Ecological Determinants Research Articles

Sources of anthropogenic nutrients and their implications on nutrient chemistry and ecological conditions of Ria Formosa lagoon, Portugal

Shallow coastal waters receive high anthropogenic nutrients (nitrogen-N and phosphorus-P) from land that can change their nutrient chemistry, algal composition, and food webs with serious effects on marine life, human health, and local livelihoods. Managing anthropogenic nutrient inputs is thus key to ensuring healthy and productive coastal ecosystems. This study conducted a bimonthly sampling for eight months between 2014 and 2015 to determine the influence of agriculture, sewage, and natural nutrient sources on nutrient chemistry, ecological status, and possible implications for aquaculture production in the western side of Ria Formosa lagoon. Ecological Quality Ratios (EQR) were calculated from nutrient ratios (N: P: Si) computed from nutrient concentrations with the Redfield ratio (N: P: Si =16:1:16) used as a reference for ecological status determination. A mean of 3.7, 1.0, and 4.6μmol/L; 6.7, 1.12, and 5.5μmol/L; and 4.6, 0.7, and 2.8μmol/L were recorded for dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and silicates concentrations at sewage, agriculture, and natural sites respectively. The site mean EQR values ranged between 0.55 and 0.69. The overall ecological status of the west part of the lagoon was ‘Moderate’, with all the sites grouped under ‘Good’/’Moderate’ and ‘Moderate’/’Poor’ classes based on nutrient ratios. This study demonstrates that the western part of the lagoon’s nutrient chemistry is highly influenced by the nutrient sources with agricultural run-off and sewage discharges associated with nitrates, and ammonia and phosphates respectively. The elevated ammonium and phosphates registered can transform the phytoplankton composition to non-diatomic species and affect the current ecological functions of the lagoon. We recommend further studies, including biological quality elements, to get more comprehensive results on the study area.

Why Social (Political, Economic, Cultural, Ecological) Determinants of Health? Part 1: Background of a Contested Construct.

This article is the first half of a 2-part essay on the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) as a field of scientific inquiry and theoretical framework, exploring its historical roots, current applications, and the controversies that surround it. Part 1 (this article) discusses the background and rationale of the SDOH framework, whilst part 2 (forthcoming) will analyze the current alternatives to this framework. The authors analyze the debate surrounding the contested term "social" in the field of health equity, through a clarification of the terms "social" and "social systems" and providing an alternative model through realist semantics and ethics. Despite the misunderstandings of the term "social," the authors argue that SDOH remains a useful umbrella term to capture the political, economic, cultural, and ecological determinants of health. Through this essay, the authors outline the reasons behind our decision to change this journal's title from International Journal of Health Services to International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services.

Effects of climate-related risks and extreme events on health outcomes and health utilization of primary care in rural and remote areas: a scoping review.

Rural populations are at risk of climate-related impacts due to ecological and geographical determinants, potentially leading to greater morbidity and health utilization. They are often highly dependent on primary care services. However, no rural- or primary care specific synthesis of these issues has ever been conducted. This review aimed to identify, characterize, and summarize existing research on the effects of climate-related events on utilization and health outcomes of primary care in rural and remote areas and identify related adaptation strategies used in primary care to climate-related events. A scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines was conducted, examining peer-reviewed English-language articles published up to 31 October 2022. Eligible papers were empirical studies conducted in primary care settings that involved climate-related events as exposures, and health outcomes or utilization as study outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted relevant information from selected papers. Data were analysed using content analysis and presented using a narrative approach. We screened 693 non-duplicate papers, of those, 60 papers were analysed. Climate-related events were categorized by type, with outcomes described in terms of primary, secondary, and tertiary effects. Disruption of primary care often resulted from shortages in health resources. Primary care may be ill-prepared for climate-related events but has an important role in supporting the development of community. Findings suggest various effects of climate-related events on primary care utilization and health outcomes in rural and remote areas. There is a need to prepare rural and remote primary care service before and after climate-related events.

The COVID-19 Mortality Rate Is Associated with Illiteracy, Age, and Air Pollution in Urban Neighborhoods: A Spatiotemporal Cross-Sectional Analysis.

