Studying the current range of species presence is crucial for ecologists and related scientists to understand potential habitats and the influence of environmental factors on species distribution. In this study, we used species distribution modeling (SDM) to look into where the yellow-bellied gecko, also known as the northern house gecko (Hemidactylus flaviviridis Rüppell, 1835), lives in Iran. We achieved this by combining four machine learning algorithms: Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Maximum Entropy (Maxent), and Generalized Linear Model (GLM). We utilized 19 historical bioclimatic variables, the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), slope, aspect, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). After calculating their correlation, we selected variables for modeling with a variance inflation factor (VIF) of less than 10. The findings indicate that the variables "Precipitation of the Coldest Quarter" (BIO19) and "Mean Temperature of Wettest Quarter" (BIO8) have the most significant influence on the species' distribution. The gecko primarily inhabits low elevations and slopes, particularly those below 400 meters above sea level with slopes less than 8 degrees, primarily in southern Iran. Additionally, we found that the NDVI had minimal impact on the distribution of the species. Therefore, we identify the provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr, and Hormozgan, along with parts of the coastal strip of Sistan and Baluchistan, as suitable areas for the current presence of this species.

The Peruvian Paso Horse (PPH) is a breed native to Peru. It is important socially and economically and is classified as a flagship product. However, very little is known about its genetics, thus limiting the development of a genetic improvement program and conservation. Even though genomic tools are widely available for different animal species of importance, such as horses and cattle, the PPH remains abandoned. Moreover, its phylogenetic relationship, together with the genetic and population structure components of the PPH, are still limited. Here, we sequenced the whole genome of a representative individual of the PPH using long and short reads and obtained 160 GB and 74 Gb of raw data, respectively. Hi-C sequencing will show the three-dimensional chromosome structure of this breed, and RNA-Seq reads will determine its gene expression. In addition, a total of 150 hair samples from the tail and mane of the PPH were recently collected in the geographic departments of Lima and Arequipa in order to genotype them with an SNP chip, attempting to determine the genetic structure and diversity of this Peruvian breed. Currently, we are in the process of sending the DNA samples to an external service. In the meantime, we are using different bioinformatic tools to assemble and annotate the mitochondrial and whole genome of the PPH. We expect to obtain our final results before the year comes to an end. Finally, the use of these modern tools may stimulate other Peruvian researchers to study our abundant zoogenetic resources for conservation and breeding purposes, promoting their sustainable use.

Karst springs are extremely diverse in terms of morphology, microhabitat structure, hydrology and hydrogeology and consequently unique in their composition of aquatic invertebrate communities. The two studied karst springs of the Gacka River in Croatia, Majerovo and Tonkovića Vrilo, are large limnocrenous springs located in different sub-catchments. They differ in terms of groundwater residence time, discharge regime and self-purification capacity of the water. Invertebrate meiofauna and macrozoobenthos samples were collected seasonally following the modified AQEM protocol to (1) assess the structure and abundance of the benthic assemblages in different microhabitats in relation to ecological and spatial correlations in each spring; (2) assess and compare the habitat preferences of the aquatic invertebrate community; and (3) assess the variation in habitat preferences at the microhabitat level. A total of 70 invertebrate subsamples from dominant inorganic and organic substrates were collected along 100 metres of each spring. Most physico-chemical water parameters differed significantly between the two springs, with values generally lower in Majerovo Vrilo. Primer 6.1 SIMPER analysis identified vegetation and animal taxa that were most responsible for the multivariate distance between seasonal samples and showed that isopods and amphipods were most abundant in both springs during all sampling periods. Invertebrate species richness was significantly higher in Tonkovića Vrilo, where the higher concentrations of dissolved ions were measured. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) of ordination plot revealed a separation of invertebrate assemblages between springs at the microhabitat level. The classification of vegetation-animal assemblages into types based on microhabitats is intended to characterize the life requirements of each recorded species. This study has shown the importance of overlaying multifunctional ecological data to assess land-use changes in different sub-catchments of two neighbouring springs.

