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The selection pressures that drove dramatic encephalisation processes through the mammal lineage remain elusive, as does knowledge of brain structure reorganisation through this process. In particular, considerable structural brain changes are present across the primate lineage, culminating in the complex human brain that allows for unique behaviours such as language and sophisticated tool use. To understand this evolution, a diverse sample set of humans' closest relatives with varying socio‐ecologies is needed. However, current brain banks predominantly curate brains from primates that died in zoological gardens. We try to address this gap by establishing a field pipeline mitigating the challenges associated with brain extractions of wild primates in their natural habitat. The success of our approach is demonstrated by our ability to acquire a novel brain sample of deceased primates with highly variable socio‐ecological exposure and a particular focus on wild chimpanzees. Methods in acquiring brain tissue from wild settings are comprehensively explained, highlighting the feasibility of conducting brain extraction procedures under strict biosafety measures by trained veterinarians in field sites. Brains are assessed at a fine‐structural level via high‐resolution MRI and state‐of‐the‐art histology. Analyses confirm that excellent tissue quality of primate brains sourced in the field can be achieved with a comparable tissue quality of brains acquired from zoo‐living primates. Our field methods are noninvasive, here defined as not harming living animals, and may be applied to other mammal systems than primates. In sum, the field protocol and methodological pipeline validated here pose a major advance for assessing the influence of socio‐ecology on medium to large mammal brains, at both macro‐ and microstructural levels as well as aiding with the functional annotation of brain regions and neuronal pathways via specific behaviour assessments.

An understanding of the relationships among multiple ecosystem services (ES) facilitates ecosystem management and decision-making. The study of ES bundles can well explain the complex interactions between different ES in a region. Shenyang is a significant economic development and food production area in Northeast China, with a diverse range of ES types. In this study, we quantified eleven ES from Shenyang, China (two provisioning services, eight regulating services, and one cultural service). The trade-offs and synergies among ES were analyzed by Spearman’s correlation analysis. The ES bundles were identified using principal component analysis and k-means cluster analysis. Finally, the random forest method was employed to identify the driving factors affecting the ES bundles. The results showed: (1) all ES in Shenyang improved between 2000 and 2019; (2) the most obvious trade-off was found between sand fixation and water conservation; (3) the ES in the study region could be clustered into five different ES bundles which were primarily affected by land-use type; and (4) social-ecological factors largely explained and predicted the formation and distribution of ES bundles. The study provides reference information for the management and optimization of Shenyang’s ecosystems and land use regulation.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events associated with food insecurity, poor health, and socioeconomic challenges. This study estimates the prevalence and associations of ACEs, socio-ecological factors, and children’s utilization of safety net programs in the United States (U.S.). In this study, ACEs are defined as experiencing economic hardships, parental separation or divorce, parental death, parental incarceration; witnessing domestic violence in the home or neighborhood; being victims of violence; living with someone with mental illness, or substance abuse issues; and being mistreated due to race/ethnicity, health conditions/disability, and sexual orientation. The data used for this study was derived from the 2022 National Children’s Health Survey (NCHS). An analytic sample of 54,103 children (51.6% male; average age = 8.6 years) was used. Chi-square tests (cross-tabulations) were used to obtain the prevalence estimates across bivariate. Four logistic regression models were employed to predict significant associations between multiple ACEs, socio-ecological factors, and children’s utilization of safety net programs. The statistical significance was determined at the p-value of 0.05 using SPSS vs.29.0. According to parental reports, 37.2% of children utilized some form of safety net programs. After controlling for other factors in the regression models, experiencing at least one ACE (29%; aOR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.33–1.53), two ACEs (57%; aOR = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.67–2.09), and three or more ACEs (69.7%; aOR = 2.60; 95% CI = 2.31–2.93) were significantly associated with increased odds of children’s utilization of safety net programs. Similarly, living in households with poverty, food insecurity, unemployed parents, single-parent households, and Spanish-speaking households, and living in metropolitan or run down neighborhoods were significantly associated with higher odds of children’s utilization of safety net programs. However, living in households where parents had at least an associate degree or higher was significantly associated with decreased odds of children’s utilization of safety net programs. This study highlights the importance of implementing comprehensive social welfare programs and policies to mitigate the negative impact of ACEs, reduce poverty, and address food insecurity, which drives children and their families to rely increasingly on safety net programs. Implications for policy and practice are discussed further.

