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Temperate evergreen broad-leaved forest seldom experiences fire, and little is known about the severity at which they burn. During October-November 2018, 70 000 ha of fynbos, thicket, Afrotemperate forest and other lesser vegetation types burnt in the southern Cape of South Africa. This study set out to verify through field observations the accuracy of the differenced Normalised Burn Ratio (dNBR) as an index of fire severity, derived from Sentinel 2 images, in Afrotemperate forest. Stem fire severity and char height were observed for 1 648 trees in 87 plots and linear regression used to test whether these observed measures were related to dNBR. Stem fire severity and char height were collinear, and the latter dropped from further analysis. The strong linear relationship between dNBR and stem fire severity (r2 = 0.69, p

The Macaneta area lies in the Incomati River estuary in northern Maputo Bay, Maputo Province, southern Mozambique. The 56 km2 area of study was selected based on access from tracks and follows no formal boundaries. The site comprises a 10 km stretch of ocean beach, coastal dunes with patchy thicket forest, and low lying wet grasslands inland to the Incomati River. The wetlands have complex hydrology offering diverse salinity and temporal conditions. The peninsula of Praia de Macaneta is also included in the study site but with few data. Improved access to the site in Oct 2016 enabled over 200 field ornithological visits Oct 2016-Oct 2020 and the sightings are analysed and reported herein. A total of 295 species was recorded including eight Globally Threatened birds (three Endangered, five Near-threatened) and Internationally Important numbers of White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and Whiskered Terns Chlidonias hybrida were found. Three new birds for Mozambique were discovered; Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata (first for Africa), White-rumped Sandpiper C. fuscicollis and Pearl-breasted Swallow Hirundo dimidiate. An annotated checklist of selected species is presented. The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in particular drew much birder interest with 254 international visitor days over the 12 weeks of its first visit Feb-Apr 2018, contributing over US$12,000 into the local economy. The bird returned for two further seasons but it was not possible to gather further data.

The aim of the work is to establish how greatly the light conditions change under the leaf canopy of two invasive plant species in the Middle Urals - Acer negundo and Sorbaria sorbifolia . In June - August 2020, using a portable light meter, 8370 measurements of illumination were performed in forest parks (at a height of 1.5 and 0.5 m, i.e. above and below the canopy of the leaves of the invasive shrub S. sorbifolia and the native shrub Rubus idaeus ; in random points under the canopies of Pinus sylvestris ; on glades, paths and forest edges) and in urban habitats (at a height of 1.5 m and 0.5 m in dense thickets of the invasive tree A. negundo and other tree species). The average illumination intensity was as following: under S. sorbifolia - 4 ± 1 lux × 10; under R. idaeus - 7 ± 1 lux × 10; in A. negundo thickets - 13 ± 2 lux × 10; in thickets of other tree species - 25 ± 4 lux × 10; under the canopies of urban pine forests - 80 ± 10 lux × 10; in the forest edges - 96 ± 14 lux × 10. In dense thickets, A. negundo intercepts about 94% of the light falling on its canopies, S. sorbifolia - about 93%. This is significantly higher than the light interception level in habitats used as control: other tree species canopies of greatly urbanized habitats intercept about 89%, the thickets of R. idaeus - about 82%. Thus, invasive plants reduce the amount of light available to other plant species in communities significantly more than native plants.

Species confined to naturally fragmented habitats may exhibit intrinsic population complexity which may challenge interpretations of species response to anthropogenic landscape transformation. In South Africa, where native forests are naturally fragmented, forest‐dependent birds have undergone range declines since 1992, most notably among insectivores. These insectivores appear sensitive to the quality of natural matrix habitats, and it is unknown whether transformation of the landscape matrix has disrupted gene flow in these species. We undertook a landscape genetics study of four forest‐dependent insectivorous songbirds across southeast South Africa. Microsatellite data were used to conduct a priori optimization of landscape resistance surfaces (land cover, rivers and dams, and elevation) using cost‐distances along least‐cost pathway (LCP), and resistance distances (IBR). We detected pronounced declines in effective population sizes over the past two centuries for the endemic forest specialist Cossypha dichroa and Batis capensis, alongside recent gene flow disruption in B. capensis, C. dichroa and Pogonocichla stellata. Landscape resistance modelling showed both native forest and dense thicket configuration facilitates gene flow in P. stellata, B. capensis and C. dichroa. Facultative dispersal of P. stellata through dense thicket likely aided resilience against historic landscape transformation, whereas combined forest‐thicket degradation adversely affected the forest generalist B. capensis. By contrast, Phylloscopus ruficapilla appears least reliant upon landscape features to maintain gene flow and was least impacted by anthropogenic landscape transformation. Collectively, gene flow in all four species is improved at lower elevations, along river valleys, and riparian corridors— where native forest and dense thicket better persist. Consistent outperformance of LCP over IBR land‐cover models for P. stellata, B. capensis and C. dichroa demonstrates the benefits of wildlife corridors for South African forest‐dependent bird conservation, to ameliorate the extinction debts from past and present anthropogenic forest exploitation.

