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Topic Review
Vermicompost and Its Derivatives against Phytopathogenic Fungi
Vermicompost, a natural product obtained after decomposition of organic matter by the activity of earthworms, contribute to valuable bioavailable nutrients and use full microbes to increase soil fertility. The application of vermicompost in agriculture has resulted in remarkable improvements in crop yield as well as in crop health and nutritive qualities; it increases the soil mineral content, which enhances the survival of valuable microbes.
  • 704
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Benthic Diatoms in River Biomonitoring
The European Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) has been implemented over the past 20 years, using physicochemical, biological and hydromorphological elements to assess the ecological status of surface waters. Benthic diatoms (i.e., phytobenthos) are one of the most common biological quality elements (BQEs) used in surface water monitoring and are particularly successful in detecting eutrophication, organic pollution and acidification. Herein, we reviewed their implementation in river biomonitoring for the purposes of the WFD, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages over other BQEs, and we discuss recent advances that could be applied in future biomonitoring. Until now, phytobenthos have been intercalibrated by the vast majority (26 out of 28) of EU Member States (MS) in 54% of the total water bodies assessed and was the most commonly used BQE after benthic invertebrates (85% of water bodies), followed by fish (53%), macrophytes (27%) and phytoplankton (4%). To meet the WFD demands, numerous taxonomy-based quality indices have been developed among MS, presenting, however, uncertainties possibly related to species biogeography. Recent development of different types of quality indices (trait-based, DNA sequencing and predictive modeling) could provide more accurate results in biomonitoring, but should be validated and intercalibrated among MS before their wide application in water quality assessments.
  • 692
  • 25 May 2021
Topic Review
Effects of Sunflower Phenolamides on Infected Bumblebees
Bees may forage on specific floral resources to face parasite infection. Such natural resources are comparable to ‘natural pharmacies’ and may be favoured in bee conservation strategies. Consumption of sunflower pollen, despite being detrimental for larval development, has been recently shown to reduce the load of a widespread bumble bee gut parasite in the common eastern bumble bee. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unknown, it has been suggested that sunflower phenolamides—a family of molecules found in most flowering plants—may be responsible for such a reduction in parasite load. 
  • 681
  • 06 Apr 2022
Biography
James Francis White
Dr. James F. White, Jr. is Professor of Plant Biology at Rutgers University where he, students and collaborators conduct research on beneficial and endophytic microbes that inhabit plant cells and tissues. Dr. White obtained the Ph.D. in Botany/Mycology from the University of Texas, Austin. Dr. White is the author of more than 350 articles and book chapters, and author and editor of reference bo
  • 678
  • 19 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Land-Use Intensification on Plant–Pollinator Interactions
Permanent grasslands are main habitats for many plant species and pollinators. Their destruction as well as their intensification has a major impact on plant and pollinator biodiversity, which has a cascading effect on pollination. However, we lack an understanding of these effects, thereby limiting our ability to predict them. In this review, we synthesised the literature on the mechanisms behind this cascade to provide new insights into the relationship between land-use intensification and pollination. By matching functional traits that mediate the relationship between the two trophic levels, we identified major knowledge gaps about how land-use intensification affects plant–pollinator interactions and how it favours plants with generalised floral traits, which are likely harmful to pollination.
  • 676
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
European Mouflon on Vegetation
The mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon) is an introduced ungulate in continental Europe. It has adapted well to its occupied habitats over the last 150 years. Its growing population has drawn increasing attention to its impact on autochthonous species, especially in endangered ecosystems. Its allochthonous character, habitat selection, and feeding led scientists to question the raison d’etre of mouflons. The mouflon’s space use and foraging strategies highlighted some pressure elements it exerts on those habitats. Mouflon trampling damage may be behind the degradation of rare, endangered grasslands.
  • 673
  • 26 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Rusty Grain Beetle
Cryptolestes ferrugineus, the rusty grain beetle, is a cosmopolitan pest that has adapted to cool and warm climates due to its unique biology, ecology, and behavior. The rusty grain beetle is a pest of high economic importance; hence, understanding their biology, ecology, and behavior could be useful in designing effective management strategies.
  • 657
  • 23 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Nepalese Alder
Nepalese alder (Alnus nepalensis), a plant of the alder genus Alnus in the family of Betulaceae, is described in the Flora of China as growing in river beach wetlands or gully terrace forests at a wide range of altitudes between about 700 and 3600 m. It grows fast in warm and humid environments, with a height exceeding 13 m over 5 years, and it has a strong carbon sequestration capacity.
