Insect Conservation and Diversity

Wildflower plantings are an important conservation measure for supporting wild bee diversity. They aim to enhance floral resources for nutrition, but do not explicitly consider that bees also require suitable nesting and overwintering resources. Wildflower plantings may provide nesting habitat for ground-nesting bees, but the effects of soil management, e.g. ploughing, on ground-nesting bees are hardly known. To study how ploughing and age of wildflower plantings affect ground-nesting bees, we sampled bees on ploughed and unploughed wildflower plantings aged 0-4 years. We used emergence traps to sample bees directly after emergence from the ground, allowing inference on nest numbers. We found that ploughing and wildflower planting age negatively affected overwintering bee nest numbers. Nesting peaked in the year of wildflower planting establishment and declined thereafter, indicating lower habitat suitability at later successional stages. Annual ploughing caused the greatest reduction in nest numbers (-72 %), providing evidence for an ecological trap.

AimWe develop Atta leafcutter-ants as bioindicators that respond at fine scales to geographic and seasonal climate changes in the Americas, thereby addressing the paucity of versatile insect bioindicator systems capable of monitoring climate in both Southern and Northern Hemispheres. LocationAmerican tropics and sub-tropics from latitudes S33.6{degrees} to N33.2{degrees}, with case studies from Colombia, Mexico, and southern USA. Time Period2012-2024. Taxon StudiedAtta leafcutter-ants. MethodsWe elucidate biogeographic patterns of mating-flight phenology of Atta leafcutter-ants across the entire Atta range from Uruguay/Argentina to the USA, using 2335 records of Atta reproductives from the community database iNaturalist, then ground-truth these patterns by comparison with (i) mating-flight records (n=806) from the Atta literature; and (ii) mating-flight observations (n=836) accumulated by a consortium of experts who have researched Atta for a combined 1000+ work-years. Onset of mating flights can be timed with great precision in Atta populations because mass-mating flights are synchronized and triggered by the first major rainfall of a rainy season. ResultsBiogeographic patterns in climate-dependent mating-flight phenologies recorded at iNaturalist are corroborated by observations accumulated in the literature and by Atta experts. Analyses reveal so-far unknown gradients in mating-flight phenology (e.g., Colombia to USA) that are correlated to geographic climate gradients, and season switches of mating flights from early to late in the year between proximate Atta populations (e.g., 200 kilometers apart), for example in the climatically complex Andean regions of Colombia. Regional differences in Atta mating-flight phenology correspond to temporal differences in rainfall between ecoregions of Colombia. Main ConclusionsAtta ants are tractable insect bioindicators to monitor climate impacts with detailed spatial and temporal resolution across a 9200-kilometer trans-equatorial transect in the Americas. We outline future research directions to explore climate-dependent biology using the continuously growing, and now ground-truthed, information at iNaturalist on Atta mating behavior.

Madagascar hosts exceptional biodiversity and endemism, yet its native bee fauna remains poorly characterised. We assembled and cleaned the first comprehensive occurrence dataset for Malagasy bees, reducing 10,721 raw records to 4,071 validated occurrences covering 218 georeferenced species of the 224 checklist species across six families (89.3% endemic). Despite near-complete checklist coverage, the dataset remains critically sparse for Madagascar's size, with most species documented by only a few records. Sampling was highly uneven across taxa: most genera were underrepresented while a few were disproportionately sampled due to ecological prevalence, detectability, and collector specialisation. Spatial concentration within limited grid cells amplified these biases. Temporally, effort varied markedly, with historical peaks driven by individual collectors and a post-2010 shift toward Apidae-dominated records. Spatially, 79.9% of 25x25 km grid cells intersecting Madagascar held no bee records, and 77.1% of records fell within 2.5 km of roads, mirroring global sampling patterns. Sampling clustered near major cities, with common species consistently found near roads and rare species spread across wider distance ranges. Among 231 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), 68.4% were entirely unsampled; sampled KBAs held only 26.7% of all records, and sampling remained uneven even there, leaving substantial undetected diversity across most sites. These results reveal pervasive temporal, spatial, taxonomic, and collector-driven biases, underscoring the need for targeted surveys within KBAs and beyond roadsides to improve coverage of data-deficient species and strengthen conservation assessments.

