Biological Abstracts

Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cyber-physical resilience are typically governed through separate institutional and operational frameworks, despite their growing interdependence in digitally mediated supply chains. This separation creates an execution gap that fragments decarbonization, resilience, and investment decisions across data architectures and organizational functions. Grounded in resilience theory and a transdisciplinary systems perspective, this study advances the testable hypothesis that institutional separation of Scope 3 emissions management and cyber-physical resilience is associated with lower system performance, whereas integration through digital governance mechanisms improves operational resilience, emissions measurement accuracy, and financial decision coherence. System performance is operationalized through three dimensions: (1) supply-chain observability and data integration; (2) resilience capacity across the prepare–absorb–recover–adapt cycle; and (3) coherence of investment decision-making under dual materiality. The study applies a structured integrative review with analytical triangulation across sectoral datasets, cyber-risk distributions, and governance frameworks, complemented by an illustrative application in emergency medical services (EMS) in Lithuania. Findings indicate that Scope 3 burdens and cyber-physical risks co-locate in supplier-intensive and digitally dependent sectors, revealing systemic vulnerability; and that effective integration requires a joint governance architecture linking digital observability, standards, financial evaluation, and human-centered decision-making. The article contributes an integrative framework that reframes decarbonization and cyber-physical resilience as a unified systems problem and provides an operational basis for coordinated governance across sustainable supply chains.

The United Nations presented a global action plan of an integrated nature for sustainable development, and the role of cities is seen as central in efforts to implement these goals. Integrating city performance evaluation methods containing sustainability indicators is becoming increasingly popular. The United Nations and other international organizations and researchers analyze urban sustainability in the context of different countries. However, holistic assessment methods that can show if and to what extent a city is sustainable, measure its progress, and provide information for policy development are only just emerging. Our Synergies and Trade-offs Recommendation Method for Sustainable Cities and Communities (the STRICT method) proposes that country and city metrics are connected in multifaceted ways through tradeoffs and synergies. As a result of this analysis, city models and maps were created, and digital evidence-based recommendations were provided to urban and national policymakers based on the findings of the analysis. A 1% improvement in country success individual metrics led to a synergistic effect in 189 out of 219 city indicators (86.3%). The STRICT method suggests a notable impact of a country’s social, cultural, and political success on the city indicators.

Context: As water demands continue to increase, the contradiction between water supply and demand is becoming increasingly severe, as is the case in Inner Mongolia's arid and semiarid areas. However, the relationship between water supply and demand in watersheds must be better understood. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the relationship between the supply and demand of freshwater resources for the sustainable utilization of regional water resources. Objectives: Taking the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as the study area, this study analyzed the temporal and spatial relationships between water supply and demand in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018. Methods: The InVEST model and water resources bulletin were used to assess water resource supply and demand. The differences between the years were assessed using analysis of variance and the correlations applying Pearson correlation. Results: We observed a mismatch between the supply and demand of water resources. Water resources are in short supply in 44% of the watersheds, especially in the central and western regions. The difference in the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation and increased human water demand were the main reasons for the contradiction between regional water supply and demand. Conclusions: This study provides corresponding water resource management measures for different watersheds. Proposed water resource management measures include water-saving irrigation practices, constructing water conservancy projects in the eastern region, ecological protection, and moderately developing water-saving agriculture in the western region.

Soil erosion is the most severe form of land degradation threatening terrestrial ecosystems globally. Drylands with fragile ecosystems are particularly sensitive to soil erosion. China's drylands face the threat of soil erosion by wind and water. Currently, more studies need to be focused on wind and water erosion response to ecological restoration measures at monthly resolution in these areas. This is key to understanding ecological restoration measures' effectiveness under changing environments. Here, we assessed the monthly water and wind erosion in China's drylands from 2001 to 2020 using the G2 model and revised wind erosion equation (RWEQ). The Sequential linear regression slopes (SeRGS) explored water and wind erosion intensities. We also discuss the mitigation benefits of two ecological restoration measures, afforestation and grassland restoration. The results showed that water and wind erosion in China's drylands is mild (47.35%) and slight (58.76%). Water erosion increased between 2001 and 2020, while wind erosion decreased. At the monthly level, a higher water and wind erosion rate occurred from April to June and February to March, respectively. Water erosion dominated 50.64% of the China's drylands, while wind erosion was the most critical form of erosion in 47.88%. Nevertheless, the erosion pattern in China's drylands is changing. The average mitigation benefits of afforestation on water and wind erosion were −61.12% and −57.05%, respectively, and the average mitigation benefits of grassland restoration on water and wind erosion were −57.05% and 7.95%, respectively. This study can help managers identify the best ecological restoration strategies to mitigate land degradation in drylands.

Slash-pile burning is a frequent land management practice implemented across the Mediterranean. However, the impact of this practice on runoff waters has often been neglected. To address this issue, two experimental burns were conducted: one with moderate (MS) severity, and another with high (HS) severity, to evaluate the impact of different types of slash–pile on the quality of runoff waters. An unburned (UB) treatment was also considered in this study, to evaluate the impacts of slash–pile burning per se. Treatments were established on a slope terrain (∼18°) characteristic of the Adriatic coast. During the two-year study, runoff and erosion samples were collected 22 times after major rainfall events. Aside from runoff, erosion, and total carbon in sediments (TC) were determined, as well as various water quality parameters, including, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and Br¯, Cl¯, SO4 2¯, PO4 3¯, F¯, K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+. Overall, water quality parameters were more affected shortly after burning, while runoff and erosion were more dependent on precipitation patterns. TC in sediments was higher in HS than in MS, the highest values being observed in the last sampling events for both burned treatments. Regarding runoff water quality, the effects were more pronounced at HS, even if the hydrological response was stronger at the MS. The UB treatment showed significant changes in runoff water quality following major rain events, which was attributed to soil saturation. Our results suggest that slash pile burning has adverse effects on runoff waters, so it is recommended for biomass to be used in other ways, especially in the context of soil and water conservation.

