The plastisphere can protect Salmonella Typhimurium from UV stress under simulated environmental conditions.

Plastic waste is found with increasing frequency in the environment, in low- and middle-income countries. Plastic pollution has increased concurrently with both economic development and rapid urbanisation, amplifying the effects of inadequate waste management. Distinct microbial communities can quickly colonise plastic surfaces in what is collectively known as the 'plastisphere'. The plastisphere can act as a reservoir for human pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella enterica sp. (such as S. Typhimurium), which can persist for long periods, retain pathogenicity, and pose an increased public health risk. Through employing a novel mesocosm setup, we have shown here that the plastisphere provides enhanced protection against environmental pressures such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation and allows S. Typhimurium to persist at concentrations (>1 × 103 CFU/ml) capable of causing human infection, for up to 28 days. Additionally, using a Galleria Mellonella model of infection, S. Typhimurium exhibits greater pathogenicity following recovery from the UV-exposed plastisphere, suggesting that the plastisphere may select for more virulent variants. This study demonstrates the protection afforded by the plastisphere and provides further evidence of environmental plastic waste acting as a reservoir for dangerous clinical pathogens. Quantifying the role of plastic pollution in facilitating the survival, persistence, and dissemination of human pathogens is critical for a more holistic understanding of the potential public health risks associated with plastic waste.

Salmonella Typhimurium and Vibrio cholerae can be transferred from plastic mulch to basil and spinach salad leaves.

Plastic pollution is increasingly found in agricultural environments, where it contaminates soil and crops. Microbial biofilms rapidly colonise environmental plastics, such as the plastic mulches used in agricultural systems, which provide a unique environment for microbial plastisphere communities. Human pathogens can also persist in the plastisphere, and enter agricultural environments via flooding or irrigation with contaminated water. In this study we examined whether Salmonella Typhimurium and Vibrio cholerae can be transferred from the plastisphere on plastic mulch to the surface of ready-to-eat crop plants, and subsequently persist on the leaf surface. Both S. Typhimurium and V. cholerae were able to persist for 14 days on fragments of plastic mulch adhering to the surface of leaves of both basil and spinach. Importantly, within 24 h both pathogens were capable of dissociating from the surface of the plastic and were transferred onto the surface of both basil and spinach leaves. This poses a further risk to food safety and human health, as even removal of adhering plastics and washing of these ready-to-eat crops would not completely remove these pathogens. As the need for more intensive food production increases, so too does the use of plastic mulches in agronomic systems. Therefore, there is now an urgent need to understand the unquantified co-pollutant pathogen risk of contaminating agricultural and food production systems with plastic pollution.

A service mapping exercise of four health and social care staff mental health and wellbeing services, Resilience Hubs, to describe health service provision and interventions.

BACKGROUND: NHS England funded 40 Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs to support health and social care staff affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to document variations in how national guidance was adapted to the local contexts of four Hubs in the North of England. METHODS: We used a modified version of Price's (2019) service mapping methodology. Service level data were used to inform the analysis. A mapping template was adapted from a range of tools, including the European Service Mapping Schedule, and reviewed by Hub leads. Key data included service model; staffing; and interventions. Data were collected between March 2021 - March 2022 by site research assistants. Findings were accuracy-checked by Hub leads, and a logic model developed to theorise how the Hubs may effect change. RESULTS: Hub goals and service models closely reflected guidance; offering: proactive outreach; team-based support; clinical assessment; onward referral, and rapid access to mental health support (in-house and external). Implementation reflected a service context of a client group with high mental health need, and high waiting times at external mental health services. Hubs were predominantly staffed by experienced clinicians, to manage these mental health presentations and organisational working. Formulation-based psychological assessment and the provision of direct therapy were not core functions of the NHS England model, however all Hubs incorporated these adaptations into their service models in response to local contexts, such as extensive waiting lists within external services, and/or client presentations falling between gaps in existing service provision. Finally, a standalone clinical records system was seen as important to reassure Hub users of confidentiality. Other more nuanced variation depended on localised contexts. CONCLUSION: This study provides a map for setting up services, emphasising early understandings of how new services will integrate within existing systems. Local and regional contexts led to variation in service configuration. Whilst additional Hub functions are supported by available literature, further research is needed to determine whether these functions should comprise essential components of staff wellbeing services moving forward. Future research should also determine the comparative effectiveness of service components, and the limits of permissible variation. STUDY REGISTRATION: researchregistry6303.

