Ecological Complexity Research Articles

Forging green Horizons: Revealing Catalysts of pro-environmental behavior in emerging market

In recent years, environmental pollution has started to threaten global economies. The understanding of consumer behavior within the context of sustainable development has become increasingly important to deal with this growing ecological complexity. Urbanization has accelerated in Pakistan, resulting in urban consumers raising more environmental concerns and promoting eco-friendly products. These concerns have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability and pro-environmental behaviors, such as reducing waste materials (e.g., plastics) and pollutants (i.e., smoke, dust, etc.), thus supporting eco-friendly behaviors. Today, Pakistan's urban consumers are well-aware of environmental complexities. As such, environmental knowledge is the driver of consumers' pro-environmental behavior, affective commitment and social capital also compel individuals to acquire ecological knowledge to enhance consumer behavior. This research considers customers' environmental knowledge and affective commitment, both of which actively contribute to pro-environmental activity. It explores the relationship between environmental knowledge, affection commitment, social capital, and environmental behavior in Pakistan. Data was gathered from Pakistan's urban customers and analyzed using Covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM). The results indicate that affective commitment and social capital have a positive and significant effect on environmental knowledge and behavior. Notably, the relationship between social capital, affective commitment, and environmental behavior is mediated by knowledge of environmental issues. Through its findings, this study fosters an understanding of environmental behavior and explains the sense of responsibility and greater commitment in individuals, which thus leads them toward sustainability.

A Comparative Study of Highland Riparian Landscape Structure in Ubud, Indonesia and Banaue, Philippines

Abstract In Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines boast unique riparian areas crucial for ecological balance. These zones, nestled in mountainous terrains, act as vital links between land and water ecosystems, rich in biodiversity and cultural significance. However, they face threats from human development, causing fragmentation and altering their functions. To comprehend these changes, a study compared the landscape structure of two mountain villages in Ubud, Indonesia, and Banaue, Philippines. Using the landscape profile method, the study examined the relationship between landscape elements, highlighting Batad and Tegalalang’s distinct characteristics and challenges. While both areas featured forests, agriculture, and built-up areas, Batad exhibited less fragmentation. Terraced rice fields played critical roles in supporting water flow and biodiversity but faced risks from agrochemical use. Tegalalang faced environmental challenges like inadequate waste management and water scarcity, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices. The study’s adaptation of the landscape profile method provided valuable insights into landscape fragmentation, aiding in understanding and addressing ecological complexities in riparian zones. This research highlights the importance of preserving and managing riparian areas in mountainous regions to sustain their ecological functions amidst growing human impacts.

The Identification, Spatial Distribution, and Reconstruction Mode of Abandoned Mining Areas

The rehabilitation of abandoned mining sites is an increasingly pressing issue in the context of sustainable development. Recent research has emphasized the need for a holistic approach to the abandoned mining sites and their environmental rehabilitation. Based on field analysis, environmental assessments, satellite imagery processing and geographic information operations, this paper pushes forward the existing knowledge by conducting a comprehensive assessment of abandoned mining sites in the Romanian Carpathians and by proposing innovative and sustainable rehabilitation solutions. Our findings highlight that abandoned mining sites and their surrounding territories in the Romanian mountains have significant ecological imbalances and complex socio-economic issues. The findings also suggest that by adopting innovative, integrated, and sustainability-oriented approaches, territories affected by mining can be transformed into valuable and sustainable spaces to meet human needs. We conclude by presenting the importance of innovation in ecological reconstruction and spatial–functional reintegration of mining sites in mountain areas as a useful tool in making fair decisions, both in the context of implementing appropriate development policies as well as for the resilience and environmental sustainability of mining-affected mountain areas.

Assessing impacts of bycatch policies and fishers' heterogeneous information on food webs and fishery sustainability.

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) has emerged as a promising framework for understanding and managing the long-term interactions between fisheries and the larger marine ecosystems in which they are nested. However, successful implementation of EBFM has been elusive because we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the network of interacting species in marine ecosystems (the food web) and the dynamic relationship between the food web and the humans who harvest those ecosystems. Here, we advance such understanding by developing a network framework that integrates the complexity of food webs with the economic dynamics of different management policies. Specifically, we generate hundreds of different food web models with 20-30 species, each harvested by five different fishers extracting the biomass of a target and a bycatch species, subject to two different management scenarios and exhibiting different information in terms of avoiding bycatch when harvesting the target species. We assess the different ecological and economic consequences of these policy alternatives as species extinctions and profit from sustaining the fishery. We present the results of different policies relative to a benchmark open access scenario where there are no management policies in place. The framework of our network model would allow policymakers to evaluate different management approaches without compromising on the ecological complexities of a fishery.This article is part of the theme issue 'Connected interactions: enriching food web research by spatial and social interactions'.

