The beetle species Grebennikovius basilewskyi. Numbers next to arrows indicate patterns of phenotype statements explained in the section “Phenoscript: main patterns of phenotype statements”. Arrow numbers from T1 to T5 illustrate individual body parts. See more in the research study.
One of the most beautiful aspects of Nature is the endless variety of shapes, colours and behaviours exhibited by organisms. These traits help organisms survive and find mates, like how a male peacock’s colourful tail attracts females or his wings allow him to fly away from danger. Understanding traits is crucial for biologists, who study them to learn how organisms evolve and adapt to different environments.
To do this, scientists first need to describe these traits in words, like saying a peacock’s tail is “vibrant, iridescent, and ornate”. This approach works for small studies, but when looking at hundreds or even millions of different animals or plants, it’s impossible for the human brain to keep track of everything.
Computers could help, but not even the latest AI technology is able to grasp human language to the extent needed by biologists. This hampers research significantly because, although scientists can handle large volumes of DNA data, linking this information to physical traits is still very difficult.
To solve this problem, researchers from the Finnish Museum of Natural History, Giulio Montanaro and Sergei Tarasov, along with collaborators, have created a special language called Phenoscript. This language is designed to describe traits in a way that both humans and computers can understand. Describing traits with Phenoscript is like programming a computer code for how an organism looks.
Phenoscript uses something called semantic technology, which helps computers understand the meaning behind words, much like how modern search engines know the difference between the fruit “apple” and the tech company “Apple” based on the context of your search.
“This language is still being tested, but it shows a lot of promise. As more scientists start using Phenoscript, it will revolutionise biology by making vast amounts of trait data available for large-scale studies, boosting the emerging field of phenomics,”
explains Montanaro.
In their research article, newly published in the open-access, peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal, the researchers make use of the new language for the first time, as they create semantic phenotypes for four species of dung beetles from the genus Grebennikovius. Then, to demonstrate the power of the semantic approach, they apply simple semantic queries to the generated phenotypic descriptions.
Finally, the team takes a look yet further ahead into modernising the way scientists work with species information. Their next aim is to integrate semantic species descriptions with the concept of nanopublications, “which encapsulates discrete pieces of information into a comprehensive knowledge graph”. As a result, data that has become part of this graph can be queried directly, thereby ensuring that it remains Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) through a variety of semantic resources.
***
Research paper:
Montanaro G, Balhoff JP, Girón JC, Söderholm M, Tarasov S (2024) Computable species descriptions and nanopublications: applying ontology-based technologies to dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae). Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e121562. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e121562
What expert recommendations did the BiCIKL consortium give to policy makers and research funders to ensure that biodiversity data is FAIR, linked, open and, indeed, future-proof? Find out in the blog post summarising key lessons learnt from the Horizon 2020 project.
Ovophis jenkinsi is dark brownish-grey, with trapezoidal patches on its back. It is endemic to China’s Yingjiang County and is not difficult to find in the wild.
Yunnan, China is a biodiversity hotspot, with many new reptile species discovered in the region in recent years. It is also where a research team from China found a new species of medium-sized venomous snake, known as a mountain pit viper.
Ovophis jenkinsi. Photo by Xianchun Qiu
“We checked specimens of the [snake] genus Ovophis collected by Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Forestry University in Yingjiang, Yunnan in 2008, and found that these specimens were different from all known similar species. We collected some new specimens from Yingjiang in 2023 and finally determined that this population represents a new species!” the researchers explained.
The new species was named Ovophis jenkinsi in honour of herpetologist Robert “Hank” William Garfield Jenkins AM (September 1947−September 2023), who had “a passion for snakes, especially pit vipers, and helped China, along with many Asian countries, complete snake census, conservation, and management projects,” the team writes in their study, which was published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
A specimen of Ovophis jenkinsi from Yingjiang, Yunnan, China. Photo by Xianchun Qiu
Ovophis jenkinsi is generally dark brownish-grey, but some individuals can be deep orange-brown, and has trapezoidal patches on its back. “It is usually slow-moving but shows great aggression when disturbed,” the researchers explain after observing the snake’s behaviour. “When threatened, these snakes inflate their bodies to make themselves appear larger and strike quickly.”
There are no records to date of humans being bitten by this species.
