Diversity, Volume 14, Issue 7 (July 2022) – 81 articles

The aquatic microfauna of Africa is poorly characterized, especially in the case of planktonic rotifers inhabiting waterbodies other than large lakes. In addition, little is known about factors that structure these communities. Here, we assessed the roles of climatic region, habitat type, macrophyte abundance, and a suite of abiotic environmental factors in determining rotifer species’ richness and composition in waterbodies located across a 2300 m altitudinal gradient in Kenya. Plankton samples were obtained from 33 sites in 23 waterbodies. From these, 93 rotifer taxa were identified from 18 families comprising 31 genera. About one fourth (25 taxa) were new records for Kenya, from which 4 species were new for Africa. Species richness was the highest in permanent as compared to temporary habitats. Richness was strongly positively correlated with all environmental factors and strongly influenced by macrophyte abundance. When spatial structure was added to the GLM model, species richness was no longer significantly correlated with macrophytes. Unconstrained detrended correspondence analysis conducted at the species level indicated four suites of species associated with either (1) longitude, (2) elevation, (3) latitude, temperature, and hydroperiod, or (4) macrophytes. This study contributes to our knowledge of the patterns of rotifer biogeography and species richness in Africa. Full article

Taking the Giant Panda National Park as an example, this paper uses factor analysis to measure residents’ financial awareness and mediating effect models to investigate the influence paths of community governance, financial awareness, and residents’ willingness to participate in the construction and development of national parks. Finally, it suggests potential solutions for national park development and biodiversity conservation. The results indicated that financial awareness and community governance levels had a positive effect on residents’ willingness to participate, and satisfaction with community governance played a significant partially mediating role in their financial awareness, which in turn influenced their level of willingness. Full article

Flood events can significantly affect the physical and biological processes of aquatic ecosystems in a short time, leading to rapid changes in phytoplankton community structure. The Huayanghe Lakes experienced extreme flooding in the summer of 2020, with the water level reaching 16.42 m. In order to understand the effects of flooding on phytoplankton diversity and community structure, eight samples were collected in the Huayanghe Lakes from 2019 to 2020. Water-level disturbance has a significant influence on lake-water quality and phytoplankton community structure. The results showed that the Secchi depth increased from 65.36 to 8.52 cm, while the concentration of total nitrogen (from 0.98 to 0.7 mg/L) and total phosphorus (from 0.04 to 0.031 g/L) decreased. In addition, flooding significantly increased the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, the Pielou index, and the Margalef richness index by an average of 43.5%, 36.7%, and 40.21%, respectively. The phytoplankton community structure in the Huayanghe Lakes changed due to the change of physicochemical environment caused by flood. While in the pre-flood period phytoplankton was composed of large diatoms (e.g., Aulacoseira granulata), cyanobacteria (e.g., Microcystis sp., Anabaena sp., and Aphanizomenon sp.) and other multicellular taxa, the flood period showed an increase in the proportion of chlorophytes and diatoms that quickly adapted to settle in new environments. Pearson correlations and redundancy analyses showed that water level fluctuation was the most significant environmental factor affecting the phytoplankton community between the regular hydrological cycle and flood periods. There are few studies on phytoplankton in the Huayanghe Lakes, and the present study provides basic data on phytoplankton diversity and community structure. In addition, it provides a theoretical basis for controlling water level change in the Yangtze River. Full article

Habitat suitability assessment is critical for wildlife population conservation and management planning. The MaxEnt model is widely used in species habitat suitability modeling. In order to investigate the habitat status of the black-necked crane in the Zoige grassland wetland ecological function area, this study evaluated the habitat suitability of the black-necked crane using the MaxEnt model with 152 occurrence records and 13 environmental variables. Based on the Akaike information criterion corrected for the small sample size, the best optimal parameter combination (feature class LQPHT, regularization multiplier 3.0) was selected. The results show that the Maxent model had good accuracy with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.895. Distance to roads, average summer precipitation, distance to lakes, and altitude are the dominant environmental variables affecting the potential distribution of black-necked cranes, with the contribution rates of 31.6%, 29.8%, 14.3%, and 8.2%, respectively. The suitable habitat area of black-necked cranes is mainly distributed in and around the Zoige Wetland National Nature Reserve, accounting for 46.49% of the Zoige Grassland Wetland National Key Ecological Function Zone. The potential distribution area has a tendency to spread to Hongyuan County in the south of the functional zone, and the unsuitable habitat is mainly distributed in the high-altitude area in the southwest of the functional zone. This study recommends focusing on the distribution area of black-necked cranes around Zoige Wetland National Nature Reserve and Hongyuan County to improve conservation strategies and strengthen protection efforts. Full article