It is hypothesized that in the Holocene dune fynbos-thicket mosaics of the Cape, decades-long absence of fire results in closed-canopy thicket replacing more open fynbos shrublands. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing repeat photographs from 16 sites at Cape St Francis in the south-eastern Cape Floristic Region. The period of monitoring ranged from 55 to 17 year and most sites had been last burnt between 30 and 50 years ago. We divided the sites into coastal (salt wind-exposed) and inland zones and computed, for each pair of photographs, the rate of change of four plant types, namely thicket shrubs, fynbos woody, fynbos herbaceous and grass. Coastal zone sites showed a significant increase in thicket shrub cover and a significant decline in both grass and fynbos herbaceous cover. Fynbos woody cover declined in the face of thicket invasion, but increased in grassy sites, most likely due to a decline in herbivory intensity. No significant changes in plant types were observed in the inland sites, although thicket shrub cover did increase marginally at the expense of fynbos woody plants. However, thicket invasion was restricted to swales and lower dune slopes; the dune fynbos of the upper slopes and crests remains uninvaded by thicket and surprisingly vigorous after 30–50 year without fire. This is consistent with the notion that fynbos species occupy drier sites than thicket in these dune landscapes and regular fire is not a prerequisite for its persistence. Overall, we showed a large increase in woody plant cover throughout the study area. While this pattern is consistent with predictions for vegetation change in response to atmospheric [CO2] pollution, it can also be explained by land use changes experienced in the study area, starting in the early 1960s, involving a shift from subsistence agriculture to holiday resort development and tourism.

Ecosystems of high-mountain and high-latitude regions are especially sensitive to changes in climate conditions. A considerable part of recent publications on climatogenic transformation of plant communities deal with the dynamics of the upper treeline, while similar studies on shrub vegetation are scarce. Our study on the age structure of Siberian juniper (Juniperus sibirica Burgsd.) thickets in the Northern Urals (the Chuvalsky Kamen Range) has shown that the upper shrubline has shifted up the altitudinal gradient. The establishment of J. sibirica in windblown areas with little snow at the summits of slopes began as late as the second half of the 20th century and has gained momentum after the 1970s. An analysis of climatic data has revealed a linear trend toward increase in the magnitude of anomalies in average air temperature over the cold season (November–March) by 1.69°С/100 years (R2 = 0.57), with precipitation increasing by 67.3 mm/100 years (R2 = 0.43). The results of correlation analysis between the establishment of J. sibirica and average precipitation by 5-year periods show that the strongest correlations occur in areas with little snow at the early cold season (November–January; R = 0.96). Changes in the pattern of snow accumulation in winter could facilitate the current expansion of J. sibirica to the mountain tundras of the Northern Urals.

Increasing rates of biodiversity loss are adding momentum to efforts seeking to restore or rewild degraded landscapes. Here, we investigated the effects of natural forest regeneration on water flux partitioning, water ages and hydrological connectivity, using the tracer-aided ecohydrological model EcH2O-iso. The model was calibrated using ∼ 3.5 years of diverse ecohydrological and isotope data available for a catchment in the Scottish Highlands, an area where impetus for native pinewood regeneration is growing. We then simulated two land cover change scenarios that incorporated forests at early (dense thicket) and late (old open forest) stages of regeneration, respectively. Changes to forest structure (proportional vegetation cover, vegetation heights and leaf area index of pine trees) were modelled for each stage. The scenarios were then compared to a present-day baseline simulation. Establishment of thicket forest had substantial ecohydrological consequences for the catchment. Specifically, increased losses to transpiration and, in particular, interception evaporation drove reductions in below-canopy fluxes (soil evaporation, groundwater (GW) recharge and streamflow) and generally slower rates of water turnover. The greatest reductions in streamflow and connectivity were simulated for summer baseflows and small to moderate events during summer and the autumn/winter rewetting period. This resulted from the effect of local changes to flux partitioning in regenerating areas on the hillslopes extending to the wider catchment by reducing downslope GW subsidies that help sustain summer baseflows and saturation in the valley bottom. Meanwhile, higher flows were relatively less affected, especially in winter. Despite the generally drier state of the catchment, simulated water ages suggested that the increased transpiration demands of the thicket forest could be satisfied by moisture carried over from previous seasons. The more open nature of the old forest generally resulted in water fluxes, water ages and connectivity returning towards baseline conditions. Our work implies that the ecohydrological consequences of natural forest regeneration depend on the structural characteristics of the forest at different stages of development. Consequently, future land cover change investigations need to move beyond consideration of simple forest vs. non-forest scenarios to inform sustainable landscape restoration efforts.

Los estudios de estructura poblacional permiten analizar la variabilidad dentro y entre poblaciones naturales y son esenciales para emitir criterios sobre el estado de conservación de las especies. Phyllanthus orbicularis es una especie endémica de Cuba que habita en matorrales xeromorfos espinosos sobre serpentina, donde es dominante, sin embargo, no se han realizado estudios ecológicos de sus poblaciones. Conocer la estructura poblacional de P. orbicularis podría contribuir a evaluar el estado de conservación de este taxón y el de los matorrales xeromorfos espinosos sobre serpentina. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo comparar la estructura poblacional de P. orbicularis en cuatro localidades de Cuba, en las que se realizó un muestreo sistemático por 10 parcelas de 4 m2. En cada parcela se registró el número de individuos y se les midió la altura, el diámetro de la base y la cobertura de la copa. La estructura etaria se caracterizó a partir de cinco clases de estado según la altura y el diámetro de la base. Adicionalmente, se calculó la densidad poblacional y el patrón de arreglo espacial resultó agregado. Las cuatro poblaciones se encontraron envejecidas, con un alto porcentaje de individuos adultos respecto a los juveniles. La población mejor estructurada fue la de Cuabales de Cajálbana, ya que presentó individuos en todas las clases de estado delimitadas; y la de peor estado la de Lomas de Galindo, en donde la influencia antrópica ha alterado la población natural de la especie. Además, el número de individuos de Phyllanthus orbicularis por clase de estado es dependiente de la localidad, lo que se evidenció en que la distribución por clases de estado no es la misma en cada una de las poblaciones estudiadas. Esta asociación pudiera estar dada por el nivel de manejo que existe en cada localidad, ya que las medidas de conservación en un área potencian el mejoramiento de las poblaciones de las distintas especies de la región.

