Journal articles on the topic 'Ecological Applications not elsewhere classified'
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1
Cimino, J. J. "Desiderata for Controlled Medical Vocabularies in the Twenty-First Century." Methods of Information in Medicine 37, no. 04/05 (October 1998): 394–403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0038-1634558.
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AbstractBuilders of medical informatics applications need controlled medical vocabularies to support their applications and it is to their advantage to use available standards. In order to do so, however, these standards need to address the requirements of their intended users. Overthe past decade, medical informatics researchers have begun to articulate some of these requirements. This paper brings together some of the common themes which have been described, including: vocabulary content, concept orientation, concept permanence, nonsemantic concept identifiers, polyhierarchy, formal definitions, rejection of “not elsewhere classified” terms, multiple granularities, mUltiple consistent views, context representation, graceful evolution, and recognized redundancy. Standards developers are beginning to recognize and address these desiderata and adapt their offerings to meet them.
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Kolden, Crystal A., Alistair M. S. Smith, and John T. Abatzoglou. "Limitations and utilisation of Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity products for assessing wildfire severity in the USA." International Journal of Wildland Fire 24, no. 7 (2015): 1023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf15082.
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The Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity project is a comprehensive fire atlas for the United States that includes perimeters and severity data for all fires greater than a particular size (~400 ha in the western US, and ~200 ha in the eastern US). Although the database was derived for management purposes, the scientific community has expressed interest in its research capacity. As with any derived data, it is critical to understand inherent limitations to maximise the utility of the dataset without compromising the inferences. The classified severity product in particular is of limited use to research due to a lack of both consistency in developing class thresholds and empirical relationships with ecological metrics. Here we review the products available and their development process, and characterise and quantify the limitations of the classified burn severity data product based on the use of highly variable and subjective classification thresholds. We suggest a framework for overcoming these limitations by developing a more robust classified product that will support ecological management and applications. This framework utilises field data to develop consistent, ecologically based thresholds that incorporate existing ecoregion classifications from LANDFIRE or other fire management frameworks already widely integrated into planning efforts.
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Sharma, Ram C. "Dominant Species-Physiognomy-Ecological (DSPE) System for the Classification of Plant Ecological Communities from Remote Sensing Images." Ecologies 3, no. 3 (August 12, 2022): 323–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3030025.
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This paper presents the Dominant Species-Physiognomy-Ecological (DSPE) classification system developed for large-scale differentiation of plant ecological communities from high-spatial resolution remote sensing images. In this system, the plant ecological communities are defined with the inference of dominant species, physiognomy, and shared ecological settings by incorporating multiple strata. The DSPE system was implemented in a cool-temperate climate zone at a regional scale. The deep recurrent neural networks with bootstrap resampling method were employed for evaluating performance of the DSPE classification using Sentinel-2 images at 10 m spatial resolution. The performance of differentiating DSPE communities was compared with the differentiation of higher, Dominant Genus-Physiognomy-Ecological (DGPE) communities. Overall, there was a small difference in the classification between 58 DSPE communities (F1-score = 85.5%, Kappa coefficient = 84.7%) and 45 DGPE communities (F1-score = 86.5%, Kappa coefficient = 85.7%). However, the class wise accuracy analysis showed that all 58 DSPE communities were differentiated with more than 60% accuracy, whereas more than 70% accuracy was obtained for the classification of all 45 DGPE communities. Since all 58 DSPE communities were classified with more than 60% accuracy, the DSPE classification system was still effective for the differentiation of plant ecological communities from satellite images at a regional scale, indicating its applications in other regions in the world.
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VALDÉS, ÁNGEL. "Northeast Pacific benthic shelled sea slugs." Zoosymposia 13, no. 1 (February 28, 2019): 242–304. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zoosymposia.13.1.21.
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A compendium of the northeast Pacific benthic shelled sea slugs formerly classified in the paraphyletic group “Opisthobranchia” is provided. These include organisms with internal and/or reduced shells. Shell-less groups such as Nudibranchia or closely related benthic shelled clades such as the Pyramidelloidea and the Siphonarioidea are excluded. The Sacoglossa is not represented by any shelled forms in the northeast Pacific and therefore is also excluded. Descriptions include diagnostic characteristics, species abundance information, geographic and bathymetric ranges, and ecological data (if available). Short remarks for most species and higher taxa provide additional information published elsewhere and/or address outstanding taxonomic or nomenclatural issues. Illustrations of the shells and — in some cases — the live animals are provided. Species are arranged based on current classification schemes and a full list of primary synonyms, location of type material (if known), and type localities of all synonyms are provided for each species. Three new species are described in this paper: Microglyphis michelleae new species, Microglyphis sabrinae new species and Bogasonia jennyae new species. Oscaniella purpurea Bergh, 1897 is here designated the type species of Oscaniella Bergh, 1897
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Miller, Timothy W. "Integrated Strategies for Management of Perennial Weeds." Invasive Plant Science and Management 9, no. 2 (June 2016): 148–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1614/ipsm-d-15-00037.1.
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Multiple weed control strategies employed in combination can often aid the successful management of perennial weed species. This review article provides examples of integrated control programs that could aid in the management of several invasive perennial weed species that are problematic in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere in North America. The development of an integrated management control program for wild chervil, a relatively recent invader to the Pacific Northwest of the United States and adjacent Canada, provides an example for this process. Through use of mechanical (mowing and tillage), cultural (establishment of competitive vegetation), and chemical (specific herbicides) strategies, control of this short-lived perennial species was greatly improved as compared to foliar herbicide applications alone. Such integrated strategies have been shown to enhance control of many perennial weed species, while potentially reducing the amount of herbicide applied, lessening the possibility of injury to adjacent desirable vegetation and increasing the stability of the ecological community at the site.
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Fernández-Fernández, Naves, Witzell, Musolin, Selikhovkin, Paraschiv, Chira, et al. "Pine Pitch Canker and Insects: Relationships and Implications for Disease Spread in Europe." Forests 10, no. 8 (July 26, 2019): 627. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f10080627.
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The fungal pathogen Fusarium circinatum (Nirenberg and O’ Donnell) is the causal agent of pine pitch canker (PPC) disease, which seriously affects conifer species in forests and nurseries worldwide. In Europe, PPC is only established in the Iberian Peninsula; however, it is presumed that its range could expand through the continent in the near future. Infection caused by this fungus requires open wounds on the tree, including physical damage caused by insects. Therefore, a relationship probably occurs between PPC and a wide variety of insects. The aim of this review is to outline the taxonomic and ecological diversity of insect species with high potential association with F. circinatum in Europe and elsewhere. The insects were classified as vectors, carriers and wounding agents according to the association level with the PPC disease. In addition, we discuss the insect-mediated spreading of PPC disease in relation to the different phases of forest stand development, from seeds and seedlings in nurseries to mature stands. Lastly, to improve our predictive capacities and to design appropriate intervention measures and strategies for controlling disease dissemination by insects, variables such as geographic location, time of the year and host species should be considered. Our review provides a framework of the multiple factors that regulate the insect–host interactions and determine the success of the infection.
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Zogg, Gregory P., and Burton V. Barnes. "Ecological classification and analysis of wetland ecosystems, northern Lower Michigan, U.S.A." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 25, no. 11 (November 1, 1995): 1865–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x95-201.
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We describe an ecological, multifactor approach to wetland classification in which ecosystem types are identified on the basis of the simultaneous integration of physiography, climate, hydrology, soil, and vegetation. Aerial photographs and field reconnaissance were used to characterize the diversity of wetlands of the 4000-ha University of Michigan Biological Station, northern Lower Michigan. Twenty-eight wetland units, including nutrient-rich swamps, ombrotrophic bogs, and many intermediate types, were identified. Eight wetland ecosystems, composing 79% of the total wetland area, were sampled extensively and classified primarily on the basis of the major glacial landforms and physiographic features of the region. Canonical variates analysis was used to evaluate the distinctness of these physiographically determined units in relation to various biotic and abiotic variables. Wetland types were poorly discriminated by canonical variates analysis of overstory composition data; better separation among types was achieved using ground-flora vegetation, hydrology, or soil characteristics. To demonstrate the utility of the multifactor approach to applications in wetland ecology, vegetation–environment relationships were examined using canonical correspondence analysis. Patterns of ground-flora community composition across all ecosystems were related to substrate characteristics, primarily organic matter composition, in addition to water chemistry and light. The results suggest that a multifactor approach, within a landscape framework, is useful in distinguishing wetlands at local scales, particularly where differences in overstory vegetation among ecosystems tend to be masked by human-caused disturbance. However, the landform-mediated differences in various wetland characteristics that we observed argue for a consideration of landscape-level physiography in classification and management even at broader scales.
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Hong, Juan. "Construction of Mental Health Education Model for College Students Based on Fine-Grained Parallel Computing Programming." Scientific Programming 2022 (July 14, 2022): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/1695044.
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Psychological education is beneficial in maintaining the psychological health of college students, resolving psychological issues, and creating a harmonious campus and society. Mental health education for college students is a development-oriented basic education activity that contributes significantly to educational quality. To improve the accuracy of college students' mental health assessments, a model for mental health education for college students based on fine-grained parallel computing programming is proposed. This study uses a deep learning algorithm to subdivide the classification of an emotion dictionary, which can be classified by adding negative word lists, polarity conversion dictionaries, and online dictionaries, among other things, based on the theory of ecological instantaneous evaluation. It can be used for both multiclass and detailed emotion analysis. The model is more accurate in assessing the mental health of college students, according to the results of the study. The current emotional state of users can be identified, as well as signs of psychological risk, using emotional analysis of Weibo data, which will become a valuable resource for users seeking clinical psychological consultation in the future.
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Shakri, M. S., M. A. Hafez, and M. A. Adnan. "A Study on Effect of PFA on Stabilized Material Using Direct Shear Test." Applied Mechanics and Materials 548-549 (April 2014): 111–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.548-549.111.
