Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Baptiste J. Wijas, Shevaun Lim, William K. Cornwell
Summary: The study revealed that functional diversity, species richness, feeding, and nesting traits of termites are controlled by climate, with Australia exhibiting multiple hotspots of termite diversity, each with a distinct guild composition, demonstrating the impact of macroclimate on termite traits.
Article
Entomology
Robert B. Srygley, David H. Branson
Summary: Mormon crickets are omnivorous and can consume plants, fungi, and insects. They rely on plants as their main food source, but when grasshoppers are more abundant, their need for alternative protein sources decreases. Increasing grasshopper density also enhances Mormon cricket immunity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Claire E. Murphy, Robert J. Orth, Jonathan S. Lefcheck
Summary: Epifaunal invertebrates in seagrass systems have important ecological roles, including grazing on epiphytic algae and serving as a major food source. This study examined regional-scale patterns in epifaunal community properties in the Chesapeake Bay estuary, finding that differences in species richness were correlated with water temperature, while differences in community composition were influenced by seagrass cover and algal biomass. The relationship between cover and community structure was driven by specific species of peracarid crustaceans.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Bingxue Wu, Xiaoyan Jiao, Anqi Sun, Fangfang Li, Ji-Zheng He, Hang-Wei Hu
Summary: Soil invertebrates in agricultural systems are influenced by precipitation seasonality and soil pH, and future climate change and agricultural practices may have significant effects on their distribution.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melanie Tietje, Alexandre Antonelli, William J. Baker, Rafael Govaerts, Stephen A. Smith, Wolf L. Eiserhardt
Summary: Species richness varies greatly around the world, and diversification rate is not the main factor explaining this variation. The study found that diversification rates are highest in dry areas with high edaphic diversity, contrary to the predictions of the Metabolic Theory of Ecology. Climate and environmental heterogeneity were confirmed as the main drivers of species richness, but there is no direct mechanistic link between diversification rate and species richness.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew McLean, Rick D. Stuart-Smith, Sebastien Villeger, Arnaud Auber, Graham J. Edgar, M. Aaron MacNeil, Nicolas Loiseau, Fabien Leprieur, David Mouillot
Summary: Research indicates that despite differences in biogeography and evolutionary history, similar environments host reef fish assemblages with similar trait compositions. This suggests that similar trait-based management strategies can be applied across different regions, potentially leading to improved conservation outcomes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Arnold van Huis
Summary: This study aimed to provide an overview of the utilization, perception, and experience of orthopteran species in daily life across sub-Saharan Africa. Ethno-entomological information was collected through interviews, library studies, and web search engines. The results revealed that grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets are popular as food, medicine, and toys, and they also play a role in religion, art, and literature in the region.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elahe Parvizi, Ludovic Dutoit, Ceridwen Fraser, Dave Craw, Jonathan M. Waters
Summary: This study used single nucleotide polymorphism data to track the dynamics of multispecies cocolonization events in response to ancient earthquake disturbance in southern New Zealand. It found concordant genetic impacts on several codistributed species, indicating consistent effects of coastal paleoseismic activity on multiple taxa.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Alba Aguion, Teresa Cruz, Jose Luis Acuna, Caroline Broudin, Joao J. Castro, Dominique Davoult, Jesus Dubert, Joana N. Fernandes, Katja J. Geiger, David Jacinto, David Mateus, Carlota Muniz, Rita Nolasco, Lucile Perrier, Henrique Queiroga, Salvador Roman, Teresa Silva, Eric Thiebaut, Elsa Vazquez, Gonzalo Macho
Summary: Understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of marine populations is crucial in ecology, especially in the context of climate change. This study explored the phenology and intensity of reproduction and recruitment of the intertidal stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes on a European scale and identified potential links with environmental variables. The findings suggest that air temperature, sea surface temperature, and chlorophyll-a might influence the variability in the reproduction and recruitment patterns of P. pollicipes.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jacob H. H. Idec, Tom R. R. Bishop, Brian L. L. Fisher
Summary: Organisms use color for various biological functions, but studying color variation at global scales presents challenges in data collection. We used a computer vision algorithm to analyze color data from over 44,000 ant specimens, revealing high intraspecific variation and questioning previous ecogeographic hypotheses. This computational approach may revolutionize data collection in functional biogeography.
