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Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are important pollinators, yet rapidly declining globally. In North America some species are thriving while others are nearing extinction. Recognizing subtle differences in species’ biology and responses to environmental factors is required to illuminate key threats and to understand their different population trajectories. We intensively surveyed bumble bees in Ohio, USA, along the receding southern boundary of many species’ ranges, to evaluate current conservation status of the state’s species. In 318 90-min field surveys across two consecutive years we observed 23,324 bumble bees of 10 species visiting 170 plant species. Habitat, landscape, latitude, and their interactions significantly influenced bumble bee abundance, species richness, and community composition during peak season. Sites planted with flowers yielded more bumble bee individuals and species than did sites not planted with bee food plants. Bombus impatiens, B. griseocollis, and B. bimaculatus comprised 93% of all observations. Their abundances all peaked in habitats planted with wildflowers, but there were species-specific responses to local and landscape factors. Three less common species (B. fervidus, B. vagans, and B. perplexus) were more likely to be found in forested landscapes, particularly in the northeastern portion of the state. Bombus perplexus was also affiliated with planted urban wildflower patches. These results provide a strong starting point for future monitoring and conservation intervention that targets less common species. A quantitative synthesis of detailed state-level and regional datasets would allow additional insight into broad scale patterns of diversity in bumble bee communities and species conservation trajectories.

The decline of both managed and wild bee populations has been extensively reported for over a decade now, with growing concerns amongst the scientific community. Also, evidence is growing that both managed and feral honey bees may exacerbate threats to wild bees. In Australia, there are over 1600 native bee species and introduced European honey bees (Apis mellifera) have established throughout most landscapes. There is a major gap in knowledge of the interactions between honey bees and native bees in Australian landscapes, especially floral resource use. Here we report on the pollen diets of wild bees in protected areas of coastal heathland, an ecosystem characterised by mass flowering in late winter and spring. We sampled bees within three sites and DNA metabarcoding was used to compare the pollen diets of honey bees and native bees. We recorded 2, 772 bees in total, with 13 genera and 18 described species identified. Apis mellifera was the most common species across all locations, accounting for 42% of all bees collected. Native bee genera included eusocial Tetragonula (stingless bees) (37%), and semi-social Exoneura and Braunsapis (19.8% combined). Metabarcoding data revealed both Tetragonula and honey bees have wide foraging patterns, and the bipartite network overall was highly generalised (H2’ = 0.24). Individual honey bees carried pollen of 7–29 plant species, and significantly more species than all other bees. We found niche overlap in the diets of honey bees and native bees generally (0.42), and strongest overlap with stingless bees (0.70) and species of Braunsapis (0.62). A surprising finding was that many species carried pollen from Restionaceae and Cyperaceae, families generally considered to be predominantly wind-pollinated in Australia. Our study showed introduced honey bee use of resources overlaps with that of native bees in protected heathlands, but there are clear differences in their diet preferences.

Background Avian malaria parasites are microorganisms parasitizing erythrocytes and various tissues of the birds; they are common and distributed worldwide. These parasites are known to infect birds of different taxa and be the cause of the deaths of birds in the wild and in captivity. The species of parasites with the ability to colonize new territories and infect local non-migratory birds are of particular interest. This scenario is likely in temperate zones of Europe, because of climate change and its contribution in spreading vectors of southern origin, which can be involved in the transmission of malaria parasites. In the present study, a tropical Plasmodium parasite from a naturally infected long-distance migrant bird was isolated and tested for its ability to develop in common species of mosquitoes and European short-distance migrant birds. Methods Plasmodium sp. (pFANTAIL01) was isolated on the Curonian spit of the Baltic sea coast from the naturally infected Common rosefinch, Carpodacus erythrinus in June 2019. The parasite was described based on the morphological features of its blood stages, the partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and development after experimental infection of birds and mosquitoes. The parasite was inoculated into Eurasian siskins, Carduelis spinus. Parasitaemia, haematocrit and weight of birds were monitored. At the end of the survey, internal organs were collected to study exoerythrocytic stages of this parasite. Experimental infection of mosquitoes Culex pipiens form molestus and Culex quinquefasciatus was applied to study sporogonic development of the parasite. Results Based on morphological features, the parasite was described as a new species, Plasmodium collidatum n. sp., and attributed to subgenus Novyella. It was revealed that the obtained pFANTAIL01 lineage is a generalist parasite infecting a wide range of avian hosts and most likely is transmitted in South and Southeast (SE) Asia and Oceania. In Europe, this strain was recorded only in adult migratory birds wintering in South Asia. This parasite developed high parasitaemia in experimentally infected siskins and caused 25 % mortality. Exoerythrocytic stages of pFANTAIL01 were found in the lungs, liver, spleen and kidney of the deceased birds. Sporogonic development did not occur in Cx. pipiens form molestus and Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Conclusions Plasmodium collidatum is a highly virulent for Eurasian siskin and completes its development in these birds, which can be considered as a potential vertebrate host if the transmission of the infection starts occurring in Europe and temperate zones.

Aims The factors affecting species abundance are a subject of ongoing debates in community ecology. Empirical studies have demonstrated that tree abundance is affected by plant functional traits and negative density dependence (NDD). However, few studies have focused on the combined effects of NDD and plant functional traits on species abundance. Methods In this study, we used tree functional traits and two census data from a 50-ha forest dynamic plot in the Heishiding (HSD) Nature Reserve to explore the combined effects of functional traits and NDD on species abundance. Using hierarchical Bayesian models, we analyzed how neighbor densities affected the survival of saplings from 130 species and extracted posterior means of the coefficients to represent NDD. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was then applied to investigate the causal relationships among species functional traits, NDD and species abundance. Important Findings SEM showed that tree functional traits, including specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area (LA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf N content (LNC), maximum electron transport rate (ETRmax) and conspecific adult negative density dependence (CNDDadult), together explained 20% of the total variation in tree abundance. Specifically, SLA affected tree abundance both directly and indirectly via CNDDadult, with a totally negative influence on abundance. LDMC and LNC had only indirect effects mediated by CNDDadult on tree abundance. ETRmax and LA had directly negative effects on abundance, but their direct connections with CNDDadult were not observed. In addition, CNDDadult was negatively correlated with species abundance, indicating that abundant species are under stronger NDD. Among these investigated traits, SLA contributed the most to the variation in CNDDadult and abundance. We argued that our findings of trait–CNDDadult–abundance relationships can improve our understanding of the determinants of species commonness and rarity in forests.

Birds play a vital role in arctic environments, being multi-functional ecosystem engineers, but these animals are heavily impacted by recent climate warming. Bird assemblages on the Arctic Ocean archipelagoes are poorly known, because many such areas are hardly accessible to scientists. Novaya Zemlya, one of the most enigmatic places in the World, was a closed military area from the late 1940s. This gigantic mountainous archipelago can be considered a terra incognita by means of modern faunal, taxonomic, and ecological research. In the present study, we provide the first qualitative data on bird assemblages of the Yuzhny Island of Novaya Zemlya, estimate the diversity of bird species through a range of habitats, and underscore environmental factors determining the spatial distribution of avifauna in the arctic tundra biome. In terrestrial habitats, Tundra Bean Goose (Anser fabalis rossicus), Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) and Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most abundant species. In freshwater and coastal marine habitats, both these Arctic-breeding goose taxa, and Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) and Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) were the dominant species. The most species-rich bird assemblages (11-15 species) were associated with willow tundra, freshwater lakes, and coastal sea habitats, while only a few species were recorded in dry rocky habitats, open sea environments, and littoral areas of lakes and the sea. Mountain rocky heathlands covering most of the area of Yuzhny Island were scarcely populated by birds, with only a few species recorded frequently there, such as the Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) and Snow Bunting. Our findings highlight that the bird assemblages on Novaya Zemlya share low species richness and that these assemblages contain a large proportion of sea and shore bird species even in terrestrial habitats. Among the terrestrial birds, only four cold-tolerant, common species successfully colonize these extreme environments during the short summer season.

