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Northern peatlands are experiencing more frequent and severe fire events as a result of changing climate conditions. Recent studies show that such a fire-regime change imposes a direct climate-warming impact by emitting large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. However, the fires also convert parts of the burnt biomass into pyrogenic carbon. Here, we show a potential climate-cooling impact induced by fire-derived pyrogenic carbon in laboratory incubations. We found that the accumulation of pyrogenic carbon reduced post-fire methane production from warm (32 °C) incubated peatland soils by 13–24%. The redox-cycling, capacitive, and conductive electron transfer mechanisms in pyrogenic carbon functioned as an electron snorkel, which facilitated extracellular electron transfer and stimulated soil alternative microbial respiration to suppress methane production. Our results highlight an important, but overlooked, function of pyrogenic carbon in neutralizing forest fire emissions and call for its consideration in the global carbon budget estimation. Warmer and drier conditions are increasing the frequency of forest fires, which in turn produce pyrogenic carbon. Here the authors show that accumulation of pyrogenic carbon can suppress post-fire methane production in northern peatlands and can effectively buffer fire-derived greenhouse gas emissions.

Anecdotal evidence from philanthropic fundraisers shows that virtual reality (VR) technology increases empathy and can influence people toward pro-environmental behavior. Non-profit organizations are increasingly marketing their causes using virtual reality and they report increased donations when VR technology is employed. In VR, users are immersed in situations intended to feel more like the real world through technology, such as 360° video viewed through 3D headsets that block out visual and auditory distractions. The framing of the message as either positive or negative has long shown to have an effect on behavior, although consensus on the impact of framing has not been reached in relation to encouraging contributions to public goods. This paper focuses on field experiments used to investigate the effects of varying degrees of visual immersion and positive versus negative message framing on respondents' contributions to a conservation charity. Participants were exposed to a five-minute underwater film about coral reefs and the importance of protecting them. We employed a 2x2 experimental design using 3D head-mounted displays comparing 360° film footage vs. unidirectional film and a positive message vs. a negative message. After watching the film, each participant completed a short questionnaire and had the opportunity to donate to a marine conservation charity. In addition, we tested a control treatment where no video was observed. The video was filmed in Indonesia which is host to some of the world's most biodiverse reefs that are under great threat from human activity. We also conducted the study in Indonesia, sampling a total of 1006 participants from the Bogor city area and tourists on the island of Gili Trawangan-which is popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. We find significant differences in observed behavior and reported emotions between all treatments compared to the control condition. Among the tourist sample, we find significant differences between the 360° film with a negative message which garnered significantly larger average donation amounts compared to the unidirectional film with both positive and negative framing. Overall, we can infer from these studies that virtual reality is an effective way to raise awareness of environmental threats and encourage behavioral action, especially when tailored to target groups. New technology, such as the VR head-mounted display, is highly effective at attracting interest which is an important point to encourage organizations to invest in new technologies.

Graphical Abstract    Highlight Research 1. The potential of coral reefs for marine tourism has been calculated. 2. The potential of coralfish for marine tourism has been identified. 3. Water quality parameters are supporting factors for the sustainability of marine tourism. 4. The suitability of snorkeling and diving tourism has been mapped.     Abstract The waters of Tomini Bay, which boast the longest coastline in Gorontalo Province at 572.5 km, hold significant marine tourism potential, warranting further study and development. This research evaluated the potential and suitability of marine tourism in the Tomini Bay Gorontalo area, specifically snorkeling and diving. Data were collected on coral reef conditions, reef fish communities, and water quality parameters from six locations, including Pinomontiga, Kurenai, and Kaisomaru Beach, as well as Dulanga, Bitila, and Lahe Islands. Coral reef conditions were assessed using the underwater photo transect method, while reef fish data were collected using the underwater visual census method. Physical water parameter data measured were temperature (°C), salinity (‰), pH, dissolved oxygen (mg/L), current speed (cm/s), and brightness (m). The analysis of coral cover was conducted using Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe), while the suitability for snorkeling and diving tourism was assessed using the Tourism Suitability Index. The results showed that most locations had moderate to excellent coral reef conditions, high coral and fish diversity, and water quality that supported marine tourism activities. Among the six locations studied, two, namely Pinomontiga Beach and Lahe Island, were rated highly suitable for snorkeling and diving, while Kaisomaru Beach was not suitable. Other places, including Kurenai Beach and Bitila Island, were rated as suitable. These results provide essential information for developing sustainable marine tourism in Tomini Bay Gorontalo and can serve as a reference for local government in planning environmentally friendly tourism activities.                

