Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna L. Petrosky, Dakota M. Rowsey, Lawrence R. Heaney
Summary: This study used DNA metabarcoding to investigate dietary niche partitioning in an endemic radiation of mammals in the Philippines, revealing both niche partitioning and phylogenetically-uncorrelated adaptive evolution in this small mammal community. The data provide evidence for fine-scale resource partitioning within the community and shed light on the role of dietary adaptation in the co-occurrence of closely related species. The study reinforces the value of DNA metabarcoding as a tool for investigating ecological relationships and evolutionary ecology at both the community and phylogenetic level.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rosemary J. Moorhouse-Gann, Ian P. Vaughan, Nik C. Cole, Martine Goder, Vikash Tatayah, Carl G. Jones, Daevid Mike, Richard P. Young, Michael W. Bruford, Malin C. Rivers, Helen Hipperson, Isa-Rita M. Russo, David W. G. Stanton, William O. C. Symondson
Summary: The research found a high level of dietary overlap between tortoises and skinks, but a negative correlation in herbivory preferences and minimal overlap in the most frequently consumed plants. The presence of tortoises is unlikely to have detrimental impacts on skinks, and could even benefit them in the long term by expanding palm-rich habitat. Tortoises may help control invasive plants, but further interventions may be needed to restore certain plant communities on the islet.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Frederik Seersholm, Alicia Grealy, Matthew C. McDowell, Theresa L. Cole, Lee J. Arnold, Gavin J. Prideaux, Michael Bunce
Summary: The decline in Australia's modern biodiversity is largely attributed to European settlement, while the genetic relationships between reintroduction candidates and extinct relatives on Kangaroo Island remain poorly understood. The genetic record from Kangaroo Island provides important insights into the now-extinct animal populations, aiding in the evaluation of reintroduction programs and bushfire recovery measures.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Simone Giachello, Isabel Cantera, Alexis Carteron, Silvio Marta, Cristina Cipriano, Alessia Guerrieri, Wilfried Thuiller, Gentile Francesco Ficetola
Summary: Protists are important in soil communities but their functional diversity is not well understood. This study proposes a functional framework for soil protists and applies it to a global dataset. The results reveal different nutritional and habitat preferences among soil protists. The framework can be used to estimate functional diversity and analyze food webs.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Isaac Overcast, Guillaume Achaz, Robin Aguilee, Carmelo Andujar, Paula Arribas, Thomas J. Creedy, Evan P. Economo, Rampal S. Etienne, Rosemary Gillespie, Claire Jacquet, Flora Jay, Susan Kennedy, Henrik Krehenwinkel, Amaury Lambert, Emmanouil Meramveliotakis, Victor Noguerales, Benoit Perez-Lamarque, George Roderick, Haldre Rogers, Megan Ruffley, Isabel Sanmartin, Alfried P. Vogler, Anna Papadopoulou, Brent C. Emerson, Helene Morlon
Summary: MacArthur and Wilson's theory of island biogeography has been important for predicting patterns of species diversity, abundance, and trait data. However, there is a need to incorporate the genetic component into these models and unify processes across different organizational scales. This review highlights the potential for developing a genetic theory of island biogeography and outlines two approaches for integrating genetic diversity patterns into community-scale models.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Samuel S. S. Browett, Rebecca Synnott, Denise B. B. O'Meara, Rachael E. E. Antwis, Stephen S. S. Browett, Kevin J. J. Bown, Owen S. S. Wangensteen, Deborah A. A. Dawson, Jeremy B. B. Searle, Jon M. M. Yearsley, Allan D. D. McDevitt
Summary: Invasive mammals are a major cause of native species extinction on islands. This study investigates the impact of resource competition between the invasive greater white-toothed shrew and the native pygmy shrew on Ireland. The results show that the invasive species can quickly alter its diet, leading to the decline of the native species and potential exhaustion of local resources, with severe implications for ecosystem functioning and services.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Vivian N. N. Goncalves, Juan M. M. Lirio, Silvia H. H. Coria, Fabyano A. C. Lopes, Peter Convey, Fabio S. de Oliveira, Micheline Carvalho-Silva, Paulo E. A. S. Camara, Luiz H. H. Rosa
Summary: In this study, the fungal organisms present in soils at James Ross Island, north-east Antarctic Peninsula, were characterized using DNA metabarcoding. The detected taxa included widely-distributed phyla such as Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota, as well as uncommon phyla such as Chytridiomycota, Rozellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Zoopagomycota, and Basidiobolomycota. Unknown fungi and taxa identified at different taxonomic levels dominated the assemblages. The fungal sequence assemblages exhibited high diversity and richness, and moderate dominance, with the presence of saprophytic, pathogenic, and symbiotic fungi.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kara J. Andres, David M. Lodge, Jose Andres
