Climate change will significantly impact the ecological suitability and diversity of species. As a predatory natural enemy, Aporinellus Banks, 1911 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) regulates spiders populations through predation, thereby affecting downstream secondary producers, maintaining ecosystem balance, and providing important ecosystem services. In this research, the MaxEnt model was applied to simulate the potential distribution of habitats in China, considering current and future climate scenarios (ssp126, ssp245, ssp370, and ssp585). The analysis was based on 89 occurrence points and 55 environmental variables. The model achieved an average AUC value of 0.923, indicating excellent performance, with predicted results highly consistent with observed data. The findings show that the main factors influencing habitat distribution are the mean maximum temperature of January (44.3%) and total precipitation in November (10%). Under current climatic conditions, an estimated 52.97% of China’s landmass is predicted to provide suitable habitat for Aporinellus, with suitability predominantly concentrated in provinces including Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, and Taiwan. However, under future climate change conditions, suitable habitats are projected to decrease, with the potential distribution in low-suitability areas showing a general downward trend. Under the ssp585 scenario, suitable habitats are expected to decline by 5.57% during 2021-2040 and by 12.45% during 2081-2100. Overall, under both current and future climatic conditions, the suitable habitats of Aporinellus are concentrated in warm and humid agroecological zones. These results advance our understanding of the mechanisms by which environmental variables govern the habitat suitability of Aporinellus, provide a foundation for the conservation and utilization of spider wasps species diversity, and offer valuable perspectives into the diversity, stability, and dynamic changes of the ecosystems they inhabit.

Flagship individuals---charismatic organisms with unique traits and compelling stories---offer a potent tool to engage public interest and bolster conservation efforts. This perspective study explores how such individuals can sustain conservation momentum beyond their lifetimes, emphasizing strategies to maintain a focus on broader ecological goals. We examined case studies, including Marium and TRDU099, rescued dugongs, Keiko, the killer whale, and Moo Deng, the pygmy hippopotamus, to illustrate both the opportunities and challenges of leveraging flagship individuals. Marium's story, in particular, galvanized public action against marine plastic pollution in Thailand. Strategies, such as transitioning to new flagships, utilizing flagship fleets or species, integrating virtual influencers, and fostering participatory initiatives, have been proposed to extend their impact. We also address ethical considerations, the role of storytelling and media, and the potential for emerging technologies. By planning for the post-individual phase, conservationists can maximize the legacy of flagship individuals, driving sustained progress toward biodiversity preservation and ecological resilience.

Genetic divergence and subsequent speciation are possible within the range and habitat of a population. White-crowned sparrows are comprised of five subspecies that thrive in a wide range of habitats, latitudes, and elevations across North America, suggesting the ability for local adaptation and rapid divergence. We assessed genome-wide genetic differentiation of white-crowned sparrow and compared patterns of genetic structure using outlier single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs, including mitochondrial (255 SNPs) and Z chromosome (580 SNPs) loci. When the four populations are assessed using the full SNP dataset, three genetic clusters are identified: pugetensis, southern oriantha, and northern oriantha grouped with gambelii. However, four genetic clusters are supported by the Z chromosome outlier SNPs corresponding to three subspecies and a north-south split in Z. l. oriantha. Our analyses pointed to consistent divergence of Zonotrichia leucophrys pugetensis from other populations and mitochondrial SNPs showed overlap of southern Z. l. oriantha and Z. l. gambelii. Interestingly, northern Z. l. oriantha populations are more genetically similar to Z. l. gambelii as opposed to its sister population, the southern Z. l. oriantha. We found a region on the Z chromosome with highly elevated FST among all the populations. The genetic clusters identified in our study may be suggestive of evolutionary events such as selection on the Z chromosome, and this may be driving divergence in white-crowned sparrows.

Neuroctenus represents a key lineage within Aradidae, crucial for understanding species evolution and phylogenetics. This study revised the taxonomy of extant Neuroctenus and redesigned its identification key, incorporating morphological analysis and molecular species delimitation methods, and described eight new species. Utilizing concatenated nuclear and mitochondrial, we reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships within Neuroctenus, which revealed that Neuroctenus is not monophyletic, with Yangiella embedded within it. Furthermore, reconstructing the ancestral range combined with divergence time estimation elucidated the origin and dispersal history of Neuroctenus. Based on known distribution records of Neuroctenus in China, we assessed and predicted its suitable areas. The distribution of suitable areas showed a significant northward expansion from the Last Interglacial to the Last Glacial Maximum, followed by an overall decreasing trend after the LGM. The evolutionary history of Neuroctenus is closely linked to global geological and climatic changes, making it an ideal model system for studying insect macroevolution.

