Maintenance Of Diversity Research Articles

Progress and Prospects of the Natural Restoration of Damaged Vegetation after the Earthquake

Vegetation plays an important role in soil and water conservation, water conservation and carbon sequestration of an ecosystem. The restoration of damaged vegetation is of great significance to the maintenance of species diversity and the restoration of the regional ecological environment. It is also one of the most effective measures to improve the fragile ecosystem. This paper summarizes the research results from decades of damaged vegetation recovery in the process of vegetation recovery, the main driving factor and the restoration mode.

International Conference on Modern and Sustainable Agriculture (ICOMSA): Building Future Agriculture for Better World

The development of modern agriculture is inseparable from efforts to optimize agricultural land resources and increase sectoral competitiveness based on dynamic innovation following the challenges. Modern agriculture is characterized by applying technology and innovation that can be adapted to the conditions and needs of productive activities in the agricultural sector. Agricultural innovations can include technological and agricultural institutions' innovations that are in line with the times. Sustainable agriculture plays an essential role in sustaining natural resources for future generations. Sustainable agriculture emphasizes the need for the stability of natural ecosystems, including biological living systems and materials. This includes the maintenance of biological diversity, genetic resources, soil, water, and agro-climate resources, as well as environmental health and comfort. Moreover, the world is facing the challenge of global warming (the greenhouse effect). Modern and sustainable agriculture is essential for various problems in agriculture. Both are currently the focus of various stakeholders, such as farmers, researchers, and policymakers worldwide. Both are expected to become sustainable solutions to meet food and energy needs and minimize the impact of more significant environmental damage.International Conference on Modern Sustainable Agriculture was virtually-held in collaboration between the Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University with The International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) Indonesian Chapter and Indonesian Society for Agronomy (PERAGI). Prof. Arif Satria, Rector of IPB University, Indonesia and Dr. Suwardi, M.Agr., President of International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) Indonesian Chapter had given their speech as the keynote speakers for this conference. This conference also had 8 notable invited speakers from various international universities and research centers who delivered their expertise in modern and sustainable agriculture: Prof. Abdul Rashid Muhamed Shariff from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, Prof. Makoto Yokohari from The University of Tokyo, Japan, Prof. Salmah Yaakop, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia, Prof. Masayoshi Shigyo from Yamaguchi University, Japan, Prof. Byoung Ryong Jeong from Gyeongsang National University, Republic of Korea, Prof. Greta Formaglio from National Institute for Agricultural Research, France, Prof. Anas D Susila from IPB University, Indonesia, and Prof. Hadi Susilo Arifin from IPB University, Indonesia had given their speech as invited speakers for this conference.List of Summary of Conference, Committee are available in this pdf.

A Study on a Probabilistic Method for Designing Artificial Neural Networks for the Formation of Intelligent Technology Assemblies with High Variability

Currently, ensemble approaches based, among other things, on the use of non-network models are powerful tools for solving data analysis problems in various practical applications. An important problem in the formation of ensembles of models is ensuring the synergy of solutions by using the properties of a variety of basic individual solutions; therefore, the problem of developing an approach that ensures the maintenance of diversity in a preliminary pool of models for an ensemble is relevant for development and research. This article is devoted to the study of the possibility of using a method for the probabilistic formation of neural network structures developed by the authors. In order to form ensembles of neural networks, the influence of parameters of neural network structure generation on the quality of solving regression problems is considered. To improve the quality of the overall ensemble solution, using a flexible adjustment of the probabilistic procedure for choosing the type of activation function when filling in the layers of a neural network is proposed. In order to determine the effectiveness of this approach, a number of numerical studies on the effectiveness of using neural network ensembles on a set of generated test tasks and real datasets were conducted. The procedure of forming a common solution in ensembles of neural networks based on the application of an evolutionary method of genetic programming is also considered. This article presents the results of a numerical study that demonstrate a higher efficiency of the approach with a modified structure formation procedure compared to a basic approach of selecting the best individual neural networks from a preformed pool. These numerical studies were carried out on a set of test problems and several problems with real datasets that, in particular, describe the process of ore-thermal melting.

