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The ecological indicator values are the most common and sufficiently effective method of habitat assessment. The aim of our research review is to analyze current studies from 2020 to 2022 in which researchers have used Ellenberg indicator values to address a variety of problems. We limited the study to papers that are published in journals indexed by Scopus and Web of Science. The total number of records examined was 358. The number of records selected was 98. Visualization of the distribution of studies by country is based on the GeoCharts library. The results revealed that about half of the studies were conducted in Germany and Poland, and the most common objects were forests and grasslands. Almost half of the studies were devoted to ecological niches, habitat analysis, assessment of vegetation dynamics, and influence of various factors on plants. The analyzed articles are actively cited. In general, our research analysis revealed the effectiveness of Ellenberg indicator values for solving a wide range of urgent problems for a variety of plant communities, and different climate zones. The results of our research confirmed the advisability of actively using this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine environmental disturbance can be assessed directly from physical and chemical parameters, or indirectly by the study of indicator species. In this study, an integrated approach to monitor the Gulf of Milazzo, labeled as a highly contaminated site, is presented. A total of 83 samples were collected from hard and soft bottoms in 2010. In sum, 2739 specimens belonging to 246 taxa, two first records for the Tyrrhenian Sea ( Micronephthys stammeri and Nicomache lumbricalis ) and three nonindigenous species ( Brachidontes pharaonis , Crassostrea gigas and Notomastus aberans ) were recorded. Biodiversity and biotic indices and their relationship with sediment parameters and the level of pollutants were assessed to describe faunal assemblage and evaluate environmental quality. Pearson tests evidenced significant negative correlation between polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and specific richness ( p < 0.10). A comparison of the standard and recorded biotic values showed that M-AMBI seems to be the index more representative of ecological quality status (EcoQ) in the Gulf of Milazzo. No evident signs were highlighted on the complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of human society and the acceleration of urbanization, the impact of construction projects on the ecological environment is increasingly attracting attention. Conducting an ecological environmental impact assessment of construction projects is crucial to protect the ecological environment and achieve sustainable development. To estimate how construction projects would affect the value of ecosystem services, this paper develops the China Land Use Feature Data Sets (CLUFS) and uses the Beijing "One Line Four Mines" project as an example. Research found that the project's conservation and restoration zone and the landscape construction zone will significantly enhance the ecosystem regulation services value. The conservation and restoration zone will increase by 30% from the current 1.413 billion yuan per year to 1.836 billion yuan per year, and the landscape construction zone will increase by 69% from the current 400 million yuan per year to 676 million yuan per year. The tourism development zone, dominated by urban construction, will result in a decrease in ecosystem regulation services, from 19.26 million yuan per year to 17.60 million yuan per year by 9%. Overall, the "One Line Four Mines" project achieved a balance of ecological value and surplus. The method proposed in this paper for predicting the impact of ecosystem regulation services value on construction projects can be used to quickly evaluate the effects of different planning schemes on the ecosystem services value of land parcels to help urban planning decision-makers control the condition of land use. It can provide new indicators for the ecological environment department to incorporate ecological benefits into the evaluation system of planning schemes and new methods for evaluating the ecological protection effectiveness of projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As entering the twenty-first century, the degradation of Africa’s marine environment has become increasingly severe due to rapid population growth, urbanisation, natural disasters, the pressures of overfishing and economic development. Therefore, protecting and restoring Africa’s marine ecosystems is essential to realize the benefits of these resources at the global and regional levels. This paper drew on ecological indicators such as catch data, mean trophic level (TLm), relative primary production required (%PPR), and loss in secondary production index (L index) to measure and assess the impact of marine fisheries on ecosystems. Meanwhile, it constructed a pathway model based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis to assess ecosystem-level impacts by analysing how economic growth and urbanisation affect the structural diversity of marine ecosystems in West Africa, to study the more complete processes associated with marine resource depletion. Economic growth and urbanisation were found to have both direct and indirect effects on marine trophic structure, and the combined effects suggest that the economic EKC hypothesis does not apply to the marine ecosystem of West Africa, while the urban EKC hypothesis is supported, and that increased levels of urbanisation will benefit diversity of marine fishery catch in West Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. is a tripartite, broad-lobed foliose lichen usually found on bark and on epiphytic and epilithic mosses in humid forests. Currently, the species is threatened in most European countries because of its sensitivity to environmental alterations. In this paper, a total of 107 previous studies across more than 50 years were analysed to gain insight into the multiple roles that L. pulmonaria plays in forest habitats, specifically relating to ecosystem services and as environmental bioindicator. Content analysis was employed to systematically characterise and classify the existing papers on the functions performed by L. pulmonaria into several groups mostly based on research topic and scope. Two main types of ecosystem services (N2 fixation and feeding) offered by L. pulmonaria have been identified, with varying research aims and types of parameters measured in the studies. Two aspects of current biomonitoring applications using L. pulmonaria in forest habitats (concerning atmospheric pollution and forest management) were analysed, and it was found that the number of related studies increased significantly in recent years. Finally, the current practices of monitoring using L. pulmonaria as a biological indicator are discussed, and recommendations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical Tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta Drury (Family: Saturniidae) produces Tasar silk which has very high demand globally and because of their wide range of distribution in tropical regions, they have adapted to different niches forming different ecoraces. In Odisha, alone seven types of ecoraces of A. mylitta have been reported, namely Modal, Sukinda, Nalia, Jata-Daba, Adaba, Umerkote, and Boudh. These ecoraces show differences in their phenotypes, genetic constitution, fecundity, voltinism, etc. In the past few decades, there is the substantial deterioration of habitats due to many anthropogenic activities. This has resulted in a large decline in wild Tasar cocoon production. Lepidopterans are accepted as ecological indicators of ecosystem health and it is apprehended that through anthropogenic and climatic factors this precious genetic resource, which took millions of years to evolve, may