Seasonal Activity Research Articles

On-host flea phenology and flea-borne pathogen surveillance among mammalian wildlife of the pineywoods of East Texas.

Flea-borne diseases are endemic in Texas, U.S.A., with an increasing incidence of flea-borne typhus and cat scratch disease. Knowledge of flea natural history could provide information to protect public health, yet many knowledge gaps remain outside of plague-endemic regions. Our objective was to characterize seasonal activity patterns of fleas on common mammalian wildlife species and test fleas and wildlife for Rickettsia and Bartonella pathogens. We performed one year of monthly trapping for rodents and medium-sized mammals in a national forest with high recreational use and urban encroachment in East Texas. From 90 mammal captures representing seven species, 101 fleas were collected representing Polygenis spp., Ctenocephalides felis, and Orchopeas species. Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginianus) hosted 99% of the collected fleas (100 fleas) and a single flea was on an eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana). Flea infestation prevalence of opossums was 79% (23/29). Mean flea abundance was 4.39 fleas, with intensity peaking in spring. One cat flea removed from an opossum was positive for Bartonella henselae. Furthermore, we identified tissue or blood of four raccoons (Procyon lotor) and one golden mouse (Ochrotomys nuttalli) positive for Rickettsia amblyommatis. These findings provide an ecological basis for the maintenance of vectors and pathogens from sylvatic settings.

New species of Sinodima Kundrata, Sormova & Qiu, 2019 reveal the first case of strong sexual dimorphism in Dimini (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:392A0D37-258B-4662-A318-BA671654E093.Genus Sinodima Kundrata, Sormova & Qiu, 2019 was originally described based on a single species represented by the female holotype. In this study, we examined more than 500 specimens of Sinodima collected using Malaise traps. As a result, we described two new species from China: Sinodima liupanshuiensis sp. nov. and Sinodima nanlingensis sp. nov. The males of this genus are firstly reported and distinctly differentiated from the females by the elongate body and fully developed hind wings. Two new combinations are proposed for species originally described in genus Penia Laporte, 1838: Sinodima elongata (Arimoto, 2023), comb. nov. and Sinodima sucinea (Schimmel, 2001), comb. nov. The newly discovered Sinodima species provide the first report on strong sexual dimorphism in Dimini and highlight an unusual season activity of adults during autumn to early winter.

Seasonal and Diel Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Activity and Burrow Use by Commensals in Coastal Beach Dune Habitat as Examined by Wildlife Cameras

Seasonal and Diel Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Activity and Burrow Use by Commensals in Coastal Beach Dune Habitat as Examined by Wildlife Cameras

Daily and Seasonal Activity Rhythms of Wild Reeves' Turtles (Mauremys reevesii) in Qichun County, China

Daily and Seasonal Activity Rhythms of Wild Reeves' Turtles (Mauremys reevesii) in Qichun County, China

Empirical Model of Equatorial ElectroJet (EEJ) Using Long‐Term Observations From the Indian Sector

AbstractThe Equatorial Electrojet (EEJ) is one of the important near‐earth space weather phenomena which exhibits significant diurnal, seasonal and solar activity variations. This paper investigates the EEJ variations at diurnal, seasonal and solar cycle time scales from the Indian sector and portrays a new empirical EEJ field model developed using the observations spanning over nearly two solar cycles. The Method of Naturally Orthogonal Components (MNOC), also known as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), was employed to extract the dominant patterns of principal diurnal, semi‐diurnal, and ter‐diurnal components contributing to the EEJ variation. The amplitudes of these diurnal, semi‐diurnal, and ter‐diurnal components in EEJ are found to vary significantly with the season and solar activity. The seasonal and solar activity dependencies of these principal components are modeled using suitable bimodal distribution functions. Finally, the empirical model for EEJ field was built by combining the principal components with their corresponding modeled amplitudes. This model accurately reproduces the diurnal, seasonal and solar activity variations of EEJ. The modeled monthly mean variations of EEJ field at ground exhibit excellent correlation of 0.96 with the observations with the root mean square error <5 nT. It also successfully captures the seasonal and solar activity variations of Counter Electrojet (CEJ). Finally, this model named “Indian Equatorial Electrojet (IEEJ) Model” is made publicly available for interested scientific users (https://iigm.res.in/system/files/IEEJ_model.html).

