Among the main elements that contribute to climate change are degradation processes and the ecological level of the landscape. These two topics have been discussed and researched for many years and many studies have been conducted. The idea of the article is to determine the correlation between the ecological stability of the territory and the intensity of degradation processes and find out how the ecological stability affects the intensity of soil erosion and vice versa. The ecological stability was calculated based on various methods during the years analyzed, i.e., 1990, 2006, 2012, and 2018. The soil water erosion was performed for the same period in order to identify the relationship between the ecological stability and intensity of soil erosion. The investigated area is located in the Slovak Republic while each year reflects different management of the territory reflecting the current situation in the catchment according to the year evaluated. The intensity of the erosion process was conducted using a phycially-based EROSION-3D model and based on the precipitation derived using Community Land Model (the CLM model). In addition to identifying the relationship between the level of ecological stability and the intensity of erosion, this study also describes the development the ecological stability during the evaluated period together with changes in soil erosion processes.

Land consolidation engineering inevitably interferes with terrestrial ecosystems, leading to natural capital loss. Therefore, conducting an ecological sensitivity evaluation of a project area before consolidation engineering is very important for reducing unnecessary human interference. Conservation of terrestrial ecosystems and the biodiversity therein to the greatest possible extent is urgently needed. This research analyzes the interference by human activities caused by land consolidation engineering in terrestrial ecosystems. GIS technology, ecological values, landscape pattern indexes, and an ecological risk evaluation were used to construct an ecological sensitivity evaluation index. The coefficient of variation method and a comprehensive sensitivity rating evaluation were used to calculate the weights and results. The project area was divided into sensitivity zones according to the results, and the results and suggestions are as follows: In the highly eco-sensitive zone, where bare rocks, gravel, and grass-covered areas compose the main landscape type, vegetation should be restored, and forests should be planted. In the medium eco-sensitivity zone, where irrigated paddy fields and arid land compose the main landscape type, land parcels should be merged, and agricultural infrastructure should be constructed or improved. In the low eco-sensitivity zone, where forests compose the main landscape type, roads should be closed, natural habitat should be restored, and buffer zones should be created. This study provides suggestions for future land management decisions.

Pre-Western contact Hawaiʻi stands as a quintessential sustainability example of a large human population that practiced intensive agriculture, yet minimally displaced native habitats that comprised the foundation of its vitality. An explicit geospatial footprint of human-transformed areas across the pre-contact Hawaiian archipelago comprised less than 15% of total land area, yet provided 100% of human needs, supporting a thriving Polynesian society. A post-contact history of disruption of traditional Hawaiian land-use and its supplanting by Western land tenure and agriculture based on ranching, sugarcane, and pineapple, culminated in a landscape, in which over 50% of native habitats have been lost, while self-sufficiency has plummeted to 15% or less. Recapturing the ʻāina momona (productive lands) of ancient times can be accomplished through study of pre-contact agriculture, assessment of biological and ecological changes imposed on Hawaiian social-ecological systems, and conscious planned efforts to increase self-sufficiency and reduce importation. Impediments include the current tourism-based economy, competition from habitat-modifying introduced species, a suite of agricultural pests severely limiting traditional agriculture, and changes in climate rendering some pre-contact agricultural centers suboptimal. Modified agricultural methods will be required to counteract these limitations, and diversified agriculture to broaden the production base, without contributing to further degradation of native habitats.

The persistence of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) among Indigenous and local communities is often associated with socio-economic constraints, poverty, and lack of choices. Such a perspective argues against underpinning profound environmental consciousness and sustainable practices that underlie TEK. The paper challenges reductionism—viewing TEK solely as a creation of necessity—and tries to argue that it entails a sophisticated understanding of ecological balance and conservation ethics. Through various examples, the paper exemplifies how TEK contributes to environmental sustainability for biodiversity conservation, management and use of natural resources, and the enhancement of resilience to climatic change—the same elements crucial for culture, tradition, and community living.

Large-scale farms are pivotal sites for the development of the agricultural industry, and the quality of the ecological environment is a significant factor affecting the growth of cereal crops. Consequently, assessing the ecological quality of large-scale farms is of great importance. This paper leverages the advantages of remote sensing imagery for long-term, quantitative, and dynamic monitoring of ecological quality over extensive areas. It develops an ecological assessment procedure suitable for agricultural regions based on an Improved Remote Sensing Ecological Index (IRSEI), which considers the coupling of ecosystem component elements. This procedure introduces a Pan-Salinity Index (PSI) tailored to the characteristics of soil salinization in farming areas and incorporates an ecological greenness index based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), an ecological humidity index derived from the K-T transform (WET), an ecological dryness index synthesized from the bare soil index and the built-up index (NDBSI), and an ecological heat index represented by the Land Surface Temperature (LST) calculated from atmospheric parameter models. These five indices are integrated into the ecological assessment system. The experimental results visually demonstrate the development and changes of ecological impact factors in the farm research area over the past decade, as well as the spatiotemporal variations in the quality of the farm's ecological environment. The findings indicate that between 2010 and 2019, the overall trend of IRSEI first declined, then rose, and subsequently experienced a slight decrease. Through differential analysis, regions and areas with declining ecological quality were identified, providing a data reference for the formulation and implementation of future ecological protection and management measures for the farm. The proposed IRSEI method offers a rapid and effective new monitoring approach for agricultural planting areas with a tendency towards soil salinization.

Ferrocene and its derivatives have ecologically effective antidetane properties. In this regard, ferrocene reacts with cyclic ketones and ferrosenylcarbinols are synthesized. It should be noted that ferrocene enters into electrophilic reactions and the process takes place in an acidic environment. In addition, the yield of the new product was small compared to the reactions of ferrocene with non-cyclic ketones. This is due to the spatial structures of molecules. The elemental analysis of obtained compounds was carried out; the structures were researched by cyclic voltammograms and Chronoamperometric.

Ecological footprint calculators are digital tools that help individuals calculate their environmental or climate impact, with the aim of stimulating pro-environmental behaviour change. These footprint calculators typically take an information-provision approach, but this strategy assumes that increased levels of knowledge result in increased levels of pro-environmental behaviour (i.e., a reduced footprint). This is not a given – existing literature on the relationship between environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behaviour is inconclusive, and this relationship may be different from that of environmental knowledge and ecological footprint. As such, we investigated the relationship between environmental knowledge and ecological footprint as estimated by a footprint calculator. 448 Dutch participants completed an online survey, including an ecological footprint calculator. We found no evidence for a relationship between environmental knowledge and ecological footprint calculator outcome. Rather, an exploratory analysis of our data showed that environmental values were more important predictors of ecological footprint. The finding that increased levels of knowledge are not related to a reduced ecological footprint suggests that calculators would do well to move beyond information provision, and employ additional behaviour change strategies. Based on our exploratory analysis, we provide several concrete examples of potential strategies.

Chironomids are the species richest family among macroinvertebrates and are often used as indicators of ecological condition in inland waters. High taxonomic expertise is needed for identification and new species are still described even in the well-known West Palaearctic region. Data were filed in a Microsoft Access relational database and analysed using the R environment. Our database comprises data on Chironomid species collected in rivers and lakes in Italy and some other European countries over a period of about 50 years, often associated with physical-chemical data, but in some cases only benthic macroinvertebrates are available with no associated environmental data. In this case, the possibility of estimating water quality with only species composition available is discussed. Traits summarizing the species response to environmental variables were evaluated, with emphasis on natural and man influenced factors: current velocity, water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients. Traits calculations was possible using the subset of database including both environmental data and Chironomid abundances. The relations between sites, species and traits were evaluated using correspondence analysis and other multivariate methods. The response of species showed an interaction among different factors, with the possibility to order species along a single environmental gradient, extending from cold running waters to warm standing waters, with few exceptions. The utility and limits of the use of ecological traits are discussed.

Ecologists use the net biotic interactions among plants as a major factor to predict other ecosystem features, such as species diversity, community structure, or plant atmospheric carbon uptake. By adopting this approach, ecologists have built a giant body of theory founded on observational evidence. However, growing evidence points out that this may not be the right approach. The literature addressing the biophysical mechanisms underlying the plant interactions is much scarcer. A rising number of scientists claim the need for a mechanistic understanding of plant interactions due to the limitations that a phenomenological approach raises both in empirical and theoretical studies. Scattered studies have recently taken such a mechanistic approach, but we still lack a general theoretical framework to study mechanistically plant interactions. In this review, we first recapitulate the elementary units of plant interactions, i.e., all the known biophysical processes affected by the presence of an influencing plant and the possible phenotypic responses of plants influenced by those processes. Second, we discuss how a net interaction between two plants emerges from the simultaneous effect of these elementary units. Third, we touch upon the spatial and temporal variability of the net interaction and discuss the links between this variability and the underlying biophysical processes. We conclude by discussing how to integrate these processes into a mechanistic framework for plant interactions that must necessarily focus on the individual scale and explicitly incorporate the spatial structure of the community and environmental factors: the plant interaction models (PIM). A PIM incorporates a pair or few plants interacting with their physical environment so that the biotic interaction is not imposed but emerges from the model. This type of model can provide concise, mechanistic hypotheses to be tested empirically. This review calls for a paradigm shift in the ecology of plant interactions, from the classic species interaction study towards a more mechanistic individual-level approach. It also presents a comprehensive foundation for studying the mechanisms underpinning the net interaction between two plants.

Social connectedness connection is a core dimension of health and wellness among all populations, yet the experience of moving to, and living in, a new country makes social and community-level influences particularly salient for immigrants. We interviewed 38 Latino immigrants living in a nontraditional migration area to explore the social and community foundations of health and wellness. Illustrated in a model of socioecological connectednesssocial connection, Using hybrid (inductive/deductive) qualitative analysis, we identified seven themesdomains of social connection from the perspective of the interviewed participants: 1) Lens of the individual is a filter for the social world; 2) Immigrant experience colors everything; 3) Interpersonal support enhances quality of life; 4) Community belonging fosters a sense of connectedness; 5) Community capital boosts security; 6) Community navigation promotes integration; and 7) Social acceptance strengthens inclusion. In the healthcare field, we lack conceptual clarity of the distinct connectedness domains that drive positive health outcomes in immigrant populations. Social connection domains generated by participants are consistent with the scientific literature, but this study identifies the specific social factors that immigrants describe as most salient to their own health and wellness. Our community-generated understanding of socioecological connectednesssocial connection can be used by healthcare providers to reduce risks and build on assets that will improve the health of immigrants living in nontraditional migration areas. health. Additionally, our model of socioecological connectednessthese results might serve as a foundation for a quantitative measure that can be used by providers to more accurately and comprehensively assess connectedness social connection of their patients and by researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of community-level interventions for immigrants.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of different rearing systems (organic, conventional and traditional) on the physicochemical properties and oxidation states of pork meat. Samples (M.biceps femoris) were obtained from producers directly 3 days after slaughtering. Chemical composition (dry matter, protein, collagen, fat, ash), colour (L*, a*, b*) and oxidation state (Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances -TBARS, free fatty acid -FFA and antioxidant capacity-2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) of the meat samples were determined. The results indicated that the rearing system affects most of the evaluated parameters. The significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed in colour parameter L* and b*, where the conventional pork was darker and the organic pork yellower. Total protein content in meat of conventional pigs was higher, whereas the fat content in the meat of organically reared pigs was higher than the meat of pigs from both other rearing systems. Organic pork was more susceptible to oxidation process due to its higher TBARS and FFA values and lower antioxidant capacity, which may result in inferior technological properties of meat.

While rapidly becoming a main thread in the development of new therapies, the rise of synthetic biology is also tied to concerns about the potential impact on ecosystems. That is particularly relevant in the of deployment in natural habitats, including the human microbiome. These concerns have boosted the analysis of diverse strategies of containment, from engineered cell death to xenobiology to the creation of Xeno nucleic acids. However, little attention has been paid to the potential containment implicit in nonlinear ecological interactions and the lessons provided by the population dynamics models used in community ecology. If we consider synthetic strains as some class of "species" embedded within an ecological context, it is possible to show that some network interaction patterns and their associated nonlinear responses can offer a reliable source of containment. Here we present and discuss some simple examples of these "ecological firewalls" that could help provide a self-regulating biocontainment. Our firewall designs can help to ensure that engineered organisms have a limited spread while, when required, preventing their extinction. The basic synthetic designs and their dynamical behaviour are presented, each one inspired in a given ecological class of interaction. Their possible applications are discussed and the broader connection with invasion ecology outlined.

Rapid urbanization and climate change effects may cause dramatic change of ecosystem functions in cities, thereby inevitably affecting the growth performance of ancient trees. Few studies have explored species diversity and spatial differentiation in Benin urban area. Here, we took Cotonou city to do that. The objective of the study conducted in the city of Cotonou, was to determine the predominant level of plant diversity in the city's land-use units. The urban green frame was subdivided into six land use units, namely establishments, residences, green spaces, commercial areas, administrative areas, and roads. The forest inventories were carried out in 149 plots with surfaces evaluated at 2500 m2 each. A total of 62 tree species in 55 genera and 27 families were recorded. The results show that the flora of the city of Cotonou is characterized by a strong preponderance of exotic species. The most abundant species with high ecological importance (IVI) in the different type of land use of the city are Terminalia catappa (IVI=121.47%), Terminalia mentally (IVI=90.50%), Mangifera indica (IVI=64.06%) and Khaya senegalensis (IVI=151.16%). This study shows that a directed development of this urban vegetation could improve the resilience of urban life to climate hazards through the provision of urban ecosystem services, potential ecological infrastructure foundations and urban nature-based solutions.

