Author: Pensoft Editorial Team

Vegetation Classification and Survey featured by Web of Science four years after its launch

Vegetation Classification and Survey will soon receive its very first Journal Impact Factor.

Only four years after the inaugural editorial by Prof Dr Florian Jansen, Dr Idoia Biurrun, Prof Dr Jürgen Dengler and Dr Wolfgang Willner that officialised the third and still youngest scientific journal of the International Association of Vegetation Science (IAVS), the Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS) journal successfully completed the rigorous quality and integrity assessment at Web of Science (WoS).

Late May 2024 saw the whole content ever published in VCS added to the Core Collection of the renowned academic platform, further boosting its discoverability, accessibility and reliability to researchers and other stakeholders alike, confirms the Indexing team of Pensoft and the ARPHA scholarly publishing platform.

“Many thanks to IAVS as owner and Pensoft as publisher, who made this success story possible. However, most of all, this early inclusion into the Web of Science Core Edition is due to the good articles of our authors and the great volunteer service our Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Linguistic Editors, Editorial Review Board members, and other reviewers did and do for VCS,”

the Chief Editors comment on the latest success.

The news means that VCS is soon to receive its very first Journal Impact Factor (JIF): allegedly the most popular and sought after journal-level metric, which annually releases the citation (or “impact”) rate of a given scholarly journal over the last period. By the end of next month, for example, we will know how different journals indexed by WoS have performed compared to each other, based on the number of citations received in 2023 (from other journals indexed by WoS) for papers published in 2021 and 2022 combined.

In 2022, VCS and its all-time publications were also featured by the largest and similarly acclaimed scientific database: Scopus, thus receiving its very first Scopus CiteScore* last June. At 2.0, the result instantly gave a promise of the widely appreciated content published in the journal.

In an editorial, published in the beginning of 2024, the Chief Editors assessed the performance of the journal and analysed the available data from Scopus to predict the citation rates for the journal in the next few years. There, the team also compared the journal’s latest performance with similar journals, including the other two journals owned by the IAVS (i.e. Applied Vegetation Science and Journal of Vegetation Science). Given that as of May 2024 the Scopus CiteScoreTracker for VCS reads 2.5, their optimistic forecasts seem rather realistic.

“The VCS articles of 2023 were on average even better cited than those in Applied Vegetation Science of the same year and had reached about the same level as Journal of Vegetation Science and Biodiversity and Conservation,”

they concluded.

In a recent post, published on the IAVS blog, on behalf of the four VCS Chief Editors, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Dengler further comments on the latest achievements of the journal, while also highlighting particularly valued recent publications.

The team also uses the occasion to invite experts in the field of vegetation science to submit their manuscripts in 2024 to make use of the generous financial support by the IAVS. Given the increasing interest in VCS, the journal also invites additional linguistic editors, as well as reviewers who wish to join the Editorial Review Board.

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*Note that the Scopus database features a different selection of scientific journals compared to Web of Science to estimate citation metrics. The indexers are also using different formulae, where the former looks into citations made in the last two complete years for eligible papers published in the same years.

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About Vegetation Classification and Survey:

Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS) is an international, peer-reviewed, online journal on plant community ecology published on behalf of the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS). It is devoted to vegetation survey and classification at any organisational and spatial scale and without restriction to certain methodological approaches.

The scope of VCS is focused on vegetation typologies and vegetation classification systems, their methodological foundation, their development and their application. The journal publishes original papers that develop new typologies as well as applied studies that use such typologies, for example, in vegetation mapping, ecosystem modelling, nature conservation, land use management, or monitoring. Particularly encouraged are methodological studies that design and compare tools for vegetation classification and mapping, such as algorithms, databases and nomenclatural principles, or are dealing with the conceptual and theoretical bases of vegetation survey and classification. 

VCS also includes two permanent collections (or sections): “Ecoinformatics” and “Phytosociological Nomenclature”. 