Summary: Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a powerful and efficient approach for collecting information about species, and it may also provide information about population-level genetic variability. In this study, the researchers used eDNA sampling to estimate the genetic diversity and structure of an invasive fish species in the Great Lakes region. The study found that the genetic patterns observed from eDNA analysis were consistent with conventional tissue-based estimates. This research highlights the potential for eDNA sampling to reveal detailed population characteristics that can inform monitoring and management plans for difficult-to-sample species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Wesley A. Bickford, Deborah E. Goldberg, Donald R. Zak, Danielle S. Snow, Kurt P. Kowalski
Summary: The study found that there were no significant differences in the effects and responses of non-native and native Phragmites plants on soil microbes. Despite different treatments applied to the microbes, both lineages showed weak and insignificant plant-soil feedbacks.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chloe Victoria Robinson, Teresita M. Porter, Victoria Carley Maitland, Michael T. G. Wright, Mehrdad Hajibabaei
Summary: This study used DNA metabarcoding to identify macroinvertebrates and diatoms from different habitat samples, and obtained a different perspective of ecological conditions through a more comprehensive taxonomic assessment. The results showed that sites with 'good' condition had higher beta diversity, directed connectance, and modularity, indicating higher resilience compared to 'fair' condition sites. DNA metabarcoding data detected 29 site condition indicator species consistent with known bioindicators and expected relative tolerances, and identified 11 keystone taxa through trophic network analysis.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alba Ardura, Johannes Rick, Jose L. Martinez, Anastasija Zaiko, Eva Garcia-Vazquez
Summary: In marine settings, anthropogenic disturbances and climate change are accelerating the rate of biological invasions. A strategy for discovering potential invasive alien species using DNA was tested during a trans-equatorial expedition onboard RV Polarstern, identifying ammonium as an important factor influencing diversity changes in phytoplankton and zooplankton. Species tolerant to travel stress may be targeted as potential IAS for designing control measures.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ashley N. Martin, Karina Meredith, Andy Baker, Marc D. Norman, Eliza Bryan
Summary: This study investigates the silicon isotopic composition of fresh and saline groundwater samples from Rottnest Island, Western Australia, revealing correlations between Si-30 values and water-aquifer interactions, groundwater residence time, and local hydrogeology. The increase in Si-30 values in fresh groundwater is attributed to removal of lighter Si isotopes into secondary minerals. The findings suggest that geologically young carbonate aquifers, like Rottnest Island, may be important sources of dissolved silicon in coastal regions with low riverine input and oceanic dSi concentrations.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Parvaneh Sobhani, Hassan Esmaeilzadeh, Azade Deljouei, Isabelle D. Wolf, Marina Viorela Marcu, Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi
Summary: This research presents a hydrological modeling framework to evaluate the spatial and temporal variations of blue water and green water in Lake Urmia, Iran, and quantify its water security status. The results show differences in the coefficient of variation between blue water and green water, with agricultural use requiring the most water. The research highlights the urgent need for management actions to address the declining water security of Lake Urmia.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Amira Saidi, Elisa Banchi, Viviana Fonti, Vincenzo Manna, Cinzia De Vittor, Michele Giani, Francesca Malfatti, Mauro Celussi
Summary: Shallow-water hydrothermal vents are extreme environments characterized by high temperatures, low pH, and high CO2 concentrations. This study investigated the influence of these vents on prokaryotic community structure and functioning. The results showed that the microbial abundance and production were shaped by the water column's physical structure, and certain enzymatic activities were enhanced by hydrothermal fluids. Overall, this study provides insights into the coupling between microbial community structure and the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in low-pH conditions.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Thomas I. Gibson, Gary Carvalho, Amy Ellison, Enrica Gargiulo, Tristan Hatton-Ellis, Lori Lawson-Handley, Stefano Mariani, Rupert A. Collins, Graham Sellers, Marco Antonio Distaso, Carlo Zampieri, Simon Creer
