Ecological research and knowledge gaps in the snake fauna of Nigeria: a systematic review with conservation implications

The expansion, densification and proliferation of urban areas around the world is currently occurring at a rate that is unprecedented in human history. It is predicted that global urban land cover will triple between 2000 and 2030, with some regions (including biodiversity hotspots) experiencing a ninefold increase in urban land cover over the same time period (Seto, G€ uneralp & Hutyra 2012). Accompanying the expansion of urban landscapes, it is anticipated that the human population living in cities and towns globally will increase from 3 5 to 5 billion people within the next 20 years (Fragkias et al. 2013). Thus, the demands of an expanding and urbanizing human population are one of the pressing ecological problems our world is facing (Sanderson et al. 2002), alongside, and in combination with, global climate change and changes to biodiversity at local and global scales (Pimm et al. 2014). Yet, urban environments also present a unique opportunity to expand our fundamental knowledge related to ecology and evolution due to the presence of intense and often novel selection pressures. In the inaugural issue of this journal, Calow (1987) defined functional ecology as the sum of three interactive processes: (i) those occurring between organisms and their environment, (ii) biotic interactions between organisms and (iii) adaptive processes driven by natural selection. The same three processes were highlighted 1 year earlier by Jared Diamond in Nature, when he called for biologists to pay more attention to the potential of using the unprecedented environmental conditions that exist within towns and cities to develop and test evolutionary and ecological theory (Diamond 1986). There is thus a natural synergy between functional ecology and urban ecology, as exemplified by some of the classic papers that have appeared in this journal, such as Rydell (1992) who demonstrated that the form of echolocation system determined the impact of light pollution on bat foraging behaviour. The potential of combining functional ecological research with urban ecology is, however, a long way from being fully realized. This is in part explained by the youth of urban ecology as a discipline. Scientific enquiry into the ecological consequences of urban environments has been underway for over half a century, although most of the momentum emerged after the mid 1990s (McDonnell 2011; Wu 2014). Thus, the focus of much urban research to date has involved describing patterns along environmental gradients (Gagn e 2013; McDonnell & Hahs 2013) rather than investigating the mechanistic processes that lie at the heart of functional ecology. To be effective in addressing the global challenges of urbanization, a much better understanding of how the urban environment affects the ecology and evolution of organisms needs to be developed (Grimm et al. 2008; Marzluff 2012; Gil & Brumm 2014; McDonnell & Hahs 2015). The purpose of this special feature is to draw attention to the plethora of opportunities that await researchers investigating the ecology and evolution of organisms in urban environments. The combination of environmental stressors and conditions within urban areas provides a novel opportunity to test and expand our theories related to ecology and evolution of organisms, and some intriguing insights are already beginning to emerge. For example, the detailed understanding of the molecular, genetic and developmental mechanisms of beak evolution that has arisen from studying Galapagos finches has been significantly advanced by studying beak evolution in the house finch Carpodacus mexicanus in response to novel urban food sources and its consequences for acoustic communication (Badyaev 2010, 2014). Thus, urban ecology has the potential to extend our understanding of extremely well-studied ecological and evolutionary problems.

Promoting Action Ecology Research Through Integration of Environmental Justice in Undergraduate Ecology Education

Making ecology relevant to decision making: the human‐centered, place‐based approach

