We investigated whether the gut bacterial community of Chlaenius pallipes could represent the health conditions of individuals or populations based on where these beetles inhabit. Considering the ecological traits of the species, the gut bacterial communities of carabid populations inhabiting stable or unstable habitats were compared. Food resource quality (δ¹⁵N) and morphological shape, especially body and wing size, may be significant factors that directly or indirectly affect the gut bacterial community of carabid beetles. Firmicutes (51.7%) and Proteobacteria (36.3%) were the predominant phyla in the gut bacterial community of C. pallipes. A significant difference in the gut bacterial community structure was observed between organisms inhabiting unstable and stable habitats in this study. Wing size, as estimated by centroid size, was correlated with differences in the gut bacterial community composition of the species. Even if a factor is not strong enough to determine the survival of carabid beetles, the composition of the gut bacterial community can change. We found that although each individual has a large variation in the gut bacterial community composition, the gut bacterial community can be used to evaluate the condition of each habitat through consistent investigation. Habitat assessment based on changes in the number of carabid beetle species and their composition requires relatively long-term research; however, the gut bacterial community of carabid beetles can help identify short-term environmental changes.

BACKGROUND: The spread of Vespa velutina Lepeletier, 1836 (Asian hornet) in South Korea poses a threat to biodiversity and agriculture. Traditional species interaction models often fail to capture the complexity of invasive species dynamics. This study used association rule learning (ARL) and clustering analyses to explore the interactions of V. velutina with native Vespidae species in South Korea, with the aim of uncovering patterns of coexistence and competition.RESULTS: Over 4 years (2020–2023), 304 traps were strategically placed across South Korea to collect data on Vespidae species. Our findings showed that Vespula flaviceps, Vespa crabro, and Vespula koreensis were the most frequently encountered species. V. velutina was also widespread, suggesting its successful integration into local ecosystems. The ARL analysis, using the ‘apriori’ algorithm, identified significant co‐occurrence patterns and potential interactions. The rules generated indicated both competitive and coexistent relationships with varying levels of association strength across different regions. Clustering analyses, including hierarchical and k‐means clustering, grouped species based on their occurrence similarities. The distinct clusters formed in the analysis highlighted the unique ecological roles and interactions of V. velutina and other Vespidae species in South Korean ecosystems.CONCLUSION: This study confirms the successful establishment of V. velutina in diverse South Korean ecosystems and highlights its complex interactions with native species. These findings support the need for nuanced management strategies that consider the intricate ecological relationships of V. velutina. This approach is crucial for the effective management of invasive species and ecosystem conservation. © 2024 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Urbanization affects the natural world, with implications for habitat availability and wildlife behavior, notably in the context of South Korea. This study investigates the effects of urbanization on the nest sizes and materials of barn swallows, a migratory bird species. Utilizing comparative analyses across suburban, exurban, and rural regions, the study found substantial variations in nest volumes. Specifically, rural areas had significantly larger nests than suburban areas, whereas exurban nest sizes fell in between. Although a potential explanation might relate to differences in the availability of nesting materials, this hypothesis necessitates further investigation. The study also found that the soil composition in nests varied by location, with sand, silt, and clay content showing marginal differences, but not statistically significant disparities. However, a clear preference for a specific soil texture was evident, along with the finding that forest cover within a 1 km radius of the nest was correlated with larger nest sizes. Land use was further linked to the external volume of barn swallow nests, pointing to a potential interaction between habitat quality and nest construction. Overall, the findings underscore the complexity of urbanization’s impact on barn swallows, emphasizing the need to conserve natural habitats and devise strategies to mitigate the negative effects on these birds. These results contribute to the growing understanding of urban ecology and the urgent need for thoughtful management of human-altered landscapes.

Public interest in and preferences for certain species can sometimes provide an opportunity for conservation and management. Here, we attempted to identify ‘popular’ anurans from YouTube data. In addition, the attractiveness of anuran advertisement-calling sounds were analyzed using acoustic data. By searching YouTube with the search term ‘frog calling’, 250 videos were selected. Of these, 174 videos could be classified according to species; these videos aided in extracting clean calling sounds, free from the overlapping calls of other male frogs, as well as other sounds. To assess the interests and preferences of viewers for different species, the numbers of videos, view counts, ‘likes,’ and ‘dislikes’ were recorded. From the videos, the calls of 78 species belonging to 17 families were identified. Viewer interest was highest for the Hylidae and Ranidae species, which are often discoverable in the field. In addition, invasive frogs had large numbers of videos and large numbers of ‘likes.’ People tended to prefer frogs calling with lower dominant frequencies. However, there were few videos on endangered species, and these garnered relatively less interest than other species. To manage and conserve invasive or endangered frog species, there is a need to increase ecological understanding by adjusting species awareness and charisma.

This study examines the gut bacterial communities of four necrophagous fly species: Lucilia illustris, L. caesar, Chrysomya megacephala, and C. pinguis. The gut bacterial communities exhibited significant variation across species, showcasing a diverse range of bacterial phyla, classes, and genera. Each species harbored a unique set of bacteria, yet there was considerable overlap in taxa among species. Species richness was comparable across all species. However, measures that account for both richness and evenness, such as the Shannon diversity index and the inverse Simpson’s diversity index, indicated significant differences between species, especially between L. illustris and C. pinguis. The functional profiles of the gut bacterial communities mainly centered on metabolic and environmental information processing functions, with no marked differences between species. While this study had limitations in data collection, it still revealed a significant correlation between the phylogenetic distances of some fly species and the distances of their gut bacterial communities. This supports the hypothesis that the gut microbiota is not random but is influenced by the host’s evolutionary history or seasons. We confirmed that an association between phylogeny and gut bacterial community structure, as determined through entanglement analysis, exists. The study focused on only five individuals from the four fly species sampled during spring and summer, which might affect the generalizability of the results. Future research would benefit from replicating this study with a larger sample size across various seasons to ensure the more widespread applicability of the findings.