Greater Richness Research Articles

Bipedicled Scalp Flap for Coverage of a Frontal Loss of Substance: About One Case

Introduction: Scalp defects are frequent in the daily practice of plastic surgeons. Their etiologies are multiple; they can be of tumoral origin, infectious, secondary to a burn, post-traumatic… The great vascular richness of the scalp explains the possibility of using local flaps. Clinical Case: This is an 80-year-old patient with ATCD: arterial hypertension under treatment. The onset of symptoms dates back 10 years when the patient was operated on by neurosurgeons for a frontal meningioma for which she underwent excision + cranioplasty. The patient presented after 10 years for cranioplasty rejection with signs of local infection. The decision to remove the prosthetic material and cover the loss of substance was taken. After removal of the cranioplasty material by the team of neurosurgeons, we decided to perform a bi-pedicled scalp flap vascularized by the occipital pedicle and the posterior auricular pedicle, the donor area was grafted. The postoperative course was unremarkable. The result was considered good without complications. Conclusion: The anatomical particularities of the scalp explain all the originality of the reconstructions of this region. In our patient, the advantage of using the bipediculated flap is its extreme reliability, especially when the cranial vault has to be sacrificed.

Evaluation of the anticoagulant activity of margins from olives extraction in the Khenchela region

The objective of this study is the evaluation of the anticoagulant activity of polyphenols obtained from olive extracts (Olea europaea L.) Of the margines of two varieties cultivated at Khenchela (East of Algeria) , the first one is souidi from Chacher and the second one is chemlal from Baghai. The physicochemical characteristics of the two varieties studied showed a difference in water content, total solid content (dry matter), total solid in suspension, potential hydrogen, and especially its content in polyphenols and flavonoids. The quantitative analysis of the two extracts has revealed a great richness of the margines of the souidi variety of polyphenols and flavonoids content compared to the margines of the chemlal variety. The dosage of polyphenols is 0.8 mg EAG / mlE) for Souidi and (0.5 mgEAG / mlE) for Chemlal. The in vitro evaluation of the anticoagulant activity of the margines of two varieties souidi and chemlal revealed that the margines of the souidi variety has a good anticoagulant activity vis-à-vis the endogenous pathway Time of Céphaline Kaolin (TCK).

Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota in Vegetarians and Omnivores.

Diet has a significant impact on fecal microbiota, which in turn plays an important role in human health. To evaluate the impact of dietary habits on fecal microbiota, we investigated the fecal microbial composition in vegetarians and omnivores using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and estimated the correlation between fecal microbiota, body mass and diet. The dietary data showed that vegetarians consumed more plant-based foods rich in dietary fiber, omnivores consumed more animal-based foods rich in fat and overweight and obese people consumed more high-energy foods. Compared to omnivores, vegetarians had greater richness and diversity in their fecal microbiota. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was lower and the Prevotella/Bacteroides ratio was higher in vegetarians. The meat intake correlated positively with the proportion of Bacteroides and negatively with the proportion of Prevotella. The composition and diversity in fecal microbiota in the normal weight group, overweight group and obesity group were similar to that of vegetarians and omnivores, respectively. This paper revealed the distinctive characteristics of fecal microbiota in vegetarians and omnivores. The omnivorous diet contained more fat, which reduced the fecal microbial diversity, and was more likely to lead to being overweight or obese.

Physical Drivers of Monthly Variation in Phytoplankton Community in the Tidal Freshwater Zone of the Macrotidal Qiantang River Estuary, Eastern China: Implications for Reducing the Risk of Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms

AbstractThe Qiantang river estuary flows into Hangzhou Bay, on the East China Sea, and has one of the largest tidal bores worldwide. The tidal freshwater zone (TFZ) in this shallow macrotidal estuary is subjected to strong riverine and marine forcings. We investigated monthly variation of phytoplankton and environmental drivers in the upper and lower sections of TFZ during 2016. Large numbers of phytoplankton taxa (422) and genera (161) were identified. Diatoms were dominant in most months, but cyanobacteria abundance reached its greatest in warm months when runoff was low. Surprisingly, relatively high dominances of marine diatom species (e.g., Cyclotella stylorum, Skeletonema, and Thalassiosira) were observed in the TFZ with salinities usually <1 PSU. Microcystis contributed up to 50% to phytoplankton abundance in the upper TFZ in September, consistent with upstream bloom events. Abundances of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria were significantly negatively correlated with monthly runoff and sediment fluxes. Generalized additive models suggested that variation in phytoplankton abundance was largely explained by river flow, temperature and nutrients. Phytoplankton community composition varied significantly across different months and sections. Redundancy analysis indicated that temperature and flow rate explained more variation in phytoplankton community than other variables, but nutrients, Secchi depth and salinity also contributed significantly to the explained variation. Variance partitioning analysis confirmed that phytoplankton variation was largely regulated by physical variables rather than nutrients. These findings highlight the unexpectedly great phytoplankton species richness, dominance of marine diatoms, and physical drivers in the eutrophic macrotidal TFZ under strong tidal forcing.

