Forest succession has been described to involve first a building phase followed by a thinning phase. How quickly tropical forests return to pre-disturbance levels is still unclear. We investigated changes in forest structure and tree community composition in a tropical forest in Singapore impacted by an unusually strong wind event in 2011, focusing on a hypothesised thinning phase. Stem densities of affected areas had declined by more than 50% from 2015 to 2023, while tree total basal area continued to increase slightly. Stem densities and basal area were not significantly different between affected and unaffected areas in 2023. Plot-level tree diversity also reduced between 2015 and 2023 in tandem with the loss of stems, but diversity in affected plots were still higher than that of unaffected plots in 2023. There was some evidence of a trajectory towards convergence in species composition between affected and unaffected plots, although species compositions were still different from the pre-disturbance state. Our findings provide insights on the legacies of wind disturbance on forests that endure beyond 12 years for the hurricane-free, equatorial tropics.

Macrophytes play important ecosystem roles in aquatic environments and provide several ecosystem services. However, its decomposition can profoundly alter the physical and chemical characteristics of the water column. In this context, our hypothesis was that the combination of higher temperature and the availability of dissolved oxygen, as extrinsic factors, is a primary condition that shapes (increases) the C-mineralization of macrophyte leachates, with chemical composition being a secondary factor. Therefore, the mass losses of leachates from 4 aquatic plant species were compared in aerobic and anaerobic media at two temperatures (21 and 25°C). Under anaerobic conditions, at both temperatures, the decrease in carbon was slower. On the other hand, consumption was higher under aerobic conditions, with a large portion of the labile carbon consumed in the first week. The Q10 values varied from 0.97 to 1.18, indicating a weak influence of temperature range on the mineralization of these resources. Oxygen availability was the most important factor in the cycling of aquatic macrophyte leachates. Within the selected thermal range, temperature was a key determinant of the main catabolic pathways, favoring routes that consume more oxygen, at the expense of increasing reaction rate constants. The composition of the leachates indicated that, in aquatic systems, the quality of organic matter influences carbon and nutrient cycling. Temperature variation coupled with the availability of dissolved oxygen (i.e., the predominance of aerobic or anaerobic conditions) drives the mineralization of the dissolved fractions of aquatic macrophyte detritus, thereby shaping the biogeochemical cycles of freshwater systems.

Large-scale online biodiversity databases, particularly the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), have become indispensable resources for macroecology, biogeography, and conservation biology. Their accessibility and extensive coverage have promoted widespread application in species distribution modelling, often without adequate assessment of data quality or ecological reliability. We evaluated the limitations of opportunistically collected occurrence records for ecological niche modelling using the West and Central African viper Bitis nasicornis as a case study. We compared MaxEnt models generated from GBIF records with models based on our own field observations collected between 1996 and 2025 across Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria, and with models integrating both datasets. Models built exclusively from GBIF data produced ecologically unrealistic predictions, identifying suitable habitats across rainforest, moist savanna, and dry savanna ecosystems despite the species’ well-documented restriction to lowland tropical rainforests, typically near permanent water bodies. By contrast, models based on field-verified records closely matched the species’ known ecological requirements and the current IUCN Red List distribution. Predicted suitable areas overlapped by only 8.6% between GBIF- and field-based models, revealing striking disagreement. Our analyses further suggest that this problem extends beyond B. nasicornis, with a substantial proportion of erroneous West African forest records originating from Benin, potentially affecting numerous rainforest taxa. We discuss how taxonomic uncertainty, spatial sampling bias, temporal mismatch, and the loss of ecological context compromise the reliability of large online datasets, and argue that robust field validation remains essential for ecological niche modelling and conservation decision-making.