The North American Great Lakes Basin is the homeland for many First Nations, Métis and Native American Tribes. The terrestrial and aquatic ecological systems within this multinational region, which is of spiritual, cultural and subsistence significance to a diversity of Indigenous Peoples, are facing several natural and anthropogenic pressures. While there are many current and past research efforts and projects to address those pressures, the nature and range of environment‐related projects involving Indigenous Peoples or organizations remains unknown. This gap in knowledge presents a unique opportunity to identify and map past and current environmental and ecological research within the Great Lakes involving Indigenous Peoples. A systematic search strategy will be applied to identify and capture peer‐reviewed publications that pertain to past and current environmental research within the Great Lakes basin that involve or are connected to Indigenous Peoples, following the procedures outlined in this systematic mapping protocol. Publications that pertain to environmental and ecological research with, for and by Indigenous Peoples within the Great Lakes, as determined by the use of suitable keywords, will be retrieved from four proposed online bibliographic platforms and databases. Searches will only include peer‐reviewed publications in the English language. Final captures of the search results will be screened in two stages to identify potentially relevant papers. This will take place through (1) title and abstract screening and (2) full‐text analysis. Following the completion of the screening process, remaining papers will be coded and analysed through a narrative synthesis approach and descriptive statistics will be conducted. Environmental research captured through this systematic protocol will be geospatially mapped using the ArcGIS mapping software. It is anticipated that the information obtained from the resulting systematic map will be beneficial for identifying gaps in environmental research to support and inform future initiatives for environmental research planning, policy and decision‐making with, for and by Indigenous Communities within the Great Lakes basin.

The proliferation of information and communication technologies in enterprises enables them to develop new business models and enhance their operational and commercial activities. Nevertheless, this practice also introduces new cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities. This may not be an issue for large organizations with the resources and mature cybersecurity programs in place; the situation with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is different since they often lack the resources, expertise, and incentives to prioritize cybersecurity. In such cases, cybersecurity awareness can be a critical component of cyberdefense. However, research studies dealing with cybersecurity awareness or related domains exclusively for SMEs are rare, indicating a pressing need for research addressing the cybersecurity awareness requirements of SMEs.Prior to that, though, it is crucial to identify which aspects of cybersecurity awareness require further research in order to adapt or conform to the needs of SMEs. In this study, we conducted a systematic literature review that focused on cybersecurity awareness, prioritizing those performed with a particular focus on SMEs. The study seeks to analyze and evaluate such studies primarily to determine knowledge and research gaps in the cybersecurity awareness field for SMEs, thus providing a direction for future research.

E-wallets are one of the breakthroughs brought forth by the evolution of FinTech, which has been accentuated by the global outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, it is critical to comprehend the factor of e-wallet acceptance. As this technology advances, substantial knowledge and research gaps become apparent. Previous studies on e-wallet acceptance have overlooked the importance of motivation and self-efficacy. There is a dearth of focus on certain age groups, such as Gen Z, which is currently the trendsetter of new technologies. This study aims to close the gaps regarding the lack of focus toward Gen Z, motivation, and self-efficacy in understanding e-wallet acceptance by combining the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Self-Efficacy (SE), and Digital Media Self-Efficacy (DMSE) to fully understand the factors influencing e-wallet acceptance among Gen Z, using 233 samples to test 16 hypotheses derived from the identified research and knowledge gaps. External Regulation (ER), SE, and DMSE are the determinants of acceptance, according to Structural Equation Model analysis conducted. Mediation analysis reveals that Attitude toward Use (AT) is the full mediator of Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEU). The quintessential outcome of this research is the Model of E-Wallet Acceptance among Gen Z, which is significant for FinTech industries looking to strategically roll out e-wallet initiatives as well as a point of exploration for numerous future academic research and development.

Joanne O'Brien, Simon Berrow, David McGrath, Peter Evans, CETACEANS IN IRISH WATERS: A REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH, Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol. 109B, No. 2 (September 2009), pp. 63-88