Habituation in wild animals can lead to several conflict situations and contribute to a generally negative perception of these animals among people. When a wild animal becomes reliant on human-derived food, dangerous situations can arise, posing risks to both animals and humans. The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a controversial species in Romania, as it is protected but also responsible for incidents with livestock, crops, or even humans. In our study, we aimed to identify the factors that facilitate bear visits to the town of Băile Tușnad and assess their extent. Using city surveillance cameras, we analysed bear behaviour in relation to the use of electric fences and the presence of garbage, seeking to better understand which factors should be mitigated or adjusted to improve the safety of both bears and citizens. Our results supported our hypotheses that frequent bear visits to garbage container islands are linked to the availability of garbage and insufficient protective measures, such as non-activated electric fences. As the frequency of bear visits increased, we observed a decrease in fearful behaviours, such as hesitation before entering the container islands or scanning their surroundings while foraging. This suggests that the bears of Băile Tușnad, in addition to showing signs of food conditioning, were also exhibiting increased tolerance to human activity, both of which could serve as precursors to habituation in long term. Although our findings were not suitable for testing the existence of individual personalities, they did confirm individual differences among the bears.

Savannahs are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to the rapid change in their land use for forestry, soybean cultivation, and pasture. However, savannahs are less studied than tropical forest ecosystems despite this intense anthropogenic pressure. As such, here we investigate the gaps and trends in scientific research on terrestrial vertebrates in tropical savannahs, via a systematic search for scientific articles on the Web of Science platform. Subsequently, to identify the geographical distribution of the studies, we divided the total number of articles by the savannah area (in km2) that occurs in each country. Our results show that Africa has a deficit in scientific research on terrestrial vertebrates compared to Oceania and South America, and that this global trend in the distribution of studies is closely related to the Human Development Index. We also identified land use change and fire dynamics as the most studied drivers of biodiversity loss, while invasive species and climate change were the most neglected. Finally, our research revealed that about 80% of the articles focused on mammals and birds, and that phylogenetic and functional diversity were the least studied dimensions of vertebrate biodiversity in tropical savannahs. These results are worrying for conservation, because in addition to the geographic gap, we are not learning about the biodiversity of tropical savannahs. Furthermore, if we consider the intense anthropogenic pressures that savannahs have suffered in recent decades, we may be losing animal species long before we know them.

Modern evolutionary theory suggests that the offspring species from the same ancestor would intensely compete due to high similarity in ecological traits, which would halt the development of the clade or even drive it to collapse. Therefore, species in an evolutionarily successful clade would avoid competitions by keepting spatial separation. This predicts that extant species of such a clade would tend to maintain spatially separate in their ecological communities, which was tested and confirmed in this paper by our spatial network analysis using infrared camera trap data of phasianids (order Galliformes) collected in four national nature reserves (NNRs) in China from 2017 to 2021. We found 14 phasianid species in the NNRs. They showed active spatial avoidance by separation at subfamily level due to physical conditions between Phasianinae (in humid habitats) and Coturnicinae (in cold habitats). Phasianinae species were further separated, with six genera appearing in cold and humid communities and two genera in warm and humid communities. The congeneric species, Crossoptilon crossoptilon and C. auritum, and Chrysolophus pictus and C. amherstiae, appeared in the same networks due to similar ecological requirements, but stayed in different spaces to avoide spatial association. We suggested that the spatial separations may be the biogeographic mechanism for the maintenance of the species diversity of Phasianidae. We further found that phasianids mutually promote each other’s survival with 12 non-phasianids species, based on which, along with other considerations, we suggested to prioritize Heizhugou NNR for the investment of phasianid conservation.

This paper presents an automated one-shot bird call classification pipeline designed for rare species absent from large publicly available classifiers like BirdNET and Perch. While these models excel at detecting common birds with abundant training data, they lack options for species with only 1–3 known recordings—a critical limitation for conservationists monitoring the last remaining individuals of endangered birds. To address this, we leverage the embedding space of large bird classification networks and develop a classifier using cosine similarity, combined with filtering and denoising preprocessing techniques, to optimize detection with minimal training data. We evaluate various embedding spaces using clustering metrics and validate our approach in both a simulated scenario with Xeno-Canto recordings and a real-world test on the critically endangered tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris), which has no existing classifiers and only three confirmed recordings. The final model achieved 1.0 recall and 0.95 accuracy in detecting tooth-billed pigeon calls, making it practical for use in the field. This open-source system provides a practical tool for conservationists seeking to detect and monitor rare species on the brink of extinction.

