Diversity, Volume 15, Issue 7 (July 2023) – 87 articles

Advances in technology have equipped paleobiologists with new analytical tools to assess the fossil record. The functional traits of vertebrates have been used to infer paleoenvironmental conditions. In Quaternary deposits, birds are the second-most-studied group after mammals. They are considered a poor paleoambiental proxy because their high vagility and phenotypic plasticity allow them to respond more effectively to climate change. Investigating multiple groups is important, but it is not often attempted. Biogeographical and climatic niche information concerning small mammals, reptiles, and birds have been used to infer the paleoclimatic conditions present during the Late Pleistocene at San Josecito Cave (~28,000 ¹⁴C years BP), Mexico. Warmer and dryer conditions are inferred with respect to the present. The use of all of the groups of small vertebrates is recommended because they represent an assemblage of species that have gone through a series of environmental filters in the past. Individually, different vertebrate groups provide different paleoclimatic information. Birds are a good proxy for inferring paleoprecipitation but not paleotemperature. Together, reptiles and small mammals are a good proxy for inferring paleoprecipitation and paleotemperature, but reptiles alone are a bad proxy, and mammals alone are a good proxy for inferring paleotemperature and precipitation. The current paleoclimatic results coupled with those of a previous vegetation structure analysis indicate the presence of non-analog paleoenvironmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene in the San Josecito Cave area. This situation would explain the presence of a disharmonious fauna and the extinction of several taxa when these conditions later disappeared and do not reappear again. Full article

Spatial and temporal variation in the diversity of ants in four urban fragments of the tropical dry forest in the city of Santa Marta was evaluated. The fragments were sampled four times in the dry and rainy season, from October 2019 to January 2020, using pitfall traps, mini-Winkler bags, baits, and manual collection. Both alpha and beta taxonomic diversity and their components were quantified. The functional groups were established based on proposals for Neotropical ant species. A total of 7 subfamilies, 37 genera, and 84 species were collected. Richness varied spatially from 33 to 61 species, but between the two seasons it was 72 and 76 species. Sites N01 and N02 had greater diversity than N03 and N04. In all the fragments, soil ants were dominated by Ectatomma ruidum, but litter ants showed a structure with less dominant species. The dissimilarity between fragments was 60–80%, attributable mainly to turnover (50–70%) but not to nestedness (10%). Seventeen functional groups were identified. Taxonomic diversity of ants in urban fragments in Santa Marta showed marked spatial variation, without influence from the seasons. Despite taxonomic turnover, there was broad similarity in functional groups between the fragments, indicating ecological equivalence of species between the ant assemblages. Full article

Plants have been recognized since antiquity in Morocco as a heritage and a remedy for a variety of ailments with a diverse range of pharmacological effects. The current work is ethnomedicinal research conducted to collect herbalists’ knowledge about plants utilized in traditional medicine to treat febrile illnesses. In Casablanca, Morocco, 105 herbalists provided information. The data were examined using seven quantitative indices: The Fidelity Level (FL), Use Value (UV), Frequency of Citation (FC), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF). During the current investigation, twenty-two different species of medicinal plants from eleven families have been reported as being used to treat fevers. The most recommended plant with a high Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC = 0.15) is Dysphania ambrosioides L., which indicates the importance of this species in controlling fever, especially when it is combined with Citrus × limon (L.) Osbeck (RFC = 0.139). Hence, the use of these plants was compared to the literature review. This research contributed to documenting and preserving important Moroccan traditional herbalists’ knowledge about plants used to cure febrile illnesses. Full article

Many species of plants and animals thrive in urban habitats and stand to gain from the global trend in increased urbanization. One such species, the Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis), is endangered within its native range but seems to thrive in urban landscapes. While populations of endangered synanthropic species may be uncommon, they can act as genetic reservoirs and present us with unique conservation and research opportunities. We sought to determine the red-crowned parrot’s level of dependency on urban areas, as well as the climatic and anthropogenic drivers of their distribution throughout the United States. We built national level species distribution models for the USA using Maxent and correlated presence points derived from field work and citizen science databases to environmental variables for three Red-crowned Parrot populations: two naturalized (California and Florida) and one native (Texas). We found current occupancy to be 18,965 km² throughout the three states. These three states also contained 39,429 km² of high- and medium-quality habitats, which, if occupied, would represent a substantial increase in the species range. Suitable habitat showed a strong positive correlation with urbanization in areas where average monthly temperatures were at least 5 °C. The current and predicted distributions of Red-crowned Parrots were closely aligned with urban boundaries. We expected populations of Red-crowned Parrots and other synanthropic species to grow due to a combination of factors, namely, continued urbanization and the effects of climate change, which increase the size and connectivity of a suitable habitat. For some imperiled species, urban habitats could prove to be important bastions for their conservation. Full article

