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Estimating relative abundance is critical for informing conservation and management efforts and for making inferences about the effects of environmental change on populations. Freshwater fisheries span large geographic regions, occupy diverse habitats and consist of varying species assemblages. Monitoring schemes used to sample these diverse populations often result in populations being sampled at different times and under different environmental conditions. Varying sampling conditions can bias estimates of abundance when compared across time, location and species, and properly accounting for these biases is critical for making inferences. We develop a joint species distribution model (JSDM) that accounts for varying sampling conditions due to the environment and time of sampling when estimating relative abundance. The novelty of our JSDM is that we explicitly model sampling effort as the product of known quantities based on time and gear type and an unknown functional relationship to capture seasonal variation in species life history. We use the model to study relative abundance of six freshwater fish species across the state of Minnesota, USA. Our model enables estimates of relative abundance to be compared both within and across species and lakes, and captures the inconsistent sampling present in the data. We discuss how gear type, water temperature and day of the year impact catchability for each species at the lake level and throughout a year. We compare our estimates of relative abundance to those obtained from a model that assumes constant catchability to highlight important differences within and across lakes and species. Synthesis and applications: Our method illustrates that assumptions relating indices of abundance to observed catch data can greatly impact model inferences derived from JSDMs. Specifically, not accounting for varying sampling conditions can bias inference of relative abundance, restricting our ability to detect responses to management interventions and environmental change. While our focus is on freshwater fisheries, this model architecture can be adopted to other systems where catchability may vary as a function of space, time and species.

We conducted the present study in two freshwater lakes in the Mysore district of Karnataka, India, from December 2023 to May 2024, with the aim of evaluating the diversity, relative abundance, and feeding guilds of avifauna in Giribetta and Hadinaru lakes. The "point count" method was used to evaluate the species composition of birds. A total of 5,790 individuals, representing 106 species from 18 orders and 48 families, were recorded. Four species were in the near-threatened category: Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus), Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), and Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), while the others were of least concern. In terms of species richness, Giribetta Lake had 87 species belonging to 18 orders and 42 families, as compared to Hadinaru Lake, which had 86 species from 16 orders and 40 families. The two areas had similar species composition, with a Sorenson index of 76.3% and a Jaccard index of 61.7%, which indicates that the species diversity is fairly similar across the habitats. Based on the diet and foraging habitat, the recorded bird species were classified into eight major feeding guilds, which revealed a higher abundance of carnivorous and insectivorous birds, followed by omnivorous, granivorous, frugivorous, nectarivorous, herbivorous, and mixed guild types. It is expected that this study will provide a preliminary database for the waterbirds of this area, useful for further research and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth's ecological assemblages are rapidly being driven towards unprecedented, novel states. We know little about ecological novelty in our oceans, limiting our ability to detect, contextualise, and manage substantive anthropogenic change. This is especially true for novel states with altered functional compositions. Here, we provide a quantitative assessment of taxonomic and functional ecological novelty in historical coral communities across the east Australian coast, capturing changes in the composition of coral taxa and their traits over the past 1500 years. Taxonomically novel communities emerged more frequently and often unaccompanied by substantial trait compositional change while functional novelty was commonly observed alongside significant genus turnover. Novel coral communities themselves were rare, context‐dependent, and often associated with transitions in dominant genera. Our preliminary trait‐based community classifications complement classical taxonomic methods to uncover a history of ecological change in east Australian coral communities, helping provide important context for their present states and inform future responses under ongoing and intensifying human‐driven change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large‐scale declines in insect abundances and richness due to climate and land‐use change have been well documented during the past years. These changes are accompanied by shifts in insect phenology towards earlier appearance in spring and prolonged activity periods in late summer and autumn. The magnitude of these responses to climate change might be masked by intra‐ and inter‐specific variability in phenology and trait expression. Here, we used a large data set of museum records of butterflies from the northern Austrian Alps (380 m to >3000 m asl) and ask to which degree does intra‐ and inter‐specific variability in spring and autumn activity and in the numbers of generations affect the temporal trends in phenology during the last 30 years? For the 17 most abundant species, we found phenological variability to strongly differ among species, local habitats and study years. Ubiquitous mobile species were significantly more variable than habitat specialist and sedentary species. Intra‐specific variability was highest in ubiquitous habitat generalist species and increased during the study period. As consequence, seasonal appearance and composition of local butterfly communities are now less predictable than decades ago. It remains unclear whether this trend causes a rewiring of pollinator food webs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is insufficient understanding of interspecific interactions with the eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) and wild pigs (Sus scrofa). Wild pigs compete with wild turkeys and predate nests and adults; however, population‐level effects on wild turkeys are not clear. Using cameras, we assessed responses of wild turkey populations to wild pig removal in central Alabama, USA, from 2018–2021. We compared wild turkey relative abundance and occupancy on 3 large‐scale pig‐removal treatment sites (3,407–5,531 ha) relative to a control site (2,510 ha) during 1 pre‐treatment year and 2 post‐treatment years, with analyses including a covariate expressing the cumulative number of pigs removed from each site standardized by the initial pig abundance on the site. We removed 1,851 wild pigs from the 3 treatment sites over 22 months. Based on N‐mixture modeling, when the number of pigs removed was equal to our baseline population estimates (i.e., 100% removal relative to initial population), there were 1.50 (95% CL = 1.01–2.23) times as many wild turkeys, and detection of wild turkeys was 2.01 (95% CL = 1.49–2.70) times as likely. Additionally, poults were 3.49 (95% CL = 1.12–10.89) times as likely to occupy an area when the number of pigs removed was equal to our baseline population estimates compared with poult occupancy at baseline pig abundance. Our data suggests that reduction of wild pig populations may lead to a localized increase in populations of wild turkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small rodents and insectivores are potential reservoirs of many pathogens transmissible to humans, such as bacteria, parasites and viruses responsible for epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in West Africa. Few studies on small mammal species in West Africa are available. Our previous findings from a study investigating emerging pathogens in two localities in Mali has determined the prevalence of pathogens in small mammals (rodents and insectivores). We used the data collected from this small mammal population with different eco-climatic characteristics to test hypothesis that small mammal distribution in different eco-climatic settings could explain the diversity and frequency of pathogens they carry. Methods: Sessions of trapping were carried out in December 2016 in Faladjè and Bougouni with "Besançon tous services" (BTS) wire mesh traps baited with peanut butter and/or onion. All animals captured were identified morphologically. Results: Out of 123 small rodents and insectivores captured over 674 trap-nights, 75 (60.97%) were from Faladjè and 48 (39.02%) from Bougouni. Of these, six species of small rodents belonged to the family Muridae (Mastomys erythroleucus, Mastomys natalensis, Rattus rattus, Praomys daltoni, Gerbilliscus gambianus, Taterillus gracilis) and two species of insectivores associated with the genus Crocidura spp. belonged to the family Soricidae and Erinaceidae (Crocidura cf olivieri and Atelerix cf albiventris), respectively. There is low species diversity within these two areas, but the variation in relative abundance is significant (binomial test, p ˂ 0.05) between Faladjè and Bougouni. Mastomys erythroleucus was the most dominant species (57.33%, 43/75) in Faladjè, while R. rattus dominated (37.5%,18/48) in Bougouni. Conclusions: These two species of small mammals potentially involved in the transmission of bacteria, parasites and pathogenic viruses to humans are differently present in two distinct eco-climatic areas in Mali. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Given that the harvested fish from five separate fishing grounds belong to one large mixed population, our objective is to develop an overall abundance index for Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis in Michigan waters of southern Lake Huron. Methods: We analyzed catch‐and‐effort data for individual fishing trips to five separate fishing grounds and used Bayesian information criterion to select the best model struture. Result: The best model included the year × area × month interaction as a random effect, representing the random component in fishery dynamics that were influenced by both fishing practices and fish abundance. The best model also included the fixed effects of area × month interaction, a result consistent with our hypothesis that the seasonal spatial migrations of Lake Whitefish provide the links among the fisheries in separate fishing grounds, and the fishery yields from these separate areas were all dependent on the production in southern Lake Huron as a whole. After adjusting for the random effect of year × area × month interaction and the fixed effects of area × month interaction, the estimated patterns for the fixed year effect indicated that the Lake Whitefish abundance in Michigan waters of southern Lake Huron declined during the late 2000s but has been relatively constant after 2012. Conclusion: The declines in annual fishery yield were due to and could be explained more by the decreases in fish abundance through 2012 but thereafter primarily reflected the declines in annual fishing effort as the fisheries continued to adjust to the changed fishing conditions. We also provided general lessons for studying fisheries without fishery independent surveys but with detailed seasonal and spatial catch‐and‐effort data. Impact statementThis study and its findings have direct implication for current management of the Lake Whitefish fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the worldwide moratorium on whaling, humpback whale populations began to recover, reoccupying former areas of use, as also observed on the Brazilian coast. Abrolhos Bank represents the area of greatest humpback whale concentration but the number of individuals to the north has increased, as has happened in the region of Serra Grande. To compare relative abundance, habitat use, and movement patterns between a well‐established breeding and a reoccupation area, visual monitoring from land‐based stations was performed: 160 days in the Abrolhos Archipelago located on the Abrolhos Bank and 133 days in Serra Grande in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019. While relative abundance varied annually in the Abrolhos Archipelago, it gradually increased in Serra Grande, surpassing the number registered in Abrolhos in 2019. Group composition frequency was similar between areas except for mother and calf accompanied by one or more escorts, which were more frequent in Abrolhos. Despite similar movement speed and linearity values, whales in Serra Grande had a higher reorientation rate. Monitoring different areas occupied by this population supports decisions about spatial management of the Brazilian coast in relation to the implementation of anthropogenic activities, especially in areas where whales have recently returned to occupy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) is expanding in several European countries, but the details of this process are not always documented due to a lack of long-term studies. We conducted an analysis of changes in relative abundances and proportions of A. agrarius in small mammal communities in nine different habitat groups in Lithuania during 1975–2023. We found an increase in the abundance and proportion of A. agrarius, increasing synanthropization of the species, and tolerance to anthropogenization of habitats. Temporal variations in the relative abundance and proportion of species were observed, with lower values in February–July and higher values in September–January. The main finding is a remarkable increase in species presence in the country after the 1990s, with a peak observed in the 2010s–2020s, confirmed by eight local studies. During these decades, it was the third most abundant species, representing 19.8–20.0% of the individuals caught. It is also important to note that A. agrarius has recently been most abundant in commensal habitats (0.029 ± 0.006 individuals/trap day), with the highest species proportion in agricultural areas (24.8 ± 1.8%). There are many indications that the expansion of A. agrarius in Lithuania is becoming invasive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the development of next-generation sequencing technology and an increased appreciation of their role in modulating host immunity and their potential as therapeutic agents, the human microbiome has emerged as a key area of interest in various biological investigations of human health and disease. However, microbiome data present a number of statistical challenges not addressed by existing methods, such as the varying sequencing depth, the compositionality, and zero inflation. Solutions like scaling and transformation methods help to mitigate heterogeneity and release constraints, but often introduce biases and yield inconsistent results on the same data. To address these issues, we conduct a systematic review of compositional data transformation, with a particular focus on the connection and distinction of existing techniques. Additionally, we create a new framework that enables the development of new transformations by combining proportion conversion with contrast transformations. This framework includes well-known methods such as Additive Log Ratio (ALR) and Centered Log Ratio (CLR) as special cases. Using this framework, we develop two novel transformations—Centered Arcsine Contrast (CAC) and Additive Arcsine Contrast (AAC)—which show enhanced performance in scenarios with high zero-inflation. Moreover, our findings suggest that ALR and CLR transformations are more effective when zero values are less prevalent. This comprehensive review and the innovative framework provide microbiome researchers with a significant direction to enhance data transformation procedures and improve analytical outcomes.