The only known habitat of Ovophis jenkinsi, the tropical montane rainforest in Yingjiang, Yunnan, China. Photo by Xiaojun Gu
Like many other species, this snake is endemic to China’s Yingjiang County, which means it is currently found only there. “It is not difficult to find this species in the wild, they are active mainly in the autumn and prefer cool, humid, and even rainy nights, probably to avoid competition with other snakes,” the researchers say, suggesting it might feed on small mammals.
“We will be collecting more information about O. jenkinsi in the future, including their appearance, distribution, and habits, to improve our understanding of this species,” the researchers say in conclusion.
Research article:
Qiu X-C, Wang J-Z, Xia Z-Y, Jiang Z-W, Zeng Y, Wang N, Li P-P, Shi J-S (2024) A new mountain pitviper of the genus Ovophis Burger in Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 (Serpentes, Viperidae) from Yunnan, China. ZooKeys 1203: 173-187. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1203.119218
The discovery represents an inspiration for biodiversity conservation in an area the scientific community assumed to be a barren agricultural landscape of plant extinctions.
A new 5 cm-high plant species has been discovered on the western Andean slopes of Ecuador in an area where scientists once believed a rich diversity of native plants and animals had been totally destroyed.
John L. Clark with Amalophyllon miraculum. Credit @phinaea on Instagram.
The tiny plant, with iridescent foliage and white ephemeral flowers, was found in a farmer’s backyard during ongoing collaborative research expeditions in western Ecuador, led by teams of Ecuadorian and international researchers.
The expeditions resulted in the rediscovery of small forest fragments in a legendary hotspot known as Centinela. Selby Gardens research botanist, John L. Clark is the lead author of the article describing the new species in the peer-reviewed, open-access journal PhytoKeys.
The forest fragments are less than 20 miles from Santo Domingo, a major city of more than 300,000 people. Each fragment of Centinela is an isolated biodiversity island surrounded by large swaths of agricultural landscape largely devoid of forest.
Amalophyllon miraculum leaf.
A seminal publication titled “Biological extinction in western Ecuador” brought attention to the rapid loss of rainforest in western Ecuador. It was authored by the late botanists Alwyn Gentry and Calaway Dodson, Selby Gardens’ first Executive Director, whose research inspired names such as Gasteranthus extinctus in recognition of the loss of more than 70-97% of rainforests from the western Ecuadorian lowlands due to agriculture.
This discovery, amongst others, has shattered the preconception that the multitudes of life in the region had vanished entirely. The name Amalophyllon miraculum reflects the “miracle” of its discovery in the unexpected fragments of protected forests.
“The heroic efforts of local landowners who maintained small patches of forests – usually surrounding waterfalls – were instrumental in conserving these remnant forest fragments,” Clark says.
Clark JL, Fernández A, Zapata JN, Restrepo-Villarroel C, White DM, Pitman NCA (2024) Amalophyllon miraculum (Gesneriaceae), an exceptionally small lithophilous new species from the western Andean slopes of Ecuador. PhytoKeys 242: 307–316. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.242.118069
Scholarly publisher Pensoft is excited to announce it is now on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The move is aimed at fostering stronger connections with researchers, academics, and enthusiasts in China, which in turn will enhance the dissemination of scientific knowledge and facilitate international collaboration.
With over half a billion active users, Weibo is a powerful social media platform that combines the functionalities of microblogging and social networking. The Pensoft team is looking forward to engaging in real-time conversations with its Chinese audience, sharing insights, and receiving their feedback.
The launch coincides with the Dragon Boat Festival, a significant cultural event in China that commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan and symbolizes unity and teamwork.
The move aims to make Pensoft’s publications and updates more accessible to Chinese researchers, allowing them to stay informed about the latest scientific discoveries and advancements. In addition, it offers an excellent opportunity for Pensoft to foster collaborations with Chinese institutions, researchers, and academic societies.
As a pioneer in open-access publishing, Pensoft will also use its Weibo account to promote the benefits of open access, making sure Chinese research reaches a global audience without paywalls.
“China, with its rapidly growing research output and a burgeoning community of scholars, represents a significant segment of the global academic landscape. Recognizing the importance of engaging with this vibrant community, Pensoft’s decision to establish a presence on Weibo underscores its commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in scientific publishing,” says Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft.
We invite you to join Pensoft’s Weibo account to learn all about our latest scientific discoveries and publishing updates.
