Seasonal Changes in the Gut Microbiota of Halyomorpha halys.

The gut microbiome plays an important role in insect evolution and ecology. Bacteria support the host's nutrition and defense and therefore play an important role in the fitness of the host. Halyomorpha halys is one of the most important invasive pest species in the world.

Mechanisms determining the multi-diversity of carrion visiting species along a gradient of carrion body mass.

Resource availability and habitat heterogeneity are essential drivers of biodiversity, but their individual roles often remain unclear since both factors are often correlated. Here, we tested the more-individuals hypothesis (MIH) and the habitat-heterogeneity hypothesis (HHH) for bacteria, fungi, dipterans, coleopterans, birds, and mammals on 100 experimentally exposed carcasses ranging by three orders of magnitude in body mass. At the level of each carcass we found marginal or significant support for the MIH for bacteria, fungi, and beetles in spring and significant support for fungi, dipterans, and mammals in summer.

Ecological drivers of carrion beetle (Staphylinidae: Silphinae) diversity on small to large mammals.

Silphinae (Staphylinidae; carrion beetles) are important contributors to the efficient decomposition and recycling of carrion necromass. Their community composition is important for the provision of this ecosystem function and can be affected by abiotic and biotic factors. However, investigations are lacking on the effects of carrion characteristics on Silphinae diversity.

Bumblebees are resilient to neonicotinoid-fungicide combinations.

Bumblebees are among the most important wild bees for pollination of crops and securing wildflower diversity. However, their abundance and diversity have been on a steady decrease in the last decades. One of the most important factors leading to their decline is the frequent use of plant protection products (PPPs) in agriculture, which spread into forests and natural reserves.

Impact of environmental factors on spider silk properties.

Spider orb webs have evolved to stop flying prey, fast and slow alike. One of the main web elements dissipating impact energy is the radial fibers, or major ampullate silks, which possess a toughness surpassing most man-made materials. Orb webs are extended phenotypes, and as such their architectural elements, including major ampullate silks, have been selected to optimize prey capture under the respective environmental conditions.