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    Severe winter storms bring severe population changes

    A multi-trait analysis of a migratory songbird species shows that extreme winter storms have, beyond direct mortality, long-lasting effects on the phenology, genetics and demography of survivors.

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    Fig. 1: Phenological, genetic and demographic consequences of extreme winter storms.

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    Download referencesAuthor informationAuthors and AffiliationsDepartment of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, USAVirginie RollandAuthorsVirginie RollandView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to
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    Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleRolland, V. Severe winter storms bring severe population changes.
    Nat Ecol Evol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-02977-8Download citationPublished: 06 March 2026Version of record: 06 March 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-02977-8Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard
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    Eco-functional deployment of indigenous nitrogen-fixing microbes to enable temperate crop cultivation in tropical climates

    Abstract

    Climate change and increasing food demand pose major challenges to agricultural productivity, particularly for temperate crops cultivated under tropical conditions. This study investigated whether indigenous bacterial isolates obtained from cooled tropical soils exhibit putative diazotrophic traits and promote the growth of lettuce, a representative temperate crop, under tropical greenhouse conditions without soil cooling. Seven bacterial isolates were initially screened using preliminary assays indicative of putative diazotrophic traits, including nitrogen-free semisolid medium, bromothymol blue assays, and PCR detection of nif-related genes. Two strains, Agromyces sp. C10 and Bacillus sp. C21, were selected for further evaluation. Inoculation with these strains enhanced lettuce biomass in the presence and absence of fertilizer and was associated with increased total soil nitrogen after harvest. Although these results do not provide direct functional evidence of biological nitrogen fixation, they indicate that indigenous bacteria from cooled soils may serve as promising plant growth-promoting candidates for temperate crop cultivation in tropical environments.

    Data availability

    The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the NCBI GenBank repository, under BioProject accession number PRJNA825673 (BioSamples: SAMN27553938 and SAMN27553940; GenBank assemblies: JALPSX000000000 and JALPSZ000000000). All other relevant data are included in the article and Supplementary Information.
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    Download referencesFundingFunding support for this research was provided by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI, Fostering Joint International Research (B) (Grant Number 20KK0128) and the Junior Visiting Researcher (JVR) Scheme (Vote no. Q.K130000. 21A6.00P66).Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsDepartment of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, Kuala Lumpur, 54100, MalaysiaShazwana Shaárani, Nurul Syazwani Ahmad Sabri, Fatimah Azizah Riyadi, Siti Noor Fitriah Azizan, Fazrena Nadia Md Akhir & Hirofumi HaraUniversiti Utara Malaysia Kampus Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kampung Baru, Wilayah Persekuatuan Kuala Lumpur, 50300, MalaysiaNurul Syazwani Ahmad SabriDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, West Java, IndonesiaFatimah Azizah RiyadiSchool of Agriculture, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashi-Mita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, 214-8571, JapanSiti Noor Fitriah AzizanDepartment of Mechanical Precision Engineering, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, Kuala Lumpur, 54100, MalaysiaNor’azizi OthmanDepartment of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, JapanHirofumi HaraAuthorsShazwana ShaáraniView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarNurul Syazwani Ahmad SabriView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarFatimah Azizah RiyadiView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSiti Noor Fitriah AzizanView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarFazrena Nadia Md AkhirView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarNor’azizi OthmanView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarHirofumi HaraView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarContributionsH. H. designed the study and approved the final manuscript, S. S. performed the experiment, and wrote the manuscript, N. S. A. S. and F. A. R. contributed to analysis and interpretation of data, S. N. F. A., F. N. M. A., and N. O. critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors have read, checked and approved the final version of the manuscript.Corresponding authorCorrespondence to
    Hirofumi Hara.Ethics declarations

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    The authors declare no competing interests.

