Impact of Climatic Changes on Earth's Survival

Every species' survival on earth is dependent on each other for their demand and dependent on the environment and various other sources. These resources include fresh food, clean drinking water, timber for construction, natural gas and coal for industries, fibers for clothing. All the human activity affects the environment severely in different ways. The biggest threats to the environment are climatic changes. Climate is an important factor that affects all survival on earth. The different pollutants, transport, dispersion, chemical transformation, as well as the deposition can be affected by meteorological variable such as humidity, wind, temperature. Climatic changes are expected to worsen the quality of air and water by changing the atmospheric processes and chemistry. Not only human beings but every aspect of the ecosystem is affected due to the changing climate. This chapter will explore the impacts of climatic changes on biodiversity by various activities of humans. Additionally, it will sketch how the impacts can be reduced by plants.

Góry — dom dla zwierząt czy schronisko dla ludzi?

When thinking about nature, it is impossible to overlook fauna, which contributes to its constant transformation, mainly through the development of new species. The author of the article sheds light on the current situation of animals living e.g. in national parks, focusing on pro-environmental activities on social media and non-virtual media, and on destructive human behaviour. The growing tourism- and economy-related infrastructurisation of the mountains as well as their increasingly frequent exploration by humans force animals to change their familiar habitats. Owing to the animals’ natural territorialism as well as instinctive fight for species survival, in the case of stronger specimens we often see altruistic actions to protect the group under threat. The interference of humans with the natural environment forces animals to acquire social behaviours which are a consequence of a long adaptation process. The author of the article also examines selected aspects of ethology, that is study of inherited and acquired animal behaviour. However, the appropriation of the mountains by humans and their adaptation to human needs are characterised by a relatively high awareness of the impact on animal life, a fact reflected in numerous ecological and faunistic campaigns seeking to protect natural habitats and their indigenous residents. The article also features an analysis of campaigns and projects that are to make people sensitive to the fact that they are guests at a home of species other than the human species.

Agriculture and Biodiversity in Latin America in Historical Perspective

Latin America is thought to be the world’s most biodiverse region, but as in the rest of the world, the number of species and the size of their populations is generally in sharp decline. Most experts consider agriculture to be the most important cause of biodiversity decline. At one extreme of policy argument regarding biodiversity conservation are those who argue that the only path to species protection is the establishment of many more and larger “protected areas” in which human activities will be severely restricted. On the remaining land agriculture will be carried out largely with the presently prevailing methods of “industrial agriculture,” including heavy reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, heavy machine use, large-scale irrigation schemes, limited crop diversity, and crops genetically engineered to maximize returns from these tools and techniques. Those who argue for these policies largely accept that industrial agriculture of this sort is severely hostile to biodiversity, but argue that the high productivity of such methods makes it possible to limit agriculture to a relatively small land base, leaving the rest for protected areas and other human activities. On the other side of the argument are those who argue that agricultural techniques are either available or can be created to make agricultural areas more favorable to species survival. They argue that even with a desirable expansion of protected areas, such reserves cannot successfully maintain high biodiversity levels if protected reserves are not complemented by an agriculture more friendly to species survival and migration. The policy arguments on these issues are of major human and biological importance. They are also very complex and depend on theoretical perspectives and data that do not provide definitive guidance. One way to enrich the debate is to develop a specifically historical perspective that illuminates the relationship between human actions and species diversity. In Latin America, humans have been modifying landscapes and species composition of landscapes for thousands of years. Even in areas of presently low human population density and extraordinarily high species diversity, such as remaining tropical rainforests, humans may have been active in shaping species composition for millennia. After 1492, human population levels in Latin America plummeted with the introduction of Old-World diseases. It is often assumed that this led to a blossoming of species diversity, but the historical evidence from 1492 to the present strongly suggests the combination of European technologies and the integration of agriculture into world markets meant more damaging use of soils, widespread deforestation, and subsequent decline in species numbers. The exploitation and consequent despoliation of Latin American resources were integral to colonialism and intensified later by national governments focused on rapid economic growth. High species diversity remained in areas that were too difficult to exploit and/or were used by indigenous populations or smallholders whose production techniques were often favorable to species survival. Many of these techniques provide clues for how agriculture might be reshaped to be more friendly both to biodiversity and social equity.

Mice cohabiting with familiar conspecific in chronic stress condition exhibit methamphetamine-induced locomotor sensitization and augmented consolation behavior.

