Search Results (37)

Migration is as old as human history. Over the centuries, there was never a time when migration stopped. The nineteenth century was characterised by the migration of Europeans to Africa. These movements were attributed to colonisation, commerce, and Christianisation. Christianity was used as a conduit of colonisation and the deculturation of the recipients of the missionary gospel. At the turn of the twenty-first century, there was a significant influx of Africans migrating to Europe. Among these migrants were worshippers from the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (WMCZ). Using a missiological framework, this paper employs a qualitative research methodology to argue that the establishment of the WMCZ Fellowship, grounded in the mission and ecclesiology of the home church in the United Kingdom, is both a reverse and distant mission. To achieve this aim, this paper unpacks the methodology and the theoretical framework. It will also trace the development of the WMCZ in the United Kingdom (UK), discuss the hybridisation of Christianity, and justify the notion that the Fellowship is both a reverse and distant mission. The study makes recommendations that support the growth of the Fellowship. It concludes by arguing that the development of migrant churches in the UK can turn the MCB into a church with a white history, a black/multiracial face, and a white head that will eventually use a multiracial mind to survive in a white historical ecclesiology. Full article

A previous study demonstrated that spontaneous forest recovery can result in the development of functional mixed forests in post-mining areas. A critical step in this process is the establishment of climax woody species in the understory of pioneer trees. In this case study, we utilise repeated sampling to evaluate the establishment, initial survival, and growth of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) seedlings, and to newly assess Norway spruce (Picea abies) during unassisted forest recovery on a post-mining site after coal mining near Sokolov in North Bohemia. Detailed mapping of beech and oak seedlings was conducted in 2009 and 2012 (i.e., 14 and 11 years after the site was reclaimed). Now, we have resurveyed these seedlings, which has allowed us to evaluate their survival and growth. We have also mapped spruce seedlings and estimated their age from annual branch whorls. In the original study, most seedlings were found on the northern site near the edge of the post-mining area and the surrounding landscape, which serve as seed sources. Beech shows the best survival and growth on the northern site, where the greatest number of new seedlings also appear. In contrast, oaks demonstrate much higher mortality than beech overall, with the highest mortality observed on the northern site and the highest survival on the southern site, where most of the new seedlings also appeared. Interestingly, however, surviving oaks grew faster on the northern site. Across microtopography, seedlings of all three tree species were most frequent on the slopes of micro-undulations. Beech individuals were taller in depressions, whereas oaks did not consistently demonstrate a size advantage across microhabitats. Spruce colonised vigorously and was the most abundant of the three species across microhabitats. Age-frequency analyses suggest an annual mortality rate of 3%–9%. Browsing damage was observed on 19% of beech seedlings and 9% of oak seedlings. The study shows that pioneer tree stands are suitable nursing sites for studied climax tree species, which can colonise these sites several kilometres away from mature trees, and their establishment involves a complex interplay between distance to seed source and local microclimatic conditions. Our resurvey indicates that later successional stages may increasingly be shaped by shade-tolerant beech and spruce under the developing canopy. Full article

Over the last decade, Cameroon has been embroiled in a violent civil conflict. In 2016, protests within the minority Anglophone regions against the obligatory use of French in schools triggered a period of considerable unrest, in which hundreds of people have been incarcerated and killed. Following an increased security presence in the English-speaking regions, armed groups surfaced calling for secession—the creation of an independent nation of Ambazonia. The failure to resolve the crisis peacefully through dialogue has resulted in a spiral of violence between armed separatists and the military. Building on the work of Frantz Fanon, this paper offers an analysis of the construction of these identities before and after European colonisation. In mapping the contours of Francophone and Anglophone assimilation it seeks to explore how the current crisis might be resolved through what Fanon describes as a transformation of the collective unconscious and what the Nigerian philosopher Cyril Orji describes as a psychological transition away from prejudice against the Other. Full article

