Influence of plant species identity, phylogeny, and functional traits on twig-associated fungal communities.

The conventional approach to converting kraft lignin (KL) into hard carbons is to start with highly purified, low-ash KL feedstocks and then rely on slow, energy-intensive oxidative stabilization and added crosslinkers to keep melting and foaming associated thermal challenges under control. Herein, we deliberately invert this paradigm. Instead of starting with highly purified KL, we retain pulping inorganics and use them as catalytic centers for oxidative crosslinking and melt suppression of KL. Spherical KL microparticles (KL-MP) were recovered from softwood black liquor by membrane filtration and spray-drying steps, intentionally retaining inorganic sodium (Na) salts as well as organically bound Na in KL-MP, and were compared to acid-precipitated, low-ash reference KL (KL-REF). During thermo-oxidative pretreatment (250°C, 5°C/min) in air, KL-MP undergoes inorganic-catalyzed rapid oxidative crosslinking that converts thermoplastic lignin into a rigid network, whereas KL-REF softens, foams, and fuses. Experimental analysis identifies organically bound Na-phenoxide type species as key catalytic sites. Proton magnetic resonance thermal analysis and molecular dynamics simulations reveal strongly reduced segmental mobility and Na-driven ionic clusters acting as physical crosslinking points. After pretreatment, inorganics are removed by a washing step, and the crosslinked KL-MP is carbonized, yielding low-surface-area hard carbons that retain their initial micron size and spherical morphology. As Li-ion battery anodes, the derived hard carbon shows better electrochemical performance than carbons derived from KL-REF. Overall, the work shows how otherwise undesirable inorganic impurities can simplify thermal conversion of KL, with potential for diverse applications where particle size and shape are critical.

Abstract Austrocelis gen. nov . is described based on the following characters: maxillary palpus short and spatulate; setae of the head elongate; face protrudent, with the dorsal portion flattened and oblique, and ventral portion shorter and recessed towards the mouth opening; wing banded, with setae present on dorsal surface of vein R 1 ; surstylus differentiated but not articulated; and cercus usually bearing modified setae on ventral surface. The genus is found in the Neotropical Region, so far recorded only from South America, and shares the presence of setulae on vein R 1 with Marbenia Malloch, 1931 and Noscutops Malloch, 1926, a probable synapomorphy uniting this group of Neotropical periscelidid genera. The species Austrocelis applanata sp. nov . (type species), Austrocelis brachycerca sp. nov ., Austrocelis dolichocerca sp. nov ., Austrocelis macrocerca sp. nov ., Austrocelis obesa sp. nov ., Austrocelis quadrata sp. nov ., Austrocelis rotunda sp. nov . and Austrocelis spinulosa sp. nov . are described and illustrated herein.

The genus Turnicola Clay & Meinertzhagen, 1938a is redescribed and illustrated in detail for the first time, together with specimens here regarded as the type species of this genus, Lipeurus angustissimus Giebel, 1866. As the type series of this species has been lost, we here designate a neotype for L. angustissimus from specimens collected from the type host in Guangdong, China. Specimens from two different host species have the same COI genotype, indicating that Turnicola angustissimus is more widely distributed than previously thought. Differences in the louse prevalences between the two host species suggest that some, yet unknown, ecological factors may impact their louse communities.

Abstract Acanthocephala , with 40 known species, is the most diverse genus of the tribe Acanthocephalini, which contains some of the largest species of Coreidae. In this contribution, Acanthocephala guatemalena , A. granulosa , A. luctuosa , A. panamensis , and A. thoracica were resurrected as valid species, and a morphological phylogenetic analysis, using continuous and discrete characters, was performed to test the monophyly of the genus. The analysis was carried out under implied weighting, including 34 species of Acanthocephala as ingroup, and 20 species from other genera of Acanthocephalini and Placoscelini as outgroups. Acanthocephala was recovered as a monophyletic group, and sister of the clade ( Spilopleura parensis + S. ochracea ). To formalize and show the relationships of the species in Acanthocephala , the subgenera A. ( Acanthocephala ) and A. ( Metapodiessa ) were revalidated, and three new subgenera were proposed: A. ( Spinipedia ) subgen. nov ., A. ( Contrastata ) subgen. nov ., and A. ( Pronoptera ) subgen. nov . Additionally, a detailed redescription of Acanthocephala , a subgeneric key, descriptions and redescriptions for all subgenera, photo­graphs of dorsal and ventral habitus of the type species of each subgenus, and photographs of the diagnostic characters, including male and female genitalia are provided.