Calcrete Bontveld is a mosaic vegetation type found on calcareous flat-topped ridges in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The mosaic is comprised of thicket clumps (bushclumps) scattered in a grassy dwarf shrubland matrix. The bushclumps appear to function as islands, yet their close resemblance to the adjacent Valley Thicket suggests that they could be remnant thicket patches. This study utilised the Island Biogeography Theory to determine the insularity of bushclumps. We specifically tested if they were indeed isolated communities or remnant thicket patches. Linear regression was used to obtain the slopes of the species-area curves, which indicated that the bushclumps, at all three known Calcrete Bontveld sites, were indeed isolated communities. Whilst the bushclumps of Calcrete Bontveld may mirror the appearance of the adjacent Valley Thicket, they are not remnant thicket patches but have rather developed de novo.

The modern area of mountain pine (Pinus mugo Turra) was formed in the Ukrainian Carpathians in the postglacial period. Significant distribution of mountain pine outside the lower limit of its modern range in the ancient Holocene is confirmed by the absolute maximum of its pollen in the most ancient layers of the Holocene strata. Mountain pine, at that time, was widespread, much lower level than the current position of the upper forest boundary. The clumps of mountain pine in the swamps grow also nowadays (at absolute altitudes of about 700 m above sea level). The thickets of the mountain pine in the past had undergone significant changes, in particular, due to anthropogenic activities: the destruction of the shrub forest and transformation of such areas into mountain meadows in the Ukrainian Carpathians. This activity influenced significantly on the formation of the modern area of mountain pine plantations. Pine shrub forest plays an extremely important ecological role in the Carpathian highlands. In particular, such forests perform soil protection, anti-erosion, water regulation, soil-forming, snow-retaining and other functions. Currently, the mountain pine community (Pineta mugi) is under protection. It is included in the Green Book of Ukraine. The forest management planning materials of the Lviv Forest Management Planning Expedition of 2009 are analyzed. These materials used for estimation of areas of stands with mountain pine participation and classification according to age groups, stocks, stand density, quality, altitude, exposure and slope steepness. The field studies has confirmed the is a habitat of mountain pine on Mount Hoverla – about 100 m from its top, at an altitude of 2000 m above sea level, which can be considered the highest place of growth of Pinus mugo in the Ukrainian Carpathians. One of the lowest natural habitats of mountain pine on the north-eastern megaslope of the Ukrainian Carpathians was found on the marshy terraces of rivers in the Carpathians (700 m above sea level; 48.173118, 24.736421, Guchivka Street). The Carpathian Biosphere Reserve has an even lower location of Pinus mugo (500 m a.s.l.). According the forest inventory data the total area of the Pinus mugo crooked forests in the Ukrainian Carpathians is 9319.2 ha. Pine crooked forests are distributed unevenly, mainly in the south-eastern part of the Carpathians, where most areas are concentrated on the north-eastern mega-slope (7642.2 ha or 82.0%). This aspect is primarily related to the biology of mountain pine, which is resistant to harsh conditions in the subalpine zone and the difference in climatic conditions on the megaslopes. Mountain pine mainly forms pure forests, the area of which is 8427.4 ha (90.43%). Minor areas are occupied by mixed stands of Pinus mugo and Picea abies (L.) Karst. (707.4 ha), as well as thickets of Pinus mugo and Alnus viridis (Chaix) DC (165.8 ha). The studies of the areas of mountain pine stands distribution have shown the importance of their environmental, scientific, historical and cultural value, as well as that they perform protective, recreational and health functions.

Outcomes after an abrupt, storm-caused loss of spruce shelterwood (Picea abies L. Karst.) overstories on advanced planted beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) were investigated, including effects of developmental stage and beech stand density on growth after release. Six years after overstorey loss by storm Kyrill in January 2007, heights and root collar diameters were measured, along with annual length of the main shoot and ring widths of the stem and strongest branch. No significant difference in the total height of released and sheltered beeches was found at six years after shelter loss, but annual growth of the main shoot of released beeches increased from the second year after release. Overall growth patterns of released and sheltered beech differed significantly. Diameter growth and that of the strongest branch increased strongly after shelter loss. Height-to-diameter ratio (H/RCD) indicated that sheltered beeches with higher densities were slenderer. However, no differences were found in growth response between young stands and beech in the thicket live stage. Overall, advanced planted beech beneath a spruce shelterwood of medium canopy closure showed vigorous height growth and a qualitatively desired form. Sudden release of the planted beech enhanced diameter growth of stem and branches, which is undesirable for timber quality. Findings suggest that advanced planted beech should not be released by abruptly cutting the shelterwood. Instead, with stepwise canopy opening beech should gradually adapt to the open conditions.

The genus hawthorn (Crataegus) belongs to the apple subfamily (Maloideae Focke) of the Rosaceae Juss family. The hawthorn genus includes about 1500 species distributed in warm temperate and subtropical regions of the northern hemisphere, mainly in North America. Over 80 wild and 90 introduced species grow on the territory of the CIS. Kazakhstan belongs to the forest-deficient regions; the forest cover of the territory is 3.87%. The hawthorn, which grows in flat areas, at the foot of the mountains, in the mountains, in the steppe and forest-steppe, is quite common here, is part of the undergrowth of deciduous forests, forms thickets with other shrubs. 7 wild-growing species are found in Kazakhstan: Crataegus almatensis A. Pojark., Crataegus pontica A. Koch, Crataegus turkestanica A. Pojark., Crataegus sanguinea Pall., Crataegus altaica Lge., Crataegus transkaspica A. Kocharus., Crataegus transkaspica A. Kocharus., The range of arboretums in Kazakhstan includes up to 40 - 50 species of hawthorn. In various elements of landscaping, hawthorns of various origins found; in particular, at least 20 species grow in urban plantings of Almaty. The hawthorn is widespread in the Northern Tien Shan Mountains: Zailiyskiy, Dzhungarskiy and Kungey Alatau. Plants of the genus Crataegus are rich in vitamins A, C, E, K and group B, and also contain sugars, flavonoids, saponins, phytosterols, glycosides, tannins, organic acids, amygdalin, essential oils. Thus, hawthorn is a promising raw material for the creation of domestic medicines. This article examines the study of the quantitative composition of amino acids and vitamins in the fruits of the species of the genus Crataegus widespread in Kazakhstan in a supercritical extract isolated and the fruits of the Crataegus orientalis Pall plant, in order to establish the possibility of using and with subsequent cultivation of the selected species.

