Pielou Evenness Research Articles

Effect of Soil Environment on Species Diversity of Desert Plant Communities.

Desert ecosystems possess an astonishing biodiversity and are rich in endangered species. This study investigated characteristics of species diversity and soil environmental factors in three major deserts of China's Alxa Plateau. The Alxa Desert included 183 plant species belonging to 109 genera and 35 families. The highest numbers of plant species belonged to the Compositae, Gramineae, and Chenopodiaceae families. The research area belongs to the semi-shrub and small semi-shrub deserts in temperate deserts. Species diversity was low, with the Shannon-Wiener index (H') of shrub-herb = shrub > herb > tree. The Pielou evenness index (E) of shrub herb vegetation was the lowest, indicating more enriched species and fewer sparse species in the community, and that these types of vegetation had the characteristics of rich and obviously dominant species. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and correlations between the comprehensive plant community biodiversity index and soil factors indicated that soil-available phosphorus (NP), organic matter (SOM), and electrical conductivity (EC) had significant impacts on community species diversity. The herbaceous shrub community exhibited the highest H', Simpson index (D), species richness index (S), soil moisture (SW), and soil nutrients. Planting Calligonum mongolicum, Ephedra membranacea, Artemisia annua, and Phragmites australis to form a typical desert shrub community for community diversity protection is recommended to effectively protect and restore desert ecosystems.

Inventory of leafhoppers in irrigated rice in Tamil Nadu

Leafhoppers diversity was studied in irrigated rice ecosystems of Cauvery Delta Zone, High Rainfall Zone and Western Zone. Leafhopper assemblage comprised 14 species of Cicadellidae and among them Maiestas dorsalis (Motschulsky) was found to be the most abundant species (35.02%), followed by Cofana spectra (Distant) (23.15%). The order of species diversity in the observed districts were Western Zone (13 species) > High Rainfall Zone (8 species) > Cauvery Delta Zone (4 species). Shannon Weiner Index revealed a higher diversity in High Rainfall Zone and Western Zone (H'= 1.77 > 1.76). Margalef's Index of species richness was observed highest in Western Zone (a = 1.93). Pielou's Evenness Index was found to be almost similar for Western Zone (0.30) and Cauvery Delta Zone (0.29) while High Rainfall Zone exhibited highest evenness (0.37). Jaccard index of similarity of 50% (highest) was observed between Western Zone and Kanyakumari, Cauvery Delta Zone and High Rainfall Zone. Berger-Parker Index of dominance (D) revealed M. dorsalis to be the most dominant in Western Zone (0.25) and Cauvery Delta Zone (0.66) while High Rainfall Zone showed a high dominance of Nephotettix nigropictus (Stål) (0.27). Among the leafhoppers studied Balclutha incisa (Matsumura), Cicadulina bipunctata (Melichar), Empoascanara maculifrons (Motschulsky), Exitianus sp., Thomsonia porrecta (Walker) were recorded for the first time in rice ecosystem of Tamil Nadu. The present study will be a baseline information on the diversity of leafhoppers in irrigated rice of Tamil Nadu and will complement the data collected in the future to gain a holistic understanding on the leafhopper diversity of Tamil Nadu.

Walnut consumption and gut microbial metabolism: Results of an exploratory analysis from a randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding study

The effect of walnut-related modulation of gut microbiota composition on microbiota functionality is unknown. The aim was to characterize the effect of a walnut-enriched diet (WD), compared to a fatty acid-matched diet devoid of walnuts (WFMD) and a diet where oleic acid replaces alpha-linolenic acid (ORAD), on bacterial gene expression. A 3-period, randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding study was conducted. Participants were provided a 2-week run-in standard western diet (SWD; 50% kcal carbohydrate, 16% protein, 34% fat, 12% SFA). Following the SWD in random sequence order, participants were provided the WD, WFMD, and ORAD (48% carbohydrate; 17% protein; fat 35%; 7% SFA). The WD contained 18% of energy from walnuts (57g/d/2100kcal). The WFMD and ORAD were devoid of walnuts; liquid non-tropical plant oils were included in these diets. Metatranscriptomic analyses were performed as an exploratory outcome. The analytical sample included 35 participants (40% female) with a mean±SD age of 43±10y and BMI of 30.3±4.9kg/m2. The ⍺-diversity of taxa actively expressing genes, assessed by observed species (p=0.27) and Pielou's Evenness (p=0.09), did not differ among the diets. The ⍺-diversity of actively expressed genes was greater following the WD compared to the WFMD and ORAD as assessed by the observed genes and Pielou's Evenness metrics (p<0.05). β-Diversity of the actively expressed genes differed following the WD compared to the WFMD (p=0.001) and ORAD (p=0.001); β-diversity did not differ between the WFMD and ORAD. Active composition analyses showed increased Gordonibacter (p<0.001) activity following the WD vs. the ORAD. Greater expression of many genes was observed following the WD compared to the WFMD and ORAD. Following the WD, greater expression of metabolism-related genes encoding glycine amidinotransferase (GATM; K00613) and arginine deiminase (K01478) was observed compared to the WFMD. Greater expression of glycine amidinotransferase (GATM; K00613) by Gordonibacter was also observed following the WD vs. the WFMD and ORAD. Our results suggest walnut intake may increase endogenous production of homoarginine through gut microbiota-mediated upregulation of GATM, which is a novel mechanism by which walnuts may lower cardiovascular disease risk. However, given the exploratory nature replication is needed. Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02210767).

