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Topic Review
Cross-Amplification in Strigiformes: A New STR Panel
Strigiformes are affected by a substantial decline mainly caused by habitat loss and destruction, poaching, and trapping. Moreover, the increasing trend in bird trade and the growing interest in wild-caught rather than captive-bred birds are expected to encourage illegal trade. The biomolecular investigation represents a valuable tool to track illegal trade and to explore the genetic variability to preserving biodiversity. Microsatellite loci (STRs) are the most used markers to study genetic variability. Despite the availability of species-specific microsatellite loci in Strigiformes, a unique panel permitting the description of the genetic variability across species has not been identified yet.
  • 392
  • 19 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Distribution of the Lampriformes in the Mediterranean Sea
Lampriformes are circumglobally distributed and contain several families of strictly marine bony fishes that have a peculiar morphology. Lampriformes systematics is affected by limitations in biometric, meristic, and molecular data; for this reason, it underwent several rearrangements in the past. Knowledge scarcity is due to their solitary nature, in addition to their low to absent economic value. Despite this, the order Lampriformes represents a taxon of high biological and ecological importance. The high depth range of distribution characterizes their lifestyle. In the Mediterranean Sea, four families are present—Lampridae, Lophotidae, Regalecidae, and Trachipteridae—with the following species respectively, Lampris guttatus (Brünnich, 1788), Lophotus lacepede (Giorna, 1809), Regalecus glesne (Ascanius, 1772), Trachipterus arcticus (Brünnich, 1788), T. trachypterus (Gmelin, 1789), and Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819). 
  • 341
  • 03 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Diversity and Cold Resistance of Polar Arthropods
Arthropods—insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans—comprise the bulk diversity of species on Earth, with some taxa that have survived all five mass extinction events in evolutionary history (e.g., horseshoe crabs). Situated at opposite ends of the Earth, the polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic) are some of the most harsh, remote, and inhospitable habitats on the planet. All polar-dwelling arthropods are exposed to cold temperatures, often below the freezing point of their body fluids. Resident species, at least to some degree, have a variety of adaptations that allow them to tolerate these local conditions.
  • 338
  • 16 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Diversity of Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev. in Ghana
Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev. is an indigenous tree species that are found in West African rainforest zones. It is an underutilized fruit tree species that have been targeted for improvement as part of efforts to domesticate high-value indigenous multi-purpose trees for fruit and seed production in Africa. Allanblackia has several benefits, such as providing shade, timber, and medicine; however, the production of edible oil from its seeds is the economically most important use. There is evidence that the Allanblackia seed oil, which is used for cooking, the production of margarine and the manufacturing of ointments and soap, is being developed as a new agri-business in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Tanzania. Despite the nutritional and socio-economic importance of A. parviflora, it is still at the early stages of its domestication process.
  • 1.3K
  • 08 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Domestication Process of African Vigna Species
Legumes are one of the most economically important and biodiverse families in plants recognised as the basis to develop functional foods. Among these, the Vigna genus stands out as a good representative because of its relatively recent African origin as well as its outstanding potential. Africa is a great biodiversity centre in which a great number of species are spread, but only three of them, Vigna unguiculata, Vigna subterranea and Vigna vexillata, were successfully domesticated.
  • 518
  • 04 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Ecological Succession Theory
In addition to states of space that are supposedly to be aspired to or maintained, which are often the subject of heated, acrimonious debates, there are temporary states of equilibrium in time that mirror the overarching cycle of life, have been the subject of research for a very long time, and are well documented and conceptually understood: namely, ecological succession. The knowledge and understanding of succession is irreplaceable to have a chance today to ground and resolve such mentioned debates about multiple claims and uses of spaces nowadays. For example, a main challenge of the current time is that large areas of land are needed for renewable energy production, and production sites should be designed to include biodiversity preservation. Decision-makers need guidance for reasonable coexistence. Succession theory can indeed provide substantial background and guidance.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Ecosystem Services Potential of Endemic Floras
Natural, sustainable products arise in many fields, wild plants are reconsidered as providers of traditional or innovative applications. The notion of ecosystem services (ES) provides a frame to evaluate their benefits, but is still scarcely applied to endemic floras.
  • 379
  • 31 May 2022
Topic Review
Ecosystem Services Provided by Seaweeds
The ecosystem services can be divided using two major classification systems, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) and the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). In the MEA system, the ecosystem services are divided into four major service clusters: supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural. On the other hand, the CICES system regards the “MEA supporting services” as organism natural function (and not an ecosystem service). Thus, this function is the basis for all the three CICES ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, and cultural) provided by one organism. These ecosystem services can be analyzed for the type of habitat, fauna or flora. Seaweeds, or marine macroalgae, are one of the key organisms in estuarine and seawater habitats ecosystems, which currently is of extreme importance due to the climate changes and the blue–green economy. Seaweeds and humankind have been interlinked from the beginning, mainly as a food source, fibers, biochemicals, natural medicine, ornamental resources, art inspiration, and esthetic values in several coastal communities. Moreover, currently they are being studied as green carbon, carbon sequestration, and as a possible source for the biomedical and pharmaceutical areas. 
  • 789
  • 18 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Enhancing Biocultural Diversity of Wild Urban Woodland
In the vortex of the environmental and ecological crises, it is clear that the cosmopolitan way of living is facing uncertainty with no easing in sight. Looking beyond the horizon at what the aftermath will yield, it is quite clear that the meaning of urbanity has to be transformed; the urban life has to support social and ecological well-being, and the city has to intertwine more closely with nature. Therefore, wild urban woodlands (WUWs), often morphologically exclusive, culturally contradictory, and biologically heterogeneous, are recognized together with the other informal wilderness of the city as catalyzers of a newly constructed identity and the first line of defense when the question of the socio-ecological resilience of the city is raised. 
  • 292
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Eurasian Griffon Vulture
Among species of Gyps, the Eurasian griffon G. fulvus is the most widespread vulture across Europe, Asia and Africa, with a reproductive distribution extending from Kazakhstan and Nepal to southern Europe via the Caucasus. The species is now considered extinct as a breeding species in North Africa, where mainly records of nomadic juveniles or migratory overwintering adults are reported.
  • 329
  • 23 Feb 2023
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