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Insect venom allergy is the most frequent cause of anaphylaxis in Europe and possibly worldwide. The majority of systemic allergic reactions after insect stings are caused by Hymenoptera, and among these, vespid genera induce most of the systemic sting reactions (SSR). Honey bees are the second leading cause of SSR. Depending on the global region, other Hymenoptera such as different ant genera are responsible for SSR. Widely distributed hornets and bumblebees or local vespid or bee genera rarely induce SSR. Hematophagous insects such as mosquitoes and horse flies usually cause (large) local reactions while SSR occasionally occur. This position paper aimed to identify either rare or locally important insects causing SSR as well as rarely occurring SSR after stings or bites of widely distributed insects. We summarized relevant venom or saliva allergens and intended to identify possible cross‐reactivities between the insect allergens. Moreover, we aimed to locate diagnostic tests for research and routine diagnosis, which are sometimes only regionally available. Finally, we gathered information on available immunotherapies. Major allergens of most insects were identified, and cross‐reactivity between insects was frequently observed. While some diagnostics and immunotherapies are locally available, standardized skin tests and immunotherapies are generally lacking in rare insect allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endangered continental Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa limosa) is a migratory ground-nesting wader breeding in a wide variety of open, wet habitats across Europe. Conservation research has concentrated on the causes of population decline, but we know surprisingly little about whether any resources limit local breeding populations and if so, whether these are resources for the adults or the chicks. We collected data from 63 key breeding sites in five countries across Europe to test whether, after correcting for differences in surveyed areas, the size of Godwit breeding populations was related to environmental variables (vegetation biomass, soil moisture) or food resources for adult birds (soil invertebrates) or chicks (vegetation dwelling arthropods) measured during different times of the reproductive cycle. We found the number of Godwit territories to be positively related to arthropod abundance during the chick-hatching period. We found additional, weaker support for a positive relation between Godwit territory numbers and the abundance of soil-dwelling invertebrates (mostly earthworms) at clutch laying, but not at chick-hatching. These relationships were observed across countries, while we found little support for relationships within countries, possibly due to the smaller range in conditions that exist within countries. Both vegetation growth and soil moisture weren't related to Godwit territory numbers. Our results suggest that food abundance for chicks, and to a lesser extent adult birds, are key factors determining the size of local Godwit breeding populations. Conservation management aiming to enhance local Godwit populations should therefore consider the impacts of management strategies on the arthropod prey of chicks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rickettsia felis is an emerging pathogen with increasing reports of human cases and detection in arthropod and animal host species worldwide. In this scoping review we record the newest data reported for R. felis in Europe: the vector and host species found to be infected, and the geographical distribution and prevalence of R. felis infection in vectors and hosts. A total of 15 European countries reported the occurrence of R. felis in hosts and vectors during 2017–2022. The vectors found to be infected by R. felis were flea, tick and mite species; Ctenocephalides felis and Ixodes ricinus were the dominant ones. The hosts found to be infected and/or exposed to R. felis were humans, cats and small mammals. Physicians should be aware of the epidemiology and include illness caused by R. felis in the differential diagnosis of febrile disease. Veterinarians should keep training pet owners on the need for effective year-round arthropod control on their pets, especially for fleas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of local versus landscape drivers of biodiversity is presently intensely discussed, which raises the question what information ecological sampling can provide about the relative importance of these factors and how the amount of information is distributed over different spatial scales. Here, we have tried to assess the amount of the information in sets of arthropod samples on four landscape characteristics, i.e., the percentage arable land, semi-natural area, urban area, and edge density, at spatial scales varying from 100 m to 3000 m around sample sites. A large, existing dataset of different studies from all over Europe was used for that. Random Forests were used for predicting the characteristic classes of the surrounding area. The accuracy of the predictions, calculated as the reversed Normalized Brier score, was used as measure of the amount of information. The results showed that, at least in Europe, the amount of information is different between edge density on the one hand, and arable land, semi-natural area, and urban area on the other hand. In case of edge density, the information decreased from 100 m to 250 m around the sample site, then increased to get a hump-shape between 250 and 3000 m, with the maximum amount at 1750 m. In case of the other three landscape characteristics, the information decreased from 100 m to 1000 m, and then stayed equal or slightly increased. These results could be explained by assuming