Multilocus Sequence Typing Reveals Extensive Genetic Diversity of the Emerging Fungal Pathogen Scedosporium aurantiacum

Scedosporium spp. are the second most prevalent filamentous fungi after Aspergillus spp. recovered from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in various regions of the world. Although invasive infection is uncommon prior to lung transplantation, fungal colonization may be a risk factor for invasive disease with attendant high mortality post-transplantation. Abundant in the environment, Scedosporium aurantiacum has emerged as an important fungal pathogen in a range of clinical settings. To investigate the population genetic structure of S. aurantiacum, a MultiLocus Sequence Typing (MLST) scheme was developed, screening 24 genetic loci for polymorphisms on a tester strain set. The six most polymorphic loci were selected to form the S. aurantiacum MLST scheme: actin (ACT), calmodulin (CAL), elongation factor-1α (EF1α), RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2), manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2), and β-tubulin (TUB). Among 188 global clinical, veterinary, and environmental strains, 5 to 18 variable sites per locus were revealed, resulting in 8 to 23 alleles per locus. MLST analysis observed a markedly high genetic diversity, reflected by 159 unique sequence types. Network analysis revealed a separation between Australian and non-Australian strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed two major clusters, indicating correlation with geographic origin. Linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed evidence of recombination. There was no clustering according to the source of the strains: clinical, veterinary, or environmental. The high diversity, especially amongst the Australian strains, suggests that S. aurantiacum may have originated within the Australian continent and was subsequently dispersed to other regions, as shown by the close phylogenetic relationships between some of the Australian sequence types and those found in other parts of the world. The MLST data are accessible at http://mlst.mycologylab.org. This is a joined publication of the ISHAM/ECMM working groups on “Scedosporium/Pseudallescheria Infections” and “Fungal Respiratory Infections in Cystic Fibrosis”.

Australia as a global sink for the genetic diversity of avian influenza A virus

Most of our understanding of the ecology and evolution of avian influenza A virus (AIV) in wild birds is derived from studies conducted in the northern hemisphere on waterfowl, with a substantial bias towards dabbling ducks. However, relevant environmental conditions and patterns of avian migration and reproduction are substantially different in the southern hemisphere. Through the sequencing and analysis of 333 unique AIV genomes collected from wild birds collected over 15 years we show that Australia is a global sink for AIV diversity and not integrally linked with the Eurasian gene pool. Rather, AIV are infrequently introduced to Australia, followed by decades of isolated circulation and eventual extinction. The number of co-circulating viral lineages varies per subtype. AIV haemagglutinin (HA) subtypes that are rarely identified at duck-centric study sites (H8-12) had more detected introductions and contemporary co-circulating lineages in Australia. Combined with a lack of duck migration beyond the Australian-Papuan region, these findings suggest introductions by long-distance migratory shorebirds. In addition, we found no evidence of directional or consistent patterns in virus movement across the Australian continent. This feature corresponds to patterns of bird movement, whereby waterfowl have nomadic and erratic rainfall-dependant distributions rather than consistent intra-continental migratory routes. Finally, we detected high levels of virus gene segment reassortment, with a high diversity of AIV genome constellations across years and locations. These data, in addition to those from other studies in Africa and South America, clearly show that patterns of AIV dynamics in the Southern Hemisphere are distinct from those in the temperate north.

A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Dracophyllum Labill. (Ericaceae)