Characteristics of potential adopters of wild horses and their willingness-to-pay for wild horses.

An overabundance of wild horses and burros on federal lands can lead to suboptimal welfare when there are insufficient forage and water resources. Placing some of these animals in private homes has been identified as a key part of the solution. A nationwide online survey completed by 2,247 current and former horse owners is used to assess the feasibility of accommodating this strategy. The survey tool addressed basic horse ownership and demographic information, previous experience with wild horses, and hypothetical wild horse adoption scenarios. Results suggest that most respondents are receptive to the idea of adopting a wild horse, with previous adopters and younger potential adopters showing greater willingness-to-pay. By reducing existing barriers to adoption, which includes educating the horse-owning public on adoption requirements, expanding the training of wild horses, and targeting certain age groups of potential adopters, our study suggests that it may be possible to increase the annual number of adoptions over current levels. With appropriate and informed strategies, enhanced welfare of privately adopted and on-range animals can be achieved.

Persistence of 'wet wipes' in beach sand: An unrecognised reservoir for localised E. coli contamination.

The flushing of wet wipes down toilets leads to blockages of sewerage systems. This, together with unregulated sewage discharge, often results in increasing numbers of wet wipes washing up onto beaches. However, it is unclear how long wet wipes can persist on the beach and whether they pose a prolonged public health risk if contaminated by E. coli. In this mesocosm study, three types of wet wipes (plastic containing, and home and commercially compostable) colonised with E. coli were buried in beach sand and their degradation, tensile strength, and concentration of E. coli was quantified over 15 weeks. Wet wipes containing plastic remained largely intact for 15 weeks, whilst both compostable wet wipes fragmented and degraded. Importantly, E. coli persisted on all three wet wipe types, representing localised reservoirs of E. coli in the sand, which could present a human health risk at the beach.

The immune response to systemically administered endotoxin in the murine intestinal microcirculation under pentobarbital versus isoflurane anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Pentobarbital and isoflurane are commonly used veterinary anesthetics. Due to the dangers of overdose by repeat-bolus regimen of pentobarbital, isoflurane has been recommended. However, literature suggests isoflurane-induced inhibition of cytokine and adhesion molecule release, impacting leukocyte adhesion. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to characterize the impacts of pentobarbital versus isoflurane on leukocyte interactions within the intestinal microcirculation with and without endotoxin challenge. METHODS: Female BALB/c mice were subjected to pentobarbital or isoflurane (N = 20) and challenged with endotoxin or saline by intraperitoneal injection. The mice were kept under anesthesia for 2 hours. Fluorochromes, rhodamine-6 G and fluorescein isothiocyanate, were injected intravenously. To visualize leukocyte adhesion within the intestinal microcirculation, laparotomy and intravital microscopy was performed. Leukocyte rolling and adhesion was quantified offline in a blinded fashion. RESULTS: Within collecting venules, leukocyte rolling and adhesion showed no significant differences between pentobarbital and isoflurane anesthesia under basal conditions. Endotoxin challenge caused a similar response in both anesthetic groups. Within postcapillary venules, no statistical differences between the two anesthetics were found for adhering leukocytes under basal conditions or following endotoxin challenge either. However, leukocyte rolling after LPS-challenge was significantly decreased in postcapillary venules during isoflurane anesthesia compared to pentobarbital anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: Isoflurane anesthesia showed only minor differences in the immune response to endotoxin within the intestinal microcirculation compared to pentobarbital anesthesia. Due to the superior safety profile of volatile anesthetics, immunological studies may choose isoflurane over pentobarbital as the veterinary anesthetic of choice.

Intravital Microscopy of Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Changes in Different Organ Systems-A Scoping Review.

