• Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) provides robust insights into seasonal habitat selection. • Long-term monitoring identifies key habitats and seasonal resource shifts critical for species persistence. • Complementary use of temporary crops and habitat heterogeneity supports breeding and foraging across seasons. • Evidence-based, targeted farmland management enhances the conservation of threatened species in intensively cultivated landscapes. The great bustard ( Otis tarda ) is a globally threatened farmland bird with variable population trends across Europe. While many populations are declining, the West-Pannonian population has increased, providing an opportunity to investigate species persistence in intensively cultivated landscapes. We examined seasonal habitat use of this population using Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) on a seven-year dataset of systematic observations—the first ENFA application for the West-Pannonian great bustard population. This methodological framework allowed us to identify key ecological factors driving habitat selection, assess interannual consistency, and explore sex-specific differences. Our results indicate that agri-environmental scheme (AES) supported fallows and winter rapeseed are consistently selected and function as critical seasonal resources, whereas other habitat types are used only during certain periods of the season, but remain essential within the agricultural mosaic. Habitat preferences were largely similar between males and females, with minor seasonal differences. By linking habitat selection to measurable land-use features, our study provides a robust, evidence-based framework for guiding conservation management of great bustards. These findings demonstrate how targeted agri-environmental interventions can enhance habitat suitability and persistence of threatened farmland species, offering practical guidance for spatial planning and conservation strategies grounded in empirical habitat-use data.

Fluoxetine enhances reproductive output without affecting spawning-site selection in turquoise killifish.

Habitat preferences of specialist bat are forest-type specific: Western barbastelle in natural temperate woodlands

We report the first live in situ observations of the iconic goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) on a seamount near Jarvis Island in 2019 and on the slope of the Tonga Trench in 2024. Past observations are restricted to specimens hauled to the surface, resulting in limited knowledge of this species' ecology. These observations extend its known geographic and depth range considerably, and extend the depth range of lamniform sharks by 108 m. To further clarify habitat preferences and assess conservation status, further sampling, particularly with remote video, is required.

While human malaria transmission in Indonesia has declined, reported cases of zoonotic Plasmodium knowlesi are increasing. This study examined the larval habitats of malaria vectors in North Sumatra to assess the potential of larval source management as a control strategy for both human and zoonotic malaria vectors. Multiple larval habitat surveys in the areas surrounding two dusuns with documented human and zoonotic (P. knowlesi) malaria cases in Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, were conducted over 2 years, encompassing both wet and dry seasons. Larval habitats were characterized by mosquito immature presence and density, land-use type where found, aquatic habitat class (i.e., naturally occurring, man-made from natural materials or man-made from artificial materials), and habitat subclass for a range of abiotic and biotic parameters. A total of 1413 mosquito larvae and 98 pupae were collected. Anopheles larvae comprised 20.6% of all mosquito immatures. Anopheles maculatus comprised 65.3% of all immature anophelines, followed by Anopheles dirus (21.9%), Anopheles scanloni, Anopheles kochi, and Anopheles vagus in order of abundance. Habitat class predicted anopheline presence and density, with larvae occurring more frequently in naturally occurring habitats and man-made habitats from natural materials than in artificial man-made habitats (presence: generalized linear mixed model [GLMM] β = -1.45, P = 0.006; density: β = -1.42, P = 0.001). At the habitat subclass level, An. maculatus larvae were most frequently detected in natural habitats, particularly stream margins. Meanwhile, An. dirus larvae occurred approximately equally in natural habitats and man-made habitats from natural materials, with tire tracks being the most common habitat subclass. Four species (An. maculatus, An. dirus, An. scanloni, and An. kochi) were detected, albeit infrequently, in man-made habitats from artificial materials. In North Sumatra, anopheline vector species utilize a diverse range of larval habitats, including natural and man-made, on both natural substrates and artificial materials. Species-specific habitat preferences were observed: An. dirus was found in both natural and man-made habitats from natural materials, whereas An. maculatus was predominantly found in more dispersed and inaccessible natural sites, suggesting that larval control may be more challenging for An. maculatus than An. dirus.