Protozoan Parasites of Iranian Freshwater Fishes: Review, Composition, Classification, and Modeling Distribution.

This article investigates the occurrence and distribution of parasitic protozoa of Iranian freshwater fishes (both farmed and wild). Our search shows 26 known parasitic protozoan species were recorded from 52 freshwater fish species across different ecoregions of Iran. Most of these fish are edible. While none of the identified protozoan parasites are of zoonotic importance, our study does not exclude presence of zoonotic species in Iranian fishes. Present data suggest the northern and western regions of the country are the main macrohabitat of protozoa (35 parasitic records reported), with the greatest concentration of parasitic protozoa occurring in the Urmia basin in Iran's northwest. The clustered distribution pattern of protozoa among freshwater fish was also more evident in the northern and western parts of the country. The gills and skin were the most infected microhabitats for parasitic protozoa. The highest number of parasites was observed in the fish family Cyprinidae with nine species found in the native fish, Capoeta capoeta. The most diverse host range was observed in the holotrich ciliate, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis isolated from 46 cyprinid species in 39 different locations. However, due to the great richness of fish and extreme habitat diversity, parts of the parasite fauna of Iranian freshwater fish are still poorly understood. Furthermore, current and future changes in climate and environmental parameters, and anthropogenic interventions are likely to affect fish hosts and their parasites.

Diversity of bacterial and fungal endophytic communities presents in the leaf blades of Sinningia magnifica, Sinningia schiffneri and Sinningia speciosa from different cladus of Gesneriaceae family: A comparative analysis in three consecutive years

Sinningia is a genus of plants of Gesneriaceae family with species native to Brazil and is a source of several classes of bioactive secondary metabolites, such as quinones, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenylethanoid glycosides. However, the diversity of endophytic microorganisms associated with them and the impact of endophytes on the biosynthesis of bioactive substances is unknown. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the microbial diversity, behavior, and frequency of endophytes in leaves blades of S. magnifica, S. schiffneri, and S. speciosa. These plants were collected in different regions and environments of Brazil and were studied comparatively for three consecutive years. The total DNA obtained from the blades of the plant leaves were sequenced by the Illumina MiSeq platform, followed by bioinformatics analysis to assess the microbial diversity of endophytes associated with each plant species and study year. The results of the taxonomic diversity showed a dynamic microbial community, which contained several bacterial phyla among them, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, Bacillota, and Pseudomonadota, and for the fungal phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Comparing the three years of study, the richness of the genera, over time, was decreasing, with signs of recovery towards the third year. The alpha and beta diversity indices confirm a great phylogenetic richness in the endophytic communities of bacteria and fungi associated with the leaf blades of Sinningia. However, these communities are comparatively little conserved, showing population and taxonomic changes of the microorganisms over time, possibly as a measure of adjustment to environmental conditions, evidencing both its fragility and versatility against the effects of environmental change on its endophytic microbial communities.

The Blue Legged Predatory Katydid—a new species of Listroscelis Serville, 1883 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Listroscelidinae: Listroscelidini) from the Atlantic Rainforest

The genus Listroscelis is part of Listroscelidini (Tettigoniidae: Listroscelidinae) and comprises 11 species of predatory katydids only known from Brazil. Currently, the group's greatest richness is recorded in the Atlantic Forest biome. In this work, the new species Listroscelis cyanotibiatus sp. nov. is described to the Northeastern Atlantic Forest biome. Morphological characters of both sexes and the male internal genitalia are described. A distribution map of the species and comments on its natural history are provided.