A review of the piciform avifauna from the upper Pleistocene asphalt deposits of Rancho La Brea, Los Angeles, California, reveals that it comprises at least six species in five genera. We describe a new genus and species, Breacopus garretti, for the largest woodpecker, which was similar in size to the largest living North American species, Dryocopus pileatus. We recognise a new genus and species, Bitumenpicus minimus, for the smallest woodpecker in the palaeoavifauna of Rancho La Brea. We also recognise a new species of Melanerpes, M. shawi. The most common species present in the asphalt deposits is the Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus, which is predictable because of its ground-foraging habits, which would bring it into contact with the surficial seeps of petroleum more often than those piciforms preferring an arboreal habitat. Habits of the extant species from Rancho La Brea suggest a primarily open environment, with the largest species suggesting the presence of at least scattered large trees. The piciform palaeoavifauna provides support for the hypothesis that southwestern California was a “biogeographic island,” or a region where the insular nature of the habitat promoted speciation during the late Pleistocene.

Resource partitioning among coexisting species leads to divergent changes in morphological, behavioural and physiological characteristics of animals providing insights in niche availability. Chitala chitala (Hamilton-Buchanan, 1822) and Notopterus notopterus (Pallas, 1769) are two Notopterid fishes belonging to order Osteoglossiformes found to coexist in Indian waters. Both the species command high market demand not only as food fish but also as aquaria fishes making them new candidate species for aquaculture. Feeding ecology of these species were studied through prey electivity analysis, calculation of Index of Relative Importance of food items, estimation of digestive enzymes accompanied by morphometric study. Toothed jaw and higher relative gape width makes C. chitala an efficient predator whereas N. notopterus with obliquely placed and slightly upturned mouth, prominent lower jaw, higher head and body depth, well-developed stomach establish N. notopterus as an omnivore. The results also highlight N. notopterus having larger niche breadth surviving on wide prey base in nature could justifiably be a more common species found in wider area of South East Asia whereas C. chitala being carnivorous, having smaller niche breadth enjoys relatively restricted geographical distribution.

Local communities contribute to broader biodiversity protection goals when managing their immediate environment when they establish protected areas. However, their efforts are geographically constrained and often uncoordinated. We compare protected areas established by local communities through the direct democracy process in California, US, to protected areas created and managed by two conservation actors working over larger spatial scales, one private and one public. Despite being geographically constrained to smaller spatial scales, protected areas established by local communities were as effective as those established by larger scale conservation actors at representing different habitat types. However, local ballot protected areas tended to protect more common species. All three protected area networks often performed no better than random in terms of siting protected areas to support narrow range species and rare habitats. Improved accounting of local communities’ protection efforts would allow organizations with greater funding flexibility to focus their efforts to increase representation of rarer species and habitats in protected area systems.

Echinoderms are benthic animals that can be found in almost all marine ecosystems but are mostly found in the intertidal coastal zone. Echinoderms play an important role as deposit feeders. This study aims to look at the distribution patterns, diversity, and habitat conditions of species in the southern coastal waters of Lombok Island, namely Kute, Awang, and Gerupuk beaches. The field survey was conducted using the quadratic transect method and free collection in October - November 2020. Based on the results of the research, a total of 11 species of echinoderms were found in Lombok Island consisting of 4 classes. Diadema setosum and Tripneusteus gratila were the most common species, whereas Synapta maculate, Holothuria leucospilota, Echinotrix diadema, Holothuria atra, and Ophiocoma scolopendrina were found in small numbers with uniform distribution (Id 1) in Awang and Gerupuk, and Tripneusteus gratila in Kute and Awang. The Diversity Index value is different in each habitat. The highest Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (Hꞌ) was found in Gerupuk 2.18. The largest smoothing index is found at Awang 0.96. The largest Dominance Index (D) is found in Gerupuk 0.88. Based on the value of the Echinoderm community structure on the South Coast of Lombok Island, it shows that diversity is moderate, community uniformity is unstable, and dominance is low. information regarding the distribution and diversity of Echinoderm fauna in various types of habitats around the seagrass as a first step to anticipate the decline in the Echinoderm population in the waters of the South Coast of Lombok Island.

The biocontrol programs that are currently developed focus on specific microorganisms that live in plant tissues, also known as the endophytes. This article discusses pathogenic micromycete species that infected herbaceous plants growing in the Yereymentau District, Akmola Region. Four fungi species were detected that belong to the same genus. Information about the species composition and a brief description of each fungus were provided. The seasonal behavior of rust fungi was investigated. As it turned out, rust fungi tend to go through the uredinium phase in July and to produce teliospores in September. The research population includes the most common species of rust fungi. This article was first to identify phytopathogenic fungi that attack herbaceous plants in the Yereymentau District and their seasonal behavior. The findings may contribute towards expanding the global fungal database with information about fungal diseases specific to the given region and towards combat against a variety of phytopathogenic fungi.

Enteric campylobacteriosis caused by Campylobacter is a real public health problem. It is a typical zoonosis that can be transmitted through direct contact with contaminated animals or animal carcasses, or indirectly through the ingestion of contaminated food or water. WHO1 defines Campylobacter as the first germ responsible for gastroenteritis in developing countries. The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter in pigs and to identify the most common species found in three slaughterhouses in the city of Yaounde. A descriptive and prospective study was carried out over a period of five months, from July to November 2020. To do this, Campylobacter spp. strains were searched for by culture on specific media, incubated in a micro-aerophilic atmosphere at 37°C and the identification with API campy (BioMerieux, ref 20800). Out of the 266 samples collected, 170 from the rectum and 96 from the carcasses, we obtained a general prevalence of 27%, with a prevalence of 25.88% in the rectum and 29.16% in the carcasses. Pigs intended for consumption by the population of Yaounde come mainly from the North (50%) and the West (49%). The most common species encountered were C. coli (52.77%), C. jejuni spp. jejuni 1 and 2 (30.58%), C. festus spp. festus (11.11%), C. jejuni spp. doley (1.38%), and Campylobacter spp. (4.16%). Bacterial enumeration gave Campylobacter fecal concentrations at 103 CFU2 (52.7%), 104 CFU (33.3%), and 105 CFU (13.8%). The slaughterhouse in the Mvog Ada market was the most involved in Campybacter cases, followed by the 8th market and Essos market. From the above, it is important to notice that the Campylobacter danger remains and that preventive measures are of great interest.

Although Caribbean mixed-species herbivorous fish groups are an important component to the reef community by helping to crop algae that often overgrow and kill corals, little is known of how they organize their foraging groups. In spite of a highly flexible membership, the basic structure of these groups consists of a “core species,” that leads the group and often is either the striped parrotfish (Scarus iserti) or the ocean surgeon (Acanthurus tractus). These species lead their groups to open areas where they feed largely on low profile turf algae. Other members prefer macro algae and are termed “associate species,” of which the two common species we studied were the stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) and the redband parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum). In spite of the large difference in group sizes between Jamaica and Grand Cayman Islands, the relationships between movement patterns and compositional changes were largely consistent. There was no support for the hypothesis that these dramatic and continuous group changes were related to foraging success. Instead, we speculated that these group changes perhaps were designed to maintain cohesion among a membership that was spread over a wide area. We also examined if associates species may be more than just passive followers of core species but rather instigated the attracting or the building of core groups. Both associate species do attract striped parrotfish in open areas and thus appear active in initiating mixed-species groups. Finally, given that associate species seem to derive little foraging benefit from following core species, we tested the hypothesis that associate species joined core groups to gain protection against predators. Associate species do not selectively join the larger groups of striped parrotfish but appear to join core species randomly and the groups they joined resembled the wide assortment of core groups available in the area. Thus, while associates may be joining core groups for protection, this protection was not based on sizes of core groups.