Effects of Eimeria maxima infection doses on growth performance and gut health in dual-infection model of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the different doses of Eimeria maxima (EM) oocysts on growth performance and intestinal health in broiler chickens challenged with a dual infection model of necrotic enteritis (NE) using EM and NetB+ Clostridium perfringens (CP). A total of 432 fourteen-d-old male Cobb 500 broiler chickens were divided into 6 groups with 6 replicates each. The six different groups were as follows: Control, non-challenged; T0+, challenged with CP at 1 × 109 colony forming unit; T5K+, T0+ + 5,000 EM oocysts; T10K+, T0+ + 10,000 EM oocysts; T20K+; T0+ + 20,000 EM oocysts; and T40K+; T0+ + 40,000 EM oocysts. The challenge groups were orally inoculated with EM strain 41A on d 14, followed by NetB+ CP strain Del-1 on 4days post inoculation (dpi). Increasing EM oocysts decreased d 21 body weight, body weight gain, feed intake (linear and quadratic, p < 0.001), and feed efficiency (linear, p < 0.001) from 0 to 7 dpi. Increasing EM oocysts increased jejunal NE lesion score and intestinal permeability on 5, 6, and 7 dpi (linear, p < 0.05). On 7 dpi, increasing the infection doses of EM oocysts increased jejunal CP colony counts (linear, p < 0.05) and increased fecal EM oocyst output (linear and quadratic, p < 0.001). Furthermore, increasing the infection doses of EM oocysts decreased the villus height to crypt depth ratios and the goblet cell counts (linear, p < 0.05) on 6 dpi. Increasing EM oocysts downregulated the expression of MUC2, B0AT, B0,+AT, PepT1, GLUT2, AvBD3 and 9, LEAP2, and TLR4, while upregulating CLDN1, CATHL3, IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNFSF15, TNF-α, IL-10, and Gam56 and 82 on 6dpi (linear, p < 0.05). Additionally, increasing EM oocysts decreased Pielou's evenness and Shannon's entropy (linear, p < 0.01). In conclusion, increasing the infection doses of EM significantly aggravated the severity of NE and exerted negative impact on intestinal health from 5 to 7 dpi.

Seasonal distribution of solitary and colonial benthic ascidians (Chordata) with ecological gradients in and around Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

AbstractAscidians are rapidly emerging biofouling organisms that generally occur on the natural and artificial substratum of the marine environment. However, very few studies have been reported on their species diversity and distribution patterns. This present investigation focuses on the seasonal impact on ascidians diversity. The distributions of ascidians were recorded by the collection of samples in six sampling stations from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A total of 43 species of ascidians (32 colonial, 11 solitary) were recorded and most of the species are under the Didemnidae family. Various diversity indexes were utilized to examine the diversity, richness and evenness of species and to look at the assorted variety among tests and their likeness regarding species composition. The greatest (3.227) individuals were observed during summer season in Pigeon Island and the lowest (2.063) number of species were recorded during the monsoon season in Haddowharf harbour. The Margalef richness (d) fluctuated between in the range of 2.033 and 5.53 during the monsoon in Haddowharf harbour and Carbyns Cove beach in summer seasons. The Pielou's evenness record (J′) changed from 0.7409 to 0.9713. Diversity indexes were recorded as followed the order of 0.9642, 0.9552, 0.9482 and 0.9292 at Carbyns Cove shoreline, Burmanella, Pigeon Island and Campbell Bay individually during summer season. Present findings in the cluster examination uncovered that the species at various stations have framed four gatherings. Most elevated species rates were spread in summer. Field observation shows that species distribution is able to tolerate temperature ranges of 26.9–30.3°C and salinity of 32.1–34.64 ppt. Occasional examples of space occupation by colonial ascidians corresponded with seasonal changes in seawater temperature and salinity.