Human activities provide migration opportunities for many ornamental plants and make them become a new potential invasion risk, threatening the local ecosystem. However, ornamental plants come from a wide range of sources, and there is still a lack of understanding on the distribution driving factors, ecological niche dynamics and invasion ability of ornamental plants based on the origin of different latitudes to evaluate their potential invasion risks. In this study, an ensemble of ecological niche model and a niche dynamic model were used to analyze the invasion potential of herbaceous and woody ornamental plants originating from different latitudes. The results showed that there were significant differences in environmental factors driving the distribution of plants originating from different latitudes, and climate-related factors were the primary driving force for each plant in the native and introduced regions. Urban land was the most influential factor in the introduced areas of most plants, potentially reflecting the importance of human activities in the distribution of ornamental plants. Additionally, only woody plants originating from mid-latitudes showed greater diffusivity than those originating in high latitudes and low latitudes, and the niche widths of all the herbaceous plants in the introduced regions nearly exceeded those in the native regions. This phenomenon was observed only in woody plants with mid-latitude origins. The niche similarity of all plant species between the introduced and native regions was high, indicating that all species in the introduced regions inherited niche characteristics from plants in the native regions. Full article

Rangelands in South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini contain a rich diversity of valuable fodder trees and shrubs. This research is the first attempt to document the regional diversity and distribution of these browse resources. Scientific publications, textbooks, databases, and published reports were accessed to compile a database of plant species that were recorded as utilised by ruminants and non-ruminants. Relevant forage attributes, such as functional traits as well as utilisation traits, were added to each species record. Thereafter, distribution records were extracted from the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s Botanical Database of South Africa and analysed with numerical techniques to establish phytogeographical patterns. A total of 613 plant species from 76 families have been recorded, which formed seven distinct phytochoria, termed the Central Arid, Eastern Subtropical, Highland Temperate, Moist Temperate, Northern Subtropical, Southern Temperate, and Western Arid browse-choria. Key families and species, as well as functional and utilisation traits, are discussed, focusing on key species present in the browse-choria. This browse database, together with the earlier compiled Leguminosae and Poaceae databases, will be used to prioritise indigenous southern African plant species/infraspecific taxa to be collected for the conservation of genetic resources and future evaluations for potential development as forage crops. Full article

The identification of species present in an ecosystem and the assessment of a faunistic inventory is the first step in any ecological survey and conservation effort. Thanks to technological progress, DNA barcoding has sped up species identification and is a great support to morphological taxonomy. In this work, we used a “Reverse Taxonomy” approach, where molecular (DNA barcoding) analyses were followed by morphological (skeletal features) ones to determine the specific status of 70 echinoid and 22 crinoid specimens, collected during eight different expeditions in the Ross and Weddell Seas. Of a total of 13 species of sea urchins, 6 were from the Terra Nova Bay area (TNB, Ross Sea) and 4 crinoids were identified. Previous scientific literature reported only four species of sea urchins from TNB to which we added the first records of Abatus cordatus (Verrill, 1876), Abatus curvidens Mortensen, 1936 and Abatus ingens Koehler, 1926. Moreover, we found a previous misidentification of Abatus koehleri (Thiéry, 1909), erroneously reported as A. elongatus in a scientific publication for the area. All the crinoid records are new for the area as there was no previous faunistic inventory available for TNB. Full article

