Regional Red Lists Research Articles

Bridging Knowledge and Data Gaps in Odonata Rarity: A South Korean Case Study Using Multispecies Occupancy Models and the Rabinowitz Framework

Accurate assessment of species rarity and conservation status requires an approach that integrates data-driven models with established ecological knowledge. In this study, we applied multispecies occupancy (MSO) and latent factor multispecies occupancy (LFMSO) models to estimate the occurrence of 133 Odonata species in South Korea. Using the model outputs, we implemented the Rabinowitz rarity framework to conduct data-based rarity assessments, which were then compared with known ecological information, including geographic ranges, habitat preferences, regional Red List statuses, and citizen science observations. Our findings reveal both alignments and discrepancies between these data-driven rarity assessments and traditional ecological knowledge. For example, species classified as near threatened (NT) or vulnerable (VU) on the regional Red List generally corresponded with high-rarity classifications based on the Rabinowitz framework. However, significant inconsistencies were identified, particularly for certain lentic Odonata species traditionally considered common. These results suggest that spatial biases in field surveys, combined with limited access to data on legally protected species, can impede accurate rarity assessments. These findings underscore the need for standardized survey protocols and improved data-sharing policies for sensitive species to reduce biases and enhance the reliability of rarity assessments. This is essential for effective conservation planning and biodiversity management in freshwater ecosystems.

Contribution of environmental DNA toward fungal Red Listing

In navigating the biodiversity crisis, a major uncertainty is the conservation status of inconspicuous, yet megadiverse and functionally crucial, soil organisms. Massive datasets on soil biota are accumulating through molecular sampling approaches, but to date these datasets have provided only limited input into conservation planning and management. We investigated how environmental DNA (eDNA) data of soil macrofungi contribute to regional Red List assessments, which are currently based on fruiting bodies (hereafter, fruit‐bodies). In our test region of Estonia (northern Europe), which contained ~15,000 fruit‐body records for 1583 assessed species, an average soil sample increased the range estimates of Threatened and Near Threatened fungal species by 0.18%. Five hundred soil samples almost doubled their known localities and added 19% previously unrecorded species. However, even after accumulating >1000 soil samples, about half of the Threatened and Near Threatened species known by fruit‐bodies remained undetected through eDNA techniques. Effective conservation assessment of soil fungi thus requires both fruit‐body and eDNA data; therefore, special efforts are needed to make these data available to conservationists.

Species richness, composition, distribution and conservation status of herpetofauna in a global hotspot: The Mountains of Southwest China

Herpetofauna have attracted considerable global attention due to their high risk of extinction. The Mountains of Southwest China are among the 36 global biodiversity hotspots due to their high biodiversity and irreplaceability, and the Shaluli Mountains are the core area of this region. However, the diversity and conservation status of herpetofauna in the Shaluli Mountains remain unclear. In this study, we updated the species richness and composition information of herpetofauna in the Shaluli Mountains based on extensive field expeditions, published literature, and museum specimens. In addition, we identified the local hotspots and key environmental factors limiting species distribution using environmental niche models (ENMs). Furthermore, we evaluated the conservation status of the key species via the Red List Index and gap analysis. Our results revealed a total of 68 herpetofauna species, representing 30 amphibians (21 genera in nine families) and 38 reptiles (19 genera in six families). The amphibian richness showed a hump-shaped pattern along the elevational gradient, while the reptile richness showed a monotonically decreasing pattern. The dry-hot river valley was identified as a local hotspot, and the key environmental factors limiting the richness of herpetofauna species differed. Moreover, the regional Red List indices for amphibians and reptiles were 0.87 and 0.8, respectively, showing that the overall threat level of this region was low. However, there are large conservation gaps in the protection of key species. Our study indicated that new protected areas should be established and the existing protected areas should be upgraded to protect herpetofauna with a large conservation gap.

High levels of species' extirpation in an urban environment-A case study from Berlin, Germany, covering 1700-2023.