Brazil hosts one of the world's most diverse reptilian faunas, with over 800 species distributed across its various biomes. This paper examines the historical development of herpetological research in Brazil, particularly focusing on two pioneering institutions: the Vital Brazil Institute and the Butantan Institute. These centers have been instrumental in both the scientific study of reptiles and the development of antivenoms since the early 20th century. We explore the remarkable morphological adaptations of Brazilian reptiles across different biomes, from the Amazon rainforest to the Caatinga desert, highlighting how these adaptations reflect the country's diverse ecological pressures. This review synthesizes current knowledge while identifying gaps in our understanding of Brazilian herpetofauna.

Hidden collapse refers to the existence of environmental indicators indicative of future collapse of forests, even though the forest appears intact and not at risk of ecosystem collapse. Professor David Lindenmayer and Dr Chloe Sato (Lindenmayer) first identified hidden collapse in 2018 in Mountain Ash forests of Victoria, Australia. The risk of hidden collapse represents a long term environmental threat and is a potential trigger for application of the precautionary principle (principle). Implicit in hidden collapse are two preconditions for application of the principle; the risk of a serious or irreversible environmental threat, and the existence of scientific uncertainty about the nature of the risk. Despite hidden collapse satisfying these essential preconditions for applying the principle, decision makers did not apply it in respect hidden collapse of Mountain Ash forests in Victoria. This article considers the current status of the principle in regulation and how it can be adjusted to address long term environmental risk. There is growing evidence around the world of serious decline in biodiversity requiring urgent application of precautionary risk management. A better regulatory regime for precautionary management of long term risk is now an urgent priority.

The possibility of abrupt transitions threatens to poise ecosystems into irreversibly degraded states. Recently, it has been proposed the use of engineered microbiomes in endangered ecosystems to prevent them to cross tipping points and avoid collapse. Potential targets for such interventions include some of the most prominent life-support systems in the biosphere: drylands and coral reefs. Since engineering can require the introduction of microorganisms not present in resident communities, how can we weight the potential outcomes? One way is to use general models of species interactions where the "synthetic" strain is incorporated into a standard multispecies model. Here we follow this approach by modelling a resource-consumer community where one of the species is a modified one that acts by preserving some key resource. We show how the indirect effect of damping the decay of shared resources results in biodiversity increase, and last but not less, the successful incorporation of the synthetic within the ecological network. Further extensions and implications for future restoration and terraformation strategies are discussed.

In recent years, a large-scale afforestation campaign has taken place in Inner Mongolia, China, to control desertification and soil erosion. However, the water consumption associated with large-scale afforestation significantly impacts the water resources in Inner Mongolia, resulting in a substantial ecological risk. This study aimed to evaluate the ecological risk of water resources caused by afforestation in the region. In this study, based on land cover data, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, and meteorological data, used trend analysis, water balance equation, and Water resources Security Index (WSI) index to analyze the ecological risks of water resources caused by afforestation in Inner Mongolia from 2000 to 2020. The results show that:(1) The afforestation area in Inner Mongolia was 5.37×104 km2 in 2000-2020; (2) Afforestation in arid and semi-arid areas leads to the reduction of water resources. (3) Afforestation reduces water resources in the study area by 0.76×108m3/year; (4) ~76% of afforestation regions face ecological risks of water resources.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a phytosociological, ecological, cytogenetic, eco-protective and economic study of the vegetation of the wetland ecosystems in the Vlădeasa Massif built by the phytocoenoses of the association Carici echinatae-Sphagnetum (Balázs 1942) Soó 1955. In order to attain the aim and objectives put forward we carried out 10 phytocoenological surveys (surveys) in the phytocoenoses of the ecosystems during the optimal vegetation periods related to the summer-serotinal season in the timeframe 2020-2021. The taxonomically inventoried species were included in an association table by the criteria of their belonging to the basic coenotaxa of the association, alliance, order, vegetation class. The outcomes of the phytocoenosis research of the vegetation of the wetland ecosystems were processed, analysed, interpreted based on tables, histograms, diagrams, regarding the numerical and percentage weight of the species in the ecological categories of bioforms, phytogeographic elements (geoelements) and cytogenetic elements. The ecological behaviour of the species confined in ecosystems was also analysed by their relationship with ecological factors, edaphic soil moisture, air temperature and chemical reaction of the soil. The current state of ecosystems, potential threats, sustainable conservation of biodiversity, dynamics of phytocenoses, economic and scientific relevance were also subjected to research. The results obtained in the surveyed territory were analysed and compared numerically and as percentage with the data provided by two reference scientific works belonging to authors who independently carried out research with a similar topic in two different geographical regions of the Western Carpathians.

Post-evaluation of ecological redevelopment is a good method for its achievements. The eco-engineering technologies and achievements of landscape water reconstructed from aquaculture ponds in Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden have been introduced in this study. The sediments and water quality were also sampled and tested for basic physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentration. The ecological redevelopment of landscape water reconstructed from aquaculture ponds was evaluated using the Nemero comprehensive pollution index method. The results shown that nutrients including organic matter, organic nitrogen and their ratio of sediment were found to be in a state of moderate pollution, while their ecological risk of heavy metals was low. Although total nitrogen and total phosphorus of water quality was really higher than that of other indexes, the decline trends of ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus was obvious presented over time. In general, this is a good example that redevelopment of water ecosystems from aquaculture ponds using eco-engineering technologies.

While sex ratios at birth (SRB) have been shown to vary within and across populations, after over a century of research, explanations have remained elusive. A variety of ecological, demographic, economic, and social variables have been evaluated, yet their association with SRB has been equivocal. Here, in an attempt to shed light on this unresolved topic within the literature, we approach the question of what drives variation in SRB using detailed longitudinal data spanning the frontier-era to the early 20th century in a US population. Using several measures of environmental harshness, we find that fewer boys are born during challenging times. However, these results hold only for the frontier-era and not into a period of rapid industrialization. We argue that the mixed state of the literature may result from the impact and frequency of exogenous stressors being dampened in post-industrial societies.

The University of Guayaquil, which shares the same name as the city where it is located, faces the challenge of transforming its image for the XXI century. It was deemed necessary to identify details about the urban evolution of the historic link with the city, in relation to the changes produced by the project’s siting and its direct area of influence. The goal is to integrate the main university campus within a framework which guarantees sustainability and allows innovation in the living lab. To achieve this, the action research method was applied, focused on participation and the logic framework. For the diagnosis, proposal, and management model, integrated working groups were organized with internal users such as professors, students, and university authorities, and external actors such as residents, the local business community, Guayaquil city council, and the Governorate of Guayas. As result of the diagnosis, six different analysis dimensions were established which correspond to the new urban agenda for the future campus: compactness, inclusiveness, resilience, sustainability, safety and participation. As a proposal, the urban design integrates the analysis dimensions whose financing and execution are given by the Town Hall, at the same time the Governorate integrates the campus with its network of community police headquarters.

The aim of this study was a large-scale ecological analysis of nutritional and other environmental factors potentially associated with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the global context. Indicators of CVDs from 158 countries were compared with the statistics of mean intake (supply) of 60 food items between 1993 and 2011, obesity rates, health expenditure and life expectancy. This comparison shows that the relationship between CVD indicators (raised blood pressure, CVD mortality, raised blood glucose) and independent variables in the global context is influenced by various factors such as short life expectancy, religiously conditioned dietary customs, the imprecision of some statistics and undernutrition. However, regardless of the statistical method used, the results always show very similar trends and identify high carbohydrate consumption (mainly in the form of cereals and wheat in particular) as a dietary factor most consistently associated with the risk of CVDs. These findings are in line with the changing view of the causes of CVDs. Because only the statistics of raised blood glucose include people using medications and reflect true prevalence that is independent of healthcare, more objective data on the prevalence of CVDs are needed to confirm these observed trends.

Pollution, urbanization and technological advancements have posed stress on the ecosystem and its matrices. Globally, pollutants are observed in all compartments of ecological communities which affect the integrity of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Xenobiotics bioaccumulate and biomagnify across trophic levels or webs. Heavy metals have been implicated in impacts towards biodiversity and environmental declination. In Nigeria, wastes issues are a cause of concern and landfilling or are waste disposal approaches that cause deleterious effects such as depauperation of diversity and species decline, prompting the non-invasive ecotoxicological hazard assessments. Feathers were used to assess concentration levels of 13 metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Al, B, Se and Hg) using fast atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS), one-way ANOVA was used in comparing variations in mean concentrations across trophic levels, diversity indices and point count methods were used to estimate diversity and abundance. Four avian species were assessed Hirundo aethiopica (insectivore), Streptoptelia senegalensis (granivore), Turdus pelios (omnivore), and Anthus leucophrys. (insectivore). Observed concentrations of important metals like iron were high with the insectivores having the highest concentrations of iron (2.6985 ± 0.1975 ppm) and granivores having the lowest (2.0100 ± 0.3172 ppm). The insectivores had the highest concentrations for cadmium, cobalt and chromium (0.0005 ± 0.0005ppm), nickel (at 00.0012 ± 0.0017 ppm) and least was observed in the granivores (0.0003 ± 0.0006 ppm). Selenium concentrations were quite high in insectivores (0.0775 ± 0.0035 ppm) and lowest in granivores (0.0433 ± 0.0015 ppm) likewise mercury for insectivores (0.0280 ± 0.0010 ppm) and granivores (0.0213 ± 0.0015 ppm). From the study, it is apparent that landfills are sources of pollution and poor management of wastes can affect biota (causing effects such as asymmetry and bioaccumulation) and ecosystem balance. The observation of heavy metals in the feathers serve as good sentinels due to their trophic levels and could be signs for what could be yet to occur. The heavy metal concentrations were significantly different at p < 0.05.

A study of the water quality of the Adolfo López Mateos Reservoir (ALMD) was developed through different indicators from a spatial and seasonal perspective. Variables related to the general characteristics of water quality, trophic level and ecological risk were assessed through the water Quality Index (WQI_NSF-BROWN), Trophic State Index (TSI_CARLSON) and the Ecological Risk Index (RI_HAKANSON). Using data from physical, chemical and biological parameters obtained from four sampling points in the ALMD, the water quality was assessed in each model used. The results indicated that the reservoir presents a water quality classified as “medium” (WQI_NSF-BROWN = 70), where significant variations in the concentrations of some parameters are observed. The reservoir showed a general trophic state classified as “Mesotrophic” (TSI_{GENERAL-AVERAGE} = 43.04). The ecological risk analysis achieved the best classification of the methodology, discarding contamination by heavy metals in surface waters. Through this type of applied methodologies will help as decision making tools in the dam, as well as for application in other dams in the region.

Rapid urbanization has facilitated socioeconomic development but has also exacerbated land use/cover change (LUCC), significantly impacting ecological environments. Timely, objective, and quantitative assessments of ecological quality changes resulting from LUCC are essential for safeguarding the natural environment and managing land resources. However, limited research has explored the potential interrelationships between the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of LUCC and ecological quality during urbanization. This study focuses on Xiong’an New Area, a region experiencing rapid urbanization, utilizing the remote sensing-based ecological index (RSEI) to monitor ecological quality dynamics from 2017 to 2023. To address the computational challenges associated with large-scale regions, a streamlined RSEI construction method was developed using Landsat imagery and implemented via Google Earth Engine (GEE). A geographically weighted regression (GWR) analysis, integrated with Sentinel-2 land use data, was employed to examine the influence of LUCC on ecological quality. The findings reveal the following: (1) Ecological quality in Xiong’an New Area exhibited an overall positive trajectory, with improvements elevating the ecological status to above moderate levels. (2) Urban expansion resulted in a 17% reduction in farmland, primarily converted into construction land, which expanded by approximately 12%. (3) Ecological protection policies have facilitated the conversion of farmland into wetlands and urban green areas, which have emerged as the principal contributors to ecological quality enhancement. (4) A positive correlation was observed between changes in ecological land and ecological quality, while a negative correlation was identified between shifts in construction land and farmland and ecological quality. This research provides valuable scientific insights into ecological conservation and land use management, thereby establishing a foundation for the development of rational land resource planning and sustainable ecological development strategies in the Xiong’an New Area.

Urban biodiversity is crucial for ecological security, balance, and fostering residents' awareness of human-nature interconnectedness. Birds, as urban ecosystem indicators, reflect ecosystem services and are impacted by urban development. This study examined the distribution characteristics and environmental influences on representative bird species from typical ecological groups in Beijing, analyzing critical habitat locations and forecasting potential ecological corridors in light of urban planning. Distribution of six representative ecological groups of birds (song birds, terrestrial birds, climbing birds, aquatic birds, wading birds, raptor birds) in 2019 were constructed using kernel density analysis. The predicted potential distribution and contribution of environmental impact factors for six bird species (Falco tinnunculus, Ardea alba, Aix galericulata, Dendrocopos canicapillus, Streptopelia chinensis, Turdus mandarinus) were obtained using MaxEnt model. The potential ecological corridors were constructed by least-cost distance model. The results showed that: (1) Distribution density of bird groups was higher near water bodies and parks due to existing urban planning; (2) Blue-green corridors, including greenways and waterways, enhanced urban bird diversity; (3) Potential ecological corridors for six representative bird species primarily featured forested areas, with varied habitat type proportions tailored to each species' needs. Recommendations propose enhancing green-space connectivity and multi-habitat restoration for key species. This study underscores the need for refined urban planning strategies emphasizing diverse habitats and migration pathways, aiming to create sustainable living areas and ecological corridors. It also encourages utilizing platforms for birdwatching and public biological observation data to optimize urban biodiversity.

