The early stage of seedling establishment is critical to successful ecological restoration and reforestation, and it is partially influenced by herbivory. Aerial vertebrate predators, including birds and bats, can affect plant growth by controlling phytophagous insects. This study explored the effects of excluding birds and bats on the arthropod community during the initial stages of reforestation plots planted with Dipterocarpus alatus in deciduous dipterocarp forest using an exclusion experiment. We hypothesized that birds and bats negatively affect the density and biomass of large-sized arthropods (≥ 1 cm), which are their potential prey, and that excluding these predators may affect seedling growth and leaf damage. The density and biomass of large arthropods significantly increased in the permanent exclosures compared to the control group. No significant difference between the nocturnal and diurnal exclosures was observed. Top-down effects on the biomass of large-sized phytophagous and predatory arthropods were pronounced during the dry season, coinciding with the presence of migratory insectivorous birds. Mesopredator release primarily driven by ants compensated for the absence of birds and bats, preventing immediate increases in herbivory or impacts on seedling growth. These findings highlight the importance of ecological redundancy among predator communities in maintaining herbivory control. Promoting diverse habitats that support both invertebrate and vertebrate predators may enhance the long-term resilience and effectiveness of pest control in ecological restoration efforts.

Predation is a strong driver of prey behaviour and sympatric species are likely exposed to similar selective predatory pressures. We test the hypothesis that this leads to similar anti-predator behaviours using the widespread Neotropical snake tribe Pseudoboini as our model. We reviewed and compiled documented defensive behaviours for all species, adding new unreported behaviours for three species. We used a cluster analysis to generate a matrix of defensive behaviour dissimilarity between species. We then used a phylogenetic generalized linear mixed model to test how behaviour dissimilarity changed with geographical overlap, similarity in ecological traits, and phylogenetic relatedness. Only 41 species had available data on defensive behaviour, with only 22 of those represented in the phylogeny. We found that similarity in defensive behaviour is significantly (albeit not strongly) correlated with geographical overlap, but only for species with similar body sizes. Phylogenetic relatedness by itself was a poor predictor of behaviour dissimilarity. This corroborates our hypothesis that defensive behaviours are spatially structured at larger scales but that this can be modulated by morphological differences. Testing inter-species ecogeographical differences of defensive behaviour and its implications can be broadly applied to other taxa.

Carbon credits have become increasingly important for supporting sustainable forest management and mitigating climate change. However, carbon projects can be challenging for local communities and smallholders to implement due to high expenses and complicated protocols. Forest projects often suffer from inefficiency, lack of transparency, and uneven benefit distribution. This study suggests a blockchain-based framework for aggregating forest carbon projects. This framework is the first in the forest sector to provide a reward mechanism for local communities or smallholders with a direct integration into an accredited registry protocol of Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification. The system combines digital identities, smart contracts, and automated incentives to improve transparency, responsibility, and trust among stakeholders. Two types of tokens are introduced: (i) Carbon Coin represents verified carbon credits within the system; and (ii) Forest Coin functions as a security token used to proportionally distribute project revenue among stakeholders. The revenue distribution was demonstrated in scenarios of afforestation, reforestation, and conservation. In addition, a web application was developed so that users can monitor project details. Unlike most blockchain carbon platforms that focus on investment and trading, this framework addresses upstream challenges, prioritising equitable benefit-sharing. The framework supports project aggregation and prioritises community ownership, advancing inclusive access to the carbon market. This study demonstrates how technological advantages can be transferred to community-driven ecological conservation.

Determining factors that regulate insect–plant interactions is of great interest in tropical forest ecology. However, our understanding of these factors across vertical stratification in tropical rainforests remains limited. We examined the effects of seasonality, microclimate, and leaf traits on insect herbivory and arthropod dynamics across vertical forest stratification in a weakly seasonal tropical rainforest in Papua New Guinea. We surveyed insect herbivory and arthropods on seven dominant tree species at 5 m increments from 1 m to 30 m, three times during both dry and wet seasons. We assessed insect herbivory on 9,425 leaves and collected 3,445 arthropods from 407.07 m2 of foliage. Herbivory decreased non-linearly with forest height and was highest during the wet season. Herbivorous arthropod density mirrored this pattern, peaking at the onset of the rainy season and remaining low at the start of the dry season and the end of the wet season. Predatory arthropod densities peaked in the canopy at the beginning of the wet season. Temperature, leaf dry matter content, and leaf toughness increased with forest height, while specific leaf area decreased. We conclude that forest stratification and seasonality play vital roles in mediating the rate of insect herbivory and arthropod community dynamics in the tropical lowland rainforest of Papua New Guinea.