Elevational gradients provide a framework for understanding how environmental filtering reorganises communities and interactions, but plant-pollinator interactions along temperate forest elevational gradients remain overlooked. We studied early-spring understorey communities at four forest sites spanning the foothills towards the timberline (450-1,000 m a.s.l.) in the Krkono[s]e Mountains, Czechia. Across six transects per elevation, we quantified flowering plant species richness, floral resources and traits, and video-recorded flowers, yielding 4,003 pollinator visits. We analysed elevational patterns in species richness, community composition, floral traits, and quantitative network characteristics. Visitation frequency and flowering plant and pollinator species richness peaked at intermediate elevations. The contribution of dipteran relative to hymenopteran pollinators increased towards higher elevations, principally because of non-hoverfly flies, whereas individual bee groups showed no uniform response. Floral resources and traits showed no uniform elevational responses, although total nectar sugar availability peaked at the highest site because of the dominant Vaccinium myrtillus. Most notably, both network-level specialisation and mean species-level specialisation were generally greater at the two higher elevations, whereas nestedness was lower and other network characteristics showed no consistent patterns. These findings suggest that shifts in pollinator composition and dominant floral resources potentially shaped interactions along the gradient. The increasing specialisation with elevation contrasts with the generalisation often expected under reduced partner availability and indicates that forest networks may follow elevational patterns not predicted from open habitats. Despite limited site-level replication, this study provides, to our knowledge, the first community-wide characterisation of plant-pollinator interactions along a temperate forest elevational gradient and identifies patterns requiring evaluation across replicated gradients.

Understanding the spatial distribution of species and their patterns of endemism is necessary for establishing effective conservation priorities. Despite the vital pollination services bees provide, Californias native bee distribution patterns remain largely unexplored relative to plants and butterflies. We analyzed bee species richness and endemism across California and their concordance with plant distributions. Richness was high across areas of the California Floristic Province, including the Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast, South Coast Ranges, and the Transverse and Peninsular ranges. Bee endemism was more localized, concentrated in the San Joaquin Valley, eastern Sierra Nevada and adjacent Great Basin, Sierra Nevada foothills, and California deserts. Because richness and endemism appear to operate at different spatial scales and likely respond to different environmental drivers, effective conservation strategies must address both. Additionally, conservation plans that incorporate both plant and bee diversity are needed to achieve more comprehensive biodiversity protection.

Land-use change, such as the transformation of woody ecosystems into open pastures, acts as a strong ecological filter, favouring some species while excluding others according to differences in ecological niche breadth. Understanding how differences in niche breadth influence species responses under anthropogenic filters is crucial to anticipate their persistence or displacement. In this study, we quantified realized niche breadth in two sympatric ecosystem engineers, the Neotropical leaf-cutter ants Atta cephalotes and Atta laevigata, to test whether breadth differences are consistent with specialist and generalist ecological strategies. We characterized realized niche breadth across fine-scale environmental gradients by integrating hemispherical photography, microclimatic data, mound architecture, and edaphic profiles from 114 colonies across a regional transect in the Colombian Andes, alongside macroclimatic data from Copernicus. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and PERMANOVA identified canopy openness and bushes- and tree-type vegetation density as the principal axes of interspecific niche partitioning. The observed differences in realized niche breadth were consistent with specialist and generalist ecological strategies. A. laevigata was predominantly associated with open-canopy areas, warmer micro- and macroclimatic conditions, and narrower edaphic dispersion. In contrast, A. cephalotes occupied a wider range of microhabitat conditions. This broader realized niche breadth is compatible with previous reports of A. cephalotes occurring in urban areas. Together, these findings suggest that niche breadth may influence how Neotropical leaf-cutter ants respond to habitat transformation, helping to understand the ecological consequences of land-use change.

