Diversity, Volume 12, Issue 9

Frustulia tunariensis sp. nov. is originated from a high-altitude peatland in the Tunari Cordillera, a branch of the Andean range in Bolivia. The new taxon is distinguished by the thick longitudinal ribs, the globose polar nodule with faint helictogl...

Microbial symbionts are gaining attention as crucial drivers of invasive species spread and dominance. To date, much research has quantified the net effects of plant–microbe interactions on the relative success of native and invasive species. H...

The family Gymnophthalmidae is one of the most speciose lineages of lizards in the Neotropical region. Despite recent phylogenetic studies, the species diversity of this family is unknown and thus, its phylogenetic relationships remain unclear and it...

Top predators shape the communities of sympatric predators by killing and displacing smaller predators. Predation risk pushes smaller predators to select enemy-free spaces irrespective of food availability, which results in changes in their behaviour...

Populations of amphibians are experiencing severe declines worldwide. One group with the most catastrophic declines is the Neotropical genus Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae). Many species of Atelopus have not been seen for decades and all eight Central Am...

Tunisia is one of the world’s largest producers of olive oil, and it preserves pools of olive genetic diversity that are still unexplored. A recent prospection and collection program of the National Gene Bank of Tunisia (NGBT) focused on the va...

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse marine ecosystems on Earth and one of the richest in terms of species interactions. Scleractinian corals are usually the most likely to provide numerous different habitats and to support many symbiotic relation...

Skeletal anomalies are commonplace among farmed fish. The pug-headedness anomaly is an osteological condition that results in the deformation of the maxilla, pre-maxilla, and infraorbital bones. Here, we report the first record of pug-headedness in a...

Actuarial senescence (i.e., the age-specific increase in mortality rate) is pervasive across mammalian species, but our current understanding of the diversity of forms that actuarial senescence displays across species remains limited. Although severa...

(1) Diffuse competition affects per capita rates of population increase among species that exploit similar resources, and thus can be an important structuring force in ecological communities. Diffuse competition has traditionally been studied within...

Several large carnivore populations are recovering former ranges, and it is important to understand interspecific interactions between overlapping species. In Scandinavia, recent research has reported that brown bear presence influences gray wolf hab...

Dark septate endophytes (DSEs) constitute a polyphyletic group within the Ascomycota, with global distribution and a wide range of host plant species. The present study evaluated the diversity of DSE in sugarcane roots of the varieties RB867515, RB96...

This study examines the extent to which above-ground trophic processes such as large carnivore predation on wild ungulates can cause cascading effects through the provision of carrion resources to below-ground ecosystem processes in the boreal forest...

Large solitary felids often kill large prey items that can provide multiple meals. However, being able to utilize these multiple meals requires that they can cache the meat in a manner that delays its discovery by vertebrate and invertebrate scavenge...

The species-area relationship (SAR), the latitudinal gradient, the peninsula effect, and the elevational gradient are widespread biogeographical patterns. Using data from Italian reserves, these patterns were tested for tenebrionids and used as a fra...

Tuber aestivum, one of the most sought out and marketed truffle species in the world, is morphologically similar to Tuber mesentericum, which is only locally appreciated in south Italy and north-east France. Because T. aestivum and T. mesentericum ha...

Coral reefs are susceptible to climate change, anthropogenic influence, and environmental stressors. However, corals in Kāneʻohe Bay, Hawaiʻi have repeatedly shown resilience and acclimatization to anthropogenically-induced rising temperatures and in...

The geographical pattern of genetic diversity was investigated in the endemic Sicilian pond turtle Emys trinacris across its entire distribution range, using 16 microsatellite loci. Overall, 245 specimens of E. trinacris were studied, showing high po...

Chromolaena odorata is well known as an invasive weed, and its existence in agricultural habitats causes an undesirable effect on crop plants. The invasion of C. odorata alters local biodiversity and shapes the new trophic interaction with local herb...

The present study surveyed the flora of the Jebel Fayfa region, South-West Saudi Arabia to analyze four elements of the vegetation: floristic diversity, life form, lifespan, and phytogeographical affinities. A total of 341 species of vascular plants...

Glacial relicts, especially those with very narrow habitat requirements, are particularly affected by global warming. We considered Papaver occidentale, a glacial relict endemic to the Western Prealps, belonging to the alpine poppy complex (P. alpinu...

The perceptions and attitudes of local communities help understand the social drivers of unsustainable wildlife use and the social acceptability of conservation programs. We evaluated the social context influencing illegal harvesting of the threatene...

A taxonomic analysis of diatoms found on Phyllodictyon pulcherrimum yielded a total of 244 diatom taxa (all illustrated) within 27 orders, 45 families, and 86 genera. The Taxa were briefly documented in a list including identification references and...