The SPEcies-At-Risk index for metals (SPEARmetal) was refined using updated physiological sensitivity data and validated to assess the ecological impact of metal contamination on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the upper Nakdong River, near a Zn smelter in Korea. Biosurvey and chemical monitoring were collected at 18 sites surrounding the smelter and nearby mines. Acute ecotoxicity tests on 20 indigenous species from the Korean peninsula were conducted and used to update taxon-specific metal sensitivity data. The refined SPEARmetal index, based on this updated sensitivity, was significantly lower than previous versions, with most values below the severe impact threshold (0.5) in the mainstream. The correlation between hazard quotients in water and the SPEAR index improved, with the correlation coefficient increasing from 0.63 to 0.70. Despite consistently high benthic macroinvertebrate indices (BMI) across the study area, generic ecological indices such as total richness, EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera), and Shannon diversity showed correlations with metal contamination levels. Principal component analysis identified SPEARmetal as the primary indicator associated with metal contamination in both water and sediment. These findings highlight the improved performance of the refined SPEARmetal index as a more sensitive and specific tool for assessing the ecological status of metal-impacted aquatic ecosystems compared to traditional indices.

Several degraded ecosystems worldwide need to attain a stable vegetal cover after mandatory active restoration; thus, plants soil, and soil biodiverse microbes can be taken into consideration for a successful mission. Among environmental and biological variables, interactions with soil and its microorganisms are critical for permanent plant establishment. Thus, advances in the use of microbial management such as inoculation of mycorrhizas and bacteria become a modern aspect of active restoration programs. New strengths have increased worldwide since most plant species, including grasses, associate to mycorrhizae, Thus, a high percent of restored areas, which were degraded due to the increasing mining or conventional agriculture, rest to be monitored. This study shows current reports on active restoration of degraded landscapes as well as the methodology required for a successful ecosystem restoration. Active restoration has been recognized as the best method to restore tropical forests; however, the higher cost of active restoration, which requires planting seedlings, direct seeding, root inoculation of microorganisms or mitigation of disturbances, which aid the recovery process despite monitoring. On the other hand, the spontaneous recovery of trees that colonize and establish in abandoned fields or natural disturbances, named natural regeneration, is less targeted and can require more time to achieve results. We conducted a web of science search of recent published articles on restoration and analyzed them. We confirmed the important role of AMF on root colonization and soil AMF spores as drivers of restoration of main ecosystems according to previous results from restored sites in Brazil. In the restored sites AMF (more than 8 species) was generally found, while in preserved sites dominated Gigaspora, Scutellospora and Acaulospora, restored sites presented relevant AMF richness as well as the preserved sites. Root colonization by AMF in experimental mined sites was high. Vesicles were frequent in restored sites.; however, colonization intensity was generally the same despite treatments. In general, in the control treatments, values of root colonization remain high.

Potential distribution models are used to predict the presence and geographic limits of a species as a function of bioclimatic variables. The lack of knowledge of the geographic distribution of species endemic to Mexico is a limiting factor in understanding their ecology, conservation, and potential applications. Distribution models were generated with occurrence data of 11 species of the genus Zephyranthes, 19 bioclimatic and three topographic variables with the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) method. The dimensionality reduction analysis (PCA) allowed determining that, of the 19 variables, four contributed the highest percentage to the classification of the models, explaining more than 80% of the accumulated variance. The resulting models were evaluated according to the value of the area under the curve (AUC) and potential distribution models with AUC values &gt;0.89 were obtained. The results suggest that most species are distributed in the biogeographic province of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt. Zephyranthes concolor was the species with the largest potential distribution area. The species with the most restricted potential distribution was Zephyranthes sessilis.

Phytopathogenic fungi are living organisms that cause plant diseases and great damage to agri-cultural products. Despite the wide range of commercial fungicide products in use, there is a clear need for new and environmentally friendly fungicides. Here we propose a new ecological fun-gicide, copper alginate microspheres prepared by ionic gelation. The microspheres were charac-terized (morphology and topography, encapsulation efficiency, load capacity, swelling behavior, rheology, kinetics and mechanism of copper ions release) and their in vitro antifungal potential against selected genera of phytopathogenic fungi was evaluated. Novel copper alginate micro-spheres inhibited spore germination of Botrytis cinerea and mycelial growth of Cercospora beticola and Phytophthora ramorum. They offer effective disease control while minimizing environmental impact and promoting sustainable agriculture practices.

The cassava whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, causes direct damage to cassava in the tropics by feeding on the phloem of leaves, inducing leaf chlorosis and abscission which can result in considerable yield loss of up to about 50% on susceptible varieties. The pest is also known to impart its indirect damage through sooty mold formation. Most of the improved cassava varieties in Uganda were developed for CMD resistance and CBSD tolerance and little is known about their reaction to whitefly infestation. A study was conducted to evaluate the reaction of 24 improved cassava varieties which were sourced from 5 different countries in the region (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique) to whitefly infestation. These varieties were evaluated in three agro-ecological zones of Uganda, namely; North-Western Savannah Grassland, Lake Victoria Crescent and the Kyoga Plains in the second rains of 2016. Monthly data were taken on adult and nymph counts, whitefly and sooty mold damage, CMD and CBSD severities from 2 up-to 9 Months after planting (MAP). Results show that the whitefly population was highly significantly (P

The realization of value in eco-products represents a rapidly advancing research theme. However, the clarity of relevant concepts, types and operational mechanisms remains elusive. A comprehensive review of current-stage research outcomes in eco-product value realization not only provides a novel approach to rejuvenating regional economies but also proactively contributes to the enhancement of local ecological environments. This article conducts a systematic literature review on the fundamental concepts, research scope and pathways for realizing the value of eco-products. The conclusions are as follows: (1) To clarify the basic concepts of ecosystem services and eco-products, the interrelationship between the two and the research scope of eco-products. (2) To elaborate the method for accounting the value of eco-products. (3) To demonstrate governmental path, market path and collaborative path for realizing the value of eco-products. (4)To review cases pertaining to the realization of value in public eco-products, quasi-public eco-products and operational eco-products both domestically and internationally. Building on this research foundation, the article identifies shortcomings in past research results and proposes key directions for future research progress.

Territory space is an ecological resource carrier and place for human development. Human activities and ecological systems are the basis of ecological product supply. Promoting territory spatial protection and governance by improving the ecological products supply is very important. In this study, we established an ecological products supply capacity evaluation index system involving three types of ecological products, i.e., ecological environmental products, ecological material products, and ecological cultural products. For the case of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, we comprehensively used principal component analysis, equivalent factor method, and entropy method to evaluate the supply capacity of the ecological products from 2011 to 2021. Then, we analyzed the spatio-temporal pattern combining the natural breakpoint and quantile classification methods and analyzed the obstacle factors using the obstacle degree model of ecological supply. The results show that the supply capacity of different ecological product in each city are closely related to ecological resource endowment. The supply capacity of ecological products exhibited an upward trend, with the highest ecological environmental products supply, relatively smaller ecological material product supply, and the largest growth rate for ecological cultural product supply. The supply capacity of different ecological products varied across cities over time and displayed noticeable spatial differentiation. The main obstacle factors included eco-land, eco-tourism, eco-leisure, park green space, and fishery products, although there were variations among cities. Finally, based on the level, spatial-temporal pattern, and obstacle factors of ecological product supply, we proposed strategies for territory spatial protection and governance from the perspectives of integrated protection of elements, structural regulation, and systematic governance. The results reflected the ecological functional heterogeneity of territory space, which can provide spatial planning guidance for sustainable development.

Based on the panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2012 to 2020, this paper uses the TOPSIS method to measure the development level of the digital economy and environmental quality. Then, a coupled coordination degree model is used to analyse the relationship between the digital economy and environmental quality. Kernel density estimation and the Dagum Gini coefficient method were used to reveal the dynamic evolution trend of the coupled coordination level between the digital economy and environmental quality and the regional trends of coupled indicators. Finally, the dynamics of the above relations were explored with an econometric model. The results show that the coupled coordination degree of the digital economy and environmental quality displays obvious regional heterogeneity, and the national coordination level exhibits dynamic convergence characteristics. The heterogeneity of the coupled coordination degree of the two systems in the eastern region has decreased year by year, except in the western region, the central region and the northeast region, where an upwards trend is observed. Overall, the Gini coefficient of the coupled coordination degree between the digital economy and environmental quality displays a certain downwards trend. The level of economic development, technological innovation level, industrial structure, degree of opening to the outside world, degree of environmental regulation, marketization index and financial development level have a positive influence on the coupled coordination of the digital economy and environmental quality. Environmental regulation is the core driver of the coupling of the two systems, and the economic development level, technological innovation level, industrial structure and degree of openness are the other major drivers. Therefore, in the processes of digital economy transformation and environmental governance, all regions should focus on balanced development between regions to optimize the overall efficiency of the two systems, consider external influence, enhance internal capabilities, and promote the coordination and co-development of the two systems.

Tourism activities generally have a ∩-type lock on the level of tourism ecological security in an area, but when applied to the border areas of China, there are certain specificities in the spatial evolution of tourism ecological security (TES) compared to traditional findings. This paper measures tourism ecological security in China’s border areas from 2009 to 2020 by using the DPSIR model with the superefficient SBM-DEA and analyzes the spatial differences, evolutionary characteristics, and driving factors of tourism ecological security in border areas by using Pearson’s correlation coefficients, center of gravity models, and geographic probes: (1) The overall tourism ecological security index of China’s border provinces is relatively good. Tourism activities do not completely affect the traditional “∩ lock” of the border provinces. The tourism ecological security level of the border provinces presents three spatial-temporal changes (“∩” type, “U” type, “\” type) and four evolution trends (“high–high–high”, “middle–middle–medium”, “medium–low–low”, and “low–low–low”). (2) The overall tourism ecological security level in border areas is polarized between high and low levels, and the ecological security efficiency of the three large areas is spatially characterized as “Southwest Area &gt; Northeast Area &gt; Northwest Area”, and the center of gravity of ecological security is mostly concentrated in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Neimenggu, where the ecological security level is higher. (3) Social and environmental factors are the main factors that influence tourism ecological security in border areas, while economic factors account for a smaller proportion. Accordingly, this thesis also proposes the driving mechanism of the ecological security of tourism sites in border areas in China with a view to providing theoretical support for policy formulation.

Many ecosystems are being severely degraded, leading the United Nations to deem 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. To be successful, this effort requires robust monitoring tools to assess land reclamation practices. Our study aimed to evaluate the quality of recovery efforts in mined areas by developing a Recovery Quality Index (RQI) based on soil and vegetation indicators. Using the heavily mined Iron Quadrangle region of Brazil as an example, we selected four local, undisturbed reference areas as restoration goals: Atlantic Forest (AF); ferruginous rupestrian grassland with dense vegetation (FRGD); ferruginous rupestrian grassland with sparse vegetation (FRGS); and quartzite rupestrian grassland (QRG). We also selected four areas that were directly or indirectly affected by mining, including an environmental compensation area set aside 5 years prior to the study (COMP-5), two sterile piles that had undergone recovery for 15 and 20 years (SP-20 and SP-15), and a cave area with 15 years of recovery (CAVE-15). The four recovery areas were grouped together with each individual reference area (making four combinations of sites), and measurements of 2 vegetation parameters and 34 soil attributes were used in a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for each grouping. We determined the RQI for each group by summing weighted PCA scores for responsive indicators. Vegetative parameters had the lowest RQI weights in all four groups. Soil physical indicators tended to be the most important, except in AF, where chemical indicators were most relevant. RQI values were also lowest when AF was used as the reference, showing that the forest was a unique ecosystem, and the CAVE-15 site had lower RQI scores than the other restored sites, indicating the high degree of disturbance that occurred in that low-lying area. The SP-20 site tended to have higher RQI values than the SP-15, and similar values to the less disturbed COMP-5 areas, potentially indicating greater recovery of native soil properties during the longer recovery period. This RQI-based approach has excellent potential for robust assessment of the recovery of areas degraded by mining and can support decision-making during monitoring.

An important set of Ecosystem services (ES) provided by Green infrastructures (GI) consists of habitats and species protection and improvement, which coincides with biodiversity conservation and enhancement. From this perspective, one of the most outstanding features of GI is its attitude towards addressing the negative impacts of habitat fragmentation on the supply of ES related to biodiversity by strengthening the effectiveness of connections between protected areas. Building on a methodological approach defined in previous studies by Cannas, published in a set of articles between 2017 and 2018 [1–4], this study identifies ecological corridors (EC) with reference to the spatial layout of a set of protected areas. Moreover, such methodological approach is implemented into the context of the Sardinian region to map EC, which form, together with protected areas, a network representing the spatial framework of a regional GI. Finally, the relation between the EC and the spatial taxonomy of the landscape components featured by environmental relevance (LCFER), identified by the Regional Landscape Plan is analyzed, in order to assess if, and to what extent, the present regional spatial zoning code can be used as a basis to implement regulations aimed at protecting EC.

