Differences In Species Diversity Research Articles

Study the prevalence of predatory bugs of Southern Rajasthan in soybean crop

The present investigation was carried out during Kharif season 2021-22 and 2022-23 in Udaipur district in Southern Rajasthan. The aim of the survey is to record the diversity of different species of prevailing predators on the soybean crops ecosystem. The survey on the diversity of predatory bugs was carried out under the agro-climatic conditions of Udaipur, Rajasthan. The predatory bugs of soybean crop during the Kharif seasons, 2021-22 and 2022-23 were found such as pentatomid, reduviid, mirid and anthocorid. The dominant predatory bugs of soybean crops were observed as Pentatomidae family bugs with the maximum mean and relative density from all surveyed locations. While the population of anthocorid bugs was found minimum.

Seeds diversity of different species in the genus Rhododendron after pre-sowing treatment

The purpose of the study is the evaluation seeds diversity of different species in the genus Rhododendron after pre-sowing treatment with organic compounds. As the signs of the seeds diversity is understood the seed germination and the seedling height. The research was conducted at the B.M. Kozo-Polyansky Botanical Garden of Voronezh State University (geographic coordinates: E 39°12', N 51°42'; 168.2 meters above sea level), Central Chernozem region (chernozem soil) in 2019-2020. It has been used ornamental shrubs. The study was made about the pyrimidinecarboxylic acids effect on the seed germination and the seedling height of Rhododendron species. The diversity of seeds is manifested in their heterogeneity according to morphological characteristics (the seedling height) and sowing qualities (seed germination) of Rhododendron species. The sowing properties (germinating capacity, seedling growth) were improved after treating the seeds with the organic compounds. There is the trend of increasing the seed germination and the seedling height of Rhododendron depended on the concentration of applied compounds. The seed germination for Rh. ledebourii, Rh. luteum, Rh. molle was increased from 5 to 7%, for Rh. schlippenbachii – from 5 to 10%. The seed treatment with pyrimidinecarboxylic acids at concentrations 0.01%, 0.05% and 0.1% allows to increase the seedling height for Rh. ledebourii from 37.5 to 75%, for Rh. luteum, Rh. molle - from 18.2 to 45.5%, for Rh. schlippenbachii from 20 to 40% concerning the control. To increase the seedling height, 2-benzylamino-4-methylpyrimidine-5-carboxylic acid at concentrations 0.05% and 0.1% is most effective. Morphologically close Rhododendron species (Rh. luteum, Rh. molle) indicated similar reactions to the seed treatment with compounds of the pyrimidinecarboxylic acid series.

Edible mushrooms – perspectives and considerations

The cultivation of edible mushrooms has been an activity of great ecological, social and economic importance for many years. There is a great diversity of different species of these mushrooms, truffles, chanterelles, pine mushrooms, Termitomyces, with more than 1100 registered species, many of which are of great economic importance not only for export but also for developing countries. The collection and consumption of these mushrooms vary by country, being, for example, extensive and intensive in China and more restricted in South American countries. The ecological value they have should also be highlighted, since some species live in symbiosis with trees, helping the growth of forests and commercial plantations. These fungi contribute to human nutrition supplying micronutrients, polysaccharides, amino acids, fibers and proteins; also, they synthesize active secondary metabolites such as saponins, glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, polyphenols and some other reducing compounds. This review about edible mushrooms addresses the generalities and production, description of several species, some toxic species in Mexico and finally several aspects of these mushrooms’ biotechnology.

The association between exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and changes in gut microbiota: a narrative review

Due to their physical proximity, the healthy pancreas and the gut microbiome are known to interact in a variety of ways. The gut microbiota has been recognized as a potential factor in the development and progression of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency through several mechanisms. Pancreatic diseases like chronic and acute pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer are frequently accompanied by pancreatic exocrine insufficiency which affects the gut microbiota. Firstly, the gut microbes are controlled by antimicrobial pancreatic secretions, while themselves induce the secretion of substances by the pancreas through metabolite production, such as short chain fatty acids. Secondly, dysbiosis, the alteration in the abundance and diversity of different species, has been observed in patients with pancreatic diseases. Dysbiosis influences carcinogenesis in pancreatic cancer in ways that are either procarcinogenic or anticarcinogenic and finding these connections will have clinical implications. Identifying microbial biomarkers allow for an earlier diagnosis, improved therapy and prognosis in pancreatic cancer. The gut microbiome has a role in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis by either a bacterial translocation or a host immune response mechanism. The disruption of the normal gut barrier is believed to be the primary source of bacteria in acute pancreatitis which leads to infected pancreatic necrosis.
 In this paper, we review the current data about the association between pancreatic diseases linked to exocrine insufficiency and gut microbiota.