Vertical variability in the diversity and abundance of fish larvae in a shallow tropical estuary in Southern Gulf of Mexico

Vertical migration in ichthyoplankton is relevant for its survive and it has been documented in estuaries with more than 10 m depth. In shallow estuaries this process is unknow or not supposed since no environmental stratification is assumed. The objective of this research is to investigate the vertical variability of fish larvae assemblages in shallow tropical estuarine zones. The model study site was the estuarine area of the San Pedro y San Pablo River located east of the Centla Wetland Biosphere Reserve in the Gulf of Mexico. The experimental design includes depth (bottom-surface), habitat type (coast-low complexity and mangrove-high complexity), circadian cycle (sunrise–midday–sunset–night), and season (dry-rainy). The ichthyoplankton were collected using a supporting net (150 cm in length, 50 cm mouth diameter, 400μm mesh size) device for simultaneous collection on the surface and bottom. Circular tows (2.7–4 km/h) were carried out for 5 min. A total of 40,968 fish larvae were collected, belonging to 13 orders, 26 families, and 38 species. The highest larval abundance expressed as mean density (693 ± 916 ind/m3), richness (4.57 ± 3.46), Shannon-Wiener diversity (1.05 ± 48.48), and Pielou evenness (0.88 ± 0.3) were recorded in the bottom. The variance component analysis indicated that the most important factors to explain the larval abundance was the depth (15.55%), the period of the day (11.20 %) and the interaction between all factors (10.51 %). Fish larvae species as Achirus lineatus, Trinectes maculatus, Etropus crossotus, and Symphurus civitatium occupied only the bottom. Despite the low depth, a vertical stratification was observed in the physicochemical parameters, especially in the salinity, being greater in the bottom than in the surface during the two seasons and habitat type and it was related with higher values of abundance, richness, and diversity of ichthyoplankton.

Characteristics of fish community structure and environmental driving factors in Taihu Lake during the first year of fishing ban.

Taihu Lake has officially implemented the full fishing ban policy since October 1, 2020. We investigated fish community of Taihu Lake in the four seasons of 2020. A total of 42 fish species were collected, belonging to 6 orders, 7 families, and 33 genera. The first five dominant species ranked by the index of relative importance were Coilia nasus, Toxabramis swinhonis, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, and Salangichthys tangkahkeii. The number of C. nasus accounted for 85.1% of the total number of catches. According to the distributional characteristics of cyanobacterial blooms and aquatic plants, Taihu Lake could be divided into the northern, central, and eastern regions. There was no significant difference in catch per unit effort (CPUE) among different lake regions, but Shannon diversity index and Pielou evenness index in the eastern region was greater than in the other two regions. The CPUE, Shannon diversity index, and Pielou evenness index were significantly different among the four seasons, with the lowest CPUE in autumn and higher diversity in autumn and winter than in spring and summer. Electrical conductivity, water depth, chloride, and transparency were the main environmental factors driving the seasonal variations of fish community in Taihu Lake, while electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity, and transparency were key variables driving the spatial patterns. The results could be used as the baseline data for fish community studies in Taihu Lake after the fishing ban.

The composition of planktonic prokaryotic communities in a hospital building water system depends on both incoming water and flow dynamics.

