Latest Articles

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  Section: Archaeology ; Topics: Archaeology

  Replication report for Marwick (2025) “Is archaeology a science?”, including new data from OpenAlex

  Queffelec, Alain  

  10.24072/pcjournal.710 - Peer Community Journal, Volume 6 (2026), article no. e38

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  This document is a reproduction and replication of the first part of Ben Marwick’s paper published in Journal of Archaeological Science, which analyzes the hard/soft position of archaeology and the evolution through time by the proxy of bibliometric data (Marwick, 2025). I confirm the complete computational reproducibility of Marwick (2025) while also pointing to a few problems in the manuscript. As for the replication of the study, while Marwick’s article is based on the analysis of the Web of Science data of archaeological journals and articles, I use the data from OpenAlex, a free and open-source database using more diverse sources. The analysis of the data from OpenAlex confirms the trends visible in the replicated study for the position of the trends of publication in archaeological journals, for its evolution through time, and for the classification of different journals. Some differences are still visible, mainly since OpenAlex data is less influenced by recent trends in the publication process due to its more balanced data for the second half of the 20th century. This study also emphasizes that using the free and open source OpenAlex database is suitable for this kind of scientometric study instead of commercial databases, but that OpenAlex could still be improved, especially in terms of quality of some metadata and cited references.

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  Section: Ecology ; Topics: Ecology, Environmental sciences, Biology of interactions

  Seasonal variation in insect assemblages at flowers of Balanites aegyptiaca, an ecologically and socially important tree species in the Ferlo region of Senegal’s Great Green Wall corridor

  Medina-Serrano, Natalia;   Bagnères, Anne-Geneviève;   Ndiaye, Mouhamadou Moustapha;   Vrecko, Valentin;   McKey, Doyle;   Hossaert-McKey, Martine  

  10.24072/pcjournal.709 - Peer Community Journal, Volume 6 (2026), article no. e37

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  Interactions between flowers and flower-visiting insects play central roles in ecosystem functioning. In addition to ensuring pollination, flower-visiting insects are also crucial for numerous other biotic interactions, using floral resources as fuel in their search for prey, hosts, breeding sites, and other resources. Studying insect-flower interactions may thus be strategic to conserve and restore biotic interactions in ecosystems heavily degraded by intensive land use and climate change, such as the arid savannas of the northern Sahel. We aimed to document for the first time the diversity of flower-visiting insects in this region and to examine whether restoration efforts of the Great Green Wall initiative have affected insect abundance and diversity.  Using two capture methods, hand netting and pan traps, we inventoried insects visiting the flowers of Balanites aegyptiaca. This is the most abundant tree species in the region and is also of economic importance. We sampled three sites in a single locality: a “Restored” site from which livestock are excluded, an ”Unrestored” site in intensively grazed rangeland, and a topographical “Depression” site in a grazed area but with high tree density. Each site was sampled at three different periods to examine variation in this extremely harsh and seasonal environment. The open-access flowers of  Balanites aegyptiaca are produced in multiple flowering events each year. We found a surprisingly high diversity of insects visiting its flowers, comprising 371 morphospecies from 10 insect orders, with a predominance of Hymenoptera and Diptera. Insect abundance, diversity, and species composition differed markedly between seasons. Bees appear to be important pollinators, particularly solitary bees of the family Halictidae, which were abundant in all seasons. Diptera, in particular several families of small flies, were also frequent visitors and were especially abundant and diverse in the wet season. Ants were especially abundant at flowers in the dry season, when few resources other than flowers and flower-visiting insects were likely available to them. Insect abundance and observed diversity differed only little between sites, but estimated total diversity (Chao1 richness) was highest in the Depression site. Insects visiting flowers of B. aegyptiaca included herbivores, decomposers, and parasitoids and predators of diverse arthropods, underlining the role of these floral resources in numerous facets of ecosystem functioning. The floral resources of B. aegyptiaca and other trees, which can flower throughout the year, are likely critical to ensure the persistence of numerous insect species. Integrating biotic interactions into ecosystem management is crucial for conservation and restoration in Sahelian ecosystems.

