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Interest in forest regeneration has increased as secondary forests in regeneration process are cited as the forests of the future. However, remaining forests are subjected to chronic anthropogenic disturbances, which may reorganize tropical biodiversity. This paper investigates the recovery of fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages following slash-and-burn agriculture in the Caatinga dry forest, assessing the roles that chronic disturbances, tree species richness and biomass play in their taxonomic and functional recovery during secondary succession. Butterflies were recorded monthly across old-growth forest stands and areas previously subjected to slash-and-burn agriculture, and with differing times since abandonment. While there was a high degree of similarity in community-level attributes among regenerating forests of different ages, secondary and old-growth forests supported relatively distinct assemblages, both taxonomically and functionally. As expected, chronic disturbance, forest biomass and trees species richness were excellent predictors of taxonomic and functional changes. Specifically, large-bodied and canopy-inhabiting butterflies reached higher abundances in more disturbed habitats, while those ocellus-bearing species that fly in the understory and feed on monocot as larvae responded negatively to disturbance, but benefited from increased forest biomass and tree species richness. Our findings suggest that although regenerating secondary forests can recover values of community-level attributes of fruit-feeding butterflies similar to those of old-growth forests, chronic anthropogenic disturbances across the landscape may be selecting only specific ecological groups that are tolerant to adverse conditions. Implications for insect conservation: Chronic disturbance can taxonomically and functionally alter butterfly assemblages across forest regeneration and consequently impact their ecological functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. substantially threatens dry rangelands due to its invasive attributes, exacerbated by climate change, land-use practices, and anthropogenic activities. Despite the urgent need to understand its ecological impacts, comprehensive studies examining the relationship between its functional traits and reproductive fitness across diverse habitats and land-use scenarios are lacking. This study investigated the functional traits and fitness of Prosopis juliflora in the Afar region of Ethiopia, focusing on three land-use types: dry-season grazing lands, wet-season grazing lands, and wildlife reserves. Methods: Plant samples were collected from 192 plots to assess their adaptive potential and genetic variation, alongside relevant physiographic and climatic data. This approach aims to elucidate the contributions of these factors to the observed variation and plasticity of Prosopis juliflora across three rangeland types differing in land use intensity. Generalized linear mixed models and co-occurrence networks were employed to analyze the complex interaction. Results: Our findings revealed significant variation in fruiting onset and duration, with wet-season grazing lands demonstrating a shorter duration compared to dry-season grazing lands and wildlife reserves. Genetic variation was significant for total seed mass and number, indicating robust adaptability. The relative growth rate was higher in wildlife reserves compared to dry-season grazing lands, highlighting adaptive advantages in nutrient-rich environments. Additionally, climatic and physiographic analysis identified soil type as a critical factor influencing trait performance. Conclusions: This study underscores the urgent need for targeted management strategies to mitigate the ecological impacts of Prosopis juliflora, emphasizing the critical role of soil nutrients in reproductive fitness. Our findings offer valuable insights into the dynamics of invasive species in dry ecosystems and inform conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Agaricaceae is one of the most diverse and species-rich families within the phylum Basidiomycota with a variety of fruiting body morphologies (agaricoid, secotioid, and gasteroid), ecological roles (e.g., saprotrophs and ant mutualists), and products of economic value (e.g., as food and medicine). The latest classification based on morphology and molecular data recognized around 59 genera within this family. The classification of Agaricaceae has, however, changed through time and is still in continuous review. Here, we used a multilocus approach sequencing the markers ITS, LSU, RPB2, and TEF1 for most of the type species of genera traditionally included in the Agaricaceae using taxa from Tricholomataceae and Lyophyllaceae as outgroups. Based on our taxon-dense phylogenetic analyses, we propose Agaricaceae to be divided into tribes following and expanding on Singer's (1986) classification: Agariceae, Coprineae, Cystolepioteae, Leucocoprineae, Lepioteae, Lycoperdeae, Macrolepioteae, and Tulostomateae. Furthermore, we conclude that the family Lycoperdaceae should be included within Agaricaceae and that Nidulariaceae should remain a separate family outside Agaricaceae. This is the first study of this family including agaricoid as well as secotioid and gasteroid species representatives, confirming their position within Agaricaceae. Our results further clarify the classification of this important mushroom family supporting previous morphological work as well as novel relationships. Nevertheless, the classification of various species within the genera Agaricus, Leucoagaricus, Leucocoprinus, Macrolepiota, and Morganella remain unresolved, and we suggest further studies may be needed with more data (genome-level phylogenies) as well as relevant species to resolve pending relationships within those particular genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Bege Bahia is an uncommon natural stone type and a vital mineral and economic resource of Ourolândia, a municipality in the State of Bahia, northeastern Brazil, which has been exploited since the 1960s. Geologically, it is a calcrete, a Quaternary pedogenic limestone, which belongs to the Caatinga Formation, Pleistocene age. It was formed by the in-situ carbonate dissolution and reprecipitation of the Neoproterozoic Salitre Formation marine limestone after chemical, physical and biogenic alteration in an arid/semiarid environment. Those processes resulted in a light-tone limestone, structurally similar to a breccia, characterized by a heterogeneous arrangement of calcareous fragments in a micrite matrix, typically exhibiting irregular and centimetric cavities with calcite crystals covering their walls, resembling geodes. The Bege Bahia has good technological characteristics for its use as natural stone, and the earthy tones and distinct patterns – mainly the widespread presence of cavities – lend this unique light-beige limestone a visual appearance like that of travertine. Therefore, it is also named and marketed as “National Travertine” or “Brazilian Travertine”. For this reason, it has been used countless times since the middle of the twentieth century in interior design, flooring and cladding of residences, and in the façades and columns of modern edifices in the whole country. It also covers important Brazilian heritage buildings, such as the Federal Supreme Court in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. The geological and technological characteristics of the calcrete Bege Bahia, added to its important contribution to the social and economic sustainability