Analysis of the Polluter-Pays Principle in the Itapessoca River Estuary, Goiana – Pernambuco

Brazil has the largest mangrove areas in the American continent, constituting an important economic resource used by coastal populations in the tropics due to its great diversity, carbon richness and functionality. Objective: To present the critical areas of mangroves and the degradation of the geo-economic mosaic. Theoretical framework: the Pigou-Coase principle was focused in order to understand the restoration structure in mangrove areas, through the polluter-pays principle, focusing on the mangrove conditions in the estuary of the Itapessoca river, Goiana-PE, Brazil, which suffers a high process of environmental decharacterization. Method: Case study based on the reference of R. Yin, with the employment of bibliometrics’ tools (WoS) and mapping mosaic using QGis and SIRGAS software. Results and Conclusions: In the Itapessoca region it can be observed that there is no rigor of use of risk or preserved area, since the principles are the foundation of the rules the legislation is not comprehensive, and there is presence of predatory treatment. Research Impact: Case studies constitute an important type of research as it anchors what is most impactful to local reality vis a vis theoretical platform. Originality: The PPP model applied to the mangrove of Itapessoca-Pernambuco-Brazil.

The current fire regime in northern Andean shrublands hinders tree recruitment and arrests forest succession

The northern Andes is a biodiversity hotspot. However, historical land use and the current increase in wildfires have profoundly altered the landscape. There is an urgent need to understand how successional processes and wildfires operate to support biodiversity management in this region. We studied the effect of wildfire frequency and time since the last fire on vegetation regeneration patterns in a heavily transformed northern Andean landscape. In the past, Andean Forests were common in this region. Quercus once dominated humboldtii, the only Quercus species native to South America, which was frequent in these forests. Using the fire map of the Iguaque Mountains (Colombian Andes), we selected areas with different fire frequencies (three and five fires in thirty years) and the time since the last fire (one to six years) to study post-fire vegetation structure and composition. Resprouting herbs and small shrubs dominated post-fire communities. Their composition was closer to subpáramo vegetation (greater richness and density of herbaceous and shrub species than tree species) than to Andean forests. Indeed, forest species were virtually absent from burned sites, as were obligate seeders. Fire frequency did not affect the composition and structure of the herbaceous layer.Conversely, we found a substantial reduction in species richness and cover of woody species with the increase in fire frequency, a reduction of the basal area of large shrubs and trees, and a trend towards a decrease in the proportion of obligate tree resprouters. The richness, density, and cover of herbaceous species was high the first year after the fire and still showed a small increase until year 6, as the number of obligate resprouters decreased. The basal area of woody species barely increased between years 1 and 6, but the richness and density of shrubs and trees increased gradually during this period. Exotic species were largely herbaceous and dominated by Pteridium aquilinum and Andropogon lehmannii. Their cover was not affected by fire frequency or time since the last fire, although its composition changed. While the cover of Pteridium aquilinum was not affected by fire frequency, it decreased from year 1 to year 6. Our results show that current wildfire regimes in the Iguaque Mountains favor the persistence of fire-tolerant herbs and shrubs, compromise tree recruitment, and arrest forest succession. New integrated fire management strategies are needed to protect remnant forests and establish oak forests in burned shrublands.

Eco-toxicological Health Status of Fish, Quality of the Estuary and their Impacts on Human Health: A Case Study of Consumers in Rabat, Morocco

The geographical location of Morocco is surrounded by two seas: The Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, and more than 3,000 km of coastline. This great maritime richness translates into a remarkable consumption of fish by Moroccans. Fishing in Morocco, particularly in the area around the capital Rabat, revealed a rich variety of aquatic life. Oued Bouregreg is the second major river in Morocco and has its source in the Middle Atlas at an altitude of 1627 m. This basin is drained by three main hydrological arteries: The Oued Bouregreg, the Oued Grou, and the Oued Korifla. Due to the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah dam's construction, the Bouregreg estuary's ecosystem has been completely disrupted. As a result, the growth of the human population and industrial development poses a very serious threat to the aquatic ecosystem, the estuary's quality, and human health at the level of the Oued Bouregreg. Numerous construction initiatives have been recognized for the Bouregreg estuary since 2006, including the construction of the Grand Theatre, the Marina, and Tour Mohammed VI. The aim of this investigation was a statistical analysis that highlights the quality of the estuary as well as the effects of these construction projects on fish health and human health.&nbsp

Contribution to Celastraceae palynology from Cerrado forest fragments: a focus on shape, amb and exine ornamentation