Summary: This study compared the composition of fish assemblages detected via eDNA metabarcoding with conventional fishing gear surveys in an estuary, and found that eDNA detected a greater species richness and showed a clear correlation with salinity. The study suggests that eDNA metabarcoding could enhance fish sampling methods and provide additional information for ecological inference and management actions.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Marlys Massini Espino, Alexis M. Mychajliw, Juan N. Almonte, Morten E. Allentoft, Alex R. Van Dam
Summary: This study reconstructed the phylogeographic history of the black rat in the Caribbean by analyzing skeletal remains from a raptor roost deposit in the Dominican Republic. The use of ancient DNA techniques proved successful in unlocking past histories of small mammal populations in tropical island settings where invasive mammals are a conservation concern.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rachel Stubbington, Romain Sarremejane, Alex Laini, Nuria Cid, Zoltan Csabai, Judy England, Antoni Munne, Thomas Aspin, Nuria Bonada, Daniel Bruno, Sophie Cauvy-Fraunie, Richard Chadd, Claudia Dienstl, Pau Fortuno Estrada, Wolfram Graf, Cayetano Gutierrez-Canovas, Andy House, Ioannis Karaouzas, Eleana Kazila, Andres Millan, Manuela Morais, Petr Paril, Alex Pickwell, Marek Polasek, David Sanchez-Fernandez, Iakovos Tziortzis, Gabor Varbiro, Catherina Voreadou, Emma Walker-Holden, James White, Thibault Datry
Summary: This study found that human impacts and natural drying both have effects on river ecosystems, impacting the health of aquatic invertebrate communities. By analyzing data, it was determined that biological diversity indicators play a crucial role in assessing ecological status.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Mattia Sacco, William F. Humphreys, Nicholas Stevens, Matthew R. Jones, Fiona Takulis, Erin Thomas, Alison J. Blyth
Summary: Groundwater biota are crucial for subterranean ecosystems, but functional ecological information is limited. This study focuses on the trophic plasticity of an endemic shrimp species in a low-nutrient habitat associated with natural oil seepage. The results show changes in trophic positions and carbon flows, confirming the potential for trophic flexibility in groundwater invertebrates.
ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES
(2022)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Alexander Larcombe, Sebastien Allard, Benjamin Mullins
Summary: This study assessed the chemical composition of e-liquids sold in Australia and found that they contain a variety of potentially harmful chemicals for which inhalation toxicity information is not available. Further research is needed to evaluate the potential long-term effects of e-cigarette use on health.
MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA
(2022)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Alexander Larcombe, Sebastien Allard, Benjamin Mullins
MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tommaso Cancellario, Alex Laini, Paul J. Wood, Simone Guareschi
Summary: Biological invasions pose a significant threat to freshwater ecosystems, and understanding the potential distribution of invasive species is crucial for future preparedness. Crustaceans, particularly the Ponto-Caspian invaders Dikerogammarus villosus and Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, have a significant impact on global invasions. This study examined their current and future potential distributions in the European Western Palearctic, highlighting areas at risk and the association between human activities and habitat suitability for these species.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Valentin Rouge, Pham Thi Thai Ha Nguyen, Sebastien Allard, Yunho Lee
Summary: This study investigates the reaction kinetics and products of ferrate (Fe(VI)) with primary amines, specifically amino acids. A new kinetic model involving ionizable intermediates is proposed to explain the unusual pH effect on the reactivity of Fe(VI) towards primary amines and amino acids. The study finds that the product distribution for amino acids differs significantly from that of uncarboxylated primary amines, with amino acids producing multiple products while primary amines mainly produce nitriles.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Giulia Perina, Ana Camacho, Steven J. B. Cooper, Stephanie Floeckner, Alison J. J. Blyth, Mattia Sacco
Summary: The Hexabathynella genus is the only genus of the family Parabathynellidae that has a worldwide distribution. Currently, there are 23 species described from five continents. In this study, two new species were described, expanding the knowledge of the subterranean aquatic community at Rottnest Island, and a phylogeny was used to test the monophyletic status of the genus.
