Extreme Environments Research Articles

Failure mechanism of Al-Zn-In sacrificial anode under the synergic action of water pressure and fluid in the extreme deep-sea environment

Corrosion failure of sacrificial anodes in extreme deep-sea environment is a key problem in metal protection technology. This study investigated the failure mechanism of the Al-Zn-In sacrificial anode under the synergic action of water pressure and fluid flow, by microstructure characterization and finite element analysis. The results exhibit that water pressure promotes the dissolution of Al-Zn-In alloy near the precipitates that are enriched at the grain boundaries. The flow amplifies the promoting effect of the pressure on anodic dissolution by inhibiting the formation of corrosion layers, and it accelerates the mass loss by mechanically aggressing the aluminum matrix. The synergic effect of water pressure and fluid flow results in a rapid degradation in the extreme deep-sea environment.

Climate and soil stressed elevation patterns of plant species to determine the aboveground biomass distributions in a valley-type Savanna.

Extreme environments such as prolonged high temperatures and droughts can cause vulnerability of vegetation ecosystems. The dry-hot valleys of Southwestern China, known for their extremely high annual temperature, lack of water, and unique non-zonal "hot island" habitat in the global temperate zone, provide exceptional sites for studying how plant adapts to the prolonged dry and hot environment. However, the specific local biotic-environment relationships in these regions remain incompletely elucidated. The study aims to evaluate how valley-type Savanna vegetation species and their communities adapt to long-term drought and high-temperature stress environments. The study investigated the changes in species diversity and communities' aboveground biomass of a valley-type Savanna vegetation along an elevation gradient of Yuanmou dry-hot valley in Jinsha River basin, southwest China. Subsequently, a general linear model was utilized to simulate the distribution pattern of species diversities and their constituent biomass along theelevation gradient. Finally, the RDA and VPH mothed were used to evaluate the impacts and contributions of environmental factors or variables on the patterns. The field survey reveals an altitudinal gradient effect on the valley-type Savanna, with a dominant species of shrubs and herbs plants distribution below an elevation of 1700m, and a significant positive relationship between the SR, Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, and Pielou indices and altitudes. Relatively, the community aboveground biomass did not increase significantly with elevation, which was mainly due to a decreased biomass of herbaceous plants along the elevation. Different regulators of shrub-herbaceous plant species and their functional groups made different elevation patterns of species diversity and aboveground biomass in valley-type Savannas. Herbaceous plants are responsible for maintaining species diversity and ensuring stability in the aboveground biomass of the vegetation. However, the influence of shrubs on aboveground biomass became more pronounced as environmental conditions varied along the altitudinal gradient. Furthermore, species diversity was mainly influenced by soil and climatic environmental factors, whereas community biomass was mainly regulated by plant species or functional groups. The study demonstrates that the spatial pattern of valley-type Savanna was formed as a result of different environmental responses and the productive capacity of retained plant species or functional groups to climate-soil factors, highlighting the value of the Yuanmou dry-hot Valley as a microcosm for exploring the intricate interactions between vegetation evolution and changes in environmental factors.

Heat Transfer by Sweat Droplet Evaporation.

Sweating regulates the body temperature in extreme environments or during exercise. Here, we investigate the evaporative heat transfer of a sweat droplet at the microscale to unveil how the evaporation complexity of a sweat droplet would affect the body's ability to cool under specific environmental conditions. Our findings reveal that, depending on the relative humidity and temperature levels, sweat droplets experience imperfect evaporation dynamics, whereas water droplets evaporate perfectly at equivalent ambient conditions. At low humidity, the sweat droplet fully evaporates and leaves a solid deposit, while at high humidity, the droplet never reaches a solid deposit and maintains a liquid phase residue for both low and high temperatures. This unprecedented evaporation mechanism of a sweat droplet is attributed to the intricate physicochemical properties of sweat as a biofluid. We suppose that the sweat residue deposited on the surface by evaporation is continuously absorbing the surrounding moisture. This route leads to reduced evaporative heat transfer, increased heat index, and potential impairment of the body's thermoregulation capacity. The insights into the evaporative heat transfer dynamics at the microscale would help us to improve the knowledge of the body's natural cooling mechanism with practical applications in healthcare, materials science, and sports science.

