Overgrazing and low temperature prevent plants sexual reproduction, and belowground bud banks play an important role in perennial plant communities. The purpose of the study is to explore the bud bank characteristics of alpine meadow with elevation changes. We studied the bud bank distribution, size and composition of alpine meadow at 3450 to 3950 m elevation using a unit soil excavation method on the eastern Zoige Plateau. Our results showed that the bud density at the low elevation was higher than that at the high elevation as a whole. The bud bank comprise tiller, long and short rhizome buds. Bud bank composition varied with elevation, tiller buds were the dominant ones, accounted for 35.47% to 65.28% of total buds. The tiller bud density was significant correlated with the elevation, and the proportion of tiller bud and short rhizome bud significant correlated with the elevation. Buds were mostly concentrated in 0-10 cm sod layer, accounted for 93.41% to 100% of total buds, and there were fewer buds distributed in 10-30 cm sod layer. The aboveground biomass of plants increased gradually with increasing elevation, and the belowground biomass decreased gradually as a whole. The aboveground biomass was extremely significant correlated with the tiller buds density. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that sod layer properties affected bud bank composition. Total phosphorus, total nitrogen, available phosphorus content was the most important factor explaining and contributing to the variation of bud density. Studies have shown that plants in alpine meadows maintain a certain size of bud banks, which ensures the renewal and recovery of the plant community in the later stages. The distribution and composition of plant bud banks vary with increasing elevation, plants constantly alter the bud bank and adjust propagation strategy to cope with environmental changes and maintain the community stability.

Ecologists and other statistical practitioners with access to high-resolution spatial data lack guidance on best approaches for discerning meaningful spatial scales for environmental covariates which is necessary when spatial factors influence environmental processes. Recently developed methods have attempted to automate investigating spatial scales for covariates by evaluating models for which potential explanatory variables are derived from concentric circles of increasing size centered at survey locations. However, these methods make a strong assumption on the inclusion of the covariate and do not help discern whether a covariate should be included in the model. We present an approach that utilizes researcher guidance to create informative priors on the model space that, along with parallelizable Reversible Jump MCMC techniques, enables efficient estimation of posterior model probabilities to assist with the choice of meaningful spatial scales for environmental covariates.

Restoration and protection of kelp forest ecosystems is critical to maintain marine biodiversity, support coastal communities, and meet global conservation targets such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's 30x30 and Kelp Forest Challenge. Much of the success of kelp forest restoration and protection depends heavily on selecting ecologically suitable sites that align with species-specific environmental requirements. This paper introduces a novel kelp forest restoration site selection tool that synthesizes the realized environmental niche of 105 kelp species across 25 biophysical factors. Using over 426,000 global observations of kelp and high-resolution oceanographic datasets, the tool provides quantitative niche data summarized by species and ecoregion. It incorporates key variables such as temperature, salinity, light, and nutrient availability, offering users practical guidance to identify optimal restoration sites. Accessible via an interactive web application, the tool supports conservation practitioners, policymakers, and researchers by enabling evidence-based site selection, maximizing restoration success, and informing broader marine ecosystem management. This tool represents a significant advancement in kelp forest conservation, facilitating global restoration efforts and contributing to the ambitious goal of restoring one million hectares of kelp forest by 2040. Future developments will address qualitative ecological factors and socio-cultural considerations to enhance its utility.

Browntop millet (Brachiaria ramosa L. Stapf) holds cultural and agricultural significance in Southern India, serving as both a staple food for humans and fodder for livestock. Recently, its high fiber and protein content has gained public attention, making it popular as a nutritious grain. However, despite its nutritional benefits, the limited genomic information available for browntop millet has hindered breeding efforts. To address this knowledge gap, an assessment was made to test the transferability of SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) primers from finger millet to browntop millet, aiming to identify genetic polymorphism. In this study, 27 accessions of browntop millet were subjected to SSR analysis using 100 SSR primers developed for finger millet. Among the 100 primers tested, five were mono-nucleotide, 38 were di-nucleotide, 42 were tri-nucleotide, and 15 were tetra-nucleotide repeats. Initial screening of 100 primers on 100 primers on two browntop millet accessions GPUBT-2 and IC617953 showed 40 per cent and 42 per cent transferability. Among the 30 amplified primers screened on both browntop millet genotypes, one was a mono-nucleotide repeat, 16 were di-nucleotide repeats, and 13 were tri-nucleotide repeats. The analysis revealed that di-nucleotide repeats were the most common repeat type. 30 primers which showed amplification in both genotypes were used for screening 27 browntop millet genotypes. The PIC values of all the polymorphic loci for 25 browntop millet genotypes varied from 0 to 0.68, major allele frequency varied from 0.40 to 1, allele number varied from 1 to 5 and genetic diversity varied from 0 to 0.72. Cluster analysis combining morphological and molecular markers based on UPGMA method resulted in two major clusters. These findings demonstrate the potential for utilizing genomic resources from related millet species and highlight opportunities to enhance browntop millet breeding programs.

