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Accurate and up‐to‐date biodiversity forecasts enable robust planning for environmental management and conservation of landscapes under a wide range of uses. Future predictions of the species composition of ecological communities complement more frequently reported species richness estimates to better characterize the different dimensions of biodiversity. The models that make community composition forecasts are calibrated with data on species' geographic patterns for the present, which may not be good proxies for future patterns. The future establishment of novel communities represents data on species interactions unaccounted for by these models. However, detecting them in a systematic way presents challenges due to the lack of monitoring data for landscapes with high environmental turnover, where such communities are likely to establish. Here, we propose lightweight monitoring over both ecological and anthropogenic disturbance gradients using passive sensors (i.e., those that operate continuously without much human input) to detect novel communities with the aim of updating models that make community composition forecasts. Monitoring over these two gradients should maximize detection of novel communities and improve understanding of relationships between community composition and environmental change. Further, barriers regarding cost and effort are reduced by using relatively few sensors requiring minimal upkeep. Ongoing updates to community composition forecasts based on novel community data and better understanding of the associated uncertainty should improve future decision‐making for both resource management and conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ANIMAL TRAFFIC: Lively Capital in the Global Exotic Pet Trade: By Rosemary-Claire Collard. First is the erasure of social relations that occurs in the commodity fetishism explained by traditional Marxian analyses, and second is Collard's assertion of the erasure of the animals' socio-ecological relations in their (former) biotic communities. These traits are what provide "use value" for humans, and Collard explains that for the commodity transformation to happen, exotic animals "are subject to a double fetishism" (p. 18). [Extracted from the article]

The data paper, an emerging scholarly genre, describes research data sets and is intended to bridge the gap between the publication of research data and scientific articles. Research examining how data papers report data events, such as data transactions and manipulations, is limited. The research reported on in this article addresses this limitation and investigated how data events are inscribed in data papers. A content analysis was conducted examining the full texts of 82 data papers, drawn from the curated list of data papers connected to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Data events recorded for each paper were organized into a set of 17 categories. Many of these categories are described together in the same sentence, which indicates the messiness of data events in the laboratory space. The findings challenge the degrees to which data papers are a distinct genre compared to research articles and they describe data‐centric research processes in a through way. This article also discusses how our results could inform a better data publication ecosystem in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing what the highest-level mammalian carnivores and intermediate levels eat throughout the geography and how human activities may affect their community dynamics is relevant information to focusing and deciding on conservation efforts within a territory. In this review, we characterize geographically the accumulated knowledge about the trophic niche of terrestrial mammalian carnivore species and evaluate the spatial relationship between the species richness distribution and the geographical distribution of their trophic knowledge in Chile. We found 88 peer-reviewed papers that include trophic studies per se, theses, and short notes carried out in Chile, where at least one trophic element was reported for terrestrial mammalian carnivore species. We found a positive relationship between the species richness distribution pattern and the spatial distribution of accumulated trophic knowledge, i.e., most of the papers have been conducted in Central-southern Chile (Central Chile and Temperate Forest ecoregions) responding to the highest co-occurrence of carnivore species within the limits of the biodiversity hotspot, the most threatened area in the country. Despite this general relationship, we recognize gaps in knowledge regarding regions of the country that require more research effort, such as O'Higgins, Maule, and Ñuble regions, as well as focus efforts on certain species with no or almost no knowledge of their trophic ecology, such as Leopardus colocola, Lyncodon patagonicus and Conepatus chinga. Except for the northern Chilean ecosystems, there is a generalized report of high consumption of exotic mammals in the diet of carnivores in the center and south of the country. However, of the 98 localities recognized in the 88 papers, 20.4% correspond to an anthropized environment, while most (79.6%) correspond to a "non-anthropized" environment or protected area. We hope this review allows researchers and decision-makers to consider the knowledge and lack thereof of carnivore trophic interactions as an opportunity to conserve entire natural communities throughout the Chilean territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that acknowledging the wide diversity of current recreational practices on English wetlands enables governance practitioners and site managers to appreciate the full extent of contemporary human engagements with these watery ecosystems. These insights can assist those tasked with managing wetland resources to develop more inclusive and sustainable development plans to support a wide range of actors whose connections to wetland spaces are important for their health, wellbeing and sense of self. Enabling sustainable future uses of wetlands will involve recognising and engaging with differential articulations of place‐making within these diverse waterscapes which themselves are in a constant state of transition. This calls our attention to the dynamic nature of wetlands, and the ways in which place‐making in these spaces shifts and adapts to the changing topography and biota within these waterscapes; each encounter with the space is slightly reconfigured and recast every time. Wetlands' liminality also extends to the diverse and often esoteric uses of these ecosystems for recreation in its most encompassing sense; as leisure spaces, places of renewal and as locations of place‐making practices. Drawing upon Barbara Bender's exploration of landscape as phenomenological palimpsest, this paper utilises empirical interview data drawn from a recent research project, 'WetlandLIFE', to explore how far contemporary human uses of wetlands engage with processes of restoration and reanimation. Making use of the different leisure narratives of the research participants across five English wetland sites, the paper explores the ways in which 'place' is differentially interpreted, enabled and enacted in these saturated spaces. These practises and performances can be functional, prosaic engagements with wetlands; painting, walking, photographing, sitting, reflecting. They can also be anarchic, counter‐cultural and 'delinquent'; wild‐camping, raving, poaching, partying. The wide spectrum of behaviours and attitudes catalogued reveal the contested use and value of these waterscapes in contemporary contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WINNER OF THE 2019 BEST PAPER AWARD: Detecting amphibians in agricultural landscapes using environmental DNA reveals the importance of wetland condition I Gabrielle E. Ruso, Christy A. Morrissey, Natacha S. Hogan, Claudia Sheedy, Melanie J. Gallant, and Timothy D. Jardine i https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4598 The greatest challenge facing contemporary ecotoxicology is how to reliably assess ecosystem impacts of chemical pollutants and distinguish it from many other environmental factors. Hitting reset on sediment toxicity: Sediment homogenization alters the toxicity of metal-amended sediments. Comparative lethality of in ovo exposure to PCB 126, PCB 77, and 2 environmentally relevant PCB mixtures in Japanese quail ( I Coturnix japonica i ). [Extracted from the article]

