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BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

The current study highlights some knowledge on the diversity and structure of insect communities and trophic groups living in Sabkha Djendli (semi-arid area of Northeastern Algeria). The entomofauna was monthly sampled from March to November 2006 using pitfall traps at eight sites located at the vicinity of the Sabkha. Structural and diversity parameters (species richness, Shannon index, evenness) were measured for both insect orders and trophic guilds. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was applied to determine how vegetation parameters (species richness and cover) influence spatial and seasonal fluctuations of insect assemblages. The catches totalled 434 insect individuals classified into 75 species, 62 genera, 31 families and 7 orders, of which Coleoptera and Hymenoptera were the most abundant and constant over seasons and study stations. Spring and autumn presented the highest values of diversity parameters. Individual-based Chao-1 species richness estimator indicated 126 species for the total individuals captured in the Sabkha. Based on catch abundances, the structure of functional trophic groups was predators (37.3%), saprophages (26.7%), phytophages (20.5%), polyphages (10.8%), coprophages (4.6%); whereas in terms of numbers of species, they can be classified as phytophages (40%), predators (25.3%), polyphages (13.3%), saprophages (12%), coprophages (9.3%). The CCA demonstrated that phytophages and saprophages as well as Coleoptera and Orthoptera were positively correlated with the two parameters of vegetation, especially in spring and summer. While the abundance of coprophages was positively correlated with species richness of plants, polyphage density was positively associated with vegetation cover. The insect community showed high taxonomic and functional diversity that is closely related to diversity and vegetation cover in different stations of the wetland and seasons.

Avian diversity is used to assess the functionality of diverse types of habitats around Salt Lake Djendli, Northeast Algeria. The landscape is stratified into five habitat types in a gradient from wetland to forested mountains. Bird species found in these habitats can be classified into four ecological groups with decreasing degrees of aquatic specialisation and increasing forest specialisation. For each surveyed species, five ecological status were assigned. Overall, there was lower species richness in urban areas compared to other "natural" habitats. Birds have a biogeographical affinity to the western Palaearctic according to the dominant faunal types. Interactions of ecological status with phenological traits reveal that water birds are different from non-aquatic species because most of them are migrants. Moreover, overall, there is no worrying conservation status for surveyed birds. Bird diet is dependent on the ecological status that differentiate bird groups from each other due to differences in the food resources of the habitats they frequent. Phenological categories tend to link together birds of urban and open-lands. These two groups are affected by seasonal human activities. Our findings emphasise the importance of using combinations within the birds' ecological status, which would give information on the actual state of avifauna. This approach is relevant for future programmes and conservation actions.

We studied variations in the size of breeding colonies and in breeding performance of White Storks Ciconia ciconia in 2006-2008 in northeast Algeria. Each colony site was characterized using 12 environmental variables describing the physical environment, land-cover categories, and human activities, and by three demographic parameters: the number of breeding pairs, the number of pairs with chicks, and the number of fledged chicks per pair. Generalized linear mixed models and the self-organizing map algorithm (SOM, neural network) were used to investigate effects of biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors on demographic parameters and on their relationships. Numbers of breeding pairs and of pairs with chicks were affected by the same environmental factors, mainly anthropogenic, which differed from those affecting the number of fledged chicks per pair. Numbers of fledged chicks per pair was not affected by colony size or by the number of nests with chicks. The categorization of the environmental variables into natural and anthropogenic, in connection with demographic parameters, was relevant to detect factors explaining variation in colony size and breeding parameters. The SOM proved a relevant tool to help determine actual dynamics in White Stork colonies, and thus to support effective conservation decisions at a regional scale. Keywords White Stork Á Ciconia ciconia Á Algeria Á Breeding performance Á Colony site Á Conservation Zusammenfassung Welche Umweltfaktoren regulieren Koloniegröße und Bruterfolg beim Weißstorch Ciconia ciconia?-der Einsatz von Selbstorganisierenden Karten Untersucht wurden Unterschiede in Brutkoloniestärke und Bruterfolg bei Weißstörchen Ciconia ciconia in Nordostalgerien, in den Jahren von 2006-2008. Jede Kolonie wurde anhand von zwölf Umweltvariablen charakterisiert, welche Auskunft über physische Umweltbedingungen, Landbedeckung und menschlichen Einfluss gaben, sowie anhand von drei demografischen Parametern: der Anzahl der Brutpaare, der Anzahl von Paaren mit Küken und der Anzahl flügger Junge pro Paar. Es wurden Generalisierte Lineare Gemischte Modelle und der Selbstorganisierende Karten-Algorithmus (Self-Organising Map, SOM, ein neuronales Netz) angewendet, um die Wirkung biotischer, abiotischer und anthropogener Faktoren auf die demografischen Parameter und die Beziehungen zwischen diesen zu untersuchen. Die Anzahl der Brutpaare und die der Paare mit Küken wurden von denselben (hauptsächlich anthropogenen) Umweltfaktoren beeinflusst. Dagegen wurde die Communicated by P. H. Becker.