The wild vegetation of the Eastern Desert is characterized by openness and comprises perennials and ephemerals. The current study investigated the relationship between the edaphic factors of the natural vegetation along El Sheikh Fadl–Ras Gharib Road, Southwest Suez Gulf, in the northern sector of the Eastern Desert. The vegetation structure of the study area is relatively simple. The surveyed plants included 93 species from 22 families (51 perennials and 42 annuals). Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Fabaceae were the richest families, constituting the majority of plant species (53.76%). Therophytes were the most frequent life forms. About 83.87% of the total flora were pluriregional elements of different affinities. Most of the recorded taxa occupied the Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Sindian/Sudano-Zambezian chorotypes. The application of TWINSPAN classification resulted in grouping the vegetation into three main vegetation groups (A, B, and C), representing distinct microhabitats. The CCA ordination indicates diversity in vegetation group A. Group B was highly associated with Na, Mg, CaCO₃, silt, clay, and C/N. Group C showed a high correlation with sand, K, and N. The differences in wild plant life forms, richness, and diversity along the studied desert roadsides, in association with the soil differences, provide a good indication of plant biodiversity. Full article

(1) Background: An estuary is a zone in which sea and river waters mix. It is a specific area with a very non-stable environment and salinity gradient. However, little is known about the diversity of ciliate communities in estuarine benthic ecosystems in the Arctic. The aim of this paper is to describe the diversity of intertidal ciliates in the Chernaya river estuary (Kandalaksha Gulf, White Sea), which is characterized by a pronounced salinity gradient (0–22‰), on the basis of a recently published dataset. (2) Methods: We conducted our own investigations during the summer periods of 1998–2000. Material was collected at five permanent stations along the salinity gradient (0–22%) of the estuary. For each observation, the coordinates of the sampling sites, the number of individuals observed and the sampling date were recorded. The total effort comprised 35 sampling days, with five sampling sites at each date. (3) Results: The dataset contains 4270 unique occurrences of 119 ciliates taxa (109 species, 8 unidentified species of the genus level and 2 unidentified species on the family level). The total number of specimens represented is 64,475. (4) Conclusions: The largest classes in terms of species diversity are Hypotrichea (27 species), Gymnostomatea (26 species), Oligohymenophorea (17 species) and Karyorelictea (16 species). Full article

Predicting the true status of Data Deficient (DD) species is a prominent theme in recent conservation biology, but there still is much debate regarding the conservation approach that should be used for DD taxa and no definitive conclusions are yet available. We review and analyse the current data available on the conservation status of amphibians in Vietnam, with an emphasis on the DD species. We also compare Vietnamese DD frequency of occurrence with other regions of the world, examine the extent of the range of taxa divided by Red List status, and explore the protection attributes of the taxa based on their inclusion within protected areas of Vietnam. We documented that the analysis of amphibians in Southeast Asia, and especially in Vietnam, substantially agrees with patterns highlighted by previous global research, and confirms the risk that several DD species may silently go extinct without their actual risk ever being recognized. Importantly, our study showed that fine-scale analyses are essential to highlight the potential drivers of extinction risk for the DD species of amphibians. A crucial next step for conservation policies in Vietnam (and in surrounding countries) is developing and implementing species-specific studies targeted at addressing each species’ drivers of extinction and determining science-based strategies for minimizing their extinction risk. Full article

Entodon challengeri (Paris) Cardot has important environmental monitoring and medical value. It is critical we inspect the influence of climate warming on its spatiotemporal distribution pattern. Based on actual geographical distribution records and environmental datasets, a MaxEnt model coupled with ArcGIS was executed to display the potential suitable habitats of E. challengeri in China under future climate warming scenarios. We showed the following. (i) The simulation accuracy of the MaxEnt model was excellent, with an AUC value of 0.918. (ii) Annual precipitation and precipitation during the wettest month were the critical factors that restricted the distribution range of E. challengeri. (iii) Current suitable habitats were concentrated in the northern temperate zone in eastern China. (iv) Under climate warming scenarios, on the spatial scale, the distributional pattern presented a shrinkage in the south and expansion in the north, which was more obvious in the RCP8.5 than in the RCP2.6 scenario. On the time scale, shrinkage of the potential distributional range was greater in the 2070s than in the 2050s. (v) The distributional centroids shifted to the northeast. In general, future climate warming will have a great negative effect on the suitability of habitats of E. challengeri. Full article

