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Langen TA, Cannon CH, Blackburn DC, Morgan EL, Mera PE. Discovering and Applying the Urban Rules of Life to Design Sustainable and Healthy Cities. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:1237-1252. [PMID: 33956145 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The city and its urban biome provides an extreme laboratory for studying fundamental biological questions and developing best practices for sustaining biodiverse and well-functioning ecological communities within anthropogenic built environments. We propose by studying urban organisms, urban biotic communities, the urban biome, and the interactions between the urban biome and peri-urban built and natural environments, we can (1) discover new 'rules of life' for the structure, function, interaction, and evolution of organisms;(2) use these discoveries to understand how novel emerging biotic communities affect and are affected by anthropogenic environmental changes in climate and other environmental factors; and (3) apply what we have learned to engage residents of the urban biome, and design cities that are more biologically diverse, are provided with more and better ecosystem services, and are more equitable and healthier places to live. The built environment of the urban biome is a place that reflects history, economics, technology, governance, culture, and values of the human residents; research on and applications of the rules of life in the urban biome can be used by all residents in making choices about the design of the cities where they live. Because inhabitants are directly invested in the environmental quality of their neighborhoods, research conducted in and about the urban environment provides a great opportunity to engage wide and diverse communities of people. Given the opportunity to engage a broad constituency - from basic researchers to teachers, civil engineers, landscape planners, and concerned citizens - studying the translation of the rules of life onto the urban environment will result in an integrative and cross-cutting set of questions and hypotheses, and will foster a dialogue among citizens about the focus of urban biome research and its application toward making more equitable, healthy, livable, sustainable, and biodiverse cities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Eric L Morgan
- Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Paola E Mera
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Braschler B, Gilgado JD, Zwahlen V, Rusterholz HP, Buchholz S, Baur B. Ground-dwelling invertebrate diversity in domestic gardens along a rural-urban gradient: Landscape characteristics are more important than garden characteristics. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240061. [PMID: 33007013 PMCID: PMC7531831 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanisation is increasing worldwide and is regarded a major driver of environmental change altering local species assemblages. Private domestic gardens contribute a significant share of total green area in cities, but their biodiversity has received relatively little attention. Previous studies mainly considered plants, flying invertebrates such as bees and butterflies, and birds. By using a multi-taxa approach focused on less mobile, ground-dwelling invertebrates, we examined the influence of local garden characteristics and landscape characteristics on species richness and abundance of gastropods, spiders, millipedes, woodlice, ants, ground beetles and rove beetles. We assume that most of the species of these groups are able to complete their entire life cycle within a single garden. We conducted field surveys in thirty-five domestic gardens along a rural-urban gradient in Basel, Switzerland. Considered together, the gardens examined harboured an impressive species richness, with a mean share of species of the corresponding groups known for Switzerland of 13.9%, ranging from 4.7% in ground beetles to 23.3% in woodlice. The overall high biodiversity is a result of complementary contributions of gardens harbouring distinct species assemblages. Indeed, at the garden level, species richness of different taxonomical groups were typically not inter-correlated. The exception was ant species richness, which was correlated with those of gastropods and spiders. Generalised linear models revealed that distance to the city centre is an important driver of species richness, abundance and composition of several groups, resulting in an altered species composition in gardens in the centre of the city. Local garden characteristics were important drivers of gastropod and ant species richness, and the abundance of spiders, millipedes and rove beetles. Our study shows that domestic gardens make a valuable contribution to regional biodiversity. Thus, domestic urban gardens constitute an important part of green infrastructure, which should be considered by urban planners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Braschler
- Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - José D. Gilgado
- Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Valerie Zwahlen
- Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hans-Peter Rusterholz
- Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sascha Buchholz
- Department of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Bruno Baur
- Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Mody K, Lerch D, Müller AK, Simons NK, Blüthgen N, Harnisch M. Flower power in the city: Replacing roadside shrubs by wildflower meadows increases insect numbers and reduces maintenance costs. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234327. [PMID: 32516354 PMCID: PMC7282654 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Massive declines in insect biodiversity and biomass are reported from many regions and habitats. In urban areas, creation of native wildflower meadows is one option to support insects and reduce maintenance costs of urban green spaces. However, benefits for insect conservation may depend on previous land use, and the size and location of new wildflower meadows. We show effects of conversion of roadside plantings-from exotic shrubs into wildflower meadows-on (1) the abundance of 13 arthropod taxa-Opiliones, Araneae, Isopoda, Collembola, Orthoptera, Aphidoidea, Auchenorrhyncha, Heteroptera, Coleoptera, Nematocera, Brachycera, Apocrita, Formicidae-and (2) changes in maintenance costs. We assessed the influence of vegetation type (meadow vs. woody), meadow age, size, location (distance to city boundary), and mowing regime. We found many, but not all, arthropod taxa profiting from meadows in terms of arthropod activity abundance in pitfall traps and arthropod density in standardized suction samples. Arthropod number in meadows was 212% higher in pitfall traps and 260% higher in suction samples compared to woody vegetation. The increased arthropod number in meadows was independent of the size and isolation of green spaces for most taxa. However, mowing regime strongly affected several arthropod taxa, with an increase of 63% of total arthropod density in unmown compared to mown meadow spots. Costs of green space maintenance were fivefold lower for meadows than for woody vegetation. Our study shows that (1) many different arthropod taxa occur in roadside vegetation in urban areas, (2) replacement of exotic woody vegetation by native wildflower meadows can significantly increase arthropod abundance, especially if meadow management permits temporarily unmown areas, and (3) maintenance costs can be considerably reduced by converting woody plantings into wildflower meadows. Considering many groups of arthropods, our study provides new insights into possible measures to support arthropods in urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karsten Mody
- Ecological Networks, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Doris Lerch
- Ecological Networks, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Müller
- Ecological Networks, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Nadja K. Simons
- Ecological Networks, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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Tóth Z, Hornung E. Taxonomic and Functional Response of Millipedes (Diplopoda) to Urban Soil Disturbance in a Metropolitan Area. INSECTS 2019; 11:insects11010025. [PMID: 31905740 PMCID: PMC7022796 DOI: 10.3390/insects11010025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization, as a major cause of local species extinction and biotic homogenization, drastically alters soil life. Millipedes are a key group of soil macrodetritivores and significantly influence soil quality, mainly through their essential role in nutrient cycling. Therefore, studying their taxonomic and functional responses to urban disturbance is crucial, as they contribute to the provision of several soil-related ecosystem services in cities. Differently degraded rural, urban forests and other woody patches (e.g., parks, gardens, and cemeteries) were sampled on Buda and Pest sides of the Budapest metropolitan area divided by the Danube River. We measured the most relevant physical and chemical properties of topsoil to characterize habitats. We applied an urbanization index based on vegetation cover and built-up area of the study sites to quantify urban intensity. The composition of the assemblages was determined by the division of the city along the Danube. Urbanization was associated with a reduction in species and functional richness of millipedes on both sides of Budapest. β diversity and species turnover increased with urban intensity. Urban disturbance was the main driver in assembly of taxonomic and functional community composition. A new species (Cylindroiulus caeruleocinctus (Wood, 1864)) to the fauna of Budapest was found. Detritivore invertebrates depend on leaf litter and other dead organic matter types, therefore microsites providing these resources greatly improve their survival. Due to increasing urban disturbance, it is recommended to provide appropriate detritus and shelter sites as part of the management of green spaces in order to maintain species richness, abundance, and function of species.