Vector control remains a key strategy in reducing mosquito-borne disease transmission. Understanding mosquito species distribution, diversity, and breeding habitat ecology is crucial for effective surveillance and to define targeted vector control interventions. We conducted a study to understand the diversity and habitat preferences of mosquito larvae across Cambodia during the rainy season from July to September 2024. Mosquito larvae were collected from a variety of breeding habitats located around households across all 25 provinces. The national sampling was conducted once during the rainy season in urban (city) and rural (village) areas within each province. Collected larvae were reared to adult emergence in the insectarium for morphological identification, further confirmed with molecular techniques. We found 37 mosquito species in the households, of which 12 are vectors of pathogens such as dengue and Japanese encephalitis viruses, and Plasmodium species, representing 93% of all collected mosquitoes. Larvae were predominantly found in anthropized artificial breeding habitats, accounting for 98% of all larvae collected. Notably, the two primary dengue vectors, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, were recorded from all 52 sampling locations. In addition, our study identified the presence of Aedes vittatus in 12 provinces, a new confirmed vector of dengue in Cambodia. We also recorded eight Japanese encephalitis vectors, with at least one species from all sampling sites. There were no statistically significant differences in larval mosquito biodiversity (relative abundance, number of species, Shannon and Simpson diversity indices) between cities and villages, with 15 species occurring in both environments, representing 41% of the species and 99% of all mosquitoes collected. The widespread and predominant presence of dengue and Japanese encephalitis vectors in every household confirms the endemic circulation of these diseases in Cambodia.

Wild animals can adapt to the increasing presence of humans by either becoming accustomed to it or by avoiding humans by spatiotemporal separation. The return of the wolf to the German lowlands raised the opportunity to study wolf behaviour in one of the most densely populated and fragmented countries in Europe, in an area where topography offers no retreat from human disturbance. We analysed telemetry data of 18 wolves from five federal states in Germany to study how wolves adjust their movements and activity in relation to anthropogenic structures. We found no evidence that wolves in Germany have become accustomed to humans or human infrastructure. Our results show that wolves adapted their spatiotemporal behaviour in a way that minimized encounters with humans: 1) wolves were mostly inactive during the day, when humans are most active; 2) they showed a high preference for habitat that provides cover, especially during daylight; and 3) they strongly avoided human infrastructures, especially during daylight. This study shows that land‐sharing between wolves and humans does not appear to have resulted in a loss of strong spatial avoidance of humans, particularly during daytime when human activity is highest. It reaffirms that coexistence in landscapes heavily impacted by humans is possible.

Hundreds of plethodontid salamander species can climb vertical structures, despite lacking morphological adaptations typically found in other climbing tetrapods. To compensate, salamanders likely rely more on behavioral modifications to mediate the relationship between their relatively generalist morphologies and climbing performance. Here, we examined four plethodontid species (Aneides aeneus, Aneides lugubris, Aneides hardii, and Plethodon glutinosus) that differ in their habitat preferences, climbing tendencies, and limb morphologies. Using 3D high-speed videography, we compared how these species adjust their gait and limb kinematics while traversing a flat surface inclined at 0°, 45°, 80°, and 90°. We find that all species could climb vertically (or near vertically for A. hardii) using similar gait and kinematic changes that increase stability. For instance, all species used a single-step gait, increased duty factor, reduced stride length, and reduced stride frequency while their bodies were positioned closer to the substrate at the highest inclines compared to 0° or 45° inclines. However, highly scansorial species (A. aeneus and A. lugubris) climbed faster than the other species. The enhanced abilities of scansorial species may be attributable to their longer limbs that enable longer strides as well as their unique foot morphologies - coupled with changes in foot orientation - that facilitate better attachment through grasping. Overall, we propose that behavioral changes are sufficient for adequate climbing, but subtle morphological changes promote exceptional climbing performance. This likely explains the prevalence of climbing abilities across ecologically and morphologically diverse plethodontid salamanders.