In recent years, the frequency of nosocomial infections has increased. Hospital water systems support the growth of microbes, especially opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens. In this study, planktonic prokaryotic communities present in water samples taken from hospital showers and hand basins, collected over three different sampling phases, were characterized by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Significant differences in the abundance of various prokaryotic taxa were found through univariate and multivariate analysis. Overall, the prokaryotic communities of hospital water were taxonomically diverse and dominated by biofilm forming, corrosion causing, and potentially pathogenic bacteria. The phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Planctomycetota, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria made up 96% of the relative abundance. The α-diversity measurements of prokaryotic communities showed no difference in taxa evenness and richness based on sampling sites (shower or hand basins), sampling phases (months), and presence or absence of Vermamoeba vermiformis. However, β-diversity measurements showed significant clustering of prokaryotic communities based on sampling phases, with the greatest difference observed between the samples collected in phase 1vs phase 2/3. Importantly, significant difference was observed in prokaryotic communities based on flow dynamics of the incoming water. The Pielou's evenness diversity index revealed a significant difference (Kruskal Wallis, p < 0.05) and showed higher species richness in low flow regime (< 13 minutes water flushing per week and ≤ 765 flushing events per six months). Similarly, Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index found significant differences (PERMANOVA, p < 0.05) in the prokaryotic communities of low vs medium/high flow regimes. Furthermore, linear discriminant analysis effect size showed that several biofilm forming (e.g., Pseudomonadales), corrosion causing (e.g., Desulfobacterales), extremely environmental stress resistant (e.g., Deinococcales), and potentially pathogenic (e.g., Pseudomonas) bacterial taxa were in higher amounts under low flow regime conditions. This study demonstrated that a hospital building water system consists of a complex microbiome that is shaped by incoming water quality and the building flow dynamics arising through usage.

Compatibility predictive model for regeneration quantities of Larix gmelinii natural forest in Daxing'anling Mountains, China.

The natural regeneration grade is an important foundation for formulating forest management measures. Traditional studies have only considered the regeneration quantities predictive model of the total stand or dominant tree species, but the consistency among the prediction results of different tree species and the total regeneration quantities of stand is not solved. That is, the regeneration prediction results at the stand level are not equal to the sum of the predicted results of all tree species. To address this, on the basis of the traditional counting model, we attempted to construct a compatibility predictive model for regeneration quantities of different tree species within the stand, which would provide a theoretical basis for the rational management and decision-making of natural forest. Based on the survey data from 96 standard plots of Cuigang Forest Farm, Xinlin Forest Farm, and Zhuangzhi Forest Farm in Daxing'an Mountains, we selected 30 basic indices from five aspects of site factor, soil factor, stand factor, tree diversity and stand spatial structure, and used Poisson model and negative binomial model as the basic models to construct the regeneration prediction models of Larix gmelinii, Betula platyphylla and other tree species. By comparing the accuracy and fitting effect of the two traditional counting models, we selected the optimal model and used the seemingly unrelated regressions to further construct the compatibility predictive model for regeneration quantities of different tree species. Poisson model was the best one for the regeneration of L. gmelinii, B. platyphylla, and other tree species. The test index RMSE of the compatibility predictive model for regeneration quantities of L. gmelinii, B. platyphylla, other tree species and total stand regeneration quantities were 388, 413, 504, and 871 trees·hm-2, respectively. The adjusted R2 was 0.389, 0.421, 0.488, and 0.407, respectively. The most influential variables for regeneration quantities of L. gmelinii, B. platyphylla and other tree species were Pielou evenness index of DBH (25.2%), herbal coverage (34.6%) and organic matter in B layer (23.2%). In this study, the compatibility predictive model system for regeneration quantities satisfied the additive logic among L. gmelinii, B. platyphylla, other tree species, and total stands, and provided a basis for accurately estimating natural regeneration.

Effects of clearcutting on species composition and community renewal of Rhododendron shrubs in northwest Guizhou Province, China

Tree base sprouting is the main reproduction and expansion mode of Rhododendron plants. By leveraging the plot survey method, the species composition, community renewal, and species diversity in three Rhododendron shrub communities in control, and before and after clearcutting (CK, D3yr, and D6yr, respectively) were studied. Moreover, the dissimilarity of Rhododendron communities in CK, D3yr and D6yr were analyzed. The results showed that there were 26 plant species belonging to 14 families and 22 genera, in 3 communities in total, with 19 species of shrub plants and 7 species of herbaceous plants. The number of species increased from 13 in CK to 23 in D3yr and then decreased to 20 in D6yr. The height and coverage of D3yr and D6yr reached 39.3% and 58.9% of that of CK, respectively. The relative height of CK, D3yr, and D6yr was 43.79%, 65.4%, and 58.54%, respectively. The coverage of D3yr and D6yr reached 60.8% and 114.70% of that of CK, respectively. The relative coverage of CK, D3yr, and D6yr was 19.05%, 83.24%, and 77.32%, respectively. The important value of Rhododendron plants in the communities increased from 0.42 in CK to 0.74 in D3yr, and then decreased to 0.67 in D6yr. The α diversity in the shrub layer of D3yr and D6yr were generally lower than those of CK except Pielou evenness index. The β diversity indicates that the similarity between CK and D3yr was lower, that between CK and D6yr was moderate, and that between D3yr and D6yr was higher. The sprouting height and coverage of Rhododendron plants was significantly correlated with age and sprouting time. The sprouting ability of Rhododendron plants increased first and then decreased with age, while the sprouting ability of Rhododendron plants with age of 10–12 years was the strongest. Clearcutting measures can improve the dominance of Rhododendron plants in the communities, promote the sprouting and renewal of Rhododendron population, and accelerate the succession rate of communities.

