Genotype-driven sensitivity of mice to tick-borne encephalitis virus correlates with differential host responses in peripheral macrophages and brain.

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most common tick-borne viral infection in Eurasia. Outcomes range from asymptomatic infection to fatal encephalitis, with host genetics likely playing a role. BALB/c mice have intermediate susceptibility to TBE virus (TBEV) and STS mice are highly resistant, whereas the recombinant congenic strain CcS-11, which carries 12.

Intraspecific Morphometric Variation in a New Species of Thélohan 1892 (Cnidaria) from the South Atlantic Ocean: An Ecomorphological Study Using Geometric Morphometrics.

A new species of (Ceratomyxidae, Myxosporea) was found infecting the gall bladder of the Argentine croaker Berg 1895 (Sciaenidae, Perciformes) from the Argentine sea. Using an integrative taxonomic approach that combines morphological, bioecological, and molecular analyses, we provide evidence that clearly differentiates this species from known taxa and formally describe as a new species. This study is the first to apply landmark-based geometric morphometrics (GM) in myxozoan research, providing a detailed analysis of conspecific morphometric variation of ceratomyxid myxospores, examining their natural variation within and among different ceratomyxids infecting the gall bladder of .

Half a Century of Temperate Non-Forest Vegetation Changes: No Net Loss in Species Richness, but Considerable Shifts in Taxonomic and Functional Composition.

In recent decades, global change and local anthropogenic pressures have severely affected natural ecosystems and their biodiversity. Although disentangling the effects of these factors is difficult, they are reflected in changes in the functional composition of plant communities. We present a comprehensive, large-scale analysis of long-term changes in plant communities of various non-forest habitat types in the Czech Republic based on 1154 vegetation-plot time series from 53 resurvey studies comprising 3909 vegetation-plot records.

Effect of selected Indonesian plants on Giardia intestinalis in an experimental in vitro model.

Background: This study evaluated in vitro antigiardial activity in four Indonesian plants (Archidendron fagifolium, Diospyros sumatrana, Piper betle and Shorea sumatrana) extracted in methanol, methanol-tetrahydrofuran, and water. These plants exhibiting promising anti-parasitic activity were selected on the basis of collected behavioral data and their ability to decrease parasite load in Sumatran orangutans. Extracts of Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant routinely used as a laboratory model in research, were used as a negative control.

Dating the origin of a viral domestication event in parasitoid wasps attacking Diptera.

Over the course of evolution, hymenopteran parasitoids have developed a close relationship with heritable viruses, sometimes integrating viral genes into their chromosomes. For example, in parasitoids belonging to the genus, 13 viral genes from the family have been domesticated to deliver immunosuppressive factors to host immune cells, thereby protecting parasitoid offspring from the host immune response. The present study aims to comprehensively characterize this domestication event in terms of the viral genes involved, the wasp diversity affected by this event and its chronology.

A customizable multiplex protein microarray for antibody testing and its application for tick-borne and other infectious diseases.

Tick-borne infections are the most common vector-borne diseases in the USA. Ticks harbor and transmit several infections with Lyme disease being the most common tickborne infection in the US and Europe. Lack of awareness about tick populations, specific diagnostic tests, and overlapping signs and symptoms of tick-borne infections can often lead to misdiagnosis affecting treatment and the prevalence data reported especially for non-Lyme tick-borne infections.

Studies on trematodes and acanthocephalans from freshwater fishes of Hubei Province, central China, with the erection of a new genus Quadrihexaspiron gen. n. (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae).

The present paper comprises a systematic survey of trematodes and acanthocephalans based on helminthological examinations of 64 specimens of 14 species of freshwater fishes, belonging to six families of four fish orders, mostly from localities in Hubei Province, central China, collected in the autumn of 2002. A total of 15 trematode species (in 12 families) and 5 acanthocephalan species (in four families) was recorded. Almost all parasites are briefly described and illustrated and problems concerning their morphology, taxonomy, hosts and geographical distribution are discussed.

Enhanced RNAi does not provide efficient innate antiviral immunity in mice.

