Biodiversity Analysis Research Articles

Natural tea polyphenol functionalized graphene anode for simultaneous power production and degradation of methyl orange dye in microbial fuel cells.

The microbial fuel cell (MFCs) has dual functions, capable of achieving dye decolorization and synchronous power generation. Despite these advantages, the MFCs have faced challenges related to low electron transfer efficiencies and limited dye treatment capacity in wastewater applications. This work introduces an innovative approach by employing reduced graphene oxide-modified carbon cloth (TP-RGO@CC) anodes, utilizing tea polyphenols as the reducing agent. This modification significantly enhances the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of the anodes. The MFC equipped with the TP-RGO@CC anode demonstrated a remarkable increase in the maximum power density, reaching 773.9 mW m-2, representing a 22% improvement over the plain carbon cloth electrode. The decolorization rate of methyl orange (50 mg L-1, pH 7) reached 99% within 48 h. Biodiversity analysis revealed that the TP-RGO@CC anode selectively enriched electrogens producing and organic matter-degrading bacteria, promoting a dual mechanism of dye decolorization, degradation, and simultaneous electro-production at the anode. This work highlights advanced anode materials that excel in effective pollutant removal, energy conversion, and biomass reuse.

Utilization of Traditional Conservation of Sumatran Tiger as a Potential Development of Biology Teaching Materials

Indigenous communities have long had an unwritten norm system that regulates the protection of forests and biodiversity inside. Customary law has the potential to be developed as a source of learning biology. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out the values of traditional conservation of the Sumatran tiger which can be used as a source of developing biology teaching materials based on local wisdom. The method used in this research is a systematic literature review. Based on the results of the study, obtained results regarding the identification of Sumatran tiger, threats, and forms of conservation in the natural habitat of the Sumatran tiger. Based on the Curriculum 2013, the relevance of this study is linked into basic competencies 3.2 and 4.2 regarding distribution, threat analysis, and conservation efforts of biodiversity for the grade of 10-th of high school. The material is also included in the learning outcomes of the Merdeka Curriculum phase E regarding understanding and process skills analyzing interactions between ecosystem components and efforts to conserve biodiversity. These material resources can be developed into a module-based on local culture to be studied independently by students

The impact of land cover change on the carbon stock of moist afromontane forests in the Majang Forest Biosphere Reserve

BackgorundForest plays an important role in the global carbon cycle by sequestering carbon dioxide and thereby mitigating climate change. In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the effects of land use/land cover (LULC) change (1989–2017) on carbon stock and its economic values in tropical moist Afromontane forests of the Majang Forest Biosphere Reserve (MFBR), south-west Ethiopia. Systematic sampling was conducted to collect biomass and soil data from 140 plots in MFBR. The soil data were collected from grassland and farmland. InVEST modelling was employed to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of carbon stocks. Global Voluntary Market Price (GVMP) and Tropical Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) analysis was performed to estimate economic values (EV) of carbon stock dynamics. Correlation and regression analyses were also employed to identify the relationship between environmental and anthropogenic impacts on carbon stocks.ResultsThe results indicated that the above-ground carbon and soil organic carbon stocks were higher than the other remaining carbon pools in MFBR. The mean carbon stock (32.59 M tonne) in 2017 was lower than in 1989 (34.76 Mt) of MFBR. Similarly, the EV of carbon stock in 2017 was lower than in 1989. Elevation, slope, and harvesting index are important environmental and disturbance factors resulting in major differences in carbon stock among study sites in MFBR.ConclusionsTherefore, the gradual reduction of carbon stocks in connection with LULC change calls for urgent attention to implement successful conservation and sustainable use of forest resources in biosphere reserves.