An Overview of Molecular Basis and Genetic Modification of Floral Organs Genes: Impact of Next-Generation Sequencing.

In plant development, flowering is the most widely studied process. Floral forms show large diversity in different species due to simple variations in basic architecture. To determine the floral gene expression during the past decade, MADS-box genes have identified as key regulators in both reproductive and vegetative plant development. Traditional genetics and functional genomics tools are now available to elucidate the expression and function of this complex gene family on a much larger scale. Moreover, comparative analysis of the MADS-box genes in diverse flowering and non-flowering plants, boosted by various molecular technologies such as ChIP and next-generation DNA sequencing, contributes to our understanding of how this important gene family has expanded during the evolution of land plants. Likewise, the big data analysis revealed combined activity of transcriptional regulators and floral organ identity factors regulate the flower developmental programs. Thus, with the help of cutting-edge technologies like RNA-Sequencing, sex determination is now better understood in few non-model plants Therefore, the recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) should enable researchers to identify the full range of floral gene functions, which will significantly help to understand plant development and evolution. This review summarizes the floral homeotic genes in model and non-model species to understand the flower development genes and dioecy evolution.

Biodiversity in Urban Green Space: A Bibliometric Review on the Current Research Field and Its Prospects.

Understanding the development process of urban green space and biodiversity conservation strategies in urban green space is vital for sustainable urban development. However, a systematic review of the urban green space biodiversity research is still lacking. We have retrieved 3806 articles in WOS core journals and carried out the bibliometrics analysis through the three related search terms: urban, green space, and biodiversity. We found that: (1) the year 2009 was a changing point, and the number of articles have increased exponentially since 2009. The United States, China, Europe, and Australia are closely linked, and four research centers have formed; (2) all studies can be classified into three research themes: “Pattern of Urban Green Biodiversity”, “Ecological Function of Urban Green Biodiversity”, and “Sustainability of Urban Green Biodiversity”; (3) based on the evolution of keywords, this field is divided into the budding stage (1998–2012) and the development stage (2012–2021). The keywords in the budding stage focus on the diversity of different species, and the keywords in the development stage focus on the ecosystem services, biodiversity protection, and residents’ satisfaction; (4) the future research focus may be in three aspects: studies on green space in the less urbanized area and urban-rural ecotone, the regulation mechanism and cultural services of urban green space, and the rational layout and management of urban green space. This study hopes to provide a reference for future research on urban green space biodiversity and promote the sustainable development of urban green space.

Transcriptomic analyses reveal highly conserved plant amalgavirus genomes in different species of Allium.

This work aims to study amalgavirus diversity in different species of allium collected around the world. Transcriptomic data of 19 Sequence Read Archive runs available at GenBank, as well as RNA-seq data generated from onion tissue from fields in Brazil were used to assemble nine allium cepa amalgavirus 1 (AcAV-1) and nine allium cepa amalgavirus 2 (AcAV-2) genomes from different species of allium worldwide. Sequence demarcation tool analyses of RdRp amino acid sequences revealed identities above 99% within each species, except for an isolate of AcAV-1 from Allium escalonicum from China. This work contributes to the understanding of the genetic diversity of amalgaviruses that infect the genus Allium. Keywords: amalgaviruses; Allium transcriptomic datasets; Allium sp.

OENOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND VINIFICATION RESULTS OF THE YEAST OF MALAGOUSIA GRAPE ISOLATED IN GREECE

Malagousia grapes, selected from 5 different PGI Greek zones, in 3 different growing seasons (2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021) were collected in the stage of technological maturity. Quantity of 25 Kg grapes fermented spontaneously in 30 l thermo regulated stain steel tanks, produced white wine. The indigenous yeast flora, isolated at three phases of the alcoholic fermentations, was studied. Different yeast species were isolated, purified and characterized. The restriction fragment length polymorphism of PCR-amplified fragments from the rDNA gene cluster (PCR RFLP of rDNA) has been used for the differentiation of yeast species. The standard identification procedure has been performed on representative strains that shared identical RFLP profiles showed great diversity of the yeast population. Including grape berries, must and fermented must, the following yeast species were identified: a number of Pichia and Candida species, Kloeckera apiculata, Cryptococcus curvatus, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Kluyveromyces, as well as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces stranieri. We performed microscopic, macroscopic and carbon assimilation tests by API 32C standardized system, biotechnological testing and hydrolase profiling obtained by the API-ZYM system. The most significant findings in population dynamics of yeasts in the spontaneous fermentations were bigger diversity of different species of Non- Saccharomyces in organic grapes and almost complete absence of non-Saccharomyces species, at least at grapes and at the beginning of the alcoholic fermentations at conventionally cultivated grapes, from all the examined PGI zones in all the three years of the study. The use and enhancement of indigenous yeasts is an increasing trend. Rapid identification of the yeast population is necessary for successful monitoring of the fermentation process and for obtaining a good wine quality as well as contributing to the optimization of Greek wine production.