Retention of trees from the previous generation is one of the most widespread conservation practices in forests used for timber production. Despite the comparatively long history of this approach in Europe, there is a lack of long-term studies on the effectiveness of retention trees in preserving epiphyte communities. We compared the diversity of bryophyte and lichen species on retention trees in 20 young forest stands in Latvia in two assessments, 11 years and 18 years after clearfelling. Linear mixed-effects models showed that richness of both lichens and bryophytes remained stable during the assessment years, while bryophyte cover and diversity on retention trees increased over time. The main indicator of higher species richness, cover and diversity on retention trees in managed forests in hemi-boreal vegetation zone was the tree species, with deciduous trees playing the key role. They also provided essential habitat for rare species. Regarding bryophytes, ash, elm, and aspen can be suggested as more efficient retention trees, thus aiding the continuity of bryophyte succession in young forest stands. For lichens, lime could also be prioritised. Full article

Functional and oxygenated stream beds provide crucial habitat for multiple endangered stream taxa, including endangered freshwater mussels, fishes, and insect larvae. Stream bed restoration measures such as substrate raking are often applied to mitigate excess fine sediment introductions and stream bed colmation, yet such measures are controversial. In this study, we conducted a systematic experiment in which sites with stream bed raking and removal of macrophytes were monitored over two years and compared with before-treatment conditions and untreated reference sites in the Swedish Brånsån stream, which still contains a population of the endangered freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera. The stream bed restoration resulted in improved habitat quality, as evident from decreased substrate compaction, increased redox potential, and oxygen supply into the stream bed. In contrast to previous studies in Central European catchments with more intensive agricultural catchment uses, the effects of the restoration measure were much longer, extending over two years. Consequently, stream bed raking and macrophyte removal can be considered a useful and more long-lasting restoration measure than currently assumed, especially in streams where excess input of fine sediment has already been mitigated, where catchment land use is rather extensive, and where near-natural flow regimes still prevail. Full article

Pinus squamata is a rare and endangered tree endemic to northeastern Yunnan Province, China, and it is listed as a Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations (PSESP) in China for requiring urgent conservation. Furthermore, the actions of ex situ conservation and reintroduction based on artificial propagation have been carried out since some 15 years ago. The rhizosphere microbiome plays an important role in soil quality and plant health. However, how the fungal communities of the rhizosphere differ between wild, ex situ, and reintroduced examples of Pinus squamata remains unclear. Illumina sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region was used to investigate fungal communities in the P. squamata rhizosphere soil. Rhizospheric fungal community composition, structure, diversity, and ecological function in the soil surrounding wild, ex situ, and reintroduced P. squamata individuals were elucidated. The ex situ site Kunming (EK) had the highest fungal community richness and diversity. The samples collected from six different sites were well separated (R = 0.95, p = 0.001), suggesting significant differences between the sites. Soil total potassium (TK), available phosphorus (AP), and pH were the main factors driving fungal community (0.01 < p ≤ 0.05). Prediction of fungal functional guild in the P. squamata rhizosphere demonstrated that the fungi could be classified as ectomycorrhizal, endophyte, and plant pathogenic fungi. Our research will provide a basis to guide the further selection of conservation sites for P. squamata based on fungal diversity and offer guidance on the antagonistic fungi and plant pathogenic fungi that may be of relevance to the conservation of this rare plant. Full article

The present study is the first to examine spatio-temporal variations in the densities and morphometrics of three shallow water Polyplacophora species (Rhyssoplax olivacea, Acanthochitona fascicularis and Lepidopleurus cajetanus), native to the eastern Mediterranean, while also estimating several growth parameters. Two intertidal boulder fields located in the Pagasitigos gulf (central Aegean) were sampled monthly with SCUBA diving using quadrant sampling, to compare the spatial and temporal (month, season) effects on their size, population density and dispersion pattern. Region was the most significant factor influencing the abundance and size for all three species, while the temporal scales affected mostly Rhyssoplax olivacea. The effect of a boulder under the surface was only significant for the density of Lepidopleurus cajetanus. The standardized major axis method showed that the three species exhibited different allometric relationships between length, width and weight, while a slope comparison between regions yielded significant, in most cases, results. Using the standardized Morisita index for dispersion, a clustered pattern was observed for all species seasonally, with the exception of Acanthochitona fascicularis in Plakes in autumn and winter. To estimate the growth parameters, a bootstrapped Electronic Frequency Analysis (ELEFAN) utilizing a genetic algorithm was employed on pooled populations. L_∞ and K varied among the three species with A. fascicularis exhibiting the highest L_∞ and L. cajetanus the lowest K value. Full article