Weakened connection between spring leaf-out and autumn senescence in the Northern Hemisphere.

Vegetation autumn phenology is critical in regulating the ecosystem carbon cycle and regional climate. However, the dominant drivers of autumn senescence and their temporal shifts under climate change remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a multi-factor analysis considering both direct climatic controls and biological carryover effects from start-of-season (SOS) and seasonal peak vegetation activities on the end-of-season (EOS) to fill these knowledge gaps. Combining satellite and ground observations across the northern hemisphere, we found that carryover effects from early-to-peak vegetation activities exerted greater influence on EOS than the direct climatic controls on nearly half of the vegetated land. Unexpectedly, the carryover effects from SOS on EOS have significantly weakened over recent decades, accompanied by strengthened climatic controls. Such results indicate the weakened constraint of leaf longevity on senescence due to prolonged growing season in response to climate change. These findings underscore the important role of biological carryover effects in regulating vegetation autumn senescence under climate change, which should be incorporated into the formulation and enhancement of phenology modules utilized in land surface models.

Environmental factors affecting phenology and distribution of Tentyria species (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in Doñana National Park (Southern Iberian Peninsula).

This research focuses on the effect of environmental factors on the phenology and distribution of the Tentyria species (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Doñana National Park (SW Iberian Peninsula). Data are derived from the results of a project carried out 20 years ago, aimed at inventorying the coleopteran of the park. This information provides a framework for comparison with current or future states since the time elapsed is long enough to detect variations. As the classification of Tentyria species is complex and controversial, the first aspect to be addressed was the taxonomical verification of the species. Indeed, they were T. platyceps Steven., T. subcostata Solier., T. bifida Bujalance, Cárdenas, Ferrer and Gallardo, and T. donanensis Bujalance, Cárdenas, Ferrer and Gallardo. Sampling consisted of 2 years of monthly pitfall trapping, encompassing the surface of the park and adjacent areas. Data on adult seasonal activity and spatial distribution of the species were obtained from the specific abundance in each sampling plot. Phenologically, the 4 species were mainly summer species, with unimodal or bimodal curves depending on the species. The distribution of the species was quite uneven: while T. donanensis was ubiquitous, T. subcostata was restricted to the southern coastal area of the park, and T. platyceps and T. bifida were recorded in the northern half, in marshes or inland forests, respectively. Our results also suggest that extreme temperatures may impose major constraints on the spatial distribution of Tentyria species, which could affect Doñana's biodiversity in the future scenery of thermal rise linked to climate change.

EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENT OF EQUINE PIROPLASMOSIS

Pyroplasmosis is a dangerous acute invasive disease of horses accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature to 41℃, anemia, jaundice of mucous membranes, disorders of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract, albuminuria combined with oliguria and urobilinuria. The disease is registered in many countries of the world and occurs in most districts and regions of the Russian Federation. In the Republic of Bashkortostan piroplasmosis is registered in the form of single cases of the disease, mainly during the seasonal activity of tick vectors. The main consequences of equine piroplasmosis include: decreased performance, deterioration of performance and endurance, weakness and dysfunction of organs and systems, a long period of rehabilitation and a high risk of possible complications. The proposed method of treatment allows to reduce the time of the animal's overdisease and to avoid complications, but requires significant material costs. At the same time, preventive measures provide protection of the animal for 4-6 weeks and help to avoid the disease of the animal for the period of training and testing.