Forest fragments in the Cerrado are areas of prominent biological importance due to their great species richness and biodiversity. These areas host endemic species of Celastraceae, the knowledge of which contributes to the preservation of this biome. This study aims to characterize the pollen morphology of 10 native species of Celastraceae found in forest fragments in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, contributing to the knowledge of the taxa for future taxonomic studies, and providing data for the conservation of the species in the forest areas. The pollen grains were acetolyzed, measured, described qualitatively and illustrated using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen characters referring to the pollen unit, polarity, type and number of apertures are similar in all the species studied. The shape, amb and exine ornamentation of pollen grains are the diagnostic qualitative morphological data for Celastraceae in this study. Microreticulate pollen grains were observed in Celastrus, Hippocratea and Pristimera; reticulate pollen grains with a very thick exine characterize the analyzed species of Plenckia; and reticulate and microreticulate ornamentation was observed among the species of Monteverdia. The results obtained here allow us to distinguish species of the analyzed genera and confirm the pollen diversity previously reported for Celastraceae.

Allusion and elusion: writing on the Cloisters Cross

This article focuses on one of the most intensely ‘graphic’ artefacts produced during the Middle Ages in Western Europe: the so-called Bury St Edmunds Cross or Cloisters Cross. As this fascinating object has been thoroughly studied in many aspects, especially epigraphically, it can seem presumptuous to go back to one of the best-known artefacts of medieval art and epigraphy. This article, however, does not pretend to discuss the content of the texts or the exceptional nature of the object, but rather the graphic and pragmatic means used to compose a discourse of great theological richness around it. In essence, it returns to the degré zéro of the analysis of the cross, to address what it materially means ‘to combine’ writing and image. Starting from the example of the Cloisters Cross, the article applies this kind of ‘low-regime’ analysis to painting, sculpture, stained glass, mosaic, and any artform where the encounter of texts and images is the result of planning, adapting, and composing gestures that reflect the semiotic and aesthetic ambitions of visual creation during the Middle Ages.

Building a baseline: a survey of the composition and distribution of the ichthyofauna of Guanabara Bay, a deeply impacted estuary

Abstract Biodiversity baselines are essential subsidies to evaluate how environmental changes and human impacts affect the special and temporal patterns of communities. This information is paramount to promote proper conservation and management for historically impacted environments such as Guanabara Bay, in southeastern Brazil. Here, we propose an ichthyofaunal baseline for this bay using gathered past data from 1889 to 2020, including literature records, scientific collections, biological sampling, and fisheries landing monitoring. A total of 220 species (203 teleosts and 17 elasmobranchs), distributed in 149 genera (136 teleosts and 13 elasmobranchs) and 72 families (61 teleosts and 11 elasmobranchs) were recorded, including the first record of a tiger-shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, in Guanabara Bay. Although the employed sampling effort was sufficient to represent the ichthyofauna in the middle and upper estuary, the Chao2 estimator indicates an even greater richness regarding the bay as a whole. Evidence of reduced abundance and probable local extinction over the decades was found, supporting the importance of implementing management and conservation strategies in the area. The ichthyofaunal distribution analyses revealed that areas close to conservation units are richer compared to their surroundings, indicating that this is an effective strategy to mitigate human impacts in the bay.

A new species with high sexual dimorphism of Xenelmis Hinton (Coleoptera: Elmidae) from Mount Roraima National Park, Brazil

ABSTRACT Xenelmis is one of the 51 Neotropical genera of the aquatic beetle family Elmidae and is currently represented by 15 species distributed throughout the Neotropics. This genus of tiny beetles is especially well represented in South America, where all but one species can be found, and Brazil has the greatest richness, with ten species recorded so far. Here we describe and illustrate Xenelmis tuchaua sp. nov., a new Elmidae species with remarkable sexual dimorphism and unique diagnostic characteristics. The new species was found in an Amazonian stream located in Mount Roraima National Park, Roraima state, Brazil. We provide an updated species list for Xenelmis with comments on the occurrence of sexual dimorphism in the genus.

ՆԱԽՆԱԿԱՆ ԴԻՏԱՐԿՈՒՄՆԵՐ ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԻ ՊԱՏՄՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԹԱՆԳԱՐԱՆՈՒՄ ՊԱՀՎՈՂ ՈՒՐԱՐՏԱԿԱՆ ԹԱԳԱՎՈՐԱԿԱՆ ԹԱՍԵՐԻ ՆՈՐ ՈՒՍՈՒՄՆԱՍԻՐՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՄԱՍԻՆ (ԱՆԳԼ.) / PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON A NEW STUDY OF THE URARTIAN ROYAL BOWLS IN THE HISTORY MUSEUM OF ARMENIA

The Urartian royal bowls constitute a unique and extraordinarily interesting group of materials. They are, in fact, the only known objects that were definitely the ruler’s personal property and were most likely used in the ruler’s daily life with a drinking or eating purpose. The origin of the Urartian royal bowls can be detected in those processes of Assyrianization that began in the middle-Assyrian period, and found their climax thanks to Sarduri (I). As for the inspiration and reference models to which the Urartians looked, one can refer directly to the figure of the Assyrian king Aššurnaṣirpal II, ruler of Assyria between 883 and 859 BC (Frahm 2017, 615), who is depicted several times holding a bowl on the reliefs of his Northwest Palace in Kalḫu/Nimrud. The king is most often depicted in the act of drinking, in audience or ritual situations, when he is represented between winged genii. A substantial difference between Assyrian and Urartian bowls is the material from which they are made, which in Assyria is essentially precious, such as gold and silver (Dan-Bonfanti forthcoming; Hussein 2016), whereas in Urartu it is solely bronze, whose high percentage of tin inside makes the bowls appear to be golden. The later developments in the tradition of making these bowls are also interesting: it is important to note that the two traditions, Assyrian and Urartian, diverged in later centuries, as is the case with most of the Urartian adoptions from Assyria. If, in fact, we are aware of a series of extraordinary objects made of precious materials referable to the Assyrian queens of the 8th and 7th centuries BC found in their tombs at Nimrud, which allow us to observe how the tradition continued substantially unchanged over the centuries. In Urartu, on the other hand, we see a progressive morphological simplification, with a complete disappearance of the grooves, but a greater richness in the iconographic apparatus, with the inclusion of a highly selected set of symbolic elements that will make, especially from the time of Argišti (I) onwards, the Urartian royal bowl the most iconic and symbolic object of Urartian kingship. In fact, the Urartian bowls are objects made of metal, a production in which the Urartians certainly excelled; they bore cuneiform inscriptions, the highest element of Urartian royal expression; and iconographically, they presented few but highly evocative representations that may show a polysemic interpretation, but were always connected to kingship. The bowls are most likely the most recognisable object associated with the Urartian court.

Updated Anopheles mosquitos abundance and distribution in north-eastern malaria-free area of Argentina.

Malaria is the most important parasitic disease worldwide. In 2019, more than 679,441 cases of malaria were reported in the American region. During this study, Argentina was in malaria pre-elimination autochthonous transmission phase with the aim of being declared as malaria-free country. The aim of this work was to assess the influence of remote sensing spectral indices (NDVI, NDWI) and climatic variables (temperature, relative humidity and precipitation) on the distribution and abundance of Anopheles mosquitoes, in four localities with different degrees of anthropogenic disturbance and with previous malaria cases records located , in a historical malarious area in northeastern of Argentina. Between June 2012 and July 2014, mosquitoes were collected. We collected 535 Anopheles adult mosquitoes. Anopheles strodei s.l. was the most abundant species. The greatest richness, diversity and abundance of species were registered in wild and semi-urban environments. The abundance of Anopheles presented a negative association with relative humidity and mean temperature, but positive with mean maximum temperature. The most important variables determining Anopheles total abundance and distribution were NDWI Index and distance to vegetation. The abundance of An. strodei s.l., was positive associated with water areas whereas the NDVI Index was negatively associated.

Parasitological survey of coastal birds from the Magellanic coast, Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Ecto and endoparasites of four species of coastal birds, Haematopus ater, Larus dominicanus, Leucophaeus scoresbii (Charadriiformes), and Lophonetta specularioides (Anseriformes), are reported from Puerto Deseado on the Patagonian coast, Argentina. Only H. ater was infested with lice (Phthiraptera), belonging to 2 species (Ischnocera, Amblycera). A total of 19 helminth species were found parasitizing the coastal birds studied: 4 cestodes (1 Tetrabothriidae, 3 Cyclophyllidea); 11 trematodes (2 Gymnophallidae, 3 Microphallidae, 2 Notocotylidae, 1 Philophthalmidae, 2 Renicolidae, 1 Schistosomatidae); 3 nematodes (1 Anisakidae, 2 Acuariidae); and 1 acanthocephalan (Polymorphidae). Although some isolated records have been previously reported for these birds, the present work provides a parasitofauna study for H. ater, L. scoresbii, and L. specularioides for the first time. Endoparasites reflected the feeding habits of the birds; the parasite assemblage of L. dominicanus was the richest, indicating their wide prey spectrum and the diversity of the habitats frequented. A great species richness of trematodes, whose life cycles are partially known, suggests that L. specularioides feeds upon crustaceans and small bivalves. The blackish oystercatcher H. ater preys upon the limpet Nacella magellanica which hosts two larval trematodes corresponding to the adults found parasitizing it.

Richness and composition of Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) in Brazilian rupestrian cerrados, with comments on distribution and taxonomy

Several studies that involve a faunal survey of Cladocera in Brazil have been carried out in recent years; however, knowledge of the distribution and diversity of species of this group in semiterrestrial and aquatic bodies of rupestrian cerrado is still rare. The present study evaluated the richness and composition of cladoceran species in these environments in the central parts of the country. Samples were collected at nine sites of rupestrian cerrado from 2011 to 2012. In total, 47 cladocerans species were identified, belonging to six families, emphasizing the Chydoridae family with the greatest richness (32 species) and abundance. The species Bryospilus repens had its first record for the state of Goiás and the Brazilian Midwest. Other species were also recorded for the first time: Leberis davidi for the state of Minas Gerais, and Alona yara and Flavalona asymmetrica for the state of Bahia. This demonstrates that rupestrian cerrados are relevant for cladoceran diversity on a regional scale. Carrying out new inventories of cladocerans in similar phytophysiognomies could contribute significantly to the knowledge of the biodiversity of these animals in Brazil, in addition to providing updates on the geographic distribution of species already recorded in previous studies.

Sapwood mycobiome varies across host, plant compartment and environments in Nothofagus forests from Northern Patagonia.

Global forests are increasingly being threatened by altered climatic conditions and increased attacks by pests and pathogens. The complex ecological interactions among pathogens, microbial communities, tree hosts and the environment are important drivers of forest dynamics. Little is known about the ecology of forest pathology and related microbial communities in temperate forests of the southern hemisphere. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing to characterize sapwood-inhabiting fungal communities in North Patagonian Nothofagus forests and assessed patterns of diversity of taxa and ecological guilds across climatic, site and host variables (health condition and compartment) as a contribution to Nothofagus autecology. The diversity patterns inferred through the metabarcoding analysis were similar to those obtained through culture-dependent approaches. However, we detected additional heterogeneity and greater richness with culture-free methods. Host species was the strongest driver of fungal community structure and composition, while host health status was the weakest. The relative impacts of site, season, plant compartment and health status were different for each tree species; these differences can be interpreted as a matter of water availability. For Nothofagus dombeyi, which is distributed across a wide range of climatic conditions, site was the strongest driver of community composition. The microbiome of N. pumilio varied more with season and temperature, a relevant factor for forest conservation in the present climate change scenario. Both species carry a number of potential fungal pathogens in their sapwood, whether they exhibit symptoms or not. Our results provide insight into the diversity of fungi associated with the complex pathobiome of the dominant Nothofagus species in southern South America.

Vegetation Cover Estimation in Semi-Arid Shrublands after Prescribed Burning: Field-Ground and Drone Image Comparison

The use of drones for vegetation monitoring allows the acquisition of large amounts of high spatial resolution data in a simple and fast way. In this study, we evaluated the accuracy of vegetation cover estimation by drones in Mediterranean semi-arid shrublands (Sierra de Filabres; Almería; southern Spain) after prescribed burns (2 years). We compared drone-based vegetation cover estimates with those based on traditional vegetation sampling in ninety-six 1 m2 plots. We explored how this accuracy varies in different types of coverage (low-, moderate- and high-cover shrublands, and high-cover alfa grass steppe); as well as with diversity, plant richness, and topographic slope. The coverage estimated using a drone was strongly correlated with that obtained by vegetation sampling (R2 = 0.81). This estimate varied between cover classes, with the error rate being higher in low-cover shrublands, and lower in high-cover alfa grass steppe (normalized RMSE 33% vs. 9%). Diversity and slope did not affect the accuracy of the cover estimates, while errors were larger in plots with greater richness. These results suggest that in semi-arid environments, the drone might underestimate vegetation cover in low-cover shrublands.