The Payra River is one of the large coastal rivers in Bangladesh which supports incredible fish species and has been affected by extensive human disturbance due to huge fishing pressure. The present study provides information about the temporal diversity of finfish and shellfish concerning climatological variables and ecological pollution along with threat assessment in the Payra River, Patuakhali. During the entire study, a total of 61 fish species including 56 finfish and 5 shellfish species were recorded under 22 families belonging to 11 orders. The order-wise fish species availability showed that the Perciformes (29.49%) was the dominant order based on species richness. Among them, 4 endangered, 6 vulnerable, 4 near threatened, 42 least concern, and 5 data deficient species were found. During the study period, the average Shannon-Weaver diversity index value was (3.33±0.12) indicates a good spread of fish population in the Payra river. Average Margalef richness index value was found (7.60±0.32), Pielou's evenness index (0.48±0.05), and Simpson dominance index (0.93±0.02) in Payra river. Dominance and Richness index value indicates clear water environment to slight pollution in the Payra river. Ten different kinds of fishing gears were identified under 3 major groups including 5 nets, 3 hooks and lines, and 2 traps. The phytoplanktonic genus and species revealed moderate pollution. Canonical correspondence analysis ordination plot showed that rainfall was the most influencing driving force among the meteorological parameters. The cluster analysis based on the Bray-Curtis similarity matrix showed that the winter season formed a separate cluster. In the recapitulation, the Payra River is a highly productive system that provides a favorable environment for a large variety of finfish and shellfish species assemblages. Findings of the conducted study are expected to be helpful for the respective researchers, policymakers, managers, and conservationists for the sustainable management of this water body and the interconnected surrounding neighboring countries.

Tinnitus is a phantom sound perception in the ears or head and can arise from many different medical disorders. Currently, there is no standard treatment for tinnitus that reliably reduces tinnitus. Individual patients reported that acupressure at various points around the ear can help to reduce tinnitus, which was investigated here. With this longitudinal observational study, we report a systematic evaluation of auricular acupressure on 39 tinnitus sufferers, combined with a self-help smartphone app. The participants were asked to report about tinnitus, stress, mood, neck and jaw muscle tensions twice a day using an ecological momentary assessment study design for six weeks. On average, 123.6 questionnaires per person were provided and used for statistical analysis. The treatment responses of the participants were heterogeneous. On average, we ob-served significant negative trends for tinnitus loudness (Cohen’s d effect size: -.861), tinnitus dis-tress (d = -.478), stress (d = -.675), and tensions in the neck muscles (d = -.356). Comparison with a matched control group revealed significant improvements for tinnitus loudness (p = .027) and self-reported stress level (p = .003). The positive results of the observational study motivate fur-ther research including a randomized clinical trial and long-term assessment of the clinical im-provement.

Accompanied by increasing population growth and urban sprawl, most coastal cities are unprecedentedly vulnerable to climate change and its impacts, such as sea level rise, increasing extreme storm events, and coastal flooding. Coastal resilience and sustainable development are antidotes to vulnerability; they aim to enhance the adaptive capability of absorbing disturbances and resisting uncertainty. This study explores building a quantitative assessment framework to measure resilience and provide an objective and comparable method to understand the strengths and weaknesses in a given region. The proposed 25 resilience indicators incorporate the aspects of essential livelihood protection, infrastructure and natural resource maintenance, emergency facilities and institutions, floodplain management regulations, and adaptive planning process. Each indicator is assigned the resilience quality that includes robustness, resourcefulness, redundancy, and rapidity. The aggregated resilience quality scoring reflects the systematic performance of the city to cope with the coastal hazards. The innovative part of this framework is combining hazard mitigation measures, climate adaptation strategies, and sustainable development goals together to achieve a comprehensive assessment method. In the case of New Haven, the resilience assessment is taken as a practical monitoring tool and decision-making support.

The probability of zoonoses, such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), emerging is strongly related to remediable factors such as habitat encroachment and trade in wild animals. Tackling these underlying determinants is important to prevent future pandemics from the approximately 700,000 viruses with the potential to cause zoonoses. Reversing habitat destruction is also vital to halt the accelerating rate of extinction of a wide array of life forms - with all the adverse consequences these extinctions will have for human health. These insights depend on viewing health and disease from within an ecological theoretical framework. We therefore argue that preventing future zoonotic outbreaks as well as dealing with a range of contemporary health issues would be facilitated by grounding our health sciences in more a more explicitly ecological conceptual framework.

Since the late 1980s the idea of sustainable development has been gaining widespread recognition as a guiding framework for policies on development and the environment. However, the concept of sustainable development has received a number of criticisms, including its over-emphasis on meeting human needs through economic growth, as well as its failure to recognize dynamic human-environment interactions. In response to these shortfalls, the concepts of resilience and adaptive governance have emerged as alternative perspectives for pursuing sustainable development. Resilience in social-ecological systems emphasizes the capacity of coupled human-environment systems to deal with change while continuing to develop. Adaptive governance relies on diverse and nested institutional mechanisms for connecting actors across multiple scales to manage conflicts and uncertainties in ecosystem management processes. However, the ethical dimensions of resilience and adaptive governance have not received enough attention. A promising ethical perspective for guiding policies on human-environment interactions is the philosophy of deep ecology which highlights the need for recognition of the intrinsic values of all living things, as well as the nurturing of ecological and cultural diversity. We argue that an integration of the principles of deep ecology and adaptive governance provides a complementary set of ethical principles and institutional attributes that offers better prospects for pursuing sustainable development in the era of the Anthropocene. The implications of this integrative agenda include: adoption of a holistic conception of dynamic human-environment interactions; recognition of diverse knowledge systems through an anti-reductionist approach to knowledge; promotion of long term sustainability through respect for ecological and cultural diversity; and embracing decentralization and local autonomy. We further illustrate this integrative agenda using the management of protected areas as a case study.

Markets dominate the world’s food systems. Today’s food systems fail to realize the normative foundations of ecological economics: justice, sustainability, efficiency, and value pluralism. I argue that markets, as an institution for governing food systems, hinder the realization of these objectives. Markets allocate food toward money, not hunger. They encourage shifting costs on others, including nonhuman nature. They rarely signal unsustainability, and in many ways cause it. They do not resemble the efficient markets of economic theory. They organize food systems according to exchange value at the expense of all other social, cultural, spiritual, moral, and environmental values. I argue that food systems can approach the objectives of ecological economics roughly to the degree that they subordinate market mechanisms to social institutions that embody those values. But such “embedding” processes, whether through creating state policy or alternative markets, face steep barriers and can only partially remedy food markets’ inherent shortcomings. Thus, ecological economists should also study, promote, and theorize non-market food systems.

During the exploration of the surrounding environment, the brain links together external inputs, giving rise to perception of a persisting object. During imaginative processes, the same object can be recalled in mind even if it is out of sight. Here, topological theory of shape provides a mathematical foundation for the notion of persistence perception. In particular, we focus on ecological theories of perception, that account for our knowledge of world objects by borrowing a concept of invariance in topology. We show how a series of transformations can be gradually applied to a pattern, in particular to the shape of an object, without affecting its invariant properties, such as boundedness of parts of a visual scene. High-level representations of objects in our environment are mapped to simplified views (our interpretations) of the objects, in order to construct a symbolic representation of the environment. The representations can be projected continuously to an environmental object that we have seen and continue to see, thanks to the mapping from shapes in our memory to shapes in Euclidean space.

The evaluation of Eco-Environmental Quality (EEQ) is important to maintain the quality of ecology and is crucial for the protection of the environment and promote sustainable development. In the past 30 years, Rupandehi district has gone into rapid urbanization and population growth due to the migration of people causing drastic changes in Land use. This study takes Rupandehi district as a study area and analyses the land use change dynamics and its impact on the ecological environment from 1993 to 2023. The study utilizes the cloud computing capability of Google Earth Engine (GEE) to extract multiple indices using Landsat remote sensing data. We also applied the Thresholding approach to various spectral indices to extract land use information in GEE. The Remote Sensing Ecological Indices (RSEI) was constructed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to monitor the ecological quality and the effect of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) change on the quality of ecology was analysed. The result shows that the overall ecological quality of the Rupandehi district is good ranging from 0.59 in 1993 to 0.67 in 2023 with a significant impact of land use change. The eco-environmental quality of the study area is deteriorating because of a sharp increase in built-up areas and deforestation as well as the loss of agricultural land. Meanwhile, the spatial and temporal distribution of land use change collides with the change in the ecological quality of the study area. This study provides an accurate and rapid assessment of ecological quality and monitors the impact of land use change on it providing a scientific basis for researchers, government, and others to preserve the ecology and promote sustainable and eco-friendly development.

This study investigates the reintroduction and ecological adaptation of the endangered dung beetle, Gymnopleurus mopsus, in South Korea, a region from which it has been absent since the 1970s. To facilitate this, we imported genetically identical populations of G. mopsus from Mongolia and embarked on a comprehensive restoration research project. A key focus of this endeavor was to evaluate the adaptability of these beetles to the local environment, an essential aspect of successful reintegration of species from foreign ecosystems. Under meticulously controlled field cage conditions, we conducted an in-depth monitoring of the life history traits of G. mopsus. This monitoring revealed that the adult beetles, which entered hibernation in September 2019, began emerging in stages from late April to May 2020. Following hibernation, we observed that the adults engaged in reproductive activities from late May until early August, with the emergence of the first-generation (F1) adults occurring from late July to mid-September. This led to a notable tripling in population size, increasing from 34 to 109 individuals. The successful survival and reproductive behaviors of these Mongolian dung beetles in the climatic conditions of Korea suggest a promising potential for their adaptation when reintroduced into native habitats. We are now directing our efforts towards long-term monitoring, focusing on the survival and reproductive efficacy of these new generations, to further validate the success of this ecological restoration project.

Environmental responsibility is crucial in both consumption and production processes. Increasing environmental concerns of societies require eco-innovative and nature-based solutions (NBS) for entrepreneurs. Young people's intentions as potential innovators and entrepreneurs on eco-entrepreneurship with mediating effects have not been investigated is a shortcoming in the literature. This study was conducted with 920 respondents from a public university (Düzce University) students to determine the underlying motivations of eco-entrepreneurship intentions using structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrap methodology. SEM results show that environmental concerns have a positive direct effect (β=0.62) on students’ eco-entrepreneurship intention. This study can serve the several sustainable development goals (SDGs) making suggestions for the efficient and effective use of production factors in terms of environmentally responsible behavior. Study results provide data for sustainable business applications and eco-innovative thinking. Study results intend the direction of modern environmental governance, policy makers and SEM developers.

Adaptation to the impacts of human induced global heating is inevitable. For a socially just and ecological sustainable adjustment to these new circumstances, we need to draw from diverse knowledge systems while, simultaneously, foster a social-ecological transformation. We approach these concerns through the concept of community-based adaptation (CBA) and discuss remedies. Synergies with feminist knowledge systems and indigenous ways of living show the transdisciplinary essence of CBA. By abstracting from its origin and overlapping disciplines, revealing the social metabolism as a common problem, CBA is prone to achieve more equitable and sustainable adjustments. Transdisciplinarity itself and the current related CBA literature point beyond mere adjustments and call for a redesign of the social metabolism, thereby shifting from adaptation to global heating towards adaptation with nature by focusing on social provisioning. An engagement with transformative adaptation and heterodox economics further shows the potential of CBA to serve as an instrument in support of a social-ecological transformation by addressing root causes of vulnerability and by fostering epistemic justice. Reflecting these points back on the epistemological and ontological assumptions of CBA, the viewpoint proposes critical realism as a guiding philosophy of science to move forward.

Promoting the sustainable development of resource-based cities is of great significance to the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. Combining the environmental status and economic development, we objectively evaluate the ecological safety level of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin, compare and analysis the main factors affecting the ecological safety of different resource-based cities, and formulate precise and differentiated ecological safety protection measures in river basins to achieve high-quality development. Taking the Yellow River Basin as an example, this paper analyses the ecological level of the Yellow River Basin based on the theory of sustainable development, calculates the ecological safety level of 30 resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2006 to 2020 by TOPSIS model, and makes convergence analysis by classification. Through the DID empirical test of sustainable development planning policy on ecological safety factors, distinguish the development characteristics of different resource-based cities. The results show that: (1) the ecological safety level of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin is generally developing well, and there are differences among different types of resource-based cities; (2) the kinetic energy of sustainable development of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin is mainly industrial transformation, and the power of science and technology is insufficient; (3) local governments pay limited attention to environmental protection, and the sustainable development planning of resource-based cities in 2013 mainly promotes the adjustment of industrial structure of resource-based cities.

This research seeks to advance the understanding of ecological management in the Huaihe River Basin, China. The spatiotemporal variability of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and its underlying driving forces are examined utilizing SPOT-NDVI data covering the period 2000-2019. Linear regression analysis is employed to quantify trends and assess the statistical significance of NDVI variations. A differencing approach is subsequently applied to discern the variability in NDVI. The distribution of its spatial pattern stability over 20 years is explored through the coefficient of variation. Lastly, the Geodetector method is utilized to elucidate the driving factors influencing NDVI dynamics. The results indicate that the overall NDVI is generally high, with an overall growth rate of 0.00148/year, and 2010 is identified as a significant inflection point in the trend. NDVI values are notably lower in urban areas, corresponding to urban expansion, except for regions near rivers and lakes. Land use type emerges as the strongest explanatory factor for NDVI among single factors, with climate factors exhibiting a relatively weaker degree of explanatory force. These findings suggest that the overall NDVI in the Huaihe River Basin is high, indicative of a vegetation condition that continues to improve.

