Scientific African最新文献

{"title":"Integrated remote sensing and field data for lithological mapping and calcite exploration in the Middle Atlas, Morocco","authors":"Abdelkhiar Ait Ali ,&nbsp;Jaouad Choukrad ,&nbsp;Youssef Ouahzizi ,&nbsp;Mohammed Charroud ,&nbsp;Hicham Si Mhamdi ,&nbsp;Naoufal Saoud ,&nbsp;Souhail Mounir ,&nbsp;Abdellah Mechaqrane","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02521","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study focuses on the application of remote sensing techniques for litho-structural mapping and calcite index detection in the Middle Atlas of Morocco. The aim is to generate a detailed geological map to understand the distribution of calcite veins and their relationship with geological structures. We utilized Aster and Landsat-8 OLI imagery, spatially enhanced with SPOT 5 data, for lithological mapping. Calcite indices were calculated using [(B6*B9)/(B8*B8)] to identify potential areas of calcite mineralization. Lineaments were extracted from a digital elevation model and Landsat-8 OLI principal component analysis (PCA) to delineate structural features. Results show a successful discrimination of lithological units and a predominant NE-SW orientation of lineaments in the Mehdi and Serghina Ridges. This system is aligned with branches of the South Middle Atlas fault. The spatial correlation between calcite indices and lineaments suggests a strong litho-structural control on calcite mineralization in the study area. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of remote sensing in mineral exploration and provides valuable insights into the geological context of calcite occurrences in the Middle Atlas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02521"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extracts of food and medicinal plants sold in Moroccan markets induce apoptosis-like in Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in vitro","authors":"Ismail Elkoraichi ,&nbsp;Nathalie Moiré ,&nbsp;Samira Rais ,&nbsp;Isabelle Dimier-Poisson ,&nbsp;Fouad Daoudi ,&nbsp;Françoise Debierre-Grockiego","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02529","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02529","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Congenital toxoplasmosis in Morocco, and other middle-income countries, remains challenging due to high cost and potential toxicity of existing treatment, limiting their widespread application. This highlights the urgent need for affordable, safe and accessible alternatives. Plants used in traditional medicine and purchased in markets are good candidates. Aqueous extract of <em>Ammi visnaga</em> seeds had no inhibitory effect against <em>T. gondii</em> tachyzoites <em>in vitro</em> (50% inhibitory concentration, IC₅₀ = 679.6 ± 243.6 µg/mL) and induced a cytotoxic effect on host cells (50% cytotoxic concentration, CC₅₀ = 313.3 ± 357.6 µg/mL). Ethanolic extract of <em>A. visnaga</em> seeds showed anti-<em>Toxoplasma</em> effect (IC₅₀ = 192.3 ± 70.2 µg/mL) with low cytotoxicity (CC₅₀ = 515.9 ± 312.0 µg/mL), indicating that different compounds were extracted. Aqueous extracts of <em>Punica granatum</em> peel and <em>Syzygium aromaticum</em> flower buds showed anti-<em>Toxoplasma</em> effect (IC₅₀ = 413.5 ± 271.4 and 473.5 ± 196.0 µg/mL, respectively) with low cytotoxicity (CC₅₀ = 1007.4 ± 286.3 and 985.6 ± 388.6 µg/mL, respectively). All extracts, particularly of <em>A. visnaga</em>, induced apoptosis-like in tachyzoites, characterized by phosphatidylserine exposure and DNA fragmentation. Finally, the aqueous extracts of <em>A. visnaga</em> seeds, <em>P. granatum</em> peel and <em>S. aromaticum</em> flower buds exhibited antioxidant properties. The observed effects are likely due to coumarins and sterols (<em>A. visnaga</em> aqueous extract), saponins (<em>A. visnaga</em> ethanolic extract), gallic tannins (<em>P. granatum</em> extract), and phenols (<em>S. aromaticum</em> extract). <em>P. granatum</em> peel show promise as potential preclinical candidates for the toxoplasmosis treatment, warranting further investigation into its potential for safe and effective therapeutic use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02529"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143093223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pest classification: Explainable few-shot learning vs. convolutional neural networks vs. transfer learning","authors":"Nitiyaa Ragu ,&nbsp;Jason Teo","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02512","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02512","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pests significantly threaten plant yield and overall agricultural productivity, leading to reduced output in the farming industry. Accurate and automated detection of crop insect pests is crucial for effective pest control and optimal utilization of agricultural resources. This study addresses the problem of limited datasets in pest detection by