The EICAT+ framework enables classification of positive impacts of alien taxa on native biodiversity.

Species introduced through human-related activities beyond their native range, termed alien species, have various impacts worldwide. The IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) is a global standard to assess negative impacts of alien species on native biodiversity. Alien species can also positively affect biodiversity (for instance, through food and habitat provisioning or dispersal facilitation) but there is currently no standardized and evidence-based system to classify positive impacts. We fill this gap by proposing EICAT+, which uses 5 semiquantitative scenarios to categorize the magnitude of positive impacts, and describes underlying mechanisms. EICAT+ can be applied to all alien taxa at different spatial and organizational scales. The application of EICAT+ expands our understanding of the consequences of biological invasions and can inform conservation decisions.

Purebred dogs show higher levels of genomic damage compared to mixed breed dogs.

Inbreeding is a common phenomenon in small, fragmented or isolated populations, typical conditions of many threatened species. In the present paper, we used a new non-invasive approach based on the buccal micronucleus assay to evaluate the possible relationships between inbreeding and genomic damage using the dog as model species. In particular, we assessed the frequencies of micronuclei and other nuclear aberrations in a group of purebred dogs (n = 77), comparing the obtained data with those from a control group represented by mixed breed dogs (n = 75). We found a significant increase of micronuclei, nuclear buds and total nuclear aberrations frequencies in purebred dogs compared to mixed-bred dogs. The absence of significant differences in the frequency of micronuclei and other nuclear aberrations amongst different breeds reinforces the hypothesis that the observed increased genomic damage amongst purebred dogs may not be due to a different genomic instability typical of a particular breed, but to inbreeding itself. This hypothesis is further confirmed by the fact that other endogen confounding factors, such as sex, age and weight, do not contribute significantly to the increase of genomic damage observed amongst purebred dogs. In conclusion, results presented in this study showed that, in purebred dogs, inbreeding may increase the levels of genomic damage. Considering that genomic damage is associated with increased physiological problems affecting animal health, the results we obtained may represent a stimulus to discourage the use of intensive inbreeding practices in captive populations and to reduce the fragmentation of wild populations.

Academic publishing requires linguistically inclusive policies.

Scientific knowledge is produced in multiple languages but is predominantly published in English. This practice creates a language barrier to generate and transfer scientific knowledge between communities with diverse linguistic backgrounds, hindering the ability of scholars and communities to address global challenges and achieve diversity and equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). To overcome those barriers, publishers and journals should provide a fair system that supports non-native English speakers and disseminates knowledge across the globe. We surveyed policies of 736 journals in biological sciences to assess their linguistic inclusivity, identify predictors of inclusivity, and propose actions to overcome language barriers in academic publishing. Our assessment revealed a grim landscape where most journals were making minimal efforts to overcome language barriers. The impact factor of journals was negatively associated with adopting a number of inclusive policies whereas ownership by a scientific society tended to have a positive association. Contrary to our expectations, the proportion of both open access articles and editors based in non-English speaking countries did not have a major positive association with the adoption of linguistically inclusive policies. We proposed a set of actions to overcome language barriers in academic publishing, including the renegotiation of power dynamics between publishers and editorial boards.

Adaptation to bioinvasions: When does it occur?

The presence of alien species represents a major cause of habitat degradation and biodiversity loss worldwide, constituting a critical environmental challenge of our time. Despite sometimes experiencing reduced propagule pressure, leading to a reduced genetic diversity and an increased chance of inbreeding depression, alien invaders are often able to thrive in the habitats of introduction, giving rise to the so-called "genetic paradox" of biological invasions. The adaptation of alien species to the new habitats is therefore a complex aspect of biological invasions, encompassing genetic, epigenetic, and ecological processes. Albeit numerous studies and reviews investigated the mechanistic foundation of the invaders' success, and aimed to solve the genetic paradox, still remains a crucial oversight regarding the temporal context in which adaptation takes place. Given the profound knowledge and management implications, this neglected aspect of invasion biology should receive more attention when examining invaders' ability to thrive in the habitats of introduction. Here, we discuss the adaptation mechanisms exhibited by alien species with the purpose of highlighting the timing of their occurrence during the invasion process. We analyze each stage of the invasion separately, providing evidence that adaptation mechanisms play a role in all of them. However, these mechanisms vary across the different stages of invasion, and are also influenced by other factors, such as the transport speed, the reproduction type of the invader, and the presence of human interventions. Finally, we provide insights into the implications for management, and identify knowledge gaps, suggesting avenues for future research that can shed light on species adaptability. This, in turn, will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of biological invasions.

