Highest Number Of Species Research Articles

Amazonian earthworm biodiversity is heavily impacted by ancient and recent human disturbance

Despite the importance of earthworms for soil formation, more is needed to know about how Pre-Columbian modifications to soils and the landscape. Gaining a deeper understanding is essential for comprehending the historical drivers of earthworm communities and the development of effective conservation strategies in the Amazon rainforest. Human disturbance can significantly impact earthworm diversity, especially in rainforest soils, and in the particular case of the Amazonian rainforest, both recent and ancient anthropic practices may be important. Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are fertile soils found throughout the Amazon Basin, created by sedentary habits and intensification patterns of pre-Colombian societies primarily developed in the second part of the Holocene period. We have sampled earthworm communities in three Brazilian Amazonian (ADEs) and adjacent reference soils (REF) under old and young forests and monocultures.To better assess taxonomic richness, we used morphology and the barcode region of the COI gene to identify juveniles and cocoons and delimit Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs). Here we suggest using Integrated Operational Taxonomical units (IOTUs) which combine both morphological and molecular data and provide a more comprehensive assessment of diversity, while MOTUs only rely on molecular data. A total of 970 individuals were collected, resulting in 51 taxonomic units (IOTUs, MOTUs, and morphospecies combined). From this total, 24 taxonomic units were unique to REF soils, 17 to ADEs, and ten were shared between both soils. The highest richness was found in old forest sites for ADEs (12 taxonomic units) and REFs (21 taxonomic units). The beta-diversity calculations reveal a high species turnover between ADEs and REF soils, providing evidence that ADEs and REFs possess distinct soil biota. Furthermore, results suggest that ADE sites, formed by Pre-Columbian human activities, conserve a high number of native species in the landscape and maintain a high abundance, despite their long-term nature.

FAUNA AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE PODONOMINAE, DIAMESINAE, PRODIAMESINAE, ORTHOCLADIINAE AND CHIRONOMINAE (DIPTERA, CHIRONOMIDAE) OF THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST AND BORDERING TERRITORY

An updated chironomid list of 5 subfamilies and their distribution in the Russian Far East and Sakha (Yakutia) are given and discussed. Nine hundred thirty one species in 141 genera are recorded: Podonominae – 8 species (4 genera), Diamesinae – 60 species (13 genera), Prodiamesinae – 11 species (4 genera), Orthocladiinae – 496 speecies (68 genera) and Chironominae – 238 species (53 genera). During the period of investigation 5 genera, 1 subgenus and 223 species in 68 genera have been described as new to science. The highest number of species (555) was found in the Amur River basin, the lowest (51) in Wrangel Island. Most recorded species (68 %) are Palaearctic in distribution, 32 % are Holarctic.

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF ORCHIDACEAE SPECIES FRUITS IN THE CENTRAL ZONE OF VERACRUZ STATE, MEXICO

The knowledge on Orchidaceae family fruits becomes useful in new studies, by helping to identify species that are not in flowering period and providing material for in vitro germination of orchid seeds. The hypothesis was that the number of orchid specimens with naturally pollinated fruits, from the central zone of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, would be more than the number of specimens that do not developed fruit naturally. The objectives of this work were: to record the flowering and fruiting periods, to characterize the orchid fruits pollinated naturally or manually. The fruit collection sites were located within the municipalities of Amatlán de los Reyes, Fortín and Tlaltetela. The work was performed between January 2019 and April 2022 (39 months). Ripe orchid fruits were collected. Morphometry was measured by recording weight (g), length (cm) and diameter of the central region (cm), complemented with a photographic record. The greatest fruit diversity of these orchids was observed and collected during the month of March. Forty-two species and their fruits were recorded, which were grouped into 8 subtribes and 32 genera. The genera with the highest number of species were: Epidendrum, Prosthechea and Oncidium, each with three species. Three species bloomed for 11 months: Platystele stenostachya, Specklinia digitale and S. tribuloides. The minor and major fruiting periods correspond to Specklinia digitale and Trichocentrum stramineum, respectively. Given the fact that in all three sites studied the greatest number of species and fruits is associated with natural pollination (27 species, 113 fruits), which exceeds the number of manually pollinated species (15 species, 51 fruits), it is possible to suggest that the largest contingent inhabits environments still compatible with the natural process of their reproduction in these sites.

