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From remote to urbanized: dispersal of antibiotic-resistant bacteria under the aspect of anthropogenic influence
Get PDFAntibiotic resistance is a growing global concern, but our understanding of the spread of resistant bacteria in remote regions remains limited. While some level of intrinsic resistance likely contributes to reduced susceptibility to antimicrobials in the environment, it is evident that human actions, particularly the (mis)use of antibiotics, play a significant role in shaping the environmental resistome, even in seemingly distant habitats like glacier ice sheets. Our research aims to bridge this knowledge gap by investigating the direct influence of human activities on the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in various habitats. To achieve a comprehensive assessment of anthropogenic impact across diverse and seemingly isolated sampling sites, we developed an innovative approach utilizing Corine Land Cover data and heatmaps generated from sports activity trackers. This method allowed us to make meaningful comparisons across relatively pristine environments. Our findings indicate a noteworthy increase in culturable antibiotic-resistant bacteria with heightened human influence, as evidenced by our analysis of glacier, snow, and lake water samples. Notably, the most significant concentrations of antibiotic-resistant and multidrug-resistant microorganisms were discovered in two highly impacted sampling locations, namely the Tux Glacier and Gas Station Ellma
Prove di efficacia di alcuni insetticidi su Scaphoideus titanus in sperimentazione di semicampo
Get PDFLa sperimentazione è stata condotta negli anni 2022 e 2023 in serra su piante di vite in vaso con diversi insetticidi comunemente utilizzati nella gestione integrata e biologica della vite. L’attività residuale vs Scaphoideus titanus è stata valutata tramite l’inserimento degli insetti in manicotti di rete applicati a piante di vite trattate. In ogni manicotto-replica sono stati inseriti 5 insetti (stadi giovanili o adulti) in tre momenti successivi: il giorno del trattamento a vegetazione asciutta, dopo 3 e dopo 7 giorni per valutare la persistenza d’azione. I controlli di mortalità sono stati eseguiti dopo 1, 3 e 7 giorni dall’inserimento. I risultati indicano che i prodotti utilizzabili nelle strategie di controllo integrato, come Closer, Epik SL, Kaimo Sorbie, Trebon e Sivanto hanno una buona efficacia e persistenza nei confronti di S. titanus. Biopiren Plus, ammesso nella gestione biologica, ha dimostrato una buona attività abbattente dopo il trattamento ma bassa persistenza. Asset Five, Surround WP e Naturalis, non hanno mostrato significativa attività insetticida o di disturboThe trials were conducted in 2022 and 2023 in a greenhouse on potted vine plants, with various insecticides commonly used in IPM and organic management. The evaluation vs Scaphoideus titanus took place by inserting the insects into mesh sleeves applied to treated vine plants. 5 insects (young or adult stages) were inserted into each sleeve at three successive times: on the day of treatment with dry vegetation, after 3 and after 7 days to evaluate the persistence of action. Mortality assessments were performed 1, 3 and 7 days after insertion. Results indicate that products used in integrated control, such as Closer, Epik SL, Kaimo Sorbie, Trebon and Sivanto have good efficacy and persistence against S. titanus. Biopiren Plus, admitted into organic management, demonstrated good knockdown activity after treatment but low persistence. Asset Five, Surround WP and Naturalis, did not show significant activit
Diel vibrational activity of Halyomorpha halys and its implications for enhancing bimodal traps
No full textThe brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive insect pest that has caused significant economic losses in a myriad of agricultural crops in Europe and the USA. The communication as well as the control of this pest largely rely on semiochemicals (e.g., pheromones) and semiophysicals (e.g., substrate-borne vibrations). Nevertheless, the nocturnal activity of H. halys is still largely unknown. In the present study, the diel vibrational communication of H. halys was investigated in controlled laboratory and semi-field conditions. Moreover, the relevance of this ecological trait for integrated pest management (IPM) strategies was assessed by extending playback periods of bimodal (i.e., pheromones + vibrational playbacks) traps to 24 h, and comparing it to the current trap model (solar panel, about 12 h of playback) and a control (no playback, only pheromone). We found that H. halys did not exhibit discernible differences of vibrational activity between photophase and scotophase, with the exception of signal type 2 that in laboratory conditions was predominately emitted within nocturnal and morning hours (i.e., 20:00–12:00). Additionally, the calling activity was negatively affected by warmer (>32 °C) and windier (>7 m s−1) conditions in semi-field settings. Bimodal traps that were power-supplied for 24 h captured significantly more males than the other groups, and more females than the control group. Results suggest that the nocturnal vibrational activity of H. halys should be accounted for within IPM strategies by activating the bimodal traps also during the scotophas
