The Effectiveness of Soil Extracts from Selangor Peat Swamp and Pristine Forest Soils on the Growth of Green Microalgae sp.

Microalgae are widely utilized in commercial industries. The addition of a modified artificial medium (soil extract) could enhance their growth. Soil extract collected from the Raja Musa peat swamp and mineral soil from the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve (AHFR), Selangor, Malaysia, were treated using various extraction methods. Carteria radiosa PHG2-A01, Neochloris conjuncta, and Nephrochlamys subsolitaria were grown in microplates at 25 °C, light intensity 33.75 µmol photons m−2s−1 for 9 days. N. conjuncta dominated the growth in 121 °C twice extraction method AFHR samples, with 47.17% increment. The highest concentrations of ammonia and nitrate were detected in the medium with soil extract treated with 121 °C twice extraction method, yielding the concentrations of 2 mg NL−1 and 35 mg NL−1 for ammonia and nitrate of RM soil and 2 mg NL−1 and 2.85 mg NL−1 for the AH soil. These extracts are proved successful as a microalgal growth stimulant, increasing revenue and the need for enriched medium. The high rate of nutrient recovery has the potential to serve as a growth promoter for microalgae.

Recent Trends in Greenhouse Gases Levels in the Soils of the Coconino National Forest

We have taken near-surface soil measurements of the gases CO2 , CH4 , H2 O and isoprene in several regions of the Coconino National Forest, Arizona, USA. Sets of measurements were taken both prior to the start of the seasonal monsoon season, in addition to while the monsoon season was underway. We have also compared the current monsoon season readings with readings taken at the same locations four years prior. For CO2, the relative level in the pristine forest soil is just under 3.7 percent lower than that measured in 2017, while the CO2 relative levels for the thinned and logged sites are lower by 13.5 and 5.4 percent, respectively. Even accounting for small increases in forest vegetation, these lower readings appear to be correlated to lower overall soil H2 O concentrations. The pristine CH4 relative concentration in 2021 is 9.6% higher and the thinned CH4 level is 19% higher. For the logged region, the measured methane level is over 70% lower than in 2017, but still approximately triple the methane level as seen in the other forest areas. We conclude that this result also may also be correlated to lower measured H2 O levels in the soils.

The Influence of Habitat on Viral Diversity in Neotropical Rodent Hosts

Rodents are important reservoirs of numerous viruses, some of which have significant impacts on public health. Ecosystem disturbances and decreased host species richness have been associated with the emergence of zoonotic diseases. In this study, we aimed at (a) characterizing the viral diversity in seven neotropical rodent species living in four types of habitats and (b) exploring how the extent of environmental disturbance influences this diversity. Through a metagenomic approach, we identified 77,767 viral sequences from spleen, kidney, and serum samples. These viral sequences were attributed to 27 viral families known to infect vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and amoeba. Viral diversities were greater in pristine habitats compared with disturbed ones, and lowest in peri-urban areas. High viral richness was observed in savannah areas. Differences in these diversities were explained by rare viruses that were generally more frequent in pristine forest and savannah habitats. Moreover, changes in the ecology and behavior of rodent hosts, in a given habitat, such as modifications to the diet in disturbed vs. pristine forests, are major determinants of viral composition. Lastly, the phylogenetic relationships of four vertebrate-related viral families (Polyomaviridae, Flaviviridae, Togaviridae, and Phenuiviridae) highlighted the wide diversity of these viral families, and in some cases, a potential risk of transmission to humans. All these findings provide significant insights into the diversity of rodent viruses in Amazonia, and emphasize that habitats and the host’s dietary ecology may drive viral diversity. Linking viral richness and abundance to the ecology of their hosts and their responses to habitat disturbance could be the starting point for a better understanding of viral emergence and for future management of ecosystems.

Balanço de radiação, energia e fechamento do balanço em uma floresta prístina na Amazônia oriental.

A Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, localizada no Estado do Pará, ocupa uma área de 324.060 ha, próxima da baía de Caxiuanã, entre os rios Xingu e Amazonas e compreende aproximadamente 70% do município de Portel e 30% do município de Melgaço. O fluxo de energia foi obtido pelo sistema “Eddy Covariance” localizado a 54 metros de altura. Nota-se uma redução de 10,93% comparando os anos de 2015 (2108,1 mm) e 2016 (2367,8 mm), tendo em vista que a redução da precipitação em determinados sítios é uma consequência das mudanças no balanço de energia e água. O albedo médio do dossel na Flona Caxiuanã foi de 8,5% para ambos os anos avaliados. O fechamento do balanço de energia durante o ano de 2015 e 2016 foi da ordem de 74,83% e 69%, valor este abaixo do que é considerado satisfatório (entre 80 e 90%) como encontrado na literatura. A inclusão do termo (S) na equação melhora substancialmente o fechamento do balanço, principalmente para áreas de florestas primárias devido a quantidade de biomassa. Visando a melhora do fechamento, o fluxo de calor latente foi descartado e então estimado como o resíduo da equação Rn – H – G – S, obtendo um fechamento da ordem de 92,05 e 97,26% para 2015 e 2016.Palavras chave: Eddy covariância, balanço de energia, Caxiuanã, fluxo. Balance of radiation, energy and balance closure in a pristine forest in the eastern Amazon A B S T R A C TThe Caxiuanã National Forest, located in the State of Pará, occupies an area of 324,060 ha, close to Caxiuanã Bay, between the Xingu and Amazonas rivers and comprises approximately 70% of the municipality of Portel and 30% of the municipality of Melgaço. The energy flow was obtained by the “Eddy Covariance” system located 54 meters high. A reduction of 10.93% can be seen comparing the years 2015 (2108.1 mm) and 2016 (2367.8 mm), considering that the reduction of precipitation in certain sites is a consequence of changes in the energy balance and water. The average canopy albedo in Flona Caxiuanã was 8.5% for both years evaluated. The closing of the energy balance during the years 2015 and 2016 was of the order of 74.83% and 69%, a value below what is considered satisfactory (between 80 and 90%) as found in the literature. The inclusion of the term (S) in the equation substantially improves the balance sheet closing, mainly for primary forest areas due to the amount of biomass. In order to improve the closure, the latent heat flow was discarded and then estimated as the residue of the Rn - H - G - S equation, obtaining a closure of the order of 92.05 and 97.26% for 2015 and 2016.Key words: Eddy covariance, energy balance, Caxiuanã, flow.

How Joannites’ economy eradicated primeval forest and created anthroecosystems in medieval Central Europe

During European states’ development, various past societies utilized natural resources, but their impact was not uniformly spatially and temporally distributed. Considerable changes resulted in landscape fragmentation, especially during the Middle Ages. Changes in state advances that affected the local economy significantly drove trajectories of ecosystems’ development. The legacy of major changes from pristine forest to farming is visible in natural archives as novel ecosystems. Here, we present a high-resolution densely dated multi-proxy study covering the last 1500 years from a peatland located in CE Europe. The economic activity of medieval societies was highly modified by new rulers—the Joannites (the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller). We studied the record of these directorial changes noted in the peat profile. Our research revealed a rapid critical land-use transition in the late Middle Ages and its consequences on the peatland ecosystem. The shift from the virgin forest with regular local fires to agriculture correlates well with the raising of local economy and deforestations. Along with the emerging openness, the wetland switched from alkaline wet fen state to acidic, drier Sphagnum-dominated peatland. Our data show how closely the ecological state of wetlands relates to forest microclimate. We identified a significant impact of the Joannites who used the novel farming organization. Our results revealed the surprisingly fast rate of how feudal economy eliminated pristine nature from the studied area and created novel anthroecosystems.

Forest Matrix Fosters High Similarity in Bee Composition Occurring on Isolated Outcrops Within Amazon Biome

Most studies analyze fragmentation due to habitat loss caused by anthropogenic activities and few of them analyzed fragmentation on naturally fragmented areas. In the Eastern Amazon, it is possible to find areas naturally open and surrounded by pristine forest. Understanding how species respond to isolation in these areas is an important challenge for decision-making processes aiming conservation and restoration. Using standardized methods of bee collection (entomological nets, bait trap, pan trap, and nest trap), the objective of this study was to analyze the composition and diversity of bees occurring on six isolated outcrops located in two protected areas within Amazon biome. More specifically, we tested 1) if the dissimilarity in bee species composition is explained by the isolation of outcrops and 2) if bee richness, abundance, and Shannon diversity can be explained by the outcrop size. We found 118 species, with the Meliponini and Euglossini (Hymenoptera: Apidae) tribes representing the highest number of species. The similarity in species composition across all outcrops is high and is not explained by the isolation. In addition, the richness, abundance, and Shannon diversity are not explained by outcrop size. Forest does not seem to be a barrier to bee movement, and although most species probably nest in the forests, they use the highly diverse plants of the outcrops as a complementary food source.

