Biodiversity Studies Research Articles

Utilidad de los portales en línea de ciencia ciudadana para estudios florísticos: Orquídeas de Santa María Yucuhiti, Oaxaca, México

Background: The beauty of orchids attracts the interest of users of citizen science portals, turning them into additional sources of information for the study of biodiversity. Currently, iNaturalist records observations of almost 70 % of Mexican orchid species. Here, we evaluate the usefulness of the platform to create a local floristic list of this group of plants. Question: Does the information available on iNaturalist allow for the creation of a local orchid checklist as a conventional floristic study does? Study site and dates: Observations recorded between 2007 and 2024 in Santa María Yucuhiti, Oaxaca, Mexico. Methods: Orchid observations in iNaturalist were reviewed and curated, assigning vegetation type and site elevation for each record. The resulting floristic checklist was commented and compared, using a richness index, with those of other regions of Oaxaca, that were prepared through conventional floristic studies. Results: The study area holds 107 species of orchids, 50 % are endemic to Mexico. The highest richness is found between 1,500-1,999 m elevation and in the oak forest. Acianthera hintonii, Habenaria tetranema and Prosthechea mulasii represent new records for Oaxaca. The study area showed the highest orchid richness index compared to other regions of Oaxaca. Conclusions: Information from iNaturalist allowed the preparation of the orchid checklist for Santa María Yucuhiti, supported by the validated observations on the platform. This, along with the availability of high-resolution photographs, the temporal continuity in documentation, and the exploration of sites with restricted access, enhances the quality of the checklist.

Cliffs support lichen communities unique from nearby forests

Cliffs support rare, endemic, and glacial relict vegetation that may differ from vegetation in surrounding forests. Yet, cliffs are difficult to sample, and rock-dwelling lichens can be challenging to identify; therefore, cliff lichens are often excluded from biodiversity studies. This omission creates fundamental gaps in our understanding of cliff lichens that lead to underestimation of overall community diversity. This study addresses one such gap by asking a basic question: do lichen communities on cliffs differ from rock-dwelling lichen communities in forests? To answer this question, we compared lichen communities from three cliffs in the Linville Gorge (North Carolina, USA; 369 m2 of cliff face surveyed) to rock and soil-dwelling lichen communities in forested plots across the same region (Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA, Alabama to North Carolina; 198 1-hectare forested plots). Forest plots were further divided into three groups based on elevation, proximity to Linville Gorge cliffs, and location within the state of North Carolina. A total of 225 rock or soil-dwelling lichen species were found in forest plots throughout the study area, while 104 species were found on cliffs. Two rare cliff-specialist species, Canoparmelia alabamensis, and Chrysothrix susquehannensis, were locally abundant on the studied cliffs but absent from surrounding forests. Our results show that cliffs support 20% of regional rock-dwelling lichen diversity, and that these cliff communities are distinct from those in forests. The high diversity, occurrence of unique species, and presence of rare lichens on cliffs indicate that cliff lichens should be included in biodiversity inventories and stewardship plans. To support this inclusion, we provide the first checklist for the lichens of Linville Gorge. Checklists like this one, including both cliff and non-cliff lichens, provide data on regional diversity and rarity that inform lichen conservation and rock climbing management.

Community composition and distribution of epi- and suprabenthic macrofauna in the bathyal, abyssal, and hadal zones of the northern North Pacific

The deep sea, Earth’s largest biome, harbors numerous unknown species. Prior to the AleutBio (Aleutian Trench Biodiversity Studies) expedition from July to September 2022, the Northeast (NE) Pacific at abyssal and hadal depths was virtually unexplored. Our study presents new findings from the AleutBio project on the macrofaunal composition of the Bering Sea (BS) and Aleutian Trench (AT) collected by means of an epibenthic sledge (EBS), comparing these results with data from the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench (KKT) and the Northwest (NW) Pacific. Additionally, we examine variations in macrofaunal composition and abundance across different regions and depths. A biogeographic gap analysis using data from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) found that, out of 170,627 occurrence records from the North Pacific and Bering Sea, only 153 were from depths below 3,500 m. The AleutBio project addressed this gap by significantly expanding the dataset with 36,499 new records collected during the expedition using an EBS. Nearly 98 % of the specimens were from five phyla: Arthropoda, Annelida, Mollusca, Echinodermata, and Nematoda, with Polychaeta, Copepoda, and Nematoda being the most abundant taxa. Although the number of individuals varied between stations, there was no significant decrease in abundance with increasing depth, and some hadal stations had similar numbers of invertebrates as abyssal stations. Regional differences were observed, with Polychaeta and Nematoda being dominant in the BS, and Copepoda more prevalent at western abyssal stations. Depth emerged as the key factor influencing macrofaunal distribution, with distinct patterns across bathyal, abyssal, and hadal depths. Comparisons with other NW Pacific regions, like the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk, show that depth and water body isolation play crucial roles in shaping faunal communities. AleutBio’s extensive sampling below 3,500 m has vastly increased available data, aiding in the understanding and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity. While certain taxa showed patchy distributions, no significant differences in faunal composition were found between geographic areas or depth zones. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of deep-sea ecosystems and highlight the importance of depth in shaping macrofaunal communities, emphasizing the need for continued research in these fascinating environments.