Biodiversity, Challenges and Opportunities: A Way Forward

Biodiversity can be defined as the variability among the living organism from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and ecological complexes of which they are part, this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystem. The growing awareness that biodiversity is a precious global asset to present and future generation and that species survival and the integrity of habitats and ecosystems are at serious risk, has increased significantly the importance of biodiversity related research. The loss of biodiversity is a global crisis, there is hardly an region on the earth that is not facing ecological catastrophes. Of the 1.7 million species known to inhabit the earth (Human is just one of them), one third to one fourthvof the species is likely to extinct within the next few decades. Therefore, onus of safeguarding biodiversity is not just on government or indigenous communities, but on all of us as this is our common heritage.

A fRAmework of the DetermInants of Arts aNd Cultural Engagement (RADIANCE): integrated insights from ecological, behavioural and complex adaptive systems theories.

Arts and cultural engagement (ACEng) is ubiquitous across every human culture since palaeolithic times, but in contemporary society, ACEng is unevenly distributed, demographically, socio-economically, geographically and politically. But what are the "determinants" of ACEng (i.e., the facilitators or barriers to people's engagement) and how can they be optimised? Despite a large body of theory and evidence on individual determinants, this work has largely occurred in disciplinary silos, which has led variously to contrasting discourses and approaches, criticism, and inconsistent findings. What we lack is a rigorous comprehensive understanding of these determinants (both those already theorised and those that have been little recognised as determinants to date) that goes beyond descriptively showing inequalities, instead explaining why these inequalities exist and how they can be overcome. This paper explores the currently recognised determinants of ACEng, and existing theoretical approaches to these determinants. Drawing on the theoretical bases of ecological systems theory, ecosocial theory and complex adaptive systems science, we conducted a review and iterative theorising process. We propose a new theoretical framework of the determinants of arts and cultural engagement (RADIANCE) developed through cross-disciplinary literature reviewing, domain mapping, and consensus building. Overall, we identified 35 different factors that can act as determinants of ACEng across micro, meso, exo, macro and chrono levels. We broadly categorised these as social (i.e. a primary feature being the interaction of people), tangible (i.e. a primary feature involving physical assets or resources or the production of physical assets), and intangible (i.e. constructs that do not have a primary physical basis but instead have a virtual or imaginary basis). The relevance and implications of this framework for broader research, policy, and practice and case studies of it in use are presented.

Microbial diversity and ecological complexity emerging from environmental variation and horizontal gene transfer in a simple mathematical model

BackgroundMicrobiomes are generally characterized by high diversity of coexisting microbial species and strains, and microbiome composition typically remains stable across a broad range of conditions. However, under fixed conditions, microbial ecology conforms with the exclusion principle under which two populations competing for the same resource within the same niche cannot coexist because the less fit population inevitably goes extinct. Therefore, the long-term persistence of microbiome diversity calls for an explanation.ResultsTo explore the conditions for stabilization of microbial diversity, we developed a simple mathematical model consisting of two competing populations that could exchange a single gene allele via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). We found that, although in a fixed environment, with unbiased HGT, the system obeyed the exclusion principle, in an oscillating environment, within large regions of the phase space bounded by the rates of reproduction and HGT, the two populations coexist. Moreover, depending on the parameter combination, all three major types of symbiosis were obtained, namely, pure competition, host-parasite relationship, and mutualism. In each of these regimes, certain parameter combinations provided for synergy, that is, a greater total abundance of both populations compared to the abundance of the winning population in the fixed environment.ConclusionsThe results of this modeling study show that basic phenomena that are universal in microbial communities, namely, environmental variation and HGT, provide for stabilization and persistence of microbial diversity, and emergence of ecological complexity.