Elastic, antiflaming phenolic aerogels for advanced thermal protection at extreme environments

In practical applications, thermal protection demands materials with reliable structural stability under extreme conditions. Phenolic aerogels exhibit remarkable thermal protection capabilities; however, their inherent brittleness and porous structure make them susceptible to catastrophic failure when subjected to mechanical stresses or thermal oxidation. To address this, robust phenolic composite (PFR@SiO2) aerogels were synthesized through a three-step process involving sol-gel generation, ambient-pressure drying, and chemical vapor deposition. The resulting PFR@SiO2 aerogels display impressive mechanical properties, as well as a high degree of flame resistance. Furthermore, under fatigue stress/strain cycling tests or ultrahigh-temperature oxidation circumstance, such phenolic composite aerogels also exhibit exceptional structural stability. Overall, these combined properties position the PFR@SiO2 aerogels as a promising material system for robust thermal superinsulation under extreme conditions.

Design and multimodal locomotion plan of a hexapod robot with improved knee joints

AbstractHexapod robots represent complex and highly redundant robotic systems capable of handling various tasks in extreme environments, such as planetary exploration and disaster response. To enhance the terrain adaptability and maneuverability of hexapod robots, we present a novel multimodal hexapod robot in this research. Our multimodal hexapod robot design incorporates knee joints with an improved multiparallel quadrilateral transmission mechanism, addressing singularity issues commonly encountered in legged robots. This enhancement not only improves the mechanical transmission characteristics of the knee joints but also increases the workspace of a single leg to achieve leg‐arm reuse functionality. In the presence of flat and structured terrain, the robot seamlessly switches to a wheeled locomotion mode, enabling swift traversal. Conversely, when faced with rough and unstructured terrain, it transitions into a legged mode, employing adaptive gait stability to navigate effectively. A novel operational mode in which the hexapod robot utilizes four legs for body support, while the remaining two legs are repurposed as arms is proposed. This innovative approach empowers the hexapod robot to perform dual‐arm manipulation without the need for additional degrees of freedom for the manipulator. To validate the effectiveness of our designed hexapod robot and multimodal motion planning algorithm, comprehensive experimental testing has been conducted, demonstrating the practicality and versatility of our system.

Fecal microbiota reveal adaptation of herbivores to the extreme environment of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

AbstractBackgroundGut microbiota is pivotal in regulating hosts' biological processes and maintaining homeostasis, but knowledge about its role in wild herbivores in extreme environments remains limited.MethodsGut bacteria and fungi were sequenced in ruminant (Chiru and Yak) and nonruminant (Kiang) herbivores on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and their community structure, co‐occurrence networks, functions, and assembly mechanisms were investigated using multivariate ecological and statistical methods.ResultsKiang had lower gut microbial diversity than Chiru and Yak. Bacterial host‐specific exclusivity was greater than that of fungi. In addition to the evidence of glycan biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, Chiru had a high Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and low animal pathogen abundance, suggesting better adaptation to the plateau's harsh environment. Additionally, members of gut microbiota tended to co‐occur rather than co‐exclude in all herbivores. Different network complexity and stability patterns were observed between bacterial and fungal communities. Furthermore, gut bacterial assembly was primarily controlled by stochastic dispersal limitation and drift, whereas fungal assembly was primarily controlled by deterministic homogeneous selection except in Chiru.ConclusionsOn the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, Chiru and Yak exhibit more diverse gut microbiota and more diverse metabolic functions than Kiang, and gut bacteria are more divergent than gut fungi in these herbivores.