Proteins localized to mitochondria by a carboxyl-terminal tail anchor (TA) play roles in apoptosis, mitochondrial dynamics, and mitochondrial protein import. To reveal characteristics of TAs that may be important for mitochondrial targeting, we focused our attention upon the TA of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae  Fis1 protein. Specifically, we generated a library of Fis1p TA variants fused to the Gal4 transcription factor, then, using next-generation sequencing, revealed which Fis1p TA mutations inhibited membrane insertion and allowed Gal4p activity in the nucleus. Prompted by our global analysis, we subsequently analyzed the ability of individual Fis1p TA mutants to localize to mitochondria. Our findings suggest that the membrane-associated domain of the Fis1p TA may be bipartite in nature, and we encountered evidence that the positively charged patch at the carboxyl terminus of Fis1p is required for both membrane insertion and organelle specificity. Furthermore, lengthening or shortening of the Fis1p TA by up to three amino acids did not inhibit mitochondrial targeting, arguing against a model in which TA length directs insertion of TAs to distinct organelles. Most importantly, positively charged residues were more acceptable at several positions within the membrane-associated domain of the Fis1p TA than negatively charged residues. These findings, emerging from the first high-resolution analysis of an organelle targeting sequence by deep mutational scanning, provide strong, in vivo evidence that lysine and arginine can “snorkel,” or become stably incorporated within a lipid bilayer by placing terminal charges of their side chains at the membrane interface.

Nature-based tourism, such as whale watching and swimming with whale sharks, is rapidly growing worldwide. Although there is no clear classification, whale watching is often referred to as ecotourism or sustainable tourism. However, one of the key principles of true ecotourism is that it promotes, among other things, the generation of environmental education and awareness. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of tourism activities with charismatic species in tourists’ environmental consciousness. The study was carried out in three stages via surveys to participants of two main activities (snorkeling with whale sharks and gray whale watching) in Baja California Sur, Mexico: 1) one before the activity where socio-demographic, circumstantial variables, and initial environmental awareness and pro-environmental behavior were measured; 2) one immediately after, evaluating aspects of the experience and awareness in the short term, and, 3) Four months later via e-mail to evaluate environmental consciousness in the long term. A total of 542 surveys were obtained in the first two stages, and 200 surveys in the third stage. A Structural Equation Model analysis was performed to test causal relationships between the activities and environmental consciousness. Our results show that the experience with a charismatic species had a significant and positive effect on short-term environmental awareness. However, there was no significant effect of the experience on their long-term environmental consciousness. Implications for the actors involved in nature-based tourism activities are discussed, highlighting the need to implement globally used strategies but applying them in the local context.

Gede Island which located in Rembang regency has the potential for underwater beauty that is more promising to attract tourists to visit this area. Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems with a potential for ecotourism. This research aimed to determine the index of suitability and carrying capacity of coral reefs in the Gede Islands waters in Rembang Regency as new ecotourism objects. Data collected included coral reef cover and abundance of fish species using Point Intercept Transect (PIT). The data were analyzed using tourism suitability index as well as physical carrying capacity of the area. The results show the abundance of marine resources at the coral reefs, which include 25 coral species and 44 reef fish species. The tourism suitability index (TSI) for snorkeling was 61.5% with a carrying capacity of 324 persons per day. The TSI for diving was 55.5% with a physical carrying capacity of 2,619 persons per day. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was 26%, which means that snorkeling and diving should be prioritized. The economic valuation analysis resulted marine that tourism in Coastal recreation in Wates, Rembang Regency based on the Travel Cost Method (TCM) method is a yearly IDR 35,672,331,326.00

