Original Niche Research Articles

Yeast and Lactic Acid Bacteria Dominate the Core Microbiome of Fermented ‘Hairy’ Tofu (Mao Tofu)

The process of fermenting tofu extends back thousands of years and is an indispensable part of Chinese culture. Despite a cultural resurgence in fermented foods and interest in microbiomes, there is little knowledge on the microbial diversity represented in fermented ‘hairy’ tofu, known locally in China as Mao tofu. High-throughput metagenomic sequencing of the ITS, LSU and 16S rDNA was used to determine Mao tofu’s fungal and bacterial community diversity across four wet markets in Yunnan, China. The results show that hairy tofu in this region consists of around 170 fungal and 365 bacterial taxa, and that microbial taxa differ between markets. Diversity also differed based on the specific niche of the tofu block, comparing the outside rind-like niche to that of the inside of the tofu block. Machine learning random forest models were able to accurately classify both the market and niche of sample origin. An over-abundance of yeast and Geotrichum was found, and Mucor (Mucoromycota) was abundant in the outside rind-like niche, which consists of the visible ‘hairy’ mycelium. The majority of the bacterial OTUs belonged to Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes, with Acinetobacter, Lactobacillus, Sphingobacterium and Flavobacterium the most abundant genera. Putative fungal pathogens of plants (Cercospora, Diaporthe, Fusarium) and animals (Metarhizium, Entomomortierella, Pyxidiophora, Candida, Clavispora) were also detected, as were putative bacterial pathogens identified as Legionella. Non-fungal eukaryotic taxa detected by LSU amplicon sequencing included soybean (Glycine max), Protozoa, Metazoa (e.g., Nematoda and Platyhelminthes), Rhizaria and Chromista, indicating that additional biodiversity exists in the hairy tofu microbiome.

Pet distribution modelling: Untangling the invasive potential of Trachemys dorbigni (Emydidae) in the Americas.

Human activities have been changing the global biogeographic patterns by the introductions of invasive species. For reptiles, the invasion rate increase of non-native species is remarkably related to the pet trade, especially for freshwater turtles. Here we estimated the invasive potential of the South American turtle Trachemys dorbigni in the Americas using a combination of climatic and human activity variables. We built species distribution models based on data from the native and invasive ranges, using the ensemble model from five different algorithms (GAM, MAXENT, BRT, RF and GBM). We compared the two models’ performance and predictions, one calibrated with only climatic variables (climate-driven), and the second also included a descriptive variable of human activity (climate plus human-driven). Suitable areas for T. dorbigni covered occurrence areas of its congeners and highly diversified ecoregions, such as the eastern USA, the islands of Central America, and the south eastern and eastern Brazilian coast. Our results indicate that human activities allow T. dorbigni to establish populations outside of its original climatic niche. Including human activity variables proved fundamental to refining the results to identify more susceptible areas to invasion and to allow the efficient targeting of prevention measures. Finally, we suggested a set of actions to prevent T. dorbigni becoming a highly impacting species in the areas identified as more prone to its invasion.

A unifying framework for quantifying and comparing n‐dimensional hypervolumes

Abstract The quantification of Hutchinson's n‐dimensional hypervolume has enabled substantial progress in community ecology, species niche analysis and beyond. However, most existing methods do not support a partitioning of the different components of hypervolume. Such a partitioning is crucial to address the ‘curse of dimensionality’ in hypervolume measures and interpret the metrics on the original niche axes instead of principal components. Here, we propose the use of multivariate normal distributions for the comparison of niche hypervolumes and introduce this as the multivariate‐normal hypervolume (MVNH) framework (R package available on https://github.com/lvmuyang/MVNH). The framework provides parametric measures of the size and dissimilarity of niche hypervolumes, each of which can be partitioned into biologically interpretable components. Specifically, the determinant of the covariance matrix (i.e. the generalized variance) of a MVNH is a measure of total niche size, which can be partitioned into univariate niche variance components and a correlation component (a measure of dimensionality, i.e. the effective number of independent niche axes standardized by the number of dimensions). The Bhattacharyya distance (BD; a function of the geometric mean of two probability distributions) between two MVNHs is a measure of niche dissimilarity. The BD partitions total dissimilarity into the components of Mahalanobis distance (standardized Euclidean distance with correlated variables) between hypervolume centroids and the determinant ratio which measures hypervolume size difference. The Mahalanobis distance and determinant ratio can be further partitioned into univariate divergences and a correlation component. We use empirical examples of community‐ and species‐level analysis to demonstrate the new insights provided by these metrics. We show that the newly proposed framework enables us to quantify the relative contributions of different hypervolume components and to connect these analyses to the ecological drivers of functional diversity and environmental niche variation. Our approach overcomes several operational and computational limitations of popular nonparametric methods and provides a partitioning framework that has wide implications for understanding functional diversity, niche evolution, niche shifts and expansion during biotic invasions, etc.

