In Argentina, the Chaco region stands out as one of the most severely affected by the deforestation of native forests and their replacement with agricultural fields. In this context, protected areas play a fundamental role in the conservation of biodiversity, the maintenance of vital ecological processes, and the provision of ecosystem services alongside cultural benefits. Termites, due to their capacity to significantly alter their environment through biological activities, are commonly referred to as "ecosystem engineers." Their role as indicators of climate change is increasingly employed due to their sensitivity to environmental changes, which reflect alterations in the environment.

This study analyzes termite diversity in a private reserve and a sustainably managed cattle ranching located in Chaco Province, Argentina. In both sites, transects of 100 m x 2 m were delimited, divided into 20 sections of 5 m x 2 m each, with a collection effort of 1 man-hour per section. All microhabitats up to 2 m in height were surveyed. Nesting was measured, and 12 soil samples of 12 cm x 12 cm x 10 cm were taken randomly from each section. All specimens found were preserved in vials labeled with 80% alcohol for transport to the laboratory, where they were identified. Sixteen species of the Kalotermitidae and Termitidae families were recorded, representing 40% of the species richness previously documented in the Province of Chaco. They were classified into four dietary groups. This demonstrates the importance of protected areas in preserving not only the taxonomic diversity but also the functional diversity of key organisms such as termites.

Invasive alien species such as the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) have remained linked to humans for millennia, initially as commensals and currently as companion animals. In urban environments, their populations increase due to the care provided by citizens, which can have a negative effect on the biodiversity concentrated in parks and gardens. To see the effect that the presence of cats has on birds, fixed observation points were chosen in areas with historic gardens in the city of Granada (Spain), such as the Alhambra monumental complex, a place where a feline colony is managed through the TNR method. Five-minute counts of both bird abundance and richness were performed. Cats were more abundant on average in areas where there were feeding points, and depending on the area (with or without the presence of feeding points), the abundance of cats had a significant effect on the abundance and richness of birds in the studied area. In areas near the feeding points, the abundance and richness of birds were lower and the number of cat contacts present in the area was greater (3.17 ± 0.32; range 0-12 cats), while in the areas where there were no feeding points, bird abundance and richness were greater, with a lower number of cat contacts (0.14 ± 0.02; range 0-2 cats). This work highlights the negative effect of cat feeding points and the abundance of cats on birds. A possible management measure in the monumental complex could be to feed the cats of the feline colony at a single (or a maximum of two) feeding point, located in one of the areas with the greatest influx of tourists, with little vegetation, thereby reducing the impact that both domestic cats and tourist overcrowding have on them.

Introduction. The main purpose of the cryopreservation of drone semen is to make possible its use for the artificial insemination of queen bees to enable reproductive abilities on the same level as in bees inseminated by fresh semen. The most widespread methods for the cryopreservation of drone semen are freezing in liquid nitrogen vapor and programmable freezing. The most widespread form of cryopreservation for honeybee semen is using straws. However, the impact of liquid nitrogen on a sample in a straw is larger, as the surface area of the sample is increased. The purpose of this study is to comparatively assess both straws and cryovials in the programmable freezing of drone semen. Methods. The survival rate of spermatozoa was assessed according to overall motility and membrane integrity (viability) through a staining method using 1% eosin solution. Results. During the comparative analysis of the cryopreservation forms studied, it was revealed that cryovials are credibly superior to straws in programmable freezing at a rate of 1–3°/min, as shown by the overall motility (U = 3166.5 – 3637, p ˂ 0.05) and viability (U = 2786.5, p ˂ 0.05) of spermatozoa. The cryopreservation conditions influenced the quality of frozen-thawed semen. The overall motility of spermatozoa frozen in cryovials and straws at a rate of 1°/min was shown to be credibly higher in comparison with samples frozen at a rate of 3°/min (t = 2.3 and t = 2.9, p ˂ 0.05). Conclusion. As such, the cryopreservation of drone semen in cryovials has a manifest advantage over that using straws, in particular with a slower programmable freezing rate of 1°/min.

When a non-native species remains in an invaded community for some time, long-term effects on community diversity and ecosystem functioning are expected, as are changes in trophic interactions between species. The blue soft coral Latissimia ningalooensis, presumably of Indian Ocean origin, was first detected in the wild in the tropical southeast Atlantic in Brazil in 2017. This study provides novel information on the trophic relationship that has developed between L. ningalooensis and 29 other benthic marine species in a food web on shallow tropical rocky reefs which have been invaded. The difference in the species composition of invaded areas and control areas was also assessed. L. ningalooensis showed δ¹⁵N values close to those of macroalgae, suggesting that its symbiosis with zooxanthellae represents an essential source of energy in addition to the suspension feeding. An apparent opportunist--generalist consumer, the arrow crab Stenorhynchus seticornis showed values of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N, aligned as a probable consumer of L. ningalooensis. The difference in species composition between the invaded and control areas, and an increase in the abundance of L. ningalooensis in shallow areas, suggests that a mechanism exists which will allows its further expansion into more favorable locations, so we encourage management such as the continuous monitoring of the invaded area and eradication.

Nature's unique mechanisms hold the key to some promising strategies. In particular, nature's self-cleaning mechanism against pollution burdens both protects ecosystems and prevents the degradation of biodiversity. Although Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a new concept today, it represents DNA obtained from any environmental sample. That is, it includes DNA collected from different ecosystems without an isolated organism, originating from body cells or organism waste. eDNA studies have gained popularity in the last decade. This popularity is due to the fact that the eDNA technique never harms any ecosystem or biodiversity (including endemic species in water and soil ecosystems). Its environmental friendliness makes eDNA an efficient biomonitoring technique compared to traditional methods. Traditional monitoring methods include the visual identification or manual collection of organisms. The main disadvantages of these methods compared to eDNA are cost and time. eDNA is a revolutionary method for studying biodiversity in water and soil ecosystems. It is also used by environmental scientists to monitor living bio-indicators in cases of pollution in receiving water and soil environments. This review aims to review the literature on 'Environmental DNA (eDNA)' from different international scientific databases and to discuss the applicability and effectiveness of eDNA in the field of biodiversity.

Introduction: Endangered endemic medicinal plants are facing the risk of habitat destruction, overexploitation, and climate change. Predicting their potential distribution accurately using species distribution models (SDMs) can help prevent the loss of plant diversity and ecological destruction caused by climate change. Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff., also known as mountain celery, is a valuable edible and medicinal plant species that is unique to the central Zagros highlands. It is utilized in traditional medicine and contains bioactive components with pharmacological properties. However, due to the environmental impact of population growth, the plant is now at serious risk of extinction.

Methods: In this study, we utilized a maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to determine the potential distribution of K. odoratissima in one of the main centers of its distribution, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, under two representative concentration pathways (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5) for the 2050s and 2070s.

Results: The MaxEnt model was effective, as evidenced by an AUC value exceeding 0.9. The results indicated that the distribution of this taxon was primarily influenced by the soil organic carbon content, precipitation seasonality (Bio15), and precipitation of the wettest month (Bio13). The model predicted a reduction in suitable habitats for K. odoratissima under all scenarios in the 2050s and 2070s.

Conclusions: These findings are significant for the preservation, management, and continued study of this endangered and medically valuable plant in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.

The Namuncurá-Burdwood Bank Marine Protected Area (N-BB MPA) is the first of its kind located on the Continental Shelf of the Argentine Republic. It was designated as an MPA in 2013 due to its oceanographic characteristics, the significance of its ecosystems with a high degree of biodiversity and endemism, and the potential for human impact. Geomorphologically, the Burdwood Bank (53º 40’ - 55º S; 62º - 60º 40’ W) consists of a submerged plateau with an approximate area of 28,000 km², with depths ranging from 50 to 200 meters on the plateau's surface and extending to 4000 meters on the southern bounding slope. In 2018, the southern slope was incorporated as a conservation area, resulting in the formation of the Namuncurá-Burdwood Bank II MPA.

Sea anemones represent a significant component of intertidal and subtidal benthic communities, influencing their structure and function. Understanding the biodiversity of sea anemones within the N-BB MPA is crucial, particularly for conservation decision-making. Preliminary reports and species lists of sea anemones within N-BB MPA I and II and adjacent areas have identified eight species: Dactylanthus antarcticus, Bolocera kerguelensis, Isosicyonis alba, Actinostola crassicornis, Phelliactis cf. lophohelia, Hormathia pectinata, Actinauge langicornis, and Paractis leavis. Detailed analysis of samples and data obtained from campaigns conducted in the area by CONICET (Argentina) in 2016 and 2017 has expanded this knowledge. This study adds the species Stomphia selaginella and Scytophorus striatus to the list of species present in the N-BB MPA and adjacent areas. Additionally, these are the first records of S. striatus on the Argentine Continental Shelf, thus expanding the list of sea anemones documented in Argentine territory.