SYSTEMATICS AND BIODIVERSITY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Gabriele Scorrano, Sofie Holtsmark Nielsen, Domenico Lo Vetro, Meaghan Mackie, Ashot Margaryan, Anna K. Fotakis, Cristina Martinez-Labarga, Pier Francesco Fabbri, Morten E. Allentoft, Marialetizia Carra, Fabio Martini, Olga Rickards, Jesper Olsen, Enrico Cappellini, Martin Sikora, Rikai Sawafuji, Mikkel Winther Pedersen
Summary: This study utilizes multi-omics analysis to investigate the lifestyle and dietary information of Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers from San Teodoro cave in Sicily, Italy. The research reveals a previously unknown Italian genetic lineage within the Villabruna cluster and demonstrates a diet rich in animal proteins based on dental calculus analysis.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wei Hu, Sebastien Allard
Summary: This study found that naturally occurring bromide can lead to the formation of brominated hal-amines, especially bromochloramine. Cu(II) was found to catalyze the decay of NHBrCl during the chloramination process. The presence of Cu(II) significantly accelerated the decay of total oxidant, especially at higher bromide concentrations and lower pH.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alex Laini, Thibault Datry, Benjamin Wong Blonder
Summary: Many methods for estimating functional diversity of biological communities rely on measuring geometrical properties of n-dimensional hypervolumes in a trait space. However, current methods are limited in their ability to detect functional diversity patterns due to overlap of multiple hypervolumes. In this study, we propose a new approach based on occupancy rate to estimate functional diversity from a set of hypervolumes, and we introduce a permutation test to identify differences in occupancy rates between two sets of hypervolumes. We demonstrate the utility of our approach with two examples on aquatic macroinvertebrates.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
A. Laini, R. Stubbington, A. J. Beermann, G. Burgazzi, T. Datry, P. Viaroli, M. Wilkes, V. M. A. Zizka, M. Sacco, F. Leese
Summary: Most metacommunity studies rely solely on morphological identification, which limits the characterization of metacommunities. In this study, morphology and DNA metabarcoding were combined to improve the characterization of an insect metacommunity. The results showed that the joint effect of environmental filtering and dispersal was more important than their individual effects in shaping metacommunity structure. Mixed-level and OTU-level identification were more effective than family and haplotype in characterizing the drivers of metacommunity structure.
EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gemma Burgazzi, Alex Laini, Pierluigi Viaroli, Stefano Fenoglio, Verena C. Schreiner, Ralf B. Schaefer, Alberto Doretto
Summary: This study fills the gap in understanding the drivers of biomass in macroinvertebrate communities by assessing the relationship between environmental variables at different scales and macroinvertebrate biomass in different mountain regions. The results show that basin-scale variables have the greatest impact on biomass variability, with mean cumulated daily precipitation being the main driver. These findings offer insights into the vulnerability of ecosystems to climate change.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Review
Biology
Wei-qiao Rao, Konstantinos Kalogeropoulos, Morten E. Allentoft, Shyam Gopalakrishnan, Wei-ning Zhao, Christopher T. Workman, Cecilie Knudsen, Belen Jimenez-Mena, Lorenzo Seneci, Mahsa Mousavi-Derazmahalleh, Timothy P. Jenkins, Esperanza Rivera-de-Torre, Si-qi Liu, Andreas H. Laustsen
Summary: Snake venoms contain bioactive proteins that can be used for drug discovery, and the evolution of snake venom proteins is driven by gene duplication and positive selection. Snake genomics is still in its early stages but has the potential to provide insights into venom evolution and toxinology. The presence of repeat sequences in snake genomes poses challenges for DNA sequencing, but advances in sequencing technologies and computational tools have improved our understanding of snake venom evolution.