Potua Bolívar, 1887, a genus currently assigned to Xerophyllini (Cladonotinae), requires taxonomic revision because its type species, P. coronata Bolívar, 1887, is poorly defined. It exhibits huge variability in the pronotum among type specimens and longstanding confusion with P. morbillosa (Walker, 1871). To resolve the issue, we performed morphometric analyses and sequenced a fragment of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene to reassess species boundaries. Integrating the morphological and genetic data, we synonymise P. coronata Bolívar, 1887, syn. nov. with P. morbillosa (Walker, 1871) and prove that specimens with different pronotal morphology, previously regarded as intraspecific variations, represent different species. Genetic variations within each morphotype are also very low. Here, we describe three new species—P. bulbosa Muhammad, Adžić & Tan, sp. nov. from the Malay Peninsula; P. kinabalu Muhammad & Tan, sp. nov.; and P. sepilok Tan & Muhammad, sp. nov. from Borneo. We also provide an annotated diagnostic table to distinguish each of the four species from Southeast Asia.

Dictyostelid cellular slime molds (dictyostelids) exhibit complex interactions with bacteria and have become an important research tool for studies of the relationships that exist between the ecological environment and pathogenic microorganisms. Heterostelium pallidum, a species of dictyostelid, is the type species of the genus Heterostelium. Traditional methods for isolating H. pallidum are time-consuming and ineffective. In the present study, a pair of specific primers and probes based on the genome of H. pallidum was designed and screened, optimized reaction conditions were determined, and a real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR detection method was developed. A standard curve was constructed with concentrations ranging from 1 ng/μL to 10 fg/μL. These yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.996 and an amplification efficiency of 103.354%. This method was tested and found to work for three random environmental soil samples. An effective CT value was detected in a soil sample where only a single clone of H. pallidum was isolated. The TaqMan probe-based fluorescence quantitative PCR method demonstrated high sensitivity and accuracy. The results obtained in this study have improved the limitations of traditional isolation methods used for H. pallidum, and these can be used for the rapid detection and determination of H. pallidum in different environments, providing reference data for research on the soil environment, microbial assemblages, and public health.IMPORTANCEHeterostelium pallidum has been widely used in studies of chemotaxis and signaling in organisms as well as in other aspects of cell biology. However, its ecological relationships within diverse soil bacterial communities and its broader environmental roles remain poorly characterized, unlike the extensively studied model organism Dictyostelium discoideum. The question of how to enhance the value of H. pallidum in ecology through the application of specific technological approaches is a seriously understudied topic. Based on this situation, the present study developed a quantitative detection method for H. pallidum. Efficient detection of this organism in soil samples validated the applicability of this method for complex environmental samples. The specific probe developed in this study for H. pallidum changes the situation of time-consuming and low sensitivity associated with traditional methods of isolation, thus providing technical references for the application of H. pallidum in a wide range of ecological and environmental research.

Euglenids are an important group of free-living phototrophic, osmotrophic, or phagotrophic protists, with most of the phylogenetic diversity represented by phagotrophs. One major subgroup of phagotrophs is the petalomonads: rigid, often relatively small cells with few pellicle strips (usually 4-8). They have been proposed to be sisters to other euglenids, a pivotal evolutionary position supported by multigene phylogenies. Most described petalomonads are assigned to either Petalomonas or Notosolenus; however, neither is monophyletic, and existing genera clearly do not reflect phylogenetic diversity within petalomonads. We report 14 Petalomonas or Notosolenus-like isolates and characterize them using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (for most), and SSU rDNA phylogenetics. Most isolates branch in/with three of the five known major clades within petalomonads; however, a new major clade is revealed that houses an isolate identified as Petalomonas poosilla, plus five freshwater Notosolenus isolates, including the type species Notosolenus apocamptus. Overall, we report five new species, plus five new combinations that transfer Notosolenus-like species assigned to other clades to two new genera, Tonotosolenus and Unotosolenus. Over half of the isolates are monoprotistan cultures, markedly increasing the availability of tractable petalomonads for examining euglenid biology in a comparative evolutionary framework.

