scholarly journals A Case of Intragenic Recombination Dramatically Impacting the Phage WO Genetic Diversity in Gall Wasps

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dao-Hong Zhu ◽  
Cheng-Yuan Su ◽  
Xiao-Hui Yang ◽  
Yoshihisa Abe
Keyword(s):  
Southern China ◽  
Multiple Infections ◽  
Intragenic Recombination ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Evolutionary Force ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
High Level ◽  
Almost All

The phage WO was characterized in Wolbachia, a strictly intracellular bacterium causing several reproductive alterations in its arthropod hosts. This study aimed to screen the presence of Wolbachia and phage WO in 15 gall wasp species from six provinces of southern China to investigate their diversity and prevalence patterns. A high incidence of Wolbachia infection was determined in the gall wasp species, with an infection rate of 86.7% (13/15). Moreover, seven species had double or multiple infections. All Wolbachia-infected gall wasp species were found to harbor phage WO. The gall wasp species infected with a single Wolbachia strain were found to harbor a single phage WO type. On the contrary, almost all species with double or multiple Wolbachia infections harbored a high level of phage WO diversity (ranging from three to 27 types). Six horizontal transfer events of phage WO in Wolbachia were found to be associated with gall wasps, which shared identical orf7 sequences among their respective accomplices. The transfer potentially took place through gall inducers and associated inquilines infected with or without Wolbachia. Furthermore, 10 putative recombination events were identified from Andricus hakonensis and Andricus sp2, which harbored multiple phage WO types, suggesting that intragenic recombination was the important evolutionary force, which effectively promoted the high level of phage WO diversity associated with gall wasps.

scholarly journals Invertebrate Community Associated with the Asexual Generation of Bassettia pallida Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Weinersmith ◽  
Andrew A. Forbes ◽  
Anna K.G. Ward ◽  
Pedro F. P. Brandão-Dias ◽  
Y. Miles Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Insect Communities ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Asexual Generation ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
Future Work

AbstractCynipid gall wasps play an important role in structuring oak invertebrate communities. Wasps in the Cynipini tribe typically lay their eggs in oaks (Quercus L.), and induce the formation of a “gall”, which is a tumor-like growth of plant material that surrounds the developing wasp. As the wasp develops, the cynipid and its gall are attacked by a diverse community of natural enemies, including parasitoids, hyperparasitoids, and inquilines. Determining what structures these species-rich natural enemy communities across cynipid gall wasp species is a major question in gall wasp biology. Additionally, gall wasps are ecosystem engineers, as the abandoned gall is used by other invertebrates. The gall-associated insect communities residing on live oaks (Quercus geminata Small and Q. virginiana Mill.) are emerging as a model system for answering ecological and evolutionary questions ranging from community ecology to the evolution of new species. Documenting the invertebrates associated with cynipids in this system will expand our understanding of the mechanisms influencing eco-evolutionary processes, record underexplored axes of biodiversity, and facilitate future work. Here, we present the community of natural enemies and other associates of the asexual generation of the crypt gall wasp, Bassettia pallida Ashmead. We compare the composition of this community to communities recently documented from two other cynipid gall wasps specializing on live oaks along the U.S. Gulf coast, Disholcaspis quercusvirens Ashmead and Belonocnema treatae Mayr. B. pallida and their crypts support a diverse arthropod community, including over 25 parasitoids, inquilines, and other associated invertebrates spanning 5 orders and 16 families.

scholarly journals Arthropod Community Associated With the Asexual Generation of Bassettia pallida (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly L Weinersmith ◽  
Andrew A Forbes ◽  
Anna K G Ward ◽  
Pedro F P Brandão-Dias ◽  
Y Miles Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Arthropod Community ◽  
Insect Communities ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Quercus Virginiana ◽  
Asexual Generation ◽  
Gall Wasps