face the threat of extinction shortly if adequate conservation measures are not taken. This paper attempts the geospatial mapping of these ecoraces in the state of Odisha through RS and GIS tools, which will provide a greater scenario for their conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Primer identifies key ecosystem attributes for evaluating restoration outcome. Broad attribute categories could be necessary due to the large variety of restoration projects, but could make overall evaluations and assessments challenging and might hamper the development of sound and successful restoration. In this study we carry out a systematic review of scientific papers addressing evaluation of restoration outcome. We include 104 studies published after 2010 from Europe or North America, representing different types of restoration projects in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. We explore the main ecological and socioeconomic attributes used to evaluate restoration outcome, and related indicators and specific methods applied to measure this, in relation to ecosystem and type of restoration project. We identify a wide range of indicators within each attribute, and show that very different methods are employed to measure them. This complexity reduces the opportunity for meaningful comparison and standardization of evaluation of restoration outcome, within and between ecosystems. Socioeconomic indicators are rarely used to evaluate restoration outcome, and studies including both ecological and socioeconomic indicators are nearly absent. Based on our findings we discuss whether standardization and streamlining of indicators is useful to improve the evaluation of "on the ground" restoration, or if this is not appropriate given the diversity of goals and ecosystems involved. Species‐specific traits are used in many projects and should be considered as an addition to the original SER attributes. Furthermore, we discuss the potential for restoration evaluation that encompasses not only assessment of ecological but also socioeconomic indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insects of the order Odonata have an aquatic larval stage and land-dwelling adults. These insects play an important role in aquatic ecosystems and are excellent bioindicators. The present study was based on a scientometric analysis of the research available on the Odonata, which aimed to identify the principal trends and gaps in the database on these organisms, compiled online from databases of the Institute for Scientific Information – ISI, Scielo and journalsOdonatologicaandInternational Journal of Odonatology. A total of 2317 papers were analyzed, permitting the detection of the following tendencies: a gradual increase in the number of papers occurred over time, most of the papers had an ecological perspective, most focused primarily on the adult stage and species level, and 49 studies focused on bio-indication by examining variation in the composition of the community, fluctuating asymmetry, bioaccumulation, species richness and abundance, and odonate habitat index (OHI). The increase in the ecological studies of odonates may reflect the dynamic characteristics of this order, and its relatively well-defined systematics, principally in the case of the adults. Despite the increase in the number of publications, there are still many gaps, such as biogeography, parasitism, competition within and among species, evolutionary and phylogenetic relationships, as well as studies of the larval stages of these organisms. Given the sensitivity of the members of this order to environmental variables, they may be used for the evaluation of aquatic systems, given their roles as detectors, exploiters or accumulators, depending on the type of response to environmental modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

By taking core samples, dendroecological studies can reconstruct radial growth over the lifespan of a tree, providing a valuable way to estimate the sensitivity of tree productivity to environmental change. With increasing prevalence of such studies in global change science, it is worth cautioning that the incremental growth rate of a sub-dimension of a tree organ, such as annual ring width (w), does not respond to extrinsic perturbations with the same relative magnitude as the primary production of that organ. For example, if an extrinsic force causes a two-fold increase in the absolute growth rate of stemwood biomass (AGR), it should only theoretically translate into a 1.3-fold increase in w, or a 1.7-fold increase in basal area increment (BAI), when a 2 : 1 ratio in resource allocation to lateral and apical meristems is assumed. Expressing the magnitude of a response in relative terms does not, therefore, provide a valid means of comparing estimates of relative growth derived from measurement of different dimensional traits of the tree. From our perspective, enough conformity to facilitate comparison of environmental sensitivity across studies of tree growth is warranted so we emphasize the benefit of dimension analysis to transform measurements of w and BAI into the AGR. Although conversion to AGR introduces an error from the use of allometric equations, the approach is widely accepted in mainstream ecology and global change science at least partially because it avoids discrepancies in response magnitude owing to differences in dimension. Studies of organ elongation have historically provided invaluable information, yet it must be recognized that they systematically underestimate the response magnitude of primary production, and confound comparisons of growth sensitivity between many dendroecological studies that focus on w and studies of primary production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A laboratory study was undertaken to determine the effect of food quality on feeding, respiration, reproduction and the resulting carbon budget of Temora longicornis. The stoichiometric ratios N: P, C:N and C:P of Rhodomonas salina were used as indicators of food quality. R. salina was grown in media with different inorganic nutrient concentrations to produce food for T. longicornis with particulate organic N: P ratios ranging from 10 : 1 to 23 : 1. Feeding rate was not affected by food quality. Maximum respiration (R), egg production rate (EPR), assimilation efficiency (AE), gross growth efficiency (GGE) and metabolic increment (MI) occurred when T. longicornis was fed on phytoplankton with a food quality of 16N: 1P. EPR, GGE and AE also decreased with decreasing C:N ratio and the energy required to produce eggs (CoE) decreased with decreasing N:P ratio, indicative of nitrogen-dependent production. These data suggest that an algal composition of 16N: 1P defines the Threshold Elemental Ratio (TER) and is the optimum diet for T. longicornis. The variations in metabolic rates and the resulting carbon budget are proportional to the quality of food ingested. GGE was negatively affected at dietary ratios above and below 16N: 1P, which in the natural environment could lead to a decline in species biomass with detrimental consequences for fisheries and carbon export. Field data show that phytoplankton organic N: P ratios can change on decadal timescales, and that an increase in the food N:P ratio can co-occur with a shift to smaller sized zooplankton and a change in species abundance. Further research is required to assess how much of the change in zooplankton community structure and activity can be attributed to changes in food quality, rather than to changes in temperature and food quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkane degrading bacteria have long been used as an important biological indicator for oil and gas prospecting, but their ecological characteristics in hydrocarbon microseep habitats are still poorly understood. In this study, the diversity and abundance of nalkane degrading bacterial community in the near surface soils of a Chinese onshore oil and gas field were investigated using molecular techniques. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analyses in combination with cloning and sequencing of alkB genes revealed that trace amount of volatile hydrocarbons migrated from oil and gas reservoirs caused a shift of the n-alkane degrading bacterial community from Gram-positive bacteria (Mycobacterium and Rhodococcus) to Gramnegative genotypes (Alcanivorax and Acinetobacter). Real-time PCR results furthermore showed that the abundance of alkB genes increased substantially in the surface soils underlying oil and gas reservoirs even though only low or undetectable concentrations of hydrocarbons were measured in these soils due to efficient microbial degradation. Our findings broadened the knowledge on the ecological characteristics of alkane degrading community in hydrocarbon microseeps and may provide a new approach for microbial prospecting for oil and gas (MPOG). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish assemblage indicators developed throughout the world were reviewed and key differences in methodologies depending on ecoregions, basins and contrasting fish fauna summarised. Common elements of existing Indices of Integrity were identified to support the development of a European-wide fish index. These include, using reference condition, accounting for natural fish assemblage variability, evaluating metric precision and selecting the most sensitive and complementary metrics. For future developments, it was recommended to pay more attention to temporal variability in fish assemblages, age structure of key (sentinel) species and fish migration. Testing hypotheses at different steps of the process seems to be the appropriate way to design fish indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual engineering is the enterprise of evaluating and improving our representational devices. But how should we conduct this enterprise? One increasingly popular answer to this question proposes that conceptual engineering should proceed in terms of the functions of our representational devices. In this paper, we argue that the best way of understanding this suggestion is in terms of normative functions, where normative functions of concepts are, roughly, things that they allow us to do that matter normatively (for example, things in virtue of which we have normative reasons to have these concepts). Not only does this introduce a novel view about functions to the literature. This proposal also fits more naturally than the alternatives with conceptual engineering as a normative enterprise, and it allows functions to play all of the explanatory roles assigned to them in the conceptual engineering literature. Our discussion of the explanatory advantages of normative functions also advances the understanding of the ways in which concepts can be authoritative, what this means for conceptual engineering, and highlights the importance of political philosophy for thinking about conceptual engineering in practice. Furthermore, the paper explicates what kind of role considerations about function can and should actually play in conceptual engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nematoda is the fourth most diverse animal phylum and is widely distributed. Marine nematodes are generally the most speciose group of meiofauna, yet there are relatively few studies on the taxonomy and biodiversity of free living marine nematodes. Here we present a review of the existing scientific literature and data in international databases on marine nematodes of Costa Rica. Most of the papers currently available mentioned Nematoda as the most abundant phylum in terms of the number of individuals within sand samples, nonetheless, only three publications included taxonomic data such as the description of new species or new records. Most publications are for the Pacific coast and we found only one paper for the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Large sections of the coasts and almost all the Exclusive Economic Zone remain unexplored in terms of nematode diversity, abundance and ecological role. Ten species, five free-living and five parasitic species, have been reported from the coasts of Costa Rica. Several reports indicate the presence of nematodes without further identification. More effort should be dedicated to the taxonomic identification of nematodes since, in addition to being the most abundant group, they can also be used as biological indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing provides us with an approach for the rapid identification and monitoring of spatiotemporal changes in the urban ecological environment at different scales. This study aimed to construct a remote sensing assessment index for urban ecological livability with continuous fine spatiotemporal resolution data from Landsat and MODIS to overcome the dilemma of single image-based, single-factor analysis, due to the limitations of atmospheric conditions or the revisit period of satellite platforms. The proposed Ecological Livability Index (ELI) covers five primary ecological indicators – greenness, temperature, dryness, water-wetness, and atmospheric turbidity – which are geometrically aggregated by non-equal weights based on an entropy method. Considering multisource time-series data of each indicator, the ELI can quickly and comprehensively reflect the characteristics of the Ecological Livability Quality (ELQ) and is also comparable at different time scales. Based on the proposed ELI, the urban ecological livability in the central urban area of Wuhan, China, from 2002 to 2017, in the different seasons was analyzed every 5 years. The ELQ of Wuhan was found to be generally at the medium level (ELI ≈0.6) and showed an initial trend of degradation but then improved. Moreover, the ecological livability in spring and autumn and near rivers and lakes was found to be better, whereas urban expansion has led to the outward ecological degradation of Wuhan, but urban afforestation has enhanced the environment. In general, this paper demonstrates that the ELI has an exemplary embodiment in urban ecological research, which will support urban ecological protection planning and construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization has transformed more than 50% of the land area and brought the emergence of a new humanized-based ecosystem. In answer to this, urban systems have looked for become resilient. Thus, urban landscapes must enhance their resilience capacities; robustness, adaptability, and transformability. However, there is a necessity of a well performing and easy gathering indicators. In this paper, we propose that bats are a good indicator of city's capacity to be resilient. We used bat permanence, species diversity, and activities to analyze Mexico City resilience capacities. We used citizen science to register bat sounds around the city. From these data we identified bat species and two main activities: passes and hunting buzzes. Data showed that the east and center area of the city had the lower species richness and relative abundance, while south was the richest. This diversity patterns were in response to different habitat characteristics, mainly those related to landscape. However, activities and permanence were strongly related with human presence. The bat permanence modeled, indicated that bat community structure could be shaped under changing scenarios. Due to their differential sensitivity bats are good indicators of habitat changes in urban landscapes. Cities seeking resilience should perform planned-habitat management to achieve a bat-friendly status and promote the ecosystem services that bats can provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of pig growth, key biological indicators, especially body condition scoring can accurately reflect the body condition of pigs, which has great essentiality. However, the existing manual scoring is time-consuming and labor-intensive and is