South America Research Articles

Ancient mitogenomes reveal evidence for the Late Miocene dispersal of mergansers to the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract Mergansers are riverine and coastal piscivorous ducks that are widespread throughout North America and Eurasia but uncommon in the Southern Hemisphere. One species occurs in South America and at least two extinct species are known from New Zealand. It has been proposed that these Southern Hemisphere merganser lineages were founded by at least two independent dispersal events from the Northern Hemisphere. However, some morphological and behavioural evidence suggests that Southern Hemisphere mergansers may form a monophyletic clade that descended from only a single dispersal event from the Northern Hemisphere. For example, Southern Hemisphere mergansers share several characteristics that differ from Northern Hemisphere mergansers (e.g. non-migratory vs. migratory, sexual monochromatism vs. sexual dichromatism, long vs. short pair bonds). We sequenced complete mitogenomes from the Brazilian merganser and an extinct merganser from New Zealand—the Auckland Island merganser. Our results show that the Brazilian and Auckland Island mergansers are not sister-taxa, and probably descend from two separate colonization events from the Northern Hemisphere at least 7 Mya. Nuclear (palaeo)genomic data may help to further resolve the relationship between living and extinct mergansers, including merganser fossils from New Zealand that have not been subjected to palaeogenetic analysis.

Six in one: cryptic species and a new host record for Olixon Cameron (Rhopalosomatidae, Hymenoptera) revealed by DNA barcoding

Olixon testaceum is a widely distributed species of brachypterous parasitoid wasp (Vespoidea: Rhopalosomatidae) occurring in Meso- and South America, but little is known of its biology. Here, the first known host of O. ? testaceum is identified as the cricket Anaxipha sp. (Grylloidea: Trigonidiidae) through DNA barcoding of six Olixon larvae and their hosts. Barcoding results also indicated substantial genetic diversity within nominal O. testaceum specimens. The number of species and statistical significance of these groups were tested using Maximum Likelihood phylogenies, distance-based cluster analyses, and coalescence models. All analyses revealed at least six distinct lineages, which suggests six or more cryptic species within O. ? testaceum. Combined with what is currently known about Rhopalosoma host use, these results indicate that rhopalosomatids may be generalist rather than specialist parasitoids, and further confirm the benefits of open global collaboration and DNA barcoding in advancing taxonomic knowledge.

First Report of Powdery Mildew on Berchemia floribunda Caused by Erysiphe berchemiae in China.