This study aims to identify large-scale environmental variables that explain the distribution of continental exotic fish across five bioclimatic regions in east Algeria (160,000km_2), North Africa. Fish communities were sampled at 39 sites from 2007 to 2010. Seven environmental variables were investigated: habitat type, altitude, latitude, longitude, bioclimatic region, minimum and maximum air temperatures and human pressure. The common carp ( Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) and the silver carp (Hypophtalmichthys molitrix Valenciennes, 1844) were the most widespread exotic species. Almost ali exotic fishes were distributed over desert and sub-humid bioclimatic scales. Reservoirs represent the type of habitat that houses the greatest exotic species richness. The distribution pattern of exotic fishes was mainly predetermined by the type of habitat. Alien ichtyofauna colonizes primarily man-made hydrosystems regardless of environmental variables or the degree of human pressure, making these habitats more vulnerable to invasion.Buvo jvertinta stambaus masto aplinkos veiksniq jtaka svetimkraSciq Zllvq riisiq paplitimui Siaurës Afrikoje, penkiuose bioklimatiniuose Rytq AlZyro regionuose (160,000 km 2). Zuvq bendrijq tyrimai buvo vykdomi 2007-2010 metais 39 tyrimo vietose, atsiZvelgiant i buveinës tipi!, aukStj virS jüros lygio, ilgUID!l ir platuiru!, bioklimatinj regionq, minimalill ir maksimalill oro temperatfull ir antropogeninio poveikio mas!ll, Isaiskinta, kad is svetimkra8ciq riiSiq labiausiai paplitusios yra paprastasis karpis (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) ir baltasis placiakaktis (Hypophtalmichthys molitrix Valenciennes, 1844). Beveik visos svetimkra8ciq Zllvq riisys yra paplitusios dykumos ir sausringo klimato regionuose, didZ:iausia svetimkrasciq riisiq jvairovë rasta dirbtiniuose vandens telkiniuose. Nustatyta, kad svetimq Zllvq riisiq paplitimui didZ:iausill itak!l turi buveinës tipas. Nepriklausomai nuo aplinkos kintamqjq ar Zn1ogaus poveikio masto, svetimos Zllvq riiSys pirmiausia jsitvirtina dirbtiniuose vandens telkiniuose; todël sios buveinës yra jautresnës svetimq riisiq invazijos poveikiui.

Wetlands are critically important for biodiversity and human wellbeing, but face a range of challenges. This is especially true in the Mediterranean region, where wetlands support endemic and threatened species and remain integral to human societies, but have been severely degraded in recent decades. Here, in order to raise awareness of future challenges and opportunities for Mediterranean wetlands, and to inform proactive research and management, we identified (a) 50 key issues that might affect Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050, and (b) 50 important research questions that, if answered, would have the greatest impact on the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050. We gathered ideas through an online survey and review of recent literature. A diverse assessment panel prioritised ideas through an iterative, anonymised, Delphi-like process of scoring, voting and discussion. The prioritised issues included some that are already well known but likely to have a large impact on Mediterranean wetlands in the next 30 years (e.g. the accumulation of dams and reservoirs, plastic pollution and weak governance), and some that are currently overlooked in the context of Mediterranean wetlands (e.g. increasing desalination capacity and development of antimicrobial resistance). Questions largely focused on how best to carry out conservation interventions, or understanding the impacts of threats to inform conservation decision-making. This analysis will support research, policy and practice related to environmental conservation and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, and provides a model for similar analyses elsewhere in the world.