The tropics are renowned for extraordinary species richness across the marine and terrestrial realms, holding more than three quarters of all species [1]. Within the tropics, certain ‘hyperdiverse’ regions host truly exceptional numbers of species at the local community level. For example, a single hectare (100m x 100m) of coral reef in the Indo-Pacific Coral Triangle hosts twice as many coral species as the entire Atlantic ocean [2], and a hectare of the Ecuadorian Amazon holds more tree species than the entirety of Europe [3,4]. Causes of such outstanding species richness in hyperdiverse regions are varied, and in some cases enigmatic, but in many ways the forces structuring such high local-scale diversity have parallels across land and sea. These range from the heightened accumulation of species due to quirks of biogeography, climate and geology at evolutionary timescales, through to the pressures of living at close quarters with many competitors and natural enemies at ecological timescales. Comparing processes that assemble hyperdiverse tropical communities across the marine and terrestrial realms may allow future research to draw generalities about the evolution of hyperdiverse regions as a whole, and may illuminate ways in which they can be conserved.

In context of the prolonged invasion of smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora, numerous native birds have progressively adapted to this invaded plant. Not only certain non-specialist birds demonstrate an ability to inhabit and utilize smooth cordgrass, but a subset of specialist birds is also detected in the habitat as well. In this study, we investigate a previously undocumented Rallidae species, the slaty-breasted rail Lewinia striata, living in smooth cordgrass. These rails exhibit a significant reliance on the invaded vegetative community during their breeding season, engaging in foraging, vocalization, and even successful reproduction within the smooth cordgrass. These findings underscore the likelihood that amidst the ongoing decline of natural wetlands, those avian species with a profound dependence on marsh ecosystems may be compelled to adopt invasive smooth cordgrass as a vital refuge. Such a transition is poised to impact their distribution, foraging, and reproduction. With the backdrop of large-scale removal of smooth cordgrass on the China coast, the disappearance of smooth cordgrass may harm the population of these birds. Further dedicated investigations and tracking of more individuals are needed to understand the specific ecological impact on slaty-breasted rail.

Facultative scavenging can be observed across a large range of carnivorous mammals, but is an uncommon behavioural trait in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Very few incidents of cheetahs scavenging have been reported, with no explanation given as to why it may occur. In this paper we provide three more observations of cheetahs scavenging between 2019 and 2023 in three different protected areas in South Africa and Malawi. We suggest a common factor between these observations, namely that all adult individuals involved were temporarily housed in holding enclosures (bomas) during relocation processes and were provisioned with carrion as supplemental feed. The observed scavenging events could also have been influenced by the easy access of food in a situation where food acquisition was potentially difficult (i.e. old age, loss of hunting partner, mother with cubs). We hypothesise that these contributing factors, combined with the prior exposure of the adult individuals to eating carrion, could be a potential explanation for our observations of cheetahs scavenging. These observations provide a basis for further research into cheetah scavenging behaviour and the potential impacts of translocations that require prolonged holding periods on wildlife behaviour post-release. Understanding these behavioural shifts is crucial for cheetah conservation, as successful reintroduction efforts depend on the ability of cheetahs to adapt to new environments and food acquisition strategies.

Understanding the genetic processes underlying divergence and connectivity among species is crucial for identifying evolutionary histories and informing conservation strategies. The Santalum genus, exhibits distinct genetic variations across the complex geographic regions of Australia, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. This study leveraged genome-wide SNP markers to explore the genetic relationships within critically endangered and non-threatened species in an Austral-Pacific sandalwood complex, including Santalum lanceolatum, S. leptocladum, and S. macgregorii. Our findings revealed significant geographic partitioning and genetic divergence mostly aligned with current taxonomic classifications. However notably, we showed S. macgregorii populations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) were divided into two distinct genetic groups: one in the Central and Gulf provinces and another in the Western Province, which shows a closer genetic relationship with S. lanceolatum from Australia’s Northern Peninsula Area (NPA). This genetic connection suggests a history of secondary contact and potential hybridization, influenced by historical land bridges and geological events. Our study highlighted that the sandalwood trees from the Western Province may represent a divergent lineage of S. lanceolatum, the S. macgregorii populations in the Central and Gulf provinces display vicariant divergence due to geographic isolation. These insights underscore the evolutionary complexity of sandalwoods and emphasise the need for tailored conservation strategies. Our results advocate for genetic rescue programs involving NPA S. lanceolatum to enhance reproductive success in threatened sandalwood populations, offering crucial guidance for conservation and management efforts in Australasia.

