Ecological Information Research Articles

Terrestrial Species of Drouetiella (Cyanobacteria, Oculatellaceae) from the Russian Arctic and Subarctic Regions and Description of Drouetiella ramosa sp. nov.

The strains of Drouetiella species (Cyanobacteria, Oculatellaceae) from a terrestrial biotope were isolated and characterized using an integrative approach including molecular, morphological, and ecological information. The specimens were collected from the Arctic and Subarctic areas of European Russia. Drouetiella species possess morphological plasticity and can be confused with similar species of Oculatellaceae or Leptolyngbyaceae. The 16S rRNA gene phylogeny supported the strong monophyly of the genus Drouetiella with the separation of four linages corresponding to three known species and one to new taxon. The 16S-23S ITS rRNA sequences of the analyzed Drouetiella strains differ in length and nucleotide composition, which has had an effect on the hypothetical secondary structures of the D1–D1′, Box-B, V2, and V3 helices. As a result of complex study of the genus Drouetiella, a new species—Drouetiella ramosa sp. nov.—is described from the Subarctic of European Russia.

A morphological guide of neotropical freshwater sponge spicules for paleolimnological studies

Freshwater sponges (Porifera: Spongillida) are sessile invertebrates with skeletons composed of siliceous elements termed spicules. Sponge spicules (megascleres, microscleres, and gemmuloscleres) are characterized by widely varying sizes and shapes. These spicules are well-preserved in lacustrine, wetland, and riverine sediments and hold significant ecological and limnological information that can be applied as diagnostic tools in reconstructions of Quaternary environments. However, problems with taxonomy and the absence of systematic guidelines and standards of identification represent major challenges to utilizing freshwater sponges as a paleo-proxy. Here, we present a well-illustrated extraction protocol and morphological guide to the Neotropical freshwater sponge fauna. This guide is intended to introduce researchers and students to the study of freshwater sponges and their use as a diagnostic tool in paleoecology and paleolimnology.

Scientific Note: Rediscovery and Site Ecology of Pennsylvania Catchfly (Silene caroliniana ssp. pensylvanica) at Watauga River Bluffs State Natural Area (Carter County, Tennessee)

Pennsylvania Catchfly (Silene caroliniana ssp. pensylvanica) is a Tennessee State Listed Plant known only from three counties within the state. The largest known population of the species in Tennessee occurs at Watauga River Bluffs State Natural Area (Carter County), though its status at the site has been unknown since 1998. This project confirmed the continued existence of at least 17 individuals of the species at Watauga River Bluffs, and reports on basic ecological conditions at the site over the 2022 blooming season. Understanding baseline population and ecological information about this and other species existing near the extremities of their geographic range is important in an increasingly changing ecosystem.

Coastal benthic habitat mapping and monitoring by integrating aerial and water surface low-cost drones

Accurate data on community structure is a priority issue in studying coastal habitats facing human pressures. The recent development of remote sensing tools has offered a ground-breaking way to collect ecological information at a very fine scale, especially using low-cost aerial photogrammetry. Although coastal mapping is carried out using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones), they can provide limited information regarding underwater benthic habitats. To achieve a precise characterisation of underwater habitat types and species assemblages, new imagery acquisition instruments become necessary to support accurate mapping programmes. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate an integrated approach based on Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetric acquisition using low-cost Unmanned Aerial (UAV) and Surface (USV) Vehicles to finely map shallow benthic communities, which determine the high complexity of coastal environments. The photogrammetric outputs, including both UAV-based high (sub-meter) and USV-based ultra-high (sub-centimetre) raster products such as orthophoto mosaics and Digital Surface Models (DSMs), were classified using Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) approach. The application of a supervised learning method based on Support Vector Machines (SVM) classification resulted in good overall classification accuracies > 70%, proving to be a practical and feasible tool for analysing both aerial and underwater ultra-high spatial resolution imagery. The detected seabed cover classes included above and below-water key coastal features of ecological interest such as seagrass beds, “banquettes” deposits and hard bottoms. Using USV-based imagery can considerably improve the identification of specific organisms with a critical role in benthic communities, such as photophilous macroalgal beds. We conclude that the integrated use of low-cost unmanned aerial and surface vehicles and GIS processing is an effective strategy for allowing fully remote detailed data on shallow water benthic communities.