As wild boar populations and their distribution ranges increase, human–wild boar conflicts have become increasingly prevalent in numerous regions across the globe. These conflicts have a profound impact on human livelihoods, resulting in significant economic losses. Understanding the habitat requirements and relative abundance of wild boars is crucial prior to implementing any conservation measures. However, studies on wild boar habitat and population in the central and eastern regions of the Tianshan Mountains in China are lacking. We assessed the activity patterns and relative abundance of wild boars in these areas and evaluated habitat suitability using a combination of camera trapping, line transects, species distribution modeling (maximum entropy model), and hierarchical abundance modeling (Bayesian N‐mixture model). We used 311 infrared cameras and 280 field‐based line transects to cover approximately 31,000 km² from September 2022 to May 2023 in the east‐central Tianshan Mountains. We used 240 wild boar distribution locations and 13 environmental predictors in the development of species distribution models. We also used species counts and associated environmental predictors in the N‐mixture model to estimate the relative abundance of wild boar. Wild boars were most active during crepuscular hours (1800), and relatively active in the diurnal period compared to the nocturnal period. The probability of wild boar occurrence increased with higher normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the minimum temperature of the coldest month, and annual temperatures below 39°C. Boars were most likely to be found in closed deciduous‐coniferous forests. The relative abundance of wild boars was positively affected by NDVI and negatively affected by the minimum temperature of the coldest month and temperature annual range. Based on our results, we suggest areas of management priority. In particular, extensive and intact habitat with substantial wild boar populations, such as the Banfanggou, the South Mountain of Urumqi, and the Hutubi, should be prioritized for long‐term wild boar population monitoring and management so the adverse impacts of increasing wild boar populations in the study region can be minimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Rodents are mammals of the order Rodentia, which are found in all continents except Antarctica. They are the most diverse groups of mammals representing 41% of all mammals and they are known with 33 families, 481 genera, and about 2277 species. The present study was conducted from December 2018 to August 2019 both during the dry and wet seasons using Sherman traps and live traps. Four trap sites namely forest, bushland, grassland, and sugarcane plantation were selected for data collection. Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H’) was used to compute rodent species diversity, Simpson’s index (D) to assess the number and abundance of rodents in the different habitats, and one-way ANOVA and independent samples t-test were used for data analysis. Results A total of 163 individual rodents were captured in 1776 trap nights of which 125 individuals were captured using live traps in 1176 trap nights and 38 individuals using snap traps in 600 trap nights. Among the total individual rodents captured in the Bahir Dar Blue Nile River Millennium Park, 63.8% (n = 104) were males and 36.2% (n = 59) were females. Males outnumbered females in all the grids and the difference was significant (t = 31.5, df = 10, p

This study was conducted in Van province, which is located in the eastern region of Türkiye. The study area is located in the Irano-Anatolian hotspot region, divided to the east and west by the Anatolian diagonal. Here, we demonstrate the diversity, distribution, and seasonality of horseflies. Malaise and water traps were used to collect adult horseflies. A total of 1026 specimens were collected and 52 species identified. Chrysops divaricatus Loew, 1858; Haematopota csikii Szilady, 1922; Haematopota pallidula (Krober, 1922) and Haematopota turkestanica (Krober, 1922) were recorded for the first time from Türkiye. The distribution and seasonality of the species were presented.

BackgroundHexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] exposure can cause structural disruption of intestinal flora and functional impairment. Vitamin C (VC) is one of the essential micronutrients, which plays an important role in promoting the growth of intestinal probiotics, improving the intestinal barrier, and maintaining the homeostasis of intestinal flora. However, the regulatory effect of VC on the intestinal flora disorders caused by Cr(VI) exposure remains to be investigated. ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of VC on intestinal flora disruption in mice due to Cr(VI) exposure. MethodsThirty-two SPF-grade C57BL/6 mice were acclimatized and fed for 3 d and randomly divided into control (Con), VC, potassium dichromate [K2Cr2O7, Cr(VI)], and VC+K2Cr2O7 [VC+Cr(VI)] groups. At 8:00 a.m. on day 4, the Con group (double-distilled water given by gavage and injected intraperitoneally), the VC group (VC given by gavage and double-distilled water injected intraperitoneally), the Cr(VI) group (double-distilled water given by gavage and K2Cr2O7 solution injected intraperitoneally), and the VC+Cr(VI) group (VC given by gavage and K2Cr2O7 solution injected intraperitoneally) were treated. The dose of VC was 200 mg·kg−1, and the dose of K2Cr2O7 was 1.25 mg·kg−1. The mice were treated for 45 consecutive days and then executed, the contents of the colon were sampled in sterile freezing tubes, and three replicates were collected from each group. After labeling, the samples were immediately put into liquid nitrogen for rapid freezing. After all the samples were collected, they were transferred to a -80 ℃ ultra-low temperature refrigerator for storage. Samples of colon contents were analyzed for intestinal flora structure by high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics software. ResultsThe Cr(VI) exposure resulted in reduced body weight gain values in mice compared to the Con group. Pathological changes occurred in the ileal tissue of mice, with significant inflammatory cell infiltration in the Cr(VI) group and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in the VC+Cr(VI) group. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of intestinal flora was altered in the Cr(VI) group of mice. In the α diversity analysis, the mean Sobs index in the Cr(VI) group was 240.333±67.796, the Chao index was 258.173±64.813, and the Ace index was 259.481±66.891, which were significantly lower than those in the Con group (P

