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Fulltext Cellulolytic, Nitrogen-fixing and Phosphate-solubilizing Micro-organisms as biological indicators of forest soil rehabilitation

A. Tang, S.K. Wong, O.H. Ahmed, N.M. Majid

ASM Science Journal, 2013;7(1):23-26.
MyJurnal

Widespread deforestation has resulted in soil degradation that is often linked to environmental and ecological changes. Rehabilitation of degraded forest is essential to prevent further degradation of the soil. Abundance of soil microbiota could serve as an essential biological indicator of soil health for rehabilitation success. An investigation was conducted to study the relationship between cellulolytic, nitrogen-fixing and phosphate-solubilizing microbial counts and age of rehabilitated forest. A random sampling design was used to obtain four replicates of five composite soil of 0–10 cm depth soil samples of 4, 9, 14 and 19-year-old rehabilitated forest. Three selective media: Congo red cellulose, nitrogen-free malate and calcium phosphate media were used for the enumerations of cellulolytic, nitrogen-fixing and phosphate-solubilizing microbes, respectively. Cellulolytic and phosphate-solubilizing microbes were counted based on the formation of clearing zones, while nitrogen-fixing microbes were based on the formation of blue halo on the respective media. There was positive linear relationship between age of the rehabilitated forest and microbial count. These findings revealed that the potentials of cellulolytic, nitrogen-fixing and phosphate-solubilizing microbial populations could be used as biological indicators of forest soil rehabilitation.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Ecological aspects of introduced pests and diseases

AUDY JR

Med J Malaya, 1956 Sep;11(1):21-32.
PMID: 13399540
Matched MeSH terms: Ecology*
The ground beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of Kenyir water catchment, Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

Abdullah F, Sina I, Fauzee F

Pak J Biol Sci, 2008 Nov 01;11(21):2478-83.
PMID: 19205267

An assemblage of beetle specimens from family Carabidae (ground beetles) was carried out at Kenyir water catchment as an indicator to measure disturbance. The samplings were conducted from 30th July to 1st August 2007 at limestone forest of Teluk Bewah and the dipterocarp forest of Sungai Cicir. 28 individuals from 13 species were collected from Teluk Bewah whereas 54 individuals from ten species was sampled from Sungai Cicir. The carabids were more specious (Simpson Diversity index: 0.97) and more abundant (Margalef index: 5.35) at Teluk Bewah compared to Sungai Cicir (Simpson Diversity index, 0.72: Margalefindex, 2.22). Light trapping was most efficient assembling 97.56% of ground beetles compared to Malaise trap, pitfall and net sweeping. This is the first record of beetle assemblage at Kenyir water catchment, Malaysia. New records for Kenyir, Terengganu, Malaysia are Abacetus sp. 1, Abacetus sp. 2, Acupalpus rectifrotis, Aephnidius adelioides, Dischissus notulatus, Dolichoctis sp., Dolichoctis sp. 2, Dolichoctis straitus, Ophinoea bimaculata, Perigona sp., Pheropsophus piciccollis, Pheropsophus occipitalis, Stenolophus quinquepustulatus, Stenolophus smaragdulus, Stenolophus sp., Tachys coracinus, Casnoidea sp., Orthogonius sp. Seven species coded as Cara C, Cara J, Cara M, Cara N, Cara O, Cara R and Cara S were unidentified and are probably new species to be described in another report. There is moderately high diversity (Simpson Diversity index: 0.846) of Carabidae indicating that ecotourism does not affect diversity of ground beetle at Kenyir Lake.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext The interplay between the civil society and the private sector, especially for resource mobilization

Abraham, Martin

ASM Science Journal, 2012;6(1):67-70.
MyJurnal

The pursuit, initiation and establishment of multi-stakeholder partnerships, including with the private sector, is often a critical component of attaining and achieving the success and sustainability of many projects the world over. However, the soliciting and securing of socially, economically and environmentally constructive engagements between the private sector on the one hand, and the NGOs, CBOs and local communities on the other hand, is in reality much easier said than done. Notably, since most private sector corporations undoubtedly tend to leave behind various "ecological footprints", differing only in their size and depth, stemming from their respective forms and functions, and their ensuing impacts and implications. The interplay between the civil society and the private sector, especially for resource mobilization. (Copied from article).