<p>In recent years the New Zealand biogeographic paradigm has shifted from 'Moa's Ark' (Bellamy et al. 1990) to the view that most biota has dispersed here in the lastà à ± 10 My (Fleming 1975, Pole 1994, McGlone et al. 2001). Large and widely distributed genera on island archipelagos and oceanic islands are important elements for the investigation of evolutionary processes such as dispersal from continents to islands and back, adaptive radiation and in some cases extinction. The genus Dracophyllum (Ericaceae: Richeeae) occurs on the Australian continent and the New Zealand archipelago as well as on many oceanic islands in the region. With its wide distribution, ecological importance and apparent taxonomic complexity, a monograph and phylogenetic study of Dracophyllum will make a valuable contribution towards the understanding of the above- mentioned processes. There is still uncertainty about generic limits within tribe Richeeae (Dracophyllum Labill., Richea R. Br. and Sphenotoma R. Br. ex Sweet). Sphenotoma is geographically isolated (southwest Western Australia), monophyletic and forms a distinct evolutionary lineage that diverged early from Dracophyllum and Richea (Powell et al. 1996, Kron et al. 2002). The generic limits between Dracophyllum and Richea still need to be addressed, preferably by making use of DNA sequence data. There are two fundamental aims of systematics: a) to discover, describe and name all species and b) to document the changes on the branches that have occurred during evolution and to transform these into a predictive classification system that reflects evolution (Systematics 18 Agenda 2000). Systematics is therefore the study of the biological diversity that exists on earth today and its evolutionary history (Judd et al. 1999). Taxonomic revisions, especially of large groups, need to focus on groups that are monophyletic (i.e. comprising an ancestor and all of its descendents) and not constrained by geography. Generic delimitation can become problematic when the flora of a specific region is studied in isolation. Many important aspects of genotypic and phenotypic variation are then not taken into consideration, resulting in a skewed and unrealistic representation of the genus as a whole. The long list of synonyms in the southern hemisphere for the genus Veronica L. is a reflection of this situation: Paederota L., Hebe Comm. ex Juss., Derwentia Raf., Pygmaea Hook.f., Detzneria Schltr. ex Diels, Parahebe W.R.B.Oliv., Chionohebe B.G.Briggs & Ehrend., Leonohebe Heads, Heliohebe Garn.-Jones and Hebejeebie Heads.</p>

A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Dracophyllum Labill. (Ericaceae)

<p>In recent years the New Zealand biogeographic paradigm has shifted from 'Moa's Ark' (Bellamy et al. 1990) to the view that most biota has dispersed here in the lastà à ± 10 My (Fleming 1975, Pole 1994, McGlone et al. 2001). Large and widely distributed genera on island archipelagos and oceanic islands are important elements for the investigation of evolutionary processes such as dispersal from continents to islands and back, adaptive radiation and in some cases extinction. The genus Dracophyllum (Ericaceae: Richeeae) occurs on the Australian continent and the New Zealand archipelago as well as on many oceanic islands in the region. With its wide distribution, ecological importance and apparent taxonomic complexity, a monograph and phylogenetic study of Dracophyllum will make a valuable contribution towards the understanding of the above- mentioned processes. There is still uncertainty about generic limits within tribe Richeeae (Dracophyllum Labill., Richea R. Br. and Sphenotoma R. Br. ex Sweet). Sphenotoma is geographically isolated (southwest Western Australia), monophyletic and forms a distinct evolutionary lineage that diverged early from Dracophyllum and Richea (Powell et al. 1996, Kron et al. 2002). The generic limits between Dracophyllum and Richea still need to be addressed, preferably by making use of DNA sequence data. There are two fundamental aims of systematics: a) to discover, describe and name all species and b) to document the changes on the branches that have occurred during evolution and to transform these into a predictive classification system that reflects evolution (Systematics 18 Agenda 2000). Systematics is therefore the study of the biological diversity that exists on earth today and its evolutionary history (Judd et al. 1999). Taxonomic revisions, especially of large groups, need to focus on groups that are monophyletic (i.e. comprising an ancestor and all of its descendents) and not constrained by geography. Generic delimitation can become problematic when the flora of a specific region is studied in isolation. Many important aspects of genotypic and phenotypic variation are then not taken into consideration, resulting in a skewed and unrealistic representation of the genus as a whole. The long list of synonyms in the southern hemisphere for the genus Veronica L. is a reflection of this situation: Paederota L., Hebe Comm. ex Juss., Derwentia Raf., Pygmaea Hook.f., Detzneria Schltr. ex Diels, Parahebe W.R.B.Oliv., Chionohebe B.G.Briggs & Ehrend., Leonohebe Heads, Heliohebe Garn.-Jones and Hebejeebie Heads.</p>