Nephropsis stewarti Wood-Mason, 1872 is the most common species of the deep-sea clawed lobster genus Nephropsis Wood-Mason, 1872 in the Indo-West Pacific. Morphological comparisons and genetic analyses of extensive material referred to this lobster revealed the presence of three species. The three species differ mainly in body size, development of the intermediate carina on the carapace, position of the lateral pair of rostral teeth, whether the pleonal tergum is granulate, and the spination on the large chelipeds. Nephropsis stewarti is restricted to the western central Indian Ocean, and a neotype is selected to fix its identity. The name Nephropsis grandis Zarenkov, 2006 is revived with neotype selection for the large form found in the West Pacific and northwestern Australia. The smaller form from southern Taiwan and the Philippines is described as Nephropsis pygmaeasp. nov.

The taxonomic composition, bioecological and chorological characteristics of cultural plant species of flat green roofs of extensive type in the city of Lviv were investigated. The structural features of the flora of cultivated species were identified, the levels of their frost-resistance and winter hardiness and USDA-zoning, and and the vertical distribution of green roofs types were studied. It was found that five design types are used for greening roofs in Lviv - "Sedum carpet", " Rooftop lawn", "Fragrant herbs", "Cereals garden" and "Garden on the roof". Most of the implemented projects were carried out according to technology and using substrates, lawn mixtures and a list of plants from the German company "ZinCo GmbH". The exceptions are objects of collective and private property in low-rise buildings, where individual projects were implemented for roof greening, and the list of plants was selected according to project proposals. Most green roofs are created on buildings with a height of 10-20 m (45% green roofs). Also, popular is greening of high-rise 10-storey and higher apartment buildings (22% green roofs). It was found that 230 species of plants and 105 of their cultivars were used for greening flat roofs. The spectrum of viable forms is dominated by phanerophytes (129 species, 44%) and hemicryptophytes (98 species, 33%). Most plant species grow naturally in Southeast Asia - 56 species (24%), Europe (50 species, 22%), North America (39, 17%), and Eurasia (32,14%). 11 species (5%) are of hybrid origin. Among coniferous cultivars, dwarf and blue-colored conifers predominate - Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Minima Glauca’, Juniperus horizontalis ‘Blue Chip’, J. procumbens ‘Nana’, J. squamata ‘Blue Carpet’, Picea glauca ‘Conica’, P. omorika ‘Nana’, Pinus heldreichii ‘Compact Gem’, P. mugo ‘Gnom’, P. m. ‘Mops’, Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana’, Thuja occidentalis ‘Globosa’, Th. o. ‘Hoseri’. Variegated-leaved plants are often used (Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’, Lonicera ligustrina var. pileata ‘Variegata’, Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’, Weigela florida ‘Nana Variegata’), limbate (Cornus alba‘ Argenteo-marginata’) and purple-leaved forms (Acer platanoides ‘Crimson King’, Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea’, B. th. ‘Atropurpurea Nana’, Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, Phuopsis stylosa ‘Purpurea’). Annual plants are practically not used in roof greening, with the exception of Begonia cucullata, Liatris spicata ‘Alba’, L. s. ‘Kobol’, Matricaria breviradiata, Salvia splendens, which are annually planted in the "pockets" of compositions to create a color accent. Of uncommon species and new varieties of plants on green roofs the following species are found: Azorella trifurcata, Betula utilis ‘Doorenbos’, Caryopteris incana, Cornus kousa ‘Milky Way’, Cytisus × kewensis, Kniphofia uvaria, Leontopodium nivale, Nothofagus antarctica, Vitis californica ’Roger’s Red’. Rooftop lawns are made mainly by sowing with grass mixtures of low-growth cereals and micro-clover that do not require frequent mowing (Lilliputian, Canada Green and Gnome) or using a roll lawn. The territory of Lviv belongs to the 6 USDA-zone; however, the roof greening uses species regionalized for other USDA-zones. It is shown that the majority of species planted on flat roofs belong to the 5 USDA-zone (96 species, 33%); species of the 4 zone (69 species, 23%) and 3 zone (61 species, 21%) are also widely represented. Almost never are used species of zones 8 (5 species, 2%), 9 (1 species, 1%), and 10 (2 species, 1%). The analysis of winter hardiness of the species showed that species from the mountainous regions of Central and East Asia, where the continental climate dominates, pass the winter on green roofs best. But species from European mountains have lower winter hardiness. It was found that cultivars also have lower winter hardiness than the species from which they were derived. For high-quality, durable, ecologically and economically feasible greening of flat roofs in Lviv, it is essential to select winter- and frost-resistant plant species that belong to higher USDA-zones than the territory of the city of Lviv, as well as to use plant species from the mountains of Central and East Asia. It is necessary to take into account the height of the building, which creates a vertical zonation of vegetation.

A butterfly study in the biodiversity rich biogeography transition zone of the undivided Midnapore District of West Bengal was carried out from March 2014 to March 2017. A total of 98 species of butterflies under five families, 19 subfamilies, and 70 genera were documented by the study. Maximum species diversity was found in Nymphalidae family with 31 species (31.63%), followed by Lycaenidae 24 species (24.48%), Hesperiidae-17 (17.34%), Pieridae 16 (16.32%), and the least by Papilionidae 10 (10.28%). Among the families, the highest common species (n=10) was recorded under the family Nymphalidae and maximum rare species (n=4) under the family Lycaenidae. Highest species richness has been recorded in post-monsoon season (97 species) followed by monsoon (78 species), winter (66 species), and pre-monsoon (47 species). During the study, five species of butterflies (Castalius rosimon, Neptis jumbah, Discophora sondaica, Lethe europa, and Papilio clytia) under Schedule-I, three species (Euchrysops cnejus, Mahathala ameria, and Cepora nerissa) under Schedule-II and three species (Baoris farri, Hyarotis adrastus, and Euploea core) under Schedule-IV were legally protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. A good species to genera ratio (1.4: 1) along with 10 newly recorded species and their range extension provide information for better understanding of the ecology and distribution pattern of the butterfly fauna. The information of the study will thus help to develop conservation strategies for management of the unique bio-geographical transitional zone.

Stray cats survive on their own and scavenge the surrounding areas for food to survive. Their exploitation to investigate the prevalence of ectoparasites can be of great medical importance for humans as they harbour a variety of zoonotic pathogens. Therefore, a survey of ectoparasites on stray cats was carried out from November 2017 to March 2018 around the Town of Knowledge to determine the prevalence of ectoparasites in stray cats and their potential to threaten the public health by infesting stray cats around Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. A total of 150 individuals of stray cats have been examined for ectoparasites. Of these hosts, 113 individuals (75.3%) of the stray cats were infested by at least one species of ectoparasites. There were nine species of ectoparasites belonging to four groups (louse, flea, mite, and tick). Louse (Felicola subrostratus, 44.7%) is the most frequent species of ectoparasite infesting the hosts in this area, followed by flea species, namely, Ctenocephalides felis (18.7%) and Ctenocephalides felis orientis (16.0%). Lynxacarus radovskyi (24.0%), Otodectes cynotis (0.7%), mite sp. 1 (0.7%), and mite sp. 2 (0.7%) constitute the four most common species of mites. Haemaphysalis sp. 1 (0.7%) and Haemaphysalis sp. 2 (0.7%) are the ticks discovered in this area. The resultof this study highlights the importance of managing stray cats and controlling their population to minimize the number of individuals that can serve as ectoparasites hosts.

Bu çalışma Çanakkale iline bağlı sebze alanlarında bulunan zararlı akarlar üzerinde beslenen önemli avcı türleri saptamak amacı ile 2011-2015 yıllarında, Çanakkale Merkez, Ayvacık, Bayramiç, Biga, Eceabat, Ezine, Gelibolu ve Lapseki ilçelerinde sebze üretim alanlarında yürütülmüştür. Çalışma sonucunda iki familyaya bağlı beş predatör akar türü tespit edilmiştir. Predatör familyalar arasından Phytoseiidae, dört cinse ait dört tür ile en önemli familya olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu türler içerisinde Typhlodromus athiasae Porath and Swirski ve Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) en yaygın phytoseiid türleri olarak gözlenmiştir. Çalışmalar süresince saptanan diğer bir phytoseiid ise Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot türüdür., This study was carried out to determine the predatory mite species in vegetable growing areas of Çanakkale Province, Turkey, namely the Ayvacık, Bayramiç, Biga, Çanakkale Central, Eceabat, Ezine, Gelibolu and Lapseki Districts, during the period 2011 to 2015. Five predatory mite species belonging to two families were identified. The family Phytoseiidae, with four genera and four species, was the most important. Typhlodromus athiasae Porath and Swirski and Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) were the most common species. Another phytoseiid mite species identified during the study was Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot.