Climate change is expected to influence the geographic distribution of many taxa, including insects. Chrysomya albiceps is one of the most pervasive calliphorid fly with apparent ecological, forensic, and medical importance. However, the global habitat suitability is varied due to climate change. Models that forecast species spatial distribution are increasingly being used in wildlife management, highlighting the need for trustworthy techniques to assess their accuracy. So, we used the maximum entropy implemented in Maxent to predict the current and future potential global geographic distribution of C. albiceps and algorithms of DIVA-GIS to confirm the predicted current model. The Maxent model was calibrated using 2177 occurrence records. Based on the Jackknife test, four bioclimatic variables along with altitude were used to develop the final models. For future models, two representative concentration pathways (RCPs), 2.6 and 8.5, for 2050 and 2070 were used. The area under curve (AUC) and true skill statistics (TSS) were used to evaluate the resulted models with values equal to 0.92 (±0.001) and 0.7, respectively. Two-dimensional niche analysis illustrated that the insect can adapt to low and high temperatures (9 °C to 27 °C), and the precipitation range was 0 mm to 2500 mm. The resulted models illustrated the global distribution of C. albiceps with alteration to its distribution in the future, especially on the Mediterranean coasts of Europe and Africa, Florida in the USA, and the coasts of Australia. Such predicted shifts put decision makers against their responsibilities to prevent destruction in economic, medical, and ecological sectors. Full article

Pistachio is one of the most economically important nut crops worldwide. However, there are no reports describing the chloroplast genome of this important fruit tree. In this investigation, we assembled and characterized the complete pistachio chloroplast sequence. The Pistacia vera chloroplast genome was 160,598 bp in size, similar to other members of Anacardiaceae (149,011–172,199 bp) and exhibited the typical four section structure, including a large single copy region (88,174 bp), a small single copy region (19,330 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats regions (26,547 bp). The genome contains 121 genes comprised of 87 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. Thirteen intron-containing genes were identified in the genome wherein two genes had more than two introns. The genomic patterns of GC content resembled those for other Anacardiaceae. P. vera displayed the highest number of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) among the genera studied, which may be useful for molecular marker development and future population studies. Amino acid analysis revealed that Leucine is the most frequent (10.69%) amino acid in the chloroplast genome followed by Isoleucine (8.53%) and Serine (7.77%). Cysteine (1.30%) and Tryptophan (1.74%) were the least frequent amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis revealed P. vera is most like its taxonomically close relative P. weinmaniifolia, followed by Rhus chinensis; all placed taxonomically in the tribe Rhoeae. Members of Anacardiaceae were most closely related to Rhoeae, followed by members of Spondieae. The reports of this chloroplast genome will be useful for future conservation studies, genetic evaluation and breeding of P. vera, and more comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the Pistacia species and its closely-related genera. Full article

Deep-sea corals are important benthic inhabitants that support the biodiversity and function of the wider faunal community; however, their taxonomy is underdeveloped and their accurate identification is often difficult. In our study, we investigated the utility of a superextended (>3000 bp) barcode and explored the effectiveness of various molecular species delimitation techniques with an aim to put upper and lower bounds on the estimated number of calcaxonian species in Irish waters. We collected 112 calcaxonians (70 Keratoisididae, 22 Primnoidae, 20 Chrysogorgiidae) and one chelidonisid from the Irish continental slope and sequenced a 3390 bp DNA barcode comprising four mitochondrial regions (mtMutS, COI + igr1, 16S rRNA-ND2, and igr4), recovering 38 haplotypes. Individuals that shared a haplotype were often morphologically distinct, and we thus undertook detailed morphological work, including SEM of sclerites, on one representative of each morphotype within each haplotype. GMYC, bGMYC, and mPTP returned incongruent estimates of species numbers. In total, there are between 25 and 40 species, although no definitive number could be assigned, primarily due to poorly defined keratoisidid species boundaries. As expected, the superextended barcode provided greater discrimination power than single markers; bGMYC appeared to be the most effective delimiter. Among the identified species were Chelidonisis aurantiaca, collected deeper than previously known at 1507 m, and Calyptrophora clinata, recorded for the second time from the Northeast Atlantic. A full understanding of the diversity and distribution of calcaxonians requires substantial taxonomic work, but we highlight the Irish continental slope as harbouring significant diversity. Full article