Climate‐driven impacts of exotic species on marine ecosystems

AbstractAimTemperature is fundamental to the physiological and ecological performance of marine organisms, but its role in modulating the magnitude of ecological impacts by exotic species remains unresolved. Here, we examine the relationship between thermal regimes in the range of origin of marine exotic species and sites of measured impact, after human‐induced introduction. We compare this relationship with the magnitude of impact exerted by exotic species on native ecosystems.LocationGlobal.Time period1977–2017 (meta‐analysis).Major taxa studiedMarine exotic species.MethodsQuantitative impacts of exotic species in marine ecosystems were obtained from a global database. The native range of origin of exotic species was used to estimate the realized thermal niche for each species and compared with the latitude and climatic conditions in recipient sites of recorded impact of exotic species. The difference in median temperatures between recipient sites and the thermal range of origin (i.e., thermal midpoint anomaly) was compared with the magnitude of effect sizes by exotic species on native species, communities and ecosystems.ResultsRecorded impacts occurred predominantly within the thermal niche of origin of exotic species, albeit with a tendency toward higher latitudes and slightly cooler conditions. The severity of impacts by exotic species on abundance of native taxa displayed a hump‐shaped relationship with temperature. Peak impacts were recorded in recipient sites that were 2.2°C cooler than the thermal midpoint of the range of origin of exotic species, and impacts decreased in magnitude toward higher and lower thermal anomalies.Main conclusionsOur findings highlight how temperature and climatic context influence ecological impacts by exotic species in marine ecosystems and the implications for existing and novel species interactions under climate change.

Human decellularized adipose tissue hydrogels as a culture platform for human adipose-derived stem cell delivery.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have been widely researched and used as a drug therapy in many fields like disease treatment and tissue engineering. However, ADSCs are susceptible to the surrounding environment. The emergence of acellular extracellular matrix provides a solution, which can serve as biomaterial scaffold as well as original ecological niche for the stem cells. Therefore, we propose the hypothesis that human decellularized adipose tissues (hDAT) are processed into injectable hydrogels and then mixed evenly with ADSCs. So that the ADSCs embedded-hydrogels could directly carry the stem cells to the appropriate sites. The hDAT hydrogel could provide microenvironmental protection for ADSCs. In this study, we successfully made human decellularized adipose tissue hydrogel (hDAT-gel), which was temperature-sensitive, liquid at 4°C and semi-solid at 37°C. When the ADSCs were embedded in hDAT-gel, they survived well and continued to grow well in layers. When the pre-gel containing ADSCs was injected subcutaneously into nude mice, the sample results after 15 min showed gelation occurred in situ. These results suggested that hDAT-gel could provide a culture platform for ADSCs delivery.

The role of Ulva fasciata in the evolution of the microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes in maricultural sediments

This study explored changes in the microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in maricultural clam sediment after 3-month co-culture with different densities (0, 5 and 12 g L−1) of seaweed Ulva fasciata (U. fasciata). The maximum removal rates of NO3−-N, PO43−-P, and inhibition of Vibrio culturability occurred at presence of 12 g L−1U. fasciata. A significant decrease by 14.0% of the total ARGs was found in control sediment without U. fasciata after separation from the original niches, while the total ARGs further increased by 5.58%and 4.65% at presence of 5 and 12 g L−1 of U. fasciata in compared with control sediment, respectively, strongly related with Chloroflexi, Spirochaetes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes hosts. In addition, U. fasciata favored the decline of absolute gene numbers of some tetracycline resistance genes (tetPB, tetW, otrA, tetT, tetO) and class 1 integron-integrase gene.

