Where, When, and How Much Should We Pay for Wind Erosion Prevention Services of the Largest Chinese Grassland Reserve?

The large-scale and cross-regional payment for ecosystem services (PES) contributes positively to ecology-economy balance and thus helps prevent environmental challenges such as "sand storm". However, existing PES programs often overlook the connection between service-providing areas (SPAs) and service-benefiting areas (SBAs). Here, we developed an interregional PES framework based on the theory of ecosystem services flow and applied it to the largest Chinese grassland nature reserve, Xilingol Prairie, to quantitatively identify SPAs, SBAs, and flow paths of the ecosystem wind erosion prevention service (WEPS). We showed that, from 2000 to 2020, the grassland ecosystem of Xilingol Prairie had brought an annual WEPS benefit of 1.21 × 108 t/a and economic value of 12.44 × 108 CNY/a, accounting for approximately 107.71% of the GDP in the same area and year and with a slightly increasing trend in most areas. We reveal obvious seasonal (over half in the spring) and interannual variations in the benefit and that Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Northeast China are the most important beneficiaries of WEPS, rather than Beijing and Tianjin as traditionally thought. Our results warn that the WEPS supply capacity will not last long and call for finer spatial (e.g., among cities) and temporal (e.g., focus on the spring) resolution for PES policy design.

Description of a new endemic Enteromius (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the upper Malagarazi in Burundi: Lessons for a protected area under implementation.

Recent collecting efforts in the upper Malagarazi basin (2013-2022) allowed for an integrative study based on qualitative (colour), quantitative (meristic and metric), and barcoding gene [mtDNA, cytochrome c oxidase (COI)] data of specimens similar to Enteromius sp. 'ascutelatus', being a previously identified, potentially, new species. Based on these data, the present study confirms its identification as a new species for science, which is here formally described as Enteromius nzigidaherai sp. nov. This new species belongs to the group of Enteromius species for which the last unbranched ray of the dorsal fin is flexible and devoid of serrations along its posterior edge. This species has a horizontal series of black spots at the midlateral level of the sides. Three congeneric species, known from the Congo basin sensu lato, with two of them also found in the upper Malagarazi basin, are most similar to it. However, E. nzigidaherai sp. nov. is distinguished from the two sympatric upper Malagarazi species, that is, E. quadrilineatus and E. lineomaculatus, at least by two meristics and two morphometrics. It is also distinguished from E. urostigma, known from the upper Congo basin, by two meristics and one, apparently related, morphometric. In addition, a barcoding (mtDNA, COI) study revealed that the specimens of E. nzigidaherai sp. nov. form a well-supported, separate lineage, with a K2P genetic distance of more than 10% with specimens identified as E. quadrilineatus and E. lineomaculatus, both originating from the upper Malagarazi basin and for which tissue samples were available. Finally, the new species was found to be endemic to the upper reaches of two left bank affluents of the upper Malagarazi basin: the Muyovozi and the Kinwa. However, both affluents are threatened by human activities, which seem to have resulted in its local disappearance as recent intensive collecting efforts in the latter affluent have remained unsuccessful. The species should thus be considered Critically Endangered (CR) according to IUCN criteria B1ab(ii,iv)c(i,iii). Therefore, it is hoped that the present description draws renewed attention to the importance of aquatic protection in the region by highlighting the need for the effective establishment of the Malagarazi Nature Reserve and concern for its optimal delimitation to efficiently protect the entire ichthyofauna of the upper Malagarazi, without excluding the fish species confined to its affluent rivers.

Systematic conservation planning considering ecosystem services can optimize the conservation system in the Qinling-Daba Mountains.