There are different area-based factors affecting the COVID-19 mortality rate in urban areas. This research aims to examine COVID-19 mortality rates and their geographical association with various socioeconomic and ecological determinants in 350 of Tehran's neighborhoods as a big city. All deaths related to COVID-19 are included from December 2019 to July 2021. Spatial techniques, such as Kulldorff's SatScan, geographically weighted regression (GWR), and multi-scale GWR (MGWR), were used to investigate the spatially varying correlations between COVID-19 mortality rates and predictors, including air pollutant factors, socioeconomic status, built environment factors, and public transportation infrastructure. The city's downtown and northern areas were found to be significantly clustered in terms of spatial and temporal high-risk areas for COVID-19 mortality. The MGWR regression model outperformed the OLS and GWR regression models with an adjusted R2 of 0.67. Furthermore, the mortality rate was found to be associated with air quality (e.g., NO2, PM10, and O3); as air pollution increased, so did mortality. Additionally, the aging and illiteracy rates of urban neighborhoods were positively associated with COVID-19 mortality rates. Our approach in this study could be implemented to study potential associations of area-based factors with other emerging infectious diseases worldwide.

Ecological Determinants of Inter-Island Distributions through Occasional Dispersal of Two Closely Related Species, Varied Tit and Cinereous Tit, in the Volcanic Izu Archipelago, Japan

Inspired by ecologists R. H. MacArthur and E. O. Wilson, who pioneered the use of islands as ideal model systems for researching the formation and maintenance of biodiversity, we studied two sympatric passerine bird species on a volcanic archipelago, in Japan. We focused on the occupancy and co-occurrence of Varied Tit Sittiparus varius and Cinereous Tit Parus cinereus, both members of the Parus guild, on the Izu Islands. Their populations range from being stable, and co-occurring, to being temporally unstable (with local extinctions, invasions, and species replacement) and even totally absent. Using results from several surveys carried out on the islands over the last 60 years, and our own contemporary surveys, we tested the ecological drivers of inter-island occupancy through occasional dispersal of these two species. We found that both species had positive relationships with island size and vegetation diversity, while Cinereous Tit exhibited a negative associating with distance to the mainland (Honshu, Japan). Cinereous Tit was also negatively correlated with Varied Tit, but their co-occurrence was positively associated with island size, connectivity, and vegetation diversity. We suspect that resource constraints play a significant role in the distributions of the two species on the islands. Varied Tit is dominant over Cinereous Tit, but Cinereous Tit is able to utilize a wider range of habitats and resources. We also discuss the potential for a competition-colonization trade-off for the two species on the islands.

Substance (mis)use among refugees as a matter of social ecology: insights into a multi-site rapid assessment in Germany

BackgroundPrevious research concluded that substance (mis)use is increasing among forcibly displaced populations. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted within a social ecological framework aimed at identifying and understanding the factors affecting substance (mis)use embedded in the post-migration context in high-income countries. The present study aims to develop an understanding of the links and underlying mechanisms between refugees’ social ecological determinants and substance (mis)using behavior.MethodsRapid assessments (RAs), including 108 semi-structured interviews and 10 focus group discussions with key persons from various professional, and personal backgrounds, were carried out in German urban and rural areas. The RA approach of interviewing key persons and not solely refugees that (mis)use substances allowed us to gather multi-perspective knowledge on this sensitive topic. Qualitative content analysis was applied, aiming at identifying determinants of substance (mis)use embedded in the post-migration context of refugees and understanding the underlying mechanisms.ResultsOne main result of the data suggests that the link between refugees’ countries of origin and their post-migration substance (mis)use is not as direct as often assumed. It is observed that refugees’ prospects and opportunities in receiving countries (e.g., work permits) undermine this commonly reproduced link. Further determinants are related to living conditions in German refugee shelters and social relations with peers and families. The influence of refugees’ living conditions can be summarized as potentially increasing substance availability and distress, whereas family separation produces a loss of control and responsibility, increasing the risk for substance (mis)use. Peers’ influence on substance (mis)use was reported to reflect a search for a sense of belonging.ConclusionsGiven that refugees who (mis)use substances have limited to no control over the factors identified in our study to be associated with substance (mis)use, common treatment and prevention approaches are challenged. Furthermore, we recommend aiming for a holistic comprehension of refugees’ substance (mis)use by expanding the focus beyond individuals to the social ecological context in any attempt, including prevention, treatment, research, and policy.

