ABSTRACT The detrital food chain plays a critical role in shaping community structure and sustaining ecosystem functioning. It is initiated by the consumption of dead organic matter through scavenging. However, scavengers in freshwater ecosystems remain poorly understood. In this study, we experimentally investigated whether Thermocyclops taihokuensis , a cyclopoid copepod widely distributed across East and Central Asia that has recently expanded its range into Europe, exhibits scavenging behavior and whether it uses chemical cues to locate and utilize carcasses of other organisms. Our results showed that T. taihokuensis approached and attacked experimentally presented cladoceran carcasses, suggesting that it recognized the carcasses as food. Indeed, T. taihokuensis was attracted to artificial baits infused with the odor of cladoceran carcasses but ignored identical baits lacking odor, suggesting that chemical cues serve as a primary mechanism for detecting them. These findings highlight that, although cyclopoid copepods are generally considered to be omnivorous, grazing on algae and preying on other organisms, T. taihokuensis appears to be a more versatile consumer than previously recognized and may also contribute to the detrital food chain by potentially scavenging.
ABSTRACT Potentially toxic metal(loid)s (PTMs) occur in both natural and anthropic soils; however, studies on PTMs from natural sources remain limited, particularly scarce in Africa. This study investigated PTM transfer across a tri‐trophic food chain using ultramafic (komatiite) and organic rural control soils ( n = 20) collected from South Africa. Under greenhouse conditions, the wild plant Berkheya radula (rasp African thistle, n = 40) and the crop plant Brassica oleracea var. acephala (commercial kale; n = 40) served as primary producers. The house cricket Acheta domesticus acted as the primary consumer ( n = 150), and the African twig mantis Popa spurca served as the secondary consumer ( n = 680). PTM concentrations at each trophic level, including total and extractable soil fractions, were determined. The effects of PTMs on cricket feeding behavior were assessed using olfaction tests, while mantid development was evaluated based on life cycle duration. Although PTM concentrations were substantially higher in the komatiite soil, these differences were not consistently reflected along the trophic chain. Thistle and kale bioaccumulated distinct PTMs irrespective of soil concentration, and crickets accumulated similar PTMs from both plant species. Female crickets showed a preference for plant leaves with higher PTM concentrations. Mantids exhibited differing PTM concentrations among body parts depending on their diet and accumulated PTMs that differed from those detected in their cricket prey. Overall, PTM concentrations in biota did not mirror soil levels, suggesting that bioaccumulation and trophic transfer from unspiked natural soils are governed more by organismal traits than by soil PTM concentrations.
Although quantifying the radial profile of stem sap flux density (SFD) is crucial for accurately estimating tree and stand transpiration, limited information exists regarding species-specific and seasonal variations in SFD profiles, particularly in humid forests. To address this knowledge gap, we measured SFD at four specific depths across different tree species (Acer nipponicum, Acer shirasawanum, Betula grossa, and Fagus crenata) over the growing seasons in a cool temperate forest in Japan. Our findings revealed divergent patterns in radial profiles of SFD among trees, with no distinct species-specific profiles due to significant tree-to-tree variation. Environmental responses of SFD were uniform during the full-leaf period (June-September) regardless of species and individuals. However, significant seasonal variations in the radial profile were observed in F. crenata, where post-summer declines in outermost layers exceeded those in inner layers. Ignoring these seasonal variations resulted in a mean error of 7.4 +/- 3.3 (standard deviation) % for F. crenata and 3.5% +/- 2.0% for the other species in annual transpiration estimates, whereas neglecting tree-to-tree variability caused up to errors of 29.0% +/- 13.0%. Therefore, considering seasonal variations in the radial profiles of SFD is important for accurate transpiration estimation, but accounting for tree-to-tree variations is even more critical.
In some human-altered landscapes, mesopredators such as the golden jackal (Canis aureus) can increase in abundance and expand their distribution where apex predators are absent or declining, although this pattern is species-and context-dependent rather than universal. In the Middle East, historical predator-control campaigns and ongoing anthropogenic pressures may have facilitated similar processes. However, comprehensive, long-term studies on how these factors impact jackal populations and their habitat preferences are scarce. This is a significant gap, given that understanding spatiotemporal population trends is crucial for predicting future dynamics and guiding wildlife management in increasingly fragmented ecosystems. Our study analyzes golden jackal population dynamics in Israel over a 51-year period, using a dual analytical framework that combines nonparametric and model-based approaches. We first model long-term changes in abundance, and we also assess habitat preferences using ensemble Species Distribution Models (SDMs). Our findings bring to light a statistically significant long-term increase in jackal abundance, with central and northern Israel experiencing the most significant increases. The SDMs have identified farmland, grassland, shrub cover, and proximity to water as key predictors of jackal presence, while urbanized and desert regions were found to be less suitable. These findings support the view that the golden jackal is ecologically flexible and able to persist in human-modified landscapes, particularly agricultural mosaics and peri-urban areas. These patterns argue for standardized long-term monitoring to reduce conflict while accommodating conservation in human-dominated landscapes.