readily influenced by the operator's subjective, resulting in large deviations. At present, the automatic measurement network for pig body condition scoring has not been popularized, so it is necessary to research and develop an automatic, efficient and accurate pig body condition scoring (BCS) algorithm. We extracted a total of 21,943 rear and upper images of 1674 pigs from videos in the piggery and then devised an automatic labeling method for the dataset. After being scored and processed by professionals, the dataset is fed into a YOLOX-based improved object detection and measurement network. In order to further improve the BCS estimation accuracy, we introduce an attention mechanism in the measurement network and design a dynamic loss weight optimizer. Compared with the basic YOLOX network, the improved network has got promising test results. We conduct experiments on 380 pictures completely independent of the training set. The model experiment result demonstrates that the accuracy rate of the pig body condition scoring algorithm proposed in this paper can achieve a AP of 80.06%. After deployed on the jetson NX, the accuracy of model drops by only 1.53%, and the inference speed is able to reach 29FPS. This means that it have access to be applied to actual pig breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical stabilization is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, in situ remediation technology based on the application of organic and/or inorganic amendments to reduce soil metal bioavailability. Our objective was to assess the early short-term effects of organic amendments (sheep manure-SHEEP, poultry litter-POULTRY, cow slurry-COW, paper mill sludge mixed with poultry litter-PAPER), in sterilized and non-sterilized form, on the microbial and chemical properties, as well as on the phytotoxicity, of a Cd, Pb and Zn contaminated soil. Our results provide useful information regarding (1) the effectiveness of amendments for chemical stabilization of mine soil and (2) the impact of microbial populations present in the amendments on soil native microbial communities. Microbial populations present in the amendments did not substantially modify soil microbial functional diversity, as reflected by Biolog EcoPlates™ data, except for PAPER-amended soils. We observed a good correlation between lettuce root elongation (phytotoxicity bioassay) and Cd, Pb, and Zn CaCl-extractable concentrations in soil. SHEEP and PAPER amendments were particularly effective at increasing soil pH and reducing metal bioavailability and phytotoxicity, while POULTRY and COW led to higher values of soil microbial properties (respiration and functional diversity). Beneficial effects observed under POULTRY at the beginning of the experiment, due to the presence of easily degradable organic matter, were partially lost over time. Our results emphasize the importance of the early monitoring of soil properties (microbial and chemical) and phytotoxicity to properly identify bottlenecks during amendment selection for chemical stabilization, in terms of reduction in metal bioavailability and improvement in soil health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater assessment studies have been used changes on individuals and populations of Chironomidae assemblages as bioindicators to assay aquatic ecosystems changes and environmental quality. To assess the contribution of the studies with this family to response aquatic environmental changes, we carried out a scientometric analysis of the papers published from 1992 to 2012., We imported papers from ISI Web of Knowledge database (Thomson Reuters) in November 2013. A total of 2967 papers were evaluated and we carried out descriptive analysis to assay the main trends on Chironomidae research in freshwater assessments., The main ideas and approaches in these studies were related to the impact of human influence on aquatic ecosystems and the status of conservation of this environments, as well as to limitations and difficulties in the applications of the assessments., In view of our results, we suggest some ideas to contribute to the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, mainly in threatened environments in southern Hemisphere countries. However, Chironomidae identification for assessing aquatic environments, as well as the limitations of suitable tools and metrics, which still are strong issues that need more attention to make more robust approaches to assay aquatic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The types and intensification of land use in the watershed affect the living organisms in aquatic ecosystems differently; this impact will also vary according to temporal and spatial scales. Understanding these interactions is crucial in the design of biomonitoring programs to detect the effect of different pollutants in freshwater ecosystems and improve watershed management and conservation strategies. Therefore, this paper qualitatively reviews biomonitoring studies in freshwater ecosystems to evaluate the impact of different land use types on multiple scales in watersheds. The paper is organized into four sections. The first section presents biomonitoring in different freshwater systems (streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs). In the second section, we describe the biomonitoring characteristics of the main land use types. In the third section, we explain how spatial and temporal scales affect biomonitoring. Finally, in the fourth section, we focus on biomonitoring planning and future prediction and discuss how to design biomonitoring programs and how to use models and eDNA in biomonitoring. Our review will assist in decision-making regarding biomonitoring programs in watersheds and will guide future studies on the different bioindicators for various land use types in diverse ecosystems worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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According to the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, water bodies have to achieve the good status by 2015. In order to fulfill this objective the quality management must be improved. An integrated GIS application, called GESRO, was created. It is an extension to ArcGIS that uses its functionality to automatically classify the water quality into classes based on measured values. This classification is done for chemical and biological indicators, dangerous substances, drinking water, vulnerability to nitrates and fish fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Flourishing is an evolving wellbeing construct and outcome of interest across the social and biological sciences. Despite some conceptual advancements, there remains limited consensus on how to measure flourishing, as well as how to distinguish it from closely related wellbeing constructs, such as thriving and life satisfaction. This paper aims to provide an overview and comparison of the diverse scales that have been developed to measure flourishing among adolescent and adult populations to provide recommendations for future studies seeking to use flourishing as an outcome in social and biological research. Methods: In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), we conducted a scoping review across PubMed and EMBASE of studies introducing original flourishing scales (defined as a previously unpublished measure of mental health or wellbeing that used “flourishing” in its definition). Studies focusing on adult populations that were published before April 28, 2023 were considered eligible for inclusion. Results: Out of 781 studies retrieved, we identified seven eligible studies covering seven unique flourishing scales. We find that all seven scales are multidimensional and assess features over monthly or yearly intervals. While most of the scales (six out of seven) include indicators of both hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing, the operationalization of these dimensions of wellbeing