Candida auris has emerged as a global public health threat due to its high mortality rates, multidrug resistance, and rapid transmission in healthcare settings. This study reports the first documented cases of C. auris candidemia in Portugal, comprising eight isolates from candidemia and colonised patients admitted to a major hospital in northern Portugal in 2023. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to determine the phylogenetic relationships of the isolates, which were classified as belonging to Clade I. Genome sequencing also enabled the detection of missense mutations in antifungal resistance genes, which were correlated with antifungal susceptibility profiles determined according to EUCAST (European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test) protocols and guidelines. All isolates exhibited resistance to fluconazole and amphotericin B according to the recently established EUCAST epidemiological cut-offs (ECOFFs). Most of the isolates showed a resistant phenotype to anidulafungin and micafungin. All isolates were resistant to caspofungin. Missense mutations identified included Y132F in ERG11, E709D in CDR1, A583S in TAC1b, K52N and E1464K in SNQ2, K74E in CIS2, M192I in ERG4, a novel mutation S237T in CRZ1, and variants in GCN5, a gene involved in chromatin remodelling and stress-response regulation. Identifying known and novel mutations highlights the evolution of antifungal resistance mechanisms in C. auris. These findings underscore the need for further research to understand C. auris resistance pathways and to guide effective clinical management strategies. Full article

This paper investigates the cultural, spiritual, and ecological use and value of fish by-products in the material practices of Alaska Native (Indigenous Peoples are the descendants of the populations who inhabited a geographical region at the time of colonisation and who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural, and political institutions. In this paper, I use the terms “Indigenous” and “Native” interchangeably. In some countries, one of these terms may be favoured over the other.) and Greenlandic Inuit women. It aims to uncover how fish remnants—skins, bones, bladders, vertebrae, and otoliths—were transformed through tanning, dyeing, and sewing into garments, containers, tools, oils, glues, and adornments, reflecting sustainable systems of knowledge production rooted in Arctic Indigenous lifeways. Drawing on interdisciplinary methods combining Indigenist research, ethnographic records, and sustainability studies, the research contextualises these practices within broader environmental, spiritual, and social frameworks. The findings demonstrate that fish-based technologies were not merely utilitarian but also carried symbolic meanings, linking wearers to ancestral spirits, animal kin, and the marine environment. These traditions persisted even after European contact and the introduction of glass trade beads, reflecting continuity and cultural adaptability. The paper contributes to academic discourse on Indigenous innovation and environmental humanities by offering a culturally grounded model of zero-waste practice and reciprocal ecology. It argues that such ancestral technologies are directly relevant to contemporary sustainability debates in fashion and material design. By documenting these underexamined histories, the study provides valuable insight into Indigenous resilience and offers a critical framework for integrating Indigenous knowledge systems into current sustainability practices. Full article

Previous phylogeographic study of the root vole (Alexandromys oeconomus) revealed four mitochondrial cytochrome b lineages—North and Central European, North (=Central) Asian and Beringian. Three of them were studied in detail, while the North Asian lineage, which occupies the most extensive territory and is considered to be the place of origin for the species, was understudied. In the framework of the current study, we obtained 95 new sequences (34 localities) from the wide territory of Northern Asia and in total, examined 940 specimens from 181 localities throughout the species’ distribution range. The North Asian lineage was found to be more diverse than the Beringian and the European lineages. Southern Siberia and especially the Altai–Sayan region displayed the highest haplotype and nucleotide diversity, suggesting the region’s role as a genetic diversity hotspot. We suppose that the expansion of the North Asian lineage started from Western Transbaikalia. Its representatives colonised the territory from the Urals to the northern shore of the Okhotsk Sea, and then spread in the opposite direction, to Southern Siberia. As a result, a mixture of haplogroups is observed in the Altai–Sayan region. According to the BEAST analysis calibrated with the first A. oeconomus records, the MRCA of North Asian and Beringian lineages is dated back to ~0.82 Mya, and the first divergence within the North Asian lineage may have occurred ~0.6 Mya. When compared with colonisation times of other representatives of the Arvicolinae subfamily, our dating seems to be overestimated. In this regard, molecular data for dated fossil remains of the root vole are essential for subsequent studies. Full article

Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, was ruled by three Euro-Christian colonisers for over 450 years. Alongside their pursuit of trade and wealth, these colonial powers—the Portuguese (1505–1658), Dutch (1658–1796), and British (1796–1948)—sought to establish their distinct forms of Christianity: Catholicism by the Portuguese, Reformation by the Dutch, and Anglicanism and other Protestant denominations by the British. The missionary strategies and religious policies of these European colonisers varied significantly. Unlike Catholicism, which closely aligned with the external rituals of local religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, the Dutch Reformed religion emphasised Christian doctrine and biblical scripture, distinguishing itself in its liturgy, art, and architecture. This paper examines the origins and development of Dutch Reformed urban church architecture in Sri Lanka through archival, cartographical, and morphological research, complemented by an architectural survey of the surviving Dutch Reformed churches. The study reveals that the Dutch initially repurposed several Portuguese churches for Reformed worship, and later, they introduced the “Meeting House” typology, aligning with Reformed ecclesiastical and liturgical principles. Over time, this evolved into larger “Greek Cross Plan” churches, a trend that continued until the rise of Anglicanism. Full article

The colonisation of the Americas and the discovery of its rich ores had a great impact on the world economies, making them quickly become the main suppliers of precious metals in Europe. The compositional studies of several coins (ducatons, eight reales cob8, four reales cob4, eight reales pillar dollar, four reales half pillar dollars, rijderschellings and silver rijders) recovered from the 18th-century Dutch East India Company Rooswijk wreck by micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) spectroscopy revealed further knowledge about the silver trade and the silver sources used to produce coins in mints in the Low Countries over a wide timeframe (1618–1739). The results provided trace elemental ‘fingerprints’ of coins minted with silver from known mines, and matching against them revealed the silver sources used in coins, whose mint location could not be identified due to their poor state of preservation. This study proved that, despite the decrease in silver production in European mines in the 17th century and the huge influx of American silver into Europe, in the 18th century, the mints in the Dutch Republic and, to a lesser extent, in the Spanish Netherlands still highly relied on the recycling of older coins and on the import of silver from central European mines. Full article

During the many centuries of interaction and exchange between China and Europe, one of the most complex and ambiguous relationships was that of the Catholic Church and its missionaries in China. On one hand, they contributed to and can be seen as a part of the European imperial project of world colonisation, but on the other hand, they were instrumental in sharing and exchanging knowledge, as well as creating schools and other institutions in the places they created missions. At the same time, attempts were being made within the Catholic Church to promote the development of a Chinese clergy, although this issue remained divisive. This article examines these complex relationships through the eyes of a French Jesuit, André Yverneau, who was in China between 1948 and 1951 and who left a collection of letters back to his family describing these years. His experiences, observations, reactions and attitudes towards China and the mission are presented and analysed in order to re-evaluate some of the main debates surrounding the mission in China in the mid-twentieth century: education, language, indigenisation, and politics, both internal to the Catholic Church and with its relations in China. Full article

