African Journal of Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity and Demographic History of Critically Endangered Oreochromis karongae (Trewavas, 1941) Along Lake Nyasa, Tanzania","authors":"Alex Nehemia,&nbsp;Alinanuswe J. Mwakalesi","doi":"10.1111/aje.13329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13329","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fish provide food and income opportunities for millions of people in Lake Nyasa, also known as Lake Malawi in Malawi and Lake Niassa in Mozambique. <i>Oreochromis karongae</i> (Trewavas, 1941), which is native to Lake Nyasa, Lake Malombe and the Shire River, is at the verge of extinction and has been listed as critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), primarily due to overfishing. Using 632 bp of partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences from 115 samples, this work aims to assess the population genetic status and demographic history of this species to better manage and advance its conservation. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed a low and non-significant genetic differentiation index across the populations under study (ΦST = 0.003, <i>p</i> = 0.278), indicating a lack of population genetic structure. Phylogenetic analysis, grouped together all COI haplotypes of <i>O. karongae</i> from the six sampled sites. Nonetheless, the results showed signs of population expansion from a historic bottleneck, consistent with most data from the Western Indian Ocean Fauna. The findings from this study could be used to improve management and conservation strategies for critically endangered <i>O. karongae</i> in Lake Nyasa.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142328529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Importance of Heritage Structures as Bat Roosts in the Sahara Desert","authors":"Andrzej Węgiel,&nbsp;Tomomi Fushiya,&nbsp;Artur Obłuski,&nbsp;Piotr Tryjanowski","doi":"10.1111/aje.13319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13319","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In addition to the availability of water and invertebrate prey, roost sites are considered the main factors enabling bats to survive in desert areas. Because suitable roost sites are often limiting resources, human constructions are also important for these animals. Conversely, in the context of built heritage conservation, bats are often discussed as a cause of damages. However, if historic structures deteriorate, they may lose their suitability as roosting sites for bats. This study examines how the condition of domed tombs in Sudan affects their use by bats. Inspections of 19 tombs revealed that bats occupied only undamaged structures, with 1652 individuals of four species found. Slightly and partially damaged tombs were not used by bats. These findings highlight the importance of preserving man-made structures as critical roosting sites in arid environments to support local bat populations.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142320593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The New Fishing Technique With Lighted Gillnets in Lake Kivu: Panacea or Pandora's Box?","authors":"Mulungula Pascal Masilya,&nbsp;Amani Joseph Lubala,&nbsp;Hilda Belinda Hounsounou,&nbsp;Jacques Walumona Riziki,&nbsp;Tchalondawa Kisekelwa","doi":"10.1111/aje.13326","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13326","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A new fishing technique has been introduced in Lake Kivu, across the Congo side. It consists of gillnets on which light-emitting diode (LED) lamps are attached. Traditional fishermen have introduced the fishing technique without any studies related to the positive and drawback effects of this fishing technique. We sought to understand whether the gillnets with LED lamps fishing technique improve fishing catches and can be regarded as sustainable for the Lake Kivu ecosystem, or is it just only a marketing strategy for gillnets and LED lamp sellers. Two complementary approaches have been used in this study. Experimental fishing campaigns were conducted from June 2021 to June 2022 and monitoring of fishing team in the field coupled with surveys of fishermen about the effectiveness use of this new fishing technique. We observed that (i) 88% of fishermen using gillnet in the Bukavu sub-basin have already adopted the recently introduced fishing technique; (ii) the average catch per unit effort of gillnets with LED lamps is higher than those without LED lamps (3.84 ± 1.95 kg/net vs. 2.69 ± 2.04 kg/net); (iii) these gillnets retrieve larger specimens (79.88 mm vs. 76.69 mm) and generate monthly a higher average profit to fishermen ($916.35) than the fishing technique lacking the LED ($807). However, (iv) the gillnets with LED lamps generates a lot of plastic trash: around 2130 kg of plastic bags/month under fishing conditions in the Bukavu sub-basin. So, this new fishing technique is a real panacea for its practitioners, but a veritable Pandora's box generating plastic pollutants in Lake Kivu. Instead of banning this new fishing technique, we need to adapt it by using submersible LED lamps.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142320592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Suite of Pathogens Detected in Ticks Sampled From Wildlife Hosts in Central Kenya","authors":"Derek McFarland Jr.,&nbsp;L. Page Fredericks,&nbsp;Tyler Hedlund,&nbsp;Sharon Jones,&nbsp;Felicia Keesing,&nbsp;Mathew Mutinda,&nbsp;Brian F. Allan","doi":"10.1111/aje.13317","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13317","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Opportunistic sampling of ticks from animals during veterinary treatment offers important insights about wildlife exposure to pathogens. Here, we report pathogens and other tick-borne organisms detected in ticks sampled from 10 animal species in and near Laikipia County, Kenya, in 2014–2016. Pathogen analysis was performed using a combination of Fluidigm PCR and Illumina sequencing. We detected a suite of important pathogens affecting human and domestic and wild animal health, including <i>Anaplasma marginale</i>, <i>Rickettsia africae</i> and <i>Theileria parva</i>. These findings expand our limited understanding of wildlife exposure to tick-borne pathogens and potential ramifications for animal health and conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aje.13317","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142313380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On the Occurrence of Pelusios gabonensis in the Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire)","authors":"Drissa Koné,&nbsp;Adboulaye Diarrassouba,&nbsp;Tomas Diagne,&nbsp;Luca Luiselli","doi":"10.1111/aje.13320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13320","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Many species of terrestrial and freshwater chelonians are at risk of extinction, particularly rainforest species due to massive habitat loss. Therefore, the presence of peripheral and isolated populations can have considerable conservation value. This article confirms the presence of <i>Pelusios gabonensis</i> in an area of mature forest in western Côte d'Ivoire for which fragmentary data existed in the literature. It would therefore be important to study the conservation status and the genetics of the Ivorian populations given their huge geographic distance with conspecifics from the Lower Guinean forests.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142273087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predicting the Dry Season Habitat Occupancy of African Savannah Elephant Using Vegetation Indices and Modelling Landscape Variability in a Mesic Protected Area","authors":"Nobert Tafadzwa Mukomberanwa,&nbsp;Phillip Taru,&nbsp;Beaven Utete,&nbsp;Honest Komborero Madamombe","doi":"10.1111/aje.13318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13318","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>African savannah elephants (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) are key ecosystem engineers that migrate over large spatiotemporal scales foraging as they require copious amounts of food and water across habitable landscapes. Therefore a need to understand movement patterns arises in relation to vegetation type and landscape variability, moreso in forage depauparate arid areas such as Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in Zimbabwe. The objectives of this study were to: (i) assess the performance of vegetation indices in modelling the distribution of African savannah elephants, and (ii) model future landscape variability in Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in Zimbabwe. Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm was used to explore the relationship between vegetation indices and distribution of African savannah elephants in the GNP. The Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) performs better relative to other indices in modelling the distribution of African savannah elephants across all habitat types in the GNP. Cellular automata-Artificial Neural Network (CA-ANN) showed a significant future decrease (Kruskal Anova; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) in landscape suitable to sustain large populations of African savannah elephants in the GNP by the year 2083. Future remote sensing reveals directional insights into the future consequences of current landscape management for African savannah elephant conservation which is a crucial in the sustainability of climate threatened arid protected areas such as the GNP.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142273088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Freshwater Turtles in an Arid Land: Population Ecology, Habitat and Ecological Niche Modelling of Pelomedusa subrufa olivacea in the Sahel","authors":"Ardjima Lankoande,&nbsp;Sidiki Roland Konate,&nbsp;Djidama Sirima,&nbsp;Wendata Francis Dayama,&nbsp;Emmanuel M. Hema","doi":"10.1111/aje.13321","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13321","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Turtle ecology and conservation have been poorly explored in the West African Sahel regions, and this scarce information has produced a suboptimal management of their populations in the wild. In order to enhance the knowledge on the Sahelian turtle ecology, a field study was carried out in Burkina Faso on the ecology of <i>Pelomedusa subrufa olivacea</i>, a freshwater species inhabiting a wide range of waterbodies throughout West Africa. Reasoned sampling was carried out, resulting in the collection of a total of 196 individuals of <i>Pelomedusa subrufa olivacea</i>. This species shows a relatively balanced distribution of age and sex classes of individuals surveyed in the different study areas. The majority of individuals were observed in specific habitats, confirmed by an aggregative distribution. The potential habitats identified by the MaxEnt model highlight key areas for the conservation of this species in Burkina Faso. Conservation efforts should focus on protecting and restoring temporary and permanent aquatic habitats, and managing human activities to minimize the impact on turtle populations in the West African Sahel.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142275100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuous Monitoring of Vegetation and Soil Recovery After Eucalyptus grandis Removal in Dense Trees and Shrubs Areas","authors":"Sheunesu Ruwanza","doi":"10.1111/aje.13324","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13324","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Invasion by invasive alien plants is a global challenge and South Africa has invested billions of Rands to manage invaders through the Working for Water programme. However, regular monitoring after alien plant clearing is hardly done, yet it forms the basis for assessing clearing programme effectiveness, particularly ecosystem recovery trajectories. I monitored both vegetation and soil recovery 6 years after <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> clearing by Working for Water at Zvakanaka Farm in Limpopo Province of South Africa. Vegetation diversity and soil physical properties were surveyed in 2019 and re-surveyed in 2022 on fell-and-removal and fell-and-stackburn cleared treatments and compared to the nearby uninvaded treatment. Results show a significant increase in species richness in 2022 compared to 2019 in the fell-and-removal treatment. Cover of both native trees and shrubs as well as forbs was significantly higher in 2022 compared to 2019 in the fell-and-removal treatment compared to the fell-and-stackburn treatment. Most secondary invaders such as <i>Acacia mearnsii</i>, <i>E. cloeziana</i>, <i>Lantana camara</i> and <i>Rubus rigidus</i> that frequently occurred in 2019 showed decreased occurrence in 2022 on both cleared treatments. Between the two sampling years, soil compaction improved on the fell-and-removal treatment only, whereas hydraulic conductivity increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2019 in both the fell-and-removal and fell-and-stackburn treatments. Soils that were strongly and severely repellent in 2019 in the fell-and-stackburn treatment were becoming slightly repellent in 2022. These results show varied vegetation and soil improvements between 2019 and 2022 in both the fell-and-removal and fell-and-stackburn cleared treatments an indication that recovery is moving towards a positive vegetation and soil recovery trajectory in the direction of the uninvaded treatment. Recommendations for successful passive restoration such as secondary invasion follow-up clearing are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aje.13324","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142245034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Living With Hyraxes: Biogeography and Comparative Ecology of West African Fornasinius Beetles","authors":"Stephanie N. Ajong,&nbsp;Luca Luiselli,&nbsp;Thomas Francis Lado,&nbsp;Gift Simon Demaya,&nbsp;Edem A. Eniang,&nbsp;Gabriel Hoinsoude Segniagbeto,&nbsp;Guillaume Koffivi Ketoh,&nbsp;Olivier Le Duc,&nbsp;Michele De Palma,&nbsp;Giovanni Amori,&nbsp;Julia E. Fa,&nbsp;Mathias Behangana,&nbsp;Emmanuel M. Hema,&nbsp;Daniele Dendi","doi":"10.1111/aje.13325","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13325","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Among the flower beetles (Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), the Goliathini comprise several genera of medium- and large-sized beetles widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. In this tribe, the genus <i>Fornasinius</i> Bertoloni, 1853, includes two species found in West Africa: <i>F. higginsi</i> (Westwood) and <i>F. klingbeili</i> Zöller, Fiebig,and Schulze. In this study, we present new data on the comparative ecology and biogeography of these two species, including sex ratio, population structure by size, monthly activity patterns and habitat features at two different spatial scales. These observations were conducted, mostly opportunistically, over a 20-year period in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo. Both species exhibited similar overall population structure and morphometrics. They were characterised by a male-skewed adult sex ratio (with possible bias), male-larger sexual size dimorphism and consistent population structure by size; the two species are seemingly parapatric (with the potential contact zone being separated in eastern Ghana by the Volta River and Volta Lake). Both are primarily found in the vicinity of trees that contained middens of hyraxes, such as <i>Dendrohyrax dorsalis</i> (<i>F. higginsi</i>), <i>Dendrohyrax interfluvialis</i> (<i>F. klingbeili</i>) and <i>Procavia capensis</i> (<i>F. klingbeili</i>). <i>F. higginsi</i> has been primarily observed in forest habitat, while <i>F. klingbeili</i> was found in both forests and Guinea savannahs. Occurrence sites of <i>F. higginsi</i> were predominantly characterised by higher tree cover, less bare areas and built-up zones. Although these beetles may be locally abundant within hyrax middens, they typically occur in only a relatively small number of sites within their preferred habitat. Monthly activity patterns differed between the two species. Although adults of both species were observed throughout the year, sightings of <i>F. higginsi</i> were more common during the wet season, whereas <i>F. klingbeili</i> sightings were more frequent in the dry season. The observed differences in monthly activity patterns between these ecologically and morphologically similar species may help to minimise interspecific competition in potential—yet unknown—sites of syntopy. Although some <i>Fornasinius</i> populations might be locally threatened by deforestation or overhunting of hyraxes, the careful management of hyrax populations should adequately ensure the conservation of these two beetle species.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142244919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Same but Different: Intersexual and Age-Related Habitat Use of the Threatened West African Trionyx triunguis Clade—A Four-Country Comparative Study","authors":"Edem A. Eniang,&nbsp;Stephanie N. Ajong,&nbsp;Gabriel Hoinsoudé Segniagbeto,&nbsp;Eniang Inemesit Edem,&nbsp;Sulemana Bawa Gbewaa,&nbsp;Fabio Petrozzi,&nbsp;Julia E. Fa,&nbsp;Daniele Dendi,&nbsp;Mathias Behangana,&nbsp;Andrew D. Walde,&nbsp;Nioking Amadi,&nbsp;Godfrey C. Akani,&nbsp;Sery Gonedele-Bi,&nbsp;Nic Pacini,&nbsp;Pearson McGovern,&nbsp;Luca Luiselli","doi":"10.1111/aje.13323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13323","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Biological communities are structured by a variety of biotic and abiotic relationships, whose understanding forms the basis for effective conservation. Among the myriad factors influencing community dynamics, resource partitioning stands out, potentially enriching ecosystem complexity but also carrying risks for conservation if disregarded. In this study, we investigated intersexual and ontogenetic niche differences among populations of the West African softshell turtle <i>Trionyx triunguis</i> in Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. We observed that these distinct populations exhibited similar habitat preferences, favouring large rivers with abundant riverbank and aquatic vegetation, and muddy substrates. Disparities in habitat preferences were evident among populations and across various life stages, indicating the adaptability of the species. We found that the species was active throughout the year, but most of our sightings and captures occurred during the wet season. In light of the species' vulnerability to overhunting, our research findings provide important data on the ecology of this species that can assist in its effective conservation across all life stages.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"62 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142245023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}