Environmental Determinates of Distribution for Dragonfly Nymphs (Odonata: Anisoptera) in Urban and Non-Urban East Texas Streams, USA

We collected environmental and habitat data for nymphs of 12 dragonfly species (Odonata: Anisoptera) from 91 stream sites throughout eastern Texas, including urban and non-urban locations. Understanding the relationship of dragonflies to habitat structure and other environmental variables is crucial for the purpose of conserving these insects and better using them as predictive tools for water quality assessments, and refining tolerance values. The objectives of this study were to determine the key environmental variables influencing the diversity and distribution of dragonflies in eastern Texas streams, and further determine if differences in those factors could be observed between urban and nonurban sites. We collected samples separately from benthic habitats and woody snag habitats. Significantly fewer sites were observed to have dragonfly species on snag habitat (mean = 1.25) compared to benthic samples (mean = 14.67) (t-test, p = 0.001). The number of dragonfly species collected among non-urban streams (mean = 9.83) was not significantly different than urban streams (mean = 6.08; t-test, p = 0.07). Detrended correspondence analysis of benthic and snag habitat data collected from non-urban and urban locations showed that most of the species are oriented most closely to benthic habitats in non-urban streams. Snag habitat was shown to be poorly ordinated for all of the species. A canonical correspondence analysis of 29 water quality and habitat variables as environmental determinants of dragonfly diversity and distribution showed that distributional relationships among species are complex and often described by multiple environmental factors.

Crustaceans (Malacostraca and Thecostraca) from the International Minho River, Iberian Peninsula

Crustaceans (Arthropoda) are a diverse and abundant group with chitinous exoskeleton, living on coastal/estuarine environments, at community invertebrate fauna. A survey on the species of some crustacean groups found on the Minho River estuary (international section) in the Iberian Peninsula, is presented with specimens collected through glass eel fishing bycatch, grab sampler, trammel net, beam trawl and fyke net sampling methods. A total of 98 specimens were examined belonging to 7 orders, 21 genera and 23 species (17 new records from Minho River, including one for Portugal). Brief diagnosis, ecological notes, species distributions and figures are provided intending to present taxonomic support on future projects in this region.

Distribution and Important Areas for the Conservation of Amphibians in the Province of Seville, Spain: Identifying Priorities

Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrates in the world due to habitat destruction, emerging diseases, and climate change, and therefore, it is of critical importance to identify the risk and conservation measures for their populations. In this work, we aimed to identify the status of amphibian distribution in the province of Seville, in the south of Spain. We additionally wanted to identify critical conservation areas and propose measures of conservation for the whole community as well as specific taxa. To do this, we mapped the distribution of amphibians using our own data and bibliography and translated it into a 10 × 10 km2 UTM grid. Our work has allowed us to identify several areas of importance for amphibians in the province and populations of some species that need special attention.

Insights into the Migration Routes and Historical Dispersion of Species Surviving the Messinian Crisis: The Case of Patella ulyssiponensis and Epizoic Rhodolith Lithophyllum hibernicum

The genus Patella (Patellogastropoda, Mollusca) is represented by a group of species exclusive to the Northeast Atlantic Ocean (including Macaronesian archipelagos) and Mediterranean Sea. The species Patella ulyssiponensis and Patella aspera are common in European waters, with the first inhabiting continental coast, and the second endemic to Macaronesian archipelagos. However, the acceptance of these two lineages as separate species is still highly debated. The red coralline species algae Lithophyllum hibernicum, distributed from Northeast Atlantic to the Mediterranean, is usually found as epilithic crusts or unattached forms (named rhodolith beds), although it also forms epizoic crusts on other organisms, e.g., shell surfaces. In order to study the historic dispersal and migration routes of the Patella ulyssiponensis-aspera complex, taxonomic, genetic and biogeographic approaches were employed based on haplotype network analyses and estimations for the most common recent ancestor (TMRCA), using Cytochrome Oxydase I. A synonymy for these two species is proposed, with the presence of a shared haplotype between the continental (P. ulyssiponensis) and insular (P. aspera) lineages, and with basis of morphological and nomenclatural data. We propose an evolutionary scenario for its dispersal based on a high haplotype diversity for the Mediterranean regions, indicating its possible survival during the Messinian Salinity Crisis (6–5.3 Mya), followed by a colonization of the Proto-Macaronesian archipelagos. The epizoic association of L. hibernicum on P. ulyssiponensis shell adult surface is recorded in this study, likewise the promotion of settlement conditions provided by these coralline algae to P. ulyssiponensis larvae, may explain the reach of P. ulyssiponensis distribution through rhodolith transportation.

Effect of pH on Photosynthesis of Euglena mutabilis Schmitz, an Acidophilic Benthic Flagellate

The dependence of the photosynthetic rate of Euglena mutabilis Schmitz on pH across a range of 2.0–10.0 was investigated. Populations of E. mutabilis isolated from sediments of acidic mine drainage in Sensui (pH = 3.95) and a volcanic cold spring in Bougatsuru (pH = 5.32) were cultured in a pH-adjusted growth media for 96 h, and photosynthetic rate and dark respiration rate were measured. The maximum gross photosynthetic rate of E. mutabilis cells from the Sensui drainage population did not vary significantly over the pH range of 2.0–7.0, and their dark respiration rate showed high values at pH = 7.0. The maximum gross photosynthetic rate of E. mutabilis cells from the Bougatsuru spring population did not vary significantly within the pH range of 2.0–6.0, and their dark respiration rate tended to show high values at pH = 7.0. E. mutabilis can colonize under circumneutral conditions up to and including pH = 6.0.

Publisher’s Note to Launch Hydrobiology

When I was a student at Wuhan University, the last captive individual of baiji (Lipotes vexillifer), a species of freshwater dolphin, was living at the Freshwater Dolphin Research Centre of Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences [...]