Interspecies Relationships Research Articles

Performing encounters (and encountering performance) at Auckland Zoo

Performing encounters (and encountering performance) at Auckland Zoo

Assessment of macro and micro elements present in three commonly eaten vegetables in Nigeria

The study investigated the nutritive elements of four species of Basella and two other commonly eaten vegetables (Amaranthus hybridus and Talinum triangulare). The vegetables are found throughout the year. The mineral compostion of the vegetables was carried out using standard procedures to determine which of these would be of more health benefit to the consumers. Leaves were collected at the initiation of flowering and air-dried under shade for 7 days after which they were kept in an oven at 60oC for 24 hours. These dried materials were mechanically powdered and stored in airtight containers until used for analysis. The phosphorous content of the vegetables ranged from 83.95±0.01 to 136.30±0.01 mg/100g. The potassium content ranged from 733.20±17.7 mg/100g to 4084.20+0.03 mg/100g. Sodium content in the vegetables ranged from 89.25±0.04 to 241.50±0.02 mg/100g. Zinc content ranged from 8.00+2 mg/100g to 28.90+4 mg/100g. The mineral contents of the Basella forms are comparable to Amaranthus hybridus and Talinum triangulare. Overlap observed in the values of the nutrient elements suggests interspecies relationship. Copper was present in Basella rubra and Amaranthus hybridus, while Molybdenum was absent in all. This study revealed that the consumption of these vegetables is dependent on the dietary need of the users.

The kiss of death: Limosilactobacillus reuteri PKS drives intraspecies competition

The gut microbial ecosystem is governed by complex microbe-microbe interactions, with most documented as interspecies relationships. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Özçam etal. identified intraspecies competition among related strains of the gut symbiont Limosilactobacillus reuteri that are mediated via the antimicrobial activity of polyketide synthase (PKS).

Factors associated with play behavior in human-cat dyads

Play is a common behavior, often exhibited within human-cat dyads. Play is a behavior that may have numerous benefits to both cat and human, including within the realms of social cooperation and inter-species communication. However, little is known about human-cat play and foundational information is needed. The current study aimed to investigate total daily play durations, play session lengths, and the factors associated with play times in human-cat dyads.An online survey was developed using demographic information, questions related to play times, resources available to the cat, “games” played with the cat, free text sections and the following validated measures: cat quality of life (QOL), the cat owner relationship scale (CORS) and the human adult playfulness trait scale (APTS). Regression analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.Responses were completed by 1,591 cat guardians from 55 countries. Total daily play times and play session lengths were both significantly higher in human-cat dyads where the cat was younger in age, the guardian reported playing a larger diversity of “games” with the cat, and the guardian reported experiencing a closer relationship with their cat. Some guardians reported avoiding play during times when they were too busy or due to fears over incurring injuries.The amount of play available in human-cat dyads may have an effect on establishing and maintaining social bonds between cats and their humans. Further research into understanding play within human-cat dyads and how it affects inter-species relationships is needed.

Detection of spatial avoidance between sousliks and moles by combining field observations, remote sensing and deep learning techniques

Nowadays, remote sensing is being increasingly applied in ecology and conservation, and even underground animals can successfully be studied if they leave clear signs of their presence in the environment. In this work, by combining a field study, analysis of high-resolution aerial images, and machine learning techniques, we investigated the interspecies relationships of two small burrowing mammals: the spotted souslik Spermophilus suslicus and the European mole Talpa europaea. The study was conducted for 3 years (2018–2020) at a 105-ha grass airfield where both species coexist (Poland). Both field studies and the analysis of aerial imagery showed that, in the period of low population numbers, the souslik avoided coexistence with the European mole, and the presence of the mole was found to reduce the area of the habitat suitable for the souslik. The presence of other burrowing species may be an important element in the habitat selectivity of the souslik, but this has not yet been included in the conservation guidelines for this species. We discuss the contribution of our results to the knowledge of the ecology of burrowing mammals and their interspecies relationships. We also assess the possibility of using remote sensing and deep learning methods in ecology and conservation of small burrowing mammals.

