Arid lands account for over 40% of the terrestrial habitat on Earth yet rank among the least studied ecosystems on the planet, limiting conservation and management options. Sensitive and accurate biodiversity surveillance tools are needed to increase the efficiency of biodiversity surveys and enable effective, fit-for-purpose conservation measures in these habitats based on sound scientific data. Therefore, we aimed to develop species-specific environmental DNA (eDNA) assays targeting the endangered dunes sagebrush lizard Sceloporus arenicolus and the closely related, but non-endangered, southern prairie lizard S. consobrinus. Development began with laboratory experiments to observe eDNA shedding rates of these arid-adapted lizards then followed with a small-scale pilot of eDNA detection in natural habitat. In both laboratory and field trials, eDNA detection was rare, and eDNA concentrations were low. In laboratory trials, eDNA detection (i.e., presence/absence) was not statistically associated with incubation time, although detections tended to increase slightly over the first 12 h, then declined at the 24-h timepoint. Nor did detection differ among individuals. However, detection rate did significantly relate to the DNA extraction method used, with double the number of positives occurring in CTAB-extracted samples (54.5%; n = 24) compared to Qiagen PowerMax Soil (27.3%; n = 12) or Machery Nagel NucleoSpin Soil (27.3%; n = 12) kits. Considering a continuous response variable (i.e., eDNA concentration), model selection provided limited evidence that time and extraction method may influence eDNA concentration, though neither of these factors were statistically significant on its own. In field applications, while we did not visually confirm any lizards utilizing coverboards (although we did observe tail-dragging tracks) we were able to detect S. consobrinus eDNA. Overall, our results inspire cautious optimism about the potential benefit of eDNA analysis for biodiversity study and management in arid lands and lay the foundation for continued work in this space.

Phytoremediation technologies have the potential to be cost-effective solutions for managing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In this greenhouse study, we assessed the uptake of PFAS using two plant species commonly used for phytoremediation, Salix miyabeana (willow) and Populus trichocarpa (poplar). We also assessed the impact of a commercially available growth phytohormone (naphthalene acetic acid (NAA)) and a microbial amendment on plant growth and PFAS uptake. Overall, uptake was observed, depending on perfluorocarbon chain length and functional group. After 90 days, the uptake of individual PFAS in plants grown in PFAS contaminated soil ranged from 0.02 % to 35 % dry weight (dw) for willow and 0.4-29 % for poplar. Within plants, short chain PFAS (i.e., C4-7 perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCA) and C-4 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSA)) primarily accumulated in aboveground biomass, whereas longer chained homologues (C8-14 PFCA, C6-8 PFSA) primarily accumulated in the roots. For hormone and microbial amendments, there were no statistically significant trends for both willow and poplar (p > 0.05). Interestingly, the microbial community composition did not shift based on PFAS exposure but did shift based on plant-species. The PFAS mass balance for willow and poplar after 90 days approached 100 % (p > 0.05) for all PFAS except PFBA, PFPeA, PFOS, and FOSA. These results suggest that while willow and poplar have the potential to extract short chain PFAS from soil, phytoremediation may be more effective at stabilizing PFAS within a given area (i.e., providing hydraulic control) than extracting.