Protected area are the cornerstone of biodiversity and ecosystem service conservation at the local, regional, and global levels. In 2019, China proposed the establishment of a nature reserve system (NRS)centered on national parks, integrating and improving various existing protected areas. This study focuses on the Qinling‒Daba Mountains, an area crucial for both biodiversity and ecosystem services. Through assessments of carbon storage (CS), water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), and habitat quality (HQ), different conservation scenarios are considered in the context of Systematic conservation planning (SCP). An optimization scheme for the NRS in the Qinling-Daba Mountains is proposed, incorporating ecosystem services and comparing them with the existing system. Research indicates that the main protected areas are concentrated in the Min Mountain‒Motian Mountain‒Longmen Mountain region, the central Qinling region, and the Shennongjia‒Daba Mountain region. Compared with the original system, the area of protected regions in the NRS expanded by 52,000 km2 after the SCP scheme was incorporated. The number of patches decreased to 50, and the patch density reduced from 2.1 × 10-4(/100 ha) to 1.7 × 10-4(/100 ha), thereby reducing the fragmentation of the conservation system. Additionally, the optimized scheme achieved a conservation ratio of over 30% for CS, WY, SC, and HQ, with the conservation efficiency for WY and HQ increasing by 0.18 and 0.22, respectively. The study results provide support for optimizing the Qinling-Daba Mountains NRS and offer a reference for constructing NRSs in other regions. Considering ecosystem services in the optimization of the NRS helps enhance the supply capacity of ecological products, maintain national ecological security, and achieve harmonious coexistence and sustainable development between humans and nature.

Water-related ecosystem services interactions and their natural-human activity drivers: Implications for ecological protection and restoration.

Sustainable development faces the crucial challenge of safeguarding water-related ecosystem services, particularly in arid regions. However, scale-dependent interactions and their influencing factors remain unclear. This study addresses this local gap on the regional level by focusing on ecologically vulnerable mountain areas, employing a comprehensive quantitative and spatial analysis approach, utilizing Spearman coefficient, trade-off/synergy index, and trade-off/synergy criterion, to examine water-related ecosystem services interactions across scales in arid area. Additionally, a Geographical detector was used to identify dominant natural and human activity factors. Finally, we determined ecologically optimal and worst areas and proposed spatial planning and management recommendations for ecological protection and restoration. Key results indicate that: (1) From 1995 to 2015, water yield and nutrient delivery ratio exhibited a declining trend, while soil retention showed an increasing trend, with the weakest nutrient delivery ratio function in the reserve. (2) At the grid scale, there were 2 trade-offs among water-related ecosystem services in 1995, which decreased to 1 trade-off in 2005 and 2015. The synergistic was most prominent near Qinghai Lake, while the trade-off was most obvious in the western mountainous areas. Conversely, the county scale demonstrated synergy. (3) NDVI, slope, and precipitation dominantly influence the spatial heterogeneity patterns of soil retention_water yield, soil retention_nutrient delivery ratio, and water yield_nutrient delivery ratio, respectively, with natural factors outweighing human activities in impacting water-related ecosystem services. This study contributes to the improvement and optimization of ecological environment management decisions.

Socioeconomic development shows positive links to the conservation efficiency of China's protected area network.

While the protected area (PA) covers >15% of the planet's terrestrial land area and continues to expand, factors determining its effectiveness in conserving endangered species are being debated. We investigated the links between direct anthropogenic pressures, socioeconomic settings, and the coverage of vertebrate taxa by China's PA network, and indicated that high socioeconomic status and low levels of human pressure correlate with high species coverage, with threatened mammals more effectively conserved than reptiles or amphibians. Positive links between conservation outcomes and socioeconomic progress appear linked to local livelihood improvements triggering positive perceptions of local PAs-aided further by ecological compensation and tourism schemes introduced in wealthy areas and reinforced by continued positive conservation outcomes. Socioeconomic development of China's less developed regions might assist regional PA efficiency and achievement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, while also addressing potential shortcomings from an insufficient past focus on socioeconomic impacts for biodiversity conservation.

Thermomonas mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from soil of a mangrove nature reserve.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, aerobic and ovoid-rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated as 2C3345T, was isolated from soil of a mangrove nature reserve in Shenzhen, PR China and its taxonomic position was investigated. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain 2C3345T exhibited the highest similarity value to that of the type strains Thermomonas aquatica NBRC 113114T (98.4 %), Thermomonas carbonis KCTC 42013T (98.1 %), Thermomonas brevis DSM 15422T (98.0 %) and Thermomonas haemolytica DSM 13605T (97.9 %). Strain 2C3345T grew optimally at 28-30 °C, pH 7.0 and without NaCl. The predominant ubiquinone in 2C3345T was identified as Q-8. The major fatty acids of 2C3345T were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and summed feature 9 (is0-C17:1ω9c and/or 10-methyl C16:0). The major polar lipids of 2C3345T were phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), diphosphatidglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), an unidentified phospholipid, an unidentified aminolipid and two unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain 2C3345T was 69.9 %. The draft genome sequence of 2C3345T included 2 888 645 bp in total (N50=310 730 bp) with a medium read coverage of 388.6×and 21 scaffolds. In silico DNA-DNA hybridisation with type strains of species of the genus Thermomonas showed 24.4, 22.4, 24.1 and 23.2% relatedness to T. aquatica NBRC 113114T, T. carbonis KCTC 42013T, T. brevis DSM 15422T and T. haemolytica DSM 13605T, respectively. And the average nucleotide identity by blast (ANIb) values between 2C3345T and these four reference strains were 81.9, 80.0, 81.2 and 80.6 %, respectively, lower than the 95-96% threshold value for dividing prokaryotic species. On the basis of its phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and phylogenomic properties, strain 2C3345T is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Thermomonas, for which the name Thermomonas mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 2C3345T (=KCTC 92730T =MCCC 1K08335T).