that organisms present at a sample site are either site-specific, or non-site-specific. Site-specific organisms are thought to enable predictions of characteristics at the small scales, while non-site-specific organisms are thought to indicate characteristics of larger scales. The results implied that, for study designs, it is important to be aware of the type of processes that result in the presence of species at sample sites. For effective conservation measures for arthropods, the results showed that landscapes at a spatial scale of at least 9.6 km2 should be taken in consideration in Europe. • Sets of arthropod samples have ample information on the location and region of the sample site in Europe. • Information on edge density decreased, and then increased and decreased again between 100 and 3000 m around the sample site. • Information over landscape scales did not differ between that on arable land, semi-natural area, and urban area. • This information decreased from 100 m to 1000 m, and then stayed equally low. • For effective arthropod conservation measures, the landscape at a scale of at least 9.6 km2 should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colour and colour patterns seem to be especially important visual warning signals for predators, which might have innate or learned ability to avoid aposematic prey. To test the importance of larval colour pattern of the aposematic ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), an invasive alien species in Europe, we presented the plasticine models of aposematic larvae to wild and naïve birds. We studied the attacks on aposematic larvae of various patterns and colours in nature and in an outdoor aviary. The larvae were cryptic (green), aposematic (resembling those of the H. axyridis larvae), and semi‐aposematic (i.e., black but missing the typical orange patches of H. axyridis larvae). We detected attacks on 71 larvae out of 450 (i.e., 2.6% daily predation). Twenty‐nine attacks were made by birds, 37 by arthropods, and five by gastropods. Wild birds attacked green and black larvae significantly more often than aposematic larvae. Colour did not have an effect on attacks by arthropods. The experiment with naïve birds was conducted in an outdoor aviary, where naïve great tits, Parus major L., were offered the same artificial larvae as in the first experiment. In total, 57 of 90 exposed larvae were attacked by birds (i.e., 28% daily predation), and green larvae were attacked significantly more than the aposematic larvae (but not more than black larvae). Our results imply that aposematic larvae of H. axyridis are more than 12× less likely to be predated by birds than green larvae in nature. The aposematic pattern represented a more effective signal than the semi‐aposematic signal. The ability to reject aposematic prey seemed to be innate in our birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites that transmit zoonotic pathogens to humans and animals. Ticks harbor not only pathogenic microorganisms but also endosymbionts. Although some tick endosymbionts are known to be essential for the survival of ticks, their roles in ticks remain poorly understood. The main aim of this study was to isolate and characterize tick-borne microorganisms from field-collected ticks using two arthropod cell lines derived from Ixodes scapularis embryos (ISE6) and Aedes albopictus larvae (C6/36). A total of 170 tick homogenates originating from 15 different tick species collected in Japan were inoculated into each cell line. Bacterial growth was confirmed by PCR amplification of 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of eubacteria. During the 8-week observation period, bacterial isolation was confirmed in 14 and 4 samples using ISE6 and C6/36 cells, respectively. The sequencing analysis of the 16S rDNA PCR products indicated that they were previously known tick-borne pathogens/endosymbionts in three different genera: Rickettsia, Rickettsiella, and Spiroplasma. These included four previously validated rickettsial species namely Rickettsia asiatica (n = 2), Rickettsia helvetica (n = 3), Rickettsia monacensis (n = 2), and Rickettsia tamurae (n = 3) and one uncharacterized genotype Rickettsia sp. LON (n = 2). Four isolates of Spiroplasma had the highest similarity with previously reported Spiroplasma isolates: Spiroplasma ixodetis obtained from ticks in North America and Spiroplasma sp. Bratislava 1 obtained from Ixodes ricinus in Europe, while two isolates of Rickettsiella showed 100% identity with Rickettsiella sp. detected from Ixodes uriae at Grimsey Island in Iceland. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on successful isolation of Rickettsiella from ticks. The isolates obtained in this study can be further analyzed to evaluate their pathogenic potential in animals and their roles as symbionts in ticks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil eukaryotes play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem functions and services, yet the factors driving their diversity and distribution remain poorly understood. While many studies focus on some eukaryotic groups (mostly fungi), they are limited in their spatial scale. Here, we analyzed an unprecedented amount of observational data of soil eukaryomes at continental scale (787 sites across Europe) to gain further insights into the impact of a wide range of environmental conditions (climatic and edaphic) on their community composition and structure. We found that the diversity of fungi, protists, rotifers, tardigrades, nematodes, arthropods, and annelids was predominantly shaped by ecosystem type (annual and permanent croplands, managed and unmanaged grasslands, coniferous and broadleaved woodlands), and higher diversity of fungi, protists, nematodes, arthropods, and