Background: Rodents are mammals of the order Rodentia, which are found in all continents except Antarctica. They are the most diverse groups of mammals representing 41% of all mammals and they are known with 33 families, 481 genera, and about 2277 species. The present study was conducted from December 2018 to August 2019 both during the dry and wet seasons using Sherman traps and live traps. Four trap sites namely forest, bushland, grassland, and sugarcane plantation were selected for data collection. Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H') was used to compute rodent species diversity, Simpson's index (D) to assess the number and abundance of rodents in the different habitats, and one-way ANOVA and independent samples t-test were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 163 individual rodents were captured in 1776 trap nights of which 125 individuals were captured using live traps in 1176 trap nights and 38 individuals using snap traps in 600 trap nights. Among the total individual rodents captured in the Bahir Dar Blue Nile River Millennium Park, 63.8% (n = 104) were males and 36.2% (n = 59) were females. Males outnumbered females in all the grids and the difference was significant (t = 31.5, df = 10, p < 0.05). The relative abundance of rodent species indicated that 42.4% (n = 53) were Arvicanthis niloticus, 26.4% (n = 33) Rattus rattus, 17.6% (n = 22) Mus musculus, 8% (n = 10) Mastomys natalensis, and 5.6% (n = 7) Arvicanthis abyssinicus. There are more individual specimens of A. niloticus than other species identified in the area (F = 698.22, df = 4, p < 0.05). Distribution of rodents varied among the different habitats. As a result, the bushland habitat showed more diversity of rodents (H = 0.98) and comprised relatively the highest (51.2%, n = 64) number of individuals captured, while the forest habitat supported the lowest number of rodents (4%, n = 5), and the difference showed a significant difference (F = 873.37, df = 3, p < 0.05). Population density with 95% confident interval estimated as 166 individuals/ha (95% CI:164.43–167.57). Conclusion: The present study provides basic information about population dynamics of rodents and contributes to design conservation strategies for rodents in particular and other biota of the area in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecologically, the presence of avifauna is a crucial indicator of ecosystem equilibrium. The diversity of bird species and their community structure serves as an essential tool for assessing ecological impacts. This study aimed to evaluate the species composition, evenness, and diversity of wild bird species across different habitats in Egypt from May 2023 to February 2024. The study identified 17,387 individuals from 40 resident bird species belonging to 25 families and 10 orders. The house sparrow exhibited the highest relative abundance among resident bird species, followed by the western cattle egret, barn swallow, house crow, rock pigeon, little egret, hooded crow, laughing dove, and common myna. In terms of migratory birds, 6,050 individuals from 39 species across 22 families and 11 orders were observed. The slender-billed gull, little stint, great cormorant, common ringed plover, the European beeeater, black-winged stilt, and white wagtail had the highest relative abundances among migratory species. The distribution of bird species across different sites revealed that the coastal area (CA) and the Suez Canal & Gulf Suez (SCGS) each harbored 25% of the total number of resident species, followed by the Nile Delta (ND) with 21%, the Nile Valley (NV) with 16%, and the Faiyum (F) area with 13%. For migratory birds, the CA accounted for 48% of all migratory species, followed by the F area at 23%, ND at 13%, SCGS at 11%, and NV at 5%. The highest species richness was recorded in the CA, followed by SCGS, ND, F, and NV. The highest values for the Shannon and Simpson indices were found in the CA, NV, ND, SCGS, and F areas, respectively. It can be concluded that the Egyptian environment, especially aquatic habitats, is a valuable resource for the Egyptian avifauna by providing food sources and nesting sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of their wide distribution, short life cycle, rapid reproduction, and sensitivity to the environment, rodents can indicate changes in habitat quality and climate variables. Long-term studies are needed to verify these changes and assumptions about their causes. We analyzed small mammal trapping data in Lithuania, covering the period 1975–2023, with 1821 trapping sites and 57,426 small mammal individuals, with a focus on the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus). The aim of this study was to assess temporal changes in the relative abundance and proportion of this species in small mammal communities in relation to their habitats. With 21,736 captured individuals, C. glareolus was a dominant species in the country; its proportion in general was 37.9%, with 60.0% in forests. Open habitats, meadows and agricultural land were characterized by the lowest species proportions. Our main findings were the confirmation of decreasing abundances and proportions of C. glareolus since the 1990s, the absence of cyclical fluctuations in the relative abundances of the species in general and in forest habitats, and the introduction of a south–north cline in species proportions. The status of this temperate and boreal forest species is subject to change, with implications for the diversity of the mid-latitude small mammal community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agro-Environment Science is the property of Journal of Agro-Environment Science Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The composition of the fish population of the Mekong River is one of the richest on the planet, however, despite the high diversity (~1200 species) and productivity, the basis of fishing in the Mekong Delta is made up of several dozen species, the most valuable of which are members of the families Pangasiidae, Polynemidae and Sciaenidae. Information on the distribution of these taxa is fragmentary, and the role of various parts of the delta in their reproduction has not been studied. Distribution of families Pangasiidae, Polynemidae and Sciaenidae in the Mekong Delta was assessed in the dry season by midwater trawl catches in 2019 (April, December), 2021 (January, April) and 2022 (March–May). A total of 237 trawls were carried out, in