Fluctuations in climate are key drivers of biodiversity patterns and can influence butterfly ecology, including distribution, abundance, and habitat use. However, few studies have examined these relationships in the Atlantic Forest, where ongoing urban expansion has reduced the original forest to small, isolated fragments. Thus, this study aimed to document the remaining butterfly fauna along the northern coast of Maceió city, Alagoas State, Brazil, and to assess its potential associations with weather variability and climatic seasonality. This study was conducted in a highly degraded area of the Atlantic Forest. Butterfly sampling was carried out weekly with entomological nets along pre-existing trails. Population analyses included abundance fluctuation curves, and climatic data were obtained from INMET to construct a climograph illustrating temperature and precipitation trends. Pearson correlations were used to assess relationships between monthly butterfly abundance and climatic variables. In 144 net hours of sampling effort, we recorded 924 individuals representing 92 species across six butterfly families. We found a negative association between butterfly abundance and temperature and a positive association with precipitation. These findings suggest that butterfly abundance in the evaluated region increases with higher precipitation and decreases as temperatures rise. Future research should focus on species-specific responses to weather fluctuations, especially changes in precipitation patterns due to global change. Because many butterflies may synchronise aspects of their life cycles with rainfall, shifts in precipitation could disrupt their development and resource availability.

Riparian ecosystems face degradation due to anthropogenic pressure, affecting biodiversity, food and water security, and the livelihoods. Adapting methods to assess riparian health locally and effectively is a pre-requisite for habitat monitoring and restoration interventions. In India, river health monitoring is largely limited to water quality and discharge measurements, with sparse biodiversity assessments. To fill the gap of a more comprehensive river health assessment, we adapted existing multi-metric indices. The indices are the fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), the Bird Integrity Index (BII), a modified QBR (Qualitat del Bosc de Ribera), and the Riparian Strip Quality Index (RSQI). We considered plants, fishes and birds as representative taxa for terrestrial, aquatic and land-water transition zone, respectively. We used a nested hierarchical sampling approach to select nine one-km long segments (44 reaches) located along two streams of Moyar-Bhavani-Noyyil sub-watershed in southern India. The indices showed an overall decreasing trend moving downstream, and the lowest values were observed for agricultural (non-protected) sites. Only QBR and RSQI showed statistically significant difference across PA and NPA. BII could not be computed because of lack of statistically significant relationship between disturbance index and the bird metrics. RSQI offered limited insights but can complement IBI and QBR.

Mistletoes alter host tree physiology affecting important processes such as host growth and reproduction. However, studies examining the effects of mistletoe infection on host reproductive performance in semi-arid savannas remain scarce. Here, we investigated how mistletoe infection affected the reproduction of sweet thorn (Vachellia karroo Hayne), a major browse tree in semi-arid savanna, southwest Zimbabwe. Mistletoe infection reduced host reproductive performance, with increasing mistletoe abundance associated with declines in flower bud production and pod size (length, width, and diameter), while uninfected trees produced larger pods than mistletoe-infected trees. Host tree architecture also influenced reproduction. Tree height and canopy area generally enhanced reproductive output, whereas increasing tree diameter was associated with reduced seedbank abundance, pod size, and seed production. Notably, these effects were context dependent, as heavy mistletoe infection amplified the negative effects of tree diameter, but strengthened the positive effects of canopy area and height, indicating that the consequences of parasitism depends on the interaction between host size and parasite load. These findings demonstrate that mistletoe impacts on host reproduction extend beyond direct resource competition, influencing regeneration potential and highlighting the importance of host–parasite interactions in shaping savanna woody plant dynamics.

Coffee is among the most highly traded agricultural commodities and cultivated across some of Earth’s most biodiverse tropical regions. The conservation literature recognizes coffee farms as potential refuges for biodiversity in landscapes where they have replaced and fragmented natural tropical forests. By contrast, little is known about whether and how coffee impacts native plant communities beyond active farms, as alien species persisting in secondary forests following discontinuation of cultivation and potential invaders into surrounding remnant forests. Here, we explore the literature on coffee in particular and alien plant species in general to identify potential impacts of alien coffee on native plant regeneration. As a prolific, shade-tolerant woody species, alien coffee can theoretically influence native species pollination, dispersal, seed germination, and establishment over prolonged periods, but these effects and consequences for plant community dynamics remain largely untested. Key knowledge gaps include the direction and strength of alien coffee effects on native plant regeneration and how they vary with regeneration stage, native species traits, environmental conditions, coffee species, and forest type (secondary forest vs. invaded remnant). Investigating these gaps can enrich the discourse on coffee and conservation, guide restoration in coffee-occupied forests, and advance the relatively underdeveloped field of shade-tolerant alien species ecology.

