A new species of the genus Dentigaster Zettel, 1990 (Braconidae, Cheloninae) is described from savannah areas of Mato Grosso, São Paulo and Minas Gerais states, Brazil. This is the fourth species of ...the genus known for brazilian fauna. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
Microplastic (plastic particles measuring <5mm) pollution is ubiquitous. Unlike in other well‐studied ecosystems, for example, marine and freshwater environments, microplastics in terrestrial systems ...are relatively understudied. Their potential impacts on terrestrial environments, in particular the risk of causing ecological surprise, must be better understood and quantified. Ecological surprise occurs when ecosystem behavior deviates radically from expectations and generally has negative consequences for ecosystem services. The properties and behavior of microplastics within terrestrial environments may increase their likelihood of causing ecological surprises as they (a) are highly persistent global pollutants that will last for centuries, (b) can interact with the abiotic environment in a complex manner, (c) can impact terrestrial organisms directly or indirectly and (d) interact with other contaminants and can facilitate their transport. Here, we compiled findings of previous research on microplastics in terrestrial environments. We systematically focused on studies addressing different facets of microplastics related to their distribution, dispersion, impact on soil characteristics and functions, levels of biological organization of tested terrestrial biota (single species vs. assemblages), scale of experimental study and corresponding ecotoxicological effects. Our systematic assessment of previous microplastic research revealed that most studies have been conducted on single species under laboratory conditions with short‐term exposures; few studies were conducted under more realistic long‐term field conditions and/or with multi‐species assemblages. Studies targeting multi‐species assemblages primarily considered soil bacterial communities and showed that microplastics can alter essential nutrient cycling functions. More ecologically meaningful studies of terrestrial microplastics encompassing multi‐species assemblages, critical ecological processes (e.g., biogeochemical cycles and pollination) and interactions with other anthropogenic stressors must be conducted. Addressing these knowledge gaps will provide a better understanding of microplastics as emerging global stressors and should lower the risk of ecological surprise in terrestrial ecosystems.
Our systematic assessment of previous microplastic research revealed that most studies have been conducted on single species (50%) compared to studies targeting exclusively multi‐species assemblages (36%). The results of single species testing showed that microplastics are rarely lethal for terrestrial organisms, but rather induce sub‐lethal effects including oxidative stress, reproductive impairment and physical changes. Studies targeting multi‐species assemblages primarily considered soil microbial communities and showed that microplastics can alter essential nutrient cycling functions. More ecologically meaningful studies of terrestrial microplastics encompassing multi‐species assemblages and/or critical ecological processes (e.g., biogeochemical cycles and pollination) must be conducted.
Habitat complexity has been considered a key driver of biodiversity and other ecological phenomena for nearly a century. However, there is still no consensus over the definition of complexity or how ...to measure it. Up‐to‐date and clear guidance on measuring complexity is urgently needed, particularly given the rise of remote sensing and advent of technologies that allow environments to be scanned at unprecedented spatial extents and resolutions. Here we review how complexity is measured in ecology. We provide a framework for metrics of habitat complexity, and for the related concept of spatial heterogeneity. We focus on the two most commonly used complexity metrics in ecology: fractal dimension and rugosity. We discuss the pros and cons of these metrics using practical examples from our own empirical data and from simulations. Fractal dimension is particularly widely used, and we provide a critical examination of it drawing on research from other scientific fields. We also discuss informational metrics of complexity and their potential benefits. We chart a path forward for research on measuring habitat complexity by presenting, as a guide, sets of essential and desirable criteria that a metric of complexity should possess. Lastly, we discuss the applied significance of our review.
Given the rise of remote‐sensing, up‐to‐date and clear guidance on measuring complexity is urgently needed. Here we review how complexity is measured in ecology. We provide a framework for metrics of habitat complexity, and for the related concept of spatial heterogeneity. We demonstrate the pros and cons of various complexity metrics particularly focusing on popular ones; we provide a modern critical examination of fractal dimension and show how and why it is untenable despite its appeal. We discuss informational metrics of complexity, and their potential benefits and chart a path forward for research on measuring complexity in ecology.