Tristram’s Warbler Curruca deserticola, a North African endemic, remains poorly understood in terms of its ecological niche and habitat preferences. This study offers a comprehensive multi-scale habitat assessment combining macroecological species distribution modelling across Algeria and Tunisia with fine-scale microhabitat analysis at occupied sites using generalised linear models. The species’ distribution was concentrated in mountainous regions of northeastern Algeria and northwestern Tunisia, highlighting its reliance on structurally heterogeneous shrublands. Elevation emerged as the most influential factor, with optimal suitability at ∼1 250 m, while intermediate Enhanced Vegetation Index values (0.15–0.2) and moderate annual temperatures (12–14 °C) further defined suitable habitats. The integration of both spatial scales highlights the species’ strong association with structurally heterogeneous shrublands in moderately elevated, semi-arid zones. Microhabitat modelling highlighted preferences for abundant small trees, moderate shrub cover (2–4 m), and steeper slopes. These findings demonstrate the species’ vulnerability to habitat fragmentation and climate change, reinforcing the need for scale-integrated conservation strategies focused on structurally heterogeneous highland habitats.

Determining how the thermal tolerances of species are related to climatic conditions at multiple spatial scales can improve our understanding of species distributions and their vulnerability to climate change. We compare the warming tolerances-a metric of warming vulnerability-of arboreal and ground-dwelling ants from savanna and adjacent semideciduous forest in Brazil's Cerrado. Warming tolerance was estimated using the difference between an ant's upper thermal limit and a thermal index of its habitat and stratum. We also evaluated if differences in the upper and lower thermal limits of Cerrado ant assemblages conform to the thermal adaptation (TAH) and the niche asymmetry (NAH) hypotheses. We found that the mean critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and range (CTrange) were higher for ants in savanna than in forest, a pattern that is consistent with the TAH as savanna had higher maximum and more variable air temperatures. However, arboreal ants had lower CTmin than those on the ground despite the similarities in minimum temperatures between the two strata. CTmax was lower for ground than for arboreal ants even though in the savanna (but not in the forest) average maximum air temperatures on the ground were 2°C higher than in trees. Further, the greater heat tolerance of savanna ants was less than the ~7°C difference at the ground stratum in mean maximum temperatures between savanna and forest. A moderate phylogenetic signal was found for CTmax, CTmin, and CTrange. However, accounting for phylogeny did not change our results. Our key finding is that vulnerability to global warming cannot be adequately predicted based on heat tolerance alone-species having a similar CTmax can have very different vulnerability to global warming because of differences in exposure to direct insolation of their preferred habitat or stratum. In our study system, savanna ground ants are more vulnerable to global warming compared to ants living on the forest floor or to arboreal ants more generally. This may have important implications for conservation of the Brazilian savanna ant fauna since most Cerrado species, including several endemics, nest and forage on the ground.

Habitat-based BART models for cetaceans in the western South Atlantic: current and future distribution under climate change scenarios.

Historic occurrence and habitat preference of the reef-building polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa in the Wadden Sea

Machine learning-based identification of key indicator species in coral reef fish assemblages

Dramatic variations in shoreline types create a mosaic of shoreline habitats within estuaries along the U.S. Gulf coast. Previous research has demonstrated shorelines vegetated with marsh plants are associated with higher faunal abundance and diversity relative to non-vegetated habitats. However, an increasingly common, yet understudied, shoreline type is forested, often eroded, shorelines. Within existing habitat mosaics, the structural complexity associated with eroded-forest shorelines could offer unique advantages for supporting specific nekton communities. To assess the comparative shoreline habitat preferences of nekton, three different habitat types (eroded-forest, marsh, beach) were identified in East Bay, Panama City, Florida and nekton communities were assessed with quarterly seine net sampling for one year. Results indicate that community composition and biodiversity patterns were primarily driven by season, with spring exhibiting significantly lower nekton richness and diversity than summer and winter. Shoreline type also influenced community structure with marsh shorelines consistently supporting higher species richness and diversity than eroded-forests and beaches, though no significant differences in total abundances were detected. These findings support existing literature showing structurally complex habitats such as marshes provide critical resources for estuarine nekton, particularly during summer and winter periods. Results from this study enhanced understanding of the habitat benefits of different shoreline habitat types, offering valuable guidance for restoration efforts and management practices.