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    Reprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleShaárani, S., Sabri, N.S.A., Riyadi, F.A. et al. Eco-functional deployment of indigenous nitrogen-fixing microbes to enable temperate crop cultivation in tropical climates.
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    KeywordsClimate changePlant growth-promoting rhizobacteriaPutative diazotrophic traitsSoil coolingTropical agriculture More

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    Future climate will not save high-elevation white pines

    AbstractDiseases are threatening forests worldwide. In North America, white pine blister rust (WPBR) is one of the most damaging tree epidemics. To understand patterns in the current and future risk for high-elevation five-needle white pine species (High-5), we compiled data from independent studies across the western U.S. to estimate WPBR risk. Contrary to previous predictions, the future climate is not expected to reduce the prevalence of WPBR risk on High-5 species in the western U.S. The prevalence of WPBR is predicted to increase, with most distributions of the High-5 species projected to experience elevated WPBR prevalence over the next century. Temperature and moisture conditions ensure that while some newly invaded areas are projected to experience regular periods of elevated risk, others can expect intermittent episodes of high risk. Restoration in impacted areas and proactive management in regions at increased risk are warranted to ensure High-5 population sustainability and ecosystem function.

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    RustMapper: White Pine Blister Rust Risk Across High Elevation Forests in the Western United States

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    20 June 2025

    Early feature study of Yunnan pine pinewood nematode disease based on hyperspectral remote sensing of ground objects

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    Nonlinear shifts in infectious rust disease due to climate change

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    24 August 2021

    Data availability

    Malone, S.L., A.W. Schoettle, K.S. Burns, H.S. Kearns, J.E. Stewart, M. Newcomb, and C.M. Cleaver. (2025). White Pine Blister Rust (WPBR) Plot Data from the Western United States ver 2. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/70d7cd56799fc79668343e48e87bb9ef65. Malone, S.L., A.W. Schoettle, K.S. Burns, H.S. Kearns, J.E. Stewart, M. Newcomb, and C.M. Cleaver (2026) RustMapper: White Pine Blister Rust Risk in the Western United States 1980-2023. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/677bc02adfe51760f752494cac74d11e94. Malone, S.L., A.W. Schoettle, K.S. Burns, H.S. Kearns, J.E. Stewart, M. Newcomb, and C.M. Cleaver. (2026). RustMapper: White Pine Blister Rust Risk in the Western United States, 2030-2099 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/0a5a5880cdba8761c3f2de32f457580489.
    Code availability

    The code for RustMapper can be found here: Sparkle Malone. (2026). Malone-Disturbance-Ecology-Lab/RUSTMapper: Future climate will not save high-elevation white pines. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18234106
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    Reprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleMalone, S.L., Schoettle, A.W., Burns, K.S. et al. Future climate will not save high-elevation white pines.
    Commun Earth Environ (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03301-9Download citationReceived: 03 February 2025Accepted: 04 February 2026Published: 06 March 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03301-9Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard
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    Factors influencing herders’ willingness to engage in grassland ecological restoration in Ruoergai County

    AbstractWith the intensification of global climate change and human activities, grassland ecological degradation has become a prominent issue constraining ecological security on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and the sustainable development of pastoral areas. Existing research on pastoral grasslands has largely focused on surface-level variables such as policy responses and the acceptance of ecological compensation, with limited systematic exploration of the psychological and emotional factors underlying herders’ ecological behavioral intention. In particular, empirical analyses based on well-established theoretical frameworks remain scarce. In Ruoergai County, where grassland degradation is severe, the pathways and synergistic mechanisms through which key factors such as place attachment and risk perception influence behavioral intention have yet to be systematically verified, which to some extent restricts the precision of ecological policy interventions and the sustainability of governance outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to systematically reveal the formation mechanism of herders’ intention to engage in grassland ecological restoration. Drawing on the Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) theory and incorporating two extended variables—risk perception and place attachment—this study constructs a theoretical model and employs both structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) for dual validation. To enhance accessibility and sample representativeness in pastoral areas, a mixed data collection strategy combining online and offline questionnaire surveys was adopted. Based on this research design, 620 valid questionnaire responses were collected from pastoral grassland areas of Ruoergai County, Sichuan Province. The study employed scale measurements to ensure both reliability and cultural adaptability. The SEM results indicate that value cognition, risk perception, and place attachment all exert significant positive effects on ecological restoration belief, which in turn significantly promotes the formation of personal norm. Personal norm further enhances herders’ intention to engage in ecological restoration. In addition, both risk perception and place attachment have direct positive impacts on herders’ ecological restoration intention. The fsQCA results further reveal that the synergy of high levels of value cognition, risk perception, place attachment, ecological restoration belief, and personal norm constitutes a key configuration for fostering strong ecological restoration intention among herders. This study extends the applicability of the VBN theory to the context of herders’ grassland ecological restoration behavior and emphasizes that integrated strategies—such as shaping value cognition, strengthening risk perception, and cultivating emotional bonds of place attachment—should be adopted to enhance herders’ participation in grassland ecological restoration. The findings provide both theoretical and practical references for optimizing ecological governance policies and designing behavioral interventions in pastoral areas.