Over the past two decades, Qatar has undergone significant economic growth and development, yet little information is available on long-term trends in seawater quality around the Qatar Peninsula. This study analyzed spatiotemporal variations of remotely sensed optical water quality (OWQ) parameters in Qatari coastal waters between 2002 and 2022. These OWQ parameters, including chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla), turbidity (Turb), and Secchi disk depth (SDD), along with sea surface temperature, were derived from Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Aquaobservations after applying an optically shallow-water mask. Additionally, changes in floating algae scum density, an indicator of harmful algal blooms (HABs), were derived from MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI)observations. Strong nearshore-offshore gradients were generally observed for all OWQ parameters (multiannual mean Chla similar to 0.6-3 mg m(-3); Turb similar to 0.2-3 FNU; and SDD similar to 5-12 m). SDD was typically greatest in late spring and summer when Chla and Turb were relatively low. OWQ variability in the main territorial sea was mainly driven by suspended sediments, while in the broader Exclusive Economic Zonewas driven by algal blooms. HABs dominated by Margalefidinium polykrikoides, Noctiluca scintillans, and Trichodesmium spp. were frequently observed in deeper (>20 m) waters. Despite Qatar's massive economic development in recent years, declines in Chla and Turb and increased SDD were observed. Qatari coastal waters, however, are warming at a rate of 0.64 degrees C/decade, similar to 2-3 times faster than neighboring Red Sea and Northern Arabian Sea waters, and similar to 8 times faster than the global oceans. This thermal stress may pose future challenges for marine ecosystems and the services they provide.

AbstractForest-based carbon sequestration projects incentivize reforestation and restoration activities while offering opportunities to realize co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation. While conservation aspects are increasingly emphasized in these projects, the rigor of biodiversity co-benefit verification has been highly variable. Recent advances in biodiversity monitoring based on shed DNA in the environment (eDNA) offer promise for improving effectiveness, standardization, and transparency. Here we analyze 129 forest carbon projects and 396 peer-reviewed studies to identify how biodiversity co-benefits are currently verified within forest carbon markets, and to evaluate the potential of eDNA for tracking biodiversity change. Our analysis revealed that eDNA studies focused more on smaller organisms (microbes and invertebrates) and on temperate ecosystems compared with biodiversity-focused forest carbon projects. Efforts to align these two worlds via investments into broadening the geographic and taxonomic scope could allow greater adoption and increased accountability in biodiversity monitoring within forest carbon markets (i.e. standardized, auditable biodiversity data trails). Adapting advancements in eDNA technology to the biodiversity monitoring needs of nature-based initiatives will aid countries and organizations striving to meet global conservation commitments.

Simplification of agricultural environments is linked to declines in biodiversity. Improving the floral diversity within and around these areas may result in more robust and diverse ecosystems. We investigated how floral resource abundance, diversity, and species composition in a cranberry agricultural system correlated to the abundance and overall invertebrate diversity and to the abundance and diversity of specific invertebrate groups of agricultural importance (e.g. parasitoids, phytophagous taxa, pollinators and predators). This study focused on habitats immediately surrounding cranberry production and included grassy dikes under a managed system ('dike'), and semi-natural areas growing on the surrounding support land ('semi-natural'). Floral resource availability and diversity tended to be similar between habitats, while invertebrate richness, diversity and composition differed. As the availability of floral resources increased, invertebrate abundance increased but diversity decreased. Overall invertebrate community composition differed with the specific species and availability of floral resources. The habitat type and floral resource composition impacted some agriculturally important groups, as pollinator abundance was higher in the semi-natural habitat, and parasitoid abundance varied with floral resource composition across both habitats. These results suggest that managing the structural and floral resource diversity associated with agroecosystems can help support local biodiversity. However, these systems may disproportionately benefit more common taxonomic groups. The difference in responses of individual taxonomic groups also highlights the potential tradeoffs of focusing on only a subset of biodiversity aspects. Floral resources were similar between dike and semi-natural areas while invertebrate richness, diversity, and composition differed. Invertebrate community composition differed based on presence of specific flora. Pollinator abundance was twice as high in the semi-natural habitat. image

Environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches to monitoring biodiversity in terrestrial environments have largely focused on sampling water bodies, potentially limiting the geographic and taxonomic scope of eDNA investigations. We assessed the performance of two strictly terrestrial eDNA sampling approaches to detect arboreal mammals, a guild with many threatened and poorly studied taxa worldwide, within two central New Jersey (USA) woodlands. We evaluated species detected with metabarcoding using two eDNA collection methods (tree bark vs. soil sampling), and compared the performance of two detection methods (qPCR vs. metabarcoding) within a single species. Our survey, which included 94 sampling events at 21 trees, detected 16 species of mammals, representing over 60% of the diversity expected in the area. More DNA was found for the 8 arboreal versus 8 non-arboreal species detected (mean: 2466 vs. 289 reads/sample). Soil samples revealed a generally similar composition, but a lower diversity, of mammal species. Detection rates for big brown bat were 3.4 × higher for qPCR over metabarcoding, illustrating the enhanced sensitivity of single-species approaches. Our results suggest that sampling eDNA from on and around trees could serve as a useful new monitoring tool for cryptic arboreal mammal communities globally.

