Estimates Of Species Richness Research Articles

Ecology and molecular analysis of sand flies in Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brazil: Implications for leishmaniasis surveillance.

Leishmaniasis stands out as a public health problem in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, especially in the Midwest region. However, the entomological aspects in several municipalities remain unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the sand fly fauna in Bambuí, encompassing ecological dynamics and molecular detection of Leishmania. Monthly collections were conducted using CDC light traps from September 2018 to August 2020 across 16 selected points with urban and rural characteristics, chosen based on the coverage area of the Municipal Health Department and the occurrence of canine and human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases. Ecological indices of the sand fly population (Chao1, Shannon, Simpson and Pielou) were assessed, and sand fly abundance was correlated to climatic variables (humidity, temperature and rainfall). A total of 8838 specimens representing 17 species within nine genera were collected (estimated species richness by Chao 1 estimator = 17; SE ± 1.8). Predominantly, Lutzomyia longipalpis, Nyssomyia whitmani and Evandromyia cortelezzii constituted approximately 98% of all captured sand flies. While species richness and diversity displayed variations throughout the study, a positive correlation emerged between temperature (p < 0.0001; r = 0.7767), monthly rainfall (p < 0.0001; r = 0.7810) and sand fly abundance. Molecular analysis revealed Leishmania DNA in 2.05% of female sand flies, with the presence of Leishmania infantum in Lu. longipalpis and both Le. infantum and Leishmania braziliensis in Ev. cortelezzii. The entomological data, coupled with the occurrence of autochthonous cases of canine visceral leishmaniasis, offer valuable insights for evidence-based strategies to prevent leishmaniasis in Bambuí.

Optimising species detection probability and sampling effort in lake fish eDNA surveys

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is transforming biodiversity monitoring in aquatic environments. Such an approach has been developed and deployed for monitoring lake fish communities in Great Britain, where the method has repeatedly shown a comparable or better performance than conventional approaches. Previous analyses indicated that 20 water samples per lake are sufficient to reliably estimate fish species richness, but it is unclear how reduced eDNA sampling effort affects richness, or other biodiversity estimates and metrics. As the number of samples strongly influences the cost of monitoring programmes, it is essential that sampling effort is optimised for a specific monitoring objective. The aim of this project was to explore the effect of reduced eDNA sampling effort on biodiversity metrics (namely species richness and community composition) using algorithmic and statistical resampling techniques of a data set from 101 lakes, covering a wide spectrum of lake types and ecological quality. The results showed that reliable estimation of lake fish species richness could, in fact, usually be achieved with a much lower number of samples. For example, in almost 90% of lakes, 95% of complete fish richness could be detected with only 10 water samples, regardless of lake area. Similarly, other measures of alpha and beta-diversity were not greatly affected by a reduction in sample size from 20 to 10 samples. We also found that there is no significant difference in detected species richness between shoreline and offshore sampling transects, allowing for simplified field logistics. This could potentially allow the effective sampling of a larger number of lakes within a given monitoring budget. However, rare species were more often missed with fewer samples, with potential implications for monitoring of invasive or endangered species. These results should inform the design of eDNA sampling strategies, so that these can be optimised to achieve specific monitoring goals.

Diversity and Distribution of Monocot Understory Herbs during Tropical Forest Succession in Northeastern Costa Rica

