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In Europe the area of forested land is increasing, largely due to forest development on abandoned agricultural lands. We compared the structure and composition of woody species in young stands undergoing secondary succession and within gaps of late-successional (LS) forest in Haloze (Slovenia) to derive management options. In a subset of plots in succession, silvicultural measures were carried out in one half, while the other half was left untreated. The attributes of crop trees and their competitor trees were monitored over five years, and a study on the time investment of tending was conducted. We found lower tree density, a larger share of pioneer and shrub species, and a higher diversity of woody plants in succession compared to regeneration within LS forest gaps. Tending resulted in greater density of crop trees, their better social position, fewer competitor trees, and a larger diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) increment, while differences in crop tree stability and quality between tending and control were not confirmed. Our results indicated great structural complexity and species diversity in young successional forests. Their tending represents a cost efficient method of recovering the long-term commercial value and ecosystem services of forests, if applied less intensively than traditional tending of LS forest.

A new genus Mengzongella gen. nov. is described to accommodate a new species M. tertia sp. nov. based on two males collected in Guangxi, China, from the leaf litter of a giant bamboo thicket (Bambusa chungii syn. Lingnania chungii). The new genus belongs to the family Urodinychidae based on the shape of the gnathosomal setae h1, shape of the chelicerae and the presence of the cheliceral node. The new genus differs from the previously described ones by deep transversal dorsal furrows, the shape of the dorsal and ventral setae and the undulate inner margins of the marginal shield. Two previously described Japanese species [Urodiaspis sandankyoensis (Hiramatsu, 1979) and Urodiaspis yonakuniensis (Hiramatsu, 1979)] are transferred to the new genus as Mengzongella sandankyoensis (Hiramatsu, 1979) comb. nov. and Mengzongella yonakuniensis (Hiramatsu, 1979) comb. nov.

Continuing a survey of the chemistry of species of the largely continental African genusVepris, we investigate a species previously referred to asVeprissp. 1 of Congo. From the leaves ofVeprissp. 1 we report six compounds. The compounds were three furoquinoline alkaloids, kokusaginine(1), maculine(2), and flindersiamine(3), two acridone alkaloids, arborinine(4)and 1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-10-methylacridone(5), and the triterpenoid, ß-amyrin(6). Compounds1-4are commonly isolated from otherVeprisspecies, compound5has been reported before once, from MalagasyVepris pilosa, while this is the first report of ß-amyrin fromVepris. This combination of compounds has never before been reported from any species ofVepris. We test the hypothesis thatVeprissp.1 is new to science and formally describe it asVepris teva, unique in the genus in that the trifoliolate leaves are subsessile, with the median petiolule far exceeding the petiole in length. Similar fleshy-leathery 4-locular syncarpous fruits are otherwise only known in the genus inVepris glaberrima(formerly the monotypic genusOriciopsisEngl.), a potential sister species, but requiring further investigation to confirm this phylogenetic position. We briefly characterise the unusual and poorly documented Atlantic coast equatorial ecosystem, whereVepris tevais restricted to evergreen thicket on white sand, unusual in a genus usually confine to evergreen forest. This endemic-rich ecosystem with a unique amphibian as well as plants, extends along the coastline from the mouth of the Congo River to southern Rio Muni, a distance of about 1000 km, traversing five countries. We map and illustrateVepris tevaand assess its extinction risk as Endangered (EN B1ab(iii)+B2ab(iii)) using the IUCN standard. Only three locations are known, and threats include port and oil refinery construction and associated activities, with only one protected location, the Jane Goodall Institute’s Tchimpounga Reserve. Initial evidence indicates that the seeds ofVepris tevaare dispersed by chimpanzees, previously unreported in the genus

Protected areas (PAs) are a cornerstone for conservation biodiversity. Madagascar, as a hotspot for biodiversity, has a network of 114 terrestrial protected areas covering the main forest types occurring on the island. Deforestation continues unabated despite the network covering 11% of the island. Here we present a case study approach reporting on four PAs from the humid forests, dry western forests, and southwestern dry and spiny forests and thickets. To describe deforestation in and around the case sites, we have considered a time window of 30 years for analysis, focusing on six years with reliable data: 1990, 2000, 2010, 2015 (the year of latest PA network update), and 2017. We have considered forest versus other land covers within the PAs in "buffers" at a distance of 500 m, 2.5 km, 5 km, and 10 km from the border of the PA. These buffers were set from the border towards the center of the PA (inside the PAs) and from the border outside the PAs. The smallest PAs, Kasijy (IUCN IV), and Behara Tranomaro (no IUCN category), showed the least forest loss. Tsaratanana (IUCN I) had the highest deforestation rates within the last two years of analysis, with deforestation concentrated in the core area. Ranobe PK-32 (no IUCN category), originally with the largest forest extent, has lost most of its forest cover and showed the highest annual deforestation rate (3.5%) between 2015 and 2017. All four cases prove to be very challenging to manage. Future conservation activities require tailored interventions to account for site-specific current and potential future threats, as detailed in this contribution., Forests, 12 (9), ISSN:1999-4907

Exotic bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) are becoming increasingly common in the eastern and mid-western United States, but little is known about their impacts on invertebrates. We used a modified leaf vacuum to sample invertebrates in the shrub strata and understory of three shrub types (and open plots in the understory): single Morrow’s honeysuckle (L. morrowii A. Gray) shrubs, single native southern arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum Fernald) shrubs, and dense thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle, in southwestern PA, USA during 2004 and 2005. We also assessed the degree of herbivory on the two species of shrubs. Within the shrub strata, invertebrate biomass was lower in southern arrowwood shrubs, but there was no difference in invertebrate abundance or family richness. Invertebrate abundance and richness were lowest in August, but there was no difference in biomass among the months. Invertebrate abundance, biomass, and family richness were lowest in the understory below dense thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle. Overall, the percent cover of herbs was the proximate factor responsible for driving patterns of invertebrate abundance, though ultimately these patterns were being driven by shrub type. Abundance and biomass of larval leaf chewers were highest in the native shrub; Morrow’s honeysuckle had a mean of 29.7 cm2 of leaf area consumed per 1 m2 of leaf area, while the native shrub had a mean of 284.3 cm2 of leaf area consumed. Our results suggest that areas dominated by the exotic shrub negatively impact invertebrate biomass, which may in turn affect organisms at higher trophic levels.