Article
Ecology
Amy L. Freestone, Mark E. Torchin, Laura J. Jurgens, Mariana Bonfim, Diana P. Lopez, Michele F. Repetto, Carmen Schloder, Brent J. Sewall, Gregory M. Ruiz
Summary: The study examined predation intensity and impact on prey communities, finding higher levels of both at lower latitudes. The tropics had a more diverse predator guild with higher predation rates and larger predator body sizes, indicating stronger predation intensity. Prey biomass was significantly reduced and prey composition altered in the tropics compared to high latitudes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Chunhui Zhang, Marc W. Cadotte, Alessandro Chiarucci, Michel Loreau, Charles G. Willis, Xingfeng Si, Lanping Li, Marcus V. Cianciaruso
Summary: Our research shows that plant community assembly on Mediterranean islands has dramatically changed due to increased human impacts over the past two centuries, with the shift in functional and phylogenetic structure of plant communities as island area increases. The extinction of similar species and colonization of dissimilar species have driven plant communities towards overdispersion, impacting the functioning of island ecosystems in the future.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Pedro Henrique Pereira Braga, Steven Kembel, Pedro Peres-Neto
Summary: This study focuses on the phylogenetic structure of bat communities and tests the predictions of three biogeographical hypotheses. The results show that the phylogenetic structure of bat assemblages varies as a function of geographical extents, dispersal barriers, palaeoclimatic stability, and in situ diversification.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jarrett Blair, Michael D. Weiser, Kirsten de Beurs, Michael Kaspari, Cameron Siler, Katie E. Marshall
Summary: This study presents a practical methodology of using machine learning in ecological data acquisition pipelines, training and testing algorithms to classify a large number of terrestrial invertebrate specimens. The study addresses issues of inconsistent taxonomic label specificity and unknown taxa classification. The results show that complex machine learning methods are not necessarily more accurate than traditional methods, and the inclusion of contextual metadata improves accuracy.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lissette Victorero, Sarah Samadi, Timothy D. O'Hara, Maud Mouchet, Juliette Delavenne, Fabien Leprieur, Boris Leroy
Summary: Delineating biogeographical regions for ophiuroids from shallow waters to the deep sea provides insights into species distribution patterns shaped by environmental conditions and geological features. A bipartite network analysis was applied to a historical dataset of brittle stars to delineate marine benthic biogeographical regions. The highest species richness and endemicity rates were found in the Indo-Pacific region, Tropical West Atlantic, Southern Ocean, and South America. Surface temperature, salinity, and tectonic configuration were identified as important predictors of the delineated biogeographical regions. Future research should consider multiple benthic taxa and deep sea environmental conditions to validate the proposed division.
Article
Entomology
Giacomo Ortis, Lorenzo Marini, Giacomo Cavaletto, Luca Mazzon
Summary: The study shows that summer temperature has a significant impact on the development of insect eggs, while winter temperature has less influence on egg survival. The species has the ability to switch from a multiyear to an annual life cycle through temperature changes.
Article
Entomology
Samuel F. Ward, Eckehard G. Brockerhoff, Rebecca M. Turner, Takehiko Yamanaka, Lorenzo Marini, Songlin Fei, Andrew M. Liebhold
Summary: The unintentional transport of insects beyond their native ranges has increased with globalization, leading to higher propagule pressure in non-native ranges. This study investigated the interceptions of European spruce bark beetle in the USA from 1914 to 2008 and found that interceptions were not related to outbreak levels in the native range, but were inversely related to annual import volume. The abundance of this beetle in invasion pathways has recently decreased, possibly due to strengthened phytosanitary protocols.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Koen Martens, Diego Fontaneto, Sidinei Magela Thomaz, Luigi Naselli-Flores
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Azar Kordbacheh, Hassan Rahimian, Diego Fontaneto
Summary: The use of molecular techniques has led to the discovery of hidden species in rotifers and provided insights into the mechanisms of reproductive isolation. Most studies focused on prezygotic barriers, with behavioral isolation playing a significant role. Postzygotic barriers such as hybrid inviability or sterility and female mortality also contribute to reproductive isolation. Further research using sequencing tools, including whole genome sequencing, is recommended to investigate the molecular basis of reproductive isolation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Periyasamy Sivalingam, Raffaella Sabatino, Tomasa Sbaffi, Diego Fontaneto, Gianluca Corno, Andrea Di Cesare
Summary: Wastewater treatment plants are major sources of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. The study utilized shotgun metagenomics to investigate the distribution of ARGs in treated wastewaters before and after disinfection. The intracellular resistome was found to be richer than the extracellular one, but the latter contained different high-risk ARGs. Disinfection had a significant impact on the antibiotic resistome composition, causing shifts from intracellular to extracellular DNA and potentially posing a threat to human health.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Diego Fontaneto, Luigi Naselli-Flores, Sidinei Magela Thomaz, Koen Martens
Article
Limnology
Vittoria Ferrari, Arianna Gualdi, Isabella Bertani, Diego Fontaneto, Lyudmila Kamburska, Karimullah Karimullah, Federico Marrone, Ulrike Obertegger, Giampaolo Rossetti, Rocco Tiberti, Tommaso Cancellario
Summary: We present a dataset containing known occurrence records of Italian Rotifera taxa at species and subspecies levels. The dataset comprises 15,525 records from 584 valid species and subspecies names, collected from 332 published papers spanning from 1838 to 2022. The dataset, including georeferenced occurrence data, is available through the Open Science Framework (OSF) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
JOURNAL OF LIMNOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Limnology
Lyudmila Kamburska, Diego Fontaneto, Michela Rogora, Dmitry Schigel
JOURNAL OF LIMNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Zacarias Fresno Lopez, Tommaso Cancellario, Diego Fontaneto, Lyudmila Kamburska, Karimullah Karimullah, Robert L. Wallace, Elizabeth J. Walsh, Radoslav Smolak
Summary: We present a dataset that compiles all published occurrence records of Rotifera phylum animals in Africa and surrounding islands. The dataset includes detailed taxonomic information and sampling efforts. It provides valuable insights into the species distribution and diversity of Rotifera in the African region.