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    The data used in this study are original. If access is required, please contact the corresponding author.
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    This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and all relevant institutional and national guidelines and regulations. Ethical review and approval were waived by the Ethics Committee of Kashi University, in accordance with the University’s policy that non-interventional research using anonymized data without sensitive personal information or physical/psychological risk may be exempt from ethics review. The study posed minimal risk, did not involve minors or other vulnerable groups, and only involved voluntary participation by adults aged 18 or older. Participation was entirely anonymous, with no collection of personally identifiable information. All participants were fully informed about the purpose and content of the survey before starting and provided their informed consent by agreeing to participate after reading the online consent notice. Participants retained the right to withdraw at any time without consequence. The research involved non-interventional online questionnaires, ensuring participants’ privacy and data confidentiality.

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    Reprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleShen, C., Wang, K., Huang, L. et al. Factors influencing herders’ willingness to engage in grassland ecological restoration in Ruoergai County.
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    Contrasting effects of biochar and compost on greenhouse gas emissions and the global warming potential of semi-arid cropping systems

    AbstractAgroecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions face growing risks of climate extremes and soil degradation. The addition of exogenous carbon can restore degraded soils by adding soil organic carbon, but its effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming mitigation remain elusive. This study evaluated emissions of three major GHGs–nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4)–following soil amendment with biochar, compost, and a biochar + compost (BC) mixture. Biochar application reduced cumulative N2O–N and CH4–C emissions by 52% and 16%, respectively. Soil CH4–C emissions were generally negative, being lowest with biochar and highest with compost. During the crop season, average CO2–C and N2O–C emissions were 75% and 45% greater, respectively, while CH4–C was 66% less compared to the no-crop season. Increasing soil moisture content increased N2O–N emissions (R2 = 0.39), while soil temperature influenced CH4–C emissions (R2 = 0.37). Among amendments, biochar-treated soil had the lowest cumulative N2O–N and CH4–C emissions, reducing net global warming potential (GWP) by 43% and 30%, respectively, compared to compost-treated soil and control (CTRL). Biochar amendment can be a climate-smart strategy for semi-arid regions as it improves soil health and mitigates GWP by reducing N2O and CH4 emissions.

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    Data availability

    All data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and its Supplementary Information.
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    Rajan Ghimire.Ethics declarations

    Competing interests
    The authors declare no competing interests.

    Statement for standard protocol
    All methods were carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture and New Mexico State University. The study was conducted following the standard GHG emissions and soil and plant sampling protocol.

    Additional informationPublisher’s noteSpringer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Supplementary InformationBelow is the link to the electronic supplementary material.Supplementary Material 1Rights and permissions
    Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
    Reprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleMadhuwanthi, P., Ghimire, R., Sapkota, S. et al. Contrasting effects of biochar and compost on greenhouse gas emissions and the global warming potential of semi-arid cropping systems.
    Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42554-4Download citationReceived: 31 October 2025Accepted: 26 February 2026Published: 06 March 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42554-4Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard
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    KeywordsSoil amendmentsNitrous oxide emissionsClimate changeDry environmentsHigh-frequency monitoring More

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    Range-edge effects of marine heatwaves

    An analysis of hundreds of fish biomass surveys shows that warmer years combined with marine heatwaves can enhance regional population abundances in the cold edges of species’ biogeographical distributions, but contribute to population declines at warmer latitudes.

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    Fig. 1: Opposite range-edge effects of marine heatwaves on the biomass of regional fish populations.