Recognize and share emotions are essential for species survival, but in some cases, living with a conspecific in distress condition may induce negative emotional states through empathy-like processes. Studies have reported that stressors promote psychiatric disorders in both, who suffers directly and who witness these aversive episodes, principally whether social proximity is involved. However, the mechanisms underlying the harmful outcomes of emotional contagion needs more studies, mainly in the drug addiction-related behaviors. Here, we investigated the relevance of familiarity and the effects of cohabitation with a partner submitted to chronic stress in the anxiety-like, locomotor sensitization and consolation behaviors. Male swiss mice were housed in pairs during different periods to test the establishment of familiarity and the stress-induced anxiety behavior in the elevated plus maze. Another cohort was housed with a conspecific subjected to repeated restraint stress (1h/day) for 14 days. During chronic restraint the allogrooming was measured and after the stress period mice were tested in the open field for evaluation of anxiety and locomotor cross-sensitization induced by methamphetamine. We found that familiarity was established after 14 days of cohabitation and the anxiogenic behavior appeared after 14 days of stress. Repeated restraint stress also increased anxiety in the open field test and induced locomotor cross-sensitization in the stressed mice and their cagemates. Cagemates also exhibited increase in consolation behavior after stress sessions when compared to control mice. These results indicate that changes in drug abuse-related, consolation and affective behaviors may be precipitate through emotional contagion in familiar conspecifics.

Competition alters species’ plastic and genetic response to environmental change

Species react to environmental change via plastic and evolutionary responses. While both of them determine species’ survival, most studies quantify these responses individually. As species occur in communities, competing species may further influence their respective response to environmental change. Yet, how environmental change and competing species combined shape plastic and genetic responses to environmental change remains unclear. Quantifying how competition alters plastic and genetic responses of species to environmental change requires a trait-based, community and evolutionary ecological approach. We exposed unicellular aquatic organisms to long-term selection of increasing salinity—representing a common and relevant environmental change. We assessed plastic and genetic contributions to phenotypic change in biomass, cell shape, and dispersal ability along increasing levels of salinity in the presence and absence of competition. Trait changes in response to salinity were mainly due to mean trait evolution, and differed whether species evolved in the presence or absence of competition. Our results show that species’ evolutionary and plastic responses to environmental change depended both on competition and the magnitude of environmental change, ultimately determining species persistence. Our results suggest that understanding plastic and genetic responses to environmental change within a community will improve predictions of species’ persistence to environmental change.

MycoNews 2021: President’s message, IMA statutes, news, reports, awards, personalia, and book news

This third annual edition of MycoNews starts with a message from IMA President Wieland Meyer regarding the adoption of new statutes for the IMA, the postponement of IMC12 to 2024, and announcing Marc Stadler as President-elect. The new statutes are included in full. News is provided on the launch of a World Fungus Day, acceptance of the term Funga as an equivalent to Fauna and Flora by the IUCN Species Survival Commission, new arrangements and dates for IMC12 now to be held in Maastricht in July 2024, and revised arrangements for the publication of proposals to change any rules governing the nomenclature of fungi. Reports are provided for IAL9, the symposium of the International Association for Lichenology in Brazil mainly conducted virtually, MycoRise Up! in Poland, and the centenary of the German Mycological Society (DGFM). Birthday greetings from IMA go to David Farr, Marie-Agnés Letrouit-Galinou, Maria Olech, Angela Restrepo, Carol Shearer, James Trappe, and Shun-ichi Udagawa. Tributes are also paid to the passing of the distinguished mycologists Heinz Butin, Karl Esser, Grégoire Hennebert, Jack Rogers, Kálman Vánky, and Bodo Wanke. The contribution concludes with news of seven new mycological books published in 2020–2021, and another forthcoming in 2022.

Dynamics of the global trade Asiatic Softshell Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea Boddaert 1770): Shifting trends in commerce and consequences for sustainability

Biodiverse countries such as Indonesia provide the exotic Asiatic Softshell Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea Boddaert 1770) for the wildlife trade. Deciding which trade model is detrimental to species survival in the wild can be a major challenge for Management Authorities (MA) in implementing CITES. The consequences for conservation, long-term use, and livelihoods are uncertain. The study used the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) trade database. The collection of raw data is based on trade reports for the species of freshwater turtles (testudinidae) for the period 2011 to 2021, export countries from Indonesia, export destinations for all countries and sources of harvested turtles from the wild. This research aims to study the freshwater turtle trading trends over the decade, compare total quotas to actual harvest, and recognize how the precautionary principle is applied in harvesting A. cartilaginea. Harvesting and trading are following the quota regulated under the Indonesian government. However, conservation efforts were less emphasized, so it is feared that there will be a population decline and even extinction in the future, while the population in the wild cannot be ascertained. The larger the harvest quota set and the shorter the harvest period, the larger the natural population that must be available.