The rock-paper-scissors game is a model example of the ongoing cyclic turnover typical of many ecosystems, ranging from the terrestrial and aquatic to the microbial. Here we explore the evolution of a rock-paper-scissors system where three species compete for space. The species are allowed to mutate and change the speed by which they invade one another. In the case when all species have similar mutation rates, we observe a perpetual arms race where no single species prevails. When only two species mutate, their aggressions increase indefinitely until the ecosystem collapses and only the nonmutating species survives. Finally we show that when only one species mutates, group selection removes individual predators with the fastest growth rates, causing the growth rate of the species to stabilize. We explain this group selection quantitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paleogene is a crucial period when terrestrial and marine ecosystems recovered from major disruptions and gradually approached their modern states. In the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions, the Paleogene also represents a significant phase of tectonic evolution in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau-Himalaya orogeny, reorganization of Asian climates, and evolution of biodiversity. Due to limitations in research conditions and understanding, there are still many controversies regarding stratigraphic divisions in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions In recent years, extensive studies on sedimentary petrology, magnetostratigraphy, and isotope dating have been conducted in the region. Numerous fossils have been discovered and reported, contributing to a more systematic understanding of biostratigraphy. These studies have laid a solid foundation for the comprehensive investigation of the stratigraphy, biotas and paleogeographic evolution of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions during the Paleogene. In this paper, we integrate recent research on fossils, isotopic dating, magnetostratigraphy, and geochemistry to refine the stratigraphic divisions and correlation framework of different tectonic units in the region, building upon previous studies. Since the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research, the knowledge of Paleogene floras has gradually expanded. This paper discusses the biostratigraphic significance of extinct and newly appeared taxa based on the latest dating results of these plant species. The new understanding of fossil species such as the "Eucalyptus" and Arecaceae establishes connections between the Paleogene flora of the Qinghai-Tibetan region and the biotas of Gondwana, specifically Oceania and South America. The evolutionary history of key taxa near the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone indicates that the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates occurred approximately 65–54 Ma. Paleoelevation reconstructions, based on plant fossils, suggest that the Hengduan Mountain had already formed their current topographic pattern prior to the Early Oligocene. The warm and humid lowlands adjacent to the main suture zones in the Paleogene Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau served as the primary pathway for biota exchanges. The relatively low elevation of the Himalaya during the Paleogene did not effectively block the moisture from the Indian Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on tropical Asian vertebrates has traditionally been sparse, particularly when it comes to cryptic species inhabiting the dense forests of the region. Vertebrate populations are declining globally due to land‐use change and hunting, the latter frequently referred as "defaunation." This is especially true in tropical Asia where there is extensive land‐use change and high human densities. Robust monitoring requires that large volumes of vertebrate population data be made available for use by the scientific and applied communities. Camera traps have emerged as an effective, non‐invasive, widespread, and common approach to surveying vertebrates in their natural habitats. However, camera‐derived datasets remain scattered across a wide array of sources, including published scientific literature, gray literature, and unpublished works, making it challenging for researchers to harness the full potential of cameras for ecology, conservation, and management. In response, we collated and standardized observations from 239 camera trap studies conducted in tropical Asia. There were 278,260 independent records of 371 distinct species, comprising 232 mammals, 132 birds, and seven reptiles. The total trapping effort accumulated in this data paper consisted of 876,606 trap nights, distributed among Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Bhutan, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, and far eastern India. The relatively standardized deployment methods in the region provide a consistent, reliable, and rich count data set relative to other large‐scale pressence‐only data sets, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) or citizen science repositories (e.g., iNaturalist), and is thus most similar to eBird. To facilitate the use of these data, we also provide mammalian species trait information and 13 environmental covariates calculated at three spatial scales around the camera survey centroids (within 10‐, 20‐, and 30‐km buffers). We will update the dataset to include broader coverage of temperate Asia and add newer surveys and covariates as they become available. This dataset unlocks immense opportunities for single‐species ecological or conservation studies as well as applied ecology, community ecology, and macroecology investigations. The data are fully available to the public for utilization and research. Please cite this data paper when utilizing the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of the mechanisms which permit ecological communities to maintain high levels of biodiversity is of both theoretical interest and practical importance. Intransitive competition, in which there is no single superior competitor, is known to play an important role in this problem. In this study, we undertake a systematic comparative analysis of how different competition modes and ranges affect community stability in paper–rock–scissors games. We confirm that short-ranged interactions, in combination with cyclic competition, permits relatively stable coexistence. However, in contrast to previous studies, we show that long-range interactions can also produce stable communities. This stability emerges when competition interactions create asymmetries in the opportunities for population growth depending on the abundance of the species. Our findings demonstrate that small differences in the way species compete can qualitatively change dynamic behaviours of the system, and therefore emphasize the importance of correctly identifying these competition modes when designing conservation actions. • We compare system stability among four interaction modes in cyclic competition. • We find that long-ranged competition can also produce stable coexistence. • Small differences in interaction modes qualitatively change dynamic behaviours. • We emphasize the importance of correctly identifying species competition modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Using next-generation sequencing technologies, scientists can sequence complex microbial communities directly from the environment. Significant insights into the structure, diversity, and ecology of microbial communities have resulted from the study of metagenomics. The assembly of reads into longer contigs, which are then binned into groups of contigs that correspond to different species in the metagenomic sample, is a crucial step in the analysis of metagenomics. It is necessary to organize these contigs into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) for further taxonomic profiling and functional analysis. For binning, which is synonymous with the clustering of OTUs, the tetra-nucleotide frequency (TNF) is typically utilized as a compositional feature for each OTU. Results: In this paper, we present AFIT, a new l-mer statistic vector for each contig, and AFITBin, a novel method for metagenomic binning based on AFIT and a matrix factorization method. To evaluate the performance of the AFIT vector, the t-SNE algorithm is used to compare species clustering based on AFIT and TNF information. In addition, the efficacy of AFITBin is demonstrated on both simulated and real datasets in comparison to state-of-the-art binning methods such as MetaBAT 2, MaxBin 2.0, CONCOT, MetaCon, SolidBin, BusyBee Web, and MetaBinner. To further analyze the performance of the purposed AFIT vector, we compare the barcodes of the AFIT vector and the TNF vector. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that AFITBin shows superior performance in taxonomic identification compared to existing methods, leveraging the AFIT vector for improved results in metagenomic binning. This approach holds promise for advancing the analysis of metagenomic data, providing more reliable insights into microbial community composition and function. Availability: A python package is available at: https://github.com/SayehSobhani/AFITBin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the second part of a special issue on Rivers and Water in the South. The first part showcased research on diverse river systems in the region. Part 2 expands the scope to include the significance of water resources for society. It discusses the removal of dams and its ecological benefits, as well as concerns about water quantity and quality. The article also examines the presence of contaminants in drinking water and the challenges facing the Gulf of Mexico's water quality and fisheries due to climate change. The papers in this special issue highlight the importance of understanding and protecting water resources in the South. [Extracted from the article]

Populations and ecological communities are changing worldwide, and empirical studies exhibit a mixture of either declining or mixed trends. Confusion in global biodiversity trends thus remains, while assessing such changes is of major social, political, and scientific importance. Part of this variability may arise from the difficulty to reliably assess global biodiversity trends. Here, we conducted a literature review of studies documenting the temporal dynamics of global biodiversity. We classified the differences among approaches, data, and methodology used by the reviewed papers to reveal common findings and sources of discrepancies. We show that reviews and meta‐analyses, along with the use of global indicators, are more likely to conclude that trends are declining. On the other hand, the longer the data are available, the more nuanced are the trends they generate. Our results also highlight the lack of studies providing information on the impact of synergistic pressures on a global scale, making it even more difficult to understand the driving factors of the observed changes and how to decide conservation plan accordingly. Finally, we stress the importance of taking into account the sources of confusion identified, as well as the complexity of biodiversity changes, in order to implement effective conservation strategies. In particular, biodiversity dynamics are almost systematically assumed to be linear, while non‐linear trends are largely neglected. Clarifying the sources of confusion in global biodiversity trends should strengthen large‐scale biodiversity monitoring and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predator–prey interactions are a fundamental part of community ecology, yet the relative importance of consumptive and nonconsumptive effects (NCEs) (defined as a risk‐induced response that alters prey fitness) has not been resolved. Theory suggests that the emergence and subsequent predominance of consumptive or NCEs depend on the given habitat's complexity as well as predator hunting mode and spatial domain sizes of both predator and prey, but their relative influence on the outcome of predator–prey interactions is unknown. We built agent‐based models in NetLogo to simulate predator–prey interactions for three hunting modes—sit‐and‐wait, sit‐and‐pursue, and active—while concurrently simulating large versus small spatial domain sizes for both predators and prey. We studied (1) how hunting mode and spatial domain size interact to influence the emergence of consumptive or NCEs and (2) how, when NCEs do dominate, hunting mode and spatial domain separately or additively determine prey shifts in time, space, and habitat use. Our results indicate consumptive effects only dominate for active predators when prey habitat domains overlap completely with the predator's spatial domain and when sit‐and‐wait and sit‐and‐pursue predators and their prey both have large spatial domains. Prey are most likely to survive when they shift their time but most frequently shift their habitat. Our paper helps to better understand the underlying mechanisms that drive consumptive or NCEs to be most dominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We respond to comments made in the opinion paper by Ainley et al. (Hydrobiologia, 10.1007/s10750-015-2607-4, ) regarding our recent publication on the biology, ecology and life history of Antarctic toothfish ( Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea region. We focus in particular on the spatial and temporal extent of data collected from the fishery; results of research to date on changes in abundance and size of Antarctic toothfish at McMurdo Sound; and the subject of neutral buoyancy and inferences about vertical distribution. We conclude by re-iterating the need for well-designed, standardised research programmes to address remaining uncertainties in its life history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over fifty years have passed since the publication of Harold Mooney's formative paper, "The Carbon Balance of Plants" on pages 315–346 of Volume 3 (1972) of Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. Arguably, the conceptual framework presented in that paper, and the work by Mooney and his students leading up to the paper, provided the foundational principles from which core disciplines emerged in plant economic theory, functional trait theory and, more generally, plant physiological ecology. Here, we revisit the primary impacts of those early discoveries to understand how researchers constructed major concepts in our understanding of plant adaptations, and where those concepts are likely to take us in the near future. The discipline of functional trait ecology, which is rooted in the principles of evolutionary and economic optimization, has captured the imagination of the plant physiological ecology research community, though its emphasis has shifted toward predicting species distributions and ecological roles across resource gradients. In the face of 'big-data' research pursuits that are revealing trait expression patterns at the cellular level and mass and energy exchange patterns at the planetary scale, an opportunity exists to reconnect the principles of plant carbon balance and evolutionary optimization with trait origins at the genetic and cellular scales and trait impacts at the global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the voices of resistance against the Dakar Rally's decade-long operation in South America. Drawing upon the three-prong framework of environmental justice (EJ), the analysis showcases how the less powerful stakeholders in the hosting countries articulated the deleterious consequences caused by the event to the local communities and ecologies. Moreover, by situating the Dakar Rally's expeditions in South America within the global capitalist economy, the paper explains why the most prestigious car rally is an exemplary manifestation of ecological imperialism, as it is not only a showcase of unsustainable industries (represented by fossil-fuel vehicles) with European colonial hubris but also a newer stage of an ongoing centuries-old process of extracting ecological resources from the Global South to benefit the increasingly mobile, vampire-like transnational capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an editorial for a thematic issue on Polar and Alpine Microbiology in the journal FEMS Microbiology Ecology. The issue focuses on the microbial ecology of cold habitats and the importance of understanding the biodiversity and functional roles of microorganisms in these environments. The issue includes 30 peer-reviewed papers, most of which were presented at the 9th International Conference on Polar and Alpine Microbiology (PAM22). The papers cover a range of topics, including microbial communities, adaptation, carbon and nitrogen turnover, and plant-microbe interactions, with a particular emphasis on Arctic, mountain, and Antarctic regions. The issue is dedicated to the late researcher S. Craig Cary, who made significant contributions to the study of microbial life in extreme environments. [Extracted from the article]

