http://dspace.stir.ac.uk:80 The STORRE digital repository system captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material. Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:24:36 GMT 2026-10-15T02:24:36Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38398 Title: Associations between mycorrhizal dominance and woody species diversity shift with stand development and climate across subtropical and tropical forests in Taiwan Author(s): Vilà‐Cabrera, Albert; Astigarraga, Julen; O'Sullivan, Kirsten S W; Clemmensen, Karina E; Tyyskä, Henna; Greenwood, Sarah; Cubino, Josep Padullés; Chen, Jan‐Chang; Jump, Alistair S. Abstract: Mycorrhizal symbioses influence woody species diversity, but whether this association shifts with forest stand development remains underexplored. Using forest inventory data across subtropical and tropical forests in Taiwan, we found that woody species diversity was lower in ectomycorrhizal (EM)-dominated than in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM)-dominated forests, while forests with mixed mycorrhizal strategies supported the highest woody species diversity. However, these associations were strongest in early development stands and tended to converge towards high diversity in late development stands despite differences in mycorrhizal dominance. These results are consistent with stronger conspecific negative density dependence in AM-dominated forests and niche partitioning among mycorrhizal strategies at early developmental stages, while alternative recruitment dynamics associated with AM- and EM-dominated canopies may promote high woody species diversity at late developmental stages. Climate modulated these patterns, with the negative association between EM dominance and woody species diversity strongest in cold regions, while the diversity peak in mixed AM–EM forests was most pronounced in median climates and diminished towards warm and cold climates. In addition, woody species evenness was more consistently highest in forests with mixed mycorrhizal strategies across stand development stages compared to woody species richness, suggesting that mycorrhizal coexistence promotes more equal species abundances. These findings highlight that associations between mycorrhizal strategies and woody species diversity depend on forest developmental stage, underpinning new understanding of subtropical and tropical forest recovery under global change. Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38398 2026-09-28T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38397 Title: Political responses to a second Scottish independence referendum: Deferral, denial and delegitimisation Author(s): Brown Swan, Coree; Anderson, Paul Abstract: This paper examines how the UK state has responded to Scottish demands for a second independence referendum, treating those demands as constitutional contestation and asking whether the state has converted that contestation into deliberative engagement or managed it through deferral, denial, and delegitimisation. Drawing on a longitudinal analysis of ministerial discourse between 2016 and 2026, the paper traces how successive UK Governments – Conservative and Labour – have justified their consistent refusal to sanction a second referendum. It identifies three overlapping phases: conditional deferral under Theresa May, in which the question was postponed around Brexit; assertive denial under Johnson, Truss and Sunak, in which crisis conditions were instrumentalised and the 2022 Supreme Court ruling used to normalise refusal; and managed delegitimisation under Starmer, in which a softer tone masked an effort to render independence constitutionally illegitimate. The UK state has deployed a consistent repertoire – democratic finality, crisis conditions, mandate contestation – to close off rather than structure debate. The paper concludes that while these strategies have prevented a second referendum, they have not resolved the underlying tension, raising fundamental questions about deliberation and democratic legitimacy in multinational states. Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38397 2026-10-05T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38396 Title: The Akwesasne Notes: A Catalyst of Cold War Native American Transnational Protest Author(s): Toth, Gyorgy Abstract: Launched by the longhouse faction of the Mohawk of the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy in 1969 after Native American activists reasserted their transnational passage rights by blockading the International Bridge connecting the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, the Akwesasne Notes soon became one of the Native North American papers with the largest circulation and served as the flagship periodical of the American Indian radical sovereignty movement through the end of the Cold War. Through a close-reading of content, multi-sited archival research, and mapping out of the biographies of key activists, this study goes beyond establishing that the Notes was transnational in its geography, politics of production, and coverage, and will investigate whether the newspaper developed from an organ into a catalyst for Cold War Native transnational protest. Using a framework from Performance Studies, the article argues that, in its coverage, Akwesasne Notes both recorded and provided scripts for protest performances that challenged and articulated alternatives to the current Native American/First Nations status and rights. Thereby and through its circulation across and beyond settler colonial borders, the Notes helped catalyse transnational alliances for American Indian sovereignty that over time spanned the Western hemisphere, reached across the Atlantic, and entered the United Nations. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38396 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38395 Title: Adolescent use of nicotine pouches in four Latin American countries: A cross-sectional survey Author(s): Alexandrou, Georgia; Moodie, Crawford; Best, Catherine; Barrientos-Gutierrez, Inti; Miguel Aguilar, Carlos; Palacios, Mariel; F Thrasher, James Abstract: Background and Aim: Nicotine pouches are novel products with rapid global sales growth. Our aim was to explore use and perceptions of nicotine pouches among adolescents in Latin America. Design: Cross-sectional school surveys between March and August 2025. Setting: Sixteen cities, four each in Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. Participants: Adolescents aged 12-17 years (n=12,785). Measurements: Use of, and susceptibility to, nicotine pouches, through survey questions about frequency of use, brands and flavours used, access, and harm compared to cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Results: Self-reported ever use was 6.0%, highest in Peru (9.1%) and lowest in Argentina (3.2%). Ever use was higher among males, those with higher family affluence scores, and those who had ever vaped or smoked tobacco. The rate of current (past 30 day) nicotine pouch use was 2.4%. Those reporting current use typically used pouches infrequently (1-3 days in the last month). The most commonly used brands were Velo (24.4%) and Zyn (18.1%), with pouches most likely to be given to them by someone (26.3%) or giving someone else money to buy them (15.8%). Fruit (20.3%) and mint/menthol (17.3%) were the most common flavours reported. More than one-third of the sample indicated that nicotine pouches were more harmful (somewhat/a lot) than cigarettes (38.7%) and e-cigarettes (36.7%). Summary: Nicotine pouch use among adolescents in four Latin American countries appears to be relatively uncommon but higher than in previous youth surveys. Access to nicotine pouches appears to be largely informal, fruit and mint/menthol flavours are most common, and many adolescents appear uncertain about harm compared with cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38395 2026-10-04T00:00:00Z