Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jose Maria Gil-Sanchez, Mariola Sanchez-Cerda
Summary: The Earth's wildlife is facing a rapid and extensive extinction process caused by human impact, which not only affects biodiversity itself but also the integrity and functioning of ecosystems. Megaherbivores and top predators play essential roles in ecosystem ecological integrity and eco-evolutionary processes. By mapping the areas where their complete communities are currently present, our study provides a global overview of the current ecological integrity of terrestrial surfaces. Only 15.8% of the Earth's terrestrial surfaces currently retain their target taxa, highlighting the urgent need for conservation efforts.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Fasheng Wang, Ping Cao, Fu Li, Xing Wang, Bing He, Fuming Sun
Summary: With the development of computer vision technology, advanced methods have been applied to animal detection, tracking, recognition, and behavior analysis. This paper introduces the Wild Animal Tracking Benchmark (WATB), the first dataset for wild animal tracking, to encourage further research and applications in this field. WATB includes over 203,000 frames and 206 video sequences, covering various animals from land, sea, and sky.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER VISION
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
David W. Macdonald
Summary: This article explores the negative impact of human activities on the welfare of wild animals, how to mitigate these impacts, and the need for further research. It also discusses the relationship between animal welfare and biodiversity conservation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joan Casanelles-Abella, Simone Fontana, Eliane Meier, Marco Moretti, Betrand Fournier
Summary: This study modeled wild bee diversity in Switzerland and found that it is influenced by gradients of climate and resource availability. High-elevation areas have lower functional and taxonomic diversity, while xeric areas have more diverse bee communities. The study also found a limited overlap between diversity hotspots and protected areas, highlighting the need to better integrate unprotected land.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Graeme C. Hays, Jeanne A. Mortimer, Alex Rattray, Takahiro Shimada, Nicole Esteban
Summary: The study in the Chagos Archipelago found that most turtles moved very little, with some staying continuously in the lagoon where they were equipped. However, a few turtles were observed to travel hundreds of kilometers from the tagging site.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biology
David W. Macdonald, Lauren A. Harrington, Tom P. Moorhouse, Neil D'Cruze
Summary: The article highlights ten issues that impede sustainable and humane wildlife trade, questioning whether wildlife trade can meet appropriate standards for biodiversity conservation and animal welfare. It suggests that the responsibility should be on traders to demonstrate sustainability, humanity, and safety in wildlife use, and calls for widespread acceptance of responsibility and behavior change to ensure conservation of wildlife and livelihoods. Conservationists, practitioners, and others are urged to take bold, progressive steps towards reaching consensus and taking action.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luiza Brasileiro, Rodrigo Ribeiro Mayrink, Andre Costa Pereira, Fabio Jose Viana Costa, Gabriela Bielefeld Nardoto
Summary: This literature review shows that stable isotope analysis can be used to distinguish between wild and captive animals in different vertebrate groups, rearing conditions, and methodological designs. However, there are still some gaps in the research, especially for certain taxonomic groups, countries, and isotopes that have been studied less. Careful consideration should be given to the conditions of wild and captivity, the tissues analyzed, and the homogeneity of the samples when using this methodology.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Debora Silvia Racciatti, Alejandra Feld, Laura Analia Rial, Carlos Blanco, Oriol Tallo-Parra
Summary: This study developed an animal welfare assessment protocol for wild animals in captivity, aimed at multiple species to overcome the limitations of generic checklists and provide an alternative to time-consuming species-specific tools.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shivish Bhandari, Ramiro D. Crego, Jared A. Stabach
Summary: Understanding the interaction between wildlife and human activities is crucial for conservation efforts. In Nepal, wild ungulates mainly inhabit highlands while livestock concentrate in lowlands. Elevation and livestock abundance are key factors influencing the distribution of wild ungulates.
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Pamela C. Koster, Juan Lapuente, Israel Cruz, David Carmena, Francisco Ponce-Gordo
Summary: Human-driven activities are destroying the habitats of wild great apes, leading to population decrease, isolation, and increased exposure to humans. The spatial overlap between humans and great apes may facilitate the transmission of infectious agents. This review examines and discusses viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal pathogens that are suspected to originate from humans and infect wild great ape populations.
VETERINARY SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sasha Montero-De La Torre, Sarah L. Jacobson, Martin Chodorow, Marnoch Yindee, Joshua M. Plotnik
Summary: Regular monitoring of wild animal populations is crucial for conservation, and identifying individual Asian elephants using remote sensing video camera traps can provide valuable information about their behavior and social dynamics. This study presents a detailed methodology for differentiating individual elephants based on morphological characteristics, and found that camera traps were effective in reliably identifying adult elephants.