Orchid Diversity in Community Managed Subtropical Forests in Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, Northeast India

The present study was carried out to investigate the orchid diversity in community managed subtropical broad-leaved forests in Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. A total of 87 community forests were surveyed in Khasi Hills. The study revealed the presence of 123 species belonging to 54 genera. The highest numbers of species (66) were recorded in sacred forests, followed by reserved (51) and village (32) forests. Majority of the recorded species (87) were epiphytic and 36 were terrestrial. Of all the species, 28 (22.76%) were recorded as endemic and 12 (9.76%) were rare. Dendrobium with 19 species was the dominant genera followed by Coelogyne with 11 species. Owing to a number of anthropogenic disturbances followed by habitat loss, these species are subjected to continuous threat, hence warrants immediate conservation actions. Therefore, it is suggested that mass propagation, through conventional and tissue culture techniques should be adopted to conserve the dwindling orchid diversity of the state.

Seasonal variation of phytoplankton in My Thanh River, Mekong delta, Vietnam

A study on the seasonal variation of phytoplankton composition was conducted at the upper, middle, and lower parts of the My Thanh River, which supplies an important source of water for aquaculture. Qualitative and quantitative samples of phytoplankton were collected monthly at both high and low tide. The results showed that a total of 171 phytoplankton (algae) species were recorded, belonging to 59 genera and 5 phyla. Diatoms were the most abundant group with the highest species number, followed by green algae. The other phyla possessed a lower number of species. The species composition was more diverse in the rainy season and at high tide at most of the sampling sites. The mean density of algae varied from 30,900-43,521 ind.L-1. The density of diatoms was higher in the middle and lower parts. At the same time, euglenoids displayed the highest density in the upper part, showing a difference in the dominant algae group under the influence of salinity. Salinity was found to be significantly positively correlated (p<0.01) with diatoms, whereas it was negatively correlated (p<0.05) with blue-green algae and euglenoids. The algae composition was quite diverse, with the H’ index ranging from 2.0-3.3, showing the water quality was slightly to moderately polluted.

Identifying the geographic distribution pattern of venomous snakes and regions of high snakebite risk in Iran

We describe species richness patterns of venomous snakes in Iran in order to produce snakebite risk prediction maps and identify gaps in regional health care centers capable of managing snakebites. We digitized distribution maps from the literature, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and the results of our own field studies of 24 terrestrial venomous snake species (including 4 endemic to Iran). Species richness patterns were associated with eight environmental factors. The variables have been extracted from the WorldClim dataset (bio12 = annual precipitation, bio15 = precipitation seasonality, bio17 = precipitation of the driest quarter, bio2 = mean diurnal range, bio3 = isothermality (bio2/bio7), bio4 = temperature seasonality, bio9 = mean temperature of the driest quarter and slope). Based on spatial analyses, species richness in Iran is highly affected by three environmental variables (bio12, 15, and 17) associated with precipitation. The relationship patterns among these predictors and species richness were strong and linear. The hotspot regions for venomous snakes species are concentrated on the western to southwestern and north to northeastern regions of Iran, which is partially consistent with the known Irano-Anatolian biodiversity hotspot. Because of the high number of endemic species and climatic conditions on the Iranian Plateau, the venoms of snakes distributed in those areas may contain novel properties and components.

