Ecological Research最新文献

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are critical for high-tech technologies in the green energy transition. The Peak Range Volcanics of Queensland, Australia, have a REE-enriched geology which may become a mining target in the future. Indicator plants, which translocate metals (including REEs) to their foliar tissues in a proportional relation to the concentration in the soil, can potentially be used as a biogeochemical prospecting tool to locate ‘hidden’ REE deposits. This study aimed to determine REE accumulation of plants occurring on the REE-enriched geology of the Peak Range Volcanics. A biogeochemical survey was conducted at the Peak Ranges and plant samples (and some soils) were collected across different peralkaline rhyolite domes, including the Christmas and Pitts Domes. Rock analytical data was available to serve as a baseline for REE enrichment of the area. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) was used for elemental analysis of the plant and soil samples. The results confirm that rocks and soils at the Peak Ranges have high REE enrichment with an average of 1450 μg g⁻¹ ƩREEs (total REEs). More than 100 plant samples were collected for chemical analysis and the 90^th percentile of 71 identified plants were categorized as REE indicator plants. Plants belonging to the Cannabaceae, Moraceae, and Malvaceae families had higher REE concentrations that those in other “normal” plants which had < 10 μg g⁻¹ ƩREEs. Biogeochemical prospecting for REEs using plants is feasible in Queensland to identify areas naturally enriched in REEs.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a powerful and sensitive method for monitoring aquatic and terrestrial organisms, offering insights into their distribution. Usually, eDNA is collected using a filter membrane through water filtration. However, the passive eDNA method can simplify sampling and broaden its scope, offering new insights for ecological surveillance. This study examined the efficacy of six different membrane filters in detecting the yellow mud turtle (Kinosternon flavescens) through a novel passive eDNA method. After being immersed in water for 12 h, only the mixed cellulose ester (MCE) membrane filter consistently demonstrated specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using gel electrophoretic and Sanger sequencing, indicating the presence of eDNA from the yellow mud turtle. Yellow mud turtles were detected in fall sampling using MCE filters; however, they were not detected in winter, despite multiple attempts at passive sampling. The observed changes in eDNA detection are likely due to several factors including the turtles' overwintering behavior and varying environmental conditions. Our findings highlighted the importance of selecting appropriate membrane filters and considering seasonal dynamics when designing passive eDNA monitoring systems for turtles. Notably, the information in this study can help make eDNA-based surveys in aquatic environments more reliable, leading to better conservation and management approaches for aquatic organisms.

Understanding elevational changes in ecosystem processes is important for predicting ecosystem responses to global warming. Plant litter decomposition is expected to increase with increasing temperature as elevation decreases. However, how decomposition varies along elevation gradients within and across forests dominated by different species remains unclear. We investigated in situ and downward-transplanted leaf litter decomposition of two dominant species, deciduous broad-leaved beech (Fagus crenata) dominating at lower elevations and evergreen coniferous Maries fir (Abies mariesii) dominating at higher elevations, in a montane range. For the downward-transplanted treatment, litter from the highest elevation of each species' distribution was decomposed at lower elevations. Elevational changes in soil properties and litter traits of the two species were measured alongside. Within each species' range, the in situ decomposition generally increased with decreasing elevation, and the slopes of these relationships were not altered by the species-specific elevational changes in litter traits. In contrast, the decomposition of A. mariesii litter was more temperature-sensitive than that of F. crenata. Across forest types, A. mariesii at higher elevations had a greater in situ decomposition rate than F. crenata, possibly due to its lower lignin content compared to F. crenata. When the transplanted litter of A. mariesii was decomposed in F. crenata-dominated forests, its decomposition rate dropped to a level similar to F. crenata despite warmer conditions and its lower lignin. This study underscores the significance of considering plant traits and plant–soil interactions in predicting the responses of carbon and nutrient cycles in forest ecosystems to future climate change.

