Article
Horticulture
Arthur Domblides, Elena Domblides
Summary: The biodiversity of carrot is important for human diet as it provides useful and necessary components. Eight carrot genotypes with different root colors were distinguished using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Three sets of primer pairs produced 92 loci, including 60 polymorphic ones. The genetic distances between the genotypes were calculated using Nei's coefficient. The AFLP method can be used for genetic diversity assessment in carrot breeding accessions with slight modifications including gel staining.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xi Xu, Chen Qin, Yan Zhu
Summary: This study proposes a rapid assessment method for biodiversity on eco-friendly farms and confirms the suitability of the ABI scoring system. Results show that farm area and the proportion and diversity of natural/seminatural habitats are significantly correlated with ABI scores, indicating the positive contribution of eco-friendly farms to biodiversity conservation.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
P. J. Edmunds, H. R. Lasker
Summary: This study quantified octocoral communities at two sites in St. John, US Virgin Islands from 2014 to 2019 to understand the dynamics of different species and evaluate the potential contribution of portfolio effects to their resilience. The research revealed asynchronous annual variations in abundance among species, except during hurricanes in September 2017, and highlighted structural redundancy in octocoral communities, indicating stable vertical structure and canopy due to portfolio effects and functional redundancy.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Aikaterini Voudouri, Evgenia Chaideftou, Athanassios Sfougaris
Summary: The study found that the diversity and abundance of topsoil seeds in agricultural bird habitats varied between seasons but did not differ significantly between habitats. The cereal habitat was the richest in food supply for overwintering farmland birds.
Article
Ecology
Paula Lopezosa, Miguel Berdugo, Santiago Soliveres
Summary: Mediterranean landscapes are experiencing significant transformations that endanger biodiversity and ecosystem services. The study investigates the impacts of landscape characteristics and land use on bird and plant diversity, as well as how these changes in biodiversity may affect ecosystem functioning. The results show that plant communities are mainly influenced by local features, while birds are affected by habitat size and landscape diversity. Oak and mixed forests generally exhibit higher levels of ecosystem functioning compared to other land uses.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Shiwei Yang, Zhongwei Zhang, Yuanming Wang, Ruifeng Liang, Yanlei Wan, Kefeng Li
Summary: With the increase in power demand, the number of water conservancy projects has increased, but they also cause damage to fish habitats. An improved three-dimensional habitat model based on graph theory algorithm is proposed to assess the impact of water conservancy project construction on fish habitat. The model considers habitat quantity, quality, and connectivity, and is combined with IFIM. The results of the applied assessment showed the suitable flow range for Schizothorax prenanti in the Dadu River.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Xiaoxiao Chen, Jia Jiang, Ni Zhang, Xiao Yang, Yongkuan Chi, Yuehua Song
Summary: Based on satellite imagery, field survey collection, and molecular sequencing data, this article explores the habitat fragmentation, species diversity, and genetic diversity of Erythroneurine leafhoppers in three typical karst areas in southwest China. The results show a positive correlation between the fragmentation degree of Erythroneurine leafhopper habitat and the degree of rocky desertification in the area. The study also reveals that habitat fragmentation affects the species diversity and genetic diversity of the leafhoppers, with higher diversity in regions with weaker fragmentation.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Maria Gomez-Tolosa, Gustavo Rivera-Velazquez, Tamara M. Rioja-Paradela, Luis F. Mendoza-Cuenca, Cesar Tejeda-Cruz, Sergio Lopez
Summary: This review analyzed the importance of Odonata for environmental assessments in the Neotropical region, finding that ecosystem health assessments were the most common type. However, due to the great diversity of habitats in the region, there is a need to establish a standardized monitoring protocol for assessing ecosystem health quality.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Peilin Huang, Dulai Zheng, Yijing Yan, Weizhen Xu, Yujie Zhao, Ziluo Huang, Yinghong Ding, Yuxin Lin, Zhipeng Zhu, Ziru Chen, Weicong Fu
Summary: This study analyzes the response of bird communities in urban parks in Fuzhou, China, to landscape features during winter. The results indicate that the park's area, irregularity of shape, woodland proportion, and waterbody shape have a positive effect on bird diversity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Rohit Sharma, Shalinder Kaur, Sanjay Kr Uniyal
Summary: The study assessed the populations of 15 medicinal plant species in the Himalayas and found significant variations in distribution and abundance across different habitats. Trillium govanianum had the highest density and frequency in shrub gaps, while Picrorhiza kurrooa had the lowest frequency. Overall, the highest species richness and diversity were observed in gentle slopes and undulating meadows.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH ON MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Zachary J. Hackworth, Joshua M. Felch, Sean M. Murphy, John J. Cox
Summary: Ravens in cliff habitats during the nesting season in the Central Appalachian Mountains have a relatively high detectability, which increases with warming temperatures and is influenced by disturbance at nest sites. They prefer cliffs with large, exposed faces positioned on predominant west-facing aspects. By using a probability-based model and detection probabilities, the absence of ravens from a cliff site during the nesting season can be inferred.
Article
Ecology
Jessica Cote, Nicolas Poulet, Laurence Blanc, Gael Grenouillet
Summary: Evaluating the effects of anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity metrics can inform biodiversity loss management and monitoring. Different types of disturbances lead to different responses in different metrics. This study aimed to understand the effects of different anthropogenic disturbances on freshwater fish communities. The results showed significant responses of all diversity indices to both climatic conditions and anthropogenic disturbances, highlighting the importance of disentangling various types of disturbances when assessing human-induced ecological impacts.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. P. van den Burg, M. Goetz, L. Brannon, T. S. Weekes, K. V. Ryan, A. O. Debrot
Summary: Invasive alien species, particularly non-native green iguanas, are causing significant negative impacts on native Iguana populations in the Caribbean, leading to the decline of genetic diversity and the potential hybridization of species. This study utilized genetic tools and morphological measurements to assess the presence of non-native iguanas in two native populations, confirming their presence on one island. The study emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring and rapid identification of non-native individuals to implement effective conservation strategies.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Y. van Heezik, B. I. P. Barratt, B. R. Burns, B. D. Clarkson, B. T. Cutting, R. Ewans, C. Freeman, C. Meurk, D. F. Shanahan, R. Simcock, G. Souter-Brown, M. C. Stanley, R. Stanley, M. J. Thorsen, S. Wake, C. K. Woolley, R. Zink, P. J. Seddon
Summary: Residential property certification schemes can promote urban biodiversity by incentivizing homeowners and developing a biodiversity assessment tool. A modified Delphi process and conjoint analysis were used to create a tool that evaluated residential property biodiversity, with scores ranging from 10 to 52 out of 100. Property size was found to have a positive but variable relationship with biodiversity score, highlighting the need for a size-specific rating system for smaller properties. The assessment method was found to be repeatable and could be used to track urban biodiversity trends and meet biodiversity goals.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
S. Thobeka Gumede, David A. Ehlers Smith, Samukelisiwe P. Ngcobo, Mbalenhle Sosibo, Yvette C. Ehlers Smith, Colleen T. Downs
Summary: Changes to natural environments resulting from human population growth pose a major threat to biodiversity. This study found that vegetation structure, patch size, and isolation distance significantly influenced avian communities, with reductions in forest patch size and complexity leading to decreased avian species richness and functional diversity. Additionally, increasing isolation distance had a negative impact on avian diversity.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)