Distribution Pattern and Phytosociological study of Trees Associated with Agroforestry in Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir, India

The focus of present study was to find the phytosociology, distribution pattern, and diversity of different species of trees associated with traditional agroforestry in the district of Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Data was collected through quadrat survey method. A total of fifty quadrats of the size (10x10m) each were thrown randomly in agriculture fields. Total 26 tree species belonging to 16 families and 21 genera were encountered in the agricultural fields with Grewia optiva, Pyrus persica and Celtis australis being the tree species in dominance. The most dense species of tree recorded was Grewia optiva with a density value of 3.88 tree/ha which was followed by Pyrus persica with a density of 3.74 tree/ha. Buxus wallichiana was the least dense species recorded (0.82 tree/ha). The study revealed that the area has vast potential sites for the plantation of various agroforestry related tree species to solve the problems of fuel, fodder and timber.

Trends in the Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria in Mainland China, 2000-2019: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: China is a high-burden country of tuberculosis. The proportion of diseases caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has increased, seriously affecting the prevention, control, and management of tuberculosis (TB) and posing a significant threat to human health. However, there is a lack of an organized monitoring system for NTM such as that used for tuberculosis. Comprehensive data on patient susceptibility, dominant species, and drug resistance profiles are needed to improve the treatment protocols and the management of NTM.Methods: Primary research reports of NTM clinical specimens from mainland China published between January 1, 2000 and May 31, 2019 were retrieved from four online resources (BIOSIS, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science) and three Chinese medical literature databases (CNKI, Wanfang, and Vip) as the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.Results: In total, 339 publications were included in the systematic review, 129 were used in the drug susceptibility analysis, and 95 were used in the meta-analysis. Traditional culture using Lowenstein–Jensen slants combined with P-nitrobenzene acid and thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazine differential medium and proportional method was most commonly used for the isolation, identification, and drug susceptibility testing of NTM in China. The crude isolation rate for NTM among TB suspected cases was 4.66–5.78%, while the proportion of NTM among Mycobacterium isolates was 11.57%. Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium avium complex were the most common clinical NTM species. NTM only showed general sensitivity to ethambutol, linezolid, clofazimine, amikacin, tobramycin, and clarithromycin.Conclusions: The prevalence of NTM in China has shown a decreasing trend. M. abscessus was replaced as the dominant species by Mycobacterium intracellulare over the course of the study. The geographic diversity of different species showed the effects of environmental and economic factors on the distribution of NTM and indicated that there were important factors still not identified. While there were only a limited number of antibiotics to which NTM showed any sensitivity, the drug resistance profiles of the isolates were highly variable and thus more caution should be taken when empirically treating NTM infection.

Comparison of projection of distance techniques for genetic diversity studies

The objective of this study was to compare different graphical dispersion analysis techniques in two- or three-dimensional planes. In this study, the data from different published works were used in order to determine the best methodology for analyzing the genetic diversity of different species. In this study, efficiency is measured by the amount of original distance absorbed by the projection of distances technique, which in the case of major components is equal to the amount of total variation originally available and retained by the principal components used for dispersion purposes. The projection of dissimilarity measurement technique, principal component analysis (PCA), and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) were used. Considering the analysis by means of three orthogonal axes, the graphical dispersion efficiency was 82.22 for PCA, 87.22 for PCoA, and 85.25 for the projection of distances technique. For the 2D analysis, considering the two main axes, the mean dispersion efficiency was 69.90 for the PCA, 75.06 for the projection technique, and 78.16 for PCoA. Considering the studies carried out with experimental data of six different species, it is concluded that the principal coordinate analysis is superior.

Exploring Chemical and Biological Space of Terpenoids.