About Pensoft:

Pensoft is an independent, open-access publisher and technology provider, best known for its biodiversity journals, including ZooKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, Phytokeys, Mycokeys, One Ecosystem, Metabarcoding and Metagenomics and many others. To date, the company has continuously been working on various tools and workflows designed to facilitate biodiversity data findability, accessibility, discoverability and interoperability.

About ARPHA Platform:

Pensoft publishes its journals on its self-developed ARPHA publishing platform: an end-to-end, narrative- and data-integrated publishing solution that supports the full life cycle of a manuscript, from authoring to reviewing, publishing and dissemination. ARPHA provides accomplished and streamlined production workflows that can be heavily customised by client journals not necessarily linked to Pensoft as a publisher, since ARPHA is specially targeted at learned societies, research institutions and university presses. The platform enables a variety of publishing models through a number of options for branding, production and revenue models. Alongside its elaborate and highly automated publishing tools and services, ARPHA provides a range of human-provided services, such as science communication and assistance in indexation at databases like Web of Science and Scopus, to provide a complete full-featured publishing solution package.

Integration of ecosystem services in urban planning tools can directly contribute to the sustainability of ecosystems

Integrated ecosystem services can be a potent tool to inform and guide spatial decision-making.

Guest blog post by Zeynep Türkay

Ecosystem services’ (ES) integration into global policies is widely recognized as a hope for environmental sustainability, as they provide a robust framework for representing natural values. The role of healthy ecosystems in combating climate change-related risks and ensuring the sustainability of ecosystem services that are critical for human-natural life is well understood, and in this context, the protection and sustainability of Integrated ES areas, which represent the highest ecological functional areas in this sense, need to be highlighted. Integrated ES can be a potent tool to inform and guide spatial decision-making. However, presently, there is a need to improve the content of related conventional tools on how to introduce and involve their roles in decision-making processes.

A map of Istanbul showing the integrated ecosystem services potential of the current situation.
A map of Istanbul showing the integrated ecosystem services potential of the current situation.

Our paper, published in the journal One Ecosystem, investigates the incorporation of this problem, underlines ES significance as the Integrated ES, and transfers this information into spatial decision-making. The content of the paper discusses the potential contributions and limitations of the integration. It provides solid suggestions on how Integrated ES can be operationalized in Istanbul’s high-level plans.

Research article:

Türkay Z, Tezer A (2024) Contribution of integrated ecosystem services to urban planning tools: Can it be more functional for the sustainability of ecosystems? One Ecosystem 9: e121553. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.9.e121553

How to ensure biodiversity data are FAIR, linked, open and future-proof?

Now concluded Horizon 2020-funded project BiCIKL shares lessons learned with policy-makers and research funders

Within the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project, 14 European institutions from ten countries, spent the last three years elaborating on services and high-tech digital tools, in order to improve the findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability (FAIR-ness) of various types of data about the world’s biodiversity. These types of data include peer-reviewed scientific literature, occurrence records, natural history collections, DNA data and more.

By ensuring all those data are readily available and efficiently interlinked to each other, the project consortium’s intention is to provide better tools to the scientific community, so that it can more rapidly and effectively study, assess, monitor and preserve Earth’s biological diversity in line with the objectives of the likes of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the European Green Deal. Their targets require openly available, precise and harmonised data to underpin the design of effective measures for restoration and conservation, reminds the BiCIKL consortium.

Since 2021, the project partners at BiCIKL have been working together to elaborate existing workflows and links, as well as create brand new ones, so that their data resources, platforms and tools can seamlessly communicate with each other, thereby taking the burden off the shoulders of scientists and letting them focus on their actual mission: paving the way to healthy and sustainable ecosystems across Europe and beyond.

New BiCIKL project to build a freeway between pieces of biodiversity knowledge

Now that the three-year project is officially over, the wider scientific community is yet to reap the fruits of the consortium’s efforts. In fact, the end of the BiCIKL project marks the actual beginning of a European- and global-wide revolution in the way biodiversity scientists access, use and produce data. It is time for the research community, as well as all actors involved in the study of biodiversity and the implementation of regulations necessary to protect and preserve it, to embrace the lessons learned, adopt the good practices identified and build on the knowledge in existence.

