Community Response Research Articles

Impact of COVID-19 on Subjective Well-being and Community Im-portance-Performance in Sanitation Programs in Jakarta, Indonesia

This research investigates the critical impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on subjective well-being and evaluates community responses to sanitation programs within three urban villages in Koja, Jakarta. Utilizing Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), the study comprehensively assesses community perceptions and engagement levels with key sanitation aspects including access to defecation and treatment, treatment quality, aesthetic quality, monitoring practices, and socialization efforts in drainage and treatment. Advanced statistical models, such as probit and logit regressions, are employed to explore how demographic variables like housing stability, gender, and active involvement in community-based sanitation programs influence these perceptions and actions toward sanitation. The findings reveal significant disparities in satisfaction levels with existing sanitation services, pinpointing areas such as monitoring and treatment services that are critically underperforming and require immediate improvement. This study highlights the urgency of addressing these issues in the face of the ongoing pandemic, reflecting on the novel insights into the complex dynamics between demographic factors and the effectiveness of sanitation programs. Our approach aims to elevate the standard of sanitation services to enhance the resilience and well-being of urban communities against the multifaceted impacts of COVID-19. These strategic improvements are vital for sustaining public health and promoting a safer, healthier living environment in densely populated urban areas, where effective sanitation is crucial for mitigating health risks and enhancing public safety.

Dynamics of antibiotic resistance genes and the bacterial community after stress from a single Dazomet fumigation.

Dynamics of antibiotic resistance genes and the bacterial community after stress from a single Dazomet fumigation.

Spatial distribution and effects of temperature rise on coastal free-living nematode community in the South Caspian Sea.

Spatial distribution and effects of temperature rise on coastal free-living nematode community in the South Caspian Sea.

Responses of microbial communities and greenhouse gas production to land use change in mangrove wetland sediments

Responses of microbial communities and greenhouse gas production to land use change in mangrove wetland sediments

Fish functional diversity responses to total phosphorus in the rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment area.

Eutrophication results from nutrient overload in aquatic ecosystems and affects primary productivity patterns, which impacts the living conditions of aquatic organisms. The rivers in the catchment area of the Baltic Sea are greatly affected by eutrophication, but impacts on fish functional diversity are poorly understood. This study, therefore, evaluates the effects of freshwater eutrophication on fish functional diversity in the rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment area. Total phosphorus is used as the eutrophication indicator. Functional richness, evenness, and divergence values were calculated using comprehensive fish trait and occurrence databases. Functional evenness was found to be negatively related to eutrophication. Functional divergence demonstrated a positive relation but responded to lesser extents than functional evenness. Functional richness showed no or a negative response, depending on whether environmental covariates were considered. As a comparison, species richness revealed a negative relationship and was the most responsive to increasing eutrophication of all measures evaluated. Hence, this study demonstrates the varying nature of responses of multiple diversity indices and comprehensively describes the response of fish communities to increasing eutrophication in the area. The results show that functional redundancy helps to reduce adverse effects of species losses on functional diversity, which provides an important starting point for impact assessment. The findings illustrate that actions to limit nutrient discharge to freshwater are needed to maintain sustainable riverine ecosystems.

Navigating biodiversity patterns in fragmented seagrass mosaics

Human-driven fragmentation of natural habitats increasingly threatens biodiversity, particularly in coastal ecosystems like seagrass meadows. Fragmentation breaks continuous habitats into smaller, isolated patches, amplifying edge effects and disrupting community structures and ecosystem functions. This study examines the effects of habitat fragmentation on large (> 1 mm) and small (0.2–1 mm) epifauna, as well as infauna, within eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows along the Skagerrak coast in western Sweden. We assessed faunal responses across three fragmentation levels (low, medium, and high) and patch zones (Edge, Near-Edge and Center), providing a novel multi-assemblage analysis of these dynamics. Field surveys and statistical modeling revealed distinct community responses: large epifauna, especially amphipods, dominated low and moderately fragmented meadows, whereas highly fragmented areas showed more even species distributions. In contrast, small epifauna exhibited consistent abundance across zones and fragmentation levels. Infaunal communities varied most, with high fragmentation linked to increased evenness and shifts in species composition. These findings underscore the importance of conserving less fragmented meadows and highlight the need for targeted restoration efforts to enhance biodiversity and ecological resilience in degraded areas. By addressing both patch- and seascape-level fragmentation effects, this study offers critical insights into the ecological impacts of habitat fragmentation, supporting the development of targeted conservation strategies for coastal ecosystems.