Terpenoids represent the largest family of natural products (NPs) with dramatically chemical and structural diversity, which makes terpenoids the important compound resources of drug discovery. However, comprehensive understanding on the structure-function features for terpenoid NPs is limited. In this work, we have systematically explored the chemical and biological space of terpenoid NPs, including their distribution, physicochemical properties, scaffold features, and functional applications, by utilizing various cheminformatics and bioinformatics approaches. We have not only confirmed that terpenoid NPs have good drug-likeness and great potential for drug discovery but, more importantly, illuminated the uniqueness of cyclic scaffold diversity in different species (plants, fungi, bacteria, and animals) and the specificity of biological function for the dominant fused-ring scaffolds of terpenoids. The present work supplies a valuable reference for identifying the new structure and unknown function of terpenoid NPs.

Microbiomes of North American Triatominae: The Grounds for Chagas Disease Epidemiology.

Insect microbiomes influence many fundamental host traits, including functions of practical significance such as their capacity as vectors to transmit parasites and pathogens. The knowledge on the diversity and development of the gut microbiomes in various blood feeding insects is thus crucial not only for theoretical purposes, but also for the development of better disease control strategies. In Triatominae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae), the blood feeding vectors of Chagas disease in South America and parts of North America, the investigation of the microbiomes is in its infancy. The few studies done on microbiomes of South American Triatominae species indicate a relatively low taxonomic diversity and a high host specificity. We designed a comparative survey to serve several purposes: (I) to obtain a better insight into the overall microbiome diversity in different species, (II) to check the long term stability of the interspecific differences, (III) to describe the ontogenetic changes of the microbiome, and (IV) to determine the potential correlation between microbiome composition and presence of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. Using 16S amplicons of two abundant species from the southern US, and four laboratory reared colonies, we showed that the microbiome composition is determined by host species, rather than locality or environment. The OTUs (Operational Taxonomic Units) determination confirms a low microbiome diversity, with 12-17 main OTUs detected in wild populations of T. sanguisuga and T. protracta. Among the dominant bacterial taxa are Acinetobacter and Proteiniphilum but also the symbiotic bacterium Arsenophonus triatominarum, previously believed to only live intracellularly. The possibility of ontogenetic microbiome changes was evaluated in all six developmental stages and feces of the laboratory reared model Rhodnius prolixus. We detected considerable changes along the host's ontogeny, including clear trends in the abundance variation of the three dominant bacteria, namely Enterococcus, Acinetobacter, and Arsenophonus. Finally, we screened the samples for the presence of Trypanosoma cruzi. Comparing the parasite presence with the microbiome composition, we assessed the possible significance of the latter in the epidemiology of the disease. Particularly, we found a trend toward more diverse microbiomes in Trypanosoma cruzi positive T. protracta specimens.

Genome-level comparisons provide insight into the phylogeny and metabolic diversity of species within the genus Lactococcus

BackgroundThe genomic diversity of different species within the genus Lactococcus and the relationships between genomic differentiation and environmental factors remain unclear. In this study, type isolates of ten Lactococcus species/subspecies were sequenced to assess their genomic characteristics, metabolic diversity, and phylogenetic relationships.ResultsThe total genome sizes varied between 1.99 (Lactococcus plantarum) and 2.46 megabases (Mb; L. lactis subsp. lactis), and the G + C content ranged from 34.81 (L. lactis subsp. hordniae) to 39.67% (L. raffinolactis) with an average value of 37.02%. Analysis of genome dynamics indicated that the genus Lactococcus has an open pan-genome, while the core genome size decreased with sequential addition at the genus and species group levels. A phylogenetic dendrogram based on the concatenated amino acid sequences of 643 core genes was largely consistent with the phylogenetic tree obtained by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, but it provided a more robust phylogenetic resolution than the 16S rRNA gene-based analysis.ConclusionsComparative genomics indicated that species in the genus Lactococcus had high degrees of diversity in genome size, gene content, and carbohydrate metabolism. This may be important for the specific adaptations that allow different Lactococcus species to survive in different environments. These results provide a quantitative basis for understanding the genomic and metabolic diversity within the genus Lactococcus, laying the foundation for future studies on taxonomy and functional genomics.