ABSTRACT Halting biodiversity loss will require transformative change across society, involving coordinated shifts in values, norms, and behaviors among diverse societal actors. Although this loss arises from multiple factors, personal and direct experiences of nature (hereafter, personalized ecologies) can play an important role in societal change. They shape how people perceive biodiversity and their willingness to support conservation. To date, however, the implications of personalized ecologies for the future of biodiversity have largely been explored in relation to the general public, with far less attention paid to their relevance across other societal sectors. Here, we synthesize existing evidence to examine how personalized ecologies among multiple societal actors (including direct natural resource users, business leaders, policy makers, citizens, educators, scientists, and journalists) can shape biodiversity outcomes. We show that, whilst the underlying psychological and cognitive mechanisms may be broadly similar across different actor groups, their effects are likely expressed through sector‐specific decisions and practices. Behavioral change in one actor group can propagate to others through interconnected social, economic, and institutional pathways, influencing biodiversity outcomes. In this sense, personalized ecologies can act as cross‐sectoral drivers of biodiversity change. However, their transformative potential is unlikely to be realized within a single actor group alone; synergistic increases across multiple societal sectors may be needed to generate mutually reinforcing effects that support biodiversity conservation. Strengthening engagement with nature across society, and counteracting the ongoing “extinction of experience”, may therefore play an important role in enabling transformative change towards biodiversity conservation and long‐term societal sustainability.
ABSTRACT Positive biosphere–climate feedbacks are likely to amplify the Arctic warming, yet major uncertainties persist regarding their magnitude and underlying mechanisms. Vegetation shifts, permafrost thaw, and microbial responses critically influence greenhouse gas emissions, surface albedo, and energy balance, ultimately feeding back to climate change. However, the capacity of emerging and changing Arctic ecosystems to sustain biogeochemical functions remains unclear. Here, we identify ten priority research questions that address vegetation, soil, and hydrological processes most relevant to climate feedback. We argue that simply expanding field observations is insufficient. Instead, monitoring must be strategically designed—aligned with satellite observations and models across scales, structured for causal inference, and integrated within coordinated international ecological networks to ensure comparability and synthesis. Advancing next‐generation, policy‐relevant observation systems will support more accurate projections of Arctic feedbacks, improve the ecological realism of Earth system models, and guide policy‐making. Given the disproportionate role of Arctic ecosystems in the global climate system, developing coordinated and ecologically grounded monitoring strategies is a crucial step toward reducing uncertainties in biosphere–climate interactions.
ABSTRACT Ultramafic (serpentine) soils, derived from magnesium‐ and iron‐rich rocks, impose extreme edaphic conditions characterized by generally low nutrient availability, high Mg:Ca ratios, and elevated concentrations of metals such as Ni, Cr, and Co. These “harsh environments” act as natural laboratories for studying plant adaptation, endemism, and metal tolerance. Türkiye, with its extensive and geologically diverse ultramafic outcrops, harbors one of the richest serpentine floras in the Northern Hemisphere yet remains understudied relative to other regions. This review synthesizes the historical and contemporary understanding of plant life on Turkish ultramafics, tracing early botanical exploration, herbarium‐based chemical analyses, and field discoveries that have revealed over 60 Ni‐hyperaccumulating taxa and at least 130 serpentine endemics. We highlight how advances in analytical techniques, from portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) to molecular and genomic tools, have expanded the detection and ecological interpretation of metal accumulation. Despite this progress, large geographic and taxonomic gaps persist, particularly for central and eastern Anatolia. Future research priorities include comprehensive chemical reanalysis of herbarium specimens, targeted field surveys of unexplored ultramafic regions, integrative molecular–ecophysiological studies to clarify the mechanisms of serpentine tolerance as well as phylogenetic origins of serpentine endemic plants, and applied studies on conservation approaches for Turkish serpentinophytes. Together, these efforts will enhance our understanding of plant evolution in metal‐rich environments and contribute to both biodiversity conservation and applied fields such as phytoremediation and biogeochemical prospecting.