Ecological insights into soil health according to the genomic traits and environment-wide associations of bacteria in agricultural soils

Soil microbiomes are sensitive to current and previous soil conditions, and bacterial ‘bioindicators’ of biological, physical, and chemical soil properties have considerable potential for soil health assessment. However, the lack of ecological or physiological information for most soil microorganisms limits our ability to interpret the associations of bioindicators and, thus, their utility for guiding management. We identified bioindicators of tillage intensity and twelve soil properties used to rate soil health using a 16S rRNA gene-based survey of farmland across North America. We then inferred the genomic traits of bioindicators and evaluated their environment-wide associations (EWAS) with respect to agricultural management practice, disturbance, and plant associations with 89 studies from agroecosystems. Most bioindicators were either positively correlated with biological properties (e.g., organic matter) or negatively correlated with physical and chemical properties. Higher soil health ratings corresponded with smaller genome size and higher coding density, while lower ratings corresponded with larger genomes and higher rrn copy number. Community-weighted genome size explained most variation in health ratings. EWAS linked prominent bioindicators with the impacts of environmental disturbances. Our findings provide ecological insights into bioindicators of soil properties relevant to soil health management, illustrating the tight coupling of microbiome and soil function.

Nest site selection and breeding ecology of Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) in the alpine wetland ecosystem of southwestern China

The global abundance of Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) has declined dramatically in recent decades. Ecological information of its wild populations, particularly regarding nest site selection, is scant. We studied the nest site selection and breeding ecology of this duck in Caohai National Nature Reserve, its southernmost breeding site in the Guizhou Province of China. The aquatic vegetation of Caohai is composed of 2 different landscapes with small patches (in Site A) or large patches (in Site B). We studied the habitat preferences of breeding Spot-billed Ducks at 3 spatial scales: landscape, patch, and nest site. In total, we surveyed 413 patches during the breeding seasons of 2014–2016 (298 in Site A and 115 in Site B). We found no nests in Site A, but surveyed 88 patches with 254 nests and 27 patches without nests in Site B. Unlike the open-cup nests known from other breeding localities, the nests of the Spot-billed Duck in Caohai were dome-like structures with a lateral entrance. Patches with nests were significantly larger than patches without nests in total area, circumference, and shape index. In Site B, a negative binomial regression showed that the number of nests was positively correlated with sedge vegetation within the patch area. The reduced model from a binary logistic regression indicated that the total vegetation cover and the distance to bank had positive impacts on nest site selection of this duck in Caohai, but water depth had a negative influence. Our study suggests good concealment is a necessity for the Spot-billed Duck to construct nests in Caohai. Our survey using infrared cameras in 2021 did not record male parents participating in incubation (n = 47 cameras). The mean mass of eggs (46.91 ± 0.36 g) and clutch size (8.48 ± 0.08 eggs) values were lower than those reported for the Xianghai National Nature Reserve, a breeding stronghold for the Spot-billed Duck in northeastern China. The nest success rate in Caohai (nests where at least 1 egg hatched) was 40.4% (n = 47 nests) and the hatching success rate was 91.4% (n = 134 eggs from 19 successful nests). Maintaining the emergent hydrophyte vegetation is the primary means to conserve the nesting habitat of the Spot-billed Duck in Caohai and it is necessary to strictly enforce the law against human disturbance.