New species of Culex (Culiciomyia) (Diptera: Culicidae) from Talangaye Forest in Cameroon and descriptions and identification keys for males of the Afrotropical species of the subgenus

Species of Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) belonging to the subgenus Culiciomyia were collected in partially logged areas and in surrounding pristine forest (Talangaye Forest) in the Nguti Subdivision in the South-West Region of Cameroon. Mosquitoes were collected mainly by sweep netting through forest floor vegetation. Morphological species identification of African Culiciomyia relies almost exclusively on the structure of the male genitalia and the shapes of comb scales on the maxillary palpi of males. Other features of males and the habitus of females are largely indistinguishable between the species of this subgenus. In total, seven currently described species and three new species were collected in the forest. The males of the three new species are described and named as Culex apicopilosus Cornel & Mayi, sp. n., Culex lanzaroi Cornel & Mayi, sp. n. and Culex pseudosubaequalis Cornel & Mayi, sp. n. More detailed descriptions of males of the other currently known species that were collected in the Talangaye Forest and pictorial keys to the males of all Afrotropical species of Culiciomyia, including the new species, are provided.

Variation in species richness, composition and herpetological community structure across a tropical habitat gradient of Palawan Island, Philippines

Information on species richness and community structure is invaluable for guiding conservation and management of biodiversity, but is rarely available in the megadiverse biodiversity conservation hotspot of Philippines – particularly for amphibians and reptiles. This study provides the first report and characterisation of amphibians and reptile communities across primary habitat types of the Victoria-Anepahan Mountain Range on Palawan Island along the western edge of the archipelago. A total of 41 amphibian and reptile species were recorded throughout our sampling sites (n = 27 species) or in targeted habitat searches (14 species). A species richness estimator predicted that 35 species may be present in our sampling sites, suggesting that a significant proportion of secretive species may continue to be unrecorded, especially for reptiles. Higher species richness was found in secondary growth than in mixed-use agricultural areas or even pristine forest. The low species richness recorded from pristine forest types may be due to these forests now being restricted to higher elevations where species diversity has been documented to decrease. Our results also show that complex community structures (species assemblages) are to be equally expected in both secondary growth and pristine forests. Together, our results show how species richness and community assemblages may vary across habitats, highlighting that old growth forest does not always support higher species richness, particularly in high elevations.

Changing pollinator communities along a disturbance gradient in the Sundarbans mangrove forest: a case study on Acanthus ilicifolius and Avicennia officinalis

The Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site has been facing an increasing pressure of habitat destruction. Yet, no study has been conducted to test how human disturbances are affecting plant-pollinator interactions in this unique ecosystem. Hence, we aimed to provide the first insight of the impact of habitat loss and human disturbances on the pollinator communities in the Sundarbans. We selected 12 sites in the North-Western region of the Sundarbans, along a gradient of decreasing habitat loss and human activities from forest fragments near human settlements to continuous pristine forest, where we studied insect pollinators of two mangrove plant species, Acanthus ilicifolius and Avicennia officinalis. Our results show that different pollinator groups responded to the disturbance gradient differently. For example, the abundance of Apis dorsata, one of the three local species of honey bees, increased gradually from the village area towards the deep pristine forest. On the other hand, A. cerana and A. florea were found in the village sites and completely absent in the deep forest. Although pollinator community composition changed along the disturbance gradient, their efficacy in pollination did not seem to be significantly affected. However, lower plant diversity and low understory plant cover in the forest patches nearby the village indicated that human disturbances not only affected pollinator community composition but also played a major negative role in the regeneration of the forest. Our study provides first insights into plant-pollinator interactions in the Sundarbans and demonstrates that more research is needed to inform conservation of this unique habitat.