Tapping into non-English-language science for the conservation of global biodiversity.

The widely held assumption that any important scientific information would be available in English underlies the underuse of non-English-language science across disciplines. However, non-English-language science is expected to bring unique and valuable scientific information, especially in disciplines where the evidence is patchy, and for emergent issues where synthesising available evidence is an urgent challenge. Yet such contribution of non-English-language science to scientific communities and the application of science is rarely quantified. Here, we show that non-English-language studies provide crucial evidence for informing global biodiversity conservation. By screening 419,679 peer-reviewed papers in 16 languages, we identified 1,234 non-English-language studies providing evidence on the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation interventions, compared to 4,412 English-language studies identified with the same criteria. Relevant non-English-language studies are being published at an increasing rate in 6 out of the 12 languages where there were a sufficient number of relevant studies. Incorporating non-English-language studies can expand the geographical coverage (i.e., the number of 2° × 2° grid cells with relevant studies) of English-language evidence by 12% to 25%, especially in biodiverse regions, and taxonomic coverage (i.e., the number of species covered by the relevant studies) by 5% to 32%, although they do tend to be based on less robust study designs. Our results show that synthesising non-English-language studies is key to overcoming the widespread lack of local, context-dependent evidence and facilitating evidence-based conservation globally. We urge wider disciplines to rigorously reassess the untapped potential of non-English-language science in informing decisions to address other global challenges. Please see the Supporting information files for Alternative Language Abstracts.

Using the IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa to inform decision-making.

The Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) is an important tool for biological invasion policy and management and has been adopted as an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) standard to measure the severity of environmental impacts caused by organisms living outside their native ranges. EICAT has already been incorporated into some national and local decision-making procedures, making it a particularly relevant resource for addressing the impact of non-native species. Recently, some of the underlying conceptual principles of EICAT, particularly those related to the use of the precautionary approach, have been challenged. Although still relatively new, guidelines for the application and interpretation of EICAT will be periodically revisited by the IUCN community, based on scientific evidence, to improve the process. Some of the criticisms recently raised are based on subjectively selected assumptions that cannot be generalized and may harm global efforts to manage biological invasions. EICAT adopts a precautionary principle by considering a species' impact history elsewhere because some taxa have traits that can make them inherently more harmful. Furthermore, non-native species are often important drivers of biodiversity loss even in the presence of other pressures. Ignoring the precautionary principle when tackling the impacts of non-native species has led to devastating consequences for human well-being, biodiversity, and ecosystems, as well as poor management outcomes, and thus to significant economic costs. EICAT is a relevant tool because it supports prioritization and management of non-native species and meeting and monitoring progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Target 6.

Uso de la Clasificación de Impacto Ambiental de los Taxones Exóticos de la UICN para la toma de decisiones Resumen La Clasificación de Impacto Ambiental de los Taxones Exóticos (EICAT, en inglés) es una herramienta importante para las políticas y manejo de las invasiones biológicas y ha sido adoptada como un estándar de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN) para medir la seriedad del impacto ambiental causado por los organismos que viven fuera de su extensión nativa. La EICAT ya ha sido incorporada a algunos procedimientos locales y nacionales de toma de decisiones, lo que la vuelve un recurso particularmente relevante para abordar el impacto de las especies no nativas. Algunos principios conceptuales subyacentes de la EICAT han sido cuestionados recientemente, en particular aquellos relacionados con el uso del principio de precaución. Aunque todavía son relativamente nuevas, las directrices para la aplicación e interpretación de la EICAT tendrán una revisión periódica, basada en evidencia científica, por parte de la comunidad de la UICN para mejorar el proceso. Algunas de las críticas recientes están basadas en suposiciones seleccionadas subjetivamente que no pueden generalizarse y podrían perjudicar los esfuerzos globales para manejar las invasiones biológicas. La EICAT adopta un principio de precaución cuando considera el historial de impacto de una especie en cualquier otro lugar ya que algunos taxones tienen características que podrían volverlos más dañinos. Además, las especies no nativas suelen ser factores de pérdida de bidiversidad, incluso bajo otras presiones. Cuando ignoramos el principio de precaución al abordar el impacto de las especies no nativas, hay consecuencias devastadoras para el bienestar humano, la biodiversidad y los ecosistemas, así como resultados pobres de conservación, y por lo tanto con costos económicos importantes. La EICAT es una herramienta relevante porque respalda la priorización y el manejo de las especies no nativas y ayuda con el cumplimiento y monitoreo del progreso para llegar al objetivo 6 del Marco Mundial de Biodiversidad Kunming­Montreal.

Different facets of the same niche: Integrating citizen science and scientific survey data to predict biological invasion risk under multiple global change drivers.

Citizen science initiatives have been increasingly used by researchers as a source of occurrence data to model the distribution of alien species. Since citizen science presence-only data suffer from some fundamental issues, efforts have been made to combine these data with those provided by scientifically structured surveys. Surprisingly, only a few studies proposing data integration evaluated the contribution of this process to the effective sampling of species' environmental niches and, consequently, its effect on model predictions on new time intervals. We relied on niche overlap analyses, machine learning classification algorithms and ecological niche models to compare the ability of data from citizen science and scientific surveys, along with their integration, in capturing the realized niche of 13 invasive alien species in Italy. Moreover, we assessed differences in current and future invasion risk predicted by each data set under multiple global change scenarios. We showed that data from citizen science and scientific surveys captured similar species niches though highlighting exclusive portions associated with clearly identifiable environmental conditions. In terrestrial species, citizen science data granted the highest gain in environmental space to the pooled niches, determining an increased future biological invasion risk. A few aquatic species modelled at the regional scale reported a net loss in the pooled niches compared to their scientific survey niches, suggesting that citizen science data may also lead to contraction in pooled niches. For these species, models predicted a lower future biological invasion risk. These findings indicate that citizen science data may represent a valuable contribution to predicting future spread of invasive alien species, especially within national-scale programmes. At the same time, citizen science data collected on species poorly known to citizen scientists, or in strictly local contexts, may strongly affect the niche quantification of these taxa and the prediction of their future biological invasion risk.

Growth of non-English-language literature on biodiversity conservation.

English is widely recognized as the language of science, and English-language publications (ELPs) are rapidly increasing. It is often assumed that the number of non-ELPs is decreasing. This assumption contributes to the underuse of non-ELPs in conservation science, practice, and policy, especially at the international level. However, the number of conservation articles published in different languages is poorly documented. Using local and international search systems, we searched for scientific articles on biodiversity conservation published from 1980 to 2018 in English and 15 non-English languages. We compared the growth rate in publications across languages. In 12 of the 15 non-English languages, published conservation articles significantly increased every year over the past 39 years, at a rate similar to English-language articles. The other three languages showed contrasting results, depending on the search system. Since the 1990s, conservation science articles in most languages increased exponentially. The variation in the number of non-English-language articles identified among the search systems differed markedly (e.g., for simplified Chinese, 11,148 articles returned with local search system and 803 with Scopus). Google Scholar and local literature search systems returned the most articles for 11 and 4 non-English languages, respectively. However, the proportion of peer-reviewed conservation articles published in non-English languages was highest in Scopus, followed by Web of Science and local search systems, and lowest in Google Scholar. About 20% of the sampled non-English-language articles provided no title or abstract in English; thus, in theory, they were undiscoverable with English keywords. Possible reasons for this include language barriers and the need to disseminate research in countries where English is not widely spoken. Given the known biases in statistical methods and study characteristics between English- and non-English-language studies, non-English-language articles will continue to play an important role in improving the understanding of biodiversity and its conservation.

RESUMEN: El inglés es reconocido como el idioma de la ciencia y las publicaciones en inglés (PI) cada vez son más. Con frecuencia se asume que el número de publicaciones en idiomas diferentes al inglés está disminuyendo. Esta suposición contribuye al uso reducido de las publicaciones que no están en inglés en las ciencias, prácticas y políticas de la conservación, especialmente a nivel internacional. Sin embargo, el número de artículos de conservación publicados en diferentes idiomas está muy mal documentado. Usamos sistemas de búsqueda locales e internacionales para buscar artículos científicos sobre la conservación de la biodiversidad publicados entre 1980 y 2018 en inglés y en quince idiomas diferentes al inglés. También comparamos la tasa de incremento de publicaciones en los diferentes idiomas. En doce de los quince idiomas diferentes al inglés, los artículos de conservación publicados incrementaron significativamente cada año durante los últimos 39 años, una tasa similar a los artículos en inglés. Los otros tres idiomas mostraron resultados contrastantes según el sistema de búsqueda. Desde la década de 1990, los artículos sobre ciencias de la conservación incrementaron exponencialmente en la mayoría de los idiomas. La variación en el número de artículos identificados en idiomas diferentes al inglés difirió notablemente de acuerdo con los sistemas de búsqueda (p. ej.: en el caso del chino simplificado, obtuvimos 11,148 artículos con el sistema de búsqueda local y 803 con Scopus). Google Scholar y los sistemas locales de búsqueda arrojaron la mayor cantidad de artículos en 11 y 4 idiomas diferentes al inglés, respectivamente. Sin embargo, la proporción de artículos sobre conservación revisados por pares y publicados en idiomas diferentes al inglés fue mayor en Scopus, seguida por Web of Science y los sistemas locales de búsqueda, con la menor proporción en Google Scholar. Aproximadamente el 20% de la muestra de artículos en idiomas diferentes al inglés no contaban con título o con resumen en inglés; por lo tanto, en teoría, eran imposibles de encontrar mediante palabras clave en inglés. Las posibles explicaciones de esto incluyen las barreras del idioma y la necesidad de difundir la investigación en países en los que el inglés no se habla extensamente. Con los sesgos conocidos de los métodos estadísticos y de las características de estudio entre los trabajos en inglés y en otros idiomas, los artículos en idiomas diferentes al inglés seguirán desempeñando un papel importante en el entendimiento de la biodiversidad y su conservación. Incremento de la Literatura sobre la Conservación de la Biodiversidad en Idiomas Diferentes al Inglés.

Personality traits, sex and food abundance shape space use in an arboreal mammal.

Animal space use is affected by spatio-temporal variation in food availability and/or population density and varies among individuals. This inter-individual variation in spacing behaviour can be further influenced by sex, body condition, social dominance, and by the animal's personality. We used capture-mark-recapture and radio-tracking to examine the relationship between space use and personality in Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in three conifer forests in the Italian Alps. We further explored to what extent this was influenced by changes in food abundance and/or population density. Measures of an individual's trappability and trap diversity had high repeatability and were used in a Principal Component Analysis to obtain a single personality score representing a boldness-exploration tendency. Males increased home-range size with low food abundance and low female density, independent of their personality. However, bolder males used larger core-areas that overlapped less with other males than shy ones, suggesting different resource (food, partners) utilization strategies among personality types. For females, space use-personality relationships varied with food abundance, and bolder females used larger home ranges than shy ones at low female density, but the trend was opposite at high female density. Females' intrasexual core-area overlap was negatively related to body mass, with no effect of personality. We conclude that relationships between personality traits and space use in free-ranging squirrels varied with sex, and were further influenced by spatio-temporal fluctuations in food availability. Moreover, different personality types (bold-explorative vs. shy) seemed to adopt different space-use strategies to increase access to food and/or partners.

A Mathematical Model Supporting a Hyperpredation Effect in the Apparent Competition Between Invasive Eastern Cottontail and Native European Hare.

In this work a mathematical model is built in order to validate on theoretical grounds field study results on a three-species system made of two prey, of which one is native and another one invasive, together with a native predator. Specifically, our results mathematically describe the negative effect on the native European hare after the introduction of the invasive Eastern cottontail, mediated by an increased predation rate by foxes. Two nonexclusive assumptions can be made: an increase in cottontail abundance would lead to a larger fox population, magnifying their predatory impact ("hyperpredation") on hares; alternatively, cottontails attract foxes in patches where they live, which are also important resting sites for hares and consequently the increased presence of foxes results in a higher predation rates on hares. The model results support hyperpredation of increasing fox populations on native hares.

Ranking alien species based on their risks of causing environmental impacts: a global assessment of alien ungulates.

