Contribution of Val/Ile87 residue in the extracellular domain in agonist-induced current responses of the human and rat P2X7 receptors

Purinergic Signalling - The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is an ATP-gated cation channel with a critical role in many physiological and pathological processes, and shows prominent functional differences...     

Species richness and composition of Neuroptera in the forests fregments of the Taurus Mountains Range,Turkey

In this study, diversity, species richness and composition of Neuroptera has been studied in the forest edges and fragments in the Taurus Mountain Range, southern Turkey. Sampling for species collection was carried out from April 2017 to September 2018 at different distances from the forest center, i.e., (0–500 m), forest mid-interior (501–1000 m), and forest edge (1001–3000 m). A total of 975 adults were collected frequently belonging to the families Ascalaphidae, Coniopterygidae, and Hemerobiidae from the forest edges while Chrysopidae and Myrmeleontidae were most common along the mid-interior regions of the forest. Majority of adutls caught from the mid-interior region comprised of female adults while the males of most species were abundant along the forest edges. Although the forest center shows the largest value for the Dominance species-diversity index and the smallest value for the Shannon index, forest edge was found highest for the Simpson index. The abundance of Neuroptera decreased with wind speed but increased with the temperature in the edge regions. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that some environmental and habitat variables, e.g. wind speed, temperature, and distance to the forest center, mid-interior and edge, accounted for species distribution patterns in Neuroptera. In the forest center, a linear correlation between wind speed, temperature and specimen abundance was recorded, while these factors were found negatively correlated with specimens abundance in the mid-interior regions of the forest.     

Low genetic differentiation between apotheciate Usnea florida and sorediate Usnea subfloridana (Parmeliaceae,Ascomycota) based on microsatellite data

Accurate species delimitation has a pivotal role in conservation biology, and it is especially important for threatened species where decisions have political and economic consequences. Finding and applying appropriate character sets and analytical tools to resolve interspecific relationships remains challenging in lichenized fungi. The main aim of our study was to re-assess the species boundaries between Usnea subfloridana and Usnea florida, which have been phylogenetically indistinguishable until now, but are different in reproductive mode and ecological preferences, using fungal-specific simple sequence repeats (SSR), i.e. microsatellite markers. Bayesian clustering analysis, discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), minimal spanning network (MSN), and principal component analysis (PCA) failed to separate U. florida and U. subfloridana populations. However, a low significant differentiation between the two taxa was observed across all populations according to AMOVA results. Also, analysis of shared haplotypes and statistical difference in clonal diversity (M) supported the present-day isolation between the apotheciate U. florida and predominantly sorediate U. subfloridana. Our results do not provide a clear support either for the separation of species in this pair or the synonymization of U. florida and U. subfloridana. We suggest that genome-wide data could help resolve the taxonomic question in this species pair.     

Cannot see the diversity for all the species: Evaluating inclusion criteria for local species lists when using abundant citizen science data

Abundant citizen science data on species occurrences are becoming increasingly available and enable identifying composition of communities occurring at multiple sites with high temporal resolution. However, for species displaying temporary patterns of local occurrences that are transient to some sites, biodiversity measures are clearly dependent on the criteria used to include species into local species lists. Using abundant opportunistic citizen science data from frequently visited wetlands, we investigated the sensitivity of α‐ and β‐diversity estimates to the use raw versus detection‐corrected data and to the use of inclusion criteria for species presence reflecting alternative site use. We tested seven inclusion criteria (with varying number of days required to be present) on time series of daily occurrence status during a breeding season of 90 days for 77 wetland bird species. We show that even when opportunistic presence‐only observation data are abundant, raw data may not produce reliable local species richness estimates and rank sites very differently in terms of species richness. Furthermore, occupancy model based α‐ and β‐diversity estimates were sensitive to the inclusion criteria used. Total species lists (all species observed at least once during a season) may therefore mask diversity differences among sites in local communities of species, by including vagrant species on potentially breeding communities and change the relative rank order of sites in terms of species richness. Very high sampling effort does not necessarily free opportunistic data from its inherent bias and can produce a pattern in which many species are observed at least once almost everywhere, thus leading to a possible paradox: The large amount of biological information may hinder its usefulness. Therefore, when prioritizing among sites to manage or preserve species diversity estimates need to be carefully related to relevant inclusion criteria depending on the diversity estimate in focus.     