Effects of heat shocks, heat waves, and sustained warming on solitary bees

Along with higher average temperatures, global climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and intense extreme heat events, and these different types of warming are likely to differ in their effects on bees. Although solitary bees comprise >75% of bee species, and despite their ecological and economic value as pollinators, a literature search revealed that only 8% of studies on bee responses to warming involve solitary bees. Here we review studies that have addressed how solitary bees are affected by three main types of warming that vary in magnitude and duration: heat shocks, heat waves, and sustained warming. We focus on direct physiological and behavioral effects of warming on solitary bees, rather than the underlying mechanisms. We find that heat shocks have received little attention in solitary bees both in terms of number of studies and relative to social bees, and all of those studies examine the effects of heat shocks on a single genus, Megachile. This work has shown that heat-shocked eggs, larvae, and pupae tend to upregulate heat shock protein genes, while heat shock at the adult stage can increase mortality in male bees, potentially altering population sex ratios. We find that solitary bee responses to heat waves have received even less study, but the few studies suggest that these events can increase larval mortality and slow development time, and that bees may not be able to physiologically acclimate to heat wave conditions by increasing their critical thermal maxima. Finally, sustained warming, which has been relatively well-studied in solitary bees, can speed development rate, reduce body mass, increase mortality, and alter foraging behavior. Our review reveals knowledge gaps in the effects of heat shocks and heat waves on solitary bees and, more broadly, in the responses of unmanaged solitary bees to warming. To improve our ability to anticipate the consequences of climate change for these critical pollinators, we encourage research on solitary bee thermal responses that examines short-term, extreme warming and incorporates greater ecological realism and complexity.

An introduction to key ecological concepts, financial opportunities, and risks underpinning aspirations for nature positive.

Global biodiversity is in decline, and businesses and society are being required to urgently create new operating models to ameliorate the crisis. Among the strategies proposed to do this, implementing the concept of nature positive has captured worldwide attention. Critical to its success will be effective collaboration between ecologists and businesspeople, driven by a shared understanding of key nature positive terminology, concepts, and risks. To this end, we introduce three core aspects: the ecological concepts in the definition of nature positive (health, abundance, diversity, and resilience), a typology of financial instruments that may be applied to achieving nature positive, and an overview of risks to biodiversity and society. The pivotal findings include that ecological complexity and uncertainty belie the simplicity of the definition of nature positive and that managing risk requires embedding aspirations into existing and emerging biodiversity conservation and restoration science and policy. Although it is challenging, nature positive deserves pursuit.

National charitable fundraising for the NHS, 1948–2023

AbstractWhether charitable fundraising might play a part in funding Britain's ostensibly tax‐funded NHS has been a longstanding dilemma, which until recently has received only occasional scholarly attention. In 1946, Aneurin Bevan argued that one of the main goals of the reformed health care system was to liberate health care from the ‘caprice of private charity’. Seven decades later, NHS Charities Together's Urgent Covid‐19 Appeal became a powerful societal rallying cry in the health emergency of the pandemic and raised £150 million in the process. This paper draws together findings from new archival research, a witness seminar with key actors in the NHS charity sector, and qualitative research based on interviews with NHS charity staff and trustees (N = 13), all conducted between 2021 and 2023. We investigate the way in which national appeals have been proposed, debated and implemented at different times in the NHS's history. We trace the recurrence of conflicting ideas about the acceptability of national fundraising for the NHS, about whether public loyalties are to their local services or the national ‘brand’ and about the introduction of national appeals into a complex ecology of local NHS charities. The history of charitable fundraising for the NHS is, we argue, neither a simple story of spontaneous public generosity, nor often of formal policy reform, but is an artefact of more complex dynamics between a changing cast of local and national actors over the last 75 years.

Combining Organic and Inorganic Fertilization Enhances Soil Enzyme Activity, the Bacterial Community, and Molecular Ecological Network Complexity in Coal Mine Reclamation Areas