varies considerably between scales. Several of the scales have been translated and validated across multiple geographical contexts, including higher- and lower-income countries. Discussion: Complementing self-report measures with other social, economic, regional, and biological indicators of flourishing may be useful to provide holistic and widely applicable measures of wellbeing. This review contributes to concept validation efforts that can guide strategies to sustain flourishing societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of wetland restoration, the reconstruction of an ecosystem's structure typically manifests within a relatively short timeframe, while the restoration of its function often necessitates an extended period of time following the implementation of restoration measures. Consequently, it becomes imperative to engage in the comprehensive, long-term dynamic monitoring of restored wetlands to capture timely information regarding the ecological health status of wetland restoration. In this paper, we aimed to precisely assess the ecosystem health of a typical wetland that had been converted from farmland to wetland in Fujin National Wetland Park in 2022. We selected 18 ecological, social, and economic indicators to establish a wetland ecological health evaluation model, and then used the method of an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to calculate the weights for each indicator and acquire the ecological health index (EHI) score. The results of our study revealed that the ecosystem health index was 3.68, indicating that the FNWP wetland ecosystem was in "good" condition; this result was mainly affected by wetland water quality (0.382). The ecological health assessment of restored wetlands can monitor wetland ecological resources and provide a scientific basis for the management and protection of restored wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents data on the identification of the helminth fauna structure of Bufo bufo Linnaeus, 1758 and Bufotes viridis Laurenti, 1768 species, ecaudata amphibian from Bufonidae families, and the determination of its role as bioindicators and as vectors for parasitic agents specific to animals. As result of helminthological investigations during 2013-2023 years, in Bufonidae species 19 helminths species was established. The helminthological research carried out on the species Bufo bufo highlighted the presence of 19 species of helminths, of which the predominant parasitic agents are trematodes which make up 47.4%, nematodes with 31.5%, acanthocephals with 15.8% and monogeneans with 5.3%. In Bufotes viridis species, the presence of 18 species of helminths was established, of which helminth species from the trematode class represent the predominant group with 44.4%, nematodes with 38.9%, acanthocephales with 11.1% and monogeneans with 5.6%. The helminthological researches were carried out depending on the age of the host, the type of habitat and the area. The bioindicator significance of the established parasite species was presented for an ecological assessment of the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify and categorize the factors influencing consumer goods' value into ecological and economic dimensions and subsequently compare them. The analysis employs the Allegro Reviews (AR) dataset, comprising post-purchase product reviews, with a focus on a sample of 1,400 randomly selected reviews from a pool of 10,615 comments. Through this examination, distinct influencing factors are identified, categorized as either ecological or economic, and their frequency of reference in online reviews was compared. The research findings show that consumers consistently address economic dimensions in their reviews. Notably, emphasis is placed on goods' quality, pricing, and the price-quality relationship. On the other hand, ecological aspects receive limited attention in reviews, suggesting their lesser significance to consumers compared to economic considerations. This study's implications for theory and practice indicate that companies should prioritize economic aspects in their value creation endeavors, relegating ecological factors to a secondary role. However, from a global standpoint, enterprises must incorporate ecological dimensions during the value creation process to avert environmental degradation, which could otherwise undermine overall societal quality of life. In terms of originality and value, this research diverges from typical consumer choice studies that rely on questionnaires. Instead, it analyzes actual post-purchase product reviews, providing insights into tangible elements contributing to goods' value, thus bypassing reliance on mere declarations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Soil animal communities include more than 40 higher-order taxa, representing over 23% of all described species. These animals have a wide range of feeding sources and contribute to several important soil functions and ecosystem services. Although many studies have assessed macroinvertebrate communities in Brazil, few of them have been published in journals and even fewer have made the data openly available for consultation and further use. As part of ongoing efforts to synthesise the global soil macrofauna communities and to increase the amount of openly-accessible data in GBIF and other repositories related to soil biodiversity, the present paper provides links to 29 soil macroinvertebrate datasets covering 42 soil fauna taxa, collected in various land-use systems in Brazil. A total of 83,085 georeferenced occurrences of these taxa are presented, based on quantitative estimates performed using a standardised sampling method commonly adopted worldwide to collect soil macrofauna populations, i.e. the TSBF (Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Programme) protocol. This consists of digging soil monoliths of 25 x 25 cm area, with handsorting of the macroinvertebrates visible to the naked eye from the surface litter and from within the soil, typically in the upper 0-20 cm layer (but sometimes shallower, i.e. top 0-10 cm or deeper to 0-40 cm, depending on the site). The land-use systems included anthropogenic sites managed with agricultural systems (e.g. pastures, annual and perennial crops, agroforestry), as well as planted forests and native vegetation located mostly in the southern Brazilian State of Paraná (96 sites), with a few additional sites in the neighbouring states of São Paulo (21 sites) and Santa Catarina (five sites). Important metadata on soil properties, particularly soil chemical parameters (mainly pH, C, P, Ca, K, Mg, Al contents, exchangeable acidity, Cation Exchange Capacity, Base Saturation and, infrequently, total N), particle size distribution (mainly % sand, silt and clay) and, infrequently, soil moisture and bulk density, as well as on human management practices (land use and vegetation cover) are provided. These data will be particularly useful for those interested in estimating land-use change impacts on soil biodiversity and its implications for below-ground foodwebs, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem service delivery. New information Quantitative estimates are provided for 42 soil animal taxa, for two biodiversity hotspots: the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. Data are provided at the individual monolith level, representing sampling events ranging from February 2001 up to September 2016 in 122 sampling sites and over 1800 samples, for a total of 83,085 ocurrences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar has great potential as a soil conditioner and as a carrier of beneficial microorganisms that support the removal of pollutants, influence the circulation of nutrients, and support plant growth. This review summarizes and discusses factors shaping the physicochemical properties of biochar, including feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, and accompanying processes