Microplastic pollution is increasingly recognised as a threat to tropical aquatic ecosystems, yet exposure pathways in avian communities remain poorly documented, particularly in Africa. We assessed microplastic contamination in faecal samples from waterbirds inhabiting two contrasting wetland systems in Ghana: a sewage-influenced constructed wetland and a natural coastal Ramsar wetland. A total of 238 faecal samples from 12 species were analysed to quantify microplastic abundance, characterise particles, and identify ecological drivers of exposure. Microplastics were detected in birds from both wetlands, confirming widespread contamination. Contrary to expectations, birds from the natural wetland had significantly higher microfibre loads than those from the sewage-influenced wetland, suggesting that protected natural systems may act as sinks for dispersed plastic pollution. Fibres accounted for over 93% of recovered particles, with black and blue fibres and particles <100 µm dominating samples. Microplastic loads were associated with ecological traits, particularly guild identity and wingspan. Mixed foragers generally exhibited higher contamination, suggesting multiple exposure pathways, although this pattern varied between wetlands. A negative binomial model identified site, guild identity, and wingspan as predictors of fibre load. These findings highlight the vulnerability of tropical wetlands to microplastic contamination and the value of waterbirds as non-invasive indicators of exposure.

Species interactions are fundamental to biodiversity, influencing species distributions, persistence, and ecosystem functioning. However, their diversity and spatiotemporal variability make them difficult to document comprehensively across regions. Here, we assess how citizen-science data can help fill the Eltonian shortfall in hummingbird–plant interactions in the Brazilian Pantanal, a megadiverse wetland with limited information on plant–pollinator interactions. We compared records from three citizen-science platforms—WikiAves, eBird, and iNaturalist—with published literature. After checking 2,054 hummingbird photographs, we identified 194 images depicting flower visitation. Combined with ten publications, these records comprised 15 hummingbird species, 77 plant species, and 145 unique pairwise interactions. Citizen-collected data revealed more species and interactions than publications, including six hummingbirds, 46 plants, 12 plant families, and 93 interactions not previously reported in the literature. Each photographed hummingbird species visited at least one newly recorded plant species. Citizen-science records extended the temporal coverage of hummingbird–plant interactions in the Pantanal. WikiAves contributed most unique records, and low overlap among platforms revealed complementarity. Our findings demonstrate that citizen-science and literature-based data are complementary, underscoring the value of collaboration between scientists and the public. We also propose improvements to citizen-data collection protocols to enhance their utility for advancing interaction ecology.

We assessed the interaction between reintroduced agoutis (Dasyprocta leporina) and seeds of the invasive jackfruit in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. In areas with agoutis, seed survival was 93% lower due to predation. Results highlight trophic rewilding as a complementary strategy to mitigate the impacts of biological invasions in novel ecosystems.

Seasonal climatic variability is a fundamental driver of ecological processes in tropical forests, yet its influence relative to habitat heterogeneity remains insufficiently understood for many insect groups. Butterflies are particularly responsive to environmental change and are widely recognised as sensitive indicators of ecosystem condition. This study evaluated the relative effects of seasonal transitions and habitat type on butterfly community dynamics in the Kakamega Forest ecosystem, the easternmost remnant of the Guineo–Congolian rainforest in Africa. Butterflies were surveyed weekly from January to June 2024 across six forest cover types representing a gradient of disturbance and land-use intensity, while precipitation, temperature, relative humidity and wind speed were monitored concurrently. A total of 10,334 individuals representing 146 species, 64 genera and five families were recorded. Butterfly abundance, species richness and Shannon diversity increased significantly during the wet season across habitat types. Although natural and secondary forests supported the highest abundance and diversity, seasonal variation explained a greater proportion of community variation than habitat type. Community composition differed significantly between seasons, with non-metric multidimensional scaling showing distinct seasonal clustering. Behavioural activity also varied seasonally, with feeding and mating increasing during the wet season, while resting and basking predominated during the dry season. Environmental modelling identified precipitation, particularly one-month-lagged rainfall, as the strongest predictor of butterfly abundance, highlighting the importance of moisture-mediated ecological processes. These findings demonstrate that temporal climatic variability can outweigh habitat heterogeneity in structuring tropical butterfly communities and emphasize the need to incorporate seasonal dynamics into biodiversity monitoring and conservation under changing rainfall regimes.