In late 2022 and early 2023, SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected on three mink farms in Poland situated within a few km from each other. Whole-genome sequencing of the viruses on two of the farms ...showed that they were related to a virus identified in humans in the same region 2 years before (B.1.1.307 lineage). Many mutations were found, including in the S protein typical of adaptations to the mink host. The origin of the virus remains to be determined.
Human activity and land use change impact every landscape on Earth, driving declines in many animal species while benefiting others. Species ecological and life history traits may predict success in ...human‐dominated landscapes such that only species with “winning” combinations of traits will persist in disturbed environments. However, this link between species traits and successful coexistence with humans remains obscured by the complexity of anthropogenic disturbances and variability among study systems. We compiled detection data for 24 mammal species from 61 populations across North America to quantify the effects of (1) the direct presence of people and (2) the human footprint (landscape modification) on mammal occurrence and activity levels. Thirty‐three percent of mammal species exhibited a net negative response (i.e., reduced occurrence or activity) to increasing human presence and/or footprint across populations, whereas 58% of species were positively associated with increasing disturbance. However, apparent benefits of human presence and footprint tended to decrease or disappear at higher disturbance levels, indicative of thresholds in mammal species’ capacity to tolerate disturbance or exploit human‐dominated landscapes. Species ecological and life history traits were strong predictors of their responses to human footprint, with increasing footprint favoring smaller, less carnivorous, faster‐reproducing species. The positive and negative effects of human presence were distributed more randomly with respect to species trait values, with apparent winners and losers across a range of body sizes and dietary guilds. Differential responses by some species to human presence and human footprint highlight the importance of considering these two forms of human disturbance separately when estimating anthropogenic impacts on wildlife. Our approach provides insights into the complex mechanisms through which human activities shape mammal communities globally, revealing the drivers of the loss of larger predators in human‐modified landscapes.
Human activity and land use change are driving declines in many animal species while benefiting others, but predicting which species will successfully coexist with humans remains a challenge. We compiled detection data for 24 mammal species from 61 populations across North America and showed that species life history traits were strong predictors of their responses to human footprint (landscape modification), with increasing footprint favoring smaller, less carnivorous, faster‐reproducing species. Positive and negative effects of direct human presence (e.g., recreation, hunting) were distributed more randomly across species, with apparent winners and losers across a range of body sizes and dietary guilds.
The article is devoted to the research on the abundance and species composition of small mammals in the territory of central Ukraine (Cherkasy, Poltava, and Kyiv oblasts) affected by land development ...by drainage. The drainage areas of the studied region are located mainly in fens, which in most cases are connected with river valleys. The vegetation there used to be represented by reed sets with thickets of reed–mace as well as various sedges and horsetails. The drainage process consists of several stages. It is possible to outline four of them within the studied areas. The aim of the research was to analyse the influence drainage has on the abundance and species composition of small mammals. In total, 4161 rodents and shrews were captured at a sampling effort of 60 890 trap-days. It was found that drainage is a strong anthropogenic factor that shapes the abundance and species composition of small mammals within the drained lands of central Ukraine. It was revealed that the species diversity of small mammals decreases essentially as the area of drainage grows. In general, with drainage, the number of hydrophilous species decreases sharply or they become extinct, whereas the number of species that prefer open habitats increases. At the same time, the general diversity index (H) reaches the greatest value in areas of the second stage of drainage, and, as drainage works expand, the species diversity decreases significantly. The abundance dynamics of small-mammal species both by habitats and drainage stages is presented. The research results make it possible to understand some patterns drainage causes to the fauna of shrews and rodents, and, accordingly, the specifics of adaptation of the latter to those patterns. The obtained data can be used to estimate and foresee the number of small mammals within different regions of Ukraine, to develop measures to control harmful rodents in drainage areas, to predict the real scale of economic damage caused by them, and to elaborate some theoretical issues in biogeography.