annelids was observed in croplands than in less intensively managed systems, such as coniferous and broadleaved woodlands. Also in croplands, we found more specialized eukaryotes, while the composition between croplands was more homogeneous compared to the composition of other ecosystems. The observed high proportion of overlapping taxa between ecosystems also indicates that DNA has accumulated from previous land uses, hence mimicking the land transformations occurring in Europe in the last decades. This strong ecosystem-type influence was linked to soil properties, and particularly, soil pH was driving the richness of fungi, rotifers, and annelids, while plant-available phosphorus drove the richness of protists, tardigrades, and nematodes. Furthermore, the soil organic carbon to total nitrogen ratio crucially explained the richness of fungi, protists, nematodes, and arthropods, possibly linked to decades of agricultural inputs. Our results highlighted the importance of long-term environmental variables rather than variables measured at the time of the sampling in shaping soil eukaryotic communities, which reinforces the need to include those variables in addition to ecosystem type in future monitoring programs and conservation efforts., (© 2023 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

BackgroundArthropod vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes, sandflies and biting midges are of public and veterinary health significance because of the pathogens they can transmit. Understanding their distributions is a key means of assessing risk. VectorNet maps their distribution in the EU and surrounding areas.AimWe aim to describe the methodology underlying VectorNet maps, encourage standardisation and evaluate output.Methods: Vector distribution and surveillance activity data have been collected since 2010 from a combination of literature searches, field-survey data by entomologist volunteers via a network facilitated for each participating country and expert validation. Data were collated by VectorNet members and extensively validated during data entry and mapping processes.ResultsAs of 2021, the VectorNet archive consisted of ca 475,000 records relating to > 330 species. Maps for 42 species are routinely produced online at subnational administrative unit resolution. On VectorNet maps, there are relatively few areas where surveillance has been recorded but there are no distribution data. Comparison with other continental databases, namely the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and VectorBase show that VectorNet has 5-10 times as many records overall, although three species are better represented in the other databases. In addition, VectorNet maps show where species are absent. VectorNet's impact as assessed by citations (ca 60 per year) and web statistics (58,000 views) is substantial and its maps are widely used as reference material by professionals and the public.ConclusionVectorNet maps are the pre-eminent source of rigorously validated arthropod vector maps for Europe and its surrounding areas.

With the current expansion of vector-based research and an increasing number of facilities rearing arthropod vectors and infecting them with pathogens, common measures for containment of arthropods as well as manipulation of pathogens are becoming essential for the design and running of such research facilities to ensure safe work and reproducibility, without compromising experimental feasibility. These guidelines and comments were written by experts of the Infravec2 consortium, a Horizon 2020-funded consortium integrating the most sophisticated European infrastructures for research on arthropod vectors of human and animal diseases. They reflect current good practice across European laboratories with experience of safely handling different mosquito species and the pathogens they transmit. As such, they provide experience-based advice to assess and manage the risks to work safely with mosquitoes and the pathogens they transmit. This document can also form the basis for research with other arthropods, for example, midges, ticks or sandflies, with some modification to reflect specific requirements.

BackgroundTravellers are generally considered good sentinels for infectious disease surveillance.AimTo investigate whether health data from travellers arriving from Africa to Europe could provide evidence to support surveillance systems in Africa.MethodsWe examined disease occurrence and estimated risk of infection among travellers arriving from Africa to Europe from 2015 to 2019 using surveillance data of arthropod-borne disease cases collected through The European Surveillance System (TESSy) and flight passenger volumes from the International Air Transport Association.ResultsMalaria was the most common arthropod-borne disease reported among travellers from Africa, with 34,235 cases. The malaria travellers' infection rate (TIR) was 28.8 cases per 100,000 travellers, which is 36 and 144 times higher than the TIR for dengue and chikungunya, respectively. The malaria TIR was highest among travellers arriving from Central and Western Africa. There were 956 and 161 diagnosed imported cases of dengue and chikungunya, respectively. The highest TIR was among travellers arriving from Central, Eastern and Western Africa for dengue and from Central Africa for chikungunya in this period. Limited numbers of cases of Zika virus disease, West Nile virus infection, Rift Valley fever and yellow fever were reported.ConclusionsDespite some limitations, travellers' health data can efficiently complement local surveillance data in Africa, particularly when the country or region has a sub-optimal surveillance system. The sharing of anonymised traveller health data between regions/continents should be encouraged.