Decadal changes in surface CO2 concentrations and CO2 fluxes in a mountain lake
Get PDFClimate warming impacts biogeochemical cycles in lakes. However, the factors controlling CO2 dynamics in mountain lakes over multidecadal scales are poorly understood. Here, we capitalized on long-term monthly data (1995–2022) of oligotrophic mountain Lake Tovel and calculated surface CO2 concentrations and flux by applying geochemical relationships and the thin boundary layer approach. Advanced time-series and regression modeling was used to determine temporal patterns and environmental parameters explaining surface CO2 concentrations and flux. Surface CO2 concentrations were highest from 2009 to 2017 (annual mean: 109.1 μmol CO2 L1 ) but lower before and after this period. Concomitantly, the air–water CO2 flux (μmol CO2 m2 d1 ) showed a period of lowest (mean1995–2010: 6.4 0.7), highest (mean2011–2017: 35.7 2.1), and intermediate emissions (mean2018–2022: 19.3 4.7). Temporal modeling showed that hypolimnetic and deep hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen (DO) had the same change points and trends as surface CO2 concentrations. In multiple linear regression, hypolimnetic DO, silica, and the standardized precipitation index (pseudoR2 adj. = 0.62; p < 0.01) best predicted annual mean surface CO2 concentrations. Regression results and the overlap between temporal trend patterns indicated that surface CO2 concentrations of Lake Tovel were positively influenced by external (loading of allochthonous carbon) and internal (lake autumn mixing) factors. The recent decline in surface CO2 concentrations from the year 2018 was attributed to increased stratification that offset lake autumn mixing and thus lead to the observed decline. These results help us to better understand the carbon cycle in mountain lakes in a changing climat
First steps towards pre-breeding of Sideritis scardica: a phenotypic, agronomic, and phytochemical profiling approach
Get PDFSideritis scardica (S. scardica) Griseb., also known as mountain tea, is an important medicinal and aromatic plant species. Due to the high cross-pollination ability of the species, diverse genotypes and phenotypes occur naturally. Considering that superior uniform genotypes are necessary for highly qualitative and sustainable production, this study aimed to conduct a pre-breeding evaluation of three clones (SID1, SID2, and SID3) originating from a selected S. scardica population growing in Greece. According to a phenotypic and agronomic evaluation, SID2 seemed to be superior among the three clones, expressing a good profile with desirable traits (i.e., desired inflorescence length and leaf surface, high length of stems, and high fresh and dry plant biomass). Furthermore, SID3 presented some remarkable measurements regarding morphological (upright growth habit) and agronomic (high number of stems and plant dry weight, desired plant surface) traits. The phytochemical profile of the three clones was assessed with regard to their volatile and polyphenolic compounds. Forty-four constituents were identified in S. scardica essential oil, including hydrocarbon monoterpenes, sesquiterpenoids, oxygenated monoterpenes, and other groups (monoterpene ketones, saturated fatty alcohols, benzoic esters). Liquid chromatographic analysis revealed SID2 as the clone most abundant in the major polyphenolic metabolites: verbascoside (2234.3 mg 100 g−1), isoscutellarein-7-O [6′′-O-acetyl]-allosyl(1 → 2) glucoside (1456.5 mg 100 g−1), and 4-methyl hypolaetin-7-O [6′′-O-acetyl]-allosyl(1 → 2) glucoside (861.8 mg 100 g−1). The results indicate the ability to combine morphological, agronomic, and phytochemical traits, in order to identify superior S. scardica genotypes for further evaluation and utilization in breeding programs, aiming to create cultivars or varieties for farming purposes with desired performance and high quantitative and qualitative yield
An open software development-based ecosystem of R packages for metabolomics data analysis
Get PDFA frequent problem with scientific research software is the lack of support, maintenance and further development. In particular, development by a single researcher can easily result in orphaned software packages, especially if combined with poor documentation or lack of adherence to open software development standards. The RforMassSpectrometry initiative aims to develop an efficient and stable infrastructure for mass spectrometry (MS) data analysis. As part of this initiative, a growing ecosystem of R software packages is being developed covering different aspects of metabolomics and proteomics data analysis. To avoid the aforementioned problems, community contributions are fostered, and open development, documentation and long-term support emphasized. At the heart of the package ecosystem is the Spectra package that provides the core infrastructure to handle and analyze MS data. Its design allows easy expansion to support additional file or data formats including data representations with minimal memory footprint or remote data access. The xcms package for LC-MS data preprocessing was updated to reuse this infrastructure, enabling now also the analysis of very large, or remote, data. This integration simplifies in addition