A new species (Rotundabaloghia (Circobaloghia)nagyi sp. nov.) of the rotundabaloghid mites is described based on females and male collected in bamboo leaf litter in Cameroon. The new species differs from the other Afrotropical rotundabaloghid mites in following character combination: female genital shield with long apical process, the setae v7 and v8 long and pilose, v6 long and smooth, v2 short and needle-like, female genital, dorsal and ventral shields are ornamented by irregular pits, sternal setae short and needle-like. This character combination is unknown within the African rotundabaloghids.

We report an observation at Jhalana Leopard Reserve (JLR), Jaipur, India. On 16 March 2019, we saw a female walking up the mountain while calling her two, 4-month-old, male and female cubs. This allowed several safari jeeps to park in the shade of nearby Acacia trees. Two Striped Hyenas (Hyaena hyaena) approached and sniffed at the base of one of the trees near the parked jeeps. Upon seeing the Hyaenas, the female ran down the mountain, passed between the jeeps, and climbed into the tree. That is when we noticed the body of the female cub at a height of approximately 4.5 m. The female licked the body of the cub for several minutes and then picked it up in her mouth, climbed down from the tree, passed again between the jeeps, and walked up the mountain towards a dense stand of Thor (Euphorbia caducifolia), a thorny cactus. Our observations display how a mother leopard that has lost a cub refuses to abandon the carcass, cached it in a tree, and when discovered by scavengers removed it to a thicket of cacti. We consider the behavior towards her dead cub, and subsequent caching when discovered by other animals, to be the first evidence for thanatological expression in leopards.

Calcrete Bontveld is a mosaic vegetation that occurs on flat-topped calcareous ridges adjacent to solid Valley Thicket in the Albany Thicket biome of South Africa. It consists of thicket clumps (bushclumps) scattered in a grassy dwarf shrubland matrix. While the bushclumps of Calcrete Bontveld represent the thicket component in the mosaic the extent and nature of similarity between the bushclumps and adjacent solid Valley Thicket remains unresolved. This study considers the relationship between the thicket communities of these two spatially separate but proximal vegetation types. As expected, bushclumps share a substantive compositional similarity and structure with the nearby solid Valley Thicket but minimally so with the surrounding grassy dwarf shrubland matrix. The latter is made up of elements of other biomes with only a few thicket taxa. The Bushclump composition differs from the adjacent solid Valley Thicket in that it is less succulent and less diverse in the number of plant families. A total of 22 Thicket species were absent from the bushclumps – notably a few iconic ones: trees Portulacaria afra, shrubs Cotyledon velutina, Euphorbia mammilaris and Kalanchoe rotundifolia, as well as the geophyte, Gasteria bicolor. By contrast, only 8 taxa were found only in the bushclumps, but not in the local form of solid Valley Thicket (e.g. Ptaeroxylon obliquum and Scolopia zeyheri). Several of these have a Cape Thicket affinity – e.g. trees Colpoon compressum and Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus and the shrub Diospyros dichrophylla. The absence of many adjacent thicket species from the bushclumps provides evidence for exchange exclusion of propagules of some Valley Thicket taxa from the bushclumps of Calcrete Bontveld. However, the unique bushclumps are a suitable habitat for establishment of the more distant Cape-affinity taxa.

Poria eichelbaumii, a long-forgotten name, is transferred to Haploporus based on studies of the type specimen, comparison with new collections, and evidences from both morphology and phylogeny. The species is redescribed and illustrated. Haploporus grandisporus is described as new, on the basis of concordant morphological and phylogenetic species concepts. These two species form two very closely related clades within the Haploporus lineage in [28S-ITS]-based phylogenetic inferences. Haploporus eichelbaumii and H. grandisporus are distinguished by the size of their basidiospores (11.5–14.5 × 5.0–6.0 μm, average = 12.7 × 5.8 μm, vs 14–17.5 × 6.0–7.3 μm, average 15.4 × 6.6 μm), the size of their pores (2.5–3.5 / mm, vs 1.5–2.5 / mm), and, likely, divergent autecologies. Although both species occur in montane ecosystems of the eastern African rift, the data so far available suggest they occupy different habitats. Haploporus eichelbaumii has wider distribution, spanning over both branches of the eastern rift, at elevation ~ 1500–2500 masl, in various vegetation types, mostly on small-sized dead branches or twigs, and dead bamboo culms. It is known so far from Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi to the East, and western Burundi, western Uganda, and Eastern Congo (DRC) in the Albertine mountain ranges. Haploporus grandisporus is known, hitherto, only from the Eastern slopes of Mount Elgon in Kenya, at the timberline, 2900–3200 masl, mostly on dead heather branches (Erica arborea, Ericaceae) in heather thickets. Haploporus nanosporus is currently the third known Haploporus species from tropical Africa, known from the western edge of the Guineo-Congolian rain forest in Gabon and Cameroon. This species is also redescribed and illustrated.