To implement adequate nutritional landscapes to bumble bees and inform conservation efforts, we need a better understanding of how different pollen sources impact bumble reproductive performances and phenology. We assessed the impact of multiple native pollen on bees reproductive success by feeding 40 wild-caught Bombus impatiens and B. griseocollis queens with either commercially wildflower pollen mix commonly used to breed Bombus queens (control group) or 75% red maple pollen (Acer rubrum) and 25% pollen mix (RM group). In a second experiment, we monitored the reproductive success of 45 microcolonies of workers, harvested from B. impatiens colonies. Microcolonies were fed either: 1) pollen mix (N=15), 2) pollen mix and hawthorn (Crataegus canadensis, N=15), or 3) pollen mix and sumac (Rhus typhina, N=15). In experiment 1, RM significantly increased reproductive outputs for both species. RM-fed founding queens were twice more likely to produce workers, and produced them significantly earlier, though total number of workers did not vary between groups. However, RM-fed founding queens produced significantly more brood cells, males and gynes than control colonies, and produced them significantly earlier. In experiment 2, we found an interaction between initial colony diet and current microcolony diet. Overall, workers harvested from RM-fed colonies produced significantly more brood cells and males than workers harvested from control colonies. However, when fed hawthorn pollen during experiment 2, workers from control colonies performed as well as workers from RM-fed colonies. This suggests carry-over effects from early pollen sources provided to colonies on workers, which may be circumstantially offset by pollen sources with specific nutrient profile. Using detailed nutritional information of each pollen (including data on 32 nutrients), we provide nutritional requirements of pollen to support bumble bee reproduction, especially regarding vitamin B3 and vitamin C contents. This study will help inform land managers and captive breeding programs on the ideal pollen sources for bumble bees to ensure reproductively successful colonies.

Tropical Atta leafcutter-ant colonies reach a maximum lifespan of 15-20 years because each colony has only a single queen, queens live for maximally 15-20 years, and colonies do not requeen after queen death. At the northern range limit of leafcutter ants in Louisiana, however, we found that the mortality rate of Atta texana colonies is consistent with a life expectancy of 65-75 years and a maximum colony lifespan exceeding 100 years. Annual mortality of established A. texana colonies in Louisiana is only 1-2% compared to 10-25% in tropical Atta species. Exceptional longevity of A. texana colonies is due to (i) absence of Nomamyrmex army-ant predators specialized to raid Atta colonies; (ii) polygyny of A. texana colonies, creating a unique social organization in A. texana colonies that differs from the monogynous colonies typical for all other Atta species; and (iii) adoption of young queens by old colonies, possibly facilitated by low genetic diversity in range-limit populations of A. texana. Centenarian longevity of A. texana colonies was so far unknown because, from the 1930s to the turn of the century, research prioritized eradication of A. texana as a forestry pest, and landscape-wide pesticide application by aircraft eliminated old A. texana colonies. After the most harmful pesticides were banned 30-50 years ago, A. texana populations recovered, yet A. texana required decades to regain its earlier niche in the forest ecology. In undisturbed habitat, well-established old A. texana colonies with large territories appear to recruit young queens especially well. Old age of a colony therefore does not necessarily increase mortality as in typical lifespan-limiting processes where age drives senescence and mortality (old age [->] mortality); instead, well-rooted residency that is correlated to age of an A. texana colony increases the chance of rejuvenation via queen adoption, reduces or eliminates reproductive senescence of a colony, and consequently prolongs colony lifespan (well-established residency [->] rejuvenation [->] long life). Large size attained in old age imparts potentially unending life.