Assessing the interspecies relationship betweenPseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in mixed biofilms grown in alginate beads and collagen scaffolds

Polymicrobial biofilms in chronic infected wounds harbour different bacterial species that interact with each other, competing or co-operating to survive. The two most common pathogens co-isolated from chronic wound biofilms are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Evidence from in vitrobiofilms models have shown these two bacteria interactand data suggests that P. aeruginosa inhibits the growth of S. aureusin mixed biofilms. This study aimed to assess the growth of these two species in a complex polymicrobial biofilm in a 3D matrix comprised of either alginate (1.5% w/v) or a collagen scaffold. Using a five-species biofilm (S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii, Enterococcus faecalisand Escherichia coli), with all bacteria inoculated at time zero, it was consistently observed that P. aeruginosa was not recoverable over a 72h period, with sampling every 24h. However, P. aeruginosagrew well if it was added to a pre-formed four-species biofilm. Further, P. aeruginosa was seen to inhibit the growth of S. aureus after 24h subsequent co-culture in the pre-formed biofilm, which resulted in the emergence of small colony variants of S. aureus. Interestingly when P. aeruginosawas co-inoculated in a four species biofilm that did not contain S. aureus,its growth was not inhibited, suggesting a competitive interaction between these two bacteria during establishment of the early biofilm. These data were consistent in alginate beads and collagen scaffolds. In a chronic wound P. aeruginosais regarded as a late coloniser and the phenomena observed in this study might be reflective of this.

Phyloepigenetics.

Simple SummaryEpigenetics has established that certain CpG dinucleotides are special genetic spots of supreme functional relevance. It is evident that they are prone to a distinct evolutionary development, compared to other dinucleotides of the genome. Here, the hypothesis is presented that they may be used, in addition to classical phylogenetic analyses, to further dissect species’ relationships.Traditionally, phylogenetic interspecies relationships are estimated based on genetic diversity, since it is assumed that the more recently diverged a species, with comparable constancy of development, the more similar their genetic material and proteins should be. However, occasional controversies in the field may reflect limited resolution and accuracy of this approach. Epigenetics has, meanwhile, provided significant evidence that CpG dinucleotides (CpGs) within genetic material are of particular importance for the annotation and function of the genome and the formation of the phenotype, which is continuously shaped by evolutionary interaction with environmental factors. Based on this, it can be concluded that CpGs follow a distinct rate of evolution, compared to all other nucleotide positions. Evidence is provided that supports this conclusion. Therefore, using CpGs to fathom evolutionary relationships between species could turn out to be a valuable approach to achieve, in some cases, an improved understanding of evolutionary development.

Research on the Ecological Deconstruction of E-Cigarette Industrial Clusters in Shenzhen, China, and a Niche Analysis of Related Enterprises

As an emerging industry, e-cigarettes have been greatly prosperous globally in recent years. In China, Shenzhen is the center of e-cigarette production, and a complete business ecosystem has been built at this point. To explore the phenomenon of the agglomeration of e-cigarette enterprises in Shenzhen, the business ecosystem structure and evolution path of e-cigarette industrial clusters in Shenzhen (the Shenzhen e-cigarette industry) are illustrated in this study from an ecological perspective, and the development characteristics of the Shenzhen e-cigarette industry as well as the interspecies relationships among enterprises were studied based on the population life history theory. Eight representative firms were also selected here. Their patent information was collected and classified to investigate niche characteristics using Levins’ niche breadth and niche overlap index. The results indicate that, after a long-term evolution, the Shenzhen e-cigarette industry has preliminarily built a business ecosystem with a unique structure. The developmental process is accompanied by the transformation of the development pattern from imitation to innovation and the enterprise populations have achieved coevolution through mutualistic symbiosis. In the area of technological innovation, niche-widening and -separation strategies are employed by the e-cigarette enterprises. The above reasons explain the boom of the Shenzhen e-cigarette industry and why Shenzhen is becoming the center of e-cigarette production.

