Study on the Potential Distribution of Leptinotarsa decemlineata and Its Natural Enemy Picromerus bidens Under Climate Change

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB), scientifically known as Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is a destructive quarantine pest that has invaded more than 40 countries and regions worldwide. It causes a 20–100% reduction in plant production, leading to severe economic losses. Picromerus bidens L. is a predatory insect that preys on CPB. This study used the MaxEnt model to predict the current and future potential distribution areas of CPB and P. bidens under different climatic scenarios to determine the possibility of using P. bidens as a natural enemy to control CPB. The possible introduction routes of CPB and P. bidens were subsequently predicted by combining their potential distribution with the current distribution of airports and ports. Notably, the potential distribution area of P. bidens was similar to that of CPB, suggesting that P. bidens could be used as a natural enemy to control CPB. Future changes in the suitable growth areas of CPB under different climate scenarios increased and decreased but were insignificant, while those of P. bidens decreased. Consequently, a reduction of the suitable habitats of P. bidens may cause a decrease in its population density, leading to a lack of adequate and timely prevention and control of invasive pests. Active measures should thus be enacted to minimize global warming and protect biodiversity. This study provides a theoretical basis and data support for early warning, monitoring, and control of the CPB spread.

Traditional Agricultural Management of Kam Sweet Rice (Oryza Sativa L.)in Southeast Guizhou Province, China

Background: The Dong people mainly live in Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou provinces, China, with a long history of glutinous rice cultivation, among which Kam Sweet Rice (KSR) is a group of rice landraces that has been domesticated for thousands of years by the Dong people. The core distribution area of KSR is Liping, Congjiang and Rongjiang County of southeast, Guizhou Province. Paddy fields, forests, livestock and cottages have formed a special artificial wetland ecosystem in local area, and the Dong people have also formed a set of traditional farming systems of KSR for variety breeding, field management, and soil and water conservation. However, this traditional agricultural management has not been reported at multiple levels based on landraces, species and ecosystems.Methods: Fieldwork was conducted in ten villages in southeast Guizhou from 2019-2021. A total of 229 informants were interviewed from the villages. Semi-structured and key informant interviews were administered to collect ethnoecological data on the characteristics and traditional utilization of KSR, traditional farming systems and agricultural management of the Dong people. Results: (1): A total of 57 KSR varieties were recorded as used by the Dong people in southeast Guizhou. We analyzed the cultural importance index (CII) of all KSRs. Varieties with high CII often have a pleasant taste, special biological characteristics of cold resistance, disease and insect resistance and high utilization in the traditional culture of Dong people. (2) There is a clear division of labor between men and women in the breeding, seed retention, field management and grain storage management of different varieties of KSR in Dong communities. In order to resist natural disasters and insect pests, the cultivation of KSR is usually managed by multi-variety mixed planting. These agricultural management modes are the result of Dong people's understanding and adaptation to the local natural geographical environment, as well as the experience and wisdom crystallization of Dong people's long-term practice. (3) The traditional farmland of Dong People is a typical artificial wetland ecosystem that is planted with mixed KSR varieties with rich traditional wisdom. In addition, the economic benefit of the rice-fish-duck symbiotic system was 3.07 times that of hybrid rice alone; therefore, the rice-fish-duck system not only has the function of maintaining soil, water and ecological balance but also improves the income of Dong people.Conclusion: KSR is a special kind of rice that has been domesticated and cultivated by Dong people for thousands of years. Dong people have also formed traditional agriculture dominated by KSR cultivation. The traditional agricultural management of Dong people provides suitable habitats for flora and fauna with biodiversity protection, and convenient conditions for rational utilization and distribution of water resources were also provided. This traditional management mode is of great significance for environmental protection, climate change response, community resource management, sustainable utilization, and agricultural transformation in modern society. Therefore, we call for interdisciplinary research in natural and social sciences, in-depth study of the ecological culture of ethnic areas, and sort out treasures conducive to the development of all mankind.