Broad-leaved monocot herbs form one of the most common and diverse growth forms of Neotropical plants. Their significance and frequency of occurrence is particularly notable in the understories of tropical rainforests, where they form a dominant element. We assessed and quantified changes in the cover and diversity of understory herb communities in a chronosequence of 1 ha permanent plots established as part of a multidisciplinary study on tropical forest regeneration in the Atlantic lowlands of northeastern Costa Rica. Sampled were two young stands cleared 12 years ago, two secondary forests with 21 and 39 of years of recovery since clearance, and two stands in old-growth primary forest. Changes in species composition during succession were assessed using Chao’s Jaccard similarity index. Observed species richness ranged from 15 to 26 species in individual plots, with the greatest number of species in the 21-year intermediate-age and fewest in the young 12-year plots. Herb species sampled represented 6 families, 15 genera, and 39 species, with the Araceae contributing the largest number of species. Ten species were sampled in all six stands, while fourteen species were found exclusively in one plot. Herb density (ramets m−2) showed a hump-shade trend, with peak density in the intermediate stands and a lower level in mature and young secondary forests. Mean herb cover in 25 m2 quadrats ranged from 2.0% (young stand) to 22.7% (intermediate-age stand) and differed significantly both among stand types and among sites. Both observed and estimated species richness increased along the chronosequence as a whole, with the highest number of species in primary forest, although only slightly higher than in intermediate-age stands. Over half of the species exhibited some degree of clonal growth, with the extent of clonal spread varying among species and forest stands. Although we did not find a clear pattern between clonality and forest age, we observed a greater number of clonal patches in secondary over primary forest stands.

Slugs Count: Assessing citizen scientist engagement and development, and the accuracy of their identifications

Abstract How accurately can citizen science participants identify species, and can the information they provide be used to calculate accurate estimates of species richness, abundance and diversity measures? In this paper, we address these questions using data from a citizen science project assessing slug species diversity in gardens. Sixty participants were selected from over 2700 applicants across Britain to sample their gardens regularly for slugs following a standardised method. All slugs collected during the 30‐min search were posted to the lead investigator for verification throughout the 12‐month project. The resulting data were analysed to explore how accurate participants were in identifying slugs and whether this improved over the study period. Prior experience in slug identification was evaluated as a predictor of accuracy. Participants overestimated slug abundance and species richness, which led to overestimates in species diversity indices, illustrating the importance of verification in citizen science projects involving identification. Accuracy of slug identifications increased significantly over time in quantitative analysis of ecological data. However, self‐defined prior experience of identifying slugs before participation was not a good predictor of participant accuracy. Participants reported perceived improvement in slug identification skills to an evaluation survey after the project. However, confidence in identifying and explaining identification of slugs was lower than confidence in understanding and explaining other new science topics. This citizen science approach, including expert verification of physical specimens, illustrates how this method can be used successfully to provide accurate data on species' abundance and richness, alongside improving identification skills among the public for an understudied taxon. Continued engagement and feedback for participants is key in retaining citizen science participation in a project of this type, particularly if the taxon is challenging to identify correctly to species. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Two listeners detect slightly more birds than a single listener when interpreting acoustic recordings

Abstract Acoustic recorders are increasingly important for monitoring bird populations and have potential to augment existing monitoring programs such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). An advantage of acoustic recordings is that they can be reviewed multiple times by multiple experts, potentially yielding improved estimates of species abundance and community richness. Yet, few studies have examined how frequently successive listeners disagree on acoustic interpretations and how strongly estimates of species richness and abundance are altered when multiple experts review each recording. We assigned multiple expert listeners to interpret recordings at 690 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) stops, and subsequently assigned second listeners to conduct a review of first listeners’ interpretations. We examined the extent to which listeners agreed with each other and quantified the effect of disagreements on resultant estimates of species occurrence, abundance, and stop-level richness. We also compared estimates from acoustic recordings to those obtained during simultaneous field surveys. Estimates were highly correlated for number of species per stop (r = 0.92) and detection probabilities of species (r = 0.97) based on first and second-listener data. Second listeners disagreed with ~9% of first listeners’ interpretations and added an average of ~15% additional species and 16% additional birds not reported by first listeners. Estimates based on acoustic recordings were also highly correlated with those obtained from field surveys, though listeners were unable to count flocks. A single expert reviewer can provide a reasonable approximation of the relative abundance and species composition of birds available for acoustic detection during Breeding Bird Surveys. However, acoustic review by multiple listeners may still be important for species that are rare, difficult to identify, or of high conservation concern.