Aim When introduced species invade new environments, they often overlap with native species currently occupying those spaces, either spatially through suitable habitat or environmentally through their realized niches. The goal of this research is to determine the overlap between native New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) and introduced eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) to identify potential areas of invasion by the eastern cottontail and potential areas of refuge for New England cottontail from eastern cottontail. Location Connecticut, USA Methods Using presence data from a regional, standardized monitoring protocol, we developed habitat suitability models using Maxent and conducted niche overlap analyses using Principal Component Analysis. We used several covariates that reflected proximity to habitat characteristics, such as young forest, shrubland, and understory, as well as proximity to threats, such as development. We also included topographic and climatic covariates. We used the Guidos software to categorize the spatial arrangement of young forest, shrubland, and understory vegetation. Results We found that the overlap in both niches and suitable habitat was high for two species. Only areas of low precipitation and high elevation shifted niches in favor of New England cottontail. We also found that habitat suitability for New England cottontail was higher when patches of mature forest without understory were within complexes of young forest, shrubland, and mature forest with understory. Main Conclusions Increasing habitat heterogeneity could improve the habitat suitability of existing patches or create new patches for New England cottontail. However, habitat management alone is likely not enough to discourage eastern cottontail, thus direct species management such as removal of eastern cottontail and augmentation of New England cottontail populations should be explored.

Predation is a leading cause of breeding failure as well as adult mortality in majority of bird species, prompting the evolution of various anti-predator behaviours. Among these, cryptic breeding birds often rely on strategies such as nest concealment and reduced activity to avoid detection. However, in some of them were observed also more active responses, such as defecation, when flushed from their nests. In this study, we investigate this behaviour in incubating female Eurasian woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) using a large dataset of nest photographs sourced from various open-source internet platforms. Our analysis reveals that signs of defecation are obvious in 54% of nests photos. Moreover in 67% nests are visible freshly moulted feathers around the nest, indicating possible application of fright moulting — a behaviour not previously documented in this context. We give both these behaviours into the common context and suggests that may primarily serve to aid the female’s escape rather than to protect the nest, though their effectiveness as anti-predator strategies remain uncertain. The presence of faeces and feathers may, in fact, increase the risk of nest predation by making the nest more conspicuous to predators. Our findings thus also emphasize the importance of minimising nest disturbance during research to preserve the integrity of nest environment. We show that open-source platforms can provide valuable data for studies of breeding behaviour in wild birds.

Ants occupy a great variety of habitats, perform essential ecological roles, and interact with a wide variety of other organisms. However, the interaction between ants and molluscs is a lesser-explored relationship that can be categorized into a) ant predation on molluscs, b) shell collection as hoarding behaviour, c) the use of shells for nesting, and d) myrmecophilic relationships. This study reports new data about these interactions from accidental field observations, a quantitative analysis of the snail shells found in 16 Messor ant nest cleanings, and a qualitative analysis of 51 additional nests of different species. We found 1127 snail shells from 20 species, most of them belonging to juveniles of the Geomitridae and Helicidae families. Notably, Granopupa granum was the only species found alive in the collected material. Furthermore, in our qualitative assessment, we found 86.8% of the analysed nests with shell remains in the nest cleanings of ten ant species. Additional observations revealed ants transporting both empty shells and live snails to the nest, some living snail species around the nest entries, and additional interactions between snails and ants. Our results may support cases of a) predation of snails of certain species by ants, as many shells were found with perforations compatible with ant attacks and we have recorded direct predation, b) the collection of empty shells to gather the body remains of snails as a trophic resource, and c) the potential existence of more myrmecophilous snail species than currently known, capable of living in ant nests without being attacked, like Cecilioides acicula, Ferrussacia folliculum, or G. granum. Although more studies are necessary to understand the intriguing relationship between ants and snails, the study of ant nest wastes can also become a valuable tool for detecting rare native micromollusc, as well as invasive, non-native and aquatic species.

