Diversity of the food supply in urban environments of Chile: A comparative georeferenced study between Santiago and Antofagasta

SummaryEcological phenomena exist at multiple scales, but measurements of diversity frequently consider only the smallest scale, that of the original sample plots. Additive partitioning of diversity allows multiple, hierarchical spatial scales of analysis to reveal the scale at which diversity is maximized.We examined the spatial partitioning of diversity across 378 permanent plots established in 10 7–369‐ha research natural areas (RNA) in the 294 455‐ha Shawnee National Forest, Illinois, USA. Diversity (richness and Shannon's and Simpson's indices) was partitioned across four spatial scales, i.e. within and between plots, and between RNA and natural divisions (corresponding to α and three levels of β diversity), for two strata of vegetation (trees and woody understorey).For both strata, the highest contribution to diversity measured as species richness was between plots and between RNA. Diversity was lower than expected within plots, although Simpson's and Shannon's indices achieved their maximum values at this scale. However, Shannon's index values were higher than Simpson's index values at the between‐RNA scale and for all strata, indicating that the most common species were found at this scale.There was a simple asymptotic relationship between plot occupancy and local abundance, suggesting high colonization rates and rapid colonization of open habitat indicative of a wide niche breadth of the most abundant species.Synthesis and applications.The implications of these findings are that maximum diversity across a forested landscape is not necessarily at the scale of sampling (i.e. within plots) but may be at higher scales corresponding to larger landscape units. Moreover, the largest contribution of richness to total diversity occurred at a larger scale than diversity expressed using measures based upon information theory, which incorporate species abundance and evenness. Conservation efforts seeking to preserve diversity must identify and target the correct scales to allow effective management. In this study, management at and within the RNA represents the most appropriate scale for conserving maximum diversity.

The aim of this study was to present the relationship between soil properties and biodiversity indexes in upland fir (Abies alba) forest associations (Abietetum albae). Our study was conducted in six areas representing the growth conditions of upland fir forests and the research plots were located in the Roztoczański and Świętokrzyski National Parks as well as Przedbórz, Radomsko, Piotrków and Janów lubelski Forest District. on every plot, the topography was described, soil cores were examined and samples for laboratory analysis were taken. the following characteristics were determined for the soil samples: ph, c, n, ca, Mg, na and K content, particle size, exchangeable acidity, aluminum content and hydrolytic acidity. additionally, enzyme activity in the soil samples (urease and dehydrogenase) was measured. in each test area, the stand characteristics were measured (diameter at breast height and height), floristic characteristics were described and the biodiversity indexes (Shannon, Simpson and Margalef indexes) were calculated. Different soil types (gleysols, Brunic arenosols, gleyic Podzols and hyperdistric cambisols) were recorded for the investigated forest stands and the soils were categorized according to soil texture, c content, enzyme activity and different humus types (moder-mor, moder, moder-mull). the upland mixed coniferous forest sites were characterized by lower biodiversity indexes (2.6 shannon index; 0.72 simpson index; 4.9 Margalef index) while the upland mixed broadleaf forest sites showed higher indexes (3.3 Shannon index; 0.87 Simpson index; 9.4 Margalef index). The site index obtained for the fir stands confirmed these results.

Shannon's and Simpson's indices have been the most widely accepted measures of ecological diversity for the past fifty years, even though neither statistic accounts for species abundances across geographic locales (“patches”). An abundant species that is endemic to a single patch can be as much of a conservation concern as a rare cosmopolitan species. I extend Shannon's and Simpson's indices to simultaneously account for species richness and relative abundances – i.e. extend them to multispecies metacommunities – by making the inputs to each index a matrix, rather than a vector. The Shannon's index analogue of diversity is mutual entropy of species and patches divided by marginal entropy of the individual geographic patches. The Simpson's index analogue of diversity is a modification of mutual entropy, with the logarithm moved to the outside of the summation, divided by Simpson's index of the patches. Both indices are normalized for number of patches, with the result being inversely proportional to biodiversity. These methods can be extended to account for time‐series of such matrices and average age‐classes of each species within each patch, as well as provide a measure of spatial coherence of communities.