ABSTRACT Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) shape surface ecosystem processes, but how serpentinite geochemistry and moisture structure their microbial communities remains unclear. We collected biocrust samples from serpentine and nonserpentine areas under frequent and erratic moisture regimes from the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. Bacterial communities were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics. Coarse bacterial diversity measures (alpha diversity and phylum‐level composition) did not differ significantly between soil types or moisture regimes. However, amplicon sequence variant (ASV)‐level analyses combining differential abundance testing, indicator‐species analysis, and Spearman's correlations ( ρ ≥ 0.75, p ≤ 0.05) identified taxa linked to soil chemistry and moisture. Three hundred sixty ASVs differed between soil types (199 enriched in serpentine) and 240 differed by moisture regime within serpentine soils (220 enriched under erratic moisture). Many serpentine‐associated microbes (e.g., Solirubrobacterales, Blastocatella , Mycobacterium , Chloroflexi clades) were linked to elevated nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, and iron, and sometimes to low‐calcium environments, reflecting tolerance to metal toxicity and characteristic serpentine geochemistry. In contrast, metabolic pathways were comparatively constrained across soils and moisture. Few pathways differed significantly, and no combined effect of soil type and moisture was detected on overall functional composition. In serpentine biocrusts, the moisture regime shaped the distribution of microbial functions without altering overall pathway composition. Erratic moisture was associated with enrichment of pathways linked to stress tolerance and detoxification. Frequent moisture was associated with greater representation of fermentation‐related pathways and cell‐envelope biosynthesis. Benchmarking showed that PICRUSt2 recovered broad sample‐level patterns but poorly captured pathway‐specific quantitative variation relative to HUMAnN3.
ABSTRACT Among different forms of biodiversity, endemic species exceptionally experience a higher risk of extinction and therefore merit urgent research attention and conservation priority. In India—one of the world's megabiodiverse countries—the availability of biodiversity data is largely insufficient, thereby hampering the national and global conservation efforts. To bridge these knowledge gaps, here we present a novel biodiversity dataset on endemic trees of India. Leveraging this dataset, we ask: what is the extent of diversity in the endemic tree flora of India, how is it distributed, and what are its key climatic and environmental drivers? The dataset documents 737 endemic tree taxa, including 693 species, 9 subspecies and 35 varieties in India, which represent ~20% of the country's total tree flora. We found that the distribution of the endemic tree flora varied significantly across different regions of this continental‐scale country, with southern and eastern states harboring the highest diversity (64%). Similarly, the regions falling under the wet tropical biome harbor the highest proportion of endemic tree species (~65%). Out of the 13 selected drivers, temperature seasonality showed maximum contribution (~33%) in explaining the variation of endemic tree species distribution across the country, followed by temperature annual range, mean diurnal range, forest cover and elevation width. To date, only 222 species (~30%) have been evaluated for threat status, while the majority (70%) still remain unevaluated. Looking ahead, we highlight the scope of our findings in advancing biodiversity synthesis research in this world's most populous country and in guiding national conservation and restoration efforts with wide implications.
Biodiversity loss can negatively affect ecosystem functioning, yet its influence on processes related to metal uptake remains poorly tested. Here, we investigate for the first time how species richness affects biomass production and nickel phytoextraction under serpentine stress using endemic plants occurring in Mediterranean ecosystems. Monocultures and bicultures of Odontarrhena lesbiaca (nickel hyperaccumulator) and Alyssum xiphocarpum (non-hyperaccumulator) were grown on three substrates representing a gradient of increasing stress: peat, a peat-serpentine mixture, and pure serpentine soil. Serpentine soil had the highest total nickel concentration, and aboveground biomass generally declined with increasing soil nickel levels. Across all substrates, bicultures increased soil nickel bioavailability and total aboveground biomass and enhanced the phytoextracted nickel mass by an average of 29% compared to monocultures. The hyperaccumulator had higher tissue nickel concentrations, while the presence of the non-hyperaccumulator enhanced phytoextraction in mixtures, suggesting facilitative species interactions that promote nickel mobilization and uptake in line with the stress-gradient hypothesis. These findings indicate that combining hyperaccumulator and non-hyperaccumulator species can enhance nickel phytoextraction in metal-stressed soils, offering a promising biodiversity-based approach to agromining and remediation of metal-polluted environments.
