CAT-PMSF improves phylogenetic modelling under maximum likelihood and resolves Tardigrada within Panarthropoda, as the sister of Arthropoda plus Onychophora.

Tardigrada, the water bears, are microscopic animals with walking appendages, that are members of Ecdysozoa, the clade of moulting animals that also includes Nematoda (round worms), Nematomorpha (horsehair worms), Priapulida (penis worms), Kinorhyncha (mud dragons), Loricifera (loricated animals), Arthropoda (insects, spiders centipedes, crustaceans and their allies) and Onychophora (velvet worms). The phylogenetic relationships within Ecdysozoa are still unclear, with analyses of molecular and morphological data yielding incongruent results. Here we use CAT-posterior mean site frequencies (CAT-PMSF), a new method to export dataset-specific mixture models (CAT-Poisson and CAT-GTR) parameterized using Bayesian methods to maximum likelihood software.

Phylogeny of Australian Acerentomidae species (Protura: Acerentomidae), with a key to identification.

The materials of three Acerentomidae species from Australia and Tasmania were studied. Additional morphological characters, such as chaetotaxy of head and notal segments, shape of body setae and porotaxy, are provided based on new materials of Australentulus westraliensis from Australia and Tasmanentulus tasmanicus from Tasmania. A new species, Amphientulus markstivensi, is described from Tasmania.

Description of Macrobiotus kathyae sp. nov. (Parachela: Macrobiotidae) and first records of tardigrades from Indiana (USA).

The integrative description of the new species Macrobiotus kathyae sp. nov. is reported in this study along with the first tardigrade records for Indiana (United States of America).

Host trees partially explain the complex bacterial communities of two threatened saproxylic beetles.

Microorganisms are integral to ecosystem functioning and host adaptation, yet the understanding of microbiomes in diverse beetle taxa remains limited. We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the microbial composition of two red flat bark beetle species, Cucujus haematodes and C. cinnaberinus, and assessed the influence of host taxonomic relatedness and host tree species on their microbiomes.

Impact of global environmental changes on the range contraction of Eurasian moose since the Late Pleistocene.

Climatic oscillations are considered primary factors influencing the distribution of various life forms on Earth. Large species adapted to cold climates are particularly vulnerable to extinction due to climate changes. In our study, we investigated whether temperature increase since the Late Pleistocene and the contraction of environmental niche during the Holocene were the main factors contributing to the decreasing range of moose (Alces alces) in Europe.

Vertebral morphology and intracolumnar variation of the iconic African viperid snake Atheris (Serpentes, Viperidae).

We here provide a detailed description of the vertebral morphology of the African arboreal viperid snakes of the genus Atheris. Vertebrae of three different species of the genus, i.e.

Masting and Efficient Production of Seedlings: Balancing Costs of Variation Through Synchronised Fruiting.

The efficient conversion of tissues into reproductive success is a crucial aspect affecting the evolution of life histories. Masting, the interannually variable and synchronous seed production in perennial plants, is a strategy that can enhance reproductive efficiency by mitigating seed predation and pollen limitation. However, evaluating benefits is insufficient to establish whether efficiency has improved, as such assessments neglect the associated costs of masting, particularly during the critical seed-to-seedling stage.

Is the Current Systematic Subdivision of the Subfamily Neanurinae (Collembola, Neanuridae) Still Valid? Testing the Monophyly and Phylogenetic Relationships of Currently Established Tribes of the Neanurinae.

The subfamily Neanurinae is the largest in the family, with almost 800 described species. These springtails differ significantly from all other Collembola in their morphology, behaviour, and natural habitats. A systematic division of the Neanurinae into tribes was proposed more than 30 years ago by Cassagnau (1989), but it has not yet been tested using cladistic methods.

Patterns of sexual dimorphism in the armoured tardigrades.

Sexual dimorphism is widespread among animals, with diverse patterns and proposed explanations observed across the Tree of Life. Here we present the first formal analysis of the patterns of sexual dimorphism in body size and cephalic sensory appendages across 40 species (from 10 genera) of armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae). Phylogenetic signal was found for body size traits and the cephalic papilla relative size, indicating that the association between these traits between the sexes has high evolutionary persistence.

Insular dwarfism in horses from the Aegean Sea and the Japanese archipelago.

