First record, new cultivated host and host plant preference of the invasive oak lace bug (Corythucha arcuata Say, 1832) (Heteroptera: Tingidae) in Transcarpathia (West Ukraine)

Oak lace bug (Corythucha arcuata) has continuously spread through Europe since its appearance in 2000, and it has become a dangerous pest of Quercus species in most countries. Despite of its high abundance in the surrounding countries it was found in West Ukraine only in 2020. During our investigation carried out in 2020 OLB was detected in all studied large forest patches of the Ukrainian part of the Carpathian Lowland. These were one of the newest distribution data from Ukraine after its appearance in the far coast of Black See near Yalta (South Ukraine). OLB most live on Q. robur and Q. petraea but in an orchard located near an infested forest patch we found infested sweet cherry (P. avium) trees, which is a new, formerly not mentioned cultivated host of the pest.

Landscape and microhabitat features determine small mammal abundance in forest patches in agricultural landscapes

Intensification of agricultural landscapes represent a major threat for biodiversity conservation also affecting several ecosystem services. The natural and semi-natural remnants, available in the agricultural matrix, represent important sites for small mammals and rodents, which are fundamental for sustaining various ecosystem functions and trophic chains. We studied the populations of two small mammals (Apodemus agrarius, A. sylvaticus) to evaluate the effects of landscape and habitat features on species abundance along a gradient of agricultural landscape intensification. The study was performed in Friuli Venezia Giulia (north-eastern Italy) during 19 months, in 19 wood remnants. Species abundance was determined using Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) techniques. In the same plots, main ecological parameters of the habitat (at microhabitat and patch scale) and landscape were considered. Abundance of A. agrarius increased in landscapes with high extent of permanent crops (i.e., orchards and poplar plantations) and low content of undecomposed litter in the wood understory. Instead, A. sylvaticus, a more generalist species, showed an opposite, albeit less strong, relationship with the same variables. Both species were not affected by any landscape structural feature (e.g., patch shape, isolation). Our findings showed that microhabitat features and landscape composition rather than wood and landscape structure affect populations’ abundance and species interaction. The opposite response of the two study species was probably because of their specific ecological requirements. In this light, conservation management of agricultural landscapes should consider the ecological needs of species at both landscape and habitat levels, by rebalancing composition patterns in the context of ecological intensification, and promoting a sustainable forest patch management.

Tree Diversity, Biomass and Carbon Stock in Quartz Mined Area of Bilikal Hillock, hunasaekatte, Bhadravathi, Karnataka, South India

To learn about the abandoned mined area tree diversity, aboveground biomass and carbon stock a study was conducted in quartz mined Bilikal hillock area which is geographically adjacent to Umbalebylu 8 km to Bhadra wildlife sanctuary and 10 km of Kuvempu University. In the present study 0.14ha (350 m×4m) transect, we recorded 1527 individuals comprising 22 families among them Papilionaceae with 6 genera and 7 species, Combretaceae with 2 genera and 4 species followed by Rubiaceae with 3 genera and 3 species and Apocynaceae with 2 genera and 3 species. Based on girth class assessment nearly 1564 individuals comprising 1-10 cm had 559 individuals, the basal area was more within the girth class of 40-50 cm. But aboveground biomass and carbon stock were highest within the girth class of 20-30 cm. varying with species structure and girth class were a disturbed forest patch, the species composition needs management and restoration to retain the biodiversity intact to provide a niche for other co-species.

Demographic changes of a tropical understory bird in naturally patchy montane habitats in southern India

The occurrence, density and survival of a species often depend on various aspects of the habitat that it occupies including patch size and disturbance. The demography of most threatened tropical species largely remain unstudied but could provide valuable information about their biology and insights for their conservation. Our study examined the effect of patch size and disturbance on different demographic parameters of an understory, threatened, endemic bird, the white-bellied shortwing in the tropical biodiversity hotspot of the Western Ghats in India. We sampled eight plots on a sky-island using mist-nets for four years in a 'Robust design' mark-recapture framework. Based on model selection using AIC values, the model with survival as a function of disturbance fits the data better than models with abundance or with these parameters modelled as functions of forest patch size. Shortwing density and sex ratio were not different across forest patch sizes or differing disturbance regimes. However, the survival rate of the species significantly decreased with increasing disturbance but was not related to forest patch size. Our study is possibly the first to provide critical baseline information on the demography of a tropical understory species from this region.

