Geo-climatic Factors Research Articles

Plant community phylogeny responses to protections and its main drivers in boreal forests, China: General pattern and implications

Patterns of the phylogenetic structure have been broadly applied to predict community assembly processes. However, the distribution pattern of evolutionary diversity and its drivers under nature conservation are still poorly understood in boreal forests. Here, we investigated 1738 sampling plots and subplots from distinct protection intensities (PIs) zones in five representative National Nature Reserves (NNRs). Multiple comparisons, redundancy analysis, and linear mixed model were performed to identify the changes in community phylogeny across different PIs and NNRs and the drivers for these variations. Our results showed considerable plant community phylogeny variations in different NNRs. As indicated by SesMPD (standardized mean pairwise distance) and SesMNTD (standardized the mean nearest taxon distance), trees, shrubs, and herbs presented overdispersed, clustered, and random distribution patterns, respectively, in different PIs. Protection resulted in the phylogenetic structure between the nearest species of trees showing a more overdispersed pattern (p < 0.05). Protection decreased the phylogenetically clustered degree between the nearest species of shrubs (p > 0.05), while the herbs still maintained a random pattern. Community traits explained the most to phylogeny variation of different communities (24 %–71 %, p < 0.01), followed by geoclimatic factors (2 %–24 %) and conservation processes (1 %–21 %). The higher mean annual precipitation and under branch height at the lower latitude area accompanied the higher SesMPD and SesMNTD. The higher PIs attended with higher tree SesMPD, and the longer protection time resulted in higher shrub PSR (phylogenetic species richness) and PSV (phylogenetic species variability). Including the location of NNRs, community traits, and years of protection, rather than only emphasizing PI itself, could optimize community phylogenetic structure and preserve the evolutionary potential of biodiversity.

Assessment of Fresh Water Algal Diversity of Jawhar, Dist-palghar (M.S), India

Documentation and identification of algal diversity is one of the aspects for attestation of the algal diversityof a particular area. During the present study of water bodies, total 32 genera belong to five classes wererecorded viz. Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Desmidophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and Euglenophyceae. The inlandalgae are highly diverse according to geology and geo-climatic factors. Algae are the key organisms in thewater pollution indication, aquatic food chain and play a vital role in the release of oxygen. They cantolerate any environmental stress conditions. The alga is habitat-specific and its presence depends uponthe season variation. This article explains the inventorization and enlists the presence of algae, which wasfound in different running water and stagnant water bodies like Dams, streams, ponds, and lakes, etc. Thepresent preliminary study carried out for the promise of algal species. The study area was unexplored byanyone for the assessment of algal diversity.

Phenotypic Variation and Diversity in Fruit, Leaf, Fatty Acid, and Their Relationships to Geoclimatic Factors in Seven Natural Populations of Malania oleifera Chun et S.K. Lee

Malania oleifera Chun et S.K. Lee is an endangered woody oil tree that produces nervonic acid, which is closely related to brain development. The phenotypic variation and diversity in some representative traits in natural populations are poorly understood. To investigate phenotypic variation, diversity and their relationship with geoclimatic factors, we evaluated 21 traits of 97 sampled individuals from seven natural populations. Coefficient of variation for 21 traits widely ranged from 0.05 (shape index of fruit) to 0.62 (water content of dry kernel), with an average of 0.18. The Shannon–Wiener indices ranged from 1.91 (water content of dry kernel) to 2.06 (leaf length and leaf width), with an average of 1.94. The variation of 20 traits was significantly influenced by the population effect (p &lt; 0.05). The 21 traits were reduced to six principal components, which collectively accounted for 86.64% of the total phenotypic variation. The seven population was mainly divided into two groups: Group I, which included four populations distributed throughout the southern region and having wider and shorter leaves, larger fruit transverse diameters, and higher content of fatty acid and nervonic acid in the kernel, and Group II included the left populations with relative opposite characteristics to those in Group I. Trees with shorter leaves tend to produce oblate shape and heavier dried kernel, yielding more fatty acid and nervonic acids, and population-level pairwise kernel morphological distance were positively correlated with fatty acid distance (Mantel r = 0.39, p &lt; 0.05). Annual average humidity was strongly positively correlated with leaf index (length/width, r = 0.78) but had a negative correlation with the kernel dry weight (r = −0.84). The shape of the kernel gradually altered from oblate to globose as longitude and rainfall increased. The environment became colder as latitude increased, resulting in a steady decrease in fatty acid content. No significant isolation by climatic and geographical distance was found for morphological and fatty acid variability. These results can have an important implication for genetic improvement, diversity conservation and resource management of the species in the future.

