In sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly within Ghana’s savanna ecosystem, scientific studies on the distribution patterns and habitat use of raptors, including vultures, are scarce. Despite global research on vulture abundance and habitat preferences, data from West Africa remain limited. This study examines the abundance of four vulture species, focusing on their seasonal activity, age distribution, and preference for three specific habitats, i.e. woodlands, riparian forests, and grasslands, in the southern part of Mole National Park (MNP), Ghana. We conducted a survey using 39 line transects during both dry and wet seasons to make an inventory of these species. Employing a generalised linear model, we assessed the influence of seasons, age, and habitat types on vulture abundance. Our survey recorded a total of 466 vultures, with Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus and White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus being the most frequently observed. Vulture numbers were notably higher in riparian and woodland areas than in grasslands, and adults were more prevalent than juveniles across all observed species. The study highlights the need for continuous monitoring and the protection of critical riparian habitats to aid in the conservation of these threatened species within the MNP.

Owing to habitat loss, the entire breeding population of the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola, a flagship bird species of fen mires, is now limited to scattered areas in east-central Europe. The breeding biology of the Aquatic Warbler was studied between 2012 and 2015 in calcareous fens dominated by the Cladietum marisci sedge community at the south-western range limit of the species, near Chełm, in south-east Poland. Two nesting peaks were observed during the breeding season, corresponding to first and second breeding attempts. Nest densities were greater during the first- rather than the second-brood period but singing male densities did not differ between the brood periods. Clutch size and post-hatching fledging success were significantly lower during the second-brood period. Total nest fledging success (whether or not a nest fledged at least one young) was 76.6% in 124 nests with known outcomes with an average of 2.7 (± SE 0.2) fledglings per nest. Mayfield probability of nest survival was 56.9% with losses mainly due to predation (55%), nest desertion or female predation (28%), and changes in water level (14%). Nest survival to fledging increased along the gradient of increasing levels of litter layer thickness, stagnating water, and vegetation height at the nest, and increasing height of the nest above the soil. Fledgling production tended to be lower than in the Biebrza Marshes (north-east Poland) habitats, assumed to be optimal for breeding. Otherwise, the reproductive success estimates did not deviate from nests found in the core breeding areas in north-east Poland or Belarus. Brood feeding frequency (15.5 ± 1.0/hour) was similar to that observed in the Biebrza Marshes. Our results suggest that the calcareous fens at the margins of the current species’ range provide a suitable breeding habitat. However, as the nesting area has contracted, management programmes tailored to the ecological requirements of the Aquatic Warbler are required.

This case study uses the concept of ecosystem services and specifically payments for ecosystem services, alongside five experiences from the Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT), which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024, to demonstrate the need for integrated catchment management (ICM). It highlights the multifaceted benefits that ecosystems provide to human well-being, the challenges faced in managing these often-siloed services and the role of ICM in preserving and enhancing multiple ecosystem services, focusing on the water-related drivers of flooding, drought, water quality and aquatic biodiversity. Through WRT projects this case study highlights practical applications and successes in managing ecosystem services at the catchment level and what considerations are needed for future integration and delivery of multi-benefit solutions. This paper is derived in part from the interviews and workshops undertaken as part of the Atlantic Area Interreg funded Triple C project (EAPA_772/2018), as well as contributions from the Horizon funded, InnWater project (Horizon EUROPE No. 101036683 and UKRI No. 10066637) and the OFWAT-funded, mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions.

The necessity for high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) simulations in flood modelling often requires excessively long simulation times. This study evaluates the impact of various hardware configurations on Hydrologic Engineering Center-River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) 2D with particular emphasis on Central Processing Unit (CPU) speed, number of cores, Random Access Memory (RAM) capacity, addressing a critical gap in the optimisation of hardware setups for time-efficient simulations. These findings are invaluable for flood modellers and the HEC-RAS community, ultimately supporting more effective flood risk management and decision-making. Additionally, the study examines how different meshes, numerical solution methods, and solving equations perform within these hardware setups, aiming to examine the effects of computational techniques on overall simulation efficiency. Our investigations were carried out using both virtual machines on the Google Cloud Platform and a desktop PC. The findings indicate that optimal performance in HEC-RAS 2D simulations does not necessarily correlate with a higher number of cores or increased RAM. Instead, a well-adjusted configuration with 8 cores and 64 GB of RAM demonstrates superior efficiency. This result questions the usual assumptions about the need for greater computational power and emphasises the value of carefully optimising hardware for fast hydraulic modelling.