Chacididae is one of the important families in Chalcidoidea in terms of biological control. Its members are pupal parasitoids of most lepidopterans and can be easily differentiated by having an enlarged hind femur with variable teeth on the ventral side. Currently, more than 1500 valid species across five subfamilies have been documented worldwide. In India, the Chalcididae fauna was extensively studied during the 1990’s, and more than 250 valid species were found to be present under five subfamilies, while only 14 species are reported to be from central India. In this study, surveys were undertaken from 2019 to 2023 to document the chalcidid wasp fauna from central India, with special reference being made to Chhattisgarh state. Random surveys were taken in more than 20 sites across the Chhattisgarh state, including the permitted forest areas, and an abundance of chalcidid wasps situated at various altitudes across four elevation gradients was recorded. A total of 350 individuals belonging to four subfamilies were collected, and the documentation of more than 50 species across eleven genera was performed. Haltichellinae and Dirhininae were the most dominant subfamilies, while Epitraninae was the least documented one in terms of abundance, and Brachymeria, Antrocephalus, and Hockeria were found to be the most speciose genera. Based on the surveys, Chalcididae fauna are more diverse in 250-500 msl and 750 msl gradients. Dirhinus himalayanus and Dirhinus claviger have been found across the gradients, while many of the species were restricted to particular elevation ranges. Species diversity is discussed with respect to elevation gradients, and an irregular spread has been found across the state.

Squirrelpox virus (SQPV) is a poxvirus that affects squirrel species. The affected species are the European red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), the American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and the Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). S. carolinensis acts as a reservoir of SQPV but does not display clinical signs of the disease and is responsible for its transmission to native squirrels in Europe. The first grey squirrels were introduced in England in 1876. The first confirmed case of SQPV in Europe was in East Anglia in the 1980s, and since then, the virus has spread to other regions of the UK and other European countries. In S. vulgaris, the disease is characterized by multifocal skin fibroma (tumours) and ulcerative and exudative dermatitis with hemorrhagic scabs. Animals became lethargic, emaciated and eventually die. Currently, SQPV has only been detected in red squirrel populations that have contact with grey squirrels. SQPV is believed to be transmitted horizontally through direct contact between infected and susceptible squirrels, through contact with the infected lesions or contaminated crusts. The virus can also be transmitted indirectly through environmental contamination, such as contaminated feeders, surfaces, and mosquitos. In the UK, grey squirrels have been able to spread 17 to 25 times faster through competitive exclusion of the red squirrel due to the increased mortality of reds from the SQPV. At the moment, vaccines have been developed against this virus, but further work is required to develop a method of administering an oral vaccine to red squirrels in the wild to stop this disease and the decline of the population.

Honey bee reproductive behavior involves a complicated mating system comprising a number of factors, which include but are not limited to environmental and human-induced aspects. Honey bee breeders have developed reproductive techniques involving artificial insemination and natural mating to maintain bee genetic material. Controlled breeding in isolated mating stations is a prerequisite to maintain genetic resources in honey bees through natural mating. The concept of controlled mating is a challenge in most beekeeping operations due to its low mating success rate. A detailed investigation on the suitability of isolated mating stations is of interest. We bred two subspecies of honey bees (Apis cerana koreana and Apis mellifera L.) in isolated mating stations (islands) from 2021 to 2023 and in an open breeding station in 2023, in the Republic of Korea. Our results demonstrate that the highest percentage of mating success rate in isolated mating stations was recorded on Wido Island, which has the highest percentage of bare land, as well as coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests and fields. Mating success rates were higher in summer and spring for A. cerana and A. mellifera, respectively. Mating success rates were higher in open mating (Wanju) compared to isolated mating (island) and did not vary between pure breeding and cross-breeding lines. Our findings suggest that mating stations in mixed forests and fields are potential sites for the successful breeding of honey bees.

The body condition of animals, as a proxy of individual fitness, is often assessed using the body condition index (BCI) and is important in evaluating life histories, reproduction, conservation resource management, and the impact of climate change. We will present the results of the first multi-species analysis of the BCI of small mammals in the middle latitudes, focusing on nearly 30,000 individuals from 18 species trapped in Lithuania between 1980 and 2023, comparing BCIs among species, and assessing variations based on age, gender, and reproductive status. We used a BCI calculated as BCI = (Q/L³) × 10⁵, where Q is the body weight in grams (the weight of the uterus with embryos excluded for pregnant females), and L is the body length in millimeters. Our results showed that seven of the eight species with the highest average BCI are granivores or omnivores, consuming animal food at least occasionally. Two distinct ontogeny patterns were observed: BCI either decreased or increased from juvenile to adult, likely due to dietary differences. Reproductive stress was found to negatively impact the BCI of adult females across all species and nearly all adult males. Additionally, two shrew species occasionally exhibited the Chitty effect, characterized by a high body mass and very high BCI, formerly not known for these species. This study enhances our understanding of how environmental changes affect small mammals and highlights the need for further analyses considering habitat dynamics, long-term variation in BCIs, and its value in relation to diet.