Guest blog post by Paul C. Sokoloff, Lynn J. Gillespie, Geoffrey A. Levin
On northern Baffin Island, Nunavut – the northernmost territory of Canada and Inuit homeland since time immemorial – the tips of long fjords weave around towering peaks and harbour shrubby plants, mounds of lichens, and carpets of mosses and other bryophytes, all set in a majestic landscape known and stewarded by Inuit past, present, and future. This is Agguttinni, Nunavut’s newest and largest territorial park. A new study published in Check List and led by Dr. Lynn Gillespie from the Canadian Museum of Nature, documents the 141 vascular plant, 69 bryophyte, and 93 lichen species collected from this unique protected area.
The backdrop to this study is the Canadian Arctic ecozone. This vast region comprises approximately 40% of Canada’s landmass and a broad array of unique habitats, from expansive flat tundra to glacial peaks to rich wetlands. The plants that grow here are well-adapted to their environment. Most grow low, soaking up heat from sun-warmed soil and staying out of cold, drying winds. Many are covered in insulating hairs and can go from bud to flower to fruit quickly during the short Arctic summers. And while woody, spreading shrubs can dominate in the low Arctic, they become rarer further north; conversely bryophyte and lichen species become increasingly important components of the biomass. In this context, the 303 species found in Agguttinni represent a wide swath of Arctic floristic diversity.
In 2021, Dr. Gillespie’s team travelled to Kanngiqtugaapik (Clyde River) to conduct a botanical inventory of Agguttinni Territorial Park, in partnership with Nunavut Parks and Special Places and with the support of Polar Knowledge Canada. Over the course of five weeks, the team, a fearless five including museum botanists and guides from Kanngiqtugaapik, travelled across the park on foot and by helicopter seeking out every habitat and plant and lichen species within the park. The team established four base camps at the heads of fjords, within mountain passes, and in sheltered harbours, where all necessities were slung in by helicopter, including sleeping tents, kitchen shelters, a field lab for processing samples, and even a solar panel to take advantage of the 24-hour sunlight. Through the weeks on the land, the team found an efficient tempo of collecting specimens in the field and pressing back at camp.
While 2021 was a cold, wet year on northern Baffin Island, the challenging conditions were offset with good company, good food, and warming long hikes. The team searched through hummocky tundra, over gravel scree, in river valleys and on esker ridges, documenting the flora of every terrain within Agguttinni, while our guides from Clyde River, Jaypiti Inutiq and Leeno Apak, provided us with valuable insight into their lands and kept us safe in numerous ways. These wanders, and helicopter excursions from Kanngiqtugaapik, allowed us to thoroughly inventory and compare various habitats within the park.
The sheltered valleys and heads of fjords, far inland from the coast of Baffin Bay, were the most floristically diverse in the study area. At these sites, willow shrubs grow tall (well, at up to 1.5 m high, tall for Baffin Island), and a diverse patchwork of geology and topography is home to species found nowhere else in the park, including new northern-most Canadian records of Lapland Diapensia (Diapensia lapponica) and Flame-tipped Lousewort (Pedicularis flammea), as well as species rare on Baffin Island, such as Dwarf Hawksbeard (Askellia pygmaea) and Hartz’s Bluegrass (Poa hartzii).
Conversely, coastal habitats and inland valleys and plateaus proved to be less floristically diverse. Immediately adjacent to the Barnes Ice Cap, the recently-unglaciated zone harboured few vascular plant species and no lichens – a lesson in succession. However, amid this scour, large mounds of blackened moss, likely covered during the Little Ice Age, could be seen regenerating – new green growth amongst bare rock.
Even so, we encountered fascinating new botanical records in these environments, including the first records of Bruggemann’s Alkaligrass (Puccinellia bruggemannii) and Skult’s Shield Lichen (Parmelia skultii) for Baffin Island. On the Barnes Plateau, collections of Powdered Matchstick Lichen (Pilophorus caerulus), Starke’s Fork Moss (Kiaeria starkei) and Sprig Moss (Aongstroemia longipes) are newly reported for Nunavut.
While these new records provide important new knowledge about the Arctic flora, commonly encountered species also provide important context about species important to ecosystem health and functioning, and some species proved to be unusually common in the area. For example, Mountain Woodrush (Luzula confusa), Four Angled-Mountain Heather (Cassiope tetragona), Hairy Rock-Moss (Racomitrium lanuginosum), and Orange Chocolate Chip Lichen (Solorina crocea) were encountered throughout the park. Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen (Lichenomphalia hudsoniana) was also encountered in many locations throughout the park, despite its relative under-collection elsewhere in Nunavut.
