Article
Cell Biology
Clara I. Marin-Briggiler, Guillermina M. Luque, Maria G. Gervasi, Natalia Oscoz-Susino, Jessica M. Sierra, Carolina Mondillo, Ana M. Salicioni, Dario Krapf, Pablo E. Visconti, Mariano G. Buffone
Summary: Experimental results show that human sperm exhibit reduced motility and other kinematic parameters under starvation conditions, while treatment with energy recovery restores hyperactivated motility, rapidly increasing ATP and cAMP levels. This suggests that modulating sperm energy levels through such treatment may positively impact human sperm fertilizing ability in vitro.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Ornithology
Linda Van den Heever, Lindy J. Thompson, William W. Bowerman, Hanneline Smit-Robinson, L. Jen Shaffer, Reginal M. Harrell, Mary Ann Ottinger
Summary: The decline of African vultures threatens the stability of the scavenger guild, leading to increased carcass decomposition and potential spread of pathogenic bacteria. Changes in the composition of the scavenger guild may also elevate the risk of disease transmission, highlighting the importance of vulture conservation for One Health.
JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Mark Zvidzai, Fadzai Michelle Zengeya, Mhosisi Masocha, Henry Ndaimani, Amon Murwira
Summary: Understanding the spatial home range overlap zones of critically endangered African white-backed vultures is important for conservation planning. This study used high-resolution GPS technology and analytical algorithms to estimate and delineate these overlap zones. Results showed low home range overlap among the vultures, with some individuals having fixed ranges within Hwange National Park. The overlap zones were concentrated within the protected area of the park.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Susan A. Sidder, Ashley D'Antonio, Troy E. Hall, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Evan M. Bredeweg, Christopher A. Monz
Summary: Recreational use of parks and protected areas can have significant impacts on resources, but it is difficult to mitigate these impacts. In this study, we used a novel tool called step selection function (SSF) analysis to identify areas with high probabilities of recreational disturbance. By analyzing the campsite selection of backcountry kayakers in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, we found that campers tend to select sites with bare, flat ground, close to freshwater sources, and with good views of glaciers and scenery. Our results provide predictive maps to locate areas with high potential for camping based on site characteristics, which can be used for prioritizing monitoring, restoration efforts, and management actions.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Olga I. Zakharova, Fedor I. Korennoy, Ivan V. Yashin, Olga A. Burova, Elena A. Liskova, Nadezhda A. Gladkova, Irina V. Razheva, Andrey A. Blokhin
Summary: In this study, we used spatiotemporal analysis to identify the areas in the Russian Federation where an increased density of wild boar population is associated with a higher concentration of African swine fever (ASF) cases. We found areas where the wild boar population density has been continuously rising in recent years, which may be considered high-risk areas requiring enhanced surveillance and population control measures.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Moses Elleason, Zhuoli Guan, Yiming Deng, Aiwu Jiang, Eben Goodale, Christos Mammides
Summary: A review of literature and analysis of over 19,000 terrestrial protected areas worldwide found that the differences between strictly protected areas and areas where multiple human uses are permitted are often small and not statistically significant. While the effectiveness of protected areas varies globally, factors beyond their assigned IUCN category are likely influencing this pattern.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Pablo Palencia, Rachele Vada, Stefania Zanet, Mara Calvini, Andrea De Giovanni, Giacomo Gola, Ezio Ferroglio
Summary: African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease that has spread to more than 30 countries in Europe and Asia since 2007. The recent outbreak in mainland Italy has had a significant impact on the population of wild boar, leading to a cascade effect in the ecosystem. Camera traps have been shown to be effective in monitoring ASF infection, providing valuable data on movement parameters, population density, recruitment, and human compliance with restrictions. These parameters play a crucial role in optimizing ASF control efforts.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Franziska Meinck, Mark Orkin, Lucie Cluver