of the Ourolândia region, and to the Brazilian natural stone sector, show its significance as a heritage stone. Additionally, the area where calcretes occur within the Ourolândia region is of importance within the frame of geoconservation due to its significant karstic systems developed within the Salitre and Caatinga Formations with relevant speleological and paleontological sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological interactions in tropical ecosystems are being modified by chronic anthropogenic disturbances (CAD) and climate change. Pollination is a key mutualistic interaction that can be affected by disturbance and climate change due to alterations in the composition, diversity, and distribution of plants, floral resources, and pollinators. We tested if increasing CAD and aridity induces changes in pollen traits and female reproductive success of Tacinga palmadora, a self-compatible cactus that performs as an important food source for nectar-feeding and fruit-eating animals, in the Caatinga dry forest. The study was carried out in eight plots at the Catimbau National Park, northeastern Brazil. Each plot had a different level of disturbance and aridity, used as predictor variables against pollen traits (total pollen production, pollen viability, and pollen-ovule ratio) and female reproductive success (fruit- and seed-set by both open and spontaneous self-pollination) in generalized linear models. All pollen traits were negatively associated with increasing CAD and aridity intensity, while the seed- and fruit-set by open pollination were positively associated with increasing CAD and aridity, respectively. Spontaneous self-pollination was not influenced by increasing CAD and aridity. Our results revealed that even though pollen traits decrease with higher CAD and aridity, pollination of T. palmadora is maintained or even increased in the most arid and disturbed areas of the park. We conclude that, in terms of pollination effectiveness, T. palmadora might be thriving under disturbances and aridity in the Caatinga dry forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Synchronopatric plant species, coexisting and flowering simultaneously, often engage in intense competition for pollen deposition on shared pollinators. This study focuses on the intricate dynamics of chiropterophilous flowers within the neotropical bat-pollination plant guild, specifically investigating the mechanical fit of reproductive structures to pollinating bats at the community level. Methods: Utilizing a diverse guild of bat-pollinated plant species from the Caatinga, the largest dry forest in the Neotropics, our research integrates various key components. Initially, we identified specific contact sites for floral reproductive structures on the bat's body, exploring diverse pollen placement strategies. Subsequent efforts involved characterizing floral traits within the guild and examining their associations with different pollen placement strategies. Precision in the contact of floral reproductive structures was estimated, and findings were integrated by associating pollen placement strategies and precision with the investment in pollen production. Results: We found that certain bat body parts, particularly the face and neck, were more frequently contacted by reproductive structures. The three identified categories of pollen placement strategies were evenly distributed among plant species, each linked to specific floral traits. Notably, the absence of oriented herkogamy prevailed in 70% of the species. Morphometric analyses unveiled significant variations in operative distances among species, emphasizing exceptional variability in certain outliers. While precision in pollen transfer was influenced by key factors, surprisingly, investment in pollen production did not differ among plants with distinct pollen placement strategies. Furthermore, it showed no correlation with fundamental accuracy. Conclusions: The subsequent exploration delves into the intricate associations between distinct floral characteristics and various pollen placement strategies, shaping the complex pollen landscape on bat bodies. This research provides valuable insights into the community-level dynamics of chiropterophilous flowers in the Caatinga Dry Forest, emphasizing the role of different pollen deposition strategies in facilitating the coexistence of multiple plant species within the chiropterophilous guild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are unique among mammals in their capacity for powered flight and present high species diversity and feeding habits in the Neotropical region. Despite the remarkable increase in knowledge on the distribution of neotropical bats in recent decades, information on the species' occurrence throughout Brazil is still widely heterogeneous, with significant knowledge gaps in many biomes. The Ubajara National Park (PNU), northwestern Ceará, is an area of extreme biodiversity in the Caatinga biome, characterized by several natural caves associated with a noticeable bat community. Herein, we carried out a complementary inventory of bat diversity in the PNU, focusing on six caves and their surrounding foraging sites. Two surveys totaling 36 sampling nights were conducted using complementary methods such as mist nets, harp trap, roosting searches, and acoustic monitoring. Thirty species of bats belonging to eight families were recorded. We found significant complementarity between the sampling methods resulting in the stabilization of the rarefaction curve. Eight species were found in roosting colonies in at least one of the sampled cavities. A total of 965 individuals from 18 species, with the majority belonging to the family Phyllostomidae, were recorded using active sampling techniques. Passive acoustic monitoring yielded 14 different sonotypes of species from the Emballonuridae, Mormoopidae, Molossidae, Vespertilionidae, and Noctilionidae families. The acoustic activity of bats from distinct families was higher in the dry season and varied throughout the night. Two species registered with passive acoustic monitoring were among the captured ones, thus reinforcing the importance of diversifying methodologies to obtain more complete bat inventories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palm swamp forests are wetland ecosystems typical of the Brazilian Cerrado, which in recent decades have undergone intense changes due to land use alterations and climate change. As a result of these disturbances, many palm swamps have been experiencing significant drying, which can also affect adjacent vegetation. In the present study, we evaluated whether the drying of palm swamps affects the structure of plant–herbivore networks located in adjacent savanna areas in Brazil. Our results show that savanna areas adjacent to dry zones of palm swamps have fewer interactions, fewer interacting species, and a less specialized topology, which corroborates our expectations. Our findings indicate that the drying of palm swamps also has propagated impacts on adjacent savanna vegetation, impairing more specialized interactions in these environments. On the other hand, contrary to expectations, plant–herbivore networks in dry zones displayed higher modularity, lower nestedness and lower robustness than those in wet zones, suggesting that in dry environments, species tend to compartmentalize their interactions, even with lower interaction specialization. This is the first study to investigate the impacts of environmental drying on the structure of plant–herbivore networks in tropical ecosystems, highlighting the complexity of these effects and their differential impact on specialized and generalized interactions. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing effective conservation and management strategies in the face of ongoing environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the ecological relationship between fungi and insects is essential for elucidating interactions in biodiverse regions such as South American biomes. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of biome, host species, and microhabitat on the community structure of yeasts (using culture-dependent methods) and fungi (culture-independent methods) in bees and to identify the functional characteristics of isolated strains. Samples were collected from the body, hive, honey, and beebread of bees from the genera Trigona, Scaptotrigona, Tetragona, Apis, Meliponas, and Tetragonisca in the Pantanal, Amazon, and Cerrado biomes. We isolated 176 strains representing 46 yeast species, predominantly from the genera Starmerella (44.32%), Hanseniaspora (5.16%), and Wickerhamiella (4.38%). Starmerella etchellsii (32%) was the most abundant species, while Aureobasidium leucospermi (< 0.01%) was the least abundant. Only S. etchellsii and S. apicola (11%) were present in all bee species. The composition and abundance of yeasts were significantly influenced by biome and host species (PERMANOVA, p < 0.05). Alpha diversity varied significantly among microhabitats (Dunn's p < 0.05), bee species, and biomes (Duncan p < 0.05). Culture-independent methods identified 234 Ascomycota ASVs, 18 Basidiomycota ASVs, and 1 Mucoromycete ASV across 90 genera and 108 species. Saccharomycetales accounted for approximately 72% of the fungal abundance, with S. apicola (14.64%) and S. meliponinorum (11.21%) being the most abundant. Additionally, barcoding identified 100 ASVs of plants associated with bees, grouped into 22 families and 24 species, predominantly Asteraceae, Anacardiacea, Elaeocarpaceae, and Solanaceae. The functional characteristics of the yeasts showed potential for industrial applications, varying according to the strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to agriculture and logging, Costa Rica has lost many primary forests, making reforestation an important task. To judge the progress of reforestation, it is important to follow the reassembly of organismal communities within restored habitats. The COBIGA project near La Gamba, in the Golfo Dulce region of Costa Rica, aims at reforestation of lowland sites with native tree species. Ants, as ubiquitous and highly abundant terrestrial organisms, have a substantial influence on tropical ecosystems. The multiple roles include scavenging, predation, herbivory, and mutualistic interactions. We examined ant community responses to reveal the status of community regeneration and functional integrity. We compared the composition and diversity of the ant assemblages at three different age reforestation sites (2, 8, and 10 years old) with those at an old-growth forest as a reference site. By offering canned tuna fish at ground level along replicated transects, we observed 43 ant species representing six functional groups during the 2 months of sampling. Most of the observed ant species were omnivorous, but old-growth forests harbored a substantial number of other functional groups, such as generalized predators, arboreal predators, and arboreal omnivores. In contrast, the youngest reforestation site harbored a severely impoverished ant assemblage comprising mostly generalized polygynous and polydomous ant species from lower trophic levels. The within-site heterogeneity of the ant assemblages increased from the youngest to the oldest forest. In addition, our results show the importance of monitoring the progress of forest recovery to avoid the spread of invasive species into primary habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivers interlinking by transposition projects have multiplied in the world, altering the landscape and flow regime of continental water systems. Recently, an intermittent river in northeastern Brazil has been artificially connected to the São Francisco River basin in a water transfer project. Thus, this study aims to provide an inventory of the fish parasites from the Jaguaribe River basin in the scenarios of pre- and post-transposition, and to evaluate the short-term impacts on the parasite fauna. Of the analyzed fishes, belonging to 31 species, about 30% were parasitized. A total of 47 parasite taxa were recovered, including monogeneans (17), digeneans (9), nematodes (9), acanthocephalans (3) and crustaceans (6), and unidentified cysts of Acanthocephala, Cestoda and Digenea, representing the description of 30 new geographic records and 104 new parasite-host associations. By expanding the range of the geographic distribution of fish parasites and increasing the list of hosts, the study contributes to the knowledge of fish parasites biodiversity in the semi-arid region of Brazil and in the Caatinga domain. Considering all parasite species, significant differences were observed in total prevalence, total mean abundance, diversity index and host specificity index; the highest values of total prevalence and total mean abundance were observed in the post-transposition, while the diversity index and host specificity index was higher in the pre-transposition period. This is the first study evaluating fish parasites before and after a major water transfer event and the results will allow further evaluation of middle and long-term changes in the specific composition of fish and parasites from the receiver drainages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic anthropogenic disturbance (CAD) and climate change represent two of the major threats to biodiversity globally, but their combined effects are not well understood. Here we investigate the individual and interactive effects of increasing CAD and decreasing rainfall on the composition and taxonomic (TD), functional (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD) of plants possessing extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) in semi-arid Brazilian Caatinga. EFNs attract ants that protect plants against insect herbivore attack and are extremely prevalent in the Caatinga flora. EFN-bearing plants were censused along gradients of disturbance and rainfall in Catimbau National Park in north-eastern Brazil. We recorded a total of 2243 individuals belonging to 21 species. Taxonomic and functional composition varied along the rainfall gradient, but not along the disturbance gradient. There was a significant interaction between increasing disturbance and decreasing rainfall, with CAD leading to decreased TD, FD and PD in the most arid areas, and to increased TD, FD and PD in the wettest areas. We found a strong phylogenetic signal in the EFN traits we analysed, which explains the strong matching between patterns of FD and PD along the environmental gradients. The interactive effects of disturbance and rainfall revealed by our study indicate that the decreased rainfall forecast for Caatinga under climate change will increase the sensitivity of EFN-bearing plants to anthropogenic disturbance. This has important implications for the availability of a key food resource, which would likely have cascading effects on higher trophic levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (SDTFs) have long suffered from chronic, intensive and extensive landscape transformations due to human activities, challenging biodiversity conservation in this biome. The Caatinga is the largest Neotropical SDTF, serving as an excellent model to understand how land