Personality traits are important because they can affect individual survival as well as how a population may respond to environmental change. How these traits arise, whether they are maintained ...throughout ontogeny, and how environmental factors differentially affect them throughout life is poorly understood. Understanding these pathways is important for determining the function and evolution of animal personality. We examined the development of two commonly studied personality traits, boldness and docility, in a long-term study of yellow-bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventris. Using data collected between 2002 and 2011, we quantified the repeatability within three age groups (juveniles, yearlings and adults), the correlation between age classes, and the behavioural syndromes of these two traits within the three life stages. We quantified boldness through flight initiation distance (FID) tests, and we quantified docility through marmots' response to being trapped. We found that boldness was repeatable only in yearlings, but docility was repeatable in all age classes. We also found that juvenile docility predicted later docility. We also found no behavioural syndrome between boldness and docility in any life stage. This suggests an adaptive hypothesis: that these personality traits develop independently and at potentially age-appropriate times. Thus, the development of personality traits may facilitate animal's coping with age-dependent requirements and constraints.
•We examined the development of two personality traits, boldness and docility, in yellow-bellied marmots.•Boldness was not a personality trait in juveniles, but was in yearlings and adults.•Docility was a personality trait in each age class.•Juvenile docility levels predicted older levels of docility.•There was no behavioural syndrome between docility and boldness in any age class.
Predation is one of the most recurrent sources of bone accumulations. The influence of predation is widely studied for large mammal sites where humans, acting as predators, produce bone accumulations ...similar to carnivore accumulations. Similarly, small mammal fossil sites are mainly occupation levels of predators (nests or dens). In both cases, investigations of past events can be compared with present day equivalents or proxies. Chewing marks are sometimes present on large mammal predator accumulations, but digestion traits are the most direct indication of predation, and evidence for this is always present in small mammal (prey) fossil assemblages. Digestion grades and frequency indicates predator type and this is well established since the publication of Andrews (1990). The identification of the predator provides invaluable information for accurate interpretation of the palaeoenvironment. Traditionally, palaeoenvironmental interpretations are obtained from the taxonomic species identified in the site, but rather than providing direct interpretations of the surrounding palaeoenvironment, this procedure actually describes the dietary preferences of the predators and the type of occupation (nests, marking territory, dens, etc). This paper reviews the identification of traits produced by predators on arvicolins, murins and soricids using a method that may be used equally by taxonomists and taphonomists. It aims to provide the “tools” for taxonomists to identify the predator based on their methodology, which is examining the occlusal surfaces of teeth rather than their lateral aspects. This will greatly benefit both the work of taphonomists and taxonomists to recognize signs of predation and the improvement of subsequent palaeoecological interpretations of past organisms and sites by identifying both the prey and the predator.
•The most common source of microfauna assemblages is predation by raptors or mammals.•Prey composition reflects predator's preferences, not necessarily the environment.•Digestion on the prey remains is the most direct evidence of predation.•Digestion key traits for arvicolins, murids and soricids are reviewed here.•A method suitable for taxonomists and taphonomists to identify digestion and predator.
Aim
Comprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert ...range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroecology. We provide global range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species harmonised to the taxonomy of the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) mobilised from two sources, the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) and the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (CMW).
Location
Global.
Taxon
All extant mammal species.
Methods
Range maps were digitally interpreted, georeferenced, error‐checked and subsequently taxonomically aligned between the HMW (6253 species), the CMW (6431 species) and the MDD taxonomies (6362 species).
Results
Range maps can be evaluated and visualised in an online map browser at Map of Life (mol.org) and accessed for individual or batch download for non‐commercial use.
Main conclusion
Expert maps of species' global distributions are limited in their spatial detail and temporal specificity, but form a useful basis for broad‐scale characterizations and model‐based integration with other data. We provide georeferenced range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species as shapefiles, with species‐level metadata and source information packaged together in geodatabase format. Across the three taxonomic sources our maps entail, there are 1784 taxonomic name differences compared to the maps currently available on the IUCN Red List website. The expert maps provided here are harmonised to the MDD taxonomic authority and linked to a community of online tools that will enable transparent future updates and version control.
PDF