Species richness and evenness of European bird communities show differentiated responses to measures of productivity.

Understanding patterns of species diversity is crucial for ecological research and conservation, and this understanding may be improved by studying patterns in the two components of species diversity, species richness and evenness of abundance of species. Variation in species richness and evenness has previously been linked to variation in total abundance of communities as well as productivity gradients. Exploring both components of species diversity is essential because these components could be unrelated or driven by different mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between species richness and evenness in European bird communities along an extensive latitudinal gradient. We examined their relationships with latitude and Net Primary Productivity, which determines energy and matter availability for heterotrophs, as well as their responses to territory densities (i.e. the number of territories per area) and community biomass (i.e. the bird biomass per area). We applied a multivariate Poisson log-normal distribution to unique long-term, high-quality time-series data, allowing us to estimate species richness of the community as well as the variance of this distribution, which acts as an inverse measure of evenness. Evenness in the distribution of abundance of species in the community was independent of species richness. Species richness increased with increasing community biomass, as well as with increasing density. Since both measures of abundance were explained by NPP, species richness was partially explained by energy-diversity theory (i.e. the more energy, the more species sustained by the ecosystem). However, species richness did not increase linearly with NPP but rather showed a unimodal relationship. Evenness was not explained either by productivity nor by any of the aspects of community abundance. This study highlights the importance of considering both richness and evenness to gain a better understanding of variation in species diversity. We encourage the study of both components of species diversity in future studies, as well as use of simulation studies to verify observed patterns between richness and evenness.

Estimating bee distributions and their functional range to map important areas for protecting bee species and their functions

The decline of wild bee populations causes the decline of bee-pollinated plant populations through the deterioration of pollination services. Since high bee species richness generally involves high functional group diversity, protecting areas of high bee species richness will help to maintain pollination services for plants. However, those areas do not always include the habitats of bee species with specialized functions that expand the range of plants being pollinated. To map important areas for protecting native bee species and their functions, we estimated the distributions and functional range of 13 bumble bee species and 1 honey bee species in Japan. The distributions were estimated from an ensemble of six species distribution models using bee occurrence data and environmental data. The functional range of bee species was estimated by combining the estimated distributions and proboscis length, which frequently corresponds to the floral shape of the plant species they pollinate. The estimated species richness was high in western Hokkaido and the estimated functional range was wide in central Honshu. Our method is useful to see whether areas important for high species richness of pollinators differ from those for rare species or their functions.

Fungi and deadwood diversity: A test of the area‐heterogeneity trade‐off hypothesis

Abstract Environmental heterogeneity is one of the most fundamental drivers of species diversity. For decades, ecologists have suggested that heterogeneity–diversity relationships are generally positive. But today, a greater variety of heterogeneity–diversity relationships is discussed. In this study, we contrasted two hypotheses for wood‐inhabiting fungi: The classical heterogeneity–diversity hypothesis, which predicts positive relationships due to an increase in niche dimensionality with increasing heterogeneity. And the more recently stated area‐heterogeneity trade‐off hypothesis, that predicts a unimodal pattern due to an inherent trade‐off between the number of occupied niches and the effective area per species. It allows positive and negative relationships only as special cases. We sampled 3715 deadwood objects on 135 plots along a forest structure gradient in the Black Forest, Germany, and recorded 284 wood‐inhabiting fungal species. To assess heterogeneity of deadwood structures, we calculated two multidimensional structural diversity indices: Structural richness was used as a measure of available niche space, and structural divergence as a measure of multivariate variance within that niche space. Those indices were then related to species richness estimates for rare, common and dominant species using the framework of Hill numbers. We found a linear, positive effect of structural richness and a unimodal effect for structural divergence on estimated species diversity. Structural richness, but not structural divergence, was strongly correlated with the number of sampled deadwood objects. No clear differences between the responses of rare, common and dominant species to the two heterogeneity gradients were found. We also estimated the mean abundance as a proxy for mean population size, which decreased significantly with structural richness but was non‐significantly related to structural divergence. Synthesis. In general, the results of this study suggest a unimodal heterogeneity–diversity relationship for deadwood‐inhabiting fungi and are thereby in line with the area‐heterogeneity trade‐off hypothesis. Thus, the negative effect of heterogeneity should lead to lower species richness and a higher risk of stochastic extinctions at high levels of heterogeneity. However, as deadwood amount and deadwood diversity are often strongly correlated, we argue that the positive effect of resource availability on species richness may mask the negative effect of structural heterogeneity in some cases.