In the present study, the spatiotemporal distribution and community structure of surface copepods were investigated in Chabahar Bay, Gulf of Oman, through a year-long sampling programme divided into four distinct periods: post-monsoon (POM), northeast monsoon, pre-monsoon (PRM), and southwest monsoon (SWM). Sampling was conducted at five locations using a horizontal plankton net with a 100 μm mesh size, from the midnight to dawn period. Environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, pH, and total dissolved solids) were also recorded, revealing significant differences (P < 0.0005) across seasons and locations. A total of 38 copepod genera, belonging to five orders and 22 families, were identified, accounting for 66% of the total zooplankton population, while the remaining 34% consisted of non-copepod organisms. The highest and lowest mean abundances of copepods were recorded during the PRM and POM periods, respectively. Excluding copepod larvae, Cyclopoida and Calanoida exhibited the highest annual mean abundances, while Monstrilloida had the lowest. Results show the highest annual mean abundance belongs to the genera Oithona with 167,382 ± 11,089 ind. m−3, Temora with 52,250 ± 3691 ind. m−3, Paracalanus with 40,041 ± 2256 ind. m−3, Acartia with 34,822 ± 3876 ind. m−3, Euterpina with 34,313 ± 1542 ind. m−3, and Oncea with 34,033 ± 2951 ind. m−3. However, the lowest value of 794 ± 259 ind. m−3 belonged to the genus Cymbasoma. The highest mean diversity index (H′) was observed in SWM and POM, while the highest mean species richness index (D) was observed in POM and SWM, and the highest mean Pielou's evenness (J′) was observed in SWM and POM.

The current study represents the first records of elusive cardinalfish, Apogon fugax Gon et al., 2020 and twinbar cardinalfish, Apogonichthyoides sialis (Jordan and Thompson, 1914) from the Gujarat coast, northwestern India. During February 2024, regular fishing surveys were conducted to document a bycatch species assemblage. In the course of this study, a total three specimens of A. fugax and a single specimen of A. sialis were procured from Veraval Fishing Harbour, Gujarat, India. Apogon fugax is reported for the first time from Indian waters, while A. sialis is recorded for the first time from northwestern India. Herein, detailed meristic counts, morphometric measurements and the distribution of the species are described.

The amphipod Incisocalliope aestuarius was recently collected since 2015 in the mesohaline part of the Gironde Estuary (SW France) with a van Veen grab and in the lower intertidal part in oyster bed by hand-picking. A look back at past studies showed that this species was present in this estuary since 1976, whereas the original description of this amphipod comes from Watling and Maurer in 1973, from the East coast of America. The validity of the Incisocalliope genus is herein questioned, and it is proposed to transfer species of the genus Inciscalliope to Parapleustes genus.

Verrill's modern Mussismilia (the ‘brain corals’) were described in the 19th century, being hitherto considered endemic reef-building species to Brazil. Contrasting with the original diagnoses, highly variable morphological patterns have been observed among the congeners. Interspecific overlapping of major taxonomical characters has resulted in quite inconclusive use of the skeleton macromorphology for the genus. Intending to corroborate the Mussismilia taxonomy, a comparative morphological approach was developed, combining skeleton macro- and micromorphology. A total of 132 colonies was collected between 13°S and 17°S latitude (Mussismilia hispida = 53, Mussismilia harttii = 41, and Mussismilia braziliensis = 38). Qualitative (n = 9) and quantitative characters (n = 7) were selected (the latter was analysed with Kruskal–Wallis and a principal component analysis). A non-parametric test was adopted due to heteroscedasticity and the irregular sampling among populations. As a result, the corallite diameter and number of septa were significantly distinct among the species (α = 0.05). Micromorphology also differs interspecifically, being distribution and size of septal spines diagnostic for the congeners. Intraspecific variation and morphs are approached, ensuring the relevance of the skeleton for the interspecific delimitation and the species identities. Finally, field identification and/or methods based on image analyses from video transects should be adopted with caution. These practices may provide unreliable data, once the information is restricted to the view of the colony top, resulting in biased identification – majorly if the morphotypes of M. harttii and M. hispida share closely spaced corallites.