the catch of which 45.9 thousand fish belonging to 36 families were found. Representatives of each of the families Pangasiidae, Polynemidae, and Sciaenidae were noted in 42–57% of all catches within the studied part of the Mekong Delta, however, the frequency of their occurrence in its various parts varies significantly. According to the Mekong Delta zonation scheme, based on the analysis of the taxonomic composition of the fish population, representatives of Pangasiidae are confined to areas of the upper and middle reaches, Polynemidae—to areas of the middle and lower reaches, while significant differences in the horizontal distribution of Sciaenidae in different parts of the delta have not been identified. Significant differences in the vertical distribution of all studied taxa were also not found. The maximum concentrations of juveniles of Pangasiidae and Polynemidae were found in the middle reaches of the delta, and Sciaenidae in the lower reaches, which indicates the important role of the respective areas in the reproduction of representatives of the studied taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Soybean is the third‐greatest global commodity crop with respect to grain production, Brazil is the largest soybean producer in the world. We performed the first extensive survey including all the five main soybean cultivation regions in Brazil over three seasons (2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021). A total of 2386 localities were sampled, corresponding to 145 municipalities in 11 states. Sampling was carried out between the R1 and R8 soybean growth stages, using a beating sheet. RESULTS: Fifteen species were recorded, with five species accounting for more than 99% of the sampled insects. The Neotropical brown stink bug, Euschistus heros (F.), was the most abundant species (82.4% of the adults and 84.1% of the nymphs overall), with differences in the mean abundance between soybean macroregions. The melacanthus green belly stink bug, Diceraeus melacanthus Dallas was the second most abundant species overall, followed by the brown winged stink bug, Edessa meditabunda (F.), the furcatus green belly stink bug, Diceraeus furcatus (F.) and the red‐banded green stink bug, Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood). The relative abundance of each species differed between soybean macroregions. The mean abundance of nymphs and adults of Euschistus heros at different soybean reproductive stages showed an increase from early reproductive stages to the beginning of the late reproductive stages (R5 or R6). CONCLUSION: This large‐scale assessment of stink bugs provides a basis for outlining integrated pest management programs and drives the development of monitoring and control strategies, as well as future studies investigating population dynamics over time and space in soybean fields. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Ecology & Rural Environment is the property of Journal of Ecology & Rural Environment Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study was conducted in Van province, which is located in the eastern region of Türkiye. The study area is located in the Irano-Anatolian hotspot region, divided to the east and west by the Anatolian diagonal. Here, we demonstrate the diversity, distribution, and seasonality of horseflies. Malaise and water traps were used to collect adult horseflies. A total of 1026 specimens were collected and 52 species identified. Chrysops divaricatus Loew, 1858; Haematopota csikii Szilady, 1922; Haematopota pallidula (Krober, 1922) and Haematopota turkestanica (Krober, 1922) were recorded for the first time from Türkiye. The distribution and seasonality of the species were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in tea gardens, focusing on their isolation, colonization and the species richness of AM fungi in tea rhizospheric soil. Topics include the influence of factors such as tea plant type, soil type, and management practices on mycorrhizal fungi composition, the dominant genera like Glomus and Gigaspora, and the symbiotic relationship between these fungi and tea plants, which provides the plant with nutrients and water.

The article investigates the fungal contamination of Indian currency notes circulating in Guwahati, India highlighting the prevalence of various pathogenic fungi. Topics include the types of fungi isolated from the notes, the impact of currency handling and storage practices on microbial contamination, and the public health risks associated with currency as a vehicle for pathogen transmission.

The study is focused on measures put in place to restore the degraded riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin in the Lawra Municipality. The study is necessitated by the fact that much attention has not been given to rehabilitation of degraded riparian flora species in the Upper West Region by scholars and researchers. The current study aims at filling the knowledge gaps on restoration measures of degraded riparian flora species in the Lawra Municipality in particular and Upper West Region in general. Going by pragmatism as a research philosophy, the study employed the mixed methods research approach in data collection, analysis, and presentation. Computed values of the Shannon Wiener Index (0.686) and Simpson's Index (1.5328) show that the riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin in the Lawra Municipality has dwindled due to livelihood activities as compared to the Shannon Index (1.6406) and Simpson's Index (3.5511) of the riparian vegetation of the Burkina Faso site across the Black Volta Basin. The reduction in vegetative cover of the Black Volta Basin in the Lawra Municipality is confirmed by satellite images which demonstrate dwindling riparian vegetation in the years 2020 and 2021 as compared to the years 2000 and 2001. The current study also discloses that restoration of the riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin in the Lawra Municipality is a collaborative effort of local and external stakeholders using measures such as complete ban on farming activities within the riparian zone, creating a buffer zone, promoting natural regeneration and a total ban on logging in the riparian zone. The study concludes that restoration of the degraded riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin of the study area is a panacea for sustainable development. It is recommended that by-laws to prevent logging of riparian tree species should be enforced by local and external stakeholders of the riparian vegetation of the study area.

