A new case of trombiculiasis caused by Eutrombicula daemoni Bassini-Silva & Jacinavicius, 2018 (Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae) in a dog from Brazil

Chiggers are ectoparasites and can cause severe dermatitis in their hosts, known as trombiculiasis. Besides that, these mites can be vectors of bacteria of the genus Orientia, in various regions of the world. The genera Eutrombicula Ewing, 1938 is currently represented by more than 80 species worldwide. Species of this genus are recorded parasitizing reptiles, birds, and mammals. One of this species, Eutrombicula daemoni Bassini-Silva & Jacinavicius, 2018 was recently described causing trombiculiasis in a dog. Our goal is to report a new case of a dog’s trombiculiasis, including a new locality record for E. daemoni in Brazil. In May 2021, a female Shih-Tzu dog with three years old and with access to the forest of the Santa Tereza municipality, southeastern Brazil, sought veterinary medical attention for intense itching and erythema in the facial region. Mites were collected directly from the face of the dog. These materials were slide-mounted and deposited in the Acarological Collection of the Butantan Institute (IBSP). The material extracted from the dog was examined and identified as E. daemoni. Part of the fixation site tissue of the dog was collected, showing the feeding tube produced by the enzymatic reaction of saliva by the mite, known as a stylostome. In this report, we emphasize the occurrence of trombiculiasis in domestic animals that have access to forest regions, places that unfed chigger larvae live. Additionally, this record represents a new locality record for E. daemoni to the Espírito Santo State, Brazil.

Comparative Chloroplast Genome Analyses of the Winter-Blooming Eastern Asian Endemic Genus Chimonanthus (Calycanthaceae) With Implications For Its Phylogeny and Diversification

Chimonanthus of Calycanthaceae is a small endemic genus in China, with unusual winter-blooming sweet flowers widely cultivated for ornamentals and medicinal uses. The evolution of Chimonanthus plastomes and its phylogenetic relationships remain unresolved due to limited availability of genetic resources. Here, we report fully assembled and annotated chloroplast genomes of five Chimonanthus species. The chloroplast genomes of the genus (size range 153,010 – 153,299 bp) reveal high similarities in gene content, gene order, GC content, codon usage, amino acid frequency, simple sequence repeats, oligonucleotide repeats, synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions, and transition and transversion substitutions. Signatures of positive selection are detected in atpF and rpoB genes in C. campanulatus. The correlations among substitutions, InDels, and oligonucleotide repeats reveal weak to strong correlations in distantly related species at the intergeneric levels, and very weak to weak correlations among closely related Chimonanthus species. Chloroplast genomes are used to reconstruct a well-resolved phylogenetic tree, which supports the monophyly of Chimonanthus. Within Chimonanthus, C. praecox and C. campanulatus form one clade, while C. grammatus, C. salicifolius, C. zhejiangensis, and C. nitens constitute another clade. Chimonanthus nitens appears paraphyletic and is closely related to C. salicifolius and C. zhejiangensis, suggesting the need to reevaluate the species delimitation of C. nitens. Chimonanthus and Calycanthus diverged in mid-Oligocene; the radiation of extant Chimonanthus species was dated to the mid-Miocene, while C. grammatus diverged from other Chimonanthus species in the late Miocene. C. salicifolius, C. nitens(a), and C. zhejiangensis are inferred to have diverged in the Pleistocene of the Quaternary period, suggesting recent speciation of a relict lineage in the subtropical forest regions in eastern China. This study provides important insights into the chloroplast genome features and evolutionary history of Chimonanthus and family Calycanthaceae.

Conservation of Biodiversity and Protection of Forest and Water Resources: a Strategy for Boreal Zone

The article introduces a new system of boreal forest management that aims at preserving the biodiversity, resources, and ecological potential. The research results can help to develop regional strategies for large forest regions that experience significant man-made impact. Antropogenic factors destroy the resource potential of forests, as well as their biological diversity, not to mention the hydrological regime of rivers. The paper features various measures that make it possible to avoid risks and ensure sustainable long-term use of forests.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE CHOICE OF THE PROCESSOR FOUR FUEL WOOD MODEL FOR DIFFERENT FOREST REGIONS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

В реалиях XXI века дрова являются конкурентоспособным топливом, не уступающим по теплоте сгорания торфу, сланцам, а по некоторым другим свойствам, таким как зольность, содержание серы и др., древесина является лучшим из всех видов твердого топлива. В последние годы наблюдается увеличение спроса на короткомерные колотые дрова на внутреннем рынке России. кроме того, данный вид лесной продукции становится экспортным товаром. В работе представлены результаты исследования распределения дров по ступеням толщины в зависимости от среднего объёма хлыста. В Российской Феде- рации это тонкомерные до 0,3 м3 древостои средней крупности 0,3–0,7 м3, толстомерные древостои свыше 0,7 м3. были рассчитаны проценты распределения дровяной древесины по толщинам в зависимости от среднего объёма хлыста. В древостоях различной крупномерности распределение дров по группам диаметров значительно отличается. Рассмотрена зависимость толщины древостоя от места его произрастания. На предприятиях Российской Федерации широко применяются финские процессоры марки PALAPOWER и словенские процессоры марки RCA, также используются отечественные процессоры марки ДРС. Результаты исследования имеют практическое значение и могут быть использованы для выбора моделей процессоров в различных лесозаготовительных регионах Российской Федерации. кроме того, эти данные можно применять в расчёте производительности работ по производству дров. Firewood is a competitive fuel in the realities of the XXI century, not inferior in terms of heat of combustion to peat, shale, and in some other properties, such as ash content, sulfur content, etc., wood is the best of all types of solid fuel. In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for short-sized chopped firewood in the domestic market of Russia. In addition, this type of forest products becomes an export commodity. The paper presents the results of a study of the distribution of firewood by thickness steps depending on the average volume of the whip. In the Russian Federation, these are thin-dimensional stands of up to 0,3 m3, medium – sized stands of 0,3–0,7 m3, thick-dimensional stands of over 0,7 m3. The percentages of the distribution of woodwood by thickness were calculated depending on the average volume of the whip. In stands of various sizes, the distribution of firewood by diameter groups differs significantly. The dependence of the thickness of the stand on the place of its growth is considered. Processors of various brands that differ in the parameter of processing raw materials are studied. Finnish processors of the PALAPOWER brand and Slovenian processors of the RCA brand are widely used at enterprises of the Russian Federation, domestic processors of the DRS brand are also used. The results of the study are of practical importance and can be used to select processor models in various logging regions of the Russian Federation. In addition, these data can be used to calculate the productivity of work on the production of firewood.