This paper analyses Land use land cover (LULC) change in the Northwest (NW) Beach, Point Pelee National Park (PPNP) to understand its effect on sediment transport dynamics for sand dune restoration. Due to development of infrastructure, beginning in the 1960s, sand dunes were completely removed from parts of NW beach. Spatial-temporal changes for LULC were assessed using aerial photos and images for 1959, 1977, 2006 and 2015. Based on the Ecological Land Classification System (Southern Ontario), object based image analysis and feature extraction methods were used to generate classified maps. The photos were the highest quality available in the Parks Canada, PPNP archive. LULC classes included Shoreline Vegetation, Deciduous Thicket, Sand Barren and Dune Type, and Infrastructure. Aerial photographs of LULC change for 1959–1977 and South Western Ontario Orthoimagery Project (SWOOP) images for 2006–2015 were analysed. A large gap exists between 1977 and 2006 as no images were available for that time period. Results indicated a significant increase in the Deciduous Thicket in 2015, acting as a barrier for sand movement to the parking lots. Decrease in the Shoreline Vegetation Type along with an increase in the lake level indicate a decrease in beach width and supply area for sediment transport. Based on the analysis, active management through the removal of cottonwood trees, and policy changes are recommended for dune restoration in Point Pelee. Accuracy assessment of the 2015 classification using an error matrix resulted in an overall accuracy for the LULC classification of 88%.

The parasitoid Trichogramma spp. multiplied in moth eggs Anagasta kuehniella may be released by the technique of spreading the eggs unprotected, but natural predation can be an impediment to this procedure. This study aimed to assess the rhythm of natural predation of A. kuehniella eggs in different vegetation compositions at Moura Lacerda University Center, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. Three agricultural crops (coffee, sugarcane and pasture), three orchards of fruit trees (mango, lemon and banana) and three thickets were selected. Blue cardboards of 5 x 5 cm were painted with a thin layer of 50% gum arabic and then eggs of A. kuehniella were spread evenly over the same. Between 2013, October 14th and 19th, 10 cards were distributed in each area mentioned, under the ground, except in orchards, where 5 were fixed in plants and the other 5 placed in the ground, leaving about 1 m from each other. The cards were placed in the field at 6:00 am and changed every two hours to 18:00 pm. A night evaluation from 18:00 pm to 6:00 am was also performed. There were significant differences among treatments, with a higher average percentage of predation in coffee, sugarcane crop, lemon, banana and thicket areas from landmark and hill of the campus than that in pasture, mango orchard and the lakeside thicket. Predation was more intense from 8:00 to 10:00 am, from 12:00 to 16:00 pm, in general, and in the evening for the most of the vegetables compositions studied.

Arid Thicket transformation by domestic meso-herbivores is purported to follow a state-and-transition model. Our study represents a first attempt to verify this hypothesis in Pruim-Spekboomveld, a variation of Arid Thicket. We correlate structural and compositional attributes of thicket bush clumps to distance from artificial watering points in four piosphere treatments that have had a different rangeland management history. We fit linear, exponential and sigmoid regression models to our data and use Akaike's Information Criterion to select the best fitting model. Furthermore, we compare the end regions of our data in the piosphere treatments to each other and to similar data collected in a transformed and untransformed reference site. We use both the pattern and extent of transformation within and between the treatments and the reference sites, to verify the existence of stable states and ecological thresholds. Our results indicate a threshold reduction in species richness, functional type diversity, succulent shrub diversity, succulent shrub cover and palatable shrub cover; and a corresponding threshold increase in perennial alien invasive and ephemeral forb cover; with an increase in herbivore-induced transformation. These findings suggest that our treatments have crossed a degradation threshold and therefore represent an alternative stable state to the untransformed reference site.

Small rivers have great biotopic diversity due to the development of different types of thickets of higher aquatic plants in the coastal area. Zooplanktocenoses of small rivers are less studied than those of lakes. In connection with this, the study of the species structure of zooplankton communities in the macrophytes thickets of small rivers is relevant. This paper describes the species structure and quantitative development of zooplankton communities in the medial zone and in thickets of higher aquatic plants of the small river Serezha, Nizhny Novgorod region. On the basis of hierarchical clustering in the medial zone of the river, two zooplankton communities were distinguished: the river section and the transitional one. The differences in the species structure of the zooplankton communities belonging to different types of macrophyte thickets and the medial zone of the river are shown. It was established that a high species richness and quantitative development of zooplankton communities was formed in the thickets of higher aquatic vegetation. In macrophyte thickets of various morphological structure differences in the quantitative development and the ratio of taxonomic groups of zooplankton in terms of abundance and biomass were established. It was shown that macrophyte architectonics and density of thickets had the greatest impact on the overgrown zooplankton. In dense thickets of immersed plants, maximum values of the zooplankton abundance and biomass are noted. According to the redundancy analysis, the effect of abiotic and biotic environmental factors on the species structure of zooplankton communities in the medial and ripal of the river is shown. In the medial zone of the river, the rate of flow and the pH of water had a significant effect on zooplankton. The river flow rate and water pH have the greatest impact on the species structure of zooplankton communities in the medial zone of the river, but the projective plant cover - in the coastal area.

Accurate biomass and carbon flux estimations are essential for global carbon cycle modeling and are useful for setting and evaluating ecological restoration goals. Estimates derived from remote sensing can only be as good as the field data with which they are calibrated. Biomass estimates derived from allometric models are widely used to extrapolate from a plot to a landscape or regional scale, but both species- and/or site- specific models are scarce, and the model development procedure destructive and labour-intensive. Here we present allometric models that estimate biomass for 40 species common in Spekboom Thicket (ST), an arid South African Subtropical Thicket type, and its ecotones. Portulacaria afra (spekboom) is a canopy cover dominant in intact states of ST. Using these simple regression models, based on plant height and canopy diameter parameters, we estimate the aboveground biomass carbon (ABC) and with litter, the total aboveground carbon (AGC) of five sites situated across the Subtropical Thicket biome in South Africa. On each site, adjacent stands were selected that compared two management histories, intact and livestock-degraded, divided by a fence line boundary. Our estimates compared well with results from other studies. The highest AGC for stands in both intact and degraded states were estimated at 43.0 t C ha−1 and 13.0 t C ha−1 respectively, and the lowest at 26.3 t C ha−1 and 2.5 t C ha−1. Large canopy dominant (LCD) species contributed the largest AGC portion at three intact stands. The second largest portion was recorded for spekboom. Overall, the sites to the northeast of the biome recorded the highest AGC pools, consistent with a higher incidence of rainfall, especially in the summer months. In contrast, sites to the west of the biome showed higher mean litter carbon pools. Should intact sites be applied as reference, livestock-degraded subtropical thicket can potentially recover 22 – 27 t C ha−1 in AGC through restoration action.