A document by Aisha Magaji. Click on the document to view its contents.

Mediterranean inland saline lakes may play an important role in the carbon cycle due to the metabolic capacities of their prokaryotic communities. However, these lakes are not homogeneous and have different environmental characteristics. In this work, the structure and function of the prokaryotic communities inhabiting water and sediments of 15 Mediterranean inland saline shallow lakes have been studied. These lakes are grouped in categories according to their salinity, conservation statuses and alterations, which determine the structuration of the prokaryotic communities and their carbon-related metabolisms. Each salinity category and conservation status showed characteristic prokaryotic taxa. Relative abundance of methanogenic archaea tended to increase along the salinity gradient, but this did not result into increased methane emissions. The relationship between metabolic rates and the predicted abundance of their marker genes depended on the type of metabolism. Archaea played a relevant role in the organisation of interactions between community members and were markers of good conservation status. Water communities were shaped by the salinity gradient, conservation status and seasonality, while sediment communities were mostly determined by the salinity gradient. This work highlights the importance of combining molecular studies with in situ metabolic measurements to better understand carbon fluxes in inland saline aquatic ecosystems.

Northern Wild Rice (NWR; Zizania palustris L.) is an aquatic, annual grass with significant ecological, cultural, and economic importance to the Great Lakes region of North America. In this study, we assembled and genotyped a diverse collection of 839 NWR individuals using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and obtained 5,955 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Our collection consisted of samples from 12 wild NWR populations collected across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, some of which were collected over two time points; a representative collection of cultivated NWR varieties and breeding populations; and a Zizania aquatica outgroup. Using these data, we characterized the genetic diversity, relatedness, and population structure of this broad collection of NWR genotypes. We found that wild populations of NWR clustered primarily by their geographical location, with some clustering patterns likely influenced by historical ecosystem management. Cultivated populations were genetically distinct from wild populations, suggesting limited gene flow between the semi-domesticated crop and its wild counterparts. The first genome-wide scans of putative selection events in cultivated NWR suggest that the crop is undergoing heavy selection pressure for traits conducive to irrigated paddy conditions. Overall, this study presents a large set of SNP markers for use in NWR genetic studies and provides new insights into the gene flow, history, and complexity of wild and cultivated populations of NWR.

In urban forests, soil fungal communities play a crucial role, but how the spatial distribution characteristics of fungi respond to changes in canopy structure remains unclear. This uncertainty represents an important knowledge gap, as the synergistic effect between the aboveground plant community and the underground fungal community significantly contributes to the stability, resilience, and anti-interference capability of the ecosystem. In this study, we characterized soil fungal communities in 30 plant communities with diverse canopy microhabitats within an urban forest ecosystem in China. Through network analysis and torus-translation testing, we were able to ascertain the microhabitats preferences of fungal species. Subsequently, we analyzed the fungi-environment relationships among various canopy microhabitats using NMDS, Mantel tests, and Pearson correlation analysis.The results revealed that different canopy microhabitats favor the presence of distinct fungal species, and there are notable differences in the fungi-environment relationships across various canopy microhabitats in warm temperate urban ecosystems. Our findings indicate that the distribution of fungi has strong associations with canopy microhabitats, which could exert significant effects on fungal diversity in warm temperate urban ecosystems. Our research provides novel insights into the mechanisms by which complex soil fungal communities respond to alterations in the canopy structure of plant communities.

Generalist predators can exploit a wide range of food resources, making them more adaptable to many habitats and situations. Sometimes, the introduction or appearing of new species can lead to the exploitation of this resource, especially when it is abundant. In this sense, American crayfishes, being one of the most dangerous exotic species in the World are an important food resource to some species in their foreign distribution range. Here, we describe a new behaviour and food source for common buzzards (Buteo buteo) observed in Western Iberia. American crayfishes seem to be a recurrent food source for buzzards in late summer, showing a riverbank patrolling behaviour through riparian forests, overlapping the consumption of this crustacean with other carnivore species such as foxes (Vulpes vulpes), american mink (Neogale vison) and Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra).

