The genus Akanthomyces (Ascomycota, Hypocreales) includes entomopathogenic species known to infect a variety of insects and spiders. In this study, we present the first isolate of A. ampullifer characterized by molecular methods, found on dead bodies of the common cave limoniid Limonia nubeculosa (Diptera) in the subterranean spaces of southwestern Germany. In total, seven specimens exhibited distinctive morphological traits that, when compared with historical records, confirm their identification as A. ampullifer-particularly noted for its affinity to dipteran hosts. Absent from culture collections and molecular repositories, this species has eluded detailed scientific documentation using modern methods. Our research bridges this knowledge gap, providing the first genetic identification barcodes of five genes, living culture, cultivation requirements, and an updated description. This overlooked fungus is phylogenetically most closely related to the species A. pyralidarum, A. laosensis, and some other species mostly associated with adult moths. It demonstrates a unique morphological signature with monoblastic phialides forming a layer on the surface of synnemata and produces long, cylindrical, chain-forming conidia. It prefers lower temperatures, exhibiting an inability to grow at 25 °C, coupled with notably slow growth in culture.

• Keywords
• Cordycipitaceae, Limonia nubeculosa, crane flies, entomogenous fungi, multigene phylogeny,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Habitat disturbance can alter the dynamics of the forest microclimate by disrupting the canopy structure, particularly in structurally complex tropical forests. These changes may impact ectotherms, of which performance and fitness are highly sensitive to climatic conditions. Behavioural responses, such as changes in activities, may help buffer forest ectotherms like butterflies from microclimate changes in disturbed tropical forests. Using field surveys from four tropical forest sites in Asia, we compared flight activity peaks, durations and intensity for populations of 21 forest-associated butterfly species between open-canopy and closed-canopy forests. We then compared the temperature and illumination that each species experienced during its activity period between the two forest types. Although butterfly populations began their activity earlier and reached peak levels sooner in open-canopy forests compared to closed-canopy forests, the duration and intensity of activity remained similar across populations. Despite these shifts in activity timing between forest types, butterflies experienced comparable temperature conditions in both forest types, but were exposed to higher illumination levels in open-canopy forests. Overall, we demonstrate that tropical butterflies can compensate for microclimate changes in tropical forests by shifting their activity patterns. This may help butterflies buffer against temperature increases but not against higher illumination levels following forest canopy opening due to habitat disturbance. Our results emphasize the importance of understanding how animal activity responds to habitat disturbance.

• Keywords
• activity pattern, habitat disturbance, insects, microclimate, tropical forest,
• MeSH
• Ecosystem * MeSH
• Forests * MeSH
• Flight, Animal * MeSH
• Microclimate MeSH
• Butterflies * physiology   MeSH
• Temperature MeSH
• Tropical Climate MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

In electroreceptive jawed fishes and amphibians, individual lateral line placodes form lines of neuromasts on the head containing mechanosensory hair cells, flanked by fields of ampullary organs containing electroreceptors - modified hair cells that respond to weak electric fields. Extensively shared gene expression between neuromasts and ampullary organs suggests that conserved molecular mechanisms are involved in their development, but a few transcription factor genes are restricted either to the developing electrosensory or mechanosensory lateral line. Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis in G0-injected sterlet embryos (Acipenser ruthenus, a sturgeon) to test the function of three such genes. We found that the 'hair cell' transcription factor gene Atoh1 is required for both hair cell and electroreceptor differentiation in sterlet, and for Pou4f3 and Gfi1 expression in both neuromasts and ampullary organs. These data support the conservation of developmental mechanisms between hair cells and electroreceptors. Targeting ampullary organ-restricted Neurod4 did not yield any phenotype, potentially owing to redundancy with other Neurod genes that we found to be expressed in sterlet ampullary organs. After targeting mechanosensory-restricted Foxg1, ampullary organs formed within neuromast lines, suggesting that Foxg1 normally represses their development, whether directly or indirectly. We speculate that electrosensory organs may be the 'default' developmental fate of lateral line primordia in electroreceptive vertebrates.