County-level analysis on occupation and ecological determinants of child abuse and neglect rates employing elastic net regression

BackgroundOccupation is a known determinant of worker physical and behavioral health risk, yet most previous studies have focused on unemployment, underemployment, and job satisfaction to understand child maltreatment risk. ObjectiveThis county-level study (n = 278) investigated the association between occupation and child maltreatment rates and community well-being in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, and New Mexico. Participants and settingStates were selected due to having comparable, publicly available county-level data on substantiated child abuse and neglect rates within a five-year span between 2015 and 2020. MethodsUsing US Census Bureau American Community Survey data, we collected percentages of the employed population among 13 occupations. Five additional community health indicators came from the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Elastic net linear regression was used for variable selection and because of explanatory variables' interrelationships. Linear regression was used to model individual industries positively associated with child abuse rates. ResultsThe elastic net model selected ten important variables in explaining child maltreatment rates. Important occupational sectors were agriculture, forestry, fishing (AFF), manufacturing, wholesale, retail, finance, and education. Important community indicators included housing, injury deaths, and poor mental health days. Only AFF and retail showed greater child abuse rates with increasing percentages of the workforce in these occupations in unadjusted models (AFF: β = 0.03 SE = 0.01, p = 0.02; Retail: β = 0.09 SE = 0.04, p = 0.02). ConclusionsOur findings suggest group-level effects of counties with a larger AFF and retail presence experiencing higher child maltreatment rates. Given that numerous prior studies of county economies note the strong associations of certain employment types with cultural attitudes, educational opportunities, regional biases, and other unmeasured variables, future studies should incorporate individual level data in a multilevel framework.

The ecological determinants of severe dengue: A Bayesian inferential model

Low socioeconomic status (SES), high temperature, and increasing rainfall patterns are associated with increased dengue case counts. However, the effect of climatic variables on individual dengue virus (DENV) serotypes and the extent to which serotype count affects the rate of severe dengue in Mexico have not been studied before. A principal components analysis was used to determine the poverty indices across Mexico. Conditional autoregressive Bayesian models were used to determine the effect of poverty and climatic variables on the rate of serotype distribution and severe dengue in Mexico. A unit increase in poverty increased the rate of DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4 by 8.4%, 5%, 16%, and 13.8% respectively. An increase in one case attributable to DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4 was independently associated with an increase in the rate of severe dengue by 0.02%, 0.1%, 0.03%, and 5.8% respectively. Hotspots of all DENV serotypes and severe dengue are found mostly in parts of the Northeastern, Center west, and Southeastern regions of Mexico. The association between climatic parameters predominant in the Southeast region and severe dengue leaves several states in this region at an increased risk of a higher number of severe dengue cases. Our study's results may guide policies that help allocate public health resources to the most vulnerable municipalities in Mexico.

Multiple invasions exert combined magnified effects on native plants, soil nutrients and alters the plant-herbivore interaction in dry tropical forest

While ecosystems worldwide are confronted with myriad of biological invasions, our understanding of their consolidated impacts and control remains restricted to a few species only. Any such assessment and management based on single invasions can be biased, leading to unintentional spread of new invasive species and resulting in pessimism around invasive species management. Tropical countries like India, with limited resources for invasion management and a plethora of invasive species, are amongst the most vulnerable to impacts of multiple invasions.We investigated the impacts of single and co-occurring invasive plants (Lantana camara and Pogostemon benghalensis) on native plants, soil nutrients, and herbivory in Kanha Tiger Reserve – a seasonally dry tropical forest of Central India. We systematically sampled 120 plots of 10 m X 10 m area and recorded plant richness, abundance, regeneration, edaphic characteristics, and mammalian herbivory. Ordination and linear models were used to understand the effects of single and co-occurring invasions.Results indicate a compositional change in the native plant assemblage, reduced richness and abundance of native plants, increased potassium content in the soil, and increased herbivory on native plants. These effects were more pronounced with co-occurring invasive plants, and larger than other key ecological determinants, indicating towards a homogenised alternate state of an ecosystem.Synthesis. Additive impacts of multiple invasions were greater than their individual impacts on native vegetation structure, composition, soil nutrients, and herbivory. We infer potential negative feedback, where plant invasions force higher herbivory on already declining native plants thereby exhausting the sustenance of native plants. It can cause a future decline of herbivores, which are an important food resource for charismatic carnivores in these ecosystems. Mitigating the impacts of multiple invasions is thus urgently required.