Tandemly organized rRNA genes are the typical example of a multigene family, where individual members evolve coordinately within but independently between species due to gene conversion and unequal crossing over. More frequently, in eukaryotic species with an inter-species hybrid origin, expression of unhomogenized rRNA genes from one progenitor is epigenetically silenced because of nucleolus dominance, and distinct rRNA genes may lose functionality and evolve faster. Interestingly, we obtained unusual ribosomal gene sequences from Oryza species that showed great diversity and did not appear in the present rice genomic sequence. The diversity of rDNA sequences indicated that the homogenization in rice is incomplete and explains the introgression of distinct rRNA gene families into ancestral rice genome before speciation and continent separation. The divergent large subunit (LSU) ribosomal genes are expressed, some of them differentially, depending on the N-fertilization of plants. Detection of differential transcripts of the rRNA genes suggested that rRNA gene families are not functionally equivalent. Phylogenetic analysis assigned Oryza species branching order to monocots, and monocot lineages probably have the same ecological origin by molecular clock calculation. Therefore, our results suggested that the geographical distances of continents separation cause barriers to the gene flow and homogenization among Oryza species which requires further explanation,

With the liberalization of the mining sector, a considerable demographic explosion is witnessed in Lubumbashi city (southeastern of the D.R. Congo). The resulting spatial urban expansion is unplanned, reducing the vegetation cover abundance within and around the city. To address this situation, Acacia auriculiformis, an alien species, has been planted without planning and monitoring. We quantify the spatio-temporal pattern dynamics of A. auriculiformis along the urban-rural gradient from the digitisation of Google Earth images from 2006, 2014 and 2021, and evaluate tree diversity through floristic inventory. Results showed that the plantation of A. auriculiformis, belonging to park, street trees and green spaces-types, increased in patch number and acreage, mostly in urban zone. The values of the patch which were highest in 2006 decreased in 2021, especially in the urban zone. Thirty-nine trees species were founded on A. auriculiformis plantations, with Albizia lebbeck, Albizia alba and Leucaena leucocephala being the most common. However, results showed that 20 species out of 39 species found are exotic, half of which are invasive species. However, 19 trees species are indigenous, mainly found in peri-urban zones. Although most tree species were observed in urban zones, the average diameters were greater in the peri-urban zone. Overall, obtained results appear to suggest that the sustainability of A. auriculiformis within the urban and peri-urban zones of Lubumbashi city appears uncertain since a considerable number of attracted species are found to be alien invasive trees that pose a threat to biodiversity conservation. There is an urgent need for adoption of a master plan for sustainable integration and monitoring of trees plantations for limiting erosion of indigenous phytodiversity and the spread of alien invasive species populations in the adjacent rural area.

Preserving and restoring biodiversity is becoming a great challenge as we face a world where planetary boundaries will likely be crossed over the following decades. Such challenge needs to consider multiple scales of complexity, both in space and time. A common thread in most cases is the presence of nonlinear phenomena generating shifts among alternative states. These breaking points imply a new perception of risk and different management strategies. A broad range of phenomena affect the preservation of healthy communities and constrain the ways to deal with conservation, from local features associated with habitat loss or facilitation to mesoscale or global network-level ecological complexity and the role played by extreme events. How are these scales connected? How can the emergent properties associated with ecosystem dynamics be exploited? Here a synthesis of ideas is presented, with a complex systems view of the different scales involved, the emergent phenomena separating them, and the universal properties that allow defining simple models on each scale.

The rapid development of the regional economy in China has led to the rise of local ecological risks. It is very important to provide enjoyable ecosystem services to residents while reducing ecological risks. In order to understand spatial relationships between ecosystem services and ecological risks, we took Chongqing as an example in this study to assess the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks at the county scale based on the ES-DPSIR system. The main findings include: (1) significant variation in the spatial distribution of the comprehensive ecosystem service index, where the lowest ecosystem service index (0.013) was found in the main urban area of Chongqing and the scores gradually increased outward from this center, reaching 0.689 in the outermost areas, (2) the increase of the comprehensive ecological risk index from east to west, ranging from -0.134 to 0.333, (3) the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks was prominent, with 52.63% of the districts and counties being imbalanced or mild imbalanced, and (4) the significant differences between development trends of ecosystem services-ecological risks, including 60.53% being imbalanced districts and 30.47% mildly balanced. Overall, it was necessary to improve the relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks in Chongqing by reducing ecological risks., and these research results could provide effective approaches and technical support for improving regional ecological security and enhancing ecosystem service capabilities.

Influenced by historical background, regional economic development, and the frequent occurrence of armed conflict, the human–earth relationship in the Central and Southern Peninsula, which is located in a "fragmented zone", is characteristic of the region. The Indochina Peninsula has now become an area of interest for the study of spatial changes in production–living–ecological spaces (PLES). Taking the Indochina Peninsula as the study area, this paper explores the evolution of the spatio-temporal patterns of PLES and its driving mechanism in the Central and Southern Peninsula, from 2010 to 2020, based on the grid scale. Methods such as the land-use transition matrix, land-use dynamics index, and Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) were used in our model. Our results show that, from 2010 to 2020, ecological space dominated the PLES pattern on the Indochina Peninsula but its area gradually decreased, accompanied by a sharp increase in the areas of productive and living spaces. The area of PLES interconversion on the Indochina Peninsula in 2010–2020 was 212818.70 km2, and it is characterized by the conversion of ecological space into productive space, as well as the interconversion of woodland ecological and grassland ecological spaces. In addition, the intertransfer of production and ecological spaces was distributed in a network-like manner throughout the Indochina Peninsula, while the transfer of living space was distributed in a point-like manner. The migration path of the center of gravity of PLES on the In-dochina Peninsula demonstrates a significant directional difference. The PLES’s pattern evolution was affected by the degree of multiple factors, with a significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity. The positive and negative feedback effects of the factors were distributed in different areas and in different transfer directions.

The Anthropocene epoch marks a critical phase in the history of humanity, where anthropogenic activities have significantly impacted our planet. Along the unpreceedendent ecological crises, the Anthropocene worldview has raised existential questions with a cultural and ethical discourse that recognises intrinsic value and calls for more responsible sustainable living. To address these challenges collectively, a broader perspective is required, guided by a unified sense of purpose towards personal and planetary health. In this context, the role of religious leaders in shaping the social and environmental worldviews of their followers cannot be underestimated. Religious teachings provide a moral framework for promoting climate action, global ethics, indigenous people, peace, and justice, and many other aspects of planetary health. By assessing the global ecological crises through the lens of Islam; Religion of Nature, or Din al-Fitra, and its environmental teachings across all realms, we can gain insights into humanity’s connection to the fabric of creation and its interaction with this world. These value-leden principles are integrated with accountability; thus, the role of Muslim religious leaders considering the planetary-scale threats warrant further elucidation; recognizing that many other faiths and faith leaders can similarly contribute together for common good.

The current epoch, known as the Anthropocene, is characterized by significant human impact on the global ecological system, including altered species survival and distribution patterns due to global warming resulting from industrialization. Accurately quantifying and assessing the extent of human impact on the environment is of utmost importance. To this end, four primary methods have been developed to measure human impact: (1) ecological footprint, (2) Human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP), (3) Planetary boundary, and (4) Living Planet Index. In this paper, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of these methods, including their strengths and weaknesses, to evaluate their efficacy in accurately assessing the impact of human activities on the global ecosystem. Furthermore, we explore the potential of utilizing novel machine learning modelling for future predictions in this area. By analyzing and comparing these methods, we can gain insight into the ways in which human activities impact the environment and use this knowledge to inform future policies and practices to mitigate negative effects.

This review discusses the distribution pattern, nesting style, mating behavior, and colony structure of the Asian weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) in Asia. Recent findings suggested that weaver ant occurrences are not only limited to tropical rainforests biome, agroforestry and large monoculture fields, but have encroached human rural habitation including densely populated urban areas. Comparatively, O. longinoda and O. smaragdina are taxonomically classified as two distinct species, but the main differences between them are strongly dependent on the allopatric nature or geographical speciation of their distribution. Although weaver ants are dominant ubiquitous and conspicuous arboreal insects with a predilection for habitation in trees canopies, viable nests colonies on the ground have been reported in Thailand. O. smaragdina usually construct their polydomous nests (multiple satellites nests arrangement within a single host but diverse plants species) by weaving tree-leaves using their larval silk. Knowledge on mating behavior is rudimentary; hence more studies are needed especially in understanding how weather parameters affect nuptial flight swarming act. At the colony organization level, comprehensive reports about minor and major workers contrasts with the poorly documented but significant intermediate size of workers caste. The versatile impact of Asian Oecophylla is offering important ecological subsistence services to both the nature and humans. This is by combining positive economic implications to food security concern with a provision of organic nutrients for host plants and highly healthful diet enhancer (nourishing-medicinal). Despite its wide presence in large oil palms monoculture, only one report had exposed weaver ants’ potential positive ecological impact (i.e. predation on bagworms Pteroma pendula) in Southeast Asia.

Based on ICT, specifically smartphones and their mobile apps, this exploratory study questions the impact of EMIs on employees’ perceived stress during work days. A sample of 15 workers, working at least 3 days a week - divided into one control groups (n=5) and one experimental group (n=10) - have used an EMI application “Mon Sherpa” for one-week length. Participants responded to two questionnaires at the beginning of the study: a sociodemographic questionnaire and the PSM-9 (Psychological Stress Measure). They completed the PSM-9 once again in the middle and at the end of the experiment, to compare the score’s evolution depending on the formed groups. Additionally, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with participants of the experimental group (n=9) to identify their application’s perception. Statistics results indicate no effects of the EMIs. However, interviews indicated somatic, behavioral, and cognitive evolutions throughout the experiment in the field of stress, anxiety, and invasive thoughts. These conflicting results might be explained by an immediate but not lasting effect of EMI’s on work-related stress. It may also be partly explained by some limitations of the study. More cross-disciplinary and larger research is required.

Several studies have identified a relationship between air pollution and depression, particularly in relation to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure. However, the strength of this association appears to be moderated by variables such as age, gender, genetic vulnerability, physical activity and climatic conditions, and has not been assessed at a cross-national level to date. The current study examines the association between the prevalence of depression in each country, based on the most recent Global Burden of Disease Study data, and the average national level of PM2.5 based on the World Health Organization’s database. The observed associations were adjusted for age, gender, level of physical activity, income, education, population density, climate, and type of depression. It was observed that there was a modest but significant positive correlation between PM2.5 level and the prevalence of depression even after adjusting for the above confounders. This association was more marked above a certain threshold and applied chiefly to major depressive episodes. These findings are of significant public health importance in terms of preventive strategies aimed at reducing the population-level burden of depression.

Cities consume over 75% of natural resources, produce over 50% of global waste and emit 60 - 80% of greenhouse gases. The scenario that by 2050 two thirds of the world population will live in cities, highlights how cities are still responsible of the growing consumption characterized by linear economy processes, with the production of various types of waste. In this unsustainable framework, the Circular Economy offers the opportunity to shape the urban system by means of rethinking the possibility to produce and use goods and services exploring new ways to ensure long-term prosperity. The Circular City paradigm contains in fact all the principles of the Circular Economy: recovery, recycling and sharing. In particular, Circular City also introduces actions related to the development of renewable energy communities, use of green materials, CO2 absorption approaches and Proximity Cities. The aim of this work is to develop a methodology to build a composite index (Circular City Index) capable of measuring the degree of implementation of urban policies that enable the territory to initiate an ecological transition of public assets. The city of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) represents the case study to apply circular urban policies in public properties, for civil and military use.

The onset and progression of the salivary and gut microbiota, the transmission and the impact of the salivary microbiota on the development of early fecal microbial communities was herein explored. We characterized the microbiota of 82 faecal and 80 salivary samples, collected from 82 healty newborns at birth, 7, 15, 30, 90 and 180 days of life, by 16S rRNA targeted-metagenomics approach. Correlation heat-maps and co-occurrence networks were used to investigate microbial taxa relationship in saliva, gut and between the two ecosystems. In saliva microbiota, Streptococcus and Staphylococcus appeared as early commensals, dominating this ecosystem through the time, while Fusobacterium, Prevotella, Porphyromonas, Granulicatella and Veillonella were late colonizers. anaerobes as Enterobacteriace, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, were gut microbiota pioneers, followed by the anaerobic Bifidobacterium, Veillonella, Eggerthella and Bacteroides. Streptococcus, Staphylococcus and Veillonella were shared by gut and saliva ecosystems (core microbiota). Early saliva and gut microbiota seem to evolve independently driven by local adaptation strategies, with the only exception for the oral Streptococcus and Veillonella genera, involved in gut microbiota development as seeding species. A more comprehensive knowledge of how oral microbiota may impact pathophysiological conditions of gut microbiota may open new avenues on the design of postbiotics.