exploring the potential of Explainable Few-Shot Learning (FSL), a machine learning approach that not only enables learning from a small amount of data but also provides interpretable insights into the decision-making process. Unlike traditional pest detection studies that rely on large labeled datasets or black-box models, this research introduces an advanced methodology by integrating explainability techniques such as Grad-CAM into FSL models, specifically Prototypical Network and Siamese Network. This dual approach ensures high accuracy with minimal training data while identifying key image features influencing predictions, thereby enhancing transparency and trust. A comparative analysis was conducted against Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and transfer learning models using full pest images, half pest images, and Malaysian pest images. This study found that Explainable FSL achieved the highest accuracy of 99.81 % in various scenarios, including 9-way 1-shot, 3-shot, 5-shot, and 10-shot configurations, outperforming both CNN and transfer learning models. These findings demonstrate that Explainable FSL models can significantly improve the accuracy, transparency, and efficiency of pest detection systems, even with limited data. By advancing both the detection capabilities and interpretability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, this research provides a novel contribution to smart agriculture, enabling robust pest detection systems tailored to real-world, data-scarce scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02512"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Helminthic infection, its determinants and implication to academic achievements among school-age children in southwest Ethiopia","authors":"Bezuayehu Alemayehu ,&nbsp;Mathewos Geyit ,&nbsp;Kifle Haile ,&nbsp;Besufekad Mekonnen","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02508","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02508","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Soil-transmitted helminthic infections (STH) remain a significant public health concern among school-age children in developing countries, including Ethiopia. This study aimed to identify STH infection prevalence, associated factors and its implications for academic achievement among school-age children in Gesha woreda, Kaffa zone, South West Ethiopia.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to December 2022 involving 500 households with school-age children who were recruited from seven randomly selected kebeles using a simple random sampling technique. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify factors associated with the prevalence of STH infection.</div></div><div><h3>Result</h3><div>The prevalence of STH infection was found to be 36.7 %. Individuals who drink unimproved water sources are significantly 1.842 times more likely to experience STH infections compared to those who drink improved water sources (95 % CI for AOR 1.842, 1.129–3.005). Further, individuals who eat uncooked vegetables were significantly 4.08 times more likely at risk for STH infections than their counterparts (95 % CI for AOR 4.08, 2.626–8.432). Those children who did not trim their fingernails significantly had a 2.06 times higher likelihood of suffering STH infection than their counterparts (95 % CI for AOR 2.06, 1.199–3.544). The probabilities of having dirt matter under the fingernails are significantly 3.21 times higher at risk for STH infection compared to those who did not have dirt matter under the fingernails (95 % CI for AOR 3.21, 1.164–8.884). Additionally, children with STH infection have significantly lower academic achievements with an annual average score of 42 % compared to those who are not infected with STH (P.value &lt;0.05).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The study reveals a significant burden of STH infections in children, leading to lower academic achievement compared to those without the infection, signifying potential future educational challenges.</div></div><div><h3>Recommendation</h3><div>This study underscores the importance of integrating sanitation, hygiene practices, and clean water in schools to reduce STH infection and enhance students' academic performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02508"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143093225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Protective effect of phenolic-rich extract of Anona muricata Linn leaf on renal oxidative stress and inflammation in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in diabetic rats","authors":"Benjamin Olusola Omiyale ,&nbsp;Bidemi Emmanuel Ekundayo ,&nbsp;Makhosazana Siduduzile Mathenjwa-Goqo ,&nbsp;Basiru Olaitan Ajiboye ,&nbsp;Babatunji Emmanuel Oyinloye","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most pronounced complications that develops as a result of diabetes and it is a highly ranked caused of end-stage renal dysfunction. <em>Anona muricata</em> has