Spatial Factors Outperform Local Environmental and Geo-Climatic Variables in Structuring Multiple Facets of Stream Macroinvertebrates' β-Diversity.

Simple SummaryOne of the key targets of community ecology and biogeography concerns revealing the variability and underlying drivers of biodiversity. Most current studies understand biodiversity based on taxonomic information alone. Our study was based on macroinvertebrates from 179 stream sampling sites in the Hun-Tai River Basin in Northeastern China. The correlation of different facets of β-diversity was compared while revealing the relative contribution of multiple abiotic factors (i.e., local environmental, geo-climatic, and spatial factors) to shaping β-diversity based on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic information. The results showed that functional β-diversity provides important complementary information to taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity. Moreover, spatial factors outperform local environmental and geo-climatic variables in structuring multiple facets of stream macroinvertebrates’ β-diversity. Our study provides guidance for future conservation studies of watershed biodiversity, as well as implications for future studies of β-diversity.One of the key targets of community ecology and biogeography concerns revealing the variability and underlying drivers of biodiversity. Most current studies understand biodiversity based on taxonomic information alone, but few studies have shown the relative contributions of multiple abiotic factors in shaping biodiversity based on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic information. We collected 179 samples of macroinvertebrates in the Hun-Tai River Basin. We validated the complementarity between the three facets and components of β-diversity using the Mantel test. Distance-based redundancy analysis and variance partitioning were applied to explore the comparative importance of local environmental, geo-climatic, and spatial factors on each facet and component of β-diversity. Our study found that taxonomic and phylogenetic total β-diversity was mainly forced by turnover, while functional total β-diversity was largely contributed by nestedness. There is a strong correlation between taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity. However, the correlations of functional with both taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity were relatively weak. The findings of variation partitioning suggested that distinct facets and components of macroinvertebrates’ β-diversity were impacted by abiotic factors to varying degrees. The contribution of spatial factors was greater than that of the local environment and geo-climatic factors for taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic β-diversity. Thus, studying different facets and components of β-diversity allows a clearer comprehension of the influence of abiotic factors on diversity patterns. Therefore, future research should investigate patterns and mechanisms of β-diversity from taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic perspectives.

Concentrations of dissolved organic matter and methane in lakes in Southwest China: Different roles of external factors and in-lake biota

Many factors have been reported to affect material cycling in lakes, but the combined and cascading impacts of external environmental factors and in-lake biota on lake carbon cycling are poorly understood. We elucidated the influencing pathways of geoclimatic factors, lake morphometry, land-use type, chemical and physical factors, and biological taxa (phytoplankton and macroinvertebrates) on the concentrations of two important components of carbon cycling, i.e., dissolved organic matter (DOM) and methane (CH4) based on datasets from 64 plateau lakes in Southwest China. Partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) indicated that (1) geoclimatic factors influenced DOM and CH4 by affecting land use and lake physical factors (e.g., water temperature), (2) lake morphometry (water depth and lake area) had a direct and great negative effect on the CH4 concentration related to the production and oxidation of CH4 and affected phytoplankton and macroinvertebrates by influencing chemical and physical factors, (3) land-use type affected DOM and CH4 concentrations in both direct and indirect ways, (4) terrestrial humic-like DOM was mainly discharged from forestland and also affected by macroinvertebrates, while the impacts of agricultural and construction land on autochthonous DOM and CH4 concentrations mainly occurred by changing nutrients and then the aquatic biota. Moreover, changes in aquatic biota, primarily affected by water quality, influenced DOM spectral properties, and the two biotas affected DOM and CH4 concentrations differently. Phytoplankton, especially cyanobacteria contributed to (protein-like and humic-like) DOM in both direct and indirect ways related to eutrophication, whereas macroinvertebrates influenced DOM possibly by utilization, bioturbation, and microbial decomposition of feces according to their different relationships with DOM spectral indices. Additionally, CH4 production can be enhanced by DOM accumulation, and the significant positive correlations of CH4 concentrations with protein-like DOM and biological index indicate that autochthonous DOM may play an important role for the CH4 production. Our findings contribute to the understanding of lake carbon cycling under natural conditions and anthropogenic disturbances.

