Article
Entomology
Mireille Harimalala, Tojo R. Ramihangihajason, Ravo Rakotobe Harimanana, Romain Girod, Jean-Bernard Duchemin
Summary: Madagascar possesses a significant diversity of fleas, with efforts to improve knowledge and provide morphological keys for identification of species. This has led to an increase in new species discoveries, with a focus on endemic species in the region.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Eva Spitalska, Lenka Minichova, Zuzana Hamsikova, Michal Stanko, Maria Kazimirova
Summary: This study investigated the presence and genetic diversity of Bartonella, Rickettsia, Babesia, and Hepatozoon in fleas feeding on small mammals in different habitats in Slovakia. The results showed that Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., and apicomplexan parasites were commonly found in these fleas. The study expands our knowledge of the presence of zoonotic pathogens in fleas and their diversity.
Article
Ecology
Martti Vasar, John Davison, Siim-Kaarel Sepp, Ladislav Mucina, Jane Oja, Saleh Al-Quraishy, Sten Anslan, Mohammad Bahram, C. Guillermo Bueno, Juan Jose Cantero, Guillaume Decocq, Lauchlan Fraser, Inga Hiiesalu, Wael N. Hozzein, Kadri Koorem, Yiming Meng, Mari Moora, Vladimir Onipchenko, Maarja Opik, Meelis Partel, Tanel Vahter, Leho Tedersoo, Martin Zobel
Summary: Organisms in different ecosystems on Earth form distinct communities, and understanding their patterns and functions is crucial for biodiversity conservation. Current terrestrial biome classifications are insufficient in representing the diversity patterns of soil microbes. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing and statistical clustering to define soil microbiomes on a global scale. We found strong correlations among different microbial groups and identified pH and temperature as the main environmental drivers of soil microbiome structure. These findings have important implications for theoretical and applied biodiversity research.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Leonardo B. Custode, Richard Pither, Faisal Moola, D. Ryan Norris
Summary: Protected areas are crucial for preserving biodiversity, and their connectivity with other viable habitats plays a significant role. This study found that government protected areas have higher connectivity, while Indigenous managed lands have lower connectivity. Additionally, conservation agreements in private protected areas have higher connectivity compared to fee simple properties.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Lance A. Durden, Sergio Bermudez, Geminis A. Vargas, Boris E. Sanjur, Laura Gillen, Lisa D. Brown, Stephen E. Greiman, Marina E. Eremeeva
Summary: In Panama from 2010 to 2016, a total of 341 fleas belonging to 16 species were collected from 78 host mammals belonging to 10 species. The cat flea predominated on domestic dogs and was also recorded from domestic cats, the raccoon, and the common opossum.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jorge Garcia-Giron, Luis Mauricio Bini, Jani Heino
Summary: Freshwater ecosystems have a high biodiversity and are under significant threat worldwide. However, our ability to design evidence-based conservation plans for this realm is limited due to biodiversity shortfalls, such as the lack of comparable field data and information on traits and phylogenies of freshwater organisms. To address this, efforts should be made to harmonize data from different sources, gather natural history observations, and establish fully resolved phylogenies. By overcoming these hurdles, we can map important ecosystems and valuable areas for the conservation of freshwater organisms and their habitats.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Zoology
C. A. Angel-Sahagun, J. E. Ortega Palomares, A. A. Hernandez-Rangel, C. Cruz-Vazquez, R. Montesinos-Matias, M. Valencia-Posadas, A. M. Cruz-Avalos
Summary: This study evaluated the pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana isolates obtained from dog fleas. The results showed that four isolates, Bb9, Bb6, Ma9, and Ma10, exhibited the highest pathogenicity and thus have the potential to be used as biological control agents.
PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
M. Cecilia Fantozzi, Juliana P. Sanchez, Marcela Lareschi, Pablo M. Beldomenico
Summary: This study investigated the patterns of flea infestation in eight species of Sigmodontinae rodents in El Espinal Ecoregion, Argentina. The results showed that the rodent tribe was the most important factor driving flea infestation, with Phyllotini tribe showing the highest occurrence, abundance, and species richness. This highlights the importance of host taxonomy in understanding flea dynamics and the ecology of parasites.