The round goby Neogobius melanostomus is a notoriously invasive fish originating from the Ponto-Caspian region that in recent decades has successfully spread across the globe. One of its primary impacts is direct predation; in addition, when entering new ecosystems, the round goby is likely to become a food resource for many higher native predators. However, little is known either about the indirect effects of predators on the round goby as prey or its feeding behaviour and activity. The non-consumptive effect of the presence of higher native predators presumably plays an important role in mitigating the impact of non-native round gobies as mesopredators on benthic invertebrate communities, especially when both higher- and mesopredators occupy the same habitat. We tested the food consumption probability and gut evacuation rates in round gobies in response to chemical signals from a higher predator, the European eel Anguilla anguilla. Gobies were placed individually in experimental arenas equipped with shelters and exposed to water from a tank in which (a) the higher predator had actively preyed on a heterospecific prey, earthworms Lumbricus sp. (the heterospecific treatment; HS); (b) the higher predator had fed on round gobies (the conspecific treatment; CS); or (c) the water was provided as a control treatment (C). To ensure exposure to the chemical stimuli, this study incorporated the application of skin extracts containing damaged-released alarm cues from the CS treatment; distilled water was used for the remaining treatments. No significant differences were observed in either the food consumption probability or gut evacuation rate in the tested treatments. Despite the lack of reaction to the chemical stimuli, round gobies did exhibit high evacuation rates (R = 0.2323 ± 0.011 h⁻¹; mean ± SE) in which complete gut clearance occurred within 16 h regardless of the applied treatment. This rapid food processing suggests high efficiency and great pressure on resources regardless of the presence or not of a higher predator. These findings hint at the boldness of round gobies, which did not exhibit any pronounced threat sensitivity. This would seem to suggest great efficiency in food processing and a potential competitive advantage over local native species when colonising new ecosystems, irrespective of the presence of native predators. Our study did not detect any non-consumptive effect attributable to the higher predator, given that the feeding activity of the invasive round goby was not altered. Full article

The Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus, which is native to the western Atlantic coast and listed among the 100 most invasive alien species in the Mediterranean Sea, is attracting a great deal of interest because of its rapid colonisation of new areas, the significant increase in its population, and the impacts it may have on ecosystems and ecosystem services. Outside its natural distribution range, the species was first found on European Atlantic coasts in the early 1900s and was introduced into the Mediterranean Sea a few decades later, probably through ballast water. Currently, it is found in almost the entire Mediterranean Basin and is also expanding into the Black Sea and along the north African and Iberian Atlantic coasts. Based on a systematic review of C. sapidus occurrences, this study describes its distribution, aggregation patterns, and spatial structure in Northwest Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, and adjacent waters through a series of ecological indicators elaborated using GIS spatial–temporal statistics. The main results highlight that the species is expanding in the Mediterranean and adjacent waters, while in northern Europe, the population remains confined in some areas. Furthermore, the main species detection methods are analysed, finding that traps and nets are the most frequently used methods, and management suggestions are provided. Full article

Biofinish is an innovative wood protection system inspired by biological processes. It enhances the hydrophobicity of wood through oil treatment, resulting in improved dimensional stability. Living cells of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans effectively protect wood from deterioration caused by other decaying fungi. The melanin pigment produced by the fungus provides an appealing dark surface and additionally protects the wood substrate against UV radiation. The significant advantage of Biofinish is its remarkable self-healing ability, which distinguishes it from conventional wood protection methods. This research aimed to explore fungal species colonising surfaces exposed to natural weathering and assess the survival of A. pullulans on wood surfaces coated with Biofinish during its in-service period. This study was performed on a facade composed of European larch wood (Larix decidua) treated with linseed oil and coated with Biofinish at the InnoRenew CoE building in Izola, Slovenia, following a 9-month exposure period. The majority of the detected species belonged to the genera Aureobasidium. The results indicated the survival and effective antagonistic action of A. pullulans, the living and active ingredient of the coating, against other wood-decaying fungi. Full article