• Keywords
• developmental biology,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Cities are growing ecosystems in the modern world. Due to their heterogeneity, urban areas have multifaceted influences on organisms, including bees. However, in many specific city greenspace designs and management implementations, our understanding of their functionality remains limited. This is also true for urban flower meadows (UFMs). We extensively examined UFMs in three large cities to answer the following question: What features of UFMs and their surroundings (urban matrix) are the most important in supporting bees in cities? Our multifaceted approach revealed that the mosaics of habitats surrounding UFMs are at least as necessary to support bees as the local features of UFMs. An abundance of bees responded positively to the number of flowering units and the blue and yellow colors of flowers, and increased cover of industrial areas, green urban areas, and pastures in a 100-m buffer. Increasing the cover of the continuous urban fabric in all buffer zones (100, 300, and 500 m) positively affected bee species richness and abundance. Due to the lack of design guidelines for urban flower meadows, our results are helpful for the further planning of UFMs to optimize bee-friendly areas in urban landscapes.

• Keywords
• designed landscapes, pollinators, urban ecology, urban ecosystems, urban greenspaces,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Species distribution models (SDMs) are valuable tools for assessing species' responses to environmental factors and identifying areas suitable for their survival. The careful selection of input variables is critical, as their interactions and correlations with other environmental factors can affect model performance. This study evaluates the influence of climate and soil variables on the performance of SDMs for 5033 Australian terrestrial vascular plant species, representing the largest phylogenetic diversity of native flora assessed in such an analysis. Using an ensemble of correlative models, we assessed the predictive performance of climate and soil variables, individually and in combination, across four distinct ecoregions: Desert (n = 640 species), Mediterranean (n = 1246), Temperate (n = 1936), and Tropical (n = 1211). Our results demonstrate that on a continental scale, climate variables have a greater influence on plant distributions than soil variables. Although incorporating soil and climate variables enhanced model performance in some ecoregions, our results indicate that relying solely on small-scale variables such as soil may increase the likelihood of underfitting. The most influential predictor variables in the models varied across ecoregions and between specialist and generalist species. Mean annual rainfall (bio1) was consistently a strong climate predictor variable across ecoregions, but other climate variables became more important when analyses were restricted to ecoregion-specific species (i.e., specialists). Soil organic carbon (SOC) was the most important soil variable in the Temperate and Tropical ecoregions across generalist and specialist species. In the Mediterranean ecoregion, clay content (CLY) became more important than SOC when analyses were restricted to ecoregion-specific species, whereas nitrogen total organic (NTO) was consistently the strongest predictor soil variable for plants in the Desert. Our findings have significant implications for understanding the interplay between climate, soil, and plant distribution within diverse ecoregions. This study serves as a foundation for developing more accurate SDM predictions.

• Keywords
• ecoregion‐specific data, ensemble models, habitat suitability, precipitation seasonality, predictor variables, species distributions,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Populations are presumed to be adapted to local environmental conditions via natural selection, with gene flow breaking up local adaptations. In birds, various aspects of feathers may reflect local adaptation. For example, the insulation capacity of feathers could be greater in colder regions, while colour variation may also play a role in adapting to local environmental conditions since darker feathers are known to absorb more heat than lighter ones. We studied feather properties (plumulaceous part of the feather, density of barbs and barbules) of tawny owl, Strix aluco, across nine populations covering a large part of the species' European range (9-52 individuals per population) as well as their plumage colour, scored as dark (brown) versus light (grey) morphs. We compared these traits' phenotypic divergence (PST) with the divergence expected based on genetic drift (FST) inferred using eight microsatellites. The FST was low (0.022; 95% CI 0.005-0.039), and most feather structures' phenotypic divergence (PST) exceeded the FST. However, phenotypic divergence in plumage colour was low and not significant, implying a limited role of natural selection in shaping variation in plumage colouration at large spatial scales. Between-population differentiation in feather properties was more pronounced in ventral feathers than dorsal feathers. In colder populations, the plumulaceous part of the dorsal feathers, but not the ventral feathers, was larger (implying greater insulation). Although proper evaluation hinges on understanding how insulative properties confer a fitness advantage in a given environment, our findings imply that properties of avian feathers may reflect local adaptation, possibly related to climate.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Drosophila-type timeless (dTIM) is a key clock protein in fruit flies, regulating rhythmicity and light-mediated entrainment. However, functional experiments indicate that its contribution to the clock differs in various insects. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of dTIM across animals and dated its origin, gene duplications, and losses. We identified variable and conserved protein domains and pinpointed animal lineages that underwent the biggest changes in dTIM. While dTIM modifications are only mildly affected by changes in the PER protein, even the complete loss of PER in echinoderms had no impact on dTIM. However, changes in dTIM always co-occur with the loss of CRYPTOCHROMES or JETLAG. This is exemplified by the remarkably accelerated evolution of dTIM in phylloxera and aphids. Finally, alternative d-tim splicing, characteristic of Drosophila melanogaster temperature-dependent function, is conserved to some extent in Diptera, albeit with unique alterations. Altogether, this study pinpoints major changes that shaped dTIM evolution.