This is why amongst the BiCIKL’s major final research outputs, there are two Policy Briefs meant to summarise and highlight important recommendations addressed to key policy makers, research institutions and funders of research. After all, it is the regulatory bodies that are best equipped to share and implement best practices and guidelines.

Most recently, the BiCIKL consortium published two particularly important policy briefs, both addressed to the likes of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment; the European Environment Agency; the Joint Research Centre; as well as science and policy interface platforms, such as the EU Biodiversity Platform; and also organisations and programmes, e.g. Biodiversa+ and EuropaBON, which are engaged in biodiversity monitoring, protection and restoration. The policy briefs are also to be of particular use to national research funds in the European Union.

One of the newly published policy briefs, titled “Uniting FAIR data through interlinked, machine-actionable infrastructures”, highlights the potential benefits derived from enhanced connectivity and interoperability among various types of biodiversity data. The publication includes a list of recommendations addressed to policy-makers, as well as nine key action points. Understandably, amongst the main themes are those of wider international cooperation; inclusivity and collaboration at scale; standardisation and bringing science and policy closer to industry. Another major outcome of the BiCIKL project: the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub portal is noted as central to many of these objectives and tasks in its role of a knowledge broker that will continue to be maintained and updated with additional FAIR data-compliant services as a living legacy of the collaborative efforts at BiCIKL.

The second policy brief, titled “Liberate the power of biodiversity literature as FAIR digital objects”, shares key actions that can liberate data published in non-machine actionable formats and non-interoperable platforms, so that those data can also be efficiently accessed and used; as well as ways to publish future data according to the best FAIR and linked data practices. The recommendations highlighted in the policy brief intend to support decision-making in Europe; expedite research by making biodiversity data immediately and globally accessible; provide curated data ready to use by AI applications; and bridge gaps in the life cycle of research data through digital-born data. Several new and innovative workflows, linkages and integrative mechanisms and services developed within BiCIKL are mentioned as key advancements created to access and disseminate data available from scientific literature. 

While all policy briefs and factsheets – both primarily targeted at non-expert decision-makers who play a central role in biodiversity research and conservation efforts – are openly and freely available on the project’s website, the most important contributions were published as permanent scientific records in a BiCIKL-branded dedicated collection in the peer-reviewed open-science journal Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO). There, the policy briefs are provided as both a ready-to-print document (available as supplementary material) and an extensive academic publication.

Currently, the collection: “Towards interlinked FAIR biodiversity knowledge: The BiCIKL perspective” in the RIO journal contains 60 publications, including policy briefs, project reports, methods papers, conference abstracts, demonstrating and highlighting key milestones and project outcomes from along the BiCIKL’s journey in the last three years. The collection also features over 15 scientific publications authored by people not necessarily involved in BiCIKL, but whose research uses linked open data and tools created in BiCIKL. Their publications were published in a dedicated article collection in the Biodiversity Data Journal.

BiCIKL keeps on adding project outcomes in own collection in RIO Journal

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Visit the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project’s website at: https://bicikl-project.eu/.

Don’t forget to also explore the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH) for yourself at: https://biodiversityknowledgehub.eu/ and watch the BKH’s introduction video. 

Highlights from the BiCIKL project are also accessible on Twitter/X from the project’s hashtag: #BiCIKL_H2020 and handle: @BiCIKL_H2020.

BiCIKL project sums up outcomes and future prospects at a Final GA in Cambridge

A new 3D printable model of an entomological pinning block

Intended for widespread use by entomologists, the block is applicable to large entomological collections with individual specimen numbering.

Guest blog post by Ilia Vladimirov Gjonov

The proposed model of an entomological block is ready for printing on a standard 3D printer. In addition to the usual positioning of glue boards and labels along the Z-axis, the model also offers targeting devices that enable precise positioning of the entomological pin along the X- and Y-axes.

A scheme of a 3D-printable model of an entomological pinning block.
Dimensions of the entomological pinning block with metal rail.