Jumping spiders belonging to the family Salticidae constitute the largest family within the order Araneae and play a significant role in natural pest regulation. The present study investigates the occurrence, habitat preference, and ecological importance of Plexippus paykulli in the Akola District of Maharashtra, India. Field surveys were conducted from June 2021 to August 2024 using hand picking, sweep netting, inverted umbrella technique, vegetation beating, litter sampling, and visual search methods. Specimens were identified using standard taxonomic keys and observed under stereo-zoom binocular microscopy. Both male and female specimens of P. paykulli were recorded, predominantly from human habitations, agro-ecosystems, and garden habitats. The species exhibited wide adaptability and significant abundance compared to other Salticidae members. Plexippus paykulli is commonly found in and around man-made structures, particularly on buildings; however, it has also been recorded from citrus groves and cotton fields. Globally, 49,159 species of spiders belonging to 4,207 genera and 128 families have been documented. Among these, the family Salticidae is the largest, comprising 6,334 species distributed across 659 genera. Spiders play a crucial role in natural insect pest control and contribute significantly to agro-ecosystem sustainability without causing ecological harm. The study highlights the importance of jumping spiders as efficient biological control agents and emphasizes the need for detailed regional spider diversity assessments.

Tulipa scardica (Balkan endemic) was last recorded in Greece in 1896, possibly attributed to longstanding taxonomic ambiguity, as it has frequently been considered as conspecific with T. gesneriana or T. undulatifolia. In the present study we aimed to investigate the historical Greek locality of T. scardica and to reassess its taxonomic status in comparison with the closely related T. undulatifolia (also native to Greece and member of T. scardica complex). Targeted field surveys were conducted to verify the presence of T. scardica in Greece. The newly identified tulip population was subjected to an integrated analytic approach, including qualitative and quantitative morphological assessment, seed micromorphology, DNA barcoding, karyological investigation, and habitat/soil properties analyses. These datasets were comparatively evaluated against four reference populations of T. undulatifolia. Molecular data did not provide consistent species-level resolution, whereas morphological and karyological evidence statistically supported their distinction. Mitotic metaphase chromosomes of T. scardica were documented herein for the first time, while first-time scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed the presence of different types of stomatal complexes in seed coats of both taxa. In addition, soil parameters differed between the examined taxa, and those of the rediscovered population were consistent with habitat preferences of T. scardica. Although both taxa exhibited considerable variability, the combined evidence derived from the present study strongly supported the rediscovery of T. scardica in Greece after approximately 130 years, unless proven otherwise in a wider context across its Balkan range.

Plants with amphitropical distributions have closely related populations in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres, but are absent from the intervening tropics. They provide a unique opportunity to study the constraints shaping the distribution of temperate lineages through time. Using grasses from the ecologically diverse supertribe Melicodae, an emerging study system with species distributed throughout the temperate regions, we test the hypothesis that geography and/or environmental niche constrain which lineages successfully cross the tropics to establish in the opposite hemisphere. Biogeographic and evolutionary modelling was conducted on well resolved plastid and nuclear phylogenies constructed from whole-genome sequencing of 178 accessions of 103 Melicodae species. Results show that species from cold regions are much less likely to successfully cross the tropics, with successful lineages all sharing warmer niches that evolved prior to their establishment in the opposite hemisphere. Evidence suggests that this result is explained both by the greater distances that high-latitude, cold-origin lineages must disperse to cross the tropics, and inherent limitations associated with colder thermal niches. In particular, our results suggest that traits allowing species to cope with cold winters, rather than an inability to cope with warm summers, limit their ability to establish in the opposite hemisphere, hinting at important trade-offs between cold-tolerance and biogeographic potential. These results provide insight into the drivers of the distribution and diversity of plants, and the challenges facing cold-origin lineages in a rapidly warming world. If cold-origin species occupy a smaller proportion of their potential range, and are unlikely to establish in new areas with suitable climates, their ability to track preferred habitat as climates warm may be worse than currently expected.