use changes modulate ecological communities. In this study, we assessed the effects of landscape configuration and composition on the abundance and diversity of Chrysomeloidea in a region of Caatinga. We sampled beetles in 10 landscape units, in which we measured landscape configuration (patch size, edge density) and composition (landscape diversity, patch richness). Hill numbers (q0, q1, q2) were used to analyze the diversities of Chrysomeloidea. A total of 484 individuals belonging to 82 species were collected. Landscape configuration affected Chrysomeloidea assemblages with a positive correlation between edge density and Chrysomeloidea diversity. We provide a new perspective regarding the spatial distribution of Chrysomeloidea in Caatinga and conclude that landscape configuration, but not composition, directly affects Chrysomeloidea assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Plant herbivory and disease, which are often associated with each other but subject to different processes, are pivotal in biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem function. Although drivers of plant herbivory and disease have been widely studied separately, their relationships, patterns and determinants remain unclear in fragmented landscapes. Methods: We surveyed incidence and severity of foliar herbivory and disease of 2,027 adult trees within 30 sites in 17 tropical forest fragments in Xishuangbanna, southwestern China. We aim to explore the relationship of plant herbivory and disease, and effects of local environmental variables (forest type, plant richness, elevation, slope, soil properties) and landscape environmental variables (patch size, edge distance, isolation). Results: We found that incidence, but not severity of disease was positively correlated with that of herbivory. Herbivory severity and incidence were more associated with local variables; both increased with plant richness but decreased with soil nutrients and pH. In contrast, the landscape variable isolation was the dominant driver of disease, with lower severity and incidence in contiguous forests than forest fragments. Conclusion: In summary, we show that herbivory and disease are associated with drivers at different scales in fragmented landscapes. Herbivory is mainly driven by local-scale variables, while disease is mainly driven by landscape-scale variables. To control plant herbivory and disease in fragmented landscapes, increasing landscape connectivity and conserving different forest types are urgently required to maintain ecosystem functions under global land use change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brazilian Amazon has undergone an intense process of urbanization responsible for changes in the land use and land cover patterns in the last decades. Therefore, understanding the impacts resulting from the urbanization of Amazon become urgent, both to preserve biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions and services, since Amazon region comprise a key ecosystem regarding biodiversity and ecological dynamics. We studied, for the first time, the impact of urbanization on dung beetles, a recognized bioindicator group, in an Amazonian landscape. For this, we assessed the dung beetle taxonomic and functional responses along a preserved-rural-urban habitat gradient in an Amazonian city, and how landscape predictors affect dung beetle diversity. We found a consistent shift in species composition and reduction of both taxonomic and functional diversity from forest patches located outside the city towards those located in the city core. In addition, forest cover was the main driver of dung beetle responses at the landscape scale, where the increase of forest cover positively affected dung beetle diversity. Our results provide evidence that urbanization negatively impacts the dung beetle taxonomic and functional diversity in Amazonian cities, and reinforce the importance of maintaining forest cover to conserve dung beetles in tropical forests. Finally, the development of sustainable initiatives for the conservation of biodiversity in urban landscapes, such as public policies aimed at the maintenance of urban forest fragments, can help to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem processes within cities and to mitigate the urbanization impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have examined the effect of invasive species on biodiversity in urban environments, however, few of them have investigated the role of native species while turning into invasive pests. In Colombia, Atta cephalotes, a native leaf-cutting ant (LCA), has responded successfully to the conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural-rural environments and, most recently, to residential and urban development. In this study, we illustrate the incidence and distribution of this native ant species in an environment where animal life must face urban disturbs in the physical environment, resource availability, and ecosystem processes associated with human urbanization in Cali, the third most important city in Colombia. For this, A. cephalotes nests were georeferenced in public green areas located in 12 communes across the city of Cali, southern Colombia. Vegetation and soil cover, urban settings, foraging trails and plants foraged by the ants were recorded. A. cephalotes nests were present in all green areas and, even in human dwellings; the ants harvested both native and introduced plant species. Despite being well adapted to strongly modified urban environments, this ant species appears to be dependent on human-subsidized resources. Given the wide distribution of leaf-cutting ants in Latin America, it is plausible to expect that similar processes are underway in other countries where these ants are found. Hence, this study also proposes to alert the academic and social communities to direct future research towards evaluating both the responses and impacts of these ants in relation to changes in the urban landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed dispersal by ants plays a major role globally in plant dynamics for many angiosperms and can be influenced by multiple factors. One of those factors is competition between ants and other organisms for gaining access to seeds. A habitat with high abundance of potential competitors for ants is forests in marine coast ecosystem, where there is a high abundance of terrestrial crabs that functionally act as seed predators. In a coastal forest on Coiba Island, Panama, we measured seed removal rates at increasing intervals from the coast towards the interior of the forest, representing a decreasing gradient in ant–crab competition. We found that seed removal was dominated by hermit crabs near the coast, and while ants moved more seeds as the distance from the coast increased. We expect that this differential removal should generate varying levels of seed predation and seedling establishment, with crabs acting mainly as seed and seedling predators. This study provides insights into how ant–crab dynamics may play a role in maintaining the vegetation gradients in coastal ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social insects demonstrate two fundamentally different modes of reproduction, independent colony foundation (ICF) by single fertilized queens or dependent colony foundation (DCF) by fissioning of existing colonies into two or several new colonies (swarms). In some species, both reproductive modes occur in parallel. The benefits and disadvantages of DCF vs. ICF have been widely discussed and been subject to empirical studies, but a formal theoretical treatment of