New insights into diversity and evolution of the Oriental antlion genus Layahima Navás, 1912 (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), with description of new species and new larvae from China

The formation and continued maintenance of beta diversity are essential factors contributing to the effective conservation of plant community biodiversity and sustainable development of ecosystem functions. While it is widely acknowledged that two different patterns, including turnover and nestedness, strongly influence plant community beta diversity, their relative importance in the unique dry and hot valleys of Southwest China is yet to be fully understood. For this study, we established a 100 km belt transect in the Nujiang dry and hot valley of Southwest China and conducted community investigations. The calculations of species and phylogenetic beta diversity composition patterns allowed us to explore the relative importance of environmental and dispersal limitations in terms of their contributions to beta diversity. The findings indicated that in the Nujiang dry and hot valley of Northwest Yunnan, species and phylogenetic beta diversity in the plant communities were mainly composed of the turnover component. The values of phylogenetic beta diversity and its turnover components were lower than those of species beta diversity. Both environmental and dispersal limitations played a role in partitioning beta diversity in the region, with environmental limitations being more dominant than dispersal limitations. The analysis of specific environmental factors revealed that climate factors, such as mean annual precipitation and Hargreaves reference evaporation, and soil factors, such as pH, were the primary drivers of species and phylogenetic beta diversity in the region. In addition, we observed that various limiting environmental factors related to the growth and development of different life forms existed within the dry and hot valley communities. The study highlighted the potential benefits of establishing conservation reserves featuring multiple dominant shrub species in the Nujiang dry and hot valley of Southwest China for the protection of the vegetation. The findings demonstrated that environmental factors, particularly hydrothermal conditions, played a significant role in constraining the maintenance of beta diversity in plant communities in the dry and hot valley region at a regional scale, given the geological history and environmental changes that have occurred over time.

The International Committee of Systematic Bacteriology Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Campylobacter and related bacteria has agreed in principle on minimum requirements for the description of new species of the genus Helicobacter. These requirements include the recommendation that the description of a putative new species or subspecies be based on examination of at least five strains in order to provide a measure of phenotypic and genotypic variation. Recommendations for required phenotypic and molecular data are presented. The requirements are consistent with the polyphasic approach to bacterial systematics.

Herein the members of the Subcommittee on Taxonomy of Rhizobia and Agrobacteria of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes review recent developments in rhizobial and agrobacterial taxonomy and propose updated minimal standards for the description of new species (and genera) in these groups. The essential requirements (minimal standards) for description of a new species are (1) a genome sequence of at least the proposed type strain and (2) evidence for differentiation from other species based on genome sequence comparisons. It is also recommended that (3) genetic variation within the species is documented with sequence data from several clearly different strains and (4) phenotypic features are described, and their variation documented with data from a relevant set of representative strains. Furthermore, it is encouraged that information is provided on (5) nodulation or pathogenicity phenotypes, as appropriate, with relevant gene sequences. These guidelines supplement the current rules of general bacterial taxonomy, which require (6) a name that conforms to the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, (7) validation of the name by publication either directly in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology or in a validation list when published elsewhere, and (8) deposition of the type strain in two international culture collections in separate countries.

Two rare genera of Pteromalidae viz., Neapterolelaps Girault and Thaumasura Westwood are reported for the first time from the Oriental Region. Distribution of both the genera is currently confined to Australasian Region with majority of species reported from the Australian continent and surrounding island groups in the Indo-Australian region. Here we report the range extension of both the genera in the Oriental region with the description and illustrations of new species Neapterolelaps paraeneiceps Sureshan and Binoy sp. nov. and Thaumasura indica Sureshan and Binoy sp. nov. from Southern Western Ghats, India. Affinities of the new species with closely related conspecifics are discussed and a partial key of Neapterolelaps is provided. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5BDBD180-3ADE-4E03-B56E-CC4A92928EEF http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2BAC50DB-04DB-466E-B479-66C843D45F58

The pros and cons of being broad: recent and future progress of Nordic Journal of Botany

The Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains of southwest China are hotspots of both climatic and species diversity. Yet, the distribution patterns of semi‐arid plant communities that have arisen throughout the region's complex uplift history remain insufficiently understood. In particular, the striking disjunctions of plants associated with dry river valleys that solely occur on the eastern and western ends of the Himalayan arc, but are absent in between, lack a sound explanation. Here we aim to disentangle the more recent environmental drivers behind the disjunction of the semi‐woody shrub Rumex hastatus found in dry river valleys of the western Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains. We used ecological niche modeling and enhanced random forest parameterizations (down‐sampling) to infer suitable and unsuitable habitats within the study area during the last glacial maximum, under present climate conditions, and under four future climate scenarios. Annual and seasonal precipitation contributed the strongest to the discrimination between occurrences and the distribution gap, with the latter showing much higher rainfall amounts. The gap was also characterized by low overall habitat suitability, whereas occurrence probabilities in dry river valleys inhabited by R. hastatus were very high. However, some suitable but isolated habitats within the gap were detected in Bhutan and the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The identified distribution gap was consistent in all simulated scenarios from the last glacial maximum to the near future. Our results suggest that the South Asian summer monsoon system acts as a persistent ecological barrier maintaining the disjunct distribution of dry river valley‐dwelling plants in the western Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains.

Many ecological restoration projects have been carried out in Southwest China; however, changes in vegetation cover in the dry valleys of Southwest China have rarely been reported. With their unique characteristics of high temperatures and low humidity, these dry valleys have considerably lower vegetation cover than their neighboring areas, making them the main sediment sources of rivers in Southwest China. Thus, it is imperative to understand changes in vegetation cover in China’s dry valleys, as well as the effects of changes in precipitation, since water deficit is the dominant cause of obstructed plant growth. In this study, changes in fractional vegetation cover (FVC) in dry valleys in the period 2000 to 2020 were analyzed based on MODIS-NDVI data, and the effects of precipitation were also analyzed. Our results indicated that: (1) the long-term mean annual FVC values in the dry–hot valleys (DHVs), dry–warm valleys (DWVs), and dry–temperate valleys (DTVs) were 0.426, 0.504, and 0.446, respectively; (2) significant decreasing trends in FVC were mainly found in DHVs and DWVs that were distributed in the southwestern part of the dry valley region (DVR), which was mainly due to the decrease in precipitation; and (3) significant increasing trends were reported in DTVs of the Min River and the Baishui River, which was probably due to the increase in precipitation. By analyzing the temporal trends of FVC in dry valleys, this study highlighted the effects of precipitation on the dynamics of FVC and demonstrated that anthropogenic activities such as urbanization, land use changes, and hydro-power project construction may also have considerable effects on FVC in dry valleys. Overall, this study not only provides insights that might inform further detailed studies on the dynamics and mechanisms of vegetation cover, but could also provide valuable guidance for ecological restoration management in the dry valley region.

The dry valley is a unique geographic phenomenon in Southwest China with severe water erosion. However, little is known regarding its dominant controls and the discrepancies between dry valley subtypes, leading to the poor management of water erosion. To solve these problems, the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) and Geodetector method were used in a dry temperate (DT), dry warm (DW), and dry hot (DH) valley. Results indicated that dry valleys suffer severe water erosion with a value of 64.78, 43.85, and 33.81 t·ha−1·yr−1. The Geodetector method is proven to be an efficient tool to quantify the dominant factor of water erosion. It was established that land use types (LUT) have the closest relationship with water erosion. The controls for water erosion could be better explained by multi-factor interactions analysis, particularly for the combination of slope and LUT in DW (q = 0.71) and DH (q = 0.66). Additionally, regions at high risk of water erosion were characterized by steep slope (>30°) and low vegetation coverage (<50%) in DT, while the opposite is shown in DH. These findings could provide insight for guiding soil erosion management and ecological restoration strategies that balance economic and environmental sustainability.

Descriptions of new species of the diverse and endemic land snail Amplirhagada Iredale, 1933 from rainforest patches across the Kimberley, Western Australia (Pulmonata: Camaenidae)

An annotated checklist of ground beetles in the family Carabidae from the state of Sonora in Mexico is presented with notes including number of specimens examined, municipios, habitat, vegetation, elevation, and collection dates. The checklist includes 388 taxa, of which 270 are described taxa (included are 19 subspecies and 1 hybrid) and 118 are unnamed morphospecies, in 92 genera representing 35 tribes. Dot maps display where specimens were collected. Three new species are described, with corrected keys and images: Calathus mcclevei, new species (type locality: Mexico, Sonora, Municipality of Yécora, 10 km south of Yécora, ca. 28.278° N 108.926° W); Calathus tigrinus, new species (type locality: Mexico, Sonora, Municipality of Nacozari de García, Rancho El Tigre, 28.3 km (by air) WNW Bavispe, Sierra El Tigre, 30.58988° N 109.20811° W); and Amblygnathus balli, new species (type locality: Mexico, Sonora, Municipality of Fronteras, Rancho Capulín, 23.5 km (by air) WSW Fronteras, Sierra Buenos Aires, 30.76167° N 109.82361° W).