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Pulverized fuel ash (PFA) can be classified as hazardous Coal Combustion by-Product (CCP), which can contributes to the environmental pollution. According to (ACAA 2009), USA itself has produced approximately 125.5 million tons per annual of CCP which merely 56 million tons of these waste by-products has been successfully employed in applications and others still remain untreated. Disposal of these materials in landfills can deduce ecological. Thus, finding the solutions and methods of recycling these waste materials are needed, as it can be used as one of the materials in construction projects, engineering purpose or stabilizing process. Therefore, a study on direct shear test have been conducted and the data collected from this study were compared and analyzed through various methods to find out how does PFA works on improving geotechnical properties.
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Fazli, Ali, and Denis Rodrigue. "Sustainable Reuse of Waste Tire Textile Fibers (WTTF) as Reinforcements." Polymers 14, no. 19 (September 20, 2022): 3933. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym14193933.
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Waste tire textile fibers (WTTF), as a by-product (10–15% by weight of tires) of end-of-life tires (ELT) mechanical recycling (grinding), are classified as hazardous wastes and traditionally burnt (thermal recycling) or buried (landfilling), leading to several environmental and ecological issues. Thus, WTTF still represent an important challenge in today’s material recycling streams. It is vital to provide practical and economical solutions to convert WTTF into a source of inexpensive and valuable raw materials. In recent years, tire textile fibers have attracted significant attention to be used as a promising substitute to the commonly used natural/synthetic reinforcement fibers in geotechnical engineering applications, construction/civil structures, insulation materials, and polymer composites. However, the results available in the literature are limited, and practical aspects such as fiber contamination (~65% rubber particles) remain unsolved, limiting WTTF as an inexpensive reinforcement. This study provides a comprehensive review on WTTF treatments to separate rubber and impurities and discusses potential applications in expansive soils, cement and concrete, asphalt mixtures, rubber aerogels and polymer composites.
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KARACHLE, P. K., and K. I. STERGIOU. "An update on the feeding habits of fish in the Mediterranean Sea (2002-2015)." Mediterranean Marine Science 18, no. 1 (February 9, 2017): 43. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.1968.
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In this study we updated the previous compilation of the feeding habits and trophic levels (TROPHs) of Mediterranean fish. In total, 172 publications were retrieved and analysed. Collected data refer to 146 species, with a TROPH value ranging from 2.00 to 4.54. The analysis of TROPH distribution verified the previously proposed classification of species into functional trophic groups. Overall, information on diet composition exits for 203 fish species out of the >700 fishes from the Mediterranean, a fact clearly showing that feeding habits are understudied despite their importance in ecological applications and fisheries management. More than half (60.6%) of these species are classified as omnivores with preference to animal material, 36.5% are carnivores, 1.9% are omnivores with preference to plants, and two (i.e. Siganus luridus and S. rivulatus) are pure herbivores. Finally, towards the direction of filling in information gaps, recommendations for future research are given.
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Tomczyk, Paweł, Mirosław Wiatkowski, and Alban Kuriqi. "Small Hydropower Plants’ Impacts on the Ecological Status Indicators of Urban Rivers." Applied Sciences 12, no. 24 (December 15, 2022): 12882. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app122412882.
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Water is the basis of life for living creatures and is used for various purposes, especially in agriculture, industry, municipal services, and energy production. Assessing water quality in terms of its various uses is not without significance. This study investigates the water quality within two small hydropower plants (SHPs) in central European urban areas from an environmental perspective. Wrocław I and Wrocław II SHPs on the Odra River in Poland were selected as case studies. This study presents the results of four-year observations (2017–2020) conducted in different locations located upstream and downstream of the barriers. The following aspects were assessed: physicochemical status, trophic status, assessment of fish living conditions, and water quality indices. The results show that SHPs improved the average physicochemical status of the five-day biochemical oxygen demand (i.e., BOD5; by 6.19% comparing the results downstream and upstream of the SHPs), dissolved oxygen (3.85%), PO4-P (3.31%), and electrical conductivity (0.52%); however, they worsened in the case of the pH (by 2.63%) and NO3-N (by 1.83%). Water near the study cases is classified as mesotrophic or eutrophic. The conditions for salmonids and cyprinids were not met due to the increased concentrations of NO2 and BOD5 values; in the case of salmonids, also due to the temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration. The water quality indices differed and indicated the quality from poor to good, depending on the classification. This study provides important insights for policymakers regarding the awareness of the impacts of SHPs on water quality in urban areas and the immediate measure needed to be considered to improve aquatic habitat conditions.
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Molina, Manon, Gianluca Cioci, Claire Moulis, Etienne Séverac, and Magali Remaud-Siméon. "Bacterial α-Glucan and Branching Sucrases from GH70 Family: Discovery, Structure–Function Relationship Studies and Engineering." Microorganisms 9, no. 8 (July 28, 2021): 1607. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9081607.
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Glucansucrases and branching sucrases are classified in the family 70 of glycoside hydrolases. They are produced by lactic acid bacteria occupying very diverse ecological niches (soil, buccal cavity, sourdough, intestine, dairy products, etc.). Usually secreted by their producer organisms, they are involved in the synthesis of α-glucans from sucrose substrate. They contribute to cell protection while promoting adhesion and colonization of different biotopes. Dextran, an α-1,6 linked linear α-glucan, was the first microbial polysaccharide commercialized for medical applications. Advances in the discovery and characterization of these enzymes have remarkably enriched the available diversity with new catalysts. Research into their molecular mechanisms has highlighted important features governing their peculiarities thus opening up many opportunities for engineering these catalysts to provide new routes for the transformation of sucrose into value-added molecules. This article reviews these different aspects with the ambition to show how they constitute the basis for promising future developments.
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Varshanina, T. P., O. A. Plisenko, V. N. Korobkov, and Z. A. Shekhov. "Methodology of the Digital Platform of Smart Accurate Ecologically Balanced Agriculture of Adygea." New Technologies 17, no. 6 (February 16, 2022): 124–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.47370/2072-0920-2021-17-6-124-133.
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The digital platform being developed is an information and mathematical model of the space of agricultural lands of Adygea, designed to solve an urgent problem of our time: automated visualization of the boundaries of spatial and temporal heterogeneity of crops and their habitat. For the first time, an automated computational model of the redistribution of agrochemical indicators in morphometrically classified quasi–homogeneous relief surfaces – geotopes in comparison with soil conditions, climatic and microclimatic fluctuations has been created. The tasks of the development include: providing automated monitoring, analysis, forecasting and optimization of crop growth conditions at the local and meso-level of natural and economic areas of the region, as well as creating an intelligent information support system for technological solutions in relation to the soil, climatic and economic conditions of a particular agricultural enterprise. At the regional and meso-level, the basic information component of the digital platform includes the hierarchy of natural and economic areas identified by methods of landscape-climatic, ecological-soil and natural-anthropogenic zoning according to the quasi-homogeneous distribution of parent rocks and natural and ecological conditions of the formation of meso-, microclimate and soils. At the local level, information is integrated with respect to the author’s information-mathematical 3D geometric structural model of the field relief surface, which provides extraction of morphometric characteristics and calculation of current lines determining the direction of movement of matter along geotopes, determination of representative points of agrochemical examination and interpolation of agrochemical analysis data in the field relief. The digital platform is being developed on the basis of the free cross-platform Quantum GIS in the form of an extension module in Python using QGIS libraries. The database of the digital platform is created on the PostgreSQL database management system. The extension module directly processes the information stored in the database to obtain consolidated information on the hierarchy of units of analysis – natural and economic area and agricultural enterprise, geotope and field.
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Das, Karumampoyil Sakthidas Anoop, Dhanya Radhamany, and Freerk Molleman. "Community Structure in an Isolated Tropical Forest Biome: One Year of Fruit-Feeding Butterfly Trapping in Four Habitats in the Western Ghats, India." Diversity 15, no. 1 (December 28, 2022): 36. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d15010036.
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Insect communities in tropical forests tend to be structured vertically and with respect to tree fall gaps and edges. Furthermore, insect communities vary over time. Insight into such habitat specificity and temporal variation is needed to design and interpret biodiversity surveys and to compare conservation value among habitats. Some aspects of tropical insect community structure, such as the proportion of canopy specialists and temporal variation, vary among biogeographical regions and climatic zones. To date, few regions have been sampled systematically, so generalization remains difficult. We compared fruit-feeding butterfly communities among understory, canopy, natural treefalls, and forest edge, in a tropical forest of the Western Ghats, a strip of rainforest that is isolated from Sundaland, the large rainforest block of South-East Asia. During a yearlong study, we captured 3018 individuals belonging to 32 species and representing 14 genera. While some butterflies were captured in the canopy, no species was significantly more abundant in the canopy than in the understory. This observation was contrary to studies elsewhere in the tropics where 14–55% of the species could be classified as canopy specialists. Even though the largest number of species was captured at forest edges, species diversity was highest in the gaps. The communities at the forest edge differed importantly from those in treefall gaps: at the forest edge, we caught grassland species in addition to the forest species. Larger treefall gaps had higher butterfly abundance than smaller gaps. Both abundance and diversity peaked during the late monsoon season, and all common species in our sample also peaked during this period. The spatiotemporal community structure appears to depend on biogeography (less vertical stratification further from large forest blocks) and climate (more synchrony among species in seasonal abundance when there is a more severe dry season).
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Jiménez-Torres, Marina, Carmen P. Silva, Carlos Riquelme, Sergio A. Estay, and Mauricio Soto-Gamboa. "Automatic Recognition of Black-Necked Swan (Cygnus melancoryphus) from Drone Imagery." Drones 7, no. 2 (January 18, 2023): 71. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/drones7020071.
