Uniting Life, Social, and Natural Sciences in Ecological Exploration
Bridging Borders: International Research, Local Impact
Beyond Theory: Practical Insights and Technical Advancements
Synthesizing Knowledge, Pioneering Tomorrow's Solutions
Strengthening Research Integrity, Fostering Collaboration
Abstract: The rapid intensification of global aquaculture has increased reliance on antibiotics, contributing to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and environmental degradation. Consequently, there is growing interest in sustainable alternatives such as probiotics, which function as “immunobiotics” to enhance host health and disease resistance. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the multifaceted roles of probiotics in aquaculture, with particular emphasis on the integrated “gut–mucus–immune–redox axis”. Probiotic taxa, notably Bacillus and Lactobacillus species, promote growth and feed efficiency through the secretion of digestive enzymes and the improvement of nutrient utilization, while also maintaining intestinal integrity via modulation of mucosal architecture, including goblet cell proliferation. At the molecular level, probiotics exert immunomodulatory effects by regulating the expression of immune related genes, including Toll-like receptors (TLRs), cytokines, and immunoglobulins, thereby enhancing both innate and adaptive immune responses. Additionally, probiotics contribute to disease control through quorum quenching mechanisms that interfere with pathogen communication and virulence. By integrating insights into strain-specific functionality and host–microbe interactions, this review highlights the potential of probiotics to replace conventional chemotherapeutics and supports a transition toward biologically driven, sustainable disease management strategies in aquaculture.
Keywords: Probiotics, immunomodulation, gut microbiota, innate immunity, antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstract: The intensification of aquaculture has increased the prevalence of stress-related disorders and gastrointestinal imbalances in cultured fish, often leading to impaired growth, reduced disease resistance, and elevated oxidative stress. In this context, functional feed additives such as probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have emerged as promising alternatives to antibiotics for enhancing fish health and production efficiency. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the emerging roles of these biologically active compounds in modulating fish gut health and oxidative stress regulation. Probiotics contribute to maintaining a balanced intestinal microbiota, improving digestive enzyme activity, enhancing nutrient assimilation, and stimulating innate immune responses. Prebiotics selectively promote the growth of beneficial microbial communities by serving as fermentable substrates, thereby strengthening gut integrity and metabolic functions. Synbiotics exhibit enhanced efficacy in optimizing gut microbial balance and improving physiological resilience. Furthermore, these functional additives play a critical role in mitigating oxidative stress by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and reducing reactive oxygen species accumulation, ultimately improving fish health and survival under intensive farming conditions. Overall, the integration of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics into aquafeeds represents a sustainable strategy to promote gut health, strengthen immune competence, and regulate oxidative stress in aquaculture systems. E S H
Keywords: Digestive health, growth performance, disease resistance, gut microbiota, water quality
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstract: 2019 Agricultural production is increasing to meet the demands of the growing global population, which led to a parallel rise in chemical pesticide use. Global pesticide consumption in 2022 reached 3.7 million tons of active ingredients, representing a 4% increase from 2021, a 13% increase over the past decade, and nearly double since 1990. Insect pests such as crickets, cutworms, termites, white grubs, and cucumber beetles can severely reduce crop yield. Soil-dwelling insects like ants, dung beetles, ground beetles and collembolan springtails are vital for ecosystem functioning, enhancing bioturbation, soil health, nutrient cycling, decomposition, aeration, organic matter breakdown, fungal dispersion, and natural pest control. Without these hexapods, soil ecosystem services decline, negatively impacting plant growth and productivity. Farmers manage pest infestations using various pesticide classes, including organophosphates, pyrethroids, carbamates, organochlorines, neonicotinoids, and biological pesticides applying through seed treatment, spraying, soil application, drip irrigation, fogging, fumigation and post-harvest treatment. Many organophosphates, carbamates, and organochlorines are banned by the world health organization (WHO) due to their classification as highly hazardous pesticides. Despite widespread use, less than 0.1% of applied pesticides reach target pests, while 99.9% contaminate soil, water, and the environment. Nearly 50% of pesticides persist in soil or water due to their prolonged half-life, resulting detrimental effect on beneficial soil insects and a reduction in soil fertility. Continuous exposure of soil ecosystems to such pesticides threatens biodiversity and diminishes the capacity of soil to support healthy crop growth.