OzCBI: the composite burn index adapted to assess fire severity and key fauna habitat features in Australian ecosystems

ABSTRACT Although fire management is essential to conserve ecosystems and protect communities in Australia, the best way to achieve these goals is controversial. Recent advances that use satellite imagery to map fire severity focus on canopy effects and provide limited ecological information. Fires and prescribed burns can also occur over weeks to months, limiting the relevance of a single post-fire image. We adapted the composite burn index, a field-truthing method commonly used in North America, to include parsimonious metrics that assess resprouting dynamics common among Australian eucalypts and the retention and recovery of key fauna habitat attributes. We used multitemporal satellite imagery to compile the greatest impacts within fire boundaries over several months and derive the maximum differenced normalised burn ratio (dNBR max). We used the dNBR max and a new field method, the OzCBI, to create distinct fire-severity models for three forested biogeographical regions in southwest Western Australia. Ecological outcomes were used to set thresholds between severity classes that were common to the three models. Balanced accuracies averaged above 0.7 across the models. This study demonstrates a practical method to incorporate ecological assessment into fire-severity maps. The approach informs efforts to achieve best-practice fire management that balances risk reduction and the conservation of natural environments.

Bryophytes of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (West Central Africa) VII. New records and range extensions of liverworts from Río Muni

Río Muni (Muni region) is the continental and largest part of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, extending over 26000 of its 28000 km2, placed between Cameroon and Gabon. The territory is quite homogeneous from a vegetation point of view: 99% of the area is covered by forest, around 20% of which is still primary. The lowland rainforest is most typical; only on the most mountainous areas is a less dense submontane forest developed. The current knowledge of the Río Muni bryoflora is still poor: 181 taxa (107 liverworts and 74 mosses) have been recorded so far. Data on 19 liverwort species in the families Cephaloziellaceae, Frullaniaceae, Lejeuneaceae, Lepidoziaceae, Metzgeriaceae and Porellaceae are offered. Six of them are new additions for the country of Equatorial Guinea, and seven are new for the Muni region (Río Muni). For each species, geographical distribution, altitudinal range, ecological information and accompanying bryophyte species are given.

Tarenna thorelii (Rubiaceae), a new record for Thailand

Tarenna thorelii is reported as a new record for Thailand based on collections from Khon Kaen and Roi Et Provinces. A morphological description based on Thai specimens, distribution, ecological information, conservation status, and short notes on the species as well as an illustration are provided. In addition, a lectotype for T. thorelii is proposed.

An Invasive Ecological Study on the Flora of Soil Seed Bank and Standing Vegetation Across Diverse Anthropo-ecosystems in Indian Dry Tropics

Plant invasions in tropical ecosystems are being increasingly realized particularly in highly dynamic but fragile dry tropical ecosystems, where there is generally little ecological information on invasions in subterranean vegetation. The present study was carried out to understand the floristic composition of both seed bank and standing vegetation across a range of five diverse anthropo-ecosystems in an urban region in Indian dry tropics. A total of one hundred soil samples (each of size of 25cm×25cm from 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm depth) from five anthropic sites (vegetation of University campus, polluted Kali River bank, Brick kiln, Waste land and Road side) were analyzed for their taxonomic position, life form and bio-geographic origin of the seedling emergents in relation to the flora in standing vegetation. A total of 221 plant species (58% aliens, 34% of aliens of American origin, 75% weedy herbs) in standing vegetation spread over 54 families were recorded in standing vegetation of the study sites with more than 55% representation from eight dominant families led by Fabaceae, Poaceae and Asteraceae followed by Malvaceae, Amaranthaceae and Solanaceae. In contrast, a total of 81 seed bank flora (10 unidentified, 62% aliens, 43% of American origin, 87% herbs) distributed over 32 angiospermic families were recorded. While none of the seed bank vegetation at any site showed significant similarity with its standing vegetation indicating the minor role of seed bank flora in the regeneration of the standing plant communities above ground. However, a considerable similarity among seed banks and standing vegetation at other sites indicated a significant possible role of anthropogenic activities in the urban regions of Indian dry tropics, evinced by the largest proportion of grasses and herbs dominated by exotics, especially of American origin. These aliens through successful naturalization via seed banks may cause homogenization of floristic structure. In conclusion, the present study revealed a heavy scale of intrusion by the alien plants dominated by American elements into not only standing vegetation but also in seed banks across the anthropic sites in urban regions in Indian dry tropics which is likely to alter the standing vegetation floristic structure with a larger abundance of alien flora.

