Much ink has been spilled recently in the debate over whether indigenous people are “ecologically noble savages” — natural-born conservationists — or whether they pose a threat to biodiversity in the Amazon and other ecosystems (Redford, 1991; Alcorn, 1993; Alvard, 1993; Redford and Stearman, 1993; Robinson, 1993; Terborgh, 1999; Schwartzman et al., 2000). Tropical biologists and ecological ant...

Ethnobotanical knowledge is common and important among the tribal people but much of the information is empirical at best lacking logical validation. A number of ethnic communities residing in the study area are partially or fully dependent on the forest resources to meet their requirements. The present study analyses indigenous knowledge of ethnobotanical plant species and utilization of 68 sp...

We studied changes in area and species composition of six indigenous forest fragments in the Taita Hills, Kenya using 1955 and 1995 aerial photography with 2004 airborne digital camera mosaics. The study area is part of Eastern Arc Mountains, a global biodiversity hot spot that boasts an outstanding diversity of flora and fauna and a high level of endemism.While a total of 260 ha (50%) of indig...

Past works on scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) from the Maltese Archipelago are reviewed. Based on the literature and contemporary collections, a total of 93 species of scale insects belonging to 12 scale insect families are here reported (Aclerdidae 1 species; Asterolecaniidae 4; Coccidae 17; Diaspididae 46; Eriococcidae 5; Kermesidae 1; Margarodidae 1; Micrococcidae 1; Monophlebidae 2; Ps...

Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is a private game reserve covering 1,020 km(2) in the Northern Cape, South Africa. It has been created from a number of reclaimed farms and restocked with large indigenous mammals. Two surveys were conducted to inventory the dung beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) and determine their spatial patterns and food type associations. The spatial survey used ...

1 The indigenous oak species (Quercus spp.) of the Upper Rhine Valley have migrated to their 2 current distribution range in the area after the transition to the Holocene interglacial. Since 3 post-glacial recolonization, they have been subjected to ecological changes and human 4 impact. By using chloroplast microsatellite markers (cpSSRs), we provide detailed 5 phylogeographic information and ...

While numerous efforts have been made to identify and quantify factors controlling invasibility of biological communities, less attention has been given to analyzing the expressions of vulnerability to nonindigenous species (NIS). Using the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List database for birds, mammals, and amphibians and the Invasive Species Speci...

This study was designed to investigate the microorganisms associated with palm oil mill effluent (POME) in Johor Bahru state, Malaysia. Biodegradation of palm oil mill effluents (POME) was conducted to measure the discarded POME based on physicochemical quality. The bacteria that were isolated are Micrococcus species, Bacillus species, Pseudomonas species, and Staphylococcus aureus, while the f...

Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) was grown with inoculation of four indigenous AM fungal species in presence of different levels of mine spoil under green house conditions. The growth parameters such as biomass production, grain yield, per cent root infection and number of viable AM fungal spores in the rhizosphere of the mycorrhizal proso millet grown with 25% mine spoil were higher over th...

Millions of people die each year as a result of pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes. However, the morphological identification of mosquito species can be difficult even for experts. The identification of morphologically indistinguishable species, such as members of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (Diptera: Culicidae), and possible hybrids, such as Culex pipiens pipiens/Culex pipiens molestus...