the topic is still incomplete. Taking honey bees as example, we provide a resource allocation model of colony dynamics to analyze the ecological conditions under which DCF may be favored over ICF. Using mathematical and numerical methods, we show that it critically depends on the survivorship function linking swarm size to the probability of swarm establishment whether ICF or DCF results in a higher output of surviving new colonies. Because building larger swarms requires larger inter-swarm time intervals, DCF can only be a better strategy if this disadvantage is over-compensated for by a strong size-dependent swarm survivorship and survival of single queens is very low. Colony growth rate has no effect on this decision and the impact of maximum possible colony size is negligible. Further, there is a discontinuity in the optimal swarm size, so that either a swarm size of 1 (ICF) is the best strategy, or emitting swarms of considerable size (DCF). Consequently, a direct evolutionary transition from ICF to DCF appears unlikely and may have been triggered by selective pressures promoting movement of complete nests or distributing single colonies over several nests (polydomy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) are among the most vulnerable ecosystems to chronic anthropogenic disturbances (CAD) such as agriculture, livestock and exploitation of wood and non-timber forest products which can negatively affect the local biota. We evaluated the influence of CAD and rainfall on the diversity of flesh flies (Diptera, Sarcophagidae) in the Brazilian Caatinga. We expected that the increase in CAD would negatively affect the specialist Sarcophagidae species and promote homogenisation of the assemblage. Methods: Specimens were collected using traps baited with fish, bovine spleen or human feces in six environments with different intensities of CAD—low, intermediate and high, based on land use and conservation status. Results: We collected 29,810 specimens (3760 males, identified to 14 genera, 32 species). We observed a positive relationship between disturbance intensity and the abundance of synanthropic flies, mainly Tricharaea occidua. The diversity of common species and dominant species were affected only by CAD. There was also a marked substitution of species throughout the Caatinga environments (βSIM = 0.91), with few taxa (less than 50%) occurring indiscriminately in the areas under the three levels of impact. Discussion: Chronic disturbances pose a constant threat to the conservation of flesh fly species. CAD act as a trigger for the homogenisation of Sarcophagidae assemblages, and magnify the dominance of synanthropic and generalist species. Implications for insect conservation: Empirical data on the effect of chronic disturbances can subsidize quantitative studies addressing local extinction. Our data strengthen the use of Sarcophagidae as biological indicators of anthropogenic action and can subsidize protocols for monitoring anthropogenic impacts in dry forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of soil microorganisms and plants in soil ecosystems to biochar is well recognised. However, biochars' impact on large soil animal, such as ants, is inadequately understood, with only limited studies focusing on the abundance and mortality rates of some specific ant species. In this study, soil physicochemical properties, and ant community diversity and functional characteristics were compared between experimental plots with and without biochar application. No significant differences in soil (soil physicochemical properties) or ants (ant community richness, species abundance, and morphological characteristics) were observed between the two plots before biochar application. However, the biochar-treated plot soil surface temperatures, pH, and soil water content were significantly higher after 48 weeks. Biochar application promoted Cardiocondyla nuda (by 426%) and Formica japonica abundance (by 93%), but decreased Solenopsis invicta invasive ant species richness (by 54%), consistent with the fact that changes in soil properties were more beneficial to the former two species. In addition, in biochar-treated plots, F. japonica and S. invicta generally showed larger body size (18% and 6.7%), larger eyes (2.7% and 4.0%), and longer femurs (6.3% and 7.9%), which enabled them to respond better to potential barriers, such as plants. Our results highlighted that, besides species abundance and community structure, certain ant functional morphological indicators were also informative in evaluating biochar ecological implications. Highlights: Biochar application enhanced soil temperature, pH, and water content. Ants showed larger body size, larger eyes, and longer femurs with biochar application. Biochar promoted ant richness by creating ant-preferred habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Temperate broadleaf forests in the Western Himalaya support a large number of local agro-pastoral communities and provide numerous ecosystem services. Several authors have raised serious concerns about the sustainability of current extractive pressures in these forests. We conducted a detailed ecological study on different forests in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary area to assess their current status in terms of species composition and regeneration of dominant tree species. We quantified structure and composition, population structure and regeneration pattern in six major forest types and compared the findings of a previous study conducted by other authors in the same area about 20 years ago. A total of 180 plots in 18 sites were sampled following the standard phytosociological methods. Canonical component analysis was used to predict the impact of environmental factors on forest communities, and land use land cover changes detected influence of ongoing anthropogenic pressures in the area. The study revealed that extractive pressures in the study area have increased since then, which resulted in the decline of the forested area. However, there has been an expansion of Macaranga pustulata, Quercus leucotrichophora and Quercus lanuginosa since the year 2000 and there is a decline in the regeneration of Quercus semecarpifolia. Considering the significance of high-altitude forests and the ecological sensitivity of Q. semecarpifolia, it is recommended to initiate urgent conservation measures in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest ecotones show a great floristic diversity, but anthropogenic disturbances may imply in their vegetation structure reduce. This study aimed to evaluate the understory diversity of an urban and nonurban forests in Maranhão state. We tested the following hypotheses: 1) the understory of the non-urban forest has greater richness and diversity; 2) the spatial distribution of diversity in the non-urban understory has weak spatial dependence. The study was carried out in the São Luís (urban area) and São José de Ribamar (nonurban area) cities. Thirty plots (25m2) were allocated in each area and the all tree individuals up to 2 m in height were measured. Density, frequency, importance value, cover value, Shannon index (H'), and Pielou index (J') were calculated. The Mann–Whitney test, non-metric multidimensional scaling, and Hutcheson t-test were used to analyze if there were any stastical difference between the richness, density, and diversity of both areas. We used the ordinary kriging in order to visualize the variation in richness and diversity of the vegetation. There was a difference in the floristic composition and density of each species in the two areas; the richness and