Intravital microscopy (IVM) is a powerful imaging tool that captures biological processes in real-time. IVM facilitates the observation of complex cellular interactions in vivo, where ex vivo and in vitro experiments lack the physiological environment. IVM has been used in a multitude of studies under healthy and pathological conditions in different organ systems. IVM has become essential in the characterization of the immune response through visualization of leukocyte-endothelial interactions and subsequent changes within the microcirculation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a common inflammatory trigger, has been used to induce inflammatory changes in various studies utilizing IVM. In this review, we provide an overview of IVM imaging of LPS-induced inflammation in different models, such as the brain, intestines, bladder, and lungs.

Response trait diversity and species asynchrony underlie the diversity-stability relationship in Romanian bird communities.

Biodiversity-stability relationships have frequently been studied in ecology, with the recent integration of traits to explain community stability over time. Classical theory underlying the biodiversity-stability relationship posits that different species' responses to the environment should stabilise community-level properties (e.g. biomass or abundance) through compensatory dynamics. However, functional response traits, which aim to predict how species respond to environmental change, are still rarely integrated into studies of ecological stability. Such traits should mechanistically drive community stability, both in terms of community abundance (functional variability) and composition (compositional variability). In turn, whether and how functional or compositional stability scales to affect temporal variation in functional effect traits (a proxy for ecosystem functioning) remains largely unknown, but is key to consistent ecosystem functioning under environmental change. Here, we explore the diversity-stability relationship in bird communities using annual survey data across 98 sites in central Romania, in combination with global trait databases and structural equation models. We show that higher response trait diversity promotes compositional variability directly, and functional variability indirectly via species asynchrony. In turn, functional variability impacts the temporal stability of effect trait diversity. Multiple facets of diversity and community stability differ between natural forests and agricultural or human-dominated survey sites, and the relationship between response diversity and functional variability is mediated by land cover. Further integration of response-and-effect trait frameworks into studies of community stability will enhance understanding of the drivers of biodiversity change, allowing targeted conservation decision-making with a focus on stable ecosystem functioning in the face of global environmental change.

Implementing psychological support for health and social care staff affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative exploration of staff well-being hubs ('Resilience Hubs') using normalisation process theory.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the implementation of Hubs providing access to psychological support for health and social care keyworkers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Qualitative interviews informed by normalisation process theory to understand how the Hub model became embedded into normal practice, and factors that disrupted normalisation of this approach. SETTING: Three Resilience Hubs in the North of England. PARTICIPANTS: Hub staff, keyworkers who accessed Hub support (Hub clients), keyworkers who had not accessed a Hub, and wider stakeholders involved in the provision of staff support within the health and care system (N=63). RESULTS: Hubs were generally seen as an effective way of supporting keyworkers, and Hub clients typically described very positive experiences. Flexibility and adaptability to local needs were strongly valued. Keyworkers accessed support when they understood the offer, valuing a confidential service that was separate from their organisation. Confusion about how Hubs differed from other support prevented some from enrolling. Beliefs about job roles, unsupportive managers, negative workplace cultures and systemic issues prevented keyworkers from valuing mental health support. Lack of support from managers discouraged keyworker engagement with Hubs. Black, Asian and minority ethnic keyworkers impacted by racism felt that the Hubs did not always meet their needs. CONCLUSIONS: Hubs were seen as a valuable, responsive and distinct part of the health and care system. Findings highlight the importance of improving promotion and accessibility of Hubs, and continuation of confidential Hub support. Policy implications for the wider health and care sector include the central importance of genuine promotion of and value placed on mental health support by health and social care management, and the creation of psychologically safe work environments. Diversity and cultural competency training is needed to better reach under-represented communities. Findings are consistent with the international literature, therefore, likely to have applicability outside of the current context.

Family body culture, disordered eating and mental health among young adult females during COVID-19.

Different family interactions related to body weight and shape may co-occur and represent a broader 'family body culture'. This may be important in the context of COVID-19 due to a heightened focus on body weight/shape, and many young adults living back with their families. This study aimed to, first, explore relationships between different family body-related interactions to assess the presence of a family body culture, and second, explore relationships between aspects of family body culture, disordered eating and mental health among young adult females during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 233 females aged 18-25 years who completed measures of family body culture (family fat talk; family weight concern; family weight teasing), disordered eating, anxiety and depression. Results showed all aspects of family body culture were significantly, positively related. Engaging in fat talk with family members (self fat talk) was a key correlate of disordered eating, anxiety and depression. Family concern with weight was also significantly associated with disordered eating. Findings suggest that among some families there is a more problematic family body culture with a greater importance placed on body weight and shape through various body-related interactions. Additionally, findings highlight two key aspects of family body culture related to disordered eating and wellbeing among young adult females. Specifically, vocalising critical remarks about one's own body when with family and an environment that may indirectly communicate a high importance of body weight and shape (e.g., via dieting). These should be considered in future family interventions to support healthy eating behaviours.

