Probing CPT Invariance with Top Quarks at the LHC.

The first model-independent sensitivity to CPT violation in the top-quark sector is extracted from ATLAS and CMS measurements of the top and antitop kinematical mass difference. We find that the temporal component of a CPT-violating background field interacting with the top-quark vector current is restricted within the interval [-0.13,0.

Four years monitoring of the endangered European plethodontid salamanders.

The ongoing biodiversity crisis is strongly threatening amphibians, mostly because of their peculiar physiology, their sensitivity to climate change and the spread of diseases. Effective monitoring involving assessments of pressure effects across time and estimation of population trends play a key role in mitigating amphibian decline. To improve implementation of standardized protocols and conservation efforts, we present here a dataset related to one of the amphibian genera whose onservation status is considered the most declining according to the IUCN.

Telomere length and dynamics in cave and surface morphs.

Background: Telomeres are non-coding DNA repeats at the chromosome ends and their shortening is considered one of the major causes of aging. However, they also serve as a biomarker of environmental exposures and their length and attrition is affected by various stressors. In this study, we examined the average telomere length in , a species that has both surface-dwelling and cave-adapted populations.

Groundwater is a hidden global keystone ecosystem.

Groundwater is a vital ecosystem of the global water cycle, hosting unique biodiversity and providing essential services to societies. Despite being the largest unfrozen freshwater resource, in a period of depletion by extraction and pollution, groundwater environments have been repeatedly overlooked in global biodiversity conservation agendas. Disregarding the importance of groundwater as an ecosystem ignores its critical role in preserving surface biomes.

Recent Advances in the Behavioral Ecology of European Plethodontid Salamanders.

There is a recent growing interest in the study of evolutionary and behavioral ecology of amphibians. Among salamanders, Plethodontidae is the most speciose family, with more than 500 species, while in Europe, there are only 8 species, all belonging to the genus . European plethodontids recently received increasing attention with regard to the study of their natural history, ecology and behavior; however, the lack of standardized data, especially for the latter, hampers comparative analysis with the species from the New World.

Electrifying Friedel-Crafts Intramolecular Alkylation toward 1,1-Disubstituted Tetrahydronaphthalenes.

In this work, we successfully employed electrochemical conditions to promote a Hofer-Moest, intramolecular Friedel-Crafts alkylation sequence. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions, employing carboxylic acids as starting materials. Notably, the electrochemical process performed in batch was adapted to a continuous flow electrolysis apparatus to provide a significant improvement.

Inferring on Foraging Behavior from Gut Contents Examination.

We here provide the first comprehensive analysis and discussion on prey consumed by the European cave salamanders of the genus . Our study stems from the need to shed light on the still unknown foraging behavior adopted by cave salamanders. Starting from the published datasets on gut contents from all species (including hybrids), we here discuss additional information (i.

Monitoring of the Endangered Cave Salamander .

In this study, we performed the first monitoring activities on one of the most endangered amphibians in Europe, the Sette Fratelli cave salamander . The data presented here are derived from two monitoring activities aiming to assess the status and abundance of four populations of . With the first monitoring, we surveyed the well-known population occurring within artificial springs during the period 2015-2018, providing monthly data on the number of active individuals.

The trophic niche of subterranean populations of Speleomantes italicus.

The determination of a species trophic niche can clarify its functional role within a food web and how prey resources are used in relation with the spatial and temporal variability of environmental conditions. This information may result particularly useful for the implementation of conservation plans of endangered species having a cryptic behaviour or living in places difficult to be surveyed. Here we present the first long-term study on the trophic niche of the Italian cave salamander Speleomantes italicus, a strictly protected facultative cave species that seasonally exploits surface environments (e.

The Trophic Niche of Two Sympatric Species of Salamanders (Plethodontidae and Salamandridae) from Italy.

The trophic niche of a species is one of the fundamental traits of species biology. The ideal trophic niche of a species is realized in the absence of interspecific competition, targeting the most profitable and easy-to-handle food resources. However, when a competitor is present, species adopt different strategies to reduce competition and promote coexistence.

A trait database and updated checklist for European subterranean spiders.

Species traits are an essential currency in ecology, evolution, biogeography, and conservation biology. However, trait databases are unavailable for most organisms, especially those living in difficult-to-access habitats such as caves and other subterranean ecosystems. We compiled an expert-curated trait database for subterranean spiders in Europe using both literature data (including grey literature published in many different languages) and direct morphological measurements whenever specimens were available to us.

Global response of conservationists across mass media likely constrained bat persecution due to COVID-19.

Most people lack direct experience with wildlife and form their risk perception primarily on information provided by the media. The way the media frames news may substantially shape public risk perception, promoting or discouraging public tolerance towards wildlife. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, bats were suggested as the most plausible reservoir of the virus, and this became a recurrent topic in media reports, potentially strengthening a negative view of this ecologically important group.

Environmental DNA of insects and springtails from caves reveals complex processes of eDNA transfer in soils.