Rarely have studies assessed Odonata diversity for the entire Nearctic realm by including Canada, the United States, and Mexico. For the first time, we explored Odonata diversity in this region according to a definition of natural community assemblages and generated species distribution models (SDMs). Species occurrence data were assembled by reviewing databases of specimens held by significant Odonata repositories and through an extensive search of literature references. Species were categorized as forest-dependent or non-forest-dependent, as lentic or lotic-dependent, and according to conservation status. Predicted distributions were stacked for all species across their entire ranges, including areas outside of the Nearctic. Species richness and corrected weighted endemism (CWE) were then calculated for each grid cell. We found a pattern of greater species richness in the eastern portion of the Nearctic, which can be explained by the higher aquatic habitat diversity at micro and macroscales east of the Rocky Mountains, promoting niche partitioning and specialization. In the Nearctic region, the southeastern US has the highest number of endemic species of dragonflies and damselflies; this degree of endemism is likely due to glacial refuges providing a foundation for the evolution of a rich and unique biota. Full article

Many recent articles feature research on the Fusarium tricinctum species complex (FTSC), and their authors present different ideas on how the isolates of this species complex can be identified at the species level. In previous studies, our aim was to investigate the phylogeny of FTSC strains, which researchers have morphologically identified as Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium arthrosporioides, and Fusarium anguioides. In the current study, our phylogenetic maximum parsimony and likelihood analyses of the DNA sequences of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1) and combined sequences of TEF1 and beta-tubulin (TUB2) supported the existence of at least four main groups among these strains. Main Group I mainly contains F. avenaceum strains, while Main Group II contains two subgroups, one of which primarily includes F. arthrosporioides strains, and the other mainly includes European F. anguioides strains. Main Group III contains strains from different plants that originated from Asia, including two F. anguioides strains. F. avenaceum strains, which are mostly isolated from different trees, form Main Group IV. A fifth group (Main Group V) was only supported by TEF1 sequences. The main groups previously found by us based on TUB2 sequences could be connected to the new species of the FTSC, which were identified based on TEF1 sequences. In addition, we found strains that significantly differ from Main Groups I-V, and we grouped some of them as single, intermediate, or sister groups. All of the main groups of the present work, and some single and intermediate strains, may represent different species of the FTSC, while the two subgroups of Main Group II constitute intraspecific variation. Regardless of whether they belonged to the main groups, all the analysed strains were able to form different enniatins and 2-amino-14,16-dimethyloctadecan-3-ol, but did not produce beauvericin. Full article

Toona sinensis, a perennial and deciduous tree belonging to the Meliaceae family, has been cultivated for more than 2000 years in China. Storing the buds of T. sinensis is difficult, as it is easy for them to rot during storage, which seriously affects their edible and commodity value. Young leaves and buds of T. sinensis plants are excellent source of flavonoids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and more. In addition, the bioactive components of T. sinensis possess numerous health benefits, such as antiviral, antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic effects. In this review, we summarize the storage and preservation, nutritional components, specific chemical compounds, pharmacological value, function genes, and omics of T. sinensis. This review aims to provide basic knowledge for subsequent future research seeking to understand the comprehensive biology and use of T. sinensis as a favored Chinese food and pharmacological resource. Full article

The Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar, Galliformes) is one of the most important game birds in its native range, spanning from the Balkans to eastern Asia, and the regions of Europe, North America and New Zealand where it was introduced. Previous studies found two main genetic lineages of the species forming an eastern and a western clade. Chukar Partridges are raised in game farms and released to supplement natural populations for shooting in the USA, Canada, Greece, and Turkey. To explore intraspecific genetic structure, phylogeography, and possible genetic admixture events of A. chukar in Turkey, we genotyped individuals from fourteen wild and five captive populations at two mitochondrial and ten microsatellite DNA loci in. Wild and farmed Chukar Partridge samples were analyzed together to investigate possible influences of intraspecific hybridizations. We found that the farmed chukars, which mainly (85%) cluster into the eastern clade, and wild ones were genetically distinct. The latter could be separated into six management units (MUs), with partridges from Gökçeada Island in the Aegean Sea forming the most divergent population. Intraspecific hybridization was detected between wild and captive populations. This phenomenon causes rampant introgression and homogenization. The phylogeographic analysis revealed admixture among wild populations; nevertheless, this did not impair pointing to Anatolia as likely having a “refugia-within-refugia” structure. We recommend that the genetic structure of Chukar Partridge and its MUs be taken into account when developing the policy of hunting, production, and release to preserve the genetic integrity of this species. Full article

Plants know no political borders and some of them are restricted to small geographical territories of different countries in which they are endemic. In this study, we prioritized plants (PPs) of the cross-border area of Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia that are already threatened or nearly so (PPA), those which occur exclusively on either side of borderline and/or nearby countries (PPB), or those which are uncommon and rare in this region (PPC) with the aim to document in-situ the species-specific risks-threats; offer ex-situ conservation for them as a back-up solution for future re-introductions and sustainable exploitation; and raise public awareness and alertness about the importance of local biodiversity. In the framework of the project Conse-pp, 20 botanical expeditions were performed in 75 selected areas to collect samples and suitable propagation material from 130 PPs (147 accession numbers), also recording all types of threats-identified in-situ for each of them. No ex-situ conservation was detected for 40 PPs worldwide while for another 12 PPs only limited attempts have been made to date. The fully documented PPs are currently maintained under ex- situ conservation and acclimatization in the Balkan Botanic Garden of Kroussia (BBGK). In total, 156 propagation trials (sexual or asexual) have been made for these PPs to develop species-specific propagation protocols. Consequently, the production of new plant stocks raised ex-situ was achieved (n = 3254 individuals; first-time ex-situ conservation for 40 taxa), and this has enabled the establishment of three awareness-raising sites with PPs: (i) 1000 plants of 70 PPs in the newly designed Kardia Botanical Park in Thermi (Greece); (ii) 850 plants of 104 PPs in the phytodiversity awareness spot in BBGK and 130 individual PPs in the Garden of Environmental Awareness; and (iii) 42 plants of 14 PP taxa delivered to the botanic garden of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. This project outlines the necessity of the development of common plant conservation strategies for threatened plants in cross-border areas of neighboring countries and presents an integrated approach allowing for sustainable development and future in-situ protection measures and actions in the studied cross-border area. Full article

The Dagestan Mountain (DM) cattle breed was established to provide cheese and milk products to mountain dwellers in the specific conditions of the Republic of Dagestan in Southern Russia. Only 650 head of DM cattle were registered in 2020, and their “breed purity” is questionable. We aimed to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of modern DM cattle using short tandem repeat (STR) markers. The sample included 150 animals collected from private owners in Dagestan during a scientific expedition (n = 32) and provided by a gene pool farm (n = 118). An additional 166 samples from other cattle breeds distributed in the breeding zone of DM cattle were used as the comparison groups. The genotypes for the 11 STR loci recommended by ISAG were obtained using a genetic analyzer. We identified a high level of genetic diversity as revealed by allelic richness calculations (Ar = 6.82 vs. 4.38–5.82 in other cattle breeds) and observed heterozygosity indices (uHe = 0.76 vs. 0.65–0.72). Based on the STRUCTURE results, animals with low levels of admixture with other breeds were found within the DM cattle, which can be considered as candidates for use in germplasm conservation programs. Full article

The invasive red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, has become an abundant and important component in the food web of the coastal Barents Sea and can affect the structure and functioning of the local benthic communities through competition and predation. Although dietary composition and feeding behavior of the crab have been intensively studied, prey selectivity in this species under natural conditions remains poorly defined. For this reason, juvenile red king crabs and benthic samples were collected simultaneously at five coastal sites in Kola Bay to reveal the species composition and structure of feeding habits and the diet of red king crabs. The results of stomach and gut content analyses coupled with calculated Ivlev’s indices indicated that 2–5-year-old crabs frequently consumed bivalve mollusks in relative proportions to prey field biomasses. At all sites, juveniles selectively rejected polychaetes. In soft-bottom communities, when the average density of Bivalvia decreased, the crabs showed increased preference for Gastropoda, Crustacea, and Echinodermata. As a result of selective feeding focused on infaunal suspension-feeding mollusks, juvenile red king crabs have altered the structure of benthic communities in the mouth of Kola Bay. Our results may have important implications for evaluating the consequences of the crab introduction and its population management. Full article

The revitalisation of soil fauna in post-mining soils is one of the ways in which we can slow down biodiversity loss. To investigate the effect of a meadow soil transplanted directly into the spoil substrate on the colonisation of a spoil heap, we used nematodes as a tool for an assessment of success in soil fauna recolonisation. Three blocks of meadow topsoil (10 × 3 × 0.4 m) were dug out and transported as intact as possible into a bare substrate of spoil heaps near Sokolov (Czech Republic). The soil samples were taken at the beginning of the experiment (1997) and then, after 19 years (2016), were transported into blocks (B) in their surroundings in a 2 m distance (I) and, finally, 30 m from the transported blocks as a control (C), to compare and assess the complexity of soil food web. Nematode total abundances were highest in B plots and lowest in the nearby I plots at the beginning, whereas later, their abundances were highest in I plots and lowest in the control (C) plots. However, due to the high variability, abundances were statistically insignificant. The trophic composition of I plots became similar to the composition in B plots in the late phase; however, the high occurrence of predators in C plots showed a running succession even after 19 years. Our results together with previous works from the same experiment support the findings that the level of soil development has a larger impact on recolonisation by soil fauna than the migration barrier itself. Full article

The conservation of threatened species is prevalently oriented towards two management strategies, i.e., habitat-level and species-level approaches. The former is focused on improving the conditions of the habitat of a certain species, whereas the latter is aimed at directly strengthening the species of interest. In this work, we adopted a different solution based on a community-level approach. Firstly, we identified the species (predators, competitors, prey) that interact with the species of interest (the lesser kestrel, Falco naumanni) in Southern Italy and mapped all of the ecological interactions among these species. Secondly, we built a simulation framework of the entire ecological network of the lesser kestrel. Thirdly, we simulated different management strategies that could increase the lesser kestrel population stock by targeting the species that interact with it. We found that the lesser kestrel in Southern Italy can be effectively protected by targeting the species interacting with the lesser kestrel, and that natural changes in the abundance of the interacting species could be used to pro-actively predict the dynamics of the lesser kestrel population. Our study demonstrates that a community-level approach to species conservation is highly appropriate on a local scale. Our methodological framework, based on qualitative modeling and what-if scenarios, can be applied in the absence of quantitative estimations of population stocks and interaction strengths. Full article

Land snail biodiversity research in agroecosystems is limited, if non-existent. Here we investigate the land snail assemblages of olive orchards in Messara plain, Crete, Greece. Land snails were collected from 16 olive orchards. In addition, we performed a literature survey and recorded all species reported in the surrounding area. We found 18 species in the olive orchards among the 37 species found in the area and reported in the literature. Xerotricha conspurcata (Draparnaud, 1801) and Caracollina lenticula (Michaud, 1831) are reported for the first time in the study area. Their presence is probably a result of human-mediated dispersal. Olive orchards proved to be an important refuge for land snail diversity as they host 43% of the species found in the surrounding area. We highlight the importance of olive orchards as habitats with increased land snail richness. We suggest that land snails should be included in future biodiversity research in agricultural areas. Full article

