Lower Eocene (Middle Ilerdian) brachiopods from the Campo region, Central Pyrenees, north-eas tern Spain

Three brachiopod species, Terebratulina tenuistriata (Leymerie, 1846), Argyrotheca vidali (Mallada, 1878), and "Terebratula" n. sp., are recognized in the marls and calcareous silts of the Lower Eocene Puebla Formation of the Campo region in the Central Pyrenees, north-eastern Spain. The rich and well preserved material of T. tenuistriata and A. vidali allows to recognize the range of their morphological variability and to evaluate the status of earlier established species. The investigated assemblage is characterized by the small, pedunculate taxa adapted to life on a soft bottom anchoring directly in a soft substrate or attaching to very small, hard substrates.

The Influence of Southwestern Virginia Environmental Conditions on the Potential Ability of Haemaphysalis longicornis, Amblyomma americanum, and Amblyomma maculatum to Overwinter in the Region

Ticks are susceptible to environmental conditions and, to ensure survival during winter conditions, they adopt a wide variety of physiological and behavioral adaptations including utilization of a suitable niche with insulation (e.g., leaf coverage). To investigate the potential overwintering survival of three tick populations emerging within Appalachian Virginia (Haemaphysalis longicornis, Amblyomma americanum, and Amblyomma maculatum), both a laboratory experiment assessing super-cooling points and a two-factor (elevation and insulation coverage) field experiment assessing overwintering survivability were conducted across a natural southwestern Virginian winter (2020–2021). Dermacentor variabilis adults were included in this study as an example of a well-established species in this region known to overwinter in these conditions. Our study indicated that A. americanum and H. longicornis wintering tolerance is based on life stage rather than external factors such as insulation (e.g., leaf litter) and elevation. Amblyomma maculatum was more likely to survive without insulation. The ability to withstand the extreme temperatures of new regions is a key factor determining the survivability of novel tick species and is useful in assessing the invasion potential of arthropod vectors.

Nutritional Quality of the European Spiny Lobster Palinurus elephas (J.C. Fabricius, 1787) (Achelata, Palinuridae) and the Non-Indigenous Northern Brown Shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives, 1891 (Dendrobranchiata, Penaeidae)

The European spiny lobster is a species of great commercial value, yet a limited scientific knowledge exists on its biology, ecology, and physiology, especially for the stocks from east Mediterranean waters. The northern brown shrimp, a non-indigenous established species, is commercially exploited in regions of the Mediterranean Sea. Both species’ proximate composition and fatty acid profile were assessed for the first time in the Mediterranean region, exhibiting an overall significant statistical difference. Protein, fat, and energy contents were significantly higher in the northern brown shrimp, whereas moisture and ash contents were significantly higher in the European spiny lobster. The proximate composition for both species was well within the reported range for other lobster and prawn species in the Mediterranean Sea.

Carbon stored in forest plantations in The Mariano Dámaso Beraún District, Huánuco – Perú

The objective of the research work was to estimate the carbon stored in the forest plantations in the district of Mariano Dámaso Beraún, and for this allometric equations were used, which allowed determining the biomass and this, in turn, the above-ground carbon; Soil organic carbon (COS) was also estimated and the relationship between them was determined. The study was carried out in three 1,5 year old forest plantations, located in the following altitudinal strata: 787 masl (Quesada), 1.153 masl (Chincamayo) and 1.455 masl (Corazón de Jesús), located in the Mariano Dámaso Beraún district. , Leoncio Prado province, Huánuco department. The established species were: Schizolobium amazonicum Huber ex Ducke (spiny pine), Licaria trianda (Swartz) Kostermans (cinnamon moena), Inga edulis C. Martius (guaba), Swietenia macrophylla G. King (mahogany) and Juglans neotropica Diels (walnut); and as a result, the aerial biomass was 2,34 t/ha for the altitude of 787 msnm., 1,77 t/ha for the altitude of 1.153 msnm., and 1,63 t/ha for the altitude of 1.455 msnm.; therefore, the total airborne carbon stored was 1,17 t/ha for the altitude of 787 msnm., 0,89 t/ha for the altitude of 1.153 msnm., and 0,82 t/ha for the altitude of 1.455 msnm.; the total content of organic carbon in the soil was 67,22 t/ha for the altitude of 787 msnm., 68,77 t/ha for the altitude of 1.153 msnm., and 90,09 t/ha for the altitude of 1.455 msnm.; and according to Pearson's correlation, it indicates that there is no statistically significant relationship between the total airborne carbon content with the soil organic carbon in the district under study.

