Seasonal Diversity Research Articles

Seasonal Diversity of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Artisanal Yoghurt and Their Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern.

The microbiological quality of artisanal yoghurt marketed in some regions of Cameroon was evaluated during the dry and rainy seasons alongside three commercial brands and the susceptibility of isolates to some conventional antibiotics. A total of ninety-six (96) samples were collected, and the microbiological quality was based on the total count of lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli and cocci) as well as the identification of species present using identification kits. The susceptibility of isolates was determined using the microdilution method. The lactobacillus counts of locally made yoghurts during both seasons were lower than those of the commercial samples. However, there was a general reduction of viable count of lactobacilli within the samples during the rainy season when compared to the dry season while a general increase in the total coccus count was observed during the rainy season except samples from Bamenda which instead decreased. Five (5) Lactobacillus species belonging to one genera were identified from 29 lactobacillus isolates. Lactobacillus bulgaricus was the highest (64.28%), present in 71.42%, 50.00%, 33.33%, and 33.33% (dry season) compared to 85.71%, 100%, 33.33%, and 25.00% (rainy season) from Bamenda, Dschang, Bafoussam, and commercial, respectively. More so, 14 cocci, 3 coccobacilli, and 1 rod species belonging to 5, 3, and 1 genera were identified, from 74 cocci, 12 coccobacilli, and 3 rod isolates, respectively, with Streptococcus thermophilus being the highest (35.55%). However, 93.33% of the lactobacillus isolates were very sensitive to the antibiotics used, while only 20% of cocci were sensitive. This result suggests that the paucity of the appropriate lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and presence of pathogenic LAB caused by the absence of quality control and ignorance might hinder its health benefits and protection offered to consumers with a resultant exposure to high risk of food borne infection and intoxication coupled to the resistant strains.

18S rRNA Analysis Reveals High Diversity of Phytoplankton with Emphasis on a Naked Dinoflagellate Gymnodinium sp. at the Han River (Korea)

Biomonitoring of phytoplankton communities in freshwater ecosystems is imperative for efficient water quality management. In the present study, we present the seasonal diversity of phytoplankton from the non-reservoir area of the Han River (Korea), assessed using the 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Our results uncovered a considerably high eukaryotic diversity, which was predominantly represented by phytoplankton in all the seasons (38–63%). Of these, the diatoms, Cyclostephanos tholiformis, Stephanodiscus hantzschii, and Stephanodiscus sp., were frequently detected in spring and winter. Interestingly, for the first time in the Han River, we detected a large number of operational taxonomic unit (OTU) reads belonging to the naked dinoflagellate Gymnodinium sp., which dominated in autumn (15.8%) and was observed only in that season. Molecular cloning and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed the presence of Gymnodinium sp. in the samples collected in 2012 and 2019. Moreover, a comparison of the present data with our previous data from a reservoir area (Paldang Dam) revealed similar patterns of phytoplankton communities. This molecular approach revealed a prospective toxic species that was not detected through microscopy. Collectively, resolving phytoplankton communities at a level relevant for water quality management will provide a valuable reference for future studies on phytoplankton for environmental monitoring.

Avian Breeding Season Diversity and Community Composition in Camden White Gum and Slash Pine Plantations

Abstract In the southern United States, some landowners have established plantations of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) and are managing them on short rotations (<15 years) to provide wood for fiber and other potential uses. Establishment of short-rotation woody crops dominated by nonnative species has implications for resident fauna in the United States that are largely unknown. We compared avifauna abundance, diversity, and community composition in newly established Camden white gum (Eucalyptus benthamii) plantations with slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations of the same age and height (one to two and six to seven years old, respectively) in southwestern Louisiana, USA. Species richness, diversity, and community composition in newly established eucalyptus plantations and six- to seven-year-old pines were similar. More birds were observed, and bird detections varied less in eucalyptus plantations. Indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) and other shrub-associated species were detected more often in eucalyptus stands. In contrast, species that inhabit herbaceous-dominated communities, such as eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna), or that were associated with a dense graminoid community (e.g., Bachman’s sparrow [Peucaea aestivalis]) were detected less often in eucalyptus. Overall, breeding bird communities in eucalyptus plantations one to two years postestablishment differed little from plantations dominated by slash pine.