Forecasting Malaria Morbidity to 2036 Based on Geo-Climatic Factors in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: Malaria is a global burden in terms of morbidity and mortality. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, malaria prevalence is increasing due to strong climatic variations. Reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality, the fight against climate change, good health and well-being constitute key development aims as set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study aims to predict malaria morbidity to 2036 in relation to climate variations between 2001 and 2019, which may serve as a basis to develop an early warning system that integrates monitoring of rainfall and temperature trends and early detection of anomalies in weather patterns. Methods: Meteorological data were collected at the Mettelsat and the database of the Epidemiological Surveillance Directorate including all malaria cases registered in the surveillance system based on positive blood test results, either by microscopy or by a rapid diagnostic test for malaria, was used to estimate malaria morbidity and mortality by province of the DRC from 2001 to 2019. Malaria prevalence and mortality rates by year and province using direct standardization and mean annual percentage change were calculated using DRC mid-year populations. Time series combining several predictive models were used to forecast malaria epidemic episodes to 2036. Finally, the impact of climatic factors on malaria morbidity was modeled using multivariate time series analysis. Results: The geographical distribution of malaria prevalence from 2001 and 2019 shows strong disparities between provinces with the highest of 7700 cases per 100,000 people at risk for South Kivu. In the northwest, malaria prevalence ranges from 4980 to 7700 cases per 100,000 people at risk. Malaria has been most deadly in Sankuru with a case-fatality rate of 0.526%, followed by Kasai (0.430%), Kwango (0.415%), Bas-Uélé, (0.366%) and Kwilu (0.346%), respectively. However, the stochastic trend model predicts an average annual increase of 6024.07 malaria cases per facility with exponential growth in epidemic waves over the next 200 months of the study. This represents an increase of 99.2%. There was overwhelming evidence of associations between geographic location (western, central and northeastern region of the country), total evaporation under shelter, maximum daily temperature at two meters altitude and malaria morbidity (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The stochastic trends in our time series observed in this study suggest an exponential increase in epidemic waves over the next 200 months of the study. The increase in new malaria cases is statistically related to population density, average number of rainy days, average wind speed, and unstable and intermediate epidemiological facies. Therefore, the results of this research should provide relevant information for the Congolese government to respond to malaria in real time by setting up a warning system integrating the monitoring of rainfall and temperature trends and early detection of anomalies in weather patterns.

Cocktails of Mycotoxins, Phytoestrogens, and Other Secondary Metabolites in Diets of Dairy Cows in Austria: Inferences from Diet Composition and Geo-Climatic Factors.