Diagnosis of Awake Bruxism (AB) is problematic due to the inability to use continuous recordings during daytime activities. Recently, a new semi-instrumental approach was suggested, viz., an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), with the use of a smartphone application. With the application subjects are requested to report, at least 12 times per day, the status of their masticatory muscle activity (relaxed muscles, jaw bracing without tooth contact, teeth contact, teeth clenching or teeth grinding). The aim of the present study was to compare the EMA to the assessment of AB as defined by a single point self-report. The most frequent condition recorded by the EMA was relaxed muscles (ca. 60%) and the least frequent one - Teeth grinding (0.6 %). The relaxed muscle condition also showed the lowest coefficient of variance over a 7day period of report. Additionally, only the relaxed muscles and the Jaw bracing conditions presented an acceptable ability to discriminate between AB positive and AB negative subjects, as defined by single point self-report questions. The combination between self-report and EMA may have a potential to promote our ability to diagnose AB. We suggest to re-consider the conditions of Teeth contact and Teeth grinding while using EMA to evaluate AB.

The rapid urbanization has exerted tremendous pressure on natural systems in mountains. As a measure of sustainable use of natural resources, ecological footprint is an important basis for judging whether the development of a country or region is within the biocapacity. Taking Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture as an example, this study comprehensively analyzes the impact of human activities on mountain resources and environment from the three aspects of urbanization, land use and ecological carrying capacity. The results show that Dali Prefecture with the urbanization rate of 33% is still in the accelerated stage of urbanization. The urban space presents the core-periphery feature, and the central city is the focus of human existence and living activities. The per capita ecological footprint is 1.14 hm2/person higher than the ecological carrying capacity, meaning Dali Prefecture is in an ecological deficit state. This indicates that there is an uncoordinated state between urbanization and environment. Arable land is the main source of per capita ecological footprint in the prefecture. However, the urban expansion overly occupies the arable land in the plain sub-region, leading the arable land to an ecological deficit state. In the future, the development of the mountainous area should focus on the protection of arable land and choose a new sustainable path.

Green Infrastructure (GI) is increasingly prioritised in landscape policy and planning, due to its potential to benefit ecosystems and enhance wildlife conservation. However, due to the uneven distribution of protected areas (PAs) and the fragmentation of habitats more generally, multi-level policy strategies are needed to create an integrated GI network bridging national, regional and local scales. To help address this challenge, we present proposals to integrate GI elements for the province of Almeria, southeast Spain. We delimit and define key GI elements, and apply GIS-based connectivity tools to generate ecological corridors connecting the province’s 35 PAs. Currently, the PAs are threatened by the advance of intensive greenhouse agriculture and tourism-related urban growth of the municipalities to which they belong. Common patterns in the location of the most suitable areas for the development of GI can be identified. New GI networks would be located along the coast, specifically in the western part of the study area. They would also occupy the valleys of the main rivers of the province. Around 50% of the area occupied by the proposed corridors would be located in places of medium and high suitability for the movement of species between core areas.

In 2023, the World Economic Forum reported the existence of high-severity global risks in both the short and long term, including climate change, natural disasters and biodiversity loss. In response, Clive L. Spash, a scholar specializing in ecosocial issues, has proposed a paradigm shift that considers the interconnection between ecological, economic, and social challenges, advocating for approaches that go beyond the positivistic approach of orthodox economics. He refers to this approach as Social Ecological Economics (SEE), a school of thought that has received limited attention, evident from the scarcity of publications on the subject. In light of this, the objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the key elements that define Social Ecological Economics as an alternative field within ecological thought. To achieve this, a literature review was conducted, employing open and in vivo coding using Atlas.ti 9 software. The findings identify the core components of Social Ecological Economics, organized into categories such as background, characteristics, dimensions, problems, criticisms, foundations, and proposals. These categories highlight the distinctive identity of this school. As this study is exploratory in nature, a future research agenda is proposed to further examine the relevance of this approach in tackling pressing global issues.

This study examines the impact of natural resource exploitation, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, biocapacity, and information and communication technologies (ICT) on the ecological footprint of BRICS+ nations using panel data from 1991 to 2019. Advanced econometric techniques, including FMOLS, DOLS, CCR, and GMM, reveal significant findings relevant to sustainability-focused policymakers. The results show that natural resource exploitation significantly contributes to environmental degradation, while renewable energy consumption mitigates these effects to varying degrees across the studied countries. Although economic growth is crucial, it worsens ecological footprints unless accompanied by sustainable practices. ICT and biocapacity emerge as key factors in promoting environmental sustainability, with ICT enhancing innovation and efficiency to reduce ecological impacts. The study emphasizes the need for tailored policy frameworks that align economic growth with environmental sustainability, advocating for the adoption of renewable energy, eco-innovations, and green finance initiatives suited to the unique conditions of BRICS+ nations. The findings aim to guide policymakers in advancing sustainable development and mitigating the adverse environmental impacts of rapid industrialization and urbanization, while contributing to the global discourse on achieving a balance between economic growth and ecological well-being in developing countries.

The concentrations and ratios of plant C, N, and P serve as important indicators of ecological processes. However, how plant and soil C:N:P relationships and ratios change with forest stand types remain unclear. Here, we analyzed the ecological stoichiometric characteristics by measuring leaf and soil organic C, total N and P contents in four stand types in Liaocheng, including Populus tomentosa pure forest, Populus tomentosa-Robinia pseudoacacia mixture forests, Platanus orientalis pure forest, and Salix matsudana pure forests. We find that: (1) The N and P leaf contents varied significantly across the four forest stands, with Populus tomentosa-Robinia pseudoacacia mixture forests having higher P levels. Platanus orientalis pure forests had lower C and N but higher P levels compared to others. (2) Uncoupled cycling of P in leaf-soil systems due to environmental influences, but C and N elements showed coupled cycles in some forest stands. (3) All forest stand types were limited by N and P elements. Overall, environmental factors, in addition to species variations, influence the C, N, P, and C:N:P ratios in leaves and soils of different forest stand types. Enhancing conservation and efficient use of N and P elements is crucial for sustainable plantation forest management to promote optimal growth in the region.

The aim of this study was to evaluate soil properties and Eragrostis tef (teff) growth on Technosols produced from coarse and fine coal wastes from Moatize Mine, Mozambique. The experiment was performed in triplicate in 30 L containers filled with different substrate conditions, composed of fine coal waste, coarse coal waste, agricultural soil, and sewage sludge as an organic matter source. The soil analyses included bulk density, available water capacity, permeability, and fertility. Plant growth was monitored for biomass production and plant tissue composition. All the substrates presented a good available water capacity and a proper drainage condition. Regarding the soil fertility, there were shortages of potassium and boron in the substrates composed exclusively of coal wastes, which was reflected in the composition of the plant tissue. Even so, plant growth was statistically equivalent to the control in all conditions, except for the substrate produced exclusively with fine coal waste and sewage sludge, which presented a better performance. Technosols are an alternative for reducing the final mine waste volume, and Eragrostis tef used as a means for land use after the mining process, with social gains, and as a tool in an ecological process for restoring coal mining sites.

The study of ecosystems, both natural and artificial, has historically been mediated by population dynamics theories. In this framework, quantifying population numbers and related variables (associated with metabolism or biological-environmental interactions) plays a central role in measuring and predicting system-level properties. As we move towards advanced technological engineering of cells and organisms, the possibility of bioengineering ecosystems (from the gut microbiome to wildlands) opens several questions that will require quantitative models to find answers. Here, we present a comprehensive survey of quantitative modelling approaches for managing three kinds of synthetic ecosystems, sharing the presence of engineered strains. These include test tube examples of ecosystems hosting a relatively low number of interacting species, mesoscale closed ecosystems (or ecospheres), and macro-scale, engineered ecosystems. The potential outcomes of synthetic ecosystem designs and their limits will be relevant to different disciplines, including biomedical engineering, astrobiology, space exploration and fighting climate change impacts on endangered ecosystems. We propose a space of possible ecosystems that captures this broad range of scenarios and a tentative road map for open problems and further exploration.

This study aims to contribute to the characterization of Katangese Copperbelt's mining wastes and soils polluted with trace metals, using pollution indices and direct concentration measurements. The study also evaluated the use of these indices in assessing the success of remediation projects. Analytical data from previous studies and samples collected from six types of discharge and one polluted soil were used to address the first objective. Soil and plant samples were collected at Kipushi and Penga Penga for the second objective. The results revealed very high concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn in all mine tailings and polluted soils, compared with local references. The degree of contamination (DC) values (from 72 to 5440) and potential ecological risk (RI) values (from 549 to 162 091) indicate very high-risk situations associated with polluted discharges and soils. Regarding revegetation trials, the results show lower concentrations and RIs in tree rhizospheres compared with unamended areas at both sites. However, trace metal concentrations are higher in tree rhizospheres compared with local references, and RI values are in the considerable risk range for Penga Penga (RI = 533) and very high (&gt;1500) for Kipushi. Bioconcentration factor values are below 1, indicating low accumulation in roots, wood, and leaves, and low risk of contamination of the trophic chain. In this context, it seems that the pollution indices used are unsuitable for assessing the effectiveness of phytotechnology processes based on metal stabilization. Direct plant performance measurements combined with direct measurements of metals in substrates and plants to assess transfer and efficiency are more appropriate.

Myocastor coypus is a pest animal present in Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia that causes agricultural and ecological damages. Moreover, it has to be considered as a potential risk for public health. Forty-four Nutrias from the “Parco Naturale La Mandria” (Piedmont region, Northwest Italy) have been analysed. A complete necropsy and a whole histological evaluation of liver, kidney and lung have been carried out on all the animals. Moreover, the positivity to Hepatitis E Virus (HEV), Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), Francisella spp., Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum have been investigated. None of the animal resulted positive for HEV, EMCV, Francisella spp. or Neospora caninum. Two animals tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii. A high presence of histological lesions has been identified in different organs, suggesting that lesions could be induced by different pathogens. As previously reported, Nutria can act as a host for several pathogens, including important agents for human and animal health, and surveillance is necessary, to fully understand the biological role and the importance of coypu as a disease reservoir in our country.

The high-mountain and arctic plants are considered especially sensitive to the climate changes because of close adaptations to the cold environment. Kalmia procumbens, the typical arctic-alpine species reaches southernmost European localities in the Pyrenees and Carpathians. The aim of the study was the assessment and comparison of K. procumbens current potential niche areas in the Pyrenees and Carpathians and their possible reduction due to climate change, depending on the scenario. Realized niches of K. procumbens in the Pyrenees are compact while in the Carpathians dispersed. In both mountain chains, the species occurs in the alpine and subalpine vegetation belts, going down to elevations of about 1500-1600 m, while the most elevated localities in the Pyrenees are at ca 3000 m, about 500 m higher than in the Carpathians. The localities of K. procumbens in the Carpathians have a more continental climate than in the Pyrenees, with lower precipitation and temperatures but higher seasonality of temperature and of precipitation. The species covered a larger area of geographic distribution during Last Glacial, and reduced area during mid Holocene. Due to the climate warming, the strong reduction of potential area of occurrence to 2100 is expected in the Carpathians and moderate reduction in in the Pyrenees.

The change of habitat pattern is one of the key factors affecting the survival of moose population. The study of habitat landscape pattern is the key to protect Chinese cold temperate forest moose population and monitor the global distribution of moose. By means of MaxEnt model, landscape index calculation and ecological risk assessment model, combined with field survey and infrared camera monitoring data from April 2014 to January 2023, the author evaluated the habitat suitability of moose population in Nanwenghe National Nature Reserve of the Great Khingan Mountains, and divided the range of moose habitat based on the logical threshold of the model. The landscape pattern index of moose habitat was calculated by Fragstats software and a landscape ecological risk assessment model was established to analyze the landscape pattern and ecological risk dynamic changes of moose habitat in 2015 and 2020. The results showed that under the premise of global warming, the habitat landscape contagion index decreased by 4.53 and the split index increased by 4.86 from 2015 to 2020. In terms of ecological risk: the area of low ecological risk areas increased by 0.88%; the area of medium ecological risk areas decreased by 1.11%; and the area of higher ecological risk areas increased by 0.23%. The fragmentation risk of landscape pattern of moose habitat tends to increase, the preferred patch type is dispersed, the degree of aggregation is low, and the risk of patch type transformation increases. And the middle and high ecological risk areas are mainly concentrated in the river area and its nearby forests, showing a fine and scattered distribution. Under the interference of global warming and human activities, the fragmenta-tion trend of moose habitat in the study area is increasing, and the habitat quality is declining, which is likely to cause moose population migration. For this reason, the author believes that the whole cold temperate forest is likely to face the risk of increasing the transformation trend of dominant patch types in the cold temperate coniferous forest region mainly caused by global warming, resulting in an in-crease in the risk of habitat fragmentation. While the distribution range of moose is reduced, it has a significant impact on the diversity and ecological integrity of the whole cold temperate forest ecosystem. This study is helpful for human beings to strengthen their awareness of forest and river protection, avoid further intervention in more human activities, and formulate a reasonable plan for forest protec-tion and sustainable development in cold temperate zones. to provide theoretical reference for effective monitoring and protection of cold temperate forest and moose population dynamics.

Dioscorea composita is a plant native to México and Central America with a high concentration of diosgenin precursors. Currently, México is one of the two most important countries producers of this yam; however, climate change is altering the environmental conditions of its natural habits, threatening its preservation and productivity. This is why this research was focused to characterize the eco-geography of D. composita and predict its potential geographic distribution under climate change scenarios in México-Central America. A collection of 408 geo-referenced accessions was used to determine its climatic adaptation, ecological descriptors, and the current and future potential geographic distribution, which was modeled with MaxEnt model through the Kuenm R-package. For future climate scenarios, an ensemble of the GCMs HadGEM-ES and CCSM4 was used. Results showed that D. composita adapts to warm humid and very humid agro-climates and that the most contributing variables for its presence are annual and seasonal moisture availability indices, seasonal photoperiod, annual thermal range, Bio14 and Bio11. The year 2050 RCP 4.5 climate scenario would contract the potential distribution of D. composita, whilst the 2050 RCP 8.5 scenario would expand it, indicating that this species could be a good crop option under this scenario of emissions.

