Complete mitochondrial genome pathological characteristics and scanning electron microscopic observations of Armillifer moniliformis isolated from Manis javanica.

Molecular identification of trypanosome species and vertebrate blood meals in wild tsetse flies from Binoum in the forest area of the littoral region of Cameroon.

New morphological features and phylogenetic insights of Dioctophyme renale from wild carnivores and a domestic dog in South America.

From a One Health perspective, the gut microbiota of animals acts as a major driver of microbial exchange between animals and the environment. Animals continuously release gut microbes into their surroundings, shaping environmental and human microbial communities and potentially dispersing pathogens. Characterizing gut microbiota across diverse animal hosts is therefore critical for understanding the patterns of microbial spread through ecosystems and their impact on animal, human and environmental health. Here, we introduce a large, taxonomically diverse dataset of fecal microbiomes from 715 individual animals representing over 50 mammalian and avian species. We collected samples from both wild and domestic animals with an emphasis on capturing microbial diversity across a wide range of taxa and ecological contexts. The samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing, targeting the V3-V4 hypervariable region. Bioinformatic analysis was performed using Usearch to generate zero-radius operational taxonomic units (ZOTUs). This dataset was generated primarily for the development of microbial source tracking (MST) assays used for identifying the sources of fecal pollution in contaminated water. However, it provides a valuable resource for broader microbiome research. It enables comparative studies across host species, trophic guilds, and environmental contexts such as domestication.

First molecular identification of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei, Ligula intestinalis, and Taenia hydatigena infecting wildlife canine and avian hosts from the Astrakhan Region, Russia.

Viral metagenomics reveals the RNA viral composition of herbivorous wildlife on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Beak wiping stereotypies are correlated with neophobia and lack of enrichment in captive house sparrows (Passer domesticus).

First confirmation of Brachycladium atlanticum as aetiological agent of pulmonary pathologies in a common dolphin (Delphinus delphis).

The Dai people of Lujiangba area, Baoshan, Yunnan Province, have rich knowledge of collecting and consuming wild edible plants (WEPs). These plants contribute significantly to local food security, nutrition, and cultural identity. Rapid economic development and environmental changes threaten the transmission of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of WEPs. However, few research or inventory of such TEK had been completed. This study adopted ethnobotanical research methods, including semi-structured interviews and participatory observation, involving 147 local participants. Data were analyzed using the relative citation frequency (RCF) index to determine commonly used species, traditional harvesting techniques, and conservation strategies. In the Lujiangba area, a total of 177 wild edible plants (WEPs) were documented among the Dai people, representing 64 families. Herbaceous species predominated, comprising 63.84% of the recorded flora, with leaves (58.19%) and stems (55.93%) as the principal edible parts. Vegetables (67.23%) and herbal medicine (29.38%) constituted the primary categories of utilization. Among these species, 171 were wild, while 66 were cultivated either in situ or in translocated sites, primarily distributed across homegardens, mountainous areas, and ricefields. Approximately 50.85% of wild edible plants required management interventions such as weeding, irrigating, or fertilizing, whereas 10.73% did not require any additional management. Harvesting exhibited distinct seasonality, predominantly occurring in spring (69.49%), followed by summer and autumn, with minimal activity in winter; only 2.82% of species were harvested year-round. Through RFC value, the more significant plants are: Diplazium esculentum, Elsholtzia kachinensis, Lasia spinosa, and Buddleja officinalis. These findings indicate that this pattern demonstrates the high degree of cultural adaptation embedded within their traditional ecological knowledge regarding species selection, management practices, and seasonal utilization. Furthermore, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of wild edible plants (WEPs) is in danger of being lost due to the influence of modern life and generations. The Dai people of the Lujiangba area exhibit profound TEK in their use of WEPs. The traditional ecological knowledge not only supports the sustainable use of plant resources but also embodies the Dai people's cultural identity and regional heritage, highlighting the importance of preserving and transmitting this knowledge to maintain local biodiversity and promote food security and cultural continuity. Furthermore, both in situ and ex situ conservation strategies can mitigate the loss of TEK. However, additional measures are required, including the development of comprehensive databases, the integration of TEK with scientific knowledge, and the promotion of multidisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange.

ABSTRACT Negative effects of anthropogenic climate change are accelerating. The threat climate change poses has prompted research into radical technological responses, including forms of solar radiation management (SRM). While there has been some consideration of the ethical challenges SRM technologies present, to date, these have almost exclusively concerned humans. Here, we take one leading form of SRM, stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), and examine the ethical questions its deployment might present for wild animals. We map this terrain by investigating two overarching ethical questions: a) whether deploying stratospheric aerosol injection should be seen as in-principle wrong from animal ethics perspectives, and b) if not, or where it is not, what ethicists need to consider to morally evaluate SAI in the context of wild animals. To address the second question, we explore existing research gaps regarding empirical information on the effects of SAI on animals, the possible impacts of SAI on animal welfare, and its potential implications for justice issues when animals are included in theories of justice.