Antibacterial and Analgesic Properties of Beta-Caryophyllene in a Murine Urinary Tract Infection Model.

Beta-caryophyllene has demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in a variety of conditions, including interstitial cystitis. These effects are mediated primarily via the activation of the cannabinoid type 2 receptor. Additional antibacterial properties have recently been suggested, leading to our investigation of the effects of beta-caryophyllene in a murine model of urinary tract infection (UTI). Female BALB/c mice were intravesically inoculated with uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073. The mice received either beta-caryophyllene, antibiotic treatment using fosfomycin, or combination therapy. After 6, 24, or 72 h, the mice were evaluated for bacterial burden in the bladder and changes in pain and behavioral responses using von Frey esthesiometry. In the 24 h model, the anti-inflammatory effects of beta-caryophyllene were also assessed using intravital microscopy. The mice established a robust UTI by 24 h. Altered behavioral responses persisted 72 h post infection. Treatment with beta-caryophyllene resulted in a significant reduction in the bacterial burden in urine and bladder tissues 24 h post UTI induction and significant improvements in behavioral responses and intravital microscopy parameters, representing reduced inflammation in the bladder. This study demonstrates the utility of beta-caryophyllene as a new adjunct therapy for the management of UTI.

Open defaecation by proxy: Tackling the increase of disposable diapers in waste piles in informal settlements.

Disposable diapers are becoming increasingly popular and present an emerging challenge for global waste management, particularly within LMICs. They offer a cheap and convenient way for caregivers to manage child excreta; however, insufficient understanding of safe disposal methods, combined with limited access to waste management services results in hazardous disposal. Used diapers are being increasingly found dumped in the open environment, including in water bodies and in open fields, leading to faecal contamination of the environment and an enhanced risk of transmission of faecal-oral diseases such as cholera and typhoid. United Nations SDG 6 aims to end open defaecation globally by 2030; however, improper disposal of used diapers will hamper progress towards reaching this goal. In this review, we identify current trends in use and subsequent disposal of single use disposable diapers in LMICs, and critically discuss the environmental and public health impacts of current practices, and potential solutions to address these challenges. Contemporary methods for managing the disposal of single use diapers for communities in LMICs tend to be cost prohibitive with few alternative options other than dumping in the environment. Modern cloth diapers offer a low waste alternative to disposable diapers but often carry an unaffordable high upfront cost. Here, in addition to advocating improved efforts by governments to upgrade access and quality of waste management services, we recommend the design and implementation of intervention schemes aimed to increase awareness of safe and hygienic disposal practices for disposable diapers.

Clinical testing panels for ALS: global distribution, consistency, and challenges.

Objective: In 2021, the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) spectrum disorders Gene Curation Expert Panel (GCEP) was established to evaluate the strength of evidence for genes previously reported to be associated with ALS. Through this endeavor, we will provide standardized guidance to laboratories on which genes should be included in clinical genetic testing panels for ALS. In this manuscript, we aimed to assess the heterogeneity in the current global landscape of clinical genetic testing for ALS. Methods: We reviewed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) and members of the ALS GCEP to source frequently used testing panels and compare the genes included on the tests. Results: 14 clinical panels specific to ALS from 14 laboratories covered 4 to 54 genes. All panels report on ANG, SOD1, TARDBP, and VAPB; 50% included or offered the option of including C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) analysis. Of the 91 genes included in at least one of the panels, 40 (44.0%) were included on only a single panel. We could not find a direct link to ALS in the literature for 14 (15.4%) included genes. Conclusions: The variability across the surveyed clinical genetic panels is concerning due to the possibility of reduced diagnostic yields in clinical practice and risk of a missed diagnoses for patients. Our results highlight the necessity for consensus regarding the appropriateness of gene inclusions in clinical genetic ALS tests to improve its application for patients living with ALS and their families.

