Search Results (798)

This study investigates the relationship between cultural compliance and late dry-season vegetation dynamics in Southwest Sumba, Indonesia, by analysing a decade of August Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data (2016–2025) and Cultural Compliance Scores (CCS) across three sites. Underpinned by lende ura, a local customary philosophy conceptualising the forest as a ‘rain bridge’ that sustains water availability, this cultural framework fosters community commitment to forest conservation. Empirically, this contrast is evident where Delo, actively practising this philosophy, maintained a high mean NDVI (0.90) with a markedly low Coefficient of Variation (CV: 1.96%), whereas Mangga Nippi and Lua Koba exhibited lower mean NDVI (0.58 and 0.66) and higher variability (CV: 26.54% and 11.06%), indicating biocultural divergence. Consequently, this erosion of traditional practices is associated with changes in vegetation and observed declines in hydrological functions, making water increasingly difficult to access and heightening economic vulnerability within an environmental poverty trap. These findings indicate that late dry-season vegetation stability in this dryland setting is closely associated with the strength of customary governance, suggesting that traditional institutions may complement the formal conservation of natural habitats. By pairing a CCS with a decade of NDVI variability, this study provides a replicable framework and testable hypotheses for examining biocultural dynamics in comparable seasonally dry tropical landscapes. Full article

High-altitude Andean páramo ecosystems are critical socio-ecological assets that provide key regulating and supporting services, yet they remain highly vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. Understanding these services requires frameworks that integrate biophysical capacity with social valuation and demographic accessibility. In this study, we mapped and assessed belowground and aboveground carbon storage and species habitat provision across the altitudinal gradient (3160–4400 m.a.s.l.) of Cajas National Park (PNC), Ecuador, using a spatially explicit socio-ecological approach. Carbon stocks were modeled following The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2019 Refined Guidelines, combining reference soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks with aboveground biomass coefficients. Habitat provision was modeled through a multi-factor suitability index integrating Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), elevation, water bodies, and interpolated climate surfaces. Biophysical supplies were weighted via a Delphi-based expert consultation and integrated with demographic census data (173,672 inhabitants in four adjacent parishes) to estimate actual service capture and effective benefits. Total carbon stocks in PNC were estimated at 1.49 million Mg C, with volcanic Andisols acting as the primary reservoir (97.5% of the total stock). Habitat suitability was highly heterogeneous, with critical refuge patches clustered around the park’s lacustric network and stable microclimatic zones. Socio-ecological mapping revealed that the eastern boundary of the park represents the highest hotspot of effective benefit capture, directly supplying vital water regulation and cultural services to the peri-urban populations of Sayausí and Baños. These results demonstrate the utility of integrating standard IPCC guidelines with the ECOSER protocol, offering a repeatable and transparent framework to guide spatial conservation planning and sustainable land-use zoning in vulnerable high-altitude protected areas. Full article

Fruit mites, particularly Panonychus ulmi, Tetranychus urticae, and eriophyid mites, are among the most economically important arthropod pests in apple orchards, causing significant reductions in photosynthetic efficiency, fruit quality, and yield. Their management has traditionally relied on chemical acaricides; however, the widespread development of resistance, adverse effects on beneficial arthropods, and increasing environmental concerns have highlighted the limitations of pesticide-dependent control strategies. This review critically evaluates current advances in the management of major fruit mite species affecting apple orchards, with particular emphasis on Panonychus ulmi, Tetranychus urticae, and eriophyid mites. The biology, ecology, and economic significance of these pests are examined together with contemporary chemical control strategies, mechanisms of acaricide resistance, and sustainable resistance management. Particular attention is given to predatory mites, conservation biological control, habitat management, and ecological engineering as essential components of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The review also examines the integration of biological, chemical, and cultural control measures within IPM programs and provides a regional perspective on fruit mite management in Southeastern Kazakhstan, highlighting local challenges, knowledge gaps, and opportunities for implementing ecologically based IPM systems. Emerging approaches, including precision agriculture, digital monitoring, molecular diagnostics, and climate-adaptive pest management, are also assessed. The available evidence indicates that sustainable fruit mite management requires a transition from pesticide-centered control toward integrated, ecologically resilient orchard protection systems in which biological control and IPM serve as the foundation, while chemical control functions as a targeted supporting tool. To our knowledge, no previous review has comprehensively integrated biological control, acaricide resistance management, ecologically based IPM, and region-specific challenges for fruit mite management in Southeastern Kazakhstan into a unified framework while also identifying key research priorities for Central Asia, including resistance surveillance, biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and digital decision-support technologies. Full article