The arid and semiarid grassland ecosystems are characterized by limited water resources and are generally vulnerable to climate change. Understanding how plants in arid and semiarid ecosystems respond to global climatic variation is crucial for ecological restoration under a changing climate. Although the effects of climate on aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) have been widely explored, how AGB and BGB respond to climatic variation is seldom disentangled. There is still a need to understand how plant communities respond to global climate change. In this study, we conducted a transect survey across grasslands in Inner Mongolia to capture changes in AGB and BGB in plant communities. Then, we used structural equation modelling (SEM) to explore the relationship between environmental factors and the root:shoot ratio to understand how plant communities respond to ecological drought under global climate change. Our results showed that low precipitation use efficiency (LPUE) results in a high root:shoot (HRS) ratio, and BGB was more sensitive to environmental changes. By contrast, high precipitation use efficiency (HPUE) led to a low root:shoot (LRS) ratio, and environmental factors had a greater impact on AGB. For the LPUE pattern, soil water content (SWC), pH, and soil total nitrogen (STN) mainly affected the HRS ratio. Soil water content and STN influenced the HRS ratio through a positive effect on BGB. For the HPUE pattern, SWC, STN, and plant abundance (PA) predominantly regulate the LRS ratio, while biodiversity (plant abundance) affects the LRS ratio by positively affecting AGB. Our results highlight the differential impact of precipitation use efficiency on aboveground and belowground biomass allocation. This is important for monitoring the impact of drought events on plant biomass, improving productivity assessment models in arid and semi-arid regions, and assessing local carbon storage accurately.

(1) Background: Current scientific evidence suggests that most cancers, including breast cancer, can be treated during pregnancy without compromising maternal and fetal outcomes. This, however, raises questions regarding the ethical implications of clinical care. (2) Methods: Using a systematic literature search, 32 clinical practice guidelines for cancer treatment during pregnancy published between 2002 and 2021 were selected for analysis and 25 of them mentioned or made references to medical ethics when offering clinical management guidance for clinicians. (3) Results: Four bioethical themes were identified: respect for patient’s autonomy, balanced approach to maternal and fetal beneficence, protection of the vulnerable and justice in resource allocation. Most guidelines recommended informing the pregnant patient about available evidence-based treatment options, offering counselling and support in the process of decision making. The relational aspect of a pregnant patient’s autonomy was also recognized and endorsed in a significant number of available guidelines. (4) Conclusions: Recognition and support of a patient’s autonomy and its relational aspects should remain an integral part of future clinical practice guidelines. Nevertheless, a more structured approach is needed when addressing existing and potential ethical issues in clinical practice guidelines for cancer treatment during pregnancy.

Context Climate change has imposed tremendous impacts on ecosystem services. Recent attempts to quantify such impacts mainly focused on a basin or larger scale, or used limited time periods that largely ignore observations of long-term trends at a fine resolution, thereby affecting the recognition of climate change's effect on ecosystem services. Objectives This study conducts a detailed and spatially explicit recognition of climate change's effect on ecosystem services and provides an intuitive map for decision-making and climate change adaptation planning. Methods We used long-term time series of ecosystem service assessments and various future climate scenarios to quantify the sensitivity and future exposure of ecosystem services to climate change on the Tibetan Plateau. Results Carbon sequestration (CS) and habitat quality experience significant growth, while water retention did not show any trend. Sensitivity patterns of these ecosystem services vary largely. For CS, more than half of the pixels showed a positive sensitivity to climate change, even though the degree of sensitivity is not high. There is substantial spatial heterogeneity in the exposure of ecosystem services to future climate changes, and high levels of future climate change increase the intensity of exposure. Conclusions This study illustrates the complex spatial association between ecosystem services and climatic drivers, and these findings can help optimize local response strategies in the context of global warming. For example, the existing protected areas have notable conservation gaps for disturbance of future climate change on ecosystem services, especially in the southeastern part of the study area.

Vegetation recovery and poverty alleviation are critical problems in the karst national designed poor counties (NPDC) in southwest China. However, little information is available about the relationship between poverty and vegetation dynamics in these areas. In this study, we used remote sensing and statistical datasets from 2000 to 2015 to identify the relations between vegetation dynamics and poverty among the NPDC in southwest rocky desertification areas. We estimated the vegetation dynamics using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and poverty with the rural per capita net income. Local indicator of spatial association and the space-time transition type of poverty were applied to identify spatial patterns of the poverty spatial distribution relationship and transition. Also, poverty, natural and ecological governance factors were assessed using the Geo-detector method to uncover the driving factors of karst vegetation. The results showed that vegetation increased significantly (p < 0.05) in karst NPDC (82.82%) and rocky desertification control counties (78.77%). The karst NPDC was significantly clustered. The hot spots of rural per capita net income changed from west and north (2000) to only north (2015) and cold spots changed from east and south (2000) to only south (2015). The rural per capita net income spatiotemporal transition was higher in 2000 than in 2015. We found a weak synergy between vegetation change and poverty type transition in 42.86% of the browning counties, 45.45% in the slowly greening counties, and 43.65% in stable greening counties. However, 57.50% of counties in the quick greening counties showed a tradeoff relationship with the poverty type transition. The rocky desertification rate and ecological engineering measures affected vegetation dynamics importantly. The results will help decision-makers to understand the interdependence between vegetation and poverty. This will contribute to better policies formulation to tackle poverty in the karst rocky desertification area.