2024 was the first full year running for VOLT Center, and and there have been many exciting activities, collaborations, new people joining, cool instruments arriving and promising data being generated. This has also been reflected in our productivity in terms of scientific publications. You can find the full list here, and in this article we share some highlights selected by VOLT PIs:

High temperature sensitivity of Arctic isoprene emissions explained by sedges

(selected by Riikka Rinnan)

This paper is a collaborative effort that sheds new light on why Arctic tundra ecosystems respond so strongly to rising temperatures in terms of their isoprene emissions. We show that sedges, grass-like plants that are abundant across the tundra and boreal peatlands, have higher temperature response than shrubs. Correct estimation of isoprene emissions is important in the warming Arctic as atmospheric isoprene has important implications on air quality and climate.
You can read the article here.

Air and Surface Temperatures Differently Drive Terrestrial Carbon and Water Cycles in the High Latitudes

(selected by Jing Tang)

High-latitude vegetation experiences different temperatures than the ambient air temperature.  Through driving one ecosystem model, LPJ-GUESS, with air and surface temperatures, this study revealed that (1) plant growths in the tundra are stimulated by surface temperature which is higher than air temperature in the summer months and (2) forcing temperature is crucial in determining high-latitude vegetation structure and productivity; and (3) Nor surface or air temperature can sufficiently capture plant temperature dynamics.
You can read the paper here.

The feather moss Hylocomium splendens affects the transcriptional profile of a symbiotic cyanobacterium in relation to acquisition and turnover of key nutrients. 

(selected by Kathrin Rousk)

This is the first study reporting on the molecular interactions between mosses and associated, nitrogen (N) -fixing cyanobacteria using comparative transcriptomics. While the cyanobacterium increases nitrogen fixation rates when growing with the moss and key genes linked to nutrient turnover, the moss’ host does not change its transcriptomic profile when living together with the N-fixing cyanobacterium. Thus, the moss is less affected by the symbiotic interaction than cyanobacteria are, indicating a less tight symbioses than other cyanobacteria-plant interactions.
You can find the full text here.