For an efficient allocation of the limited resources to alien species management, the most damaging species should be prioritized. Comparing alien species based on their impacts is not straightforward, as the same species can cause different types and magnitudes of impacts when introduced to different contexts, making it difficult to summarize its overall impact. The Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT) systematically summarizes and compares detrimental impacts caused by alien populations to native biota and has been adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). For each alien species, all reported impacts to native populations within the introduced range are classified into five levels of severity, from negligible impact to irreversible local extinction. Currently, EICAT only compares alien species based on their highest impact, thereby ignoring variation in impact magnitudes. Here, we used information on the variation in impact magnitudes of alien species to estimate their risks to cause high impacts if introduced to a novel environment. We demonstrate the usefulness of this approach by classifying the global impacts of alien ungulates. We found impact reports for 27 of the 66 alien ungulate species established worldwide, highlighting substantial knowledge gaps in invasion science. We classified a total of 441 impacts to native fauna and flora caused by these 27 species. Twenty-six of the species were found to cause harmful impacts (native population declines or local extinctions). Mouflon (Ovis orientalis, Gmelin, 1774) and dromedary (Camelus dromedarius, Linnaeus, 1758) had a higher risk of causing local extinctions if introduced to a novel environment than sika deer (Cervus nippon, Temminck, 1838) and goats (Capra hircus, Linnaeus, 1758). Including risk of high impacts allows to discriminate among species with the same EICAT classification and improves alien species prioritization for management.

Using structured eradication feasibility assessment to prioritize the management of new and emerging invasive alien species in Europe.

Prioritizing the management of invasive alien species (IAS) is of global importance and within Europe integral to the EU IAS regulation. To prioritize management effectively, the risks posed by IAS need to be assessed, but so too does the feasibility of their management. While the risk of IAS to the EU has been assessed, the feasibility of management has not. We assessed the feasibility of eradicating 60 new (not yet established) and 35 emerging (established with limited distribution) species that pose a threat to the EU, as identified by horizon scanning. The assessment was carried out by 34 experts in invasion management from across Europe, applying the Non-Native Risk Management scheme to defined invasion scenarios and eradication strategies for each species, assessing the feasibility of eradication using seven key risk management criteria. Management priorities were identified by combining scores for risk (derived from horizon scanning) and feasibility of eradication. The results show eradication feasibility score and risk score were not correlated, indicating that risk management criteria evaluate different information than risk assessment. In all, 17 new species were identified as particularly high priorities for eradication should they establish in the future, whereas 14 emerging species were identified as priorities for eradication now. A number of species considered highest priority for eradication were terrestrial vertebrates, a group that has been the focus of a number of eradication attempts in Europe. However, eradication priorities also included a diverse range of other taxa (plants, invertebrates and fish) suggesting there is scope to broaden the taxonomic range of attempted eradication in Europe. We demonstrate that broad scale structured assessments of management feasibility can help prioritize IAS for management. Such frameworks are needed to support evidence-based decision-making.

Assessment of Detection Methods and Vegetation Associations for Introduced Finlayson's Squirrels (Callosciurus finlaysonii) in Italy.

Managing biological invasions requires rapid, cost-effective assessments of introduced species' occurrence, and a good understanding of the species' vegetation associations. This is particularly true for species that are elusive or may spread rapidly. Finlayson's squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii) is native to Thailand and southeastern Asia, and two introduced populations occur in peninsular Italy. One of the two introduced populations is rapidly expanding, but neither effective monitoring protocols nor reliable information on vegetation associations are available. To fill this gap, we conducted visual surveys and hair tube sampling in a periurban landscape of southern Italy to compare the effectiveness of these two methods in assessing presence of Finlayson's squirrel. We also determined the species' association with vegetation types at detection locations and nesting sites. Both visual and hair tube sampling effectively assessed the species' presence, but hair tubes resulted in fewer false absences. Moreover, when we controlled for the costs of labor and equipment, hair tubes were 33.1% less expensive than visual sampling. Presence of squirrels and their nests was positively correlated with shrub species richness, indicating that the occurrence of forests with well-developed understory may inhibit the spread of the species.

Local Economic Conditions Affect Aedes albopictus Management.

