A study of composition and diversity variation of avifauna along with different types of agroforestry system in Kibet town, Southern Ethiopia

Background Agroforestry is an integrated land-use system that plays a great role in the conservation of landscape biodiversity. The study aimed to assess the composition and diversity of avian species along with different habitat types of agroforestry in Kibet Town, Southern Ethiopia. Methods Four habitat types of agroforestry system which are home gardens, live fences, parkland, and eucalyptus woodlot were identified. Line transects were used for bird surveys. The Shannon diversity index (H′) and species evenness index (E) were used to compare diversity among habitat types. A similarity percentages (SIMPER) test was carried out to identify the main species and feeding guild that typified each habitat type. The overall significance was assessed with the ANOSIM test using PAST (version 4.03). Results A total of 50 bird species belonging to 28 families and 10 orders were recorded. Order Passeriformes (67.3%) had the highest number of species. Bird community composition differed among habitat types. The dissimilarity was mainly due to White-browed robin-chat (Cossypha heuglini), Streaky seed-eater (Serinus striolatus), Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), African Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis), and Black-Headed Paradise Flycatcher (T. rufiventer). The finding also revealed that insectivore was the dominant feeding guild. Conclusions The present study shows evidence that more insectivore bird species use different types of agroforestry as habitat and foraging sites. So, any concerned bodies who have engaged in avian conservation should give special consideration to this modified landscape.

Range Shifts of Overwintering Birds Depend on Habitat Type, Snow Conditions and Habitat Specialization

Climatic warming is forcing numerous species to shift their ranges poleward, which has been demonstrated for many taxa across the globe. Yet, the influence of habitat types on within- and among-species variations of distribution shifts has rarely been studied, especially so for the non-breeding season. Here, we investigated habitat specific shift distances of northern range margins and directions of the center of gravity based on a long-term dataset of overwintering birds in Finland. Specifically, we explored influences of habitat type, snow cover depths, species’ climatic niche and habitat specialization on range shifts from 1980’s to 2010’s in 81 bird species. Birds overwintering in farmlands shifted significantly more often northwards than birds of the same species in rural and forest habitats, while the northern range margin shift distances did not significantly differ among the habitat types. Snow cover was negatively associated with the eastward shift direction across all habitats, while we found habitat specific relations to snow cover with northward shift directions and northern range margins shift distances. Species with stronger habitat specializations shifted more strongly towards north as compared to generalist species, whereas the climatic niche of bird species only marginally correlated with range shifts, so that cold-dwelling species shifted longer distances and more clearly eastwards. Our study reveals habitat specific patterns linked to snow conditions for overwintering boreal birds and highlights importance of habitat availability and preference in climate driven range shifts.

Floristic mosaics of the threatened Brazilian campo rupestre

The increase in rates of habitat loss requires an understanding of how biodiversity is distributed. Campo rupestre is an old, climatically buffered, and infertile landscape located in Brazil. Considered a biodiversity hotspot, the campo rupestre is mainly threatened by mining activity that requires a large operating area. Campo rupestre is known for its restricted distribution area and high abiotic heterogeneity, which modulates species coexistence and richness. To recognise the association between habitat type and plant communities, we propose to describe the floristic composition of herbaceous and shrub components in four habitats of the campo rupestre comprising quartzite and ferruginous substrate. We classified habitat types by the main surface soil features. In each habitat, we sampled ten 100-m2 plots to access information on the shrub and ten 1-m2 plots for the herbaceous component. Altogether we sampled 153 species, belonging to 38 families. The cluster analysis ordered by Sorensen metric indicates a clear distinction of species composition in the shrub component in the four habitats. However, the floristic composition of the herbaceous component was similar between the four habitats but showed a distinction when contrasting with the substrate type. Our results highlight the local taxonomic distinction between habitat types and substrates, indicating that the ecological distinction among substrate types of the campo rupestre cannot be overlooked in conservation and restoration actions.