Dyella humicola sp. nov., Dyella subtropica sp. nov., Dyella silvatica sp. nov. and Dyella silvae sp. nov., isolated from subtropical forest soil.

Four novel bacterial strains, designated RBB1W86T, RXD159T, RBB189T and RLT163T, were isolated from subtropical forest soil of the Nanling National Nature Reserve located in Guangdong Province, PR China. 16S rRNA gene phylogeny indicated their affiliation to the genus Dyella, among which strains RBB1W86T and RXD159T were closely related to Dyella halodurans CGMCC 1.15435T with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 98.8 and 99.5 %, respectively, and strains RBB189T and RLT163T were closely related to Dyella tabacisoli CGMCC 1.16273T (98.8 %) and Dyella japonica JCM 21530T (99.4 %), respectively. Phylogenomic analysis based on 92 core genes showed consistent phylogeny with the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny for strains RBB1W86T, RBB189T and RLT163T, while strain RXD159T showed a closer relationship with D. tabacisoli CGMCC 1.16273T and strain RBB189T. The genome-derived average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between the newly isolated strains and their closely related species were 70.18‒90.20 %, and the corresponding digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values were 20.80‒40.30 %. Meanwhile, the ANI and dDDH values between each pair of the newly isolated strains were 75.80‒79.77 % and 21.30‒23.30 %, respectively. They all took iso-C15 : 0 and summed feature 9 (10-methyl C16  : 0 and/or iso-C17  : 1 ω9c) as the major fatty acids. Moreover, C16 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c) were also variously distributed as major components. They all took ubiquinone 8 as the only predominant respiratory quinone and phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified phospholipid as the major polar lipids. Phosphatidylmethylethanolamine was only present in strain RBB189T as another major component. Based on the results of phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses, the newly isolated strains could be clearly distinguished from their closely related species and should represent four distinct novel species of the genus Dyella, for which the names Dyella humicola sp. nov. (type strain RBB1W86T=GDMCC 1.1901T=KACC 21988T), Dyella subtropica sp. nov. (type strain RXD159T=GDMCC 1.1902T=KACC 21989T), Dyella silvatica sp. nov. (type strain RBB189T=GDMCC 1.1900T=KACC 21990 T) and Dyella silvae sp. nov. (type strain RLT163T=GDMCC 1.1916T=KACC 21991T) are proposed.

Pacificoceanicola onchidii gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a marine invertebrate from the South China Sea.

A Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, non-flagellated and oval-shaped (0.77-0.98 µm wide and 0.74-1.21 µm long) bacterial strain, designated XY-301T, was isolated from a marine invertebrate collected from the South China Sea. Strain XY-301T grew at 15-37 °C (optimum, 30-35 °C) and at pH 7.0-8.5 (optimum, pH 8.0). The strain was slightly halophilic and it only grew in the presence of 0.5-6.5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.5-3.5 %). Its predominant fatty acid (>10 %) was C18 : 1 ω7c. The predominant polar lipids of XY-301T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, six unidentified aminolipids, three unidentified phospholipids and two unknown polar lipids. The respiratory quinone was Q-10. The genome of XY-301T was 4 979 779 bp in size, with a DNA G+C content of 61.3 mol%. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between XY-301T and Pseudoprimorskyibacter insulae SSK3-2T were 73.3, 14.5 and 53.5 %, respectively. Based on the results of phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic analyses, strain XY-301T is considered to represent a novel species and a new genus of the family Roseobacteraceae, for which the name Pacificoceanicola onchidii gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XY-301T (=KCTC 72212T=MCCC 1K03614T).

Rapid Identification of Main Vegetation Types in the Lingkong Mountain Nature Reserve Based on Multi-Temporal Modified Vegetation Indices.

Nature reserves are among the most bio-diverse regions worldwide, and rapid and accurate identification is a requisite for their management. Based on the multi-temporal Sentinel-2 dataset, this study presents three multi-temporal modified vegetation indices (the multi-temporal modified normalized difference Quercus wutaishanica index (MTM-NDQI), the multi-temporal modified difference scrub grass index (MTM-DSI), and the multi-temporal modified ratio shaw index (MTM-RSI)) to improve the classification accuracy of the remote sensing of vegetation in the Lingkong Mountain Nature Reserve of China (LMNR). These three indices integrate the advantages of both the typical vegetation indices and the multi-temporal remote sensing data. By using the proposed indices with a uni-temporal modified vegetation index (the uni-temporal modified difference pine-oak mixed forest index (UTM-DMI)) and typical vegetation indices (e.g., the ratio vegetation index (RVI), the difference vegetation index (DVI), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)), an optimal feature set is obtained that includes the NDVI of December, the NDVI of April, and the UTM-DMI, MTM-NDQI, MTM-DSI, and MTM-RSI. The overall accuracy (OA) of the random forest classification (98.41%) and Kappa coefficient of the optimal feature set (0.98) were higher than those of the time series NDVI (OA = 96.03%, Kappa = 0.95), the time series RVI (OA = 95.56%, Kappa = 0.95), and the time series DVI (OA = 91.27%, Kappa = 0.90). The OAs of the rapid classification and the Kappa coefficient of the knowledge decision tree based on the optimal feature set were 95.56% and 0.95, respectively. Meanwhile, only three of the seven vegetation types were omitted or misclassified slightly. Overall, the proposed vegetation indices have advantages in identifying the vegetation types in protected areas.

The role of nature reserves in conservation effectiveness of ecosystem services in China.

Establishing nature reserves (NRs) is a common method to avoid biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystem services (ESs). The evaluation of ESs in NRs and the exploration of associated influencing factors are the basis for improving ESs and management. However, the ES effectiveness of NRs over time remains questionable, namely due to the heterogeneity of landscape characteristics inside and outside of NRs. This study (i) quantifies the role of 75 NRs in China in maintaining ESs (i.e., net primary production (NPP), soil conservation, sandstorm prevention and water yield) from 2000 to 2020, (ii) reveals the trade-offs/synergies, and (iii) identifies the main influencing factors of the ES effectiveness of NRs. The results show that more than 80% of NRs had positive ES effectiveness, which was greater in older NRs. For different ESs, effectiveness over time increases for NPP (E_NPP), soil conservation (E_SC) and sandstorm prevention (E_SP) but declines for water yield (E_WY). There is a clear synergistic relationship between E_NPP and E_SC. Moreover, the effectiveness of ESs is closely correlated with elevation, precipitation, and perimeter area ratio. Our findings can provide important information to support site selection and management of reserves to improve the delivery of critical ecosystem services.

Regeneration of Dark Coniferous Species in the Groups of Picea orientalis (Pinaceae) Drying in the Teberda Nature Reserve (Western Caucasus).

The paper presents the results of a survey of the groups of oriental spruce (Picea orientalis (L.) Link.) decline in the Teberda State Natural Biosphere Reserve, Western Caucasus. Mass drying of the spruce from the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) was noted both in monodominant spruce forests and in mixed stands with Abies nordmanniana (Stev.) Spach and Fagus orientalis Lipsky. Dark coniferous species currently predominate among the regrowth in the sites of spruce drying, and the participation of deciduous trees is minor. Broadleaf species are present in small numbers in the second layer in a half of the sample plots and do not have a noticeable effect on the abundance of coniferous regeneration. The fir regeneration is more uniform and stable as compared to the spruce. In most of the sample plots, the numbers of fir regrowth naturally decrease with maturing, while spruce has "bursts" of regeneration. The height and radial growth of the fir and spruce regrowth, as well as their density and distribution over the area, are discussed. It is shown that in 7 years after the beginning of the mass spruce drying in the Teberda Nature Reserve, no more than 1/5 of the area of the drying groups is provided with a reliable regrowth of dark coniferous species. In the coming years, the regeneration of dark coniferous species will be replenished only by the fir, since there are scarcely any remaining generative spruce trees. In the future, provided that fires are prevented, part of the large spruce regrowth can become a source of spruce renewal, and the fallen dead wood can become a suitable substrate for young trees.

Structural changes in the gut microbiota community of the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) in the wintering period.

During overwintering of black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis), the composition and function of the gut microbiota changes are of considerable interest for understanding its environmental adaption mechanism. In this study, we characterized the structure of the gut microbiota from the black-necked crane in the Dashanbao wintering area, and compared the early-winter (November) microbiota to the late-winter (March of the next year) microbiota. The results showed that the gut microbiota diversity of black-necked crane in the early-overwintering stage was higher than that in the late-overwintering stage, but it did not reach a significant level. Gut microbiota taxonomic composition analysis showed that relative abundance of Bacteroidota increased significantly, and showed decreased Firmicutes to Bacteroidota ratio at the phylum level, meanwhile, the abundance of Lactobacillus decreased significantly at the genus level. Explain gut microbiota between the early- and late-wintering showed some differences in microbiota richness but maintained a relatively conservative microbiota structure. PICRUSt2 method was used to predict and analyze the KEGG functional abundance of 16S rDNA sequences of bacteria, it was found that the changes in gut microbiota composition increased the abundance of bacteria associated with amino acid biosynthesis and acid metabolism in the late stage of overwintering. This work provides basic data for black-necked crane gut microbiota study, which might further contribute to their protection.

Muricauda onchidii sp. nov., isolated from a marine invertebrate from South China Sea, and transfers of Flagellimonas algicola, Flagellimonas pacifica and Flagellimonas maritima to Muricauda algicola comb. nov., Muricauda parva nom. nov. and Muricauda aurantiaca nom. nov., respectively, and emended description of the genus Muricauda.

An aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped and non-motile strain (XY-359T) was isolated from the mouth of a marine invertebrate Onchidium species from the South China Sea. It grew at pH 6.0-8.5 (optimum, pH 7.5), at 15-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C) and in the presence of 0.5-4.5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.5 %). It could not hydrolyse Tweens 20, 40, 60 or 80 and no flexirubin-type pigments were produced. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminolipid, six unidentified phospholipids and two unidentified polar lipids. The major fatty acids were iso-C17:0 3-OH, iso-C15:1 G and iso-C15:0 3-OH. The respiratory quinone was MK-6. Strain XY-359T showed the greatest degree of 16S rRNA sequence similarity to Flagellimonas algicola AsT0115T (96.54 %), followed by Muricauda flava DSM 22638T (96.27 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and 31 core genes indicated that strain XY-359T belongs to the genus Muricauda. The genome size of strain XY-359T was 4 207 872 bp, with 39.1 mol% of DNA G+C content. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain XY-359T and F. algicola AsT0115T were 74.58 % and 18.5 %, respectively, and those between strain XY-359T and M. flava DSM 22638T were 74.2 % and 18.3 %. The combined phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data suggest that strain XY-359T represents a novel species of the genus Muricauda, for which the name Muricauda onchidii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XY-359T (=MCCC 1K03658T =KCTC 72218T). Moreover, based on the proposal of nesting Spongiibacterium and Flagellimonas within Muricauda by García (Validation List No. 193) and the analyses of phylogenetic trees and average amino acid identities in this study, the transfers of F. algicola, F. pacifica and F. maritima to the genus Muricauda as Muricauda algicola comb. nov., Muricauda parva nom. nov. and M. aurantiaca nom. nov., respectively, are proposed, with an emended description of the genus Muricauda.

Algibacter onchidii sp. nov., a symbiotic bacterium isolated from a marine invertebrate.

A novel symbiotic bacterium, designated strain XY-114T, was isolated from the cerata of an Onchidium marine invertebrate species collected in the South China Sea. Strain XY-114T was an aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and short rod-shaped bacterium (0.5-0.8 µm wide and 1.0-1.5 µm long) without flagellum. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain XY-114T belonged to the genus Algibacter with the highest similarity of 97.2 % to the closest phylogenetic relative Algibacter aestuarii KYW371T. Cells grew at 15-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C), at pH 5.5-9.0 (optimum 7.0-8.0) and at NaCl concentrations of 0.5-5.0 % (w/v; optimum 1.5-3.0 %). The major fatty acids (>10 %) were summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c), iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The predominant polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-6. Flexirubin-type pigments were absent. The genome size of strain XY-114T was 3.4 Mbp, with 34.9 mol% of DNA G+C content. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and amino acid identity values between strain XY-114T and A. aestuarii KYW371T were 74.5 %, 17.0±1.8 % and 73.9 %. Characterization based on phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic evidence demonstrated that strain XY-114T represents a novel species of the genus Algibacter, for which the name Algibacter onchidii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XY-114T (=KCTC 72217T=MCCC 1K03606T).

Collimonas silvisoli sp. nov. and Collimonas humicola sp. nov., two novel species isolated from forest soil.

Three aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacteria, designated strains RXD178T, RXD172-2 and RLT1W51T, were isolated from two forest soil samples of Nanling National Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province, PR China. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and 92 core genes showed that they belonged to the genus Collimonas, and were most closely related to four validly published species with similarities ranging from 99.4 to 98.2 %. The genomic DNA G+C contents of strains RXD178T, RXD172-2 and RLT1W51T were 57.1, 59.5 and 59.4 mol%, respectively. The genome-derived average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between the novel strains and closely related type species were below 37.90 and 89.34 %, respectively. Meanwhile, the ANI and dDDH values between strains RXD172-2 and RLT1W51T were 98.27 and 83.50 %, respectively. The three novel strains contained C16 : 0, C17 : 0 cyclo and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω6c and/or C16 : 1 ω7c) as the major fatty acids, and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω6c and/or C18 : 1 ω7c) comprised a relative higher proportion in strain RXD178T than in other strains. Both strains RXD172-2 and RLT1W51T had phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG) and an unidentified aminophospholipid (APL) as the main polar lipids while only PE and APL were detected in strain RXD178T. Ubiquinone 8 was the predominant quinone. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and genomic analyses, strain RXD178T should be considered as representing one novel species within the genus Collimonas and strains RXD172-2 and RLT1W51T as another one, for which the names Collimonas silvisoli sp. nov. and Collimonas humicola sp. nov. are proposed, with RXD178T (=GDMCC 1.1925T=KACC 21987T) and RLT1W51T (=GDMCC 1.1923T=KACC 21985T) as the type strains, respectively.

Effects of protected areas on survival of threatened gibbons in China.

Establishing protected areas (PAs) is an essential strategy to reduce biodiversity loss. However, many PAs do not provide adequate protection due to poor funding, inadequate staffing and equipment, and ineffective management. As part of China's recent economic growth, the Chinese government has significantly increased investment in nature reserves over the past 20 years, providing a unique opportunity to evaluate whether PAs can protect threatened species effectively. We compiled data from published literature on populations of gibbons (Hylobatidae), a threatened taxon with cultural significance, that occurred in Chinese reserves after 1980. We evaluated the ability of these PAs to maintain gibbon habitat and populations by comparing forest cover and human disturbance between reserves and their surrounding areas and modeling the impact of reserve characteristics on gibbon population trends. We also assessed the perspective of reserve staff concerning PA management effectiveness through an online survey. Reserves effectively protected gibbon habitat by reducing forest loss and human disturbance; however, half the reserves lost their gibbon populations since being established. Gibbons were more likely to survive in reserves established more recently, at higher elevation, with less forest loss and lower human impact, and that have been relatively well studied. A larger initial population size in the 1980s was positively associated with gibbon persistence. Although staff of all reserves reported increased investment and improved management over the past 20-30 years, no relationship was found between management effectiveness and gibbon population trends. We suggest early and emphatic intervention is critical to stop population decline and prevent extinction.

Efectos de las Áreas Protegidas sobre la Supervivencia de Gibones Amenazados en China Resumen El establecimiento de áreas protegidas (APs) es una estrategia esencial para la reducción de la pérdida de la biodiversidad. Sin embargo, muchas APs no proporcionan una protección adecuada debido a un mal financiamiento, personal y equipamientos inadecuados y un manejo poco efectivo. Como parte del reciente crecimiento económico en China, el gobierno del país ha incrementado significativamente la inversión en las reservas naturales durante los últimos 20 años, proporcionando así una oportunidad única para evaluar si las APs pueden proteger a las especies amenazadas de manera efectiva. Recopilamos datos de la literatura publicada sobre las poblaciones de gibones (Hylobatidae), un taxón amenazado que cuenta con importancia cultural, que se presentaron en las reservas chinas después de 1980. Evaluamos la habilidad de estas APs para mantener el hábitat y las poblaciones de gibones al comparar la cobertura del bosque y la perturbación humana entre las reservas y las áreas vecinas y al modelar el impacto de las características de la reserva sobre las tendencias poblacionales de los gibones. También evaluamos la perspectiva del personal de la reserva con respecto a la efectividad en el manejo de la AP por medio de una encuesta en línea. Las reservas protegieron efectivamente al hábitat de los gibones mediante la reducción de la pérdida del bosque y de la perturbación humana; sin embargo, la mitad de las reservas perdieron su población de gibones desde su establecimiento. Los gibones tuvieron mayores probabilidades de sobrevivir en las reservas establecidas más recientemente, a una elevación más alta, con menor pérdida de bosque y menor impacto humano, y las cuales han sido relativamente bien estudiadas. Un tamaño de población inicial mayor durante la década de 1980 estuvo asociado positivamente con la permanencia de los gibones. Aunque el personal de todas las reservas reportó un incremento en la inversión y mejoras en el manejo durante los últimos 20-30 años, no encontramos una relación entre la efectividad en el manejo y las tendencias poblacionales de los gibones. Sugerimos que una intervención temprana y empática es crítica para detener la declinación poblacional y prevenir la extinción.

Protected Areas Established by Local Communities through Direct Democracy Encompass Habitat for Species as Effectively as Protected Areas Planned over Large Spatial Scales.

Local communities contribute to broader biodiversity protection goals when managing their immediate environment when they establish protected areas. However, their efforts are geographically constrained and often uncoordinated. We compare protected areas established by local communities through the direct democracy process in California, US, to protected areas created and managed by two conservation actors working over larger spatial scales, one private and one public. Despite being geographically constrained to smaller spatial scales, protected areas established by local communities were as effective as those established by larger scale conservation actors at representing different habitat types. However, local ballot protected areas tended to protect more common species. All three protected area networks often performed no better than random in terms of siting protected areas to support narrow range species and rare habitats. Improved accounting of local communities' protection efforts would allow organizations with greater funding flexibility to focus their efforts to increase representation of rarer species and habitats in protected area systems.

The algorithmic turn in conservation biology: Characterizing progress in ethically-driven sciences.

As a discipline distinct from ecology, conservation biology emerged in the 1980s as a rigorous science focused on protecting biodiversity. Two algorithmic breakthroughs in information processing made this possible: place-prioritization algorithms and geographical information systems. They provided defensible, data-driven methods for designing reserves to conserve biodiversity that obviated the need for largely intuitive and highly problematic appeals to ecological theory at the time. But the scientific basis of these achievements and whether they constitute genuine scientific progress has been criticized. We counter by pointing out important inaccuracies about the science and rejecting the apparent theory-first focus. More broadly, the case study reveals significant limitations of the predominant epistemic-semantic conceptions of scientific progress and the considerable merits of pragmatic, practically-oriented accounts.

Pseudooceanicola onchidii sp. nov., isolated from a marine invertebrate from the South China Sea.

A novel bacterial strain, XY-99T, was isolated from the epidermis of a marine invertebrate of the genus Onchidium from seawater of the South China Sea. The cells of the strain were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, and oval-shaped (0.8-1.0 µm wide and 1.0-1.5 µm long) without a flagellum. The strain grew at temperatures of 15-37 °C (optimum, 35-37 °C), at pH 5.5-9.5 (optimum 7.5), and at NaCl concentrations of 0-12.0 % (w/v) (optimum 1.5-3.0 %). The major fatty acids (>10 %) were summed feature 8 (comprising C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0 and 11-methyl C18 : 1ω7c. The predominant polar lipid was diphosphatidylglycerol. The respiratory quinone was Q-10. The closet phylogenetic neighbours were Pseudooceanicola flagellatus DY470T and Pseudooceanicola nitratireducens JLT1210T, showing 97.5 and 97.3 % of 16 s rRNA gene sequence similarity. The genome size of XY-99T was 3 673 499 bp, with 64.5 % DNA G+C content. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between XY-99T and Pseudooceanicola flagellatus DY470T were 72.8 and 14.0 %, respectively, while they were 79.3 and 22.3 % between XY-99T and Pseudooceanicola nitratireducens JLT1210T. Characterization based on phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic evidence demonstrated that XY-99T represents a novel species of the genus Pseudooceanicola, for which the name Pseudooceanicola onchidii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XY-99T (=KCTC 72211T=MCCC 1K03607T).