Lantana camara is a dominant invasive shrub in many protected areas of India including the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR). We conducted a study to assess the regeneration potential of endemic native (shola) trees under different levels of Lantana infestation in the upper plateau of NBR. A total of 61 plots in a total area of 0.73ha were sampled, out of which 0.57ha was in Lantana dominated sites and 0.16ha in undisturbed shola forests. The plots were classified as per the level of Lantana infestation (intensive, moderate, and low infestation). We found that regeneration of shola trees, including endemics decreased with increasing intensity of Lantana invasion. No regeneration occurred in the intensively infested plots whereas regeneration was high in undisturbed shola forests.

The α-diversity of the grass layer was compared for communities exposed to Acer negundo and unexposed communities. The communities were aligned by characteristics by their degrees of urbanization, fragmentation, and anthropogenic disturbance. The research was carried out in the city of Yekaterinburg (the southern taiga subzone, Russia) at 13 sites. Each site included two sampling plots: one in communities dominated by A. negundo and the other in communities dominated by other tree species (total of 26 communities). It is established that the key factors of variation in the grass layer characteristics are the dominant tree species (A. negundo or other trees) and the stand area. The number of grass species per 400 m2 was lower in A. negundo thickets than under the crowns of other trees: 17 ± 3 and 28 ± 3, respectively. However, communities with and without A. negundo did not differ in the values of the Shannon index, the degree of dominance, or the ratios of annual/perennial and graminoid/forb species. An increase in the degree of habitat fragmentation was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of synanthropic species, both under the canopy of A. negundo and in communities dominated by other trees. Methodically, the results showed that assessment of the consequences of plant invasion should always take into account the spatial patterns of determination of the structure of communities.

Elodea canadensis was found in July 2016 in the Ust-Tarksky district of Novosibirsk Region. In July 2016 and in July–August 2018, it was found in three bays of the Novosibirsk Reservoir: Ordynsky, Sharapsky, and Karakansky. In the Sharapsky Bay, elodea (Canadian waterweed) formed thickets of about 34 000 m2 in area, which were characterized by high productivity with a maximum aboveground phytomass ranging from 417 to 1352 g/m2 of absolute dry weight. The records appear to be the first confirmed data for Novosibirsk Region, because all earlier mentions are the result of an erroneous definition, or do not have any documentary evidence, or were cited from earlier publications. The reasons for the fact that E. canadensis has just begun its expansion on the territory of Novosibirsk Region with a significant area of 177 800 km2, while in many regions of Siberia it manifests itself as an active invasive species, are discussed. It was concluded that the leading factors limiting the distribution of E. canadensis in Novosibirsk Region include the composition and degree of mineralization of natural waters and a high representation of the local species Hydrilla verticillata in the water bodies, which are potentially suitable for the growth of elodea.

Until recently, very little was known of the biology and ecology of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus, a nocturnal and arboreal rodent belonging to the family Gliridae. Here, we aimed to increase our knowledge on its population biology in a riverine Combretum forest of the Albany Thicket Biome, South Africa. Data were collected between February 2006 and June 2007 by means of a monthly live-trapping and nest-box monitoring programme, but complementary information on reproduction was opportunistically obtained in 2008–2011 and 2017. During the main study period, the dormouse population showed a steady increase from winter to spring, and a peak of 16 ind. ha-1 in summer, as a result of the influx of juveniles. Winter mortality and/or spring dispersal accounted for the disappearance of 55% of subadults. The annual adult:juvenile ratio was 1.08, whereas the overall sex ratio was 1.94 females per one male. In females, reproductive activity was observed from September to end January (spring–summer). The pattern observed in males was similar, because dormice with descended testes were exclusively found from October to end January. Parturition occurred from the second half of October to the beginning of December, but observations made in 2009 and 2011 indicated that births can take place as late as mid-February. Litters (n = 15) consisted of an average (± SD) of 3.88 ± 0.81 young. We provide evidence that some females can give birth to two litters during the same breeding period, with a 5- to 6-week interval, hence indicating the occurrence of post-partum mating in woodland dormice. Multi-year data from different habitat types are needed in order to confirm and advance our knowledge on this species' population biology and dynamics.

Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidumW. T. Aiton) is a highly aggressive tree that has become globally invasive in a wide range of habitats and can quickly form dense thickets, shading and outcompeting native vegetation. Slowly decomposing slash following removal of dense infestations can create additional management challenges, including fire risk concerns, which curtailed planned invasive plant removal projects on certain tracts within the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve near Austin, TX. This prompted a pilot study to explore whether wood-decaying fungi could be used to hasten the recycling ofL. lucidumlogs back into the forest ecosystem. We inoculated 25 freshly cutL. lucidumlogs withTrametes versicolor(Fr.) Pilat at two study sites and monitored the inoculated logs and 5 untreated control logs over a 3-yr period (February 2015 to March 2018). We found that inoculation significantly accelerated wood decay. By the end of our study, 100% of logs with >3 inoculation points were in advanced stages of decay, while only one of the control logs showed noticeable signs of decay. Inoculating logs in the field was easy and suitable for novices, requiring little or no previous experience to achieve successful results. An added benefit of usingT. versicoloris its medicinal properties and potential for bioremediation. We have continued to inoculate logs with comparable success and are integrating them into forest restoration projects. Applied on a larger scale, these wood-decaying fungi have the potential to transform nonnative deadwood from a threat to an asset.