Specialization is a core concept in the study of flowering plants and their relationships with floral visitors. In recent decades, researchers have increasingly used bipartite floral interaction networks to study these relationships. Networks are typically built from simple observations of floral visitation and ignore which resources visitors acquire during visits. However, flowers can provide nectar, pollen, or both, and floral visitor species may only forage for one or the other on a given plant. Here, using data we collected which differentiates nectar from pollen foraging for floral visitors to 15 Bornean rainforest tree species, we investigate whether estimates of specialization change when multiple floral resources are accounted for. We find that the same visitors have different estimated values of specialization when calculated using the overall visitation data (the standard approach), versus only nectar or pollen foraging. Differences in specialization estimates for flower-visiting taxa scale up to affect estimates of specialization for the whole community of floral visitors, with greater specialization found in nectar than pollen foraging. Our findings highlight some important considerations when using resource-agnostic visitation data in network-based studies of plant-pollinator relationships. In addition, this study represents one of the first network analyses of plant-pollinator interactions in a tropical rainforest canopy.

Camera traps have revolutionised wildlife monitoring. However, no consensus method exists for analysing these data. We investigated how commonly used modelling procedures affect the detection of environmental effects and quantified how this affected species distribution maps, which are essential tools for conservation planning. We used the tapeti Sylvilagus brasiliensis sensu lato, monitored using camera traps in a Brazilian indigenous reserve. We compared the ability of two commonly used modelling procedures (occurrence- vs abundance-based models, controlling or not for imperfect detection, using or not time-to-independence thresholds) to detect species responses to environmental variables. We then compared the species distribution predicted from each modelling procedure. Abundance models detected additional effects compared with occurrence models. Occurrence models detected the same environmental effects whether or not they accounted for imperfect detection. In contrast, abundance models were sensitive to imperfect detection. N-mixture models that controlled for detection provided consistent results regarding the nature, sign, and magnitude of effects, whether no time-to-independence, 30-min or 60-min thresholds were applied. Ignoring imperfect detection should not be an option for analysing camera-trap data of unmarked individuals. Hierarchical modelling, allowing detection and ecological processes to be modelled separately, should be preferred. We advocate for developing guidelines for analysing camera-trap data.

Honeydew is a carbohydrate-rich exudate produced by scale insects (Hemiptera) that feed on phloem sap and excrete surplus sugars. Although its consumption by birds has been documented in a few tropical and temperate systems, its ecological relevance remains underexplored. Here, we describe the use of honeydew produced by Stigmacoccus paranaenses (Stigmacoccidae) on Inga trees (Fabaceae) by birds in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. From March to October 2017, we conducted 359 hours of full-day observations and recorded 2599 visits from 25 bird species. Visitation was dominated by nectarivorous and frugivorous species, especially Coereba flaveola, Thalurania glaucopis, and Thraupis ornata, which together accounted for over 75% of visits. Generalised linear mixed models indicated strong seasonal variation in visitation rates, with peaks during the dry season (April–July) and a decline during wetter months. In contrast, no significant effects were found for time of day, honeydew sugar concentration, or air temperature. Species richness of visitors was also higher during the dry season. These findings suggest that honeydew may serve as a seasonal fallback resource for birds with high energetic demands, reinforcing its potential ecological role in fragmented tropical landscapes. From a restoration perspective, the presence of native plant species that host honeydew-producing insects, such as Inga, may enhance trophic complexity and support bird foraging during periods of resource scarcity, contributing to the ecological resilience of restored Atlantic Forest landscapes.

