Species richness is one of the fundamental metrics of biodiversity. Estimating species richness helps spotlight taxonomic groups that are particularly under-studied, such as the highly diverse Darwin wasps. The only available estimate of the number of Darwin wasps in the Afrotropics proposed almost 11,000 species, compared to the 2,322 recorded species. However, it relied exclusively on the ratio of morphospecies to described species in Henry Townes' personal collection. We provide an updated estimate of the Afrotropical Darwin wasp species, using empirical data from multiple sources, including the increase in species numbers following generic revisions, morphospecies sorting in natural history collections, and diversity patterns of better-studied insects (butterflies) for extrapolation. Our analyses suggest that our knowledge of Darwin wasps is highly incomplete, with only 13-22% of species known in the five most extensively studied countries in the Afrotropics. We estimate 9,206-15,577 species of Darwin wasps within the entire Afrotropics, with the highest concentration expected in the Equatorial Afrotropics and Madagascar. Due to data constraints, our approach tends to underestimate diversity at each step, rendering the upper estimate (15,577 species) more realistic. We highlight reasons contributing to the gap between recorded and estimated species richness, including logistical and financial factors, as well as post-colonial influences.

• MeSH
• biodiverzita * MeSH
• sršňovití * klasifikace   fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Afrika MeSH

Species of orchids, which belong to the largest family of flowering plants, are commonly used in folk medicine for the treatment of infections and tumors. However, little is known about the actual chemical composition of these plants and their anticancer properties. In this paper, the most recent literature on orchid-derived bioactive substances with anticancer properties is reviewed. For the assessment, previous papers on the anticancer activity of Orchidaceae published since 2015 were considered. The papers were found by exploring electronic databases. According to the available data, many species of orchids contain potential antitumor chemicals. The bioactive substances in a relatively insignificant number of orchids are identified, and most studies are on Asian taxa. Broader research on American and African species and the correct identification of samples included in the experiments are essential for evaluating the usefulness of orchids as a plant family with vast anticancer potential.

• Klíčová slova
• anticancer, orchids, secondary metabolites,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

Our ability to predict the identity of future invasive alien species is largely based upon knowledge of prior invasion history. Emerging alien species-those never encountered as aliens before-therefore pose a significant challenge to biosecurity interventions worldwide. Understanding their temporal trends, origins, and the drivers of their spread is pivotal to improving prevention and risk assessment tools. Here, we use a database of 45,984 first records of 16,019 established alien species to investigate the temporal dynamics of occurrences of emerging alien species worldwide. Even after many centuries of invasions the rate of emergence of new alien species is still high: One-quarter of first records during 2000-2005 were of species that had not been previously recorded anywhere as alien, though with large variation across taxa. Model results show that the high proportion of emerging alien species cannot be solely explained by increases in well-known drivers such as the amount of imported commodities from historically important source regions. Instead, these dynamics reflect the incorporation of new regions into the pool of potential alien species, likely as a consequence of expanding trade networks and environmental change. This process compensates for the depletion of the historically important source species pool through successive invasions. We estimate that 1-16% of all species on Earth, depending on the taxonomic group, qualify as potential alien species. These results suggest that there remains a high proportion of emerging alien species we have yet to encounter, with future impacts that are difficult to predict.

• Klíčová slova
• drivers, globalization, invasive species, source species pools, time series,
• MeSH
• biodiverzita MeSH
• biologické modely MeSH
• dějiny 16. století MeSH
• dějiny 17. století MeSH
• dějiny 18. století MeSH
• dějiny 19. století MeSH
• dějiny 20. století MeSH
• dějiny 21. století MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• populační dynamika dějiny   MeSH
• zavlečené druhy dějiny   statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny 16. století MeSH
• dějiny 17. století MeSH
• dějiny 18. století MeSH
• dějiny 19. století MeSH
• dějiny 20. století MeSH
• dějiny 21. století MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH