Challenges in coupling atmospheric electricity with biological systems
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SPECIAL ISSUEI: ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY AND BIOMETEOROLOGY
Challenges in coupling atmospheric electricity with biological systems Ellard R. Hunting 1 & James Matthews 2 & Pablo Fernández de Arróyabe Hernáez 3 & Sam J. England 1 & Konstantinos Kourtidis 4,5 & Kuang Koh 1 & Keri Nicoll 6,7 & R. Giles Harrison 7 & Konstantine Manser 1 & Colin Price 8 & Snezana Dragovic 9 & Michal Cifra 10 & Anna Odzimek 11 & Daniel Robert 1 Received: 13 November 2019 / Revised: 29 May 2020 / Accepted: 26 June 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract The atmosphere is host to a complex electric environment, ranging from a global electric circuit generating fluctuating atmospheric electric fields to local lightning strikes and ions. While research on interactions of organisms with their electrical environment is deeply rooted in the aquatic environment, it has hitherto been confined to interactions with local electrical phenomena and organismal perception of electric fields. However, there is emerging evidence of coupling between large- and small-scale atmospheric electrical phenomena and various biological processes in terrestrial environments that even appear to be tied to continental waters. Here, we synthesize our current understanding of this connectivity, discussing how atmospheric electricity can affect various levels of biological organization across multiple ecosystems. We identify opportunities for research, highlighting its complexity and interdisciplinary nature and draw attention to both conceptual and technical challenges lying ahead of our future understanding of the relationship between atmospheric electricity and the organization and functioning of biological systems. Keywords Aerosols . Biometeorology . Ecosystem connectivity . Electromagnetics . Electroreception . Electrostatics . Ions . Lightning . Potential gradient . Radionuclides . Thunderstorm
Introduction The Earth’s atmosphere is a complex physical environment that makes up an intrinsic component of our living environment. For decades, interactions between organisms (animals, plants, bacteria, fungi, archaea, and human beings) and their geophysical and geochemical environment have been a * Ellard R. Hunting [email protected] * Daniel Robert [email protected] 1
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
2
School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
3
Geography and Planning Department, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
4
Department of Environmental Engineering, Demokritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece
5
ISLP Xanthi Branch, ENTA Unit, ATHENA Research and Innovation Center, Xanthi, Greece
central avenue of empirical research (Halberg 1963). Despite these efforts, biophysical mechanisms underpinning interactions between many atmospheric variables and biological systems remain poorly understood. Thus far, the complexity and diversity of the physical processes operating simultaneously over wide spatio-temporal scales have hampered our understanding whether and how atmospheric physical processes— 6
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