In the present work, the current state and representation of traditional and regional fruit varieties of apple trees and pear trees in the form of high‑trunk were surveyed in the territory of southeastern Kroměříž district in the region of the Litenčice Hills. The research was carried out during the years 2009 – 2013. The variety, the age of the tree, the growth characteristics (tree height, trunk thickness, crown diameter and dryness) and health status were evaluated. The record of 972 old fruit trees of apple and pear trees were registered in selected municipalities. Pomological determination was made on 840 trees, of which 700 were apple trees and 140 were pear trees. In total, 104 varieties of apples and 44 varieties of pears were found. The most common apple varieties were ‘Baumannova reneta and ‘Panenské české and the most common pear varieties were ‘Boscova and ‘Hardy. Out of the total number of fruit trees recorded, 274 were nominated for conservation in respective genepools, of which 57 were pear trees and 217 were apple trees. The main criteria for this selection were the overall condition of the tree and its perspective, the quality of the fruit, the variety and its importance. The results of this work will be used to restore and settle the existing orchards and alley in the region. The identified species and variety composition will be used for newly established thickets in the extensive farming system and involvement in the territorial system of ecological stability of the studied area. © 2019 Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno. All rights reserved.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of planting row with different widths on the growth of Ramin seedlings planted in the area of peat swamp thicket. The research design used was Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 3 treatments, namely L0 = planting in a row without a clearance; L1 = planting in a row with a clearance of 1 m width; L3 = planting in a row with a clearance of 3 m width each of 3 plots (plot size 30 x 30 m) with a plant spacing of 5 x 5 m, so that the total number of seeds equal to 324 seeds. The variables measured and observed were the success / percentage of life of Ramin plants, percentage of bud growth and relative growth rate. Observations and measurements are carried out every 2 (two) weeks. The success of the plant life was 72,5%. The success of bud growth 34,9% and a relatively high growth rate of 11,1%. The bud growth and the relatively high growth rate of the Ramin plant in the peat swamp thicket for six months resulted in the highest growth in the treatment of Ramin planting in the row without clearance compared with planting in the row with the clearance of 1 and 3 meters width.

International audience; We explored the ecological impact of a nitrogen-fixing shrub (Ulex europaeus, common gorse) cultivated as an intercrop species in the interlines of a young stand of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster). Nitrogen fixing species are well-known for their advantage of increasing the soil fertility in agriculture. Nevertheless, in forest ecosystems, their use is uncommon except in some associations in the tropics. The Landes de Gascogne forest range (SW France) has soil fertility issues and Ulex europaeus is a vigorous plant, native to this region. Therefore, an investigation of the association of this N-fixing species with trees is worthwhile. To this end, we compared a standard pine plantation management (control) with a treatment where gorse seeds were sown in the interlines at tree plantation (gorse sowing). This factor was combined with a phosphorus supply (control versus P-fertilisation), resulting in four treatments. The forestry practices evaluated here distinguish two main periods: a first period of six years after tree plantation when gorse individuals grew as an intercrop and formed dense vegetation, and a second period of three years after crushing this vegetation in the interlines. In the first period, pine mortality in the gorse sowing treatment was higher during the dry season than in the control treatment, suggesting competition for water. Pine diameter growth was reduced, but not height growth, indicating avoidance of light competition with gorse. In the presence of gorse, pine foliar-N was appreciably enhanced relative to the control, and natural pine pruning occurred, while pine browsing by animals was limited due to the protection of the thorny gorse thickets surrounding the trees. In the second period, soon after crushing the gorse vegetation in the interlines, enrichment of nitrogen in needles continued, suggesting a fertilising effect of the gorse remnants. Crushing also freed the pines from shrub competition and a “catch-up growth” was identified regarding diameter and stem volume growth. Two years after the gorse crushing, tree size and biomass were similar in the experimental treatments regardless of gorse sowing or not. Overall, during the first nine years after tree plantation, gorse introduction in the pine tree forests had various effects. On the one hand, gorse induced competition for light and water. On the other hand, it resulted in high inputs of nitrogen and organic matter into the ecosystem which could lead to sustained soil fertility and this might improve tree nutritional status. We recommend continuing the assessment of such pine-gorse forestry associations for longer observation periods and in very nutrient-poor sites in this forest range.

Amiri M. 2019. Some structural characteristics of mixed natural forest stand at a 10-year period in the Hyrcanian Region: Case study of Shourab Forest, Mazandaran Province, Iran. . Biodiversitas 20: 950-955. This research was carried out in Shourab Forest in the Hyrcanian region, Northern Iran over a 10-year period (1996-2005) and data were analyzed based on systematic random sampling with permanent sample plots; 0.1 ha. The results revealed that n.ha-1 and v.ha-1 in study area increased from 126.3 and 245.2 in 1966 to 202.8 and 313.1 in 2006, respectively. The analysis of tree frequency in diameter classes at the first and the end of the period indicated un-even aged regular stands. The highest increase of number of trees was observed in 15, 20 and 25cm diameter classes, While the maximum change in volume per hectare, is related to the diameter classes 30, 65, 70 and 100cm. The regeneration values in most of the vegetation stages (except; 0-2.5cm) increased after a 10 years harvesting period. Development stages of this regeneration were seedling (53.4-53.3%), sapling (37.3-33.5%), thicket (6.8-10.4%) and small pole (2.5-2.8%), in 1996 and 2006, respectively. These conditions show that the selection method has been successful in our study area. The change in the utilization method of shelter-wood system to selection cutting method had been a positive impact on the quantitative forest condition after a 10-year period. In general, it can conclude that structural characteristics of mixed beech-hornbeam stands such as live trees dimension including tree height and diameter, number and volume of trees per hectare are different during the time. And eventually, the manipulation in the stands should be well timed and planned based on quantified structural properties of stands.

The choice of particular trees for stripping by deer is puzzling because a preference is observed for trees of the highest social class. Trees ranked highest in the stand can produce more carbohydrates as a product of carbon assimilation. Among the many important nutrient and defense groups of metabolites in plants, high sugar content is postulated to be an attractant due to its impact on the sense of taste of different herbivores. Thus, we hypothesize that the carbohydrate content in the bast of the European beech is the most important factor by which deer make their choice. Our aim was to assess whether the sugar content in the bark and in the bast can be a factor which influences the intensity of bark stripping of particular trees in a beech thicket by red deer. A single episode connected with tree damaging pertained to 7% of the trees on the analyzed sampling plots. In total, 27% of the trees were damaged, including old damages. The mean size of damage to a given tree equaled 36% of the tree’s circumference and 0.06 m2 of the trunk’s surface. Analysis of the sugar content in the bast and in the bark jointly indicates that the trees subjected to bark stripping possessed a distinctly higher sugar content than the trees which were not damaged. The probability of bark stripping grows together with an increase in the sugar content of the bark and of the bast.