Objectives To investigate the gut-brain axis, we explored the relationships among mood disturbance (MD), diet quality (DQ), and fecal microbiota in free-living adults. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with data from 75 healthy adults enrolled in two studies. Anthropometrics, 16s rRNA gene sequencing of fecal microbes, DQ as assessed by Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI), and MD determined by Profile of Mood States (POMS) were included. Alpha-diversity and DQ differences were explored between low (n = 37) and high MD (n = 38) groups. Spearman correlations were used to investigate relationships between alpha-diversity, DQ, and POMS subscales. Moderation analysis explored the effect of HEI score on the relationship between MD and alpha-diversity. Results Participants were mostly white (67%), 54.5 years old (±11.8), and overweight (28.5 ± 6.5 kg/m2). Shannon and Simpson indices indicate higher alpha-diversity in participants with low MD compared to high MD (p = 0.004 and p = 0.008, respectively). Simpson and Shannon indices were correlated with subscale of anger (rho = −0.303, p = 0.011; rho = −0.265, p = 0.027, respectively)and total MD (rho = −0.404, p = 0.001; rho = −0.357, p = 0.002, respectively). Refined grains were associated with fatigue and tension subscales (rho = 0.428, p < 0.001; rho = 0.302, p = 0.014, respectively). DQ did not significantly moderate the relationship between alpha-diversity and mood disturbance (F(7, 53) = 2.00, p = 0.072, R 2 = 0.209). Shannon index was a significant predictor of MD (b = −4.39, t(53) = −2.55, p = 0.014), but total HEI score and the interaction (Shannon index*HEI score) were not significant. Discussion Greater bacterial diversity was associated with lower MD, and DQ was associated with various mood state subscales in this sample of adults.

Purpose The principal objective of this study is to investigate the authorship pattern and the relationship between them based on some statistical indices for the role of libraries in promoting education at the global level. Design/methodology/approach Data were searched for the peer reviewed and full text available journal articles that contained specific words of either libraries and education or libraries and e-learning in ERIC database. The data was analyzed based on certain statistical calculations to find out the degree of collaboration, collaborative coefficient, Shannon Index, Simpson's Indices, Spearman's coefficient and co-authorship pattern. Findings The criteria were met by 262 publications by 517 authors. The highest number of articles related with the role of libraries in education was published in the year 2013 and the highest numbers of articles were authored by single author rather than multiple authors. The degree of collaboration was found to be highest in the year 2015 and 2016 with a value of 0.66, whereas the collaborative coefficient was highest in the year 2016 with a value 0.42. The Shannon's diversity index was found to be 2.73705 with an evenness of 1.24568. The Simpson's index, Simpson's index of diversity and Simpson's reciprocal index were found to be 0.299, 0.701 and 3.3444 respectively. The Spearman's coefficient was found to be highest with a positive correlation of value 0.95 in the year 2013. Furthermore, 6 co-occurrences were found made by 8 authors. Research limitations/implications Only ERIC database was chosen for the study with the articles published from the year 2012 to 2016. Originality/value This study would be useful to the researchers to get an insight into the collaborative research pattern by the authors in role of libraries in education with different statistical approaches.

