Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ning Li, Ning Tang, Zheng Wang, Lin Zhang
Summary: The health of China's coastal wetlands is crucial for global bird biodiversity. However, land reclamation, invasive species, and over-harvesting have altered the landscape, affecting bird diversity. This study focuses on the impact of long-term habitat changes on wintering waterbirds in the Tiaozini wetland. It reveals that natural habitats decreased while human-modified habitats increased, leading to changes in species number and population size of different waterbird guilds.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Prakhar Rawal, Swati Kittur, Murali Krishna Chatakonda, K. S. Gopi Sundar
Summary: Despite being rare and degraded in Delhi, ponds still support 37% of the city's bird species. Site-level variables have a greater impact on bird abundance and species richness compared to landscape-scale variables. Factors like pond size, shoreline heterogeneity, and presence of islands influence bird diversity, while management interventions can have a negative impact.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alfred Kik, Martin Adamec, Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, Jarmila Bajzekova, Nigel Baro, Claire Bowern, Robert K. Colwell, Pavel Drozd, Pavel Duda, Sentiko Ibalim, Leonardo R. Jorge, Jane Mogina, Ben Ruli, Katerina Sam, Hannah Sarvasy, Simon Saulei, George D. Weiblen, Jan Zrzavy, Vojtech Novotny
Summary: Papua New Guinea has a diverse range of languages and biocultural knowledge, but is facing challenges in language and ethnobiological knowledge loss. The language skills and ethnobiological knowledge of students are declining at an accelerating rate, influenced by factors such as family language use, mixed-language families, urbanization, and traditional skills.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sang Lyeol Kim, Ok Hwan Yu
Summary: This study investigated the distribution of polychaete community and environmental characteristics in the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water zone (YSBCW). The results showed differences in species number and density between inside and outside of YSBCW, with deposit feeders dominating the bottom and differences observed in the surface or subsurface. The study also found strong correlations between polychaete community and depth, temperature, gravel, and sand.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Lais A. M. Brasileiro, Ricardo B. Machado, Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar
Summary: Ecosystem services are crucial for human society, with bats playing a significant role in providing services such as insect suppression, plant pollination, and seed dispersal. However, human activities have impacted species and ecosystems, affecting the provision of bat's ecosystem services. By modeling the distribution of 128 bat species in Brazil and comparing the effects of natural area suppression on ecosystem service provision, this study reveals a substantial reduction in bat's ecosystem services in extensive parts of central and eastern Brazil, with variations among different biomes.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marcos Nogueira, Wagner Magalhaes, Eduardo Mariano-Neto, Elizabeth Neves, Rodrigo Johnsson
Summary: This study evaluates the structural and functional patterns of polychaete assemblages in different coral species, and finds that different types of corals have significant effects on the richness and diversity of polychaetes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kelly M. Correia, Scott B. Alford, Benjamin A. Belgrad, Kelly M. Darnell, M. Zachary Darnell, Bradley T. Furman, Margaret O. Hall, Christian T. Hayes, Charles W. Martin, Ashley M. McDonald, Delbert L. Smee
Summary: Drift macroalgae, commonly found near seagrass beds, can have both positive and negative effects on the associated animal communities. This study quantified the relationship between drift macroalgal biomass and seagrass-associated nekton and found that increases in macroalgal biomass influenced community structure, increasing the abundance of certain species of shrimp, crab, and fish. However, the effect varied by region and no relationship between macroalgal biomass and species richness or diversity was observed.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Corina Maurer, Louis Sutter, Carlos Martinez-Nunez, Loiec Pellissier, Matthias Albrecht
Summary: This study found that different types of semi-natural habitats play different roles for wild bees in different seasons. While well-managed meadows support more rare species, flower strips are most important later in the season. Each type of habitat harbors relatively unique sets of species, with different habitats acting as distinct modules in the overall bee-habitat network.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Karold Viviana Coronado-Franco, Pablo A. Tedesco, Matthew A. Kolmann, Samuel R. Borstein, Kristine O. Evans, Sandra Bibiana Correa
Summary: This study examines how differences in dietary preferences influence the spatial distribution and habitat associations of fish species. The results show that different feeding guilds lead to divergent habitat association patterns among species. The findings highlight the importance of understanding species habitat associations in relation to food resource dynamics and floodplain dependence.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Development Studies
Jon Fraenkel, Colin Filer
Summary: Papua New Guinea is a linguistically diverse but least developed country. The study investigates the impact of linguistic diversity on development outcomes and finds evidence of a relationship, but suggests that historical, geographical, and other factors may play a more significant role.