Planktonic archaea reveal stronger dispersal limitation and more network connectivity than planktonic bacteria in the Jinsha River of southwestern China

Abstract Planktonic archaea and bacteria play important roles in biogeochemical cycling, but their biogeographical patterns and underlying ecological processes remain poorly understood, particularly in large‐scale rivers. We collected 43 water samples covering a 2279 km reach of the Jinsha River, one of the largest rivers in southwest China, and performed high‐throughput sequencing analysis on planktonic archaeal and bacterial communities. Partial Mantel analysis and neutral model were used to assess the factors influencing microbial distributions. The associations among different microbial species and their geographical distribution patterns were linked through co‐occurrence networks, and the putative key taxa in the archaeal and bacterial networks were analysed. The Shannon index of both archaeal and bacterial communities was highest in the midstream reach. The Pielou's evenness of archaea did not vary among the three reaches, whereas those of bacteria increased from upstream to downstream. The archaeal and bacterial community compositions were significantly different in the three reaches, but the differences among the bacterial communities were greater than among the archaeal communities. Both dispersal limitation and environmental selection affected the community compositions of the archaea and bacteria, but dispersal limitation was the most influential factor. Compared to archaea, bacteria were less affected by dispersal limitation and more by environmental selection. The co‐occurrence network analysis demonstrated that, compared with the bacterial network of all sites, the archaeal network with larger graph density had higher connectivity and complexity, but a lower proportion of negative correlations. The putative key taxa belonged to Nitrososphaeraceae and Candidatus_Nitrocosmicus from the archaeal community, and Hydrogenophaga and Sphingorhabdus from the bacterial community. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that the planktonic archaea were more dispersal‐limited and showed more network connectivity than the planktonic bacteria in the Jinsha River. This study enhances our understanding of the biogeographical distribution patterns and underlying ecological processes of planktonic microorganisms over large‐scale freshwater systems.

Taxon-specific effects of seasonal variation and water connectivity on the diversity of phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic organisms in urban wetland

Climate change and human activities have altered the water environment and affected the community structure of aquatic organisms. Few studies have focused on the specific responses of multiple aquatic organisms, and their interactions, to environmental factors, particularly in urban wetland ecosystems. To address this gap, this study aimed to investigate the effects of seasonal variation and water connectivity on water properties and aquatic organisms in the Xixi wetland in Zhejiang Province, China. The results demonstrated that water properties showed significant differences with changes in the season and water connectivity, and the species richness, Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson diversity and Pielou evenness of aquatic organisms varied seasonally in riverways and ponds. Meanwhile, the response of various organisms to environmental factors was inconsistent. Dissolved oxygen and suspended solids greatly influenced phytoplankton, while water temperature was the principal factor affecting the diversity of zooplankton and benthic organisms. The partial least squares path model revealed that water properties had a significant direct positive effect on the diversity of the phytoplankton community, while it had a distinct direct negative effect on zooplankton community. Environmental factors influenced the diversity of benthic organisms through a trade-off way: directly through a significant negative effect on the benthic organisms, and through a significant positive effect on the phytoplankton, further influencing the benthic community in a significantly positive way. This study highlights the understanding of the patterns and underlying mechanisms of freshwater aquatic biodiversity, and the interaction of phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic organisms to water environmental factors in freshwater ecosystems.

Differences in Juniperus przewalskii Rhizosphere Microbiomes across Age Classes: Community Diversity and Assembly.