This study explored whether Montana agricultural stakeholders’ perceptions and observations of climate change vary according to four socio-ecological variables: income, political view, agricultural occupation, and production region. A survey including 27 questions was developed into five sections: (1) agricultural background information; (2) perceptions about climate change; (3) observed changes in climate-related variables; (4) adaptation practices and strategies; and (5) demographic information. The survey included Likert-scored responses and multiple-choice questions, and was completed by 452 participants, including conventional and organic farmers and ranchers, extension agents, crop consultants, and researchers. The results indicate that while a notable fraction of agricultural stakeholders are alarmed about climate change and optimistic about the human capacity to reduce climate change, the degree of concern and optimism significantly varies depending on the stakeholder’s political views, production region, and agricultural occupation group. We found that observations of changes in climate, perceptions about climate change, and potential risks to agricultural production are driven mainly by political views. Both perceptions and observations drive the choice of adaptation and mitigation practices. It is thus essential to understand farmers’ socio-ecological characteristics when designing agricultural outreach programs in order to reduce barriers for the adoption of climate-resilient agriculture.

Aim: The assumption of equilibrium between organisms and their environment is a standard working postulate in species distribution models (SDMs). However, this assumption is typically violated in models of biological invasions where range expansions are highly constrained by dispersal and colonization processes. Here, we examined how stage of invasion affects the extent to which occurrence data represent the ecological niche of organisms and, in turn, influences spatial prediction of species' potential distributions. Location: Six ecoregions in western Oregon, USA. Methods: We compiled occurrence data from 697 field plots collected over a 9-year period (2001-09) of monitoring the spread of invasive forest pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. Using these data, we applied ecological-niche factor analysis to calibrate models of potential distribution across different years of colonization. We accounted for natural variation and uncertainties in model evaluation by further investigating three hypothetical scenarios of varying equilibrium in a simulated virtual species, for which the 'true' potential distribution was known. Results: We confirm our hypothesis that SDMs calibrated in early stages of invasion are less accurate than models calibrated under scenarios closer to equilibrium. SDMs that are developed in early stages of invasion tend to underpredict the potential range compared to models that are built in later stages of invasion. Main conclusions: A full environmental niche of invasive species cannot be effectively captured with data from a realized distribution that is restricted by processes preventing full occupancy of suitable habitats. If SDMs are to be used effectively in conservation and management, stage of invasion needs to be considered to avoid underestimation of habitats at risk of invasion.

The aim of this study was to application of some single and integrated index equation to assess heavy metal in different soil within Erbil governorate. The 15 different locations (Bahare new, Newroz, New Hawler, Hesarok, Azadi1, Zen city, Atconz city, Pank village, Binaslawa, Darato, Qushtapa, Shaways, Kasnazan, Bahirka, Pirzin) were specifically selected to identify the effects of traffic activities on soil properties. Different heavy metal distribution patterns (As, Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn) were determined from distance 5, 25, 50m roadside. Soil pollution was assessed using many indices including: contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (Cdeg), Ecological Risk Factor and Potential Ecological Risk Index.The results showed that concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn in street dust ranged from (4.60, 1.80, 217.83, 62.14 and 215.18) mg.kg-1 which recorded in Qushtapa, Kasnazan, Atconze city, Hasarok5 and Zen city respectively. The contamination factor  and degree of contamination of  the trace elements As, Cd, Cr, Cu ,and Zn of soil samples was indicating considerable contamination factor for Qushtapa moderate contamination factor for Kasnazan, while Atconze city, Hasarok5, Zen city showed very high contamination factor, while degree of contamination considerable low degree of contamination. According to the ecological risk factor and RI results Qwshtapa was indicate as low potential ecological risk, Kasnazan had moderate potential ecological risk while Hasarok5 and Zen city considerable high potential ecological risk, except Atconze considerable very high ecological risk, on the other hand for RI index shown considerable very high ecological risk recorded in Hasarok 5 soil samples.