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext Socio-epidemiological and land cover risk factors for melioidosis in Kedah, Northern Malaysia

Abu Hassan MR, Aziz N, Ismail N, Shafie Z, Mayala B, Donohue RE, et al.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2019 03;13(3):e0007243.
PMID: 30883550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007243

BACKGROUND: Melioidosis, a fatal infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is increasingly diagnosed in tropical regions. However, data on risk factors and the geographic epidemiology of the disease are still limited. Previous studies have also largely been based on the analysis of case series data. Here, we undertook a more definitive hospital-based matched case-control study coupled with spatial analysis to identify demographic, socioeconomic and landscape risk factors for bacteremic melioidosis in the Kedah region of northern Malaysia.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We obtained patient demographic and residential information and clinical presentation and medical history data from 254 confirmed melioidosis cases and 384 matched controls attending Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (HSB), the main tertiary hospital of Alor Setar, the capital city of Kedah, during the period between 2005 and 2011. Crude and adjusted odds ratios employing conditional logistic regression analysis were used to assess if melioidosis in this region is related to risk factors connected with socio-demographics, various behavioural characteristics, and co-occurring diseases. Spatial clusters of cases were determined using a continuous Poisson model as deployed in SaTScan. A land cover map in conjunction with mapped case data was used to determine disease-land type associations using the Fisher's exact test deploying simulated p-values. Crude and adjusted odds ratios indicate that melioidosis in this region is related to gender (males), race, occupation (farming) and co-occurring chronic diseases, particularly diabetes. Spatial analyses of disease incidence, however, showed that disease risk and geographic clustering of cases are related strongly to land cover types, with risk of disease increasing non-linearly with the degree of human modification of the natural ecosystem.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings indicate that melioidosis represents a complex socio-ecological public health problem in Kedah, and that its control requires an understanding and modification of the coupled human and natural variables that govern disease transmission in endemic communities.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext Fractional Multi-Step Differential Transformed Method for Approximating a Fractional Stochastic SIS Epidemic Model with Imperfect Vaccination

Abuasad S, Yildirim A, Hashim I, Abdul Karim SA, Gómez-Aguilar JF

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 03 18;16(6).
PMID: 30889889 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16060973

In this paper, we applied a fractional multi-step differential transformed method, which is a generalization of the multi-step differential transformed method, to find approximate solutions to one of the most important epidemiology and mathematical ecology, fractional stochastic SIS epidemic model with imperfect vaccination, subject to appropriate initial conditions. The fractional derivatives are described in the Caputo sense. Numerical results coupled with graphical representations indicate that the proposed method is robust and precise which can give new interpretations for various types of dynamical systems.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext Kenaf fibre and its bio-based composites: a conspectus

Adole, Adole Michael, Jamaludin Mohamad Yatim, Suhaimi Abubakar Ramli, Athirah Othman, Norazura Azzmi Mizal

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2019;27(1):297-329.
MyJurnal

(Kenaf fibre is a good reinforcement in fibre polymer composites due to its high strength
and elastic modulus, high stiffness, low density, low cost and eco-efficient, less health
hazards, renewability, good mechanical and thermal properties, and biodegradability. It is
traditionally used for rope, twine, fish net and sacking materials. Recently, it was observed
that kenaf fibre had huge potentials to replacing synthetic fibre in composites due to the
rising environmental and ecological issues, thus this awareness has motivated efforts for
the advancement of new innovative bio-based composites incorporating kenaf fibre for
various end-use structural applications. This paper presents an overview of the development
made so far in the area of kenaf fibre and its composites in terms of chemical and microstructural
properties, mechanical properties, dimensional stability, thermal stability, product
development and application. Some fundamental issues and suggestions for further research
in this area are also discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Effect of trade on ecological quality: a case of D-8 countries

Ahmed K, Ozturk I, Ghumro IA, Mukesh P

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2019 Dec;26(35):35935-35944.
PMID: 31705412 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-06520-0