In RNA interference (RNAi), long double-stranded RNA is cleaved by the Dicer endonuclease into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which guide degradation of complementary RNAs. While RNAi mediates antiviral innate immunity in plants and many invertebrates, vertebrates have adopted a sequence-independent response and their Dicer produces siRNAs inefficiently because it is adapted to process small hairpin microRNA precursors in the gene-regulating microRNA pathway. Mammalian endogenous RNAi is thus a rudimentary pathway of unclear significance.

Genome-wide analyses provide insights into genetic variation, phylo- and co-phylogenetic relationships, and biogeography of the entomopathogenic nematode genus Heterorhabditis.

Multigene, genus-wide phylogenetic studies have uncovered the limited taxonomic resolution power of commonly used gene markers, particularly of rRNA genes, to discriminate closely related species of the nematode genus Heterorhabditis. In addition, conflicting tree topologies are often obtained using the different gene markers, which limits our understanding of the phylo- and co-phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the entomopathogenic nematode genus Heterorhabditis. Here we carried out phylogenomic reconstructions using whole nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and whole ribosomal operon sequences, as well as multiple phylogenetic reconstructions using various single nuclear and mitochondrial genes.

Pervasive horizontal transmission of Wolbachia in natural populations of closely related and widespread tropical skipper butterflies.

Background: The endosymbiotic relationship between Wolbachia bacteria and insects has been of interest for many years due to their diverse types of host reproductive phenotypic manipulation and potential role in the host's evolutionary history and population dynamics. Even though infection rates are high in Lepidoptera and specifically in butterflies, and reproductive manipulation is present in these taxa, less attention has been given to understanding how Wolbachia is acquired and maintained in their natural populations, across and within species having continental geographical distributions.

Results: We used whole genome sequencing data to investigate the phylogenetics, demographic history, and infection rate dynamics of Wolbachia in four species of the Spicauda genus of skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), a taxon that presents sympatric and often syntopic distribution, with drastic variability in species abundance in the Neotropical region.

Membrane-Active Singlet Oxygen Photogenerators as a Paradigm for Broad-Spectrum Antivirals: The Case of Halogenated (BOron)-DIPYrromethenes.

Enveloped viruses, such as flaviviruses and coronaviruses, are pathogens of significant medical concern that cause severe infections in humans. Some photosensitizers are known to possess virucidal activity against enveloped viruses, targeting their lipid bilayer. Here we report a series of halogenated difluoroboron-dipyrromethene (BODIPYs) photosensitizers with strong virus-inactivating activity.

Hierarchical architecture of neo-sex chromosomes and accelerated adaptive evolution in tortricid moths.

Sex chromosomes can expand through fusion with autosomes, thereby acquiring unique evolutionary patterns. In butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), these sex chromosome-autosome (SA) fusions occur relatively frequently, suggesting possible evolutionary advantages. Here, we investigated how SA fusion affects chromosome features and molecular evolution in leafroller moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

Potential of water sediments in construction materials: Current approaches and critical consideration of future challenges.

Human activities result in sediment accumulation, so the reservoirs gradually lose their functionality, impacting their ability to manage large flood inflows, supply water, and generate hydroelectric power. Therefore, periodic removal of sediments from water reservoirs is essential to maintain functionality. Notwithstanding, the management of dredged sediments is a multifaceted process that involves careful consideration of environmental, regulatory, and economic factors to ensure their responsibility and sustainable handling.

Climate drives the long-term ant male production in a tropical community.

Forecasting insect responses to environmental variables at local and global spatial scales remains a crucial task in Ecology. However, predicting future responses requires long-term datasets, which are rarely available for insects, especially in the tropics. From 2002 to 2017, we recorded male ant incidence of 155 ant species at ten malaise traps on the 50-ha ForestGEO plot in Barro Colorado Island.

Introducing a global database of entomopathogenic fungi and their host associations.

