Total Species Research Articles

Directional succession and species-specific patterns observed in repeat study of vascular plants at three glacier foreland chronosequences in the Canadian High Arctic

This paper presents the first repeat study of glacier foreland chronosequences conducted in the Canadian High Arctic. Vascular plant species at three forelands on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut first surveyed in 1995 were resurveyed 21 years later to (1) test the original hypothesis that succession on these forelands was directional, and (2) investigate the use of the chronosequence method in High Arctic succession studies. Forelands were surveyed using percent cover estimates or presence/absence counts. Indicator species analysis and rates of change were used to quantify shifts. Total plant cover and species richness increased on younger terrain. Rates of peak cover and first appearance advance varied greatly between species and forelands, but were generally faster for graminoid and forb species than shrub species. We observed a pattern of directional succession at all three forelands, supporting the original hypothesis. However, species-specific patterns and rates of change acted to create assemblages that differed between 1995 and 2016, different successional trajectories were observed between the three forelands, and the first occurrence of most species was further from the glacier margin in 2016 compared to 1995. These results demonstrate the importance of repeat studies over time and replication over space to confirm observations in chronosequence studies.

Bioavailability and ecological risk assessment of metal pollutants in ambient PM2.5 in Beijing

Metal pollutants in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are physiologically toxic, threatening ecosystems through atmospheric deposition. Biotoxicity and bioavailability are mainly determined by the active speciation of metal pollutants in PM2.5. As a megacity in China, Beijing has suffered severe particulate pollution over the past two decades, and the health effects of metal pollutants in PM2.5 have received significant attention. However, there is a limited understanding of the active forms of metals in PM2.5 and their ecological risks to plants, soil or water in Beijing. It is essential that the ecological risks of metal pollutants in PM2.5 are accurately evaluated based on their bioavailability, identifying the key pollutants and revealing historic trends to future risks control. A two-year project measured the chemical speciation of pollution elements (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Mn, Pb, Sb, Sr, Ti, and Zn) in PM2.5 in Beijing, in particular their bioavailability, assessing ecological risks and identifying key pollutants. The mass concentrations of total and active species of pollution elements were 199.12 ng/m3 and 114.97 ng/m3, respectively. Active fractions accounted for 57.7 % of the total. Cd had the highest active proportion. Based on the risk assessment code (RAC), most pollution elements except Ti had moderate or high ecological risk, with RAC exceeding 30 %. Cd, with an RAC of 70 %, presented the strongest ecological risk. Comparing our data with previous research shows that concentrations of pollution elements in PM2.5 in Beijing have decreased over the past decade. However, although the total concentrations of Cd in PM2.5 have decreased by >50 % over the past decade, based on machine model simulation, its ecological risk has reduced by only 10 %. Our research shows that the ecological risks of pollution elements remain high despite their decreasing concentrations. Controlling the active species of metal pollutants in PM2.5 in Beijing in the future is vital.

Unravelling arsenic bioavailability in floodplain soils impacted by mining activities

Gold mining not only introduces mercury (Hg) contamination to soils but also facilitates the mobilization of other toxic substances, including arsenic (As). This study assessed the total content, chemical species, and bioavailable fraction of As in surface soils impacted by mining residues during frequent flooding. Analysis of 207 soil samples across the floodplain region of La Mojana, Colombia, screened to 2 mm with polyethylene mesh, revealed significant correlations (p < 0.05) between inorganic As, the residual phase, sulphur (S), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and aluminum (Al), indicating associations with sulfides and oxyhydroxides of Fe and Mn. The origin of toxicity was linked to suspended materials transported by rivers during flooding in areas with intense mining activity. Sites with better oxidizing conditions exhibited a higher presence of phases associated with amorphous and crystalline oxides in non-flooded areas. Although the bioavailable fraction was minimal in flooded sites, reducing conditions facilitated As mobility, resulting in higher concentrations in deeper soil layers, particularly as As(III). The contamination factor (CF) ranged from 1.3 to 11.1, and the geochemical index (Igeo) ranged from −0.2 to 2.9, indicating a moderate to high As contamination level in soils. This poses potential health risks, considering the agricultural use of these soils.