As the smallest spatial unit in the city, the community should be an important space for healing the urban population. This paper presents a systematic review summarizing studies on community healing environments. The study identified 75 publications. The research findings are as follows: the main intervening variables include restorativeness, emotions and mood, stress, and well‐being. Little attention has been paid to the intervening variables including social support, environmental preferences and satisfaction, place attachment, behavior types that respond to personal will, self‐fulfillment, and the spirit of personal culture. The various types of natural environments in communities have been given focused attention for a long time. However, the superiority of the natural environment should not be a reason to underestimate the healing benefits of community spaces. The mechanisms by which environmental characteristics are transformed into positive individual influences through intervening variables should be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The rock–paper–scissors game–which is characterized by three strategies , satisfying the non-transitive relations excludes , excludes , and excludes –serves as a simple prototype for studying more complex non-transitive systems. For well-mixed systems where interactions result in fitness reductions of the losers exceeding fitness gains of the winners, classical theory predicts that two strategies go extinct. The effects of spatial heterogeneity and dispersal rates on this outcome are analyzed using a general framework for evolutionary games in patchy landscapes. The analysis reveals that coexistence is determined by the rates at which dominant strategies invade a landscape occupied by the subordinate strategy (e.g. rock invades a landscape occupied by scissors) and the rates at which subordinate strategies get excluded in a landscape occupied by the dominant strategy (e.g. scissors gets excluded in a landscape occupied by rock). These invasion and exclusion rates correspond to eigenvalues of the linearized dynamics near single strategy equilibria. Coexistence occurs when the product of the invasion rates exceeds the product of the exclusion rates. Provided there is sufficient spatial variation in payoffs, the analysis identifies a critical dispersal rate required for regional persistence. For dispersal rates below , the product of the invasion rates exceeds the product of the exclusion rates and the rock–paper–scissors metacommunities persist regionally despite being extinction prone locally. For dispersal rates above , the product of the exclusion rates exceeds the product of the invasion rates and the strategies are extinction prone. These results highlight the delicate interplay between spatial heterogeneity and dispersal in mediating long-term outcomes for evolutionary games. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper considers the work that attentiveness can and can't do in generating more ethical relations with non‐humans. How to build better relations with non‐humans has been a central debate in geography and cognate disciplines. These concerns include ethical relations with non‐humans who both pervade and create liveable environments, such as soil biota. Scholars have specifically identified attentiveness as key in generating more‐than‐human ethics. However, how attentiveness may arise, and what work attentiveness may be able to do in generating ethical relations, has not been sufficiently explored. Additionally, soils as relational materialities remain underexplored in social sciences. In this paper, I address these two important gaps in scholarship. Investigating the rising concern with soil biota in conventional English farming, I propose the care network as a way of conceptualising and investigating the ethical potential of attentiveness. As concerns grow about soil degradation, and the dangers this is posing to food production and to human survival, land managers are attending to soil ecosystems as part of caring for their farm businesses. While this attentiveness is producing some transformative effects, its potential is limited by the configuration of the soil care network. As long as soil care is configured primarily as farmers' concern, the potential of attentiveness in generating ethical regard to the needs of soil biota will be limited. In the Conclusions, I suggest ways of expanding attentiveness to soils and of building a wider and practical relational ethic of soil care. I also argue we need more attention in geographic research to attentiveness and care as systemic, unequally distributed, and operating at multiple scales. Human life depends on the life of soil ecosystems. This paper draws attention to soils as underexplored in social sciences, and asks how we may form better ethical and practical relations with soil biota. In doing this, it shows the need for a more nuanced understanding of the work that attentiveness can do in generating more‐than‐human care ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document serves as a preface to a special issue of SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences that focuses on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and its surrounding areas. The QTP is a significant region that impacts global climate change, organism distribution, and biodiversity patterns. The preface emphasizes the importance of understanding the geological evolution and tectonic dynamics of the QTP, as well as the stratigraphic framework and fossil faunas that contribute to reconstructing its history. The special issue includes 14 papers covering various geological periods and provides updated information on the QTP's paleogeography, paleoclimate, and natural resources. The document discusses the progress made in the study of the QTP and aims to stimulate further research in the area. [Extracted from the article]

The Quaternary strata on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau contain rich information about the paleoclimate and environmental evolution, record the evolution process of the Quaternary regional tectonics, paleogeography, and geomorphology of the plateau, and are extremely important areas for studying the Quaternary geological events and regional environmental evolution. According to a comprehensive analysis of the regional stratigraphic data and the development and evolution characteristics of the biota, based on the differences in the lithostratigraphic units, sedimentary characteristics, landforms, and drainage systems, the Quaternary strata on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding areas are divided into five stratigraphic regions: the Tarim region, Loess Plateau region, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau region, and India-Ganges region. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau stratigraphic region is divided into seven stratigraphic sub-regions: the West Kunlun-Karakorum, Altun-Qilian Mountains, Qaidam-Hehuang, East Kunlun-Bayan Har, Qiangtang, East Xizang-West Yunnan-West Sichuan, and Gangdise-Himalayan sub-regions. This paper briefly describes the lithostratigraphic units of the seven stratigraphic sub-regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to the lithostratigraphic sequence and its sedimentary characteristics, stratigraphic contact relationship, formation age, and evolution of the biota in each stratigraphic sub-region, the Quaternary tectonic paleogeographic evolution of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is divided into four stages. (1) The inherited differential uplift stage since the Pliocene (2.6−1.8/1.5 Ma): the regional sedimentary differences were significant, and the stratigraphic distribution was limited, the alluvial-proluvial sandy conglomerate was widely developed along the piedmont, and fluvial and lacustrine deposits were developed in the low-lying areas between the mountains. (2) The mountain range flattening stage (1.8/1.5−1.2/0.8 Ma): the erosion unconformity surfaces around the plateau were widely distributed, large rivers were formed, and lake sediments developed in the intermountain basins and the hinterland of the plateau. (3) 1.2/0.8−0.128 Ma: the plateau continued to rise in a large range, with significant topographic differences and intensified mountain erosion. At about 0.8 Ma, the plateau uplifted above the snow line and entered the cryosphere, mountain glaciers developed, and the alpine arid environment gradually formed. (4) 0.128 Ma-: the mountains rose and erosion intensified, and intermountain basins and lakes were widely distributed. There were significant differences in the regional sedimentary characteristics, and the sedimentary types developed toward diversification. The modern plateau landform pattern was basically formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Devonian System in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas is widely distributed, diverse in lithotypes and rich in fossils. It records the crucial processes of continuous subduction and reduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean in the northern hemisphere and the transformation of the Proto-Tethys Ocean into the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the southern hemisphere. Thus, it is of great significance for explaining the global paleogeographic evolution, tectonic activities and biodiversity changes during this critical period. The blocks on both sides of the southern Tienshan suture zone and the Longmu Co-Shuanghu-Changning-Menglian suture zone belong to different sedimentary systems and paleobiogeographic realms and regions, showing important tectonic paleogeographic partitioning significance. The two suture zones represent the main branches of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the Paleo-Tethys Ocean, respectively, and on this basis the Devonian System can be subdivided into three types: the Tienshan type, the Tethys type and the Gondwana type. Based on recent research progress on the Devonian stratigraphy and paleontology in combining provenance analysis and biotic characteristics in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas, this paper aims to establish the latest integrative stratigraphic framework and conduct paleogeographic reconstruction, providing foundation for exploring the geological evolution and dynamic mechanisms of various terranes and blocks in the northern margin of Gondwana. The results indicate that the North Qiangtang, South Qiangtang, Simao, Baoshan and Tengchong terranes, as well as the Himalaya Tethys Zone and the South China Block have affinities with the Indian Block, while the Lhasa Terrane has affinities with the Australian Block, and may be located between the South China and Australian blocks. In the Emsian (Early Devonian), the South China Block separated from the northern margin of Gondwana, a process that was accompanied by the opening of the Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan Ocean. In the Middle Devonian, the mid-oceanic ridge of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean expanded rapidly, corresponding with a global sea-level rise, the widespread development of carbonate platforms and nadir values of Devonian seawater strontium isotopes. By the Late Devonian, the Paleo-Tethys Ocean had reached a considerable size, leading to abundant occurrences of Upper Devonian radiolarian cherts in the Paleo-Tethys suture zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition and geological evolution of pre-Cryogenian material in the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas have played an important role in studying the formation and evolution of early supercontinents on Earth. This paper systematically summarizes the characteristics of pre-Cryogenian sedimentation, paleontology, magmatism, and metamorphism in the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas. Based on existing data, the records of pre-Cryogenian sedimentation and paleontology are mainly concentrated in the Meso–Neoproterozoic, with relatively few records from the Paleoproterozoic or earlier. The oldest geological record is the Hadean detrital zircons in the metamorphosed sedimentary rocks of the Himalaya and Qamdo areas (ca. 4.0 Ga). The Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas preserve records related to the formation and evolution of the Kenor supercraton, and the Columbia, Rodinia, and Gondwana supercontinents. Pre-Cryogenian basements can be divided into three types: Tarim-, Yangtze-, and Lhasa-type. The Tarim-type basement has a paleogeographic affinity with the northern margins of the Australian and Indian continents and lacks detrital zircon age peaks and magmatic-metamorphic records related to the Rodinia assembly (ca. 1.3–0.9 Ga). The Yangtze-type basement records volcanic activity related to global cooling in the latest pre-Cryogenian period and contains Meso–Neoproterozoic stromatolite and micropaleoflora fossils, as well as magmatic-metamorphic records related to Rodinia assembly (ca. 1.1–1.0 Ga). The Lhasa-type basement is characterized by Neoproterozoic rift-related sediment records (ca. 900 Ma) and high-pressure metamorphic events (ca. 650 Ma), with a prominent peak of detrital zircon ages of ca. 1.2–1.1 Ga. It is likely to have a paleogeographic affinity with the African continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of affordances continues to provoke debate in the wider ecological community, and more specifically within the study of music, where the term has started to make increasingly frequent appearances. The adoption of this powerful idea by a range of authors interested in the human engagement with music is not without its problems, stemming from different attitudes to what musicking (to use Christopher Small's neologism) can be understood to afford. In this paper I consider some of those possibilities – ranging from the manifest affordances of physical instruments in the hands of suitably attuned players, to the social and empathic affordances of collective musicking – and raise questions about possibilities and limits. If the idea of affordances is predicated on the principle of opportunities for action, what is afforded by the apparently passive musicking that can be witnessed in concert hall audiences, and listeners to recorded music in trains, cars, shops, restaurants and bedrooms? And what is gained by bringing together this rich variety of phenomena with the terminology and conceptual commitments of affordances? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to add to the holistic understanding of natural, social and cultural systems. For this purpose, a case study is presented in which the interactions between biota and climate are characterized, based on the traditional ecological knowledge of the Zapotec inhabitants of Santa María Lachichina, Oaxaca, Mexico, one of the regions with high biocultural diversity in Mexico. The results are developed from ethnographic work, together with the use of ethnobiological techniques: the snowball technique, participant observation, different types of interviews and the use of a field diary. In order to approach the organisms, taxonomic correlation work was carried out, without resorting to the collection of biological samples. Among the features that stand out in the interactions recorded, physical (coloration) and ethological (communication processes and ecological preferences) attributes specific to the organisms are identified. Being located in a territory where each place has its own social, biological and ecological qualities, organisms maintain relationships that show general patterns and, at the same time, specificities in each of them. On both scales, clarity is found by attending to the reasons why each organism emits a certain stimulus capable of becoming an omen. The final reflections arise precisely from the need to analyze knowledge on both particular and general scales, within the community and in comparison with other mesoamerican tradition people, since only together can the complexity of traditional ecological knowledge be measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological niche is a fundamental concept in ecology that can be used in order better understand species relationships. The overlap in species niches provides a measure of the likelihood for species to co‐occur. Most approaches that quantify niche overlap have been based on distance and similarity indices, for pairwise combinations of species. In this paper, we suggest that niche overlap can be calculated from the predictions of a model. Using a statistical model to predict niche overlap provides various benefits, includes the possibility to adjust the model to properties of the data. We demonstrate this using an example dataset of an ecological community of Foraminifera species, to which we fit a generalized linear latent variable model (GLLVM). GLLVMs are a flexible class of models that allow to estimate the distribution of species using both measured environmental predictors and residual covariation between species. We demonstrate how to calculate niche overlap from GLLVMs for any combination of species, and separately for different environments. Predicting niche overlap from a model further expands the toolset available to ecologists for the exploration of species co‐occurrence patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological system is the interaction of biological community with other organisms and their physical environments. One of the important models is spatiotemporal prey–predator model of Michaelis–Menten-type functional response and reaction diffusion with constant harvest rate. This paper investigates the spatiotemporal structures of ratio-dependent prey and predator densities under different constraint conditions and suitable parameters. The ϕ 6 model expansion technique is followed to extract these densities. The prey and predator densities behave differently depending on the diffusion coefficients and other parametric ratios. The 3D and 2D behavior of these densities are also plotted and observed. These results may help for better understanding to study the biological community in a real marine environment or ecological system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is a primary manager of federal public lands in the northern Great Plains region, with over 400,000 hectares (ha) of mostly grassland and wetland administered under the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). More specifically, the Service manages > 100,000 ha of mixed-grass and tallgrass prairie in northern Great Plains states. Prairies range from small, isolated < 16-ha tracts embedded in agricultural landscapes to > 10,000-ha contiguous tracts embedded within grassland-dominated landscapes. The mission of the NWRS is uniquely wildlife/wildland oriented, with human uses secondary in importance. As such, the expectation is that natural plant communities occur as relatively high-quality habitats. Grant et al. (2009) explored this expectation, concluding that "Despite 40–70 years of protection, the integrity of many prairies held in public trust continues to decline, primarily because of invasion by cool-season, introduced plants and woody vegetation." To address this concern, the Service proposed a program to evaluate restoration of Service-owned prairies following principles of adaptive management, including a decision support function. Our purpose in this paper is to update 14 years of development and implementation of the Native Prairie Adaptive Management (NPAM) program. We confirmed that Service-owned prairies continue to be degraded by invasive plants, especially Bromus inermis (smooth brome) and Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass). However, NPAM has facilitated a significant gain in our understanding of ecological restoration and management of prairies in the region, increasing hope that restoration successes can occur when viewed over the long-term (i.e. many decades). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoration ecology is a deepening and diversifying field with current research incorporating multiple disciplines and infusing long-standing ideas with fresh perspectives. We present a list of 10 recent pivotal papers exemplifying new directions in ecological restoration that were selected by students in a cross-disciplinary graduate seminar at the University of California, Berkeley. We highlight research that applies ecological theory to improve restoration practice in the context of global change (e.g. climate modeling, evaluation of novel ecosystems) and discuss remaining knowledge gaps. We also discuss papers that recognize the social context of restoration and the coupled nature of social and ecological systems, ranging from the incorporation of cultural values and Traditional Ecological Knowledge into restoration, to the consideration of the broader impacts of markets on restoration practices. In addition, we include perspectives that focus on improving communication between social and natural scientists as well as between scientists and practitioners, developing effective ecological monitoring, and applying more integrated, whole-landscape approaches to restoration. We conclude with insights on recurrent themes in the papers regarding planning restoration in human-modified landscapes, application of ecological theory, improvements to restoration practice, and the social contexts of restoration. We share lessons from our cross-disciplinary endeavor, and invite further discussion on the future directions of restoration ecology through contributions to our seminar blog site . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many ecosystems have been transformed, or degraded by human use, and restoration offers an opportunity to recover services and benefits, not to mention intrinsic values. We assessed whether restoration scientists and practitioners use their projects to demonstrate the benefits restoration can provide in their peer-reviewed publications. We evaluated a sample of the academic literature to determine whether links are made explicit between ecological restoration, society, and public policy related to natural capital. We analyzed 1,582 peer-reviewed papers dealing with ecological restoration published between 1 January 2000 and 30 September 2008 in 13 leading scientific journals. As selection criterion, we considered papers that contained either “restoration” or “rehabilitation” in their title, abstract, or keywords. Furthermore, as one-third of the papers were published in Restoration Ecology, we used that journal as a reference for comparison with all the other journals. We readily acknowledge that aquatic ecosystems are under-represented, and that the largely inaccessible gray literature was ignored. Within these constraints, we found clear evidence that restoration practitioners are failing to signal links between ecological restoration, society, and policy, and are underselling the evidence of benefits of restoration as a worthwhile investment for society. We discuss this assertion and illustrate it with samples of our findings—with regards to (1) the geographical and institutional affiliations of authors; (2) the choice of ecosystems studied, methods employed, monitoring schemes applied, and the spatial scale of studies; and (3) weak links to payments for ecosystem service setups, agriculture, and ramifications for public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity is essential to the viability of ecological systems. Species diversity in ecosystems is promoted by cyclic, non-hierarchical interactions among competing populations. Central features of such non-transitive relations are represented by the ‘rock–paper–scissors’ game, in which rock crushes scissors, scissors cut paper, and paper wraps rock. In combination with spatial dispersal of static populations, this type of competition results in the stable coexistence of all species and the long-term maintenance of biodiversity. However, population mobility is a central feature of real ecosystems: animals migrate, bacteria run and tumble. Here, we observe a critical influence of mobility on species diversity. When mobility exceeds a certain value, biodiversity is jeopardized and lost. In contrast, below this critical threshold all subpopulations coexist and an entanglement of travelling spiral waves forms in the course of time. We establish that this phenomenon is robust; it does not depend on the details of cyclic competition or spatial environment. These findings have important implications for maintenance and temporal development of ecological systems and are relevant for the formation and propagation of patterns in microbial populations or excitable media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Archives and libraries all over the world suffer from biodeterioration of writings caused by microorganisms, especially fungi. With traditionally used culture-dependent methods, only a small amount of effectively colonising organisms is detected. Restoration and maintenance of written cultural heritage is therefore problematic due to incomplete knowledge of the deterioration agents. In the present study, culture-independent molecular methods were applied to identify fungal communities colonising paper samples of different composition and age. Nucleic-acid-based strategies targeting the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, which are nested in the nuclear rDNA repeats, were selected to investigate the fungal diversity on paper. The ITS regions possess a high variation among taxonomically distinct fungal species and even within the species. With this aim, several molecular biological methods were optimised for working with paper materials. Here, we introduce a DNA extraction protocol, which allowed the direct extraction of PCR-amplifiable DNA from samples derived from different kinds of paper. The DNA extracts were used to amplify either the ITS1 or ITS2 region by using different fungi-specific primer sets. The ITS-amplified regions were subsequently analysed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Conditions for DGGE analysis, gradient, voltage, and running time, were established to accurately discriminate different fungal species in complex communities. Pure fungal strains were used to constitute a marker for further comparative investigations of historic papers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The spatial rock-paper-scissors ecosystem, where three species interact cyclically, is a model example of how spatial structure can maintain biodiversity. We here consider such a system for a broad range of interaction rates. When one species grows very slowly, this species and its prey dominate the system by self-organizing into a labyrinthine configuration in which the third species propagates. The cluster size distributions of the two dominating species have heavy tails and the configuration is stabilized through a complex spatial feedback loop. » We introduce a statistical measure that quantifies the amount of clustering in the spatial system by comparison with its mean-field approximation. Hereby, we are able to quantitatively explain how the labyrinthine configuration slows down the dynamics and stabilizes the system [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric changes could strongly influence how terrestrial ecosystems function by altering nutrient cycling. We examined how the dynamics of nutrient release from leaf litter responded to two important atmospheric changes: rising atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3. We evaluated the independent and combined effects of these gases on foliar litter nutrient dynamics in aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx) and birch ( Betula papyrifera Marsh)/aspen communities at the Aspen FACE Project in Rhinelander, WI. Naturally senesced leaf litter was incubated in litter bags in the field for 735 days. Decomposing litter was sampled six times during incubation and was analyzed for carbon, and both macro (N, P, K, S, Ca, and Mg) and micro (Mn, B, Zn and Cu) nutrient concentrations. Elevated CO2 significantly decreased the initial litter concentrations of N (−10.7%) and B (−14.4%), and increased the concentrations of K (+23.7%) and P (+19.7%), with no change in the other elements. Elevated O3 significantly decreased the initial litter concentrations of P (−11.2%), S (−8.1%), Ca (−12.1%), and Zn (−19.5%), with no change in the other elements. Pairing concentration data with litterfall data, we estimated that elevated CO2 significantly increased the fluxes to soil of all nutrients: N (+12.5%), P (+61.0%), K (+67.1%), S (+28.0%), and Mg (+40.7%), Ca (+44.0%), Cu (+38.9%), Mn (+62.8%), and Zn (+33.1%). Elevated O3 had the opposite effect: N (−22.4%), P (−25.4%), K (−27.2%), S (−23.6%), Ca (−27.6%), Mg (−21.7%), B (−16.2%), Cu (−20.8%), and Zn (−31.6%). The relative release rates of the nine elements during the incubation was: K ≥ P ≥ mass ≥ Mg ≥ B ≥ Ca ≥ S ≥ N ≥ Mn ≥ Cu ≥ Zn. Atmospheric changes had little effect on nutrient release rates, except for decreasing Ca and B release under elevated CO2 and decreasing N and Ca release under elevated O3. We conclude that elevated CO2 and elevated O3 will alter nutrient cycling more through effects on litter production, rather than litter nutrient concentrations or release rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size spectra are used to assess the status and functioning of marine and freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Their use is underpinned by theory linking the dynamics of trophic interactions to a power-law decline of abundance with body size in ecological communities. Recent papers on empirical size spectrum estimation have argued for Maximum Likelihood Estimation of power-law probability distributions as a more accurate alternative to traditional linear regression approaches. One major limitation of currently used size spectrum estimators from Maximum Likelihood Estimation is that they cannot account for the use of multiple sampling protocols, nor the distortions caused by gear size selectivity, and therefore they become restricted to a relatively narrow taxonomic group and size range. Further progress in the field requires new methods that are flexible enough to combine multiple trophic groups and sampling gears into a single size spectrum estimate, while taking advantage of more accurate distributional approaches. The method we propose in this paper fills this gap by deriving the distribution of observed sizes explicitly from the underlying power-law spectrum and gear selectivity functions. It specifies likelihoods as a product of two components: (i) the probability of belonging to a given group and (ii) the probability distribution within the group. Using Bayesian estimation, we applied the method to surveys of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fishes in lakes of Quetico Provincial Park, northwestern Ontario, using Van Dorn samplers, zooplankton nets, gillnets, and hydroacoustics. The results show that the spectra estimated from subsets of trophic groups or gears are weak predictors of more complete spectra, highlighting the importance of using more inclusive community data. The two-component partitioning of likelihoods also helped demonstrate the existence of between-group spectrum slopes that were overall steeper than within-group slopes, indicating that heterogeneity of trophic transfers across the size spectrum is an important factor structuring these ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news briefs in the U.S. Australian radiosondes monitor a large area of the Southern Hemisphere have experienced so many changes that unadjusted temperature trends of the bulk atmosphere computed from their soundings are suspect. Quantification of carbon exchange in forest ecosystems needs a unique sampling strategy. Strong vertical wind shear usually will weaken even mature hurricanes.