  • 649
  • 12 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Animals Microbially Mediated Chemical Ecology
Microbial symbionts are nowadays considered of pivotal importance for animal life. Among the many processes where microorganisms are involved, an emerging research avenue focuses on their major role in driving the evolution of chemical communication in their hosts. Volatiles of bacterial origin may underlie chemical communication and the transfer of social information through signals, as well as inadvertent social information.
  • 643
  • 07 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Bacterial Degradation of Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons occur in fossil fuels such as crude oil and consist mainly of hydrogen and carbon. They are natural chemicals, crude oil refining results in commercial products with new physico-chemical properties, which can increase their complexity and toxicity, and hamper their degradation. The presence of biodiverse natural microbial communities is a prerequisite for an effective homeostatic response to the various hydrocarbons, that contaminate ecosystems.
  • 638
  • 13 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Methodology: Seabirds to Oil Spills
Oil spills can have a serious negative effect on seabirds. Numerous studies have been carried out for relative vulnerability assessment of seabirds to oil, with the majority of such works based on ordinal quantities.
  • 625
  • 18 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Environmental DNA Based Methods (Sensu Stricto)
Worldwide biodiversity loss points to a necessity of upgrading to a fast and effective monitoring method that can provide quick conservation action. Newly developed environmental DNA (eDNA) based method found to be more cost-effective, non-invasive, quick, and accurate than traditional monitoring (spot identification, camera trapping). 
  • 617
  • 06 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Graph Metrics for Deepening Landscape Characterization
Graph metrics allow the description of landscape heterogeneity in the same way as classical metrics, and they consider compositional, configurational, and topological characteristics. Some graph metrics that consider topology provide new information owing to the application of topological relationships that are not necessarily based on a Euclidian space. A graph analytical perspective enables the incorporation of new biophysical information related to ecological processes beyond the conventional LULC categories applied in classical landscape analysis. Consequently, more complex ecological questions can be addressed, for example, relationships between ecological processes at the level of topology or topological relationships between processes beyond the traditional dimensions.
  • 607
  • 11 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Net Primary Productivity of Forest Ecosystems in Karst
The net primary productivity (NPP) of forest ecosystems is an important factor for understanding the carbon budget of forest ecosystems. There have been many studies on the spatialtemporal characteristics and change trends of the NPP in southwest areas based on observation and remote sensing models. With serious water and soil loss and rocky desertification the environment has become sensitive and fragile, so karst areas have become one of the most vulnerable ecological areas in China. The delicate ecological environment and frequent human activities make it difficult to restore the vegetation in the karst area once it is damaged; the damage affects ecosystem services and other functions and leads to fluctuations in the carbon sequestration and sink enhancement capacity in the area. Therefore, combining, analyzing and summarizing the research regarding forest NPP in karst areas is of great importance for improving the estimation accuracy and assessment of carbon storage and sequestration potential in this area.
  • 596
  • 14 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Conserving Refugia
Refugia play an important role in contributing to the conservation of species and communities by buffering environmental conditions over time. 
  • 586
  • 12 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Plasticity in Chemical  Plant Recognition in Herbivorous Insects
Chemical communication is very important in herbivorous insects, with many species being important agricultural pests. They often use olfactory cues to find their host plants at a distance and evaluate their suitability upon contact with non-volatile cues. Responses to such cues are modulated through interactions between various stimuli of biotic and abiotic origin. In addition, the response to the same stimulus can vary as a function of, for example, previous experience, age, mating state, sex, and morph.
  • 579
  • 10 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Plant Microbial Fuel Cells
PubMed (NCBI) has pointed to an exponential growth of publications on the subject of a “biofuel cell” in the first decade of our century, and this interest persisted throughout the following years. It should be noted that biofuel elements based on microorganisms (microbial fuel cells, MFCs) are a promising technology to produce bioelectricity since they simultaneously solve the problems of contamination with anthropogenic organic waste, which can be used by microorganisms as a source of carbon and energy.
  • 574
  • 27 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Landolt Indicator Values in Modern Research
The conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability is essential for human well-being. An important tool for addressing this issue is ecological indicators. 
  • 574
  • 02 Apr 2024
Topic Review
Monitoring of Ecological Response to River Restoration
Nature-based solutions are widely advocated for freshwater ecosystem conservation and restoration. As increasing amounts of river restoration are undertaken, the need to understand the ecological response to different measures and where measures are best applied becomes more pressing. 
  • 564
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
NIRS in Wild Rodents’ Research
The near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) method proved to be a useful tool to determine the amount of a particular food ingredient in the diet from faeces or chyme and to estimate the food quality.
  • 561
  • 17 Jan 2022
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