Summary: This study examines the associations between interventions and circumstances for HIV-affected adolescents, finding that positive parenting, parental monitoring, food sufficiency, and AIDS-free caregivers can significantly improve adolescent outcomes, with no gender differences observed. Combinations of these interventions can reduce risk by up to 40%.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Brittany Huntington, Bernardo Vargas-Angel, Courtney S. S. Couch, Hannah C. C. Barkley, Melanie Abecassis
Summary: Past research has shown the adverse effects of human impacts and climate change on coral reefs. This study surveyed benthic reef communities on 34 Pacific islands and found that the dominance of calcifiers on uninhabited islands has decreased, with other factors such as oceanic productivity and SST variability playing a larger role in benthic cover.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Lucija Rapan, Meiqi Niu, Ling Zhao, Thomas Funck, Katrin Amunts, Karl Zillesna, Nicola Palomero-Gallagher
Summary: This study compared the receptor architecture of the primary visual and early extrastriate cortex in macaque and human brains, identifying distinct areas with different receptor patterns. While the 1st principal component separated macaque and human early visual areas, the 2nd principal component revealed area-specific differences within each species correlated with hierarchical processing levels. Subdivisions of V2 and V3 clustered together in both species and were segregated from subdivisions of V1 and V4v, providing valuable insights into how differences in underlying microstructure impact functional processing in the primate brain.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Mircea Chelaru, Sarah Eagleman, Ariana R. Andrei, Russell Milton, Natasha Kharas, Valentin Dragoi
Summary: Simple pairwise interactions can explain the collective behavior of visual cortical networks across different brain states, but explaining population dynamics in downstream areas involves higher-order interactions.
Article
Environmental Studies
Jin Zuo, Jikang Shi, Chen Li, Tong Mu, Yun Zeng, Jing Dong
Summary: This study focused on improving emergency evacuation effectiveness in high-density urban areas under limited land resources, using cyclic evacuation simulation, evaluation, and optimization, along with facility location tool and urban renewal planning. The results showed significant improvements in pedestrian evacuation efficiency through these integrated methods.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Matthew S. Rogan, Greg Distiller, Guy A. Balme, Ross T. Pitman, Gareth K. H. Mann, Shannon M. Dubay, Gareth M. Whittington-Jones, Lisa H. Thomas, Joleen Broadfield, Thandiwe Knutson, M. Justin O'Riain
Summary: Effective conservation requires understanding the processes that determine population outcomes. The density of leopards is primarily limited by human impacts, but habitat suitability and management conditions also matter. Protected areas only play a role in large felid conservation when there is effective management of human-wildlife interface and protection from anthropogenic impacts.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Yi Cheng, Hui Liu, Dongmei Chen, Haimeng Liu
Summary: Monitoring human activities in border areas is challenging due to complex geographical environment and diverse population. A human activity intensity index (HAI) was proposed based on land cover, population density, and satellite-based nighttime light for a long-term macroscopic study. The study found that human activity in China's border areas is higher than in neighboring countries, with significant increase in land use intensity since 1992. India had the highest HAI with the fastest growth among China's neighbors. Four regional evolution patterns and three spatial evolution patterns were identified. The changes in HAI not only affect the eco-environment, but also impact geopolitics and geoeconomics. The HAI can be used for decision-making and cooperation in areas such as ecological protection, border security, and border trade between China and neighboring countries.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Xiaoqi Shen, Wenzhong Shi, Zhewei Liu, Anshu Zhang, Lukang Wang, Fanxin Zeng
Summary: This research proposes a novel area extraction framework (ELV) that tackles the challenge of varying densities of large-scale spatial data by using clustering with an adaptive distance parameter and a re-segmentation strategy with noise recovery. Compared with other algorithms, ELV showed better performance on real-life datasets and achieved a significant improvement in the Silhouette coefficient indicator.