not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown Aim: The current knowledge of salt-affected vegetation has been advanced in Europe, calling for a supra-regional assessment. We aim to evaluate the drivers of spatial variability and species diversity of inland saline habitats of the North German Plain, Pannonian Lowland and Transylvanian Basin. Location: Central Europe Methods: We compare the floristic and vegetation composition in 13 delineated subregions with high occurrence of salt steppes and marshes. We analyse data from extensive field surveys in the past 20 years and bioclimatic variables by descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Principal components analysis was performed to reduce the number of dimensions for each dataset, and correlation analysis to identify the statistical dependence between the species diversity of subregions and observed factors. Results: Despite the general uniformity typical for saline habitats, the subregions are more distinct than similar. Among the 107 native halophytic plant specialists, they have in common one obligate halophyte, Puccinellia distans agg., and seven facultative halophytes: Carex distans, Juncus gerardi, Lotus tenuis, Plantago maritima, Schoenoplectus lacustris subsp. glaucus and Trifolium fragiferum. The highest number of halophytes have Alföld (88), Dunántúl (75), Seewinkel (68), Podunajská nížina (65) and Câmpia Transilvaniei (65). Subregions Sachsen-Anhalt, Kujawy, Thüringen, Mostecká pánev, Harghita and Spiš hold on average half. The leading position in plant communities has Alföld. On larger scale, Pannonian Lowland and Transylvanian Basin share 63 halophytes, with the North German Plain 36 and 34 halophytes, respectively. A high proportion of coastal species (71%) was revealed, high representation have species of the Black Sea coast in the Pannonian region. Main conclusions: We confirmed only three endemic halophytes compared to the earlier assessments. The size of the subregion and its distance from the nearest seas did not affect the overall variability; the high diversity pattern is driven by the broader range of abiotic and biotic prerequisites.

Understanding how environmental factors affect population dynamics is crucial for conservation. In this study, we examine the importance of habitat and climate factors on juvenile productivity, adult mortality, and demographic performance (DP) of Formicivora acutirostris in a floristic gradient (upstream and downstream) in the Guaratuba Bay estuary, Brazil. We monitored 14–41 territories during 18 years, which totaled 214 adult territorial individuals and 297 independent juveniles. Data imputation, generalized linear mixed models, and random forest models were used in the analysis. The average annual juvenile productivity per territory was 0.64 upstream and 0.56 downstream. Juvenile productivity upstream was positively associated with the number of neighbors, Cladietum area, and vegetation density in Crinetum, and showed a quadratic relationship with Acrostichetum density. Downstream, productivity increased with precipitation and rainy days but decreased with maximum temperature; and was higher in areas with forks in Acrostichetum. Adult mortality averaged 0.32 upstream and 0.25 downstream. Upstream, mortality decreased with maximal tidal height, increased with the number of rainy days, and showed a quadratic relationship with vegetation density in Crinetum. The overall DP upstream was 0, and downstream was 1.5. DP was positively influenced by Cladietum area upstream and by the presence of forks in Acrostichetum downstream. The study highlights Cladietum’s critical role in productivity, offering safe nesting sites. Acrostichetum, beneficial when forks are present, also provides predator refuge, impacting productivity. Crinetum contributes minimally due to predation and flooding. Climatic and tidal factors further influence vulnerability. We discuss population dynamics and the importance of conservation prioritization.

Ongoing ecosystem change and biodiversity decline across the Afrotropics call for tools to monitor the state of African biodiversity or ecosystem elements (e.g., completeness and integrity) across extensive spatial and temporal scales. We assessed relationships in the co-occurrence patterns between great apes and other mammals, to evaluate if ape abundance serves as proxies of mammal diversity across broad spatial scales. We used camera trap footage recorded at 22 sites, each known to harbor a population of chimpanzees and/or gorillas, across 12 sub-Saharan African countries. From ~350,000 1-minute camera trap videos recorded between 2010 and 2016, we estimated mammalian community metrics [i.e., (species) richness, (Shannon) diversity, and body mass (hereafter simplified as “animal mass”)]—considering only medium and large-bodied species — and fitted Bayesian Regression Models to assess potential relationships between ape abundances and these metrics. We included site-level protection status, human footprint, and precipitation variance as control variables. We found that relationships between the abundance of great apes and the total abundance and body mass of non-ape mammals were largely positive. In contrast, relationships between ape abundance and mammal richness were less clear, except chimpanzee abundance as a predictor of mammalian richness inside protected areas and areas with high human impact. Relationships between ape abundance and mammal diversity were largely negative for both species, in that sites with higher ape abundances had mammalian communities with relatively uneven abundance distributions. Our findings suggest that gorillas and chimpanzees hold potential as indicators of specific elements of mammalian communities, especially population-level (abundance) and composition-related (body mass) characteristics. Monitoring ape populations may inform ecosystem management: declines in ape populations may serve as early warning signals and indicate a need for conservation interventions, as changes in ape abundance and community composition are likely to precede extirpation of other mammal species.