Terrestrial arthropods are a diverse taxonomic group of significant ecological and economic importance. Our ability to understand the diversity that comprises this group is hampered by the variety of sampling techniques and high level of taxonomic expertise required to identify individual species. DNA metabarcoding approaches have potential to overcome these challenges but have been mainly limited to studies where DNA is directly extracted from trapped individuals. We posit that collection of environmental DNA (eDNA) deposited on vegetation surfaces could provide an alternative method of conducting metabarcoding-based arthropod inventories. In this study, we illustrate the promise of characterizing arthropod biodiversity based on eDNA collected from terrestrial plant surfaces. We collected 40 paired samples using two novel eDNA sampling techniques-tree bark and foliage sampling-in a New Jersey, USA, pine barrens forest. Metabarcoding using two primer sets revealed significantly higher taxonomic richness for the 16S versus COI primer set (1077 vs. 650 molecular operational taxonomic units; MOTUs), as well as higher richness and diversity in foliage versus bark samples. Accumulation curves suggest that our samples captured about half of the available MOTU-level diversity. Matching to reference databases revealed 28 arthropod orders, 181 families, 353 genera, and 292 species. Despite having lower MOTU-level richness, the COI primer set revealed more taxa that were identified to species (197 vs. 115) and genus (227 vs. 173) thanks to a more complete reference database. The two primer sets and sampling substrates showed distinct community compositions that differed in important ecological traits (feeding guild, body size), demonstrating the utility of a multi-faceted sampling and analytical approach. Our study highlights the value of exploiting eDNA left on plant surfaces via metabarcoding for contributing to rapid arthropod inventories, and thus realizing a range of ecological research and management goals.

Reptiles are increasingly of conservation concern due to their susceptibility to habitat loss, emerging disease, and harvest in the wildlife trade. However, reptile populations are often difficult to monitor given the frequency of crypsis in their life history. This difficulty has left uncertain the conservation status of many species and the efficacy of conservation actions unknown. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys consistently elevate the detection rate of species they are designed to monitor, and while their use is promising for terrestrial reptile conservation, successes in developing such surveys have been sparse. We tested the degree to which inclusion of surface and soil eDNA sampling into conventional artificial-cover methods elevates the detection probability of a small, cryptic terrestrial lizard, Scincella lateralis. The eDNA sampling of cover object surfaces with paint rollers elevated per sample detection probabilities for this species 4-16 times compared with visual surveys alone. We readily detected S. lateralis eDNA under cover objects up to 2 weeks after the last visual detection, and at some cover objects where no S. lateralis were visually observed in prior months. With sufficient sampling intensity, eDNA testing of soil under cover objects produced comparable per sample detection probabilities as roller surface methods. Our results suggest that combining eDNA and cover object methods can considerably increase the detection power of reptile monitoring programs, allowing more accurate estimates of population size, detection of temporal and spatial changes in habitat use, and tracking success of restoration efforts. Further research into the deposition and decay rates of reptile eDNA under cover objects, as well as tailored protocols for different species and habitats, is needed to bring the technique into widespread use.