A Marked Decline in Taenia solium Taeniasis and Cysticercosis Infections in China: Possible Reasons from the Ecological Determinants Perspective

Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis is an important global food-borne infectious disease transmitted between humans and pigs. According to both national surveys and field investigations, the prevalence of the disease in China has significantly decreased in recent decades. The primary disease control measures are health education and promotion, meat inspection, and chemotherapy. Other factors that influence or fundamentally affect human and pig T. solium taeniasis/cysticercosis have been identified, such as pig farming patterns shift and a revolution in sanitary toilets, which block T. solium transmission routes. Pig farming practices have shifted from backyard to large-scale intensive farming, thus decreasing pig contact with, and consumption of, human excreta. The increased in the use of sanitary toilets has facilitated hygiene by preventing of human excreta from contacting humans, or polluting the environment, feed, or water. The occurrence of human T. solium infections has markedly decreased as a result of these social changes. The objective of this review is to describe the ecological determinants of the cysticercosis decline in China.

Multi-strain compatibility polymorphism between a parasite and its snail host, a neglected vector of schistosomiasis in Africa

Interactions between Schistosoma mansoni and its snail host are understood primarily through experimental work with one South American vector species, Biomphalaria glabrata. However, 90% of schistosomiasis transmission occurs in Africa, where a diversity of Biomphalaria species may serve as vectors. With the long-term goal of determining the genetic and ecological determinants of infection in African snail hosts, we developed genetic models of Biomphalaria sudanica, a principal vector in the African Great Lakes. We determined laboratory infection dynamics of two S. mansoni lines in four B. sudanica lines. We measured the effects of the following variables on infection success and the number of cercariae produced (infection intensity): (i) the combination of parasite and snail line; (ii) the dose of parasites; and (iii) the size of snail at time of exposure. We found one snail line to be almost completely incompatible with both parasite lines, while other snail lines showed a polymorphism in compatibility: compatible with one parasite line while incompatible with another. Interestingly, these patterns were opposite in some of the snail lines. The parasite-snail combination had no significant effect on the number of cercariae produced in a successful infection. Miracidia dose had a strong effect on infection status, in that higher doses led to a greater proportion of infected snails, but had no effect on infection intensity. In one of the snail-schistosome combinations, snail size at the time of exposure affected both infection status and cercarial production in that the smallest size class of snails (1.5–2.9 mm) had the highest infection rates, and produced the greatest number of cercariae, suggesting that immunity increases with age and development. The strongest predictor of the infection intensity was the size of snail at the time of shedding: 1 ​mm of snail growth equated to a 19% increase in cercarial production. These results strongly suggest that infection status is determined in part by the interaction between snail and schistosome genetic lines, consistent with a gene-for-gene or matching allele model. This foundational work provides rationale for determining the genetic interactions between African snails and schistosomes, which may be applied to control strategies.

Analysis of livelihood security of tribal farmers

Agriculture is the backbone of India and it has traditionally been viewed as a source of subsistence living and livelihood by growing food crops like rice, maize, wheat, millets and pulses etc. The livelihoods among tribal communities in India is complex, dynamic and multidimensional phenomenon, the perception of which varies with geographic location, type of community, age, gender, education, fluctuations in resources, services and infrastructures and social, economic, cultural, ecological and political determinants. The present investigation was carried out in six purposively selected talukas of Tapi district of Gujarat State. From each selected taluka, two villages were selected randomly and from each village, 10 tribal farmers were selected randomly, making the total sample of 120 respondents. An interview schedule was developed in accordance with the objectives of the study. The data were collected through personal interview and were classified, tabulated and analyzed. The study concluded that around half of the respondents were having low level of livelihood security. Except for the Livestock possession variable, respondents’ livelihood security was found to be significant.