Sustainable development inculcates the process of preserving the environment for future generations while maintaining existing human needs. This study attempts to empirically investigate the relationship between CO2 emissions, GDP, energy consumption, and imports and exports using yearly data between 1980 and 2014 for the panel of eight developing countries (i.e., Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey). All the tests for cointegration establish the long-run association among the variables and confirm the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for the panel of eight countries. GDP and energy consumption remained significant factors for emission intensity both in the long and short run. However, exports found to be positive factor for emissions in the long run only and imports spur emissions in the short run. The country-specific results validate EKC hypothesis for Bangladesh, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. The findings are policy oriented and suggest that the countries' economic growth along with energy consumption and exports are highly emission intensive which require necessary adjustments at sustainable development policy front.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology*
Fulltext Social sciences research in neglected tropical diseases 1: the ongoing neglect in the neglected tropical diseases

Allotey P, Reidpath DD, Pokhrel S

Health Res Policy Syst, 2010 Oct 21;8:32.
PMID: 20961461 DOI: 10.1186/1478-4505-8-32

Centuries of scientific advances and developments in biomedical sciences have brought us a long way to understanding and managing disease processes, by reducing them to simplified cause-effect models. For most of the infectious diseases known today, we have the methods and technology to identify the causative agent, understand the mechanism by which pathology is induced and develop the treatment (drugs, vaccines, medical or surgical procedures) to cure, manage or control.Disease, however, occurs within a context of lives fraught with complexity. For any given infectious disease, who gets it, when, why, the duration, the severity, the outcome, the sequelae, are bound by a complex interplay of factors related as much to the individual as it is to the physical, social, cultural, political and economic environments. Furthermore each of these factors is in a dynamic state of change, evolving over time as they interact with each other. Simple solutions to infectious diseases are therefore rarely sustainable solutions. Sustainability would require the development of interdisciplinary sciences that allow us to acknowledge, understand and address these complexities as they occur, rather than rely solely on a form of science based on reducing the management of disease to simple paradigms.In this review we examine the current global health responses to the 'neglected' tropical diseases, which have been prioritised on the basis of an acknowledgment of the complexity of the poverty-disease cycle. However research and interventions for neglected tropical diseases, largely neglect the social and ecological contextual, factors that make these diseases persist in the target populations, continuing instead to focus on the simple biomedical interventions. We highlight the gaps in the approaches and explore the potential of enhanced interdisciplinary work in the development of long term solutions to disease control.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
The costs of exclusion: recognizing a role for local communities in biodiversity conservation

Ancrenaz M, Dabek L, O'Neil S

PLoS Biol, 2007 Oct 23;5(11):e289.
PMID: 17958473
Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext Evidence of local short-distance spawning migration of tropical freshwater eels, and implications for the evolution of freshwater eel migration

Arai T

Ecol Evol, 2014 Oct;4(19):3812-9.
PMID: 25614795 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1245

Freshwater eels have fascinated biologists for centuries due to the spectacular long-distance migrations between the eels' freshwater habitats and their spawning areas far out in the ocean and the mysteries of their ecology. The spawning areas of Atlantic eels and Japanese eel were located far offshore in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, respectively, and their reproduction took place thousands of kilometers away from their growth habitats. Phylogenetic studies have revealed that freshwater eels originated in the Indonesian region. However, remarkably little is known about the life histories of tropical freshwater eels despite the fact that tropical eels are key to understanding the nature of primitive forms of catadromous migration. This study found spawning-condition tropical freshwater eels in Lake Poso, central Sulawesi, Indonesia, with considerably high gonadosomatic index values and with histologically fully developed gonads. This study provides the first evidence that under certain conditions, freshwater eels have conditions that are immediately able to spawn even in river downstream. The results suggest that, in contrast to the migrations made by the Atlantic and Japanese eels, freshwater eels originally migrated only short distances of <100 kilometers to local spawning areas adjacent to their freshwater growth habitats. Ancestral eels most likely underwent a catadromous migration from local short-distance movements in tropical coastal waters to the long-distance migrations characteristic of present-day temperate eels, which has been well established as occurring in subtropical gyres in both hemispheres.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext Opportunistic spawning of tropical anguillid eels Anguilla bicolor bicolor and A. bengalensis bengalensis