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alisa Davies, Amy Hinsley, Ana Nuno, Rowan O. Martin
Summary: Wildlife trade has expanded rapidly on social media, creating challenges for researchers and moderators. Current survey methods overlook relevant content, highlighting the need for triangulating multiple sources of information to effectively identify wildlife trade content.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lauren L. Lopes, Axel Paulsch, Ana Nuno
Summary: This research surveyed 103 marine turtle conservation researchers and practitioners globally to understand how conservation efforts can be better allocated to curb illegal harvest, use and trade. The findings show that despite some progress, illegal activities remain significant threats to marine turtle populations. The challenges in addressing illegal activities are related to fisheries management, enforcement, and legislation. The recommended priority actions include law enforcement, enhancing environmental literacy and stakeholder participation, and improving local conservation leadership and management. Further empirical research is needed to validate these findings and understand the influence of individual experience and perspectives in conservation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Virginia Morera-Pujol, Paulo Catry, Maria Magalhaes, Clara Peron, Jose Manuel Reyes-Gonzalez, Jose Pedro Granadeiro, Teresa Militao, Maria P. Dias, Daniel Oro, Giacomo Dell'Omo, Martina Muller, Vitor H. Paiva, Benjamin Metzger, Veronica Neves, Joan Navarro, Georgios Karris, Stavros Xirouchakis, Jacopo G. Cecere, Antonio Zamora-Lopez, Manuela G. Forero, Ridha Ouni, Mohamed Salah Romdhane, Fernanda De Felipe, Zuzana Zajkova, Marta Cruz-Flores, David Gremillet, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Raul Ramos
Summary: The study of movement through tracking data has exceeded expectations and posed new challenges for movement ecologists. This research developed R functions to detect the effects of individual site fidelity, environmental stochasticity, and space-use variability on the distribution of animal groups inferred from individual tracking data. The procedures were applied to simulated and real-world datasets, providing a useful tool for researchers using animal tracking data to model species distributions and establish conservation measures.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Paulo Catry, Cheibani Senhoury, Ebaye Sidina, Nahi El Bar, Abdallahi Samba Bilal, Francesco Ventura, Brendan J. Godley, Antonio J. Pires, Aissa Regalla, Ana R. Patricio
Summary: The Banc d'Arguin in Mauritania is a significant foraging ground for green turtles, with an estimated population of 8285 adult female turtles, representing 5.6% of the total population. The site plays a critical role in the conservation of sea turtles.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Manuel Sa Sampaio, Rui Rebelo, Aissa Regalla, Castro Barbosa, Paulo Catry
Summary: Predation of nests and hatchlings can be reduced by disguising scent cues and using metal nets, which may be a cost-effective management option to mitigate the threat of Nile monitors to green turtle nests in sensitive areas.
CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Edna Correia, Jose Pedro Granadeiro, Carlos Vale, Teresa Catry
Summary: Shorebirds and seabirds are used as bioindicators of environmental contamination in marine ecosystems. A study in the Bijagós Archipelago found low exposure of these birds to toxic elements, except for mercury. There were differences in trace element concentrations between trophic guilds, with different elements higher in pelagic fish consumers (seabirds) and benthic invertebrate consumers (shorebirds). Although there is currently no toxicological risk to these bird populations, further monitoring of high mercury burdens is recommended.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jorge S. Gutierrez, Teresa Catry, Maria Espinosa-Colin, Jose A. Masero, Jose Pedro Granadeiro
Summary: Animals often face trade-offs between food acquisition and predation/disturbance avoidance. However, the impact of modulating factors such as thermal risk and foraging opportunities on this trade-off has been largely disregarded. In this study, we investigated the influence of temporal and environmental gradients on the flight initiation distance (FID) and escape mode in shorebirds, and found that heat-stressed shorebirds take greater risks and adjust risk-taking behavior according to tidal and seasonal cycles.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana Pinto Coelho, Mohamed Henriques, Afonso Duarte Rocha, Joao Paulino, Loran Kleine Schaars, Catarina Ramos, Aissa Regalla de Barros, Teresa Catry, Jose Pedro Granadeiro, Theunis Piersma, Jose Augusto Alves
Summary: The Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau is one of the largest and most important coastal intertidal ecosystems in West Africa, supporting a significant proportion of migratory shorebirds and serving as a nursery area for benthic fish. This study investigated the spatial and temporal dynamics of macrozoobenthos density, biomass, and community composition across six intertidal flats in three islands of the archipelago. Results showed variations in density, biomass, and community composition across sites and months, with higher density observed towards the end of the dry season.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Monica C. Silva, Paulo Catry, Joel Bried, Kazuto Kawakami, Elizabeth Flint, Jose P. Granadeiro
Summary: This study provides the first description of the phylogeographic patterns and historical demography of Bulwer's petrel, as well as insights into the drivers of species diversification in the marine environment. Three highly differentiated groups were identified, including the Western Pacific, Central Pacific, and Atlantic populations. The Isthmus of Panama restricts gene flow between oceans, but the deepest phylogeographic break occurs within the Pacific Ocean, where oceanographic barriers play a key role in driving and maintaining the remarkable structure found in this highly mobile seabird.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
A. Nuno, C. Fernandes, M. Guedes, B. Loloum, L. Matos, L. Nazare, I Carvalho
Summary: This study assessed the consumption of cetaceans, mainly the Delphinidae family, in Sao Tome and Principe through interviews with local residents. The findings provide valuable insights for the development of regional conservation measures and understanding the impact of human activities on cetacean populations in the Gulf of Guinea.