Evolution is shaped by development, natural selection, and physiological limitations that bias the range of variation observed in organisms, influencing patterns of diversification. This study investigates how patterns of morphological integration and modularity impact disparity and species richness across freshwater and terrestrial turtles. Modularity refers to the idea that biological systems, like organisms, organs, or traits, are organized into relatively independent, semi-autonomous units, called modules. Integration refers to how strongly different traits are interconnected or correlated with each other. We first hypothesize that the most diverse turtle suborder, Cryptodira, exhibit weaker integration and higher modularity than Pleurodira, leading to greater morphological disparity and species diversity. Second, we hypothesize that at the family level weaker integration and higher modularity promotes morphological disparity and species richness. To test these hypotheses we take linear measurements of limb, shell, and head characteristics of 1652 turtle specimens belonging to 270 species (70% of species level diversity). Covariation matrices were used to test hypotheses in a phylogenetic framework. Results partially support our hypotheses: Cryptodira show lower integration and higher modularity but unexpectedly lower disparity than Pleurodira. At the family level, higher modularity and weaker integration correlate with higher species richness, while integration is positively correlated with increased disparity. The most diverse families that have evolved terrestrial and aquatic lifestyles, Emydidae and Geoemydidae, exhibit high modularity, weak integration, low disparity, and higher species richness, whereas Kinosternidae and Trionychidae which have strictly aquatic species, exhibit moderate levels of modularity, high integratation, and high disparity. These findings highlight how patterns of trait covariation can shape organismal diversity, and the depth of our sampling provides key insight on how patterns of covariation can influence the diversification in a major order of vertebrates.

Aim: We carried out a first biogeographical analysis of Sargassum species in Mexican coasts, to recognize distribution patterns, species richness and the events related with its distribution. Location: Mexican Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Methods: Based on the specialized literature, a search for records of Sargassum species in Mexico was carried out. Subsequently, the records were mapped and two matrices were constructed, one for each coast. From these matrices, a phenogram was obtained with the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) using the Jaccard index. Additionally, in order to recognise complementary areas with conservation potential, a Whittaker’s paired beta analysis was performed. Results: Our results revealed the presence of two very marked patterns between the Mexican Pacific and Atlantic, with five and three distribution areas, respectively. In addition, two biotic convergence zones were identified: the south-central zone of the Gulf of California and the northern zone of the Yucatan Peninsula. These zones coincide with the highest points of species richness of Sargassum, due to oceanographic and climatic conditions that are strengthened by the study of other species. A transition zone is recognized in the state of Tamaulipas, and an isolation zone for the state of Campeche. Main Conclusions: The patterns observed can be explained throughout the complex geological history of the Mexican territory and also offers an explanation of the processes of adaptive radiation that has given rise to the species of the genus.

The utilization of habitats by species reflects their preference for environmental factors and activity patterns. Understanding the coexistence mechanism of wild ungulates is helpful in understanding the intra-inter species survival patterns of wild ungulates. The interactions between species include various forms such as predation, competition, symbiosis, and reproduction, and their occurrence and changes are often closely related to factors such as seasons, daily rhythms, and weather changes. The Baotianman National Nature Reserve in northern China is rich in wild ungulates, but little is known about the daily rhythm patterns of wild ungulates in the area. We studied four representative wild ungulates (i.e. forest musk deer, Chinese goral, Reeve’s muntjac, Siberian roe deer and wild boar) in recorded of camera trapping data, focusing on the seasonal daily rhythm patterns. to reveal their coexistence based on temporal ecological niche differentiation. Comparative analyses of the seasonal daily rhythm respectively. Wild boars, Chinese goral , and forest musk deer show significant differentiation in daily rhythm (p<0.05), while Reeve’s muntjac and Siberian roe deer do not show significant differentiation in daily rhythm rhythms with forest musk deer. Wild boars, Chinese goral, and Siberian roe deer show significant differentiation in their daily rhythm rhythms (p<0.05), while Reeve’s muntjacs do not show significant differentiation in their daily rhythm rhythms with Siberian roe deer. The daily rhythm of forest musk deer shows no significant difference between day and night, indicating a mixed activity pattern of day and night; Reeve’s muntjacs, wild boars, and Chinese goral do not have nocturnal behavior but tend to engage in diurnal behavior. This study can provide new insights for developing conservation strategies for wild ungulates.