Periphytic algal flora of the low Doce river, Espírito Santo State, Brazil, after ore tailings flow, 2: ornamented cell-wall Cosmarium (Zygnematophyceae, Desmidiaceae)

ABSTRACT Present study aimed at carrying out the taxonomic survey of the ornamented cell-wall Cosmaria from the low Doce river region, Espírito Santo State. Material studied was collected between months October 2018 and February 2020. Thirty-three taxa were identified, from which 32 are new additions to the Espírito Santo State desmid flora, five are new records for Brazil (C. blyttii cf. var. basiornatum, C. cf. dentiferum, C. monomazum var. polymazum, C. sphagnicola var. pachygonum, and C. subcostatum var. subcostatum), and one for South America (C. isthmochondrum cf. var. biseriatum). Present study increased the knowledge on the genus Cosmarium in Espírito Santo State by adding both taxonomic and ecological information.

DCDB: Chromosome Database of Tribe Delphinieae (Ranunculaceae): Structure, Exploitation, and Recent Development.

An updated (and now online) version of the former chromosome database of tribe Delphinieae (Ranunculaceae) is presented ( http://www.delphinieae.online ). This new version is the result of an accurate, exhaustive literature and Internet research, by adding chromosome counts and all related karyological information for the genera Aconitum L., Gymnaconitum (Stapf) Wei Wang & Z. D. Chen, Delphinium L. (including Staphisagria Spach), Consolida (DC.) S. F. Gray and Aconitella Spach, accumulated during the approximately last 25years and that comprise worldwide published data from 1889 to 2021. The Delphinieae Chromosome Database (DCDB) (last updated 31.12.2021) contains a total number of 3435 reports belonging to 425 species (503 taxa), which represents 48.6% of the total species of the tribe (an increase of c. 213% and 32% compared with the 1097 and 2598 reports gathered in the 1999 and 2016 versions, respectively). This increase is due both to chromosome research progress and to improved information capture system. Moreover, recent taxonomic advances, synonymization, and new phylogenetic criteria have also been considered.The DCDB database provides the most complete currently available information on published chromosome numbers, ploidy-level estimates, and other karyological data of Delphinieae, and it is aimed to be useful for the building of cytotaxonomical databases and for specific research ongoing projects of systematics and evolution of Ranunculaceae. DCDB includes two levels of taxonomic resolution, published name (original and standardized form) and database accepted name (based on either Plants of the World - POWO or expert specialist criteria), as well as the geographic origin of each count (country, locality, geographic coordinates, elevation, or ecological information when reported in the original publication), associated karyological data if originally provided (studied material type, graphic information, chromosome measures and formulas, satellites, B chromosomes, other cytogenetic techniques used, etc.), voucher information and reference (with DOI and other links to access the original document). An effort to check the original sources and to search in grey literature allowed to indicate the counts that appear to be registered twice.

"BIFloraExplorer": A Taxonomic, Genetic, and Ecological Data Resource for the Vascular Plants of Britain and Ireland.

The vascular flora of Britain and Ireland is a historically well-documented and clearly delimited study system that offers itself to large-scale analyses of ecology and species assemblages. However, such analyses require clean, curated, and taxonomically resolved data, which are often unavailable. In this chapter, we describe how to access and use a key data resource that combines a taxonomically stable species list with genetic data (genome size, chromosome counts, and DNA barcode information), ecological information (such as life-form, realized niche description, and geographic origin) and distribution records. The data resource enables and encourages the study of natural ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes within the vascular flora of Britain and Ireland.

Validation of three Indo-Chinese Clerodendrum (Lamiaceae)

Re-examination of nomenclature of three Indo-Chinese species, Clerodendrum adenocalyx, C. nhatrangense and C. palmatolobatum reveals that their names are invalidly published according to Article 39.1. in the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants (ICN): all these species published in 1935 were described without a Latin diagnosis. Our study validates these species names and, in addition, C. adenocalyx is formally reported as a new record from Vietnam. Species description, distribution, ecological information and IUCN conservation status are provided.