Limnebius water beetles exhibit exceptionally high diversification of male genitalia but a uniform external appearance. We examined a connection between the magnitude of interspecific variability in each subgroup and static allometry between male genitalia and body size. Several lineages with simple genitalia show low diversification of body and male genitalia. High magnitude is caused by diversification among lineages with different complexity compositions of male genitalia and clusters of species with small and large body sizes. In the Limnebius parvulus group high intraspecific variability corresponds between the coefficients of static allometry, size of male genitalia, variabilities of female body size, indicating a role of the females in the selection of wide and long male genitalia. The general evolutionary trend of the genera fits with the superposition of all intraspecific allometries. It is usually neutral; negative is associated with local picks of the male genitalia complexity, featuring a trade-off between size and complexity, reflected in the magnitude of the corresponding values, Positive was observed only on the populational level, with negative allometry in the same species in a rapidly evolving species complex in the L. nitidus group. The L. nitidus subgroup exposes the highest magnitude of the male genitalia complexity and the ventral area, evolving faster than length. Intraspecific heterogeneity is also featured by two specimens with long genitalia in species from the same subgroup, with the simplest male genitalia in its subgenera. The phylogenetic position of both heterogeneous species featuring abrupt changes in male genitalia illustrates macroevolution on a microevolutionary level.

This study investigated zooplankton distribution in Lake Dianchi, focusing on river mouths and their ecological conditions, using environmental DNA (eDNA) technology. It analyzed zooplankton diversity during the dry and wet seasons, employing alpha and beta diversity indices to assess community differences. A total of 24 species from 22 genera and 17 families across two phyla were identified, with Arthropoda (54%) and Rotifera (46%) dominating. Daphniaceae made up 20.8% of arthropods. β-diversity analysis showed a 37% difference between seasons and significant differences between estuaries: 61.4% in the dry season and 42.1% in the wet season. Eucyclops macruroides dominated peri-urban estuaries, while Arctodiaptomus altissimus pectinatus prevailed in urban, agricultural, and central lake areas. Redundancy analysis identified total nitrogen (TN) as the main factor affecting zooplankton diversity, with the highest TN levels in suburban estuaries. The findings provide insights for ecological restoration efforts in Lake Dianchi estuaries.

Climate change is increasingly leading to more extreme weather events, such as droughts, which pose significant threats to many water bird species. During the winter season of 2022-2023, Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, faced its most severe drought on record. This unprecedented event prompted the local government to reaffirm and intensify their proposal for constructing a dam. To evaluate the ecological impact of the drought, we used the White-naped Crane (Antigone vipio) as a case study. By tracking 56 birds with GPS transmitters, we gathered 268,615 valid location data points recorded at hourly intervals. We then developed a model system known as Heterogeneous-Occurrence Species Distribution Models (HOSDMs), which allows for the prediction of habitat suitability while distinguishing between different individual occurrence patterns. This methodology was encapsulated in an R package named migrationR, designed for streamlined analysis. Our findings indicated that the habitat suitability for White-naped Cranes reached its lowest point during this exceptionally dry winter. Reduced water levels forced the cranes to seek alternative habitats, especially shallow water areas for overnight roosting. Regarding the debate on the dam construction, we strongly advocate against an economically driven approach to dam management and instead support an ecologically focused strategy. Ensuring the preservation of the annual flooding cycle should be a fundamental requirement for protecting the habitats of waterbirds.