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Simple Summary: Mud dauber wasps, Sceliphron formosum, are native to Australia and commonly found in urban areas where they build mud nests on human constructions. Mud nests serve as brooding rooms for their larvae, in which paralysed spiders are provided as food. In this study, over 650 mud nests of S. formosum were collected, analysed and examined. We first identified the spider taxa that were provided as larval food and then reared the nests that contained larvae, prepupal larvae and pupae of S. formosum and unknown insects. By identifying the insects that emerged as adults, we were able to establish the interspecific interactions and reveal that not only do S. formosum larvae use the nests, but parasitoids and any opportunistic insects also utilize the empty nests as shelters. Overall, we documented the prey preference of S. formosum, as well as 16 families and 23 species of insects from Hymenoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera that are associated with this mud nest life, suggesting a complicated role these mud nests play in an ecosystem. (1) Background: Sceliphron is a genus of sphecid wasps that build mud nests for reproduction. These wasps prey exclusively on spiders, and commonly inhabit human constructions. The nesting behaviour and prey selection of many Sceliphron species are well studied, but despite being a common insect in urban areas, Sceliphron formosum has never been comprehensively studied. (2) Methods: In this study, over 650 mud nests of S. formosum were collected, analysed and examined to establish prey preference, nest ecology and interspecific interactions. Prey preference was evaluated in terms of abundance, diversity and morphology. Preference in terms of morphology was estimated using body length to leg span ratio (BLR). (3) Results: S. formosum largely preys on ground-hunting spiders, among which Salticidae represented the most collected prey. In terms of prey size, S. formosum captures prey with a large BLR. Moreover, an unexpected discovery showed that the enclosed mud nests provide a micro niche that supports a wide variety of insects. Sixteen families and 23 species of insects were found associated with the use of mud nests, comprising the insect orders Hymenoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera. These included important pollinators, new species and native species not recorded in the past 20 years of mud dauber wasp research. We propose the potential of S. formosum as a keystone species, due to its ability to provide a micro niche for native species in urban areas. We also discuss how these results contribute to our knowledge on the role of insects in urban ecosystems and their significance in relation to conservation, ecology and biodiversity studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on the social ecology of Félix Guattari, to suggest that young children learn in complex social and natural situations, in this case 'getting muddy'. The notion of social ecology will be revived in this paper, to ensure that the human social world is embedded in and part of the natural world, with all its complexities, relations and repetitions (re: muddiness). Children learn from their mistakes, from social interaction, due to their instincts, and as part of an evolving situation, much of which is beyond their control, e.g. their attraction to mud. This paper will search for these types of learning(s) in the affect that can be discerned from teaching and learning, and specifically related to 'muddy literacy'. One might call the combined notions that will be put to work in this paper as 'affective literacy', it is an affective literacy fully imbricated in muddy nature. To achieve this, the paper will attend to empirical research in the early childhood context in Australia, that has charted how children learn from inquiry based learning outdoors in mud, pictures of Aboriginal children outside (and a hand), and a mud classroom painting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GIS analysis is conducted to quantify the hydrological information for mud pumping prediction. • In-service train data and hydrological variables are combined to develop predictive model. • Incorporating hydrological variables can improve prediction performance. • Explainable deep learning can be used to reveal the effects of a single variable on the probability of mud pumping. • The most vulnerable sections for mud pumping in railway tracks can be identified. Automatic and timely identification of mud pumping is important for the reliability and safety of railroads. The current mud pumping prediction model is based on monitoring the dynamic response of railway tracks. The essential geotechnical trigger factors such as the hydrological conditions are not well-considered in these prediction models, as that information is hard to be quantified, which unavoidably reduces the accuracy of the prediction. This paper proposes to utilize the Geographic Information System (GIS) to quantify the hydrological information along railway tracks. Through GIS analysis, the hydrological variables including elevation, near-river distance, rainfall, sink depth, and soil types are estimated and combined with in-service train monitoring data for model development. To deal with multi-attribute data, a dual-channel neural networks model is proposed to separately mine the characteristics in different attributes data for prediction. To further understand the prediction model, Shapely addictive explanations (SHAP) method is applied to estimate the importance of hydrological variables and reveal the possible relationships between the variables and the probability of mud pumping. The proposed approach is applied to a real-life case from the railway tracks in Australia to validate its effectiveness. The prediction results show