The taxonomic richness, composition, abundance, and biomass of pelagic microcrustaceans (Cladocera and Copepoda) were determined in 17 lakes of the “Lagunas de Montebello” National Park, a karst lake district in Chiapas State, southeast Mexico. The selected aquatic bodies exemplify the lake diversity in the area, which displays an anthropic impact gradient from impacted/eutrophic lakes on the NW to non-impacted/oligotrophic lakes on the SE. Sampling was conducted in two contrasting climatic periods: warm-rainy and cold-dry seasons. There were 32 taxa, five calanoid copepods, 16 cyclopoid copepods, and 11 cladocerans. The highest taxonomic richness, abundance, and biomass were found in the impacted/eutrophic lakes and the lowest in the non-impacted/oligotrophic lakes. Nauplii and copepods were the most abundant, while the copepods provided the largest biomass. Small-sized individuals composed the most significant abundance and biomass in impacted/eutrophic lakes, while large-sized individuals in the non-impacted/oligotrophic lakes. Even though the studied lakes belong to the same lake district, they showed low taxonomic similarity. Not a single taxon was found in all lakes; the most distributed taxa (13–14 lakes) were Mastigodiaptomus nesus and Leptodiaptomus cuauhtemoci, while 15 taxa (47%) were found in only 1–3 lakes. This karst lake district showed a great regional microcrustacean taxonomic richness but a great singularity level in each lake. Full article

Genus Eucalyptus belongs to the family Myrtaceae and consists of more than 900 species, various hybrids and varieties. The major species that are grown in Kenya are Eucalyptus grandis, E. globulus, E. saligna and E. camaldulensis. Most Eucalyptus species are highly dependent on rainfall and this is challenged by climatic changes owing to global warming making it difficult to effectively match the availability of mature trees and the market demand especially for use as power transmission poles. With the widespread availability of other naturally occurring Eucalyptus species such as E. camaldulensis and E. globulus, it becomes important to determine the genetic diversity and to analyze the phenotypic traits of these species for suitability as power transmission poles in order to counter the overdependence on E. grandis. Phenotypic traits investigated included measuring total tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH), while molecular data were obtained from sequencing MatK, rbcL and TrnL-F genes from selected species and evolutionary analyses such as nucleotide substitution rates, base composition disparity indices, evolutionary divergence, nucleotide diversity indices and phylogeny construction were conducted in MEGA 11. Significant differences in DBH and height among Eucalyptus species were observed when the phenotypic data were subjected to ANOVA. In this study, E. robusta, E. paniculata, E. maculata, E. dunnii, E. camaldulensis and E. citriodora are fit to be used as power transmission poles but they are limited by their short height. However, E. tereticornis and E. glaucina have the desired DBH and height and hence can be used as substitutes for E.grandis. Generally, the molecular phylogeny study has shown that the studied Eucalyptus species are closely related and form various monophyletic clades which can be attributed to the short genetic distances, low substitution rates, low nucleotide bias disparity indices and low diversity scores. Further phylogenetic and gene expression studies involving more Eucalyptus species are needed to better understand Eucalyptus phylogeny, and diversity and identify species with similar genetic make-up to that of E. grandis which has been used extensively for the provision of electricity transmission poles. Full article

An overview of the parasites, bacteria and viruses of Glis glis (Rodentia, Gliridae) inhabiting the Western Palearctic is given. A total of 85 articles published from 1895 to 2021 were reviewed and analysed in our study. According to the literature’s data, 104 species associated with G. glis are recorded: 4 viruses, 8 Protozoa, 6 Cestoda, 6 Trematoda, 4 Nematoda, 1 Heteroptera, 2 Anoplura, 39 Siphonaptera and 34 Acari. The most studied group is ectoparasites. To a lesser extent, parasitic worms in G. glis were studied. There is very little data about the dormouse protozoans and viruses. The most studied parasites, viruses and protozoans of G. glis are in Germany, where 21 species were noted. The largest number of parasites was found in the dormouse in Russia (22), but of two groups only: helminths and ectoparasites. Only 20 out of 104 parasite species recorded in G. glis are host-specific. Most parasites (60 species) found in G. glis have a Palaearctic and cosmopolitan distribution. Three viruses, six species of protozoa and three helminths have veterinary and medical significance as potential pathogens of dangerous zoonoses. Also, many species of fleas, mites and ticks found on G. glis are vectors of a number of dangerous vector-borne diseases in humans and domestic and wild animals. Full article