The 1007 collections made by Dr. Gillespie’s team in 2021, deposited at the National Herbarium of Canada (CAN), serve as the biodiversity backbone of this current study. The authors examined an additional 386 existing herbarium specimens at CAN, Agriculture and Agrifoods Canada (DAO), and the Université de Montréal (MT), and from other institutions accessed through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The vast majority of these existing specimens were collected during the Baird Expedition to Baffin Island in 1950. Seventy-four years later, these specimens still provide valuable insight into the biodiversity of Agguttinni.
This powerful combination of old and new specimens, brought together in this paper, more than doubles the number of plant and lichen species known from the park (from 136 to 299), and triples the number of known vascular plants from 45 to 137. It therefore provides a vital biodiversity reference to help in the management and conservation of Agguttinni Territorial Park. More broadly, it expands our understanding of plant diversity in northern Canada, a vast area that includes many under-explored areas. Studies like this also provide important baseline data for assessing future impacts of climate change.
With Thanks
We are grateful to the community of Kanngiqtugaapik for hosting us and this research on their land, Nunavut Parks and Special Places and Polar Knowledge Canada for supporting this work, Jaypiti Inutiq and Leeno Apak for their knowledge and protection on the land, Stéphane Caron and Louis André Grégoire for keeping us up in the air, Patrick Graillon and Linda Vaillancourt from Nunavut Parks for facilitating this work, Martha Raynolds, Helga Bültmann, Yemisi Dare and Julian Starr for excellent recent collections that were included in the study, and herbarium specialists at CAN, DAO, and MT.
Original Study
Gillespie LJ, Sokoloff PC, Levin GA, Doubt J, McMullin RT (2024) Vascular plant, bryophyte, and lichen biodiversity of Agguttinni Territorial Park, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada: an annotated species checklist of a new Arctic protected area. Check List 20(2): 279-443. https://doi.org/10.15560/20.2.279
eLTER catalyses scientific discovery and insights through state-of-the-art research infrastructure, collaborative work, and transdisciplinary expertise.
From June 4th to 18th, the Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological Research (eLTER) is presenting its first physical exhibition in Sofia, Bulgaria.
At Lover’s Bridge, one of the most central venues in the capital for such events, visitors could see 58 photos showcasing the work of eLTER scientists and their key role in combating the grand societal challenges.
The authors – Evgeni Dimitrov and Kaloyan Konstantinov – spent half a year preparing the so-called Grand Campaign. Together, they traveled to over 30 sites in 23 countries in the span of 88 days, resulting in nearly 3000 photos and 50 videos.
Environmental sustainability can only be achieved on the basis of the robust knowledge and empirical evidence needed to identify and mitigate human impacts on ecosystems.
The pictures are accompanied by a description of each national network, site and platform, as well as the importance of eLTER’s scientific activities for Europe and the world. The goal, apart from purely aesthetic, is to acquaint the residents and guests of Sofia with the work of one of the largest and most important European Research Infrastructures.
The main Doñana LTSER facilities are located inside the Doñana Biological Reserve, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Spain.
The exhibition is part of the events accompanying the annual consortia meeting, organized by the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (in charge of the Bulgarian LTER network), and Pensoft Publishers (leading the communication and dissemination of eLTER). This year the event is held from 3rd to 7th of June, and is attended by nearly 100 scientists from all 26 eLTER countries.
Dr Bojana Ivošević with BioSense UAVs used for vegetation monitoring of natural ecosystems, agriculture as well as archaeology in Serbia and across Southeast Europe.
The exposition is carried out in partnership with the Sofia Municipality and will be officially opened on June 6 at 11:30 am local time.
eLTER responds to the challenge of understanding the complex interactions between people and nature over the long term. Environmental sustainability can only be achieved on the basis of the robust knowledge and empirical evidence needed to identify and mitigate human impacts on ecosystems. eLTER catalyses scientific discovery and insights through its state-of-the-art research infrastructure, collaborative working culture, and transdisciplinary expertise. This enables the development and application of evidence-based solutions for the wellbeing of current and future generations.
Studies of the biogeochemical cycles and physical properties of sea-water have been conducted since the ‘70s at the Gulf of Venice.
The mission of eLTER is to facilitate high impact research and catalyse new insights about the compounded impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, pollution, and unsustainable resource use on a range of European ecosystems and socio-ecological systems, representing the “critical zone” in which we live.