A Dual-Population-Based NSGA-III for Constrained Many-Objective Optimization

The main challenge for constrained many-objective optimization problems (CMaOPs) is how to achieve a balance between feasible and infeasible solutions. Most of the existing constrained many-objective evolutionary algorithms (CMaOEAs) are feasibility-driven, neglecting the maintenance of population convergence and diversity when dealing with conflicting objectives and constraints. This might lead to the population being stuck at some locally optimal or locally feasible regions. To alleviate the above challenges, we proposed a dual-population-based NSGA-III, named DP-NSGA-III, where the two populations exchange information through the offspring. The main population based on the NSGA-III solves CMaOPs and the auxiliary populations with different environment selection ignore the constraints. In addition, we designed an ε-constraint handling method in combination with NSGA-III, aiming to exploit the excellent infeasible solutions in the main population. The proposed DP-NSGA-III is compared with four state-of-the-art CMaOEAs on a series of benchmark problems. The experimental results show that the proposed evolutionary algorithm is highly competitive in solving CMaOPs.

An efficient evolutionary optimizer for solving complex dairy feed optimization problems

Dairy feed ration optimization is one of the most debated problems of the present time. The presence of linear and non-linear constraints, along with their various potential blends, turns the problem into Non-deterministic Polynomial (NP) hard. This triggers the need for efficient evolutionary algorithms to figure out feed mix at minimum cost and maximum shelf life for dairy cattle. Despite its exclusive importance in a real-life scenario, few papers have developed algorithms to solve this problem. Therefore, an attempt is made in this study to introduce a Self-adaptive multi-population approach with the recently proposed Quadratic Approximation based Jaya (JaQA) algorithm (Das et al., 2022), where care has been taken for the maintenance of diversity in each of its sub-population along with enhancement of convergence. However, considering the difficulty in setting the size of the sub-population, the Self-adaptive Multi-Population Quadratic Approximation guided Jaya (SMP-JaQA) follows an automated learning approach based on the past data to step in the next generation, hence making it a user-friendly approach. The performance of this approach is tested on problems in the benchmark set of Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC) 2006 and three popular engineering design functions. Numerical results, statistical tests (including Friedman Rank Test, Iman-Davenport Test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test), and the convergence analysis confirm the better efficacy of the proposed technique over some recent algorithms. Later, this approach is incorporated into two real-life case studies to optimize the cost of feedstuffs for dairy cattle. The improved results under the feasible domain ascertain the proposed method to be farmer-friendly.

Effects of land-use intensity, grazing and fire disturbances on soil bacterial and fungal communities in subtropical wetlands

Bacteria and fungi are primary components in wetland soil microbial communities and provide essential ecosystem functions and services. Understanding responses of bacterial and fungal communities to multiple drivers of environmental change and their interactions is crucial for wetland conservation and management, particularly for those embedded in agricultural landscapes. Yet little is known about effect of agricultural land use and wetland management on soil microbial communities in subtropical seasonal wetlands. Here, we used a long-term whole-ecosystem wetland experiment to examine individual and interactive effects of upland land-use intensification, livestock grazing, and prescribed fire on soil bacteria and fungi. We asked: (1) How do land-use intensification, grazing and fire disturbances interact to alter taxonomic composition and functional potential of wetland soil bacterial and fungal communities? (2) To what extent would these management and disturbance effects on wetland microbial communities manifest through alterations in soil properties? Our results showed that both microbial taxonomic and functional composition are responsive to agricultural land use and wetland management. Upland land-use intensification was the strongest driver (as compared to fire and grazing) in shaping bacterial and fungal community composition. Specifically, land-use intensification increased functional richness of both bacteria and fungi, whereas grazing and fire only interactively affected bacterial functional richness. In addition, responses of bacterial and fungal species diversity to wetland management varied, where grazing and fire reduced fungal species diversity in wetlands embedded in low-intensity managed pastures, but none of these management practices altered bacterial species diversity. Further, we found that pH and secondary nutrients (i.e., Ca and Mg) availability were the most important soil properties that explain how agricultural land use and wetland management drive the composition of bacterial and fungal communities. Our findings suggest that integration of lime application into intensified land uses to neutralize soil pH could facilitate maintenance of microbial diversity and associated functions. Our results highlight the need to comprehensively assess management impacts on soil microorganisms, rather than using a single or few indicators, due to inconsistent responses of bacterial and fungal communities, as well as their varied taxonomic and functional responses.

The social lives of isolates (and small language families): the case of the Northwest Amazon.