Dairy production is a pivotal economic sector of Austrian and European agriculture. Dietary toxins and endocrine disruptors of natural origin such as mycotoxins and phytoestrogens can affect animal health, reproduction, and productivity. This study characterized the profile of a wide spectrum of fungal, plant, and unspecific secondary metabolites, including regulated, emerging, and modified mycotoxins, phytoestrogens, and cyanogenic glucosides, in complete diets of lactating cows from 100 Austrian dairy farms. To achieve this, a validated multi-metabolite liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometric (LC/ESI–MS/MS) method was employed, detecting 155 of >800 tested metabolites. Additionally, the most influential dietary and geo-climatic factors related to the dietary mycotoxin contamination of Austrian dairy cattle were recognized. We evidenced that the diets of Austrian dairy cows presented ubiquitous contamination with mixtures of mycotoxins and phytoestrogens. Metabolites derived from Fusarium spp. presented the highest concentrations, were the most recurrent, and had the highest diversity among the detected fungal compounds. Zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, and fumonisin B1 were the most frequently occurring mycotoxins considered in the EU legislation, with detection frequencies >70%. Among the investigated dietary factors, inclusion of maize silage (MS) and straw in the diets was the most influential factor in contamination with Fusarium-derived and other fungal toxins and metabolites, and temperature was the most influential among the geo-climatic factors.

Physical habitat in conterminous US streams and Rivers, part 2: A quantitative assessment of habitat condition

Rigorous assessments of the ecological condition of water resources and the effect of human activities on those waters require quantitative physical, chemical, and biological data. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s river and stream surveys quantify river and stream bed particle size and stability, instream habitat complexity and cover, riparian vegetation cover and structure, and anthropogenic disturbance activities. Physical habitat is strongly controlled by natural geoclimatic factors that co-vary with human activities. We expressed the anthropogenic alteration of physical habitat as O/E ratios of observed habitat metric values divided by values expected under least-disturbed reference conditions, where site-specific expected values vary given their geoclimatic and geomorphic context. We set criteria for good, fair, and poor condition based on the distribution of O/E values in regional least-disturbed reference sites. Poor conditions existed in 22–24% of the 1.2 million km of streams and rivers in the conterminous U.S. for riparian human disturbance, streambed sediment and riparian vegetation cover, versus 14% for instream habitat complexity. Based on the same four indicators, the percentage of stream length in poor condition within 9 separate U.S. ecoregions ranged from 4% to 42%. Associations of our physical habitat indices with anthropogenic pressures demonstrate the scope of anthropogenic habitat alteration; habitat condition was negatively related to the level of anthropogenic disturbance nationally and in nearly all ecoregions. Relative risk estimates showed that streams and rivers with poor sediment, riparian cover complexity, or instream habitat cover conditions were 1.4 to 2.6 times as likely to also have fish or macroinvertebrate assemblages in poor condition. Our physical habitat condition indicators help explain deviations in biological conditions from those observed among least-disturbed sites and inform management actions for rehabilitating impaired waters and mitigating further ecological degradation.

Tropical South America Diatom Database: a tool for studying the macroecology of microorganisms

Determining the mechanisms of community assembly forms the foundation of biogeography and community ecology. Studies of the biodiversity and distribution of Neotropical macro-organisms have revealed the roles of environmental, spatial, and historical factors in structuring communities at different spatial and temporal scales. The role of these factors for species and communities of microorganisms are still poorly understood. Diatoms are a very species-rich group of algae, widely distributed, and sensitive to environmental variation because of their position at the base of aquatic food webs. Here, we present the Tropical South American Diatom Database (TSADB), which contains geographical and ecological information on diatom species across lentic and lotic environments, including predictors that describe local (limnological) and regional (geo-climatic) factors. The open access database can be used to ask fundamental questions in macroecology, including testing foundational theories of metacommunity ecology and biogeography, and evaluating the sensitivity of species and communities to the rapid environmental changes characteristic of tropical regions. The TSADB includes diatom taxa from 437 samples from 326 sites distributed across 26 regions (0–5,070 m a.s.l, and between 8°N–35°S; 58–90°W). In addition, long-term, diatom-based paleolimnological records are presented as a complementary tool for identifying geographically well-covered regions with modern and palaeo-datasets. We describe the TSADB structure and functionality, together with the R codes for data manipulation and visualization. Each of the 26 study regions is represented by three data matrices: sampling site information, environmental variables (limnology, climate, and landscape), and diatom community data (relative abundance or presence/absence). Access to data and future additions is through publicly available repositories and a guide to contributors, respectively. Thus, it offers ample opportunities to complement existing databases on diatoms, allowing optimal usage of TSADB by scientists including diatomists, limnologists, and aquatic ecologists.