Terrestrial arthropods are abundant and diverse with outsized ecological and economic importance. Our ability to monitor this diversity is hampered by the variety of sampling techniques and taxonomic expertise required to catalog the species in an area. DNA metabarcoding approaches show promise but have mainly been limited to trapping studies where DNA is extracted from captured individuals. Here we illustrate the promise of terrestrial plant surfaces as reservoirs of environmental DNA (eDNA) that is rich in arthropod biodiversity information. We posit that collection of surface eDNA will enable easier and more rapid arthropod inventories. We collected 40 paired samples using two novel terrestrial surface eDNA sampling techniques – ‘roller’ tree bark and ‘spray’ foliage sampling – in a New Jersey, USA pine barrens forest. Metabarcoding using two primer sets (COI and 16S) revealed the presence of 177 arthropod families (from 21 orders), representing 80% of the family-level diversity expected in the area based on accumulation curves. Spray samples revealed more families than roller (148 vs. 126), while the two methods showed distinct, though overlapping, community composition. The two primer sets revealed similar alpha diversity, although they also captured different taxonomic subsets. A more limited comparison of roller and spray sampling with traditional aquatic and soil eDNA samples revealed a greater family diversity in surface samples, especially compared with soil. Our study highlights the value of eDNA metabarcoding surveys for achieving the elusive goal of rapid, cost-effective arthropod inventories, and thus realizing a range of ecological research and management goals.

Human activities put pressure on the natural environmental and the Life Cycle Assessment methodology (LCA) is becoming a more prevalent tool to assess the relevant environmental impacts from products and processes on terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. The Global Life Cycle Impact Assessment Method (GLAM) project of the Life Cycle Initiative hosted by the UN Environment Programme aims at making recommendations for new impact assessment models (such as for land use, water consumption and eutrophication) and improving the consistency and comparability across impact categories. An important aspect to ensure the comparability of these categories across geographic regions is to identify and quantify the scale of impacts, i.e., distinguish if an impact to an area results in local species losses or global species extinctions. This distinction is of high relevance because a species lost at a local level may still exist in other regions of the world and could potentially reestablish in that area, whereas global extinctions are irreversible. A consistent approach to scale impacts from local to global scales is currently not implemented within the LCIA framework, but is crucial to appropriately consider potential biodiversity impacts across impact categories. Here we present an updated approach for calculating a scaling factor, called the Global Extinction Probability (GEP), and calculate it for more than 98 000 species in 20 species groups across marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. We also provide the GEPs for different spatial scales, such as grid cells, ecoregions or watersheds and country averages. We found that GEP varies over orders of magnitude across the world, emphasizing the relevance of considering the spatial dimension of such extinction probabilities. We recommend quantifying global extinctions based on local species loss by multiplying local species loss within a certain spatial unit with the GEP corresponding to the same spatial unit. GEPs harmonize the quantification of biodiversity impacts across impact categories, improving information to support environmental decision-making.

This is the dataset presented in the manuscript titled "Global extinction probabilities of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine species groups". The dataset gives the code (R code), as well as the resulting raster files for the suggested Global extinction probabilities for different taxonomic groups, for use in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). We supply the results on 5arc minute resolution, aggregated for relevant spatial scales (e.g. terrestrial ecoregions or watersheds), as well as at country scale. For application in LCIA, we recommend applying GEPs to CFs with corresponding species groups and spatial scales. If the species group of the CFs do not match any of the provided GEPs, see (1); if the spatial scale of the CFs do not match any of the provided GEPs, see (2). If the species groups of the CFs do not match any of the provided sets of GEPs, we recommend recalculating GEPs for corresponding species groups and spatial scales based on the provided R scripts (e.g., see the R script for the freshwater heterotroph GEPs). Alternatively, GEPs can be aggregated to species group combinations by calculating species number-weighted GEP averages of the existing GEPs (see Table 4 in the article for species numbers per species group). In case of the latter approach, we recommend calculate GEP averages for all regions across the world (and not just those included in the analysis) and normalise the region-level average GEPs by the sum of the region-level average GEPs for consistency with the GEP concept. In addition to species group aggregation, GEPs can be aggregated to different spatial scales by calculating the sum of the cell-level GEPs contained per region (e.g., see R scripts).