used as post-pyrolysis modification to improve the functionality of biochar. Key physical and chemical properties such as high porosity and specific surface area, nutrient content, pH, and biochar functional groups are discussed in detail to show biochar's potential as a carrier for microorganisms. This review also discusses and summarizes biological indicators that allow for assessing the quality and efficiency of the microbiological modifiers. Finally, this paper presents the benefits and limitations of biochar application to agriculture and provides recommendations for future research to improve the quality and expand the applicability of biochar-based inoculants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's concept of "ecological civilization" can be understood as a new system of development and governance based on the perspective of political decision-making. Environmental management, ecological restoration, and green development are its primary principles—distinctly different from industrial and agricultural-oriented civilizations. In this paper, we evaluate the evolution of political connotations of the ecological civilization concept in China over the past 15 years through a textual analysis approach. Additionally, we systematically outline an ecological civilization indicator system and analyze its evolutionary process, applicable scales, and role in guiding the implementation of the ecological civilization concept. Eco-civilization demonstration sites and experiences are also discussed, followed by a review of academic research and policy-making responses. Finally, we propose different perspectives on the outlook for the future of ecological civilization development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial and temporal variations in raw sewage input via river discharge to a tropical bay (Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) were characterized by considering chemical (sterols, δ 13 C) and biological ( E. coli ) indicators in suspended particles collected during three periods in eight representative rivers that contribute to the bay. Coprostanol concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 206 μg L −1 , averaging 21.9 ± 43.4 μg L −1 , whereas thermotolerant coliforms counts ranged between 0.4 × 10 3 and 1.1 × 10 12  MPN/100 mL. A close relationship between the most contaminated rivers and human density occupation was determined, revealing the extreme lack of basic sanitation networks in the largest metropolitan region on the coast of Brazil. Coprostanol concentrations of 0.060 μg L −1 correspond to the limit established in the national legislation for primary contact water according to microbiological standards (thermotolerant coliforms). Therefore, this criterion based on coprostanol can be used as an additional tool to monitor the quality of the water used for recreation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the performance of taxonomic and several functional trait-based approaches in the assessment of spatial and temporal patterns of dusky flounder (Syacium papillosum) parasite assemblages along the Yucatan shelf to determine their potential as bioindicators of marine chemical pollution. Fish specimens were collected throughout three research cruises that took place in 2015, 2016 and 2018. In addition to the traditional taxonomic approach, four trait-based approaches were performed including community-weighted means (CWM), functional trait niche (FTN), functional groups (FGs), and Rao's functional diversity (FD). Significant spatial and temporal variations in parasite communities were detected using the taxonomic approach. In general, these variations were also reflected in the four trait-based approaches performed, indicating that changes in taxa composition and abundance also resulted in functional composition shifts. Resemblance matrices of both taxonomic and functional trait approaches were significantly correlated. Variations in taxonomic and trait-based composition using the four approaches were significantly correlated with depth, and at least one chemical pollutant variable. Feeding mode, transmission, life stage and attachment structure displayed spatial variability and significant correlations with predictor variables, which indicates that this set of attributes functions as a good surrogate for assessing variations in the functional composition of flatfish parasite communities in relation to pollution. FTN and CWM were the approaches that best detected spatio-temporal variation. CWM and FD were best suited for detecting pollution gradients. These results reveal the feasibility of using trait-based approaches to assess marine parasite communities as bioindicators of chemical pollution. Functional traits of marine metazoan parasites are as good indicators of the effect of oil pollution as taxonomic diversity. This may be a time-saving and cost-effective approach to performing environmental assessments. [Display omitted] • Taxonomic and trait approaches detect variations in marine parasite communities. • CWM and Rao index performed better for detecting pollution gradients. • Feeding, transmission, life stage and attachment were the most informative traits. • Using parasite traits as indicators of chemical pollution is potentially practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivers are one of the most commonly transformed aquatic ecosystems. Most papers present significantly negative effects of activities such as dredging or channel regulation on the ecological status of rivers. The purpose of this work was to compare the response of various groups of invertebrates (Mollusca, Hydrachnidia, Odonata, Heteroptera, Coleoptera and Trichoptera) to an intervention involving dredging in conjunction with the removal of riparian vegetation. Habitat diversity increased after the dredging, and more individuals and species were caught than before the dredging. The increase in habitat diversity after the dredging translated into an increase in the species diversity of most investigated groups. Individual groups of invertebrates showed varied responses to the dredging, depending on the role of the terrestrial phase in their life cycle: the greater the role of the terrestrial phase in the life cycle, the more the group was affected by changes in the terrestrial environment following the intervention. In consequence, the intervention had the greatest negative impact on insects, and among these, on adult Odonata. The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) Dredging can benefit a previously anthropogenically transformed river ecosystem by increasing habitat diversity; (2) Odonata are particularly useful for assessing the impact of this type of intervention on invertebrate communities. They can be considered good indicators of habitat disturbances in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing coal overcapacity is an important strategy to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutralization in China. Determining the drivers of coal overcapacity is the first step toward this strategy. The existing literature focuses mainly on the macro determinants of coal overcapacity. Micro factors such as local officials' intervention motivation also plays a role, but has received less attention in the literature. Using data from 25 coal-producing provinces in China, we demonstrate that local officials' promotion pressure under the GDP-based promotion system significantly leads to coal overcapacity. Mediation effect analysis suggests that factor market distortion is one important channel through which local officials' promotion pressure affects overcapacity in the coal sector, and the distortion in the capital market plays a more dominant role than distortion in the labor market. To alleviate the negative effect of officials' promotion pressure on capacity utilization rate, we build a diversified promotion system incorporating environmental indicators. Results show that when