Insects represent around 80% of terrestrial animal biodiversity and are critical for the functioning of ecosystems including many ecosystem services that humans rely on, such as pollination and nutrient recycling. However, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that insect populations are declining globally due to anthropogenic impacts, such as climate change and habitat loss. Despite this, a high proportion of insect species remain undescribed and limited data on their population dynamics and distributions is hampering insect conservation efforts. This is particularly critical in tropical biodiversity hotspots, such as Southeast Asia, which are also undergoing rapid environmental changes. This thesis aims to better understand and tackle these data and knowledge gaps to contribute to insect conservation and research efforts in Southeast Asia. The chapters of this thesis present an integrative approach using field-, laboratory-, and museum-based research, and desk-based reviews and conservation assessments. Firstly, I performed a quantitative review and identified the data, knowledge, and capacity gaps in Southeast Asian insect research. Secondly, I performed a quantitative comparison of dung beetle communities captured between two commonly used dung beetle trapping methods. Thirdly, I optimised and used a DNA metabarcoding protocol to construct novel quantitative dung beetle-vertebrate trophic networks across a large forest area in Singapore. Lastly, I analysed a large dataset of dung beetle occurrence records from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and performed a preliminary conservation status assessment of the region’s dung beetles. In these chapters, I provide proposed solutions, which include integrative taxonomy approaches, local capacity building, increased funding for continued research and monitoring of tropical insects, and public engagement, to address the data, knowledge, and capacity gaps present in the region. I also provide recommendations on sampling techniques and establishing open-access resources for future rapid biodiversity assessments and ecological studies of Southeast Asian dung beetle communities. Through the solutions proposed and the integrative tools presented, I hope that this body of work will serve as a catalyst, enabling future ecological and conservation research for insects in Southeast Asia.

Synthesis of the first 10 years of long-term ecological research in Amazonian Forest ecosystem – implications for conservation and management

The revised version of Canada's Food Guide, released in January 2019, issued new guidance by combining meat and alternatives with milk and alternatives into a single group called "protein foods" and emphasized selecting plant-based foods from this category more often. Though the changes represent a simple depiction of a healthy plate, the new Food Guide has opened knowledge gaps about protein foods and exposed new concerns about the interpretation and implementation of the Food Guide among vulnerable groups, particularly children and the elderly. To address key knowledge and research gaps, nutrition leaders need to reach a consensus on key messages to best inform the development of tools and resources to support practitioners in translating messages to consumers, including foodservice standards. Among consumers, families with young children are a primary target for these resources as they develop their life-long habits to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to select, prepare, and consume nutrient-rich protein foods. The new Food Guide provides an opportunity to address the existing knowledge gaps, develop tools and resources to support health professionals, and design interventions that will help Canadian families choose, prepare, and eat nutrient-rich protein foods. Novelty An updated Canadian regulatory framework is needed for protein labelling and content/health claims. There are knowledge gaps about protein foods consumption and food literacy needed to optimize nutritional health. Mandatory nutrition policies are needed to safeguard the provision of high-quality protein foods across institutions that serve children and older adults.

Toward a holistic understanding of pastoralism

Numerous oil and gas (O&G) installations worldwide will need to be decommissioned in the near future. Complete removal of subsea structures is often the default approach although some regions retain structures under rigs-to-reefs programs. Here, we reviewed the published literature to understand the status of global research on decommissioning, and specifically identify gaps in ecological knowledge. We estimated the frequency of different research categories (i.e., themes, and spatial/temporal scales), and tested the assumption that the number of papers across the categories of each research aspect was even in distribution. However, the frequency of studies focusing on biodiversity at a local (≤100 km2) scale (relative to regional and oceanic and pan-oceanic scales) were significantly higher; while other theme categories (e.g., eco-toxicology, connectivity, structural-integrity, restoration and other) were significantly lower than expected. Temporally, ≤1-year studies were more frequent than multi-year studies, but these frequencies did not significantly deviate from the assumed distribution of equal frequencies. We propose that further research be carried out to evaluate the benefits of both retention and removal of structures. Ecological research on decommissioning should extend its focus beyond biodiversity, to include eco-toxicology, structural-integrity, connectivity at larger spatial and temporal scales. This would provide a more holistic assessment of ecological impacts to inform sustainable and equitable development choices in multiple Blue Economy sectors, as we transition from offshore O&G to marine renewables.

