Phytochemical Characterization and Biological Activity of Two Species from Guinea-Bissau.

The dried leaves of A.Rich. and Planch.

Asymptomatic infection and antibody prevalence to co-occurring avian influenza viruses vary substantially between sympatric seabird species following H5N1 outbreaks.

Emerging infectious diseases are of major concern to animal and human health. Recent emergence of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) (H5N1 clade 2.3.

Indirect evidence of an early mating advantage in wild cooperatively breeding male banded mongooses.

Promiscuous females reduce male reproductive control. Males can attempt to monopolise access to these females, but distractions and sneaky rivals mean extra copulations cannot always be blocked. By mating first, males can obtain a headstart in sperm competition, but this may be negated by sperm storage and cryptic female choice mechanisms.

Coupling tree-ring and geomorphic analyses to reconstruct the 1950s massive Glacier Lake Outburst Flood at Grosse Glacier, Chilean Patagonia.

Over recent decades, global warming has led to sustained glacier mass reduction and the formation of glacier lakes dammed by potentially unstable moraines. When such dams break, devastating Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) can occur in high mountain environments with catastrophic effects on populations and infrastructure. To understand the occurrence of GLOFs in space and time, build frequency-magnitude relationships for disaster risk reduction or identify regional links between GLOF frequency and climate warming, comprehensive databases are critically needed.

Tropical forest clearance impacts biodiversity and function, whereas logging changes structure.

The impacts of degradation and deforestation on tropical forests are poorly understood, particularly at landscape scales. We present an extensive ecosystem analysis of the impacts of logging and conversion of tropical forest to oil palm from a large-scale study in Borneo, synthesizing responses from 82 variables categorized into four ecological levels spanning a broad suite of ecosystem properties: (i) structure and environment, (ii) species traits, (iii) biodiversity, and (iv) ecosystem functions. Responses were highly heterogeneous and often complex and nonlinear.

Lichen novelties from Corvo Island (Azores, Portugal).

Background: Corvo is a small and remote island in the western group of the Azores Archipelago, Portugal. The Island's lichen biodiversity was largely understudied, with only 17 species documented to date.

New Information: This study reports 68 new records of lichen species on Corvo Island, representing an addition of two classes, eight orders, 18 families and 43 genera.

Measuring trends in extinction risk: a review of two decades of development and application of the Red List Index.

The Red List Index (RLI) is an indicator of the average extinction risk of groups of species and reflects trends in this through time. It is calculated from the number of species in each category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with trends influenced by the number moving between categories when reassessed owing to genuine improvement or deterioration in status. The global RLI is aggregated across multiple taxonomic groups and can be disaggregated to show trends for subsets of species (e.

Pangenome graphs and their applications in biodiversity genomics.

Complete datasets of genetic variants are key to biodiversity genomic studies. Long-read sequencing technologies allow the routine assembly of highly contiguous, haplotype-resolved reference genomes. However, even when complete, reference genomes from a single individual may bias downstream analyses and fail to adequately represent genetic diversity within a population or species.

Supervision of students in a Portuguese veterinary medicine school-students' and supervisors' expectations, perceptions, and supervision impact.

Introduction: The student-supervisor relationship can be a major cause of psychological distress experienced by students during their study programs. Misalignment between students' and supervisors' expectations and perceptions can originate conflicts, highly affecting the wellbeing of students and hindering the progress of their studies. This study was based on a questionnaire focusing on the perceptions of students and supervisors regarding the most important student attributes and outcomes, supervision expectations and perceptions, and supervision impact on mental health of students from a Portuguese Veterinary Medicine School.

A hyperspectral open-source imager (HOSI).

Background: The spatial and spectral properties of the light environment underpin many aspects of animal behaviour, ecology and evolution, and quantifying this information is crucial in fields ranging from optical physics, agriculture/plant sciences, human psychophysics, food science, architecture and materials sciences. The escalating threat of artificial light at night (ALAN) presents unique challenges for measuring the visual impact of light pollution, requiring measurement at low light levels across the human-visible and ultraviolet ranges, across all viewing angles, and often with high within-scene contrast.

Results: Here, I present a hyperspectral open-source imager (HOSI), an innovative and low-cost solution for collecting full-field hyperspectral data.

The magnitude of legal wildlife trade and implications for species survival.

The unsustainable use of wildlife is a primary driver of global biodiversity loss. No comprehensive global dataset exists on what species are in trade, their geographic origins, and trade's ultimate impacts, which limits our ability to sustainably manage trade. The United States is one of the world's largest importers of wildlife, with trade data compiled in the US Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS).

How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical Contexts.

Human-driven changes in land cover and use can significantly impact species ants community structures, often leading to a decline in taxonomic diversity or species homogenization. Ant morphology, used as a proxy for ecological function, offers a valuable framework for understanding the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on ant diversity. This study explored the morphological diversity of ant assemblages in agricultural ecosystems and secondary forests in Italy and the Brazilian Amazon, analyzing how these communities are structured and adapted to different environments.

Establishing bio-logging data collections as dynamic archives of animal life on Earth.