Over the last few decades, ecological factors, combined with everchanging landscapes mainly linked to human activities ( e.g. encroachment and tourism) have contributed to modifications in the transmission of parasitic diseases from domestic to wildlife carnivores and vice versa . In the first of this two-part review article, we have provided an account of diseases caused by protozoan parasites characterised by a two-way transmission route between domestic and wild carnivore species. In this second and final part, we focus our attention on parasitic diseases caused by helminth and arthropod parasites shared between domestic and wild canids and felids in Europe. While a complete understanding of the biology, ecology and epidemiology of these parasites is particularly challenging to achieve, especially given the complexity of the environments in which these diseases perpetuate, advancements in current knowledge of transmission routes is crucial to provide policy-makers with clear indications on strategies to reduce the impact of these diseases on changing ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To propose a unified framework for quantifying taxon ( Tβ), phylogenetic ( Pβ) and functional ( Fβ) beta diversity via pairwise comparisons of communities, which allows these types of beta diversity to be partitioned into ecologically meaningful additive components. Location Global, with case studies in Europe and the Azores archipelago. Methods Using trees as a common representation for taxon, phylogenetic and functional diversity, we partition total beta diversity (βtotal) into its replacement (turnover, βrepl) and richness difference (βrich) components according to which part of a global tree was shared by or unique to communities that were being compared. We demonstrate the application of this framework using artificial and empirical examples (mammals in Europe and epigean arthropods in the Azores). Results Our empirical examples show that comparing Pβ and Fβ with the most commonly used Tβ revealed previously hidden patterns of beta diversity. More importantly, we demonstrate that partitioning Pβtotal and Fβtotal into their respective βrepl and βrich components facilitates the detection of more complex patterns than using the overall coefficients alone, further elucidating the different forces operating in community assembly. Main conclusions The methods presented here allow the integration and full comparison of Tβ, Pβ and Fβ. They provide a tool for effectively disentangling the replacement (turnover) and richness difference components of the different biodiversity facets within the same methodological framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plutomurus kharagauliensis sp. nov. from Kozmani Cave, Kharagauli Municipality, Georgia, and P. ruseki sp. nov. from the surface and subterranean habitats in different regions of Slovakia are described, illustrated and differentiated from other morphologically similar congeners. Both species are unique by dorsal macrochaetotaxy of head and abdomen. An identification key to the species of the genus Plutomurus reported from the Western Palearctic is presented.

Aim To determine whether the effect of habitat fragmentation and habitat heterogeneity on species richness at different spatial scales depends on the dispersal ability of the species assemblages and if this results in nested species assemblages. Location Agricultural landscapes distributed over seven temperate Europe countries covering a range from France to Estonia. Methods We sampled 16 local communities in each of 24 agricultural landscapes (16 km2) that differ in the amount and heterogeneity of semi-natural habitat patches. Carabid beetles were used as model organisms as dispersal ability can easily be assessed on morphological traits. The proximity and heterogeneity of semi-natural patches within the landscape were related to average local (alpha), between local (beta) and landscape (gamma) species richness and compared among four guilds that differ in dispersal ability. Results For species assemblages with low dispersal ability, local diversity increased as the proximity of semi-natural habitat increased, while mobile species showed an opposite trend. Beta diversity decreased equally for all dispersal classes in relation to proximity, suggesting a homogenizing effect of increased patch isolation. In contrast, habitat diversity of the semi-natural patches affected beta diversity positively only for less mobile species, probably due to the low dispersal ability of specialist species. Species with low mobility that persisted in highly fragmented landscapes were consistently present in less fragmented ones, resulting in nested assemblages for this mobility class only. Main conclusions The incorporation of dispersal ability reveals that only local species assemblages with low dispersal ability show a decrease of richness as a result of fragmentation. This local species loss is compensated at least in part by an increase in species with high dispersal ability, which obscures the effect of fragmentation when investigated across dispersal groups. Conversely, fragmentation homogenizes the landscape fauna for all dispersal groups, which indicates the invasion of non-crop habitats by similar good dispersers across the whole landscape. Given that recolonization of low dispersers is unlikely, depletion of these species in modern agricultural landscapes appears temporally pervasive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Biotic invasions are one of the most important reasons for changes in biodiversity. The alien sheetweb spider Mermessus trilobatus (Araneae: Linyphiidae) has become abundant in large parts of Central Europe within the past three decades. Its invasion might negatively influence native spiders, for instance via competition for webs. 2. Laboratory experiments were developed to test if M. trilobatus is competitively superior to native spiders. The alien M. trilobatus and five native sheetweb spiders ( Erigone dentipalpis, E. atra, Gnathonarium dentatum, Dicymbium nigrum and Micrargus herbigradus) were compared with respect to their success to take over occupied webs from E. dentipalpis. 