Evidence shows that biotic and abiotic factors have apparent diversity at different forest ages, leading to changes in rhizosphere microbiomes. However, the difference in diversity, co-occurrence pattern, and assembly of the rhizosphere microbial community among the different forest ages is still unclear. A total of 24 Juniperus przewalskii rhizosphere soil samples were selected from four representative age classes, using diameter at breast height (DBH) as a proxy for tree age (age class I: 5 < DBH ≤ 12.5 cm, age class II: 12.5 < DBH ≤ 22.5 cm, age class III: 22.5 < DBH ≤ 32.5 cm, and age class IV: DBH > 32.5 cm), and analyzed the structural characteristics of the soil microbial community by high-throughput amplicon sequencing. With the increase in age class, the microbial community α-diversity and β-diversity had an increased trend. The bacterial Shannon index in class II and class III were markedly higher than in class I. From class I to class IV, the relative abundances of dominant phyla such as Actinobacteria and Ascomycota decreased, and the relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Basidiomycota increased in contrast. The complexity and association stability of the bacteria and fungi community network structure increase with forest age. Stochastic processes mediated the assembly of soil bacterial communities, while deterministic processes played a more significant role in the assembly of fungal communities. In addition, the relative importance of deterministic components in the microbial community increased significantly with age class. Random forests suggested that soil pH, plant Shannon-Wiener index (H), and Pielou's evenness index (J) were the most important driving factors of bacterial and fungal community assembly. Overall, these results provide information useful for understanding the generation and maintenance mechanisms of rhizosphere microbial communities across age classes.

Trophic status determination of the Egyptian Eastern Mediterranean Sea based on phytoplankton diversity and their biochemical contents

The present study attempted to test the applicability of using phytoplankton as a bioindicator for assessing water quality along the Eastern Alexandria coast, Egypt. Eight stations were selected to cover the different characteristics of seawater during the summer 2022. Six algal groups were detected in different ratios: Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Dinophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Silicoflagellata, and Euglenophyceae. Phytoplankton abundance was found highest at the Port Said (PS) beach, and the lowest abundance was detected at Ras El Bar (RB) beach. According to the evaluation of phytoplankton abundance, all the studied stations are oligotrophic state except PS was eutrophic. Based on Chl a concentration, the selected stations could be described as good-bad from west to east. The Shannon diversity and Pielou evenness indexes classified the studied stations as being moderate pollution except for PS and RB stations. The existence of organic pollution indicators species like Navicula, Synedra, and Euglena is a warning indication of the declining water quality especially in B and M stations. The biochemical compositions of the collected phytoplankton were spatial fluctuated. Protein and carbohydrates were the dominant macromolecules in the phytoplankton community compared with lipids. These macromolecules are used to assess trophic states whereas the ratio between protein and carbohydrate > 1 represents a healthy coast as observed in some stations. Thus, phytoplankton should be considered a bioindicator within Water Framework Directive monitoring programs for the Mediterranean Sea. For the long-term monitoring of the Mediterranean Sea’s ecosystem, it is recommended that the macromolecules of phytoplankton should be determined.

Viability of zooplankton resting eggs in rice field sediment after pesticide applications.

Many herbicide products are commonly used in agricultural areas to prevent and eliminate weeds. Contamination from these toxicants in water might affect aquatic organisms not only in the active stage, but also in the diapause stage. To test the effect of herbicide on the resting eggs of zooplankton, we prepared two rice fields: one field without the application of pesticides (RF-NPA) and one with the application of pesticides (RF-PA) in a sampling year. We conducted a hatching experiment for 30 days. Twenty-four taxa of zooplankton were found. Sixteen species of these were rotifers, seven species were cladocerans and one taxon was an unidentified nauplius copepod. The species richness of zooplankton between RF-NPA (17 taxa) and RF-PA (16 taxa) was close, but species compositions between RF-NPA and RF-PA were different, indicated by the similarity index of 0.545. Lecanidae was the most diverse family of rotifers in both rice fields with nine species, while Chydoridae was the most diverse family of cladocerans (four species). The total abundance of zooplankton of RF-NPA was higher than RF-PA with 1,897 and 1,286 individuals, respectively. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H´) and Pielou's evenness (J) in RF-NPA were higher than in RF-PA. The high species richness of zooplankton in both rice fields occurred on days 18 to 30. On the other hand, the highest abundance was recorded on day 18 for RF-NPA and on day 24 for RF-PA. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) demonstrated significant differences in zooplankton community composition between RF-NPA and RF-PA (p < 0.05; ANOSIM test). According to the diversity indices, the RF-NPA has more diversity than the RF-PA, which might be a result of herbicide application in the sampling year. This study suggests that the toxicity of glyphosate should be a concern in terms of the biodiversity of rice field ecosystems.