A systematic review of individual and ecological determinants of maternal mortality in the world based on the income level of countries

BackgroundThis systematic review was conducted to map the literature on all the existing evidence regarding individual and ecological determinants of maternal mortality in the world and to classify them based on the income level of countries. Such a systematic review had not been conducted before.MethodsWe conducted an electronic search for primary and review articles using “Maternal Mortality” and “Determinant” as keywords or MeSH terms in their Title or , indexed in Scopus, PubMed, and Google with no time or geographical limitation and also hand searching was performed for most relevant journals. STROBE and Glasgow university critical appraisal checklists were used for quality assessment of the included studies. Data of the determinants were extracted and classified into individual or ecological categories based on income level of the countries according to World Bank classification.ResultsIn this review, 109 original studies and 12 review articles from 33 countries or at global level met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were published after 2013. Most literature studied determinants of low and lower-middle-income countries. The most important individual determinants in low and lower-middle-income countries were location of birth, maternal education, any delays in health services seeking, prenatal care and skilled birth attendance. Household-related determinants in low-income countries included improved water source and sanitation system, region of residence, house condition, wealth of household, and husband education. Additionally, ecological determinants including human resources, access to medical equipment and facilities, total fertility rate, health financing system, country income, poverty rate, governance, education, employment, social protection, gender inequality, and human development index were found to be important contributors in maternal mortality. A few factors were more important in higher-income countries than lower-income countries including parity, IVF births, older mothers, and type of delivery.ConclusionA comprehensive list of factors associated with maternal death was gathered through this systematic review, most of which were related to lower-income countries. It seems that the income level of the countries makes a significant difference in determinants of maternal mortality in the world.

From Criticism to Collaboration: Politics of Naturalist Mothering in Turkey

Abstract Naturalist mothering has become a remarkably influential trend in the last decade, transforming the popular discourse of good motherhood in Turkey, especially among urban, highly educated, middle-class, and mostly upper-middle-class mothers. In this article, I examine the perception and presentation of naturalist mothering as a safe and ideal method of protection from health and environment risks by these affluent mothers. Foregrounding their narratives in the ongoing context of neoliberal conservatization in Turkey, and by bringing together debates on the social determinants of risk, neoliberal governmentality, and feminist political ecology, I argue that invoking naturalism as a safe alternative to perceived environmental threats reinforces the assignment of care labor to women. Despite originating in discontent and critique of the policies and regulations of the current conservative neoliberal government, the propagation of naturalist methods as a safer ideal in fact perpetuates gender inequalities already in play.

Ecological determinants and risk areas of Striga hermonthica infestation in western Kenya under changing climate

AbstractStriga hermonthica (Del.) Benth is a parasitic weed that is damaging major cereal crops in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Although Striga is recognised as an agricultural scourge, there is limited information available indicating the extent of its growth and spread as impacted by the changing climate in Kenya. This study investigated the impact of current climate conditions and projected future (2050) climate change on the infestation of Striga hermonthica in the western Kenya region. Specifically, the study aimed to predict Striga hermonthica habitat suitability in five counties in the western Kenya region through using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model and bioclimatic, soil, topographic and land use, and land cover (LULC) variables. Striga hermonthica geolocations were collected and collated and ecological niche models were developed to determine the habitat suitability. The results showed that approximately 1767 km2 (10% of the total study area) is currently highly suitable for Striga hermonthica occurrence. The future projections showed a range between 2106 km2 (19% of the total study area) and 2712 km2 (53% of the total study area) at the minimum carbon (RCP 2.6) and the maximum carbon emission scenarios (RCP 8.5) respectively. Elevation, annual precipitation, LULC, temperature seasonality and soil type were determined to be the most influential ecological predictor variables for Striga hermonthica establishment. The study revealed the importance of using climate, soil, topographic and LULC variables when evaluating agricultural production constraints such as Striga's prevalence. The methodology used in this study should be tested in other Striga affected areas.