3. The rate of web takeover or defence was determined by body size, whereby individuals with a wider thorax invaded webs more successfully. After taking body size into account, the frequency of defence or web takeover did not differ between species. In 13% of all confrontations, predation against generally smaller opponents was recorded. Contrary to the predictions, raising the web value with food resources did not raise the effort expended on web defence but reduced predation by the web owner. 4. The current study does not indicate that the invasion of the relatively small-sized M. trilobatus is facilitated by strong competitiveness. Nevertheless, M. trilobatus may displace smaller-sized immature specimens and thereby threaten native spiders. Still, other reasons are likely to underlie the success of M. trilobatus in Europe, such as rapid reproduction or release from natural enemies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lowland oak forests host high biodiversity throughout Europe, and to maintain their high biodiversity potential we need to understand how current silviculture practices influence these ecosystems. The most common harvest approach in oak woodlands remains clear-cutting followed by site preparation for reforestation. The site preparation can vary in intensity and possibly affect forest biodiversity in various ways. We studied the impact of site preparation intensity on ground-dwelling arthropod predators and detritivores in commercial oak woodlands. The intensive management included mechanical site preparation with soil milling, stump removal, and herbicide application. The extensive management consisted of natural succession after reforestation with only such slight disturbances as regular hand-provided mowing of vegetation. We recorded 120 spider species, 92 species of ground beetles, 10 species of centipedes, 17 species of millipedes, and 7 species of woodlice, including a relatively large number of threatened species. We found that intensive post-logging management strongly homogenized the habitat structure, and this led to low multi-trophic taxonomic and functional diversity in comparison to that under extensive management. At sites with extensive management, there was not only high functional diversity but also high functional redundancy. Species of conservation concern almost vanished from clearings under intensive management. The high multi-trophic diversity and functional redundancy indicate that extensive site preparation may enhance ecosystem multi-functionality, including primary productivity and ecosystem resilience. Extensive post-harvest management is therefore strongly preferable, and it is also economically more feasible. Intensive post-harvest management should be prohibited in lowland forests within transition zones to localities under nature protection or in natural oak forests. • The effect of management practices on oak forest arthropods was studied. • Intensive post-logging management strongly homogenized the habitat complexity. • Soil milling significantly decreased taxonomic and functional multi-trophic diversity. • Species of conservation concern diminished in forest clearings under soil milling. • Extensively managed clearings can enhance biodiversity of commercial forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agri-environment schemes are the most widely adopted political measure to maintain and restore farmland biodiversity in Europe. However, abiotic and biotic factors often limit the success of ecological restoration. Among the biotic factors, the size of the local and regional species pool is a major constraint. This is only well documented for plants. We therefore wanted to know if a small regional species pool can also limit restoration efforts of invertebrates. Specifically, we tested if by relocating grasshoppers from further away, we could overcome regional species pool limitations on hay meadows under the Swiss agri-environment scheme, so-called Ecological Compensation Area meadows (ECA meadows). All meadows had been under restoration for 6 years and were formerly intensively used hay meadows. Two grasshopper species, Euthystira brachyptera and Mecostethus parapleurus, were selected; E. brachyptera was not found in the regional species pool and M. parapleurus had nearly disappeared. In 2004, 1,400 grasshopper individuals of each species were taken from the nearest large source populations and distributed equally on seven ECA meadows and seven control meadows. In 2005, we evaluated whether the species had successfully established. Only one individual of M. parapleurus was found. We conclude that a small regional species pool is not the only constraint for the reestablishment of grasshoppers on restoration meadows. Also, other factors such as habitat quality appear to constrain the reestablishment of grasshoppers on restoration meadows. Additional restoration efforts specifically targeted at grasshopper restoration are needed, and innovative techniques have to be developed to overcome the relocation constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. In many European agricultural landscapes, species richness is declining considerably. Studies performed at a very large spatial scale are helpful in understanding the reasons for this decline and as a basis for guiding policy. In a unique, large-scale study of 25 agricultural landscapes in seven European countries, we investigated relationships between species richness in several taxa, and the links between biodiversity and landscape structure and management. 