Rusty blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus), once common across their boreal breeding distribution, have undergone steep, range-wide population declines. Newfoundland is home to what has been described as one of just two known subspecies (E. c. nigrans) an...

Nonconsumptive effects of predators potentially have negative fitness consequences on prey species through changes in prey behavior. Coyotes (Canis latrans) recently expanded into the eastern United States, and raccoons (Procyon lotor) are a common m...

In 2005, an extreme heatwave hit the Wider Caribbean, followed by 13 hurricanes (including hurricanes Emily and Wilma) that caused significant loss in hard coral cover. However, the drivers of the potential recovery are yet to be fully understood. Ba...

Wabash Pigtoe, Fusconaia flava, and the related Round Pigtoe, Pleurobema sintoxia, are freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae: Pleurobemini) native to the Great Lakes region of North America. Fusconaia flava is considered widespread and relatively c...

Threat assessment is important to prioritize species conservation projects and planning. The taxonomic resolution regarding the status of the “Dryophytes immaculatus group” and the description of a new species in the Republic of Korea res...

Usually, biospeleological studies focus on cave-specialist taxa showing strong adaptation to the subterranean environment, as their unusual morphological and ecological features represent intriguing case studies. On the other hand, species occurring...

This study evaluated the response of bat communities, from a taxonomic and functional perspective, to variation in the vegetation and landscape attributes produced by anthropogenic activities. We characterized the following: (1) the community of phyl...

Up to now, the taxonomic conflict of the Apocynaceae family has attracted the attention of scientists and researchers worldwide. Recently, this family was divided into five subfamilies. The present study aims to investigate the implication of interla...

Extensive range of deserts and gobis (rocks) had promoted habitat fragmentation of species in arid northwestern China. Distribution of endangered Gymnocarpos przewalskii Maxim. covers most of gobis (rocks) and desert terrain across arid regions of no...

Water mites represent the most diverse and abundant group of Arachnida in freshwater ecosystems, with about 6000 species described; however, it is estimated that this number represents only 30% of the total expected species. Despite having strong bio...

Urban areas may contain a wide range of potential habitats and environmental gradients and, given the many benefits to human health and well-being, there is a growing interest in maximizing their biodiversity potential. However, the ecological patter...

The Brazilian Cerrado biome has undergone major changes, with the incorporation of new areas for agricultural production. While this can certainly provide for the worldwide growing need for agricultural products, especially food, care should be taken...

Bromeliad phytotelmata are habitats for different organisms and models for ecological studies. Although poorly known, these environments are widely distributed in tropical ecosystems, harboring cosmopolitan and endemic species. Here, we investigated...

Kites of the Elaninae group are small and medium-sized, mostly tropical raptors traditionally considered as an early diverged subfamily of the Accipitridae. We used nucleotide sequences of three genetic markers (mitochondrial Cyt b and COI, nuclear R...

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet [...]

Intra-guild interactions related to facilitation and competition can be strong forces structuring ecological communities and have been suggested as particularly prominent for large carnivores. The African lion (Panthera leo) is generally thought to b...

Fungi play prominent roles in ecosystem services (e.g., nutrient cycling, decomposition) and thus have increasingly garnered attention in restoration ecology. However, it is unclear how most management decisions impact fungal communities, making it d...

Svalbard is a singular region to study biodiversity. Located at a high latitude and geographically isolated, the archipelago possesses widely varying environmental conditions and unique flora and fauna communities. It is also here where particularly...

The Viola epipsila-V. palustris complex is a highly taxonomically complicated group of species in its entire circumboreal range of distribution. Habitat loss, forest flooding, and hybridization could lead to the extinction of V. epipsila. A hybrid in...

A study was conducted to evaluate planktonic microcrustacean species composition, abundance, and diversity in lakes with different trophic status and to determine the relationship between microcrustacean community structure and lake environmental con...

Surveys of managed honey bee colony losses worldwide have become fundamental for engineering a sustainable and systematic approach to protect honey bees. Though China is a member of the world’s apiculture superpowers, the investigation of honey...

Protected areas recently created in Argentina often include previously degraded lands, such as sheep ranches in the Patagonian deserts. We show the results of a 14-year monitoring program of three formerly persecuted carnivores, the culpeo fox (Lycal...

Forest edges are formed by natural or anthropogenic processes and their maintaining processes cause fundamentally different edge responses. We evaluated the published evidence on the effect of various edges on the abundance of ground beetles of diffe...

Many studies emphasized the role that water mites play within the invertebrate communities of spring ecosystems, regarding species diversity and its significance within the crenal food web, as well as the specific preferences water mites exhibit towa...

Coexistence between species with similar ecological niches implies species must segregate along one or more niche axes to survive. Space, time, and trophic resources are regarded as the principal axes upon which species segregate. We examined segrega...