Biodiversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Bulgaria Related to Human Migrations or Ecological Adaptation

Bulgaria is among the 18 high-priority countries of the WHO European Region with high rates of tuberculosis. The causative agent of tuberculosis is thought to have emerged in Africa 70,000 years ago, or during the Neolithic age, and colonized the world through human migrations. The established main lineages of tuberculosis correlate highly with geography. The goal of our study was to investigate the biodiversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Bulgaria in association with human migration history during the last 10 centuries. We analyzed spoligotypes and MIRU-VNTR genotyping data of 655 drug-sensitive and 385 multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains collected in Bulgaria from 2008 to 2018. We assigned the genotype of all isolates using SITVITWEB and MIRU-VNTRplus databases and software. We investigated the major well-documented historical events of immigration to Bulgaria that occurred during the last millennium. Genetic profiles demonstrated that, with the exceptions of 3 strains of Mycobacterium bovis and 18 strains of Lineage 2 (W/Beijing spoligotype), only Lineage 4 (Euro-American) was widely diffused in Bulgaria. Analysis of well-documented immigrations of Roma from the Indian subcontinent during the 10th to the 12th centuries, Turkic peoples from Central Asia in the medieval centuries, and more recently Armenians, Russians, and Africans in the 20th century influenced the biodiversity of M. tuberculosis in Bulgaria but only with genotypes of sublineages within the L4. We hypothesize that these sublineages were more virulent, or that ecological adaptation of imported M. tuberculosis genotypes was the main driver contributing to the current genetic biodiversity of M. tuberculosis in Bulgaria. We also hypothesize that some yet unknown local environmental factors may have been decisive in the success of imported genotypes. The ecological factors leading to local genetic biodiversity in M. tuberculosis are multifactorial and have not yet been fully clarified. The coevolution of long-lasting pathogen hosts should be studied, taking into account environmental and ecological changes.

Anatomical Comparison of Two Grammatophyllum spp. (Orchidaceae) Species and Their Specific Ecological Adaptation

The genus Grammatophyllum (Orchidaceae) has two sections with a very different habitus. The Grammatophyllum from section “Grammatophyllum” has a long cylindrical pseudobulb with linear leaves, while the Grammatophyllum section “Gabertia” has a shorter pseudobulb with a larger diameter and broader lanceolate shaped leaves. The study is aimed to compare the anatomical characters of leaf and root between G. speciosum (representation of “Pattonia” section) and G. scriptum (representation of “Gabertia” section). Leaf and root sections were obtained using the mini-microtome with liquid preservation method in 10 replications. Data were analyzed statistically using a t-test at 5% significance. The results showed significant differences between the two species in the leaf’s primary vascular bundle area, velamen area, number of velamen layers, root’s cortex area, and stele area. Future research with more organs and parameters being explored and experimental research regarding its anatomical response to drought is suggested.

Cytotype Affects the Capability of the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci MED Species To Feed and Oviposit on an Unfavorable Host Plant

Microbial symbionts are universal in eukaryotes, and it is now recognized that symbiotic associations represent major evolutionary driving forces. However, the extent to which symbionts contribute to their hosts’ ecological adaptation and subsequent diversification is far from being fully elucidated.

Reevaluating Scorpion Ecomorphs using a Naïve Approach

BackgroundEcomorphs create the opportunity to investigate ecological adaptation because they encompass organisms that evolved characteristic morphologies under similar ecological demands. For over 50 years, scorpions have been empirically assigned to ecomorphs based on the characteristic morphologies that rock, sand, vegetation, underground, and surface dwellers assume. This study aims to independently test the existence of scorpion ecomorphs by quantifying the association between their morphology and ecology across 61 species, representing 14 families of the Scorpiones order.ResultsWithout a priori categorization of species into ecomorphs, we identified four groups based on microhabitat descriptors, which reflect how scorpion ecospace is clustered. Moreover, these microhabitat groups, i.e. ecotypes, have significantly divergent morphologies; therefore, they represent ecomorphs. These ecomorphs largely correspond with the ones previously described in the literature. Therefore, we retained the names Lithophilous, Psammophilous, and Pelophilous, and proposed the name Phytophilous for vegetation dwellers. Finally, we sought to map the morphology-ecology association in scorpions. We provide evidence that the morphological regions most tightly associated with ecology are the walking legs and pedipalps. Moreover, the major trend in ecomorphological covariation is that longer walking legs and relatively slender pedipalps (pincers) are associated with sandy microhabitats, while the inverse morphological proportions are associated with rocky microhabitats. ConclusionsScorpion ecomorphs are validated in a naïve approach, from ecological descriptors and whole body anatomy. This places them on a more solid quantitative footing for future studies of ecological adaptation in scorpions. Our results verify some of the previously defined ecomorphotypes and can be used as a starting point to understand the adaptive significance of ecological morphology.

Ecological Adaptation and Succession of Human Fecal Microbial Communities in an Automated In Vitro Fermentation System

In vitro fermentors that can host complex gut microbial communities are promising tools to investigate the dynamics of human gut microbiota. In this work, using an automated in vitro gut fermentor consisting of different colon compartments, we investigated the adaptation dynamics of two different human fecal microbial communities over 22 and 31 days.

ESSÉR JEMMU’

For the people of Bungbungan, it is imperative that they build a new house, especially when they have a daughter. This is based on the concept of tanéyan lanjhâng which adheres to auxorilocality and matrilocality. The purpose of this study is to describe the essence of a house for the Bungbungan community, various important guidelines in the preparation of building a new house, various ritual offerings, and ritual practice of essér jemmu’. This study is an ethnographic study based on Pierre Bourdieu’s habitus theory to describe the pattern of relations between Islam in the context of pesantren and of the villagers in addressing the ritual of essér jemmu’ as an ecological adaptation ritual in a house construction. The result of this study shows that the house could be a symbol of social status as well as a sign that girls should not be brought to their husband’s house. The process of building a new house begins with various rituals influenced by myths including to determine the direction and layout of the house which are based on the pancabara and babukon. Various offerings are put into a polo’ then planted in the yard. The practice of essér jemmu’ ritual consists of prayers and ritual practices led by a kiai from pesantren or from the village, in which it shows a pattern of domination-subordination relationship of Islam of the pesantren to village Islam. [Bagi masyarakat Bungbungan, membangun rumah baru merupakan sebuah keharusan, terutama jika memiliki anak perempuan. Hal ini berdasarkan konsep tanéyan lanjhâng yang menganut uksorilokalitas dan matrilokalitas. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mendeskripsikan hakikat rumah bagi masyarakat Bungbungan, berbagai pedoman penting dalam persiapan pembuatan rumah, ragam sesaji ritual, dan praktik ritual essér jemmu’. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian etnografi yang berdasarkan teori habitus Pierre Bourdieu untuk mendeskripsikan pola relasi antara Islam pesantren dan Islam kampung dalam menyikapi praktik ritual essér jemmu’ sebagai ritual adaptasi ekologis dalam pembangunan rumah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rumah merupakan penanda status sosial sekaligus isyarat bahwa anak perempuan tidak boleh diboyong ke rumah suami. Proses pembangunan rumah diawali dengan berbagai ritual yang dipengaruhi oleh mitos yang meliputi penentuan arah dan tata letak rumah berdasarkan pancabara dan babukon. Ragam sesaji dimasukkan ke dalam polo’ kemudian ditanam di pekarangan. Praktik ritual essér jemmu’ berisi doa-doa dan laku ritual yang dipimpin kiai pesantren atau kiai kampung yang menunjukkan pola relasi dominasi-subordinasi Islam pesantren terhadap Islam kampung]