Optical reflectance across spatial scales—an intercomparison of transect-based hyperspectral, drone, and satellite reflectance data for dry season rangeland

Drone-based multispectral sensing is a valuable tool for dryland spatial ecology, yet there has been limited investigation of the reproducibility of measurements from drone-mounted multispectral camera array systems or the intercomparison between drone-derived measurements, field spectroscopy, and satellite data. Using radiometrically calibrated data from two multispectral drone sensors (MicaSense RedEdge (MRE) and Parrot Sequoia (PS)) co-located with a transect of hyperspectral measurements (tramway) in the Chihuahuan desert (New Mexico, USA), we found a high degree of correspondence within individual drone data sets, but that reflectance measurements and vegetation indices varied between field, drone, and satellite sensors. In comparison to field spectra, MRE had a negative bias, while PS had a positive bias. In comparison to Sentinel-2, PS showed the best agreement, while MRE had a negative bias for all bands. A variogram analysis of NDVI showed that ecological pattern information was lost at grains coarser than 1.8 m, indicating that drone-based multispectral sensors provide information at an appropriate spatial grain to capture the heterogeneity and spectral variability of this dryland ecosystem in a dry season state. Investigators using similar workflows should understand the need to account for biases between sensors. Modelling spatial and spectral upscaling between drone and satellite data remains an important research priority.

The impact modelling of urban and rural land planning and development on the ecological environment around the city

In order to effectively explore the impact of urban and rural land planning and development on the environment, there is a need to improve the research accuracy and environmental quality, and summarise the impact of urban and rural land planning and development on the periphery of the city. According to the results of impact analysis, the information of urban and rural land development intensity and the information of ecological environment around the city are counted. The global scheduling method is used to calculate the contribution of promoting factors, so as to construct the impact research model. The urban and rural land development intensity information and ecological environment information are input into the model, and the output of the model is the impact research result. The experimental results show that the accuracy of ecological environmental impact analysis around the city remains above 90% after the application of this method.

Evaluating aerial net gunning and chemical immobilisation for capture of invasive sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) in alpine Australia

Context Deer species are expanding in distribution and abundance in Australia. There is increasing focus on the ecology of these species, but effective deer capture methods are needed for telemetry studies. Aims The aims of this study were to develop, assess and refine a helicopter-based capture technique for wild sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) and red deer (Cervus elaphus), based on trials in south-eastern Australia. Methods We captured and collared 14 sambar deer and five red deer in two operations in Kosciuszko National Park in 2021, using a combination of aerial net gunning and chemical immobilisation delivered via hand injection. Captured animals were fitted with GPS collars to track their movements and activity post-capture. Physiological measurements were recorded as a means of assessing responses to capture and to optimise animal welfare outcomes. Key results Twenty-two deer were pursued and captured, with a total mortality rate of 14% (n = 3). The frequency of mortalities decreased from the first operation (17%) to the second operation (10%), largely attributed to allowable helicopter pursuit times being reduced. Post-release movement data indicated that delayed mortality due to capture did not occur. Activity of collared deer was lowest immediately following collaring, suggesting the procedure caused short-term decreases in deer activity. Conclusions Aerial capture of wild sambar deer and red deer poses animal welfare risks, but these can be minimised through the refinement in net gunning and pharmacological procedures to minimise animal stress. Implications This study describes an effective method for the safe capture of sambar deer and red deer, which will assist future wildlife researchers to further refine helicopter-based capture protocols and to collect spatial ecology and survival information about these species.