Arthropods are abundant and diverse animals in many terrestrial food webs. In western Oklahoma, some shrublands are interspersed with discrete, dense thickets of tall, woody vegetation, known as mottes. Some of these shrublands are managed with prescribed burning. The goal of this study was to examine whether prescribed burning interacted with habitat type (i.e., shrubland versus mottes) to affect ground‐dwelling arthropod communities. Arthropods were collected in pitfall traps at four sampling locations in relation to mottes; in the center of mottes, and three plot location in shrublands; 1 m, 15 m, and 50 m away from the edge of the motte. There were three treatment levels for burning: one year postburn (burned in dormant months of 2017), two years postburn (burned in dormant months of 2016), and unburned (burned in dormant season of 2014 and prior). There were no significant interactions between prescribed burning and habitat type. Mottes had a different community of arthropods compared with the surrounding shrubland. Mottes also had lower overall abundance, but a higher diversity of arthropods. In terms of fires, arthropod communities one year after burning were different from those two or more years after burning. There was no effect of burning on overall arthropod abundance, but plots that were one year since burning had significantly lower diversity compared with plots that were two or more years postburn. The results of this study suggest that both fire and mottes can independently facilitate heterogeneity in arthropod communities, but they do not appear to interact with one another., The goal of this study was to examine whether prescribed burning interacted with habitat type (i.e., shrubland versus mottes) to affect ground‐dwelling arthropod communities. The results of this study suggest that both fire and mottes can independently facilitate heterogeneity in arthropod communities, but they do not appear to interact with one another.

This paper studies the mongoose (ichneumon) as a predator widely represented in the fowling and fishing scenes, chasing birds in a papyrus thicket. From the predynastic period, several scholars attempted to attest the mongoose among other animals prevailed at this time, which had been called different names in ancient Egyptian language. It also deals with specific features of mongoose in order to differentiate it from other similar animals such as Otter and Weasel. The paper reviews many tomb scenes of the mongoose as a predator of young birds in their nests, with several scenes, causing the belief that the ancient Egyptian trying to tame it. Besides, it discusses the unrealistic appearance of the papyrus thicket in which the animals were preyed, as a fictional rather than a true reflection of wildlife. furthermore, the religious meaning interpreted these scenes. Especially, all related scenes were found in a funerary context and therefore one expects them to have a religious dimension, even though this was not explicitly stated.

Eight bryozoan species are described from the Hanchiatien Formation (lower Silurian, Telychian) of southern Chongqing, South China. Four species are new: the trepostomes Asperopora sinensis n. sp., Trematopora jiebeiensis n. sp., and Trematopora tenuis n. sp., and the fenestrate Moorephylloporina parvula n. sp. One species, the cystoporate Hennigopora sp. indet., is described in open nomenclature. Moorephylloporina parvula n. sp. is eurytopic, occurring in all types of facies within the bioherms. Erect Moorephylloporina Bassler, 1952, Trematopora Hall, 1852, and Leioclema Ulrich, 1882 formed pioneering communities on weakly cemented substrata, whereas encrusting Fistulipora M‘Coy, 1849, Hennigopora Bassler, 1952, and Asperopora Owen, 1969 occurred on hardgrounds and formed densely compact framestones. Robust branched Trematopora and Leioclema tend to occur out of the reef core (framework) where they could have formed reef-flank thickets in more agitated conditions. The generic composition of the studied fauna correlates with other localities in South China, and they show general paleobiogeographic relations to Siberia and Indiana, USA.UUID http://zoobank.org/3326dd2f-7c9e-43bc-9dab-84047b274f89

The diversity of aboveground vegetation of the herb–dwarf shrub layer and seedlings from the soil seed bank in the thickets of invasive shrub Sorbaria sorbifolia was evaluated in urbanized forests of the city of Yekaterinburg (the Middle Urals, Russia). Geobotanical releves and identification of seedlings from the soil seed bank were performed in different forest communities: thickets of invasive S. sorbifolia, thickets of native Rubus idaeus, and in forest communities without S. sorbifolia and R. idaeus. The effect observed in the presence of S. sorbifolia was as follows: the abundance of aboveground vegetation in the herb–dwarf shrub layer was lower by a factor of 10–20 or more; the taxonomic richness of the herb–dwarf shrub layer in the releve (α-diversity), by a factor of 6–8; and the total number of species recorded in the community group (γ-diversity), by a factor of 3. The disappearance of species under S. sorbifolia was selective. Relatively light-loving and relatively dry-loving species disappeared first, while more shade-loving and moisture-loving species were relatively resistant. The taxonomic richness and abundance of seedlings from the soil seed bank did not change depending on the abundance of S. sorbifolia. Approximately half of the identified seedling taxa were typical forest plants, while the others were only specific for the seed bank and did not occur in the vegetative state. It is concluded that the influence of S. sorbifolia on the vegetation of subordinate layers is due primarily to the direct competitive and habitat-transforming effect of the living S. sorbifolia phytomass.

Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is a major production tree species for the European wood industry. However, it is highly sensitive to bark stripping (BS) by red deer (Cervus elaphus L.), which causes large timber losses. Because the red deer population has increased over the last decades, a better understanding of the underlying causes driving BS is urgently needed. BS outbreaks are multifactorial: winter food shortage, local and regional deer abundance and stand properties (thermal and visual cover, and scarcity of herbaceous layers) have been found to drive BS rates. Although the influence of each of these factors is well studied, there is still no consensus on their relative contributions to BS or what mitigation strategy is best. In this study, we made use of a long-term, large-scale BS inventory (13 years over 2570 km2) to fill these gaps. We modeled winter and summer BS rates in response to the most explanatory variables, selected from a large set of environmental variables. Our results highlight the prevalence of deer abundance combined with high sensitivity of coniferous thickets and pronounced habitat selection by deer for these stands. Our findings show that the control of red deer populations is a key measure for reducing BS in Norway spruce stands.