A major goal in marine ecology is to understand patterns of larval dispersal and population connectivity. Dispersal plasticity allows for adaptive variation in dispersal phenotypes in response to variation in environmental conditions and may help to explain intraspecific variation in dispersal distances. However, this phenomenon has not yet been investigated in marine fishes. Here, we test the hypothesis that parents produce larvae with different dispersal-related traits in response to variation in environmental quality using the orange anemonefish, Amphiprion percula. By experimentally manipulating food rations, we show that parents produce larger offspring on low-food rations than on high-food rations. However, there was no effect of parental diet on larval critical swimming speed. We also found an effect on larval otolith core size which, in combination with parentage analyses, may provide a way to test the dispersal plasticity hypothesis in the field. This study shows that parents can produce different larval phenotypes in response to variation in environmental conditions, demonstrating plasticity in a dispersal-related trait which may help to explain observed variation in A. percula larval dispersal distances. Incorporating dispersal plasticity into our understanding of marine dispersal patterns may enhance our understanding of marine metapopulation ecology, fisheries management, and conservation.

We present a novel method utilizing in-situ video data of fish locomotion to calculate thrust. This methodology was applied to several large elasmobranch species, which are typically challenging to measure. Using motion tracking software, we analyzed video footage of both wild and captive sharks to track their position and speed. In order to estimate the total force output, we used the tail/body motion in respect to the surrounding medium assuming equilibrium conditions. The force output for each shark was converted into scaled thrust, enabling comparisons independent of size. This scaled thrust was then analyzed across swimming modes and caudal fin morphology, serving as a proxy for each species’ behavioral ecology. Through PCA analysis we demonstrate the coupling between morphological traits and hydrodynamic forces. The ratio of the upper to lower lobe of the caudal fin (CLAR) emerged as a strong predictor of scaled thrust, accounting for over 80% of observed variation. These morphological traits, a proxy for behavioral ecology, appear to be the most suitable predictor of hydrodynamic forces given the quantitative nature of the variable compared to the categorical classifications of swimming mode. Our findings indicate that coastal pelagic species exhibited similar but significantly lower scaled thrust values than benthic species, suggesting that benthic species may be less efficient, expending more energy to remain aloft or compensate for drag relative to generating forward motion. Our findings demonstrate how morphological traits have evolved to optimize energy expenditure based on behavioral ecology, highlighting a tradeoff between benthic and coastal pelagic species. We propose that the unique ecological niches of these species drive behavioral changes that result in morphological adaptations to optimize performance. Given the relatedness between morphology/behavioral ecology and swim mode, selected pressure overtime could also explain the ecological need of different swim modes.

Vegetation stability is vulnerable to climate change in Central Asia. However, how future climate variations and extremes influence the vegetation stability in Central Asia has not been well understood. In this study, we investigated future vegetation stability quantified by the variability of vegetation productivity and attribution to climatic variation and negative extremes in Central Asia under four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways scenarios (SSPs) during 2021-2100, using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 simulations. We found that the interannual variability (IAV) of Net Primary Production (NPP) would be larger under higher anthropogenic emissions scenarios. The standard deviation of NPP IAV increases from 64.55 Tg C yr -1 under SSP1-2.6 to 78.01 Tg C y r -1 under SSP5-8.5. The north of Central Asia accounts for the largest contribution (48% -53%) to Central Asia’s NPP IAV under SSP1-2.6 to SSP5-8.5. Compared to temperature IAV, precipitation IAV exerts a larger contribution to NPP IAV in Central Asia, due to the higher sensitivity of NPP IAV to precipitation IAV. Dry conditions are the main climate extremes causing negative NPP extremes in Central Asia, especially in the north and southeast of Central Asia. Our findings identify the northern and southeastern regions with higher instability posed by future climate changes in Central Asia, and provide scientific guidance for regional water management to mitigate ecosystem instability.

1. Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) and plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) excrements are important organic materials that influence soil carbon cycling in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. However, their exact priming effects (PE) on soil and mechanisms of influence in alpine meadows are subject to their health status. 2. To fill this knowledge gap, we carried out a 45-day incubation experiment using alpine meadow soils with differing degrees of degradation that had been enriched with these two types of excrement. Soil PE was assessed via the natural abundance method, while soil microbial communities and their compositions were examined through high-throughput sequencing. 3. The findings indicated that severely degraded soils are more susceptible to soil PEs than non-degraded soils (p < 0.05). Both types of excrement supplements modified the structure and composition of the soil microbial communities. Specifically, heavily degraded meadow soils displayed a significantly higher MBC:MBN ratio, reduced soil bacterial α-diversity, and notable shifts in the composition and β-diversity than the intact meadow soil. 4. Both excrement supplements demonstrated a direct negative correlation (r = -0.94) with key soil microbial taxa, namely Actinobacteriota (r = 0.21), Proteobacteria (r = 0.29) and Chloroflexi (r = 0.22), and showed direct positive correlations. The soil C:N ratio positively impacted Proteobacteria (r = 0.39), whereas the soil NO3–N:NH4+-N ratio negatively affected Actinobacteriota (r = -0.18), thereby influencing soil PE. Therefore, alpine meadow degradation indirectly modulated soil PE by altering key microbial taxa such as Actinobacteriota (r = 0.70), Proteobacteria (r = -0.52), and the soil C:N ratio (r = -0.26).

Fences are increasingly used globally as a management tool in conservation to reduce wildlife depredations, disease transmission, and wildlife mortality. There are a limited number of studies on the genetic effects of perimeter fencing of protected areas on megaherbivores. Using population genetic analyses on 226 sequences of a 400 bp fragment of the mtDNA Dloop from 10 East African buffalo populations (3 fenced and 7 unfenced), the influence of spatial isolation and fencing on buffalo population genetic diversity and genetic differentiation were examined. Mean gene diversity between fenced and unfenced buffalo populations was not different (fenced: 0.978 ± 0.003, unfenced: 0.973 ± 0.004, P = 0.300) but nucleotide diversity was higher in fenced than unfenced populations (fenced: 0.038 ± 0.019, unfenced: 0.030 ± 0.015, P = 0.005). Genetic differentiation among buffalo populations based on haplotype frequencies and model-based genetic distance was weak (FST = 0.08, ΦST = 0.06) and contributed to 6.2% and 8.5% of total genetic variance respectively. Ninety three percent of population pairs were genetically differentiated by distances determined from haplotype frequencies but only 51% of population pairs were differentiated using modelled distances suggesting recent differentiation. There was no correlation between linearized FST and geographical distance (r = -0.005, P = 0.52), but linearized ΦST was moderately correlated with geographic distance (r = 0.329, P = 0.03). The distance effect was greater when fenced populations were excluded (ΦST: r = 0.464, P = 0.05), suggesting that insularization due to fencing is distorting isolation by distance. SSD analyses revealed that 2 of 3 fenced populations and 2 of 7 unfenced populations had non-unimodal distributions suggesting demographically declining populations. Our study reveals the high genetic diversity but warn that genetic erosion due to isolation, including fencing, is only beginning to have an impact on East African buffalo populations.

Seriphidium transiliense is a key species in the arid and semi-arid desert grasslands of Northwest China, playing crucial roles in maintaining ecological balance, stabilizing soil, and supporting biodiversity. However, the combined effects of global climate change and human activities are leading to a dramatic reduction in suitable habitat area, intensified habitat fragmentation, and ecosystem degradation. This study utilizes the MaxEnt model, along with field investigation data and online recorded data, selecting 159 effective occurrence points and integrating 20 environmental variables such as bioclimatic, soil, topographic, solar radiation, and human footprint factors, to evaluate the distribution patterns and dynamic changes of suitable habitats for S. transiliense under current climatic conditions and six future climate scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, SSP585). The results indicate that the total suitable habitat area for S. transiliense under current conditions is 86.20 × 10⁴ km², mainly concentrated in northern Xinjiang. Human activities have drastically reduced the suitable habitat area, with the total area shrinking to 75.78 × 10⁴ km², and the highly suitable habitat area decreasing from 5.72 × 10⁴ km² to 2.00 × 10⁴ km². Climate change in the future might expand its distribution range, but human activities continue to threaten its habitat, especially in areas of highly suitable habitat. The distribution center tends to migrate southeastward or northwestward under different climate scenarios, along with shifts in elevation. This research offers a scientific foundation for the monitoring, protection, and ecological restoration of S. transiliense and underscores the necessity of scientific management and reseeding restoration amid escalating human activities.