Arai T, Abdul Kadir SR

Sci Rep, 2017 01 30;7:41649.
PMID: 28134305 DOI: 10.1038/srep41649

Information on the spawning migration, spawning ecology and life history of tropical eels in the Indo-Pacific region is very limited. The physiological and morphological characteristics of tropical freshwater eels, Anguilla bicolor bicolor and A. bengalensis bengalensis collected in Malaysia were examined in relation to their downstream migration patterns. A total of 455 eels were collected over monthly intervals between February 2014 and January 2016 and we examined both gonadosomatic index and gonad histology features. In both species, close positive relationships between advanced maturation stages and eye, fin, gonadosomatic indexes were found in males and females. A. bengalensis bengalensis was found to be larger and heavier than A. bicolor bicolor at the time of seaward migration. The final stage of maturation for seaward spawning migration occurred throughout the year in A. bicolor bicolor, although that of A. bengalensis bengalensis was estimated to six months due to the limited number of samples. These results suggest that year-round spawning in the open ocean occurs in the tropical eel. This non-seasonal spawning ecology is notably different from that of temperate eels, which are known to follow a well-defined spawning season, with spawning migrations generally taking place during autumn months.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext Diversity, distribution and different habitat use among the tropical freshwater eels of genus Anguilla

Arai T, Abdul Kadir SR

Sci Rep, 2017 08 08;7(1):7593.
PMID: 28790355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07837-x

Along with the mysteries of their ecology, freshwater eels have fascinated biologists for centuries. However, information concerning species diversity, geographic distribution, and life histories of the tropical anguillid eels in the Indo-Pacific region are highly limited. Comprehensive research on the species composition, distribution and habitat use among tropical anguillid eels in the Peninsular Malaysia were conducted for four years. A total of 463 specimens were collected in the northwestern peninsular area. The dominant species was A. bicolor bicolor constituting of 88.1% of the total eels, the second one was A. bengalensis bengalensis at 11.7%, while A. marmorata was the least abundant at 0.2%. A. bicolor bicolor was widely distributed from upstream to downstream areas of the rivers. In comparison, A. bengalensis bengalensis preferred to reside from the upstream to midstream areas with no tidal zones, cooler water temperatures and higher elevation areas. The habitat preference might be different between sites due to inter-species interactions and intra-specific plasticity to local environmental conditions. These results suggest that habitat use in the tropical anguillid eels might be more influenced by ambient environmental factors, such as salinity, temperature, elevation, river size and carrying capacity, than ecological competition, such as interspecific competition.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext Food and water-borne protozoal diseases (FWBPD)

Baha Latif

Medical Health Reviews, 2009;2009(2):27-46.
MyJurnal

This review places emphasis on the food and water borne protozoal diseases like, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, cyclosporiasis, and toxoplasmosis which are endemic in many parts of the world. The article addresses cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, cyclosporiasis, and toxoplasmosis. Cryptosporidium and Giardia are widespread in the environment and major outbreaks have occurred as a result of contaminated drinking water. Cyclospora has significance in the preparation and consumption of fresh food that have not received heat treatment. Toxoplasma gondii, transmission occur through contaminated water, unpasteurised milk and also the consumption of raw meat, which has been regarded as a major route of transmission to humans .These parasitic protozoa do not multiply in foods, but they may survive in or on moist foods for months especially in cool and damp environment. Their ecology makes control of these parasites difficult. Transmission, clinical manifestations, outbreaks, public health surveillance and control measures that are used for those diseases will be reviewed in this article.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Fulltext Standardized Assessment of Biodiversity Trends in Tropical Forest Protected Areas: The End Is Not in Sight

Beaudrot L, Ahumada JA, O'Brien T, Alvarez-Loayza P, Boekee K, Campos-Arceiz A, et al.

PLoS Biol, 2016 Jan;14(1):e1002357.
PMID: 26785119 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002357

