Richness Values Research Articles

Implications of large-scale infrastructure development for biodiversity in Indonesian Borneo

Indonesia is embarking on an ambitious relocation of its capital city to Kalimantan, Borneo, bringing with it major urban and road infrastructure. Yet, despite being one of the world's most biologically diverse regions, the potential implications of this development for wildlife have yet to be fully assessed. We explored the potential impacts of the capital relocation, and road expansion and upgrades to critical habitat for medium-large mammals (>1 kg) using camera trap data from 11 forested landscapes. We applied Bayesian multi-species occupancy models to predict community and species-level responses to anthropogenic and environmental factors. We extrapolated spatial patterns of occupancy and species diversity across the forests of Kalimantan and identified “critical habitats” as the top 20th percentile of occupancy and species richness values. We subsequently overlapped these critical habitat layers with infrastructure impact zones to estimate the area that could potentially be affected by direct or secondary impacts. At both the community and species-level, distance to primary roads had the strongest negative influence on habitat-use. Occupancy was also influenced by forest quality and multidimensional poverty conditions in adjacent villages, demonstrating the sensitivity of biodiversity to socio-ecological pressures. Less than 1 % of the critical habitat for the threatened mammal community lay within the direct impact zone (30 km radius) of the capital relocation. However, approximately 16 % was located within 200 km and could potentially be affected by uncontrolled secondary impacts such as urban sprawl and associated regional development. The often-overlooked secondary implications of upgrading existing roads could also intersect a large amount of critical habitat for lowland species. Mitigating far-reaching secondary impacts of infrastructure development should be fully incorporated into environmental impact assessments. This will provide Indonesia with an opportunity to set an example of sustainable infrastructure development in the tropics.

Killing Method Influences Decomposition, Entomofauna and Successional Pattern of Exposed Juvenile Pig Carcasses in Wukari, Nigeria

Homicide-related crimes (especially juveniles) are serious problems in Africa and particularly, in Nigeria, with little success in apprehension of culprits recorded due to a lack of substantial forensic data to aid investigation processes. To aid the mitigation of this challenge, two juvenile pigs were killed (one by slaughtering and the other by strangulation) at the Research Garden of the Biological Sciences Department, Federal University Wukari, Nigeria. Both carcasses were left exposed to sunlight 25 m apart, while being protected from vertebrate scavengers using meshed metal cages. Observable postmortem changes on both carcasses were recorded while adult insect sampling using a combination of aerial net, pitfall traps and manual searching continued from the fresh to dry stages of decomposition for both carcasses. Data from sampled insects obtained were used to compute abundance, frequency of occurrence and dominance at each decomposition stage. Appropriate diversity indices were obtained using the Paleontological Statistical Tool-Past3, while similarity in entomofauna between both carcasses was determined using Jaccard’s index. Although both carcasses completed decomposition in 14 days, the strangulated carcass had faster active and advanced stages with prolonged dry stage vis-à-vis the slaughtered carcass. Also, the slaughtered carcass had higher insect abundance (895) than the strangulated carcass (781), with peak diversity and richness at the advanced stages. The slaughtered carcass was also observed to have higher diversity and richness values (1.942, 2.517) than the strangulated carcass (1.801, 1.597). Five (5) dominant insects (Hister monitor, Dermestes maculatus, Zophosis sp., Chrysomya chloropyga, and Pheidole sp.) invaded the strangulated carcass while Crematogaster sp. invaded the slaughtered carcass in addition to these. Overall, over 60% total species similarity and 80% dominant species similarity existed between the carcasses. Hence the killing methods used in this study largely influenced variations in the duration of the five decomposition stages, observable postmortem changes as well as insect abundance but the succession of invading insects was largely similar.