An African bat in Europe,Plecotus gaisleri: Biogeographic and ecological insights from molecular taxonomy and Species Distribution Models

Because of the high risk of going unnoticed, cryptic species represent a major challenge to biodiversity assessments, and this is particularly true for taxa that include many such species, for example, bats. Long‐eared bats from the genus Plecotus comprise numerous cryptic species occurring in the Mediterranean Region and present complex phylogenetic relationships and often unclear distributions, particularly at the edge of their known ranges and on islands. Here, we combine Species Distribution Models (SDMs), field surveys and molecular analyses to shed light on the presence of a cryptic long‐eared bat species from North Africa, Plecotus gaisleri, on the islands of the Sicily Channel, providing strong evidence that this species also occurs in Europe, at least on the islands of the Western Mediterranean Sea that act as a crossroad between the Old Continent and Africa. Species Distribution Models built using African records of P. gaisleri and projected to the Sicily Channel Islands showed that all these islands are potentially suitable for the species. Molecular identification of Plecotus captured on Pantelleria, and recent data from Malta and Gozo, confirmed the species' presence on two of the islands in question. Besides confirming that P. gaisleri occurs on Pantelleria, haplotype network reconstructions highlighted moderate structuring between insular and continental populations of this species. Our results remark the role of Italy as a bat diversity hotspot in the Mediterranean and also highlight the need to include P. gaisleri in European faunal checklists and conservation directives, confirming the usefulness of combining different approaches to explore the presence of cryptic species outside their known ranges—a fundamental step to informing conservation.     

Patterns of host–parasite associations in tropical lice and their passerine hosts in Cameroon

Coevolutionary processes that drive the patterns of host–parasite associations can be deduced through congruence analysis of their phylogenies. Feather lice and their avian hosts have previously been used as typical model systems for congruence analysis; however, such analyses are strongly biased toward nonpasserine hosts in the temperate zone. Further, in the Afrotropical region especially, cospeciation studies of lice and birds are entirely missing. This work supplements knowledge of host–parasite associations in lice using cospeciation analysis of feather lice (genus Myrsidea and the Brueelia complex) and their avian hosts in the tropical rainforests of Cameroon. Our analysis revealed a limited number of cospeciation events in both parasite groups. The parasite–host associations in both louse groups were predominantly shaped by host switching. Despite a general dissimilarity in phylogeny for the parasites and hosts, we found significant congruence in host–parasite distance matrices, mainly driven by associations between Brueelia lice and passerine species of the Waxbill (Estrildidae) family, and Myrsidea lice and their Bulbul (Pycnonotidae) host species. As such, our study supports the importance of complex biotic interactions in tropical environments.     

Habitat and host associations of the fish‐burrowing parasite Artystone minima (Cymothoidae: Isopoda) in eastern Amazonia

Cymothoid fish parasites settle on hosts in ways that may impact fish health and energetics. High abundances of Artystone minima observed in Nannostomus beckfordi from the Jeju River in eastern Amazonia were investigated to answer the following questions: (a) What factors are associated with the high prevalence at this locality?; (b) Is high abundance associated with co‐infestation of alternative hosts?; and (c) Is parasite presence associated with host species growth and/or reproduction? Fish assemblages were sampled quarterly (August 2017–May 2018) from five habitats along with environmental data. Parasitic indices were calculated, and parasite presence used to evaluate differences in growth of hosts using analysis of covariance considering host sex and sampling season (wet vs. dry). Parasites were only abundant in one of the habitats, a large, shallow backwater bay with macrophytes. Abiotic environmental factors (flow and depth) likely impact parasite transmission and are, therefore, particularly important in producing these local patterns. Two secondary hosts, Hyphessobrycon cf. rosaceus and Moenkhausia collettii, were found in the wet season. Based on host biology compared to other fish in the habitat, parasite infestation is inferred to be depth associated and long‐term infestation is apparently limited in alternative hosts. Parasite presence was significantly associated with reduced weight (standardized for length) of female Nannostomus beckfordi in the wet season. Furthermore, ovaries of non‐parasitized females from the wet season presented a range of maturation stages, while parasitized females were all immature, indicating a significant association of parasites with host reproductive capacity. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material     