Nonlinear dynamic systems theory originally began as an attempt to understand interactions in both living and nonliving systems such as ecosystems and cloud formations. Because it is a field and systems theory, dynamic systems concepts offer a rich source of patented applications to the psychoanalytic situation. This article first briefly reviews some basic dynamic systems principles. The clinical material presented by Dr. Pickles is then discussed with an effort to apply dynamic systems concepts. In particular, the notions of introducing novelty and the need for measured perturbation as part of the process of analytic change are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen cycling in northern temperate forest ecosystems could change under increasing atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3 as a result of quantitative and qualitative changes in plant litter production. At the Aspen Free Air CO2–O3 Enrichment (FACE) experiment, we previously found that greater substrate inputs to soil under elevated CO2 did not alter gross N transformation rates in the first 3 years of the experiment. We hypothesized that greater litter production under elevated CO2 would eventually cause greater gross N transformation rates and that CO2 effects would be nullified by elevated O3. Following our original study, we continued measurement of gross N transformation rates for an additional four years. From 1999 to 2003, gross N mineralization doubled, N immobilization increased 4-fold, but changes in microbial biomass N and soil total N were not detected. We observed year-to-year variation in N transformation rates, which peaked during a period of foliar insect damage. Elevated CO2 caused equivalent increases in gross rates of N mineralization (+34%) and NH immobilization (+36%). These results indicate greater rates of N turnover under elevated CO2, but do not indicate a negative feedback between elevated CO2 and soil N availability. Elevated O3 decreased gross N mineralization (−16%) and had no effect on NH immobilization, indicating reduced N availability under elevated O3. The effects of CO2 and O3 on N mineralization rates were mainly related to changes in litter production, whereas effects on N immobilization were likely influenced by changes in litter chemistry and production. Our findings also indicate that concomitant increases in atmospheric CO2 and O3 could lead to a negative feedback on N availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document contains abstracts from research papers on microphytobenthos, specifically focusing on biofilms and diatoms. The abstracts cover various topics such as the ecological function and adaptability of microphytobenthic biofilms, the response of microphytobenthos to multiple stressors, and the metabolites of light and their role in adaptation. They also discuss the phototobiology of benthic diatoms, the variability in microphytobenthos biomass and production, the motility of epipelic diatoms, and the effect of heat stress on phototrophic biofilm photosynthesis. These abstracts provide insight into current research in this field and emphasize the importance of microphytobenthos in coastal ecosystems. Additionally, the document mentions the invasive seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae, which has spread to various locations in Spain, Morocco, Portugal, the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands. This species has had significant environmental and socioeconomic impacts, displacing native species and affecting fishing and tourism industries. Research is being conducted to understand the biology, ecology, and impact of R. okamurae, and efforts are underway to monitor and mitigate its spread in affected regions. [Extracted from the article]

Generally, governments and industry have implemented some degree of protection to reduce the impacts of forestry on aquatic ecosystems. Here, we consider the widespread application of streamside management in terms of riparian buffer retention to protect freshwaters from forestry practices across three jurisdictions with large and intensive forestry sectors (British Columbia, Finland and Sweden).This perspective was developed by working with researchers, practitioners and policymakers on mitigation measures to decrease the impacts of forestry on streams. We demonstrate that it is exceedingly rare for policies and guidelines to specify concrete objectives and measurable targets that can be assessed against riparian buffer management outcomes. Most often, policy objectives for riparian management prescribe 'to prevent or mitigate impacts', and this vagueness is insufficient to protect our waters. We argue that we should be clearer about the targets (outcomes) for riparian management and go beyond the simple idea that buffer presence, without further specification of its conditions, is always a successful protection strategy. One cannot measure the effectiveness of rules and guidelines without quantitative targets.Policy implications: In this paper, we suggest that locally developed and adjusted targets for riparian buffers must include quantifiable, measurable goals that specify what is supposed to be achieved and protected with respect to ecological functions, biological communities or other values. It should be relatively simple to move from current vague objectives such as 'protect and prevent' to a defined range of values for ecological parameters that buffers are supposed to provide. For example, these can include region‐specific shading levels and microclimate targets, large wood volumes, or riparian forest species composition. We stress that these targets must be developed through an open dialogue between agencies, practitioners, land owners and scientists. We acknowledge that there are trade‐offs between being too prescriptive and too vague. However, when excessively broad goals are the norm, we lose the capacity to effectively implement, monitor or evaluate the outcomes of protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of Mutilla europaea (Linnaeus, 1758), has never been carefully investigated in Northern Europe. The density of M. europaea is highest along parts of the coast in Northern Europe and its distribution overlaps the border of the temperate zone in this area, which is not surprising, given that it is well documented that temperature regulates the ecology of insect communities (presumably because temperature is associated with several physiological other adaptations and plastic responses). This paper presents new information on its distribution in Northern Europe and reveals that abiotic factors are associated with this species' distribution in the area around the Baltic Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the centuries, the populations of human beings settled in the surroundings of water tributaries have indiscriminately disposed of their waste, throwing it into rivers, lakes, oceans, and surrounding land. When the amounts of waste, mostly biodegradable, are low, the environmental consequences and the health of biotic communities are minimal. However, the mass manufacture and disposal of non- biodegradable synthetic materials since the mid-20th century has had profound biological and environmental effects. Plastics are the most significant example of these ubiquitous synthetic materials, usually single-use, non-biodegradable and with high amounts of toxic chemical additives. Due to the high stability and resistance of plastic, it is impossible to quickly bind it in processes that allow its degradation and decomposition; for this reason, they have become half of the waste that exists on the planet today. The drift of these materials leads them, under ambient conditions, to gradually fragment into particles reaching the scales of micrometers and nanometers. These particles have been categorized as incidental contaminants: micro and nanoplastics. Today, the world is witnessing the nanotechnology boom and more and more industries are interested in the use of this emerging technology; They intentionally produce micro and nanoplastics to be incorporated into cosmetic products, textile fibers, among many other purposes. The contamination of these plastic particles of imperceptible dimensions, reaches food for human consumption through persistence in ecosystems and bioaccumulation, through different routes of exposure, mainly through ingestion in the different chains that make up the global trophic web, in addition, of the migration of the material used for the storage, preservation and packaging of food. When ingested, nanoplastics and some microplastics cross physical epithelial barriers and are distributed throughout the body, entering practically all body tissues, altering their function and increasing the disease burden of biotic communities, including humans. As they are considered inert and heterogeneous materials, their identification and recovery are complex, in addition to not being completely effective. This paper seeks to review information that allows evaluating the impact of nanoplastics present in food, highlighting the toxic effects that these materials have for human health through bioaccumulation and biomagnification in food chains at the subcellular biomolecular level and, on the other hand, describe recovery techniques for nanoplastics to reduce their presence in food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of complex communities in biological networks is a critical and ongoing challenge since lots of network-related problems correspond to the subgraph isomorphism problem known in the literature as NP-hard. Several optimization algorithms have been dedicated and applied to solve this problem. The main challenge regarding the application of optimization algorithms, specifically to handle large-scale complex networks, is their relatively long execution time. Thus, this paper proposes a parallel extension of the PSO algorithm to detect communities in complex biological networks. The main contribution of this study is summarized in three- fold; Firstly, a modified PSO algorithm with a local search operator is proposed to detect complex biological communities with high quality. Secondly, the variability in the capability of PSO to extract community structure in biological networks is studied when different types of crossover operators are used. Finally, to reduce the computational time needed to solve this problem, especially when detecting complex communities in large-scale biological networks, we have implemented parallel computing to execute the algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithm was tested and evaluated on two real biological networks. The experimental results showed the effective performance of the proposed algorithm when using single-point crossover operator, and its superiority over other counterpart algorithms. Moreover, the use of parallel computing in the proposed algorithm representation has greatly reduced the computational time required for its execution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]