Plants alter their aboveground and belowground biomass allocation and affect community-level resistance in response to snow cover change in Central Asia, Northwest China

It is important to elucidate the changing distribution pattern of net primary productivity (NPP) to mechanistically understand the changes in aboveground and belowground ecosystem functions. In water-scarce desert environments, snow provides a crucial supply of water for plant development and the spread of herbaceous species. Yet uncertainty persists regarding how herbaceous plants' NPP allocation responds to variation in snow cover. The goal of this study was to investigate how variation in snow cover in a temperate desert influenced the NPP allocation dynamics of herbaceous species and their resistance to environmental change in terms aboveground and belowground productivity. In the Gurbantunggut Desert, wintertime snow cover depth was adjusted in plots by applying four treatments: snow removal (−S), ambient snow, double snow (+S), and triple snow (+2S). We examined their species richness, aboveground NPP (ANPP), belowground NPP (BNPP), and the resistance of ANPP and BNPP. We found that species diversity of the aboveground community increased significantly with increasing snow cover and decreased significantly Pielou evenness in plots. This resulted in greater ANPP with increasing snow cover; meanwhile, BNPP first increased and then decreased with increasing snow cover. However, this productivity in different soil layers responded differently to changed snow cover. In the 0–10 cm soil layer, productivity first rose and then declined, while it declined linearly in both the 10–20 cm and 20–30 cm soil layers, whereas in the 30–40 cm soil layer it showed an increasing trend. Belowground resistance would increase given that greater snow cover improved the BNPP in deeper soil and maintained the resource provisioning for plant growth, thus improving overall belowground stability. These results can serve as a promising research foundation for future work on how the functioning of desert ecosystems becomes altered due to changes in plant community expansion and, in particular, changes in snow cover driven by global climate change.

Current status and threats to fish biodiversity of Pailati beel, Bangladesh

To evaluate the current status of fish biodiversity, a study was carried out in the Pailati beel. It was carried out using key informant interviews (KII), focus group discussions (FGD), questionnaire interviews (QI) of fishermen, and secondary data collection. This water body comprised a total of 55 species, 23 families, and 10 orders, with 20% of the species being abundantly available, 40% of the species being commonly available, 29.09% of the species being moderately available, and 10.90% of the species being rarely available. Barbs and minnows (20%) were discovered to be the most common species, followed by carps (16.36%), catfishes (14.36%), and perches (14.55%). The most dominant order was the cypriniformes (38.18%), followed by the perciformes (20%) and the siluriformes (16.36%). Synbranchiformes, Clupeiformes, Osteoglossiformes, Beloniformes, Decapoda, and Anabantiformes made up the remaining seven classes. The values of the indices for Simpson dominance (C), Pielou's evenness (J'), Shannon-Weaver diversity (H), and Margalef's richness (d) in December, January, and February, respectively, were 0.91, 0.443, 3.25, 5.81, 0.94, 0.451, 3.29, and 5.95. Therefore, the results could be used to design and put into action plans that help to maintain the wetlands in a sustainable way.

Tree diversity and regeneration dynamics toward forest conservation and environmental sustainability: A case study from Nawabganj Sal Forest, Bangladesh

The objective of this study was to examine the regeneration dynamics and population structure of the most prevalent tree species, Shorea robusta (Sal), alongside four other dominant tree species (Tectona grandis, Syzygium cumini, Trema orientale, and Cassia fistula) in the Nawabganj Sal Forest in Bangladesh. The regeneration status and tree diversity of all documented tree species were assessed using a simple random sampling technique. Among the 30 species, 5 species (Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Trema orientale, Gmelina arborea, and Artocarpus heterophyllus) exhibited favorable regeneration state, whereas 15 species had moderate regeneration status. However, the absence of the condition 'no regeneration' was due to the absence of the adult stage, which resulted in the absence of seedlings and saplings. The quantity of seedlings was greater during the rainy season compared to the dry season. The girth class distribution of Shorea robusta and all other studied tree species combined exhibited a reverse J-shaped population curve. There was a decline in tree density as the girth class increased, and trees with a larger girth class accounted for 34 individuals per hectare, indicating a strong ongoing regeneration capability. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpson's dominance index, Pielou's evenness index, and Margalaf's species richness index had values of 0.223, 0.937, 0.077, and 2.249, respectively. These values imply a limited diversity of tree species in the examined forest. Shorea robusta has the highest dominance (m²/ha), followed by Tectona grandis (0.091), Syzygium cumini (0.087), Trema orientale (0.022), and Cassia fistula (0.008). The cumulative basal area of the tree species examined amounted to 40.04 m²/ha, with Shorea robusta accounting for 39.81 m²/ha. This indicates that Sal is the prevailing tree species in the forest. Nevertheless, this study offers fundamental data regarding the current condition of the tropical Sal Forest toward forest conservation and environmental sustainability.