Promoting meaningful and positive nature interactions for visitors to green spaces.

The increasing alienation of people from nature is profoundly concerning because people's interactions with nature affect well-being, affinity for nature, and support of biodiversity conservation. Efforts to restore or enhance people's interactions with nature are, therefore, important to ensure sustainable human and wildlife communities, but little is known about how this can be achieved. A key factor that shapes the way people interact with nature is their affinity for nature (often measured as nature relatedness [NR]). We explored how using cues to experience nature as a means to induce NR situationally can influence the quality of people's nature interactions on visits to green spaces and their positive affect after the visit. Cues to experience are cues that guide individuals on how to interact with nature. We surveyed 1023 visitors to a nature reserve to examine the relationships between trait (i.e., stable and long-lasting) and state (i.e., temporary, brief) NR, the quality of nature interactions, and positive affect. We also conducted a controlled experiment in which 303 participants spent 30 min outdoors on campus and reported the quality of their nature interactions and positive affect. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 9 cues-to-experience experimental groups (e.g., smell flowers, observe wildlife, turn off your phone) that differed in the psychological distance from nature that they prompted. Participants who received cues of close psychological distance from nature (e.g., smell and touch natural elements) interacted 3 to 4 times more with nature and reported 0.2 more positive affect than other participants. Our results demonstrate that providing cues to experience nature, which bring people closer to nature and potentially induce state NR, can enhance the quality of people's nature interactions and their positive affect. These results highlight the role of NR in high-quality nature interactions and suggest the use of cues to experience as a promising avenue for inducing state NR and promoting meaningful interactions with biodiversity, thus, reconciling conservation and well-being objectives.

Fomento a las Interacciones Significativas y Positivas con la Naturaleza para los Visitantes a las Áreas Verdes Resumen El creciente distanciamiento entre las personas y la naturaleza genera una preocupación seria, pues las interacciones entre las personas y la naturaleza afectan al bienestar, la afinidad por la naturaleza y al apoyo para la conservación de la biodiversidad. Por lo tanto, los esfuerzos por restaurar o mejorar las interacciones entre las personas y la naturaleza son importantes para asegurar la existencia de comunidades sustentables de humanos y fauna. A pesar de esto, se conoce muy poco sobre cómo se puede lograr lo anterior. Un factor clave que define la manera en la que las personas interactúan con la naturaleza es su afinidad por la misma (la cual se mide generalmente como vínculo con la naturaleza [VN]). Exploramos cómo el uso de las pautas para experimentar la naturaleza como los medios para inducir el VN circunstancial puede influir sobre la calidad de las interacciones entre las personas y la naturaleza durante sus visitas a áreas verdes y el efecto positivo posterior a estas visitas. Las pautas experimentales son pautas que guían a los individuos sobre cómo deben interactuar con la naturaleza. Encuestamos a 1023 visitantes en una reserva natural para examinar las relaciones entre el rasgo (es decir, estable y de larga duración) y el estado (es decir, temporal, breve) del VN, la calidad de las interacciones con la naturaleza y el efecto positivo. También realizamos un experimento controlado en el cual 303 participantes pasaron 30 minutos en el exterior y reportaron la calidad de sus interacciones con la naturaleza y del efecto positivo. Los participantes fueron asignados al azar a uno de los nueve grupos de pautas experimentales (p. ej.: oler flores, observar fauna, apagar su teléfono celular) cuya diferencia era el distanciamiento psicológico con la naturaleza que pautaba. Los participantes que recibieron pautas de distancia psicológica próxima a la naturaleza (p. ej.: oler y tocar elementos naturales) interactuaron 3-4 veces más con la naturaleza y reportaron un efecto 0.2 más positivo que los demás participantes. Nuestros resultados demuestran que el fomento de pautas para experiencias con la naturaleza, las cuales acercan a las personas con la naturaleza y tienen el potencial para inducir un estado VN, pueden mejorar la calidad de las interacciones que tienen las personas con la naturaleza y su efecto positivo. Estos resultados resaltan el papel del VN en las interacciones de alta calidad con la naturaleza y sugieren que el uso de pautas exerimentale es una vía prometedora para inducir el estado VN y promover las interacciones significativas con la biodiversidad, reconciliando así a la conservación con los objetivos de bienestar.