Species Distribution Models: exploring patterns and processes in mammal ecology

Modelling species distribution is one of the most widely used approaches used by modern ecologists to predict species occurrence as well as to explore the environmental variables that determine the presence of a species in an habitat. Given the outstanding importance of mammals in the context of conservation or management actions, it is not surprising that an ever increasing number of mammalogists have successfully employed species distribution models over the last few years. As a scientific journal devoted to mammal natural history, Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy is pleased to present a collection of articles forming a special issue that deals with such an important and timely matter

Painting maps with bats: Species distribution modelling in bat research and conservation

Species distribution models (SDMs) offer an effective tool for identifying species conservation requirements and forecasting how global environmental changes will affect species diversity and distribution. This approach is particularly relevant for bats because their nocturnal behaviour hinders detectability and identification in flight. Despite their important contribution to global biodiversity and wide geographical ranges, bats have been under-represented in early SDM studies, and only in the last few years has this approach become more widely used in bat research. We carried out a meta-analysis of the published literature to review the history of the use of SDMs in bat research and their application in conservation, climate change assessments and genetic studies. We focus on the geographical coverage, theme and modelling algorithm of published studies, and compare studies that are uniquely dedicated to bats to multi-taxa studies that include bats. We provide recommendations for good modelling practices through considering spatial scale and spatial biases, selecting ecologically relevant variables, following rigorous modelling protocols, and recognising the limitations of extrapolation across temporal scales. We suggest future developments that will further favour the use of SDMs to study bat ecology and biogeography, as well as inform conservation management. We conclude that despite an increase in bat SDM studies, their scope and application can be further enhanced through incorporating dispersal, landscape connectivity and biotic interactions between bats, their prey and their pathogens

Molecular Identification of Italian Mouse-eared Bats (genus Myotis)

Despite the fact that the genus Myotis (Mouse-Eared bats) is one of the most investigated microchiropteran groups, recent molecular studies highlighted the presence of several cryptic species with substantial implications for ecological and conservation issues. Our dataset includes 55 coxI sequences from 11 morphologically-identified Italian Mouse-Eared bats species. We applied an integrated approach comparing data from a traditional morphological identification and molecular variability in a fragment of the mitochondrial coxI gene (DNA barcoding). Our results clearly show a strong coherence between the two identification approaches for almost all of the examined species, and revealed interesting patterns of intraspecific variability within the species M. nattereri. Finally, we successfully tested the efficacy of our identification method on undetermined individuals sampled in the field

Bats and Water: Anthropogenic Alterations Threaten Global Bat Populations

Natural bodies of open water in desert landscapes, such as springs and ephemeral pools, and the plant-life they support, are important resources for the survival of animals in hyper arid, arid and semi-arid (dryland) environments. Human-made artificial water sources, i.e. waste-water treatment ponds, catchments and reservoirs, have become equally important for wildlife in those areas. Bodies of open water are used by bats either for drinking and/or as sites over which to forage for aquatic emergent insects. Due to the scarcity of available water for replenishing water losses during roosting and flight, open bodies of water of many shapes and sizes may well be a key resource influencing the survival, activity, resource use and the distribution of insectivorous bats. In this chapter, we review the current knowledge of bats living in semi- and arid regions around the world and discuss the factors that influence their richness, behaviour and activity around bodies of water. We further present how increased anthropogenic changes in hydrology and water availability may influence the distribution of species of bats in desert environments and offer directions for future research on basic and applied aspects on bats and the water they use in these environments

Efficient Syntheses of Biobased Terephthalic Acid, p-Toluic Acid, and p-Methylacetophenone via One-Pot Catalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Monoterpene Derived Bio-p-cymene.

An efficient elevated-pressure catalytic oxidative process (2.5 mol % Co(NO3)2, 2.5 mol % MnBr2, air (30 bar), 125 °C, acetic acid, 6 h) has been developed to oxidize p-cymene into crystalline white terephthalic acid (TA) in ∼70% yield. Use of this mixed Co2+/Mn2+ catalytic system is key to obtaining high 70% yields of TA at relatively low reaction temperatures (125 °C) in short reaction times (6 h), which is likely to be due to the synergistic action of bromine and nitrate radicals in the oxidative process. Recycling studies have demonstrated that the mixed metal catalysts present in recovered mother liquors could be recycled three times in successive p-cymene oxidation reactions with no loss in catalytic activity or TA yield. Partial oxidation of p-cymene to give p-methylacetophenone (p-MA) in 55-60% yield can be achieved using a mixed CoBr2/Mn(OAc)2 catalytic system under 1 atm air for 24 h, while use of Co(NO3)2/MnBr2 under 1 atm O2 for 24 h gave p-toluic acid in 55-60% yield. Therefore, access to these simple catalytic aerobic conditions enables multiple biorenewable bulk terpene feedstocks (e.g., crude sulfate turpentine, turpentine, cineole, and limonene) to be converted into synthetically useful bio-p-MA, bio-p-toluic acid, and bio-TA (and hence bio-polyethylene terephthalate) as part of a terpene based biorefinery

Direct photolysis of benzoylecgonine under UV irradiation at 254nm in a continuous flow microcapillary array photoreactor

Benzoylecgonine (BE) is the major metabolite of cocaine and a contaminant of emerging concern often detected in sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents and surface waters. In this study, an innovative microcapillary film (MCF) array photoreactor made of fluoropolymer material was used to determine the direct photolysis quantum yield of benzoylecgonine at 254 nm. The quantum yield of BE was found to be (6.22 ± 0.19) × 10-3 mol ein-1. The proposed methodology was validated by estimating the quantum yield of caffeine (7.48 10-4 ± 0.64) × 10-4 mol ein-1, which was found in agreement with results published in literature. The MCF uses a very small sample volume (in the order of 330μl per meter length of material) and allows extremely rapid photolysis with a short contact time ranging from a fraction of seconds to a few minutes. This new microfluidics approach presented in this study is particularly useful for determining the photochemical behavior of highly priced pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, metabolites and uncommon or regulated substances

Preparation and Characterization of Amorphous Solid Dispersions for the Solubilization of Fenretinide

Fenretinide (4-HPR), a retinoid derivative, has shown high antitumor activity, a low toxicological profile, and no induction of resistance. Despite these favorable features, the variability in oral absorption due to its low solubility combined with the high hepatic first pass effect strongly reduce clinical outcomes. To overcome the solubility and dissolution challenges of poorly water-soluble 4-HPR, we prepared a solid dispersion of the drug (4-HPR-P5) using a hydrophilic copolymer (P5) previously synthesized by our team as the solubilizing agent. The molecularly dispersed drug was obtained by antisolvent co-precipitation, an easy and up-scalable technique. A higher drug apparent solubility (1134-fold increase) and a markedly faster dissolution were obtained. In water, the colloidal dispersion showed a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 249 nm and positive zeta potential (+41.3 mV), confirming the suitability of the formulation for intravenous administration. The solid nanoparticles were also characterized by a high drug payload (37%), as was also evidenced by a chemometric-assisted Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) investigation. The 4-HPR-P5 exhibited antiproliferative activity, with IC50 values of 1.25 and 1.93 µM on IMR-32 and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, respectively. Our data confirmed that the 4-HPR-P5 formulation developed herein was able to increase drug apparent aqueous solubility and provide an extended release over time, thus suggesting that it represents an efficient approach to improve 4-HPR bioavailability