Interspecies Relationships Research Articles

Holidays with my horse: Human-horse relationships and multispecies tourism experiences

More people are choosing to include their ‘pets’ and companion animals in their holidays, but provision for and understanding of nonhuman travellers remain limited. Multispecies tourism provides opportunity for the creation of rich, personally meaningful experiences that are key to satisfaction, but also has potential for producing stress and disappointment. The limited field of multispecies tourism tends to focus on dogs, whereas this paper considers some of the different issues raised when humans and horses holiday together. Auto/ethnographic vignettes of human-horse partnerships ‘on holiday’ are used to consider questions of interspecies trust and relationships as enacted through tourism, and to reflect on some of the complexities and contradictions inherent in these practices. These tourism activities prompt consideration of what makes a ‘good’ holiday and for whom, as well as some of the power relations inherent in multispecies tourism.

Macrostylis metallicola spec. nov.-an isopod with geographically clustered genetic variability from a polymetallic-nodule area in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone.

BackgroundThe Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) in the Northeast Central Pacific Ocean is a region of heightened scientific and public interest because of its wealth in manganese nodules. Due to a poor ecological understanding at the abyssal seafloor and limited knowledge of the organisms inhabiting this area, huge efforts in alpha taxonomy are required. To predict and manage potential hazards associated with future mining, taxonomy is an essential first step to grasp fundamental ecosystem traits, such as biogeographic patterns, connectivity, and the potential for post-impact recolonization. Amongst samples from the Global Sea Mineral Resources NV exploration area (EA) in the CCFZ an undescribed species of the isopod crustacean family Macrostylidae was discovered. Previously, it has been reported from two other nearby regions, the Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer and BGR EAs. There it was one of the more widely distributed and abundant species of the benthic macrofauna and exhibited geographically structured populations. It nevertheless remained taxonomically undescribed so far.MethodsThe new species is described by means of integrative taxonomy. Morphologically, macro photography, confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy were used to describe the species and to get first insights on its phylogenetic origin. Additionally, mitochondrial DNA markers were used to test the morphological allocation of the two dimorphic sexes and juvenile stages, to analyze geographic patterns of genetic differentiation, and to study intra-and inter-species relationships, also in light of previously published population genetics on this species.ResultsThe new species, Macrostylis metallicola spec. nov., is a typical representative of Macrostylidae as recognizable from the fossosoma, prognathous cephalothorax, and styliform uropods. It can be morphologically distinguished from congeners by a combination of character states which include the autapomorphic shape of the first pleopod of the copulatory male. A sexual dimorphism, as expressed by a peculiar sequence of article length-width ratios of the male antennula, indicates a relationship with M. marionae Kniesz, Brandt & Riehl (2018) and M. longipes Hansen (1916) amongst other species sharing this dimorphism. Mitochondrial genetic markers point in a similar direction. M. metallicola appears to be amongst the more common and widely distributed components of the benthic macrofauna in this region which may suggest a resilience of this species to future mining activities because of its apparent potential for recolonization of impacted sites from adjacent areas of particular environmental interest. The genetic data, however, show geographic clustering of its genetic variability, pointing towards a limited potential for dispersal. Local extinction of populations could potentially not be compensated quickly and would mean a loss of genetic diversity of this species.