The historic western edge of bison (Bison bison) range and the ecological processes that caused its formation are frequently debated with important implications for bison restoration across North America. We test the hypothesis that a combination of bottom-up habitat suitability and top-down harvest pressure from humans were important processes in forming the western edge of bison distribution. Using 9,384 historical journal observations from 1691 – 1928, we employ MaxEnt ecological niche modelling to identify suitable bison habitat across the Western Cordillera from bottom-up climatic, land cover, and topographic factors. We then use mixed-effect logistic regression to test if bison occurrence in journal records can be in part explained by the abundance of Indigenous humans, wolves, or grizzly bears, in addition to MaxEnt-derived habitat suitability. We find support for our hypothesis because of the limited suitable habitat in the Rocky Mountains that likely prevented westward bison dispersal from core habitat, and there was a negative relationship between bison occurrence and human harvest pressure. On this basis, we propose that intensive human harvest from large populations in the Western Cordillera, subsidized by other wildlife, salmon, and vegetation resources, is an underappreciated socioecological process that needs to be restored alongside bison populations. Co-managing bison with Indigenous people will also mitigate the adverse effects of overabundant bison and maximize the ecological and cultural benefits of bison restoration.

Background: Affective states play a role in dietary behaviors. Yet, little research has studied within-subjects associations between affect and diet during pregnancy. We examined the acute bidirectional relationships between affect and food intake and moderation by pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in low-income, Hispanic pregnant women using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Methods: Women (N=57) completed four days of EMA during their first trimester. Women responded to five random prompts per day about their current affect and past two-hour food intake. Results: Higher positive affect (PA) or lower negative affect (NA) predicted greater likelihood of fruit/vegetable consumption in the next two hours in women with lower pre-pregnancy BMI and lower likelihood in women with higher pre-pregnancy BMI. Higher PA predicted less likelihood of fast food consumption in the next two hours in women with lower pre-pregnancy BMI and slightly higher likelihood in women with higher pre-pregnancy BMI. Women with lower pre-pregnancy BMI had higher PA when they reported consuming chips/fries in the past two hours, and women with higher pre-pregnancy BMI had lower PA when they reported consumption of chips/fries in the past two hours. Conclusions: Results showed differential relationships between affect and food intake as a function of pre-pregnancy BMI.

The compelling effects of climate change on forests may have been underestimated in the past few decades in practical forestry. Although the first attempts to draw attention to this complex problem appeared almost half a century ago, the debate has been conceptual rather than experimental and applicative. At first glance, the con-cerns were mainly related to sustainable forest management (SFM) issues, which obviously needed attention. Over time, the effects of climate change have been mainly considered in the context of the SFM; they started from various and somewhat different scales and goals. Over time, more research and awareness of the im-portance of SFM under the pressure of climate change have led to the development of a clearer field that can be defined as ‘adaptive forest management’ - to climate change. One of the characteristics of this discipline is to be featured by the absence of univocal methods and / or objectives to be pursued but to identify, verify, and adapt methods to the various climatic and forest types and conditions found in the field. Therefore, this work shows some phases of forest planning and management concepts and criteria over time and recalls some innovative and / or adaptive methods related to the approach to forest planning and management under climate change

The estimation of ecological service system value of water resources in Tarim river basin is of great significance for resource allocation management and ecological protection. However, there is still no unified and complete evaluation method for ecological service system value of inland river in China. Based on the perspective of the whole value chain, the study classifies its ecological service functions, and divides 11 sub-categories into 4 categories (supply, regulation, culture and support) as evaluation indicators to carry out quantitative evaluation. The results showed that the total value of ecological service system in Tarim river basin in 2018 was 4156.5247×108 Yuan, and the value of regulating function, cultural function, supporting function and supply function were successively from high to low, which were as follows: 2565.6825×108 Yuan, 1009.5471×108 Yuan, 884.0770×108 Yuan, 20.3350×108 Yuan, among which the value of regulation function is dominant.

As an emerging discipline, Design Morphology, with the advantage of "Form Study", has been integrated with many disciplines, and gradually formed its collaborative innovation paradigm. The inclusion of "Ecology" into Design Morphology is expected to promote the research of Design Morphology with the help of the systematic thinking and methods of ecology. The ecosystem of Design Morphology includes the natural ecosystem and the quasi-ecosystem closely related to human beings, and also put forward the concept of "Form Community" for the first time in the design field. In fact, this is exactly the research scope of Design Morphology. Advocating the ecological view of Design Morphology, can not only help to design researchers improve their values and world view, with new thinking and method to engage in "Form Study", but also contribute to the theoretical construction and thinking expansion of Design Morphology, and play a positive role in promoting interdisciplinary collaborative innovation led by Design Morphology. In addition, it can be used to evaluate the overall research and future development trend of Design Morphology, and provide the new research ideas and approaches for the development of design.

Tinnitus is an auditory phantom perception in the ears or head in the absence of a corresponding external stimulus. There is currently no effective treatment available that reliably reduces tinnitus. Educative counseling is a treatment approach that aims to educate patients and inform them about possible coping strategies. For this feasability study, we implemented educational material and self-help advice in a smartphone app. Participants used the educational smartphone unsupervised during their daily routine over a period of 4 months. Comparing the tinnitus outcome measures before and after smartphone-guided treatment, we measured changes in the tinnitus-related distress, but not in tinnitus loudness. Improvements on the Tinnitus Severity numeric rating scale reached an effect size of .408, while the improvements on the THI were much smaller with an effect size of .168. Analysis on the user behavior showed that frequent and intensive use of the app is a crucial factor for treatment success: participants that used the app more often and interacted with the app intensively, reported a stronger improvement of the tinnitus. Between study allocation and final assessment, 26 of 52 participants dropped out of the study. Reasons for the dropouts and lessons for future studies are discussed in this paper.

Salinity acts as a critical environmental filter on microbial communities in natural systems, negatively affecting microbial diversity. However, how salinity affects the community assembly remains unclear. This study used Wendeng multi-pond saltern as a model to evaluate the prokaryotic community composition and diversity and quantify the relative importance of ecological processes across salinity gradients. Results showed that low saline salterns (45-80 g/L) exhibited higher bacterial diversity than those in high saline salterns (175-265 g/L). The relative abundance of taxa assigned to Halanaerobiaceae, Haloferacaceae, Desulfohalobiaceae, Phormidiaceae, Rohodobacteraceae, and Nitrococcaceae was higher with increasing salinity. Salinity and pH were the primary environmental factors that directly or indirectly determined the composition and diversity of prokaryotic communities. Microbial co-occurrence network dynamics were more complex in the sediment than in water of salterns. An infer Community Assembly Mechanisms by Phylogenetic-bin-based null model analysis (iCAMP) showed that microbial community assembly in sediment and water differed. Our findings provide more information about microbial community structure and the importance of various ecological processes in controlling microbial community diversity and succession along salinity gradients in water and sediment environments.

Aedes scapularis is a neotropical mosquito known to transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Its recent establishment in southeastern Florida has potential public health implications. We used an ecological niche modeling approach to predict the abiotic environmental suitability for Ae. scapularis across much of the Americas and Caribbean Islands. Georeferenced occurrence data obtained from the Global Biodiversity Inventory Facility and recent collection records of Ae. scapularis from southern Florida served as input for model calibration. Environmental layers included bioclimatic variables provided in 2000 to 2010 average Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications climatic (MERRAclim) data. Models were run in the software program Maxent. Isothermality values found often in costal environments contributed strongest to model performance. Model projections suggested areas predicted suitable for Ae. scapularis across portions of the Amazon Basin, the Yucatán Peninsula, the Florida Peninsula, and multiple Caribbean Islands. Additionally, model predictions suggested connectivity of highly suitable or relatively suitable environments spanning the United States Gulf Coast, which may facilitate geographic expansion of this species. At least sixteen Florida counties were predicted highly suitable for Ae. scapularis, suggesting vigilance is needed by vector control and public health agencies to recognize further spread of this vector.

Some herbicides exert hormetic or biphasic non-monotonic dose-response (NMDR), which is one of the major challenges for ecological risk assessment (ERA) of pesticides pollution. In this study, fish embryo toxicity test (FET) with Javanese medaka (Oryzias javanicus) to sublethal concentration of diuron was determined. Inverted U-shape heart rate was observed at 3 days post-exposure (dpe) and 7 dpe. However, at 13 dpe the heart rate (104 ± 2.90 heartbeat/min.) decreased in 10.00 mg.L-1 exposed-embryos. At 20 dpe, hatchability and survival rate were reduced in 5.00 mg.L-1 and 10.00 mg.L-1 exposed groups. Hormetic developmental deformities were observed in embryo-larvae of Javanese medaka. The results revealed a biphasic effect of low concentrations of diuron on some morphological and physiological features of Javanese medaka embryo-larvae, which might be attributed to endocrine disruption of this herbicide. Further studies to support these effects were recommended.

Taking capital, manpower, and natural resources as inputs, regional GDP as expected output, and industrial pollution as undesired output, this study measures the ecological efficiency of various regions in China through the Global-Malmquist model. The results show a trend of an initial sharp decline in ecological efficiency followed by a gradual increase in the time dimension, but there is no significant correlation in the spatial dimension. Using the gravity model to quantify the attractiveness of the regions’ capital and human resources for collaborative innovation, it estimates the impact of collaborative innovation on eco-efficiency through the system-Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model. The results show that technological innovation capital in other regions has a negative “U” relationship with local ecological efficiency, while scientific and technological innovation human resources have a positive “U” relationship. In addition, government financial support in science and technology and the ecological efficiency of the previous period serve as promoting factors of the current local ecological efficiency, while the introduction of foreign technological innovation is likely to inhibit improvements in ecological efficiency. Based on these findings, this study puts forward corresponding policy recommendations for local governments to advance their development agendas alongside their environmental priorities in line with their specific circumstances.

The Social-Ecological Systems (SES) framework serves as a valuable framework to explore and understand social and ecological interactions, and pathways in water governance. Yet, it lacks a robust understanding of change. We argue an analytical and methodological approach to engaging global changes in SES is critical to strengthening the scope and relevance of the SES framework. Relying on SES and resilience thinking, we propose an institutional and cognitive model of change that institutions and natural resources systems co-evolve to provide a dynamic understanding of SES that stands on three causal mechanisms: institutional complexity trap, rigidity trap, and learning processes. We illustrate how Data Cube technology could overcome current limitations and offer reliable avenues to test hypothesis about the dynamics of social-ecological systems and water security by offering to combine spatial and time data with no major technical requirements for users.

If the world’s countries seriously tackle the climate targets agreed in Paris, their citizens are likely to experience substantial changes in production, consumption and employment. We present a long-run post-Keynesian model for studying the potential implications of a major transition on macroeconomic stability and employment. It is a demand-led model in which firms have considerable but not absolute freedom to administer prices, while household consumption exhibits inertia. Firms continually seek input-saving technological improvements that, in the aggregate, tie technological progress to firms' cost structure. Together with firm pricing strategies and wage setting, the productivities of different inputs determine the functional income distribution. Saving and investment, and production and purchase of consumption goods, are undertaken by different economic actors, driven by income and capacity utilization, with the possibility that productive capacity exceeds, or falls short of, effective demand. The model produces business cycles and long waves driven by technological change. We present results for a “downshifting” scenario in which households voluntarily withdraw labor and discuss the implications of downshifting for stability, growth, and employment. We contrast the downshifting scenario with ones in which households reduce consumption without withdrawing from the labor pool.

Leishmaniasis is the third most common vector-borne disease and a very important protozoan infection. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the most common types of leishmaniasis infectious diseases with up to 2 million occurrences of new cases each year worldwide. A dynamic transmission multivariate time series model was applied to the data to account for overdispersion and evaluate the effects of three environmental layers as well as seasonality in the data. Furthermore, ecological niche modeling was used to investigate the geographical suitable conditions for cutaneous leishmaniasis using temperature, precipitation and altitude as environmental layers, together with the leishmaniasis presence data. A retrospective analysis of the cutaneous leishmaniasis spatial data in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2009 indicates a steady increase from 2003 to 2007, a small decrease in 2008, then another increase in 2009. An upward trend and regularly repeating patterns of highs and lows was observed related to the months of the year which suggests seasonality effect in the data. Two peaks were observed in the disease occurrence-- January to March and September to December -- which coincide with the cold period. Ecological niche modelling indicates that precipitation has the greatest contribution to the potential distribution of leishmaniasis.

Calmodulins (CaMs) and calmodulin-like-proteins (CMLs) belong to families of calcium-sensors that act as calcium-ion (Ca2+) signal-decoding proteins and regulate downstream target proteins. As a tropical halophyte, Canavalia rosea shows great resistance to multiple abiotic stresses, including high salinity-alkaline, extreme drought, heat, and intense sunlight. However, investigations of calcium ion signal transduction involved in the stress responses of C. rosea are limited. The CaM and CML gene families have been identified and characterized in many species. Nevertheless, there is limited available information about these genes in C. rosea. In this study, a bioinformatic analyses, including the gene structures, conserved domains, phylogenetic relationships, chromosome distribution, and gene synteny, was comprehensively performed to identify and characterize the CrCaM and CrCML gene members. A spatio-temporal expression analysis in different organs and environmental conditions were then assayed using the RNA sequencing technique. Additionally, several CrCaM and CrCML members were then cloned and functionally characterized using the yeast heterogeneous expression system, and some of them were found to change the tolerance of yeast to heat, salt, alkaline, and high osmotic stresses. Furthermore, this indicated that the CrCaMs and CrCMLs play important roles in stress resistance. The results of this study provide a foundation for understanding the possible roles of plant CaM and CML genes, especially for halophyte C. rosea natural ecological adaptability. This study also provides a theoretical basis for further study of the physiological functions of plant CrCaMs and CrCMLs that are involved in multiple abiotic stresses.

This work focused on Diplectanum aequans, a gill parasite of European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax. The analyses allowed us to detect factors regulating parasite distributions on Corsican fish farms and to highlight the ecological structure of D. aequans communities on gills of fish. The study of parasite distribution showed that bigger fish appear more parasitized and that the infection dynamics of D. aequans can be explained by several factors such as biotic factors or farm environment conditions. The study of gill repartition of D. aequans showed that parasites tend to have a homogeneous distribution with no statistically significant difference in infection between the two sides of fish. However, the distribution of the number of parasites on gill arches varied according to the total number of parasites. The results differ depending on infection degree and host weight. When parasites are numerous, the individuals are distributed on the gill arches according to an anterior-posterior gradient, while with low rates of infection, the parasites are randomly distributed on the four arches. The spatial distribution of D. aequans appears to be determined by the differential action of water flow through the gill arches and the sizes of anterior arches. We also proposed a tool to reduce sampling effort and allow optimal exploitation for fish farmers.

The study delves into the Zaalklapspruit valley-bottom wetland in South Africa, a site designed through ecological engineering and currently impacted by acid mine drainage due to an upstream defunct coal mine. The research conducted in 2022, aimed to uncover the dynamics of contaminant dispersal within such a wetland setting, focusing on the origins, routes, and ultimate recipients of various metals and sulfur compounds. Analysis revealed that the bottom sediment is rich in organic material, with pH levels observed between 6.05 and 6.59, and exhibited notably low oxidation-reduction potentials, reaching down to −219.67 mV at sample point S3. Notably, Manganese displayed the highest adsorption rates, whereas Iron was predominantly absorbed by the roots of Typha capensis and the algae Klebsormidium acidophilum. The wetland's macrophyte rhizospheres hosted a rich array of microbiota, including families like Helicobacteraceae and Hydrogenophilaceae, which are crucial in metal and sulfur processing. This investigation sheds light on the intricate biogeochemical processes taking place involving the wetland's sediment, macrophyte root systems, periphyton, and microbial populations, underscoring the potential of ecologically engineered wetlands in the remediation of waters affected by acid mine drainage.

This bibliometric analysis delves into the realm of botanical gardens through the process of mapping literature and discerning research frontiers, underlying themes, and interconnections within the extant body of knowledge. The study uses a dataset of 1340 publications and employs methodologies such as authors' keywords co-occurrence data to examine the discipline's trends, patterns, and knowledge gaps. The study finds significant growth in literature from 1960 to 2023, emphasizing botanical gardens, conservation, taxonomy, biodiversity, ex-situ conservation, and diversity. Key influencers such as Sanja Kovačić, Elaissi, and Chemli have steered research directions towards ex-situ conservation and essential oils, reflecting the field's interdisciplinary nature. The study shows global institutional variation, with entities like the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Royal Botanic Gardens UK, and the New York Botanical Garden US leading the discourse. Thematic analyses have identified core themes and emerging research topics, with ecological restoration, essential oils, invasive species, and climate change mirroring the field's expanding scope. The consistent prevalence of themes such as 'botanical gardens' and 'conservation' over time underscores their enduring significance. Emerging topics like climate change and biodiversity are gaining prominence, signaling a shift in research priorities. The expanding array of subjects, including 'invasive species' and 'genetic diversity,' indicates an amplified scope and growing complexity in botanical garden research. This study aims to bridge a crucial gap by outlining the developmental trajectory of botanical gardens and offering guidance for future research directions. Diverse research domains within botanical garden studies, including biodiversity, essential oils, taxonomy, and ex-situ conservation, present extensive avenues for exploration. Future research endeavors should delve into these impactful themes to better understand botanical ecosystems and their conservation. The study emphasizes the importance of nurturing interdisciplinary collaborations and multidisciplinary projects, advocating for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to future research in botanical garden studies.

As a precious natural resource, forests are being destroyed. In previous studies, there is a lack of interactive assessment of its distribution that comprehensively considers multiple external disturbances. This paper takes the Barcelona Metropolitan Region as an example. Based on remote sensing, it analyzes the development process of the forest from 2006 to 2018 through multiple landscape indicators, and OLS models were established to analyze variables that have direct and indirect effects on forest distribution. In addition, the ecological structure of the forest was analyzed based on NDVI. It was found that the forest area is the largest but has been decreasing, becoming more complex in distribution structure. Much of the forest was converted to agricultural land and grassland. The green quality of forests was increasing, and the broad-leaved forest, the second largest area, contributes the most. NDVI is the most important positively correlated variable, and daytime surface temperature is an important inverse factor related to NDVI. In addition, NDBI is also a negative condition that inhibits forest development. In conclusion: The BMR forest area is decreasing and becoming more fragmented. NDVI and daytime LST are the two most significant factors. Climate warming may lead to worse forest development.

Integrated energy systems (IES) seek to minimize power generating costs in future power grids through the dynamic coupling of different energy technologies. To accommodate fluctuations in load demand due to the penetration of renewable energy sources, flexible operation capabilities must be fully exploited, i.e., even power plants that are traditionally considered as base-load units need to be operated according to unconventional paradigms. Thermomechanical loads induced by frequent power adjustments can accelerate the wear and tear of components. If a unit is flexibly operated without respecting limits on materials and components, the risk of failures of expensive components will eventually increase, nullifying the additional profits ensured by flexible operation. In addition to the limits on power variations (explicit constraints), the solution of the unit dispatch problem needs to meet the limits on temperature, pressure and flow rate variations (implicit constraints). The FARM (Feasible Actuator Range Modifier) module was developed to enable existing optimization algorithms to identify solutions to the unit dispatch problem that are both economically favorable and technologically sustainable. Thanks to the iterative dispatcher-validator scheme, FARM permits addressing all the imposed constraints without excessively increasing the computational costs. In this work, the algorithms constituting the module are described, and the performance was assessed by solving the unit dispatch problem for an IES composed of three units, i.e., Balance of Plant, Gas Turbine, High-Temperature Steam Electrolysis. Finally, FARM module provides dedicated tools for visualizing the response of the process variables of interest during operation transients and a tool aiding the operator at making decisions. These techniques might represent the first step towards the deployment of an Ecological Interface Design (EID) for IES units.

Alternative fertilizations are essential to minimize the deteriorating effects of chemical fertilizers on soil and water quality/health. Accordingly, the present work investigated the effects of combined organic-inorganic fertilization (COIF) on wheat and rice yields, soil nutrients, and soil Cd accumulation. Hence, seven different treatments were set up: control (CK); conventional fertilization (CF); optimized fertilization (OF); organic fertilizer replacing 25% (T1) and 50% (T2) of OF; and organic nitrogen (N) replacing 25% (M1) and 50% (M2) of OF-N. Overall, significant increases occurred in the yields of COIF crops. Compared with the CF, the highest wheat and rice yields happened in M1 treatment (approximately by18.5%) (P &lt; 0.05). COIF slightly alleviated soil acidification, and improved the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the study soils. Besides, COIF treatments significantly increased the contents of total phosphorus, total potassium, available phosphorus, and available potassium by 6.35 to 16.9 %, 3.17 to 10.9 %, 5.53 to 28.7 %, and 2.6 to 12 %, respectively (P &lt;0.05). Nevertheless, negligible increases took place in Cd content of COIF soils compared with the CK. Altogether, our results concluded on 25% replacement of OF-N by organic N (M1) to effectively improve the fertility/ecological sustainability of the study soils.

In the present work, a study has been carried out on the contamination of heavy metals in urban dust deposited on the roads of the city of Cartagena (Spain), in order to know the content of metals such as Ni, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu. Likewise, the possible relationship of the concentration of heavy metals with the color of the sample, level of magnetism and traffic density was studied. Contamination was evaluated using several indices such as contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), geoacumulation index (Igeo), pollutant load index (PLI) and ecological risk index (RI). A total of 88 samples were taken in the urban area of Cartagena, and the metals were determined by acid digestion and measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentration of heavy metals in urban dust from Cartagena was Zn (672 mg/kg) &gt; Cu (248.9 mg/kg) &gt; Pb (227 mg/kg) &gt; Cr (82.7 mg/kg) &gt; Ni (47.7 mg/kg) &gt; Cd (4.1 mg/kg). Contamination levels were high in Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu, according to environmental indices. A correlation was found between magnetism and metal concentration, which was repeated for all metals except Cd. Dark-colored samples contained higher metal concentrations than light-colored samples. Meanwhile, streets with medium and low traffic intensity were found to have higher concentrations of heavy metals. This study's objective was to identify pollution hotspots caused by heavy metals in dust in the urban ecosystem of Cartagena city.

Climate change impacts threaten sustainable development efforts. The magnitude of the impacts, however, varies with socio-ecological characteristics of locations. This is the reason there is con-sensus on the necessity for climate change adaptive capacity building that is country driven, based on and responsive to local needs. However, information on context specific capacity building needs in developing countries is not readily available. The objective of this study was to establish location specific awareness, training, educational, research and technology capacity building needs for climate change adaptation among small-holder farmers in Uganda. Structured interviews were undertaken with 465 households from five agro-ecological zones selected based on the level of vulnerability of agricultural systems to the main climate variation and change hazards. Results reveal substantial capacity building needs in all the zones. Majority of the farmers needed capacity building for interventions on soil water conservation practices for adapting to drought and un-predictable rainfall. For all zones, education, research, and technology were perceived as key needs. However, the needs varied among zones. These results demonstrate the importance of context specificity in adaptation efforts. The study provides agro-ecological and social system specific in-formation for climate change adaptation planning and policy interventions for effective capacity building

It is essential to consider the factors that affect early childhood development because doing so can help identify potential risks and window of opportunity for intervention to improve outcomes for children. However, identifying risk and protective factors in early childhood requires careful consideration of several challenges and an integrated approach that recognises the complex and dynamic nature of development. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the prevalent psychosocial risk and protective factors in the early childhood development phase, using an ecological perspective. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional study using a random sampling technique. The final sample consisted of 505 caregivers of children aged 5 years old and younger. This study revealed that the most prevalent protective factors include child self-regulation, parent-child warmth, family management and collective efficacy but more importantly social support. While risk factors may exist this is mitigated by social support as it moderates and buffers against the effects of risk factors, as indicated by the various research studies cited.

The management and classification of solid waste is one of the most important challenges around the world, in order to sustain economic growth and preserve the environment. The objective is to propose the use of Smart Ecological Points as a strategy to address the problem related to the solid waste management system at the source, which has become one of the biggest problems globally and Colombia is no exception. The article describes the current state of the problem in the country and in turn, presents the possibility of developing a prototype corresponding to a low-cost Smart Ecological Point supported by the use of an experimental capacitive sensor and Machine Learning algorithms, which will reduce the time necessary for the classification of recyclable and non recyclable waste, minimizing the health risks and increasing the percentage of waste that can be reused, by reducing the probability of being contaminated at the source, an aspect that is very common when done manually. According to the results obtained, it was evident that the proposed prototype made an adequate classification of waste, generating the possibility of being manufactured with existing technology in the environment, in order to promote adequate waste classification at the source.

Dioscorea remotiflora, a perennial climbing herbaceous plant wild and native to México, bears tubers of important ethnobotanical and nutritional value. However, the information for its production and use is precarious. The objective of this research was to characterize the adaptation habitats of D. remotiflora in order to determine its ecological descriptors and current distribution, as well as to model its potential distribution. A comprehensive database encompassing 481 geo-referenced accessions was assembled. Using the Agroclimatic Information System for México and Central America (SIAMEXCA), 42 environmental variables were formulated. The MaxEnt model within the Kuenm R-package was employed to predict the species distribution. The findings reveal a greater presence of D. remotiflora in harsh environments, characterized by arid to semi-arid conditions, poor soils, and hot climates with long dry periods. The plant's nutritional and medicinal attributes, combined with its ecological adaptability, suggest its viability within evolving regional cropping systems under the influence of climate change. Niche modeling revealed that seven key variables determine the geographical distribution of D. remotiflora: precipitation of the warmest quarter, precipitation of the driest month, minimum temperature of the coldest month, November-April solar radiation, annual mean relative humidity, annual moisture availability index, and May-October mean temperature. Favorable regions for D. remotiflora coincide with its current presence sites, while other suitable areas, such as the Yucatan Peninsula, Northeast region, and Gulf of México, offer potential expansion opportunities for the species distribution. The characterization obtained for D. remotiflora, together with the description of its edaphic and climatic adaptation habitats, will enable an efficient design of strategies for its use and conservation in the near future.