Introduction: The microbial interactions within the human microbiome are complex, and few methods are available to identify these interactions within a longitudinal microbial abundance framework. Existing methods typically impose restrictive constraints, such as requiring long sequences and equal spacing, on the data format which in many cases are violated. Methods: To identify microbial interaction networks (MINs) with general longitudinal data settings, we propose a stationary Gaussian graphical model (SGGM) based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing data. In the SGGM, data can be arbitrarily spaced, and there are no restrictions on the length of data sequences from a single subject. Based on the SGGM, EM -type algorithms are devised to compute the L1-penalized maximum likelihood estimate of MINs. The algorithms employ the classical graphical LASSO algorithm as the building block and can be implemented efficiently. Results: Extensive simulation studies show that the proposed algorithms can significantly outperform the conventional algorithms if the correlations among the longitudinal data are reasonably high. When the assumptions in the SGGM areviolated, e.g., zero inflation or data from heterogeneous microbial communities, the proposed algorithms still demonstrate robustness and perform better than the other existing algorithms. The algorithms are applied to a 16S rRNA gene sequencing data set from patients with cystic fibrosis. The results demonstrate strong evidence of an association between the MINs and the phylogenetic tree, indicating that the genetically related taxa tend to have more/ stronger interactions. These results strengthen the existing findings in literature. Discussion: The proposed algorithms can potentially be used to explore the network structure in genome, metabolome etc. as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carnivores, especially wolves (Canis sp.), have profound impacts on their ecosystems, affecting the abundance and behavior of prey and competitors, but this has not been examined in detail for red wolves (C. rufus). We studied a population of red wolves that was reintroduced to eastern North Carolina in 1987 and initially thrived, peaking at 120 animals. Due to an increase in anthropogenic mortality and a decline in government support, the population experienced a crash starting in 2014. We evaluated changes in the relative abundance of prey and competitor species during the red wolf decline with 25 camera traps run primarily on National Wildlife Refuges from 2015 to 2021. If red wolves were having an ecological effect on the mammal community, we expected this effect would decline as the wolf population waned, resulting in increased prey and competitor populations. Supporting this, we found that relative abundance increased for most prey and competitor species including American black bear (Ursus americanus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) and Northern raccoon (Procyon lotor). For all species, this increase was most notable after spring 2018, the second year with low red wolf reproduction. For some species, the increase was dramatic; the detection rate for raccoon, bear and bobcat doubled from the spring of 2018 to the spring of 2021. White‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) showed a general increase in relative abundance but remained prevalent even at their lowest detection rates. Our results lend correlational support to the hypothesis that red wolves had a strong effect on their ecosystems by suppressing prey and competitor populations when they were at their peak. This study adds to the growing body of evidence that reintroductions of large predators have ecological impacts, with the caveat that these impacts can decline rapidly if the predators dwindle back to critically low numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dragonflies and damselflies help to assess the wetland ecosystem's health and serve as indicator species. A year-long study from November 2021 to October 2022 was conducted to investigate the community structure of Odonata in Tetulia sub-district (locally called 'Upazila'), the northernmost area of Bangladesh, under five study site areas. A total of 1626 individuals belonging to 47 species consisting of 36 species of dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) and 11 species of damselflies (suborder Zygopetra) were observed. Libellulidae was the dominant family with 28 species of dragonflies. Among five sites, site A1 shared the highest number of species (41 species, n = 508), and highest values of species diversity (H = 3.255, Ds = 0.951). However, evenness (E = 0.632) was the highest in the site A4. Odonates in sites between A1–A4 and A2–A5 shared more similar species. According to the observation status, 9 (19.15%) were very common, 12 (25.53%) common, 7 (14.89%) uncommon, and 18 (38.29%) were few. Among all the species, Orthetrum sabina showed the highest relative abundance (181 individuals, 11.13%). Results can be useful in understanding the importance of odonate diversity in the environment of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing evidence indicates the microbial ecology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is intricately associated with the disease's status and severity, and distinct microbial ecological variations exist between COPD and healthy control (HC). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize microbial diversity indices and taxa relative abundance of oral, airway, and intestine microbiota of different stages of COPD and HC to make comparisons. Methods: A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases to identify relevant English articles on the oral, airway, and intestine microbiota in COPD published between 2003 and 8 May 2023. Information on microbial diversity indices and taxa relative abundance of oral, airway, and intestine microbiota was collected for comparison between different stages of COPD and HC. Results: A total of 20 studies were included in this review, involving a total of 337 HC participants, 511 COPD patients, and 154 AECOPD patients. We observed that no significant differences in alpha diversity between the participant groups, but beta diversity was significantly different in half of the included studies. Compared to HC, Prevotella, Streptococcus, Actinomyces, and Veillonella of oral microbiota in SCOPD were reduced at the genus level. Most studies supported that Haemophilus, Lactobacillus, and Pseudomonas were increased, but Veillonella, Prevotella, Actinomyces, Porphyromonas, and Atopobium were decreased at the genus level in the airway microbiota of SCOPD. However, the abundance of Haemophilus, Lactobacillus and Pseudomonas genera exhibited an increase, whereas Actinomyces and Porphyromonas showed a decrease in the airway microbiota of AECOPD compared to HC. And Lachnospira of intestine microbiota in SCOPD was reduced at the genus level. Conclusion: The majority of published research findings supported that COPD exhibited decreased alpha diversity compared to HC. However, our metaanalysis does not confirm it. In order to further investigate the characteristics and mechanisms of microbiome in the oral-airway- intestine axis of COPD patients, larger-scale and more rigorous studies are needed. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/ prospero/), identifier CRD42023418726. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important habitat for microorganisms, the phyllosphere has a great impact on plant growth and health, and changes in phyllosphere microorganisms are closely related to the occurrence of leaf diseases. However, there remains a limited understanding regarding alterations to the microbial community in the phyllosphere resulting from pathogen infections. Here, we analyzed and compared the differences in phyllosphere microorganisms of powdery mildew cucumber from three disease severity levels (0% < L1 < 30%, 30% ≤ L2 < 50%, L3 ≥ 50%, the number represents the lesion coverage rate of powdery mildew on leaves). There were significant differences in α diversity and community structure of phyllosphere communities under different disease levels. Disease severity altered the community structure of phyllosphere microorganisms, Rosenbergiella, Rickettsia , and Cladosporium accounted for the largest proportion in the L1 disease grade, while Bacillus, Pantoea, Kocuria , and Podosphaera had the highest relative abundance in the L3 disease grade. The co-occurrence network analysis of the phyllosphere microbial community indicated that the phyllosphere bacterial community was most affected by the severity of disease. Our results suggested that with the development of cucumber powdery mildew, the symbiotic relationship between species was broken, and the entire bacterial community tended to compete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: As climate change increases the frequency and severity of droughts in many regions, conservation during drought is becoming a major challenge for ecologists. Droughts are multidimensional climate events whose impacts may be moderated by changes in temperature, water availability or food availability, or some combination of these. Simultaneously, other stressors such as extensive anthropogenic landscape