Letter
Immunology
Lavel C. Moonga, Kyoko Hayashida, Namwiinga R. Mulunda, Yukiko Nakamura, James Chipeta, Hawela B. Moonga, Boniface Namangala, Chihiro Sugimoto, Zephaniah Mtonga, Mable Mutengo, Junya Yamagishi
Summary: The study found R. asembonensis DNA in human blood samples in Zambia, indicating the possibility of human infection despite its unknown pathogenicity.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Paulraj Philip Samuel, Renu Govindarajan, Veeramanoharan Rajamannar, Kumar Ashwani
Summary: This article highlights the significance of fleas as vectors for plague and other diseases in India. It provides a systematic list of flea species in India and their distribution patterns among vertebrate hosts, which can serve as a valuable resource for further research and surveillance of flea-borne diseases.
NORTH-WESTERN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Amanda Robbins, Charles L. Griffiths
Summary: Research has shown that pebble and cobble shores are a distinct habitat type with a unique biota, different from sandy or rocky shores. The biota of pebble and cobble shores consists mostly of motile species, mainly air-breathing arthropods and pulmonate gastropods. These species concentrate around the high shore where drift kelp provides abundant food.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Shixing Zhou, Junxi Hu, Xiong Liu, Xingcheng Zou, Lin Xiao, Dongyu Cao, Lihua Tu, Xinglei Cui, Congde Huang
Summary: Soil mesofauna performs significant roles in decomposing organic matter, recycling nutrients, and increasing nutrient availability. The impacts of nitrogen deposition and reduced precipitation on litter-dwelling mesofauna and their influence on litter decomposition are poorly understood. A two-year experiment was conducted in a subtropical forest to explore the effects of nitrogen deposition and reduced precipitation on soil mesofauna during litter decomposition. The results indicate that nitrogen deposition negatively affected the density of Oribatida mites and Collembola as well as the total density of soil mesofauna, while reduced precipitation increased the density of Collembola and Oribatida mites and the total density of mesofauna but decreased mesofaunal diversity. The interaction of nitrogen deposition and reduced precipitation significantly affected the density of Prostigmata mites, Oribatida mites, Collembola, and mesofaunal diversity. Nitrogen deposition combined with reduced precipitation significantly inhibited litter decomposition. Overall, the study highlights the interactive effects of nitrogen deposition and reduced precipitation on mesofaunal diversity and their cascading impacts on leaf litter decomposition.
Article
Zoology
Soanandrasana Rahelinirina, Kathryn Scobie, Beza Ramasindrazana, Voahangy Andrianaivoarimanana, Fanohinjanaharinirina Rasoamalala, Lovasoa Nomena Randriantseheno, Jerry Sylvio Rakotoniaina, Olivier Gorge, Xavier Lambin, Eric Valade, Sandra Telfer, Minoarisoa Rajerison
Summary: This study compared the effectiveness of live-traps, snap-traps, and rodenticides in a plague-endemic region of Madagascar, finding that live-traps were more effective in reducing rodent abundance. Although all three control strategies decreased in-house rodent activity in the short term, there was no evidence of a long-term effect, with treated sites showing rodent abundance comparable to non-treatment sites the following month.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sophie S. Parker, Andy Zdon, William T. Christian, Brian S. Cohen, Maura Palacios Mejia, Naomi S. Fraga, Emily E. Curd, Kiumars Edalati, Mark A. Renshaw
Summary: Groundwater expression in springs is essential for maintaining landscape functions and biodiversity in arid landscapes, but is threatened by unsustainable groundwater pumping. A comprehensive survey of Mojave Desert springs was conducted to understand their current status, conservation challenges, and policy implications for better management of these critical freshwater resources.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna Bazzicalupo, Susana C. Goncalves, Remi Hebert, Sigrid Jakob, Alfredo Justo, Gavin Kernaghan, Renee Lebeuf, Bruce Malloch, R. Greg Thorn, Allison K. Walker
Summary: Despite the ecological importance of fungi, there is a lack of knowledge about their diversity in Canada. This study addresses the need for fungal distribution data and highlights the importance of building a network of professional and amateur mycologists to advance conservation efforts. The research provides insight on the conservation status of Canadian macrofungi and identifies priority species for formal conservation assessment.