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Ecological monitoring programs are fundamental to following natural-system populational trends. Drones are a new key to animal monitoring, presenting different benefits but two basic re-strictions First, the increase of information requires a high capacity of storage and, second, time invested in data analysis. We present a protocol to develop an automatic object recognizer to minimize analysis time and optimize data storage. We conducted this study at the Cruces River, Valdivia, Chile, using a Phantom 3 Advanced drone with an HD-standard camera. We used a Black-necked swan (Cygnus melancoryphus) as a model because it is abundant and has a contrasting color compared to the environment, making it easy detection. The drone flew 100 m from water surface (correcting AGL in relation to pilot landing altitude) obtaining georeferenced images with 75% overlap and developing approximately 0.69 km2 of orthomosaics images. We estimated the swans’ spectral signature to build the recognizer and adjusted nine criteria for object-oriented classification. We obtained 140 orthophotos classified into three brightness categories. We found that the Precision, Sensitivity, Specificity, and Accuracy indicator were higher than 0.93 and a calibration curve with R2= 0.991 for images without brightness. The recognizer prediction decreases with brightness but is corrected using ND8-16 filter lens. We discuss the importance of this recognizer to data analysis optimization and the advantage of using this recognition protocol for any object in ecological studies.
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Liu, Yi, Zhiguo Gui, and Jialei Liu. "Research Progress of Light Wavelength Conversion Materials and Their Applications in Functional Agricultural Films." Polymers 14, no. 5 (February 22, 2022): 851. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym14050851.
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As new fluorescent materials, light wavelength conversion materials (light conversion agents) have attracted increasing attention from scientific researchers and agricultural materials companies due to their potential advantages in efficiently utilizing solar energy and increasing crop yield. According to the material properties, the light conversion agents can be divided into fluorescent dyes, organic rare-earth complexes, and inorganic rare-earth complexes. The current researches indicates that the fluorescent dyes have relatively high production costs, poor light stability, difficult degradation processes, and easily cause pollution to the ecological environment. The organic rare-earth complexes have short luminescence times, high production costs, and suffer from rapid decreases in luminescence intensity. Compared with fluorescent dyes and organic rare-earth complexes, although rare-earth inorganic complexes have high luminous efficiency, stable chemical properties, and better spectral matching performance, the existing inorganic light conversion agents have relatively poor dispersibility in agricultural films. According to the research on light conversion agents at home and abroad in recent years, this paper first introduces the three common light conversion agents, namely fluorescent dyes, organic rare-earth complexes, and inorganic rare-earth complexes, as well as their uses in agricultural films and their mechanisms of light conversion. At the same time, the preparation methods, advantages, disadvantages, and existing problems of various light conversion agents are classified and explained. Finally, we predict the development trends for light conversion agents in the future by considering six aspects, namely efficiency, cost, compatibility with greenhouse films, light matching, and light transmittance, in order to provide a reference for the preparation of stable and efficient light conversion agent materials.
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Duan, Hai Jun, Guang Min Wu, Dan Liu, John D. Mai, and Jian Ming Chen. "Influence of Clique Potential Parameters on Classification Using Bayesian MRF Model for Remote Sensing Image in Dali Erhai Basin." Advanced Materials Research 658 (January 2013): 508–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.658.508.
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Image classification of remote sensing data is an important topic and long-term tasks in applications [1]. Markov random field (MRF) has more advantages in processing contextual information [2]. Bayesian approach enables the incorporation of prior model and likelihood distribution, this paper has formulated a Bayesian-MRF classification model based on MAP-ICM framework. It uses Potts model in label field and assume Gaussian distribution in observation field. According to maximum a posteriori (MAP) criterion, each new classified label can be obtained by the minimum of energy using Iterated Conditional Modes (ICM) algorithm. Finally, classification tasks are carried out by Bayesian-MRF classification model. Experimental results show that: (1) Clique potential parameters affect classification greatly. When it is 0.5, the classification accuracy reaches maximum with the best classification result for study area of Dali Erhai Lake basin using landsat TM data. (2) Bayesian MRF model have obvious advantages in classification for neighbourhood pixels so that it can separate Shadow class from Water class because the Shadow in mountain areas is very similar to Water in spectrum. In this case study, the best classification accuracy reaches 95.8%. The approaches and results will have important reference value for applications such as land use/cover classification, environment/ecological monitoring etc.
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Bibby, Peter, and John Shepherd. "GIS, Land Use, and Representation." Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 27, no. 4 (August 2000): 583–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/b2647.
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Despite the historically close relationship between GIS and land-use studies, there has been little constructive dialogue on the relationship between GIS theory and land-use analysis. The distinctive feature of land-use studies is their grounding in the idea of social purpose. “Purpose”—the telic dimension—is one of four dimensions of meaning discussed by Moravcsik and based ultimately on the work of Aristotle. So far in GIS, however, only the formal dimension has been emphasised. In this paper we draw on the work of philosophers such as Searle and Goodman to show the significance of the telic and constitutive dimensions of meaning for GIS and land-use studies. We also consider the relationship between terms in natural language and GIS-based analysis. Against this background we consider how GIS applications can be classified in relation to their treatment of language — purpose” and “space — time”. We conclude by suggesting that familiar GIS problems such as the modifiable areal unit problem and the ecological fallacy are instances of more general philosophical problems and that insights from linguistic philosophy can contribute to GIS development.
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Dziomber, Laura, Walter G. Joyce, and Christian Foth. "The ecomorphology of the shell of extant turtles and its applications for fossil turtles." PeerJ 8 (December 22, 2020): e10490. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10490.
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Turtles are a successful clade of reptiles that originated in the Late Triassic. The group adapted during its evolution to different types of environments, ranging from dry land to ponds, rivers, and the open ocean, and survived all Mesozoic and Cenozoic extinction events. The body of turtles is characterized by a shell, which has been hypothesized to have several biological roles, like protection, thermal and pH regulation, but also to be adapted in its shape to the ecology of the animal. However, only few studies have investigated the relationships between shell shape and ecology in a global context or clarified if shape can be used to diagnose habitat preferences in fossil representatives. Here, we assembled a three-dimensional dataset of 69 extant turtles and three fossils, in particular, the Late Triassic Proganochelys quenstedtii and Proterochersis robusta and the Late Jurassic Plesiochelys bigleri to test explicitly for a relationship between shell shape and ecology. 3D models were obtained using surface scanning and photogrammetry. The general shape of the shells was captured using geometric morphometrics. The habitat ecology of extant turtles was classified using the webbing of their forelimbs as a proxy. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlights much overlap between habitat groups. Discriminant analyses suggests significant differences between extant terrestrial turtles, extant fully aquatic (i.e., marine and riverine) turtles, and an unspecialized assemblage that includes extant turtles from all habitats, mostly freshwater aquatic forms. The paleoecology of the three fossil species cannot be determined with confidence, as all three fall within the unspecialized category, even if Plesiochelys bigleri plots closer to fully aquatic turtles, while the two Triassic species group closer to extant terrestrial forms. Although the shape of the shell of turtles indeed contains an ecological signal, it is overall too weak to uncover using shell shape in paleoecological studies, at least with the methods we selected.
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Mitchell, Peter J., John Aldridge, and Markus Diesing. "Legacy Data: How Decades of Seabed Sampling can Produce Robust Predictions and Versatile Products." Geosciences 9, no. 4 (April 19, 2019): 182. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9040182.
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Sediment maps developed from categorical data are widely applied to support marine spatial planning across various fields. However, deriving maps independently of sediment classification potentially improves our understanding of environmental gradients and reduces issues of harmonising data across jurisdictional boundaries. As the groundtruth samples are often measured for the fractions of mud, sand and gravel, this data can be utilised more effectively to produce quantitative maps of sediment composition. Using harmonised data products from a range of sources including the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), spatial predictions of these three sediment fractions were generated for the north-west European continental shelf using the random forest algorithm. Once modelled these sediment fraction maps were classified using a range of schemes to show the versatility of such an approach, and spatial accuracy maps were generated to support their interpretation. The maps produced in this study are to date the highest resolution quantitative sediment composition maps that have been produced for a study area of this extent and are likely to be of interest for a wide range of applications such as ecological and biophysical studies.
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Meina, Michał, Ewa Ratajczak, Maria Sadowska, Krzysztof Rykaczewski, Joanna Dreszer, Bibianna Bałaj, Stanisław Biedugnis, Wojciech Węgrzyński, and Adam Krasuski. "Heart Rate Variability and Accelerometry as Classification Tools for Monitoring Perceived Stress Levels—A Pilot Study on Firefighters." Sensors 20, no. 10 (May 16, 2020): 2834. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s20102834.
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Chronic stress is the main cause of health problems in high-risk jobs. Wearable sensors can become an ecologically valid method of stress level assessment in real-life applications. We sought to determine a non-invasive technique for objective stress monitoring. Data were collected from firefighters during 24-h shifts using sensor belts equipped with a dry-lead electrocardiograph (ECG) and a three-axial accelerometer. Levels of stress experienced during fire incidents were evaluated via a brief self-assessment questionnaire. Types of physical activity were distinguished basing on accelerometer readings, and heart rate variability (HRV) time series were segmented accordingly into corresponding fragments. Those segments were classified as stress/no-stress conditions. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis showed true positive classification as stress condition for 15% of incidents (while maintaining almost zero False Positive Rate), which parallels the amount of truly stressful incidents reported in the questionnaires. These results show a firm correspondence between the perceived stress level and physiological data. Psychophysiological measurements are reliable indicators of stress even in ecological settings and appear promising for chronic stress monitoring in high-risk jobs, such as firefighting.
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Blamires, Sean J., Georgia Cerexhe, Thomas E. White, Marie E. Herberstein, and Michael M. Kasumovic. "Spider silk colour covaries with thermal properties but not protein structure." Journal of The Royal Society Interface 16, no. 156 (July 2019): 20190199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2019.0199.