e20053 Background: Immune repertoire (IR) is the collection of functionally diverse T and B cells in an individual's circulatory repertoire at a particular time. The CDR3 is the main variation region of the CDR of T cell receptors (TCRs), which directly determines the antigen specificity of the receptor. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in TCRs between tumor patients and healthy people by using NGS sequencing of the CDR3 region of the human TRB. Shannon indices and Simpson indices were used to evaluate the TCR richness and evenness. Methods: From 2018 to 2022, a total of 537 cases of lung adenocarcinoma and 85 cases of healthy individual PBMC in China were collected. We identified 59 V and 14 J genes in the TRB CDR3 region by amplicon sequencing, and analyzed the differences between Shannon_index and simpson index. Results: TCR diversity were significantly higher in healthy people compared to lung adenocarcinoma patients as determined by Shannon index analysis ( P = 0.006), and the uniformity of TCRs in the latter group was lower (Simpson index 0.997 and 0.992 for controls and cases, respectively). For different age groups of lung cancer patients (age 20-44, n = 66; age 45-59, n = 205; age 60-74, n = 221; age 75-90, n = 45), the overall abundance and uniformity of T cells in lung cancer patients decreased with the increase of age (Shannon index: 7.91, 7.63, 7.38, 6.99, respectively. Simpson Index: 0.996, 0.994, 0.991, 0.986 respectively). The downward trend in the Shannon index between healthy individuals and lung adenocarcinoma patients exhibit a high correlation (spearman r = 1, P &lt; 0.01), indicating that age rather than cancer may be the main factor in immune decline in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. In terms of gender, the abundance and uniformity of T cell types in male patients were lower than that in female patients (male: Shannon index = 7.36, Simpson index = 0.991; Female: Shannon index = 7.61, Simpson index = 0.994), suggesting higher levels of immunity in the female patients. Conclusions: The Shannon index (immune diversity) in TCR sequencing was significantly different between lung adenocarcinoma patients and healthy individuals. In patients with lung adenocarcinoma, immunity declines more due to aging than the cancer itself. TCR diversity was lower in male lung adenocarcinoma patients than in female patients. In conclusion, Shannon index (immune diversity) in TCR sequencing can be used as a predictor of lung adenocarcinoma.

We analyzed species diversity of arbor forests and its relationship with spatial structure and soil factors at different successional stages of Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve in Zhejiang Province, including conife-rous and broad-leaved mixed forest and evergreen broad-leaved forest. The results showed that as the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest successionally advanced to the evergreen broad-leaved forest, the number of species increased from 51 to 62. In the top 10 species ranked by importance value, the proportion of Fagaceae species increased from 27.7% to 42.3%. Simpson index and Pielou evenness index differed significantly at different succession stages, decreasing from 0.79 to 0.77 and 0.91 to 0.86. In the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest stage, competition index was significantly positively correlated with Shannon index and species richness. Complete mingling was significantly positively correlated with Simpson index, Shannon index, and Pielou evenness index. Aggregation index was significantly negatively correlated with Simpson index, Shannon index, and species richness. Hydrolytic nitrogen and available potassium were significantly positively correlated with Pielou evenness index and significantly negatively correlated with species richness. In the evergreen broad-leaved forest stage, aggregation index was significantly negatively correlated with Shannon index and species richness. Complete mingling was significantly positively correlated with Simpson index, Shannon index, and Pielou evenness index. Shannon index and species richness were significantly negatively correlated with hydrolytic nitrogen and significantly positively correlated with available phosphorus. Simpson index, Shannon index, and species richness were significantly positively correlated with organic matter content. Spatial structure explained more variations of species diversity than soil factors at different successional stages. Aggregation index and complete mingling were the main spatial structure factors affecting species diversity. In conclusion, we recommended to focus on regulating spatial structure and to adjust soil physicochemical properties according to the succession stage to protect species diversity of arbor forests in different succession stages in Tianmu Mountains.

The present study aimed to assess the effects of organic farming in comparison with conventional on plant composition, plant cover (%), diversity [species richness, Shannon, Simpson, and evenness (Pielou's) indexes] and investigate and describe the relations among plant species richness, plant cover, indexes, and soil parameters (pH and temperature) in olive grove ecosystems during the winter. Organic olive groves had significantly greater values of cover, species richness, and Shannon and Simpson indexes than the conventional ones. Plant species richness was positively correlated to plant cover and Shannon and Simpson indexes but negatively correlated to evenness index for both farming system. Finally, plant cover was positively correlated to the Shannon and Simpson indexes for both farming systems. According to principal component analysis (PCA), for axis 1, positive correlation was detected among the plant species richness, soil temperature, and Shannon and Simpson diversity indexes, whereas for axis 2, negative correlation was detected between plant cover and soil pH. It can be concluded that the organic management system enhances herbaceous plant cover and diversity (species richness, Shannon and Simpson indexes) in olive grove ecosystems during the winter.

