Anthropogenic food subsidies, such as municipal solid waste landfills, profoundly alter wildlife ecology and host–pathogen dynamics. Under a One Health framework, highly mobile synanthropic species exploiting these polluted sites act as biological vectors, effectively bridging human waste reservoirs with urban environments. In this study, we investigated how reliance on refuse shapes the gastrointestinal parasitome and enteropathogenic bacteria of an urban-breeding White Stork ( Ciconia ciconia ) population in central Spain (Alcalá de Henares) that recently adapted to local landfill closures by commuting to distant active sites. Gastrointestinal samples from 44 individuals were collected between 2022 and 2023. We specifically hypothesised that: (1) overall gastrointestinal parasite prevalence would be low due to reduced natural foraging; (2) the parasite community would be dominated by species with direct biological cycles, as bypassing natural prey interrupts indirect cycles; and (3) storks feeding on anthropogenic waste act as important biological vectors for zoonotic bacterial and parasitic pathogens. Our findings demonstrate how anthropogenic refuse drives epidemiological shifts in synanthropic birds and assess the associated public health risks for surrounding urban communities. Ultimately, this work underscores the far-reaching health implications of waste management policies, offering a valuable case study at the interface of urban wildlife ecology and public health.
Effective large-scale coastal restoration requires moving beyond successful yet isolated pilot projects towards integrated, landscape-scale implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Achieving this transition depends on systemic approaches that translate local knowledge into spatial planning and broader environmental objectives across connected ecosystems, while addressing entangled challenges driven by, for example, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Within the EU H2020 REST-COAST project, we developed the Nature-based Building Blocks (NB3) Framework to support the participatory upscaling of NbS across European coastal restoration pilots. This data paper presents a spatially-explicit dataset generated through the participatory application of the framework at pilot sites. Using the Interactive Web Map tool that implements the Participatory Downscaling Approach of the framework, stakeholders mapped Coastal Units representing context-specific spatial entities for restoration planning. Each Coastal Unit is coupled to a structured data sheet derived from the Input-Process-Output Model of the NB3 Framework, capturing locally relevant biophysical, ecological and socio-economic information. The resulting dataset provides a standardised, yet flexible representation of pilots’ coastal restoration contexts, enabling comparative analysis, fostering cross-site learning and providing information for decision-making strategies in NbS upscaling. By making these data openly available, the dataset provides a benchmark for comparative reuse in future restoration strategies and promotes broader application of participatory, transdisciplinary approaches to upscaling coastal restoration.
Artificial lights at night (ALAN) is a growing phenomenon that poses a significant threat to fireflies, which depend on natural darkness for bioluminescent communication. Yet, firefly populations persist near brightly lit urban areas, suggesting that certain environmental features may buffer the impact of ALAN. This study investigates how firefly populations respond to artificial lighting and whether canopy cover supports higher firefly occurrence in urban parks. We conducted field surveys at Bukit Kiara, an urban park in Kuala Lumpur, by recording firefly occurrences and measuring canopy cover, streetlight density and distance to the nearest streetlight. Using a negative binomial generalised mixed model (GLMM), we found that each additional streetlight was associated with a 36.7% reduction in expected firefly count, while a moderate positive correlation was observed between firefly occurrences and distance from streetlights. Conversely, the expected firefly count increased by 75.1% for every 18.7% increase in canopy cover. These findings suggest that canopy cover plays a key role in mediating the impact of artificial light on fireflies, potentially by providing localised shading that maintains low ambient light conditions. Urban park strategies that prioritise tree retention and connectivity of canopy cover may, therefore, support firefly persistence in light-polluted areas, though future research should account for species-specific responses and additional microhabitat and environmental variables.
Invasive alien plant species pose significant ecological and socio-economic risks across East Africa, yet invasion risk assessments in Tanzania have largely relied on single-species and climate-only projections. Such approaches may overestimate invasion potential by neglecting land-use constraints and inter-model uncertainty. This study evaluates the current and future habitat suitability of three invasive species: Chromolaena odorata and Lantana camara (terrestrial) and Pontederia crassipes in the Mara–Simiyu Region of northern Tanzania. Habitat suitability was modelled using MaxEnt and spatial block cross-validation. Projections were generated under three CMIP6 climate models (ACCESS-CM2, MIROC6 and MRI-ESM2-0) and four emission pathways (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5). We quantified suitable area using the 10th percentile training presence (P10) threshold and derived ensemble predictions by averaging across climate models. Climate-only projections indicate that terrestrial species retain moderate suitability under low-emission scenarios, but experience increasing fragmentation and contraction of highly suitable areas under higher-emission pathways. Niche overlap between L. camara and C. odorata was moderate to high across scenarios (Schoener’s D = 0.45–0.81), suggesting substantial climatic similarity and potential spatial convergence under future warming. In contrast, P. crassipes maintained broad climatic suitability across scenarios. When land-use projections were incorporated, suitable habitat estimates were substantially reduced and exhibited greater spatial uncertainty. For C. odorata , suitable habitat covered approximately 55–65% of the region under SSP1–2.6, but this uncertainty increased under high-emission scenarios (coefficient of variation ≈ 65–75% by 2090). L. camara showed even stronger contractions, with uncertainty exceeding 85–90% under SSP5–8.5. These findings suggest that climate-only models may overestimate potential niche space by ignoring land-use constraints. Therefore, integrating multiple environmental drivers provides a more realistic assessment of invasion risk and supports climate-adaptive management strategies.
Microplastics (MPs) are a growing threat to terrestrial ecosystems, yet the localisation of ingested MPs within the digestive tract of soil arthropods remains poorly understood. Here, we developed and validated a reliable fluorescence microscopy approach to visualise MP particles in different gut regions of millipedes (Diplopoda). MPs (LDPE and PLA, 3–5 mm) were pre-stained with Nile red and millipedes were exposed for five days. After gut isolation, cryosections were counterstained with Sytox Green for nuclei and examined under UV excitation, which provided optimal discrimination between blue‑white MP fluorescence and bright green cell nuclei. Whole‑body sectioning proved unsuitable due to fragmentation and autofluorescence of the cuticle, leading to false‑positive signals. In contrast, isolated gut preparations yielded clear images. We observed a region‑specific MP distribution: particles adhered closely to the cuticle‑lined wall of the foregut and hindgut but remained mostly in the lumen of the midgut, likely separated by the peritrophic membrane. This differential localisation may have functional implications for MP residence time, translocation risk and interaction with compartment‑specific gut microbiomes. Our protocol offers a practical and reproducible tool for future studies on MP ingestion, fragmentation and biodegradation by arthropods.