The model is offered in two variants – one for immediate use after printing and another that requires the fabrication of an additional steel rail measuring 100 × 30 × 5 mm, against which the tip of the pin rests during positioning along the Z-axis. The rail is also used to increase the overall mass of the fixture. The overall dimensions of the device are 100 mm in length, 35 mm in width and 37 mm in height.

The proposed entomological block is intended for widespread use by entomologists, particularly those using insect glue boards. It is applicable to large entomological collections with individual specimen numbering and its use can ensure that entomological pins are positioned on the label so as not to disrupt the integrity of the number or barcode. It can also be modified to suit the needs of the user and can be sliced and printed directly on a 3D printer.

Methods paper:

Gjonov I, Hristozov A (2024) 3D printable model of an entomological pinning block, designed for precise positioning of entomological glue boards and labels. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e121569. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e121569

The silent invasion: how termites threaten homes worldwide

As climate patterns shift, global cities may soon find themselves under siege by these tiny yet destructive pests.

As climate change continues its relentless march, the world faces not only rising temperatures and extreme weather, but also an insidious threat to our homes: invasive termites. And the bill could be steep – invasive termites currently cost over 40 billion USD annually.

In a new study published in the open-access journal Neobiota, PhD student Edouard Duquesne and Professor Denis Fournier from the Evolutionary Biology & Ecology lab (Université libre de Bruxelles) unveil the unsettling reality of invasive termites’ potential expansion into new territories.

Their research reveals that as temperatures rise and climate patterns shift, cities worldwide, from tropical hotspots like Miami, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Jakarta or Darwin to temperate metropolises like Paris, Brussels, London, New York or Tokyo, could soon find themselves under siege by these tiny yet destructive pests.

A man with a headtorch inspects the damages caused by Coptotermes gestroi termites on a house wall.
Adolfo Cuadrado, a termite infestation specialist at Anticimex, meticulously inspects the damages caused by Coptotermes gestroi on a house wall. © David Mora: https://www.pasiontermitas.com.

But how do termites, typically associated with tropical climates, find their way into cities far beyond their natural habitat? The answer lies in the interconnectedness of our modern world. Urbanisation, with its dense populations and bustling trade networks, provides the perfect breeding ground for termite invasions.

Moreover, the global movement of goods, including wooden furniture transported by private vessels, offers unsuspecting pathways for these silent invaders to hitch a ride into our homes.

“A solitary termite colony, nestled within a small piece of wood, could clandestinely voyage from the West Indies to your Cannes apartment. It might lurk within furniture aboard a yacht moored at the Cannes Film Festival marina.”

“Mating is coming. Termite queens and kings, attracted by lights, may initiate reproduction, laying the groundwork for new colonies to conquer dry land.”

Researchers Edouard Duquesne and Denis Fournier.

Duquesne and Fournier’s research emphasises the need for a paradigm shift in how we approach invasive species modelling. By integrating connectivity variables like trade, transport, and population density, their study highlights the importance of understanding the intricate interactions that facilitate termite spread.

Workers and soldiers of the invasive termite Reticulitermes.
Workers and soldiers of the invasive termite Reticulitermes. © David Mora: https://www.pasiontermitas.com.

In light of these findings, the researchers urge swift action from policymakers and citizens alike. Major cities, regardless of their climate zone, must implement strict termite control measures to protect homes and infrastructure.

“Citizens can play a crucial role by leveraging technology, such as AI-assisted apps like iNaturalist, to detect and report potential termite sightings, turning ordinary residents into vigilant guardians of their environment,” say the researchers.

“As we confront the challenges of a rapidly changing climate, awareness and proactive measures are our best defence against the creeping menace of invasive termites,” they conclude.

Original source

Duquesne E, Fournier D (2024) Connectivity and climate change drive the global distribution of highly invasive termites. NeoBiota 92: 281-314. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.92.115411

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Flamboyant and lethal: unveiling the lionfish invasion of the Mediterranean Sea

So-called ‘devil firefish’ are taking over new waters with little resistance from native species.

Research from Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, reveals invasive lionfish are rapidly expanding their territory in the Mediterranean sea, causing severe ecological damage.

Published in the open-access journal NeoBiota, the study shows the lionfish species Pterois miles – known as the devil firefish –  has established presence in the eastern Mediterranean, with observations now extending to colder waters previously thought to be unsuitable for the species.

A map of the Mediterranean Sea, with dots showing the first sighting of invasive lionfish. It shows a gradual eastwrd progression of lionfish sightings over time.
Map of years of first sighting of Pterois miles by dive centres. Credit: Bottacini et al.

Originating from the Indo-Pacific region, the lionfish species Pterois miles and Pterois volitans  are regarded as the most successful and lethal invasive fishes in marine ecosystems, with the capacity to drastically affect local fish communities and biodiversity in invaded areas.

The invasion of Pterois miles in the Mediterranean Sea began around ten years ago. Genetic studies reveal the invasive fish originated from the Red Sea and likely entered through the Suez Canal.

The beautiful but deadly devil firefish. Credit: Kora27 via Wikimedia Commons.

Lionfish are generalist predators and impact ecosystems by preying extensively on local fishes, including endemics of high conservation value. As they are unaccustomed to lionfish, native prey species usually do not flee from this new predator.

“After years studying these predators, I find it amazing how they can easily adjust to so many different environments and be successful in areas so different from where they evolve.”

“It is always impressive to see how such a flamboyant and–to us–conspicuous predator can approach its prey without being noticed”

The study’s lead author, Davide Bottacini.

The fin spines of Pterois miles are highly venomous. A sting can cause extreme pain, sickness, convulsions, minor paralysis, and breathing difficulties in humans. Immediate emergency medical attention is recommended for anyone stung by the species.

By reviewing existing scientific data, researchers identified gaps in current understanding of the lionfish’s interactions with Mediterranean ecosystems.

They suggest that, while they consider the eradication of invasive lionfish impossible, tackling questions such as the community-level impact of them in the Mediterranean, and the evolutionary and learned responses in prey, will add to the body of knowledge on the best documented invasion in marine ecosystems.

Three maps of dive centre respondents and lionfish sightings on the Meditteranean Sea coat showing a gradual eastwrd progression of sightings.
Maps of dive centre respondents and lionfish sightings. Credit: Bottacini et al.

Such information provides insights vital for biodiversity conservation, with practical implications for policy makers aiming to devise efficient mitigation plans.

Citizen science initiatives for tracking and reporting lionfish sightings are encouraged to provide valuable data that supports ongoing research efforts. Such community involvement is essential for enhancing understanding of the invasion dynamics and devising effective control measures.

Original source

Bottacini D, Pollux BJA, Nijland R, Jansen PA, Naguib M, Kotrschal A (2024) Lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea: a review of the available knowledge with an update on the invasion front. NeoBiota 92: 233–257. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.92.110442

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Pensoft wishes “Happy 90th birthday!” to thrips expert Dr. Laurence Mound

To date, Dr. Laurence Mound is the most prolific thrips researcher in history and has made monumental contributions to the field.

Today, Pensoft celebrates one of its most distinguished editors and the world’s leading authority on thrips: Dr. Laurence Mound on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

Born in Willesden, London, on 22 April 1934, Dr. Mound is considered a world authority in the field. Having received his PhD from the University of London, he has been studying the biology and systematics of the order Thysanoptera for more than six decades. His academic recognitions include honorary membership at both the Royal and the Australian Entomological societies.

To date, Dr. Laurence Mound is the most prolific thrips researcher in history and has made monumental contributions to the field as the author of 500 publications, including landmark papers that have since shaped our understanding of the taxonomy and evolution of thrips. He has also published a number of books on thrip identification and control.

Having worked with admirable devotion and persistence to advance the knowledge of thrips on a global scale, Dr. Mound has described over 700 species and 100 genera. His studies have helped with species identifications in important pest groups, which in turn has had a pivotal role in the management of pests and the prevention of the establishment of new pest species.