The «Empty Forest Syndrome» and the Herpetofaunal Communities in Laos (South-Eastern Asia)

Nowadays, Laos remains one of the scientifically least known countries of Asia in terms of herpetological knowledge. Here, we evaluate composition of species in freshwater ecosystems (main river courses) and terrestrial ecosystems (forests) in two distinct regions using Visual Encounter Surveys along designed transects, examination of fishers’ catches and standardized interviews. In Northern Laos, we recorded only 18 reptile individuals (2 turtle and 1 snake species). Interview surveys demonstrated that in Nam Xam River, fishers are more likely to hunt turtles and we identified one potential site where the world’s rarest turtle, Rafetus swinhoei, could be still present in the wild. In Nam Et Phou Louey National Park, we found 19 reptile species (8 lizard, 10 snake, 1 turtle species) in the different study sites, demonstrating a low species density in all different surveyed habitats. In Central/Southern Laos, we observed 30 species of reptiles (14 snake, 16 lizard, 35 amphibian species). Our study offers preliminary insights into the composition of amphibians and reptiles in Laos. The great majority of the species were non-threatened or not evaluated, and a few were threatened, suggesting that more research is needed to proper understand the conservation status of Laos’ herpetofauna. We highlighted, indirectly by interviews with local fishers, the possible presence of the turtle Rafetus swinhoei, thus providing a new hope for avoiding the extinction of this species. Finally, we observed a relatively low number of species in each habitat type, which is remarkably lower than in tropical forests of other continents or of nearby south-east Asian countries, indicating that the herpetofauna communities in Laos are depleted, reflecting an ‘empty forest syndrome’.

Spatiotemporal variation in the adult sex ratio, male aggregation, and movement of two tropical cloud forest dung beetles

While theory suggests that at conception the sex ratio should be balanced (1:1), this can be variable across space and time in wild populations. Currently, studies of the environmental factors that regulate adult sex ratio (ASR) in species with different life-history traits are scarce. Using capture-recapture over a year, we analyzed the influence of habitat type (forest and non-forest) and season (rainy and dry) on variation in ASR, male aggregation and the trajectory movement of two dung beetle species with different life-history traits: Deltochilum mexicanum (a hornless roller species) and Dichotomius satanas (a tunneler species with horns on its head and thorax). We found opposite tendencies. The D. mexicanum population tends to be female-biased, but the population of D. satanas tends to be predominantly male, and observed values were not related to habitat type or season. However, the 95% confidence intervals estimated were highly variable between seasons depending on habitat. On examining the monthly variation in ASR for both habitats, we found that it depends on the species. In addition, male aggregation differed between species depending on habitat type and season, and species movement patterns were closely related to their habitat preferences. Based on our results, we argue that comparative population studies of species with different life-history traits are necessary to understand the variation in demographic parameters as well as its ecological and evolutionary implications in the face of spatial and climatic environmental variation.

List of Species and Conservation Status of Avifauna and Small mammal around Bade Segment Area of River Yobe, Yobe State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to assess a Checklist of avifauna and small mammal species along Bade catchment area of Yobe State, Nigeria. Preliminary survey was conducted around the river, three (3) habitat types were identified; (river bank, farm lands and flood plain). The line transect was 8 km in length. Two (2) transects were established per habitat type, making a total of six (6) transects. The transects were 100 m apart to the left or right in order to avoid double counting of species. A distance of 200m was maintained between each habitat. The data obtained were analyses using descriptive statistics (Frequency tables and Charts were used to portrayed the findings. The result of the study; showed that a total of 50 bird species in 28 families were recorded. RB had the highest individuals of Fifty (50) species while FP has the lowest with ten (10) species. The Bird family Columbidae has the highest number with six (6) of species, while the lowest were Ardeidae, Sturnidae and Tytonidae with one species in each of the habitat types. However, checklist of small mammal species also indicated that a total of 6 species of small mammals belonging to 4 families were identified. The result of the study shows that the family Muridae has 3 species which was the highest number of per family identified in the study area, this is due to the fact that Muridae family are the most common small mammals in the study area. And both bird small species fell under least concern (LC) category except Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus which felled under near threatened (NT) species. However, awareness campaign should also be organize for the residents around the study area on the presence, distribution of bird and small mammal species and also disturbing effect of their activities on bird and small mammal around the segment area of river Yobe.