ABSTRACT A new species of dromiid crab Cryptodromia colini n. sp. is described based on a male specimen collected from Shivrajpur village, Saurashtra coast, Gujarat State, India. The morphological characters of C. colini n. sp. are described and figured, and compared with allied taxa. The taxonomy of the related C. coronata Stimpson, 1858 the type species of the genus, is also discussed. This poorly known species is redescribed and figured in detail. With the description of the new taxon, seven species of Cryptodromia are now known from India.

Blow flies represent one of the most forensically significant insects in legal investigations. Their habitat-specific abundance and temperature-dependent development rates can help estimate a post-mortem interval (PMI), cause of death and post-mortem movement of a deceased body. As the role of forensic entomology expands in human and wildlife criminal investigations, there is a need for updated regional surveys for blow fly species. All recent and previous blow fly surveys in Arizona have been limited to the southern and central ecoregions. The objective of this study was to identify blow fly species between two contrasting habitats in northwestern Arizona-the Black Mountains (Mojave Desert) and the Hualapai Mountains (Arizona/New Mexico Mountains). This research aimed to assess the impacts of food source (game meat (javelina; Tayassu tajacu) compared to chicken (Gallus domesticus) liver), seasonality and elevation on blow fly biodiversity. Each habitat had three site locations at different elevational gradients (low, middle, high) with four bait traps deployed at each site (two of each bait type). This study found a significant difference in the biodiversity of blow flies between and within each habitat seasonally, as well as elevational variation within each habitat. Bait-preference also was statistically significant for overall abundance, and two indicator species for each bait type were identified. Additionally, this research presents the northernmost recorded presence of Chrysomya rufifacies in Arizona, as well as the first records of Cynomya cadaverina and Calliphora alaskensis in the state. The data collected establishes an important baseline for these understudied regions of Arizona and facilitates a wider use of blow flies in forensic investigations for rural areas of Mohave County, AZ.

The biodiversity of Site F, a cold seep in the South China Sea, still has some knowledge gaps. Reniuristis brevicoxus gen. et sp. nov. is the first epibenthic amphipod reported at Site F. The new genus Reniuristis gen. nov. differs from other genera of the family Uristidae Hurley, 1963 by the combination of the following characters: a callynophore only weakly developed, the inner plate of the maxilliped almost extending to the end of the outer plate, a vestigial coxa 1, a constricted inner ramus of uropod 2 and a notched telson. Morphologically, this study describes the new genus Reniuristis gen. nov. with R. brevicoxus gen. et sp. nov. as its type species.

Land-use change significantly impacts biodiversity, but its effects on the gut microbiomes of soil invertebrates remain poorly understood. We investigated how forest conversion to rubber plantations alters bacterial and fungal diversity, composition, and function in termite guts within a biodiversity hotspot Xishuangbanna, China. Our results showed that termites from natural forests harbored higher gut bacterial diversity than those from plantations, with effects varying across host species. Fungal diversity was shaped primarily by host species identity, with Odontotermes yunnanensis exhibiting the highest diversity index. While termite species solely governed bacterial community composition, both termite species and forest type shaped fungal composition. Fungal community variation correlated with local soil properties, whereas bacterial variation only associated with soil pH. Termites shared 17% of core gut bacteria (e.g., Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium) but 100% of fungi with the environment. Co-occurrence networks exhibited species-specific responses to forest conversion. Host species (Ancistrotermes and Odontotermes) predicted bacterial functional potential, but both forest type and host species influenced fungal functional potential. These findings demonstrate that termite gut microbiome responses to land-use change are multifaceted and taxon-specific, highlighting their role in ecosystem functional resilience under anthropogenic disturbance.

ABSTRACT A new benthic unarmoured dinoflagellate, Paramphidinium jejuensis sp. nov. was isolated from Pyoseon Beach, Jeju Island, Korea, and is described here. The cells were observed using light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using partial SSU and LSU rDNA sequences. The species exhibits two forms, motile and sessile. Motile cells are oval, 26–35 µm in length × 18–24 µm in width, whereas sessile cells are larger, 35–38 µm long × 27–30 µm wide, with a round and broad shape. The episome is much smaller than the hyposome and becomes embedded within it in the non-motile (sessile) state. A distinct ventral pit occurs at the posterior end of the episome, and a small, shallow sulcus is located below the episome near the cell centre. The nucleus is spherical, located in the centre of the hyposome. The morphological features are most similar to Amphidinium mootonorum, but P. jejuensis can be distinguished by the shape of the nucleus, sulcus position and the shape of the episome when in a sessile state. The phylogenetic analyses of rDNA showed that P. jejuensis clearly differed from A. mootonorum and formed a clade with A. mootonorum separate from the Amphidinium sensu stricto group. This clade is significantly divergent from the other genera which belong to the Amphidiniales, Gymnodiniales and Ptychodiscales. These morphological and phylogenetic results allow us to establish a new genus Paramphidinium with Paramphidinium mootonorum (Sh.Murray & D.J.Patterson) comb. nov. as the type species and to describe Paramphidinium jejuensis gen. et sp. nov. https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9D521B2E-36A4-4902-887F-4F8C31427EF6

