The ECAT dataset: expert-validated distribution data of endemic and sub-endemic trees of Central Africa (Dem. Rep. Congo, Rwanda, Burundi).

In this data paper, we present a specimen-based occurrence dataset compiled in the framework of the Conservation of Endemic Central African Trees (ECAT) project with the aim of producing global conservation assessments for the IUCN Red List. The project targets all tree species endemic or sub-endemic to the Central African region comprising the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Rwanda, and Burundi. The dataset contains 6361 plant collection records with occurrences of 8910 specimens from 337 taxa belonging to 153 genera in 52 families.

: An R package to assist large-scale multispecies preliminary conservation assessments using distribution data.

The Red List Categories and the accompanying five criteria developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provide an authoritative and comprehensive methodology to assess the conservation status of organisms. Red List criterion B, which principally uses distribution data, is the most widely used to assess conservation status, particularly of plant species. No software package has previously been available to perform large-scale multispecies calculations of the three main criterion B parameters [extent of occurrence (EOO), area of occupancy (AOO) and an estimate of the number of locations] and provide preliminary conservation assessments using an automated batch process.

Parasite-mediated protection against osmotic stress for Paramecium caudatum infected by Holospora undulata is host genotype specific.

Under certain conditions, otherwise parasitic organisms may become beneficial to their host. Parasite-mediated heat and osmotic stress resistance have been demonstrated for Paramecium caudatum, infected by several species of parasitic bacteria of the genus Holospora. Here, using the micronucleus-specific bacterium Holospora undulata, we investigate how infection mediates the response of two genotypes (clones 'K8' and 'VEN') of P.