N limit as a switch node between positive and negative plant-soil feedback: A meta-analysis based on the covariant diagnosis of plant growth and soil factors

Mounting evidence has confirmed the existence of plant-soil feedback, a reflection of plant-soil interaction. However, analysis of ecological feedback pathways remains a challenge. In this study, single and mixed plant communities in different soil ecosystems were screened using strict control systems in global ecosystems to identify the positive or negative feedback effects in indicator plants. Furthermore, the plant components and biomass were identified in each pathway. The significantly changed components indicated pathway factors. As negative feedback increased, the InRR (Response Ratio) of soil organic matter, soil total N, microbial alpha diversity and the symbiotic fungi proportion were significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). In contrast, the stoichiometric ratio (C: N), water content, and the pathogenic bacteria proportion were downregulated (P < 0.05). However, the positive feedback showed the opposite trend. Importantly, N limit as a transform node between positive and negative plant-soil feedback predicted by Akaike information criterion (AIC > 0.8). Therefore, it has become an important evaluation standard for the inter-species relationship and ecological environment changes under the background of global N deposition. Finally, the feedback values of each sampling site were recalculated over the next 20 years, 50 years, and 100 years based on the global temperature rise and changing rainfall patterns. We also found that global warming and extreme rainfall may change the distribution of interspecies relationships on a global scale, with global warming having the greatest recognisable effect and decreasing the negative feedback layout by 21.7% (P < 0.05). Therefore, this work promotes the cognition of relationship of soil environment, microbial abundance and function, plant diversity and plant- soil feedback model. Meanwhile, it is of great significance to protect species diversity and restore environmental degradation.

Distribution Patterns of Essential Oil Terpenes in Native and Invasive Solidago Species and Their Comparative Assessment.

The importance of invasive Solidago L. species to the environment creates a new approach to controlling their spread through the use of potentially high value raw materials. The aim of this study was to assess the distribution patterns of volatile compounds in the four Solidago spp., by identifying common and species-specific compounds with their potentials, and to confirm the origin of the spontaneous hybrid Solidago × niederederi on the basis of comparative assessment of essential oil (EO) profiles. Plant material in the flowering phase was collected in mixed populations from six different sites. The EOs were isolated separately from the leaf and the inflorescence samples by hydrodistillation for 3 h. The chemical analysis was performed by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry. Multivariate data analysis was employed to explain the interspecies relationships among Solidago spp. The results revealed the similarity among Solidago spp. EO profiles, which were dominated by monoterpenes and oxygenated compound fractions. Solidago spp. differed in species distinctive terpenes and their distribution between accessions and plant parts. Volatile compound patterns confirmed the origin of Solidago × niederederi between Solidago canadensis and Solidago virgaurea, with the higher contribution of alien species than native ones. Correct taxonomic identification of species is highly essential for the targeted collection of raw material from the wild for different applications. Solidago spp. can be considered to be underutilized sources of bioactive secondary metabolites.

Evolutionary biology of lichen symbioses.

Lichens are the symbiotic outcomes of open, interspecies relationships, central to which are a fungus and a phototroph, typically an alga and/or cyanobacterium. The evolutionary processes that led to the global success of lichens are poorly understood. In this review, we explore the goods and services exchange between fungus and phototroph and how this propelled the success of both symbiont and symbiosis. Lichen fungal symbionts count among the only filamentous fungi that expose most of their mycelium to an aerial environment. Phototrophs export carbohydrates to the fungus, which converts them to specific polyols. Experimental evidence suggests that polyols are not only growth and respiratory substrates but also play a role in anhydrobiosis, the capacity to survive desiccation. We propose that this dual functionality is pivotal to the evolution of fungal symbionts, enabling persistence in environments otherwise hostile to fungi while simultaneously imposing costs on growth. Phototrophs, in turn, benefit from fungal protection from herbivory and light stress, while appearing to exert leverage over fungal sex and morphogenesis. Combined with the recently recognized habit of symbionts to occur in multiple symbioses, this creates the conditions for a multiplayer marketplace of rewards and penalties that could drive symbiont selection and lichen diversification.

