Different facets of the same niche: Integrating citizen science and scientific survey data to predict biological invasion risk under multiple global change drivers.

Citizen science initiatives have been increasingly used by researchers as a source of occurrence data to model the distribution of alien species. Since citizen science presence-only data suffer from some fundamental issues, efforts have been made to combine these data with those provided by scientifically structured surveys. Surprisingly, only a few studies proposing data integration evaluated the contribution of this process to the effective sampling of species' environmental niches and, consequently, its effect on model predictions on new time intervals.

Five decades of breeding populations census for 12 species of colonial waterbirds in northwestern Italy.

Colonial waterbirds, a major biodiversity element occurring in the core of ultra-anthropized Europe, are ideal indicators of the wellness of inland wetlands. Nonetheless, there is a critical knowledge gap in their trend and population status. We present an uninterrupted 47 years-long dataset of the breeding populations of 12 species of colonial waterbirds (Ardeidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Plataleidae, Threskiornitidae) throughout a 58,000 km agricultural region in the higher Po basin (NW Italy).

The spreading of the invasive sacred ibis in Italy.

The spreading of invasive species in new continents can vary from slow and limited diffusion to fast colonisations over vast new areas. We studied the sacred ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus along a 31-year period, from 1989 to 2019, with particular attention to the first area of release in NW Italy. We collected data on species distribution through observations by citizen science projects, population density by transects with distance method, breeding censuses at colonies, and post breeding censuses at roosts.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections in children: a 9-year retrospective study.

P. aeruginosa bloodstream infection (BSI) is associated with high hospital mortality. Empirical combination therapy is commonly used, but its benefit remains debated.

[Omission of causes of maternal death in death certificates in Argentina: nationwide observational studyOmissão do registro de causas maternas de morte na Argentina: estudo observacional de alcance nacional].

Objective: To determine the magnitude and characteristics of the omission of causes of maternal death in death certificates in Argentina, and to re-estimate the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) for the year 2014.

Methods: Cross-sectional study. Retrospective review of medical records of women of childbearing age who died from causes suspected of concealing maternal deaths in public, social security, and private institutions in all jurisdictions of the country between 1 January and 31 December 2014.

Comparative effect of slow and rapid freezing on sperm functional attributes and oxidative stress parameters of goat spermatozoa cryopreserved with tiger nut milk extender.

Comparative effect of slow and rapid freezing on sperm functional attributes and oxidative stress parameters of goat spermatozoa cryopreserved with tiger nut milk (TNM) extender was examined in this study. Pooled semen samples obtained from West African Dwarf (WAD) goat bucks were diluted with Tris-based extenders containing different levels of TNM (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 ml/100 ml extender). The diluted semen samples were subjected to slow and rapid freezing for a period of 7 days and thereafter evaluated for sperm functional attributes (percentage motility, acrosome integrity, membrane integrity, abnormality and livability) and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde [MDA] concentration and acrosin activity) parameters.

Combining molecular and landscape tools for targeting evolutionary processes in reserve design: An approach for islands.

The importance of targeting ecological and evolutionary processes in reserve design has been widely acknowledged in the literature but rarely implemented on islands. Using Socotran reptiles as models, we aim to relate richness of widespread and restricted-range species directly with landscape variables and to compare the impact of setting conservation targets for lineages versus species. Socotra Island is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, containing high levels of endemism in relation to its area, especially of reptiles, the vertebrates with the most comprehensive available genetic data.

Fishes in the desert: mitochondrial variation and phylogeography of Danakilia (Actinopterygii: Cichlidae) and Aphanius (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontidae) in the Danakil Depression of northeastern Africa.

The Danakil Depression in northeastern Africa represents one of the harshest arid environments on Earth, yet two genera of fishes, Danakilia (Cichlidae) and Aphanius (Cyprinodontidae), share its sparse aquatic habitats. The evolutionary history of these fishes is investigated here in the context of genetic, geological and paleoenvironmental information. We collected samples from seven sites and assessed phylogeographic relationships using concatenated COI and cytb mtDNA genes.

Neonatal mortality in Argentina. Situation analysis from 2005 to 2014.

Introduction: Neonatal mortality (NM) refers to deaths occurring between birth and 27 days of life. This component of infant mortality has shown the least reduction over the past 50 years. The objective of this study was to analyze the course and characteristics of NM in Argentina.

Conspecific and not performance-based attraction on immigrants drives colony growth in a waterbird.

Local recruitment and immigration play an important part in the dynamics and growth of animal populations. However, their estimation and incorporation into open population models is, in most cases, problematic. We studied factors affecting the growth of a recently established colony of Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) and assessed the contribution of local recruits, i.

Human exposure to trace metals and arsenic via consumption of fish from river Chenab, Pakistan and associated health risks.

This study provided the first hand data of trace elements into fish muscles (N = 65) collected from river Chenab in Pakistan during 2013, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We monitored the health risk associated with consumption of contaminated fish of river Chenab, by the local population. The mean concentrations (μg/g, wet weight), in descending order were: Zn (35.

Mercury contamination in deposited dust and its bioaccumulation patterns throughout Pakistan.

Mercury (Hg) contamination of environment is a major threat to human health in developing countries like Pakistan. Human populations, particularly children, are continuously exposed to Hg contamination via dust particles due to the arid and semi-arid climate. However, a country wide Hg contamination data for dust particles is lacking for Pakistan and hence, human populations potentially at risk is largely unknown.

Unexpectedly High Levels of Cryptic Diversity Uncovered by a Complete DNA Barcoding of Reptiles of the Socotra Archipelago.