Article
Agronomy
Magdalena Jensen, Patricio Pliscoff
Summary: Climate change is projected to significantly alter weather patterns in Chile, which has implications for the preservation and availability of crop wild relatives (CWR) for future food production. This study analyzes the current and future climatic suitability of Chilean endemic CWR, the role of protected areas in conservation, and potential conflicts with agricultural land use. Species distribution models were used to assess the climatic suitability of 30 CWR species. The results show that the suitable areas of most endemic CWR species will change, with some increasing and others decreasing in their suitable habitats under future climatic conditions. Conflicts between unprotected areas containing CWR species and areas suitable for agricultural production are projected to occur in certain regions of Chile.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ellen Gradl, Theresa A. Lehmair, Peter Poschlod, Christoph Reisch
Summary: This study proposes a new approach for selecting target sites for a network of genetic conservation areas (GCAs), taking into account the current genetic variation. It suggests that the inclusion of further sites is necessary when establishing GCA networks for multiple species. However, it also emphasizes that genetic variation is not the only relevant parameter, and other factors such as property situation, funding availability, and land use history should be considered in the decision-making process.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Anjina Devi, Tasir Iqbal, Ishfaq Ahmad Wani, Geeta Sharma, Susheel Verma, Ahmed Noureldeen, Hadeer Darwish
Summary: This study investigated the agro-morphological traits and genetic differences in 19 populations of Mentha longifolia. The results showed a high degree of morphological and genetic variation among populations, with higher genetic diversity among populations than within populations. This is attributed to low gene flow and greater habitat variability.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
A. E. Trask, C. Carraro, R. Kock, R. McCrea, S. Newland, E. Royer, S. Medina, D. Fontenot, J. G. Ewen
Summary: Ex situ threatened species management requires careful consideration of both conservation and welfare objectives. Identifying areas of agreement and divergence between these objectives is crucial for achieving a balance in management strategies. Our study focused on the Guam kingfisher ex situ population and found that mitigating causes of female mortality can achieve win-win outcomes for both welfare and conservation objectives, while mitigating nutritional and metabolic diseases can also contribute to these win-win outcomes. However, a potential divergence was identified in the case of reproductive disease, where mitigation strategies may benefit welfare objectives but have little impact on conservation objectives. Our results emphasize the need for explicit consideration of both conservation and welfare objectives in threatened species management.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Paul J. Oberholster, Po-Hsun Cheng, Anna-Maria Botha, Philip Hobbs, Liesl Hill
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYCOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Entomology
Kelly Breeds, N. Francois Burger, Anna-Maria Botha
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Forestry
Hannel Ham, Anna-Maria Botha, Arnulf Kanzler, Ben du Toit
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paul J. Oberholster, Tebogo Madlala, Martin Cesar Maria Blettler, Mario L. Amsler, Eliana G. Eberle, Anna-Maria Botha
RIVER RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS
(2019)
Review
Agronomy
Anna-Maria Botha, Karl J. Kunert, Joyce Maling'a, Christine H. Foyer
FOOD AND ENERGY SECURITY
(2020)
Article
Entomology
Louis Steyn, Anandi Bierman, N. Francois V. Burger, Anna-Maria Botha
ENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
M. F. van den Berg, A. M. Botha, A. Bierman, P. Oberholster
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION
(2020)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
M. F. van den Berg, A-M Botha, A. Bierman, P. J. Oberholster
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Petrus F. Oberholster, Jaqueline Goldin, Yongxin Xu, Thokozani Kanyerere, Paul J. Oberholster, Anna-Maria Botha
Summary: Water resources in nature conservation areas are facing severe pressure from anthropogenic pollution, but lack effective monitoring tools. A modified pollution index was applied to determine water quality and phytoplankton status of Loskop Dam in South Africa, revealing nutrient enrichment and heavy metal pollution. The study identified pollution-tolerant phytoplankton species and chemical variables exceeding guideline levels, suggesting potential sewage pollution sources impacting water quality.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marlon-Schylor L. le Roux, Nicolas Francois V. Burger, Mare Vlok, Karl J. Kunert, Christopher A. Cullis, Anna-Maria Botha
Summary: This study characterizes a new mutant BIG8-1 with superior drought response characteristics, showcasing unique phenotypic traits and exceptional metabolic activity under severe water deficit stress.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Anna-Maria Botha
Summary: The Russian wheat aphid is an economically important cereal pest species that reproduces mostly asexually despite low genetic diversity. It engages in a continuous arms battle with its cereal host as it acquires virulence central to host resistance breakdown. Recent research focuses on mechanisms and strategies of virulence acquisition, including noncoding RNA elements, bacteria, and the epigenetic pathway.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Paul J. Oberholster, Maronel Steyn, Anna-Maria Botha
Summary: The study demonstrated the viability of using a consortium of microalgae to treat municipal wastewater in Africa, showing significant reductions in total phosphates and total nitrogen. This green treatment technology shows promise for reducing nutrient loads in domestic wastewater effluent in developing countries.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Paul Johan Oberholster, Yolandi Schoeman, Johannes Christoff Truter, Anna-Maria Botha
Summary: The Grootspruit valley bottom wetland in South Africa was severely degraded due to acid mine drainage from an abandoned coal mine. The drought in 2016 had a devastating effect on the wetland's water quality, but environmental conditions started improving after the drought and some ecological functions were recovered.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hendrik Willem Swiegers, Barbara Karpinska, Yan Hu, Ian C. Dodd, Anna-Maria Botha, Christine H. Foyer
Summary: Elevated CO2 concentrations affect plant architecture and susceptibility to insects. The study found that strigolactone is not crucial for plant acclimation to high CO2 levels, while salicylic acid and jasmonic acid play important regulatory roles. Pea aphid infestation affects the accumulation of these hormones, with gibberellic acid levels increased less in strigolactone signaling mutants.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Martha M. Oberholzer, Paul J. Oberholster, Luyanda L. Ndlela, Anna-Maria Botha, Johannes C. Truter
Summary: Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a global problem that has severe environmental consequences. South Africa's abandoned mines have negatively impacted ecosystems due to the country's economic dependence on the mining sector. Constructed wetlands, supported by anaerobic sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB), offer a passive technique for AMD remediation but require larger spaces and longer timeframes. Organic substrates, such as chicken feathers, show potential in enhancing the remediation process and supporting the circular economy by reducing waste products.