ABSTRACT While the ecological significance of ultramafic environments for plant diversity and endemism is well established, soil microarthropod communities within these systems remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined microarthropod abundance and community composition in adjacent, disturbed, and undisturbed ultramafic sites to assess the long‐term impacts of historical chromite mining on soil fauna. Soil samples were collected to a depth of 10 cm under a common shrub Ceanothus cuneatus at undisturbed ( n = 12) and disturbed ( n = 12) sites. Microarthropods were extracted using the Tullgren/Berlese funnel method and imaged to quantify abundance and taxonomic diversity. Soil physicochemical properties, including texture, pH, electrical conductivity, exchangeable cations, macro and micronutrients, and extractable metals, were also measured on composite samples. We recorded 2592 microarthropods representing 15 arthropod orders. Order‐level richness did not differ between disturbed and undisturbed sites; however, community composition differed significantly, with Collembola and Acari showing pronounced loss of abundance following mining disturbance. Our results indicate that historical chromite mining has reduced soil microarthropod abundance and diversity in disturbed serpentine ecosystems.
Ultramafic soils, often referred to as serpentine soils in ecological studies, impose strong chemical constraints on plant growth, particularly because of their low Ca/Mg ratios. Although forests can develop on ultramafic substrates, it remains unclear how these conditions are reflected in common woody species within forest ecosystems. This study examined multiple ultramafic and non-ultramafic forests in the cool-temperate region of Hokkaido, Japan, focusing on common canopy-forming deciduous broadleaf trees occurring on different bedrock types. Foliar Ca and Mg concentrations were analyzed in relation to soil chemical properties. Leaves from ultramafic sites consistently exhibited lower Ca/Mg ratios than those from non-ultramafic sites. This pattern was evident not only in pooled analyses but also in comparisons among sites and within widespread species such as Quercus crispula and Acer pictum, indicating that ultramafic-soil-derived low-Ca/high-Mg signatures are reflected in common woody species as well as in the specialized flora of ultramafic soils. At the same time, foliar and soil Ca/Mg ratios were not related in a simple one-to-one manner, suggesting that leaf chemistry does not directly mirror soil chemistry. In Q. crispula, presenescent leaves and leaf litter tended to exhibit higher Ca/Mg ratios than fresh leaves at both ultramafic and non-ultramafic sites. These results suggest that ultramafic-soil-derived chemical signatures persist under forested conditions, although their expression may be modified by soil-plant interactions within forest ecosystems.
ABSTRACT Bryophytes play key roles in ecosystem functioning but have received limited attention in functional ecology, especially in tropical regions. This review synthesized data from 75 studies that measured functional traits in Brazilian bryophytes over the past 26 years. We analyzed traits across eight categories, traits distribution across Brazilian biomes, and among bryophyte groups (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts), and related these patterns to research focus, geographic distribution, author productivity, and collaboration networks. Reproductive traits predominated, and research was concentrated in the Atlantic Forest, while the Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pantanal, and Pampa remain poorly explored. Despite growing interest in functional ecology, these spatial and thematic biases reflect the dominance of a few highly productive specialists within a predominantly national collaboration network, shaping methodological approaches and reinforcing knowledge gaps. Our review also identified ongoing challenges in trait classification and functional interpretation. Nevertheless, Brazilian researchers have made important advances in bryophyte functional trait ecology, despite structural constraints that limit broader progress. We advocate expanding trait coverage, improving methodological standardization, and strengthening interdisciplinary and international collaborations to reduce existing biases. Establishing a regional trait database and developing a common conceptual framework for bryophyte functional traits would support hypothesis‐driven research, enable cross‐regional comparisons, and inform conservation strategies at multiple scales. Overall, our review maps the current state of bryophyte functional trait research in Brazil and outlines pathways to enhance its ecological and biogeographic relevance nationally and globally.
ABSTRACT Nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulation in plants is an unusual attribute that imposes significant physiological costs. Persistence of Ni hyperaccumulation across a range of taxa suggests a significant evolutionary advantage to this trait. This review examines seven non‐mutually exclusive hypotheses to explain the evolution of Ni hyperaccumulation in plants. The hypotheses include elemental defense, elemental allelopathy, drought tolerance, inadvertent uptake, enhanced reproductive fitness, incremental advantage, and metal tolerance and disposal. While our main focus is on Ni hyperaccumulation, we also include selected information about the hyperaccumulation of other metals where relevant to the seven hypotheses. Additionally, we discuss common experimental techniques used when studying Ni hyperaccumulation and recognize recent advances in technology available to study hyperaccumulation. We also identify current gaps in research that should be prioritized to help us better understand the evolutionary significance of metal hyperaccumulation.