This study seeks to catalogue the opportunities for livestock production in the North West Region of Cameroon. Using Google Earth Maps, twenty urban and twenty peri-urban points were randomly selected based on settlement, followed by a random selection of four livestock farmers per point to participate in this study. A random sample of 160 questionnaires was collected and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0. The result showed that farmers kept a variety of livestock species of which most were pigs followed by poultry. Although poultry were the second most common species kept, they were more important than all other species in the livelihoods of farmers due to their multiple roles. This study suggests that information on innovations in livestock production should be available to farmers to improve their production and sales.

Background and Aims Different seed dormancy classes control the timing of germination via different cues. The ecological dissimilarities between classes therefore suggest that they are likely to be subject to different selective pressures, and that species within each class will have diverse functional responses. We aimed to investigate this by assessing how variation in the distribution of dormancy classes is correlated with regional environmental factors, in particular rainfall seasonality and temperature. Additionally, we compare the relative proportions of species with physiological (PD) or physical (PY) dormancy to assess whether dormancy class influences their ability to persist under different rainfall seasonality regimes. Methods Dormancy class was assigned for 3990 species from 281 genera occurring across two climate regions, with either winter or aseasonal rainfall, across temperate fire-prone Australia. All regions have similar vegetation and fire regimes. Using a Bayesian framework, we compared the distribution of dormancy classes across temperature and rainfall climate gradients, for threatened and common species. Key Results A high dormant:non-dormant species ratio highlighted the critical role of dormancy across our study regions. Critically, species showing PD were more likely to be threatened in aseasonal rainfall climate regions. Conclusions Our results support the assumption that dormancy is favoured in environments with stochastic disturbance

The 331-hectare (819-acre) Difficult Creek Natural Area Preserve (DCNAP) was established in Halifax County, Virginia to protect and manage habitat for rare vascu-lar plant species and animals, and to restore plant communities. Mafic metavolcanic rocks of the Virgilina Formation and felsic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks of the Aaron Formation comprise the geologic units on the preserve. The Virgilina-derived soils have high shrink-swell potential, a dense hardpan layer, relatively high base status, and a significant gravelly or stony component; these soil conditions support the highest density of rare plant species known on the preserve. The first noteworthy vascular plant species were documented from the property in 1972 by botanist Alton Harvill of Longwood University, but detailed investigations of the flora did not begin until the site was revisited by the second author in 1993. Rare plant inventory has been the primary focus of botanists since that time. In 2001, the property was acquired by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage (DCR) and dedicated as a state Natural Area Preserve, at which point active management for natural communities and associated rare species was initiated. Since the rare plants on site thrive in open woodland or savanna-like conditions, prescribed burns and timber harvests have been used by DCR stewards to restore habitat after decades of fire suppression and conversion of hardwood stands to loblolly pine plantations. In 2018, a thorough floristic study was initiated to highlight the significance of this flora beyond the documentation of rare plants. The two-year inventory documented 653 plant taxa, comprising 326 genera in 106 families. Fourteen of these species are of conservation concern at the global or state level; an additional 12 taxa are considered uncommon and of potential conservation concern (Townsend 2019). These rare or uncommon species are components of two globally rare plant communities. In addition, the globally rare lepidopteran, Erynnis martialis (Mottled Duskywing), occurs on the preserve, the only extant population known in Virginia. Due to agricultural impacts and widespread fire exclusion, few analogs to this flora exist within the southern Piedmont of Virginia.

Despite the abundance of yeasts in peatland, only a few studies on peatland yeasts have been reported and, further, most of those studies were carried out in boreal regions. In response, this study assesses yeast communities in tropical peat swamp forests (PSFs). Peat soils or soils from a primary or natural PSF were collected in Thailand at Khanthuli PSF (PKT), while those from secondary or disturbed PSFs were collected from Khanthuli (SKT) and Khuankreng PSFs (SKK). Clone libraries of each sample were separately constructed using PCR products of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit ribosomal DNA. Most of the yeast operational taxonomic units (OTUs) detected in Khanthuli PSF, both PKT and SKT, belonged to the phylum Ascomycota. Meanwhile, most of the yeast OTUs in SKK belonged to Basidiomycota. Each PSF area exhibited a specific yeast community. Only a few OTUs were shared between the different areas. The dominant yeast species in PKT and SKT was Galactomyces candidus, whereas in SKK, it was Solicoccozyma keelungensis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the only common species in each area. In addition, many more potential new yeast taxa are still undiscovered in the peatlands. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the abundance of G. candidus was related to sites with higher nitrogen concentrations and higher pH, while the abundance of So. Keelungensis was related to a combination of pH and electrical conductivity rather than total potassium contents. These results suggest that yeast communities in primary and secondary PSFs were different, which may be due to both biotic and abiotic factors.

The microbiological patterns of the passenger cabins of urban public transportation by the example of 41 buses from 16 routes was described for the first time. According to orographic features of the city of Nizhny Novgorod, all the bus routes were divided into three model groups designated as “High-bank,” “Low-bank,” and “Interdistrict.” The abundance of microorganisms and the species composition were estimated using an Autoflex MALDI mass spectrometer (Bruker Daltonics, Germany) and the BioTyper software. In the samples collected, 85 microbial species were detected, identified, and assigned to one of the following three groups according to their degree of pathogenicity: (1) opportunistic pathogens often causing infectious diseases; (2) opportunistic pathogens rarely causing infectious diseases, and (3) nonpathogenic microorganisms. To characterize the ecological structure of the microbial community of urban public transport, two similarity indices for the microbiocoenoses studied, the Sorensen binary index and the multidimensional Koch biotic dispersion index, were calculated. The species composition was analyzed at two hierarchical levels of the bus route groups (the intragroup and intergroup ones). At the intragroup level, a small number (1–3) of common species represented by Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, and Acinetobacter lwoffii were found in each route group, which corresponds to a low Koch index value (0.1). At the intergroup level, 15 common species of microorganisms were found, which corresponds to the value of the Koch index calculated for the three route groups (0.26), i.e., 26% of species were common for the three route groups analyzed. Species of three groups of microorganisms were most comprehensively represented in the “Interdistrict” group: 45% species of Group 1, 53.8% species of Group 2, and 58.1% species of Group 3. Community structure analysis carried out using ecological indices (Shannon species diversity index, Simpson index of dominance, Margalef species richness index, and Pielou species evenness index) showed that an increase in the species diversity of microbial communities was accompanied by a regular decrease in dominance and an increase in evenness. Analysis of the group of dominant species identified in the buses of the three route groups revealed that the species similarity of the dominant species, estimated by the value of the Koch index, was only 0.14, which could be explained by the presence of only one common species (Acinetobacter lwoffii). Studies of the microbial community of urban transportation present a perspective for solving the sanitary, hygienic, and environmental aspects of the integrated problem of ensuring the ecological safety of the urban environment.