12,500+ and counting: biodiversity of the Brazilian Pampa

Knowledge on biodiversity is fundamental for conservation strategies. The Brazilian Pampa region, located in subtropical southern Brazil, is neglected in terms of conservation, and knowledge of its biodiversity is fragmented. We aim to answer the question: how many, and which, species occur in the Brazilian Pampa? In a collaborative effort, we built species lists for plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi that occur in the Brazilian Pampa. We included information on distribution patterns, main habitat types, and conservation status. Our study resulted in referenced lists totaling 12,503 species (12,854 taxa, when considering infraspecific taxonomic categories [or units]). Vascular plants amount to 3,642 species (including 165 Pteridophytes), while algae have 2,046 species (2,378 taxa) and bryophytes 316 species (318 taxa). Fungi (incl. lichenized fungi) contains 1,141 species (1,144 taxa). Animals total 5,358 species (5,372 taxa). Among the latter, vertebrates comprise 1,136 species, while invertebrates are represented by 4,222 species. Our data indicate that, according to current knowledge, the Pampa holds approximately 9% of the Brazilian biodiversity in an area of little more than 2% of Brazil’s total land. The proportion of species restricted to the Brazilian Pampa is low (with few groups as exceptions), as it is part of a larger grassland ecoregion and in a transitional climatic setting. Our study yielded considerably higher species numbers than previously known for many species groups; for some, it provides the first published compilation. Further efforts are needed to increase knowledge in the Pampa and other regions of Brazil. Considering the strategic importance of biodiversity and its conservation, appropriate government policies are needed to fund studies on biodiversity, create accessible and constantly updated biodiversity databases, and consider biodiversity in school curricula and other outreach activities.

Diversity of wild edible plants and fungi consumed by semi-nomadic Gaddi and Sippi tribes in Doda district of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir

Background: Consumption of Wild edible plants (WEPs) is a cultural heritage of tribal and other rural communities. WEPs have a vital role to play not only in ensuring nutritional security and combating malnutrition but also in meeting medicinal requirements, income generation for these communities, and crop improvement through plant breeding programmes. The present study was conducted with the objective of documenting traditional knowledge and practices of utilizing WEPs by Gaddi and Sippi tribes of Doda district of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (JKUT). Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in five villages of Doda district (JKUT) inhabited by Gaddi and Sippi tribes. The random sampling method was used for the selection of informants. The data was collected through interviews and focused group discussion with the informants as per semi-structured schedules. The uses of WEPs were recorded as use-reports, and culture importance value (CI) and factor informant consensus (Fic) were calculated from these values. Results: A total of 77 species spread across 58 genera and 39 families were reported by 203 informants (148 males and 55 females). Angiosperms represented by 63 species were the major source of forest foods followed by 9 fungal species. WEPs with the highest number of species were vegetables (34 species), and fruits and nutraceuticals (27 species each). The most important species on the basis of CI were Geopora arenicola (Lev.) Kers. (CI = 0.66), Geopora sumneriana (Cooke) M. Torre. (0.60), Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw. (0.56), Diplazium frondosum C. Chr. (0.54), and Mentha arvensis C. Presl. (0.52). Values of F­ic ranged between 0.91 (nutraceuticals) and 0.99 (cooked WEPs). The knowledge of WEPs significantly increased with age and decreased with education level of the informants. Conclusions: The Gaddi and Sippi tribes are utilizing a good number of WEPs, and more importantly they exchange this information among themselves. As far as future prospects of this study are concerned, nutritional and nutraceutical properties of species like Anethum sowa, Arisaema propinquum, Diplazium frondosum, Dipsacus inermis, Elaeagnus umbellate, Elwendia persica, Geopora sumneriana, Impatiens glandulifera, Morchella crassipes, Morchella conica, Prinsepia utilis, Sageretia thea, Solanum villosum, Thymus mongolicus, and Ziziphus oxyphylla may be studied to make them popular amongst masses. Keywords: Ethnobotany; Fungi; Gaddi and Sippi tribes; wild edible plants.

De-hooking depredation: Exploring multiple fisher perceptions about marine depredation in Florida

Marine depredation involves the removal of or damage to captured fish by predators, and recent evidence suggests it is increasing globally likely due to increasing fishing effort and changes in predator behavior. Anecdotal reports indicate that marine depredation in Florida may be especially severe, given the high number of fishers and predator species. However, the magnitude of marine depredation in Florida and fisher perceptions of these events are poorly understood. We employed a survey of commercial, private recreational, and for-hire saltwater license holders to explore the extent and magnitude of fishing experiences and perceptions related to marine depredation across Florida, highlighting differences among fisher groups using closed- and open-ended survey questions. We found few to no significant differences between fishing sector groups, meaning depredation was prevalent across all locations, gear types, and target species. Most user groups experienced depredation by more than one predator, but sharks and dolphins were reported as the most common predators. Commercial and for-hire operators were more likely to have very negative and negative sentiments toward predators, while private recreational fishers were more likely to view their depredation experiences as neutral. The need for improved management of predators and other fish stocks was expressed across all sectors, especially among commercial fishers. Our results support the growing literature on increased depredation experiences statewide and the need to devise a solution for all marine fisheries users in Florida. We anticipate our exploratory findings to be used as a starting point for researchers and fisheries management agencies to understand fishing sector perceptions and attempt to mitigate negative depredation experiences.