complete analysis workflows which can include the MsFeatures package for compounding, and the MetaboAnnotation package for annotation of untargeted metabolomics experiments. Public annotation resources can be easily accessed through packages such as MsBackendMassbank, MsBackendMgf, MsBackendMsp or CompoundDb, the latter also allowing to create and manage lab-specific compound databases. Finally, the MsCoreUtils and MetaboCoreUtils packages provide efficient implementations of commonly used algorithms, designed to be re-used in other R packages. Ultimately, and in contrast to a monolithic software design, the package ecosystem enables to build customized, modular, and reproducible analysis workflows. Future development will focus on improved data structures and analysis methods for chromatographic data, and better interoperability with other open source softwares including a direct integration with Python MS libraries
Traceability and authentication in agri-food production: a multivariate approach to the characterization of the Italian food excellence elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.), a vasoactive nutraceutical
Get PDFA research platform for food authentication was set up by combining stable isotope ratio analysis, metabolomics by gas and liquid mass-spectrometry and NMR investigations, chemometric analyses for food excellences. This multi-analytical approach was tested on samples of elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.), a species belonging to the same genus of common garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.), mainly produced in southern Tuscany-(Allium ampeloprasum). The isotopic composition allowed the product to be geographically characterized. Flavonoids, like (+)-catechin, cinnamic acids, quercetin glycosides were identified. The samples showed also a significant amount of dipeptides, sulphur-containing metabolites and glutathione, the latter of which could be considered a molecular marker of the analyzed elephant garlic. For nutraceutical profiling to reach quality labels, extracts were investigated in specific biological assays, displaying interesting vasorelaxant properties in rat aorta by mediating nitric oxide release from the endothelium and exhibited positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects in rat perfused hear
Do dissolved heavy metals enter the food webs of alpine streams?
Get PDFThe Euregio - investigates the origin, export, and ecological effects of trace elements in river networks affected by rock glacier thawing and glacier retreat. Permafrost degradation and glacier recession can cause elevate export of solutes, including heavy metals, into river networks while the contribution from groundwater is often negligible. However, the ecological effects remain understudied. We assessed if and how trace element enrichment causes biomagnification processes in the aquatic organisms by characterizing the foodwebs of different stream types (intact and relict rock glaciers, and reference spring draining an area without periglacial landforms/glaciers/permafrost) with 13 15N isotopic ratios analysis and measuring the content of trace elements in each component of the foodweb. The investigation was conducted in 2022 in two catchments in South-Tyrol: Lazaun and Madritsch/Madriccio Valleys. The analysed matrices were: CPOM, FPOM, epilithic biofilms, bryophytes, and benthic invertebrates of different taxa characterized and grouped by feeding habit (omnivore, carnivore, herbivore, detritivore). The same trace elements were measured in the water of each stream type. As expected, most of the biomagnification occurred in streams originating from intact rock glaciers
The economic analyses of the Drosophila suzukii’s invasions: a mini-review
No full textThe objective of this paper is to bring to the fore the type of economic analyses that have been carried out on the invasion of the Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and what has been learned. The analysis is limited to the original research articles published in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. A total of 20 relevant studies are identified. The studies are analysed based on their main purpose, which is either economic impact assessment or economic evaluation of management programmes. The analysis also considers the key methodological points highlighted in recent reviews of the economic literature on alien invasive species. Over time, the focus of these studies has gradually shifted from raising awareness of the magnitude of the impact, particularly on agricultural production, to supporting the decision-making process concerning effective pest management. Most studies have been conducted from a private perspective, measuring private costs and providing guidance to the industry. However, some papers include, or focus on, the societal costs caused by the invasions of D. suzukii. This review has found few impact studies in the recently invaded areas and no economic evaluation of management programmes. There are not only geographical areas, but also themes that need more attention and analysis in the economic studies on D. suzukii. Assessing the economic effectiveness of integrated pest management programmes in specific settings, included the Latin American countries, is crucia