Keywords: Hazardous pesticides, pesticide use, agricultural productivity, soil-dwelling insects, soil health
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstract: E S H Sweet corn-soybean intercropping is a promising strategy to enhance crop productivity while promoting ecological balance through natural pest regulation. This study assessed the prevalence and functional roles of arthropods-categorized as major and minor pests, predators, pollinators, and casual visitors in a sweet corn-soybean intercropping system (BU Sweet Corn-1) in Gazipur, Bangladesh. Weekly surveys were conducted across vegetative and reproductive stages, with arthropods recorded on ten randomly selected plants per plot. A total of nine pest species from five Orders were recorded. Spodoptera frugiperda was the major pest, present throughout all growth stages (V₁-R₆). Minor pests showed stage-specific occurrence: grasshoppers (Orthoptera) on leaves, tassels, and cobs; thrips, aphids, and whiteflies on leaves and tassels; cob-feeding pests including maize weevil, rice bug, and brown stink bug; and corn silk flies on tassels and cobs. Eight predator species-including ladybird beetles, rove beetles, wolf spiders, green lacewings, and odonates-were observed across various growth stages, supporting natural pest suppression. Six pollinator species, namely honeybees, carpenter bees, butterflies, and syrphid flies, visited primarily tassels and leaves, facilitating pollination. Casual visitors such as houseflies, horseflies, midge flies, blowflies, fruit flies, and mosquitoes contributed minimally to ecosystem services. Community composition showed major pests were the most abundant (44%), followed by predators (18%), minor pests and pollinators (15% each), and casual visitors (8%). Taxonomically, Lepidoptera dominated (20%), followed by Orthoptera (13%), Coleoptera (12%), Arachnida (10%), and Neuroptera (9%), with smaller contributions from Diptera (6%), Odonata (4%), and Hymenoptera (3%). The findings show a diverse arthropod community with pests and beneficial species coexisting, emphasizing the value of conserving natural enemies and pollinators in sweet corn–soybean intercropping for sustainable pest management.
Keywords: BU Sweet Corn-1, casual visitor, Glycine max, predator, pollinator, Zea mays
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstrac: In this paper, taxonomic description of a new species Ocyale tikaderi n. sp. has been presented from Bangladesh. Illustrated description of the species together with generic diagnosis and distribution are also provided. Types are deposited in the Arachnology laboratory, Department of Zoology, Khulna Govt. Womens’ College, Khulna, Bangladesh.
Keywords: New species, wolf-spider, Ocyale, Araneae, Lycosidae, Bangladesh.
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstract: Local crops are generally valued for their adaptation to specific ecological and agricultural conditions. However, this study examines contrasting socio-ecological dynamics in the mountainous Itsuki–Gokanosho area of Japan. Here, the taro variety Takenoko-imo (Colocasia esculenta) persists despite significant ecological and agronomic constraints. An interdisciplinary approach was used that combined ecological surveys with socio-cultural analysis. We found that Takenoko-imo is well-established as a local crop. It continues through intergenerational transmission and local circulation. Yet it mismatches local conditions, such as high frost vulnerability and a poor fit with historical shifting cultivation systems. These findings indicated that the persistence of local crops could not be explained solely by ecological or agronomic adaptation. Instead, it reflects the interaction among environmental constraints, social networks, market relations, and daily practices. Thus it was suggested to reconsider the role of human-mediated processes in sustaining agrobiodiversity in marginal rural areas.
Keywords: Colocasia esculenta, agrobiodiversity, socio-ecological systems, interdisciplinary approach, marginal mountain area
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstract: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a nutritionally important vegetable crop, rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants; however, its production in Bangladesh is severely constrained by sucking insect pests, and various management practices have been adopted to address these challenges. In this study, a field experiment was conducted with five treatments-cultural, mechanical, biorational, sequential bio-pesticide application, and an untreated control to evaluate the effects of these management approaches on the population dynamics of sucking insect pests, namely aphids, whiteflies, and thrips, in tomato, as well as on the incidence of leaf curl disease and the abundance of their natural enemies. Among the treatments, sequential management maintained the lowest populations of sucking pests, reducing aphids to 7.8 plant⁻¹ compared with 15.4 plant⁻¹ in control and lowering whitefly to 8.4 plant⁻¹ versus 16.4 plant⁻¹. Thrips were also minimized (3.0 plant⁻¹) compared with control (5.0 plant⁻¹). Leaf curl incidence was lowest under sequential (6.4%) and biorational (9.2%) treatments. Natural enemy abundance was highest in the control plots, while sequential and biorational treatments recorded comparatively lower population. Overall, sequential management proved most effective in suppressing pests and disease while maintaining ecological balance, suggesting its suitability as a sustainable tomato pest management strategy.
