Mycorrhizal symbioses and tree diversity in global forest communities

Unraveling the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of species diversity is a central pursuit in ecology. It has been hypothesized that ectomycorrhizal (EcM) in contrast to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can reduce tree species diversity in local communities, which remains to be tested at the global scale. To address this gap, we analyzed global forest inventory data and revealed that the relationship between tree species richness and EcM tree proportion varied along environmental gradients. Specifically, the relationship is more negative at low latitudes and in moist conditions but is unimodal at high latitudes and in arid conditions. The negative association of EcM tree proportion on species diversity at low latitudes and in humid conditions is likely due to more negative plant-soil microbial interactions in these regions. These findings extend our knowledge on the mechanisms shaping global patterns in plant species diversity from a belowground vie

First record and a new taxon of Stammericaris Jakobi, 1972 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Philippines; with an amendment to the generic diagnosis and reassignment of three Palearctic species

We report on the finding of Stammericaris galichai sp. nov. in the hyporheic habitat of Cantingas River, Sibuyan Island, the Philippines. The new species is attributed to the genus based on the morphology of the male antennule (of the “pocket-knife” type); the presence of a hook on the inner margin of the basis of the male first pereopod; the male third pereopod with a long apophysis and two groups of outer spinules on the first exopodal segment; the endopodite of the male forth pereopod reduced, but corresponding to the basic morphology of the genus, and the basis ornamented with two spinules on inner margin, one of which long and inwardly-curved, one small and with apex consisting of three small lobes. Stammericaris galichai sp. nov. does not have one taxonomically and morphologically closest species within the genus, possibly due to its geographical isolation. Based on some aspects of the morphology of Stammericaris galichai sp. nov. (namely, the shape of the fifth pereopod) and other species of Stammericaris, the description of the genus is slightly amended, and the Palearctic taxa Parastenocaris balcanica Petkovski, 1959, P. nertensis Rouch, 1990, P. triphyda Cottarelli & Bruno, 1993 are transferred to the genus Stammericaris. Stammericaris galichai sp. nov. is the first representative of the genus for the Philippines, and for the entire Oriental Region. The faunistic and biogeographical relevance of the new species is discussed with particular focus on the discovery of this freshwater stygobitic species in a volcanic island which has never been in contact with other landmasses. A map of the distribution of Parastenocarididae hitherto known for the Philippines, including a new station in Mindoro for the endemic Parastenocaris distincta Cottarelli, Bruno & Berera, 2006, is also provide

Data Treatment for LC-MS Untargeted Analysis

Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) untargeted experiments require complex bioinformatic strategies to extract information from the experimental data. Here we discuss the "data preprocessing," the set of procedures performed on the raw data to produce a data matrix which will be the starting point for the subsequent statistical analysis. Data preprocessing is a crucial step on the path to knowledge extraction, which should be carefully controlled and optimized in order to maximize the output of any untargeted metabolomics investigation

Unbiased sequence analysis of vgsc gene reveals circulation of novel and known knock-down resistance mutations in Culex pipiens, challenging vector control measures

Pyrethroids, targeting the voltage gated sodium channel (VGSC), are fundamental for the control of arboviral disease circulation. The spread of pyrethroid resistance among vector species represents thus a major public health concern. Culex pipiens is one of the most abundant European mosquito species and main vector of West Nile virus, leading cause of arboviral encephalitis worldwide. Despite this, monitoring of its resistance status and the understanding of underlying mechanisms are widely neglected. Herein, we performed an oligo-hybridization capture approach on 82 Cx. pipiens specimens from Italy and Greece to investigate the whole coding sequence of the vgsc gene for the presence of known and potential knock-down resistance (kdr) mutations associated with target-site resistance to pyrethroids in insects. Among the 26 non-synonymous substitutions revealed by the analysis, the super-kdr haplotype—i.e. the association of kdr-alleles 918T and 1014F, known for conferring a strongly enhanced resistance phenotype in Musca domestica – was revealed for the first time in mosquitoes. Three more potential kdr alleles were detected for the first time in Cx. pipiens and multiple kdr variants were observed for locus 1014, with allele 1014F, reaching frequencies > 80%. Overall, results depict a worrisome situation that could affect the ability to control West Nile virus outbreaks in southern Europe. To avoid this, resistance monitoring needs to be intensified and an enhancement of the diagnostic tool box for the easy detection of different kdr-variants (including in particular the super-kdr haplotype) and for subsequent functional studies on the resistance phenotype of detected variants, is require