Trophic redundancy in benthic fish food webs increases with scarcity of prey items, in the Southern Baltic Sea

Bottom trawling is one of the main pressures on benthic ecosystems, directly impacting the targeted species and physically disturbing the seabed and the benthic invertebrate communities, in turn indirectly impacting benthivorous fish and the entire benthic food web structure and functioning. To predict the cascading effect of bottom trawling on benthic and demersal fish communities, it is crucial to understand the trophic interactions between benthic and demersal fish and benthic invertebrates. Here, we assessed the diet of benthic and demersal fish and the structure and functioning of the benthic food web in two areas in the German Baltic Sea, the Fehmarnbelt and the Odra Bank. The Fehmarnbelt benthic invertebrate community is characterized by a high number of species and biomass, contrary to the one on the Odra Bank which is species poor with high individual abundance but low biomass. We used mixing models based on stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen combined with stomach content analyses to estimate the fish diet at both sites, and we used community-wide trophic indices, derived from stable isotopes to compare the structure and functioning of the fish benthic food webs. We show that fish in the Fehmarnbelt can chose preferential prey items, resulting in higher trophic diversity, contrary to fish on the Odra Bank, which feed on all available prey species, resulting in higher trophic redundancy. We found that the generalist behavior of fish on the Odra Bank is likely the result of scarcity in prey items, the benthic invertebrate community being species poor with high abundance of small individuals. We demonstrate that the differences in structure and functioning of the benthic fish food web between the two sites was mainly driven by differences in the characteristics of the benthic prey communities.

Conservation implications of a new fossil species of hopping-mouse, Notomys magnus sp. nov. (Rodentia: Muridae), from the Broken River Region, northeastern Queensland

The Australian hopping-mouse Notomys includes 10 species, eight of which are considered extinct, vulnerable, near-threatened or endangered. Here we report a new fossil species from the Broken River Region, northeastern Queensland. Notomys magnus sp. nov. is represented by craniodental material from late Quaternary cave deposits. It was a relatively large-bodied species of Notomys with a mass estimated to be ca 83 g. Notomys magnus sp. nov. is immediately distinguishable from the spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis), the northern hopping-mouse (Notomys aquilo), the fawn hopping-mouse (Notomys cervinus), the dusky hopping-mouse (Notomys fuscus), Mitchell’s hopping-mouse (Notomys mitchellii) and the big-eared hopping-mouse (Notomys macrotis) by its larger size (especially its longer upper molar crown length). Notomys magnus sp. nov. differs from the large-bodied Darling Downs hopping-mouse (Notomys mordax), long-tailed hopping-mouse (Notomys longicaudatus), short-tailed hopping-mouse (Notomys amplus) and broad-cheeked hopping-mouse (Notomys robustus) by possessing a unique first upper molar (M1) morphology including relatively well-developed buccal cusps, cusp T1 prominently isolated from T4, a relatively narrow posterior loph and an incipient anterior accessory cusp. Fossils of N. magnus sp. nov. are found in association with remains of several arid-adapted taxa, including the plains mouse (Pseudomys australis), the northern pig-footed bandicoot (Chaeropus yirratji), and N. longicaudatus, possibly indicating that N. magnus sp. nov. was also arid-adapted. Dating of fossil deposits containing N. magnus sp. nov. demonstrates that it was extant in the mid-Holocene (ca 8.5 ka) so it may have been still extant at the time of European colonization but suffered extinction soon after, mirroring the fate of similarly arid-adapted contemporaneous taxa (Chaeropus yirratji and N. longicaudatus). Historical extinctions in Notomys are biased towards larger species (N. amplus, N. longicaudatus and N. robustus), and the discovery of N. magnus sp. nov. adds further to that list. Given the already high number of extinct and endangered species within Notomys, the discovery of another member that suffered geologically recent extinction has conservation implications for modern critical weight range mammals (including other species of rodents) that are particularly susceptible to extinction. Most historical extinctions of critical weight range mammals were in southern and central Australia, but the discovery of N. magnus sp. nov. suggests that species in the tropical north also were detrimentally affected.Vikram Vakil [vikram.vakil@uqconnect.edu.au], School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia;Jonathan Cramb [jonathan.cramb@qm.qld.gov.au], Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Australia;Gilbert J. Price [g.price1@uq.edu.au], School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia;Gregory E. Webb [g.webb@uq.edu.au], School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia;Julien Louys [j.louys@griffith.edu.au], Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia.