Wandering the taxonomic mine-field: the Podocotyle species complex (Digenea: Opecoelidae).

This study focuses on the opecoelid genus Podocotyle, particularly the species in the northern European seas (White, Barents and Pechora), with additional data from few isolates from the Far East. The research combines molecular analyses (28S, 5.8S+ITS2 rDNA, and cox1 mtDNA) and morphological examinations. Molecular analyses suggested that there are most likely four species of Podocotyle in the northern European seas and three more in the Far East. Morphological redescriptions are provided for three northern European species: P. atomon, P. reflexa, and P. odhneri, with the latter recognized as a valid species. The study also verified the life cycle of P. atomon and identified Lacuna vincta (Littorinidae) as the first intermediate host for P. reflexa. In the Sea of Okhotsk, L. turrita is the first intermediate host for two apparently undescribed Podocotyle species. The results also highlight the morphological variability of P. atomon, emphasizing the need for an integrative approach in the taxonomy and biodiversity studies.

Uncovering data gaps in biodiversity research within Brazilian Atlantic Forest restoration

Bringing together and synthesizing data from several primary studies and scales represents a powerful method for identifying patterns and gaps within forest restoration science. In this study, we employ a pioneer quantitative database‐driven review combined with spatial analysis to delineate research trends across biodiversity studies within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF). We gathered a total of 90 primary studies that met our inclusion criteria, collectively providing 822 observations (comparisons between restoration sites and reference forests) spanning restoration areas with ages ranging from 1 to 90 years old. Vascular plants and invertebrates dominated in terms of data availability, whereas soil microorganisms were the subject of limited inquiry. There is an evident disparity in the number of evidences for different forest types across regions, with mixed forest being underrepresented in relation to seasonal forest and dense forest (rainforest). On the contrary, we observed an even distribution of biodiversity outcomes across the age categories we defined for reference forests (i.e. secondary forest, secondary advanced, and old‐growth forest). Geospatial analysis revealed a concentration of research efforts within the southeastern region of the BAF. However, a significant research deficit remains for the northeast and south regions, crucial for comprehending biodiversity responses to restoration in environmental extremes. By integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches, this framework review provides a roadmap for deepening our understanding of biodiversity responses to restoration in the BAF. Ultimately, it serves as a bridge between quantitative findings and nuanced contextual insights, guiding future research and similar studies across diverse ecosystems worldwide.

Plant Diversity Research in Shangqiu Yellow River Ancient Course National Forest Park, China

The Shangqiu Yellow River Ancient Course National Forest Park, the only national forest park in China created entirely from man-made forests, plays a critical role in ecological conservation. Our research employed plot surveys and quantitative ecological methods, including a diversity index analysis and importance value analysis, to investigate the diversity of arboreal, shrub, and herbaceous plants. This study revealed the composition and distribution of plant communities and analyzed invasive species. It identified dominant plant families, genera, and species and evaluated the types, distribution, and characteristics of invasive plants. We documented 70 families, 177 genera, and 254 species, highlighting that local environmental factors and human activities significantly affect the composition and distribution of plant communities. The presence of 29 invasive plant species poses a risk to the ecosystem. We constructed a phylogenetic tree of the plant community based on rbcL (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit) gene sequences, revealing the evolutionary relationships among species, and evaluated the community’s stability using the NTI (nearest taxon index) and NRI (net relatedness index). This research aims to provide a scientific foundation for conserving plant diversity and promoting sustainable development, and it can inform ecological protection and biodiversity studies in similar regions.

Assessment of Plant Biodiversity and the Floristic Composition in the Black Irtysh River Valley (Kazakhstan)

The Black Irtysh River, a major tributary of the Ob River, traverses diverse ecological zones, influencing the distribution and composition of its floodplain vegetation. This study focused on the Black Irtysh River valley, a key segment of the Irtysh basin, to assess the current state of its plant communities. To compile expedition routes and a preliminary floristic list, a critical revision of more than 1000 herbarium sheets was carried out in the herbarium collections of Kazakhstan (Altai Botanical Garden and Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction). During the field season, a study of plant biodiversity was carried out along the entire coastline of the Black Irtysh. As a result, 217 species of higher vascular plants were identified (55% of those previously found in herbarium archives) from 139 genera and 43 families. The habitats of two Red Book species were discovered: Tulipa patens and Tulipa uniflora. It was found that the flora of the Black Irtysh is similar to the flora of the entire Zaisan depression, and families Poaceae, Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Rosaceae, and Fabaceae are predominant. Geobotanical surveys revealed that the species composition of plant communities is poor and similar among survey points. Only the western part of the river delta is characterized by high rates of projective cover and reserves of forage plants. The main factors of anthropogenic influence are fires, livestock grazing, and deforestation.

Characterizing spatial patterns among freshwater fishes and shrimps of the Poso River (Sulawesi, Indonesia) using DNA barcoding

Fish biodiversity assessments are vital for understanding threats and aquatic ecosystem health. In the Poso River, Central Sulawesi, changes in biodiversity are influenced by habitat alteration, non-native species, and overfishing. This study evaluates fish and crustacean biodiversity in the Poso River system to address these challenges for improving fisheries management, conservation, and fish passage integration into hydropower development. The present biodiversity study utilized a comprehensive methodology that encompassed both traditional taxonomic approaches and DNA barcoding, specifically targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit-1 (COI) gene for accurate species identification and spatial boundary validation. The survey was conducted in the upstream, hydropower area and downstream areas of the river. We found 27 species of fish in the Poso River, including both native (e.g., Anguilla celebesensis, Oryzias nebulosus, Rhyacichthys aspro) and non-native species (e.g., Melanochromis auratus, Amphilophus trimaculatus, Oreochromis niloticus). Two International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red listed endangered species were also observed (e.g., Adrianichthys poptae and Mugilogobius sarasinorum). DNA barcoding was performed to examine species spatial boundaries. The fish population in the Poso River was dominated by non-native species, accounting for 85.70% of the total population. The upstream reaches had the highest fish abundance and diversity, while the downstream reaches had the lowest. There was, however, no significant difference in species richness and diversity across different locations and seasons. The dominance of non-native species in the Poso River necessitates the improvement of existing fishways within the hydropower dams potentially through the development of selective technology that can block the distribution of these non-native species. This research highlights the critical issue of non-native species proliferation and the potential threat they pose to native fish populations, providing valuable insights for conservation and management efforts in Indonesia and similar ecosystems worldwide.

Plant diversity value of informal green spaces in tropical coastal urban areas: An empirical study of species, functional, and phylogenetic diversity

Informal green spaces (IGS) are a hot topic in urban biodiversity studies, but overlooked in urban biodiversity conservation or management, especially in tropical coastal cities, where comprehensive assessments remain scarce. Most existing research has been limited to species diversity (α-diversity), with few studies addressing functional and phylogenetic diversity as aspects of α-diversity, and species turnover (β-diversity) across multiple IGS types. This study bridges these gap by conducting a detailed vegetation survey in Jiangdong New Area of Haikou City, establishing 213 sites. Within these sites, we examined 343 IGS sample plots and 274 formal green spaces (FGS) sample plots. We assessed species, functional, and phylogenetic diversity using α and β diversity metrics and analyzed the influence of environmental factors with generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). The results recorded 235 species of herbaceous plants from 179 genera and 54 families in IGS, including 215 spontaneous species, compared to 154 spontaneous species in FGS. Our findings indicate that IGS exhibited higher species richness and functional richness compared to FGS, though differences in phylogenetic diversity were less pronounced. Key environmental factors like relative humidity, trampling intensity, and proximity to urban areas significantly influenced species richness and abundance in IGS. These findings underscore the critical role of IGS in enhancing biodiversity and resilience in tropical coastal cities, emphasizing the need to integrate IGS into urban planning strategies for sustainable urban ecosystems.

Soil nematode community profiling using reference-free mito-metagenomics

Nematodes are ubiquitous and diverse components of soil ecosystems worldwide. The 18S-based metabarcoding is known to have low species-level resolution and introduce bias in PCR. The mito-metagenomics (MMG) approach involves directly sequencing pooled samples, yields numerous mitochondrial reads that can be assembled into full or partial mitogenomes. This method circumvents the challenges associated with PCR-based metabarcoding and hold significant promise in biodiversity and phylogeny study. However, a reference database is typically required to extract mito-reads/contigs and provide taxonomic or phylogenetic context, thereby limiting its applicability. In this study, we introduced a novel reference-free pipeline for MMG assembly and diversity estimation. This pipeline has been integrated into a snakemake workflow, enabling the generation of output that is readily useable for phylogeny reconstruction in a single run. The performance tests have indicated that this new approach surpasses reference-based methods in soil nematode community profiling. We demonstrated that assembly quality improves with increasing sequencing depth, recommending an average of 1–2 Gb per species to achieve acceptable MMG assembly. Our pipeline presents an opportunity to create high-resolution phylogenies and assess diversity for poorly understood taxa, including neglected microscopic eukaryotes.

Ролята на Университетската ботаническа градина София, за популяризиране и изучаване на растителното биоразнообразие

The article presents brief information about the foundation, structure and diversity of plant collections in the Botanical Garden of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Sofia, with an emphasis on the role of this institution for the study, promotion and conservation of plant biodiversity.

How effective are ecological metrics in supporting conservation and management in degraded streams?

AbstractBiodiversity loss is increasing worldwide, necessitating effective approaches to counteract negative trends. Here, we assessed aquatic macroinvertebrate biodiversity in two river catchments in Switzerland; one significantly degraded and associated with urbanisation and instream barriers, and one in a near-natural condition. Contrary to our expectations, environmental heterogeneity was lower in the near-natural stream, with enhanced productivity in the degraded system resulting in a greater range of environmental conditions. At face value, commonly employed alpha, beta and gamma biodiversity metrics suggested both catchments constituted healthy systems, with greater richness or comparable values recorded in the degraded system relative to the near-natural one. Further, functional metrics considered to be early indicators for anthropogenic disturbance, demonstrated no anticipated differences between degraded and near-natural catchments. However, investigating the identity of the taxa unique to each river system showed that anthropogenic degradation led to replacement of specialist, sensitive species indicative of pristine rivers, by generalist, pollution tolerant species. These replacements reflect a major alteration in community composition in the degraded system compared with the near-natural system. Total nitrogen and fine sediment were important in distinguishing the respective communities. We urge caution in biodiversity studies that employ numerical biodiversity metrics alone. Assessing just one aspect of diversity, such as richness, is not sufficient to track biodiversity changes associated with environmental stress. We advocate that biodiversity monitoring for conservation and management purposes must go beyond traditional richness biodiversity metrics, to include indices that incorporate detailed nuances of biotic communities that relates to taxon identity.

Science behind herbarium and its importance in recent years

The interest in and significance of herbarium collections for the study of plant biodiversity and evolution has significantly expanded in recent decades due to the introduction of new technologies for large‐scale, automated digitization and the availability of new techniques for DNA sequencing. These innovative methods gave rise to new initiatives with the goal of compiling a sizable molecular and phenological data set. In light of the various national projects that are currently underway and driving the study of herbarium specimens for the purpose of understanding biodiversity loss and habitat shifts as a result of climate change and habitat destruction due to human activity. Here, we showcased a number of cutting‐edge research, mini‐reviews, and technical comments that demonstrate the ever‐growing range of applications for herbarium specimens. It examines the variety of applications for which herbarium specimens are employed, the primary users' profiles of herbarium collections, patterns and systematics of biodiversity, and the evolution of lineages and traits.

Aspects of NCBI GenBank as a Biodiversity Information Resource

DNA sequencing of museum specimens, also known as museomics, provides new insights into the study of biodiversity, including taxonomy, phylogeny, and environmental studies. Also, sequencing specimens have led to the rediscovery of extinct species (Suzuki et al. 2016), identification of related species (Waku et al. 2016), and analysis of ancient DNA (Kanzawa-Kiriyama et al. 2016). Nucleotide sequence data have been collected for more than 30 years under the framework of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC) by three institutes, namely, National Center for Biotechnology Information, US (NCBI), European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), and DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) (Arita et al. 2020). NCBI has collated a database of sequence data, GenBank, which contains approximately 494 million sequences as of April 2022 (Sayers et al. 2021). In fact, GenBank is designed with qualifiers to describe various types of biodiversity information such as "/specimen_voucher", "/lat_lon" (latitude and longitude) and "/collection_date". Also, INSDC now requires that all submissions include the sampling location and date (INSDC 2023). I surveyed the biodiversity information assigned to GenBank records to determine the potential of GenBank as a biodiversity resource. I downloaded all GenBank data as of August 2023 from the FTP site. The “/specimen_voucher” qualifier was introduced to describe specimen ID in Release 104 in December 1997. This qualifier was designed to fill the value in free text: for example, /specimen_voucher="Smith s. n. 4-IV-1995 (U. S. Natl. Herbarium)". After Release 162 in October 2007, a method of writing with a structured value of "[<institution-code>: [<collection-code>:]] <specimen_id>" was added (institution-code and collection-code are optional). There are 527,215 records (37.8%) with "/specimen_voucher" qualifier for fish, 3,096,112 records (40.3%) for insects, 1,505,556 records (39.0%) for flowering plants. But fewer than 10% of records have specimen IDs listed using this structured description. To utilize these ambiguous specimen IDs in GenBank, these IDs may need to be cleansed using databases such as NCBI BioCollections, GRSciColl (Global Registry of Scientific Collections) or AI to map them to IDs in databases rich in specimen information such as those of the Global Biodiveristy Information Facility (GBIF) and Barcode of Life System (BOLD). In GenBank, the BOLD ID is listed in the /db_xref qualifier in the “Features” field as the ID of the external database. The 70% of insect sequence data with a specimen ID in the /specimen_voucher qualifier are also assigned a BOLD ID (Nakazato and Jinbo 2022). The correspondence between specimen IDs in biodiversity information databases such as GBIF and specimen IDs in GenBank is expected to further enhance the value of museum specimens. In addition, GenBank provides the /type_material qualifier for describing the type of voucher (e.g., holotype of Asphondylia bursicola). In GenBank insect data, there were over 2,000 records for type material, and approximately 450 species were mentioned, including 269 for holotypes. We found approximately 3,000 records with type information by including “/notes” and “/specimens_voucher” qualifiers in addition to “/type_material”. Thus, GenBank has potential as a biodiversity information resource, but for more effective use, data mining and linkage with other specimen-based biodiversity databases are essential.

Extensive Diversity of Viruses in Millipedes Collected in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve (Vietnam).

Advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics have led to breakthroughs in the study of virus biodiversity. Millipedes (Diplopoda, Myriapoda, Arthropoda) include more than 12,000 extant species, yet data on virus diversity in Diplopoda are scarce. This study aimed to explore the virome of the millipedes collected in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam. We studied 14 species of millipedes and managed to assemble and annotate the complete coding genomes of 16 novel viruses, the partial coding genomes of 10 more viruses, and several fragmented viral sequences, which may indicate the presence of about 54 more viruses in the studied samples. Among the complete and partial genomes, 27% were putative members of the order Picornavirales. Most of the discovered viruses were very distant from the viruses currently present in the relevant databases. At least eight viruses meet the criteria to be recognized as a new species by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, and, for two of them, a higher taxonomic status (genus and even family) can be suggested.

Island biocultural diversity in the Mediterranean: the case study of Sardinia

The Mediterranean Basin is a hotspot for biological and cultural diversity, and this is particularly evident in its islands, even though little attention has been paid to their remarkable biocultural diversity. In order to elucidate this characteristic phenomenon, we present a review of the literature on biodiversity and cultural studies in Sardinia. From the review, it has emerged that the island can serve as an excellent case study and a model for the development of a methodology on the topic, which can be applied to the entire Mediterranean Basin. An Island Biocultural Diversity Initiative for the Mediterranean Region has therefore been set up to support the preservation of biocultural diversity and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Mediterranean islands, with Sardinia as its primary hotspot.

The neglected giant Tchen-Ngo Liou:The enlightenment of his dynamic geobotany theory to current studies in vegetation ecology and biodiversity.

Prof. Tchen-Ngo Liou is one of the founders of China's botany, geobotany, and forest ecology. Theory of dynamic geobotany, established by Prof. Liou, can track back from his doctoral work in Alps in France, and was developed based on his long-term field works in northeast, southeast, north, northeast parts of China, India, North Korea and other regions. In the short course on dynamics geobotany in 1962, he gave a series of lectures which formed a synthesized system. The key elements of this theory are the comprehensive review and critical thinking on climax theory of vegetation science and community succession. Prof. Liou has applied this theory into the establishment of artificial vegetation, the improvement of natural vegetation, forest harvesting and regeneration, and the prevent and control of desertification in China. Here, we gave a short summary about this theory, and discussed its potential influence on important topics in vegetation ecology and biodiversity science, including mountain biodiversity, natural forest conservation, forest management, global change, and vegetation classification.