Background and aim: Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) is subject to changes over time. Investigating changes in botanical ingredients, applications, plant parts used as well as name changes over time, contribute to the understanding of the history and development of CMM. Materials and methods: This study compares four historic collections of CMM, located in Europe, compiled between 1700 and the late 19th century, with a list of contemporary CMM marketed in Europe. Results: More than 1700 specimens within these five collections. The dominant families are Fabaceae (5.3-7.2%) and Asteraceae (4.1-5.7%), while half of the medicinal parts are represented by roots or rhizomes and fruits and/or seeds. Their importance has been stable in a time span of 300 years. The proportion of animal and mineral drugs gradually decreased over time. 14 plant species appeared in all five collections. A total of 47 species are shared between the three more recent collections and the modern trade list. Among these common species, most medicinal parts remain unchanged, but for several species the used plant parts changed or new medicinal plant parts appeared. All common species have unanimously been used in ancient classical TCM formulae and/or Chinese patent medicines. Conclusions: Over more than 300 years, the main body of CMM has hardly changed, with regard to plant taxa and plant parts used. The most prominent changes are related to conservation issues of threatened species, health safety and the discovery of new pharmacological applications of well-known species. Analyzing physical specimens from historic CMM collections complements literature-based research. (c) 2021 Center for Food and Biomolecules, National Taiwan University. Production and hosting by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

In Mexico, Aedes podographicus is one of the most common species within the subgenus Protomacleaya of Aedes. This species has been collected in 12 states close to the coastal regions; however, few records confirm the presence of Ae. podographicus inland. During a mosquito-survey using ovitraps in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico, Ae. podographicus was collected in association with Ae. albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus. This is the first record of the presence of Ae. podographicus in Nuevo León. With the addition of Ae. podographicus to the mosquito fauna of Nuevo León, there are currently 66 species in the state, 19 within the genus Aedes and 6 within the subgenus Protomacleaya, the genus Aedes being the group with the major number of species in Nuevo León. Specimens collected during this study were deposited in the collection of insects and mites of medical importance of the Laboratory of Medical Entomology of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Mexico.

The decline and disappearance of seminatural grasslands in Japan have caused a reduction in plant and animal species inhabiting such grasslands. We aimed to understand the assemblage structure, species diversity, and distribution of carabid beetles in traditionally managed seminatural grasslands, by comparing with the adjacent old beech forest. We investigated the carabid beetle assemblages in a seminatural grassland maintained by prescribed burning and annual mowing, and the adjacent old beech forest in Yamagata Prefecture, northeast Japan. We recorded several forest species along with open habitat species and habitat generalists in the grassland, suggesting that forest species may utilize the adjacent grasslands as temporary habitats. Cluster analysis showed that the assemblage structure of carabid beetles in the grassland differed from that in the beech forest. There were no clear differences in the carabid assemblages between the burned grassland sites and the grassland sites mowed in July after burning. This suggests that the annual mowing had little influence on the response of grassland carabid species in parts of the grassland. We recorded Harpalus roninus (Coleoptera: Carabidae), a rare carabid species in Japan, indicating that this beetle can be a characteristic of the studied grassland. Redundancy analysis showed that the eight abundant grassland species were associated with canopy openness, grass height, and understory vegetation cover, whereas the five most common species recorded from the beech forest were associated with litter depth and soil moisture.

In this study, we examined whether the genetic diversity of Didelphis marsupialis is structured or their populations maintain high gene flow as expected in common species. Forty-eight Tomahawk trap...

Testate amoebae are an irreplaceable key component of microbial communities in many aquatic and soil ecosystems and well known as useful bioindicators. In the present work, testate amoebae compositions in different-type biotopes of freshwater waterbodies of North Vietnam were investigated for the first time. A total of 80 species and subspecies belonging to 12 genera and 8 families were identified from 105 samples collected in Suoi Hai, Xuan Khanh, Cam Quy, Ho Ba reservoirs, and Van Long wetland. Difflugia acutissima, D. brychtai, D. distenda, D. elegans teres, D. glans, and Awerintzewia cyclostoma were new records for Vietnam. Centropyxis aculeata, D. schurmanni, and D. elegans were the most common species in all types of biotopes including plankton, benthos, and periphyton. The results of two-way ANOVA showed statistically significant interaction effects of waterbodies and the type of biotopes on testate amoebae species richness per sample (p

Diaphanosoma, the “tropical Daphnia”, is common and ubiquitous in South China. Like other ctenopods, Diaphanosoma has a reproductive mode similar to Daphnia’s, but its resting eggs are rarely observed and lack an ephippium. With limited dispersal and reduced buffer effect from resting egg banks, Diaphanosoma is expected to have a population genetic structure different from that of temperate Daphnia. To facilitate genetic comparison, we developed microsatellite markers using next-generation sequencing for the most common species in tropical and subtropical East Asia, Diaphanosoma dubium. Thirty-one polymorphic microsatellite markers were obtained, and 29 of them were efficient for the congeneric species D. excisum, D. orghidani, D. mongolianum and D. chankensis. The markers allowed intra- and interspecific genetic analysis, including population structure, hybridization and introgression. We used 11 selected microsatellite markers to analyze spatial and temporal heterogeneity of genetic diversity in four (sub)tropical D. dubium populations from two large reservoirs and two temporary ponds. In contrast to temperate Cladocera, higher genetic diversity in summer rather than in spring suggested weak contribution from resting eggs in spring. Clustering of DAPC and STRUCTURE analyses indicated a clear-cut genetic structure in the four populations. Variation partitioning revealed that water storage and depth were key factors in genetic differentiation. Within large reservoirs, we detected backward (reversing time) gene flow from resting egg banks. We conclude that resting eggs have an effective contribution to the genetic diversity in large water bodies during growing seasons and that large water bodies can host higher genetic diversity in summer due to environmental heterogeneity and high carrying capacity. Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of genetic diversity detected by our microsatellite markers showed the newly developed markers can be applied for further study of populations of D. dubium and other species of Diaphanosoma at a contemporary scale.

As a result of the study, in the steppe zone of Ukraine (Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad region), 12 species of naked amoebas were identified, which according to the modern Eukaryot system belong to three molecular clusters Tubulinea Smirnov et al., 2005, Discosea Cavalier-Smith, 2004., Discoba Simpson and Hampl et al., 2009. This species Vahlkampfia sp. (1), Vahlkampfia sp. (2), Deuteramoeba mycophaga Page, 1988, Saccamoeba stagnicola Page, 1974, Vexillifera sp., Vannella sp. Ripellaplatypodia Smirnov, Nassonova, Chao et Cavalier-Smith, 2007, Cochliopodium sp. (1), Mayorella sp., Thecamoeba striata Penard, 1890, Stenamoeba stenopodia (Page, 1969) Smirnov et al., 2007, Acanthamoeba sp. (1). In the studied steppe soils, the most common were Vahlkampfia sp. (2), S. stenopodia, Vahlkampfia sp. (1), Vexillifera sp., Cochliopodium sp. (1); the least common – R. platypodia, D. mycophaga, T. striata, Mayorella sp. As a result of the cluster analysis, it was found that the largest share of common species is observed between Mykolaiv and Kirovograd regions (0.71) and Odessa and Kirovograd regions (0.53); the smallest is between the Odessa and Mykolaiv regions (0.43). According to the results of cluster analysis, the faunistic complexes of soil species of amoebae of the steppe region of Ukraine are united into two clusters: one of them being complexes characteristic of the Odessa region, and the other complexes of the Mykolaiv and Kirovograd regions. According to the results of nonparametric multidimensional scaling, it is established that the species complex of soil amoebae in the Kirovograd and Mykolaiv regions is determined by the increased soil temperature and acidity, compared to the Odessa region. As for moisture, this factor has little effect on the species complexes amoebae steppe region of Ukraine.

Species of Pythium cause root and stem rot in cucurbits, but no formal surveys have been conducted in the United States to identify which species are responsible. The cucurbit hosts bottle gourd, cucumber, Hubbard squash, and watermelon were transplanted in May, July, September, and November into sentinel plots in four and five different fields in 2017 and 2018, respectively, in South Carolina. Eight of the nine fields were replanted in March 2019. Isolates (600) were collected and identified by sequencing DNA of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I region. The four most common species were P. spinosum (45.6% of all isolates), P. myriotylum (20.0%), P. irregulare (15.3%), and P. aphanidermatum (12.8%). P. myriotylum and P. aphanidermatum were predominantly isolated in May, July, and September, whereas P. spinosum and P. irregulare were predominantly isolated in November and March. Isolates of P. ultimum, P. irregulare, and P. spinosum were more virulent than isolates of P. myriotylum and P. aphanidermatum at 25°C. Representative isolates were screened in vitro for sensitivity to three fungicides: mefenoxam, propamocarb, and oxathiapiprolin. All isolates were sensitive to mefenoxam and propamocarb, but these same isolates were insensitive to oxathiapiprolin, except those classified taxonomically in Pythium clade I.