the environmental pressure index accounts for at least 50% of the weights in the diversified promotion system, the negative effect of promotion pressure disappears. Our results suggest that to reduce coal overcapacity problem, policymakers may wish to weaken the GDP-based political promotion incentive by adding environmental and ecological indicators and reducing interventions on factor allocation. Results from the present paper has implications for resource-dependent countries facing similar overcapacity problems, especially in the context of the open economy and green recovery in the post-COVID-19 period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H-index is the most commonly applied tool to evaluate scientific productivity. In this study, the use of the H-index to evaluate scientific production in swine veterinary medicine was explored. A database of 137 pig infectious agents was constructed, including its taxonomic division, zoonotic potential, status as emerging pathogen and whether it was OIE-listed. The H-index and the total number of citations were calculated for those pathogens, the location of the affiliation of the first author of each paper included in the H-index core was registered and, for the ten pathogens with the highest H-index, evolution over time was measured. H-index values were compared to the M quotient, A-index, G-index, HG-index and the G/H ratio. H-indices were found to be severely affected by search accuracy and the database was hand curated. Swine pathogen H-indexes were highly dispersed ranging from 0 to 106 and were generally higher for pathogens causing endemic diseases in large pig producing countries. Indeed, the three top pathogens were Escherichia coli, Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and Porcine circovirus type 2 with H-indices 106, 95 and 85, respectively. H-indices of viruses and bacteria were significantly higher (P<0.001) than other pathogen types. Also, non-zoonotic pathogens had higher H-indices than zoonotic pathogens (p<0.009) while no differences could be found for being listed by the OIE. For emerging diseases, only non-emerging viruses had higher H-index (p = 0.02). The study of H-indexes over time revealed three general patterns and that they had increased mainly after the 1980’s. As expected, there were strong geographic patterns in terms of authorship and North America (38%) and Europe (46%) coped the majority of the papers. Finally, in order to quantify the contribution of a subject to a specific field, a new index “Deciphering Citations Organized by Subject” (Dcos) is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae reactors provide an efficient and clean alternative for the production of biofuels, nutritional and cosmetic bioproducts, wastewater treatment, and mitigation of industrial gases to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The main control objective in these systems is productivity optimisation. For this reason, real-time monitoring of key biological performance indicators affecting microalgae production such as microalgae growth rate, biomass concentration, dissolved oxygen, pH level or total inorganic carbon is crucial. However, there are no sufficiently robust solutions on the market to estimate or measure all of these variables, especially for open reactors on an industrial scale. This paper presents a new online state estimator, based on a robust sliding mode observer combined with a nonlinear dynamic model endowed with a minimum number of states to capture dynamics of key biological performance indicators. This soft-sensor has been verified with a realistic reactor model that has been experimentally tested. Simulations showed promising results in terms of accuracy (with mean values of the state estimation errors in the order of 10−4 g m −3 for the biomass concentration, 10−5 to 10−13 mol m −3 for the other states and deviations in the order of 10−4 g m −3 for the biomass concentration, 10−5 to 10−10 mol m −3 for the other states) and robustness with respect to signal noise, state deviations, initial errors and parametric uncertainty. • Architecture and design of a soft-sensor for industrial raceway photobioreactor. • Sliding modes techniques for on-line robust monitoring main biological indicators. • Proposal and verification of a reduced model as mathematical reactor replica. • Soft-sensor tested by simulation with a experimentally verified reactor model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biological monitoring (biomonitoring) to assess water quality is recognised alongside the use of chemical and physicochemical parameters due to its ability and efficiency in providing information about both current and long-term changes. Indeed, biomonitoring is applied in several developed and developing countries. Nevertheless, some developing countries, such as Rwanda, are yet to adopt such a monitoring system. This paper presents results of an assessment of the knowledge and perceptions by water resource managers about the use of biomonitoring and bioindicators, and challenges to their integration into existing routine water quality monitoring systems in Rwanda. Qualitative research, using semistructured interviews, was conducted with nine water resource practitioners from six water governance institutions between August and November 2021. The results show that participants are aware that macroinvertebrates, algae and fish are bioindicators that have potential applications in Rwanda to complement the chemical and physicochemical parameters already being collected in the country’s water monitoring system. The main challenges for integration of biological indicators, as indicated by participants, include the need for equipment, funding, technical skills and taxonomic knowledge. Training in the use of bioindicators and taxonomy are needed to raise the awareness and skills of staff from the institutions involved in freshwater ecosystem management in Rwanda, and to encourage integration of biomonitoring results into national water monitoring frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gajewski offers a formal comment on Griffiths et al. (2017), a paper that explored how microclimates and their varying ice cover regimes on lakes and ponds in Arctic regions modified the diatom assemblage responses to recent warming. One of Gajewski's main criticisms is that the microclimate classification scheme used in Griffiths et al. (2017) is merely anecdotal; a claim which ignores the value of observational evidence and misunderstands the frequency that each site was visited or surveyed. We clarify that the study sites were visited multiple times via recurrent aerial surveys and ground observations dating back to the 1970s, which supports our microclimate classification scheme. Many of Gajewski's claims regarding climate, catchment characteristics, and ice melting properties from field locations he has not visited were refuted by veteran Arctic scientists with long-term field experience in these regions. In addition, Gajewski makes several criticisms concerning radioisotopic dating, core chronology, sediment mixing, diagenesis, and preservation of bioindicators that relate more to general paleolimnological assumptions than to conclusions reached by Griffiths et al. (2017). Research from the 1980s and 1990s, when scientific consensus on these issues was first reached, readily show that the methodologies and data interpretation of Griffiths et al. (2017) are sound. We appreciate the opportunity to expound on the finer details of the Griffiths et al. (2017) paper, work based on field research by the study's co-authors spanning almost three decades, with additional observations from colleagues dating back to the 1970s. We address Gajewski's criticisms with relevant literature, expert statements, and a few clarifying comments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors concluded that water eDNA is a poor proxy for the analysis of benthic communities, although they do not exclude that the use of taxon-specific markers could improve the congruence between eDNA and bulk DNA metabarcoding data. Although the basic concepts and workflow of DNA barcoding and metabarcoding have not changed, the technological advances in high-throughput sequencing have greatly facilitated the access to eDNA data. Gleason et al. (2021) show that bulk DNA metabarcoding more accurately represents the local stream macroinvertebrate community, with water eDNA data being overwhelmed by non-metazoan sequences. In 2012, Molecular Ecology published a special issue on environmental DNA, which provided an overview of the field of eDNA research and presented a selection of papers on eDNA studies (Taberlet et al., 2012). [Extracted from the article]