Pathogens significantly influence natural and agricultural ecosystems, playing a crucial role in the regulation of species populations and maintaining biodiversity. Entomopathogenic fungi (EF), particularly within the Hypocreales order, exemplify understudied pathogens that infect insects and other arthropods globally. Despite their ecological importance, comprehensive data on EF host specificity and geographical distribution are lacking.

Rebalancing the seed proteome following deletion of vicilin-related genes in pea (Pisum sativum L.).

Null mutations for genes encoding a major seed storage protein in pea, vicilin, were sought through screening a fast-neutron mutant population. Deletion mutations at four or five vicilin loci, where all vicilin genes within each locus were deleted, were combined to address the question of how removal or reduction of a major storage protein and potential allergen might impact the final concentration of protein per unit mature seed weight, seed yield and viability. While the concentration of seed protein was not reduced in mature seeds of mutant lines, indicative of a re-balancing of the proteome, notable differences were apparent in the metabolite, proteomic and amino acid profiles of the seeds, as well as in some functional properties.

Population trends of insect pollinators in a species-rich tropical rainforest: stable trends but contrasting patterns across taxa.

Recent reports of insect decline have raised concerns regarding population responses of ecologically important groups, such as insect pollinators. Additionally, how population trends vary across pollinator taxonomic groups and degree of specialization is unclear. Here, we analyse 14 years of abundance data (2009-2022) for 38 species of native insect pollinators, including a range of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera specialists and generalists from the tropical rainforest of Barro Colorado Island, Panama.

Standard deviation: Standardized bat monitoring techniques work better in some ecosystems.

Standardized monitoring strategies are often used to study spatial and temporal ecological patterns and trends. Such approaches are applied for many study taxa, including bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera). However, local characteristics of individual field sites, including species assemblages, terrain, climatic factors, and presence or lack of landscape features, may affect the efficacy of these standardized surveys.

Checklist and distribution of ladybirds (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) in Iranian provinces.

Although checklists of the Iranian ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) have been made twice in recent years, they have a number of shortcomings. Moreover, since these checklist were published, several ladybird species have been added to the Iranian fauna and several previously reported have been excluded. We therefore compiled an updated checklist of Coccinellidae found in Iran and its individual provinces based on available literature and previously unpublished records.

Copy number variants underlie major selective sweeps in insecticide resistance genes in Anopheles arabiensis.

To keep ahead of the evolution of resistance to insecticides in mosquitoes, national malaria control programmes must make use of a range of insecticides, both old and new, while monitoring resistance mechanisms. The outdoor-biting malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis is of increasing concern for malaria transmission because it is apparently less susceptible to many indoor control interventions, yet knowledge of its mechanisms of resistance remains limited. Furthermore, comparatively little is known in general about resistance to non-pyrethroid insecticides such as pirimiphos-methyl (PM), which are crucial for effective control in the context of globally high resistance to pyrethroids.

Transition to Piscivory Seen Through Brain Transcriptomics in a Juvenile Percid Fish: Complex Interplay of Differential Gene Transcription, Alternative Splicing, and ncRNA Activity.

Pikeperch (Sander Lucioperca) belongs to main predatory fish species in freshwater bodies throughout Europe playing the key role by reducing planktivorous fish abundance. Two size classes of the young-of-the-year (YOY) pikeperch are known in Europe and North America. Our long-term fish survey elucidates late-summer size distribution of YOY pikeperch in the Lipno Reservoir (Czechia) and recognizes two distinct subcohorts: smaller pelagic planktivores heavily outnumber larger demersal piscivores.

Long-read sequencing sheds light on key bacteria contributing to deadwood decomposition processes.

Background: Deadwood decomposition is an essential ecological process in forest ecosystems, playing a key role in nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration by enriching soils with organic matter. This process is driven by diverse microbial communities encompassing specialized functions in breaking down organic matter, but the specific roles of individual microorganisms in this process are still not fully understood.

Results: Here, we characterized the deadwood microbiome in a natural mixed temperate forest in Central Europe using PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing and a genome-resolved transcriptomics approach in order to uncover key microbial contributors to wood decomposition.