The noise pollution, habitat loss, and human disturbance caused by urbanization have led to damage in bird communities. Research on the relationship between urbanization and birds predominantly focuses on highly urbanized areas, with few studies in underdeveloped urbanized areas. Given the greater stability of the bird community during breeding season, it was chosen for this study. Here, we conducted bird surveys along the urban-rural continuum by utilizing 150 line transects within a 51385 km2 area from June to August in 2022 and 2023, aiming to explore the impact of urbanization on bird species diversity and functional traits during the breeding season in the Huanghuai Plain of China. We found that species diversity and functional traits had significant differences among three habitats (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural). Additionally, the urbanization synthetic index had significant negative correlations with species richness and the Shannon-Wiener index, while having no significant correlation with functional traits. We then assessed that the environmental noise, the distance to the county center, and the proportion of building area within a 250-meter radius were critical factors affecting species diversity, as well as environmental noise and the distance to the county center being the best predictors for functional traits. Urban birds preferred to construct nests at crown, and the diets of them tended to be omnivorous. Our study highlights the importance of the environmental noise, the distance to the county center, and the building index for the protection of urban birds in Huanghuai Plain. The research findings filled the gap in the study area regarding the relationship between urbanization and avian communities based on the urban-rural continuum.

Exotic herbivores can exert profound impacts on terrestrial communities, but their ecological effects on marine habitats are not sufficiently quantified. The exotic crab Percnon gibbesi, which is rapidly spreading throughout the Mediterranean Sea, grazes almost exclusively on benthic macrophytes, providing an opportunity to study the potential impacts of herbivores in the marine realm. Here, we first quantified the abundance of P. gibbesi in Mallorca (Balearic Islands; Spain) in 2023 and reported average densities of 67 individuals 100 m-2, approximately 33 times greater than those recorded in 2003 on the islands. We then performed a feeding preference experiment using common native and invasive species of macroalgae (Caulerpa cylindracea, Halimeda incrassata, Haliptilon virgatum, Halopteris scoparia, Padina pavonica and Ulva compressa) from the Mediterranean Sea. The per capita grazing rates of P. gibbesi (3.83 ± 1.71 WW g crab -1 day-1), which can ingest almost 75% of their body weight daily, were higher than those recorded for most native herbivorous species in the Mediterranean. The estimated daily grazing rates for P. gibbesi average 23.98 ± 15.45 kg WW macroalgae ha-1 d-1, value that corresponds with 0.2 to 9.1% (average 5.58%) of the total macroalgae production in this area. Our experiment revealed clear preferences of P. gibbesi for three species of macroalgae, which were not explained by the nutritional content. Overall, our results generate great concern and coupled with the large extent of the invasion, indicate that the ecological impacts of this exotic herbivore on Mediterranean marine communities could be substantial and, until now, unreported.

Aim: Our goal was to broaden the understanding of the functioning of two Calanus species (C. glacialis and C. finmarchicus). We hypothesized that their ecological traits (size, pigmentation, lipid content, diet, presence of parasites, and stage structure) would vary across four hydrographically distinct fjords. Location: Hornsund, Isfjorden, Kongsfjorden, van Mijenfjorden; Spitsbergen Methods: Morphological, size-based species identification via stereomicroscopy has been supported by molecular methods. Manual image-based measurements of size and lipid sack area have been assisted by machine learning image analyses. Manual image-based color intensity estimations of pigmentation have been supported by HPLC analysis of astaxanthin concentrations. Trophic variability has been assessed through stable isotope composition analyses. Results: The substantial variability in the studied traits of Calanus copepods (represented by CV life stage) highlights their high plasticity and that the traditionally recognized ecological and morphological distinctions between Calanus species are becoming increasingly blurred. This variability was likely influenced by the coexistence of several cohorts from two species, resulting in a mixture of local and advected populations as well as their multiple generations. These observations suggest that under increasing ‘Atlantification’ pressure, we can expect a suite of responses, including size reduction, faster development, mixed reproductive strategies, reduced pigmentation, dietary shifts, diversified lipid accumulation strategies, and the presence of parasites. Main conclusions: Normative C. glacialis individuals (exhibiting typical size and pigmentation traits) were found only in a minority, supporting the necessity for incorporation of genetic methods. Additionally, we introduce a tool for the automatic assessment of crucial traits, such as size and lipid content, using machine learning techniques. Since these traits are largely shared between these congeneric species this automated approach enables more efficient monitoring of their morphological traits across scales relevant for detecting ecosystem shifts in the northern hemisphere, without relying solely on precise and challenging taxonomic identification.

