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Toward a global repository of insect traits (GRIT) /
No full textThe pace of biodiversity loss outstrips our ability to conserve Earth's most diverse group of named species—the insects (Arthropoda: Insecta). We increasingly rely on trait-based metrics to understand how insects respond to and affect their environment. Traits provide insights that aid conservation assessment and planning. Yet, we lack a centralised trait database for insects, hampering insights that could inform ecological research and conservation management planning. We propose the creation of the Global Repository of Insect Traits (GRIT). GRIT will cover all world regions, realms and insect taxa. It will provide open and FAIR access to comprehensive trait data compiled from both currently available and future datasets. This proposal is an open call for all to join a global network of collaborators in a collective effort to accelerate the compilation of insect trait data and increase the transparency of data sharing and accessibility in the field. We envision the use of state-of-the-art methods in trait acquisition and imputation to build computational tools that can extract and validate trait data from unstructured text, accelerating information availability by orders of magnitude. We anticipate the development of analytical tools that contribute to a governance structure, ensuring the long-term success of the database and extraction tools. Finally, we outline future opportunities and identify several research questions that could be readily answered once data are assembled. Recognising the numerous challenges inherent in this project, we invite a robust discussion on strategies to effectively address obstacles
Referencinės cheminės sudėties medžiagos kaip įrankis skirtinga įranga išgaunamų analičių kiekiams susieti /
No full textNeglected avian blood parasites (Onchocercidae and Trypanosomatidae) in migratory passerines of the temperate zone, eastern Baltic region /
No full textPasserine birds (n = 3335) of 19 species were caught and investigated for the presence of Trypanosomatidae and Onchocercidae parasites using the buffy coat method, microscopy and PCR in Ventės Ragas, Lithuania. Data on the spread patterns of these parasites are still lacking. The prevalences of Trypanosoma parasites in birds of different species varied from 2.2% to 36.1%, while the prevalences of Onchocercidae parasites varied from 0% to 17.3%. Statistically significant differences between spring and autumn in the prevalences of Trypanosomatidae were determined for Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, Hirundo rustica and Turdus philomelos. No significant differences between the prevalences of Onchocercidae in spring and autumn were determined. The prevalence of Trypanosoma was significantly higher for long-distance migrant birds compared with short-distance migrants, for omnivorous birds compared with insectivorous birds, and for open-nesting birds compared with birds nesting in nest boxes. The prevalences of Onchocercidae parasites did not differ for the same bird groups except for the prevalence in omnivorous birds, which was higher compared with insectivorous birds. Both groups of parasites were detected in juveniles, showing the presence of transmission in the study area. The diet, breeding behaviour and migration features of avian hosts can influence the prevalence of avian blood parasites
Land-use impacts on plant functional diversity throughout Europe /
No full textAim: Global biodiversity loss resulting from anthropogenic land-use activities is a pressing concern, requiring precise assessments of impacts at large spatial extents. Existing models mainly focus on species richness and abundance, lacking insights into ecological mechanisms and species' roles in ecosystem functioning. To bridge this gap, we conducted an extensive analysis of the impact of human land use on vascular plant functional diversity across diverse land-use classes and bioregions in Europe, comparing it to traditional metrics. Location: Europe. Time Period: 1992–2019. Major Taxa Studied: Vascular plants. Methods: Integrating extensive databases of vegetation plots with spatial data on land use and land cover, we paired plots from areas actively used and modified by humans with plots from natural habitats under similar environmental conditions. Using species occurrences and traits, in each plot we computed three complementary functional diversity metrics (functional richness, evenness and divergence), species richness and abundance. We assessed the impact of land use by comparing the metrics in the paired plots. Results: Our findings revealed that, compared to natural habitats, anthropogenic land use exhibits lower functional richness and divergence but higher functional evenness across most land-use classes and bioregions. The response of functional richness was more marked than the other two metrics and especially pronounced in croplands and urban areas and in northern bioregions. Functional richness exhibited a pattern that did not fully overlap with the trend in species richness, providing useful complementary information. Main Conclusions: We provide a large-scale precise assessment of anthropogenic land-use impacts on functional diversity across Europe. Our findings indicate that: (i) human disturbance significantly alters plant functional diversity compared to natural habitats; (ii) this alteration goes in the direction of functional homogenisation within sites; (iii) functional diversity metrics complement traditional metrics by offering deeper insights into the ecological mechanisms in response to anthropogenic land use