modification may synergize with drought. Useful observational models for guiding conservation decision‐making during drought require multidimensional, dynamic representations to disentangle possible drought impacts, and consequently, they will require large, highly resolved data sets. In this paper, we develop a two‐stage predictive framework for assessing how drought impacts vary with species, habitats and climate pathways. Location: Central Valley, California, USA. Methods: We used a two‐stage counterfactual analysis combining predictive linear mixed models and N‐mixture models to characterize the multidimensional impacts of drought on 66 bird species. We analysed counts from the eBird participatory science data set between 2010 and 2019 and produced species‐ and habitat‐specific estimates of the impact of drought on relative abundance. Results: We found that while fewer than a quarter (16/66) of species experienced abundance declines during drought, nearly half of all species (27/66) changed their habitat associations during drought. Among species that shifted their habitat associations, the use of natural habitats declined during drought while use of developed habitat and perennial agricultural habitat increased. Main Conclusions: Our findings suggest that birds take advantage of agricultural and developed land with artificial irrigation and heat‐buffering microhabitat structure, such as in orchards or parks, to buffer drought impacts. A working lands approach that promotes biodiversity and mitigates stressors across a human‐induced water gradient will be critical for conserving birds during drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation areas encompassing elevation gradients are biodiversity hotspots because they contain a wide range of habitat types in a relatively small space. Studies of biodiversity patterns along elevation gradients, mostly on small mammal or bird species, have documented a peak in diversity at mid elevations. Here, we report on a field study of medium and large mammals to examine the impact of elevation, habitat type, and gross primary productivity on community structure. Species richness was observed using a camera trap transect with 219 sites situated across different habitat types from 2329 to 4657 m above the sea level on the western slope of Mt Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa. We found that the lowest elevation natural habitats had the highest species richness and relative abundance and that both metrics decreased steadily as elevation increased, paralleling changes in gross primary productivity, and supporting the energy richness hypothesis. We found no evidence for the mid‐domain effect on species diversity. The lowest elevation degraded Agro‐Forestry lands adjacent to the National Park had high activity of domestic animals and reduced diversity and abundance of native species. The biggest difference in community structure was between protected and unprotected areas, followed by more subtle stepwise differences between habitats at different elevations. Large carnivore species remained relatively consistent but dominant herbivore species shifted along the elevation gradient. There was some habitat specialization and turnover in species, such that the elevation gradient predicts a high diversity of species, demonstrating the high conservation return for protecting mountain ecosystems for biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, abundance, biomass and species richness of many insect taxa declined during the last decades. This decline might be accompanied by long‐term temporal changes in community composition and dominance orders. Here, we use the data base of the natural history museum of Salzburg based on museum records and field books on Austrian butterflies covering the years 1945–2018 and asked 1) whether and how community composition of important butterfly guilds changed and 2) whether these changes are in accordance with reciprocal shifts in species abundances leading to increased functional stability. In comparisons of annual changes in dominance orders, we found an increasing tendency of compositional stability of dominant species. The trend was most pronounced in generalist and dispersive species, while dominant grassland, xerothermophilic and sedentary species tended to decrease in relative abundance. We also demonstrate a temporal trend towards increasing regional stability in relative abundance rank orders. We did not find compelling evidence for reciprocal shifts in abundances of dominant and subdominant species of the same guild and of asynchronous population fluctuations as required by models that link abundance compensation and functional stability. Our study highlights the ongoing trend towards faunal homogenisation at regional spatial scales in the European Alps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many available reports of secondary metabolites as bioactive molecules from culturable endophytes, nevertheless, there are scarce research pertaining to the levels of metabolites in plants with respect to the incidence and colonisation of fungal endophytes in the same foliar tissues. Therefore, the study was focussed to examine whether fungal endophyte colonisation and the accumulation of secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids and phenols, in the plants are related in any way. For this reason, the study aims to analyse phenols and flavonoids from the fronds of eleven pteridophytes along with the culture-dependent isolation of fungal endophytes from the host plants subsequently assigning them to morphological category and their quantitative analysis and further resolving its identities through molecular affiliation. The results revealed that nine morpho-categories of fungal endophytes were allotted based on culture attributes, hyphal patterns and reproductive structural characters. Highest numbers of species were isolated from Adiantum capillus-veneris and least was recorded from Pteris vittata and Dicranopteris linearis. Maximum phenol content was analysed from the fronds of P. vittata and lowest was recorded in A. capillus-veneris. Highest flavonoid content was measured in D. linearis and lowest was detected in Christella dentata. Significant negative correlation was observed between phenol content of ferns and species richness of fungi. Moreover, significant positive correlation was observed with the relative abundance of Chaetomium globosum and flavonoid content of ferns and negative significant relation was found between relative abundance of Pseudopestalotiopsis chinensis and phenol content of pteridophytes. The occurrence and the quantitative aspects of endophytes in ferns and their secondary metabolites are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract An environmentally friendly method using real or artificial bovine milk permeate to both depilate and preserve sheepskins has been reported which completely and cleanly removed the wool from the hair follicle and had no detrimental effects on the skin. A proteomic analysis, assessing the relative abundance of proteins in matched permeate-depilated and chemically depilated (sulfide) sheepskins, showed variations in the levels of specific collagen types in the skin's basement membrane and other proteins associated with the follicles. These findings were corroborated by biochemical analyses of matched permeate depilated and raw skin samples, and provide clues to the mechanism of non-invasive and complete depilation. They also support the observation that permeate-depilated skins were smoother than their sulfide-depilated counterparts and resulted in leather with a superior surface. Graphical abstract

Termites are widely dispersed throughout the tropics and attain the highest diversity and abundance in the rainforests of Africa. Understanding their diversity in areas with human activities can provide insights into the local biodiversity and health of the ecosystem. The present study investigated the abundance and diversity of termite species at the Kwara State University campus. The study area was divided into five zones, and thorough examinations of all microhabitats were conducted to detect termite presence. Random handpicking and transect sampling methods were employed to evaluate termite diversity. There were 353 instances of termites encountered between May 2021 and August 2022. The analysis revealed eight termite species in seven genera and three subfamilies. Among these, Trinervitermes geminatus had the highest relative abundance at 48.7 %, whereas Fulleritermes tenebricus had the lowest at 1.98 %. All identified species belonged to the family Termitidae, with subfamilies Nasutitermitinae accounting for 50.7 %, Macrotermitinae for 37.7 %, and Termitinae for 11.6 % of the species. Grass-feeding Trinervitermes geminatus was the most frequently collected species, followed by fungus-growing Macrotermes subhyalinus; both were found across all five campus zones. The species diversity and richness indices observed in the five zones were moderately high. The considerable abundance of termites within the university campus suggests their significance in the ecosystem. There is a need to document termite species present in an ecosystem with human activities because it helps to monitor biodiversity loss in the environment.