Isolated populations of freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) in elevated, rocky escarpment areas of the Northern Territory reach sexual maturity earlier and generally have an adult size half that of their downstream counterparts. There is debate over whether these ‘pygmy’ or ‘dwarf’ crocodile populations are the result of extreme phenotypic plasticity or the origins of a unique species through peripatric speciation. This debate is of conservation concern as these populations face immediate threats of invasive species and climate change, and species classification can affect conservation management strategies. We used mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b sequences to investigate whether mtDNA haplotype variation supports any evidence of speciation between the pygmy and standard-size freshwater crocodiles. Additionally, we used genotyping by sequencing (dd-RADseq) to examine genetic clustering. Separated and concatenated control region and cytochrome b haplotypes were shared between pygmy and standard-size crocodile populations. Principle Component Analysis and STRUCTURE analyses on dd-RADseq data showed pygmy and standard-size crocodiles cluster by geographic location as much as by phenotype. We found no clear and objective genetic evidence to suggest that the pygmy freshwater crocodiles should be considered a separate species to any other population of the standard-size crocodiles. However, the isolation and environmental adaptability of these unique pygmy freshwater crocodile populations make them ecologically unique and valuable for conservation, and worth safeguarding against potential threats.

Climate change and human interference have disturbed most grassland ecosystems globally, causing degradation, fragmentation and loss of landscape. Over-grazing, the main human factor of grassland degradation, challenges most grassland flora and fauna. However, the impact of grazing-caused grassland degradation on communities remains unclear, because of the difficulty and neglect of studying the complex interactions and cascade effects within an ecosystem. Therefore, we studied birds, epigeic arthropods, plants and grazing intensity in the Zoige alpine grassland on the eastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau to explore the complex interactions and cascade effects on community. We found positive responses of bird abundance and epigeic arthropod to light and moderate grassland degradation. Biomass and abundance of omnivores bird, saprophages and zooparasites arthropod could benefit from human-induced livestock to reverse the expected biome decline under grassland degradation. Yak contributed more to grassland degradation than sheep. Sheep promoted bird diversity, while yak reduced both birds and arthropods, indicating varying influence intensity and pathway of sheep and yak on biome through cascade effects. Our results suggest that grazing-caused grassland degradation benefits birds and epigeic arthropods through the food web and cascade effects, the impact of grazing may depend on feeding habits of grazing species. Therefore, we urge further research to uncover the intricate mechanisms of grassland ecology for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

Chilin fish (Varicorhinus macrolepis) is classified as a second-class protected animal in China. The wild-type body color is predominantly black. however, recent observations have documented individuals with a gold color mutation. To identify the genetic mutations responsible for this change, we investigated the mechanisms underlying body color mutations in Chilin fish. Transcriptome sequencing was conducted on skin samples from wild-type and mutant fish. A total of 72,663 gene sequences were screened using the DESeq2 criterion (P-value < 0.05 and |log2 fold-change| > 1), identifying 605 up-regulated and 602 down-regulated genes in the mutant samples. A heatmap illustrated the expression differences between genes. Seven genes with significant differential expression were identified: LOC107600971, MLLT1, tmem41ab, LN590753, Zbed4, RASSF2, and LN590710. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed their involvement in the p38 MAP kinase and nuclear factor NF-kappa-β p105 subunit signaling pathways. Transcriptomic data from wild-type and mutant skin tissues were provided, identifying seven DEGs associated with body color variation. Experimental analysis confirmed their strong correlation with body color mutation. We hypothesized that these two signaling pathways influence the body color mutation in Chilin fish. This finding enhances our understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms regulating body color mutations. Furthermore, it provides novel insights for investigating body color mutations in other Cyprinidae species.

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) supports six sea turtle species, including hawksbill (E. imbricata) and Kemp’s ridley (L. kempii), which utilize discrete areas of the GoM as developmental, foraging, migratory, and nesting habitat. Hybridization is commonly observed in sea turtles but has not been previously reported between E. imbricata and L. kempii. On 30 July 2022, a juvenile E. imbricata x L. kempii hybrid stranded near Port Aransas, Texas, USA. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first hybrid between these species to be reported in literature. The southern and western GoM waters serve as important habitat for E. imbricata and L. kempii, and future observations of hybridization between the two is likely.