Keywords: Pest population dynamics, Bio-pesticide, Sequential management, Tomato production
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstract: Sweet gourd (Cucurbita moschata) is a popular and nutritious vegetable widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions, including Bangladesh during both winter and summer seasons. The insects of red pumpkin beetle (Aulacophora foveicollis) and epilachna beetle (Epilachna dodecastigma) are potential pests that adversely affect sweet gourd production in Bangladesh. Chemical insecticides are considered as the primary and most widely used tools for managing these pests in sweet gourd production. In this study, the mortality, weight reduction, and toxicity effects of six insecticides-AC Mix 55 EC, Damdama 440 EC, Decis 2.5 EC, Phyphanon 57 EC, Imitaf 20 SL, and Ripcord 10 EC along with an untreated control were evaluated against red pumpkin beetle and epilachna beetle under laboratory conditions. Results showed that among the insecticides, AC Mix 55 EC, Damdama 440 EC, and Decis 2.5 EC caused significant mortality of the beetles at 24, 48, and 72 hours after treatment with their recommended doses. The recommended dose of AC Mix 55 EC caused 100% mortality of red pumpkin beetle and 93.3% mortality of epilachna beetle at 24 h after treatment, while Damdama 440 EC caused 91.0% and 93.3% mortality at 48 h, and Decis 2.5 EC caused 96.7% and 91.7% mortality at 72 h, respectively. AC Mix 55 EC caused the highest weight reduction of red pumpkin beetle (43.1%), followed by Decis 2.5 EC (36.9%) and Damdama 440 EC (29.8%). For epilachna beetle, the highest weight reduction was also caused by AC Mix 55 EC (39.9%), followed by Decis 2.5 EC (33.6%) and Imitaf 20 SL (29.9%). Probit analysis confirmed that Decis 2.5 EC was the most toxic insecticide against the beetles, with the lowest LC₅₀ (26.3 ppm, 26.5 ppm) and LC₉₅ (70.6 ppm, 62.0 ppm), followed by Ripcord 10 EC (LC₅₀ = 104.5 ppm and 98.8 ppm, LC₉₅ = 385.4 ppm and 422.3 ppm) and AC Mix 55 EC (LC₅₀ = 172.2 ppm and 350.5ppm, LC₉₅ = 387.3 ppm and 481.1 ppm). E S H
Keywords: Aulacophora foveicollis, Cucurbita moschata, Epilachna dodecastigma, mortality, toxicity
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstract: Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is susceptible to a wide range of arthropod pests that can significantly reduce yield and quality. This study aimed to assess the diversity, seasonal abundance, and pest status of arthropod pests in sesame fields during the Kharif-I season 2023 at Gazipur Agricultural University (GAU), Bangladesh. The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design with 18 plots (3 m × 2 m) with three replications. Pest populations were monitored at 15-day intervals from seedling to harvest. A total of 15 arthropod pest species were recorded, representing five orders: Hemiptera (6 species), Coleoptera (4), Lepidoptera (3), Diptera (1), and Trombidiformes (1). Major pests included flea beetle (80.0%), whitefly (36.9%), jassid (14.2%), bihar hairy caterpillar (30.9%), sphinx caterpillar (30.3%), and leaf webber/capsule borer (28.7%). Minor pests such as leaf miner, epilachna beetle, aphid, red pumpkin beetle, red spider mite, and weevils were also observed. Seasonal abundance peaked on 15 May, with total pest counts reaching 97.3 individuals per plot. Whitefly was the most abundant species (22.4%), followed by red pumpkin beetle (13.2%), jassid (13.1%), and bihar hairy caterpillar (9.8%). Pest richness was the highest at early crop establishment stage (20.1 species), declining to 6.3-6.0 species as the crop matured, while abundance remained steady (0.6 individuals per plant) and evenness was low (0.2), indicating dominance of a few key pests. These findings highlight the complex pest ecosystem in sesame fields, with early-season minor pests giving way to highly adaptable sucking and lepidopteran pests that dominate later in the season.
Keywords: Arthropod, seasonal abundance, Sesamum indicum, pest diversity, species richness.
Post Time: 3 months ago
Abstract: The varied ecological zones of Nepal, which range from the Himalayan peaks in the north to the subtropical Terai in the south, have developed robust agricultural systems that support biodiversity. However, outmigration, the effects of climate change, and insufficient institutional support cause uneven productivity gains and biodiversity loss in this unique setting.This study demonstrated how empowered farming communities in Nepal contribute to enhanced agricultural productivity, while conserving biodiversity. The outcomes indicate that productivity increases are not uniform. The hills face diminishing yields and a loss of agrobiodiversity, while the Terai gains from infrastructure. However, productivity and ecology can be improved by integrated, community-based methods that make use of traditional ecological knowledge, participatory governance, climate-resilient practices, and sustainable market connections. Gender equity, market access, secure land rights for women, and participatory governance are important success elements. This research presents a scenario in which empowered farming communities act as both agents of biodiversity protection and production increase. The study comes to the conclusion that socially inclusive, locally relevant strategies that combine ecological integrity with rural development objectives are necessary for sustainable agriculture of Nepal.
Keywords: Agriculture, biodiversity, farming communities, empowerment, food security
Post Time: 7 months ago
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