2. We estimated the total species richness of vascular plants, birds and five arthropod groups in each 16-km2 landscape, and recorded various measures of both landscape structure and intensity of agricultural land use. We studied correlations between taxonomic groups and the effects of landscape and land-use parameters on the number of species in different taxonomic groups. Our statistical approach also accounted for regional variation in species richness unrelated to landscape or land-use factors. 3. The results reveal strong geographical trends in species richness in all taxonomic groups. No single species group emerged as a good predictor of all other species groups. Species richness of all groups increased with the area of semi-natural habitats in the landscape. Species richness of birds and vascular plants was negatively associated with fertilizer use. 4. Synthesis and applications. We conclude that indicator taxa are unlikely to provide an effective means of predicting biodiversity at a large spatial scale, especially where there is large biogeographical variation in species richness. However, a small list of landscape and land-use parameters can be used in agricultural landscapes to infer large-scale patterns of species richness. Our results suggest that to halt the loss of biodiversity in these landscapes, it is important to preserve and, if possible, increase the area of semi-natural habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between landscape pattern metrics and agricultural biodiversity at the Temperate European scale, exploring the role of thematic resolution and a suite of biological and functional groups. Factor analyses to select landscape-level metrics were undertaken on 25 landscapes classified at four levels of thematic resolution. The landscapes were located within seven countries. The different resolutions were considered appropriate to taxonomic and functional group diversity. As class-level metrics are often better correlated to ecological response, the landscape-level metric subsets gained through exploratory analysis were additionally used to guide the selection of class-level metric subsets. Linear mixed models were then used to detect correlations between landscape- and class-level metrics and species richness values. Taxonomic groups with differing requirements (plants, birds, different arthropod groups) and also functional arthropod groups were examined. At the coarse scale of thematic resolution grain metrics (patch density, largest patch index) emerged as rough indicators for the different biological groups whilst at the fine scale a diversity metric (e.g. Simpson's diversity index) was appropriate. The intermediate thematic resolution offered most promise for biodiversity monitoring. Metrics included largest patch index, edge density, nearest neighbour, the proximity index, circle and Simpson's diversity index. We suggest two possible applications of these metrics in the context of biodiversity monitoring and the identification of biodiversity hot spots in European agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hazard Quotient (HQ) compares field application rate to intrinsic toxicity assessed with sensitive indicator species. As a hazard indicator for risk assessment, the HQ must be calibrated against measured effects under field conditions. Because protection goals may be context specific, we analyse how choice of acceptance criteria affects setting of the HQ and calibrate HQ for various scenarios under the strict condition that no false negative conclusions may be reached. We use Non-Target Arthropod toxicity data from laboratory studies on inert (Tier 1) and on natural substrates (Tier 2) and calibrate the HQ using application rates and arthropod abundance counts from field studies in orchards, arable fields, and hay meadows in 34 locations in Western Europe. With 21 formulations (17 active substances) tested in mostly multi-rate field studies, our reference data base has 120/121 values at Tier 1/Tier 2, respectively. We use the Proportion of Affected Taxa and Duration of Effect to jointly define acceptance criteria, starting with No Observed Effects. Absence of field effects is correctly predicted with HQ < 1.3 at Tier 1 and HQ < 0.48 at Tier 2, but these settings result in a high proportion of false positive outcomes. Increasing accepted duration of effect from 0 to 4 to 8 weeks results in HQ-threshold changes from 1.3 to 6.4 to 250 for Tier 1 studies and from 0.48 to 1.1 to 5.7 for Tier 2 studies. This coincides with a clear decrease in false positive outcomes. Recovery within a year is correctly concluded for 73% of the products passing the corresponding Tier 1 HQ < 2600 and for 92% of products at Tier 2 (HQ <230). Our analysis shows that the calibration is appropriate for a broad geographical range, for in-field and off-field situations and for phytophagous and non-phytophagous species alike., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus responsible for the pandemic that developed in China in late 2019. Transmission of the virus is predominantly direct, through exposure to infected respiratory secretions. As far as we know, arthropods play a key role in the transmission and spread of several viruses, and thus their role in the spread of COVID-19 deserves to be studied. The biological transmission of viral agents through insects is very complex. While mechanical transmission is more likely to happen, biological transmission is possible via blood-sucking arthropods, but this requires a high grade of compatibility between the vector and the pathogen. If the biological and mechanical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by blood-sucking arthropods is excluded, a mechanical transmission by urban pests could take place. This risk is very low but it could be important in isolated environmental conditions, where other means of transmission are not possible. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in non-blood-sucking arthropods in infected buildings, like hospitals and retirement homes, should be investigated.