Influence of Climatic Factors on Human Hantavirus Infections in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review

Background: With the current climate change crisis and its influence on infectious disease transmission there is an increased desire to understand its impact on infectious diseases globally. Hantaviruses are found worldwide, causing infectious diseases such as haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS)/hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in tropical regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). These regions are inherently vulnerable to climate change impacts, infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters. Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses present in multiple rodent hosts resident in Neotropical ecosystems within LAC and are involved in hantavirus transmission. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to assess the association of climatic factors with human hantavirus infections in the LAC region. Literature searches were conducted on MEDLINE and Web of Science databases for published studies according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. The inclusion criteria included at least eight human hantavirus cases, at least one climatic factor and study from > 1 LAC geographical location. Results: In total, 383 papers were identified within the search criteria, but 13 studies met the inclusion criteria ranging from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Panama in Latin America and a single study from Barbados in the Caribbean. Multiple mathematical models were utilized in the selected studies with varying power to generate robust risk and case estimates of human hantavirus infections linked to climatic factors. Strong evidence of hantavirus disease association with precipitation and habitat type factors were observed, but mixed evidence was observed for temperature and humidity. Conclusions: The interaction of climate and hantavirus diseases in LAC is likely complex due to the unknown identity of all vertebrate host reservoirs, circulation of multiple hantavirus strains, agricultural practices, climatic changes and challenged public health systems. There is an increasing need for more detailed systematic research on the influence of climate and other co-related social, abiotic, and biotic factors on infectious diseases in LAC to understand the complexity of vector-borne disease transmission in the Neotropics.

Treated like dirt: Robust forensic and ecological inferences from soil eDNA after challenging sample storage

Biodiversity of soil microbiota is routinely assessed with environmental DNA-based methods, among which amplification and massive parallel sequencing of marker genes (eDNA metabarcoding) is the most common. Soil microbiota may for example be investigated in relation to biodiversity research or as a tool in forensic investigations. After sampling, the taxonomic composition of soil biotic communities may change. In order to minimize community changes after sampling, it is desirable to reduce biological activity, e.g. by freezing immediately after sampling. However, this may be impossible due to remoteness of study sites or, in forensic cases, where soil has been attached to a questioned item for protracted periods of time. Here we investigated the effect of storage duration and conditions on the assessment of the soil biota with eDNA metabarcoding. We extracted eDNA from freshly collected soil samples and again from the same samples after storage under contrasting temperature conditions. We used five different primer sets targeting bacteria, fungi, protists (cercozoans), general eukaryotes, and plants. For these groups, we quantified differences in richness, evenness and community composition. Subsequently, we tested whether we could correctly infer habitat type and original sample identity after storage using a large reference dataset. We found increased community composition differences with extended storage time and with higher storage temperature. However, for samples stored less than 28 days at a maximum of 20 C, changes were generally insignificant. Classification models could successfully assign most stored samples to their exact location of origin and correct habitat type even after weeks of storage. Even samples showing larger compositional changes generally retained the original sample as the best match (relative similarity). Our results show that for most biodiversity and forensic applications, storage of samples for days and even several weeks may not be a problem, if storage temperature does not exceed 20 C. Even after suboptimal storage conditions, significant patterns can be reproduced.

The frequency method in studying habitat preferences of common forest birds

This paper presents the results of a study on the habitat preferences of selected species of the bird community in the Morgi Forest, the Kolbuszowa Forest Division (SE Poland), with the use of the point-stand bird census method. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of the method in determining the frequency of colonisation of stands with different habitat parameters by the most abundant bird species. In 270 tree stands of a forest complex with diverse habitats, a bird census was carried out with four counts per each stand. Next, a list of the tree stands and the bird species recorded in the stands was compiled. The stands were divided into categories according to the forest habitat type, dominant species and age class. In the next step, the occurrence frequency of the most abundant bird species was calculated for each stand category. Among the analysed species, the majority showed a positive correlation between the frequency of occurrence and habitat fertility. The influence of the dominant stand species on the occurrence frequency of bird species was largely driven by habitat fertility. The lowest average frequency of the identified avian species was found in stands dominated by pine Pinus sylvestris, birch Betula sp. and black alder Alnus glutinosa. There was generally a positive relationship between age class and the bird community parameters. It is concluded that the point-stand method of bird census provides informative results for research on the habitat selectivity of bird populations.