Subterranean environments host a substantial amount of biodiversity, however assessing the distribution of species living underground is still extremely challenging. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a powerful tool to estimate biodiversity in poorly known environments and has excellent performance for soil organisms. Here, we tested 1) whether eDNA metabarcoding from cave soils/sediments allows to successfully detect springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) and insects (Hexapoda: Insecta); 2) whether eDNA mostly represents autochthonous (cave-dwelling) organisms or it also incorporates information from species living in surface environments; 3) whether eDNA detection probability changes across taxa with different ecology.

Capture-mark-recapture data on the strictly protected Speleomantes italicus.

This data set collects capture-mark-recapture data, biometric data, and stomach contents of seven populations of the Italian cave salamander (Speleomantes italicus), one of the strictly protected European plethodontid species endemic to mainland Italy. We monitored six subterranean populations inside caves, and one fully epigean population living in a forest, surveying a total area of >5200 m . Data collection was performed 24 times throughout a year for each of the subterranean populations, and seven times in late winter-early spring for the epigean population.

Selective Binding and Redox-Activity on Parallel G-Quadruplexes by Pegylated Naphthalene Diimide-Copper Complexes.

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are higher-order supramolecular structures, biologically important in the regulation of many key processes. Among all, the recent discoveries relating to RNA-G4s, including their potential involvement as antiviral targets against COVID-19, have triggered the ever-increasing need to develop selective molecules able to interact with parallel G4s. Naphthalene diimides (NDIs) are widely exploited as G4 ligands, being able to induce and strongly stabilize these structures.

Collecting eco-evolutionary data in the dark: Impediments to subterranean research and how to overcome them.

Caves and other subterranean habitats fulfill the requirements of experimental model systems to address general questions in ecology and evolution. Yet, the harsh working conditions of these environments and the uniqueness of the subterranean organisms have challenged most attempts to pursuit standardized research.Two main obstacles have synergistically hampered previous attempts.

Updating salamander datasets with phenotypic and stomach content information for two mainland Speleomantes.

European plethodontid salamanders (genus Speleomantes; formerly Hydromantes) are a group of eight strictly protected amphibian species which are sensitive to human-induced environmental changes. Long-term monitoring is highly recommended to evaluate their status and to assess potential threats. Here we used two low-impact methodologies to build up a large dataset on two mainland Speleomantes species (S.

Global COVID-19 lockdown highlights humans as both threats and custodians of the environment.

The global lockdown to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic health risks has altered human interactions with nature. Here, we report immediate impacts of changes in human activities on wildlife and environmental threats during the early lockdown months of 2020, based on 877 qualitative reports and 332 quantitative assessments from 89 different studies. Hundreds of reports of unusual species observations from around the world suggest that animals quickly responded to the reductions in human presence.

The post hoc measurement as a safe and reliable method to age and size plethodontid salamanders.

The worldwide biodiversity crisis with the resulting need to increase species protection has led researchers to pursue and select survey methods that guarantee the best quality of data and produce the least negative effects on wild animals. Plethodontids are the most diverse family of salamanders; all species are very sensitive to human handling and noninvasive, but accurate, measurement methods are needed to reduce researchers' impact. Here, we tested the reliability of a noninvasive post hoc method in estimating the snout-vent length (SVL) from photographs showing salamanders' dorsal view.

Do Chinese cavefish show intraspecific variability in morphological traits?

Cavefishes represent one of the most bizarre and intriguing life forms inhabiting groundwater environments. One-third of the known cavefishes worldwide is endemic to China, and almost half of those belongs to a single genus, (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae). Analyzing the morphometrics of three species, we aimed to assess whether variability among conspecific populations exists.

Photographic database of the European cave salamanders, genus Hydromantes.

European Hydromantes are a group of eight salamander species often occurring in subterranean habitats, which are a difficult environment to explore. All Hydromantes are strictly protected species and thus, low-impact methodologies to study these salamanders are strongly needed. Here we used a photographic technique to produce a large dataset of European Hydromantes, providing standardised pictures of 1,052 individuals belonging to the eight species, including hybrids as well.

Interspecific and interpopulation variation in individual diet specialization: Do environmental factors have a role?

Individual diet specialization (IS) has important community- and population-level implications and its ecological drivers are actively investigated. Here, to test the hypothesis that local environmental conditions may influence IS in wild populations, we analyzed the stomach contents of 395 individuals from eight populations of five allopatric species of European cave salamanders (genus Hydromantes). We assessed whether their degree of individual diet specialization (1) scaled positively with the respective niche widths, in agreement with Van Valen's niche variation hypothesis (NVH), and (2) could be predicted by satellite-derived climatic and vegetation characteristics of the sites where the populations live.

Cave morphology, microclimate and abundance of five cave predators from the Monte Albo (Sardinia, Italy).

Background: Systematic data collection on species and their exploited environments is of key importance for conservation studies. Within the less-known environments, the subterranean ones are neither easy to be studied, nor to be explored. Subterranean environments house a wide number of specialised organisms, many of which show high sensitivity to habitat alteration.