The present comprehensive study aimed to estimate the aftermath of oil contamination and the efficacy of removing the upper level of polluted soil under the conditions of the extreme northern taiga of northeastern European Russia. Soil samples from three sites were studied. Two sites were contaminated with the contents of a nearby sludge collector five years prior to sampling. The highly contaminated upper soil level was removed from one of them. The other was left for self-restoration. A chemical analysis of the soils was conducted, and changes in the composition of the soil zoocoenosis and bacterial and fungal microbiota were investigated. At both contaminated sites, a decrease in the abundance and taxonomic diversity of indicator groups of soil fauna, oribatid mites and collembolans compared to the background site were found. The pioneer eurytopic species Oppiella nova, Proisotoma minima and Xenyllodes armatus formed the basis of the microarthropod populations in the contaminated soil. A complete change in the composition of dominant taxonomic units was observed in the microbiota, both the bacterial and fungal communities. There was an increase in the proportion of representatives of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria in polluted soils compared to the background community. Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria-Alcanivorax, Rhodanobacter ginsengisoli, Acidobacterium capsulatum, and Acidocella-and fungi-Amorphotheca resinae abundances greatly increased in oil-contaminated soil. Moreover, among both bacteria and fungi, a sharp increase in the abundance of uncultivated organisms that deserve additional attention as potential oil degraders or organisms with a high resistance to oil contamination were observed. The removal of the upper soil level was partly effective in terms of decreasing the oil product concentration (from approximately 21 to 2.6 g/kg of soil) and preventing a decrease in taxonomic richness but did not prevent alterations in the composition of the microbiota or zoocoenosis., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

• Using 52 sites we investigated how grassland restoration affects arthropods. • Replicating target plant communities is more important than landscape factors. • There was evidence that historic factors causing extinction debts affect restoration. • High quality within-site management needs to be the focus of restoration program. In Europe, extensively managed grasslands have undergone large-scale declines due to intensive agriculture and abandonment. Their restoration supports arthropod biodiversity within farming systems. We investigated limiting factors for arthropod establishment during grassland restoration across a chronosequence of 52 restoration sites established by either natural regenerating or direct seeding. Our study covered 363 arthropod species of 10 orders, including detritivores, herbivores, predators and pollinators. These were sampled using pitfall traps, suction sampling and transect walks. The similarity of plant communities on restoration sites to target species rich grasslands was positively correlated with the similarity of the arthropod communities to these same grasslands. There was evidence that restoration sites located in landscapes suffering from historic large-scale loss of species rich grassland (1930–2015) had lower success in replicating the composition of arthropod communities and supported the lowest levels of species richness. The age of the restoration site was a predictor of restoration success for some trophic levels. For example, predator species richness was greatest in the oldest restoration sites. However, this was only the case were sites were either of large size or located in landscapes with the lowest historic loss of species rich grassland. Impacts of within site management also affected arthropod communities. The annual frequency of cutting negatively affected detritivores species richness, and selected against traits including herbivore monophagy. Overall arthropod species richness was positively correlated with sward height. These results emphasise the relative importance of the success with which the floral community is replicated, as well as landscape and management factors, during grassland restoration. This has implications for future agri-environmental schemes. In particular, achieving high quality within-site management that maximises establishment of the plant communities needs to be the initial focus of any restoration program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insects are the most ubiquitous and diverse group of eukaryotic organisms on Earth, forming a crucial link in terrestrial and freshwater food webs. They have recently become the subject of headlines because of observations of dramatic declines in some places. Although there are hundreds of long-term insect monitoring programs, a global database for long-term data on insect assemblages has so far remained unavailable. In order to facilitate synthetic analyses of insect abundance changes, we compiled a database of long-term (≥10 yr) studies of assemblages of insects (many also including arachnids) in the terrestrial and freshwater realms. We searched the scientific literature and public repositories for data on insect and arachnid monitoring using standardized protocols over a time span of 10 yr or longer, with at least two sampling events. We focused on studies that presented or allowed calculation of total community abundance or biomass. We extracted data from tables, figures, and appendices, and, for data sets that provided raw data, we standardized trapping effort over space and time when necessary. For each site, we extracted provenance details (such as country, state, and continent) as well as information on protection status, land use, and climatic details from publicly available GIS sources. In all, the database contains 1,668 plot-level time series sourced from 165 studies with samples collected between 1925 and 2018. Sixteen data sets provided here were previously unpublished. Studies were separated into those collected in the terrestrial realm (103 studies with a total of 1,053 plots) and those collected in the freshwater realm (62 studies with 615 plots). Most studies were from Europe (48%) and North America (29%), with 34% of the plots located in protected areas. The median monitoring time span was 19 yr, with 12 sampling years. The number of individuals was reported in 129 studies, the total biomass was reported in 13 studies, and both abundance and biomass were reported in 23 studies. This data set is published under a CC-BY license, requiring attribution of the data source. Please cite this paper if the data are used in publications, and respect the licenses of the original sources when using (part of) their data as detailed in Metadata S1: Table 1., (© 2021 Commonwealth of Australia. Ecology © 2021 Ecological Society of America.)

