This study investigated the growth and leaf metabolism of clonal cocoa varieties in response to field stress conditions during wet and dry seasons. It was hypothesized that clonal cocoa varieties differ in their growth, photochemical efficiency, relative water content and central carbon metabolism under seasonal field stress conditions. Fourteen cocoa clone varieties between 35 and 44 months after planting were evaluated. Using various standard procedures in the field and laboratory, the plants were assessed in both wet (as unstress condition) and dry (as stress condition) seasons field conditions. Soil moisture content, photochemical efficiency, relative water content, non-structural carbohydrate, carbon, nitrogen, growth and pod numbers were measured and compared among the seasons. The clones conserved cellular water, and this manifested in high levels of relative water content. Photochemical efficiency reduced in most of the clonal cocoa varieties during the dry season. Soluble sugars, starch and non-structural carbohydrate accumulated in the leaves of the plants during the dry season. The levels of carbon and nitrogen were significantly high and low respectively in the dry season. Some clonal cocoa varieties increased growth rate and had a greater number of pods. The correlation analysis revealed a relationship among non-structural carbohydrate, growth and physiological traits. Clone varieties CRG 0132/105, CRG 0145/205, CRG 0314/102 and T65/238 were the most tolerant in response to field stress conditions, and this reflected in the accumulation of soluble sugars, starch and non-structural carbohydrate, improved photosynthetic efficiency, conserved cellular water and enhanced growth rates and pod numbers agreeing to the hypothesis.

Differential distribution characteristics of heavy metal resistance genes and driving mechanisms of heavy metal speciation in river-lake system sediments.

Cyanobacterial relative enrichment over diatoms: Differential responses of plankton to microplastic pollution in the Zhanghe River, Northern China.

The interactions between land use and water quality play critical roles in shaping benthic macroinvertebrate biodiversity in rivers. However, existing studies struggle to effectively identify nonlinear interactions between land use and water quality. This study integrates Random Forest and SHapley Additive exPlanations to create a robust framework that identifies the nonlinear interactions among variables. Applied to the Fu River basin, a primary tributary of Poyang Lake, China, our framework identified season-specific drivers: Ammonia Nitrogen and Shannon's diversity landscape index dominated community dynamics in the wet season, while Hydrogen ion concentration and Forest were key in the dry season. Interactive analyses revealed that during the wet season, total phosphorus (TP) and cropland cover formed the most influential pair, with synergistic effects (i.e., combined impact > sum of individual effects). Notably, cropland coverage modulated TP’s impact on benthic diversity: low cropland cover favored positive effects of TP, which diminished as TP concentrations increased to 0.04 mg/L, whereas high cropland cover triggered negative effects that intensified with rising TP and stabilized at 0.10 mg/L. During the dry season, conductivity (Cond) and forest cover emerged as the most impactful pair, also exhibiting synergistic effects. Forest cover modulated Cond’s influence on benthic diversity: under high forest cover, low Cond exerted positive effects that weakened with increasing Cond to 60 μs/cm; under low forest cover, moderate Cond induced increasingly negative effects that plateaued at 80 μs/cm. This study provides a robust approach to decipher context-dependent environmental interactions, offering valuable insights for river ecological conservation and adaptive management. • Decoded nonlinear interactions of water quality/land use on benthic biodiversity in rivers. • NH 3 -N & SHDI/pH & forest dominate the biodiversity during wet/dry season. • TP-Cropland/Conductivity-Forest synergy amplifies impacts during wet/dry season.

Effects of encapsulated nitrate replacing urea on performance, rumen fermentation, and enteric methane emissions in grazing Nellore cattle from weaning to slaughter.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the North Jakarta Estuary under anthropogenic alteration: Geochemical signatures, pollution severity, and ecological risks.

Leap, frog: Toad-proof agricultural infrastructure for landscape-level management of cane toads.

Lianas are particularly abundant in seasonally dry tropical forests, where most species flower during the dry season. While hydraulic differences of vegetative organs between lianas and trees are well-documented, floral hydraulic strategies and their potential role in liana expansion remain unclear. To characterize divergence in floral water-use strategies between lianas and trees, we examined 24 floral traits related to water transport, storage, drought tolerance, and pollinator attraction in 16 liana and 16 tree species of Bauhinia s.l. from a tropical seasonal rainforest in Yunnan, China. Liana flowers exhibited greater petal vein density, stomatal density and size, flower mass per area, and drought tolerance than tree flowers, which showed higher saturated water content and hydraulic capacitance. Liana flowers exhibited a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety, but trees did not. Life forms also differed in trait coordination linking hydraulic structure, function, and reproduction. Our findings reveal divergent floral hydraulic syndromes: lianas adopt structurally reinforced, drought-tolerant designs for canopy flowering under high vapor pressure deficit, while trees rely on internal water reserves to buffer water loss. This study provides the first organ-level evidence that divergent floral hydraulic strategies underpin reproductive success and may help explain liana dominance in seasonally dry tropical forests under climate change.

GPS tracking reveals complex resource acquisition strategies of pastoralists in East Africa

Mechanism of eutrophication in a semi-enclosed bay: Insight from dual water isotopes.