A comprehensive landscape genomics approach for seed sourcing strategies in landscapes under varying degrees of habitat disturbance

As most ecosystems around the world are threatened by anthropogenic degradation and climate change, there is an increasing urgency to implement restoration strategies aiming at ensuring ecosystem self‐sustainability and resilience. An initial step towards that goal relies on selecting the most suitable seed sources for a successful revegetation, which can be extremely challenging in highly degraded landscapes. The most common seed sourcing strategy is to select local seeds because it is assumed that plants experience strong adaptations to their natal sites. An alternative strategy is the selection of climate‐adapted genotypes to future conditions. While considering future climatic projections is important to account for spatial shifts in climate to inform assisted gene flow and translocations, to restore highly degraded landscapes we need a comprehensive approach that first accounts for species adaptations to current at‐site environmental conditions. In this issue of Molecular Ecology Resources, Carvalho et al. present a novel landscape genomics framework to identify the most appropriate seed sourcing strategy for moderately and highly degraded sites by integrating genotype, phenotype and environmental data in a spatially explicit context for two native plant species with potential to help restore iron‐rich Amazonian savannas. This framework is amenable to be applicable and adapted to a broad range of restoration initiatives, as the dichotomy between focusing on the current or future climatic conditions should depend on the goals and environmental circumstances of each restoration site.     

Timing and abundance of sporangia production and zoospore release influences the recovery of different Phytophthora species by baiting

Analysis of soil samples using High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) frequently detects more Phytophthora species compared with traditional soil baiting methods. This study investigated whether differences between species in the timing and abundance of sporangial production and zoospore release could be a reason for the lower number of species isolated by baiting. Stems of Eucalyptus marginata were inoculated with ten Phytophthora species (P. nicotianae, P. multivora, P. pseudocryptogea, P. cinnamomi, P. thermophila, P. arenaria, P. heveae, P. constricta, P. gondwanensis and P. versiformis), and lesioned sections for each species were baited separately in water. There were significant differences between species in timing of sporangia production and zoospore release. P. nicotianae, P. pseudocryptogea, P. multivora and P. thermophila released zoospores within 8–12 h and could be isolated from lesioned baits within 1–2 days. In contrast, P. constricta did not produce zoospores for over 48 h and was only isolated 5–7 days after baiting. P. heveae and P. versiformis did not produce zoospores and were not recovered from the baits. When species were paired in the same baiting tub, those that produced zoospores in the shortest time were isolated most frequently, while species slow to produce zoospores, or which produced them in lower numbers, were isolated from few baits or not at all. Thus, species differences in the timing of sporangia production and zoospore release may contribute to the ease of isolation of some Phytophthora species when they are present together with other Phytophthora species in an environmental sample.     

长江中下游岸带(宜昌-铜陵段)湿生植物的群落构建机制研究

沿长江中下游（宜昌-铜陵段）13座城市共37个位点,分别于丰水期和枯水期对岸带的湿生植物进行调查,从物种和系统发育2个维度研究群落的构建机制,并结合环境和空间因子探讨其驱动因素。结果显示：（1）丰水期湿生植物群落的α多样性高于枯水期,且丰水期α多样性主要与水分条件呈正相关,而枯水期则主要与温度和土壤总氮含量有关。（2）丰水期的系统发育结构指数呈聚集趋势,暗示生境过滤起着主导作用,而枯水期的NRI（net relatedness index）和NTI（nearest taxon index）呈不同趋势,暗示存在近期的群落分化。（3）群落的α多样性在物种层面和系统发育层面存在显著关联性,其多样性水平可在一定程度上互为表征。（4）长江中下游沿岸湿生植物群落的构建机制在不同时期存在差异,丰水期的群落构建是环境筛选和扩散限制共同作用的结果,且以环境筛选作用占主导,而枯水期的群落构建仅在物种层面受一定程度环境筛选作用的影响。（5）大生境的温度变化、微生境的土壤水分和养分条件是影响长江中下游岸带湿生植物群落差异的主要驱动因素。该研究结果可为长江中下游岸带湿地生态系统的管理和保护提供科学支持。