"I Thought I Was Going to Die": Identifying Gaps in the Intimate Partner Violence Service Provision System for Black Women.

Black women experience the highest mortality and morbidity resulting from intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, yet there remains a dearth of culturally responsive interventions designed to meet their needs within the coordinated community response system. We employed the Theory of Help-Seeking Behavior to explicate the barriers that Black women experience when securing assistance from providers within the IPV service provision system, inclusive of the criminal legal, child protective service, shelter, healthcare, and mental healthcare systems. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 30 people who self-identified as Black women who were help-seeking within the IPV service provision system at the time of data collection. Data was analyzed via the matrix system and organized based on pathway-specific domains. Findings explicate substantive gaps within the existing system of care. Fundamental to improving Black women's IPV-related outcomes is improving the system to ensure it is designed to fully support them. Importantly, this is the first study to examine Black survivors' experiences throughout the continuum of the IPV service provision system.

Temporal Shifts in Biological Community Structure in Response to Wetland Restoration: Implications for Wetland Biodiversity Conservation and Management

Wetlands are vital ecosystems that provide diverse ecosystem services. However, their degradation poses an environmental threat globally, impacting human society. Recognizing their economic importance amidst escalating degradation emphasizes the urgent need for wetland conservation. Wetland restoration emerges as a crucial strategy to recover lost acreage and ecosystem functions. Despite substantial investments in restoration, the success of these efforts remains uncertain. We addressed this gap by investigating temporal changes in biological communities in restored wetlands to assess restoration effectiveness on biodiversity conservation. Utilizing aquatic funnel traps and plot surveys, we monitored changes in community structure, species richness, and abundance of amphibians and reptiles. The results revealed nuanced responses in herpetofaunal communities to restoration age and habitat characteristics, including contrasting responses between taxa with the reptile diversity increasing while the amphibian diversity decreased with restoration age. Adult herpetofaunal richness and abundance were higher at the five-year post-restoration sites compared to one-year post-restoration, while larval amphibian richness and abundance were greater at the latter. Species–habitat associations were significantly pronounced among the adult herpetofauna, highlighting the complex interplay between environmental factors and biological communities. Restoration age and habitat types also exhibited significant influences on adult herpetofaunal community structure, whereas larval amphibian communities showed limited temporal turnover. Our findings challenge widely held notions, suggesting that prolonged post-restoration trajectories may not always lead to greater amphibian abundance and diversity. The temporal shifts in the reptile community structure we documented are indicative of habitat template development and ecological succession upon wetland restoration. We underscore the importance of considering both temporal and spatial heterogeneity in restoration planning to promote biodiversity and ecosystem function. Our contributions will help decode biological responses to wetland restoration efforts and guide future restoration efforts. We underscore the importance of long-term monitoring and adaptive management strategies to ensure restoration success in conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Ethnobotany of taro plant diversity (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) in Magelang as a biological reference book

The diversity of taro plants in the Magelang area has been used for a long time by traditional communities from generation to generation. But knowledge related to the use of taro plants for purposes other than food is not widely known to the public. This study aims to determine the untilization of taro plants (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) and analyze the feasibility of ethnobotanical reference books of taro plant diversity (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) in Magelang City and Regency. This study is a type of mixed method research, which is a combination of ethnographic research methods with Research and Development (R&D) research. The results of ethnographic research are then used as a source of reading through the development of reference books. Development research was carried out using a 4-D research model and then limited to 3-D (define, design, and develop) due to time constraints. Based on the research that has been carried out, it is known that there are 5 varieties of taro plants (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) that are found and used by the local people of Magelang, namely Taro Pratama 1, Pratama 2, Pratama 3, Taro Water/Bogor, and black Taro which are used by the community for various life purposes. The reference book based on the ethnobotanical study of taro plant diversity developed is suitable for use as a biological reference book with a percentage of 91% in material experts with excellent category, 83% in media experts with good category, and 95.89% in the results of community response tests with excellent category.