Poor transferability of richness models: Predicting plot-scale plant diversity in the Waterberg, South Africa

Modelling measures of biodiversity for understudied taxa or regions is one method to address taxonomic and geographic biases in biodiversity data. However, modelling biodiversity metrics, such as species richness, to unsampled areas is only useful if predictions are reliable. As a result, testing the transferability of richness models is necessary for assessing the potential for models to predict to unsampled areas. Here we test the transferability of plant richness models between two reserves to examine if the richness-environment relationship from one reserve can accurately estimate richness patterns in the other reserve, using the vascular plant species richness of the Waterberg region (savanna biome; northern South Africa) as a model system. Six richness response variables (total species, grass species, herb species, woody species, genus, and family richness) and a set of 16 predictor variables were analysed with three modelling approaches and two statistical techniques to build: (1) models comprising all available predictor variables, (2) models using a subset of predictor variables chosen based on model performance, and (3) models using a subset of predictor variables that reduce the difference in the environmental conditions between the two reserves. The models’ performance in the training area varied considerably, but soil variables were consistently the most important predictors of plant richness. However, the transferability of all the models was consistently poor across all modelling approaches and both techniques, possibly reflecting the degree to which each reserve contains novel environments absent from the other reserve (despite being separated by only c. 60 km and sharing vegetation types). Due to the poor performance of these richness models, they are currently not useful for predicting richness to other areas in the vicinity of the reserves or in the broader region. However, in areas, like the Waterberg region, that have high plant diversity and are poorly sampled, there may be value in continued development of richness models to address biodiversity gaps, thereby providing better data to inform conservation decisions.

Exploring the interplay between water quality parameters and aquatic fauna in a human-dominated stream network in Iran

Rivers and streams are dynamic linear features that undergo numerous disturbances from nearby human activities. This is particularly evident in Iranian arid regions, where agricultural activities are concentrated along these water bodies to harness their freshwater resources. This study utilized 12 stations in the Maharlu stream network to assess the impact of human activities on its water quality and aquatic fauna. Results indicated that severe nutrient pollution attributed to a high mean nitrate concentration (67.77 ± 79.72 mg/L). By employing PCA analysis, three main principal components were extracted, explaining a variance of 82.61%. PC1 exhibited high positive loadings for dissolved oxygen (DO), while PC2 showed an elevated salt concentration. Midges and non-biting mosquitoes, predominantly from the Chironomidae family, emerged as the dominant taxon, contributing to over 98% of the total species abundance. Furthermore, integrated PCA–CCA analysis revealed downstream shifts in species composition toward more tolerant species, driven by decreasing DO levels and increasing salt concentrations. These shifts in trends found in water quality parameters and species composition were linked to agricultural runoff carrying substantial amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, and organic matter from livestock farming. Consequently, there is an urgent need to implement conservation measures to mitigate their adverse effects.

Amphiatlantic Dolphins’ Prey: Indicators of Speciation, Trophic Competition and Global Warming? A Review

A review of the prey of three amphiatlantic dolphin species, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella coeruleoalba and Delphinus delphis, is carried out. The main objective of this work is to review the feeding of these species in the Atlantic in order to assess the degrees of trophic competition and speciation pressure. A total of 103 fish families, 22 cephalopod families and 19 crustacean families have been counted, from which the species identified to the genus level only included seventy-one fish, twenty cephalopods and five crustaceans, and the total species identified included three-hundred-one fish, fifty cephalopods and twenty-six crustaceans. The most consumed prey were fish, followed by cephalopods and crustaceans. The exclusive prey consumed by each of the three dolphin species, as well as those shared by all or at least two of them, have also been counted. T. truncatus is the most general; however, the western Atlantic populations exhibit high dietary specialization compared to the eastern Atlantic populations, reflecting strong speciation pressure on both sides of the Atlantic. D. delphis and S. coeruleoalba, despite their amphiatlantism, have hardly been studied in the western Atlantic, except for a few references in the southern hemisphere, so the fundamental differences between the two species and their comparison with T. truncatus have been established with records from the eastern Atlantic. All three dolphin species have been observed to be expanding, especially D. delphis. This northward expansion and that of their prey is discussed.