The Americas are home to patches of extraordinary linguistic (genealogical) diversity. These high-diversity areas are particularly unexpected given the recent population of the Americas. In this paper, we zoom in on one such area, the Northwest Amazon, and address the question of how the diversity in this area has persisted to the present. We contrast two hypotheses that claim opposite mechanisms for the maintenance of diversity: the isolation hypothesis suggests that isolation facilitates the preservation of diversity, while the integration hypothesis proposes that conscious identity preservation in combination with contact drives diversity maintenance. We test predictions for both hypotheses across four disciplines: biogeography, cultural anthropology, population genetics and linguistics. Our results show signs of both isolation and integration, but they mainly suggest considerable diversity in how groups of speakers have interacted with their surroundings.

Biodiversity and ecological network of epiphytic bryophytes and their host trees in the forests of the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), the highest and largest plateau in the world, plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of the global ecosystem and China's ecological barriers. The QTP ecosystems are facing serious challenges under the scenario of global climate change. Epiphytic plant diversity is one of the most significant contributors to forest diversity. Epiphytic bryophytes play an important role in forest ecosystem functioning. However, previous studies of epiphytic bryophyte diversity have rarely considered both phorophyte diversity and their ecological networks, factors that are crucial for revealing the ecological processes of community assembly and the mechanisms of biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem stability. We investigated the diversity of epiphytic bryophytes and their host trees in 18 forest sites in the southeastern QTP and analyzed the characteristics of their ecological network. A total of 57 epiphytic bryophyte species in 35 genera and 24 families and 72 individuals of host trees belonging to 14 genera and 10 families were recorded. Epiphytic bryophyte species on Picea, Abies, and Sorbus accounted for 77% of all species. The ecological network structure of epiphytic bryophytes-phorophytes exhibited low connectance and nestedness and a low degree of specialization. The cover of epiphytic bryophytes was significant positively correlated with host tree size (diameter at breast height) and not significantly correlated with bark roughness. Both tree size and bark roughness were weakly positively correlated with epiphytic bryophyte richness. The study results showed that increasing tree diversity is essential for the maintenance of the epiphytic bryophyte diversity in forests of the QTP. Biodiversity conservation of epiphytic bryophytes is consistent with conservation of their host trees.

Drivers of species-specific contributions to the total live aboveground plant biomass in Central European semi-natural hay grasslands

Semi-natural grasslands are known to provide numerous ecosystem services, of which one of the most important is production of biomass. However, the contribution of individual plant species to the total biomass is much less well understood. This study addressed questions concerning community structure and responses of species-specific biomass (s-AGB) to gradients in soil acidity and fertility, topographical and climatic features, and disturbance regimes in mown and abandoned grasslands in the Sudetes Mountains (Central Europe). It identified pH as the most significant environmental gradient affecting turnover in s-AGB, and mowing cessation, temperature, and precipitation also had significant effects. Further, it showed high inequality in biomass among co-occurring plant species. It also showed that biomass inequality (measured by the Gini coefficient) among interacting species decreases with increasing functional diversity (Rao’s index). This study highlights that common plant species (in terms of frequency) play a major role in contributing to the total aboveground biomass (t-AGB). However, less frequent species are also significant contributors to the t-AGB. Thus, the combined contribution of infrequent species to the t-AGB should not be neglected. Our findings support the mass ratio hypothesis stating that ecosystem functions such as biomass production depend on dominant species. On the other hand, high niche differentiation ensures the coexistence of less competitive species with the dominants by the variety and complementarity of functional traits. Infrequent and non-dominant species were the core of the diversity seen in the studied grasslands. The maintenance of species diversity in grasslands should be prioritized in nature conservation policies to ensure the sustainability of ecosystem services.

INCUBATION PARAMETERS AND POST-HATCH SEXING METHODS IN WYANDOTTE HENS

ABSTRACT - The preservation of breeds and their characterization allows the maintenance of a genomic diversity that can be crucial to face new challenges of sustainability in livestock farming. The Wyandotte breeder has a dual purpose, meat and eggs, besides having docility and rusticity characteristics, favoring its breeding in small and large scales. In this study, the influence of egg storage time on incubation performance and criteria for determining the sex of post-hatch birds were evaluated. Three egg storage periods were adopted: short (0-2 days), intermediate (3-5 days) and long (6-8 days). The total weight loss between storage and incubation was higher for eggs that were stored longer (6-8 days) compared to the other evaluated times. The hatchability rate was better for the eggs that had been stored for less time. The embryonic mortality of eggs with longer storage time (6-8 days), showed a higher number of eggs with early mortality and stillborn. At hatching, it was possible to differentiate the chicks by the abdominal plumage coloration, with the males characterized by yellow coloration from the crop to the cloaca region. The yellow coloration was observed in the female only in the cloacal region. The prolonged storage time negatively affects weight loss of eggs from the Wyandotte breeders, as well as incubation parameters; and the post-hatch sexing can be performed by evaluating the plumage coloration of the chocks ventral area on hatch day.