Tree cavities are critical habitats for numerous vertebrate species, serving as keystone resources for nesting, roosting, and shelter. We document the first evidence of güiña breeding within a tree cavity of a standing dead tree, exploring its implications on breeding productivity and complementing this record with evidence from camera trap surveys conducted in temperate forests of central-south Chile. These findings enhance our understanding of the species’ natural history, breeding behavior, and habitat preferences. Additionally, we discuss the conservation implications of this discovery, offering new insights into the breeding ecology and habitat selection of one of South America’s most elusive felines.

Abstract: Grassland phenology has a significant impact on the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the response of vegetation phenology to seasonal climate remains unclear. This study analyzes the response mechanisms of grassland phenology in China to seasonal climate, altitude, slope, and slope aspect from 2001 to 2019 using methods such as the Geodetector. The results are as follows: (1)The average start of season (SOS) was 172 days, showing an advancing trend at a rate of 0.2 days per year. The average end of season (EOS) was 258 days, showing a delaying trend at a rate of 0.35 days per year. (2)Temperature shows an accumulative effect on SOS, with an extended pre-season period expanding the region where temperature and SOS are negatively correlated. The influence of evapotranspiration and precipitation on SOS varies by season, with both factors generally showing a negative correlation with SOS. Seasonal temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration all positively correlate with EOS. (3)The response of SOS to altitude and slope shows a nonlinear trend. Below 4,000 meters, the delay rate of SOS is 1.85 days per kilometer; above 4,000 meters, the delay rate increases to 13.91 days per kilometer. When the slope is below 25°, SOS shows no significant change, but above 25°, SOS is significantly delayed. EOS advances with altitude at a rate of 0.1 days per kilometer. (4)The interaction between climate and terrain has a much lower impact on EOS than on SOS. Evapotranspiration-altitude interaction predominantly influences SOS, while precipitation-altitude interaction primarily drives EOS changes.This study provides a scientific basis for research on terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling.

We aim to test hypotheses on the patterns of clade age of climbing plants under climatic variations along the latitudinal gradients in China. Specifically, we uncover their general patterns of mean family age (MFA) and their climatic drivers. We evaluate the extents to which both the tropical niche conservatism hypothesis (TNC) and the out of the tropics hypothesis (OTT) can account for the MFA of climbing plants respectively. A dataset including 2487 climbing species was used to quantify geographical patterns of MFA across China. Spatial regression analyses with information-theoretical multi-model selections were performed to estimate the importance of climatic variables. There were generally increasing trends of MFA from low to high latitudes for all types of climbers. For woody climbers, MFA was negatively correlated with minimum temperature, annual mean precipitation but positively with seasonal temperature and precipitation, and was mostly influenced by mean temperature of the coldest quarter. For herbaceous vines, MFA pattern showed relatively insignificant correlations with all the climatic variables. Our results highlight that the OTT hypothesis offers a promising explanation for the latitudinal MFA gradients of climbers in China (especially for woody climbers), which turn out to be contrary to the TNC predictions.

The scaling relationship of leaf dry mass (M) versus leaf area (A) is crucial for understanding the tradeoff between leaf construction cost and the photosynthetic area return across diverse environmental stresses. Because leaves at different spatial positions on a plant receive varying intensities of light, this can affect the overall assessment of leaf scaling; however, the impact has not been tested. We collected a total of 1,746 leaves from 217 Lamium barbatum plants and measured their M and A. These leaves were grouped based on vertical (upper layer and lower layer) and horizontal (east, south, west, and north) positions. Reduced major axis regression protocols were used to evaluate the scaling relationship between M and A, and the bootstrap percentile method was employed to determine the differences in scaling exponents across different positions. ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD test was utilized to compare the M, A, and leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA) across these spatial positions. The results showed that: (1) M, A, and LMA were not significantly different among horizontal positions; however, these traits in the lower layer leaves were significantly greater compared to the upper layer leaves; (2) The scaling exponents of M versus A were also not significantly different across horizontal positions, but the scaling exponents of the lower layer leaves were significantly smaller than those of the upper layer leaves. Although the leaf scaling of M versus A tends to be consistent horizontally, it is necessary to consider the impact of their longitudinal positions on biomass investment for the photosynthetic area when conducting experiments on leaves.

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.