Ethnobiological gardens conserve both biological and cultural diversity, but their permeable boundaries may expose native wildlife inside the garden to chronic domestic carnivore activity. In this single-garden case study, we compare small mammal assemblages between the Jardín Etnobiológico Tlaxcallan (JET), a periurban ethnobiological garden in Tlaxcala, Mexico, and its adjacent, heterogeneous Periphery of native vegetation and agricultural matrix, using live traps, camera traps, and direct observations over nine months. Across 162 detections of 9 species, the Periphery consistently showed higher richness and diversity than the JET at every Hill number order and the two assemblages were compositionally distinct (Bray–Curtis = 0.679), with the JET dominated by disturbance-tolerant species and the Periphery additionally harboring habitat-sensitive natives that were largely or entirely absent from the JET. Domestic cats were detected almost exclusively within the JET, while dogs were recorded at both sites. Dog and cat detection rates were both positively associated with species richness in generalized linear mixed models, a pattern that most plausibly reflects spatial co-occurrence between carnivores and disturbance-tolerant species within the JET rather than a facilitative effect of carnivores on richness. Because our design contrasts a single garden with a single Periphery, these results cannot separate the influence of domestic carnivores from co-varying differences in habitat structure, sampling geometry, or human activity. We therefore present the observed compositional turnover as a hypothesis-generating pattern consistent with—but not evidence of—carnivore-associated ecological filtering that warrants testing through replicated, multi-site designs before informing carnivore management in periurban ethnobiological gardens. Full article

Dendrobium flexicaule has extremely strict requirements for its habitat, and its seeds are small and lack stored nutritional reserves, resulting in an extremely low natural germination rate. Excessive pursuit and excavation of wild D. flexicaule have led to the gradual depletion and a critical situation of endangerment. This study conducted tissue culture and in vitro regeneration of mature seeds of the endangered medicinal plant D. flexicaule, systematically investigating the optimal culture conditions for the regeneration propagation system. The results showed that, for the primary culture of sterile germination in the seed stage, the optimal culture medium was MS medium containing 0.2 mg/L NAA and 80 g/L potato homogenate, with the highest germination rate of 98.33%, and the protocorms grew robustly. The optimal subculture for the proliferation and differentiation of protocorms was MS medium containing 0.5 mg/L NAA and 0.5 mg/L 6-BA, supplemented with 0.5 g/L activated carbon, with a proliferation coefficient of 1.88 and differentiation rate of 81.33%; the clustered buds developed well. The 1/2 MS medium with added 50 g/L banana puree and 1 g/L activated carbon significantly promoted the growth of tissue culture seedlings, suggesting that medium without the addition of plant growth regulators is the optimal formulation for promoting vigorous seedling growth and rooting induction of D. flexicaule tissue culture seedlings. This study established an effective protocol for in vitro tissue culture of D. flexicaule, which is expected to offer valuable technical support for the establishment of rapid propagation and cultivation, relieving its endangered situation of wild resources. Full article

Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench is a European native species typically associated with dry, sunny, sandy, and nutrient-poor habitats. In European herbal practice, preparations from H. arenarium inflorescences are traditionally used for the symptomatic relief of digestive complaints. Polyphenolic constituents, particularly flavonoid and chalcone derivatives, are among the most characteristic compounds detected in the inflorescences. Intensive harvesting and degradation of natural habitats have increased pressure on wild populations. Since H. arenarium is legally protected in many countries, biotechnological approaches for plant biomass production represent a promising alternative. In the present study, shoot and callus cultures were established, and detailed extract profiling was performed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and electrospray ionization multistage mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MS³). Cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, anti-collagenase, and anti-hyaluronidase activities were also evaluated. In vitro-derived materials were compared with inflorescences and shoots of the maternal plant. The analyzed materials showed pronounced tissue-dependent metabolic differentiation. The highest callus growth rate was observed for the Ha-C-1 line, which also accumulated the highest levels of chlorogenic acid (25.80 ± 3.09 mg/g dry extract) and isochlorogenic acid A (55.83 ± 13.78 mg/g dry extract). Apigenin was detected in the inflorescence extract, reaching 3.55 ± 1.42 mg/g dry extract. The extracts did not markedly affect HaCaT viability at 15.63–500 µg/mL, while the strongest bioactivities were observed for inflorescence and maternal plant extracts. Full article