Colonisation of terrestrial vegetation in an intermittent river: Diversity responses to seasonal drying

AbstractIntermittent rivers are dynamic ecosystems that experience a predictable or unpredictable loss of surface water and are characterised by changing lotic, lentic (ponding) and dry habitats. Plant communities colonising dry channels during the desiccation stage can be diverse, abundant and differ in their tolerances to water availability and habitat conditions. This study examines the colonisation of terrestrial vegetation in two intermittent rivers in the United Kingdom, and whether terrestrial plant taxonomic richness and functional diversity increase during the dry phase. Six reaches were surveyed for terrestrial plants during the dry phase over a standard 100 m length every month from April to October 2021. We found the channel and bank taxonomic richness increased with drying duration. Functional traits of vegetation height, clonality, clonality richness and Ellenberg's value of light moisture also increased with stream desiccation. Bed sediment conditions (the proportion of sand and gravel) and the 12‐month antecedent percentage of zero flow days were the key drivers of plant community composition. We believe plant propagules from the riparian zone and channel vegetation on topographic high points in the channel aided plant colonisation of the riverbed once flow ceased. Past research may have underestimated the biodiversity value of intermittent rivers by failing to include the ecological importance of plants during the dry phase. Information on plant diversity of the dry phase is important to determine the overall biodiversity of intermittent rivers for their long‐term conservation and management.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community Structure along a Continuum in a Spring Dominated River, Missouri, USA

The Current River is a cold-water, thermally constant Missouri Ozark stream and is one of the few remaining free-flowing rivers in the U.S. The Current River’s baseflow is largely fed by hundreds of springs, which include five first-magnitude springs. Little attention has been given to the influence of spring inflows on river temperature and spring influence on biodiversity. The objectives of this study were to demonstrate how large springs affect river macroinvertebrate communities, and to explore the relationships among macroinvertebrate diversity and habitat variables to estimate spring influences on community structure and diversity. Aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected from 42 riffle/run habitats of the Current River main-stem, tributaries, and springs during the winter season. Samples at each site were collected using a Slack-Surber sampler for macroinvertebrates with additional habitat variables collected: substrate size, embeddedness, periphyton, filamentous green algae, vegetation, depth, current velocity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and pH. Beta diversity analysis was performed on consecutive pairs of site taxa richness values using the Wilson–Shmida calculation to determine the impact of main-stem confluences with either tributaries or springs, and invertebrate community relationships were explored using nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Water temperature and taxa richness exhibited similar patterns, with higher temperatures being associated with lower taxa richness. Downstream of each large-magnitude spring, taxa richness sharply decreased, while taxa richness increased downstream of tributaries. Beta diversity usually declined downstream of the confluences with springs, but increased downstream of the tributaries. Data from large springs were closely grouped in NMDS, while tributaries and main-stem sites were more widely scattered. These data indicate spring inputs produce more homogenous conditions in the main-stem river compared to more heterogenous conditions produced by tributary inputs. Macroinvertebrate diversity along the Current River also does not follow predictions from the river continuum concept, but rather diversity peaks are downstream of springs. Our data clearly demonstrate the strong influence of large springs on macroinvertebrate communities in the Current River.

Comparison in biochemical composition and nutritional value of the invasive Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, from Lake IJsselmeer, The Netherlands, and its natural habitat, the Yangtze River, China

Abstract The Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, as an invasive species, has formed a large wild population and become a new fishery resource in Lake IJsselmeer (IL) of The Netherlands. This study was conducted to quantify edible tissue indices, proximate composition, fatty acid and amino acid contents of crabs collected from IL, and make a comparison with wild crabs from the species’ native habitat, the Yangtze River (YZ). It showed that: (1) YZ had a significantly higher meat yield and total edible yield; (2) YZ showed higher lipid and protein contents at a lower gonadosomatic index; (3) IL had a higher level of C20:4n6, C20:5n3 and C22:6n3 in the hepatopancreas, and higher EPA and DHA in the ovaries; (4) although YZ has a clear advantage, both IL and YZ muscle were high in contents of essential as well as delicious amino acids. In conclusion, adult E. sinensis living in IL, The Netherlands, also have a rich nutritional value with a high edible yield.

Compliance with the Covid-19 Protocol for the Overseas Madurese Community in Terms of the Direct and Indirect Effects of Locus of Control, Belief in the Covid Conspiracy Theory, and Anti-Vaccine Attitudes