Plant invasions are one of the most important drivers of global biodiversity change, posing a major threat to ecosystem health and human well-being. Invasion pressure is not uniformly distributed across biomes and ecosystems. Although tropical forests are often considered resistant towards alien plant invasions, the drivers behind this resistance as well as the actual impact require further clarification in tropical contexts, where dynamics often differ from those in temperate regions. This study investigated the role of tree diversity and vegetation structure in influencing plant invasions across four major land cover types in Sumatra, Indonesia: natural forests, fallow land, rubber, and oil palm plantations. We derived vegetation structure metrics such as canopy height, number of gaps, box dimension, skewness from landscape-scale mobile LiDAR measurements collected across 100 plots and analysed these metrics alongside species diversity data, focusing on both native trees and invasive alien plants. Our results reveal that more diverse tree communities were associated with taller (higher canopy height), more structurally complex (higher box dimension), less open (smaller gap area) vegetation. In contrast, a simplified vegetation structure was more prevalent in monoculture plantations, which correlated with a higher abundance and diversity of alien plants. These results underline the critical role of tree diversity and vegetation structure in shaping the invasibility of tropical ecosystems. Our findings support restoration that maintains multi-layered canopies and limit gap area. These practices should be prioritised to enhance ecosystem resilience and mitigate the impact of biological invasions.

With the ongoing worldwide destruction of freshwater habitats, data on biological indicators are necessary to assess their health status and develop appropriate management plans and preserve their biodiversity. Odonata are very effective in that regard. Dragonflies were surveyed during 14 months in five habitats in the South Region of Cameroon. A total of 3595 individuals representing 101 species were recorded. The most abundant species was Pseudagrion kibalense, representing 12 % of all the individuals. On average, the species richness, the Shannon’s index and the evenness varied significantly among the habitats. The highest species richness was found in the open stream (mean 24.07 ± standard deviation (S.D.) = 5.01) and the lowest in the forest swamp (11.21 ± S.D. 2.15). The highest Shannon index was reported in the open stream (2.75 ± S.D. 0.21) and the lowest in the forest stream (1.99 ± S.D. 0.44). The results of the indicator value (IndVal) identified 37 species as indicators of habitat types. The open stream had the highest number of indicator species, with 24 species, followed by the forest stream with seven, the forest swamp with five and the bamboo stream with one. No indicator species was found in the swampy canal. Chlorocypha cyanifrons, Copera rufipes and Agriocnemis forcipata were identified as the strongest ecological indicator species of the forest stream, the forest swamp and the open stream, respectively. The current data provides an insight into the ecology of odonates in tropical Africa and help to understand how the habitats can influence community composition.

Seed dispersal is a key ecological process, yet direct observations in the Cerrado remain rare. Using camera traps, we documented interactions between the small rodent Thrichomys pachyurus and Pouteria ramiflora, including frugivory, fruit handling, and transport. Individuals of T. pachyurus were observed on 10 days between January and February, totalling 19 records grouped into 14 activity events. These behaviours may be interpreted as stomatochory, suggesting a potential role of T. pachyurus in seed dispersal. However, as seed fate was not tracked and the survey was not specifically designed for dispersal studies, our conclusions remain cautious. These incidental records highlight how small rodents, often overlooked, may contribute to fruit removal and dispersal processes. Our findings underscore the need for targeted research on rodent-mediated seed dispersal in Neotropical ecosystems, while illustrating how general landscape monitoring can reveal ecological interactions that are easily underestimated.

Whether the timing of tropical tree phenophases is spatially structured at the within-stand scale and whether such structure depends on the sexual system is essentially unknown. Using ten years of weekly records from 377 trees of 32 species across 20 transects in a perhumid forest at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, we removed each species’ seasonal signal and quantified the correlation of the resulting timing anomalies between conspecific trees as a function of inter-tree distance, within hermaphroditic, polygamous and dioecious species separately. Conspecific similarity decayed with distance for every phenophase, confirming short-range spatial autocorrelation of timing. The signal was strongest and most consistent for young-leaf flush, whose within- versus between-transect gradient was positive in 28 of 29 species across all three sexual systems. Across the reproductive sequence, the imprint was about half as strong and did not vanish toward ripening: in hermaphrodites, flowers, unripe and ripe fruits all retained a significant gradient. A model of the gradient found a significant phenophase effect but no effect of sexual system. We interpret the leaf-flush signal as a microsite imprint on environmentally cued initiation that is diluted, but not erased, by developmental pacing and that is independent of how reproductive function is partitioned among individuals.

