurrence networks. The results showed that N addition significantly decreased soil fungal diversity and altered fungal community composition, whereas P addition had no impact on them. The relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and leaf_saprotroph were reduced by N and P addition, but P addition enhanced the abundance of saprotrophic fungi. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that N addition destabilized fungal network complexity and stability, while P addition slightly increased the network complexity. Additionally, the network analysis of N × P interaction revealed that P addition mitigated negative effects of N addition on network complexity and stability. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results suggested that nutrients addition directly or indirectly influenced the fungal community structure through the loss of plant richness and the increase of perennial grass biomass. These findings indicate that in comparison to P addition, N addition exhibits a pronounced negative effect on soil fungal communities. Our findings also suggest that changes in plant functional groups under nutrients deposition are pivotal in shaping soil fungal community structure in semi-arid grassland and highlight the need for a better understanding of the belowground ecosystem dynamics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in rainfall participates in many biogeochemical cycles in aquatic environments and affects biological activities in water bodies. Revealing the characteristics of rainfall DOM could broaden our understanding of the carbon cycle. Therefore, the distribution characteristics and response mechanisms of DOM to microorganisms were investigated in different regions of Hebei. The results indicated that the water quality of the northern region was worse than that of the middle and southern regions. The two protein like components (C1, C2) and one humic like component (C3) were obtained; at high molecular weight (MW), the fluorescence intensity is high in the northern region (0.03 ± 0.02 R.U.), while at low MW, the fluorescence intensity is highest in the southern region (0.50 ± 0.18 R.U.). Furthermore, C2 is significantly positively correlated with C1 (P < 0.01), while C2 is significantly negatively correlated with C3 (P < 0.05) was observed. The spectral index results indicated that rainfall DOM exhibited low humification and highly autochthonous characteristics. The southern region obtained higher richness and diversity of microbial species than northern region (P < 0.05). The community exhibits significant spatiotemporal differences, and the Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, and Massilia, were dominant genus. Redundancy and network analyses showed that the effects of C1, C2, and nitrate on microorganisms increased with decreasing MW, while low MW exhibited a more complex network between DOM and microorganisms than high MW. Meanwhile, C1, C2 had a large total effect on β-diversity and function through structural equation modeling. The backward trajectory model indicates that the sources of air masses are from the northwest, local area, and sea in the northern, middle, and southern regions, respectively. This study broadened the understanding of the composition of summer rainfall DOM and its interactions with microorganisms during rainfall., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sewage sludge land application is recognized as a strategy for recycling resource and replenishing soil nutrients. However, the subsequent greenhouse gas emissions following this practice are not yet fully understood, and the lack of quantitative research and field experiments monitoring these emissions hampers the establishment of reliable emission factors. This study investigated the greenhouse gas emission characteristics of sewage sludge land application through a field experiment that monitoring soil greenhouse gas fluxes. Seven nitrogen input treatments were implemented in a typical Bermuda grassland in China, with D and C representing the amendment of digested and composted sludge, respectively, at the nitrogen input rate of 0, 100, 200, and 300 kg N ha -1 . Soil CH 4 , CO 2 , and N 2 O fluxes were measured throughout the entire experimental period, and soil samples from different treatments at various growth stages were analyzed. The results revealed that sewage sludge land application significantly increased soil N 2 O and CO 2 emissions while slightly reducing soil CH 4 uptake. The increased CO 2 emissions were biogenic and carbon-neutral, mainly due to enhanced plant root respiration. The N 2 O emissions were the primary greenhouse gas emissions of sewage sludge land application, which were mainly concentrated in two 50-day periods following base and topdressing fertilization, respectively. N 2 O emissions following base fertilization by rotary tillage were substantially lower than those following topdressing fertilization. A logarithmic response relationship between N input rates and increased soil N 2 O emissions was observed, suggesting lower N 2 O emissions from sewage sludge land application compared to conventional N fertilizers at the same N input level. Future field experiments and meta-analysis are necessary to develop reliable greenhouse gas emission factors for sewage sludge land application., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The perception of structure-borne noise is particularly salient when train passes through the tunnel under the buildings, which has a negative impact on human health. In the process of constructing buildings along metro lines, it is crucial to estimate indoor structure-borne noise levels in order to enhance design and prevent any negative impact on human comfort. This study conducted measurements of structure-borne noise, reverberation time, and train-induced vibrations in Guangzhou, China to investigate the generation, propagation, and dissipation mechanisms of structure-borne noise. An approach based on Short-Time Fourier Transform and Schroeder integral was proposed for obtaining frequency-dependent reverberation time. Additionally, a deep learning-based approach incorporating indoor vibrations, frequency-dependent reverberation time, and room parameters as inputs was proposed based on Genetic Algorithm-Artificial Neural Network. The estimated structure-borne noise levels demonstrated good agreement with measured values, indicating the feasibility of the approach. The finding of this research facilitates a clear comprehension of the generation, distribution, and dissipation mechanisms of indoor structure-borne noise for engineers while also enabling convenient acquisition of indoor structure-borne noise. The estimated noise levels can be effectively utilized during building design processes along metro lines to mitigate adverse impacts on human comfort., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)