The genus Berchemia (family Rhamnaceae), a group of climbing plants, is mainly distributed in Asia, Africa, and South America. Berchemia plants are widely used in traditional medicine in some Asian countries (Inoshiri et al. 1987). For example, in Japan, B. racemosa (synonym B. floribunda) is used for the treatment of gallstones, liver diseases, neuralgia, and stomach cramps, and in China, B. floribunda is used for the treatment of rheumatism and lumbago. In August 2022, typical powdery mildew symptoms were observed on wild B. floribunda plants in Huaxi District, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China. The incidence was approximately 60% among 100 B. floribunda plants observed outdoors. White colonies almost entirely covered on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces of all leaves on symptomatic plants. Infected leaves appeared curled or chlorotic, infection occasionally leading to defoliation. To describe the pathogen morphologically, fungal samples were collected from two individual B. floribunda plants and microscopically characterized. In these samples, hyphae were flexuous to straight, branched, septate, 3-6 μm wide, with lobed hyphal appressoria. Conidiophores were erect, flexuous to straight, and 50-160 µm long (n = 30). Foot cells were subcylindrical to slightly curved-sinuous at the base, 20-40 µm long (n = 30), followed by 2-3 shorter cells. Conidia formed singly, occasionally 2-3 in a chain. Conidia were ellipsoid to ovoid, 20-42 × 12-18 µm (n = 50), without fibrosin bodies. Chasmothecia were not found. For molecular identification, the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) of the two fungal samples were amplified and sequenced using the ITS1/ITS4 primer pair (White et al. 1990). The obtained 649-bp ITS sequences (GenBank accession nos. OR414364 and OR414365, respectively) shared 100% identity, and they showed 99.52% identity with the ITS sequence (GenBank accession no. LC009934) of Erysiphe berchemiae. Phylogenetic analysis grouped OR414364 and OR414365 in a clade with LC009934. Based on morphological and molecular characteristics, the powdery mildew fungus from B. floribunda was identified as E. berchemiae (Braun and Cook 2012). The voucher specimen (accession no. GZNU-BFEE/0820/2022) were deposited at the School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University. Pathogenicity was assessed by gently pressing naturally diseased leaves of B. floribunda onto leaves of three healthy potted 1-year-old B. floribunda plants. Three non-inoculated healthy plants were used as controls. The plants were incubated in a greenhouse at 25 ± 2°C, 80% relative humidity. Similar powdery mildew symptoms were observed on the inoculated plants 9 days after inoculation, whereas the control plants remained symptomless. The reisolated fungus from inoculated leaves was morphologically identical to that observed on the original diseased leaves, and the ITS sequence of the reisolated fungus shared 100% identity with OR414364 and OR414365, fulfilling Koch's postulates. E. berchemiae has previously been described as a powdery mildew pathogen on B. yunnanensis (Chen et al. 1987) and B. kulingensis (Chen 1993) in China and B. racemosa (synonym B. floribunda) in Japan (Braun and Cook 2012; Takamatsu et al. 2015), but this is the first report of E. berchemiae causing disease of B. floribunda in China. This work suggests that E. berchemiae is an important pathogen of Berchemia plants, at least for some species in the genus Berchemia.

Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Pancreato-Biliary Diseases Requiring Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography.

Viral infections are known to impact the pancreato-biliary system; however, there are limited data showing that the same is true of COVID-19. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) can safely be performed in patients with COVID-19 infection, but outcomes of patients with COVID-19 infections and concomitant pancreatic and biliary disease requiring endoscopic intervention are unknown. This study aims to evaluate the severity of pancreaticobiliary diseases and post-ERCP outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Patients with pancreato-biliary disease that required inpatient ERCP from five centers in the United States and South America between January 1, 2020, and October 31, 2020 were included. A representative cohort of patients from each month were randomly selected from each site. Disease severity and post-ERCP outcomes were compared between COVID-19 positive and COVID-19 negative patients. A total of 175 patients were included: 95 COVID positive and 80 COVID negative. Mean CTSI score for the patients who had pancreatitis was higher in COVID-positive cohort by 3.2 points (p < .00001). The COVID-positive group had more cases with severe disease (n = 41) versus the COVID-negative group (n = 2) (p < .00001). Mortality was higher in the COVID-19 positive group (19%) compared to COVID-negative group (7.5%) even though the COVID-19-negative group had higher incidence of malignancy (n = 17, 21% vs n = 7, 7.3%) (p = 0.0455). This study shows that patients with COVID infection have more severe pancreato-biliary disease and worse post-ERCP outcomes, including longer length of stay and higher mortality rate. These are important considerations when planning for endoscopic intervention. gov: (NCT05051358).

Wickerhamiella lachancei f.a. sp. nov., a novel ascomycetous yeast species isolated from flowers of Lantana camara in India.

Two isolates representing a novel species of the genus Wickerhamiella were obtained in India from nectar of flowers of Lantana camara, an ornamental exotic species native to Central and South America. Phylogenetic analyses of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and physiological characteristics, supported the recognition of the novel species, that we designate Wickerhamiella lachancei sp. nov (MycoBank no. MB851709), with MCC 9929T as the holotype and PYCC 10003T as the isotype. Considering pairwise sequence similarity, the type strain of the novel species differs from the type strain of the most closely related species, Wickerhamiella drosophilae CBS 8459T, by 16 nucleotide substitutions and two gaps (3.9 % sequence variation) in the D1/D2 region (560 bp compared) and 28 nucleotide substitutions and five gaps (7.22 % sequence variation) in the ITS region (444 bp compared).

Large uncertainty in global estimates of manure phosphorus runoff

The estimation of manure phosphorus loss (MPL) in runoff is crucial for addressing environmental problems linked to nonpoint source pollution. Using a data-driven model, we assessed MPL in 520 major global river basins for the year 2000. Global mean MPL was 1.6 kgP/ha with a median of 0.9 kgP/ha. Hotspots were identified in the basins of South and Southeast Asia, Northwestern Europe, and South America. Importantly, 26% of basin areas showed high uncertainty due to input data, while approximately 43% exhibited low uncertainty. Continental analysis highlighted large uncertainties in Asia and South America, particularly in the Amazon, Ganges, Yangtze, and Nile basins, compared to Europe and the eastern United States. Our findings uncovered substantial uncertainties, even with a simple model, suggesting that more complex models can exacerbate uncertainties and lead to misinterpretations. Thus, there is a need for enhanced data quality and recognition of the conditional nature of model-based estimates.

Review of the distribution and biology of the snake mite Ophionyssus natricis (Acari: Macronyssidae)

The mite Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais, 1844) (Macronyssidae) is a widespread ectoparasite of reptiles and a vector of some important veterinary diseases. This paper reviews the geographic distribution and host range of O. natricis and the available information about its clinical significance. Some incorrect identifications and host records are also identified. The snake mite has been collected from 144 species of reptiles, mostly snakes, as well as one amphibian and three species of mammals. It has been recorded in 36 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Australia. Its geographic range has undoubtedly been extended by human activities. Our records of O. natricis on the lizards Darevskia brauneri (Méhely, 1909) and Ophisops elegans Ménétries 1832, and on the snake Telescopus fallax Fleischmann, 1831, are new host records.

Anthropogenic particle abundance and characteristics in seawater and intertidal sediments of the Tonkin Bay Coast (North Vietnam).

Microplastics (MPs, plastic items from 1µm to 5mm in size) are present in all environmental compartments. The evaluation of their concentration, fate, and spatial distribution is still a challenge for the scientific community. This concern is just debuting in developing countries, (i.e., Asia, South America, and Africa). This study deals with the MP contamination in the abiotic marine compartments of Northern Vietnam: seawater and intertidal sediments. Four sites located in the intertidal zone or near the coastline in Tonkin Bay, Vietnam were studied. A total of 16 samples (eight for each compartment) were collected in July 2020 (rainy season) and January 2021 (dry season). Anthropogenic particles (total observed fibers and fragments) were found at levels ranging from 3 to 303 particles/m3 in seawater and from 63 to 955 particles/kg dry weight in sediments. Most of these were fibers less than 300-µm long. Higher levels of seawater at the Nam Dinh site were found in the rainy season compared to the dry one. As the river flow was estimated six times higher during the rainy season than during the dry season, these results suggest the river discharge is a potential source of contamination for the coastal zone. The temporal variability was lower for the sediments than for the seawater, suggesting the long-term integration of the anthropogenic particles in this compartment. A small portion of sorted particles were analyzed by µFTIR (8.35%), and this sub-sample was only composed of fragments. Still, fragments were mostly composed of polypropylene (PP, 82%), polyethylene (PE, 9%), and polystyrene (PS, 9%). The fragment size was similar in the two studied compartments, but it was dependent on polymer types since PS fragments (140 ± 17µm) were smaller than those made of PE (622 ± 123µm) and PP (869 ± 905µm). Future works should investigate the smallest fraction of MP (even nanoplastics) as well as find solutions in order to mitigate MP contamination in the marine environment.

Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities of Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less.: An Updated Review.

Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. is a perennial herbaceous plant found mainly in tropical areas, particularly in Southeast Asia, South America, and India. Various parts of V. cinerea have traditionally been used in folk medicine to treat several diseases, such as malaria, fever, and liver diseases. V. cinerea has so far yielded about 92 secondary metabolites. The majority of these are sesquiterpene lactones, but triterpenes, flavonoids, steroids, phenolics, and other compounds are present as well. V. cinerea crude extracts reportedly exhibit anti-inflammatory, antiprotozoal, antidiabetic, anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and renoprotective activities. This study aims to provide the latest up-to-date information on the botanical characterization, distribution, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activity of V. cinerea. Information on V. cinerea was thoroughly reviewed. The literature published between 1950 and 2024 was compiled through online bibliographic databases, including SciFinder, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, Wiley, and the MDPI online library. The keywords used for the literature search included Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. and the synonyms Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H.Rob., Conyza cinerea L., and various others.

Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeocene Lepisosteiform and Siluriform fish remains from Central India: palaeoecological, palaeoenvironmental and palaeobiogeographical implications

Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeocene geo-climatic events played an important role in the diversification of the modern ichthyofauna. Lepisosteiformes and Siluriformes are two diverse clades of freshwater fishes, poorly known from India in this time interval. Their fossil record documents their early diversification and can be used to reconstruct palaeobiogeographic relationships among the continental masses during the Late Mesozoic. Indeed, the Cretaceous-Palaeocene is an exceptional time span for the Indian plate as it underwent a primary spatial reorganisation and remarkable geologic and climatic changes with extensive outpouring of the Deccan basaltic magma. Field investigation in a Deccan sedimentary sequence at Kisalpuri, Central India has yielded new, rich, and taxonomically important fossil material of Lepisosteiformes (Lepisosteus indicus, Lepisosteidae) and Siluriformes (Siluriformes indet.), which significantly improves their Cretaceous-Palaeocene fossil record from the Indian subcontinent. These fish lived in freshwater environments such as large rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. Their presence along with other aquatic biotic elements suggests that the Kisalpuri was an abundant aquatic ecosystem rich in nutrients, which attracted a diverse range of organisms to live together with fish. Biostratigraphically, these fishes first emerged in the Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeocene on the Indian subcontinent, and later, they spread to other parts of subcontinent throughout the Cenozoic. Their earliest intra-continental distribution was controlled by the palaeodrainage network influenced by the volcanic flows of the Deccan traps. Their inter-continental palaeobiogeographic distribution was broadly controlled by the sequential break-up of Pangaea. There appear to be close palaeobiogeographic linkages between South America and India during the Cretaceous-Palaeocene era based on the similarity between the Lepisosteiformes and Siluriformes remnants from India and those reported from the Upper Cretaceous of the Bauru Group, Brazil.

Detection of thermotolerant coliforms and SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage and recreational waters in the Ecuadorian coast: A call for improving water quality regulation.

Wastewater surveillance represents an alternative approach to regulating contamination and the early detection of infectious agents and outbreaks of diseases of public health importance. This study evaluated domestic wastewater effects on recreational waters in estuarine and seawater bodies in Guayas and Santa Elena provinces in Ecuador, South America. Fecal indicator bacteria (thermotolerant coliforms) served as key indicators for evaluation. Physical, chemical, and microbiological quality markers following the Ecuadorian environmental quality standard and the discharge of effluents to the water resource were analyzed. Samples were collected from 44 coastal sites and 2 oxidation lagoons during the dry and rainy seasons of 2020 and 2021, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in samples with higher E. coli concentrations using reverse transcription quantitative PCR to detect the genes N and ORF1ab. All samples analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 showed Ct ˂ 40 for at least one gene. Four samples showed at least 20 genome copies of gene N per reaction. These were at an artisanal fishing port, an estuarine area (Palmar), a recreational bay, and an oxidation lagoon. A moderate correlation was found between SARS-CoV-2 RNA, thermotolerant coliform and E. coli (p-value ≤ 0.0037), and a strong and positive correlation between thermotolerant coliform and E. coli. (p-value ≤ 0.00001), highlighting the utility of these established parameters as a proxy of the virus. Significant differences were found in the concentrations of thermotolerant coliforms between seasons (p-value = 0.016) and sites (p-value = 0.005). The highest levels of coliforms were found in the dry season (63000 MPN/100 mL) in Anconcito and during the rainy season (14000 MPN/100 mL) at Esterillo in Playas County. It is recommended that the decentralized autonomous governments of the surveyed provinces in Ecuador implement urgent corrective actions and establish medium-term mechanisms to minimize a potential contamination route. Additional parameters must be included in the monitoring, such as Enterococcus and intestinal parasites, due to their public health implications. In the oxidation lagoons, maintenance actions must be carried out, including the dissolution of sediments, an increase in water retention times, and in situ treatment of the sludge, to improve the system's performance.

A Late Cretaceous lizard assemblage from the Allen Formation, northern Patagonia, Argentina

ABSTRACT Lizards are poorly known from the Mesozoic of South America, including several specimens from the Lower and Upper Cretaceous of Brazil, and only a few from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia. Here, we describe a new lizard assemblage from a single bone-bearing level in the Allen Formation (upper Campanian – lower Maastrichtian), cropping out at the Cerro Tortuga locality, Río Negro Province, northern Patagonia, Argentina. We recognise the presence of three different taxa, all of them represented by partially isolated maxillae, belonging to different lizard lineages: pleurodontan Iguania; Teiioidea; and possibly Scincoidea. These specimens support the presence of a quite diverse lizard assemblage during the Late Cretaceous in southern South America, suggesting that their absence in other Cretaceous deposits from Patagonia represents preservational and/or sampling bias. The taxonomic diversity also points to a broad ecological diversity, because the three taxa strongly differ in their dental morphology and inferred dietary habits. The assemblage from Cerro Tortuga indicates that lizards, along with snakes and sphenodontians, were an important component of the Late Cretaceous lepidosaurian fauna of South America and, likely, Gondwana.

Mapping geographic and demographic shifts for container breeding mosquito-borne disease transmission suitability in Central and South America in a warming world

Mapping geographic and demographic shifts for container breeding mosquito-borne disease transmission suitability in Central and South America in a warming world

New species, new combinations, and morphological notes of South American Ambrysinae (Heteroptera: Naucoridae)

Although recent studies have been published on Ambrysinae (Naucoridae) from the Neotropical region, few efforts have been made to improve the taxonomic knowledge of this subfamily in Brazil. Two genera of Ambrysinae containing the greatest number of species in South America were recently established to accommodate species previously classified as Ambrysus Stål: Australambrysus Reynoso &amp; Sites and Maculambrysus Reynoso &amp; Sites. The subgeneric classification of Ambrysus has also changed, including the elevation of Melloiella De Carlo back to full generic status. In the present study, three new species of Ambrysinae from Brazil are described, two belonging to Australambrysus and one to Maculambrysus: Australambrysus minutus n. sp., A. tuberculatus n. sp., and Maculambrysus transversus n. sp. In addition, morphological notes are provided for Australambrysus planus (La Rivers) and A. partridgei (De Carlo), the placement of A. fraternus (Montandon) is confirmed, and the following new combinations are proposed: Maculambrysus attenuatus (Montandon) n. comb., and Maculambrysus obscuratus (Montandon) n. comb., species that are transferred from the genus Australambrysus and Ambrysus, respectively. Two of the species treated here (A. fraternus and A. tuberculatus) are included in the Australambrysus plax (La Rivers) species complex, and a morphological redefinition of the complex is presented. Also, the macropterous form and male genitalia of Melloiella truncaticollis De Carlo are described, including new records from southern Brazil.

A taxonomic revision of Chotoy spinetail Schoeniophylax phryganophilus

Chotoy spinetail Schoeniophylax phryganophilus is widely distributed in southern and eastern South America. What was believed to be a geographically disjunct population was described, as S. p. petersi, from eastern Brazil, in the valley of the Rio São Francisco, in northern Minas Gerais and western Bahia, based on comparatively minor plumage characters (chiefly colour and strength of the streaking). Its range was subsequently believed to extend to the northeast Brazilian state of Piauí. We analysed a total of 91 specimens of Schoeniophylax (74 S. p. phryganophilus, 17 S. p. petersi) for external morphology (plumage and biometrics), and 27 recordings of the species’ main song (22 S. p. phryganophilus and five S. p. petersi). We found no evidence to support intraspecific geographical variation, which is unsurprising in the light of vastly increased fieldwork that has removed any obvious disjunction in the distribution of Schoeniophylax, and we therefore recommend that the species be returned to monotypy.

Ocean waves in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean: An evaluation of global wave models

AbstractIn situ wave observations are essential for implementing coastal management strategies, designing coastal and offshore structures and understanding many processes related to sedimentology and marine biology. Despite their importance, these observations are rather scarce in the coastal areas of southeastern South America. Moreover, the existing observations are discontinuous, with several gaps and no simultaneity. Today, global wave models have improved their performance by providing reliable wave parameters with high resolution and coverage even at near‐shore areas. In this work, wave parameters from five global models were compared with significant wave heights (HS), peak periods (T) and propagation direction at nine sites located at the Southwestern South Atlantic Ocean. The global products used were WAVERYS (Global Reanalysis Wav 001 032), IOWAGA (WAVEWATCH III Hindcast – WW3 – Global grid – CFSR), ERA5 (ECMWF reanalysis), NOAA WW3 – 30‐year Hindcast Phase 2 and NCEP/EMC Operational global wave model GFS – Wave. Mean arithmetic error (Bias), root mean square deviation, scatter index and the Pearson linear correlation coefficient (r) were assessed at each location where wave observations were available. The best agreements for HS were obtained at the deepest sites located farther from the coast. Lower statistical metrics were achieved at coastal sites where the bathymetry is roughly represented by the global models. The calculated correlation coefficients were found to be lower for T than for HS. Overall, T was slightly underestimated by global models. Wave propagation directions were excellently represented by global models at offshore sites. The WAVERYS model is the global product that best represents the wave parameters in the study area, probably due to its higher spatial resolution (0.2°) and more realistic atmospheric forcing (ERA5). In addition, it satisfactorily represents the temporal variability of HS in open water as well as swell characteristics at the outer the Río de la Plata.

Spontaneous intoxication of sheep by the pollen beetle Astylus atromaculatus: 4 outbreaks in Uruguay and Argentina.

Astylus atromaculatus Blanchard is a native beetle of South America that feeds on pollen. During the summer of 2022-2023 in Argentina and Uruguay, an explosive infestation of these insects occurred in pastures in which ruminants were grazing. This was believed to be associated with a severe drought, which had significantly reduced the flowering of crops. Three farms in Uruguay and one in Argentina were visited to examine the flocks and perform autopsies. Affected sheep had watery diarrhea, anorexia, depression, and ruminal atony. The average morbidity, mortality, and case fatality rates were 7.5%, 4.3%, and 68%, respectively. The main gross findings in all animals were in the jejunum; the serosa had multifocal hemorrhages, and the mucosa was necrotic and covered by a pseudomembrane. Microscopically, the mucosa had partial-to-complete necrosis of the lamina propria, as well as loss of villus and crypt epithelium with neutrophilic infiltration. Overlying the necrotic mucosa was a pseudomembrane of fibrin, cell debris, desquamated epithelial cells, degenerate neutrophils, and bacteria. Many specimens of A. atromaculatus were in all paddocks in which sheep grazed, as well as in the ruminal content of the autopsied animals.

Can limiting global temperature rise to below 2°C warming prevent the emergence of unprecedented drought?

In the context of anthropogenic global warming, unprecedented drought is expected to emerge over some regions where drought conditions exceed the variation range of the natural state. However, it is still unclear how the 1.5 °C and 2 °C warming targets proposed by the Paris Agreement will delay or even prevent the emergence of unprecedented drought. To illustrate the benefits of the two warming targets for mitigating drought conditions, this study investigated the time of emergence (TOE) of unprecedented meteorological drought as indicated by the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) model ensembles forced by 4 Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5, SSP3–7.0, and SSP5–8.5). In particular, the pattern of TOE is explored for 4 pseudo warming scenarios under which global mean surface temperature (GMST) increases by 1.5 °C, 2 °C, 3 °C, and 4 °C above pre-industrial levels, respectively. The results suggested that: (1) Under the 1.5 °C and 2 °C warming scenarios, unprecedented meteorological drought is anticipated to emerge over southern Africa, Arabian Peninsula, central Asia, Mongolia, southwestern South America, and western and eastern Australia. (2) Under the 3 °C and 4 °C warming scenarios, unprecedented meteorological drought will expand to western North America, the Amazon, and the Mediterranean. (3) The comparisons with the exposure under the 3 °C and 4 °C warming scenarios show that the aspirational 1.5 °C and 2 °C Paris Agreement warming targets can prevent at least 0.6 × 107 km2 of land area, 1.4 × 108 people, and 0.6 × 106 km2 of cropland area from suffering the emergence of unprecedented meteorological drought.

Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes in Ceratocystis fimbriata complex across diverse hosts

The decline ofAcacia mangiumWilld. in Malaysia, especially in Sabah since 2010, is primarily due to Ceratocystiswilt and canker disease (CWCD) caused by theCeratocystis fimbriataEllis & Halst. complex. This study was aimed to investigate the mitochondrial genome architecture of two differentC. fimbriatacomplex isolates from Malaysia: one fromA. mangiumin Pahang (FRIM1162) and another fromEucalyptus pellitain Sarawak (FRIM1441). This research employed Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) to contrast genomes from diverse hosts with nine additional mitochondrial sequences, identifying significant genetic diversity and mutational hotspots in the mitochondrial genome alignment. The mitochondrial genome-based phylogenetic analysis revealed a significant genetic relationship between the studied isolates and theC. fimbriatacomplex in the South American Subclade, indicating that theC. fimbriatacomplex discovered in Malaysia isC. manginecans. The comparative mitochondrial genome demonstrates the adaptability of the complex due to mobile genetic components and genomic rearrangements in the studiedfungal isolates. This research enhances our knowledge of the genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns within theC. fimbriatacomplex, aiding in a deeper understanding of fungal disease development and host adaption processes. The acquired insights are crucial for creating specific management strategies for CWCD, improving the overall understanding of fungal disease evolution and control.

Styling Authenticity in Country Music

Country music has become commercially successful both in the US and worldwide. It is perceived as a genre that values authenticity, which may be reflected in the choice of linguistic features, with (White) Southern American English (SAE) serving as the “default” variety. Given the recent diversification of the genre, the question arises whether the use of SAE features is still considered obligatory as a kind of “supralocal norm”. This study compared the lyrics of 600 highly successful songs by male and female artists from White Southern, Black Southern, and White non-Southern backgrounds. The aim was to test (i) whether morphosyntactic SAE features are used to index authenticity in the sense of having become enregistered for this music genre and (ii) whether non-Southerners engage in the styling of relevant markers. It emerged that non-Southerners use more of these features than their Southern counterparts, providing preliminary evidence for “genre fitting” as a means of indexing authenticity. However, there is only one marker that qualifies as a core Country feature used across all artist groups, namely negative concord. As this item arguably is better categorized as vernacular universal, SAE morphosyntax appears to have largely lost its indexical function in Country, while accent features are still vital to establishing cultural authenticity.