This study aims to update the list of Nitidulidae species observed on date palms in Algeria (Ziban region), their spatial dynamics according to the development stages (larva, pupa, adult), and the effectiveness of the bagging operation. In 2020, we sampled and examined 1800 dates of the Deglet Nour variety from three palm groves managed with different protection modes: yellow bagging, white bagging, and no bagging. The results obtained mention the presence of nine species of Nitidulidae with five species reported for the first time on dates in Algeria. The highest relative abundance (RA) of Nitidulidae beetles was noted in the southern (28%) direction. However, the variation of infestation rate (IR) according to the direction was not very accentuated. The GLM analysis showed that, except for the adult stage, the direction presented a highly significant effect on the RA variation of the total Nitudilidae, the larva and pupa stages (p < 0.0001), but there was no significant effect of direction on the IR in all studied cases. The highest RA of total Nitidulidae was found on the white plastic-protected dates (RA = 42%), the IR of the total Nitidulidae was higher on dates protected by yellow plastic (IR = 38%). The unprotected dates recorded the lowest RA and IR for all studied cases and the effect of bagging type on the RA variation of Nitidulidae, in all studied cases, was statistically highly significant (p < 0.0001). This effect on the IR was very highly significant only for total Nitudilidae, larvae, and adults (p < 0.0001). So, the southern direction presents the best conditions for sheltering the largest numbers of Nitidulidae. The latter also has a marked preference for bunches covered by plastic bags rather than for those left uncovered. This implies the ineffectiveness of the operation of protecting dates with plastic bags, especially the yellow-coloured ones.

The paper deals with the study of 15 species belonging to 13 genera under two subfamilies of family Pentatomidae in pearl millet and mungbean during kharif, 2022. 181 adults were identified into 15 species: Acrosternum gramineum, Adria parvula, Bagrada hilaris, Carbula biguttata, Carbula socia, Dolycoris indicus, Eysarcoris ventralis, Eysarcoris sp., Erthesina acuminata, Halys serrigera, Piezodorus hybneri, Placosternum taurus, Sciocoris indicus, Eocanthecona furcellata and Andrallus spinidens. The maximum relative abundance was observed for Eysarcoris ventralis (33.70%) followed by Piezodorus hybneri (20.99%). The minimum relative abundance was observed for Carbula biguttata, Carbula socia, Eysarcoris sp., Erthesina acuminata, and Placosternum taurus with the relative abundance of 0.55% each. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small rodents and insectivores are potential reservoirs of many pathogens transmissible to humans, such as bacteria, parasites and viruses responsible for epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in West Africa. Few studies on small mammal species in West Africa are available. Our previous findings from a study investigating emerging pathogens in two localities in Mali has determined the prevalence of pathogens in small mammals (rodents and insectivores). We used the data collected from this small mammal population with different eco-climatic characteristics to test hypothesis that small mammal distribution in different eco-climatic settings could explain the diversity and frequency of pathogens they carry. Methods: Sessions of trapping were carried out in December 2016 in Faladjè and Bougouni with “Besançon tous services” (BTS) wire mesh traps baited with peanut butter and/or onion. All animals captured were identified morphologically. Results: Out of 123 small rodents and insectivores captured over 674 trap-nights, 75 (60.97%) were from Faladjè and 48 (39.02%) from Bougouni. Of these, six species of small rodents belonged to the family Muridae (Mastomys erythroleucus, Mastomys natalensis, Rattus rattus, Praomys daltoni, Gerbilliscus gambianus, Taterillus gracilis) and two species of insectivores associated with the genus Crocidura spp. belonged to the family Soricidae and Erinaceidae (Crocidura cf olivieri and Atelerix cf albiventris), respectively. There is low species diversity within these two areas, but the variation in relative abundance is significant (binomial test, p ˂ 0.05) between Faladjè and Bougouni. Mastomys erythroleucus was the most dominant species (57.33%, 43/75) in Faladjè, while R. rattus dominated (37.5%,18/48) in Bougouni. Conclusions: These two species of small mammals potentially involved in the transmission of bacteria, parasites and pathogenic viruses to humans are differently present in two distinct eco-climatic areas in Mali.