A cross-sectional analysis of biodiversity, publicly accessible green space and mental well-being in Wales using routinely collected data

There is a lack of studies investigating the effects of green space and biodiversity on mental well-being, across a large study area. Generally, exposure to natural environments promotes better physical health, mental health and well-being. This study investigated associations between publicly accessible green space, biodiversity and mental well-being for individuals living in Wales using routinely collected survey and biodiversity data. This study used the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) to measure mental well-being. The 2018–19 National Survey for Wales responses containing the WEMWBS scores and socio-demographic factors were linked to green space and biodiversity data in census areas. By utilising Generalised Additive Models this study found that all environmental metrics were associated with mental well-being. However, after adjustment for socio-demographic factors, only bird species richness remained associated with mental well-being, with a highly non-linear relationship. There was little to no evidence of associations between green space or biodiversity when stratifying by income group. When stratified by rural and urban areas, we found bird, plant and total species richness to be associated with mental well-being.Environmental interventions should consider promoting bird species richness in urban areas which may benefit mental well-being. Future areas of research could include longitudinal studies to explore causal links between green spaces, biodiversity and mental well-being, utilising individual-level exposure.

Integrated trophic position as a proxy for food‐web complexity

Abstract There are two distinct approaches to describing the distributions of biomass and species in food webs: one to consider them as discrete trophic levels (TLs); and the other to consider them as continuous trophic positions (TPs). Bridging the gap between these two perspectives presents a nontrivial challenge in integrating biodiversity and food‐web structure. Food network unfolding (FNU) is a technique used to bridge this gap by partitioning the biomass of species into integer TLs to compute three complexity indices, namely vertical (DV), horizontal (DH) and range (DR) diversity (D indices), through decomposition of Shannon's index H′. Using FNU, the food web (a network of species with unique TPs) is converted to a linear food chain (a biomass distribution at discrete TLs). This enables us to expect that the unfolded biomass within species decreases exponentially as the TL increases. Under this condition, the mean TL value in unfolded food chains is hypothesized to have an exponential relationship with the vertical diversity, DV. To explore this, we implemented FNU and calculated D indices for food webs publicly available at EcoBase (n = 158) and calculated the integrated TP (iTP), defined as the biomass‐weighted average TP of a given food web. The iTP corresponds to the mean TL in unfolded food chains and can be empirically measured through compound‐specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA‐AA). Although our analysis is biased towards marine ecosystems, we revealed an exponential relationship between iTP and DV, suggesting that iTP can serve as a measurable proxy for DV. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between the iTP observed in the total communities (total iTP) and the iTPs of partial communities consisting only of species with 2.0 ≤ TP < 3.0 (partial iTP; r2 = 0.48), suggesting that DV can be predicted using partial iTP. Our findings suggest that the net effect of species diversity, excluding the effect of biomass (corresponding to H′ − DV), on food‐web complexity can be revealed by combining CSIA‐AA with biodiversity analysis (e.g. environmental DNA).

Identification and Analysis of Biodiversity in the Mount Tidar Botanical Gardens

Existing biodiversity has potential if it can be managed optimally and sustainably. Since January 2020, Mount Tidar has officially changed its status from an urban forest to a botanical garden. This change in status has an impact on nature conservation. The purpose of this study was to identify and determine the level of diversity in the Mount Tidar Botanical Garden (MTBG). The methods used in this study are quadratic sampling, plotting, and survey techniques. Data analysis using reference calculation of Shanon Weiner index, evenness index, Simpson dominance, and Margalef species richness index. The results showed the discovery of 121 species with a total vegetation of 5,912 individuals. Then Shanon Weiner’s diversity calculation got a medium value (H’ 2.306), evenness index at the medium level (E 0.481), Simpson dominance index with a high value (IDS 0.917), and Margalef species richness with a high value around (R 13.82). So that the value of the diversity calculation is the basis that the identification and diversity of vegetation in MTBG is at a stage of rapid development at medium to high levels. This data can be a reference for managers to make it easier to assess the Sustainable Planning and management system of MTBG conservation areas.