diversity were significantly greater in the nonurban area. Weak spatial dependence was found in the urban area, suggesting de-characterization the fragment. The presence of urbanization in the ecotonal forest fragment has reduced the richness, diversity and spatial dependence of the understory. The diversity is high even with the changes caused by urbanization, due to the ecotonal nature of the fragments sampled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ant assemblages have been used as bioindicators of biodiversity response to different types of anthropogenic disturbances. However, usual diversity metrics (e.g., ant species richness and composition) sometimes seem limited in showing an overall panorama of human impacts. Thus, we checked habitat-use guilds of ants as a complementary predictable parameter, based on the ant fauna reported in thirteen forest fragments and pastures in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Specifically, we hypothesized that forest specialist, open-habitat specialist, and generalist ants would have distinct responses to forest-pasture shifting. We expected that forest-pasture shifting would cause a decrease in species richness of forest specialists and an increase in open-habitat specialists, while the generalists would have few changes in their richness because they can live in both habitats. As expected, the species richness of forest specialist ants decreased, and open-habitat ants increased with forest-pasture shifting, while generalists had little change. This indicates that human-induced open habitats (e.g., pastures) are essentially comprised of generalist ants and open-habitat ant specialists, which replace forest specialists. Additionally, considering the plasticity of generalist ants, they can be considered as primary elements of ant assemblages. Therefore, a future step is to quantify the limit of forest-cover clearing in human-induced land uses, which might ensure a higher species richness of forest-specialist ants than other habitat-use guilds. Implications for insect conservation: Habitat-use ant guilds (forest specialists, open-habitat specialists, and generalists) have been used as a complementary parameter on bioindication. Here, we provided a standard protocol to classify the ant fauna in these habitat-use guilds, which allows for objective, reproducible and broad use in monitoring programs that consider ant assemblages as bioindicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Deforestation remains the most pervasive driver of biodiversity erosion across tropical forests. Understanding how species can cope with such habitat changes is particularly important along the rapidly expanding agricultural frontiers. To do so, we used a functional perspective examining small mammal responses to habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation across the 'Arc of Deforestation' in the Southern Brazilian Amazon. Small mammals were surveyed using a combination of conventional and pitfall traps across 20 forest fragments—ranging from 42 to 4743 ha—in addition to two relatively continuous forest sites (> 7000 ha). These fragments lie isolated by a cattle pasture matrix of varying grazing intensity. We then analysed taxonomic and functional diversity patterns—represented by Simpson Diversity and Rao Quadratic entropy indices—in Generalised Linear Models containing local- to landscape-scale predictors of variation. Further, we used a functional trait composition approach based on community-weighted mean trait values to depict and predict small mammal functional variations across this degradation gradient. From a total of 847 individuals recorded belonging to 24 taxa, functional responses tended to follow the taxonomic diversity, both increasing with fragment area. The functional dimension further was promoted by low fire-related disturbance. Functional trait composition was mainly driven by habitat quality, represented by tree density, arthropod biomass, and fire-related disturbance. Our results reinforce that small forest fragments sustain depauperate small mammal assemblages both taxonomically and functionally. Accounting for habitat quality further allows for boosting the persistence across functional groups. Our findings can be used to improve the efficiency of management practices thereby maximising the multiple dimensions of small mammal diversity and their associated ecosystem services across tropical deforestation frontiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid systems represent 'new ecological opportunities', as the changes in their vegetative and reproductive traits may facilitate colonization of new niches. The Cactaceae species Xiquexique gounellei and Xiquexique tuberculatus present different habitat preferences in the Brazilian Caatinga, however, across their distributions, some populations occur sympatrically and some individuals showed vegetative characteristics intermediate between these two species, suggesting a hybrid zone. These individuals also clearly did not belong to either of the two species, leading us to suppose that they could be hybrids, named as X. × heptagonus. Taking into account this assumption, we used a series of protocols to compare the floral attributes and signals, and floral biology displayed by the putative hybrid with those of its parents. The results showed that the flowers of the hybrid are morphologically intermediate to those of their parents. The colour of the external elements of the perianth is transgressive, and the white colour of the internal perianth-segments is shared between the three taxa. Scent analyses showed that X. × heptagonus has a scent profile that is intermediate to those of its parents, with only a few compounds indicating a transgressive phenotype. Both taxa of Xiquexique received visits from nectarivorous bats (Glossophaginae and Lonchophyllinae) and from the hawkmoths Agrius cingulata and Erinnyis ello. Our results reinforce the existence of this hybrid in the genus Xiquexique being derived from the possible parent species present. We also revealed how the floral morphology and the visual and olfactory cues of X. × heptagonus were shaped by the hybridization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water and herbivory are two of the most crucial factors limiting plant growth, and their management is a critical part of crop production. However, due to climate change, the management of water and pests has become increasingly challenging. Although increasing evidence has suggested strong interactions among water, plants, and insects, the level to which water and insect pest management can be integrated is largely unexplored. This review summarizes and synthesizes current knowledge on the ecology of water-plant-insect interactions and agricultural practices that integrate water management rationale in pest management. We further discuss the importance of these agricultural practices under the context of farming types and regional differences at a global scale. A better understanding of the interactions between water and pest management will likely increase synergism and prevent antagonism among different management practices. The review informs future studies on integrating water and pest management and highlights current knowledge gaps that are essential for integrating water and pest management. We aim to facilitate the development of management strategies that enhance plant stress resilience and agricultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment plays an important role in resource selection by human groups. For example, the same environment shared by different