Environmental DNA reveals ecologically relevant spatial and temporal variation in fish assemblages between estuaries and seasons

Estuarine ecosystems are threatened by numerous anthropogenic pressures. Fish assemblages are a dominant component of estuarine macrofauna and serve as indicators for the health of these transitional water ecosystems. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is increasingly used to assess the biodiversity of fishes in estuaries. However, there is a need to further establish how effective eDNA metabarcoding can be relative to conventional fish sampling methods across multiple estuaries and seasons. This study compared fish assemblages detected via eDNA metabarcoding of surface water samples to contemporary sampling with conventional fishing gears in three temperate estuaries (UK), during early summer and autumn. Most species caught by fishing were detected by eDNA. Species richness estimates from eDNA were two to ten times higher than estimates based on fishing, and included taxa of conservation importance and a non-native species. The eDNA assemblage composition was significantly different to the assemblage detected by seine nets. Importantly, eDNA methods could effectively discriminate between fish assemblages of different estuaries and seasons. Fish assemblages in estuaries are often not monitored due to resource constraints. The dynamic nature of estuaries may make fishing gear deployment difficult and inconsistent. The findings indicate that eDNA metabarcoding is suited to gathering large amounts of information on fish biodiversity, at a relatively low sampling effort, compared to established fishing methods. Therefore, eDNA shows promise as an assessment tool for fish assemblage structure and ecosystem health in estuarine environments, with application to statutory monitoring.

Data coverage, biases, and trends in a global citizen‐science resource for monitoring avian diversity

AbstractAimUnderstanding and addressing the global biodiversity crisis requires ecological information compiled continuously from across the globe. Data from citizen science initiatives are useful for quantifying species' ecological niches and geographical distributions but can be difficult to apply towards biodiversity monitoring. The presence of fixed geographical locations reduces the opportunistic nature of citizen science data, allowing for more reliable and nuanced trend estimation. The eBird citizen‐science program contains predefined locations whose bird assemblages are sampled across years (‘hotspots’). For hotspots to function as a biodiversity monitoring resource, issues related to data coverage, biases, and trends need to be addressed.LocationGlobal.MethodsWe estimated the survey completeness of species richness at 300,500 eBird hotspots during 2002–2022. We documented sampling biases at eBird hotspot and non‐hotspot locations during 2022 based on protection status, temperature, precipitation, and landcover.ResultsA total of 10,410 bird species (ca. 96.9% of total) were recorded at hotspots. The number of hotspots, checklists, and participants and the quality of species richness estimates increased worldwide with the Nearctic containing the strongest and most consistent trends. Compared to non‐hotspots, hotspots oversampled areas with higher protection status. Hotspots and non‐hotspots oversampled warmer and wetter locations in the Antarctic, Nearctic, and Palearctic, and cooler locations in the Afrotropics, Australasia, and the Neotropics. Hotspots and especially non‐hotspots oversampled urban areas. Hotspots and non‐hotspots undersampled shrublands in Australasia. Hotspots and especially non‐hotspots undersampled forests in the Afrotropics, Indomalaya, Neotropics, and Oceania.Main ConclusionsHotspots have captured a large component of the world's avian diversity but have done so inconsistently across space and time. Data quantity and quality are increasing in many regions, but the presence of regionally specific sampling biases and spatial uncertainty in hotspot locations should be addressed when applying the data.