Statistically, Indonesia was recorded as having the highest number of active COVID-19 cases in Asia in 2021. Several clusters of activities and crowds increased confirmed cases in several areas, including Madura, where the number of cases continues to rise. One of the reasons for the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Madura is a lack of discipline in health protocols, such as wearing masks, keeping a safe distance, and washing hands. The increase in Covid-19 cases in Bangkalan, Madura, was also due to poor health protocol adherence (prokes). The government has issued several policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a vaccination policy. The vaccination policy is inextricably linked to community debates over efficacy, halal certification, independent vaccines, and red and white vaccines. The vaccination debate has resulted in a societal anti-vaccination attitude. The Madurese community has a distinct collective culture that includes hard, religious, and high conformity. Even when traveling abroad, this rich cultural value does not fade. Even though, in a pandemic situation, various joint activities lead to behavior that violates health protocols, changing collective behavior is extremely difficult. Aside from the strong and distinct cultural background in obedient behavior to health protocols, the value of religiosity psychologically encourages the Madurese community to form a locus of control in dealing with pandemic situations. The purpose of this study is to put the Covid-19 protocol compliance model to the test using locus of control and anti-vaccine attitudes. Based on a study of 245 people with characteristics of an overseas Madurese community. The study's findings indicate that the theoretical model of Covid protocol compliance for the overseas Madurese community was built through direct and indirect influences between the beliefs of the Covid conspiracy theory, locus of control, and anti-vaccine attitudes.

Precipitation Dominates the Distribution of Species Richness on the Kunlun–Pamir Plateau

The Kunlun–Pamir Plateau is a globally irreplaceable biodiversity reserve, yet it is still unclear what causes the distribution of species richness. Here, we relied on the productivity and the water–energy dynamics hypotheses to investigate the distribution pattern of species richness (and its determinants) in the Kunlun–Pamir Plateau. The productivity hypothesis is mainly based on five MODIS products (NDVI, EVI, FPAR, LAI and GPP), which were calculated for three Dynamic Habitat Indices (DHIs): (1) cumulative productivity (CumDHI), (2) minimum productivity (MinDHI) and (3) intra-annual variation productivity (VarDHI). The CumDHI was applied to assess whether or not more energy has a higher species richness value. The MinDHI was used to determine and evaluate the higher minimums, leading to a higher species richness. The VarDHI was the annual variation value in productivity and was utilized to assess if the reduced intra-annual variability triggers a higher species richness. We found that the DHIs based on the FPAR correlated slightly higher with the mammal, bird, breeding bird and non-breeding bird richness (than those based on the other four DHIs, and the values were 0.24, 0.25, 0.24 and 0.01, respectively). The correlation between the climate variables and the mammals, birds, breeding birds and non-breeding birds was bigger at 0.24, 0.54, 0.54 and 0.02, respectively, and was mainly dominated by the precipitation-related climatic factors. The water–energy dynamic hypothesis is better suited to the Kunlun–Pamir Plateau than the productivity hypothesis. Our results might provide valuable information regarding the biodiversity conservation in this region.

The Essence of the Game in the National Holidays of Uzbekistan is the Embodiment of Pedagogical and Aesthetic Components

This article reveals the essence of the game from several angles, namely from the pedagogical and aesthetic components that form one whole concept. Since ancient times, games have been used for various purposes: educational, training, entertaining, managerial, educational. The game model, simple and clear, always becomes entertaining and interesting. With the help of the game, the basics of upbringing and education are comprehended, traditions accumulated over the centuries are transmitted. Games act as stimulants, developing creative thinking, initiative, the ability to act together, subordinate their interests to collective ones, and perform tasks to achieve common goals. In Uzbekistan, great importance is attached to the competent implementation of game elements during mass celebrations. This is the embodiment of a competent policy of the state, in the transfer of knowledge to the younger generation, through game elements. Spectacular mass performances are particularly charming due to the combination of folklore elements with modern musical means, which allow creating a truly deep, national flavor and filling them with relevant modern sound. The musical and artistic traditions of creating a patriotic song are rooted in folk art. In the history of mankind, they will remain one of the enduring, eternal components of being. Folk holidays cannot be created artificially: they have been formed over thousands of years, incorporating rich traditions, cultural values, and humanistic principles.