A benefit-cost analysis framework for prioritization of control programs for well-established invasive alien species

Invasive alien species (IAS) are identified as a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services. While early detection and control programs to avoid establishments of new alien species can be very cost-effective, control costs for well-established species can be enormous. Many of these well-established species constitute severe or high ecological impact and are thus likely to be included in control programs. However, due to limited funds, we need to prioritize which species to control according to the gains in ecological status and human well-being compared to the costs. Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) provides such a tool but has been hampered by the difficulties in assessing the overall social benefits on the same monetary scale as the control costs. In order to overcome this obstacle, we combine a non-monetary benefit assessment tool with the ecosystem service framework to create a benefit assessment in line with the welfare economic underpinnings of BCA. Our simplified BCA prioritization tool enables us to conduct rapid and cheap appraisals of large numbers of invasive species that the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre has found to cause negative ecological impacts. We demonstrate this application on 30 well-established invasive alien vascular plant species in Norway. Social benefits are calculated and aggregated on a benefit point scale for six impact categories: four types of ecosystem services (supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural), human health and infrastructure impacts. Total benefit points are then compared to the total control costs of programs aiming at eradicating individual IAS across Norway or in selected vulnerable ecosystems. Although there are uncertainties with regards to IAS population size, benefits assessment and control program effectiveness and costs; our simplified BCA tool identified six species associated with robust low cost-benefit ratios in terms of control costs (in million USD) per benefit point. As a large share of public funds for eradication of IAS is currently spent on control programs for other plant species, we recommend that the environmental authorities at all levels use our BCA prioritization tool to increase the social benefits of their limited IAS control budgets. In order to maximize the net social benefits of IAS control programs, environmental valuation studies of their ecosystem service benefits are needed.

Novelties in the vascular flora of Croatia

We report on and discuss records of five species new to the vascular flora of Croatia. Calamagrostis canescens was found near Đurđevac in remnants of fen vegetation, and we consider it a critically endangered species in the flora of Croatia. Agrimonia procera is native or archaeophyte in central Croatia and its discovery is in accordance with its earlier use as a medicinal plant. Amaranthus emarginatus is an exotic newcomer that was previously found in urban habitats on the north Adriatic coast. Carex vulpinoidea and Oenothera suaveolens were shown to be locally established species, in meadows along the Kupa River, and on the bars of the Drava River, respectively. In addition, we present new distributional and ecological data on two neophytes (Cardamine occulta, Humulus scandens) that were only briefly mentioned in earlier sources from Croatia.

Subtyping Cryptosporidium xiaoi, a Common Pathogen in Sheep and Goats

Cryptosporidiosis is a significant cause of diarrhea in sheep and goats. Among the over 40 established species of Cryptosporidium, Cryptosporidium xiaoi is one of the dominant species infecting ovine and caprine animals. The lack of subtyping tools makes it impossible to examine the transmission of this pathogen. In the present study, we identified and characterized the 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene by sequencing the genome of C. xiaoi. The GP60 protein of C. xiaoi had a signal peptide, a furin cleavage site of RSRR, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor, and over 100 O-glycosylation sites. Based on the gp60 sequence, a subtyping tool was developed and used in characterizing C. xiaoi in 355 positive samples from sheep and goats in China. A high sequence heterogeneity was observed in the gp60 gene, with 94 sequence types in 12 subtype families, namely XXIIIa to XXIIIl. Co-infections with multiple subtypes were common in these animals, suggesting that genetic recombination might be responsible for the high diversity within C. xiaoi. This was supported by the mosaic sequence patterns among the subtype families. In addition, a potential host adaptation was identified within this species, reflected by the exclusive occurrence of XXIIIa, XXIIIc, XXIIIg, and XXIIIj in goats. This subtyping tool should be useful in studies of the genetic diversity and transmission dynamics of C. xiaoi.