Alkaloid profile of Italian alpine milk

This study examines the alkaloid profiles in alpine milk. Alkaloids could pose a health concern but also prove interesting from a geographic traceability perspective. Over three consecutive days, 48 daily milk samples were collected from 16 lactating cows grazing on two alpine pastures in Northeast Italy, with 8 cows from each pasture. Simultaneously, alpine herbs selecting by the cows during grazing were collected using the hand-plucking technique. Additionally, 12 milk mass samples were obtained from an entire herd of 110 cows. Liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry was employed to analyze both herbage and milk samples, identifying 41 alkaloids with pure standards and putatively identifying another 116. The results revealed a transfer of 0.4% for pyrrolizidine alkaloids, 2.7% for indole alkaloids, and 12% for steroidal alkaloids from herbs to milk. A partial least squares-discriminant analysis model based on the alkaloid profiles achieved a correct reclassification of 67% of milk samples from cows grazing on the two distinct pastures. Despite the minimal transfer, which should be considered positive in terms of health, it opens the door to interesting studies on the use of alkaloids as traceability markers for mountain products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The study provides a novel perspective interaction between alpine grazing systems and milk composition. This research could be useful for enhancing mountain pasture products in terms of healthiness and can help prevent fraud on the declaration of origi

Aerial dispersal of Venturia inaequalis ascospores with under-canopy sprinkler irrigation for apple scab management

Sprinkler irrigation systems can release ascospores of Venturia inaequalis, the cause of apple scab, from infected leaves on the ground under conditions unsuitable for infection, and thus reducing the primary inoculum. Under-canopy irrigation was carried out for two hours in the middle of the day over overwintered apple leaves heavily infected with scab, either in a wind-protected enclosure or in a wind-exposed orchard. Ascospores were captured with rotating-arm spore traps at heights ranging from 0.3 m to 3.0 m above the ground. Ascospores dispersed above the irrigated layer and were detected at all heights above the sprinklers. Wind played a critical role in spore transport, evident from the set-up where wind interference was minimised by a wind fence, resulting in higher airborne spore numbers across all measured heights compared with the orchard exposed to unrestricted wind conditions. Furthermore, vertical temperature gradients significantly correlated with spore distributions, particularly where negative gradients at heights between 0.3 m and 0.05 m and positive gradients at heights between 1.0 m and 0.3 m led to spore retention within the irrigated zone. The findings highlight that ascospores, dispersed above the irrigated layers, could settle on susceptible tissues. It thus becomes imperative to ensure a rain-free period of at least 24 h post-irrigation and, if a rainfall shortly occurs after irrigation, the application of curative fungicides becomes essential following unexpected rain. Reliable weather forecasts are therefore crucial in determining the effectiveness of under-canopy irrigation to reduce apple scab incidenc

Apple phenotyping using deep learning and 3D depth analysis: An experimental study on fruitlet sizing during early development

Current research in apple-growing focuses on collecting extensive biometric data to better understand physiological processes, improve orchard productivity and predict yields. In this context, fruit thinning has emerged as a key horticultural practice to enhance fruit size and quality while preventing alternate bearing. Despite the growing role of plant imaging technologies in agronomic management, fruitlet sizing remains challenging, particularly in early phenological stages. To address this challenge, we developed an RGB-D-based vision pipeline that combines YOLO models with depth information and relies on the statistical analysis of frame series to detect and cluster fruitlets into flower corymbs, providing both fruitlet counting and diameter estimates for each video acquisition. After obtaining an [email protected] and AP@[0.5:0.95] of respectively 0.894 and 0.77 in fruitlet detection, along with a precision of 0.881 and a recall of 0.846, our approach efficiently processed video frames, extracting the most reliable data for each labeled cluster. While the comparison of true positive estimates with calibrated caliper measurements showed a mean RMSE of 1.05 mm, challenges remain in achieving the correct fruitlet count, with a mean counting error of 0.63 fruitlets per video. Additionally, the proposed workflow retrieved the exact number of fruitlets as the ground truth in 56.4% of the videos, increasing to 75% when excluding those videos where the correct fruitlet count was never detected in any frame by the YOLO model. Despite these limitations, our results are promising, proposing a potential data acquisition tool without compromising the reliability of traditional practices. This approach could pave the way for future applications, including the evaluation of plant growth regulator trials and the development of predictive models for yield and productivity optimization