Connecting East with West: constraining polygenetic Variscan - to post-Variscan metamorphism in the Marmarosh/Maramuresh Massif, Ukraine/Romania /
No full textThis work reports the first data on the Variscan metamorphic evolution of the Marmarosh/Maramuresh massif in the Outer Eastern Carpathians. Geothermobarometry determinations coupled with U-Th-Pb dating of monazite, apatite, titanite and rutile were used to construct P-T-t paths and refine the geodynamic evolution of the pre-Alpine crystalline basement. These clockwise P-T-t paths evolve from 560–630 MPa and 515–535 °C to c. 900–1180 MPa in the north (Ukraine), while in the southern nappe (Romania), the P-T-t conditions evolve from 455–620 MPa and 545–555 °C, through to 670–745 MPa and 540–560 °C, to 910–965 MPa and 645–660 °C. The northernmost nappes were likely structurally lower relative to the southern nappes. Variscan progressive metamorphism related to nappe stacking climaxed at 350–340 Ma, as documented by U-Pb rutile and U-Th-Pb monazite dating. In both regions, post-kinematic exhumation to 700–500 MPa, 550–630 °C MPa and then to the titanite stability field was dated at 317–327 Ma, using the U-Pb system on apatite and titanite. Subsequent Permian retrogression and exhumation was constrained to 280–290 Ma by U-Pb rutile and apatite and U-Th-Pb monazite dating. These data link the massif to the external zone of the Central European Variscides. We infer that all Variscan crystalline basement fragments in the Alps and Carpathians probably represent remnants of the same microcontinent, which was dismembered during Alpine orogenesis
Antibacterial and mosquito repellent potential of eight citrus cultivars and their chemical composition /
No full textCitrus fruit peels are a rich source of essential oils (EOs), which contain biologically active compounds; however, they are often discarded as waste, which causes pollution. The fresh peels of eight citrus cultivars growing in Pakistan were used to extract EOs through steam distillation. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of fresh peel EOs revealed that limonene was the most abundant compound, constituting 94.5%, 96.1%, 95.3%, 93.3%, 56.2%, 91.5%, 96.4%, and 96.7% of Citrus jambhiri, C. aurantium, C. sinensis var. Malta cv. Blood Malta, C. sinensis var. Malta cv. Shakri Malta, C. limon, C. pseudolimon, C. reticulata var. Mandarin cv. Feutrell’s Early, and C. reticulata var. Mandarin cv. Kinnow, respectively. The dried peel EO of C. reticulata var. Mandarin cv. Kinnow contained 95.2% limonene. C. limon peel EO exhibited the highest antibacterial activity among all citrus peel EOs with the minimum inhibitory concentration of 312 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. The C. aurantium and C. sinensis var. Malta cv. Shakri Malta peel EOs exhibited the highest mosquito repellent activity against Ae. aegypti females, providing protection for 45 min when tested at a concentration of 166 µg/cm2. This study showed C. aurantium and Shakri Malta peel EOs could be used to formulate natural mosquito repellent
Proliferative and viability effects of two cyanophages on freshwater bloom-forming species Microcystis aeruginosa and Raphidiopsis raciborskii vary between strains /
No full textViruses that infect cyanobacteria are an integral part of aquatic food webs, influencing nutrient cycling and ecosystem health. However, the significance of virus host range, replication efficiency, and host compatibility on cyanobacterial dynamics, growth, and toxicity remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the effects of cyanophage additions on the dynamics and activity of optimal, sub-optimal, and non-permissive cyanobacterial hosts in cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa and Raphidiopsis raciborskii. Our findings reveal that cross-infectivity can substantially reduce the proliferative success of the cyanophage under conditions of high-density of sub-optimal hosts which suggests phage dispersal limitation as a result of shared infections, in turn impairing their top-down control over the host community. Furthermore, we found that cyanophage addition triggers host strain-specific responses in photosynthetic performance, population size and toxin production, even among non-permissive hosts. These non-lytic effects suggest indirect impacts on co-existing cyanobacteria, increasing the overall complexity and variance in many ecologically relevant cyanobacterial traits. The high variability in responses observed with a limited subset of cyanophage-cyanobacteria combinations not only highlights the intricate role of viral infections in microbial ecosystems but also underscores the significant challenges in predicting the composition, toxicity, and dynamics of cyanobacterial blooms