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a well-documented pest of agricultural crops across the globe. However, not all crops are suitable hosts for H. halys, and it is necessary to proactively document the susceptibility of economically important specialty crops, such as cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon; Ericaceae), a native fruit crop that contributes millions of dollars to the North American economy. In this study, we tested whether cranberry is a suitable host for H. halys by measuring the development and feeding injury inflicted by H. halys on cranberry fruit and foliage. We found that H. halys nymphs cannot successfully develop on cranberry fruit or foliage alone, but that the fruit are susceptible to adult feeding. On the basis of these findings, cranberry does not seem to be a suitable host to support nymph development, but adult feeding could negatively impact fruit quality. Future research should consider the impacts of adult feeding on fruit quality and how adult abundance in and near agricultural crops might change the risk profile of this pest.

Pest management of emerging pests can be challenging because very little fundamental knowledge is available to inform management strategies. One such pest, the red-headed flea beetle Systena frontalis (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is increasingly being identified as a pest of concern in cranberries Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton (Ericales: Ericaceae). To improve our understanding of this pest and to develop more targeted management programs, we conducted field and laboratory studies to characterize the development, seasonal emergence patterns, and density-dependent plant injury. We found that significantly more flea beetle eggs hatched when exposed to sustained cold treatment between 0 and 5°C for 15 wk than at warmer temperatures, and for shorter and longer cold-period durations. The adults emerged sporadically over the summer, were patchily distributed, fed on both fruit and foliage, and preferentially fed on new plant growth. Using soil cores, we found eggs and larvae located relatively deep (>30 cm) in the soil. These patterns indicate that S. frontalis likely overwinters as eggs, and that targeting the larval stage may be the most effective management approach. Despite the cryptic nature of the larvae, continuing to improve our understanding of this life stage will be critical to optimizing control strategies.

Large-scale reforestation efforts require scalable and affordable monitoring technologies to track progress. Boreal forests disturbed by oil and gas development provide an opportunity to utilize ongoing reclamation efforts to assess new monitoring technologies with potential utility to other regions. In this study, we tested the application of reflectance indices derived from high spatial resolution satellite imagery to monitor early-stage reforestation. We installed a randomized nursery experiment in Alberta, Canada wherein the total stocking density and relative abundance of four common boreal tree species were manipulated. Satellite imagery from Maxar's WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 satellites were collected over the experimental plots annually from 2017 through 2020. From these reflectance data, we calculated one texture index, three greenness indices, and one index that integrated both texture and greenness. Finally, two sets of regression models were developed, one of which included only manipulated stem density while the other set included both the density and the mean height of stems in a given year. In the first year of the experiment, we detected no significant differences in any reflectance index across the range of manipulations. Thereafter, all indices showed significant differences, with the integrated texture-greenness index demonstrating the best relative performance among those tested. Our results illustrate the potential for satellite data to yield information regarding tree density and height during the critical early years of restoration. We suggest specific steps that future researchers could use extend this work to other regions and enable potential adoption of this monitoring approach at scale.

Most cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) growers rent honey bees (Apis spp.) to insure proper pollination of their crop. However, honey bees are not the most efficient pollinators of cranberry and there have been increasing efforts to improve the pollination services provided by honey bees. Cranberry flowers provide small amounts of nectar and this research project tested whether supplementing hives with various sugar sources could increase the amount of cranberry pollen foraged. High fructose corn syrup, honey, and sucrose did not increase the amount of cranberry pollen, or the percent of cranberry pollen, foraged and returned to the hive. However, overall weights of the pollen samples were significantly higher for hives treated with high fructose corn syrup and sucrose compared to hives supplied with honey, water, or no additional solutions. Although not explicitly tested in this study, these results suggest that honey bees are incorporating these carbohydrates into their pollen bundles. However, since the supplemental sugar feedings did not increase the amount, or percentage, of cranberry pollen grains foraged, there is limited evidence that supplemental sugar feedings will improve honey bee pollination services in cranberry. Future work in this area should examine the relationships between pollen quality and supplemental sugar feedings, as these feeding may improve hive health in crops with poorer quality floral resources.