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    Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleMarzloff, M.P. Range-edge effects of marine heatwaves.
    Nat Ecol Evol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03023-3Download citationPublished: 06 March 2026Version of record: 06 March 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03023-3Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard
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    First abundance estimate for greater Caribbean manatees (Trichechus Manatus Manatus) in Belize

    Abstract

    Population status of the Greater Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) is unknown across most of its geographic range, including the western part of the Caribbean in Central America. No statistically derived estimates of abundance are available for this region, but the population appears to be low and possibly stable or declining. To assess abundance and distribution of manatees in Belize, we conducted aerial surveys and estimated abundance by accounting for detection using a framework designed for marine mammals. Using a generalized additive model (GAM), we predicted abundance of manatees in 2014 and 2022 and how it varied across space as a function of spatial habitat covariates. We estimated that in the sampled area (within 500 m of flight path) there were 479 (95% CI: 275–857) manatees in 2014 and 555 (95% CI: 316–998) in 2022. Manatee abundance was higher closer to the coast, freshwater, and shallow waters. These estimates are the first for Greater Caribbean manatees in the western Caribbean Sea that account for sources of error such as observer perception bias, availability bias and spatial variation. Monitoring and assessing the manatee population is important for managers tasked with developing effective strategies to balance the use of marine habitats with biodiversity conservation.

    Data availability

    The datasets generated as part of this study are available from the corresponding author Holly H. Edwards, [email protected].
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    Download referencesAcknowledgementsWe would like to thank the following: Funding was provided by Belize Marine Fund, Harvest Caye Conservation Foundation, Light Hawk, Inc., Columbus Zoo and Aquarium through the Wider Caribbean Manatee Alliance and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute Belize (CMARI). The 2022 research was conducted under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and research permits issued by the Fisheries Department and the Ministry of Blue Economy & Civil Aviation, Government of Belize. The 2014 surveys were conducted under research permits issued by the Belize Forestry Department, and Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute. Logistic and aerial support in 2014 was provided by Lighthawk and Bill Rush (volunteer pilot for Lighthawk, Inc.) and in 2022 by Technology Service Corporation, Chris Kluckhuhn, ASI Division Manager and pilot. We also thank observer Samir Rosado for his help in the 2014 survey.Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsIndependent Researcher, 7023 Mango Ave. South, St Petersburg, FL, 33707, USAHolly H. EdwardsMoore Ecological Analysis and Management, LLC, 7901 4th St N. Ste 300, St. Petersburg, FL, 33702, USAJennifer F. MooreWildlife Conservation Society, 1755 Coney Drive, Belize City, BelizeNicole Auil GomezClearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, Belmopan City, FL, USAJamal A. Galves & Celeshia Guy GalvesIndependent Researcher, Belize City, BelizeAngeline ValentineUniversity of Florida, Florida Sea Grant College Program, Green Bldg. 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL, 34241, USAArmando J. UbedaClearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL, 33767, USAAnmari Álvarez-AlemánAuthorsHolly H. EdwardsView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarJennifer F. MooreView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarNicole Auil GomezView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarJamal A. GalvesView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarAngeline ValentineView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCeleshia Guy GalvesView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarArmando J. UbedaView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarAnmari Álvarez-AlemánView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarContributionsHHE developed and implemented the field methods, acted as the primary aerial observer (2014, 2022), entered and compiled data and drafted the manuscript. JFM analysed data and contributed to writing and editing the manuscript, NAG and AV assisted with survey logistics, acted as aerial observers and contributed to writing and editing the manuscript. JAG and CGG assisted with survey logistics and contributed to writing and editing the manuscript. AJU procured funding for the project (2014) through Lighthawk, LLC, coordinated survey logistics, acted as an aerial observer and contributed to writing and editing the manuscript. AAA procured funding for the project (2022) through Clearwater Marine Aquarium, coordinated survey logistics and contributed to writing and editing the manuscript.Corresponding authorCorrespondence to
    Holly H. Edwards.Ethics declarations

    Competing interests
    The authors declare no competing interests.