Geoclimatic risk factors for childhood asthma hospitalization in southwest of Iran.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease resulting from a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Among environmental factors, climatic and geographical variations have an important role in increasing asthma hospitalization. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of geoclimatic factors on the occurrence of childhood asthma hospitalization in Fars province, southwest Iran. We mapped the addresses of 211 hospitalized patients with childhood asthma (2016-2019) and investigated the effects of different temperature models, mean annual rainfall and humidity, number of frosty and rainy days, evaporation, slope, and land covers on the occurrence of childhood asthma hospitalization using a geographical information system. The Kriging and Spline methods have been used for generating interpolated models. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. In the multivariate model, urban setting was recognized as the most important childhood asthma hospitalization predictor (p < 0.001, odds ration [OR] = 35.044, confidence interval [CI] = 9.096-135.018). The slope was considered the determinant of childhood asthma hospitalization when analyzed independently and its increase was associated with decreased childhood asthma hospitalization (p = 0.01, OR = 0.914, CI = 0.849-0.984). In the current study, the urban setting was the most important risk factor associated with increased childhood asthma hospitalization.

Physical habitat in conterminous US streams and rivers, Part 1: Geoclimatic controls and anthropogenic alteration

Anthropogenic alteration of physical habitat structure in streams and rivers is increasingly recognized as a major cause of impairment worldwide. As part of their assessment of the status and trends in the condition of rivers and streams in the U.S., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) quantify and monitor channel size and slope, substrate size and stability, instream habitat complexity and cover, riparian vegetation cover and structure, anthropogenic disturbance activities, and channel-riparian interaction. Like biological assemblages and water chemistry, physical habitat is strongly controlled by natural geoclimatic factors that can obscure or amplify the influence of human activities. We developed a systematic approach to estimate the deviation of observed river and stream physical habitat from that expected in least-disturbed reference conditions. We applied this approach to calculate indices of anthropogenic alteration of three aspects of physical habitat condition in the conterminous U.S. (CONUS): streambed sediment size and stability, riparian vegetation cover, and instream habitat complexity. The precision and responsiveness of these indices led the USEPA to use them to evaluate physical habitat condition in CONUS rivers and streams. The scores of these indices systematically decreased with greater anthropogenic disturbance at river and stream sites in the CONUS and within ecoregions, which we interpret as a response of these physical habitat indices to anthropogenic influences. Although anthropogenic activities negatively influenced all three physical habitat indices in the least-disturbed sites within most ecoregions, natural geoclimatic and geomorphic factors were the dominant influences. For sites over the full range of anthropogenic disturbance, analyses of observed/expected sediment characteristics showed augmented flood flows and basin and riparian agriculture to be the leading predictors of streambed instability and excess fine sediments. Similarly, basin and riparian agriculture and non-agricultural riparian land uses were the leading predictors of reduced riparian vegetation cover complexity in the CONUS and within ecoregions. In turn, these reductions in riparian vegetation cover and complexity, combined with reduced summer low flows, were the leading predictors of instream habitat simplification. We conclude that quantitative measures of physical habitat structure are useful and important indicators of the impacts of human activities on stream and river condition.

Geo-Climatic Factors of Malaria Morbidity in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2001 to 2019.