Few DNA barcoding studies of squamate reptiles have been conducted. Due to the significance of the Socotra Archipelago (a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site and a biodiversity hotspot) and the conservation interest of its reptile fauna (94% endemics), we performed the most comprehensive DNA barcoding study on an island group to date to test its applicability to specimen identification and species discovery. Reptiles constitute Socotra's most important vertebrate fauna, yet their taxonomy remains under-studied.

Spatial distribution of dust-bound trace elements in Pakistan and their implications for human exposure.

This study aims to assess the spatial patterns of selected dust-borne trace elements alongside the river Indus Pakistan, their relation with anthropogenic and natural sources, and the potential risk posed to human health. The studied elements were found in descending concentrations: Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Co, and Cd. The Index of Geo-accumulation indicated that pollution of trace metals were higher in lower Indus plains than on mountain areas.

Minilaparoscopic versus standard laparoscopic hysterectomy for uteri ≥ 16 weeks of gestation: surgical outcomes, postoperative quality of life, and cosmesis.

Objective: Hysterectomy for enlarged uteri is a surgical challenge. Our aim was to compare perioperative outcomes, cosmesis, and postoperative quality of life following laparoscopic hysterectomy for large uteri using minilaparoscopic 3-mm versus conventional laparoscopic 5-mm instruments.

Subjects And Methods: We prospectively enrolled women with a uterus between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation at the preoperative examination.

Cryptic diversity within the Anatololacerta species complex (Squamata: Lacertidae) in the Anatolian Peninsula: evidence from a multi-locus approach.

The rapid development of innovative molecular tools for characterizing biodiversity is leading to an extensive and sometimes unexpected renovation of taxonomic classifications. Particularly, for species having allopatric or parapatric distributions or resulting from recent speciation processes, the absence of clear phenotypic differentiation may hinder the recognition of closely related taxa, while intraspecific polymorphism may be confused with the presence of more than one single species. In the present work, we apply different phylogenetic methods in order to infer relationships within the genus Anatololacerta, and to assess the taxonomy of this morphologically diversified group of lizards endemic to western and southern Anatolia and some neighboring Aegean islands.

Avian feathers as a non-destructive bio-monitoring tool of trace metals signatures: a case study from severely contaminated areas.

The concentrations of trace metals were assessed using feathers of cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis), collected within two industrial areas of Pakistan, Lahore and Sialkot. We found, in order of descending concentration: Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd), and Manganese (Mn), Chromium (Cr), Arsenic (As), and Lithium (Li), without any significant difference (except Fe, Zn, and Ni) between the two areas. The concentrations of trace metals, we recorded were among the highest ever reported in the feathers of avian species worldwide.

Cattle egrets as a biosentinels of persistent organic pollutants exposure.

We investigated selected chlorinated pollutants (β-HCH, γ-HCH, DDDs, DDEs, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT, heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin) in the Lahore and the Sialkot districts of Pakistan, using eggs of cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) collected during May and June 2007. The pollutant with highest level and frequency was ΣDDT, followed by β-HCH, γ-HCH, heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin in descending order. The concentration(s) were significantly higher in Sialkot heronry for all the pollutants (except p,p'-DDT) than in Lahore.

Timing of molt of barn swallows is delayed in a rare Clock genotype.

Photoperiodic responses are major factors entraining circannual life-cycles, functioning to adaptively synchronize annual routines to seasonal fluctuations in ecological conditions. Photoperiodism in physiology and behaviour is enforced by genes, including the vertebrate Clock orthologues, which are associated, for example, with phenology of migration in fish and breeding in birds. However, the role of Clock in photoperiodic plumage molt processes is unknown.

Sperm traits negatively covary with size and asymmetry of a secondary sexual trait in a freshwater crayfish.

In species where females mate promiscuously, the reproductive success of males depends both on their ability to acquire mates (pre-copulatory sexual selection) and ability of their ejaculates to outcompete those of other males (post-copulatory sexual selection). Sperm competition theory predicts a negative relationship between investment in body traits favouring mate acquisition (secondary sexual characters, SSCs) and investment in ejaculate size or quality, due to the inherent costs of sperm production. In contrast, the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis posits that male fertilizing efficiency is reliably reflected by the phenotypic expression of male SSCs, allowing females to obtain direct benefits by selecting more ornamented males as copulation partners.

Origin and in situ diversification in Hemidactylus geckos of the Socotra Archipelago.

The Socotra Archipelago is an ancient continental fragment of Gondwanan origin and one of the most isolated landforms on Earth and a biodiversity hot spot. Yet, the biogeography and evolutionary history of its endemic fauna still remain largely overlooked. We investigate the origin, tempo and mode of diversification in the Hemidactylus geckos of the Socotra Archipelago.

Sex-, morph- and size-specific susceptibility to stress measured by haematological variables in captive common wall lizard Podarcis muralis.

In polymorphic species of animals, colour morphs may show alternative physiological properties, and hence evolve or be maintained as an indirect response to selection exerted on these physiological attributes. In this study, we investigated if different colour morphs (white, red and yellow) of the polymorphic common wall lizard differed in their physiological responses to a long-term stress by determining variation between capture and release in leukocytes profiles, haemoparasite loads and body condition of male and females maintained in captivity throughout the breeding season. We found that most blood parameters of lizards varied significantly following captivity, and this variation was sex-, morph- and size-dependent.

Sex allocation in yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) depends on nutritional constraints on production of large last eggs.

Male and female offspring can differ in their susceptibility to pre-natal (e.g. egg quality) and post-natal (e.