Discipline and puppies: the powers of pet keeping

PurposeThis article adopts Foucault's notion of a bipolar technology of disciplinary power and regulatory biopower to address the tension between discipline and freedom in domestic relationships between human and nonhuman animals commonly referred to as “pets.” In doing so, the article examines the promises and pitfalls of thinking through pet keeping as a form of lived, posthumanist critique.Design/methodology/approachThe argument relies on an interview study with 20 pet owners—most of the interviews conducted in their homes together with their pets—to conceptualize how they organize their lives in relation to their pets.FindingsThe analysis shows that the boundaries of the home, the play of power between bodies, and the “conditions of an unconditional love” are central to producing the pet relationship as inherently meaningful and as an indispensable part of the lives of both pet keepers and pets. A balance between discipline and freedom enables the construction of both human and other identities: pet owners produce their pets' subjectivity by speaking of them as autonomous persons, while pets' presence in the home also enables their owners' subjectivity.Social implicationsThe article critically examines interspecies relationships, which by extension can benefit nonhuman animals. It argues that pet keeping can challenge anthropocentrism and unsustainable consumption lifestyles, but it may also reinforce prevailing biopolitical logics, if it remains maintained within a secluded domestic or cultural sphere.Originality/valueThe article draws on original data. While Foucauldian theory has been used to discuss pet keeping, empirical studies of pet keeping that rely on this theoretical framework are scarce.

Phylogeny of Libellulidae (Odonata: Anisoptera): comparison of molecular and morphology-based phylogenies based on wing morphology and migration.

BackgroundEstablishing the species limits and resolving phylogenetic relationships are primary goals of taxonomists and evolutionary biologists. At present, a controversial question is about interspecific phylogenetic information in morphological features. Are the interspecific relationships established based on genetic information consistent with the traditional classification system? To address these problems, this study analyzed the wing shape structure of 10 species of Libellulidae, explored the relationship between wing shape and dragonfly behavior and living habits, and established an interspecific morphological relationship tree based on wing shape data. By analyzing the sequences of mitochondrial COI gene and the nuclear genes 18S, 28S rRNA and ITS in 10 species of dragonflies, the interspecific relationship was established.MethodThe wing shape information of the male forewings and hindwings was obtained by the geometric morphometrics method. The inter-species wing shape relationship was obtained by principal component analysis (PCA) in MorphoJ1.06 software. The inter-species wing shape relationship tree was obtained by cluster analysis (UPGMA) using Mesquite 3.2 software. The COI, 18S, ITS and 28S genes of 10 species dragonfly were blasted and processed by BioEdit v6 software. The Maximum Likelihood(ML) tree was established by raxmlGUI1.5b2 software. The Bayes inference (BI) tree was established by MrBayes 3.2.6 in Geneious software.ResultsThe main difference in forewings among the 10 species of dragonfly was the apical, radial and discoidal regions dominated by the wing nodus. In contrast, the main difference among the hindwings was the apical and anal regions dominated by the wing nodus. The change in wing shape was closely related to the ability of dragonfly to migrate. The interspecific relationship based on molecular data showed that the species of Orthetrum genus branched independently of the other species. Compared to the molecular tree of 10 species, the wing shape clustering showed some phylogenetic information on the forewing shape (with large differences on the forewing shape tree vs. molecular tree), and there was no interspecific phylogenetic information of the hindwing shape tree vs. molecular tree.ConclusionThe dragonfly wing shape characteristics are closely related to its migration ability. Species with strong ability to migrate have the forewing shape that is longer and narrower, and have larger anal region, whereas the species that prefer short-distance hovering or standing still for a long time have forewing that are wider and shorter, and the anal region is smaller. Integrating morphological and molecular data to evaluate the relationship among dragonfly species shows there is some interspecific phylogenetic information in the forewing shape and none in the hindwing shape. The forewing and hindwing of dragonflies exhibit an inconsistent pattern of morphological changes in different species.

Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces naeslundii Interaction in Dual-Species Biofilm.