Combined organic and inorganic fertilization can improve soil fertility in coal mine reclamation areas. However, the contribution of the bacterial community (especially its occurrence patterns) to soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activity needs further evaluation. The objective of this research was to clarify the bacterial community diversity, composition, and intraspecific interactions in response to combined organic and inorganic fertilizer application in coal mine reclamation areas in the Loess Hilly Region, China. Maize rhizosphere soil samples were collected under four fertilization regimes (CK, no fertilization control; NPK, compound inorganic fertilizer; M, organic fertilizer; and NPKM, combined organic and inorganic fertilization) in a 10-year field experiment in Gujiao city, Shanxi Province. Bacterial communities were characterized using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V3–V4 region. A cross-treatment Spearman correlation network was constructed to explore the bacterial co-occurrence patterns. Compared with CK, NPK, M, and NPKM decreased the pH by 0.59%, 2.27%, and 0.12%; increased the soil organic carbon by 11.25%, 11.69%, and 27.05%; and significantly decreased the bacterial Shannon diversity by 3.68%, 0.14%, and 3.54%, respectively. Compared with CK, NPKM significantly increased sucrase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase activities (p < 0.05). Critically, oligotrophic Acidobacteria were significantly more abundant in CK than in the other treatments. Gemmatimonadetes were more abundant in NPK and M, and Actinobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Patescibacteria were more abundant in NPKM. In addition, network analysis revealed that the keystone taxa in the different fertilization treatments belonged to different network modules and were significantly correlated with soil nutrient content and enzyme activity. Simultaneously, the Actinobacteria enriched in NPKM formed specific clusters through strong symbiosis, and there were significant positive correlations among sucrase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase. In summary, long-term combined organic and inorganic fertilization improved maize rhizosphere soil fertility by regulating enzyme activity, bacterial community composition, and bacterial species interactions in coal mine reclamation areas in the Loess Hilly Region.

Species interactions affect dispersal: a meta-analysis.

Context-dependent dispersal allows organisms to seek and settle in habitats improving their fitness. Despite the importance of species interactions in determining fitness, a quantitative synthesis of how they affect dispersal is lacking. We present a meta-analysis asking (i) whether the interaction experienced and/or perceived by a focal species (detrimental interaction with predators, competitors, parasites or beneficial interaction with resources, hosts, mutualists) affects its dispersal; and (ii) how the species' ecological and biological background affects the direction and strength of this interaction-dependent dispersal. After a systematic search focusing on actively dispersing species, we extracted 397 effect sizes from 118 empirical studies encompassing 221 species pairs; arthropods were best represented, followed by vertebrates, protists and others. Detrimental species interactions increased the focal species' dispersal (adjusted effect: 0.33 [0.06, 0.60]), while beneficial interactions decreased it (-0.55 [-0.92, -0.17]). The effect depended on the dispersal phase, with detrimental interactors having opposite impacts on emigration and transience. Interaction-dependent dispersal was negatively related to species' interaction strength, and depended on the global community composition, with cues of presence having stronger effects than the presence of the interactor and the ecological complexity of the community. Our work demonstrates the importance of interspecific interactions on dispersal plasticity, with consequences for metacommunity dynamics.This article is part of the theme issue 'Diversity-dependence of dispersal: interspecific interactions determine spatial dynamics'.

Detection of Leptospira kirschneri in a short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis delphis) stranded off the coast of southern California, USA

BackgroundPathogenic Leptospira species are globally important zoonotic pathogens capable of infecting a wide range of host species. In marine mammals, reports of Leptospira have predominantly been in pinnipeds, with isolated reports of infections in cetaceans.Case presentationOn 28 June 2021, a 150.5 cm long female, short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis delphis) stranded alive on the coast of southern California and subsequently died. Gross necropsy revealed multifocal cortical pallor within the reniculi of the kidney, and lymphoplasmacytic tubulointerstitial nephritis was observed histologically. Immunohistochemistry confirmed Leptospira infection, and PCR followed by lfb1 gene amplicon sequencing suggested that the infecting organism was L.kirschneri. Leptospira DNA capture and enrichment allowed for whole-genome sequencing to be conducted. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the causative agent was a previously undescribed, divergent lineage of L.kirschneri.ConclusionsWe report the first detection of pathogenic Leptospira in a short-beaked common dolphin, and the first detection in any cetacean in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Renal lesions were consistent with leptospirosis in other host species, including marine mammals, and were the most significant lesions detected overall, suggesting leptospirosis as the likely cause of death. We identified the cause of the infection as L.kirschneri, a species detected only once before in a marine mammal – a northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) of the northeastern Pacific. These findings raise questions about the mechanism of transmission, given the obligate marine lifestyle of cetaceans (in contrast to pinnipeds, which spend time on land) and the commonly accepted view that Leptospira are quickly killed by salt water. They also raise important questions regarding the source of infection, and whether it arose from transmission among marine mammals or from terrestrial-to-marine spillover. Moving forward, surveillance and sampling must be expanded to better understand the extent to which Leptospira infections occur in the marine ecosystem and possible epidemiological linkages between and among marine and terrestrial host species. Generating Leptospira genomes from different host species will yield crucial information about possible transmission links, and our study highlights the power of new techniques such as DNA enrichment to illuminate the complex ecology of this important zoonotic pathogen.

