Tangled in a Web: Management Type and Vegetation Shape the Occurrence of Web-Building Spiders in Protected Areas.

Land management of parks and vegetation complexity can affect arthropod diversity and subsequently alter trophic interactions between predators and their prey. In this study, we examined spiders in five parks with varying management histories and intensities to determine whether certain spider species were associated with particular plants. We also determined whether web architecture influenced spider occurrence.

Invasive carp alter trophic niches of consumers and basal resources in African reservoirs.

Environmental pollution and biological invasions are key drivers of biodiversity change. However, the effects of invasion and pollution on food webs remain largely unexplored. Here, we used stable isotopes to examine the effects of common carp Cyprinus carpio and pollution on trophic dynamics in six small reservoirs.

Drivers of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in a Ramsar declared wetland system.

Wetlands in the Global South are under increasing pressure due to multiple stressors associated with global change. Water and sediment quality assessments, as well as biomonitoring using macroinvertebrate communities, are fundamental tools for informing wetland condition and management strategies. Here, we examine water and sediment parameters affecting aquatic macroinvertebrates in Nlyslvey Wetland, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Quantifying Metal Contamination and Potential Uptake by Adans. (Poaceae) Along a Subtropical River System.

Metal pollution is pervasive across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems owing to anthropogenic activities. Sediments can accrue high concentrations of metals and act as secondary sources, and thus may be valuable indicators of metal contamination across spatiotemporal scales. In aquatic systems, the extent of metal pollution may be further mediated by transference among sediments and living organisms, with plant metal contaminants potentially predictive of underlying sediment concentrations.