Aim We evaluated how native vegetation cover influences the diversity of arachnid assemblages across multiple spatial scales in major Brazilian ecosystems. Location Brazil (Amazon and Atlantic rainforests, Cerrado savanna and Caatinga dry forest). Taxon Arachnida (Opiliones, Pseudoscorpiones and Scorpiones). Methods We sampled arachnids at 120 sites using active search and litter sifting. Native vegetation cover was quantified...

Historically Amblyomma hebraeum has been found in the north-eastern part of South Africa and along the coastal belt stretching to the Eastern Cape area. A change already noted in the past 20 years has been the increase in distribution area in the Eastern Cape, which now includes a larger inland area. It has been postulated that climate change has brought about a change in the distribution of A. hebraeum and subsequently, its p...

Rock outcrops are geological formations that harbor a highly specialized biota adapted to harsh environmental conditions that differ from their surrounding landscapes. They are globally distributed, especially in old, highly weathered landscapes, and can function as habitat islands containing high levels of endemism and distinct evolutionary lineages. Despite their ecoevolutionary importance, rock outcrops remain largely overl...

Leaf herbivory is a ubiquitous ecological interaction that varies significantly in intensity across species, habitats, and biogeographic regions. Although quantification of leaf damage is crucial for understanding many ecological processes, the accuracy and precision of various damage estimation methods used by researchers, including visual estimation, digital image analysis, and artificial intelligence, have not been evaluate...

Additives in agricultural plastics can leach into the surrounding soil during use or improper disposal. Their subsequent degradation rates directly regulate whether they persist and accumulate to levels with ecotoxicological effects or are rendered benign. However, which soil properties primarily regulate the degradation of additives remains unclear (e.g. soil carbon, pH, available nutrients, microbial biomass and community st...

Edaphoclimatic variables and inter-tree competition effects may be observed in adult cork stands. Expressing parameters of tree growth models as a function of these drivers seems therefore appropriate. This work aimed to study the impact of this procedure in the model prediction capacity of cork oak tree diameter growth models. The used dataset consisted of individual adult tree measurements obtained between 1995 and 2019 from...

Two novel silica-based hybrid materials, M1 and M2 , based on silica gel and MCM-41 with a ditopic triazole-pyrazole ligand grafted onto their surfaces, respectively, were successfully synthesized and fully characterized. The adsorption capacity of these organic–inorganic hybrid materials was evaluated for copper(II), cadmium(II), and lead(II) ions. Experimental parameters including solution pH, contact time, temperature, and...