Species loss is highly scale-dependent, following the species-area relationship. We analysed spatio-temporal patterns of species' extirpation on a multitaxonomic level using Berlin, the capital city of Germany. Berlin is one of the largest cities in Europe and has experienced a strong urbanisation trend since the late nineteenth century. We expected species' extirpation to be exceptionally high due to the long history of urbanisation. Analysing 37 regional Red Lists of Threatened Plants, Animals and Fungi of Berlin (covering 9498 species), we found that 16% of species were extirpated, a rate 5.9 times higher than at the German scale and 47.1 times higher than at the European scale. Species' extirpation in Berlin is comparable to that of another German city with a similarly broad taxonomic coverage, but much higher than in regional areas with less human impact. The documentation of species' extirpation started in the eighteenth century and is well documented for the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We found an average annual extirpation of 3.6 species in the nineteenth century, 9.6 species in the twentieth century and the same number of extirpated species as in the nineteenth century were documented in the twenty-first century, despite the much shorter time period. Our results showed that species' extirpation is higher at small than on large spatial scales, and might be negatively influenced by urbanisation, with different effects on different taxonomic groups and habitats. Over time, we found that species' extirpation is highest during periods of high human alterations and is negatively affected by the number of people living in the city. But, there is still a lack of data to decouple the size of the area and the human impact of urbanisation. However, cities might be suitable systems for studying species' extirpation processes due to their small scale and human impact.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation.

More than 70% of all vascular plants lack conservation status assessments. We aimed to address this shortfall in knowledge of species extinction risk by using the World Checklist of Vascular Plants to generate the first comprehensive set of predictions for a large clade: angiosperms (flowering plants, c. 330 000 species). We used Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) to predict the extinction risk of all angiosperms using predictors relating to range size, human footprint, climate, and evolutionary history and applied a novel approach to estimate uncertainty of individual species-level predictions. From our model predictions, we estimate 45.1% of angiosperm species are potentially threatened with a lower bound of 44.5% and upper bound of 45.7%. Our species-level predictions, with associated uncertainty estimates, do not replace full global, or regional Red List assessments, but can be used to prioritise predicted threatened species for full Red List assessment and fast-track predicted non-threatened species for Least Concern assessments. Our predictions and uncertainty estimates can also guide fieldwork, inform systematic conservation planning and support global plant conservation efforts and targets.

Species Diversity and Distribution of Artemia (Crustacea, Anostraca) in Iran: Historical Contexts and Updated Review

In light of the pivotal role of Artemia Leach, 1819 as food in larviculture and fisheries, it becomes imperative to continually reassess its resources and deepen our understanding of its species diversity. Such efforts are essential for the effective management of its commercial exploitation and the promotion of sustainable aquaculture activities. Here we present a comprehensive review of historical documents dating back to the X century and contemporary scholarly articles. The findings indicate the existence of 59 sites (natural resources and farming sites) across Iran where Artemia has been recorded. This is a significant increase from the 23 reported in the last checklist in 2016. The data indicate that regional A. urmiana Günther, 1899 occurrences warrant classification as “Critically Endangered” on the “Regional Red List” of Iran. Remarkably, apparently the Bazangan Lake has a natural population of Artemia, probably a consequence of climatic change. We highlight the threat posed to Artemia species diversity by the invasive American brine shrimp A. franciscana Kellogg, 1906, noting its presence in 12 locations compared to 7 in 2016. Preliminary studies suggest that the indigenous parthenogenetic Artemia lineages in Iran exhibit superior production potential when compared to both A. franciscana and the native A. urmiana. In light of these findings, the study recommends prioritizing the utilization of native parthenogenetic Artemia in aquaculture, to conserve Artemia biodiversity.

Assessing the ecological vulnerability of Western Atlantic marine benthic gastropods