    Additional informationPublisher’s noteSpringer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Supplementary InformationBelow is the link to the electronic supplementary material.Supplementary Material 1Rights and permissions
    Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
    Reprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleEdwards, H.H., Moore, J.F., Gomez, N.A. et al. First abundance estimate for greater Caribbean manatees (Trichechus Manatus Manatus) in Belize.
    Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38453-3Download citationReceived: 02 April 2025Accepted: 29 January 2026Published: 06 March 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38453-3Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard
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    KeywordsAntillean manateeAbundanceDistributionAerial surveyGAMCaribbean conservation More

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    African inland wetland area on the rise during the 21st century

    AbstractWetlands face threats from climate change and human activities worldwide, yet the status of African wetlands remains unknown. This study mapped African wetlands and assessed area loss, drivers, and future trends under climate change using 270,000 sampling points, 810,000 Landsat images, and soil moisture data from 14 CMIP6 models. The results reveal no large-scale loss of wetlands in Africa from 1984 to 2021 (0.51% net loss), with the loss concentrated in coastal areas (9.64% net loss), while inland wetlands show a slight increase in area (0.50% net increase). A comparison of the time series of wetland area and related drivers showed that the change of inland wetland area is closely related to climate change, and human activities have exacerbated the loss of coastal wetlands. TOPMODEL projections suggest an upward trend in inland wetland area by 2100, but uncertainty persists and inland wetlands remain at risk of loss in the future.

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    Data availability

    All data used in this study are freely available from public repositories. The Landsat images used in this study are available from the US Geological Survey (http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov) and Google Earth Engine (https:// earthengine.google.com). The data of African national boundaries and 6-meter water depth boundaries are available from https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/USDOS_LSIB_SIMPLE_2017 and https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NOAA_NGDC_ETOPO1. Human Footprint dataset (HFP) can be accessed freely at the figshare repository (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16571064). Temperature data are available from https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/ECMWF_ERA5_MONTHLY. Precipitation data are available from https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/IDAHO_EPSCOR_TERRACLIMATE, https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NASA_FLDAS_NOAH01_C_GL_M_V001, and https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/global-precipitation-climatology-project-gpcp-monthly/access/. PDSI is available from https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/IDAHO_EPSCOR_TERRACLIMATE. Soil moisture is available from https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NASA_FLDAS_NOAH01_C_GL_M_V001. CTI data is available from https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/6b0c4358-2bf3-4924-aa8f-793d468b92be. Africa watershed vector data is available from https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/WWF_HydroSHEDS_v1_Basins_hybas_8. CMIP6 data is available from https://esgf-node.llnl.gov/search/cmip6/. The wetland maps for ten historical periods and the wetland simulation results for future periods produced in this study have been deposited in the Zenodo database and are provided as open data (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17865977).
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    Download referencesAcknowledgementsThis research was jointly funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFA0714103), which supported S.C. and A.L.; the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42494821), which supported A.L. and D.M.; and the Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Province (YDZJ202501ZYTS579), which supported A.L.Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsCollege of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaAnzhen Li & Shengbo ChenState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, ChinaAnzhen Li, Kaishan Song, Zongming Wang & Dehua MaoSchool of Marine Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, ChinaYuanzhi ZhangDepartment of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaYuanzhi ZhangAuthorsAnzhen LiView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarShengbo ChenView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarKaishan SongView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYuanzhi ZhangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarZongming WangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarDehua MaoView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarContributionsA.L., S.C. and Y.Z. conceptualized the project, acquired funding. A.L. developed wetland classification, conducted the model simulations and analysis with support from D.M., K.S. and Z.W., and drafted the manuscript with contributions from all co-authors. S.C., K.S., Y.Z., Z.W. and D.M. participated in the discussion and analysis of the results and edited the manuscript. All authors reviewed the results, revised, and approved the manuscript.Corresponding authorsCorrespondence to
    Shengbo Chen or Yuanzhi Zhang.Ethics declarations

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    Reprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleLi, A., Chen, S., Song, K. et al. African inland wetland area on the rise during the 21st century.
    Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70480-6Download citationReceived: 11 December 2023Accepted: 26 February 2026Published: 06 March 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70480-6Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard
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