Continental slope fishes of the Potiguar Basin off Northeast Brazil in the Equatorial Atlantic ocean

Deep-sea fish species compose around 15% of the observed fish biodiversity, and studies concerning the ecology and distribution of these marine fish species are essential to understand the magnitude of human influence on the deep ecosystems. The western South-Atlantic deep-sea fishes are well described and began to be studied in 1873. Nevertheless, studies considering fish community structure are still scarce in this area. This present study analysed the effects of oceanographic variables on deep-sea fish assemblages structure, density and species richness. To measure diversity, interpolated and extrapolated accumulation curves were drawn using Hill numbers along the Southwest Equatorial Atlantic Ocean depth intervals. A total of 36 trawls were carried out by an otter-boarded bottom trawl net between depths of 150 and 2000 m. Fish biomass showed the highest values between 150 and 400 m, reaching the highest numbers at 400 m, with a decline in the areas of 1000 m and 2000 m. The highest species richness was seen in the shallowest areas (150 m), with a declining trend towards deeper regions. Fish assemblages and habitats' affinity, species, individual lengths, depth, coast distance, longitude and density were used to identify and quantify clusters. The caught fishes belonged to 167 species (115 demersal, 52 pelagic), distributed within 63 families and three orders. The spatial and bathymetric occurrences of some species in the present study were broadened. The most important species in 150, 400, 1000 and 2,000m depth strata were Citharichthys cornutus, Saurida caribbaea, Monomitopus americanus and Dibranchus tremendus, respectively. Assemblages were clustered in four groups; the cluster's richness values were 64, 30, 10, and 11, respectively. Clusters 1, 2 and 3 represented depth values of 150, 400 and 1000 m and overlapped in k-means, showing a more similar pattern, unlike cluster 4 (2,000m). The most profound fish assemblage varies statistically significantly by depth, density, richness and diversity. Rapoport's rule interpretations explained the negative relationship between richness, density and depth and the positive association of length and depth. Despite the highest richness in cluster 1 and the lower richness in 4, they had the lowest effective diversities (Hill numbers), cluster 3 showed the lowest richness, but it had a high evenness trend and then had the highest effective diversity.

Native forest conversion alters soil macroinvertebrate diversity and soil quality in tropical mountain landscapes of northern Ecuador

Land use changes cause soil degradation and loss of biodiversity, thereby affecting ecological processes and soil-associated ecosystem services. However, land use change impacts on soil health have received little attention in the highland landscapes of the tropics. In this research, using the soil health framework, we assessed the impact of native forest conversion to anthropic systems (planted forests, pastures, and monocultures) on two ecosystem services: biodiversity conservation and soil fertility in the highlands of northern Ecuador. The biological dimension of our assessment focused on the diversity, abundance, and biomass of soil macroinvertebrate communities as proxies to soil functions, whereas soil chemical parameters were used to describe the soil fertility. The soil invertebrate communities and soil chemical parameters were studied in topsoil samples using 25 × 25 × 10 cm monoliths, obtained from 10 sampling sites randomly selected in each land use category. We hypothesized that native forests would present more diverse and even soil macroinvertebrate communities, and together with their soil chemical properties would indicate better soil quality than anthropic environments. Our results showed that the structure and composition of the edaphic macroinvertebrate communities significantly differed among the studied land use categories. As predicted, native forests presented greater values for richness, evenness and diversity of soil biota than did the other categories, demonstrating a significant loss of taxonomic biodiversity at order and genus levels. We also found a significant reduction of trophic diversity in native forests converted to anthropic environments. More trophic groups with greater abundances were found in native forests, where predators and detritivores stood out as dominant groups, indicating the good quality of the soil. The results from the soil chemical parameters also confirmed the distinction in soil health between native forests and anthropic environments. Our results highlight the risk associated with current trends of native forest loss and conversion to anthropic systems in high mountain ecosystems in the tropics, illustrating how these alterations could cause biodiversity loss and degradation of the chemical attributes of soil health. The findings of this research could contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of mountain agricultural landscapes in the study region.

Observing Mollusca Benthic Diversity to Measure the Success of the Implementation of Mulung Culture as an Effort to Conserve Aquatics in the Waters of Lapang-Batang Island, Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara.

Mulung culture from an ecological perspective is to allows the environment to recover, traditionally. Mulung is a customary process, related to the closure of water areas for the extraction of aquatic resources. The impact of the implementation of the Mulung cultural tradition, the population of resources increases. This study aims to determine the benthic mollusk community in the Mulung area to measure the success rate of Mulung implementation. This information is needed as a starting point for sustainable fisheries development. This research uses the quadratic transect method and free collection. Then, the community structure was calculated using the diversity index, species evenness, species richness, and species density value, then continued by observing the quantitative similarity between locations calculated by the similarity index. The results showed that the species composition of benthic mollusks found in the Mulung area was 32 species, with a total of 261 individuals. The benthic mollusks that lived in the Mulung area had a Diversity Index (H’) value of 3.12 high category, Richness Index Value (R) of 5.75 is classified as high, the value of the evenness index of species (E) is 0.90, the evenness level of benthic mollusks is high and stable, the value of the dominance index (C) is 0.1, in the category no species dominates. The highest relative abundance of benthic Mollusca species overall with a value of 46.15% was owned by Ornopsis glanni species and the lowest relative abundance was Cypraea moneta, 6.90% value, the highest species density value with a value of 2.53 ind/m2, namely Ornopsis glanni and the lowest species density value is Diodora mississipppiensis, the value is 0.12 ind/m2. Meanwhile, the overall density of benthic Mollusca species obtained during the study was 17.40 ind/m2.