The influence of land use on the spatial distribution and intensity of heat islands in Slovenia

Heat islands (HI) are a common anthropogenic phenomenon and are defined as artificial surfaces (urban areas) that have a higher average temperature than their surroundings (rural areas). The aim of this work was to determine the influence of land use on the spatial distribution and intensity (HIi ) of HI in Slovenia. The MODIS Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Corine Land Cover (CLC) databases were used to perform the analysis. Within the identified HI, two HI levels were determined based on temperature difference. The results revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between HIi and both forest co%ver and forest fragmentation (forest edge density and ratio of mean forest patch size to HI size). Artificial surface was positively correlated with HIi . The results contribute to the understanding of the spatial distribution of HI and HIi and provide informati%on for spatial planning and policy-making to reduce the negative impact of HI.

Climate Connectivity of European Forests for Species Range Shifts

Forest connectivity is important for the range shifts and long-term persistence of forest-dependent species, especially in the context of climate change. This study assessed the climate connectivity of European forests for species to track suitable climate conditions as the climate warms. Here, climate connectivity was calculated as the temperature difference between each forest patch and the coolest patch that can be reached along temperature gradients. We found that, overall, about 36% of the total forested area in Europe has achieved successful climate connectivity under the moderate emission scenario (SSP245), whereby species range shifts could circumvent the impact of climate warming. The percentage is much lower under the highest emission scenario (SSP585), which is only 12%. To identify forest areas of high importance for climate connectivity, we further evaluated the potential of each forest patch to serve as a stepping stone for species range shifts. Our results showed that about 94% of the European forested area is expected to experience species range shifts. Our study identified sites of high conservation value for improving and sustaining forest connectivity to facilitate climate-driven range shifts and thus could provide information for climate-smart management of European forests.

Butterfly distribution and habitat conservation status at A Rocha Dakatcha Nature Reserve, Kilifi County, Kenya

Diverse human pressures are degrading coastal forests with profound implications on invertebrate biodiversity. Butterfly species are key ecosystem indicators and their distribution may become a campaign tool towards conservation of specific habitats. However, a baseline survey of Dakatcha butterflies is long overdue, necessitating this study at A Rocha Dakatcha Nature Reserve (ARDNR) in Kilifi County. The objective was to identify Dakatcha butterfly species, their distribution, threats to the forest and conservation measures by the community in 2019. The modified pollard walk method was used to collect butterfly species from 21 transects from which the Shannon index of diversity, Margalef’s species richness index and evenness index were calculated. A total of 125 butterflies from five distinct vegetation types were captured and identified to represent 42 species and 25 genera from the documented 5 butterfly families in Kenya. Questionnaires were administered to twenty-nine community members on threats and conservation activities in ARDNR. The exercise confirmed that main threats to ARDNR butterfly habitat are agriculture, charcoal production from Diospyros corni and Dobera glabra and timber extraction from Manilkara mochisia, Brachystegia spiciformis, Thespesia danis and Brachylaena huillensis trees. The targeted deforestation of key tree species providing a suitable microclimate and an array of nectar sources to all threaten butterfly existence in the forest. Fortunately, there are five main stakeholders implementing diverse conservation projects including promotion of energy-saving jikos and beekeeping. In conclusion this study confirms existence of all five families of Kenyan butterflies in ARDNR. The presence of 13 butterfly species in the regenerating forest patch further affirming the importance of practical all-inclusive forest management and that community awareness enhances diversification of livelihood activities alongside sustainable forest utilization.

Determinants of Bird Species Literacy—Activity/Interest and Specialization Are More Important than Socio-Demographic Variables

Biodiversity is declining, and knowledge about biodiversity declines in a similar way. Previous studies have already addressed predictors of species knowledge. Here, we studied bird species knowledge related to demographics, but also to individual differences in affinity to nature, by including (i) birding specialization and (ii) bird-related activities/interest. Data were collected from July to October 2020 via an online questionnaire, containing demographic data, birding specialization, interest/activity, and images of 28 bird species native to Germany. Participants were adult students, lecturers and administrative staff of the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen. A total of 1967 questionnaires were returned in this study (35.3% male, 53.8% students, 69% had access to a garden). Mean identification score was 16.31 ± 6.38. Thus, participants were able to identify more than half of the species (total species n = 28). Men identified more species than women, garden owners had higher identification scores than non-owners, while hometown size was not significant. A distance to the next forest patch >10 km was related to lower identification scores. Employees scored higher than students. Correlation between species knowledge and birding specialization was high, as was the correlation with bird interest/activity. Higher scores were found in older people. In the linear univariate model, birding specialization and bird interest were the most influential predictors of species knowledge, followed by distance to next forest patch and occupation (student vs employees). Other variables were not significant. We suggest including such measures (interest, attitude, etc.) into further studies and move forward from the urban–rural narrative to more complex analyses of living circumstances.