Assessing the extinction risk in marine invertebrates poses serious challenges to conservation biology, due to the magnitude of marine biodiversity, the inaccessibility of most of the marine realm, and the lack of appropriate data on population dynamics and ecology for most species. However, simple life history traits have a huge potential for preliminary screening criteria for assessing large numbers of species whose status is harsh or impossible to evaluate. Body size and trophic position could be strong predictors of extinction risk providing a general framework for the assessment of species vulnerability. We analyzed the Body Size-Trophic Position (BS-TP) relationship along 1,067 genera representing 4,256 nominal species of western Atlantic benthic gastropods. We found that a carnivore diet characterizes 67% of the genera and that, supporting theoretical predictions, the probability of being carnivores as a function of size showed a unimodal trend. For species with adult body sizes larger than 5 cm, a negative association between trophic position and body size was detected. This result points to an energetic restriction for the viability of large species, implying that organisms placed near the BS-TP boundary are extremely vulnerable to environmental changes. With this result, 109 genera from 42 families of carnivore gastropods and 33 genera from 19 families of herbivore gastropods that may be more vulnerable from the analyzed perspective were identified and ranked. Supporting these results, while the most vulnerable genera are not represented in global IUCN assessments, all our ‘top 10’ vulnerable families are being considered in National or Regional Red Lists. Prior to conducting regional or global conservation assessments for invertebrate taxa, screening methods should be strongly considered.

Conservation successes and challenges for wide-ranging sharks and rays

Overfishing is the most significant threat facing sharks and rays. Given the growth in consumption of seafood, combined with the compounding effects of habitat loss, climate change, and pollution, there is a need to identify recovery paths, particularly in poorly managed and poorly monitored fisheries. Here, we document conservation through fisheries management success for 11 coastal sharks in US waters by comparing population trends through a Bayesian state-space model before and after the implementation of the 1993 Fisheries Management Plan for Sharks. We took advantage of the spatial and temporal gradients in fishing exposure and fisheries management in the Western Atlantic to analyze the effect on the Red List status of all 26 wide-ranging coastal sharks and rays. We show that extinction risk was greater where fishing pressure was higher, but this was offset by the strength of management engagement (indicated by strength of National and Regional Plan of Action for sharks and rays). The regional Red List Index (which tracks changes in extinction risk through time) declined in all regions until the 1980s but then improved in the North and Central Atlantic such that the average extinction risk is currently half that in the Southwest. Many sharks and rays are wide ranging, and successful fisheries management in one country can be undone by poorly regulated or unregulated fishing elsewhere. Our study underscores that well-enforced, science-based management of carefully monitored fisheries can achieve conservation success, even for slow-growing species.

Ancient settlements as natural heritage sites: the first occurrence dataset on vascular plant species from ancient settlements in the Lower Dnipro region (Ukraine).

This work is a long-term outcome of an international Ukrainian-Polish teamwork, aiming to assess the role of ancient settlements for steppe conservation and protection. The dataset contains georeferenced occurrences of vascular plant species on 18 ancient settlements (Lower Dnipro, southern Ukraine), collected during the 2015-2020 period. Additionally, to the total species list, the publication presents the taxonomic coverage (according to GBIF Backbone Taxonomy), the frequency classes of occurrences of the total taxa and the floristic differences amongst studied sites. The report also shows the high sozological value of the studied ancient settlements, the high levels of vascular plant species richness and the various means of the plant species protection (according to the Bern Convention, the Red Data Book of Ukraine and regional Red Lists). This work provides the first occurrence dataset from ancient settlements in Ukraine. The dataset includes 3,210 occurrences of vascular plants recorded during the study period of 2015-2020 conducted in the Lower Dnipro region. As ancient settlements were generally considered as steppe refuges, great attention was paid to the native steppe species, as well as to the rare components of the flora. The dataset includes 1,525 occurrences of steppe species and 87 occurrences of rare species, respectively. The dataset could be useful for further research of ancient settlements` floristic richness, but also analyses and comparison with other objects of cultural origin (e.g. kurgans, hillforts, old cemeteries, forgotten parks, sacred groves etc.).

Біотичне різноманіття урочища «Сатанівська дача» — об’єкта Всесвітньої спадщини ЮНЕСКО (Україна)