Differential tissue immune stimulation through immersion in bacterial and viral agonists in the Antarctic Notothenia rossii

The genome evolution of Antarctic notothenioids has been modulated by their extreme environment over millennia and more recently by human-caused constraints such as overfishing and climate change. Here we investigated the characteristics of the immune system in Notothenia rossii and how it responds to 8 h immersion in viral (Poly I:C, polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid) and bacterial (LPS, lipopolysaccharide) proxies. Blood plasma antiprotease activity and haematocrit were reduced in Poly I:C-treated fish only, while plasma protein, lysozyme activity and cortisol were unchanged with both treatments. The skin and duodenum transcriptomes responded strongly to the treatments, unlike the liver and spleen which had a mild response. Furthermore, the skin transcriptome responded most to the bacterial proxy (cell adhesion, metabolism and immune response processes) and the duodenum (metabolism, response to stress, regulation of intracellular signal transduction, and immune system responses) to the viral proxy. The differential tissue response to the two proxy challenges is indicative of immune specialisation of the duodenum and the skin towards pathogens. NOD-like and C-type lectin receptors may be central in recognising LPS and Poly I:C. Other antimicrobial compounds such as iron and selenium-related genes are essential defence mechanisms to protect the host from sepsis. In conclusion, our study revealed a specific response of two immune barrier tissue, the skin and duodenum, in Notothenia rossii when exposed to pathogen proxies by immersion, and this may represent an adaptation to pathogen infective strategies.

Self-Calibrated Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the Quantitative Elemental Analysis of Suspended Volcanic Ash.

Real-time analysis of fine ash in volcanic plumes, which represent magma fragments expelled from the crater during explosive eruptions, is a valuable tool for volcano monitoring and hazard assessment. To obtain the chemical characterization of the juvenile pyroclastic material emitted in volcanic plumes, many analytical techniques can be used. Among them, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is the one that can most easily be adapted to advanced applications in extreme environments. In this paper, LIBS experiments based on self-calibrated approaches are used to determine the elemental composition of suspended volcanic ash. To simulate the conditions of dispersed volcanic ash in the atmosphere, different sizes of volcanic ash samples are suspended in the air by laser-induced shockwaves in a dedicated chamber, and a parametric study is carried out to establish the optimal experimental conditions for recording usable plasma emission spectra for each ash size. The quantitative analysis is performed using a self-calibrated analytical method, including calibration-free LIBS, which is based on the calculation of the spectral radiance of a uniform plasma in local thermodynamic equilibrium. The method accounts intrinsically for self-absorption since it modifies the intensity of spectral lines and thus leads to an underestimation of the elemental fraction. An intensity calibration of the spectra based on the measurements of Fe lines intensities was also used in this work to deduce the apparatus response from the spectrum itself and avoid the use of standard calibration lamps. Results demonstrate the potential of real-time measurements of elemental fractions in volcanic ash with good agreement with the literature composition.

Identification and genomic analysis of a novel temperate bacteriophage infecting Labrenzia aggregata isolated from the Mariana Trench

In marine environments, viruses play a pivotal role, yet deep-sea bacteriophages remains largely uncharacterized. The bacterium Labrenzia aggregata RF14, isolated from the Mariana Trench at a depth of 4,000 meters, harbors prophage regions based on a previous study. In this study, we induced a temperate bacteriophage from it using mitomycin C. The bacteriophage exhibited an icosahedral structure with a non-extendable tail and was named vB_LagS-V1. The genome size of it is 39,329 bps with a 59.46% G+C content, encoding 60 putative open reading frames. Genomic and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that vB_LagS-V1 along with many bacteriophages infecting Hyphomicrobiales, constituted a newly unclassified family, which we designated as Hyphoviridae. Within this novel family, vB_LagS-V1 is distinct with isolated phages and clustered with two uncultured prophages within Labrenzia, forming an unclassified new genus, given a name of Labrenmarinevirus. The codon usage correlation and absence of tRNAs found in vB_LagS-V1, also prevail in some deep-sea bacteriophages, highlighting their adaptations to the deep-sea prokaryotic hosts. Moreover, vB_LagS-V1 encoded two auxiliary metabolic genes, cysteine dioxygenase and phosphoadenosine phosphosulfate reductase, which might help the phage and its host adapt to high hydrostatic pressure in the deep-sea environments. Our study will significantly contribute to the understanding of deep-sea bacteriophages and their interactions with hosts in extreme environments.