Effects of Land Use Changes on the Plant Community Characteristics in the Wetlands of the Semi-Arid Regions

Human disturbance is the main driving factor of wetland vegetation degradation, and plant community changes can directly characterize the process of wetland degradation. The wetlands in semi-arid region of Songnen Plain perform the important ecological functions, especially the habitat of waterbirds. Recently, the succession of wetland plant community has been accelerated by land use changes. In this study, we investigated the variations of plant community in wetlands undergoing land use changes (natural, mowing, light grazing + mowing, moderate grazing and heavy grazing wetlands) in the western Songnen Plain. The results showed that the plant communities were significantly affected by land use changes. The typical wetland plant Calamagrostis angustifolia was the dominant species in natural wetlands, and its dominance was gradually decreased in mowing or grazing wetlands in where Carex spp. or Artemisia selengensis acting as the dominant species. The height, density, and biomass in natural wetlands were significantly higher than those in other wetlands, whereas the species diversity and richness in natural wetlands were significantly lower. The similarity index of plant community in wetlands undergoing land use changes to natural wetlands ranged from 17.7–45.1%, being the highest in mowed wetlands and the lowest in heavily grazed wetlands. The linear regression further indicated that the plant diversity index was negatively correlated with the aboveground biomass of grasses and positively correlated with the aboveground biomass of forbs. Therefore, the land use changes in wetlands drove the replacement of dominant species of wetland vegetation and changed plant community characteristics and the species diversity, and the maintenance of species diversity is linked with the variability in plant functional strategies. The results of community variations and their relationships with functional changes can be used for assessing the effects of degradation and ecological function in response of land use changes in wetlands.

Mitochondrial genome maintenance - the kinetoplast story.

Mitochondrial DNA replication is an essential process in most eukaryotes. Similar to the diversity in mitochondrial genome size and organization in the different eukaryotic supergroups, there is considerable diversity in the replication process of the mitochondrial DNA. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of mitochondrial DNA replication and the associated factors in trypanosomes with a focus on Trypanosoma brucei, and provide a new model of minicircle replication for this protozoan parasite. The model assumes the mitochondrial DNA (kinetoplast DNA, kDNA) of T. brucei to be loosely diploid in nature and the replication of the genome to occur at two replication centers at the opposing ends of the kDNA disc (also known as antipodal sites, APS). The new model is consistent with the localization of most replication factors and in contrast to the current model, it does not require the assumption of an unknown sorting and transport complex moving freshly replicated DNA to the antipodal sites. In combination with the previously proposed sexual stages of the parasite in the insect vector, the new model provides a mechanism for maintenance of the mitochondrial genetic diversity.

Impacts of different fencing periods and grazing intensities on insect diversity in the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia

For the past several decades, both species biodiversity and productivity of desert steppe have been reduced due to excessive use and climate factors. To counteract this, Chinese government has supported large-scale grassland ecological restoration programs since the year 2000. The policy needs a standard for the evaluation of the effects of such restorative measures on the grasslands after decades. Grassland insect diversity plays an important role in the maintenance of plant species and functional diversity. To understand the relation of grazing management and insect diversity, we use a complete two factor design, two fencing periods (3 or 7 years) and three grazing intensities (0, 6, or 12 sheep per ha), to examine the response of the insect diversity to fencing and grazing in desert steppe. We found almost no significant differences in either plant or insect species diversity between the sites fenced for 3 and 7 years, as the pressure of grazing increased, insect diversity decreased to a greater extent at 7-year enclosure sites than at 3-year sites. We recommend the most suitable grazing intensity for the sustainability of biodiversity of the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia is light grazing (8 sheep/ha 0.5 yr−1), and the most suitable fencing period is three years, which suggest that policies that remove livestock from the desert grassland for long periods (7 + years) are not beneficial for maintaining insect diversity, and heavy grazing lead ecological environment weaker and insect diversity decreasing. Thus, periodic livestock grazing is important in the design of management actions to preserve biodiversity.