Detecting Forest Fire Area using Landsat Images: A Case Study of Manang District, Nepal

Background: Wildfires are on the rise for various reasons, including hunting, the growth of new plants, and the encroachment of forest regions, particularly in developing countries. As a result, it will lose its environment, property, wildlife, and human life. Methods: It generates a burn severity map that can estimate the extent of wildfire damage. The nine bands and vegetation indices are derived using Google Earth Engine (GEE) and the Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) platform from Landsat 8 satellite imagery. The Manang district employs wavelengths near-infrared (NIR) and shortwave-infrared (SWIR) to determine burnt patches and burn severity. Results: According to the evaluation, 26 percent of forest fires have moderate, low, high, and higher severity; however, 30 percent of unburned and low-severity fires receive a severity rating of 37 percent. Thus, it shows a considerable rise in wildfires in the Manang area. Conclusion: In general, it has been a novel technique for recognizing wildfire hotspots and mapping their intensity in higher elevations that takes fewer resources and time. Such necessary data assists vital stakeholders, communities, and decision-makers in making well-informed decisions.

Opposite Tree-Tree Interactions Jointly Drive the Natural Fir Treeline Population on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

The long-term stability of alpine treeline positions and increased stem density are frequently reported by recent studies; however, whether a denser treeline forest is relevant to competitive tree–tree interactions remain unclear. Herein, we mapped and surveyed individual trees in two undisturbed Smith fir (Abies georgei var. smithii) treeline plots (with a size: 30 m × 200 m; plot NE1: 4477 m, NE2: 4451 m) near Ranwu Lake (RW) on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The surface pattern method and spatial point pattern analysis were used to detect the spatial distribution patterns of three size classes (seedlings, juveniles, adults) and spatial associations between the pairwise size classes. We also compared our results to the spatial patterns of the five other treeline forests (Deqin, Linzhi, Changdu, Yushu, Aba) reported from the Tibetan Plateau. Young trees dominated the two fir treeline plots. Both positive and negative spatial autocorrelations for all of the trees were detected in two study plots. Intraspecific facilitation and competition coexisted at the fir treelines in three forest regions (RW, Linzhi, Aba) characterized by a mild moist climate, whereas intraspecific facilitation dominated the other three forest regions (Changdu, Deqin, Yushu), which featured seasonal climatic stress or high disturbance pressure. Thus, increased stem density at alpine treeline can be linked to competitive interactions in relatively favorable environmental conditions. Overall, the spatial patterns of the treeline population are mainly shaped by the combination of thermal and moisture conditions and are also modulated by non-climatic variables (e.g., disturbance history and microtopography).

Frequent new particle formation at remote sites in the temperate/boreal forest of North America

The frequency and intensity of new particle formation (NPF) over remote forest regions in the temperate and boreal zones, and thus the importance of NPF for the aerosol budget and life cycle in the pristine atmosphere, remains controversial. Whereas NPF has been shown to occur relatively frequently at several sites in Scandinavia, it was found to be nearly absent at a mid-continental site in Siberia. To explore this issue further, we made measurements of aerosol size distributions between 10 and 420 nm diameter at two remote sites in the transition region between temperate and boreal forest in British Columbia, Canada. The measurements covered 23 days during the month of June 2019, at the time when NPF typically reaches its seasonal maximum in remote mid-latitude regions. These are the first such measurements in a near-pristine region on the North American continent. Although the sites were only 150 km apart, there were dramatic differences in NPF frequency and intensity between them. At the Eagle Lake site, NPF occurred daily and nucleation mode particle concentrations reached above 5000 cm−3. In contrast, at the Nazko River site, there were only 6 NPF events in 11 days and nucleation mode particle concentrations reached only about 800 cm−3. The reasons for this difference could not be conclusively resolved with the available data; they may include airmass origins, pre-existing aerosols, and the density and type of forest cover in the surrounding regions. Our results suggest that measurement campaigns in the remote forest regions of North America to investigate the role of NPF with a more comprehensive set of instrumentation are essential for a deeper scientific understanding of this important process.

The problems of land and property relations in forest regions of the Republic of Buryatia

The article discusses the problems in the formation of land and property relations in forest areas of the Republic of Buryatia.