cultures tends to have a greater similarity of useful plants. The present study departs from an innovative perspective, analyzing the factors that influence species richness and their versatility and utilitarian redundancy in a precipitation gradient in an area of Caatinga in the semi-arid region of Pernambuco, Brazil. There was no difference in richness along the precipitation gradient, and the utilitarian redundancy model (URM) indicated no relationship between the proportion of species used and total richness. The versatility hypothesis test showed that environments with lower species richness are more versatile and have a greater number of uses for the same species. The URM led us to the interpretation that the availability of species in the environment cannot be considered a decisive factor in the selection of useful plant resources. One differential of this study was the possibility of testing our hypotheses and verifying the effect of a gradient over a relatively short geographic range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of exotic pastures is responsible for significant deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The pasturelands in the Amazon are created through both legal and illegal means, and are responsible for major biodiversity loss. In this study, we evaluated the effect of an anthropogenic habitat type (i.e., exotic pasture) on native dung beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) – an excellent bioindicator group for measuring biodiversity-loss. We analyzed dung beetle diversity and assemblage structure in a large and well-conserved forest fragment and in an exotic pasture (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu; Poaceae) that is used for cattle-ranching activities, both located in the Southwestern Brazilian Amazon. A total of 569 individuals belonging to nine genera and 31 species of dung beetles were collected. From the sampled species, 13 were collected in both habitats, 16 species were exclusive to the native forest, and only two were found exclusively in the exotic pasture. Species richness as a whole and specifically of paracoprid dung beetles was higher in the forest fragment. Our findings also revealed a distinct assemblage structure between native forest and exotic pasture. In conclusion, our results provide evidence that the dung beetle assemblage in exotic pasture is a subset of the assemblage present in native forest, with a poor richness of species, indicating that dung beetles are drastically affected by the opening of new areas for implementation and expansion of pasturelands in the Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how chronic anthropogenic disturbance impacts the spatiotemporal dynamics of ant foraging activity and the role played by behavioral traits. Ten plots (0.1 ha) along a gradient of chronic disturbance intensity were sampled in Catimbau National Park (Caatinga vegetation, Brazil). Vegetative structure, ground surface temperature, and ant communities in shaded and sun-exposed microhabitats were characterized during the day and at night. Each ant species' degree of nocturnality and shaded microhabitat use were determined. Along the disturbance gradient, the frequency of sun-exposed microhabitats increased, as did the daytime ground surface temperatures; also, community composition, but not ant abundance or species richness, changed. Independent of disturbance intensity, community composition differed between day and night, and ant abundance and species richness were higher during the day. Interestingly, most species did not display strictly diurnal habits, nor did they avoid foraging in sun-exposed habitats. However, species common in more disturbed areas were more diurnal and used sun-exposed microhabitats more than species common in less disturbed areas. Many species displayed marked behavioral plasticity that was unrelated to disturbance intensity. Disturbance intensity did influence shaded microhabitat use but not the degree of nocturnality. We conclude that Caatinga ants are already morphologically, behaviorally and physiologically adapted to harsh environmental conditions; that species with different behavioral traits replace each other along the disturbance gradient; and that more plastic species can persist by shifting their microhabitat use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some animal species shift their activity towards increased nocturnality in disturbed habitats to avoid predominantly diurnal humans. This may alter diel overlap among species, a precondition to most predation and competition interactions that structure food webs. Here, using camera trap data from 10 tropical forest landscapes, we find that hyperdiverse Southeast Asian wildlife communities shift their peak activity from early mornings in intact habitats towards dawn and dusk in disturbed habitats (increased crepuscularity). Our results indicate that anthropogenic disturbances drive opposing behavioural adaptations based on rarity, size and feeding guild, with more nocturnality among the 59 rarer specialists' species, more diurnality for medium-sized generalists, and less diurnality for larger hunted species. Species turnover also played a role in underpinning community- and guild-level responses, with disturbances associated with markedly more detections of diurnal generalists and their medium-sized diurnal predators. However, overlap among predator-prey or competitor guilds does not vary with disturbance, suggesting that net species interactions may be conserved. Prior studies showed that humans are causing species to become more active at night. Here the authors show that this trend is not consistent across hyperdiverse wildlife communities, as camera trap surveys in Southeast Asia show that responses depend on species traits and do not affect the temporal overlap of biotic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With urbanisation increasing globally, conservation ecologists need to characterise the functioning of ecosystems embedded in urban landscapes. Ubiquitous and hyperdiverse, ants are an ideal model taxon for this purpose. Here we compared the diversity, richness, and abundance of ants in a forest fragment and a green urban area within the City of São Paulo, characterising relationships among ant species. We found higher species abundance and richness in the urban area, whereas diversity was greater in the secondary forest fragment. Transect sampling revealed higher heterogeneity in the more urban area, with a number of species not found in the secondary forest. Bait sampling suggested that, in the urban area, the dominance of one or a few species was stronger than in the secondary forest, possibly because the dominant species outnumbered other species at resources and behaved aggressively. We found that a limited number of species dominated in both the forest and the urban area. Although this study only relies on a limited sample size taken in relatively narrow geographic and climatic conditions, it suggests that ant community traits in urban environments vary depending on human-related disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insects are the most diverse group on earth, providing a vast array of essential functions for people and nature. Yet, our appreciation of their contributions is biased towards a few economically important taxa, especially pollinating insects like honeybees. Other taxa are less well appreciated despite the important roles they play, and these taxa are rarely (if ever) the focus of conservation initiatives. Here, we explore the role that scientists play through their