Stress-dependent stability of microbial sulfidogenic bioremediation is governed by community assembly and evolutionary dynamics.

Theoretical origins of extreme cell differentiation irreversibility in volvocine algae: A dynamic model of organismal size effects.

The transition from outcrossing to selfing involve convergent patterns of flower trait covariation.

A dual-stage optimization strategy for power allocation of hybrid energy storage system to smooth renewable energy source power fluctuations using successive variational mode decomposition and evolution of mode division

Dependencies among microorganisms often appear mutualistic, as microbes grow faster together than alone. However, the Black Queen hypothesis (BQH) posits that these dependencies are underpinned by benefits from 'cheating' when others supply necessary common goods (CGs). The BQH often describes the evolution of a pair of ecotypes, a cooperator producing a CG and a cheater free-riding upon it. With multiple goods, their production can be centralized, with one ecotype producing everything and others cheating. We previously proposed an alternative BQH endpoint describing a community of 'mutual cheating', with production distributed over multiple interdependent ecotypes. Here, we present an individual-based eco-evolutionary model that predicts BQH dynamics resulting in various endpoints, including both distributed and centralizedproduction, and novel intermediate ecosystems involving apparent functional redundancy. These endpoints critically depend on the interaction range, the number of beneficiaries a producer can locally support. The intermediate ecosystems involve stable coexistence among ecotypes partially distributing production, with this coexistence punctuated by rare evolutionary transitions resulting in further distribution. These punctuated dynamics arise from cheaters stalling the division of labour by occupying the limited space within the producers' interaction ranges. Overall, our findings unveil complex evolutionary dynamics beyond the simple cheater-cooperator narrative, broadening the predictions of BQH.

Reconsidering early Yersinia pestis ecology: Enteric origins, gene loss, and a human-mediated reservoir hypothesis.

Ferns are well known for their exceptionally large genomes and high chromosome numbers, which may be in part due to whole genome duplications (WGDs) followed by slow diploidization. To better understand the mode of fern genome evolution, we focus on the heterosporous fern genus Salvinia, which exhibits striking variation in genome size and chromosome number. We generated chromosome-level genome assemblies for Salvinia cucullata, the fern with the smallest genome, and Salvinia molesta, a globally invasive species widely thought to be an allopentaploid. Surprisingly, we found that S. molesta is in fact a diploid hybrid and that S. cucullata, despite having a genome ten times smaller than S. molesta, has substantially more chromosomes. Both species lack any recent WGDs and their highly variable genomes were predominately shaped by transposable element proliferation and chromosome rearrangements. The complete decoupling of chromosome number and genome size in Salvinia sharply contrasts the typical pattern in ferns, which are mostly homosporous and produce only one type of spore by meiosis. Many of the genome features observed in Salvinia are consistent with genomic changes due to female meiotic drive, a mechanism possible only in heterosporous plants that produce distinct microspores and megaspores. These results redefine the genetic identity of S. molesta and provide insights into its invasive success. The marked variation in genome composition and structure within Salvinia challenges the prevailing model of fern genome evolution while aligning with expectations for angiosperms, another heterosporous lineage.

RK-type ginsenosides are a subgroup of dehydrated dammarane saponins with valuable bioactivities, but they are not naturally produced in cultivated ginseng. The ginseng relative Oplopanax elatus accumulates dammaradienol, the precursor scaffold of RK-type ginsenosides, but does not produce RK-type ginsenosides. Here, we identify OeOSC14 as a specialized dammaradienol synthase that evolved through duplication and neofunctionalization of an ancestral multifunctional triterpene synthase by combining chromosome-level genome assembly, comparative genomics and biochemical analyses. Consistent with this evolutionary transition, a single N260Y substitution converts OeOSC14 from a dammaradienol-specific enzyme back into a multifunctional triterpene synthase. We further show that loss of functional C12 hydroxylase blocks the downstream oxidative step required for RK-type ginsenoside biosynthesis in O. elatus. Reconstitution of the pathway in Nicotiana benthamiana enables de novo production of ginsenosides Rk1, Rk2, and Rk3, providing evolutionary insight into triterpene diversification and establishing a plant-based route for producing these compounds.

The evolutionary genomics of novel endosymbiosis in wild rhizobia bacteria.