The expansion of global trade has increased the risk of unintentional introductions of woodboring insects outside their native ranges, which can cause considerable ecological and economic damage. Monitoring efforts for native and non-native species of woodborers rely heavily on semiochemical-baited traps. With the goal of improving detection efforts of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and their associates, we conducted field bioassays in loblolly pine dominated and bottomland hardwood forest ecosystems, which are representative of subtropical Louisiana. We tested the impact of attractant composition, trap design, and the application of a friction reducing compound on the capture of longhorned beetles. We compared the Synergy Multi-Trap System with and without Fluon, and the Synergy Funnel Trap II with Fluon, baited with multicomponent cerambycid lures and ethanol or ethanol alone. In total, we collected 5,303 beetles comprising 44 species. Traps baited with cerambycid lures and ethanol captured ~11X more individuals than the traps baited with ethanol. We identified novel attractants for 6 species of longhorned beetles. When Fluon was applied, both the Synergy Multi-Trap System and Funnel Trap II were equally effective at capturing cerambycids. Application of Fluon significantly increased the trap capture of the Synergy Multi-Trap System by ~4X compared to the same trap type without Fluon. Our results contribute to our understanding of the factors influencing trap captures and the chemical ecology of woodboring insects thereby helping the development of early detection and rapid response monitoring programs in subtropical regions of the United States and elsewhere.

Deadwood is a fundamental component of forest ecosystem, supporting biodiversity and driving multiple ecological processes. However, structures that may develop on downed coarse woody debris (CWD) create additional microhabitats that are used by numerous organisms and contribute to small-scale habitat heterogeneity. To date, quality of CWD is commonly characterized by its volume, diameter, tree species or stage of decomposition, while fine-scale structures occurring there remain not surveyed and their role in ecosystem is rarely quantified. Here, we introduce the novel concept of microhabitats on CWD. i.e. Deadwood-related Microhabitats (DreMs), defined as distinct features occurring on CWD that may provide shelter, breeding or foraging sites for forest-dwelling organisms. Using an original catalogue comprising 14 groups and 30 types, we inventoried DreMs on 6,003 CWD across 423 study plots located in best-preserved old-growth forests in Poland. We quantified the frequency and richness of DreMs and assessed the link between CWD characteristics and DreM richness in spruce, beech, willow-poplar, fir-beech and oak-lime- hornbeam forests. All inventoried DreMs occurred on both deciduous and coniferous taxa. The most frequent DreM included bryophyte mats, loose bark patches, insect galleries, fungal fruiting bodies and polypores. DreM richness increased with CWD diameter, more complex architecture and the presence of multiple decay classes within single debris. DreM richness peaked at intermediate decay classes and was higher on deciduous than on coniferous taxa. Our study is the first large-scale qualitative and quantitative assessment of DreMs in temperate forests. By focusing on forests characterized by ecological continuity and minimal human-related disturbance, the results provide a reference for downed deadwood-associated structures. By complementing inventory of tree-related microhabitats, DreMs extend potential monitoring schemes of habitat quality and contribute to biodiversity-oriented forest management. Highlights* Downed coarse woody debris (CWD) hosts Deadwood-related microhabitats (DreMs) * Higher DreM richness is associated with CWD diameter * DreM richness peak at intermediate stages of wood decay * CWD of deciduous taxa support more DreMs than coniferous * Diversified CWD and DreMs increase habitat heterogeneity for forest-dwelling taxa