ANIMAL BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Amanda Kuepfer, Paulo Catry, Stuart Bearhop, Richard B. Sherley, Olivia Bell, Jason Newton, Paul Brickle, Alexander Arkhipkin, Stephen C. Votier
Summary: Effective marine ecosystem monitoring is critical for sustainable management. Monitoring seabird diets can provide important information on ecosystem health and seabird-fishery interactions. This study combines stomach content analysis (SCA) and stable isotope analysis (SIA) to examine the diet of black-browed albatross chicks, with a focus on fishery discard consumption.
Article
Fisheries
Edna Correia, Jose Pedro Granadeiro, Barbara Santos, Vanessa A. Mata, Emanuel Dias, Aissa Regalla, Teresa Catry
Summary: The diet of the blackchin guitarfish in West Africa was assessed using DNA metabarcoding, revealing a preference for crustaceans, particularly caramote prawn and fiddler crab. Bony fishes were also found in some stomachs. Conservation action for intertidal habitats and their associated benthic invertebrates is crucial for the survival of this critically endangered species.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bethany L. Clark, Ana P. B. Carneiro, Elizabeth J. Pearmain, Marie-Morgane Rouyer, Thomas A. Clay, Win Cowger, Richard A. Phillips, Andrea Manica, Carolina Hazin, Marcus Eriksen, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Josh Adams, Yuri V. Albores-Barajas, Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto, Maria Saldanha Alho, Deusa Teixeira Araujo, Jose Manuel Arcos, John P. Y. Arnould, Nadito J. P. Barbosa, Christophe Barbraud, Annalea M. Beard, Jessie Beck, Elizabeth A. Bell, Della G. Bennet, Maud Berlincourt, Manuel Biscoito, Oskar K. Bjornstad, Mark Bolton, Katherine A. Booth Jones, John J. Borg, Karen Bourgeois, Vincent Bretagnolle, Joel Bried, James V. Briskie, M. de L. Brooke, Katherine C. Brownlie, Leandro Bugoni, Licia Calabrese, Letizia Campioni, Mark J. Carey, Ryan D. Carle, Nicholas Carlile, Ana R. Carreiro, Paulo Catry, Teresa Catry, Jacopo G. Cecere, Filipe R. Ceia, Yves Cherel, Chang-Yong Choi, Marco Cianchetti-Benedetti, Rohan H. Clarke, Jaimie B. Cleeland, Valentina Colodro, Bradley C. Congdon, Johannis Danielsen, Federico De Pascalis, Zoe Deakin, Nina Dehnhard, Giacomo Dell'Omo, Karine Delord, Sebastien Descamps, Ben J. Dilley, Herculano A. Dinis, Jerome Dubos, Brendon J. Dunphy, Louise M. Emmerson, Ana Isabel Fagundes, Annette L. Fayet, Jonathan J. Felis, Johannes H. Fischer, Amanda N. D. Freeman, Aymeric Fromant, Giorgia Gaibani, David Garcia, Carina Gjerdrum, Ivandra Soeli Goncalves Correia Gomes, Manuela G. Forero, Jose P. Granadeiro, W. James Grecian, David Gremillet, Tim Guilford, Gunnar Thor Hallgrimsson, Luke R. Halpin, Erpur Snaer Hansen, April Hedd, Morten Helberg, Halfdan H. Helgason, Leeann M. Henry, Hannah F. R. Hereward, Marcos Hernandez-Montero, Mark A. Hindell, Peter J. Hodum, Simona Imperio, Audrey Jaeger, Mark Jessopp, Patrick G. R. Jodice, Carl G. Jones, Christopher W. Jones, Jon Einar Jonsson, Adam Kane, Sven Kapelj, Yuna Kim, Holly Kirk, Yann Kolbeinsson, Philipp L. Kraemer, Lucas Krueger, Paulo Lago, Todd J. Landers, Jennifer L. Lavers, Matthieu Le Corre, Andreia Leal, Maite Louzao, Jeremy Madeiros, Maria Magalhaes, Mark L. Mallory, Juan F. Masello, Bruno Massa, Sakiko