Passive Acoustic Sampling Enhances Traditional Herpetofauna Sampling Techniques in Urban Environments

Data are needed to assess the relationships between urbanization and biodiversity to establish conservation priorities. However, many of these relationships are difficult to fully assess using traditional research methods. To address this gap and evaluate new acoustic sensors and associated data, we conducted a multimethod analysis of biodiversity in a rapidly urbanizing county: Greenville, South Carolina, USA. We conducted audio recordings at 25 points along a development gradient. At the same locations, we used refugia tubes, visual assessments, and an online database. Analysis focused on species identification of both audio and visual data at each point along the trail to determine relationships between both herpetofauna and acoustic indices (as proxies for biodiversity) and environmental gradient of land use and land cover. Our analysis suggests the use of a multitude of different sampling methods to be conducive to the completion of a more comprehensive occupancy measure. Moving forward, this research protocol can potentially be useful in the establishment of more effective wildlife occupancy indices using acoustic sensors to move toward future conservation policies and efforts concerning urbanization, forest fragmentation, and biodiversity in natural, particularly forested, ecosystems.

The Utilization of Traditional Conservation of Sumatran Tiger as a Potential Development of Biology Teaching Materials

Indigenous communities have long had an unwritten norm system that regulates the protection of forests and biodiversity inside. The principle of traditional conservation on the island of Sumatra for the preservation of Sumatran tigers is to implement environmental management in the form of prohibitions or invitations in forest areas. On the other hand, this cultural concept is intertwined with learning. Students can discuss lesson concepts in a cultural perspective to support meaningful learning in biology lessons. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out the values of traditional conservation of the Sumatran tiger which can be used as a source of developing biology teaching materials based on cultural perspective. The method used in this research is a literature review and content analysis. Researchers searched works of literature from multiple data search engines, namely PubMed, Google Scholar, Mendeley, Semantic Scholar and the Publish or Perish. Data is processed and analyzed according to research needs. Based on the results of the study, obtained results regarding the identification of Sumatran tiger, threats, and forms of conservation in the natural habitat of the Sumatran tiger. Based on the Curriculum 2013, the relevance of this study is linked to the biology material on biodiversity in basic competencies 3.2 and 4.2 regarding distribution, threat analysis, and conservation efforts of biodiversity for the grade of 10-th of high school. The material is also included in the learning outcomes of the Merdeka Curriculum phase E for class x regarding understanding and process skills analyzing interactions between ecosystem components and efforts to conserve biodiversity. These material resources can be developed into a module-based on local culture to be studied independently by students.

First pelagic fish biodiversity assessment of Cosmonaut Sea based on environmental DNA

The Cosmonaut Sea is a typical marginal sea in East Antarctica that has not yet been greatly impacted by climate change. As one of the least explored areas in the Southern Ocean, our knowledge regarding its fish taxonomy and diversity has been sparse. eDNA metabarcoding, as an emerging and promising tool for marine biodiversity research and monitoring, has been widely used across taxa and habitats. During the 38th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE-38), we collected seawater and surface sediment samples from 38 stations in the Cosmonaut Sea and performed the first, to our knowledge, eDNA analysis of fish biodiversity in the Southern Ocean based on the molecular markers of 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA. There were 48 fish species detected by the two markers in total, with 30 and 34 species detected by the 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA marker, respectively. This was more than the trawling results (19 species) and historical survey records (16 species, “BROKE-West” cruise). With some nonsignificant differences between the Gunnerus Ridge and the Oceanic Area of Enderby Land, the Cosmonaut Sea had a richer fish biodiversity in this research compared with previous studies, and its overall composition and distribution patterns were consistent with what we know in East Antarctica. We also found that the eDNA composition of fish in the Cosmonaut Sea might be related to some environmental factors. Our study demonstrated that the use of the eDNA technique for Antarctic fish biodiversity research is likely to yield more information with less sampling effort than traditional methods. In the context of climate change, the eDNA approach will provide a novel and powerful tool that is complementary to traditional methods for polar ecology research.