The study of bacterial interaction between Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces naeslundii may disclose important features of biofilm interspecies relationships. The aim of this study was to characterize—with an emphasis on biofilm formation and composition and metabolic activity—single- and dual-species biofilms of S. mutans or A. naeslundii, and to use a drip flow reactor (DFR) to evaluate biofilm stress responses to 0.2% chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX). Single- and dual-species biofilms were grown for 24 h. The following factors were evaluated: cell viability, biomass and total proteins in the extracellular matrix, 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide—“XTT”—reduction and lactic acid production. To evaluate stress response, biofilms were grown in DFR. Biofilms were treated with CHX or 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl; control). Biofilms were plated for viability assessment. Confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) was also performed. Data analysis was carried out at 5% significance level. S. mutans viability and lactic acid production in dual-species biofilms were significantly reduced. S. mutans showed a higher resistance to CHX in dual-species biofilms. Total protein content, biomass and XTT reduction showed no significant differences between single- and dual-species biofilms. CLSM images showed the formation of large clusters in dual-species biofilms. In conclusion, dual-species biofilms reduced S. mutans viability and lactic acid production and increased S. mutans’ resistance to chlorhexidine.

Phylogeny and highland adaptation of Chinese species in Allium section Daghestanica (Amaryllidaceae) revealed by transcriptome sequencing

Allium L. is one of the largest monocotyledonous genera with extensive distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. The fundamental phylogenies of Allium have been investigated using many morphological and molecular characters. However, the morphological characters may not agree with the molecular results in some Allium groups or sections (such as the Chinese Allium section Daghestanica), which may result in ambiguous species relationships and hinder further evolutionary and adaptive researches. Here, transcriptome sequences of the six Chinese endemics from Allium section Daghestanica were collected, with their single-copy genes (SCGs) were extracted. The interspecies relationships were analyzed using concatenation and coalescent methods. The branch-site model (BSM) was conducted to detect the positively selected genes (PSGs) in five highland species of this section. Based on 1644, 1281 and 1580 SCGs in flowers, leaves, and flowers-leaves combination respectively, a robust consistent and well-resolved phylogeny was generated from the concatenation method. Strong conflicts among individual gene trees were detected in the coalescent method, and morphological characters were incongruent with molecular relationships to some degree. Many PSGs were involved in responses of various stresses and stimuli (e.g. hypoxia, low temperature, aridity), DNA repair, metabolism, nutrient or energy intake, photosynthesis, and signal transduction. Our study revealed a clear interspecies relationship of Chinese endemics in Allium section Daghestanica and suggested that the discordance between morphological characters and molecular relationships might result from that the former are more susceptible to convergence compared with the latter. PSGs detected in our study may provide some insights into highland adaptation in Allium species.

Neighborhood effects on soil properties, mycorrhizal attributes, tree growth, and nutrient status in afforested zones

A harmonious interspecies relationship is the key to the success of mixed afforestation. This study was conducted to assess the responses of afforestation species to their neighboring trees. We examined five types of stands—monocultures of Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), sea‐buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), and two mixtures (Chinese pine × black locust mixture and Chinese pine × sea‐buckthorn mixture)—in the Loess Plateau, northwestern China. The height and diameter at breast height of each tree species were measured, and rhizosphere soil, shoot, and root were sampled. In monocultures, black locust was taller than Chinese pine and sea‐buckthorn, while the height of Chinese pine and sea‐buckthorn was similar. In mixtures, Chinese pine grew better with sea‐buckthorn than alone as a result of modified soil properties and plant nutrition, but not with black locust. When Chinese pine was used as neighbors, it affected the level of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization of black locust, soil properties and AM fungal spore density of black locust and sea‐buckthorn, but did not significantly affect their growth. Our results suggest that the reciprocal effects between tree species in mixture are not symmetric, and thus planning for efficient mixed afforestation requires knowledge of species‐specific growth rate, nutrient requirements, and species interactions.

Comparative Chloroplast Genomics of Fritillaria (Liliaceae), Inferences for Phylogenetic Relationships between Fritillaria and Lilium and Plastome Evolution.