Metagenomic analysis reveals distinct patterns of gut lactobacillus prevalence, abundance, and geographical variation in health and disease

ABSTRACT Lactobacilli are exploited extensively for food fermentation and biotechnology. Some food and gut isolates have been developed as probiotics, for which species that may be commensal to the human host are considered desirable. However, the robustness of defining original niches for lactobacilli – food, environment, the gut – is questionable, and culture-independent analyses of prevalence in different human populations is lacking. Here we analyzed the abundance of lactobacilli in 6,154 subjects from a database of highly curated fecal shotgun metagenomics data spanning 25 nationalities, with ages ranging from infancy to 102 years. Twenty-five species were detected, which we assigned into low, medium, and high prevalence groups. The microbiome of apparently healthy individuals could be categorized into 6 clusters or Lactobacillotypes (LbTypes), with three of the Lbtypes being dominated by L. delbrueckii, L. ruminis, L. casei, and the other three comprising a combination of different species. These Lactobacillus clusters exhibit distinct global abundance patterns. The cluster prevalences also display distinct age-specific trends influenced by geography, with overall lactobacillus prevalence increasing significantly with age in North America and Europe but declining with age in non-Westernized societies. Regression analysis stratified by regional location identified distinct associations of the Lactobacillotypes with age, BMI, and gender. Cirrhosis, fatty-liver, , IBD and T2D were characterized by net gain of lactobacilli, whereas hypertension patients harbored depleted lactobacillus levels. Collectively these data indicate that the species abundance of gut lactobacilli is moderated by geography, diet, and interaction with the whole microbiome, and has strong interactions with diseases associated with a western lifestyle.

Potential distribution of the tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon (Decapoda: Penaeidae), an invasive species in the Atlantic Ocean

Introduction: Invasive species are considered the second cause of extinction of native species after habitat loss. The impacts of invasive species have serious economic implications since the presence of this type of species can result in a decrease in ecosystem services granted to humans. In marine systems, some human activities such as maritime transport and aquaculture have favored the dispersion of invasive species, especially those with commercial importance. This paper describes the potential distribution of the tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, an invasive species along the American Atlantic coast. Objective: To describe a potential distribution model of Penaeus monodon in the American Atlantic region and compare the environmental characteristics of this region with those of the Indo-Pacific original niche conditions. Methods: Using geographic and environmental data, we constructed and tested three models to determine the efficiency of MaxEnt v. 3.3 software in predicting new areas for the distribution of this invasive shrimp species. Geographic data were downloaded from such web sites as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, and the United States Geological Survey, as well from literature. Environmental data were downloaded from Bio-Oracle v2.0 data base. The three tested models were: 1) the first was created using only recordings of Penaeus monodon from the Indo-Pacific (its origin zone) and then projected to the Atlantic (native model); 2) the second was built using only recordings from the invaded area; the training and projection area of this model was the Atlantic (invasive model); 3) the third included recordings from both the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic regions, and the model was trained and projected jointly in both areas (complete model). We extracted the values of the three models for each tiger shrimp sightings in the invaded area; sightings with values ³ 0.5 were considered as valid prediction of occurrence of the species. Results: We found that the following variables explained 80 % of species distribution: phosphates from the ocean surface, coastal type, chlorophyll a, and maximum bottom temperature. In terms of the models’ ability to predict the occurrences reported in the Atlantic, results were as follows: Native model had a prediction index of 40 %; Invasive model was able to predict 81 % of recordings; and complete model predicted 92 % of total occurrences reported in the invaded area. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that based on the complete model, the countries where the tiger shrimp could establish itself are Mexico and Cuba. Continuous monitoring and conservation actions are relevant in the countries where this species is currently established, as well of those countries with potential for invasions.