Background: Environmentally related morbidity and mortality still remain high worldwide, although they have decreased significantly in recent decades. This study aims to forecast malaria epidemics taking into account climatic and spatio-temporal variations and therefore identify geo-climatic factors predictive of malaria prevalence from 2001 to 2019 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal ecological study. The database of the Directorate of Epidemiological Surveillance including all malaria cases registered in the surveillance system based on positive blood test results, either by microscopy or by a rapid diagnostic test for malaria was used to estimate malaria morbidity and mortality by province of the DRC from 2001 to 2019. The impact of climatic factors on malaria morbidity was modeled using the Generalized Poisson Regression, a predictive model with the dependent variable Y the count of the number of occurrences of malaria cases during a period of time adjusting for risk factors. Results: Our results show that the average prevalence rate of malaria in the last 19 years is 13,246 (1,178,383–1,417,483) cases per 100,000 people at risk. This prevalence increases significantly during the whole study period (p < 0.0001). The year 2002 was the most morbid with 2,913,799 (120,9451–3,830,456) cases per 100,000 persons at risk. Adjusting for other factors, a one-day in rainfall resulted in a 7% statistically significant increase in malaria cases (p < 0.0001). Malaria morbidity was also significantly associated with geographic location (western, central and northeastern region of the country), total evaporation under shelter, maximum daily temperature at a two-meter altitude and malaria morbidity (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: In this study, we have established the association between malaria morbidity and geo-climatic predictors such as geographical location, total evaporation under shelter and maximum daily temperature at a two-meter altitude. We show that the average number of malaria cases increased positively as a function of the average number of rainy days, the total quantity of rainfall and the average daily temperature. These findings are important building blocks to help the government of DRC to set up a warning system integrating the monitoring of rainfall and temperature trends and the early detection of anomalies in weather patterns in order to forecast potential large malaria morbidity events.

Floristic structuring of woody plants from the Chaco in light of abiotic factors

Abstract The phytogeographic domains are structured by different geoclimatic (abiotic) factors, such as altitude, temperature and precipitation. Thus, our goal was to investigate the possible abiotic factors that are related to the floristic richness of the tree-shrub component throughout the Chaco remnants. This study is based on data of the presence and absence of species in different remnants related to geoclimatic data. In addition, World Wildlife Fund shapes were used to differentiate dry and wet Chaco. The database aggregated 36 areas and 522 species. The different clusters obtained by floristic affinity between groups in Chaco was mainly related to temperature, altitude and seasonality of precipitation. In remnants where the seasonality of precipitation and altitude were more evident, there is greater dissimilarity in the composition of the tree-shrub vegetation. On the other hand, the temperature gradient explained the floristic homogeneity in the humid Chaco. Thus, the richness of the tree-shrub component of the Chaco is mainly attributed to three geoclimatic factors. Dry Chaco presents greater floristic dissimilarity compared to Humid Chaco. Still, the seasonality of the precipitation and the altitude play a dominant role in the structuring of trees and shrubs in the Dry Chaco and the temperature in the most homogeneous formations that integrate the humid Chaco.

Analysis of seasonal fluctuations in completed suicides in the Tyumen region due to geoclimatic factors in patients with organic mental and addictive disorders

Analysis of seasonal fluctuations in completed suicides in the Tyumen region due to geoclimatic factors in patients with organic mental and addictive disorders

Original

Agriculture remains the most important occupation and source of livelihood for the majority of the population in our country. The study of cropping patterns, diversification and production is important in agricultural development. Cropping pattern is the proportion of area under various crops while crop diversification refers to the raising of various crops. Agricultural productivity is an input-output ratio that facilitates efficient comparison. These concepts are influenced by various geo-climatic, socio-economic and institutional factors. Tarai region is a marshy moist area lying between Himalayan foothills and Gangetic plains. In Uttar Pradesh, the region extends over 7 districts from Pilibhit to Maharajganj. This region is predominantly agrarian. The present paper aims to study the cropping pattern, Spatio-temporal pattern of crop diversification and production of crops at the district level in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh for the period of 2007-08 to 2017-18. The study is based on agricultural data collected from Statistical Abstract of Uttar Pradesh. 13 crops under 4 categories are selected in total. The study uses the location quotient technique for calculating crop concentration, the Gibbs-Martin (1962) method for calculating crop diversification and other statistical measures for analysis. It was found that cropped area of the region has decreased in the reference period and the region is dominated by the cultivation of cereal crops and sugarcane. Low crop diversification was recorded in the region due to similar physical conditions and the practice of traditional agriculture. Production and productivity of crops have greatly increased primarily due to the increasing production of sugarcane. It is believed that the present study will help ascertain the ground reality of agriculture in the study region.