Fritillaria is a genus that has important medicinal and horticultural values. The study involved the most comprehensive chloroplast genome samples referring to Old and New World clades of Fritillaria for marker selection and phylogenetic studies. We reported and compared eleven newly sequenced whole-plastome sequences of Fritillaria which proved highly similar in overall size (151,652–152,434 bp), genome structure, gene content, and order. Comparing them with other species of Liliales (6 out of 10 families) indicated the same similarity but showed some structural variations due to the contraction or expansion of the inverted repeat (IR) regions. A/T mononucleotides, palindromic, and forward repeats were the most common types. Six hypervariable regions (rps16-trnQ, rbcL-accD, accD-psaI, psaJ-rpl33, petD-rpoA, and rpl32-trnL) were discovered based on 26 Fritillaria whole-plastomes to be potential molecular markers. Based on the plastome data that were collected from 26 Fritillaria and 21 Lilium species, a phylogenomic study was carried out with three Cardiocrinum species as outgroups. Fritillaria was sister to Lilium with a high support value, and the interspecies relationships within subgenus Fritillaria were resolved very well. The six hypervariable regions can be used as candidate DNA barcodes of Fritillaria and the phylogenomic framework can guide extensive genomic sampling for further phylogenetic analyses.

Saving the Other Bees: The Resurgence of Stingless Beekeeping in the Zona Maya

This paper discusses strategies for salvaging biodiversity through a case study exploring the revitalisation of keeping stingless bees in the Yucatan Peninsula. While once Melipona beecheii was at risk of extinction, fifteen years later the species and meliponiculture practices are thriving. The paper highlights the history of the revitalisation and emphasises two factors underpinning stingless beekeeping's resurgence: agroecology orientations in environmental stewardship and inter-generational relationships, based upon a feminist ethic of inter-species care. This case illustrates the complex interactions of indigenous-led and grassroots approaches with biodiversity losses and ecosystem protection, and advances insights into the interdependencies and complexities involved in cultivating vital inter-species relationships.

Spatiotemporal Variations and Factors of Air Quality in Urban Central China during 2013–2015

Spatiotemporal behaviors of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and trace gases (SO2, NO2, CO, and O3) in Hefei during the period from December 2013 to November 2015 are investigated. The mean annual PM2.5 (PM10) concentrations are 89.1 ± 59.4 µg/m3 (118.9 ± 66.8 µg/m3) and 61.6 ± 32.2 µg/m3 (91.3 ± 40.9 µg/m3) during 2014 and 2015, respectively, remarkably exceeding the Chinese Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) grade II. All trace gases basically meet the requirements though NO2 and O3 have a certain upward trend. Old districts have the highest pollution levels, followed by urban periphery sites and new districts. Severe haze pollution occurs in Hefei, with frequent exceedances in particulate matter with 178 (91) days in 2014 (2015). The abnormal PM2.5 concentrations in June 2014 attributed to agricultural biomass burning from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometry (MODIS) wildfire maps and aerosol optical depth (AOD) analysis. PM2.5 is recognized as the major pollutant, and a longer interspecies relationship is found between PM2.5 and other criteria pollutants for episode days as compared to non-episode days. The air pollution in Hefei tends to be influenced by local primary emissions, secondary formation, and regional transport from adjacent cities and remote regions. Most areas of Anhui, southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, and western Shandong are identified as the common high-potential source regions of PM2.5. Approximately 9.44 and 8.53 thousand premature mortalities are attributed to PM2.5 exposure in 2014 and 2015. The mortality benefits will be 32% (24%), 47% (41%), 70% (67%), and 85% (83%) of the total premature mortalities in 2014 (2015) when PM2.5 concentrations meet the CAAQS grade II, the World Health Organization (WHO) IT-2, IT-3, and Air Quality Guideline, respectively. Hence, joint pollution prevention and control measures need to be strengthened due to pollutant regional diffusion, and much higher health benefits could be achieved as the Hefei government adopts more stringent WHO guidelines for PM2.5.