Seasonal variability in the diet and feeding ecology of black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) in Ranomafana National Park, southeastern Madagascar.

We characterized the diet and foraging ecology of the black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata), a specialized frugivore, and investigated behavioral strategies exhibited in response to seasonal changes in resource availability. Behavioral data were collected from the same two adjacent communities across 29 months during two observation periods (2007-2008; 2017-2018) in Mangevo, a primary rainforest habitat in southeastern Madagascar. To analyze feeding in the context of energy maximization versus time minimization strategies, we used nonparametric tests to compare plant part constituents, dietary diversity, activity budgets, and canopy strata use between fruit-abundant versus fruit-lean seasons. Individuals dedicated ~30% of their time to feeding year-round, mostly in the middle canopy (11-20 m). Animals fed primarily on fruits (74% of diet), but frugivory decreased and folivory increased markedly during fruit-lean seasons. Abundant season dietary diversity (98 taxa, H' = 0.71-1.37) was greater than lean season diversity (70 taxa, H' = 0.56-1.06), which coincided with less traveling, more resting, and higher canopy use-though interannual variation was observed. Herein, we describe behavioral and dietary patterns that are concordant with a time minimizing behavioral strategy. Black-and-white ruffed lemur diets comprised lower taxonomic diversity, fewer fruits, and more leaves during fruit-lean months. Further, shifts toward less travel, more resting, and greater use of higher canopy levels during this time were most likely for thermoregulatory benefits.

Seasonal Variation of Zooplankton Density and Physicochemical Parameters of A Perennial Freshwater Body, Samudrabundh of Joypur, Bankura, West Bengal, India

Water is the most essential and vital component required for the survival of all organisms in this earth. The physico-chemical and biological characteristics of a water body determine its efficacy for the production of plankton especially the zooplankton. Zooplankton are the most important primary consumer of aquatic food chain which in turn influence the productivity of finfishes in an aquatic body .The present study is primarily based on assessment of seasonal density and diversity as well as the physico-chemical condition of Samudrabundh, of Joypur block of Bankura district, West Bengal. Such type of assessment on this water body has not been done before this.. The study was carried during March.2019 to February, 2020. The water quality parameters which were used for study were temperature, PH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Free carbon dioxide (CO2),Chloride, salinity, alkalinity and total hardness. A total of 26 taxa of zooplankton were recorded. Out of which 8 sp ecies comprises of Rotifera, 05 species of Copepoda, 10 species of Cladocera and 03 species of Ostracoda. The total zooplankton density ranges from 756 (Ind/L) to 957 (Ind/L) which is quiet lower than the desired value required for good fish culture. The study concludes that the water body is of soft water type and medium productive in nature.

Impact of orbitally-driven seasonal insolation changes on Afro-Asian summer monsoons through the Holocene

Understanding what drives a shift of the Afro–Asian summer monsoons from the continents to oceanic regions provides valuable insight into climate dynamics, changes, and modeling. Here we use data–model synthesis to focus on the differential seasonal responses of solar insolation and monsoons to orbital changes in the Holocene. We observe coordinated and stepwise seasonal evolution of summer monsoons across the mid-Holocene, suggesting the strengthening of the midlatitude jet stream as a bridge in the upper troposphere. Prior to the mid-Holocene, insolation had decreased considerably in early summer; the continental monsoons migrated southeastward, which corresponded to a more pronounced rainy season in coastal East Asia. In late summer, insolation did not decrease until the mid-Holocene. The continued weakening of the continental monsoons, combined with weakened insolation, rapidly enhanced the intrinsic dynamics over East Asia–Western North Pacific and accelerated a large-scale migration of the monsoon, suggesting orbital control of seasonal diversity.

Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) in and around the Unakoti Archaeological Site with 59 new additions to the Butterfly Fauna of Tripura, North-eastern India

The authors have surveyed different habitats in and around the Unakoti Archaeological Site and documented a total of 216 species classified under 6 families, 23 subfamilies and 126 genera of the order Lepidoptera. The study was conducted from 2016 to 2020, covering different seasons namely pre-monsoon (Jan-Apr), monsoon (May-Aug) and post-monsoon (Sep-Dec) respectively. The study reports 2 species under schedule I, 25 species under schedule II, and 5 species under schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. This study also documented seasonal diversity and habitat-wise occurrence of butterflies in and around the Unakoti Archaeological Site. During the study, 59 butterfly species were recorded as new additions to the butterfly fauna of Tripura. High-quality photographs of all the butterfly species documented during the study have been included in this paper.

Analysis and feasibility of 50 kWp self-consumption solar photovoltaic system for four Senegalese typical climatic zones using PVsyst software

This study investigates analysis and feasibility of 50 kWp self-consumption photovoltaic system used for supplying the electrical load of military bases in Senegal. It refers to a simulation of performance photovoltaic system in four Senegalese typical climatic zones. In constructing the 50 kWp self-consumption photovoltaic simulation, the number of modules is 144, the power of each module is 280 Wp, 18 modules are in series and 8 in strings. Also, two solar SMA technology of 20 kWp with a voltage range of 230 to 800 V are used, and the simulation is done by means of Pvsyst software 6.81. Solar and ambient temperature data sets from Helioclim-3 database corrected by observations are used for this performance study. The variability of performance system in the four climate typical zones are analyzed from the simulations results. This work includes evaluation of the effective energy produced by the photovoltaic system, consumption and other components related to PV production for each climatic region. The 50 kWp PV array of electricity produced at Dakar (69.8 MWh/year), St Louis (64.9 MWh/year), Tambacounda (62.7 MWh/year) and Ziguinchor (59.3 MWh/year) is entirely self-consumed. The annual performance ratio are 0.796 at Dakar, 0.795 at St Louis, 0.775 at Tambacounda and 0.792 at Ziguinchor. The results obtained follow the variability of the solar resource. This variability is often impacted by the effect of temperature and other local climatic conditions such as the number of aerosols and the diversity of seasons. The solar radiation is more important at St Louis than at Dakar but the Dakar region is less impacted by these factors, making the results more important at Dakar. As for the Tambacounda and Ziguinchor regions, the solar resource is less important, likely due to effect of elevated PV panel temperatures and a longer rainy season in these two zones. To know the magnitude of a solar photovoltaic installation, it is good to size for each locality to be able to deduce a larger production. Key words: Self-consumption, Pvsyst software, climatic zones, Helioclim-3, performance ratio.

Planktonic diatom assemblage seasonal diversity used to assess environmental health in a coastal wetland of southern Chile

Although planktonic diatoms are one of the most abundant taxonomic groups in coastal wetlands, their assemblages have not been used to determine the environmental health of these ecosystems. Studies of ecosystem environmental health have been based on other taxonomic groups; we propose that diatom genera diversity represents a viable alternative for this purpose. Thus, our aim was to determine the alpha and beta diversities of the planktonic diatom assemblage present in Caulin Bay, Chiloe Island (41° 49’S; 73° 38’W), southern Chile, during the austral winter and spring of the years 2012 and 2014. Caulin Bay is an important site for aquatic bird observation and conservation, hunting is prohibited on a national scale and, internationally, the site has been declared an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA). Our results indicate different diversities between sampling stations, but not between the years studied. In total, we recorded 53 diatom genera, of which the most abundant were Coscinodiscus (21.99%) and Cocconeis (16.23%). The study area presented high genera diversity (i.e., H’(log2) >3.74) and beta diversity indicated that Caulin presents a low level of heterogeneity and is a low genera replacement environment. Consequently, we infer that Caulin Bay is a productive and environmentally stable ecosystem. This leads us to conclude that diatom diversity determination is a viable alternative to establish aquatic ecosystem environmental health and we recommend that future conservation strategies be established for Caulin Bay.