Article
Ecology
Olga Antczak-Orlewska, Mateusz Plociennik, Robert Sobczyk, Daniel Okupny, Renata Stachowicz-Rybka, Monika Rzodkiewicz, Jacek Sicinski, Agnieszka Mroczkowska, Marek Krapiec, Michal Slowinski, Piotr Kittel
Summary: Chironomid (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae play a crucial role in aquatic ecosystems, with their morphological traits and feeding habits serving as indicator features for reconstructions of habitat changes. The study found that habitat substratum structure, vegetation, and physicochemical conditions are associated with both the feeding types and morphological traits of Chironomidae larvae, providing a valuable tool for future habitat change reconstructions.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Bang Nguyen Pham, Vinson D. Silas, Anthony D. Okely, William Pomat
Summary: The study found that the dietary intake and diversity of children in Papua New Guinea are influenced by household and maternal socioeconomic demographic factors. Children in urban areas, children whose mothers have only primary education, and children from poorer households are more likely to have inadequate dietary diversity.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Janaina Agra, Tatiana Cornelissen, Arleu Barbosa Viana-Junior, Marcos Callisto
Summary: This study synthesized global knowledge about the relationship between spatial environmental heterogeneity (EH) and freshwater biodiversity through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The results showed a positive effect of spatial EH on taxonomic and functional alpha diversity. However, the overall effect on beta diversity remains uncertain. The study also discussed the mechanisms explaining this relationship and its implications for freshwater ecosystem management.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laetitia Plaisance, Kenan Matterson, Katharina Fabricius, Sergei Drovetski, Chris Meyer, Nancy Knowlton
Summary: Research demonstrates that cryptofauna on coral reefs exhibit diverse and complex responses to acidification conditions, influenced by various factors including direct and indirect impacts.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pagi S. S. Toko, Bonny Koane, Kenneth Molem, Scott E. E. Miller, Vojtech Novotny
Summary: The elevation gradients in tropical rainforests represent global maxima of biodiversity and are important for community studies. We surveyed geometrid moths in Papua New Guinea and found high diversity, with molecular data playing an important role in taxonomy. The richness of species and beta diversity of communities showed interesting patterns along the elevation gradient.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Pita K. Amick, Katerina Sam, Gendio Drumo, Pagi S. Toko, Vojtech Novotny
Summary: The study revealed the presence of 43 bat species in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, with six species extending beyond their known altitudinal ranges, possibly due to insufficient past sampling or genuine range extension. This highlights the importance of baseline data on the altitudinal distribution of vertebrates, including bats, for monitoring their response to climate change and human disturbance.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jose Martin Pujolar, Mozes P. K. Blom, Andrew Hart Reeve, Jonathan D. Kennedy, Petter Zahl Marki, Thorfinn S. Korneliussen, Benjamin G. Freeman, Katerina Sam, Ethan Linck, Tri Haryoko, Bulisa Iova, Bonny Koane, Gibson Maiah, Luda Paul, Martin Irestedt, Knud Andreas Jonsson
Summary: Using genomic data and demographic models, the authors show that populations in high elevations become isolated, while montane populations maintain gene flow for further colonization. Tropical mountains are important for Earth's biodiversity, with montane species typically inhabiting multiple mountainous regions. Pleistocene climate oscillations have had a significant impact on species demographics.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kasun H. Bodawatta, Irena Kleckova, Jan Klecka, Katerina Puzejova, Bonny Koane, Michael Poulsen, Knud A. Jonsson, Katerina Sam
Summary: The composition of gut bacterial communities in birds is influenced by diet, with individual variation in dietary intake within species. Despite literature-based dietary guilds, the natural diets of birds do not align with their gut microbiome composition, but certain gut bacterial lineages are associated with specific diet items in avian hosts.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Elina Mantyla, Leonardo Re Jorge, Bonny Koane, Katerina Sam, Simon T. Segar, Martin Volf, Alexander Weinhold, Vojtech Novotny
Summary: The study investigates the effects of VOC emissions by Ficus trees on predation in a lowland tropical rainforest. The results show that different Ficus species vary in their response to MeJA and DIECA treatments, and that the effects of MeJA treatment do not spill over to neighbouring trees.
ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Piotr Szefer, Kenneth Molem, Austin Sau, Vojtech Novotny
Summary: The relative roles of plants competing for resources and top-down control of vegetation by herbivores, influenced by predators, in early stages of tropical forest succession are not well understood. This study examines the impact of excluding insectivorous birds, bats, and ants on arthropod communities in pioneer early successional vegetation plots in lowland tropical forest gaps in Papua New Guinea. The exclusion of predators resulted in increased biomass of herbivorous and predatory arthropods, as well as increased density and decreased diversity of herbivorous insects. Changes in plant, herbivore, and arthropod predator biomass were either positively correlated or uncorrelated at these three trophic levels and between individual arthropod orders. The abundance and biomass of arthropods strongly correlated with plant biomass, regardless of their trophic position, indicating bottom-up control. Herbivore specialization patterns confirmed a lack of strong top-down control and were largely unaffected by the exclusion of insectivorous birds, bats, and ants. No changes in plant-herbivore interaction networks were detected, except for a decrease in modularity in the exclusion plots.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gustavo Q. Romero, Thiago Goncalves-Souza, Tomas Roslin, Robert J. Marquis, Nicholas A. C. Marino, Vojtech Novotny, Tatiana Cornelissen, Jerome Orivel, Shen Sui, Gustavo Aires, Reuber Antoniazzi, Wesley Dattilo, Crasso P. B. Breviglieri, Annika Busse, Heloise Gibb, Thiago J. Izzo, Tomas Kadlec, Victoria Kemp, Monica Kersch-Becker, Michal Knapp, Pavel Kratina, Rebecca Luke, Stefan Majnaric, Robin Maritz, Paulo Mateus Martins, Esayas Mendesil, Jaroslav Michalko, Anna Mrazova, Samuel Novais, Cassio C. Pereira, Mirela S. Peric, Jana S. Petermann, Servio P. Ribeiro, Katerina Sam, M. Kurtis Trzcinski, Camila Vieira, Natalie Westwood, Maria L. Bernaschini, Valentina Carvajal, Ezequiel Gonzalez, Mariana Jausoro, Stanis Kaensin, Fabiola Ospina, E. Jacob Cristobal-Perez, Mauricio Quesada, Pierre Rogy, Diane S. Srivastava, Scarlett Szpryngiel, Ayco J. M. Tack, Tiit Teder, Martin Videla, Mari-Liis Viljur, Julia Koricheva
Summary: Current climate change is disrupting biotic interactions and eroding biodiversity worldwide. However, leaf shelters constructed by arthropods can provide shelter for species sensitive to aridity, high temperatures, and climate variability. This study found that leaf rolls support larger organisms and higher arthropod biomass and species diversity compared to non-rolled control leaves. The magnitude of the leaf rolls' effect varied depending on long- and short-term climate conditions, metrics, and trophic groups. Leaf roll use may have both proximal and ultimate causes, with the projected increases in climate variability and aridity likely to increase the importance of biotic refugia in mitigating the effects of climate change on species persistence.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jonathan D. Kennedy, Petter Z. Marki, Andrew H. Reeve, Mozes P. K. Blom, Dewi M. Prawiradilaga, Tri Haryoko, Bonny Koane, Pepijn Kamminga, Martin Irestedt, Knud A. Jonsson
Summary: The study on passerine birds in New Guinea reveals that species distribution and evolution are closely related to elevation and geographic location, with differences in phylogeny and endemism between lowland and mountain species.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alyssa M. Fontanilla, Gibson Aubona, Mentap Sisol, Ilari Kuukkanen, Juha-Pekka Salminen, Scott E. Miller, Jeremy D. Holloway, Vojtech Novotny, Martin Volf, Simon T. Segar
Summary: This study focuses on two species of Asota moths from New Guinea, and found that despite feeding on different species of figs, they share similar alkaloid profiles. This indicates that a limited number of plant compounds have a conserved ecological function in these two moth species.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pagi S. S. Toko, Bonny Koane, Kenneth Molem, Scott E. E. Miller, Vojtech Novotny
Summary: The elevation gradients in tropical rainforests represent global maxima of biodiversity and are important for community studies. We surveyed geometrid moths in Papua New Guinea and found high diversity, with molecular data playing an important role in taxonomy. The richness of species and beta diversity of communities showed interesting patterns along the elevation gradient.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Katerina Sam, Leonardo Re Jorge, Bonny Koane, Pita K. Amick, Elise Sivault
Summary: The exclusion of flying vertebrate predators led to a significant increase in both arthropod density and herbivory damage. The effect of ant exclusion on arthropod density and leaf damage was not significant. The presence of insectivorous flying vertebrates is important for maintaining plant health.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Juan C. Copete, Alfred Kik, Vojtech Novotny, Rodrigo Camara-Leret
Summary: The role of indigenous and local peoples in cataloging life on Earth is significant but often overlooked, and their knowledge faces increasing threats. Greater participation by them in research can enhance scientific efficiency, sustainable conservation, and the preservation of traditional knowledge, although significant obstacles remain.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Review
Biology
Paula Arribas, Carmelo Andujar, Kristine Bohmann, Jeremy R. DeWaard, Evan P. Economo, Vasco Elbrecht, Stefan Geisen, Marta Goberna, Henrik Krehenwinkel, Vojtech Novotny, Lucie Zinger, Thomas J. Creedy, Emmanouil Meramveliotakis, Victor Noguerales, Isaac Overcast, Helene Morlon, Anna Papadopoulou, Alfried P. Vogler, Brent C. Emerson
Summary: Metazoan metabarcoding is an important strategy for biodiversity inventorying, but differences in workflows might compromise data integration. To address this issue, a modular framework for harmonized data generation was proposed, focusing on terrestrial arthropods. Key points for harmonization were identified and guidelines were provided to reduce methodological options and promote best practice.