Experimental ecological research on the relationships of pathogenic microorganisms with algae

Aim. The ecological relationships between Leptospira interrogans spirochetes and Chlamydomonas proteus algae and the response explicitness of individual serological types of leptospires to the allelopathic effect of algae were to be investigated during the experiment. Methods. C. proteus algae monocultures were cultivated on the Fitzgerald’s medium in the Zehnder and Gorham’s modifi cation. Sterile fi ltrates of their cultures were diluted with the nutrient medium in the ratio of 1 : 10, 1 : 100, 1 : 1,000, 1 : 10,000. Leptospires were cultivated on the Terskih and Korthof’s medium with the addition of 10 % inactivated sheep blood serum. The test samples contained diluted culture fi ltrates of algae and leptospires. The control samples were the environment for algae and leptospires cultivation. Results. In the samples with the 1 : 10 – 1 : 100 dilution of algae fi ltrates, the content of leptospires in the test samples was signifi cantly lower than in the control samples, indicating their moderate and weak inhibition. There were no statistically signifi cant differences between spirochete culture densities in the test and control samples with the dilutions of 1 : 1,000–1 : 10,000 algae fi ltrates. Conclusions. In the experiment, a topical type of ecological interspecies relationships is formed between L. interrogans and green species of C. proteus algae, which is realized through the release of biologically active substances into the habitat by C. proteus. According to the increasing sensitivity to the allelopathic effect of C. proteus, serological types of leptospires formed a row: Tarassovi, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Australis, Sejroe, Canicola, Hebdomadis.

A novel graph theoretical approach for modeling microbiomes and inferring microbial ecological relationships

BackgroundMicrobiomes play vital roles in shaping environments and stabilize them based on their compositions and inter-species relationships among its species. Variations in microbial properties have been reported to have significant impact on their host environment. For example, variants in gut microbiomes have been reported to be associated with several chronic conditions, such as inflammatory disease and irritable bowel syndrome. However, how microbial bacteria contribute to pathogenesis still remains unclear and major research questions in this domain remain unanswered.MethodsWe propose a split graph model to represent the composition and interactions of a given microbiome. We used metagenomes from Korean populations in this study. The dataset consists of three different types of samples, viz. mucosal tissue and stool from Crohn’s disease patients and stool from healthy individuals. We use the split graph model to analyze the impact of microbial compositions on various host phenotypes. Utilizing the graph model, we have developed a pipeline that integrates genomic information and pathway analysis to characterize both critical informative components of inter-bacterial correlations and associations between bacterial taxa and various metabolic pathways.ResultsThe obtained results highlight the importance of the microbial communities and their inter-relationships and show how these microbial structures are correlated with Crohn’s disease. We show that there are significant positive associations between detected taxonomic biomarkers as well as multiple functional modules in the split graph of mucosal tissue samples from CD patients. Bacteria Moraxellaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were detected as taxonomic biomarkers in CD groups. Higher abundance of these bacteria have been reported in previous study and several metabolic pathways associated with these bacteria were characterized in CD samples.ConclusionsThe proposed pipeline provides a new way to approach the analysis of complex microbiomes. The results obtained from this study show great potential in unraveling mechansims in complex biological systems to understand how various components in such complex environments are associated with critical biological functions.

Model of the Dynamics of the Number of Arachnids in the Spectrum of Their Interspecies Competitive Relationships

The article deals with the construction and research of a mathematical model for studying the dynamics of the number of arachnids herpetobionts in the spectrum of their trophic competitive relations. The problems of determining the necessary variables and calculation coefficients for constructing and studying the model in relation to various trophic situations are discussed. The model is based on the nonlinear differential equation of Lotka-Volterra. The studies carried out with the aid of the constructed model show that the response of the system to any perturbation is of an oscillatory nature. The nature of the solutions depends on the initial perturbation, and they differ in the magnitude of the amplitude and period of the oscillations. The steady-state solutions of the mathematical model are multiperiod oscillations, which are characteristic for biological systems. The numerical and graphically presented data of the research results of the proposed model are presented.