Understanding how closely related species coexist in highly seasonal and unpredictable environments is central to studies of ecological differentiation and niche partitioning. We investigated the feeding ecology of sympatric populations of Microcebus murinus and M. griseorufus within a contact zone in Andohahela National Park, southeastern Madagascar, across dry and wet seasons. Using a combination of direct behavioral observations (1,611 feeding records), fecal sample analyses (n = 56), and vegetation phenology surveys, we quantified dietary composition, seasonal shifts in resource use, and habitat-related variation. Seasonal changes in diet were pronounced, with dry-season feeding dominated by exudates and wet-season diets incorporating greater proportions of fruit and flowers, closely tracking phenological patterns at both sites. Diets of both species were dominated by plant resources, but consistent interspecific differences in dietary strategy were evident. Although both species consumed comparable proportions of insect prey, M. murinus showed pronounced wet-season increases in the use of high-sugar, carbohydrate-rich floral resources (15.9%) and hemipteran-associated honeydew (30.6%). In contrast, M. griseorufus relied more consistently on predictable exudates throughout the year. Fecal analyses supported observational data but revealed differences in the detectability of dietary components, with increased representation of invertebrates in the wet season and seeds in the dry season. These results indicate substantial dietary overlap but consistent differences in resource use, suggesting that coexistence is facilitated by fine-scale trophic differentiation within a broadly shared omnivorous niche. Such subtle but persistent differences in feeding strategy likely reduce competitive overlap and enable continued sympatry in a climatically variable and resource-limited system.

Frugivory is essential for the maintenance of tropical forests, influencing seed movement, spatial structure, and ecosystem functioning. Although frugivory interactions are well documented at local scales, we still know relatively little about how network structure varies across biogeographic regions, particularly in equatorial lowland forests. In this study, we compare frugivory networks in lowland forests in the Guiana Shield (South America), Malaysia (Southeast Asia), and Central Africa (Gabon and Cameroon). Because these sites occur at similar latitudes, they provide a useful setting to examine how evolutionary history and biogeographic context, rather than climate alone, might shape the structure of the network. We analyze patterns across regions, focusing on implications for frugivory interactions and, ultimately, seed dispersal. Guided by the Integrative Hypothesis of Specialization (IHS), we focus on the role of megafauna and other large-bodied frugivores, which are important consumers of large fruits and dispersers of large seeds, and have experienced different historical trajectories in each continent. We also considered whether smaller frugivores, such as rodents, might partially compensate for the loss of Megafauna in the Americas through seed handling and caching behavior. The pantropical comparison revealed structural and functional differences between the studied frugivory networks. In the Guianas, lacking megafauna, the frugivory network showed strong modularity with nestedness within modules, forming a marked compound topology. Alternatively, in Central Africa, with elephants and great apes, the network showed intermediate modularity and nestedness, reflecting a balance between local compartmentalization and regional integration. Finally, in Malaysia, the network was predominantly nested, with a few highly connected species, especially figs and flying foxes, that linked most of the partners. Across continents, frugivory networks tend toward a compound topology, but the relative influence of modular and nested components shifts with biogeography, evolution, and ecology.

The accelerated loss of biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa threatens the functioning of tropical ecosystems. In Cote dIvoire, the Comoe National Park (PNCOMOE), a Sudano-Guinean savannah, and the Tai National Park (PNTAI), a dense rainforest, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, are home to fauna assemblages of global importance, whose long-term resilience remains insufficiently quantified. This study assesses and compares, over a decade (2014-2025), the functional stability of vertebrate communities in these two contrasting ecosystems, using nine metrics covering resistance, invariance, persistence, interspecific synchrony, Tilmans stability, Jacobian resilience and a Composite Stability Index (CSI). Abundance data for 107 vertebrate species were collected via foot transects at PNTAI and aerial surveys at PNCOMOE. The stability metrics were calculated using the R package estar, integrated with an alpha diversity analysis (Shannon H', species richness S, Pielous evenness J') and a Jacobian spectral analysis within a multidimensional ecological assessment. PNTAI (0.708) exhibits significantly higher alpha diversity (H' = 2.82; S = 55.7 taxa) and community resilience 4.6 times higher than in the PNCOMOE (0.153). Its interspecific asynchrony index (0.504) reveals a strong portfolio effect, absent in the PNCOMOE (0.232). In contrast, PNCOMOE exhibits higher temporal invariance (0.382 versus 0.116) and Tilman stability (0.276 versus 0.152), reflecting more predictable dynamics. The overall ICS favours the PNTAI (0.484) and (0.370). The Jacobian analysis detects local instability in both parks (Re({lambda}max) = 5.58 at the PNTAI; 3.73 at the PNCOMOE). The two parks exhibit distinct yet complementary stability architectures: PNTAI relies on dynamic stability based on resilience and interspecific compensation, whilst PNCOMOE demonstrates conservative stability through temporal regularity. The absence of calculable resilience at PNCOMOE suggests a potential crossing of a functional degradation threshold, arguing for urgent restoration interventions and differentiated conservation strategies, tailored to the resilience mechanisms specific to each ecosystem.