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Understanding how and why animal secretions vary in property has important biomimetic implications as desirable properties might covary. Spider major ampullate (MA) silk, for instance, is a secretion earmarked for biomimetic applications, but many of its properties vary among and between species across environments. Here, we tested the hypothesis that MA silk colour, protein structure and thermal properties covary when protein uptake is manipulated in the spider Trichonephila plumipes . We collected silk from adult female spiders maintained on a protein-fed or protein-deprived diet. Based on spectrophotometric quantifications, we classified half the silks as ‘bee visible’ and the other half ‘bee invisible’. Wide angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry were then used to assess the silk's protein structure and thermal properties, respectively. We found that although protein structures and thermal properties varied across our treatments only the thermal properties covaried with colour. This ultimately suggests that protein structure alone is not responsible for MA silk thermal properties, nor does it affect silk colours. We speculate that similar ecological factors act on silk colour and thermal properties, which should be uncovered to inform biomimetic programmes.
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Xie, Shuyi. "Learning from Italian Typology- and Morphology-Led Planning Techniques: A Planning Framework for Yingping, Xiamen." Sustainability 11, no. 7 (March 27, 2019): 1842. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11071842.
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As a vital historic neighborhood with an indeterminate large-scale planning scheme, Yingping, located in the city center of Xiamen, China, is struggling with poor livability and growing incoherent private additions and renovations that largely undermine the local historic urban landscape. Inspired by Italian typology- and morphology-led planning techniques, this study explores the possible interpretations and implications of their applications in Yingping to address its interconnected, heterogeneous, and stratified urban fabric and planning problems. The research is developed through a two-pronged multi-layered planning framework. Firstly, from the maintenance perspective, five intervention approaches are grouped, with a specific focus on the leading structural elements of the urban fabric—the arcade streets. Secondly, from the morphological view and through the ecological lens, six characterized areas are identified and classified with respective morphological features and crucial planning problems being faced. This framework provides a strategic thematization of corresponding optimizing strategies and suitable guidelines to direct future governmental actions and to support the self-maintenance of local inhabitants toward sustainable development. The study also presents the possibility that such techniques are applicable to the Chinese context and is expected to inspire further research and practices in China and beyond.
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Jonsson, Bengt Gunnar, Johan Svensson, Grzegorz Mikusiński, Michael Manton, and Per Angelstam. "European Union’s Last Intact Forest Landscapes are at A Value Chain Crossroad between Multiple Use and Intensified Wood Production." Forests 10, no. 7 (July 7, 2019): 564. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f10070564.
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Research Highlights: The European Union’s last large intact forest landscapes along the Scandinavian Mountain range in Sweden offer unique opportunities for conservation of biodiversity, ecological integrity and resilience. However, these forests are at a crossroad between intensified wood production aimed at bio-economy, and rural development based on multi-functional forest landscapes for future-oriented forest value chains. Background and Objectives: We (1) estimate the area of near-natural forests potentially remaining for forest harvesting and wood production, or as green infrastructure for biodiversity conservation and human well-being in rural areas, (2) review how forest and conservation policies have so far succeeded to reduce the loss of mountain forests, and (3) discuss what economic, socio-cultural and ecological values that are at stake, as well as different governance and management solutions. Materials and Methods: First, we estimated the remaining amount of intact mountain forests using (1) the Swedish National Forest Inventory, (2) protected area statistics, (3) forest harvest permit applications and actually harvested forests, (4) remote sensing wall-to-wall data on forests not subject to clear-felling since the mid-1950s, (5) mapping of productive and non-productive forestland, and (6) estimates of mean annual final felling rate. Second, we review policy documents related to the emergence of land use regulation in north Sweden, including the mountain forest border, and illustrate this with an actual case that has had significant policy implementation importance. Results: There is a clear difference between the proportions of formally protected productive forestland above the mountain forest border (52.5%) and north Sweden in general (6.3%). A total of 300,000 ha of previously not clear-felled mountain forest outside protected areas remain, which can support novel value chains that are not achievable elsewhere. Conclusions: The mountain forests in Sweden provide unique conservation values in the European Union. Since the beginning of the 1990s, policy regulations have been successful in limiting forest harvesting. Currently, however, mountain forests are a battle ground regarding intensification of forest use, including logging of forests that have never been subject to clear-felling systems vs. nature conservation and wilderness as a base for rural development. The ability of mountain municipalities to encourage sustainable rural forest landscapes must be strengthened.
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Tibpromma, Saowaluck, Samantha C. Karunarathna, Jayarama D. Bhat, Nakarin Suwannarach, Steven L. Stephenson, Abdallah M. Elgorban, Salim Al-Rejaie, Jianchu Xu, and Peter E. Mortimer. "Using Culture-Dependent and Molecular Techniques to Identify Endophytic Fungi Associated with Tea Leaves (Camellia spp.) in Yunnan Province, China." Diversity 14, no. 4 (April 11, 2022): 287. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d14040287.
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The association of endophytic fungi with the host plant is called a symbiotic relationship. Studies of the endophytic fungi from tea have been reported in numerous documents, but researchers still largely focus on tea endophytic fungi as they have ability to produce bioactive compounds which have numerous applications. The present work characterizes the fungal endophytic communities associated with healthy tea leaves in Yunnan Province, China. A total of 287 fungal strains were isolated from healthy leaf tissues of tea plants using a culture-dependent approach. Based on nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analyses taken from the fungal cultures, strains were classified into 28 fungal genera with high similarity matches to known sequences in GenBank. The majority of genera (98.25%) belong to the phylum Ascomycota and most of the dominating fungal endophytes are from the genera Colletotrichum and Clonostachys.
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Bayón, Álvaro, and Montserrat Vilà. "Horizon scanning to identify invasion risk of ornamental plants marketed in Spain." NeoBiota 52 (November 11, 2019): 47–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.52.38113.
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Horticulture is one of the main pathways of deliberate introduction of non-native plants, some of which might become invasive. Of the 914 commercial ornamental outdoor plant species sold in Spain, 700 (77%) are non-native (archaeophytes excluded) marketed species. We classified these into six different lists based on their invasion status in Spain and elsewhere, their climatic suitability in Spain and their potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts. We found sufficient information for 270 species. We provide a Priority List of eight regulated invasive species that were still available on the market. We also established an Attention List with 68 non-regulated invasive and potentially invasive species that might cause various impacts. To prioritise the species within the Attention List, we further assessed the risk of invasion of these species by using an adaptation of the Australian WRA protocol and the level of societal interest estimated from values of the Google Trends tool. We also propose a Green List of seven species with probably no potential to become invasive, a Watch List with 27 potentially invasive species with few potential impacts and an Uncertainty List with 161 species of known status but with insufficient information to include them in any of the previous lists. We did not find sufficient information for 430 (61%) of the marketed non-native plant species, which were compiled into a Data Deficient List. Our findings of prohibited species for sale highlight the need for stronger enforcement of the regulations on invasive plant species in Spain. In addition, our results highlight the need for additional information on potential impacts and climate suitability of horticultural plants being sold in Spain, as insufficient information could be found to assess the invasion risk for most species.
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Eischeid, Isabell, Eeva M. Soininen, Jakob J. Assmann, Rolf A. Ims, Jesper Madsen, Åshild Ø. Pedersen, Francesco Pirotti, Nigel G. Yoccoz, and Virve T. Ravolainen. "Disturbance Mapping in Arctic Tundra Improved by a Planning Workflow for Drone Studies: Advancing Tools for Future Ecosystem Monitoring." Remote Sensing 13, no. 21 (November 6, 2021): 4466. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs13214466.
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The Arctic is under great pressure due to climate change. Drones are increasingly used as a tool in ecology and may be especially valuable in rapidly changing and remote landscapes, as can be found in the Arctic. For effective applications of drones, decisions of both ecological and technical character are needed. Here, we provide our method planning workflow for generating ground-cover maps with drones for ecological monitoring purposes. The workflow includes the selection of variables, layer resolutions, ground-cover classes and the development and validation of models. We implemented this workflow in a case study of the Arctic tundra to develop vegetation maps, including disturbed vegetation, at three study sites in Svalbard. For each site, we generated a high-resolution map of tundra vegetation using supervised random forest (RF) classifiers based on four spectral bands, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and three types of terrain variables—all derived from drone imagery. Our classifiers distinguished up to 15 different ground-cover classes, including two classes that identify vegetation state changes due to disturbance caused by herbivory (i.e., goose grubbing) and winter damage (i.e., ‘rain-on-snow’ and thaw-freeze). Areas classified as goose grubbing or winter damage had lower NDVI values than their undisturbed counterparts. The predictive ability of site-specific RF models was good (macro-F1 scores between 83% and 85%), but the area of the grubbing class was overestimated in parts of the moss tundra. A direct transfer of the models between study sites was not possible (macro-F1 scores under 50%). We show that drone image analysis can be an asset for studying future vegetation state changes on local scales in Arctic tundra ecosystems and encourage ecologists to use our tailored workflow to integrate drone mapping into long-term monitoring programs.
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Bonfantine, Krista L., Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett, Ty G. Matthews, Ana Neckovic, and Han Ming Gan. "Dumpster diving for diatom plastid 16S rRNA genes." PeerJ 9 (July 1, 2021): e11576. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11576.
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High throughput sequencing is improving the efficiency of monitoring diatoms, which inhabit and support aquatic ecosystems across the globe. In this study, we explored the potential of a standard V4 515F-806RB primer pair in recovering diatom plastid 16S rRNA sequences. We used PhytoREF to classify the 16S reads from our freshwater biofilm field sampling from three stream segments across two streams in south-eastern Australia and retrieved diatom community data from other, publicly deposited, Australian 16S amplicon datasets. When these diatom operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were traced using the default RDPII and NCBI databases, 68% were characterized as uncultured cyanobacteria. We analysed the 16S rRNA sequences from 72 stream biofilm samples, separated the chloroplast OTUs, and classified them using the PhytoREF database. After filtering the reads attributed to Bacillariophyta (relative abundance >1%), 71 diatom OTUs comprising more than 90% of the diatom reads in each stream biofilm sample were identified. Beta-diversity analyses demonstrated significantly different diatom assemblages and discrimination among river segments. To further test the approach, the diatom OTUs from our biofilm sampling were used as reference sequences to identify diatom reads from other Australian 16S rRNA datasets in the NCBI-SRA database. Across the three selected public datasets, 67 of our 71 diatom OTUs were detected in other Australian ecosystems. Our results show that diatom plastid 16S rRNA genes are readily amplified with existing 515F-806RB primer sets. Therefore, the volume of existing 16S rRNA amplicon datasets initially generated for microbial community profiling can also be used to detect, characterize, and map diatom distribution to inform phylogeny and ecological health assessments, and can be extended into a range of ecological and industrial applications. To our knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to classify freshwater samples using this approach and the first application of PhytoREF in Australia.