ABSTRACT Palomena prasina (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), the green shield bug (GSB), is an important hazelnut pest in Southern Europe. Currently, its control focuses on insecticide spraying during the crop season. We hypothesized that, as for other pentatomid species, adjacent habitats strongly influence the population build‐up in spring and, therefore, lead to edge effects within crop fields during the production season. This could allow for precision‐targeted pest management strategies. This study examined the spatio‐temporal dynamics of the GSB in spring and summer over 2 years. We investigated the plant preferences of GSBs in spring and the existence of edge effects on their distribution and on fruit damage in hazelnut orchards in summer. We also examined the relative contribution of adjacent habitats to GSB abundance in crops. Our results show that, following their emergence from overwintering in spring, GSB adults, and later on their offspring, are primarily found on wild host plants in natural habitats, particularly on Crataegus monogyna Jacquin and Cornus sanguinea L. In early summer, the older nymphs of the second generation colonize the hazelnut orchards, with populations and damage proportion displaying edge effects. We were unable to identify an adjacent habitat variable that significantly explains the abundance of GSB in the orchards, although both forest habitats and hazelnut orchards have an effect on GSB abundance. Based on these findings, we propose various IPM strategies for controlling P. prasina .

This study examines the impact of wild animals on the livelihoods of people living in and around Dallagaon, Bardiya National Park, Nepal. Using interviews, observations, and survey questionnaires, the research explores awareness, safety, economic, psychological, and social effects of wildlife. Findings (mean score 4.3) reveal frequent crop and property damage, financial losses, and widespread fear and stress disrupting daily life. Despite tourism benefits, economic and emotional hardships prevail. A mean score 2.75 indicates community dissatisfaction with government support and compensation. Nevertheless, local awareness and collective efforts show resilience. The study concludes that human–wildlife conflict is a multidimensional issue requiring integrated solutions, improved preventive measures, fair compensation, and community-centered policies for sustainable coexistence.

Climate change is intensifying hydrological extremes, reshaping water availability across ecosystems and threatening both agriculture and natural plant communities. While flooding tolerance has been extensively studied in crops and model species such as Arabidopsis thaliana and rice, wild plants naturally adapted to water-rich habitats remain underexplored. This review summarizes anatomical, physiological, and molecular strategies of flooding adaptation in wild Brassicaceae, with a focus on the ecologically diverse tribe Cardamineae. We further highlight other water-associated lineages, including Arabis, Cakile, Cochlearia and Subularia, as well as the related family Limnanthaceae inhabiting seasonal wetlands. Importantly, flooding in natural habitats rarely represents a single stress factor. Besides limited gas diffusion leading to hypoxia and carbon limitation, additional constraints such as salinity, mechanical disturbance, or low temperature may occur. The taxa reviewed here exhibit convergent morphological traits, including schizogenic aerenchyma, adventitious roots, heterophylly, and growth modulation under submergence. Although whole-genome duplication is frequent among water-associated Brassicaceae, it does not universally predict flooding tolerance and is best viewed as a context-dependent modifier of adaptive potential. This review highlights that flooding adaptation in Brassicaceae has evolved through multiple evolutionary routes and underscores wild relatives as a valuable, yet underutilized, resource for improving flooding resilience in crops.

ABSTRACT Drought stress hinders plant growth and causes major yield losses globally. This study investigated the mechanisms behind Pantoea species-induced drought tolerance in Arabidopsis. RNA-seq analyses revealed significant upregulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in Pantoea-inoculated plants under drought stress. The Pantoea strain, which is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), led to a significant increase in chlorophyll content and enhanced drought tolerance in wild-type Arabidopsis, but not in flavonoid pathway mutants (fls-1, tt4-2, and omt1), demonstrating the role of flavonoids in the interaction. Inoculation significantly upregulated flavonoid biosynthesis genes, including MYB11, CHI, CHS, F3H, F3'H, and FLS1, and significantly increased the flavonoid and anthocyanin contents in wild type plants compared to the mutants under drought stress, thus confirming that flavonoids are involved in Pantoea-induced drought stress. Wild type had higher colonization than the mutants, implicating flavonoids in root colonization. Pantoea species swarmed towards flavonoid soaked-agar plugs suggesting that flavonoids may be chemoattractants. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway has been implicated in Pantoea-induced drought tolerance. Overall, our findings revealed that Pantoea-mediated drought stress tolerance is largely regulated by the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, providing insights into the role of flavonoids in plant–microbe interactions and drought stress tolerance.