Rapid urbanization is altering the seasonal life cycles, or phenology, of urban trees. Diverse species composition and heterogeneous urban thermal environments can generate pronounced phenological variation within cities, yet such fine-scale seasonality remains poorly understood. This limits the ability to anticipate localized ecosystem services and disservices, including canopy cooling and pollen exposure. Here, we analyzed individual-tree phenology and their response to temperature across 76 cities in the contiguous United States by integrating municipal street-tree inventories, PlanetScope satellite time series, and 1-km near-surface urban air-temperature data. We quantified intra-city and cross-city phenological variation, estimated species-level associations between phenology and fine-scale urban temperature, and tested whether these associations vary with regional climatic context. Intra-city phenological variation rivaled cross-city variation for 33.3% of species in spring and 53.7% in fall. Temperature-phenology associations were widespread: warmer local urban environments were associated with earlier spring onset in 51.5% of cases and delayed fall senescence in 66.5%, with approximately two-thirds of these responses cascading to longer growing seasons. These associations varied with regional climate, generally showing stronger spring advancement and fall delay in cooler and wetter cities, but weaker or reversed responses in hotter or drier cities. Together, these results suggest that urban tree phenology is shaped by interactions among fine-scale urban temperature, species identity, and regional climate. Accounting for this heterogeneity can improve predictions of urban forest function and inform climate-resilient species selection and management. Plain Language SummaryStreet trees within the same city do not all leaf out in spring or lose their leaves in fall at the same time. This seasonal timing, called phenology, affects services such as shade and cooling, as well as disservices such as pollen exposure. We studied individual tree phenology and their temperature response in 76 U.S. cities using street-tree records, satellite observations, and local air-temperature data. We asked how much phenology varies within cities, how it responds to neighborhood-scale temperature differences, and whether these responses depend on regional climate. Variation within a city was often as large as variation among cities, especially in fall. Trees in warmer parts of cities generally leafed out earlier and lost their leaves later, often extending the growing season. However, these responses were stronger in cooler and wetter cities and weaker or sometimes reversed in hotter or drier cities. These findings show that urban tree seasonality depends on local temperature, species identity, and regional climate, which should be considered when selecting and managing trees for future cities. Key PointsO_LISubstantial within-city phenological variation is not captured by city-level averages. C_LIO_LIFine-scale temperature shaped phenology and growing-season length, but responses varied across species, cities, and phases. C_LIO_LITemperature sensitivity depended on regional climate, weakening or reversing in hotter or drier cities. C_LI

Among Madagascar primates, the sportive lemurs (family Lepilemuridae) have seen their species diversity increase from eight in 2005 to 26 in 2009 mostly by applying the phylogenetic species concept to DNA barcode data. Despite the genus being speciose, only one case of sympatry is known from northern Madagascar, where two sportive lemur species described based on low mtDNA divergence, Lepilemur ankaranensis and Lepilemur milanoii, were found to co-occur at the center of their joint distribution range. Here, to clarify the taxonomy of these two species and examine their sympatry, we apply an integrative taxonomic framework to genomic and morphological data from 84 individuals of L. ankaranensis and L. milanoii, encompassing their entire distribution range and the forest of Analafiana, beyond their southernmost limit. Using clustering, multivariate, and isolation by distance analyses, we find no evidence of a sympatric zone and show that despite clear genetic differentiation between regions, the genomic and morphological diversity of the L. ankaranensis, L. milanoii-Analafiana group is clinal and explained by geographic distance. These results clarify that L. milanoii is a junior synonym of L. ankaranensis and that the Analafiana forest population belongs to L. ankaranensis, extending its distribution. It further implies that the 'sympatric' zone, the Andrafiamena forest, hosts conspecific individuals with slightly differentiated mtDNA backgrounds, rather than slightly differentiated sympatric species. Lastly, we re-evaluate the IUCN conservation metrics of L. ankaranensis, which continue to qualify as Endangered (EN) under the B1ab(i-v) criteria.

Identifying reliable indicators of dengue vector habitat is critical for proactive surveillance and spatially targeted vector control. Bird communities are sensitive to habitat quality and landscape condition, and their functional diversity may track ecological conditions that support Aedes mosquito populations. We tested whether bird functional diversity predicts dengue vector presence across two working landscapes in Costa Rica, comparing bird-based predictors against landscape composition, vegetation structure, and plant diversity. Bird functional dispersion (FDis), the spread of species in multidimensional trait space, was the top-ranked predictor for Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larval presence and for adult Ae. aegypti, outperforming all other predictor classes. Probability of presence declined with increasing FDis, where functionally homogeneous bird communities, characteristic of disturbed landscapes, co-occur with higher vector presence, consistent with shared habitat filtering. Functional diversity estimations may offer a practical signal for identifying habitats at elevated dengue vector risk.

Predation is a major selective force shaping lemur behaviour and population dynamics, yet direct observations remain rare, particularly for small nocturnal species. Here, we document predation on mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp., Cheirogaleidae) in Andohahela National Park, south-eastern Madagascar, and using complementary evidence from radio-telemetry and owl pellet analyses. Two radio-collared individuals were confirmed as prey of endemic snakes, Ithycyphus oursi and Madagascarophis meridionalis (both Pseudoxyrhophiidae), representing the first documented records of Microcebus predation by these species. Examination of owl pellets and prey remains from three sites and from three owl species revealed a single predation event by Asio madagascariensis (Strigidae), likely involving M. tanosi, no evidence of mouse lemur predation by Tyto alba (Tytonidae) despite high local prey availability, and a single and first predation record from Athene superciliaris (Strigidae). Material from A. superciliaris roosts was otherwise dominated by invertebrates, indicating that primate predation is likely opportunistic. Together, these findings expand the known predator guild of mouse lemurs and suggest that snake predation is rarely detected, and its contribution to mouse lemur mortality and population dynamics is likely underestimated. Our findings demonstrate how combining behavioural field observations with dietary evidence can uncover otherwise undetected predation events and clarify predator prey relationships in nocturnal primates.

Biodiversity aggregators such as GBIF provide unprecedented access to global biodiversity data, yet their representativeness remains uneven across space and taxa. This study examined the spatial and taxonomic structure of global vascular plant data available on GBIF. Six filters were applied to the GBIF vascular plant dataset, resulting in the removal of 54% of all records. Together, the filters explained more than 90% of the identified spatial issues, with duplicate and missing coordinates accounting for most of the variation. A higher number of occurrence records was associated with a greater number of spatial issues. Record distributions became progressively more even at finer taxonomic levels, from orders to species. The time series of occurrences for species, genera, and families increased sharply after 1800 and continued to rise, with no apparent stabilisation. Of the 824 ecoregions covered, 73 accounted for 72% of all occurrence records. These ecoregions spanned all continents but were strongly concentrated in Europe, followed by North America and Oceania. The analyses reveal four key patterns: (1) data volume is positively associated with spatial issues; (2) a small number of taxa account for a large proportion of records, whereas many are represented by relatively few; (3) occurrence data aggregated by GBIF have increased continuously since 1800; and (4) record coverage remains highly uneven across the world's ecoregions. These results highlight the substantial contribution of biodiversity data aggregators to expanding access to biological information while demonstrating the persistent spatial and taxonomic biases that shape their contents. Such biases should be explicitly considered when assessing data completeness and quality and when using aggregated occurrence records to infer global biodiversity patterns.