Abstract. The Satanivska Dacha tract in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine, is unique in that Fagus sylvatica L. grows here at the edge of its geographic range. In 2017, the forest community was included in the trans-European World Heritage site ‘Primeval beech forests and ancient forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe" by UNESCO under the name Site No. 61 ‘Satan’s Dacha.’ In the territory of the tract, 163 species of vertebrates have been recorded, including 12 species of amphibians, 6 species of reptiles, 96 species of birds, and 50 species of mammals, which are representatives of 24 orders. Within the world heritage site, 72 species of vertebrates have been recorded: 7 species of amphibians, 3 species of reptiles, 39 species of birds, and 23 species of mammals. There are 135 species of vertebrates that have protection statuses and included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (33 species), Regional Red List (23 species), Bern (134 species), Bonn (43 species), and Washington (17 species) conventions. Of higher plants, 234 species have been recorded, including 169 species within the world heritage site, and 7 species are included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (2009, 2021) and 5 species are included in the CITES list. The List of Regionally Rare Species in Need of Protection in Khmelnytskyi Oblast includes 24 species that were found in the Satanivska Dacha tract, of which 17 species grow in the territory of the world heritage site. The bryoflora of the tract consists of 98 bryophytes. The mycoflora, according to preliminary studies, includes 61 species of fungi and fungus-like organisms. According to the EUNIS classification, rare biotopes represent the following type—G: Woodland, forest and other wooded land; G 1.6: Beech forests (Fagus woodland). Three rare associations have been identified that have a synsozological status according to the Directive of the Council of Europe 92/43/EEC. The population status of Allium ursinum L., Galanthus nivalis L., Epipactis purpura Smith, Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz, and Barbastella barbastellus Schreber was monitored. The territory is characterised by a high potential as an environment for the self-regeneration of the biota on the whole. Continuation of monitoring programmes of this type is extremely important.

Analysis of ecofloristic diversity of the Poaceae family of forest biogeocenoses of the northern steppe Prydniprovya

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of cereals in the functioning of natural ecosystems and their use for human life. They often play the role of dominants and edifiers in the composition of plant cover, primarily herbaceous types of vegetation. But they also take part in the composition of forest phytocenoses of different natural zones. Within Ukraine, the Poaceae family includes 71 genera (of which only 4 are in culture) and 208 species (of which only 15 are in culture) [20]. The cereal flora of forest biogeocenoses of the analyzed area was studied in the end of the 19th century [1]. Since the studied forest complexes are located within the steppe zone with various conditions of watershed-beam and valley-terrace landscapes, they contain species of various ecomorphs: from xerophytes to hygrophytes (or even helophytes); from heliophytes to sciophytes, from oligotrophs to megatrophs. The flora of forest biogeocenoses of the northern steppe Prydniprovya region includes 73 species of vascular plants. The greatest species richness belongs to the flora of floodplain forests, which confirms the statement about the extraordinary biodiversity of floodplain landscapes [35]. Of the entire flora of forest biogeocenoses, hemicryptophytes (42 species) predominate among climamorphs, heliophytes (66 species) predominate among heliomorphs, mesotrophs (39 species) among trophomorphs, and mesophytes (45 species) among hygromorphs. Among the coenomorphs, the majority are forest-meadow (55 species) and ruderal-forest (18 species). The Roaceae family of the forest biogeocenoses of the northern steppe Prydniprovya region includes 6 rare species that are included in the regional red list of rare plants [29]. The ecomorphic analysis of the flora confirms the peculiarities of the physical and geographical conditions of different types of forests. Among the climamorphs, hemicryptophytes predominate in birachous and wall forests. The majority of heliophytes are characteristic of arenaceous forests, and sciophytes are characteristic of floodplain forests. Among trophomorphs, megatrophs predominate in birachous and walled forests, oligotrophs in arena forests. The largest number of hygrophytes is characteristic of floodplain forests, and xerophytes is characteristic of arena forests. The forest biogeocenoses of the northern steppe Prydniprovya are characterized by significant anthropogenic transformation of the vegetation cover. In the composition of the forest flora, there are only 16 purely ruderal (weedy) species, and 23 ruderal species in mixed ecomorphs. Among them, 16 are adventive ruderal species. The assessment of anthropogenic transformation of the plant cover using the hemerobium method shows that the majority of the hemerobium species belong to mesohemerobes – species that grow on the territories of landscapes with a medium degree of transformation. This indicates a moderate transformation of the forest biogeocenoses of the northern steppe Prydniprovya. Among all types of forests, the least transformed are floodplain, ravine and wall forests.