One of the first-ever entomologists to join the ZooKeys editorial team, Mound has been the journal’s go-to editor for the order Thysanoptera for more than a decade. He oversaw the publication of 18 research papers at ZooKeys. He has also authored 11 articles in the journal, including especially valuable identification keys of different taxa from across the globe. He has also been one of the journal’s active reviewers.

Other journals published by Pensoft have also benefited from Mound’s invaluable scientific contributions. Over the years, the renowned thrips expert has also been an author, reviewer, and editor at Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, Biodiversity Data Journal, Check List and Journal of Orthoptera Research.

“As a founder of ZooKeys, I’d like to specially congratulate Laurence on his 90th anniversary and personally thank him for his admirable involvement in our beloved journal. I cannot stress it enough how central dedicated and passionate scientists like him are to have a journal establish itself as a top-quality community-led resource of knowledge. As a fellow entomologist, I’d like to wish him health and good fortune for many years to come; and may the devotion and fascination you have invested in the field extend to each and every aspect of your life!”

says Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, founder/CEO of Pensoft and founding editor of ZooKeys.

“As Editor-in-Chief of ZooKeys, I wish you a ‘Happy 90th birthday!’ and thank you for your dedication and support of the journal since its very early days,”

says Dr. Torsten Dikow, Editor-in-Chief at ZooKeys and research entomologist and curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (USA).

“It was Laurence Mound who suggested my name to replace him as subject editor for Thysanoptera at ZooKeys five years ago. Since then, Laurence has actively continued to be a major contributor of both papers and reviews to the journal. It is an honour to share his friendship and to be able to continually receive his support, encouragement and guidance over the years. I would like to express my gratitude and wish an excellent birthday to this researcher who inspires all of us who study Thysanoptera and entomology in general,”

says Prof. Dr. Elison Lima, Adjunct professor at Universidade Federal do Piauí (Brazil) and fellow thrips expert.

“We are truly honoured to have been working with Laurence all these years! His passion and dedication have left a permanent mark on the field of entomology. We toast to the future success and happiness of a dear friend, editor, and author. May his work continue to inspire many more generations of entomologists and conservationists,”

adds Pensoft’s editorial team.

Fourteen years after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, endemic fishes face an uncertain future

A study investigating the spill’s impact on endemic fish species suggests potential loss of biodiversity.

The 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon was the largest accidental oil spill in history. With almost 100 million gallons (379 million liters) of oil combined with dispersants suggested to remain in the Gulf, it is one of the worst pollution events ever. More than a decade later, its long-term effects  are still not fully understood.

A ship sails among spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP Deepwater Horizon oilspill disaster.
A ship sails among spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP Deepwater Horizon oilspill disaster. Photo by Kris Krug shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.

In a new study, researchers from Louisiana State University and Tulane University examined the endemic Gulf of Mexico fish species that may have been most impacted by the oil spill to see how their distribution has changed over the years. To get their data, they studied museum specimens from natural history collections, looked at relevant literature, and combed biodiversity databases.

Lead author Prosanta Chakrabarty in the fish collections of the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, where many specimens from the Gulf of Mexico are housed.
Lead author Prosanta Chakrabarty in the fish collections of the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science where many specimens from the Gulf of Mexico are housed. Photo credit: Eddy Perez, LSU

With 1541 fish species known from the region, and 78 endemic fish species, the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most biologically rich and resilient marine environments in the world, but how much of this diversity is still left intact?

The study found that 29 out of the Gulf’s 78 endemic fish species haven’t been reported in museum collections since 2010. The Yucatan killifish, for example, which is considered endangered, was last reported pre-spill, in 2005, off the Yucatán Peninsula.

Six of the non-reported species are considered of greatest concern, because their areas of distribution largely overlap with the affected area – although the authors note that their absence in the Gulf in recent years cannot automatically be attributed to the oil spill.

Jars of voucher specimens of fishes at the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science.
Jars of voucher specimens of fishes at the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science. Photo credit: Eddy Perez, LSU

“Understanding the impacts of catastrophic environmental events such as the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill does not end when the wellhead is capped or when the last drops of oil cease to flow. The disaster only begins to end when the data no longer show impacts of the event. We are far from the beginning of the end for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Lingering chemicals, lost generations of wildlife and a continued ecosystem imbalance may all be factors that prevent an environment from rebounding from such cataclysmic events,” the authors note in their research article.