been traditionally considered to be beneficial in treatment of diabetic complications. The present study delineates the ameliorative effect of the phenolic rich extract of <em>Anona muricata</em> on the expression of oxidative stress, inflammatory and renal function markers in the kidney of streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes in male rats. Induction of diabetes was achieved with a single intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg body weight). The rats were randomly distributed into 6 groups of normal control, diabetic control, phenolic rich extract of <em>Anona muricata</em> (EAM) treated at (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) and metformin (Glucophage). All treatments were orally administered for 28 days. Activity of antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde, kidney function markers, electrolytes and proinflammatory cytokines were conducted on the kidney. <em>Anona muricata</em> ameliorated the significant reduction to superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase in the diabetic rats. The increase in the levels of malondialdehyde, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were all attenuated. Creatinine clearance was significantly improved and other kidney function markers were regulated and other important markers regulated. The result of this study provides evidence that <em>A. muricata</em> may be able to manage diabetic nephropathy, through the regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation, creatinine clearance and regulation of kidney function markers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02515"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Blighia sapida arils oil consumption on hemoglobin, serum proteins, and some vital organs in Wistar rats","authors":"Aklesso Nabede ,&nbsp;Haziz Sina ,&nbsp;Tiatou Souho ,&nbsp;Mamatchi Mélila ,&nbsp;Batcha Ouadja ,&nbsp;Hafiz A. Salami ,&nbsp;Sylvestre A. Assogba ,&nbsp;Adolphe Adjanohoun ,&nbsp;Lamine Baba-Moussa ,&nbsp;Kou'santa Amouzou","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02507","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02507","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The oil extracted from the arils of <em>Blighia sapida</em> is known for its nutritional, therapeutic, and cosmetic benefits. Yet, its safety and impact on blood proteins have not been studied in Togo. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of <em>Blighia sapida</em> aril oil on serum proteins, hemoglobin, and overall health in Wistar rats, emphasizing its potential for human consumption. Rats were administered cold-pressed oil from ripe and unripe arils at 1 and 2 mL/kg daily for 15 days. Blood protein profiles were analyzed using capillary electrophoresis. The results revealed that albumin was the predominant serum protein, with no significant differences in α1 and α2-globulin fractions between male and female rats. However, β1, β2, and γ-globulin fractions varied by sex (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio across the treatment groups. Hemoglobin electrophoresis showed typical fractions with no evidence of abnormal hemoglobin forms. Organ examination revealed no structural changes compared to controls, and no fat accumulation in tissues was observed. These findings suggest that <em>Blighia sapida</em> aril oil does not induce toxicity at the tested doses and does not negatively affect blood proteins or organ health. Furthermore, the oil's composition of beneficial fatty acids and potential antioxidant properties makes it a promising candidate for human dietary supplementation. It could contribute to improved fatty acid intake and promote health through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Future research should explore the long-term health benefits of <em>Blighia sapida</em> oil, particularly its role in supporting metabolic health and its potential therapeutic applications in human health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02507"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative immune response of four chicken genotypes to newcastle vaccine and TLR4 gene polymorphisms","authors":"Benjamin Bendiwhobel Ushie ,&nbsp;Ekerette Emmanuel Ekerette ,&nbsp;Ferdinand Akpo Akomaye ,&nbsp;John Bendepibekong Ushie ,&nbsp;Ekei Victor Ikpeme","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Indigenous chickens are known to be more resistant to a wide range of diseases compared to their exotic counterpart. This research seeks to evaluate the response of four chicken genotypes to the Newcastle vaccine and determine the genetic variations across the four genotypes based on the <em>TLR4</em> gene. A total of 120 day-old chicks comprising 78 normal feathers, 20 exotic genotypes, 16 frizzle feathers and 6 naked necks, obtained from Abeokuta and Ibadan in Nigeria were used for this study. After two weeks of acclimatization, all the birds were vaccinated against Newcastle disease with the