Evaluation of the “Bottleneck” Effect in an Isolated Population of Microtus hartingi (Rodentia, Arvicolinae) from the Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria) by Methods of Integrative Analysis

An integrative analysis of an isolated population of Harting’s vole (Microtus hartingi) from the Eastern Rhodope Mountains (Bulgaria) was carried out by morphological and morphometric methods, computed tomography, Cytb variation data, and experimental hybridization. Substantial changes in the development of the skull and teeth were found. Nevertheless, those voles can live to the senex stage. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on Cytb sequences showed that M. hartingi from the Eastern Rhodopes forms a separate clade, which is a sister clade to the voles from Northeastern Greece (also from the foothills of the Rhodopes). M. hartingi from the Rhodopes is mostly isolated reproductively from M. h. ankaraensis from Anatolia (Turkey), as evidenced by a decrease in the proportion of pairs that started breeding, relatively high mortality of pups, and increased sterility of hybrid males. Possible time of isolation of the Rhodopean population and consequences of the “bottleneck” effect on its current state are discussed. At the same time, we believe that, at present, it is impossible to determine its taxonomic status. It is necessary to recognize M. hartingi from the Bulgarian Rhodopes as an endangered population and to include it in regional Red Lists of Bulgaria.

Species conservation profiles of the endemic spiders Troglohyphantes (Araneae, Linyphiidae) from the Alps and the north-western Dinarides.

The genus Troglohyphantes Joseph, 1882 (Araneae, Linyphiidae) includes 131 species, mainly distributed across the main European mountain ranges. The Alps and the north-western Dinarides account for 66 species, most of them showing narrow or even point-like distributions. The majority of Troglohyphantes spiders dwell in subterranean habitats including caves, mines, soil litter, rocky debris and other moist and shaded retreats. Despite being intensively studied from taxonomic, ecological and biogeographic standpoints, knowledge on the status of conservation and on the potential risk of extinction of these spiders is lagging. To date, only three species have been included in the global IUCN Red List, but their status has not been updated ever since their last assessment in 1996. The aim of this contribution is to assess the Alpine and north-western Dinaric species of the genus Troglohyphantes and to re-assess the species previously evaluated, according to the last version of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Amongst the 66 species here considered, 62 had sufficient data to allow the quantification of their Extent Of Occurrence (EOO) and Area Of Occupancy (AOO). Most of the species have a narrow distribution range, with an estimated EOO < 20,000 km2 and AOO < 2,000 km2, meeting the thresholds for the inclusion in the threatened categories. Five species have a more widespread distribution (EOO > 20,000 km2), extending across multiple countries. The quality of the data on distribution of four species was not sufficient to provide a reliable estimation of the distribution range.A continuing decline in EOO, AOO and habitat quality was inferred for 30 species. The majority of them were subterranean specialised species, with a reduced thermal tolerance and a low dispersal ability. Accordingly, changes in subterranean microclimatic conditions due to climate change represent a major threat for these species. Land-use change and habitat alteration were identified as additional relevant threats for several species.A considerable proportion of the species here assessed was found in protected areas and in sites of the Natura 2000 network. In addition, 14 species are formally protected by national and sub-national legislation. At present, 25 species are listed in the regional Red Lists.Long-term monitoring programmes, management plans for both the species and their habitats, expansion of the extant protected areas and designation of new ones, should be considered as the most effective approaches to species conservation.

ЕКОЛОГО-БІОЛОГІЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ PONTECHIUM MACULATUM (L.) BÖHLE &amp; HILGER (BORAGINACEAE) НА ТЕРИТОРІЇ НПП «ДВОРІЧАНСЬКИЙ»

The research results of Pontechium maculatum (L.) Böhle &amp; Hilger distribution in Dvorichansky National Nature Park "(hereinafter NPP" Dvorichansky "), which have been carried out throughout 2020 – 2021 are described. P. maculatum is included in the international conservation lists, namely in the European Red List of Vascular Plants (IUCN), Resolution №6 of the Berne Convention, and in some regional red lists. During the period of our research, we have registered 9 plots with P. maculatum populations. Among them we indicated 73 plants in 24 localities where the populational conditions, the phenological phase of plants development, the number of flowering individuals and the number of flowers on the plants were observed. Also, the peculiarities of natural habitats and biotope affiliation of P. maculatum are analyzed.