• Keywords
• Evolutionary biology, Genetics, Molecular biology, Neuroscience,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on optimal management of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). We aimed to describe the variability of diagnostic and therapeutic practices in Europe. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was sent to 71 centres in 24 countries. Questions were related to contemporary clinical practices for workup, monitoring and treatment of CLAD. The number of lung transplant procedures and patients in follow-up were collected. RESULTS: 44 centres (62%) responded from 20 countries, representing 74% of European activity. The prevalence of CLAD was estimated at 9.1 cases per million population (25th and 75th percentiles of 4.4, 15.7). Preferred initial workup for probable CLAD consisted of chest computed tomography (CT) (inspiratory 91% and expiratory 74%), donor-specific antibody (DSA) measurement (86%), bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (85%) and transbronchial biopsy (81%). For monitoring of definite CLAD, inspiratory CT (67%), DSA (61%) and BAL (43%) were preferred. Body plethysmography was unavailable for 16% of cases. Prophylaxis was based on preventing infections (cytomegalovirus 99%, inhaled antibiotics 70% and antifungals 65%), tacrolimus-based immunosuppression (96%), azithromycin (72%) and universal proton pump inhibitor treatment (84%). First-line treatment of CLAD was based on azithromycin (82%) and steroid augmentation (74%). Photopheresis was used in 26% of cases. CONCLUSION: Current European practice CLAD detection is based on spirometry, inspiratory CT and DSA, with limited access to plethysmography and expiratory CT. Prophylactic treatment is based on azithromycin, tacrolimus-based immunosuppression and treatment of risk factors. No single treatment strategy is universally used, highlighting the need for an effective treatment of CLAD. The preferred first-line strategy is azithromycin and steroid augmentation.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Eurasia has undergone substantial tectonic, geological, and climatic changes throughout the Cenozoic, primarily associated with tectonic plate collisions and a global cooling trend. The evolution of present-day biodiversity unfolded in this dynamic environment, characterised by intricate interactions of abiotic factors. However, comprehensive, large-scale reconstructions illustrating the extent of these influences are lacking. We reconstructed the evolutionary history of the freshwater fish family Nemacheilidae across Eurasia and spanning most of the Cenozoic on the base of 471 specimens representing 279 species and 37 genera plus outgroup samples. Molecular phylogeny using six genes uncovered six major clades within the family, along with numerous unresolved taxonomic issues. Dating of cladogenetic events and ancestral range estimation traced the origin of Nemacheilidae to Indochina around 48 mya. Subsequently, one branch of Nemacheilidae colonised eastern, central, and northern Asia, as well as Europe, while another branch expanded into the Burmese region, the Indian subcontinent, the Near East, and northeast Africa. These expansions were facilitated by tectonic connections, favourable climatic conditions, and orogenic processes. Conversely, aridification emerged as the primary cause of extinction events. Our study marks the first comprehensive reconstruction of the evolution of Eurasian freshwater biodiversity on a continental scale and across deep geological time.