Мохоподібні парку-пам’ятки садово-паркового мистецтва місцевого значення «Снопківський» (м. Львів)

The species diversity and substratum preferencies of Bryophytes in the territory of the local park-monument park “Snopkivsky” in the urban ecosystem of Lviv are given in the article. The bryoflora of the Snopkivsky Park includes 61 species of bryophytes from the divisions Marchantiophyta and Bryophyta. The high position of the families Brachytheciaceae, Orthotricaceae, Pottiaceae, Bryaceae in the floristic spectrum reflects the specificity of the park’s local conditions. The percentage of these families in the floristic spectrum is 45.9 % of the total species richness. This distribution is characteristic of aridic natural zones, which indicates the dry condition of the urban microclimate. At the same time, a good representation of the boreal and nemoral forest families such as Mniaceae, Amblystegiaceae, Hypnaceae (21.3 % of the total species richness) reflects the natural features of the territory (the zone of broad-leaved forests), which spontaneously reproduced on part of the Park territory or were created artificially in ornamental gardening. In this part of the Park with spontaneous silvatisation the largest number of bryophyte species is concentrated and the moss cover is the most abundant. Poor representation of Marchantiophytes indicates a significant degree of anthropization of the studied urban ecosystem. There is an increase in the number of anthropogenic ecotopes in the Park, which is reflected in a significant upgrowth in the fraction of epilithic bryophyte species. Ravines and abandoned quarries have the greatest conservation value for mosses on the Park territory. Some anthropophobic species as components of epigeic, epiphytic and epixylic substrates groups, which are not characteristic of intensively urbanized areas, are occur here. No rare bryophyte species were found within the park. However, floating liverwort Riccia fluitans, which is not typical for urban areas in general, was found in the Zelene Oko lake. Calcareous tufa deposited in the bed of hard-water streams at the headwaters of the Snopkivsky stream is a specific habitat for bryophytes. Indicators for hard-water springs with tufa formation of European lowland arias bryophytes species (Apopellia endiviifolia, Cratoneuron filicinum and Platyhypnidium riparoides) were found here. Amphibious (primarily calciphilic tufa-forming) and free-floating bryophyte species are equally not typical for urbanized ecosystems and occur here only sporadically: this fact underlines the conservation value of the researched park for the pre­servation of bryophytes microhabitats within the city boundaries. The conservation of silvatic areas, both spontaneous and artificial, is an important condition for the effective functioning of the park as a semi-natural ecosystem. The diversity of bryophytes, their species composition and cover abundance are indicative of the integrity of urban ecosystems on the territory of the park “Snopkivsky”.

Wetland biodiversity in Aotearoa New Zealand: an eDNA perspective on exotic and non-exotic species

ABSTRACT Invasive species threaten biodiversity in Aotearoa New Zealand. In wetlands − significant sites that provide an array of ecosystem and cultural services but represent <10% of their original extent − invasive species can affect hydrological function, nutrient regimes and overall ecological functionality. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a valuable biomonitoring technique for cataloguing biodiversity and detecting biological incursions, but little is known about how biodiversity varies in wetlands over fine and broad spatial scales. Here, we examined the publicly available eDNA database of Wilderlab New Zealand, retrieving data from 26 sites across the country to characterise taxonomic diversity patterns, including the extent of exotic and non-exotic (native and endemic) species. We found significant spatial variation in biodiversity – even among neighbouring sites – and a pattern whereby all sites had ≥50% exotic species in their total species tally. Our results provide new information on the current state of wetland biodiversity in Aotearoa New Zealand and highlight the value of eDNA databases for generating new insights from publicly shared data. They also emphasise an urgent need for greater resource allocation to conservation and restoration initiatives in Aotearoa New Zealand that will ensure the persistence of treasured native and endemic wetland species.

Carabid beetles in solar parks: assemblages under solar panels are severely impoverished compared to gaps between panel rows and edge areas