The endangered golden‐rumped sengi are found only in Arabuko‐Sokoke Forest with 395.4 km² of forest habitat, and perhaps in a few isolated forest and thicket fragments of total area less than 30 km² all within central coastal Kenya. Understanding its habitat use is an important requirement to develop better conservation measures for the species and its remaining forest habitat. A more reliable method for monitoring its status is also needed. We used the Bayesian occupancy modelling with camera trap data and habitat mapping to characterise the species habitat use in the Arabuko‐Sokoke Forest. The species uses 328 km² (95% CI: 289–364 km²) of Arabuko‐Sokoke Forest habitat, and its site use increases with distance from forest edge, with the highest site use in the Cynometra thicket (0.93; 95% CI: 0.82–1). Its use of the mixed forest habitat has been significantly reduced following years of logging of Afzelia quanzensis. We recommend the use of modelled occupancy, interpreted as the proportion of area used by the species, to monitor the species status. Occupancy models account for detection probability, and heterogeneity in site use and detection can be incorporated. Estimated territory sizes can be combined to obtain abundance estimates.

Savanna-like vegetation and dry thickets occur in hot dry valleys across southwestern China. Here, the flora and biogeography in hot dry valleys with savanna-like vegetation in SW China are studied. Native seed plants of 3217 species and varieties from 1038 genera in 163 families are recorded from these hot dry valleys. The biogeographical elements with a tropical distribution contribute 57.18%, but the ones with a temperate distribution contribute 36.45% of the total genera of the flora. This implies that the flora in hot dry valleys is of tropical margin nature and has been influenced by temperate elements. Floristic divergence across these hot dry valleys is obvious. The floras in the Yuanjiang and the Nujiang valleys are dominated by tropical elements (with a tropical distribution) (77.26% and 74.49 of the total genera, respectively), but the flora of the Jinshajiang valley is composed of half tropical (47.27%) and half temperate (44.96%) genera. Regarding floristic similarities, the Jinshajiang shows the highest similarity to the Yuanjiang although these river valleys are located a great distance from each other. We hypothesize the geological events in Yunnan could profoundly influence the flora and its divergence of the savanna-like vegetation in these deep, hot dry river valleys. Our results could be well explained from the geological events since the Cenozoic, such as the uplift of Himalayas, the extrusion of Indochina, the river capture of the Jinshajiang separating from the Yuanjiang, and the northward movement of the Burma Plate. Our study could be clues to explore the possible formation of the savanna-like vegetation.

Successions in old fields were studied on the example of the Starobilski steppes within Luhansk Oblast (Ukraine), region located in the basin of the left tributaries of the Siversky Donets, in the southern spurs of the Central Russian Upland. Stationary surveys were conducted in the Striltsivsky Steppe affiliate of the Luhansk Nature Reserve, with 269 ha of old fields (26% of the area) in its territory. Geobotanical releves were performed in 26 plots of abandoned fields, constant monitoring surveys were carried out in 15–27 year-old abandoned fields in the territory of the Reserve and 5–15 year-old abandoned fields in the territory of its buffer zone. In total, the itinerary and detailed surveys were conducted for about 50 plots of abandoned fields. The restoration of the steppe communities was seen only in the plots where grazing and/or mowing took place, which prevented the formation of dense litter and distribution of woody species. The long domination of rhizome grasses (Elytrigia repens) were characteristic in conditions of moderate-level disturbance (in the reserve), transition to the domination of bunchgrasses (Festuca valesiaca) was seen at the age of around 25 years, during the transitional period (20–25 years) communities with unstable structure formed, comprising E. repens, F. valesiaca and forbs (Achillea pannonica and Fragaria viridis). Duration of the stage of segetal and ruderal species in the sites under low effect was 10 years, the communities of unstable structure formed at the age of 5–10 years. In the conditions of stable moderate and high effect of grazing (high disturbance), we observed formation of bunchgrass communities at the age of 15 years. In the unused plots, we saw formation of phytocoenoses of shrubs at different stages of succession, starting from 10 years. The most abundant group of such kind comprised thickets of Ulmus pumila (with E. repens and Poa angustifolia in the herbaceous layer) and Prunus stepposa. The peculiarity of contemporary processes in the abandoned fields related to exacerbation of the vegetation’s anthropogenic transformation is distribution of alien tree species from plantations, the most aggressive of which are Ulmus pumila, Fraxinus lanceolata, Acer negundo, Elaeagnus angustifolia. The peculiarity of the succession processes in the region of studies was the domination of species of broad ecological spectrum, characteristic for abandoned fields of northern forest-steppe regions (Bromopsis inermis, Calamagrostis epigeios, Poa angustifolia, Fragaria viridis) and southern steppe regions (Bromus sguarrosus, Anisantha tectorum, Achillea pannonica, Artemisia austriaca), certain communities form dependent on the climatic conditions and type of land use in the period of succession in particular plots.

Articolul prezintă rezultatele unui proiect la scară redusă de cercetare-demonstrativ privind silvotehnica molidișurilor tinere, realizat într-o plantație pură de 0,4 ha, cu schema de 2 x 1 m (5000 puieți ha-1), instalată în anul 2001. În anul 2009, după aplicarea unui elagaj de acces la toți arborii din plantație, 60 „potențiali” arbori de viitor au fost aleși pe întreaga suprafață a arboretului, pe baza criteriilor vigoare-calitate- distribuție (spațiere), fiind ulterior elagați până la 4-4,5 m înălțime. În același an au fost instalate două suprafețe de probă (SP) de câte 300 m2 și s-a aplicat o curățire combinată și puternică în mod clasic (specifică pentru silvicultura de arboret, în SP1), respectiv dinamic (ca la silvicultura pe arbori de viitor, în SP2). O curățire clasică (consistența medie după intervenție 0,8) s-a aplicat, de asemenea, la nivel de arboret, cu arborii „potențial” de viitor lăsați în stare de creștere liberă (fără competiție) la nivelul coroanei. O răritură combinată, similară intervenției din 2009, s-a aplicat în cele două SP și pe întregul arboret în anul 2013, cu desimea rămasă de 1167 arbori ha-1 (SP2) și 1567 arbori ha-1 (SP1), respectiv cu suprafața de bază rămasă de 20,67 m2 ha-1 (SP2) și 23,47 m2 ha-1 (SP1). În anul 2020, diametrul mediu aritmetic și diametrul mediu al suprafeței de bază în SP2 și la „potențialii” arbori de viitor au atins 20 cm. Dintre acești arbori, peste 50% au cel puțin 20 cm în diametru. Suprafața de bază în SP1 și SP2 este de peste 35 m2 ha-1, astfel încât o nouă răritură se va aplica în anul 2020, pentru a reduce suprafața de bază sub nivelul critic de 30 m2 ha-1. Înălțimea medie a atins 15 m în anul 2020, iar indicele de zveltețe a crescut în mod semnificativ doar în SP1, atingând valoarea de 85. Proiectul de cercetare-demonstrativ a arătat clar posibilitatea de a produce arbori de molid cu diametrul de bază de 20 cm în 20 de ani, utilizând o silvicultură pe arbori de viitor începută devreme, de-a lungul fazei de prăjiniș.