Rapid growth in bio-logging-the use of animal-borne electronic tags to document the movements, behaviour, physiology and environments of wildlife-offers opportunities to mitigate biodiversity threats and expand digital natural history archives. Here we present a vision to achieve such benefits by accounting for the heterogeneity inherent to bio-logging data and the concerns of those who collect and use them. First, we can enable data integration through standard vocabularies, transfer protocols and aggregation protocols, and drive their wide adoption.

Annual migrations, vertical habitat use and fidelity of Atlantic bluefin tuna tracked from waters off the United Kingdom.

Understanding the spatial ecology of commercially exploited species is vital for their conservation. Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, ABT) are increasingly observed in northeast Atlantic waters, yet knowledge of these individuals' spatial ecology remains limited. We investigate the horizontal and vertical habitat use of ABT (158 to 241 cm curved fork length; CFL) tracked from waters off the United Kingdom (UK) using pop-up satellite archival tags (n = 63).

Changing patterns of global nitrogen deposition driven by socio-economic development.

Advances in manufacturing and trade have reshaped global nitrogen deposition patterns, yet their dynamics and drivers remain unclear. Here, we compile a comprehensive global nitrogen deposition database spanning 1977-2021, aggregating 52,671 site-years of data from observation networks and published articles. This database show that global nitrogen deposition to land is 92.

Deciphering the biosynthetic landscape of biofilms in glacier-fed streams.

Unlabelled: Glacier-fed streams are permanently cold, ultra-oligotrophic, and physically unstable environments, yet microbial life thrives in benthic biofilm communities. Within biofilms, microorganisms rely on secondary metabolites for communication and competition. However, the diversity and genetic potential of secondary metabolites in glacier-fed stream biofilms remain poorly understood.

Past and future effects of climate on the metapopulation dynamics of a Northeast Atlantic seabird across two centuries.

Forecasting population responses to rapidly changing marine ecosystems requires mechanistic models integrating complex demographic processes, fitted to long time series, across large spatial scales. We used a Bayesian metapopulation model fit to colony census data and climatic covariates spanning 1900-2100 for all Northeast Atlantic colonies of an exemplar seabird, the Northern gannet (Morus bassanus) to investigate metapopulation dynamics under two climate scenarios. Fecundity varied non-linearly with near-surface air temperature and recruitment was depressed by sea surface temperature.

Coefficients in Taylor's law increase with the time scale of water clarity measurements in a global suite of lakes.

Identifying the scaling rules describing ecological patterns across time and space is a central challenge in ecology. Taylor's law of fluctuation scaling, which states that the variance of a population's size or density is proportional to a positive power of the mean size or density, has been widely observed in population dynamics and characterizes variability in multiple scientific domains. However, it is unclear if this phenomenon accurately describes ecological patterns across many orders of magnitude in time, and therefore links otherwise disparate observations.

Personalized modeling of gut microbiome metabolism throughout the first year of life.

Background: Early-life exposures including diet, and the gut microbiome have been proposed to predispose infants towards multifactorial diseases later in life. Delivery via Cesarian section disrupts the establishment of the gut microbiome and has been associated with negative long-term outcomes. Here, we hypothesize that Cesarian section delivery alters not only the composition of the developing infant gut microbiome but also its metabolic capabilities.

Mitochondrial genomes of the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) reveal Pliocene diversification, extensive gene flow and pervasive purifying selection.

The development of management strategies for the promotion of sustainable fisheries relies on a deep knowledge of ecological and evolutionary processes driving the diversification and genetic variation of marine organisms. Sustainability strategies are especially relevant for marine species such as the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus), a small pelagic fish with high ecological and socioeconomic importance, especially in Southern Europe, whose stock has declined since 2006, possibly due to environmental factors. Here, we generated sequences for 139 mitochondrial genomes from individuals from 19 different geographical locations across most of the species distribution range, which was used to assess genetic diversity, diversification history and genomic signatures of selection.

Exploring the Gastrointestinal Microbiome of Eurasian Griffon Vultures () Under Rehabilitation in Portugal and Their Potential Role as Reservoirs of Human and Animal Pathogens.

The Eurasian griffon vulture (), a widely distributed scavenger, plays a crucial role in ecosystem health by consuming decomposing carcasses. Scavengers have adapted to avoid disease from the rotting carrion they feed on, probably through a specialized gut microbiome. This study aimed to characterize the gut microbiome of (n = 8) present in two rehabilitation centers in mainland Portugal and evaluate their potential as reservoirs of pathogens.

Combining the N Gas Flux Method and NO Isotopocule Data for the Determination of Soil Microbial NO Sources.

Rationale: The analysis of natural abundance isotopes in biogenic NO molecules provides valuable insights into the nature of their precursors and their role in biogeochemical cycles. However, current methodologies (for example, the isotopocule map approach) face limitations, as they only enable the estimation of combined contributions from multiple processes at once rather than discriminating individual sources. This study aimed to overcome this challenge by developing a novel methodology for the partitioning of NO sources in soil, combining natural abundance isotopes and the use of a N tracer (N Gas Flux method) in parallel incubations.

Using Zebrafish G Protein-Coupled Receptors to Obtain a Better Appreciation of the Impact of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater to Fish.

Pharmaceutical discharge to the environment is of concern due to its potential adverse effects on aquatic species. It is estimated that around 40% of pharmaceuticals target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The transforming growth factor- (TGF) shedding assay was applied to measure the antagonistic activities of pharmaceuticals against human GPCRs.