Digital Knowledge Collection:

A camera trap appraisal of large mammals' seasonal space use around permanent point water sources in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

2026-10-12T20:45:50Z

Title: A camera trap appraisal of large mammals' seasonal space use around permanent point water sources in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi Authors: Overmeyer, Joshua T.; Amin, Rajan; Reece, Sally J.; Leslie, Alison J.; Tambling, Craig J.; Radloff, Frans Gustav Theodor Abstract: Human population expansion and infrastructural developments increasingly result in the confinement and isolation of large mammals to small, fenced reserves. This disrupts seasonal migration and behavioural patterns, necessitating management strategies, including using artificial point water sources to alleviate water shortages during dry seasons. Theory suggests that areas heavily used around dry season water sources (<4 km) will be abandoned for better forage as alternative water sources like pans and seasonal streams fill up during the wet season. Within Majete Wildlife Reserve (MWR), a small (691 km2) and fenced reserve in southern Malawi, an extensive dry season camera trap study indicated that the space use of some large mammals was affected by both water and grass availability. In this study we investigated potential relationships between large mammals and proximity to water by comparing estimated dry and wet season site abundances of the large herbivore species at 15 camera trap locations, within four kilometres of permanent point water sources over 40-day periods within MWR. We used a Bayesian Royle-Nichols occupancy model and found differences in space use between the wet and dry season for herbivores of different feeding guilds and digestive tract physiologies. Both hindgut fermenter species, two ruminant browsers, and a ruminant mixed-feeder species showed a significantly higher dry season abundance near point water sources. Ruminant grazers and the non-ruminant elephant (Loxodonta africana), however, showed no significant seasonal difference in estimated abundances around water sources. Understanding how permanent water sources affect large mammals' seasonal behaviour is crucial for management decisions relating to water provision.

Ethical arguments that support intentional animal killing

2026-10-12T20:45:37Z

Title: Ethical arguments that support intentional animal killing Authors: Allen, Benjamin; Abraham, Andrew; Arlinghaus, Robert; Belant, Jerrold, Jerry; Blumstein, Daniel; Bobier, Christopher; Bodenchuk, Michael; Clauss, Marcus; Dawson, Stuart; Derbyshire, Stuart; Ferreira, Salamon; Fleming, Peter; Forssman, Tim; Gorecki, Vanessa; Gortazar, Christian; Griffin, Andrea; Hampton, Jordan; Haswell, Peter; Kerley, Graham; Lean, Christopher; Leroy, Frédéric; Linnell, John D C; Lynch, Kate; Maré, Celesté; Melville, Haemish; Minnie, Liaan; Moodley, Yoshan; Nayeri, Danial; O'Riain, M. Justin; Parker, Daniel; Périquet-Pearce, Stéphanie; Proulx, Gilbert; Radloff, Frans Gustav Theodor; Schwab, Alexander; Selier, Jeanetta; Shephard, Samuel; Somers, Michael J.; Van Wart, T. Adam; VerCauteren, Kurt; von Essen, Erica Abstract: Killing animals is a ubiquitous human activity consistent with our predatory and competitive ecological roles within the global food web. However, this reality does not automatically justify the moral permissibility of the various ways and reasons why humans kill animals – additional ethical arguments are required. Multiple ethical theories or frameworks provide guidance on this subject, and here we explore the permissibility of intentional animal killing within (1) consequentialism, (2) natural law or deontology, (3) religious ethics or divine command theory, (4) virtue ethics, (5) care ethics, (6) contractarianism or social contract theory, (7) ethical particularism, and (8) environmental ethics. These frameworks are most often used to argue that intentional animal killing is morally impermissible, bad, incorrect, or wrong, yet here we show that these same ethical frameworks can be used to argue that many forms of intentional animal killing are morally permissible, good, correct, or right. Each of these ethical frameworks support constrained positions where intentional animal killing is morally permissible in a variety of common contexts, and we further address and dispel typical ethical objections to this view. Given the demonstrably widespread and consistent ways that intentional animal killing can be ethically supported across multiple frameworks, we show that it is incorrect to label such killing as categorically unethical. We encourage deeper consideration of the many ethical arguments that support intentional animal killing and the contexts in which they apply.

Editorial: Bridging knowledge gaps in marine biological invasions

2026-10-09T20:45:38Z

Title: Editorial: Bridging knowledge gaps in marine biological invasions Authors: Ferrario, Jasmine; Giachetti, Clara B.; Dafforn, Katherine A.; Peters, Koebraa

Adsorption of Acid Yellow 36 and direct blue 86 dyes to Delonix regia biochar-sulphur

2026-10-07T20:45:58Z

Title: Adsorption of Acid Yellow 36 and direct blue 86 dyes to Delonix regia biochar-sulphur Authors: Eleryan, Ahmed; Aigbe, Uyiosa Osagie; Ukhurebor, Kingsley Eghonghon; Hassaan, Mohamed A.; Ragab, Safaa; Osibote, Otolorin Adelaja; Hossain, Ismail; El Nemr, Ahmed Abstract: his study aims to investigate a new approach to removing hazardous dyes like Direct Blue 86 (DB86) and Acid Yellow 36 (AY36) from aqueous environments. Delonix regia biochar-sulphur (DRB-S), made from Delonix regia seed pods (DPSPs), is an inexpensive and environmentally friendly adsorbent. Different characterization investigations using BJH, BET, FTIR, SEM, DSC, TGA, and EDX were utilized in the descriptions of the DRB-S biosorbent. The optimal pH for AY36 dye and DB86 dye adsorption to the DRB-S adsorvbent was at pH 1.5. For the adsorption of AY36 and DB86 to DRB-S, equilibrium was attained at 30 and 90 min of reaction time interaction. The Langmuir model (LGM) and pseudo-second-order-model (PSOM) best describe the biosorption of both dye molecules to the biosorbent owing to the equal and homogeneous spread of the dye molecules over the biosorbent porous surface and a chemisorption process which involved the valency force through the exchange of electrons between the dye molecules and the prepared biosorbent. The determined biosorption capacities for both dyes (AY36 and DB86) were found to be 270.27 mg/g and 36.23 mg/g, respectively. In conclusion, this recently synthesised DRB-S adsorbent exhibited an impressive sorption capacity and successfully removed AY36 and DB86 dyes. This suggests that the biosorbent has potential applications in wastewater treatment and can be recycled without affecting its adsorption effectiveness.