Assessing the utility of death assemblages as reference conditions in a common benthic index (M-AMBI) with simulations

Abstract Incorporating palaeontological data into the methods and formats already familiar to conservation practitioners may facilitate greater use of palaeontological data in conservation practice. Benthic indices (e.g. Multivariate-AZTI Marine Biotic Index; M-AMBI) already incorporate reference conditions and are a good candidate for integration. In simulations of living communities under constant and changing environmental conditions, we evaluate the capacity of death assemblage reference conditions to replicate M-AMBI values when used in place of reference conditions from the final ten generations of the simulation or all five hundred simulated generations. Reference conditions from all death assemblage scenarios successfully replicated correct remediation decisions in the majority of simulation runs with environmental change and stability. Variations in M-AMBI values were due to overestimated species richness and Shannon entropy values in the death assemblages but effects of changes to these parameters varied across scenarios, emphasizing the importance of evaluating multiple metrics. Time averaging was largely beneficial, particularly when environmental change occurred and short-term ecological observations (ten generations) produced incorrect remediation decisions. When the duration of time averaging is known, death assemblages can provide valuable longer-term perspectives with the potential to outperform temporally constrained baseline information from monitoring the living community.

Effects of Plot Design on Estimating Tree Species Richness and Species Diversity

Species richness and diversity substantially affect forest structures and function and are critical indicators of sustainable forest management. Sampling surveys are widely used in forest inventories because they efficiently assess forest characteristics. However, an appropriate sample plot design is required. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of plot design on estimating species richness and species diversity using a simulation. A 20 ha census plot was established in a temperate forest to obtain the true values of species richness and species diversity. One single plot design and nine cluster plot designs were evaluated. The results indicated significant differences in forest species richness and species diversity for different plot designs. The cluster plot design with a square subplot configuration (SCONFIG) and extent of ground area covered by a cluster (EGROUND) of 500 m2 exhibited the best performance (accuracy, precision) in estimating forest species richness. In contrast, a rectangular cluster plot with an EGROUND of 1000 m2 was more suitable for assessing species diversity. This study demonstrates that cluster plots outperform a single plot for evaluating species richness and species diversity in temperate forests.

Modelling Species Richness and Functional Diversity in Tropical Dry Forests Using Multispectral Remotely Sensed and Topographic Data

Efforts to assess and understand changes in plant diversity and ecosystem functioning focus on the analysis of taxonomic diversity. However, the resilience of ecosystems depends not only on species richness but also on the functions (responses and effects) of species within communities and ecosystems. Therefore, a functional approach is required to estimate functional diversity through functional traits and to model its changes in space and time. This study aims to: (i) assess the accuracy of estimates of species richness and tree functional richness obtained from field data and Sentinel-2 imagery in tropical dry forests of the Yucatan Peninsula; (ii) map and analyze the relationships between these two variables. We calculated species richness and functional richness (from six functional traits) of trees from 87 plots of the National Forest Inventory in a semi-deciduous tropical forest and 107 in a semi-evergreen tropical forest. Species richness and functional richness were mapped using reflectance values, vegetation indices, and texture measurements from Sentinel-2 imagery as explanatory variables. Validation of the models to map these two variables yielded a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.43 and 0.50, and a mean squared relative error of 25.4% and 48.8%, for tree species richness and functional richness, respectively. For both response variables, the most important explanatory variables were Sentinel-2 texture measurements and spectral bands. Tree species richness and functional richness were positively correlated in both forest types. Bivariate maps showed that 44.9% and 26.5% of the forests studied had high species richness and functional richness values. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating field data and remotely sensed variables for estimating tree species richness and functional richness. In addition, the combination of species richness and functional richness maps presented here is potentially valuable for planning, conservation, and restoration strategies by identifying areas that maximize ecosystem service provisioning, carbon storage, and biodiversity conservation.