interactions with the media in shaping our attitudes towards one of the least appreciated insects—the aculeate (stinging) wasps. Vespine wasps are an excellent taxonomic group for such a study as they are important predators in native ecosystems (e.g., the Northern Hemisphere—in Europe and North America) but ecologically devastating as invasive species in many regions of the Southern Hemisphere (e.g., New Zealand, Australia, South America). Despite this, global media coverage of wasps invariably focuses on and emotively exaggerates the negative defensive stinging behaviour of wasps, and almost entirely overlooks their beneficial positive roles (as pest controllers and pollinators). Wasp and bee scientists from around the world were surveyed about their interactions with the media and how they considered these interactions to influence public perceptions and insect conservation. Our surveys capture the negative-wasp and positive-bee biases experienced by scientists through their interactions with the media. We consider the implications of such biases on wasp populations, their conservation and management, and make recommendations for a more balanced portrayal of this important and diverse group of insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species richness is the most commonly used metric to quantify biodiversity. However, examining dark diversity, the group of absent species which can potentially inhabit a site, can provide additional insights about how communities are assembled. In this study we aimed to understand how human impacts and environment affect the observed diversity, dark diversity, completeness (how large is the observed diversity compared to dark diversity) and species pool size (observed and dark diversity together) of vascular plants (i.e., trees, shrubs, herbs and lianas) in Caatinga. Along 144 0.4 ha plots for trees and 0.04 ha plots for shrubs, herbs, and lianas, we recorded 2148 stems from 232 native species. We show that larger, well-connected and wetter fragments present either more observed diversity or larger species pools of vascular plants, indicating that these fragments may act as biodiversity reservoirs in Caatinga. However, these drivers are usually plant life-form dependent, with some variables such as chronic anthropogenic disturbance, habitat amount, soil and temperature also playing secondary roles on observed and dark diversity of different life-forms. Overall, by including dark diversity in the analyses we were able to identify additional effects of human impacts and environment on vegetation change, which would not be possible to be captured by using species richness only. Finally, our results highlight the complexity of human-modified landscapes in dry forests and stress the importance of considering the whole species pool of plants and different growth life-forms when assessing the effects of disturbance and environment on Caatinga vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical rainforests are subject to changes over time, further accelerated under anthropic pressure. We investigated the influence of anthropogenic disturbances and vegetation cover on the taxonomic and functional structure of assemblages of bryophytes in three rainforests in Brazil. The parameters analyzed were richness, composition and beta diversity. Temporal changes in floristic dissimilarity were explained by species turnover, while those in functional dissimilarity by were explained nestedness and turnover. Only the increase in species richness was significantly influenced by the increase in matrix forest cover and changes in the degree of chronic anthropogenic disturbance. In scenarios of slight increase in matrix forest cover associated with increase in anthropogenic disturbances, we found a loss of functional diversity due to the loss of moisture- and shade-demanding species, which were replaced with species that are generalist as to light requirements and species with high reproductive capacity (monoicous). In turn, in scenarios of increase in forest cover and decrease in chronic disturbances, there was an increase in demanding species, implying greater functional diversity. Thus, efforts to increase the vegetation cover and decrease anthropogenic pressures, especially chronic disturbances, can improve the environmental quality and favor the conservation of the diversity of more demanding species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion and fragmentation of natural environments in urban areas can have major consequences on species diversity and ecological interactions. Plant–insect interactions may be dramatically altered because many plants and insect species are unable to tolerate the biotic and abiotic changes associated to urban ecosystems. In the present study, we tested if the network structure between host plants and galling insects changes along urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Our study was performed in nine areas of Cerrado sensu stricto (Neotropical savanna) along an urbanization gradient in the municipality of Montes Claros, Brazil. In total, we sampled 100 galling insect morphospecies and 54 host plant species. Our results show a negative effect of urbanization on the species richness of host plants and galling insects. Furthermore, urbanization increases connectance and reduces the modularity of plant-galling networks. Our findings indicate that the plant-galling communities become poorer and less specialized as they approach more urbanized environments. In this way, our results show that the plant–herbivore communities tend to be functionally depauperate as Cerrado environments are disturbed. Implications for insect conservation: Our results show that urbanization has negative effects on insect conservation, resulting in less diverse and specialized plant-galling networks in urban environments. This suggests that plant–herbivore communities can be taxonomically and functionally impoverished in urbanized habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their importance to conservation strategies, baseline data on species distribution and abundance are lacking for many primates. Discovered 30 years ago, the blond titi (Callicebus barbarabrownae) is considered Critically Endangered. The first assessments in 2004-2006 sampled 126, 1-km radius areas using interviews, sightings, and playing back loud calls to confirm the presence of this species in 37 areas, suggesting a minimum population of 260 individuals in the Caatinga biome, Brazil. Ten years later, from 2015 to 2017, we reassessed the species' distribution range using playback points to survey 224, 1-km radius areas, including 34 occurrence areas from 2004-2006. We counted the number of responding or sighted groups and individuals in each area. We also measured land cover change from 2005 to 2016 in the species' geographic range. We recorded blond titis in 92 areas, including 28 of the 34 areas occupied in 2004-2006, and three protected areas. We found 194 groups and at least 404 individuals. From 2005 to 2016, forest cover decreased by 11% and urban area increased by 67%. The higher number of occupied areas and individuals we found in 2015-2017 are likely due to the higher sampling effort employed and higher detectability of playback surveys compared to interviews. Although the blond titi occurs in more areas and in higher numbers than previously known, threats related to land use are increasing. We suggest the use of improved observational (e.g., playback) and analytical methods to enhance knowledge of primate distribution and population size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]