As coral reefs decline, cryptic sources of resistance and resilience to stress may be increasingly important for the persistence of these communities. Among these sources, inter‐ and intraspecific diversity remain understudied on coral reefs but extensively impact a variety of traits in other ecosystems. We use a combination of field and sequencing data at two sites in Florida and two in the Dominican Republic to examine clonal diversity and genetic differentiation of high‐ and low‐density aggregations of the threatened coral Acropora cervicornisin the Caribbean. We find that high‐density aggregations called thickets are composed of up to 30 genotypes at a single site, but 47% of genotypes are also found as isolated, discrete colonies outside these aggregations. Genet–ramet ratios are comparable for thickets (0.636) and isolated colonies after rarefaction (0.569), suggesting the composition of each aggregation is not substantially different and highlighting interactions between colonies as a potential influence on structure. There are no differences in growth rate, but a significant positive correlation between genotypic diversity and coral cover, which may be due to the influence of interactions between colonies on survivorship or fragment retention during asexual reproduction. Many polymorphisms distinguish isolated colonies from thickets despite the shared genotypes found here, including putative nonsynonymous mutations that change amino acid sequence in 25 loci. These results highlight intraspecific diversity as a density‐dependent factor that may impact traits important for the structure and function of coral reefs.

Fire is an intrinsic component of many natural ecosystems. In human‐modified landscapes that occur in fire‐driven ecosystems, it can be difficult to make fire management decisions, as there must be a trade‐off between ideal conservation management and the practicalities of management in an altered landscape. We assess how biodiversity is influenced by differences in fire regime in a landscape fragmented by timber production. Here, optimal fire management for maintaining grassland integrity is not always possible, due to logistical constraints and fire risk to plantations. We investigate thicket establishment arising from reduced fire frequency, and how this affects butterfly diversity, assemblage structure, indicator species and species associations to larval host plants with different growth forms. Butterflies were sampled along a gradient of woodiness in large‐scale conservation corridors that separate timber compartments. The two extreme stages along the successional gradient, recently burned grassland and natural forests, supported relatively diverse and complementary butterfly assemblages. Grassland corridors without fire for 2 years were as high in butterfly diversity and similar in composition to recently burned grasslands. However, corridors without fire for >5 years were encroached by thicket and supported lower butterfly diversity. Thicket, with its intermediate vegetation character, was poor habitat for species adapted to either open grassland or to forests. Also, thicket‐encroached areas carry high fire risk to plantations. Synthesis and applications. In this fragmented, fire‐driven ecosystem, there is more than one burning strategy for achieving positive biodiversity outcomes. We recommend a divergent management approach that covers both extremes of the fire frequency continuum, with the choice depending on the stage of succession and management logistics for each site: (a) frequent burning to prevent woody encroachment in less‐encroached, logistically easier sites or (b) letting succession run its course through thicket to forest by excluding fire in heavily encroached, logistically challenging sites. Both options are practicable and maintain biotopes that have high value for butterfly conservation and low fire risk to plantations. This divergent management approach is a flexible strategy that benefits both conservation and commercial interests across fire‐prone plantation mosaics.

When vegetation structure is altered, songbird communities may be affected. Despite speculation that African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) browsing impacts bird communities, existing data are limit...

Riparian forests in tropical drylands support high biodiversity and provide crucial ecosystem services. Yet, fertile soil, water availability and trees as a source of charcoal and timber make them a favourable place for settlements and subsistence agriculture. The present study aimed at evaluating the floristic diversity of riparian forest remnants in semi-arid Kenya as a basis for developing conservation and management strategies. Plant diversity was assessed along the Nzeeu and Kalundu rivers in Kitui County, Eastern Province, where riparian forest patches were intermingled with agricultural and grazing lands and invasive thickets dominated by Lantana camara. Diameter at breast height (DBH) and height of woody species (DBH > 5 cm) were recorded in a total of 74 transects (50 m × 10 m) laid out perpendicular to the rivers on both sides at 300 m intervals. In each transect, the distribution of six land cover types was mapped out and the distance of each plant individual from the river bank was noted. Overall, 631 individuals were recorded representing 85 woody species, of which 12 were exotic timber and fruit trees. Human activities mostly reached within 10 m of the river margin; indigenous vegetation covered only 12% of the transect area but had 188 tree individuals and 49 tree species (including 3 exotics), whereas agricultural land had a mean cover of 52%, 168 individuals and 39 species, including 9 exotics. Ordination and multi-level pattern analysis showed that Euphorbia bicompacta Bruyns, endemic to Kenya, and Commiphora samharensis Schweinf. were characteristic of indigenous vegetation, whereas Acacia species dominated in invasive thicket, grazing land and agricultural land. Only two species, Shirakiopsis elliptica (Hochst.) Esser and Rauvolfia caffra Sond., were clearly associated with the river bank, while the others represented a mix of riparian species with a broader ecological amplitude and typical dryland species. The study highlights that the area still supports viable remnants of indigenous riparian vegetation, whereas tree diversity on agricultural land is strongly shaped by human preferences and shows lack of recruitment. Targeted management interventions could support the maintenance of indigenous tree diversity with positive effects for overall biodiversity, soil protection and livelihood diversification. For instance, it is recommended to facilitate natural tree regeneration and to plant a variety of indigenous tree species, especially on the river banks. Further research is necessary to assess the status of riparian vegetation along similar dryland rivers in Kenya and Africa to adequately manage these important areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Aboveground carbon (AGC) maps will assist with the monitoring and verification of carbon stored through restoration of subtropical thicket. Field methods are required to capture AGC ground truth data at the plot scale, but they are highly impractical for large area mapping of carbon stocks. Against this background, a remote sensing method to estimate AGC from very high spatial resolution multi-spectral imagery was developed. AGC ground truth was acquired for 85 plots in a small study area in the Baviaanskloof, South Africa. Using the ground truth, univariate and multivariate snapshot models were developed to predict AGC from features in a 2017 WorldView-3 (0.34-m resolution 8-band) satellite image. Informative features were selected from a large set of spectral, textural, and vegetation index features using stepwise forward selection. Using this approach, the multivariate model produced a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.886 and root mean square error of 2.862 t C ha − 1. This study demonstrates the efficacy of regression approaches for estimating AGC from multi-spectral imagery and provides a foundation for the spatial and temporal extension of AGC remote sensing in the thicket biome.