Sedum plumbizincicola is a zinc–cadmium (Zn–Cd) hyperaccumulator native to China with high potential for use in the phytoremediation of contaminated soils in temperate climates. This study aimed to determine the Zn accumulation and distribution in S. plumbizincicola tissues grown on soils co-contaminated with Cd, Pb, and Zn. The efficiency of Zn accumulation was assessed in monoculture and intercropping systems with Noccaea caerulescens. The samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry and synchrotron micro-X-ray fluorescence elemental imaging. Sedum plumbizincicola grown in monoculture had significantly higher foliar Zn concentrations than the plants grown with N. caerulescens, with the leaf tips, petioles and nodes being the main sites of Zn localization in the aerial parts. The highest Zn concentrations were observed in the epidermis and vascular system of both leaves and stems, with the distribution pattern differing between young and mature leaves. This study highlights the Zn localization patterns in S. plumbizincicola to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of Zn hyperaccumulation. Growing in monoculture, S. plumbizincicola is an effective candidate for Zn agromining or phytoremediation of Zn-Cd contaminated soils, with less promising results when intercropped with N. caerulescens.

Aquatic ecosystems are experiencing significant threats globally due to the widespread establishment of non-native fishes introduced via diverse anthropogenic pathways. Despite the recognition of their ecological, economic, and social impacts, a harmonized global resource focusing solely on established fish species has been lacking. We introduce a standardized global database encompassing 1538 established non-native fish species across 193 countries (5495 total occurrence records), integrating comprehensive metadata on introduction pathways (such as Escape from confinement, Release in nature, Transport as contaminant or stowaway, and Corridors; subcategories include Aquaculture, Ornamental trade, Fishery stocking, and Ballast water), habitat types (freshwater, marine, and freshwater–marine), native biogeographic realms (Nearctic, Neotropical, Palaearctic, Afrotropical, Indo-Malayan, Australasian, and mixed/cryptogenic), impacts, and first record timelines. Impacts are classified into environmental, economic, and social dimensions, with detailed mechanistic coding (e.g., competition, hybridization, disease transmission, predation). This database, curated from GBIF, FishBase, GRIIS, the SInAS workflow, and primary literature, is presented as a data paper and offers an essential foundation for invasion ecology, conservation planning, and biosecurity policy. The metadata is available in MetaCat in JaLTER at https://jalter.diasjp.net/data/ERDP-2025-06.

Single-copy orthologs are often used to reconstruct phylogenetic trees of life. A set of single-copy orthologs can be prepared by building a new database including the species/strains of interest and performing a homology search, but these steps are time-consuming when working with a large number of samples. To address this issue, more efficient and practical approaches are needed. Here, we developed a new pipeline called CUSCO, which reconstructs phylogenetic trees from the genome sequences of desired samples, including polyploid genomes or those without annotation using a reference set of protein sequences. As a benchmark, we compared the CUSCO pipeline with OrthoFinder. The CUSCO pipeline reproduced the same tree topologies that were reconstructed using single-copy orthologs selected by OrthoFinder in a significantly shorter runtime. The pipeline is implemented with a function to identify a minimal set of marker genes that reconstruct a species tree, which is comparable to the one reconstructed from single-copy orthologs. We also verified that the minimal set of marker genes identified by CUSCO accurately reproduces the tree topology obtained from the whole genome dataset. Sequencing these marker genes enables rapid and cost-effective inference of the phylogenetic position of newly sampled species. Now that the genomes can be sequenced easily and inexpensively, the speed and accuracy of CUSCO facilitate large-scale phylogenomic analyses on a desktop computer. Availability and implementation https://github.com/seikot345/CUSCO/.

Wrinkled frogs (Glandirana rugosa) are a common species found in various freshwater habitats across Japan. Due to multiple sex chromosome turnovers and the discovery of cryptic species, understanding the historical population dynamics of this species is crucial for studying its genomic evolution and speciation. On the other hand, in some populations, urbanization has led to a decline in both population size and their distribution range. To better understand the historical population dynamics and recent population decline of G. rugosa, it can be helpful to conduct novel genetic analyses. As a crucial first step, we primarily focused on developing 14 microsatellite markers using nanopore sequencing. These markers were then validated by assessing the genetic diversity of G. rugosa in four populations: three from mainland Japan (two from Shimane and one from Gunma Prefectures) and one from an island (Oki Islands, Shimane Prefecture). The total number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 36, and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.950. Population genetic analyses using these markers revealed substantial genetic diversity among populations and a weak correlation between intra-population diversity and geographical features. We believe that the microsatellite markers developed in this study would be useful in exploring their genetic diversity in other populations and contribute to the conservation of this species in the future.