Genetic Diversity Analysis of Capsicum Genus by SSR Markers

The genetic diversity of pepper resources is rich and the potential of breeding is great. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to determine the genetic diversity and population structure of 32 accessions of Capsicum germplasm resources and contribute to breeding of pepper. In this study, the genetic diversity of different species of pepper germplasm was studied from the molecular level, which provided reference for the collection, research and rational utilization of pepper germplasm resources. 80 pairs of SSR primers were designed based on the whole genome coding region sequence of pepper. The 32 accessions of Capsicum germplasm resources of 12 species (subspecies) with different geographical origin and different traits were selected to screen 80 pairs of primers, which was to obtain clear bands, good stability of 40 SSR polymorphic primers. DPS, MEGA7 and POPGENE32 software were used to analyze the genetic diversity of 32 pepper germplasm resources. The results showed that 40 pairs of primers amplified 122 polymorphic bands, with an average of 3.05 loci amplified by each pair of primers, which showed that the SSR primers had high practicability in the genetic analysis of pepper. The mean value of effective allele number (Ne), observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), shannon-weaver index (I), polymorphism information content (PIC) were showed that pepper genetic information is rich. Based on cluster analysis of UPGMA method and principal component analysis were basically consistent with the source of Capsicum were divided into 10 clusters.

Comparison of ISSR, IRAP and REMAP markers for assessing genetic diversity in different species of Brassica sp.

Molecular markers provide facilities in order to study genetic diversity and relationship among genotypes. In this study, genetic diversity among 35 genotype of Brassica sp. (belonging B. napus, B. juncea, B. rapa, B. nigra) were determined using 13 ISSR, 3 IRAP markers and 18 REMAP (primer combinations of ISSR and retrotransposon primer). The percentage of polymorphism for ISSR, IRAP and REMAP was 96.38, 94 and 96%, respectively. By comparison between markers, ISSRs indicated the highest expected heterozygosity (He) and Shannon’s information index (I) with value of 0.34 and 0.51, respectively, while REMAP marker had by far the highest number of polymorphic bands (340) and marker index (7.1) among all fragments scored over all markers. In pattern of clustering based on Bayesian methods, K = 8 was resulted for combined data clustering that was more organized clustering for genotypes compared to others. This research suggests the combined data of ISSR, IRAP and REMAP markers are most reliable than each solely marker whilst have been clustered genotypes in their taxonomic classification of Brassica without any mixture. Principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) separated 35 genotypes in four groups which all of genotypes were clustered correctly based on their taxonomic classification. The findings of this study provide the valuable insight into the Brassica species relationships in terms of similarity among genotypes which can be helpful in breeding programs, and also demonstrate that retrotransposon markers are legible for genetic diversity and next genetic analysis in Brassica genus.

Association between Chloroplast and Mitochondrial DNA sequences in Chinese Prunus genotypes (Prunus persica, Prunus domestica, and Prunus avium)

BackgroundThe nuclear DNA is conventionally used to assess the diversity and relatedness among different species, but variations at the DNA genome level has also been used to study the relationship among different organisms. In most species, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes are inherited maternally; therefore it is anticipated that organelle DNA remains completely associated. Many research studies were conducted simultaneously on organelle genome. The objectives of this study was to analyze the genetic relationship between chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA in three Chinese Prunus genotypes viz., Prunus persica, Prunus domestica, and Prunus avium.ResultsWe investigated the genetic diversity of Prunus genotypes using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers relevant to the chloroplast and mitochondria. Most of the genotypes were genetically similar as revealed by phylogenetic analysis. The Y2 Wu Xing (Cherry) and L2 Hong Xin Li (Plum) genotypes have a high similarity index (0.89), followed by Zi Ye Li (0.85), whereas; L1 Tai Yang Li (plum) has the lowest genetic similarity (0.35). In case of cpSSR, Hong Tao (Peach) and L1 Tai Yang Li (Plum) genotypes demonstrated similarity index of 0.85 and Huang Tao has the lowest similarity index of 0.50. The mtSSR nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that each genotype has similar amplicon length (509 bp) except M5Y1 i.e., 505 bp with CCB256 primer; while in case of NAD6 primer, all genotypes showed different sizes. The MEHO (Peach), MEY1 (Cherry), MEL2 (Plum) and MEL1 (Plum) have 586 bps; while MEY2 (Cherry), MEZI (Plum) and MEHU (Peach) have 585, 584 and 566 bp, respectively. The CCB256 primer showed highly conserved sequences and minute single polymorphic nucleotides with no deletion or mutation. The cpSSR (ARCP511) microsatellites showed the harmonious amplicon length. The CZI (Plum), CHO (Peach) and CL1 (Plum) showed 182 bp; whileCHU (Peach), CY2 (Cherry), CL2 (Plum) and CY1 (Cherry) showed 181 bp amplicon lengths.ConclusionsThese results demonstrated high conservation in chloroplast and mitochondrial genome among Prunus species during the evolutionary process. These findings are valuable to study the organelle DNA diversity in different species and genotypes of Prunus to provide in depth insight in to the mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes.