Nested plot designs used in forest inventory do not accurately capture tree species richness in Southwestern European forests

Key messageNested plot designs with concentric plots with increasing radii and size threshold underestimate tree species richness with respect to full census sampling with no tree size restrictions. Regeneration emerged as the most relevant pool for tree species richness estimation.ContextNested or concentric plot designs, where trees are sampled according to their size and position, are common in National Forest Inventories (NFI) to reduce the sampling effort. However, this could bias the estimation of tree diversity such as species richness.AimsThe main goal of this study is to quantify the effect of the nested plot designs with increasing radii and diameter at breast height threshold on the number of tree species as well as to provide values for mean tree species richness per plot at the forest-type level using the Spanish NFI.MethodsWe compared tree species richness according to the Spanish NFI nested plot design (radii ranging from 5 to 25 m with increasing minimum threshold in dbh from 7.5 to 42.5 cm as well as the regeneration compartment) with the richness estimate based on a full census (without restrictions in the location or size) in the Spanish NFI 25 m radius plot.ResultsOur results confirmed the underestimation of tree species richness (around 32.5%) when using the nested design. The species omitted in the nested design sampling are often subordinates, typically with small diameters. Regeneration emerged as the main pool for tree species richness estimation. This pattern holds across the main forest types, indicating that it is a generalized rather than regional or local phenomenon.ConclusionWe strongly recommend using full census data for assessing tree species richness whenever available, as relying solely on nested designs can significantly underestimate tree species richness.

First Account of Epibiotic Diatom Taxa from the Carapaces of Green Swimming Crab Callinectes bellicosus (Stimpson 1859) (Decapoda, Portunidae)

Diatoms are among the most common epibionts and have been recorded on the surfaces of various living substrates, either plants or animals. However, studies on them are still scarce in view of the many substrata available. In this study, epibiotic diatoms living on Callinectes bellicosus were identified for the first time from a subtropical coastal lagoon in Northwest Mexico. We tested the null hypothesis that the diatom flora living on the carapaces of C. bellicosus would not be similar to that recorded for mangrove sediments, its typical habitat. The epibiotic diatoms were brushed off from the carapaces of two specimens, acid-cleaned, mounted in synthetic resin, and identified based on frustule morphology. This way, 106 taxa from 46 genera were recorded, including 25 singletons, and 6 new records for the Mexican northwest region. The best-represented genera were Nitzschia (10 taxa), Mastogloia (9), Diploneis (8), Navicula (7), Amphora (5), Cocconeis (5), Tryblionella (4), and Gyrosigma (4). Species composition included 93% of local taxa, thus refuting the proposed hypothesis and supporting the alternate one. Although the estimated species richness was lower than that in sediments, it deems the green crab carapace a favorable substrate for the growth of benthic diatoms.

Of sea, rivers and symbiosis: Diversity, systematics, biogeography and evolution of the deeply diverging florideophycean order Hildenbrandiales (Rhodophyta)