Unlabelled: The horse () varieties from Skyros and Rhodes islands (Greece) in the Aegean archipelago are extremely small, reaching shoulder heights of only about 1 m. Furthermore, the Japanese archipelago is home to eight small, native horse breeds. We investigated the evolutionary morphology and provided a review of historical documentations of these horses of cultural interest in Greece and Japan, thus providing a comparison of the independent evolution of small size in islands.

Pseudopus pannonicus (Squamata), the largest known anguid lizard-Redescription of the type material and new specimens from the Neogene and Quaternary of Hungary and Poland.

Herein, we revise the material of the extinct taxon Pseudopus pannonicus from Central Europe, the largest known anguid lizard and iconic member of herpetofaunas from the Upper Cenozoic of Europe. The geographical position of Polgárdi 2, the type locality of P. pannonicus, as well as several other closely located important localities make Central Europe a valuable area of high interest for studies regarding European Cenozoic palaeoherpetological assemblages.

Pinpointing the microbiota of tardigrades: What is really there?

Microbiota are considered significant in the biology of tardigrades, yet their diversity and distribution remain largely unexplored. This is partly due to the methodological challenges associated with studying the microbiota of small organisms that inhabit microbe-rich environments. In our study, we characterized the microbiota of 31 species of cultured tardigrades using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Plant Invasion-Induced Habitat Changes Impact a Bird Community through the Taxonomic Filtering of Habitat Assemblages.

Describing the spatial distribution of communities is crucial to understanding how environmental disturbance can affect biodiversity. Agricultural lands are susceptible to disturbances of anthropogenic origin and have been identified as ecosystems of conservation concern. Such lands are vulnerable to invasions by anthropogenically introduced non-native plants disturbing habitats.

Occasional and constant exposure to dietary ethanol shortens the lifespan of worker honey bees.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are one of the most crucial pollinators, providing vital ecosystem services. Their development and functioning depend on essential nutrients and substances found in the environment. While collecting nectar as a vital carbohydrate source, bees routinely encounter low doses of ethanol from yeast fermentation.

EUKARYOME: the rRNA gene reference database for identification of all eukaryotes.

Molecular identification of micro- and macroorganisms based on nuclear markers has revolutionized our understanding of their taxonomy, phylogeny and ecology. Today, research on the diversity of eukaryotes in global ecosystems heavily relies on nuclear ribosomal RNA (rRNA) markers. Here, we present the research community-curated reference database EUKARYOME for nuclear ribosomal 18S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 28S rRNA markers for all eukaryotes, including metazoans (animals), protists, fungi and plants.

Enzymatic Activity of Soil on the Occurrence of the Endangered Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Xerothermic Grasslands.

This work attempts to find the reasons for the rather limited range of occurrence of in Poland, based on soil properties, which affects both the plant cover and the entomofauna. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of soil enzyme activity on the occurrence of in xerothermic grasslands in Southern Poland. The sites inhabited by the beetle were most often extensively grazed by farm animals or had recently been cleared of bushes.

Evaluating tramway infrastructure on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Tramways in urban areas for mass transit has been suggested to have a lower environmental footprint than roads. However, studies on the impact of tramways and the surrounding infrastructure on biodiversity is extremely rare despite the potential ecological effects associated with this anthropogenic feature. Surprisingly, we found fewer than 10 papers published on tramway-wildlife interactions, which is significantly lower (vs dozens of thousands) than that of other transportation methods.

Eocene amber provides the first fossil record and bridges distributional gap in the rare genus Robsonomyia (Diptera: Keroplatidae).

Until now, the genus Robsonomyia was represented by two extant species: R. reducta Matile & Vockeroth, 1980 from North America and R. sciaraeformis (Okada, 1939) from Asia.

Reproductive system, temperature, and genetic background effects in experimentally evolving populations of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Experimental evolution (EE) is a powerful research framework for gaining insights into many biological questions, including the evolution of reproductive systems. We designed a long-term and highly replicated EE project using the nematode C. elegans, with the main aim of investigating the impact of reproductive system on adaptation and diversification under environmental challenge.

Avian colouration in a polluted world: a meta-analysis.

Brilliant, diverse colour ornaments of birds were one of the crucial cues that led Darwin to the idea of sexual selection. Although avian colouration plays many functions, including concealment, thermoregulation, or advertisement as a distasteful prey, a quality-signalling role in sexual selection has attracted most research attention. Sexually selected ornaments are thought to be more susceptible to external stressors than naturally selected traits, and as such, they might be used as a test for environmental quality.