Palaeobiogeography of NE Atlantic archipelagos during the last Interglacial (MIS 5e): A molluscan approach to the conundrum of Macaronesia as a marine biogeographic unit

In order to understand the complex evolutionary processes and patterns that explain current island biodiversity, large datasets and long-term analysis are required. The Last Interglacial (LIG) was one of the warmest interglacials during the last million years. How species mobility changed during this period in the Macaronesia geographical region has long intrigued scientists. It is well established that the northward range expansion of tropical species occurred in the Macaronesian geographical region, but as a marine biogeographic unit, the term “Macaronesia” has not gained a consensus among the scientific community. For the first time, a thoroughly revised and updated checklist is presented for shallow-water marine molluscs from the Atlantic and Mediterranean during the LIG. Based on these wide ranging data, the status of Macaronesia as a marine biogeographic unit during the LIG was examined and our scientific understanding of how this unit evolved is improved. The analysis shows that during the LIG, the molluscan faunas of the Canary and Cabo Verde archipelagos were part of the same tropical Late Pleistocene Mediterranean West-African Province, whereas those in the Azores, Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos would be included in the subtropical Late Pleistocene French-Iberian Province. This contrasts with the present-day scenario, where the subtropical/warm temperate Azores and “Webbnesia” marine ecoregions (Lusitanian province) are biogeographically distinct from the Cabo Verde biogeographic subprovince, which in turn belongs to the West African Tropical biogeographic province. A further analysis of the coherence of “Macaronesia” as a marine biogeographical unit was accomplished by coupling Pliocene, LIG, and present-day data, showing that the term “Macaronesia”, and for the marine realm, should only be used in a geographical connotation.

The MOBIOS+: A FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) database for Mindanao's terrestrial biodiversity.

Due to its complex geological history and the emergence of various biogeographic regions, the Philippines boasts an extraordinary array of flora and fauna. This unique combination has contributed to the country's exceptional density of terrestrial species, making it amongst the highest in the world. Mindanao, in the southern part of the Philippines, is the second largest group of islands and supports high levels of endemism and proportion of threatened species. However, consolidated biodiversity records and information remain unavailable for the region. The primary goal of the Mindanao Open Biodiversity Information (MOBIOS+) database is to address these substantial data deficiencies by compiling contemporary biodiversity information from the 21st century. This initiative seeks to enhance our comprehension of biodiversity trends in Mindanao over temporal and spatial dimensions, while also creating an openly-accessible database. The database we present here is the first of its kind and currently the most comprehensive attempt to establish the largest consolidated database for Mindanao biodiversity, based on publicly available literature. With its vast collection of biodiversity data, this database will prove to be a valuable resource for advancing biodiversity research and analysis. It will further facilitate the identification of species and areas that require immediate conservation prioritisation and action, addressing the urgent challenges posed by our rapidly changing planet. The MOBIOS+ database is the first attempt to create a massive FAIR database aiming to collate biodiversity records from published literature in the Mindanao faunal region, south of the Philippines. The database currently includes 12,813 georeferenced specimen occurrences representing 1,907 unique taxa across 10 animal classes inhabiting the terrestrial and freshwater environments of Mindanao faunal region. We made all georeferenced specimen occurrences available in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) platform.

Molecular characterization of spoilage microbiota in high CO2 refrigerated large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) fillets using metagenomic and metabolomic approaches