Matsumoto, Fiona McDuie, Laura McFarlane Tranquilla, Fernando Medrano, Benjamin J. Metzger, Teresa Militao, William A. Montevecchi, Rosalinda C. Montone, Leia Navarro-Herrero, Veronica C. Neves, David G. Nicholls, Malcolm A. C. Nicoll, Ken Norris, Steffen Oppel, Daniel Oro, Ellie Owen, Oliver Padget, Vitor H. Paiva, David Pala, Jorge M. Pereira, Clara Peron, Maria V. Petry, Admilton de Pina, Ariete T. Moreira Pina, Patrick Pinet, Pierre A. Pistorius, Ingrid L. Pollet, Benjamin J. Porter, Timothee A. Poupart, Christopher D. L. Powell, Carolina B. Proano, Julia Pujol-Casado, Petra Quillfeldt, John L. Quinn, Andre F. Raine, Helen Raine, Ivan Ramirez, Jaime A. Ramos, Rauel Ramos, Andreas Ravache, Matt J. Rayner, Timothy A. Reid, Gregory J. Robertson, Gerard J. Rocamora, Dominic P. Rollinson, Robert A. Ronconi, Andreu Rotger, Diego Rubolini, Kevin Ruhomaun, Asuncion Ruiz, James C. Russell, Peter G. Ryan, Sarah Saldanha, Ana Sanz-Aguilar, Mariona Sarda-Serra, Yvan G. Satge, Katsufumi Sato, Wiebke C. Schaefer, Stefan Schoombie, Scott A. Shaffer, Nirmal Shah, Akiko Shoji, Dave Shutler, Ingvar A. Sigurosson, Monica C. Silva, Alison E. Small, Cecilia Soldatini, Hallvard Strom, Christopher A. Surman, Akinori Takahashi, Vikash R. V. Tatayah, Graeme A. Taylor, Robert J. Thomas, David R. Thompson, Paul M. Thompson, Thorkell L. Thorarinsson, Diego Vicente-Sastre, Eric Vidal, Ewan D. Wakefield, Susan M. Waugh, Henri Weimerskirch, Heiko U. Wittmer, Takashi Yamamoto, Ken Yoda, Carlos B. Zavalaga, Francis J. Zino, Maria P. Dias
Summary: Plastic pollution and vulnerable marine organisms have uneven distributions. This study combines plastic density estimates and bird movement data to estimate exposure risk. The Mediterranean, Black seas, northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic, and southwest Indian oceans are high-risk areas. Threatened species have disproportionately high exposure risk. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones of the USA, Japan, and the UK have the highest exposure risk. International collaboration is crucial for addressing marine plastic impacts.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
April Burt, Ana Nuno, Lindsay Turnbull, Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, Nancy Bunbury
Summary: Island ecosystems are disproportionately impacted by biodiversity loss, and effective management is crucial for global conservation efforts. A survey of practitioners in 77 countries highlighted low staff capacity, difficulties in data analysis, and lack of research and management strategies as the main barriers to effective island conservation. Perception of national-level management effectiveness was influenced by governance issues, research strategies, and collaboration outcomes.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
April J. Burt, Ana Nuno, Nancy Bunbury
Summary: The failure to achieve global biodiversity targets highlights the need for more effective biodiversity management and conservation efforts, which in turn requires a better understanding of current barriers to success. Island ecosystems are facing severe biodiversity loss, and in order to effectively protect them, barriers at organizational, national, and project levels need to be overcome.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2022)