Sampling biases permeate ecological research and result in knowledge gaps that have vital consequences for conservation planning. The consequences of knowledge gaps on species identity and distribution (the Wallacean and Linnean shortfalls, respectively) have become apparent recently, but we know little about the extent that research biases and knowledge gaps on traits that influence species' niches (the Hutchinsonian shortfall) affect conservation policy. To examine whether knowledge of species' traits based on seed ecology is geographically, phylogenetically, and ecologically biased, we retrieved research data on seed germination, seed dormancy, seed dispersal, seed banks, seed predation, and seed removal from a database of 847 papers, 1648 species, and 5322 cases. Brazil was selected as a model system for megadiverse, undersampled countries. Kernel density maps showed that research was geographically biased towards highly populated sites, with vast areas remaining historically unexplored. We also show that research was clustered into protected areas. We detected a significant positive phylogenetic bias at genus-level, indicating research concentration in few genera and lower relative bias rates for many herbaceous genera. Unexpectedly, information on seed banking was available for only 74 (3.4%) of threatened species, which suggests that information deficits are highest for species with critical needs for ex situ conservation strategies. Tree, fleshy-fruited, and biotic dispersal species were disproportionately overstudied. Our data indicate that information deficits on seed ecology preclude our ability to effectively restore ecosystems and to safeguard endangered species. We call for a systematic improvement of environmental agenda in which policy makers and scientists target sites, clades, and functional groups historically neglected. Lessons from developed countries and collaborative efforts will be important for megadiverse, underdeveloped countries to achieve the targets of international agreements that depend on seed ecology knowledge aiming to secure biological diversity and ecosystem services.

Urbanization is increasing globally with wide‐ranging consequences for biodiversity and the ecological processes it performs. Yet knowledge of the range of ecological processes supported by biodiversity in urban environments, and the different taxa that perform these processes is poorly understood. We used a text‐analysis approach to identify the research trends and gaps in knowledge in the literature on ecological processes provided by animals in urban environments. We found a divide in urban ecological processes research that grouped studies into those with an explicit link to ecological processes and those that focused on biodiversity and made an implicit link to ecological processes. We also found that the dominant taxa in urban ecological processes research were insects, which has more than twice as many studies as birds or mammals, potentially due to their recognized and explicit link to key processes and services (e.g., pollination, pollution biomonitoring) and disservices (e.g., pests, disease transmission). We found a further split between terrestrial and aquatic studies, with urban aquatic studies also declining in relative prevalence over the last 20 yr. To consolidate and advance research on ecological processes in urban environments, we suggest it will be important to bridge the divide between studies on explicit services and others on more general biodiversity. This might be achieved by placing greater focus on the processes provided by non‐insect taxa, and by integrating aquatic and terrestrial perspectives.

Animal migration has been the subject of intensive research for more than a century, but most research has focused on long-distance rather than short-distance migration. Altitudinal migration is a form of short-distance migration in which individuals perform seasonal elevational movements. Despite its geographic and taxonomic ubiquity, there is relatively little information about the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence altitudinal migratory behaviour. Without this information, it is difficult to predict how rapid environmental changes will affect population viability of altitudinal migrants. To synthesize current knowledge, we compiled literature on altitudinal migration for all studied taxa, and identified the leading hypotheses explaining this behaviour. Studies of animal altitudinal migration cover many taxonomic lineages, with birds being the most commonly studied group. Altitudinal migration occurs in all continents except for Antarctica, but about a third of the literature focused on altitudinal migration in North America. Most research suggests that food and weather are the primary extrinsic drivers of altitudinal migration. In addition, substantial individual-level variation in migratory propensity exists. Individual characteristics that are associated with sex, dominance rank, and body size explain much of the variation in migratory propensity in partially migratory populations, but individual-level correlates are poorly known for most taxa. More research is needed to quantify the effects of habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and climate change on altitudinal migrants. Demographic studies of individually marked populations would be particularly valuable for advancing knowledge of the cascading effects of environmental change on migratory propensity, movement patterns, and population viability. We conclude our review with recommendations for study designs and modelling approaches that could be used to narrow existing knowledge gaps, which currently hinder effective conservation of altitudinal migratory species.