Fungal communities in the freshwater systems of the semi-arid Narrabri region, Australia, remain largely unexplored despite their crucial role as ecosystem regulators. This study provides the first comprehensive survey of aquatic fungal diversity across the Narrabri region of riverine and lacustrine waters in an area over 2000 km2 in size. ITS amplicon sequencing of water samples collected in November 2022 and June 2023 identified 344 OTUs, revealing clear temporal variation, with OTU richness significantly higher in November than in June. Notably, ~73% of sequences could not be reliably assigned to phyla, representing substantial 'fungal dark matter', although many of these sequences appear to have affinities with poorly characterised zoosporic fungi. Aquatic hyphomycetes were virtually absent. This observation may be due to regular filtering of conidia by hyporheic or ephemeral flow during the dry season in this region. Notably, this study reported the first Australian record of the ectomycorrhizal fungus, Laccaria miniata, detected in a mass fruiting event in June 2023. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that two sponges, previously undocumented in the region, are widespread, alongside a novel gastrotrich species occurring at most locations. Taken together, these findings reveal semi-arid freshwater systems in Australia are hotspots of unrecognised fungal and eukaryote diversity.

We summarised active surveillance data to identify patterns and ecological factors correlated with AIV detection in wild birds, through a systematic review and meta-analysis. We screened 2851 articles from the PubMed and Scopus databases, out of which 197 met our eligibility criteria and were selected for further analysis. The dataset encompassed 367 wild bird species from 72 avian families. The pooled prevalence of sampled birds was 4.80% (95% CI: [3.91-5.77%]) across 900,469 samples collected during the period 1971-2023, with substantial heterogeneity ( ) across studies. Among continents, Central America displayed the highest prevalence at 9.89% (95% CI: [2.25-21.99%]), albeit based on relatively few samples (n=4205). In temperate regions, prevalence peaked in autumn, at 5.82% (95% CI: [3.84-8.15%]), while in tropical regions, prevalence was notably higher during the dry season (2.33%, 95% CI: [0.38-5.54%]) than during the wet season (0.22%, 95% CI: [0.00-0.90%]). Prevalence varied significantly across avian families, with Anatidae, the most extensively sampled family, exhibiting a prevalence of 6.19% (95% CI: [5.10-7.37%]). Migratory species and those associated with freshwater habitats also exhibited higher AIV detection. Moreover, meta-regression analyses revealed that seasonal patterns of AIV detection differed across regions. Despite this, high heterogeneity across studies remained, likely driven by differences in surveillance intensity, diagnostic methods, and unmeasured ecological factors. This meta-analysis highlights key spatial, taxonomic, and temporal patterns in AIV prevalence among sampled birds. The findings underscore the need for harmonised, representative surveillance to better anticipate emerging avian influenza risks.

Elucidating the transmission dynamics of mosquitoes, facilitating identification of non-invasive species, employing non-visual approaches for larval detection, and integrating next-generation surveillance techniques are pivotal for developing robust and sustainable strategies to prevent dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases. Illumina-based high-throughput sequencing was used to identify the presence of Aedes aegypti in dry and rainy seasons. The other identified mosquito species included Ae. albopictus, Culex pipiens, Cx. nigripalpus, and Armigeres subalbatus. To our knowledge, this represents the first comprehensive application of aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to characterize mosquito biodiversity in Indonesia. The raw sequencing data generated in this study have been deposited in the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) under BioProject accession number PRJNA1248132. These datasets provide a valuable reference framework for future eDNA-based surveillance efforts and quantitative assessments of mosquito populations in Indonesia's aquatic habitats across different times and seasons.

Using spatially explicit machine learning to enhance assessment of the Global Gravity-based Groundwater Product for groundwater storage change in Germany

Parasitism is mediated by environmental factors and intrinsic host attributes, leading to spatio-temporal dynamics of host-parasite infestation. Mammals are the main hosts of larvae of Cuterebrinae flies, which have been observed in the neotropical rodent Hylaeamys megacephalus (Fischer) (Rodentia, Cricetidae) within the Brazilian Cerrado. Besides describing seasonal dynamics of botfly parasitism in this rodent, we also tested the hypothesis that the prevalence of botfly parasitism varies seasonally, with larvae being more prevalent in the warm-wet season, due to favorable climatic conditions for egg development. Second, we tested the hypothesis that the prevalence of botfly parasitism is higher among adults than juveniles, as the former present greater habitat use and larger movements, leading to increased exposure to parasites; and finally, we tested the hypothesis that the prevalence of botfly larvae is male-biased, due to greater male exposure and susceptibility to parasitism. The study was carried out between 2019 and 2023 at Gloria Experimental Farm (Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil), through the capture-mark-recapture method. The botfly was identified as Metacuterebra infulata (Lutz) (Diptera, Oestridae), being the first report of a host for this parasite and a new botfly species parasitizing H. megacephalus. The prevalence of M. infulata within the host population was 15.28% (24 hosts). Most hosts presented only one botfly, and most of them were in the inguinal region, indicating host specificity, and therefore, H. megacephalus might be the primary host of M. infulata in this region. Contrary to our hypothesis, botfly infestations presented a multivoltine pattern, with a peak in infestations during April (transition from wet to dry season) that may reflect the time interval between the botfly oviposition behavior and the development of the third instar larvae in the host. Finally, we also did not find any difference in M. infulata prevalence between sexes and age classes. This may be associated with the parasite's biology, in which the oviposition behavior of adults leads to similar exposure for both sexes and age classes. The lack of sexual dimorphism between rodents may also contribute to the observed patterns. Our study reports a new host-parasite interaction involving rodents and botflies and pinpoints the importance of parasite life cycle on the seasonal dynamics of parasitism.