JOURNAL OF LIMNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Giuseppe Garlasche, Giulia Borgomaneiro, Roberta Piscia, Marina Manca, Ester M. Eckert, Diego Fontaneto
Summary: Biodiversity surveys through morphology provide valuable data for biological monitoring, but the advent of metabarcoding and massive sequencing is seen as a potential advance. In this study of Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, we tested whether metabarcoding can provide reliable results by using a detailed knowledge of local diversity, creating a reference library using DNA taxonomy, and developing custom primers. Our results show that occurrences from metabarcoding can be reliable, but read numbers from massive sequencing cannot be related to abundance. Metabarcoding data can be used to monitor species occurrence, but not abundance.
JOURNAL OF LIMNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Costanza Geppert, Alessio Bertolli, Filippo Prosser, Lorenzo Marini
Summary: Mountain ecosystems are undergoing significant changes in plant distribution due to human activities. The range dynamics of mountain plants show large variability, with some species expanding, shifting, or shrinking their range. A study of 1,479 species in the European Alps over the past 30 years found that red-listed species experienced a rapid range contraction and were unable to track climate warming. In contrast, aliens quickly expanded upslope while keeping their rear margins almost still. The findings suggest that conservation efforts should prioritize low-elevation areas where red-listed natives and aliens coexist.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Josip Skejo, Niko Kasalo, Paolo Fontana, Slobodan Ivkovic, Nikola Tvrtkovic, Fran Rebrina, Karmela Adzic, Filippo Maria Buzzetti, Sebastian Cato, Maks Deranja, Stanislav Gomboc, Roberto Scherini, Jadranka Skorput, Paul Veenvliet, Marijana Vukovic, Michele Lemonnier-Darcemont, Christian Darcemont, Klaus-Gerhard Heller
Summary: This study describes a new genus of the tribe Ephippigerini, called Dinarippiger, which is morphologically intermediate between the genera Ephippiger and Uromenus. The genus currently includes only one species, Dinarippiger discoidalis, previously known as Ephippiger discoidalis. This species is found in the eastern Adriatic coast and has variation in size and coloration, suggesting it may represent a complex of distinct species. The study also provides a distribution map and bioacoustic analysis of D. discoidalis.
Article
Zoology
D. Fontaneto, E. Sottoriva, A. Rodriguez-Gijon, D. Bedulina, A. Gurkov, O. A. Timoshkin, V. N. Ivanenko
Summary: An extreme radiation of species occurred in Lake Baikal, Russia, resulting in about 350 endemic species of amphipods. This study aims to investigate the coevolution and species-specific associations between bdelloid rotifers and amphipods in Lake Baikal. We found that only one bdelloid species, Embata parasitica, lives associated with multiple amphipod species belonging to different families, suggesting the possibility of cryptic species. In addition, nine bdelloid species were discovered, increasing the known diversity of bdelloid rotifers in the area to 12 species.
EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elena Gazzea, Peter Batary, Lorenzo Marini
Summary: Animal pollination is crucial for diverse and balanced diets, improving the commercial attributes and shelf life of fruits and vegetables. However, its impact on nutritional value is limited. The meta-analysis shows that pollination plays a significant role in maintaining food quality.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Oksana A. Korzhavina, Darya Y. Grishina, Xingru Chen, Diego Fontaneto, Viatcheslav N. Ivanenko
Summary: This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the biodiversity and distribution patterns of copepod crustaceans associated with octocoral species. The study found that these copepods are closely associated with numerous octocoral species, with various interspecific associations. However, the majority of these associations were reported only once in the literature, posing challenges in assessing their host specificity.