Despite the importance of urban greenery, research on trees in urban schools remains sparse. Hence, this study investigates woody plant diversity and carbon storage in three secondary schools in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria: Government Science School (GSS) Lafia, GSS Shabu, and GSS Tundun Kauri. Using systematic and random sampling, five plots per school were analyzed for tree diversity, with biomass measurement obtained through allometric equations. Tree diversity was quantified using Shannon and Simpson indices, while carbon storage and CO2 equivalent were calculated from the biomass data. At GSS Lafia, Plot 2 (West) had the highest species diversity (Shannon index: 1.367, Fisher’s alpha: 3.538), while Plot 5 (Central) had the lowest (Shannon index: 0.3488, Fisher’s alpha: 0.7972). At GSS Shabu, Plot 2 (West) had the highest diversity (Shannon index: 1.082, Simpson’s 1-D: 0.6563), whereas Plots 1 (East), 4 (North), and 5 (Central) had no diversity. GSS Tundun Kauri’s Plot 2 (West) showed the highest diversity (Shannon index: 0.6931, evenness: 1), while Plots 2, 4, and 5 had none. Regarding carbon storage, GSS Shabu's Plot 2 (West) had the highest carbon storage of 15,3356.44 kg and CO2 equivalent of 562.31 tons. In contrast, Plot 5 (Central) at GSS Tundun Kauri had the lowest carbon storage with 16,535.68 kg and CO2 equivalent of 60.63 tons. GSS Lafia's Plot 2 (West) contributed significantly with CO2 equivalent of 164.29 tons and carbon storage of 44,808 kg. These findings emphasize the need to maintain tree diversity for optimal carbon sequestration and urban green space management.

Dominance and diversity are important characteristics for the description of communities. The most commonly used indices are Simpson's dominance indexand Shannon's and Simpson's indices of diversity. This paper uses the basic concepts of statistics as applied to community analysis to develop new dominance and diversity indices that will enable scientists to establish correlations among various indices. The present study proves that the variance of the number of individuals of different species in a sample can be used to calculateSimpson's dominance and diversity indices. New indices have been developed from the ratios ofthe variance to number of species, and the mean number of individuals per species in a quadrat. A wide range of data, varying from high dominance to high evenness, was simulated for 25 quadrats, with each quadrat having ten species and 100 individuals in different combinations. Variance and standard deviation-based indices were computed using the simulated data and were found to be highly correlated with Simpson's and Shannon's indices. The proposed indices will give both the dominance and diversity of a community on the same scale based on the same statistic. Another important contribution of the present study relates to the variance of a sample consisting of a single value. It has been proved that the variance of a sample having only one value is equal to the square of that value. The paper establishes a new link between diversity studies and statistics.

Comparison of different reflectance indices for vegetation analysis using Landsat-TM data

Vegetation characteristics and soil properties of artificially remediated grasslands: The case study of the Shimenhe mining area in Qilian Mountains, northwest China

The altitudinal gradient pattern of mountain biodiversity and its formation mechanism are hot topics in ecological research. The altitudinal variations of belowground invertebrates are less understood than aboveground plants and animals. With soil mites as the model soil animals, we investigated their distribution patterns from 1318 m to 2500 m above sea level in three mountains of Lyuliang Mountains based on species diversity and functional diversity. We used soil pH, total N, total P, total K, and organic matter content to identify potential drivers of soil mite communities and diversity along the altitudinal gradient. A total of 715 soil mites were collected, belonging to 3 orders, 27 families, 28 genera, and 29 species. Phthiracarus clemens, Geolaelaps praesternalis and Diapterobates humeralis were dominant mites. Non-metric multidimensional scaling showed that soil mites community composition varied significantly among different altitudes due to Epilohmannia ovata predominated in high altitude and P. clemens predominated in middle altitude. There were significant differences in individual density of soil mites among different altitudes. The Margalef, Shannon, and Simpson indices followed a unimodal distribution pattern along the altitudinal gradient. Functional richness and functional evenness showed a unimodal distribution pattern along the altitudinal gradient, while other functional diversity indices changed little with altitude. The RDA results indicated that total K and soil pH were the major drivers for the variations in soil mite communities. The Pielou index of soil mites was significantly positively correlated with soil pH, while functional evenness was negatively correlated with altitude. Individual density, species number, Margalef, Simpson and Shannon indices were significantly positively correlated with functional richness index. Species diversity and functional diversity of soil mites varied differently with altitude. In the future, we should strengthen long-term monitoring and dynamic functional properties of soil mites and the community assembly to deeply understand the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