Warming Induces High Environmental Pressure in the Lakeshore Wetland, Promoting Interactions Among Carbon-Fixing Microorganisms

Global warming has intensified the changes in wetland carbon cycling processes, and the cbbL gene, which plays a key role in carbon fixation, is significantly affected by warming. Therefore, we set up open-top chamber warming and natural controls and used amplicon sequencing to investigate the response of the cbbL carbon-fixing microbial community in the alpine lakeshore wetland to warming. We found that after the warming treatment, the relative abundances of Actinobacteria and Chlorophyta increased, while the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria decreased (p < 0.05). Soil temperature and moisture were the most significant factors influencing the cbbL carbon-fixing microbial community in the lakeshore wetland. Deterministic processes dominated the community assembly of carbon-fixing microbes under warming conditions. Additionally, warming enhanced both cooperative and competitive interactions among carbon-sequestering microorganisms while reducing soil moisture availability and increasing environmental stress, leading to a decrease in the modularity of microbial communities. In summary, warming reduced the carbon sequestration potential of lakeside wetlands but favored the interactions among carbon-sequestering microorganisms.

Responses of Soil Microbial Communities Associated with Phosphorus Transformation to Land-Use Alternations in a Meadow Grassland, Northeast China

Land-use changes in meadow grasslands in semi-arid areas usually significantly affect soil environment and microbiota. However, studies on the response of soil P-cycle-related microbial communities to land-use conversions are still limited. In this study, a series of land-use types including upland field, paddy field, poplar plantation, and their adjacent natural meadow grassland in the Horqin Sandy Land of Northeast China were selected, and the diversities and structures of soil microbial communities involved in organic P mineralization (phoD-harboring community) and inorganic phosphate solubilization (gcd-harboring community) were investigated by the high-throughput sequencing technique. Land-use type had significant influences on soil physicochemical properties, enzymatic activities, and P conversion rates, thereby altering the structures of soil gcd and phoD communities. Soil phoD microbes are more abundant and have more contributions to available P than gcd microbes. The responses of gcd or phoD communities to land-use type were characterized as the quantitative shift in the relative abundance of dominant taxa; however, the basic compositions of the two communities were slightly affected. Soil pH, EC, and nutrient contents (including organic matter and total and available N, P, and K) all significantly affected soil gcd and phoD microbial communities. The abundance of phoD and gcd genes varied with land-use type and could be used as indicators for estimating the bioavailability of soil P.

And Now What? Three-Dimensional Scholarship and Infrastructures in the Post-Sketchfab Era

The transition of Sketchfab, a widely used platform for hosting and sharing 3D cultural heritage content, to Epic Games’ Fab marketplace has raised concerns within the cultural heritage community about the potential loss of years of work and thousands of 3D models, highlighting the risks of relying on commercial solutions for preservation and dissemination. This shift, together with the unprecedented investments by the European Commission on infrastructures for digitised heritage, present a critical opportunity to restart conversations about the future of 3D scholarship and infrastructures for cultural heritage. Using a mixed-methods approach, this paper analyses data from a literature review, two surveys, a focus group, and community responses to Sketchfab’s announced changes. Our findings reveal critical user requirements, including robust metadata and paradata for transparency, advanced analytical tools for scholarly use, flexible annotation systems, mechanisms for ownership, licensing, and citation, as well as community features for fostering engagement and recognition. This paper proposes models and key features for a new infrastructure and concludes by calling for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to develop a system that will ensure that 3D cultural heritage remains accessible, reusable, and meaningful in an ever-changing technological landscape.

The response of soil eukaryotic microbial communities to afforestation in mountainous area of the Loess Plateau, Northern China.