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  Section: Mathematical & Computational Biology ; Topics: Biophysics and computational biology, Ecology, Population biology

  Modelling the impact of sterile male releases on a wild mosquito population – model assessment from field trials in Mauritius

  Haramboure, Marion;   Iyaloo, Diana;   Marti, Renaud;   Elahee, Khouaildi Bin; Castets, Mathieu;   Degenne, Pascal;   Bouyer, Jérémy;   Baldet, Thierry;   Tran, Annelise  

  10.24072/pcjournal.701 - Peer Community Journal, Volume 6 (2026), article no. e36

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  Mosquito control remains the cornerstone of the prevention and control of diseases caused by Aedes-borne pathogens, such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. An innovative vector control method adapted to Aedes albopictus mosquitoes is the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which consists of the mass-release of sterilized male mosquitoes. The impact of SIT and the optimization of release strategies can be studied through modelling. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of a mathematical model to simulate the impact of SIT releases by comparing the simulation outputs with entomological data collected during and after SIT trials in Mauritius. We modified a model of Ae. albopictus population dynamics (ARBOCARTO) that incorporates variations in temperature and rainfall, as well as the availability of breeding sites to introduce SIT. We then simulated SIT releases under the same conditions as the field trials and assessed the model's ability to realistically reproduce the impact of SIT releases by comparing the simulation outputs with entomological data observed in a trial site (where SIT releases were performed between May 2017 and February 2018) and a control site (without SIT releases). Four simulation scenarios were considered: without SIT, and with SIT applied on 50%, 75% and 100% of the trial area. Results showed that the ARBOCARTO model reproduced the major trends in the intra-annual Ae. albopictus population variations: simulated abundances of eggs, based on weather conditions, were highly and significantly correlated with the egg abundances observed at the SIT control site. The model also matched the trial site data for both the predicted number of newly produced eggs and the percentage of fertile eggs. The simulation results also revealed the importance of the percentage of the area covered by SIT releases as a key parameter for SIT impact, both for the reduction rate and for the resilience time, defined as the time required after the end of releases for the mosquito population to return to its initial state. Thanks to its user-friendly interface, the ARBOCARTO model can be used by vector control services and health stakeholders to simulate the impact of SIT releases and optimize release strategies, taking into account the operational capacity of sterile mosquito rearing facilities and the environmental conditions of the releases.

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  Section: Zoology ; Topics: Ecology, Applied biological sciences

  Context-dependent oviposition reveals strong association between acceptance and preference in the Mediterranean fruit fly

  Facon, Benoît;   Chauve, Madeline; Ravigné, Virginie;   Serrate, Bruno; Robejean, Myriam; Fraimout, Antoine;   Foucaud, Julien  

  10.24072/pcjournal.704 - Peer Community Journal, Volume 6 (2026), article no. e35

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  Oviposition behavior in phytophagous insects is influenced by different stimuli and plays a key role in pest dynamics and crop loss. This study used 3D-printed artificial fruits varying in colour (yellow, blue, white) and odour (cherry, orange, banana) to test how visual and olfactory cues affect oviposition acceptance (no-choice) and preference (choice). In no-choice assays, the nine artificial fruits displayed sufficiently different visual and olfactory cues to trigger different egg-laying outputs (by a factor 1:3 between the least attractive fruit, white fruit with banana scent and the most attractive fruit, yellow fruit with cherry scent). While cues acted independently in no-choice settings, significant interactions were observed in choice conditions, highlighting multimodal sensory integration. In choice assays, the number of eggs laid and female preference depended on both the characteristics of fruits and their context. However a strong correlation was found between acceptance and preference. The relationship found between acceptance and preference implied that when a fruit seemed preferred in no-choice assays, it was even more preferred in one-choice assays. We finally discussed the practical implications for behavior-based pest management strategies.