CLASSIFICATION, COMPOSITION AND FLORISTIC DIVERSITY IN NATURAL GRASSLANDS TO DIFFERENT STRATA IN THE PROTECTED AREA ICHUBAMBA YASEPAN, THROUGH GEOSTATISTICAL ANALYSIS

The ecosystems of the páramos are home to a high number of endemic species that are the result of extraordinary events of radiation, diversification and geographical isolation, the presence or absence of some plant species of the páramo are due to the adaptation to physical or environmental variables, the natural grasslands enjoy characteristics that make them unique and of great ethnobotanical importance, since they provide very appreciable ecosystem services, therefore, the floristic diversity to different strata in the natural grasslands of the Ichubamba Yasepan protected area was analyzed. For this two different altitudes ranging from 3440 m.a.s.l. to 3840masl were taken.To collect data from the floristic inventory, part of the proposed methodology of the GLORIA Research Project was applied, in which 5x5 m quadrants were implanted randomly at every 400 m of altitude and subquadrants of 1x1 m. In each quadrant, samples of the plant species that were found in the study area were collected, which were taken to the ESPOC herbariumfor the respective taxonomic identification and quantification of floristic diversity. A database was elaborated and the analysis of principal components was applied and it was carried out by the estimation method thatc entraliza the variables by subtracting from each value the mean of the variable to which it belongs, the Biplot type was also used: Normalized main row (RMP- Biplot) and Cluster K-means. Therefore, we worked with the free software Multbiplot.The results obtained showed at the height of 3840 m.s.n.m 16 families and 23 species were registered, the species that presents the highest numerical value with respect to DR%, FR% and IVI is Calamagrotis intermedia. At the height of 3440 m.a.s.l. they registered 11 families and 19 species, the species that presents the highest numerical value in DR%, FR% and IVI is Lachemilla orbiculata, with greater dominance. According to the Simpson dominance index at 3840 m.a.s.l. it has a high diversity and the Shannon index showed that there is a medium diversity. It is concluded according to the Simpson dominance index at the height of 3440 m.a.s.l. has a high diversity and the Shannon index indicates that there is a medium diversity. According to Sorensen shows that the two altitudinal ranges studied is similar and finally for the analysis of the main components plant species of stratum 3840 m.a.s.l. They have high values in terms of coverage which indicates that the vegetation cover of the stratum with a height of 3840 meters above sea level is more abundant and more diverse for axis 1 represents 61.13% of the analysis and axis 2 represents 28.63%.

Comparing genomes recovered from time-series metagenomes using long- and short-read sequencing technologies

BackgroundOver the past years, sequencing technologies have expanded our ability to examine novel microbial metabolisms and diversity previously obscured by isolation approaches. Long-read sequencing promises to revolutionize the metagenomic field and recover less fragmented genomes from environmental samples. Nonetheless, how to best benefit from long-read sequencing and whether long-read sequencing can provide recovered genomes of similar characteristics as short-read approaches remains unclear.ResultsWe recovered metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the free-living fraction at four-time points during a spring bloom in the North Sea. The taxonomic composition of all MAGs recovered was comparable between technologies. However, differences consisted of higher sequencing depth for contigs and higher genome population diversity in short-read compared to long-read metagenomes. When pairing population genomes recovered from both sequencing approaches that shared ≥ 99% average nucleotide identity, long-read MAGs were composed of fewer contigs, a higher N50, and a higher number of predicted genes when compared to short-read MAGs. Moreover, 88% of the total long-read MAGs carried a 16S rRNA gene compared to only 23% of MAGs recovered from short-read metagenomes. Relative abundances for population genomes recovered using both technologies were similar, although disagreements were observed for high and low GC content MAGs.ConclusionsOur results highlight that short-read technologies recovered more MAGs and a higher number of species than long-read due to an overall higher sequencing depth. Long-read samples produced higher quality MAGs and similar species composition compared to short-read sequencing. Differences in the GC content recovered by each sequencing technology resulted in divergences in the diversity recovered and relative abundance of MAGs within the GC content boundaries.