Cross-feeding among microalgae facilitates nitrogen recovery at low C/N

Although co-culture of microalgae has been found as a feasible strategy to improve biomass production, their interspecies relationships are not fully understood. Here, two algae taxa, Chlorella sp. and Phormidium sp., were mono-cultured and co-cultured in three photobioreactors for 70 days with periodically harvesting to investigate how dual-species interaction influence nitrogen recovery. Results showed that the co-culture system achieved a significantly higher protein production and nitrogen removal rate than those in the individual cultures at a C/N ratio of 3:1 (p < 0.05). Genome-Centered metagenomic analysis revealed their cooperative relationship exemplified by cross-feeding. Phormidium sp. had the ability to synthesize pseudo-cobalamin, and Chlorella sp. harbored the gene for remodeling the pseudo-cobalamin to bioavailable vitamin B12. Meanwhile, Chlorella sp. could contribute the costly amino acid and cofactors for Phormidium sp. Their symbiotic interaction facilitated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production and nitrogen recovery. The EPS concentration in co-culture was positively related to the settling efficiency (R2 = 0.774), which plays an essential role in nitrogen recovery. This study provides new insights into microbial interactions among the photoautotrophic community and emphasizes the importance of algal interspecies interaction in algae-based wastewater treatment.

Climate warming may weaken stabilizing mechanisms in old forests

AbstractPlant competition may intensify with climate warming, but whether this will occur equally for conspecific and heterospecific competition remains unknown. Competitive shifts have the potential to instigate community change because the relative strengths of conspecific and heterospecific negative density dependence mediate the stabilizing mechanisms underpinning species coexistence. We examined a mature temperate forest to assess both direct and indirect climate effects at multiple scales: individual species, interspecies relationships, and community stability mechanisms. Our coupled approach (1) quantified tree mortality risk dependence on the interactive effects of competition, climatic water deficit, snowpack, and soil moisture for 28,913 trees over 8 years (3149 mortalities), then (2) used a climate‐projection ensemble to forecast changes in conspecific and heterospecific competition from 2020 to 2100. We predict that projected climate warming will destabilize the foundational forest community by increasing the strength of heterospecific competition at a greater rate and to a greater degree than conspecific competition for four of five abundant tree species, particularly on dry microsites. Modeling showed that these findings were most pronounced after the year 2038, at which point snowpacks were projected to be too small to ameliorate the effects of drought on competitive interactions. Our finding that heterospecific competition is more sensitive than conspecific competition to climate warming may indicate the impending loss of ecosystem functioning. We join the growing body of work showing a predominance of indirect drought effects, yet coupled climate models still fail to consider how changing community dynamics may impact forest cover and, in turn, disrupt forest–climate carbon feedbacks. Ecosystems sharing characteristics with our example forest—those with low species richness and therefore a limited biodiversity insurance effect—may be similarly vulnerable to climate‐mediated destabilization. In such communities, increased heterospecific competition among even a small number of species can more easily destabilize communities without recourse from redundant species. This study of an overlooked but vital mechanism of community change can be adapted by research in a range of ecosystems to improve the understanding of climate change consequences.

Genetic diversity and relationships among Glaucium (Papaveraceae) species by ISSR Markers: A high value medicinal plant

Glaucium Mill. (horned poppy), belonging to the family Papaveraceae, is represented by a total of 25 species worldwide, and especially distributed throughout Western, Northern and Eastern Asia, Europe, Northern Africa, and Australia. As a country, Iran harbors relatively more species of the genus Glaucium (11-13 species) and hence, this country is considered as the hot spot of the genus. As a result, we conducted a molecular analysis of the data for this genus due to the relevance of these species of plants. We employed 75 plants from seven species and seven provinces that were randomly picked for this investigation. Five primers were used to amplify genomic DNA, yielding 78 bands, 73 of which were polymorphic (97.78%). ISSR primers have a great capability to recognise polymorphic loci among Glaucium species, as evidenced by the high average PIC and MI values obtained. The genetic similarity of seven samples was calculated to be between 0.77 and 0.92. Glaucium corniculatum var. corniculatum and Glaucium elegans var. elegans showed the lowest similarity, while Glaucium oxylobum and Glaucium grandiflorum had the highest similarity, according to Inter-Simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers analysis. The following are the study’s goals: 1) Is it possible to identify Glaucium species using ISSR markers? 2) In Iran, how are these taxa genetically structured? 3) what is the inter-species relationship? According to this study, ISSR markers can be utilized to distinguish species.