This study presents the results of our comparative evaluation of diagnostic morphological characteristics of raw material from 11 species of genus Thymus L. of medicinal and raw material importance occurring in Ukraine. The following taxa were evaluated: T. serpyllum L., T. odoratissimus Mill. (T. glabrescens Willd.), T. borysthenicus Klokov & Des.-Shost., T. pallasianus Heinr. Braun, T. moldavicus Klokov & Des.-Shost., T. calcareus Klokov & Des.-Shost., T. alpestris Tausch ex A. Kern., T.×dimorphus Klokov & Des.-Shost., T. pannonicus All. s.l. (including T. marschallianus Willd.), T. pulegioides L. and T. roegneri K. Koch (T. alternans Klokov). Among wild species of thyme, only raw material of Thymus serpyllum is officially allowed for use with the purpose for production of pharmaceuticals and medicines. A comparison of the main characteristics is particularly important in view of the fact that raw material is represented by parts of plants (stems, leaves and flowers), which makes any whole comparison of species hardly possible. This study has revealed that stem pubescence, calyx structure, configuration/arrangement and type of leaf venation can provide valuable information for diagnostics of raw material of Thymus species. The results exhibited that according to characters of stem pubescence, calyx structure, shape and size of leaves the most similar are raw material samples of T. serpyllum and T. moldavicus. However, these species are rather well separated geographically, so the possibility of mixing of their raw material is negligible. Other species have significant morphological differences in certain characteristics by which they can be diagnosed in the raw material.

The variability of the ecological and morphological characteristics of the field vole was studied on samples collected in its two localities of the Southern Urals and three localities of the Middle Urals. Voles were caught in similar biotopes; namely, in berry pine forests. The field vole is a common species in these habitats. The voles of the studied regions are characterized by a large body and skull size and a high frequency of occurrence of the additional internal loop on the first (M1) molar. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the ancestors of contemporary field vole of the eastern subline of cytochrome b survived the coldest period of the Late Pleistocene in the Ural Refugium.

Agricultural ecosystems are by their very nature novel and by definition the more general biodiversity associated with them must likewise constitute a novel community. Here, we examine the community of arboreally foraging ants in the coffee agroecosystem of Puerto Rico. We surveyed 20 coffee plants in 25 farms three times in a period of one year. We also conducted a more spatially explicit sampling in two of the farms and conducted a species interaction study between the two most abundant species, Wasmannia auropunctata and Solenopsis invicta, in the laboratory. We find that the majority of the most common species are well‐known invasive ants and that there is a highly variable pattern of dominance that varies considerably over the main coffee producing region of Puerto Rico, suggesting an unusual modality of community structure. The distribution pattern of the two most common species, W. auropunctata and S. invicta, suggests strong competitive exclusion. However, they also have opposite relationships with the percent of shade cover, with W. auropunctata showing a positive relationship with shade, while S. invicta has a negative relationship. The spatial distribution of these two dominant species in the two more intensively studied farms suggests that young colonies of S. invicta can displace W. auropunctata. Laboratory experiments confirm this. In addition to the elaboration of the nature and extent of this novel ant community, we speculate on the possibilities of its active inclusion as part of a biological control system dealing with several coffee pests, including one of the ants itself, W. auropunctata., Here, we describe the arboreally foraging ant community in 25 coffee farms in Puerto Rico. We find that the majority of the dominant species are non‐native. Through a detailed study of two of the farms, we describe the interactions between two non‐native dominant species, Wasmannia auropunctata and Solenopsis invicta.

Biodiversity monitoring is important as it allows to prioritize research into the causes of declines and assessing the efficacy of conservation measures. Regional assessments are valuable, because conservation policies and management are often implemented on national and sub-national level. We analyzed data from the German Common Bird Monitoring for 1990–2018. We derived indices of population size using standard log-linear models, based on point counts and route territory mapping at up to 1200 plots annually. We summarized species trends by ecological trait groups. Among the 93 common breeding birds, farmland birds declined strongly, birds of settlements declined. Forest birds initially declined, but recovered after ca. 2010. Wetland birds increased strongly, albeit the number of species with data was low. Consistent declines were found in ground-nesting birds, granivorous and invertebrate (other than insect)-feeding birds. Trends of insectivorous birds were stable on average, but farmland insectivores declined strongly since the year 2000. Long-distance migrants showed more negative trends compared to short-distance migrants and resident species. Species with narrow habitat niche declined disproportionally. Trends over the entire period were more negative in common species in the dataset (with a German breeding population of > 50 K and

Maior planície de inundação do mundo, o Pantanal desempenha um papel importante na manutenção da diversidade biológica. A Estação Ecológica de Taiamã (EET) é uma unidade de conservação localizada no norte do Pantanal e é considerada uma área relevante para a conservação de aves. A composição de espécies dessa área deve ser estudada e conhecida para a elaboração de planos de manejo específicos. Além disso, as aves aquáticas são importantes na avaliação da qualidade ambiental e com alta sensibilidade a possíveis alterações. Assim, investigamos a composição das aves aquáticas da EET e entorno e avaliamos os níveis de riqueza e abundância entre os locais e o nível do rio durante um ano de amostragem. Foi realizado um esforço amostral total de seis campanhas, com quatro locais amostrados: dois na EET e dois nos arredores. Identificamos um total de 45 espécies de aves aquáticas, divididas em nove ordens, 20 famílias e 36 gêneros. O grande número de indivíduos observado em fevereiro de 2012 pode estar relacionado a um fenômeno natural que ocorre no Pantanal, chamado dequada, o qual está associado aos processos de decomposição da biomassa submersa das plantas no início da cheia anual do bioma. Ao analisar as espécies mais comuns neste estudo, foi verificado que as abundâncias de Nannopterum brasilianus, Ardea alba e Butorides striata aumentaram durante esse período. A maior abundância e o maior número de espécies foram observados no local de amostragem dentro da EET, de forma que a existência dessa área protegida para conservação é um fator significativo para a manutenção das comunidades de aves da região. Desta forma, fica evidenciada a importância de áreas protegidas para a conservação de aves no Pantanal. Atualmente, uma parcela muito pequena (5,37%) do bioma está protegida; portanto, aumentar essa proporção deve ajudar na manutenção dos habitat existentes. Pesquisas subsequentes devem ser conduzidas para corroborar ou refutar as tendências sazonais observadas neste estudo.