Spatial Pattern and Influencing Factors of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Music in Xiangxi, Central China

Intangible cultural heritage of music (ICHM) is an important part of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), and research on ICHM has extremely important theoretical value and practical significance. In this study, we aimed to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of ICHMs and explore the main factors affecting their distribution in Xiangxi, Central China. Methods such as the nearest neighbor index, kernel density estimation, and buffer analysis were used in this study. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) the numbers of traditional music, traditional dance, traditional drama and quyi are 33, 34, 30 and 14, respectively, indicating that quyi is relatively lacking in Xiangxi; 2) the distribution of ICHMs in Xiangxi have spatial heterogeneity, and the main trend is agglomeration. The national ICHMs, provincial ICHMs and municipal ICHMs are mainly concentrated in the south, the west, and the central and northern regions, respectively. The high-density areas of traditional music and traditional dance are located in the south, of traditional drama in the west, and of quyi in the north. 3) The distribution of ICHMs is affected by four factors: namely rivers, topography, GDP and transportation. The 0-3 km buffer zone of the rivers, with 100% of national ICHMs, 83.33% of provincial ICHMs and 84.52% of municipal ICHMs, is the centralized distribution area of ICHMs. 100% of the national ICHMs, 94.44% of the provincial ICHMs and 91.67% of the municipal ICHMs are distributed in hilly (200-500 m) and low mountain areas (500-1000 m). Highways have the greatest impact on the distribution of ICHMs, followed by railways and ordinary roads. The economy has a significant positive impact on ICHM programs; the more developed the economy, the more ICHM projects. The results of this study can provide useful references for the theoretical research and practice management of ICH.

Ecophysiological response and morphological adjustment of Argania spinosa L. Skeels under contrasting climates: case study of marginal populations

In this paper, we investigated the seasonal physiological performance and morphological adjustment of Argania spinosa growing under contrasting climatic and biogeographic conditions.Two marginal populations were selected in the main distribution area of the species, one at the Northwest and the other one at the South-west. Trees from the North showed a Mediterranean pattern in Photosynthetic performances, exhibiting maximal carbon assimilation during spring and minimum in summer. In contrast, trees from the South showed a different pattern with maximum values recorded in winter and minimum in spring. Photochemical efficiency of PSII results evidenced the absence of damage to PSII in both sites, probably due to an efficient energy dissipation processed by carotenoid pigments. We recorded increased LMA values in the South, which improves drought resistance. Increasing stomatal length and decreasing stomatal density were registered during the drought season in both populations. A. Spinosa is sensitive to changes in the length of drought stress at its Southern limit. The scarcity of rainfall leading to persistent drought has limited the distribution of the species to the banks of dry Wadis and depressions, where it finds some water compensations during summer. In the North, the summer drought severely impacted the species carbon assimilation.

A morphological, anatomical and palynological study of Aethionema lepidioides (Brassicaceae) - an endangered species endemic to Turkey

Aethionema lepidioides Hub.-Mor. is an endangered endemic species in Turkey with a very narrow natural distribution area. The present study aims to reveal the structural features of this species. For this purpose, its unknown morphological features – such as leaf, petal, sepal dimensions and shapes, filament and anther lengths, as well as seed dimensions, shape, colour and micromorphology – have been studied for the first time. To reveal the pollen characteristics of Ae. lepidioides, light microscope and SEM studies were conducted. Additionally, in the present study the anatomical features of Ae. lepidioides were also studied for the first time. The Ae. lepidioides leaves were found to be linear-oblanceolate, with an entire margin and a subacute to obtuse apex. The seeds were found to be dark brown and oval-shaped, with reticulated surface ornamentation. Anatomical studies found roots in the secondary growth stage, with xylem-filled pith. The stem was in the primary growth stage, featuring a multi-layer cortex under its outermost single-layered epidermis, a pronounced endodermis and a central cylinder beneath. The leaves were thick, amphistomatic and covered with a prominent wax layer. Their mesophyll was equifacial, and their stoma type was anisocytic. A stomatal index of 26 was found for the upper epidermis, while a corresponding index of 28.4 was found for the lower epidermis. The pollens were monad, radially symmetrical and isopolar. The pollen type was colpate, and the pollen shape was found to be prolate-spheroidal with a P/E ratio of 1.08.