Hypersaline soils are poly-extreme terrestrial habitats characterized by high salinity, in some cases heavy-metal contamination, temperature fluctuations, and nutrient limitation. These conditions impose strong selective pressures, and many prokaryotic inhabitants still remain uncultured. Here, we conducted an extensive culturomics study of 549 isolates from the hypersaline soils of the Odiel Saltmarshes Natural Area (Southwest Spain) and compared the results with previously generated shotgun metagenomic datasets from the same environment in order to evaluate taxonomic composition, functional potential, and ecological representativeness. Cultivation across media containing 7.5%, 15%, and 25% (w/v) total salts yielded microorganisms belonging to three major phyla: Pseudomonadota, Bacillota (Bacteria) and Halobacteriota (Archaea). At the genus level, bacterial isolates were dominated by Marinobacter, Halomonas, and Aquibacillus at 7.5% (w/v) salinity, whereas extremely halophilic archaea, including Halorubrum, Halogeometricum, and Haloarcula, were predominantly recovered from media containing 25% (w/v) salts. Among the isolates, 57 strains displayed identity values < 98.65% for 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison, suggesting their putative status as new taxa. Comparison with metagenomic datasets showed that culture-dependent approaches successfully recovered the dominant haloarchaeal groups but missed some abundant bacterial phyla, such as Gemmatimonadota. Conversely, culturomics enabled the isolation of unknown species from the rare biosphere, including representatives of the novel genus Terrihalobacillus, which are typically detected at low abundance in metagenomic datasets. Together, these results demonstrate the complementarity of culturomics and metagenomics and provide an insight into the microbial communities inhabiting the hypersaline soils of the Odiel Saltmarshes. Full article

Microbial communities associated with fish mucosal tissues play important roles in host health and environmental adaptation. However, the effects of contrasting aquaculture conditions on the microorganisms of the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea, L. crocea) remain poorly understood. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to compare the gut and gill microbiota of L. crocea cultured in a marine system and a saline–alkaline system, together with the corresponding surrounding water samples. The results showed that both host tissue type and rearing environment significantly influenced microbial community structure. Water samples generally exhibited higher alpha diversity than host-associated samples, whereas the gut and gill communities were clearly separated from the surrounding water microbial community. The intestine showed stronger culture system differentiation than the gill, suggesting greater niche selectivity, while the gill retained a closer association with the rearing water. Across multiple taxonomic levels, microbial composition differed markedly among water, gut, and gill samples, and the divergence between the marine culture and saline–alkaline culture system became more pronounced at finer taxonomic resolution. Differentially enriched taxa further revealed clear tissue- and habitat-associated microbial patterns. In addition, several dominant taxa were significantly correlated with environmental variables, especially salinity and nutrient-related factors, indicating that physicochemical heterogeneity contributed substantially to microbial community assembly. Overall, this study shows that host mucosal niche and rearing environment are associated with distinct gut and gill microbiota patterns in L. crocea and provides preliminary ecological information for future microbiome-informed aquaculture management, functional validation of candidate taxa, and the development of land-based culture systems for marine fish. Full article

The reunification of scientific, artistic, and philosophical knowledge empowers us to rethink our relationship with nature in light of a biocultural ethic grounded in co-inhabitation among humans and other-than-human beings in shared habitats. To this end, the biocultural ethic is built upon the 3H model, which values the vital links among co-inhabitants and their life habits in shared habitats. The model integrates the biophysical, cultural, and sociopolitical dimensions characteristic of environmental complexity. In this essay, the 3H model is applied to rivers, examined from biological, philosophical, poetic, and legal perspectives. The result is not only to highlight that rivers are more than merely exploitable resources, but also to show that their “voice” raises a normative (ethical and legal) appeal that, among other aspects, has inspired the new Latin American constitutionalism. This ontological, epistemological, and ethical turn seeks to foster a transition from destruction and homogenization toward a bioculture that values biological and cultural diversity through renewed forms of co-inhabitation with rivers and the biosphere. Full article