Although, the negative role of microorganisms in food safety is well known, the specific role of microorganisms on food is still unclear. The effects of high concentration CO2 on the metabolism of specific spoilage organisms of large yellow croaker and the mechanism of microbial action in the spoilage process of large yellow croaker were investigated. Specific spoilage organisms of large yellow croaker in a refrigerated environment obtained by biodiversity analysis. The effects of spoilage microorganisms on fish fillets were explored using metagenomics and metabolomics approaches. The results showed that the high concentration of carbon dioxide effect prolonged the shelf life of refrigerated large yellow croaker and delayed the deterioration of its quality during storage. Meanwhile, the modified atmosphere packaging with high concentration of carbon dioxide can effectively inhibit the growth of microorganisms, change the structure of spoilage microbial flora, and affect the metabolism of spoilage microorganisms. Pseudomonas spp. and Shewanella spp. had strong spoilage potential and made important contributions to the production of biogenic amines in fish. The contribution of Shewanella spp. to fish spoilage is stronger at high CO2 concentrations. The metabolic capacity of spoilage microorganisms was altered by high CO2 concentration, and the arginine decarboxylase (ADC) pathway was the main pathway for production of putrescine under high CO2 concentration. This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of microorganisms in fish spoilage and provides useful information for the development of new preservation methods.

Forest integrated assessment, biodiversity and carbon stocks analysis in Konsu Mandiri Sejahtera (KMS) social forestry, Lamandau, Indonesia

PT Bumitama Gunajaya Agro (BGA) is a great oil palm corporation that has ideas of assisting communities in community groups to maintain their forests in a sustainable and socioeconomically profitable manner as is done in Konsu Mandiri Sejahtera (KMS). The activities carried out include training to collecting the potential data of the forest, non timber forest product potential, forest benefits, biodiversity, ecosystem services including carbon calculation. Through this activity, it is hoped that there will be a transfer of knowledge with the hope that managers will have competence in identifying and managing biodiversity. This research reports the number of carbon stock, wood volume, tree density, biodiversity values and forest benefits indices for KMS forest. The results showed that the forest usefulness for the community. The condition of the existing forest is partly illegally cleared by the community for agriculture, which is still forested only in areas with rugged topographic conditions, with good forest conditions. The wildlife encountered is very diverse and encounter in the form of footprints, hearing, seeing, nests and feces. KMS forest has some directly beneficial and culturally beneficial/local wisdom and potentially developed by PT BGA collaboration in terms of forest conservation and improving the welfare of communities.

Real-time biodiversity analysis using deep-learning algorithms on mobile robotic platforms.

Ecological biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate. To combat such irreversible changes in natural ecosystems, biodiversity conservation initiatives are being conducted globally. However, the lack of a feasible methodology to quantify biodiversity in real-time and investigate population dynamics in spatiotemporal scales prevents the use of ecological data in environmental planning. Traditionally, ecological studies rely on the census of an animal population by the "capture, mark and recapture" technique. In this technique, human field workers manually count, tag and observe tagged individuals, making it time-consuming, expensive, and cumbersome to patrol the entire area. Recent research has also demonstrated the potential for inexpensive and accessible sensors for ecological data monitoring. However, stationary sensors collect localised data which is highly specific on the placement of the setup. In this research, we propose the methodology for biodiversity monitoring utilising state-of-the-art deep learning (DL) methods operating in real-time on sample payloads of mobile robots. Such trained DL algorithms demonstrate a mean average precision (mAP) of 90.51% in an average inference time of 67.62 milliseconds within 6,000 training epochs. We claim that the use of such mobile platform setups inferring real-time ecological data can help us achieve our goal of quick and effective biodiversity surveys. An experimental test payload is fabricated, and online as well as offline field surveys are conducted, validating the proposed methodology for species identification that can be further extended to geo-localisation of flora and fauna in any ecosystem.

Cyanobacteria in Hypolithic Horizons of Soils in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica

The research is devoted to the analysis of biodiversity of Antarctic soil cyanobacteria in hypolithic organo-accumulative horizons of the Larsemann Hills (East Antarctica). Studying of fouling glasses by the methods of light and confocal microscopy, as well as fluorescent in situ hybridization, has shown that filamentous forms predominate among cyanobacteria in the upper layers of Antarctic hypolithic microbial communities. To clarify the taxonomic status, strains of the genera Nostoc, Halotia, Leptolyngbya, Plectolyngbya, Phormidesmis, as well as some new and previously undescribed representatives of Antarctic cyanobacteria were isolated from corresponding soil samples. The strains of the unique collection of soil cyanobacteria that we formed for the first time were described according to modern methods of polyphasic taxonomy based on analysis of the complex of morphological and molecular-genetic characters. The results of phylogenetic analysis of the primary sequence of 16S rRNA gene and peculiarities of organization of secondary structures of internal transcribed spacers of ribosomal operon allowed to identify new taxa of potentially endemic cyanobacteria among the studied strains. The high level of similarity of 16S rRNA gene sequences of soil cyanobacteria with those previously detected in the water bodies of the Larsemann Hills confirms their ability to spread beyond the limits of individual ecological niches and to adapt flexibly to contrasting environmental conditions.

Cyanobacteria in Hypolithic Horizons of Soils in the Larsemann Hills Oasis, East Antarctica

The research is devoted to the analysis of biodiversity of Antarctic cyanobacteria in hypolithic organic-accumulative horizons of soils in the Larsemann Hills oasis. Studies of fouling glasses by the methods of light and confocal microscopy, as well as by fluorescent in situ hybridization, indicate that filamentous forms predominate among cyanobacteria in the upper layers of Antarctic hypolithic microbial communities. Strains of the genera Nostoc, Halotia, Leptolyngbya, Plectolyngbya, and Phormidesmis, as well as some new and previously undescribed cyanobacteria, were isolated from corresponding soil samples to clarify their taxonomic status. As a result, a unique collection of Antarctic cyanobacteria isolated from soils was obtained for the first time. The strains were described according to the modern polyphasic taxonomy methods based on an integrated assessment of morphological and molecular-genetic features. Phylogenetic analysis of primary 16S rRNA sequences and peculiarities of secondary structures of internal transcribed spacers enabled us to identify new taxa of potentially endemic cyanobacteria among the strains studied. The high level of similarity between the 16S rRNA gene sequences of soil strains and those previously found in benthic mats of water bodies in the Larsemann Hills confirmed the ability of cyanobacteria to expand beyond different ecological niches and to adapt to contrasting environmental conditions.

EDNA of zooplankton reveals the ecological community thresholds for key environmental factors in the Baiyangdian Lake aquatic ecosystem

BackgroundThe drastic change in an ecosystem as a threshold phenomenon caused by abrupt changes in environmental conditions is a focus of current ecological research. However, the study of ecological thresholds has generally been limited to estimating the threshold values of single factors. Using eDNA metabarcoding technology, we collected zooplankton data from Baiyangdian Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the North China Plain, to explore the zooplankton community distribution characteristics and the relevant environmental factors. We used Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) to determine the thresholds of key environmental factors and to identify the factors influencing biological diversity.ResultsBy comparing previous studies, we found that the zooplankton community composition based on eDNA metabarcoding was similar to that based on morphological methods, and that the data could be used to estimate ecological thresholds and assess risk conditions. Temperature (T), electrical conductivity (EC), and turbidity were the major environmental factors affecting the zooplankton community structure. The composition and structure of zooplankton communities in rivers and lakes were significantly different due to the influence of specific environmental factors. The results of TITAN analysis showed that there were different indicator species for T and EC in rivers and lakes. The protection thresholds of zooplankton in rivers were T = 19.0 °C and EC = 795 μS/cm, whereas the protection thresholds of zooplankton in lakes were T = 14.3 °C and EC = 1920 μS/cm. The overall values for the Baiyangdian watershed were T = 15.5 °C and EC = 1073 μS/cm. Compared with the field monitoring results, approximately 50% of the water quality index values at the sampling points in the Baiyangdian watershed exceeded the negative response threshold, indicating that Baiyangdian Lake was disturbed.ConclusionsThe validity of eDNA technology in biodiversity analysis was confirmed by the zooplankton community data from Baiyangdian Lake. The ecological thresholds derived by combining eDNA technology with Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) are beneficial to the biological conservation of the region.