Early Results of P Wave Regional Tomography Study at Sunda-Banda Arc using BMKG Seismic Network

The plate movement, geological structure, magmatism, and seismic activity in the area of Bali to East Nusa Tenggara are mainly related with the subducting of Indo-Australian Plate underneath the Eurasian plate. The complexity is added with the recent collision of Australian continent lithosphere with the western Banda arc, along the islands of Flores, Sumba and Timor island. Our study area is known as the Sunda-Banda arc transition. With the aim of imaging subsurface structure, we perform seismic tomography inversion using regional events. We collected 5 years of earthquake data (January 2015 – December 2019) from the Indonesian Agency of Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG). The output of our data processing is not limited to only P wave velocity model, but also relocated seismicity pattern in the region. In general, seismicity pattern shows dominant shallow events in the south that progressively shift into deeper events in the north down to a few 500 km, marking a dipping subduction zone in this region. A group of shallow events down to a depth of 50 km is also seen at the norther region that may relate to back-arc thrust activity. P wave tomogram model show a lower velocity perturbation at a depth of 30 km that could be associated with magmatic activity along the volcanic front line. Higher P wave perturbation model are spotted at two different zones, the first one is marking a dipping Indo-Australian plate down to depth of 400 km. We noticed that the angle of dipping is steeper in the Eastern part compared to the Western part. The second a relatively flat at shallow depth at the northern region from the island of Lombok to Nusa Tenggara Timur that may mark the back-arc thrust region

Relational Indigenous systems: Aboriginal Australian political ordering and reconfiguring IR

Ontological parochialism persists in International Relations (IR) scholarship among gestures towards relational ontological reinvention. Meanwhile, the inter-polity relations of many Indigenous peoples pre-date contemporary IR and tend to be substantively relational. This situation invites rethinking of IR's understandings of political order and inter-polity relations. We take up this task by laying out necessary methodological innovations to engage with Aboriginal Australia and then showing how conventional and much recent heterodox IR seek to create forms of ‘escape’ from lived political relations by asserting the powerful yet problematic social science mechanism of observer's distance. This demonstrates a need to take Aboriginal Australia as a system on its own terms to speak back to IR. We next explain how Aboriginal Australian people produce political order on the Australian continent through a ‘relational-ecological’ disposition that contrasts with IR's predominant ‘survivalist’ disposition. The accompanying capacity to manage survivalism through relationalism provides an avenue for engaging with and recasting some of mainstream IR's survivalist assumptions, including by considering an Aboriginal approach to multipolarity, without attempting ‘pure escape’ through alternative ontologies. We thus argue that while it is necessary to critique and recast dominant IR, doing so requires putting dominant IR and Indigenous understandings into relational exchange.

The Unique Australian Flora, A Veritable Pandora’s Pharmacopeia of Compounds with Therapeutic Biomedical Potential: Are the Chalcones the Geni in The Box?

The aim of this review was to highlight the unique biodiversity of the flowering plants and shrubs of Australia and their component chemicals that evolved during the separation of the Australian continent from Gondwanaland. The chemicals produced by these flowering plants provided protection ensuring the survival of the Australian flora which had to contend with often harsh Australian climatic conditions. The diversity of plant phytochemicals produced by these flowering plants reflects the unique diversity of the Australian Flora and these represent a Pharmacological goldmine. It was beyond the scope of this review to cover the full spectrum of these chemical compounds present in Australian plants instead we focused on the chalcones in this review. This compound has a special status in medicinal chemistry as a base intermediate for the synthesis of a large repertoire of polycyclic compounds that display anti-bacterial, antifungal, anti-viral and anti-tumour properties and these are thus of considerable interest in Biomedicine.