Geothermal ecosystems on Mt. Erebus, Antarctica, support diverse and taxonomically novel biota.

Mt. Erebus, Antarctica, is the southernmost active volcano in the world and harbors diverse geothermally unique ecosystems, including 'Subglacial' and 'Exposed' features, surrounded by a vast desert of ice and snow. Previous studies, while limited in scope, have highlighted the unique and potentially endemic biota of Mt. Erebus. Here, we provide an amplicon-based biodiversity study across all domains of life and all types of geothermal features, with physicochemical and biological data from 48 samples (39 Exposed and 9 Subglacial) collected through various field seasons. We found potentially high taxonomic novelty among prokaryotes and fungi, supporting past hypotheses of high endemism due to the distinctive and isolated environment; in particular, the large number of taxonomically divergent fungal sequences was surprising. We found that different site types had unique physicochemistry and biota; Exposed sites were warmer than Subglacial (median: 40 vs 10°C for Exposed and Subglacial, respectively) and tended to have more photosynthetic organisms (Cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta). Subglacial sites had more Actinobacteriota, correlated with greater concentrations of Ca and Mg present. Our results also suggest potential human impacts on these remote, highly significant sites, finding evidence for fungal taxa normally associated with wood decay. In this study, we provide a blueprint for future work aimed at better understanding the novel biota of Mt. Erebus.

Seeking a multi‐dimensional approach to understand agricultural commodity expansion in Asian tropics

AbstractAgricultural commodity expansion into natural and semi‐natural ecosystems in Asia is a multi‐dimensional sustainability challenge posing a threat to natural and human capital. At the symposium pertaining to agricultural commodity landscapes organized at the 59th meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, we aimed to identify key aspects that require further attention to address the negative impacts of commodity‐driven agricultural expansion in the Asian tropics. Using a combination of insights obtained both from participants' research and those that developed organically in the symposium, we identified five key themes: (1) Robust land use suitability assessments to determine the viability of agricultural expansion or other competing demands on productive land in given landscapes; (2) the need for plot‐level studies of soil biodiversity and ecological functions for commodity crops; (3) Irrigation for commodity crops with blue and green water and evaluating co‐dependent drivers and outcomes; (4) an improved understanding of local producer motivations and supply chains and (5) the analysis of co‐benefits, trade‐offs and synergies in agro‐commodity systems. These themes include the various steps involved in agricultural commodity expansion, right from land selection and crop patterns to aspects pertaining to the post‐harvest value chain. These themes are inter‐connected and span across multiple local and regional spatial scales in tropical Asia but hold relevance to agricultural landscapes elsewhere too. Immediate and sustained attention on these themes would secure multiple goals of sustainable land use, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and human well‐being.

Composition and Diversity of Spiders in the Lian-huo Highway (Shangqiu Section) Shelter Forest and Campus Habitat of Henan Province, China

Background: Spider assemblages, which are easily sampled, are useful indicators that can be used to compare the biodiversity of various environments and assess the effects of disturbances on diversity. Because spiders are generally found in forests in high abundance, they form some good model taxa for biodiversity studies. Methods: The present study compares the composition and diversity of spiders in the Lian-Huo highway (Shangqiu section) shelter forest (HS) and campus habitat (CH) of Henan province, China. Sampling were collected from April to June 2018 and fourth time a month, a total of twenty-four samples were collected. Within each habitat type there were eight sites surveyed which represented a wide geographical spread of the habitats. Result: A total of 3725 individual spiders were collected from the two sites, representing 14 families and 23 species. Guild structure analysis of the collected spiders revealed 4 feeding guilds viz, web weavers, Sheet web weavers, Foliage hunter’s spider and Ambush hunters. The abundance of spiders in the campus habitat is significantly higher than that in Lian-Huo highway (Shangqiu section) shelter forestand the Shannon-Wiener index (H’) (HS=3.3827, CH=2.2007), Simpson index (D) (HS=0.8710, CH=0.7391), Evenness index (J) (HS=2.8391, CH=1.7088) and Richness index (E) (HS=0.7462, CH=0.6362) are significantly higher in the campus habitat than in the Lian-Huo highway (Shangqiu section) shelter forest. These results suggest that increasing the complexity of habitat structure and reducing anthropogenic disturbance is a meaningful way to conserve and restore Spiders diversity.