Soil pollution is one of the main threats to soil ecosystem health, and the combination of microbial remediation with phytoremediation can promote contaminant degradation and contribute to the revitalization of ecosystem functions. Plant interactions with the surrounding physical and biological environments determine the formation of new ecosystems, which, similarly to natural ones, can provide several ecosystem services. Despite the increasing diffusion of phytoremediation and the large areas potentially suitable for the application of these technologies, the delivery of ecosystem services during phytoremediation interventions has rarely been investigated. In the framework of a bio-phytoremediation project, the present work explored the capacity of a new plant cover created at a site under bio-phytoremediation (area: 0.52 ha) to provide supporting, regulating, and cultural Ecosystem Services. The daily cumulative cooling effect due to plant transpiration during summer was 12.7 °C m⁻² day⁻¹, with species characterized by the highest Leaf Area Index and leaf transpiration rates (such as Chrysopogon zizanioides, evergreen shrub species, and Populus nigra) contributing the most to air cooling. Thanks to plant photosynthesis, 177 kg of C was sequestered each year, while the air pollution intercepted by the plant leaves amounted to 1.82 kg per year. After 30 months of phytoremediation, an increase in soil microbial activity indicated a progressive improvement in soil quality. Similarly, the cytometric analysis of hepatopancreatic cells from isopods indicated that the bioindicator organism actively and positively responded to the recovering environment, thus supporting the effectiveness of the ongoing remediation of soil quality. Finally, the implementation of the bio-phytoremediation intervention led to the creation of new habitats, increased ecological connectivity in the surrounding urban area, and generated an aesthetic value comparable to that of urban greenery. These analyses provided evidence that these techniques not only supported soil remediation and site securing but also contributed to improving citizen well-being in the proximity of the site and the environmental quality of the area. These significant positive externalities of phytoremediation should be considered when selecting technologies for environmental clean-up. Full article

This study aims to elucidate the soil fungal community structure, the distribution of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) resources, and their driving mechanisms in the alpine grassland of the northern side of the eastern Tanggula Mountains in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Five representative sites were established along an elevational gradient of 4000–5100 m, and 15 soil samples were collected. High-throughput sequencing (ITS region) and an insect baiting method were combined to analyze fungal community composition and diversity. LEfSe analysis, random forest modeling, redundancy analysis (RDA), and network analysis were employed to reveal the environmental driving mechanisms of community assembly. A total of 412 fungal species belonging to 303 genera were annotated, with Ascomycota as the dominant phylum. At the high-elevation site Jie-duo Town, Zaduo County (ZD-JD), the cold-tolerant ectomycorrhizal fungus Inocybe was absolutely dominant (17.18%). The low-elevation site Dong-ba Town, Nangqian County (NQ-DB), was enriched with the saprotrophic genus Mortierella (10.34%) and EPF taxa. The mid-elevation site Zhuo-xiao Town, Nangqian County (NQ-ZX), was characterized by Solicocozyma (11.88%) and exhibited the highest network complexity. Alpha diversity decreased with increasing elevation. A total of 35 EPF strains were isolated via the baiting method, predominantly Metarhizium anisopliae, M. brunneum, and M. robertsii, with the highest number of isolates (16 strains) recovered from NQ-DB. Elevation indirectly drove community assembly by regulating temperature and plant productivity. The soil fungal community structure in the alpine grassland of the eastern Tanggula Mountains exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity along the elevational gradient. Low-elevation habitats serve as hotspots for EPF resources, while high-elevation isolates harbor potential stress-resistance genes. The combination of culture-dependent and sequencing-based approaches provides a reliable strategy for microbial resource surveys in extreme environments. Full article

Over the course of Martian history, the presence of atmospheric carbon dioxide and potential subsurface molecular hydrogen (H₂), in addition to potential surface and subsurface liquid water, suggests that the Martian subsurface, at minimum, may once have been habitable, particularly to autotrophic chemosynthetic microorganisms. In addition, the widespread nature of clays and other minerals on Mars could have provided sufficient nutrients to support microbial life. Here we tested four methanogenic species (Methanosarcina barkeri, Methanobacterium formicicum, Methanothermobacter wolfeii, and Methanococcus maripaludis) in the presence of illite, nontronite, and Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS), in their standard growth medium. We aimed to determine whether the presence of certain Mars simulants inhibited, promoted, or had no effect on methane (CH₄) production by these microorganisms. The same methanogens were also tested in the presence of montmorillonite, H₂, sodium sulfide (Na₂S), and bicarbonate buffer to determine if this clay could support biotic CH₄ production. Three of the four methanogens tested (M. barkeri, M. formicicum, and M. wolfeii) were capable of CH₄ production in the presence of both clay minerals and MMS, as well as in cultures containing only 10% (w/v) montmorillonite, H₂, Na₂S, and bicarbonate buffer. Conversely, M. maripaludis, a halophile, showed the greatest sensitivity of the four methanogens tested; however, the presence of 5% (w/v) montmorillonite enabled greater CH₄ production under certain circumstances compared to cultures containing the organism’s standard growth medium alone. Overall, these results suggest that the presence of clay minerals on Mars does not preclude the survivability and growth of methanogens in a potential subsurface habitat. In fact, these geological components may provide sufficient nutrients to support microbial growth and survivability. Full article

