Ecological and environmental factors affecting transmission of sylvatic yellow fever in the 2017–2019 outbreak in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Background Yellow fever virus (YFV) is an arbovirus that, despite the existence of a safe and effective vaccine, continues to cause outbreaks of varying dimensions in the Americas and Africa. Between 2017 and 2019, Brazil registered un unprecedented sylvatic YFV outbreak whose severity was the result of its spread into zones of the Atlantic Forest with no signals of viral circulation for nearly 80 years. Methods To investigate the influence of climatic, environmental, and ecological factors governing the dispersion and force of infection of YFV in a naïve area such as the landscape mosaic of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), we combined the analyses of a large set of data including entomological sampling performed before and during the 2017–2019 outbreak, with the geolocation of human and nonhuman primates (NHP) and mosquito infections. Results A greater abundance of Haemagogus mosquitoes combined with lower richness and diversity of mosquito fauna increased the probability of finding a YFV-infected mosquito. Furthermore, the analysis of functional traits showed that certain functional groups, composed mainly of Aedini mosquitoes which includes Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes, are also more representative in areas where infected mosquitoes were found. Human and NHP infections were more common in two types of landscapes: large and continuous forest, capable of harboring many YFV hosts, and patches of small forest fragments, where environmental imbalance can lead to a greater density of the primary vectors and high human exposure. In both, we show that most human infections (~ 62%) occurred within an 11-km radius of the finding of an infected NHP, which is in line with the flight range of the primary vectors. Conclusions Together, our data suggest that entomological data and landscape composition analyses may help to predict areas permissive to yellow fever outbreaks, allowing protective measures to be taken to avoid human cases. Graphical Abstract

Landscape Diversity and the Directions of Its Protection in Poland Illustrated with an Example of Wielkopolskie Voivodeship

As part of the implementation of the provisions of the European Landscape Convention, a landscape audit of the provinces has been underway in Poland for a few years. The main objectives of the audit are the delimitation of landscape units, assessment of their values, and identification of the priority of landscapes to be protected. This study presents the results of research on the landscape division of the Wielkopolskie voivodeship and a geostatistical analysis of the differentiation of ecological units. With reference to legal regulations in force in Poland, the landscape diversity of the province was characterized using two divisions: geophysical regionalization and landscape typology. In the case of regional division, the meso- and microregions of physical and geographical rank are referenced. The proposed microregional division is the first example in Poland of such a detailed landscape analysis completed for the area of the voivodeship. In the case of typological division, the study conducted in cooperation with the Wielkopolska Bureau of Spatial Planning in Poznań was used. The statistical analysis included metrics to quantitatively characterize landscape composition, including the landscape division index (DIVISION), Shannon’s diversity index (SHDI), and Simpson’s diversity index (SIDI). The results of the study were then compared with the distribution of areas associated with different forms of landscape protection such as national parks, landscape parks, and protected landscape areas. The applied methodology and the results obtained indicate the important role of physical and geographical microregions in the complex analyses of landscape diversity and their broad application in procedures connected with landscape planning and environmental protection.

The Spatiotemporal Implications of Urbanization for Urban Heat Islands in Beijing: A Predictive Approach Based on CA–Markov Modeling (2004–2050)

The rapid increase in infrastructural development in populated areas has had numerous adverse impacts. The rise in land surface temperature (LST) and its associated damage to urban ecological systems result from urban development. Understanding the current and future LST phenomenon and its relationship to landscape composition and land use/cover (LUC) changes is critical to developing policies to mitigate the disastrous impacts of urban heat islands (UHIs) on urban ecosystems. Using remote sensing and GIS data, this study assessed the multi-scale relationship of LUCC and LST of the cosmopolitan exponentially growing area of Beijing, China. We investigated the impacts of LUC on LST in urban agglomeration for a time series (2004–2019) of Landsat data using Classification and Regression Trees (CART) and a single channel algorithm (SCA), respectively. We built a CA–Markov model to forecast future (2025 and 2050) LUCC and LST spatial patterns. Our results indicate that the cumulative changes in an urban area (UA) increased by about 908.15 km2 (5%), and 11% of vegetation area (VA) decreased from 2004 to 2019. The correlation coefficient of LUCC including vegetation, water bodies, and built-up areas with LST had values of r = −0.155 (p > 0.419), −0.809 (p = 0.000), and 0.526 (p = 0.003), respectively. The results surrounding future forecasts revealed an estimated 2309.55 km2 (14%) decrease in vegetation (urban and forest), while an expansion of 1194.78 km2 (8%) was predicted for a built-up area from 2019 to 2050. This decrease in vegetation cover and expansion of settlements would likely cause a rise of about ~5.74 °C to ~9.66 °C in temperature. These findings strongly support the hypothesis that LST is directly related to the vegetation index. In conclusion, the estimated overall increase of 7.5 °C in LST was predicted from 2019–2050, which is alarming for the urban community’s environmental health. The present results provide insight into sustainable environmental development through effective urban planning of Beijing and other urban hotspots.

A quantitative paleoclimatic reconstruction of the non-analogue environment of oxygen isotope stage 3: new data from small mammal records of southwestern Germany

Ensuring comparability between results is a key goal of all paleoecological reconstructions. Quantitative estimates of meteorological variables, as opposed to relative qualitative descriptions, provide the opportunity to compare local paleoenvironmental records against global estimates and incrementally build regional paleoclimatic records. The Bioclimatic Method provides quantitative and qualitative estimates of past landscape composition and climate along with measures of statistical accuracy by applying linear discriminant functions analysis and transfer functions to faunal taxonomic abundance data. By applying this method to the rodent data from Geißenklösterle and Hohle Fels, two Paleolithic cave sites located in the Ach Valley of southwestern Germany, we classify the regional vegetation according to Walters’ zonobiome model. We also present new estimates of meteorological variables including mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and vegetative activity period of the Ach Valley for the period spanning ~ 60,000 to 35,000 cal BP. The results suggest the Ach Valley contained a non-analogous landscape of arctic tundra and temperate deciduous woodland with occasional arid steppe expansion. Meteorological estimates suggest the climate was significantly colder during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic than today, with higher annual precipitation and dramatic temperature shifts between seasons. These results fit well with climatic reconstructions from Switzerland and the Netherlands based on a variety of proxies. They also provide further evidence of a localized climatic response within southwestern Germany to the stadial-interstadial shifts preceding the Heinrich 4 event. Finally, these results reinforce our previous claims that climatic volatility was not a driving force in the loss of Neanderthal groups throughout the Swabian Jura during OIS 3.

Soil Mixtures As An Element That Increases The Immunity Of Meadow Bluegrass To The Causative Agent Of Root Diseases Of Fusarium Etiology

The article considers the possibilities of using compiled soil samples in the cultivation of meadow Bluegrass with the compilation of load indicators in the form of root diseases of fusarium etiology. The considered preference for this culture is due to the component part of the lawn mixture, where, according to its characteristics, it plays an important role in the formation of a stable landscape composition in the form of a “podpushka”.