Invasive mosquitoes are an emerging public health issue, as many species are competent vectors for pathogens. We assessed how multiple environmental and socio-economic factors affected the engagement of municipalities in Italy (n = 7679) in actions against Aedes albopictus, an invasive mosquito affecting human health and well-being, between 2000 and 2020. We collected information about mosquito control from official documents and municipal websites and modeled the role played by multiple environmental and socioeconomic factors characterizing each municipality through the random forest algorithm. Municipalities are more prone to manage A. albopictus if more urbanized, in lowlands and with long infestation periods. Moreover, these variables are more predictive of management in municipalities with a high median income and thus more economic resources. Only 25.5% of Italian municipalities approved regulations for managing A. albopictus, and very few of them were in Southern Italy, the most deprived area of the country. Our findings indicate that local economic conditions moderate the effect of other drivers of mosquito control and ultimately can lead to better management of A. albopictus. If the management of invasive mosquitoes, or other forms of global change, is subjected to local economic conditions, economic inequalities will jeopardize the success of large-scale policies, also raising issues of environmental and climate justice.

Correction: Aquatic invasive alien rodents in Western France: Where do we stand today after decades of control?

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249904.].

COVID-19 could accelerate the decline in recreational hunting: A natural experiment from Northern Italy.

Although many studies highlighted the potential of COVID-19 to reshape existing models of wildlife management, empirical research on this topic has been scarce, particularly in Europe. We investigated the potential of COVID-19 pandemic to accelerate the ongoing decline in an aging population of recreational hunters in Italy. Namely, we modelled spatiotemporal trends between 2011 and 2021 in the number of recreational hunters in 50 Italian provinces with a varying incidence of COVID-19, and temporally delayed waves of infection. Compared to projections from 2011-2019 data, we detected a lower number of hunters who enrolled for the hunting season, both in 2020 (14 provinces) and in 2021 (15 provinces). The provinces with the highest incidence of COVID-19 in the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions were also those experiencing the most marked decrease in hunting participation. Our findings revealed that a wildlife management system based on recreational hunting can be rapidly destabilized by epidemics and their associated public health measures, particularly when the average age of hunters is high, like in Italy. Considered the high incidence attained by COVID-19 in many European countries, where hunters are pivotal for the management of large ungulates and where they were already declining before the pandemic, our findings call for further large-scale research about the impact of COVID-19 on hunting participation.

Citizen science is a vital partnership for invasive alien species management and research.

Invasive alien species (IAS) adversely impact biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and socio-economics. Citizen science can be an effective tool for IAS surveillance, management, and research, providing large datasets over wide spatial extents and long time periods, with public participants generating knowledge that supports action. We demonstrate how citizen science has contributed knowledge across the biological invasion process, especially for early detection and distribution mapping. However, we recommend that citizen science could be used more for assessing impacts and evaluating the success of IAS management. Citizen science does have limitations, and we explore solutions to two key challenges: ensuring data accuracy and dealing with uneven spatial coverage of potential recorders (which limits the dataset's "fit for purpose"). Greater co-development of citizen science with public stakeholders will help us better realize its potential across the biological invasion process and across ecosystems globally while meeting the needs of participants, local communities, scientists, and decision-makers.

A model for voles interference in cultivated orchards.

We consider a dynamical system involving seven populations to model the presence of voles in a cultivated orchard. The plant population is stratified by age (three groups) and by health status (being damaged or not). The last equation models the voles with a modified logistic equation with Allee effect, where the modification takes into account the disturbance provided by the human activity on the orchard. Both an analytical investigation and numerical simulations on a case study are presented. The latter support the observed differences in the literature, in terms of number of voles, between cultivated and uncultivated fields.

Variation of Rodents' Body Temperature across Elevation in Alps.

AbstractUnderstanding the physiological adaptations of animals living in mountain landscapes is a key to predicting the responses of individuals to environmental changes, especially those imposed by climate. In this regard, the mechanism of body temperature regulation is particularly important in determining the physiological limits for activity under hypoxic and climatic stressful conditions. Numerous studies have shown that body temperature of rodents and other animals decreases with elevation and with extreme winter temperatures. But surprisingly, it is still not known how body temperature of wild animals varies along elevation during their reproductive seasons. We studied variation in core body temperature among individuals (N=294) of four rodent species (Apodemus flavicollis, Apodemus sylvaticus, Apodemus alpicola, Myodes glareolus) and its association with elevation (from 400 to 1,822 m asl), accounting for variation in environment temperature, microhabitat structure, body condition, and sex. Results showed a strong positive effect of elevation and a more limited effect of environmental temperature on rodents' body temperature during spring and summer. The effect of elevation on body temperature was influenced neither by interactions with environmental temperature or sex nor by the microhabitat structure. We suggest that in normothermic condition at high elevations, small mammals experiencing hypoxic exposure might show physiological adjustments for increasing efficiency of thermoregulation in low oxygen conditions.