Movement games from the point of view of primary education teachers in Slovakia

The main goal of the survey carried out by us is to find out the current opinions of teachers at the primary level of education in Slovakia for teaching the thematic unit activities in nature and seasonal movement activities with a focus on the place of movement games in their teaching. Using a survey, they obtained data from 1,363 teachers of primary education who teach physical and sports education in 75 elementary schools from 8 regions of Slovakia. As many as 15% of all respondents answered that they do not teach the thematic unit outdoor activities and seasonal physical activities at all. Overall, the most commonly taught activity in nature is hiking and spending time in nature. The least respondents like teaching cross-country skiing. Despite the broad and demanding focus of teachers in the primary level of education, we consider it necessary that the teaching of the thematic unit outdoor activities and seasonal physical activities (due to their importance from the point of view of health and the creation of a future lifestyle) is implemented either in winter or summer with 100% occupancy. The obtained results are applicable for compensation of identified deficiencies and subsequent optimization of the educational process in this important period of children's development. Since the results of our study are from the whole of Slovakia, they have a nationwide social impact and significance.

On the seasonal dependence of intermediate descending layer in low latitudes

Understanding the variable behavior of the IDL/Es system contributes significantly to our ability in characterizing and modeling the critical ionospheric dynamics across the globe. In this work we aim to improve the understanding of the IDL/Es system by analyzing the diurnal and seasonal variations in the altitude descent with reference to local time of the day, season, and solar activity. We apply the well-known height-time-intensity analysis method on measurements obtained from the Sharjah ionosonde station, located at the Arabian Peninsula (Sharjah: 25.28°N, 55.46°E) near the northern crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly. The measurements cover three years of the increasing phase of the solar cycle 25 from 2020 to 2022. Considering an oversimplified wind system based on windshear theory, we attempt to establish a relationship between IDL/Es periodicities with diurnal, semidiurnal, and terdiurnal tides without digging into the underlying mechanism. Results suggest a strong relation between semidiurnal and terdiurnal tides and the formation and transport of the IDL, particularly impacting lower E-region and sporadic-E layers during the afternoon and nighttime hours. The results of manual scaling of over eleven thousand ionograms is presented to quantify the behavior of the IDL/Es system's transport. Additionally, a connection between solar activity, descent rate, and initial descending height, with semidiurnal patterns consistently present across seasons and solar activity has been discussed. For different frequency bins used in this work, e.g. 3 MHz, 4 MHz, and 5 MHz, seasonal variations significantly influence descent patterns.

Global patterns of rebound to normal RSV dynamics following COVID-19 suppression

BackgroundAnnual epidemics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) had consistent timing and intensity between seasons prior to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (COVID-19). However, starting in April 2020, RSV seasonal activity declined due to COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) before re-emerging after relaxation of NPIs. We described the unusual patterns of RSV epidemics that occurred in multiple subsequent waves following COVID-19 in different countries and explored factors associated with these patterns.MethodsWeekly cases of RSV from twenty-eight countries were obtained from the World Health Organisation and combined with data on country-level characteristics and the stringency of the COVID-19 response. Dynamic time warping and regression were used to cluster time series patterns and describe epidemic characteristics before and after COVID-19 pandemic, and identify related factors.ResultsWhile the first wave of RSV epidemics following pandemic suppression exhibited unusual patterns, the second and third waves more closely resembled typical RSV patterns in many countries. Post-pandemic RSV patterns differed in their intensity and/or timing, with several broad patterns across the countries. The onset and peak timings of the first and second waves of RSV epidemics following COVID-19 suppression were earlier in the Southern than Northern Hemisphere. The second wave of RSV epidemics was also earlier with higher population density, and delayed if the intensity of the first wave was higher. More stringent NPIs were associated with lower RSV growth rate and intensity and a shorter gap between the first and second waves.ConclusionPatterns of RSV activity have largely returned to normal following successive waves in the post-pandemic era. Onset and peak timings of future epidemics following disruption of normal RSV dynamics need close monitoring to inform the delivery of preventive and control measures.