The Hildenbrandiales, a typically saxicolous red algal order, is an early diverging florideophycean group with global significance in marine and freshwater ecosystems across diverse temperature zones. To comprehensively elucidate the diversity, phylogeny, biogeography, and evolution of this order, we conducted a thorough re-examination employing molecular data derived from nearly 700 specimens. Employing a species delimitation method, we identified Evolutionary Species Units (ESUs) within the Hildenbrandiales aiming to enhance our understanding of species diversity and generate the first time-calibrated tree and ancestral area reconstruction for this order. Mitochondrial cox1 and chloroplast rbcL markers were used to infer species boundaries, and subsequent phylogenetic reconstructions involved concatenated sequences of cox1, rbcL, and 18S rDNA. Time calibration of the resulting phylogenetic tree used a fossil record from a Triassic purportedly freshwater Hildenbrandia species and three secondary time points from the literature. Our species delimitation analysis revealed an astounding 97 distinct ESUs, quintupling the known diversity within this order. Our time-calibration analysis placed the origin of Hildenbrandiales (crown age) in the Ediacaran period, with freshwater species emerging as a monophyletic group during the later Permian to early Triassic. Phylogenetic reconstructions identified seven major clades, experiencing early diversification during the Silurian to Carboniferous period. Two major evolutionary events—colonization of freshwater habitats and obligate systemic symbiosis with a marine fungus—marked this order, leading to significant morphological alterations without a commensurate increase in species diversification. Despite the remarkable newly discovered diversity, the extant taxon diversity appears relatively constrained when viewed against an evolutionary timeline spanning over 800 million years. This limitation may stem from restricted geographic sampling or the prevalence of asexual reproduction. However, species richness estimation and rarefaction analyses suggest a substantially larger diversity yet to be uncovered—potentially four times greater. These findings drastically reshape our understanding of the deeply diverging florideophycean order Hildenbrandiales species diversity, and contribute valuable insights into this order's evolutionary history and ecological adaptations. Supported by phylogenetic, ecological and morphological evidence, we established the genus Riverina gen. nov. to accommodate freshwater species of Hildenbrandiales, which form a monophyletic clade in our analyses. This marks the first step toward refining the taxonomy of the Hildenbrandiales, an order demanding thorough revisions, notably with the creation of several genera to address the polyphyletic status of Hildenbrandia. However, the limited diagnostic features pose a challenge, necessitating a fresh approach to defining genera. A potential solution lies in embracing a molecular systematic perspective, which can offer precise delineations of taxonomic boundaries.

Wetland Creation and Reforestation of Legacy Surface Mines in the Central Appalachian Region (USA): A Potential Climate-Adaptation Approach for Pond-Breeding Amphibians?

Habitat restoration and creation within human-altered landscapes can buffer the impacts of climate change on wildlife. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a coal surface mine reclamation practice that enhances reforestation through soil decompaction and the planting of native trees. Recently, wetland creation has been coupled with FRA to increase habitat available for wildlife, including amphibians. Our objective was to evaluate the response of pond-breeding amphibians to the FRA by comparing species occupancy, richness, and abundance across two FRA age-classes (2–5-year and 8–11-year reclaimed forests), traditionally reclaimed sites that were left to naturally regenerate after mining, and in mature, unmined forests in the Monongahela National Forest (West Virginia, USA). We found that species richness and occupancy estimates did not differ across treatment types. Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and Eastern Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) had the greatest estimated abundances in wetlands in the older FRA treatment. Additionally, larger wetlands had greater abundances of Eastern Newts, Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus), and Green Frogs (L. clamitans) compared to smaller wetlands. Our results suggest that wetland creation and reforestation increases the number of breeding sites and promotes microhabitat and microclimate conditions that likely maximize the resilience of pond-breeding amphibians to anticipated climate changes in the study area.

Acoustic monitoring of anurans and birds in tropical biomes

AbstractPassive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is increasingly popular in ecological research, but recording and analyzing large amounts of data is still a critical bottleneck for the long‐term monitoring of multiple species. We evaluated how temporal and spatial sampling effort affects species diversity estimates using a set of 14,045 1‐min recordings from various neotropical birds and anuran communities. Our goals were to evaluate (i) the daily vocal activity cycle of birds and anurans, (ii) the effect of temporal structure (e.g., number of minutes listened each hour; continuous versus intermittent recordings) on determining the species composition, and (iii) the species–area relationship, and how the number of recorders affects species richness estimates. Based on sampling coverage and completeness, we (iv) evaluate manual inspection schedules for birds and anurans across four biomes of Brazil. We found marked diel variation in vocal activity between taxonomic groups, indicating that birds and anurans are more efficiently detected during early periods of the day and night, respectively. For proper diversity estimates, biomes with higher biodiversity required longer inspecting periods and a larger number of replicates, irrespective of taxa. Although fewer recordings per hour are less informative than full‐hour sampling, species diversity is better estimated when inspected minutes are interspersed over longer periods than inspecting minutes recorded over shorter timespans. Based on our findings, we recommend how to set PAM programs over highly diverse ecosystems.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.