Urbanization is one of the most extensive forms of land-use change globally and a major driver of biodiversity loss. Ground-dwelling arthropods are sensitive indicators of environmental change and play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning, yet trait-based data on urban arthropods remain limited. We present here an expert-curated checklist and dataset of ground-dwelling arthropods sampled across four major Italian cities-Turin, Milan, Florence and Rome-following a standardized sampling protocol. The dataset includes 297 species from six major taxonomic groups (Coleoptera Carabidae, Coleoptera Tenebrionidae, Isopoda Oniscidea, Chilopoda, Araneae, and Pseudoscorpiones), for which we report presence and activity density across cities and provide taxonomic, biogeographical, ecological, functional, morphological and genetic information. Ecological and functional traits datasets were compiled from literature, expert knowledge, and direct measurements, covering feeding habits, autoecology, habitat preference, dispersal ability, circadian activity, and body size. To our knowledge, this is the first multi-taxon, trait-based dataset of urban ground-dwelling arthropods for the Italian peninsula, providing a valuable baseline for exploring taxonomic and functional diversity across urban environments and for advancing research on how urbanization shapes ecological and evolutionary processes in ground-dwelling arthropod communities.

The non-biting midge Boreoheptagyia monticola Serra-Tosio, 1964 is recorded for the first time in Serbia, based on a larval specimen collected in June 2022 from the middle course of the Studenica River within the Golija–Studenica Nature Reserve, a UNESCO-protected area. The species was found in a fast-flowing, well-oxygenated river section characterized by a predominantly stony substrate, which represents typical habitat conditions for this species. Moreover, this finding constitutes the first representative of the genus Boreoheptagyia for the Serbian fauna. Given the restricted habitat preferences and limited dispersal capacity of the species, which is known to occur in narrow and often isolated geographic ranges in Central and Southern Europe, this finding provides important biogeographical and faunistic insight into the distribution of this genus.

Aedeomyia squamipennis is the only Neotropical representative of a genus recognized for its ornithophilic behavior and potential involvement in the transmission of avian malaria and arboviruses. Despite its broad distribution in South America, ecological information on its habitat preferences and seasonal patterns remains scarce. This study investigated the spatial distribution and climatic factors associated with Ad. squamipennis in three habitat types within the Coastal Plain of southern Brazil, an ecologically relevant region for migratory and overwintering birds. Mosquitoes were sampled monthly from August 2014 to May 2015 in urban, rural, and forested environments across three municipalities. Abundance patterns were compared using nonparametric tests, and correlations with mean temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity were assessed. A total of 1,156 specimens were collected, with higher abundances in rural (79.1%) and forested areas (20.7%), whereas urban environments contributed only 0.2% of captures. Ad. squamipennis abundance was significantly higher in rural habitats compared with other areas (p < 0.05). Population peaks showed a strong positive correlation with temperature (r = 0.84; p = 0.0026) and a negative correlation with relative humidity (r = -0.86; p = 0.0020), indicating that warmer and less humid conditions favored adult activity. Precipitation showed a negative correlation with mosquito abundance in Rio Grande (r = -0.441; p = 0.202) and in São Lourenço do Sul (r = -0.590; p = 0.056), with no statistically significant association during the study period. Ad. squamipennis was primarily associated with rural flooded areas and adjacent forested habitats. Temperature and humidity were the main drivers of its population dynamics, highlighting seasonal fluctuations in abundance and implications for parasite transmission. These findings support integrated monitoring of ornithophilic mosquitoes and advance the understanding of ecological interfaces relevant to avian parasite circulation within a One Health framework.