The evolutionary transition from alga to parasite in the sister lineage of apicomplexans.

The evolutionary transition from unicellular to multicellular organisms exhibited a sharp increase in metabolic rates, yet the physical conditions supporting this transition remain poorly understood. Here we propose that wide-spread hydrodynamic enhancement of nutrient delivery to the microorganisms in the Neoproterozoic Era constituted a necessary enabling condition for early multicellularity, complementing the effect of rising oxygen levels occurring at the same time. Along with conceptual arguments in support of this hypothesis, we define three testable hydrodynamic mechanisms (viscous-diffusive, viscous-convective, and inertial-convective) controlling nutrient uptake and largely applicable for both bed-attached and free-floating microorganisms. We also highlight a flow-bed interface in surface streams as potentially important hotbed for multicellularity breeding, complementing the mainstream perception on the defining role of early oceans. Overall, our results emphasize hydrodynamics as under-represented physical component in existing evolutionary frameworks and generate testable predictions linking organism size, flow conditions, and habitat type.

Spiders are largely terrestrial, but some lineages have independently adapted to marine and freshwater habitats. Although physiological and behavioral traits supporting these evolutionary transitions have been characterized, the genomic basis of adaptation to aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats in spiders remains unclear. Here, we report a chromosome-level genome assembly for the aquatic spider Argyroneta aquatica. Comparative analysis of 22 spider species supports two independent transitions in semi-aquatic (∼56 Mya) and aquatic (∼44 Mya) lineages. The aquatic spider show distinct respiratory morphology compared with terrestrial spiders, including anterior spiracles and denser tracheoles. Molecular evolution analyses identified lineage-specific shifts in selective constraint or evidence of positive selection linked to trachea development (e.g., Wnt-1, Catenin beta, TMEM234, Arp3), hypoxia response (e.g., Uqcrfs1, COX5B, SLC2A3), lipid metabolism (e.g., Pnliprp2, ND-ACP), and osmoregulation. In the semi-aquatic spiders (Desis spp.), we detected strengthened purifying selection or positive selection on genes involved in respiratory/energy metabolism (e.g., SdhD, SLC2A3) and ion transporters (e.g., Slc24a5). Comparative results further indicate that the A. aquatica genome may harbor bacterial-origin genes homologous to ABC transporters (39 genes) and acyl-CoA dehydrogenases (ACADs; 21 genes), which may support metabolic or transport functions in the aquatic lineage. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling of A. aquatica under hypoxic challenge revealed metabolic reprogramming, including shifts in glycolytic and TCA intermediates and upregulation of genes that promote fatty-acid β-oxidation (e.g., Slc13a5, AACS), consistent with extended anoxia tolerance (>48 h). Overall, this work provides genomic resources and highlights genomic signatures associated with semi-aquatic and aquatic adaptation in spiders.

Over the past decade, the integration of Big History into the Italian school curriculum has involved a small but active group of primary and secondary teachers. Despite several well-documented classroom experiments, these initiatives have remained largely episodic and have not consolidated into stable teaching practices. This difficulty reflects structural features of national education systems which, historically, have been designed around compartmentalised disciplines aimed at the construction of national identity rather than transdisciplinary narratives. This article proposes a pedagogical strategy that moves beyond the direct adoption of the Big History narrative. Instead, it focuses on identifying the subject's foundational concepts. By foregrounding these concepts, the article aims to provide a framework of common interpretative ideas that can be applied across different disciplines. Drawing inspiration from Jerome Bruner’s notion of the fundamental structure of a discipline, we argue that concepts such as system, emergent properties, scale, and thresholds of complexity can function as cognitive bridges connecting disciplinary curricula to the Big History framework. Within this perspective, complexity is understood as the organization of interacting components across multiple levels, giving rise to emergent properties that are not reducible to the characteristics of individual elements and often become observable at different orders of magnitude. These scalar discontinuities play a key role in many evolutionary transitions described in Big History, from physical and chemical systems to biological and social ones. The article also introduces the concept of autopoiesis (Maturana and Varela) as a heuristic extension to Big History education. While not traditionally employed in Big History scholarship, autopoiesis offers a useful distinction between classes of adaptive systems and supports a unified narrative linking biological and social systems through shared organizational principles. Grounded in classroom-based Research-Action experiences conducted in Italian schools, the proposed framework is further developed into a model for teacher education. This model enables teachers to preserve disciplinary depth while contributing to a coherent and transdisciplinary Big History narrative. The article concludes by discussing the implications of this approach for curriculum design and teacher training in a context of emerging global interdependence in educational systems that are structurally resistant to external curricular innovation.