Galinsoga parviflora is an herbaceous dicotyledonous plant in the Asteraceae that is common in disturbed habitats and agricultural areas across various temperate and subtropical regions of the world. In this study, several pathogenic strains were isolated from this host, and further morphological and phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences of nuclear rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode) and five other gene regions (act, chs-1, gapdh, his3, and tub2) revealed a new species, described here as Colletotrichum galinsogae sp. nov. The pathogenicity of C. galinsogae sp. nov. was also tested and confirmed on leaf segments and seedlings of G. parviflora. Full article

Oligotrophic marine environments are ecological funnels in marine ecosystems and are essential for maintaining the health and balance of the entire marine ecosystem. Bacterial communities are one of the most important biological populations, which can survive in low-nutrient environments and perform a variety of important ecological functions, such as decomposing and absorbing organic waste in the ocean and converting nitrogen from the atmosphere into a usable nitrogen source, thus maintaining the health of marine ecosystems. The bacterioplankton community composition and potential function were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in oligotrophic coral reef sea areas. The diversity of the bacterial community exhibited significant differences between the four studied regions. Proteobacteria (38.58–62.79%) were the most abundant in all sampling sites, followed by Cyanobacteria (15.41–37.28%), Bacteroidota (2.39–6.67%), and Actinobacteriota (0.45–1.83%). Although bacterioplankton communities presented no difference between surface and bottom water regarding community richness and α-diversity, the bacterial community composition presented significant differences between surface and bottom water regarding β-diversity. Alteromonadales, Rhodospirllales, and Chloroplast were identified as the significantly different communities between the surface and bottom (Q value < 0.01). Bacterial community distribution in different regions was mainly affected by pH, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients. Nitrite ammonification, chitinolysis, predatory or exoparasitic, chloroplasts, chemoheterotrophy, aerobic chemoheterotrophy, phototrophic, compound degradation (mostly nutrients and pollutants), nitrogen cycle, fermentation, and intracellular parasitism were the dominant functions in the four regions. Full article

Climate change may shift species outside of their current climatic tolerances, which can be problematic for oceanic islands with limited options for species migration. Their alpine habitats, which represent islands within islands, are a special concern due to high endemism rates. The Canary Islands have two examples for such fragile ecosystems above 2000 m, on La Palma and Tenerife. This study contributes an assessment of the Canary Islands’ climatic habitat for 47 alpine plant species under observed climate change (1959–1989 versus 1990–2019 periods) as well as for future projections (2041–2060 and 2061–2080 periods). We analyzed the contraction of climatic habitats and migration requirements (biotic velocity) for each species to compensate for observed and predicted climate change. Our results suggest that temporary climate refugia exist on Tenerife but are insufficient on La Palma, where habitat loss due to historical climate change has already created an area of significant concern: the Cumbre Vieja Natural Park. On Tenerife, current alpine species can find suitable climate habitats in the caldera area and on the Teide-Pico Viejo volcano. That said, migration paths toward these refugia are long and complex, and human-assisted migration may be required. Species-specific statistics to support such management interventions are provided in this study. Full article

The order Protococcidiida is one of the most poorly studied basal groups of Sporozoa (Apicomplexa sensu stricto). To date, the phylogenetic unity of protococcidians and their relationship with other sporozoans are understudied. Only the protococcidian Eleutheroschizon duboscqi has molecular evidence of a sister position to “true” coccidians (Eimeria, Sarcocystis, Toxoplasma). E. duboscqi is characterized by epicellular development in the so-called parasitophorous sac of the host cell origin. The unusual localization of Eleutheroschizon is comparable to that of Cryptosporidium. We describe a new species of the genus, E. planoratum ex Naineris quadricuspida polychaete from the White Sea, using light and electron microscopy. The morphology of attachment apparatus, phylogenetic analyses of concatenated DNA sequences of the nuclear ribosomal operon (SSU rDNA, ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, ITS2, and LSU rDNA), and compensatory base changes in ITS2 secondary structures of both protococcidians confirm the new species. The resulting phylogenies also confirm that Eleutheroschizon is sister to eimeriid coccidians, while Cryptosporidium tends to be grouped with gregarines. We discuss a new type of endoparasitism among sporozoans—the closed epicellular parasitism that evolved convergently in Eleutheroschizon and Cryptosporidium. The diagnosis of the new species and the emended diagnoses of the species E. duboscqi and the genus Eleutheroschizon are presented. Full article