Parasitic system Ixodes persulcatus (Ixodinae) – Borrelia garinii – small mammals in the northwest of Russia

Relationships between members of the parasitic system formed by the taiga tick Ixodes persulcatus (Schulze, 1930) at the preimaginal developmental stages, Borrelia garinii and small mammals were studied. Transovarial transmission of B. garinii in the taiga tick was not found. In natural biotopes of northwestern Russia, small mammals that were hosts of the preimaginal stages of Ixodes persulcatus included Myodes glareolus (Schreber, 1780) (52–53%), Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758 (33–34%), and Apodemus uralensis (Pallas, 1811) (14%). Larvae and nymphs were most numerous on hosts at the beginning of the season, in May and June. Subsequently, their number decreased by 5–10 times and slightly increased in September. In populations, up to 31.9% of M. glareolus individuals and 20.5% of A. uralensis individuals were infected with B. garinii. The aggregated type of distribution of taiga tick larvae and nymphs on hosts has been revealed. Infection of the main part of hungry larvae and nymphs occurred at the beginning of the activity season after wintering when feeding on overwintered infected hosts. This period is the key in circulation (exchange between vectors and reservoir hosts) and the preservation of B. garinii in the natural focus of borreliosis in northwestern Russia. Vertical transmission of B. garinii is possible from larvae and nymphs fed at the beginning of the season to nymphs and adult ticks that had molted in August-September, respectively. Horizontal transmission of the pathogen from small mammals, especially the bank vole, to larvae and nymphs, and vice versa, ensures the circulation and persistence of B. garinii in natural foci. The question of the preservation of the pathogen in overwintering preimaginal stages of ticks requires further research.

Seasonal and anthropogenic influences on bacterioplankton communities: ecological impacts in the coastal waters of Qinhuangdao, Northern China.

Marine bacterioplankton play a crucial role in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in coastal waters. And the impact of environmental factors on bacterial community structure and ecological functions is a dynamic ongoing process. To systematically assess the relationship between environmental changes and bacterioplankton communities, this study delved into the spatiotemporal distribution and predicted metabolic characteristics of bacterioplankton communities at two estuarine beaches in Northern China. Coastal water samples were collected regularly in spring, summer, and autumn, and were analyzed in combination with environmental parameters and bacterioplankton community. Results indicated significant seasonal variations in bacterioplankton communities as Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were enriched in spring, Cyanobacteria proliferated in summer. While Pseudomonadota and microorganisms associated with organic matter decomposition prevailed in autumn, closely linked to seasonal variation of temperature, light and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Particularly in summer, increased tourism activities and riverine inputs significantly raised nutrient levels, promoting the proliferation of specific photosynthetic microorganisms, potentially linked to the occurrence of phytoplankton blooms. Spearman correlation analysis further revealed significant correlations between bacterioplankton communities and environmental factors such as salinity, chlorophyll a, and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP). Additionally, the metabolic features of the spring bacterioplankton community were primarily characterized by enhanced activities in the prokaryotic carbon fixation pathways, reflecting rapid adaptation to increased light and temperature, as well as significant contributions to primary productivity. In summer, the bacterial communities were involved in enhanced glycolysis and biosynthetic pathways, reflecting high energy metabolism and responses to increased light and biomass. In autumn, microorganisms adapted to the accelerated decomposition of organic matter and the seasonal changes in environmental conditions through enhanced amino acid metabolism and material cycling pathways. These findings demonstrate that seasonal changes and human activities significantly influence the structure and function of bacterioplankton communities by altering nutrient dynamics and physical environmental conditions. This study provides important scientific insights into the marine biological responses under global change.