Nonhuman Animal Behavioral Phenomena Are Central to the Emerging Concept of Intangible Natural Heritage

AbstractIntangible natural heritage is a concept that has been addressed in several publications and that offers a new and expanded view onto world heritage conservation. However, the difference from intangible cultural heritage has not been clearly defined. One distinction in the categories of world heritage that are established in international conventions appears where “the intangible” is not created by humans but by a nonhuman animal. Living organisms sustain human life materially and provide inspiration to humans, both in their material form and by displaying behaviors, or via observable, yet not tangible, dynamic phenomena and processes. This includes migration patterns, aggregations, vocalizations or the formation of symbiotic and mutualistic inter-species relationships. Given the non-material character of these elements, their transmission by nonhuman living beings, and their importance to human culture, it is proposed that such phenomena are considered as intangible natural heritagesensu strictoin the discourse of world heritage.

The role of ant nests in European ground squirrel’s (Spermophilus citellus) post-reintroduction adaptation in two Bulgarian mountains

The European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) is a vulnerable species, whose populations are declining throughout its entire range in Central and South-Eastern Europe. To a great extent, its conservation depends on habitat restoration, maintenance and protection. In order to improve the conservation status of the species, reintroductions are increasingly applied. Therefore, researchers focus their attention on factors that facilitate these activities and contribute to their success. In addition to the well-known factors like grass height and exposition, others, related to the underground characteristics, are more difficult to evaluate. The presence of other digging species could help this evaluation. Here, we present two reintroduced ground squirrel colonies, where the vast majority of the burrows are located in the base of anthills, mainly of yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus). This interspecies relationship offers numerous advantages for the ground squirrel and is mostly neutral for the ants. The benefits for the ground squirrel, including reduced energy demand for digging, as well as additional surveillance and hiding places available, could greatly enhance the post-reintroduction adaptation process.

Indole and Derivatives Modulate Biofilm Formation and Antibiotic Tolerance of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Intercellular communication is a crucial process for the multicellular community in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Indole has been recognized as a new member of the signal molecules which enables the regulated control of various bacterial phenotypes. To elucidate the inter-species relationship among enteric microorganisms via indole signaling, Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) culture was treated with indole solution and examined for the pathogenicity by using various phenotypic tests. Both synthetic and naturally-produced indole preparations had no deteriorating effect on growth and autoaggregative capacity of KP. The results showed that biofilm formation of carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae (KP-S) was clearly induced by indole exposure (≈ 2-10 folds), whereas no significant difference was observed in the resistant counterpart. In addition, the tolerance to β-lactam antibiotics of KP was altered upon exposure to indole and/or derivatives assessed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test. Taken together, our finding indicates the functional role of indole in changing or modulating pathogenic behaviors of other bacteria.

NARRATIVE SOVEREIGNTY, EMOTIONS AND INTERSPECIES RELATIONSHIPS

This article engages the claim that narrative is crucial to humans’ capacity to imagine and to know other animals. It brings together the concept of political sovereignty from Derrida, with an evaluation of emotion to analyse narratives about interspecies relationships. I begin by mapping Derrida’s critique of the relationship between violence and scientific knowledge about animals (Derrida 2009: 276–304) onto recent research into relationships between people and dingoes on K’gari (Fraser Island), to delineate how violent epistemologies may underpin humans’ ways of knowing other animals. I then explore the politics of the public education about dingoes on K’gari as they relate to government policies and the way the state exercises power; such state-sanctioned narratives set the discursive tone for the way people know and interact with (this) other species, and disallow other epistemologies. In contrast, creative nonfiction narrators Barry Lopez (Of Wolves and Men, 2004) and Helen Macdonald (H Is for Hawk, 2014) perform their own critiques of inaccurate and controlling narratives about, respectively, wolves and goshawks. I argue that the techniques they use—acknowledging emotion; observing animals’ perceptions, relationships and agency; respecting animals’ ability to resist human-imposed meanings; recognising the limits of human knowledge; and incorporating other voices—provide a framework for how creative writers may narrateother animals more ethically and more accurately.