To reveal the effects of plantations on soil microbial environment,the composition and diversity of soil fungi and bacterial communities in five restoration models (Robinia pseudoacacia, Populus hopeiensis, Pinus tabuliformis, Picea crassifolia, natural restoration) in the mountainous area of southern Ningxia were compared by using high-throughput sequencing technology. The correlation between soil physical-chemical properties and dominant microbial groups was analyzed. The results showed that: 1) Dominant fungi in different restoration models were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota, and unclassified fungi, which accounted for 90% of total fungal community. The dominant soil bacteria were Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Chloroflexi, and other bacteria, accounting for more than 80% of total bacterial community. 2) The diversity of soil fungi in P. tabuliformis forest was the highest, with Shannon index, and Simpson index being 3.72±0.37 and 0.07±0.04, respectively. The richness of fungi in naturally restored forest land was the highest, with Ace and Chao1 index of 708.19±137.25 and 706.26±125.34, respectively. The bacterial diversity and richness of species in P. tabuliformis forest land was the highest. The Shannon, Simpson, Ace and Chao1 indices were 6.57±0.04, 0.004±0.00, 3439.81±41.67, 3463.14±32.16, respectively. 3) The fungus with significant difference among restoration models were Solicoccozyma, Cladosporium, and Alternaria. Bacteria from Norank_f_67-14, Rubrobacter_f_Rubrobacteraceae, Sphingomonas_f_Sphingomonadaceae had significant difference among restoration models. 4) The RDA ordination of the dominant microbial flora and soil physical-chemical properties showed that soil bulk density (BD), carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), and pH were the major factors affecting the dominant fungal flora. BD, nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N/P), total phosphorus (TP), and total carbon (TC) were the main factors affecting the dominant bacterial flora. In general, the difference of composition and diversity in the fungal community of different restoration models was higher than that of the bacterial community, indicating that the fungal communities were more sensitive to the changes of tree species and soil environment than bacterial communities. Our results could provide the theoretical foundation for vegetation restoration measures and the maintenance of ecosystem function stability in southern Ningxia.

This study investigated the prevalence of Listeria spp. in Bangladesh and determined their hemolytic activity. A total of 103 samples, including cattle farm water, feed, raw milk, cow dung, and soil, were collected from 24 farms. Isolation was performed using Listeria enrichment broth and selective agar, followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmation targeting the prs gene. Hemolytic activity of the isolates was determined using 5% sheep blood agar. Results reveal that the geographic location had a significant impact on the prevalence, with Sylhet division displaying the highest prevalence and Rangpur showing no presence of these pathogens. However, the sample type did not have any association with prevalence. A statistically significant correlation was found between the presence of Listeria spp. with elevated levels of fecal coliforms, suggesting common environmental or contamination sources. Investigation of the virulence potential of the Listeria isolates based on their hemolytic pattern on blood agar demonstrated that 1 of 2 of the Listeria spp. from soil samples were â-hemolytic, while no â-hemolysis was observed among isolates from cattle farm water, and cattle feed samples. The highest diversity of hemolysis patterns was observed for isolates from raw milk (Shannon index = 1.10, Simpson index = 3.00) and cow dung (Shannon index = 0.94, Simpson index = 2.36). Isolates from cattle feed samples showed the lowest diversity (Shannon index = 0.50, Simpson index = 1.47). In case of divisions, Dhaka showed the highest diversity (Shannon index = 0.97, Simpson index = 2.40) while the lowest diversity was observed in Barisal (Shannon index = 0.50, Simpson index = 1.47). In conclusion, the findings indicate a significant geographical variation in Listeria prevalence and highlight the role of environmental contamination in its occurrence. These results underscore the need for improved hygiene and monitoring strategies to mitigate public health risks. Bangla. J. Microbiol. 2025, Vol. 41, P: 1-11