Microbial safety of industrially reared Hermetia illucens larvae and frass: bacterial dynamics and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes /
No full textThe larvae of the black soldier fly (BSFL) can efficiently convert food waste into valuable biomass. They are also an alternative source of fat, protein, and chitin, but little is known about the total microbiota of the whole BSFL and its impact on the microbiological safety of food and feed. This study was conducted to determine bacterial microbiota dynamics of the whole BSFL and frass residues during the industrial rearing process, including the effects of thermal treatment, counts and identification of cultivable bacteria, and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The second and the fourth instar larvae, frozen and dried fourth instar larvae, and frass samples were examined. The composition of the total bacterial microbiota in BSFL samples was similar and dominated by Proteobacteria while in frass Firmicutes prevailed. The lowest diversity was observed in the second instar larvae and the highest in the frass. The samples showed a relatively low bacterial community diversity. In agreement with the analysis of the total microbiota, the isolated cultivable bacterial strains were members of Proteus , Providencia , Morganella , Staphylococcus , Klebsiella , Enterococcus , and Bacillus genera. The counts of cultivable bacteria increased during the growth of larvae and were similar in the fourth instar larvae and frass residues. Dried larvae had the lowest number of viable counts and were dominated by spore-forming bacteria. The determined viable aerobic counts meet the criteria for edible insects. ARGs conferring resistance to aminoglycosides ( aac-aph ), β-lactams ( blaZ ), erythromycin ( ermA ), tetracycline ( tetM , tetW ), and vancomycin ( vanA , vanB ) were detected by PCR, with the highest diversity and detection rate in frass. The gene tetM was the most widespread and detected in all groups of the tested samples. The results of this work extend the scarce knowledge about the dynamics of microorganisms and ARGs in the industrial-scale food waste upcycling process by BSFL
Forewarned is forearmed: Documentation on the invasion risk of Asclepias speciosa in Greece and Europe /
No full textBiological invasions threaten biodiversity and agroecosystems, and early warning systems can minimise the spread of invasive alien species with limited resources. This study documents the presence of the alien plant Asclepias speciosa Torr., native to North America, that was first discovered in 2022 on Mount Vrontou, Central Macedonia, Northern Greece. This is the second European record of this alien species, after Lithuania, confirming its adaptability to contrasting European biogeographical regions. To enable future monitoring, this study provided new data on morphological traits of the species (above-ground parts), climatic tolerance (precipitation and temperature regimes), habitats with co-occurring species, pollinators, current reproductive potential, and seed germination at controlled temperatures (10 °C, 15 °C, and 20 °C). The high probability of misidentification with the highly invasive A. syriaca in European inventories supports the theory that A. speciosa may have been present in Europe long before it was officially reported. The lack of an EU-mandated reassessment of A. syriaca monitoring raises concerns regarding the potential invasion risk of A. speciosa in European natural and semi-natural areas or agricultural lands. Inspection mechanisms, early warning systems, and preventive measures are therefore essential to protect local biodiversity and agriculture from potential A. speciosa invasion, a risk that may be exacerbated by climate change
Crane fly (Diptera: Tipuloidea) systematics: past, present, and future /
No full textSuperfamily Tipuloidea, commonly known as true crane flies, represents a taxonomically and ecologically diverse group within Diptera. Species in this clade are easily recognized by their characteristic long-legged appearance and are widespread across terrestrial and aquatic habitats. This review synthesizes the current state of Tipuloidea systematics, providing an overview of key contributions from the past that have shaped our present understanding. We review the paleontological evidence available for this group and summarize phylogenetic studies that have explored evolutionary relationships across different taxonomic levels. Although significant progress has occurred in documenting global crane fly diversity, opportunities remain to associate conspecific life stages, undertake revisionary taxonomy, and stabilize the classification system through expanded taxon sampling and the use of new genetic markers and mitochondrial genomes in future phylogenetic analyses. Finally, we highlight priority areas for future research to enhance our understanding of Tipuloidea evolution and classification