The concept of fastidious microorganisms currently found in scientific literature is mainly related to the difficulty of isolating/culturing/preserving bacteria. Eukaryotes are investigated much less in this respect, although they represent a fundamental part of the microbial world. Furthermore, not only isolation, but also identification and culturing (in the perspective of long-term preservation) should be considered key aspects often impacting on the study of fastidious microorganisms, especially in terms of preservation in culture collections and biotechnological exploitation. The present review aimed to investigate the current state of the art on fastidious eukaryotes, with special emphasis on the efforts to improve their isolation, identification, culturing and long-term preservation in culture collections practices. A few case studies focused on some fastidious eukaryotic microorganisms (including possible customized solutions to overcome specific issues) are also presented: isolation and preservation of slow-growing fungi, culturing of Haematococcus lacustris, isolation of unialgal strains of Cyanidiophytina (Rhodophyta), identification of Metschnikowia pulcherrima clade yeasts, isolation and preservation of Pyricularia species, preservation of Halophytophtora spp. Full article

Widespread species are exposed to different environmental drivers and can consequently present variations in body shape and/or size. Trapdoor spiders of the genus Idiops are generally associated with a sedentary lifestyle and limited dispersion. However, the species Idiops pirassununguensis has a wide distribution, occurring in a diverse range of distinct environmental conditions, with their presence recorded in the Amazon, Caatinga, and Cerrado Brazilian biomes. We investigated how their morphological variation is structured regarding the biomes in which they occur through a morphometric analysis of the linear measurements and morphogeometric shapes of 64 specimens. Combining different methods proved to be a valuable approach to understanding how the spider’s morphology varies in different environments. The results were congruent and complementary, indicating intraspecific geographic variation, with the Caatinga specimens being distinct from their biome conspecifics. In Caatinga, a biome with periods of severe drought and warm climate, I. pirassununguensis specimens were found to be smaller, in addition to having narrower and elongated sternums and shorter legs. The morphological structuring herein is consistent with the results found comparing animals from Caatinga and other Brazilian biomes. Despite differences in their non-sexual structures, the specimens share a set of diagnostic sexual characteristics for the species, allowing all individuals to be classified as belonging to the same species. Full article

We investigated the Gyrodactylus ectoparasites on relict fishes in the isolated endorheic Central Asian Internal drainage basin in Mongolia (The Hollow) and placed them into the global phylogenetic framework based on internal transcribed spacer regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS). Much of the rich Pliocene lacustrine ichthyofauna is extinct. We sampled five riverine survivors: Altai osmans Oreoleuciscus humilis and O. potanini (Leuciscidae), Mongolian grayling Thymallus brevirostris (Salmonidae), and stone loaches Barbatula conilobus and B. cobdonensis (Nemacheilidae). We found eight species of the subgenus Gyrodactylus (Limnonephrotus) and four of G. (Gyrodactylus). Nine species were identified as taxa described earlier, and three were described as new. The endemic Mongolian grayling carried four species, only one of wageneri group typical to salmonids (Gyrodactylus radimi sp. nov.), two of nemachili group (G. zavkhanensis sp. nov., G. pseudonemachili Ergens and Bychowsky, 1967), and G. amurensis Akhmerov, 1952 of subgenus G. (Gyrodactylus). G. pseudonemachili was also found on osman and loach. A parasite clade typical for Nemacheilidae was overrepresented by five species (G. tayshirensis sp. nov. on Barbatula conilobus, G. mongolicus Ergens and Dulmaa, 1970, G. nemachili Bychowsky, 1936). Relaxed host specificity mentioned already by Ergens and Dulmaa was evident. In the updated global ITS phylogenies of the two freshwater-restricted subgenera, the parasites from the Mongolian relict populations assumed positions concordant with a hypothesis of multiple ancient introductions from the Euro-Siberian fauna, strong rarefaction and three cases of endemic divergence. Full article