The PiGas: A low-cost approach to volcanic gas sampling

Instruments which are designed to measure multiple gases are widely used across several industries with a common focus on environmental gas sampling. Reliable instrumentation and gas sensors are therefore vital for the monitoring of air quality in cities and in more challenging scenarios, for example volcanic gas release. However, such instrumentation is commonly expensive and can be difficult to deploy, meaning that large instrument networks - needed to assess spatial air quality differences - is inhibitive. A bespoke do-it-yourself approach can therefore be beneficial. Here, we detail a new instrument, the PiGas, which is modelled on the successful “Multi-GAS” technique (Shinohara, 2005; Aiuppa et al. 2005) for the measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), and water vapour (H2O). Indeed, CO2 is a common gas of interest yet its measurement at high accuracy can be expensive. We demonstrate a cost reduction to <£500 by adapting parts used from non-air sampling specific industries and through use of a lower-cost and lower-power requirement CO2 sensor (the CozIR A-H). We demonstrate the versatility of the PiGas for monitoring indoor and outdoor air quality as a diffuse and pumped sensor. We also test the instrument in two extreme volcanic environments at the high altitude Alitar and Volcán Lastarria (Chile). Overall, the instrumentation shows potential for more widespread co-ordinated use to improve spatial sampling distributions in low concentration scenarios as a supplement to higher accuracy and higher precision instruments in volcanic environments.

High toughness, ultra-sensitive, and extreme environment resistant fabric temperature sensors based on supramolecular-polymer dual network ionic conductive elastomers

Liquid-free ionic conductive elastomers (ICEs) show great potential for next-gen wearable electronics, free from issues like solvent evaporation and freezing. However, crafting ICEs with both strength and temperature sensitivity remains a significant challenge. In this study, a supramolecular gel based on 1,3:2,4-bis (3,4-dimethylbenzene methylene) sorbitol (DMBS) is selected as the first network, and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) copolymerized with diallyl dimethyl bis (trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide (DADMATFSI) is added as the second network, with the addition of lithium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI). The supramolecular-polymer dual network ion-conductive elastomer SP-DN-LiTFSI is created. The elastomer exhibits exceptional mechanical characteristics, including a maximum tensile stress of 1591.1 kPa and an impressive strain of 2361 %. Additionally, it demonstrates an extraordinarily high toughness of 33.121 MJ m−3. Moreover, this elastomer-based temperature sensor is responsive to external stimuli, such as blowing, and boasts an outstanding temperature sensing coefficient (S) of 0.114 °C−1 within the range of 30–60 °C. Remarkably, it can discern even the slightest temperature variations as low as 0.5 °C within the typical human body temperature range. This work represents an innovative integration of a dual network structure and two strategies for elastomer fabrication. It provides a novel approach for developing highly sensitive wearable temperature measurement devices that exhibit exceptional resistance to mechanical wear.

Functional Differentiation of the Duplicated Gene BrrCIPK9 in Turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa).

Gene duplication is a key biological process in the evolutionary history of plants and an important driving force for the diversification of genomic and genetic systems. Interactions between the calcium sensor calcineurin B-like protein (CBL) and its target, CBL-interacting protein kinase (CIPK), play important roles in the plant's response to various environmental stresses. As a food crop with important economic and research value, turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa) has been well adapted to the environment of the Tibetan Plateau and become a traditional crop in the region. The BrrCIPK9 gene in turnip has not been characterized. In this study, two duplicated genes, BrrCIPK9.1 and BrrCIPK9.2, were screened from the turnip genome. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, BrrCIPK9.1 and BrrCIPK9.2 were found located in different sub-branches on the phylogenetic tree. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR analyses revealed their differential expression levels between the leaves and roots and in response to various stress treatments. The differences in their interactions with BrrCBLs were also revealed by yeast two-hybrid analyses. The results indicate that BrrCIPK9.1 and BrrCIPK9.2 have undergone Asparagine-alanine-phenylalanine (NAF) site divergence during turnip evolution, which has resulted in functional differences between them. Furthermore, BrrCIPK9.1 responded to high-pH (pH 8.5) stress, while BrrCIPK9.2 retained its ancestral function (low K+), thus providing further evidence of their functional divergence. These functional divergence genes facilitate turnip's good adaptation to the extreme environment of the Tibetan Plateau. In summary, the results of this study reveal the characteristics of the duplicated BrrCIPK9 genes and provide a basis for further functional studies of BrrCBLs-BrrCIPKs in turnip.

Vehicle collaborative detection based on YOLOv5

Object detection has always been a popular research issue in the computer vision community. It has often been used in many downstream fields in recent years, especially vehicle and pedestrian detection in autonomous driving tasks. To improve the detection accuracy of vehicles or pedestrians, significant progress has been made in previous works. However, few of them specifically study the detection under extreme environments. Considering the need for real-time detection in research on vehicle and pedestrian detection, based on the detailed investigation of existing researches on vehicle and pedestrian detection as well as general object detection algorithms, we study the structure and framework of YOLOv5 algorithm and discuss the advantages and improvements. Then, we collect the dataset of vehicle detection based on YOLOv5 and conduct extensive experiments to analyze the detection performance. Experimental results show that our method can detect vehicles and pedestrians in different scenarios, and we hope to provide some new insights for the future development of this research field.

Rhizosphere actinobacteria isolated from Pometia pinnata and its antimicrobial activity

Abstract. Janatiningrum I, Zahra A, Fitriyanti, Anggia V. 2024. Rhizosphere actinobacteria isolated from Pometia pinnata and its antimicrobial activity. Biodiversitas 25: 1007-1014. Actinobacteria are currently the largest antibiotic-producing bacteria due to their extreme environments such as soil, roots and rhizosphere. The diversity of rhizosphere actinobacteria is affected by plant exudates. Pometia pinnata is a plant that has long been used for traditional medicine in Indonesia. This study was aimed at isolating and evaluating isolate and evaluate the actinobacteria rhizosphere of P. pinnata, to screen their antibacterial and antifungal properties. Isolation of actinobacteria was done by using serial dilution method and grown on media. About 34 actinobacteria were successfully isolated from the rhizosphere of P. pinnata and 50% of them showed index antimicrobial activity for Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 (0.52), Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC 1705 (2.87), and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 (1.28). Several microbial isolated microbes (20.8%) were found capable in inhibiting fungal growth. The highest antibacterial activity against all bacteria was shown by RM12 isolate. The aqueous fraction of RM12 isolate demonstrated a significant inhibitory activity against S. aureus ATCC 6538 and E. coli ATCC 25922 at concentrations of 250 ppm, 500 ppm and 1000 ppm. TLC bioautography showed that aqueous fraction RM 12 do not belong to the polyphenol or phenol compound group. The RM12 was characterized by using 16S ribosomal RNA sequence found to belong to actinobacteria genera to Streptomyces bungoensis.

Electric Field-Driven Jetting and Water-Assisted Transfer Printing for High-Resolution Electronics on Complex Curved Surfaces

High-resolution electronics on complex curved surfaces have wide applications in fields such as biometric health monitoring, intelligent aircraft skins, conformal displays, and biomimetics. However, current manufacturing processes can only adapt to limited curvature, posing a significant challenge for achieving high-resolution fabrication of electronics on complex curved surfaces. In this study, we propose a novel fabrication strategy that combines electric field-driven jetting and water-assisted transfer printing techniques to achieve the fabrication of high-resolution electronics on complex curved surfaces. The electric field-driven jetting enables the fabrication of high-resolution 2D electronics on sacrificial layer substrates. After dissolving the sacrificial layer, it is observed that the 2D electronics form a self-supporting structure with a certain rigidity and flexibility. During the water-assisted transfer printing process, this self-supporting structure undergoes stretching deformation with excellent conformity of the electronics to curved surfaces while effectively minimizing wrinkles. Finally, we successfully demonstrate the manufacture of 25 μm high-resolution electronics on highly curved surfaces (nautilus shell) and complex (scallop shell, stone) surfaces. The integrity of transferred circuit patterns and consistency of conductors are verified through infrared thermography analysis, confirming the feasibility of this manufacturing strategy. In addition, a protective film with strong adhesive properties is sprayed onto the transferred curved circuits to enhance their adhesion and resistance to extreme environments such as acids and alkalis. Our proposed technique provides a simple and effective new strategy for the fabrication of high-resolution electronics on complex curved surfaces.

Nested‐Cell Architecture and Molecular Surface Modification Enabled 10 Megapascals Range High Sensitivity Flexible Pressure Sensors for Application in Extreme Environment

AbstractFlexible pressure sensors with high sensitivity over a broad sensing range are of great value in daily life and highly desired in various extreme environment, from human motion inspection to heavy industrial robots to high energy radiation and extremely cold/high temperature environments. However, it remains a significant challenge for a single pressure sensor to simultaneously possess high sensitivity and broad detection range due to the trade‐off between these two properties. Here, a high‐performance pressure sensor is developed based on flexible modified silicon rubber/functionalized carbon nanotube (MSR/FCNT). The designed nested‐cell architecture and molecular surface modification strategy endow the pressure sensor with high sensitivity (&gt;28 kPa−1) over 10 MPa sensing range, an ultralow detection limit (≈0.94 Pa), an ultrahigh pressure resolution (0.0075%) at a pressure of 3 MPa, and a low fatigue over 10 000 repetitive cycles even at an extremely high pressure of 5 MPa. Furthermore, the resulting sensor presents excellent durability after freezing at extreme cold temperature (−80 °C) as well as resistance to high temperature (200 °C) and high‐energy X‐ray radiation. The proposed nested‐cell architecture is a generic strategy for porous materials to achieve broad range high sensitivity.

Exploring Intraspecific Trait Variation in a Xerophytic Moss Species Indusiella thianschanica (Ptychomitriaceae) across Environmental Gradients on the Tibetan Plateau.

Investigating intraspecific trait variability is crucial for understanding plant adaptation to various environments, yet research on lithophytic mosses in extreme environments remains scarce. This study focuses on Indusiella thianschanica Broth. Hal., a unique lithophytic moss species in the extreme environments of the Tibetan Plateau, aiming to uncover its adaptation and response mechanisms to environmental changes. Specimens were collected from 26 sites across elevations ranging from 3642 m to 5528 m, and the relationships between 23 morphological traits and 15 environmental factors were analyzed. Results indicated that coefficients of variation (CV) ranged from 5.91% to 36.11%, with gametophyte height (GH) and basal cell transverse wall thickness (STW) showing the highest and lowest variations, respectively. Temperature, elevation, and potential evapo-transpiration (PET) emerged as primary environmental drivers. Leaf traits, especially those of the leaf sheath, exhibited a more pronounced response to the environment. The traits exhibited apparent covariation in response to environmental challenges and indicated flexible adaptive strategies. This study revealed the adaptation and response patterns of different morphological traits of I. thianschanica to environmental changes on the Tibetan Plateau, emphasizing the significant effect of temperature on trait variation. Our findings deepen the understanding of the ecology and adaptive strategies of lithophytic mosses.

A Triboelectric-Piezoelectric-Electromagnetic hybrid wind energy harvester based on a snap-through bistable mechanism

Real-time monitoring is essential for safeguarding infrastructure in extreme environments, particularly in remote areas with abundant wind resources where sustained strong winds are common. A triboelectric-piezoelectric-electromagnetic hybrid wind energy harvester based on a snap-through bistable mechanism (ST-HWEH) is proposed, which can be used as a sustainable power source and a self-powered wind speed sensor. The piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH), triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), and electromagnetic energy harvester (EMH) are placed at the maximum strain location, maximum contact area, and maximum displacement position of the bistable buckled beam, respectively, fully utilizing its characteristics in the structural space. The bistable buckled beam undergoes convex and concave snap-through transformations under the magnetic excitation, working synergistically with the buckled boundary to simultaneously achieve the three electromechanical energy conversions, thereby enhancing the electrical output performance of the system. Moreover, both the starting wind speed and resistance torque of the system are effectively reduced through the arrangement of symmetrical excited magnets with antimagnetic poles on the buckled beam. A prototype is prepared and subsequently experimentally verified. The results show that the overall output power density in a composite power generation unit for the ST-HWEH is 83.97 W/m3 at a wind speed of 11 m/s, which is 6.88 times higher than that of the ST-HWEH that only contains TENG. The prototype can easily light up 1000 LED lights at a mild wind speed of 5 m/s and demonstrate self-powered environmental monitoring (taking temperature and wind speed as examples), providing a potential solution for self-powered environmental monitoring and status monitoring of the infrastructure.

Marine thraustochytrid: exploration from taxonomic challenges to biotechnological applications

Thraustochytrids, as a distinct group of heterotrophic protists, have garnered considerable attention owing to their remarkable adaptability in extreme marine environments, pronounced capacity for metabolic regulation and prolific production of high-value metabolites. The taxonomic classification of these microorganisms presents a substantial challenge due to the variability in morphological characteristics under different culture conditions. And this undermines the efficacy of traditional classification systems on physiological and biochemical traits. The establishment of a polyphasic taxonomic system integrating genomic characteristics in the future will provide new avenues for more accurate classification and identification. Thraustochytrids can effectively accumulate bioactive substances such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), squalene and carotenoids. Through fermentation optimization and genetic modification, scientists have significantly enhanced the production of these metabolites. Moreover, the application of thraustochytrids in aquaculture, poultry and livestock feed has significantly improved animal growth and physiological indicators meanwhile increasing their DHA content. Natural bioactive substances in thraustochytrids, such as terpenoid compounds with antioxidant properties, have been proposed for application in the cosmetics industry. In the field of pharmacology, thraustochytrids have shown certain anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities and provide potential for the development of new oral vaccines. Additionally, they can degrade various industrial and agricultural wastes for growth and fatty acid production, demonstrating their potential in environmental bioremediation. Therefore, thraustochytrids not only exhibit tremendous application potential in the field of biotechnology, but also hold significant value in environmental protection and commercialization.

A New Genus of the Microascaceae (Ascomycota) Family from a Hypersaline Lagoon in Spain and the Delimitation of the Genus Wardomyces.

The Saladas de Sástago-Bujaraloz is an endorheic and arheic complex of lagoons located in the Ebro Basin and protected by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Due to the semi-arid climate of the region and the high salinity of their waters, these lagoons constitute an extreme environment. We surveyed the biodiversity of salt-tolerant and halophilic fungi residents of the Laguna de Pito, a lagoon belonging to this complex. Therefore, we collected several samples of water, sediments, and soil of the periphery. Throughout the study, we isolated 21 fungal species, including a strain morphologically related to the family Microascaceae. However, this strain did not morphologically match any of genera within this family. After an in-depth morphological characterization and phylogenetic analysis using a concatenated sequence dataset of four phylogenetically informative molecular markers (the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA); the D1-D2 domains of the 28S gene of the nuclear ribosomal RNA (LSU); and a fragment of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) and the β-tubulin (tub2) genes), we established the new genus Dactyliodendromyces, with Dactyliodendromyces holomorphus as its species. Additionally, as a result of our taxonomic study, we reclassified the paraphyletic genus Wardomyces into three different genera: Wardomyces sensu stricto, Parawardomyces gen. nov., and Pseudowardomyces gen. nov., with Parawardomyces ovalis (formerly Wardomyces ovalis) and Pseudowardomyces humicola (formerly Wardomyces humicola) as the type species of their respective genera. Furthermore, we propose new combinations, including Parawardomyces giganteus (formerly Wardomyces giganteus) and Pseudowardomyces pulvinatus (formerly Wardomyces pulvinatus).