Data augmentation method for strawberry flower detection in non-structured environment using convolutional object detection networks

Deep learning has demonstrated significant capabilities for learning image features and presents many opportunities for agricultural automation. Deep neural networks typically require large and diverse training datasets to learn generalizable models. However, this requirement is challenging for applications in agricultural automation systems, since collecting and annotating large amount of training samples from filed crops and greenhouses is an expensive and complicated process due to the large diversity of crops, growth seasons and climate changes. This research proposed a new method for augmenting training dataset using synthesized images that preserves the background context and texture of the data object. A synthetic dataset of 1800 images was generated using a reference dataset and applying image processing techniques. As reference dataset 100 and for evaluating detection performance 230 real images of strawberry flowers were collected in greenhouses. Experimental results demonstrated that the suggested method provides improved performance when applied to the state-of-the-arts convolutional object detectors including Faster R-CNN, SSD, YOLOv3 and CenterNet for the task of strawberry flower detection in non-structured environment. The YOLOv3 w/darknet53 model achieved 46.84% boost in performance with average precision (AP) improved from 39.20% to 86.04% when applied augmentation using synthetic dataset. The AP of Faster R-CNN w/resnet50, SSD w/resnet50 and FPN and CenterNet w/hourglass52 models improved by 15.71, 18.42 and 22.24%, respectively. The Faster R-CNN w/resnet50 model provided most significant strawberry flower detection performance with AP 90.84%, which is higher than SSD w/resnet50 and FPN, YOLOv3 w/darknet53 and CenterNet w/hourglass52 models (88.56%, 86.04 % and 83.82%, respectively). Keywords: Flower detection, deep convolutional neural network, data augmentation, synthetic dataset.

Spatiotemporal Patterns in Diversity and Assembly Process of Marine Protist Communities of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Plume and Its Adjacent Waters.

Marine protists are highly heterogeneous and play key roles in the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. However, little is known on the underlying biogeographic processes and seasonal diversity patterns that shape their community assembly in a regional scale in marginal sea. In this study, we conducted high-throughput sequencing of 18S rRNA gene to survey the protist community compositions (PCCs) of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) plume, an intensely human-affected coastal area, to the adjacent continental shelf waters over three seasons. Furthermore, the different impacts of environmental and spatial factors on marine PCCs were examined. The results revealed significant dissimilarities of PCC’s diversity among seasons and habitats, with more obvious seasonal variations in the Changjiang plume. Procrustes analysis showed better consistency of the community-environment relationship in shelf area, further supported by stronger correlation coefficients computed in the Mantel tests. This might be explained by seasonal dynamics of Changjiang Diluted Waters (i.e., the mixing of the Changjiang runoff with inshore water of the East China Sea) that changed the environmental conditions of coastal area dramatically, resulting in lower importance of spatial factors (dispersal limitation) on PCCs compared with environmental filters, including physicochemical properties (e.g., water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients), as well as biotic factors (e.g., Chl a and food abundance). This was further explained by higher immigration rate and fitness to neutral model, which suggested a predominant role of neutral process in shaping the PCCs in coastal area. Different richness, diversity, and taxonomic compositions but comparable biogeographic patterns were observed among abundant and rare sub-communities. In general, the abundant sub-communities exhibited higher dispersal ability which tend to respond to environmental selection during dispersal, whereas the rare sub-communities appeared to be present only in few samples due to dispersal limitation. Co-occurrence network further indicated the importance of biotic interactions in community assembly and potential roles of rare taxa in maintaining the community structure. Overall, this study suggests the dynamic in the biogeographic patterns of PCCs of the Changjiang plume to the adjacent waters in the ECS responding with the changing environmental conditions and geographical factors.