Seasonal activity patterns and home range sizes of wolves in the human‐dominated landscape of northeast Türkiye

Gray wolves Canis lupus comprise one of the most widely distributed carnivore species on the planet, but they face myriad environmental and anthropogenic pressures. Previous research suggests that wolves adjust their time‐ and space‐use seasonally to mitigate risks from humans, conspecifics, and other predators while maximizing their hunting and reproductive success. With many populations of wolves resettling in areas with dense human populations, understanding how wolves may adjust their temporal and spatial patterns in these more human‐dominated landscapes is of high conservation importance. Typically, human presence causes wolves to increase their nocturnality and home range size. Here, we look at how seasonal home range size and diel activity patterns among resident and non‐resident wolves differ in an ecosystem that experiences significant differences in human activity between seasons. While non‐resident wolves had larger home ranges than resident wolves, there were no differences in home range sizes within residents and non‐residents between seasons, suggesting that seasonal changes in human presence had no effect on home range size. The activity patterns of wolves were similar between seasons, but resident wolves had greater overlap with humans and were more active than non‐resident wolves when humans were less present in the landscape. Both resident and non‐resident wolves showed increased nocturnality, with both groups selecting for nocturnality more strongly in the nomadic season. This is the first study of tracking Türkiye's wolves and offers the first descriptions of the temporal and spatial trends of GPS‐collared wolves in this highly human‐dominated environment.

Tularemia: a case series from an endemic area in Hajnówka County, Norteast Poland.

Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. It may manifest itself in various clinical forms, but in Poland the ulcerative-glandular or glandular forms of tularemia predominate. One of the routes of infection with F. tularensis is through a tick or insect bite. A patient may show no symptoms or report flu-like symptoms and painful lumps adjacent to the bite site. The differential diagnosis of localized lymphadenopathy accompanied by flu-like symptoms should include tularemia, especially in endemic areas. Lymphadenitis usually requires surgical intervention and is often unsuccessfully treated with beta-lactam antibiotics before the diagnosis of tularemia is established. The aim of the study was to analyze and present the epidemiology and clinical presentation of tularemia in a highly endemic area, in which ticks are an important vector of F. tularensis. We have analyzed epidemiological and medical reports on the confirmed tularemia cases from Hajnówka County in 2014-2022. We describe three patients from the specific endemic area who were diagnosed with granular tularemia in 2022. We have found high local exposition to Francisella tularensis infection in the Narewka community, generally consistent with the seasonality of tick activity and human activity outdoors. The medical practitioner in such endemic areas must be aware that tularemia should be considered when diagnosing of flu-like symptoms accompanied by lymphadenopathy in patients bitten by ticks or insects in the summer and early autumn months. Early diagnosis and targeted antibiotic therapy are the basis for effective treatment of tularemia.

Seasonal Cycle Delay of the Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Genesis Frequency in CMIP6 Simulations

AbstractObvious biases in simulating tropical cyclone (TC) genesis of the current climate models hamper our understanding of TC changes. In this study, we found a delay of the seasonal cycle of TC genesis frequency over the western North Pacific (WNP) in most Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 models. During the active TC season, the simulated south‐warming and north‐cooling surface temperature bias amplifies the meridional gradient and excites thermal winds. This weakens the western North Pacific Subtropical High and easterly monsoon trough, which further reduces TC genesis frequency over the western WNP in summer. But in autumn, positive TC genesis biases were only observed in coupled models over the eastern WNP. Both seasons contribute to the delayed seasonal cycle of TC frequency in models. Our findings highlight the importance of accurate simulation of surface temperature by climate models to TC simulations and aid in future model improvements.

Resource manipulation reveals interactive phenotype-dependent foraging in free-ranging lizards.