Abstract Cynipid gall wasps play an important role in structuring oak arthropod communities. Wasps in the Cynipini tribe typically lay their eggs in oaks (Quercus L.), and induce the formation of a ‘gall’, which is a tumor-like growth of plant material that surrounds the developing wasp. As the wasp develops, the cynipid and its gall are attacked by a diverse community of natural enemies, including parasitoids, hyperparasitoids, and inquilines. Determining what structures these species-rich natural enemy communities across cynipid gall wasp species is a major question in gall wasp biology. Additionally, gall wasps are ecosystem engineers, as the abandoned gall is used by other invertebrates. The gall-associated insect communities residing on live oaks (Quercus geminata Small and Quercus virginiana Mill.) are emerging as a model system for answering ecological and evolutionary questions ranging from community ecology to the evolution of new species. Documenting the arthropods associated with cynipids in this system will expand our understanding of the mechanisms influencing eco-evolutionary processes, record underexplored axes of biodiversity, and facilitate future work. Here, we present the community of natural enemies and other associates of the asexual generation of the crypt gall wasp, Bassettia pallida Ashmead. We compare the composition of this community to communities recently documented from two other cynipid gall wasps specializing on live oaks along the U.S. Gulf coast, Disholcaspis quercusvirens Ashmead and Belonocnema treatae Mayr. B. pallida and their galls support a diverse arthropod community, including over 25 parasitoids, inquilines, and other associated arthropods spanning 5 orders and 16 families.

scholarly journals Diversity, Host Ranges, and Potential Drivers of Speciation Among the Inquiline Enemies of Oak Gall Wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna K G Ward ◽  
Sofia I Sheikh ◽  
Andrew A Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Host Shifts ◽  
The North ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
Oak Tree ◽  
New Hosts

Abstract Animals that exploit living spaces of other animals (inquilines) may have specialized traits that adapt them to extended phenotypes of their ‘hosts’. These adaptations to host traits may incur fitness trade-offs that restrict the host range of an inquiline such that shifts to new hosts might trigger inquiline diversification. Speciation via host shifting has been studied in many animal parasites, but we know less about the role of host shifts in inquiline speciation. Synergus Hartig (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) is a speciose but taxonomically challenging genus of inquilines that feed inside galls induced by oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini). Here, we report on a large collection of Synergus reared from galls of 33 oak gall wasp species in the upper Midwestern United States. We integrated DNA barcodes, morphology, ecology, and phenology to delimit putative species of Synergus and describe their host ranges. We find evidence of at least 23 Synergus species associated with the 33 gall wasp hosts. At least five previously described Synergus species are each complexes of two to five species, while three species fit no prior description. We find evidence that oak tree phylogeny and host gall morphology define axes of specialization for Synergus. The North American Synergus have experienced several transitions among gall hosts and tree habitats and their host use is correlated with reproductive isolation. It remains too early to tell whether shifts to new hosts initiate speciation events in Synergus inquilines of oak gall wasps, or if host shifts occur after reproductive isolation has already evolved.

scholarly journals Diversity, host ranges, and potential drivers of speciation among the inquiline enemies of oak gall wasps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna KG Ward ◽  
Sofia I Sheikh ◽  
Andrew A Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Host Use ◽  
Extended Phenotype ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Host Shifts ◽  
The North ◽  
Gall Wasps ◽  
Oak Tree ◽  
Fitness Tradeoffs

ABSTRACTAnimals that exploit an extended phenotype (e.g., residences, resources, etc.) of other animals are called inquilines. Not strictly parasites, inquilines may nevertheless possess specialized traits that adapt them to particular dimensions of the extended phenotype of their “host”. These adaptations to host traits can in turn lead to fitness tradeoffs that restrict the host range of an inquiline such that shifts to novel hosts might trigger inquiline diversification. Speciation via host shifting has been studied in many animal parasites, but we know far less about the role of host shifts in inquiline speciation. Synergus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) is a speciose but taxonomically-challenging group of inquilines that feed on the tissue of galls induced by oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini). Currently too little is known about Nearctic Synergus diversity or host associations to evaluate whether and how host use affects their diversification. Here, we report on a large collection of Synergus reared from galls of 33 oak gall wasp species in the upper Midwestern United States. We integrated DNA barcodes, morphology, ecology, and phenology to delimit putative species of Synergus and describe their host ranges. We find evidence of at least 23 Synergus species associated with the 33 gall wasp hosts. At least five previously described Synergus species are each a complex of two to five species, while three species fit no prior description. We also find strong evidence that oak tree section and host gall morphology define axes of specialization for Synergus. Without over-interpreting our singlegene tree, it is clear that the North American Synergus have experienced several transitions among gall hosts and tree habitats and that host-use is correlated with reproductive isolation, though it remains too early to tell whether shifts to new hosts are the initiators of speciation events in Synergus inquilines of oak gall wasps, or if host shifts occur after reproductive isolation has already evolved.