Stone loaches, also known as Nemacheilidae, are a large family of fish commonly found in the streams and rivers of Europe and Asia, with a small number of species also inhabiting certain Ethiopian lakes. How these fish, which originated in Asia about 50 million years ago, made their way into European and African waters remains poorly understood. Major geological and climate changes took place throughout this period, from the formation of the Himalayas and other mountain ranges in eastern and western Asia to large drops in temperatures or rainfalls in certain regions. Šlechtová et al. studied the influence of these events on the spread and evolution of stone loaches. The team used a large dataset of 471 samples obtained from more than 250 species to reconstruct the evolutionary tree of the Nemacheilidae. The analysis uncovers six major groups (or clades) within the family, all stemming from a common ancestor living 48 million years ago in Indochina (current mainland Southeast Asia). Each clade has separate yet sometimes overlapping geographical distributions. They followed distinct routes to spread across Asia and Europe, which Šlechtová et al. were able to examine in the light of geological and climate changes. For instance, a major aridification event taking place in Central Asia between 34 to 23 million years ago created a geographical divide within an ancestral stone loach group, splitting it into two parts that evolved separately to form two of the six current clades. While the Himalayas also acted as a strong barrier, growing highlands in eastern and western Asia expanded the range of suitable habitats for the fish, allowing them to colonize central and northern Asia and, from there, Europe. Other major geological events played a strong role in the propagation of the Nemacheilidae. When a small tectonic plate known as West Burma Terrane first contacted Southeast Asia 33 million years ago and later northeast India around 30 million years ago, the ancestral fish family used the plate like a ferry boat to spread to these new territories, and from there, expand into the Near East, Southeast Europe and Northeast Africa. These findings build on prior work investigating how geological and climate events have shaped evolution. However, they are the first case study to show the complete evolution of an animal group over such a large area and long period. It is the first detailed example of its type and could be precious to inform future work on evolution.

• Keywords
• Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae, Teleostei, ecology, evolutionary biology,
• MeSH
• Biodiversity MeSH
• Biological Evolution * MeSH
• Phylogeny * MeSH
• Fresh Water MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Asia MeSH
• Europe MeSH

While biodiversity loss is undeniably a global phenomenon, an increase in taxonomic richness has recently been reported from some ecosystems and spatial scales. A striking increase in abundance and/or species richness has been documented from temperate rivers over the last 25 years, with many of the expanding species (i.e. winners) being native species. However, the lack of repeatedly collected local environmental data prevents the exploration of their niche dynamics and also makes it difficult to distinguish between possible causes. We fill this gap by using species occurrence data from 65 pristine Czech rivers sampled in 1997-2000 and 2015. The same methods were used for sampling macroinvertebrates and measuring environmental parameters in both periods. We selected 43 winners, defined as taxonomically validated and originally non-rare native macroinvertebrate species whose occupancy increased by at least six sites between the time periods. We searched for consistent patterns of niche dynamics (i.e. stability, expansion and restriction) among species that might contribute most to the overall increase in species richness. Using several biological traits, we also compared the winners with the other 253 taxa collected to look for differences. Analysis of the occurrence data showed that niche stability was by far the predominant pattern of the niche dynamics. This clearly indicates that the winners fill their original niches, with a limited contribution of niche shift or expansion, depending on the species. As no significant differences in either temperature preferences or the other biological traits were found between the winners and the other taxa, there is no unique set of functional traits that explain the success of the winners. The observed mechanism of filling the original niche space by the spreading native species not only explains the increase in local species richness, but also contributes to support the hypothesis of a climate-driven increase in ecosystem energy flow from a new perspective. The increased metabolism of the system may relax interspecific competition allowing it to carry more individuals and species, even without the need for an increase in nutrients and ecosystem recovery.

• Keywords
• aquatic invertebrates, increasing temperature, long‐term changes, niche filling, niche shift, streams, winners,
• MeSH
• Invertebrates * physiology   MeSH
• Biodiversity * MeSH
• Ecosystem * MeSH
• Population Dynamics MeSH
• Rivers * MeSH
• Introduced Species * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH