Bats are indispensable members of the natural world, supporting its delicate balance. Bats have vital roles in controlling insect populations and enhancing soil fertility. They also help in the harvesting and dispersal of seeds, pollination in plants, and nutrient recycling and distribution. However, through evolution over millions of years, they have also adapted their immune system so that they may carry numerous types of pathogens, the majority of which are viruses, without these pathogens having any serious ill effects on bats themselves. Their anatomical adaptation to flight and the reduced immune response to DNA damage during flight have also contributed to bats becoming reservoirs of deadly pathogenic diseases. This review discusses the different adaptations of bats with a special focus on the immune system that have helped them evolve as a reservoir for various viruses. The study also enumerates how the increase in global warming, the consequent changes in climatic conditions, habitat destruction, and bushmeat consumption increase the chances of an outbreak of novel zoonotic disease when humans come in contact with bats.

The Arctic experiences rapid climate change, but our ability to predict how this will influence plant communities is hampered by a lack of data on the extent to which different species are associated with particular environmental conditions, how these conditions are interlinked, and how they will change in coming years. Increasing temperatures may negatively affect plants associated with cold areas due to increased competition with warm-adapted species, but less so if local temperature variability is larger than the expected increase. Here we studied the potential drivers of vegetation composition and species richness along coast to inland and altitudinal gradients by the Nuuk fjord in western Greenland using hierarchical modelling of species communities (HMSC) and linear mixed models. Community composition was more strongly associated with random variability at intermediate spatial scales (among plot groups 500 m apart) than with large-scale variability in summer temperature, altitude or soil moisture, and the variation in community composition along the fjord was small. Species richness was related to plant cover, altitude and slope steepness, which explained 42% of the variation, but not to summer temperature. Jointly, this suggests that the direct effect of climate change will be weak, and that many species are associated with microhabitat variability. However, species richness peaked at intermediate cover, suggesting that an increase in plant cover under warming climatic conditions may lead to decreasing plant diversity.

BackgroundPlant invasion affects plant community composition, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in vulnerable ecosystems. As an invasive parasitic plant, Cassytha filiformis has caused extensive damage to the native vegetation of the Paracel Islands. However, the effects of C. filiformis invasion on litter decomposition and nutrient release in native plant communities remain unclear. We conducted an in-situ decomposition experiment in native plant communities on a coral island to explore the litter decomposition dynamics varying across enzyme activities, soil properties and C. filiformis invasive degrees.ResultsThe mass loss of litter was determined during the decomposition process. The data showed that litter mass loss under severe invasion was significantly lower than in uninvaded sites after nine months of decomposition. The invasion of C. filiformis accelerated the nitrogen release and lignin decomposition with increased litter quality and polyphenol oxidase activity. Besides, soil phosphorus availability and potassium content also induced the oxidase activity. Meanwhile, the decomposition of litter organic carbon was delayed because beta-1, 4-glucosidase activity was low in the first six months. Besides, peroxidase activity maintained a high level in invasive plots, indicating that the residues of C. filiformis may have allelopathy.ConclusionOur results suggested that the invasion of C. filiformis accelerated litter mass loss and element release on coral islands by regulating litter quality and enzyme activity. However, the short-term rapid litter decomposition may result in nutrient loss, which is not conducive to the growth of native plants.

A bacterial wilt disease (R. solanacearum) severely damages potato crops. The pathogen infects several crops in various agroclimatic areas, and it has a broad pathogenic diversity. Six phylotypes, twenty-three sequevars, five races, and six biovars have been identified to indicate the pathogenic diversity of the pathogen. Twenty-eight isolates of Phylotype II were separated into seven classes and identified 97.06% diversity. It survives in the soil for a long time. Temperature and soil moisture, affected the infection, growth, and epidemics of the pathogen. In the last three decades, scholars have reported Mondial, CIP385312-2, Cruza 148, and CIP388285-14 resistant clones and cultivars. Five quantitative trait loci responsible for resistance were identified on different potato chromosomes. LYZ-C resistance gene and the receptor kinase gene CLAVATA 1 were used to develop potato resistance. For potato resistance, a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat has been used since bacteria do not have Ribonucleic acid interference. Biochar, compost, and bio-organic fertilizer cultural practices are important to control the disease. It has been stated that bacteria exceed fungus as a biological control. Moreover, new or unusual biological controls such as Enterobacter sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Paenibacillus sp have been suggested. Several studies showed the effects of cultural and physical practices on other soil-borne diseases, however not on the potato bacterial wilt disease. Resistant potato clones against bacterial wilt disease are not available in developing countries. Then, the current review was proposed to assess various findings available on potato bacterial wilt pathogenic variability and management practices.