The Amanita genus, a member of the Amanitaceae family, thrives in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and exhibits remarkable diversity and abundance. These Amanita fungi species predominantly inhabit pine forests, mixed forests, and grassy areas. Because most species in this genus are toxic, the impact of ecological factors on their emergence and development must be understood. This study aims to build the correlation between ecological factors, namely light, humidity, altitude, temperature, and habitat. Our findings reveal that fungi within this genus primarily inhabit higher-altitude zones (ranging from 500 to 800 m). Their optimal growth temperature lies between 19 and 22 °C, with a light intensity of 800-1000 lux and relatively high humidity levels, ranging from 85% to 90%. These factors significantly influence the frequency of these fungi’s occurrence. These insights serve as a foundation for identifying the distribution area of these toxic mushrooms and improving their recognition. This research enhances our understanding of Amanita biodiversity in this region and provides valuable insights into the specific environmental conditions that support their growth and conservation.

Being bullied is a well-recognized trauma for adolescents. Bullying can best be understood through an ecological framework since bullying or being bullied involves risk factors at multiple contextual levels. The purpose of the study was to identify the risk and protective factors that best differentiate groups along with the outcome variable of interest (being bullied) using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis. The study used the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) data collected from a nationally representative sample of students in grades six through ten during the 2005–2006 school years. This study identified that for adolescents 12 and younger, lower parental support is a critical risk factor associated with bullying and among those 13 to 14 with lower parent support, adolescent with higher academic pressure reported experiencing more bullying. For the older group of adolescents (aged 15 and older), school related factors were identified to increase the risk level of being bullied. There was a critical age (15 years old) for implementing victimization interventions to reduce the damage from being bullied. Service providers working with adolescents aged 14 and less should focus more on family-oriented intervention and those working with adolescents aged 15 and more should offer peer- or school-related interventions.

In August 2023, the composition, diversity, and relationships with environmental factors of benthic algae in the three lakes and two ponds located in the Kaçkar Mountains National Park were investigated. The surveyed flora comprised 139 species across five taxonomic groups: Bacillariophyta (75 species), Charophyta (35), Cyanobacteria (17), Chlorophyta (8), and Euglenozoa (4). The most species-rich genera were (13), followed by (10), (10), (7), and (6). Physico-chemical analyses indicated that the waters were fresh, slightly acidic, low in salinity, and free from organic pollution, which was corroborated by bioindicator species. This study provides baseline data on the composition of benthic algae and highlights the lack of significant anthropogenic impact on these habitats.

The “Healthy Immigrant Effect” (HIE) suggests that immigrants have a health advantage over the domestic-born which vanishes with increased length of residency. Most HIE research focuses on physical health, with less attention given to mental health (MH). This systematic review of 58 MH studies examines whether there is a MH advantage among immigrants and explores changes in immigrants’ MH, besides critically assessing the use of HIE theory. Inconsistent evidence was detected regarding the presence of MH advantage, whereas consistent, convincing evidence was revealed for a decline in immigrants’ MH over years. Although the HIE theory can help reveal MH disparities, this theory alone does not explain the reasons for these disparities nor inform about potential avenues to improve immigrants’ MH. A paradigm shift is needed to incorporate other potential theoretical concepts/frameworks, including the “Health Inequalities Action” framework, for a broader understanding of MH issues and to inform effective, culturally-sensitive interventions.