Tree logs for grassland restoration? Lessons from an unintentional experiment

For subtropical Brazilian grasslands, few restoration techniques are established, and seeds of native grassland species are not available on the market. Here, we evaluated the effect of physical barriers (PB) on vegetation recovery in a degraded grassland. We considered species that exhibit attributes in their diaspores that facilitate dispersal as well‐dispersed species (WDS) and compared the proportion of WDS at our site to their proportion in the regional species pool. To analyze plots near and distant from the PB, we calculated the extrapolated metrics by an asymptotic estimator (double sample size of each distance). We found 74 species in the degraded area, with higher richness and Shannon diversity values closer to logs, but higher Simpson values with larger distance from logs. Almost half of the species in the degraded area are WDS, more than in the regional species pool. While effects of logs on microsite conditions may also play a role (e.g. logs accumulating organic material or increasing soil moisture, providing shade), our data indicates that the PB works as a seed trap favoring the occurrence of WDS. It seems promising to develop applications in restoration, especially when associating PB with other restoration techniques to increase availability of adequate germination and establishment conditions.

Potassium Application Enhanced Plant Growth, Mineral Composition, Proximate and Phytochemical Content in Trachyandra divaricata Kunth (Sandkool).

Wild leafy vegetables are commonly included in the diet of people in rural homesteads. Among various wild edible vegetables in South Africa, Trachyandra divaricata (Sandkool) is one of the most abundant but underutilized due to the dearth of literature on its cultivation and nutritional value. In the present study, the effect of potassium application and pruning on growth dynamics, mineral composition, and proximate and phytochemical content in T. divaricata were evaluated. Treatments consisted of three potassium concentrations (0.0072, 0.0144, and 0.0216 M) supplemented in the form of potassium sulphate (K2SO4) with four pruning levels (unpruned, 5, 10, and 15 cm) applied in each treatment. The potassium doses were added to the nutrient solution, while the control treatment was sustained and irrigated with nutrient solution only. The results revealed a significant increase in flower bud yield, height, total dry and wet weight of shoots and roots, as well as ash and neutral detergent fibre in plants irrigated with 0.0072 M of K2SO4 without pruning. Conversely, chlorophyll content and Ca were comparable among treatments, while the highest yield of Na, P, N, and Zn was recorded in treatment 100 mL of K2SO4 with 10 cm pruning. Likewise, the highest antioxidant value (Polyphenols, Flavonol and DPPH) was obtained from plants irrigated with 0.0072 M of K2SO4 with 10 cm pruning. Based on these findings, T. divaricata is a promising leafy vegetable as a minimum dose (0.0072 M) of K with moderate pruning optimised its productivity in terms of growth, biomass parameters, nutritional content, and antioxidant potential. Due to its rich nutritional value, the plant should be domesticated and studied further for its potential nutraceutical benefits.

Parasites and prey of the nursehound shark Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758): Insights into hidden trophic web interactions in the Mediterranean Sea.

The metazoan parasite community and the stomach contents of the nursehound shark Scyliorhinus stellaris from the Gulf of Naples (central Mediterranean Sea) were studied. The nursehound shark harboured a poor parasite community composed of a species of gill monogenean (Hexabothrium appendiculatum) and three intestinal cestode taxa (Acanthobothrium coronatum and two unidentified species of the genera Yamaguticestus and Scyphophyllidium), all represented by adult stages. Hosts were mostly parasitized by individuals of A. coronatum, which was the most abundant species and contributed to almost 80% of the total number of parasites found. Conversely, other trophically transmitted parasites (i.e., Yamaguticestus sp. and Scyphophyllidium sp.) showed low prevalence and abundance. The parasite infracommunity was poor, showing low values of species richness, total mean abundance, and diversity indices. Overall, 52 prey items belonging to 13 taxa were identified in the stomach contents. Cephalopods were the most important prey items (represented by nine taxa) and the most diverse and abundant group. In the multivariate space provided by a principal component of mixed data (PCAmix), nursehound sharks distributed along two main axes, related to individual traits (first axis) and stomach contents (including empty ones, second axis). A logistic regression based on the first two axes of the PCAmix showed a significant influence of host individual traits and, to a lesser extent, of stomach contents, regarding the probability of being infected by A. coronatum. Alongside specific traits already associated with parasites transmission, our results highlight the importance of cephalopods in transferring cestode infections through trophic web interactions in the top-predator nursehound shark.