Sexual signals can convey important information about mate quality, such as critical information about a signaler's health status, helping an individual to avoid infected or immunocompromised conspecifics. Chemical signals are especially important in this context, because they represent an honest and dynamic signaling modality that receivers can use to make updated mate choice decisions to avoid compromising their own health. In this study, we investigated the viability of male chemical cues in the wolf spider Schizocosa ocreata as a reliable indicator of health status. Using video playback with images of an average male that is simultaneously paired with male cuticular compounds on filter paper, we show that females are more receptive to videos paired with cues from control males rather than infected males. We also show that these cuticular compounds can be isolated and retain similar female behavioral responses when extracted with a nonpolar solvent, suggesting that these cuticular compounds may not be just complex hydrocarbons, but a combination of cuticular compounds. This is the first evidence for female discrimination and recognition of male chemical cues in this species, which opens up important new avenues of research in a well‐studied species with complex multimodal signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater Gastropoda can be considered as the biological indicator in ecosystems such as rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. The objectives of this study are to identify freshwater gastropod species, diversity, and distribution along Sungai Penebak, Sungai Nanga Tiga, and Sungai Kabo in the Betong division. The study was conducted on 10 November 2020. A 50 m transect was laid on the riverbank of all three stations. The existing specimens were counted and collected from each sampling point and stored were taken to the laboratory for species identification. The diversity index and morphological study of freshwater gastropods were performed. Five species of freshwater gastropods belonging to four families were discovered. The five species of freshwater gastropods consisted of Sulcospira pageli, which shows great abundance, followed by Clea nigricans, Brotia costula, Pila ampullacea, and Vittina pennata. The diversity indices of collected Gastropoda species from the different stations, for instance, Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H'), Pielou's evenness index (J'), and Margalef's richness index were assessed; where station 3 showed higher diversity of Gastropoda compared to other two stations. The information presented in this paper might be helpful for ecological wealth studies and considered as the baseline data for the stream ecosystem in Sarawak, Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural production is considered to be one of the main threats to biodiversity. Market-based wildlife-friendly farming (WFF) systems are thought to have great potential to reshape the link between biodiversity and agriculture. In this paper, we explore the potential for WFF rice production in China using choice experiment surveys of consumers and producers. Our results show that there is a significant difference in preferences between urban consumers and rural rice producers. Rice producers pay more attention to the practical concerns around quality (taste), location (ease of working) and prices, while urban consumers pay attention to whether the rice is healthy and free of contamination (e.g. organic or grown with fish). In addition, producers' price expectations for WFF rice production are not uniform due to different challenges with respect to technology, resource allocation and trust. Preference heterogeniety also exists among urban consumers, some of whom are skeptical of 'organic labeling', while others place high levels of trust in rice grown with "biological" indicators such as fish or frogs. Although WFF production systems may not be able to accommodate the full heterogeneity among growers and consumers it can strengthen the incentives to farm more sustainably for the benefit of the economy and the environment if appropriately designed. We suggest the most promising approach is to jointly produce organic rice with fish or another trusted biological indicator to overcome trust issues with existing organic labeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased atmospheric N deposition and altered precipitation regimes are two important global-change factors influencing grassland communities by changing soil nutrient availability and acquisition by plants. These findings highlight that mowing cannot mitigate the negative effects of N enrichment on soil MBC, and that soil, plant and microbial properties play important roles in the response of soil MBC to mowing in N-enriched soil. Liu et al. ([22]) reported that water supply significantly affected plant C:N and N:P ratios, and these effects differed among plant species of Inner Mongolian grasslands. Given the importance of plant-soil interactions in grassland ecosystems, it is necessary to evaluate the roles of plant-soil interactions in response of grasslands in MP to global change and human activities. [Extracted from the article]

Ecological indicators of ecosystem anomalies are fundamentally important to sensing how close we are to slow or catastrophic ecosystem shifts and to targeting systemic controls for preservation, restoration and eco-based development. Other papers showed the potential of extracting vegetation information from tree attributes [[3]] to study gross ecosystem production [[4]] and plant seasonal phenomena like flowering [[5]]. [Extracted from the article]

Hydroelectric dams create new ecosystems such as reservoirs. Several hydroelectric dams forming shallow reservoirs were built on the Angara River flowing out of Lake Baikal. The first of them in downstream Angara is Irkutsk Reservoir, with several shallow bays. Since silica-scaled chrysophytes are effective bioindicators for aquatic ecosystems, this paper aimed to determine their distribution, taxonomic structure and species richness in South Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir, which have different environmental parameters. Thirty-one species were found using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Only seven of them inhabited South Baikal in June 2023 at 3.66–4.51 °C and pH 7.80–8.24, with Chrysosphaerella baicalensis, Spiniferomonas trioralis f. cuspidata and Mallomonas alpina being prevalent. Only one species (M. alpina) was dominant in Irkutsk Reservoir at all stations at a water temperature of 5.33–11.55 °C and pH 8.10–8.52, alongside three other abundant species, Synura cf. glabra, Mallomonas acaroides and M. crassisquama. The maximum number of species (23) was found in a shallow bay of the reservoir at maximal values of temperature (11.5 °C) and pH (8.57) and minimal values of phosphate and nitrate concentrations during the study. The enrichment of Irkutsk Reservoir in species of silica-scaled chrysophytes was due both to cosmopolitan widespread and polyzonal species as well as to rare boreal, arctic–boreal, and unknown, possibly new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]