Coralline algal beds are comprised of biogenic calcareous formations considered a habitat of high conservation interest, hosting a high great biodiversity. To assess the status of this habitat in the Italian seas, we report results from a systematic analysis of the available scientific literature. Italian rhodolith/maerl beds are reported on 31 Italian sites mostly located around islands, shoals, banks, terraces, and gentley sloping shelves, from 9 m to 130 m water depth (with a mean depth of about 56 m). The dominant species occurring in the Italian submarine sites are Phymatolithon calcareum and Lithothamnion corallioides, with a rich associated fauna including sponges, bryozoans, hydrozoans, polichaetes, molluscs, amphipods, gastropods, echinoderms. Despite the high biodiversity characterizing the Italian rhodolith/maerl beds, only seven submarine sites hosting this sensitive habitat are part of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This evidence highlights the need for actions focused on the implementation of effective management and proper conservation measures to preserve such precious habitats. Protection of this habitat cannot be effectively provided without access to multidisciplinary data (e.g., geospatial, biological, geophysical, geomorphological data) capable of assessing its spatial distribution and biological characteristics over wide areas. An increased research effort to improve the production of fine-scale distribution maps and monitoring activities is therefore needed. Full article

Chemosensory communication in lizards may be based on multiple compounds coming from multiple sources. Both secretions from external epidermal glands, and internal cloacal glands and feces are known to convey information (sex, familiarity, body size, etc.) for conspecifics. However, although some compounds in femoral gland secretions have been characterized and their function examined, there is very little information on potential semiochemicals in cloacal products and feces. More importantly, it is not well-known whether the compounds and information from multiple sources are redundant, complementary, or different. We analyzed the lipids in femoral gland secretions and feces of male Carpetan rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni) and examined which compounds might predict body size. We found many compounds in feces, mainly steroids, alkanes, and branched alkanes, while the main compounds in femoral secretions were steroids and fatty acids. The body size of males was related to the proportions of some alkanes, alkenes, and terpenoids in feces, while it is related to the proportions of some steroids and fatty acids in femoral secretions. There were also differences in the chemical profiles of feces of males and females, which may allow sex recognition. Therefore, femoral secretions and feces may both inform on males’ sex and body size, but the chemical bases of this information are different depending on the source. Full article

River runoff is an important source of nutrients as well as suspended and dissolved organic matter that in coastal zones and on the shelf are transformed due to local production cycles. River runoff affects the hydrological regime, salinity, temperature, and irradiance in river–seawater mixing zone. Our study focuses on the response of phytoplankton to the impact of small Caucasian rivers in the Northeastern (NE) Black Sea, as one of the most sensitive components of marine ecosystems with respect to the changes in abiotic factors. The leading role of marine species of diatoms, dinoflagellates, and coccolithophores in the structure and functioning when impacted by runoff from small rivers is demonstrated in comparison to the freshwater community. Variability of the taxonomic composition and quantitative and productive characteristics of marine phytoplankton communities impacted by small rivers were comparable to or exceed the seasonal and interannual variability on the NE Black Sea shelf. This indicates the significant role of runoff from small Caucasian rivers in maintaining of a high production level of phytoplankton overall and of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi in particular in the coastal zone. Full article

With the advantage of being eco-friendly, plant dyes have been noticed by textile practitioners and the public. However, as a result of the rapid advancements in industrial manufacturing, the traditional knowledge of plant dyes is dying, which demands heightened attention and protection. To document this traditional knowledge in the Baiyi community, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 288 informants from four villages (Five stars village, Hedong village, Nanpo village, and Shang’ eping village) of the Liuhe Yi Nationality Township, Heqing County, Dali Prefecture. Based on the ethnobotanical investigation of plant dyes, there were 11 plant species from 11 genera in 10 families that have been used as dyes. The Baiyi Indigenous peoples mainly extract the dye from the roots, leaves, fruits, etc., of the herbaceous plants. Through quantitative analysis, the frequency of use (f value) and cultural importance indices (CI value) of Viburnum cylindricum are the highest. The optimal conditions for dyeing cotton fabric with V. cylindricum were found to be a pH of 5, dyeing for 30 min at 60 °C by an orthogonal array design. As for the dyeing properties, biomordants provided better properties when used in dyeing cotton fabric with V. cylindricum compared with metallic mordants. This study reveals the great potential of the application of plant dyes in the Baiyi Indigenous peoples community; it will be beneficial to the economic development of ethnic areas, the inheritance of ethnic culture and the protection of biodiversity. Full article