that the proposed approach can predict mud pumping with balanced accuracy of 90.84%. The results confirm that integrating of GIS information and monitoring data can generate more accurate prediction and reduce the false prediction rate. Based on the explainable results, it is observed that rainfall is the most important hydrological variable that influences mud pumping occurrence. Apart from rainfall, groundwater-related variables show a greater impact on mud pumping occurrence than surface water-related variables. The explainable results also can help infrastructure managers to identify the most vulnerable sections in railway tracks, which facilitates targeted maintenance planning and track substructure design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apex predators are believed to play important roles in maintaining the structure and function of ecological systems, but actual evidence for mesopredator releases and trophic cascades in terrestrial systems is mixed and equivocal, largely due to the systemic and continued use of weak-inference or correlative study designs to investigate these hypothesised causal processes. Here we critically review the experimental designs of empirical studies examining relationships between dingoes and mesopredators in Australian ecosystems. We found that 83 % (30 out of 36) of recent study designs lacked one or more of the essential experimental design elements needed to assess causal relationships (such as experimental treatments and controls, treatment replication, and/or treatment randomisation), demonstrating that the inferential strength or reliability of 'the science' on this subject remains weak and equivocal. Only five studies published in the last decade (N = 36), and eight in total since 1993 (or 11 %, N = 76), were capable of assessing dingoes' potential causal roles in mesopredator release; and all eight studies consistently demonstrated that dingoes do not supress mesopredators or initiate trophic cascades through mesopredator release effects at a population level, independent of ecological context. Thus, there is a demonstrable absence of evidence and evidence of absence for dingo suppression of mesopredators in Australia. We encourage large carnivore conservation managers and policymakers to base their decisions on the strongest available science. In this way, researchers and managers will have the best chance of conserving these important and valuable species into the future. • Top-predators are valuable, but evidence for mesopredator release is equivocal. • Literature on dingo-mesopredator relationships is largely correlative and unreliable. • University and journal prestige are not associated with the strongest studies. • Only 8 (of 76) dingo-mesopredator studies are capable of identifying causality. • These studies demonstrate evidence of absence for dingo suppression of mesopredators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northeastern shore of Gulf St Vincent, South Australia is a mesotidal, low-wave-energy coastline, characterised by tidal-dominated bioclastic carbonate sedimentation. Distinctive assemblages of subtidal, intertidal and supratidal marine plants and invertebrate animals have resulted in well defined, adjacent bio- and litho-facies that lie parallel to each other across broad areas of coastal sedimentation. At Port Gawler, the intertidal zone is bounded by a landward high-tide beach and a subtidal Posidonia australis seagrass meadow seaward. Thirty years ago, within the immediate study area, this intertidal zone comprised an inner sandflat and an outer muddy seagrass meadow dominated by Zostera muelleri, the two areas separated by a shallow tidal distributary. Avicennia marina is a species of mangrove that has colonised much of the protected, tidal-dominated coasts of South Australia. Propagules of this tree readily take root in intertidal mud, with a natural ecological succession of Z. muelleri followed by A. marina. Over the time of observation, juvenile mangroves have progressively colonised a narrow zone along the landward side of the muddy seagrass meadow; they appear unable to colonise a sandy substrate. Juveniles advanced rapidly southward from mature woodland in the north towards equally mature woodland in the south. From the initial tap root, juvenile plants send out radial roots from which project, snorkel-like, an array of vertical pneumatophores. Redistributed algal, seagrass and other organic flotsam collect around these vertically protruding pneumatophores, promoting accumulation of organic sediment. Within the newly forming mangrove woodland, there has been pronounced sediment aggradation of >0.5 m, greatly altering the dynamics of tidal flow. Tidal flow is now largely constrained to a channel between the mature southern woodland and that formed most recently. Higher velocity flows through this channel have exhumed populations of infaunal bivalves, and floodtide and ebbtide deltas of coarse bioclastic sediments are a consequence. The aggraded sediment of the new woodland shelters the area landward. Consequently, more muddy sediments are now covering what was formerly bare sandflat, thus providing new areas for mangrove colonisation. Migration of mangroves towards the high-tide beach is inevitable and will be limited only by their need for regular flushing of accumulated salt from their roots by seawater at high tide. Thus, A. marina drives rapid geomorphic change in the tidal-dominated coasts of the South Australian gulfs. In similar coastal areas of southeast Asia, where intertidal muddy sediments predominate, this species appears to be an ideal candidate for reforestation projects. Juvenile plants should grow successfully and rapidly, so preparing coastal environments for the establishment of more ecologically diverse mangrove communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]