Стійкість угруповань молюсків техноземів Нікопольського марганцеворудного басейну

The regularities of the stability of terrestrial molluscs community in the Lyapunov sense that there in artificial soil-like structures within the Nikopol manganese ore basin, namely pedozems and sod-lithogenic soils on red-brown clay, gray-green clay and loess. The studies were conducted during the 2012-2014 biennium. on site remediation of Nikopol manganese ore basin in Pokrov. The basis for describing the dynamics of communities are taken cascading Lotka-Volterra equations. It was established that between the number of species there is a positive correlation between the presence of which can be attributed to common features of ecology of terrestrial molluscs in general. The nature of interspecies relationships has its own specificity, depending on the type of biogeocoenosis. The study found the most sustainable communities of terrestrial molluscs are formed on the sod-lithogenic soils on loess loam and least stable - on sod-lithogenic soils to gray-green clays and pedozems. For sod-lithogenic soils found the biggest off-season difference of sustainability indicators. The most sustainable communities in the spring and summer, and the least stable - in the summer-autumn period. Most regular factor in the sustainability of communities is negative autocorrelation kinds of communities, most often it is the dominant form of B. cylindrica. Interspecific interactions have both stabilizing and destabilizing effect, which is the specificity of each type of community dynamics tehnozems. A promising area of research can be considered as an assessment of the functional role of terrestrial molluscs community structure mezopedobionts tehnozems. The knowledge of the dynamics of terrestrial molluscs community will help address issues of management functional properties rekultozems models.

Phylogenetic relationship in Actinidia (Actinidiaceae) based on four noncoding chloroplast DNA sequences

The interspecies relationships within Actinidia remain controversial due to lack of sufficient taxon sampling and molecular markers. Intergenic spacers (IGS) in the chloroplast genome have been shown to yield substantial variability and were successfully used in phylogenetic study in diverse plants. Hence, in this study, we develop IGS markers by comparing the available chloroplast genomes of Actinidia to explore the interspecific relationships within Actinidia. A total of 46 species were sampled, and three phylogenetic analyses methods (MP, ML and Bayesian) were used. Compared to the plastomes of other congeneric species, twenty-four highly variable intergenic spacers are identified, and four intergenic spacers with high polymorphism [ndhF-rps32, ndhC-trnV (UAC), rps16-trnQ (UUG) and trnE (UUC)-trnT (GGU)] were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships within Actinidia. The phylogeny reveals two main groups within Actinidia, and the four traditionally recognized sections are not monophyletic. Two sections (Leiocarpae and Maculatae) can be proposed, among which Leiocarpae is the earliest diverged lineage in the genus. As compared to previous work, our study provides a robust phylogenetic hypothesis that aids in our understanding of the interspecific relationships of Actinidia. Several closely related species are placed in disparate parts of the phylogeny. Moreover, the same species sampled at least two varieties are polyphyletic in our cpDNA trees, which suggests frequent hybridization/introgression events occurred in the genus of Actinidia.

Mitochondrial genome of Amblyomma javanense: a hard tick parasite of the endangered Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica).

Amblyomma javanense is an important ectoparasite of Manis javanica, although the population genetics, molecular biology and systematics of A. javanense remain poorly understood. In the present study, the mitochondrial genome of A. javanense was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq sequencing platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.) and compared with the genomes of two closely related species: Amblyomma fimbriatum and Amblyomma americanum. The intraspecies and interspecies relationships of A. javanense and another 21 selected species were investigated by constructing a maximum-likelihood tree and a neighbour-joining tree. The mitochondrial genome of A. javanense was 14 780 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and two control regions. The results of the comparisons indicate that there is great similarity among these three species, and both trees indicate that A. javanense is a member of the Amblyomminae. The study of A. javanense of pangolins also indicates the premise and foundation of the relationship between the parasite and other species.