Lasota strain. Blood samples for antibody titre were obtained 14 days post-vaccination. Polymerase chain reaction amplification was carried out at IITA Ibadan. Results for the antibody titre revealed that frizzle feather had a significantly higher antibody titre with 0.923±0.01 and 0.903±0.00 for the first and second antibody titre, respectively. Similarly, the highest polymorphism, with 36 polymorphic sites, and the highest haplotype numbers (10) were observed in Frizzle and Normal feathers, while the lowest polymorphism was found in the exotic breed (15), and the highest nucleotide diversity (0.114±0.0545) was also noted in Frizzle feathers. We presumed that the indigenous breed may be more reactive to the Newcastle vaccine regarding antibody titre than the exotic breed (broilers). Correspondingly, the genetic polymorphism and genetic distance studies further suggest that the variations observed in the antibody titre may be associated with their genetic makeup. Hence, the frizzle feather may be more resistant to Newcastle disease and has more variations than the other genotypes studied.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02514"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143093224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the impact of misspecified spatial neighboring structures in Bayesian CAR models","authors":"Ernest Somua-Wiafe ,&nbsp;Richard Minkah ,&nbsp;Kwabena Doku-Amponsah ,&nbsp;Louis Asiedu ,&nbsp;Edward Acheampong ,&nbsp;Samuel Iddi","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02498","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02498","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spatial neighboring graphs play a crucial role in accounting for global spatial dependency, particularly in spatial models that utilize the Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) covariance structure. The Bayesian modified Besag–York–Molliè (BYM2) model, which falls under the category of CAR models, introduces a precision parameter to quantify the variability not captured by the fixed risk components and a mixing parameter to decipher the proportion of random effects attributed to the spatial component and the aspatial random noise. Despite the advantages these extra features bring, misspecification of BYM2 model components is common, and its effects are not well understood. Previous studies often avoid simulations due to computational demands, relying instead on performance metrics for inferences and model comparisons using empirical data.</div><div>This study uses comprehensive simulations to examine the impact of erroneously specified spatial neighborhood structures on the BYM2 model. We considered three different neighborhood structures: a first-order adjacency-based structure and two minimum distance-based structures with threshold distances of 70 km and 140 km at various sparsity levels. For each structure, we simulate data under that structure and then analyze it using the remaining two structures as misspecified cases to evaluate their impact on model fit. Fixed PC prior settings were applied to control for prior specification effects in examining bias and MSE. The study was further validated through practical analyses of road crash incidents in Ghana and a lip cancer cases data in Scotland, UK.</div><div>Our findings reveal that incorrect specification of the neighboring structure does not significantly impact the fixed effects. However, it affects the estimates of the mixing parameter and precision term, thus impacting the spatial component. In cases of high spatial dependency and misspecified neighborhood structures, the BYM2 model tends to underestimate the mixing parameter. Under-specifying the neighborhood structure results in underestimated hyper-parameter values while over-specifying it leads to an overfitted spatial smooth. The empirical application results which were consistent with the simulation also emphasized the critical importance of accurately specifying spatial structures in BYM2 models. Relying solely on metrics like the Watanabe-Akaike Information Criterion (WAIC), Deviance Information Criterion (DIC), and Conditional Predictive Ordinate (CPO) estimates to determine an optimal spatial structure can be misleading. Instead, the Moran’s Index (MI) statistic is more reliable for identifying the most suitable neighborhood structure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02498"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatio-temporal distribution of zooplankton inhabiting Nile River in Qena Governorate, Egypt using Geomatics approach","authors":"Mostafa A. Khaled ,&nbsp;Ahmad H. Obuid-Allah ,&nbsp;Ahmed S. Moustafa ,&nbsp;Azza M. Gaber ,&nbsp;Wafaa Abd El-Hady Mohammad","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02511","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02511","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Zooplankton play a crucial role in aquatic ecosystems by serving as a key food source for larger