Concept for life cycle oriented ecological assessment in tooling

The increasing demands of customers to use climate neutral products are leading to severe challenges for manufacturing companies in various industry sectors. The most significant issues lie in measuring and evaluating the resulting environmental impacts across the various lifecycle phases of a product. Especially for the tooling industry, it can be a decisive competitive factor, not only to measure and evaluate the environmental impact of the tool manufacturing processes, but also of the use phase of the manufactured tools. Therefore, this paper presents a concept for ecological assessment for tooling companies, taking the manufacturing phase and the use phase into account. It describes how tool manufacturers can evaluate their own processes based on material and energy inputs and outputs in order to link the environmental impacts to the manufactured product. In tool manufacturing, the digital twin is used as an essential medium for collecting ecological information and converting it into impact variables. The recorded production data from the manufacturing and use phase will be aggregated into different target dimensions: By using the target dimensions “Tool”, ”Tool component” and “Process” the evaluation concept can not only be used for a holistic report on environmental impacts of the manufactured products, but also be used to improve technology use and application from an ecological perspective. By adding the target dimension “Product” the use phase of the tool will be considered, in order to be able to visualize effects in which an ecologically intensive production can lead to reduction in environmental impact over the use phase. Furthermore, the target dimension “Company” is aggregating the derived data, which is necessary for the evaluation of the other target dimensions, to reporting types, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol or the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

Using DNA metabarcoding to explore spatial variation in diet across European Hawfinch populations

The investigation of diet in avian species is essential for understanding their ecology and local adaptations, as well as long-term conservation. This can be particularly challenging because of the wide distribution and high ecological plasticity of many bird species. Here, we focused on the Hawfinch (<em>Coccothraustes coccothraustes</em>), which has shown variation in population trends. Across Europe, central and eastern European populations are moderately declining while western European populations are moderately increasing. Ecological drivers behind these differing trends are still unknown; one possibility is differences in diet, yet little research has been conducted into Hawfinch diet in mainland Europe or elsewhere. Dietary richness and variation are under-studied in woodland bird species, due primarily to challenges in accurately identifying plant and invertebrate taxa consumed. This study presents the first molecular dietary analysis of Hawfinch populations across two European countries. Faecal samples were collected between January and July of 2019 from Hawfinch caught at six artificial feed sites: two in Denmark and four in Germany. We successfully extracted DNA from 80 samples by amplifying plant Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) and invertebrate Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit 1 (COI) barcodes. A total of 35 plant and 37 invertebrate taxa were found, with plant and insect orders Fagales and Lepidoptera, respectively, the most frequently detected. Hawfinch dietary composition differed significantly between European countries, suggesting Hawfinch can make use of available food resources that are likely to differ spatially. Our study shows how DNA metabarcoding can be used to provide novel ecological information associated with under-studied bird species, thus providing essential information for future management and conservation of Hawfinch and their habitats.

Звітність провідних гірничодобувних компаній в ЄС і в Україні (розкриття екологічного капіталу): порівняльне дослідження

The purpose of the article is to study the activities of mining companies operating in both the European Union and Ukraine by analyzing their non-financial reports, in particular in terms of ecological capital, in terms of sustainable development and evaluating the efficiency of the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The article is aimed at disclosing the ecological aspects of the activities of mining enterprises of the EU and Ukraine in their reporting. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that disclosure by mining companies of information about their condition (in particular, ecological aspects – in order to identify risks that threaten the company’s sustainability) and increase investor and consumer confidence is vital for managing changes towards building a sustainable global economy by combining long-term profitability with environmental protection. Accordingly, the task of ensuring the sustainable development of mining companies is strategic not only for them, but also for the industry and the economy in general. The study analyzes the non-financial reports of the EU and Ukrainian mining entities to determine their actions in the light of social responsibility and to check whether they correlate with environmental protection and the implementation of the SDGs. The degree of disclosure of ecological information in the Management Reports of domestic extractive enterprises and Sustainability Reports of European companies is characterized. The results of this study present a unique contribution to understanding the performance of mining companies in sustainable development in Europe and Ukraine, the external driving factors that encourage them to participate in these activities, and their implementation of the SDGs in their sustainability reports. The article also emphasizes the importance of non-financial information for the sustainable development of companies and the environment.