GPS satellite tracking allows novel investigations of how golden eagles Aquila chrysaetos use the landscape at several scales and at different life history stages, including research on geographical barriers which may prevent or limit range expansion or create population/sub-population isolation. If there are significant barriers to golden eagle movements, there could be demographic and genetic consequences. Genetic studies have led investigations on the identification of sub-species, populations, and sub-populations but should be conjoined with demographic studies and dispersal movements to understand fully such designations and their geographic delimitation. Scottish eagles are genetically differentiated from continental European birds, with thousands of years of separation creating a distinct population, though without sub-species assignation. They present unique research opportunities to examine barriers to movements illustrated by satellite tracking under Scotland’s highly variable geography. We primarily examined two features, using more than seven million dispersal records from satellite tags fitted to 152 nestlings. The first was the presence of unsuitable terrestrial habitat. We found few movements across a region of largely unsuitable lowland habitat between upland regions substantially generated by geological features over 70 km apart (Highland Boundary Fault and Southern Uplands Fault). This was expected from the Golden Eagle Topography model, and presumed isolation was the premise for an ongoing reinforcement project in the south of Scotland, translocating eagles from the north (South Scotland Golden Eagle Project: SSGEP). Second was that larger expanses of water can be a barrier. We found that, for a northwestern archipelago (Outer Hebrides), isolated by ≥24 km of sea (and with prior assignation of genetical and historical separation), there were no tagged bird movements with the Inner Hebrides and/or the Highlands mainland (the main sub-population), confirming their characterisation as a second sub-population. Results on the willingness of eagles to cross open sea or sea lochs (fjords) elsewhere in Scotland were consistent on distance. While apparently weaker than the Outer Hebrides in terms of separation, the designation of a third sub-population in the south of Scotland seems appropriate. Our results validate the SSGEP, as we also observed no movement of birds across closer sea crossings from abundant Highland sources to the Southern Uplands. Based on telemetric results, we also identified where any re-colonisation of England, due to the SSGEP, is most likely to occur. We emphasise, nevertheless, that our study’s records during dispersal will be greater than the natal dispersal distances (NDDs), when birds settle to breed after dispersal, and NDDs are the better shorter arbiter for connectivity. Full article

From the beginning of European overseas expansion in the fifteenth century, religious missions occupied an important place in the internal organisation of colonial empires. Their contribution to the ideological structuring of imperialism and the interaction with local populations is undeniable. With the emergence of the new imperialism and the scramble for Africa (after the 1870s), the missions, often anticipating the colonial political and administrative presence, enhanced their role as advocates of Europe’s “civilising mission”, above all through the education of the colonised peoples. For Portuguese decision-makers, the religious missions, with a multi-century tradition, had an important role in defending territorial claims overseas and promoting the empire’s nationalisation. However, the lack of national missionaries, Christianity’s inter-confessional competition in the nineteenth century and the emergence of international legal rules protecting missionary activities hindered Portugal’s strategies. Using sources from several archives (in Lisbon, the Vatican, and elsewhere) to emphasise the role of a transnational missionary staff and the international law of missions, this text intersects these aspects, examining their convergence in the controversial case of the exit and replacement of Jesuit missionaries in Mozambique in 1910–1911, to demonstrate the need to look at the missionary issues in the Portuguese overseas domains from perspectives that go beyond nation and empire. Full article

The arrival of a new invasive alga, Rugulopteryx okamurae, in the Strait of Gibraltar (SoG) in 2015 marked an unprecedented milestone in the North African and, later, in the European marine ecosystems. Nowadays, it is colonising vast infralittoral areas and significantly modifying some habitats and associated communities of the southern Iberian Peninsula. In recent expeditions, a high amount of free drifted thalli of this alga has been detected in different circalittoral and bathyal habitats of the northern SoG and the Alboran Sea. The present study combines quantitative data of this alga obtained with the use of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and a bottom otter trawl. The coverage–entanglement level of the drifted thalli on circalittoral and bathyal benthic invertebrates (e.g., not covering, covering only the basal part, covering one-third of the invertebrate, etc.) was also annotated from picture frames taken in locations with abundant drifted thalli. In underwater images, drifted thalli were mainly detected in circalittoral and bathyal bottoms of the northern SoG and the north-western Alboran Sea, between 50 to ca. 450 m depth. Nevertheless, abundant drifted thalli were also detected in bottom otter trawl samples from circalittoral bottoms of the north-central and north-eastern Alboran Sea. Small benthic organisms (e.g., encrusting sponges, hydrozoans, etc.) generally displayed low coverage–entanglement levels of drifted thalli. Nevertheless, large sessile and colonial benthic organisms with a complex three-dimensional morphology (e.g., gorgonians, colonial scleractinians) reached high levels of R. okamurae thalli entangled in different parts of their colonies. The drifted R. okamurae thalli entangled in these colonial suspension feeding organisms may hinder their feeding capability in the long term, resulting in habitat deterioration in the near future. Full article