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.

Evaluation of E-Supply Chain User Experience in the Delivery Service Distribution Area With the Honeycombs UX Approach

This chapter analyzes and measures customer satisfaction in using e-supply chain products using the honeycomb user experience approach. The e-supply chain product tested is a website that provides distribution services for government-owned (public logistic) and private (private logistic) in Indonesia. The purpose of this research is to analyze the value of e-supply chain products and evaluate whether this value has been received by service users through the concept of user experience honeycombs. There are seven aspects assessed, namely useful, usable, desirable, findable, credible, accessible, and valuable. This study shows that the value for the public sector as a whole gets better scores than the private sector. The aspects that need to be improved in the public sector are credible and usable. In contrast, in the private sector, the aspects that need improvement are accessible, desirable, findable, useful, and valuable.

INVERTEBRATES OF CONSERVATIVE INTEREST FROM PLATFORMA COTMEANA, A ROMANIAN NATURAL PROTECTED AREA

Current work was carried out in a Natura 2000 site of community importance, ROSCI 0354, Platforma Cotmeana, with a surface of 12.529 ha, located in the Central Southern part of Romania in a hilly area. The site is mainly dominated by broadleaf forest, from which 30% consists of beech species, an important habitat component for the studied species. Focal species of this research were: Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758), Cerambyx cerdo Linnaeus, 1758, and Morimus asper funereus Mulsant, 1862, as listed in the annex of EU Habitat Directive. For each species, numerical abundance, sex ratio, and other aspects of their biology were estimated. Habitat preference and the occurrence of individuals were recorded in order to evaluate their distribution in the site. Future perspectives on the status of the conservation of species in site were assessed by evaluation of human impact activities affecting the quality of their habitat. It was noted that most dominant species is L. cervus with an occurrence of 314 individuals, followed by M. asper funereus with 92 individuals, and C. cerdo with 41 individuals. An exoskeleton of Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) was found, fact explained by the limit of species distribution area in the site.

Poecilocampa alpina (Frey & Wullschlegel, 1874) (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae), first record for Romania

Poecilocampa alpina (Frey & Wullschlegel, 1874) is reported for the first time in the Romanian fauna. The specimen was collected from Porumbenii Mari, Harghita County, Romania. According to the distribution area, respectively to the ecological requirements, Romanian population belongs to the subspecies P. alpina canensis. This reported population is currently the easternmost known population of this species.

Spatial Distribution and Landscape Characteristics of Flores Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus Floris) Habitat in Flores Island

Flores Hawk-Eagle (FHE, Nisaetus floris) is one of the endemic and keystone species that was rarely studied among other eagles. The study on the FHE is currently experiencing limited information for estimating their distribution area. Therefore, the FHE habitat distribution is required as the essential information for developing the strategies and conservation action. The objectives of this study were to identify the spatial habitat distribution and analyze the characteristics of the habitat. Minimum convex polygon (MCP) and kernel-density estimation (KDE) 95% was combined with the land cover map for delineating the patch habitat of FHE. Slope, elevation, and land cover were used as environmental variables. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) combine with GIS were used for characterizing the landscape habitat. The results showed that there were eight habitat patches with a total area of 1.132 km2. Six principal components were retained from PCA analysis which explained 71.96% of data variance. Habitat characteristics of FHE describe its requirement for nesting and hunting activities for principal components 1 to 4, while for flight activity related to principal components 5 and 6. Forests and savannahs become the main habitat preference for both nesting and hunting activities. Results of this study will be supported as baseline information for developing conservation strategies and action for FHE.