Diversity of ichthyofauna in Hiran-II reservoir, Gujarat (India)

The present study deals with ichthyofaunal diversity of Hiran-II reservoir, Gujarat. Sampling was carried out on monthly basis from January 2019 to February 2020. Total 23 species from 6 orders, 10 families and 19 genera were recorded during the present study. The range of water parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen alkalinity and hardness were recorded and found suitable for fish production. Dominant family Cyprinidae with 12 species and 08 genera followed by Bagridae with 03 species 02 genera and other all families Claridea, Heteropneustidae, Cichilidae, Channidae, Gobiidae, Belonidae, Mastacembelidae, Poecilidae and Anguilidae contributed single species with single genera. Regarding conservation status out of 23 fish species 21 species least concern and 2 species near threaten. During month of December (post monsoon) highest fish diversity was found. Seasonal diversity indices such as Shannon-Wiener species diversity, Pielou’s evenness, Margalef’s species richness, were calculated based on the abundance of fish species to access the ecosystem health of Hiran-II reservoir. These studies will be help for the maintenance and regulation of Ichthyofauna and other aquatic ecosystem of the Hiran-II reservoir.

Seasonal Variation of Culturable Benthic Soil Prokaryotic Microbiota as Potential Fish Pathogens and Probiotics from an Aquaculture Farm in East Kolkata Wetlands, India

Rising demand in the aquaculture sector tends towards finding innovative ways to promote better yield and profitability. Benthic soil microbiota can provide an insight into the potent opportunistic fish pathogens as well as probiotics present in the aquaculture system. This study reports the seasonal diversity and abundance of fifteen culturable pathogenic bacterial strains belonging to the genera of Comamonas, Aeromonas, Providencia, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Acinetobacter, Serratia, Stenotrophomonas, Staphylococcus, and Enterobacter along with nine probiotic strains native to genera of Bacillus and Pseudomonas isolated from an aquaculture farm benthic soil, located in East Kolkata Wetlands, West Bengal, India. Strains are isolated using traditional microbial culture methods and tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility against commonly available antibiotics. 16S rDNA analysis was done for the identification of the strains and the establishment of their phylogenetic relationships. Among the isolates, B. pumilus strain S8 in the pre-monsoon sample, E. coli strain M2aR1 in the monsoon sample, and A. hydrophila strain P6dF1 in the post-monsoon sample were the most abundant having MPN counts of 275±21 x 106 CFU/gram dry soil, 278±18 x 106 CFU/gram dry soil, and 321±28 x 106 CFU/gram dry soil respectively. Data on the temporal diversity, abundance, and drug-susceptibility of prokaryotic fish-pathogens and probiotics can be used to formulate measures for sustainable aquaculture practices with reduced maintenance costs.

Assessment of precipitation extremes in India during the 21st century under SSP1-1.9 mitigation scenarios of CMIP6 GCMs

This study used a 30-year observed (1985–2014) precipitation, and the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Phase 6 (CMIP6) Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) based precipitation scenarios to assess the impact of precipitation extremes in near future (2020–2049) and far future (2070–2099) periods over India. For the assessment of precipitation extremes, standard extreme precipitation indices (EPIs) such as mean precipitation, cumulative wet days (CWD), cumulative dry days (CDD), number of rainy days (NR), precipitation events between 10 and 20 mm (P1020), precipitation events between 20 and 40 mm (P2040), precipitation events > 40 mm (PG40), annual maximum 1-day precipitation (Rx1day), and annual maximum 5-day precipitation (Rx5day) have been utilized. The percentage of change (or magnitude of change) has been calculated between CMIP6 scenarios and observed precipitation for all EPIs in the near future (NF-2020-2049) and far future (FF-2070-2099) times. The CMIP6 global climate models (GCMs) contain a significant amount of uncertainty. Thus, the quantile mapping approach has been applied to correct the bias in CMIP6 scenarios with reference to observed precipitation. This study also compares the results of precipitation extremes obtained in this study with previously published CMIP5 GCMs based precipitation extreme scenarios. This study’s observations clarified that a significant seasonal diversity and individuality existed among all the selected CMIP6 GCMs based precipitation scenarios (2020–2099) across India. As per EPIs, such as CDD based plots showed an increase (25–75%) in CDD over significant portions of India, while CWD plots showed an increase of CWD over a few areas of northwest, central, and northeastern India regions. In the case of event-based indices, all four CMIP6 GCMs showed some distinctive behavior, but the overall extremely high precipitation events such as PG40 showed a significant increase (25–80%) in both NF and FF times across India, except for a few grids.