Collection of the Botanical garden of the Samara University of introduced plant species of local and non-district flora

The species composition of the collection of rare, endemic and relict plants of various categories of rarity of the Department of Flora of Samara University is analyzed. The spectrum of rare plants cultivated in the botanical garden and other thematic areas of open ground is summarized and presented. The collection includes more than 1100 species from 61 families and 248 genera. Many species are listed in the regional Red Books and lists of rare plants. In the collection, 51 species are included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, 73 - from the Red Book of the Samara region. Protected species account for almost 40 % of the number of species represented in the collection. All plants are of natural origin, some species have two or more geographical samples.

A revised Red List of British butterflies

Abstract Regular reassessment of extinction risk is critical to prioritise conservation action during the current period of rapid, anthropogenic biodiversity change. Butterflies are a flagship group for insect monitoring and conservation, as they are highly visible, well studied and exhibit rapid responses to environmental change. Here, we use systematic population monitoring data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and citizen‐science derived occurrence records to provide an updated assessment of extinction risk in Great Britain (GB) by applying current International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria to 62 butterfly species. The resulting regional Red List categorises four species as Regionally Extinct, 24 (41% of the remaining, extant species) as threatened (8 Endangered and 16 Vulnerable), 5 (9%) as Near Threatened and 29 (50%) as Least Concern. Recent reduction in population size (Criterion A) based on smoothed, long‐term time series of abundance and occurrence data, was responsible for most of the threatened or Near Threatened categorisations. While the status of some species improved, likely due to conservation efforts, the revised Red List demonstrates an ongoing deterioration in the status of GB butterflies, with a 26% increase in threatened species since the previous assessment. A greater proportion of butterflies was classed as threatened than for most other GB taxa. While this may stem from greater data availability for butterflies than most other groups (thus allowing tests of extinction risk against more criteria), it highlights the need to reinvigorate conservation efforts for these charismatic insects.

Regionally unique lichens of the ukrainian carpathians and perspectives of their protection

The Carpathian Mts, showing the highest lichen biodiversity in Ukraine, i.e. 1,395 species of 2,106 of the total Ukrainian lichens, have been found to contain the highest proportion of regionally unique taxa (i.e. so far recorded only from the Carpathian Mts) (i.e. 551 species, or 39.5% of the Carpathian and 26.2% of the total Ukrainian lichen flora). Species diversity of widely distributed lichens (i.e. which hitherto known from all five macroregions of Ukraine), as well as ‘scarcely distributed’ lichens (i.e. missing at least in one or more macroregions) are also discussed. Representation of these three groups of lichens in the geomorphological districts of the Carpathian Mts and the administrative oblasts Zakarpattia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi is shown.The Chornohora Mts, a district of the Carpathian Mts, found to show the highest proportion of species so far recorded from this district of the Carpathian Mts, while the Eastern Beskydy and the Gorgany Mts are characterised hitherto by the highest species diversity of lichens. That is established that among geomorphological districts of Zakarpattia oblast, the Eastern Beskydy and the Gorgany Mts parts of Zakarpattia oblast territory are characterised by the highest number of species of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi in the Carpathian macroregion (674 and 611 species, respectively), and the proportion of regionally unique taxa in these two florae is also the highest (483 species or 71.6% and 453 species or 74.1%, respectively). Lichens of the Chyvchyn Mts of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast are found to be the most diverse in this oblast (344 species totally), and they include the highest proportion of regionally unique taxa (171 species or 49.7%). The Eastern Beskydy Mts, part of Lviv oblast territory, the only part of this oblast in the Carpathian Mts, are found to be represented by 224 lichen species of which 32 (i.e. 14.3%) are regionally unique to the Carpathian Mts.List of the rarest taxa of the regionally unique group (hitherto known from single or a few localities) proposed as candidates for including to regional red lists of Zakarpattia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi oblasts since the whole nature protection activity in Ukraine is done according to oblast division. 254 lichen species are proposed for including in the red list of Zakarpattia oblast, while 44, 4 and 9 species in the red lists of Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Chernivtsi oblasts, respectively. The smallest amount of these taxa is proposed for the red list of Lviv oblast, which includes also the Forest zone of the Ukrainian Plains.