Semecarpus calcicola is an endangered tree restricted to Pulau Mantanani, Malaysia. New data of population size and structure was used to reassess the IUCN threat category of this species. Results are based on twenty-six 400 m2 plots in a 26.5 ha area that included the majority of Semecarpus calcicola’s known population. GLMs were used to investigate the relationship between the number of individuals and elevation. Estimates of the population size for each size class were determined using Horvitz-Thompson estimators, generalised regression estimators and spatial linear models and extrapolated to the study area. Elevations of the plots were obtained from a digital elevation model as auxiliary data. Significant relationships were found between the number of individuals and elevation. Mature individuals are more common at higher elevations, whilst seedlings, saplings and poles are more abundant in the lower elevation plots. Land-use change due to the increase of tourism activities and the local community drives the significant decreases of mature individuals within the lower elevation. Introduced cattle, tourism-related land-use change and plantation activities further threaten the population of S. calcicola, particularly smaller individuals due to herbivory. The estimate of population size varied among the methods and size classes. The estimated number of mature individuals ranged from 509 to 764.

The main objective of this study was to analyse the changes of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversities shown by bird assemblages at two contrasting vegetational types in Southern Mexico. Our main hypothesis was that we would find a higher diversity in Tropical Dry Forest (TDF) than in Oak Woodland (OW) due to a monotonic decrease in diversity with altitude. During eleven months, we surveyed both vegetation types to record bird species and abundances. We established points and simultaneously carried out 5-minutes count and soundscape recordings. We quantified our sampling effort by means of the sample coverage and calculated Hill numbers to express alpha and beta diversities. Contrary to our expectations, in terms of alpha taxonomic and functional diversities, the OW had consistently higher values than the TDF. After accounting for abundance data, we found a marked decrease in phylogenetic and taxonomic beta diversity, but an increase in functional diversity compared to the presence/absence matrix. The low beta phylogenetic diversity combined with the high beta functional diversity suggests that a small set of closely related species could have evolved in the dry slopes of the area, and by the action of niche differentiation developed different functional traits. The high functional beta diversity indicates a high complementarity between the avifaunas of each vegetation type, which is relevant in terms of conservation.

Rapid deforestation in the tropics reduces the global carbon sequestration and storage capacity of forests. However, abandoned lands can recover naturally through secondary succession. While soil organic carbon (SOC) represents the largest carbon pool in young secondary forests, its drivers remain poorly understood. Here, we assessed the roles of environmental conditions (macro- and microclimate) and forest attributes (biomass and litter nutrients) in determining three key ecosystem processes (litter production, decomposition, and soil respiration) that influence SOC dynamics in secondary forests. We collected data from young secondary tropical dry and wet forests (2.3–3.6 years old) in Ghana. Wet forests had higher aboveground biomass, soil temperature and moisture, and litter production, whereas dry forests had higher litter nutrient concentrations and faster decomposition rates. SOC and soil respiration rates were similar between forest types. Structural equation modelling showed that (1) litter decomposition increased with litter production, litter nitrogen concentration, and soil temperature (rather than soil moisture), and (2) decomposition was the only significant driver of SOC. These findings highlight the central role of litter decomposition in building SOC during early forest succession and the indirect influence of climate on belowground carbon dynamics through its effects on litter quantity and quality and microclimate.

While blue fluorescence has previously been reported in several genera of carnivorous plants, green fluorescence has not been formally documented in previous literature. Here, we present the first confirmed record and qualitative documentation of vivid green biofluorescence in a member of the genus Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae). This study aims to examine this distinctive trait and interpret its ecological and taxonomic implications. The specimens exhibited intermediate morphological characteristics—including leaf margins lined with brown hairs, distinctly petiolated leaves, and a peristome bearing spike-like teeth—indicating a hybrid origin between two sympatric species, N. benstonei and N. rafflesiana. Under UV light (365 nm excitation), the peristomes of mature pitchers from the Nepenthes hybrid (N. benstonei × rafflesiana) exhibited intense green fluorescence. In contrast, both putative parental species emitted blue fluorescence: N. benstonei uniformly across its peristome, while N. rafflesiana displayed sparse yellow-green streaks on its peristome. The natural hybrid was discovered at elevations of 700–900 metres above sea level (MASL) in the Timur Range, Peninsular Malaysia, with only nine individuals recorded. In addition to providing preliminary data on the occurrence of an undescribed taxon, this represents the first recorded instance of green autofluorescence in Nepenthes—hitherto unobserved in the wild—that may contribute to its insect-luring strategy. Our findings underscore the rich biodiversity of the region’s rainforests and highlight the urgent need for conservation efforts to safeguard these ecosystems, which may harbour as-yet-undiscovered taxa.