Based on 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing technology, the microbial community structure in the gut of three tropical sea cucumber species, Holothuria atra, Stichopus chloronotus, and S. monotuberculatus, and their habitat sediments were analyzed. The OTUs in the gut contents of S. monotuberculatus, S. chloronotus, H. atra, and their sediments were 2489 ± 447, 1912 ± 235, 1628 ± 150, and 4162 ± 94, respectively. According to alpha diversity analysis (Ace, Chao1, Shannon, Simpson), the richness and diversity of microflora in the gut of all three sea cucumber species were significantly lower than that in sediments (p < 0.01). Anosim analysis showed that the intra-group differences were less than the inter-group differences (R > 0), and the microbial community composition of the sediment was distinctly different from those of three sea cucumber species (p < 0.05). UPGMA tree and Anosim analysis also revealed that the gut microbial communities of H. atra and S. chloronotus were more similar than that of S. monotuberculatus. Proteobacteria was the predominant phylum in all samples, and there was no significant difference in relative abundance among all groups. Actinobacteria was also a dominant phylum, and the relative abundance in S. chloronotus was significantly higher than that in other samples (p < 0.05). Potential probiotics and sequences related to Lactobacillus and Pseudomonas that may be developed for sea cucumber culture were also found in the study. It is speculated that the main reason for the difference in microbial communities between gut microbiota and environmental sediments may be the unique and quite different environment in the digestive tract of sea cucumbers. Whereas, the differences in gut microbiota among the three sea cucumber species were caused by selective feeding. These findings may provide basic data for tropical sea cucumber gut microflora studies and assist in the sea ranching and aquaculture development of the tropical sea cucumber species. Full article

In 2015, we studied the macrozoobenthic community composition along a dissolved oxygen gradient in the deep trough of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada). We sampled the seabed at nine stations using box corers (three replicates per station), starting in the outer Gulf and ending in the Lower St. Lawrence River Estuary. We found four different communities dominated by polychaetes, crustaceans, and molluscs, with the emphasis shifting from mollusc to polychaete communities as oxygen saturation decreased. Contrary to our expectations, the stations furthest upstream in the estuary with the lowest oxygen saturation levels had the highest species diversity, and also the highest density and biomass values. Key genera of the hypoxic zone included bivalves (Thyasira), cumaceans (Diastylis), amphipods (Harpinia), and polychaetes such as Ampharete, Ceratocephale, Galathowenia, and Trochochaeta. We attribute this to the stability of the environmental conditions and the absence of stress, where the constant supply of oxygen, even at low concentrations, seems to be more important than the absolute oxygen concentration. Full article

The variability of an MHC complex gene in sockeye salmon populations throughout the Asian range was studied to identify “footprints” indicative of pathogen-mediated selection and neutral demographic processes that have influenced these populations in both the recent and distant past. Genotype frequencies of a haplotype block consisting of two SNP loci (One_MHC2_109 and One_MHC2_190v2) in the Onne-DAB gene encoding the β-chain of the MHC class II molecule as well as allelic frequencies of 29 putative neutral SNPs have been traced in 27 sockeye salmon populations in the Asian Pacific coast. Differently directed clines of genetic diversity at the MHC2 loci were observed in sockeye salmon populations inhabiting the Sea of Okhotsk and Pacific coasts of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The formation of these clines can be attributed to a combination of historical processes associated with the colonization of the Asian range and the latitudinal gradient of abiotic and biotic factors influencing the variability of the Onne-DAB gene. In continental populations of sockeye salmon, balancing selection was not intense enough to conceal the impacts of demographic and historical processes associated with the fragmentation of the area in the late Pleistocene. In contrast, in island populations, balancing selection effectively maintained the diversity of the Onne-DAB gene despite a significant decrease in polymorphism observed in neutral regions of the genome. Full article

Herein, we report the recent proliferation of the non-native serpulid worm Ficopomatus enigmaticus in parts of Galveston Bay, Texas. Reef-like aggregations were first recovered from a settlement plate and a submerged brick at the Kemah Boardwalk Marina on 4 May 2023. By 20 May, similar growths were reported to us by the Kemah Boardwalk Marina on floating docks, boat hulls, propellers, and rudders. On June 8, nearby marinas remained unaffected. We confirmed the worms’ species identities by noting their diagnostic characteristics. Full article