COVID-19, media coverage of bats and related Web searches: a turning point for bat conservation?

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, is genomically similar to a SARS-like beta-coronavirus found in Asian rhinolophid bats. This evolutionary relationship impressed the global media, which then emphasised bats as key actors in the spillover that resulted in the pandemic. In this study, we highlight changes in the traditional and new media coverage of bats and in Internet search volumes that occurred since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.We analysed Google and Wikipedia searches for bats and coronaviruses in 21 countries and eight languages, as well as television broadcasts in the USA, some of which have global coverage, between January 2016 and December 2020. In January 2020, the amount of television news about bats boomed, and news associated with the term 'bat' shifted to COVID-19-related topics. A nearly identical pattern was observed in Google searches during 2020 at the global scale. The daily time series of television coverage and Internet search volumes on bats and coronavirus in the USA covaried in the first quarter of 2020, in line with the existence of a media bubble. Time-series analysis revealed that both the Google Trends index and visits to Wikipedia pages about bats boomed in early 2020, despite the fact that this time of year is usually characterised by low search volumes.Media coverage emphasised, correctly or not, the role of bats in the COVID-19 pandemic and amplified public interest in bats worldwide. The public image of these mammals, in many cases threatened and important ecosystem service providers, was seriously compromised. We therefore recommend that policymakers and journalists prioritise scientifically accurate communication campaigns about bats, which would help counteract the surge in bat persecution, and leverage interest towards positive human-bat interactions.

SARS­CoV­2, el virus causante de la pandemia COVID­19, es genómicamente símil al SARS­tipo beta­coronavirus encontrado en los murciélagos rinolófidos asiáticos. Esta relación evolutiva impresionó a los medios mundialmente, hasta tal punto que se ha enfatizado el papel de los murciélagos como uno de los principales vectores en la expansión de la pandemia. En este estudio, se resaltan los cambios producidos en la percepción de los murciélagos por los medios de comunicación (nuevos y tradicionales), y en las búsquedas en Internet que ocurrieron desde el inicio de la pandemia COVID­19 en 2020.Para ello se han analizado las búsquedas del término 'murciélago' en Google y Wikipedia en 21 países y ocho lenguas, así como las retransmisiones televisivas en EE.UU. (algunas de las cuales con cobertura global) entre enero 2016 y diciembre 2020. En enero 2020, la cantidad de noticias televisadas sobre murciélagos se disparó, y el número de noticias previamente asociadas con el término 'murciélago' cambiaron por temáticas relacionadas con el COVID­19. Un patrón idéntico puede ser observado a escala global en las búsquedas de Google durante el 2020. La serie temporal de cobertura televisiva y búsquedas en internet sobre murciélagos y coronavirus en EE.UU. covaría durante el primer cuarto del 2020, en líneo con la existencia de la burbuja mediática. El análisis de la cobertura diaria televisiva revela que tanto el índice Google Trend como las visitas a páginas de Wikipedia sobre murciélagos incrementaron al comienzo del 2020, a pesar de que esta época del año suele caracterizarse por bajos volúmenes de búsqueda.La cobertura mediática enfatizó, correctamente o no, el papel de los murciélagos en la propagación de la pandemia COVID­19, ampliando el interés público a lo largo del globo. La imagen pública de estos mamíferos, en muchos casos especies amenazadas o proveedoras de importantes funciones ecosistémicas, ha sido seriamente comprometida. Por lo tanto, se recomienda a periodistas y responsables políticos la priorización de campañas de comunicación científicamente fundamentadas que ayuden a contrarrestar este aumento en la persecución de los murciélagos aprovechando el interés actual para concienciar al público de sus interacciones positivas con el hombre.