Ecosystems are open to spatial flows of nonliving resources and dispersing organisms that can interact to drive their dynamics and functions. Empirical evidence shows resource flows and dispersal commonly have contrasting properties: resource flows connect nearby ecosystems of different types, while dispersal connects relatively distant ecosystems of similar types. For instance, islands and adjacent coral reefs are connected through resource exchanges but also exhibit organisms that disperse across larger spatial scales between homologous ecosystems. These contrasting properties of spatial flows can yield spatially nested topologies of diverse, coupled ecosystems, where nearby ecosystems coupled via resource flows are embedded within larger scale dispersal networks. Using meta-ecosystem models, we show that spatially nested topologies of coupled ecosystems have a general stabilizing effect on ecosystem dynamics. Stabilization results from the emergence of cross-scale source-sink dynamics, where some ecosystems act as nutrient sources but consumer sinks and others as nutrient sinks but consumer sources-creating a self-regulating spatial structure that dampens local instabilities. These dynamics lead to spatial variation in trophic regulation and biomass stocks across ecosystems of the same type: consumer sinks exhibit stronger top-down control and lower primary producer stocks, while consumer sources exhibit stronger bottom-up control and higher producer stocks. These local effects of cross-scale source-sink dynamics scale up to influence functions at the meta-ecosystem scale, including increasing primary production and nutrient retention. Critically, we further demonstrate how these source-sink dynamics depend on the dispersal rates of consumer species in both ecosystem types, such that the stability and function of one ecosystem type can be shaped by the dispersal rate of consumers in another. Our findings suggest that the diversity of ecosystem types and the hierarchy of spatial flow scales observed ubiquitously in nature are key properties of spatial ecological systems, driving their stability and functions across scales.

Edible flowers are emerging functional ingredients and dietary sources of anthocyanins, yet the influence of food matrices and digestion on their bioaccessibility and absorption remains unclear. Wild pansy (Viola tricolor), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), and cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) were evaluated for nutritional composition, phytochemical content, and anthocyanin stability, digestibility, and absorption. All species showed high dietary fiber content, with species-dependent differences in nutritional and phenolic composition. Anthocyanin stability was pH- and matrix-dependent, and strongly influenced by anthocyanin structure. Digestion caused a marked reduction in anthocyanin recovery, particularly after the intestinal phase (up to 62.69% relative to the oral phase). Transepithelial transport assays showed reduced absorption efficiencies for digested extracts compared with free extracts (up to 67.53%), while food matrix components differentially modulated transport depending on matrix type and flower species. Overall, food matrices influenced anthocyanin stability and absorption, highlighting the relevance of matrix-anthocyanin-digestion interactions for dietary recommendations and functional food formulation.

This work describes the primary type collection (holotypes, lectotypes, neotypes, and syntypes) of foraminifera at the Natural History Museum Vienna. The collection dates back to the material of Fichtel and Moll from the 18th century and covers the geographic area of the former Habsburg Empire as well as some special locations outside of the Empire (e.g., New Zealand and the Philippines). A historic context of the collection is provided, as well as a chronological discussion of the type material for each author from 1798 to 2018. A statistical analysis of the metadata associated with more than 500 type species, including stratigraphic age, area of origin, and date of description emphasizes the diversity and scientific spectrum of the collection. With this combined approach, the significance of the Vienna type collection as one of the most important repositories for foraminiferal taxonomy is highlighted, which has a history of more than 200 years.