Eggplant-garlic intercrops reduce the density of Tetranychus urticae on eggplant and improve crop yield.

Diversification of cultivation systems plays a critical role in ecosystem functions such as pest control, diversity of beneficial arthropods, and soil fertility. Repellent plants (releasing volatile organic compounds as arthropod repellents and providing alternative prey for natural enemies) may be used in an intercropping system for pest control; however, little is known concerning their relative priority. In this study, the impact of intercropping eggplant (E) (Solanum melongena L.) and garlic (G) (Allium sativum L.) in three designs -with row ratios of 4E:4G, 4E:8G, or 4E:12G -was assessed on the density of the two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) (Tetranychus urticae Koch), the abundance and diversity of predators, and crop yields, compared with the sole crops over two growing seasons of 2019 and 2020. In three intercrops, a significant decrease in the density of TSSM egg and mobile stages was observed compared with the sole eggplant at each growth stage of eggplant. The damage index by TSSM on eggplants was lower in intercrops (8.1-11.5%) compared with sole crop (37.0-40.3%) in the two seasons. The abundance of Stethorus gilvifrons was lower in the three intercrops than in the sole crop on the blooming-initial fruit set and the fruit development stages of eggplant. The density of Orius niger was higher in the three intercrops compared with the sole crop on vegetative growth and flowering to initial fruit set stages of eggplants. The abundance of Chrysoperla carnea was not significant among treatments. Greater values of the Shannon diversity index and the Pielou's evenness index for the construction of TSSM predators were recorded in the three intercrops compared with the sole eggplant over both growing seasons. In addition, a significant improvement in the yield per unit area of eggplant and garlic was obtained in intercrops compared with sole crops. These results indicate intercropping eggplant and garlic was a practical solution for reducing TSSM on eggplant, promoting the abundance of predators, and improving the crop yields of eggplant and garlic compared with the sole crops.

Long-term potassium-competitive acid blockers administration causes microbiota changes in rats.

Vonoprazan is a new potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) that was recently approved by the FDA. It is associated with a fast onset of action and a longer acid inhibition time. Vonoprazan-containing therapy for helicobacter pylori eradication is highly effective and several studies have demonstrated that a vonoprazan-antibiotic regimen affects gut microbiota. However, the impact of vonoprazan alone on gut microbiota is still unclear.Please check and confirm the authors (Maria Cristina Riascos, Hala Al Asadi) given name and family name are correct. Also, kindly confirm the details in the metadata are correct.Yes they are correct. METHODS: We conducted a prospective randomized 12-week experimental trial with 18 Wistar rats. Rats were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: (1) drinking water as negative control group, (2) oral vonoprazan (4mg/kg) for 12weeks, and (3) oral vonoprazan (4mg/kg) for 4weeks, followed by 8weeks off vonoprazan. To investigate gut microbiota, we carried out a metagenomic shotgun sequencing of fecal samples at week 0 and week 12.Please confirm the inserted city and country name is correct for affiliation 2.Yes it's correct. For alpha diversity metrics at week 12, both long and short vonoprazan groups had lower Pielou's evenness index than the control group (p = 0.019); however, observed operational taxonomic units (p = 0.332) and Shannon's diversity index (p = 0.070) were not statistically different between groups. Beta diversity was significantly different in the three groups, using Bray-Curtis (p = 0.003) and Jaccard distances (p = 0.002). At week 12, differences in relative abundance were observed at all levels. At phylum level, short vonoprazan group had less of Actinobacteria (log fold change = -1.88, adjusted p-value = 0.048) and Verrucomicrobia (lfc = -1.76, p = 0.009).Please check and confirm that the author (Ileana Miranda) and their respective affiliation 3 details have been correctly identified and amend if necessary.Yes it's correct. At the genus level, long vonoprazan group had more Bacteroidales (lfc = 5.01, p = 0.021) and Prevotella (lfc = 7.79, p = 0.001). At family level, long vonoprazan group had more Lactobacillaceae (lfc = 0.97, p = 0.001), Prevotellaceae (lfc = 8.01, p < 0.001), and less Erysipelotrichaceae (lfc = -2.9, p = 0.029). This study provides evidence that vonoprazan impacts the gut microbiota and permits a precise delineation of the composition and relative abundance of the bacteria at all different taxonomic levels.