However, they also point out that nature’s ability to recover should not be overlooked.

“The Gulf of Mexico continues to face many challenges, from the Dead Zone, to climate change, loss of coast habitats and continued oil spills. Efforts like this report aim to bring attention to vulnerable species that continue to be impacted by human activities and to the unique endemic fauna of the region,” the researchers write in conclusion.

Research article:

Chakrabarty P, Sheehy AJ, Clute X, Cruz SB, Ballengée B (2024) Ten years later: An update on the status of collections of endemic Gulf of Mexico fishes put at risk by the 2010 Oil Spill. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e113399. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e113399

Deciphering cyrillics: revealing the myxomycetes of Ukraine from invisible sources

A new study compiles over 150 years of research on Ukraine’s myxomycetes – amoebae that form fascinating fungi-like fruiting bodies.

Guest blog post by Iryna Yatsiuk

A graphic showing the occurrences of myxomycetes on a map of Ukraine.
Occurrences of myxomycetes in Ukraine from the present study.

Myxomycetes, or slime molds, despite their unassuming name, are fascinating organisms that play a crucial role in forest ecosystems. They live as single-cell amoebae in soil or all sorts of plant debris, where they feed on microscopic bacteria, algae, and fungi. However, when it is time to reproduce and disseminate, these tiny amoebae fuse with each other and form slimy, mobile structures – plasmodia. Plasmodia slowly but actively crawl on the substrate, and eventually transform into fungi-like fruiting bodies filled with spores. Both plasmodia and fruiting bodies are visible with the naked eye and can be easily found e.g. on decaying wood or on the forest floor.

Yellow slime mold on a tree trunk.
Fruiting bodies of slime mold on a tree trunk.
Plasmodium (left) and fruiting bodies (right) of the same species of a slime mold, with a difference of one day.

Myxomycetes are unusual in their life cycle and very eye-catching – if only one knows where to look for them. No wonder that they have attracted the attention of naturalists for centuries. On the territory of Ukraine, observations of myxomycetes first appeared in the first half of 19th century and have been occurring sporadically in the mycological literature ever since.

Slime mold.
‘Wasp nest’ slime mold – a common and widespread species of myxomycetes in Ukraine.

However, much valuable information about the myxomycetes of Ukraine before our study was in a “grey zone”. This includes undigitized historical books and articles published in languages such as Polish, French, or German. Furthermore, there is a significant body of proceedings of local conferences, articles in local journals, and reports produced by the employees of protected areas. Yet, many of these publications existed only in print and were written in the Cyrillic alphabet, so they remained difficult to discover, to access, or to work with.

A page of Maria Zelle's work “Materials for the myxomycete flora of Ukraine”.
An example of an “invisible” literature source, a page from Maria Zelle “Materials for the myxomycete flora of Ukraine”, 1925.

Within this study, published in Biodiversity Data Journal, we aimed to summarize all published research on myxomycetes of Ukraine, which spans over 150 years, and make the data, as well as the literature behind the data, open and easy to use. For this, we collected and mined 91 publications on this topic, spanning the years 1842 to 2023. As the result, we extracted over 5000 occurrences of myxomycetes that belong to 331 species. The produced datasets we published on GBIF, and the major part of the literature sources on the platform Zenodo.org in open access.

Datasets produced by this study available on GBIF.
A group of researchers posing for a picture.
Leaders of the BioData project with future Ukrainian mentors.

With this initiative, we aimed to open to the wider audience and digitally preserve some part of the biodiversity data heritage of Ukraine that is currently under threat of destruction.

This study was substantially driven by the BioDATA project, which helped a lot in developing biodiversity data management skills in our team.

