The advantages of the complementary use of suction sampling (Vortis) and pitfall trapping in estimating the species richness of arthropods in sown and semi-natural pastures were investigated on three recent isolated oceanic islands in the Azores. In addition, the ability of pitfall trapping and suction sampling to describe species composition and richness were tested in terms of taxonomic and e...

The hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand, is an invasive species reducing the populations of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis L. Carrière, throughout the eastern United States. Systemic imidacloprid and horticultural oil are the primary chemicals used to control infestations of this invasive pest; however, the impact of these two chemicals on nontarget canopy insects is unknown. This ...

(Flowering phenology, seed set and arthropod guilds in Trichogoniopsis adenantha (DC) (Asteraceae) in south-east Brazil). Trichogoniopsis adenantha (Asteraceae) is a shrub plant that inhabits forest margins and glades. This species blooms throughout the year, attracting arthropods of various guilds, including herbivores, pollinators and predators. In this study, done over a two year period, we ...

Soil samples were collected with distance at 5, 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 m from the Shen-Ha (Shenyang-Harbin) Highway, Northeast China, to investigate the effect of heavy metals of highway origin on soil nematode guilds. The contents of soil Pb, Cu, Zn, and the nematode community structure were analyzed. The results showed that the contents of total and available Pb, Cu, Zn varied significantly...

In the lowland tropical rain forest of central Amazonia, I investigated the responses of understory bird communities to forest edges bordering a narrow (<40 m width), unpaved road. From 3681 mist-net captures, bird abundance and composition were examined at three distances (10, 70, and 130 m) from forest edge. The degree to which regrowth vegetation along forest borders reduced edge effects was...

Nitrification plays a crucial role in global nitrogen cycling and treatment processes. However, the relationships between the nitrifier guilds of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) are still poorly understood, especially in freshwater habitats. This study examined the physiological interactions between the AOB and NOB present in a freshwater aquarium biofilter...

In a recent study of denitrification dynamics in hyporheic zone sediments, we observed a significant time lag (up to several days) in enzymatic response to the changes in substrate concentration. To explore an underlying mechanism and understand the interactive dynamics between enzymes and nutrients, we developed a trait-based model that associates a community's traits with functional enzymes, ...

Tropical rain forest fragmentation affects biotic interactions in distinct ways. Little is known, however, about how fragmentation affects animal trophic guilds and their patterns of interactions with host plants. In this study, we analyzed changes in biotic interactions in forest fragments by using a multitrophic approach. For this, we classified arthropods associated with Heliconia aurantiaca...

Coastal habitats have great ecological importance with estuarine environments providing feeding sites for many fish species, especially during juvenile life stages. This study investigates the diet composition and trophic guild organization of common abundant ichthyofauna in shallow areas Todos os Santos Bay (TSB), Bahia, Brazil, their relationships environmental parameters. Six sampling campai...

Rainforest frogs are classified into nine ecological guilds based on features of reproduction, habitat use, temporal activity, microhabitat and body size. The largest ecological differences are between the microhylid frogs and the rest of the frog species. Within the non-microhylids, there are two primary groups consisting of (i) regionally endemic rainforest specialists, and (ii) a more ecolog...