Clinically important E. coli strains can persist, and retain their pathogenicity, on environmental plastic and fabric waste.

Plastic waste is ubiquitous in the environment and there are increasing reports of such waste being colonised by human pathogens. However, the ability of pathogens to persist on plastics for long periods, and the risk that they pose to human health, is unknown. Here, under simulated environmental conditions, we aimed to determine if pathogenic bacteria can retain their virulence following a prolonged period on plastic. Using antibiotic selection and luciferase expression for quantification, we show that clinically important strains of E. coli can survive on plastic for at least 28-days. Importantly, these pathogens also retained their virulence (determined by using a Galleria mellonella model as a surrogate for human infection) and in some cases, had enhanced virulence following their recovery from the plastisphere. This indicates that plastics in the environment can act as reservoirs for human pathogens and could facilitate their persistence for extended periods of time. Most importantly human pathogens in the plastisphere are capable of retaining their pathogenicity. Pathogens colonising environmental plastic waste therefore pose a heightened public health risk, particularly in areas where people are exposed to pollution.

COVID-19 and coping: Absence of previous mental health issues as a potential risk factor for poor wellbeing in females.

COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruption to everyday life. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in increased prevalence of poor mental wellbeing. While previous mental health issues have been consistently flagged as a risk factor, the absence of these may also leave individuals vulnerable due to a lack of psychological coping strategies. This study explored the change in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma in 167 females who provided data at four timepoints over the course of the first year of the pandemic. There was a significant effect of time on the extent of the change in depression but, for all wellbeing measures, those with current or previous mental health issues experienced a similar magnitude of change as those with no previous issues. This suggests that low-risk individuals may be faring worse, relatively. Ensuring that this group is not overlooked will be imperative in protecting and re-building the wellbeing of the nation.

Latitudinal patterns of forest ecosystem stability across spatial scales as affected by biodiversity and environmental heterogeneity.

Our planet is facing a variety of serious threats from climate change that are unfolding unevenly across the globe. Uncovering the spatial patterns of ecosystem stability is important for predicting the responses of ecological processes and biodiversity patterns to climate change. However, the understanding of the latitudinal pattern of ecosystem stability across scales and of the underlying ecological drivers is still very limited. Accordingly, this study examines the latitudinal patterns of ecosystem stability at the local and regional spatial scale using a natural assembly of forest metacommunities that are distributed over a large temperate forest region, considering a range of potential environmental drivers. We found that the stability of regional communities (regional stability) and asynchronous dynamics among local communities (spatial asynchrony) both decreased with increasing latitude, whereas the stability of local communities (local stability) did not. We tested a series of hypotheses that potentially drive the spatial patterns of ecosystem stability, and found that although the ecological drivers of biodiversity, climatic history, resource conditions, climatic stability, and environmental heterogeneity varied with latitude, latitudinal patterns of ecosystem stability at multiple scales were affected by biodiversity and environmental heterogeneity. In particular, α diversity is positively associated with local stability, while ß diversity is positively associated with spatial asynchrony, although both relationships are weak. Our study provides the first evidence that latitudinal patterns of the temporal stability of naturally assembled forest metacommunities across scales are driven by biodiversity and environmental heterogeneity. Our findings suggest that the preservation of plant biodiversity within and between forest communities and the maintenance of heterogeneous landscapes can be crucial to buffer forest ecosystems at higher latitudes from the faster and more intense negative impacts of climate change in the future.

Childhood Victimization and Adult Incarceration: A Review of the Literature.