Zoonotic parapoxviruses detected in symptomatic cattle in Bangladesh.

BackgroundApplication of molecular diagnostic methods to the determination of etiology in suspected poxvirus-associated infections of bovines is important both for the diagnosis of the individual case and to form a more complete understanding of patterns of strain occurrence and spread. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize bovine-associated zoonotic poxviruses in Bangladesh which are relevant to animal and human health.FindingsInvestigators from the International Center Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr,b), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Bangladesh Department of Livestock Services traveled to three districts in Bangladesh—Siranjganj, Rangpur and Bhola–to collect diagnostic specimens from dairy cattle and buffalo that had symptoms consistent with poxvirus-associated infections. Bovine papular stomatitis virus (BPSV) DNA was obtained from lesion material (teat) and an oral swab collected from an adult cow and calf (respectively) from a dairy production farm in Siranjganj. Pseudocowpox virus (PCPV) DNA signatures were obtained from a scab and oral swab collected from a second dairy cow and her calf from Rangpur.ConclusionsWe report the first detection of zoonotic poxviruses from Bangladesh and show phylogenetic comparisons between the Bangladesh viruses and reference strains based on analyses of the B2L and J6R loci (vaccinia orthologs). Understanding the range and diversity of different species and strains of parapoxvirus will help to spotlight unusual patterns of occurrence that could signal events of significance to the agricultural and public health sectors.

Small RNA Diversity in Plants and its Impact in Development

MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional control of gene expression, either via degradation or translational inhibition of target mRNAs. Both experimental and computational approaches have been used to identify miRNAs and their target genes. In plants, deep sequencing methods have recently allowed the analysis of small RNA diversity in different species and/or mutants. Most sequencing efforts have been concentrated on the identification of miRNAs and their mRNA targets have been predicted based on complementarity criteria. The recent demonstration that certain plant miRNAs could act partly via inhibition of protein translation certainly opens new fields of analysis for plant miRNA function on a broader group of targets. The roles of conserved miRNAs on target mRNA stability have been analysed in different species and defined common mechanisms in development and stress responses. In contrast, much less is known about expression patterns or functions of non-conserved miRNAs. In this review, we focus on the comparative analyses of plant small RNA diversity and the action of si/miRNAs in post-transcriptional regulation of some key genes involved in root development.

Research needs in insect conservation and diversity

As the newest addition to the Senior Editors of Insect Conservation and Diversity (ICD), it is a great pleasure for R.K.D. to be able to lead off this first issue of the journal for 2010. Throughout the second year of operation, our new journal has been growing and developing beyond all expectations, with continued high quality submissions by authors, and effective and timely handling of manuscripts by an exceptional team of Associate Editors. This success has been attributable, in no small measure, to the hard work and commitment of Brad Hawkins as aS enior Editor over the last 2 years, and it is with great reluctance that we bid farewell to Brad from the journal and wish him every success in his future role as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biogeography. With Brad’s support, we saw a substantial increase in the number of submissions of high quality manuscripts to the journal in 2009, and a dramatic increase in the dissemination and uptake of ICD articles by the wider scientific community. Online access to articles increased 70% over 2008 values, with an impressive annual average of over 200 abstract views and almost 150 downloads per article in 2009 (as estimated from data for January–September 2009, at the time of writing this editorial). Citation rates of article so n Thompson Reuters ISI Web of Science also increased dramatically in 2009, and although it is perhaps too early to judge how these will equate to future citation metrics for the journal, it is highly encouraging that current rates are approximately 65% higher than those achieved for articles in comparable journals, such as the Journal of Insect Conservation, at the same point in their citation history. This strongly suggests to us that the wider fields of insect conservation and diversity are burgeoning areas of scientific research, and that ICD is meeting the need for a high quality platform for authors to highlight their findings, and express their views. Although the journal is only in its infancy, it should be possible (at least to some extent) to determine the main research areas driving this dramatic increase in 2009 metrics based on the most downloaded and most cited articles of 2008. In this regard, we have been interested to note the emerging strengths that readers are drawing from ICD. The top four papers contributing directly to the ‘foetal’ h-index (Hirsch, 2005) of our emerging journal, and collectively amounting to 50% of the total journal citations