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Stašiov S, Kubovčík V, Čiliak M, Diviaková A, Lukáčik I, Pätoprstý V, Dovciak M. Heterogeneity in millipede communities (Diplopoda) within a forest–forest edge–meadow habitat complex. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Szlavecz K, Vilisics F, Tóth Z, Hornung E. Terrestrial isopods in urban environments: an overview. Zookeys 2018:97-126. [PMID: 30564033 PMCID: PMC6288257 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.801.29580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In an increasingly urbanized world scientific research has shifted towards the understanding of cities as unique ecosystems. Urban land use change results in rapid and drastic changes in physical and biological properties, including that of biodiversity and community composition. Soil biodiversity research often lags behind the more charismatic groups such as vertebrates and plants. This paper attempts to fill this gap and provides an overview on urban isopod research. First, a brief overview on urban land use change is given, specifically on the major alterations on surface soils. Historical studies on urban isopods is summarized, followed by the status of current knowledge on diversity, distribution, and function of urban isopod species and communities. A review of more than 100 publications revealed that worldwide 50 cities and towns have some record of terrestrial isopod species, but only a few of those are city-scale explorations of urban fauna. A total of 110 isopod species has been recorded although the majority of them only once. The ten most frequently occurring isopods are widely distributed synanthropic species. Knowledge gaps and future research needs call for a better global dataset, long term monitoring of urban populations, multi-scale analyses of landscape properties as potential drivers of isopod diversity, and molecular studies to detect evolutionary changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Szlavecz
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218-2681, USA The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore United States of America
| | - Ferenc Vilisics
- Freelancer biologist, CEO of Makkaramies Oy, Helsinki, Finland Unaffiliated Helsinki Finland
| | - Zsolt Tóth
- Department of Ecology, Institute for Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, H-1077 Budapest, Rottenbiller str. 50., Hungary University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest Budapest Hungary
| | - Elisabeth Hornung
- Department of Ecology, Institute for Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, H-1077 Budapest, Rottenbiller str. 50., Hungary University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest Budapest Hungary
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Green Roofs and Green Walls for Biodiversity Conservation: A Contribution to Urban Connectivity? SUSTAINABILITY 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/su10040985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Phillips HRP, Knapp S, Purvis A. Estimating the potential biodiversity impact of redeveloping small urban spaces: the Natural History Museum's grounds. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3914. [PMID: 29104821 PMCID: PMC5667537 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With the increase in human population, and the growing realisation of the importance of urban biodiversity for human wellbeing, the ability to predict biodiversity loss or gain as a result of land use change within urban settings is important. Most models that link biodiversity and land use are at too coarse a scale for informing decisions, especially those related to planning applications. Using the grounds of the Natural History Museum, London, we show how methods used in global models can be applied to smaller spatial scales to inform urban planning. Methods Data were extracted from relevant primary literature where species richness had been recorded in more than one habitat type within an urban setting. As within-sample species richness will increase with habitat area, species richness estimates were also converted to species density using theory based on the species–area relationship. Mixed-effects models were used to model the impact on species richness and species density of different habitat types, and to estimate these metrics in the current grounds and under proposed plans for redevelopment. We compared effects of three assumptions on how within-sample diversity scales with habitat area as a sensitivity analysis. A pre-existing database recording plants within the grounds was also used to estimate changes in species composition across different habitats. Results Analysis estimated that the proposed plans would result in an increase of average biodiversity of between 11.2% (when species density was modelled) and 14.1% (when within-sample species richness was modelled). Plant community composition was relatively similar between the habitats currently within the grounds. Discussion The proposed plans for change in the NHM grounds are estimated to result in a net gain in average biodiversity, through increased number and extent of high-diversity habitats. In future, our method could be improved by incorporating purposefully collected ecological survey data (if resources permit) and by expanding the data sufficiently to allow modelling of the temporal dynamics of biodiversity change after habitat disturbance and creation. Even in its current form, the method produces transparent quantitative estimates, grounded in ecological data and theory, which can be used to inform relatively small scale planning decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen R P Phillips
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, London, United Kingdom.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Leipzig Universität, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sandra Knapp
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andy Purvis
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, London, United Kingdom