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Elois, Mariana Alves, Raphael da Silva, Giulia Von Tönnemann Pilati, David Rodríguez-Lázaro, and Gislaine Fongaro. "Bacteriophages as Biotechnological Tools." Viruses 15, no. 2 (January 26, 2023): 349. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v15020349.
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Bacteriophages are ubiquitous organisms that can be specific to one or multiple strains of hosts, in addition to being the most abundant entities on the planet. It is estimated that they exceed ten times the total number of bacteria. They are classified as temperate, which means that phages can integrate their genome into the host genome, originating a prophage that replicates with the host cell and may confer immunity against infection by the same type of phage; and lytics, those with greater biotechnological interest and are viruses that lyse the host cell at the end of its reproductive cycle. When lysogenic, they are capable of disseminating bacterial antibiotic resistance genes through horizontal gene transfer. When professionally lytic—that is, obligately lytic and not recently descended from a temperate ancestor—they become allies in bacterial control in ecological imbalance scenarios; these viruses have a biofilm-reducing capacity. Phage therapy has also been advocated by the scientific community, given the uniqueness of issues related to the control of microorganisms and biofilm production when compared to other commonly used techniques. The advantages of using bacteriophages appear as a viable and promising alternative. This review will provide updates on the landscape of phage applications for the biocontrol of pathogens in industrial settings and healthcare.
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Tran, Ngoc Tam L., Luke DeLuccia, Aidan F. McDonald, and Chun-Hsi Huang. "Cross-Disciplinary Detection and Analysis of Network Motifs." Bioinformatics and Biology Insights 9 (January 2015): BBI.S23619. http://dx.doi.org/10.4137/bbi.s23619.
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The detection of network motifs has recently become an important part of network analysis across all disciplines. In this work, we detected and analyzed network motifs from undirected and directed networks of several different disciplines, including biological network, social network, ecological network, as well as other networks such as airlines, power grid, and co-purchase of political books networks. Our analysis revealed that undirected networks are similar at the basic three and four nodes, while the analysis of directed networks revealed the distinction between networks of different disciplines. The study showed that larger motifs contained the three-node motif as a subgraph. Topological analysis revealed that similar networks have similar small motifs, but as the motif size increases, differences arise. Pearson correlation coefficient showed strong positive relationship between some undirected networks but inverse relationship between some directed networks. The study suggests that the three-node motif is a building block of larger motifs. It also suggests that undirected networks share similar low-level structures. Moreover, similar networks share similar small motifs, but larger motifs define the unique structure of individuals. Pearson correlation coefficient suggests that protein structure networks, dolphin social network, and co-authorships in network science belong to a superfamily. In addition, yeast protein-protein interaction network, primary school contact network, Zachary's karate club network, and co-purchase of political books network can be classified into a superfamily.
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Adekiya, Aruna Olasekan, Christopher Muyiwa Aboyeji, Oluwagbenga Dunsin, Ojo Vincent Adebiyi, and Oreoluwa Titilope Oyinlola. "Effect of Urea Fertilizer and Maize Cob Ash on Soil Chemical Properties, Growth, Yield, and Mineral Composition of Okra, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) MOENCH." Journal of Horticultural Research 26, no. 1 (June 1, 2018): 67–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/johr-2018-0008.
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Abstract Field experiments were carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria, in the cropping seasons of 2015 and 2016. The soil at the site of the experiment is an Alfisol classified as an Oxichaplustalf or a Luvisol. The trial consisted of sole and combined applications of urea fertilizer (U) applied at 0, 60, and 120 kg·ha−1 and maize cob ash (M) applied at 0, 3, and 6 t·ha−1. The results showed that U and M alone or in combinations increased the soil chemical properties, growth, yield, and mineral composition of okra compared with the control. M alone at 3 t·ha−1 produced optimum soil chemical properties, yield, and mineral composition of okra fruit. U alone at 60 kg·ha−1 produced optimum yield of okra, while growth and mineral composition were increased when urea fertilizer was applied at 120 kg·ha−1. The treatment with U applied at 60 kg·ha−1 in combination with M applied at 3 t·ha−1 (U60M3) produced the highest values of okra yield, while U applied at 120 kg·ha−1 in combination with M applied at 3 t·ha−1 (U120M3) has the highest growth and highest N, K, Ca, Cu, and Fe contents of okra fruit. Compared with the control and using the mean of the two years, U60M3 increased okra fruit yield by 93.3%. Therefore, for viable production of okra in low nutrient soil of the Nigeria derived savanna or similar soils elsewhere, 60 kg·ha−1 U + 3 t·ha−1 M (U60M3) is recommended. However, for improved mineral quality of okra, 120 kg·ha−1 U + 3 t·ha−1 M (U120M3) is recommended.
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Hafeez, Muhammad, Xiaowei Li, Farman Ullah, Zhijun Zhang, Jinming Zhang, Jun Huang, Muhammad Musa Khan, et al. "Behavioral and Physiological Plasticity Provides Insights into Molecular Based Adaptation Mechanism to Strain Shift in Spodoptera frugiperda." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, no. 19 (September 24, 2021): 10284. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910284.
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How herbivorous insects adapt to host plants is a key question in ecological and evolutionary biology. The fall armyworm, (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), although polyphagous and a major pest on various crops, has been reported to have a rice and corn (maize) feeding strain in its native range in the Americas. The species is highly invasive and has recently established in China. We compared behavioral changes in larvae and adults of a corn population (Corn) when selected on rice (Rice) and the molecular basis of these adaptational changes in midgut and antennae based on a comparative transcriptome analysis. Larvae of S. frugiperda reared on rice plants continuously for 20 generations exhibited strong feeding preference for with higher larval performance and pupal weight on rice than on maize plants. Similarly, females from the rice selected population laid significantly more eggs on rice as compared to females from maize population. The most highly expressed DEGs were shown in the midgut of Rice vs. Corn. A total of 6430 DEGs were identified between the populations mostly in genes related to digestion and detoxification. These results suggest that potential adaptations for feeding on rice crops, may contribute to the current rapid spread of fall armyworm on rice crops in China and potentially elsewhere. Consistently, highly expressed DEGs were also shown in antennae; a total of 5125 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) s were identified related to the expansions of major chemosensory genes family in Rice compared to the Corn feeding population. These results not only provide valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms in host plants adaptation of S. frugiperda but may provide new gene targets for the management of this pest.
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Begrem, Simon, Flora Ivaniuk, Frédérique Gigout-Chevalier, Laetitia Kolypczuk, Sandrine Bonnetot, Françoise Leroi, Olivier Grovel, Christine Delbarre-Ladrat, and Delphine Passerini. "New Insight into Antimicrobial Compounds from Food and Marine-Sourced Carnobacterium Species through Phenotype and Genome Analyses." Microorganisms 8, no. 7 (July 21, 2020): 1093. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8071093.
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Carnobacterium maltaromaticum and Carnobacterium divergens, isolated from food products, are lactic acid bacteria known to produce active and efficient bacteriocins. Other species, particularly those originating from marine sources, are less studied. The aim of the study is to select promising strains with antimicrobial potential by combining genomic and phenotypic approaches on large datasets comprising 12 Carnobacterium species. The biosynthetic gene cluster (BGCs) diversity of 39 publicly available Carnobacterium spp. genomes revealed 67 BGCs, distributed according to the species and ecological niches. From zero to six BGCs were predicted per strain and classified into four classes: terpene, NRPS (non-ribosomal peptide synthetase), NRPS-PKS (hybrid non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-polyketide synthase), RiPP (ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide). In parallel, the antimicrobial activity of 260 strains from seafood products was evaluated. Among the 60% of active strains, three genomes were sequenced and submitted to a dereplication process. C. inhibens MIP2551 produced a high amountof H2O2, probably thanks to the presence of four oxidase-encoding genes. C. maltaromaticum EBP3019 and SF668 strains were highly efficient against Listeria monocytogenes. A new extracellular 16 kDa unmodified bacteriocin in the EBP3019 strain and five different bacteriocins in SF668 were highlighted. In this study, the overview of antimicrobial BGC and inhibitory activities of Carnobacterium spp. allowed the prediction of potential innovative natural products that could be relevant for biotechnological applications.
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Amnuaykanjanasin, Alongkorn, Suranat Phonghanpot, Nattapong Sengpanich, Supapon Cheevadhanarak, and Morakot Tanticharoen. "Insect-Specific Polyketide Synthases (PKSs), Potential PKS-Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Hybrids, and Novel PKS Clades in Tropical Fungi." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 75, no. 11 (April 3, 2009): 3721–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.02744-08.
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ABSTRACT Polyketides draw much attention because of their potential use in pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications. This study identifies an abundant pool of polyketide synthase (PKS) genes from local isolates of tropical fungi found in Thailand in three different ecological niches: insect pathogens, marine inhabitants, and lichen mutualists. We detected 149 PKS genes from 48 fungi using PCR with PKS-specific degenerate primers. We identified and classified 283 additional PKS genes from 13 fungal genomes. Phylogenetic analysis of all these PKS sequences the comprising ketosynthase (KS) conserved region and the KS-acyltransferase interdomain region yielded results very similar to those for phylogenies of the KS domain and suggested a number of remarkable points. (i) Twelve PKS genes amplified from 12 different insect-pathogenic fungi form a tight cluster, although along with two PKS genes extracted from genomes of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus, in reducing clade III. Some of these insect-specific fungal PKSs are nearly identical. (ii) We identified 38 new PKS-nonribosomal peptide synthetase hybrid genes in reducing clade II. (iii) Four distinct clades were discovered with more than 75% bootstrap support. We propose to designate the novel clade D1 with 100% bootstrap support “reducing clade V.” The newly cloned PKS genes from these tropical fungi should provide useful and diverse genetic resources for future research on the characterization of polyketide compounds synthesized by these enzymes.