A novel bacterial strain, designated HK31-PT, was isolated from a deep subsurface geothermal aquifer in southwestern Iceland. Phylogenetic analyses, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that the strain was affiliated to the genus Phreatobacter. Cells of the strain were Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile by means of a polar flagellum and granule-containing. Colonies were small, circular, convex, smooth and white in colour. Growth under chemoorganoheterotrophic and aerobic conditions was observed at the following ranges: 20-35 °C (optimum, 30-35 °C), pH 7-9 (optimum, 8) and 0-0.5% salinity (optimum, 0%). The strain was also capable of growing under chemolithoautotrophic and (micro)aerobic conditions with Fe(II) as an electron donor. The major respiratory quinone identified was ubiquinone Q-10 (97.0%), and the predominant fatty acid was C18:1 ω7c. The dominant polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified aminophospholipid, along with several unidentified glycolipids, phospholipids and lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain HK31-PT was 67.66 mol%, and its complete genome was 4.34 Mbp in size. The values of the digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity indices between strain HK31-PT and the type species of the genus Phreatobacter ranged, respectively, from 21.30 to 27% and from 78.25 to 86.32%. These values are well below the accepted species delineation thresholds, thereby clearly indicating that strain HK31-PT represents a distinct genomic species within the genus Phreatobacter, strongly supporting that the former represents a new species belonging to the genus Phreatobacter. Therefore, based on this polyphasic approach, strain HK31-PT represents a new species within the genus Phreatobacter, for which the name Phreatobacter aquiterrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HK31-PT (DSM 116433T=UBOCC-M-3430T).

A new genus, Lvovskyella gen. nov. (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Metarbelidae), and two new species—L. alexandri sp. nov. (the type species) from Nigeria and L. squamuroides sp. nov. from Burkina Faso—are described. The new genus is closely related to the Oriental genus Squamura Heylaerts, 1890, from which it differs in the characters of the male genitalia.

The syndinean genus Amoebophrya comprises endoparasitic dinoflagellates that infect various marine protists. Since the description of the type species, A. sticholonchae, a parasite of the radiolarian Sticholonche zanclea, an additional six Amoebophrya species have been formally described. Over the past 2 decades, intensive high-throughput environmental sequencing has discovered widespread and extensive diversity of novel marine alveolate group II (MALV II), generally considered the Amoebophryidae. Of the large number of uncultured environmental sequences, only several clades of MALV II are associated with a few sequences representing the Amoebophrya ceratii complex (ACC) infecting free-living dinoflagellates. In this study, we examined developmental traits and molecular signatures of A. sticholonchae and nine members of the ACC infecting diverse dinoflagellates from Korean coastal waters. Molecular phylogeny inferred from 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed that A. sticholonchae clustered with radiolarian-associated sequences, forming a basal lineage to the ACC, which comprised eight distinct clades (ACC1-8). Developmental traits were phylogenetically structured. Of the eight clades, ACC1-4 infected host nuclei and lacked temporary polyploidy, except that cytoplasmic infection occurred in Karlodinium veneficum cells containing multiple parasites; ACC5 and ACC8 exhibited cytoplasmic infection with temporary polyploidy, except for Prorocentrum micans, showing a similar frequency of cytoplasmic and nuclear infections, and ACC6-7 showed nuclear infection accompanied by temporary polyploidy. In contrast, A. sticholonchae uniquely combined cytoplasmic infection with the absence of temporary polyploidy. Although complex, these results suggest that phylogenetic divergence of the ACC group is generally consistent with developmental stage-specific characteristics, which is potentially useful in future taxonomic classification of this diverse lineage.

Caryophyllidean tapeworms (Cestoda) are widespread parasites of suckers (Catostomidae) in North America, but their phylogenetic relationships remain poorly understood. This study presents molecular data on species of the recently established genus Pseudoglaridacris Oros, Uhrovič et Scholz, 2018. The type species, P. laruei (Lamont 1921), a very common parasite of the white sucker Catostomus commersonii (Catostomidae) in North America, is characterised both molecularly and morphologically based on recently collected, properly fixed specimens from the type host (C. commersonii) and four species of redhorse (Moxostoma spp.), including new host and geographical records from Canada and the United States. Pseudoglaridacris laruei differs from other species in the genus by its size, being the largest species (body length up to 12.7 mm), a high number of testes (62–119) and very few (0–6) postovarian vitelline follicles. Mackiewiczus etowanum from Hypentelium etowanum and Mackiewiczus rarus from Moxostoma poecilurum in Alabama are nomina nuda. The taxonomic status of P. confusa (Hunter 1929), which occurs in ictiobines, and of P. oligorchis (Haderlie 1953), which is most probably a junior synonym of P. laruei with a reduced number of testes, is also discussed, based on molecular data indicating the presence of a putative new species from ictiobines that has not yet been described.