La ordenación de comunidades vegetales puede usar métodos multivariados para hallar patrones de respuesta y generar hipótesis sobre las posibles relaciones existentes en la composición de especies con respecto a gradientes ambientales. El objetivo fue registrar patrones de distribución y usos de la vegetación en el municipio de Catorce, San Luis Potosí. En 2019, se muestrearon seis transectos, desde pie de monte bajo al oeste de la Sierra de Catorce, valle o planicie de drenaje endorreico y sierra baja plegada con lomerío. En cada sitio se analizó la composición florística, la estructura vertical y horizontal y las características del suelo. Se hallaron matorrales desérticos rosetófilo, micrófilo y bosque espinoso. Los factores ambientales indirectos que mejor explican la distribución son la porosidad del suelo, pH, K, Ca, Fe y altitud, factores que influyen en la disponibilidad de agua. El principal uso de las plantas es medicinal tradicional.

Interspecific plant-plant interactions studies showed that C lusia hilariana plays a facilitation role in the scattered vegetation thickets of the Brazilian sandy coastal plain vegetation (Restinga). In the Clusia open formation in the Jurubatiba Restinga National Park there are thickets differing in the presence and senescence of Clusia : (1) healthy Clusia thickets (HCT); (2) senescent Clusia thickets (SCT); and also (3) thickets without Clusia (TWC). The aim of this long term study was to assess soil chemistry, litterfall mass and nutrient input and its leaf-litter decomposition in Clusia thickets, testing the hypotheses that: (1) the presence of Clusia increases soil nutrient concentrations in the thickets; (2) litterfall mass and nutrient input are dependent on the senescence stage of Clusia , being higher in HCT than in SCT; (3) decomposition and nutrient release of Clusia leaves are faster in HCT than in SCT, evaluating if C. hilariana promotes an improvement in nutrient cycling according to its presence and senescence in the thickets and reinforcing the role of Clusia as a nurse plant. Collection of nutrients in soils, litterfall and Clusia leaf decomposition rates were measured between 2001 and 2008. The HCTs presented higher annual litterfall mass and nutrient input than the SCTs, Clusia leaf-fall contributed the bulk of the total litterfall (70 % HCT, 34 % SCT). Nitrogen, as all other nutrient inputs from Clusia leaf-litter, was higher in HCT, although Clusia leaves had low N concentrations and a higher C/N ratio. Clusia -leaf decomposition was faster in HCT than in SCT during the first year of the experiment. The slow decomposition and nutrient release from Clusia leaf-litter, may be an important mechanism of nutrient conservation. We concluded that C. hilariana acts as a key species, and as a nurse plant, in relation to nutritional dynamics, organic matter, nutrient input, and decomposition via its litter, which decreased according to its senescence.

According to data given by [1], 165 spider species from 27 families and 103 genera are known in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. So far in B&H, according to [1] a total of 11 species have been registered from Fam.Aranidae and 2 species from genus Araneus; a total of 11 species from Fam.Thomisidae; a total of 11 species from Fam.Lycosidae and one species from genus Lycosa; 15 species from Fam.Theridiidae and 3 species from genus Steatoda.In the course of our research on arachnofauna in and around Gromiţelj, in the 2008-2015 period, a total of 8 spider species new to Bosnia and Herzegovina were discovered in four families, namely, from Fam. Aranidae 4 species; Fam.Thomisidae 2 species; and 1 species each from Fam.Lycosidae and Fam. Theridiidae each.Most widespread are Argiope bruennichi and Araneus angulatus that were registered in 20 sites, followed by Araneus quadratus, Synema globosum and Runcinia grammica registered in 6 sites. Sites with the most registered newly discovered species are Gromiţelj with 6 species, followed by Velino selo, Laketića vir, Prugnjaĉa, Begov put and other melioration channels with 5 species. By biotope types, the greatest number of species, six of them, were found in vegetation (wetlands, thicket, forest fringe and vegetation on the channel banks and along the roads).The species Argiope bruennichi and Araneus angulatus also showed the greatest diversity of habitats, from wet meadows, thicket and reeds around the wetland, through forest fringes and vegetation along the channel banks and roads, to those urban like yards with ornamental shrubs. Of the registered species, only the species from Fam.Thomisidae are completely harmless to humans, while the other species belong to slightly poisonous species and have a local character bite. Slightly poisonous species include the species of the genus Steatoda, Araneus, Argiope and Lycosa.