The glacial relict butterfly Colias palaeno, which inhabits alpine zones in Japan and is designated a protected species, depends strongly on its host plant Vaccinium uliginosum. Recent environmental changes have raised concerns about shifts in its habitat range; therefore, understanding its distributional dynamics is important for future conservation. However, despite its ecological and conservational importance, temporal changes in the distribution of C. palaeno and the roles of environmental and biological factors have not been quantitatively evaluated across time scales. In this study, we used a landscape ecology approach to examine historical distribution changes and key environmental factors and then estimated the potential future habitat range. Field surveys were conducted in mountainous areas between 2020 and 2023. MaxEnt (Maximum Entropy) niche models indicated that temperature and the presence of V. uliginosum were major factors influencing C. palaeno occurrence. Analyses using paleoclimate reconstructions revealed that both species occupied broader ranges at lower elevations during the Last Glacial Maximum and then shifted upward and became fragmented during the Holocene Thermal Maximum. The degree-day model supported these results by confirming the physiological constraints on the habitat range over time. Based on future projections under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs; SSP2-4.5, 2041-2060), the distributions of both species are expected to be greatly reduced, with habitat fragmentation in the Northern Japanese Alps range and loss of habitat in the Asama mountain range. These findings clarify the vulnerability of C. palaeno to environmental changes and provide essential baseline information for alpine biodiversity conservation.
Pioneering and succession are well-studied phenomena in the field of ecology but are poorly understood for lithic habitats dominated by cryptogams. Yet pioneering and establishment of epilithic communities constitutes a fundamental ecological process that provides a precursor to the formation of soil terrestrial communities. Abandoned mines offer an exciting opportunity to explore pioneering and succession of lithic habitats. In our study, we quantitatively compared the lichen communities of an approximately 50-year-old abandoned chromite mine to a nearby, undisturbed rock outcrop of similar ultramafic parent material. Our results reveal several differences between these two communities. The early successional community of the mined site had significantly lower lichen cover and species richness, as well as a species composition distinct from the late successional community of the undisturbed rock outcrop. The early successional community was characterized by relatively high cover and frequency of endolithic lichen taxa, which were mostly absent from the late successional community. Our results highlight the slow progress of pioneering and succession in newly exposed areas of rock and emphasize the importance of preserving undisturbed, late successional lithic habitats.
Seepage springs are common ephemeral freshwater habitats in the Washington DC area that are home to a variety of invertebrates including the endemic and rare Stygobromus hayi, the official amphipod of Washington DC, USA. However, little is known about the community structure of these habitats. In this study, we analyzed the general food web dynamics of two seepage springs (Pimmit Run and Goldmine Tract) in the Washington DC area that are known to include a congener of S. hayi, Stygobromus tenuis potomacus. Within these two seepage springs, we identified 29 taxa, with varying degrees of abundances, from 18 field excursions over three seasons: Winter, Spring, and Summer. Using dual abundance stable isotope analysis of delta C-13 and delta N-15, we estimated the trophic positions of Lumbriculidae, Conasellus kenki, S. tenuis potomacus, Crangonyx shoemakeri, Tipula sp., Pseudolimnophila sp., and a species of Platyhelminthes. S. tenuis potomacus was the dominant predator in both locations, with delta N-15 and delta C-13 values between 7 parts per thousand and 10 parts per thousand and -25 parts per thousand and -27 parts per thousand respectively. C. kenki and C. shoemakeri were consistently lower in the food web, with delta N-15 and delta C-13 values between 4 parts per thousand and 7 parts per thousand and -24 parts per thousand and -27 parts per thousand respectively and, in some cases, C. kenki may be prey for S. tenuis potomacus. In both seeps leaf material was 4 parts per thousand to 5 parts per thousand lower in delta C-13 than the shredding/grazing invertebrates suggesting that they derive nutrients from microbes colonizing leaves not from leaf carbon itself.
Intraguild predation (IGP) is common in nature, and understanding the temporal changes in IGP structure is important for ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. However, partial IGP, where the apex predator consumes not only shared prey and the mesopredator (IG prey) but also other prey (alternative prey), has rarely been addressed in terms of its temporal structural dynamics. We used stable isotope analysis to investigate seasonal changes in the structure of partial IGP involving feral cats, two non-native rat species (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus), and seabirds on Mikura-shima Island, Japan. We also estimated the temporal dynamics of these two rat species by conducting a trapping survey. The results showed that cats depended on seabirds (shared prey) as food when seabirds were present, but when seabirds were absent, shifted their diet to Norway rats and subsequently showed increased reliance on black rats. In addition, Norway rats appeared to depend more on seabirds as food than black rats. Furthermore, the catch per unit effort of Norway rats declined sharply from the first to the second half of the period when seabirds were absent. These results suggested that Norway rats are IG prey, whereas black rats tend to be an alternative prey with less dependence on shared prey. The seasonal decline in Norway rats (IG prey) may have shifted this system from IGP to partial IGP, increasing the dependence on alternative prey. This study highlights the importance of understanding the dynamics of partial IGP involving multiple non-native predators for their management.