Extinction rates in the Anthropocene are three orders of magnitude higher than background and disproportionately occur in the tropics, home of half the world's species. Despite global efforts to combat tropical species extinctions, lack of high-quality, objective information on tropical biodiversity has hampered quantitative evaluation of conservation strategies. In particular, the scarcity of population-level monitoring in tropical forests has stymied assessment of biodiversity outcomes, such as the status and trends of animal populations in protected areas. Here, we evaluate occupancy trends for 511 populations of terrestrial mammals and birds, representing 244 species from 15 tropical forest protected areas on three continents. For the first time to our knowledge, we use annual surveys from tropical forests worldwide that employ a standardized camera trapping protocol, and we compute data analytics that correct for imperfect detection. We found that occupancy declined in 22%, increased in 17%, and exhibited no change in 22% of populations during the last 3-8 years, while 39% of populations were detected too infrequently to assess occupancy changes. Despite extensive variability in occupancy trends, these 15 tropical protected areas have not exhibited systematic declines in biodiversity (i.e., occupancy, richness, or evenness) at the community level. Our results differ from reports of widespread biodiversity declines based on aggregated secondary data and expert opinion and suggest less extreme deterioration in tropical forest protected areas. We simultaneously fill an important conservation data gap and demonstrate the value of large-scale monitoring infrastructure and powerful analytics, which can be scaled to incorporate additional sites, ecosystems, and monitoring methods. In an era of catastrophic biodiversity loss, robust indicators produced from standardized monitoring infrastructure are critical to accurately assess population outcomes and identify conservation strategies that can avert biodiversity collapse.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology/methods
The distribution and ecology of Bakerocoptes cynopteri (Sarcoptiformes: Bakerocoptidae) in Malaysia

Beck AJ

Acta Trop, 1969;26(3):270-4.
PMID: 4391240
Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
A survey of bat ectoparasites in West Malaysia

Beck AJ

J Med Entomol, 1971 Jul 30;8(2):147-52.
PMID: 5157835
Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Mean reversion and convergence of ecological footprint in the MENA region: evidence from a fractional integration procedure

Bello MO, Gil-Alana LA, Ch'ng KS

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Mar;30(12):35384-35397.
PMID: 36534250 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24678-y

This paper deals with the analysis of mean reversion and convergence of the ecological footprint (EF) in the MENA region. Using a long memory model based on fractional integration, we find that the results are very heterogeneous across countries depending on the assumptions made on the error term and the use of original versus logged data. Nevertheless, some conclusions can be obtained. Thus, mean reversion is decisively found in the case of Tunisia, and other countries showing some degree of reversion to the mean include Israel, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. Dealing with the issue of convergence within the MENA countries, similar conclusions hold and only Tunisia reports statistical evidence of convergence for the two types of errors. Additional evidence is found in the case of Syria, Yemen, and Jordan with uncorrelated errors and for Iran with autocorrelation. It is recommended that environmental policies targeted at stabilizing the trends in EF in the MENA region should not be indiscriminately applied in consideration of the heterogeneous nature of the series in the region.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology*
Biology of the Malaysian strain of Plasmodium juxtanucleare Versiani and Gomes, 1941. 1. Description of the stages in the vertebrate host

Bennett GF, Warren M

J Parasitol, 1966 Jun;52(3):565-9.
PMID: 5942532
Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
Modeling the significance of green orientation and culture on green innovation performance: moderating effect of firm size and green implementation

Bhatti SM, Al Mamun A, Wu M, Naznen F, Kanwal S, Makhbul ZKM

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Sep;30(44):99855-99874.
PMID: 37615918 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-29353-4

The current global trend in sustainable business practices is to optimize green innovation performance. To protect the environment and maintain their own survival, organizations must strengthen their green innovation capabilities. Drawing on the recourse-based view and ecology modernization theory (EMT), this study examines the direct effect of green strategic orientations, green entrepreneurial orientation, green market orientation, green innovation orientation, and green organizational culture on the firm's green innovation capability, as well as the mediating effect of green innovation capability on the relationship of these four factors and green innovation performance. Besides, this study also explored the moderating effects of green management system implementation and firm size on the association between green innovation capability and green innovation performance. To test the hypothesized model, a questionnaire survey was administered to gather responses from 293 medium-sized and large manufacturing firms operating in Pakistan. The partial least squares method was used for data analysis. The results revealed that green entrepreneurial orientation, green market orientation, green innovation orientation, and green organizational culture positively impacted green innovation capability, which subsequently positively influenced green innovation performance. Moreover, effective implementation of green management systems can bolster the effect of green innovation capability on green innovation performance, and the mediating effect of green innovation capability has also been confirmed. These indicated that the management of medium and large manufacturing firms operating in Pakistan should focus on encouraging green innovation and training employees regarding the latest eco-friendly technologies to attain performance and sustainable development goals. Policymakers should implement green business development programs and offer rewards or penalties for promoting compliance. The present study contributes greatly to the literature by applying EMT as an alternative to address the mediating role of green innovation capability and the moderating effect of green management system implementation in enhancing firms' green innovation performance.

Matched MeSH terms: Ecology

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