Another crack in the Dark Taxa wall: a custom DNA barcoding protocol for the species-rich and common Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea).

DNA barcodes are a great tool for accelerated species identification and for complementing species delimitation. Furthermore, DNA barcode reference libraries are the decisive backbone feature for any metabarcoding study in biodiversity monitoring, conservation or ecology. However, in some taxa, DNA barcodes cannot be generated with published primers at a satisfying success rate and these groups will consequently be largely missing from any barcoding-based species list. Here, we provide a custom DNA barcoding forward primer for the Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea), elevating the success rate of high-quality DNA barcodes from 33% to 88%. Eurytomidae is a severely understudied, taxonomically challenging, species-rich group of primarily parasitoid wasps. High species numbers, diverse ecological roles and widespread and common presence identify Eurytomidae as one of many crucial families in terrestrial ecosystems. It is now possible to include Eurytomidae when studying and monitoring the terrestrial fauna, highlighting that barcoding-based approaches will need to routinely use different primers to avoid biases in their data and inferences. The new DNA barcoding protocol is also a prerequisite for our integrative taxonomy study of the group, aiming at delimiting and characterising Central European species and filling the GBOL (German Barcode Of Life) DNA barcode reference library with species-named and voucher-linked sequences.

Keanekaragaman kupu-kupu (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) di Kawasan Pusat Pendidikan Konservasi Alam Bodogol, Taman Nasional Gunung Gede Pangrango, Jawa Barat

Kupu-kupu merupakan salah satu kelompok serangga dengan keanekaragaman spesies yang tinggi dan memiliki keterkaitan erat dengan faktor lingkungan yang mempengaruhi keberadaan dan kelimpahannya di suatu habitat. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis keanekaragaman dan kelimpahan populasi kupu-kupu di PPKA Bodogol, Sukabumi Jawa Barat. Pengamatan kupu-kupu dilakukan dengan metode transek sepanjang 700 m mengunakan kamera dan sweeping net di sepanjang jalur yang ada di dua lokasi, yakni hutan heterogen dan hutan homogen. Pengamatan kupu-kupu dilakukan mulai pukul 08.00 hingga pukul 12.00 pagi. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian di hutan heterogen ditemukan 78 spesies (261 individu), di hutan homogen ditemukan 39 spesies (158 individu), yang termasuk ke dalam 5 famili, yaitu Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, dan Rionidae. Famili Nymphalidae merupakan famili yang memiliki jumlah spesies dan individu paling tinggi dibanding famili lainnya. Nilai kesamaan komposisi kupu-kupu <50%, yang berarti komposisi kupu-kupu yang ditemukan di dua habitat tidak sama. Indeks keanekaragaman kupu-kupu di hutan heterogen lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan hutan homogen. Dari uji hutchinson tidak terdapat perbedaan yang bermakna. Nilai indeks kemerataan spesies pada dua habitat menunjukan nilai yang hampir sama, yaitu 0,9 di hutan heterogen dan 0,8 di hutan homogen. Keberadaan, keanekaragaman, serta kelimpahan kupu-kupu di suatu habitat berkaitan erat dengan jenis habitat serta unsur-unsur abiotik maupun biotik yang ada di dalamnya.