Underutilized and neglected plant species have high nutritional value, but those in higher demand have overshadowed them; their role in achieving food security is not adequately understood. Food security is a critical issue in the context of the Chepang community that possesses immense knowledge on underutilized and neglected plant species and has been exploiting these crops traditionally from the very beginning. The survey was conducted with the objective of studying and investigating the use of these plant species in that community and accessing the role of them in assuring their food security. Siddhi VDC in Chitwan district was purposively selected as the study site. A total of 32 households were randomly chosen for the household survey conducted using a semi-structured interview structure. Relevant information was also collected through key informants’ interview. It was found that the food was unavailable for 3.2 months. Out of the total population, 75% of people exploit underutilized and neglected plant species to cope with the problem of food scarcity when the stored food grains are depleted, and new harvests are not available. Among them, 25% entirely depends on underutilized and neglected plant species, whereas remaining cope with the situation either by buying the food supplies from the market or by exchanging following barter system. The data obtained show that 84.4% of people depend on the thicket as a significant source of underutilized and neglected plant species. These plant species can play a vital role to transcend the unsecured food world into a secure world. Thus, there is a need to exploit the potential of these plant species to complement the staple crops so that the food security of the Chepang community can be improved.

Aims: Percentage of native thorny and thornless Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poiret trees, and their growth, height and/or diameter class distribution and clustering pattern were determined in a pure stand of this species. Study Design: A survey of the adult and juvenile plants was carried out in a 50 m x 50 m site after 10 years of tree cover regeneration. Place and Duration of Study: The study site was located at Fazenda Nupearido, Patos-PB, Brazil and data collection occurred in September 2017. Methodology: Adult plants with trunk circumference at breast height (1.3 m from the soil) > 6 cm (CBH > 6 cm) were measured for height and CBH, and located within the study area. Juvenile plants (i.e.: CBH ≤ 6 cm) were divided into 4 height classes. The position of only the thornless individuals within the study area was determined. Results: Among the 170 adult plants documented in the area, 95.3% and 4.7% were thorny and thornless, respectively. Height and diameter at breast height averaged higher for thornless than for thorny adult plants (4.13 m and 9.28 cm vs. 3.61 m and 5.90 cm). In contrast, thornless juvenile plants averaged lower for height and basal diameter than the thorny ones. The number of juvenile M. tenuiflora totaled 897 plants, including 58 thornless ones, but percentage of thornless juveniles peaked at 17.6% for 10-to-50 cm high plants. In general, thorny plants showed a clustering pattern of distribution while the thornless plans were randomly distributed. Conclusion: The density, random distribution and growth of the thornless plants suggest the possibility to form thickets of thornless plants in caatinga sites where this tree predominates. Also, these data show that in forested sites with thorny trees that generate thornless mutants, as observed in the Caatinga Biome for M. tenuiflora and other tree species, it is possible to increase the frequency and abundance of the naturally regenerating thornless plants, making easier the exploitation of forest resources, an approach that may be applied in other types of vegetation.

Wildlife interaction with humans increases the risk of potentially infected ticks seeking an opportunistic blood meal and consequently leading to zoonotic transmission. In the United States, human babesiosis is a tick-borne zoonosis most commonly caused by the intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite, Babesia microti. The presence of Babesia microti and other species of Babesia within Texas has not been well characterized, and the molecular prevalence of these pathogens within wildlife species is largely unknown. Small (e.g. rodents) and medium sized mammalian species (e.g. racoons) represent potential reservoirs for specific species of Babesia, though this relationship has not been thoroughly evaluated within Texas. This study aimed to characterize the molecular prevalence of Babesia species within small and medium sized mammals at two sites in East Texas with an emphasis on detection of pathogen presence in these two contrasting wild mammal groups at these sites. To that end, a total of 480 wild mammals representing eight genera were trapped, sampled, and screened for Babesia species using the TickPath layerplex qPCR assay. Two sites were selected for animal collection, including The Big Thicket National Preserve and Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area. Molecular analysis revealed the prevalence of various Babesia and Hepathozoon species at 0.09% each, and Sarcocystis at 0.06% . Continued molecular prevalence surveys of tick-borne pathogens in Texas wild mammals will be needed to provide novel information as to which species of Babesia are most prevalent and identify specific wildlife species as pathogen reservoirs., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Babesia microti was identified for the first time in Texas and only within raccoons. • 3 Hepatozoon spp. were found within Texas wild mammals. • Co-infections of Babesia microti, Babesia spp. and Hepatozoon spp. were detected in sampled mammals.

The total biomass of an invasive amphipod, Gmelinoides fasciatus, in Lake Onega has been estimated for the first time based on our own data and published data; it ranges from 1.6 to 2.2 thousand t of wet weight for the entire water body. Its production over the growing season varies from 2.9 to 4.0 thousand t. The biotope with the richest stock of this species (reed thickets, where the biomass of the crustacean can reach 39 g/m2) is located mainly in the northern part of the lake. The possibility of considering G. fasciatus a potential commercial species with an estimated total allowable catch of up to 1.5–2.0 thousand t per year is discussed.

The most crucial function of lowland-confined floodplains with low slopes is to support flood conveyance and fasten floods; however, obstacles can hinder it. The management of riparian vegetation is often neglected, though woody species increase the vegetation roughness of floodplains and increase flood levels. The aims are (1) to determine the branch density of various riparian vegetation types in the flood conveyance zone up to the level of artificial levees (up to 5 m), and (2) to assess the spatial distribution of densely vegetated patches. Applying a decision tree and machine learning, six vegetation types were identified with an accuracy of 83%. The vegetation density was determined within each type by applying the normalized relative point density (NRD) method. Besides, vegetation density was calculated in each submerged vegetation zone (1–2 m, 2–3 m, etc.). Thus, the obstacles for floods with various frequencies were mapped. In the study area, young poplar plantations offer the most favorable flood conveyance conditions, whereas invasive Amorpha thickets and the dense stands of native willow forests provide the worst conditions for flood conveyance. Dense and very dense vegetation patches are common in all submerged vegetation zones; thus, vegetation could heavily influence floods.