Exploring Differences and Evolution of Coordination Level of the Industrial Structure, Economy and Ecological Environment Complex System in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration

Industrial structure (IS), economy (EC), and ecological environment (EE) could influence each other and constitute a complex system (IS-EC-EE). This study is to explore the differences and evolution of the coordination level of the IS-EC-EE complex system of 13 cities in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration by coupling coordination degree model, Markov chain, GM (1,1) model, Dagum Gini coefficient, and Kernel density estimation method to provide a reference for regional sustainable development. The results show that the comprehensive evaluation index of IS, EC, and EE had significant differences among the 13 cities in the BTH region. The IS-EC-EE system of the whole BTH region was in a highly coupled and low-coordinated development state. And the coordination degrees of the 13 cities in the BTH region had spatial differences, which were mainly due to inter-regional differences, and the differences became larger. Furthermore, the coordinated development of the 13 cities had the probability of keeping high, moderate, and low coordination. It was predicted that the coordination degree of the IS-EC-EE system in the whole BTH region in 2020–2030 was roughly similar to the trend in 2009–2019. The coordination levels of Beijing and Tianjin were higher than in Hebei Province, so optimizations need to be considered for regional overall sustainable development.

Assessing Riparian Floristic Diversity and Vegetation Dynamics in the Vamanapuram River Basin, Kerala: A Comprehensive Analysis

The Vamanapuram River Basin (VRB) is home to a diverse range of plant species, including 152 distinct species from 50 botanical families. Poaceae, Leguminosae, Araceae, and Aseraceae are the most abundant, with 13 species. Euphorbiaceae, Acanthaceae, Apocynaceae, and Rubiaceae also contribute to the biodiversity hotspots. The VRB’s vegetation profile is characterized by a dynamic interplay of plant forms and ecological niches, with 74 herbs, 30 shrubs, 12 grasses, 1 liana, and 35 towering trees. The Poaceae family thrives in this environment due to hydrological factors. The sampling sites P6 and P5 exhibit high relative frequency and density, with key species like Macaranga peltata, Ficus hispida, and Swietenia macrophylla. Diversity indices like the Shannon-Wiener diversity index reaffirm the VRB’s tropical forest character. Beta-diversity patterns reveal unique plant species distribution dynamics among different panchayaths, emphasizing their ecological complexities. The study emphasizes the demand for specialized management and conservation techniques in this environmentally active region.

The Development of Epistemic Vigilance and Epistemic Trust Across the Lifespan: Perspectives from Empirical Research on Self-Regulatory Social Learning.

The Development of Epistemic Vigilance and Epistemic Trust Across the Lifespan: Perspectives from Empirical Research on Self-Regulatory Social Learning This article examines what we know about the development of epistemic vigilance and epistemic trust between early infancy and adolescence.With this brief review, we intend to help put into perspective the hypotheses advanced by Fonagy and his colleagues within the socio-epistemic theory of psychopathology, according to which psychopathology reflects a closure to interpersonal communication resulting from unfavorable learning experiences in early development. Here, we will discuss how children become sensitive to overt interpersonal communication, and what cognitive skills underpin such sensitivity. Next, we shall discuss the empirical evidence that children in the second year of life already possess a rudimentary capacity for epistemic vigilance: they seem to evaluate the competence of different adult informants and appear to seek information and learn from adults based on such evaluations. Third, we will outline studies showing that in the third year of life children appear to increasingly trust ostensive communication, up to the point of becoming (at least apparently) less sensitive to the possibility of being misinformed or deceived. Finally, we will discuss how, between late childhood and adolescence, children first learn to distinguish lies, then irony, and increasingly engage in complex communication ecologies. Our review simultaneously supports the basic principles of the socio-epistemic theory of psychopathology and suggests that the theory needs further refinement of its ontogenetic predictions.