Renewable energies are a major tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. Among renewables, solar parks are a key technology and their expansion will strongly increase in the future. Hence, there is a great need for research regarding their impact on biodiversity. In this study, we investigated the importance of three solar parks in northern Germany as habitat for carabid beetles. More specifically, we determined how habitat characteristics (temperature, vegetation structure), species richness, activity densities and carabid beetle assemblages vary between different locations within solar parks: areas under solar panels “UNDR”, gaps between panel rows “BTW” and areas at the edge of solar parks “EDGE”. We found that UNDR strongly differed from BTW/EDGE in terms of habitat conditions, species richness and activity densities of carabid beetles. UNDR mainly provided habitat for a species- and individual-poor subset of species already present in BTW/EDGE and made only a small contribution to the total species richness of the investigated solar parks. BTW and EDGE, on the other hand, differed only slightly. Thus, the narrow gaps between the panel rows were of similar importance as a habitat for carabid beetles as the edge areas. Overall, the investigated solar parks—and thus also the more species-rich areas EDGE and BTW—almost exclusively provided habitat for widespread and common non-threatened generalists, while species of conservation concern were extremely rare.Implications for insect conservationThe low importance of UNDR for carabid beetles should be considered when assessing the biodiversity value of solar parks, since a large proportion of these facilities is covered with solar panels. Between panel rows and at the edge of solar parks, larger areas should be kept free from construction with solar panels in order to provide habitats for carabid beetles and other species groups. More research should be conducted on how to further improve solar parks for carabid beetles and overall biodiversity.

Maternal periconceptional exposure to drinking water disinfection by-products and neural tube defects in offspring.

Associations between maternal periconceptional exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water and neural tube defects (NTDs) in offspring are inconclusive, limited in part by exposure misclassification. Maternal interview reports of drinking water sources and consumption from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study were linked with DBP concentrations in public water system monitoring data for case children with an NTD and control children delivered during 2000-2005. DBPs analyzed were total trihalomethanes, the five most common haloacetic acids combined, and individual species. Associations were estimated for all NTDs combined and selected subtypes (spina bifida, anencephaly) with maternal periconceptional exposure to DBPs in public water systems and with average daily periconceptional ingestion of DBPs accounting for individual-level consumption and filtration information. Mixed effects logistic regression models with maternal race/ethnicity and educational attainment at delivery as fixed effects and study site as a random intercept were applied. Overall, 111 case and 649 control children were eligible for analyses. Adjusted odds ratios for maternal exposure to DBPs in public water systems ranged from 0.8-1.5 for all NTDs combined, 0.6-2.0 for spina bifida, and 0.7-1.9 for anencephaly; respective ranges for average daily maternal ingestion of DBPs were 0.7-1.1, 0.5-1.5, and 0.6-1.8. Several positive estimates (≥1.2) were observed, but all confidence intervals included the null. Using community- and individual-level data from a large, US, population-based, case-control study, we observed statistically nonsignificant associations between maternal periconceptional exposure to total and individual DBP species in drinking water and NTDs and subtypes.

Isolation of flavonoids from Tagetes patula(French Marigold) flowers: Cytotoxic and oxidant activity in human cervical carcinoma cells

Tagetes patula, known as French Marigold, belongs to the family Asteraceae. Human papillomavirus infection is considered one of the causes of cervical cancer. This study assessedthe cytotoxic activity and intracellular oxidative capacity of compounds isolated from extract of T. patulaflowers as anti-cancer cervical agents. Fraction F6 of n-butanol extract was subjected to column chromatography and HPLC-ESI-MS. The isolated compounds of T. patulawere used to examine cytotoxic activity and the production of total reactive oxygen species in SiHa and HeLa cells; the cells were also characterized using scanning electron microscopy. Patulitrin was cytotoxic to SiHa and HeLa cells. An increase in ROS production was observed at different times of treatment of cells with patuletin and patulitrin. Scanning electron microscopy showed morphological changes in SiHa and HeLa cells. Thus, compounds isolated from T. patulahave great treatment potential against cervical cancer.

HSP70 protects against acute pancreatitis-elicited intestinal barrier damage in rats

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a frequent but severe abdominal emergency in general surgery with intestinal barrier dysfunction. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is a ubiquitous molecular chaperone that has been proposed to exert favorable effects on AP. Nonetheless, the detailed impacts of HSP70 on the intestinal barrier function in AP are unknown, which will be investigated here. After the injection of sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct, the rat models of AP were established. After modeling, HSP70 expression was up-regulated through lentivirus infection. Western blot was used to detect HSP70 expression. H&E staining was used to examine the histological changes in the pancreatic and intestinal tissues. The levels of pancreatic biochemical markers and oxidative stress markers were detected using corresponding assay kits. ELISA was used to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines and gastrointestinal function indicators. Immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used to detect the expression of tight junction proteins. DCFH-DA probe and MitoSOX Red probe were used to detect total reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial ROS (mtROS), respectively. TUNEL assay and Western blot were used to detect apoptosis. During the model construction, severe pancreatic and abnormal intestinal tissue abnormalities were observed, inflammatory response was activated and the intestinal barrier was disrupted. HSP70 expression was down-regulated in the intestinal tissues AP rat models. HSP70 ameliorated the morphological damage of pancreatic and intestinal tissues of AP rats. In addition, HSP70 significantly reduced intestinal barrier damage, inflammatory response, oxidative stress and apoptosis in the intestinal tissues of AP rat models. Collectively, HSP70 might attenuate AP through exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic effects and inhibiting intestinal barrier disruption.

A combined metagenome and disease enrichment analysis of nitrosamines present in smokeless tobacco, wiz using molecular docking and functional annotation approach

Smokeless tobacco products (SLTs) are a major concern due to the associated health risks of the carcinogens, toxins, dynamic microbial system and other harmful chemicals present in them. Procured tobacco leaves are sweetened, flavored and processed to yield the various noncombustible forms of SLTs. These SLTs contain a discrete microbial ecosystem which may contribute to the formation of tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), endotoxins and other pro inflammatory components. In the present study Whole Metagenome Sequencing was carried out for the exploration of microbial communities followed by their functional profiling. In addition to this, novel targets for TSNAs were predicted using the Swiss Target Prediction tool. Further, disease enrichment analysis of various TSNAs present in Wiz was done using Molecular Docking and functional annotation approach using David database. Bacterial, fungal and viral species were found in the sample where more than 50 % of total bacterial species were Proteobacteria followed by Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Apicomplexa, Bacteroidetes, Basidiomycota and Cyanobacteria phyla. Total 22,766 genes with 64.9 % GC content were found, which were associated with nitrogen metabolism, antibiotic resistance, multidrug transportation, multitoxins, and pro-inflammation. The presence of phages in wiz showed the possibility of horizontal gene transfer. The pathway enrichment analysis of various TSNAs of wiz were found to be associated with numerous diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, mental depression, Hypertension, male infertility, Acute Kidney disease and various kinds of cancers.This study will help to understand the possible role of microbiota, TSNAs and their genetic contribution to the overall product's effect on human health. The raw data was submitted to NCBI Short Read Archive (SRA) under Bio Project accession number PRJNA837388.

Fish Diversity and Hydrological Parameters of Indrasagar Reservoir (Khandwa District)

The state of Madhya Pradesh is the central state of India &amp; one of the important aquatic biodiversity hotspots of the country, having bestowed with a large number of water bodies both lotic and lentic, the state boasts of rich fish biodiversity. The aim of this study is collection and identification of finfish that found in Indira sagar reservoir and the water quality parameter of the reservoir in which the fishes thriving. Total 54 species of 9 order were found in the reservoir in Khandwa district including labeo rohita,Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala, Ctenopharyngodon idella Labeo calbasu, Puntius sophore, Pethia ticto,Puntius chola, Cyprinus carpio, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, Oreochromis mossambicus, Glossogobius giuris, Channa marulius, Channa gachua , Channa striata and Clarias magur etc. The 03 species of transplanted Indian major carps Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala and Labeo rohita are dominating the fishermen catches The authors are of firm opinion that the exotic species are posing competition for food and space to the native species.. To certain extend even hybrid of catla and rohu are available in the fish catches The water quality parameters were significantly found suitable for freshwater cultivable species including the temperature, dissolved oxygen, Total hardness , dissolved oxygen and temperature are higher in summer season and lower in winter season. This may be due to higher photosynthetic rate in summer season. Whereas the pH value is higher in winter season and lower in summer season. It indicates reduction in photosynthetic activities in winter which reduces assimilation of carbon dioxide and bicarbonates.

Heterogeneric Diversity and Richness of Avifauna in a Degraded Landscape of Arial Beel in Bangladesh

Bird diversity and richness reflect the habitat quality of ecosystems. The species composition, diversity, and richness of birds were studied at Shologhar Union, a degraded landscape of Arial Beel, from March 2016 to February 2017, using line transect and point count methods. A total of 75 species of birds belonging to 14 orders and 35 families were recorded; most of them were residents (83%). Non-passerine birds were predominant (40 species, 53% of total species), with 18 families and 38 genera. Only one near-threatened species (Yellow Wattled Lapwing Vanellus malabaricus) was recorded. Among resident birds, Baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus) was dominant, and the Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) was predominant among migratory birds. Most species were terrestrial (51 spp., 68% of total birds), contributing only 23% of the population. The individual rarefaction revealed the highest species richness in March and the lowest in May and June. The highest population was recorded in winter (38%), and insectivore species (40%) were the highest. No significant seasonal variation occurred in the richness of birds (Kruskal-Wallis test: K = 0.05 df = 2, p = 0.971) and in different feeding guilds (Kruskal-Wallis test: K = 0.86, df = 5, p = 0.65). Ardeidae and Sturnidae represented the highest diversified families (6 species in each, RDi = 8), and Baya Weaver contributed the highest (26%) population. The presence of different species of birds suggests that this site could provide a suitable habitat for wild birds, and restoration management of this part of Arial Beel should require conserving the habitat of avifauna. Jagannath University Journal of Life and Earth Sciences, 9(1): 19-44, 2023 (June)

Interaction of extreme drought and insect herbivores on grassland community is affected by drought pattern

Abstract Extreme drought and insect herbivores can affect plant community non-independently, and their interaction may be influenced by drought pattern. However, few studies have explored the interaction on plant community structure, and no study has investigated whether the interaction is affected by drought pattern. We explored the interaction of different extreme drought patterns and insect herbivores with a manipulated experiment in a semiarid grassland. There were three treatments for drought: control—ambient precipitation; chronic drought—66% precipitation reduction in the growing season (May–August); intense drought—completely exclusion of rain events from June to July. Herbivores removal and present treatments were imposed within each drought treatment. We found that although herbivores had no significant effects on the impacts of droughts on total species richness, it alleviated the impacts of chronic drought on total cover, and the alleviating role decreased under intense drought. Comparing with intense drought, more increasing of grass cover led to more alleviation under chronic drought associated with the decrease of forb which has low leaf carbon and dry matter content, along with high starch, calcium, magnesium and manganese concentration. These results indicate that the interaction of drought and herbivores is affected by drought pattern, and the changes in leaf traits that reduce herbivores feeding in grass might alleviate the impact of drought on grassland.

Prioritising Important Plant Areas (IPAs) among the limestone karsts of Perak, Malaysia

SummaryThe flora of limestone karsts is exceptionally rich, due in particular to the wide array of microhabitats that limestone outcrops support. However, in Peninsular Malaysia limestone outcrops are heavily exploited for the quarry industry, cave temples, leisure venues and the development of geoparks, hence the limestone flora is amongst the most threatened biodiversity in the Peninsula. The 95 limestone karsts in Perak are currently known to support 538 species, representing c. 44.2% of the total limestone flora of Peninsular Malaysia. Of these, 13.2% (71 species) are endemic to the Peninsula of which 10 species are hyper-endemic (i.e. restricted to a single karst), 108 (20%) are threatened with extinction and 6 are considered likely to be Extinct. Typical of limestone in Peninsular Malaysia, a single karst harbours only a fraction of the total limestone flora such that a network of karsts is required to capture maximum plant diversity. Through evaluation of data from field surveys, herbarium specimens and the literature, 27 of the Perak karsts were found to trigger Important Plant Area (IPA) status, i.e. they harbour important populations of threatened species, outstanding botanical richness and/or are important examples of threatened habitats that in Perak include the foothills and limestone forest. Fifteen karsts were identified for priority conservation measures based on Conservation Priority Scores (CPS), a quantitative methodology based on endemic and threatened status. With the addition of two species-rich karst sites, 17 karsts are recommended as the first iteration of the network of priority IPA sites for Perak that together conserve 90% (483 species) of the Perak limestone plant diversity, 93% (66) of the endemic species and 94.4% (102) of the threatened species. CPS is found to be more reliable than using total species richness for assessing conservation importance and we also demonstrate that karst size and isolation are not primary indicators of range-restricted plant diversity. Significant knowledge gaps still exist, with 59 karsts in Perak without botanical surveys, and with many rare species having not been recollected for over 30 years, emphasising the need for further botanical research in these important and threatened landscapes.

Soil and Vegetation Characteristics of Grassland have a Greater Influence on the Abundance and Diversity of Earthworms than the Mowing Intensity in a Managed Nature Reserve

Effects of mowing on vegetation parameters have been well studied. However, less is known about mowing effects on soil fauna and if soil properties alter this. We investigated earthworm communities in a long-term experiment 14 years after its establishment in 5 dry, fresh and moist grassland plots located in the Natura 2000 site Lainzer Tiergarten near Vienna, Austria (238–402 m a.s.l., 48°10′ N, 16°12′ E). The grasslands were either mowed once a year or every second year, or not mowed since being established. Earthworms were assessed using the non-destructive octet electro-shocking method. Additionally, vegetation composition, soil conductivity, temperature and moisture were assessed. We found 13 earthworm species across all treatments, although their abundance was generally low with 6.1 ± 4.7 worms m−2. The total earthworm abundance and species diversity was higher in dry compared to fresh and moist grasslands but was not affected by mowing frequency. Endogeic earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa, Aporrectodea rosea) and epigeics (Lumbricus rubellus) were more tolerant to mowing than anecics (Lumbricus terrestris, Allolobophora longa). Since plant species richness was highest in annually mown grasslands and earthworm species richness was positively related to plant species numbers, we recommend regular, low-input management to promote above- and belowground biodiversity in these grasslands.

Linking hydrological connectivity with the richness and composition of aquatic invertebrates across the Paraná River floodplain, Argentina

Lateral hydrological connectivity can affect the community characteristics by promoting dispersal of organisms between the river and its floodplain. We investigated the species richness, specific diversity, and relative abundance of microcrustaceans transported by the flood and the macroinvertebrates retained by Pontederia crassipes Mart. roots in five floodplain lakes with different connectivity within the RAMSAR Site Humedales Chaco. Due to differences in the slopes of the floodplain studied, the connectivity was determined by the topographic location of each lake, rather than by the distance from the river. During the hydrological connection, there was a transverse gradient in the physical and chemical characteristics of the water, with an increase in the electrical conductivity and a decrease in dissolved oxygen and suspended solids in the more isolated sites. A total of 62 species of microcrustaceans (48 cladocerans and 14 copepods) and 63 taxa of macroinvertebrates were identified. The microcrustaceans had high species richness in the three most connected lakes, whereas the macroinvertebrates had a peak in taxa richness in the lakes with intermediate connectivity. The low beta diversity (βw) for both microcrustaceans (14.63 %) and macroinvertebrates (16.9 %) indicated that taxa richness varied little between sites with different hydrological connectivity. In both assemblages, cluster analysis based on the similarity of the relative abundance grouped the three sites more connected and separated from the less connected sites. Our results suggest that species richness followed different patterns in different assemblages across the lateral gradient and that the hydrological connectivity was more related to the relative abundance of microcrustaceans and macroinvertebrates than to the classical measures of βw. Species diversity indices did not vary between sites. The high total species richness of invertebrates is mainly a result of the spatial arrangement of the different floodplain lakes.

Flower-bee versus pollen-bee metanetworks in fragmented landscapes.

Understanding the organization of mutualistic networks at multiple spatial scales is key to ensure biological conservation and functionality in human-modified ecosystems. Yet, how changing habitat and landscape features affect pollen-bee interaction networks is still poorly understood. Here, we analysed how bee-flower visitation and bee-pollen-transport interactions respond to habitat fragmentation at the local network and regional metanetwork scales, combining data from 29 fragments of calcareous grasslands, an endangered biodiversity hotspot in central Europe. We found that only 37% of the total unique pairwise species interactions occurred in both pollen-transport and flower visitation networks, whereas 28% and 35% were exclusive to pollen-transport and flower visitation networks, respectively. At local level, network specialization was higher in pollen-transport networks, and was negatively related to the diversity of land cover types in both network types. At metanetwork level, pollen transport data revealed that the proportion of single-fragment interactions increased with landscape diversity. Our results show that the specialization of calcareous grasslands' plant-pollinator networks decreases with landscape diversity, but network specialization is underestimated when only based on flower visitation information. Pollen transport data, more than flower visitation, and multi-scale analyses of metanetworks are fundamental for understanding plant-pollinator interactions in human-dominated landscapes.