A growing body of work estimates the prevalence of childhood victimization among incarcerated people. The present study seeks to descriptively and quantitatively summarize this abundant literature by reviewing studies that report childhood victimization prevalence among people incarcerated in the United States. The review includes any study of childhood victimization that uses a sample of incarcerated adults (age eighteen or older) and that reports the proportion of the sample that experienced child abuse and/or neglect. Sixty-seven studies met these criteria and were analyzed, encompassing 1,187,044 incarcerated individuals. The studies vary in sample characteristics, methodological features, and employ an exceedingly wide range of victimization measures. Meta-analyses for pooled prevalence rates revealed that the inter-study heterogeneity was too great to draw conclusive summary estimates of childhood victimization from this literature, even when disaggregating by victimization type. Exploratory t-tests and correlation analyses suggest that a study's sample size, racial, ethnic, and gender composition, and variation in victimization measurement can influence reported child abuse and neglect, but more research is needed to fully assess how study characteristics influence reported victimization prevalence. Understanding the extensiveness of childhood victimization histories among incarcerated people emphasizes the need for robust screening and treatment for people within correctional facilities, as well as improved community prevention and intervention efforts.

From wastewater discharge to the beach: Survival of human pathogens bound to microplastics during transfer through the freshwater-marine continuum.

Large quantities of microplastics are regularly discharged from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) into the aquatic environment. Once released, these plastics can rapidly become colonised by microbial biofilm, forming distinct plastisphere communities which may include potential pathogens. We hypothesised that the protective environment afforded by the plastisphere would facilitate the survival of potential pathogens during transitions between downstream environmental matrices and thus increase persistence and the potential for environmental dissemination of pathogens. The survival of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonising polyethylene or glass particles has been quantified in mesocosm incubation experiments designed to simulate, (1) the direct release of microplastics from WWTPs into freshwater and seawater environments; and (2) the movement of microplastics downstream following discharge from the WWTP through the river-estuary-marine-beach continuum. Culturable E. coli, E. faecalis and P. aeruginosa were successfully able to survive and persist on particles whether they remained in one environmental matrix or transitioned between different environmental matrices. All three bacteria were still detectable on both microplastic and glass particles after 25 days, with higher concentrations on microplastic compared to glass particles; however, there were no differences in bacterial die-off rates between the two materials. This potential for environmental survival of pathogens in the plastisphere could facilitate their transition into places where human exposure is greater (e.g., bathing waters and beach environments). Therefore, risks associated with pathogen-microplastic co-pollutants in the environment, emphasises the urgency for updated regulations on wastewater discharge and the management of microplastic generation and release.

Evaluating automatic creaky voice detection methods.

There is growing interest in research on the non-modal voice quality, creaky voice; however, its identification often relies on time-consuming manual annotation, leading to a recent focus on automatic creak detection methods. Various automatic methods have been proposed, which rely on varying types and combinations of acoustic cues for creak detection. In this paper, we compare the performance of three automatic tools, the AntiMode method, the Creak Detector algorithm, and the Roughness algorithm, against manual annotation of creak using data from 80 Australian English speakers. We explore the possibility that tools used in combination may yield more accurate creak detection than individual tools used alone. Based on method comparisons, we present options for researchers, including an "out-of-the-box" approach, which supports combining automatic tools, and propose additional steps to further improve creak detection. We found restricting analysis to sonorant segments significantly improves automatic creak detection, and tools performed consistently better on female speech than male speech. Findings support previous work showing detection may be optimised by performing a creak probability threshold sweep on a subset of data prior to applying the Creak Detector algorithm on new datasets. Results provide promising solutions for advancing efficient large-scale research on creaky voice.

The global impact of management on soil nematode abundances.

Research Highlight: Li, X., Liu, T., Li, H., Geisen, S., Hu, F., & Liu, M. (2022). Management effects on soil nematode abundance differ among functional groups and land-use types at a global scale. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13744. Despite the well-documented decline of aboveground species abundances as a result of land-use intensification, there has been little attention on the effects of human activities on belowground species abundances. Li et al. analyse nematode data, the most abundant animal on the planet, from across the globe to determine whether their abundances vary between managed and unmanaged habitats. The authors show that, unlike aboveground biodiversity, nematode abundance is higher in managed than unmanaged primary and secondary habitats. Furthermore, responses to land management vary between trophic groups and they do not appear to follow the general hypothesis that higher trophic levels are more vulnerable to human activity than those further down the food chain, except in urban habitats. Finally, Li et al. show that the relationships between environmental predictors and species abundance were weakened (and sometimes reversed) in managed habitats. Together, their results reveal how land-use management is impacting the trophic composition of soil nematode communities and their relationships with the environment, which has implications for ecosystem functioning.