Meat in black and white

ABSTRACT Food and identity have much to do with each other. In the African context, however, food is studied through developmentalist lenses far more than through cultural ones. Therefore, we know little about the ways in which food and contemporary, particularly urban, African identities shape each other. I explore this relationship through an analysis of personal food narratives gathered as part of a four-year research project exploring food memories, values and practices in three South African cities. Meat appears frequently in these narratives, and this paper focuses on this powerful food, sandwiching data analysis between short biographical reflections that personalize the paper’s intellectual arguments. Using the metaphor of “spillage” as a tool, I show how personal narratives about meat raise questions about identity formation, sometimes surprisingly. These stories about how meat matters, help to deepen understanding of how racial identities take shape in this context. While this is important in itself, these narratives point to the entanglements between race and larger questions: about planetary health, inter-species relationships, morality and humanitude. The contribution of this paper to Food Studies is the demonstration that broader ethical questions about food, specifically meat, cannot be separated from (carefully contextualized) imaginaries and materialities of cultural identity.

Phylogenomics of paleoendemic lampshade spiders (Araneae, Hypochilidae, Hypochilus), with the description of a new species from montane California.

Hypochilus is a relictual lineage of Nearctic spiders distributed disjunctly across the United States in three montane regions (California, southern Rocky Mountains, southern Appalachia). Phylogenetic resolution of species relationships in Hypochilus has been challenging, and conserved morphology coupled with extreme genetic divergence has led to uncertain species limits in some complexes. Here, Hypochilus interspecies relationships have been reconstructed and cryptic speciation more critically evaluated using a combination of ultraconserved elements, mitochondrial CO1 by-catch, and morphology. Phylogenomic data strongly support the monophyly of regional clades and support a ((California, Appalachia), southern Rocky Mountains) topology. In Appalachia, five species are resolved as four lineages (H.thorelli Marx, 1888 and H.coylei Platnick, 1987 are clearly sister taxa), but the interrelationships of these four lineages remain unresolved. The Appalachian species H.pococki Platnick, 1987 is recovered as monophyletic but is highly genetically structured at the nuclear level. While algorithmic analyses of nuclear data indicate many species (e.g., all H.pococki populations as species), male morphology instead reveals striking stasis. Within the California clade, nuclear and mitochondrial lineages of H.petrunkevitchi Gertsch, 1958 correspond directly to drainage basins of the southern Sierra Nevada, with H.bernardino Catley, 1994 nested within H.petrunkevitchi and sister to the southernmost basin populations. Combining nuclear, mitochondrial, geographical, and morphological evidence a new species from the Tule River and Cedar Creek drainages is described, Hypochilusxomotesp. nov. We also emphasize the conservation issues that face several microendemic, habitat-specialized species in this remarkable genus.

Phylogenomics and Biogeography of Populus Based on Comprehensive Sampling Reveal Deep-Level Relationships and Multiple Intercontinental Dispersals.

Populus not only has significant economic and ecological values, but also serves as a model tree that is widely used in the basic research of tree growth, physiology, and genetics. However, high levels of morphological variation and extensive interspecific hybridization of Populus pose an obstacle for taxonomy, and also to the understanding of phylogenetic interspecific relationships and biogeographical history. In this study, a total of 103 accessions representing almost all the wild species of Populus were collected and whole-genome re-sequenced to examine the phylogenetic relationships and biogeography history. On the basis of 12,916,788 nuclear single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we reconstructed backbone phylogenies using concatenate and coalescent methods, we highly disentangled the species relationships of Populus, and several problematic taxa were treated as species complexes. Furthermore, the phylogeny of the chloroplast genome showed extensive discordance with the trees from the nuclear genome data, and due to extensive chloroplast capture and hybridization of Populus species, plastomes could not accurately evaluate interspecies relationships. Ancient gene flow between clades and some hybridization events were also identified by ABBA–BABA analysis. The reconstruction of chronogram and ancestral distributions suggested that North America was the original region of this genus, and subsequent long dispersal and migration across land bridges were contributed to the modern range of Populus. The diversification of Populus mainly occurred in East Asia in recent 15 Ma, possibly promoted by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. This study provided comprehensive evidence on the phylogeny of Populus and proposed a four-subgeneric classification and a new status, subgenus Abaso. Meanwhile, ancestral distribution reconstruction with nuclear data advanced the understanding of the biogeographic history of Populus.

Light‐driven dynamics between calcification and production in functionally diverse coral reef calcifiers

AbstractCoral reef metabolism underpins ecosystem function and is defined by the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, calcification, and calcium carbonate dissolution. However, the relationships between these physiological processes at the organismal level and their interactions with light remain unclear. We examined metabolic rates across a range of photosynthesising calcifiers in the Caribbean: the scleractinian corals Acropora cervicornis, Orbicella faveolata, Porites astreoides, and Siderastrea siderea, and crustose coralline algae (CCA) under varying natural light conditions. Net photosynthesis and calcification showed a parabolic response to light across all species, with differences among massive corals, branching corals, and CCA that reflect their relative functional roles on the reef. At night, all organisms were net respiring, and most were net calcifying, although some incubations demonstrated instances of net calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dissolution. Peak metabolic rates at light‐saturation (maximum photosynthesis and calcification) and average dark rates (respiration and dark calcification) were positively correlated across species. Interspecies relationships among photosynthesis, respiration, and calcification indicate that calcification rates are linked to energy production at the organismal level in calcifying reef organisms. The species‐specific ratios of net calcification to photosynthesis varied with light over a diurnal cycle. The dynamic nature of calcification/photosynthesis ratios over a diurnal cycle questions the use of this metric as an indicator for reef function and health at the ecosystem scale unless temporal variability is accounted for, and a new metric is proposed. The complex light‐driven dynamics of metabolic processes in coral reef organisms indicate that a more comprehensive understanding of reef metabolism is needed for predicting the future impacts of global change.

Implications of habitat overlap between giant panda and sambar for sympatric multi-species conservation

Context Studies of distribution and habitat utilisation of sympatric animals, especially those experiencing population increases, are useful for understanding their specialised habitat niches and interspecies relationships, in addition to developing effective protection strategies. Aims As a species that lives within the range of the giant panda, the sambar population has been increasing in the past few decades in Southwest China. In this paper, we aimed to analyse the overlap in habitat area and habitat suitability between giant panda and sambar in Wolong National Nature Reserve to examine potential sympatric species competition in the context of wildlife conservation. Methods We ran MaxEnt models based on giant panda occurrence sign locations (n = 316) and sambar presence locations (n = 598). In addition, we predicted the core and secondary habitat for the two species to assess the degree of competition across a gradient of habitat conditions. Key results Our analysis detected significant habitat overlap between the two species – up to 75.96% in their potential habitat, with suitability overlap indices reaching 0.74. Conclusions These results indicate that the similarity of habitat requirements of the two species is high in our study area. In addition, the competition over space utilisation between the two species’ populations could intensify in the future as the sambar population increases. Implications Our results suggest that habitat restoration and corridor construction could be recommended as conservation strategies for future wildlife conservation in China’s Giant Panda National Park. Moreover, future wildlife conservation should pay greater attention to the niche overlap and interspecific competition among sympatric species. We suggest strengthening habitat restoration and corridors for all key species in the region, not just giant pandas, to alleviate the increased competition associated with niche overlap among sympatric species.

Kulturotwórczy potencjał opowieści rodzinnych

This editorial outlines the current state of familological studies in Poland, with particular focus on cultural, literary and gender studies. Being a complex research subject, the need for an interdisciplinary approach to the family in its many forms and models needs emphasising. The ongoing debate on the family model in Poland, including political discourse, builds the context for scientific familological studies across all disciplines. The changes proposed by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science, i.e., establishing a new field of study called ‘family studies’ is testament to the significance of the subject. However, it also forces one to reflect upon the temptation to politicise familological discourse in Poland. The edito­rial also reviews certain texts included in this issue of “Zagadnienia Rodzajów Literackich” [“The Problems of Literary Genres”], which is devoted to family literature and includes articles on family-themed novels (sagas), (auto)biographical works, reportage, pathogra­phy, family relationships and their artistic representations. When analysing the submitted articles and overall contribution of this issue, this editorial also considers both the reasons behind the predominance of women in familological studies and the issues that have been overlooked or insufficiently researched. The analysis implies that more attention should be devoted to the problems of non-heteronormative families and those that escape convention­al definitions based on non-biological or interspecies relationships.