Soil microorganisms are integral to nutrient cycling, ecosystem functioning, and soil restoration. However, the information on the response of soil eukaryotic microbial communities to land-use transformations, particularly for afforestation, remains underexplored in the mountainous region of northwest Shanxi on the Loess Plateau. The study based on high-throughput sequencing of 18S rRNA sequences, elucidated the impact of afforestation on soil eukaryotic microbial communities in this ecologically sensitive region. The findings indicated that afforestation significantly altered the composition of soil eukaryotic microbial communities. The dominant eukaryotic phyla were Streptophyta (16.8%-46.9%) and Ascomycota (20.5%-40.7%). At the genus level, Gymnoascus, Preussia, Mortierella, Chaetomium and Fusarium were biomarkers of soil eukaryotic microbes in farmland soil, while unidentified Streptophyta and Geopora were enriched in plantations soil. The result of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis shows significant separation between eukaryotic microbial communities in farmland and plantation soils, which significantly correlated with soil temperature (T), nitrate nitrogen (NN) and available phosphorus (AP). These findings provided data support on regional ecological restoration assessments, highlighted the effect of soil physicochemical factors on the composition of soil eukaryotic microbial communities, and enhanced our understanding of the role of afforestation in modifying soil microbial ecosystems.

Differences in mammal community response to highway construction along a small urban–rural gradient

Worldwide, transportation agencies have been involved in road mitigation efforts to reduce road mortality and promote connectivity of endangered species. Baseline data on how mammals respond to highway construction, however, are rarely collected in road mitigation and monitoring studies, including in the USA. Our goal in this study was to assess differences in the response of the mammal community to highway construction along a gradient of human land use (HLU) from July 2019 to November 2020 in southern Texas, USA. We compared the species composition of the terrestrial mammal community at five sites along a highway before and during highway construction and assessed diel activity for seven species at different HLU levels between these two time periods. We found that mammal community composition was lower during the construction period at each HLU level. There were greater differences in the composition of the mammal community in the pre‐construction and construction periods as HLU decreased. Community diversity was greatest in areas with a low level of HLU, followed by areas of medium and high levels, with more carnivores, large ungulates, and rodents at medium and low HLU sites. For many species, diel activity patterns across all sites during the construction period reflected activity patterns in areas of higher HLU during the pre‐construction period. Our study shows that community composition and behavior (diel activity) are likely to change in response to highway construction regardless of the degree of HLU. These results may influence how scientists and transportation agencies consider potential impacts on wildlife species during road construction and affect their attempt to mitigate these impacts.

Response of rumen methane production and microbial community to different abatement strategies in yaks

BackgroundDeveloping region-specific dietary strategies is crucial for mitigating methane (CH4) emissions from yaks. However, there is a lack of tailored emission reduction strategies for yak production in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region. This study utilizes an in vitro rumen fermentation technique (Based on the ANKOMRF gas production measurement system) to investigate the effects of different dietary interventions on CH4 production from regional yaks. The selected strategies—Sodium Nitrate solution, regional Medicago sativa L., and regional Helianthus tuberosus L.—were chosen for their potential to reduce CH4 production through various mechanisms: Sodium Nitrate as a methanogenesis inhibitor, Medicago sativa L. for its high nutritional value and its ability to modulate microbial fermentation, and Helianthus tuberosus L. due to its inulin content, which promotes beneficial microbial activity. These dietary interventions aim not only to reduce CH4 production but also to support rumen health and productivity. In addition, gas chromatography and microbial sequencing techniques were employed to identify the optimal emission reduction strategy for regional yaks and to elucidate the key factors influencing the efficacy of these strategies.ResultsThe results indicate that supplementing the confined feeding ration (FR group) with Sodium Nitrate (12 mmol/L, FRN group), Medicago sativa L. (25%, FRM group), and Helianthus tuberosus L. (3%, FRH group) all have the effect of reducing CH4 production from yak rumen. Among these interventions, the FRM group exhibits the most significant reduction, with a decrease in rumen CH4 production by 42.76% compared to the FR group. The dry matter digestibility, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA), propionate, and butyrate levels in all groups were higher than those in the FR group. However, only the FRM group reached a significant level (P < 0.01). The pH values were significantly lower than those in the FR group (P < 0.01) across all groups. Each group exhibited distinct clustering patterns in bacterial and archaeal communities compared to the FR group (P < 0.05). The α diversity of bacterial communities was significantly lower than that of the FR group (P < 0.01), while the α diversity of archaeal communities was significantly higher than that of the FR group (P < 0.01). Taxa such as Lachnospiraceae, Clostridium, Treponema, Methanomicrobiaceae, Methanosphaera, and Methanoplanus were enriched in the FR group.ConclusionsCH4 production from yak rumen were significantly negatively correlated with substrate crude protein (CP) levels, fermentation fluid TVFA levels, α diversity of archaeal communities, and the relative abundance of Selenomonas and Megasphaera in bacterial communities (P < 0.01). Conversely, CH4 production were significantly positively correlated with the relative abundance of Methanoplanus in archaeal communities (P < 0.01). From the perspective of CH4 gas production, the ranking of emission reduction effectiveness for different mitigation strategies is as follows: FRM group > FRH group > FRN group.