marine and freshwater organisms, thus supporting the food web. They also act as indicators of water quality and environmental changes, aiding in the assessment of ecosystem health. This study investigates the spatio-temporal variability of zooplankton populations inhabiting the Nile River and its tributaries in Qena governorate, Egypt using a geomatics approach. It also assesses and analyze the relationship between environmental variables and zooplankton distribution focusing on four major groups: Cladocera, Copepoda, Rotifera, and Ostracoda. Samples were collected monthly from September 2020 to August 2021 at 15 sites. Seasonal patterns revealed distinct variations in abundance among these groups. In total, 46 zooplankton species were collected; most of them belong to cladocerans (23 species) and copepods (12 species). Cladocera exhibited peak abundance in winter (4936 individuals) and autumn (2252 individuals), suggesting favorable conditions in these seasons. Copepoda showed increased abundance in winter (1359 individuals) and autumn (508 individuals), with a marked decline in spring. Rotifera were most abundant in winter (333 individuals), with minimal presence in summer and spring. Ostracoda maintained consistently low abundance throughout the year, with slight increases in autumn and spring. The analysis of zooplankton diversity indices showed that species richness was highest in summer (1.01) and lowest in winter (0.71). Species evenness peaked in autumn (9.79) and spring (7.88), while Simpson diversity and Shannon-Wiener diversity were highest in autumn and spring, reflecting a well-balanced and diverse community during these periods. Winter showed a noticeable decline in diversity and richness. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that temperature negatively impacts the abundance of Cladocera and Copepoda, while higher salinity (TDS and conductivity) tends to favor Cladocera and Copepoda. Turbidity and pH showed limited influence on zooplankton abundance. These findings highlight the significant role of environmental factors, particularly temperature and salinity, in shaping zooplankton communities inhabiting the Nile River and its canals in Qena, providing insights into the dynamics of aquatic ecosystems and the effects of seasonal and environmental changes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02511"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Local ecological knowledge on the impacts of climate change and variability on riparian based ecosystem services in semi-arid parts of Zimbabwe","authors":"Olga Laiza Kupika ,&nbsp;Admire Chanyandura ,&nbsp;Ruth Chinomona ,&nbsp;Petros Mwera","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02513","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02513","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Riparian ecosystems are faced with a variety of anthropogenic and climate change induced threats which undermine their ability to provide goods and services to sustain livelihoods. The main objective of this paper is to explore local ecological knowledge on the impacts of climate change and variability on riparian based ecosystem services in semi-arid parts of Zimbabwe. The research adopted a mixed approach involving participatory rural appraisal comprising ward level focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household questionnaire surveys, and field observations. Three districts (Chiredzi, Mbire, and Mwenezi) located in drought-prone arid parts of the country were purposively selected for the study. Data were analysed using Excel and R software. Rainfall trend test results for the three districts show significant changes for the wet season months October (<em>p</em> = 0.000), November (<em>p</em> = 0.034), January (<em>p</em> = 0.005) and February (<em>p</em> = 0.001); and for the dry season months June (<em>p</em> = 0.02) and July (<em>p</em> = 0.035). Household respondents reported that they were mostly exposed to high risk from drought, prolonged dry spells and late rains across with subsequent decrease in river flow for the sampled rivers. The riparian zone has seen a remarkable decrease in provisioning ecosystem goods and services over the past 5 years due to climate change, for instance fish from the river have decreased. Findings from cross-tabulations indicated that a total of 363 (60 %) females perceivedclimate related hazards imposed a high impact on provisioning services.. On the other hand, Chi-square results show that respondents’ knowledge of the impacts of climate risks on provisioningl services is significantly influenced by gender (<em>p</em> = 0.01). Future work should focus on community participatory mapping and monitoring of ecosystem goods and services and ecological status of the riparian zone, with potential for restoration of the habitats.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02513"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143097857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}