Seasonal diversity of soil microarthropods in two different vegetable plots of Aligarh-India

Soil microarthropods are intimately linked with health and fertility of soil as well as plant productivity. In India, despite their rich faunal diversity, information on soil microarthropods diversity and interactions with variety of edaphic factors is extremely limited. The present study is carried out to observe seasonal diversity of soil microarthropods in two different vegetable plots in Aligarh. The two vegetable plots chosen in this study where predominantly Tomato (Lycopersicom esculentum) and Brinjal (Solanum melongena, family-Solaneceae) have been grown and sapling has been sown in April when plants attained a height of approximately 6″. The samples collected randomly from a depth of 5 cm. @ of four samples per month for a period of 1 year. All microarthropods extracted with the help of Tullgren funnel apparatus. Among soil microarthropods collected, Collembolans have highest average monthly density (15.20 inds./sample) in brinjal plot and greatest abundance (18.7 inds./sample) in tomato plot. A highly significant negative correlation observed between Collembolans population with reference to soil temperature (r = – 0.867, P 0.05). Neutral pH level preferably influences the Collembolans as well as Acarina (mites). Peak population buildup of Collembola and Acarina was found in spring, and winter months, whereas sharp decline in summer months was observed. Therefore, this study clearly establishes the fact that habitat difference as well as edaphic factors play important roles in buildup of soil microarthropods population.

Seasonal Diversity of Birds in Nagarjun Forest of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Kathmandu, Nepal

Nagarjun forest of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park plays a significant role in the conservation of avifaunal diversity, but there are very few studies on birds of such local biodiversity hotspots in Nepal. The objective of the present study was to obtain information on seasonal diversity, species richness and relative abundance of birds in Nagarjun forest. The study was carried out from August 2019to June 2020 covering two seasons (autumn and spring). A total of 97 species of birds belonging to 10 orders and 42 families were recorded from three trails. Total22 Mackinnon’s lists were produced resulting 97 bird species recorded from entire field survey. Passeriformes was recorded as the most dominating order represented by 69 species. Mackinnon’s listing and direct observation methods were used to survey birds and Shannon-Weiner diversity index was used for data analysis. Relative abundance showed that most of the species were rare (54%) followed by uncommon (20%), very common (15%) and common (11%). Shannon-Weiner diversity index showed higher value for spring (H = 3.895) than autumn (H =3.807) and evenness was also higher in spring (E= 0.899) than autumn (E = 0.887).The result indicated higher species richness in spring with 76 species than autumn with 73 species. Based on the Shannon–Weiner index, the overall species diversity was highest in the trail III.

The Biodiversity of Pelagic Fish Caught by Purse Seines in Tripoli, northern Lebanese Coast.