Parental age and inbreeding have both been shown to have substantial fitness effects in laboratory experiments and in observations of wild animals. These demographic effects are likely to be strongly impacted by habitat fragmentation and warming temperatures, so understanding them is a priority. In insects and other ectotherms, some processes implicated in senescence are dependent on temperature. Anticipated changes in climate may therefore have direct effects on senescence in insects, or indirect effects via parental age. Similarly, although effects of inbreeding are well studied in wild vertebrates, information about how matings between relatives affect fitness in invertebrates comes almost exclusively from laboratory studies. To bridge the divide between field studies of vertebrates and laboratory studies of insects, we conducted an experiment using wild field crickets, Gryllus campestris. We experimentally manipulated the relatedness of parents, their age at reproduction and the temperature they experience as they aged. We then released the offspring of these parents into a natural meadow and used a network of video cameras to monitor their adult behavior and life history throughout the course of their breeding season. We found no effect of parental age on their offspring. There were effects of inbreeding, but they were restricted to more inbred females mating to fewer males, and more inbred males being slightly smaller than outbred males. Our study suggests that effects that can be detected in laboratory studies may have relatively modest effects on fitness in nature.

Abstract For many people around the world, especially in Indigenous communities, seasonal changes affect the availability and desirability of different types of food. Assessing the relationship between seasonality, sociocultural preferences and hunting patterns is vital for understanding how these populations harness seasonal food production dynamics to create dietary resilience. In Madagascar's Makira Protected Area, local residents rely on hunting wild animals for nutrition. However, many of the species that they hunt are threatened due to a combination of pressures, including from hunting, habitat loss and climate change. To protect these species and meet the needs of local people, understanding the drivers of hunting practices is critical. Building on social–ecological systems theory and a biocultural calendar framework, we combined multiple data sources to analyse the interplay between wild animal population dynamics, availability of food resources for animals, hunting effort and catch and people's stated taste preferences among wildlife species by season throughout the year. We found no significant correlation between the estimated density of species and hunting success. However, we found that peak snare hunting effort occurred in April, several months after maximum fruit availability and coinciding with the period when local people reported that frugivorous lemurs tasted the best. Hunting success for frugivorous lemurs also showed a strong seasonal trend, peaking in April. Catch rates of animals with other diet types exhibited less seasonality, but respondents still indicated a preference for eating various species during April–May. Survey data indicate a clear taste preference for frugivorous lemurs over animals with other diet types (such as omnivores, carnivores, or folivores). Human taste preferences for frugivorous lemurs also showed the strongest seasonality. Our findings support the hypothesis that hunters pursue frugivorous lemurs when catch success may be more likely, which coincides with the time when they taste best, possibly due to the animals' recent fruit consumption. This highlights the complex relationships between ecological dynamics, human preferences and hunting practices in the Makira Protected Area. Understanding these interactions, while also considering alternative explanations, can inform effective conservation and food security strategies that consider both wildlife protection and the nutritional needs of local communities. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Dirofilaria immitis, a mosquito-borne zoonotic nematode, has worldwide distribution and causes infections in domestic and wild animals. Microscopic, serological, and molecular diagnostic methods are used to investigate this parasite in the hosts. Molecular diagnostic methods are outstanding for their sensitivity and specificity. The LAMP method, which has been used in detecting many parasites with its high specificity and sensitivity in recent years, is also advantageous with its simplicity of application. This study aimed to use the COI-LAMP method in the diagnosis of D. immitis in different host species. LAMP primers specific for the COI gene of D. immitis were designed, and the method was optimized. Additionally, the sensitivity, specificity, and limit of detection of the LAMP method were determined, and the results were compared with those of the PCR method. Moreover, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the LAMP method in epidemiologic studies, 600 blood samples were collected from dogs (n:300) and cats (n:300) in different parts of Türkiye. gDNA obtained from these samples were researched with LAMP and PCR assays, and the results were compered. Level of agreement between assays was calculated with Cohen's kappa test. The limit of detection of the LAMP method was determined to be 0.0048ng/μL, while that of the PCR method was 0.48ng/μL, indicating that the LAMP method was approximately 100 times more sensitive than PCR. The blood samples were examined in terms of D. immitis, and ten samples (1.66%) were found to be positive. In contrast, six samples (1%) were positive by PCR. D. immitis was detected in nine (3%) dogs and one (0.33%) cat by LAMP method, and this parasite was detected in six (2%) dogs by PCR. Dirofilaria immitis was not detected by PCR in cat samples. The kappa value was calculated as κ = 0.76; this result revealed that the "substantial" agreement between assays. Our results showed that COI-LAMP has high sensitivity in the diagnosis of D. immitis in different hosts. It was also understood that its use in epidemiological studies would be useful. Since it is critical to know more accurate epidemiological data in the fight against the disease, it will be useful to use more sensitive diagnostic methods, like LAMP, in studies to be conducted in this field.