Research article:

Yatsiuk I, Leshchenko Y, Viunnyk V, Leontyev DV (2024) The comprehensive checklist of myxomycetes of Ukraine, based on extended occurrence and reference datasets. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e120891. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e120891

Man’s best friend threatens endangered species’ survival

Dog attacks on mountain tapirs in Colombia highlight a growing threat to vulnerable wildlife.

Researchers who captured footage of dog attacks on endangered mountain tapirs in Colombia are calling for action to protect threatened wildlife.

Using camera traps, a team from WILD Campo Silvestre, the Tiger Cats Conservation Initiative, and the Fundación Caipora captured images of two attacks in the Campoalegre Soil Conservation District, Santa Rosa de Cabal in a period of two months.

Three black and white camera trap images of dogd chasing a mountain tapir in a forest.
Photographic evidence of domestic dogs chasing mountain tapirs in a private protected area of the Central Andes of Colombia. Credit: Cepeda-Duque et al.

The cameras caught domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) chasing and attacking mountain tapirs (Tapirus pinchaque) in a protected area of the Central Andes. These images were subsequently published in a research paper published by the open-access journal, Neotropical Biology and Conservation.

The study offers insights into the impact of domestic dogs on wildlife, particularly on species of conservation concern such as the mountain tapir. The authors highlight the urgent need for population management and control of domestic dogs inside and around protected areas.

A map representing the area surveyed by the camera traps that detected the two events of dogs chasing and attacking mountain tapirs in the private natural Reserve “WILD Campo Alegre” situated at the north-eastern extreme of the Campoalegre Soil Conservation District, Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia.
Area surveyed by camera traps that detected the two events of dogs mountain tapirs in the private natural reserve. Credit: Cepeda-Duque et al.

Conservationists recently implemented measures such as neutering and vaccination programs for stray and owned dogs in the vicinity of natural reserves to protect the threatened clouded tiger cat (Leopardus pardinoides) in the region. The research team call for these measures to be extended to WILD Campo Alegre and surrounding lands.

An arial view of Campoalegre Soil Conservation District, Santa Rosa de Cabal, showing forests on rolling hills.
Campoalegre Soil Conservation District, Santa Rosa de Cabal. Credit: Camilo Botero.

“Domestic dog incursion into protected areas is a global threat to wildlife that is difficult to mitigate because of the inherent social dilemma of controlling dog populations,” says Juan Camilo Cepeda-Duque, lead author of the study.

“Dogs can contribute to the extinction of vertebrate species, can imbalance the trophic dynamics amongst predator guilds and even have the potential to collapse entire ecological communities,” he continues.

An endangered mountain tapir photographed in a dark forest.
Mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque). Credit: Camilo Botero.

The mountain tapir is an emblematic herbivore of the Andean cloud forest, globally classified as ‘Endangered’ according to the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and poaching. The presence and aggressive behaviour of domestic dogs not only threaten the physical wellbeing of these tapirs but also their reproductive performance, foraging efficiency, and overall population health due to increased stress, potential for disease transmission, and alterations in habitat use.

The research team highlight that their observations are not isolated cases, as locals previously reported the same dogs chasing and attacking mountain tapirs and cattle. The conservationists are also concerned that they detected no juvenile mountain tapirs in the survey.

Study authors Juan Camilo Cepeda Duque (left) and Eduven Arango Correa (right) relaxing in a forest.
Study authors Juan Camilo Cepeda Duque (left) and Eduven Arango Correa (right) on site. Credit: Camilo Botero.

The NGO WILD Nature Foundation has established a new protected area in the northern extreme of the Campoalegre Soil Conservation District, with the target of protecting the habitat of endangered mountain tapirs and the last remnant populations of the fuerte’s parrot (Hapalopsittaca fuertesi) in the region. Currently, the reserve is carrying out an unprecedented restoration program, planting thousands of trees to recover the land once cleared for the establishment of cattle ranching.

Original source

Cepeda-Duque JC, Arango-Correa E, Frimodt-Møller C, Lizcano DJ (2024) Howling shadows: First report of domestic dog attacks on globally threatened mountain tapirs in high Andean cloud forests of Colombia. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 19: 25-33. https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.19.e117437

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