The nematode assemblage as a tool for the assessment of marine ecological quality status: a case-study in the Central Adriatic Sea

Free-living nematodes are efficiently used as bio-indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in marine ecosystems. Among various criteria, functional traits may represent useful tools for monitoring environmental impact in coastal areas. A study of nematode assemblages was carried out in three locations of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy), one at the mouth of the Foglia River (Baia Flaminia) and two enclosed in the Monte San Bartolo Natural Park (Monte Brisighella and Fiorenzuola di Focara). Taxonomic composition and the functional traits of the nematode assemblage revealed a possible influence of the organic load of the Foglia River. Biotic data, as well as environmental parameters, suggested a particularly negative impact of the river on the assemblage at Baia Flaminia. Here, the increasing impact of the river led to a rise in the relative abundance of r-strategist genera like Chromadora, Sabatieria and Viscosia. Poor ecological conditions were also present at Brisighella, where the river might exert its influence due to the presence of long shore currents. In contrast, the results revealed that the best ecological quality was at Fiorenzuola di Focara, where the impact of anthropogenic activities was generally irrelevant. This study documents how nematodes can be used as an early warning indicator with which to monitor the health quality of vulnerable littoral areas

Genome-wide identification of wrky genes in artemisia annua: Characterization of a putative ortholog of ATWRKY40

Artemisia annua L. is well-known as the plant source of artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone with effective antimalarial activity. Here, a putative ortholog of the Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY40 transcription factor (TF) was isolated via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends in A. annua and named AaWRKY40. A putative nuclear localization domain was identified in silico and experimentally confirmed by using protoplasts of A. annua transiently transformed with AaWRKY40-GFP. A genome-wide analysis identified 122 WRKY genes in A. annua, and a manually curated database was obtained. The deduced proteins were categorized into the major WRKY groups, with group IIa containing eight WRKY members including AaWRKY40. Protein motifs, gene structure, and promoter regions of group IIa WRKY TFs of A. annua were characterized. The promoter region of AaWRKY group IIa genes contained several abiotic stress cis-acting regulatory elements, among which a highly conserved W-box motif was identified. Expression analysis of AaWRKY40 compared to AaWRKY1 in A. annua cell cultures treated with methyl jasmonate known to enhance artemisinin production, suggested a possible involvement of AaWRKY40 in terpenoid metabolism. Further investigation is necessary to study the role of AaWRKY40 and possible interactions with other TFs in A. annua

The nematode assemblage as a tool for the assessment of marine ecological quality status: a case-study in the Central Adriatic Sea

Free-living nematodes are efficiently used as bio-indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in marine ecosystems. Among various criteria, functional traits may represent useful tools for monitoring environmental impact in coastal areas. A study of nematode assemblages was carried out in three locations of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy), one at the mouth of the Foglia River (Baia Flaminia) and two enclosed in the Monte San Bartolo Natural Park (Monte Brisighella and Fiorenzuola di Focara). Taxonomic composition and the functional traits of the nematode assemblage revealed a possible influence of the organic load of the Foglia River. Biotic data, as well as environmental parameters, suggested a particularly negative impact of the river on the assemblage at Baia Flaminia. Here, the increasing impact of the river led to a rise in the relative abundance of r-strategist genera like Chromadora, Sabatieria and Viscosia. Poor ecological conditions were also present at Brisighella, where the river might exert its influence due to the presence of long shore currents. In contrast, the results revealed that the best ecological quality was at Fiorenzuola di Focara, where the impact of anthropogenic activities was generally irrelevant. This study documents how nematodes can be used as an early warning indicator with which to monitor the health quality of vulnerable littoral areas