Швейцария и Евросоюз: особенности торгово-инвестиционных связей

The article studies specifics of trade and investment ties of Switzerland with EU countries. The author researches into the history of relations of Switzerland with EU, specifics of participation of this country in the process of European integration without membership in EU. The author pay attention on policy of neutrality and decentralization of Swiss economy and analyzes the special model of relations of two parties in the shape of bilateral or sectoral agreements as well as the factors determining main trends and periods of its development, profits and risks linked to Switzerland`s joining the EU, and the reasons standing in the way of conclusion of an institutional framework agreement with EU. The core argument is the Swiss reliance on direct democracy and bottom-up approach to governance as well as neutrality policy. The author underlines the factors of attractiveness of Switzerland for European partners first of all tied with competitiveness and diversity of the Swiss economy, it`s original niche character, export orientation, specialization on innovative sectors and development of clusters particular in biomedical technologies. On the basis of analysis and summarizing of statistics the author shows dynamics and specifics of trade and investment ties between Switzerland and the EU countries, merchandise structure of the foreign trade and importance of foreign investment as a key factor for economic growth in Switzerland. The author also assesses the role of multinational companies in Swiss economy as drives of its growth in the context of globalization and the impact on the number of jobs in Switzerland.

El autor como marca o las inestabilidades de la fama: el caso Rowling

Se estudia la importancia de la imagen de marca de un autor, y la importancia que tiene para su visibilidad. Se analiza del caso de J.K Rowling como ejemplo de migración desde su nicho original, la literatura infantil y juvenil, a la literatura de adultos, estudiando los indicadores de visibilidad como ediciones de su obra, presencia en las listas de más vendidos, presencia web, y aparición en bases de datos nacionales e internacionales. Se discute la viabilidad de salir del nicho de mercado amparado por estructuras editoriales y comunicativas consolidadas, empleando además el expediente del anonimato.

Evolutionary changes of an intestinal Lactobacillus reuteri during probiotic manufacture.

Probiotic bacteria are frequently used to treat intestinal diseases or to improve health; however, little is known about the evolutionary changes of these bacteria during probiotic manufacture and the bacterial ability to colonize the intestine. It has been observed that when bacteria adapt to a new environment, they lose some traits required to thrive in the original niche. In this study, a strain of Lactobacillus reuteri was isolated from mouse duodenum and subjected to 150 serial passes in milk to simulate the industrial propagation of probiotic bacteria. The strains adapted to milk outperformed their ancestor when grown in milk; we also showed evidence of reduced intestinal colonization of milk‐adapted strains. Whole‐genome sequencing showed that bacterial adaptation to milk selects mutants with altered metabolic functions.

In vitro Assessment of the Probiotic Properties and Bacteriocinogenic Potential of Pediococcus pentosaceus MZF16 Isolated From Artisanal Tunisian Meat "Dried Ossban".

Pediococcus pentosaceus MZF16 has been isolated from artisanal Tunisian meat so called “Dried Ossban,” an original ecological niche, and identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and 16S rDNA sequencing. This bacterium showed a high tolerance to gastric stress conditions, and toward bile salts. P. pentosaceus MZF16 also demonstrated a hydrophobic surface profile (high adhesion to xylene), autoaggregation, and adhesive abilities to the human intestinal Caco-2/TC7 cell line. These properties may help the bacterium colonizing the gut. Furthermore, MZF16 was found to be resistant to gentamycin and chloramphenicol but did not harbor any transferable resistance determinants and/or virulence genes. The data also demonstrated absence of cytotoxicity of this strain. Conversely, P. pentosaceus MZF16 can slightly stimulate the immune system and enhance the intestinal epithelial barrier function. Moreover, this bacterium has been shown to be highly active against Listeria spp. due to bacteriocin production. Characterization of the bacteriocin by PCR amplification, sequencing and bioinformatic analyses revealed that MZF16 produces a bacteriocin 100% identical to coagulin, a pediocin-like inhibitory substance produced by Bacillus coagulans. To our knowledge, this is the first report that highlights the production of a pediocin 100% identical to coagulin in a Pediococcus strain. As coagulin, pediocin MZF16 has the consensus sequence YYGNGVXCXXXXCXVXXXXA (X denotes any amino acid), which confirms its belonging to class IIa bacteriocins, and its suitability to preserve foods from Listeria monocytogenes development. According to these results, P. pentosaceus MZF16 can be proposed as a probiotic and bioprotective agent for fermented foods, including Tunisian dry meat and sausages. Further investigations will aim to study the behavior of this strain in meat products as a component of functional food.

Hair follicle epidermal stem cells define a niche for tactile sensation.

The heterogeneity and compartmentalization of stem cells is a common principle in many epithelia, and is known to function in epithelial maintenance, but its other physiological roles remain elusive. Here we show transcriptional and anatomical contributions of compartmentalized epidermal stem cells in tactile sensory unit formation in the mouse hair follicle. Epidermal stem cells in the follicle upper-bulge, where mechanosensory lanceolate complexes innervate, express a unique set of extracellular matrix (ECM) and neurogenesis-related genes. These epidermal stem cells deposit an ECM protein called EGFL6 into the collar matrix, a novel ECM that tightly ensheathes lanceolate complexes. EGFL6 is required for the proper patterning, touch responses, and αv integrin-enrichment of lanceolate complexes. By maintaining a quiescent original epidermal stem cell niche, the old bulge, epidermal stem cells provide anatomically stable follicle-lanceolate complex interfaces, irrespective of the stage of follicle regeneration cycle. Thus, compartmentalized epidermal stem cells provide a niche linking the hair follicle and the nervous system throughout the hair cycle.

Trophic interactions in a lowland river fish community invaded by European barbel Barbus barbus (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae)

Following their invasion, non-indigenous fish can potentially exclude native fishes from their original niches through competition, or can partition in their resource use with native species to facilitate co-existence. Here, using stable isotope analysis, the trophic interactions of invasive European barbel Barbus barbus and other fishes were tested in an invaded river of relatively low fish species diversity and where no other Barbus species were present. Testing was over three distinct life stages: age 0 + (< 38 mm), juveniles (86–231 mm) and adults (> 386 mm). There were strong patterns of isotopic niche partitioning between the juvenile fishes, with some inter-specific niche differences also apparent in 0 + fishes. For adult B. barbus and chub Squalius cephalus, however, niche convergence was evident. Within the B. barbus population, the niches of the adult fish differed significantly from the 0+ and juvenile fish, indicating considerable dietary changes with development. These results suggested that niche partitioning at the most abundant life stages were facilitating the co-existence of invasive B. barbus with other fishes in the community, with this most likely driven by inter-specific differences in functional morphology and habitat use.

P-262 - Reactive oxygen species in embryonic stem cells physiology

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are nowadays being actively studied as signal messengers in the wide range of intracellular processes [Zhang et al., 2016]. Embryonic stem cells (ESC) are the progenitors of all cell types in living organisms, so their metabolism and original physiological niche are distinct from any others. However, in our previous work we showed that the ability of cultivated ESC to produce and eliminate ROS is very close to that in differentiated cells [Lyublinskaya et al., 2017]. In the present work we focused on the impact of ROS production on cell proliferation in ESC and their differentiated fibroblast-like descendants. For both cell types, we found the correspondence between oscillation of ROS level and cell proliferation cycle. In addition, we showed that targeted decrease of ROS level in ESC and differentiated cells with the usage of antioxidants leads to the disturbance of cell proliferation, including (G0)/G1 cell cycle block and the induction of genotoxic stress, manifested in the emergence of double-strand breaks. Thus, we have observed the similar response to an antioxidative stress [Dundar and Aslan, 2000] of both ESC and differentiated cells.

Innovation in an E. coli evolution experiment is contingent on maintaining adaptive potential until competition subsides.

Key innovations are disruptive evolutionary events that enable a species to escape constraints and rapidly diversify. After 15 years of the Lenski long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli, cells in one of the twelve populations evolved the ability to utilize citrate, an abundant but previously untapped carbon source in the environment. Descendants of these cells became dominant in the population and subsequently diversified as a consequence of invading this vacant niche. Mutations responsible for the appearance of rudimentary citrate utilization and for refining this ability have been characterized. However, the complete nature of the genetic and/or ecological events that set the stage for this key innovation is unknown. In particular, it is unclear why it took so long for citrate utilization to evolve and why it still has evolved in only one of the twelve E. coli populations after 30 years of the Lenski experiment. In this study, we recapitulated the initial mutation needed to evolve citrate utilization in strains isolated from throughout the first 31,500 generations of the history of this population. We found that there was already a slight fitness benefit for this mutation in the original ancestor of the evolution experiment and in other early isolates. However, evolution of citrate utilization was blocked at this point due to competition with other mutations that improved fitness in the original niche. Subsequently, an anti-potentiated genetic background evolved in which it was deleterious to evolve rudimentary citrate utilization. Only later, after further mutations accumulated that restored the benefit of this first-step mutation and the overall rate of adaptation in the population slowed, was citrate utilization likely to evolve. Thus, intense competition and the types of mutations that it favors can lead to short-sighted evolutionary trajectories that hide a stepping stone needed to access a key innovation from many future generations.

