Following a high-severity wildfire, we sampled 129 sites during four different times of the year across a stream network to quantify dissolved organic carbon. The results from our study suggested that dissolved organic carbon may decrease with increasing burn severity. They also suggest that landscape characteristics can override wildfire impacts, with the seasonal timing of sampling influencing the observed response of dissolved organic carbon concentrations to wildfire.

How quickly do marine microorganisms respond to salinity stress? Our experiments with the calcifying marine plankton Emiliania huxleyi show that growth and cell morphology responded to salinity stress within as little as 24–48 hours, demonstrating that morphology and calcification are sensitive to salinity over a range of timescales. Our results have implications for understanding the short-term role of E. huxleyi in biogeochemical cycles and in size-based paleoproxies for salinity.

Peatland restoration combats climate change and protects ecosystem health in many northern regions. This review gathers data about models used on northern peatlands to further envision their application in the specific scenario of restoration. A total of 211 papers were included in the review: location trends for peatland modelling were catalogued, and key themes in model outputs were highlighted. Valuable context is provided for future efforts in modelling the peatland restoration process.

Flowers are ephemeral organs for reproduction, and their litter is functionally different from leaf litter. Flowers can affect decomposition and interact with leaf litter, influencing decomposition non-additively. We show that mixing flower and leaf litter from the Tabebuia aurea tree creates reciprocal synergistic effects on decomposition in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. We highlight that flower litter input can generate biogeochemical hotspots in terrestrial ecosystems.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is regarded as an important indirect greenhouse gas. Soils can emit and take up CO, but, until now, uncertainty remains as to which process dominates in tropical rainforests. We present the first soil CO flux measurements from a tropical rainforest. Based on our observations, we report that tropical rainforest soils are a net source of CO. In addition, we show that valley streams and inundated areas are likely additional hot spots of CO in the ecosystem.

Molecules released from plant pollen induce the formation of ice from supercooled water at temperatures warm enough to suggest an underlying function for this activity. In this study we show that ice nucleators are ubiquitous in pollen. We suggest the molecules responsible fulfil some unrelated biological function and nucleate ice incidentally. The ubiquity of ice-nucleating molecules in pollen and particularly active examples reveal a greater potential for pollen to impact weather and climate.