Wild boar effects on hair‐tube sampling

AbstractHair tubes are one of the most effective tools for sampling small‐mammal assemblages. Despite their efficiency, they can be damaged by wildlife. We quantified wildlife‐induced disturbance of hair‐tube sampling in the Monte Pisano mountain system in Italy. At each site we tied 2 tubes together to form a hair trap and placed them in 3 different areas. We measured disturbances by counting the number of hair traps disturbed and identified the species that caused damage with cameras. Although approximately 27% (n = 164/600) of hair traps were disturbed, 2 hair traps/site allowed us to collect data from 97% of site checks from undisturbed and retrieved hair traps. Wild boars (Sus scrofa) were attracted to hair traps by olfactory and acoustic signals and caused the most disturbances. Displaced tubes detected a similar number of hairs and number of species as undisturbed tubes; species richness estimates that include retrieved displaced tubes should provide reliable data. To avoid data loss when conducting hair‐trap monitoring, we suggest using ≥2 hair traps per site.

Altitudinal pattern of Odonata diversity in Kabylia (Algeria): a contrasting pattern in lotic and lentic habitats

Environmental conditions change rapidly across altitude, shaping diversity and structure of communities. Because lotic and lentic communities are often distinct and experience different environmental and anthropogenic conditions, understanding whether the diversity of these communities changes similarly across altitude is fundamental to determine how biota responds to ecological gradients in a human-dominated landscape. In this study, we carried out a comparative analysis of the altitudinal pattern of the diversity of odonates in lotic and lentic ecosystems in Kabylia (north-central Algeria) across 16 sites (eight lotic and eight lentic sites). We estimated species richness, abundance, and Shannon index as well as three environmental factors (water temperature, pH, and human disturbance) in each site. We recorded a total of 33 species (10 Zygoptera and 23 Anisoptera) with 20 species in lotic sites and 28 species in lentic sites. We recorded a similar decreasing altitudinal pattern of water temperature and human influence, but no pattern in pH. Interestingly, species richness, abundance, and Shannon index increased with altitude in lotic sites, but showed a weak negative correlation in lentic sites. These contracting patterns could be due to the interplay of a geographic gradient in anthropogenic pressure and habitat-specific species sensitivity to anthropogenic stress.

Amphibian and reptile diversity in natural landscapes and human-modified habitats of the Sahara Desert of Algeria: A better understanding of biodiversity to improve conservation

The spatial and seasonal variations in amphibian and reptile diversity were studied in different biotopes (lowlands, desert pavements “Reg,” Sabkhas “salt lakes,” date palm groves, wadis, and urban sites) at the Algerian Sahara Desert. No prior research has explored the connection between the distribution of reptiles and amphibians in Algeria’s Sahara and the environmental diversity of biotopes and landscapes. This study aimed to address this significant knowledge gap by investigating the relationships between Saharan habitats and landscapes and their impact on herpetofaunal presence, abundance, and diversity. The diversity of amphibians and reptiles was assessed based on quantitative data of species captures using nonparametric diversity indices, species richness accumulation curves, and similarity analysis. At the Region of Oued Righ (Northern Sahara Desert), we identified 3 amphibians, 19 lizards, and 10 ophidian species. These 32 species (approximately 30% of the Algerian herpetofauna) were classified into 2 orders (Anura and Squamata), 15 families, and 23 different genera. The study area included 8 protected species in Algeria and 9 endemic species to the Mediterranean region, including 1 amphibian and 7 species of reptiles. Acanthodactylus dumerilii was the most abundant species (20.5% of the total), whereas Chalcides ocellatus occurred in 32.9% of specimens. The highest values of species richness were recorded in palm groves with 22 species and Shannon’s diversity index (H’) was 3.5, whereas the lowest values were obtained in Sabkhas (5 species) and urban sites (7 species). The number of individuals experienced significant variations between study biotopes and seasons. Overall, species richness estimators (Chao2 and Jackknife1) revealed that the current survey achieved 90% of inventory completeness. Estimates and interpolations of species richness showed higher values in urban sites, palm groves, desert pavements, and wadis compared to Sabkhas and lowlands where completeness ranged between 90% and 100%. The analysis of similarity indicated low similarity values (&amp;lt;50%) between biotopes studied. The highest similarities were noted between the mesic biotopes (Sabkhas, wadis, and palm groves), the xeric and undisturbed biotopes (desert pavements and lowlands), whereas urban sites showed a distinct herpetofaunal community that was completely different of that recorded in Sabkhas, wadis, and lowlands.