Recent evidence suggests that individuals differ in foraging tactics and this variation is often linked to an individual's behavioural type (BT). Yet, while foraging typically comprises a series of search and handling steps, empirical investigations have rarely considered BT-dependent effects across multiple stages of the foraging process, particularly in natural settings. In our long-term sleepy lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) study system, individuals exhibit behavioural consistency in boldness (measured as an individual's willingness to approach a novel food item in the presence of a threat) and aggressiveness (measured as an individual's response to an 'attack' by a conspecific dummy). These BTs are only weakly correlated and have previously been shown to have interactive effects on lizard space use and movement, suggesting that they could also affect lizard foraging performance, particularly in their search behaviour for food. To investigate how lizards' BTs affect their foraging process in the wild, we supplemented food in 123 patches across a 120-ha study site with three food abundance treatments (high, low and no-food controls). Patches were replenished twice a week over the species' entire spring activity season and feeding behaviours were quantified with camera traps at these patches. We tracked lizards using GPS to determine their home range (HR) size and repeatedly assayed their aggressiveness and boldness in designated assays. We hypothesised that bolder lizards would be more efficient foragers while aggressive ones would be less attentive to the quality of foraging patches. We found an interactive BT effect on overall foraging performance. Individuals that were both bold and aggressive ate the highest number of food items from the foraging array. Further dissection of the foraging process showed that aggressive lizards in general ate the fewest food items in part because they visited foraging patches less regularly, and because they discriminated less between high and low-quality patches when revisiting them. Bolder lizards, in contrast, ate more tomatoes because they visited foraging patches more regularly, and ate a higher proportion of the available tomatoes at patches during visits. Our study demonstrates that BTs can interact to affect different search and handling components of the foraging process, leading to within-population variation in foraging success. Given that individual differences in foraging and movement will influence social and ecological interactions, our results highlight the potential role of BT's in shaping individual fitness strategies and population dynamics.

Water Depth Used by Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) in Iowa during Seasonal Activity Periods

Water Depth Used by Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) in Iowa during Seasonal Activity Periods

Comparison of seasonal viral prevalence supports honey bees as potential spring pathogen reservoirs for bumble bees

AbstractBee declines pose a serious risk to agricultural sustainability, wild plant diversity, and the commercial bee industry, generating local and global concerns about bee health. Parasites, including micro‐parasites and macro‐parasites, negatively impact bee population dynamics. Management of parasites requires an understanding of the cyclic trends in prevalence and the factors impacting these patterns. In this study, we advance understanding of parasite epidemiology and transmission among members of the bee community toward the goal of improving predictability of parasite prevalence seasonally. Honey bees and bumble bees were collected throughout an active season and across multiple overwintering periods. These bees were molecularly tested for two common bee viruses—deformed wing virus (DWV) and black queen cell virus (BQCV)—and morphologically screened for Vairimorpha spp., nematodes, and parasitic flies to determine whether these parasites exhibit unique seasonal trends, if overwintering behavior impacts parasite survival, and how these patterns differ between honey bees and bumble bees. The results suggest consistent seasonal trends between honey bees and bumble bees; however, these trends are parasite‐specific. Honey bees consistently exhibited a higher magnitude of viral prevalence compared with bumble bees. Both honey bees and bumble bees reduced viral prevalence over the winter; however, only in bumble bees did this drop to negligible prevalence each spring. These data suggest that honey bees may have a larger impact on parasite transmission, as they pose to reinfect bees which otherwise would have very low prevalence each spring and sustain high levels of infection in communities year‐round.

Evaluations of two ion temperature models in IRI-2020 based on the observations from ICON and COSMIC-2 IVM

Ion temperature is a critical parameter for understanding the ionospheric thermal processes. Its measurement is relatively sparse compared to other ionospheric parameters, and validation of existing empirical models remains an important task. This study deals with the quiet time low- and mid-latitude topside ionospheric ion temperature measured by the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) and the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC-2). We conducted statistical analysis for local time, latitudinal, seasonal and solar activity variations. The comparison of the observations with two ion temperature models (Bil-1981 and TBKST-2021) of the International Reference Ionosphere-2020 (IRI-2020) shows that TBKST-2021 performs better than Bil-1981. TBKST-2021 model captures the morning and afternoon peaks quite well although with some underestimation. The underestimation of the morning and afternoon peaks may be due to overcorrection. Further, it shows a good seasonal and latitudinal dependence, with a better performance at the equinox than in solstices. However, TBKST-2021 requires to improve the presentation of hemispheric differences in solstices.