Litho-climatic characteristics and its control over mangrove soil geochemistry: A macro-scale approach

Brazil hosts an extensive coastal area, marked by a great diversity of geoenvironments. The present study evaluated the role of geoclimatic factors in the geochemistry of mangrove soils by using wet extractions and several physical and chemical parameters. Soil samples were collected in 11 mangrove forests from NE (n = 94) and SE Brazil (n = 230). Our results show an important effect of the surrounding geology and climate on the geochemistry of the mangrove soils. NE mangroves are dominated by suboxic soils (mean: Eh of +150 ± 174 mV and pH 7.1 ± 0.5, respectively) while anoxic conditions prevail in the SE mangrove soils (mean: Eh −46 ± 251 mV and pH 6.5 ± 0.5). In the NE region, a period of several months without rainfall and high temperatures leads to soil suboxic conditions. Conversely, at the SE coast, the surrounding mountain range contributes to well-distributed rain favoring anoxic conditions. The contrasting geochemical environment caused differences in the geochemistry of elements such as C, Fe, and S. Significantly higher Fe (193 ± 24 μmol g−1) and organic carbon contents (6.9 ± 7.1%) were recorded in the SE coast. The higher organic carbon contents are possibly related to Fe organo-mineral associations. These differences are ultimately associated with the contrasting geological surroundings (crystalline massifs at the SE and the iron poor sedimentary formations at the NE). The higher contents of reactive Fe and organic carbon also triggered more intense pyritization in the SE mangroves (pyritic Fe: 93 ± 63 μmol g−1). Our results demonstrate that climate and geological surroundings create identifiable patterns at a regional level and, thus, studies should take these factors into account on future global modelling approaches.

Phylogeographic pattern of a cryptoviviparous mangrove, Aegiceras corniculatum, in the Indo-West Pacific, provides insights for conservation actions.

This study identified the historical geoclimatic factors which caused low genetic diversity and strong phylogeographic structure in a cryptoviviparous mangrove. The phylogeographic pattern was used to suggest conservation actions. Phylogeographic studies are used to understand the spatial distribution and evolution of genetic diversity, and have major conservation implications, especially for threatened taxa like the mangroves. This study aimed to assess the phylogeographic pattern of Aegiceras corniculatum, a cryptoviviparous mangrove, across its distribution range in the Indo-West Pacific (IWP) region. We genotyped 398 samples, collected from 37 populations, at four chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) loci, and identified the influence of historical processes on the contemporary population structure of the species. Low genetic diversity at the population level was observed. The evolutionary relationship between 12 cpDNA haplotypes suggested a strong phylogeographic structure, which was further validated by the clustering algorithms and proportioning of maximum variation among hierarchical population groups. The magnitude and direction of historical gene flow indicated that the species attained its wide distribution from its likely ancestral area of the Malay Archipelago. The divergence time estimates of the haplotypes indicated that the geoclimatic changes during the Pleistocene, especially the glacial sea-level changes and emergence of landmasses, hindered genetic exchange and created genetic differentiation between the phylogenetic groups. The species overwintered the last glacial maxima in multiple refugia in the IWP, as identified by the environmental niche modelling. Overall, our findings indicated that ancient glacial vicariance had influenced the present genetic composition of A. corniculatum, which was maintained by the current demographic features of this region. We discussed how these findings can be used to prioritize areas for conservation actions, restore disturbed habitats and prevent further genetic erosion.