Assessment of butterflies diversity, and distribution in Ghamot National Park, Western Himalaya, Neelum valley, Pakistan

Biodiversity measures, species richness and species evenness. Species richness means the number of species present in designated area whereas evenness stands for relative abundance of each species. Butterflies are very important economically. They feed on nectar from flowers by using proboscis. Butterflies act as excellent bio indicator of health of natural ecosystem. The fauna in the study area lacks comprehensive documentation hence there has been no previous assessment of butterfly biodiversity. The study was conducted to estimate species richness, species evenness, and species diversity through a comparative analysis across different habitat types. The Pollard walk method, specifically a butterfly transects count and visual Surveys was used to collect specimen in Ghamot National Park divided into 8 localities. A total of 37 transects covering an area of 12.55 km 2 were established and observed on a monthly basis from June 2020 to July 2021. A collection of 211 specimens was obtained using various standard methods. In order to assess the butterfly population, diversity metrics including the Shannon-Wiener index, Shannon equitability index, Margalef index, and Simpson index were employed. The study documented a total of 539 individuals representing 16 species and 3 butterfly families in 8 different localities with varying habitats. The forest-dominated zones exhibited the highest abundance (n=266; 49.53%) and species richness (n=15; 93.75). Additionally, the forest zone demonstrated the maximum values for the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (3.77) and Simpson index (0.92), while the riparian zone displayed the lowest diversity (3.02) and Simpson index (0.89) among the four selected localities. Therefore, it is recommended that regular monitoring of the study area be undertaken to observe potential fluctuations in butterfly diversity. Continuous surveillance and comparative analysis of data from year to year are essential for identifying any shifts in butterfly populations

Field tests of small autonomous recording units: an evaluation of in-person versus automated point counts and a comparison of recording quality

ABSTRACT The proliferation of small autonomous recorders makes it easier than ever to sample terrestrial acoustic animals and soundscapes. I conducted a comparison of four small recorders to evaluate their performance in a field setting: Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter Mini; Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter Micro; Open Acoustics Audiomoth; and Cornell SwiftOne. I address two questions: (1) How do in-person point counts compare to recorder-based point counts using these small autonomous recorders? (2) How does the quality of the recordings compare across these small autonomous recorders? To evaluate the performance of the recorders in point counts, I conducted in-person and recording-based point counts at ten locations. Each of the recorders performed similarly well at point counts, producing comparable estimates of species richness, although all of the autonomous recorders under-estimated species richness. To evaluate recording quality, I conducted a sound transmission test, broadcasting and re-recording sounds. Recorders varied in their frequency response above 12 kHz, but showed only subtle differences in the frequency response at frequencies below 12 kHz. I conclude that each of these types of small recorders provide bioacousticians with useful tools for conducting point counts, and for passive monitoring of animal sounds, with only subtle differences across the investigated models.