Climate Change and Its Impacts on Biodiversity in Mexico

During the last 150 years, the increase in the average temperature of the atmosphere and oceans has been documented due to the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, excess production and reduced capacity to capture pollution. The consequences have been radical changes in the distribution of ecosystems and species, rise in sea level, disappearance of glaciers and corals, unpredictable and extreme climates such as droughts and storms. Climate change affects all organisms on the planet, many of them are already responding to this new dynamic through changes in their distribution and migrations. All these factors are the product of human activities and their social, economic and political causes. The effects of human activities, which were previously small-scale, have turned into large-scale events, affecting the climate of the entire planet. Climate change has become one of the main threats to biodiversity. In Mexico, a large number of endemic species of highly restricted distribution are susceptible to be affected by the indicated factors.
 Aims: The objective of this study is to present a set of regional projections of temperature, rainfall, humidity and drought index for Mexico under the IPCC AR6 climate change scenarios, and to evaluate their impact on biodiversity in Mexico by the end of the century.
 Methodology and Results: Regional models for Mexico show temperature increases between 0.5 to 5°C, while % precipitation will range from -20.3 to 13.5% depending on the scenario and period of analysis. The low soil moisture, vegetation changes and drought indices show that the North, West and Bajío areas presented reductions in precipitation and temperature increase that caused soil moisture deficit, water stress, presence of scarce vegetation and semi-permanent meteorological drought. Under these scenarios, it is expected that the entire country will be subjected to moderate to extremely strong droughts that will last and worsen between now and the end of the century. The results of the scenario projections and forecasts made by the IPCC show that the effects on biodiversity associated with climate change have been manifested for several decades in Mexico and are expected to worsen by the end of the century, increasing the number of threatened and endangered species. Based on the probable temperatures by the end of the century (from 0.5 to 5°C) it is estimated that the risk of extinction ranges from 3 to 48% in terrestrial ecosystems, in ocean and coastal ecosystems the risk of biodiversity loss will go from moderate to very high; and for endemic species it is estimated that the risk of extinction is very high with the possibility of increase by more than ten times.
 Conclusion: Thus, the vulnerability of biodiversity in Mexico is high to very high, which puts a very high number of species and ecosystems at risk.

Fluctuations and trends in spatio‐temporal patterns of plant species and diversity in a sandy pasture

AbstractAimsThe relative importance of species within an ecosystem shows spatio‐temporal variability related to both the terrain features and numerous rapidly changing factors. Accordingly, functional and species patterns may show some level of persistence, or, due to various disturbances, fluctuations. Communities with high species richness were found to maintain a higher degree of stability than species‐poor or perturbed vegetations; however, diversity and its stability may be spatio‐temporally variable. Based on these considerations, our aim was to assess the responses of a sandy pasture, both species‐wise and at the community level, to the relatively invariant habitat, and to the more rapidly changing environmental conditions.LocationHungary.MethodsWe surveyed the vegetation in an area of about 1 ha by means of high‐resolution spatio‐temporal sampling: we recorded the surface aerial cover (%) of the plant species during 15 campaigns covering spring, summer and autumn aspects for seven years (2013–2019) in 80 × 60 m grids. The biological activity of the ecosystem (above‐ground biomass, soil respiration) was also followed up together with the environmental limiting factors.ResultsDuring the study period, which was characterized by significant warming, the grassland showed a balanced physiological performance with year‐to‐year variability. Fluctuating differentiation of the plant species with different environmental optima along with the terrain attributes was assumed to be responsible for this balanced physiological performance. Although community‐level diversity remained stable, some species favoring cooler, wetter positions disappeared.ConclusionsTerrain features of the study area within 1.5 m or less elevation differences created considerably heterogeneous conditions for a high number (114) of plant species with different ecological needs to co‐occur. The stability of the diversity was found to show terrain relatedness, that is spatial as well as temporal patterns compared to the null model of spatio‐temporal independence, and the ecosystem functions followed these patterns.