This study highlights for the first time the biodiversity of fish assemblages in purse seine fisheries in the Tripoli region, north of Lebanon. A total of 925 specimens from 17 species of 11 families were identified and studied from the monthly samples collected between April and November 2017. The catch was dominated by 3 families (Clupeidae, Engraulidae and Dussumieriidae) in varying abundances. Seasonal variation of abundance was detected with Sardina pilchardus (32%) in Spring, Engraulis encrasicolus (56%) in Summer and Sardinella maderensis (58%) in Fall. Weight length relationships (W=aLb ) were estimated for the most abundant species, and they show a positive allometry for Engraulis encrasicolus (b=3.276), as well as, Herklotsichthys punctatus (b=3.477), and a negative allometry for Sardinella aurita (b=2.886). Seasonal diversity was evaluated and the highest diversity was observed during the spring season following Shannon Index (H’=1.44), Pielou evenness (J’=0.74) and Simpson Index (1-D=0.74). The Shannon Index differed from one season to another reaching the highest value in Spring. Despite the progress in studying diversity and abundance, variation in pelagic fish catches is evident in Lebanese sea water, where a management plan for purse seine fisheries should be applied under the framework of ecosystem approach to fisheries.

Environmental DNA assessment of airborne plant and fungal seasonal diversity

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and metagenomics analyses can improve taxonomic resolution in biodiversity studies. Only recently, these techniques have been applied in aerobiology, to target bacteria, fungi and plants in airborne samples. Here, we present a nine-month aerobiological study applying eDNA metabarcoding in which we analyzed simultaneously airborne diversity and variation of fungi and plants across five locations in North and Central Italy. We correlated species composition with the ecological characteristics of the sites and the seasons. The most abundant taxa among all sites and seasons were the fungal genera Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Epicoccum and the plant genera Brassica, Corylus, Cupressus and Linum, the latter being much more variable among sites. PERMANOVA and indicator species analyses showed that the plant diversity from air samples is significantly correlated with seasons, while that of fungi varied according to the interaction between seasons and sites. The results consolidate the performance of a new eDNA metabarcoding pipeline for the simultaneous amplification and analysis of airborne plant and fungal particles. They also highlight the promising complementarity of this approach with more traditional biomonitoring frameworks and routine reports of air quality provided by environmental agencies.

Agroecological zones as an important driver of canopy arthropod community in olive agroecosystems

Canopy arthropods in the olive agroecosystem were monitored for a period of two years, in orchards located in hills and plains, as representative agroecological zones of cultivation in Crete, Greece. Other environmental and farming-related features such as climate conditions, landscape complexity, pesticide use, canopy and soil cover status, were also recorded. Functional arthropods, potentially providing biological control services, as well as main pests, were aggregated in corresponding groups. Comparison between agroecological zones delivered statistically significant differences in terms of seasonal diversity, abundance of several individual taxa and biological pest control agents that were found higher in hills. Multivariate analysis revealed that climate, farming practices and landscape-related factors explained arthropod variation better than agroecological zones. Nevertheless, hills as cultivation zones also explained a considerable portion of arthropod community seasonal composition. The study suggests that the zones of cultivation should be considered in research frameworks supporting biodiversity-based agricultural approaches.

Fine‐Scale Variability of Observed and Simulated Surface Albedo Over the Southern Great Plains

AbstractSurface albedo can be highly variable in both space and time. The Department of Energy's Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land‐Ecosystems field study provides a unique opportunity to characterize the variability of surface albedo over the Southern Great Plains of the United States using integrated tower, aircraft, and satellite observations. The primary advantage of the aircraft and satellite observations is the ability to examine the spatial distribution of surface albedo over a large area, while the tower measurements have the ability to examine both diurnal and day‐to‐day variability at a single location. In general, consistency was found between the broadband (BB) albedo measured from the surface, air, and space. There was a small increase from 0.186 to 0.194 in the aircraft BB surface albedo between May and September (about 4% change), while the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer black‐sky BB surface albedo increased from 0.151 to 0.166 over the same period (about 10% change), while the standard deviations in the aircraft and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer BB albedo were similar. The largest seasonal differences in the aircraft BB albedo were found for areas with winter wheat or forest, while areas with pasture or grasses showed a smaller seasonal diversity. The Weather Research and Forecasting model was used to simulate the BB surface albedo. In comparison with the aircraft and satellite observations, the Weather Research and Forecasting‐simulated BB surface albedo had no seasonal change and a much narrower distribution.