The cryptic bumblebee species of Bombus lucorum-complex are one of the challenges for conservation management. They are morphologically indistinguishable in much of their range, which in most cases leads to misidentification. Among the regions of Northern Europe, reliable data on their distribution exist for Britain, Ireland, and Finland. In this paper, we studied the distribution of cryptic species of B. lucorum-complex, i.e. B. terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), B. lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761), and B. cryptarum (Fabricius, 1775) in Northern European Russia. The species B. lucorum-complex are among the most widely distributed in Northern Europe. There are some data for the Kola Peninsula, whereby DNA barcoding confirmed the presence of only B. cryptarum among this complex. In general, there is actually no information on the distribution of the species of B. lucorum-complex in Northern European Russia.

We studied over 300 specimens. Morphological characters were used for initial species identification. After that, we used the PRC-RFLP method. For the verification of this method, the prepared samples were transferred for molecular analysis. B. cryptarum was found in the northern and southern part of the Murmansk Region. B. lucorum was recorded only in the south of this region. In Karelia, the higher the proportion of B. lucorum in the samples is in the southern part of the region. Among the species of Bombus lucorum-complex, three species were found in the Arkhangelsk Region, i.e., B. cryptarum, B. lucorum, and B. terrestris. Only B. cryptarum is recorded in the extreme northern localities of this region. B. terrestris is found only in the south–east of the Arkhangelsk Region. This pattern is generally consistent with what is known for Finland, i.e., B. cryptarum are dominant among the species of B. lucorum-complex in bumblebee communities in Northern Fennoscandia.

A large-scale survey of helminths in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Russia was initiated by the author in 2018. A previous similar study was conducted in 1930-60 by K. I. Skrjabin, V. Yu. Mizkewich, and other Soviet scientists. Climate change, human expansion in the Arctic region, and animal introductions and translocations might have intensified the presence of helminth fauna in reindeer.

More than 500 fecal samples of wild and semi-wild reindeer were collected throughout Russia from Murmansk Oblast in the West to Chukotka in the East and from Franz Josef Land in the North to Buryatia and Altai in the South. This research covered nature reserves, agricultural units, and all the zoos in Russia. When possible, autopsy was also performed. In total, about 200 reindeer were examined post mortem. Fecal samples were processed via larvoscopic and ovoscopic (flotation and sedimentation) techniques, along with fecal examination (in order to find macrohelminths). DNA analyses were made of adult worms and larvae primarily by targeting the internal transcribed spacer region.

The diversity of helminths found via fecal examination is represented by Fasciola hepatica; Paramphistomum spp.; Dicrocoelium spp.; Moniezia expansa; Moniezia spp.; small strongylids, including Ostertagia gruehneri (major morph) and O. arctica (minor morph), O. leptospicularis, and O. ostertagi; Nematodirus spp.; Nematodirella longissimespiculata; Dictyocaulus spp.; Elaphostrongylus rangiferi; Orthostrongylus spp.; Varestrongylus eleguneniensis; Trichuris spp.; Capillaria spp.; Ascaris mosgovoyi; and Skrjabinema tarandi. The helminths recovered via autopsy were Paramphistomum spp.; Dicrocoelium chinensis; Oesophagostomum; Dictyocaulus spp.; E. rangiferi; Trichuris discolor; Setaria spp.; Onchocerca flexuosa; Onchocerca spp.; Echinococcus spp.; and Taenia spp.

The following helminths were reported for reindeer in Russia for the first time: Orthostrongylus spp., Varestrongylus eleguneniensis, Oesophagostomum spp., and T. discolor. The Orthostrongylus spp. and T. discolor nematodes were reported for the first time for reindeer at the world scale.

Characterization is a crucial step in germplasm conservation, as it reveals important information on the traits of the genetic resources, ensuring their maximum utilization by the end users and justifying conservation efforts. Under the increasing effects of climate change, germplasm characterization is gaining prominence, as it is essential to identify the underutilized resources that are potentially resilient to changing environmental conditions. Silkworm, Bombyx mori, an economically beneficial Lepidopteran insect utilized for the production of silk, forms an important part of the agro-ecosystem. The insect, being highly sensitive to external environments, faces a huge threat in the future. The Central Sericultural Germplasm Resources Centre, India, plays an important role of systematically conserving 490 Bombyx mori genetic resources. It comprises a broad genetic base, which is necessary to cope with climate change and maintain silk productivity. This paper discusses the steps taken towards the characterization and evaluation of genetic silkworm resources for unique traits, with an emphasis on their adaptability and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress through observation, as well as use of molecular tools. The challenges and future strategies of ex situ germplasm conservation through modern techniques like cryopreservation, DNA banks, as well as expanding the genetic base of the collection are explored as a future course of action.