Logging operations creating snags, logs, and stumps under open and closed canopies promote stand-scale beetle diversity

Conservation tools to enrich habitat diversity in the widely distributed homogeneous production forests include stumps as logging residues but also the intentional creation of logs or snags, as well as varying canopy conditions. While an open canopy has been shown to foster forest biodiversity, the impact of different deadwood types at stand scale is less clear, which is crucial since this is the most relevant scale for silvicultural decisions. In this study, we experimentally manipulated canopy conditions (open vs. closed) and created deadwood (stumps, logs, snags) in different combinations in five mature European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests to test the potential of active manipulations to increase the diversity of beetles, one of the most diverse insect orders in temperate forests. We estimated abundance, species number and species richness (controlled for abundance) of saproxylic (i.e., deadwood-dependent) and non-saproxylic beetles using flight-interception traps and analyzed species assemblages within the first 3 years of the experiment. Using generalized linear mixed effect models we found a 33.7 % and 43.4 % higher abundance as well as a 26.1 % and 23.5 % higher species number under open canopies for saproxylic and non-saproxylic beetles respectively, accompanied by a higher species richness of both groups. Stands with deadwood had a 38.6 % and 32.7 % higher species number followed by higher species richness of saproxylic and non-saproxylic beetles compared to stands without manipulation but manipulations did not affect beetle abundances. We identified sampling year, followed by canopy condition and deadwood type (in addition to an overall higher impact of spatial distance between stands and sites) by applying multiple regression analyses as most important to explain species assemblages of both beetle groups. Saproxylic abundance and species number in stump treatments were initially high but decreased over 3 years, while treatments containing snags and logs resulted in an increase in both abundance and species number over time. These temporal trends were mediated by canopy cover. Our findings provide three major insights for biodiversity-orientated management in mature beech forests: First, opening the canopy increases the stand-scale abundance, species number, and species richness of saproxylic and non-saproxylic beetles. Second, while stumps are attractive for saproxylics shortly after the logging operation, snags and logs provide longer-lasting deadwood resources, thus underlining longer sustainability of snag and log enrichment for forest biodiversity. Third, deadwood enrichment at the stand scale promotes not only deadwood-dependent but also other beetle species.

The critical periods of weed control on the weed species composition, morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics responses of black seed (Nigella sativa L.)

A field experiment was conducted to the determine the critical period of weed control and its effect on the weed composition, the yield components, seed yield, oil yield, oil content, and the major secondary metabolites accumulation in the black seed (Nigella sativa L.). Two treatment series: weed-free (WF) and weed-infested (WI) periods, were performed from the seed emergence of the black seed until its maturity. The plots were kept weed-free for 0, 14, 28, 42, 56 and 70 days after emergence of the black seed and vice versa. In the weed community composition, 19 species from 14 families were recorded in the studied experimental field. Among the weeds, the Poaceae family (5) had the highest number of species, followed by the Fabaceae family (2). The major species were Avena sterilis L., Rapistrum rugosum L. (All), and Convolvulus arvensi L. during the harvesting of black seed. Results also revealed that the seed yield, yield components, seed oil content, and oil yield of the black seed significantly decreased due to the longer periods of WI or shorter periods of WF. In this study, weed-black seed competition periods promoted the total alkaloid and total phenolic accumulation, compared to WI periods, which indicated the plant's defensive response against the stress caused by the weeds. However, the decrease in seed yield and oil content indicates the insufficient levels of these compounds to cope with the weed stress. This study also concluded that the highest seed yield was obtained by keeping the plots WF from 42 or 70 days after emergence of the black seed to prevent yield loss higher than 10%. Therefore, this period could be the critical period of WF in the black seed.

Exploring Differences in Culturable Fungal Diversity Using Standard Freezing Incubation-A Case Study in the Limestones of Lemos Pantheon (Portugal).

In this study, we explored the biodiversity and abundance of culturable fungi in four samples associated with different biodeterioration outlines collected from the Lemos Pantheon, a limestone-built artwork in Portugal. We compared the results from prolonged standard freezing with those previously obtained from fresh samples to analyze differences in the obtained community and assess the effectiveness of the standard freezing incubation protocol in uncovering a different segment of culturable fungal diversity. Our results showed a slight decrease in culturable diversity, but over 70% of the obtained isolates were not present in the previously studied fresh samples. We also identified a high number of potential new species with this procedure. Moreover, the use of a wide variety of selective culture media positively influenced the diversity of the cultivable fungi obtained in this study. These findings highlight the importance of developing new protocols under varying conditions to accurately characterize the culturable fraction in a given sample. The identification and study of these communities and their possible contribution to the biodeterioration process is crucial knowledge for formulating effective conservation and restoration plans to prevent further damage to valuable cultural heritage assets.