Exploring the potential of N-acetyl-cysteine to mitigate the impact of the ciprofloxacin-induced SOS response in communities of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

Exploring the potential of N-acetyl-cysteine to mitigate the impact of the ciprofloxacin-induced SOS response in communities of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

Immobilized microorganisms to remove petroleum hydrocarbon from wastewater and soil: Mechanisms of enhanced remediation and response of microbial communities

Immobilized microorganisms to remove petroleum hydrocarbon from wastewater and soil: Mechanisms of enhanced remediation and response of microbial communities

Enhancement of aerobic denitrification process on antibiotics removal: Mechanism and efficiency: A review

AbstractTraditionally, the removal of nitrogenous pollutants from wastewater relied on conventional anaerobic denitrification as well as aerobic nitrification and anoxic denitrification. However, anaerobic denitrification is complicated since it requires stringent environmental conditions as well as a large land, therefore, denitrification and nitrification were performed in two separate reactors. Although high pollutant removal efficiency has been achieved via aerobic nitrification and anoxic denitrification, the demerits of this approach include high operational costs. Other traditional nitrogen removal methods include air stripping, reverse osmosis, adsorption, ion exchange, chemical precipitation, advanced oxidation process, and breakpoint chlorination. Traditional nitrogen removal methods are not only complicated but they are also uneconomical due to the high operational costs. Researchers have discovered that denitrification can be carried out by heterotrophic nitrification‐aerobic denitrification (HNAD) microorganisms which remove nitrogen in a single aerobic reactor that does not require stringent operating conditions. Despite the significant effort that researchers have put in, there is still little information known about the mechanisms of antibiotic removal during HNAD. This review begins with an update on the current state of knowledge on the removal of nitrogenous pollutants and antibiotics from wastewater by HNAD. The mechanisms of antibiotic removal via HNAD were examined in detail. Followed by, the enhancement of antibiotics removal via co‐metabolism and oxidation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) as well as the response of microbial communities to antibiotic toxicity. Lastly, the conditions favorable for antibiotic biodegradation and mechanisms for nitrogen removal via HNAD were examined. The findings in this review show that co‐metabolism and oxidation of SMX were the main antibiotic biodegradation mechanisms, pathways for antibiotic removal by co‐metabolism and oxidation of SMX were also proposed in the discussion. This research indicated the potential of aerobic denitrification in the removal of antibiotics from wastewater. Understanding the mechanisms and pathways of antibiotic removal by HNAD helps wastewater engineers and researchers apply the technology more efficiently.Practitioner Points The mechanisms of antibiotic removal via HNAD were examined in detail. Co‐metabolism and oxidation of SMX were the main antibiotic biodegradation mechanisms. Pathways for antibiotic removal by co‐metabolism and oxidation of SMX were also proposed. Conditions favorable for antibiotic biodegradation were examined. This research indicated the potential of aerobic denitrification in the removal of antibiotics from wastewater.

Effects of low temperature on rhizosphere phosphate-mineralizing microbial populations in constructed wetlands.

Effects of low temperature on rhizosphere phosphate-mineralizing microbial populations in constructed wetlands.

Reduced soil ecosystem multifunctionality is associated with altered complexity of the bacterial-fungal interkingdom network under salinization pressure.

Reduced soil ecosystem multifunctionality is associated with altered complexity of the bacterial-fungal interkingdom network under salinization pressure.