Ecologies, Volume 5, Issue 3 (September 2024) – 10 articles

Age is a critical intrinsic factor that influences the probability of survival of organisms on Earth. In many animals, the lifestyles and habitat occupancy of males and females are so different that the effect of age could be sex-dependent. To reveal such patterns in wild animal populations, we here use a natural population of the Mediterranean demoiselle Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis Vander Linden (Calopterygidae: Zygoptera) in Northeast Algeria to analyze the influence of age and sex on survival probability using daily capture–mark–recapture. We used stepwise model selection on Cormack–Jolly–Seber models that explain recapture and survival probability, including age and sex as covariates. We marked a total of 214 adults throughout the study period (41 days). The sex ratio did not deviate from unity. Recapture probability depended on sex and time, with a slightly higher recapture probability in males (0.30 [95% CI: 0.27–0.35]) than females (0.26 [0.22–0.30]). The survival probability was slightly higher in females (0.89 [0.86–0.91]) than males (0.86 [0.82–0.88]). The best model for the survival probability included an additive effect of sex and age, indicating that the survival probability of both sexes declined with age. Interestingly, the lifespan of some individuals reached 119–130 days, which is surprisingly long compared to other temperate damselflies. Full article

Effective forest management and conservation are increasingly critical in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Advances in remote sensing technologies, such as terrestrial laser scanning, offer promising tools for more accurate assessments in forestry research. This study explores the application of TLS in biomass estimation by conducting a bibliometric analysis of scientific articles indexed in Scopus and the Web of Science. By examining the literature from 2010 to 2024, the study identifies key trends, knowledge gaps, and emerging research opportunities, as well as practical applications in forest management and conservation. The analysis reveals a significant rise in scientific output on TLS, with an average annual growth rate of 8.16%. The most cited works address biomass estimation at the individual tree level using laser scanning data. China and the United States lead in the publication volume with 11 articles. The collaboration network highlights research disparities among regions such as Latin America. Overall, TLS has proven effective for the non-destructive measurement of forest variables and biomass. Full article

Plant species in Mediterranean ecosystems are expected to exhibit diverse responses to environmental stresses such as climate aridity and challenging soil conditions by adopting various functional strategies. However, intraspecific variability at the local scale has received insufficient attention in the study of CSR strategies. This study aims to evaluate intraspecific variability in leaf traits and CSR strategies of seven woody species growing on ultramafic and non-ultramafic soils in the Beni Bousera region of Northern Morocco. We first conducted a physicochemical analysis to assess differences in soil composition between the two sites. Subsequently, we measured leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight, and leaf area and calculated CSR strategies for 10 individuals per species. The results revealed significant differences between the two soil types, primarily driven by a moderate serpentine effect characterized by a Ca:Mg ratio <1 in the ultramafic site, along with distinct soil texture. In response to these challenging conditions, we observed substantial intraspecific variability in leaf traits, accompanied by shifts in CSR strategies for certain species. At the ultramafic site, Quercus coccifera adopted an S strategy, while Cistus salviifolius exhibited an S/SC strategy. Lavandula stoechas and Teucrium fruticans displayed notable interindividual variability, whereas Cistus atriplicifolius, Phillyrea latifolia, and Erica arborea maintained consistent strategies across both sites. Our research contributes to the enrichment of CSR databases and highlights the applicability of the CSR strategy framework at the local, intraspecific level, offering a valuable foundation for future ecological studies and plant conservation efforts. Moreover, investigating intraspecific variability in leaf traits and CSR strategies enhances our understanding of plant adaptation mechanisms in extreme environments such as Mediterranean serpentine soils. Full article

The decline of oak canopies in Iberian woodlands is strongly influenced by abiotic and biotic stress factors, such as the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi which has the capacity to infect a wide range of plant species. Understory plant diversity plays an important role in the epidemiology of P. cinnamomi in these ecosystems. This study aimed to identify a set of woody and herbaceous plants that can impact oak decline. Twenty-two herbaceous plant species from three families, and nineteen woody plants (trees and shrubs) from seven families were assessed for their response to infection by P. cinnamomi. Most of the herbaceous species did not show evident susceptibility, only a few exhibited significant biomass root reduction and just seven were identified as hosts. Yellow lupin was the only herbaceous species showing high susceptibility. Among the woody plant species, only two shrub and two tree species exhibited disease symptoms. The other ones, mostly hosts, ranged between low susceptible and tolerant. These results highlight the possibility that many of these species can maintain the pathogen active in the soil or even increase its population. In this context, the findings of this study can contribute to effective management strategies to mitigate Phytophthora infection in woodland soils. Full article

The Skaftafellsjökull is an outlet glacier in southern Iceland that has been retreating since 1890. While multiple studies have examined primary succession on the foreland of this glacier, no study has examined the distribution of woody biomass on the outwash plain. We investigated the distribution of one species, Betula pubescens, that grows on the foreland moraines and outwash plain of this glacier. The topography of the outwash plain is heterogeneous, consisting of broad bars of outwash gravel and boulders that are separated by narrow incised channels and broader swales. Vegetation on the outwash plain is primarily a moss–heath community. Birch are sparse on the outwash bar tops, but are more abundant and larger in the channels and swales between the bars. Although the area of the channels on the outwash plain is much less than that of the bar surfaces, the woody biomass of the outwash plain is dominated by the birch within these channels. Consequently, the mean woody biomass of the outwash plain exceeds that of the moraines. We propose that the microhabitat of the outwash plain channels provides a favorable environment for the growth of birch, primarily by providing a fine-grained substrate that promotes successful seeding and growth. Full article