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Ou, Chouly, Carmen G. Montaña, and Kirk O. Winemiller. "Body size–trophic position relationships among fishes of the lower Mekong basin." Royal Society Open Science 4, no. 1 (January 2017): 160645. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160645.
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Body size is frequently claimed to be a major determinant of animal trophic interactions, yet few studies have explored relationships between body size and trophic interactions in rivers, especially within the tropics. We examined relationships between body size and trophic position (TP) within fish assemblages in four lowland rivers of the Lower Mekong Basin in Cambodia. Stable isotope analysis (based on δ 15 N) was used to estimate TP of common fish species in each river, and species were classified according to occupation of benthic versus pelagic habitats and major feeding guilds. Regression analysis yielded strong correlations between body size and TP among fishes from the Sesan and Sreprok rivers, but not those from the Mekong and Sekong rivers. The Mekong fish assemblage had higher average TP compared with those of other rivers. The relationship between body size and TP was positive and significantly correlated for piscivores and omnivores, but not for detritivores and insectivores. The body size–TP relationship did not differ between pelagic and benthic fishes. Body size significantly predicted TP within the orders Siluriformes and Perciformes, but not for Cypriniformes, the most species-rich and ecologically diverse order in the Lower Mekong River. We conclude that for species-rich, tropical fish assemblages with many detritivores and invertivores, body size would not be an appropriate surrogate for TP in food web models and other ecological applications.
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Yang, Huirong, Jia-en Zhang, Jun Xia, Jinzeng Yang, Jing Guo, Zhixin Deng, and Mingzhu Luo. "Comparative Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of the Three Apple Snails (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae) and the Phylogenetic Analyses." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 19, no. 11 (November 19, 2018): 3646. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms19113646.
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The apple snails Pomacea canaliculata, Pomacea diffusa and Pomacea maculate (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Ampullariidae) are invasive pests causing massive economic losses and ecological damage. We sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial genomes of these snails to conduct phylogenetic analyses based on comparisons with the mitochondrial protein coding sequences of 47 Caenogastropoda species. The gene arrangements, distribution and content were canonically identical and consistent with typical Mollusca except for the tRNA-Gln absent in P. diffusa. An identifiable control region (d-loop) was absent. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis indicated that all the Ampullariidae species clustered on the same branch. The genus Pomacea clustered together and then with the genus Marisa. The orders Architaenioglossa and Sorbeoconcha clustered together and then with the order Hypsogastropoda. Furthermore, the intergenic and interspecific taxonomic positions were defined. Unexpectedly, Ceraesignum maximum, Dendropoma gregarium, Eualetes tulipa and Thylacodes squamigerus, traditionally classified in order Hypsogastropoda, were isolated from the order Hypsogastropoda in the most external branch of the Bayesian inference tree. The divergence times of the Caenogastropoda indicated that their evolutionary process covered four geological epochs that included the Quaternary, Neogene, Paleogene and Cretaceous periods. This study will facilitate further investigation of species identification to aid in the implementation of effective management and control strategies of these invasive species.
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Du, Zhenyong, Tadashi Ishikawa, Hui Liu, Satoshi Kamitani, Osamu Tadauchi, Wanzhi Cai, and Hu Li. "Phylogeography of the Assassin Bug Sphedanolestes impressicollis in East Asia Inferred From Mitochondrial and Nuclear Gene Sequences." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20, no. 5 (March 12, 2019): 1234. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms20051234.
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The assassin bug, Sphedanolestes impressicollis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), is widely distributed in East Asia. It is an ideal model for evaluating the effects of climatic fluctuation and geographical events on the distribution patterns of East Asian reduviids. Here, we used two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene to investigate the phylogeographic pattern of the assassin bug based on comprehensive sampling in China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Laos. High levels of genetic differentiation were detected among the geographic populations classified into the northern and southern groups. A significant correlation was detected between genetic and geographical distances. The East China Sea land bridge served as a “dispersal corridor” during Pleistocene glaciation. The estimated divergence time indicated that the northern group may have separated from the eastern Chinese populations when the sea level rapidly rose during the “Ryukyu Coral Sea Stage” and the East China Sea land bridge was completely submerged. Demographic history and ecological niche modeling suggested that appropriate climatic conditions may have accounted for the rapid spread across the Korean Peninsula and Japan during the late Pleistocene. Our study underscores the pivotal roles of the Pleistocene sea level changes and climatic fluctuations in determining the distribution patterns of East Asian reduviids.
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Blake, M. L. "Human evolution in space and time, with reference to the niches of librarianship and information processing." Journal of Information Science 11, no. 3 (September 1985): 125–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/016555158501100304.
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Darwinian evolution of species entails competition for space and consequent evolution through geological time. Recent hu man activity shows that humans have themselves evolved a second form of evolution which is the converse of the Darwinian process: cultural evolution in space through competition for time. Fitness for this reverse-Darwinian evolution depends chiefly on advanced, high-speed information technology. The transition in biology founded on fixed species to that founded on changing ecological niches is reviewed. Dynamic niches, e.g. fast-flowing rivers, can support more species than correspond ing static niches. It is suggested that cerebral asymmetry, which is specifically human, represents a recent evolution of two cerebral centres for controlling high-level and competitively advantageous information processing, the spatial processing in the right side and, resulting from more marked evolution, the temporal processing in the left side of the brain. Within the library-information niche libraries show dominance of spatial adaptations while information processing shows dominance of temporal adaptations. Advantages of the latter, e.g. time-shared online access, are discussed alongside their side-effects. Infor mation technology (IT) is classified according to increasing temporal component, from high-density storage, through tele communication, to advanced space-independent systems for innovation in IT. The category with the highest temporal component is available only to the information-rich yet is the least taxed. Taxation of space according to its use has a long history of reform; fiscal reform in the social applications of new technologies is now advocated.
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Ruiz-Roldán, Lidia, Beatriz Rojo-Bezares, Carmen Lozano, María López, Gabriela Chichón, Carmen Torres, and Yolanda Sáenz. "Occurrence of Pseudomonas spp. in Raw Vegetables: Molecular and Phenotypical Analysis of Their Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence-Related Traits." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, no. 23 (November 23, 2021): 12626. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms222312626.
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Pseudomonas is characterized by its great capacity to colonize different ecological niches, but also by its antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity, causing human, animal, or plant diseases. Raw and undercooked food is a potential carrier of foodborne disease. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of Pseudomonas spp. among raw vegetables, analysing their antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and molecular typing. A total of 163 Pseudomonas spp. isolates (12 different species) were recovered from 77 of the 145 analysed samples (53.1%) and were classified into 139 different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns. Low antimicrobial resistance levels, but one multidrug-resistant isolate, were found. Among the 37 recovered P. aeruginosa strains, 28 sequence-types and nine serotypes were detected. Eleven OprD patterns and an insertion sequence (ISPa1635) truncating the oprD gene of one imipenem-resistant strain were found. Ten virulotypes were observed, including four exoU-positive and thirty-one exoS-positive strains. The lasR gene was absent in three ST155 strains and was truncated by different insertion sequences (ISPre2, IS1411, and ISPst7) in other three strains. High biofilm, motility, pigment, elastase, and rhamnolipid production were detected. Our study demonstrated a low occurrence of P. aeruginosa (18%) and low antimicrobial resistance, but a high number of virulence-related traits in these P. aeruginosa strains, highlighting their pathological importance.
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Crawford, Brian A., John C. Maerz, and Clinton T. Moore. "Expert-Informed Habitat Suitability Analysis for At-Risk Species Assessment and Conservation Planning." Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 11, no. 1 (February 19, 2020): 130–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/092019-jfwm-075.
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Abstract The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is responsible for reviewing the biological status of hundreds of species to determine federal status designations under the Endangered Species Act. The longleaf pine Pinus palustris ecological system supports many priority at-risk species designated for review, including five species of herpetofauna: gopher tortoise Gopherus polyphemus, southern hognose snake Heterodon simus, Florida pine snake Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus, gopher frog Lithobates (Rana) capito, and striped newt Notophthalmus perstriatus. To inform status decisions and conservation planning, we developed habitat suitability models to 1) identify habitat features that best predict species presence and 2) estimate the amount and distribution of suitable habitat across each species' range under current conditions. We incorporated expert judgment from federal, state, and other partners to capture variation in ecological settings across species' ranges, prioritize predictor variables to test in models, mitigate data limitations by informing the selection of pseudoabsence points, qualitatively evaluate model estimates, and improve the likelihood that experts will trust and use model predictions for conservation. Soil characteristics, land cover, and fire interval strongly influenced habitat suitability for all species. Suitable habitat was distributed on known species strongholds, as well as private lands without known species records. Between 4.7% (gopher frog) and 14.6% (gopher tortoise) of the area in a species' range was classified as suitable habitat, and between 28.1% (southern hognose snake) and 47.5% (gopher frog) of suitable habitat was located in patches larger than 1 km2 (100 ha) on publicly owned lands. By overlaying predictions for each species, we identified areas of suitable habitat for multiple species on protected and unprotected lands. These results have direct applications to management and conservation planning: partners can tailor site-level management based on attributes associated with high habitat suitability for species of concern; allocate survey effort in areas with suitable habitat but no known species records; and identify priority areas for management, land acquisitions, or other strategies based on the distribution of species records, suitable habitat, and land protection status. These results can aid regional partners in implementing effective conservation strategies and inform status designation decisions of the USFWS.
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Resop, Jonathan P., Laura Lehmann, and W. Cully Hession. "Quantifying the Spatial Variability of Annual and Seasonal Changes in Riverscape Vegetation Using Drone Laser Scanning." Drones 5, no. 3 (September 7, 2021): 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/drones5030091.