Dynamical mean-field theory: from ecosystems to reaction networks

Both natural ecosystems and biochemical reaction networks involve populations of heterogeneous agents whose cooperative and competitive interactions lead to a rich dynamics of species’ abundances, albeit at vastly different scales. The maintenance of diversity in large ecosystems is a longstanding puzzle, towards which recent progress has been made by the derivation of dynamical mean-field theories of random models. In particular, it has recently been shown that these random models have a chaotic phase in which abundances display wild fluctuations. When modest spatial structure is included, these fluctuations are stabilized and diversity is maintained. If and how these phenomena have parallels in biochemical reaction networks is currently unknown. Making this connection is of interest since life requires cooperation among a large number of molecular species. In this work, we find a reaction network whose large-scale behavior recovers the random Lotka–Volterra model recently considered in theoretical ecology. We clarify the assumptions necessary to derive its large-scale description, and reveal the underlying assumptions made on the noise to recover previous dynamical mean-field theories. Then, we show how local detailed balance and the positivity of reaction rates, which are key physical requirements of chemical reaction networks, provide obstructions towards the construction of an associated dynamical mean-field theory of biochemical reaction networks. Finally, we outline prospects and challenges for the future.

Validation of the Revised Multicultural Ideology Scale (MCI-r) in the UK.

As worldwide migration continues to grow, valid and reliable instruments are needed to assess the psychological processes that influence the successful management of intercultural relations in different sociopolitical contexts. In this study, we test whether the original Multicultural Ideology Scale (MCI) required a revision to remain 'fit for purpose' in the current culturally plural context of the UK (MCI-r). Specifically, six subscales are proposed to underlie the construct of a multicultural ideology: Cultural Maintenance, Equity/Inclusion, Social interaction, Essentialistic Boundaries, Extent of Differences, and Consequences of Diversity. With data from 300 UK nationals, we tested the psychometric properties of the MCI-r using various confirmatory factor analysis techniques to estimate the scale's factor structure followed by convergent and discriminant validity tests. The results indicated that a 4-factor solution (Cultural Maintenance, Equity/Inclusion, Social interaction, and Consequences of Diversity) fitted the data best. All four subscales demonstrated adequate internal consistency as well as convergent and discriminant validity. All four subscales were also negatively correlated with a right-wing political orientation, whilst especially Social Interaction and Consequences of Diversity were positively associated with intergroup contact frequency across domains (work, family and friends and/or acquaintances). Finally, UK participants with personal migratory experiences reported a stronger belief in positive consequences of multiculturalism and more support for Social Interactions between members of different ethnic groups. Overall, findings provide first insights into the applicability of the MCI-r as a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of multiculturalism within the present UK context.

Implementation and maintenance of infant dietary diversity in Zimbabwe: contribution of food and water insecurity

BackgroundInadequate food and water resources negatively affect child health and the efficiency of nutrition interventions.MethodsWe used data from the SHINE trial to investigate the associations of food insecurity (FI) and water insecurity (WI) on mothers’ implementation and maintenance of minimum infant dietary diversity (MIDD). We conducted factor analysis to identify and score dimensions of FI (poor access, household shocks, low availability & quality), and WI (poor access, poor quality and low reliability). MIDD implementation (n = 636) was adequate if infants aged 12 months (M12) ate ≥ four food groups. MIDD maintenance (n = 624) was categorized into four mutually exclusive groups: A (unmet MIDD at both M12 and M18), B (unmet MIDD at M12 only), C (unmet MIDD at M18 only), and D (met MIDD at both M12 and M18). We used multivariable-adjusted binary logistic and multinomial regressions to determine likelihood of MIDD implementation, and of belonging to MIDD maintenance groups A-C (poor maintenance groups), compared to group D, respectively.ResultsLow food availability & quality were negatively associated with implementation (OR = 0.81; 0.69, 0.97), and maintenance (ORB = 1.29; 1.07, 1.56). Poor water quality was positively associated with implementation (OR = 1.25; 1.08, 1.44), but inconsistently associated with maintenance, with higher odds of infants being in group C (OR = 1.39; 1.08, 1.79), and lower odds of being in group B (OR = 0.80; 0.66, 0.96).ConclusionFood security should be prioritized for adequate implementation and maintenance of infant diets during complementary feeding. The inconsistent findings with water quality indicate the need for further research on WI and infant feeding.

Genetic slippage after sex maintains diversity for parasite resistance in a natural host population.