Aim: Telmatobius atacamensis presents Linnaean (unknown species), Wallacean (unknown geographic distributions), and Hutchinsonian (unknown abiotic tolerances) knowledge deficits that can be reduced with species distribution models (SDM). We calculated and validated the distribution range of T. atacamensis in the Andean plateau by combining geoprocessing tools and SDM configured with climatic and vegetation variables. Location: Andean plateau, northern Argentina. Taxon: Anura, Leptodactylidae. Methods: To estimate the niches of this microendemic species and know its conservation status we applied SDM configured with climatic and vegetation variables at one and 10 km spatial resolution. We apply and configure the Maxent, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and Domain algorithms from the R package ENMTML. We perform field validation of the predictions at sites with a high probability of detection. Results: All the predictions obtained showed high performances in 1k (AUC = 0.98 ± 0.02; Sorensen = 0.97 ± 0.03, mean ± standard deviation), and 10k (AUC = 0.90 ± 0.05; Sorensen = 0.94 ± 0.05) of spatial resolution. Depending on the environmental variables and spatial scales used, the SDM allowed the niche identification of Telmatobiidae, Leptodactylidae, Bufonidae families, Telmatobius genus, and the target species. Main conclusions: Combining climatic and vegetation variables could improve the algorithm’s performance and the amphibian’s predictions; our results expanded the databases for a microendemic species. T. atacamensis may not be strictly microendemic; field validation increased the database, suggesting wider distributions than previously thought. The conservation status of T. atacamensis is critical; besides being an endemic species, critically endangered, and with niches overlapping with the Lithium Triangle, only five conservation units protect 25.6% of its critical habitats. Our results partially reduce the Wallacean deficit; there are no management policies and expanding field validation efforts represent basic inputs that could outline new effective management and conservation strategies by national and international authorities.

Understanding the spatial and temporal distributions of rare species is important for informed management. The black-necked crane Grus nigricollis, a rare bird in China and flagship species in alpine wetlands, is nationally protected. Using site and environmental data, we use Maximum Entropy (MEM) and Random Forest (RFM) models to predict suitable habitat for this bird. Environmental variables that most affect its distribution are distance from buildings and roads, and isothermality, with contribution rates of 15.1%, 15.05%, and 5.85%, respectively. Using the AUC (area under curve) coefficient as an index to evaluate model precision, the predictions of the RFM are most consistent with the known distribution of these cranes, predicting the highest match with known crane sites (AUC = 0.945). Suitable habitat for this crane occurs mainly in Nyingchi city riverine wetland, where the centre of distribution is located in a valley where the Yarlung Tsangpo and Niyang rivers converge. A comparison between MEM and RFM outputs reduces uncertainty in predictions of black-necked crane spatial distribution, and filters optimal results for the distribution area. These results enable more-informed protection of habitat for this sacred crane.

Understanding the mechanisms that constrain or promote the evolution of species’ geographic ranges has emerged as a fundamental question at the intersection of evolution, ecology, and conservation. A long-held, empirically understudied idea is that asymmetrical gene flow from a more densely populated range center may restrict species’ geographic ranges by preventing local adaptation and the expansion of populations at the range edge. In this study, we use ecophysiology, population genetics, and niche modeling to evaluate whether asymmetrical gene flow from the range center toward the range edge swamps out physiological differentiation in peripheral populations preventing local adaptation. Our focal species, the plethodontid salamander Plethodon ouachitae, is isolated among six mountaintops (sky islands) in the Interior Highlands of the United States that differ in climate across mountaintop isolates and along elevational gradients within mountains. Within mountaintop isolates we found no genetic structure, uniformly high rates of gene flow, and no evidence of physiological divergence along elevational gradients. Although population density peaked at mid- to high-elevations, inferred gene flow was not consistently biased from high- to low-density sites. We found significant genetic differentiation among mountains and evidence for divergence in the environmental niche across mountains separated by low-elevation barriers to dispersal. Despite variation in climate among mountains and the potential for adaptive divergence, we found no evidence for differentiation in ecophysiology among populations isolated on different mountains. Our findings do not support asymmetric gene flow as a force restricting local physiological adaptation and expansion at the range edge, although uniformly high estimated gene flow within mountains could play such a role. However, a lack of physiological differentiation among sky-island populations that differ in climate provides additional support for the idea that gene flow does not limit local adaptation in this species.