Statistical analysis of distribution, dynamics and etiological structure of bovine diseases in Vologda region

2020 ◽  
pp. 3-4
Author(s):  
Oksana B. Badeeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Birth Rate ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Specific Weight ◽  
Gastrointestinal Diseases ◽  
Vologda Region ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Young Cattle ◽  
High Level

Statistical data of livestock for 30 years is reflected in the article. Author used the materials of the state veterinary reporting. A comparative analysis of the number, incidence and death rate of adult animals and young cattle for two five-year periods (2001-2005 and 2014-2018). the data of the analysis of veterinary statistical reports for 2018 on the specific weight of the large horned cattle and age dynamics of calves in farms of the Vologda region are shown. A significant decrease in livestock of the large horned cattle by 56.3% (from 1990 to 2018) is shown in the analysis of the data. Over the five years 2014-2018, there was a decrease in the number of the large horned cattle by 31.3%, the birth rate of calves - by 26.2%, and the incidence of calves - by 12.3% and the mortality rate decreased by 3.3%. Despite the decline in the number of livestock, in 2018 there is a high incidence of animal diseases (49.6%). The highest incidence rate was observed among calves under 10 days of age 43.3%, 31.7% - from 11 to 30 days, 15.8% - from one to three months, 6.5% - from three to six months and 2.7% - from 6 to 12 months. Of the total number of sick calves in 2018, 63.2% had gastrointestinal diseases, and death for this reason is 49.6% of the total number of victims. Respiratory diseases affect 21.8% of young animals, and death due to respiratory diseases is 18.2%. Analysis of statistical data showed that, despite the complex of veterinary and sanitary measures, the incidence and death of calves remain at a high level. This can be explained by delayed diagnosis and low therapeutic effectiveness in gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases of cattle.

DFT Benchmark Study of the O--O Bond Dissociation Energy in Peroxides Validated with High-Level Ab-Initio Calculations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo Carmona ◽  
Pablo Jaque ◽  
Esteban Vöhringer-Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Reference Value ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Basis Sets ◽  
Mean Deviation ◽  
Bond Dissociation ◽  
Dissociation Energies ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Experimental Values ◽  
High Level ◽  
Almost All

<div><div><div><p>Peroxides play a central role in many chemical and biological pro- cesses such as the Fenton reaction. The relevance of these compounds lies in the low stability of the O–O bond which upon dissociation results in radical species able to initiate various chemical or biological processes. In this work, a set of 64 DFT functional-basis set combinations has been validated in terms of their capability to describe bond dissociation energies (BDE) for the O–O bond in a database of 14 ROOH peroxides for which experimental values ofBDE are available. Moreover, the electronic contributions to the BDE were obtained for four of the peroxides and the anion H2O2− at the CBS limit at CCSD(T) level with Dunning’s basis sets up to triple–ζ quality provid- ing a reference value for the hydrogen peroxide anion as a model. Almost all the functionals considered here yielded mean absolute deviations around 5.0 kcal mol−1. The smallest values were observed for the ωB97 family and the Minnesota M11 functional with a marked basis set dependence. Despite the mean deviation, order relations among BDE experimental values of peroxides were also considered. The ωB97 family was able to reproduce the relations correctly whereas other functionals presented a marked dependence on the chemical nature of the R group. Interestingly, M11 functional did not show a very good agreement with the established order despite its good performance in the mean error. The obtained results support the use of similar validation strategies for proper prediction of BDE or other molecular properties by DF Tmethods in subsequent related studies.</p></div></div></div>

Methyl mercury in the dutch rhine delta

1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 213-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik Pieters ◽  
Victor Geuke
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Matter ◽  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Benthic Organisms ◽  
Considerable Decrease ◽  
Continuous Sedimentation ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
High Level ◽  
Almost All

Samples of yellow eel from various locations in the Dutch Rhine area have been analyzed for trend monitoring of mercury since 1977. In the western Rhine delta mercury levels in eels have hardly changed since the seventies, whereas in the eastern part of the Dutch Rhine area a considerable decrease of mercury concentrations in eel has occurred. Because of continuous sedimentation of contaminated suspended matter transported from upstream regions, accumulation rates and concentrations of mercury in eel in the western Rhine delta remained at a relatively high level. Analyses of methyl mercury in biota have been performed to elucidate the role of methyl mercury in the mercury contamination of the Dutch Rhine ecosystem. Low percentages of methyl mercury were observed in zooplankton (3 to 35%). In benthic organisms (mussels) percentages of methyl mercury ranged from 30 to 57%, while in fish species and liver of aquatic top predator birds almost all the mercury was present in the form of methyl mercury (&gt; 80%). During the period 1970-1990 mercury concentrations of suspended matter in the eastern Rhine delta have drastically decreased. These concentrations seemed to be highly correlated with mercury concentrations of eel (R = 0.84). The consequences of this relation are discussed.