The thousands of kilometers of forest steppes in Eurasia belong to the most threatened ecosystems thanks to habitat loss. We have limited knowledge on the recolonization ability of forest steppe species to date, which is the reason we examined the textural and structural changes in these species during secondary succession in areas of different former land use. The species number, cover, and diversity of forest steppe species, especially those of the Festuco-Brometea group, became significant for all three types in the oldest fallows. The number and proportion of forest steppe species have been steadily increasing in abandoned vineyards and arable land, indicating that forest steppe species are able to rapidly recolonize. The increase in the number and cover of forest steppe species in abandoned grasslands reveals that the replacement of the species pool of these grasslands is not necessarily accompanied by degradation, but also by the appearance and spread of valuable natural species if the habitat is sufficiently patchy. The proportions of habitat categories level off in abandoned vineyards and arable land as abandonment progresses. The cover rates of disturbed habitats species were negligible for all three types for the third decade after abandonment, indicating a change in the quality of the species pool. Full article

The aim of our research was to adapt Chuine’s unified model to estimate the beginning of blooming of three apricot cultivars (‘Ceglédi bíborkajszi’, ‘Gönci magyar kajszi’, and ‘Rózsakajszi C.1406’) in Hungary in the time period 1994–2020. The unified model is based on the collection of chilling and forcing units. The complexity of the model lies in the high number of parameters necessary to run it. Following the work of other researchers, we reduced the number of relevant model parameters (MP) to six. In order to estimate the six MPs, we used a simulated annealing optimization method (known for being effective in avoiding getting stuck in local minima). From the results, we determined the local optimum of six MPs, and the global optimum parameter vector for three apricot cultivars. With these global optimum parameter vectors, the beginning of blooming could be estimated with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of less than 2.5 days, using the knowledge of the daily mean temperature in the time period 1994–2020. Full article

The molecular mechanisms underlying the conspecific cue-mediated larval settlement in Crassostrea gigas is not yet fully understood. In this study, we described and compared the transcriptomes of competent pediveligers (Pedi) and conspecific cue-induced postlarvae (PL). A total of 2383 candidate transcripts were identified: 740 upregulated and 1643 downregulated transcripts, after settlement. Gene Ontology analysis revealed active chitin binding, calcium ion binding, and extracellular region processes in both stages. Results showed that the differential expression trend of six candidate transcripts were consistent between the quantitative real-time PCR and transcriptome data. The differential transcript expression related to shell formation showed closely linked dynamics with a gene regulatory network that may involve the interplay of various hormone receptors, neurotransmitters, and neuropeptide receptors working together in a concerted way in the Pedi and PL stages. Our results highlight the transcriptome dynamics underlying the settlement of oysters on conspecific adult shells and demonstrate the potential use of this cue as an attractant for wild and hatchery-grown oyster larval attachment on artificial substrates. It also suggests the possible involvement of an ecdysone signal pathway that may be linked to a neuroendocrine-biomineralization crosstalk in C. gigas settlement. Full article

Species richness and areas of endemicity (AOE) are the basis of biogeography, which is of great significance for understanding the evolution of species and making conservation plans. The present study aimed to investigate the species richness pattern and AOEs of Tenebrionidae in Xinjiang, China. We collected information on the geographical distribution of 556 species from several sources and obtained 2226 distribution records for the analyses. The AOEs were detected using the parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) and endemicity analysis (EA) at 0.5°, 1°, and 1.5° grid sizes, respectively. A total of six AOEs were found, including three mountain ranges (Altai Mountains, Tianshan Mountains, and Kunlun Mountains) and one basin (Junggar Basin), which was largely congruent with the species richness pattern. The results indicated that the complex terrain and stable climate in the mountainous area played an important role in the formation of tenebrionid species diversity and their endemic areas in Xinjiang. Full article

Community similarity among macroinvertebrate species assemblages from 12 exposed rocky headlands surveyed in 2004, 2007, and 2012 was examined to resolve mesoscale patterns along an east–west linear distance of 366 km in the coastal Gulf of Maine. The goals were: (1) detect latitudinal patterns of species assemblage similarity and (2) relate species assemblage similarities to environmental factors. Assemblage similarities were correlated with latitude. There was a distinguishable grouping of sampling sites fitting two Gulf regions that separate at mid-coast Maine. This pattern was uniquely intertidal and not shown by subtidal species assemblages. β diversity was high, did not differ between regions, and species turnover accounted for 91% of it. Molluscs and crustaceans, major components of surveyed communities, contributed most of the dissimilarity between regions. Satellite-derived shore and sea surface temperatures explained a significant amount of the variation responsible for producing regional patterns. The regions corresponded with the two principal branches of the Gulf of Maine Coastal Current. These hydrographic features and associated environmental conditions are hypothesized to influence community dynamics and shape the dissimilarity between Gulf regions. The predicted warming of the Gulf of Maine portend change in species turnover from species invasions and range shifts potentially altering rocky intertidal community patterns. Full article