This study presents the Multi-dimensional Flood Vulnerability Index (M-FLOVI), calculated by using an index-based method specifically tailored to capture the impact of nature-based solutions (NbSs) on vulnerability. It aggregates five vulnerability dimensions (physical, economic, environmental, social and institutional) into a single index within a multi-level framework. Each dimension is calculated from a set of indicators that can be computed with moderate data demands. These calculations generally require information about buildings, infrastructure, land cover, population, protected areas and cultural heritage, which can partly be obtained from open-access data. M-FLOVI ranges between 0 and 1, and it can be readily mapped and combined with flood hazard to produce flood risk maps. This paper elaborates a step-by-step M-FLOVI calculation in the Tamnava River Basin, Serbia, where various NbSs were proposed. Under the baseline conditions, most of the study area exhibits either moderate (83.5%) or low vulnerability (15.8%). These NbSs decrease future vulnerability in 6.6 km² (1.34%) of the study area. Afforestation (0.59%) and retention ponds (0.42%) decrease environmental vulnerability, while flood plain restoration (0.33%), which is expected to create a protected bird habitat, increases environmental vulnerability. These results suggest that M-FLOVI can effectively capture NbSs’ impacts on future vulnerability to floods. Full article

Long-standing studies of historical cultural spaces have primarily focused on the preservation of heritage objects and landscapes, while insufficient attention has been paid to the structural relationships, land-use transformations, and cultural–ecological processes that sustain their long-term continuity. Taking the World Heritage site of Lijiang as a case, this study develops a three-dimensional structural decoding framework composed of spatial base, spatial network, and spatial entity, together with an analytical pathway of “Identification–Interpretation–Evaluation–Synthesis–Practice.” By integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches with multi-source data, the study establishes an evidence chain linking historical processes and contemporary conditions to examine the formation mechanisms, continuity, and contemporary deviations of Lijiang’s historical cultural space. The results show that terrain–habitat adaptability, water system coupling, and environmental risk avoidance shaped environmental adaptation; historical corridors, landscape perception, and core node associations organized spatial networks; and functional diversity, cultural capital agglomeration, and spatial-scale compatibility supported entity-based spatial practices. Although tourism development, urban expansion, and land-use transformation have not completely dismantled these historical relationships, they have caused localized deviations in ecological boundaries, path continuity, visual connections, functional vitality, and spatial scale. This study argues that the governance of historical cultural spaces should shift from preserving isolated heritage objects to sustaining cultural–ecological relationships that support memory, identity, spatial practice, and adaptive land governance. Full article

Polygonatum cyrtonema (P. cyrtonema) Hua is an important economic crop with both edible and medicinal value. However, frequent root rot severely restricts its industrial development, resulting in sharp yield reduction and quality deterioration. To clarify the primary pathogenic fungi causing root rot of P. cyrtonema Hua, 58 fungal strains from naturally diseased P. cyrtonema Hua plants in different habitats were isolated in this study. By combining morphological observation and molecular identification based on 18S rDNA and ITS rDNA sequences, the species of 22 pathogenic fungi were identified, among which 10 strains belonged to the genus Fusarium, accounting for 45.45% of the identified isolates. The pathogenicity of 21 pathogenic fungi was verified according to Koch’s postulates, with findings indicating that Fusarium species exhibited significant pathogenic potential. Meanwhile, six previously identified endophytic Paenibacillus strains isolated from P. cyrtonema Hua were employed to perform dual culture assays and antifungal evaluations of their fermentation supernatants against representative strains including F. concentricum F2, Neopestalotiopsis sp. F3 and F. oxysporum F8. The results indicated that the antagonistic activity exhibited by the six strains exceeded 50%, with the inhibition rates of their fermentation supernatants against strains F2, F3 and F8 surpassing 73%. This study confirmed that Fusarium is the dominant pathogenic fungal group causing root rot of P. cyrtonema Hua. Furthermore, highly effective antagonistic endophytes were preliminarily identified, offering candidate strains and a theoretical foundation for the green management of root rot in P. cyrtonema Hua. Full article