BACKGROUND Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is the most prominent arthropod pest of caneberries. Current management practices rely on chemical control, which has raised concerns over the sustainability of this approach. We currently understand little about D. suzukii activity, and whether activity patterns can be exploited to improve management. In this study, we investigated the vertical and temporal distribution of D. suzukii, as well as pollinators, in cultivated raspberries. RESULTS D. suzukii were generally crepuscular, and most active in the morning within the bottom half of the crop, and in the evening within the top half of the crop. Pollinators were most active during the day and within the top half of the canopy. Humidity and temperature were correlated with insect activity. CONCLUSION Pesticides applied during twilight that ensure coverage in the bottom half of the crop, or if applied in the late afternoon cover the entire crop, should improve the pesticide efficacy. However, previous studies suggest that specific D. suzukii (e.g. sex, mating status, age) may exploit different areas in the crop at different times, and more work needs to be done to understand how these aspects before a specific management program can be recommended. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), is a significant pest of pome fruits and walnuts worldwide. Recently, a three-chemical kairomonal lure, comprised of pear ester, acetic acid, and n-butyl sulfide, was successfully used as an attractant in a mass-trapping scheme to reduce fruit damage in commercial apple orchards. In this study, we tested whether this same attractant could be used outside of an orchard setting to decrease fruit damage in isolated, unmanaged apple (Malus spp.) (Rosales: Rosaceae) trees. Traps containing the lures were placed in trees before the first codling moth flight and maintained throughout the summer. We found that while the traps statistically reduced the percent of apples damaged near the trap, the effect was smaller than expected and limited to areas near the trap. It is currently unclear, but site-specific effects (e.g., host type, apple density, codling moth source) may be important factors in the efficacy of management tools in these systems. While kairomone-based trapping could be a practical and feasible management tool in individual trees outside of orchards, more work needs to be done to understand the limitations of this method.

1. The consumption of arsenic is toxic to most biota. However, a noctuid caterpillar was recently reported feeding on a plant known to hyperaccumulate arsenic. 2. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of arsenic-rich Pteris vittata L. consumption by Callopistria floridensis G., and measure differences in arsenic concentrations at various stages of development (larval and adult), and associated with exuviae and frass. 3. Callopistria floridensis accumulated extraordinary concentrations of arsenic. The relative accumulation of arsenic was highest in exuviae and larvae. Larvae invariably preferred P. vittata grown on low arsenic soil to P. vittata grown on higher soil arsenic concentrations, and appeared able to selectively forage on lower arsenic concentrations within each treatment. 4. These findings show that C. floridensis is tolerant of arsenic, and successfully develops to adulthood containing elevated concentrations of arsenic. Callopistria floridensis represents the only known terrestrial animal capable of accumulating arsenic, and may have developed novel physiological and behavioural adaptations to regulate the negative effects of arsenic.

Male and female codling moths, Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), were shown to be attracted to a three-chemical kairomonal lure consisting of pear ester, acetic acid, and n-butyl sulfide. A controlled-release device based on sachets was developed in the laboratory and field tested to optimize the attractiveness of C. pomonella to this combination of attractants, and to decrease material costs associated with the controlled-release of these chemicals. The lure was most effective when pear ester was released from a separate dispenser than when combined acetic acid and n-butyl sulfide. We found that acetic acid and n-butyl sulfide can be combined into one device without decreasing C. pomonella trap catches and that there is minimal pear release rate before trap catch is negatively affected. A sachet-based controlled-release system of pear ester, acetic acid, n-butyl sulfide is a cost-effective alternative to a vial and septa controlled-release system and allows for easier quantification of ideal release rates. A reduction in material costs associated with management are important in promoting the adoption of attract-and-kill and mass-trapping paradigms for C. pomonella management. These findings also have important consequences in interpreting studies that use different loads of pear ester, and emphasize the need to better understand the release rates of attractants.