Although parasite-mediated selection is a major driver of host evolution, its influence on genetic variation for parasite resistance is not yet well understood. We monitored resistance in a large population of the planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna over 8 years, as it underwent yearly epidemics of the bacterial pathogen Pasteuria ramosa. We observed cyclic dynamics of resistance: Resistance increased throughout the epidemics, but susceptibility was restored each spring when hosts hatched from sexual resting stages. Host resting stages collected across the year showed that largely resistant host populations can produce susceptible sexual offspring. A genetic model of resistance developed for this host-parasite system, based on multiple loci and strong epistasis, is in partial agreement with our findings. Our results reveal that, despite strong selection for resistance in a natural host population, genetic slippage after sexual reproduction can be a strong factor for the maintenance of genetic diversity of host resistance.

A diverse parasite pool can improve effectiveness of biological control constrained by genotype-by-genotype interactions.

The outcomes of biological control programs can be highly variable, with natural enemies often failing to establish or spread in pest populations. This variability has posed a major obstacle in use of the bacterial parasite Pasteuria penetrans for biological control of Meloidogyne species, economically devastating plant-parasitic nematodes for which there are limited management options. A leading hypothesis for this variability in control is that infection is successful only for specific combinations of bacterial and nematode genotypes. Under this hypothesis, failure of biological control results from the use of P. penetrans genotypes that cannot infect local Meloidogyne genotypes. We tested this hypothesis using isofemale lines of M. arenaria derived from a single field population and multiple sources of P. penetrans from the same and nearby fields. In strong support of the hypothesis, susceptibility to infection depended on the specific combination of host line and parasite source, with lines of M. arenaria varying substantially in which P. penetrans source could infect them. In light of this result, we tested whether using a diverse pool of P. penetrans could increase infection and thereby control. We found that increasing the diversity of the P. penetrans inoculum from one to eight sources more than doubled the fraction of M. arenaria individuals susceptible to infection and reduced variation in susceptibility across host lines. Together, our results highlight genotype-by-genotype specificity as an important cause of variation in biological control and call for the maintenance of genetic diversity in natural enemy populations.

Impact of different oral treatments on the composition of the supragingival plaque microbiome

ABSTRACT Background Antiseptics are used to inhibit oral biofilm growth. However, they affect not only pathogenic but also commensal bacteria, which are a natural barrier against oral diseases. Objective Using a metaproteome approach combined with a standard plaque-regrowth study, this pilot study examined the impact of different concentrations of lactoperoxidase (LPO)-system containing lozenges on early plaque formation, and active biological processes. Design Sixteen orally healthy subjects received four local treatments as a randomized single-blind study based on a cross-over design. Two lozenges containing components of the LPO-system in different concentrations were compared to a placebo and Listerine®. The newly formed dental plaque was analyzed by mass spectrometry (nLC-MS/MS). Results On average 1,916 metaproteins per sample were identified, which could be assigned to 116 genera and 1,316 protein functions. Listerine® reduced the number of metaprotein groups and their relative abundance, confirming the plaque inhibiting effect. The LPO-lozenges triggered mainly higher metaprotein abundances of early and secondary colonizers as well as bacteria associated with dental health but also periodontitis. Functional information indicated plaque biofilm growth. Conclusion The effects of Listerine® and LPO-system containing lozenges used for plaque inhibition are different. In contrast to Listerine®, the lozenges allowed maintenance of a higher bacterial diversity.

Combining the preferences of residents for neighborhood green spaces and conservation of avian diversity: Case study from Beijing

Cities in China support higher human population densities compared to those in western countries; consequently, the high pressure placed on cultural ecosystem services (CES) provision of residential green spaces might hinder overall human wellbeing and the maintenance of avian diversity. Thus, this study aimed to identify how to meet the main preferences of citizens for residential green spaces while simultaneously enhancing bird diversity in city neighborhoods, generating a win-win scenario for human needs and biodiversity. This study was implemented using 568 questionnaires for residents and GLMM for bird-environment statistical analyses. Residents in Beijing preferred higher levels of bird species richness than individual abundance in neighborhoods. Residential green space appeared to serve as the movement corridor for some rare species, indicating the importance of promoting the presence of migrant bird guilds, which is currently incidental. The cultivation of fruit-bearing shrubby plants was supported by most city residents, and would also promote the presence of migratory birds in green spaces. In contrast, while increasing the width of residential green spaces would benefit migratory birds, it had less public support. This multi-disciplinary study clearly demonstrated that both the quality of life of humans in cities and biodiversity conservation could be efficiently incorporated in green space plans, even under highly urbanized circumstances.