Human-dominated land uses constitute a large and growing proportion of global land cover, so understanding their potential to support biodiversity is critical for effective conservation. Here, we asked how bee diversity and community composition differ among common human dominated land uses (teak plantations, coffee agroforestry, and pastures) during wet and dry seasons in the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. We sampled over two years using blue vane and pan traps, collecting 47 genera and 119 species and morphospecies of bees. We observed similar numbers of bees in coffee farms and high elevation pastures, but collected substantially more bees in low elevation pastures relative to teak plantations during both seasons. Shannon diversity was greatest in pastures, with an estimated 20 more common species in low elevation pastures relative to teak plantations and estimated 13 more common species in high elevation pastures relative to coffee. Teak plantations were dominated by distinct taxa during the dry season compared to the other land uses, hosting stem-nesting genera such as Ceratina but lacking oil collecting groups like Centris and Epicharis. Our findings reflect the seasonal availability of habitat: teak is managed as a monoculture and blooms during the wet season, when fewer bees are active. In contrast, shade trees in pastures provide nectar, pollen, and nesting substrates throughout the year. Our study provides baseline information on regional bee biodiversity in a tropical agroecosystem, demonstrating the influence of both season and land use on an important group of pollinators in this system. To avoid biodiversity trade-offs, policies that incentivize the establishment of teak plantations as a form of reforestation should incorporate land management that enhances habitat of important insects such as native bees.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the population structure and reproductive biology of Persephona lichtensteinii and P. puncata off Sergipe, two common species found in the bycatch of shrimp trawlers. Four samples of 6 kg were collected monthly from trawlers based in Pirambu-Sergipe. All individuals of Persephona were separated, identified, and weighed (TW, total weight, g). Carapace length (CL, mm) and width (CW, mm) were measured, and the sex and stage of morphological maturity identified. A total of 312 individuals of P. lichtensteinii (174 females; 138 males) and 160 specimens of P. punctata (46 females; 114 males) were analyzed. The overall sex ratio differed from 1:1 for both species. Size and weight of Persephona lichtensteinii were lower than P. punctata. Females of P. lichtensteinii were larger and heavier than males, while P. punctata did not show this sexual dimorphism. Morphometric relationships (CL-CW and TW-CW) were different between sexes for both species. The size at first morphological maturity (CWm) of P. lichtensteinii was 17.0 mm and 18.2 mm for females and males, respectively. For P. punctata, CWm was 23.5 mm for females and 26.5 mm for males. At lower latitude, both maximum size (CWmax) and CWm were lower, which may be associated with maintenance of the CWm/CWmax ratio. The reproduction was continuous, with a peak in May–October for P. lichtensteinii. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the population structure and reproductive biology of these leucosiids in lower latitude regions along the Brazilian coast.

In Burkina Faso, insufficient or partial information exists on the forest potential of urban areas, marked mainly by the introduction of many exotic species. The objective of this study was to assess the floristic diversity of city trees, to reveal the benefits and risks associated with their properties in a context of climate change, increasing demography and accelerated urbanization. Surveys on 49 urban municipalities were conducted from 2015 to 2020 to identify and describe species at different phenological stages to enable photographic image recognition. Confirmations are made with floras, previous works and documentary compilations. The analyses relate to the biological diversity of species, their origins and uses. The floristic diversity of Burkina Faso's city trees consists of 251 species belonging to 174 genera and 58 families. It is comprised of 178 introduced species and 73 native species. The most represented families are Arecaceae with 7.97% of species, Euphhorbiaceae (7.57%), Moraceae (6.37%), Fabaceae - Mimosoideae (5.98%), Apocynaceae (5.98%) and the Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae (5.58%). The most common species are Khaya senegalensis, Mangifera indica and Azadirachta indica. This work has helped to characterize the city trees of Burkina Faso. It will update the flora of the country, which is enriched with 36 new exotic species.Keywords: Urban tree, characterization, biological diversity, communes.

Several studies isolated fungal and bacterial species from extreme environments, such as Sabkha and hot deserts, as their natural habitat, some of which are of medicinal importance. Current research aimed investigating the microbial (fungi and bacteria) diversity and abundance in Sabkha and desert areas in Saudi Arabia. Soil samples from nine different geographical areas (Al-Aushazia lake, AlQasab, AlKasar, Tabuk, Al-Kharj, Al-Madina, Jubail, Taif and Abqaiq) were collected and cultured for microbial isolation. Isolated fungi and bacteria were identified by molecular techniques (PCR and sequencing). Based on 18S rDNA sequencing, 203 fungal species belonging to 33 genera were identified. The most common fungal genera were Fusarium, Alternaria, Chaetomium, Aspergillus Cochliobolus and Pencillium, while the most common species were Chaetomium globosum and Fusarium oxysporum. By 16S rDNA sequencing 22 bacterial species belonging to only two genera, Bacillus and Lactobacillus, were identified. The most commonly isolated bacterial species were Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus murinus. Some fungal species were confined to specific locations, such as Actinomyces elegans, Fusarium proliferatum, Gymnoascus reesii and Myzostoma spp. that were only isolated from Al-Aushazia soil. AlQasab soil had the highest microbial diversity among other areas with abundances of 23.5% and 4.4% of total fungi, and bacteria, respectively. Findings of this study show a higher degree of fungal diversity than that of bacteria in all studied areas. Further studies needed to investigate the connection between some isolated species and their habitat ecology, as well as to identify those of medicinal importance.

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, Quaternary mammalian assemblages, commonly known as “Stegodon-Ailuropoda fauna”, are well documented in the central and southwest parts of the region. Unfortunately, our knowledge of Quaternary biogeographic variation in other areas of Guangxi is poor due to limited systematic investigations. Here, we report the faunal remains from the newly discovered Diaozhongyan (“DZY”) cave site in northeast Guangxi. Our initial excavation in autumn 2016 resulted in the removal of 10 square meters of sediment and the discovery of 304 pieces of large mammal teeth. Biostratigraphic correlations indicate a late Middle Pleistocene age and in situ fossil teeth and calcites were Uranium-series dated to ~210 ka. The DZY faunal assemblage consists of many typical components of the traditional “Ailuropoda-Stegodon” fauna representative of southern China. Interestingly, giant pandas, identified as Ailuropoda melanoleuca baconi, are one of the dominant components of the DZY fauna (15% of the entire assemblage). However, giant pandas rarely dominate Quaternary faunal assemblages in southern China. In addition, fossil orangutan (Pongo weidenreichi), one of the most common species in central and south Guangxi during the Middle Pleistocene, is absent in DZY in northeast Guangxi. Further, fossil orangutans have not been reported from other sites in Hunan or Hubei province. We hypothesize that the Nanling Mountains served as a geographic barrier for this species. Fossil orangutans are present southwest of this biogeographic line, but are absent northeast of the line. This biogeographic boundary needs to be further evaluated with additional studies.

Background Cyathostomins infect virtually all horses, and concomitant infections with 10 or more species per horse is standard. Species-specific knowledge is limited, despite potential species bias in development of disease and anthelmintic resistance. This is the first meta-analysis to examine effects of geographical region and cyathostomin collection method on reported composition of cyathostomin communities. Methods Thirty-seven articles published in English in 1975 or later, in which adults of individual species were systematically enumerated, were included. Seven regions; North America, South America, eastern Europe, western Europe, northern Europe, southern Africa, and Oceania, and three cyathostomin collection methods; (i) standard necropsy recovery from the large intestine, (ii) critical test collection from post-treatment feces and necropsy, and (iii) diagnostic deworming recovery solely from post-treatment feces, were considered. Generalized mixed linear models analyzed the effects of region and collection method on species-specific prevalence and relative abundance. Species richness was analyzed by mixed linear models. Results Definitively, the most prevalent and relatively abundant species were Cylicocyclus nassatus (prevalence = 93%, relative abundance = 20%), Cylicostephanus (Cys.) longibursatus (93%, 20%), and Cyathostomum catinatum (90%, 16%). A bias toward horses with high infection intensities and cyathostomin collection from feces resulted in North American critical tests and eastern European diagnostic deworming overestimating the species-specific prevalence and underestimating the relative abundance of rare/uncommon species compared to respective intra-regional standard necropsies. North American critical tests underestimated species richness due partially to identification key errors. Inter-regional standard necropsy comparisons yielded some species-specific regional differences, including a significantly higher Cys. longibursatus prevalence and relative abundance in North America (92%, 33%) than in eastern Europe (51%, 7%) (P > 0.0001). Localization of critical tests to North America and diagnostic deworming to Eastern Europe precluded expansive ‘region by collection method’ interaction analyses. Conclusion We provide substantial data to inform study design, e.g. effect and study size, for cyathostomin research and highlight necessity for method standardization and raw data accessibility for optimal post-factum comparisons.

A study of spider diversity of Kerala University Campus, conducted for a period of four months revealed a total of 116 species of spiders belonging to 20 families. Among the families, Salticidae was found as the most common family and among the species Hersilia savignyi and Hippasa agelenoides were found as the most common species. Plexipus petersi, Plexipus pykulli, Xysticus minutes and Tibellus elongates were also noted as the commonly found spider species.