South Africa is a custodian of an immense wealth of natural and biodiversity resources in Africa. Natural resources are continually changing in different South African biospheres based on anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic causes. Land use activities like agriculture, cultivation, livestock rearing, commercial plantations, urbanisation and mining are among the major drivers of natural resource change and transformation. In this study, land cover change assessment was used to assess natural resource change in Vhembe biosphere and surroundings. To assess natural resource change in Vhembe biosphere, land use land cover change assessment was conducted using South African’s national land-cover dataset, generated from multi-seasonal Landsat 5 and Sentinel-2 images. The 72× class land cover map was re-classified into 12× classes to fit the study objectives. Eight out of twelve classes quantified in hectares: indigenous forests, thicket/dense bush, natural woodland, shrubland, grassland, water bodies and wetlands were categorised as natural resources for which the natural resource change assessment for this study was based. Assessment findings established that land use and its related activities have contributed substantially to natural resource change where cultivated commercial, natural woodland and built-up residential contributed the most significant upward change in hectarage and percentage, from 132,246.9 to 365,644.92 (ha)—percentage change of 176%; from 94,665.42 to 257,889.68 (ha)—percentage changes of 172% and from 74,070.27 to 147,701.88(ha)—percentage change of 99% respectively. Shrubland, thicket/dense bush and indigenous forests registered the highest downward changes from 263,070.6 to 977.72 (ha); from 338,723.7 to 23,166.92 and from 13,211.91 to 7402.92 (ha) with percentage changes of −100%, −93% and −44% respectively in Vhembe biosphere and the surroundings from 1990 to 2018. The study showed how natural resources are changing and the use of remote sensing for environmental monitoring and assessment in the Vhembe district.

Fires in savannas limit tree cover, thereby promoting flammable grass accumulation and fuelling further frequent fires. Meanwhile, forests and thickets form dense canopies that reduce C4-grass fuel loads and creating a humid microclimate, thereby excluding fires under typical climatic conditions.However, extreme fires occasionally burn into these closed-canopy systems. Although these rare fires cause substantial tree mortality and can make repeat fires more likely, the long-term consequences of an extreme fire for closed canopy vegetation structure and potential to convert to savanna (hereafter “savannization”) remain largely unknown.Here, we analysed whether an extreme fire could, alone, alter species composition, vegetation structure, and fire regimes of closed-canopy ecosystems in an intact savanna-forest-thicket mosaic, or whether successive fires after an initial extreme fire were necessary to trigger a biome transition between from forest to savanna.We found that forests that only burned once recovered, whereas those that burned again following an initial extreme fire transitioned from closed-canopy forests towards open, grassy savannas.While thickets had less tree mortality in fires than forests, repeat fires nonetheless precipitated a transition towards savannas.Colonization of the savanna tree community lagged behind the grass community, but also began to transition.SynthesisOur results suggest that rare extreme fires, followed by repeated burning can indeed result in savannization in places where savanna and forest represent alternative stable states.

In the current alteration of temperature and snow cover regimes, the impacts of winter climate have received considerably less attention than those of the vegetation period. In this study, we present the results demonstrating the influence of the winter climate conditions on the Mountain pine (Pinus mugo Turra) communities in High Tatra Mts (Western Carpathians). The changes in greenness in 2000–2020 were represented by the inter-annual differences of satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The winter climate conditions were characterized by climate indices calculated from the temperature and snow cover data measured at Skalnaté Pleso Observatory (1778 m a.s.l.) over the period between 1941–2020. Areas with P. mugo were classified into two density classes and five altitudinal zones of occurrence. The partial correlation analyses, which controlled the influence of summer climate, indicated that winter warm spells (WWS) caused a significant decrease in the greenness of the P. mugo thickets growing in the dense class D2 (R = −0.47) and in the altitudinal zones A2 (1600–1700 m a.s.l.) and A3 (1700–1800 m a.s.l.) with R = −0.54 for each zone. The changes in greenness were related to the average snow depth (ASD) as well, particularly in the dense class D2 (R = 0.45) and in the altitudinal zone A2 (R = 0.50). Here, in the summers following winters with the incidence of WWS or low ASD, we found decreased greenness following the injury of P. mugo shrubs, but NDVI after winters with higher ASD indicated more greenness. At lower altitudes, injuries may result in the loss of competition capacity of P. mugo near the timberline, where taller mountain tree species can utilize the conditions of warmer climate for expansion. We also found a significant positive effect of warmer winter seasons in the sparse P. mugo thickets (D1) with R = 0.50 and at higher altitudes (R = 0.49 in A4—1800–1900 m a.s.l.; R = 0.53 in A5—1900–2000 m a.s.l.). The increased temperatures in December correlated significantly with the increase of the greenness in all P. mugo pixels (R = 0.47), with the most pronounced effect in the sparse class D1 (R = 0.57) and in altitudinal zones A4 (R = 0.63) and A5 (R = 0.44), creating advantageous conditions for the thermophilisation of the alpine zone by P. mugo.

Dry grassland areas of Ukraine are highly fragmented due to human activity. All of them require protection and thorough study of their biota. Arachnological research in the Yelanetskyi Steppe Natural Reserve has been conducted for the first time. An annotated list of spiders includes 113 species in 23 families. Salticidae (20 species, 17.7% of the species list) and Gnaphosidae (18 species, 15.9%) are the most species rich. The studied reserve is the westernmost locality of Ero koreana Paik, 1967 and Zelotes eugeneiKovblyuk, 2009. Richest were the ecotone habitats on the edges of forest plantations and shrub thickets (43–45 species), while the poorest were the most disturbed open grassland habitats like grazed steppe, secondary steppe and meadows (25–26 species). Spider assemblages of the undisturbed forb-fescue-feather grass and petrophytic steppe habitats accounted for 33–37 species. A comparison of the dry grassland spider faunas of 11 protected areas in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Ukraine showed that the araneofauna of the Yelanetskyi Steppe is most similar to those of both forb-fescue-feather grass steppes of Southeast Ukraine and fescue-feather grass steppes of South Ukraine. Moreover, the spider fauna of the Yelanetskyi Steppe contains the least specific elements. 33% of the species are widespread and only 3.8% are recorded from one or only two close sites. Similarity of the spider faunas depends on the geographical location of the study area and on the types of the grasslands.