scholarly journals The Diversity of Root-Associated Endophytic Fungi from Four Epiphytic Orchids in China

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
Tao Wang ◽  
Miao Chi ◽  
Ling Guo ◽  
Donghuan Liu ◽  
Yu Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endophytic Fungi ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Culture Method ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Mycorrhizal Symbiosis ◽  
Epiphytic Orchids ◽  
Culture Independent ◽  
Almost All

Root-associated endophytic fungi (RAF) are found asymptomatically in almost all plant groups. However, little is known about the compositions and potential functions of RAF communities associated with most Orchidaceae species. In this study, the diversity of RAF was examined in four wild epiphytic orchids, Acampe rigida, Doritis pulcherrima, Renanthera coccinea, and Robiquetia succisa, that occur in southern China. A culture-independent method involving Illumina amplicon sequencing, and an in vitro culture method, were used to identify culturable fungi. The RAF community diversity differed among the orchid roots, and some fungal taxa were clearly concentrated in a certain orchid species, with more OTUs being detected. By investigating mycorrhizal associations, the results showed that 28 (about 0.8%) of the 3527 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) could be assigned as OMF, while the OTUs of non-mycorrhizal fungal were about 99.2%. Among the OMFs, Ceratobasidiaceae OTUs were the most abundant with different richness, followed by Thelephoraceae. In addition, five Ceratobasidium sp. strains were isolated from D. pulcherrima, R. succisa, and R. coccinea roots with high separation rates. These culturable Ceratobasidium strains will provide materials for host orchid conservation and for studying the mechanisms underlying mycorrhizal symbiosis.

scholarly journals Liquid Biopsy and Other Non-Invasive Diagnostic Measures in PCNSL

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2665
Author(s):  
Alexander Baraniskin ◽  
Roland Schroers
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System Lymphoma ◽  
Circulating Tumor Dna ◽  
Mri Findings ◽  
Diagnostic Measures ◽  
Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Specificity And Sensitivity ◽  
Demyelinating Lesions ◽  
Granulomatous Diseases ◽  
High Level ◽  
Almost All

Primary central nervous system lymphoma is a rare but highly aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that remains confined to the CNS neuroaxis. The diagnosis of PCNSL requires a high level of suspicion as clinical presentation varies depending on the involved CNS areas. Neurological symptoms and MRI findings may mimic gliomas, demyelinating lesions, or infectious and granulomatous diseases. Almost all PCNSL patients undergo invasive surgical procedures for definite diagnosis. Stereotactic biopsy is still the gold standard in achieving a diagnostic accuracy of 73–97%. Both the potential procedural morbidity and mortality, as well as the time to definite histopathologic diagnosis resulting in delays of treatment initiation, have to be considered. On the contrary, minimally invasive procedures, such as MRI, CSF cytology, and flow cytometry, still have limited value due to inferior specificity and sensitivity. Hence, novel diagnostic approaches, including mutation analyses (MYD88) in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and the determination of microRNAs (miR-21, miR-19b, and miR-92) as well as cytokine levels (IL10 and IL6) in blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and vitreous fluid (VRF), move into the focus of investigation to facilitate the diagnosis of PCNSL. In this review, we outline the most promising approaches that are currently under clinical consideration.

Relative Distribution and Incidence of Viruses Associated with Disease Outbreaks in Tomato Fields in Trinidad

2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
S. N. Rampersad
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Tobacco Etch Virus ◽  
The Other ◽  
Multiple Infections ◽  
Relative Distribution ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
Viral Pathogen ◽  
High Incidence

Tomato production in Trinidad has suffered considerable losses in yield and fruit quality due to infections of hitherto surmised etiology. In order to develop strategies for controlling viral diseases in tomato, the relative distribution and incidence of seven viruses that commonly infect tomato were determined. Of the 362 samples tested, Potato yellow mosaic Trinidad virus (PYMTV) was found in every farm except two and was present at relatively high incidence throughout the country. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and Tobacco etch virus (TEV) were found in fewer farms and at lower incidences while the other viruses were absent. Single infections of either virus were more common than double infections and multiple infections were rare but present. The results indicated that PYMTV is the predominant and most important viral pathogen in tomato production systems in Trinidad; however, begomovirus disease management strategies will also have to accommodate controls Accepted for publication 10 January 2006. Published 9 March 2006.

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