We tested whether biogeographic patterns characteristic for biological communities can also apply to populations and investigated geographic patterns of variation in abundance of ectoparasites (fleas and mites) collected from bodies of their small mammalian hosts (rodents and shrews) in the Palearctic at continental, regional and local scales. We asked whether (i) there is a relationship between latitude and abundance and (ii) similarity in abundance follows a distance decay pattern or it is better explained by variation in extrinsic biotic and abiotic factors. We analysed the effect of latitude on mean intraspecific abundance using general linear models including proportional abundance of its principal host as an additional predictor variable. Then, we examined the relative effect of geographic distance, biotic and abiotic dissimilarities among regions, subregions or localities on the intraspecific dissimilarity in abundance among regions, subregions or localities using Generalized Dissimilarity Modelling. We found no relationship between latitude and intraspecific flea or mite abundance. In both taxa, environmental dissimilarity explained the largest part of the deviance of spatial variation in abundance, whereas the effect of the dissimilarity in the principal host abundance was of secondary importance and the effect of geographic distance was minor. These patterns were generally consistent across the three spatial scales, although environmental variation and dissimilarity in principal host abundance were equally important at the local scale in fleas but not in mites. We conclude that biogeographic patterns related to latitude and geographic distance do not apply to spatial variation of ectoparasite abundance. Instead, the geographic distribution of abundance in arthropod ectoparasites depends on their responses, mainly to the off-host environment and to a lesser extent the abundance of their principal hosts., (Copyright © 2018 Australian Society for Parasitology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper examines a single genus of springtails (Collembola, Entomobryidae, Entomobrya) across the Canary Islands archipelago. A great sampling effort carried out more than 20 years ago, and over several years, allows us to present the distribution of the genus with the presence of 17 species, some better represented by their abundance than others. In addition to some species present in continental Europe or elsewhere in the world, or those already reported for the Canary Islands (e.g., E. multifasciata (Tullberg, 1871), E. nigrocincta Denis, 1923, E. palmensis Jordana Baquero, 2010, E. quinquelineata Börner, 1901 and E. unostrigata Stach, 1930), 12 new species have been detected and described, representing 71% of the total species found. All new species have been named in honour of important persons to the history of the Canary Islands, including some leaders. A combination of colouring patterns and other morphological characteristics that are easy to observe in most specimens (Katz et al. 2015a, b) have been used for the identification of the specimens, as is usual for the genus (Christiansen 1958), in addition to the dorsal macrochaetotaxy formula proposed by Jordana Baquero (2005). Without this formula, many specimens could not have been identified or distinguished from already described species because the colourations -in many cases-show ranges so broad as not to be diagnostic. In some species, the range of colouration can range from totally clear to totally dark, including several intermediate forms. Colour could be a good indicator of the species captured, taking into account that it fades over time with exposure to ethyl alcohol and could turn to different tones. Notwithstanding the above, a recent paper by Ding et al. (2018), show a certain correlation between the color pattern and the specific differentiation by means of DNA studies.

Here we present a survey of Seira fauna from Iberian Peninsula and Canary Islands, including the description of three new species from Spain: Seira barrai sp. nov., Seira betica sp. nov. and Seira burgersi sp. nov., the latter with unprece-dented antennal morphology for Seira. Five species from Western Europe are redescribed and their dorsal detailed chaetotaxy is revealed for the first time: S. domestica (Nicolet), S. dinizi Gama, S. ferrarii Parona, S. mantis Zeppelini Bellini and S. pini Jordana Arbea, the first two from type locality, and the latter two based on analysis of the type material. A note on chaetal interpretation of the first abdominal segment for Seira is presented. An identification key to 31 species with known dorsal chaetotaxy from Western Palearctic region is also provided, including a discussion on dense macrochaetotaxy present in Palearctic and Oriental species and its reduction in species from others biogeographic regions.

Observed patterns of species richness at landscape scale (gamma diversity) cannot always be attributed to a specific set of explanatory variables, but rather different alternative explanatory statistical models of similar quality may exist. Therefore predictions of the effects of environmental change (such as in climate or land cover) on biodiversity may differ considerably, depending on the chosen set of explanatory variables. Here we use multimodel prediction to evaluate effects of climate, land-use intensity and landscape structure on species richness in each of seven groups of organisms (plants, birds, spiders, wild bees, ground beetles, true bugs and hoverflies) in temperate Europe. We contrast this approach with traditional best-model predictions, which we show, using cross-validation, to have inferior prediction accuracy. Multimodel inference changed the importance of some environmental variables in comparison with the best model, and accordingly gave deviating predictions for environmental change effects. Overall, prediction uncertainty for the multimodel approach was only slightly higher than that of the best model, and absolute changes in predicted species richness were also comparable. Richness predictions varied generally more for the impact of climate change than for land-use change at the coarse scale of our study. Overall, our study indicates that the uncertainty introduced to environmental change predictions through uncertainty in model selection both qualitatively and quantitatively affects species richness projections.

Some aspects of changing patterns of arthropodal infections and arthropod-borne diseases in Mediterranean areas are briefly discussed. Selected examples are given, with particular emphasis on the phenomenon of the synanthropic flea Ctenocephalides felis felis and on health problems caused by human infections with Argas reflexus, the common tick of urban pigeons in Europe. Finally, the risk of the emergence of Lyme borreliosis (Borrelia burgdorferi) is considered in relation to the increasing spread of environmental infestation with ticks, mainly Ixodes ricinus, an efficacious vector for the spirochaete.