Background Rodent malaria parasites (RMPs) serve as tractable tools to study malaria parasite biology and host-parasite-vector interactions. Among the four RMPs originally collected from wild thicket rats in sub-Saharan Central Africa and adapted to laboratory mice, Plasmodium vinckei is the most geographically widespread with isolates collected from five separate locations. However, there is a lack of extensive phenotype and genotype data associated with this species, thus hindering its use in experimental studies. Results We have generated a comprehensive genetic resource for P. vinckei comprising of five reference-quality genomes, one for each of its subspecies, blood-stage RNA sequencing data for five P. vinckei isolates, and genotypes and growth phenotypes for ten isolates. Additionally, we sequenced seven isolates of the RMP species Plasmodium chabaudi and Plasmodium yoelii, thus extending genotypic information for four additional subspecies enabling a re-evaluation of the genotypic diversity and evolutionary history of RMPs. The five subspecies of P. vinckei have diverged widely from their common ancestor and have undergone large-scale genome rearrangements. Comparing P. vinckei genotypes reveals region-specific selection pressures particularly on genes involved in mosquito transmission. Using phylogenetic analyses, we show that RMP multigene families have evolved differently across the vinckei and berghei groups of RMPs and that family-specific expansions in P. chabaudi and P. vinckei occurred in the common vinckei group ancestor prior to speciation. The erythrocyte membrane antigen 1 and fam-c families in particular show considerable expansions among the lowland forest-dwelling P. vinckei parasites. The subspecies from the highland forests of Katanga, P. v. vinckei, has a uniquely smaller genome, a reduced multigene family repertoire and is also amenable to transfection making it an ideal parasite for reverse genetics. We also show that P. vinckei parasites are amenable to genetic crosses. Conclusions Plasmodium vinckei isolates display a large degree of phenotypic and genotypic diversity and could serve as a resource to study parasite virulence and immunogenicity. Inclusion of P. vinckei genomes provide new insights into the evolution of RMPs and their multigene families. Amenability to genetic crossing and transfection make them also suitable for classical and functional genetics to study Plasmodium biology. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-00995-5.

Kainulainen, K. (2021). A taxonomic revision of Melanoxerus (Rubiaceae), with descriptions of three new species of trees from Madagascar. Candollea 76: 105–116. In English, English and French abstracts.This paper provides a taxonomic revision of Melanoxerus Kainul. & Bremer (Rubiaceae) – a genus of deciduous trees with eye-catching flowers and fruits that is endemic to Madagascar. Descriptions of three new species, Melanoxerus antsirananensis Kainul., Melanoxerus atropurpureus Kainul., and Melanoxerus maritimus Kainul. are presented along with distribution maps and a species identification key. The species distributions generally reflect the ecoregions of Madagascar, with Melanoxerus antsirananensis being found in the dry deciduous forests of the north; Melanoxerus atropurpureus in the inland dry deciduous forests of the west; Melanoxerus maritimus in dry deciduous forest on coastal sands; and Melanoxerus suavissimus (Homolle ex Cavaco) Kainul. & B. Bremer in the dry spiny thicket and succulent woodlands of the southwest.

The study aimed to assess (i) the effects of Prosopis juliflora invasion on the diversity of plant species, and floristic composition at Awash Fentale and the Amibara districts of the Afar region and (ii) the effects of P. juliflora invasion on the regeneration potential of native woody species. Sample collection was performed in habitats of P. juliflora thicket, P. juliflora mixed with native species stands, non-invaded woodlands, and open grazing lands. A stratified random sampling technique was used for data collection. Among species of plants, the highest proportion of species, 87 (27.4%), was recorded under non-invaded woodlands, but the lowest proportion of species, 70 (22%), was recorded under open grazing lands. The invasion level of P. juliflora caused significantly reduced Shannon diversity index. The mean values of Shannon diversity index and species richness under P. juliflora mixed with native species (H’=2.22, R=14) and non-invaded woodlands (H’=2.23, R=13) were significantly higher than P. juliflora thicket (H’=1.96, R=12) and open grazing lands (H’=1.84, R=10). In this study, 102 trees ha-1native woody species were recorded under P. juliflora thicket, but 1252 trees ha-1native species were recorded under non-invaded woodlands. If the present effects of the invasion of P. juliflora on native species diversity were to continue coupled with a drier climate, plant diversity of the Afar flora region will be highly affected. As a result the ecosystem services will be under threat. Thus, the participation of all stakeholders and multidisciplinary research approaches should be designed for the management of invaded rangelands to reverse the situation.

Understanding the ecological factors that drive animal density patterns in time and space is key to devising effective conservation strategies. In Tanzania, most chimpanzees (~75%) live outside national parks where human activities threaten their habitat’s integrity and connectivity. Mahale Mountains National Park (MMNP), therefore, is a critical area for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the region due to its location and protective status. Yet, despite its importance and long history of chimpanzee research (>50 years), a park-wide census of the species has never been conducted. The park is categorized as a savanna-woodland mosaic, interspersed with riparian forest, wooded grassland, and bamboo thicket. This heterogeneous landscape offers an excellent opportunity to assess the ecological characteristics associated with chimpanzee density, a topic still disputed, which could improve conservation plans that protect crucial chimpanzee habitat outside the park. We examined the influence of fine-scale vegetative characteristics and topographical features on chimpanzee nest density, modeling nest counts using hierarchical distance sampling. We counted 335 nests in forest and woodland habitats across 102 transects in 13 survey sites. Nests were disproportionately found more in or near evergreen forests, on steep slopes, and in feeding tree species. We calculated chimpanzee density in MMNP to be 0.23 ind/km2, although density varied substantially among sites (0.09–3.43 ind/km2). Density was associated with factors related to the availability of food and nesting trees, with topographic heterogeneity and the total basal area of feeding tree species identified as significant positive predictors. Species-rich habitats and floristic diversity likely play a principal role in shaping chimpanzee density within a predominately open landscape with low food abundance. Our results provide valuable baseline data for future monitoring efforts in MMNP and enhance our understanding of this endangered species’ density and distribution across Tanzania.