Study and conservation of the Guiana Dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) (Van Bénéden, 1864) in French Guiana

The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) occurs in warm and shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, from southern Brazil to Honduras, including estuarine and freshwater habitats such as Maracaibo Lake (Venezuela), and the Orinoco River. In 2018, the Guiana dolphin was reclassified from Data Deficient to Near Threatened on the global IUCN Red List. Nevertheless, the conservation status identified by national and regional Red Lists is even more alarming. In French Guiana, for example, the species is classified as Endangered based on strong pressures such as bycatch. In this region, the Guiana dolphin inhabits river mouths and coastal waters where most anthropogenic activities occur. Better knowledge of the biology and ecology is needed in French Guiana to help inform effective conservation actions. Here, we present ongoing studies to map the distribution of Guiana dolphins along the French Guiana coast and estimate abundance in a hotspot area. Aerial survey campaigns were conducted during the dry season in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2019. Eight flights were conducted and 146 dolphins belonging to 39 groups were observed. Boat-based line-transect surveys were also conducted in the coastal waters of Cayenne in 2017 and 2018. Twenty-one survey trips were conducted covering 999.06 km. Three hundred and eighty-two dolphins belonging to 63 groups were observed. The total abundance in the Cayenne area was estimated at 128 dolphins (% CV = 30.92; CI (95%) = 70-235) with a density of 0.80 ind./km² (% CV = 30.92; CI (95%) = 0.44-1.47). Additionally, a descriptive analysis was performed on stranding data collected in French Guiana between 2014 and 2020 to identify the major cause of death and seasonality in the stranding events. In total, 43 dolphins were found, especially on the beaches of Rémire-Montjoly, Cayenne, and Kourou: bycatch was the major identifiable cause of death. We recommend a local conservation strategy and actions to be undertaken in the short- and medium-term to address different issues: knowledge, threats, conservation, and cooperation.

Genetic variation in the symbiont partners in the endangered macrolichenSeirophora villosa(Teloschistaceae: Ascomycota)

AbstractThe decline observed in many populations of highly sensitive lichens has led to the inclusion of some species on regional Red Lists, but this has seldom been accompanied by an examination of the genetic variation of the fungal and algal symbiotic partners. Here, the red-listed epiphytic lichen Seirophora villosa was surveyed in 14 Mediterranean coastal populations to examine the genetic diversity of both partners. The geographical distribution of four-locus haplotypes followed the same trend in mycobiont and photobiont data sets, some being widespread and others restricted to single localities. The fungus showed a moderate selectivity in its photobiont choice, associating with two undescribed Trebouxia microalgae with a biased distribution across the western Mediterranean. One alga species occurred exclusively in the Italian Peninsula. This region also hosted the highest number of haplotypes for both symbionts. The use of 454-pyrosequencing revealed no clear signs of algal coexistence within selected thalli. The phylogenetic reconstruction for the mycobiont showed uncertain limits among Seirophora spp., stressing the need for further taxonomic evaluation. Additionally, we found that Ramalina lacera, a co-occurring epiphytic lichen in the studied area, shared photobiont genotypes with S. villosa. Our results thus suggest that the protection not only of the red-listed species S. villosa, but also of the whole epiphytic lichen community investigated here might be advisable.

Diversity of vascular plants and zooplankton communities in regard to the ecological assessment of the territory of the ecological park “Samara Venice”, Samara Region, Russia

The results of the floristic and hydrobiological studies performed in May - August 2020 on the territory of the ecological park Samara Venice (Samara Region, Russia) are presented. These data form the basis for the ecological assessment of the territory. The diversity of vascular plants is presented by 4 divisions, 65 families, 205 genera, and 309 species. Among them, 66 species (21.4%) belong to the alien plant species, including nine invasive. Habitats of the plants included in the regional Red List are found. The zooplankton diversity comprises 60 species and morphs. The zooplankton community has undergone significant transformation, manifesting by an increase in the total biomass and in the biomass of crustaceans and rotifers, and by a decrease in absolute and relative species richness. It is revealed that a number of the studied water bodies belong to the transitional type, and may be characterized as of middle position between the meso- to eutrophic type (moderately polluted and polluted waters).