–  The spatial distribution of yellow European eel (Anguilla anguilla) smaller than 300 mm was analysed during the upstream colonisation process. A 9‐year electric‐fishing programme in the Gironde catchment (France) provided eel occurrence data in 256 sites and eel abundance data in 23 sites. Generalized linear models showed that small eel spatial distribution decreased with river slope, dam number and with downstream‐upstream distance, estimated using either the distance from the tidal limit, called ‘tidal distance’, or the ‘relative distance’, calculated as the fish’s position relative to the total distance between tidal limit and river source. This new descriptor should be considered in future eel distribution studies as it reveals fractal dimension in eel spatial distribution and may provide a standardised method to compare directly freshwater eel assessment between streams and catchments of different lengths. If the relevancy of this descriptor is subsequently confirmed, it may have important implications for the management of eel population conservation.

<p>The Alps contain highly biodiverse ecosystems including a large number endemic flora. As a result of climate change and anthropogenic activities, such ecosystems are at risk from upward vegetation displacement and species loss. Extensive archaeological research in the Eastern Alps has documented human settlement from ~5500 years ago driven by salt and copper mining; which has caused significant impact on the ecosystems through mining, deforestation, and pastoral farming. To elucidate the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities on plant biodiversity, multi-proxy reconstructions have been carried out throughout the Western Alps . Despite this research, the palaeoecological history of the Eastern Alps is relatively understudied. Consequently, we are limited in our understanding of how climate change and human impact have affected past biodiversity and the formation of the contemporary vegetation in this region. Here, we focus on the Austrian sub-alpine lake, Großer Winterleitensee located at the Easternmost margin of the Alps; only locally glaciated during the Pleistocene. We applied sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) metabarcoding to reconstruct Holocene plant community dynamics within the lake catchment. These data, in conjunction with local temperature reconstructions, sediment elemental composition, magnetic susceptibility, and loss-on-ignition analyses, allowed us to identify key intervals of plant diversity change. Two such intervals begin at samples dated ~5500 cal. yr BP and ~2200 cal. yr BP, coinciding with Neolithic and Iron Age settlement phases in the area. Palaeoecological reconstructions of plant biodiversity and their responses to climate change and anthropogenic pressures may be able to provide essential information for future conservation purposes.</p><div> <div> <div> </div> </div> <div> <div> </div> </div> <div> <div> </div> </div> </div>