Construction of a heat-resistant strain of Lentinus edodes by fungal Hsp20 protein overexpression and genetic transformation.

The shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) is the second most popular edible mushroom globally due to its rich nutritional value and health benefits associated with consumption. However, the characteristics of growing at low temperatures limit the area and time of its cultivating. We selected a low-temperature cultivar as the original strain. We proposed to construct a heat-shock protein expression vector to achieve genetic transformation in this low-temperature strain to improve the survivability of the strain against the heat-shock response. In this study, an overexpression vector pEHg-gdp-hsp20 for the heat shock protein 20 gene of A. bisporus was constructed using a homologous recombination method. This vector was transferred into dikaryotic and monokaryotic mycelia by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-method. The integration of hygb and hsp20 into the genome of L. edodes mycelia was verified by growth experiments on resistant plates and PCR analysis. The expression of the reporter gene mgfp5 was verified by fluorescence microscopy analysis and statistically resulted in 18.52 and 26.39% positivity for dikaryon, and monokaryon, respectively. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression of the hsp20 gene was more than 10-fold up-regulated in the three transformants; the mycelia of the three overexpression transformants could resume growth after 24 h heat treatment at 40°C, but the mycelia of the starting strain L087 could not recover growth at 25°C indicating that strains that successfully expressed hsp20 had greater overall recovery after heat shock. According to the study, A. bisporus hsp20 gene overexpression effectively improves the defensive capability of low-temperature mushroom strains against heat shock, laying the foundation for breeding heat-resistant high-quality transgenic shiitake mushrooms.

Comparison of sampling methods for small oxbow wetland fish communities.

Throughout the world, wetlands have experienced degradation and declines in areal coverage. Fortunately, recognition of the value of wetlands has generated interest in preserving and restoring them. Post-restoration monitoring is necessary to analyze success or failure, thereby informing subsequent management decisions. Restoration of oxbow wetlands has become the focus of targeted restoration efforts to promote recovery of biodiversity and sensitive species, and to enhance ecosystem services. The fish communities of oxbows have been the subject of many monitoring studies. However, a recommended sampling methodology for monitoring the fish communities of oxbows has not been described, thereby limiting our capacity to effectively monitor these ecosystems. We compared four sampling methodologies (backpack electrofishing, fyke netting, minnow trapping, and seining) for fish community data collection with a primary objective of determining an effective method for sampling fish communities in small oxbow wetlands. Seining and fyke netting were determined to be effective methods for sampling oxbow fish communities. Backpack electrofishing and minnow trapping produced low taxonomic richness values and sampled a smaller proportion of species present than seining and fyke netting. Although seining and fyke netting produced similar taxonomic diversity and abundance values, these two gears differ in their ease of implementation and potential habitat disturbance generated by sampling. Therefore, consideration must be given to how species present (especially sensitive species) within the wetland could be impacted by sampling disturbance when choosing between seining and fyke netting.

A review: role of mass spectrometry in the quality and authenticity identification of olive oil

SummaryQuality and authenticity identification of olive oil is a vital issue for the olive oil industry on account of its great economic value, unique sensory characteristics, and rich nutritional value. Therefore, it is of great significance to effectively detect olive oil's quality and authenticity. Mass spectrometry, based on the advantages of specificity, sensitivity, and fast analysis speed, has played an increasingly important role in the identification of olive oil quality and authenticity in recent years. Chromatography tandem–mass spectrometry (LC–MS, GC–MS) and direct mass spectrometry (DIMS, DART, MALDI, and PTR‐MS) techniques provide rich detection information in the identification of main compounds (fatty acids, triacylglycerols, etc.) and minor compounds (phenols, sterols, tocopherols, diacylglycerols, etc.) in olive oil. And these techniques are widely applied in whole oils analysis and characteristic compounds identification in olive oil. The literature results show that the combination of mass spectrometry data and chemometrics has made a significant contribution to determining the geographical traceability, adulteration identification, and grade classification of olive oil. This review aims to provide a certain reference for mass spectrometry techniques in the identification of olive oil quality and authenticity, and forecasts the development prospects.