We examine the low-lying collective quasiparticle modes of a mixture of flattened infinite-pancake Bose-Einstein condensates having dipolar and non-dipolar atomic species. The dipolar atomic species have permanent magnetic dipolar moments. We employ Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory to investigate the distinct axial collective spectra at zero and finite temperatures corresponding to phase separation phenomena stemming from the dipole-dipole interaction of dipolar atomic species. When the dipolar interaction is tuned to be repulsive, the number of zero-energy axial modes decreases, reflecting the system's tendency towards mixing. For a large number of atoms per unit area, we show that the attractive (repulsive) dipolar interaction strengths lead to ground states with non-dipolar (dipolar) atomic species at the periphery, and this leads to a discontinuity in quasiparticle mode evolution. We finally reveal that miscibility driven by thermal fluctuations at finite temperatures exhibits dipole mode hardening of axial excitations, confirmed by the loss of long-range phase coherence through the correlation function. The mode mixing in the dispersion relations ascertains a dipolar strength-dependent miscibility transition and the low-lying quasiparticle mode evolution.

This paper investigates output-feedback sliding mode security control for two-dimensional (2-D) Roesser Markov jump systems subject to important-data-based denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. A global-index-based 2-D jumping description is adopted to eliminate mode ambiguity along the two independent directions, so that a unique mode evolution is assigned to each diagonal layer. An attack-aware signal reconstruction mechanism is then developed from the defender's perspective, where a conservative proxy of the attacker's triggering threshold is inferred only from successfully received measurements. Based on the reconstructed indicator, an asynchronous output-feedback sliding mode controller is designed. Sufficient conditions are established to guarantee mean-square exponential stability and practical reachability of a bounded sliding region under bounded disturbances and targeted data losses. These conditions are further converted into tractable linear matrix inequalities by suitable variable substitutions. Simulations on a switched 2-D example and a Darboux-type model show that IDB attacks cause significantly more severe performance degradation than conventional DoS patterns, while the proposed control scheme effectively mitigates their impact.

Phylogenomic frameworks from deep archaeplastid evolution to embryophyte diversification.

Gene co-option across scales shapes plant diversity.

The interactions between ionic charge carriers and host framework critically govern electrochemical reactions and ion-storing performance, serving as a pivotal design consideration for energy storage devices. However, the fundamental understanding of the covalent-ionic interactions between anion and oxidized π+-framework remains limited thus far. Here we reveal the covalent-ionic nature of anion-π+ interactions between poly(arylamine)s (PAAs) and Cl- anions. Cl--π+ complexes bearing rigid polymeric aryl-substituted dihydrophenazine (PDPZ) exhibit both electrostatic interaction and distinct Cl-→π+ charge-transfer orbital contribution, confirming the underlying hybrid covalent-ionic nature of Cl--π+ interaction. The synergistic effect of Cl--π+ interaction and high electron delocalization capability of PDPZx+ framework enables reversible Cl- intercalation/deintercalation during multi-electron redox, achieving a high anion storage capacity of 236 mAhg-1 and remarkable energy densities of 175Whkg-1 (Zn||PDPZ cell, in 30m ZnCl2), alongside long calendar life as cathodes for Cl--based dual-ion batteries (Cl-DIBs). Spectroscopic evidence reveals dynamic evolution of vibrational modes and electronic structures from PDPZ to PDPZx+·xCl- complexes, demonstrating the entire π+-framework participation and anion-to-π+ charge transfer during chloride storage. Our mechanistic insights into anion-π+ interactions in Cl-DIBs provide theoretical guidance for designing advanced anion-storage organic cathodes and advance anion coordination chemistry.

Autogenic transitions in individuality.

Disinfection by-products induce population-level antibiotic resistance via mutation-driven competition and membrane reprogramming.