The conservation of endangered species increasingly relies on captive breeding programs, yet fundamental differences between captive and wild environments create complex challenges for successful species management and reintroduction. This comprehensive review synthesizes current knowledge on the multidimensional differences between wild and captive animals across physiological, genetic, microbial, and ecological domains. We examine how captive conditions alter metabolic regulation, immune function, and reproductive physiology, often resulting in more stable but potentially less adaptive phenotypes. Genetic analyses reveal that while some captive populations maintain diversity comparable to wild counterparts through careful management, many suffer from founder effects, genetic drift, and reduced functional gene diversity. Microbiome studies demonstrate systematic shifts in gut microbial communities, with captive animals typically showing altered diversity patterns and functional capabilities that may compromise their ability to process natural diets and resist pathogens upon release. Ecological adaptations manifest through morphological plasticity, cognitive changes, and behavioral modifications that reflect responses to simplified captive environments. These findings have profound implications for conservation strategies, highlighting the need for integrative approaches that combine rigorous genetic management, environmental enrichment, and species-specific reintroduction protocols. We conclude that successful conservation requires understanding these multidimensional differences to develop more effective captive breeding programs and optimize reintroduction success rates, ultimately advancing long-term species conservation and ecological restoration efforts.

ABSTRACTLilium tsingtauense Gilg is a rare and endangered wild plant, but there is insufficient research on the environmental drivers of intraspecific variation in its seed and fruit traits. To investigate the responses of variations in seed and fruit traits to geographical and soil factors across different habitats, 37 sample plots were selected for investigation and statistics within an elevation range of 200–1000 m in Laoshan, China. Mature fruit and soil samples were brought back to measure soil nutrient content, fruit size, seed number and seed germination rate. The results showed that: (a) There are differences in geographical and soil factors among the habitats of different L. tsingtauense populations. There were significant differences in elevation, aspect, light intensity, soil water content, soil electrical conductivity, soil organic matter content and soil total nitrogen content among different populations. (b) Fruiting ability responds more readily to environmental changes than fruit and seed traits do. Fruit length, width and thousand‐grain weight were more stable than number of plump seeds per fruit and germination percentage. (c) Significant positive correlations were observed between longitude, elevation, light intensity, soil water content, soil electrical conductivity and fruit and seed traits, while soil total phosphorus content showed a significant negative correlation with fruit and seed traits. Among these, elevation was identified as a potential key environmental factor driving variations in fruit and seed traits of L. tsingtauense. Individuals growing at higher elevations exhibited greater fruit production and higher seed germination rates. These findings reveal the environmental variability in fruit and seed traits of L. tsingtauense and its influencing factors, providing important insights for identifying core conservation areas and guiding habitat restoration for this wild resource.

Abstract Wildlife monitoring is crucial for studying biodiversity loss and climate change. Camera trap images provide a non-intrusive method for analyzing animal populations and identifying ecological patterns over time. However, manual analysis is time-consuming and resource-intensive. Deep learning, particularly foundation models, has been applied to automate wildlife identification, achieving strong performance when tested on data from the same geographical locations as their training sets. Yet, despite their promise, these models struggle to generalize to new geographical areas, leading to significant performance drops. For example, training an advanced vision-language model, such as CLIP with an adapter, on an African dataset achieves an accuracy of 84.77%. However, this performance drops significantly to 16.17% when the model is tested on an American dataset. This limitation partly arises because existing models rely predominantly on image-based representations, making them sensitive to geographical data distribution shifts, such as variation in background, lighting, and environmental conditions. To address this, we introduce WildIng, a Wild life image In variant representation model for g eographical domain shift. WildIng integrates text descriptions with image features, creating a more robust representation to geographical domain shifts. By leveraging textual descriptions, our approach captures consistent semantic information, such as detailed descriptions of the appearance of the species, improving generalization across different geographical locations. Experiments show that WildIng enhances the accuracy of foundation models such as BioCLIP by 30% under geographical domain shift conditions. We evaluate WildIng on two datasets collected from different regions, namely America and Africa. The code and models are publicly available at https://github.com/Julian075/CATALOG/tree/WildIng .