A revision of the genus Garcinia has recently been undertaken by the author as part of the Flora of Thailand. Herbarium specimens deposited in several herbaria, and those included in the digital herbarium databases, were examined by consulting taxonomic literature. In this study, the three names in Garcinia section Brindonia are lectotypified as G. gracilis, G. lanceifolia and G. planchonii. A new synonym for G. pedunculata, namely G. planchonii, is proposed. Detailed descriptions, recognitions and illustrations of three species in Garcinia (G. atroviridis, G. lanceifolia and G. pedunculata) are presented, along with information on distributions, specimens examined, habitats and ecology, IUCN conservation status, phenology, etymology, vernacular names and uses. The fruits, the young shoots and leaves, and the flowers of these three species are edible and have a sour taste. These species are often cultivated for their fruits. Full article

Bird habitats are becoming increasingly fragmented as a result of rapid urbanization. As one of the essential refuges for urban bird communities, mountain parks are of practical significance for studying the spatial changes of birds, which can inform the future planning of mountain park planning. In this study, we assessed the α, β, and functional diversity of bird communities in mountain parks in Fuzhou, China, at three levels of urbanization (urban, peri-urban, suburban) and explored how diversity (abundance, richness, α-diversity, Chao1) varies along the urbanization gradient. A three-month bird survey was conducted using the transect method to examine the impact of urbanization on bird community structures in mountain parks. In addition, we evaluated the functional diversity of bird guilds in order to identify potential indicator species for monitoring different urbanization gradients in mountain parks. The results showed that: (1) During the three bird surveys from December 2021 to February 2022, 96 bird species and 2429 individuals of 9 orders, 34 families, and 63 genera were identified. (2) Urbanization had a significant impact on the overall bird α-diversity (p = 0.040) and richness (p = 0.024) but not on the overall bird abundance (p = 0.056). (3) The results of non-metric multidimensional scaling showed significant variations among overall birds in mountain parks along with three urbanization levels (stress = 0.155, p = 0.027). Similarly, significant differences were observed in the upper-stratum guild (stress = 0.183, p = 0.049) but not in other diet and vertical foraging stratum guilds. (4) Five species were identified as potential candidates for monitoring the trends of urban gradients. Moreover, compared to insectivorous or omnivorous guilds, most carnivorous and herbivorous guilds may not be suitable for monitoring the negative effects of urbanization in mountain parks. Our findings can help inform urban mountain park management or restoration strategies intended to mitigate the adverse impacts of urbanization. Full article

In many tropical areas of high conservation concern there is still no evidence on the effectiveness of protected areas in protecting specific components of biodiversity. Here, to assess the management effectiveness of protected areas, we carried out a field sampling design for collecting data on waterbird communities within the Nibule National Park (South Sudan), a poorly-known hot-spot of biodiversity, and in the surrounding buffer zone. All the metrics of richness (absolute species richness, Margalef index, Chao-1) and diversity were significantly higher for bird communities inhabiting the national park, when compared to the buffer zone. Evenness was predictably lower in the national park when compared to the buffer zone, probably due to the large numbers of rare species that were observed in the park’s richer communities, thus increasing the differences in relative frequencies between species. The diversity profiles highlighted this pattern, with more sloping curves in the park sites, evidencing a role of protected area management in positively affecting the bird community structure. Our data provide the first evidence for a poorly-known area of high conservation concern on the effective role played by a National Park in maintaining high values of richness and diversity, at least for wetland-related birds. Full article

We presented a synthesis of Brazilian Entomobryomorpha species and new records of the Brazilian oceanic islands located in the Equatorial Atlantic. In this work, we observed the global distributions of the species that inhabit the Brazilian oceanic islands. We presented distribution maps for all species found on the islands and the closest records on the continent. Our study showed that species that occur in the islands also occur in the American continent, mainly in the neotropical region, or are widespread. We established a new neotype of the first species of Collembola described in Brazil together with a detailed morphological study. Full article