International audience; In the context of increasing urbanization, preserving urban biodiversity has become a priority because biodiversity appears to be a key element when evaluating the well-being of urban residents. Recently, urban management has relied on a ‘renaturing’ strategy to improve biodiversity, but the benefits of these policies remain debated. In this study, we evaluated the effects of urban land use and green corridors on (1) urban avian biodiversity, and (2) the presence of the most common (top 70%) and least common (bottom 30%) bird species. We surveyed bird diversity at 102 sites during the Spring in a small French city, and performed a PCA on several habitat structures (e.g. roads, houses, grassy areas) to determine the level of urbanization of each site. Then, we tested with GLMMs the effects of land use (PC1), distance to the edge of the city, and distance to the corridor on bird diversity. We found a positive effect of green infrastructures on bird species richness, and this effect was reinforced by the proximity to the green corridor. Thus, bird species richness and the presence of common species were positively impacted by the presence of green areas, the proximity to the city edge and the proximity to the green corridor. The presence of the green corridor contributed significantly to the presence of rare species, which emphasizes its role in promoting avian biodiversity. Green corridors are a key element of the urban landscape because they allow less common species to colonize cities, and thus enhance urban biodiversity.

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Terzioglu Campus was built on an area with different heights and different habitats. The aim of this study was to determine the spider species fauna which were distributed in the campus area due to the lack of any detailed study on spider fauna of the campus area. In this study, the spider fauna of the Terzioglu Campus area of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University was investigated between September 2018 and July 2019. The spiders were collected by pitfall traps, sifting and hand aspirators. A total of 86 spider species belonging to 30 families were determined. The most common species in the study area were Amaurobius erberi (Keyserling, 1863) and Pisaura mirabilis (Clerck, 1957).

Extinctions of undiscovered species (undetected extinctions) constitute a portion of biodiversity loss that is often ignored. We compared the performance of 2 models of undetected extinctions - Tedesco and SEUX - when estimating undetected extinctions with both simulated and real-world data. We generated simulated data by considering a birth-death process in which less abundant species were more likely to go extinct. When detection rates were higher for common species, the 2 models underestimated the true number of undetected extinctions by up to 88.7%, and when detection rates were independent of abundance, the 2 models performed better; the SEUX model had an average bias of +3.1% and the Tedesco model had an average bias of -62.3%. We applied the models to 8 real-world data sets (e.g., Australian amphibians, Australian birds, North American bivalves) and found that true extinctions may be from 15% to 180% higher than observed values. For 6 of the 8 data sets, the SEUX model yielded absolute estimates that were 5.7-66.8% lower than those of the Tedesco model. We mainly attributed this difference to the SEUX model's assumption that there are no undetected extant species currently. We assessed the accuracy of the models' estimates with a logistic regression to test whether detection and extinction rates were uncorrelated across species. Rates were correlated for 3 of the 8 data sets; species discovered later had a higher probability of being extinct, suggesting that extinction numbers could be even higher for these groups. Despite caveats associated with the models, the evidence from both show biodiversity loss in these groups may be more severe than what has been documented.Cuantificación del Desempeño Relativo de Dos Modelos de Extinción No Detectada Resumen Las extinciones no detectadas constituyen una porción de la pérdida de la biodiversidad que comúnmente pasa desapercibida. Comparamos el desempeño de dos modelos de extinciones no detectadas - Tedesco y SEUX - durante su estimación de extinciones no detectadas tanto con datos simulados como reales. Generamos datos simulados mediante la consideración de un proceso de nacimiento-muerte en el cual las especies menos abundantes tenían una mayor probabilidad de extinguirse. Cuando las tasas de detección fueron mayores para las especies comunes, los dos modelos subestimaron el número real de extinciones no detectadas hasta en un 88.7%; cuando las detecciones fueron independientes a la abundancia, ambos modelos tuvieron un mejor desempeño. El modelo SEUX tuvo un sesgo promedio de +3.1% y el modelo Tedesco uno de -62.3%. Aplicamos estos modelos en ocho conjuntos de datos reales (p. ej.: anfibios australianos, aves australianas, bivalvos norteamericanos) y descubrimos que las extinciones verdaderas podrían ser desde 15% a 180% más altas que los valores observados. Para seis de los ocho conjuntos de datos, el modelo SEUX produjo estimaciones absolutas que fueron entre 5.7% y 66.8% más bajas que las producidas por el modelo Tedesco. Esta diferencia la atribuimos principalmente a la suposición del modelo SEUX de que actualmente no existen especies no detectadas. Evaluamos la certeza de las estimaciones de cada modelo con una regresión logística para comprobar si las tasas de detección y extinción no tenían correlación en todas las especies. Las tasas tuvieron correlación en tres de los ocho conjuntos de datos; las especies descubiertas más tarde tuvieron una probabilidad más alta de estar extintas, lo que sugiere que los datos de extinción podrían ser mayores para estos grupos. A pesar de las salvedades asociadas a estos modelos, la evidencia de ambos muestra que la pérdida de biodiversidad en estos grupos podría ser más severa de lo que se ha documentado hasta ahora.未被发现的物种灭绝是生物多样性丧失的一部分, 但却往往受到忽视。我们使用了模拟数据和真实数据, 比较了 Tedesco 和 SEUX 这两种模型估计未被发现的灭绝的表现情况。首先, 我们通过出生-死亡过程来生成模拟数据, 在这个过程中, 数量较少的物种更有可能灭绝。当对常见物种的观测率较高时, 两种模型对未观测到的物种的真实数量的低估高达 88.7%; 而当观测率与物种数量无关时, 两种模型的表现都较好, SEUX 模型的平均偏差为 +3.1%, Tedesco 模型的平均偏差为− 62.3% 。接下来, 我们将两个模型应用于8个真实数据集 (如澳大利亚两栖类、澳大利亚鸟类、北美双壳类等), 发现真正的灭绝可能比观测值高出 15% 到 180% 。对于 8 个数据集中的 6 个, SEUX 模型的绝对估计比 Tedesco 模型低 5.7% 至 66.8% 。我们认为这种差异主要来自 SEUX 模型的假设, 即当前没有未被发现的现存物种。我们用逻辑斯蒂回归评估了模型估计的准确性, 以分析检测率和灭绝率是否与物种无关。结果表明, 8 组数据中有 3 组的检测率和灭绝率与物种有关;后来发现的物种灭绝的可能性更高, 说明这些物种的灭绝数量可能更多。尽管已有与模型相关的说明, 但以上证据还是表明, 这些物种的生物多样性丧失可能比已有记录更为严重。翻译: 胡怡思; 审校: 聂永刚.

The brown seaweed Sargassum siliquosum is among the most common species with economic potential in the Philippines. However, reports on its culture are non-existent. This study describes the culture of S. siliquosum from land-based hatchery to out-planting in the open sea. Zygotes released from female receptacles can be recruited in large quantities unto artificial substrates and within 24 h produce multicellular embryos characterized by multiple bundles of rhizoids, and after 48–72 h elongated into germlings. After 2.5 months, germlings formed cauline leaves, and after 4 months, developed branches as seedlings. Recruits favored clay substrate than limestone and nylon in terms of density, growth, and longevity of seedlings. Desiccation treatment at different periods resulted to lower recruit density compared with control, had inferior growth and shorter longevity in all substrate types. For a period of 16 months, growth of S. siliquosum in the hatchery tanks was very slow, but became faster when out-planted in open sea using suspension culture method. Cultivars developed more branches after 4 months, at the same time producing receptacles. Maximum growth was achieved after 6 months, reaching a mean length of 42.8 ± 30.9 cm (max recorded was 1 m), some cultivars starting to show signs of senescence. In contrast, seedlings deployed using the bottom culture method survived for 3 months only without signs of further growth mainly due to epiphytism, siltation, and grazing. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the feasibility of farming S. siliquosum from hatchery-produced seedlings using suspension culture method to produce biomass for commercial use.