Land uplift creates important meadow habitat and a potential original niche for grassland species.

Semi-natural grasslands have been severely affected by agricultural land-use change. However, the isostatic land adjustment following deglaciation in the Northern Hemisphere means that new land is continually being created in coastal areas. We modelled isostatic adjustment during the last 4000 years in a region of the Baltic coast to estimate the emergence of potential grassland habitat. We also compared the α and β diversity of existing managed and abandoned coastal meadows, and assessed their contribution to biodiversity at landscape scales. We estimated that half the 7866 km2 of emerging land had the potential to become coastal meadow habitat, which is an order of magnitude larger than the total area of all valuable semi-natural grassland in the study region today. The small area of managed coastal habitat remaining was found to have a disproportionate influence on the richness of threatened species at landscape scales, but our results also show that continued management is essential for the maintenance of grassland biodiversity. Our combination of approaches identifies uplifted coastal meadows as an additional original niche for grassland plant species, while highlighting that low-intensity disturbance through grassland management is essential for the maintenance of diversity at multiple scales.

Introduction: Cross-Cultural Reading

Introduction: Cross-Cultural Reading

Niche conservatism and the invasive potential of the wild boar.

Niche conservatism, i.e. the retention of a species' fundamental niche through evolutionary time, is cornerstone for biological invasion assessments. The fact that species tend to maintain their original climate niche allows predictive maps of invasion risk to anticipate potential invadable areas. Unravelling the mechanisms driving niche shifts can shed light on the management of invasive species. Here, we assessed niche shifts in one of the world's worst invasive species: the wild boar Sus scrofa. We also predicted potential invadable areas based on an ensemble of three ecological niche modelling methods, and evaluated the performance of models calibrated with native vs. pooled (native plus invaded) species records. By disentangling the drivers of change on the exotic wild boar population's niches, we found strong evidence for niche conservatism during biological invasion. Ecological niche models calibrated with both native and pooled range records predicted convergent areas. Also, observed niche shifts are mostly explained by niche unfilling, i.e. there are unoccupied areas in the exotic range where climate is analogous to the native range. Niche unfilling is expected as result of recent colonization and ongoing dispersal, and was potentially stronger for the Neotropics, where a recent wave of introductions for pig-farming and game-hunting has led to high wild boar population growth rates. The invasive potential of wild boar in the Neotropics is probably higher than in other regions, which has profound management implications if we are to prevent their invasion into species-rich areas, such as Amazonia, coupled with expansion of African swine fever and possibly great economic losses. Although the originally Eurasian-wide distribution suggests a pre-adaptation to a wide array of climates, the wild boar world-wide invasion does not exhibit evidence of niche evolution. The invasive potential of the wild boar therefore probably lies on the reproductive, dietary and morphological characteristics of this species, coupled with behavioural thermoregulation.

A thousand bites – Insect introductions and late Holocene environments

The impact of insect species directly associated with man-made habitats and human dispersal has been, and remains globally significant. Their early expansion from their original niches into Europe is intrinsically related to discussions of climate change, origins of domesticated plants and animals, the spread of agriculture and infectious diseases. The Holocene fossil records of the dispersal of three storage pest species, Sitophilus granarius, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, and Tribolium castaneum, the housefly, Musca domestica, and the human flea, Pulex irritans from 221 sites have been mapped ranging from the Near East to Europe and from the Neolithic to the post medieval period. The importance of human induced change as a driver for the spread of synanthropic faunas and the potential for the spread of disease during this process are discussed. The results show links between mobility of farming groups and distribution of synanthropic insect species and produce a roadmap for the different cultural periods of the Late Holocene based on dispersal of these synanthropic insects. During the Neolithic, the first wave of insect introductions shows the northern European frontiers of storage of cereals, introduction of domestic animals and pastoralism and exchange. Pest introductions, linked with the itinerary of the Roman army, reached the most northerly parts of the Empire. During the medieval period, the insect records indicate further expansion and changes which parallel the spread of epidemic diseases like Plague. Understanding the timing and the rates of change of synanthropic insects provides key information about the development of the homogenised and highly anthropogenic environments in which we live today.