The effect of geo-climatic determinants on the distribution of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a recently emerging focus in eastern Iran

BackgroundCutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has been reported in recent years in South Khorasan Province, a desert region of eastern Iran, where the main species is Leishmania tropica. Little is known of the influence of geography and climate on its distribution, and so this study was conducted to determine geo-climatic factors by using geographic information system.MethodsThe home addresses of patients with CL patients who were diagnosed and notified from 2009 to 2017 were retrieved from the provincial health center and registered on the village/town/city point layer. The effects of mean annual rainfall (MAR) and mean annual humidity (MAH), mean annual temperature (MAT), maximum annual temperature (MaxMAT), minimum annual temperature (MinMAT), mean annual number of high-velocity wind days (MAWD), mean annual frosty days (MAFD) and snowy days (MASD), elevation, soil type and land cover on CL distribution were examined. The geographical analysis was done using ArcMap software, and univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression were applied to determine the factors associated with CL.ResultsA total of 332 CL patients were identified: 197 (59.3%) male and 135 (40.7%) female. Their mean age was 29.3 ± 2.1 years, with age ranging from 10 months to 98 years. CL patients came from a total of 86 villages/towns/cities. By multivariate analysis, the independent factors associated with increased CL were urban setting (OR = 52.102), agricultural land cover (OR = 3.048), and MAWD (OR = 1.004). Elevation was a protective factor only in the univariate analysis (OR = 0.999). Soil type, MAH, MAT, MinMAT, MaxMAT, and MAFD did not influence CL distribution in eastern Iran.ConclusionsThe major risk zones for CL in eastern Iran were urban and agricultural areas with a higher number of windy days at lower altitudes. Control strategies to reduce human vector contact should be focused in these settings.Graphical abstract

A comparative study of the proximity to nomadic travel routes and environmental factors on the occurrence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, southwestern Iran.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most important health challenges in hyperendemic countries like Iran. Geospatial information systems-based studies have shown that factors, including land cover, altitude, slope temperature, rainfall and animal livestock, affect CL distribution in Kohgyloyeh and Boyerahmad province, southwestern Iran. However, the question of the influence of nomadic tribes, who travel with their goats and sheep, on CL is unanswered. We, therefore, investigated their role in CL epidemiology from 2008 to 2017 and compare them with geoclimatic factors. CL patient demographic data and their village/city addresses were retrieved from Provincial Health Center and mapped on the geographic information system (GIS) layer of the province's political divisions. Nomadic travel routes (NTRs) with a 2km buffer were generated and their effect on CL was investigated together with the interpolated layers of rainfall, temperatures, humidity, slope, elevation, land covers, by binary regression. CL was significantly more common in villages/cities in the 2km NTR zone (pvalue<.001; OR=1.96; 95% CI=1.4-2.745). Geoclimatic factors, including slope, elevation, rainfall, temperatures, humidity and most of the landcovers, were not significantly different inside and outside the NTR. Areas of irrigated farm were the only effective landcover on CL (p value=.049; OR=2.717; 95% CI=1.003-7.361) within the NTR versus non-NTR. Living within NTRs almost doubled the risk of acquiring CL. Several factors for this include passage through areas of high sand fly activity, increased contact between sandflies and humans, sheep and goats, and feeding on their blood and faeces, and low availability of health facilities that should be more investigated and considered in the future control programs.

A fundamental landscape of fungal biogeographical patterns across the main Chinese wine-producing regions and the dominating shaping factors

The microbial terroir plays an indispensable role in the formation of regional wine characteristics. A fundamental landscape of the fungal biogeographical patterns across Chinese wine-producing regions was obtained by characterizing the fungal communities in spontaneous fermentation. After confirming the established national microbial terroir, the fungal heterogeneity was evaluated at different geographical levels. The result showed that the variation between the wineries was more evident than at a regional level. Moreover, the microbial comparability from various regions with similar climates or wineries within the same regions was revealed. Further discriminant analysis determined the specific fungal biomarkers in different regions, while the associated reverse identification model displayed reliable accuracy (>70%). Correlation analysis illustrated the primary role of the geoclimatic factors (>41%) in shaping the fungal geographical patterns, and the relationship between the microbiome and spontaneous fermentation performance. In addition to expanding the knowledge regarding wine microbes, these findings provided a new benchmark for harnessing the microbial terroir to enhance regional wine expression.