Environmental DNA (eDNA) studies show great promise for non-invasive surveys of aquatic organisms, but should account for imperfect detection and the influences of biotic and abiotic conditions on detection. We evaluated an eDNA protocol for Roanoke logperch (RLP) Percina rex, an endangered fish of the eastern United States occupying habitats ranging from cold, clear creeks to warm, turbid rivers. We assayed water samples from streams presumed likely to be occupied or unoccupied by RLP based on previous fish surveys. Data were analyzed using multi-scale occupancy models that estimated occurrence and detection probability at the scales of sites, replicate water filters, and replicate PCR reactions, and environmental influences on these probabilities. We detected RLP eDNA at 11 of 12 sites in occupied streams and no sites in presumed-unoccupied streams. In best-supported models, detection was positively related to an index of fish density, whereas other environmental factors had no consistent effects. This approach had a higher detection rate and lower sensitivity to sampling conditions than traditional techniques like snorkeling and electrofishing, suggesting it could provide a powerful tool for assessing the distribution of this and other rare fishes that occur across a wide range of fluvial habitats.

Wildlife-focused tourism is often considered as having the potential to play an integral part of threatened species conservation efforts, particularly through financial support. We focused on the direct financing of conservation by investigating tourists' willingness to pay to snorkel with reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) at Barefoot Manta, an ecotourism resort in the Yasawa group of islands in Fiji. Our results indicate that 82.4% of people surveyed would be willing to pay a mean value of ~ USD $9.2 (SE 0.9) more than the current cost, a 28% increase. Also, 89% of people surveyed would be willing to pay a mean value of ~ USD $10.2 (SE 0.9) more for a hypothetical scenario where they would snorkel with 50% fewer people, a 31% increase. We also investigated tourists' willingness to make voluntary donations to the local community above an existing payment of ~ USD $10 that is built into the current snorkel payment of ~ USD $32.5. On average, 91.3% of the tourists interviewed were willing to donate additional funds with an average additional donation of ~ USD $8.6 (SE 0.5) to the community to pay for educational and environmental support, an 86% increase. There were few significant relationships between willingness to pay and demographic factors (including age, income, nationality, education, and others), suggesting that willingness to pay was widely held by the tourist population staying at Barefoot Manta Resort. Together, these results indicate that wildlife-based nature tourism could represent a potential, but not unlimited, income source to fund conservation in the Yasawa group, Fiji islands, and that conservation can arise from partnerships between local communities and the tourism sector.

Densities and habitat use patterns of holothurians, including nocturnal species, were assessed in Buena Vista, Nggela, Solomon Islands, for community-based resource management. Nighttime snorkeling surveys were conducted along transects (maximum 1.6 km) with 3 to 5 searchers in nearshore, channel, and outer reef macrohabitats. Only the population in the seagrass macrohabitat was separately assessed in 30 m line transects during the daytime. Microhabitats were clearly separated between species living on 3-dimensional structures (e.g. surfaces of knolls and reef slopes; rock climber group) and those on flat bottoms (bottom crawler group), although they coexisted at macrohabitat scales. Potential shelters adjacent to each individual differed between the 2 groups. Among bottom crawler species, Bohadschia koellikeri, which was recently taxonomically divided from B. vitiensis, occupied macrohabitats intermediately ranging between those of B. argus in the channel and outer reef macrohabitats and those of B. vitiensis and B. marmorata in the nearshore and seagrass macrohabitats. The high-density population was observed in the seagrass macrohabitat, mainly composed of Holothuria scabra, B. marmorata, and H. fuscogilva, although most individuals of these species were smaller than the national legal size limits. Moreover, the body lengths of H. atra and H. fuscogilva increased from the seagrass macrohabitat to the outer reef macrohabitat, implying their migration during growth and the roles of seagrass areas as nurseries. These results revealed diversity of macro- and microhabitat use patterns among species and their growth stages and highlight the importance of considering these factors for conserving diverse species by areal-based protection measures.