Early Jurassic orthopteran insects from the southern Junggar Basin, NW China, with discussion of biodiversity changes of Orthoptera across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary

Abstract Orthoptera constitutes an important ecological component of the global fauna, but the order's Early Jurassic record is limited in China and its evolution is poorly understood after the end-Triassic mass extinction. Several orthopterans are described herein from the Lower Jurassic Badaowan and Sangonghe formations of the southern Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, NW China. From the Badaowan Formation, a new species, Parahagla cheni sp. nov., is established and assigned to Chifengiinae (Hagloidea: Prophalangopsidae), which represents the oldest record of this subfamily. From the Sangonghe Formation, a forewing fragment is attributed to Sinagryllus xinjiangensis Wang et al. , 2019 (Grylloidea: Baissogryllidae); another forewing fragment and a metathoracic leg without attribution are also described. The discovery of these fossils increases the biodiversity of Orthoptera in the Early Jurassic, and further indicates that orthopterans probably flourished in the Junggar area during the Early Jurassic. An analysis of orthopteran biodiversity at generic and species levels reveals an extinction in Orthoptera in the Late Triassic, especially for the superfamilies Hagloidea and Oedischioidea, which suffered a substantial extinction. This extinction occurred in the Late Triassic, earlier than the mass extinction of marine animals at the end of the Triassic.

Environmental DNA reveals invasive crayfish microbial associates and ecosystem‐wide biodiversity before and after eradication

AbstractBiodiversity monitoring in conservation projects is essential to understand environmental health, complexity, and recovery. However, traditional field surveys can be expensive, time‐consuming, biased toward visual detection, and/or only measure a limited set of taxa. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods provide a new approach to biodiversity monitoring that has the potential to sample a taxonomically broader set of organisms with a similar effort, but many of these approaches are still in the early stages of development and testing. Here, we used multi‐locus eDNA metabarcoding to understand how the removal of invasive red swamp crayfish using cypermethrin pesticide impacts local biodiversity of a desert oasis ecosystem, as well as to detect crayfish both directly and indirectly. We tracked crayfish DNA signatures, microbial DNA associated with crayfish, and biodiversity of plant, fungal, animal, and bacterial communities through time. We were unsuccessful in detecting crayfish directly in either control tanks or oases using targeted metabarcoding primers for invertebrates and eukaryotes, similar to previous studies which have shown variable levels of success in detecting crayfish from environmental samples. However, we were successful in discerning a suite of 90 crayfish‐associated taxa to serve as candidate bioindicators of invasive presence using 16S and fungal ITS2 metabarcoding. Ranking these 90 taxa by their geographic distribution in eDNA surveys and by evidence of crayfish associations in the literature, we support nine taxa to be high ranking, and suggest they be prioritized in future biomonitoring. Biodiversity analyses from five metabarcode loci including plants, animals, and both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes showed that communities differed but that species richness remained relatively similar between oases through time. Our results reveal that, while there are limitations of eDNA approaches to detect crayfish and other invasive species, microbial bioindicators offer a largely untapped biomonitoring opportunity for invasive species management, adding a valuable resource to a conservation manager's toolkit.

High-resolution mapping of forest structure from integrated SAR and optical images using an enhanced U-net method

Forest structure is an essential part of biodiversity and ecological analysis and provides crucial insights to address challenges in these areas. Modern sensor technologies unlock new possibilities for more advanced vegetation monitoring. This study examines the potential of single high resolution X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical images for pixel-wise mapping of four forest structure attributes (height, average height, fractional cover, and density) at a striking 0.5 m resolution. The study site is situated in Western Norway, hosting trees from flatlands to elevated mountainous areas and in-between. The proposed model architecture, called PSE-UNet, is a modified UNet incorporating key components from state-of-the-art deep learning from the field of forest structure monitoring. A comparative analysis involving state-of-the-art models shows promising results with MAE% between 21.5 and 24.7, depending on the variable.