Southwest China is characterized by high plateaus, large mountain systems, and deeply incised dry valleys formed by major rivers and their tributaries. Despite the considerable attention given to alpine plant radiations in this region, the timing and mode of diversification of the numerous dry valley plant lineages remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the macroevolution of Isodon (Lamiaceae), a lineage commonly distributed in the dry valleys in southwest China and wetter areas of Asia and Africa. We reconstructed a robust phylogeny encompassing nearly 90% of the approximately 140 extant Isodon species using transcriptome and genome-resequencing data. Our results suggest a rapid radiation of Isodon during the Pliocene that coincided with a habit shift from herbs to shrubs and a habitat shift from humid areas to dry valleys. The shrubby growth form likely acted as a preadaptation allowing for the movement of Isodon species into these dry valleys. Ecological analyses highlight drought-related factors as key drivers influencing the niche preferences of different growth forms and species richness of Isodon. The interplay between topography and the development of the East Asian monsoon since the middle Miocene likely contributed to the formation of the dry valley biome in southwest China. This study enhances our understanding of evolutionary dynamics and ecological drivers shaping the distinctive flora of southwest China and reveals the strategies employed by montane plants in response to climate change and dryland expansion, thus facilitating conservation efforts globally.

The <i>Pseudomonas</i> Story

Baculoviruses (Baculoviridae) are double-stranded DNA viruses which infect the larval stages of insects belonging to the orders Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera. Due to their narrow host range and high virulence to target insects, different baculoviruses have been used as biological control agents in pest control. Severe soil pests of many agricultural and horticultural crops, which are difficult to be controlled, are larvae of the genus Agrotis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), also called cutworms. Their habitat is the soil or soil surface where they feed on seedlings, stems, and other parts of plants. So far, cutworms are mainly control by chemical pesticides, but biological control agents would be highly desirable for environmental reasons. Two of the most important cutworm pests are the common cutworm, Agrotis segetum (Denis & Schiffermuller), and the black cutworm, A. ipsilon (Hufnagel). At least four distinct baculovirus species, three of the genus Alphabaculovirus and one of the genus Betabaculovirus, were isolated from these two cutworm species. The alphabaculoviruses are the Agrotis segetum nucleopolyhedrovirus A (AgseNPV-A), Agrotis segetum nucleopolyhedrovirus B (AgseNPV-B), and Agrotis ipsilon nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgipNPV). The Agrotis segetum granulovirus (AgseGV) represents the betabaculovirus. Together with their two host species, from which they were first isolated and characterized, they form the so-called Agrotis baculovirus complex. Agrotis baculoviruses have the potential to be used as biological control agents for the control of Agrotis cutworms. However, in-depth knowledge and a full characterization of their biology, molecular setup, and virulence parameters are required for a successful registration and application in the field. In this study the genome sequence of AgseNPV-B was fully sequenced. Its genome is 148,981 bp in length and codes for 150 putative open reading frames. Whole genome comparisons with AgseNPV-A and AgipNPV, whose genome sequences have been published previously, suggested that AgseNPV-B belongs to a new species of the Agrotis baculovirus complex. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a very close relationship to AgipNPV and it could be concluded that both viruses are two distinct species at an early stage of separation. Whole genome alignments revealed a different number of viral enhancing factor (vef) gene copies in AgseNPV-A, AgseNPV-B and AgipNPV as one of the most striking distinguishing features between their genomes. VEFs are known to affect the virulence of baculoviruses. A putative site of genomic recombination was found in the region of the cathepsin and chitinase genes where the high co-linearity of the genomes of all three Agrotis nucleopolyhedroviruses was interrupted by inversions, deletions, or insertions. A putative fifth Agrotis baculovirus, the Agrotis exclamationis nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgexNPV), was suggested to be an isolate of AgseNPV-B due to high nucleotide sequence similarities of partial genomic regions. Based on the genome sequences of AgseNPV-A, AgseNPV-B, AgipNPV and AgseGV a multiplex PCR based method for the identification of these Agrotis baculoviruses was established. Highly specific oligonucleotide primers specific for the polyhedrin (polh) or granulin (gran) genes of the four viruses were developed and resulted in discriminating PCR fragments. Furthermore, this method allowed the quantitation of AgseGV and AgseNPV-B by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Since co-infections of AgseGV and AgseNPV-B have been observed and a combination of both viruses was considered as a combined biological control agent, the potential interaction of both viruses in mixed infections was investigated. Potential interactions between AgseNPV-B and AgseGV were examined in activity studies using single virus as well as combined virus infections of neonate A. segetum larvae. Mortality rates were determined and the virus progeny produced in individual larvae was quantified by using the newly established qPCR method of quantitation of AgseNPV-B and AgseGV. As a result, combinations of AgseNPV-B and AgseGV did not exhibit an advantageous effect in terms of pest control. Neither an increase in mortality rates in mixed virus treatments in comparison with single virus treatments, nor an increase in production of AgseNPV-B or AgseGV progeny in coinfected larvae was observed. On the contrary, a competitive behavior of both viruses in mixed infections could be concluded. The present thesis contribute to the biological control of Agrotis cutworms by providing extensive insight into the molecular setup of these viruses and the characterization of AgseNPV-B as a new Alphabaculovirus species. The use and registration of baculoviruses as biocontrol agents rely on such virus characterizations as well as on virus activity studies that were performed for AgseNPV-B and AgseGV. The new technique in Agrotis baculovirus detection and quantitation will facilitate future single and mixed infection studies of AgseNPV-B and AgseGV, as well as other combinations of Agrotis baculoviruses. Auf Wunsch des Autors / der Autorin ist diese Dissertation nur als Druckausgabe verfugbar.