In tropical forests, large trees (LTs; those with a diameter ≥50 cm), can suffer significant abundance decline, especially near the edges of fragments. However, the mechanisms involved with this decline remain poorly understood. The objective of this study was to investigate edge effects on the health of LTs over a four-year interval, and identify the factors driving their mortality. The study was conducted in eight Semi-deciduous Seasonal Atlantic Forest fragments in the northern Paraná state, Brazil. The health of LTs was evaluated along an 0–250 m, edge-interior gradient using 11 indicators compiled into a Health Threat Index (HTI). Four sites had LT health assessed twice (2019 and 2023). A higher incidence of health threats was observed in the first 50 m from the forest edge, with a reduction in the frequency of these indicators with increased distance from the edge. This pattern was stronger in the largest fragment. Among the four re-sampled fragments, three maintained stable HTIs, while one exhibited a decline in LT health. The main indicators associated with LT mortality were liana infestation and the presence of dead crown portions. Liana cutting and other management measures should be tested in order to improve conservation of such important organisms.

Explaining how ecologically similar predators coexist remains a central challenge in community ecology, especially in tropical ecosystems with seasonal fluctuations. I developed a size-structured predator–prey model to examine how prey body-size distributions, predator resource-use strategies, and seasonal variation in prey availability influence predator abundance balance and persistence. The model incorporates continuous prey-size structure, predator-specific exploitation kernels, seasonal changes in resource productivity, and density-dependent population dynamics. Simulation experiments showed that predator trait differentiation, particularly divergence in preferred prey size and dietary breadth, substantially increased abundance balance and reduced competitive asymmetry. Combined differentiation in prey-size preference and dietary breadth produced the strongest coexistence outcomes and increased minimum predator abundance from 12.5 ± 4.0 to 29.7 ± 2.5 individuals, indicating that trait differentiation enhanced both relative abundance balance and abundance of the less abundant predator. Sensitivity analyses identified prey-size divergence as the strongest determinant of predator abundance balance, followed by dietary breadth differentiation and prey productivity, whereas demographic parameters had weaker effects. Environmental variability modified these outcomes, with prey productivity exerting a stronger influence on predator balance than seasonal forcing alone. Although motivated by sympatric African snakes, the framework generates theoretical predictions rather than demonstrating that prey-size partitioning necessarily maintains coexistence. Overall, the model provides a testable framework for understanding predator coexistence in seasonally variable ecosystems and shows that apparent dietary overlap does not necessarily imply ecological equivalence because size-mediated resource partitioning can reduce competitive asymmetry and promote predator persistence.

Wild figs (Ficus spp.) play a central role in tropical ecosystems by providing food to a wide range of frugivores, often due to high fruit yields and a presumed lack of distinct phenological patterns. This assumption is particularly important in Madagascar, where figs may represent a year-round resource for the island’s unique frugivore community. However, evidence for truly aseasonal fruiting remains limited, and previous studies have rarely distinguished between ripe and unripe figs, potentially overestimating resource availability. We investigated Ficus phenology in two contrasting forest types, the wet forests of Andasibe-Analamazaotra and the dry forests of Ankarafantsika to determine whether (1) fig production exhibits distinct temporal patterns and (2) these patterns differ between habitats. Over three years (2021–2024), we monitored 94 individual trees representing 11 species and recorded fig presence and ripeness stage. Fruit production occurred throughout the year, and circular statistical analyses detect no significant seasonal peaks in either unripe or ripe figs. Similarly, despite strong environmental contrasts, ripe fig fruiting patterns did not differ significantly between sites, although a difference was detected for unripe figs. These results suggest that Malagasy Ficus do not exhibit distinct phenological patterns at the species or community level, with fruit production broadly aseasonal across habitats. This year-round pattern, including the recurrent ripe fig availability, suggests that Ficus may provide a relatively continuous food resource for frugivores, particularly during periods of fruit scarcity, while highlighting the need to understand the ecological significance of unripe figs.