Researchers in Malaysia have discovered a tiny and distinctive plant that steals its nutrients from underground fungi.
Published as a new species in the open-access journal PhytoKeys, Thismia malayana belongs to a group of plants known as mycoheterotrophs. Unlike most plants, mycoheterotrophs do not perform photosynthesis. Instead, they act as a parasite, stealing carbon resources from the fungi on their roots.
Thismia malayana live specimen.
The 2 cm-long plant’s unusual adaptation takes advantage of the mycorrhizal symbiosis, which is usually a mutually beneficial relationship between colonising fungi and a plant’s root system.
Thismia malayana.
By stealing nutrients from fungi, it can thrive in the low-light conditions of dense forest understories where its highly specialised flowers are pollinated by fungus gnats and other small insects.
A team of botanists from the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) collaborated with local naturalists and stakeholders to make the discovery in the tropical rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia. It was there they found the miniscule species hidden amongst leaf litter and growing near tree roots and old rotten logs.
The research team identified Thismia malayana in two locations: the lowlands of Gunung Angsi Forest Reserve in Negeri Sembilan and the hilly dipterocarp forests of Gunung Benom in the Tengku Hassanal Wildlife Reserve, Pahang.
Thismia malayana with scales (the finest grade is 0.5 mm).
Despite its small size, Thismia malayana is very sensitive to environmental changes and has been classified as Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List criteria. Its limited distribution and the potential threat from trampling due to its proximity to hiking trails underscore the importance of continued conservation efforts.
Original source
Siti-Munirah MY, Hardy-Adrian C, Mohamad-Shafiq S, Irwan-Syah Z, Hamidi AH (2024) Thismia malayana (Thismiaceae), a new mycoheterotrophic species from Peninsular Malaysia. PhytoKeys 242: 229-239. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.242.120967
Nothing like the common red, black, or brown ants, a stunning blue ant has been discovered from Yingku village in Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. This new species belongs to the rare genus Paraparatrechina and has been named Paraparatrechinaneela. The word “neela” signifies the color blue in most Indian languages – a fitting tribute to the ant’s unique coloration.
Entomologists Dr. Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan and Sahanashree R, from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bengaluru, along with Aswaj Punnath from the University of Florida, collaborated to describe the remarkable new species. Their scientific description of the ant is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
Paraparatrechinaneela. Photo by Sahanashree R
“While exploring a tree hole about 10 feet up in a steep cattle track in the remote Yinku village one evening, something sparkled in the twilight. With the dim light available, two insects were sucked into an aspirator. To our surprise, we later found they were ants” said the researchers.
The ant was found during an expedition to Siang valley in Arunachal Pradesh to resurvey its biodiversity after the century-old ‘Abhor expedition’. The original Abor expedition from the period of colonial rule in India was a punitive military expedition against the indigenous people there in 1911-1912. A scientific team also accompanied the military expedition, to document the natural history and geography of the Siang Valley. Тhis expedition encountered several challenges, including hostile terrain, difficult weather conditions, and resistance from local tribes. Despite the challenges, it managed to explore and map large parts of the Siang Valley region, cataloguing every plant, frog, lizard, fish, bird & mammal and insects they found, with the discoveries published in several volumes from 1912 to 1922 in the Records of the Indian Museum.
A view of Suabg Valley. Photo by Ranjith AP
Now, a century later, a team of researchers from ATREE and a documentation team from Felis Creations Bangalore have embarked on a series of expeditions under the banner “Siang Expedition”, to resurvey and document the biodiversity of the region. This expedition was funded by the National Geographic Society through the wildlife-conservation expedition grant.
“Nestled within a Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang Valley presents a world of unparalleled diversity, much of it yet to be explored. However, this very richness, both cultural and ecological, faces unprecedented threats. Large-scale infrastructure projects like dams, highways, and military installations, along with climate change, are rapidly altering the valley. The impact extends beyond the valley itself, as these mountains play a critical role not only in sustaining their own diverse ecosystems but also in ensuring the well-being of millions of people living downstream”, said Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, corresponding author of the paper.
Paraparatrechina neela is a small ant with a total length of less than 2mm. Its body is predominantly metallic blue, except for the antennae, mandibles, and legs. The head is subtriangular with large eyes, and has a triangular mouthpart (mandible) featuring five teeth. This species has a distinct metallic blue colour that is different from any other species in its genus.
Paraparatrechinaneela. Photo by Sahanashree R
Blue is relatively rare in the animal kingdom. Various groups of vertebrates, including fish, frogs, and birds, as well as invertebrates such as spiders and flies and wasps, showcase blue coloration. In insects, it is often produced by the arrangement of biological photonic nanostructures, which create structural colours rather than being caused by pigments. While blue coloration is commonly observed in some insects like butterflies, beetles, bees, and wasps, it is relatively rare in ants. Out of the 16,724 known species and subspecies of ants worldwide, only a few exhibit blue coloration or iridescence.
The discovery of Paraparatrechina neela contributes to the richness of ant diversity and represents the unique biodiversity of the Eastern Himalayas, and its blue coloration raises intriguing questions. Does it help in communication, camouflage, or other ecological interactions? Delving into the evolution of this conspicuous coloration and its connections to elevation and the biology of Paraparatrechina neela presents an exciting avenue for research.
Research article: Sahanashree R, Punnath A, Rajan Priyadarsanan D (2024) A remarkable new species of Paraparatrechina Donisthorpe (1947) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae) from the Eastern Himalayas, India. ZooKeys 1203: 159-172. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168
Guest blog post by Stephany Toschkova, Sevginar Ibryamova, Darina Ch. Bachvarova, Teodora Koynova, Elitca Stanachkova, Radoslav Ivanov, Nikolay Natchev, Tsveteslava Ignatova-Ivanova
One of the main problems of the world’s oceans, reported by many scientific studies, is microplastic pollution. It is also one of the main sources of pollution in the Black Sea. Our new study in BioRiskdetails microplastic contamination in five fish species important for commercial fishing (Garfish, Мullet, Knout goby, Pontic shad, and Mediterranean horse mackerel). The fish were collected from the Sozopol area of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
Mediterranean horse mackerel. Photo by Donald Davesne
Knout Goby. Photo by Aleksandr_Levon
Мullet. Photo by Roberto Pillon
Our results show a wide variety of micropollutants originating from commonly used items such as plastic cups, stirrers, bags, soft drink bottles, fishing nets, packaging, аnd personal hygiene products. These objects systematically enter the Black Sea and degrade into microplastic particles. Microplastics (MPs) were found in all studied tissues of the fish in the form of pellets, fibers and fragments. Pellets were found most frequently, followed by irregularly shaped fragments, while fibers were the least numerous.
Stereomicroscope picture of morphological types of microplastics (arrowheads) recognized in the studied specied from: A) Garfish; B) Mullet C) Pontic shad and D) Mediterranean horse mackerel.
The bulk of the isolated plastics are made of polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PE is found in plastic bottles, cups, stirrers, and plastic bags. This polymer is very light and floats on the surface of the sea because its density is lower than that of water. PET, on the other hand, is denser than water and more likely to sink and accumulate in it and in organisms living on the seafloor. These polymers are widely used in fabrics, nets, ropes, and strings used for fishing, one of the main economic activities in the Black Sea. The predominant polymer type, PE, corresponds to the content of manufactured plastics all around Europe, as almost half of the plastics produced in Europe are reported as PE.
The sinking and sedimentation of plastics relate to the fact that the upper layer of the Black Sea is less dense than that of other seas. Furthermore, the weight of these particles increases due to the accumulation of marine plants and nutrients on them, and this can affect the distribution of plastics and their sedimentation on the seabed.
A satellite image of the Black Sea. Photo by NASA/GSFC/MODIS
Judging by the obtained results and the amount and type of polymers found in the study and the literature, the source of contamination, in our opinion, can be mainly attributed to domestic wastewater discharges coming from the washing of synthetic fabrics. In Bulgaria, wastewater is discharged – directly or after purification – into marine and freshwater ecosystems, as is the case in other neighbouring countries along the Black Sea coast. However, detailed studies are needed to prove this hypothesis.
Considering the wide variety of MP types detected in the digestive tracts of the fish, we assume that they regularly ingested MPs during feeding. Many nutrients are also held on the plastic particles, which deceives the fish into perceiving them as food.
Microplastics under a microscope. Photos by GTM NERR
It has been reported that plastics smaller than 1000 μm can reach the digestive tract or the gills of fish, and in turn can cause adverse effects such as a weak immune response or reduced fertility.
MPs can also accumulate in predatory fish species. Unfortunately, very limited research was performed on bioaccumulation and biomagnification in food webs, therefore more studies are needed to reach this conclusion.
MPs enter seawater food chains in different pathways and threaten entire ecosystems through their ability to transport pollutants, pathogenic microorganisms, and alien species. Bearing in mind the intensifying economic activity on the Black Sea coast and the consequent influence on the riverine water quality, river mouths can be considered potential sources of MPs. Particularly concerning is the area near the Kamchia River mouth, which is the biggest intra-territorial river in Bulgaria, entering directly into the Black Sea, with a catchment area of more than 5 300 km2 . This catchment and the entire Black Sea coast, where agriculture is well developed is a potential source of MPs, which have the ability to absorb and release toxic chemicals of organic and inorganic origin such as bisphenol A, PCBs and DDT, creating an additional potential risk to human health.
A satellite image showing the Kamchia River mouth.
Humans are exposed to BPA in the environment they live in, from the air we breathe to the food and drinks we consume. So, even if BPA intake is below accepted limits, this does not guarantee that the additive will not accumulate and cause more pronounced effects and chronic toxicity in the food chain, given its tendency to accumulate.
It is important that future research determines the toxicological side effects of plastic ingestion for fish communities in both benthic and pelagic habitats. However, even if we stop introducing plastics into the water system, both groups of fish will continue to be impacted, since the number of microplastics can increase due to the breakdown of larger plastics in the environment.
This study shows the need to carry out further studies of microplastics using different types of microscopic and spectral analysis. Even though microplastics may not pose a risk to humans who consume fish, these contaminants pose a potential risk to marine food webs and endangered species. We found particles of different sizes, types and colours in different fish species, and believe the variability of polymer types in fish can indicate the polymer types in water to some extent. Our results show that fish are important as ecological bioindicators and serve as a basis for future studies on microplastic pollution in tourist sandy beaches.
Research article:
Toschkova S, Ibryamova S, Bachvarova DCh, Koynova T, Stanachkova E, Ivanov R, Natchev N, Ignatova-Ivanova T (2024) The assessment of the bioaccumulation of microplastics in key fish species from the Bulgarian aquatory of the Black Sea. BioRisk 22: 17-31. https://doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.22.117668
Researchers have discovered a new distinctive and secretive snake species in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia.
Rhynchocalamus hejazicus is a small snake bearing a black collar and reddish colouration. A completely black variation of of the species known as a ‘melanistic morphotype’ was also discovered.
Melanistic morphotype of Rhynchocalamus hejazicus.
The snake’s genus Rhynchocalamus previously had a large distribution gap, stretching between the Levant and coastal regions of Yemen and Oman. However, the new species is widely distributed between these areas, prompting the research team to dub it “the missing piece of the puzzle.”
Distribution of Rhynchocalamus hejazicus, showing the location of the material examined in the study.
Rhynchocalamus hejazicus inhabits sandy and stony soils with varying vegetation cover and is found in habitats disturbed by humans, suggesting the species should not be categorised as threatened according to IUCN criteria.
Habitats of the holotype and two paratype specimens of R.hejazicus.
The species’ natural history and behaviour remain unclear, and further monitoring and conservation efforts are necessary to better understand its ecological dynamics. However, it appears that Rhynchocalamus hejazicus is predominantly nocturnal as all encountered individuals were active at night.
“The discovery of a new species of snake widespread in the central-western regions of Saudi Arabia is surprising and gives rise to the hope that more undiscovered species might be present in the Kingdom,” the authors say.
Rhynchocalamushejazicus.
Most observations of the new species are the result of intense sampling efforts in a vast area around the ancient Arabic oasis city of AlUla, fostered by the Royal Commission for AlUla, Saudi Arabia, which is pushing forward scientific activities and explorations to promote conservation in the region. Recent research in Saudi Arabia has led to fruitful collaborations and findings like this study, to which many experts from multiple teams contributed significantly.
The discovery of such a distinctive snake highlights the existing gap in knowledge of rare and secretive species, and the need to enhance sampling efforts and monitoring strategies to fully capture species diversity in unexplored areas.
Original source
Licata F, Pola L, Šmíd J, Ibrahim AA, Liz AV, Santos B, Patkó L, Abdulkareem A, Gonçalves DV, AlShammari AM, Busais S, Egan DM, Ramalho RMO, Smithson J, Brito JC (2024) The missing piece of the puzzle: A new and widespread species of the genus Rhynchocalamus Günther, 1864 (Squamata, Colubridae) from the Arabian Peninsula. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(2): 691-704. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.123441
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