The genus Tuber (Tuberaceae, Pezizales) is an important fungal group of Ascomycota both economically and ecologically. However, the species diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and geographic distribution of Tuber species in China remains poorly understood, primarily because descriptions of many new species relied heavily on morphological features with molecular data either not sought or ignored. The misapplication of European and North American names further added to confusion regarding the taxonomy of Chinese Tuber species. In this study, we examined more than 1 000 specimens from China, and performed a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis for Chinese Tuber species using ITS sequences and multilocus sequence data. To infer the phylogeny of Chinese Tuber spp., 11 molecular datasets were assembled, including a concatenated internal transcribed spacers of the nuc rDNA (ITS), nuc rDNA 28S subunit (LSU), translation elongation factor 1-alpha ( tef1-α), and RNA polymerase II subunit ( rpb2) dataset as well as 10 ITS datasets (totally including 1 435 sequences from 828 collections with 597 newly generated sequences, and 168 sequences from the types of 63 species). Our phylogenetic tree based on a concatenated multilocus dataset revealed that all Chinese Tuber species nested in nine phylogenetic clades (phylogroups), including Aestivum, Excavatum, Latisporum, Macrosporum, Maculatum, Melanosporum, Puberulum, Rufum and Turmericum. Of these, five phylogroups ( Macrosporum, Maculatum, Melanosporum, Puberulum and Rufum) are shared across the continents of Asia, Europe and North America; two phylogroups ( Aestivum and Excavatum) are shared by Europe and Asia; and the phylogroups Turmericum and Latisporum are endemic only to Asia. Phylogenetic trees based on 10 ITS datasets confirmed the presence of at least 82 phylogenetic species in China. Of these, 53 are identified as known species, including three new records for China, and 25 species are identified as new to science. Of the new species, nine are described and illustrated in this paper, and the others remain unnamed due to the paucity or absence of ascomatal materials. Accordingly, the confirmed, excluded and doubtful Tuber species in China are discussed. Tuber species showed high endemism. Of the 82 phylogenetic species found in China, 68 species occur only in China, six species are also found in other regions in Asia, and only eight species ( T. anniae, T. excelsum-reticulatum, T. formosanum, T. maculatum, T. wenchuanense, Tuber sp. CHN-3, Tuber sp. CHN-10 and Tuber sp. CHN-11) are shared with other continents. Most Tuber species have a small and limited distribution in China, but a few, such as T. formosanum and T. parvomurphium, are widely distributed across China. Some phylogenetically closely related species, such as T. liaotongense and T. subglobosum, as well as T. xuanhuaense and T. lijiangense, show a pattern of allopatric distribution.

This paper is one of a proposed series of papers in which the writer plans to present new data on the fungus flora of Louisiana. The description of new species as well as the report of new host records and noteworthy information on distribution of the fungi will be included. Both saprophytic and parasitic species will be considered. The present paper includes a description of several new genera and species of parasitic fungi found in Louisiana, in addition to new distributional and host records for several other species.