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Bogyó D, Magura T, Nagy DD, Tóthmérész B. Distribution of millipedes (Myriapoda, Diplopoda) along a forest interior - forest edge - grassland habitat complex. Zookeys 2015; 510:181-95. [PMID: 26257542 PMCID: PMC4523772 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.510.8657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2014] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the distribution of millipedes in a forest interior-forest edge-grassland habitat complex in the Hajdúság Landscape Protection Area (NE Hungary). The habitat types were as follows: (1) lowland oak forest, (2) forest edge with increased ground vegetation and shrub cover, and (3) mesophilous grassland. We collected millipedes by litter and soil sifting. There were overall 30 sifted litter and soil samples: 3 habitat types × 2 replicates × 5 soil and litter samples per habitats. We collected 9 millipede species; the most abundant species was Glomeristetrasticha, which was the most abundant species in the forest edge as well. The most abundant species in the forest interior was Kryphioiulusoccultus, while the most abundant species in the grassland was Megaphyllumunilineatum. Our result showed that the number of millipede species was significantly lower in the grassland than in the forest or in the edge, however there were no significant difference in the number of species between the forest interior and the forest edge. We found significantly the highest number of millipede individuals in the forest edge. There were differences in the composition of the millipede assemblages of the three habitats. The results of the DCCA showed that forest edge and forest interior habitats were clearly separated from the grassland habitats. The forest edge habitat was characterized by high air temperature, high soil moisture, high soil pH, high soil enzyme activity, high shrub cover and low canopy cover. The IndVal and the DCCA methods revealed the following character species of the forest edge habitats: Glomeristetrasticha and Leptoiuluscibdellus. Changes in millipede abundance and composition were highly correlated with the vegetation structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dávid Bogyó
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, P.O. Box 71, Debrecen H-4010, Hungary
- Hortobágy National Park Directorate, P.O. Box 216, Debrecen H-4002, Hungary
| | - Tibor Magura
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, P.O. Box 71, Debrecen H-4010, Hungary
| | - Dávid D. Nagy
- MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, P.O. Box 71, Debrecen H-4010, Hungary
| | - Béla Tóthmérész
- MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, P.O. Box 71, Debrecen H-4010, Hungary
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Millipede (Diplopoda) communities in an arboretum: Influence of tree species and soil properties. Biologia (Bratisl) 2012. [DOI: 10.2478/s11756-012-0097-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Vilisics F, Bogyó D, Sattler T, Moretti M. Occurrence and assemblage composition of millipedes (Myriapoda, Diplopoda) and terrestrial isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) in urban areas of Switzerland. Zookeys 2012:199-214. [PMID: 22536109 PMCID: PMC3335415 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.176.2153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2011] [Accepted: 02/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial isopods and millipedes, members of the invertebrate macro-decomposer guild, were collected through pitfall traps in three Swiss cities (Zurich, Lucerne, Lugano). A total of 7,198 individuals of 17 isopod species (7093 ind.), and 10 millipede species (105 ind.) were captured. Besides the Alpine endemic isopod (Trichoniscus alemannicus) and millipede (Cylindroiulus verhoeffi), urban assemblages were mainly composed of widespread, native European and even cosmopolitan species, which are frequent in anthropogenic areas. Overall species richness (isopods and millipedes combined) was similar in Zurich (17 species) and Lucerne (16), while only 13 species were sampled in Lugano. According to the Sørensen index of similarity, species composition of Zurich and Lucerne were more alike, while the one of Lugano was more distinct from the other two cities. This result can be explained by the spatial proximity of Zurich and Lucerne in the north of the Alps compared to Lugano, which is located more distantly and in the south of the Alps. Dominant isopods and millipedes in Zurich and Lucerne were found to be widespread synanthropic species in temperate Europe(Porcellio scaber, Trachelipus rathkii and Ophyiulus pilosus) while the dominant isopod in Lugano (Trachelipus razzautii) is a species with a north-eastern Mediterranean distribution. Our study reveals that the urban millipede and isopod fauna in Swiss cities mainly consists of widespread species, but species of narrower distribution (e.g. Trichoniscus alemannicus, Cylindroiulus verhoeffi) may also find suitable habitats in cities. Despite some signs of biotic homogenization, our study also found compositional differences of millipede and isopod assemblages between northern and southern cities that suggest geographical effects of the regional species pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferenc Vilisics
- University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Science, Department of Environmental Science, 00014 Helsinki, Viikinkaari 2, Finland
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Residential landscapes as social-ecological systems: a synthesis of multi-scalar interactions between people and their home environment. Urban Ecosyst 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-011-0197-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 260] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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RIZALI AKHMAD, BOS MERIJNMARINUS, BUCHORI DAMAYANTI, YAMANE SEIKI, SCHULZE CHRISTIANHANSJOACHIM. Ants in Tropical Urban Habitats: The Myrmecofauna in a Densely Populated Area of Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. HAYATI JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCES 2008. [DOI: 10.4308/hjb.15.2.77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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