The Ten Commandments of Antibiotic Stewards

Summary Antibiotic resistance is an emergency for global health security, the solution for which demands a transdisciplinary and interprofessional One Health approach. This case study builds on a project to recruit antibiotic stewards and examines their responsibility to disseminate best practices, to support deeper knowledge, conservative attitudes and preventive practices. Antibiotic resistance is a global emergency that threatens the reversal of improvements in societal capacity to reduce human mortality caused by infectious pathogenic bacteria. Solutions to the problem demand a One Health approach because antibiotics are abused in animal and human healthcare; and the emergence and spread of resistant pathogens occurs in environmental contexts. In all regions of the world, antibiotic resistance increases the global burden of diseases by jeopardizing population health, food security and environmental quality, with most of the adverse impacts expected in Africa. Proposed remediation strategies hinge on improving antibiotic stewardship through deeper knowledge of social and ecological determinants of resistance, conservative attitudes in antibiotic uses, and preventive practices to curb infectious diseases. This case study is based on a project entitled Antibiotic Stewardship is Public Health (ASPH), with the goal of empowering stewards with tools to implement strategies for preventing antibiotic-resistant infections. The Ten Commandments of antibiotic stewards emerged from population surveys, stakeholder interviews and community engagement exercises. Outcomes were distilled to inform best practices including: using antibiotics as prescribed; not disposing of expired antibiotics in domestic waste; advocating prudent use of antibiotics in farm animals; supporting research to respond better to antibiotic resistance; teaching students about the importance of antibiotics for global health security; understanding the One Health approach to combatting antibiotic resistance; advocating effective policies to stop the careless use and disposal of antibiotics; resisting consumption of food items laden with antibiotic residues; and supporting research to discover alternative therapies to prevent or treat infections.

Spatiotemporal trends and ecological determinants of cardiovascular mortality among 2844 counties in mainland China, 2006–2020: a Bayesian modeling study of national mortality registries

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in China. No previous study has reported CVD mortality at county-level, and little was known about the nonmedical ecological factors of CVD mortality at such small scale in mainland China. Understanding the spatiotemporal variations of CVD mortality and examining its nonmedical ecological factors would be of great importance to tailor local public health policies.MethodsBy using national mortality registration data in China, this study used hierarchical spatiotemporal Bayesian model to demonstrate spatiotemporal distribution of CVD mortality in 2844 counties during 2006 to 2020 and investigate how nonmedical ecological determinants have affected CVD mortality inequities from the spatial perspectives.ResultsDuring 2006–2020, the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of CVD decreased from 284.77 per 100,000 in 2006 to 241.34 per 100,000 in 2020. Among 2844 counties, 1144 (40.22%) were hot spots counties with a higher CVD mortality risk compared to the national average and located mostly in northeast, north central, and westernmost regions; on the contrary, 1551 (54.53%) were cold spots counties and located mostly in south and southeast coastal counties. CVD mortality risk decreased from 2006 to 2020 was larger in counties where CVD mortality rate had been higher in 2006 in most of the counties, vice versa. Nationwide, nighttime light intensity (NTL) was the major influencing factor of CVD mortality, a higher NTL appeared to be negatively associated with a lower CVD mortality, with one unit increase in NTL, and the CVD mortality risk will decrease 11% (relative risk of NTL was estimated as 0.89 with 95% confidence interval of 0.83–0.94).ConclusionsSubstantial between-county discrepancies of CVD mortality distribution were observed during past 15 years in mainland China. Nonmedical ecological determinants were estimated to significantly explain the overall and local spatiotemporal patterns of this CVD mortality risk. Targeted considerations are needed to integrate primary care with clinical care through intensifying further strategies to narrow unequally distribution of CVD mortality at local scale. The approach to county-level analysis with small area models has the potential to provide novel insights into Chinese disease-specific mortality burden.

