Little is known regarding the diversity, abundances and ecology of bark and ambrosia beetles in South Africa. This study investigated the drivers of bark and ambrosia beetle communities, particularly concerning the invasive polyphagous shot hole borer ( Euwallacea fornicatus (Eichoff, 1868); PSHB), in native forests in two ecoregions in South Africa. Forty-six species of Scolytinae and Platypodinae were recorded, representing...

The polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB; Euwallacea fornicatus ), is an invasive ambrosia beetle and poses a significant threat to a wide range of tree species globally. Despite its potential impact, research on the beetle's spread and impacts in natural ecosystems remains limited. This study examines the interactions between PSHB and native forest ecosystems in two regions in South Africa. Over 5 years, PSHB invaded all but one...

Increasing evidence shows that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s diseases (AD). It is unknown whether systemic vascular dysfunction occurs prior to the development of AD, if this occurs in a sex-dependent manner, and whether endothelial cells play a role in the deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides. We hypothesized that vascular dysfunction occurs pr...

The combination of meaning-bearing units (e.g., words ) into higher-order structures (e.g., compound words and phrases) is integral to human language. Despite this central role of syntax in language, little is known about its evolutionary progression. Comparative data using animal communication systems offer potential insights, but only a handful of species have been identified to combine meaningful calls together into larger...

Estuaries are complicated systems to manage effectively, requiring the monitoring of robust environmental indicators to assess health and detect changes. Routine estuarine monitoring programmes in New Zealand have only existed for 30 years at most, but estuaries have been significantly affected by anthropogenic pressures for at least 100 years. We reconstructed long term changes in indicators of estuarine health using historic...

Aim Mammalian carnivores are among the best studied groups in terms of evolutionary history. However, the effects of species interactions in shaping community assemblages remain poorly understood. We hypothesize that indirect interactions via ecological trait filtering play a key role in structuring carnivoran assemblages, mediate coexistence and thus should show high functional diversity (FD) in space and time at continental...

Manganese (Mn) is an abundant element in the Earth's crust. However, its concentrations in open ocean seawater are low, where external inputs are scarce. In this study, we report the dissolved Mn and particulate Mn distributions in the Southern Ocean, measured along the GEOTRACES—SR3 transect, from Tasmania (Australia) to Antarctica in the Southern Ocean, during the austral summer 2018. Both dissolved Mn and particulate Mn con...

American chestnut ( Castanea dentata ) was once an important component forests in the central Appalachians (USA), but it was functionally extirpated nearly a century ago. Attempts are underway to reintroduce blight‐resistant chestnut to its former range, but it is uncertain how current forest composition, climate, and atmospheric changes and disturbance regimes will interact to determine future forest dynamics and ecosystem se...

The role of Pleistocene climate changes in promoting evolutionary diversification in global biota is well documented, but the great majority of data regarding this subject come from North America and Europe, which were greatly affected by glaciation. The effects of Pleistocene changes on cold‐ and/or dry‐adapted species in tropical areas where glaciers were not present remain sparsely investigated. Many such species are restri...