Multiple domesticities: A cross-country analysis on One Health domesticity across selected localities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire.

Groundwater quality for wet and dry seasons around an active dumpsite in Aluu, Port Harcourt, was evaluated using a combination of pollution indices, microbial count, and statistical models. Water samples were collected and analyzed for physicochemical and microbial parameters using standard methods. Dilution factor (DF) and correlation heatmap were used to synthesize the source of the contamination while heavy metal pollution Index (HPI) and Nemerow comprehensive pollution index (CPINemerow) were used to evaluate magnitude of groundwater contamination. Results show that electrical conductivity, total hardness, magnesium, lead, cadmium, and total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) exceeded the Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water Quality allowable limits for both seasons. The HPI values for the dry (476.76) and wet (3849.4) seasons and the CPINemerow values for the dry (31.69) and wet (107.37) seasons greatly exceeding the critical values of 100 and 3 respectively. THB counts were also high, however a drop in count occurred from 2.8 × 103 CFU/mL during the dry to 3.2× 102 CFU/mL during the wet season. An indication that the effect of rainfall on groundwater quality is different for chemical and microbial parameters. While for chemical contaminants, rainfall enhanced mobilization, for microbes rainfall enhanced dilution. The correlation heatmap and the DF showcased the measured parameters in two distinct categories based on hydrochemical control and contaminant source. The study concludes that groundwater from the study area is severely polluted and unsuitable for domestic or agricultural use without advanced treatment.

The cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus is a major constraint to livestock production in tropical regions, causing substantial economic losses and driving intensive acaricide use. Despite its importance, the role of pasture composition in shaping off-host tick populations remains poorly understood. This study evaluated whether forage grass species create distinct microenvironments that influence the seasonal abundance and persistence of R. microplus larvae in a tropical region. Larval abundance was higher overall in the dry season than in the rainy season, with a significant interaction between grass and season. Grass cultivars differed markedly during the dry season. Two Megathyrsus maximus cultivars supported the highest larval densities and the longest recovery windows, whereas two Urochloa sp. cultivars showed the lowest larval densities. Differences in larval abundance were not significant during the rainy season across grasses (P = 0.13). Minimum temperature and minimum relative humidity were the most influential microclimatic predictors of larval abundance. The interaction between forage species and seasonal climate influences R. microplus population dynamics, particularly under dry conditions. Although pasture composition alone is unlikely to determine infestation levels under grazing conditions, and larval abundance in pasture does not necessarily translate directly into infestation levels on cattle, certain grass cultivars may contribute to microenvironments less favorable for tick survival. These findings highlight the potential of forage species to influence off-host tick dynamics, acting as a complementary component of the integrated R. microplus management. © 2026 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

This study was conducted to determine the concentrations of some physicochemical parameters of water and sediment in Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons as well as some heavy metals in water, sediment, and fish. A laboratory-based study was carried out between January and June 2017, with samples collected from three purposively selected sites. Heavy metal concentrations were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS), while physicochemical parameters, including temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), and electrical conductivity, were measured using standard procedures. The mean concentrations of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn) in water were 0.96 ± 0.02, 0.05 ± 0.003, 0.13 ± 0.07, and 1.00 ± 0.01mg/L, respectively, while in sediments-2.00 ± 0.041, 0.80 ± 0.008, 1.70 ± 0.10, and 1.22 ± 0.10mg/kg; and in fish-2.78 ± 0.034, 0.07 ± 0.001, 1.72 ± 0.02, and 3.46 ± 0.08mg/kg. Fish samples recorded the highest levels of Cu, Pb, and Mn compared to sediments and water. Cd, Pb, and Mn in water slightly exceeded the maximum permissible concentration limits for drinking water, while Cd and Mn in sediments were above permissible levels of concentration. In fish, Pb exceeded permissible limits of concentration, whereas Cu, Cd, and Mn remained within acceptable ranges. Generally, some heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Pb, and Mn) in Lake Tinike were above international safety standards, indicating potential ecological risks and public health concerns for surrounding communities that rely on the lake for water and fish consumption. Therefore, continuous monitoring, strict regulation of pollutant discharges, and public awareness initiatives are strongly recommended to safeguard both environmental and human health in the region.

Seasonal variation in metal concentrations in the Gualaxo do Norte River following the Fundão dam collapse is associated with behavioural and cholinergic alterations in Astyanax lacustris.