The First Polish Isolate of a Novel Species Pectobacterium aquaticum Originates from a Pomeranian Lake

Pectinolytic bacteria from the genus Pectobacterium cause high economic losses in various crops, vegetables, and ornamentals including potato. Thus far, these strains have been isolated from distinct environments such as rotten or asymptomatic plants, soil, and waterways. The prevalence of soft rot Pectobacteriaceae in different depths of Pomeranian lakes was performed by a qualified scuba diver over 2 years of monitoring. It allowed for the isolation and broad characterization of a strain from the newly established species Pectobacterium aquaticum. Phylogenetic analysis on the sequences of dnaX and recA genes revealed the highest similarity of this strain to P. aquaticum CFBP 8637T. In addition to the determination of analytical profile index (API 20E), we discovered that this strain possesses a smooth form of a lipopolysaccharide with O-polysaccharide consisting of mannose, glucose, and abequose. Moreover, the characterized strain, described as P. aquaticum IFB5637, produced plant-cell–wall-degrading enzymes, such as pectinases, cellulases, proteases, and was capable of macerating potato and chicory tissues under laboratory conditions. In view of more frequent irrigation of seed potato fields resulting from the ongoing climate warming, it is important to monitor the occurrence of potential disease-causing agents in natural waterways.

Standardized genome-wide function prediction enables comparative functional genomics in plants: a new application area for Gene Ontologies

BackgroundGenome-wide gene function annotations are useful for hypothesis generation and for prioritizing candidate genes responsible for phenotypes of interest. We functionally annotated the genes of 18 crop plant genomes across 14 species using the GOMAP pipeline.ResultsBy comparison to existing GO annotation datasets available for a subset of these genomes, GOMAP-generated datasets cover more genes, assign more GO terms, and produce datasets similar in quality (based on precision and recall metrics using existing gold standards as the basis for comparison). From there, we sought to determine whether the datasets could be used in tandem to carry out comparative functional genomics analyses. As a test of the idea and a proof of concept, we created parsimony and distance-based dendrograms of relatedness based on functions for all 18 genomes. These dendrograms were compared to well-established species-level phylogenies to determine whether trees derived through the analysis of gene function agree with known evolutionary histories, which they largely do. Where discrepancies were observed, we determined branch support based on jack-knifing then removed individual annotation sets by genome to identify the annotation sets causing errant relationships.ConclusionsBased on the results of these analyses, it is clear that for genome assembly and annotation products of similar quality, GOMAP-derived functional annotations used together across species do retain sufficient biological signal to recover known phylogenetic relationships, indicating that comparative functional genomics across species based on GO data hold promise as a tool for generating novel hypotheses about gene function and traits.

Three new Luticola D.G.Mann (Bacillariophyta) species from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) found in terrestrial diatom assemblages dominated by widely distributed taxa

Background Rapa Nui (Easter Island = Isla de Pasqua) is of volcanic origin, best known for about 900 man-made stone statues known as moai. It is one of the most isolated inhabited islands on Earth and studies on the diatoms of Rapa Nui are very few. Methods Light (LM) and electron microscopic (SEM) observations of a single sample collected from Rapa Nui are presented. The samples (mix of soil and organic detritus) were collected from ground of cave entrance. Results The samples were characterized by low diatom diversity and strongly dominated by terrestrial (soil) forms. Among the taxa present in the material studied were cosmopolitan forms of the genera Humidophila, Nitzschia, Angusticopula, Orthoseira, Tryblionella and Luticola. Whereas most of taxa of the enumerated genera were identifiable, only one among four Luticola species distinguished in the samples studied was identified. This taxon was L. ectorii, a cosmopolitan species known previously from South America (Brazil) and Asia (China). The three remaining species could not be assigned to any established species. Therefore, based on external and internal morphological features from light and scanning electron microscopic analysis, we describe here three species new to science, including: L. georgzizkae, L. rapanuiensis and L. moaiorum. All three taxa new to science are compared to established Luticola species and their significance for the global distribution of the genus is discussed.