Wetland bird species have been declining in population size worldwide as climate warming and land-use change affect their suitable habitats. We used species distribution models (SDMs) to predict changes in range dynamics for 64 non-passerine wetland birds breeding in Europe, including range size, position of centroid, and margins. We fitted the SDMs with data collected for the first European Breeding Bird Atlas (EBBA1) and climate and land-use data to predict distributional changes over a century (the 1970s–2070s). The predicted annual changes were then compared to observed annual changes in range size and range centroid over a time period of 30 years using data from the second European Breeding Bird Atlas (EBBA2). Our models successfully predicted ca. 75% of the 64 bird species to contract their breeding range in the future, while the remaining species (mostly southerly breeding species) were predicted to expand their breeding ranges northward. The northern margins of southerly species and southern margins of northerly species, both, predicted to shift northward. Predicted changes in range size and shifts in range centroids were broadly positively associated with the observed changes, although some species deviated markedly from the predictions. The predicted average shift in core distributions was ca. 5 km/year towards the north (5% Northeast, 45% North, and 40% Northwest), compared to a slower observed average shift of ca. 3.9 km/year. Predicted changes in range centroids were generally larger than observed changes, which suggests that bird distribution changes may lag behind environmental changes leading to “climate debt. We suggest that predictions of SDMs should be viewed as qualitative rather than quantitative outcomes, indicating that care should be taken concerning single species. Still, our results highlight the urgent need for management actions such as wetland creation and restoration to improve wetland birds' resilience to the expected environmental changes in the future.

Species’ range shifts and local extinctions caused by global change lead to community composition changes. At large spatial scales, ecological barriers, such as biome boundaries, coastlines, elevation, and temperature gradients, can influence a community's ability to shift. Yet, ecological barriers are rarely considered in global change studies, potentially hindering predictions of biodiversity shifts. We used data from two consecutive European breeding bird atlases to calculate the geographic distance and direction between communities in the 1980's and their nearest compositional equivalent in the 2010’s and modelled their response to barriers. The ecological barriers affected both the distance and direction of bird community composition shifts, with coasts and elevation having the strongest influence. Combining ecological barriers and community shift projections can identify ecological corridors that facilitate shifts of species and communities under global change.

Despite the long tradition of ichthyofaunal research in the Balkan Peninsula, there are still poorly investigated areas. Kosovo is one of the least investigated countries of the Balkan Peninsula in regard to fish fauna. In this study, we present the results of a fish fauna investigation in Badovc Lake and the Llap River. The fish fauna of Badovc Lake in central Kosovo was investigated at monthly intervals between June 2012 and December 2012. A total of 16 species belonging to 6 families, Cyprinidae, Cobitidae, Percidae, Siluridae, Esocidae, and Centrarhidae, were determined in this research area. The vast majority of species found belong to the family Cyprinidae (11), while all other families are represented by a single species. At 10 selected stations of the Llap River, 12 fish species were found. The family Cyprinidae is represented by 10 species, while 2 other families (Percidae and Salmonidae) are represented by a single species. The first preliminary checklist of fish species found in freshwater ecosystems belonging to the Black Sea basin in Kosovo is given and it contains 27 species. According to the IUCN criteria, 25 of the species found are in the category of Least Concern, and the 2 remaining species are in the category of Vulnerable species (Cyprinus caprio and Alburnoides bipunctatus). This investigation shows that the alien invasive pumpkinseed fish Lepomis gibbosus, which is reported here for the first time from Kosovo, is expanding its distribution area in the Balkan Peninsula. In this context, more detailed investigations are needed in this part of Kosovo in order to determine the diversity and number of fish populations.

Flora of the southern part of Kosovo has previously been studied in a limited way due to the difficult terrain and the fact that up to the 1990s it was a military area. In this paper we report Galanthus elwesii Hook for the first time from Kosovo. This species is found in different habitats, mainly in siliceous substrate or wet meadows of the Dragash Municipality, South Kosovo. This species was collected in the Vraça Mountains, near Restelica, (part of National Park ‘Sharri’) on the road leading to the border with Macedonia. The study area consists of territories belonging to the phytogeographic system Skardon-Pindik (Sharri-Pindi) and includes the mountain ranges of Sharri. This research comprises the presence, description, spread and mapping of the species.

Among the various medicinal plants, the black seed is emerging as a miracle herb with a rich historical background, as much research has revealed its wide spectrum of pharmacological potential. In this collection of literature, we have encountered and presented the preclinical treatment, as alternative medicine of Nigella sativa in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, as well as those that continue to be discovered by contemporary actual scientific data. Research to date has confirmed the pharmacological potential of the seed of Nigella sativa, its oil and extracts of some of its bioactive constituents, which possess remarkable pharmacological activity, in vitro and in vivo against a large spectrum of diseases, and it has been found that the use of black seed is relatively safe. Black Seed has been extensively studied for its biological activity and therapeutic potential and has been found to possess a broad spectrum of activities. Clinical trial investigations into the therapeutic effects of Nigella sativa affect the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and bronchodilator effects and have passed clinical trials and received the green light to allow the next stage of clinical trials toward therapeutic drug design. However, there is still room and multidimensional research needed for prospective clinical trials in certain groups of animals before they can be applied to humans as pharmaceutical therapies.