Understanding the spatial patterns of biodiversity and their environmental determinants is fundamental to ecology and conservation, particularly in mountainous transitional zones where species assemblages can shift rapidly. Amphibians, as highly sensitive organisms, are excellent indicators of environmental change, yet quantitative assessments of their diversity in the Huangshan Mountains-a biodiversity hotspot at the junction of the Palaearctic and Oriental realms in southern Anhui, China-remain limited. We conducted systematic line-transect surveys across 200 grids (5 km x 5 km) during the spring and autumn of 2023 and 2024, recording a total of 10,342 individuals belonging to 23 species, 20 genera, 9 families, and 2 orders. Three species (Fejervarya multistriata, Microhyla fissipes, and Bufo gargarizans) were identified as dominant, and two nationally protected species (Hoplobatrachus chinensis and Andrias davidianus) were detected. Inter-annual alpha diversity did not differ significantly, but pronounced seasonal variation was observed, with spring supporting higher Shannon-Wiener and Pielou evenness than autumn in both years. Using generalized additive models and model averaging, we found that annual precipitation and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were consistently the strongest positive predictors of Shannon-Wiener diversity, Simpson dominance, and species richness, while species richness also declined significantly with increasing human footprint. Total beta diversity (Soerensen dissimilarity) was very high (0.981) and overwhelmingly driven by species turnover (97.86%) rather than nestedness. Partial Mantel tests and distance-based redundancy analysis further revealed that environmental distances-particularly annual precipitation-significantly shaped overall beta diversity and its turnover component after accounting for geographic distance. These results highlight the predominant role of climatic and vegetation gradients in structuring amphibian assemblages in this subtropical mountainous region, providing baseline data to inform local conservation strategies.

AimHere we aim to disentangle species-specific bioclimatic drivers of forest site productivity and project their future dynamics, providing a spatially explicit basis for anticipating climate-driven shifts in productivity and their implications for forest carbon sequestration. LocationIberian Peninsula. Time period1985-2014 (calibration); 2071-2100 (projected under CMIP6 scenarios). Major taxa studied21 Iberian tree species. MethodsWe used Site Form (SF) maps derived from the Third Spanish National Forest Inventory, spatially interpolating plot-level SF estimates as a continuous productivity index and relating them to 25 bioclimatic variables. Multiple linear regression models were selected via complementary stepwise and subset regression and validated on independent hold-out data (80%/20% split). ResultsValidated [Formula] ranged from 0.46 (Quercus faginea) to 0.97 (Pinus pinaster); 17 of 21 species reached [Formula]. BI013 precipitation of the wettest month), not BI014, was the most frequently retained predictor (15/17); BI014 was retained in only (11/17 models with a near-even sign split. Combining projected changes in mean productivity and habitat extent under SSP5-8.5, fifteen of sixteen applicable species lose total productivity by 2071-2100, six -- including Fagus sylvatica and Betula alba -- collapsing to below 1% of their reference-period value; only Pinus pinaster gains, and only under the lowest-emission pathway (up to 175%) -- under SSP5-8.5 it too loses productivity, albeit less than any other species (35% of its reference-period value retained). Limiting warming to SSP1-2.6 spares Mediterranean pine and oak species but not Euro-Siberian and montane ones. Main conclusionsThese validated, extrapolation-aware models reveal a near-universal, climate-driven collapse in Iberian forest site productivity, with direct implications for the carbon-sink potential currently attributed to these forest types, and provide a route to dynamic, climate-aware carbon-uptake estimates for the region.