Species distribution models (SDMs) have been used to forecast the impact of climate change on species’ potential distribution, with results that might support decisions for conservation and biodiversity management. Despite their vulnerability to parameterization and data quality input, SDM use has been increasing in the last decades. In fact, inappropriate inputs and the lack of awareness about the effects of methodological decisions on results can lead to potential unreliability in results, a problem that might gain relevance when SDMs are used to predict climate change impacts on species-suitable areas. Aiming to assess how far such a topic is considered, an analysis of the calibration data and methodological decisions was conducted for recent publications (2018 to 2022) that include SDMs in this context, aiming to identify putative deviations from the consensual best practices. Results show that the parameters presented more consistently are the algorithm in use (MaxEnt was used in 98% of the studies), the accuracy measures, and the time windows. But many papers fail to specify other parameters, limiting the reproducibility of the studies. Some papers fail to provide information about calibration procedures, others consider only a fraction of the species’ range, and others provide no justification for including specific variables in the model. These options can decrease reliability in predictions under future scenarios, since data provided to the model are inaccurate from the start or there is insufficient information for output discussion. Full article

The extreme conditions linked with abiotic stresses have greatly affected soil and plant health. The diverse biochemical activities occurring in the soil environment have been attributed to shaping the dynamics of plant–soil microbiomes by contributing to microbial lifestyles and enhancing microbial functional properties to boost plant tolerance to abiotic-induced stresses. Soil microbiomes play crucial roles in enhancing plant nutrition and abiotic stress management through diverse mechanisms. With the current insights into the use of engineered soil microbes as single or combined inoculants, their use has contributed to plant fitness and stability under different environmental stress conditions by activating plant defense mechanisms, enzyme production (lowering free radicals resulting in plant oxidative stress), protein regulation, and the production of growth factors. The detection of certain genes involved in the growth factors can underline microbial functions in mitigating plant stress. Hence, the projections for sustainable eco-friendly agriculture with the possible exploration of beneficial rhizosphere microbes to manage the effect of abiotic stress on plant nutrition remain critical points of discussion recently, with prospects for ensuring food security. Therefore, this review focuses on the impacts of soil microbiomes in abiotic stress mitigation for enhancing plant nutrition. Full article

Ornamental gardens are probably the most important source of invasive alien plants. However, the role of roadside shrines as a source of alien plant introductions remains unexplored. Herein, we are reporting the cultivated alien flora of a roadside shrine (devoted to the ‘Difunta Correa’) in south-eastern Spain, while making a prior assessment of the risk of spreading in the surroundings. In an area of less than 50 m², up to 20 plant taxa were identified, with the vast majority of them being alien. Some of the observed alien taxa can be very problematic (e.g., Kalanchoe × houghtonii) and are even included in the Spanish catalogue of invasive species (such as Opuntia ficus-indica). Although the shrine is not affecting the local biodiversity yet (though a few taxa are showing the first signs of spread), it is located just 1 km away from a valuable protected area (included within the Natura 2000 network of the European Union and also recognized as a Ramsar site). Roadside shrines and similar places (e.g., memorials or calvaries) should be, thus, regarded as a potential source of alien plant introductions; thus, monitoring is recommended, particularly when close to protected areas. Full article

The environmental risk assessment (ERA) of plant protection products (PPPs) is commonly conducted for a number of standard laboratory species, though its scope includes all species, especially those that are vulnerable or endangered. This begs the question of how the eco-physiological and life history traits of those data-rich species compare to those of less documented species. This paper investigates the utility of a database of such traits, the Add-my-Pet collection of Dynamic Energy Budget theory, for the ERA of North American birds. We identified 72 bird species in the collection that have a federal listing status or are otherwise of interest for the ERA of PPPs and compared their eco-physiological and life history traits in relation to body size, feeding guild, and taxonomic identity to those of 446 terrestrial Holarctic birds, as well as those of standard lab species, notably the northern bobwhite, mallard, and zebra finch. The properties of standard lab species generally align with those of a similar taxonomy and size, with the notable exception of the relatively high reproductive capacity of the northern bobwhite and mallard due to the unique properties of laboratory study data. In addition, taxonomy appears to be a better predictor of eco-physiological traits than feeding guild. We conclude that, to identify representative species for the ERA of PPPs, more traits need to be included, such as those directly linked to the likelihood of exposure and those related to reproductive behavior. Full article

The Panchthar–Ilam–Taplejung Corridor in Eastern Nepal, managed through community forestry, is a crucial habitat for the Himalayan red panda, an endangered carnivore threatened by forest degradation and illegal trade. We deployed the altitude line intercept and ten-tree plotless methods to evaluate the distribution of Himalayan red pandas and the environmental factors affecting them within four community forests, namely Singhadevi, Chitre-Hile, Chhipchhipe, and Kalikhop-Dadehli, of the corridor. We established a total of 23 transects and 92 plots, identifying 41 plots with evidence of the Himalayan red panda’s presence. The sign occurrence revealed a clumped distribution of the species across all four community forests. The Himalayan red panda signs were observed between 2200 m and 2700 m above sea level (asl) and the majority of them were from habitats with a moderate slope within elevations of 2400 m to 2500 m asl. The primary sites for the defecation were large horizontal tree branches (78.12%), followed by forest ground (15.62%) and rocks (6.25%). The dominant tree species in their habitats included Lithocarpus pachyphylla (Importance value index, IVI = 45.05), Symplocus theifolia (IVI = 37.19), Symplocos pyrifolia (IVI = 20.99), Quercus lamellosa (IVI = 19.25), and Magnolia campbellii (IVI = 17.25). Among the thirteen environmental variables examined, proximity to water, distance to road, bamboo density, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index were identified as the major factors influencing the Himalayan red panda’s distribution. This research provides crucial insights to develop site-specific habitat management plans for community forestry. Full article