ЕКОЛОГІЧНА КОМПЕТЕНТНІСТЬ СУДНОВОДІЇВ В УМОВАХ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ

Relevance: Under current conditions, the problem of ship navigation gains particular relevance – the formation of ecological competence of ship operators in the context of sustainable development, the study of important aspects of the interaction of vessels and the surrounding environment, particularly their impact on water resources, water pollution, emissions of harmful substances, and other ecological aspects. Objective: To determine the role of ecological competence of ship operators in the context of sustainable development. Methods: Theoretical methods: analysis, synthesis, generalization of scientific works on the issue of ecological competence of future professionals in the field of ship navigation and official documents – to define the theoretical and methodological bases of the phenomenon; study and generalization of the existing problem status with the aim of choosing pedagogical tools – for the development of ecological competence of ship operators; comparison – to identify various approaches to solving the researched problem; modeling – to justify the structural elements of the model for the development of ecological competence of ship operators. Results: Key characteristics of ecological competence and its components have been identified; ecological competence of ship operators is considered as a complex integrative characteristic of the personality, reflecting motives of ecological activity, possession of ecological knowledge and natural science bases, practical skills and abilities regarding environmental protection; the necessity of forming ecological competence in ship operators during their professional training has been substantiated, as it directly affects the conservation of the marine water state, protecting them from pollution. It is noted that under current conditions, when sustainable development has become one of the priority directions of global policy, the ecological competence of ship operators is a key factor in ensuring safe navigation, and ecological education in the maritime sector is an important tool for forming this competence in ship operators. Conclusions: Education acts as a catalyst for the development of sustainable thinking and practices in the maritime sector, promoting ecological safety and sustainable development in this strategically important industry; as the maritime sector continues to develop, the results of the conducted research emphasize the important role of education in preparing future ship operators to navigate the ecological complexities of the global maritime industry and to contribute to sustainable development and effective communication.

Innovation and Accountability in Teacher Education: Setting Directions for New Cultures in Teacher Education. By Claire Wyatt Smith and Lenore Adie (Editors), 2018. 340 pp.

Wyatt-Smith and Adie’s book introduction makes a strong case that teacher quality is key to better results. Three major teacher education innovations are described in this book. Many international reviews of teacher education and reform attempts have been published in the last decade. This textbook encourages governments to evaluate schools and beginning teacher education applicants (in Australia, both at intake and in national assessment before completion). Thus, this book focuses on curriculum orientation consistency since teacher opinions on curriculum orientation affect curriculum decision-making, teaching methodologies, and strategies (Cheung & Ng, 2000). Teachers are crucial to encourage and help students through varied learning and teaching methods. In a fun learning environment, teachers can help kids acquire values like acceptance and respect (Mak et al., 2018). Wyatt-Smith and Adie emphasize ‘the complex ecologies of teacher education’ (p. 13) using chapter contributors from Scotland, Norway, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, the USA, New Zealand, and Australia. Traditions and culture mediate global imperatives in teacher education. The book’s worldwide perspectives are motivated by the need to create a scholarly platform for critical teacher education concerns in the 21st century and stimulate fresh, evidence-based thinking.

Multiple environmental stressors affect predation pressure in a tropical freshwater system

Environmental change can alter predator-prey dynamics. However, studying predators in the context of co-occurring environmental stressors remains rare, especially under field conditions. Using in situ filming, we examined how multiple stressors, including temperature and turbidity, impact the distribution and behaviour of wild fish predators of Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). The measured environmental variables accounted for 17.6% of variance in predator species composition. While predator species differed in their associations with environmental variables, the overall prevalence of predators was greatest in slow flowing, deeper, warmer and less turbid habitats. Moreover, these warmer and less turbid habitats were associated with earlier visits to the prey stimulus by predators, and more frequent predator visits and attacks. Our findings highlight the need to consider ecological complexity, such as co-occurring stressors, to better understand how environmental change affects predator-prey interactions.

Biogeochemical Cycle of Acid Mine Drainage from Pyrite Mines and Its Environmental Impact

Acid wastewater from pyrite mines is a serious environmental pollutant, whose formation and evolution is a complex microbial ecology and biogeochemical cycle process. This paper reviews the research progress on the microbial classification and distribution, microbial diversity and abundance, biogeochemical cycle process of acid wastewater, etc., reveals the key role of microorganisms in the formation mechanism, environmental impact and utilization and treatment of acid wastewater, and provides theoretical basis and technical support for the monitoring, assessment and management of acid wastewater. The sustainable and ecological study of acid wastewater, etc., hoping to provide more scientific evidence and innovative ideas for the sustainable management and utilization of acid wastewater.