Native potatoes (Solanaceae) are an important Andean crop due to their excellent culinary quality, good flavor, and floury texture. They also contain vitamins, protein, minerals, and carbohydrates. In Peru, it is possible to observe an abundant morphological diversity of native potatoes grown in the Andean region. Native potatoes are cultivated and conserved mainly by old peasants in the highlands of the geographical department of Amazonas in Peru. However, this crop is disappearing due to the lack of knowledge of many farmers, limited studies on native potatoes, and climate change. To close this gap, as a first step, collecting trips in potato-producing localities in the geographical department of Amazonas were conducted in 2023 and 2024. These expeditions resulted in the collection of 96 native potato accessions as tubers from three provinces and 10 districts from Amazonas. This genetic material is currently under a regeneration process in the greenhouse of UNTRM. Then, DNA will be extracted from young fresh tissue and these will be shipped for whole-genome sequencing. A morpho-agronomic evaluation of this germplasm will be conducted in two locations in the present growing season, and a new cycle of evaluation will be performed in the following season. Genetic diversity parameters and population structures will be estimated from an SNP panel, and together with the morpho-agronomic data, a genome-wide association analysis will be carried out. This is the first comprehensive expedition of potatoes in the Amazonas. In the near future, genomic prediction models will be evaluated for enhancing the selection of accessions within this UNTRM potato germplasm, incorporating top genotypes into breeding programs. We expect that these efforts will stimulate additional work on potatoes in other geographical departments in the Peruvian Andes, alleviating poverty in rural areas.

Bulgarian ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) have been studied intensively by many native and foreign scientists. Here, we present three new species for the country. The data were obtained between 2001 and 2021 on several field trips.

Agonum carbonarium Dejean, 1828 is a hygrophilous beetle with very disjunct populations dwelling in bog-like habitats in the high-mountain belts. It inhabits a vast area ranging from the Pyrenees over the mountains of Europe and the Caucasus to the Far East of Russia. It is a polytypic species with four subspecies. Populations of A. carbonarium from the Balkan Peninsula still have an unclear taxonomic status, mostly due to the lack of material. This species has wide pronotum and fovea-like setiferous pores on the third elytral interval, and it cannot be mistaken with any other Agonum known in Bulgaria.

Harpalus fuscipalpis Sturm, 1818 has a wide distribution, from central Europe to China, and is also found in the Nearctic region. It has been considered a synonym of Harpalus fuscicornis Sturm, 1818, but there are proven differences in their morphology and aedeagus, confirming their separation.

Lionychus fleischeri Reitter, 1908 has a limited distribution in just a few territories in Europe, where it is represented by three subspecies. The discovery of L. fleischeri in Bulgaria rasises questions about its taxonomical belonging. Most probably, it belongs to the ssp. fleischeri, but it is possible that it actually represents a separate form. The species differs from Lionychus quadrillum (which is widely distributed in Bulgaria and Europe) by the absence of spots on the elytra—they are unicoloured, black, glossy, with a green metallic sheen, and by the hind angles of the pronotum, which are without distinct denticles.

The first species was collected from 2450 m a.s.l. in the Rila Mts., while the other two species were collected from the Struma River valley.

Species identification based on mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) is now considered as a powerful marker in molecular taxonomy. The current study was conducted with the aim to test the efficacy of the COI gene in randomly collected bats specimens from two different areas of Punjab, Pakistan. The carcass bat samples were collected randomly from two areas in Punjab, Pakistan (District Pakpattan and District Bahawalpur) and further processed for DNA extraction in a laboratory with a DNA extraction kit. The barcode gene was amplified using the primer pair PBCOIdF and PBCOIdR1 for bats collected from District Pakpattan and primer pair PBCOIdF and PBCOIdR2 for bats collected from the Bahawalpur District. The barcode sequences of specimens collected from the Pakpattan District (n=4) and the Bahawalpur District (n=3) revealed a 100% identity match with the species Sotophilus heathii and a 97-100% identity match with species Taphozous nudiventris on NCBI BLASTN, respectively. The sequences generated in the study were clustered through a neighbour joining tree along with an additional dataset from GenBank of similar and closely related species from other countries. The intraspecific and interspecific genetic distances were also calculated, which showed a definite relation with the geographical distances of similar and closely related species from other locations. The sequences generated in the study were submitted to GenBank and can be used as a public database through assigned accession numbers.

This study strongly supports the credibility of DNA barcoding for species identification and encourages scientists in Pakistan to conduct more studies based on molecular taxonomy.