Transboundary wildlife species like the African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) requires a comprehensive regional approach to monitoring and effective conservation. This requires a thorough understanding of their ecology, ranging behaviour and the distribution of suitable habitats. In diverse landscapes, the management and conservation of the African savannah elephant are critical, particularly in dry protected areas where water and food resources are limited. The use of innovative Geographic Information Science (GIS) and remote sensing tools is revolutionising the understanding of the ranging behaviour and habitat dynamics of the African savannah elephant. When adopting GIS and remote sensing tools, park managers and conservationists must remember that: (i) the African savannah elephant has a determinate movement pattern and clusters around dominant vegetation types, (ii) the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) performs better relative to other indices in modelling the distribution of the African savannah elephant in arid areas, (iii) cellular automata-artificial neural network (CA-ANN) is a robust technique in modelling future landscapes, (iv) landscapes or environments near water points are significantly utilised by the African savannah elephant and vegetation performance is usually better far from the piosphere, (v) significant difference in the size of the home ranges and habitat selection by the African savannah elephant is mostly influenced by vegetation type and seasonal variations of resources, (vi) hyperslender stems in forest gaps confirms minimal damage in African savannah elephant dominated landscapes (satellite data confirms evidence of high tree regeneration) and (vii) the dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Model (dBBMM) is a smart technique for home range and utilisation distribution construction in different protected zones.

The novel concept of the review is a focus on the organisms living in the sea ice and what mechanisms they have developed for their existence. The review describes the physical environment of the sea ice and the microorganisms living there as microalgae, bacteria, virus, fungi, meio- and macrofauna where they inhabit the brine channels and exposed to low temperatures as down to -25 degrees C and high salinities-up to 300. Nutrients, O2, CO2, pH, light, and UV are also identified as stressors regarding the metabolism of the microorganisms. It is argued that sea ice must be recognized as an extreme environment as based on records of very high or very low concentrations or intensities of the stressors that living organisms in the ice are exposed to and able to endure. Each taxonomic group of organisms in the sea ice are dealt with in detail in terms of the explicit stressors the group is exposed to, and specifically what known mechanisms that the organisms have amended to secure existence and life. These mechanisms are known for some group of organisms as autotrophs, bacteria, meio- and macrofauna but less so for virus and fungi. The review concludes that sea ice is an extreme environment where the stressors vary significantly in both space and time, both in consort and solitary, classifying organisms living there as polyextremophiles and extremophiles. The review relates further to extraterrestrial moons covered with sea ice and these habitats and points toward sea ice on Earth for prospective studies until further technological advances.

The ruined landscapes of the Mediterranean littoral are a consequence of millennia of human impact and include abandoned agricultural lands, deforested areas, and degraded coastal areas. One of the drivers is the historical pattern of land use, which has resulted in the clearing of vegetation, soil erosion, and overgrazing. These have caused significant damage to natural ecosystems and landscapes leading to soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and the destruction of habitats. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 15 Life on Land recommends a substantial increase in afforestation (SDG 15.2). Whilst this goal is certainly necessary in places, it should be implemented with caution. The general perception that certain ecosystems, such as forests, are inherently more valuable than grasslands and shrublands contributes to afforestation drives prioritising quick and visible results. This, however, increases the possibility of misguided afforestation, particularly in areas that never supported forests under the present climatic conditions. We argue that in areas that have not supported forest ecosystems, targeted reinforcement of existing populations and recreation of historical ones is preferable to wholesale ecosystem modification disguised as afforestation. We present a possible strategy for targeted reinforcement in areas that never supported forests and that would still achieve the goals of SDGs 15.5 and 15.8.

This review explores the development and potential applications of space concrete, a critical material for future extraterrestrial construction. Space concrete, adapted to withstand the harsh conditions of outer space, such as extreme temperatures, vacuum, microgravity, and radiation, offers a sustainable solution for building habitats and infrastructure on celestial bodies like the Moon and Mars. Emphasizing the innovative approaches in formulating space concrete, including the use of lunar and Martian soil as aggregates and the exploration of alternative binders to traditional water-based cement, this review highlights the significance of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and 3D printing technologies in advancing extraterrestrial construction. Additionally, the current designs and applications of space concrete structures are discussed. By providing a detailed analysis of the challenges faced in space construction and the latest advancements in material and structural research, the review underlines the pivotal role of space concrete in supporting space exploration and long-term habitat.

Drylands are limited by water and nutrients and exposed to high solar radiation, which result in sparse vegetation cover, soil erosion, and subsequent land degradation. Land degradation affects human wellbeing, causing health and environmental problems, migrations and increasing socio-economic instability worldwide. The restoration of degraded drylands by induced biocrusts has recently gained increased scientific interest. However, harsh environmental conditions can slow down biocrust development. Thus, it is necessary to investigate and develop methods for the mitigation of harsh environmental factors. This survey and assessment reviews studies on environmental barriers to biocrust development and technological achievements in the acceleration of artificially induced biocrust development through the mitigation of harsh environmental conditions. Climatic conditions, and soil and inoculum properties have been identified as major factors that influence the acceleration of biocrust development and which should be considered when dryland restoration is planned. Activities such as watering, shading, soil stabilization and fertilization, as well as further measures for the survival of the cyanobacterial inoculum have promoted biocrust establishment. The restoration of degraded substrates requires the alignment of amelioration techniques with environmental conditions and inoculum requirements. This study has also identified the need for further optimization of watering and shading technologies, better understanding of the importance of soil properties in biocrust growth, as well as further studies on the most appropriate inoculum type and techniques for mass cultivation and application at field scale. The proposal of a multifunctional solution is proposed that could contribute to the restoration of land and cleaner air and water, by providing an inoculum and suitable microsite environmental conditions for the accelerated establishment of viable biocrusts leading to further development, survival, and to the succession to higher organisms under a wide range of environmental conditions.

In the lower Florida Keys, the endangered Florida Key deer and numerous other wildlife species inhabit a vulnerable island environment susceptible to storm surges and rising seawater due to low elevation and flat terrain. Timely and reliable assessment of vegetation damage from natural disasters, such as Hurricane Irma, is crucial for effective habitat management. The study ' s overall objective is to examine Hurricane Irma ' s impact on vegetation on No Name Key, Florida, using remote sensing. The study relates the area change in vegetation obtained from remote sensing analysis to Florida Key deer population changes following the storm. The methodology involved performing a thematic change detection analysis using the following data sources: (1) aerial multispectral images (for pre- and post -Hurricane), (2) airborne lidar data (for pre- and postHurricane), (3) an existing vegetation map, and (4) soil data. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) image classification algorithm was applied to pre- and post -storm input image stacks to create pre- and post -Hurricane Irma vegetation maps. We were then able to obtain the area change information (for various vegetation categories) by performing the change detection analysis of the 2 SVM-classified images. The differences in areas following the storm were calculated for 7 affected vegetation types. Using the area change information following Hurricane Irma, we estimated the number of deer supported by the storm -affected vegetation. These estimated deer numbers, based on the area differences in post -Hurricane Irma vegetation types, were compared to observed deer numbers collected during the post -Hurricane Irma Texas A &M Natural Resources Institute (NRI) deer field survey. The results showed the following: mangroves had the largest negative area changes (area loss), followed by pinelands, hardwoods/hammocks, developed areas, and buttonwoods. Freshwater marshes had the largest positive area changes (area gain). The deer ' s preferred vegetation areas had decreased post -Hurricane Irma, resulting in a reduced deer population compared to pre -storm numbers. The predicted number of the Key deer post -Hurricane Irma fell within a 95% confidence interval of the observed deer population from the post -storm field survey. The study findings and techniques could be applied to study climate change impact, especially sea level rise. This methodology can be valuable in assessing the impact of storms on other wildlife species in similar environments. The applications and methodology are especially relevant considering the increasing frequency and intensity of storm surges and the accelerating rate of sea level rise.