Urban affinity and its associated traits: a global analysis of bats
The authors developed indices to quantify the urban affinity of species by using publicly available occurrence data and examined the performance of these indices using a global dataset of bats. The results show that simple indices are appropriate and most practical for producing quantitative assessments of species’ urban affinity.
Organizational principles of hyporheic exchange flow and biogeochemical cycling in river networks across scales
Understanding organizational principles of hyporheic exchange flow and biogeochemical cycling in landscapes is key for generalizing process knowledge.
Phylogenomic insights into the early diversification of fungi
The authors analysed several hundred proteins of a broad diversity of fungal species in order to untangle the early diversification of fungi. Thorough curation of the phylogenomic data set and usage of cutting-edge methods enabled them to resolve long-standing contested relationships among different phyla.
Dynamics of greenhouse gases (CH4 and CO2) in meromictic Lake Burgsee, Germany
At its deepest point, Lake Burgsee has one of the highest methane concentrations ever measured in a natural freshwater lake.
The EICAT+ framework enables classification of positive impacts of alien taxa on native biodiversity
The IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) is a global standard to assess negative impacts of alien species on native biodiversity. This paper presents EICAT+, a complementary framework using 5 semiquantitative scenarios to classify the magnitude of positive impacts that alien species have on biodiversity.
Identification and characterization of a new family of long satellite DNA, specific of true toads (Anura, Amphibia, Bufonidae)
This newly discovered family of satellite DNAs is present in 15 examined species of amphibians of the systematic family of True toads (Bufonidae). It is formed by monomers of 807 bp, organized in tandem arrays, and has an AT-content of 57.4 Percent.
Biological invasions reveal how niche change affects the transferability of species distribution models
It is widely debated if species distribution models are transferable across space and time. The authors synthesized results on 217 species from 50 studies to elucidate effects of niche change on model transferability. They found that niche change reduced model transferability; however, a lack of presence points for developing models led to an even stronger reduction in transferability.
Equilibrated evolution of the mixed auto-/allopolyploid haplotype-resolved genome of the invasive hexaploid Prussian carp
The Prussian carp or Gibel carp is considered one of the most successful invasive fish species in Europe. Its ability to reproduce asexually gives it a major advantage over competing fish. The authors have for the first time described the complete genome of the Prussian carp.This also provides a much better understanding of its unusual reproductive method and to improve its management.
Evolution of toxins as a public good in phytoplankton
The authors studied, with an individual-based phytoplankton model, how toxins can evolve and how intraspecific variation of toxicity can be maintained in toxic phytoplankton blooms. They found that small-scale spatial heterogeneity generated by binary division of phytoplankton cells can explain the evolution of toxins as a public good and the coexistence of toxic and non-toxic genotypes.
Multiple angle observations would benefit visible band remote sensing using night lights
The authors propose that next generation night-time remote sensing missions should consider multiple angles for observations in the visible band. They demonstrate via modeling and examples how the proposed method would leverage light pollution studies and unlock new applications for night-time remote sensing.