Spatial patterns of site and species contributions to β diversity in riverine fish assemblages

Understanding the patterns and ecological determinants of β diversity in freshwater ecosystems is fundamental to biogeography, conservation biology, and environmental management. It has been proposed that β diversity can be divided into contributions of individual sites (LCBD) or species (SCBD) to total β diversity. However, the patterns and underlying mechanisms of LCBD and SCBD remain understudied in freshwater fish. Here, using fish assemblages sampled from the Chishui River basin, we analysed β diversity based on both abundance and presence-absence data. We also examined the relationships between LCBD and SCBD with site (i.e., community abundance, species richness, functional diversity indices, environmental factors, and spatial variables) and species (i.e., occupancy, total abundance, niche position and breadth, and functional traits) characteristics, respectively. Our results revealed that fish LCBD in the Chishui River basin was well explained by both environmental and spatial factors. Fish LCBD was negatively related to species richness and community abundance, showing that sites with high ecological uniqueness generally supported low fish richness and abundance. Furthermore, functional features of fish assemblages were also significantly associated with LCBD, with high LCBD associated with high functional specialization, originality, and uniqueness, but low functional richness, divergence, and dispersion. Abundance-based SCBD showed positive relationships with both occupancy and total abundance, whereas there were hump-shaped relationships between presence-absence SCBD and occupancy and total abundance. Niche position was negatively correlated with SCBD, whereas niche breadth and functional traits were not significant correlates of SCBD. Overall, this study suggests that understanding contributions of sites and species to β diversity is key to understanding biodiversity variation and its applied repercussions. Our results advocate the importance of environmental conditions and between-site connectivity for effective conservation of riverine fish diversity. Moreover, a simultaneous application of LCBD, species richness, SCBD, and rare species would be the most suitable approach for biodiversity conservation.

Exploring factors driving macrophytes in rivers—A case study in Middle Atlas Morocco

AbstractMacrophytes represent a functional compartment that plays multiple and fundamental ecological roles in aquatic environments. They are linked with the other compartments of hydrosystems, both abiotic and biotic, which gives them the ability to integrate environmental conditions and reflect the trophic state of watercourses. Nevertheless, macrophytes in Moroccan rivers have been rarely studied. Thus, the main objective of the present work is to study these plants by determining the environmental factors that control their presence and distribution in the watercourses of the upper Oum Er‐rbia basin (Middle Atlas Morocco). From June 2018 to June 2019, 14 sites spread over five rivers were monitored monthly to describe macrophytic communities and investigate their ecological determinism. We used a principal component analysis to establish each river's typology and a detrended correspondence analysis to explore macrophyte assemblages. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to determine the hydrochemical parameters of water that govern the development and distribution of macrophyte species in the upper Oum Er‐rbia basin. The Amengous river stands out from the other surveyed rivers for its exceptional richness of macrophytic species. This richness is often associated with the enrichment of the aquatic environment by nitrogen and phosphate inputs. Furthermore, in some rivers, such as Oum Er‐rbia, nutrient enrichment plays a secondary function in comparison to the hydromorphological descriptors that tend to be more important for macrophyte composition and distribution.

Comparative analysis of the lung microbiota in patients with respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and lung cancer: A preliminary study.

Recent evidence suggests that lung microbiota can be recognized as one of the ecological determinants of various respiratory diseases. However, alterations in the lung microbiota and associated lung immunity in these respiratory diseases remain unclear. To compare the lung microbiota and lung immune profiles in common respiratory diseases, a total of 78 patients were enrolled in the present study, including 21 patients with primary pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), eight patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer (LC), and 49 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for microbiota and cytokine analyses. With MiSeq sequencing system, increased bacterial alpha-diversity and richness were observed in patients with LC than in those with PTB and CAP. Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that CAP-associated pulmonary microbiota were significantly different between the PTB and LC groups. More key functionally different genera were found in the PTB and LC groups than in the CAP group. The interaction network revealed stronger positive and negative correlations among these genera in the LC group than in the other two groups. However, increased BALF cytokine profiles were observed in the PTB group than in the other two groups, while BALF cytokines were correlated with key functional bacteria. This comparative study provides evidence for the associations among altered lung microbiota, BALF inflammation, and different respiratory disorders, which provides insight into the possible roles and mechanisms of pulmonary microbiota in the progression of respiratory disorders.