The southwestern Cape of South Africa is a particularly dynamic region in terms of long-term climate change. We analysed fossil pollen from a 25,000 year sediment core taken from a near-coastal wetland at Pearly Beach that revealed that distinct changes in vegetation composition occurred along the southwestern Cape coast. From these changes, considerable variability in temperature and moisture availability are inferred. Consistent with indications from elsewhere in southwestern Africa, variability in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was identified as a strong determinant of regional climate change. At Pearly Beach, this resulted in phases of relatively drier conditions (~24–22.5 cal ka BP and ~22–18 cal ka BP) demarcated by brief phases of increased humidity from ~24.5–24 cal ka BP and 22.5–22 cal ka BP. During glacial Termination I (~19–11.7 ka), a marked increase in coastal thicket pollen from ~18.5 to 15.0 cal ka BP indicates a substantial increase in moisture availability, coincident, and likely associated with, a slowing AMOC and a buildup of heat in the southern Atlantic. With clear links to glacial and deglacial Earth system dynamics and perturbations, the Pearly Beach record represents an important new contribution to a growing body of data, providing insights into the patterns and mechanisms of southwestern African climate change.

Based on field research in south-central Poland, supplemented with a review of herbarium materials, we identified a stable bramble biotype with a range large enough (190 km distance between the outermost stands) to be described as a new regional agamic species, Rubus kaznowskiisp.nov. It belongs to the series Subthyrsoidei(sect. Corylifolii). Although R. kaznowskii has a unique combination of features, it can be potentially mistaken for R. gothicus. It differs from the latter species in many aspects, including: pruinose primocanes, denser indumentum of the abaxial leaf surface, and more curved prickles on the petiole. R. kaznowskii has mainly been observed on rusty soils, in habitats of mixed coniferous and mixed broadleaf forests, usually in sunny places, along forest margins and roads, in clearings and roadside thickets.

Resource selection is a key component in understanding the ecological processes underlying population dynamics, particularly for species such as northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), which are declining across their range in North America. There is a growing body of literature quantifying breeding season resource selection in bobwhite; however, winter information is particularly sparse despite it being a season of substantial mortality. Information regarding winter resource selection is necessary to quantify the extent to which resource requirements are driving population change. We modeled bobwhite fall and winter resource selection as a function of vegetation structure, composition, and management from traditionally (intensively) managed sites and remnant (extensively managed) grassland sites in southwest Missouri using multinomial logit discrete choice models in a Bayesian framework. We captured 158 bobwhite from 67 unique coveys and attached transmitters to 119 individuals. We created 671 choice sets comprised of 1 used location and 3 available locations. Bobwhite selected for locations which were closer to trees during the winter; the relative probability of selection decreased from 0.45 (85% Credible Interval [CRI]: 0.17–0.74) to 0.00 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.002) as distance to trees ranged from 0–313 m. The relative probability of selection increased from near 0 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.01) to 0.33 (85% CRI: 0.09–0.56) and from near 0 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.00) to 0.51 (85% CRI: 0.36–0.71) as visual obstruction increased from 0 to 100% during fall and winter, respectively. Bobwhite also selected locations with more woody stems; the relative probability of selection increased from near 0.00 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.002) to 0.30 (85% CRI: 0.17–0.46) and near 0.00 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.001) to 0.35 (85% CRI: 0.22–0.55) as stem count ranged from 0 to 1000 stems in fall and winter, respectively. The relative probability of selection also decreased from 0.35 (85% CRI: 0.20–0.54) to nearly 0 (85% CRI: 0.00–0.001) as percent grass varied from 0 to 100% in fall. We suggest that dense shrub cover in close proximity to native grasslands is an important component of fall and winter cover given bobwhite selection of shrub cover and previously reported survival benefits in fall and winter.

This article presents the results of studies on the study of biology, distribution and degree of damage to pests of wild rose species, widespread vitamin plants in Uzbekistan. To date, the sanitary state of plantations and natural thickets of wild rose is in an unsatisfactory condition, since they are damaged by various pests, because of them the yield of bushes is low and the quality of medicinal raw materials harvested from them does not meet the requirements. In the course of the research, 6 pests were identified that damage fruits, seeds, leaves and rosehip shoots: Laspeyresia roseticolana Z.; Rhagoletis alternate, Fall.; Megastigmus aculeatus Sued; Rhodites fluctum Riibs; Rhodites centifoliae Hart; and, Rhodites Mayri Schllcht. Among them, the most dangerous and widespread pest is Rhodites Mayri Schllcht.

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The arid Central Gulf Coast ecoregion, characterized mainly by sarcocaulescent scrub, is a poorly studied area. This paper addresses this knowledge gap with an annotated checklist of the vascular plants of the Mulege area (Bahia Concepcion to Punta Chivato; 397 km2), which was compiled over at least 267 field days during 15 field seasons between 2003 and 2019. The inventory presents 411 taxa (330 species, 81 infraspecies) in 82 families and 288 genera. There are 342 taxa native to the peninsula, of which 78 are endemic or near-endemic taxa. Six species are included on Mexico's protected species list (NOM-059) and two are on the IUCN Red List. The extensive loss of the mangrove thickets along the Mulege estuary and the rapid spread of the invasive species Cenchrus ciliare L. (Poaceae) are immediate ecological concerns compounded by the more long term effects of climate change, sea level rise and development. While this study shares up to 74% of families and 66% of the genera of several other regional floras for the peninsula, at the species level it shares between just 23% and 63% with them, highlighting Mulege's local floristic diversity.

We provide a comparison of bat activity levels recorded during long-term acoustic monitoring through 188 microphones at pre-construction wind energy facility (WEF) sites in 12 South African ecoregions, and discuss the implications of the results for wind energy development. We summed all bat passes and detector hours over microphones, sites and years for each month, and fitted a negative binomial regression model with total bat passes as the response and ecoregion as the predictor. Overall, there was a significant effect of ecoregion on the number of bat passes per detector hour recorded near ground level, and in the turbine rotor sweep. Pairwise comparisons revealed that the sites in Maputaland coastal forests and woodlands, and KwaZulu-Natal-Cape coastal forests, were most distinct due to exceptionally high levels of recorded activity. As such, we strongly advise against WEF development in these ecoregions. In lowland fynbos and renosterveld, Limpopo lowveld, and Albany thickets, where intermediate to high bat activity was recorded, we recommend that the conditions of WEF-authorizations must include rigorous bat impact mitigation measures. For operational WEFs, our results provided valuable benchmark information for devising bat fatality thresholds that reflect the variation in bat activity across South Africa's diverse landscape.