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Riverscapes are complex ecosystems consisting of dynamic processes influenced by spatially heterogeneous physical features. A critical component of riverscapes is vegetation in the stream channel and floodplain, which influences flooding and provides habitat. Riverscape vegetation can be highly variable in size and structure, including wetland plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees. This vegetation variability is difficult to precisely measure over large extents with traditional surveying tools. Drone laser scanning (DLS), or UAV-based lidar, has shown potential for measuring topography and vegetation over large extents at a high resolution but has yet to be used to quantify both the temporal and spatial variability of riverscape vegetation. Scans were performed on a reach of Stroubles Creek in Blacksburg, VA, USA six times between 2017 and 2019. Change was calculated both annually and seasonally over the two-year period. Metrics were derived from the lidar scans to represent different aspects of riverscape vegetation: height, roughness, and density. Vegetation was classified as scrub or tree based on the height above ground and 604 trees were manually identified in the riverscape, which grew on average by 0.74 m annually. Trees had greater annual growth and scrub had greater seasonal variability. Height and roughness were better measures of annual growth and density was a better measure of seasonal variability. The results demonstrate the advantage of repeat surveys with high-resolution DLS for detecting seasonal variability in the riverscape environment, including the growth and decay of floodplain vegetation, which is critical information for various hydraulic and ecological applications.
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Janowski, Daniel, and Tomasz Leski. "Factors in the Distribution of Mycorrhizal and Soil Fungi." Diversity 14, no. 12 (December 15, 2022): 1122. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d14121122.
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Soil fungi are crucial microorganisms in the functioning of ecosystems. They shape the soil properties, facilitate nutrient circulation, and assist with plant growth. However, their biogeography and distribution studies are limited compared to other groups of organisms. This review aims to provide an overview of the main factors shaping the spatial distribution of soil fungi (with a special focus on mycorrhizal fungi). The review also tries to identify the field frontier where further studies are needed. The main drivers of soil fungal distribution were classified and reviewed into three groups: soil properties, plant interactions, and dispersal vectors. It was apparent that ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular fungi are relatively overrepresented in the body of research, while the other mycorrhiza types and endophytes were grossly omitted. Notwithstanding, soil pH and the share of ectomycorrhizal plants in the plant coverage were repeatedly reported as strong predictors of mycorrhizal fungal distribution. Dispersal potential and vector preferences show more variation among fungi, especially when considering long-distance dispersal. Additionally, special attention was given to the applications of the island biogeography theory to soil fungal assemblages. This theory proves to be a very efficient framework for analyzing and understanding not only the soil fungal communities of real islands but even more effective islands, i.e., isolated habitats, such as patches of trees discontinuous from more enormous forests.
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Da Veiga, Denise Piccirillo Barbosa, Bruna Botti Cruz, Adelaide Cassia Nardocci, Luiz Augusto Manfré, Cláudia Aparecida Soares Machado, and José Alberto Quintanilha. "Watershed fragility Assessment: a Methodological Approach of Siltation and Pollution Vulnerability on a Rural Watershed in Ibiúna (Southeastern Brazilian Region)." Current Environmental Management 6, no. 3 (January 7, 2020): 210–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/2212717806666191016115423.
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Background: The São Paulo State area has been facing a water crisis that caused water shortage in many cities, and a series of socioeconomic problems as an outcome. Water supply massive land-use alteration throughout São Paulo State river basins, coupled with climate change effects might produce severe damage to the region if preventive actions are not enforced in time. Objective: This study aims to apply an adapted methodology of fragility analysis to a tributary of the Itupararanga reservoir (Brazil) using a hydrological modeling tool. Based on the determination of the flow and drainage system direction and object-based image analysis, a final map of the fragility will be constructed. Methods: This paper presents a fragility assessment methodology on a local scale using a rural watershed of the study area. This approach uses object-based classification of topography data from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission to extract the most fragile territorial units of the watershed area, in terms of pollution and siltation contribution risk, combined with land cover classification. Results: The study area exhibits very high and medium fragility areas related to water contamination and siltation risk that can be seen as priority areas for land cover management and monitoring, although most of the basin area was classified as very low fragility. Conclusion: The methodology applications have great potential uses in territorial planning, protected areas and restoration priorities delimitation, ecological-economic zoning, hazard evaluation and mitigation, erosional processes and water protection and management at both local and regional scale studies.
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McFadden, Tyler Neal, Gabriela Biscarra, Jorge Ruiz, and Juan Navedo. "RECOMMENDED BAND SIZES AND A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR SEXING IMMATURE GREENBACKED FIRECROWN HUMMINGBIRDS (SEPHANOIDES SEPHANIODES)." Ornitología Neotropical 30 (September 26, 2019): 179–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.58843/ornneo.v30i0.430.
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Abstract ∙ The Green-backed Firecrown (Sephanoides sephaniodes; Trochilidae) is one of the most important pollinators in the temperate rainforests of southern South America, yet its life history, including migratory behavior, population dynamics, and pollination biology remain poorly studied. Furthermore, juvenile firecrowns are sexually monochromatic, making them difficult to sex, which limits understanding of sex -related ecological differences that are common in hummingbirds. Here, we report the first banding of firecrowns in mainland Chile, propose ideal band sizes, and describe a technique for sexing immature individuals using the ratio of bill length to body mass. We place our results in the context of other studies of firecrowns and discuss possible ecological and behavioral implications of sexual dimorphism. In February– June 2018, we banded 71 firecrowns in Los Ríos Region, Chile (40°S). We recommend cutting bands to 8.2 mm in length for banding birds. Sexual dimorphism is clear, with large, short-billed males, and smaller, longer-billed females. Immature males and females can be distinguished based on the ratio of bill length to body mass, which in our sample does not overlap between the two adult sexes. This ratio separated all immature individuals at the 99% confidence level (< 3.09 mm g-1 classified as male, > 3.36 mm g-1 as female), and so should be tested elsewhere in the firecrown range. The incorporation of Green-backed Firecrowns in ongoing banding programs in the region has the potential to contribute important new information about the species’ ecology and evolution as well as its role in ecosystem processes.Resumen ∙ Tamaños de anillas recomendados y una nueva técnica para el sexaje de individuos inmaduros en el Picaflor Chico (Sephanoides sephaniodes) El Picaflor Chico (Sephanoides sephaniodes; Trochilidae) es uno de los polinizadores más importantes en el bosque templado austral de Sudamérica, pero su historia natural, incluyendo comportamiento migratorio, dinámica poblacional, y biología de polinización, sigue siendo poco estudiado. Además, los juveniles son monocromáticos, lo cual los hace difícil de sexar y limita el conocimiento de las diferencias ecológicas relacionadas con el sexo, que son comunes en colibríes. En este estudio reportamos los primeros anillamientos de picaflor chico en Chile continental, proponemos los tamaños de anillas ideales, y describimos una técnica para determinar el sexo de los individuos inmaduros utilizando el cociente entre la longitud del pico y el peso corporal. Ponemos nuestros resultados en el contexto de otros estudios del picaflor chico, y consideramos posibles implicaciones del dimorfismo sexual en la ecología y el comportamiento. En febrero–junio 2018 anillamos 71 picaflores chicos en la Región Los Ríos, Chile (40°S). Recomendamos cortar las anillas a 8,2 mm de largo (longitud preformada) para anillar los picaflores. Dimorfismo sexual es claro: los machos son grandes con picos cortos, mientras las hembras son más pequeñas con picos más largas. Los machos y hembras inmaduros se distinguieron por el cociente entre la longitud del pico y el peso corporal, que en nuestra muestra no superpone entre los adultos de cada sexo. Este cociente separó todos los individuos inmaduros al nivel de confianza de 99% (< 3,09 mm g1 clasificado como macho, >3,36 mm g-1 como hembra), y debe ser evaluado en otras partes del rango de distribución de la especie. La incorporación del picaflor chico en los programas de anillamiento en la región tiene la potencial de aportar nueva información importante sobre su ecología y evolución, tanto como su rol en los procesos ecológicos.
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Lavrinenko, I. A., and O. V. Lavrinenko. "Classification and mapping of habitats in the northwestern part of the Bolshezemelskaya tundra." Geobotanical mapping, no. 2021 (2021): 20–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.31111/geobotmap/2021.20.
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The integrity and preservation of natural habitats is the basis for the existence of flora and fauna, as well as many aspects of the life of the indigenous population. The high sensitivity of Arctic landscapes and natural ecosystems to anthropogenic and climatic factors predetermines the need for monitoring of habitats. Classification and inventory of Arctic habitats is made on the example of a key site in the Bolshezemelskaya tundra — adjacent tundra to the Bolvansky Nos Cape (23.7 km2) (Fig. 1). The diagnostics of biotopes was carried out on the basis of a previously developed typological scheme of territorial units of vegetation (TUV), which, along with the syntaxonomic composition, takes into account the features of ecology and spatial organization (Lavrinenko, 2020b; Lavrinenko, Lavrinenko, 2021). The diagnostics of higher units of habitats is based on their position on the generalized geomorphological profile and relief elements, which predetermine the peculiarities of the impact of the entire variety of en vironmental and climatic factors on biotopes. The types of spatial structures (temporal and ecological series, complexes, and combinations) of heterogeneous TUVs, reflecting the location features, intensity, direction, and the result of the environmental factors interaction, are the main diagnostic characteristics of habitats. The classification of vegetation and position of syntaxa, taking into account their confinement to TUVs, underlie the accurate diagnosis of biotopes. The phytosociological (= Braun-Blanquet) classification is the basis of the TUVs nomenclature. The list of syntaxa of different ranks (Matveyeva, Lavrinenko, 2021) is the basis for the formation of the TUVs categories names that diagnose biotopes. A digital elevation model (DEM) of the key area was made using ArcticDEM data (https://www.pgc.umn.edu/data/arcticdem/) to estimate the location of TUVs as habitat indicators (Fig. 2a). NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) (McFeeters, 1996) and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), which reflects the reserves of green phytomass (Walker et al., 2003) (Fig. 2b) were calculated from Sentinel-2A satellite images. Spatial combination of several layers – high-resolution satellite images, DEM, spectral indices (Fig. 3), in GIS made it possible to characterize the important indicators of biotopes. Habitats of two categories of the highest, first level — AB and CB, confined to large elements of the landscape, are found in a key area in the tundra zone. The categories of the second level (AB1, …, CB3) differ in their position on the generalized geomorphological profile, from the highest positions (AB1 — eluvial locations) to the lowest ones (CB3 — accumulative marine terraces). The features of the substrate, along with the position on the profile, were taken into account when identifying categories of biotopes of the third categories. Thus, in the AB1 category, habitats of a lower level differ significantly in terms of soil characteristics: AB1.1, sandy; AB1.2 — loamy-gravelly carbonate, AB1.3 — gleyzems and peat-gleyzems. The well-pronounced physiognomic (color, texture) and spectral (indices, signatures) characteristics of the TUVs levels, along with the position in the relief and features of the substrate, were used to distinguish the fourth and lower habitat categories. Diagnostics of plant communities forming TUVs was carried out on the basis of reference signatures (using Sentinel-2 images) of those phytocoenoses in which geobotanical relevés were made with coordinate reference and syntaxonomic affiliation was established. Terrestrial plots are assigned to 2 categories of habitats of the first level, 7 — of the second, 13 — of the third and 18 — of the fourth, which include all the diversity of biotopes of the key site and unite those that are close in their position on the geomorphological profile and ecological indicators. All categories of habitats of the third level, and in some cases the fourth one, are diagnosed with TUVs classes (Lavrinenko, 2020b), represented by simple and complex combinations of plant communities of different syntaxa. The characteristics of vegetation and soils, the composition of syntaxa (those that are described) are given for categories of the second – third levels. More than 1100 contours, including 140 represented by water bodies, have been identified in the key area. The habitats map of the northwestern part of the Bolshezemelskaya tundra was prepared on a scale of 1 : 25 000. It demonstrates the diversity of biotopes in the study site; terrestrial plots classified as habitat categories of the first —fourth levels are presented on it (Fig. 29, 30). The main emphasis in the identification and characterization of habitats is made on their resource potential for species and communities of plants and animals, as well as for humans. This immediately transfers the question of the significance and relevance of such works from the field of fundamental academic research on the study and mapping of biotopes, to the field of direct practical application of the results obtained. Different categories of habitats have different resource values for certain biological objects, which makes it possible to characterize them from the standpoint of ecological, economic and environmental significance.
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Mahdianpari, Masoud, Jean Elizabeth Granger, Fariba Mohammadimanesh, Bahram Salehi, Brian Brisco, Saeid Homayouni, Eric Gill, Brian Huberty, and Megan Lang. "Meta-Analysis of Wetland Classification Using Remote Sensing: A Systematic Review of a 40-Year Trend in North America." Remote Sensing 12, no. 11 (June 10, 2020): 1882. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs12111882.
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North America is covered in 2.5 million km2 of wetlands, which is the remainder of an estimated 56% of wetlands lost since the 1700s. This loss has resulted in a decrease in important habitat and services of great ecological, economic, and recreational benefits to humankind. To better manage these ecosystems, since the 1970s, wetlands in North America have been classified with increasing regularity using remote sensing technology. Since then, optimal methods for wetland classification by numerous researchers have been examined, assessed, modified, and established. Over the past several decades, a large number of studies have investigated the effects of different remote sensing factors, such as data type, spatial resolution, feature selection, classification methods, and other parameters of interest on wetland classification in North America. However, the results of these studies have not yet been synthesized to determine best practices and to establish avenues for future research. This paper reviews the last 40 years of research and development on North American wetland classification through remote sensing methods. A meta-analysis of 157 relevant articles published since 1980 summarizes trends in 23 parameters, including publication, year, study location, application of specific sensors, and classification methods. This paper also examines is the relationship between several remote sensing parameters (e.g., spatial resolution and type of data) and resulting overall accuracies. Finally, this paper discusses the future of remote sensing of wetlands in North America with regard to upcoming technologies and sensors. Given the increasing importance and vulnerability of wetland ecosystems under the climate change influences, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review in support of the continued, improved, and novel applications of remote sensing for wetland mapping across North America and to provide a fundamental knowledge base for future studies in this field.
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Boutsoukis, Christos, Ioannis Manakos, Marco Heurich, and Anastasios Delopoulos. "Canopy Height Estimation from Single Multispectral 2D Airborne Imagery Using Texture Analysis and Machine Learning in Structurally Rich Temperate Forests." Remote Sensing 11, no. 23 (December 1, 2019): 2853. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs11232853.
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Canopy height is a fundamental biophysical and structural parameter, crucial for biodiversity monitoring, forest inventory and management, and a number of ecological and environmental studies and applications. It is a determinant for linking the classification of land cover to habitat categories towards building one-to-one relationships. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) or 3D Stereoscopy are the commonly used and most accurate remote sensing approaches to measure canopy height. However, both require significant time and budget resources. This study proposes a cost-effective methodology for canopy height approximation using texture analysis on a single 2D image. An object-oriented approach is followed using land cover (LC) map as segmentation vector layer to delineate landscape objects. Global texture feature descriptors are calculated for each land cover object and used as variables in a number of classifiers, including single and ensemble trees, and support vector machines. The aim of the analysis is the discrimination among classes in a wide range of height values used for habitat mapping (from less than 5 cm to 40 m). For that task, different spatial resolutions are tested, representing a range from airborne to spaceborne quality ones, as well as their combinations, forming a multiresolution training set. Multiple dataset alternatives are formed based on the missing data handling, outlier removal, and data normalization techniques. The approach was applied using orthomosaics from DMC II airborne images, and evaluated against a reference LiDAR-derived canopy height model (CHM). Results reached overall object-based accuracies of 67% with the percentage of total area correctly classified exceeding 88%. Sentinel-2 simulation and multiresolution analysis (MRA) experiments achieved even higher accuracies of up to 85% and 91%, respectively, at reduced computational cost, showing potential in terms of transferability of the framework to large spatial scales.
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Ascensão, Fernando, Marcello D'Amico, Ricardo C. Martins, Rui Rebelo, A. Márcia Barbosa, Joana Bencatel, Rafael Barrientos, et al. "Distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberian Peninsula." NeoBiota 64 (January 11, 2021): 1–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.64.55597.
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We present a dataset that assembles occurrence records of alien tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) in the Iberian Peninsula, a coherent biogeographically unit where introductions of alien species have occurred for millennia. These data have important potential applications for ecological research and management, including the assessment of invasion risks, formulation of preventive and management plans, and research at the biological community level on alien species. This dataset summarizes inventories and data sources on the taxonomy and distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberia Peninsula, comprising known locations from published literature, expert knowledge and citizen science platforms. An expert-based assessment process allowed the identification of unreliable records (misclassification or natural dispersion from native range), and the classification of species according to their status of reproduction in the wild. Distributional data was harmonized into a common area unit, the 10 × 10 km Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system (n = 6,152 cells). The year of observation and/or year of publication were also assigned to the records. In total, we assembled 35,940 unique distribution records (UTM × species × Year) for 253 species (6 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 218 birds and 13 mammals), spanning between 1912 and 2020. The species with highest number of distribution records were the Mediterranean painted frog Discoglossus pictus (n = 59 UTM), the pond slider Trachemys scripta (n = 471), the common waxbill Estrilda astrild (n = 1,275) and the house mouse Mus musculus (n = 4,043), for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, respectively. Most alien species recorded are native to Africa (33%), followed by South America (21%), Asia (19%), North America (12%) and Oceania (10%). Thirty-six species are classified by IUCN as threatened in their native range, namely 2 Critically Endangered (CR), 6 Endangered (EN), 8 Vulnerable (VU), and 20 species Near Threatened (NT). Species maps are provided in DataSet1, as well R code and GIS layers to update them as new records are obtained.
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Ascensão, Fernando, Marcello D'Amico, Ricardo C. Martins, Rui Rebelo, A. Márcia Barbosa, Joana Bencatel, Rafael Barrientos, et al. "Distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberian Peninsula." NeoBiota 64 (January 11, 2021): 1–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.64.55597.
Full textAbstract:
We present a dataset that assembles occurrence records of alien tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) in the Iberian Peninsula, a coherent biogeographically unit where introductions of alien species have occurred for millennia. These data have important potential applications for ecological research and management, including the assessment of invasion risks, formulation of preventive and management plans, and research at the biological community level on alien species. This dataset summarizes inventories and data sources on the taxonomy and distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberia Peninsula, comprising known locations from published literature, expert knowledge and citizen science platforms. An expert-based assessment process allowed the identification of unreliable records (misclassification or natural dispersion from native range), and the classification of species according to their status of reproduction in the wild. Distributional data was harmonized into a common area unit, the 10 × 10 km Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system (n = 6,152 cells). The year of observation and/or year of publication were also assigned to the records. In total, we assembled 35,940 unique distribution records (UTM × species × Year) for 253 species (6 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 218 birds and 13 mammals), spanning between 1912 and 2020. The species with highest number of distribution records were the Mediterranean painted frog Discoglossus pictus (n = 59 UTM), the pond slider Trachemys scripta (n = 471), the common waxbill Estrilda astrild (n = 1,275) and the house mouse Mus musculus (n = 4,043), for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, respectively. Most alien species recorded are native to Africa (33%), followed by South America (21%), Asia (19%), North America (12%) and Oceania (10%). Thirty-six species are classified by IUCN as threatened in their native range, namely 2 Critically Endangered (CR), 6 Endangered (EN), 8 Vulnerable (VU), and 20 species Near Threatened (NT). Species maps are provided in DataSet1, as well R code and GIS layers to update them as new records are obtained.